Cub Tracks’ look at that caveman go

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, two of which have coal in their stockings at the moment.

The 12 Days of Cubsmas*

On the seventh day of Cubsmas, Jed Hoyer gave to me:

One starting pitcher

Two hitting coaches

Three glove-first fielders

Four bullpen arms

FIVE COLLEGE SCOUTS

Six righty hurlers

Seven NRIs

and a beer

continued on next rock.

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). #IStandWithThePlayers.

• Evan Drellich (The Athletic {$}): Sources: MLB, MLBPA unlikely to talk core economics until January. “It’s been a long December...”
• Braulio Perez (Fansided*): Anthony Rizzo’s take on leaving Chicago will break Cubs fans’ hearts (Video). “... he’s ready to find a new, permanent home in free agency.”
• Richard Johnson (Cubbies Crib*): Should the Cubs use Nick Madrigal as a designated hitter? “Madrigal is hardly a stereotypical DH candidate.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Where Cubs could look for shortstop need post-lockout. “Infield defense is always important, but that’s certainly something that we’ll talk about a lot over the next few weeks.” said Hoyer.
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Cubs will have to do better than a $27.5 million AAV for Carlos Correa. “The Cubs certainly aren’t alone in their interest...”
• Mark Powell (Fansided*): Latest Kris Bryant rumor frees up return to Chicago. “More to come from the North Side, obviously.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs add 7 non-roster invitees to the mix. Brett Taylor considers two of them.
• Jimmy Nelligan (North Side Bound*): Things you missed in 2021: Nelson Maldonado, Jared Young, and their odd splits. “.. the Cubs have a couple of organizational type guys that could potentially be more” than platoon or matchup type players.

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading. Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the opinions of writers whose work is linked in this series of articles. We try to present a balanced view, and let the facts speak for themselves.

*borrowed from previous episodes and editions of BCB.