Cub Tracks’ the fall of the house of Epstein?

Welcome to today’s episode of Cub Tracks news and notes™. Here we have material from current beat writers, bloggers, and the occasional in-house habitué, moonlighting. These tales center around #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball. The content is necessarily abridged, clipped for brevity’s sake.

The heart may tell no tales, but we bring you the tale of Jason McLeod’s inevitable fate, several writers discussing the impending free agency period, and other such auguries, courtesy of the former House of Epstein. Jed Hoyer is now the sole survivor of the original Theo Trio of that House and is hoping to put his stamp on the club, or, failing that, stamp on the club. Who knows which way the pendulum will swing?

Hoyer has recently added to the cast of characters and is said to be planning a sequel. Epstein’s spinoff has been curiously quiet. All this and a bit of revanche from Bernie Lincicome.

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• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Senior exec Jason McLeod leaves Cubs after historic run. “... decided to leave the organization for other opportunities.” Patrick Mooney says {$}.
• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): Can the Cubs stop the bleeding? Will White Sox crowds stay strong?: Dollars and sense. “... it sounds like there’s going to be a lot of smiling and dialing for the ticket department.”
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Free agency will be important step for Cubs’ rebuild. “There will be multiple impact players available...”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): Can the Cubs actually afford to sit out the deeper end of Free Agency? “After all, it absolutely does make sense for the Cubs to be *a* bidder on Carlos Correa, even if they shouldn’t be expected to be the top bidder.” Refers to Mooney piece {$} from yesterday’s episode.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): MLB players nominate Wisdom for top rookie honor. “The Cubs third baseman is a finalist for National League’s Outstanding Rookie Award, part of the annual MLBPA Players Choice awards.”
• Thomas Erbe (*Cubbies Crib*): It’s not Jason Heyward’s fault the Chicago Cubs wildly overpaid. “After what was to be believed his breakout season, he was the most coveted outfielder to hit the market...”
• Bernie Lincicome (Daily Herald* {$}): For some Cubs fans, suffering seems to be a birthright. “We now understand it is no challenge to keep faith with winners. The test comes when things are hopeless.”

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading.