The Rundown Lite: Some Think Cubs Still Gallen Faves, MLB Announces ABS Rules, Castellanos Admits to Drinking Beer in Dugout

I’m running way behind on a number of things after yesterday, so let’s breeze through a few topics and get everyone headed off to their respective weekends. Those who celebrate Friday the 13th and Valentine’s Day are going to be busy, and that goes double for tattoo shops. Lots of flash deals going on today, and I plan to partake this evening. Even though some might think I’ve got too many already, there’s always room for more.

The same could be said for pitching, and some believe the Cubs will partake in a little discount shopping at this late stage. Zac Gallen is the most obvious name on the list, as he has been connected to the Cubs for several weeks and remains unsigned. As Bruce Levine reported, at least one rival GM thinks the Cubs are the favorites to get a deal done.

“I talked to one general manager who will go unnamed — outside of the Cubs organization — and he told me he thought the Cubs were still the most likely to sign Gallen,” Levine shared on 104.3 The Score. “Because they have the payroll flexibility to get it done, they’d be more creative to get it done. And this GM also pointed out, hey, the Cubs are most likely losing three guys in their rotation through free agency next year.

“They look at is at building beyond 2026, so a guy like Gallen would be looked at ’26, ’27, ’28, even in a three-year deal with an opt-out after two.”

This still feels like a hat on a hat to me, with Gallen providing unnecessary redundancy without bringing anything to the table that the Cubs don’t already have. Do you really need someone showing up to the party with a fourth veggie tray? I don’t care how good the dip is, ain’t nobody wolfing down all that celery.

The flip side is that I don’t know that Gallen would want to settle for a price the Cubs would be willing to offer on a multiyear deal. A team like the Braves makes much more sense right now, as they’re not in as much of a position to sit back and let the market come to them following the loss of Spencer Schwellenbach. The Cubs have more leverage, but Gallen may want a one-year deal for more AAV to rebuild his value after the worst season of his career.

That doesn’t make sense for the Cubs, who, as Levine pointed out, need security beyond this coming season. There’s been way too much smoke to simply dismiss these reports, but I have yet to see how it really makes sense.

ABS Rules Announced

ESPN shared the finalized rules for the first year of the automated ball-strike challenge system, which will be live on Opening Day.

• Even if a team uses up its two challenges in nine innings, it will be given a new one in each extra inning. However, the challenges do not carry over if not used. The exception is if a team carries its regular challenges into extras.
• The outcome of a stolen base attempt will stand regardless of the result of a pitch challenge. That obviously isn’t the case on ball four or strike three, and the umps could send runners back if they judge that play has been impacted by a call.
• No challenges with position players pitching.
• The league is measuring the height of each player to craft individual zones, all of which will be a wee bit smaller than the current called zone.
• ABS and video replay review can occur on the same play, with ABS going first.
• A look at the new zone is below; looks like it’ll help pitchers at the corners and hitters at the edges.

I really like this change and I look forward to seeing it in action.

More News and Notes

• I think ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle must have run out of ideas when writing about Andrew McCutchen as a good fit for the Cubs. Then again, there are worse ways to fill out the roster than by signing a vibe king who can still be a (slightly) above-average hitter against lefties.
• Some might say the same for Nick Castellanos, who can be had for the veteran’s minimum after being released by the Phillies. I am not among those because Castellanos had an 87 wRC+ in 188 PAs against southpaws last season. Unless his only option is to be a short-side platoon DH who keeps his outfield glove at home, I don’t see the fit.
• Castellanos shared a handwritten thank-you/goodbye note to Philly in which he admitted to drinking a beer in the dugout after he’d been removed from a game.
• Charles Barkley showed up to Cubs camp for Friday’s workout.
• You know who no one is talking about? Ben Brown. Something tells me the big righty is going to figure it out this year, likely as a reliever.
• Javier Assad arrived in camp yesterday after travel issues prevented him from getting there on time.
• Greg Huss of Cubs on Deck reported that the Cubs have signed catcher Eric Yang to a minor league deal. Though he’s got only one MLB plate appearance to his name, Yang provides depth at a position where the Cubs have precious little right now.
• As Matt Spiegel reported for 104.3 The Score yesterday, MLB is withholding a portion of each team’s national TV and licensing revenue to create a “war chest” that will help orgs survive the expected lockout in 2027. You know, the lockout those teams are responsible for enacting.

Trailer Time

I’m still not really sure what to make of Supergirl, but James Gunn has brought a decidedly different perspective to the DC movie universe. Look no further than the perfect casting of Jason Momoa as Lobo, a move that might seem a little risky since he portrayed Aquaman in the previous iteration of the DCU. But comic books have been retconning characters and storylines forever, so why can’t their movies do the same?