Cub Tracks’ window shopping

Forgive me, for my fantasies may seem a little shopworn ...

I just want baseball in the sunshine, with occasional night-time contests, and not so much of these reindeer games. Especially as I believe that the playoff window is nearly closed. It’s only the mediocrity of the NL Central that makes the Cubs’ current group a contender.

The next Cubs broadcaster might be the biggest free agent the team signs this winter. — Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma

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.)

• John Byrne (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Lightfoot-backed plan to let Cubs defer infrastructure payment to city advances. “It passed the City Council License Committee on Wednesday and will head to the full council next week.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Annual Freebie grants Every NL Central team an extra draft pick except the Cubs. “... if you’re in the bottom 10 in the league in revenue OR market size, you can get a pick.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): While their offseason focus will be on upgrading the offense, the Chicago Cubs can’t — and won’t — ignore their rotation. “The Cubs will continue to look for young, impact starting pitching ...”
• RJ Anderson (CBS Sports*): MLB hot stove: Seven starting pitchers who could be traded this winter, including Yu Darvish and Sonny Gray. I dunno.
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): Why Matt Dorey is optimistic about Cubs’ homegrown pitching depth. “... if all goes to plan, the big-league team is poised to begin reaping the rewards this season, financially if nothing else.” Also Cubs Talk ep #420 [AUDIO].
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): 5 NL Central teams, 5 year-end goals. “The entire division has plenty of work to do ...” Also coaches Anthony Iapoce, Chris Valaika assess Cubs’ needs.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs currently projected to trim payroll by $40-50 Million for 2021, second winter of big cuts. “... there’s really no excuse for what’s taking place across the league.”
• Lawrence Holmes (670 The Score*): Cubs’ Jason Heyward: ‘Change needs to happen’. “With every organization, there’s windows, there’s time periods.”
• Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register* {$}): The Iowa Cubs are safe, but 2 Iowa cities are losing their minor league affiliations. “Representatives of both the Bees and LumberKings assured fans that some level of baseball would continue to be played in Burlington and Clinton.”
• Evan Petzold (Detroit Free Press*): With dark days behind him, Detroit Tigers’ Zack Short ready to blossom. “... Short wanted a chance to play, and the Tigers gave him the opportunity ...”
• Joe Nelson (Bring Me The News*): Twins radio announcer Cory Provus named as possible candidate for Cubs TV broadcaster opening. “... Provus has history with WGN ...” From an Athletic article by Mooney and Sharma {$}.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading!