Cub Tracks hash and rehash?

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.

So Seiya Suzuki, Chris Martin and Stephen Brault are Cubs now. Brault is probably in the mix for the fifth starter job, and at the very least is a lefty arm for the pen. Suzuki pushes Heyward to the bench, at least against left-handers, if not everyone. I’m not seeing the downside of that right now. Haha Brault could even DH in a pinch. David Robertson? Sure, why not try him.

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• Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib*): Offseason strategies of Cubs, Padres are inextricably linked. “... they’re sitting in a unique position where they can throw a wrench in the gears or open the door for the Cubs to make certain deals.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Exploring Cubs’ options following Adbert Alzolay’s shoulder strain. “It’s just very disappointing at this point,” said Alzolay. He talks about it here. Gordon Wittenmyer has thoughts.
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): Cubs agree to contract with lefty Steven Brault, continue fortifying pitching depth. “Before adding Brault, the Cubs carried just four left-handed pitchers on their 40-man roster.” Tim Stebbins corroborates.

• Marquee Sports Network*: Nick Madrigal takes viewers behind the scenes on hitting drills, approach. “In an era where strikeouts now outnumber hits, Madrigal makes more contact than any other player in baseball.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs officially add Simmons: What it means for infield. “David Ross, Jason Heyward and Simmons were lockermates with the Braves in 2012. Ross has since traded in his locker for a manager’s office, but the trio’s paths have crossed again.”
• Michael Brakebill (Cubbies Crib*): Despite obvious fit, Cubs miss out as Kyle Schwarber joins the Phillies. “It would have been nice too to see Suzuki and Schwarber batting back-to-back in the Cubs’ lineup...”
• Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): State of the Cubs: Where roster stands in left field in 2022 and beyond. “Note: It still remains to be seen how reported free agent signing Seiya Suzuki will fit into the Cubs outfield. He played both corner spots in Japan, but mostly spent time in right field.”
• Andrew Seligman (AP via Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs agree to deal with Japanese star Seiya Suzuki. “He is a career .315 hitter with 182 homers and 562 RBIs for Hiroshima.”
• Lance Brozdowski (Marquee Sports Network*): Velocity, command and catcher targets: Keys to a 2022 breakout for Cubs pitching prospect Max Bain. “Usually you know when you’re going to have a good day,” Bain said with a smile.

• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): Cubs’ Ricketts family confirm they’ll make joint bid with billionaire Ken Griffin to buy Chelsea. “Tom Ricketts has been fishing around for a football team for years.”

• Andrew Baggarly (The Athletic {$}): California senator introduces bill that would limit minor-league contracts to 4 years. “Senate Bill 1248 would create the Minor League Baseball Players’ Bill of Rights, which seeks to guarantee better wages and fairer labor practices for California minor leaguers.

Cubs birthdays: Fred Pfeffer, Bill Gannon, Charlie Root, Hy Vandenberg, Hank Sauer, Jerry Tabb, Bill Mueller, Scott Downs,

Food for Thought:

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