Onto Waveland: A show about the Chicago Cubs

The Cubs end the season with six of their final nine games coming against the Cardinals. At one point this year, it looked like these games could matter to the Cubs. At another, it looked like they wouldn't mean anything to either team. And now, it's looking like they'll serve as a playoff tuneup for the Cardinals. Does that spark any reflections for the Cubs? Such as...what if they signed Jon Les...

Lost in the shuffle of this off-the-cliff season for this era of Cubs baseball has been what will go down as the worst year of Kyle Hendricks' career. Brett, Sahadev and Patrick dig into that on this episode of Onto Waveland. The guys also discuss Rowan Wick's role for the future, and Brett forces everyone to remember a two-year anniversary no one was particularly interested in reliving. Follow Br...

Would you believe that the Phillies haven't had a winning record in a decade? Even with all the talent they've had in that window, they haven't been above .500 since winning 102 games in 2011. In an alternate universe, the Cubs could be this year where the Phillies are, hanging around the fringes of the playoff race with a talented, but seemingly underperforming, core. Would that be satisfying? Br...

The Giants became the first team to clinch a postseason berth just days after sweeping the Cubs at Wrigley Field in Kris Bryant's return to the only MLB stadium he knew as home until a couple months ago. The timing was poignant because it highlighted a question that might influence the Cubs' offseason: Could the 2022 Cubs make like the 2021 Giants? Brett and Patrick get into that, as well as the i...

A pre-show hot mic caught Sahadev Sharma professing his love for former MVP candidate Ian Happ. With Onto Waveland rocked by scandal, how will Sahadev, Brett Taylor and Patrick Mooney respond? Hey, who says a losing season can't be fun?!? The guys do indeed discuss Happ's recent hot streak, Jason Heyward's role in 2022, and more on this episode of Onto Waveland. Follow Brett on Twitter: @BleacherN...

Is Frank Schwindel the best player in the majors this year? If you embrace some incredibly arbitrary endpoints, you can make a deeply flawed case that he is! In all seriousness, Schwindel has been a major bright spot in what has been a fun run of baseball for the Cubs after the gloom and doom of one month ago. On this episode of Onto Waveland, Brett, Sahadev and Patrick find the joys of a winning...

So, hey, Justin Steele and Adbert Alzolay did a neat little 1-2 dance against the Twins on Wednesday. Did we see the blueprint for what both of them can be going forward? Brett, Sahadev and Patrick discuss on this episode of Onto Waveland. The guys also take a look at first base for the Cubs in 2022. Is Rookie of the Month Frank Schwindel going to get the chance to be the primary guy over there, a...

Javy Báez ruffled some feathers in New York after he explained the menaning of the Mets new thumbs down celebration. That aside, it's hard to see him remaining with the Mets next season. So could he find his way back to the Cubs? It certainly seems possible. Brett, Sahadev and Patrick discuss the thumbs down nonsense, a possible reunion between Javy and the Cubs, and the pros and cons of a Báez/Pa...

One of the Cubs on-field storylines actually worth following the rest of this season is the performance of the outfielders. In theory, there may not be a 2022 full-timer on the roster. Can Ian Happ salvage his future with the team? Can anyone with a newfound presence after the trade deadline assert himself and take advantage of the playing time he's being afforded? Brett, Sahadev and Patrick break...

This offseason could feature the greatest class of free agent shortstops ever...but the Cubs already have Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal. So what, right? Right. On this episode of Onto Waveland, Brett, Sahadev and Patrick discuss why the Cubs absolutely should be players in the middle infield this offseason, no matter who's already on the roster. Follow Brett on Twitter: @BleacherNation Follow Sah...

Brett Taylor and Patrick Mooney start the show by wishing Jake Arrieta well in his new home in San Diego. Then they dig into the future of the club. The model that led to the 2016 World Series Championship is not going to work this time around. How can the Cubs front office put together a competitive team fast after July's fire sale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you renovate your business's century-old place of work, reaping untold financial rewards for yourself in the process, there's really only one thing you can do: build a plaque patting yourself on the back. That's exactly what the Ricketts family will do this week, an exercise in self-congratulation that is equal parts tone deaf and off-putting. Oh, and hey, the Cubs are on a 12-game losing str...

The Cubs' post-deadline identity was laid bare in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Brewers, during which they were outscored 37-9. While the poor performance is to be expected given where the roster stands, it should not be accepted as a long-term reality. On this episode of Onto Waveland, Sahadev and Patrick detail how and why this offseason should—and must—be different than the last one dur...

When the histories of the post-deadline 2021 Cubs are written, they will not focus on the core-dismantling trades, or wallow in what-could-have-been longints, or traffic in Frank Schwindel jokes (don't hold us to that last one). They will, instead, highlight that August 2021 is when the Cubs became Willson Contreras' team. And if that's the case, then it's reasonable to expect him to get an extens...

After shipping out the heart and soul of the team that broke the Cubs 108-year World Series drought, the team's front office has presented one clear message: This is not a full rebuild. So if that's the case, the Cubs are going to have to spend some money this winter, right? Brett, Sahadev and Patrick dig into that on this episode of Onto Waveland. They also discuss the freedom that Jed Hoyer shou...

Anthony Rizzo is a Yankee. Javier Báez is a Met. Kris Bryant is a Giant. A new era of Cubs baseball has officially begun. On this episode of Onto Waveland, Brett and Patrick reflect on a trade deadline that set a new course forward for the franchise. They consider how the team arrived at this point, the trade returns for each of their former stars, and how the MLB-ready pieces, such as Nick Madrig...

Seeing the breakup of the core of players responsible for the best ever era in Cubs baseball isn't a surprise, given where the franchise stands at the 2021 trade deadline. Watching Anthony Rizzo to be the first to go, however, came as a shock to many, if not most, and drove home just how much change could be on the horizon. Rizzo, the face of the turnaround that eventually broke the most famed cha...

Thrilling end to the Cubs win over the Reds last night. The fun rivalry between the Cubs and the Reds. Entertaining action between Javier Baez and Amir Garrett. Is it time for the Cubs to move on from certain players on the roster?  Brett, Sahadev and Patrick also discuss the trade deadline. How it was logistically necessary for the Cubs to move Andrew Chaffin. The Cubs offense in need of a shake...

When David Ross lifted Kris Bryant in the middle of Monday's series opener with the Cardinals, all of Cubs Twitter immediately went on #HugWatch. Bryant left the game with hamstring fatigue, but the fact remains that the trade deadline will dominate the environment around this team for the next week, especially when it comes to Bryant and Craig Kimbrel. Brett, Sahadev and Patrick discuss that dyna...

It's been a long time since there was this little at stake in a Cubs-Cardinals series this late in the season, and it's been noticeable inside Busch Stadium. Brett, Sahadev and Patrick discuss that on this episode of Onto Waveland before moving on to the most pressing Cubs issue of the next 10 days: who gets traded, when does it happen, and what is the return? Namely, the guys focus on the heart o...

The Cubs open the second half as obvious sellers. Yes, we could see some big names leave Chicago over the next two weeks, but that's not all the second half is about for this team. Brett, Sahadev and Patrick kick off the second half of the season on Onto Waveland in a cheery mood, discussing Brennen Davis winning the Futures Game MVP and other highlights from All-Star Week. They also get into the...

So...where do we go from here? What's a successful second half look like? How do we look at the Cubs players now that we have to view many of them through the selling lens, at least for the next few weeks? Brett, Sahadev and Patrick get into those questions, and more, on this episode of Onto Waveland. The guys also take a look ahead to this month's MLB Draft. Follow Brett on Twitter: @BleacherNati...

The fall of the 2021 Cubs came swiftly and with little warning, but there was no missing its arrival. Losers of 10 straight, the Cubs are now in sell mode and facing down the reality that the offensive core that brought the franchise its first World Series in 108 years could finally be broken up. Brett, Sahadev and Patrick discuss the downfall of the 2021 Cubs on this episode of Onto Waveland. Fol...

The Cubs appeared on their way to winning another getaway day and avoiding a sweep, this one at the hands of the Brewers, by staking Jake Arrieta to a 7-0 lead in the first inning. Many hours and 15 unanswered Brewers runs later, the Cubs had arrived at the low point of their season. The Cubs are six games out of first on July 1. They don't need to start selling now, but what will they have to do...

After starting the trip to Los Angeles with a combined no-hitter, the Cubs dropped three straight to the Dodgers, then lost the series opener to the Brewers in Milwaukee. They're now four games behind the Brewers in the Central, though the remainder of the schedule leading up to the All-Star Break does soften after this trip in Milwaukee. Still, after a sharp drop in the standings in a short amoun...