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The Cubs suddenly find themselves in a different spot at the All-Star break · North Side Territory: A Chicago Cubs Podcast

0:00
Speaker 1: That's how hard this climb is going to be. And
0:03
Speaker 1: they're relevant teams on their schedule leaving up to the deadline.
0:13
Speaker 2: Welcome into Northside Territory Foul Territory Networks Cubs Podcast. I'm
0:17
Speaker 2: Sahadev Sharma with Patrick Mooney, where your Cubs beat writers
0:21
Speaker 2: at the Athletic Uh. We are covering the hot Cubs
0:24
Speaker 2: who have won five of two games. Man, if it
0:27
Speaker 2: wasn't for that Saturday doubleheader sweep, this tone would be
0:31
Speaker 2: so much different, right like we would be we'd be
0:34
Speaker 2: hyping this team. I think one more win there would
0:37
Speaker 2: would make it feel a lot different. But Patrick, I said,
0:39
Speaker 2: coming into these the seven game series, if if they
0:43
Speaker 2: went five and two, that's the type of thing that
0:46
Speaker 2: staves off a cell for a little bit. They did that,
0:49
Speaker 2: they won the first four, so five and two almost
0:52
Speaker 2: feels like a little like a little anti climactic. But
0:56
Speaker 2: they played really well for they've played really well for
1:00
Speaker 2: about ten games now. The games that they didn't two
1:04
Speaker 2: of them were just blow up losses, and Saturday night
1:09
Speaker 2: was just a what a lot of what plagued them
1:12
Speaker 2: for the two months that we saw the poor play, right,
1:14
Speaker 2: But other than that, we saw the team that kind
1:18
Speaker 2: of we had expected to see a little bit more of,
1:22
Speaker 2: or at least more frequently. Sunday, I think is a
1:27
Speaker 2: dream scenario of that we're just not going to see
1:30
Speaker 2: very much because I don't I don't think this team
1:32
Speaker 2: has that type of power. I think Craig Council would
1:36
Speaker 2: love it if that's a type of power they display
1:39
Speaker 2: more and more regularly. But it's I don't see that happening.
1:44
Speaker 2: I don't want to act like a Sunday is like
1:47
Speaker 2: some jumping off point for any of these guys, Peaker
1:49
Speaker 2: arm Stronger or Christopher Morrell, both of whom really need
1:53
Speaker 2: to turn it on offensively. But still a big, big
1:57
Speaker 2: week and a big road trip, and and Councils said
2:01
Speaker 2: as much, I think that's that was one of the
2:06
Speaker 2: best case scenarios to end the first half. Yeah.
2:10
Speaker 1: I enjoyed reading your Takeaway's piece on The Athletic this morning,
2:14
Speaker 1: and I think it's funny how like it might have
2:16
Speaker 1: been like the best week of the season and yet
2:20
Speaker 1: they're still in the spot they're in. It was kind
2:24
Speaker 1: of like they did sort of kind of the bare
2:26
Speaker 1: minimum just to like not totally swing towards selling and
2:32
Speaker 1: so you know, I also think it's funny too, like
2:36
Speaker 1: they're playing really well. Now they're gonna be iced for
2:39
Speaker 1: several days and get it back going again. I guess
2:42
Speaker 1: they'll probably take the rest and relaxation no matter what.
2:49
Speaker 1: But yeah, I mean, this was this was a pivotal,
2:53
Speaker 1: pivotal road trip. We had kind of framed it that way,
2:58
Speaker 1: and like they passed, and so I think we're still
3:03
Speaker 1: kind of in that place, and you've been talking to
3:05
Speaker 1: people and have a sense of this like they could
3:10
Speaker 1: do the soft sell if things sort of go south.
3:14
Speaker 1: I think they could incrementally add on maybe what like
3:18
Speaker 1: low impact rental guys or inexpensive rental guys. And then
3:22
Speaker 1: I guess the the dream scenario that everyone talks about
3:26
Speaker 1: and rarely seems to happen, would be that guy who
3:28
Speaker 1: could help you right now and put you in a
3:30
Speaker 1: better position for twenty twenty five.
3:32
Speaker 2: Right. Yeah, I don't know how you do that unless
3:36
Speaker 2: you're getting Vladimir Guerrero Junior. And I guess that isn't
3:40
Speaker 2: like completely out of the realm of possibility. I just
3:44
Speaker 2: I don't, you know, we haven't heard any real whispers there.
3:48
Speaker 2: I'd be surprised if they are aggressive for rental. And
3:53
Speaker 2: when I say aggressive, I mean giving up like a
3:55
Speaker 2: rail prospect or to like someone that you know, like
3:59
Speaker 2: dj Hers is a real prospect. Right, but they have
4:02
Speaker 2: they trust they're pitching up so much that they that
4:05
Speaker 2: didn't that wasn't something that really hurt them. I think
4:08
Speaker 2: if you're if you're trading away from your strong prospect pool,
4:13
Speaker 2: it's gotta be for impact beyond this season. Uh, you
4:19
Speaker 2: know that they'll have to It's it's on them to
4:21
Speaker 2: find those deals, right. It's kind of like, uh, Michael
4:25
Speaker 2: Bush in a sense, like like you have to have
4:29
Speaker 2: your ear to the ground and be super aware of
4:32
Speaker 2: what's going on. Like you you make that trade. The
4:35
Speaker 2: Cubs make that trade a hundred times out one hundred.
4:38
Speaker 2: Those are the types of trades that they love, like, oh,
4:40
Speaker 2: you want our low a guys for this guy that's blocked. Uh,
4:44
Speaker 2: that can help us right away, Sure, we'll do that deal.
4:48
Speaker 2: That's where they are right now that they would love
4:50
Speaker 2: to find stuff like that. Uh maybe someone with I
4:54
Speaker 2: mean preferably someone with more you know, established history than
4:58
Speaker 2: Bush at the time. But Bush is looking like a
5:02
Speaker 2: steal and part of part of what they need. I
5:06
Speaker 2: think is it's just some depth beyond guys like Bush
5:11
Speaker 2: and Hap and Sah right like right now, like there's
5:14
Speaker 2: so much take that. I mean, like I I was
5:19
Speaker 2: looking up, I was I was trying to like think
5:21
Speaker 2: about the power from a different point of view, and
5:24
Speaker 2: it was just like because of Bellinger's lack of power
5:28
Speaker 2: and him also playing all over the place like center field,
5:32
Speaker 2: second base, and catcher are just empty devoid of power.
5:36
Speaker 2: That's three positions, three spots in your lineup. And then
5:39
Speaker 2: Morel's not playing third, so you have master Bonie. There
5:42
Speaker 2: four spots in your lineup where it's like a home
5:45
Speaker 2: runs really hard to come by. Granted those positions hit
5:49
Speaker 2: four home runs over the weekend. I think they're three
5:54
Speaker 2: on Sunday, right, and then Miguel Amaya hit one on Saturday,
5:58
Speaker 2: so Tomaso two by PCA. Nico's not going to hit
6:03
Speaker 2: for a ton of power. That's just who he is,
6:05
Speaker 2: right like he never has been. Like maybe average ish
6:08
Speaker 2: power is what you can hope for. But I think
6:11
Speaker 2: there's I wonder how if there's a way to upgrade
6:14
Speaker 2: at this season. If not, that's a must beyond this season,
6:19
Speaker 2: you can't have that many lineups where it's just like,
6:22
Speaker 2: you know, your best bed is like a walk or
6:24
Speaker 2: a single.
6:26
Speaker 1: I mean that was what unprompted, someone on the team
6:31
Speaker 1: brought that up as the number one need is more sluck.
6:35
Speaker 1: But I think that's recognized internally. It's something that has
6:40
Speaker 1: been on the radar for a long time now, and
6:44
Speaker 1: you know it's easy for us to say, oh, get
6:46
Speaker 1: a star, but like that's their job and that is
6:49
Speaker 1: the one missing piece because as the rest of your
6:53
Speaker 1: takeaways laid out, like starting pitching is awesome. I think
6:58
Speaker 1: you have you mentioned like four starters maybe minimum eighty
7:02
Speaker 1: innings are like top ten ish in e er, I.
7:06
Speaker 2: Mean something eleventh and I think it was whatever. I
7:10
Speaker 2: think it was A it was the three of them
7:13
Speaker 2: are top ten and then asade it comes in at
7:15
Speaker 2: eleventh and I believe that was NL, but still like
7:18
Speaker 2: who cares if it's NL. Yeah, yeah, that's really impressive, and.
7:22
Speaker 1: Yet they're still four under and I mean we kind
7:26
Speaker 1: of start looking ahead to you know this this home
7:31
Speaker 1: stand coming out of the break. I believe Justin Steele
7:33
Speaker 1: will start Friday, correct, right, that's the I mean, you
7:37
Speaker 1: got him and if you can win say two series
7:40
Speaker 1: against two really good teams and Diamondbacks and the Brewers.
7:44
Speaker 1: I mean that still gets you to fifty one and
7:47
Speaker 1: fifty three. Like that's how hard this climb is going
7:51
Speaker 1: to be. And they're relevant teams on their schedule leading
7:56
Speaker 1: up to the deadline, and there are a lot of season
7:59
Speaker 1: series type breakers that have already gone against them, and
8:03
Speaker 1: so schedule does ease up in August in September, but
8:09
Speaker 1: it is kind of interesting to kind of like have
8:12
Speaker 1: this pause and then like as soon as they get
8:14
Speaker 1: back to Rigsley Field, like it's go time all over again.
8:17
Speaker 1: Like if they if they get swept by the Diamondbacks,
8:20
Speaker 1: you're looking at a really really hard road to you know,
8:25
Speaker 1: get back into the playoff picture and like actually be relevant.
8:31
Speaker 1: Because it's crazy these parallels between last year and this
8:36
Speaker 1: season of like this is once again setting up to
8:39
Speaker 1: be okay, well what if they buy and then what
8:42
Speaker 1: if they collapse a couple of weeks later. Like it's
8:46
Speaker 1: just the team is like just not built in a
8:51
Speaker 1: way to just like run away with things. And that's
8:53
Speaker 1: kind of what you have to live with when you
8:55
Speaker 1: know you don't have some of that star power to
8:58
Speaker 1: just start, you know, dropping three run homers left and right.
9:03
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think part of so there's a lot
9:07
Speaker 2: of talk at least, you know, it's on social media
9:10
Speaker 2: and there's frustrations with guys like Christopher Morrell, right. And
9:14
Speaker 2: the reason you have to stick with a guy like
9:16
Speaker 2: Christopher Morrell is because of what we just talked about,
9:19
Speaker 2: Like it's the power. He adds an aspect to this
9:22
Speaker 2: team that they don't have enough of that they're seeking.
9:25
Speaker 2: So you don't sit him because he's you know, he's
9:30
Speaker 2: trying to pull the ball too much or whatever. He's
9:33
Speaker 2: you know, the numbers, the results aren't coming. You have
9:36
Speaker 2: to kind of ride him and get him right. And
9:39
Speaker 2: you know, you, like I said earlier, like I'm not
9:42
Speaker 2: going to predict that Sunday was a launching pad for him,
9:45
Speaker 2: but you have to hope. The Cubs have to hope
9:48
Speaker 2: that it is because they need that power. There's listen,
9:52
Speaker 2: I know Patrick Wisdom isn't playing a lot. He's just
9:55
Speaker 2: a bench guy right now and that's probably his best role.
9:59
Speaker 2: But that's the reason why you don't get rid of
10:01
Speaker 2: him as well. Yeah, like you just you just need
10:03
Speaker 2: that those types of guys on occasion like you can't.
10:07
Speaker 2: You can't call up Luis Vasquez and get rid of
10:09
Speaker 2: Patrick Wisdom or something like. I'm just throwing out it,
10:11
Speaker 2: you know what I mean. It's just like you need
10:14
Speaker 2: that guy that can get locked in and hit, you know,
10:17
Speaker 2: six home runs in ten games for you. Uh, it's
10:20
Speaker 2: just how this team is built right now. You cannot
10:23
Speaker 2: be giving up that type of power talent now if
10:28
Speaker 2: they somehow replace it, yes, okay, yeah, you get a
10:31
Speaker 2: better version of Patrick Wism that you can rely on
10:34
Speaker 2: more frequently. Yeah, I get moving on from Patrick Wisdom.
10:37
Speaker 2: I'm just saying you can't. It's really hard right now
10:40
Speaker 2: with the way this team is built, because I get
10:42
Speaker 2: fans get frustrated with guys and it's like trade him
10:45
Speaker 2: or get rid of him or sit him. You have
10:47
Speaker 2: to ride some of these guys because they give you
10:50
Speaker 2: what you just don't have, or they have the potential
10:53
Speaker 2: to give you what you just don't have. Which I
10:54
Speaker 2: think Patrick is going to be interesting because Friday and
10:59
Speaker 2: all likely hood Mike Talkman is going to be activated
11:04
Speaker 2: and that changes the dynamic part of what I wrote
11:08
Speaker 2: about when uh it was the defense. I feel like
11:10
Speaker 2: the defense has really shifted Saturday's game one. People are
11:14
Speaker 2: going to focus on that because of Wisnesky. That was
11:17
Speaker 2: mostly Wiznsky in one small bobble by Maserboni. It was
11:20
Speaker 2: just one ugly, unfortunate inning. I wouldn't I wouldn't use
11:25
Speaker 2: that as an indictment of how this defense. The defense
11:28
Speaker 2: has looked so much better. I mean, Michael Bush looks
11:32
Speaker 2: like a plus first baseman defensively. Uh, Dansby's locked in again, Uh, Masterboni. Uh,
11:42
Speaker 2: it's generally been great at third and listen, I'm not like,
11:46
Speaker 2: I don't think happens. Suzuki are elite defenders in the corners.
11:50
Speaker 2: They throw out like a runner a game and feel
11:53
Speaker 2: like like every series.
11:55
Speaker 1: There drops the ball every day, right, so weird.
12:00
Speaker 2: It's that's why, like, that's why I can't like say
12:03
Speaker 2: they're good defenders. Haf makes some odd play, like they
12:06
Speaker 2: take some odd routes. Uh, say it does. Like it's like,
12:10
Speaker 2: say is a good defender except for that, it's like
12:13
Speaker 2: everything say it does. I'm like, oh, that was a
12:14
Speaker 2: nice play, okay, And then he misses these like easy
12:18
Speaker 2: pop ups and you're like, well, I can't call him
12:20
Speaker 2: a good defender. If he's going to do that. So
12:23
Speaker 2: it's it's my no, No, It's like there's something there's
12:27
Speaker 2: something wrong there. And but PA is elite like PC.
12:31
Speaker 2: I watched it just like like there was a there
12:35
Speaker 2: was a ball and he does this and you look,
12:37
Speaker 2: I think it's easier to see in person than on TV.
12:40
Speaker 2: But he does this like once a series where there
12:43
Speaker 2: are these balls, and I'm like, is that getting in
12:45
Speaker 2: the gap? That may get in the gap that probably
12:46
Speaker 2: is in the gap. And then he makes it easily.
12:49
Speaker 2: It's just like cats a ball with ease. It's not
12:52
Speaker 2: like he's diving for it. It's not like he's making
12:55
Speaker 2: some insane play. He's just so fast and reads it
12:58
Speaker 2: so well. But okay, so with talkman, I'm curious like
13:03
Speaker 2: how it shakes out, and there isn't much clarity, Like
13:06
Speaker 2: it could be PC eight that loses time. It could
13:09
Speaker 2: be Master Bony that loses time. Is it morell that
13:13
Speaker 2: loses time? We can't go just off Sunday, right, Like,
13:17
Speaker 2: I don't know who the Diamondbacks are gonna pitch on
13:20
Speaker 2: uh Friday. Maybe they go Gallon. I don't know like
13:25
Speaker 2: what what their plan is, right, do they go Lefty? Righty.
13:27
Speaker 2: But if Talkman's starting like who who's he sitting? Like it,
13:33
Speaker 2: I mean, it's let's assume it's alrighty on the mound.
13:37
Speaker 2: I'm very curious to see how how council is going
13:40
Speaker 2: to handle this or is it just gonna be like
13:42
Speaker 2: what it was before before Talkman got hurt and when
13:48
Speaker 2: Bellinger was healthy, there was like this mix that he had, right,
13:52
Speaker 2: does he continue that mix but replaced Master Bony with Bellinger?
13:58
Speaker 2: Do you understand what I'm saying, Like as far a
14:00
Speaker 2: as it's that one, two, three, five person mix ish right,
14:06
Speaker 2: but with PCA say, Master Boney, Talkman and Morale. So
14:13
Speaker 2: it's it's changing, Like you got to play Bush every day,
14:16
Speaker 2: so he's it's a good apply just.
14:19
Speaker 1: That Michael Bush is the first baseman every day for
14:22
Speaker 1: the rest of the year essentially, And I think that's
14:25
Speaker 1: kind of there have been so many other big names
14:26
Speaker 1: and other interchangeable pieces that sort of got overlooked, but
14:29
Speaker 1: that like he is their guy.
14:32
Speaker 2: Right at first base period, right, I mean then he
14:35
Speaker 2: deserves it, He's earned it. Yeah, Like he makes plays
14:39
Speaker 2: now regularly where I'm just like, oh, okay, so he's
14:42
Speaker 2: just not like gonna make mistakes anymore. He's just not
14:45
Speaker 2: like and he's making every tough play. It it shifted quickly,
14:50
Speaker 2: like I started to notice. I'm like, oh, he's not
14:51
Speaker 2: making mistakes. Okay, that's good. And now it's like, oh, wait,
14:54
Speaker 2: not only is he not making mistakes, but he's making
14:56
Speaker 2: these every difficult play that comes this way, like man
15:00
Speaker 2: just to snag every tough hops. It's been impressive.
15:03
Speaker 1: I mean, it's crazy how that trade with the Dodgers
15:08
Speaker 1: was like exactly what the Cubs needed. The Cubs nailed
15:12
Speaker 1: their evaluation of Shota in Minaga, who will be at
15:16
Speaker 1: the All Star Game this week part of the festivities,
15:21
Speaker 1: and they hired someone who's regarded as one of the
15:25
Speaker 1: best managers in the game. And they're still stuck where
15:29
Speaker 1: they are, and so I guess you'd be glass half full,
15:32
Speaker 1: glass half empty. I was curious about it.
15:35
Speaker 2: What was what were you.
15:38
Speaker 1: Kind of seeing and hearing in Saint Louis, because in
15:41
Speaker 1: Baltimore it was kind of the beginning of this trip. Honestly,
15:46
Speaker 1: it's hard to tell when the Cubs win or lose,
15:49
Speaker 1: like they're just kind of the same for the most part.
15:52
Speaker 1: What was the I don't know vibe check heading into
15:55
Speaker 1: the All Star break here.
15:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, I would say like after Friday's win, and I
16:00
Speaker 2: think they were really like there was some like a
16:03
Speaker 2: lot of belief there and unlike the vibes were very
16:07
Speaker 2: high that that like Sundays when obviously you want to
16:10
Speaker 2: go into the break like that, right, I just like
16:12
Speaker 2: it's hard to like counsel doesn't change at all. So
16:16
Speaker 2: it's like, so there's no reading him in any different way,
16:21
Speaker 2: whether you're chatting with him to the side or or
16:25
Speaker 2: or on the record in the group, right, there's just
16:28
Speaker 2: no like huge difference in how he carries himself or
16:33
Speaker 2: how he reacts to questions or anything, which I think
16:38
Speaker 2: is tremendous for the team. Like the team seems to
16:41
Speaker 2: really respond to that and like that, and that's that's
16:44
Speaker 2: a big positive of his uh, But it also it
16:48
Speaker 2: makes it hard for us to be like, Okay, what
16:49
Speaker 2: are the vibes really like, Like, is there are people
16:52
Speaker 2: on edge? It doesn't seem like I talked to some
16:55
Speaker 2: guys and after after the Baltimore series, they were still
16:59
Speaker 2: wondering like what's the front office thinking and what are
17:02
Speaker 2: they doing? But like they definitely were like we we're
17:08
Speaker 2: feeling good, like there's just we we also like there's
17:13
Speaker 2: a feeling of like got to keep doing it, like
17:15
Speaker 2: you can't can't let those two months, like we every
17:19
Speaker 2: everyone in that room thought that two months would not last, right,
17:24
Speaker 2: Like it wouldn't last like that, Like they didn't think
17:26
Speaker 2: it would get to that point. So they were shocked
17:29
Speaker 2: it got to that point. And even counsel said, like,
17:34
Speaker 2: eventually some of this stuff has to turn right, and
17:36
Speaker 2: it did, but I think now they're at a point like, Okay,
17:40
Speaker 2: got to keep it going. This can't be a week.
17:43
Speaker 2: This can't be two weeks. This has to be who
17:45
Speaker 2: we are and and the blips, the blips can't be
17:49
Speaker 2: two months. The blips, the bad stuff can't be two months.
17:52
Speaker 2: It has to be that. That has to be a
17:54
Speaker 2: series or two right, like kind of what the Orioles
17:58
Speaker 2: are going through now, Right, the Orioles probably hoped this
18:01
Speaker 2: is a blip, not like a downturn for them, Right,
18:04
Speaker 2: the Cubs have to hope that this is an upswing
18:07
Speaker 2: and that they had a two month blip and they
18:10
Speaker 2: look back in a couple of months, uh and feel
18:12
Speaker 2: that way. But I didn't. It didn't feel like it
18:17
Speaker 2: didn't feel like a catastrophe after Saturday. In there, there
18:21
Speaker 2: was some frustration, but I think they kind of understood
18:24
Speaker 2: where they were, like how the the sat the game
18:28
Speaker 2: one was won to flush type thing, and in game
18:31
Speaker 2: two was just like that happens asad didn't have it
18:34
Speaker 2: today and it was five and two thirds innings that
18:38
Speaker 2: the relievers had to cover after covering you know, five
18:43
Speaker 2: or four in the previous game, Like that's tough, So
18:46
Speaker 2: that they understood that and nobody was like devastated. It
18:49
Speaker 2: didn't feel like Tampa, where there was a lot of
18:52
Speaker 2: like very quiet clubhouse in Tampa. H They lost two
18:58
Speaker 2: three there if I'm remember correctly, So it didn't like it,
19:01
Speaker 2: but it just like there wasn't the zeal that you
19:04
Speaker 2: would have hoped after a five and two stretch. But
19:06
Speaker 2: I think they kind of know, like we have a
19:09
Speaker 2: lot more to a bad luck to be right right,
19:12
Speaker 2: So you right right, they're not celebrating yet because they're like,
19:16
Speaker 2: we got to keep this up. And it's not like
19:18
Speaker 2: they're putting pressure on themselves or overthinking it. I think
19:20
Speaker 2: they're just like it's business, like we got to get
19:23
Speaker 2: our crap done. We can't we can't be celebrating in
19:27
Speaker 2: a nice game or or a good stretch of play.
19:31
Speaker 1: It's wild too, because you had, correctly with some of
19:34
Speaker 1: the offensive struggles, had identified that series at Fenway Park.
19:40
Speaker 1: And I think the previous trip to Bush Stadium, you know,
19:44
Speaker 1: Memorial Day weekend's another one of those kind of demarcation lines.
19:48
Speaker 1: I mean you were talking, We're talking about, you know,
19:52
Speaker 1: late May Cubs go in there, three games over five hundred,
19:58
Speaker 1: and that's kind of where the slide accelerated. And the
20:03
Speaker 1: length of it was almost two full months, which is
20:08
Speaker 1: crazy to think that it went on that long. And
20:13
Speaker 1: they're still not buried yet. And I mean they still
20:19
Speaker 1: have to take care of business, like you said, but
20:22
Speaker 1: like teams that are three and a half games out
20:25
Speaker 1: of a playoff spot, like don't sell at the trade deadline,
20:29
Speaker 1: and now they have to continue to at least trade
20:32
Speaker 1: water and make sure there isn't another one of those
20:35
Speaker 1: slides at like the worst possible time. But I think
20:41
Speaker 1: all the fundamentals of this team still line up with
20:44
Speaker 1: starting pitching some interesting depth, the manager, coaching staff that
20:51
Speaker 1: you know, the organization clearly believes in of like if
20:55
Speaker 1: they take care of business, I think we'll be having
20:58
Speaker 1: trade deadline shows of you Cubs adding you know, player X,
21:02
Speaker 1: player Y, and like they maybe not may not move
21:06
Speaker 1: the needle in like a huge way when you see
21:10
Speaker 1: the news on Twitter. But I think your takeaway's piece
21:14
Speaker 1: of just highlighting those weak spots and like how close
21:19
Speaker 1: to the bottom of the majors they are is very
21:22
Speaker 1: similar to last year of like bringing in someone like
21:24
Speaker 1: Jamer to like raise the floor on some of the
21:28
Speaker 1: stuff and you know, don't be like twenty eighth in
21:32
Speaker 1: the majors that you know, this position or that position.
21:34
Speaker 1: If you get someone to kind of get you closer
21:37
Speaker 1: to the middle of a pack, a couple of areas
21:40
Speaker 1: could have a huge difference, particularly when so much of
21:43
Speaker 1: the National League is bunched up right now.
21:45
Speaker 2: Yeah. One one problem with trying to create more depth,
21:50
Speaker 2: Y're just it's you know, fortify those weaknesses is this
21:56
Speaker 2: is a seller's market right now, right so it would
22:00
Speaker 2: it would actually behoove the Cubs to sell. The problem
22:04
Speaker 2: with that is, you know, a they're in the race,
22:07
Speaker 2: be they just don't have enough for you to say like,
22:09
Speaker 2: oh yeah, they have to sell. Like if this isn't
22:11
Speaker 2: Bellinger twenty twenty three, right, forget that, Like, even if
22:15
Speaker 2: you weren't injured, I don't think it would be worth
22:18
Speaker 2: the return to like aggressively move him. Right if someone
22:22
Speaker 2: comes to you and gives you, like a really interesting
22:25
Speaker 2: prospect that you're in love with, I get that. But
22:28
Speaker 2: he's hurt right now. So that's that's out the window.
22:30
Speaker 2: Then the rest of it. So you're looking, it's like, well,
22:32
Speaker 2: you're not trading justin steel, right, Like even if you
22:36
Speaker 2: thought like you get this insane package unless you're getting
22:40
Speaker 2: better for twenty twenty five, that doesn't make sense right now, right, Like,
22:45
Speaker 2: so they like and especially now that they're back in
22:48
Speaker 2: the race. Uh and and how well he's looked like it.
22:51
Speaker 2: It's like he's getting better as as it goes along.
22:55
Speaker 2: Like I when he's on the mound, there's like this
22:58
Speaker 2: confidence that I can see that like, not not just
23:02
Speaker 2: from him, but from the group that's like, oh, we
23:06
Speaker 2: got this game, Like we put up three runs, we're
23:08
Speaker 2: gonna win. Up. That's the type of performance he's been
23:12
Speaker 2: putting up of late, where it's just like so dominant
23:16
Speaker 2: and efficient and and it's you know, it's one of
23:20
Speaker 2: those runs that like we've seen it before with Jake Arietta,
23:24
Speaker 2: right like that that extreme confidence that was that was
23:28
Speaker 2: another level. Of course he's not there yet, but this
23:31
Speaker 2: is I've been impressed and and just the the assurance
23:34
Speaker 2: that he gives everyone around there when he's on the
23:36
Speaker 2: mound is impressive. And they got two other guys that
23:39
Speaker 2: are pitching at very high level too. It gives them
23:42
Speaker 2: a chance. And I think you have to Yeah, there's
23:45
Speaker 2: no way you can suggest that this is a obvious
23:49
Speaker 2: cell situation three and a half games out. I know
23:52
Speaker 2: they're behind a lot of teams, but they're all bunched
23:54
Speaker 2: up two days into you know, after this weekend, the
23:57
Speaker 2: Cubs could be you know, very like in very different
24:00
Speaker 2: like no teams behind them, right like one or two teams,
24:03
Speaker 2: I mean not behind them, but ahead of them.
24:05
Speaker 1: I mean that's a great point too, Like you have
24:08
Speaker 1: Justin Steele pitching like this and showed a a Monaga
24:10
Speaker 1: pitching like this. This stuff doesn't happen every year, and
24:14
Speaker 1: like you're not always gifted these extra opportunities every year
24:19
Speaker 1: to like stay in the race. And maybe.
24:25
Speaker 3: If the Cubs are in the American League or whatever,
24:27
Speaker 3: situations were.
24:27
Speaker 1: Flipped like it would have been obvious by now to
24:30
Speaker 1: like sell, but it's not at all. And I think
24:33
Speaker 1: if you're not selling, you have to be adding, you
24:35
Speaker 1: have to be trying to win. I think the Cubs
24:37
Speaker 1: have to like honor that, like these are their players.
24:40
Speaker 1: This is not like some new regime that like inherited all.
24:42
Speaker 1: These are their hand pick guys. They clearly believe in them.
24:45
Speaker 3: They gave them big contracts, they gave them no trade protections,
24:49
Speaker 3: like they've been talking about their pitching infrastructure for years,
24:53
Speaker 3: like there should be arms like popping now.
24:56
Speaker 1: I mean, we don't, you know, not to put this
24:58
Speaker 1: on any of those guys in the future game, but
25:00
Speaker 1: like maybe a Matt Shaw or Ballesteros or someone like
25:05
Speaker 1: comes up and gives you a lift, you know, in
25:08
Speaker 1: the second half, Like we don't know. I wouldn't like
25:11
Speaker 1: bet on it, but they've clearly bet on all of
25:14
Speaker 1: these players here, Like this is not Bio's team, this
25:18
Speaker 1: is not prior regime, Like this is all about Jed
25:22
Speaker 1: and this is you know, they're already this far in
25:26
Speaker 1: around the CBT, like they're supposed to win this year.
25:31
Speaker 1: And I think you have to, you know, put all
25:35
Speaker 1: your energy towards that.
25:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it and like I'm I think, like this
25:43
Speaker 2: is kind of random, but I was just thinking about
25:46
Speaker 2: the Luke Little injury and how you kind of shift
25:48
Speaker 2: the bullpen around it, Like they're they're gonna have to
25:51
Speaker 2: get someone else in there. They can't allow what happened
25:54
Speaker 2: to met mark Leider Junior to happen again, right, like
25:57
Speaker 2: things like that, Like so they they if they're planning
25:59
Speaker 2: on contending, they need to fortify the bullpen for sure,
26:02
Speaker 2: Like they need to find a left handed pitcher that
26:04
Speaker 2: council can go to and trust, because like Smiley is
26:10
Speaker 2: a good guy, a veteran and and he can definitely
26:14
Speaker 2: eat innings and get you out. He's not a lefty specialist.
26:17
Speaker 2: It's not like he dominates lefties. And that's like they
26:20
Speaker 2: need to find someone that can do that and maybe
26:24
Speaker 2: not even just dominate, but that you can trust in
26:27
Speaker 2: bigger situations. So I mean, that's just you know, one
26:30
Speaker 2: of a few needs. And they're not like they're not
26:32
Speaker 2: these like massive buys, right, like there is We've talked
26:36
Speaker 2: about it enough that there certainly they could do the
26:39
Speaker 2: massive buy and it would help the team, right, but
26:42
Speaker 2: that there are ways to improve this team and just
26:44
Speaker 2: kind of strengthen random weaknesses or slightly improved like Catcher, right,
26:50
Speaker 2: like just slightly improve the offense there, and you're and
26:54
Speaker 2: you're talking about a very different you're feeling very differently
26:58
Speaker 2: about about spots in the line line up and not
27:00
Speaker 2: feeling like they are these massive gaps in the lineup. Yeah.
27:05
Speaker 2: I think this is going to be These next two
27:09
Speaker 2: weeks are going to be fascinating because I don't, like,
27:12
Speaker 2: I'm very curious to see how they pull it off.
27:14
Speaker 1: Patrick, Like, what, right, I mean they're having these same conversation,
27:18
Speaker 1: like a version of this conversation right in between draft
27:22
Speaker 1: picks or whatever.
27:23
Speaker 2: Right, yeah, right, absolutely, they're not there. It's I mean,
27:27
Speaker 2: the conversations have already shifted in the past week like these,
27:32
Speaker 2: Like it happens so quickly, and and if things go
27:36
Speaker 2: bad this weekend, it can shift again. So we'll see
27:39
Speaker 2: how it goes. Uh, what exact needs pop up? Like
27:44
Speaker 2: I think it's clear, but we'll see how aggressive they
27:48
Speaker 2: are and and and how they address those needs. Because
27:52
Speaker 2: I think sitting still is not Jed's mo. He loves deadly,
27:56
Speaker 2: he loves making he he knows that this can be
28:01
Speaker 2: a stagnant league. And he likes to take advantage of deadlines,
28:05
Speaker 2: moments when it's like people have to make moves right now.
28:09
Speaker 2: He likes to take advantage of that because there are
28:13
Speaker 2: a few times when you can really impact a roster
28:15
Speaker 2: during the season as a front office exec, and this
28:18
Speaker 2: is one of them. And he's going to He's going
28:21
Speaker 2: to do something. He doesn't sit still. All right, I
28:25
Speaker 2: think we'll be back for two more episodes this week.
28:29
Speaker 2: Get right back at it. This is a north Side territory.
28:33
Speaker 2: Thanks so much for listening. Make sure to subscribe, rate,
28:36
Speaker 2: and review for the podcast. Thanks so much to everyone
28:40
Speaker 2: behind the scenes that puts in all the work to
28:42
Speaker 2: get these episodes up. Make sure to subscribe to The
28:45
Speaker 2: Athletic Breed Patrick and my work there. Thanks for listening
28:49
Speaker 2: to everyone. Take care,