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Cub Tracks sheds some light

Cubs and MLB news and notes — Javy Baez is the best, Cubs fans need to be patient, you are only coming through in waves, and other bullets

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Cincinnati Reds v Chicago Cubs
Maybe a silver lining
Photo by David Banks/Getty Images

The beats go on. Everybody is seemingly back to work so we have articles to read and thoughts to consider. Some of them are even worthwhile. I’ll get out of the way.

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.

The Cubs would make sense if they move Kris Bryant. They are not primed for some sort of a rebuild as much as a refresh or reboot -- an always-difficult needle to thread, particularly if they hope to dip under the luxury-tax threshold. One source characterized the Cubs as doing due diligence, as they’ve done throughout the winter with myriad trade conversations, but the notion of trading catcher Willson Contreras and a higher-priced, underperforming player in an Arenado deal, then flipping Bryant to revitalize a mediocre farm system, squares in the short and long term. The Nationals’ best trade piece, middle infielder Carter Kieboom, would be a perfect anchor for a Bryant deal if the Cubs didn’t already have Javier Baez at shortstop and rookie Nico Hoerner at second base. — Jeff Passan.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.