Monday Morning Cubs Show
A show every Monday morning about the Chicago Cubs from Carl and Mahoney.
Monday Morning Cubs Show
Cubs Are Rolling w/ Special Guest “The Lizard King”
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
If you’ve been waiting for the moment when “the Cubs are good” turns into “the Cubs are scary,” this is that moment. We’re recording on a Sunday night because Wrigley is electric, the wins keep stacking, and the conversation has officially shifted from surviving April to building a roster that can win in October.
We start with the hot streak and the uncomfortable question that suddenly feels fair: is 100 wins actually on the table? From there, we get specific about what a true contender still needs at the MLB trade deadline. We talk “structure breeds creativity” and why Jed Hoyer has to hunt for a front-line starting pitcher for a playoff series, not a convenient innings-eater. Then we zoom into the lineup, where flexibility matters, and make the case for a right-handed bat who mashes lefties and gives Michael Busch the right kind of rest.
Our first-ever Maniac of Merit guest is the Lizard King, our Des Moines source and resident truth serum. With him, we run Baller Or Strike on everything from Ben Brown earning real high-leverage trust, to Craig Counsell’s bench leverage, to Moises Ballesteros’ role as an impact big league hitter (and why we want to keep him away from extra catching risk). We also hit the bigger picture: why Alex Bregman’s presence changes the professionalism of the clubhouse, and what that means for a long season.
If you ride with the Cubs, you’ll leave with clearer expectations for the Reds series, sharper opinions for your group chat, and a better sense of what a World Series path actually requires. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review on Spotify or Apple so we can keep this thing rolling.
Thanks for tuning in!
- Carl & Mahoney
And we're clear. Good morning, good afternoon, and evening, Chicago Cubs fans. Welcome back to the Monday Morning Cub Show. Today is actually Sunday night. This is an early release of the Monday Morning Cub Show, which would typically be out on May 4th. It's Sunday, May 3rd. Cubs are red hot, as we say on this show, rolling, and we have a loaded episode. Something Mahoney and I have talked about for weeks, if not months, if not seasons now in the history of the Monday Morning Cub Show, is I want to interview a maniac. I want to do at least once a month a maniac of the month. Mahoney, it's good to see you. We have a maniac of the month. We'll be joining us a little bit later in the show.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, like a little bit of a you know, peek button under the curtain. You know, we won't reveal quite yet who we have coming on board, but you will be excited. I'm excited. And Carl, I'm excited about this Cubs team ripping off 12 to 13 in a row at Wrigley on an absolute tear, sweeping the diamondbacks. The weather ended up turning. It was I it's at a high of 55 on my phone today, and it got up to 67. That sun stretched, and I feel amazing. How about yourself, sir?
Wrigley Streak And 100-Win Talk
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, that 12 degree difference, Fahrenheit, we're talking, right? Certainly not. So straight Fahrenheit. Baby, that'd be a scorcher. Uh, you know, I mean, obviously, we talked. I feel I don't like being the guy to pat myself on the back and take victory laps, but listen, I've been in this business long enough to know if I don't do it, no one's gonna do it for me, anyways. We've said this team is gonna be very difficult to beat more than three times in a row. However, we will see them rattle off multiple five plus winning streaks. They have uh done exactly that since starting the season six and eight, since say Suzuki has come back 15 and 6. That includes two losses against the Pittsburgh Pirates. So if you take out that they're rolling with say Suzuki in the lineup. This is a very good team. If anything, I would say off the top, before we get to stuff, announcements, maniac of the month, Mahoney Baller strike. I undersold this team when I said 96 wins. If this is who we are, baller strike.
SPEAKER_01You undersold it, and that's a strike, Carl. And at first, when I had listened to your Friday episode about the 100 win team, I was even skeptical. I swear, hand up as a maniac, as your co-host of the show, and I'm the optimist. Yeah, I was the ever optimist guy, and I was listening along, and I I saw your vision and I got it. And I swear on my life, until today, I'm like, holy smokes, this is a 100-win team. Carl, whatever the ball or strike was, I think it's a strike and it might be just a strike.
SPEAKER_02It's a strike. We underestimated them. If we say 96 wins, if this is the core, Nico out a little bit with the next stuff back right away, boom, huge impact. Give him a risk. Moises Biasteros today. Unbelievable. Ian Hap wins a game for us out of the cleanup spot, not necessarily a cleanup hitter. And as we talked in the Friday show, the leeway or room, or so to say, for Jed to make a huge move at the trade deadline. There's an old saying in sales and business and life. One of my all-time favorite sayings, Mahoney. How many times have you heard me say this? A thousand.
SPEAKER_01Here we go.
Trade Deadline Needs And Standards
SPEAKER_02Structure breeds, creativity. I'm gonna put Jed Hoyer in a box. I'm gonna give him maximum structure here and say, We need a starting pitcher, maximum, premium, front of the line, October starting pitcher, not Michael Siroca, not a convenient this and that or the or whatever. No Tarek fucking school. You better believe it, pal. And we don't say names, not yet.
SPEAKER_01Use my F bomb I'm F bombs. Now I'm kind of giving away the nah.
SPEAKER_02Well, we'll get to who we have. But when we talk about the trade deadline and stuff, we haven't mentioned names. I'd like to wait till after Mother's Day, if you don't mind.
SPEAKER_01You can't go down that path, Carl. You know, I've already talked about this and I'm not gonna address it again. I don't want to talk about names until at least after Mother's Day with trades whatsoever. I like the fact the fit, but we'll talk about a fit and that's about it.
Thirsty Vaquero Sponsor Riff
SPEAKER_02Well, here's a name I'm gonna drop right now. If there's one name we're acquiring at the trade deadline, welcome for it. What do you think it's gonna be? It's Thirsty if it caro. A Mexican style soda with the signature spicy finish. That's all bite no rattle, three bold flavors, baby. Been putting them down left and right, so much yard work this weekend. Mixed it late last night with a bunch of clear stuff, brought a six-pack over to the over to the local holiday derby cinco de Mayo Party. Uh, I was the hit of the local community. I'm telling you, if you're not in on Thursday Vaquero, that's a mistake on your part. Mahoney, your thoughts.
SPEAKER_01I mean, if you're gonna talk about a Derby winner with Thirsty Vaquero, there's a golden tempo to Lemon Ladrone every single time. Give me the golden tempo because it's gonna be winning the race when it comes down to a lemon the drone, a mango muerte, or a certain severos. Whichever the watermelon is, it's a phenomenal flavor, and I apologize to my thirsty vaquero comrades. No, I mean mispronunciation, but you know what? Spanish isn't my first language, but what I do, I do know what is first real agave nectar. Boom. That's real. And that is what hits your lips. And when there's a little bit of a jalapeno spice coming at you, are you kidding me? I also too have never seen more and more thirsty vaqueros out there in the wild. Keep them coming. I know you guys are enjoying it as much as I do, as much as Carl do, as much as the never mind.
SPEAKER_02Don't say it.
SPEAKER_01It's it's a fantastic beverage. It it's just it's an all-bite and it's a no-rattle.
SPEAKER_02It is an all-bite, no rattle. It's an all-bite, it's a no-ratt. It's a Mexican-style soda. I'm not naming names and I'm paraphrasing the story. But once upon a time, a couple of real smart guys went into a big, you know, what is this, devil wears Prada?
SPEAKER_01I mean, engineer type folks, guys. Oh, U engineers.
SPEAKER_02Smart. I mean, we don't have to again name drop education, Mahoney here. We're not leaving a paper trail.
SPEAKER_01It's a good school.
SPEAKER_02I'm saying it's a better story. A couple guys saying there's a path here to do something different. I didn't, I did not just say they got laughed out of the room. Was there a lack of encouragement? Maybe. Were there a couple guys going, you know what? Fine, we'll do it on our own. And who now is a very large emerging beverage brand, non-alcoholic, perfectly aligns with the whole host of stuff. Again, last night, mixing it with the clear stuff, big day on the artwork. Don't necessarily want to put down a thousand beers. Why? Because you're just out, I'm sweating. I got to replace the electrolytes before we get in that, etc. There's so many uses for it. Thirsty Vaquero, three bold flavors, guys, on Amazon. Throw a four-pack in the cart, get a 12 pack, tell me, and then tell me it sucks. I dare you. I dare you. Last thing, baller strike. We title sponsor Monday morning cub show with Thirsty Vaquero. I believe since the ink is dry on this proverbial contract here, you know, which is a handshake and etc., the Cubs are carrying like a 650 win percentage. I mean, we're rolling since Thirsty Vaquero baller strike.
SPEAKER_01We're strike down the middle with an all-bite, no rattle tail at the end, baby.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. We're warmed up here. We're about 745 in. We do have a big guest. Um, I will reveal the guest now. We will then bring him on in in a couple minutes when things are nice and warm. But this is an important guest that we have. We're gonna play our favorite game, Mahoney, which is baller strike. We love doing it with a guest. This is a close personal friend. If you listen to the show, you don't even have to listen to it bi-weekly. If you listen to it once a month, you know there's a character who lurks in the maniac universe. Who is he, Mahoney?
SPEAKER_01Ladies and gentlemen, I want to bring in, and not at the right away, no, but it is the lizard king, ladies and gentlemen. And I figured you'd probably guess that by now. We have the lizard kings. He's not only been counting F-bombs for us after my mom had called me out, which I appreciate so much, he's also our you know, eyes on the I Cubs in Des Moines, Iowa. So, you know, with being from Des Moines, the Lizard King has given us intel, you know, as a source and as a friend and as a maniac, he's been true and true from episode one. So, I mean, to really bring on the Lizard King at this juncture in May as the first ever monthly Monday morning maniac of merit, I couldn't be happier to have him aboard. And I know he's prepped with plenty of balls or strikes and ready to rock.
Building The Maniac Community
SPEAKER_02He's in the green room. All right, we're gonna get to Lizard King, or as you may hear him call today the king. This is important because for a long time I I in historically speaking, if you're familiar with my I hate the word content, by the way. That's worth its own Friday show. Remind me to get it.
SPEAKER_01You said it so much for so many years. I think you just got so you got sick of it. My content, you liked you liked it at first, though. You said content. That's because it was an emerging business model. It was a new thing, yeah.
SPEAKER_02You got partners, you know, big beer companies coming in here going, why don't you leave this insurance career?
SPEAKER_01It's good content, dude.
SPEAKER_02Here's my camera, I just trust my content. Now, if you if if you have listened or have followed, I do like participating with the quote unquote audience, community. Do you remember the video series I did on Barstool food fights where I picked two random guys from the audience and you had to show the web line? You had to show up with your own food, and then we would argue about who had better food, or the NBA jam tournament's a good example, where you kind of open it up to the audience, but then you turn the barstool cameras around on people and you're like, hey, you guys show up, we're putting you on the fucking website. Another good example of that. Don't count that one, Lizard King. Another good example of that was the putting contest when the Barstool Classic originally sold out. And I went back and was like, Hey, if you want to show up to Harper Side, we're gonna live stream it, we'll put it on the website. I've always had an affinity because I had forever spent time in the audience and was being like, Man, I would love to get a chance to get on the mic and all that stuff. So then when I was on the mic and did get an opportunity, I had spun around and I'm very attracted and interested in having people that are part of the community to then contribute to the fucking reason there's a community in the first place. And I think the monthly Maniac Merit Award, as far as an interview, and listen, this could be a terrible idea when the king comes on. I mean, he could be, and I don't think he is based on our vetting process, Mahoney. But do you understand how it's more than just you know, or am I being too sentimental?
SPEAKER_01You're being a little bit sentimental, but at the same token, no, I think that it's a very important thing, and I think it goes back to that level of, and I know we say it a lot, community that we wanted to bring with the Monday morning cub show and what we wanted to start. Carl, when we had been in my garage for the couple pilot episodes, I was in your basement, fantastic times, etc. But what was our goal? Bring the people that are in with us and along for the ride with us, like literally, so not only just our friends and the people in our text messages, but the people that we meet along the way. Yeah, and then once the Monday morning maniac movement came into flight, that's when you know things really started taking shape, and we met folks like the Lizard King, who has done amazing work of just keeping the F-bomb in check and just also just being like a good dude, knowing the game, letting me know what's happening in Iowa, without trying to be weird about it, like I am a source, like he is our source. Yep, he is so you know that could be a little bit dicey, but we're not journalists, I'm not breaking massive news stories. I mean, it's it's just it's the whole point of of starting this is having people like the king around, and that's why I'm super happy that he's the monthly Monday morning maniac of merit this year, all right.
Level Set On The Hot Start
SPEAKER_02So we're gonna do some good baller strike uh with with the king. And before we bring the king on, I think it's fair to recap and level set. And here's just kind of where we're at. You know, this is something I would do 100% on a Friday show. Like this is where we're at, obviously. As we should.
SPEAKER_01We just swept the Arizona Diamondback.
SPEAKER_02Yes. Attaboy. Open a fresh fucking beer, please.
SPEAKER_01It's not a beer, it's a thirsty vaquero.
SPEAKER_02Have a cold one. Um what is that? A little mango muerte, attaboy. Yeah. So, you know, because a couple weeks ago we come in here with CB, the original one, and we're kind of bouncing around six and eight. So, since going six and eight, you know, we're 16 and 4 over our last 20. You know, red hot, no Kate Horton. Matt Boyd pitched well enough today to win, but we still haven't seen the best from him. This is, all things considered, way above expectation from the start of the season when we looked at the calendar and thought, damn, April's really tough. You told me 22 and 12, you know, going into May 4th this home series against Cincinnati. So obviously, it's not just that we've been good or great, etc. We have so far exceeded expectations. And then there's a couple wrinkles in there. The bullpen being crap, except for Ben Brown's emergence, Moises Bayesteros really being outstanding, but not nearly as good as Nico Horner, who's now garnering MVP consideration before we're even getting to Mother's Day. I mean, there's a whole bunch of stuff we're gonna get into here with Ball and Strike, but we got to just level set before we get to the king. You know, we're coming in here. I don't know if I've ever been in such a good mood before I've done a podcast. Under any dog walk, you know, any podcast, any audio recording, any situation before. We are rolling full steam ahead 15 minutes into it. This is just as good as it gets in life.
SPEAKER_01Carl, think about this, and it has nothing to do with the yard work. I mean, there is a lot of fresh air going around. All that is great. Aside from all of that, the vibes of this Cubs team are at an all-time high. We're breaking records for win streaks at Wrigley Field, you know, and you go on a 10-game stretch where you rip, you know, we don't even care about the Dodgers loss, and then you go sweep the diamondbacks this weekend and have a fantastic week. What else can you how can you not feel good? And I swear on my life, when the Cubs are good, my life is good, and it makes things so much easier. But let's go back, and I have this as a baller strike, but I'm gonna I'm gonna get in just topical. They're ahead of way ahead of schedule now as true contenders when at the the start of the season it did not look that way, and that's why I question your 100 win streak, like you know, 100 win game, whatever, until this weekend, and now I feel it.
SPEAKER_02I can't hear you 16 and 4 over their last 20, Mahoney. I'm like, I'm I'm sorry, I was too busy getting my fish.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god, you were literally spoon feeding me and reeling me in.
SPEAKER_02They're 16 and 4 over their last 20. They were six and eight. We went through the yes, and I mean, respectfully, your life better be better when they're 16 and 4 over 20 with a bad fucking bullpen. I mean, Ben Brown's got it on his back right now. And have we even seen the best of Alex Braggman? You know, and I wanted to tee it up and say structure breeds creativity in the sense that Jed knows here's pinpoint, buddy. You know, Cuban Missile Crisis know exactly where we're dropping these fucking bombs, my friend. One at least one major starting pitcher that can start game one or game two of a playoff series, even if Showday Imanagas is good, even if Eddie Cabrera's as good. Jed, there's that there is no other answer. There's no depth. We don't need starting pitching depth if Colin Ray is going to be this guy and Javier says Assad's gonna be this guy. No. Here's another thing. In in in we could just go the season and say fine, but we have three months in front of us to say, all right, fine, if Ian Hap is gonna be a cleanup hitter, he won the game yesterday. You're gonna point a finger, ball or strike. So, like I know people don't love that, but hey, I'll guarantee you this it's very obvious where we can upgrade, and that's not saying get rid of Ian Hap, it just do we need to go get a true cleanup hitter in a situation is matchup. How do we how do we build or do we need it? Is Michael, but there's so many different things. We're gonna get into it. We're gonna play my favorite game now. It's the Monday morning cub show, guys. If you haven't had an opportunity yet, obviously I say rate it, share with a friend. We're about to drop some insight on you. We've got some great stuff coming. I would appreciate it if you also got a chance to review. Of course, get a Thirsty of Carol available on Amazon, three bold flavors, 90 calories per 16 ounce. You know, about half the serving size in sugar of a regular old-fashioned soda, 12 ounce, 16 ounce, thirsty of carol, all your needs. With that being said, it is such a delight. Baller strike, Mahoney. I am delighted to introduce Monday morning maniacs to the king.
Lizard King Joins Baller Or Strike
SPEAKER_01Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the monthly Monday morning maniac of merit, the lizard king. Welcome to the show, baby.
SPEAKER_00I appreciate the introduction, fellas. Moneymaker beef. How are we doing? Yeah, I think uh I think we can turn off the cover if if it's on. Um, you know, regular voice is fine. But uh appreciate appreciate you boys having me on.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I don't so as far as identity purposes are concerned, I will take the filter off. I do I've been dying to use the cartel. You know what I'm saying? I don't know why I'm attracted to that, but like the black screen, the mysteriousness of the lizard king, uh, which is a true bona fide burner.
SPEAKER_01And and like really, with the fact that you are our i Cubs guy in Des Moines, Iowa. I say Des Moines on purpose because one dude I know mispronounced it once. That said, Carl, reel it in. King, let us know if you need us to remove the filter or not, but we'll keep it on or move forward without.
SPEAKER_02So I suppose we can just start here. Baller strike. Cubs win for Lizard King Baller Strike. Cubs win 100 or more games this year, Lizard King.
SPEAKER_00I am gonna go with the strike here, and I was not sitting at a strike a week and a half ago. This team's legit. I mean, the bats are hidden. Uh the bullpen's not at full strength, yet they still find ways to win games. I mean, you look at this Diamondback series, Webb comes in, multi-inning relief, Brown comes in Saturday, multi-inning relief. Both get saves, both get wins. It's just crazy how they keep getting it done.
What One Addition Helps Most
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they're actually not nearly as good as I think they can be. However, the lineup has been balanced and in the sense of really no flops. You know, P. Carl Armstrong had a tough start for his first 14 games, still performed well with runners in scoring position while perform providing elite defense. I mean, we say when no flops, I mean, there's really even when Say Suzuki was out, Matt Shaw has provided a 300 batting average, a plus 500 slug. When I say no flops, I mean there are times historically as a Cubsman, obviously in the years where they don't win 81 plus games, where you can look at the lineup and go, there's three guys in here that are that that are absolutely terrible. The unique thing about this team is that obviously not just no flops, but they're they're not really they're performing well, but like there's room for so many other guys to play well. Like Moice Ballesteros is taking advantage of the fact that people haven't seen him, they're not really sure what to do. So, sure, they're gonna pitch him up and away hard stuff, not knowing, yeah, he has the power to go the other way for an opposite field home run, like he did against the Diamondbacks and Merrill Kelly today, completely turned the game around. There's opportunities here for this team to actually be better. There's really only a handful of guys who are I'm going like Ian Hap, is he actually overperforming? But Alex Bregman is on pace. Michael Bush is on pace. Nico Horner is actually taking a step forward. It's not like he's doing amazing things where if Nico Horner had 10 plus home runs, I'd be like, this is crazy. He's actually doing what Nico Horner does. So baller strike, the Cubs have an opportunity to be better than how they are, even though they're 10 games over 500 at 22 and 12. Like we can actually see another gear for this without even the trade deadline, baller strike. This exact group has room to get better.
SPEAKER_00That's a strike down the middle. No question. Oh, yeah. You're not even at full at full strength yet. And and that's that's where I would say too, and and I'll hit you with the ball or strike right away. You can you can add one player right now, and it doesn't need to be a name. Let's just go position and immediately get better right now. What is that? Is that a starting pitcher or is that just a lockdown relief arm?
SPEAKER_02Dude, I don't even know if it's either of those. I think it's a guy that gives Michael Bush a day off and plays a corner in plays a corner infield position and slugs 500 against left-handed pitching.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and that's what you had said on Friday's episode, I believe, on the right-handed bat, right? Something for Bush. Bush is starting to heat up again. I don't know if we can fully trust him yet against righties, but I think you got to give him some at bats just the way he's been swinging it. I don't want these part of me.
SPEAKER_02I don't want to. I I think that you can get a right-handed hitter to slug 480 plus against left-handed pitching, and I'd rather have the relationship with Michael Bush to say you're not going to start today, but you are going to come off the bench because now all of a sudden you have. Excuse my French here as I'm coughing through this because I'm so excited. Now I'm answering this question before I give this to Mahoney.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I haven't even answered the ball or strike yet, so continue.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I'm giving the I'm giving it. No, I'm in, I'm in. But I'm saying I think under the pretense of this, this is for 162. If we were doing playoff series tomorrow, I'm going starting pitching one, then I'm going bullpen two before I get to the Michael Bush thing. But if for purposes of May, June, July, August, September, I would love to add a big righty bat that can slug 480 plus against left-handed pitching. And I think the big piece of this is I'm nervous about what the impact Michael Bush having to start against left-handed pitching has had on him, whether it's mechanically or not seeing it differently. When you know if he's just seeing righties, he's awesome. And I like him coming off the bench. So that's my long-winded answer. Mahoney baller strike, I should say, even though we'll give the king a little bit of leeway here. It wasn't a true ball or strike. No, between those three, do you have a preference for the 162 between starting pitching, bullpen, or a position, even if it's not first base, something else?
SPEAKER_01I do. And I it is a position player that can slug and also play first base or catch and or do both. Because Michael Bush, while is heating up, what I have noticed about this team, which is a beautiful thing, is the flexibility now that we're allowed to attack certain pitchers and you know certain teams with. Imagine that flexibility when it comes into having Michael Bush focus like he did last year, you know, on just his bread and butter. And that said, he is heating up and it's doing great, but I I think that there's more that we can be for the long stretch as opposed to you know adding a big arm right now. I don't think that's necessary because we're getting by just fine.
SPEAKER_02Does that satisfy where you were at with that, King?
Moises Ballesteros Role And Risk
SPEAKER_00Yeah, to an extent, and to your point, wasn't a true ball or strike, you know. The first one can't always be a layup, you know. If it's as easy of a game as this is, it's tough to figure out for for us des moine folks. Um yeah, it does. It does. I think where you could truly mix and match, and like we haven't seen it yet, but like, and you've mentioned this. Does Carson Kelly get a look at first base, you know, when when Miguel is catching? Uh, things like that. Now, those aren't those aren't, you know, what you could potentially find on the trade market per se. But things you can plug and play with right now, as opposed to, hey, we're heading to the playoffs, and then in my opinion, it's it's pitching right away.
SPEAKER_01Can I just chime in real quick too, just because like as like the Carson Clut Kelly, can he play first kind of thing? The activity that Moises is getting behind the plate, does that allow for more of that kind of you know potential to enhance our lineup accordingly and in like a playoff type of atmosphere? And I guess that question is for Carl.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, not necessarily playoff atmosphere. I guess it would just be tomorrow, so Amai could catch on Carson Kelly would play first base, and then say would DH, and then Matt Shaw would be, but you would have to see extreme splits, you know. You'd have to see like, I don't know if Patrick Corbin's still playing, but somebody where it's just so bad against righties and in you know, average against lefties where you'd have to. But I don't want Carson Kelly playing first base, I want Carson Kelly catching. You know, Carson Kelly is right now the starting catcher over Miguel Amaya. There's opportunities there. Hey, make Moises by Esteros. It's it was fun to watch him catch. He shouldn't catch more than one game, you know, every three weeks, and that's purely because I don't, you know, if it was Iowa for sure, this is the big leagues, man. Let me go back to this great interview I did with Kevin Gossman a couple years ago on a show called Starting Nine with Jake Arrietta, and he had talked about his decision, his decision to become a two-pitch pitcher, fastball, fork ball, splitter, whatever. And he had a curveball and he threw it with the Orioles, but when he got to the Giants and he had bounced around Orioles, Reds, etc. But he gets to the Giants, and they basically tell him here's the situation. You'd be lucky if that curveball, you know, could be effective on a Friday or Saturday in the SEC. You know, like you can throw it, but the fuck is that major league? I mean, that you throw that in the major in major league baseball would be no different than having this Saturday guy from fucking Mississippi State come in here and start throwing his curveball in here. Now, what you do have that is major league is the forcing fastball at 97 plus with elite spin, and you do have an elite major league fork ball. But get this breaking ball until you have a breaking ball that is a major league pitch, that's just not major league shit. Until, like, what does Kevin Gossman do from that? He becomes a two-pitch pitcher, which is my long-winded yet very specific way to say to Moises by Asteros, he's a big league hitter, he's a big league two hitter, he's a big league designated hitter. He's a he is as much of a big league hitter as any guy on that roster, except for Alex Breckman and Nico Horner. And okay, so yeah, no, don't need to see him catch, don't care about him catching, don't want to see him catch, unless it's an extreme circumstance. Miguel O'Mai gets a day off. We have a bunch of days in a row, we're traveling West Coast trip. You know, he can go catch once anything more than once every 15 games is insane to me. Carson Kelly needs to be catching, Miguel Maya needs to be catching. So I it's a fair ball. It's a fair ball, Carl. Okay, you know, I'm I just get passionate about this stuff because I understand the sentiment of I just want to see it. I just want to see it. But this ultimately abuts what we had said at the start of the show. Are we or are we not world series contenders? If we are, I don't want to see it. I don't give a fuck. You know, and that's kind of that.
SPEAKER_01And he is not gonna be the person behind the plate in a World Series game whatsoever. And where I came from that, like, was more so like, oh, isn't it better to get him more reps behind? And that's what they're doing. So like I almost asked the question that was already answered. Like, they're giving him looks in emergency situations, and that and then like leave it at that. The guy is such a good hitter, it would be a detriment to him if he even needed to concentrate on catching or strike.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, that's a strike. We just don't need it, like, we're too good, we have two good catchers, and then as long as they're healthy, knock on wood, pray for those obliques. That's such a big component. And if and I Iasteros is not good enough. Should somebody have to take a rest to just start filling in, they'd have to pick up extra duty. He's very bad behind the plate. We saw it, so I don't want to beat a dead horse here.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, he's very good swinging the bat.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he's amazing, he's incredible, he's incredible. Is much now. I gotta ask Lizard King because we had brought this up, you know, a lot as a source in Iowa. Has he exceeded the expectations of like the local populace, or just from your general experience? Because obviously seeing and paying attention to guys that come and go and stuff, and you know the buzz, you hear the stuff. It's been a minute since we've had a homegrown guy who's been this age deliver on such an immediate impact. So, just generally speaking, from your own personal boots on the ground experience, King, like is this is is it believable that Biasteros has been that good, or has he even exceeded your expectations?
SPEAKER_00Oh, I think I think we're past past exceeding. Yeah, I mean, he has been as good as advertised last year. Everybody knew he's just a pure hitter. And he comes up this year and he's just raking. And I think everybody around Des Moines and everybody in Principal Park knew that that's what that was. And and Jed in the front office, I think, did a good job in keeping that guy around.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, obviously, no, you know, complaints really at all at this point. Even when he's 0 for 16, it's like he's on it, he looks fine, he's not missing shit, he knows the strike zone extremely well. I I can't even like fathom a world where I can entertain he isn't in a position to hit, which I guess kind of furthers the point. Let's just close the book on the Biasteros conversation for the week. A number one reason we don't need to see him catch, he's such a good hitter. I don't need an injury risk, I don't need a foul ball off the hand. I don't want him catching.
Bregman Leadership And Clubhouse Culture
SPEAKER_01That was yeah, definitely don't want him catching. And what going back though to the offseason, why there was absolutely no chance of them ever caring about Kyle Tucker and re-signing is because they absolutely knew what they had in Moises, and that has changed the complexity of the Cubs for them to divert all the attention to go to Braggman. That's how good this kid is. He replaced an absolute stud without a blink of an eye from the executives.
SPEAKER_02Well, bother strike here, like based on Suckcliffe's conversation, he let the cat out of the bag against the Padres that like people absolutely tells everybody everything. Let Lizard King's just up and down, nodding up and down. You were there for it, Lizard King, when Succliffe was just said, hey, he may have the exact same OPS in his career as Alex Bregman, but they're two completely different guys. All Kyle Tucker ever cared about was his computer games and being alone, right? What do we got here, LK?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, the the way that that Succliff described that was, you know, he's about him, he's about doing his business. I'd I'd borderline call him introverted, as where you got Alex Bregman, who's just a baseball rat. Nose to the ground 24-7. How can I make the team better? How can I make this guy better? I'm good, I'll be fine. I mean, it is it is just night and day difference. Only through this part of the season you can see it. I mean, the team's all around him. The the team is just, I was gonna ball or strike this, but I'll just throw it out there for now. I mean, is this the most ball or strike? This is the most professional slash well-rounded group we've had since 16 or 17.
SPEAKER_02Well, professional, it's way more professional than that group. If we're gonna do the professional thing, like, and that was a different era in time that will never happen again. And I and it's interesting to go back in the lovable podcast, but Lackey captured it really well in the last episode where he basically said when he came into the big leagues, there weren't rookies and they weren't looking for guys to come into the league, they didn't give a fuck for the league minimum, and things have changed so much from accelerating the draft and development, measurable spin rate technology. There's a whole bunch of stuff that has made it significantly more predictable to find valuable young players that project. So there are much fewer first-round busts, etc., which then going back to player development allows organizations to move guys into the organization much faster, which then thus therefore makes the culture not really that it's so different now than if you went back to when Lackey broke into the league in 99, 2000, whenever it was with the Angels. I mean, the average age of that team is gonna be 34 something years old. Now, right now, just looking at, let's see, I'll pull up the Cincinnati Reds, their average age is probably much younger than the the old 28.8. I mean, it's almost it's it's it's probably over a half decade, you know. As I'm getting ready for the scouting report here, I would say the change in the locker room in the culture and the perspective and all this stuff. And so when we talk about professional teams and stuff, what's really hard about having a team now, back then guys gave a fuck, they cared, and the reason they cared so much is if you didn't go spikes in, then you lost status in your own clubhouse. If you didn't show up with the emphasis of motherfucking somebody pitches you inside, you drill the next guy, then that policed itself very much in the clubhouse, and that's because you're talking about a group of guys uh across every clubhouse where you're talking about there's 18 plus guys over the age of 33 in a major league clubhouse, and so the the unwritten rule and just kind of the attitude and the culture, and this all goes back. The reason I'm saying all of this is what makes the 2026 Cubs so special is that you have guys that are extremely focused, that want to win, that are uber competitive without any of the carrot or the stick. It's not the stick, it's the carrot that you do it because this is how you win and you are the best team because of this. It's not the stick that you play hard because if you don't, then there's gonna be consequences and repercussions, which is how David Ross and John Lester very much ran that team. If you follow any of the shit Rizzo's talked about, that was very much a if you don't play the way we want you to play, there will be negative consequences and circumstances. You better fucking be one of the boys. But at the end of the day, there's still Puss Hounds and Booze Hounds and Puss Hounds, and guys are playing drunk from that era, taking the field drunk. Theo Epstein has to remove the alcohol in the clubhouse in 2019, not because any other reason than players can't stop drinking before enduring games, and they've tried a thousand times in the days of Lester being one of those guys. Yep, and you listen to the Lovable Reunion podcast, and they're always talking about, well, you know, we had a couple pops, we're this and that. It was fun, right? It's funny you win the World Series, it's fun when you go to three straight NLCS, but they had started the slide, Madden couldn't control it. So we talk about is this team, and I'm sorry to go on a long-winded ramp, but you drop the word professional about the 2026 team, and I'd say, even if you have to point back to 2016, you know, and I'd say professional team, go back to Derek Lee. Go back to Derek Lee and Zembrano, and though, and even though Zembrano's a psychopath, that's a bad example, still pitch 230 innings every single year. But I mean, that's probably the last time you'd had, you know, Jim Edmonds in DeRosa, where those guys were really showing up with a purpose. And I hate to use the saying again, Lizard King, but carrot and stick, where it was more carrot-driven. It was more, hey, we're playing here together for each other. This is the right way to do it because this is the way you do it. Where I do think the 2016, and this is based on personal experience from these guys. I don't necessarily think that was a lasting environment or culture or a place really anybody necessarily. Keep in mind Kyle Schwarber didn't thrive in that environment. Addison Russell, there's a ton of shit with Hobby Bob. Young guys, you know, Chris Bryant wanted out of there so bad. Like literally the only guy who thrived there, almost done with my rant, was Anthony.
SPEAKER_01And like that brags the question what is the more professional team? Baller strike. Ah, ball or strike. I mean, this team is probably the more professional approach than what professional meant back then.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but if they lose six in a row this week, I didn't throw all that shit out there.
Craig Counsell Decisions And Matchups
SPEAKER_01That was a classic, classic rant, though, and it makes a lot of sense to me. I know it makes a lot of sense that the king over here, I got a baller strike for you, Lizard King. And I know you you you've you've hit me with this a couple times now. Craig, ball or strike, Craig's vibing with this team. Craig is vibing with this team.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's uh I'll go, I'll go strike on the corner here. Because I do I've been I've been tough on Craig. And it's it's tough for me to even say on the corner because he is he is vibing with this team. But just the way he goes about it, you know, he's he is good with with the media. He's he answers questions and everything, but the sarcasm and the answers questions the way he goes about it, and just the is such a Craig way, it it it irks me sometimes, you know. That's what the kids say these days. It gives me the ick, but yeah, he's vibing with the team. It's it's easy to say he's vibing with the team. Look at how many games they've won in the last two weeks.
SPEAKER_01And that's how I feel. Winning always cures all. Carl, you ball or strike, Craig vibing with this team. It's um 103.5 radio question. Yo, Carl, is Craig vibing with this team? Ball strike.
SPEAKER_02Um, yeah, I I'll say ball. Like, I don't I'm not gonna go that far that Craig's vibing with the team. There's a couple things I like from him. He is managing really hard, and he's you know, he is not letting things ride really ever, except when guys have to eat in so far. So you've seen him be more aggressive than not. It is not that difficult that almost every game he has the choice to DH or not DH to pinch hit, like Matt Shaw, Michael Bush, or Carson Kelly against a lefty. Like he has been saying in the history of me watching the Cubs, he probably has the best first and second bench matchups I've seen through the first 35 games that I can think of. Like he's just constantly going to guys that are in good matchups, but he's doing it frequently. He's not really letting it ride too much, and I am delighted to see how quickly Bush is bounced back. So there's stuff I want to give him credit for. Obviously, 22 and 12. The 13 and 3 stretch in those 16 games, then obviously include this Arizona Diamondbacks series, which is just taking care of business, baby. That's just taking care of business. Is he vibing? He's doing his job at 8 million a year. Yeah, how about that? Fair now, fair, fair ball, could be mid-June, and we're the talk of the town. But I don't even know if Craig has the personality to foster that. I think that I think this team could like under the radar win 104 games.
SPEAKER_01Like the Viagra Triangle's dead, so it's not like we're ever gonna see him waving his hand around like you know, Quinville used to do in the the yuck of the the cup. But you're right, it's they could be a 104-win team, and you would never know if Craig's vibing with anybody.
SPEAKER_02That's the word, the operative word is vibing. You know, I think he just is letting guys kind of do their thing. We're lucky we have a clubhouse that this is a great term in baseball, policing itself, and that happens in other professional clubhouses, but just the nature of a baseball clubhouse playing every day. You know, you can't really bitch at each other. To have the right guys leading by example, and so swapping Bregman for Tucker, you know, again, not to beat that dead horse, but Suckliff had the comments like the it's clear Bregman has elevated everyone around him, gets people to play harder, gets people to want to show up more. It's no different than anybody who goes to work and you work with somebody that is there for you and is great and and yeah, is supportive and has been there and has had success and isn't selfish. And even though they make a lot of money, they want you to make money and they're helpful and they're just interested in you, and they actually taste here.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, wants everyone to do well, sure, because that lifts whatever the analogy is. You know, everything lifts each other through water. There it is.
Ben Brown Earns High Leverage Trust
SPEAKER_00Lizard can give me another ball or strike. All right, ball or strike. We trust Ben Brown right now in the back of the bullpen. Strike.
SPEAKER_02Strike, big one. Mahoney let it rip. You start there, Mahoney.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Ben Brown is a now a trusted beast, and we had asked him to do a lot with the number of injuries that we've had within the bullpen throughout the past few weeks. Carl, me and you early on were Ben Brown guys. You had asked and begged that he had get just another pitch. And guess what? I think he has one, and it's a splitter, and I split my pants sliding and dancing. It's a sinker. It was a sinker, split sink, is what I like to call it. Split my pants through his sinker. All right, here we go. And but the fact is Ben Brown is just dealing right now. It's absolutely fantastic to see. I want I wanted to see this forever, and I lost faith, and I'm so happy to have it again.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, can you lizard King? Can you baller strike yourself real quick? Like, can you give yourself a call on this before I, you know, go down my Ben Brown rabbit hole?
SPEAKER_00Strike. Strike. I mean, he's sitting at a 1-8-2 ERA, last eight outings, 16 innings pitched, one and one, 11 hits, 3 runs, 1 earned, 15 K's, 3 rocks, 1 save. He's been great. The numbers are there.
SPEAKER_02You're you're a little back of the base card, baseball card, number there. Yeah. What about the Lizard King eye test that you've seen? Because you've watched Ben Brown struggle and fail. Do you see anything different? Never mind the strikeouts in the ERA and stuff like the that's kind of where I would be more interested. Like, what are the biggest things you see from him from when he has really pissed us off?
SPEAKER_00It's the body language. It's the body language. And when he gets on a mic now, too, there's not a ton of poo-poo. He's straight to the point and he's off the mic, you know, and and he's doing good things. He turns two when he came in. I what was that? Uh Saturday when he no, it was against the Padres when he came in and got that candy double play to get us out. And and he was just all business coming off the field. But it's things like that, man, where you just you see the way he's conducting himself, you see the way he's acting. We always knew the stuff was there. It's a strike for me.
Deadline Deals Without Losing MLB Talent
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he has to witness his own success in different waves for it to kind of settle in and stuff. I wish he was different. I mean, there's guys that really go through this when they're younger, whether it's in high school or if they've got older brothers that they've competed with against their life, where like you kind of snap, you go to this mental place where you have to to get the best out of yourself. And I just think if you look back at Ben Brown's career, historically speaking, he's always been an under-the-radar guy, kind of overlooked baseball guy, doesn't really find a size till later, doesn't really get drafted till later, doesn't really so everything's always just kind of been late for him. And we've talked specifically, the one thing I'd hone in on is like something tragic has to happen, which we had kind of isolated as like get traded. He can't go back to triple A for the Cubs. He's way too good for AAA, but like he kind of has to hit rock bottom. Now, what I did not forecast was that four late inning relievers would be on the IL or unavailable all within the first couple weeks, and that you'd have to turn to Ben Brown and silly me for not coming up with this hypothetical because that is in that same category of maybe it's not tragedy, but what it does beget is urgency, and that's the thing that you've needed from Ben Brown is the urgency that, like, there's nobody coming, you can't go back to triple A. We don't want to trade you. It's fucking now or never. One part. Second part, Mahoney brought it up, and it's the sinker. The double play he got from Manny Machado on a sinker that used most of the strike zone that was naturally dominant enough to get in on the hands of a future first ballot Hall of Famer, so a fucking textbook double play to wrap that game up, or not wrap the game up, but really kind of put you know, give the Cubs esteem to win that series. That's the type of shit where like Ben Brown, when I would have said a week ago, like, even if he gave me those numbers, it's a ball you don't trust Ben Brown. But if he's gonna get those outs with that pit, like he's just chomping at the bit to get out there again. So I'm gonna call it a strike that I have newfound confidence in him, but I'm putting a lot of stock in that this is gonna have profound effects on his confidence when he takes them out, and we're only gonna see a continued aggressive approach of them. The stuff is there. He's got better stuff than Eddie Cabrera, he's got better stuff than anybody on the team. It's really just a matter of him using the strike zone. So again, long-winded strike here. I think he's laid in. Give me another ball or strike, Lizard King.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, this one's a little premature, but ball or strike, we can make a move at the deadline without trading a big league player. Strike.
SPEAKER_02100% strike. We we have so much stuff, we have so much stuff cooking. You know, we have a good shortstop that'll never play for us, and Rojas is Pedro Ramirez guy, I'll never play for us, Kevin Alcantara will never play for us. I mean, maybe, you know, maybe. Yeah, I always had high hopes, but it just doesn't look you know, maybe like something bad would have to happen, but we're in the tier now in the category where we can win a pennant. So the the only people from the minor league system are yeah, it's gonna be like a Jackson Wiggins, it's gonna be, you know, with Ethan Conrad from last year, the first rounder from Wake Forest, if he turns out to be a top 50 prospect, but I would just be very surprised. You you have your arms folded, you seem disappointed because you got so many guys coming through the triple A Iowa system.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, I I would I would actually agree with you and say strike. Um, there's a ton of guys down low who can swing it. You named two of them. One's in double A in Rojas. Uh, you got Pedro and triple A. Uh Kevin's swinging it, right? He's what, 12 home runs now? I think he hit another today. That's a guy I don't ever see up in the show unless something terrible happened. Um, there's just too many bats. There's too many bats. And he's still striking out all the time.
SPEAKER_02It's way too much. That's that's the number one thing when you're looking at a triple A to Major League. The power is fine. The power I would I would much rather have Alcantara at five home runs in an 18% strikeout rate than if it is 11 home runs in a 38% strikeout rate. Because that strikeout rate, if you're striking out at triple A, they're gonna eat your lunch at the major league level, and you're never even gonna be in a position where you can take aggressive swings or feel good about yourself or any of this stuff. And that is my big concern with Al Cantera. In the meantime, you have platinum defense in center field, one of the great left fielders defensively of his generation in Ian Hep, and a two-headed monster in Matt Shaw and say a Suzuki in right field, where Matt Shaw's at bats quality-wise to Al Cantera cannot even be compared. I mean, get that stuff out of here. Totally different. And say a Suzuki, we're 15 and 6 with him back in the lineup. Like he's one of the best right-handed bats we could possibly have hitting fourth or fifth for us. So it is tough for Al Cantera. It's tough for these minor leaguers. That said, you know, I like said this on the Friday show. I want all these minor leaguers to put up big numbers so we have the trade cat. The more the merrier. I hope everybody's a top 100 prospect. I could care less. The reality is nobody's sniffing this infield. This infield's locked down for four or five years. No one's sniffing center field. And as far as Matt Shaw has a pulse, you know, things are just become very crowded. So for you to play on this team, you have to be like one of those Boston Red Sox, you know, like total stud muffin, bona fide. What, Roman Anthony? Is that who I'm thinking of?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So let me get one more baller strike and I'll go through this mailbag. I I'm not rushing anybody out of here. I know it's 53 minutes. It's been delightful having the Lizard King on. I can't wait to do more maniac stuff and have Lizard King. It join the recurring guest thread.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00Lizard King, an absolute pleasure. Oh, it's been it's been fun, fellas. I appreciate you having me. I do have another. We're gonna have to go back to Moises. I know previously, I know previously Beef wasn't wasn't a fan of Bregman wearing the flashy gloves, and we had Moises today and the yellows and the yellow cleats. Ball or strike, we're okay with Moises wearing whatever the hell he wants.
SPEAKER_02No, not whatever the hell he wants. The yellow stuff is okay because with the Cubs primary color scheme, he is able to swim. Nice message to Venezuela.
SPEAKER_00Yep. I figured that's where you were going with that. And the belt, too, right?
SPEAKER_02The belt, the Venezuelan belt. I mean, he can his belt game, he has multiple belts, by the way, all custom. Hey, here's a cool one, by the way, because I hated it at first, and and maybe somebody can correct me if I'm wrong, because we have a bunch of maniacs that aren't Cubs fans that listen to the show that are actually just baseball fans. So for our Braves maniacs, I saw Michael Harris got of the box with neon green shoes, batting gloves, and long sleeves underneath his home. And I hated it at first until I can't do that. Until I realized, like, was that a sh were they playing the Phillies? Was that a shot at the Philly fanatic? That's the only thing I had was.
SPEAKER_01But like you can't just go like, yo, I'm going knee on tonight. That's a big me move.
SPEAKER_02That's what I hate. I hated it at first, but I was just thinking to myself, he could be. I thought they were playing the Phillies. I thought he was they were playing the Phillies. I thought they I thought he was trolling the Philly fanatic. Maybe it was on the road. Like basically, my point is whether it was or wasn't. It would have to be that level of intentionality for me to respect the neon game.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's no like the powder blue of like a Bregman, like when it's off color, even with the grays.
SPEAKER_02I don't love it, but Bregman is, you know, like I I don't know how old you are, Lizard King. I don't particularly want to find out, but I have like 12 plus years of loving Alex Bregman, the baseball player, before he played for my favorite team. I have much more leeway for him. It's just I did have a vision of him being a guy who like would rather spit on his hands than wear neon blue gloves.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know, I I tweeted back at you, I think, when when I saw when I saw this one being talked about on the pod, but like I think you can let the guy do whatever he wants. And and I am a little younger than you two. Um, I'm not a big fan of of the neon bats these kids are walking up with in high school and college, you know. And uh I I will say I I think I think you gotta let him do what he wants, you know. He's the leader of the team, if you ask me.
Mailbag On Defense And Playing Time
SPEAKER_02He is the he's probably the leader of the team because Dansby Swanson's might not have the bandwidth to like have a relationship. It's hard for me to say he's the perfect person to play next to Dansby Swanson because them together. Who's the leader? Dansby leads more by example. People love Bregman, he's like a coach in that dugout. Now, I do think we need to have a serious conversation about Alex Bregman getting more rest down the stretch and when it gets hotter, because he only played 114 games last year. He's had some injury issues that can come back, whether it's quad, shoulder stuff. He has a couple years where he's played 155 games. I don't think we even need to press that. I would be interested in starting to see him DH a little bit so that Matt Shaw can get more reps at third base because I just hate the idea of like we'll give Alex Bregman one day off, Matt Shaw, now go play third base after he's been playing right field and DH in first base. I do think there's a way to see Bregman DH more, Shaw get more third base reps. I'd like to see Shaw play twice a week at third base, is basically what I'm trying to say. And I want to keep Bregman's legs fresh and healthy because that's the one thing that makes me nervous. Because you can see it, he's not that good of a defender. So here's our first question in the mailbag Is Alex Bregman a good defender? Ball or strike? Good is the operative word. Good defender, Mahoney, ball or strike. Alex Bregman.
SPEAKER_01I would say strike because I would say strike because when I hear good, I feel good enough. And that you're able to play third base. But like good in terms of like longevity over 160. No, but yeah, strike.
SPEAKER_02Lizard King's at nodding along, and I don't that's a strike. He's a good defender, Lizard King.
SPEAKER_03Ha!
SPEAKER_02For sure. I think he's like right on the dot major league average. I think he's there's some stuff he does well, like his transfer to second base on a double play ball is a lead. I think his first step left is a lead. I think on that's good. Yeah, I think slow rollers, I think he's pretty good. I think he's trash going to his left. I think he's terrible throwing on the run. You know, I think he has a hard time squaring balls up like Roger Dorn because he just doesn't have that in him. And I don't God damn it, Dorn! They this is an audio podcast, Tim. I mean, there's people driving to work right now.
SPEAKER_01Alright.
SPEAKER_02You know, I'm just saying, like, I'm not trying to be mean. I'm just saying, like, you can't you know, like it's like the Roger Dorn, like I know. I jumped out of my seat, did the Dorn while trying to do the giving me the Dorn is I don't want to get don't be giving me any of this old label shit, you know. You take it off the chest, and so those are the things about Alex Bregman where I know Matt Shaw. I Matt Shaw is a much better third baseman. Is he a good Matt Shaw's a good defender at third base? Alex Bregman has flashes and is fine. It's like just an older guy in six-unit softball where like he's there's stuff he does well, he does perfectly well. But like, is he gonna make a great play? No, he's not gonna make great plays, he's just not. But if that's the position he wants to play, and that's gonna help him be the guy who's orchestrating the lineup and talking about this is how we beat, you know, look, whatever. You all the leadership stuff you get from him, you know, I'm totally worth it. Now, who who would you rather have for the rest of the season? Mo Baller healthy or Kate Horton healthy?
SPEAKER_01Oh I hate this question, so spend two seconds. We already know. We already know. I mean baller healthy. You already know the answer, though. That's one of those weird ones. It's like, would you have Kate Horton in a I know I hate this? And it's from a brother. It's a mailbag. It's a mailbag. Excuse me. I appreciate the question. Quick, two seconds, just pick one. Mobar straight up, right now.
SPEAKER_00King. I'm gonna go Cade Horton healthy. Uh, because the bench is so deep. Plug and play. You got Matt Shaw who's not playing every day. Yeah, it doesn't mean Mobile's hurt just because the question's framed that way, you know. Correct, correct. There's that too. But yeah, I mean Cade Horton, Cade Horton down the stretch last year before things went bad when we needed him the most was insane. He was your bona fide one.
SPEAKER_02I'd rather I'd rather run a 10k than give an opinion on this because I'm torn. Yeah. Like right now. Well, Rob, what is that? Six, two miles. Like, that's too many. That's way too many miles. I'd be sucking fucking eggs. Um, okay. I'm gonna keep going here. Do I need to apologize to Craig Counsel for doubting him when he said hitters would turn around on April 11th? I will never apologize to the manager of the Cubs. Ever. Never. I don't could be Leo DeRosher.
SPEAKER_01Not the highest paid guy of all time. You never apologize to the highest paid guy of all time.
SPEAKER_00No matter what. No, I do have no problem saying he was right. Fair, fair ball.
SPEAKER_02No sorry there. Totally fair to not disagree with the head of the Chicago Cubs making a positive comment to the media. I have no problem with that whatsoever. I mean, it's just a job. That said, he's terrible at doing that. He does no favors. Um, here's a I mean, I don't want to call it a bad question and then say it. How do the Cubs find more creative ways to get Matt Shaw playing time? I we did just talk about this a little bit, but I he's the first guy to say we we don't really need to give you playing time. Again, the most important thing when we're talking about the Cubs, the most important, primary, foundational consideration is that this team can beat the Dodgers, compete against the Dodgers, can play in the NLCS, can compete for the pennant, is good enough to have World Series aspirations when the regular season's over. That's what the whole point of this, not point of this conversation, but this whole conversation exists. Talked about structure, breach, creativity. That's the structure to this conversation. So when we say how do we find more creative ways to get Matt Shaw for playing time, I have to go back to being like, This fucking team not necessarily crazy. You he's the guy you're like, you can play today.
SPEAKER_01Have Matt Shaw be the hero in a fucking NLCS that lifts us with a pinch and hobe run or whatever it is. It's it's built for what we need it to be.
SPEAKER_00Correct. I I agree on both fronts. I think the way you do it though is simple. And again, we did just touch on this. You gotta sit, guys. You gotta sit guys and get guys rest. So we don't run into the obliques, we don't run into the hammies, you know. Oh my god, I love you, Lizard King.
SPEAKER_01You're so smart, Lizard King. I jump in like it's gonna be all right, but like he you're 100% right.
SPEAKER_02Is it I mean, yeah, it it isn't tandem of getting the more creative way is also just if guys are playing 130-something games, now you will have a problem with Nico Horner and Dansby Swanson want to play every day, they just they want to and they have to, and I do think PCA has to play every day. I think that triangle, but like if Ian Hap wants to get one out of every seven, eight games off, you know, so that somebody else, but here's the thing, I don't think he does either, and the defense is so much better with him. You'd really the hard time is getting Alex Bregman to commit to DH. And if Alex Bregman DH's in Shaw goes to third, and then say a Suzuki plays right field, which then here's a great thing that solves all this is if we could get a bat that could play a little bit of first place, play a little right field, hit from the right side of the plate, slug 480 plus. So we talked a lot of these questions we talked through. Like, will Al Cantera come up anytime soon? Will he trade him for pitching? Probably trade him for pitching. Do you think we're talking about Carson Kelly enough? Here's a good question from Chinatown for Wins Casino Free Shuttle. Mahoney Mahoney, do we? I think we do.
SPEAKER_01I do too, because we did bring him up. We brought Carson Kelly up last week, the week before. He is contributing at a phenomenal clip, but we bring him up enough is the answer to that question. That's a strike.
Bullpen Targets And Big Pitching Swings
SPEAKER_02Hey, then Lizard King, here's one for you from Cameron Fritz. Are are we still in need of high leverage relievers, assuming our guys come back healthy? Like, are we okay with Teal Bar, Maton, Calency if they come back healthy?
SPEAKER_00That's a great question.
SPEAKER_02Or we want the high leverage guy. We're that we make a big trade, yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know, I told myself I wouldn't say great question, but that is a great question. I think you still always make moves because relieve these relievers, not the high, high leverage ones, but the ones you can get for pennies on a dollar on, you know, the The last hour of the trade deadline are always there. I I would argue you still go after some at the deadline, but yeah, I mean, we're we're in shambles right now and we're winning ball games, so who knows? Kind of a crappy answer to the question.
SPEAKER_02No, I the market will shape up. There's gonna be people that are gonna be available, and and it's actually become a strategy across major league baseball to spend at market rate for relievers in the offseason, knowing you can trade and flip them for prospects. So even you're gonna see these mid-tier teams. The White Sox did it, the Rockies will have the guy. There are people who go out and acquire these bullpen pieces so they can trade them for assets.
SPEAKER_01You can strengthen a bullpen while having a strong one at the same time, for sure.
SPEAKER_02I think what my my big takeaway would say if you're gonna do that, the guy you bring in would have to be way better than Daniel Palencia, not marginally better, would have to be better both in career and stuff. So it can't be like Craig Kimbrell having forbid, goodness, or like Kenley Jan.
SPEAKER_01It's no like Edwin Diaz coming in. The Mets are done and he's healthy again. Like that's the move.
SPEAKER_02Yes. Oh shit, is he out still?
SPEAKER_00No, he's on the Dodgers, but Dodgers, he's he's oh yeah, he's he's hurt right now, though. Uh the name that I saw on the internet last week when they were really, really struggling and they still are, uh, was Chapman for the Red Sox. What would you fellas think about seeing that guy back? And yeah, so that's actually I'm a little mixed.
SPEAKER_02That's Joe Constantino, and he said, Do we trade for a roll of chap? And I'm like, he would have to be at it, would have to be at the trade deadline, and he'd have to be like awesome with a light workload in the month leading into the trade deadline. I wouldn't be interested if he was like on fire going into the trade deadline and he'd pitched way more than like I don't want the volume. I want the val I want it to be a good solid volume from like June, etc. So like I I'm I'm open to that, but like here's the thing that's exactly the profile that you would need to displace Palencia, similar to how Hector Rondon was displaced in 2016 when they got Chapman in the first place. Now here we are 10 years later talking about him.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I'm not against profile at the same, it's like the athlete the aura profile with the stuff being right at the right time.
SPEAKER_02So two other two pitchers that came up, and I agree with you, Mahoney. You know, Joe Ryan. Joe Ryan was taken out of the game today for the Minnesota Twins. So that's a name we brought up before. You know, anytime you bring in the medicals, I'm just completely uninterested because we're again the premise is can we win the World Series? Can we build a team? Can we get people that can help us? So, like, if you're injured, the question we're not talking about that. I'm talking about high rollers, guys pitching at their absolute best. I would be shocked if the Tigers could trade Scuble. So here's a question a bunch of people ask what would it take for Tierek Scuble? It would take Frambert Valdez would have to get hurt for the year because the Tigers are committed to him for 30 million or whatever it is for five years. The Tigers just called up Kevin McGonagall, who will win the AL rookie of the year, will finish top 10 or 15 in AL MVP voting in his rookie year, is one of the best young players. Probably his closest comparison would be Mike Trout, which is interesting because he and Mike Trout are from the exact same area. He's one of the best young players to come into baseball since probably Juan Soto. He's so fucking good, it's unbelievable. They just add I'm not adding him, he's their everyday shortstop. Now, what I'm trying to build and paint this picture is that the Tigers, it would take a lot for them to be sellers. Now, Terek Scuble is going to be a free agent at the end of the year. They do get a draft pick. If he stays with them, they offer him the qualifying offer. He says no, he goes to free agency, then they'll get the 33rd overall pick in the draft. Their asking price for Terek Scuble is going to be through would be through the roof, and they would have to be at a point where the team would say there's less than a 20% chance we make the playoffs, which is highly unlikely when they're in the AL Central. So it's just staying specific to Tarek School. It would take a lot on the end of the Tigers, who are like, again, gave a ton of money to Fran Burveldez in the offseason and just called up one of the top young baseball players of the last 10 years, who is killing it in his first 150 games. Regrettably.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he looks unbelievable.
SPEAKER_02Much better than I mean, he's like he is the tier above Moises Ballastero's. Like Mois Ballastero's is awesome. This guy Kevin McGonigal is like phenom first. Like you could take one look at the kid and go first ballot hall of famer the same way you did with Manny Machado. Like the kid is so good. So again, this for purposes of Terek Scuble, I would be shocked if the Tigers, the Tigers would have to have several injuries, would have to be in a position where they go, we can get four or five guys, and even then we would have to give up the house. I would do it though. All right, there's my long-winded thing. I got you, Lizard King. I would fucking do it, buddy. There it is.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. I mean, you you trade the farm for it for sure, so long as you don't make your World Series contending team knock on wood worse. Um, yeah, I I completely agree, but the asking price would be outrageous.
SPEAKER_02However, the president of the Tigers is Scott Harris. Scott Harris worked under Jed Hoyer for the better part of a decade, and there's no Scott Harris president of the Tigers without having worked for Jed Hoyer. If there's ever a time to call the favor, call me favor. Am I wrong? Call in the favor. We took Gage one off his hands.
SPEAKER_01No, there's a lot of that that happen happens, I mean, everywhere in business, but absolutely happens in the big leagues too. 1000%.
SPEAKER_02I've gone through the mailbags, has all checked out. Obviously, you know, shout out to Rico Suave, Swing Ying, Sam Nelson, Foos. Good to see you, Foos. Obviously, AD, Chinatown, Jake Richie. There, there's just like a lot of good familiar friends in here, and I appreciate you guys for putting together the Mike, uh, the mailbag. Mike Vick's dog.
SPEAKER_01Um, you know, could be a controversial, he can be a controversial great questions, great questions, dude.
SPEAKER_02He's one of the great, he's one of the great follows uh on Twitter, a little aggressive, so you gotta like just take it with a grain of salt because he can be mean. He's been sending questions in for three years. No, he's great to us because he's like a diehard Cubs fan. Oh, yeah, yeah. You catch him and the crosshairs is somebody he doesn't like. Lights out, folks. Yeah, God bless.
Reds Series Preview And Wrigley Weather
SPEAKER_00So all right. So do we have a preview for this Red series coming up?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I was gonna get into that because the the Reds have an interesting lineup. Uh, there's some righty pump, you know, righty thump on that. I haven't seen who's pitching for him tomorrow, but we're gonna see Andrew Abbott. Uh, we're gonna see obviously Louder, and we're gonna see Chase Burns. And so those are just those are power righties that have bad command. That'll be excited. And you know, like we hammer mistakes is the big thing, and we don't chase. And those are guys that need you to chase and need to survive the mistakes they make. They make a lot of mistakes. Andrew Abbott is historically pretty good. He hasn't been that good to start this year, and my guess on that would be it's similar to what we've talked about with hitters, where it takes 500 plate appearances and then they make their adjustments. It's the same thing for pitchers. He's dominated with his force team fastball at the top of the zone and with breaking stuff below the zone. And so I think guys have just been more patient with him this year, and he doesn't have the stuff profile where, like, if he doesn't have it, he's struggling. Kind of similar to Showta. If the ball's not crisp out of Showda's hand, he's struggling. So Andrew Abbott, we're catching him at a bad time. I haven't seen who they're gonna announce for game one, but like my general thing with you, Lizard King, is that like at worst, two and two with how well we're playing. Two and two, I'm fine. Two and two is two and two. But like, I want three out of four, right? Like, I want that. That's a lot. Winning three out of four games is a lot, but I want I want it, right? Is that ball or strike? I want it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think I think that's a strike, and that's what I was gonna ask you and moneymakers. What are we content with here? It's probably two and two. What do we want? Three or four, I think.
SPEAKER_01Um yeah, I want three or four, and especially in a week when we got another seven stretch, like give me three out of these and give me two out of three against the Ragers, and I'm the hampiest camper you're gonna be talking to on next Monday.
SPEAKER_02Hey, moneymaker, what's the weather? Do you have a beat on what's going on in Wrigley Field? And the reason I ask about this is because historically speaking, the Cincinnati Reds aren't a great slugging team as a collective, but they do have two guys in Ellie De La Cruz and Sal Stewart who have really slugged the ball well. Eugenio Suarez, thank goodness Cubs Killer is on the I. But they have two guys that can really drive the ball. Nate Lowe has hit the ball well for him in 66 plate appearance with the 627 slug. But the thing is, like, dude, we looked at Wrigley Field this weekend. It played like it was 600 at dead center.
SPEAKER_01So, you know, it did play to 600 at dead center. However, there's gonna be a northerly wind that's gonna shift that trajectory from that dead center wind more to like the left to right. And I want to say that the Monday high is gonna be a little bit warmer, so it's gonna be easier on the players, but shifting to that Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday game, Carl, I want you to know it's gonna be 55 degrees, but off the lake, it'll be 35. That's baseball bat is vibrating on the hands, it doesn't matter who you are, it's harder to hit, it's gonna be a more difficult time for the players and a hundred percent more difficult time for that Cincinnati Res lineup coming into Ridley Field. Thanks for asking.
SPEAKER_02No, I I mean you're dialed in with it as much as anything, and like Ellie de la Cruz, who I do love very much, that's a guy we're gonna have to like if you keep him obviously keep him off the bases, but like not driving the ball. Like you want to limit him as much as possible, and that's just kind of the back and forth. If you can keep the rest of the guys, you know, if you're if you're aggressive and you do a good job in front of him and behind him, then like who gives a fuck? Who gives a fucking thing? Not a lot of damage is gonna be done, but like that's it, really just comes out of that. So, like, I'll get it. And here's the thing again, out of four games, you stumble and fall, and you Leda La Cruz beats the shit out of you in one of those games. That's gonna happen. That's Major League Baseball. Like, if Chase Burns has his stuff, that's one of those. I get it. That then that can happen in two of these four games, and and that can have it can just happen. It's baseball, you know. Saturday's win two-nothing against Ryan Nelson's not that good to begin with, but like that's just a good team being better than playing bad baseball. So I don't have the problem with the Reds is that they do have solid guys. There ain't no virgins on this team, dude. There are a lot of these guys, except for obviously Sale Stewart, but Matt McClain's been around the block. Cabrian Haynes, Spencer Steer, TJ Friedel, Will Benson. These are all guys that have been around the block that have played at Wrigley Field. So some of the arguments that we've made before about like, well, the diamondbacks don't come in town, it's 120, they're gonna be overwhelmed.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, way different. Way different.
SPEAKER_02This is this is like down to business Monday through Thursday.
SPEAKER_01It's divisional ball, dude. It's divisional ball. This Reds team has been competitive this entire season and has been competitive against us for the past few years, especially. So, yeah, it's nothing to lean our heads like down for whatever stretch.
SPEAKER_02So is this is this fair lizard king to say, like obviously, dude. I said the same thing today. I would love to sweep, it's major league baseball. Like, if they got blown out today by the Diamondbacks, I would imagine I'd have the exact same attitude today because it's two out of three we're rolling. Now, these four game series kind of throw me in a loop a little bit because it's like through the first three games, I'd like to go two out of three, you know, and it's just so tough. It's so tough to beat a team three out of four times, you know, like it just goes to the meat. Two and two is much more likely. But am I crazy? Or do you think we are good enough to say, yeah, four and oh, or we're not as good as we thought?
SPEAKER_00Certainly the jump from a three-game series to a four-game series is a different ball game, no pun intended, but I I think three, I think we're a good enough club where three is three is doable, and I would borderline say three is the expectation. You look at who we're throwing on the bump. I think it's three six forty games, and then Thursday is a 120 with Shoda. Hopefully the win's not howling out because we know he likes to put the ball in the air. Um, but yeah, I mean, I think three, I think three is an expectation with the way this team's playing ball right now, and maybe that's too much to ask. No, it's not it.
Lizard King Corner And Final Sign-Off
SPEAKER_02That this is the line we're writing, is what is I think four and oh is too much to ask. I don't think three out of four is too much to ask, but I think that what I'm trying to stress is that the jump from two and two to three and four is actually pretty big. Like two and two is which I know would get people mad, but to me it's like it's not that's it. That's two and two, that's major league baseball. Like the problem is oh and four, the problem is one and the problem, those are that's problematic. Now, I would love to go three and one, watch them go four and oh, watch them play the best baseball of the year, watch them do because what we said it is baller strike, they have another gear to get to. We've said that's a strike, you know. So, like, I don't know, Ben Brown could shove it up somebody's butt cheeks on Monday, come back Thursday, do the exact same thing again. Show to Imaga is the last guy I would want to see at 120 on a getaway day with your bags packed after having a nice fucking three days in Chicago architecture tour, girlfriend from colleges in town, getting a bad hand job at the lingham. I've been there, I know what that's like. So that's where my head's at, expectation wise. We'll be back on Friday to talk about it. I'm gonna make I'm gonna make Mahoney join me uh for it. This is the first time we've had a maniac on Lizard King. Before we wrap the show, we'll turn it over to you. Uh Lizard King's Corner, you take it for a test drive. If it what what else is missing, or do you think we should talk about that hasn't been addressed? If not, obviously, shout out Family Friends. Take it for a test drive, my friend. Corner's yours.
SPEAKER_00Fellas, I really appreciate you having me on. You know, I don't really think we missed anything at all as far as looking at my notes. A lot of what was covered was uh Mahoney had hit on his couple baller strikes, so I was running low there at the end. But uh, you know, I appreciate the time. Uh shout out to the Monday morning cubs show and Thirsty Vancaro. All right, come on, Thirsty Vancaro, Mexican child soda with a signature spicy finish.
SPEAKER_02Oh boy, all by no rattle. See, here's the problem is this was actually Mahoney, and maybe I just saved this for the green room, but I'll tell you now. Lizard King was so good, and this had turned out so well that we obviously are gonna have to run it back. Bar's too high. You're listening to this, and you're like, I want to get a piece of did you did anybody just witness what this man just did?
SPEAKER_01I was sitting back and was like, I might be out of the job next Monday with the Lizard King aboard. This was absolutely fantastic. Could not have a better first Monday morning maniac emerit in the Lizard King. Thank you, sir.
SPEAKER_02So if you appreciate it, fellas. Wait, go ahead. Say thank you again.
SPEAKER_00I was just saying appreciate it, fellas. It's an honor to come on.
SPEAKER_02And so where can people find you?
SPEAKER_00You know, you can find me at the underscore Liz underscore king on on X. The everything happened, I'll happen on X. Yes, fuck yes, or just in the replies of uh of these two Dingleberries 24-7. But but that's about it.
SPEAKER_02Just a classic, just an all-time all-time member of the community. Can't wait to have you back for the trade dog line for the playoff preview. Oh, yeah. Mahoney actually, he's putting an addition on his house. He's got a he's got a he's got a guest batty. I can't wait for you. I'm sure he's gonna have the invite is on its way.
SPEAKER_00I'll get over there.
SPEAKER_02Obviously, thanks to the Lizard King and Mahoney. This is a Monday morning cub show. If you enjoyed it, please do me a favor, share it with a friend, or win an argument this week relative to uh, you know, the Chicago base, uh Chicago Cubs baseball team. Run it down somebody's throat with some of the insight that's been shared. If you guys really enjoy it, obviously leave a review on Spotify or Apple. There's only two places to find it. That's on purpose. Kind of want to make it a little bit, you know, like there's a little bit of challenge here. You gotta, you gotta want it to get it. If you do get it, though, please go ahead and leave review. We love them. We see them coming every time. And then again, obviously, thirsty vaquero, three bold flavors, Mexican style soda with the signature spicy finish, 90 calories, organic agave. Get it on Amazon, ship directly to your front door. If you can't pick between one of the three flavors, get all three of them. Mahoney's favorite is mango muerte, and that's because he's a spicy son of a bitch with a habanero. Like I said, guys, this is the Monday morning cub show. A big thank you to Lizard King for coming out, put on an absolute fucking clinic in the first ever Monday morning maniac uh of the month via Merit. Shout out to him, shout out to you guys. We're gonna be back on Friday with some hard-hitting analysis. In the meantime, fuck the Cincinnati Reds, go Cubs, and I love you guys.