Cody Delmendo Interview + Are The 2026 Cubs Buyers Or Sellers?

Pete Crow-Armstrong is forcing a different conversation about the Chicago Cubs. When a center fielder is playing like an MVP and leading the league in WAR, you stop treating the season like a slow drift and start asking harder questions: are we buying at the MLB trade deadline, or are we wasting a rare window?

We bring on Cody Delmendo from the Off The Ivy podcast and get brutally specific about what’s broken and what’s still real. We argue through the deadline “sell vs buy” debate, then put the blame where it belongs when a roster built to contend plays like it’s stuck in neutral. Alex Bregman’s struggles come up for a reason: money, expectations, and the way Matt Shaw’s rise makes every quiet Bregman night feel like a spotlight. We also talk Dansby Swanson, why defense still matters, and why fans lose sleep when league-average offense disappears.

On the pitching side, we dig into Ben Brown’s growth, what it means when he can survive without his best stuff, and why the Cubs can’t treat injuries as background noise anymore. We also map out what “smart buying” looks like: add pitching without lighting the farm system on fire unless the Cubs actually look like a World Series team.

If you’re a Cubs fan trying to balance rage with hope, this one is for you. Subscribe on Apple or Spotify, share it with your group chat, and leave a review if you want to help the show grow. What would you do at the deadline: buy, hold, or sell?

Thanks for tuning in! 

- Carl & Mahoney

Transcript

Welcome Back And A Reality Check

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Good morning, good afternoon, and evening, Chicago Cubs fans, and welcome back to the Monday Morning Cub Show. Today is Thursday, June 18th. This is technically your Friday episode. This is actually your host, Carl. I will be joined shortly by a guest. Now, very excited to do this. You guys are obviously comfortable, hopefully, at this point, with the fact that episode number two is turned into solo shows. Um, but for purposes of today's show, I'm kind of lost and confused on where to take the little bit of positivity that I have, the amount of negativity that's in the Cubs universe, and package up exactly what type of message we need for the maniacs. I have some ideas, but that's why I'm bringing in an expert. Everybody knows him, Cody Del Mendo from off the IV Podcast, part of 312 Sports Network, the daily Monday through Friday in the fucking trenches. You know, Cody from Twitter at Cody, double underscore cubs. We'll be jumping on in a minute here to break down. I think what is a wonderful selection of nine topics. So we have a great segment here. I have listened, I've done nothing but listen. I've read online, I have fucking scoured message boards, I have gone to every length to figure out what I think the nine best talking points are for just a real solid off-day educational Monday morning cub show. So we're gonna get into that before we do, though. Okay. Couple things here. We are five and two over our last seven. We have won two series in a row. So, like, I need to address that right now. I know people are pissed. I'm pissed too. There's stuff to get pissed about. However, every time you get mad, there's a cloud hanging over your head, or I guess maybe a ray of sunshine. And that ray of sunshine says five and two over our last seven, two series wins in a row, which wouldn't be a big deal in early May. But it's been since early May that we won a series, much less two in a row. So stay positive here, guys. And obviously, we can stay positive because of Thirsty Bacero, a Mexican-style soda with the signature spicy finish. That's all bite, no rattle, available in three bold flavors. All right. I've been telling you about this obviously for months in almost a full year now. Have they been the title sponsor of the Monday morning Pub Show? But like, if you're not gonna do it for yourself, do it for your dad. You know, Father's Day is coming up, do it for your old man. Do it, do it for your dad so that he can have a fucking taste of something that he's never had. How old is he? 66 years old? What's he do for a living? He's a mechanic, he works with his hands, he's got a tough job, he's still working. Your old man's still putting in 40 a week, and you can't get him a case of thirsty, McCarrow. What cheap son of a bitch are you? You know, I'm just thinking about how excited my dad was the first time watermelon jalapeno touched his lips. And I'm just reliving that moment where he's looking at me and he goes, I'm 72 years old. Okay, I used to deliver pop for a living. I would get RC fresh off the line. Okay. Forget this Fanta bullshit. I'm talking ice cold RC off the line on my lips. And not once in my life have I ever even encountered a soda like this, Mexican style or not. I said, That's an all-bite, no rattle. Thirsty pecero. You can get it on Amazon ships to your front door. Look it up, my friends. Three bold flavors. All right, let's talk about the Cubs, guys. We have a series of games coming up against a number of teams that are below 500. Then we have the Milwaukee Brewers. Uh, this is a, and I hate this word, but it's a juncture, it's a crossroad in the Cubs season. Uh, you know, I like to consider everything as a big journey. We're on a journey, but right now we're at a fork in the road. I hate that analogy, but we're at a fork in the road. It is US Open weekend too as well. So if excuse me if I if I introduce some golf analogies, I have golf on my mind. Uh, and I also have Cody on my

Meet Cody And Set The Goal

SPEAKER_01 3:59

mind. Everybody, let's welcome Cody Del Mondo to the show from the Off the Ivy podcast at Cody Double underscore Cubs. Cody, welcome to the show, my friend.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

Carl, it's been a long time coming. I'm happy to finally be here. I love this podcast. It's one of my favorite Cubs podcasts to listen to.

SPEAKER_01 4:15

You're a diehard. I think that's just a tremendous way to say it. Um, you're also obviously you're a guy can be, you know, I can be direct with. We can have a great conversation about the Cubs. We can dial in on what we think are the biggest things going on with the team. We put together a topic of nine, nine items, and like I said, absolute diehard. You are what we call around here a maniac. It impacts your mental, it impacts your mental health.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Yeah, yeah. No, that is the best way to to explain it. You call them maniacs. I I call them sicko's, uh, in in in in in many ways as well. So um, yeah, dude, the this this this team has definitely been affecting my mental health. I went to Europe for 10 days and I was setting my alarm for 4 30 in the morning just so I could see if they won or not. Like it's but I I will say it that if they were playing well, I probably wouldn't have done that. But when I was in Europe, that's when they went to St. Louis, and then they came home, played the A's, and then whoever they played after that, was that the Giants? I want to say, or maybe it was the I don't know that that era, that little time period there, though. Like they they lost all three of those series, didn't play base, didn't play good baseball that entire time.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Yeah, put the fucking passport back in the drawer, my friend. We need your stateside. Like if that's the case. I know.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

I'm sure nice tiger.

SPEAKER_00 5:43

I took I took my W flag over to over there because I, you know, I I see it a lot on on Twitter, you know, fans of the Cubs who are across the world and they take they take their W flag and and get it pictures with like random stuff. And I thought, oh, I gotta get the W flag with the Coliseum. And like it was cool, but I think I got more pictures with the with the W flag at landmarks than the Cubs had wins. So it just just not a not a good time to leave the country.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

Not a good statistic. Pope Leo, also diehard Waytex fan, and he gets killed, he gets he gets said that W flag inside the Vatican, you might not be leaving. So uh okay, let's get let's get into some of the meat and potatoes. What of what matters most? And what matters most, and this is basically I'd like to set an objective. Typically, me and Maloney will have a theme, themes are easy to follow. Objectives are a little bit harder. Objective is a desired outcome. There's an outcome I would like to desire from this conversation and the show with you, and that outcome is a one-sentence resolution of my emotions regarding the 2026 Cubs going into Father's Day. Let me repeat myself. The objective of this conversation for me personally is so that when we get done, I have like a really strong grasp of what my met where my emotional state is because I'm on a razor's edge right now. You could tell me we're terrible. I see a stat that says we're terrible. I'm like, we're the worst team of all time. I see a stat that says we're positive, I'm like, we're turning a corner. And so I just seesaw

Buy Or Sell At The Deadline

SPEAKER_01 7:20

back and forth. And so the first, I suppose, topic I'd like to start with you and get your take on is are we sellers? All right. And actually, let me ball or strike you because this is more comfortable for me. Uh, baller strike, the cubs should sell at the deadline. Keyword should not not saying they will or they won't. I'm saying baller strike the cubs should sell at the deadline.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

Ball. I think I'm doing this correct. We we should not sell. Should not sell as of today on June 18th. I'm in not sell mode. I'm in buy mode. But that doesn't mean I'm buying to go all in, but I am saying we should buy.

SPEAKER_01 8:05

I have this as a ball, I also have this as a ball. But this is the type of ball where, like, and I should clarify Ballman should disagree. Ballman's outside, ball. I say it, you like it. I say it, it hits strike. I say it, you don't like it.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

Did I already mess this game up?

SPEAKER_01 8:22

No, Mahoney still hasn't figured it out. 115 episodes in, so okay. I feel better than that's why we do the show with Mahoney because he's a man, he's hilarious. Um, but but again, the cubs should sell the trade deadline. You're saying ball, I'm saying it's a ball, but here's the situation with this ball, and it could be outside. But buddy, if it's 12-0 and you got a position player and he low and this is where he's locating it, that's fucking strike. There is a situation in my head where the Cubs like absolutely make sense in the long run to sell if you're telling me at that time, what's our playoff odds now? So, what do you think of that? Like, there is an opportunity where like we could be sellers.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

I think that we could be sellers if they lose if if they are below 500 entering July. If we enter July and they're below 500, I think we're sellers.

SPEAKER_01 9:18

See, even like one game, Carter Hawkins is gonna be like, Don't please don't. I'm gonna lose my job. I'll never get this job again. Right. I know what you mean.

SPEAKER_00 9:25

And I also it also depends on where the rest of the league is at that time, too. But for me, it's it's being above 500 has been my saving grace. That's that's helped my mental health during this time because as of this recording, they're they're tied for the last wildcard spot today. They're three games above 500, you know.

SPEAKER_01 9:47

I mean, they're gonna pay the luxury taxes here. They gave Alex Brugman 35 million dollars, Jets, but on the job, on the job on site for like well over a decade plus. I mean, give him enough time through this contract, he'll be a two-decade executive with the Chicago Cubs. Ian Haps been there a decade. Uh, you'd have got veterans all over the place. It's not like Michael Bush is a question mark, it's not like Carson Kelly hasn't played this fucking game before, and it's not like we don't have MLB's leading position player in baseball wins above replacement. We have that in center field, and like we just extended him. We're great. We got a guy named Matt Shaw, we don't even have enough playing time for, you know. So, like when we start talking about like 500's a threshold for sanity, the only reason I think that's okay is based on the amount of injuries that we've had. Like, that's where I start to enter where it's like you can convince me otherwise because of the injuries.

SPEAKER_00 10:37

Well, losing Cade Horton was a massive blow, man. Like the way that this team was able to venture without Justin Steele last year, was because Cade Horton came up and just was a bona fide stud, like you predicted, right? This year, yeah. I'm a thing having happy, I'm a huge fan. Yeah, yeah. And I and I'm giving you credit. You you called it. I always thought he was gonna be good too, but I didn't know if he was gonna be that good uh immediately. Uh, but this year, I mean, yeah, Ben Brown, the guy that I always believed in, has been great, but here we go, baby.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

Here we go, 10 minutes in a little punch. I like this. You're right. Okay, you believe that Ben Brown. I did here's the qualifier though. I've always said, historically speaking, I should say, I have maintained that Ben Brown needs to suffer enough trauma at the major league level where the urgency kicks in in that survival mode instant where they talk about like the mom who can lift the car when the kid's trapped underneath it. It's like, yeah, that lady lifted a Honda Civic and her kit when her kid was trapped underneath it. Why? That extra trauma, adrenaline boost or whatever, like that thing needed to get triggered in Ben Brown, and it actually happened because he was shitty through the first couple appearances, and it was obvious that if he did perform, he would have an opportunity this season because of the injuries. Now I'm just defending myself. What I should be doing is saying he is very good, but I agree with you where Cade Horton thrived last year, what we're talking about is just the emergence in the second half when we needed it most after we didn't do anything at the trade deadline. So, on the subject of the trade deadline, let me ask you this who do you blame the most for the fact that we're even talking about this with the Chicago Cubs right now? Do you blame players? Are you first and foremost? Because obviously it gets spread around, but who gets the biggest piece of the pie from you? Craig, players, Jed, Tom, who is it? The players.

SPEAKER_00 12:33

The players get the most blame here. I mean, this despite all the injuries to the pitching staff, if Alex Bregman was at least a 750 OPS, uh to and and and even Danzby Swanson, if he was at least a league average hitter, and if Nicole Horner would, I don't know what happened to him, he's been terrible for over a month now. Right, like what that's three, that's three players in your infield right there. And then say a Suzuki, who is starting to play a little bit better over the last week, but overall, outs since May 1st, at least, he he has not been good. So that's four players, that's four key players. And I don't know about you, Carl, but Swanson and Horner, I think, are at least from the defensive perspective, two of the best uh up the middle uh defensive players in in baseball. And from an offensive standpoint, with those two guys, like if you're a you get a league average bat out of Swanson and then Horner being what he's always just been, like that's that that's a winning tandem. Say it hit 30 bombs last year. Bregman, we we paid him 175 million dollars for a reason. All those those four guys have been atrocious since May 8th. If we were really, you know, like that's that's to me, that's that's it. Like, and sure, I guess I could blame Jed for giving all that money to Bregman and not giving it to like Dylan Sees. That's who I that was my number one free agent prize that I wanted in the offseason. But it's not that Bregman in in the time I thought was a bad deal outside of just trying to figure out what you're gonna do with Matt Shaw. You know, it's I still think that it's more on the players than anyone else because it's it's not like you're it's not like you're you're your high paid players are performing and you and you just don't have enough depth in terms of offense. We're talking about the the the the core pieces of this team just have not performed outside of PCA and Michael Bush.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

Well, you're gonna hate our next segment, but I'm I'm gonna stick on this one just for a second here because this is a divide. We should clarify this for maniacs, all right? You say somebody's been terrible, fine. Tell me how you point to me. I go say it's been great in June. Now we're at a divide. I go say, hey, I go, if you look since June 1st, we have nine players with weighted run created pluses over 100. We actually have a handful that are over 115. We got seven of them are over 115 since June. So, like, at what level are we gonna say may happen get over it? It's June. Or do you want to? And this is, I think, a personal question is how much of the light do you or how much of the darkness do you want to let in? You know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

I mean, uh, we if we need to turn this into a therapy session and and let the darkness all in, like, that's that that's fine. I can do that. That's what people want.

SPEAKER_01 15:33

I bet I think that's where people live individually when they watch the game. When you go to Twitter, when people are on their own, when they're walking around thinking about this team, I think people live in the darkness. I think it's miserable. I think it just absolutely sucks. And I agree, it is on the players. And a good example I would use to illustrate that it's on the players, Phil Mayton coming into this year over the last four years pitched to a 3.3 ERA in 260 big leagues innings uh for the Houston Astros. And over that time, he struck out about 10 per nine innings. He gave up only 26 home runs in uh in 269 appearances. So, you know, the fact that he's pitching to a 5.92 right now, is that my fault? Is that Jed's fault? You know, should you have seen it coming? Are you gonna point at his velocity? These are these are the things I'm very much interested in pointing out when you say absolutely it's on the players, no fucking doubt about it.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

I couldn't agree more.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

What's the next point? Okay, so this exercise is gonna piss people off, but like I actually do think, and you know that you're bringing up therapy, like it's been probably I don't know, over 10 years since I was in therapy, but this does kind of like the exercises of talking through stuff just to get you to open up about things.

Finding Positives In A Rough Year

SPEAKER_01 16:51

I think it's a good exercise that we trade positives, okay. It's easy to be negative about the Cubs right now, so you know, like in classic Carl fashion, I want to do the complete opposite. So let's build a list of positive things about the 2026 Cubs. We're not gonna go more than 10 because I know people right now want to drive off the side of the road right now. It's okay, stay with me. This is just because we're gonna get to some mean stuff later. Let's just let's be positive for a second, Cody. Okay, you go first.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Uh, the easy one, number one positive is Pete Crow Armstrong, and the fact that he is an MVP caliber player right now.

SPEAKER_01 17:31

Perfect. It's a good reminder, people. Pete Crow Armstrong, 4.3 baseball wins above replacement. I'm not putting any stock into all-star voting. Peter Armstrong sensational. Okay, I'll give you this one. This is a cupcake. I thought you were gonna take this. We're not turning this into a snake draft, folks. It's just two guys here trading positives. Uh, we play Wrigley Field. So, like, just keep that back burner. When they're going through that losing streak, it's like, you know, you do have tickets to that July. You're just you got the it doesn't matter, no matter how bad they play, the uh calendar will still remain circled for your trip to Wrigley. It is always a special place to play. I'm sorry if that bothers you, but we're trading positives. What else you got?

SPEAKER_00 18:21

Maybe this is recency bias, but we have Matt Shaw who's been playing well of late.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

I don't think that's recency bias. I'm just surprised you went there so early. Like well, he's on my mind. He's on my mind. He is, he should be. He's a great ball player, yeah, you know. When I get to the part where we dedicate, you know, ourselves to Matt Shaw, I'm gonna be very excited. I'm glad you brought that up. Okay, here's another general one. I'm sorry to do this generally, ones like people hate this team. Fine. Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer are elite on the radio. I don't care what anybody says. Like the fact you can just put them in lossless 104.3 or 670, whichever signal is better for you based on your situation, and you can get elite cubs hall of fame talent on the air guiding you through this misery. Uh, it's just wonderful we have those two.

SPEAKER_00 19:09

Yeah, well, I I think that goes well. I I can go off a little more general generality here. Like I really enjoy Alex Cohen, and I don't just say that because he's a friend, I say that because he he brings a more of a fan voice. Uh while I feel like Boog is uh I I don't mind Boog, I don't hate Boog. I don't I don't like Boog. It's like I feel very neutral to Boog, but like he has that national voice. Alex Cohen is is someone that if it was up to me, he'd have he would have the job. He he would be the guy who has the job every day moving forward. So I'm happy that we have him, and even if it is in like a part-time role.

SPEAKER_01 19:49

Yeah, like in honor of of a recurring guest, one of few in Monday Morning Cup Joe History, Joey Molinero, and a close friend of mine, he loves a good movie analogy. So I would I would just say Boog is like um you know, Boog's like a c if Boog was a movie on IMDb, he'd be like a 6.9, 7.1. You could sit there, it's fine, it's a good movie, like makes sense, you know, big Hollywood production or something like that, starring Dwayne Johnson, you know, adventure-based, you know, Jumanji sequel style. Like, you know, I got no problem with that. You put that on, I got no problem with it. Now, however, you're gonna ask me, is it my fit? We're gonna call it film, are we gonna start doing that where we talk about like I actually have a connection to it? No, dude, it's just fucking Jumanji too. Like it's all boogies to me. If yeah, like solid, sit through it. Uh, you know, but at some point you're like, you know, if I you gotta sit through it for years, like, all right, now we're having a different conversation. So, but we are staying positive, and that's why I want to say Javier Sal's gonna get some playing time that bothers people. This statistic is very average, but it's better than everybody else in the starting rotation. He only gives up 1.2 home runs per nine innings, and he's gonna be pitching a lot more, so that's way better than some of these other guys.

SPEAKER_00 20:59

Is it's it's better than Jamison Tay on uh leading baseball and homers. Yeah, stay positive, stay positive. Sorry, sorry, staying positive, staying positive. Segment. All right, what else we got? Uh okay, so we've done we I said PCA, you said Wrigley Field, I uh then you went to Pat Hughes, I said Mash Shaw, Alex Cohen. We did the radio broadcast. How about a bar? How about uh how about uh we always have Nisei Lounge? It's like my that's my favorite dye bar.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

That's your favorite? Are you in the club? Because that's a place where you gotta be in the club. Like that's very much a if you're not in the club, like I don't recommend it to outsiders at all, in the least bit. And that's not because I don't like it, it's because I don't think it's appropriate to be sending people who don't know, like you gotta know that you gotta be, yeah, you gotta be you gotta be one of them to be there, I suppose. Or do you think I don't think it's a welcome? I'll bet this. I don't think it's I would put it on the lower end. Of like of like you walk in, you know, like you want to feel like you walk like I'm welcome. I walk into the right place. Like, every it doesn't matter. Like, I like those guys, I'm friends with those. It doesn't matter if they're your buddy, like, you know, those type of people where, like, even so, there's still this little like, should I am I pissing them off? Like, are they close? They want me here right now.

SPEAKER_00 22:19

Like, I just have I don't know if I'm part of the club. I just I've been there countless times, and and darts is is the move. You go in there and darts with your buddies, whether it's after the game or if it's in December and you're craving baseball. I I just love that bar. I love that bar along with Murphy's bleachers. But I feel like Murphy's is becoming more, I don't want to call it mainstream, but like the amount of times I see like TikToks or reels of someone saying, You gotta go to this bar in Chicago, and Murphy's is like the bar. It's just like, okay, we know. Yeah, like it's a great bar. But Nisse in a neighborhood that's becoming Nashville every single day, or more and more like Nashville every single day, Nisse is still the same. And you can go there and get a Miller High Life for four dollars. So it's it's awesome. I love that bar.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

Yeah, I don't resist change. I don't mind the Nashville vacation. I think it's it's going it's bound to happen based on what has happened.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

That's fair. I I don't hate it either. It's it's uh I I I'm kind of in I'm I feel like I'm more neutral about it. Um, as long as the staples stay there, I don't mind if you bring in new places, whatever. And I like country music, so whatever.

SPEAKER_01 23:30

Yeah, I think the staples, the staples should stay there. The because the neighborhoods that's around Wrigley are residential, allow that there will always be a local presence in the staples. Now, you know, 20 years from now, will the staples then be the same staples they are today? Probably not. But the one thing that should never change is the quality of the people that are out, and so what's really cool about Wrigley is that obviously, listen, I like Cubs Hands, but we talked a little bit about this on Monday with the Blue Jays. It does attract some of the best from other fan bases, so like even when it's filled and people are there, or it attracts the tourists that are willing to go in there and bring their kids and spend fifteen hundred dollars, whether it's on merchandise and secondhand tickets and hot dogs and all that bullshit. At some point, there is that little barrier to entry where like the quality of person has to be at a certain threshold to be there in the first place, which I think is like this unspoken thing. Like Cubs fans, or I suppose the Cubs don't want to talk about is like there is this thing, like you know, you you can't be a complete piece of shit and be there, and especially if you're traveling out of town and like it takes time, money, effort, all that stuff. So I just it's my long-winded way of saying, like, it really does bring out the best in people, and I don't think, regardless, they could be tin roof, it could be whatever, like, as long as it's still attracting the people that it has attracted for the last you know, 70, 80 years, like we're in good shape. It's gonna be the fucking capital of Bachelor Bachelor at parties this side of Mason Dixon for as long as I'm okay with that, I would guess.

SPEAKER_00 25:05

So well, I will say is and speaking of the blue jays, I have a really good friend. You I'm sure you've seen Mbone HD on uh like on Twitter or even on Instagram, TikTok. Well, his girlfriend's uh they they actually live in Toronto, and his girlfriend's a blue jays fan. They came to Wrigley for the first time like two, two, two or three years ago, and I took them to Sluggers for the first time or to her to Sluggers for the first time. So she got that experience, and I and it was cool to be part of that and introduce like uh like a you know just something that you have to do when you're in Wrigley. So um I don't I don't venture sluggers as much as I used to in my 20s, but it's still a a great a great bar to go to no matter what. I just I just stay away on game days personally.

SPEAKER_01 25:47

This is just a this is a classic little bit of advice I have here for maniacs with respect to sluggers. And you're right, dude. You gotta be for post-game sluggers, though. I want to draw a difference here. Post-game sluggers and pregame sluggers are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and so the Dr. Jekyll aspect of it. Now, me 39 years old, the valuing space, privacy, wanting to sit down with you know my buddies and Happyers and talk and hear each other and actually get served and have a good time. Sluggers pregame delivers on an extremely high level, and it's one of the closer bars to the marquee entrance sign. So, like there's a couple things in play there, pregame that I love, and the other thing too, talk about family institution. The father did pass away a couple years ago, but the three boys who run it, you know, those guys are home runs, those guys are amazing, and that that place will for as long as one of those three is alive, that's a guarantee that that bar will be open and operated as it is. So, like, I got a special appreciation for sluggers, too.

SPEAKER_00 26:47

Yeah, no, I I do too. And I I don't know the the owners or any of that, but they're like you're a Nisei guy, like no, I'd say it's like that.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

You just said it, like that it's as simple as that. Like, a Nisei guy can't come in here and be like, love going to slug. Like, that's dangerous territory. Somebody doesn't may hear you say that, and then they're gonna get pissed off at you next time you ask for more. That's fair.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

Yeah, well, I'm a Nisei guy, I like G-Man Tavern, I like uh Yachty's, uh, I like Bernie's. Um, and and and I do like Murphys on a day game. I do like Murphy's on a before a day game. That's that's that's the that's what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_01 27:24

Liking or disliking Murphy's is like liking or disliking Disneyland. Like you, it's just it's the only thing that's like that. There's only one of them. Like it's just it's that's it, or I should say Disney World, I suppose. That it's it, that's it. There's one there's one place where you're 10 steps from the ticket entrance. There's one place you can literally stumble out and make it into. That's the best part about Murphy's. Yeah, well, I should say this too. I love a walk-up food service, I love walk-up bar service. Murphy's is very good at getting they they probably have the best drink turnover per customer. They wrap it. You go in there, ask for a round of fears, it's right in front of you in literally a minute, regardless of how crowded it is.

SPEAKER_00 28:05

So, yeah, that's true. It really doesn't matter how crowded it is, but when it does get crowded, it kind of gets like post-game sluggers like. So that's why it's more of a pregame spot for me.

SPEAKER_01 28:17

I'm sorry to jump the gun here, but I was just gonna say I get excited because I was gonna put in part of the segment I wanted to talk Wrigleyville with you, but then I was like, we're gonna get distracted from the team once we go down to Wrigleyville. So I was like, maybe save it for later because our last segment's pitch clock or epit fire. So okay, I was like, I'll I'll sneak it in there at the end, and then here we are, just chot just I mean, a couple old guys like us will sit here for two hours and go through every single bar pros and cons on Clark Street.

SPEAKER_00 28:43

I could I could sit here and do it. I I've I live two miles north of the ballpark. I don't live in Wrigley, I never lived in Wrigley, but I've been been in that neighborhood enough to basically know the ins and outs and what to do and what not to do. And yeah, so is what it is.

SPEAKER_01 29:00

Yeah. I will I will publish literature one day on what not to do. I don't know if I know necessarily what to do. I can take exactly if not through. Speaking of sluggers, speaking of sluggers, my last positive. I'll give you one more and you give me one more. My last positive, Michael Bush is finally slugging over 400 on the season. Ice cold to start the year. It was continuously getting hot. People love making those arguments. Last 10 games, last 15 games over this homestead against right-handed pitching, blah, blah, blah. And then at the end of the day, it's like, I want to see it in the slash line. And I've been sitting here waiting patiently. It's almost like waiting for sprit where the leaves to come in. Like, I know the leaves are coming. I know Michael Bush is gonna turn it on, he's gonna slug, he's gonna get the back on. When is that slug getting over? I need it over 400, Michael. I need it. I've been wanting, waiting. Finally, it's there, it's 402. You know, I've done this before. Damn me if I if I fucking curse him in this process, but I don't think it's going under 400. Rest of the season going.

SPEAKER_00 29:56

And he's hitting lefties this year. They're letting him. I get a decent, a decent, a decent uh yeah, they're letting him, but I I think the numbers are decent too. It's not, I don't have the numbers memorized in my head, but I think I would say off the eye test, I think he's been decent against lefties. Um so I get one more, and I've done take it as take ten.

SPEAKER_01 30:17

I don't give a shit, but just like, you know. Well, I I don't think I don't think people want to sit here and listen to us trade positives about Murphy's. I think we gotta get in the nuts and bolts of the team. So that's I'll go let's get it rolling.

Ben Brown Looks Like A Fixture

SPEAKER_00 30:30

The it should have been said, and I guess it's safe for me because I I as I said earlier in this podcast, I I never I never gave up on the guy, but Ben Brown has to be a positive, he has to be a positive on this team for 2026. So I'm going Ben Brown as my as my last.

SPEAKER_01 30:47

Yeah, no arguments, none whatsoever.

SPEAKER_00 30:50

Yeah, and I I love the sinker. The the the they they finally added the third pitch, and he's throwing it like 40% of the time. I think it's just been a game changer for him. I think he's a complete different pitcher now. So I'm a believer that that this is gonna keep up, so it better keep up that way.

SPEAKER_01 31:06

I mean, he's throwing it 30% of the time, it's a huge difference maker. And and the other thing, it lets him get it lets him get strikes a little bit easier, even I'm not saying way easier, but it's a little bit easier, and even just a little bit for a guy like that makes such a huge difference because really what you want from Ben Brown is a situation where he can throw the shit out of his breaking ball with confidence because that's the ultimate difference maker, and it's hard to get to that point mentally if you're four seniors off or you feel like you have to be perfect with it, and so the two scene has just enough movement for it to be something where when he makes mistakes, it's not squared up, as evidenced by the fact he hasn't he hasn't given up a home run in his last like 60 plus innings or something, and like listen, you cannot do that in the big leagues without having late sharp movement on um on a majority of the pitches that you throw, and that's exactly where he's at. He's he should continue to get better. The biggest challenge, and I'm just curious about this where you stand mentally him processing the amount of success he's having, how rapid the success is coming compared to all the failures. I would hope he has that foundation where he won't get derailed because once his success starts coming, a hoopla ensues. Like, should he make the all-star team? It it just continues to grow, and there is this huge swell of Cubs fans that like you don't really crack into unless you are awesome, and then you're the man, you know. I've told the story before about like me and Rizzo drinking beers on Clark Street at Country Club when it was called Rebel after the last game of the season against the Pirates in 2013, and nobody stopped or 2004, and nobody stopped him. Nobody stopped us, nobody said anything to us, and then it's like, yo, dude, you have a little success, you go to a couple all-star games, like you can't get to the parking lot. You can you need a security guard. So I'm just curious about where you what what your this is a long-winded setup, but like what's your take on Ben Brown's meant mental makeup, or where do you see him now that he's had all this success and he's starting to ascend into that conversation?

SPEAKER_00 33:16

Well, uh I would his last start against the Giants. I didn't think he had his best stuff, but he still managed to be effective and help the Cubs win that game. I think in the past it's either been really good or really bad. You know, remember his rookie year, he threw those seven perfect innings in Milwaukee, and then he got hurt and went into last season hoping that maybe he could build off of it, and then it was just bad. Like I think this year, even when he hasn't had his best, best stuff, he still found a way to keep the Cubs in the game and and help them win. So, from a mentality or his men his mint his mentality for himself, I think that's something he should hold on to is the fact that he is even on days where he's not been as effective as certain starts. But he's still keeping the Cubs in the game, and I think that should give him confidence, even if he does have a blow-up start like you know Davis Martin did the other day in New York, you know, like in and he am using him as an example because like he he came out of nowhere for the White Sox this year, and he was just rolling, and then he gets torn up against the Yankees the other day. We'll see how he does for the Sox next time out. But that's kind of how Ben Brown has been going. Like, no one expected this. And so I I if he does get blown up, uh I it's all about what he does the next time out to see how he is from a mental standpoint. But I I just think that even on days he hasn't pitched well, he's or like to his best, he's still found a way to keep them in the game. And I think that's incredibly important. When we talk about some of the best pitchers we've seen, Justin Steele, John Lester, Jake Arrietta. Though though that's what those guys did when they didn't have their best stuff. They still managed to give you a decent alley and keep you in the game.

SPEAKER_01 34:58

If we only published the last two minutes of the show this week, my job would be done from the perspective of publishing stuff that's insightful for maniacs because everything you're talking about with Ben Brown and that giant start is perfect evidence of the mental maturity. Giving up seven hits, you know, in what five innings, right? So like scattering that to one run with three walks against three strikeouts is when you use Justin Steele as an example. He's the king of it of like, sure, there's some damage, damage don't do like that's okay. You're not crossing home play. So, like, knock your socks off. Like, there a switch flips with him, and that's why I praise his mental side. You go into Ben Brown and talking about his last start against the Giants, that is a perfect example. And the other thing it's indicative of is the quality of the stuff and the fact that he is challenging people because it's like you put 10 runners on base in five innings and you gave up one run. I mean, what a learning lesson for the guy in the Uber ride home to be sitting there thinking to himself being like, wait, not only can you like people always say you don't have to be perfect in this case. Like, you were you were below average in several one-on-one matchups, but you rose to the occasion at the appropriate moments, and that ultimately is going to decide your fate. So, like, even when you give up that leadoff double, like, remember, like, it's you have these experiences. So, thank you very much for bringing up that giant start. I hope people hang their hat on that, you know, as purposes of thinking about Ben Brown in the future. It's like there is that side of him, and that's almost more important than sure when the fucking sun's shining, you had a great breakfast, and you go out there and you got your dick sucked in the morning, and you go out, you strike out 10. Like, hey, it's easy when the when everything feels good. Everybody listening to this has something in their life that's easy when you feel good. Yeah, like can you go out when it's not, and when people are on and you're getting squeezed and pinched, and there's bad luck and whatever, can you still execute? That's where Justin Steele jumps off the page, Lester jumps off the page. You made some great points. So let's do this.

Can Pitching Hold Until The Break

SPEAKER_01 36:58

I do want to stay on the pitching staff for a second. Ball or strike, so agree or disagree, ball or strike. If nothing changes between now and the all-star break, nothing changes between now and the all-star break. So I'm not talking about Matt Boyd comes back, I'm not talking about Justin's. Obviously, Boyd is gonna come back, but just assume if nothing changes, like you can introduce Boyd coming back and Justin Steele, but no trades, you know, no Jackson Wiggins, all or strike. If nothing changes between now and the all-star break, our pitching staff is good enough to keep this team above 500 in the first half to meet your standard, Cody, of 500 baseball.

SPEAKER_00 37:38

I think I want to say strike here. I think they're good enough to get to the all-star break at 500 or better.

SPEAKER_01 37:45

I couldn't agree more.

SPEAKER_00 37:47

Yeah, I I I I know it's been tough. Yeah, I we all know it's been tough. But I and it's not just because Javier Assad has just been great his last three outings, like you know you're gonna get we just talked, we just glazed uh Ben Brown. And so you got those two guys. You know Colin Ray is gonna mix in some good starts, you know he will. Like we're all down on him right now, but you know he'll mix in some good starts at some point. And then Shodi Managa's last couple starts have been better. I think he's turned the turning the corner. So that's it's at least three guys right there where I I feel better than I did maybe two and a half weeks ago about two of those three. Feel great about Ben Brown in overall. Who's the other guy that I'm missing that I'm blanking on?

SPEAKER_01 38:35

Well, Jamis and Tan is just been put on the I. L.

SPEAKER_00 38:38

Yeah, he's on the I. L. Are they only going with four starters right now?

SPEAKER_01 38:41

I thought like it was yeah, like Colin Ray, Javier Assad, Shody Benaga, Shody Minaga, Ben Brown, Eddie Cabrera.

SPEAKER_00 38:49

Ah, uh Edward Cabrera, okay. Edward Cabrera is like probably is the one that I'm most worried about, just because like you you sent Owen Casey and two other prospects, and he's just objectively not been good enough. And then and then he's getting a cramp in his right hand, he's getting a blister, and it's like you know more about pitching than me, man. I don't know how to fix him.

SPEAKER_01 39:08

Like that's uh I don't know more about your emotions, and I don't know more about how people I'm being serious about how people feel. You know, I can I can I can hypothesize about what's going on with Eddie Cabrera, yeah um, but like that doesn't that doesn't mean that like the way because like this is a big thing with maniacs in the Monday morning cup show is like everybody like if you're if you watch the Cubs, you know, whether it's you or it is fucking, you know, I gotta watch the F-words or Ferky Jenkins or you know it's a grandma and I was sitting in the couch, if you're plugged in when they cut to and they go through the opening lineups and you stick around and you watch those games and you care about this team, like you definitely whatever opinion it is, like is definitely not it, it's definitely valid. It is 100% valid. And so to sit here and say I'm most worried about Eddie Cabrera, like 100%, dude. Because in the offseason, you know, when you have the time and you have the energy and the resources, and that's when the market that's when you make these moves, this is the move they made, you know, and like it's at some point someone needs it, you know. Again, it's early June, mid-June, late June. Fuck, it's late June. Uh, that's kind of funny, just go through June that quickly. Um, but like at some point, if if the trend continues, then I would expect there to there has to be accountability because sure, if if Alex Bregman finishes the season with a 98 OPS plus, and Matt if Matt Shaw finishes how about just if Matt Shaw has a better season than Alex Bregman, there should be hell to pay in that front office.

SPEAKER_00 40:35

Yep, absolutely. I agree. And to go off that, you know, Alex Bregman and Edward Cabrera were the two like marquee additions to this team, and both objectively have just been atrocious. Like it's maybe I don't even think atrocious is a is is is too harsh. You know, Bregman, he's not slugging, he's getting on base, he'll he'll he'll get singles when there's when there's no one on. You can't hit with runners in scoring position right now. That's like that's the big thing. He's not he's not hitting the ball over the fence either. And then Cabrera, he just shows flashes, and then he'll give up way too many homers, too. It's like this team, this staff leads baseball and home runs allowed, like by a large margin. Oh yeah, oh yeah, it's it's it's bad. So, like, even though I I feel better about four of the five starters, that doesn't mean that they can't that that they don't have to add an a starter before the deadline, that's for sure. But based off your question about getting to the all-star break, yeah, I think they can survive. I think they can survive with the staff to the all-star break. But if this team doesn't add some form of a starting pitcher before the deadline, I I don't think they'll make it, even if they do get Justin Steele back and he decide and he ends up being way better than what my expectation at this current moment is, you know, and or or Boyd, you know, it's there's just a lot of questions, but I think they can get to the all-star break. And I I said on on off the ivy today that after winning consecutive series, it's like if we can we put together a nice stretch here to go in the all-star break somewhere between six to ten games above 500. If so, I think fans would take that, and not necessarily buy back on it, buy back in on this team as far as winning division, but just be a playoff contender. And as we've seen over for years and years, man, like you get in, anything can happen. That's just as it is. I'd rather be in that position than where the Red Sox are. A team that was looked at to be a contender this year. That's they're they're terrible. Just they're ass, straight ass.

SPEAKER_01 42:35

Yeah, yeah, right. But but that's that's a whole different can of worms. And we're talking about a bunch of stuff at once now. And I want to say because, like, I'm sorry, I know, but like we'll go into the Red Sox and then I'll end up talking about the AL East, and like you know, yeah, that's that's fair. What's going on there is is is is remarkable and it's very interesting. But as it per you know, as it pertains to the Chicago Cubs and our pitching staff and having enough going to the trade deadline, I think it would be professionally negligent for Jed and his underlings to make any decisions about the future of this team with Matt Boyd and Justin Steele's immediate and near and short-term impact in play. Like, take those good, those guys aren't even on the flow chart right now. Now, if they come back, they're on now. I'm saying obviously Boyd's supposed to come back, right? And and Justin Steele's supposed to take them out, but like, buddy, until they're into the fourth inning of their first start, you know, I don't even, and that's that's my own personal opinion, but more importantly, that would be the standard I would expect from a competent front office to at least be reasonable and logical enough to look at the depth chart and be like, okay, we cannot be banned. Now, I'm not saying you can't count on those guys in moments and they don't deliver. Justin Steele, I have nothing but love for that guy, and I think Matt Boyd is a sensational signing, provided. He's healthy and he can make starts and all the good stuff you want to say. I'm just talking purely about the fact that, like, you're looking at the roster and talking about the playoffs. We're looking at the roster thinking about the trade deadline. We're looking at the roster thinking about how do we get this team better. And if there's one motherfucker in that room at 1060 West Addison, that's going, Well, Justin Steele's gonna be back in three weeks, then like that guy needs to go sit outside the room for a second. It's not the knock on Justin Steele, that's a knock on being able to bank on pitching, and we just don't have it right now.

SPEAKER_00 44:27

So yeah, yeah, and we list all these names. Like, I know Jackson Wiggins like threw in the uh complex league recently. Shout out to my guy Rich Beezerfield for posting those pictures. Like, that's another thing, too. Like, if this was May, okay, like I could I I'd get up for that. But at this point, I don't want to call it a lost season for Jackson Wiggins. If he can at least pitch in the minors and and be healthy, that that's a win. What would that would that would be what feels like a win at this point. Maybe he can contribute to the major league team, but like a lot is gonna have to continue to go wrong for that to even happen at this point. So you know, my optimism about him coming in the year has just gone complete, gone to complete shit because of all the injuries and where this team currently sits, and then him being him getting hurt, what in April, you know, like it's it's disappointing, but it uh dude bring it back around. Like they have this staff can get to the all-star break above 500, but I I if they don't add pitching before the deadline, I will I might have to to bet the Cubs to miss the playoffs. I just I just might have to do it.

SPEAKER_01 45:34

Two footnotes before I get to the next point. Um, the first is on Jackson Wiggins. I thought that's a I think that's a great way to think about Jackson Wiggins because that he's somebody obviously talked about a lot, electric arm. And I do I do love that take that like we're at we're at the point with him in the year. Uh get on the mound. I mean, it the big league mound is like you might just table that for a second. Like, we need to get you on the mound because yeah, otherwise the rankings and the tape and all the praise means nothing. I mean, it's a great saying to base your best, your best stat is of availability, your best ability is your availability. Like, you know, so at this point with Jackson, when we talk about well, when Wiggins comes back, buddy, fucking go to Iowa for a little bit before we even start talking about right making impacts at the big league level and all that stuff. Uh, that was the first point. And then, you know, the the second point I would just say, I think we're probably two, three weeks out from where you can see trade chips fall into place. And I and I think something that happened sooner than that means you're surrendering leverage. Like, I what I should say is I think the leverage starts to balance out in two to three weeks for the buyers and the sellers because there's clearly more sellers identified, the buyer picture takes a little bit better perspective. The MLB draft has happened. You kind of have a sense of where you're gonna be drafted next year. You have a better understanding of the draft picture had last year, like at example, that high school catcher we have, Josh Harrison or whatever, who's just roasting the minor leagues, don't need to go into him. But my point is you didn't know he was a top prospect last year when you drafted him in the sixth round out of high school. Now we're sitting here in late June, and people are saying he's the he's one of the best high school players that was drafted last year. So, okay, like I'm not saying trade this guy or whatever, I'm using him as an example within the context of the timeline of prospect development. And so, like, more of we're just a couple weeks away from where like that Josh Harrison story in early May doesn't mean shit. The fact we're talking about it in late June, that matters, and like when it gets to mid-July, like it's gonna be an even more powerful story that Jed can tell and sell on the market for the trade deadline. So that's just my my thought on where the trade because I agree we have to make moves, and I would like them to be made as soon as possible, but just realistically, it's like the market isn't there, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:57

Well, I believe it I thought his name was Joe Josiah, Josiah Hartshorn.

SPEAKER_01 48:03

Is that what okay? Here I am calling him Josh, but like I probably now because I just did that, I'm gonna call him Josh the rest of his yeah, you have to call him Josh the rest of the. But like, dude, do you get it's like here's the point like a high school kid we drafted last year in the sixth round? I don't even know his name. Yeah, like that's the context of like and this is somebody where it's like I don't even know this guy's name. And now here's the point he is a trade chip, he's a huge trade chip. He would, if you if we were talking about going to get a big name starting pitcher, like that's gonna be a name most teams are gonna be asking about, and so who else do we have in the system? Is there is are there other guys that are gonna be putting that tape together or that in the next two to three weeks can close out and have really strong, you know, whatever minor league performances we can shop them around.

SPEAKER_00 48:48

Yeah. Well, and this brings us to the conversation of like how far do we go in into buying, you know. Like personally, I would not trade Artshorn unless we're the Cubs completely go on a run here and put themselves back into the division race, I guess, somehow, some way. And we're we get to talking about like a Tarek Scuble, you know. But I I I don't I don't know if I don't think the Cubs even have the assets to be able to do that when the Dodgers do or the Brewers do. But I'm just just for the sake of conversation, I'm I I think you only go after a Scoobyl if you really feel like this team can win the World Series because me and you both know the Cubs are not going to pay Terek Scoobyl Scoobyl.

SPEAKER_01 49:35

Oh no, I mean, but Scoobyl's also gonna get the biggest contract, assuming, right? Like, assuming nothing happens, like assume and he's gonna make the whatever decision. The reason the number one problem I wouldn't trade for Tarek Scuble is because he has this impending free agency coming, and he already is back-to-back Sky Young award winner. There's no need for him to extend himself, and the second a tingle happens, he's gonna go sit on the bench, and that's just a fact. So, like moving young guys to keep that in mind, but when you say Scuble, what I'd rather categorize as somebody who would come in and pitch at the top of the rotation, right? Not necessarily ace because I think eight, like in the history, ace is moving at the trade deadline. Like, you gotta go. That's when you're talking about Scherzer, Grinkey, CC Sabathia. Like, you're talking about aces. Talking about when you say ace, it's like fucking hall of fame caliber on the move. John Lester's on the move to Oakland. That's that's that killer trade. So, are the Cubs in that category to make that move? And you'd have to see something from the lineup. You'd have that's when it's like we would make a killer trade. Get the guy in back in the room who was talking about Justin Steele and Matt Boyd. Where is he at? Okay, you're back. Buddy, what did you want to say? The guy's gonna say, I think if Matt Boyd or Justin Steele come back and show signs that they have it and have it for the rest of the season, now we're gonna elevate ourselves into that. Yeah, I'm gonna go get a killer. Now the question is, what killers are available? You say Scuba, is Logan Webb available? I would put him in the category of just a serial killer pitcher. We're like, oh my god, would love to have him in October in a Wrigley in Wrigley. And he's a guy who will pitch through the paint too.

SPEAKER_00 51:17

Yeah, well, I also like uh Freddie Peralta. I like um, you know, uh it's not necessarily as a he's not as good anymore, but if we stick with the Giants, you know, like a Robbie Ray, I don't think would be a bad addition. He is a rental, he'd be cheaper. He wouldn't cost you a Josiah Harshorn, but he has the pedigrees been a really good pitcher for a long time.

SPEAKER_01 51:38

Just keep saying his name, just say it, just say it, just keep saying just uh Josh. Are you talking about Josh? Are you talking about Josh?

SPEAKER_00 51:45

Yeah, talk about our best Meyerless player, Josh. Listen, dude, I know you're a big Moises by Steros fan. Like, I don't want to move on from the guy yet, but he's also a guy that they could trade that would probably land you a decent piece, but I don't want to move on. I'm I'm I am as bullish on Moises by Steros as you are, too. You know, yeah, like it's I but I I that's why I don't care.

SPEAKER_01 52:05

You said hey, I wouldn't trade Josiah here like he's anything. I don't give a fuck this kid. You I that's what he said. Oh, that's great, dude. Yeah, I mean, maybe good 10 weeks of pro ball, good 10 weeks of pro ball gets you talking about gets you talked about on the Monday morning cub show. Perfect, hot move him because here's the history thing we're talking about wouldn't trade him in our history, in our history, where you go, wouldn't trade him, buddy. It's so thin. Like, keep in mind, we had Kyle Schwarber and just gave him up. Yeah, it's so hard to get there. It's like Rizzo. We traded Andrew Cashner for Rizzo. People love sucking the Padres dick because they give out massive contracts. Like anybody ever point their finger and be like, remember when you traded Anthony Rizzo for Andrew Cashner? Or when you talk and look at draft picks, it's like like, yeah, Chris Bryant paying out for a little till we didn't, you know, till you guys were trying to trade him, so I just didn't want to extend them. You know, where that's again, that's in more context why PCA is so special, why I like Matt Shaw so much. I mean, it's hard to hit on when guys come up, like Albert El Moore was gonna be the center fielder for 10 years. Addison Russell should still be playing shortstop for us. Javi Bias doesn't wear the Cubs uniform anymore, guys. Like it just you're not so when we say I'm not trading this guy, it's like, yeah, I don't know, man. I I'm I'm more of the mind if we're if we're in the luxury tax category, insurance deferring contracts, which is one of the positives I didn't mention. Tommy's the first now. We're getting it's like you want to trade that guy, go right ahead because we have what's our payroll next year?

SPEAKER_00 53:36

100 million, 120 million, a lot of money off the bucks or off the books. Yeah, yeah. No, I you're making good you're you're bringing a a bet a different perspective than how I look at it, which is is healthy. I just I don't know, man. I just you part of me feels like because of what could if there is a lockout this offseason and all this, like could could things change again? Like, like, yeah, Tom's doing this this year, but you know, with how Bregman has played so far, I guess we'll see how he is at the end of the year. But I don't know, man. It's it's hard to trust that they're gonna keep this uh this attitude up. But trying to stay positive, trying to stay positive. You're you if if the Cubs are securely in it, have secure are securely in the wild card, have are not battling for the last spot, going the tread trade deadline, and maybe are within five games of the division, perhaps you could convince me that they should just go and get get a get a guy like the guys we've been talking about, as far as pitchers. Like you could you could convince me, but right now it just we got a long way to go to get me to to pull a trigger on something like that.

SPEAKER_01 54:43

Yeah, they have the computers and the simulations, right? So when you plug in the numbers and you run the computers and simulations, if the thing spits back 83 wins, 84 wins, then like don't trade just where you know where I'm at. But like if we if if in you know, whatever. Like, I think that's when I said for purposes of like, are we gonna be making moves or trades over the next two, three weeks? Like, if you're making trades and being like, Well, we have Justin Steele coming back, no, but dude, when these guys do come back, if they are hot, if we do get that spark, I think it does kind of elevate us going into the trade deadline. So there is some there is some reason there as a cub saying to say maybe be a little bit more patient with the trade deadline because the more stuff materializes. But like right now, if we're hitting the trade deadline and right now, we're making moves, like any move that would be made in the span while these guys are on the IL better bake in the fact that like expect not expect expect them to have another delay again until we're in the fourth inning of the first start, and like it actually is real and in your hands. You know, I don't give a shit. I do have one point here. Let's make let's make these next two points as

Injuries Are A Pattern Not Luck

SPEAKER_01 55:45

quick as possible. In the next two, we'll spend one max one minute each. Baller strike, the Cubs have so many pitching injuries uh that it can no longer just be a coincidence. Baller strike.

SPEAKER_00 55:57

Strike. I I I I agree. Yeah, like it's it can't be just a coincidence. But I still I think the Dodgers still have more injuries than them, which makes it so annoying because of how good they are. But it it's it's a it's a trend. It's not just this year, like this that they had all these injuries with the staff last year and the year before. Like it there's gotta be there's gotta be change when it comes to how why this is happening. There's gotta be.

SPEAKER_01 56:24

And I think that it is in line the same frustration with the injuries. I 100% agree with you. It's a strike. There's just there's something else going on here. Now, what it is, combination of factors, etc. Not worth getting into right now, but it is something, and it is the frustration as a fan that I feel is in line with the kind of same frustration when Ian Hap goes on six seven of the score and says, you know, we're gonna regress to the meet. Don't worry about it. That's just the way baseball is. And when we talk about injuries, it's very easy for Craig and the organization to be like, injuries happen, you know, this is part of it. You know, you play hundreds, it's gonna happen, and we're sitting here going, Yeah, dude, but everybody always, all the time, even after a mound visit, like like even the guys who aren't good are hurt, like everybody's hurt, you know. Yeah, Diamond's getting hurt, he's been terrible this year. It's like that guy.

SPEAKER_00 57:14

So, like the injury thing, it does it's I mean, Daniel Palencia, uh Daniel Palencia is just like the latest example of what I'm saying, right? Like the yes, uh council in the trainer go out to the mound in the ninth inning two nights ago, and then the next day they're putting him on the IL after they let him pitch. And yeah, he struck out three guys, but if you just go back and watch the ninth inning of that, he pitched, like he didn't he didn't look like he was okay out there at all. Like he looked like he was laboring, and it's just like, dude, you you rarely pitch these days because we're not getting any save opportunities. Like, what's what's the problem here? So I think the Palencia injury is is a much bigger thing than probably what the what some fans think right now. But I mean the the the process, all of it, it just kind of go it pushes what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01 58:00

Yeah, I thought that's like professionally negligent that like council's on the mount talking to you, yeah. Counsel council's talk count correct council's looking you in the eyes with the question of whether or not you're injured, and and he le he leaves you in and and you still get injured, you know. Like that's high school stuff where the coach is like, we don't have anybody else, I gotta leave you in here. Like, this is a big legs. This is a big lakes. Like, if you're on the mound asking if someone's hurt, it's like it's like, would you go home with the Chicago Six? If you're asking me the answers, yes. If you're on the mounds, you what do you mean staying in and then on the IO? Like, what do you what do you that's crazy? That is again. I've used this phrase a couple times. I'm gonna go back to it. Professionally negligent, Cody. I have a couple things I do want to address, right? So we let's just do 15 minutes here. Let's see if we get through the rest of it. Is that okay? Do you got 10-15 more?

SPEAKER_00 58:53

I got I got all the time.

SPEAKER_01 58:54

Okay, let's use 15, okay? Because any any longer maniacs, that we're they're an impatient bunch. So we're gonna start the last couple topics here. I'm gonna move through in descending order, starting with more negative topics, and then we're gonna end, we're gonna close with the most with the most positive thing that I have left. So I'm just gonna start here. Here's the most negative thing I can start with.

Bregman Heat And What Went Wrong

SPEAKER_01 59:16

This is open-ended. Ian Hap and Alex Bregman. Do you want to complain about either one of them? Because right now the floor is yours to do so.

SPEAKER_00 59:25

Alex Bregman deserves way more criticism from this fan base than Ian Hap, in my opinion. Ian Hap is having the best season of his career in many ways. Maybe not like I don't think he's having an all-star season, but we we know who Ian Hap is. He's just a very solid good player. As he helped himself with some of his comments on the radio recently, no. But Alex Bregman is like coming to the Cubs was like on a Hall of Fame pace. Like he was he, I think you could make the argument that if he continued to play like he had his entire career coming to the Cubs and giving even like 75% of that, I think you can argue that he would be go to the Hall of Fame one day. And he has been atrocious. OPS under 700. He's not hitting the ball over the fence, he makes more money than anyone else on the roster. I think he deserves way more criticism than Ian Happ does.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:16

It's a compelling argument. I think there's only seven third basemen in the hall of fame, and they're all in fair enough. And I and Ron Sano is one of them. Yeah, I know. That's hey, this is my fault. I I instinctually, anytime someone brings up the Hall of Fame, my I'm a dog on a bone. I'm like, what are you talking about here? That's why this is audio only. If you saw my face, I like Alex Brugman. He's one of my favorite players of all time, the version of him in the Astros uniform. I don't know if I want to complain about him yet. I'm very interested to watch his adjustment process in in the early phase of the because it's a long, obviously, yeah. Here I am, cliche city. Obviously, it's a long season. And so I there's no way I'm gonna rule out a remarkable 20, 30 game stretch from the guy until we're sitting in mid-August and we're still having that conversation. So I guess what my point is like we are kind of entering a window now and in the next couple weeks, where like this is the official start of where you can turn it around and reclaim because at status quo, it's crazy we spent 35 million and Shaw's looks better every day. It's like that 35. I mean, there's so many ways to take that, but that's always going to be attached to Bregman's performance, too. It's like Matt if Matt Shaw isn't if Matt Shaw turns out to be a good to great player, this will be one of the more confusing contracts ever, especially when you give out the league leading MLB history contract to council to manage the team. You you give Danzby Swanson 27 and a half million dollars. At what point do we go stop spending money on leadership? I got it. We got it. Like, give me give me guys who throw 100, give me guys who slug over 500, give me gas, give me power, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:01:55

Well, it that narrative can change if Shaw is playing left or right field full-time next year, and they could because Hap and say are are free agents. So you could have you could have the Bregman and Shaw, and who knows if that's that will work out. But I as I said earlier in the show, Dylan Cease was the guy that I wanted the most last offseason. Then the Cubs saw it go over to 210 or whatever it was, and they're like, nah, we'd rather give all this money to Bregman.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:20

So yeah, I don't bit I think Dylan Cease is outside the scope of the player profile that Jed wants. Meaning, like, I like Dylan Cease, and I having known him and spent time with him, I I have great things to say about him personally, but I can speak confidently about his like personal makeup, and it's not in line with the clubhouse they've put together. He's he's he's off the beaten path as much as anybody, like he's a degree removed from like Zank Zach Grinky off the beaten path. He's like like any more, and now you're talking about clinical diagnosis. Like he he's more, and I'm not okay. I can say confidently that he is as interested in his brother's professional disc golf team as he is in the performance of the Toronto Blue Jays. Like, he's almost numb to the MLB experience because and this is one thing I I like about him and in many MLB players is the professionalism and the approach to it where it's like it is my job, like it's my job to throw nasty sliders. So, like I train that. I don't know if I love it, you know. I don't know how passionate I am about it, but I know how to do it, and like I do everything I can. Now, that said, if you want to talk about disc golf, buddy, man, that's that's so quees. Like, if you've been on a course before, and you're like, Yeah, wait a second, like, how would you pitch Aaron Judge? I just try and throw in the best shit I have. But let me tell you something. When you're standing on a first T-box of a disc golf course, and you're like, No, and it's not for show. This isn't like you're mic'd up or we're on stage or anything. This is like rain delay at a golf outing stuff. This is like standing around before White Sox game stuff. This is just like casual guy-to-guy bullshit stuff, and you're walking away going, Man, you really are special. You're really a different cat. Now, here's the thing me personally, I don't really give a fuck about that stuff because we're just asking you to make 33 starts a year. But I do think the Cubs operate with all of that in mind. I think the Cubs are like, is this somebody we can put on stage? Is this a convention guy? Is this somebody we can market? Is this somebody who sells jerseys? Is this somebody who's compelling to our fan base?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:33

And he's gonna love the game, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:35

Yeah, and Dylan Cease, they're gonna say, What do you mean we traded this guy for Jose Cantana only to bring this guy back for 200 plus million dollars? I think that triggers a fan base, and I wouldn't put it past our leadership, guys like Craig Kennedy be walking down the hallway being like, Hey, just remember people are gonna bitch because we traded him away. And then Jed's like, fuck. So who knows, dude?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:58

All I know is this guy stays healthy and he throws gas and he and he and he need and he, you know, he strikes guys out, and that's what I thought this team needed. And again, he stays healthy, like he makes 30 starts a year. You go look at that fan graphs page, he makes 30 starts a year.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:15

Yeah, but he pitches 165 innings, and that is where you start to draw the line. You go, yeah, 165 innings is yeah, five innings.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:24

That's yeah, I get it. I get it. He's not the perfect pitcher, it just and I'm not even I'm not even saying that I want him to because of you know that mistake, which I don't even really view it as a mistake. It was like they went all in. They they they 100%, you know, and like Alex Bregman's contract.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:39

Wait, if I didn't bring up Alex Bregman's contract and you came in here and started bitching about Dylan Sees, I'd say you got problems. Yeah, yeah, right. But if I'm gonna say, Man, Matt Shaw looks good, and then it makes me think about Bregman, and then you you more go right ahead, start connecting all the dots you want, my friend. That's the point of this. You say I just can't believe it.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:57

Right. Like I just think that. Bregman is the biggest one of the bigger reasons why this team is where it's at right now, more so than Ian Howe. That's just that's just where I feel. Totally fair.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:09

And and qualifying this to say I I do believe there is enough time to he's in control of the narrative. The narrative sucks right now. It's trending downwards, but you know, is he Hall for whatever? I don't know. He is a great player. He's a great player in a in a extremely committed professional. So like I'm not ruling out shit from him. If he had a shitty attitude or whatever, you could tell he takes guy plays hard, guys prep, you know, all that stuff. That's all there. Yeah. So all right,

Swanson Value Versus The Slump

SPEAKER_01 1:06:40

let's keep it moving. I I just have one on this is a quick one. Dansby Swanson, multiple choice. Who's lost the most sleep about Dansby Swanson's 2026 so far? Jed, Tom, Dansby, Crane, or the maniacs listening to this show. That's five choices. Is it well? I'm gonna read them again. Who's lost the most sleep? Jed, Tom, Dansby, Crane, Kenny, or the maniacs listening to the show.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:10

Realistically, I think Dansby's lost the most sleep. But I would put the maniacs like right there. I I I think Tom and Jed and all that, like the it's bothering them for sure, but Jed's thinking about the trade deadline, he's thinking about all these other things that like Dansby slump is just like a little small nugget. That's part of it. Tom maybe, maybe could be ranked third behind that, but and then crane. I I just I don't think crane loses sleep personally. So um yeah, I would I would go Dansby and then the maniacs, like uh though that's for sure. And I that's a credit, or maybe not maybe credit's not the right word, but a respect to who Dansby Swanson is because there's been a lot of discourse online lately, people calling him the you know, you know, his contract worse than Jason Hayward, and it's just like, dude, have you not watched the last three years? Like he has been as valuable as of any of the four shortstops that were available when he signed his free agent deal. Like, maybe Trey Turner has been better than him. Trey Turner's not as good defensively as him, his offense is obviously better, but Xander Bogartz and Carlos Correa have been hurt or yeah, uh hurt or shit or both the entire time, both on worse contracts than Dansby. And at the end of the day, even with how bad Dansby's been at the plate, you can still feel confident putting him out there to play short. So it's it's a it's been tough to watch, no doubt. And even in the previous seasons, it it it can be tough to watch him hit, but if you get league average hitter with elite defense at that premium of a position, that's incredibly valuable. So every year he's a four-win player. You I just I think he gets way too much slander for like the contract. Obviously, it's not been good this year, but as far as the overall, I think he's been he's lived up to it.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:05

Oh hunt, yeah, I don't think there's an argument like going into this season, he he was worth it. I mean, the Padre series last year in the playoffs, the amount of plays he liked from the compilation, yeah. He he recorded like nine outs on Luis Rice that could have been hits with like an average shortstop. So, like, there's enough there, but but the other thing is, you know, baseball fans in particular, like it's hard to go back and say, Well, let me tell you about Xander Bogart. It's like but I'm logging it. Like, we're off tonight. Well, like I'm gonna log the three and a half hours, I'm gonna do the lineup reviews, I'm gonna host a show twice a week, I'm gonna publish the audio, I'm gonna build a community of cups fans. I'm gonna, I'm gonna try to have conversations and try and do stuff around this team because it warrants that level of uh public discourse and community engagement, all that shit, all that good shit that goes into this stuff. That's why we got maniacs, why we do the Monday morning cup show. I mean, there's like all this juice there, and so it's like it's really hard to be in late June and say if you could just be league average, it's like, yeah, dude, no shit. Like, he isn't he's sweet. I mean, look like it, it's it's it's it's it's brutal, it's a brutal bad, you know. It's so bad you got to go back to Ronnie Cedeño in 2006, or you you'd have to you have to go back to like Coy Hill or Nathy Perez was getting 600 plate appearances because yeah, you know, he went to a World Series with Dusty Baker. So like is is Darwin Barney a decent comparison?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:37

Like he could never hit, but he was great on defense.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:39

Yeah, we weren't paying Darwin Barney 27 million. Yeah, but we were not money either. I but we drafted him in the 13th round out of Oregon State. It's like he or whatever, the second round, uh fifth round. He was a you know a good college player. You're right. So and here's the thing, though. I want to go back to the original who's losing the most sleep, and I don't have any I I agree a hundred percent. It's Danzby one maniacs in a close second, some space Tom, yeah, you know, then some space Jed. Jed mostly though, just because Jed's probably got computers that are saying despite Danzby's 180 average, he's actually like completely ever drive. So did Jed's probably walking around with information that allows him to be positive that is not available to you or me.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:24

Yeah, yeah. Crane for sure, undoubtedly, is the one who's losing the least amount of sleep.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:30

100%. That that's that's the most accurate thing. That's that guy's that guy's that guy's worked his own show, and I'm gonna give it to him one of these days. Uh, okay, just a couple other

Matt Shaw Needs Everyday At Bats

SPEAKER_01 1:11:39

things. Matt Shaw, two-parter. Do you think he's our everyday right fielder next year at this time? Uh, and if not, how do you think Craig should use him now in the remainder of the season? Consider, you know, what we've talked about with Braggman, Dansby, obviously Nico being bad. You know, how how do you see Matt Shaw shaping up throughout the course of the season? Uh, assuming what we see from him is real and this is this is who he is.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:03

Yeah. I would say that Matt Shaw next year for sure is going to be an everyday outfielder, corner outfielder. Whether it's left for right field, that's up for the Cubs to decide. He's athletic enough, I think, that he could survive in right field and be a plus defender out there. Um, as far as the rest of this year, if he just if he just continues to give good at bats and be a productive player, I'm not asking him to get three hits a night. I'm asking him to just be a plus player, someone who you can rely upon to give good at bats, he's like Craig will have to keep him in the lineup based off how the rest of these guys are hitting. Now, if the other guys like Horner, Swanson, Bregman all turn their seasons around uh and Saya, then sure, like maybe, maybe you have to change some things up and he plays a different position. But I mean, if those three guys I just mentioned, if we're in August and it's still going bad, he might he might just take one of their spots. Like if especially if this team is still in it. Like that just might be what it is. I don't know what who it will be, who is most likely to be that, but uh it's he he hasn't even really got a full opportunity to be what we saw in the second half this year. You know, like he he I thought that Craig, if there's one thing that I've been most disappointed in Craig this year, it's that he hasn't found ways to get Matt Shaw starts. And he played Willie Castro way too much last season in the second half after they traded for him. And they they literally asked Matt Shaw to be the Willie Castro of this team this year and coming into spring training. They lit they literally basically asked him to be that same guy, and and Craig hasn't Craig has not given him the opportunity until now. We're in the middle of June, he's finally getting consistent play appearances, and it's just half the team is struggling.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:51

He opened the season as a starter round. I know it's good to say it was on IL, but he got starts to start the season. He did hurt his back. You know, I did have arguments that when he did come back off the aisle, they didn't play him for like the first five games. He was just pinch hitting. I thought that was kind of bullshit where it's like if you're just gonna give this guy one at bats, then just keep not to say being triple A because but it's like five triple A at bats are one big league pinch hit, and you're telling me like we're trying to get you ready for regular playing time. Give me the five triple A, you know, at bats, which is a wholesale thing. Let's stick on Matt Shaw here for a second and like just the relation to the Cubs as far as their decision-making process. I'm willing to bat that instead of Jed being like, you know, we haven't seen enough. I think they have seen enough. I mean, they had enough confidence to start him last year to open the season a position he ever played. I think they like him enough to kind of treat him like shit. It's kind of like the guy who's got a great girlfriend who's like not great, you know, who's like just fucking he's an ad, he's just a dick boyfriend. And it's like you should be nicer to but he like you to you're taking it for granted almost on the outside, maybe. Because to me, Matt Shaw's a guy where you could give him limited amount of information, limited instruction, you could limit all of the resources. Take spring training complex, but tell me he can't go to spring training. Tell he'll show up prepared. Give him a T and a Wiffle ball bat, and he'll show up prepared. Like, I think the world of him as far as what's in between his ears. I don't know if it gets better from the context of I want a guy to go out there, play hard, and want to win baseball games. Like, I don't think you could pay him $500 million in his career. I don't think he'll ever change. I think he's a special athlete in that standpoint, and it's translatable across all sports where guys, there's just certain guys who just fucking care, want to win, want to perform. That's Schauser to me. I think part of that though is like allowed the Cubs to be like, yeah, play right field today, play second, you know, like we don't care this and that. They would never do to Nico what they're doing to Matt Shaw, they would never do to Chris Bryant what they're doing to Matt Shaw or Rizzo or any of those guys. They treated those guys like so like much more big league. Matt Shaw, they treat him like he's the batting practice guy, just like yeah, you get the last spot on the bus, you know, whatever. So I love them. I think they they should use them, and I'm with you. We're we are at the point where it's like if if if Nico is hitting 200, I know this the the question is why is his strikeout rate under three percent? He's slugging so bad. Like if he if his strikeout rate was up, I'd start to be questioning things. But the fact is the performance isn't there for Danzby. I mean, I don't know how much tread you can get out of Shaw at short or Nico at short, but like there's enough there to to to give Swanny serious time off. But just how do how would those guys react to a benching? Like, Nico doesn't even like taking a day off. Nico gets mad if you take him out of the lineup. You have to talk him off the you have to explain to him we're doing this because it's for your own good, and he still gets mad. He's he fucking hates taking days off.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:39

Yeah, no, that's that's it's a very good point. And and with Nico, he's the one that I have the most confidence is going to get back to what we're used to saying because you could just look at his baseball sabant from this year and last year, and it's literally the same. And his uh, you know, the expected numbers uh like him a lot. I know at this point of the year fans don't want to hear about expected numbers, but it's the only thing I'm clinging on to here. At least he's still giving you good defense. But as of today, they get they just gotta keep playing Matt Shaw every day. I I wouldn't even mind if we saw more Pedro Ramirez, but that one's a little bit of a harder, a harder one to to figure out with you know the fact that you just said they're gonna play Swanson, they're gonna play Nico, they're gonna play Bregman. That's who if they're if you if you're gonna get anything out of Pedro Ramirez, maybe maybe you do just trade him and he's part of a package for something. But as far as Shaw, he's he's a guy that I think he's part of the future. I think he'll be an outfielder next year.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:32

So he better be. Yeah, I mean that that would be crazy. Like Owen Casey was easy to be like, yeah, too good. I don't there's you know, like Shaw had I mean, Shaw has it. That's why I mean that's easy to say this stuff you're watching him, but he is like everywhere he's gone. You go back to when you start keeping track of ball players, like his his high school resume. You know, who cares about that stuff, right? Well, the college resume is better than the high school resume. Then the he just roasts through he's so good, he's the opening day spring training third baseman without ever playing a game at third base. Are you kidding me? Like, there's obviously some inherent thing there with him that is very special, and I would be I would I'm not just devastated, you know. Like, I think I would have outrage at the move. Outrage if they moved him.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:25

Yeah, no, uh I got nothing else to say about it other than like, yeah, that I would be very shocked if they traded him.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:32

Okay, here's the last thing I want to talk

PCA As The Engine And The Hope

SPEAKER_01 1:18:34

about. And I intentionally saved this for last because I did work through like a very positive show last Friday. That me and my homie had spirits. I'm gonna come back to the fact the Cubs are five and two in their last seven. We have won two series, we do have seven games in a row coming up against teams below 500. We will see Dylan Season, Kevin Gossman this weekend, but it will be home at 120. So, like, I get it, but we do have some advantages here, and then we have four against the Mets who are downright floundering. So there are spots of positivity here, even though we did drop a brutal game to the Rockies, and I can just keep going on and on about it. But really, here's the reality sitting here as we get into these next seven games, we get in this weekend stretch. We have intentionally kept this topic for the very end. Pete Crow Armstrong is sensational and red hot right now. To the fact that the only comparison I could really think of it is like the steroid era when you turned on Sports Center and you knew McGuire was heading, you knew Sam, you knew the home runs were there. Like it's the everyday, it seems like PCA, he's only getting better. And so I've talked about him extensively on the show, it's my show. Obviously, I've talked about him a lot. What I'm very interested in is your opinion and your take. So long-winded question for a reason. Is your opinion and your take on specifically? These I'm being very specific about this. Okay, who to you? This is deep, this is therapy shit. Who is PC PCA to you? Like, what does he mean to you? Uh and when you think about him, like, do you see him in this light as the guy who leads major league baseball in wins above replacement? Or do you see him as a guy who like, well, the second half last year, that is that on the scale with you last year? That, like, yeah, he's great, but are you doing the he's great right now thing? And I just want to round table this between you and me about like who is PCA to you? Does he is he is he somebody who's like really special, means a lot to you? Like, I can say that about Caleb Williams and the Bears. Like, he is he's completely transformed my experience with the Chicago Bears. And and so like is PCI on that level with you. One two part is in thinking about him, and as you're like, you know, you're walking your dog, or you're going to the grocery store, you're having dinner, and you know, PCA comes across your mind, or you see him on a timeline, whatever it is. Like, it is do you see him as the guy who is leading baseball and wins above replacement, or do you still see him as like that guy's like, I don't know what we have with this guy, like I know he's awesome right now.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:08

So, yeah. I view him as the guy who's leading baseball with uh with uh and war. And um I think the reason being that I'm all in on PCA now is that his changed approach and his swing adjustments that he has made in season, which by the way is not something you can just do, like not every player could just do and have immediate success with it. Um I I view him like as the guy that like a lot of Bears fans view Caleb Williams. Like he's gonna have his own era. He's a he's a guy that the the the Gen Z in their 20s right now they'll be telling their kids about one day as one of the maybe maybe not like I can't put it at a Ryan Sandberg level because of of his of who Ryan Sandberg was, but like perhaps like they're that that could be their their guy, you know. And I just from deep from all facets of the game in baseball, the the only thing this guy can't do is is pitch, you know? Like he's the best defensive player in the league, and his offense is only getting better. And like I said, with the improved approach, it's something that seems more sustainable to me than a year ago. So I am uh I'm all in on PCA. That's that it sounds very uh homer-ish of me to say, but no, I bet hard not to say it, man.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:32

The basis of me, and the base of me wanting to get to that point when you're just talking this out with you is like I you put in the time, it's your job. Like, this is your thing, like you're in it, you're as in it as anybody I'll ever talk to. And as much as Alex Cohn's in it, as much as I'm in it, as much as the people who fucking play those games are in it, you know. Like, we're we are in again. I hate using this phrase, like this is this matters a lot to us, and so I'm interested. He's obviously superstar, he's obviously the name. You know, I agree with you on the Sandberg thing because Sandberg is in the echelon, they didn't go to the playoffs for 39 years, you know. The the satellite company starts stealing the WGN local signal and selling it to out of market because they had not invented the regulations yet to uh you know keep satellite transmissions out of so before you could regulate this stuff, WGN becomes a super station. Once they start regulating it, it's too far gone. We're like now WGN is in everybody's home. Fucking deal with it. The time that happens, they go out, they hire Harry Carey, and they trade and shortly thereafter, trade for Sandberg, whatever it is, two, three years later. And now you're in homes, you're in millions of homes with Harry Carey calling the fucking game and Ryan Sandberg giving you a gold glove defense and winning an MVP and taking the Cubs to the playoffs for the first time in 39 years. That's the reason Sandberg is Sandberg. I know he didn't win a championship, but when you talk about Sandberg, he's the legendary figure because of that. That's it, and because of that, I don't think you'll ever, no matter how many championships Rizzo won. It's like Sandberg resurrected or brought to life this dormant, this behemoth, this beast that had been swelling through years of people watching at their home. Yeah, it's just like this crazy story. So, anyways, long-winded way of going back to PCA, he is absolutely gonna be in the category below, which includes Sammy, Carrie Wood, Anthony Rizzo. Those are the three I'd put there. I don't think there's anybody else that's in that conversation. And like firmly, I do believe PCA can be there. The thing I want to his adjustment, I think the league adjusted to him. I think they came in. We'll just beat this guy this way. He roasted people, they made their adjustments. The fact he went through the struggle sessions, went through a lot of shit, and is is good. It's not like he's piecing it together. Like he he's his this breakout that you see, these flashes of power, that's where you're like, holy fuck, hall of fame material. Like, holy fuck, one of the great cubs of all time material. Like, this guy's going down the path where like he's gonna have chapters and books written about him decades from now about what he did and what the P the PCA era of the Cubs was. And like I that's how I view him. Like when I'm walking around, you know, again, whatever. I long-winded way for me to open the question, but and it's a deep thing. If you're gonna watch the team every day, you care a lot. Like, he's more than just the face of the team. Yeah, when you're the superstar, it's like you carry us every like he's getting to the point where it's like every day when you show up, even if we suck, whatever, like you're getting to the point where it's like, well, PCA's on TV, I can't not watch it. It's like so.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:36

It must be must see television. I and I think in this era, the way that I've the reason I feel like this too is like PCA's become the algorithm's like dream. You know, as someone who works in social media, every time he does something stupid, whether it's getting in a fight or getting our or yelling at a White Sox fan or uh you know letting a ball go under his glove or dropping a fly ball or that time he lost the ball in the in the lights, every time something like that happens, he's the trending topic on social media. And all the creators, like me and you, who uh who are using him to benefit their accounts and stuff. And it's the same thing when he's doing something good. So the last three days, as of this recording, he's hit a homer. Three straight three straight days. We got all the same accounts posting that he hit a homer. So it's it's different than some of the other guys, even from the the world series team. Like none of them, none of them got the kind of instant reaction uh that that PCA gets. And it's it's I I'm jealous of all the younger fans who who get to grow up with him. Like I'm I'm 35 now. Like it feels weird for me to go buy his jersey because I'm 10 years older than the guy. But I wish I was I wish he came around when I was younger because that I already defend him to to no end, basically, but like I would go even further if I got to grow up with him, you know what I mean? Yeah, he's a special, special player, man.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:02

In the same respect, you he means different. Like Sammy means a certain thing to me because yeah, Sammy's like the same guy, yeah. Yeah, like there's definitely summers where I'm in the basement, you know, go outside. No, I'm watching, I'm watching what's I'm watching Sammy, yeah. You know, my dad, but they're 30 games under 500. Go outside, you know. Like, Sammy's up dead. I'm watching Sammy. And so I do think the younger younger generation gets at with PCA. But here's the here's the the other thing. I meant to say this when I introduced the question. There is a divide generationally, like I joke around with my buddy all the time because his dad fucking hates PCA. And so I always get screenshots from my buddy and him and his dad talking about PCA. And it's like the older, I think the older you are, the longer it takes for you to buy into baseball players just because you've been, and it's like you've been through the Rizzo. I lived through it. I I remember the hype. I've lived through Addison Russell too. And it's not to say I live through it like they're fucking hard experiences, but like, but yeah, I yeah, I I sat there and said the same stuff about. Addison Russell. I sat there and said the same thing about Crisp. I watched Chris Bryant won a mere unanimous MVP and a World Series. He was every single bit as good as everything. Like, yeah, I live through so like it just takes more to get you to the level where you're like, you know, yeah, I'm jealous of being a kid too. It'd be sick to have summers off.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:19

You know, like that's fair too. That's fair too. Yeah, no, it's we as uh older fans, we've seen guys like a Rizzo and a Bryant, who you know, Bryant, we saw come through the farm system because we drafted him and Rizzo, we traded for him. And at the time, you know, we're a hundred and one loss season, and he's the only reason we turned the game on alongside of Starlin Castro, right? And you you we grew up with those guys. I grew up with those guys because I was in college when those guys start coming up, you know, like um PCA. I'm now older and I and I've and I've lived through the the trade deadline of 2021 and seeing some of the worst players I've felt like I'll ever see. And honestly, it's not even the worst years of the Cubs franchise of my life. So it's just it you you see guys come through and you kind of get a sense of like who's gonna be good and who's gonna be and who's not, and we we we see it faster than the younger fans who just want to believe that so-and-so is gonna be great because baseball America said he was gonna be great, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:21

Here's just the la here's the last thing I'd

Where To Follow Cody And Closing

SPEAKER_01 1:29:23

say. Obviously, thank you for coming on the show. Yeah, absolutely. I've and for again, just a refresher, it's Cody Del Mendo Del Mendo at at Cody double underscore underscore underscore Cubs. Um, and off the Ivy Podcast is a daily show. If you're a maniac, you want that extra little taste, that juice. Um, you know, Cody has it on a daily basis uh with Dan Bernstein, who you know, I've if you've heard me, I've got nothing but respect for Bernstein. I've talked about him extensively on this show and other formats is is just being a real smart and and sharp witty guy, and so and somebody you could learn a lot from. So if you've enjoyed my conversation with Cody, he's available in several different in several different ways, very accessible and in live tweeting through almost every Cubs game, uh, even the pain in Europe. So here's the last thing I would just say, and here's how we're I want to end the show with with respect to PCA. We talked about playoff odds, we talk about trade deadline, we get frustrated with starting pitching injuries, we're worried about lineup construction, we think Alex Brugman's overpaid, Dancy Swanson's been terrible, and there's one connecting theme to all of the complaints is the hope and expectation that the team can be good enough to compete in the playoffs, to win a division, all that shit, and and give us good memories. Let me be very fucking clear that the number one reason we're even allowing that light into our lives and those thoughts creep into our head is because Peter Carl Armstrong is our center fielder, and he's by far the the engine to this beast is the most important player on this team, will be for the foreseeable future. And you better fucking believe anytime you go look at standings or playoff odd predictors, or you start thinking about we should go see the Cubs and that'd be awesome. They're in the playoffs, and we we gotta do this and trade. The only reason we complain about we need to go get a trade is because we got a player like him in the middle of the lineup in playing center field. That's it.

SPEAKER_00 1:31:18

Yeah, and that's add that to a re add him as a reason that you should buy in some form at this deadline because he's he's only making four million dollars this year, man. Like he don't waste the season, don't waste the season.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:29

Don't waste the season prime season at PCA. That's it. Simple as that. Uh guys, this is Cody again. Go follow him. Thank you very much for joining the Monday Morning Cub show as presented by Thirsty Bacero. Guys, we're available only on Apple and Spotify. You know the drill here. Spotify comment section's hot. That has become the forum for Monday Morning Cub Show. If you have questions, concerns, mailbag stuff, feed it in there. I'm talking to you, Cook Daddy. All right, we got some good people in that comment section. We're turning the tide one little show at a time here, one comment at a time. If you get a chance to leave a review on Apple, Spotify, love it. If not, you're busy. I'm not a fucking beggar. I'm certainly not going to ask you guys to go out of your way to do anything. However, do share the group chat. You know, like you like it, throw it to group chat. I love talking balls, but nice to have Cody on. We're going to be back on Monday. Mahoney will be with us, maybe a special guest. Until then, thank you guys for tuning in, and we will see you guys on Monday.