Cub Tracks’ home stretch

Welcome to today’s edition 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.

Please. Why even IS this guy? I mean, I have very little use for Stephen A. Smith but Mad Dog has him beat in the bad hot takes department. I hear Russo might be headed to ESPN, where he belongs.

Gosh the WBC was great. And that finale? Incredible. More like that please.

Edwin Rios is probably heading north soon.

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• Michael Allardyce (NBC Sports Chicago*): MLB.com predicts Cubs finish .500, 3rd in NL Central. “The Cubs finished in third-place in 2022, so it wouldn’t be a significant improvement.”
• Will Leitch (MLB.com*): 10 key questions that will decide the NL Central. Leitch has some Miller Kool-Aid.
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): 23 for ’23: How will the new MLB rules affect the Cubs? “We gotta find our new cadence to how we do things,” David Ross said early in camp.
• James Neveau (NBC Sports Chicago*): Predicting the Cubs’ Opening Day roster. “... here’s our take on how that roster will shake out...”
• LaMond Pope and Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune*): Cactus League report: Marcus Stroman returns from emotional WBC experience — plus updates on Eloy Jiménez and Leury García. “I’m not somebody who needs the opening-day start ... I’m trying to make 33, 34 starts and that’s the goal,” Stroman said. “But to feel that energy at Wrigley, that’s why you work so hard for those moments and I feel like I’d be the perfect one to go out there and pitch opening day.”
• Molly Burkhardt (MLB.com*): Stroman, Velázquez look to carry Classic momentum into season. “I can’t talk any more highly of the WBC. I wish it was every year, I’d play in it every single year if I could. I love it,” said Stroman.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): The Cubs and Keegan Thompson are hard at work on his velocity issues. “... I am relieved to know it is definitely not a physical health issue.” Sahadev Sharma has thoughts {$}.
• Jim Callis (MLB.com*): Horton, Wesneski lead new wave of Cubs pitching. “An inability to develop any homegrown pitching of note was the biggest culprit in the demise of the dynasty that never came to be. But that shouldn’t be a problem going forward.”
• Tony Andracki and Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): 23 for ’23: Which Cubs players could be primed for a breakout this season? “I think Edwin’s been one of the more impressive guys in camp,” Ross said.

Food for Thought:

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