CandidCubs

https://linktr.ee/BricksBehindTheIvy YT - The 2025 MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone — and the Chicago Cubs made some moves… but was it enough? In this live reaction episode of Bricks Behind the Ivy, Jeff (@CandidCubs) breaks down what the Cubs did, what they didn’t do, and whether Jed Hoyer’s strategy puts this team in position to make a serious playoff push. 💬 Did the Cubs do enough at the deadline? Drop your thoughts in the comments! 🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL 📺 / @bleacher_bunch_network ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BRICKS BEHIND THE IVY – CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram → @bricks_behind_the_ivy 🌐 Blue Sky → bbti-pod.bsky.social 👤 Follow CandidCubs → @candidcubs ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BLEACHER BUNCH – FOLLOW ALONG 🐦 Twitter / X → @Bleacher_Bunch 📸 Instagram → @bleacher_bunch 🌐 Blue Sky → bleacherbunch.bsky.social 💰 Patreon → patreon.com/bleacherbunch (ad-free episodes, early access, and more) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☕ YAGGY ROAD ROASTING CO. – BBTI PARTNER Started by three Valpo grads, Yaggy Road ethically sources and hand-roasts premium coffee for life’s most meaningful moments. 🛒 Order Now → yaggyroad.com/?ref=BricksBehindTheIvy ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧢 WRIGLEYVILLE SPORTS – OFFICIAL CUBS GEAR PARTNER 🛒 Shop Here → wrigleyvillesports.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

YouTube: LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/BricksBehindTheIvy Why do the Milwaukee Brewers keep winning—despite low payroll, few stars, and constant roster turnover? In this episode of Bricks Behind the Ivy, Cubs fan Jeff Ragauskis sits down with Jake McKibbin from Brewer Fanatic to uncover the real reasons Milwaukee remains a threat year after year. From elite pitching development to smart front office moves and clubhouse culture, this is a must-watch for Cubs fans trying to understand their biggest NL Central rival. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL 📺 / @bleacher_bunch_network ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BRICKS BEHIND THE IVY – CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram → @bricks_behind_the_ivy 🌐 Blue Sky → bbti-pod.bsky.social 👤 Follow CandidCubs → @candidcubs ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BLEACHER BUNCH – FOLLOW ALONG 🐦 Twitter / X → @Bleacher_Bunch 📸 Instagram → @bleacher_bunch 🌐 Blue Sky → bleacherbunch.bsky.social 💰 Patreon → patreon.com/bleacherbunch (ad-free episodes, early access, and more) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☕ YAGGY ROAD ROASTING CO. – BBTI PARTNER Started by three Valpo grads, Yaggy Road ethically sources and hand-roasts premium coffee for life’s most meaningful moments. 🛒 Order Now → yaggyroad.com/?ref=BricksBehindTheIvy ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧢 WRIGLEYVILLE SPORTS – OFFICIAL CUBS GEAR PARTNER 🛒 Shop Here → wrigleyvillesports.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Alex Cohen of Marquee Network and the Iowa Cubs joins Bricks Behind the Ivy for a “State of the Union” on the Chicago Cubs. From key storylines in Triple-A to what’s next for the big-league club, we cover it all — prospects, pitching depth, trade deadline outlook, and the importance of July baseball. We also go behind the mic with Alex to hear how broadcasting in Des Moines gives him a front-row seat to the Cubs’ future — and why he believes in what’s ahead at Wrigley Field. 🎙 A weekly Chicago Cubs podcast made by Cubs fans, for Cubs fans. 📌 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more Cubs analysis, interviews, and fun each week. 🎧 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or watch the full episode on YouTube. 💬 What are YOUR expectations for the second half? Drop them in the comments. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL 📺 / @bleacher_bunch_network ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BRICKS BEHIND THE IVY – CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram → @bricks_behind_the_ivy 🌐 Blue Sky → bbti-pod.bsky.social 👤 Follow CandidCubs → @candidcubs ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BLEACHER BUNCH – FOLLOW ALONG 🐦 Twitter / X → @Bleacher_Bunch 📸 Instagram → @bleacher_bunch 🌐 Blue Sky → bleacherbunch.bsky.social 💰 Patreon → patreon.com/bleacherbunch (ad-free episodes, early access, and more) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☕ YAGGY ROAD ROASTING CO. – BBTI PARTNER Started by three Valpo grads, Yaggy Road ethically sources and hand-roasts premium coffee for life’s most meaningful moments. 🛒 Order Now → yaggyroad.com/?ref=BricksBehindTheIvy ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧢 WRIGLEYVILLE SPORTS – OFFICIAL CUBS GEAR PARTNER 🛒 Shop Here → wrigleyvillesports.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

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https://linktr.ee/BricksBehindTheIvy?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=d8838437-20de-4790-9b7b-e2a36a2b68f2 We’re back from the 2025 MLB All-Star break! Jeff shares his first-hand experience at the Home Run Derby and breaks down what’s working — and what isn’t — with MLB’s big event. Then, it’s time to face the music: why do the Brewers keep owning the Cubs? From roster construction to organizational strategy, we dig into what Milwaukee is doing right — and what the Cubs can learn. 🎧 Tune in for a fun All-Star break recap, Cubs rants, and real talk about the NL Central. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL 📺 / @bleacher_bunch_network ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BRICKS BEHIND THE IVY – CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram → @bricks_behind_the_ivy 🌐 Blue Sky → bbti-pod.bsky.social 👤 Follow CandidCubs → @candidcubs ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BLEACHER BUNCH – FOLLOW ALONG 🐦 Twitter / X → @Bleacher_Bunch 📸 Instagram → @bleacher_bunch 🌐 Blue Sky → bleacherbunch.bsky.social 💰 Patreon → patreon.com/bleacherbunch (ad-free episodes, early access, and more) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☕ YAGGY ROAD ROASTING CO. – BBTI PARTNER Started by three Valpo grads, Yaggy Road ethically sources and hand-roasts premium coffee for life’s most meaningful moments. 🛒 Order Now → yaggyroad.com/?ref=BricksBehindTheIvy ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧢 WRIGLEYVILLE SPORTS – OFFICIAL CUBS GEAR PARTNER 🛒 Shop Here → wrigleyvillesports.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

YT: https://youtu.be/2ItJsxTIMtI Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bricks-behind-the-ivy/id1731951008 Spotify: 😬 The Cubs are in a June Swoon, but is it time to panic? Or are they still in the hunt? In this episode of Bricks Behind the Ivy, Jeff Ragauskis and Pat Eriksen break down Chicago’s tough month, reflect on Bobby Bonilla Day, and talk summer vibes heading into the 4th of July. Plus, hear from the Eriksen clan at Wrigley Fire Bar & Grill! 🎆 Whether you’re celebrating fireworks or feeling burned by the Cubs, we’ve got insight, stats, and laughs to get you through. 🧱 Built brick by brick, for Cubs fans, by Cubs fans. 🎧 Audio episodes drop every Monday 🎥 Patreon members get early video + audio access every Friday 🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL 📺 youtube.com/@bleacher_bunch_network ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BRICKS BEHIND THE IVY – CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram → @bricks_behind_the_ivy 🌐 Blue Sky → bbti-pod.bsky.social 👤 Follow CandidCubs → @candidcubs ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BLEACHER BUNCH – FOLLOW ALONG 🐦 Twitter / X → @Bleacher_Bunch 📸 Instagram → @bleacher_bunch 🌐 Blue Sky → bleacherbunch.bsky.social 💰 Patreon → patreon.com/bleacherbunch (ad-free episodes, early access, and more) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☕ YAGGY ROAD ROASTING CO. – BBTI PARTNER Started by three Valpo grads, Yaggy Road ethically sources and hand-roasts premium coffee for life’s most meaningful moments. 🛒 Order Now → yaggyroad.com/?ref=BricksBehindTheIvy ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧢 WRIGLEYVILLE SPORTS – OFFICIAL CUBS GEAR PARTNER 🛒 Shop Here → wrigleyvillesports.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The Chicago Cubs head to Houston for a key series against the Astros, and we’ve got you covered with an in-depth preview! Jeff Ragauskis is joined by Jim Christopher from Ballpark Nation to break it all down — from the pitching matchups and hitters to watch, to why Minute Maid Park is one of the most unique stadiums in MLB. We talk: ⚾ Cubs hitters to watch vs Astros starters 📊 How the Cubs match up against Houston’s bullpen 🏟️ Ballpark atmosphere and Astros fan vibes 📈 What Cubs fans should expect from this crucial series New Bricks Behind the Ivy episodes every Monday — subscribe for more Cubs coverage, interviews, and giveaways! 🎧 Watch or listen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and more 🧱 Join the Brick Heads on Patreon for early access and bonus content 👕 Win a custom Cubs jersey or game tickets! Details in the pinned post. Check out @ballparknation 's channel today! Watch Ballpark Nation on Amazon Prime -- https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Bal... 🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL 📺 / @bleacher_bunch_network ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BRICKS BEHIND THE IVY – CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram → @bricks_behind_the_ivy 🌐 Blue Sky → bbti-pod.bsky.social 👤 Follow CandidCubs → @candidcubs ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BLEACHER BUNCH – FOLLOW ALONG 🐦 Twitter / X → @Bleacher_Bunch 📸 Instagram → @bleacher_bunch 🌐 Blue Sky → bleacherbunch.bsky.social 💰 Patreon → patreon.com/bleacherbunch (ad-free episodes, early access, and more) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☕ YAGGY ROAD ROASTING CO. – BBTI PARTNER Started by three Valpo grads, Yaggy Road ethically sources and hand-roasts premium coffee for life’s most meaningful moments. 🛒 Order Now → yaggyroad.com/?ref=BricksBehindTheIvy ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧢 WRIGLEYVILLE SPORTS – OFFICIAL CUBS GEAR PARTNER 🛒 Shop Here → wrigleyvillesports.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🎉 GIVEAWAY TIME, BRICK HEADS! To celebrate Bricks Behind the Ivy joining the Bleacher Bunch Network, we’ve teamed up with @wrigleyville_sports to give away some epic Cubs prizes: 🏆 Prizes: ⚾️ Cubs tickets (1 winner) 👕 Custom Cubs jersey (1 winner) 🧱 BBTI T-shirts (10 winners) Here’s how to enter: ✅ Apple Podcasts: Leave a 5⭐️ written review with #Brickhead + your email ✅ Spotify: Leave a 5⭐️ review, screenshot it, and tag @bbti_pod in your Story ✅ YouTube: Subscribe to Bleacher Bunch Network + comment #Brickhead or #BleacherBunch on videos ✅ Instagram: Follow @bbti_pod & @wrigleyville_sports, then comment #Brickhead + tag a friend below 👇 on this post: Bricks Behind the Ivy (@bbti_pod) • Instagram photos and videos WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM 136 likes, 62 comments - bbti_pod on June 2, 2025: "🎉 GIVEAWAY TIME, BRICK HEADS! To celebrate Bricks Behind the Ivy joining the Bleacher Bunch Network, we’ve teamed up with...

The MLB trade deadline is heating up, and the Cubs have big decisions to make — especially on the pitching side. Jeff Ragauskis is joined by Cody Delmendo of CHGO Cubs to break down the top pitching targets the front office should be watching. They cover: 🔥 Realistic trade targets for the Cubs bullpen and rotation 🧱 Who’s untouchable in the farm system? 💸 What kind of deals Jed Hoyer won’t make ⚾ Cody’s take on how aggressive the Cubs should be at the deadline 💥 A few bold predictions on surprise moves If you’re wondering how the Cubs can stay in the playoff hunt, this is the episode you need. 🎧 Full episode now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more 🧱 Join the Brick Heads on Patreon for early access and bonus content 📆 New episodes drop every Monday! #Cubs #ChicagoCubs #MLBTradeDeadline #CubsPodcast #CHGOCubs #CodyDelmendo #BricksBehindTheIvy #BleacherBunch #CubsRumors #CubsTradeDeadline #CubsContent 🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL 📺 / @bleacher_bunch_network ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BRICKS BEHIND THE IVY – CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram → @bricks_behind_the_ivy 🌐 Blue Sky → bbti-pod.bsky.social 👤 Follow CandidCubs → @candidcubs ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BLEACHER BUNCH – FOLLOW ALONG 🐦 Twitter / X → @Bleacher_Bunch 📸 Instagram → @bleacher_bunch 🌐 Blue Sky → bleacherbunch.bsky.social 💰 Patreon → patreon.com/bleacherbunch (ad-free episodes, early access, and more) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☕ YAGGY ROAD ROASTING CO. – BBTI PARTNER Started by three Valpo grads, Yaggy Road ethically sources and hand-roasts premium coffee for life’s most meaningful moments. 🛒 Order Now → yaggyroad.com/?ref=BricksBehindTheIvy ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧢 WRIGLEYVILLE SPORTS – OFFICIAL CUBS GEAR PARTNER 🛒 Shop Here → wrigleyvillesports.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

YouTube: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bricks-behind-the-ivy/id1731951008 Spotify: As Shota Imanaga gets closer to returning from the injured list, the Cubs are facing a tough decision — who loses their spot in the rotation? We break down the likely scenarios and make our picks. Plus: 🔥 A full-blown rant on the Rafael Devers trade 🔍 What’s behind Jameson Taillon’s sneaky-good 2025 performance 🧱 And all the usual BBTI Cubs fan energy Subscribe, rate, and join the Brick Head community as we keep bringing Cubs content for Cubs fans, by Cubs fans. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL 📺 youtube.com/@bleacher_bunch_network ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BRICKS BEHIND THE IVY – CONNECT WITH US 🐦 Twitter / X → @bbti_pod 📸 Instagram → @bricks_behind_the_ivy 🌐 Blue Sky → bbti-pod.bsky.social 👤 Follow CandidCubs → @candidcubs ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏟️ BLEACHER BUNCH – FOLLOW ALONG 🐦 Twitter / X → @Bleacher_Bunch 📸 Instagram → @bleacher_bunch 🌐 Blue Sky → bleacherbunch.bsky.social 💰 Patreon → patreon.com/bleacherbunch (ad-free episodes, early access, and more) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☕ YAGGY ROAD ROASTING CO. – BBTI PARTNER Started by three Valpo grads, Yaggy Road ethically sources and hand-roasts premium coffee for life’s most meaningful moments. 🛒 Order Now → yaggyroad.com/?ref=BricksBehindTheIvy ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧢 WRIGLEYVILLE SPORTS – OFFICIAL CUBS GEAR PARTNER 🛒 Shop Here → wrigleyvillesports.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

In this episode of Bricks Behind the Ivy, Pat and Jeff go head-to-head in selecting their Chicago Cubs Quarter Century Teams—building dream lineups from Cubs players over the past 25 years! Inspired by The Athletic’s article by Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma, the duo reveal their picks live on the show for genuine reactions, debate, and laughs. The episode also includes your favorite weekly segments: ⏱️ Timestamps: (2:08) Nico Got Tossed? (9:38) Hitter of the Week (11:58) Pitcher of the Week (13:59) Quarter Century Team Kick Off (15:09) 1st Basemen (20:33) 2nd Basemen (25:00) Shortstop (31:48) Third Base (36:00) Left Field (40:28) Center Field (43:34) Right Field (51:21) Starting Pitching (56:02) Impact Reliever 💬 Who makes your Cubs Quarter Century Team? Drop your picks in the comments and let us know who got it right—and who completely missed the mark. 🧢 New episodes weekly covering all things Chicago Cubs — subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss a pitch! 🎧 Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. ⸻ 🔔 Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@bleacher_bunch_network ⸻ 🧢 Follow Bricks Behind the Ivy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bricks_behind_the_ivy Follow Jeff (@CandidCubs) on Twitter: https://twitter.com/candidcubs BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bbti-pod.bsky.social ⸻ 🍿 Follow the Bleacher Bunch Network: Twitter/X: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bleacher_bunch/ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bleacherbunch.bsky.social Patreon (Ad-Free Access!): https://patreon.com/bleacherbunch ⸻ ☕ Thanks to Our Sponsor – Yaggy Road Roasting Company! Started by three friends from Valparaiso University, Yaggy Road Roasting Co. delivers ethically sourced, small-batch roasted coffee that’s as meaningful as the moments you enjoy it with. Order your coffee here: https://www.yaggyroad.com/?ref=BricksBehindTheIvy ⸻ 🛍️ Get Your Official Cubs Gear: Shop Cubs memorabilia from Wrigleyville Sports! https://www.wrigleyvillesports.com/

Pitching development is evolving fast, and we’ve got two of the best minds in the game to break it all down! In this episode of Bricks Behind the Ivy, we’re joined by Ben Brewster of ‪@treadathletics‬ and Tyler Zombro, the brand-new Special Assistant for the Chicago Cubs, to discuss: ⚾ The latest trends in pitching development 💪 How biomechanics & data are shaping the future of pitching 🧠 Mental and physical challenges pitchers face 🔵 Tyler Zombro’s new role with the Cubs and his incredible journey This is a must-watch for Cubs fans and baseball enthusiasts who want to understand the cutting edge of pitching development! 💬 Drop a comment with your thoughts on the episode! ✅ Make sure to like, subscribe, and follow Bricks Behind the Ivy for more in-depth Cubs content! #Cubs #PitchingDevelopment #MLB #TreadAthletics #GoCubsGo 🎥 Subscribe to your YouTube Channel - / @bleacher_bunch_network 🏟️Looking for Bricks Behind the Ivy? ⚾️ Follow us on Twitter - / bbti_pod ⚾️Follow Us on Instagram - / bricks_behind_the_ivy ⚾️Follow Candidcubs on Twitter - / candidcubs ⚾️Follow BBTI on Blue Sky! - https://bsky.app/profile/bbti-pod.bsk... 🏟️Looking for Bleacher Bunch? ⚾️ Follow us on Twitter - https://x.com/Bleacher_Bunch ⚾️Follow Us on Instagram - / bleacher_bunch ⚾️Follow on Blue Sky! - https://bsky.app/profile/bleacherbunc... ⚾️Join our ad-free Patreon! - / bleacherbunch ⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎ Welcome to the BBTI Family, Yaggy Road Roasting Company! Started by three college friends at Valparaiso University, Yaggy Road Roasting Company is a specialty boutique coffee roaster centered on ethically sourcing and meticulously roasting some of the most special coffees in the world. A lot of life’s most special moments happen over coffee, which is why Yaggy Road ensures that the coffee in your mug is as special as the moment you are experiencing. Order your Coffee Here! - https://www.yaggyroad.com/?ref=Bricks... ⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎ Buy all of your Cubs memorabilia from Wrigleyville Sports! Use code "IVY10" at checkout for 10% off! Shop here today! - https://www.wrigleyvillesports.com/ ⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎⚾︎ #chicagocubspodcast #chicagocubspodcastyoutube #chicagocubs #BricksBehindTheIvy #bleacherbunch #CubsFanContent

In this live episode of Bricks Behind the Ivy, special guest Pat Eriksen joins us to recap Cubs Convention, analyze Tom Ricketts’ comments on the team’s budget, and break down what the Cubs need to accomplish this offseason to build a championship-caliber team. Don’t miss our deep dive into the latest developments and what’s next for the North Siders! Catch all the action and subscribe for more Cubs insights!

Kicking off Season 2 of Bricks Behind the Ivy! Jake McKibbin (@thebrewerblogs), writer for Brewer Fanatic, joins the show to discuss the Cubs from a Brewers fan’s perspective. Are the Cubs as far behind the Brewers as Craig Counsell suggested? Plus, insights into the differences between Pat Murphy and Craig Counsell. Don’t miss this deep dive into Cubs-Brewers rivalry and what lies ahead in 2025! Subscribe to your YouTube Channel - / @bbti_pod Shop at our new BBTI Pod Store! - https://www.etsy.com/shop/bricksbehin... Follow us on Twitter - / bbti_pod Follow Us on Instagram - / bricks_behind_the_ivy Follow Candidcubs on Twitter - / candidcubs

Thank you, @Matthew Trueblood!!

In this playful parody, Cubs fans reflect on offseason woes and dream of bold moves at the MLB Winter Meetings. Will Jed Hoyer deliver the magic Chicago needs? ‘Twas the night before Dallas, Cub fans waiting for news Jed needs to make waves, or at least some interesting moves 2024 Bullpen took ‘til May to look good Last offseason didn’t bring the pitching depth it should With top prospects and roster locks around a plenty, Obvious moves are not present, well, at least not many. With rumors telling us Top names are off the table Cub fans are sad, given this offseason an early bad label. Dreams of Soto and Burnes, popped long before they could get started, Leaving questions on ownership, or the teams direction that is charted. For every Matt Shaw, and Cade Horton in the farm, The lack of use of financial might could cause organizational harm. When money can solve issues and retain a top farm, Mid-tier free-agents seem to lose a bit of their charm. When billions are added to revenue with no winner, Patience of fans continues to wane thinner. Could the singing of Soto shift the Blue Jays focus this year? Could that help the Cubs get a mid-order bat to fear? Is moving Belli’s contract the key to the high end, Or is this another move tying us to a troubling trend. Will Jed feel the pressure to add to the front of the rotation, Is Sasaki a reasonable expectation? That market will take time, so maybe Nico will be dangled, I see the Mariners Pitchers as something we could fandangle. Is “Sneaky Jed” here again, holding back all of his cards With no news leaking, not even the slightest shards? Is that too much hope for a much bigger move, Or has Jed earned a reputation of being silent and shrewd? 4 days in Dallas, Cub fans hopes and dreams are on the balance, Jed hoping to retain a job by creating a playoff chance. Contracts, agents, and rumors will be there for X reporter’s baiting, The Winter Meetings are here, all that is left is the waiting. View full article

In this special episode of Bricks Behind the Ivy, Cole Wright from Marquee Network shares his incredible Cubs journey, his most star-struck moment interviewing Tommy LaSorda, and his take on the Cubs' needs to compete in 2025. We also dive into the differences between Craig Counsell and David Ross and discuss the most exciting minor league player to watch in 2025. This is a must-watch for all Cubs fans! 👉 Subscribe for more exclusive Cubs content! 💙 Support us on Patreon for early access and special perks: https://patreon.com/bricksbehindtheiv... 🎧 Available on all major podcast platforms—don’t forget to leave a review! #ChicagoCubs #ColeWright #MarqueeNetwork #CubsNation #BricksBehindTheIvy

In this special episode of Bricks Behind the Ivy, host Jeffrey Ragauskis is joined by Bryan Smith of North Side Bound and the Cubs On Deck Podcast to break down the 2024 Cubs Minor League system. We provide in-depth grades on offense (18:44) and pitching (6:30), highlight the best storylines (27:00), and give an overall minor league grade (33:00). Don't miss insights, key performances, and potential future stars in the Cubs' pipeline. Tune in for exclusive analysis and expert opinions! Join the Bricks Behind the Ivy Patreon Community! 🚀 Want more of the Cubs content you love? Become a Patreon member and enjoy exclusive benefits, including: Early Access: Get new episodes on Fridays, three days before public release on Monday! Exclusive Chat Communities: Connect with other passionate 'Brick Heads' and discuss all things Cubs. Special Merch: Access members-only merchandise to show off your support. Join today and be part of our growing Cubs family! Your support helps us bring you the best Cubs coverage and grow our community. Click here to join!

As Kyle Hendricks embarks on a new chapter with the Los Angeles Angels, I reflect on what he meant to Chicago baseball. From his quiet brilliance on the mound to his pivotal role in the 2016 World Series, Hendricks was more than just a pitcher; he was a symbol of consistency and class. Here’s a heartfelt tribute to the man who taught Cubs fans the art of calm, one pitch at a time. Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-Imagn Images This one is tough. If you have read my writing on this site, or listened/watched my content on Bricks Behind the Ivy, you may be aware that I have a soft spot for Kyle Hendricks. Baseball analysts would even call it a blind spot. I would agree. Per Jon Heyman, Hendricks has agreed to a one-year deal for about $2.5 million with the Angels, officially ending his tenure as a Chicago Cub and making him the last of the 2016 team to move on. (Yes, I am aware that Rob Zastryzny is back on the roster, but you get my point.) In 2012, the Cubs used the deadline to move a veteran Ryan Dempster for Christian Villanueva and Hendricks. I recall reading coverage on Hendricks at the time, citing an interesting changeup and the dying art of pitchability. By late 2014, he was in the rotation and was almost immediately better than advertised. Hendricks's Ivy League mind stymied hitters with tunneling, sequencing, and multiple changeup grips to keep them off-balance. His reputation as a “Steady Eddy” in a game with significant uncertainty was not lost by this Cub fan. Even after a poor, tumultuous 2024, Hendricks produced 21.5 WAR with a 97-81 record and a 3.68 ERA. Not to mention, his name will be etched in Cub history forever, as his 7 1/3-inning gem in Game 6 of the 2016 NLCS helped capture the Cubs' first NL pennant on our lifetimes. His demeanor on and off the field only augmented my admiration, as he never seemed rattled or unprepared. His starts were appointment television for me, with his craftsmanlike approach to pitching providing a stark juxtaposition to what we more often consume in the modern version of the game. I knew, given the Cubs' need in the rotation, that this was over. I still don’t want it to be true, regardless of how necessary I know it to be for the Cubs to move forward and for Hendricks to serve his own best interests. However, he will not only be a hero to many (and the namesake of my son), but a legend at the federal landmark at 1060 W Addison, and legends never die. View full article

Let's face it: You are on this website right now because you love baseball and the Chicago Cubs. With the Cubs bags packed for the season, who should you root for in the 2024 MLB Playoffs? Based on ranking the number of ex-Cubs, futility, and general watchability, I help you answer that question. As a Chicago Cubs fan of a certain age, you can admit the runs from 2015 are more strange than usual. What do I mean by that? In my fandom, the Cubs had made the playoffs just five times before 2015. Depending on when you were born in the 80s, you can add two more playoff tallies to that. There is a reason the long-standing south-sider joke of the word Cubs stands for “Completely Useless By September.” Pain. As a pure love of baseball, I had to pick a “new” team to continue to watch into October, as my blue blood never got to be shown as often as I liked. How would you go about that in 2024? I am here to help. I looked at eight remaining playoff teams (1st round WC series just do not count) and ranked them based on the following: Futility Index: How they rank in World Series Drought and Playoff Droughts The “Ex-Cub” Factor: Who has the most old Cubs to help keep me tied to the team in any way possible Watchability: Personal Ranking of the Players/Fun items around the team that make them interesting to watch Here is your guide for 2024. 8. New York Mets 1969. 2015. Just stop. I will never root for the Mets unless it is against the Yankees. 7. Los Angeles Dodgers They likely end up low on my list, given I am so envious of what they are. Andrew Friedman has taken the development philosophies of Tampa Bay and uses his insane market position to lure in top talent with high-dollar contracts. (See, Tom, you can do both). I have them as a top-three team to watch because any time you can watch Shohei Ohtani do anything, you should. He is something we may never see in this game again. However, a 2020 championship is a weird asterisk for this long-term success run as they look to crack the code for a non-Mickey Mouse ring. 6. Philadelphia Phillies I know they have Kyle Schwarber. I also wanted Bryce Harper to come to Chicago so badly. Spoiler Alert: He didn’t. Dave Dombrowski has put together a club built around on-base and power. Their pitching has done enough around a streaky offense. If the Phillies are hot at the plate this October, they will be tough to stop. Why so low on the list? They are at the top of the league in walks and home runs, similar to another team on this list. I understand the value of the “true outcomes,” but it can sometimes be very hard to watch. 5. Kansas City Royals When I think of the Royals, I think of a stubborn Ned Yost and leading off a low on-base player in Alcides Escobar for 2014 and 2015. In 2015, they won a ring. I guess I am Jon Snow, and I know nothing. It is hard not to root for this edition of the Royals, as Bobby Witt Jr. is the best young player in the game at this moment. His defense is off the charts, with power, speed, and contact dripping into his game. That is the type of prospect you hope to get and build around. The emergence of Seth Lugo as a starter for them was a fun story, but time will tell if their pitching is enough in a longer series. 4. Cleveland Guardians I almost had them higher on this list, given I (don’t) feel bad about 2016. They were a drone accident away from out-managing Joe Maddon. Two teams, starved for the end of a painful drought, having to play seven games to find out who went home sad? It felt unfair. They end up towards the top of the list because of my love for Emmanuel Clase and Jose Ramirez, and they suffer from the same futility we, as a fan base, have been bearing for so long. 3. New York Yankees I was surprised, based on my general disdain for the evil empire, that they are this high on the list. They are carried by the time since their last pennant and have four current ex-Cubs. I struggle to watch this team. If you follow any Yankee fan, they live and die by the long ball. If Juan Soto and Judge are rolling this postseason, it will be hard to stop them. They have solid rotational depth. Things get iffy in the back of the bullpen. 2. San Diego Padres Bad News, Yu Darvish. Ex-top prospect Dylan Cease. A General Manager in AJ Preller who gets and unloads prospects at a degree that feels enviable while also capable of signing stars? Sign me up. The Padres are the oldest franchise in baseball without a WS championship (1969 was their first season). They have not won a pennant since sweet-swinging Tony Gwynn was spraying baseballs everywhere in 1998. Throw in a super-fun City Connect, a gorgeous baseball park, and an honoring of their aggressive owner who recently passed. I am in. 1. Detroit Tigers Their roster is as young as the 2016 Chicago Cubs. They haven’t won a championship since 1984. They left Wrigley in August and played EXCELLENT baseball (after sending Javy Baez to the IL), replicating what the Cubs needed to do this year. They celebrate Home Runs with a Pizza Pizza Spike, inspired by their Little Caesar’s sponsorship (both the Tigers and Little Caesars are owned by the Ilitch family). Their rotation is fronted by the best pitcher in the game, Tarik Skubal. I want them to wear the glass slipper the whole tournament, and based on how fun, ex-Cub-filled they are, you should, too. Who are you rooting for this postseason? View full article

Anthony Rizzo returned to Wrigley Field for the first time since his 2021 trade and received a well-earned ovation for his contributions to the Cubs. The production he provided is not in question. How successful were the Cubs in trying to replace it? The answer may not surprise you, but the stats and the volume of attempts certainly will. Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Tony. 44. Rizz. Captain. 1/2 of Bryzzo. Anthony Rizzo has many nicknames and monikers that fans associate with the man who stabilized first base for ten years. Can you blame them? In his ten years with the Cubs, he put up an .861 OPS and a 130 wRC+ with 242 memorable home runs; some even came from the lead-off spot to boost the team. How do you replace a legend? Beyond the personality void that needed to be filled, the ideal scenario would be having a replacement-level player at first base while making up for his offensive contributions all over the diamond. Seems simple to do, right? Not so much. In the following years, after Rizzo's departure, the Cubs were the second-worst producer at first base in baseball, turning one of the team's strengths into a significant weakness. It wasn't for lack of trying, as the Cubs deployed nine different players in two years to address the issue. Can you name four of them? I, for one, did not realize the extent to which the Cubs attempted to address production. Since 2021, the Cubs have deployed nine players (not counting Cody Bellinger's time at first base) to aggregate their poor first base production. The names below cost dollars and prospects in some cases, hurting this organization as they continued to hunt for a solution. Trey Mancini is still being paid this season, which is detrimental for a team using the first level of the competitive balance tax tiers as a hard cap. All in all, Michael Busch took a minute to get here, but the production is welcomed and needed. He has developed into a solid player that has solidified a problem area for the Cubs after the departure of "The Captain." What do you think about the Cubs First Base woes? Do you think Michael Busch is the answer? For more context and insight, check out the latest episode of Bricks Behind the Ivy! View full article