Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Bruce Levine sets the scene for Cubs-White Sox opener in spring training
20 Feb 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the significance of the Cubs-White Sox spring training opener?
Layla Rahimi, Marshall Harris, Mark Grody, Rahimi, Harrison Grody on 104.3 The Score. Everybody. Can we sing? Can we sing? Sing to Bruce, yeah. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear food. Happy birthday to you. That's right. It's Bruce Levine's birthday. I want to know if Bruce knows who this is. That's what I want to know.
This hour is sponsored by Riverfront Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram. This is 104.3 The Score, and that is how we bring in our baseball reporter here for the Cubs and White Sox on 104.3 The Score, the co-host of Inside the Clubhouse, Saturday mornings from 9 to 11, the birthday boy himself, Bruce Levine. Hey, Bruce. Marshall, it's cool in the gang, right? Yeah. Close enough. Close enough, Bruce.
Close enough. That's what I thought. Look, before we start talking baseball, does it annoy you when people wish you happy birthday, they just find out from other people five minutes before, and they're not really on your list of A friends? Wow. So you resent some of the people that were singing happy birthday to you? Is that what you're saying, Bruce? I asked you a question, Mark. Okay, so no.
My answer is no because I don't tell people my birthday unless they ask. And if people find out, that's fine. And I'm just like, you know what? It is to be celebrated. You are to be celebrated, Bruce. You shouldn't be upset about that. You should be like me and just take the birthday wishes when they come but not be upset when people don't remember. Did not say I was. But it's always interesting.
And these birthday things, As I'm aging, they keep happening like once a year. It's amazing how that works. Yeah, the older you get. You're right. I am running into the same thing now. They're happening every year. They feel quicker, but for some reason, they're at the same time, and I don't get it. Bruce, this is when I grew up.
Now, for the reason you really got me on, to talk about the first game of the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, where do you want to begin? Well, wait a second. Who got you the card? Was it Greg Council? Who did the presentation? No, it was Mark Gonzalez. Gonzalez out there? A friend on the A-list. Oh, man, tell Gonzo we all said hello. He's the best. Former Cubs writer for the Tribune. We miss Mark.
Former Sox writer for the Tribune as well. He'll be filling in on the Sun-Times beat on the weekends for both the Cubs and White Sox. Good man. Very good man. That's fantastic. Yeah, we do want to know about that spring training game that we are excited to hear in just a few minutes here on The Score.
Bruce, the first thing that we noticed was the announcement that Will Venable made before today, talking about Munataka Murakami would be in the lineup. We find out he's batting cleanup. This seems like a real sign that they want to develop him and get him used to major league pitching as soon as possible. You know, Layla, that's a part of it, but he's leaving next week.
So that's a major reason why you'll see Suzuki for the Cubs in center and Murakami at first base is they want to get their eyes on them before they take off for Japan.
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Chapter 2: How do players like Munataka Murakami impact the Cubs' lineup?
These are the two guys that could be around for a long time being the catchers. But he's out of options. So, you know, what do you do with Corey Lee? Are you showcasing him or, you know, somehow, some way, unfortunately, can you carry three catchers going into the beginning of the year? Because, you know, someone always gets hurt. You hope it's not a catcher.
But all of a sudden you have this wealth of catching opportunities. And it ends up that you don't have enough if you have to lose him because he's out of options. So they'll be talking about trading Corey Lee to someone else and maybe getting another catcher that they can put at AAA. That is basically what we're looking at with the White Sox.
With the White Sox, there'll be some surprises along the way. I don't think there's any question. We're not quite sure what that looks like right now. We don't know how well Acuna is going to be playing center field. And if he's not playing center field, could he bump... How badly do they want Acuna in the lineup with all the speed that he has and versatility?
And now that we know he's working on being a switch hitter. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. Hey! I see what you did there, Bruce. We're talking with Bruce about baseball because baseball coming up at the top of the hour here. Cubs versus White Sox right here on 104.3. The score, this is Rahimi Harris and Grody. And Bruce, you got me all excited.
The Zach Gallant talk, the idea of a six-man rotation. Is the six-man rotation thing, is that dead before the season even starts? Or do you still see that being a possibility? Marshall answered by saying, do you think modern managers can get by with only seven bullpen guys? No. So that would automatically eliminate a bullpen guy. And if that happens...
How do you negotiate that if you're going all year long with one bullpen guy missing? I think at different parts of the year, I think the answer is yes. Because if they don't have injuries, they have all these... extra pitchers, all these starters that can get the job done for you. So with that in mind, it's going to be fun to watch it.
I don't remember the last time the Cubs had this type of pitching depth. Hoyer certainly has worked extraordinarily hard to get that. But again, we're only starting spring training games. How many guys are going to make it through spring training without getting injured? That's the game.
that they play here is can we get out of spring training without having any injuries that are going to sidetrack us, in particular with the pitching staff starting pitching in bullpen. And, Bruce, it's nice. I assume it's also because of the World Baseball Classic that we get to see Alex Bregman here on day one, batting second at third base for the Cubs. What can you expect to see out of Bregman?
Is there anything you're watching for in particular ahead of that World Baseball Classic he's also playing in? Yeah, I'm just hoping he stays healthy. You know, he missed 50 games last year. So there's no question when Alex Bregman is healthy, he's going to be a vital part of the Cubs offense. He's going to be hitting up near the top of the order.
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