Cub Tracks’ a man named Jed

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Jed Hoyer on Theo leaving the Cubs: “I’ll miss the daily wagers that never get paid off. I’ll miss hearing about your latest 47 yd field goal attempt. I’ll miss the random mid 80’s references to the Patriots or early 90’s to the Celtics. I don’t know what my life is going to be like without anyone comparing players to Mosi Tatupu or Acie Earl. I’ll miss calling you Al Davis once a week when you walk in the office in a sweat suit. I’ll miss all the laughs, almost all at my expense.” — Jesse Rogers.

• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs’ biggest questions as Hoyer takes over. “We face a new challenge,” Hoyer said Monday. Russell Dorsey elaborates.
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune*): Hoyer, given a 5-year contract as Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations, says he ‘might be more focused toward the future’ with core players nearing free agency. “In this job you always have one eye on the present and one eye on the future,” Hoyer said Monday.
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Why continuity atop front office is important to Cubs. “I don’t think anybody’s tearing anything down,” Tom Ricketts said.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): How Cubs could be impacted by ongoing ‘21 rules negotiations. “There’s a lot of rules stuff that we don’t know right now,” Hoyer said Monday.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Why Jake Arrieta could be good insurance for Cubs. “... he was successful for extended stretches in Philadelphia.”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): Imagining and invoking an Anthony Rizzo extension, because, hey, maybe “The Secret” is real. “... I’d really rather not live in a world without Anthony Rizzo at first base even one day sooner than I have to.”
• Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic {$}): Waiting on the Cubs; Nolan Arenado an eventual fit for Cardinals?; more notes. “New president of baseball operations Hoyer appears to be in a box.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune*): Kris Bryant to the Dodgers, Nationals or Red Sox? Kyle Schwarber to the Yankees? A look at potential Chicago Cubs trade partners. “The answer, in most cases, is large-market teams with a heightened sense of urgency to win.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): How about a platoon double-dip of former Rays? Enter Brian O’Grady, who was designated for assignment along with Hunter Renfroe last week.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Sinclair says it will be offering standalone RSN products as soon as next year. “The explicit linking of sports betting and the regional sports networks is notable enough ...”
• Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Theo Epstein’s Cubs heyday: Late nights, tennis showdowns and hijinks. “He’s one of those rare people that can hang out in any type of situation with any type of people,” said Brandon Hyde.
• Bob Goldsborough (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Chicago Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward buys 6-bedroom Gold Coast mansion for $5.9 million. “The limestone home clocks in at 7,430 square feet.”
• Food for thought:

Thanks for reading!