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Speaker 1: Like, I don't care that your internal what your internal

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Speaker 1: projections say. Better be a better team. You need to

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Speaker 1: make the playoff after you just missed it last year.

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Speaker 1: Welcome into Northside Territory Foul Territory Networks Cubs Podcast. I'm

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Speaker 1: Sahad Sharma with my co host Patrick Mooney, where your

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Speaker 1: Cubs beat writers over at the Athletic. Patrick, the Cubs

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Speaker 1: have done the bare minimum this week so far, you know,

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Speaker 1: winning two of three from each of the Toronto and Detroit.

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Speaker 1: You know, they need a sweep here for us to

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Speaker 1: really start diving into playoff talk, and they need it. Frankly,

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Speaker 1: they need Atlanta to stop winning series as well. They're

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Speaker 1: keeping pace with Atlanta after that sweep. Essentially they've kept pace.

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Speaker 1: So they need Atlanta to lose and they need to

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Speaker 1: get going. They can't. This isn't time. I think I

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Speaker 1: wrote essentially this yesterday or for today was you know,

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Speaker 1: like they win the series like this in in May

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Speaker 1: and June. We're having different conversations right now. For sure,

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Speaker 1: winning series is a good thing. I'm not I'm not

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Speaker 1: complaining about that. I'm not saying it's a bad thing.

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Speaker 1: At this point that backed themselves into a corner. It's

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Speaker 1: just kind of this is where we are. So so

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Speaker 1: we're not gonna we're not gonna spend a lot of

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Speaker 1: time talking about the wild Card race until they give

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Speaker 1: us a reason to. Patrick would be asked for questions.

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Speaker 1: The fans immediately responded, so why why don't why don't

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Speaker 1: we get to that and and hear what the fans

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Speaker 1: want to know about?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, let's I think we got some some good ones.

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Speaker 3: I think, honestly, like what we're interested in, what we're

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Speaker 3: writing about is some of the stuff that like.

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Speaker 2: Immediately surfaced on Twitter here.

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Speaker 3: So let's start with aptly named Cubs account. The stars

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Speaker 3: are perfectly aligned in terms of roster and payroll for

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Speaker 3: a Wan Soto chase. What is the point of Jed

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Speaker 3: Hoyer's cherished financial flexibility if the best they'll ever attempt

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Speaker 3: to do is spreads around to second tier free agents?

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Speaker 2: Ouch, what do you got?

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Speaker 1: Sided? Yeah? You know, that's it's a fair question. And

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Speaker 1: I don't know, like what more I can say for

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Speaker 1: my end other than I think they should go after

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Speaker 1: Juan Soto, like he's the right type of free agent.

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Speaker 1: I think that you spend insane amounts of money on

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Speaker 1: he's he's twenty five, he's put up Hall of Fame

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Speaker 1: numbers already. He You know, there are probably some questions

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Speaker 1: right defense, which I believe he's improved upon this year.

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Speaker 1: There are gonna be questions about like clubhouse fit, right

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Speaker 1: because I think there were rumors that he wasn't a

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Speaker 1: perfect clubhouse fit in San Diego. Well, some of that

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Speaker 1: is just like when you have like six superstars or

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Speaker 1: guys that think they're superstars. The Cubs don't have a superstar.

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Speaker 1: Let him be the superstar. Let him enjoy himself on

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Speaker 1: the field. And I don't know, some would call it antics.

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Speaker 1: I think it's just like having fun on the field.

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Speaker 1: The stuff that he does when he takes a ball

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Speaker 1: and things like that, or challenging a picture to throw

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Speaker 1: more strikes things. Here's the bottom line. He's a stud

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Speaker 1: and he changes the lineup. Hit him two, hit him

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Speaker 1: three and four, wherever you want to hit him. Everyone's

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Speaker 1: going to benefit from it. From his presence, it changes everything.

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Speaker 1: Why isn't Jed going to do that? Well, first of all,

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Speaker 1: like it's not one hundred percent guaranteed that he doesn't,

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Speaker 1: but I would put it like ninety nine it's just

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Speaker 1: how you know. I don't think you and I are

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Speaker 1: like off, like on different pages on this right, So

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Speaker 1: I don't want to speak for you, but like everything

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Speaker 1: that we've gathered and everything that we've watched this front

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Speaker 1: office do suggests this isn't the route they're going. Now,

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Speaker 1: does that mean it's an utter failure? Does that mean

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Speaker 1: they can't win?

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Speaker 4: No?

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Speaker 1: I just think it's it's the quickest path and uh

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Speaker 1: and not only the quickest paths of success, but also

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Speaker 1: also it feels the most secure, the most safe, and

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Speaker 1: that's just what I'm talking about is wins on the field. Now,

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Speaker 1: this guy talked the Cubs account said the magic word

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Speaker 1: financial flexibility. I don't think that's just on Jed to

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Speaker 1: be fair, like ownership wants that ownership is the one

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Speaker 1: If Jed was told you have a you have a

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Speaker 1: limit of two hundred and eighty million for the next

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Speaker 1: six years or whatever that is, for the next decade,

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Speaker 1: you can go up to you can go up to

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Speaker 1: two hundred and eighty million, and as the taxes go up,

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Speaker 1: you can go up push a three hundred million whatever

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Speaker 1: whatever it is. I think Jed would be like, Okay,

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Speaker 1: let's be a little bit more aggressive. Let's go get

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Speaker 1: Wan Soto. This is this is about like Jed's trying

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Speaker 1: to work with what he has. So yes, tommerk Iss

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Speaker 1: love to say, like Jed's allowed to spend however he wants,

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Speaker 1: use that money how he wants. But it's a budget,

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Speaker 1: it's a real budget. And the reality is like the

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Speaker 1: top tennis teams now in payroll go over the first

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Speaker 1: threshold essentially, that's like where it is. So going over

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Speaker 1: that first threshold isn't even that big of a deal anymore.

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Speaker 1: The CUB should be a top five payroll. They should

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Speaker 1: be spending more. They're just not. And they the way

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Speaker 1: they act, the way they spend that And this isn't

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Speaker 1: just on Jed, but Jed will you know, Jed's trying

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Speaker 1: to find a way to win and not make it

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Speaker 1: so they fall off a cliff, So you know, it

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Speaker 1: spread the blame around. I'm not saying don't blame Jed,

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Speaker 1: but I'm just saying, like it's not like Jed's like

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Speaker 1: I don't like Juan Soto or I don't want players

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Speaker 1: like Juan Soto. He's trying to make that that financial

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Speaker 1: flexibility is important and it's something that ownership likes as well.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean every employee has a boss, right And

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Speaker 3: you go back to what Tom Rickets said at the

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Speaker 3: start of Spinning training referencing Scott Boris and his signature

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Speaker 3: move of going over the head of a GM or

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Speaker 3: a team president to talk directly at the ownership level.

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Speaker 3: And that is what happened in large part in San

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Speaker 3: Diego before Peter Sidler passed away. It's been kind of

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Speaker 3: this pipeline in Philadelphia with their owner John Middleton. You know,

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Speaker 3: there are certain owners who want to be involved in

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Speaker 3: I don't know if that's like a great thing overall

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Speaker 3: of like negotiating actual contracts are kind of inserting themselves

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Speaker 3: and looking for the spotlight. That's not always a great move,

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Speaker 3: but that is how a lot of the or enough

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Speaker 3: of the you know, premium level Boris deals get done.

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Speaker 3: And that is something that Tom Ricketts is simply not

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Speaker 3: willing to engage in. And I think the next question

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Speaker 3: to kind of answer what Cubs account was getting at,

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Speaker 3: I think Davy base Ball makes a point that I

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Speaker 3: wanted to get into of why should we expect anything

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Speaker 3: different from Jed Hoyer and company in the lame duck

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Speaker 3: off season. It hasn't worked for three straight years. I'm

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Speaker 3: expecting the same next year. And I think these two

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Speaker 3: ideas line up of like even within an off season,

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Speaker 3: things changed. I go back to after the twenty fifteen

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Speaker 3: NLCS being at those GM meetings and THEO being really

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Speaker 3: annoyed and frustrated and sort of like resigned to, well, yeah,

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Speaker 3: it'll be really nice to do whatever two nine figure

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Speaker 3: deals in one offseason, and it sounded like, well, until

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Speaker 3: we get our TV situation resolved, we're kind of in

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Speaker 3: this spot. And then THEO went back to Chicago or

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Speaker 3: this process had already started, and he and you know,

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Speaker 3: several people in the business and baseball sides decided to

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Speaker 3: do this, like two off seasons and one idea, and

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Speaker 3: all of a sudden you had Heyward sober and it

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Speaker 3: took a lot of a lot of.

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Speaker 2: Different things kind of coming together.

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Speaker 3: They use those resources off that surprising NLCS run so

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Speaker 3: like even Cody Bellinger right like, there was only one

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Speaker 3: scenario in which he'd come.

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Speaker 2: Back to the Cubs and it happened.

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Speaker 5: And so.

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Speaker 3: I do also think that they have shifted a bit.

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Speaker 3: I think the Michael Bush trade, the parades trade, even

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Speaker 3: though the Paraders trade to this extent you wrote about

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Speaker 3: it for us on the athletic doesn't look great at

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Speaker 3: the moment. But those are different types of deals that

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Speaker 3: the you and Jed didn't traditionally.

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Speaker 1: Make.

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Speaker 3: You know, I think they got maybe the best pitcher

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Speaker 3: on the free agent market last offseason in signing Shota,

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Speaker 3: Like they're good at finding guys like Shoto or Jamison

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Speaker 3: Tile Like, there are things that they do well. And

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Speaker 3: I think you also have to take an account that

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Speaker 3: the lame duck pressure that is mentioned that is a

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Speaker 3: factor they know they need to make the playoffs next year.

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Speaker 3: We don't know exactly the extent of Craig Council's influence,

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Speaker 3: but he's a different actor within this who will have

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Speaker 3: had a full year managing the club and will have had,

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Speaker 3: you know, clearly much more fully developed relationships within the

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Speaker 3: front office and the baseball op side than he did

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Speaker 3: when he first came on.

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Speaker 2: From the Brewers. And just I don't know, off seasons

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Speaker 2: are weird.

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Speaker 3: I feel like you kind of go into it with

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Speaker 3: some preconceived notion that you just never quite no. I

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Speaker 3: go back to something Crane Kenny had said of last

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Speaker 3: off season kind of sitting down with you or really

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Speaker 3: every off season of like.

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Speaker 2: Him taking all this information from Major League.

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Speaker 3: Baseball that centralized and being like, well, I think these

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Speaker 3: these teams have money to spend. These teams, don't you

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Speaker 3: do the payroll and now and then Jet's side has

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Speaker 3: the whole roster evaluation side of this team needs this,

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Speaker 3: This team needs that. And Okay, what who are going

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Speaker 3: to be our competitors here, who are going to be

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Speaker 3: aggressive in the market, who may need to move guys.

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Speaker 2: To shed payroll. So like, maybe I'm being overly opt

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Speaker 2: ormistic here.

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Speaker 3: I'm not trying to be like a Pollyanna, but like,

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Speaker 3: there are lots of things that can happen. I just

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Speaker 3: don't think either one of us are expecting a Scott

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Speaker 3: Boris wan soa of a press conference with Jed Hoyer

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Speaker 3: up there at the Winter meetings.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's something that fans listen and I

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Speaker 1: sometime we all get like stuck in these things where

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Speaker 1: it's like you have to take this route. There are

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Speaker 1: multiple ways to succeed, right, And I know Cubs fans

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Speaker 1: are disappointed with how the past couple of seasons have

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Speaker 1: have played out. I think this is the only one

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Speaker 1: that's truly disappointing as compared to how we entered the season.

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Speaker 1: And guess what, like they're like external projections and probably

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Speaker 1: internal projections aren't too far off from what they're gonna

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Speaker 1: end up being. They needed to outperform projections. It was

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Speaker 1: mostly like us and and fans that were like, you

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Speaker 1: got to make the playoffs, and now a lot of

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Speaker 1: it was and I think I said this at the beginning,

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Speaker 1: it's like that's what the cub should be. The Cubs

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Speaker 1: should be better, Like I don't care that your internal

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Speaker 1: what your internal projections say, be better, be a better team,

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Speaker 1: Like you need to make the playoffs after you just

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Speaker 1: missed it last year. So this this season is a

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Speaker 1: disappointment in that sense, But I don't think they're just

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Speaker 1: like devastated and like, we totally miscalculated everything. How did we?

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Speaker 1: How are we so off? And now you can make

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Speaker 1: an argument that they're going to end up close to

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Speaker 1: their wins, but in a way that probably projections didn't expect.

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Speaker 1: Pitchings better than they expected, an offense isn't as good, right,

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Speaker 1: So yeah, but the reality is I don't think they're

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Speaker 1: as far off as some of it feels at times

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Speaker 1: just look around the league. Look, I thought Jeff Passon

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Speaker 1: had a really interesting tweet the other day kind of

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Speaker 1: shedding light on we're we're in an era where everyone

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Speaker 1: is just like kind of around the same. There's like,

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Speaker 1: no team is on pace to win one hundred games?

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Speaker 1: Is that right? Is that what I think?

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Speaker 3: It?

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Speaker 1: Like? There's it's it's remarkable, Like I'm shocked by that.

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Speaker 1: And I guess watching games and like seeing other teams,

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Speaker 1: I shouldn't be because I watch other games. I watch

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Speaker 1: other teams and I'm like, they're not like the great teams.

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Speaker 1: I'm like, they're not that much better than the Cubs.

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Speaker 1: Some of them have stars. So then you just feel like, ah,

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Speaker 1: that's that's kind of like how they win those extra

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Speaker 1: five to ten games. But I just don't I don't

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Speaker 1: think they're that far off. Again, the easy solution I

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Speaker 1: feel is Juan Soto. I don't think Hoyer is made

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Speaker 1: move after move that's awful, Like when you talk about

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Speaker 1: actually moves that matter, you know, like moves around the

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Speaker 1: edges like Trey Mancini, Tucker Barnhardt. People want to fixate

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Speaker 1: on Eric Hosmer and things like that. Those are just

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Speaker 1: like those should be like the bottom of the roster moves,

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Speaker 1: those are those move the needle for me either way.

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Speaker 1: Like you can't say, like, oh, that's devastating to this club,

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Speaker 1: and it shouldn't be five ten million, fifteen million, that

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Speaker 1: type of stuff shouldn't matter much to a big market team.

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Speaker 1: Make to make more moves. So like, yes, paradis first,

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Speaker 1: whatever month, three weeks, whatever it's been, I'm not going

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Speaker 1: to freak out, Like, look at how consistent he's been,

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Speaker 1: Like he didn't have a month until this month this

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Speaker 1: season below one hundred way to runs great at plus.

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Speaker 1: So you can freak out if you want, but like,

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Speaker 1: he's a pretty consistent player, and he may have he

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Speaker 1: just may have a rough rest of the season with

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Speaker 1: the Cubs. Maybe he needs an offseason to reset. Maybe

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Speaker 1: he just felt really comfortable in Tampa Bay. Well we'll see,

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Speaker 1: we'll see. But I'm not I'm not the type to

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Speaker 1: take too much away from three weeks or whatever it's been.

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Speaker 1: But they've made smart moves, I feel like, and it's

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Speaker 1: it's always been for me, the moves that Jed didn't make,

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Speaker 1: and that's getting a superstar. But you look at most

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Speaker 1: of the moves where he's invested more than like two

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Speaker 1: years on a guy, none of them have been devastating

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Speaker 1: to this team. None of them have been really bad.

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Speaker 1: I'd point to and say, like, that's not a good move.

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Speaker 1: Tyo showed to say, even extending Hap and and Nico, Like,

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Speaker 1: I know, I know Hap gets a lot of criticism.

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Speaker 1: He's a good ballplayer. He just is it a above.

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Speaker 3: Average player who winds up like in the same play.

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Speaker 3: I was just looking at the other day of like, yeah,

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Speaker 3: one twenty ops plus like it's basically each the last

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Speaker 3: three or four seasons, like he'll hit twenty ish. Homer's

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Speaker 3: eighties on marbais like, and that's where he's going to

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Speaker 3: be again this year.

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Speaker 1: Right. And So, I mean, I get all the criticism

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Speaker 1: and I get the like the feeling of like, what's

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Speaker 1: what's going to be different? Listen, they may not behave

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Speaker 1: differently that differently in the off season, but I do

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Speaker 1: believe they know. I shouldn't say I do believe. I

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Speaker 1: know they know they need to win. They need to win,

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Speaker 1: so they're going to They're going to be a little

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Speaker 1: bit more aggressive. It may not be in the sense

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Speaker 1: of Juan Soto and Corbyn Burns, but there's a lot

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Speaker 1: of other free agents and there's a lot of ways

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Speaker 1: that I think they can win. There's gonna be a

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Speaker 1: question coming up that I think is we should really

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Speaker 1: like I don't know if the player gets priced out

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Speaker 1: of them. We'll get to that later. But I think

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Speaker 1: there are paths to success and we have to, Like,

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Speaker 1: I get fixated on certain players sometimes, and I know

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Speaker 1: fans do as well. And it's very easy to say,

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Speaker 1: like they didn't get Shoheo Tani failed off season, they

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Speaker 1: don't get Won Soto failed off season. It's very easy

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Speaker 1: to do that, and I get that, but there are ways.

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Speaker 1: It's not like the Dodgers are the only team that

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Speaker 1: are good because they got the best free agents, right,

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Speaker 1: So that's like, this is again what you said. I

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Speaker 1: don't want to be Pollyanna. It's just I'm trying to

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Speaker 1: look at this in different ways and make sure like

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Speaker 1: it's not just like one path to success. And I

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Speaker 1: think that's really important to keep in mind for fans,

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Speaker 1: even if it's frustrating that they're not acting like the Dodgers,

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Speaker 1: the Mets and the Yankees, because I believe they should

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Speaker 1: behave that way. It's just they're not. So you kind

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Speaker 1: of have to figure out how you move forward from that.

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Speaker 1: Let's get to some bullpen questions. Patrick Tyler Dershel says

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Speaker 1: the bullpen has been great lately. Sorry, just clicked away.

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Speaker 1: How can the Cubs avoid the really bad bullpen play

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Speaker 1: for the first couple of months of twenty twenty five

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Speaker 1: that has plagued this team in back to back years now.

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Speaker 1: Matthew Friedman similar question, What can the Cubs learn from

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Speaker 1: how they constructed their opening day bullpen?

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Speaker 3: This is probably not the answer of people want to hear.

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Speaker 3: I think they're gonna do the exact same thing. I

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Speaker 3: don't see them. I guess Josh Hater is kind of

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Speaker 3: a you know, an extreme outlier, But I don't see

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Speaker 3: them investing huge money in the closers closer position, or

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Speaker 3: like trading a bunch of guys, a bunch of big

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Speaker 3: time prospects just for say a Mason Miller type. I

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Speaker 3: think if you look at I feel like David Bednar

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Speaker 3: was like a name that was sort of rumored. He's

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Speaker 3: not been very good this year.

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Speaker 2: I think they think it's too volatile.

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Speaker 3: I mean, Craig Counsel was asked this the other day,

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Speaker 3: kind of in his first year of observing and you know,

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Speaker 3: gathering all this information, like how do you kind of

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Speaker 3: apply that moving forward?

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Speaker 2: And I think they're going to get more out getters.

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Speaker 2: To use a council phrase, I think it's going to be.

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Speaker 3: Very much what he's talking about is just developing lots

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Speaker 3: of good options.

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Speaker 5: Now.

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Speaker 3: That could be something like Porter hot who is not

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Speaker 3: at all on the major league radar in spring training.

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Speaker 3: It could be trading for a guy like Tyson Miller.

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Speaker 3: It could be acquiring a guy off the scrap heap

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Speaker 3: like Jorge Lopez, who saw it that you have reported

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Speaker 3: as a guy that comes would be interested in bringing

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Speaker 3: back next year, someone Counsel had.

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Speaker 2: Someone whom Darren Holmes had worked with in Baltimore. I

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Speaker 2: think you're.

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Speaker 3: Again, this is us being special assistants. I think you

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Speaker 3: go out and get a legit starter and then you're

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Speaker 3: gonna have some more overflow towards the bullpen as well

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Speaker 3: in terms of these young guys, and so I think,

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Speaker 3: you know, it's probably not satisfying to hear in the moment,

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Speaker 3: but I think they're going to stick with their process

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Speaker 3: and it's just one of those weird things. We're gonna

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Speaker 3: be writing about it on the Athletic this weekend. Of

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Speaker 3: like if you how you remember the Cubs bullpen at

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Speaker 3: the beginning of the season, it's not as bad as

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Speaker 3: it looked. Then it's also not good enough to like

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Speaker 3: make the playoffs and win multiple postseason rounds. So like

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Speaker 3: they need just need to execute in the big moments.

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Speaker 3: They need to figure it out faster, they need to

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Speaker 3: just bring more options to the table. And then part

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Speaker 3: of it is just kind of crossing your fingers and

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Speaker 3: hoping guys don't just.

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Speaker 2: All go down at once the way it sort of

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Speaker 2: happened at the beginning of the year. And then you

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Speaker 2: also didn't have these young pitchers.

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Speaker 3: We remember when we were talking about like managing Ben

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Speaker 3: Brown's innings, like how are they gonna do that?

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Speaker 2: How are they gonna you know, and.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, he's kind of you know, disappeared after uh, you know,

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Speaker 6: seven no hit innings in Milwaukee two kind of starts,

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Speaker 6: and then it's you know, where is this young pitching coming.

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Speaker 3: So I think they're gonna attack it from multiple angles.

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Speaker 3: And you know, the nar release is kind of reminder

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Speaker 3: like we all were like, oh, one of the Cubs

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Speaker 3: gonna like spend more on their bullpen, and they did,

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Speaker 3: and this guy did.

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Speaker 2: Not last the entire season.

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Speaker 3: So I think they will in a weird way look

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Speaker 3: at this year as validation for their entire bullpens, right,

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Speaker 3: not saying they're right, but that's very much the sense

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Speaker 3: we're getting from the coaching staff, the front office, the

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Speaker 3: relievers who have very much, you know, enjoyed their time here.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. So, Patrick, you you were out on the field

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Speaker 1: during council's session on Thursday, and I asked him as

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Speaker 1: as a bullpen turned into a strength for this team,

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Speaker 1: Like can you look at it as a strength? And

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Speaker 1: he kind of, you know, thought about it in his

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Speaker 1: council way and then and essentially his point was, I

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Speaker 1: don't think you can say that until you, like, a

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Speaker 1: season is six months long, then it's the strength of

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Speaker 1: the team. He's like, it was rough the first couple months,

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Speaker 1: and we got it. He's like, we figured it out,

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Speaker 1: and like that can be a process. He's like, but

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Speaker 1: a season is full six months and like without the playoffs.

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Speaker 1: He's like, so to talk about it as a strength

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Speaker 1: of the team. I think his point was essentially, no,

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Speaker 1: you can't say that is it? And I what I'm

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Speaker 1: I'm kind of extrapolating here. Is it a strength right now? Sure?

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Speaker 1: Is it a strength of the for the team? For

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Speaker 1: the season. I don't think you can say that because

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Speaker 1: it cost them games early on, right developed into the

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Speaker 1: strength they got hot at one point. You could say

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Speaker 1: that about the Diamondbacks bullpen last year. Right, they got

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Speaker 1: hot at the right time and a lot of random

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Speaker 1: things happened towards the end of the season, and and

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Speaker 1: it helped them get to the World Series. So could

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Speaker 1: this bullpen currently constructed help them get to the World

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Speaker 1: Series if they made an insane run. Yeah, I think

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Speaker 1: it's good enough. Now, I don't think what you want

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Speaker 1: is you need to find a way. And I had

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Speaker 1: someone tell me this in spring training. It like I

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Speaker 1: would They said, I would be shocked if by the

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Speaker 1: end of this season, I'm gonna get the names wrong

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Speaker 1: because I don't even remember who it is. If Hector Naris,

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Speaker 1: Julian merriwether Adbard Alzalai, and whoever the fourth person would

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Speaker 1: have been, are our four main relievers? Uh by August

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Speaker 1: in September, And the person said, in frankly, I don't

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Speaker 1: think that'd be a good thing, because you want new

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Speaker 1: names to pop up over the course of the season.

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Speaker 1: What you want, though, is for those four whoever, whoever

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Speaker 1: the fourth one was I'm blanking. What's that lighter? Yes, yes, exactly, yes,

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Speaker 1: that's exactly what was How can I forget lighter? Jeez

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Speaker 1: gone gone for a couple of weeks and then for

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Speaker 1: my mind. But the point wasn't like, uh, those guys

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Speaker 1: aren't good relievers. It's that bullpens just naturally of all

433
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,880
Speaker 1: over the course of a season, right, other guys step up,

434
00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:58,320
Speaker 1: Guys go through ruts. It's how bullpens are. So what

435
00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:00,800
Speaker 1: you need is those guys to hold it down for

436
00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:03,760
Speaker 1: a few weeks or a few months, right, and then

437
00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:06,560
Speaker 1: one guy gets hurt. Okay, Porter Hodge is ready now

438
00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:09,480
Speaker 1: he had two months in Triple A and he's ready.

439
00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:12,399
Speaker 1: Whatever it may be. Okay, we made this trade. We

440
00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:16,120
Speaker 1: have this reliever. This guy's ready. You want stuff like that. Oh,

441
00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:19,120
Speaker 1: the Mets made a mistake. They dropped Lopez or horror,

442
00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:21,399
Speaker 1: Lopez was in a down point in his career and

443
00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:24,719
Speaker 1: whatever was going on in his life, and and and

444
00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:28,960
Speaker 1: he got released during a bad moment. Cubs take advantage, right,

445
00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,840
Speaker 1: Tyson Miller, Like the Mariners have too much pitching, they

446
00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:35,720
Speaker 1: don't have room for him on their roster. Take advantage, right,

447
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:37,960
Speaker 1: Stuff like that happens over the course of the season

448
00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:40,960
Speaker 1: where you can reinforce your bullpen, but you just can't

449
00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:45,000
Speaker 1: have it be like they they just had a lot

450
00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:48,280
Speaker 1: of like the volatility hit them early on in the

451
00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:51,919
Speaker 1: negative sense, right, like it just got them bad or

452
00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:54,280
Speaker 1: like early and it all kind of happened at once,

453
00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:57,119
Speaker 1: and that's that's uh. You need to be a little

454
00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,359
Speaker 1: like I think the younger players should need to step pup.

455
00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:02,480
Speaker 1: And when I talk about that, it's a lot of

456
00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:05,119
Speaker 1: guys that we need to see down the stretch. We

457
00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:07,360
Speaker 1: need to see Hayden wass Nesky get healthy and make

458
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:09,960
Speaker 1: a few appearances. We need to see Ben Brown get

459
00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:12,920
Speaker 1: healthy and make a few appearances. Whether it's whether it's

460
00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:16,520
Speaker 1: you know, just a few winnings or a full month.

461
00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,600
Speaker 1: You need those guys to to kind of get their

462
00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:22,159
Speaker 1: footing back and then they're either a part of the

463
00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,160
Speaker 1: bullpen to start the season and others are depth whatever

464
00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:27,840
Speaker 1: it is, like you need, you need these guys to

465
00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:31,440
Speaker 1: step up. Neely getting back out there yesterday important like that. Stuff.

466
00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:34,119
Speaker 1: Little things like that matter, Like I like how console

467
00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:37,000
Speaker 1: didn't hesitate there, They're up big, This is perfect. Put

468
00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:39,360
Speaker 1: Neely back out there. Yeah, let him. Let him get

469
00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:42,479
Speaker 1: an outing and flush that first one, you know, and

470
00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:45,000
Speaker 1: maybe he's gonna have to be used in a bigger

471
00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,240
Speaker 1: moment later on this weekend or next week whatever it is,

472
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,520
Speaker 1: right that that's just how it how it has to be.

473
00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:55,200
Speaker 1: Sometimes like they're they're not changing the way they do things.

474
00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:58,240
Speaker 1: They're not signing whoever the Josh hater is of this winter.

475
00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:00,359
Speaker 1: I'm not even sure if there is a huge jarm

476
00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:03,359
Speaker 1: like that. I think it's a it's a there's a

477
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:05,679
Speaker 1: guy in the Phillies that's a stud. Jeff Hoffman is

478
00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,880
Speaker 1: probably like the big money Uh he was a scrappy guy.

479
00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:12,840
Speaker 2: I mean right, big time prospect. He didn't pan out.

480
00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:16,960
Speaker 1: And remember what what THEO was would tell us, like,

481
00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,040
Speaker 1: I don't think I'm sharing anything, even if this was

482
00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:22,639
Speaker 1: background stuff back then. But like, the goal isn't to

483
00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:25,760
Speaker 1: find to sign Brandon Morrow after he breaks out and

484
00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:28,640
Speaker 1: get a three year deal. The goal is to find

485
00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:32,760
Speaker 1: Brandon Morrow before he breaks out, right, And uh, there

486
00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:35,639
Speaker 1: was a there was a oh no, this is this

487
00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:38,560
Speaker 1: is kind of comparison. This is a crossboard comparison. But

488
00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:42,120
Speaker 1: I loved what Sean Payton said about what's the what's

489
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:44,240
Speaker 1: the guy that was drafted high by the Jets and

490
00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:47,280
Speaker 1: is now a quarterback for the Broncos. I'm blanket on

491
00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:51,280
Speaker 1: his name went to b Yu. Zach Wilson, Zach Wilson.

492
00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:53,120
Speaker 1: I always want to call him Kyle Wilson for some reason.

493
00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:55,480
Speaker 1: I don't know why. Zach Wilson. He's like, my goal,

494
00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:58,159
Speaker 1: Like he's he's raving about Zack Wilson. Apparently, he's like,

495
00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,199
Speaker 1: my goal is to get him paid. He's gonna be

496
00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:02,879
Speaker 1: there for a year, have them be a stud for

497
00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:05,119
Speaker 1: a year or look good for a year, being like

498
00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:08,960
Speaker 1: whatever it is, and then get him paid, right, Okay, Yeah,

499
00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:13,320
Speaker 1: Like that's I think how they look at free agent relievers,

500
00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:16,040
Speaker 1: and they did that for a little while, Ryan Topair

501
00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:21,680
Speaker 1: of Chris Martin, Andrew Chafin, They've they've done that, done

502
00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:25,120
Speaker 1: it well, continue to do that, even if it costs

503
00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:27,960
Speaker 1: a little bit more. Plus there's young guys emerging. They're

504
00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:29,600
Speaker 1: just not going to do it. They're not going to

505
00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:34,639
Speaker 1: spend like crazy and and make these aggressive moves, especially

506
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:37,199
Speaker 1: when I think you said it and I think this

507
00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:40,640
Speaker 1: is I think the one big key is bring back

508
00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:44,560
Speaker 1: Jorge Lopez. You do that, and I feel like you

509
00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:48,119
Speaker 1: have a couple veterans that you can trust, you have

510
00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:49,879
Speaker 1: a couple of young guys, a few young guys that

511
00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:52,560
Speaker 1: you feel good about. Then you have like other young

512
00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:55,440
Speaker 1: guys like we mentioned was an esky Ben Brown. If

513
00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:57,680
Speaker 1: Jaby Rosada ends up in the bullpen because they add

514
00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:02,120
Speaker 1: another starter or whoever, you know, just like go down

515
00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:05,720
Speaker 1: the list and you can swint and be like, Okay,

516
00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:08,080
Speaker 1: they finally have some depth here, some young guys emerging.

517
00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:11,399
Speaker 1: We'll see what next year produces as far as pitching

518
00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:14,080
Speaker 1: a triple A all those things, and there's there will

519
00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:17,800
Speaker 1: be smaller moves. They will add relievers. Maybe not nine

520
00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:20,280
Speaker 1: million dollars on the ners, but maybe they do spend

521
00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:22,800
Speaker 1: nine million dollars on a reliever, but it could be

522
00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,399
Speaker 1: just like you know, we'll see how they do it

523
00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:28,600
Speaker 1: and how they allocate those funds. I don't and trades

524
00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:30,720
Speaker 1: as well, Let's not forget like I would not be

525
00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:34,840
Speaker 1: surprised if they go out and trade for whether maybe

526
00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:37,439
Speaker 1: they'll trade for like a position player, but in that

527
00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:40,080
Speaker 1: they also get a reliever, like they got Yanzy right,

528
00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:42,080
Speaker 1: completely forgot about Yanzy al Monte.

529
00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:44,760
Speaker 3: Yeah, another guy who disapeared. I just say I'm not

530
00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:46,680
Speaker 3: disagreeing with what you said. I do think that's what

531
00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:49,720
Speaker 3: the reporting side of it is. This is what we

532
00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:53,000
Speaker 3: think they're going to do. I do the opinion side.

533
00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:56,239
Speaker 3: I would just push back a little on them. In

534
00:28:56,280 --> 00:29:01,320
Speaker 3: that twenty one they had very good bullpen, but not

535
00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:05,360
Speaker 3: nearly enough pitching to get through it. And then those

536
00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:10,120
Speaker 3: trades they pretty much whiffed on the relief side of

537
00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:17,760
Speaker 3: Camberrell's this great asset, and you get Cody Hoyer and so,

538
00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:23,280
Speaker 3: and then it's like they trade Robertson and Ben Brown

539
00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:25,360
Speaker 3: is an interesting guy, but like they pitched well in

540
00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:28,240
Speaker 3: garbage time right like after the trade, we were surprised

541
00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:31,959
Speaker 3: how they pitched. And then last year they figured out

542
00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:34,400
Speaker 3: the bullpen for a big part of the year, but

543
00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:35,640
Speaker 3: not enough of the year, and.

544
00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:37,400
Speaker 2: They missed the playoffs by one game.

545
00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:39,640
Speaker 3: And then here it seems like a similar thing, where

546
00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:44,520
Speaker 3: like the Cubs are good at like kind of amassing

547
00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:48,760
Speaker 3: these options and figuring out just enough to be competent

548
00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:51,400
Speaker 3: in this pitching space at a time when all of

549
00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:55,440
Speaker 3: the advantages are towards the pitching side, and like everything's

550
00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:57,640
Speaker 3: working again, like hitting is harder than it's ever been.

551
00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:00,400
Speaker 3: That's all that we hear so like, you're pitching should

552
00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:05,640
Speaker 3: be average TUPO average, right, And so that's where I

553
00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:08,840
Speaker 3: do wonder how, I don't know comfortable they are or

554
00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,720
Speaker 3: how how much pushback internally they're going to get if

555
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:14,720
Speaker 3: someone like counsel is going to say, like, you know,

556
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:16,680
Speaker 3: this is how things have been done, I think we

557
00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:22,040
Speaker 3: could do X, Y and Z differently. So that would

558
00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:25,200
Speaker 3: be my for fans who are annoyed at watching this

559
00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:28,120
Speaker 3: bullpen and frustrated at some of the process talk we have.

560
00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:32,120
Speaker 3: I do think there's a lot of room for disagreement. Yeah,

561
00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:35,920
Speaker 3: Bratt Wrigley feel to be like, hey, yeah, this works

562
00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:39,040
Speaker 3: to a certain extent, but it has not been nearly

563
00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:40,959
Speaker 3: good enough for years.

564
00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:43,480
Speaker 1: And you know what, and I'll agree with you there.

565
00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:46,640
Speaker 1: It's not I'm not saying they should stick to the

566
00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:49,360
Speaker 1: exact process. I'm just saying I don't think there's a

567
00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:53,120
Speaker 1: value in spending big on the relievers, and I don't

568
00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:55,800
Speaker 1: know how would argue that there is either, I think,

569
00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:58,640
Speaker 1: But but there may be something you tweak and how

570
00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:02,800
Speaker 1: you attack getting those relievers, or maybe it's something to

571
00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:05,040
Speaker 1: do with player development, maybe it's something to do with

572
00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:09,880
Speaker 1: keeping them healthy, whatever it is yeah, and I think

573
00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:14,520
Speaker 1: usage is part of that which council. Uh. He sometimes

574
00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,440
Speaker 1: like I'm seeing the reverse of what happened with Ross.

575
00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:20,640
Speaker 1: Ross leaned on these guys a lot, right, and council

576
00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:22,680
Speaker 1: sometimes is like, I got to try and get two

577
00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:24,440
Speaker 1: innings out of this guy because I'm not going to

578
00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:27,360
Speaker 1: you know, Tyson Miller again, I'm just going out the name.

579
00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:29,680
Speaker 1: And I think sometimes people are like, why is he

580
00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:33,280
Speaker 1: pushing Julian Merriweather for two innings? He's barely pitched. It's like, well,

581
00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:37,320
Speaker 1: he's barely pitched. That's why, you know, Like he doesn't

582
00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:38,760
Speaker 1: have a ton of innings on his arm this year.

583
00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:40,800
Speaker 1: He's built up and ready to go, like let him,

584
00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:44,080
Speaker 1: let him pitch. Uh does it always work? No, But

585
00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:46,440
Speaker 1: like he's he wants to make sure that guy's ready

586
00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:50,000
Speaker 1: for another outing in the future, and that that's kind

587
00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:52,920
Speaker 1: of how it works, you know. I think that's important.

588
00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:55,560
Speaker 1: Julian Merriweather is another name that we forgot to even mention.

589
00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:58,200
Speaker 1: But and he'll be around next year, so that they

590
00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:01,200
Speaker 1: have actually accumulated decent day that that would they have

591
00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:05,560
Speaker 1: to stay healthy and they have to perform, right.

592
00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:09,200
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's funny too, because counselor like one day says,

593
00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:12,200
Speaker 3: you know, well, you have to take the full season

594
00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:16,360
Speaker 3: before you can evaluate the bullpen, and another day it's, well,

595
00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:19,160
Speaker 3: we all know about bullpens. They change from here to year,

596
00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:22,640
Speaker 3: so it's just like you can't really it's hard to

597
00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:26,680
Speaker 3: hang hang your hat on it. But yeah, that's I

598
00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:30,000
Speaker 3: got another name for you. I thought this was a

599
00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:33,400
Speaker 3: good We kind of teased it earlier in terms of

600
00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:37,360
Speaker 3: free agency from Taylor Maxwell, do you think Anthony Santander

601
00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:39,560
Speaker 3: is a viable option for the Cups next year?

602
00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:44,360
Speaker 1: I think he's like, he should be high on the list.

603
00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:48,200
Speaker 1: I don't. I like And this is me, just me

604
00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:51,720
Speaker 1: saying this. This is I I haven't even like brought

605
00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:55,200
Speaker 1: that name to anyone in the front office. I probably

606
00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:58,160
Speaker 1: should at some point, and I'm like, and we'll figure

607
00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:00,760
Speaker 1: this out as as the season goes along. And but

608
00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:04,120
Speaker 1: right now, thirty seven homers, one thirty way to runs,

609
00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:07,720
Speaker 1: great A plus, a really great platform season for this guy.

610
00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:13,080
Speaker 1: He's twenty nine, he'll be thirty, you know in October. Okay,

611
00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:15,719
Speaker 1: what type of deal is that? I you know, I'm

612
00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:17,480
Speaker 1: not going to speculate on a deal. I'm not great

613
00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:20,400
Speaker 1: with that stuff. Kylie McDaniel over at ESPN had a

614
00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:24,520
Speaker 1: good piece kind of looking at what type of contracts

615
00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:27,520
Speaker 1: a tiers he essentially had. And I believe he had

616
00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:30,400
Speaker 1: Santander in like a forty to eighty million dollar tier

617
00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:34,560
Speaker 1: if that's the case, like, like depending even if it's

618
00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:37,040
Speaker 1: a three year eighty million dollar deal, do you think

619
00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:38,640
Speaker 1: that's the type of thing that Jed would be Like

620
00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:44,400
Speaker 1: I can't do that, you know, Like you know, like

621
00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:47,440
Speaker 1: I don't I do about Jed's sweet spot, right and

622
00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:50,400
Speaker 1: I don't know what and and to be clear for

623
00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:52,800
Speaker 1: people that don't know Santa Andder, I'm going to go

624
00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:55,680
Speaker 1: through like twenty twenty obviously a short season, had a

625
00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:58,920
Speaker 1: great year, down kind of down year in twenty twenty one.

626
00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:01,560
Speaker 1: But basically, you know, just slightly below average one twenty

627
00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:03,440
Speaker 1: two way to run scrade a plus in twenty two, one,

628
00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:07,240
Speaker 1: nineteen and twenty three and one thirty this year. Uh,

629
00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:10,720
Speaker 1: he's a switch hitter. He can play the corner outfield

630
00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:14,600
Speaker 1: spots with the Cubs. He'd you know, he would be

631
00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:18,319
Speaker 1: like DH and then and and corner outfield spots right

632
00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:20,680
Speaker 1: like give hap and say a time off if they

633
00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:23,359
Speaker 1: want to switch him and say it between DH if

634
00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:24,320
Speaker 1: that's what they feel.

635
00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,280
Speaker 2: His best makes say a DH makes.

636
00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:31,480
Speaker 1: Say a straight up pH sure replace right right? And

637
00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,640
Speaker 1: if Bellinger rops out, that's who steps in, and you're

638
00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:38,560
Speaker 1: getting a guy that is a proven power hitter, hits

639
00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:41,680
Speaker 1: from both sides of the plate like this is This

640
00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:43,680
Speaker 1: is the type of guy that the Cubs should be

641
00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:47,239
Speaker 1: going after if they're not gonna go get the very

642
00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:50,759
Speaker 1: top of the market second tier guys. When when I

643
00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:52,919
Speaker 1: say second tier, that's not a rip on the guy.

644
00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:57,040
Speaker 1: He is an impactful player, Like, I think he makes

645
00:34:57,080 --> 00:34:59,560
Speaker 1: perfect sense. I don't know what his market's going to be, like,

646
00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:01,919
Speaker 1: I don't know what type of contract he's going to get.

647
00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:06,760
Speaker 1: I think Jet at least has to be very aware

648
00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:09,520
Speaker 1: of what's going to happen with him and be on

649
00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:12,000
Speaker 1: top of that. And if that falls into a range

650
00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:15,200
Speaker 1: that they're kind of comfortable with and looking at, you know,

651
00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:18,759
Speaker 1: I think that's an easy, easy guy that makes a

652
00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:21,120
Speaker 1: lot of sense and should be near the top of

653
00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:23,880
Speaker 1: their wish list when it comes to upgrading this offense.

654
00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:28,520
Speaker 7: I think you'd be calling Orioles, manager, Brandon Hyde, and

655
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:34,320
Speaker 7: Core Cousins to very impactful people. During the last ramp

656
00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:38,879
Speaker 7: up rebuild period. I've had this guy while.

657
00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:42,640
Speaker 3: I mean performing in the American League East on a

658
00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:46,680
Speaker 3: really good playoff team.

659
00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:50,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks for the tip, Taylor Maxwell. We will be

660
00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:51,719
Speaker 2: following up.

661
00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:56,520
Speaker 3: As a guy that I think you'd have to kind

662
00:35:56,560 --> 00:35:59,640
Speaker 3: of circle that name, particularly the switch hitting component as well.

663
00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:04,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, all right. One last question from David Lutter.

664
00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:08,440
Speaker 1: How long before DFA's happened to make room for Owen Casey,

665
00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:12,120
Speaker 1: Matt Shaw, Moyses by Steros and Kevin all Contra on

666
00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:14,799
Speaker 1: the forty man. Well, Kevin ol Contrary is on the

667
00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:19,719
Speaker 1: forty man and and I think that gives him a

668
00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:23,560
Speaker 1: leg up to make the team or make the team

669
00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:27,440
Speaker 1: to be pulled up at some point at some point,

670
00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:31,000
Speaker 1: So you wouldn't need to DFA someone maybe, I guess

671
00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:33,320
Speaker 1: you would. I'm not sure who has options that's currently

672
00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:38,880
Speaker 1: on the position player side that you'd want to send down. Yeah.

673
00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:43,560
Speaker 1: I don't think we're that far away. We're probably like

674
00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:47,120
Speaker 1: like get into September type thing, right, and what is it?

675
00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:49,879
Speaker 1: It's it's then we're a week away from September, right, Yeah,

676
00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:53,719
Speaker 1: We're about a week away from September, So you know, like,

677
00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:58,320
Speaker 1: I don't think it's really far off. I would put

678
00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:02,480
Speaker 1: it in order of, like, you know, Casey and and

679
00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:05,879
Speaker 1: al Contra are are close, you know, as far as who,

680
00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:08,720
Speaker 1: I don't know who I'd give the edge to. Casey

681
00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:10,920
Speaker 1: has to be added to the forty man after the season.

682
00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:14,759
Speaker 1: Al Contra already is a Contra is like really good defensively.

683
00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:17,960
Speaker 1: I think that matters to Craig council a Ton. He's

684
00:37:18,040 --> 00:37:20,680
Speaker 1: hitting well ow in Case. He's been at Triple A

685
00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:23,080
Speaker 1: all season long. They haven't been afraid to challenge him.

686
00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:25,160
Speaker 1: That tells me something about what they think about his

687
00:37:25,239 --> 00:37:27,799
Speaker 1: makeup and what he can handle. Maybe they'll give him

688
00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:32,080
Speaker 1: the challenge. Shaw. I don't think there's a great chance

689
00:37:32,120 --> 00:37:34,920
Speaker 1: he comes up this year. He's now he's tearing the

690
00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:37,760
Speaker 1: cover off the ball though he's he started off slowly

691
00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:39,960
Speaker 1: at Triple A and now he's hot again and and

692
00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:43,480
Speaker 1: that's like great sign for him. Bia Steros, We'll just

693
00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:47,160
Speaker 1: see he's a natural hitter and he has a high

694
00:37:47,239 --> 00:37:48,880
Speaker 1: I think that. I mean, he's twenty years old at

695
00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:51,839
Speaker 1: Triple A and hitting well. That doesn't happen very often there.

696
00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:56,160
Speaker 1: That's he's in rare company there. And I think the

697
00:37:56,200 --> 00:37:59,479
Speaker 1: bottom line for all of these is playing time. Will

698
00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:02,520
Speaker 1: they get playing time for someone like Kevin al Contra,

699
00:38:02,719 --> 00:38:06,799
Speaker 1: Like are you sitting hap Sayah Bellinger or PCA to

700
00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:10,319
Speaker 1: play him? Like what are you doing? Like that's it's

701
00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:13,479
Speaker 1: gonna be tough, right, So so I get those questions,

702
00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:16,920
Speaker 1: same with Casey, Like I don't know how they plays

703
00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:21,759
Speaker 1: players like that if if there's unless there's an injury, right,

704
00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:26,320
Speaker 1: so so if if now if they're if they're still

705
00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:29,200
Speaker 1: in it, that I could see them calling these guys

706
00:38:29,239 --> 00:38:31,480
Speaker 1: up as like to come off the bench or like

707
00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:35,640
Speaker 1: situational stuff to upgrade their bench or upgrade situational matchups,

708
00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:38,400
Speaker 1: so that like there are different ways to go about that,

709
00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:39,880
Speaker 1: and that'd be the guys that are on the forty

710
00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:41,600
Speaker 1: man or like someone like Casey that you add to

711
00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:45,879
Speaker 1: the forty man. It's yeah, I I but I do

712
00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:49,359
Speaker 1: think there's a shot of defang players in like a

713
00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:52,200
Speaker 1: couple of weeks as we get into September, if they've

714
00:38:52,200 --> 00:38:54,040
Speaker 1: fallen out of it fully and they're ready to say

715
00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:57,319
Speaker 1: okay firmly, like they've already kind of showed us that

716
00:38:57,320 --> 00:38:59,560
Speaker 1: they're looking at twenty twenty five, but now it's like

717
00:39:00,280 --> 00:39:03,080
Speaker 1: firmly all in on twenty twenty five, twenty four is

718
00:39:03,239 --> 00:39:06,920
Speaker 1: kind of like they can't you know that they're not

719
00:39:07,239 --> 00:39:08,920
Speaker 1: competing anymore type situation.

720
00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:13,000
Speaker 3: Yeah, we've come a long way from the great forty

721
00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:15,759
Speaker 3: man roster crunch of what was it twenty two or

722
00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:19,040
Speaker 3: twenty Oh my god, we have so many great players

723
00:39:19,080 --> 00:39:20,800
Speaker 3: in this organization. I don't know how we're going to

724
00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:22,759
Speaker 3: add this in that. It's like, you look at it now.

725
00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:25,520
Speaker 3: You look at the major league bench, you look at

726
00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:27,520
Speaker 3: the forty man, you look at all these injuries. There's

727
00:39:27,520 --> 00:39:30,440
Speaker 3: a lot of sort of feelack of a better term,

728
00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:34,319
Speaker 3: dead weight here that you know, I think you take

729
00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:35,840
Speaker 3: another week or two off the calendar.

730
00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:40,120
Speaker 2: The Cubs don't sweep like every series. If the Braves keep.

731
00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:44,960
Speaker 3: Performing, if that gap gets bigger, I would bring some

732
00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:46,680
Speaker 3: guys up, especially the guys who are already on the

733
00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:48,879
Speaker 3: forty man or have to come up, Like I think

734
00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:52,160
Speaker 3: there's a lot of value in that, even if it's

735
00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:56,320
Speaker 3: Owen Casey and Kevin Alkatara, just being around.

736
00:39:56,040 --> 00:39:59,400
Speaker 2: For a couple of weeks and observing and learning.

737
00:39:59,719 --> 00:40:02,879
Speaker 3: Like, what more are the Cubs going to get out of,

738
00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:06,960
Speaker 3: say David Bodie, I think there's a lot of there,

739
00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:10,200
Speaker 3: the Nick Madrigals on this roster that Matt Murvis, I

740
00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:13,799
Speaker 3: think you've kind of seen what they are and I

741
00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:17,480
Speaker 3: don't really see a path forward for them in this organization.

742
00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:20,799
Speaker 3: Maybe it works out for them somewhere else, but I

743
00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:24,720
Speaker 3: do think they're going to be in a place where

744
00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:27,719
Speaker 3: we'll see a little bit of that young talent. And

745
00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:31,640
Speaker 3: also you've alluded to this before, sohat I have to

746
00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:34,600
Speaker 3: be able to take some chances on guys this offseason,

747
00:40:34,760 --> 00:40:40,319
Speaker 3: you know, the a Julian Merriweather type pops up, you

748
00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:41,120
Speaker 3: go claim them.

749
00:40:41,239 --> 00:40:43,320
Speaker 2: Like, I'm kind of scanning.

750
00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:44,920
Speaker 3: This forty man roster down now, I see a lot

751
00:40:44,920 --> 00:40:48,840
Speaker 3: of guys on the sixty day I l I see

752
00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:51,320
Speaker 3: you know, some guys who are going to be free agents.

753
00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:57,000
Speaker 3: I see some roster filler. They certainly have a core group.

754
00:40:57,120 --> 00:41:01,279
Speaker 3: I'm not, you know, trashing what they have. It's just set.

755
00:41:01,840 --> 00:41:06,400
Speaker 3: They've given themselves a lot of flexibility here moving forward

756
00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:08,799
Speaker 3: of how they want to keep building it.

757
00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:13,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, there's no forty man crunch from what From

758
00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:16,640
Speaker 1: what both of us understand that they're not worried about

759
00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:18,920
Speaker 1: that they'll have some space on the forty man. They

760
00:41:18,960 --> 00:41:21,480
Speaker 1: will do what you said, like the Julian Mary, whether

761
00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:26,440
Speaker 1: they'll be scanning looking for players, maybe even via trade.

762
00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:30,720
Speaker 1: You don't want to make a mistake there and and

763
00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:33,640
Speaker 1: trade someone low a that's not on the forty man

764
00:41:33,719 --> 00:41:37,120
Speaker 1: that blossoms, right, but you do like you can take

765
00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:39,719
Speaker 1: advantage and get like teams have forty man crunches and

766
00:41:39,719 --> 00:41:42,799
Speaker 1: and and they stress out about what are they going

767
00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:44,960
Speaker 1: to do with this guy. We've got to get some value.

768
00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,120
Speaker 1: We got to get someone, and they'll dump them, right.

769
00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:49,359
Speaker 1: Don't do that with the Rays though, don't don't trade

770
00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:51,680
Speaker 1: with the Rays if you're dumping, if they're dumping forty

771
00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:54,840
Speaker 1: man guys. It never works. Well I shouldn't say it

772
00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:57,239
Speaker 1: never works. The Philly's got a really good starter out

773
00:41:57,239 --> 00:41:59,600
Speaker 1: of that, but they also gave up a really good

774
00:41:59,719 --> 00:42:04,759
Speaker 1: h infielder named Curtis Meat. Uh so yeah, like there

775
00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:08,000
Speaker 1: there's there's gonna be moves. There's gonna be I think

776
00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:11,560
Speaker 1: that'll be. You know, that's always interesting to me because

777
00:42:11,560 --> 00:42:13,879
Speaker 1: we never pay attention to that stuff. And then by

778
00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:16,600
Speaker 1: like June, it's like, wait, this guy was just like

779
00:42:16,719 --> 00:42:19,399
Speaker 1: randomly picked up off this squad like he's in fact

780
00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:22,200
Speaker 1: in the teams. It's always It's always interesting, uh, to

781
00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:24,800
Speaker 1: kind of follow those path the path of that because

782
00:42:25,239 --> 00:42:27,279
Speaker 1: like I'm not, I'm not gonna spend a lot of

783
00:42:27,280 --> 00:42:29,480
Speaker 1: time dwelling on it in November and then all of

784
00:42:29,480 --> 00:42:33,719
Speaker 1: a sudden it matters. Uh, all right, thanks for all

785
00:42:33,719 --> 00:42:37,000
Speaker 1: the questions. Uh, you guys really stepped up on short

786
00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:39,279
Speaker 1: notice too. Patrick and I just tweeted all those out

787
00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:43,120
Speaker 1: and you guys all responded much appreciated. Yeah, just shows

788
00:42:43,120 --> 00:42:45,360
Speaker 1: the interest in this team and the passion you all have.

789
00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:49,120
Speaker 1: We really appreciate you listening. Appreciate everyone behind the scenes

790
00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:52,719
Speaker 1: doing all the work to turn these podcasts around. Make

791
00:42:52,719 --> 00:42:55,840
Speaker 1: sure to subscribe to North Side Territory either on whatever

792
00:42:55,920 --> 00:42:59,480
Speaker 1: podcast platform you listen to, but really try and do

793
00:42:59,520 --> 00:43:02,880
Speaker 1: it on you Tube as well. That'd be awesome. Subscribe

794
00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:05,480
Speaker 1: to The Athletic Patrick and I have you covered all

795
00:43:05,560 --> 00:43:08,560
Speaker 1: things Cubs. We will be on the road where Pittsburgh

796
00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:12,279
Speaker 1: and DC. Make sure you're falling along. We'll see if

797
00:43:12,280 --> 00:43:14,000
Speaker 1: they can make a run or if it's just full

798
00:43:14,040 --> 00:43:17,240
Speaker 1: steam ahead to twenty twenty five. Thanks for listening, everyone,

799
00:43:17,480 --> 00:43:17,839
Speaker 1: Take care,