Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic are back to answer more of your offseason questions. Garrett Crochet of the White Sox and a few notable catchers are among the popular names for some trade ideas. There’s the usual angst about the bullpen and how Jed Hoyer’s front office is going to attack that area of the roster. Plus more on Craig Counsell’s influence and what the Cubs doing behind the scenes. Support NST! Please leave this podcast page a rating and review.

Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic open it up to the audience for an offseason mailbag. There were enough good questions to break it up into two parts. Fans want to know if the front office will try to lock up the Opening Day starter and attempt to build a different offense after Wrigley Field’s conditions frustrated hitters. There’s also much more on trade ideas and how ownership will respond to another disappointing season. Support NST! Please leave this podcast page a rating...

The Cardinal Way has gotten a little stale. Chaim Bloom now represents the succession plan as Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak intends to step down after the 2025 season. How did the Cardinals lose their edge? And what will this mean for their long-running rivalry with the Cubs? Derrick Goold, an expert beat writer with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, answers those questions and more in a wide-ranging conversation with Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic....

It all starts with Cody Bellinger’s move to either opt-in or become a free agent, a contract decision that at this point looks pretty straightforward. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney explain why things are trending in one direction, and how the Cubs are planning to upgrade their rotation and catching situation. Plus, will they finally take a different approach with their bullpen or run it back with the same strategy? Support NST! Please leave this podcast page a rating and...

Where is the sense of urgency? After back-to-back 83-win seasons, the Cubs president of baseball operations tried to send an optimistic message, doubling down on the organization’s long-term approach and focus on sustainability. Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic were in the Wrigley Field interview room, asking questions and taking notes on a big-market franchise that doesn’t always act that way. Let the overreactions begin. Support NST! Please leave this podcast page a rating...

The Cubs fired David Ross, hired Craig Counsell and wound up with the exact same record as last year. The fans who flock to Wrigley Field every season should be watching a much better product than this mediocre team. Outside of a few bright spots, there wasn’t much excitement or personality to this group. The farewell to Kyle Hendricks’ stood out as a rare emotional moment and a reminder of how things used to be in Wrigleyville. Support NST! Please leave this podcast page a rating and...

Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer joins the show to discuss why the Reds fired David Bell and how two ex-Cubs managers could fit into their search. Wittenmyer, a longtime reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times, also explains the backstory to his recent feature on Lou Piniella, whose colorful, decorated career has fallen just short of the Hall of Fame. Wrigley Field’s final weekend of the season will feature two disappointing teams: Where do they go from here? Support NST! Please leave...

Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are among the good players the Cubs identified as building blocks at Wrigley Field. But this overall group hasn’t been good enough. Near the end of a disappointing season, Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic analyze Hoerner’s value as a trade chip, Happ’s no-trade protection and Suzuki’s potential future as a designated hitter. This is part of why the Cubs are expected to spend heavily on pitching this winter and entertain all trade...

Without naming names, Cubs manager Craig Counsell essentially called out his entire organization. Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic interpret what Counsell was actually saying and relay Jed Hoyer’s response from Philadelphia as another disappointing season nears its end. Missing the playoffs calls into question ownership’s willingness to spend and the front office’s cautious approach. What will that mean for the offseason? Support NST! Please leave this podcast page a rating...

With the Cubs disappearing from the playoff picture, Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic field questions from listeners on where the team goes from here. Hot topics include the fate of the front office, how the Cubs view Cody Bellinger’s option for next season, the next wave of prospects headed toward Wrigley Field, and more.Support NST! Please leave this podcast page a rating and review.

The Brewers are rarely viewed as the preseason favorite or a cutting-edge franchise. Yet this small-market team keeps frustrating the Cubs and outperforming expectations. How does this keep happening? Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic examine the distance between Milwaukee and Chicago, how the Cubs can close the gap, and why the Brewers will be their problem for a long time coming.Support NST! Please leave this podcast page a rating and review. Also submit any questions for...

Though mathematically still alive for the playoffs, Fangraphs still gave this team a zero percent chance to make the playoffs after rough back-to-back losses over the weekend at Coors Field. The Cubs return home to Wrigley Field with so many big-picture questions about the organization’s direction. Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic get into the clubhouse environment, gains in player development, why upgrading the rotation rotation will be a priority and whether Cody Bellinger...

Despite their long-shot odds to make the postseason, the Cubs still have a lot to play for in September. Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic run through some of the players they’re following more closely as well as a few names they’re already hearing about as possible targets in free agency. The trajectory of this season only reinforces the idea that the Cubs have to be more aggressive this winter and build a team with more certainty and fewer unknowns. Support NST! Please leave...

Why do the Cubs look like a different team on the road? The offense came alive again at Dodger Stadium, where agent Scott Boras pointed out how unkind the Friendly Confines have been to hitters this season. It’s a topic of conversation for players, coaches and the front office, so it had to be addressed on North Side Territory. Sahadev Sharma discusses Patrick Mooney’s Boras interview with The Athletic, what Cody Bellinger is thinking, and whether this trend could impact free agents and...

Sahadev Sharma joins Clint Pasillas and Alanna Rizzo on Dodgers Territory to talk about the Cubs vs Dodgers upcoming series. Sahadev dives into the surprising luck the team has on the road and the offense that needs to pick itself up as the team heads to Dodgers Stadium. One Cub in the spotlight is Cody Bellinger, being back at Dodgers Stadium again brings the group to reflect on he MVP he used to be.

The story will quickly shift after Shota Imanaga’s brilliant performance in a combined no-hitter. The Yankees are coming to town, which means Rizzo’s first game back at Wrigley Field since getting traded at the 2021 deadline. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney both covered the entire breadth of Rizzo’s career in Chicago, which featured a full-scale rebuild, the end of a 108-year championship drought, and some entertaining back-and-forth with a character who enjoyed that part of...

What a night at Wrigley Field, where the crowd booed Craig Counsell’s decision to pull his ace pitcher after seven no-hit innings. Imanaga, his catcher and the next reliever up didn’t even know they were on the verge of making history. And this actually started out as a bad day for the Cubs. For context, Sahadev Sharma checks in with Patrick Mooney from the postgame press box to discuss the scene, Imanaga’s seamless transition from Japan and what catching a combined no-hitter means to Miguel...

The Cubs returned to Wrigley Field on Labor Day with a sense of momentum and a chance to make September interesting. And then the one-two punch of a blown save and Justin Steele’s injury damaged their postseason odds. Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney absorb all that news, putting it in the context of a season that was supposed to go into October. Plus more on Craig Counsell’s observational style and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s emergence as a real force. Please leave this podcast page a rating and...

Are the Cubs back because of a Taylor Swift candle or the Sully Bounce? The legendary newspaperman joins Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic to discuss Mike Royko’s influence on his career, what it’s really like to cover the Wrigleyville circus and how the beat has changed over the years. Sully also implores the Cubs to let Craig Counsell out of his “cage” and endorses A.J. Pierzynski as the next White Sox manager. Please leave this podcast page a rating and review so that more...

As September approaches, the Cubs are still staying in the playoff picture. Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic try to make sense of the offensive explosion in Pittsburgh and this recent surge that has pushed the club above .500. There are also newsy items to discuss regarding Drew Smyly and Jorge López, two key pieces of a bullpen that will be tested down the stretch. Can the Cubs defy the odds and finish strong, the way Craig Counsell’s teams typically did in...

The rookie known as “PCA” is becoming a dynamic player, someone who can deliver a highlight-reel moment at any given time. Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic discuss what this development means for the future and how the center fielder has combined style and substance. Miguel Amaya is another young player who has shown significant growth in the second half of a disappointing season. Should the Cubs trust that development or look for an upgrade at catcher? Plus an update on...

Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic respond to listener questions about how the Cubs will approach Juan Soto and the free-agent market this winter and what might be different this time. Anthony Santander, for example, would be a good name to file away. There’s also an in-depth discussion about how to fix the bullpen and whether the Cubs are going to follow the same process and hope for different results. Please leave this podcast page a rating and review so that more people...

The montage on the Wrigley Field video board was essentially the only highlight for Báez in his first game back since getting traded at the 2021 deadline. Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney explain what it was like covering “El Mago” and watching him struggle mightily with the Tigers. The duo from The Athletic also discuss why the Cubs shook up their bullpen, dumping Neris before he gained a $9 million player option for next season. Does this mean Jed Hoyer and Craig Counsell are going to let...

Cubs executives have publicly acknowledged that the team will likely finish the year over the $237 million luxury-tax threshold. What does this mean in a season that will very likely end without a playoff appearance? Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney go over some frequently asked questions, explain Sharma’s latest reporting in The Athletic, and look ahead to another monster class of free agents. Please leave this podcast page a rating and review so that more people discover North Side...