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.
Here’s a progress report on the CBA negotiations:
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We’ll keep you updated.
The 12 Days of Cubsmas*
On the eleventh 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
Eight roster fillers
Nine men a side
Ten Hall of Famers**
Eleven failed starters
and a beer
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.
- Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): ‘There’s no soap opera here,’ but the year in Cubs quotes sums up all the dramatic changes. “It all seems so long ago...”
- Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs slashed spending by 31% as total MLB payrolls dropped to lowest level since 2015. “According to an Associated Press report...”
- Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): David Ross’ 1st full season as Chicago Cubs manager had its bumps — including a major roster shakeup. But he sees everything as a learning experience: ‘I try to look in the mirror a lot when things aren’t going right.’ “You have to simplify messages and teach and communicate,” Ross added.
- Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): Codi Heuer and the importance of spin efficiency. “... it’s important to remember that raw RPMs, alone, don’t tell the entire story.”
- Michael Brakebill (Cubbies Crib*): 3 critical keys to success heading into 2022. “Even with their modest improvements, the Cubs are – to me – a middle-of-the-pack team.”
- Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): David Bote, Jason Heyward projected to be much better in ’22…but there’s a big catch. “...both are still projected to post the kind of numbers that say they’re still below-average run producers...” Brett Taylor has thoughts.
- Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs, Carlos Correa have ‘mutual interest’. WSCR’s Bruce Levine reported Tuesday.
- Mark Powell (Fansided*): 3 contracts Cubs can trade to free up room for Correa. “Correa’s contract demands are hefty...”
- Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): If the Cubs want to go shorter-term on Correa, the Average Annual Value is gonna have to be nuts. “Probably a record-breaker.”
- Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Ranking the 3 likeliest landing spots for Anthony Rizzo. “Rizzo is clearly one of the top options for teams looking to improve at first base...”
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Billy Williams documentary to air on Friday. The premiere of “Billy Williams: The Sweet Swinger” will air at 7 p.m. CT.
Coming Friday pic.twitter.com/cqmILhfz53
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) December 20, 2021
Today in Cubs and MLB history:
- 1881 - The Western Inter-collegiate Base Ball Association is formed by Northwestern University, the University of Michigan and Racine College.
- 1913 - The Sporting News reports that 15 men died from baseball injuries during the 1913 season, according to a list compiled by J.R. Vickery of Chicago. The only name given is that of J. Whetstone of New Orleans, who suffered “a broken spine sustained in sliding to a base”; all other fatalities were the result of foul tips or pitched balls. The list “does not include a major league player or even a minor league athlete of sufficient experience to be widely known.”
- 1975 - Arbitrator Peter Seitz declares Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally free agents. Both pitchers sat out the option years of their contracts in the hopes they would become free to sign with any team. Messersmith will sign with the Dodgers, while McNally, who announced his retirement in June, will not return. Seitz’s decision will lead to an agreement with the owners whereby all players will become eligible for free agency after six seasons.
- 1997 - The Chicago Cubs trade outfielder Doug Glanville to the Philadelphia Phillies for second baseman Mickey Morandini.
Cubs birthdays: Doc Gessler, Danny Taylor, Elder White, Ken Hubbs*, Vic LaRose, Alec Distaso. The Ken Hubbs story, from SABR.
Food for Thought:
First Magnetic Field Found On A Planet Outside Our Solar Systemhttps://t.co/H1i4vkPZSx pic.twitter.com/SeasUxUsOr
— IFLScience (@IFLScience) December 22, 2021
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.
*Concept borrowed from previous episodes and editions of BCB.
**Actually the Cubs have sixteen players in the Hall.