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Speaker 1: They've known this guy for two months and now they're

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Speaker 1: gonna go argue over what is it like two and

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Speaker 1: a half million dollars. It just seems like a very

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Speaker 1: avoidable thing.

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Speaker 2: Welcome into north Side Territory Foul Territory Networks podcast. I'm

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Speaker 2: Sahade Sharma with my co host Patrick Mooney. Patrick. Today

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Speaker 2: we have a north Side Territory Crush City Territory crossover.

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Speaker 2: Our friend Chandler Rome, who's covered the Astros for seven years,

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Speaker 2: multiple of them with us at the Athletics, also the

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Speaker 2: co host of Crush Territory Foul Territories Astros podcast, is

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Speaker 2: here to join us. There's a lot of Astros topics

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Speaker 2: and comes topics that are crossing over this uh this winter,

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Speaker 2: so this is just a natural fit. Handler. How are

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Speaker 2: you doing? How's the podcast going? How is everything?

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Speaker 1: The POD's great? Man, when you can when you can

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Speaker 1: just get Josh Reddick on and let Reddicks just kind

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Speaker 1: of just kind of flow, I'm and it. We don't

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Speaker 1: really have to do much work because Josh is just

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Speaker 1: that good. And you know, Tyler Stafford and I I

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Speaker 1: think we play off each other pretty well. And adding

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Speaker 1: Josh to the mix has been great, and there's been

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Speaker 1: no shortage of content. You know, we joked that our

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Speaker 1: first I mean we launched this thing like during the

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Speaker 1: Winter meetings, and of course that's when all hell broke loose,

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Speaker 1: so we joked it. Like I think our first two

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Speaker 1: or three episodes were all emergency pods about guys getting traded,

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Speaker 1: guys blocking trades. It was a it was a hectic

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Speaker 1: a couple of weeks there when we started. But it's

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Speaker 1: settled down now and I think we're I think we're

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Speaker 1: I think we're in a groove.

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Speaker 2: That's good that you guys get along because Patrick and I, man,

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Speaker 2: it's just been a struggle, like we are at each

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Speaker 2: other's throats.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, we never never talk off air, you know, go ahead, Patrick,

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Speaker 3: Well now, Chandler. I love reading your stuff because you're

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Speaker 3: so good at like pointing out the tension and friction

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Speaker 3: with in an organization, and you do it in a

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Speaker 3: very even handed manner of finding out, you know, both

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Speaker 3: sides and just kind of letting it breathe. And I

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Speaker 3: was curious sort of how did Kyle Tucker handle, you know,

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Speaker 3: being an astro. It seemed like he kind of skated

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Speaker 3: by because he wasn't part of like the trash Can operation.

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Speaker 3: But I'd imagine playing in all those huge games and

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Speaker 3: being on a team that was sort of, you know,

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Speaker 3: lesson admired by opposing fans. Like, do you think that

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Speaker 3: developed a sort of like thick skin for him as

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Speaker 3: he comes into Chicago where he has to be like

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Speaker 3: the man in a.

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Speaker 2: In a platform year.

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Speaker 1: Well, I think the best word for Kyle Tucker is

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Speaker 1: just kind of underrated, And I think that that describes

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Speaker 1: him personality wise. I think that describes him on the field,

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Speaker 1: like nationally how people view him. Obviously, since he's been traded,

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Speaker 1: I think a lot of people have really started to

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Speaker 1: kind of look at his numbers and like, oh, man,

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Speaker 1: like this guy's really good. But just personality and in

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Speaker 1: the clubhouse and as part of that team, you know,

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Speaker 1: he got dwarfed a lot. I mean he was in

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Speaker 1: a clubhouse with Jose al Tuve and Alex Bregman and

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Speaker 1: Jordan Alvarez and Carlos Korea for a while justin Verlander,

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Speaker 1: and like when you're when you have that many like

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Speaker 1: established superstars, you kind of get I don't want to

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Speaker 1: say forgotten about. But he didn't have to be like

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Speaker 1: the the voice, the face the guy that did all

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Speaker 1: the interviews, things like that, that he let all those

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Speaker 1: other guys kind of take care of it. So he's

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Speaker 1: a He's a quiet guy, doesn't certainly to me, does

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Speaker 1: not scream like Face of the franchise. But I think

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Speaker 1: faces of the franchise can be a lot of different things.

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Speaker 1: You know, look at Jose Ramirez in Cleveland. I don't

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Speaker 1: think anyone would describe him as as outgoing or you know,

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Speaker 1: a guy that speaks up a lot. You know, he

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Speaker 1: just kind of goes about his business and does his work.

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Speaker 1: And I think that's what Kyle does too. You know,

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Speaker 1: when he wants to say something, he will and it's

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Speaker 1: not as if he's mute, and it's not as if,

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Speaker 1: you know, guys don't look up to him. He was

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Speaker 1: the Astros team DJ for the last two years in

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Speaker 1: the clubhouse, you know, picked all the music, and he

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Speaker 1: is he's low key if you get to know him, like,

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Speaker 1: he is low key, hilarious, like really funny, very witty,

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Speaker 1: very dry humor, a guy that a lot of people

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Speaker 1: in the clubhouse like. And I think when the clubhouse

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Speaker 1: doors close, his personality comes out. But I don't think

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Speaker 1: you're likely to see it much publicly. He just he

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Speaker 1: doesn't play with a ton of flash, doesn't showboat, will

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Speaker 1: batflip every now and then, but certainly not a guy

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Speaker 1: that's gonna be demonstrative with his actions. But he kind

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Speaker 1: of lets his play speak for itself, and I think

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Speaker 1: it certainly has throughout the last three or four years.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I wouldn't say that this Cubs clubhouse is filled

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Speaker 2: with like outgoing personalities, so like there's nothing like outside

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Speaker 2: of picrow Armstronger's nobody that you look at and say, like,

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Speaker 2: that's a flashy guy who has a lot of like

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Speaker 2: wild things to say. But they do have guys that

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Speaker 2: are willing to right Like if Tucker isn't that person

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Speaker 2: that will or kind of doesn't want to be that

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Speaker 2: guy that's that you go to after every tough loss

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Speaker 2: or every big win, There's Dansby Swanson, They're seeing half,

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Speaker 2: There's even Jamison Taia. Like these these guys are willing

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Speaker 2: to talk to the media and step up in those moments.

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Speaker 2: I guess I'm most curious, how do you think his personality,

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Speaker 2: his skill set and everything, he's going to be the

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Speaker 2: guy that's what they've been missing. Like forget about off

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Speaker 2: the field leadership because I think they have that, they

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Speaker 2: have a good clubhouse, they don't have the superstar. They

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Speaker 2: finally do like that and and this is going you know,

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Speaker 2: no offense to Houston, but like Chicago's just a bigger

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Speaker 2: market and there's gonna be a little bit more pressure

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Speaker 2: with the Cubs. How do you think he handles all

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Speaker 2: of that on the field.

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Speaker 1: I think I think it's a I think he can

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Speaker 1: do it, like I I but the problem is, like

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Speaker 1: I've never seen him have to do it because like

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Speaker 1: we've said, like he's had so many guys in front

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Speaker 1: of him where I mean, we always are asking this

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Speaker 1: question about al Tuve or Bregnan or Corea or Alvarez

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Speaker 1: or guys like that, Like you have to go five

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Speaker 1: or six names down before you start asking, like hol

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Speaker 1: Tucker's going to handle it. And you know, the fans

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Speaker 1: in Houston were certainly sad to see him go, But

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Speaker 1: I think one thing they pointed out was that his

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Speaker 1: postseason performances the last two years have have not been good.

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Speaker 1: You look in the twenty twenty two World Series. In

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Speaker 1: Game one of the twenty twenty two World Series, he

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Speaker 1: hit two homers almost led them to a victory. Justin

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Speaker 1: Verlander kind of gave it away, but you know, hit

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Speaker 1: two home runs and was kind of the toast of

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Speaker 1: the town. He's still the only player in Astro's history

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Speaker 1: to ever hit two homers in a World Series game.

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Speaker 1: And since that game, it has been a real struggle

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Speaker 1: for him in the postseason. And I am not one

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Speaker 1: of these that subscribes to small sample sizes, especially when

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Speaker 1: you're you know, facing elite playoff pitching. I don't think

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Speaker 1: that's indicative of his career. You know, Josel Tuve had

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Speaker 1: an awful postseason in twenty twenty two and the Astros

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Speaker 1: won the World Series. But you know, I think it's

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Speaker 1: worth mentioning you asked the question. So he's been in

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Speaker 1: a couple of big spots, you know, big playoff series,

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Speaker 1: and he hasn't produced. You know, Dusty Baker had to

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Speaker 1: move him down in the lineup during in the twenty

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Speaker 1: twenty three ALCS. And I'm not saying that this pretends

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Speaker 1: that he's going to, you know, shrink in big moments

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Speaker 1: in Chicago. I think he's also a guy that outwardly

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Speaker 1: like big moments. To me, like, really don't phase him Like,

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Speaker 1: he's not going to You're not going to see him

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Speaker 1: tense up. You're not going to see him swing early

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Speaker 1: in counts. You're not going to see him chase a

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Speaker 1: ton like. He keeps his approach and keeps his demeanor

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Speaker 1: very well. He just hasn't gotten results the last couple

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Speaker 1: of postseasons. So I think that's maybe the one thing

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Speaker 1: that i'd bring up is that may concern me. But

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Speaker 1: I use concern very very relatively, just given again, you're

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Speaker 1: you're in, you're in the playoffs, you're facing the best

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Speaker 1: pitching that's left, and it's tough. It's tough to like granted,

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Speaker 1: to break down like that few at bats, but that

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Speaker 1: is what he is. But I think he will handle

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Speaker 1: the grind like being the guy for one hundred and

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Speaker 1: sixty two, I think he'll handle that very well, just

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Speaker 1: because again, he is I don't want to say emotionless,

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Speaker 1: but he's as pretty close to emotionless as you can be.

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Speaker 1: Like nothing really fazes him, nothing really gets him very excited.

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Speaker 1: He's just a guy that just shows up, rolls the

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Speaker 1: balls out there, rolls the bats out there, and he's

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Speaker 1: ready to go from the minute he shows up.

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Speaker 3: So the Cubs make this huge trade, give up a

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Speaker 3: bunch of pieces for one year of Tucker, and then

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Speaker 3: a couple weeks later they don't reach an agreement with

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Speaker 3: him on an arbitration cellar. We are probably too close

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Speaker 3: to it in Chicago to where I think we were

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Speaker 3: surprised but not shocked. What was the view from Houston

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Speaker 3: on that particular decision. What do you think that means

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Speaker 3: long term for the Cubs and Tucker's future?

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Speaker 1: Well, this isn't new. He went to an arbitration hearing

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Speaker 1: with the Astros two years ago. The Astros won, and

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Speaker 1: then we talked to him and clubhouse was in spring

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Speaker 1: training that they did the hearing, and then we talked

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Speaker 1: to him a couple of days later, and again, like

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Speaker 1: I said, nothing, you can't really get much out of him,

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Speaker 1: nothing really like makes him mad or tick. But you know,

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Speaker 1: he acknowledged that there was some stuff he heard that

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Speaker 1: he wasn't thrilled with, but but was also very very

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Speaker 1: adamant and saying, you know, he felt his relationship with

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Speaker 1: the Astros was fine and that it wasn't going to

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Speaker 1: affect anything long term, and he even said that he

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Speaker 1: would have liked to stay in Houston long term. But

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Speaker 1: you know, he said that, I think to you guys

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Speaker 1: when he had his intro, said something very similar that,

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Speaker 1: you know, we'll always listen, We're always open to listening,

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Speaker 1: and he said that in Houston too. I think it's

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Speaker 1: just odd from like a business like, how do you

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Speaker 1: like the Cubs have known this guy. Obviously, they've seen

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Speaker 1: him from across the way and can read his stats

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Speaker 1: just like you and I. But like, I mean, they've

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Speaker 1: known this guy for two months and now they're going

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Speaker 1: to go argue over what is it, like two and

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Speaker 1: a half million dollars. It just seems like a very

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Speaker 1: avoidable thing. But it's again, it's not new. You know,

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Speaker 1: Tucker had to go to an arbitration hearing here. They

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Speaker 1: did settle last year without a hearing, and that kind

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Speaker 1: of gave everyone, I guess a little bit of hope

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Speaker 1: that maybe they could work something out. But again, as

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Speaker 1: long as Jim Crane owns the Astros, and as long

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Speaker 1: as they had this philosophy of we're never getting into

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Speaker 1: the two hundred, two hundred and fifty million dollar range,

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Speaker 1: then they're then they're going to struggle to retain a

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Speaker 1: lot of these guys that are in arbitration and the

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Speaker 1: guys that are a year or two away from free agency,

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Speaker 1: and now Tucker's way past two hundred, two hundred and fifty,

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Speaker 1: Like it may have to start with a three or

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Speaker 1: a four to even you know, get his attention to

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Speaker 1: get something done before the season or mid season. Now,

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Speaker 1: I'm not sure if Jed Hoyer has talked or whether

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Speaker 1: they had any substantial extension conversations during the salary exchange deadline.

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Speaker 1: That does seem like the kind of time where that happens.

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Speaker 1: But I to me, just look ten thousand feet above

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Speaker 1: the fact that they couldn't settle and had to go

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Speaker 1: to a hearing doesn't pretend well that they got anything

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Speaker 1: done right.

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Speaker 2: No, I mean, I agree, it's probably more bad optics

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Speaker 2: than anything else. But it's also like an extension was

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Speaker 2: a long shot, and I think now it's just like

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Speaker 2: probably don't need to talk about them until we start

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Speaker 2: hearing legitimate rumors about it. I'm curious before we get

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Speaker 2: to other players on the astros at the Cubs or

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Speaker 2: that have been on the astros that the Cubs may

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Speaker 2: be interested in, I'm curious what you've heard about Camp

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Speaker 2: Smith what I think you guys talked to him recently.

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Speaker 2: There's been a lot of love for him lately, and

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Speaker 2: I think Cubs fans are like, what the heck? He

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Speaker 2: wasn't getting this love when he was with the Cubs.

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Speaker 2: No Cubs fans, he was like. I talked to a

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Speaker 2: lot of scouts about him. People love him around the league.

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Speaker 2: That's why when I heard his name in these trade roomers,

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Speaker 2: I was like, whoof that? That could end up stinging,

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Speaker 2: But you gotta do what you can to get a

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Speaker 2: player like Kyle Tucker. I'm just curious what you've heard

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Speaker 2: when talking to scouts around the league, and then what

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Speaker 2: your kind of feel for him was when you when

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Speaker 2: you talk to him.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I'll never forget so hot at the winter meetings

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Speaker 1: when when I got kind of a hint for that,

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Speaker 1: Cam Smith's name was getting thrown around and I stopped you.

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Speaker 1: I was walking to get coffee, I think, and I

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Speaker 1: stopped you and I said his name, and you looked

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Speaker 1: at him like no way, Like no way, no way,

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Speaker 1: they're trading him. Well I heard that, you know, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I got to talk to him. I talked to him

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Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago, and I was really impressed.

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Speaker 1: Just it was a twenty minute phone call. I don't

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Speaker 1: want to make any more any less than a twenty

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Speaker 1: minute phone call is. But seemed very polished, very very committed,

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Speaker 1: and very like humble. And I'm going to say what

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Speaker 1: he told me and then I'll explain why it's humble.

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Speaker 1: He compared himself to a rod, which on its face

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Speaker 1: is probably not the most humble thing in the world.

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Speaker 1: But then he goes, no, no, no, like, please write that,

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Speaker 1: I'm comparing myself to a rod because I'm this tall

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Speaker 1: and play the left side of the infield and there's

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Speaker 1: not many guys that do that. He was like, numbers wise,

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Speaker 1: no way, but just body type and things like that.

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Speaker 1: I found it interesting that he gave. He told me

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Speaker 1: that one of the things that has really set him

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Speaker 1: on this path is, you know, he went to the

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Speaker 1: Cape Cod League between his freshman and sophomore year at

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Speaker 1: Florida State and kind of learned how to meditate, learn

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Speaker 1: how to give himself a routine, and part of that

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Speaker 1: is meditation. He listens to Bob Marley and the Whalers

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Speaker 1: before every game and kind of puts his air pods

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Speaker 1: in meditates and he's ready to go. He said he

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Speaker 1: meditates sometimes even when he's in the field, just to

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Speaker 1: kind of center himself centered. And you know, he also

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Speaker 1: talked about he he doesn't really follow prospect lists, doesn't

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Speaker 1: really follow trade rumors. He said he had people texting

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Speaker 1: him a bunch when the Tucker stuff was going down,

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Speaker 1: but never never really gave it much thought. And you know,

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Speaker 1: I was, I was, honestly, I was the one that

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Speaker 1: told him, you know, you're the best prospect in the

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Speaker 1: Astros system now, and it was like, oh really, So

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Speaker 1: I think he'll handle like being the centerpiece of the trade,

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Speaker 1: you know, pretty well. As far as what I've heard

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Speaker 1: from around league, I have not heard a bad thing

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Speaker 1: about him. You know, I think there's questions about where

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Speaker 1: he can play defensively. I think there's questions about can

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Speaker 1: he stick on the dirt or will they move him

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Speaker 1: around to the outfield. Dana Brown, the Ashers GM has

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Speaker 1: already said that they're going to try him in a

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Speaker 1: couple of corner outfield spots in the minor leagues. And

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Speaker 1: I mean, obviously the bat is the big thing here

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Speaker 1: and as long as he hits, they will find a

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Speaker 1: place for him to play and sounds like he's going

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Speaker 1: to get an ri to big league camp, which a

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Speaker 1: twenty two year old, that that's going to be an interesting,

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Speaker 1: interesting experience for him. There's I mean, never say never,

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Speaker 1: but I would be stunned if he's on the big

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Speaker 1: league roster at any point this year, just given his

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Speaker 1: lack of professional appearances, and I mean they need him

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Speaker 1: to play a full season. He'll probably start at Double

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Speaker 1: A and kind of see where they go. But you know,

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Speaker 1: I think they've there's a little bit they you know,

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Speaker 1: Cam even told me that they're working with him to

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Speaker 1: pull the ball in the air a little bit more.

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Speaker 1: There's some stuff about, you know, just his swing and

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Speaker 1: how he can loft the ball a little bit, pull

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Speaker 1: it a little more, and obviously working defensively. He said

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Speaker 1: he at Florida State, he never really had to focus

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Speaker 1: on footwork, never really had to focus on the minute things.

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Speaker 1: He just kind of let his athleticism take over. But

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Speaker 1: this is a low bar. But like he is far

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Speaker 1: and away the best prospect the Ashers have in their

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Speaker 1: system now and certainly going to be the guy that

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Speaker 1: you know, Kyle Tucker could have a thirty thirty year

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Speaker 1: this year. Put up a seven win season. But if

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Speaker 1: Cam Smith pans out, I think the Ashers will look

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Speaker 1: back and say that they won this trade.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I saw it floating around on such of me.

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Speaker 3: That was a good photo of I think Cam Smith

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Speaker 3: and Ye Tucker together, the Excel guys working out definitely

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Speaker 3: encourage everyone to read that story that Chandler did with

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Speaker 3: cam Smith. It was a really good look at kind

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Speaker 3: of how he progressed to this point shifting gears. I

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Speaker 3: was curious, like, where are you at with the Alex Bregman,

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Speaker 3: where do you, like, what do you make of these,

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Speaker 3: you know, short term rumors after we turned out a

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Speaker 3: pretty significant long term deal from the Astros not that

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Speaker 3: long ago.

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Speaker 1: You know, I've never I've never thought he was going

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Speaker 1: to get the Pillow deal, the Carlos Korea deal, I

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Speaker 1: guess of a couple of years ago, you know, three

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Speaker 1: years with two opt outs. I've never thought he was

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Speaker 1: going to get that. But the more the more it

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Speaker 1: drags on, like you have to kind of start to

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Speaker 1: think that that's going to be the it's going to

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Speaker 1: be the final answer.

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Speaker 2: You know.

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Speaker 1: But the teams that are talking to him, like the Tigers,

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Speaker 1: the Red Sox, the Blue Jays, like they're not the

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Speaker 1: sort of teams that you think, all right, like they're

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Speaker 1: only doing short term. Like like I can talk myself

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Speaker 1: into all three of those teams giving him a six

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Speaker 1: or seven year deal, Like that's just you know, they

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Speaker 1: all have the space for it, they all have the

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Speaker 1: need and the want for it, and they all have to,

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Speaker 1: you know, appease their fan bases, you know, all of

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Speaker 1: whom are at varying levels of angry, probably the Blue

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Speaker 1: Jays being the most angry, then probably the Red Spot

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Speaker 1: and the Tigers. But all of those places make a

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Speaker 1: lot of sense for him. I do wonder if there's

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Speaker 1: a mystery team kind of lurking, like a d Bax

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Speaker 1: Corbyn Burns situation, if there's just a team that no

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Speaker 1: one's talking about that's just going to swoop in and

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Speaker 1: give him the big deal. You know, I got a

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Speaker 1: little bit of flack, and I guess I'll I guess

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Speaker 1: I'll have a maya culpa here. I got a little

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Speaker 1: bit of flack on Crush City. When I I called there,

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Speaker 1: the Astros offered to him a low ball offer. It

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Speaker 1: was six for one fifty six. I guess, as we're

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Speaker 1: looking back now, it probably isn't as low ball as

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Speaker 1: I thought. But the one thing I did want to

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Speaker 1: make clear is that, you know, they offered him that

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Speaker 1: in November, when we all knew what we all thought,

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Speaker 1: We knew what Alex Bregman's market value was, we knew that,

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Speaker 1: you know, he was looking in the two hundred two

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Speaker 1: in ten million dollar range. And my contention was that

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Speaker 1: they offered him that deal knowing he would turn it down.

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Speaker 1: It was one of those like performative, like we tried,

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Speaker 1: like I mean, that would be the biggest contract in

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Speaker 1: Astro's history too, So it was one of those like, hey,

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Speaker 1: here's our offer. Like they have never budged, from my understanding,

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Speaker 1: never budge on that offer. So yeah, I'm fascinated to

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Speaker 1: see how it ends. I'm still I still have an

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Speaker 1: inkling that he's going to get. I don't know if

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Speaker 1: he'll get two hundred million, but I think he'll get

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Speaker 1: commeserate money in years, maybe something similar to what the

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Speaker 1: Astros offered him, maybe a little bit more. But I

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Speaker 1: think it's pretty clear that the Astros are out of it.

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Speaker 1: Ana Brown that said everything, but that after they signed

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Speaker 1: Christian Walker, and I know this doesn't mean much. But

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Speaker 1: Bregman changed the profile pictures on all his social media

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Speaker 1: that it no longer reflects astro stuff. So I think

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Speaker 1: that tie has been severed. But I'll be interesting to

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Speaker 1: see where it goes. I've always thought the Cubs kind

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Speaker 1: of made a lot of sense. But I guess you're

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Speaker 1: not spending money, or they're not spending for a long,

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Speaker 1: long term.

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Speaker 2: They have a lot of financial struggles. You know, when

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Speaker 2: you own all of Wrigley, Bill, how are you supposed

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Speaker 2: to spend any money? Uh, that's that's clearly sarcastic for

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Speaker 2: those that think I'm defending their life is spending. I agree.

390
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Speaker 2: I think Bregman makes perfect sense for the Cubs. There

391
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Speaker 2: are going to be some that will say, oh, Crawford boxes,

392
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Speaker 2: that's how he thrived. It's the same issue with the Acaratas.

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Speaker 2: I think it's a little different, and I think people

394
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Speaker 2: don't realize that while it's deep, like right down the

395
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Speaker 2: line at Wrigley, they have the shortest left center gap

396
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Speaker 2: in baseball, like you can poke the ball there with

397
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Speaker 2: especially with the wind being blocked by the video board.

398
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Speaker 2: I've talked to some people this this is a change

399
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Speaker 2: in my opinion where I thought he was. You know,

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Speaker 2: he's all about the Crawford boxes. I think there's more

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Speaker 2: to him as a hitter, and I think he'd actually

402
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Speaker 2: drive at Wriggly because of that left center gap and

403
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Speaker 2: he can hit the ball there and and probably steal

404
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Speaker 2: some home runs. It's just the type of move that

405
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Speaker 2: a team like this should make. If he's going to

406
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Speaker 2: do the opt out stuff. I think the debate would

407
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Speaker 2: be is that if it's only one year, is it

408
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Speaker 2: worth giving up the draft pick? And the if a

409
00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:16,119
Speaker 2: money is that would the Cubs see that it's valuable

410
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Speaker 2: when they punch it into their computer and it spits

411
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Speaker 2: out whatever it tells them to do. But beyond that,

412
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Speaker 2: what we know like that that's a fit, right, like

413
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Speaker 2: Bregman's a fit. We don't really know if they're gonna

414
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Speaker 2: like be aggressive there. Our guess is no, right, but

415
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Speaker 2: they're they're going to get a reliever. They want a

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Speaker 2: reliever that has you know, some late inning experience, some

417
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Speaker 2: probably closing experience. This is going to be probably the

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Speaker 2: thing that over the next month, Patrick and I are

419
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Speaker 2: just waiting to like, Okay, what's the information we get?

420
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Speaker 2: Who are they targeting my understanding. It's well over a

421
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Speaker 2: dozen guys that they're talking about, but one that makes sense,

422
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Speaker 2: not a free agent, but a target is on the Astros.

423
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Speaker 2: Ryan Presley. Just tell me a little bit about like

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Speaker 2: it took a little bit of a step back. I

425
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Speaker 2: guess you'd say last year the strikeouts were doubt EARI

426
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Speaker 2: was fine. I don't think he was closing. Someone else

427
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Speaker 2: is the closer.

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Speaker 3: Now.

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Speaker 2: I'm sure there's a good, good someone that I'm forgetting about.

430
00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:22,400
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, Josh Hater. That guy's good, but he obviously

431
00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:25,119
Speaker 2: has closing experience. Tell me about him and maybe what

432
00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:26,680
Speaker 2: you know about his availability.

433
00:21:27,359 --> 00:21:30,040
Speaker 1: Oh, he's available. They have been trying. They have been

434
00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:32,879
Speaker 1: I don't want to say aggressively shopping him, but I

435
00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:35,359
Speaker 1: mean they've made it known since November that they're that

436
00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:39,080
Speaker 1: they and it's not even because of Presley himself, it's

437
00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:41,440
Speaker 1: that they need that their Their pay roll is bloated.

438
00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:43,920
Speaker 1: They have thirty one and a half million dollars in

439
00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:47,919
Speaker 1: dead money committed to Jose Abreu who is god knows where,

440
00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:50,879
Speaker 1: and Rafael Montero, who's gonna be in the Triple A

441
00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:53,879
Speaker 1: Sugarland bullpen all season. They have thirty one and a

442
00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:56,560
Speaker 1: half million dollars committed to them. They have I believe

443
00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:59,280
Speaker 1: thirteen million committed to Christian Xavier, who I don't think

444
00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:01,560
Speaker 1: is going to pitch for this team this year. They've

445
00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:03,760
Speaker 1: just got a lot of dead money and Jim Crane

446
00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:06,600
Speaker 1: does not want to exceed the CBT again they did

447
00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:08,640
Speaker 1: last year. He doesn't want to be a repeat offender.

448
00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:12,280
Speaker 1: So they're looking for any way to get some salary

449
00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:14,840
Speaker 1: off the books. And Ryan Presley is going to make

450
00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:19,480
Speaker 1: fourteen million dollars next year. It was an uneven season

451
00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:23,200
Speaker 1: for him from the beginning when they when they signed

452
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:28,440
Speaker 1: Josh Hater. All the right things were said publicly, all

453
00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:30,720
Speaker 1: the right things were said, you know, after games in

454
00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:33,720
Speaker 1: the clubhouse. But Joe a Spot a pretty much acknowledge

455
00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,159
Speaker 1: at the winter meetings that it took Ryan Presley a

456
00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,680
Speaker 1: while to adjust to being a setup man. And let's

457
00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,560
Speaker 1: not forget like he did nothing to earn a demotion here,

458
00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:46,720
Speaker 1: like he was great in twenty twenty three, you know.

459
00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:50,280
Speaker 1: But they they believe they wanted to build a monster

460
00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:54,240
Speaker 1: back into their bullpen, and they signed Josh Hater. They

461
00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:57,960
Speaker 1: kept Ryan Presley kind of engaged while they were talking

462
00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:01,760
Speaker 1: to Josh Hater. I'm not sure that helped, but you know,

463
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,040
Speaker 1: it wasn't the situation where they gave Josh Hater all

464
00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:06,680
Speaker 1: this money and then you know, Presley had to find

465
00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:09,800
Speaker 1: out on Twitter. You know, they they kept him abreast

466
00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:12,320
Speaker 1: of the situation. But it was just it was a

467
00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,000
Speaker 1: it was a tough uneven season, and I say tough,

468
00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:18,080
Speaker 1: like had a three four nine ERA but a three

469
00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:21,600
Speaker 1: to ten FIP. Did not miss as many bats as

470
00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,000
Speaker 1: he usually does, as strikeout numbers were down, but his

471
00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:27,879
Speaker 1: bat ball luck was was awful. So there's a mix

472
00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:31,640
Speaker 1: of poor poor fortune, poor luck. There's also a mix

473
00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:34,239
Speaker 1: of you know, you avoid poor batted ball luck by

474
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,360
Speaker 1: missing bats, and he wasn't missing as many bats last

475
00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,120
Speaker 1: year as he did. And he's also he's thirty five

476
00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:44,280
Speaker 1: years old. He's just naturally getting older and father time

477
00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:46,840
Speaker 1: can creep in a little bit. I think he's still

478
00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:50,240
Speaker 1: an elite reliever. I think you know, he has no

479
00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:54,080
Speaker 1: trade clause and there's some family things here to His

480
00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:57,240
Speaker 1: wife is from Houston. Both of his children were born

481
00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:00,680
Speaker 1: in Houston. I'm not sure he would jump at any

482
00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:04,600
Speaker 1: opportunity to wave his no trade clause's given the family situation,

483
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:08,520
Speaker 1: but I think if there's a team that promises him,

484
00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:11,840
Speaker 1: you're our closer from from day one, I think he'd

485
00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:14,280
Speaker 1: do it. I think he would wave his no trade

486
00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:16,639
Speaker 1: And obviously the Ashers will have to pay down some

487
00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:20,119
Speaker 1: of that fourteen million dollars. But I think it's I

488
00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:22,760
Speaker 1: think it's more likely. I wouldn't say more likely than

489
00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:24,760
Speaker 1: I think it's right at about fifty to fifty now,

490
00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:27,800
Speaker 1: but i'd i'd put the odds, you know, fifty to fifty,

491
00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:30,720
Speaker 1: maybe a little bit higher, fifty five to forty five. Yes,

492
00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,560
Speaker 1: that he's not on their roster by opening day. And

493
00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:36,000
Speaker 1: you know, the Ashers can do that because they have

494
00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:38,199
Speaker 1: Brian abrad You pitching the seventh inning, and he's one

495
00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:40,719
Speaker 1: of the nastiest relievers out there. Just move him up

496
00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:42,960
Speaker 1: to the eighth. You have Josh Hater in the ninth,

497
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,920
Speaker 1: and I think they want I think, honestly, I think

498
00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:49,080
Speaker 1: they're looking to add another reliever as well, So maybe

499
00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:52,760
Speaker 1: kind of move some money around, you know, divide some

500
00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:56,440
Speaker 1: of that fourteen million around a little bit. But yeah, certainly,

501
00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:59,560
Speaker 1: if the Cubs can tell Ryan Presley you're our closer,

502
00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:03,080
Speaker 1: I think that would be a pretty attractive destination for him.

503
00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:09,200
Speaker 3: They can do that, absolutely, jam I wanted to like

504
00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:11,080
Speaker 3: zoom out at kind of like a closing.

505
00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:11,359
Speaker 1: Type of question.

506
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:15,000
Speaker 3: I remember we talked like get Away and Day and

507
00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:20,120
Speaker 3: Wrigley up in the press box last April on Baseball Reference. Now,

508
00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,800
Speaker 3: on that day the Astros fell to seven nineteen. The

509
00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:27,440
Speaker 3: winning pitcher for the Cubs was Hayden Wesnski and Hector Naris.

510
00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:29,359
Speaker 1: Close it out for the Cubs.

511
00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:32,480
Speaker 3: At that point, we're thinking the Cubs are sending the

512
00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:36,240
Speaker 3: Astros are toast Obviously the Astros make the playoffs, the

513
00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:39,320
Speaker 3: Cubs don't. I feel like the Cubs and Astros have

514
00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:42,320
Speaker 3: been kind of running this, you know, start out a

515
00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:45,440
Speaker 3: similar sort of race of like you know, the teardown

516
00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:50,080
Speaker 3: they got to the World Series, but Astros have kept winning.

517
00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:53,399
Speaker 3: They've kept their window open, Like do you think the

518
00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:56,600
Speaker 3: Tucker trade and these moves this off season will like

519
00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:58,479
Speaker 3: keep it open or do you think they're about to

520
00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:01,040
Speaker 3: like fall off a clip the way the Cubs did

521
00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,040
Speaker 3: very hard a couple of years ago and have not

522
00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:04,800
Speaker 3: bounced all the way back yet.

523
00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:08,280
Speaker 1: I think it's somewhere in the middle. I don't think

524
00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:10,199
Speaker 1: they're about to fall off a cliff. I mean they

525
00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:13,360
Speaker 1: have Yordan Alvarez, they have Yaner Diaz locked up for

526
00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:16,040
Speaker 1: I mean, Ninor Diaz just is I think three years

527
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:18,679
Speaker 1: away from arbitration. So like they've got Yaner Diaz for

528
00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:22,840
Speaker 1: a while. Hunter Brown had a wonderful season. He's he's,

529
00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:26,320
Speaker 1: you know, first year, first year of that three to six.

530
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:29,280
Speaker 1: So I mean they've got a young and they've got

531
00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:33,520
Speaker 1: a core around that. Jose al Twoba is obviously here forever.

532
00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,120
Speaker 1: So I mean they've got enough players and I don't

533
00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:38,000
Speaker 1: think it's going to be like a hard face plant

534
00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:42,080
Speaker 1: off of a cliff, but I mean their window is diminishing,

535
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:46,639
Speaker 1: it's narrowing. I you know, this year, you know, you

536
00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:51,560
Speaker 1: trade Kyle Tucker, you move on from Alex Bregman. Kyle

537
00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:55,240
Speaker 1: Tucker is twenty eight years old. Alex Bregman's thirty years old.

538
00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:58,080
Speaker 1: You signed Christian Walker, who is thirty four years old,

539
00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:00,920
Speaker 1: to a three year deal. Christian Walker, who great defensive

540
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:02,760
Speaker 1: first basement, has done a lot of good things, but

541
00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:06,119
Speaker 1: the age is going up a little bit. You don't

542
00:27:06,119 --> 00:27:08,760
Speaker 1: really know what you're gonna get from Esac Paradus. You

543
00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:11,920
Speaker 1: you hope the Crawford boxes, you hope all the poll

544
00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:14,760
Speaker 1: power will show up. But I mean I heard the

545
00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:17,160
Speaker 1: same thing when jose when they signed Joseah Brad, was that, oh,

546
00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:18,879
Speaker 1: the Crawford boxes are going to be the best thing

547
00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:21,280
Speaker 1: in the world. And you look, I mean they put

548
00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:22,960
Speaker 1: you can put all the spray charts you want. I

549
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:24,720
Speaker 1: watched Joseiah Brady for a year and a half. The

550
00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:29,800
Speaker 1: Crawford boxes didn't help. So I mean, I think it's

551
00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:31,920
Speaker 1: one of these things. I would never doubt them. I

552
00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:35,520
Speaker 1: would never count them out again. Like you just detailed,

553
00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:38,520
Speaker 1: they were seven and nineteen last year and won the division.

554
00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:41,800
Speaker 1: I think that was more a byproduct of how poor

555
00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:45,960
Speaker 1: the division was. The Mariners fell on their face, The

556
00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:48,359
Speaker 1: Rangers really fell on their face, and the Angels and

557
00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:51,320
Speaker 1: the Agies kind of do their own things. So you know,

558
00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:54,320
Speaker 1: you wonder, like with a full year of Jacob de

559
00:27:54,359 --> 00:27:56,240
Speaker 1: gram or the Rangers going to kind of ascend. Are

560
00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:59,200
Speaker 1: they going to get bounced backs from Semion and Seeger?

561
00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:01,720
Speaker 1: Can Sieger stay healthy and kind of what they've done?

562
00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:04,639
Speaker 1: Can they challenge the Astros? Can the marin or the

563
00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:07,960
Speaker 1: marriage is gonna spend money and have a Maybe a

564
00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:10,919
Speaker 1: full year of a Rose Arena helps them. Maybe they

565
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:12,840
Speaker 1: had get pushed in the division a little more. But

566
00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:15,920
Speaker 1: you know, I think this Astros team, I certainly don't

567
00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:17,760
Speaker 1: think it's like one of these that you look and

568
00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:21,480
Speaker 1: they're going to be a bad club, but certainly not

569
00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:24,560
Speaker 1: the super teams that we saw in twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen,

570
00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:28,200
Speaker 1: twenty twenty one. This is they're aging, they're getting older,

571
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,840
Speaker 1: they're reaping what they sow for a couple bad contracts

572
00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:35,359
Speaker 1: for having a winter three years ago where they didn't

573
00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:39,680
Speaker 1: have a general manager. They have not drafted well atop

574
00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:43,560
Speaker 1: the draft. They didn't have first or second round picks

575
00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:45,800
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty and twenty twenty one because they cheated.

576
00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:49,200
Speaker 1: The picks they did make before and after that in

577
00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:52,080
Speaker 1: the first and second round have not hit. So they

578
00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:55,880
Speaker 1: don't really have that core that like next wave of

579
00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:59,440
Speaker 1: like top end talent to come up. Cam Smith is

580
00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:02,280
Speaker 1: probably the only top end talent that they have waiting

581
00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:05,320
Speaker 1: to come up. So it's one of these things where

582
00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:08,880
Speaker 1: I'm not sure if they are kind of staving off

583
00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:11,160
Speaker 1: the inevitable, if they're just kind of kicking the can

584
00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:13,160
Speaker 1: down the road, like let's try one more year, let's

585
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:15,600
Speaker 1: try two more years to keep this going. And is

586
00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:18,680
Speaker 1: it going to take an awful first half to just

587
00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:20,760
Speaker 1: sell it the deadline one of these seasons and just

588
00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:22,840
Speaker 1: tear it all down, or is it going to be

589
00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,520
Speaker 1: you know, be happy to get into the playoffs as

590
00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:29,040
Speaker 1: a wild card and everything's a crapshoot and just rely

591
00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:32,480
Speaker 1: on their muscle memory, rely on their playoff pedigree to

592
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:34,720
Speaker 1: get them through. That's what they tried this year and

593
00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:38,640
Speaker 1: it didn't work. Maybe it'll work next year, but I

594
00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:42,080
Speaker 1: don't think we're going to see like a total precipitous

595
00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:44,200
Speaker 1: fall in their face off of a cliff. But make

596
00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,320
Speaker 1: no mistake, the window is not as wide open as

597
00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:47,880
Speaker 1: it once was.

598
00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:52,760
Speaker 2: Chandler, thanks so much for joining us. Everyone, Thanks for listening.

599
00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:55,160
Speaker 2: This is Northside Territory. Make sure to listen to Crush

600
00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:58,840
Speaker 2: City Territory. Read Maya and Patrick's work covering the Cubs

601
00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,480
Speaker 2: over at the Athletic. Subscribe, rate and review to both podcasts.

602
00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:05,360
Speaker 2: Subscribe to our YouTube channels. Rich Chandler and his Asthors

603
00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:09,120
Speaker 2: coverage the best there is at the Athletics there. Thanks

604
00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:11,480
Speaker 2: so much, man, We will talk to you soon. Appreciate

605
00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:11,920
Speaker 2: the time

606
00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:13,040
Speaker 1: All right, Thanks guys,