The season ended on three runs we should’ve survived—and one we couldn’t score. We walk through the Game 5 knife’s edge: the Brewers’ gutsy plan to start with velocity, the Cubs’ sixth-inning chance that died on a 3–1 heater, and why three allowed on the road should have been enough. It hurts, but the bigger headline isn’t heartbreak—it’s pride. This team brought back belief with elite infield defense, real leadership, and a clubhouse that kept punching long after the rotation started fraying.

We get specific about what actually cost the series: no Steele, no Horton, Shōta’s late-season home run spike, and too many innings entrusted to patchwork starters. The bullpen—our “island of misfit arms”—mostly did its job; October just punishes thin margins when the bat rack goes quiet. Then we map a pragmatic offseason path. Forget the splash that warps the roster. Kyle Tucker’s price doesn’t fit the puzzle. Schwarber locks you into a DH-only reality you don’t need if you trust Moises Ballesteros’s bat and Owen Caissie’s upside. Instead, invest where October games tilt: two rotation arms who create weak contact at Wrigley and a leverage bullpen that shortens nights with power, angle, and strikes.

We keep it honest about fit, cost, and identity: keep the infield as a core strength, make DH a flexible slot shared by Seiya and Ballesteros, and give Caissie a real runway. Add a switch-hitting utility infielder for coverage. Build redundancy so “Colin Rea in leverage” never happens again. The next step isn’t louder—it’s smarter. If that sounds like your kind of baseball, stick with us. Subscribe, leave a review on Apple or Spotify, and tell us: where would you spend first—starter, bullpen, or bat?

Thanks for tuning in!

- Carl & Mahoney