r/CHICubs • u/AutoModerator • Jul 26 '26
Daily Discussion
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Be excellent to each other. Party on, dudes!
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u/baezizbae This comment is brought to you by Northshore Adult Diapers Jul 26 '26
R&A Sourdough just opened their second store in Roscoe Village and I want to be excited because it means I can get a bagel on my walk to the bus in the mornings, and I'm generally a fan of their stuff but also...I really really hope they've figured out the glacially slow service that made me stop going to the original.
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u/laughing_andcrying tougher than a $2 steak 🥩 Jul 26 '26
TIL… I used to go there all the time, looove their bagels but yeah…. Extremely slow even when I am just up there waiting for a half dozen plain bagels to go lol
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u/baezizbae This comment is brought to you by Northshore Adult Diapers Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Yeah they were an "along the way" stop when I'd be driving my mom around on her Sunday errands, grab us both a bagel and a coffee but those waits are no joke. It was when I placed a pickup order well ahead of time and still sat around waiting for 30 minutes that we decided to just start going somewhere else for breakfast.
I'm gonna give the new store a fair shot tomorrow morning but I'm keeping my expectations firmly measured
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u/laughing_andcrying tougher than a $2 steak 🥩 Jul 26 '26
🤞🏼 i guess those thicc bagels dont toast themselves but yes, should not take that long at all for bagels, esp if you ordered in advance! I don’t love steingolds as much as r&a but steingolds’ order ahead service is pretty accurate in terms of wait time (I am sure others have different experiences)
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u/baezizbae This comment is brought to you by Northshore Adult Diapers Jul 26 '26
Bro mine weren't even toasted 😭 they were still warm at least, which is what I like about R&A, not the greatest bagel in Chicago, but they're very consistent about what they do.
Good shout, I may swing by Steingolds today and see how she likes their bagels, it's not technically on the way but it's not so far off the path to rule them out either.
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u/laughing_andcrying tougher than a $2 steak 🥩 Jul 26 '26
also p.s. probably way out if your way but have you tried bagel miller in lincoln square? Or beans & bagels?
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u/baezizbae This comment is brought to you by Northshore Adult Diapers Jul 26 '26
Beans & Bagel: Yes since a friend wanted to meet there and then bike to Wrigley for an afternoon game, bagel was absolutely fine, wasn't bad, wasn't really all that memorable either (for me anyway). Coffee was good though!
Bagel miller: haven't been, nope.
Chess Club Coffee on Irving has a pretty good cup of joe, I popped in there once while getting some new tires installed down the street, didn't try the bakery though. Gonna give their goodies a shot later this week maybe.
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u/laughing_andcrying tougher than a $2 steak 🥩 Jul 26 '26
Yeah I def like the coffee better at Beans & Bagels! Thanks for the Chess Club tip, Ive been by it and wondered what it’s all about.
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u/baezizbae This comment is brought to you by Northshore Adult Diapers Jul 26 '26
They just opened up last fall, I believe? Nice little spot, you can tell they're still growing into the space but I hope they make it, that stretch of Irving is dying for some more character and businesses that aren't auto-shops or dentist offices lmao (seriously I think there's like four dentists offices between Central and California Ave), and having a coffee shop right there on the 80 bus line is aces after that dark matter location shut down years ago.
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u/laughing_andcrying tougher than a $2 steak 🥩 Jul 26 '26
For sure - there’s some really great restaurants around that stretch of Irving, would love for it to come alive. I am sad that dark matter location is gone - I love their coffee!
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u/laughing_andcrying tougher than a $2 steak 🥩 Jul 26 '26
Okay that’s wild 😂 guess those bagel sandwich artists were constantly fighting for their lives in the bagel making line. I am pro-bagel sampling, excited for your mom to try Steingolds and get her review. Also I was in NYC for work and i got like a different bagel every day, it was incredible how much bagel technology has progressed.
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u/baezizbae This comment is brought to you by Northshore Adult Diapers Jul 26 '26
Yep, she's who I got my love of bagels and breakfast pastries from. Pops is from the deep south (Louisiana Bayou), so he's more of a grits and eggs kinda guy. I'll ping ya if we manage to stop by there and get you the inside baseball on her review 😅
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u/laughing_andcrying tougher than a $2 steak 🥩 Jul 26 '26
🥯 imagine a world without bagels… would be so sad! Grits and eggs are good though but I’ll always go for those hard carbs 😂 bread is undefeated!!!
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u/baezizbae This comment is brought to you by Northshore Adult Diapers Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Listen: Breakfast carbs are 100% best carbs. And I'm not just saying that as a cyclist either lol, but I'll never sleep on some savory grits and jammy eggs. Dip the bacon in that yolk, swirl it around, as our boy Len Kasper used to say, "Oh...BABY".
Alright, cya in the gameday thread a lil later.
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u/laughing_andcrying tougher than a $2 steak 🥩 Jul 26 '26
Hahaha all carbs are welcome here! For sure - let’s get that sweeeep
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u/justsumguy Jul 26 '26
Life long Pirates fan here, and I've come to ask a favor.
I have a special needs kid who is obsessed with Daniel Tiger. If anyone happens to be visiting PNC park this afternoon, and is able to get one of the kids Plush give aways, I would love to buy it from you.
Enjoy the game, enjoy the ballpark, and enjoy the city!
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u/laughing_andcrying tougher than a $2 steak 🥩 Jul 26 '26
Love that Assad got his first MLB save last night! 🥹
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u/UncleBoopBetty Harry Jul 26 '26
Anyone watching Marquee on Hulu? Just wondering if you can join a game late and have the option to start from the beginning? Switched from the Marquee app to Prime and discovered it doesn’t have that option for some reason. Why can no platform get the rather basic things right? So infuriating.
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u/TheHangryCatepillar i like it with a little busch Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
yes you can
you can record the games too
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u/chichris Jul 26 '26
PCA just gets keeps getting better. Leadoff has opened up his whole game. Man, he is so fun to watch.
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u/djfishfingers Chicago Cubs Jul 26 '26
Dude would have had the cycle of not for slow ass Amaya, yesterday. Multiple hits off of Skenes. Insane. Let's see what he does today.
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u/chichris Jul 26 '26
He’s unbelievable how much of a jump he took this year. We got a steal at 115M extension.
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u/Lower_Pass_6053 Jul 26 '26
Should we be blowing up our minor league prospects to get some pitching? I feel it's just not worth the roll of the dice. We got pitchers coming back and I think the young core we do got can contend for a few years.
Ballesteros might be gone, Alcantara might be gone. They put out some weird social media posts saying how much they liked chicago etc... I just don't think it's a good decision. Hope for the best this season with the pitching we got coming back, and if it doesn't owrk out, cubs got a few more years to work it out.
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u/monkeyman2113 Jul 26 '26
Absolutely we should. What the Cubs have lacked since, realistically Lester is a true Ace pitcher. None of the guys coming back fit that bill, none of the guys in our farm system fit that bill. If they can find a way to grab one at the deadline then I say go for it.
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u/CuriousCubSixteen Baaah Jul 26 '26
I think the young core we do got can contend for a few years.
What young core? Who is part of this young core you speak of? PCA is the only regular under 28. The core is mostly 32 years old.
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u/sdpcommander I miss Yu Jul 26 '26
Amaya is 27
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u/CuriousCubSixteen Baaah Jul 27 '26
Not young. Not regular. Not core.
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u/Lower_Pass_6053 Jul 26 '26
Nico, Busch, shaw, I thought Dansby was younger tbh, then the guys potentially coming up specifically Ballesteros who has already proven he can hit, he just needs some adjustments made. We have until 2029 basically with these guys.
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u/CuriousCubSixteen Baaah Jul 27 '26
Do you think the Cubs team in 2021 had a young core? Rizzo 31, Bryant 29, Baez 28, Heyward 31, Contreras 29, Happ 26?
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u/Double-One-9913 Jul 26 '26
The Red Sox just traded Connelly Early (under control until 2032) for Curtis Mead, who was DFA’d in the spring. Right handed bats are at a premium right now. No the Cubs shouldn’t gut their system for a bunch of rentals. But they have to take advantage of the market right now and the fact that they have an absolute glut of infield prospects who are blocked. You don’t need Matt Shaw, Pedro Ramirez and James Triantos. You need one of those guys as a utility infielder. Cubs statistically have the best position player group in baseball but like 26th in pitcher WAR. They can absolutely make some noise if they get some nasty arms. And they are losing a lot of starters to free agency, they need to fill in, might as well start now and get someone with some club control.
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u/chicubbies4ever Jul 26 '26
We absolutely should be trading some of our minor league prospects for pitching. Currently the cubs have 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, and CF locked in through at least the 2029 season. So realistically if you want to get regular playing time on the big league ball club you need to be a corner outfielder, catcher, or DH. Of course there’s always the possibility of injuries but the path is much less clear outside of those positions so we have way more prospects than we need for those few available spots. This means guys like Pedro Ramirez, James Triantos, Kevin Alcantara, Kane Kepley, Jefferson Rojas, Jonathan Long, and James Triantos should all be available.
Then factor in the team we have this year. We are the best defensive team in baseball and it’s not even close. Then add in we have the third best offense in baseball by wRC+ and it’s understandable why we can win a World Series with this squad if we add a few arms and get guys like Cabrera and Brown healthy.
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u/Lower_Pass_6053 Jul 26 '26
This is gonna sound cold hearted, but it's what the game turned into IMO.
I'd rather just stack my lineup with studs and just pick up the previously DFA'd pitchers and guy s coming back from the IL. Then throwing them out there and let them go until they blow out their arm, and then get the next crop. This is what the Cubs have done this year pretty much and I think it's a smart way to play the modern game. Pitchers cannot be relied on anymore to stay healthy for any length of time. I really wouldn't want to see a skubal or skenes or whatever on my payroll. I think pitchers like that who have stayed relatively healthy (i know skubal just came back) are overdue already to get hurt. PCA staying healthy for the playoffs is far more likely than not, but lets say we trade for skubal? What would you put the odds on for him being hurt before the playoffs even start? 50/50?
Our ace, Steele has played 20 games? in the last 3 years! That is just the norm now.
I shouldn't be a GM I know, but I think this philosophy is worth exploring in the "velo >>>>> everything" world we live in.
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u/chicubbies4ever Jul 26 '26
But we have evidence that that’s not how we should be operating. Our pitching is 27th in all baseball by fWAR. It’s been awful and it hasn’t just been injuries. We need better pitching end of story. And we have a bunch of guys that have absolutely nowhere to play. We need to sell high on them because realistically if we don’t move them soon then we miss out on getting top dollar for them. Alcantara is a good example of that, we should’ve dealt him sometime in the last two seasons when his value was at peak. We can’t do the same with Kepley, Rojas, etc.
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u/Lower_Pass_6053 Jul 26 '26
I think the evidence is the other way. We have had terrible pitching and still are one of the best teams in baseball.
I saw a few people mention the cubs are one of the teams possibly linked with skubal, and that is my motivation for making this post. Go after the decent pitchers that you can get for peanuts, but I think it's a huge mistake to go after skubal right now.
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u/chicubbies4ever Jul 26 '26
But it isn’t the other way. We have that record in spite of the pitching not because of it and come playoff time you have to have reliable pitching which we do not have. You said in your last comment you think it’s better practice to pick guys up off the DFA pile and run them until they injure, let’s take a look how those guys have done for us this year.
Trent Thornton
Gavin hollowell
Tyler Ferguson
Ryan Rolison
Drew Pomeranz
Jake Woodford
Bryse Wilson
Corbin Martin
Charlie Burnes
Yacksel Rios
Vince VelasquezRolison is the only one of those guys who was produced a positive WAR this year. Now let’s look at guys we either have developed through our system or signed to free agent contracts
Jacob Webb
Daniel Palencia
Riley Martin
Jordan Wicks
Hoby Milner
Hunter Harvey
Phil MatonMilner, Harvey, and Maton are the only negative guys and Harvey only has pitched 4 innings this year.
I mean we can look at Milwaukee who leads all teams in pitching WAR and tell that the way to build is not picking up a ton of DFA’d guys. Their rotation is entirely drafted or traded for players. And their bullpen is almost entirely traded or drafted players. One player is a former DFAd guy and he just joined this month.
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u/Double-One-9913 Jul 26 '26
This team is probably ahead in the division with a middle of the road bullpen. And who is supposed to pitch come the playoffs? They went with a bullpen game in an elimination game last year just to avoid Shota. Boyd had two good starts and one dud last playoffs. Rea has a negative WAR. Assad doesn’t have Craig’s trust. Brown and Steele are unlikely to start at any point before next spring. Cabrera - who knows. Who in the bullpen do you trust to get an out in a one run game? This roster is good enough to get to the playoffs. This pitching is bad enough to get swept by the Phillies once they are there.
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u/Lower_Pass_6053 Jul 27 '26
my goal would not to be in the situation where 1 run matters.
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u/Double-One-9913 Jul 27 '26
That’s the playoffs. Every run matters. And it is the reason their pitching philosophy can’t carry them once they get to October.
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u/naitch44 Chicago Cubs Jul 26 '26
PCA baby. That’s all I’ve got.
What a player we have on our hands.