Latest / North Side Territory: A Chicago Cubs Podcast / How the free-agent market is beginning to shape up for the Cubs

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How the free-agent market is beginning to shape up for the Cubs · North Side Territory: A Chicago Cubs Podcast

0:00
Speaker 1: If there's one thing like we know Council does well,
0:03
Speaker 1: he knows how to put these position players in the
0:06
Speaker 1: back position to succeed. Welcome into North Side Territory. Foul
0:12
Speaker 1: Territory Networks Cubs Podcast. I'm Saada Sharma with my partner
0:16
Speaker 1: Patrick Mooney, where your Cubs beat writers over at the
0:20
Speaker 1: Athletic Patrick. Free agency has started. There are there are
0:24
Speaker 1: players signing with teams. The Cubs aren't yet active, but uh,
0:30
Speaker 1: you know, I think pictures are going to move where
0:33
Speaker 1: We're going to see some stuff happen over the next
0:35
Speaker 1: couple of weeks. Maybe not the biggest names. Uh, well,
0:38
Speaker 1: we'll see when Juan Soto signs. Who is not going
0:42
Speaker 1: to the Cubs, But we we can talk about some pictures,
0:50
Speaker 1: right Like we've talked a lot about we talked last
0:54
Speaker 1: episode about rookie Sasaki. The Cubs are going to be
0:58
Speaker 1: in quote unquote on that. We'll see what that means
1:03
Speaker 1: along that prom when that process starts, how long that
1:06
Speaker 1: process goes. Uh but uh, something that you heard while
1:11
Speaker 1: we were in uh San Antonio and then was kind
1:15
Speaker 1: of reiterated in Jeff Passons's latest piece on ESPN is
1:19
Speaker 1: that the Cubs are going to be kind of on
1:21
Speaker 1: that middle tier of pictures starting pictures. Uh so Corbyn
1:27
Speaker 1: Burns crossed him off your list, But then start talking
1:31
Speaker 1: below that and and you're you start to get okay,
1:34
Speaker 1: are they interested in Max Freed? That maybe that maybe
1:37
Speaker 1: getting out of their price range. That's something we we
1:41
Speaker 1: kind of heard early on at the GM meanings that
1:43
Speaker 1: how expensive is Max Freed going to be? But uh,
1:47
Speaker 1: there are other names. This is a pretty solid free
1:50
Speaker 1: agent class, and there are names that the Cubs are
1:53
Speaker 1: going to come away with. One of these guys that
1:55
Speaker 1: I think, uh can push at minimum, put push Jameson
2:00
Speaker 1: die own down, or compete with Jamison Tywne as a
2:04
Speaker 1: solid middle rotation guy with some upside.
2:09
Speaker 2: Yeah, I just came here for the intelligent spending talk.
2:12
Speaker 3: You know.
2:13
Speaker 1: Uh, you know.
2:17
Speaker 3: What we gathered at the GM meetings is that you know,
2:22
Speaker 3: the Cubs are not gonna be in Unburns. I still
2:26
Speaker 3: think Reid makes a lot of sense, and he has
2:30
Speaker 3: a lot of attributes they'd be looking for. But look,
2:33
Speaker 3: if a lot of teams, big market teams with playoff
2:38
Speaker 3: ambitions are in on him and willing to stretch, we
2:44
Speaker 3: don't have a great level of confidence that the Cubs
2:48
Speaker 3: are gonna go all the all out right to sign
2:52
Speaker 3: a guy like that.
2:53
Speaker 2: And at the same time we've written this, even in season.
3:00
Speaker 3: Comes they're pretty good at those upper middle class free agents.
3:03
Speaker 3: I know you hear like kind of mid tier and
3:07
Speaker 3: Cups fans will probably roll there asn't that is totally understandable,
3:12
Speaker 3: But Comes have been good here with Imaga, with ty one,
3:21
Speaker 3: even Marcus Stroman, there was a lot going on there,
3:24
Speaker 3: but he for a time looked like someone who could
3:27
Speaker 3: start the All Star Game.
3:29
Speaker 2: Right Like, they have like.
3:30
Speaker 3: A good sense of what they're looking for here. They
3:35
Speaker 3: have a lot of confidence in their infrastructure. And again,
3:39
Speaker 3: as a fan, you could say, you know, I'm sick
3:42
Speaker 3: of the Cubs trying to coach guys up, why don't
3:44
Speaker 3: you just go get a star? But within the reality
3:48
Speaker 3: that they're working in, I think there are a lot
3:51
Speaker 3: of names on there that that makes sense and could
3:54
Speaker 3: really help push this team towards.
3:56
Speaker 1: The next level. Yeah, one day that was mentioned to
4:03
Speaker 1: me in San Antonio, and then we see pop up
4:07
Speaker 1: in Both names mentioned in Jeff Passon's article were actually
4:11
Speaker 1: mentioned or came up in conversation while I was in
4:14
Speaker 1: San Antonio. I'm not sure if you heard, if you
4:17
Speaker 1: heard the same, but Nick Pivetta was a name that
4:20
Speaker 1: I heard, and instantly what someone said was like, go
4:24
Speaker 1: look at his stuff Plus and you know that's that's
4:27
Speaker 1: become a very trendy thing. And the reality is teams
4:31
Speaker 1: have their own models, right that that show like what
4:34
Speaker 1: the stuff is like. I don't know how close what
4:38
Speaker 1: the Cubs have internally shares with the stuff Plus that
4:42
Speaker 1: pops up on fangrafts. But but Pavetta was nasty last year.
4:47
Speaker 1: In particular, his slider, like his fastball has always been
4:51
Speaker 1: like measured well on those models that the stuff Plus models,
4:56
Speaker 1: but his slider seemed to like leap and was just
4:59
Speaker 1: absolute the amazing good curveball like everything. He was a
5:03
Speaker 1: stuff Plus monster, is what I believe I was. I
5:07
Speaker 1: was told, you know, he has a but he had
5:11
Speaker 1: a what's it called, he's a he got a qualifying offer?
5:15
Speaker 1: Is my is my hesitance there? And you know, we
5:20
Speaker 1: had a lot of fans complaining when when Jed and
5:22
Speaker 1: Carter said they were over the the threshold, right, the
5:26
Speaker 1: luxury threshold. This is where the complaints become valid because
5:32
Speaker 1: suddenly everything changes when you talk about qualifying offers, because
5:37
Speaker 1: I think those draft picks go up significantly. I should
5:41
Speaker 1: have researched this before jumping into the topic, but that's uh.
5:45
Speaker 1: It goes up to like from like a losing a
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Speaker 1: you know, one of your first round pick, like goes
5:52
Speaker 1: up from losing like your third round pick to like
5:54
Speaker 1: your second pick or something like that. We should we
5:56
Speaker 1: should double check that. But it's a significant hit.
6:01
Speaker 2: Well.
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Speaker 3: I mean, we all know that pitcher wins and losses
6:04
Speaker 3: are the most important stat ever, and to me, it
6:07
Speaker 3: would be so classic for the Cups too. Sign a
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Speaker 3: guy who got a qualifying offer who went six and
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Speaker 3: twelve last year and as a four seven six career er.
6:20
Speaker 1: I mean, I understand to a certain point.
6:22
Speaker 2: I go back to a Tommy Hottey.
6:23
Speaker 3: Told us at the end of the season of asking, like,
6:27
Speaker 3: what do the Cubs look for in free agent starters?
6:32
Speaker 3: And he went right to, like you walk strikeout rates,
6:38
Speaker 3: and Nick Thevetta was elite in that category, I mean
6:42
Speaker 3: eighty eighth percentile, eightieth percentile like and I think his
6:47
Speaker 3: kind of late career development would speak well to another
6:52
Speaker 3: point that Tommy made. If we want guys who can
6:55
Speaker 3: get better guys who have a strong sense of routine.
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Speaker 2: Some of that intentible value.
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Speaker 3: To me though, I mean Pavetta feels like a guy
7:04
Speaker 3: you know you sign a year or two ago. This,
7:08
Speaker 3: I mean two extend to that level in terms of
7:12
Speaker 3: all the qualifying offered, draft pick, international.
7:16
Speaker 2: Bonus pool penalties.
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Speaker 3: Clearly, if he declines it, he thinks he's gonna get
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Speaker 3: a really nice contract in a really robust market for
7:27
Speaker 3: his services. I don't have my own IVY model, but
7:34
Speaker 3: that would raise a lot of red flags to me. However,
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Speaker 3: I don't think it was just about this one guy, right,
7:45
Speaker 3: I mean another name I think Jeff mentioned was Kakuchi.
7:49
Speaker 3: Makes a lot of sense, especially given the way he
7:52
Speaker 3: performed in Houston after leaving Toronto. I'm sure the Cubs
7:56
Speaker 3: are looking at a lot of these guys in terms
7:59
Speaker 3: of how they could unlock that potential and kind of
8:03
Speaker 3: put them in the best position to succeed.
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Speaker 2: And they have a lot of credibility in that space,
8:07
Speaker 2: no doubt.
8:08
Speaker 1: Yeah. And just to go back to the qualifying offer,
8:12
Speaker 1: so it goes from a second, your second pick and
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Speaker 1: five hundred thousand dollars to your second and fifth five
8:19
Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars international bonus pool. That is to your
8:22
Speaker 1: second and fifth pick, the second and fifth highest election
8:26
Speaker 1: and a million from your international bonus pool. So the
8:29
Speaker 1: draft pick compensation isn't as bad as I as I
8:33
Speaker 1: thought it was. I thought it was a bigger bump.
8:35
Speaker 1: I thought it went from like third pick to second
8:38
Speaker 1: pick and a fifth pick. So it's just adding a
8:41
Speaker 1: fifth pick and another five hundred thousand from your bonus pool.
8:45
Speaker 1: You know, if they're not getting it, if they're not
8:48
Speaker 1: getting Roki Sozaki is losing a million bucks from your
8:51
Speaker 1: bonus pool and a fifth rounder for a picture that
8:54
Speaker 1: you may be high on that you'd think can be
8:58
Speaker 1: really strong. Does that What does that do for you?
9:03
Speaker 1: Kakuchi is interesting? What was brought up to me was
9:09
Speaker 1: like more research needs to be done and why why
9:14
Speaker 1: is this suddenly happening? Like his his success with Houston
9:21
Speaker 1: seemed to like, you know, like that was pretty damn
9:24
Speaker 1: impressive and was really his best stretch of his career. Uh,
9:29
Speaker 1: pretty high strikeout rate, walks have been good for the
9:32
Speaker 1: past two years now where he's he's not walking guys.
9:37
Speaker 1: I think what stood out in Toronto was he had
9:40
Speaker 1: the peripherals and wasn't getting the results as much. That's
9:45
Speaker 1: that's something I kept hearing before then after the trade.
9:49
Speaker 1: Looks like the slider usage went up after the trade.
9:52
Speaker 1: Houston's obviously got a good history of taking guys with
9:57
Speaker 1: stuff and and tweaking how they use everything. I think
10:02
Speaker 1: he's a fascinating I think he'd be fascinating pitcher to
10:06
Speaker 1: acquire my I don't have this in front of me,
10:09
Speaker 1: but I'm pretty sure Toronto has a bad defense that
10:13
Speaker 1: would that would definitely not be an issue with the Cubs, right,
10:17
Speaker 1: you know, if he's striking guys out even close to
10:20
Speaker 1: a thirty percent rate, which he did, Like he's a
10:23
Speaker 1: thirty one point eight with Houston, that's easily the highest
10:27
Speaker 1: he's done, but that was over ten starts. I'm not
10:30
Speaker 1: sure if he can replicate that. But if he's even
10:33
Speaker 1: what he was with Toronto, which was twenty six, and
10:36
Speaker 1: then walk rate like, that's that's what the Cubs are
10:38
Speaker 1: looking for. Right he's gone, let's see, he's gone one
10:43
Speaker 1: seventy at around one seventy the past two seasons innings,
10:47
Speaker 1: Like this is the type of guy they're looking for.
10:49
Speaker 1: I think the only question is do you want like
10:53
Speaker 1: three lefties with Jordan Wicks being like your sixth starter
10:59
Speaker 1: in this making that a fourth. I don't know if
11:03
Speaker 1: that matters as much if you're just getting out right
11:06
Speaker 1: like I think, like, I feel like that was counter right,
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Speaker 1: Like council was kind of like I think you're get
11:13
Speaker 1: with someone brought was bringing that up because there was
11:15
Speaker 1: show to steal, and then Jordan Wick's competing. The council
11:19
Speaker 1: was just like, I think you're overthinking this. It's like,
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Speaker 1: I'm not that worried about it. If they're different types
11:25
Speaker 1: of pictures that like, just get me out, get get
11:29
Speaker 1: me through five innings and we'll figure this out. I
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Speaker 1: think those are two really interesting names. I think Kakuchi
11:37
Speaker 1: obviously doesn't come with the qualifying offer. Uh. He's a
11:41
Speaker 1: little older, though I would still like. I still think
11:45
Speaker 1: Nathan Valdi is really interesting. He's he's much older than
11:49
Speaker 1: both well maybe not much older than than Kakuchi, but
11:52
Speaker 1: I want to say he's he's thirty five. I like,
11:57
Speaker 1: but that's right up to Cobs Ali. When it comes
11:59
Speaker 1: to like a two year deal or something, he's gonna
12:03
Speaker 1: get like two years forty five or something like that,
12:06
Speaker 1: or two years, maybe even fifty that that's like, that's
12:10
Speaker 1: just sounds like like it just sounds like exactly what
12:15
Speaker 1: he wants to do. Yeah, you know, not not getting
12:19
Speaker 1: bogged down by too many years. He'll pay the higher
12:23
Speaker 1: AA V. I think those three those those three names, Valdi, Pivetta,
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Speaker 1: and Kakuchi. When it comes to the middle tier, upper
12:33
Speaker 1: middle tier. As as as a passing has this listed,
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Speaker 1: I think that makes sense. The short term names, I
12:41
Speaker 1: think also makes sense. I'm very curious to see what
12:44
Speaker 1: Walker Bueler ends up getting. Obviously the Cubs have gone
12:48
Speaker 1: to the Dodger bounce back well before. Uh, I'd be
12:54
Speaker 1: interested to see if if that's someone they can try
12:57
Speaker 1: and get that would be interested in working with the Cubs.
13:01
Speaker 1: I just wonder if they want more certainty, a little
13:05
Speaker 1: more certainty, a higher floor, because obviously Bueller on a
13:10
Speaker 1: one year deal, he could turn into the ace of
13:12
Speaker 1: the staff like he could, he could emerge as the one.
13:16
Speaker 1: Do they want someone that maybe they'd want him to
13:20
Speaker 1: be the second signing and push us Od out of
13:23
Speaker 1: the rotation as essentially to start the season. If if
13:27
Speaker 1: this were the path they were going, I just don't
13:30
Speaker 1: I don't know. We'd have to talk to more people
13:33
Speaker 1: and understand they're exact thinking. But I think they want
13:36
Speaker 1: certainty with who they sign and Bueller, as much as
13:40
Speaker 1: I like him, I think it does kind of there's
13:43
Speaker 1: not as much of a floor there, or there's a
13:46
Speaker 1: lower floor there. All right, Patrick, let's come back and
13:49
Speaker 1: talk about catching. We will be right back after this
13:53
Speaker 1: quick break.
13:54
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Speaker 1: All right, Patrick, One of the names we mentioned for
15:00
Speaker 1: backs up for the Cubs, Travis Darnaut, has already signed
15:03
Speaker 1: not a crazy deal two years I believe twelve million.
15:09
Speaker 1: The Braves did not pick up a one year eight
15:11
Speaker 1: million dollar option. He's able to get more guaranteed a
15:15
Speaker 1: lower AV going to an Angels team that came into
15:19
Speaker 1: this offseason with a clear message that they're going to
15:22
Speaker 1: try and spend and bring in players to try and
15:26
Speaker 1: win next year. It's an interesting signing in that Logan o'
15:32
Speaker 1: hoppy is one of those supposedly one of those one
15:35
Speaker 1: hundred and thirty start catchers, and Darno's more of a
15:39
Speaker 1: like you know, timeshare catcher or very like top tier
15:44
Speaker 1: backup catcher, So I think that's interesting. But it's not
15:49
Speaker 1: like he's been working beside pretty good catchers for a
15:55
Speaker 1: while now. I feel like and handled multiple types of
16:00
Speaker 1: roles as a backup or timeshare catcher. But check, you know,
16:05
Speaker 1: cross his name off the list of potential catchers that
16:10
Speaker 1: the Cubs are going to pursue.
16:13
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I'd imagine this gives some clarity or shapes
16:20
Speaker 3: the market a bit. I'd imagine the Cubs would be
16:28
Speaker 3: didn't need two years on Darneault given his age. He's
16:32
Speaker 3: also from southern California, so i'd imagine that has some.
16:38
Speaker 2: Sort of appeal.
16:39
Speaker 3: But this is kind of the bucket they're looking at
16:43
Speaker 3: right of a guy who could play anywhere from what
16:49
Speaker 3: like seventy five to one hundred games depending on the scenario.
16:55
Speaker 2: I mean, probably they'd like.
16:56
Speaker 3: It more like a fifty to fifty split with Miguel Amaya,
17:02
Speaker 3: as well as a chance to rotate those guys maybe
17:05
Speaker 3: into a d H spot as needed, because they just
17:11
Speaker 3: want more of a balance. We've talked about this a lot.
17:15
Speaker 3: I'd imagine we'll continue talking about it. The good catchers
17:20
Speaker 3: are really hard to find, and coming out the GM meetings.
17:28
Speaker 3: We got like a no doubt enthusiastic endorsement endorsement of
17:34
Speaker 3: Moisus Ballisteros as a hitter. There's some encouraging signs about
17:41
Speaker 3: the possibility of him getting some playing time as a
17:45
Speaker 3: major league catcher. But I don't think the Cubs are
17:48
Speaker 3: looking at their future lineup. Says like Moises can catch
17:53
Speaker 3: whatever one hundred something games for them, it would be
17:57
Speaker 3: more of an option as part of a rotation. So uh,
18:02
Speaker 3: from here, there are similar guys. I think the Danny
18:06
Speaker 3: Janssen's of the world, the Carson Kelly's who are out there.
18:11
Speaker 3: I think we'd be shocked if they didn't sign someone
18:15
Speaker 3: of that caliber before do we head down to MESA.
18:21
Speaker 1: Yeah, Carson Kelly seems like a very safe, safe bet, right,
18:26
Speaker 1: like if you're going to sign a timeshare backup guy
18:30
Speaker 1: like that's he seems very like stable. Danny Jansen actually
18:36
Speaker 1: would be a pretty solid platoon partner if what Miguel
18:40
Speaker 1: Amaya did last year is is kind of who he is,
18:44
Speaker 1: right because Miguel Ami struggled against lefties. He was terrible
18:48
Speaker 1: against lefties and league average against righty's. Danny Jansen crushes
18:53
Speaker 1: lefties and is okay below average against righty's, not like
18:59
Speaker 1: I guess, look this up. A Maya had a thirty
19:01
Speaker 1: way to run as great at plus against righty's, I
19:04
Speaker 1: mean against lefties, that's that's abysmal. Yeah, And Danny Jansen
19:10
Speaker 1: was at one eleven, so I mean that's that's kind
19:13
Speaker 1: of a pretty good, you know, platoon guy. And he's
19:16
Speaker 1: eighty one against wrighty he's so it could be a
19:18
Speaker 1: time share, like the right type of righty. You know,
19:21
Speaker 1: I'm sure there if I dig deeper, you can find
19:23
Speaker 1: the right type of pitches he hits and type of
19:25
Speaker 1: righty's he hits, doesn't strike out, takes his walks, you know.
19:30
Speaker 1: I think Jansen and Carson Kelly make a lot of sense,
19:33
Speaker 1: and that's probably the route they go. There is that
19:39
Speaker 1: small chance that they go and get a prospect, right,
19:43
Speaker 1: there's still that chance. I just don't know, Like that's
19:48
Speaker 1: how you get the star right, Like you just said it,
19:51
Speaker 1: Moises by Asteros, it's a long shot that he's a
19:55
Speaker 1: that he's the catcher of the future, right, I think
19:58
Speaker 1: it's really you don't you never completely rule it out
20:01
Speaker 1: because catching development's weird. But I don't think we've really
20:05
Speaker 1: talked to anyone that's like, Yep, he can do it,
20:07
Speaker 1: we definitely believe he's gonna do it, or anything like that.
20:11
Speaker 1: Not that not that the work ethic isn't there. It's
20:14
Speaker 1: just like physically it may not be realistic, like the
20:18
Speaker 1: body type and everything just doesn't you know, there's not much.
20:22
Speaker 1: I was reading a scouting report on him. I want
20:24
Speaker 1: to say, Baseball America had their top ten out and
20:27
Speaker 1: like every description it was like, he's not he doesn't
20:30
Speaker 1: block balls well, he doesn't frame well, he doesn't throw
20:33
Speaker 1: guys out.
20:34
Speaker 3: I'm like, in a second, other than that, he's a
20:37
Speaker 3: perfectly capable defensive catcher.
20:41
Speaker 1: Come on, give me. There's gotta be one thing here.
20:43
Speaker 1: Uh So, yeah, that's a pretty pessimistic view there. I
20:48
Speaker 1: So I would like to I'm always curious to see
20:52
Speaker 1: if if someone's gonna trade, if someone has a block
20:54
Speaker 1: catching prospect, that's how you get it. That's how you
20:58
Speaker 1: get that catch of the future. The Cubs have so
21:02
Speaker 1: much prospect depth and players that could make sense moving
21:09
Speaker 1: Nico Horner. We discussed Cody Bellinger, who we've touched on, Like,
21:15
Speaker 1: I don't know if that's enough to get you that
21:18
Speaker 1: prospect Cody Bellinger probably isn't going to get you a
21:20
Speaker 1: lot just because that's just how that contract is working.
21:25
Speaker 1: I don't see that unless someone's looking to like desperately
21:31
Speaker 1: get a center fielder. But yeah, I think that's the
21:34
Speaker 1: only way you get impact, and that would be down
21:36
Speaker 1: the line, not twenty twenty five impact, you know what
21:38
Speaker 1: I mean. So it's gonna be I think the reality
21:42
Speaker 1: they face is what we've been saying kind of since
21:45
Speaker 1: the season ended, you know, And I think that's okay,
21:48
Speaker 1: get that half, get that time share maximized. If there's
21:54
Speaker 1: one thing, like we know Counsel does well, we know
21:57
Speaker 1: Counsel does a lot of things well, right, but one
21:59
Speaker 1: thing that I appreciate about him is he he knows
22:03
Speaker 1: how to put these position players in the best position
22:07
Speaker 1: to succeed. Right. He's not he doesn't want to expose
22:09
Speaker 1: guys he does. You know, there's a method to why
22:12
Speaker 1: he's doing certain things. As much as people might complain
22:15
Speaker 1: about Michael Bush being bitchit for against the leptis, he's
22:19
Speaker 1: trying to do something. There's something he believes works, and
22:21
Speaker 1: he's trying to put them in the best position to succeed.
22:25
Speaker 3: I love this because I'm picturing like your basement or
22:29
Speaker 3: your garage, just a total like minor league catching prospects
22:34
Speaker 3: room of like all the scouting reports and depths charts
22:37
Speaker 3: taped up against the wall, the headshots of these catching prospects.
22:42
Speaker 2: I love how you've been on this. I think it's
22:46
Speaker 2: a great idea.
22:47
Speaker 3: It's probably hard to pull off, like I said, and
22:51
Speaker 3: I do think I can also envision us at Cubs convention,
22:56
Speaker 3: you know, during those group interviews or the Q and
22:59
Speaker 3: A sessions with fans of kind of Jen Carter and
23:03
Speaker 3: Council up there saying look, we got you know, this
23:08
Speaker 3: quasi starting sort of more than a backup catcher that's
23:12
Speaker 3: going to raise the floor of our offense next year,
23:14
Speaker 3: and Cubs.
23:16
Speaker 2: Not feeling it the media sort of eyes, but.
23:21
Speaker 3: Yes, raising the floor like this is our big offensive improvement,
23:26
Speaker 3: sort of crossing our fingers at Bellinger's healthy and like
23:29
Speaker 3: an MVP having a better catching setup and maybe some
23:34
Speaker 3: sort of young guy popping, you know, a full season
23:39
Speaker 3: of kind of good PCA, a.
23:43
Speaker 2: Less than full season.
23:44
Speaker 3: Of Miguel Amaya not being part of like the worst
23:47
Speaker 3: catching setup in the game.
23:49
Speaker 2: Those are kind of the things we're looking at.
23:53
Speaker 1: Here, all right, Patrick, Kyle Hendrick signed a major league
23:58
Speaker 1: deal with the Los Angeles Angels. He will likely start
24:03
Speaker 1: the season in their rotation, guaranteed deal. Like I I mean,
24:08
Speaker 1: I I wasn't sure if this was going to drag
24:10
Speaker 1: out for him. I wasn't sure if he was gonna,
24:14
Speaker 1: you know, like be a spring training type signing on
24:17
Speaker 1: a minor league deal, an NRR type thing. This is,
24:22
Speaker 1: you know, it's not a huge deal, I believe do
24:25
Speaker 1: you remember the money with it two and a half.
24:29
Speaker 1: It's nothing crazy, but a veteran winner going to a
24:34
Speaker 1: team that we talked about before, Darnold, they're trying to
24:38
Speaker 1: win next year. They're trying to make these marginal improvements.
24:42
Speaker 1: I think this is kind of a best case scenario
24:47
Speaker 1: all around. Kyle kind of goes home in a sense
24:51
Speaker 1: like he's he's from that area and then yeah, okay, sorry.
24:59
Speaker 3: His dad. His dad had had worked in the Angel's
25:02
Speaker 3: ticket office for a bit when he was growing up.
25:05
Speaker 3: I think he also had a couple connections to some
25:11
Speaker 3: of the angel like you know, great Angels players of yesterday,
25:15
Speaker 3: just between his family connections where he grew up all
25:19
Speaker 3: that stuff.
25:19
Speaker 2: So no, you're you're on, You're right.
25:21
Speaker 1: On with that, Okay, yeah, No, For some reason I
25:23
Speaker 1: started to like hesitate. I was like, wait a second,
25:26
Speaker 1: I know he went to school in the East Coast,
25:28
Speaker 1: but did he he wasn't from there. I like the
25:33
Speaker 1: way this ended Cubs wise, it was like the only
25:38
Speaker 1: good story of twenty twenty four, such a disappointing season
25:42
Speaker 1: where fans were wanted more. Maybe shouldn't have expected more,
25:45
Speaker 1: but did expect more. And just it was, you know,
25:49
Speaker 1: a boring season with a team that lacked a lot
25:53
Speaker 1: of like excitement, and that start from Kyle Hendricks was
25:59
Speaker 1: just like a really nice way. Glad it happened near
26:02
Speaker 1: the end of the season. Glad it was the way
26:04
Speaker 1: Kyle Hendricks went out a great outing and just like
26:09
Speaker 1: what he deserved. He was taken off. You know, he
26:11
Speaker 1: was pulled after seven and a third. He didn't give
26:16
Speaker 1: up any runs, Like what it just I mean, a
26:18
Speaker 1: perfect story for him. Yeah. Was the wind blowing in
26:21
Speaker 1: like one hundred miles per hour, sure, but I mean
26:26
Speaker 1: that like, if anything, that's the baseball guys making sure
26:29
Speaker 1: Kyle Hendricks gets a good sendoff.
26:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think the Cubs very much recognize that
26:37
Speaker 2: even Kyle himself acknowledged he probably should have been released
26:40
Speaker 2: at some point during the season, and.
26:42
Speaker 3: Almost certainly would have if some of these younger pitchers
26:47
Speaker 3: had stayed healthy. I mean, bringing him back and having
26:51
Speaker 3: that sort of like countdown again of are they going
26:56
Speaker 3: to have to release him? That's just an an awkward
27:00
Speaker 3: and uncomfortable situation that the Cubs wanted to avoid. Kyle
27:07
Speaker 3: is maybe the most self aware player in the history
27:09
Speaker 3: of Major League Baseball. Certainly Jed Yeah, I mean I
27:13
Speaker 3: think Jed Hoyer would agree with that general sentiment.
27:19
Speaker 2: And Kyle and looking around.
27:21
Speaker 3: I mean, he had told me towards end of season,
27:23
Speaker 3: like he would have signed a minor league deal if
27:25
Speaker 3: he had to, Like, that's how badly he wanted to pitch.
27:27
Speaker 3: He's not too proud to go and be for a spot.
27:31
Speaker 3: So when a very attractive location comes early with a.
27:38
Speaker 2: Guaranteed deal.
27:41
Speaker 3: As well as like the chance to sort of work
27:44
Speaker 3: through whatever this was, maybe this was just kind of
27:47
Speaker 3: the natural decline for a guy who's absolutely maximized his
27:52
Speaker 3: major league career. But if he feels like he's working
27:55
Speaker 3: on stuff and has more to offer, you didn't want
28:00
Speaker 3: to sign with a team that expects to win the
28:01
Speaker 3: World Series next year, or a team where you'd constantly.
28:04
Speaker 2: Be looking over your shoulder.
28:06
Speaker 3: I think there's only a small group of teams that
28:10
Speaker 3: really made sense for Kyle, And so like, why wait,
28:15
Speaker 3: why drag this out all winter? Why wonder if that
28:20
Speaker 3: opportunity will still be there as it gets closer to
28:23
Speaker 3: spring training? And this is the guy who's always read
28:26
Speaker 3: the room very well and he jumped on it.
28:29
Speaker 1: Yeah. Self aware is such a great way to describe him.
28:32
Speaker 1: I mean, the fact that he brought up during this
28:34
Speaker 1: season like how thankful he was that he was getting
28:37
Speaker 1: this chance, or that he didn't really even likes it.
28:40
Speaker 1: They don't even deserve this chance, Like you don't hear
28:44
Speaker 1: big league players talk like that. It's just I mean,
28:48
Speaker 1: and he was and it was right, you know, like
28:51
Speaker 1: I mean, in May and June we're talking about like
28:54
Speaker 1: is this the end? Does he need to be released? It?
28:58
Speaker 1: And it felt uncomfortable because it's someone that you don't
29:01
Speaker 1: want to have to say those things about, but that's
29:03
Speaker 1: reality and he's openly talking about it. Just yeah, I mean,
29:08
Speaker 1: to wrap it up, he was just such a pleasure
29:10
Speaker 1: to cover in Chicago, we won't get someone like him again,
29:15
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, someone that unassuming and then
29:18
Speaker 1: hits the heights that he hit, like yeah, the third
29:23
Speaker 1: place in cym's voting in twenty sixteen. Pitching multiple clinching games,
29:30
Speaker 1: starting multiple clinching games, huge games in the postseason. That
29:35
Speaker 1: game six against the Dodgers is one of those outings
29:38
Speaker 1: that where they face the minimum with all those double plays,
29:42
Speaker 1: just one of those games that's going to be hard
29:44
Speaker 1: to forget for anyone that watched or covered it or
29:47
Speaker 1: was a part of it. He's he's a Cubs legend.
29:52
Speaker 1: Like it, you know, I'm not sure if you watch
29:55
Speaker 1: this you know era of Cubs baseball, he has to
29:59
Speaker 1: be among your top players when it comes to both
30:02
Speaker 1: performance and just easy to root for, just the easy
30:06
Speaker 1: guy to root for. I'm glad he gets to go
30:09
Speaker 1: back to you know, go back somewhere close to home
30:13
Speaker 1: and somewhere where you know he'll get a real shot
30:17
Speaker 1: and we'll see if the Angels can can make some noise.
30:19
Speaker 1: I don't know how tough that Al West will be,
30:21
Speaker 1: but maybe maybe as a shot to get in the
30:24
Speaker 1: postseason again, that would be fun.
30:28
Speaker 3: Or go ahead, I mean, he pitches really well and
30:31
Speaker 3: the Cubs have to trade for him at the deadline
30:33
Speaker 3: next year.
30:34
Speaker 2: I'll throw that.
30:35
Speaker 3: How about we throw that one out there, because you're right,
30:39
Speaker 3: it's very well put of.
30:41
Speaker 2: Are we ever going to see someone like him ever again?
30:44
Speaker 3: And I don't think you'd get that mixture of a
30:46
Speaker 3: guy who throws like eighty seven miles an hour. We'd
30:51
Speaker 3: have to wait another century to find games with as
30:56
Speaker 3: much emotional heavy as the ones that he started. And
31:04
Speaker 3: the fact that he never changed at all during this
31:09
Speaker 3: time is just unbelievable. We're talking World Series hangover, the
31:17
Speaker 3: fame getting to his head.
31:19
Speaker 2: I mean, this is the guy.
31:19
Speaker 3: Who's you know, made about ninety million dollars in his career,
31:25
Speaker 3: Like none of that has changed his demeanor, his temperament,
31:31
Speaker 3: his sense of purpose and routine. Just like a kind
31:35
Speaker 3: of a once in a lifetime player to cover or
31:38
Speaker 3: watch as a fan.
31:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, just a pleasure to be around. Glad I got
31:44
Speaker 1: to cover him. Still. My favorite story that I wrote
31:46
Speaker 1: was the Kyle Hendrick story at the Athletic that opened
31:49
Speaker 1: up the playoffs right before his first started a twenty
31:52
Speaker 1: sixteen postseason. Just fun, fun to cover and fun to
31:56
Speaker 1: dig into. His rise as a as a pitcher. All right,
32:01
Speaker 1: Patrick will wrap it up there. Thanks so much for listening.
32:04
Speaker 1: This is north Side Territory. Make sure to rate, review,
32:07
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32:25
Speaker 1: Thanks for reading our work. Make sure to subscribe to
32:27
Speaker 1: The Athletic, where Patrick and I are covering the Cubs
32:29
Speaker 1: all off season long. Thanks everyone to take care