Cub Tracks’ subprime time

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, steeped in writers’ tears, and then cold-brewed overnight for maximum flavor.

So far this offseason leaves a bad taste in the mouth. I imagine it’s like a tuna reuben, a concoction that I had to make someone once, when I was a short-order cook. That’s the kind of thing the Cubs are trying to serve their base.

Cub fans are full of angry these days, and rightly so. I’ve said my piece previously (bye Jed)— my thoughts on this debacle haven’t changed (bye Tom). This is like the old John Holland days, but with increased expectations that have people spitting fire. So, instead of vowel movements, Ima set it to music.

Drama everywhere. It’s like Oakland’s clubhouse in the halcyon days of yesteryear, except that Oakland won. And just like those days, I think I’m going to forgo wearing Cubs gear for a bit. It hasn’t been THAT long — I still remember having to defend the laundry.

* 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. The powers that be have enabled sarcasm font in the comments.Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): I used to understand the plan, I don’t anymore. “I don’t know what to root for, which players to target, what to get excited about.”

• Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs mailbag, Part 1: What’s the internal disconnect after whiffing on Carlos Correa? “One by one, free agents the Cubs targeted are signing with other teams, narrowing the potential paths for an 88-loss club to make substantial improvements and reach the playoffs next season.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): The Chicago Cubs’ front-office intrigue is much more interesting than their offseason. “Every time one of the shortstops signs, the pressure mounts on Hoyer.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Did a bus just run over Jed Hoyer and the Cubs’ offseason? “... the Cubs have embraced their own tradition of tanking when the going gets tough.”
• 670 The Score: Crane Kenney on Cubs: ‘We may be in the 3rd inning of our offseason in terms of how the roster will look come February’. Audio and partial transcription.
• Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib*): Failing this offseason makes the Cubs’ last offseason a failure too. “Leaving so many great players on the table after making a pair of solid complimentary deals already gives the impression that the front office has no real game plan set or, worse, was never interested in spending for the kind of jumpstart offseason fans hoped for.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Where things stand for Cubs after big deals around MLB. “Let’s walk through three positions of need.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Dansby Swanson clocking Cubs since before season ended. “... the former Braves shortstop has been doing his due diligence on potential landing spots.”
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): Then there was 1: What Dansby Swanson’s free agency means for the Cubs’ offseason. “If the Cubs are going to sign a top free agent shortstop this offseason, it’ll have to be Swanson.“
• Phil Rogers (Forbes* {$}): Cubs have been painted into corner on Swanson negotiations. “... he is the last man standing anywhere near the top rung on the ladder.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Lots of top prospects to appear at Cubs Convention. “As of now, thirteen members of MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Cubs prospects are penciled in to attend the event...”

Food for Thought:

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