Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Cubs investing in Pete-Crow Armstrong is intelligent spending (Hour 1)

Episode Date: March 24, 2026

Leila Rahimi and Mark Grote opened their show by reacting to the news that center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs have agreed on a long-term contract extension. They believe it’s intelligent spending by the Cubs. After that, they discussed the price of offensive production in the MLB landscape these days.

This hour is brought to you by vasectomy clinics of Chicago. The views and opinions of Lela Rahimi, Marshall Harris, and Mark Grody should not be taken too seriously. Especially when they give advice. Do not take Marshall's analogies, literally. Especially when it comes to Russell Dorsey. The sports thoughts of Rahimi Harrison Grody may change at any time. It's just sports. Okay, thanks.

Bye. Rahimi Harrison Grody, 10 to 2 on 1043, the score. We all here on this show conspired to put together the best of the audio. And there was some very entertaining stuff. I would like to start, though. This was the in-game Lauren Shahati interview with the head coach for Villanova. Kevin Willard, take a listen, please. Coach, 16 paid points for Utah State.

How do you keep them out? I'm going to fire my staff because we've given up eight points on underneath that a defense, so the only thing I'm going to do is father them and get a new step. No wink, no smile, just a scowl. Obviously, like, he didn't fire them in game, but he was pissed. I think the main difference between me and Donald Trump is that I get no pleasure out of saying the words you're fired. You're fired. You're fired.

He just makes people sad. Best part about that is they went and watched him, and they were like, oh, is he going to fire them or not? Because obviously, they're not going to happen during the games. I was like, okay, it looks like they made it through the timeout. Like, you get fired. Because he's doing the interview as he's going back to the bench where the assistants and the players are. Nobody's walking off the court.

It was funny, but also a little cringe, but the cringe kind of made it more funny. I just, I cringe when you talk. Here's Willard being questioned about it in the post game. Yeah, I'll probably have to make some changes to my staff just because of how bad we were. You gave an interview during the game. It went viral. You're being criticized pretty heavily online. I don't care.

A joke. Welcome to my life. I like that he actually clarified that it was joke, because let me tell you something. In the post game interview mark, it did not sound like a joke. I don't know. I don't think it was a joke. I think he was pissed at his staff. No, I mean, it was a joke that he was going to fight.

I think he was angry with his staff, though. I'm going to walk away. I'm going to walk away. I'm kidding around. Wow. Relax everybody. It's just a joke. It's fine. I'm not fire my staff because we've...

Not now. Yeah, I am. Lela Rahini. Harris, Mark Grody, midday's 10 a.m. to 2 on Chicago Sports Radio 1043, The Score. Props to Lauren Shahati. She was right. It wasn't now. There you go, Lauren. This is Rahimi Harris and Grotie. It is Mark Grody and Laila Rahimi with you on this Tuesday, a midday here on 1043, The Score. And you know what did happen now? Relatively now, within the last 12 hours, Mark Grody was asleep. because he's getting 10 hours over here.

Your beauty rust. While you were sleeping, maybe not anybody else, PCA with the big extension. And the Cubs have set a direction with this. This is a big deal for many reasons. So you woke up to this news. Sorry, not sorry. Yes, I put in the work last night, watched every drop of the Bulls game as we all did. You, me and Marshall, we were all chatting it up about that Bulls game.

and then I have discovered sleep over the last five days. I went right to bed. I have to tell you, though, there is nothing like that Christmas Day feeling if you are a sports fan and you're not aware of what went on and you turn on your phone. And then the PCA stuff is popping all over the place that the Cubs have reportedly do have a deal in place with PCAs through, a little bit vague on the details right now, Leila,

but through maybe 2032 for about a home. million or so it has happened. Pete Crowell Armstrong will be here into the future. Well, and this was a debate that we had a lot last year on Rahimi Harrison Grotie. And at this time last year, not exactly this time, but I would say probably in May when you really felt good about the Cubs last year when they had gone through the NL West with really high success, faced the toughest division in baseball. They had proven to you the Offense was good at the time. That was when Kyle Tucker was also swinging the bat really well.

We saw Pete Kromstrung. Remember that Dodgers game? They're in L.A. It's Sunday night baseball. And he absolutely owned that stage. Long home runs. And, you know, Dodgers Stadium, even though even at night, that Marine layer will drag a ball down. Not for him, you know, was on the stage in his hometown,

hitting multiple home runs in that game. And I just remember thinking, are we watching the ascension of someone? And the first half for him was no doubt. absolutely fabulous. We saw how it tailed off in the second half. And I thought for that reason, maybe the Cubs would wait. And, you know, we messed with Marshall a little bit about it, too.

We're like, oh, I was still feeling confident about the PCA extension week. But I think this says a lot about what the Cubs think of not just the market of offense of Major League baseball and how we've seen the prices go so sky high, but also how they want to invest in somebody who they rightfully should not let walk out that door. don't forget that you traded your core in that pivotal season, the guys that brought you 10 years ago, a World Series, and that Javi Baez trade is what brought you Pete Crowe Armstrong. You should retain, if you did your job right, talent like that.

And for that alone, not to get into his potential, which we will, but based on the season he had, based on how you understand how this market goes. And if you really want to have intelligent spending, this was an intelligent spend. I like that the Cubs chose the projection of what he did in the first half of the season as opposed to the second half of the season.

Pre-All-Star slashed 265-302, 544, 25 homers, 27 stolen bases, 131 WRC plus. Four fastest player in Major League history to reach 25 home runs and 25 steals in a season. Post-all-star break. It needs to be.

be mentioned. 216, six home runs, eight stolen bases, the slash, if you'd like, 216, 262, 372. That WRC plus goes from 131. 100 is average, by the way.

Goes from 131 down to 72 from that 131. On the show yesterday, Lela, we had a five on it question. Who is the player that you are most sure about with the Cubs? Michael Bush in my case. Who was the player that you're least sure about? And I said yesterday Pete Crow Armstrong because I'm not sure about what he is,

but I like that the Cubs, because they know a lot more than I do, that they are projecting this guy to be a $100 million contract guy, which may be, may turn out to be a team-friendly deal still. Well, and I think just based on the price of free agent hitting, it is inherently a team-friendly deal. Now, do you expect him? And this is, this is, I had to go to my note cards for this, not even the notebook, but the note cards. That's huge. That's huge. Did you guys see this? The index cards are out for Layla Rahimi. Twitch.com. No, not Chicago 670 the score. Twitch I did that. I did that like four times yesterday. I know. It's our address changed. The score Chicago is

where you can find us now on Twitch and on YouTube. So yes, if you look on that Twitch or YouTube, look at you. And your handwriting is so nice. It's great girl handwriting. It's so nice. Well, I hold the pencil weird because I taught myself how to write. Anyway, here's what I wrote on here. 45, weighted runs, created plus the last two months of the season. It was as bad as you thought it was.

Yeah. And he's made a lot of adjustments when it comes to how he's trying to. He's talked about it, too, with hitting coach John Maley and others, how he's trying to do more in the box. Like his initial setup, going to the box. It wasn't what he wanted it to be. How is that affecting the entire apparatus of your swing after that? I think it was more affecting his pitch selection.

And you and I have talked about this. Guy was confident in being a bad ball hitter. Well, that doesn't mean you need to swing at every slider in the dirt. Said every person to every baseball player ever, right? But I feel like with him especially, how much can those adjustments help you? And for the Cubs to be able to put this vote of confidence into him, I don't think he's the guy who gets the contract.

and is like, okay, I'm good. That guy wasn't hurting for money to begin with growing up. Went to one of the most prestigious private schools in Southern California. You know, he comes from that kind of background. So I don't think that's going to be an issue. I think for him it's the pressure is off. Do the things that we're telling you to do. Watch the benefits happen for you.

And even in the World Baseball Classic, I got that impression. Like the goal is to not have the 45 WRC play. to have the bat at bats the last couple months of the year. The goal for you is to take that pressure off. Don't always have to swing for the fences. Pete and I need you get on baseball. Stop playing the garbage. We're going to play that all day today.

The score caller who was that, that was during the playoffs, right? Gallagher Way. I remember looking out onto the Clark Street and trying to figure out. That's a, for me, that very much to remember exactly where you were moment and what the conditions were,

the little sunshine kids. I remember there were people leaning on the statues in Gallagher Way, and I was a little offended by that. That is not your seat, sir. And then we had that call, which as you said, we will play in full. At the end of the show, is that when we're doing that? Yeah, I mean, something to look forward to. I have a feeling it's going to get broken out here and there.

But just getting back to the thought process of what Pekro Armstrong went through in the last couple months of the year, where that color is correct. He was swinging at garbage. And then, hey, pressure's off. We trust you. We believe in you. Here's a huge contract to back it up. Go out there and be the best version of herself, you can be.

I think part of Pete Krawler Armstrong's problem was, and he expressed this even. Whenever he was asked what you are as a hitter, his answer was always, I don't know. It was a revelation to all of us that he had that sort of slug in the first half of the season, just bombing the baseball all over the place. I don't think any of us looked at Pete Crowe Armstrong, even when he was traded to the Cubs and said,

oh yeah, this is going to be a slug guy. We knew he was going to be a defensive player. We knew that the hit tool was there, but more singles and doubles. And he's got to be a lead-off hitter. He's got to be a lead-off hitter and all of that. But he got a taste of hitting home runs. It's pretty hard to undo that feeling to start to think that you're not a slugger. Once you get a taste of what has to feel the best for any hitter in Major League Baseball,

of hitting the ball over the wall. How do you adjust in season when you start to do that? I don't think the Cubs know exactly where he lands in Slug, and I don't even know if PCA knows exactly who he is as a hitter right now. I'm pretty confident he's probably a 20 home run hitter. I don't know if he's a 30 home run hitter. Well, that's it. And as we try to figure that out with him,

the stolen basis factor into this as well. Don't forget that. I think they see his potential as being that. You know, and he went on an absolute tear in that first half, the 265, 302, 544 slash line. But it was really that 25 home runs in 27 bases. And that's why just knowing the background of the Cubs when it comes to how they've signed players and how they've approached this. And yes, I'm thinking about Kyle Schwerber right now.

I'm sorry. I'm not sorry. I have to acknowledge that. It might be my favorite cup of that year. You can't let a small slump or what you think might be a small slump. get away like you did the last time. And if that, if he doesn't end up being the hitter that Schwerber is that we've seen since he left the building, I still think it's smarter money spent than watching Schwerber walk, for example.

I thought about that. Did you, when this came through, did you give that any thought at all? I did. And maybe even that, and you brought this up in the pre-show backstage, that it has been rare in this era of the Cubs. I say, like the Jed Hoyer era going back to, what, 2012. It has been rare when the Cubs have rewarded one of their own young players, right? And I had, like, when you asked that question. Take trading hobby, for example.

This was the transaction. Everybody got traded. Chris Bryant got traded. Anthony Rizzo got traded. And the only person, when you said that off the top of my head that I could think of that got paid and these numbers are extraordinarily different was the year 2013 when Anthony Rizzo, who was kind of star-crossed at that time. He did not have the confidence that he ended up starting to get.

In 2013, Anthony Rizzo agreed to a seven-year $41 million deal. It was great business for the Cubs. I'm sure Anthony Rizzo, probably when he looks back on it, maybe he's even on record as saying he regrets it. But there was some insecurities with Rizzo at the time and what he would be at the big league level. Well, don't forget, too, the Rizzo was traded for. That was the Andrew Cashner trade.

Absolutely. Yes, Andrew. Right, right. Because Jet Hoyer just kept on acquiring since the Boston days got him in San Diego, got him with the Cubs. So you do give the Rizzo, the whole Rizzo thing to Jet Hoarer. That was Hoyer's baby all along. Well, and they, you know, they had the background with San Diego professionally as well. Yes.

Oh, yeah. That Poir ran the Padres. He was the GM for the San Diego Padres. So there's that aspect of it too. And, you know, at the time, I remember there being a lot of confidence in Cassie. knowing that he could throw over a hundred very easily and consistently. I was excited. And Rizzo has famously said I was there for the interview session when he was in San Diego.

And he said this. He's like, guys, I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. He used that exact quote when I was with the Padres. And we saw how that change of scenery worked for him. Yeah, and he struggled with the Cubs for a while. Like it didn't just click immediately. And that's why he agreed to a seven-year $41 million deal and never got the massive of money with the Cubs.

This is Rahimi Harrison Grotie on 1043. We want to get your opinions too on P. Croix-Armstrong signing this extension. 312-644-67-67 is our number. You can call and you can text us. But I think, too, is this is a change of direction for the Cubs front office. As you've mentioned, this is not something that they have typically done in the past. And if you're really intent on spending money smartly, and they don't even use that phrase anymore. I'm not even using it against them. I think this is a case where they're doing it

right because if you see any upside compared to the second half of what he did last year, and a lot of people do, then it was the smart thing to go ahead and do what teams like the Padres did with Jackson Merrill or the Brewers with Jackson Truro. Just lock it down because that money only gets higher the better they get. Also, other GMs around the league. like if you ask any of those guys, the player they're going to point to on the Cubs and say, oh, yeah, PCA. Like if you have any kind of scouting eye, you look at Pete Crowe Armstrong and say, yeah, you definitely invest in that. Even if you know that there's a little bit of mystery, at the absolute base, he's going to be a gold glove outfielder. That never was affected last year.

He's going to steal every base. And even if he does struggle again, he's still probably going to make things happen and drive opposing teams crazy. and affect the game, even if the numbers don't show it. So that's at the minimum. And I think that's part of how they could justify it. I think one other note of justification, and this is way at the bottom, is there a more perfect, touchable Cubs superstar or superstar in the making? I don't know if I'm going to call him a superstar yet because he embraces it.

He loves talking to the people. He loves dealing with kids. And we know that that is quintessential Cubs star. I mean, think Sammy Sosa about how touchable he was and how fan-friendly he was, whether it was genuine or not. I don't feel like doing a Sosa argument right now, but he is a perfect Cubs star in the making. You invest in him for reasons even beyond what he does on the baseball field. Let's do a thought exercise real quick. Oh, I mean.

Prior to yesterday, who would you have said as the face of the Cubs franchise? Right at this very moment. Priority yesterday. PCA. PCA, absolutely. Because I think a lot of people would have given us different answers. No, man, because he's all over the page. He hangs out with Caleb Williams.

Today, I know exactly who the team wants to be the face of the franchise. I knew yesterday, too, just because he likes being the face of it. There's nobody else. That's the thing. There's really no other outward personalities on this team, and that's fine. I mean, the Cubs are grinders, man. There's nobody else who embraces the limelight like Pete Crowe Armstrong. He insists on being the face of the team, and that's okay.

A couple of random receipts for you here on Rahimi Harrison Grody. Don't ever forget that it was, was that the marquee video? That was Marquis Sports Network that put that together, right? It was Ian Haping, P. Croix Armstrong, nailing all of the Chicago lingo. Yeah, that was marquee. Did Peacro Armstrong know that the jewel was a grocery store? I have to listen back to it. I don't remember.

The jewels. Sorry, you mispronounced it. The jewels. I did mispronounce. I know you told me never to correct you, but, yeah, to Jules. I said to never correct me. That's what I always say when people correct me. What did I tell you about correcting me on the air?

Well, and then I'm asking you the question, which would mean inherently your response would be correcting me. That is true. Jules. Well, you got to add this. While we're at it, I hear you saying Soldier Field way too much. It's Soldiers. It is Soldiers Field. There is one that came through on Twitter, and I forget what it was.

And I was like, oh, I didn't think of that one. If I remember, I'll let you guys know. But yeah, you'll hear your hill fun with audio today from a lot of our PCA sound that we have and, and I think interviews. Thanks to Tyler Beterbaugh, our producer, Ray Diaz, who is a part of our producing crew as well. You heard Ray earlier talk to me about our marquee sports network video. We got to go back and see that's on their Instagram if you want to check it out. Mark Grody is hosting with me today. Layla Rahimi on 1043, The Score.

As I forgot, our Twitch and our YouTube address is The Score, Chicago. The score. Chicago. Add the Chicago part. That's very important. We broadcast live from the Scores Hyundai Studios brought to you by your local Hyundai dealers. And when we have breaking news on the score, it is brought to you by Wildfire. Enjoy a delicious meal at Wildfire restaurants with five Chicago land locations. Our video crew is Connor O'Donnell, Jacob Stutz, and Max Curtis and Cody Westerland. Man's our Bulls coverage and our website as well. Coming up next, let's get into some of the deep dives of the best practices of extensions. I mentioned a couple you may know.

Here's a couple that were also bargains, and you might be surprised. We'll do that next. Rahimi Harris and Grody. Bears tight end. Cole Kamet. Cole, welcome to the party, pal. Well, thanks for having me. I heard it was a big day, so naturally I dropped everything I had going on today. You've complained a lot through the years about not being able to hear the score on the 670am.

when you're inevitably cruising around downtown, and now that we have an FM signal call, you can now hear the score all day, all the time, all you want. You can hear all the Bears hot takes you want. Well, that's perfect. I'll make sure I blast that in the locker room. Beautiful back! Rahimi Harris and Grody, Midday's Tyndle 2 on 1043, the score.

The Jewel? That's Joe Osco. No? Gotta be. Yeah, that's right. Dansby did not. know about the ways of the jewel. But Yin Hap and P. Crow Armstrong?

Well, well, well. That's Joe Osco, no? Gotta be. Hap's Chicago aptitude should be at a 10 because he's been here for 10 plus years now. Yeah, and Hap deserves Bears for going to the 6 to 3 game against the Seahawks. Oh yeah, he does. We'll have to reevaluate

his bear's scale at some point in time. Dallie, you did Jack Sanborn? You're still mad at that, aren't you? Yes, this is Rahimi-Harrison Grody on 104-3, the score. Pete Crow Armstrong's extension is the news of the day. And perhaps was that the first test? The Jewel? Was that the Jewel test?

Oh, yeah. That was great. I mean, he could have thrown a Jewel's Osco. You must pass this exam. Oh, yeah. And then he had the Jewel Osco. I mean, that's a subtlety right there. That's Joe Osco, no. Got to be. That's right.

While Mark Grady was sleeping last night, we got the news about Pete Crowe Armstrong. And the Cubs reportedly finalizing a long term contract extension. I believe Jeff Passon was first of this, or at least that's how we all heard about it. And he posted the team's first 30-30 season in three decades last year, also getting a gold glove and happy birthday to PCA, because tomorrow he turns 24. I do think this is intelligent spending, even though I know the Cubs used it in a different way when they would bring it up to us. But when you consider the going price of offense in Major League Baseball, it just makes a

more sense that if he's anywhere near the player you thought he was in the first half, that you would sign him to this type of extension. And while we were thinking about it, and while we talked about it a lot last year when he had that great first half of baseball, what surprised a lot of us here at Rahimi Harrison Grotie was the fact that he wasn't talking about it, at least back in February, listen to what he had to say to foul territory about contract talks. Any extension conversations this spring training? I know, you know, that kind of comment really gets Cubs fans going.

And I'm sure the organization's like, hey, this dude, this dude was in enemy territory growing up. And he's thick and thick of Cubs guys. So anything there so far this spring? Do you think there could be conversations? Yeah, I mean, I do. What I just appreciate about our front office is, like, they know what I'm here to do. like it hasn't been such a huge topic of conversation to distract from like the everyday you know I'm only here for so long before I go play in Houston and this and that so like yes there there will be

talks they're having talks but at the same time like we're not in really any rush to to do anything and I'd like to keep it that way just because I'm going to go out and play regardless and enjoy myself while I do. So there's bigger fish to fry right now, I think, than getting me paid. Like, yeah, I want to go focus on WBC and get to know those guys. And then really, like, dive into this team. I've gotten three years now with a pretty similar group of guys. And that's been really special to me because I just feel more comfortable and more

comfortable as we go. So we got too much stuff, too much good stuff going around out here that, I don't really need to focus on anything else. Interesting. My, how things changed in a short amount of time. Hearing that again, I do think he knew something was coming, even though he said that there are bigger fish to fry, and he's thinking about Houston, and it's about the team and all that.

I think he was showing some very mature humility right there, but when he said there will be talks, there have been talks, I think that that was PCA trying to restrain the hope of getting something done right now before the season because it gets agonizing for players and reporters to talk about such issues during the season. And you know what? We saw that to your mention with Anthony Rizzo. Remember that? Like how Jed Hoyer said he didn't want to talk about extensions during the season and how that played out.

So I feel like we all kind of just follow that lead. But in the meantime, you're right. There's more than one way to look at this when it comes to why he was saying what he was saying and how. Yeah. Sneaky PCA. It's really interesting to think about the contract extension trajectory. The Cubs wanted to do it or there was talks of it before last year. There were talks.

There were talks. The Cubs were desirous. PCA is like, yo, I'm going to bet on myself. And then he goes off in the first half. And we're all like, oh, man. Where is he putting himself now? That is quintessential bet on yourself. And then then it starts to go downhill in the second half

when we think, huh, not of the Cubs having more where they want them. And then it all comes out to this potential $100 million deal to 2032, which I think all of a sudden, I don't know how you feel, Leila. Doesn't it feel perfect because of, like, I don't know who has the upper hand here. If we want to look at it that way, the team or. PCA, considering the slump in the second half and considering what he got from what the Cubs did receive from him in the first half. Well, I'll tell you, I think that Pekar Armstrong said that because the second half was humbling.

At least it was humbling to watch from afar. I'm not going to ascribe an emotion to him. But I completely understood, especially after the last two months, which I just pointed out the stats, they were ugly. And so when you consider that, think about how frustrated he was at the plate. And we talked about this last season. We talked about it last week. Slammed his bat down, breaking helmets, you know, that kind of reaction, almost every single at bat that was frustrating for him. And how much we didn't know if that was affecting him in other ways.

Did it affect him throughout the game? So I could see why he's saying to himself, yeah, I don't want to talk about this right now. That's not exactly when the price was high. Uh-huh. And they're, they've been humility in going back to the drawing board. Say, hey, actually, I wouldn't mind that extension. Well, the bottom line is that is the game changer, is this extension to the tune of $100 million, as we know is reported. Here's why it's smart money, though.

Consider Kyle Tucker and how much he signed for and how far that contract goes into the future because of the deferred money. How much more money that is for the player. Kyle Tucker is the extreme example here because of his offense and what he means to a team. I know he dropped off here. That's not even necessarily the comp.

You know, it's a healthy Kyle Tucker and what his value was to the Dodgers, who we're on that team. He's not making the biggest difference. You know, he makes a bigger difference to a lineup like the Cubs. Jackson Merrill, that was last year he signed his extension, nine years,

21 years old. He was nine years for $135 million. He was second to Paul Skeens in the National League Rookie of the Year conversation. 826 OPS that year, 24 home runs, and he was an all-star. Go back to 2023 for Jackson Turyo's extension. That's when he was baseball's number two prospect. Eight years, 2031 is the option for 32 and 33.

So that's up to a $142.5 million contract. Up to? That looks like a deal now two years ago, three years ago. Sorry, I keep forgetting it's 2026, guys. So then go back to even previous extensions. And we've had some jokes about this in our Twitch mob, Twitch.tv.tv. That's up, Twitchers. But consider the price now for a decent, remotely decent offensive player.

Elohimedez was six years and $24 million. And that was considered a gamble at the time. That's $24 million for six years. That is a great reference point. 2019 Evan White with the Mariners was also six years and $24 million. Consider that Luis Robert is getting $20 million this year. 20. Well, his extension was six years and $50 million prior to this year.

50 for six, and he gets 20 last year. So when you put that into perspective, it lets you understand how much you can spend on an extension like this. even up to $100 million in 2026 and why it would be considered when you look back at even a couple of years later how it can be a good value for a team. Oh, yeah. Yeah, and I'm glad you brought up,

Luis Robert and Aloi Jimenez, because those are the cautionary tales. But you didn't get as burned as badly as you thought because of the affordable deal. And that's what it looks like in these terms. In these terms, that's what it feels like with PCA. In 2019, when the world was much simpler, didn't you remember thinking Eloy got paid? Yes.

You're like, oh, he's raking in the minor leagues. He's bad. 375. Oh, and it was a proactive. It was a proactive. Wow. Everybody was happy about it. The White Sox were happy.

Rick Hahn was a genius because that was Rick Hahn's trick. He was the guy that locked in the young potential superstar players, and we all applauded him. And I still do. Like that felt like the right move at the time as this does for the Cubs right now. And when you see how the new evil empire in L.A. is doing things. And you see that other teams like, for example, the Blue Jays who took them to seven games in the World Series or how the Yankees operate. That's why this is always going to be smart money. Yeah. And it's also awesome that the Cubs have one of those guys.

as Craig Counsel said, I believe, on the afternoon show last year. We got one of those guys, one of those young budding superstar players. Everybody wants them and the Cubs have one and they took care of him. Right. It's the other part. Don't just get the guy. Make sure he stays in the building. And he seems very happy in the building too.

And they haven't been able to do that for way too long. Way too long. We went through playoff droughts because this didn't happen. I'm looking at Kyle Schwerver again. I'm sorry, it's virtually impossible. I know. It's always a good reference point on the Schwabino. It is 312, 644-67.

Is our phone number. I know we got one guy on hold, so we will get to your call next. We also want to remind you, it's a good day to talk about the Cubs. This Thursday, join the score in Circus Sports, Illinois, at Sleggers in Wrigleyville for our ultimate home opener broadcast. Our show will broadcast live from 10 to 1245

before the home opener on the north side, And then Zach Zayman, who had a heck of a call yesterday, we'll have the pregame show up until first pitch. So come out and join us this Thursday at Sluggers, starting at 10 a.m. It is all brought to you by Circus Sports, Illinois, sports betting, the way it should be. So we'll take your calls, 312, 644-67. What do you think about the Cubs extending PCA? Is he the face of the franchise to you moving forward?

And if not, who is? How do you feel about this Cubs season? I feel like they've also told us their window is now. We'll get into that a little bit next on Rahimi Harrison Grotie on 1043, The Score. Rahimi Harrison Grody, midday's 10 to 2 on 1043, the scores. This time he got a strike and he pounded it. His second home run. It's 8 to 6.

Pico Armstrong putting Team USA on his back. That is courtesy of Fox Sports 1. Pete Crow Armstrong and the World Baseball Classic, Team USA against Team Italy. This is Rahimi Harrison Grotie on 104.3 on 104.3. The score. We go to the phones, 312, 644, 67 ahead of the news that Pete Crow Armstrong has reported late, reportedly, signed an extension with the Cubs that we think is worth $100 million. What do we learn about physicals, Leila, recently from the National Football League? pending the physical. Is that part of this?

I hadn't even seen that phrase be part of it. I did see that phrase as part of it, and immediately the response was, oh my God, physical. Not to go further down this path, but Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com has written an article about how the Raiders and Max Crosby fell apart.

That adds to Mike Sandoz article from the Athletics. So I'll be reading that later. Speaking of that, we go to our phones and Jerry and Oak Forest. Jerry, you're on Rehemi here, and Grotie. Well, good morning, guys. How are you?

Good, man. How are you? I'm very, very good. I'm very excited about the whole Pete Crowe-Armson thing. He's definitely the face of the Cubs. I know you guys were discussing that earlier. And I just want to mention a couple things. Like, the kids, obviously, 100% talent just playing at Wrigley. I absolutely love the fact that he is a Cubs.

But I really want to state that there's only really two things that I believe that if he improved on, he would be an instant superstar. And those two things are, it's very simple, actually. Reduce the strikeouts and increase the walks. Because now your OPS

goes up, your OVP goes up, everybody's happy. I truly believe, if we can just get him on the base pad, they'll still you have 50 stolen bases every year too, you know? I mean, what do you guys think about that? Well, and it's what's precluded him from being what everybody thought

he was going to be when he came, when he first came to the Cubs in that first year, make him the lead-off guy. He's got to be the lead-off hitter. He's so fast and he's good at defense and he could slap the ball all over. No, he just didn't get on base enough. So that is why that didn't happen. But yeah, of course, Layla, reduce the strikeouts, more walks. All of that would be great. Well, and that was the point was we know that he's not a perfect player. I think that's why he probably didn't want to wait and sign a bigger contract, too. You know, you have to consider the culpability when both parties are involved, but that is absolutely the game plan. You know, there's a reason he talked about his setup in the box and

how that translates and what he wanted to work on in spring training. For me, it's also, how is that emotion going to be sustained in a more productive way during a game, as we just discussed. But when you know the hit tool is there, when you know that the power is there, when you understand how he covers center field, I think those things must have mattered. For the Cubs to do this and break their convention that they've had for a couple of years now, what, I'd say five or six or seven, right? Yeah. Considering we just talked about this that they hadn't done these extensions and they made those trades in 21, 22. So when you consider that part of this, they must know that this is something that they think he can work on. If we're seeing it,

I'm assuming they're seeing it. It's funny because in some ways, the comp for PCA is the man for whom he was traded, and that's Javier Baez, both want to hit the baseball. That's what they want to do. They're told every day, be a little bit more patient, but the way they get on base is by hitting the baseball, and that's what you want to do. And to some degree, like there's so much about that you have to be careful of as far as the coaching is concerned. You want to coach some of the emotion out of them, but you don't want to coach all of it out of them. You want to coach some patience to him at the plate, but you don't want to take away the aggressiveness that he has. And like the comp goes even further with Javier Baez because

both are extremely aggressive, sometimes frustrating hitters, and both are at a 10 when it comes to their defense. Well, and that's a big part of this too. What did we say about Danesby Swanson, he was pivotal in helping the Cubs get past the Padres and face the Breweres in the Dias, that he helped win them that series with his defense. You want to have the offense helping me in the series too. Yeah. But in the meantime, it does matter and it matters to the Cubs and it has for many years. I think that falls in line with their long-term plans and how they want to build a team. So that's a big part of it too. I am curious as to the timing of this, not just from a point of the Cubs having the extension,

but also we're seeing more long-term contracts this off-season than I thought we would based on what we've been warned by the ownership about the fragility of the 2027 season. Does that factor in for you at all? Because it does for me. Of course. I don't know. Maybe this is some optimism towards 2027.

No, absolutely. getting this deal done. And there's been zero of that optimism for 2027. The Orioles are my recession indicator, so to speak. We use that term a lot on social media. When they decided to sign Pete Alonso, I was like, okay, maybe there's hope for this thing yet. Right.

Like maybe these are little tiny. They're not a team to just throw away a year to me. Yeah, tiny little drips of optimism after we've been hit over the head for the last year saying that there's never going to be a 2027 season. We shall see. There will be negotiating all season long. Our friend Corey in Whitewater, Wisconsin, shimes in with this. I love the PCA extension.

However, I think extending NICO, though likely a costlier proposition, was a more urgent move. I really hope a Nico extension is still on the agenda. I do too. And for the same principle, how confident are they in what NICO can put together after this last year, which is his contract year. When you know that he was a shade under 300 as a hitter, he had a career year, not just offensively, but defensively for him. Where is his future with the team now that we've seen this Pete Crow Armstrong extension

happened? And I want to see some comps to Nico Horner because it gets a little bit complicated because of, I know he's a terrific ball player, but the lack of slug does make it interesting in what kind of numbers. He's not going to probably get the gargantuan crazy offer because of the lack of slug. And I know people, oh, he's the best player on the team. It's Nico Horner and all that. But when you don't hit home runs, whether you want to admit it or not, it changes the equation. Well, the other thing, too, is we've gotten some pushback when it comes to, like, somebody said I was just stupid on one of our videos, like the comment when it came to Alex Brighman.

And Marshall was talking about Moises-Bios Starros being the best hitter on the team. And I don't necessarily think he's going to be the best all around here. And there are people who talked about Nico Horner appropriately in that discussion. But the OPS is what matters to me significantly. And for example, Kyle Tucker's OPS was still at an 841, even with the injuries last year. Michael Bush was at 866, say it was at 804. So if you factor in like Alex Bregman at an 822 last year, how good does that? look. He doesn't have the same type of slug, and he still got paid. So, you know, there's a part

of it that when you factor it all in together, you can get to a number that is an understanding for quantifying, hitting, and how guys hit to their profile. Yeah, absolutely. There's an absolute argument to say that Alex Bregman is the Cubs' best player going into the season. There it is. This is Rahimi Harrison Grotie. On 104th, the score. We want you to keep listening for your chance to win a pair of tickets to the Outlaw Music Festival, which makes it stop at the Credit One Union Amphitheater in Tinley Park on August 25th. The light-up includes Willie Nelson, the AVet Brothers, Lucas Nelson, Stephen Wilson Jr., Sierra Hull, and Don Woss in the Pan Detroit Ensemble.

Tickets are provided by Live Nation and are available at LiveNation.com. So listen for that. And then coming up next, we're going to have Eric Ed Holmond. the lead NFL draft writer for NFL.com because he came out with new power rankings after free agency. And the bears actually dropped down a bit. So we're going to talk to him about it next.