BCB After Dark: Is it the night before Cubs-mas?

Welcome back to BCB After Dark, the late-night after-party for night owls, early risers, new parent and Cubs fans abroad. Also for those of you waiting on Jameson Taillon news. Come on in and we’ll watch the returns together. We’ve got a nice fireplace off to one side if you want to get warm or you can grab a table closer to the door if you don’t. Tell us if we can do anything to make your stay more comfortable. There’s no cover charge tonight. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked you if you’d rather the Cubs take Jacob deGrom or Justin Verlander at the contracts they signed with the Rangers and Mets. Winning the vote with 57 percent was “neither one.” Thirty-one percent of you would take Justin Verlander and only 12 percent wanted the injury-prone (but also the best pitcher alive when healthy) Jacob deGrom for five seasons.

There are rumors this evening that the Cubs are close to a deal to sign free agent right-hander Jameson Taillon.

So we’ll keep an eye on that as the evening progresses. The Cubs did sign outfielder Cody Bellinger earlier today, but we’ve got you covered there.

Here’s the part where I talk about jazz and movies. You’re free to skip ahead to the baseball question at the end. You won’t hurt my feelings.

Tonight’s Christmas jazz is the Dexter Gordon Quartet with “The Christmas Song.” If you’re sick of hearing that song already, give this version a chance instead of the Mel Tormé and Nat King Cole versions. (Not that there’s anything wrong with Tormé and Cole. It’s just that their versions are everywhere this time of year.) I think you’ll find that Dexter Gordon gives that old chestnut a new spin here.

So with Gordon on tenor sax, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Larry Ridley on bass and Alan Dawson on drums, here’s “The Christmas Song.”

Normally I don’t write about movies on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and honestly, I’m not going to tonight either. But I did want to remind you that you still have time to vote in the BCB Winter Noir Classic first-round matchup between Nightmare Alley and Kiss Me Deadly.

I will say that when I made Nightmare Alley the favorite here, I was thinking that it was a film that we had already discussed around here and that there was a remake starring Bradley Cooper just last year. But when I was writing up the matchup, at the last minute I had the inspiration that I should include trailers for the films if I could find them on YouTube. And the trailer for Kiss Me Deadly rocks. I didn’t know that when I made the matchup. Heck, I didn’t know that until just a few minutes before I finished writing the article. I would have ranked Kiss Me Deadly much higher had I bothered to watch the trailer before I made up the brackets.

But please vote if you want to. If you’re in line when the polls close, stay in line.

Welcome back to everyone who skips the jazz and movies.

There’s the Jameson Taillon rumor tonight which seems very substantial, but there were a lot of rumors connecting the Cubs to one of the three remaining top shortstops. No one is saying it’s close, but there’s been a lot of smoke about the “Tom Tom Club,” as agent Scott Boras called the Cubs, beating once again on the free agent market. Al had an article about the Cubs’ supposed willingness to spend earlier today and then there’s this.

Also this observation.

Apparently the Cubs were never really in on Trea Turner. They “kicked the tires,” so to speak, but didn’t get into advanced negotiations. Turner’s desire to be on the East Coast and to train in Florida caused him to turn down a reported $42 million more from the Padres than he got from the Phillies, so the Cubs may have been wise to not go in deep on Turner.

But the have been in constant contact with Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson. Swanson has been the one with the most smoke, but there are also many rumors that Bogaerts is talking to the Cubs and some talk that they are still in contention with Correa’s camp. Mark Feinsand even reported that the Cubs could sign Bogaerts AND Swanson, which would be something if it happened.

So I’ve asked this question before, but circumstances have changed now. For one, we can cross Trea Turner off this list. So will the Cubs sign one of the three remaining major free agent shortstops?

Thanks to everyone for stopping by. Let’s hope Jameson Taillon signed while you’re here. I hope you had a good time anyway even if he didn’t. If you checked anything, let us get that for you. If you need us to call you a ride, let us know. Get home safely. Tip the waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night (news permitting) for another edition of BCB After Dark.