Cub Tracks’ minor aches and pains

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.

We’re still doing pretty well as far as news goes... the beat writers have mostly been awol but the bloggers are going strong. The players are helping by maintaining their Twitter feeds and Instagram pages.

Carlos Ocampo is no longer a Cub, but he was the only player lost in the minor-league Rule 5 Draft. The RHP is going to be a Met.

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 Altman (Cubs Insider*): Here’s why MLB players are fighting for CBA changes. “... those in the middle are squeezed out and those at the bottom subsidize the whole works.”
• Michael Brakebill (Cubbies Crib*): Cubs need to spend now because next year’s free agents don’t make sense. “... the Cubs have a much better chance of landing a big fish this winter then they will if they wait till 2023...”
• Aryanna Prasad (Fansided*): Cubs post-lockout plan includes adding this ‘power pitcher’ behind Marcus Stroman. “... Danny Duffy is someone they would pursue once the lockout ends,” said Sahadev Sharma. Jake Misener has more.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Watch: Cubs reliever Manny Rodriguez doing some offseason powerlifting. “The real key now will be how Rodriguez is able to work on his fastball and sinker location to keep from piping them into hitters’ sweet spots.”
• Garret Stepien (Yahoo Sports*): Clint Frazier says he’s glad to no longer be a Yankee after signing with Cubs. “... I feel like if he gets the right opportunity and the right health, he still has an opportunity to write a really good career story,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. Ryan O’Rourke says Frazier is ready to make baseball fun again.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Kyle Schwarber’s reported asking price is not too outrageous. “... a three-year deal in the $60 million range..” as we all know. Get it done, Jed.
• Kyle Glazer (Baseball America* {$}): 2022 Chicago Cubs Top MLB Prospects. “Now comes the challenge of once again trying to build a championship contender from the ground up.”
• Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register* {$}): Michael Gartner on selling the Iowa Cubs: ‘I’m just going to enjoy the games the way I used to’. “Gartner and his associates no longer being in the owner suite may be the only difference fans see.” Brett Taylor reports. Followup by Ben Yoder {$}. The Athletic has more {$}.
• Duane Pesice (Cubbies Crib*): What happened to Chicago Cubs prospect Yohendrick Pinango? He broke his arm, but there was reason for early alarm.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs land Giants’ Conner Menez in Minor League Rule 5 Draft. Who says there’s no scrying in baseball?

Today in Cubs and MLB history:

• 1923 - Traveling to Chicago for the Major League meetings, Wild Bill Donovan, New Haven manager, is killed in a train wreck. Donovan was a pitcher for Detroit and manager for the Yankees and Phils. New Haven president George Weiss had swapped berths with Donovan and escapes with a minor injury. Phils owner William F. Baker is also on the train, but he is unhurt.
• 1955 - The Dodgers send P Russ Meyer to the Cubs for P Don Elston and cash. Meyer has the best record in history against the Cubs, at one point going 22-1 against them.
• 1955 - The Phils purchase veteran Frankie Baumholtz from the Cubs. Frankie will play in 76 games in 1956 without an extra-base hit, a National League record that will not be topped.
• 1965 - While giving a speech in Columbia, MO, Branch Rickey collapses and dies a few days short of his 84th birthday. Player, manager, an extraordinary judge of baseball talent, and a shrewd trader, he became perhaps the game’s most influential executive.
• 1980 - The Cubs trade reliever Bruce Sutter, the 1979 National League Cy Young Award winner, to the Cardinals for 3B Ken Reitz, OF-1B Leon Durham, and a player to be named (Ty Waller).
• 1992 - The Braves sign free agent Cy Young Award and Gold Glove winner Greg Maddux to a five-year contract, and then trade pitchers Charlie Leibrandt and Pat Gomez to the Rangers in exchange for 3B Jose Oliva. Leibrandt (15-7) saw his star fall in Atlanta when he gave up 11th-inning extra base hits in the 1991 World Series and 1992 World Series. Maddux, who turned down a $28.5 million contract extension in mid-season with the Cubs, signs for $28 million, $6 million less than the Yankees offered.

Cubs birthdays: Mike Mitchell, Darold Knowles, Rick Bladt, Steve Christmas, Mike Fyhrie, Todd Van Poppel. Also notable: Joe Kelley HOF

(both of the above are from bb-ref)

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading.