Cubs REKAP Podcast ⚾️ (S3 – EP40) – Cubs DISAPPOINT as Winter Meetings Come to a Close
Welcome in to the latest edition of our Cubs Recap podcast, a presentation of our recap YouTube channel. Give us a follow. Look for RE KAP on YouTube and on our social channels. Follow me at the capman. I’m David Kaplan. Gordon Whitmer’s at the baseball winter meetings. in sunny, beautiful Orlando, Florida. We’ll get into all the activities down there. Not much involving the Chicago Cubs. We’ll get to that in a moment. Our podcast is brought to you, as always, by our great partners at Sinus and Snoringmd.com. Take it from this guy. I was a snore. My wife finally said, “Hart to heart, hun. I can’t handle the snoring anymore. I need to sleep, too.” I went to sinus and snoring MD. We have a family friend. His daughter works there. Guess what? In and out. Same day. No more snoring. Happy wife, happy life. Wow. There’s a good friend of ours right there jumping in on our podcast. He needs sinus and snoring MD as well. Sinusmd.com because I traveled with him. That is Jeff Corbettz, my longtime friend and he was one of the camera guys I traveled with Gordon the spring training and he was with me the day I broke the Scotty Pippen getting traded story. We were in the elevator in 1994 when the guy gave me the story and we broke everything comes back to a story you broke in the 90s. Yeah, that’s it. Come on, we got some new stuff there Cap. We need some new breaking stories. You take care, buddy. Good to see you, man. All right, back to our podcast already underway. Gordon, you’re down there, my friend, and your friend Jesse Rogers is down there. It’s like the center of the baseball universe, and the Cubs have done exactly nothing. Let me tell you how long this week’s already been. Look at this. Look at See the bags under my eyes? Yeah. I mean, I’m 30 years old. I mean, I don’t have These aren’t because I’m old like you, man. They’re not like your bags under my eyes. This is just from this week. Wow. How about the activity or lack thereof of the Chicago National League Ball Club. Yeah, how about that? I mean, we got uh all the big market clubs, right? The Dodgers go get Edwin Diaz. The Phillies got Kyle Schwarvag on $150 million. The Orioles, the freaking Orioles went and spent 155 on Pete Alonzo. Everybody’s doing something. We got trades in the works. One of the quietest, dude, the Chicago freaking White Socks made more news than the Cubs this year. They won the lot draft lottery. They’re getting a really good player, it looks like. Come on, Cubs. What What are you doing? Guys are flying off the board. And and look, I’m I’m hearing that uh unlike a lot of this is one of those years where there’s enough teams trying to get better and and play for something next year that there’s a lot of teams putting major league players on the market looking for trades, looking for major league trades, not not not teams tearing down and and uh and you know, trading prospects. And so, you know, that might signal that there’s opportunities to be had in the free agent market because the Cubs aren’t going to trade from their major league roster. You got to go get these guys while they’re out there. And Robert Suarez would be a perfect example. They’re they’re in on him. And uh the some of the top closer arms are already gone and they’ve talked openly about going after another leverage arm after getting Philon. So, go get him. Go get him now. I mean, I think MLB Trade Rumors projects three years and 48 million. Go get it. Go get it done. It always strikes me as interesting that the Chicago Cubs always are waiting on bargains. Got to wait on the market to come back to us. Oh god, I didn’t know that guy. We misjudged it. I didn’t know that guy would be gone already. And then last year I you my partner Jonathan Hood on the radio screaming Ryan Presley’s old. Why are you putting eight million into that guy trying to wiggle in, you know, shoehorn in whatever money you can get the Astros to eat and get the rest on your budget. And of course you end up having to release him because he was no good. And then have Craig Council come out on Tuesday and go, “Yeah, we were wrong about the bullpen.” No Yeah. Exactly. I mean, and and they got lucky, pulled their asses out of the fire when other guys got the job done. Um, but the guys, you know, even in 2025, they go in and and they got it all wrong. And so he he he talked, this was Tuesday, council talked about, yeah, we need to we need to get it right this year. He talked about the other thing he talked about was during a regular season, you know, you you get by with with what you got, you know, you get you can get by with the pitching they had last year, for instance. But the deeper you go into the postseason, he said this yesterday, he said, “If we if we had been able to get through that last game against the Brewers, we had enough pitching to maybe get through that. We wouldn’t have had enough pitching after that.” And he’s right. They they wouldn’t had close to enough pitching after that. Kevin, I lost you. Oh, there you are. I’m right here. Hey, it he is 100% right that when you get to the postseason, you’re like, “Wow, we’re hanging in there. We have to get a big out here in the sixth or seventh inning. Guess what? You better have high leverage arms.” I mean, hell, you look at the way that series against the Brewers went. Look at the way the World Series went. Look at the way the ALCS went and the and the Tigers Mariners series before that. I mean, they leaned hard on those staffs and those were the Mariners had one of the best staffs in baseball and they couldn’t quite get it done against the Blue Jays. And then, of course, they went up against the Dodgers. You’re just not going to win without that kind of depth, front end type depth. That’s why they got to they got to go out and get uh the kid from Japan, Emani, and a legitimate backend leverage guy in the bullpen. Okay. But when you say go get this kid Emi, I mean is he Yamamoto? No. Is he better than SHA? Maybe. Why not just go get a proven freaking arm in the major leagues like Framber Valdez? Okay. Cost you nothing but money, right? But same with this other guy. And so whoever you think is going to be that guy, go get him. It could be either one of those guys. But, uh, I like the idea of a guy coming in who none of these big league hitters have seen yet. You c maybe catch a little lightning in a bottle. Look what Shoda did his first year. By the way, speaking of Shota, uh, he was a big topic of conversation with council uh, during that session here at the winter meetings. Well, because our friend George Offman, I think, was the first to report the Cubs were shocked and did not think he would accept the offer. The Cubs are pushing back on that narrative. You You know why? Because the same reason I told you it was the best thing that could have happened for him. It’s a one-year friaking deal. Cap, look, what what they turned down was the three-year commitment. Then he naturally turned down the one year for what, 15, 17, whatever it was. His option. So, they get him for one year, 22. Big friaking deal. I mean, they can handle that. Whether he’s, you know, if if he bounces back or has the same kind of season he did in 25, they can handle that. And I told you I think I think that he can bounce back and and you know we’re gonna I got some video of this. We’re going to cue up what council said on that subject here. Listen to what he said. I’m really excited about Sha. I I I think he is going to is in a really good place. I think um sometimes not achieving what we want or not getting the opportunities we want or uh not performing how we want is the best teacher for us and and is the best motivator for us. Um and I think Sha is going to take his lessons from last year and and be a be better for them. Um, and so I’m I’m very optimistic about what we’re going to get from Shell. Do you think from the outside it might look like he’s far from the pitcher that he was, but it’s it’s probably not the case. It’s I I I agree with that a thousand%. I I I think Sha got off track last year. There’s no question about it. He he got off track. Um, and and I but I but you know, maybe maybe one of the reasons we were collectively unable to help him get back on track is that it was so close that it’s it was hard to see. Um, and I think sometimes just a step back and you’re out of competition and a little perspective um helps you get back to that place and a and a challenge frankly, right? um and the challenge of the struggles um helps you have a little clarity on getting back to your best self um and maybe a better self even. Um and so someone who um the the diligence and and the intelligence that he approaches pitching and problems around pitching, I think he’s he’s going to come back from this uh with a lot of success. Now, before we before we talk about that, Cap, we have one more short clip. Somebody followed up real quick and asked him what got him off track. So, let’s let’s hear that, too. That’s a shorter clip. Okay. Because up until September, he was being good. Yeah. I I think sometimes I think the injury got him off track. Um, and sometimes the I think we had a period of some results covered up some things, but I think they were there. Um, and uh and and then, you know, they kind of showed themselves. One more. So, this is what I this is what I theorized. And now he’s saying I he got done talking. I looked over at Jesse Rogers who was sitting next to me and I said, “Didn’t I just tell you this an hour ago? Isn’t this what I was just saying an hour ago? You missed a spot in the middle of your back, Gordon. Patting your Yeah. Well, I’ll use the other hand this time. So, are you starting to come around maybe thinking like that? No, not until I see him perform. Do do you think that he should do do you have any do you not expect him to be a productive part, a constructive part? Somebody who gives you at least some decent innings through the years, middle of the rotation guy. Um, I guess he could be okay. All I’m telling you is I like strikeout guys. He’s not a strikeout guy. He’s a 91 92. I want guys that high leverage. That dude get gets swing and miss. He doesn’t do that. I want guys that get outs and you’ve got one of the best middle infields in the game. You got one of the best overall defenses in the game. I think you can handle guys that put the ball in play. Uh is not as long as they’re not giving up 110 mph shots. Okay. Then you then they better and you better be right or you wasted 22 million and more importantly the opportunity to go out and spend to get a better arm. Well, you know that part you’re speaking my language. They need to why you haven’t gone out and done more already, why you didn’t do more at the trade deadline, why you didn’t do more last winter. All these things are legitimate questions and now we’ve got two months before they open camp and you’d like to see more there. So, you’ve got the resources, do it. Um, by the way, you know, um, you know, I I’ll say one more thing and then and I want to do I want to follow up on CHO again, too. You know, I you and I talked about this when we were talking about the CBA and how with the negotiations coming up and one more year left on this CBA, how teams with resources might have an opportunity here in front of them to uh maybe load up ahead of that what because if they change the rules dramatically and and you have a a clear advantage under these rules, use it. like maybe use this last opportunity you have to load up under these rules rules with less limits and then go into next year if there’s more limits. You’re not going to get penalized. Nobody’s getting penalized for playing under the rules now as they go forward. And and I just saw uh I just saw uh The Athletic do a story on that talking to some people in relation to the Dodgers. Uh, and they’re the classic example obviously, but you just saw the you just saw the Orioles too spend $155 million on a hitter uh when when they missed out on Schwarber and went out got Pete Alonzo. So, I think there’s some there’s some wisdom there if you’ve got the financial flexibility and or just sheer resources that a team like the Cubs would have to go do something like that. So, it makes it in my mind even more egregious. Um and and in the meantime, you know, you’re you’re looking at SHO and saying $22 million. Oh, is that a waste of money and how’s that going to impact the payroll? It shouldn’t impact it at all. Uh this again is our Cubs recap podcast and it’s brought to you by our great partners at Sinus and Snoring MD. Sinus and Snoringmd.com. Don’t let allergies ruin your fun. Get relief today. Breathe clearly, sleep better, stop the snoring, start the sleeping, clear your sinuses, and enjoy the crisp winter air. sinus and snoring MD.com. I want to go back to something that you said. You were talking about We got one more. We do have one more show to clip. Okay. Play that first and I’m going to ask you about it. But I want to ask you before we play that clip. Uh we talked about the phys what we saw of him, the way he pitched. also talked about the injury and your faith in him that you’ve you’ve been critical, you know, like they they couldn’t even pitch him in the playoffs, right? They skipped him in the playoffs. Yeah. The biggest game of the year, game five, right? And so to your criticism on that, council addressed that too, uh, as you know, coming off of that, you know, was that a, uh, you know, a lack of confidence in the guy, whatever, and and how does that impact him coming out of last season? So listen to what he says here about that in relation to this interview like considering how it ended with him and skipping him in game five and things. No, I mean I think just that I mean I think it’s you know Shodto was is is looking forward to how I’m going to be better like that. That’s why you know then that’s why you’re optimistic too. Um it it’s it’s look what’s next. What’s next? What’s next? I think that’s show’s mindset is what’s next? um how am I going to get better? Um how am I going to get you know put myself in a place that I should be? So um you know he got some I think he feels like he has something to prove. Um and um you know that that’s that’s a great mindset for an athlete to be in. We talked a lot about the wriggly field adnauseium being a home field advantage or disadvantage or So there you go. Just go get one arm, Cap. Just go get one big arm. Go all in and get one guy. Well, let me ask you a question. After hearing Craig, and again, I I fire on Craig out of frustration at times for some of his in-game strategy, but he’s a smart baseball guy. I’ve never doubted that part of the equation. Do you think I’m not saying he regrets taking the job, but he feels like he was hoodwinkedked. Well, you come to the Cubs, you’re going to have all these resources, and yet he can’t beat the Brewers two straight years. How can he not feel that way? I mean, if you spent all that time with the Brewers, you know, sitting in those rooms knowing your your resources were as limited as they were there, and you were constantly relying on unproven guys coming up through the system, trying to make the best of that situation, and then as soon as they prove themselves, whether it’s, you know, uh, Corbin Burns winning a Sai Young or whatever, and then being shipped out, you’re watching the Cubs over there with as much money as they want and all of a sudden the Cubs come after you, and they give you more money than any managers has ever been paid in history. What are you going to think? You’re going to think, “Holy crap, I just I I just went to the I I’m going to the top of the division and staying there and all of a sudden it’s Milwaukee 2.0 for him.” I I don’t know how you can not think that. I totally agree. My other question is, did you have a chance to interact with our friend Scott Boris? Yeah, there was a uh a massive Boris scrum. talked to some of his people about some of my guys in Cincinnati. Um, and he dropped uh well, let’s see. I’m trying to think of who he’s got. I don’t know that some of the Chicago Yeah. Dylan Ce our Chicago cohorts talked about some of his clients in relation to the Cubs. But after cease, I don’t know. You know, I read I read a quote from him where he said Dylan wanted to be a Blue Jay and he told me, “Get a deal done if you can with the Blue Jays.” Our friend Michael Sarami from Bleacher Nation has reported that the Cubs were at 200 million and once it went north of that, they were out and they do not do deferrals for whatever reason. They don’t do deferrals. But then I heard Boris say, “I was directed by my client. He’d like to pitch in Toronto if possible. Why? I love Toronto. How much time have you spent in Toronto? A lot. It’s a great city. I never said it wasn’t. But but there were all the reports where he wanted to be a Cub. It was at 210. You’re telling me if he told Jed, “I want to come,” Jed couldn’t have come up with 10 million more. Tell you what, Cap, if you you watch that World Series, I watch that World Series. I don’t know how you can come away from that and not think what a great environment to play in. And if they’re serious about ramping up off of that, which they’ve shown that they are. Yeah. Then you have to feel pretty good about going going there. Uh it’s the the the fan base is electric. The you’re an entire country’s team and and they’re really freaking good right now. He knows the Cubs organization. That’s where he started. He knows Chicago because he spent so much time with the White Socks after that trade for for your boy Canana. Um, and my boy. Yeah. And so he knows the difference. He knows what he’s saying when he says that. And if it were if it was Cubs versus Blue Jays and he said, “I want to play for the Blue Jays.” as much as anything that tells me that he says I got more faith in what they tell me they’re going to try to do and and their ownership is putting it on the line. They went and signed they they went and signed their guy Vlatty the $500 million contract. They did. Vlatty said, “I don’t care how many years you need to structure it over. I’m getting 500 million or I’m gone.” I didn’t see him do that with anybody else. I didn’t see I mean the Cubs. I didn’t see the Cubs do that with anybody or anything close to that. So my question is then when does something get done or are we sitting here the first of the year twiddling our thumbs on the Cubs recap podcast and me going this is Well, we’ll probably I am almost positive we’ll have a reason to call something between now and spring training. Um but let’s see what it’s December 10th. So, we got three three weeks to the first of the year. Uh, I think they’ll get something I I think they’ll do something between now and then. They might do something in the next week. I mean, you think they’ll do something between now and when? I would say I would say within this by this time next week. I’ll bet I’ll bet they’ve done something. Um, I’ll bet they’ve done at least something with the bullpen. Yeah, I got a tip. They’re scouting the Polish national team and there’s a 36 year old who’s revitalized his career in the pitch lab and that’ll be the next big addition. Yeah. And and Yeah. Right. And it’s an incentive laden contract, you know, right? They got him on a two-year deal with nine options. Yeah. I mean I mean what what is going on here? Come on now. You know, and going back to what I said about where we are right now with with with the CBA and how you’ve got these rules in place for one more season. God damn it. If you’re not if you’re ever going to do it, do it now. Plus, you’re coming off the best season you’ve had in years. You’ve got some pitching in. You got enough in place right now and a couple young kids coming that you can kind of dream on a little bit. Healthy should be a big part of your rotation. And And you’re not trying. You got a division that’s winnable. You got your your arch rival who could have ramped up the last couple of years has taken massive steps back. They’re the Cardinals are non-factors. They might be less factors than Pittsburgh. And so, I mean, it’s right there. You got to be two small market teams. Gordon, it’s so frustrating. And me wearing my fandom on my sleeve, I think I speak for thousands of Cubs fans. This is that they don’t try really intensely to try and see if they can win a division and make a run, you know. Um it’s funny because the council media session began talking about the young guys like Matt Shaw was the first question and he said he expects Matt Shaw to be a big part of the team next year. Well, that means there’s no Bregman coming then. Exactly. Exactly. That’s my point. and and so I mean we can we can hear that sound. One thing that’s not on that video that he said was that also in play depending on what the roster finally looks like in spring training. I mean if he had to move around they could move him around but it sounds pretty much like right now. I mean he’s he’s their third baseman. Listen to what he had to say about Shaw. just I mean, I think I think Matt had a very good rookie season. Um, and I think the reason you say that is cuz he he made improvements and he and as the season went on, I think he he got better. We we got a better offensive player in the second half. We got a very good offensive player in the second half. Um, I think, you know, we’d all agree defensively. I think he surprised everybody and made enormous progress as the seasons went on to the point of like plus borderline plus plus third baseman by the end of the season. Those are all great things. Um and so you know Matt’s going to play a big part in this team. There’s no question he’s going to have a big big role and a big place on this team. That’s not Then that means they’re not going to announce tonight at like 11:56 I call you and go they just signed Bregman to a five-year deal for 150. It’s not going to happen. No, you’ll get a full night’s sleep, my friend. And not only that, but he talked about Owen Casey as as a guy. He talked about uh Bisteros. He tal he was asked about whether they think they have enough in-house with some of these young guys to to to run him out there and and maybe replace Tucker’s loss by by these young guys kind of fill in the void and it’s I mean it sounded like yeah he even mentioned to Bayister he drew this comparison he said what he gave us in September was basically what Tucker was Tucker’s bat. So I think we’ve got Katie can play it. I think we’ve got sound here of him talking about the just the notion of replacing Tucker’s back to to replace Tucker’s production or are you confident that the kids can step up if not equal that production maybe come close? Yeah, I mean I think you’re just trying to fortify the roster as a whole. Um and and so different um you know we we can do it you can do it and think about it in different ways. Um but you know I mean I think more depth from the position player standpoint and produ like would would be helpful. Absolutely. Um like I I do think we were again extremely healthy there last year. So more depth there is important with Moises. How are how are you thinking about balancing the need for continued development at the catching position versus like he’s a major league ready bat? Yeah, I mean I I think he’s at the point where if he can help the major league team, he’s going to be in the major leagues. [Music] Yeah, it wasn’t it wasn’t all of what he said on that subject, but forget it, man. It’s all about pitching because I don’t think they’re going to add anything significant to that lineup. I I also read today that the Dodgers are engaged on Kyle Tucker, but they will only go shortterm, three to four years. That’s it. And that they are finding this is the Tucker camp. There are multiple teams pushing back. I don’t want to be locked into that guy for that many years now. It only takes one. There could be one GM goes, I’ll give you eight years. But they said they’re finding multiple teams going too vanilla. It’s just there’s not enough fire there. They to get that type of payday. You got to be a ass kicker. Yeah. I was talking to some people here about him, too. And and getting the same kind of vibe, you get the same kind of feedback. Um, you know, a good comparison is, you know, so so he’s a lefty bat that also brings you a glove, right? So, you know, he’s a plus glove, plus lefty bat, but you don’t get like Kyle Schwarber gives you the presence in the room. He’s been in the playoffs 10 of his 11 seasons in the big leagues. He hasn’t finished on a team with a losing record. You know, the character of the guy, and you have to fear him in the lineup. He brings you more that you can bank on. He brings you more that you you will pay for because he’s a force multiplier. And in the case of the the Cincinnati Reds were in on him. And the reason that they thought they could get serious and raise the antie on what they ordinarily spend for a guy, they made the biggest free agent offer they’ve ever made to anybody to try to get him. And the reason was is because they could uniquely capitalize on him. um sort of a very very very poor man show Otani in that market but he’s the kind of guy that I mean even in Philly his adopted home uh they love him and the fans people gravitate toward him just by watching him play just watching the way he plays way he conducts himself the way he conducts an interview fans love him front offices love him managers and teammates love him and it’s not that Tucker Tucker’s not a bad guy it’s nothing like that but he doesn’t bring that there’s there’s there’s not that extra X factor that you get a really nice player, but do you get the force multiplier? Do you get the guy that’s going to do all this other stuff for you? Um I’m not even sure you get a guy that’s like like he’s not it’s just not the way he’s built. Like he’s not the face of a franchise type guy. So you don’t you’re not gonna pay for the So you’re not going to pay face of the franchise dollars. All right, before I let you go, for f Cubs fans out there, I feel your pain. We are all in this together and to this point in time, it’s ridiculous that they don’t get much done. Very frustrating. You know, the best thing that happened to the Cubs this week at the winter meetings, tell me that Schwarber signed with Philly. They dodged a bullet that he didn’t go home. Oh god, he goes to the Reds and plays like he did in Philly. Dusty. I talked to Dusty Baker uh yesterday and I said, “What about Kyle Schwarber and and the Reds trying to get him?” He said, “Oh god, he he might hit 72 a year in that ballpark. He would have crushed it.” I mean, you talk about and plus a guy that would be motivated coming back to that division facing the Cubs four series a year. Uh, and that being the one competitive piece that that team was missing last year to go from an 83 win squeaker of a playoff team to maybe a 93 win division champ threat. Gordo, go get yourself some uh popcorn, go to a couple Disney rides, and have a good time before you leave. I’m not going anywhere near that effing mouse, man. Why? I hate the mouse. How Okay, how about going maybe on Tower of Terror? No. How about going home? I’m going to go home. Just enjoy a little sunshine. No, I’m going home. Wow. Go play in the snow. Have fun. It’s going to be 25 below windchill on Sunday. Have a I’ll come home later. I’ll come home next week. Yeah, exactly. All right, Gordon. Thanks, man. All right, take care. See you. There he is. That’s the great Gordon Whittener. That’s our Cubs recap podcast from the winter meetings where the Cubs have done absolutely nothing. And that’s disgusting. So, all brought to you by our great partners at sinusands snoringmd.com. You snore like I did, you’ve got sinus issues, allergies, that’s your spot. Sinus and snoringmd.com. I’m living proof. They’re the best. For Gordon, for Katie Langan, I’m Cap. Take that.
Gordon joins Kap LIVE from the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando as things wrap up. They break down the Cubs’ moves — or lack thereof — and react to where the front office stands heading into the offseason. Plus, we hear from Craig Counsell on Shota Imanaga, Matt Shaw, Kyle Tucker, and what happened at the end of the 2025 season.
Follow The REKAP® everywhere – https://linktr.ee/rekaps
REKAP® Merch – https://bit.ly/rekap-merch
___________________________
UPCOMING LIVE EVENTS:
🦉Join us at any of the following Hooters Locations for the Studio 41 Football REKAP® Live. Meet Kap, Guff, Katie and the entire REKAP® team, for a night about Chicago Bears Football!
🗓️Dec 9, 2025: (8pm-9pm)
4395 Fox Valley Center Dr, Aurora, IL 60504
🗓️Jan 6, 2026: (8pm-9pm)
8225 W Higgins Rd, Chicago, IL 60631
___________________________
🚀LEVEL UP your REKAP® experience! Join the REKAP Membership and unlock a ton of awesome perks including exclusive videos and more… https://bit.ly/rekap-vip
JOIN THE REKAP® Channel: https://bit.ly/join-the-rekap
MEMBERS ONLY CONTENT: https://bit.ly/rekap-members-only
🔥 Members-Only Benefits:
– Live Chats: Get your questions answered in exclusive live discussions. 💬
– Early Access: Be the first to see our videos before they’re public. ⏰
– Exclusive Content: Access members-only live streams and Shorts. 🤫
– Shout-outs: We’ll give you a personal shout-out from the REKAP® team! 🙏
– Members Only Livestreams! 💻
Join the REKAP® fam! 👇
https://bit.ly/rekap-vip
___________________________
REKAP® SPONSORS
🚗 Chicagoland Chevy Dealers: https://bit.ly/chevy-drives-chicago
🍒 tastytrade: https://bit.ly/tasty-trade
🏘️ Studio41: Home Design Showroom: https://bit.ly/studio-41
😴 Sinus and Snoring MD: Breathe and Sleep Better: https://bit.ly/sinusndsnoring
⚖️ Ankin Law: www.ankinlaw.com, https://bit.ly/ankin-law
🚀 SEOLEVELUP: https://bit.ly/seolevelupllc (REKAP® Digital Marketing Team)
☀️ Four Seasons: https://bit.ly/four-seasons-heating-cooling
🍕 Lou Malnati’s: https://bit.ly/lou-malnatis-chicago
📺 Abt Appliances & Electronics: https://bit.ly/abt-electronics Use Code: REKAP25
🔥Vertical Chimney: Take Chimney Care To A Higher Standard: https://bit.ly/vertical-chimney
🏦 Wintrust “Chicago’s Bank”: Cubs Checking: https://bit.ly/cubs-checking Sox Checking: https://bit.ly/whitesox-checking
🦉Sponsored by Hooters | Locations: https://bit.ly/hooters-locations | Menu: https://bit.ly/hooters-menu
🥤Dr Pepper Products: https://bit.ly/dr-pepper-chicago
🥇Special Olympics Illinois, Donate Now: https://bit.ly/special-olympics-illinois
🚗 Illinois Tollway Look Ahead: *999 Service – Help is at your fingertips! https://illinoistollway.com/
🍖REKAP® Recipes brought to you by Jewel Osco. https://bit.ly/jewel-osco-recipes
🐶Paws For Patrick: https://bit.ly/paws-for-patrick Text REKAP25 to 44321 to support Paws for Patrick’s life changing mission.
21 comments
Only thing that the cubs have done is get Counsell and how has that worked out not good at all
I think Counsell knew what he was getting into.
FACTS AND TRUTH KAP AND GORDON.
Cubs are happy with, mediocre
I am excited to see Ballesteros. He may be the best bat to ball guy on the team. That's all he does, but he's exactly the kind of bat that this team otherwise lacks.
I’m so sick and tired of Jed Hoyer’s face and his bull-crap excuses and used car salesman vibes and that piss-all smirk he constantly has when asked questions about his club. Another wasted off-season. I’ve never seen a club that’s allergic to spending on free agency more than this iteration of this organization in the last I’d say 4 – 5 years. It’s NEVER been as obvious as it is now. Cheap cheap cheap. And prospect hug and not bring them up nor trade them. So again…. Same shit different day.
Kap hates Shota 😂
1 of the Biggest Moves the Cubs could make would be Signing Justin Turner as 3B Coach, 1B Coach, Bench Coach seems like a Perfect fit. We can't let the best coach we have leave. Everytime we looked in that dugout he was teaching. Everytime!!! If he wants 1yr 4mil to play, over him 3yr 5mil to be your bench coach. These are the moves that seem little but mean a ton. If David Ross doesn't have a job, it's been long enough you give him a check and say "Hey we want you out there at Spring Training, We want you in the front office, you being in this building makes us wayyyyy better.
Dodgers now only need a LF, I say we trade them Happ for a haul. Clear the 20mil, Platoon Owen Cassie and Alcantara in LF to ease them in. That would be a Lethal platoon tho. LA is also in on Skubal tho, which would effect what we would get back. If these top teams have such a Need and are willing to pay a ton for Ian Happ, we need to trade him. 1yr left on him and Suzuki and Suzuki will be priority. We can easily stock Prospect 10-11 with great Sp prospects. Then we use the 20mil elsewhere on a bigger need. The Japanese LH 3B. Suarez maybe. You upgrade the position in 4 ways. 1. Young talent that will give you better Offense 2. Better D by Alcantara plus he can platoon CF. 3. Owen Cassie gives you a Tucker like player imo. 4. You now added Great prospects to restock, likely a SP and player, maybe a bullpen piece as well. 5. You now have 20mil you can use on the Japanese 3B or Sp. Bellinger to help ease guys in in LF and at DH ( Johnathan Long and Mo Ballestarios both Top 40 players. Long and Bellinger platoon perfect because they split the other way) Not sure what we do with Amaya, see if we can get him back to normal which was great before trading him. But the point is we can upgrade internally, add prospects, And clear 20mil we can use to add another Great player. This should be the Cubs focus
Is it money issues? They keep crying poor? Is that the case? Gross mismanagement? Seems like Tucker is the one year rental they kept denying all season. Cubs blundered with Shota- plain and simple. 22 million they can’t spend on free agents. Kap is 100% right now
Theo Epstein was full of shit when he left the club to Jed and said he was a great baseball man. He should have just left it to me.
Munetaka Murakami 3B Lefty platoons w/Shaw and Nico. Sp Tatsuya Imai gives us a Yamamoto like Ace. You then sign a Cody Bellinger for more $ up front, and trade Ian Happ to clear 20mil to a good team who will extend him. Platoon Owen Cassie/ Alcantara who both bring Huge Power in LF. Both Top 40 prospects. Ready. At DH you have Johnathan Long, Cody Bellinger and Mo Ballestarios to platoon. Cody can platoon Suzuki (Needs extended) Alcantara and Cody can platoon Pca and help him stay hot. Cody can step in LF if you need a Vet. 1B Long is very good so Busch would have great backups. Catcher Amaya Kelly Mo Ballestarios. Across the entire field you have Lh/Rh platoons that are gonna shred guys. Ease your 4 Top 40 prospects that are ready in using platoons. Sp Amai, Boyd, Horton, Steele, Tailion, Shota, Assad who can still be great. Rea as Long Relief. That's pry the best rotations in baseball and you may flip 1 at the deadline to clear cap. If it's Shota that's 30mil off the books between him and Happ and prospects coming back to restock. Ben Brown and Wicks need moved to the bullpen for this year where they can focus on That job only. The Japanese guys are both around our age group so they will all come up together and yes, at some point will 1 take over and not need a platoon and we can trade the other prospect for an Elite Sp prospect who is ready to go in the bullpen now. But we need more Sp prospects for sure and this plan also gives us those. Then let Jed do his 30 Minor League deals and build the rest of the bullpen that way. I do think these 3 signings -20mil for Happ we are under the 1st threshold and Cubs will go over on 1yr deals This year, Not 2 years in a row. So the best 2 RP's you can get on a 1yr deal where it doesn't put you over the threshold next year and you have to pay double. I think that's how we would sign Bellinger as well, giving him half the $ on a 3yr deal this year. Those 3 Signings, Trade Happ, Play the 4 Top 40 prospects. This team should be able to win a World Series if they play it this way. And before you say Happ has a No Trade clause, he also has 1yr like Suzuki and Nico. So if Dodgers or Phillies who need an OF are gonna pay great prospect value and extend him. I'll take another Michael Busch. Shoot, we can pry get the SP we sent them back who looks great. Jaxson Ferris? If not him the next 2 guys. I understand Happy's War, that we all like the guy. It's just time because we are not going to extend him, Suzuki, and Nico.
As always, both of you are speaking the truth. Kap, I love when you say it’s bullshit how the Cubs are acting. I think you should be the one to lead the charge against the Ricketts and Hoyer to either put up the money, or sell the team. I remember when Hendry would go out and sign pitchers and invest money, and resign Sammy to his massive deal at that time. I really felt Hendry really tried to bring a World Series to Chicago. The Ricketts are cheap and I’m sick of us acting like a mid market team. I think we the fans, should be outside Wrigley holding up signs saying, if you aren’t going to spend money to win a championship, then sell the team!
Please Kap please man when you get Tom or Jed in office just ask do they really want to win man just ask the last 3 offseason have been atrocious brother they are terrible executives i know you want to keep your relationships but just no softball questions this year nail their ass to the cross!!!!
Ricketts are the worst owners.
Just copy the Dodgers period .
I can see why you like G Dub he is a truth teller!!!
Why in the hell does Hoyer even bother flying down to Florida? The Cubs never do anything at the winter meetings. The only thing Hoyer does is look for the DFA list. He loves signing garbage.
Imai is not coming here. We are gonna sign Nick Martinez and we should be happy.Merry Christmas!
Enjoyed the podcast though disappointed in Jed Hoyers ability to make a big signing. Hope cubs add before the new year. Kap cubs made a big profit after the2025 season.. so we wait..
HAPPY HOLIDAYS KAP
The Cubs don't spend money. They don't care about winning. The Cubs franchise isn't a baseball team they are a business.