WEBVTT - The MVP case for Pete Crow-Armstrong plus more Cubs news and notes 0:00:06.000 --> 0:00:09.479 Welcome into Northside Territory Foul Territory Networks Cubs Podcast. I'm 0:00:09.520 --> 0:00:12.479 Saadam Sharma with my partner Patrick Mooney. We are your 0:00:12.600 --> 0:00:17.320 Cubs beat writers over at the Athletic Patrick. The Cubs 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:20.599 have taken the first two against the Saint Louis Cardinals, 0:00:20.960 --> 0:00:28.080 and in doing that, Alex Bregman has been red hot 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:31.760 seven hits in these first two games of the Cardinals series. 0:00:32.400 --> 0:00:35.159 Uh, he was, he was hot before the break. 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:38.920 We wondered that, I think you wrote about it, asked 0:00:38.960 --> 0:00:41.080 him about it is the is the break coming at 0:00:41.080 --> 0:00:46.040 a bad time for him? And he hadn't been terrible, 0:00:46.200 --> 0:00:48.880 but it did look like coming out of the break 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:52.920 that oh Man, like he's not in the same rhythm, 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:55.920 but he seems to have found something and he's back 0:00:56.000 --> 0:00:59.240 on track and looking. He had an opposite field home 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:02.880 run the day on Monday, which is not something he does. 0:01:04.120 --> 0:01:07.720 So it's not he's not getting the results the way 0:01:07.840 --> 0:01:11.640 he would probably want them to come because he's a 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:13.560 like he feels like he's at his best when he's 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:15.839 pulling the ball in the air. But I also think 0:01:15.959 --> 0:01:20.160 like something good is happening with him and he's feeling 0:01:20.280 --> 0:01:23.800 right at the plate. This the Cubs have to hope 0:01:24.360 --> 0:01:29.000 this is the start of something big for Alex Brakman, right. 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:33.960 Exactly. He's using the whole field at Bush Stadium. He 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:37.520 was using Dansby Swanson's bat, which is bigger and heavier. 0:01:37.640 --> 0:01:40.640 He choked up a bit. And what really struck me 0:01:40.800 --> 0:01:45.399 was listening to him late Monday night. You know, the 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:47.760 camera's on him, a bunch of microphones around him, and 0:01:47.760 --> 0:01:50.120 he's kind of rattling off, you know how he talks 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:52.960 when he just kind of makes lots of declarative statements 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:58.000 like just you know, and then he'll kind of you 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:02.360 do more overall at the end. But just like grabbed 0:02:02.440 --> 0:02:05.880 Dansby's bat, joked up a bit, put my hands back, 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:08.640 and it was just like listening to him, like, you know, 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:11.200 it sounded like someone who had just like picked up 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:13.400 a bat for the first time, or it was like 0:02:13.400 --> 0:02:15.440 like it just it just struck me out. Someone who 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:19.079 could sign multiple nine figure contracts, get two World Series wings, 0:02:20.120 --> 0:02:22.800 be you know whatever, it is one hundred something games 0:02:22.800 --> 0:02:25.560 into the season and still like searching for it, which 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:28.880 I think is partially the way Bregman is wired, and 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:33.000 also just the nature of hitting and how hard it is, 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:36.320 you know, Danzby Swanson made the point that sports nowadays 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:40.760 have just evolved so fast that you have to evolve 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:43.200 to keep up. Because my point to him was, like, 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:46.280 you know, I'd imagine Steph Curry's had the same like 0:02:46.400 --> 0:02:49.080 jump shot since like third grade. You know, maybe he 0:02:49.120 --> 0:02:51.520 put it a little higher, you know, as he got older, 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:55.400 but like there's a way to you know, execute a 0:02:55.480 --> 0:03:00.800 jump shot, whereas you know, pretty universal way, a consensus 0:03:00.840 --> 0:03:04.040 way to do that, and Bregman has been just searching 0:03:04.080 --> 0:03:08.080 for it. Just to kind of mess with Craig Counsel. 0:03:08.160 --> 0:03:10.040 I asked him, you know, every time Bregman has a 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:13.320 big game, like people wondering because he's turning the corner 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:16.560 and he's just like, yeah, that's like the Pete question, 0:03:16.880 --> 0:03:19.520 Like when he would get all the Pete Crow Armstrong, 0:03:19.600 --> 0:03:22.160 can you break down his swing mechanics for me? Last year? 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:24.600 And he got very tired of that one. So let's 0:03:24.639 --> 0:03:27.239 just enjoy this good game. And he had a very 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:31.680 nice game on Tuesday as well. He finally got his 0:03:31.720 --> 0:03:36.360 ops back up above seven hundred this week, and to 0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:39.920 your point, side, like he hadn't totally like cratered, like 0:03:39.960 --> 0:03:41.560 if you're looking at his ops, it's just been in 0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:43.840 this like six seventy to six ninety for such a 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:49.320 long time. Obviously the power just disappeared for way too long. 0:03:49.600 --> 0:03:52.480 But I think the larger point would be, like, if 0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:55.920 he gets going one, they're probably gonna eat it because 0:03:55.920 --> 0:03:59.400 Pete may not, you know, just be an MVP every 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:03.440 single night. But also like if he rounds into form, 0:04:03.800 --> 0:04:07.120 take some pressure off other guys and you can just 0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:11.040 see this lineup one through nine operating differently. 0:04:11.800 --> 0:04:14.720 Yeah, you don't need to ask Greg Counsel to break 0:04:14.720 --> 0:04:18.240 down Alex Bregman swing. Alex Bregman will break it down 0:04:18.320 --> 0:04:22.520 for you. Yes, exactly, like in plenty of detail. He's 0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:27.360 happy to do that. He's one of those players that 0:04:29.240 --> 0:04:32.320 you know, sometimes I worry about, like guys tweaking their 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:35.520 swings or working on things too much. And there was 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:37.320 a point this season where it's like does he need 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:40.120 to step away from this? And it's like, you know what, 0:04:40.279 --> 0:04:44.600 He's done it for so long, this is his method, 0:04:44.720 --> 0:04:48.800 this is how he does things. Probably should just trust 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:51.120 that this is going to work out for him, Like 0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:52.279 he knows what he's doing. 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:54.760 Let him. 0:04:54.880 --> 0:04:57.080 Let him go about business how he knows how to 0:04:57.560 --> 0:05:00.599 and like I read some of the descript of the 0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:04.479 swing changes that he currently made, and it's like it 0:05:04.480 --> 0:05:06.760 it does seem like a little out there at times, 0:05:06.800 --> 0:05:09.960 it's like, Okay, this is more extreme than what I 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:12.760 felt like. I talked to him about a month or 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:15.320 so ago, when I believe it was in Saint Louis. 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:18.359 The last time I talked to him about his swing 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:25.040 in like pretty you know, pretty deep detail and. 0:05:23.480 --> 0:05:27.360 And you know a lot of times a player talking. 0:05:27.080 --> 0:05:29.520 Like that, you'd be like, oh man, this this guy's 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:33.520 in his own head. He's overthinking things. I don't think 0:05:33.560 --> 0:05:35.719 that's the case with Bregmant Like it's just how he 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:38.200 works and this is what he does. And yeah, it 0:05:38.240 --> 0:05:42.120 could sound like overthinking for some people, but he's done 0:05:42.160 --> 0:05:43.920 it for so long and it's worked for so long. 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:46.960 Why mess with why mess with it? Why? 0:05:47.000 --> 0:05:52.560 Why why doubt him? I guess is what I'd say. 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:57.039 He's done a great job throughout his career and and 0:05:57.080 --> 0:06:01.640 he kind of knows, like he gets it these stretches 0:06:01.880 --> 0:06:06.880 in his career where like he's so hot that it 0:06:07.000 --> 0:06:10.320 completely turns a season around, Like go look at his history, 0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:12.840 this is this cold stretch, if you want to call 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:15.240 it that, it's lasted longer than it usually does. But 0:06:15.600 --> 0:06:19.039 when he gets hot, it's it is a torrid level 0:06:19.120 --> 0:06:19.919 of performance. 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:23.840 Yeah, it's not like the Cubs were out on a 0:06:23.880 --> 0:06:26.679 limb in that in terms of their evaluation of Alex Bragmant. 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:31.159 I mean, he was a number two draft pick Team USA. 0:06:31.200 --> 0:06:40.360 Guy on. You know, multiple teams All Star World Series champion, 0:06:42.080 --> 0:06:45.160 been to the playoffs, I think almost every year and 0:06:45.200 --> 0:06:50.080 with two different team organizations. Yeah, I think it might 0:06:50.080 --> 0:06:54.039 have been one very early in his career. You said 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:57.400 him might have missed one, but I believe they sailed 0:06:57.400 --> 0:07:01.000 a winning season. But either way, like the track of 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:03.600 record is so long that you have to trust it. 0:07:03.640 --> 0:07:05.760 The Cubs don't really have a choice other than to 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:09.840 roll keep rolling them out there. And I actually think 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:12.440 it's reasonable to think that he will wind up in 0:07:12.840 --> 0:07:18.040 a decent place. I know people kind of tired of 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:21.680 hearing about that, but once you see the results, I 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:26.040 want to say, he's had like seven multi hit games 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:29.360 in July, and obviously there was a break in the 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:33.880 middle of the month, hitting those two home runs in 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:36.640 the last two games before the All Star break. One 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:40.600 in that series coming out of the break. Really nice 0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:47.560 performance thus far in Saint Louis. And yeah, I mean 0:07:47.600 --> 0:07:50.840 we've talked about how you know, everything starts over at 0:07:50.960 --> 0:07:58.000 zero in the playoffs. Anyways, he hasn't been like a 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:02.200 zero either. Like his war is pretty good because of 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:06.040 the defense and because he gets on base, and you know, 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:10.880 he has fit in really well in this clubhouse. So 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:15.200 I'd be pretty optimistic about how the rest of his 0:08:15.320 --> 0:08:18.080 season is going to go. Yeah. 0:08:18.560 --> 0:08:22.040 Same if you know, if you were like gonna bet 0:08:22.080 --> 0:08:24.960 the over under on like an ops of like eight 0:08:25.040 --> 0:08:27.960 hundred or whatever the rest of the way, I'd take 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:28.520 the over. 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:29.240 You know, like it. 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:32.200 I think he's going to he's going to be a 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:36.920 force in this lineup going forward, assuming help. Let's take 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:39.280 a quick break and come back and talk about another 0:08:39.360 --> 0:08:42.479 force in this lineup in his MVP case. 0:08:42.920 --> 0:08:45.160 Big second half of the season coming up. 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Make sure you click the link in 0:09:39.600 --> 0:09:41.520 the description to download the app and have the code 0:09:41.520 --> 0:09:43.760 automatically added to your accounts so you can use it later. 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:50.520 All right, Patrick, it's Pete Crow Armstrong is having an 0:09:50.640 --> 0:09:57.880 MVP level season, MVP caliber season. Let's let's let's talk 0:09:57.880 --> 0:10:02.200 about him and also preview that Yankees series coming up 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:14.160 this weekend. Let's make this our Fox one segment. Okay, yeah, 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:18.080 so the numbers on Pete Patrick. I was looking up 0:10:18.120 --> 0:10:20.880 some stuff I need to like. So the I love 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:26.040 the the stat cast pages, the Baseball Savant pages, you 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:28.360 know with the red bars, the red and blue bars. 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:31.040 So I think I saw this on Twitter, but I'm 0:10:31.080 --> 0:10:34.600 looking at it now. It's all red at the top. 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:34.839 Right. 0:10:34.840 --> 0:10:37.600 They have the batting run value, the base running value, 0:10:37.720 --> 0:10:40.640 and the fielding run value. And he's, you know, the 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:43.840 one hundredth percentile in fielding run value. So nobody's better 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:47.600 than him on defense according to this ninety eight percentile 0:10:47.679 --> 0:10:50.600 in batting run value and ninety six then base running 0:10:50.679 --> 0:10:54.840 like truly elite and all three facets of the game 0:10:54.920 --> 0:10:59.000 that you can kind of consider on offense. Just just 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:04.520 an exceptional talent right now, and someone that you know, obviously, 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:07.800 with show Hey, a lot of questions about show Hay 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:12.040 right now and and his health. Here's a guy that 0:11:12.400 --> 0:11:15.600 you know has a real chance to win MVP. 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:23.480 Yeah. I think you look at show Hey as he's 0:11:23.640 --> 0:11:28.720 kind of the automatic incumbent front runner every single year. Obviously, 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:34.560 what he's done is almost unprecedented and may never again 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:39.920 be repeated. And I feel like Pete last year when 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:42.160 he came on, it was like, you know, if this 0:11:42.200 --> 0:11:48.400 guy is a goalgloved defender in center and he hits 0:11:48.400 --> 0:11:51.440 home runs, like he's going to accumulate a ton of 0:11:51.480 --> 0:11:55.120 war and like he's going and play for a good 0:11:55.200 --> 0:11:59.160 contending team, like those guys get MVP votes, like they 0:11:59.240 --> 0:12:02.400 show up the ballot, like they just you know, kind 0:12:02.400 --> 0:12:08.360 of are accumulators in that way. And so that was 0:12:08.440 --> 0:12:10.679 kind of the I feel like, kind of a default 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:13.880 with Pete, particularly after he signed that contract of like, okay, 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:17.400 he is a foundational player here. When he plays well, 0:12:17.440 --> 0:12:20.840 he's you know, gonna be in that All Star MVP 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:26.040 mix almost every year, and it feels like you kind 0:12:26.040 --> 0:12:29.640 of had to wait and see. Like Pete, he also 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:32.199 didn't have a great start to the year offensively either, 0:12:32.320 --> 0:12:36.400 which seems like, you know, such a long time ago. Uh, 0:12:36.600 --> 0:12:40.920 and then to see the injuries that are happening with show. Hey, 0:12:42.240 --> 0:12:44.920 I think it's appropriate now to like this is a 0:12:45.000 --> 0:12:47.640 legitimate debate. Like I think it would have been silly 0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:51.000 or Homerish for us to like present that idea in 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:55.760 May or probably even June. But at this point, you know, 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:58.800 I'm just looking at the headline here in the athletic 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:02.520 of sho Heeo Tani still facing uncertain pitching. Timeline says 0:13:02.559 --> 0:13:06.720 biceps is also an issue, and the Dodgers are not 0:13:06.720 --> 0:13:08.840 gonna have to push him because they want, you know, 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:12.040 a three Pete. So like if I were them, I 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:14.640 wouldn't stay away from the mountain. It seems like they 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:18.040 always have, you know, too many pitchers. Any Anyways, during 0:13:18.120 --> 0:13:23.439 during the regular season, like you know, Pete has really 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:30.480 you know, done it in spectacular fashion. You know, hearing 0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:34.760 you know, his the way hearing the chance even on 0:13:34.840 --> 0:13:39.439 the road, has been super entertaining. And I think like 0:13:40.440 --> 0:13:43.880 while the Cubs don't think he's going to perform at 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:46.360 an MVP level every single game for the rest of 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:49.320 the year, they do think it's it's pretty sustainable that 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:53.360 you don't think he's gonna like totally creater in August 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:54.040 and September. 0:13:54.720 --> 0:14:00.160 So last year, Patrick, I I think I wrote to 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:03.720 the like we had to do or it was suggested 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:06.600 to do like a twenty five year like it's twenty 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:09.560 twenty five, twenty five years into the decade, like best 0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:16.200 team of the decade, like the Cubs best players twenty five, right, 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:20.600 and I went out on a limb and took Pete 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:23.640 as center fielder. Part of the reason I did that 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:26.240 is because the history of center fielders just isn't that 0:14:26.280 --> 0:14:29.480 great for the Cubs like in the past. I think 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:32.320 I even wrote a piece around the time that Pete 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:34.600 was traded for about. 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:36.360 Kind of like the history. 0:14:36.480 --> 0:14:39.200 Like remember there was talk back in the day before 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:41.720 Ramis kind of took over a third, like the Cubs 0:14:41.760 --> 0:14:44.600 can't find a regular third baseman. I kind of compared 0:14:44.600 --> 0:14:47.560 it to that, like for center field, the Cubs couldn't 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:50.600 find someone regularly, like Dexter Power held it down for 0:14:50.640 --> 0:14:55.360 what two years, Like Kenny Lofton was up there as 0:14:55.400 --> 0:14:59.920 far as accumulated war for twenty for the twenty twenties, 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:02.320 Like that's how rough it was, Like Kenny loften played 0:15:02.360 --> 0:15:03.600 for them for like half a season. 0:15:04.640 --> 0:15:08.200 Yea. And now I like, I bring this. 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:12.120 Up because all time all time, So going back to 0:15:12.240 --> 0:15:18.280 eighteen seventy one, all time center fielders war accumulated, Peka 0:15:18.360 --> 0:15:23.360 Armastrong is ninth for the Cubs all time already, like 0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:26.880 you know, and he's going to like he like by 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:31.000 the end of next year, he'll probably be like seventh 0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:34.720 and like he's he's at fourteen point six. That's not 0:15:34.800 --> 0:15:37.880 a crazy amount of war, but like it's two and 0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:41.920 a half seasons worth of games for him, Like it's 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:44.480 just it's just remarkable what he's done. 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:47.040 It kind of blows me away. 0:15:48.560 --> 0:15:51.640 So this this weekend, they have the Yankees coming into town, 0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:58.080 the primetime game on Saturday night. Fox will be showing 0:15:58.960 --> 0:16:04.400 Cubs Yankees. Look, Aaron Judge isn't isn't there, Cody Ballinger 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:09.760 is hurt, but it's so it's Peak Armstrong's show, like 0:16:09.840 --> 0:16:12.920 this is he He's the star that they will be taught. 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:15.680 Like my guess is Fox will be talking a lot 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:21.520 of Peek Armstrong. They have I believe Max Freed going 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:24.920 Saturday night. He'll also get to face I think, if 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:27.720 we counted it out right, Garrett Cole on Sunday. But 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:34.120 Saturday it's Max Freed Fellow Harvard Westlake. It feels like 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:37.400 it's been a little while since I felt like Cubs 0:16:37.480 --> 0:16:41.840 Yankees was properly hyped, Like maybe it was last year. 0:16:41.840 --> 0:16:44.120 I'm trying to remember when they played last year, but 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:47.080 it didn't feel like this feels like I think the 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:50.560 Yankees are in a weird spot, like they're they're going 0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:53.120 their offense is going through the struggles that the Cubs 0:16:53.160 --> 0:16:56.640 offense was a couple of months ago. Whenever that was 0:16:56.680 --> 0:16:59.120 what was that Maine to June for the Cubs. Uh, 0:16:59.640 --> 0:17:02.120 That's where like the Yankees, like everything that I read, 0:17:02.120 --> 0:17:04.080 it's like, Ohky, this offense is a mess, and with 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:07.480 Judge and Bellinger out, it's it's going to continue to 0:17:07.560 --> 0:17:09.600 be a struggle. And I'm sure we'll see some trades 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:11.960 from them. But it should be a fun weekend and 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:17.280 a and a nice challenge for for Pek Armstrong, no doubt. 0:17:17.280 --> 0:17:21.640 I mean, I'm expecting a good amount of Yankees fans there. 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:25.320 I feel like over the years, you know, you get 0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:29.200 people coming from New York to see Wrigley Fields. You know, 0:17:30.880 --> 0:17:34.159 it's still a bit of an occasion. I believe the 0:17:34.200 --> 0:17:36.760 Cubs were at Yankee Stadium last summer right before the 0:17:36.800 --> 0:17:39.879 All Star break, and I remember that's right talking to 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:42.840 Kyle Tucker and Yankees fans, you know, saying are gott 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:44.760 to come to the Bronx and stuff like that while 0:17:44.760 --> 0:17:50.920 we were doing our interview. The Yankees also have a 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:54.919 nice Chicago residency. You know, a whole week with oh 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:58.959 yeah series on the South side, and yeah, I mean 0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:02.919 it's possible the Cubs could be facing them at a 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:07.960 pretty good time. I think the Cubs are kind of 0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:11.960 regathered them themselves here, they're looking, you know, pretty good. 0:18:12.920 --> 0:18:16.240 And then obviously the trade deadline is looming over all 0:18:16.280 --> 0:18:20.520 of this will be really fun to see if either 0:18:20.600 --> 0:18:25.920 team pulls off a big move by Saturday. So that 0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:28.880 helps out you know, you me and I'm assuming Ken 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:31.520 Rosenthal will be in the dugout there as well. So yeah, 0:18:31.560 --> 0:18:34.280 that'll be good good for us if we get some 0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:37.840 some trade news, some you know, things actually happening rather 0:18:37.920 --> 0:18:41.680 than you know, reporting on deliberations and targets and things 0:18:41.680 --> 0:18:42.040 like that. 0:18:42.840 --> 0:18:47.840 Yeah, that's a six fifteen games Saturday night or seven 0:18:47.880 --> 0:18:51.639 to fifteen Eastern, six to fifteen Central. MLB on Fox 0:18:51.680 --> 0:18:55.280 is streaming on Fox one. The Race to October starts now, 0:18:55.560 --> 0:18:58.240 and we have your front row seat to the wildest 0:18:58.320 --> 0:19:02.359 walk offs, lights out pitching, and clutch plays all season long. 0:19:02.640 --> 0:19:05.520 Follow every can't miss matchup as teams battle for a 0:19:05.560 --> 0:19:08.800 spot in the postseason. Then stream the twenty twenty six 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:12.160 World Series live on Fox One at home or on 0:19:12.200 --> 0:19:15.240 the go, live or on demand. Never miss a moment 0:19:15.680 --> 0:19:27.160 stream now, Okay, Patrick, I believe there were some more 0:19:27.320 --> 0:19:33.480 updates as far as pictures go. What's the latest you're 0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:37.520 hearing on Ben Brown while you're on the road there. 0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:40.119 Yeah, just a quick one in Saint Louis that he 0:19:40.960 --> 0:19:45.840 Ben has been throwing in Arizona. Craig Council says that 0:19:47.200 --> 0:19:54.480 Brown's neck issue is now symptom free. You know, I 0:19:54.560 --> 0:20:00.119 wouldn't start like penciling him into your playoff rotation or 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:01.639 anything like that, Like this is still going to be 0:20:01.680 --> 0:20:03.720 a slow build up. 0:20:04.720 --> 0:20:04.919 You know. 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:08.720 Part of this time was thinking about his mechanics and 0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:14.240 how to reduce some of that stress on his body. 0:20:14.320 --> 0:20:17.000 You know, he felt it earlier in his career and 0:20:17.040 --> 0:20:20.639 that sort of wiped out, you know, huge chunk of 0:20:20.720 --> 0:20:25.359 another season when he comes back. And that's how they're like, 0:20:25.400 --> 0:20:27.240 they're expecting him to come back this year. I guess 0:20:27.280 --> 0:20:32.639 maybe that's probably the big idea here. Don't expect him 0:20:32.680 --> 0:20:37.359 to be used like a rolldist Chapman or like CC 0:20:37.480 --> 0:20:39.840 Sabathia when he got traded to the Brewers. Like this 0:20:40.040 --> 0:20:44.200 is going to be a carefully managed production, at least 0:20:44.359 --> 0:20:50.040 at the start. They want to keep his health in mind, 0:20:50.160 --> 0:20:55.520 their future in mind. It's also hard to have that 0:20:55.680 --> 0:20:58.800 type of layoff. And then I want to say, he 0:20:59.160 --> 0:21:03.399 got shut down in mid to late June. I believe 0:21:03.680 --> 0:21:05.480 you were in New York. I think said it. And 0:21:06.880 --> 0:21:10.159 so it's gonna be it's gonna be a it's gonna be, 0:21:10.520 --> 0:21:14.960 you know, a significant road back. But you know, they 0:21:15.200 --> 0:21:20.040 like the idea of having the option to plug him 0:21:20.040 --> 0:21:24.280 into their pitching staff, like building him up as a starter. 0:21:25.240 --> 0:21:27.520 I guess theoretically he could you know, be an opener 0:21:27.640 --> 0:21:30.280 for three innings at some point if they want to 0:21:30.320 --> 0:21:33.920 manage it that way. But like they're not gonna just 0:21:34.000 --> 0:21:37.800 kind of unleash him from the start. A similar thought 0:21:37.840 --> 0:21:41.840 to Justin Steele in terms of like they're gonna have 0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:46.359 to proceed with caution. The last we heard was first 0:21:46.400 --> 0:21:49.320 week of August to start kind of throwing off the 0:21:49.400 --> 0:21:54.000 mound with the idea of you know, building back up 0:21:54.119 --> 0:21:59.479 to hopefully contribute to the major league team. He's just 0:21:59.480 --> 0:22:03.080 in a different situation then Brown in that his last 0:22:03.119 --> 0:22:06.360 major league game was April of twenty twenty five. Whereas 0:22:06.680 --> 0:22:11.200 so like that just you know, the recovery process the 0:22:11.240 --> 0:22:16.400 build up process. That just makes everything more extensive for him. 0:22:16.560 --> 0:22:19.960 So yeah, these are kind of, you know, names to 0:22:20.440 --> 0:22:23.760 to keep in mind, you know, as we get you know, 0:22:26.040 --> 0:22:27.600 I'm not putting a timetable on it, but you know, 0:22:27.640 --> 0:22:30.840 as you get towards September, you know, October, like they 0:22:31.280 --> 0:22:34.439 could be viable options. I think it's just important to 0:22:34.520 --> 0:22:38.000 like temper your expectations and remember like these are not 0:22:39.080 --> 0:22:43.560 rental players who've been you know, performing all year and 0:22:43.640 --> 0:22:47.080 have long major league track records, like they are going 0:22:47.119 --> 0:22:49.679 to try and do this the best they can, the 0:22:49.760 --> 0:22:50.240 right way. 0:22:51.000 --> 0:22:54.639 Yeah, and look, this season is incredibly important. The Cubs 0:22:54.680 --> 0:22:57.800 have a chance to do a lot in the postseason. 0:22:57.840 --> 0:23:01.760 I think they're We've seen how good they are offensively 0:23:01.920 --> 0:23:06.320 and defensively. If their pitching gets right, this is a 0:23:06.359 --> 0:23:08.240 team that can win it all like that, that's how 0:23:08.280 --> 0:23:08.840 good they are. 0:23:08.920 --> 0:23:10.440 There's no doubt about that. 0:23:11.240 --> 0:23:14.960 Whether they can execute it get healthy enough, I don't 0:23:14.960 --> 0:23:17.040 so I don't want to distract from twenty twenty six, 0:23:17.680 --> 0:23:21.520 but if they trade for a pitcher that's under control 0:23:21.560 --> 0:23:26.399 beyond this year, getting these guys healthy for twenty twenty 0:23:26.440 --> 0:23:32.959 seven matters, like Ben Brown, Justin Steele, a pitcher X 0:23:33.080 --> 0:23:38.840 that they trade for Edward Cabrera and eventually Kate Horton. 0:23:39.840 --> 0:23:43.120 Is a really exciting rotation that I don't think you'd 0:23:43.359 --> 0:23:47.760 have gone into a season recently that you felt that 0:23:47.800 --> 0:23:50.480 way about it. That's why this trade deadline so interesting 0:23:50.480 --> 0:23:51.840 to me. If they can pull this off, if they 0:23:51.840 --> 0:23:55.159 can be aggressive enough and get that starter and add 0:23:55.160 --> 0:23:58.959 to a chance to do some damage this year, but 0:23:59.080 --> 0:24:03.760 also like you did for next year, that's just haven't 0:24:03.800 --> 0:24:06.680 had that type of rotation in a long time. So 0:24:06.880 --> 0:24:08.879 we'll see what they can pull off. But yeah, I 0:24:09.320 --> 0:24:11.800 think Ben b the flash we saw from Ben Brown 0:24:12.040 --> 0:24:14.399 was like, what was it like tennis starts Maybe a 0:24:14.400 --> 0:24:18.919 little bit more than that utter dominance, Like that was 0:24:19.280 --> 0:24:21.320 high level stuff. We were talking about him as an 0:24:21.520 --> 0:24:25.040 All Star. We were talking, you know, if you keep 0:24:25.080 --> 0:24:27.159