6 years and almost 300 episodes later, it’s time to joyfully call it a ballgame — and in our bottom of the 9th, we put together a hell of a rally. Our final episode looks back with our favorite guests including: Joe Maddon, Justin Steele, Roy Wood Jr., Bob Newhart, Alec Mills, Rob Zastryzny, and more. Seriously, we talked to all of them about the C…

Since 2018, our podcast has been previewing Chicago Cubs seasons, making a ton of predictions, doing a bunch of roster and league analysis, and having a lot of fun doing it. And in 2024, we’re doing that for the last time. Away Games Podcast is coming to an end after next week’s episode (which will be a look back), but we wanted to go deep one more…

And with the return of Cody Bellinger, the season can finally begin! The Cubs finally found a solution for the Cody Bellinger-sized hole in their lineup, and he returns on the Jed Hoyer Special contract (short term, opt outs galore). We talk about that, the Cubs plethora of non-roster invites, PECOTA projections that have the Cubs right around .500…

It’s a BIG episode! So big, we have guest Ken Schultz (OutSports) on to help talk us through it. Shota Imanaga joins the Cubs rotation from Japan, the Cubs dealt two prospects for one top-50 prospect in baseball (1B/DH Michael Busch) and a MLB reliever (Yency Almonte). We analyze the moves the Cubs have made, talk about the big ones they haven’t, w…

Steele became an ace, we got the Tauch Off & Morel’s walk off grand slam that made him literally lose his shirt. The Ross Era also wrapped up in a weird way, as the team was both better and worse than we thought they could be at different times, leading to a result that was…literally exactly what we predicted in our annual season preview. We take t…

Happy holidays to all, but especially Jorge Alfaro, the Cubs biggest signing of the offseason so far. Adam and Kevin thought it was a good time to check in on where things stand for the Cubs as Ohtani chose a new, more local, consistently competitive home with the Deferrin’ Dodgers, Soto landed in New York, and the Cubs are in the news for NOT meet…

The Cubs have a new manager: Craig Counsell is leaving Milwaukee to come complain about weather delays more locally after signing a record 5-year, $40 million dollar deal. David Ross went from “our guy” to “anyone else’s guy” in a snap, and he’s not the only one out the door: Marcus Stroman has declined his option, freeing up more than $20 million …

From one strike away to all the way there, the Rangers finally got rid of the the title of “oldest team to never win a World Series.” Game 1 was an all-timer, with Corey Seager’s 9th inning, game tying homer that reminded us of Kirk Gibson ’88, and Adolis Garcia’s extra inning walk off. And then…there were also other games. We recap the series, giv…

The Astros have been dispatched in what their fans surely think is a grand, unfair conspiracy that goes all the way to the top, and the Rangers will look for that elusive first World Series title against either the Phillies or Diamondbacks. We look at the possible matchups and how the Rangers got here, and look at Dusty’s career with news that he m…

Not a big week for currrent Cubs news, but a big week for former Cubs that weren’t offered a contract by our team. Schwarber and Castellanos are bombing the Phillies into a 2-0 lead in the NLCS, while the Rangers take two in Houston. We also talk a little about the playoff format and how it does or doesn’t favor the best teams, and peruse the lette…

Without much Cubs news and with Kevin out of town in Vegas to presumably bet on the Cubbies, friend of the pod Evan Hernandez (Amazon Prime) pinch hits for a playoff recap. We talk about the four Wild Card sweeps, the electric Philly/Atlanta series, whether or not Clayton Kershaw is a certified October choke artist, and the Texas Rangers reaping th…

Welp, our big postseason episode turned out to be a "post-season" episode. A brutal final week finished an excruciating final month that found the Cubs on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. Despite a 90+% chance to make the playoffs in early September, the team ran out of gas at a critical time. We talk about the final week and how we'l…

What a week: Ross smack-talking the Pirates after a bad loss, the Cubs sweeping the Rockies, and then maybe the worst loss of the year as the Cubs blow a 6-0 lead at the Braves, after a shockingly misplayed fly ball. We reset where the Cubs and the other Wild Card contenders are with five games to go, talk about Suzuki’s misplayed ball in right aft…

Here’s two things that are true: this week sucked, and this season is as good as it could have ever reasonably been. We go over the awful trip to Colorado and Arizona where the Cubs gave away their entire Wild Card cusion and another tie-breaker to the Diamondbacks, but also find ourselves on a bit of an island because, with the Cubs still .5 games…

New episode is up and Adam & Kevin have a lot to talk about! After a terrific sweep of the Giants the Cubs lost the first three to the suddenly hot Arizona Diamondbacks, wasting stellar starts from Taillon and Cy Steele in the process. The Cubbies managed to salvage the final game of the series Sunday and won a nail biter in Colorado last night. Wi…

Justin Steele’s gem against the Giants has finally made the national media start to wake up to our ace and legitimate Cy Young candidate, and Seiya Suzuki is finding the gear that made him a superstar in Japan. Add that to the fact that Assad has basically turned into early season Stroman, and this is really, truly feeling like a playoff team. We a…

Jordan Wicks made one of the more dominating debuts we’ve ever seen from a Cubs pitcher, and has joined a next-man-up rotation that has been solidified by some amazing Javier Assad performances that have kept the Cubs within striking distance of the Brewers. The Cubs start the most impactful series of the year (so far) Monday night against those ve…

Last episode, the Cubs had finally crept into playoff position. Now, as they remain in wild card position, 3.5 games back of Milwaukee, we’ve decided we have reached the point where we should expect this team to grab one of those six spots. We talk about how Morel’s one swing against the Sox could have swung the season, and certainly swung the vibe…

Well, the Cubs had themselves a confusing week. After losing the rubber game on a frustrating fake rally in the 9th inning vs the Mets, the Cubs won two of three against a strong Blue Jays team with Adam in attendance on Friday. Naturally they lost on Sunday because that's kinda their thing, and last night saw them drop the opener of a quick two ga…

For the first time since the season got serious, the Cubs are (by .001% points) in a playoff spot, at the time of recording. We talk about the great week of series wins against Reds and Braves, the Summer of Tauchman, Taillon’s return to form, the one lineup swap we would make, and more. Follow us at @awaygamespod on all the things and follow @adam…

New episode is up and Adam & Kevin have a lot to talk about! After an impressive 8 game winning streak that featured multiple HR robberies, Miles Mikolas acting like an absolute dink, and the bats coming alive, the Cubs played themselves into being buyers at the deadline. Two Monday deals added former Cub Jeimer Candelario and KC right reliever Jos…

Kevin is out this week so our number one pinch hitter Ken Schultz (Outsports) joins Adam to talk about all things Cubs! Belli has been white hot, Swanson is back and looking sharp, and a 6-1 stretch has the Cubs two games under .500 as we approach the trade deadline. We talk about whether the Cubs should be buyers or sellers, what a potential sello…

We’re stuck in the middle with this team, and this podcast is a lot of big picture talk about what to think about how we got here and where we’re going. Already in a hole, the Cubs stumbled against an OK Boston team before recovering (mostly) against the hapless Nats, and now we’re in a spot where we need the hottest run of the year from our Cubs t…

You know what, this was a good Cubs week! Justin Steele represented the Cubs at the All Star Game, and pitched shutout inning on his birthday. The NL broke a nearly decade-long losing streak, and the Home Run Derby was a fun time. The Cubs went into the break with a series win over the Yankees that included Jameson Taillon’s best appearance as a Cu…

Kevin is out of town this week so Sara Sanchez pinch hit (her wRC+ is outstanding). Anyway, a 1-5 homestand after a tough loss in London was certainly not what the doctor ordered. Nor was blowing a 6-0 lead in Milwaukee on Monday in a series the Cubs really, really need to win. The good news? Ian Happ made two phenomenal throws yesterday, one to ke…

A great first 10 innings in London ended with a bobble and a thud, as the Cubs missed a chance to get back to .500 (for now). After another Taillon blowup back at Wrigley, we talk about where this rotation is as the Cubs look at a two week run-in to the All-Star break that could very well define what this season is: compete, sell, somewhere in betw…

Last week on the pod, Adam manifested a Cubs' three game winning streak. As of this recording over a week later, the Cubs have only lost one game during that stretch. After sweeping the former first place Pirates and taking two of three from the upstart Orioles at Wrigley, the Cubs got right back to their winning ways in Pittsburgh this week. After…

In part 1, Adam flies solo to discuss the Cubs' disappointing west coast swing. The good? Stroman continues to shove, Kyle Hendricks almost made history, and Mash Mervis hit a ball into McCovey Cove. The bad? Pretty much all the other stuff, including the Cubs apparently not being interested in extending Marcus Stroman...yet. THEN (at 13:00 minute …

After a frustrating end to the Tampa Bay series that saw the Cubs squander a late chance to walk off the Rays for a series sweep, the Cubs have taken 2 of 3 from San Diego with Kyle Hendricks on the bump later tonight. Positives: Amaya is back up and raking, Stro continues his dominant ways and Taillon is starting to look like the guy we were hopin…

Well, it's been a real sh*t sandwich of a homestand that began with two wins over the Mets, followed by a 4 game losing streak, followed by an absolute gem from Marcus Stroman yesterday. With two games remaining against the owners of MLB's best record, who knows what to expect at this point. We talk about Kyle Hendricks' return, Miles Mastrobuoni i…

Well, it was another up and down week punctuated by a brutal walkoff loss in Houston, some frustrating games in Philly, and a nice win over the New York Metropolitans last night. Christopher Morel AKA Christopher Meowrel AKA Christ Morel has homered in 5 straight games and has 9 in his first 12 games since his callup and Stroman, Steele and Smyly c…

So, on May 17, 2023, the Cubs are closer to the bottom of the National League than they are to the division-leading Brewers. Not ideal…BUT! Steele showed real guts this week, Mervis hit his first homer, Seiya is heating up/normalizing, and Hendricks is on his way back. We also talk about some of the upcoming, triple digit throwing bullpen options o…

Matt Mervis and Christopher Morel have joined the party, and we hope it's a permanent move. We talk about the Cubs having a significantly better roster today than they had on opening day, a very difficult past couple weeks and another difficult stretch coming up. Oh, and the Cardinals took 2 of 3 at Wrigley and Willson Contreras made his return and…

New episode is up and Kevin is back from his travels! We talk about the Cubs being essentially where we thought they'd be (around .500), a tough sweep in Miami and the case for bringing up Morel and Mervis ASAP. We also talk about Taillon and Hendricks working their way back from injuries and look ahead at a difficult May schedule for the Cubs. Fol…

New episode is up and our old pal Ken Schultz is pinch hitting for Kevin! After a disappointing weekend in which the Cubs dropped 3 of 4 to the Dodgers at Wrigley, they got off the schneid in a big way last night with an impressive shutout W against the Padres. Justin Steele continues to show that he has ace stuff, Yan Gomes had a big day at the pl…

Ian Happ — an all-star caliber player who always wanted to stay a Cub — got an extension of PLURAL years! We celebrate that, and talk about how his extension and the contracts of several other key players (Nico, Seiya, Wisdom) gives us an outline of a mini-era that now runs through 2026. We look back on the series wins against the Dodgers and A’s, …

After Nico Hoerner’s first career walk off hit, the Cubs are playing a geniunely division-winning pace (ahem, 5-4…but It’s a bad division, so we’re not wrong). We talk falling for Dansby and his gorgeous backhand, Nico’s path to + offense, Seiya’s return date and how mystifiying the roster management has been to this point in his absence, particula…

Kevin and Adam cover week one of the Cubs, their 2-3 start, what’s looked good, what’s bad, and what’s exactly how we expected it to be so far (most of it). We also make all our picks for the season! Division winners, World Series, MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and we each make at least one insane prediction for the year that we think might ACT…

In our annual tradition, Kevin & Adam are joined by Ken Schultz for our jumbo-sized season preview podcast. We predict team MVPs, breakout/regression candidates, and a lot of sillier things. We also get into a little “state of the Cubs fan” talk, and we end with something really great: Ken’s 29 Things To Be Excited For This Season. Follow us everyw…

There’s a little Cubs talk here (full season preview coming next episode!), but today it’s mostly all WBC talk. The tournament that the best players in the world universally loved playing in ended with Japan defeating the USA in a one-run game that came down to a full count, between the world’s two best baseball players: Ohtani & Trout. If you don’…

5th starter talk — can you feel the excitement?! There actually IS some excitement among the three candidates for the role: Javier Assad is ripping 97 mph heaters in the WBC for Team Mexico, looking better than ever, Hayden Wesneski has been almost literally perfect (and seems to have a stranglehold on that #5 spot) and Adrian Sampson has been givi…

Cubs Twitter favorite @InfieldFlyGrl joins Kevin to talk about the World Baseball Classic! We talk about the tournament format, what teams to look out for for both quality and fun, introduce some great players you might not know about (yet), and highlight some truly 80-grade, top-tier nicknames. IFG follows international baseball more closely than …

The (fake) games have begun, and Seiya Suzuki’s oblique has shut down. We talk about the impact of Seiya’s injury, the timetable for his return, and who might fill in in right field while he’s out. We also talk about the first week of spring games, the automatic ball and strike fiasco, and the Cubs who have been most fun to watch in the early going…

The Cubs have signed a new reliever, bringing the Spring roster almost to completion with Michael Fulmer joining on a 1-year, $4 million deal. Baseball has announced a series of new rules that will begin with Spring Training game #1, including bigger bases, limited pickoffs, the (almost) elimination of the shift, and a pitch clock. And, we talk abo…

Our friend Ken Schultz (Outsports) joins us to give us a rundown of all the news and fun from this week’s Cubs convention: Ryno’s statue, Ian Happ’s live podcast, Tom Ricketts’ attempt at crowdwork, and Nico’s rugged look. Also, analyzing the Cubs new signing, 1B/OF Trey Mancini. Follow us everywhere @awaygamespod!…

On our first episode of the new year, we go in depth about new Cubs signings Tucker Barnhart (official) and Eric Hosmer (not quite yet, but, pretty surely a Cub). And because it might be a little more fun, instead of a “Happy New Year 2023,” we skip ahead to 2024, look in the crystal ball, and analyze where the Cubs are at in January of NEXT year. …

For the first time since Yu Darvish, the Cubs have signed a $100 million dollar player. Dansby Swanson signed a 7 year, $177 million dollar deal to presumably take over shortstop and join with Nico Hoerner in the league’s best defensive middle infield. Drew Smyly also reportedly has agreed to return, filling out the Cubs rotation and giving it trul…

With the top three shortstops off the board, it’s time to talk about how we got here, where we go from here, and we welcome the rest of Cubs world to the emotional state we’ve been occupying for about two years. Ricketts & Kenney say the money is there, Jed Hoyer seemingly can’t find it, and now we wait to see what combination of free agents left w…

The Winter Meetings have been crazy: shortstops are all signing for 11 years, Willson Contreras is officially a Cardinal, and Cody Bellinger and Jameson Taillon are new Cubs. We talk through all of that, and ask where do we go from here? We’ve opened the checkbook…now It’s time to keep signing those checks. Follow us everywhere @awaygamespod!…

Unlike almost everyone in baseball media, we keep receipts on ourselves and hold ourselves accountable at the end of the year. Kevin and Adam look back at their picks for 2022 Cubs breakout stars, regression candidates, record predictions, and more. And it might shock you how much this season…did not shock us. We also talk a little about recent Cub…