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Cubs still have work to do before spring training · North Side Territory: A Chicago Cubs Podcast

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Welcome into Northside Territory. Foul Territory Networks Cubs Podcast. I'm
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Sahad Sharma with my partner Patrick Mooney. It's getting hard
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: to say my partner Patrick Moone.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: Episode ninety three Welcome epis.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: We're your Cubs beat writers from the Athletic Patrick, we are.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: It's like ten days less than ten days away from
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: pictures and catchers reporting. As far for the Cubs, it's
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: it's coming up on us, like it's it's baseball season.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Let's the super Bowl is gonna come and then it's
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: baseball season, right as far as we're concerned.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, but we're taping on a Friday. If I have
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: my dates correct a week from tomorrow, I'll we find Arizona. Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: first leg of our coverage.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah that's crazy.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I mean we always say that, right, it
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: sneaks up on us, but this one, this year's even earlier.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: So the Cubs roster is not finalized, right, it's we
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: we don't know if it's finalized, if the if there
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: have any finishing touches left to do, well, we'll touch
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: on that. One of their their most recent edition spoke
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: to us Tuesday.
• 1:16
  Speaker 4: Was it Wednesday whatever day it was he spoke to us.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: Uh, yeah, we got some first impressions of Ryan Presley.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: He was in the parking lot of his children's school
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: heading to parent teacher conferences.
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  Speaker 4: So he's a family man, he's a good guy. Uh.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: It does seem like that's like first and foremost. That's
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: what I came away from it, like, this is a
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: really everybody that we talked to, whether it was Chandler
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Rome or just like scouts or players, seem to like
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: really respect the guy. And it's it's unsurprising like that
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: the Cubs are acquiring this type of uh that they
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: want the player right. The player is always first and
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: foremost the most important thing. But how much have we
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: talked about in the bullpen, like these leadership aspects that
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: they look for, these veteran bullpen arms. They felt that
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: was an issue in twenty three that there wasn't a
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: leader in that bullpen and things kind of fell apart
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: down the stretch in the sense that there wasn't a
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: veteran guy, a veteran voice that kind of showed them
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: how to go about business. Hector Narris was kind of
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  Speaker 1: that guy. I remember seeing things in the clubhouse and
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: then there were, of course things we didn't see behind
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: the scenes that he was doing, but I saw him
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  Speaker 1: like get go up to young relievers and kind of
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: talk to them or like say, this is how you
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: need to behave, this is how you need to act,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: This is how you need to prepare day to day.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: Some of them take it really well, and this is
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: why we probably hear reports of like Porter Hodge is
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: a beast, you know, and coming into camp, like coming
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: into Arizona working his butt off every day. Maybe that's
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: just who he is. Maybe Hector Naris had some influence
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: on it in him. The clubs obviously hope Ryan Presley
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: does more on the field than Hector Naris did for
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: the team last year, but the aspect that he brings
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: off the field it seems important as well.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: No doubt, I think Chandler has alluded to this.
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: Honestly, we've talked to Chandler so much over the last
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: couple of weeks that I can't remember if there was
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: on air, off air or a text chain, but that
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: you know, Presley was someone who really had to work
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: at his craft.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: And bounced around a little bit.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, this is someone who was in the Anthony
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: Rizzo draft class with the Boston Red Sox. I believe
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  Speaker 3: that was seven a Rule five guy, someone who really
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: had to work at it to establish himself, who showed
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: amazing composure. Whatever that stat was of consecutive scoreless postseason
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: innings is kind of amazing. Getting the last out of
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: a World Series. I think how he handled the Josh
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: Hater situation. You know that Hater and Presley wound up
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: being pretty tight. Wesley and Astros general manager Dana Brown,
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: I think that's a different story. Brown, on the record
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  Speaker 3: with Astros reporters said there was a fracture due to
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: the addition of Hater, but Presley wound up having a
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: pretty good year last year, and you know, sometimes it's
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: just about the fit.
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  Speaker 2: I think Presley's value with the Cubs is.
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  Speaker 3: Exponentially more than what he could bring to the Astros
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  Speaker 3: or even like, you know, rebuilding team, and the Cubs
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  Speaker 3: need someone from opening day on who can just like
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  Speaker 3: stop the bleeding, you know, who can get that nail down,
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  Speaker 3: that save to make sure a three game losing streak
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  Speaker 3: doesn't become like a two week.
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  Speaker 2: You know, catastrophe.
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  Speaker 3: So you know, just said they can, you know, win
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  Speaker 3: a series versus a losing a series, just all of
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  Speaker 3: those like kind of games that pivot for a team
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: that's won eighty three the last two years. I think
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  Speaker 3: he I think he could be a huge difference maker here.
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: That's an optimistic scenario, but I do think it's. What
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: I found interesting from that call was his existing relationships
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  Speaker 3: with people in the Cubs organization I think maybe accelerate
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: some of this process.
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  Speaker 4: So I found that interesting as well.
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  Speaker 1: He knows Tommy how to be really well, like over
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: a decade relationship there.
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  Speaker 4: I think they were in camp together, probably in Boston.
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, and he knows like Caleb Thielbar from his
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: Minnesota days. There were multiple people, right, obviously Poppy, Kevin,
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Poppy who And I was going to get to that.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: I think I think that's that's interesting. No, no, no, like,
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: I think it's interesting because listen, his velocity was down.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: He was not the same picture that he has been
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  Speaker 1: the previous like four years, four or five years. Last year,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: he wasn't bad. He wasn't This wasn't like, oh look
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: at these major red flags. This guy's terrible. He just
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: wasn't missing bats as much. Probably had a little bad
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: luck too, but he admitted he was battling his mechanics
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: all season long, pretty much all summer. First of all,
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: that's something great Tommy's That's something that Tommy's great at identifying.
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  Speaker 1: Like it's like people talk about it all the time.
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  Speaker 1: People that have worked with Tommy. That's the first thing
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  Speaker 1: they'll mention. He's really good at noticing little things and
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  Speaker 1: identifying Okay, this is happening, okay, but why is that happening?
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  Speaker 1: My arm slot is off? Okay, but it's not. You
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: don't just move your arm. There's something earlier in the
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  Speaker 1: delivery that's off. Tommy's really good. Tommy Alomy's really good
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  Speaker 1: at identifying those things and correcting them.
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  Speaker 4: Obviously, they have technology that helps.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: Them identify those things and kind of pinpoint it as well.
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: But he apparently he's been working with Kevin Poppy, who
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: has a facility out in Houston, and he's been working
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: with him even before he became, you know, a CUB,
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: and he feels like some of those mechanical issues have
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: already been corrected. Kevin Poppy, by the way, is the
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: CUB strength and conditioning coacher. We say that, I don't
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: think we said that, so I I think I've talked
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: to people even before he was acquired. Yes, they kind
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: of have an idea of what they want to do,
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: some plans that they have for him.
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  Speaker 4: If he can, if he can.
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  Speaker 1: Slightly improve upon last year, that is huge for the
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: Even if he's the same pitcher, that's going to be impactful, right,
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: But if he can slightly improve I'm not saying get
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: back to whatever twenty one twenty two when he was
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  Speaker 1: pretty dominant and like one of the best relievers in
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  Speaker 1: the game. But even if he's you know, the best
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: reliever for the Cubs, that's a huge win. And I
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: think I think there's a lot of talent in this
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: bullpen right now, and it fields as deep as it's
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: been in a while. Entering a season, we can say
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: that and everything goes to hell. Right, probably two years ago,
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: we were pointing to various arms and and they you know, like,
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: remember Kegan Thompson seemed like this lockdown reliever at one point,
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: and now he's kind of just like, you don't know
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: what you're gonna get from him, and that happens a
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: lot so and you know, relievers.
• 8:05
  Speaker 4: Are volatile, but we'll see.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: Adding Presley feels like a big addition to this bullpen
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: that probably I shouldn't say probably that may not be
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: done right, Like, yeah.
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: There's still a little little wiggle room there and then
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: in that bullpen.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah right, it will see if they add like there
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: are there like Ryan Stanek signed with the Mets. Correct, Uh,
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: he's someone that would link to the to the Cubs.
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: But there's still David Robertson's out there. Kenlee Janssen's out there,
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  Speaker 1: I believe right, Kenley Jansen didn't sign yet.
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  Speaker 4: There's there's some relievers out there.
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: We'll see if they if they can fit any more arms.
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  Speaker 1: Like we were told after Presley, like while they were
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: working finalizing Presley that uh, there wouldn't that wouldn't rule
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  Speaker 1: out another reliever. Who knows if they can add that
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: other reliever. But I think that's not the only thing
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: right Like this is we're at that point of the
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: offseason where prices are going to go down, Guys are
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: looking for jobs. They want to know, am I going
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: to be in Florida? Am I going to be in Arizona?
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  Speaker 1: Who am I playing with? Who are my teammates? All
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: those things? And my family's unsettled. Right now, let's get
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: this stuff done. This is when you know, this is
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: Jed and Carter's favorite time of year. Right, they'll look
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: for that deal, and there are some interesting names still available.
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: I did our colleagues Ken Rosedalil Salmon had a good
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: notebook out on the Athletic this week and they had
• 9:33
  Speaker 3: a Kenley Jansen item which caught my eye. And they're
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: reporting indicates that Jansen's goal of five hundred saves.
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  Speaker 4: It's important to him.
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  Speaker 3: He needs fifty three for five hundred, and with the Mets,
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: he would set up for Edwin Diaz rather than pitch
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: the ninth inning. As a Cubs reporter, I read that
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: as Presley probably makes Jansen less likely. That's wh read
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  Speaker 3: also jans and I think will probably come in with
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: a pretty high number.
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: I'd imagine you still have. Like you said, David Robertson.
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: Was just yeah, I mean, Carlos Estevez is off the board,
• 10:21
  Speaker 3: but I believe you're reporting indicator the Cubs were.
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: Not as high.
• 10:24
  Speaker 4: Never seen.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: Kyle Finnegan kind of I don't know if that's yeah.
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: I love him, but there are you know, between minor
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: league deals. David Robertson, some of those more complimentary relievers
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: Phil may tone he's still out there.
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, I always, I always get it wrong.
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I had.
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: He's a nice picture and if yeah, you know, also
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: if you're plugging him in for the seventh inning or
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: like matchups in the sixth inning, a lot different than like,
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: you know, needing a guy for like the eighth inning
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: and you're hoping.
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: That Porter Hodge is like your closer.
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: I think that's a big difference here of just like
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: the sense of organization you get with Presley in the
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: back end working backwards from the ninth inning, I think
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: that makes everything just kind of look and feel better
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: in terms of opportunistic I know there are times when
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: you follow this team and you're like, why don't they
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: have more resources, Why don't they have conviction? Why aren't
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: they just going out and making things happen rather than
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: like hanging back and waiting for stuff to fall to them.
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: But like you said, this is like their super Bowl
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: week of players getting and see agents probably hearing it
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: from their clients, opportunities disappearing. You know, maybe you got
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: you know, family's wondering where are we going for spring training?
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: You know what's going on, and you know the Cubs
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: do have this. You know, it's certainly not unlimited funds
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: given the basement operations.
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: But there are.
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: These opportunities that could pop up, you know, when that's
• 12:19
  Speaker 3: has always been the scenario of how a Jack Flaherty
• 12:22
  Speaker 3: could fault them.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: Now we're not saying we don't think that's like, you know,
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: a high.
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: Priority or necessarily like extremely likely, but like, how does
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: he wind up with the Cubs?
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: It's playing out this way, you know, Alex Bregman.
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: I don't if Alex Bregman has this nice deal in
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: hand from the Astros, perhaps something else from another team.
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: You know, I don't really see where he's coming to
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: the Cubs on some sort of you know, prove it
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: pivot deal.
• 12:51
  Speaker 4: But he's thirty the backboard, right, yeah, he's that.
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: That's why to me, like the I'll take the three
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: year deal with the opt outs after a year one
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: and two, for me, it doesn't make as much sense.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: He's gonna be thirty one at the end of March.
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: This is age thirty one season. Like do you do
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: you do you need.
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: That type of deal or do you take the five
• 13:15
  Speaker 4: year guarantee or what is it? Five one? Fifty six
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: is that what or that.
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: Supported early in the offseason.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, for me, it doesn't make sense to me,
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: it doesn't make sense. Look, the Cubs, you said it
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: all about the finances.
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: We can We're.
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: Gonna keep talking about that over the course of time,
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: just because it is a real thing. But like this
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: is the Cubs aren't like they're set up to offer
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: him that type of Ballinger type deal, right, that's what
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: they're in and like probably a little cheaper as far.
• 13:46
  Speaker 4: As AAV goes.
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: I don't think he's getting thirty plus. It just doesn't
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: make sense to me. It doesn't make sense that Bregman
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: want would want that deal unless he really just wants to,
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: you know, play with Kyle Tucker still and come to Chicago,
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: experience something new, go to a bigger media market, which
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: is possible. Maybe he wants to you know, win somewhere else.
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: Maybe he sees I actually think the Astros roster, for
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: everything that they've done, looks pretty good. I think they're
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: they're gonna eventually they're going to struggle. Eventually, that's not
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: going to be a good team. Those guys are all
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: getting old and their systems things. But eventually, like right now,
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: they still look like they can win and they're in
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: a bad division, so so I'm not sure what the
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: exact appeal would be outside of like, I want to
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: go to a big market, I want to play here,
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: I want to try something new, And I'm not sure
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: if that's exactly how he feels, but he certainly.
• 14:41
  Speaker 4: Keeps saying it.
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: But he's just like a perfect fit and kind of
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: would be icing on the cake of what's been a
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: pretty maybe not as aggressive as fans want it, but
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: it's been a solid offseason for the Cubs. I can't
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: look at this off season and say like that they've
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: rarely screwed the pooch here or they're like, yeah, you'd
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: probably like a Jack Flaherty type at the front, or
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: like to add to the show to Justin Steele mix right,
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: someone like that, or a bigger name. But outside of that,
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: I think they've done a lot of good work and
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: they'll continue to look for stuff. Patrick one one rumor,
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: like there's rumors going around that the Padres may move
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: some guys, right, Like, there's so many different names from
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: Luis Araez to uh to the their their reliever, Uh Suarez,
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: and then two names that intrigue Cubs fans are Dylan
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: Cees and Michael King. Listen, I don't I wouldn't like
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: that on the Cubs swinging a deal here. I think
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: either one of those starting pitchers makes a ton of
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: sense for the Cubs. A j probably doesn't give players away. Uh,
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: he doesn't want to move these guys in all likelihood
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: that Like everything that we're hearing is like, this is
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: like if this happens, it would be like a like
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: ownership telling him he's got to find a way to.
• 16:07
  Speaker 4: Reduce the payroll.
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: But like there's no way Preller wants to Like Preller
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: wants to win, and he wants to compete with the Dodgers,
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: and like he thinks he has a really good team.
• 16:17
  Speaker 4: He does have a really good team.
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: They were probably like the better team when watching them
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: play the Dodgers. I thought they were gonna win that series.
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: They were playing so well. The Dodgers pulled it out, obviously,
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: but I thought they had. I thought they were gonna
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: win a World Series last October. I like, I think
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: there's interest from the Cubs. I'm not sure if it's
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: super aggressive. I'm not sure. It doesn't sound like it's
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: really aggressive or like they're on the verge of anything
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: Dylan ces is gonna cost too much. In my opinion
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: from what everything I hear, I think Michael King could
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: could make sense again. I just ultimately I think Preller
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: is gonna do everything he can to avoid trading anyone
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: really at this point.
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah, our colleague Dennis Lynn at the Athletic does a
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: great job covering the Padres and like part of it.
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: He's just really good at his job.
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: But also, like Preller is, for our listeners to understand,
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: probably is like a maniac. He's always involved in these
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: conversations and the Cubs are always checking in on everything.
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: And we've gone through this before of you know, oh
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: have you heard this? Have you heard that?
• 17:22
  Speaker 4: Now?
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: Sometimes it does come to fruition.
• 17:24
  Speaker 3: I mean we were on the U Darvis trade and
• 17:26
  Speaker 3: that was you know that did come to pass. But yeah,
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: I'm with you, this feels like a lot of you know,
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: either due diligence or.
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: You know, I'm with you. I don't see why Preler
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: wants to do this.
• 17:42
  Speaker 3: It would be something forced from above, given the instability
• 17:46
  Speaker 3: in their ownership structure. I think the Padres and Dodgers
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: felt like their playoff battle was like the Real World Series,
• 17:56
  Speaker 3: and a team like that is not, you know, should
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: not be looking to unload those types. Probably, like you said,
• 18:02
  Speaker 3: has a great eye for talent, which if I'm a
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: Cubs executive, he's not really a guy I want to
• 18:10
  Speaker 3: be trading.
• 18:12
  Speaker 4: In that regard.
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: But maybe maybe the you know, infighting amongst the Padres
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: ownership group like makes it you know, more appealing or
• 18:23
  Speaker 3: something that like, you know, the Padres just simply have
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: to explore. But until we hear something more firm or concrete,
• 18:33
  Speaker 3: I really think the Cubs focus is on adding another
• 18:39
  Speaker 3: like proven reliever, and also you know, like filling off
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: a bench. I know that's not like a real like
• 18:46
  Speaker 3: exciting part of the team, but like when you get
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: rid of Cody Bellinger, who could play four positions for you,
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: really well, it just seems.
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: Really thin to me. Like if say, is oblique hurts,
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: you know, if someone.
• 19:05
  Speaker 3: You know whatever, like fouls the ball off his shin,
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: like just all the weird stuff that happens over the
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: course of the season. I guess They're gonna leave some
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: pathways open for some of the young players, some of
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: the top prospects in those top one hundred things but
• 19:22
  Speaker 3: it's there's.
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: That is not a strategy that is not without risk.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, And one name that I I kind of forgot
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: about that's going to be a part of that depth
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: is Alexander Canario. Right, I don't know what role he plays.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: I think he's out of options. Is he a trade candidate,
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: is he a bench candidate? Like what what is his role?
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: I'm curious to see how that plays out. But I
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: do think that the you know, if the Cubs and
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: Padres could pull off a trade, it would be like
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: kind of it would like it would be a great
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: offseason for Jack Well whatever, regardless, he'd have to give
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: up a lot, right, and it would probably sting a
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: little especially prospect wise, because they're looking I mean, well,
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: they're looking for major league talent too, right, Like they
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: need someone that can help the rotation now and is
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: under contract for a longer period of time. Someone like
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: Javier or Assad would make a ton of sense. And
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: the Cubs are inserting someone at the top of their
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: rotation right next to show it in to Justin Steele.
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: I think it would catapult them into like, yeah, this
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: is a really good team, Like okay, clear favorites for
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: the division and have a chance to make some noise
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: in October.
• 20:33
  Speaker 4: Right, it just doesn't. It just feels like a long shot.
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: These things can suddenly change and turn we like you said,
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: the Darvish thing, when we first heard it, we're like really, no,
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: what And then then they trade it for Blake Snell, remember,
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: and we shut down like thinking like Okay, it's not happening.
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: And then the next morning I think I got a
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: text and I messaged you and Dennis and was like,
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: apparently we shouldn't, you know, stuff digging into this. So
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: these things happen and they come out of nowhere, and
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: we don't always know. Uh. Sometimes when when these things
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: do get out, like like these this stuff has leaked out,
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: it's more than it is, or it's it's less than
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: what it seems like on Twitter, you know what I mean.
• 21:16
  Speaker 4: It's just like, yeah, they talk. They always talk.
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: They're always talking about and throwing ideas around and and
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: trying to engage with people. And like you said, Prober
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: is kind of a mad man. He's he's always looking
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: to do something like he's a scout. Scout, He's he's
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: he's all like he he's just constantly evaluating talent, and
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: thinking of ways to get better. So you know you
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: can't put anything past him, but I'd still be surprised here.
• 21:45
  Speaker 3: I mean, why not just sign Jack Flarerty then, right,
• 21:47
  Speaker 3: I mean like yeah, I mean, I mean he is
• 21:52
  Speaker 3: better and you know, Michael King is interesting and you
• 21:56
  Speaker 3: know it would cost more money with Flarity, but if
• 21:59
  Speaker 3: Flarerty is where.
• 22:00
  Speaker 4: It's no no qualifying offer, right.
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: Maybe it's a short term thing with opt outs.
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: Like, yeah, King's interesting to me because like what is
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: he asking for in ar But it's like nine million, right,
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: Like that's like for his performance level, that's that's nothing.
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: And you know that's got to be music to Jedden
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: Carter's ears or like you know what is that war
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: per dollar?
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, solving for wins.
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: All right, Well, we'll be back next week, inching closer
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: to Patrick heading to Arizona. Uh, maybe we'll talk have
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: a little prospect talks, see what what we can do.
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: Uh next week, but there may be some more moves
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: maybe not, maybe we'll there There probably will be moves
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: around the league at minimum to kind of like so
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: we know what the Cubs options are. Thanks so much
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: everyone listening. Make sure to rate review some scribe to
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: North Side Territory, subscribe to the YouTube channel. Check out
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: our work at the Athletic. Patrick and I will be
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: on top of spring training. I'll be out in Japan.
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: We'll be there for the start of the season, so
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: make sure you're subscribing, reading, doing all that good stuff.
• 23:15
  Speaker 4: Thanks so much everyone for listening. Take