Cub Tracks awaits developments

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 pieces center around #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball.

There’s still not much going on as we head into the silly season. The shadow of a lockout lies heavy over the Major Leagues as the minors continue with business-as-usual. A promising new minor-league-oriented site has opened, and the Cubs look like they’re about to hire yet another hitting coach.

Bring on the wild trade proposals already.

This year I am doing a nanowrimo novel, a baseball noir. It has to do with some of the implications of the advent of professional gambling as a sponsor in professional sports and will probably get Jack Davis-level grimy as I exaggerate for effect.

You can watch Game Seven if you want. It’s embedded below.

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. In the text body. It doesn’t work in the headlines).

• Evan Drellich (The Athletic {$}): How a Major League Baseball lockout would work this winter. “When labor experts discuss strikes and lockouts, they often refer to them as “weapons.””
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Wild trade proposal season has arrived. “You’ll see them more and more in the coming days and weeks...”
• Payton Havermann (Cubbies Crib*): 3 free agent relievers who could make all the difference. “... maybe more so than any other spot on the team, there are many relievers that will be on the market that could be had for a fair price and become valuable pieces.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs reportedly hiring former Rays MiLB Hitting Coordinator Greg Brown as new Hitting Coach. “According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic”, as reported on the front page, and everywhere else.
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Can the Chicago Cubs pencil Rafael Ortega in as a starter next year? “... it’s worth taking a long look at Ortega...”
• Todd Johnson (Cubs Insider*): Nelson Velazquez, Brennen Davis among 8 Cubs system storylines that portend exciting 2022. “... the season isn’t just what happens in June and July.” Todd and some other friends have opened the minor-league focused Northside Bound, should you want more Cubs’ pipeline doings.

Today in Cubs history:

November 2, 2016

Cubs win the World Series. An unbelievable Game 7 is certainly one to remember. Al will have a longer article on the fifth anniversary of the Cubs championship coming up at 9 a.m. CT.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.