Cub Tracks embraces the future

Here at CUB TRACKS NEWS AND NOTES™, we have news for you. I’d like to say that I have good news, but I dislike lying. Am personally inclined toward Buster Olney’s point of view — the Cubs’ organization strikes me as one that would be uncomfortable to work in. There seems to be a lot of backbiting and fingerpointing and lack of assuming responsibility by responsible parties, and I’m seeing an effort to blame everything on the departed players. My view is that such philosophy generally devolves from the top.

Really there probably isn’t a person in the front office or on the field that doesn’t share some of the blame, just as they should all share some of the credit for a franchise that won the first championship in 108 years just a short while ago. Theo Epstein of course shoulders the lion’s share of both, but the organization as a whole is culpable.

We outsiders will never know exactly what happened to make this all reality. But the spin is in, in more ways than one, and as there is no game today, that’s a main conversational theme.

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.)

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Tom Ricketts issues letter to Chicago Cubs season ticket holders after ‘difficult’ moves at the trade deadline. Read it here. “Cubs fans are no longer content with merely making the playoffs,” Ricketts wrote. (See last rock.)
• Zach Crizer (Yahoo Sports*): Why the Cubs and Nationals fire sales are signs of a new type of rebuild in MLB. “It’s a queasy reality that has become baked into the sport despite the fact that players are not goods on a shelf.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Jed Hoyer explains why none of the just-traded core wound up signing extensions. “... we can’t know the objective truth.” RJ Anderson has thoughts about this also. Jesse Rogers opines.
• Declan Garvey (The Dispatch*): When the party ends. “Saying goodbye to the Cubs team that changed everything.”
• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): 10 thoughts about the Cubs after their season ended at the trade deadline. “... the Cubs are going to punt on 2022...”
• Buster Olney (ESPN+* {$}): Change of scenery just what Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant needed. “By the end, the Cubs had the feel of a group of sixth-year college seniors.”
• Anthony Franco (MLB Trade Rumors*): Rays, Cubs discussed potential trade involving Tyler Glasnow and Kris Bryant/Craig Kimbrel. Unpacking Ken Rosenthal article {$}.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Sign them back? Extend someone? Jon Lester and Willson Contreras on the Cubs and free agents. “Sometimes you have to kind of hit reset and start over,” Lester said.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): No time to waste for Alzolay in Cubs’ rebuild plans. “The Cubs have one starting pitcher fit to start a playoff game locked into their plans beyond this year...”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Justin Steele ‘Really Close’ to rejoining Cubs as starter. “In four starts at Iowa, Steele has gone 1-0 with a 0.57 ERA while punching out 19 batters and walking seven over 15.2 innings.”
• Phil Rogers (Forbes* {$}): Contreras, Madrigal positioned to benefit from Chicago Cubs’ selloff. “... there’s plenty of room to invest in the future.”
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): 3 intriguing names from Cubs’ trade-deadline return. “No one knows if the players who the Cubs acquired will ever make it to the big leagues or impact their next postseason contender, but there are a few names that stand out.”
• Richard Obert (Arizona Republic* {$}): Alhambra ace Daniel Avitia passes on signing with Chicago Cubs, will pitch for Grand Canyon. “Mostly, they didn’t give me the money I wanted,” said Avitia, who was asking for $300,000. “The best position for me is to go to GCU and get in the top rounds (after his junior season).”

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.