Cub Tracks sticks with the process

Cubs are close to a major-league signing. Granted, damaged goods, or once-damaged goods, but hey, Steven Souza Jr. is a major-league bat and can march into the lineup on a platoon basis, possibly hitting behind Anthony Rizzo against lefties.

Here’s today’s episode of Cubs News and Notes, the only links column that really matters. 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.

• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): How the Cubs are positioning Marquee during their winter of discontent. “It’s a bit presumptuous for the Cubs to think that households will simply switch cable providers to watch a third-place team.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs to spend ST piecing together ‘pen puzzle. “The competition for jobs in the Cubs’ bullpen this spring will be as wide open as it gets.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Fashion maven Adbert Alzolay confident 2020 will be ‘changeup year’. “... one of the most integral requirements to having a strong changeup is just having the confidence to throw it.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): ‘Upside Is Legitimate’ for lefty Justin Steele, especially if he follows Cole Hamels’ advice. “... it’s not always a good idea to scout pitching prospects’ stat lines.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Inbox: Will leadoff Rizzo make a comeback? “That will be something I will not be lobbying for in the early going,” Rizzo said.
• NBC Sports Chicago*: Is Kris Bryant the new Curt Flood? [AUDIO].
• 670 The Score: Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber: Launch angle is ‘a load of BS’. “Schwarber believes advanced metrics can make hitting too complicated.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Following 2019 ‘learning process,’ Ian Happ’s offensive progression key for 2020 Cubs. “It’s just about sticking with the process, understanding that that’s what worked and that’s what you want to do,” Happ said.
• Bryan Smith (Bleacher Nation): Cubs first-rounder Ryan Jensen reflects on his meteoric 2019. “It was something like I’ve never experienced,” Jensen said.
• Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register* {$}): Taylor Davis’ message to Iowa Cubs fans: Thank you. “Thank you for all the years of support and love,” Davis said via telephone.
• Cubs birthdays: Fred Glade, Jimmy Adair, Mel Roach, Jose Macias, Dan Serafini.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.