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Have the Cubs done enough after the Kyle Tucker trade? · North Side Territory: A Chicago Cubs Podcast

0:00
Speaker 1: Don't spend like the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets. How about
0:02
Speaker 1: spend like the Phillies and the Padres and the Astros
0:05
Speaker 1: and the Braves. You can't beat tenth okay, you just
0:08
Speaker 1: can't welcome into North Side territory. Foul Territory Networks Cubs Podcast.
0:17
Speaker 1: I'm Sahadev Sharma with my partner Patrick Mooney. We're your
0:20
Speaker 1: Cubs beat writers for the Athletic Patrick. It's kind of
0:26
Speaker 1: slowed down right, Not for.
0:28
Speaker 2: The Dodgers, though, who keep making moves. The Cubs have.
0:33
Speaker 1: Made a small move here adding John Birdie, who solid
0:38
Speaker 1: bench player. I think a lot of a lot of
0:41
Speaker 1: people were expecting this type of move. They need a
0:43
Speaker 1: right handed bad to play that can back up at first.
0:46
Speaker 1: He's versatile, he can play second, they can play third base.
0:50
Speaker 1: Not the type of move that's gonna, you know, really
0:54
Speaker 1: rile up the fan base. But I think that's kind
0:56
Speaker 1: of what we want to discuss. Have the Cubs done
0:58
Speaker 1: enough post Tucker acquisition? You're kind of filling holes. This
1:02
Speaker 1: feels like Craig Council move last winter and then nothing
1:08
Speaker 1: big happens.
1:09
Speaker 2: I don't want it.
1:10
Speaker 1: There's still a month ish left a few weeks, I
1:13
Speaker 1: should say, I guess, not a month, a few weeks.
1:16
Speaker 1: There's names out there, but do you feel like it
1:21
Speaker 1: feels a little different to me? But still has there
1:25
Speaker 1: been enough done? Is this is like I've noticed some
1:29
Speaker 1: restlessness among the.
1:30
Speaker 3: Fans, understandably so, right, I mean, I think this has
1:39
Speaker 3: been another one of those off seasons where the Cubs
1:42
Speaker 3: can kind of tease their fans a little bit of like,
1:45
Speaker 3: you know, there's still some names out there. You know
1:48
Speaker 3: there's still some stuff to do, and clearly there's not
1:52
Speaker 3: as many names on the board anymore, and our reporting
1:56
Speaker 3: strongly indicates that the bigger names out there they are
2:02
Speaker 3: not in play for When the Cubs talk about upgrading
2:06
Speaker 3: the bench, they're not talking about Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso.
2:10
Speaker 3: And certainly, I think the most accomplished reliever on the
2:17
Speaker 3: twenty twenty five Cubs has not been acquired yet. I
2:22
Speaker 3: think that will make it look better. But clearly, when
2:29
Speaker 3: you're kind of trying to sign free agents against the
2:31
Speaker 3: Dodgers and your opening day opponent will be the Dodgers
2:37
Speaker 3: and the Mets signed Wan, so do the biggest contract
2:40
Speaker 3: in sports history, Like it's not going to look like
2:44
Speaker 3: they've done enough. And you know, this is just I
2:48
Speaker 3: think the accumulation of the last several years. It doesn't
2:52
Speaker 3: mean the Cubs are toast. It doesn't mean the season's
2:56
Speaker 3: going to go sideways. It's just like I think the
2:59
Speaker 3: expects coming off back to back eighty three win seasons.
3:04
Speaker 3: Then you go out and get someone like Kyle Tucker,
3:07
Speaker 3: you think there's going to be a little more there,
3:09
Speaker 3: But that's not how they run this team.
3:13
Speaker 1: Yeah, look, let's just look at the forty man ads
3:17
Speaker 1: post Tucker, Okay, Matt Festa, go through the least list,
3:23
Speaker 1: Cody Cody, Colin Ray, Caleb, thielbar Carson, Kelly, Vidal, Bruhan.
3:33
Speaker 2: I think that's it.
3:34
Speaker 1: That's that's who they've added post post Kyle Tucker. None
3:38
Speaker 1: of those names, like, like, who knows of those relievers
3:41
Speaker 1: could turn out to be really good, right, we've seen
3:44
Speaker 1: it wouldn't be a shock if Matt Festa has a
3:46
Speaker 1: great season, right, because that's how relievers work. But my
3:49
Speaker 1: point is none of these none of these names excite
3:53
Speaker 1: a fan base. None of these names give you some certainty,
3:56
Speaker 1: and for a team that needs a little bit more certainty, right,
3:59
Speaker 1: that is going into a critical season. I'm not saying
4:02
Speaker 1: that they're going to have a bad season because of that.
4:04
Speaker 1: I actually think they have a pretty solid roster with
4:08
Speaker 1: with some holes that they need to continue to fill
4:11
Speaker 1: that I think some of them will be filled. I
4:14
Speaker 1: just think it's it's really hard, and we talked about
4:17
Speaker 1: this in the last episode when you have your owner
4:20
Speaker 1: coming out and like kind of making excuses about why
4:23
Speaker 1: they're not spending like like a big market, it's really
4:26
Speaker 1: frustrating for fans to hear that.
4:28
Speaker 2: So it's and it's really hard to nod along.
4:31
Speaker 1: And say like, oh, yeah, you're making good points about
4:34
Speaker 1: financial finances. No, they don't want to hear about breaking even.
4:38
Speaker 1: They don't want to hear about why you can't spend
4:41
Speaker 1: like the Dodgers and the Yankees and the Mets. That's fine,
4:44
Speaker 1: Like I said last time, don't spend like the Dodgers,
4:47
Speaker 1: Yankees and Mets. How about spend like the Phillies and
4:49
Speaker 1: the Padres and the Astros and the Braves. You can't
4:52
Speaker 1: be tenth okay, you just can't. So like and certainly
4:56
Speaker 1: if you're if you're, if you are, don't go on
4:59
Speaker 1: the radio and start explaining all these things and telling
5:04
Speaker 1: the fans why they don't understand how how how this
5:07
Speaker 1: is how their finances work, especially if you're not opening
5:11
Speaker 1: up the books like show it to me, prove it,
5:13
Speaker 1: you know, like I don't want to hear the financial excuses.
5:16
Speaker 1: So it's it's a little it's a little frustrating to watch. Ah,
5:22
Speaker 1: and I get why.
5:23
Speaker 2: Fans are up in arms and and and then you
5:26
Speaker 2: have what happened today or not today.
5:29
Speaker 1: Earlier this week, Crebate signs with the Dodgers, Like it's
5:36
Speaker 1: I I want players to get paid. I want uh,
5:39
Speaker 1: I want teams to act like the Dodgers and the Mets.
5:43
Speaker 1: But this is it seems a little absurd. It's not finalized, right,
5:48
Speaker 1: we don't know numbers on yeates.
5:50
Speaker 2: I don't.
5:50
Speaker 1: I think you still uh passive, physical and all that stuff.
5:53
Speaker 1: And they need to make a forty man move. This
5:57
Speaker 1: is crazy though, right, Like the Dodgers are getting everyone
6:00
Speaker 1: like this is a powerhouse. I know baseball's weird and
6:02
Speaker 1: it's not like the other sports, so we can't give
6:04
Speaker 1: them the World Series just yet. But I don't know
6:07
Speaker 1: man's This makes it hard for fans as well. I
6:11
Speaker 1: think that are fans of the Dodgers.
6:15
Speaker 3: I mean, and we've heard for a long time from
6:18
Speaker 3: Cubs officials, and I think they're largely correct. Is that,
6:22
Speaker 3: you know, relievers are volatile, and it's not the it's
6:25
Speaker 3: not a place that makes the most sense to put
6:28
Speaker 3: your resources. But like Dodgers are a pretty well run team,
6:32
Speaker 3: and if they think Tanner Scott is worth four and
6:35
Speaker 3: seventy two and that wasn't enough that they still want
6:39
Speaker 3: to go out and get Kirby Yates, who if I
6:42
Speaker 3: remember Craigly' said of when we were kind of huddling
6:46
Speaker 3: last weekend, I believe the sense was like Yates was
6:51
Speaker 3: already sort of creeping beyond a comfort zone for the Cubs, right,
6:54
Speaker 3: Is that that was your recording at.
6:55
Speaker 1: That point, Yeah, yeah, exactly, It sounded like he yeah.
7:00
Speaker 1: I mean, that's I didn't realize it was with La,
7:03
Speaker 1: but I'd heard that the number had gotten to a
7:05
Speaker 1: point that was already a little uncomfortable. And we don't
7:09
Speaker 1: know years or anything, right with Yates. I heard he
7:12
Speaker 1: may have had a two year offer. That's kind of
7:14
Speaker 1: crazy for he's thirty eight, right, I'm pretty sure he's
7:17
Speaker 1: thirty eight. That's it's wild that he's getting. If he
7:22
Speaker 1: that he had a two year offer, he'll be thirty
7:26
Speaker 1: eight in March. Yeah, really good season and really experienced guy.
7:32
Speaker 1: He's he has nearly one hundred saves in his career,
7:37
Speaker 1: just a I mean a great season last year, nearly
7:40
Speaker 1: thirty six percent strike out rate, one point one seven ERA.
7:44
Speaker 1: It's like he can still pitch. But the money being
7:47
Speaker 1: thrown out there, you would think, right the whole Remember
7:51
Speaker 1: what do we say, like a week or two ago,
7:52
Speaker 1: like maybe this is setting up in Jud's favor. Yeah, yeah, No,
7:59
Speaker 1: the market is not for relievers. Didn't die down, Like
8:03
Speaker 1: these guys are still getting pretty hefty deals.
8:05
Speaker 2: It's a little surprising.
8:07
Speaker 3: And I mean if the reigning World Series champs, in
8:11
Speaker 3: one of the best run organizations in all the professional sports,
8:14
Speaker 3: is thinking it's important to put bigger money into your
8:19
Speaker 3: bullpen to take some risk with relievers, and that's pretty telling. Two.
8:27
Speaker 3: You and I wrote about this in The Athletic of
8:30
Speaker 3: like kind of the names are still out there, and
8:32
Speaker 3: I do think if they wind up with former Dodgers
8:35
Speaker 3: closer ken Lee Jansen or David Robertson who pitched really
8:41
Speaker 3: well for the Cubs, a couple of years ago, and
8:45
Speaker 3: who represents himself as an agent. You add guys like
8:51
Speaker 3: that to the back end, I think it makes a
8:55
Speaker 3: huge difference experience, know how. I just to proven ability
9:01
Speaker 3: to pitch at a place like Wrigley Field in a
9:04
Speaker 3: one run game with forty thousand people on their feet,
9:06
Speaker 3: like that is a must do. Here, we got about
9:11
Speaker 3: a little over two weeks until pitchers and catchers report,
9:16
Speaker 3: believe on Super Bowl Sunday, So like, you know, the
9:20
Speaker 3: Cubs are going to have to start making some decisions
9:23
Speaker 3: here pretty soon. And I'm kind of fascinated. We talked
9:26
Speaker 3: about this earlier of like Tanner Scott was kind of
9:30
Speaker 3: a unicorn, right, a guy that had been obsessed with
9:32
Speaker 3: for years, So like, now where do they go? I mean,
9:36
Speaker 3: one name just went off the board. Our understanding was
9:40
Speaker 3: Paul Seawold was not like a guy the Cubs were
9:42
Speaker 3: enamored with. But I think he got one year seven
9:45
Speaker 3: million ish. So like what would Jansen and Robertson be
9:51
Speaker 3: expecting at this point? You could probably slot in maybe
9:56
Speaker 3: multiple relievers. I think money wise it could probably do it.
9:59
Speaker 3: I think just becomes a matter of flexibility and roster space.
10:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, Kenley Jansen really good peripherals again last
10:09
Speaker 1: year the wapsburth, I mean not double digit rate, so
10:12
Speaker 1: that's fine. Nearly thirty percent strikeout rate. I kind of
10:15
Speaker 1: love David Robinson. He's throwing harder than he ever has before.
10:20
Speaker 1: He's going to be forty when the season he turns
10:24
Speaker 1: forty early on in April. He I mean, he had
10:28
Speaker 1: a really good season. Three ra over thirty percent strike
10:31
Speaker 1: out rate.
10:33
Speaker 2: The guy is. I mean, he loved his whatever three
10:37
Speaker 2: months in Chicago. I remember talking to him.
10:39
Speaker 1: He really liked Tommy Hottevey h He was happy in Chicago.
10:43
Speaker 1: I think winning in Chicago would would be even better
10:46
Speaker 1: for him, and he probably can, you know, sign with
10:49
Speaker 1: them and be told you're going to be our closer
10:51
Speaker 1: to start this season.
10:54
Speaker 2: Like I think it. I think he makes a ton
10:57
Speaker 2: of sense.
10:57
Speaker 1: I don't know how, like we know their's interest right,
11:01
Speaker 1: don't know how much it's reciprocated, and don't really know
11:05
Speaker 1: if anything's close there. But I think he's the one.
11:08
Speaker 1: Like Jansen and Robertson both make a ton of sense.
11:11
Speaker 1: I think Robertson makes even more sense just because like
11:14
Speaker 1: he's still nasty, Like it's almost like he hasn't dropped
11:17
Speaker 1: off and he's almost forty.
11:19
Speaker 2: That's that's wild to me.
11:21
Speaker 1: Some of it is, you know, we talk about this
11:23
Speaker 1: on occasion, like sometimes it's almost I don't want to
11:26
Speaker 1: say it's good, but like you miss some time late
11:29
Speaker 1: in your career.
11:29
Speaker 2: Remember like John Lackey had that had late in his career.
11:35
Speaker 1: It almost like saved innings and he was able to
11:37
Speaker 1: like pitch later like a little older. Robertson missed most
11:41
Speaker 1: of nineteen, all of twenty and a lot of twenty one.
11:44
Speaker 1: He pitched like twenty innings between those three seasons. Yeah,
11:48
Speaker 1: like that's that's I know he's hurt, but that's that's
11:51
Speaker 1: miles off that on your arm that you don't that
11:54
Speaker 1: you're not using right.
11:55
Speaker 2: And that's how.
11:55
Speaker 1: Pitchers really are, especially relievers, they're just grounded like ground
12:00
Speaker 1: in the dust by managers. So often it seems like
12:04
Speaker 1: he can he's still at or near the top of
12:07
Speaker 1: his game.
12:07
Speaker 2: Really impressive reliever.
12:10
Speaker 1: I that's who I would focus on if I were
12:13
Speaker 1: the Cubs, I think they have to cast a wider net.
12:15
Speaker 1: That were to a few other names that we had heard,
12:19
Speaker 1: and like you said, I think maybe they could add
12:22
Speaker 1: the closure type like Jansen and Robertson and then look
12:24
Speaker 1: at film atone, look at Ryan Stannick. Ryan Stannick throws
12:28
Speaker 1: in the upper nineties. I'm sure Tommy Hotteby has ideas
12:31
Speaker 1: for him, and like guys like Hottaby and Jacobson and
12:34
Speaker 1: Tyler's Zambro all have like these ideas of how to
12:37
Speaker 1: maximize him as well. I think he he could be
12:42
Speaker 1: like a second edition if they if they are looking
12:45
Speaker 1: to add too. I just don't know how much. You
12:47
Speaker 1: know how Craig Council is. He likes some flexibility with
12:50
Speaker 1: the bullpen. You want some optionality.
12:52
Speaker 2: You want to be able.
12:52
Speaker 1: To send guys up, send guys down. That's part of
12:54
Speaker 1: That's how depth works, right. You have eight relievers to
12:59
Speaker 1: start to see and and you kind of you know
13:03
Speaker 1: you're using twelve. I guess hopefully maybe maybe not much
13:08
Speaker 1: more than that, but you sending guys up and down
13:10
Speaker 1: trying to get trying to get innings here and there,
13:13
Speaker 1: get through a tough stretch, whatever it may be. But
13:16
Speaker 1: I think that'd be an interesting way to go about it.
13:21
Speaker 3: I think Stank was a name we had kind of
13:23
Speaker 3: presented to the Cubs, like around the start of spring
13:25
Speaker 3: training last year of like how about this, And I
13:29
Speaker 3: think that was the exact argument they made against it,
13:32
Speaker 3: of just like they already have X number of guys
13:36
Speaker 3: who are locked into major league deals, you know why
13:39
Speaker 3: number of guys who can't be optioned, and that you know,
13:45
Speaker 3: this pitching staff is gonna have a huge Craig Council
13:47
Speaker 3: imprint on it. I mean, we'll see how they roll
13:51
Speaker 3: it out once the season starts, but Counsel is a
13:54
Speaker 3: guy who likes giving starters extra rest. It's not just
13:57
Speaker 3: a show to thing. May not be a six month
14:00
Speaker 3: rotation per se, but I think he's probably gonna be
14:02
Speaker 3: looking for chances to do that if everyone's healthy and
14:07
Speaker 3: if Colin Ray is in that sort of swingman role.
14:13
Speaker 3: Your counsel is not someone who you know, he did
14:17
Speaker 3: have those name brand closers. Eventually in Milwaukee, you know,
14:19
Speaker 3: Hater and Williams became those guys. But I don't think
14:23
Speaker 3: he's think he's pretty open minded about how they're going
14:26
Speaker 3: to do this, and we'll see whether it works or not.
14:32
Speaker 3: But they are kind of on the same page here
14:35
Speaker 3: of like having versatility and flexibility and kind of you know,
14:41
Speaker 3: solving for wins without getters, whatever, all their sort of
14:46
Speaker 3: phrases now, And so I do think that's you know,
14:49
Speaker 3: that's the area where you know, you look at the
14:54
Speaker 3: names one through whatever. It's going to take who knows
14:57
Speaker 3: how many pitchers this year, what like twenty thirty four,
15:01
Speaker 3: Like I think they're they're in like a decent spot
15:04
Speaker 3: with that. That just doesn't win the off season and
15:07
Speaker 3: that just hasn't been good enough these last two years.
15:10
Speaker 3: And I think that gets back to the beginning of
15:12
Speaker 3: this discussion of the frustration of like where you know,
15:18
Speaker 3: where's that guy that you can count on for like
15:20
Speaker 3: four wins or you know a guy you know is
15:23
Speaker 3: gonna get you like thirty five saves and just kind
15:26
Speaker 3: of perform in those high leverage moments like the the
15:31
Speaker 3: depth the roster flexibility in vs. Silly is just not
15:34
Speaker 3: it's not really not a lot of sizzle there, right,
15:38
Speaker 3: And we'll see it goes back to the process. And
15:40
Speaker 3: we wrote that big story leading into GM meetings of
15:43
Speaker 3: like if the process is so good, why has it
15:46
Speaker 3: led to eighty three wins the last two years? And
15:48
Speaker 3: now they would say the process takes time, and they're
15:52
Speaker 3: you know, the process is evolving and process could certainly
15:56
Speaker 3: work this year, but it's been a little lacking after
16:02
Speaker 3: the after the Talker trade in terms of like the oh, yeah,
16:06
Speaker 3: this team is going for it. It's not like this
16:09
Speaker 3: team's going to spend more than everyone else in the
16:10
Speaker 3: Central but not as much as you know, similar big
16:14
Speaker 3: market teams in the National League, and they're just going
16:16
Speaker 3: to kind of see what happens. Maybe there's some opportunities
16:20
Speaker 3: late in spring, maybe there's a push around the trade
16:23
Speaker 3: deadline if the team performs well, but certainly not that
16:27
Speaker 3: you know, full throttle off season that Cubs fans you know,
16:31
Speaker 3: understandably would have hoped for.
16:33
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I you know, I'm not sure if we
16:37
Speaker 1: kind of expected anything like crazy once Tucker was acquired.
16:41
Speaker 2: I think that's kind of what we look at is
16:43
Speaker 2: like that's, you.
16:45
Speaker 1: Know, number one move with a bullet Like they're not
16:47
Speaker 1: going to They're not going to come close to that.
16:51
Speaker 1: Like I just didn't, like, Yes, would it have made
16:53
Speaker 1: sense to like go aggressively after Alex bregnant after that?
16:56
Speaker 1: I think so, Yeah, I think that would have made
16:58
Speaker 1: a lot of sense. Like I think we're just so
17:01
Speaker 1: like we're just very aware of what the spending is
17:05
Speaker 1: like with this team right now, and as much as
17:06
Speaker 1: people want things to be differently, it's just that's just
17:10
Speaker 1: not how it is. And so like you can you
17:13
Speaker 1: can hope for more, You can hope that they suddenly
17:15
Speaker 1: like go out of their comfort zone. And I think
17:17
Speaker 1: they are going out of their comfort zone in certain
17:19
Speaker 1: ways just by acquiring someone like Tucker, But that's not
17:23
Speaker 1: the spending is not like it's not about comfort as
17:26
Speaker 1: much as it is about like what what the budget is.
17:28
Speaker 1: And I think what we wrote like even like they're
17:31
Speaker 1: close to two hundred million right now, you add Bregmann,
17:34
Speaker 1: even on a short deal, you're pushing up against what
17:37
Speaker 1: they can spend overall on the on the season. That
17:41
Speaker 1: would then you wouldn't like what kind of reliever are
17:43
Speaker 1: you getting? What are you doing at the trade deadline?
17:45
Speaker 1: Because they are working within a budget And that's not
17:48
Speaker 1: a jed criticism, right like, this is just the reality
17:50
Speaker 1: of what they're working with. So yeah, I I I
17:55
Speaker 1: think there are obvious moves that would have made a
17:57
Speaker 1: lot of sense that they just that that don't fit
18:00
Speaker 1: within what they're working with now. I don't think they
18:04
Speaker 1: they're in a position to whine about it because because like,
18:08
Speaker 1: look at where all these people that they have, and
18:10
Speaker 1: a lot of these people in their front office are
18:12
Speaker 1: coming from right Milwaukee, Cleveland, Like they're working with less
18:17
Speaker 1: and doing more, so they need to step up in it.
18:21
Speaker 1: Like so the pressure is on them in a sense. Right,
18:23
Speaker 1: It's like, Okay, you have a lot of resources compared
18:26
Speaker 1: to other teams, So what are you going to do
18:28
Speaker 1: with it? How do you maximize it? And that's why
18:30
Speaker 1: we hear all these sayings that drive us nuts, right that, like.
18:35
Speaker 2: Because that's like that's kind of what they have to
18:37
Speaker 2: work with. They're like, how do we maximize our.
18:40
Speaker 1: How do we outperform projections? Because that's what Tampa Bay does,
18:43
Speaker 1: that's what Cleveland does. How often have I said how
18:46
Speaker 1: long has this podcast existed? How or how long have
18:48
Speaker 1: we been podcasting together?
18:50
Speaker 2: Patrick?
18:50
Speaker 1: How many years have I said coming into the season,
18:53
Speaker 1: I'm not high on Milwaukee every season?
18:55
Speaker 2: Right? Every season?
18:59
Speaker 3: Yeah?
18:59
Speaker 1: And then by July I'm like, well, I'm an idiot.
19:01
Speaker 1: Since they're good again and and they there's something about
19:06
Speaker 1: there's something to be said for that. Right now, the
19:08
Speaker 1: Cubs aren't doing that, So we can't we can't give
19:10
Speaker 1: them credit for something they haven't done, but that ultimately
19:13
Speaker 1: is the goal. Like out, Okay, we're not impressed, we're
19:16
Speaker 1: impressed by Kyle Tucker, not impressed by the rest of
19:19
Speaker 1: what you're doing. Okay, prove us wrong, and I think
19:22
Speaker 1: that's where like Cubs fans want the obvious answers and
19:26
Speaker 1: I and I get that, and I think that's I
19:28
Speaker 1: think that's a fair request. But if you can prove
19:32
Speaker 1: us wrong, you start to get the benefit of the doubt.
19:34
Speaker 1: Like Milwaukee, Now, I'm not like they you know, they
19:38
Speaker 1: don't on paper, they don't look as good as last year.
19:41
Speaker 1: Am I going to doubt them? No, I'm done. It's
19:43
Speaker 1: been too many years in a row. Say with Cleveland,
19:46
Speaker 1: I don't know, Like Cleveland is just like kind of
19:48
Speaker 1: moving pieces around and doesn't like you've gotten rid of
19:51
Speaker 1: some good players.
19:53
Speaker 2: I'm not. I'm not going to doubt them.
19:54
Speaker 1: Okay, I'll assume that you're going to outperform projections because
19:57
Speaker 1: that's what you've consistently done. Tampa Bay had down year
20:00
Speaker 1: last year. I wouldn't be surprised that they're competing for
20:03
Speaker 1: a division despite being in a really tough division. It's
20:07
Speaker 1: just how like when you when you prove it, you
20:09
Speaker 1: have to prove it otherwise we're going to doubt you.
20:11
Speaker 2: That's just how it works.
20:13
Speaker 3: I think the other pressure point here, you know, internally
20:17
Speaker 3: is the farm system and this young talent that they've
20:20
Speaker 3: accumulated and have talked up for years now. And part
20:24
Speaker 3: of it is, yes, Craig Counsel, the sports highest paid manager,
20:28
Speaker 3: pushing all of the right buttons and like ringing more
20:31
Speaker 3: wins out of this team. It is the front office
20:35
Speaker 3: process that has been shaped by places like Milwaukee and Cleveland,
20:41
Speaker 3: as well as Jed Hoyer's own sort of like analytical
20:44
Speaker 3: outlook of hitting on you know guys. You know, if
20:51
Speaker 3: you're looking at twenty six man roster, those guys you
20:53
Speaker 3: know from like you know, twenty to twenty six, or
20:56
Speaker 3: you know, the guys who aren't making you say, he's
21:00
Speaker 3: finding the right complimentary pieces and then this guy's coming
21:02
Speaker 3: up because they have I'm sure part of I guess
21:05
Speaker 3: everything revolves around money. Part of it is just the budget,
21:08
Speaker 3: but they have created certain pathways for young players this year.
21:13
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, non tendering Mike Talkman is not, like,
21:17
Speaker 3: you know, the most telling sign of this offseason but
21:22
Speaker 3: like it's been a really good player for the Cubs.
21:25
Speaker 3: He'd be making a sense, you know, relatively nothing and
21:28
Speaker 3: you know what you're gonna get, And like the actually
21:30
Speaker 3: our leadoff question the other day kind of you know,
21:33
Speaker 3: maybe made me think of that. And as they fill
21:35
Speaker 3: out this bench here, like Mike talking was like the
21:38
Speaker 3: perfect bench player, you know, and and the Cubs get
21:41
Speaker 3: credit because he had gone overseas and come back and
21:44
Speaker 3: bounced around and they found him and he performed really well,
21:48
Speaker 3: so they could certainly do it again.
21:50
Speaker 2: But like.
21:52
Speaker 3: Overall how this has been built, there are openings for
21:57
Speaker 3: young guys, so like Matt Shaw has to perform. Owen
22:03
Speaker 3: Casey Mois's baal Stero said, maybe they're not all on
22:06
Speaker 3: the opening day roster, and maybe they they all don't
22:09
Speaker 3: get like four hundred and five hundred at bats, but
22:12
Speaker 3: when they get an opportunity, they have to produce because
22:15
Speaker 3: that is in part how this team is built, and
22:18
Speaker 3: that is also part of why there is this kind
22:22
Speaker 3: of confusion about exactly what the Cubs are doing. You know,
22:26
Speaker 3: this all in trade for Kyle Talker filed by a
22:30
Speaker 3: lot of sort of like okay, well, see see how
22:33
Speaker 3: that goes.
22:34
Speaker 2: Right right, right.
22:36
Speaker 1: One thing I want to mention before we wrap up,
22:38
Speaker 1: we shouldn't rule out a trade for reliever either.
22:40
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a good point.
22:42
Speaker 1: Like it could be like it could be a name
22:45
Speaker 1: we haven't even mentioned yet, Like it could be a
22:47
Speaker 1: bigger one.
22:48
Speaker 2: Now that's about prospect costs and.
22:49
Speaker 1: That again we're talking about value and all that stuff
22:52
Speaker 1: that get you know, getting too far into the weeds
22:54
Speaker 1: and nobody wants to hear. But I think that is
22:58
Speaker 1: something that they have explored and they're looking into.
23:01
Speaker 2: But they're trying to figure.
23:03
Speaker 1: Out what's the best avenue to add this established reliever.
23:06
Speaker 1: Whether it's a dominant force or just a really solid piece.
23:10
Speaker 1: We'll see. I think we'll be hearing something on that
23:14
Speaker 1: soon enough.
23:15
Speaker 2: Right.
23:15
Speaker 1: The market seems like it's moving well enough that maybe
23:19
Speaker 1: by the next time we record, we'll know who that
23:21
Speaker 1: name is. I think we're getting closer to Thatvie, so
23:24
Speaker 1: we're getting closer to it as time moves. But yeah,
23:28
Speaker 1: I wouldn't be surprised if we're talking if we have
23:31
Speaker 1: a name by the next time we record. We'll see
23:35
Speaker 1: what that is if they get that done. All right,
23:38
Speaker 1: this is north Side territory. Thanks so much for listening.
23:40
Speaker 2: Everyone.
23:41
Speaker 1: Make sure to rate, review, subscribe, subscribe to the YouTube channel.
23:44
Speaker 2: Be sure to subscribe to The Athletic, where Patrick and
23:46
Speaker 2: I are covering the Cubs. We really appreciate all of
23:49
Speaker 2: you listening. Thanks so much,