Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Tina Nguyen: Cubs are being fueled by NLDS loss to Brewers

Episode Date: February 27, 2026

Leila Rahimi and Marshall Harris were joined by Fox-32 reporter Tina Nguyen to discuss a variety of sports topics, including the Cubs’ outlook for 2026.

This hour is brought to you by Cars for Kids. This is Rahimi Harrison Grotie on 104-3 The Score, and we're expecting Tina Wynn from Fox 32, reporter at Anchor, who went out to spring training in Arizona, talked about the Cubs and the White Sox while she was there. And we've got a, we're a week into spring training already, just like that. It's a nice thing. Well, not a weekend, but like a week into the games in spring training. You say a week into spring training.

week closer to opening day. That's right. A week closer to opening day and the socks flexing all people. That dollar is going to be. Tyler, you're going to owe me a dollar. Marshall thinks that the White Sox are going to hit more home runs than the Cubs this season. And I bet him a crisp dollar.

Then I have a feeling is going to fall into my lap from the gods because of such an outlandish prediction. You think that, wait, so you think the prediction itself was outlandish? Yes. Wow. Okay. Marshall, I have a $2 bill in my wallet, so I'll even double down and I'll do a $2 bill on the bet for you.

I can't only ask this guy for so much money. Like, I found a dollar on the street to fund my bets with Marshall. I don't know that I can just find $2. But he's just got $2 bill, two for one, special. One piece of paper. Dangerous. Worth twice as much as a dollar. Dangerous with the $2 bill.

Comes, by the way, not that you care necessarily, lost to the Angels yesterday by a final of five. to four. I care. But do you care? A little bit. Matthew Boyd, who I care about, was the starting pitcher of record, and he had three innings and three strikeouts. So nothing to be alarmed by. We saw James and Tyone and his start give up two home runs. I'm not necessarily concerned about that either because James and Tyone has given up home runs before. And traditionally in spring training, he's also working on like seven different pitches. And he's like, which one do I want to use this year.

Ope, maybe not that one as it gets sent out of the park or whatever. Isn't it like him narrowing down basically 10 pitches to like five or six? Isn't that how that goes in the spring training for him? James and Tyone is a mystery to me because he's the guy who at the same time he's, one year he's decided to not use a sweeper because it messes up the rest of his stuff. Next year he'll bring it back and then somehow it's key to his fastball command. I've never seen anything like it. I just like the fact that there's more optimism, follow me on this, about both baseball teams heading into this season, then I feel like has been in a long time.

Cubs coming, of course, off of a playoff series. The socks two years now removed from setting the record for most losses in a season. And it feels like both teams are trending in the right direction, one clearly ahead of the other. But still, if you are a baseball fan, there are reasons to be optimistic about this year. Oh, yeah. I mean, I don't think there's any doubt that the White Sox actually made efforts to get better. You're going to see a whole year of Colson Montgomery, Muno Takamurikami. We're trying to figure out who he's going to be as an American Major League hitter coming from Japan,

how he adjust to that hitting. Now, in the pitching, he's going to the World Baseball Classic, so he doesn't get the same type of spring trade. length that a lot of other guys get, but definitely optimistic. And I did get a bit of a laugh, by the way, speaking of the James and Tyone game, because you know who countered as a starting pitcher for one inning for the Colorado Rockies in that game two days ago. Jose Quintana.

How do you feel about that? I think he was a good pickup by the Brewers last year, and I think he's still serviceable for depth. But unfortunately, in Quintana and Colorado, that might. That might mean you allow a lot of runs come the regular season of baseball, just because of how that goes. But overall, just as we check in on the Cubs and the White Sox during spring training as we await Tina Wynn.

You know, also the Cubs got Michael Conforto signing him to a deal where he might make the team. And Conforto seems to have an open mind about it, by the way. Jordan Bastian talked to him, and he says he feels like a prospect all over again. I want to know if there's a player that you are looking at specifically that maybe you didn't think about, maybe as much about in the off season, but now that the spring training is here that you have like your eye really finally tuned on. I have a guy. I'll start and I'll give you a moment to think about this. But for me, it's Miguel Amaya. And here's why it's Miguel Amaya.

He was supposed to be a prevalent part of the Cubs plan in 2025, suffers injuries. that makes him not even a part of what happens in the playoffs. And if he can have a great year, it can do one of two things. It can propel him forward. But also, I don't know that I expect Carson Kelly to bounce back and do the same things he did last year. And if he doesn't, you kind of need Miguel Amaya to play at a certain level, both defensively and I would argue offensively as well,

especially if the Cubs are going to hit those home runs that you're talking about. Well, and that's it. You need more home runs from the entire. higher Cubs lineup now that Kyle Tucker isn't in it. That includes Alex Bregman. And I think you're on to something, Marshall, because having that unexpected offense out of the catcher position was something that was a pleasant surprise. Cubs catchers hit 29 home runs in 2025. That was the fourth most in baseball from that position. So to have the catchers actually produce offensively, not only was it great that we saw Carson Kelly do that, but I think there is more of an expectation from Miguel Amaya. Hi, Tina.

Tina win from Fox 32's coming in. We've got headphones for you to your left. This is my first rodeo here. Welcome to the rodeo. I'm really excited. Hey, speaking of that, did you see the news that Diego Pavia has decided Johnny Mansell is his mentor? Aggie.

Tina went to Texas A&M, so I'm very curious to hear her answer. That is an interesting choice. I'm sure he's got a lot of wisdom through all of his experiences that we all No, no. How are you guys? Happy Friday. We're good. I think it's got to be, please don't do what I did. Totally. But then he goes to the club and has the bottle service and the sign that says F&D. I don't necessarily know that that's happening. Last time I was in College Station. Actually, it was for the Notre Dame and A&M game. And I think Mansell had just opened up a bar on Northgate. Northgate's kind of where all the college kids go out and have a little fun. And I think it shut down.

last time I heard. So, but. So not business advice is what you're saying? Not business advice. Not business advice. Again, as what Leila said, you know, don't do why. Kind of buried the career there, didn't it? We all have ups and downs in our careers that we can relate to. So I understand that. Tina, I'm just really curious because I know you were at spring training and you were doing a whole lot of work in a whole little time. We were out there on the grind. It was so fun. You were, you had your feet on the beat, if you will. Let me ask you this. What was your single biggest takeaway from spending time with the Cubs specifically when you're out there. Ooh.

Okay. I got the chance to talk with Jed Hoyer, Craig Counsel, and Matthew Boyd. I think the biggest thing, because I was with the team when they lost in Milwaukee in the NLDS. And, I mean, that locker room was so, it was emotional. It was the whole, like, Kyle Tucker, like, and even with what the answers he gave us after that game, you could tell, all right, like, he's out. But it was really an abrupt.

because I really think they thought they had a chance. I think advancing after the NLDS was really their biggest issue, especially when it came to pitching. And obviously in the offseason, Jed Hoyer has really addressed that. So I think at spring training, that loss still lingered with the team. I mean, you talked to like a Carson Kelly, Kate Horton, too. Like, they obviously didn't forget about it. And I think the biggest thing I took away was them using that disappointment

and really turning it into motivation going into this season. And like Craig Counsel, I talked to him one-on-one, and he just said how this is a really tough team to get on. Obviously, you've got a veteran group, them bringing in Alex Breggman. I think them having that postseason experience as well. One, they got a taste as to what that's like, and for a young player like PCA, right? I think, obviously for him going into this year, consistency, how can he be the player that he was before the All-Star break? But they got a taste of it. So they're hungry for more.

And I think from counsel's perspective, too, he saw how this group really bonded together when they obviously went on that run and were winning. But at the same time, like, they really want to make it back there. And as you said on our show on CST Sunday a few weeks ago, like it's NLCS or bust here. And I feel like when you look at the like the NL Central, this is the year for them to do it, right, to really dethrone the brewers here. So yeah, it really, it was great. It was obviously you also have like Alex Bregman coming in. three-time All-Star, like two-time World Series champ, someone who brings in a ton of postseason experience, which is huge, but at the same time,

like, Craig said something to me that really stuck out to me. He was like, this team's very, like, baseball-y. Like, they love, like, the nitty-gritty. And obviously, Alex Bregman, everything that I've heard about him, he's such a student of the game. And so he's someone that wants to pass down, like, all this experience and wisdom onto, like, a player like PCA. I mean, we were with the Cubs.

I spent two days with the socks, two days with the Cubs. I mean, day one there, like, Bregman was already in the clubhouse. And obviously, hearing PCA talk about how much he's helped him even just through their conversations about when he steps into the box, his mindset, his swing, getting his on-based percentage back up. Like, Alex Bregman, that's the type of player also. Not only can he perform well on the field, offensively, defensively, too, but you're getting someone that all these younger players, like even a Matt Shaw, right? You should pick his brain because he's going to bring in a ton of great, um, great knowledge and experience. We're talking to Tina Wynn, Fox 32 reporter and anchor in studio with us on Rahimi

Harrison Grotie on 1043, the score. Tina, you mentioned talking to Matt Boyd. He got the star yesterday. He went three innings, had three strikeouts, looked very consistent. We know he's coming off of a massive amount of innings for him. So what was your takeaways from just talking to him, knowing that so much responsibility landed on him. He's a little bit older.

He's got to manage his body and his workload this year to kind of be able to replicate those results from last year. Yeah, I mean, obviously, like Matthew Boye, an all-star year last year as well. Again, somewhat. I asked him how was like the off season, because I'm always curious to know how guys kind of decompress after this season. And what he said, he was like, he's got a lot of kiddos. So he just was really full on parent mode. I think some of his kids played basketball too. So he was like full on dad mode there. But I think the biggest thing for him was, again, just how hungry this group is. And you look at their rotation too for the Cubs right now. Obviously, it's the spring.

So once we get into the regular season, games actually matter. We'll see how this pans out. But there's a ton of depth here. I think adding, like, an Edward Cabrera to is really huge for them. When I asked Jed about it, he said, Cabrera has been someone that they've been trying to get. They had conversations with Marlins last season, too, but he's 27, got a ton of upside. The pitching staff, this is how he described him to me.

He's kind of like their darling. They've always been enamored by him. So they're really, I'm really intrigued to see how this goes. But yeah, I think Matthew Boyd and just overall, again, going back to the run that they had in the postseason, like they want more of that. And again, like, I just want, like, Craig Counsel, just like, this is a team that's really hard, hard to get on. And when you've got a group of guys like this, like, you know, I take that as like, this is like your year to really go out there and compete and make a run. It did give that darling kind of feel when they signed them in the way they talked about Cabrera because it's like, like that girl that you've been feeling for a long time,

but you didn't have the nerve to go and talk to her. They're talking now. Now they're in a full-fledged relationship. Well, I laugh because, Tina, I don't know if you know this, but our textors are the ones who came up with the phrase. Matthew Boyd is not, he's not a stepdad. He's the dad who stepped up. And then that became,

and that gave us a lot of great sayings. Like Matthew Boyd taught me how to tie a tie. Matthew Boyd told me to shut the door. We're not air-conditioning the world. You know, Matthew Boyd said, you better turn the light off when you leave a room. It became a very dadism conversation. But what you said actually kind of replicates that idea.

You know, what you said, it kind of reflects that that energy very much was happening in the Cubs Clubhouse last year. I mean, it's like unfinished business. Also, because I was there so early at spring training, obviously they've overhauled the bullpen. So it was so, like, interesting for me to see like Hobie Milner. By the way, Texas kid. Holby Milder and like Ever Cabrera coming up, like meeting one another. Like there were so many new faces where they're all really trying to get to know each other. So that was really interesting too.

But yeah, just a very unfinished business feel for the Cubs going into this year. And I mean, you also like look at I'm so intrigued by PCA and to see what kind of season he's going to have. But I think especially how he starts to because obviously we saw two different PCAs before and after the All-Star break. And I think for someone who's such like a young superstar, one, I think his friendship with Caleb Williams and like the bond that we've seen the two, I think is really good. Because obviously, PCA, like for a moment, we were like superstar level, that kind of conversation.

And then I think when you have a young player, obviously the second half, we saw how it goes, his numbers dropped. There's like from a human element, there's got to be some kind of like, in a sense, like fear of the unknown. Like, how is this going to go? but again, I mean, you were on the magazine of like whatever, the Chicago magazine, kind of making fun of the Dodgers a little bit. Like, if you're going to talk that kind of talk, you got 100% bring it on the field.

So I'm really curious to see how his season really starts too. But again, I think the friendship with Caleb Williams is really interesting to me because you have two guys, right, that can really relate with one another. When it comes to the pressure of being a young superstar and, of course, like playing in a city like Chicago too. I love it because it's a contrast within that clubhouse when you talk about the younger players of Pete Kroar, Armstrong, Matt Shaw, who are learning from these veterans. Meanwhile, over a Camelback rant, it's like, who are the adults in this realm? It seems like you have a bunch of teenagers.

I mean, I know they are young adults, but comparatively, these guys are certainly trying to find their way, even though a lot of them had really good first steps in major league baseball last year. What did you think of the White Sox? So many fun storylines. And I know the socks, obviously spring training does not matter. but like the fact that they're off to a strong star I'm like I'm all for it like I am 100% all for it

I think some of these younger players like Colson Montgomery obviously we know with him getting sent back down to Arizona I talked with Ryan Fuller one-on-one too about that I mean he just said at one point it was kind of like how is my career gonna gonna really pan out and the fact that he I think it also too for that to have worked Colson himself had to really buy into it and really trust

the White Sox organization and really trust Chris Gatz and trust Ryan Fuller too I'm so excited to see what kind of step forward. It's like Colson Montgomery takes. But I think when you look overall at year one, the 60 wins, they got a taste as to what it's like to win. And I think for Will Venable and his coaching staff, like you have to definitely credit him for the just year one foundation that he laid down.

Like, yeah, they lost 102 games. But like, I really don't think that happens this year. Like I think they're definitely going in the right direction. But also to, yeah, that's right. Mutataka Morikami It was so fascinating To be there and to really observe it At one point

It was Jesse Rogers and I We were watching him take ground balls I'm around first base and working with Phil Nevin And they were kind of working on with him With his hips and stuff But like the mechanics of all that But just seeing like Because his translator was there

And seeing in real time in a sense How that is how they are communicating Kind of figuring it out One of the players described him as a freakish athlete. So when he was like taking live VP, it was so, it was like for me cool to see all the players just like, it's like a unicorn. He's like, like, what kind of player did we just get?

Obviously, having him on the team brings a different level of buzz and excitement. Because back home in Japan, when I talked to some of the Japan media members, like, he is like a superstar, such a prolific hitter. One of the best to come out of Japan holds the record for a single season and home runs. I think 56 home runs in one year. So for them to get a player like that. this because you typically like from Japan you see like more so I think pictures that come out of there and for the socks to get like a slugger like this really interested to see how his season how he

translates here to the MLB but when I talked to Ryan Fuller he was saying like back in Japan they see a ton of like splitters so here in the MLB you're going to be seeing multiple different pitches velocity plays a role into that too so I asked him like what are you guys doing to prepare him for that because obviously like whatever you do right now when you're facing your same pitchers right and it's also it's spring guys are still trying to like figure it out but when it comes to real time like like what are you trying to do to help him adjust and so um obviously here in america there's a ton of different technology he's getting used to using different bats balls and everything but exposure therapy is something they're trying to do which essentially like

they could put like Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound and kind of have it it like reflect the real time, like the spin rate, the ball and everything. So whenever it really comes to the real deal, hopefully that can help him adjust a little bit, a little bit quicker. I know, exposure to therapy. I'm like, am I in therapy now? Therapy's good. Everybody should do therapy. If you haven't done therapy, I'm going to tell you to go ahead, nudge you that way. That's just me, though. Well, and the world baseball classic, he'll see different, he'll see different pitchers. Yeah. Yeah, to your point, you know, show to Iimanaga throws which two pitches best, fastball and splitter.

I understand you could stay with us for another segment. Yeah, you want me to? Yeah, because... You still want me around? We're going to do a game called Name that Bears individual. Not Bear, because it's not a player. But we're trying to figure out a comment that Ryan Poles made on the Todd McShay podcast. Oh, okay.

And we're doing an informal survey. And you, the listener, are also involved in this. Because I want to play it. And let's all figure out who he might be talking about. Next.