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Speaker 1: Welcome into North Side Territory Foul Territory Networks Cubs Podcast.

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Speaker 1: I'm Sahade Sharma with my partner Patrick Mooney. We are

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

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Speaker 1: there is optimism in Cubs world for multiple reasons. Right,

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Speaker 1: but the training is about to start. Pitchers and catchers

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Speaker 1: report on Super Bowl Sunday. You are heading out to

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Speaker 1: Arizona on Saturday. I believe, am I right on that Saturday.

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Speaker 1: And there's always optimism at the beginning of this, at

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Speaker 1: the beginning of spring. But the Cubs have done good work.

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Speaker 1: They've done good work.

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Speaker 2: You know.

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Speaker 1: I wouldn't say it's a slam dunk amazing off season

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Speaker 1: like the Dodgers head or maybe even you wanted to

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Speaker 1: say the Mets ad. But it's been a really strong

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Speaker 1: off season. They look like a better team. And here's

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Speaker 1: here's the crazy thing, Dakota that's spelled wrong. But Pa

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Speaker 1: Koda projections love the Cubs. They have them at ninety

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Speaker 1: one wins. I believe ninety one wins with eighty seven

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Speaker 1: point five percent chance to make the playoffs. I mean,

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Speaker 1: that's wild to me, that's aggressive in my opinion. But

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Speaker 1: you know, let's run with optimism. It's a progression projection system.

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Speaker 1: It's not you know, it isn't perfect, but that these things,

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Speaker 1: you know, tend to be low. So to see ninety

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Speaker 1: one wins is really aggressive.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, the Mooney projections all Caps have the Cubs at

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Speaker 3: eighty three wins. That's as they are until they prove

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Speaker 3: us otherwise. But now I was I was kind of

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Speaker 3: stunned seeing that, Like, did they know something we don't like?

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Speaker 3: Is Alex fregnant already in in Mesa? But I do

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Speaker 3: agree generally with like I have a hard time seeing

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Speaker 3: this team collapsing. I think the pitching is good enough.

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Speaker 3: I think it's deep enough. I think the bullpen looks better.

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Speaker 3: I'd imagine Kyle Tucker may hit a couple more three

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Speaker 3: run homers that swing some of those close games into

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Speaker 3: blowouts or maybe you know, stop that three game losing

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Speaker 3: streak from becoming like.

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Speaker 2: A two month spiral.

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Speaker 3: It is amazing though, Like if, like, if they don't

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Speaker 3: win this division.

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Speaker 2: I mean, it's just an absolute failure. Like I'm not.

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Speaker 3: I'm not sold on the Brewers collapsing yet. Yeah, that's

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Speaker 3: more of your job, it seems like.

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Speaker 2: But just like, and I.

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Speaker 3: Do think the Reds will be okay, Like, I don't know,

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Speaker 3: there's something about that team, bringing in Francona, the hitting

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Speaker 3: that ballpark. I have a feeling they'll they'll figure it

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Speaker 3: out and probably have a winning season. But just to

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Speaker 3: see like the the Cardinals just punt on an entire

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Speaker 3: offseason and like higher coordinators instead, like we're not going

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Speaker 3: to sign any major league players, but we're gonna have

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Speaker 3: like way more minor league assistant coaches, Like okay, that's

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Speaker 3: one way to do it.

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Speaker 2: And then yeah, I mean the Pirates.

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Speaker 3: The Pirates are the Pirates right, Like they have not right,

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Speaker 3: They've got some awesome pictures and just a lot of

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Speaker 3: question marks otherwise, So so.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean they should clean up in this situation,

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Speaker 1: right listen, I I would I agree with you on

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Speaker 1: the Reds, and I actually think the Pirates, we should

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Speaker 1: not overlook them false skins, Like when you have a

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Speaker 1: number one like that and you have young talent that

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Speaker 1: is interesting and hasn't fully emerged yet, like oh they're

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Speaker 1: scratching the surface. They're good, they're not great yet, you

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Speaker 1: never know like that, I don't like, I can't rule

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Speaker 1: those teams out the Cubs have that and established talent now,

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Speaker 1: Like I you know, I found it interesting. I was

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Speaker 1: curious about this because Ian Half gets a lot of

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Speaker 1: hell on the internet, right, Like, he just he just

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Speaker 1: takes a lot of heat for not being this. I

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Speaker 1: don't know what they expect him to be, but he

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Speaker 1: just takes a lot of heat. There are eleven players

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Speaker 1: in baseball that have had five hundred played appearances each

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Speaker 1: of the last three seasons and put up a one

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Speaker 1: to twenty way to runs great, A plus or better.

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Speaker 1: His consistency that was his biggest question mark, right being

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Speaker 1: consistent year after year, month after month, being a consistent

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Speaker 1: offensive producer. He has turned himself into one of the

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Speaker 1: most consistent baseball players in the game. He stays healthy,

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Speaker 1: he's on the field, He's a really productive player. They

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Speaker 1: have production from Saya Suzuki, Kyle Tucker. You kind of

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Speaker 1: know what you're going to get from guys like that, right, Like,

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Speaker 1: really solid producers, great producer in Kyle Tucker's case. You

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Speaker 1: could argue that in Saya Suzuki's case, Uh, you kind

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Speaker 1: of know what you're getting from h Nico Horner. I

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Speaker 1: don't know if you know what you're getting from Dansby Swonson.

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Speaker 1: But I guess there's a floor there. Uh, and then

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Speaker 1: there's wildcards, right PCA. It's gonna happen at third base?

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Speaker 1: Is at Matt Shaw? Is there a surprise coming? Is it?

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Speaker 1: Michael Bush seems pretty good. We'll see if he can

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Speaker 1: take it to another level or just keep it where

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Speaker 1: it was last year. But there's a lot of stuff

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Speaker 1: that we've seen, you know, we've seen production. So I

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Speaker 1: like that combo of I don't know what we're getting,

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Speaker 1: but it could there's some upside. And also like here's

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Speaker 1: a floor, here are some solid offensive producers, and the

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Speaker 1: wind is just not gonna play like it did last year.

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Speaker 1: It just isn't. And there's I mean, if it does,

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Speaker 1: there's something red like there's like it just made no sense.

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Speaker 1: I don't believe Wrigley will play like it did. I

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Speaker 1: believe like these players, like this offense is going to

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Speaker 1: be better. Obviously. The counter to that pitching, I think

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Speaker 1: their pitching is deep enough is the thing, like they

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Speaker 1: both the bullpen starting pitching, they've done a really good

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Speaker 1: job to they do they add that ace they didn't,

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Speaker 1: and that's fine. I don't think it's the end of

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Speaker 1: the World. I think it would have looked a lot nicer.

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Speaker 1: But I do think that overall, like the bullpen, they

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Speaker 1: didn't make like this huge, splashy move. I do like

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Speaker 1: the addition of Presley. I do like all the death moves.

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Speaker 1: So much death there that they can they're gonna be

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Speaker 1: aggressive with cycling through guys. You know how counsel is,

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Speaker 1: You know how he thinks if guys don't work, they

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Speaker 1: can be aggressive. Because of the death last year, there

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Speaker 1: wasn't as much depth, so they couldn't be as aggressive

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Speaker 1: with making changes. It was a combo of lack of

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Speaker 1: depth and a lack of health. If they if they

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Speaker 1: get waylaid by injuries. You know that that always changes

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Speaker 1: the conversation. I'm just saying, right now, it looks very healthy.

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Speaker 1: You're gonna get down there a weekend. We're gonna hear

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Speaker 1: about ten injuries.

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Speaker 2: Right.

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Speaker 1: It's just like kind of how it is. And it

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Speaker 1: may be minor. It may be like this guy's behind,

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Speaker 1: this guy's this, this barking, this guy has a serious injury.

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Speaker 1: It just happens, right because they come in, they go

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Speaker 1: through their health protocols, and then and then we hear

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Speaker 1: about X, Y, and Z. But I do like the

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Speaker 1: bullpen in particular when you don't make a splashy move,

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Speaker 1: but you do what you did, Like I like it.

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Speaker 1: And there's going to be somebody we haven't heard of.

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Speaker 1: It's gonna just be this awesome reliever this year. It's

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Speaker 1: just it just happens. It happens more often than than

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Speaker 1: we even like care to like acknowledge. I feel like,

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Speaker 1: just I always say this when talking about relievers. Go

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Speaker 1: look at like the top twenty, like sort by war

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Speaker 1: if you want to sort by whatever you want to

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Speaker 1: on fangraps, go look at it, the top twenty relievers,

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Speaker 1: eighteen of them, Like it's gonna be like eighteen. You're like,

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Speaker 1: where did this guy come from? Like there are guys

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Speaker 1: in that Because I don't watch the al as much

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Speaker 1: that I that I see that, I'm like, who who's

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Speaker 1: this guy? Like when when they played Cleveland, I was like,

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Speaker 1: what how many of these guys are stucks? And I

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Speaker 1: barely know their names. It's just it's just how bullpens are.

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Speaker 1: I think this is a much better much. I like

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Speaker 1: the floor of this team better. I feel more confident

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Speaker 1: that they can outperform projections. I do not think they're

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Speaker 1: a ninety one projection team. I don't think the Cubs.

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Speaker 1: My understanding is if you look at Fangrafts Projections has

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Speaker 1: them at eighty four point five, Kakoda has them at

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Speaker 1: like ninety point seven. I would say that, like, from

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Speaker 1: what I know, the Cubs internal projections are like in

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Speaker 1: the middle of that, like they're they're not they're they're

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Speaker 1: they're within shouting distance of ninety from my understanding, and

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Speaker 1: that's it. You know, we'll see what the season holds.

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Speaker 1: But I think that's that's a that's a big step forward,

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Speaker 1: and you know what, like we can get to this

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Speaker 1: there are they done? It's another big move coming. We

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Speaker 1: don't know, but you and I've been hearing enough that

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Speaker 1: makes us makes us wonder that something may happen.

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Speaker 3: Well, yeah, I mean you and I have gotten kind

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Speaker 3: of the messages you know internally that like there are

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Speaker 3: people who are not on edge, but people who are

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Speaker 3: hopeful that there is another move to come, or that

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Speaker 3: there are kind of like indications of the Cubs are

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Speaker 3: still very much in the mix for other things.

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Speaker 2: I thought.

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Speaker 3: Bob Nightingale had an interesting tweet this week after the

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Speaker 3: ped Alonzo thing goes down of say, Alex Bregnan is

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Speaker 3: still looking for six or seven year deal, and that,

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Speaker 3: you know, as of a couple of days ago, was

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Speaker 3: also what we had heard. Right Like as much as

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Speaker 3: Cubs Twitter wants to like kind of force this to happen,

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Speaker 3: like oh, maybe it'll take like a you know, three

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Speaker 3: year deal with opt outs after every single year. Well no,

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Speaker 3: I mean if you look at the Bellinger deal, I

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Speaker 3: mean that wasn't finalized until roughly like February twenty fifth,

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Speaker 3: February twenty seventh. That was the guy the Cubs had

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Speaker 3: already had on their team, a guy who basically lived

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Speaker 3: down the street and had all this familiarity with all

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Speaker 3: the coaching staff and stuff like that. So if you

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Speaker 3: go even go back farther, not saying Bregman is as

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Speaker 3: good as Machado or Bryce Harper, but those both of

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Speaker 3: those moves I believe were more like.

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Speaker 2: Early March maybe. So when you hire Scott Boris, you

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Speaker 2: kind of know what you're getting into.

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Speaker 3: I think when you're in his position and you reportedly,

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Speaker 3: you know, turned down an offer from the Astros that.

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Speaker 2: Was roughly six years and one hundred fifty six.

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Speaker 3: Million dollars, you're going to be patient, and now all

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Speaker 3: it could take is one phone call to change those things.

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Speaker 3: I think it's interesting that if you look at some

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Speaker 3: of the teams that we've heard are in the mix, Cubs, Tigers,

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Speaker 3: Red Sox all run by like THEO Tree executives who

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Speaker 3: i'd imagine see the game fairly similarly and are very

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Speaker 3: wary of long term contracts. You know, the Blue Jays, well,

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Speaker 3: I mean, I guess everyone likes talking to the Blue Jays,

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Speaker 3: but you know, they're kind of I think our colleagues

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Speaker 3: at the Atletic have called them the silver Medalists. And

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Speaker 3: then Houston just has that wildcard, not just the hometown poll,

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Speaker 3: but also Jim Crane, who is very much the like

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Speaker 3: anti Tom Ricketts, and that he likes talking to agents,

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Speaker 3: he likes making deals. He's sort of this at times

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Speaker 3: shadow GM and that Bragman is a you know, foundational,

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Speaker 3: transformational player in in Astro's history. So, you know, we've

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Speaker 3: had a couple of these off seasons now where we

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Speaker 3: get to spring training and we're still like bugging people

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Speaker 3: of like what you got, what are you're hearing?

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Speaker 2: Is there anything on horizon?

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Speaker 3: And uh, I'd imagine that's what it'll be like when

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Speaker 3: we get down Arizona. Even maybe by the time you

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Speaker 3: get down there, when you tap in for me, yeah,

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Speaker 3: to drag out right.

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Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, I was complaining to someone. I'm like, this

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Speaker 1: better happened before before Patrick leaves. I don't want to

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Speaker 1: deal with this. I want to have my stories ready,

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Speaker 1: my ideas ready, come in and execute them. I got

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Speaker 1: completely waylaid last year where I came in with a

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Speaker 1: bunch of ideas and then twenty four hours after I

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Speaker 1: arrived Cody Bellager news breaks and I'm like, well, can't

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Speaker 1: write any of the stories that I had play out.

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Speaker 1: Everything changes, which is fine. That's how this That's how

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Speaker 1: this job works. I think something you touched on there,

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Speaker 1: Jim Crane can be kind of I don't want to.

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Speaker 1: I don't know if you want to use the word

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Speaker 1: medalsome tom or kinsism like that that is a positive

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Speaker 1: of his. Okay, I'll give him that he doesn't medal

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Speaker 1: and tell Jed how to spend the money. I know

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Speaker 1: we've talked about this, but I just like it's becoming

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Speaker 1: clear and as time passes, the Cubs would really like

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Speaker 1: to this front office would really like to add Alex Bregman.

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Speaker 1: They believe that he could help this team builds an

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Speaker 1: obvious hole, like there's no it's not hard for me

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Speaker 1: to make the to rationalize at adding Alex Bregman. The

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Speaker 1: fact that they have to be so creative with money.

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Speaker 1: I listen, it's probably the front office doesn't love to

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Speaker 1: give out a ton of years. So maybe that's I

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Speaker 1: don't know how much of that is them being restricted

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Speaker 1: with finances or or just how they like to, you know,

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Speaker 1: come up with creative ideas with a length of deals

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Speaker 1: as far. But the reality is this team is still

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Speaker 1: not a top five, uh like top five in the league,

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Speaker 1: and it's it's getting really frustrating to have to keep

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Speaker 1: talking about this, But it is the reality that they face,

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Speaker 1: and it should not be They should not be passed

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Speaker 1: up by certain teams. They need to be in the

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Speaker 1: top five and it should not if it's if you're

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Speaker 1: resetting once every few years, I understand that, but you

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Speaker 1: need to get back up there in a timely manner.

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Speaker 1: It cannot be five six years without being in the

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Speaker 1: top five. It is bad. It is not how how

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Speaker 1: you should run the Chicago Cubs, and you should not

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Speaker 1: be comparing yourself to the Arizona Diamondbacks or the Tampa

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Speaker 1: Bay Rays, or the Cleveland Guardians or the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Speaker 1: Those teams are in different markets. Hey listen, their owners

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Speaker 1: could probably spend more too, but that's that's not I

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Speaker 1: don't cover those teams, so I'm not gonna talk about

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Speaker 1: them as strongly as I will the Cubs, who absolutely

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Speaker 1: should be spending more money, and it just like they

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Speaker 1: should be being they should. This front office should feel

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Speaker 1: more comfortable to be aggressive with Alex Bregman if they

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Speaker 1: think he's the type of guy that can put them

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Speaker 1: over the top. You want to build a ninety win

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Speaker 1: projection team. I think Alex Bregman may get them there internally, right,

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Speaker 1: and that they have to like kind of pinch pennies,

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Speaker 1: and that there's even talk. I don't know if they

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Speaker 1: would absolutely have to do this, But what what happens

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Speaker 1: if they signed Bregman and it's like a thirty million

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Speaker 1: dollars added, right? I think? For I think right now,

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Speaker 1: Roster Resource has them at like two eleven for the

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Speaker 1: luxury tax that would get so then that would get

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Speaker 1: them right at the luxury tax that's probably low so

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Speaker 1: that means they probably need to shed salary, you know,

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Speaker 1: and and the most logical move would be trading Niko Horner.

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Speaker 1: I just think it like you cannot operate that way.

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Speaker 1: You should not have to operate that way. I don't

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Speaker 1: know if that's what would happen if they added Alex Bregman.

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Speaker 1: We haven't heard that directly, but.

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Speaker 2: That makes no sense.

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Speaker 3: That makes no sense, and that is not a serious

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Speaker 3: operation if you're only going to get bregmant if you

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Speaker 3: get rid of another goal to love infielder. I mean,

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Speaker 3: the whole point of this is they're short one player,

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Speaker 3: and maybe Mattchhaw is awesome from the jump and just

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Speaker 3: run takes the job for years.

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Speaker 2: Maybe everyone magically stays healthy.

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Speaker 3: There's no uh, you know, oblique strains and you know,

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Speaker 3: any collisions on the field, probably not, you know. I

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Speaker 3: don't think you want to be in a position where

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Speaker 3: you're counting on all of these top one hundred players

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Speaker 3: to like have to produce next year.

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Speaker 2: Like there, I still.

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Speaker 3: Think after moving Cody Bellinger, they're like a little bit short.

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Speaker 3: I think you could even put like Mike Takman in

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Speaker 3: that bucket of like established major league talent that you

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Speaker 3: know what you're gonna get, and so to me to

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Speaker 3: to move Nico makes no sense. I think you nailed it.

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Speaker 3: Like there's no like question about the evaluation of the player, right,

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Speaker 3: Like everyone knows Alec Bregman is a very very very

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Speaker 3: very good major league player at a premium position.

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Speaker 2: He's gonna post, he's probably gonna hit.

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Speaker 3: You get you twenty five homers, ninety arbis you know

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Speaker 3: an ops plus any like a like an E and

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Speaker 3: happ twenty percent better than the league.

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Speaker 2: Average at least.

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Speaker 3: But like, yeah, if you're looking at a seven year deal,

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Speaker 3: let's look at the previous seven years of why Jed

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Speaker 3: or anyone around him may.

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Speaker 2: Be a little wary of that, Like look.

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Speaker 3: At kind of the hayroll shifts the Cubs have had

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Speaker 3: during the previous seven years we're talking about, I think

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Speaker 3: we're going all the way way back to not getting

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Speaker 3: involved in Bryce Harper and Manny Machado because that was

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Speaker 3: just like a non starter and you know, clearly a

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Speaker 3: move that the coach would have liked to had a

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Speaker 3: do over on or more ability to go get that

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Speaker 3: piece you have them. Yes, twenty nineteen, the highest payroll

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Speaker 3: in the Major leagues, but it's essentially at best been

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Speaker 3: flat since then, and you have all these teams that

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Speaker 3: have jumped them since then, like Phillies.

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Speaker 2: I guess the.

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Speaker 3: Piters may come back down the Mets under new ownership.

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Speaker 3: The Braves just have it rolling there with their stadium

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Speaker 3: real estate development set up they have going on there.

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Speaker 3: So then you have COVID and essentially Jed the beginning

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Speaker 3: of Jed's tenure of god Drop salary. So you're non

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Speaker 3: tendering Kyle Schwarber and trading you Darvish and hoping that

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Speaker 3: at some point this year maybe you get something out

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Speaker 3: of own casey like from that return from that deal.

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Speaker 3: Then you have a lockout. We have another lockout probably

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Speaker 3: coming almost certainly coming if.

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Speaker 2: You listen to Rob Manfred. So like the.

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Speaker 3: Marquee TV network that they launched has been a financial disappointment.

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Speaker 2: So like.

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Speaker 3: I understand from their perspective of like, yeah, you know,

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Speaker 3: they're you know, the ownership stay out of it, the

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Speaker 3: business side stays out of it. But I think there's

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Speaker 3: a very clear track record of like you know, if

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Speaker 3: you really make that huge commitment to Alex Bregman for

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Speaker 3: seven years, you may regret it.

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Speaker 2: A lot sooner than you imagine, And I do.

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Speaker 3: Understand why they would want some flexibility on that kind

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Speaker 3: of term. The now, the short term dollars trying to

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Speaker 3: make that work like that is not that is not

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Speaker 3: a serious organization, right if you have to like trade

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Speaker 3: Nico to do. But if you're looking seven years out,

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Speaker 3: I understand why they may be more than a little

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Speaker 3: hesitant on that one.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, no, I get, I get the long term issues.

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Speaker 1: And that's and that is I guess tied into ownership,

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Speaker 1: you know, and how what they're willing to do, right,

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Speaker 1: that's what you're saying, because that's what happened with like

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Speaker 1: essentially that's what happened with Bryce Harper. There were too

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Speaker 1: many deals that had taken place that and ownership was

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Speaker 1: basically like, no, we have enough and we've spent enough,

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Speaker 1: payroll's high enough. Go in with what you have, like,

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Speaker 1: go get Daniel descalso to finish off the puzzle, not

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Speaker 1: Bryce Harper. So it's a it is frustrating to continue

359
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Speaker 1: to have to talk about this stuff, but it is

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Speaker 1: also what is happening. And it's like I think a

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Speaker 1: lot of that Like, look, j Jed Hoyer deserves some blame.

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Speaker 1: This team should be better, but he's also not working

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Speaker 1: with the type of payroll that some of these other

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Speaker 1: big market teams are, and he's he basically started this

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Speaker 1: small market front office a few years ago, right like,

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Speaker 1: and that takes years to build that infrastructure. Like Milwaukee

367
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Speaker 1: didn't just decide to like become this team and instantly

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Speaker 1: start winning games. You know, Tampa Bay didn't just turn

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Speaker 1: on a corner. Like it's like, uh, turn on a dime.

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Speaker 1: Like these things, Uh take time to build and you

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Speaker 1: have to build it out and then you hope that

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Speaker 1: it all comes together properly. I don't know if if

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Speaker 1: they if they've done all that properly. I don't know,

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Speaker 1: Like we've talked about that, right like, is this is everything?

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Speaker 1: All the infrastructure that they've built, Is that good enough?

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Speaker 1: I don't know, Like they need to prove it, you know,

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Speaker 1: with the results on the field for me to really

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Speaker 1: buy in. I feel like they've done better, but I

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Speaker 1: don't until they start winning ninety games consistently, I can't

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Speaker 1: say they've they've created this draft and development machine and

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Speaker 1: that they're a standout organization. I don't think. I don't

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Speaker 1: think we're hearing that from others around the league and

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Speaker 1: that and until they prove it, it's how how are

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Speaker 1: we supposed to defend such a such a statement, right? So, uh,

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Speaker 1: I think it's it's really as simple as that. Like

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Speaker 1: they I'd like to see them spend more. I'd like

387
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Speaker 1: to see them behave like the big market team that

388
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Speaker 1: they used to be and that they are. But you know,

389
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Speaker 1: there are other ways to get there. So we can't

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Speaker 1: take we can't completely take blame away from the front office.

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Speaker 1: But I do believe that they that they sometimes take

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Speaker 1: a little bit too much criticism and we need to

393
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Speaker 1: make sure that the spotlight has shown on Hey, this

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Speaker 1: is they're not behaving like a top five market and

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Speaker 1: they need to.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think that's going to be the conversation.

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Speaker 3: You know, with this being the final year of Jet's contract,

398
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Speaker 3: you know, it is not unreasonable for ownership to look at,

399
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Speaker 3: you know, a payroll around the luxury tax threshold, say

400
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Speaker 3: two hundred and forty one dollars, Maybe their tick under,

401
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,720
Speaker 3: Maybe they wind up a little over. We'll see and

402
00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:49,880
Speaker 3: look at the rest of your competitors in the division

403
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Speaker 3: and be like, why can't you build a team better

404
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Speaker 3: than the Pirates, the Reds, the Brewers, and the Cardinals.

405
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Speaker 3: For the Cardinals at this moment, you know, and I

406
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Speaker 3: do think it is a strength of the Cubs that

407
00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:10,240
Speaker 3: because Tom is so hands off, really baseball operations within

408
00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:15,119
Speaker 3: those parameters have total autonomy. So like that is why

409
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Speaker 3: we're stuck, you know, heading into Super Bowl weekend. We

410
00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:21,000
Speaker 3: do the Cubs still have a big move in it,

411
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Speaker 3: and I mean a Jed is kind of working within

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Speaker 3: this structure and Tom is giving them the freedom to

413
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Speaker 3: really do whatever they want within that. And so that

414
00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:38,280
Speaker 3: is why, you know, if the Padres are curious about

415
00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:40,120
Speaker 3: Dylan seats, they got to check in with the Cubs,

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Speaker 3: right because they Cubs do have some at what Tom

417
00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,000
Speaker 3: would say that dry powder, right, Like that's like his

418
00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,200
Speaker 3: his metaphor of like the Cubs can strike the Cubs.

419
00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:53,200
Speaker 3: We'll have a ton of resources available at the trade deadline,

420
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Speaker 3: and I think it would be very wise to unload

421
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Speaker 3: some of that talent for some major league pieces. And

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Speaker 3: I know you'd rather have a player on Opening Day

423
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Speaker 3: than waiting until the end of July. But like there

424
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Speaker 3: is you know, I guess there are no perfect owners, right,

425
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Speaker 3: Like there's pluses and minuses, with everything, and I think

426
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Speaker 3: this is just kind of where the Cubs are, and

427
00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:25,440
Speaker 3: you know, we're not, you know, trying to rip the

428
00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:27,600
Speaker 3: front office and ownership. We're not trying to make excuses

429
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Speaker 3: for the front office and ownership. It's more of just

430
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Speaker 3: like if you want to be a Cubs fan to

431
00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:34,080
Speaker 3: understand like what is happening, you have to take all

432
00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:37,639
Speaker 3: of these things into account. And it's like, yeah, you know,

433
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,199
Speaker 3: he Tom is not gonna pull a Jim Crane and

434
00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:46,280
Speaker 3: call up Scott Boris like tik talked maybe twice in

435
00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:51,600
Speaker 3: the entire span of Tom's ownership, unless that's changed recently,

436
00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:54,160
Speaker 3: I kind of doubt it. But they're very, very minimal

437
00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:58,719
Speaker 3: contact between those two parties. So it becomes, you know,

438
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:03,120
Speaker 3: a baseball value and then you know, as team president,

439
00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:08,040
Speaker 3: Jed controls where all of those dollars go within base operations.

440
00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:11,159
Speaker 3: So when he sees Craig Counsel approaching free agency, he

441
00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:15,880
Speaker 3: gives him the biggest deal, uh ever for a manager,

442
00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:19,119
Speaker 3: and he can go trade for Kyle Tucker and not

443
00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:21,840
Speaker 3: know whether he's gonna sign him or not, but like

444
00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:26,480
Speaker 3: that's totally within his purview, and they'll run stuff by

445
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:29,000
Speaker 3: Tom like they you know, Tom says they talk every day,

446
00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:34,000
Speaker 3: but it is not a you know, an owner trying

447
00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:37,040
Speaker 3: to play fantasy GM and that's unbalanced.

448
00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:39,600
Speaker 2: Probably a very good thing, right.

449
00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:41,640
Speaker 1: A couple of things I just want to make sure

450
00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:46,760
Speaker 1: I mentioned so the Cardinals didn't strip down and throwback

451
00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,520
Speaker 1: Cardinals to like Jordan Walker click.

452
00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:53,639
Speaker 4: And then uh the you know, Nolan Aronado find find it,

453
00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:56,359
Speaker 4: you know, the fountain of Youth and and like Brandon

454
00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,639
Speaker 4: Donovan turn into like this pesky Uh do the drives

455
00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:03,119
Speaker 4: the Cubs and their fans nuts.

456
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,240
Speaker 1: I'm not going to rule them out just because they

457
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,800
Speaker 1: didn't completely strip down, right, and Hellsley is still closing

458
00:26:08,840 --> 00:26:12,640
Speaker 1: games for them. All that stuff. We'll see if wil Yeah,

459
00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,280
Speaker 1: Wilson Contreras Yeah, and he can hit like there's no

460
00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:17,600
Speaker 1: doubt about it. Like the dude puts a you know,

461
00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:22,919
Speaker 1: gets on these heaters and can consistently carry an offense. Uh.

462
00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:25,040
Speaker 1: The other thing is I look at the roster resource

463
00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:28,679
Speaker 1: has that comes up I believe two oh nine and change. Uh. So,

464
00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:31,679
Speaker 1: you know that's the public stuff, like we said it

465
00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:35,440
Speaker 1: last year, reiterated, it's always low. It's a few million low.

466
00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:37,920
Speaker 1: It was at the end of it was last year,

467
00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:40,320
Speaker 1: it will be again this year. So that's let's say

468
00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:42,960
Speaker 1: it's a couple of millions, so around two eleven to

469
00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:47,919
Speaker 1: twelve guestimating. I don't know for sure. Uh, that's still

470
00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:52,560
Speaker 1: like that's you know, there's plenty to go add, plenty

471
00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:57,960
Speaker 1: to go add, but not Bregman would be pushing it.

472
00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:01,440
Speaker 1: It would be just Bregman and not anything else would

473
00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:04,040
Speaker 1: be pushing it. Final thing I wanted to say, you

474
00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:06,600
Speaker 1: talked about, Yes, it is better to have the player

475
00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:08,880
Speaker 1: for the full season. One thing that was pointed out

476
00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:12,240
Speaker 1: to me years ago and I and this is absolutely true.

477
00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:17,040
Speaker 1: We may see things as they have these needs X

478
00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:21,720
Speaker 1: y Z right now in February, by June July, those

479
00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:27,160
Speaker 1: needs may look very different injury, production, whatever it may be.

480
00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:30,760
Speaker 1: So it there is a benefit that that's I think

481
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,480
Speaker 1: that that's the value in a having some payroll flexibility

482
00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:38,280
Speaker 1: at the trade deadline to just add whatever, and having

483
00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:41,080
Speaker 1: more knowledge of what your team is and what your

484
00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:44,119
Speaker 1: team needs are right now. We need this. We we

485
00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:46,960
Speaker 1: thought we had this set this guy got hurt or

486
00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,159
Speaker 1: this guy's not producing, this guy had a you know setback, whatever,

487
00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:52,399
Speaker 1: he's taking a step back this season. Now we need

488
00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:54,720
Speaker 1: to go out and get this type of player. I

489
00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:57,280
Speaker 1: think that's valuable, and I think it's good to have

490
00:27:57,320 --> 00:28:00,199
Speaker 1: more knowledge of what you're dealing with. That for me,

491
00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:03,840
Speaker 1: is more an argument. It's not to add. It's more

492
00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:06,640
Speaker 1: an argument to like, make sure you have the flexibility

493
00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:11,800
Speaker 1: to add at the deadline. That's it. And I still

494
00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:14,679
Speaker 1: think go out and get Bregman. I still think payroll

495
00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:17,600
Speaker 1: should be at two sixty. But you know, these aren't

496
00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:19,919
Speaker 1: things that are going to change as far as we know,

497
00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:24,040
Speaker 1: you know, unless unless something changes at the ownership level

498
00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:27,240
Speaker 1: where they decide to you know, hey, maybe this makes sense,

499
00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:29,800
Speaker 1: but I don't think we've heard any rumblings of that.

500
00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:34,280
Speaker 1: So yeah, I think that's it. Patrick, You're going to

501
00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:38,840
Speaker 1: be down there. We will be, you know, talking cubs

502
00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:42,680
Speaker 1: from Arizona. You'll be from Arizona. Eventually I'll be in Japan,

503
00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:45,160
Speaker 1: and then the season will be upon us before we

504
00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,000
Speaker 1: even know it. Thanks so much for listening, everybody. This

505
00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:50,840
Speaker 1: is north Side Territory. Make sure to rate, review and subscribe.

506
00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:54,240
Speaker 1: Subscribe to the YouTube channel, and please subscribe to the

507
00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:56,400
Speaker 1: Athletic for Patrick and I are on top of all

508
00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:59,480
Speaker 1: things Cubs. We'll be back with you early next week,

509
00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,240
Speaker 1: Patrick will be enjoying the nice weather in Arizona and

510
00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:04,760
Speaker 1: I'll be freezing my butt off here in the Chicago

511
00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:07,560
Speaker 1: Land area. But that is life and I will eventually

512
00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:09,920
Speaker 1: get out there. You will be stuff here in the cold.

513
00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:12,720
Speaker 2: Everyone exactly