If you think about it, all I’m asking is for the Cubs to win a little more than half their games this year, and then win more than half of the games they play in October. That is a very small ask for a year of happiness. Be reasonable, Cubs.
Cubs are in, facing the Phillies in the Wild Card series:I’m kidding, obviously, since that’s now how it actually works. But hey, Cubs are in the mix. Also, Cardinals at 54% and Cubs at 39% … I know it’s all just math, but boy does that not pass the smell test.Speaking of the Phillies, they are among the teams that could be into Blake Snell if he winds up taking a short-term deal a la Bellinger and Chapman, per Bob Nightengale. The Giants or Angels are more expected, according to Nightengale, and I’d certainly hope the Phillies don’t get him – that rotation is already good enough. Just stay out of the NL. You, too, Jordan Montgomery.I can understand the holdout on Snell and Montgomery, by the way, because the range of possible deals for them was always wide enough. But I wonder why guys like J.D. Martinez and Brandon Belt haven’t found an acceptable contract yet. I can’t lie, even though I know the Cubs have internal options and even though I know Craig Counsell wants to use the DH spot to rotate guys, it’s hard not to think about Brandon Belt as a DH option against righties (whom he destroys), if the Cubs commit to Christopher Morel at third base. That could be a STACKED lineup.On the Garrett Cooper addition, which is now official, Craig Counsell acknowledged that it’s a crowded group at first base. But you never know what might happen (Sun-Times): “Garrett’s addition is depth and another option as somebody who’s has a successful track record. We’re crowded [at first base] right now, but you could see one thing happening, and then a lot makes sense. And so there’s some protection for us, and we’ll give Garrett an opportunity to show us what he can do.”One thing happening, eh? YOU MEAN LIKE A TRADE?!?!? I kid. Counsell was referring to the possibility that injuries pop up. But that said, yes, it still remains a possibility that someone gets moved and the Cooper addition makes all the more sense. Of course, the guy to whom that would apply most is Patrick Wisdom, and he’s been out with a quad issue.The Cubs are going to be “conservative” with Ian Happ’s hamstring strain, says Counsell (Tribune). Lots of reasons to do so, from the length of time available before Opening Day, to the many ways the Cubs could cover left field if they had to in April (Alexander Canario? Mike Tauchman? David Peralta? Cody Bellinger shifting over and Pete Crow-Armstrong takes center?).We haven’t yet seen Jameson Taillon or Yency Almonte in a Cactus League game, but they’ve been throwing – Taillon is throwing a simulated game on Monday, and Almonte threw live BP on Saturday (Sun-Times). I don’t think there are any worries on either.Technically, this is a positive tweet, but it actually reads quite ominously when you know that Acuña is dealing with meniscus irritation in his surgically repaired knee and is going to see a specialist tomorrow:Even a minor cleanup procedure could cost Acuña some regular season time. Not that the Braves aren’t still ridiculously stacked even without him (and not that the Braves didn’t literally win the World Series the year he shredded his knee), but obviously it’s a reminder that crazy things happen no matter how teams look on paper in March.Gotta support the team:A bit at the Sun-Times on Craig Counsell’s workout philosophy, where he tries to get more one-on-one and small group time for players, rather than larger group workouts.Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here.Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.
