Another Top 100 With No Cubs, the First Mention of Players Striking, and Other Bullets

We are between games and more swimming – The Little Boy has developed a particular affection for Skee-Ball and Space Invaders with no prompting from dad, so that’s awesome – and I’m gonna try to pump out these Bullets while we eat pizza for breakfast …

  • Another top 100 came out last night, and the Cubs were not represented. The Cubs had zero prospects in MLB Pipeline’s top 100, joining just two other teams:
  • Not that rankings like this are the be-all, end-all, but one thing: congrats on the two top 100 prospects after trading Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Christian Yelich, Marlins.
  • OK, so the Cubs were probably close to having a couple guys in the top 100, though, right? Well, not according to MLB Pipeline:
  • So, again we fall back to: (1) Cubs have a lot of prospect-aged-ish talent already in the big leagues, and (2) Cubs have some guys who could be top 100 by midseason if X, Y, and Z things happen.
  • It was only a matter of time before we started seeing this:
  • It’s not entirely cynical support either, since even a guy who’s landed a big contract like Jansen would still be forgoing a ton of money to strike (and it’s money he probably wouldn’t make up on the back end when his current deal expires). The reality, as we’ve discussed, is that this CBA is a relative disaster for the players, they are seeing it now, and they are understandably pissed. It will probably lead to change in the union, change in the relationship with ownership (either by way of a formal strike or an agreed re-opening of the CBA), and change in the way revenues are distributed in the game. Until this CBA concludes after the 2021 season, though, the players’ options will be limited.
  • Sahadev Sharma writes about how the Cubs will or will not react in the face of big moves by the Brewers. As you’d hope and expect for this front office, the Cubs are gonna do what they’re gonna do – sticking to their plan – regardless of what happens elsewhere in the division. And there figures to be more happening, as it’s almost impossible to imagine the Brewers not adding another starting pitcher at this point.
  • Imagining the uniforms in the NL Central as hockey uniforms is freaking awesome:
  • It’s especially awesome, because #AtReds had a comment that precipitated #AtCubs to bust out one of the best moments in Cubs history – the Kyle Farnsworth spear takedown:
  • You’re welcome: Amazon’s Deal of the Day is tailgating gear, so you can get yourself ready for the warmer sporting months to come.
  • written by

    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.

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