Cub Tracks gets basted

Welcome to today’s edition of Cub Tracks news and notes™, a greatest-hits collection of Chicago-style beat writers and bloggers, ground from #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball, overheated, and then cold-brewed overnight for maximum flavor.

Not to be too obvious, but... Cub Tracks, you know, searches far and wide for suitable content (that we then discard it and keep the rejects is our business). Wednesday, Turkey Day Eve, was no exception. Fortunately, some of the scribes and bloggers actually worked a bit during the pre-holiday celebration, and the ship didn’t do more than a three-hour tour.

Puddles asked that we return his shoes to the bullpen. I had them cloned and sold a pair to the Blackhawks’ power play.

Are the Cubs going to remain at sea next year? Are their plans to contend all wet? We will address these and other pressing questions as we examine the irons the Cubs have in the fire.

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• Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): The Cubs will never have enough pitching, but prospect Ryan Jensen is a good sign. “As part of their compromise, the Cubs sent Jensen back to Tennessee knowing that he wasn’t a finished product.”
• Vincent Parise (Da Windy City*): Kodai Senga would be a perfect fit for the Chicago Cubs in 2023. “Adding good players during the offseason is a great way to add wins to your team and Senga is certainly a good player.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs catcher targets in free agency post-Contreras? “It’s a two-way position,” Jed Hoyer said at the GM Meetings. “Obviously, you want guys who can hit, but it’s a run-prevention position. Jesse Rogers talks about it.
• Darragh McDonald (MLB Trade Rumors*): Latest on Cubs’ first base plans. “... it stands to reason that the Cubs don’t want to simply hand over the starting job to Mervis...” Michael Brakebill also addresses this.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs ‘really looking’ at shortstops, price for Carlos Correa reportedly ‘enormous’. “This tends to be a really slow period for baseball news...”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): The extreme obviousness of the Cubs adding a center fielder. “Of the current outfielders on the 40-man roster, you have three who can play center field if needed, but none of whom necessarily project as as even average there...”
• Mike Bertha (Cut4): Thanksgiving Day used to be reserved for baseball games. “... remember that it wasn’t always the Lions and Cowboys entertaining Americans on Thanksgiving, but good ol’ boys on sandlots across the country batting baseballs in the blistering cold.”

Food for Thought:

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