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Decisions looming as Cubs prepare for Opening Day · North Side Territory: A Chicago Cubs Podcast

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Welcome into North Side Territory. Foul Territory Networks Cubs podcast.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: I'm a Sharma with my partner Patrick Mooney, we are
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: your Cubs beat writers over at the Athletic.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: Patrick.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: We are.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: Less than two weeks away from opening day. Yeah, less
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: than two weeks away. Uh.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: The roster has already started to trim down, right. They've
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: they've had two maybe three cuts, three rounds.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Uh, and we'll probably have more this week. And it's
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: it's you know, it's still a bloated it's not.
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: You know, everything has to happen earlier. Uh.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: And and those weird Japan rules which I'm still confused
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: about after getting sixteen explanations.
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: Uh, but.
• 0:51
  Speaker 4: I was waiting for your hotel room to just have
• 0:53
  Speaker 4: like a whole big board of names.
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: And saying and uh, you know, yeah, try to piece
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: it all together.
• 1:01
  Speaker 5: Like that charts and twenty six yen with three inactive
• 1:07
  Speaker 5: but five that you bring to Japan and it's like
• 1:11
  Speaker 5: a thirty one man roster, but a twenty nine man
• 1:14
  Speaker 5: roster and also a twenty six Like the explanations we got,
• 1:17
  Speaker 5: we were like we got it from like four different
• 1:19
  Speaker 5: executives through PR most of those and it was.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: Just like they're like keep coming back with new tidbits
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: of information. Would be like, well what if they how
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: about this guy? What if they need to make a
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: decision on it? And it was just like exhausting. And
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: I think the simplest way that we could put it
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: is that they have to they will have twenty six men.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Nico Hornet doesn't need to go on the I l
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: I still I cannot remember the answer on on gauge
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: workmen who will talk about who's who's a Rule five
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: draft pick?
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: And I cannot remember.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: What needs to be done with him because there were
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: so many things that we discussed. But that that's the
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: topic of this of this episode, Patrick, it's you know,
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: these final decisions is the edge of the roster. Let's say,
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: you know, there are things that need to be done
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: that if they you know, Matt Shaw's playing games, he's
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: he's finally healthy. Javier assad is not he I think,
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: I don't know. I cannot recall if they just said
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: he's not going to be on the opening day roster,
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: but he's not like he can't be like it's not.
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: Ruled him out for the start.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: Okay, Yeah, that's what I thought, I just couldn't remember
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: if they officially said that. And you know, so there's
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: the fifth starter spot that you're battling for, and then
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: it's the final few spots in the bullpen, which really
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: isn't that you know, there's not a lot of up
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: and down to be had there. There there's a decent amount,
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: but not as optionable as as Craig Counsel would like
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: or has had in the walk in the past. But
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: you know, you figure those things out as you go.
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: I don't think they're going to hesitate if someone's really
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: struggling after four outings to say like it's not working.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: We got to figure out what to do here.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: We got to make a change because this guy's costing
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: his games type stuff.
• 3:16
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I think it's it's crazy to think
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: like spring training for the Cups started on Super Bowl
• 3:22
  Speaker 4: Sunday and then by selection Sunday for March Madness, Sty'll
• 3:26
  Speaker 4: be in Japan closing in that opening day, So that's
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: kind of disrupt change the rhythm.
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: And the timelines of this.
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: But as Councils said at the start, like you kind
• 3:40
  Speaker 4: of know when the test is so you just kind
• 3:43
  Speaker 4: of work from that you know, you have the answers
• 3:45
  Speaker 4: like what you want to do, so you just kind
• 3:47
  Speaker 4: of move them up early. And also, you know, I
• 3:51
  Speaker 4: haven't heard one real like complaint yet. I guess I
• 3:55
  Speaker 4: haven't been fishing for this. But it seems like players
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: STAF counsel himself, I'm very excited about this trip to Japan.
• 4:05
  Speaker 4: That'd view it as a great This counsel would say
• 4:08
  Speaker 4: a life experience, a baseball experience, a team bonding experience,
• 4:13
  Speaker 4: you know, cultural experience, like all of those things. Was yeah,
• 4:17
  Speaker 4: when you say, like, I don't know, maybe just right
• 4:20
  Speaker 4: questions to get the negative answers, but they seem pretty
• 4:23
  Speaker 4: excited for this.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: I when I when I asked Nico, I was like,
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: was this an easy decision, like, you know, play it safe?
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: And he's like it wasn't. He's like, I'm.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Missing out on something really big. He's like health wise,
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: it makes perfect sense. He's like, this is a bonding experience,
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: this is really important for us to go through, and
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: I'm missing out on it. And he's like that was
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: hard to give up. It's like, it's the right decision
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: for my body and to be ready for the US
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: portion of the start of the season, but you could
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: tell like he didn't even have to think about that
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: he came out. He quickly answered my question like no, no,
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: it wasn't an easy decision like this, this is a
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: big experience that I'm missing and that I'm bumped to
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: be missing. And he pointed out what you're saying about
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: the bonding and like they're going to grow closer on
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: this trip. Like he's right, like there's some pretty cool
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: things that will happen, and it is an exciting thing.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: Like when I've brought it up to guys just and
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: it mostly hasn't been like you like you said, I'm
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: not like fishing. It was more just like chit chat
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: with guys. They all seem really excited, right that they
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: seem pumped about the opportunity. And uh and what did
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Niko said? He said, you know, it's He's like, it's
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: it's a spectacle, Like it's almost as big as a
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: World Series, Like the all eyes are on us and
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: that's you know, and that's exciting.
• 5:41
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean players are about really they like that
• 5:43
  Speaker 4: Friday one twenty because it's like the only window in baseball.
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: This will be that like on a much bigger scale.
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: It seems like, I know, we rattled off a couple
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: of injuries at the top, but it comes have been
• 5:58
  Speaker 4: like pretty healthy. I mean, we'll see how long that lasts.
• 6:03
  Speaker 4: But in terms of like the overall tenor of the camp,
• 6:06
  Speaker 4: I think you'd agree it's been.
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: Well one.
• 6:10
  Speaker 4: Kind of boring. That's just kind of a post Joe Madden.
• 6:14
  Speaker 4: You know that World Series window, you know, fifteen sixteen
• 6:19
  Speaker 4: seventeen of just when the Cubs were.
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: Kind of a circus. You know that circus has has
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: left town.
• 6:26
  Speaker 4: Craig Council is very businesslike those players you know, as
• 6:29
  Speaker 4: you know well are kind of you know, baseball rats.
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: They're very routine oriented.
• 6:37
  Speaker 4: They're they're thoughtful, and they're like engaging, but they're not
• 6:41
  Speaker 4: necessarily loud outside of maybe peekro Armstrong's like hair decisions.
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: So it's been, you know, pretty business like. We'll see
• 6:50
  Speaker 4: what happens in these final couple of days before they
• 6:54
  Speaker 4: actually have to leave and make.
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: Some of these decisions. But I think.
• 7:00
  Speaker 4: Side of Alex Bregman choosing the Red Sox, I think
• 7:02
  Speaker 4: this camp that's pretty much gone the way they would
• 7:05
  Speaker 4: have wanted thus far.
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I was just quickly looking at the forty man.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: It's Owen Casey and and haabire asad right like Mattshaw's
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: not on the forty man. So those are the two
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: that I am, if I'm looking at this correctly, like
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: that have had any sort of injury concerns.
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: Luke little is look at.
• 7:29
  Speaker 4: What happened, Yeah, look at what happened to like the
• 7:30
  Speaker 4: mets right of just like starters coming down left and
• 7:33
  Speaker 4: right and you're kind of scrambling, and cops are set
• 7:36
  Speaker 4: up to avoid some of that, but they haven't really
• 7:39
  Speaker 4: been kind of pressed into action yet to really kind
• 7:43
  Speaker 4: of reimagine their staff. Maybe maybe that comes sooner than later,
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: but right now, knock on wood, they feel pretty good
• 7:50
  Speaker 4: about where.
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: Things are at.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: One name Buzz continues to grow. I assume he's probably
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: pitching again soon if he, like if this episode goes up.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: Maybe he's already pitched again.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: But Brad Keller had like one a couple bad pitches,
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: I think, and I didn't see him, but I from
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: what I understand like it.
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: You know he had a little bad luck behind him too.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: Yeah, this guy's he's opening eyes and you and I
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: have talked to enough people now that that it's not
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: just a spring training thing. People around the league are
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: asking about it. Uh, there are teams that are interested,
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: that were interested and continue to be interested. You know,
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: if if he doesn't make this team, he'll have an
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: opt out, and he will he will be someone else
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: is interested. That's what that what we're gathering. Like, he
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: it's not like he's going to take a minor league assignment.
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think he'll be sought after. And you were.
• 8:50
  Speaker 4: I'll give you credit, man, you were on top of this,
• 8:53
  Speaker 4: Like you landed in Mesa and I got and I
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: had just gotten home and Brad Keller was not on
• 8:58
  Speaker 4: my radar, but you were on it and just an
• 9:04
  Speaker 4: interesting guy who did the kind of off season you know,
• 9:09
  Speaker 4: pitching retreat and has opened some eyes to where it
• 9:13
  Speaker 4: feels like the conversation is more like how do they
• 9:15
  Speaker 4: use him versus whether or not they add him again,
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: like things could change, but he would be in demand
• 9:23
  Speaker 4: if he did use that opt out. I think it's
• 9:26
  Speaker 4: like a one point five million dollar base salary, so
• 9:30
  Speaker 4: as the Cubs are minding every.
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: Dollar that will not break their bank.
• 9:38
  Speaker 4: But I think, look, you've seen Craig Counsel does a
• 9:43
  Speaker 4: good job of utilizing his pictures, right, and that's something
• 9:46
  Speaker 4: we had heard. I think you made the point of,
• 9:49
  Speaker 4: like early last year, like he has credibility in this
• 9:53
  Speaker 4: space when he's talking two pictures for an NRI guide.
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: I'm told the Cubs made a pretty compelling presentation to Killer.
• 10:03
  Speaker 4: Over the winter, and the Cubs have You've written about
• 10:07
  Speaker 4: this a ton man, like they have a good track
• 10:09
  Speaker 4: record of kind of the change of scenery guys or
• 10:11
  Speaker 4: the one tweak away type guys.
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: Get them, get him.
• 10:16
  Speaker 4: Away from the worst White Sox team ever and like
• 10:19
  Speaker 4: put him in a different environment.
• 10:21
  Speaker 3: The velos ticked up. I'm assuming he's.
• 10:25
  Speaker 4: Pretty pretty confident with the way things are going. It
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: seems like you know the guy they're gonna gonna add.
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: So I was told by someone that essentially the Cubs
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: were searching this. I think this is too simplistic, but
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: they were searching for the next Colin Snyder. If you
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: don't know who Colin Snyder is. He spent two years
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: with the Royals.
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: The peripherals were awful, the e RA was bad. Just
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: there was nothing.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: There was nothing you'd look at that would say this
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: guy is a good picture.
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: Just nothing like it's strike.
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: I'm looking at a strike out rate it was fourteen
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: point six and twenty twenty two and eleven point six
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: with a thirteen point seven walk rate in twenty twenty three.
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: Just awful numbers, like this is not a good pitcher.
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: Last year forty one and two thirds innings with the
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: Mariners one ninety twenty seven point eight strikeout rate, seven
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: point seven walk rate, Like just like that's an awesome reliever.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: They when when searching for that guy they I heard
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: they identified Keller as a potential guy that could could
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: be the next Colin Snyder.
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: We'll see how that is.
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: But I think you're what you basically said there of
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: this isn't as much as you're making the team as
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: much as like what sort of role does he hold
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: on this team. I think they're really excited about that.
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: You know, they'll they'll have to make a forty man
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: move for him. But these are the types of things
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: you need. Something someone else told me while I was there,
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: I was like, it feels like the bullpen is much better,
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: like at least much deeper, and and they meant this
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: not a rip of the player, but they said, it's
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: nice that we're coming into the season where if Jose
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: Quass was here, he'd be like our eighth option, but
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: like to pick from as far as final spot. He
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: made the final spot last year. They have eight guys
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: above him now in that sense, right, and that wasn't
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: they Quas is perfectly fine guy and and could have
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: be an adequate reliever struggled with the Cubs, Right, But
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: I think the point is like so deep, so deep,
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: so many options, and now Keller is kind of shooting
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: up that list of options, and yeah, I think I
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: think they'll have a decision to make and I and
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: I don't. I don't think it's a hard decision in
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: the sense like you kind of had to keep him.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: Like he's he's opened that many eyes and he's got
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: the type of stuff. It's not smoke and mirrors here,
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: he's got stuff that makes you think, like this guy
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: can help the team, and you don't don't overthink it.
• 13:03
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's not as important member too, like when you're
• 13:05
  Speaker 4: in spring training and like you hear you know, managers
• 13:08
  Speaker 4: in the front office, it's about all the forty man roster,
• 13:12
  Speaker 4: you know, and then it comes to one eighty three
• 13:14
  Speaker 4: games the last two years and they haven't made the
• 13:17
  Speaker 4: playoffs in a full season since twenty eighteen. Right, So
• 13:19
  Speaker 4: it's like we're not talking about, you know, the Los
• 13:23
  Speaker 4: Angeles Dodgers and how they keep adding players somehow. It's like,
• 13:26
  Speaker 4: you know, they if this guy is as good as
• 13:29
  Speaker 4: they think he is, if he can make an impact.
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: Adam like, there's always guys that people. Players always get hurt, right,
• 13:36
  Speaker 4: Pitchers always get hurt. Like there's something else will happen
• 13:40
  Speaker 4: to where an opportunity will open. So I thought it
• 13:45
  Speaker 4: was just you mentioned because I love this up. The
• 13:47
  Speaker 4: other day they had eight the eight guys in their
• 13:50
  Speaker 4: opening a bullpen last year, six are gone. I guess
• 13:54
  Speaker 4: technically maybe Yanci Almonte is now back on the field,
• 13:59
  Speaker 4: but still the point being like same like Julian Marrickweather,
• 14:02
  Speaker 4: it's got great stuff, but Ken State healthy instead of
• 14:06
  Speaker 4: like counting on him is like, oh, this this is
• 14:08
  Speaker 4: one of our high leverage guys last year, so let's
• 14:10
  Speaker 4: just pencil him in for the eighth in. I'm like, no,
• 14:12
  Speaker 4: he's kind of more more closer towards that a spot
• 14:17
  Speaker 4: on the pen and not like the eighth inning automatic guy.
• 14:20
  Speaker 4: And you know, Luke Little is still on the team,
• 14:23
  Speaker 4: but they essentially ruled him out for the start of
• 14:25
  Speaker 4: opening day, you know, maybe even before the first formal workout,
• 14:30
  Speaker 4: just like a right, let's give this guy a base,
• 14:32
  Speaker 4: let's get him, you know, create some momentum going into
• 14:34
  Speaker 4: the season. It's like when you start adding more talent,
• 14:38
  Speaker 4: like guys get pushed down, they can still help. Julian
• 14:40
  Speaker 4: mother Veryweather is still very talented and could have a
• 14:44
  Speaker 4: big year, but you're not counting on what was it
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: last year? It was like Mark Letter, Junior epart Auzala
• 14:50
  Speaker 4: and Julian Merriweather. It's like, you know those guys were
• 14:54
  Speaker 4: pushed pretty hard the year prior. Yep, and now you
• 14:59
  Speaker 4: just create you know, more pathways for counsel to get
• 15:04
  Speaker 4: the ball to Ryan Presley.
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, absolutely, yes.
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: I like the way you put that, and just like
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: pushing guys like Julian Merriweather. Would I be surprised if
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: he gets some high liverage innings and is awesome. No,
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: I would not be surprised by that. But also that
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: like I remember, I don't know if it was reading
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: your Presley piece or something like, it kind of like
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: hit me like, oh, I think I was like looking
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: at him in the clubhouse, and I was like, he
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: actually looked good the other day on the mound, like
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: he was throwing like ninety eight ninety nine. That's a
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: good sign. But I like, I'm not like not thinking
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: of him as someone that they absolutely need to have
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: a successful bullpen and that's that's how you build a
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: successful then.
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: So it just it feels like it's.
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: One of the better bullpens, better groups that they've had
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: in a while. We'll see if that translates into success,
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: because bullpens are weird and volatile and you never know,
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: but it you know, Brad Keller is the name we'll
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: keep an eye on as far as let's see if
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: he's he's part of that impact group in the bullpen,
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: because obviously it has been a thorn in their side
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: over the past couple of years at different at various
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: points in the season. Uh, there's when we're talking about
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: the bottom of the roster, then the final few spots.
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: It's a third base maybe whatever you want to call
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: it infield role, Like you know, extra infielder Matt Shaw
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: would be the starter, right he's he's not an extra
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: infield or if he makes this team out of camp,
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: he's going to be playing at some point. It's whether
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: do you want to get him there to Japan for
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: opening Day or do you want to take it a
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: little easy?
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: Does he not?
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: Does something happen this week where it's like, you know,
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: we don't want to push him whatever, sounds like Council
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: isn't isn't ruling that out him him being there. But
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: you know, I think I think the two names Brewhan
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: Vidal Bruhan. You know, this was a trade for with
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: the Marlins where they sent Matt Mervis there. I don't
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: think anyone was like hugely excited about the move. But
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: he's a former top prospect and he looks good. He
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: looks good early in camp. I guess it's not early,
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: but he looks good.
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: Whatever.
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: Ten games into camp and then Gauge Workman looks good too,
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: and and Council loves defense. You said it like, if
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: you can play defense, Council is gonna notice you.
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: And he noticed that right away.
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: In fact, one of my first days at camp, our
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: friend Jesse Rodgers asked about Gauge Workman in the home
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: run that he hit, the first home run that he hit,
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: and and Council quickly made a point he acknowledged the
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: home run and all that. He quickly made a point.
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: He's like, it's more important the defensive plays that he made.
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: He's like, that's what I noticed. He's like, he made
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: two defensive plays that stood out to me. That's going
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: to open my eyes and and you know, keep keep
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: a guy on my mind.
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: He didn't say that's a bad take, Jesse. In the
• 17:57
  Speaker 3: response to our guy.
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: There was back and forth. There was there was some
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: fun yea as there usually is.
• 18:06
  Speaker 3: No Yeah, it's a council had a you know, a
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: couple of good lines. Like the other day.
• 18:11
  Speaker 4: I know with Bruhan, he's like, I know it's kind
• 18:13
  Speaker 4: of cliche, but you look up the end of every game,
• 18:16
  Speaker 4: his uniform is just like completely dirty, like he's making
• 18:20
  Speaker 4: things happen.
• 18:22
  Speaker 3: Workman has.
• 18:24
  Speaker 4: Checked a lot of boxes and you know, took advantage
• 18:28
  Speaker 4: of this opportunity with you know, Nico Horner being ruled
• 18:32
  Speaker 4: out for the Tokyo series, with Shaw having that setback
• 18:36
  Speaker 4: with his oblique and it's like, yeah, we don't go
• 18:39
  Speaker 4: crazy with spring training numbers. But like when you're those
• 18:44
  Speaker 4: guys on the bubble, you have to do something right.
• 18:48
  Speaker 4: It's not like you know, they have these long major
• 18:52
  Speaker 4: league track records to where you can lean on on that, Like, No,
• 18:55
  Speaker 4: these are guys fighting for their professional careers. They have
• 19:02
  Speaker 4: opened eyes. I think they've probably exceeded expectations. As far
• 19:06
  Speaker 4: as that could change. That doesn't really mean anything at
• 19:10
  Speaker 4: this point, but they're squarely in the conversation. And I
• 19:13
  Speaker 4: think another name not on the graphic there is Nicki Lopez,
• 19:18
  Speaker 4: who I have a hard time not I don't know
• 19:22
  Speaker 4: if it would have fit in there, but.
• 19:25
  Speaker 3: You know, I don't.
• 19:27
  Speaker 4: I have a hard time seeing him not making this
• 19:29
  Speaker 4: team if he's healthy. I just think in terms of
• 19:33
  Speaker 4: peace of mind for what Council wants and values, he's
• 19:40
  Speaker 4: a plus defender at multiple positions where you have like
• 19:45
  Speaker 4: injuries slash unproven young players. I think he has a
• 19:51
  Speaker 4: pretty he has at least you kind of know what
• 19:54
  Speaker 4: the floor is with him and the kind of baseline
• 19:56
  Speaker 4: competency that I.
• 19:58
  Speaker 3: Think would be hard to just let go. I mean,
• 20:01
  Speaker 3: they brought him in for a reason.
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, they they and they've worked on some various
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: things with him.
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: They worked on like kind of like his.
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: Pre pitch, how he like his footwork, I think was
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: what Council was talking about Uh, and we almost immediately
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: have almost immediately seen that paid dividends. His defenses look
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: good in spring training. These are types of things like
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: defense is like that translates, right, Like when you make
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: a defensive play, that's not like that translates from spring
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: training to the regular season. We don't need to overthink that. So, yeah,
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: you're right, right right, you made a good you made
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: a good play. That's you know, it doesn't matter who
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: hit the ball, you made a good play. Ye, So
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: like that matters. He I don't know if it was
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: what it was, but there someone suggested to me, a
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: scout suggested to me that he wasn't himself last year.
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: He didn't.
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: I don't know if that's physically what it was. I
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: need to follow up more. They feel like he's in
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: a good place, whatever that means. We should probably get
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: some clarity there. But I just like it sounds like
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: he's in a better place. Uh, he's he likes the Cubs,
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: He's wanted to play here. I think Naperville is that right.
• 21:16
  Speaker 2: At least for.
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, so you know that's not that's not Chicago,
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: but it's you know, it's Chicago Land area. I'm sure
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: he uh is happy to be with the Cubs. It's
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: a I agree, like A. I don't know what that
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: means as far as him Japan is that is that
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: him later on?
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Uh?
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: Is he willing to take a couple of weeks in
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: spring training before he makes it his decision.
• 21:50
  Speaker 3: I'm not.
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: I don't have the exact date on his opt out. Uh,
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: So maybe you can punt it a little bit further.
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: And if you want to keep gauge workmen, if you
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: want to see if Bruhan has finally tapped into that
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: prospect status.
• 22:05
  Speaker 2: Whatever, you know. Who knows. I'm just speculating on all
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: those things.
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: But these are these are the types of decisions at
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: the bottom of the roster that they're gonna have to make,
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: and I do think they're interesting and all of it.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: Just like the bullpen, having depth is a good thing,
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: having these final like is this make or break? But
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: we always say it, and it's it's a holdover from
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: the theo Epstein era and it's something Jed Hoyer learned
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: from him. THEO coming into that sixteen season, was obsessed
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: with depth. He was like it almost seemed like from
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: at least from my perspective, I don't want to speak
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: from you, like I was like, this is over the top,
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: but he was right, Like he was right, like you
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: need every bit of talent that you can find to
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: ensure it doesn't matter how good you're starting nine is.
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: You need more behind it because you don't know what's
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: going to happen over the course of the year. You
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: have to assume all sorts of things may happen, prepare
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: for it. And then and then you know who knows
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: who knows how good it gets, and and you know
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: who knows how how much that depth helps, which I
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: think is what they're building, trying to build, not that
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: upper tier talent. Yet it's not as good as it's
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: not good. I'm not comparing this to twenty sixteen. I'm
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: just saying depth is a good thing.
• 23:22
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 23:23
  Speaker 4: No, I mean even just to the degree of like
• 23:25
  Speaker 4: you know, letting Tommy Listella sort of go on his
• 23:29
  Speaker 4: sabbatical there and you know, welcoming back to the team
• 23:32
  Speaker 4: just because he thought maybe there's that one matchup out
• 23:35
  Speaker 4: there or you know, one pinchit at that you know
• 23:40
  Speaker 4: where he could make a difference. I mean, someone like
• 23:43
  Speaker 4: Chris Coglin wound up you know coming back. Obviously the
• 23:49
  Speaker 4: Kyle Schwarber collision here in Arizona right at the start
• 23:53
  Speaker 4: of the season. Cubs are not there. Yeah, certainly not
• 23:58
  Speaker 4: on the position player side. I think it's very easy
• 24:02
  Speaker 4: to see, like us looking back, like man, we spent
• 24:06
  Speaker 4: a lot of time talking about gauge workman of just
• 24:09
  Speaker 4: like you know, these there are big question marks at
• 24:14
  Speaker 4: third base.
• 24:16
  Speaker 3: You know, I think Michael Bush is a good player,
• 24:18
  Speaker 3: but it's been one rookie.
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: It's one right we got.
• 24:23
  Speaker 4: We think Nico Horner is going to be healthy, that
• 24:25
  Speaker 4: he's on good track, but like.
• 24:28
  Speaker 3: We'll see, right if you yeah a set, Babby Dan.
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: I mean, you're you're absolutely right.
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: There's so many of them, like beyond Like I like
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: how Miguel Amaya has looked. Maybe he's turned a corner.
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: I don't know, Pa, we we talked about him last episode. Yeah,
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: I think he's gonna be good. I can't guarantee it.
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: Like there's not there, You're you're right there their question marks,
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: and that's why you need depth. That's why you sign
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: depth like Jankowski and Greg Allen Frankly behind pc A.
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: You know, like I who knows how long those guys
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: will be around. They'll probably stick around as far as
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: the minor league side for a little bit. But that's
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: the type of depth you need. You need because you
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: need guys that have played before that can at least
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: give you league average production and then and hope that
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: you hope you get better from the younger players. It's
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: it's always, it's a truth with any any good team.
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: You need young players to step up and perform. If
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: they don't, that could really hurt.
• 25:22
  Speaker 3: And those pleasant surprises can happen too.
• 25:24
  Speaker 4: I think, particularly on the pitching side, we've seen with
• 25:28
  Speaker 4: the Cubs in recent years of kind.
• 25:29
  Speaker 3: Of rebuilding on the fly and plugging.
• 25:32
  Speaker 4: In guys who you know we weren't talking about, you know,
• 25:36
  Speaker 4: a Porter Hodge type for example last year opens Council's eyes.
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: Yep.
• 25:42
  Speaker 4: I don't think we've spent a whole lot of time
• 25:44
  Speaker 4: writing about him. I know you had mentioned him, you did,
• 25:48
  Speaker 4: but I know I didn't.
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: And yeahs was a fan, Yeah, Breslo was a fan,
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: So I talked to him about Hodge at various points
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: over the years. Yeah, we'll see who those surprises are,
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: if any, if it's any of the guys we even mentioned,
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: like you said, we could look back in two months
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: and be like, why do we waste a segment on
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: those guys? But that's that's part of spring training.
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: All right.
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much everyone for listening. This is north Side Territory.
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: Make sure to rate, review, subscribe, Subscribe to the YouTube channel,
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: Subscribe to The Athletic where Patrick and I are on
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: top of all things Cubs.
• 26:24
  Speaker 2: Thanks so much for listening. Everyone, take