Cub Tracks crashes on LSD

My other other car is a Ferrari. But right now I’m writing from my front Porsche.

I’m sorry. I have been watching game show bloopers all day. Dad jokes? Hell, we got great-grandpa jokes:

HOST: “What thing does a burglar LEAST want to see when he breaks into the house?”

CONTESTANT: “A naked grandma!”

It’s been that kinda weekend.

Here’s Cub Tracks 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 on this page as sarcasm font. (In the comments section, use @ before and after your remarks @ to produce sarcasm font.)

The Cubs are the biggest wild card of what will be a slow offseason, and many have wondered if Jed Hoyer becoming the team’s new president of baseball operations signals that a rebuild is on the horizon. — Russell Dorsey

• Grey Papke (Larry Brown Sports*): Theo Epstein reportedly turned down chance to run Phillies. “The Phillies’ search is proceeding without Epstein’s involvement.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): How Jed Hoyer can put his stamp on the Cubs as team president. “As far as sustainability, and frankly as far as efficiency, I think we have to do a much better job,” Hoyer said.
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Mediocre NL Central could make Cubs’ retool easier than anticipated. “I think we can do both, but it does probably mean being a little bit opportunistic at certain times,” president Jed Hoyer said.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Jon Lester deserves a proper send-off from Cubs fans. “... bringing back Lester for 2021 makes a lot of sense.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): There are just four days left before the December 2 non-tender deadline. “... the Cubs are almost certainly trying VERY HARD AT THIS VERY MOMENT to trade one or many of these arbitration-eligible players.”
• Todd Johnson (Cubs Insider*): Baseball Prospectus names Brailyn Marquez top Cubs prospect, Chase Strumpf absent from Top 10. “... the first-timers on the list are Burl Carraway, Ed Howard, and Yohendrick Pinango.”
• Michael Ernst (Cubs Den*): The next five years: Fixing the offense. “... the team is letting opportunities for rallies pass right by them (through the strike zone).”
• David Hill (Call to the Pen*): Chicago Cubs: Addison Russell will not be brought back to KBO. “At 26 years old, Russell’s once promising career is close to falling completely apart.”

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading!