Locked On Cubs

It's finally here! Locked On Cubs 38 welcomed Joel Reese, formerly of the BP Wrigleycast podcast, to preview the 2018 Chicago Cubs. Joel and I opened by looking at a laundry list of reasons to be excited about the Cubs this season, including their improved starting rotation. Next, we looked at a handful of things that have us slightly concerned.Joel and I finished out the podcast by doing a few over/under predictions, followed by win totals for each team in the NL Central. Will Kyle Schwarber hit 34 or more home runs? Will Kyle Hendricks set a new career-high in innings pitched? We're ready for the season to get started! Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and send any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're back after the weekend with episode 37 of Locked On Cubs! After recapping the action, I looked briefly at how the race for the final bullpen spot is shaping up. In my second segment, I went over the biggest surprise of the weekend, which was that Victor Caratini is making the big league roster over Chris Gimenez. Although it's a bit of a surprise, I walked through what I believe the Cubs' logic is and why the move is pretty low-risk.Finally, I looked at the recent news with the Cubs' rivals, the Cardinals and the Brewers. The Cards are dealing with some injuries, while the Brewers have some serious rotation questions of their own. The Cubs preview show is still upcoming, but I went out on a limb and gave my feelings about how the NL Central is stacking up as we wind down to the end of spring training. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email the mailbag questions to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There was no game for me to recap, because the Cubs played late on Thursday night and the game began after I had recorded. So I pretty much just dove right into talking about the Cincinnati Reds, and for that I welcomed James Rapien of Locked On Reds and ESPN Radio. First, we talked the biggest issue for the Reds: Their pitching staff. Later, we chatted more in depth about Homer Bailey, Billy Hamilton, and a Reds prospect you'll likely see this season.James and I finished out doing our predictions, looking at a few over/under candidates, what might need to happen for the Reds to make the playoffs, and win totals for the NL Central teams. If you like what you heard, follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs. Please be sure to email any questions you'd like to have answered for a mailbag I'll be doing next week at some point to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs beat the Texas Rangers on Wednesday afternoon behind an impressive effort from former Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish. Kris Bryant hit his first home run of the spring, a three-run towering shot off Matt Moore, and the Cubs won 5-1. Just another spring day. The biggest takeaway here is that Darvish appears ready for the regular season.In my second segment, I welcomed Travis Sarandos of Brew Crew Ball (and various others) to look at the 2018 Milwaukee Brewers. We started off by talking about the starting rotation and narrowing down who might appear as the No. 4 and No. 5 starters. Next, we looked at the logjam of outfielders that all need playing time.Finally, Travis and I did the big finish: Over/under and predicting the wins in the NL Central. Please be sure to follow the podcast @LockedOnCubs on Twitter, and be sure to send any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For our second NL Central preview, I welcomed Jason Rollison of Locked On Pirates. But first, I recapped the action from Monday night and Jon Lester's solid performance. He appears to be ready for Opening Day. Jason and I started off by discussing the Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole trades, and the players the Pirates received in return. Then, we chatted a bit about former top pitching prospect Tyler Glasnow. Can he ever make it as a starter or is his future in the bullpen?We finished out by doing a little over/under, discussing how the Pirates could manage to make the playoffs, and I put Jason on the spot to pin down win totals for each team in the division. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and send any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Don't forget to enter to win a mint condition Sammy Sosa rookie card and a watercolor of Wrigley Field! Details in the pinned tweet on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yes, those dreaded St. Louis Cardinals. In the first segment, I briefly recapped the action of the weekend for the Cubs before introducing my guest for the final two segments, Craig Edwards of FanGraphs. Craig and I chatted a bit about the Cardinals, their pitching staff, and some of the questions that remain. Like, why didn't they go sign a starting pitcher? Will their bullpen be good enough?In the final segment, I tossed some tough over/under numbers at Craig and put him on the spot to predict the win totals for all five NL Central teams. Sorry about any audio quality differences on this one, I recorded the segments differently. For next time, I'll try to keep it uniform! Thanks for listening, as always. Please follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It seems like we're saying goodbye to Cubs players more and more, here on Locked On Cubs. Today, it's reliever Justin Grimm. After a rough 2017 and a few bad appearances this spring, the Cubs decided to let him go now and open up some competition for the final roster spot. Or could it be two final roster spots?I examined some relievers that could be contending for the final spots in the bullpen, including one that I think most of us hadn't even considered. Eddie Butler, Dillon Maples, Shae Simmons, Randy Rosario, and even Alec Mills have a chance of coming out of spring training in the bullpen for the Cubs. Finally, I took a deeper look at Cubs non-roster invitee Ryan Court. He grew up a big Cubs fan, and just in general is a guy you want to root for. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs. You can also email any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In episode 31 of Locked On Cubs, I started by recapping the two games from Tuesday (or as much as I could of the second game). Willson Contreras hit a homer, Kris Bryant keeps getting on base, and Ian Happ did the thing against Madison Bumgarner again. And what if Tyler Chatwood actually is really good this year? In the second segment I briefly looked at a poll I ran on Twitter, which came with some interesting results.Finally, I discussed a piece I wrote for FanRag Sports in which I looked at the most underrated players on each NL Central team (you can read it yourself here!). I don't need to bog you down by discussing all five, but the player I chose for the Cubs is Tommy La Stella. If you like what you hear, please smash that subscribe button and leave us a review! You can follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and send us emails with any questions, comments, or inquiries at lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to episode 30 of Locked On Cubs! There was no game on Monday, but the Cubs are making up for it with two games on Tuesday. You can even catch one on television if you're lucky. I looked at the matchups for both games. Looking ahead, I talked about Addison Russell's solid but quiet spring and how much a healthy Russell can really be a difference-maker for the Cubs this season.Finally, I played around with stats. Hooray, spring training stats! But I also got sucked into looking at other stats while researching the spring stats, and I came up with a few good ones regarding active players. If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to subscribe and leave us a kind review on iTunes. You can follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs or email us any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 Well, they've finally done it. Jake Arrieta is now a member of the Philadelphia Phillies after signing a three-year, $75 million contract on Sunday. I talked about that in episode of 29 of Locked On Cubs after I recapped the action of the weekend. Was there ever a real offer from the Cubs for Arrieta to turn down? Time for some myth-busting!After Arrieta, I recapped a piece on Jason Heyward that I wrote for FanRag Sports (which you can find here!). Finally, I laid out some interesting thoughts on Justin Grimm and who could be competing to steal that final roster spot out from under him. If you like what you hear, follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and see our pinned tweet for information on how to enter to win a mint condition Sammy Sosa rookie card. You can also email us any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Don't forget to subscribe on iTunes and leave us a review, as well!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to episode 28 of Locked On Cubs. For the final episode of the week, I welcomed my good friend Jared Wyllys of the Sporting News. Jared and I looked back on the action of the day, which saw the Cubs beating the San Diego Padres, 10-4. Tyler Chatwood had another fine start, and one of the more underrated story's of the spring is what an excellent No. 5 starter he could be in this rotation.After that, we chatted about things we've learned so far in spring training -- or probably more accurately, things we think are interesting. Is Ian Happ going to be stealing some playing time from Jason Heyward this year? Last, Jared and I looked at some recent comments from Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel. Should fans be riled up that he thinks the Astros are better than the Cubs?Be sure to follow @LockedOnCubs on Twitter, and be sure to email us any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Also, check out the giveaway we have going on! Details in our pinned tweet. Learn more about your ad choic

Welcome to episode 27 of Locked On Cubs. I took a look back at Wednesday night's game, in which the Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians by a score of 11-6 on WGN. Albert Almora Jr. hit a home run, as did Kyle Schwarber. Jose Quintana started the game and had an uneventful stint. Everything is starting to come together for the Cubs, who just need to stay healthy and continue the momentum rolling toward the start of the season.In the second segment, I looked at relief prospect Dillon Maples. He pitched against Cleveland on Wednesday, going one inning, no hits, no walks, no runs, with three strikeouts. Man, his slider/cutter/slutter is absolutely filthy, both from the eye test and from what is measurable. Last, I finished out talking about Jake Arrieta once again. Even with a full roster, at what point does it make sense for Arrieta and the Cubs to agree on a one-year deal?Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and me @RyanQDavis. We're looking to do a giveaway, possibly of my mint condition Sammy Sosa 1990 U

I'm back again today with another short podcast, episode 26 of Locked On Cubs. I took a brief look at the debut of Yu Darvish with the Cubs on Tuesday, which also happened to be the game in which Ben Zobrist and Brandon Morrow would make their 2018 Cactus League debuts. The Cubs won the game, but most important is that Darvish looked good and has now taken his first step toward the regular season.In the second segment, I looked at an unfortunate injury to a former Cub. Travis Wood, who signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers this winter, tore his ACL earlier this week and got released on Tuesday. I chatted a bit about Wood and his tenure with the team (without even mentioning his catch in left field!), as well as what's going on with several other former Cubs.Finally, I briefly discussed the results of a Twitter poll. You can follow us @LockedOnCubs on Twitter or me @RyanQDavis. You can also email any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com, and if you like what you hear please be sure to s

I'm back this Tuesday morning with episode 25 of Locked On Cubs, talking about the Cubs' 3-1 record from Friday through Monday. What's most important, however, is looking at the red-hot Ian Happ, the ice-cold Jason Heyward, and the brand-new curveball of Kyle Hendricks. Don't forget that Yu Darvish is actually making his Cubs debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a 2:05 pm CST start on Tuesday afternoon.Pitching prospect Oscar de la Cruz made an appearance for the Cubs in the ninth inning of Monday's game, and his stat line looked nice. However, there is one minor reason for concern. Will the 23-year-old have the breakout season that so many are hoping to see from him? Lastly, I looked back on Heyward. Sahadev Sharma wrote for The Athletic (subscription required) about his major decline in his first two seasons with the Cubs, and it's a glimpse at a bleak, dystopian future for Heyward. What would be good enough from the Cubs' $184 million man?If you like what you hear, please smash that subscribe button o

Welcome to episode 24 of Locked On Cubs! The Cubs played the San Diego Padres on Thursday, and Ian Happ hit his third home run of the spring! Unfortunately, Chicago suffered yet another tie. Insert joke about kissing your sister. Alec Mills pitched well in a spot start, with Yu Darvish on the mend from an illness. It appears that Yu is going to be okay, though. After recapping the game, I look forward to Friday's tilt between Jose Quintana's Cubs and Shohei Ohtani's Los Angeles Angels.I spent the next two segments looking at a few Cubs notes in Jon Heyman's Inside Baseball on FanRag Sports. He mentioned a few names that the Cubs liked as possible replacements for Joe Maddon -- someday. I gave my top-three, as well, but feel free to tweet @LockedOnCubs to tell me how wrong I am. Finally, I discussed Heyman's note about the Cubs and their level of interest in signing free agent reliever Greg Holland. Would it makes sense?Be sure to subscribe and leave us an awesome five-star review on iTunes! Also follow us on

Welcome back to yet another episode of Locked On Cubs! I took a look back at the 4-1-1 spring Cubs' 7-5 victory over the Oakland A's, which included several noteworthy outings from key bullpen guys. Thursday will mark the spring debut of Yu Darvish, which is kind of exciting even if it's not really that big of a deal. Speaking of Darvish, Joe Maddon recently announced where the pitcher would fall in the opening rotation, so I discussed that briefly as well.Finally, I finished off with a segment on Jake Arrieta. Remember him? What's going on with Jake? I looked at the most recent rumors and harped on the team that I think is still the most likely to end up with him. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and give us a review! You can follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and can email us at lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More spring training baseball to talk about! Okay, it's really not actually that interesting, but I run down the details of the Cubs' 9-9 tie with the Seattle Mariners. They came back in the ninth to force a tie! Mike Freeman hit a home run! But probably the most interesting thing involved in this one is reliever Brian Duensing's rare stat line.Moving on, I talked briefly about several of the writers at LockedOnCubs.com and how I can already see really positive signs for the upcoming season. Kelly, Sean, Joel, Tom, Danielle, and Austin are the well-balanced team I was hoping they would be, seeing the game from several different angles. Finally, I finished up this effort with a question from a listener regarding Albert Almora Jr. and by reading a handful of recent reviews on iTunes.Please be sure to go on iTunes if you haven't already and give us a rating and a review! Also follow along on Twitter @LockedOnCubs, follow me @RyanQDavis, or email any questions or ideas to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about

We finally have real, actual games to talk about! Well, spring training games, anyway. I welcomed my good friend Evan Altman of Cubs Insider to chat with me, and we pontificated on the start of spring training, the opening day starter, playing time splits, and more.For the final segment, Evan and I fielded a handful of questions from the fans. That includes some details on our budding bromance, and how we became inseparable besties. From there, things went south pretty fast. But those who stick around until the end will be rewarded with at least one good story. You can follow Evan @DEvanAltman and Ryan @RyanQDavis. The podcast is on Twitter @LockedOnCubs, and you can email any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to my listeners from sunny Cape Coral, Florida! I wanted to record a short podcast for you on some recent topics, even though I have a bit of a frog in my throat (my apologies). First, I looked at Jake Arrieta having still not signed with a team, and some recent news from Jon Heyman on that front. Could Arrieta return to the Cubs like Dexter Fowler did in the spring of 2016?Next, I looked at a conversation going on around the J.D. Martinez contract with the Boston Red Sox, and why some Cubs fans think the team should've been more involved. I gave my opinion on whether that would've made sense, whether they sign Bryce Harper or not. I finished up by looking a piece on Cubs Insider from Evan Altman which pertains to a tweak in Justin Wilson's delivery.If you like what you hear (despite the frog in the throat) be sure to subscribe and leave reviews on iTunes! I know we've received a few recent reviews, I promise to read those on an upcoming podcast. You can also follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email

Pitchers and catchers have reported! But still, not a whole lot of new stuff to chat about. I took a look at six regression candidates, three negative regression and three positive. There are reasons to believe that Ben Zobrist and Jon Lester will be much better in 2018. After that, I took a look back on Jake Arrieta's career with the Cubs and counted down my top-5 Arrieta moments. I even pontificated on whether Arrieta receives proper appreciation for what he has done. Would fans have noticed his greatness more if he were a lone star on a bad team, like Sammy Sosa was?Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes! As always, you can follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email us any suggestions or questions at LockedOnCubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices