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

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Speaker 1: Sahadev Sharma with my partner Patrick Mooney. We are your

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

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Speaker 1: has signed and now the Cubs have a rookie perhaps

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Speaker 1: with the inside track to third base, Matt Is you know,

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Speaker 1: their top prospect and looks like he has the best

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Speaker 1: shot to get that job.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, no doubt. I mean it's come really fast for him.

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Speaker 2: This guy was drafted in twenty twenty three, has really

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Speaker 2: checked a lot of boxes for the organization. But someone who,

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Speaker 2: as Craig Counsel acknowledged, doesn't have a ton of experience

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Speaker 2: at third base, Like as much as they like his makeup,

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Speaker 2: as much as he should be a good hitter in

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Speaker 2: the majors, as high as he is on the prospect list,

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Speaker 2: this is a guy who does not have a ton

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Speaker 2: of experience. And this council said, that's not like a

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Speaker 2: knock on the guy. It's really a credit to him

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Speaker 2: for how quickly he's developed and put himself on the

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Speaker 2: map to where he is competing for a major league job.

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Speaker 2: But like we've talked about before there was no plan

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Speaker 2: b uh in terms of like another Bregman. And so

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Speaker 2: at this point it's Shaw and then a group of

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Speaker 2: kind of role players, so you know, the John Birdies

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Speaker 2: and Nicky Lopez is Katy I'm gonna misprounds his name

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Speaker 2: Bruhan depth. So like, you know, clearly the Cubs would

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Speaker 2: like Shaw to win this job. I don't. I just

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Speaker 2: don't know how realistic is I thing Like, Okay, he

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Speaker 2: goes to Japan opening day, third basement and then he

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Speaker 2: just gets like six hundred played appearances, Like is he

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Speaker 2: gonna be that good? Maybe? But I mean I think

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Speaker 2: history shows most guys have to go back to Triple

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Speaker 2: A or there's you know, very deep struggles within that

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Speaker 2: rookie year. So you know, he's been here this whole

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Speaker 2: week probably before. I'm just saying since and since I've

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Speaker 2: been down in Arizona, and a lot of these position

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Speaker 2: players have politely avoided the media because technically they don't

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Speaker 2: have to be there yet, so they've said, oh, we'll

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Speaker 2: get you tomorrow, I'll get you, get you later in

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Speaker 2: the week. So we have not really heard much from

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Speaker 2: Mattshaw yet. I expect we will soon and we'll be

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Speaker 2: impressed by someone who, by all accounts is very mature,

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Speaker 2: kind of that baseball Jim Ratt, but still totally unproven

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Speaker 2: for a team with a lot of pressure to make

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Speaker 2: the playoffs this year.

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Speaker 3: Right.

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Speaker 1: Part of teams that do well, right, teams that do well,

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Speaker 1: they get production from young players. But the Cubs are

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Speaker 1: relying on quite a few young players at the moment.

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Speaker 1: You know, they have one behind the plate, they have

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Speaker 1: one in center field, first base, and now it looks

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Speaker 1: like third base.

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Speaker 3: That's a lot. That is a lot.

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Speaker 1: You know, I'm not down on most of those guys.

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Speaker 1: I think Michael Bush could have a really strong season.

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Speaker 1: I think I really liked what I saw from Pete

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Speaker 1: Caro Armstrong at the end of last season. You know,

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Speaker 1: if he's if he's close to that, that's you know,

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Speaker 1: star level production with his defense and base running. I

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Speaker 1: like Matt Shaw a lot. I think he's going to

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Speaker 1: be a really good player. When you when you have

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Speaker 1: this many young players and you're relying on them, I

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Speaker 1: think it is it does, you know, kind of mess

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Speaker 1: with your floor, so to say, because what like his

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Speaker 1: upside is high, right, Like he could be an impactful

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Speaker 1: borderline all star caliber player, and that's it's hard to

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Speaker 1: do that your rookie season. You're you know, you're first

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Speaker 1: right when you come up, but it's not out of

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Speaker 1: the realm of possibility.

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Speaker 2: Uh.

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Speaker 1: But his floor is he struggles mightily and isn't ready

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Speaker 1: for the big leagues and has to be sent down.

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Speaker 3: And now John Birdie is.

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Speaker 1: Your start starting third baseman or Nicky Lopez is your

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Speaker 1: starting third basement And that suddenly changes the dynamic of

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Speaker 1: the team.

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Speaker 3: I'm not saying it.

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Speaker 1: You know, it's make or break with Matt Shaw, right,

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Speaker 1: Like his performance doesn't make or break this team.

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Speaker 3: It just changes things a little bit.

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Speaker 1: When when you had your sites set on Alex Bregman

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Speaker 1: and this is where it kind of ends up.

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Speaker 3: It's all right, it's not the end of the world.

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Speaker 1: It's just the reality that they face and they're going

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Speaker 1: to need young players to step up. That's the bottom line.

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Speaker 1: Young players are going to have to step up. Let's

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Speaker 1: see if they do.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean two things off that. I think One

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Speaker 2: is like, what's what's Matt Shaw's calling card? Like when

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Speaker 2: Pete crow Armstrong came up, came back up last year,

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Speaker 2: was like just go get play great defense pete and

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Speaker 2: don't worry anything else. And that's something you could do,

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Speaker 2: be like, hey, Matt Shaw, go learn a new position

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Speaker 2: and figure out how to hit major league pitching, all

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Speaker 2: the off the field stuff as a rookie who was

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Speaker 2: playing in the Big Ten not that long ago. And

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Speaker 2: the other point, I just thought of that while you

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Speaker 2: were kind of going around the diamond there, of all

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Speaker 2: the young minimum salary players that they have in very

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Speaker 2: prominent roles, you would think, hey, that's the time to

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Speaker 2: really pack the roster with as much talent as possible

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Speaker 2: and kind of go all out in free agency. And

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Speaker 2: that clearly did not happen. You know, the cups of

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Speaker 2: a lot of guys who were you know, paid very

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Speaker 2: well on those medium term deals, but not the star

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Speaker 2: level types. And you would just think that if you're

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Speaker 2: you know, at catcher, first base, center field, and third base,

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Speaker 2: essentially going with like rookies or second and or second

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Speaker 2: year players, you'd think like, oh wow, that would open

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Speaker 2: up all this other stuff. And it did to a degree.

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Speaker 2: I mean, they traded for Tucker, and you know, they

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Speaker 2: made that big offer to Tanner Scott that he turned down,

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Speaker 2: and you know they have a well compensated starting staff,

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Speaker 2: but like clearly you would think this is the moment

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Speaker 2: where you'd go get an Alex Bradman, the.

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Speaker 3: Not to be, no, not to be, not to be.

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Speaker 1: All Right, Matt Shaw is going to be playing third

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Speaker 1: base because Nico Horner is their starting second baseman. You know,

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Speaker 1: off season surgery opening day was kind of like seemed

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Speaker 1: like a huge long shot if not all but ruled

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Speaker 1: out a couple months ago. Where are we at now?

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Speaker 1: It sounds like all the updates are optimistic. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: I mean Craig Counsel, who as you know, is not

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Speaker 2: the most effervescent guy, was saying everything is encouraging. A

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Speaker 2: lot of positives have come back. I thought it was

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Speaker 2: an interesting Council said, this is an arm throwing thing,

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Speaker 2: not like a hitting concern. And so right now Nico's

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Speaker 2: on this progression building up his arm strength. He hasn't

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Speaker 2: you know, really cut it loose. Yeah. Then in terms

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Speaker 2: of hitting, they're trying to limit the number of swings

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Speaker 2: he takes. You know, I don't think he's going all

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Speaker 2: out even during those swings yet. But like in camp,

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Speaker 2: looking good on a path to where he should be

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Speaker 2: able to be a made jor League shortstop again. Now,

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Speaker 2: obviously the Cups hope that does not happen, but he's

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Speaker 2: a great insurance policy in case something does happen to

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Speaker 2: Dansby Swanson. You know, Horner's arm strength just wasn't there

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Speaker 2: last year, and you know, that discomfort he felt in

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Speaker 2: his right forearm prevented him from playing a shortstop at

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Speaker 2: a high level on a consistent basis. You know, I

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Speaker 2: think they could have plugged him in there for a

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Speaker 2: game or two if needed last year. But Counsel said

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Speaker 2: it was a really smart decision by Nico to get

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Speaker 2: the surgery. Counsel said, you know I would have done

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Speaker 2: the same thing. It's a really smart long term investment

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Speaker 2: in his career. And you know, Cups signed Danger that

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Speaker 2: big deal and he came in as mister you know

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Speaker 2: one sixty two kind of the Braves way, and you

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Speaker 2: know he's had he's had some injuries. He's coming off

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Speaker 2: his own surgery as well to fix the sports hernia

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Speaker 2: and so so. But you can see if Dansby does

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Speaker 2: go down like where you're gonna go, Cubs have a

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Speaker 2: great option there in house.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's the update is great, right.

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Speaker 1: It sounds like he's he could be ready very soon,

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Speaker 1: and and you know, Japan may be a long shot,

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Speaker 1: but if he's there in Arizona to start the US

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Speaker 1: portion of the season, I think that's that's a huge

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Speaker 1: win for them. I also think it's it's easy to

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Speaker 1: kind of overlook how valuable Nico Horner is. Something something

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Speaker 1: that I remember when you know, we were seeing like

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Speaker 1: Hobby at second base and Ben Zober's at second base,

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Speaker 1: and then Daniel Murphy played second base and no, you know,

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Speaker 1: I don't want to rip the guy, but he wasn't

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Speaker 1: a good defensive second baseman. And it became like so

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Speaker 1: glaringly obvious how nice it was to watch like average

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Speaker 1: to well above average defense at second base. And then

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Speaker 1: you see Daniel Murphy and you're like, wow, that is

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Speaker 1: not a capable.

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Speaker 3: Second basement compared to what we've been watching.

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Speaker 2: Uh.

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Speaker 3: And with Nico, I think.

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Speaker 1: We kind of get in that, like we almost take

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Speaker 1: him for advantage, take advantage to watch it. Yeah, take it,

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Speaker 1: take it, take it for granted how impactful he is defensively.

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Speaker 1: And this was lost to the world in our in

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Speaker 1: our deleted podcast that never got aired, But you know,

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Speaker 1: this is a guy that last three years right to

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty two by fangrafts four point three War, twenty

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Speaker 1: twenty three, four point six War in twenty twenty four

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Speaker 1: to three point nine War in a down year where

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Speaker 1: his his defense wasn't rated as well, and you know,

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Speaker 1: he was playing through an injury and his offense didn't

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Speaker 1: come on really until late in the season. I mean,

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Speaker 1: hugely valuable player. I think we we overlook him sometimes.

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Speaker 1: He's not a power hitter. That's that's a big thing

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Speaker 1: that you know, it's.

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Speaker 3: Easy to overlook his value.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, so we so it's easy for us to say,

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Speaker 1: like maybe he maybe it makes sense to trade Nico

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Speaker 1: Horner and get more power, get Shaw in.

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Speaker 3: At second it was, you know, and and those thoughts crossed.

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Speaker 1: My mind at different points during the offseason. Two and

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Speaker 1: the more I like kind of look at it and realize, like,

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Speaker 1: first of all, this the way this pitching staff is built.

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Speaker 1: You want the lead defense, you want really good defense

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Speaker 1: up the middle, and he he just provides that. He's

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Speaker 1: so steady, and I know he's not gonna wow you

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Speaker 1: on offense, but he's a productive offensive player, like an

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Speaker 1: average to slightly above average offensive player that plays elite

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Speaker 1: defense and in his rock solid in the clubhouse, uh well,

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Speaker 1: liked sets an example with work ethic, the way he

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Speaker 1: goes about business. I just think he's a really valuable

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Speaker 1: player to have, and you know, who knows what his

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Speaker 1: future holds beyond the next couple of seasons. But I

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Speaker 1: just like I I think I sometimes forget how valuable

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Speaker 1: he is and what he can do. So I just

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Speaker 1: I'm saying all this to kind of remind myself and

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Speaker 1: others like this is this is not someone we should

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Speaker 1: overlook and take for granted, like really productive player that

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Speaker 1: you know, is he the best player on a World

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Speaker 1: Series winning team? No, that's not how it works. But

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Speaker 1: is he can he can he be a key cog

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Speaker 1: in a World Series team? Absolutely, like he can be

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Speaker 1: an important piece of a winning team.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I winning player was a phrase I use. I

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Speaker 2: realize there hasn't been a ton of winning during his

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Speaker 2: time here, as he obviously showed up kind of the

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Speaker 2: end of the Joe Madden era, and you know has

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Speaker 2: grinded through these eighty three win seasons. But no doubt

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Speaker 2: one of the best dudes in the clubhouse. Just an

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Speaker 2: excellent all around player and also someone who I think

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Speaker 2: just gets it. That's probably the easiest way to explain

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Speaker 2: it of just the his responsibilities playing at really field,

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Speaker 2: playing in Chicago, and also someone who you know, was

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Speaker 2: ascribed to us the other day as like someone who's

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Speaker 2: really good at just like talking the game, like in

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Speaker 2: the dugout. I know there are certain organizations or certain players.

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Speaker 2: You see you guys huddled over an iPad in the dugout,

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Speaker 2: and it probably drafts certain people crazy have a certain generation.

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Speaker 2: But like Nico watches the game, he processes the game.

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Speaker 2: He can explain the game, he can lead teammates, he

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Speaker 2: can push teammates. Just all of those things make it

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Speaker 2: hard to like envision this Cubs team without him. And

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Speaker 2: so we'll see he probably can't experience like a setback,

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Speaker 2: right like if he wants to, you know, be close

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Speaker 2: to opening Day or that first you know, the second

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Speaker 2: and third legs of that road trip or wherever we're

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Speaker 2: describing that post Japan window. Like, you know, if if

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Speaker 2: something does happen, you know that that could change things.

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Speaker 2: But at this point, the Craig council stacking good days ideas.

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Speaker 1: So far come to fruition, all right, Patrick, there's also

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Speaker 1: plenty of pitching updates.

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Speaker 3: Right we we we You get to camp day later,

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Speaker 3: there's already an injury. Right.

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Speaker 1: This is why you get depth. This is why you

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Speaker 1: sign Matthew Boyd and Colin Ray. They're not sexy additions,

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Speaker 1: but they are. I mean, Matthew Boyd's part of the

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Speaker 1: rotation and Colin Ray is. It seems all the more

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Speaker 1: important right now after you know what day two how

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Speaker 1: or a sod oblique train correct oblique issue whatever. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: however it was described, but it doesn't sound that initial

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Speaker 1: reports are.

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Speaker 3: It's not severe, it's not the worst case scenarios.

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Speaker 2: Hey, this is good news.

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Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, yeah, guy gets.

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Speaker 2: Injured, you know, the week before spring training starts and

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Speaker 2: on the second day goes out for an MRI. No.

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Speaker 2: I guess the thinking is that he'd be shut down

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Speaker 2: and that maybe within a couple of days he'd be

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Speaker 2: able to resume a throwing program. Obviously, Asad is a

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Speaker 2: valuable underrated picture. Sometimes not sure how he does it,

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Speaker 2: but he's done it at a pretty high level for

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Speaker 2: a decent chunk of time now, so certainly, and he

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Speaker 2: is obviously they're projecting him in the rotation, but he

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Speaker 2: has been a good swingman, has bounced back and forth,

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Speaker 2: a good out getter, as mister Counsel would say. So,

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Speaker 2: so I guess not surprising that the injuries have already started.

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Speaker 2: But it's not all bad news. I'm looking at Ben

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Speaker 2: Brown's name here, and Counsel had a good quote calling

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Speaker 2: him quote fully operational. Ben Brown is full go, no restrictions,

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Speaker 2: you know, getting after it the way any normal healthy

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Speaker 2: picture would. So they're gonna stretch him out. Uh see

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Speaker 2: what happens. And you know, just in Steel, I think

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Speaker 2: was on our podcast so about how nasty he looked

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Speaker 2: during their off season programming. Brown seems to be in

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Speaker 2: a good place over that mysterious nick injury. And as

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Speaker 2: you know, sid of if he's right, he's got great stuff,

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Speaker 2: like an interesting frame, a lot of projectability if you

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Speaker 2: could just stay healthy and stay on.

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Speaker 1: The field right right fully operational. Uh, that's the death

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Speaker 1: star with the pitcher with the death ball.

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Speaker 3: Correct, there you go.

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Speaker 1: So so we like and the death ball, for those

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Speaker 1: that don't know, is the new term for this the

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Speaker 1: nasty gyro slider. Uh, you know, the sweeper was all

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Speaker 1: the rage, but the gyro slider is a more traditional slider.

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Speaker 1: It breaks, you know, vertically, it breaks, you know, north south,

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Speaker 1: straight down.

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Speaker 3: Nasty pitch. Ben Brown has.

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Speaker 1: A really good one, and some people in the organization

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Speaker 1: believe it's it's arguably the best death ball in baseball.

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Speaker 3: Uh. He's a two pitch guy.

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Speaker 1: Right, I mean, and I think he kind of learned

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Speaker 1: to embrace that last year. Last two offseasons ago, it

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Speaker 1: kind of was overthinking trying to add more pitches, and

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Speaker 1: it got in his head and he didn't feel like himself.

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Speaker 3: And and he's he seems very confident with that.

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Speaker 1: Right when he's healthy, he seems very confident with his

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Speaker 1: ability to get out.

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Speaker 3: We talked about last podcast, how you know.

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Speaker 1: Dylan Cees, who likely isn't going to be moved by

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Speaker 1: the padres as the type of nasty, upper nineties swing

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Speaker 1: and miss guy that this rotation lacks. I don't know

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Speaker 1: if Ben Brown is that guy, right, But the flashes

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Speaker 1: he showed last year were pretty impressive. I did not

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Speaker 1: he he kind of won me over in a way

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Speaker 1: when he was out there and healthy. I kind of

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Speaker 1: liked the way he pitched. I liked it he went

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Speaker 1: after guys. He was pretty nasty, has a lot of

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Speaker 1: ability to miss bats. I want to say, strikeout rate,

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Speaker 1: pushing thirty percent.

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Speaker 3: That'll do it.

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Speaker 1: You strike out, you get close to thirty percent, You've

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Speaker 1: opened my eyes. I'm impressed and I want to see more.

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Speaker 1: He looked really good as a starter, very little workload. Right,

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Speaker 1: Let's see when he gets to sixty seventy innings as

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Speaker 1: a starter, then pushes one hundred innings as a starter.

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Speaker 3: It's a different.

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Speaker 1: Ballgame, right, And obviously you want to nowadays. You know,

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Speaker 1: back when we were growing up, it was well past

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Speaker 1: two hundred. Now, you know, you get to one sixty

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Speaker 1: and I think everyone's happy. We'll see if he can

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Speaker 1: be that type of starter. I have no idea if

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Speaker 1: that's the workload he'll get. My guess is no, My

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Speaker 1: guess is My guess is we taught.

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Speaker 3: We love to say this.

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Speaker 1: We already said it a couple of times in this podcast,

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Speaker 1: and we're gonna say it on a hundred times over

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Speaker 1: the course of the season. Out getters, he will Craig

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Speaker 1: Council will figure out how to put together and get

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Speaker 1: twenty seven outs? So will will Colin Ray be the

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Speaker 1: fifth starter to start the season. Well, if jabber Asad

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Speaker 1: isn't ready as a Colin Ray. Maybe maybe he wants

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Speaker 1: to get you know, a certain number of innings out

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Speaker 1: of Colin Ray, and he starts the season as the

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Speaker 1: fifth starter. Colin Ray is not going to be your

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Speaker 1: fifth starter all season long. You know, Javier Asad probably

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Speaker 1: won't be your fifth starter. Also, nobody's gonna that's not

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Speaker 1: how baseball works anymore. Yeah, baseball works where there are

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Speaker 1: eight guys, you know, maybe probably more if you're the

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Speaker 1: way it works in all reality that eat up starters innings, right,

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Speaker 1: Ben Brown, whether he starts to the season in the

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Speaker 1: rotation or not, my as long as he's healthy, I

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Speaker 1: guarantee you he's getting a bunch of starts this season.

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Speaker 3: This guy's going to pitch. They like him.

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Speaker 1: Unless there's some massive trade that we're not seeing, this

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Speaker 1: guy's a part of this team in some fashion at

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Speaker 1: some point in the season. Fans are gonna be pissed

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Speaker 1: if he's not the guy to start the season as

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Speaker 1: a fifth starter.

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Speaker 3: And that's fine. I get it.

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Speaker 1: He's the most enticing name of the bunch. But he's

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Speaker 1: going to get a ton of starts in a ton

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Speaker 1: of innings this year. He's going to be a key

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Speaker 1: part of this team because he's that good, He's talented,

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Speaker 1: and they like him a lot. So whether it happens

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Speaker 1: in April or it happens in June, July, and August,

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Speaker 1: we're gonna be seeing plenty of Ben Brown. And I

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Speaker 1: think if this team succeeds, he'll be a big part

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Speaker 1: of it.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, you need surprises, you need guys who

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Speaker 2: perform expectations, You need young players to take big steps forward.

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Speaker 2: He would certainly be ad or near the top of

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Speaker 2: that list of guys who could do that in a

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Speaker 2: really like impactful, interesting way. Nate Pearson, guy who had

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Speaker 2: a really nice pedigree among these pitchers we're talking about here.

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Speaker 2: I think he may pitch multiple innings in spring training,

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Speaker 2: get stretched out to that extent, but they're not looking

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Speaker 2: at him as a starter per se, even though he

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Speaker 2: had that background at one point in his career when

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Speaker 2: he was one of the best prospects in the game.

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Speaker 2: I think realistically he's gotten pretty good at this bullpen

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Speaker 2: roll the Cubs have carved out for him. I think

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Speaker 2: they want to stick with that focus on that get

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Speaker 2: him to the point where he is not just showing flashes,

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Speaker 2: but his reliable contributor out of the bullpen. And then

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Speaker 2: just kind of wrapping up the Japan point you mentioned,

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Speaker 2: like cups are probably to use multiple starting pitchers during

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Speaker 2: those games. Obviously only one one guy can start. Counsel

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Speaker 2: joke that I think it's mandated that he has to start.

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Speaker 2: Showda in one of those games showed a will pitch

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Speaker 2: in Japan. Council at this point will not confirm whether

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Speaker 2: it's game one or a game two, but I would

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Speaker 2: imagine it would be game one. If you look at

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Speaker 2: back at the box scores from the Dodgers and Padres

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Speaker 2: last year when they were abroad, it's probably a good guide.

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Speaker 2: Council said of like they they'll have their kind of

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Speaker 2: travel party. They have some exhibitions out there. I think

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Speaker 2: you probably see a couple starting pitchers being used during

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Speaker 2: those games in Tokyo.

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Speaker 1: I got a text earlier today about some of the

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Speaker 1: pictures and one guy that was named I don't know,

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Speaker 1: I'm kind of throwing this.

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Speaker 3: Out at you.

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Speaker 1: We didn't discuss this, so I don't know if they've

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Speaker 1: talked about him, but Kate Horton is healthy and apparently

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Speaker 1: looks good. I got a text saying like he's looking

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Speaker 1: like himself, which he never really was last year.

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Speaker 3: I don't know if there's an he buzz about him.

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Speaker 3: I got a text of.

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Speaker 1: All people about Brad Keller looking like what this guy's

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Speaker 1: throwing like this on February whatever tenth or whatever it

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Speaker 1: was when I got that text. So, I think this

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Speaker 1: is the type of this is the time of year

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Speaker 1: where we hear these things and half the guys we

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Speaker 1: talk about end up doing nothing during the season, right, Like, so,

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Speaker 1: I don't want to hype up Brad Keller.

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Speaker 2: I'll give you, I'll give you. I'll give you two

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Speaker 2: points of view. One is I thought Temmy Hottvey had

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Speaker 2: a good answer when asked about Horton, like Kenny help

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Speaker 2: this year, and he's like, look, we just want Kaid

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Speaker 2: to have a good year, like he needs to stack

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Speaker 2: up some innings and get those reps. But if Kate

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Speaker 2: Horton is healthy and doing that, he's probably pitching at

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Speaker 2: Wrigley Field, right. And then the issue was early last season,

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Speaker 2: I think everyone kind of got ahead of themselves and

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Speaker 2: he got I think they had seen something mechanically, maybe

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Speaker 2: even before that, and then the injuries happened and didn't

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Speaker 2: have time to ramp up again. So like Kate Horton,

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Speaker 2: a good name to bring up everything else. I always think,

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Speaker 2: if I believe it might have been Trevor Williams. One time,

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Speaker 2: comes pitcher had one of my favorite lines of all time.

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Speaker 2: It was something like, yeah, I have a lifetime no

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Speaker 2: hitter in.

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Speaker 3: The pitch lab, Like, yeah, all these guys.

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Speaker 2: Are supposed to look good.

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Speaker 3: They don't.

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Speaker 2: They don't face don't face any hitters they had all

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Speaker 2: off season. Everything's relaxed.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah good now, yeah, yeah, lots of Look

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Speaker 1: the pitching looks great, and yeah, all these guys that

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Speaker 1: do they how do they how do they fit.

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Speaker 3: Them all on the staff exactly exactly? We'll see, We'll

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Speaker 3: see who actually contributes.

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Speaker 1: There's gonna be some random arm that you and I

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Speaker 1: aren't even talking about, radar that impacts this team.

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Speaker 3: There always is.

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Speaker 1: That's how baseball works, bullpens especially, There's gonna be twenty

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Speaker 1: names over.

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Speaker 3: Like that, you know, all across baseball that we're like, what,

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Speaker 3: this guy's a stud?

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Speaker 1: YEP, that's how that's what happens, especially with relievers. All right,

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Speaker 1: let's wrap this one up. Thanks everyone for listening. This

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Speaker 1: is North Side territory. Make sure to rate, review, and

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Speaker 1: subscribe to the podcast. Subscribe to the YouTube channel, and

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00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:19,680
Speaker 1: subscribe to The Athletic, where Patrick and I are on

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00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,760
Speaker 1: top of all things cubs. Thanks so much for listening everyone.

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Speaker 1: We'll be back with another episode multiple episodes next week.

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Speaker 3: Thanks. Take care,