The above turned out to be controversial as trolls descended upon Taillon’s X-feed, prompting him to sign off for the season, as he put it.
Lots of spring training interviews via Marquee, making up for lost time, I suppose, since they went almost two weeks without any new material. Here’s the playlist.
I don’t see picking up Nick Castellanos. He isn’t what he was in 2019 when he knocked the ball around Wrigley for part of a season. If he was, he’d still be in Philly. Tyler Austin or even Jonathan Long might be better as an RH DH bat. But people gonna talk, and that’s in the zeitgeist.
Shelby Miller is the newest Cub, as reported by Robert Murray originally. Miles Mikolas has landed in Washington, sources say. Jose Quintana is a Rockie.
“Unfinished business” is in the air. The players are in the best shape of their lives and they’ll all pull together as a team. They have already had their hair cut and are after the jewelry. Real games start in a week.
“The work seems different than years past. I know it’s like a Spring Training cliche, but guys show up and it doesn’t seem as rah-rah exciting. It seems more like, ‘Let’s get to work’ exciting, if that makes sense. It should be an exciting year.” — Jameson Taillon
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- Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): As expectations heighten, so does Jed Hoyer’s need to obsess over every detail. “Yeah, it’s a super-healthy mindset,” Hoyer said with a laugh…
- Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): ‘There’s unfinished business’: Chicago Cubs open camp with high expectations — and embrace the challenge. “The Chicago Cubs are not shying away from lofty goals.”
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Shota brings philosophical approach, renewed focus to important spring. “There will be no shortage of motivation for Imanaga this year.“ More from Maddie Lee* {$}.
- Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): What we learned at Chicago Cubs camp, including starter Cade Horton having ‘a lot to prove’ in Year 2. “I felt like I ended the year in a good spot and so just being able to to go out there and really hammer down my routine and stay in the process, I think that’s the biggest thing for me.” More Horton from Matthew Trueblood.
- Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic {$}): Cubs camp is barely underway – and Alex Bregman is already making his new teammates better. “He really wants to help guys get better,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “He’s passionate about it.”
- Randy Holt (North Side Baseball*): Can Miguel Amaya ride a smaller role to long-term gains in 2026? Through no fault of his own, Miguel Amaya was one of the Cubs’ most disappointing stories of 2025.
- Seacoastonline*: Winnacunnet High School alum powers Chicago Cubs with baseball science. “… Gyorda has now been working for the Chicago Cubs for nearly two years.”
Food For Thought:
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