Bruce Levine talks Cubs', White Sox's needs ahead of Aug. 3 trade deadline

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Rahimi & Grote Show 14 min 3 speakers 6 chapters transcribed 1 month ago

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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

Bruce Levine 0:01

Rahimi, Harrison, Grody. Middays 10 to 2 on 104.3 The Score. You know, we have the wackiest producers, don't we?

Vinny Rotino 0:13

This is Rahimi Harrison-Grody on 104.3 The Score. And there were no baseball games for the local teams yesterday. Cubs and White Sox were both off. But they both begin important series today. Sox are at home against the Astros and the Cubs take on the Pirates. So we wanted to bring in our score baseball reporter, Bruce Levine. He is at MLB Bruce Levine on X. Host of Inside the Clubhouse Saturday mornings 9 to 11. The guests this week are Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya at 9.30 AM. And Steve Stone, the White Sox analyst at 1030. Bruce, how are you today?

Bruce Levine 0:45

Good morning to both of you. My question to both is, what type of inventory would Layla and Mark trade for Mason Miller?

Vinny Rotino 0:59

Ooh.

Mark Grote 1:00

Or which team?

Vinny Rotino 1:01

Yeah, that's a good question.

Bruce Levine 1:02

That's an even better question, but I would start with the Chicago Cubs.

Vinny Rotino 1:10

The better question is, knowing how A.J. Preller will just kind of toy with people and not give you much in return and see the Hugh Darvish trade, something tells me he would want a lot from the Cubs. So you're talking probably big league talent for big league talent at the very least. Yeah. What would they want in return? Perhaps somebody else to help their offense, even though it's starting to get going?

Mark Grote 1:31

Matt Shaw and Jackson Wiggins.

Vinny Rotino 1:33

Oh, my word.

Mark Grote 1:34

Do you really think it would take... Those are the top two prospects in the... I mean, Jackson Wiggins... Shaw's a major leaguer, and Jackson Wiggins is... Yes, he is... That's so many years of control. They don't have a closer. You can't not have a legit closer going into the postseason, right? I've enjoyed some of the success of some of the bullpenners that we have seen from the Cubs, but are you a serious team? Are the Cubs a serious team if they don't have lockdown guys late in games in the postseason this year?

Vinny Rotino 2:04

Well, and Bruce, that's kind of the problem is the Padres know the Cubs are desperate. I don't see anybody giving anybody discounts here, and Miller's the dude.

Bruce Levine 2:14

Well, look, it's going to start with Daniel Palencia, right? Yeah. So he's automatically going to go in that deal. And San Diego is going to want to make sure he's healthy at that point. Because if you're trading 102, you want at least 100 miles an hour back.

Mark Grote 2:31

Oh, so they have to give up Palencia in San Diego?

Vinny Rotino 2:33

I mean, that's the thing. There would be big league talent coming off the board.

Mark Grote 2:37

But if San Diego's giving up on Mason Miller, aren't they saying, Uncle, we're good, we're out?

Bruce Levine 2:43

Contract control was Layla brought up. Contract control. And you have it with Miller, and you have it with Daniel at least three or four more years.

Vinny Rotino 2:55

So what you're essentially saying is they're buying time.

What trade candidates are being considered for Mason Miller and who might be involved?

Bruce Levine 2:59

They have a new owner, okay? The new owner sits down with A.J. Preller, and he says, A.J., we know you're the Wheeler dealer. You know you've held this franchise up. We've been to the playoffs numerous times. We fill the house every night. But right now... Going into maybe a lockout or a strike, we are going to back away from some of the money we're spending, and we don't know how it's going to be spent after a CBA is accomplished. So we need you to move some players off the team.

Mark Grote 3:33

Okay, so you say Mason Miller starts with Daniel Palencia. He's the centerpiece of a trade, yes? Yes.

Bruce Levine 3:40

They have to get something back.

Mark Grote 3:42

I hear you. And then you're not down with the Shaw and or Wiggins. Do Wiggins be too much, do you think?

Bruce Levine 3:49

Well, I mean, you're trading – look, let's take a step back. When the Cubs were going into the second rounds of playoffs, they had closers, right?

Vinny Rotino 4:02

Yeah.

Bruce Levine 4:02

So they had the major dude, as you guys call him, in Chapman, who is still a major dude toiling for Boston. That was the big move. They don't win the World Series without him, even – the funky way that it was done.

What would the Padres likely demand from the Cubs for Mason Miller?

Bruce Levine 4:19

100%. He was the only one they trusted in that series. When they went to the NLCS, they had Wade Davis, who was really good. Great. He was terrific. He was an all-star. Yeah, and he was worn out at the end, as they all are.