Cub Tracks’ held for Ransom

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.

Well, the Cubs are keeping JD and Boog for a while. Maybe Boog will grow into tolerable. Pitchers and catchers were to report Tuesday. Didn’t happen, obviously. Isn’t likely any time soon, if I am reading the coffee grounds decently.

Still, we have free agency propositions, trade possibilities, and minor-league reports, plus some interesting reads from various columnists.

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).

• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): We’ve entered the dead zone of the sports calendar. Here are 10 things we’d like to see to keep the monotony to a minimum. “It happens every year after the Super Bowl and can last for days, weeks or even months, depending on the arrival of the first mock draft.”
• Jayson Stark (The Athletic {$}): Five things baseball can learn from the NFL playoffs. “I think we all agree that nobody watches baseball to derive joy from the settlement of core economic issues.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): What Cubs have left to do post-lockout: A lot — and fast. Roster filling, arbitration, and more. Spring training officially delayed.
• Mia Perlman (Cubbies Crib*): A strong start for Kyle Hendricks would re-establish his value. “... his performance last season was anything but ace-like.”
• MIchael Brakebill (Cubbies Crib*): 1 free agent who would make all the difference. “Cubs have nothing to lose by giving Carlos Rodon a one-year, prove-it deal...”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Kevin Kiermaier among most likely trade candidates, might be right up Cubs’ alley. I’d prefer Manuel Margot but okay.
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): The Cubs are a fit for three young change-of-scenery types: Robles, Kim, Walls. “...not only do each of those three players fill positions of need for the Cubs, they each come with some prior rumors or connections.” Logan Whaley checks in on Victor Robles.
• Bryan Smith (Bleacher Nation*): The 2022 BN Top Ten Cubs Prospects: This time with lots of All-Star ceilings. “... going long on these ten exciting talents.”
• Eno Sarris and Brittany Ghiroli (The Athletic {$}): A lockout spent in limbo: Some minor leaguers can’t audition for teams, but aren’t paid by the union. “... union membership on the fringes isn’t always easy to define from the outside, so immediately some players ended up in a gray area.” Former Cub Dan Straily is quoted in the article.

Cubs birthdays: Doyle Lade, Mike Campbell, Scott Williamson, Cody Ransom. Also notable: Wally Pipp.

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.