Cub Tracks can’t wait

Jan 29, 2023 - 1:00 PM

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.

Cole Hamels and Derek Holland have thrown for scouts, it is said, in these waning days of the season’s denouement. Jon Heyman is said to have been the first to report, on Twitter. Neither are expected to be anywhere near the Cubs’ roster but perhaps they are not quite pasturized yet. Former Cub Robert Stock is now a Brewer.

Baseball is coming soon.

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• Joshua Burt (Cubbies Crib*): It’s time to give Chicago Cubs’ chairman Tom Ricketts some credit. “Some within the Cubs fandom still hate this reality.”
• Will Leitch (MLB.com*): Want to jump on a bandwagon? Consider these 6 teams. None of which are the Cardinals, and the Cubs are on the list. Good job, Will.
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): Kyle Hendricks, last remaining 2016 champ, agrees Cubs have found their new Jon Lester. “He is the No. 1 guy that you refer to and when you say ‘winning,’ ” Hendricks said.
• Jared Wyllys (Forbes* {$}): Kyle Hendricks is a wild card for the Chicago Cubs in 2023. “Getting right again has ramifications for both Hendricks and the Cubs.”
• Kayla Skinner (FanNation*): Could a former Chicago Cubs pitcher find his way back to MLB? “Former Cubs pitcher Derek Holland reportedly threw in front of scouts on Friday in a bid to return to baseball.”
• Michael Brakebill (Cubbies Crib*): Cole Hamels looking fantastic in workouts. “... teams must be wary of how much he has in the tank moving forward.”
• Kevin Henry (Fansided*): Cubs still looking to fill two specific roles in lineup, bullpen. “... there could still be room for improvement on the North Side.”
• Aldo Soto (Sports Mockery*): Cubs Nico Hoerner and Hayden Wesneski snubbed. “... why is Hoerner not considered a top-10 second baseman?”
• Todd Johnson (North Side Bound*): 2023 draft prep — 5 college guys to watch the next two months. “Some of them could move into the first round and some of them could stay right where they are at or even fall a little bit.”

Food for Thought:

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