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Speaker 1: If there's one thing like we know Council does well,

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Speaker 1: he knows how to put these position players in the

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Speaker 1: back position to succeed. Welcome into North Side Territory. Foul

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Speaker 1: Territory Networks Cubs Podcast. I'm Saada Sharma with my partner

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Speaker 1: Patrick Mooney, where your Cubs beat writers over at the

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Speaker 1: Athletic Patrick. Free agency has started. There are there are

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Speaker 1: players signing with teams. The Cubs aren't yet active, but uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, I think pictures are going to move where

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Speaker 1: We're going to see some stuff happen over the next

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Speaker 1: couple of weeks. Maybe not the biggest names. Uh, well,

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Speaker 1: we'll see when Juan Soto signs. Who is not going

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Speaker 1: to the Cubs, But we we can talk about some pictures,

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Speaker 1: right Like we've talked a lot about we talked last

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Speaker 1: episode about rookie Sasaki. The Cubs are going to be

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Speaker 1: in quote unquote on that. We'll see what that means

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Speaker 1: along that prom when that process starts, how long that

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Speaker 1: process goes. Uh but uh, something that you heard while

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Speaker 1: we were in uh San Antonio and then was kind

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Speaker 1: of reiterated in Jeff Passons's latest piece on ESPN is

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Speaker 1: that the Cubs are going to be kind of on

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Speaker 1: that middle tier of pictures starting pictures. Uh so Corbyn

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Speaker 1: Burns crossed him off your list, But then start talking

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Speaker 1: below that and and you're you start to get okay,

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Speaker 1: are they interested in Max Freed? That maybe that maybe

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Speaker 1: getting out of their price range. That's something we we

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Speaker 1: kind of heard early on at the GM meanings that

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Speaker 1: how expensive is Max Freed going to be? But uh,

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Speaker 1: there are other names. This is a pretty solid free

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Speaker 1: agent class, and there are names that the Cubs are

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Speaker 1: going to come away with. One of these guys that

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Speaker 1: I think, uh can push at minimum, put push Jameson

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Speaker 1: die own down, or compete with Jamison Tywne as a

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Speaker 1: solid middle rotation guy with some upside.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I just came here for the intelligent spending talk.

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Speaker 3: You know.

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Speaker 1: Uh, you know.

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Speaker 3: What we gathered at the GM meetings is that you know,

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Speaker 3: the Cubs are not gonna be in Unburns. I still

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Speaker 3: think Reid makes a lot of sense, and he has

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Speaker 3: a lot of attributes they'd be looking for. But look,

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Speaker 3: if a lot of teams, big market teams with playoff

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Speaker 3: ambitions are in on him and willing to stretch, we

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Speaker 3: don't have a great level of confidence that the Cubs

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Speaker 3: are gonna go all the all out right to sign

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Speaker 3: a guy like that.

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Speaker 2: And at the same time we've written this, even in season.

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Speaker 3: Comes they're pretty good at those upper middle class free agents.

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Speaker 3: I know you hear like kind of mid tier and

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Speaker 3: Cups fans will probably roll there asn't that is totally understandable,

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Speaker 3: But Comes have been good here with Imaga, with ty one,

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Speaker 3: even Marcus Stroman, there was a lot going on there,

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Speaker 3: but he for a time looked like someone who could

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Speaker 3: start the All Star Game.

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Speaker 2: Right Like, they have like.

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Speaker 3: A good sense of what they're looking for here. They

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Speaker 3: have a lot of confidence in their infrastructure. And again,

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Speaker 3: as a fan, you could say, you know, I'm sick

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Speaker 3: of the Cubs trying to coach guys up, why don't

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Speaker 3: you just go get a star? But within the reality

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Speaker 3: that they're working in, I think there are a lot

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Speaker 3: of names on there that that makes sense and could

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Speaker 3: really help push this team towards.

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Speaker 1: The next level. Yeah, one day that was mentioned to

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Speaker 1: me in San Antonio, and then we see pop up

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Speaker 1: in Both names mentioned in Jeff Passon's article were actually

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Speaker 1: mentioned or came up in conversation while I was in

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Speaker 1: San Antonio. I'm not sure if you heard, if you

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Speaker 1: heard the same, but Nick Pivetta was a name that

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Speaker 1: I heard, and instantly what someone said was like, go

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Speaker 1: look at his stuff Plus and you know that's that's

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Speaker 1: become a very trendy thing. And the reality is teams

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Speaker 1: have their own models, right that that show like what

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Speaker 1: the stuff is like. I don't know how close what

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Speaker 1: the Cubs have internally shares with the stuff Plus that

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Speaker 1: pops up on fangrafts. But but Pavetta was nasty last year.

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Speaker 1: In particular, his slider, like his fastball has always been

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Speaker 1: like measured well on those models that the stuff Plus models,

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Speaker 1: but his slider seemed to like leap and was just

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Speaker 1: absolute the amazing good curveball like everything. He was a

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Speaker 1: stuff Plus monster, is what I believe I was. I

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Speaker 1: was told, you know, he has a but he had

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Speaker 1: a what's it called, he's a he got a qualifying offer?

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Speaker 1: Is my is my hesitance there? And you know, we

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Speaker 1: had a lot of fans complaining when when Jed and

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Speaker 1: Carter said they were over the the threshold, right, the

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Speaker 1: luxury threshold. This is where the complaints become valid because

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Speaker 1: suddenly everything changes when you talk about qualifying offers, because

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Speaker 1: I think those draft picks go up significantly. I should

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Speaker 1: have researched this before jumping into the topic, but that's uh.

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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

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Speaker 1: up from losing like your third round pick to like

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Speaker 1: your second pick or something like that. We should we

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Speaker 1: should double check that. But it's a significant hit.

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Speaker 2: Well.

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Speaker 3: I mean, we all know that pitcher wins and losses

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Speaker 3: are the most important stat ever, and to me, it

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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.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I understand to a certain point.

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Speaker 2: I go back to a Tommy Hottey.

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Speaker 3: Told us at the end of the season of asking, like,

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Speaker 3: what do the Cubs look for in free agent starters?

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Speaker 3: And he went right to, like you walk strikeout rates,

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Speaker 3: and Nick Thevetta was elite in that category, I mean

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Speaker 3: eighty eighth percentile, eightieth percentile like and I think his

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Speaker 3: kind of late career development would speak well to another

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Speaker 3: point that Tommy made. If we want guys who can

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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

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Speaker 3: you know you sign a year or two ago. This,

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Speaker 3: I mean two extend to that level in terms of

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Speaker 3: all the qualifying offered, draft pick, international.

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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

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Speaker 3: his services. I don't have my own IVY model, but

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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,

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Speaker 3: I mean another name I think Jeff mentioned was Kakuchi.

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Speaker 3: Makes a lot of sense, especially given the way he

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Speaker 3: performed in Houston after leaving Toronto. I'm sure the Cubs

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Speaker 3: are looking at a lot of these guys in terms

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Speaker 3: of how they could unlock that potential and kind of

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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,

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Speaker 2: no doubt.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. And just to go back to the qualifying offer,

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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

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Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars international bonus pool. That is to your

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Speaker 1: second and fifth pick, the second and fifth highest election

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Speaker 1: and a million from your international bonus pool. So the

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Speaker 1: draft pick compensation isn't as bad as I as I

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Speaker 1: thought it was. I thought it was a bigger bump.

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Speaker 1: I thought it went from like third pick to second

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Speaker 1: pick and a fifth pick. So it's just adding a

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Speaker 1: fifth pick and another five hundred thousand from your bonus pool.

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Speaker 1: You know, if they're not getting it, if they're not

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Speaker 1: getting Roki Sozaki is losing a million bucks from your

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Speaker 1: bonus pool and a fifth rounder for a picture that

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Speaker 1: you may be high on that you'd think can be

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Speaker 1: really strong. Does that What does that do for you?

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Speaker 1: Kakuchi is interesting? What was brought up to me was

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Speaker 1: like more research needs to be done and why why

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Speaker 1: is this suddenly happening? Like his his success with Houston

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Speaker 1: seemed to like, you know, like that was pretty damn

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Speaker 1: impressive and was really his best stretch of his career. Uh,

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Speaker 1: pretty high strikeout rate, walks have been good for the

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Speaker 1: past two years now where he's he's not walking guys.

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Speaker 1: I think what stood out in Toronto was he had

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Speaker 1: the peripherals and wasn't getting the results as much. That's

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Speaker 1: that's something I kept hearing before then after the trade.

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Speaker 1: Looks like the slider usage went up after the trade.

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Speaker 1: Houston's obviously got a good history of taking guys with

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Speaker 1: stuff and and tweaking how they use everything. I think

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Speaker 1: he's a fascinating I think he'd be fascinating pitcher to

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Speaker 1: acquire my I don't have this in front of me,

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Speaker 1: but I'm pretty sure Toronto has a bad defense that

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Speaker 1: would that would definitely not be an issue with the Cubs, right,

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Speaker 1: you know, if he's striking guys out even close to

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Speaker 1: a thirty percent rate, which he did, Like he's a

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Speaker 1: thirty one point eight with Houston, that's easily the highest

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Speaker 1: he's done, but that was over ten starts. I'm not

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Speaker 1: sure if he can replicate that. But if he's even

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Speaker 1: what he was with Toronto, which was twenty six, and

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Speaker 1: then walk rate like, that's that's what the Cubs are

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Speaker 1: looking for. Right he's gone, let's see, he's gone one

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Speaker 1: seventy at around one seventy the past two seasons innings,

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Speaker 1: Like this is the type of guy they're looking for.

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Speaker 1: I think the only question is do you want like

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Speaker 1: three lefties with Jordan Wicks being like your sixth starter

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Speaker 1: in this making that a fourth. I don't know if

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Speaker 1: that matters as much if you're just getting out right

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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

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Speaker 1: with someone brought was bringing that up because there was

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Speaker 1: show to steal, and then Jordan Wick's competing. The council

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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

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Speaker 1: of pictures that like, just get me out, get get

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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

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Speaker 1: obviously doesn't come with the qualifying offer. Uh. He's a

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Speaker 1: little older, though I would still like. I still think

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Speaker 1: Nathan Valdi is really interesting. He's he's much older than

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Speaker 1: both well maybe not much older than than Kakuchi, but

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Speaker 1: I want to say he's he's thirty five. I like,

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Speaker 1: but that's right up to Cobs Ali. When it comes

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Speaker 1: to like a two year deal or something, he's gonna

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Speaker 1: get like two years forty five or something like that,

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Speaker 1: or two years, maybe even fifty that that's like, that's

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Speaker 1: just sounds like like it just sounds like exactly what

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Speaker 1: he wants to do. Yeah, you know, not not getting

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Speaker 1: bogged down by too many years. He'll pay the higher

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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

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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

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Speaker 1: think also makes sense. I'm very curious to see what

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Speaker 1: Walker Bueler ends up getting. Obviously the Cubs have gone

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Speaker 1: to the Dodger bounce back well before. Uh, I'd be

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Speaker 1: interested to see if if that's someone they can try

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Speaker 1: and get that would be interested in working with the Cubs.

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Speaker 1: I just wonder if they want more certainty, a little

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Speaker 1: more certainty, a higher floor, because obviously Bueller on a

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Speaker 1: one year deal, he could turn into the ace of

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Speaker 1: the staff like he could, he could emerge as the one.

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Speaker 1: Do they want someone that maybe they'd want him to

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Speaker 1: be the second signing and push us Od out of

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Speaker 1: the rotation as essentially to start the season. If if

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Speaker 1: this were the path they were going, I just don't

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Speaker 1: I don't know. We'd have to talk to more people

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Speaker 1: and understand they're exact thinking. But I think they want

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Speaker 1: certainty with who they sign and Bueller, as much as

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Speaker 1: I like him, I think it does kind of there's

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Speaker 1: not as much of a floor there, or there's a

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Speaker 1: lower floor there. All right, Patrick, let's come back and

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Speaker 1: talk about catching. We will be right back after this

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Speaker 1: quick break.

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Speaker 1: All right, Patrick, One of the names we mentioned for

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Speaker 1: backs up for the Cubs, Travis Darnaut, has already signed

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Speaker 1: not a crazy deal two years I believe twelve million.

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Speaker 1: The Braves did not pick up a one year eight

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Speaker 1: million dollar option. He's able to get more guaranteed a

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Speaker 1: lower AV going to an Angels team that came into

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Speaker 1: this offseason with a clear message that they're going to

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Speaker 1: try and spend and bring in players to try and

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Speaker 1: win next year. It's an interesting signing in that Logan o'

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Speaker 1: hoppy is one of those supposedly one of those one

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Speaker 1: hundred and thirty start catchers, and Darno's more of a

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Speaker 1: like you know, timeshare catcher or very like top tier

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Speaker 1: backup catcher, So I think that's interesting. But it's not

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Speaker 1: like he's been working beside pretty good catchers for a

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Speaker 1: while now. I feel like and handled multiple types of

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Speaker 1: roles as a backup or timeshare catcher. But check, you know,

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Speaker 1: cross his name off the list of potential catchers that

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Speaker 1: the Cubs are going to pursue.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and I'd imagine this gives some clarity or shapes

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Speaker 3: the market a bit. I'd imagine the Cubs would be

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Speaker 3: didn't need two years on Darneault given his age. He's

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Speaker 3: also from southern California, so i'd imagine that has some.

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Speaker 2: Sort of appeal.

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Speaker 3: But this is kind of the bucket they're looking at

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Speaker 3: right of a guy who could play anywhere from what

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Speaker 3: like seventy five to one hundred games depending on the scenario.

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Speaker 2: I mean, probably they'd like.

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Speaker 3: It more like a fifty to fifty split with Miguel Amaya,

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Speaker 3: as well as a chance to rotate those guys maybe

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Speaker 3: into a d H spot as needed, because they just

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Speaker 3: want more of a balance. We've talked about this a lot.

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Speaker 3: I'd imagine we'll continue talking about it. The good catchers

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Speaker 3: are really hard to find, and coming out the GM meetings.

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Speaker 3: We got like a no doubt enthusiastic endorsement endorsement of

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Speaker 3: Moisus Ballisteros as a hitter. There's some encouraging signs about

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Speaker 3: the possibility of him getting some playing time as a

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Speaker 3: major league catcher. But I don't think the Cubs are

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Speaker 3: looking at their future lineup. Says like Moises can catch

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Speaker 3: whatever one hundred something games for them, it would be

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Speaker 3: more of an option as part of a rotation. So uh,

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Speaker 3: from here, there are similar guys. I think the Danny

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Speaker 3: Janssen's of the world, the Carson Kelly's who are out there.

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Speaker 3: I think we'd be shocked if they didn't sign someone

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Speaker 3: of that caliber before do we head down to MESA.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Carson Kelly seems like a very safe, safe bet, right,

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Speaker 1: like if you're going to sign a timeshare backup guy

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Speaker 1: like that's he seems very like stable. Danny Jansen actually

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Speaker 1: would be a pretty solid platoon partner if what Miguel

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Speaker 1: Amaya did last year is is kind of who he is,

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Speaker 1: right because Miguel Ami struggled against lefties. He was terrible

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Speaker 1: against lefties and league average against righty's. Danny Jansen crushes

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Speaker 1: lefties and is okay below average against righty's, not like

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Speaker 1: I guess, look this up. A Maya had a thirty

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Speaker 1: way to run as great at plus against righty's, I

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Speaker 1: mean against lefties, that's that's abysmal. Yeah, And Danny Jansen

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Speaker 1: was at one eleven, so I mean that's that's kind

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Speaker 1: of a pretty good, you know, platoon guy. And he's

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Speaker 1: eighty one against wrighty he's so it could be a

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Speaker 1: time share, like the right type of righty. You know,

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Speaker 1: I'm sure there if I dig deeper, you can find

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Speaker 1: the right type of pitches he hits and type of

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Speaker 1: righty's he hits, doesn't strike out, takes his walks, you know.

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Speaker 1: I think Jansen and Carson Kelly make a lot of sense,

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Speaker 1: and that's probably the route they go. There is that

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Speaker 1: small chance that they go and get a prospect, right,

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Speaker 1: there's still that chance. I just don't know, Like that's

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Speaker 1: how you get the star right, Like you just said it,

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Speaker 1: Moises by Asteros, it's a long shot that he's a

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Speaker 1: that he's the catcher of the future, right, I think

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Speaker 1: it's really you don't you never completely rule it out

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Speaker 1: because catching development's weird. But I don't think we've really

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Speaker 1: talked to anyone that's like, Yep, he can do it,

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Speaker 1: we definitely believe he's gonna do it, or anything like that.

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Speaker 1: Not that not that the work ethic isn't there. It's

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Speaker 1: just like physically it may not be realistic, like the

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Speaker 1: body type and everything just doesn't you know, there's not much.

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Speaker 1: I was reading a scouting report on him. I want

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Speaker 1: to say, Baseball America had their top ten out and

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Speaker 1: like every description it was like, he's not he doesn't

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Speaker 1: block balls well, he doesn't frame well, he doesn't throw

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Speaker 1: guys out.

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Speaker 3: I'm like, in a second, other than that, he's a

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Speaker 3: perfectly capable defensive catcher.

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Speaker 1: Come on, give me. There's gotta be one thing here.

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Speaker 1: Uh So, yeah, that's a pretty pessimistic view there. I

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Speaker 1: So I would like to I'm always curious to see

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Speaker 1: if if someone's gonna trade, if someone has a block

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Speaker 1: catching prospect, that's how you get it. That's how you

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Speaker 1: get that catch of the future. The Cubs have so

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Speaker 1: much prospect depth and players that could make sense moving

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Speaker 1: Nico Horner. We discussed Cody Bellinger, who we've touched on, Like,

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Speaker 1: I don't know if that's enough to get you that

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Speaker 1: prospect Cody Bellinger probably isn't going to get you a

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Speaker 1: lot just because that's just how that contract is working.

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Speaker 1: I don't see that unless someone's looking to like desperately

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Speaker 1: get a center fielder. But yeah, I think that's the

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Speaker 1: only way you get impact, and that would be down

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Speaker 1: the line, not twenty twenty five impact, you know what

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Speaker 1: I mean. So it's gonna be I think the reality

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Speaker 1: they face is what we've been saying kind of since

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Speaker 1: the season ended, you know, And I think that's okay,

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Speaker 1: get that half, get that time share maximized. If there's

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Speaker 1: one thing, like we know Counsel does well, we know

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Speaker 1: Counsel does a lot of things well, right, but one

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Speaker 1: thing that I appreciate about him is he he knows

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Speaker 1: how to put these position players in the best position

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Speaker 1: to succeed. Right. He's not he doesn't want to expose

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Speaker 1: guys he does. You know, there's a method to why

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Speaker 1: he's doing certain things. As much as people might complain

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Speaker 1: about Michael Bush being bitchit for against the leptis, he's

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Speaker 1: trying to do something. There's something he believes works, and

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Speaker 1: he's trying to put them in the best position to succeed.

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Speaker 3: I love this because I'm picturing like your basement or

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Speaker 3: your garage, just a total like minor league catching prospects

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Speaker 3: room of like all the scouting reports and depths charts

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Speaker 3: taped up against the wall, the headshots of these catching prospects.

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Speaker 2: I love how you've been on this. I think it's

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Speaker 2: a great idea.

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Speaker 3: It's probably hard to pull off, like I said, and

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Speaker 3: I do think I can also envision us at Cubs convention,

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Speaker 3: you know, during those group interviews or the Q and

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Speaker 3: A sessions with fans of kind of Jen Carter and

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Speaker 3: Council up there saying look, we got you know, this

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Speaker 3: quasi starting sort of more than a backup catcher that's

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Speaker 3: going to raise the floor of our offense next year,

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Speaker 3: and Cubs.

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Speaker 2: Not feeling it the media sort of eyes, but.

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Speaker 3: Yes, raising the floor like this is our big offensive improvement,

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Speaker 3: sort of crossing our fingers at Bellinger's healthy and like

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Speaker 3: an MVP having a better catching setup and maybe some

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Speaker 3: sort of young guy popping, you know, a full season

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Speaker 3: of kind of good PCA, a.

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Speaker 2: Less than full season.

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Speaker 3: Of Miguel Amaya not being part of like the worst

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Speaker 3: catching setup in the game.

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Speaker 2: Those are kind of the things we're looking at.

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Speaker 1: Here, all right, Patrick, Kyle Hendrick signed a major league

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Speaker 1: deal with the Los Angeles Angels. He will likely start

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Speaker 1: the season in their rotation, guaranteed deal. Like I I mean,

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Speaker 1: I I wasn't sure if this was going to drag

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Speaker 1: out for him. I wasn't sure if he was gonna,

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Speaker 1: you know, like be a spring training type signing on

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Speaker 1: a minor league deal, an NRR type thing. This is,

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Speaker 1: you know, it's not a huge deal, I believe do

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Speaker 1: you remember the money with it two and a half.

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Speaker 1: It's nothing crazy, but a veteran winner going to a

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Speaker 1: team that we talked about before, Darnold, they're trying to

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Speaker 1: win next year. They're trying to make these marginal improvements.

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Speaker 1: I think this is kind of a best case scenario

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Speaker 1: all around. Kyle kind of goes home in a sense

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Speaker 1: like he's he's from that area and then yeah, okay, sorry.

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Speaker 3: His dad. His dad had had worked in the Angel's

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Speaker 3: ticket office for a bit when he was growing up.

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Speaker 3: I think he also had a couple connections to some

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Speaker 3: of the angel like you know, great Angels players of yesterday,

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Speaker 3: just between his family connections where he grew up all

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Speaker 3: that stuff.

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Speaker 2: So no, you're you're on, You're right.

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Speaker 1: On with that, Okay, yeah, No, For some reason I

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Speaker 1: started to like hesitate. I was like, wait a second,

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Speaker 1: I know he went to school in the East Coast,

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Speaker 1: but did he he wasn't from there. I like the

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Speaker 1: way this ended Cubs wise, it was like the only

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Speaker 1: good story of twenty twenty four, such a disappointing season

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Speaker 1: where fans were wanted more. Maybe shouldn't have expected more,

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Speaker 1: but did expect more. And just it was, you know,

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Speaker 1: a boring season with a team that lacked a lot

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Speaker 1: of like excitement, and that start from Kyle Hendricks was

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Speaker 1: just like a really nice way. Glad it happened near

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Speaker 1: the end of the season. Glad it was the way

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Speaker 1: Kyle Hendricks went out a great outing and just like

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Speaker 1: what he deserved. He was taken off. You know, he

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Speaker 1: was pulled after seven and a third. He didn't give

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Speaker 1: up any runs, Like what it just I mean, a

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Speaker 1: perfect story for him. Yeah. Was the wind blowing in

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Speaker 1: like one hundred miles per hour, sure, but I mean

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Speaker 1: that like, if anything, that's the baseball guys making sure

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Speaker 1: Kyle Hendricks gets a good sendoff.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think the Cubs very much recognize that

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Speaker 2: even Kyle himself acknowledged he probably should have been released

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Speaker 2: at some point during the season, and.

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Speaker 3: Almost certainly would have if some of these younger pitchers

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Speaker 3: had stayed healthy. I mean, bringing him back and having

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Speaker 3: that sort of like countdown again of are they going

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Speaker 3: to have to release him? That's just an an awkward

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Speaker 3: and uncomfortable situation that the Cubs wanted to avoid. Kyle

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Speaker 3: is maybe the most self aware player in the history

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00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:13,040
Speaker 3: of Major League Baseball. Certainly Jed Yeah, I mean I

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00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:18,200
Speaker 3: think Jed Hoyer would agree with that general sentiment.

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00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:20,880
Speaker 2: And Kyle and looking around.

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00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:23,600
Speaker 3: I mean, he had told me towards end of season,

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00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:25,199
Speaker 3: like he would have signed a minor league deal if

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00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:27,480
Speaker 3: he had to, Like, that's how badly he wanted to pitch.

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00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:30,879
Speaker 3: He's not too proud to go and be for a spot.

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00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:38,360
Speaker 3: So when a very attractive location comes early with a.

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00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:39,920
Speaker 2: Guaranteed deal.

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00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:44,359
Speaker 3: As well as like the chance to sort of work

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00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:47,720
Speaker 3: through whatever this was, maybe this was just kind of

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00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:52,440
Speaker 3: the natural decline for a guy who's absolutely maximized his

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00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:55,840
Speaker 3: major league career. But if he feels like he's working

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00:27:55,880 --> 00:28:00,160
Speaker 3: on stuff and has more to offer, you didn't want

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00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:01,760
Speaker 3: to sign with a team that expects to win the

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00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:05,000
Speaker 3: World Series next year, or a team where you'd constantly.

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00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:06,680
Speaker 2: Be looking over your shoulder.

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00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:10,040
Speaker 3: I think there's only a small group of teams that

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00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:15,480
Speaker 3: really made sense for Kyle, And so like, why wait,

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00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:20,199
Speaker 3: why drag this out all winter? Why wonder if that

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00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,399
Speaker 3: opportunity will still be there as it gets closer to

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00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:26,000
Speaker 3: spring training? And this is the guy who's always read

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00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:28,359
Speaker 3: the room very well and he jumped on it.

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00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:32,240
Speaker 1: Yeah. Self aware is such a great way to describe him.

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00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:34,720
Speaker 1: I mean, the fact that he brought up during this

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00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:37,960
Speaker 1: season like how thankful he was that he was getting

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00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:40,800
Speaker 1: this chance, or that he didn't really even likes it.

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00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:44,040
Speaker 1: They don't even deserve this chance, Like you don't hear

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00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:48,520
Speaker 1: big league players talk like that. It's just I mean,

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00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:51,440
Speaker 1: and he was and it was right, you know, like

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00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:54,560
Speaker 1: I mean, in May and June we're talking about like

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00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:58,800
Speaker 1: is this the end? Does he need to be released? It?

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00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:01,320
Speaker 1: And it felt uncomfortable because it's someone that you don't

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00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:03,320
Speaker 1: want to have to say those things about, but that's

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00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:07,920
Speaker 1: reality and he's openly talking about it. Just yeah, I mean,

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00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:10,080
Speaker 1: to wrap it up, he was just such a pleasure

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00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:15,360
Speaker 1: to cover in Chicago, we won't get someone like him again,

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00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:18,360
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, someone that unassuming and then

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00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:23,640
Speaker 1: hits the heights that he hit, like yeah, the third

472
00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:30,440
Speaker 1: place in cym's voting in twenty sixteen. Pitching multiple clinching games,

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00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:34,840
Speaker 1: starting multiple clinching games, huge games in the postseason. That

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00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,360
Speaker 1: game six against the Dodgers is one of those outings

475
00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:41,960
Speaker 1: that where they face the minimum with all those double plays,

476
00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:44,600
Speaker 1: just one of those games that's going to be hard

477
00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:47,480
Speaker 1: to forget for anyone that watched or covered it or

478
00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:51,880
Speaker 1: was a part of it. He's he's a Cubs legend.

479
00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:55,360
Speaker 1: Like it, you know, I'm not sure if you watch

480
00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:59,840
Speaker 1: this you know era of Cubs baseball, he has to

481
00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:02,480
Speaker 1: be among your top players when it comes to both

482
00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:06,560
Speaker 1: performance and just easy to root for, just the easy

483
00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:09,080
Speaker 1: guy to root for. I'm glad he gets to go

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00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:12,520
Speaker 1: back to you know, go back somewhere close to home

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00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:16,960
Speaker 1: and somewhere where you know he'll get a real shot

486
00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:19,920
Speaker 1: and we'll see if the Angels can can make some noise.

487
00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:21,760
Speaker 1: I don't know how tough that Al West will be,

488
00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,920
Speaker 1: but maybe maybe as a shot to get in the

489
00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:26,600
Speaker 1: postseason again, that would be fun.

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00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:31,200
Speaker 3: Or go ahead, I mean, he pitches really well and

491
00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:33,760
Speaker 3: the Cubs have to trade for him at the deadline

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00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:34,200
Speaker 3: next year.

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00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:34,959
Speaker 2: I'll throw that.

494
00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:37,320
Speaker 3: How about we throw that one out there, because you're right,

495
00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:40,520
Speaker 3: it's very well put of.

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00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:44,160
Speaker 2: Are we ever going to see someone like him ever again?

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00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:46,920
Speaker 3: And I don't think you'd get that mixture of a

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00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:51,520
Speaker 3: guy who throws like eighty seven miles an hour. We'd

499
00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:56,840
Speaker 3: have to wait another century to find games with as

500
00:30:56,920 --> 00:31:03,800
Speaker 3: much emotional heavy as the ones that he started. And

501
00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:09,520
Speaker 3: the fact that he never changed at all during this

502
00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:17,840
Speaker 3: time is just unbelievable. We're talking World Series hangover, the

503
00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:18,960
Speaker 3: fame getting to his head.

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00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:19,760
Speaker 2: I mean, this is the guy.

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00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:25,640
Speaker 3: Who's you know, made about ninety million dollars in his career,

506
00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:30,720
Speaker 3: Like none of that has changed his demeanor, his temperament,

507
00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:35,160
Speaker 3: his sense of purpose and routine. Just like a kind

508
00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:38,480
Speaker 3: of a once in a lifetime player to cover or

509
00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:39,320
Speaker 3: watch as a fan.

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00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:44,120
Speaker 1: Yeah, just a pleasure to be around. Glad I got

511
00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:46,800
Speaker 1: to cover him. Still. My favorite story that I wrote

512
00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,720
Speaker 1: was the Kyle Hendrick story at the Athletic that opened

513
00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:52,720
Speaker 1: up the playoffs right before his first started a twenty

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00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:56,920
Speaker 1: sixteen postseason. Just fun, fun to cover and fun to

515
00:31:56,960 --> 00:32:01,600
Speaker 1: dig into. His rise as a as a pitcher. All right,

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Speaker 1: Patrick will wrap it up there. Thanks so much for listening.

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Speaker 1: This is north Side Territory. Make sure to rate, review,

518
00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:11,400
Speaker 1: and subscribe. Subscribe to the YouTube channel. Hopefully we'll be

519
00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:14,640
Speaker 1: up there with the video of our beautiful faces in

520
00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:19,000
Speaker 1: the next couple episodes here. We're working on that. We'll

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00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:21,000
Speaker 1: make sure you guys get to see how we look

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00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:25,600
Speaker 1: when we're recording these podcasts. Thanks so much for listening,

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00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:27,720
Speaker 1: Thanks for reading our work. Make sure to subscribe to

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00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:29,920
Speaker 1: The Athletic, where Patrick and I are covering the Cubs

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00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:32,800
Speaker 1: all off season long. Thanks everyone to take care