Cub Tracks gets down to earth

Cub Tracks is doing a little spring cleaning and some judicious pruning. We won’t reiterate news items discussed on the front page, as a general rule of thumb. The nut behind the wheel is the same, but we will reprint news drivers — Ken Rosenthal’s column is an example.

Here’s today’s Cubs News and Notes. As always * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

• Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic {$}): Baseball’s confusing trade deadline rule is about to change. Here’s the potential fallout. “...raise your hand if you understood how teams made those infamous waiver deals of yesteryear.”
• Phil Thompson (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Cubs used auto-generated captions for their YouTube channel. A deaf fan’s concern is prompting them to change that. “Following the launch of our YouTube channel we discovered the captioning software was not precise,” Cubs spokesman Julian Green said.
• Luke Stuckmeyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Respect your elders: Cubs veteran starting rotation full of potential. “The only regular starter who was under 30 in the Cubs championship rotation was Kyle Hendricks.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Jon Lester looking to bounce back from outing vs. A’s. “The good thing is this game doesn’t really matter,” Lester said after the Cubs’ 12-11 loss.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs look to add roster depth as camp winds down, as bullpen questions loom. “Everything’s in play,” said manager Joe Maddon.
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Cubs may need to rely on a more complete Carl Edwards Jr. with Pedro Strop’s status uncertain. “Edwards’ recent mastery of the strike zone could represent the finishing touches in his development...”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Brad Brach topping out at high 80’s, says that’s always the case during spring training. “I don’t know why it happens, but it takes awhile for the velocity to get there, and then it goes up and keeps climbing as the season goes along.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): A 38-year-old arm, a 98-mph fastball and a long-awaited chance for ‘redemption’. “I was like, ‘Holy crap, this is actually happening,’ said Luke Hagerty. Mark Gonzales chimes in. Patrick Mooney has the next chapter {$}. Jordan Bastian has words, too.
• Jesse Rogers (ESPN*): Why Willson Contreras’ makeover might hold key to Cubs’ season. “Contreras is out to prove that he is every bit the All-Star who was voted a starter just last season.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Kris Bryant reacts to four-man outfield strategy. I take it as a compliment, because it’s like, ‘This guy hits a lot of balls in the gaps and in the air.’ That’s kind of how I look at it.”
• Sean Holland (Cubs Insider): How does Ian Happ’s spring slump factor as Cubs value production over talent? “...other Cubs who will challenge Happ for playing time are definitely not scuffling.”

• Cubs birthdays: Bob Raudman, Ty Waller, Steve Lake. Also notable: Kirby Puckett (HoF)

Food for thought: