Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Ben Verlander likes this Cubs' roster, hopes they aren't done adding to it (Hour 4)
29 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What are Ben Verlander's thoughts on the Cubs' roster this offseason?
Essentially what we have right now for the Chicago Cubs is the exact same offense as last year, just swapping Alex Bregman for Kyle Tucker. I love both of these guys. I think they're both gamers. It just feels like Alex Bregman might be a little bit of a better fit for the team.
So we have the same offense, swap Alex Bregman for Kyle Tucker, and the rotation has added Edward Cabrera, and we'll also get Justin Steele back. So I've really thought about what the Cubs have done this offseason and my thoughts on it, and I landed on that I really like what the Cubs have done. That's nice to hear.
That sounded like the Flippin' Bats podcast to me with Ben Verlander. That's what it sounded like as we welcome you back into the Rahimi Harris and Grody show here on Chicago Sports Radio 670. The score, let's bring Ben Verlander in.
Chapter 2: How does the Cubs' offense compare to last year's performance?
He is a Major League Baseball analyst. He is the
host as i just alluded to of the flipping bats podcast he joins us right now on the circa resort and casino hotline circa las vegas.com hi ben thanks for coming on with us what's up guys thanks for having me absolutely man and again i'd like getting a little taste of of your cubs thoughts right there but the first thing i want to ask you man is what is the team
that you have spent the most time talking about this offseason on said Flippin' Bats podcast.
That's a good question. My immediate gut reaction says it's the New York Mets just because it's been such a polarizing offseason for them. And it's New York. And whether you're a Mets fan, you were freaking out. Yankees fans jump on board with the conversation. So I feel like I've kind of been like. a level head throughout this process of saying, okay, let's wait a second.
This team is like completely getting cut down and chopped up. And it's not just going to end this way. I felt when Pete Alonzo, when they, when they let him go and Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo was traded, everyone thought the world was ending for the New York Mets. And my thought was, okay, let's pump the brakes here.
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Chapter 3: What impact will Alex Bregman have on the Cubs' lineup?
It's November, December. It's, you know, Steve Cohen, you know, David Stern, they're going to do something. And I actually think they'll be just fine. And then they make all of these moves and it's a totally new look team. So my gut, my gut says I've talked more about the New York Mets than anybody else this off season.
Well, the Mets certainly disappeared for a moment and then reappeared looking as strong as ever as far as a team that can make a push to challenge for the NL crown. Although when you talk about the NL crown, I mean, it starts and ends with the Dodgers, in my opinion.
And I'm curious as to what you think of the Dodgers continuing to just add on to a team that obviously is already the best in the major leagues.
Yeah, I mean if you're a Dodgers fan, this is a perfect world scenario, right? I mean you look at the Dodgers last year in the World Series. I look at that World Series and say the Blue Jays were every bit as good of a team as the Dodgers. If not, there's also a world in which you could say they outplayed them for the majority of it and they still lost the series.
And then you can come out of that and say, man, the Dodgers have now won back-to-back World Series. What in the world is their weakness?
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Chapter 4: How do the Cubs' pitching additions affect their playoff chances?
And you can immediately say the closer role, they had to figure it out on the fly and then use Yamamoto and back-to-back days.
and then they could use another outfielder because Michael Conforto wasn't very good, and they went out and added the best closer available on Edwin Diaz and went out and added the best player available probably in Kyle Tucker, and it's just if you're a Dodgers fan, it's a dream, and if you're not a Dodgers fan, it's this isn't fair, and I get it, but they're within the rules, and I commend them
As just a fan of the game of baseball, I would put much more of my frustration on teams doing the opposite than them taking advantage of what they can. And they're making their very good team even better. And, yeah, I commend them for putting the team in the position they are and for going out and making the team better.
All of that said, then, you're right. When you spend all your money, that's what it looks like. Kyle Tucker is with the Dodgers. The Phillies, who won 96 games last year, they bring back Schwarber for all the money. Real Muto is back while we're at it, too. We talked about the Mets with Bichette and Peralta and Luis Robert. If you would like.
So steering into the Cubs, the question I have for you, Ben Verlander, is I do think the Cubs are better right now than they were last year. At this moment, I don't know if they could advance further than they did this year. Are they good enough to advance beyond one round of the playoffs?
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Chapter 5: What are the latest developments with the New York Mets this offseason?
Gut reaction immediately says yes. In that clip you played, I was kind of like, I knew I wanted to talk about the Cubs in the episode, and my thought was, okay, I like the addition of Bregman, and throughout that segment of the show, I found myself... liking the team more and more. And it's interesting because I don't sit here and say Alex Bregman is a better player than Kyle Tucker.
But I do feel like I sit here and say Alex Bregman might be a better fit for the Chicago Cubs than Kyle Tucker. And then you go out and think, okay, they've added to a rotation Edward Cabrera. And you can look at Edward Cabrera's baseball reference page and say, is that really the piece that excites you the most?
And I say, no, but he does have some of the nastiest stuff in baseball and a change of scenery and different pitching coaches and continuing to take steps forward. I do think he can be a top of a rotation guy. Then you look at the playoffs when they got eliminated and Cade Horton, who was a big part of their second half, wasn't a part of the playoffs.
Then you keep going another step further and say Justin Steele is an absolute ace. They didn't have him for the majority of the year. He's going to come back at some point. So I just really started talking myself into...
Chapter 6: How do the Dodgers continue to strengthen their team?
wait a second, I think I really like this starting pitching rotation for the Chicago Cubs. I think it has a chance when Justin Steele comes back to be really solid. And then you add Bregman to a lineup that I think can be, again, good.
I'm excited to see what Ballesteros can do out of, you know, get more playing time this year and see how he can evolve at the bottom of the lineup and add some thump down there. So... You know, I just found myself talking through it and realizing I really like this Chicago Cubs roster. In a perfect world, they're not done adding.
In a world where I know the Chicago Cubs and how they've operated the last few years, I feel like they are done, and I kind of like this team.
Well, Ben, we just heard from them as we're joined by Ben Verlander, host of the Flippin' Bats podcast here on Rahimi Harris and Grody. We just heard from them at Cubs convention, and it sounds like they aren't done. And there's been rumors and speculation about possibly adding Zach Gallin.
I would like to see them upgrade even more on offense because I just think you never have enough because guys are going to get hurt. Certainly holds true with the arms, but even with the bats, defensively,
They didn't have that fail-safe when Kyle Tucker went down for long stretches, and he was what seemed to be the fulcrum of their offense in the first half when they were doing so well up and down, and we thought Seiya Suzuki should have been an all-star. Do you feel like they need the addition of an arm, a big arm, or a big bat more if you're going to continue to add on and ask for more?
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Chapter 7: What is Charles Barkley's opinion on Michael Jordan's NBA coverage?
First off, let's just take a moment to talk about the sentence that you just said that we thought Seiya Suzuki should have been an all-star. Seiya Suzuki absolutely should have been an all-star. It was the most egregious snub out there. That was absolutely ridiculous. So totally agree with you there. I think hopefully everybody does. I look at this Cubs team.
And I think in the show the other day, I said, I hope they aren't done. I think in a perfect world, they add another arm. So my gut says arm, but you're absolutely right, where this lineup doesn't have... If you go into the playoffs with this current lineup, one through nine, you feel great about it.
But if you go into the playoffs with one of those guys hurt or just coming back and they're not where they need to be, it is lacking. So I totally agree with you there. So I... Look, my gut still says arm, but if it's a bat, I don't think you can go wrong adding.
Chapter 8: What are the implications of Michael Jordan's limited presence on NBC?
I would love a Zach Gallin. I feel like Zach Gallin right now, you can get a little cheaper than maybe if he was a free agent a couple of years ago. I still think he's a stud. I think he's an all-star. He has felt like a Chicago Cub to me. Since trade rumors started, I could see that being a good fit. And if you could add a... If you could add a bat, great.
So I think the Cubs are in a really good position. And in addition, one way or another, a top of the rotation arm or a bat for depth is going to be huge for them.
What about maybe adding like a 42-year-old veteran starting pitcher? I hear there's one out there. I hear there's a couple out there.
I see where you're going with this.
Justin of the Verlanders.
What's your brother up to, man? Man, he's feeling great. His year last year, you know, you look at the numbers. I think everybody looks at age. But to be honest with you, everyone was starting to look at age with my brother when he had to get Tommy John surgery a couple years ago at 38, 39 years old, and everybody said he's done. Well, he came back the following year and won the Cy Young Award.
Crazy. There's just been a few players throughout the history of sports that you can't look at their age and say they're done. Father Time catches up with everybody. That may be true. But Justin is doing things a little bit differently, and he's put himself in a position as one of those players in the history of sports that has just pushed Father Time a little bit down the road.
And you can look at his numbers last year, especially down the stretch. I don't care that he's 42, about to be 43 in a little bit less than a month. He's going to help a team, and he's not going to help a team because he's a savvy veteran. He's going to help a team because he's a really, really good pitcher that really focuses on his craft, and it really means a lot to him.
and you look at what's still out there, anything surprising? I mean, we're less than two weeks away or about two weeks away from pitchers and catchers and then full squads reporting in Arizona and Florida. Are you surprised by anybody that's still out there as a free agent? Because we know sometimes it does take longer for the last guys to get signed.
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