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

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Speaker 1: Sade Charma with my partner Patrick Mooney. We are your

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

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Speaker 1: a little.

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Speaker 2: Roster shakeup. I don't know.

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Speaker 1: Uh, we got some injuries and everybody was healthy when

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Speaker 1: I was down there, So I don't know what's going

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Speaker 1: on since you arrived, but it is.

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Speaker 3: I am the black cat, you know, the bad you know,

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Speaker 3: the dark cloud hovering over everything Cubs.

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Speaker 1: So Tyler Austin obviously not a starter, but backup first baseman,

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Speaker 1: the right handed first baseman. Uh, was looking for an

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Speaker 1: opportunity after I believe you wrote six years in Japan. Uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, former Yankees prospect did pretty well for a

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Speaker 1: couple of seasons with the Yankees, went to.

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Speaker 2: Japan, played well.

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Speaker 1: Obviously, the Cubs like him enough to give him a

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Speaker 1: couple of million bucks to come come here be their

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Speaker 1: backup for his baseman, kind of build out their bench.

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Speaker 2: Uh, he's gonna miss was it? How did council word it?

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Speaker 2: A couple of months? It's a month long.

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Speaker 4: Mon yeah, months plural?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, So that that opens up and we we were

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Speaker 1: talking about one spot on the bench. Last episode, we

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Speaker 1: were talking about Michael Confordo being signed. Now, this is

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Speaker 1: a good shot for Michael Conforto to make the team. Uh,

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Speaker 1: We're talking about a veteran who has a ton of

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Speaker 1: power and and has had some good history offensively, and

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Speaker 1: it looks like he has an inside track at the moment,

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Speaker 1: assuming he can produce and has a solid uh has

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Speaker 1: a solid spring.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 3: I think to clarify something I said last episode, I

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Speaker 3: sort of was like speculating that Confordo had some sort

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Speaker 3: of you know, wink wink handshake agreement making the team.

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Speaker 3: Like I, you know, I was told he's not like

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Speaker 3: one hundred percent guaranteed lock. I still put him in,

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Speaker 3: you know, our updated roster projection just because.

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Speaker 2: Of everything you just said.

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Speaker 3: I still think he has the most impressive offensive profile

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Speaker 3: and track record. He's done it at a high level. Obviously,

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Speaker 3: last year with the Dodgers was a huge disappointment. He

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Speaker 3: spoke with a small group of us in Mesa the

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Speaker 3: other day and said, you know, I, you know, it

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Speaker 3: was part of a world series team, but I didn't

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Speaker 3: really feel like I earned it. He's like I tried

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Speaker 3: to be a good teammate and help out in other ways.

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Speaker 4: But when you're not on.

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Speaker 3: The playoff roster in four consecutive rounds, you know, it

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Speaker 3: leaves you understandably with some mixed emotions, and you know,

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Speaker 3: one is a feeling of hunger, a lot of motivation

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Speaker 3: to get back to what he was. It's kind of

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Speaker 3: humbling to have to take a minor league deal when

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Speaker 3: you're someone who at one point looked like you're in

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Speaker 3: line for a nine figure contract and you've been having

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Speaker 3: these really healthy, sort of like one to two year

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Speaker 3: deals at a really nice rate, and to come in

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Speaker 3: and fight for a job, I.

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Speaker 4: Think, you know, he hasn't done that in maybe ten years.

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Speaker 3: As you know, something like that, you're going back to, like,

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Speaker 3: you know, someone who made his major league debut in

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Speaker 3: twenty fifteen, and so yeah, I think with a decent camp,

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Speaker 3: with good health, I think he makes the club. I

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Speaker 3: think they are not entirely sold on Moist's biastairs. I

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Speaker 3: still think Biasterais will get a long runway this season,

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Speaker 3: but I think they want a little bit of, you know,

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Speaker 3: insurance in case a rookie's not able to handle, you know,

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Speaker 3: a huge offensive load, like right off the bat, and

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Speaker 3: I mean getting back to Austin, there's been a lot

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Speaker 3: of who's on first type of questions, and you know,

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Speaker 3: Counsel essentially said anyone who has a glove or looking

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Speaker 3: at like who's the backup second basement if Nico Horner

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Speaker 3: gets injured, like they want Michael Bush. You know, it's

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Speaker 3: like who is Anthony Rizzo's backup? Like Victor Cartini had

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Speaker 3: a couple of stars, Chris Bryan a little bit like, no,

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Speaker 3: they want Michael Bush to get a full runway here

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Speaker 3: of one hundred and fifty something games, and so of

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Speaker 3: course by Asteros, Miguel Maya and Matt Shaw said he'd

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Speaker 3: go grab a first base glove, like they can work

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Speaker 3: with that. But I think if the next man up

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Speaker 3: would probably be Jonathan Long, who you know I would

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Speaker 3: bet starts the season at Triple A Iowa. He probably

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Speaker 3: needs to play every day. But in that scenario, as

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Speaker 3: Council said, he would only be a day away.

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Speaker 4: He'd be a phone call away if something happened.

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Speaker 3: So you had when you have the awesome news the

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Speaker 3: Confordo signing, like taken together, that was a relative you know,

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Speaker 3: shakeup or was it just kind of a you know,

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Speaker 3: a new development for what is really just a stable roster,

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Speaker 3: Like they have their guys, they're gonna go only as

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Speaker 3: far as that core group will take them.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, as far as injuries go. This isn't like the

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Speaker 1: devastating type of.

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Speaker 2: Like I feel bad more for the guy, Like.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a huge, huge blow.

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Speaker 2: Really, Yeah, you know.

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Speaker 1: It sucks for him. He would have had an opportunity

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Speaker 1: on a winning team to get some at bats.

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Speaker 2: It's not like he was playing every day, but he

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Speaker 2: would have. He would have played.

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Speaker 1: He would have gotten some at bats and and like

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Speaker 1: when lefties are on the mound, maybe pinch hitting, maybe

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Speaker 1: getting some starts here and there. Uh, it's a bummer

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Speaker 1: for him, but you know, obviously it opens up an opportunity.

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Speaker 1: And I you know, we don't consult all the time

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Speaker 1: on what we write, and and you put out the roster.

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Speaker 1: I think I would have put it exactly like you did. Uh,

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Speaker 1: Dylan Carlson and Michael Confordo getting those two spots there

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Speaker 1: were there were there was one spot. Now there's two.

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Speaker 1: I think that's that's who I would have gone with.

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Speaker 1: Like I think it's a battle, Like I think Conforto's

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Speaker 1: gonna make the team, Like I said, assuming he looks fine,

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Speaker 1: like every like the measurables are there and he looks like, Okay,

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Speaker 1: this guy can still play, and then like it's a

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Speaker 1: battle between McCormick and and Dylan Carlson. This is my opinion, Like,

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Speaker 1: I just think you want Kevin ol contrad down to

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Speaker 1: the miners playing every day.

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Speaker 2: I think that's what makes sense.

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Speaker 4: Uh.

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Speaker 1: I'm sure there are people that disagree with that. On

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Speaker 1: the with the team, he's probably their best after Pete,

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Speaker 1: their best defensive center fielder. I mean, I haven't watched

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Speaker 1: Dylan Carlson play there in a while. He was solid there.

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Speaker 1: I don't think Dylan Carlson was ever great in center field. Uh.

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Speaker 2: So, you know, I.

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Speaker 1: Think those are the those are the two leaders in

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Speaker 1: the clubhouse. As far as I think Johnny Long is

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Speaker 1: even dealing with something elbow wise and skipping the WBC,

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Speaker 1: it doesn't sound like it's going to keep him out

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Speaker 1: a while. It's more just like, why why push this

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Speaker 1: right now?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, traveling all that way after not playing for several

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Speaker 3: days and just kind of it would have been a

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Speaker 3: cool experience for him, but just too much going on

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Speaker 3: for him.

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Speaker 4: To leave camp at this point.

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Speaker 3: And yeah, I think you know, our editors are great,

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Speaker 3: but they make us for these predictions, like put a

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Speaker 3: name for every single spot on the twenty six man roster.

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Speaker 3: So how I initially sort of pitched it was, you know,

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Speaker 3: you have eleven essentially core guys, and I think, you know,

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Speaker 3: like I said by Asteros, I still think he's in

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Speaker 3: that core group.

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Speaker 2: But I think as a.

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Speaker 3: Rookie after a late arrival in CAM, I think he's

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Speaker 3: just like a little bit. I wouldn't I can't even

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Speaker 3: say I'm in the bubble, but you know, I think

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Speaker 3: there'll be some discussions about how to like put him

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Speaker 3: in a position to succeed, But realistically he's part of

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Speaker 3: that eleven. I would put confordo twelfth, and then you

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Speaker 3: have the thirteenth spot, McCormick, Carlson. You know you got

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Speaker 3: to switch hitter in Carlson. That was kind of why

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Speaker 3: I went with him. He's younger, he has that I

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Speaker 3: believe first round pedigree. You know, it's a non roster guy.

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Speaker 3: I still think I'm with you. I would probably like

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Speaker 3: to see a Gunta play every day, but I think,

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Speaker 3: as you know, you've been on this basically staycquired from

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Speaker 3: the Yankees. I it's just like his athleticism, his tools,

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Speaker 3: his ceiling are just like so out there that you know,

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Speaker 3: you may want to see what what you have and

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Speaker 3: sort of like force feed or speed up some of

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Speaker 3: that development in the majors.

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Speaker 4: But in the end, I think, you know, you kind of.

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Speaker 3: Prioritize kind of the long term, and you know it

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Speaker 3: is a true competition. I mean, CONFORDO, McCormick, Carlson, you know,

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Speaker 3: these three guys who've certainly had their moments, but they're

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Speaker 3: gonna have to go out and earn it, no doubt.

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Speaker 1: All Right, everyone, I know, if you're like me, you're

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Speaker 1: ready to get out of the house as these summer

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Speaker 1: months arrive. I am so excited to see John Mullaney

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Speaker 1: at Wrigley Field. I'm looking forward to taking my kids

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Speaker 1: to a game at Wrigley and hopeful knock off another

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Speaker 1: ballpark off our list. We try and hit one every summer,

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Speaker 1: As far as the pitching goes, not a significant injury,

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Speaker 1: not but you know, like something to watch. I guess

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Speaker 1: right now it's I think council put it as days

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Speaker 1: not weeks as far as that they're hoping it's days

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Speaker 1: not weeks with Jordan Wicks, Do I have that right?

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Speaker 2: Is that the is that what they're the early.

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Speaker 3: Days not weeks in terms of resuming a throwing program

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Speaker 3: that has been paused now for about a week. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: so you know, we'll see him in the MRI. I

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Speaker 3: reveals quote no UCL concerns, We'll see Obviously, this is

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Speaker 3: kind of a depth starter guy for the Cubs, which is,

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Speaker 3: you know, not really what you envision when you draft

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Speaker 3: a guy a college pitcher in.

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Speaker 4: The first round.

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Speaker 3: But you know, Wicks has kind of struggled to find

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Speaker 3: his footing here. He had really that really nice debut

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Speaker 3: during the day Ross era, but hasn't really been able

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Speaker 3: to build off that. That's a hit for depth, and

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Speaker 3: that's kind of why looking at it, you know, with

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Speaker 3: the rotation, you know, as of you know, knock on

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Speaker 3: wood the middle of the week, those main five guys

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Speaker 3: are talking about Kate Horton, Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera showed

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Speaker 3: in Managa and jameson Tyan. All five of those guys

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Speaker 3: are on track to be able to start the season

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Speaker 3: on time. They wanted to get the World Baseball Classic

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Speaker 3: guys out there first. It's a longer ramp up for

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Speaker 3: the guys who aren't pitching in that, so they you know,

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Speaker 3: sort of slow played that. But to me that was

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Speaker 3: a significant confirmation because as you know, sometimes you're there

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Speaker 3: there's all these players, the schedules, this crazy grid the game.

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Speaker 3: You tuned out during the games because you're writing it's like,

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Speaker 3: you know, why hasn't Edward Cabrera pitched yets? Oh yes,

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Speaker 3: schedule to pitch Friday, and so that'll be kind of

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Speaker 3: interesting to see his roll out.

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Speaker 4: And then really.

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Speaker 3: In our projection, I had Ben Brown and Javi Asad

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Speaker 3: going to Iowa. They have options keep them stretched out. Obviously,

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Speaker 3: they could, you know, always shorten those guys up. I

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Speaker 3: just have a feeling knowing how obsessed they are with

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Speaker 3: depth and how you know the attrition rate with pictures

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Speaker 3: now and if you're thinking about we plan be pitching

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Speaker 3: into deep October, I would think they're going to want

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Speaker 3: to keep those guys stretched out.

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Speaker 4: And you know this space better than I do.

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Speaker 3: I think they're totally in love with the Brad Keller

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Speaker 3: story and like their process. They want to find another guy.

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Speaker 3: And you know, there's at least one spot in the

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Speaker 3: bullpen available, and I think that will be kind of

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Speaker 3: their the lottery ticket. But there could be like ten

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Speaker 3: names that would be on that and once again they

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Speaker 3: make us pick one, but you know, it really just

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Speaker 3: be a totally open spot.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and you picked Colin Snyder, and I actually think

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Speaker 1: that's a good pick because he was like he was

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Speaker 1: down all last year with his velo and it's back,

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Speaker 1: like his Vlo's back.

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Speaker 2: This is what someone told me.

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Speaker 1: I can't remember who it was, but they said for

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Speaker 1: years when filling out the bullpen, we just kind of

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Speaker 1: had bodies like we had guys. We were just like

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Speaker 1: picking up guys. There was like there was a process,

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Speaker 1: but it was like it was hard to like get

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Speaker 1: a lot of guys that we felt like these got.

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Speaker 1: We have five guys that are competing for one spot.

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Speaker 1: I think like early on things could quickly derail. You know,

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Speaker 1: you can have one good outing. We'd see this like

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Speaker 1: all the time relievers. It doesn't matter if it's spring training,

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Speaker 1: regularly season. You can have a great outing and stink

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Speaker 1: five times in a row, because that's how it works.

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Speaker 1: But there's quite a few eyes where you look at

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Speaker 1: like you look at Colin Snyder, you look at Ryan Rollinson.

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Speaker 1: You know, obviously Hunter Harvey's on the team. We'll see

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Speaker 1: how Corbyn Martin is. There's like, these are guys with stuff.

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Speaker 1: These are guys that it's like, well, if they're right,

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Speaker 1: you know, and if we tweak the right thing. If

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Speaker 1: we keep them healthy, they have some actual depth there.

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Speaker 1: It's interesting. I'm curious to see how that all plays out,

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Speaker 1: because I do believe that they have some actual talent there.

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Speaker 1: Robson impressed me with the Villo. Speaking of Villo, I

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Speaker 1: think that's something you're allowed to look at in spring

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Speaker 1: training results. I think try and avoid it, you know,

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Speaker 1: try not to get obsessed with the results, especially the

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Speaker 1: score of the game. But should Managa I believe topped

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Speaker 1: out at ninety four point one. I heard it before

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Speaker 1: I left. I think he had alive and someone told

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Speaker 1: me he topped out at ninety three to eight. They cautioned, look,

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Speaker 1: it's two innings. It's two innings of work. I think

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Speaker 1: it was two innings. Again, a natural game, is that, right,

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Speaker 1: You can kind of top out, you can kind of

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Speaker 1: max it go like it get a little bit more

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Speaker 1: in two innings. Still, I don't think he was doing

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Speaker 1: that last year in two innings, let alone five. He

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Speaker 1: was like having days where he was like struggling to

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Speaker 1: touch ninety their post injury, I think it matters. It

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Speaker 1: sounds like you've heard some things where people believe it matters.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, in his own understated way, Craig Council acknowledged It's

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Speaker 3: quote was something like, it's kind of a little bit

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Speaker 3: of a big deal.

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Speaker 4: You know how Council talks of.

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Speaker 3: Sort of like couching everything, but he says, you know,

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Speaker 3: it's a sign that the player feels healthy, that the

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Speaker 3: player had a good off season, and that the player

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Speaker 3: is confident in the work that he's put in. And obviously,

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Speaker 3: with Shoda, you know from the start, you know, as

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Speaker 3: we dug into kind of the scouting reports on him

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Speaker 3: in Japan, it was this idea that that fastball has

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Speaker 3: when it's right, has that zip on it to where

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Speaker 3: it plays up a couple miles an hour, and like

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Speaker 3: hitters aren't quite used to seeing it. And obviously that

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Speaker 3: separation helps with you know, his other pitcher pitches and

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Speaker 3: keeping hitters off balance. And so you know, in essence,

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Speaker 3: what is ninety three could look ninety five ninety six,

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Speaker 3: you know, kind of in effect, and you know, Shoda

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Speaker 3: is in a good place. And I tried to I

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Speaker 3: was just you know, curious how you know, he was

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Speaker 3: the toast of the town for like almost two full

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Speaker 3: seasons and you know, all of a sudden at the end,

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Speaker 3: it really I think.

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Speaker 4: It it caught me by surprise.

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Speaker 3: I think the Cubs were Obviously the Cubs were aware

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Speaker 3: of some of this stuff, but I don't think they

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Speaker 3: were not like problem solving in real time the way

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Speaker 3: that you kind of had to and to you know,

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Speaker 3: to ice him in an elimination game, and then to

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Speaker 3: not pick up his three year option, like both of

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Speaker 3: those would have sounded like unthinkable at that time a

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Speaker 3: year ago. But you know, Showda, I mean he was like,

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Speaker 3: I like to think of things positively, you know, he said,

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Speaker 3: by the idea of playing at Wrigley Field, you know,

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Speaker 3: that's what I'm I'm looking forward to. And he sounds

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Speaker 3: like he has moved on and you know, had a

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Speaker 3: full off season and even though he was abroad, he

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Speaker 3: was able to engage with the coaches and send send

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Speaker 3: video and you know, Counsel seems to think he's in

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Speaker 3: a good place. And I think, however, they got to

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Speaker 3: this after all these contract decisions. I think the Cubs

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Speaker 3: are probably fortunate to have him, and this is probably

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Speaker 3: the best place for Shoda to have that big year

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Speaker 3: if he wants that nice, big multi year contract after this.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's obviously a big year for him.

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Speaker 1: I think it's a big for the Cubs for him

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Speaker 1: to come If he can come close to twenty twenty four,

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Speaker 1: I don't know if he can repeat twenty twenty four,

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Speaker 1: I just don't know. But if he can come close

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Speaker 1: to that, Kate Horton takes a step forward, Edward Cabrera

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Speaker 1: stays healthy and takes a little step forward or a

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Speaker 1: big step forward. Jameson Toyne's incredibly consistent. We know that

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Speaker 1: I'm missing some starter off the top of my head,

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Speaker 1: but there's I mean, Matthew Boyd obviously he's coming off

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Speaker 1: an all star season, and you know, Justin Steele's waiting

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Speaker 1: in the wings. It could turn into a strength been

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Speaker 1: on the show to train. I feel like since he

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Speaker 1: came back, you've been very you believe that he's going

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Speaker 1: to have a bounce back season. Outings like that just

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Speaker 1: give more credence to that believe I think, you know,

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Speaker 1: it looks like he's on the right track. That like,

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Speaker 1: I think that says a lot for him, the work

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Speaker 1: that he's put in this offseason to get back on track.

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Speaker 1: Good on the Cubs of like identifying things that him

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Speaker 1: get back on track. I think it's a good sign.

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Speaker 1: Right now you have to caveat it with all the

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Speaker 1: normal stuff about spring training, but still, well, like we

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Speaker 1: started this show out with injuries. Right now, the rotation

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Speaker 1: is incredibly healthy. You know, knock on wood for them.

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Speaker 1: You hope that works out, but like it's it's been.

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Speaker 1: It's been a really healthy rotation. And and not only that,

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Speaker 1: like the news with SHOWTA just makes it feel like,

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Speaker 1: how how good can.

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Speaker 2: This rotation be? You you have to feel optimistic.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, when you you know, we fill out those roster

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Speaker 3: projections and listing the five names, like like if if

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Speaker 3: showed is your fifth starter. I mean, like that's pretty impressive.

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Speaker 3: You know, like we're talking about practice here, not going

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Speaker 3: to go overboard, but I think it's important to recognize,

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Speaker 3: you know, how good that was. And even if he

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Speaker 3: never gets back to twenty twenty four, you know, eighty

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Speaker 3: percent of that, you know, you would take his first

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Speaker 3: I think it was roughly ten starts before the hamstring injury.

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Speaker 3: I mean, this guy had like a two point seven

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Speaker 3: to seven ish e er heading in early May, like.

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Speaker 2: He was on track.

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Speaker 3: There there was an injury, and you know, you're really

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Speaker 3: good about right about this stuff, and you shared, you know,

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Speaker 3: some of what Tommy Hobby had said earlier in camp

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Speaker 3: of just and it still amaze me just how connected

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Speaker 3: everything is and how like one if one thing is

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Speaker 3: a little tick off, it can affect so many other things,

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Speaker 3: you know, in this chain here. And you know, as

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Speaker 3: someone told me in camp, like that's why, you know,

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Speaker 3: it's like that for almost everyone, Like there are superstars,

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Speaker 3: we can just sort of get by and do their

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Speaker 3: thing almost no matter what for you know, a long

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Speaker 3: period of time. But for a lot of the mortals

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Speaker 3: out there, like they they need things to go right,

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Speaker 3: They need things to be organized, they need to have

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Speaker 3: everything lined up. And you know, certainly you're like I

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Speaker 3: think as we're recording, we're about I think we're almost

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Speaker 3: exactly a month out from opening day. This is probably

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Speaker 3: about about the time we'll go have a drink in

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Speaker 3: Wrigleyville after the game, like a month out. Like it's

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Speaker 3: an encouraging snapshot of where Shoda is at.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, And they have all that technology and all

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Speaker 1: that data that they gather so they can try and

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Speaker 1: get them to repeat those that make sure that tiny

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Speaker 1: thing that's off is fixed. We'll see if showeda Inmanagas

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Speaker 1: is truly fixed. Probably like what did you say, a month?

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Speaker 1: She's like a month and a week from now, probably

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Speaker 1: we'll see shot of pitching out there.

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Speaker 2: All right. We will be back next week.

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Speaker 1: With more from spring training, I think where maybe by

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Speaker 1: the time we record, I'll be back out there, so uh,

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Speaker 1: we'll be switching spots again.

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Speaker 2: All right.

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Speaker 1: Thanks so much for listening to everyone. This is Northside Territory.

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Speaker 1: Make sure to rate, review, subscribe, subscribe to the YouTube channel,

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Speaker 1: and subscribe to The Athletic where Patrick and Iron top

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Speaker 1: of all things cubs. Thanks for listening to everyone. Take care,

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Speaker 1: I live

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Speaker 3: Live