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Today’s Reflections
I’m sure that someone has come up with the phrase before me, but Cub Tracks is really enjoying PCA-Mania. It doesn’t flow off the tongue like Fernandomania, but I’m going to go with it.
With a day off mid-week, that gives baseball writers a lot of time to write a lot of articles — some are repetitive, and I have tried to give you the best out there. So many PCA articles. So many Dansby Swanson articles. And as you see below, articles on roster moves, injury updates, trade talk, whether to go with youth for a little bit, and even a couple on a hot prospect.
One trade idea that I will save you from reading is trading Seiya Suzuki for Aaron Nola (but if you want further laughs, here’s the link). I’m mentioning it because the idea came from a Chicago sports journalist (George Ofman), not one from Philadelphia. I’ve voiced my opinion a number of times about Jameson Taillon this year. I would rather have a rotation of five Taillons than to have Nola, who hasn’t shown any glimpse of improving from his horrible performance over the last two seasons. A big trade is supposed to improve your team (even for prospects). This trade for a pitcher with four years and $100 million left on his contract would wreck the team.
Silly season has certainly arrived, folks!
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Wednesday’s game, and PCA-Mania en masse:
- Field Level Media (Deadspin): Seven-run inning carries Cubs to series victory over Rockies. “The Cubs took two out of three in the series, the first home series win for Chicago since a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds the first week of May.”
- Jacob Zanolla (Bleacher Nation): Pete Crow-Armstrong Goes Deep for the Fourth Time in His Last Five Games. “Pete Crow-Armstrong is on another planet right now.”
- Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Pete Crow-Armstrong is So Locked In That Even the Gods Are Helping Him. “”I thought it was foul,” you could see Pete Crow-Armstrong say in the dugout Wednesday night. But that was after circling the bases on a home run that counted, and rightfully so.”
- Casey McAleer (Da Windy City): Pete Crow-Armstrong’s latest comments show exactly why he’s become a Cubs leader. “The Cubs are finally showing signs of life, but PCA knows there is still plenty of work left to do.”
Opinions on how to fix Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson:
- Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): How the Chicago Cubs are trying to help Nico Hoerner get out of his offensive funk. “In many ways, as Nico Hoerner goes, so goes the Chicago Cubs’ offensive production.”
- Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs say they’re sticking with Dansby Swanson in everyday lineup, then homer gets ‘blue whale’ off his back. “After the Cubs signaled that the slumping shortstop would stay in his everyday role, Swanson hit a home run as part of the team’s seven-run second inning in a win over the Rockies.”
- Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Dansby Swanson briefly quiets doubters, but is his defense enough for Cubs? “Over his first three seasons with the Cubs, Swanson has largely been a league-average bat.”
- Jared Bloom (Sporting News): Opposing pitchers have figured out how to keep this Cubs slugger’s bat quiet. “At least his glove is still elite.”
Plenty of various Cubs talk:
- Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Pete Crow-Armstrong Excelling by Shifting Obligation to Opportunity. “Courage isn’t the absence of fear, or so goes an old saying that has been attributed to a number of different sources, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. It’s all a matter of perspective, really.”
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Ballesteros optioned to Triple-A; Cubs recall Justin Dean. “Ballesteros has run into the kind of struggles typical for a young player in the Majors, and playing time has become sporadic amid some recent roster developments.”
- Tommy Erbe (OnTapSportsNet): Roster Move: Get To Know Newest Chicago Cub, Justin Dean. “With Moises Ballesteros being optioned to Triple-A Iowa, the Chicago Cubs and fans will get their first look at Justin Dean.”
- Carson Wolf (Just Baseball): Can Matthew Boyd Save the Cubs’ Rotation? “With Matthew Boyd nearing a return, the Cubs could soon get a much-needed boost to a rotation that has been searching for stability.”
- Elias Schuster (Chicago Cubs On SI): Cubs Get Positive Edward Cabrera News, But Can He Finally Step Up? “The Chicago Cubs should have Edward Cabrera back for his next start after he was forced to leave the game early on Wednesday.”
- Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Should Cubs Youngsters Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez Play Every Day for a While?. “With multiple key Cubs hitters struggling mightily, two young players whose path to playing time was murky a month ago now have a clear lane—and the team is starting to seem open to letting them have it.”
- Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Instead of youth movement, Cubs wait for Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman to produce. “When Hoyer sat down in Wrigley Field’s home dugout this week for a media briefing, he seemed surprised by the amount of time spent on an underperforming offense, the possibility of benching Swanson and Bregman’s lack of impact.”
- Billy Heyen (Sporting News): Cubs linked to trade for $75 million, 8-1 starting pitcher from AL East. “One name that now continues to pop up as someone who will be available, below the rung of the Tarik Skubal level of deal, is Boston Red Sox righty Sonny Gray.”
- Conor Liguori (Sporting News): Cubs reveal ‘top priority’ for MLB trade deadline. “Chicago has a very clear need.”
- Garrett Kerman (Clutch Points): Cubs’ perfect trade offer for Angels’ Reid Detmers. “Discover the Cubs’ perfect trade package for Angels ace Reid Detmers and why Chicago must make this move before the deadline.”
- Anthony Vlahovic (LastWordOnSports.com): The Next Great Cubs Slugger Could Be Emerging in the Minor Leagues. “As the minor league season heads into late June, Josiah Hartshorn is giving Cubs faithful plenty of reason to believe he could be their next great homegrown middle of the lineup mainstay.”
- Mike McGraw (Daily Herald): Should Cubs make plans for Hartshorn? Not so fast, Hoyer says. “Jed Hoyer says minor-league outfielder Josiah Hartshorn will not be rushed to the parent club despite a great start to the season.”
Food For Thought:
Larry “Mud” Morganfield (born September 27, 1954) is an American blues singer. He is the eldest son of Muddy Waters and the half-brother of Big Bill Morganfield. He was raised by his mother and seven uncles, with occasional visits from Muddy, and never really got to know his father. Despite growing up surrounded by music, Morganfield did not consider becoming a professional musician until after his father’s death in 1983. At that time, Morganfield was driving trucks for a living, but the strain was wearing on him. He suggested that a recurring dream of Muddy Waters performing on stage helped prompt him to begin performing the blues professionally.“
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