Cub Tracks’ days of win and poses

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.

Spring Training tickets go on sale in a month or so. Are you ready for that reality?

Christopher Morel at first, you don’t succeed?

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• Jake Mozarsky (Marquee Sports Network*): Cubs rated best overall fan and staff experience. “Our goal is to create the world’s best guest experience for our fans at historic Wrigley Field,” said Cubs Senior Vice President of Operations David Cromwell in a press release.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): An updated look into Cubs’ winter planning. “The hiring of Counsell is just the start of what should be a busy offseason for a Cubs team intent on reaching the playoffs in 2024.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): The tight free agent market and good old-fashioned baseball trades.” ...the trade market is going to be really squeezed, because there are so few impact players available.”
• Jim Henry (Tallahassee Democrat*): David Ross on his firing as Cubs manager: ‘Anger ... is poison for me’. “I get mad from time to time but I have a lot to be thankful for.”
• Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): The Cubs’ plan to fill starting rotation after Marcus Stroman’s departure. “We wanna give some guys opportunity, but we always talk about you can’t have enough pitching,” Hoyer said.
• Brian Murphy (MLB.com*): Bellinger (26 HRs) earns 2nd Silver Slugger. Whether he was in center field or at first base, Bellinger made the most of his one-year deal with Chicago. Peter Marzano has thoughts.
• Rich Eberwein (Cubbies Crib*): 5 players who could play center field for the Cubs in 2024. “There is major work for the Chicago Cubs front office to do this winter, not the least of which is solidifying a long-term solution for the center field position.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs again plan to investigate possibility of signing Shohei Ohtani. “... I wish we could roll back the clock and take a shot at it again.” Evan Altman speaks to that.
• Jim Callis (MLB.com*): 2023 12th-round pick Carter Trice closes out unusual fall in style. “Trice was the lone 2023 draftee in the AFL”

Food for Thought:

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