Welcome back to the MMCS and thank you for tuning in. 

Rival banter won’t move a single runner. We start by calling out the L flag noise and center the only thing that matters: building a tougher Cubs team with a durable identity. From there, we dig into Jed Hoyer’s steady hand—why a quiet presser, a restrained deadline, and a long view on development are features, not bugs, of a front office that finally has real teeth. Discipline isn’t passive; it’s how you win late in October when the lights are hottest.

We unpack Kyle Tucker as a perfect one-year accelerant: the OBP, the presence, the way he changed at-bats around him. That doesn’t mean a nine-figure marriage makes sense now. If you’re trying to outspend the Dodgers, you’ve already lost; if you’re trying to out-execute them, you’re in the fight. That puts more weight on Matt Shaw’s glove and bat, Pete Crow-Armstrong’s defense and growth, Owen Caissie’s right field future, and Moises Ballesteros’ bat-to-ball. The blueprint is simple to say and hard to do: cultivate dogs in the clubhouse, then add selectively where the roster truly needs it—DH power, contact under pressure, and pitching depth that can survive a seven-game grind.

We also level with you on the money. The Dodgers have Guggenheim behind them. The Mets have Cohen. The Cubs have strong revenues—and real constraints from a debt-heavy purchase that COVID made worse. “Go over the luxury tax” misses the point when the actual issue is cash flow. That’s why Jed’s creativity matters, why internal growth is non-negotiable, and why free agency must be a scalpel, not a sledgehammer. Want to beat LA? Build a team that knows who it is on day one of spring, plays clean, and refuses to blink with two outs.

If you’re into clear-eyed strategy, culture over noise, and a plan that gets the Cubs back to late October, hit play. Then subscribe, share with a Cubs friend, and drop your offseason priority in a review—we’re reading every word.

Thanks for tuning in!

- Carl & Mahoney