Cub Tracks’ weekend edition

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.

Today we’re supposed to find out more about ownership’s proposal. Hopefully it’s a real thing, and a positive one. A little bit o’ soul would go a long way. In the meantime, we have offerings from our usual panel —- a full slate for once! Please feel free to enjoy.

Also, if you’ve time/desire, there’s a free reading this afternoon:

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.

• Emma Baccillieri (Sports Illustrated*): Don’t be silly. This isn’t Rob Manfred’s fault, says Rob Manfred. “Two months into the MLB lockout, the commissioner’s only message is that none of this can be his, the owners’ or the league’s fault.” Evan Drellich elaborates {$}. Evan Altman has a few words. Ronald Blum and Mark Didtler have more* {$}.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): A Third Mock Draft sends the Cubs the Top Pitcher in the Draft. “... when the same player is mocked to the Cubs three drafts in a row, that’s less about hearing of specific interest or spotting Cubs scouts following a player closely, and is more about sorting out the pre-season tiers in the draft.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Is Jorge Alfaro a trade target if Willson Contreras gets moved? “Pairing Gomes with Alfaro, followed by the mix of guys at Double-A and Triple-A would give the Cubs a serviceable mix of catchers this year.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): How much would adding one superstar actually help this year’s Cubs? “In the current postseason structure, the Cubs – after adding a Correa-level superstar – would see their projected playoff chances increase substantially: from just 6.8% to 17.2%.”
• The Athletic {$}: Designated hitter candidates for every National League team. “The days of the hitting pitcher are as good as over.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs’ Marcus Stroman supports expected Universal DH addition. “Stroman, who’s 9-for-89 in his career, tweeted satisfaction with his offensive résumé and looked back on some his highlights, which include a stolen base and a home run.”
• Michael Brakebill (Cubbies Crib*): If Cubs bargain shop, don’t be surprised to see Colin Moran mentioned. “For his career, Moran has slashed a respectable .267/.329/.418.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Ex-Cub Kris Bryant focus of one man’s Mariners recruiting campaign. “Mariners reliever Paul Sewald joined ”Jake & Stacy” on 710 ESPN radio this week, where he said he’s trying to get Bryant to sign with Seattle.”
• AP Via Chicago Sun-Times*: Ex-Cubs skipper Jim Riggleman hired to manage minor-league Billings Mustangs. “The 69-year-old takes over for Joe Kruzel, who left to become a minor league coordinator with the Los Angeles Angels.”
• Chuck Blount (San Antonio Express-News*): The Italian beef sandwich at San Antonio’s Chicago Cubs-themed Wrigleyville Grill brings true Windy City flavor to S.A. “... it was featured in a 2018 episode of the popular Food Network show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives...””

Cubs birthdays: Bill Mack, Sweetbread Bailey, Stack Martin, Virgil Cheeves, Joe Garagiola, Lenny Randle, Gene Krug, Jeff Pico, Josh Phegley. Also notable: Chick Hafey HOF.

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading. Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the opinions of writers whose work is linked in this series of articles. We try to present a balanced view, and let the facts speak for themselves.