Cubs news and notes halfway through spring training

0:00Crackin is built to make crypto simple by bitcoin ethereum and over 450 other assets in seconds fast account funding fast with draws and Recurring buys if you want to stay on schedule Simple secure and trusted for over 14 years Del mode crackin on the app store or Google play that's KRA KEN Not investment advice crypto trading involves risk of loss and is offered to US customers excluding New York and Maine through Payward interactive incorporate view legal disclosures at crackin.com slash legal slash disclosures terms and conditions apply This is Julian Edelman from dudes on dudes with grunken jewels. All right real quick. Take a look at yourself right now. Why what's wrong? Nothing's wrong You look like a guy running on three hours of sleep and vibes. Okay. Yeah, I'm tired kind of cranky and very thirsty Congrats. Those are some of the potential signs of mild dehydration and I bet your last bathroom breaks showed you another sign Your body might be throwing you a penalty flag So what's the play call liquid IV hydration multiplier one stick in water helps hydrate faster than water alone

1:07Okay, but where's the proof liquid IV's clinical studies not just a guy. I know Real science results you can trust will take a look at me now Liquid IV is officially part of my daily hydration routine past the fire cracker popsicle flavor stay hydrated like a pro not like jack before this Stock up on liquid IV hydration multiplier at liquid dash IV dot com and use the promo code nut house for 20% off your first purchase Busted appliance. This is your sign to upgrade shop at lows to get up to 35% off and next day delivery on hundreds of major appliances Lowes we help you save Valet the 318 while supplies last selection varies by location order by 4 p.m. Available Monday through Saturday subject to availability Fees exclusions and restrictions apply sea lows dot com slash appliance delivery for more details Visit your nearby lows on Russell branch parkway southeast in Leesburg

2:18Welcome into north side territory foul territory networks cubs podcast. I'm Sahadev Sharma with my partner patrick mooney We are your cubs beat writers over at the athletic and patrick once again. We have switched spots You are back in the Midwest in Chicago. I am back in Arizona I'm not complaining Happy to be here because man is the weather nice I think While you were here kind of wrapping things up on your end I don't know if you'd call it news What you want to call it but you know just and steal posted some a video of himself and and then What was the wording he used he said he was full go or got the all all clear Yeah fully cleared all go no restrictions. I think there were two separate videos. I mean there may be Others out there, but it definitely caused a stir. Yeah, it definitely It got some reaction

3:19I think while you were out here you got some clarity because you know Look I have been we've been covering players for a long time You can't always just take a quote from what they say Especially if it's posted on social media without any context. I think it's important to know like what's really going on here We know Justin steel isn't going to be ready for opening day. I think the questions are When what's the timeline is a changing now and what about the 60 day injured list is that something That is still a possibility These are these are things that I think you you dug into a little bit Yeah, I think I understand where Justin's coming from that he is obviously super excited to Keep making progress. You know, this is a devastating injury that he experienced Last April and there's a lot of uncertainty coming back from

4:19these elbow surgeries even though You know you get the best doctors in the world and you know they do this stuff all the time. It's still your career and pitching is such like a fragile endeavor That you know he wanted to to celebrate and so essentially dr. Keith Meister who Has his own orthopedic practice in Texas. He's a rangers head physician You know, there's a handful of you know noted surgeons who do these over and over and he was in Arizona checking in on a bunch of his patients and for steel he got this All clear which Effectively means that one you no longer has these regularly scheduled appointments with Meister and two he can start throwing his curveball again because Otherwise, I mean you were down there earlier when spring training was starting you know steel included his videos

5:20Like he was in throwing 30 40 pitch bullpen's already um, so this was you know, not like a breakthrough This was kind of on the calendar Already, but you know a nice A nice milestone for him when you're going through it. It's kind of it can be a lonely experience It's very isolating You're sort of part of the team, but not really and so At this point though the timeline didn't change I think that's why the videos it was like oh, and you know people started picking it up No, he's still targeting May slash June Ish The cubs have not made a decision yet on the 60-day IL because they don't have to Um, I think they're going to they have roughly three weeks Which will give them a lot more information Um, they'll get some clarity on other areas of the roster like do they need that roster spot, but like

6:25Without any setbacks, he's probably right around that borderline of 60 days Anyways, and I think it's important to remember that Like steel crack Council said it like Things are going really well like they're very encouraged That does not mean Things are going to go at that same pace or velocity for the entire length of this rehab process and so it would be Normal if at some point not saying this is happening, but maybe he You know, doesn't bounce back quite as quickly and maybe he does need to like take a couple extra days here here or there whatever the case mean um You know something bad happened. It's just These things are not always as linear as you want them to but the last thing I would say is just that They're thinking about October with all of this that you know steel You know, there's always that sort of tension between the player and the team with the player always wants to get back

7:29You know as quick as possible and the team You know, it has to be the one to be a little more deliberate or patient at least in a lot of cases Uh, but this one They're talking points are pretty similar in terms of you know steel wants to be At his best and the most important moments and the Cubs will sort of have to manage backwards from that uh in a sense Yeah, I mean Having Justin steel as kind of this This guy that can join your rotation You know may or June whatever it may be um, I think it kind of is ideal Being able to slow play this and you wrote about it how they were short they put the this front office felt they were short With Justin steel and Cade Horton hurt And the postseason they felt like they were exposed in that way Uh, Edward Cabrera is here to kind of be more I don't want to call him a stable arm since he's not someone that has a pristine history of help

8:30But another weapon in that rotation uh that has a chance to be a front uh front line starter Like I don't want to uh I think it's important to remember how good Justin steel can be when he's right uh, he's You know, he he seemed to like he was kind of coming into his own and becoming this incredibly consistent picture his first Four starts before the injury it weren't great last year uh they But you know, I haven't asked him about this and and maybe I should maybe He wasn't fully right All season long uh and never could really find himself it could also have just been like It's four starts and it doesn't matter and it was just like trying to find his rhythm and then the injury popped up And he it's he pitched in Japan, right? So he would have started Whatever that you were there mid mid march and then come back to Arizona and then

9:31Right great the right season. Yeah. Yeah, so and I think he was giving up home runs There were a lot of things that people were like this doesn't seem like Justin steel uh I just think that the reality of Like the potential I should say of a of a Justin steel like a 2024 version of Justin steel uh That's really to 2023 I guess was a breakout season um that's very enticing that like that Seeing imagining him kind of rounding into form in the middle of the summer has to be incredibly uh Exciting for the Cubs for an office for the coaching staff, but also they they know that Don't rush it because you want to have him ready for October and and really you know humming Uh In theory that could that could look really good uh and they could have uh you know

10:33A lot to choose from and and Craig council will have some tough choices, which I think it they they love to have those It is march. It is like you you can slow play it He's not in games yet. He's not he's not performing Uh one thing We can we can talk about guys that are in in there in the Uh, you know Getting after it on the mound. It's spring training. Not all of it is perfect James and ties had Three starts And they have not been good before we get it to James and time just left for team canada royal baseball classic uh All of our coverage all of our world Baseball classic coverage is brought to you by our friends at Fox one which is live stream all your Fox favorites together in one place including all WBC games over the next few weeks And after that the best MLD action all season long

11:35Uh, you can Start your seven-day free trial at fox1.com royal baseball classic live march 4th to 17th Texting privacy policy in terms of conditions posted in texting terms. US texting rolls you for occurring I made a text marketing message. Your message data is my apply or play stopped out Is it ISSA online for details tired of the nine to five grind looking for something different Flexible fulfilling and pay as well. How do you like to get paid to work out now? You can with ISSA the global leader in personal fitness certification There's a huge demand for certified personal trainers right now and once you get ISSA certified They guarantee you'll get a job trainers can make as much as one hundred dollars an hour Yes, I said one hundred dollars an hour and with ISSA you can be certified in as little as six weeks You do everything at your own pace and one hundred percent online pursue your passion in specializations like yoga nutrition Or strength training get certified and live your life on your terms work at a gym start your own business or a side hustle Whatever works for you. Just don't wait. Get your free personal training evaluation kit today Get certified in as little as six weeks and ISSA guarantees you'll get a job text lift to thirty to thirty two thirty two thirty two thirty two

12:43Lift to thirty two thirty two thirty two Patrick We asked Greg Gaussel about this just because One start you don't care like it even two starts. It just doesn't matter He's been giving up a lot of home runs and he had a stretch of games where he gave up home runs last season I think if you'd look at his body of work last season It was a really strong season and he was their best starter in the postseason most consistent starting postseason Really seem to find something down the stretch even with the injury He came back and he just looked he looked good But I think it's a fair question when when it's this bad and you're just kind of wondering like at what point do you care I think that's it's as simple as that what when when does it matter and and council said like look he's not He's not pitching well Like he it's not like he's like he's working Yeah, he didn't dismiss it to say like this is pointless to talk about

13:46But he also wasn't like I'm in freak out mode because there's nothing to be concerned about just yet It's is he healthy? Yes Okay, he's got to work on stuff and get better and figure things out now He needs to be further along because he's got to go play in the wb But I don't think when when he's out there on March 2nd and pitching poorly That's not something that you need to be overly concerned with it's something you keep your eye on see how it progresses We just talked about the potential of depth here We'll see what what more happens with this team But it's not June It's not September. It is March 2nd or we're recording on March 3rd. He pitched on March 2nd It's a thing to watch It's not a thing to worry about because he can work through these things Like if there's one thing we know that James in town will do is he's he'll identify what's wrong He'll work with his pitching coaches He'll he'll work on it and get it right like whether it you know whether it's fixed in time for the season

14:50We'll see but we know we'll put the work in The season is too long to be doing this the first week of March. I just can't like There's not you know showed a managa Another pitcher we're mentioning in this wbc segment because I asked him the other day you know through his interpreter like Now that the wbc is creeping forward and You know the team Japan has assembled is part of you Maybe missing it a little more and he said well It wasn't entirely my decision and you know, I think he He gets a lot of counsel From you know different people and I'm sure his I'm guessing his employer and his agency were probably on the same page with this one and you know, it just makes the most sense for him You know When he's on a one-year qualifying offer to you know be with his team when he's had this you know

15:54You know sweeping offseason program to try to get back to where he was you know get it but Like Yeah, his velocity was up Good one outing gave a bunch of home runs the next like showed him an auger's gonna give up home runs and so Yeah, the discourse kind of surprised me like if If they were pitching awesome would we be mentioning it like I don't know it just seems it seems kind of early for me like I don't know if they could have Three bad starts at the beginning of the season like obviously we'd mention that you know, but like you know It's hard to get fired up over the cag to sleep. I think Jed Hoyer says it Every year pretty much every like you know season opening media session That what spring training in September or the two worst times to evaluate players um and that you know Did Kyle Tucker get one hit in spring training last year or something up

16:55Now like he would a real long time then he was awesome uh, you know in the first half and then was uh great In the second half and so like I get it like this is You know, there's only so much we have to go on here uh, but you're right like I mean tie on was Awesome in the playoffs last year. I think he showed a lot Because he's always been this sort of like solid mid to a pitcher I think for him to pitch the way he did in October Uh, was very impressive and Yeah, like you know showed a council made the point like Even in show does you know all star season he gave up a lot of homers like yarn perfect pictures out there That's kind of his you know his weakness even when he's rolling Yeah, it's just not you know showed him a nugget giving up homeruns. They were all solo homeruns. So you know good for him Like I'm not like he's gonna give up homeruns. He probably is gonna be you know among like

17:56If he's healthy and pitches a ton of innings He's gonna be among the top of the league when it comes to homeruns would be my guy He may also be one of the best pitchers in the game Even despite doing that because he doesn't walk a lot of guys and as long as That's all he's doing giving up the occasional solo homerun you'll you can handle it like You know, they're they always say solo homeruns won't kill you. That's that's how how these guys look at it They're not gonna dwell on it. They'll move on quickly You don't want to you don't want to overreact to the negative stuff But buy in all in on anything good say us is uki hit a second deck homerun in a wbc Warm up game. So that means he's he's ready You know he's ready to go. I'm sure he's gonna have a 30 homerun season based solely on that One guy that I don't you know like he's he's someone that I think gets a lot of I

19:00Tired of the nine to five grind looking for something different that's flexible fulfilling and pays well How do you like to get paid to work out now you can with iss a the global leader in personal fitness certification There's a huge demand for certified personal trainers right now and once you get iss a certified They guarantee you'll get a job trainers can make as much as one hundred dollars an hour Yes, I said one hundred dollars an hour and with iss a you can be certified in as little as six weeks You do everything at your own pace and one hundred percent online pursue your passion in specializations like yoga nutrition or strength training Get certified and live your life on your terms work at a gym start your own business or side hustle Whatever works for you just don't wait get your free personal training evaluation kit today Get certified in as little as six weeks and iss a guarantees you'll get a job Text lift to 32 32 32 text lift to 32 32 32 lift to 32 32 32 Start trading crypto on kraken with just ten dollars by bitcoin ethereum and over 450 other crypto assets in seconds kraken has been around for over

20:03Fourteen years and is trusted by millions worldwide whether you're brand new or looking for a better experience Kraken makes it easy to get started Download kraken on the app store or google play that's kr a ke n not investment advice Crypto trading involves risk of loss and is offered to us customers excluding new york and name through payword interactive incorporate If you regal Disclosure's at kraken.com slash regal slash Disclosure's terms and conditions apply This is julie nettleman from dudes on dudes with groankin jewels. All right real quick take a look at yourself right now Why what's wrong nothing's wrong You look like a guy running on three hours of sleep and vibes. Okay. Yeah. I'm tired kind of cranky and very thirsty Congrats. Those are some of the potential signs of mild dehydration And I bet your last bathroom break showed you another sign your body might be throwing you a penalty flag So what's the play call liquid iv hydration multiplier One stick in water helps hydrate faster than water alone. Okay, but where's the proof liquid ivy's clinical studies

21:06Not just a guy. I know real science results you can trust. Well take a look at me now liquid ivy is officially part of my daily hydration routine Past the fire cracker popsicle flavor stay hydrated like a pro not like jack before this stock up on liquid iv hydration multiplier at liquid dash ivy.com And use the promo code nut house for 20% off your first purchase You know a lot of people talk about say this is yuki's Kind of break out. I don't know what it was a step up in in power and then he's he's been pretty good All three however many seasons he's been with the cubs is a four This is your five right it was a five-year deal. Yeah, cuz it's right after the The new cba was ratified so the five-year deal for that five-year deal for for say Expectations are high for him. I feel like

22:07Someone that barely gets coverage and I I do this too. I sometimes forget when listing off The impact players on this offense Michael bush is just you know going about business Uh He's going you wrote about how he's going to be playing every day now He he just doesn't get talked enough talked about enough. He's someone that Uh, you know, there was a little online discourse about is he a top 10 first baseman in the league Look he Waiter runs greater plus is the stat I like he was second best among first baseman last year You want to ding him for not playing against lefties. I get it He's he's got to overcome that challenge the challenge before that He's placed he's faced plenty of challenges over his short cubs career. It's a can he play first base I think quickly answered whether he could do that Athletic looks really good at the position Uh, first year struggled a little bit of wriggly field every a lot of lefties do last year

23:12He crushed it at wriggly field. He was he had The best wriggly among the regulars. He had the best numbers among like lefties or righties great season at wriggly field great season overall uh faced uh, uh, performed in the playoffs first time in the postseason delivered four home runs 11 28 OPS and eight games just dominated Uh, and now this is the next challenge that he faces, you know Playing I've got to overcome facing lefties starting against lefties uh I don't I don't think he's going to be overwhelmed by this moment He's not this boisterous personality like we've seen it first base before he's not an imposing figure like we've seen it first Base before Derek Lee Anthony Rezo marked race some some big names Uh, much loved cubs as far as the fan base is concerned Uh, he may not be like the quote of the year. He may not be this hulking figure in the box

24:13Uh, he's been really good and one of the best for a spaceman as far as the numbers go Uh, the past couple of years and I I get I get the need that he needs to prove it one more thing I wouldn't I wouldn't doubt that he can No, and Craig council when I asked him about bush the other day and council will just Pull out good quick anecdotes here and there sometimes you don't even expect it any bush was batting at Sloan park and he was standing next to Alex Bregman and so Bush's numbers are up on the board last year and it's like 34 homers A66 OPS and Bregman sort of gave council a look like Wow, pretty you know pretty good and You know that did not include he had four home runs in the playoffs and it did not have The context of how you know, he had to sit again certain left-handed pictures and you know, I think he was maybe

25:14I think he accumulated the seventh most played appearances on the team something like that So like it was a healthy role, but not you know full For the full role that obviously bush would Prefer and you know, this is his chance. He's still got to go Earn it You know, I think I wrote he's a good hitter and a bad self-promoter And I will I will give MLB I think it's only network to they do all those like top 10 positions like yeah At each position like They are genius for like dropping those because oh inevitably there's someone out there He's like such a silly exercise, but it's like great content because inevitably You know fans get get riled up and annoyed and you know, I don't know if there's 10 first base and better, but I think clearly he Cleared that bar of like everyday player for a first division team. I think that's kind of

26:15What you look for right of like can can you trust this guy? You know with 600 played appearances I know what that was I think that's a I should have unplugged the Alexa or whatever that is Maybe it might but you know where I'm going with it Yeah, I mean, I think uh you look at what Michael bush Hit in the postseason He has emerged as one of the guys that you'd say is Has the potential to carry this offense and and not only that like he he was remarkably consistent I don't I don't recall many down moments last year like when I say down moments. I mean like two three one month long stretches of poor performance That's normal for majority of players like it only the elite of the elite don't have like

27:15a two-week One month down stretch where it's like this guy's struggling, you know, they every player goes through that for the most part Pretty much like it's like Aaron judge show hey otani and a couple others where you're not talking about those moments I i'm not putting Michael bush at that level. I'm not uh, but He was Impressively consistent and you know, he had a couple down moments. Maybe as it comes, but not a ton But this is a guy that I'm pretty impressed with and and I feel like it's kind of the beginning Uh, and there's more there. It may be not more as far as like the numbers he put up were really Impressive like I said, it's just like one final Like you know the topping to his To his season To his career, I guess and and just like he feels like someone that's gonna, you know, establish himself as a long-time Productive for his basement

28:16Yeah, no doubt. I think you know, what a great trade with the Dodgers. I think He better establish himself, you know, if some of these Dodgers prospects Outfield they're supposedly pretty good. I don't know how much you play for the Dodgers, but um Yeah, a really true trade um By Jed Hoyer's front office there and just really You're right. He's not Physically imposing, but like that he is that exact like college hitter that the cubs love drafting um Of just like The size like a nice compact left-handed swing Athletic enough to be a real nice first basement defensively Um, and just to really That's kind of hit everywhere. He's he's been and so you know, that's a real Real nice piece to have for several years and you know, it's it's been a while

29:20Took a while to sort of, you know, replace Anthony Rizzo. He is not Anthony Rizzo, but like we just said a really Stoddly above average two-way player on a playoff team like period and that's a good You know top 10 or not. That's pretty good Yep. All right, uh, let's wrap this up. This is north side territory. Make sure to rate review subscribe subscribe to the youtube channel and subscribe to the athletic We're Patrick and I are on top of all things cubs. Thanks so much for listening everyone. Take care

30:24Kraken is built to make crypto simple by bitcoin ethereum and over 450 other assets in seconds fast account funding fast with draws And recurring buys if you want to stay on schedule simple secure and trusted for over 14 years Download Kraken on the app store or google play that's kr a kem not investment advice crypto trading involves risk of loss and is offered to US customers excluding new york and main through payward interactive incorporate view legal disclosures at Kraken.com slash legal slash disclosures Terms and conditions apply I'm u.s transportation secretary Sean duffy The sound of a seatbelt It's one of the most important sounds in our car It means everyone is ready and everyone is safe the more our kids see us put on our seat belts The more natural it is for them to put theirs on too Make it a priority buckle up every time hear the sound make it a habit paid for by nitsa

31:25When you manage procurement for multiple facilities every order matters But when it's for a hospital system they matter even more Granger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays That's why Granger offers millions of products and fast dependable delivery So you can keep your facilities stocked safe and running smoothly Call 1-800-GRanger click ranger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones to get it done