Locked On Cubs - Daily Podcast On The Chicago Cubs

 Well, they've finally done it. Jake Arrieta is now a member of the Philadelphia Phillies after signing a three-year, $75 million contract on Sunday. I talked about that in episode of 29 of Locked On Cubs after I recapped the action of the weekend. Was there ever a real offer from the Cubs for Arrieta to turn down? Time for some myth-busting!

After Arrieta, I recapped a piece on Jason Heyward that I wrote for FanRag Sports (which you can find here!). Finally, I laid out some interesting thoughts on Justin Grimm and who could be competing to steal that final roster spot out from under him. If you like what you hear, follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and see our pinned tweet for information on how to enter to win a mint condition Sammy Sosa rookie card. You can also email us any questions or comments to [email protected]. Don't forget to subscribe on iTunes and leave us a review, as well! 

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Welcome to episode 28 of Locked On Cubs. For the final episode of the week, I welcomed my good friend Jared Wyllys of the Sporting News. Jared and I looked back on the action of the day, which saw the Cubs beating the San Diego Padres, 10-4. Tyler Chatwood had another fine start, and one of the more underrated story's of the spring is what an excellent No. 5 starter he could be in this rotation.

After that, we chatted about things we've learned so far in spring training -- or probably more accurately, things we think are interesting. Is Ian Happ going to be stealing some playing time from Jason Heyward this year? Last, Jared and I looked at some recent comments from Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel. Should fans be riled up that he thinks the Astros are better than the Cubs?

Be sure to follow @LockedOnCubs on Twitter, and be sure to email us any questions or comments to [email protected]. Also, check out the giveaway we have going on! Details in our pinned tweet.

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Welcome to episode 27 of Locked On Cubs. I took a look back at Wednesday night's game, in which the Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians by a score of 11-6 on WGN. Albert Almora Jr. hit a home run, as did Kyle Schwarber. Jose Quintana started the game and had an uneventful stint. Everything is starting to come together for the Cubs, who just need to stay healthy and continue the momentum rolling toward the start of the season.

In the second segment, I looked at relief prospect Dillon Maples. He pitched against Cleveland on Wednesday, going one inning, no hits, no walks, no runs, with three strikeouts. Man, his slider/cutter/slutter is absolutely filthy, both from the eye test and from what is measurable. Last, I finished out talking about Jake Arrieta once again. Even with a full roster, at what point does it make sense for Arrieta and the Cubs to agree on a one-year deal?

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and me @RyanQDavis. We're looking to do a giveaway, possibly of my mint condition Sammy Sosa 1990 Upper Deck rookie card. It doesn't hold a lot of monetary value, but it's still kind of neat. So subscribe on iTunes and leave us a good review!

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I'm back again today with another short podcast, episode 26 of Locked On Cubs. I took a brief look at the debut of Yu Darvish with the Cubs on Tuesday, which also happened to be the game in which Ben Zobrist and Brandon Morrow would make their 2018 Cactus League debuts. The Cubs won the game, but most important is that Darvish looked good and has now taken his first step toward the regular season.

In the second segment, I looked at an unfortunate injury to a former Cub. Travis Wood, who signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers this winter, tore his ACL earlier this week and got released on Tuesday. I chatted a bit about Wood and his tenure with the team (without even mentioning his catch in left field!), as well as what's going on with several other former Cubs.

Finally, I briefly discussed the results of a Twitter poll. You can follow us @LockedOnCubs on Twitter or me @RyanQDavis. You can also email any questions or comments to [email protected], and if you like what you hear please be sure to subscribe on iTunes and tell 100 of your closest friends to do the same.

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I'm back this Tuesday morning with episode 25 of Locked On Cubs, talking about the Cubs' 3-1 record from Friday through Monday. What's most important, however, is looking at the red-hot Ian Happ, the ice-cold Jason Heyward, and the brand-new curveball of Kyle Hendricks. Don't forget that Yu Darvish is actually making his Cubs debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a 2:05 pm CST start on Tuesday afternoon.

Pitching prospect Oscar de la Cruz made an appearance for the Cubs in the ninth inning of Monday's game, and his stat line looked nice. However, there is one minor reason for concern. Will the 23-year-old have the breakout season that so many are hoping to see from him? Lastly, I looked back on Heyward. Sahadev Sharma wrote for The Athletic (subscription required) about his major decline in his first two seasons with the Cubs, and it's a glimpse at a bleak, dystopian future for Heyward. What would be good enough from the Cubs' $184 million man?

If you like what you hear, please smash that subscribe button on iTunes. You can follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs or email any questions or comments to [email protected].

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Welcome to episode 24 of Locked On Cubs! The Cubs played the San Diego Padres on Thursday, and Ian Happ hit his third home run of the spring! Unfortunately, Chicago suffered yet another tie. Insert joke about kissing your sister. Alec Mills pitched well in a spot start, with Yu Darvish on the mend from an illness. It appears that Yu is going to be okay, though. After recapping the game, I look forward to Friday's tilt between Jose Quintana's Cubs and Shohei Ohtani's Los Angeles Angels.

I spent the next two segments looking at a few Cubs notes in Jon Heyman's Inside Baseball on FanRag Sports. He mentioned a few names that the Cubs liked as possible replacements for Joe Maddon -- someday. I gave my top-three, as well, but feel free to tweet @LockedOnCubs to tell me how wrong I am. Finally, I discussed Heyman's note about the Cubs and their level of interest in signing free agent reliever Greg Holland. Would it makes sense?

Be sure to subscribe and leave us an awesome five-star review on iTunes! Also follow us on Twitter and email any questions or comments to [email protected].

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Welcome back to yet another episode of Locked On Cubs! I took a look back at the 4-1-1 spring Cubs' 7-5 victory over the Oakland A's, which included several noteworthy outings from key bullpen guys. Thursday will mark the spring debut of Yu Darvish, which is kind of exciting even if it's not really that big of a deal. Speaking of Darvish, Joe Maddon recently announced where the pitcher would fall in the opening rotation, so I discussed that briefly as well.

Finally, I finished off with a segment on Jake Arrieta. Remember him? What's going on with Jake? I looked at the most recent rumors and harped on the team that I think is still the most likely to end up with him. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and give us a review! You can follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and can email us at [email protected].

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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 [email protected].

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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 [email protected].

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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 [email protected].

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