Chicago Cubs news and notes — Brown, Cabrera, Wright

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Ben Brown didn’t exactly put his best foot forward, allowing three runs in 2.1 innings against the Padres. He was a little wild.

The Cubs had those special bats with ball-avoidance radar. One run would have been enough to defeat them.

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• Jeff Agrest (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Why Cubs, White Sox fans’ demand for spring-training broadcasts isn’t being met. “It’s that time of year when baseball fans long to watch baseball.“
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): How Cubs’ Edward Cabrera forces everyone to think differently about pitching. “Cabrera is a nasty guy,” catcher Moisés Ballesteros said. “Every pitch is nasty.” More from Jordan Bastian*.
• Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball*): Jaxon Wiggins’s developmental checklist is on full display. “It’s easy to see what makes him great—and what will make fans wait.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Kyle Wright offered the Chicago Cubs a huge implicit compliment when he chose to sign with them. “… if Wright had options available to sign elsewhere, you would superficially assume he would go somewhere with a clearer path to getting back to the big leagues.” More Wright from Meghan Montemurro* {$}.
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): How in-season development of younger relievers will be ‘crazy valuable’ for the Chicago Cubs bullpen. “The volatility in bullpens inherently leads to roster-construction changes over the course of the season.”
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): How Cubs first baseman Michael Busch ‘earned’ everyday role, at-bats against left-handed pitchers. “Busch was the Cubs’ best hitter in the playoffs.”
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ Dansby Swanson is crushing the ball after overhauling his offseason plan. “Swanson hit an opposite-field home run to help lift the Cubs over the Diamondbacks on Thursday.“
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Here’s the Cubs’ player pool for their Spring Breakout game. “Here is a breakdown of this year’s prospect showcase.”

Food For Thought:


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