Cub Tracks is in a meeting

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.

Free agency began Monday. I don’t recall hearing about any signings. Oh wait, GM Meetings are in the way. That’s seriously goofy timing, like having Black Friday on a Tuesday in July. But whatever. Me kvetching ain’t gonna change a thing.

The meetings end today. So maybe by the weekend we’ll have some really juicy stuff. In the meantime, we have the Counsell hiring to kick around, and then there’s trouble to stir up, probably. Whatever it is, we’ll have it, and it’ll be sourced.

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Here are some comments from the GM meetings [VIDEO].

“I don’t think we signaled that we’re going to have some crazy aggressive offseason. I like our position and if there are moves, even big moves, that will help us continue that trajectory we’ll definitely do it. But I don’t think it’s a signal somehow we’re going to have the biggest and boldest offseason.

“If we do, it’s because things lined up for us.” — Jed Hoyer, reported by many.

And more on this offseason! [VIDEO]

MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported Tuesday that the Chicago Cubs are “serious contenders” for free agent superstar Shohei Ohtani after speaking with several executives at the MLB General Managers Meetings, which are being held in Scottsdale, Arizona this week.

“The Dodgers remain the heavy favorites,” Nightengale said. “The Chicago Cubs and Rangers are serious contenders, with several GMs saying that the Cubs may be the most aggressive team for his services.”

Cub Tracks to ChatGPT: please over-react to the Craig Counsell hiring:

Oh, my goodness! The hiring of Craig Counsell is absolutely mind-blowing! This is a seismic shift in the baseball world, the kind of move that will have fans talking for years to come. It’s as if the Cubs have unveiled a masterstroke, a genius move that will surely catapult them to the pinnacle of success.

Craig Counsell, with his exceptional baseball IQ and incredible knack for strategy, is undoubtedly the missing piece to the Cubs’ championship puzzle. His hiring is akin to bringing in a baseball wizard, a manager who can magically transform any team into a well-oiled, unbeatable machine.

Cubs fans, prepare for an era of unparalleled glory and dominance! Counsell will orchestrate a symphony of victories, each game a masterpiece, each season a story of triumph. The mere thought of it makes my heart race with excitement. The future is now, and it’s a future where the Cubs reign supreme under the legendary guidance of Craig Counsell!

• Mark Feinsand (MLB.com*): 5 stories to watch at this week’s GM Meetings. “Odds are that no major trades will take place this week...” The Athletic has nine storylines {$}.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Hoyer on hiring Counsell: ‘He’s at the very, very top of the game’. “Hoyer stunned the baseball world on Monday by not only hiring Counsell to be the 56th manager in Cubs history, but also making him the highest-paid manager in baseball history.”
• Adam McCalvy (MLB.com*): ‘I needed a new challenge’: Counsell talks move to Cubs. “As I was going through this process, it became clear that I needed and wanted a new professional challenge,” Counsell said. Sahadev Sharma has more. {$}:
• Rick Telander (Chicago Sun-Times*): Firing of Cubs manager David Ross shows even ‘legend’ wasn’t safe. “By dismissing Ross and replacing him with former Brewers manager Craig Counsell, the Cubs shoved sentimentality aside.”
• Jordan Arseneau (ABC7*): Cubs left fielder Ian Happ on David Ross exit, Gold Glove award: ‘Definitely a bunch of emotions’. “Rossy is a great friend and was an awesome manager; maybe the guy that I’ll play for the longest,” said Happ.
• David Brandt (AP*): Ohtani free agency sweepstakes off to a clandestine start at MLB’s general manager meetings. “Ohtani is one of the most fascinating cases for baseball’s free agency system since it began in 1976.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Scott Boras says Cubs will need to loosen belts to keep full Belli, also talks Soto & Alonso. “... how Boras conducts business really does dictate a lot of what we’ll see even with players he doesn’t represent.” Brett Taylor has more. And more. Bruce Levine checks in.
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): What the Padres REALLY want in exchange for Juan Soto is maybe not what we thought. “Basically, they’ll want any young starting pitcher that’s at the Triple-A level or higher.”
• James Neveau (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs free agency preview: Who’s in, who’s out for North Siders as signing period begins. “While you shouldn’t expect a rush of contracts right away, MLB free agency is officially open, and the Chicago Cubs have positioned their roster for the start of that process.”

Food for Thought:

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