Cub Tracks cranks one out

No Cub Wednesday. I spent the time working and have four titles to debut before Hallowe’en from my new publishing company. DAMMIT! THAT HAS TO STOP! My carefully-cultivated image as a lazy stoner and resident crank is in danger. Well, maybe not the last part...

The usual narratives are in focus: Joe Maddon’s future, playoff uncertainty, cup snakes. If it were up to me I’d just ban beer but that’s largely because Binny’s isn’t giving me huge sums of filthy lucre, and besides, I live a couple of thousand miles away and don’t like large groups of people anyway. Especially the drunken ones. Your mileage may vary. Don’t @ me.

I’d sign Joe to one year plus a mutual option. I’m a big fan of one-year deals and regard long-term deals with the same respect as I regard Brussels sprouts. I would also make every effort to sign Nick Castellanos to a short-term deal.

But enough from me. That’s not why you’re here, is it?

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). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used here as sarcasm font.

• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Joe Maddon’s future takes center stage as the Cubs enter the final weeks of the season. “He’s done a great job of not letting it be a distraction, not being an issue,” Epstein said.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): ‘Reckoning’ or end of times for Cubs core as it faces career crossroads in final weeks of season. “The most important thing is just winning,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “I think winning kind of cures everything and silences all the outside noise.” Jordan Bastian moves him over.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Newly energized Cubs showcase team’s depth. “That just speaks on how talented this clubhouse is from top to bottom,” Castellanos said. “If somebody steps out, somebody else steps in.” Tim Stebbins boards this train. Sahadev Sharma {$} keeps the train moving.
• RJ Anderson (CBS Sports*): Cubs GM regrets not trading for Justin Verlander, who apparently wanted to land in Chicago in 2017. “It’s unclear whom the Cubs would have had to give up in order to make a deal.”
• Matt Snyder (CBS Sports*): The playoff-chasing Cubs have a leadoff problem and Joe Maddon won’t pick the easy solution. “Kris Bryant has a .379 OBP this season and is one of the best baserunners in baseball.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Willson Contreras’ return from IL met by Bryant’s latest bout with knee soreness. “A little hitch in the giddy up. We just got to watch it,” Maddon said pregame regarding Bryant. Jordan Bastian has more on the injury front.
• Doug Glanville (NBC Sports Chicago* {$}): Ben Zobrist - The Immeasurable Big League Life. “... we saw what a player can bring without hitting the ball over the fence or even out of the infield.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Zobrist and Contreras return and provide instant contributions in the Cubs’ 6-1 win over the Mariners. “It was kind of a complete game, a team victory,” Maddon said.
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): Trying to hammer home just how good Kyle Schwarber has been... “Over his last 102 plate appearances, Kyle Schwarber is slashing .287/.392/.678 which is good for a 168 wRC+...” Evan Altman also conducts in this car. Brendan Miller has numbers.
• Craig Edwards (Fangraphs): Right place. right time for Nicholas Castellanos and the Cubs. “... Castellanos’ standard deviation in the table above is so much lower than most of his peers.”
• Bruce Miles (Daily Herald {$}): Ryan Court’s long journey to Wrigley Field well worth it. “It’s like, ‘Hey, you made it. You did it.’ And then it was time to go to work.””
• Cubs birthdays: Ed Stein, Lefty Leifield, Candy Maldonado, Cliff Bartosh, Jeff Stevens, Tyler Colvin. Also notable: Nap Lajoie (HoF), Bill Mazeroski (HoF).

Food for thought: