Cub Tracks and the state of matters

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“There is no secret sauce.” — Hamburglar, previously, in an aside to Mayor McCheese.

The Cubs’ front office continues to work on their flat-top while the offseason intrigue percolates. Maybe they can build a better burger but it doesn’t have the same ring: “Two All Beef Patties, Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles, Onions on a Sesame Seed Bun.”

Randy Bush is going to build his burgers in Jacksonville. It strikes me as a Jason McLeod move, but it doesn’t knock me out.

I need something that’s going to make me have a vowel movement, like “Daaaaaaaaaaaaaamn, they did THAT? Right on.”

The burger still needs something, in other words. Maybe a pretzel bun? Definitely not white bread. Keep it under the microscope and see what happens.

BRING ON THE ROBOT UMPS.

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• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): More change in the Cubs front office as executive Randy Bush transitions into advisory role. “... taking on a new role with the Cubs as a senior advisor for baseball operations.” Mooney decodes Cubs’ messaging {$}.
• Duane Pesice (Cubbies Crib*): Deciphering recent noise coming from a new front office. “It’s enough to drive you batty, trying to ferret out what baseball executives mean when they talk...”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Spending ‘intelligently’ is the new mantra for Chicago Cubs President Jed Hoyer. But what does it really mean? “... it seems apparent that Hoyer will continue to spend most of his time making trades and free-agent signings, while Hawkins will be more responsible for developing and drafting...”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): ‘There is no secret sauce’: With a focus on pitching development, high expectations set for new Cubs GM Carter Hawkins. “With Hawkins now helping Hoyer run things in Chicago, the expectation is going to be that he’ll bring over some of that magic to the North Side.”
• NBC Sports Chicago: Hawkins sits down with the Cubs Talk crew [VIDEO].
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs reportedly ‘Cultivating Information’ about elite free agent shortstops, considered ‘Wild Card’ in market. “While the most popular translation of “spending intelligently” seems to be “going cheap,” there are those who believe the Cubs are willing to throw a lot of money at the right player(s).”
• Jim Callis (MLB.com*): Prospect from KB deal among Cubs in AFL. “I started off training at a Little League field, throwing into a net,” Kilian said with a chuckle as he recalled his regimen from last summer.
• Alexander Patt (Cubbies Crib*): Evaluating the catching position going forward. “While it did not really matter who was playing after the July sell-off, it will be more desired to see solidified depth in 2022 if they want to compete.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): What’s next for ex-Cubs, FA’s Bryant, Báez, Rizzo. “Those three may not only have played their last games in a Cubs uniform, but possibly even with the teams they ended the season with.”

Food for Thought:

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