Cub Tracks’ Belli dance and other steps

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.

Not much of a surprise, given his production — Cody Bellinger won Comeback Player of the Year. Al and I both predicted that in the BCB Roundtable. He made a cool million from the nod. Among others, Patrick Mooney wrote it up {$}.

Roster jenga has begun. Free agency looms. The Cubs stand to be real active in both the Free Agent and trade markets this winter as they have needs that can be best addressed in those areas, rather than depend on farmhands that may or may not be ready yet.

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• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Report connects Chicago Cubs to Shota Imanaga, but not Yoshinobu Yamamoto. “Jon Morosi seems to have good sources in Asian baseball...”
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): How Anthony Rizzo helped guide Jameson Taillon to Cubs. “Traveling in the NL Central is the easiest of all the divisions. It just checked so many boxes.”
• David Adler and Manny Randhawa (MLB.com*): Three Cubs up for Silver Slugger Awards. Bellinger, Suzuki, Swanson.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs outright Jared Young, Jeremiah Estrada, Nick Burdi as Hot Stove warms. “According to Sahadev Sharma.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Predicting what will happen with these 3 Cubs non-tender candidates. “The Cubs have only a handful of non-tender candidates heading into the offseason.”
• Dan Martin (NY Post*): Scott Boras eyeing massive Pete Alonso payday from Mets. “There are different markets, different representation [and] different dynamics you look at.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune*): What makes the Chicago Cubs’ Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner elite infielders? The Gold Glove finalists break each other down. “So who better to break down what makes them among the league’s best?”
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): Players Choice Awards: Cody Bellinger wins NL Comeback Player of the Year. “The MLBPA revealed the winners of the Players Choice Awards on Thursday.” Evan Altman has more.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): The best power-hitting farm system in all of baseball? One metric says it’s the Cubs. “. the Chicago Cubs show up at NUMBER ONE on the list of 90th percentile exit velocity, at 102.77 mph.”
• Jake Mozarsky (Marquee Sports Network*): Cubs legend shows up to downtown Chicago to support important cause. “I have been an avid supporter [of Fans for the Cure] since I met Ed Randall 10 years ago,” Andre Dawson said. “This for me hits close to home, since I’m an 11-year cancer survivor.”
• Jon Hansen (Block Club Chicago*): Meet Miguel Esparza, the Spanish voice of 4 Chicago sports teams. “The Humboldt Park native is part of a growing effort by Chicago sports teams to reach the Latino community.”
• Jonathan Mayo (MLB.com*): Caray twins carry on family tradition in Fall League. “Chris and Stefan are the sons of Chip, who just finished his first season with the St. Louis Cardinals after two decades with the Braves.”

Food for Thought:

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