Locked On Cubs - Daily Podcast On The Chicago Cubs

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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 at LockedOnCubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

It's happening! The Cubs finally signed Yu Darvish, landing the top pitcher on the free agent market for just six years, $126 million. There are also incentives that could take the deal to $150 million, as well as a no-trade clause and an opt-out clause after the second year. I brought back my good friend and former BP Wrigleycast co-host Isaac Bennett to chat about the newest Cub, as well as the state of their rotation and how it matches up against the other playoff rotations in the National League. Isaac and I finished out by discussing the bullpen and the potential 25-man roster heading into the start of the season. If you like what you hear, please subscribe on iTunes and leave a review! You can 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

I welcomed reporter and rising star Robert Murray of FanRag Sports on the podcast to chat about Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta, and everything surrounding the Cubs and free agency. In our first segment, Robert and I chatted about the offers that are out there on Darvish and what might be the most likely scenario for the top free agent pitcher. Next, we looked at what the No. 1 backup option might be for the Cubs if Darvish gets away, as I seek validation on what I've heard about the Cubs and their preference for either Arrieta or Alex Cobb. Finally, I tried to pin Robert down with some free agent predictions. He gives me his locked up, definite, 100% sure-thing on where a handful of free agents are going to sign. It's can't miss podcasting! Please follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs, and don't forget to subscribe on iTunes and leave us some feedback. Any questions or comments can be emailed to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 Guess what? Yu Darvish still hasn't chosen a team. So instead, I looked at the PECOTA and ZiPS projections and pointed to a few items of interest. Next, I looked at Justin Grimm's arbitration case and another comparable reliever that may set the precedent that decides the outcome. Finally, I looked at the one surprising prospect that got ranked in the top-20 on ZiPS' top-100 prospect list. Please be sure to subscribe and leave a review for us on iTunes if you're enjoying the podcast! Also be sure to check out the site at www.lockedoncubs.com, because our writers are starting to put together some good stuff. You can tweet any questions for the podcast to @LockedOnCubs on Twitter, and you can email us any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation joined me to talk about the latest Yu Darvish rumors, including that he apparently wants seven years and $175 million. Is that rumor intended to get more money or years out of the Cubs? We agreed on the Cubs being front-runners for Darvish, but what if they don't add him? Is Jake Arrieta or Alex Cobb the Cubs' official Plan B? We finished out with an easy final segment, doing a few over/under predictions. That ended up lasting around 30 minutes, and somehow delved into some discussion about just how great Kerry Wood was in his peak. Follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email any questions or comments to LockedOnCubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's still not a whole lot going on in Cubs news, so I took some inspiration from David Kaplan of NBC Sports Chicago and ranked the best and worst players since I became a baseball fan. After listing out all of those, I took a question from a fan regarding Alex Cobb and whether the Cubs should skip on Yu Darvish to ensure that they don't end up walking away from free agency empty-handed.  Rounding out the podcast, I looked back on the Alex Avila era with the Cubs. The catcher they acquired from the Detroit Tigers in the Justin Wilson deal signed a contract to be the regular starter for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and I wish him well. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email us any questions or suggestions at LockedOnCubs@gmail.com. Also be sure to leave us some positive reviews on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm back from my trip to Florida, but I'm somewhat disappointed in the lack of Cubs news to discuss. The Brewers did make some moves to improve their roster, but they still have a few more moves to make to catch the Cubs in the NL Central. I took a look what what the Cubs, Brewers, and the Cardinals need to do still this offseason, and also how many wins I see for each team as things stand right now. Finally, I talked about the writers you'll be seeing on the site and did a short introduction for each one. Some will be familiar names, some less familiar. I'm excited to have each one, and really wish I had the capacity to have brought on even more. You can follow us @LockedOnCubs on Twitter or email your questions and comments to LockedOnCubs@gmail.com. As always, please go on iTunes and leave a good review if you enjoy listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I jumped on a quick podcast to discuss the news of the Cubs signing catcher Chris Gimenez (which I pronounced incorrectly as hih-MEHN-ehz instead of JIH-muh-nehz, for some reason). Gimenez was a catcher on the Texas Rangers back in 2014 with Yu Darvish, so could this be a David Ross/Jon Lester kind of scenario for the Cubs? I also looked at Jason Heyward's comments about being the Cubs' 2018 MVP, and why that might not be as crazy as some think. Last, I answer a question from the fans and read more five-star reviews from iTunes. Thanks for sticking with me on this one, it was thrown together last minute and my voice was a little gravelly. Follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email any questions or suggestions to LockedOnCubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jared Wyllys of the Sporting News joined me to talk baseball in episode 11 of Locked On Cubs. We started by dissecting a new Yu Darvish rumor and how it might impact Theo Epstein's pitching plans for the rest of the offseason. In the second segment, I tackled a question from the fans regarding prospects that could make an impact in 2018. I finished up by chatting with Jared about things that excite us about the upcoming season and the exciting growth I hope to see with the site this season. You can follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs signed left-handed reliever Brian Duensing to a two-year, $7 million contract, and that constitutes major news. Which is kind of sad. But at any rate, it gives me something to talk to you about. Later, I answered a couple questions from the listeners, read a few of my early reviews on Locked On Cubs, and talked about the bright future that is ahead of us. As always, please feel free to send questions or comments to LockedOnCubs@gmail.com or tweet me @LockedOnCubs on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I went to the Cubs Convention this weekend, and finally we've been given some good stuff to talk about! There was no surprise Jake Arrieta or Yu Darvish announcement, but it was still a good time. First, I discuss Kyle Hendricks and a cool interview I did with him on Friday night at the media social event. I even tossed in a clip from that interview where Hendricks admitted that he's aware of the "Stoic Hendricks Meme" that has become popular among fans. In the second segment, I went into the interview I did with Jim Hickey (for a story you can read here). Hickey talked about his philosophy on pitching, his thoughts on the Cubs bullpen last season and their second half command problems, and what Cubs fans should expect to see with their most underrated signing: Steve Cishek. Finally, I gave my take on Tom Ricketts' Sammy Sosa comments and gave a rundown of the rest of the cool stuff I saw at the convention. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email them to me at LockedOnCubs@gmail.com, follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs, or follow me @RyanQDavis. Kyle Hendricks story at Sporting News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Once again, there is very little news to report on the Cubs front. With that in mind, I didn't bother to bring on a guest just to talk about The Simpsons, Star Wars, or whatever else interests me at the moment. I did, however, touch on Rene Rivera's deal with the Angels and the idea of re-signing Alex Avila. Later, I moved on to talk about reliever X-factors and the upcoming Cubs Convention in Chicago. There's a meet-and-greet that I and others will be attending Friday night, so join us if you're free! Thanks for listening, as always, and feel free to send any Cubs questions or topic ideas that you'd like me to cover to LockedOnCubs@gmail.com or on Twitter @LockedOnCubs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices