Mark Grote

I think they've done the right thing with these players that they have selected to be their core going forward.

And I'm very interested to see where it goes this season specifically because of the work stoppage that we're all assuming is going to happen next season.

But for years beyond, at least you know who are strong, as Layla said, up the middle, which is so important defensively.

And although Nico Horner handled the questions about potentially being traded over the last year and change very professionally when asked here on The Score, when asked by other reporters out of Wrigley Field, tells me he hated that.

He hated the idea of not having control.

And no player, every player would love a no-trade clause in Major League Baseball.

But it's pretty cool that it was important to him.

to be here in Chicago, to be one of us.

He's earning bears very quickly, by the way, for his desires to be here.

And it's such a unique situation.

I was very curious to see what a guy in the modern era who does not have slug would get in this era.

But

36 home runs in six plus years forget that two gold gloves 282 career average which is above average in this day and age as we know and he's always hovering around four as his war that was above that last year i think it was what's around six or so over so that you have you do have to look a little bit more deeply into the numbers to see where nico's value is but general managers take that very seriously well

What you mentioned is unconventional, Mark.

Like what you mentioned is Nico's a bit of a throwback.

Yes.

Here's a guy hitting for average.

Here's a guy whose value is also courtesy of his glove.

It is up the middle.

You know, second base is a position that we've seen some teams mix and match at, but the Cubs didn't want to do that.