Cub Tracks’ X marks the spot

Welcome to today’s episode 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.

Cub Tracks continues to defy expectations. Nobody expected me to keep doing this series, but we’re going on our ninth year (next Friday is our anniversary). We don’t think so much inside the box here — mostly we poop in it.

Nice image. Keep that in your mind’s eye and your tongue in your cheek.

Anyway here we are again, having added a third series to our area of responsibility, the 2023-24 Player Profiles (50 so far), which you should visit regularly, along with Baseball history unpacked (856) and of course this Cub Tracks (1,500 or so).

So you’ll probably want something in an air freshener. Now, we take you back to your regularly-scheduled commercial.

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• Josh Wilson (FanSided*): Red Sox putting ball in Jed Hoyer’s court to retain key piece. “The Red Sox are after a Cubs executive, but their own stipulations on the role gives Chicago an easy route to give that exec an earned raise to keep him at Wrigley.” Brett Taylor has more.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs’ 4 biggest needs this offseason ranked, explained. “... establishing benchmarks ahead of the offseason is worthwhile.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): What the Cubs’ options around Kyle Hendricks and Marcus Stroman mean for the team. “This is a solid foundation for an experienced, versatile rotation that can handle a 162-game schedule:” Brett Taylor has the free version.

• Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): State of the Cubs: Shortstop in solid hands with Dansby Swanson. “Swanson was a key voice in Hoyer’s ear at the deadline and it won’t be any different in the offseason, either.” Third base.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Swanson in Hoyer’s ear about offseason plans. “Carter and I offered him an office,” Hoyer quipped at the end of the season. “I told him he had to wear khakis. He said that was a deal breaker.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): In case you needed another indication the San Diego Padres will shop Juan Soto. “... there’s a hard line that the Padres are going to be trying to get below in 2024 payroll.”
• Brad Wakai (Fan Nation*): Chicago Cubs young stars could be trade targets of other teams. “The Chicago Cubs have plenty of young talent that could be attractive to other teams when the offseason begins,” AI (Not AL) says.
• Larry Hawley (WGN9*): Cubs World Series MVP Ben Zobrist’s passion in his post-MLB life. “Mental health was something that was near and dear to my heart after going through a couple of periods of depression during my career,” said Zobrist to WGN News Now this week
• Jeff Jones (Belleville News-Democrat* {$}): Would hiring Yadier Molina as a full-time, St. Louis Cardinals coach be a good idea? “... Molina confirmed that he’s been in conversation with his former team about the possibility of joining the Major League coaching staff full time for the upcoming season.”

Food for Thought:

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