Twelve years ago today, I became a dad for the second time, and I’ve been thrilled to know The Little Boy ever since. You see reflected in your kids so many of the ways you are, but it’s also such a joy to see all the little ways, bit by bit, that they constantly evolve as their own unique self. And since I know he reads this, let me just say: I love you, buddy, and I am so glad I get to know you. (Looking forward to our belated birthday trip to Spring Training in a few weeks!)
Justin Turner spent a full inning, including the between-inning break, on the broadcast yesterday and it was the rare REALLY fantastic in-game interview. He gets into his unique career trajectory, what he’s looking to do now, how his approach evolved, and how he views leadership: I particularly liked when Turner was asked about how he goes about helping other players when he notices something with their work or their swing or whatever. At first, I was like, wuh?, because he said he actually doesn’t prefer to go up to teammates and talk to them about those things … but it’s because he knows that, in general, it’ll be a better outcome if the other player approaches him first. Turner was candid about some of the pride associated in being a pro baseball player, and believing you can figure things out on your own. So he has found that it’s most successful and helpful when those guys come to the idea on their own that it’s worth seeking out a veteran like Turner for a discussion. Great, great point. Also, that means: go talk to Justin Turner, Cubs players! He may have tips for you! He has been around and seen a lot of stuff! Jameson Taillon on Kyle Tucker, who is 4 for 10 with a homer in his career against the new teammate (Marquee): “He covers a lot of areas really well. I have given up a homer to him on, like, a hard slider in. I’ve given up hard hits on fastballs down and away. There’s just not really a safe area which makes it really hard as a pitcher to game plan against and, obviously, just like when you’re that level of talent, he can just change the game.” No safe area is the best way to describe what makes Tucker such a pain in the butt for opposing pitchers. Big TV news for the Cubs, as the Sun-Times reports that Marquee probably won’t be dropped by Comcast (they’ve been working on a new deal), but probably will be moved into a more premium tier as other RSNs have been in recent years. I’d call that a mixed bag for the Cubs and Cubs fans, the latter of whom can still have access to Cubs games via their cable bundle, but fewer of whom will do so. So that means the rights are less valuable to Comcast, and ultimately the fees they pay to Marquee (and thus the Cubs) will be taking a hit. That said, some people who don’t want a premium cable bundle but do want access to Cubs games may switch over to the direct-to-consumer streaming product, which is available in-market. It won’t be a financial wash, but it is part of the continued evolution of game delivery. Speaking of the financial pain, the Sun-Times also reports that Sinclair, which co-owns Marquee in a joint venture with the Cubs, is looking to get out. Apparently it has not gone well for them, and I will also speculate that as Marquee continues this transition into more of a streaming-focused product, it’s possible the fit with a very old-school TV operator partner is less valuable to both sides. Stay tuned on this, because if Sinclair does back out, it could mean a legal fight, and/or it could mean a substantial financial impact on Marquee and the Cubs (short-term pain, long-term gain?). Let me add to all of that: the possible struggles of Marquee could be a major factor in what we suspect has been a slashed baseball ops budget this year, particularly in advance of a potential labor fight and shutdown in two years. This tracks:Despite promised re-set, Cardinals now find themselves stuck in the middle. Column: www.nytimes.com/athletic/616…
— Ken Rosenthal (@ken-rosenthal.bsky.social) 2025-02-28T13:26:15.185Z Because the Cardinals elected not to actually sell off this offseason and stay somewhere in the middle, they’re left to hope like this, as quoted in the article: “This club could be good, or it could struggle,” Mozeliak said. “A lot of it just depends on how people obviously step up and play. Is Jordan Walker an impact bat? Is Nolan Gorman that middle-of-the-order type hitter? Is Brendan Donovan an All-Star outfielder? Is Willson Contreras adjusting from catcher to first base, and does the bat come alive even more? There are things that are in question. But if they come around to where we hope, it could be a fun team to watch.” He isn’t wrong that the Cardinals do still have a lot of talent, and it’s not impossible to imagine the offense, in particular, rebounding to be a really strong group (he didn’t even mention the possibility of a Nolan Arenado bounce-back or a Lars Nootbaar breakout, for example). But it’s pretty hard to imagine the pitching coming together as particularly good, and it’s also pretty rare that so many 80th percentile outcomes all happen at once. So you tend not to bet on it. The Athletic has a piece on lesser-known, very-good relievers, and this quote from former Cub Jason Adam, who became dominant with the Rays, really stood out to me:“And they said, ‘If he can just be ahead of hitters more often, he can be successful.’” Adam said. “It’s something every organization says — strike one — but they took the practical step of setting up the catcher down the middle, because I’m not a command guy.
“If you aim for the corner, you’re probably going to miss and it’s a ball. But if you aim for the middle, you’re probably going to miss the middle, which is good — but it’s going to be a strike. We all think we have better command than we do.”
To be sure, setting the catcher up down the middle on every pitch – something the Rays have done for other pitchers, too – was not the only tweak they made (they also enhanced his changeup and slider, and tweaked his pitch mix considerably). But that seems to be the one he really found significant, and I’ve thought about it a lot. If you have guys with great stuff but zero command, why not just eff it, try to throw everything down the middle and know that the natural erratic-ness (plus stuff/velo) will make it so the actual middle-middle meatball percentage is very low? For your command/control guys who want the catcher here or there, fine, great, keep doing that. But those wild, hard-throwing, nasty-spinning reliever types? Just try it! A long follow-up article on the minor league player who allegedly told the other team what pitches were coming (and was subsequently let go by his club). It’s kind of an odd situation, insofar as no one but him wants to talk publicly, no one is indicating that the original story was wrong, but the player is himself simply saying it’s not true. Special set coming for the Tokyo Series:Topps and Murakami have partnered to release an exclusive MLB Tokyo Series Matchup set, which will feature a 1-of-1 dual-autograph Shohei Ohtani card signed by both Murakami and Sho ?(via @complex) pic.twitter.com/UQUJ9sXJ3z
— MLB (@MLB) February 27, 2025 Also, we have a podcast! We just launched the BN Cubs Podcast, and the first episode is live – offseason wrap-up, what the Cubs did and didn’t do, and what lies ahead. Plus a fun game at the end. You can get it anywhere you get your podcasts, or you can watch right here if you want to see our purdy mugs:MORE FROM BLEACHER NATION: Check Out BN Fantasy | Subscribe to The BN Newsletter
Oooh, hello. Looks like Fanatics has started to release gear for the Tokyo Series! Also has free shipping today: fanatics.93n6tx.net/vN2P7O #ad
— Bleacher Nation (@bleachernation.bsky.social) 2025-02-27T20:46:58.692ZCHANGE OF HEART: Chiefs Reportedly Plan on Giving Trey Smith the Franchise Tagwww.bleachernation.com/bears/2025/0…
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@bn-bears.bsky.social) 2025-02-27T19:31:00.053ZFoligno Hurt, Del Mastro’s First, Good Murphy, Bad Brodie, Prospect Talk, and Other #Blackhawks Bullets www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2…
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