August 22, 2025 • 43 mins
In Episode 254 of the Hammer Territory Podcast, Shawn Coleman and Stephen Tolbert break down a busy news day for the Atlanta Braves. With Austin Riley now out for the season, his offseason outlook and 2026 expectations are discussed. Plus Cal Quantrill, Reynaldo Lopez, and thoughts on potential MLB Expansion.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Welcome on and all to the Hember Territory Podcast. My
name is Sean Coleman. Hope wherever you are and wherever
you are listening, that you have had a great week
so far. It was an off day for the Braves,
and you know what, I hope that they had an
enjoyable off day, coming off series winn against the White Sox.
Been playing good ball over the past two weeks, some
good offensive results here recently as well. A lot of
(00:43):
good things happening for the Braves. But even though they
didn't play today, there's still plenty and I mean plenty
to talk about. Is plenty of news was revealed on
Thursday when it came to the Braves and here to
break it all down with me as always is my
podcast partner Steven Tolbert Stephen Good talking with you us
her Hope all as well on your end.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
What's up, buddy. Yeah, it was obviously no game on
the field today, but it was not a quiet day
in Brave's country. There was a lot of almost like
the team knew we had a podcast to do tonight.
It was like, you know what, we're gonna throw Steven
and Sean a bone. We're gonna drop like twenty different
bits of news, some of it pretty significant that impacts,
(01:25):
you know, could impact this year and next year. You know,
some roster moves, like three or four roster moves actually,
and then obviously we've got some national stuff happening with
all of this expansion talk that we're going to get
into on the second half of the show. So yeah,
off day to day, but quite a bit to talk.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
About, absolutely, And let's get right into it with the
biggest news of the day. And I think that it
was news that many kind of had prepared vim so for,
though it's not the most ideal outcome when it comes
to Austin Riley. Let's set the stage here a little bit.
If we go back to July ninth, I believe it
(02:02):
was July ninth, maybe it was July eleventh against the Cardinals,
Austin Riley exited a game in Saint Louis. It was
the series, right before the All Star break with an
abdominal injury. You know, he went through his duration that
stint of the ten eleven days that he was on
the IL, came back I believe for about a week,
maybe less than a week, and wound up re injuring
himself again on the race to home plate. I believe
(02:24):
with the Eli de la Cruz, you know, in the
game at Bristol. But all that to say, Riley had
been on the il once again now for about three weeks.
Well this week he tried to ramp up his baseball activity.
He still felt some discomfort, went and consulted with the
doctor and it wound up being that he needed core
muscle surgery. I don't want to speculate too much. Some
(02:44):
of alluded to it was to repair a sports tourney
of whatever the details are, I'm sure that'll come out
in time. But the biggest takeaway is this he did
have surgery. He's out for the season and the Braves
do expect him back for spring training, so that's at
least good news. The thing that stands out is is
that this does not seem to really be something that
will impact him in terms of health going into the
(03:08):
twenty twenty six season. But that aside Steven, this is
impactful because it's just one more disappointing development for Austin Riley,
both in terms of performance as well as health. The
past two seasons certainly continue to bring up more concern
than confidence. When it comes to Austin Riley long term,
(03:28):
I think there's a very good shot we're going to
see Austin Riley be himself once again. But that's not
to say there's not reason to be concerned on multiple
levels right now when it comes to his outlook for
twenty twenty six and beyond.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yeah, so, you know, obviously core surgery is very vague.
It's intentionally vague. You know, obviously everybody connected it to
a sports hernia. You know, we're not going to speculate,
it's not fair, but you know, it's not like so
Danzi Swanson had this same surgery last offseason, Mitch Hanneger
(04:03):
had the same surgery a couple of like three or
four off seasons ago. You know, the timeline is always
the same. It's always like six eight weeks, and obviously
where we are in the calendar, it really doesn't like,
you know, anything more than three or four weeks was
probably gonna knock Austin out the rest of the year,
just how much he was had already missed. And because
(04:24):
we're so you know, it's so long until we get
to twenty twenty six that none of this is going
to really affect him for twenty twenty six. So you know,
it basically just means we're not gonna see Austin in
twenty twenty five anymore. And honestly, with every update that
we got about this injury, where like every time Austin
Riley was on the field, it was like nope, nope,
(04:45):
still hurt, Nope, still feeling it, Nope, nope, Like the
writing was on the wall that we probably weren't going
to see Austin again this year anyway. So I don't
know how much today's news was, you know, even shocking
or you know, I don't know how well people have
followed it, but like you said, we pretty much expected it,
and it does kind of just cap a really disappointing
(05:06):
year for him, and we'll just have to see, We'll
have to see what he looks like in twenty twenty six.
I have no doubt that he should be one hundred
percent healthy by the time we get to spring training
unless something else crops up. It is a little concerning
that it's something that he kept like reaggravating. You know,
it could just be a fluke thing that play at
home plate with Elie de la Cruz in the Speedway
(05:27):
Classic was a really unusual looking play, Like it's not
a play that happens a lot. You know, Third Basement
don't typically like doing an all out sprint like that.
I'm not actually sure I've ever seen that play before,
to be honest with you, So I don't know how
like concerning this is long term, but as far as
this specific injury, it shouldn't affect him for twenty twenty six.
(05:48):
He'll be back one hundred percent by spring training. And
you know it's gonna be a big year. I mean,
we'll say it all off season, but it is going
to be a massive year for Austin Riley again as
the the recipient of the biggest con in the history
of the franchise. And you know, it's been a disappointing
two years for him, both on the field and off
the field. So you know twenty twenty six is going
(06:08):
to be a big.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Year, absolutely, and you know, of course we will we
won't get too in depth about what to make all
of the past two years with Austin Riley, what needs
to change to get him back to where he was
in twenty one through twenty three, when he had three
straight seasons of top seven MVP finishes. We have all
off season to discuss that. What I think is a
bit more pertinent right now, though, is what's going to
(06:30):
happen in his absence when it comes to the third
base position. And the obvious answer is we're going to
get to see an extended look of Nacho Alvarez. Scott
and I talked about that on Tuesday. If it came
to this where Riley was going to be out for
the rest of the year, Nacho Alvarez getting an extended
look definitely can see that being a positive. You know,
he's heated up with the bat. He definitely seems to
(06:52):
be able to pick it at third base. Defensively, My
opinion of Nacho Alvarez has improved because of how well
he's played so far, and maybe he could carve himself out,
you know, being a bench piece for the Braves in
twenty twenty five. Another thing I wouldn't mind seeing get
Eli White a few looks over there. We heard about
Eli White being you know, increasing his versatility. Is a
guy that could play all over the diamond, you know,
(07:12):
could he potentially get a couple of looks over there,
you know, just different bodies at third base seeing what
they can do. The Braves should take full advantage of that,
but the main focus is getting former top prospect Nacho
Alvarez the opportunity to get an extended look and really
see number one, if he can show that he can
stick in the majors and beast a somewhat reliable source
(07:35):
of offense, because I really think that's where the questions
remain with his outlook.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Yeah, it's all about his bat. I mean, if he
wants any chance of being like a consistent everyday player
like not's gonna have to hit more. He's got a
really good glove at third base, but you can't play
third base if you can't hit, quite honestly. So you know,
we've talked about before about the how important offense it
is at these corner positions. You can be a utility player,
(08:01):
you can be a bench player. But if he has
dreams of being an everyday regular at third base, and
that looks like kind of his best defensive position, then
he's gonna have to hit substantially more than he has.
So you know, he'll get he'll get run. He'll get
about six weeks to run here, and he can make
an impression at the very least maybe secure bench spot
for next year. But yeah, with Austin gohnn you're gonna
(08:24):
see a lot of Nacho Alvarez in the last six
weeks and your muted again.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
We're gonna talk about plenty about Austin Riley as time
goes on. But again, I want to hit on this
point Stephen, and you know, agree or disagree. The one
thing that I will end with when it comes to
Austin Riley and his outlook. I don't know if there
is a bigger swing source or swing swing stat I
(08:53):
guess you could say, but there's not a bigger development.
I feel for the Braves to get back to me
the contender. We all hope that they can be that.
Austin Riley getting back to his old self. That really
has to happen for this offense to get the consistency
that it needs, for the overall investment that this team
has made in its core to be where it needs
(09:15):
to be. And just in general with you know how
important Austin Riley is in this team on the field,
off the field, what have you. When he's playing well,
this team is playing well, and that's got to be
a big key factor. Really seeing him be able to
get back to himself is going to be a major
swing factor in the Braves getting back to being a
true contender for years to come. You have to hope
(09:35):
even if he's not healthy all off season, he figures
it out this offseason going into spring training.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yeah, I mean, I can make the argument the single
biggest number for the Braves offense, or for any one
player on the Braves offense, is Austin Riley's slugging percentage. Yep,
Like he's a slug first guy. He's never been an
on base guy really, I mean, you know, he's not
a huge walk guy. He's always lived in like the
(10:03):
three thirties on base, but he lives off that slugging
percentage man doubles and homers and when he's like a
five hundred slug guy, he's an MVP level player. But
we've watched his slugging percentage literally the last four years.
I mean, it's a it's a terrifying trend quite honestly,
of just it dropping and dropping and dropping and dropping
(10:25):
and dropping. And so you know, with Austin you can
honestly look at one number, I mean you could you
could literally just look at his slugging percentage on a
given day and I could tell you exactly the kind
of season he's having. So yeah, getting back to that power,
you know, hitting balls over the fence, hitting balls in
the gap. That is the key to Austin Riley, and
(10:46):
in a lot of ways, Austin rally is the key
to the offense. So you know, you can make the
case that that literally, that one number is the biggest
number for the Braves entire offense.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Absolutely, and the big thing is is that nobody knows
that more than Austin Riley. So you know, we talk about,
like we say, we talk about Spencer Strider, his development
this offseason, him getting back to his normal self on
the offensive side, the equivalent is Austin Riley, and you
certainly hope that sooner rather than later we see that
old production come back for a guy who clearly has
(11:19):
shown he can be one of the best bats in
the National League and also at third base. But speaking
of bats, let's talk a little bit about some of
the Braves bats. As we look at the dream you
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(11:41):
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(12:03):
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cash prizes. Now, Steven, let's let's get into this a
little bit. When it comes to the Braves, the Braves
starting the series with the Mets tomorrow. We know that
(12:25):
the Braves have played very well against the Mets this year.
Who are you feeling, are there a couple of hitters
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Yeah, So we obviously went on and we just looked
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(13:05):
So Jergson Profar more than point five homers. And then
I took Ronnie. I took a Kunya. Acunya has not
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(13:27):
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Absolutely, it's always good when you can enjoy your favorite
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(13:55):
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Speaker 2 (14:17):
Yeah, and again, Akunya is a you know, Akunya is
just always one swing away from getting crazy red hot. Again,
he hits the Mets very well. Wouldn't surprise being able
to see Kunya hit multiple homers in one of these games,
quite honestly, But you know, as hot as Profar has been,
you know, you could obviously go with Michael Harris, Mattles
and there's a lot of ways to go here. For
(14:39):
the Tonight's you know, for Friday Night's game, we went
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Speaker 1 (16:03):
So Stephen, Obviously we talked about Austin Riley, but that
just was one part of the day. As a matter
of fact, you know, the Braves in typical Braves fashion.
The most impactful. Our biggest news was actually the second
or third tweet of the thread, but the first tweet
of the thread that also made news today was the
(16:23):
fact that the Brave has made several roster moves. Now
bear with me for a few hours as I go
through this all kidding aside, just real quickly going to
read through the move the the moves by the Braves.
Of course, the big move of the day was the
fact that the Braves tray are acclaimed familiar name Col
Quantrill from the Marlins. That that certainly is a move
(16:47):
that I think that many you know, kind of looked
at and they're thinking, Okay, is this is this another
Braves move where they are potentially going after a picture
that they feel at the very least could give them
some more innings this year, or is this an arm
that perhaps they feel they may be able to get
some value out of and could he be someone that
(17:09):
could be available for them in twenty twenty six. I'm
not sure off the top of my head if he
has control. But Stephen, before I get into the other
moves that were made, what are your thoughts on the
pickup of cal Quantrill. I know that's a name again
that many have you know, seen around. He's been on
many teams throughout his career. But the pickup of Cal
Quantrill just something for this year to help eat innings
or are you intrigued for what he potentially could provide
(17:32):
for twenty twenty six and beyond.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
I'm almost ninety percent sure this is just a inning
Zeter guy, especially if the Breads end up, you know,
shutting down any of their starters. Quantrill is a free
agent at the end of the year, so I don't
I don't think there's any long term And listen, he's
thirty thirty one. I think he's got an era in
the fives the last three years combined, he's quite awful
(17:59):
with the Marlins. I think this is just an arm.
I think he's an arm to help get through the
end of the season. Again, we've talked about would not
be stunned at some point if they shut down Spencer Strider.
Wouldn't not be stunned at some point if they shut
down Hurston Waldrup. You know, the Braves, they certainly don't
need to push those guys anymore than they absolutely want to.
(18:22):
And you know, you just need arms. You know, this
is I'm not gonna say this is Carlos Carrasco, because
obviously Crasco was quite bad, but it has a potential
of being Carlos Carrasco, where you're just literally you're throwing
a guy out there for a handful of games just
to get innings. Results be damned, and you know, we'll
see what happens. He is a guy that has pedigree,
like he's been around for a while. It's kind of
(18:43):
a well known name. He's a a pretty good run
of success in Cleveland, but he's never been able to
find it again. The Braves are one of those organizations
that usually get the most out of arms though, So
you know, I would have said all this stuff about
Joey Wentz a few weeks ago, you know as well,
and we've seen what Joey Winz did. So if you
told me right now that Kyle Contro is gonna come
to Atlanta and have some success. It wasn't stunned me.
(19:06):
I mean, this is kind of what you know, Rick
Kranitz and company do with Journeyman Arms. So we'll see
what We'll see what happens.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Yeah, and I mean this could easily be he makes
you know, he's immediately going to be in the action
this weekend for the Braves. He can make a start
or two and then you know, potentially be on the
move you know less than you know a week from now.
So to your point, that's probably what it is. And
also to your point, you've got Waldrop, you've got Spencer Strider.
When sale comes back, I don't necessarily anticipate him making
(19:34):
four or five more starts. So yes, it's it's eating
the innings. More of an Eric Fetti type addition than
you know, maybe a Joey Wentz who could figure into
the mix in twenty twenty six and some shape form
or fashion. But again this was just one of the
moves that the Braves made today. Is they got cal
Condrell off waivers from the Miami Marlins, the option Dame
(19:55):
done into Triple A. They also reported Jake Freeley, who
they you know, claimed earlier this week an option to
Connor Sebo back to Gwinnett. Following Wednesday night's game, they
recalled Dylan Dodd and placed Luke Williams on the ten
day injured list back dated to August nineteenth, with the
strained left oblique muscle. Now, of all those names that
(20:16):
I mentioned, none of them really are our long term
fixtures in Atlanta, but plenty of roster shuffling for the Braves.
I am intrigued by them bringing Dylan Dodd back to Atlanta. Obviously,
Luke Williams going on the IL if we get blown
out or blow out a team, who's going to pitch
the eighth or ninth And that's also a big loss,
open intended. But the point is that the Braves were
(20:37):
just doing a lot of roster shuffling today, but nothing
really of note that's going to impact this year significantly
or beyond. When it comes to all of today's roster moves.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, I mean, you know, out of everybody moved today,
Jake Frehley is the most talented guy. Dylan Dodd probably
has an argument there. Frehley is like a proven major
league caliber outfielder. He's got a career WRC plus in
one hundred. I think it's a one oh two or
something like that. So like, if you told me right
(21:10):
now that Jake Frehley uh and he does have team control,
the Braids would have to I think they would have
to tender him a contract and pay him like four
million bucks. But he typically does have team control next year,
so I would guess this is gonna be a bit
of a tryout. Freiley has always been pretty good against
right handed pitching. He can't not hit lefties, for crap,
but he's always been decent against right handed pitching. He's
(21:31):
a decent defensive outfielder, got a little bit of speed.
You know, you can do worse as a fourth or
fifth outfielder. The Braves famously have no outfielders, you know. Ever,
they always are kind of dumpster diving in the middle
of the season for outfielders. I think this tells you
where Jared Kelnick is on the pecking order, the fact
that you know, Freyley's already jumped above him, so you
(21:54):
know it wasn't done me if Frehley showed some stuff
that if he was around again next year on the bench.
But yeah, mostly just you know, moving around the deck
chairs a little bit. Luke Williams. You know, everybody made
the joke today that you know, the greatest pitching keeps
getting hurt in Luke Williams is the latest example of
the pitching getting hurt. So, you know, a Strando bleak,
(22:14):
you know. The only the only surprising part was it
wasn't a sixty day il trip, I guess. But you know,
now that they have Quantrill, I'm guessing Quantrill is probably
gonna we know, he's going in the rotation. They did
add Dylan Dodd back, so they'll have some they'll have
some blowout relief, you know, if they need it. But
I think pretty clearly Jake Freeley is the most interesting
name among all the moves today.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Absolutely, and on a non injury front, at least in
terms of, you know, an injury update for this season.
There was another revelation when it came to Rinaldo Lopez. Now,
of course low piz throughout league five innings in one
start this year and then unfortunately went under a procedure
when it came to his throwing shoulder, and he's going
to be out for the rest of the year. So
(22:58):
it's kind of a lost season Fordo Lopez, but Mark
morbleto VMLB dot Com talk about the fact that Ronaldo
Lopez has made it clear he has no intention of
potentially going into the bullpen next season. His full focus
is going to be on being in the rotation, and
I think that's great. Now, that's awesome that's his focus.
(23:20):
And with the Braves being on the hook for about
fifteen million for him next year, that would be the
most valuable outcome when it comes to Ronaldo Lopez. But
the only thing that kind of strikes me is is
that Steven will let you elaborate on this a little bit.
I'm perfectly fine with him going after a rotation spot
because he was highly effective last year, but I would
(23:42):
much rather have him healthy as a member of this
staff as a whole than someone who potentially once again
is an injury rick risk next year in the rotation.
So I get his mentality. I understand where he's coming from,
But if I was him, I also would would definitely
keep open the idea being a part of the bullpen
because he could be a good arm in the bullpen
(24:04):
as well. But more than anything, just need for him
to be healthy.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Yeah, listen, when you miss an entire season with a
shoulder problem, and that's I mean. I know he pitched
in the first week of the season, but Ronaldo effectively
missed the entire season with his shoulder problem. And you
know when that happens, you gotta get healthy before we
ever start worrying about what your role is gonna be.
(24:31):
And listen, they did pay him like they owe him.
I think they owe him. I have to go back
and look, I think they owe him like thirty forty
million dollars something like that. The rest of his contract.
They paid him like a starting pitcher. And I'm sure
they're gonna want to put him in the rotation to
try to extract as much value out of him. But
when you miss an entire season with shoulder problems, what
(24:53):
your role is gonna be in twenty twenty six, that
question is a distant second to just are you gonna
be around and contributing some way in twenty twenty six?
And so, like, I know, this is gonna be a
thing where people talk about, you know, they've got so
many arms in the rotation, does one of them go
to the bullpen? That never, that never matters. There's always
(25:16):
always injuries, there's always some sort of you know, you
just need so much depth in the rotation. I'm fine
if he starts. He was really good last year when
he was healthy. But until he gets healthy and on
the mound, I don't I'm not gonna spend a lot
of energy caring about debating what his role should or
(25:36):
is going to be, because that's kind of putting the
you know, not to put too fine a point of it,
but that's kind of putting the bullpen cart ahead of
the horse. We got to get the guy healthy, and
so you know, that's where he's got to be. That's again,
it's a shoulder. It's terrifying, it's terrifying. Gotta get him healthy.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Yeah, and again I wanted to have that mental I
want his focus to be on the rule.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
I have no problem with what he said.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely not, but definitely, you know, be
open whatever can keep him healthy to the point that
he because again, a healthy Ronaldo Lopez, I think, is
a trustworthy arm that can work through an opposing playoff
lineup in the playoffs. That's what the Braves need. That
is something that they have sorely lacked since the twenty
one World series is depth of options on the pitching side.
(26:29):
Another biggest issue in the playoffs has been the offense,
but it's also been the depth of options on the
pitching side that could legitimately go through an opposing playoff
lineup confidently at least one time through. And I have
to mention multiple times, Drue, they need as many of
those options healthy for future playoff runs. Ronaldo Lopez can
be that, So I'm all for what keeps him healthy
(26:49):
for potentially being in that spot. But we're talking about
the Braves, and we're talking about the future and what
that could look like for Atlanta, But what about Major
League Baseball as a whole. Commissioner Rob Manfred had some
interesting thoughts and comments when it comes to the future
outlook of the future outlook of the majors as a whole.
(27:11):
Recently during the Little League Bait or MLB game, I
believe it was between the Mariners and the Astros. Steven
and I are actually going to expand our thoughts on
the idea of expansion right after this word from our partners.
Speaker 4 (27:24):
Okay Kratz, I opened up Arena Club, put my own
money in there, and I wasn't gonna go big.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
I know we went over the Ruby pack a week ago.
Speaker 4 (27:31):
This time I just went for the low level pack
where it's an easy entry point twenty five bucks. You
can get yourself a big Boy card. The Grail has
many good options. I slice open the pack. We're looking
at it if you're watching us right now, and I
pull a card from.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
The nineteen fifties. Super cool. I enjoyed the experience looking
at it. It's Jim Gilliam. It's the top set from
the mid fifties. It's cool. It's a Brooklyn Dodger.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
But it's worth more than the card.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Like I said, I'm going to sell it back.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
They got twenty eight bucks instantly, so I can buy
another one of those packs and try and get what
I want.
Speaker 5 (28:05):
Absolutely the excitement I heard Kip say it before. The
excitement's in the chase. You sold it back, Now you
get to open another one. I enjoy when you slide
it across the screen there and the pack opens.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
You know where to go.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
Arenaclub dot com slash foul twenty percent off your first
lab packer card for it.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Just get after it. Steven, as we were watching the
latest word from our partners and I was looking at
a highlight of Boston bread Sox outfill with Roman Anthony,
who just seems like an absolute stud. He hit a
ball a mile, you know, in his first game in
(28:42):
Yankee Stadium. But I bring that up because I know
many and Braves country aren't just fan of the Braves
and their rivalries, they're fans of Major League Baseball as well.
And it's so much fun seeing Drake Baldwin and what
the impact he's making as a Brave. We obviously know
what the future could look like with Ronald mcconey junior,
but seeing the rookies that are in the American League,
there's a lot of fun when it comes to the
(29:02):
product of Major League Baseball moving forward, and for that reason,
the idea of expansion makes things even more exciting the
game going into new mark markets, even more talent coming
into the fold. When it comes to the league, the
idea of expansion is always one that's fun to speculate about,
and Rob Manford seemed to do more than speculate. He
(29:23):
seemed to basically put it out there. This is certainly
something in the near future we're going to see become
more and more of a likelihood. But the reason I
want to bring it up here is because the one
team in Major League Baseball that could potentially be impacted
the most by the idea of expansion is the Brave Steven.
You want to elaborate a little bit more of that.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Yeah, So expansion is coming, Like it's not even it's
not even an if, it's just a win. When do
they get on You know, it's a whole process. You
got to you know, two cities have to win the
bid and stadium contract and all this stuff. It is
a process. But expansion is coming. The MOB has made
(30:05):
it very clear over the years they want to get
to thirty two teams and you know, they want to
kind of move more to a eight division, four teams
per division format again like the NFL. So division has
come or excuse me, expansion is coming. What's going to
be interesting is when it comes a where do these
(30:25):
new teams go? You know, the the general consensus has
been forever that they're going to put another team in
the Southeast, and they're going to put another team in
the Northwest. And you know, it's very easy to just
say Portland, you know, Portland and Charlotte or Salt Lake
City in Nashville or something like that. But that's what
I think is going to end up being. The reason
(30:46):
it's so impactful for the Braves is because they have
operated for decades, decades as the only team in the
Southeastern footprint of the United States. And I don't really
know how they've managed to pull that off. I don't
know how they've thwarted off any sort of other team
from coming literally anywhere else in the footprint, but they have.
(31:10):
And it actually doesn't make any sense that there's only
one team in the Southeast. There needs to be too.
I mean, it's such a massive region of the country.
There's millions and millions and millions and millions of people
that live here by far, far and away, I mean
easily can support more than one team. So the fact
that another team is probably coming to the Southeast, that
(31:31):
is going to cut into the Braves market. Now, typically
teams do get compensated for that, Like obviously when there's
talk of expansion and you know, markets get impacted. You know,
teams push back and they ask for concessions and all
that's part of the negotiation. But one hundred percent of
the Brads are going to be impacted by this because
there's going to be another team. You know, right now,
(31:52):
the closest team to the Braves is the Cincinnati Reds
by Miles, which is crazy at Cincinnati's in Ohio, and
that's the closest team to the Atlanta Braves in terms
of like, you know, distance, that's gonna change. There's gonna
be a team in Nashville, There's gonna be a team
in charlot There's gonna be a team somewhere in the
Southeastern footprint. And the interesting thing is gonna be when
(32:16):
that happens, when they add these two teams, how do
they then configure the divisions? And this is what everybody
wants to talk about, right every time you see a podcast.
They've got the map up, they got all the teams,
you know, they got the logos, they're drawing circles. You know,
these four teams could be together in these four teams.
And then once you have the teams, you have to
(32:38):
configure the leagues. Who's gonna be in the National League,
who's gonna be in the American League, how's it gonna play.
There's endless possibilities. There's some very clear geographical, you know,
ideas in terms of like the Braves being with the
new expansion team, plus being with the Marlins and the Raids.
(33:00):
You know, just geographically that makes sense the Brave, I mean,
obviously Brais fans would absolutely the Braves would run that
division like it's I mean, like it's a high school division.
You know, the Rays go up and down, but the Marlins.
You know, no one's worried about the Marlins. It usually
takes these expansion teams years to get off the ground,
so Brace fans would love that. You know, there's talk of,
(33:21):
like in the Northeastern corner, putting the Yankees and the
Mets and like the Red Sox and Phillies. I don't
know if you could put those like massive organizations all
in one division. But that's what I'm talking about, Like,
there's so many variations of this stuff, and that's where
it's gonna get interesting. And that's where a lot of
the conversation has happened the last you know, a week
since Manford said all this is everybody's you know, playing
(33:44):
around with the map trying to draw these divisions. So
I don't know if you have an opinion on these divisions,
but that's where the conversation gets interesting.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Absolutely, and I don't think. I don't see Major League
Baseball have the divisions like that. What I mean by
that is is that I think that they would see
too much of an opportunity to where you would be
too top heavy in one division where it would be
the two New York teams Boston and Philly, or even
(34:13):
if it's Toronto who's in a big market as well.
Now that would be a very top heavy division. And
then you have the Southeastern Division where it's one of
your marque organizations in the Braves, and then three others
you know, who are not marquee. For lack of a
better way of putting it, I don't necessarily think that
Major League Baseball would find benefit in that. So while
it would be great in terms of future outlet for
(34:35):
the Braves, I'm just not too confident that would happen.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
And yeah, I do want to point out the reason
people are doing that is because Manford specifically said it
would give us the ability to realign geographically. He actually
used the word geographic in his quote, and so obviously
what everybody has done is go to a map and
just circle all the teams that are as close to
(34:59):
get as possible that's where all that's come from.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Yeah, And while I think Baseball would want that ideally
to work out, I don't necessarily know if strategically for
the best of the sport, for the competitive strategy of
the sport, it would make the most sense, and I
think that that at the end of the day, would
win out. The other thing that I'll say is this
is that you know, Charlotte or Nashville, if one of
(35:23):
them got a team, I think the city bases there
of Charlotte and Nashville could support a major league organization.
But I also don't think that it would be something
that would just absolutely be a big threat to what
the Braves have in the South. I think if you
had a Nashville or a Charlotte, their fan base outlook
would be more like what you have with Cincinnati. It
(35:44):
would be that local region. Now, speaking as being someone
who's been born and raised in Tennessee, West Tennessee has
been Cardinals country for so many years. In Central and
East Tennessee has been Braves country. That's the thing about
it is that if you put it for ends to Nashville,
you're getting close to an area of the country where
you've got the Cubs that are in the upper Midwest,
(36:06):
You've got the Saint Louis Cardinals that are in the
central and southern Midwest, and you've got the Braves in
the South. So yes, there is room for another team,
and I think that Nashville could support that, you know,
a franchise for instance, But I don't think overall the
impact would take away from what the Braves have. You know,
and what we're talking about, moral Madian is what we've
(36:27):
all been discussing, the financial outlook for this team. Will
it stay as beneficial as it's been. I think even
if an expansion team lands in Charlotte or Nashville, that
would be just fine. But I'm here for expansion. Bring
more teams into the fold. That means more talent is
going to be in place, and that also means that
you're going to see the opportunity for more rivalries to
(36:49):
develop as well. So I'm here for it. I think
it would be a lot of fun. But I also
think that when we get closer to or get to
the final product, it likely is going to be significantly
different that what people were speculating on at the moment.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Yeah, and listen, I mean where they end up putting
these two teams is gonna matter. Like everyone is assuming
a Southeastern team and a Northwestern team, but it's not
necessarily locked in stone that that's what's gonna happen. Just
makes the most logical sense. I'm fine with expansion. I
like I think it's a fun idea. You know, the
whole expansion draft, where you know, these two teams kind
(37:25):
of get to draft players from all the other teams
would be a fascinating thing to cover in like real time.
You know which players is your team gonna protect, you
know which players is your team gonna leave open to
this expansion draft. That would be a fascinating bit of
content just to cover. I think the last expansion draft
we had was when the diamond But was it when
(37:47):
the Diamondbacks came? Uh, Sean, you're better with the history
stuff than I am.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
Was it the raising Diamondbacks? I think that was it.
I can't remember if there was an expansion draft. That
was the last time that you had two teams. You
had the Rockies and Marlins and ninety three and then
the Diamondbacks and the Rays and in ninety eight I
believe it was the Backs and the Race yet But
that would have been the last time if it happened.
I can't remember exactly what the details of the expansion
draft look like.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Yeah, so that would be I mean, just just to
have an expansion draft in like the modern era, you know,
the social media era of teams protecting players or not
protecting players. My god, the takes and the content would
just be absolutely flying. So it'd be entertaining. The thing
I hate that I know is going to happen is
that it's going to be any sort of expansion in
(38:32):
realignment is also going to be wed with expanded playoffs.
MLB is just trying to keep you know, they're trying
to add as many playoff teams as possible because it
makes them a ton of money. And listen, this a
lot of this is about money. It's about expanding TV reach.
There's a reason Scott and I talked about this. There's
a reason all of these TV deals that MLB is negotiating,
(38:54):
there's a reason all of this is coming out now,
Like all of this is connected. They're trying to get
more and more money into their pockets, and the easiest
way for owners to do that is more playoff teams.
Because more playoff teams. Equals more races, and equals closer
races down the stretch. It equals more playoff games. Networks
love playing paying for playoff games because they do massive ratings.
(39:18):
You know, advertisers love advertising playoff games because they do
massive ratings. It's just more money. So I know expanded
playoffs is going to be a part of this which
I can't stand. But every other part of expansion I'm
actually pretty excited about. I will say this, I do
hope MLB. I hope they respect some of the history
of the game. You know, there are teams like the
(39:41):
Braves and the Reds and the Phillies. These teams have
been in the National League for so long. Like I
it would kind of piss me off, honestly if they
were like, all right, you're in the American League now,
like all of that history just kind of, I don't know,
swept under the rug. You know, some you know, there's
obvious gonna have to be some changes, and changes aren't
(40:01):
necessarily bad. I just hope as they do it, they
do it with more of a scalpel than like a machete.
You know, let's have some let's have some grace with
how we do this and be tactful about it and
respect some of the history of this game that you
know has been around for one hundred and fifty years.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
Absolutely, And that's the thing about it is that you know,
I know that sixteen teams make the playoffs in the NBA,
and I know that the fourteen teams make the playoffs
in the NFL. You know, right now we're up to
twelve teams in Major League Baseball. I know that they
want to expand on that, but twelve seems like it
it's enough. But you know, obviously that's not going to
(40:42):
be the case as we move forward. So it's really
going to be interesting to see, you know, how this developed.
I know we're years away even from, you know, multiple
years await even from having an idea of where these
teams are going to be, But if you're in Braves Country,
it certainly is a storyline to you know, put a
pin on, because wherever they wind up, the team winds
up in the Southeast for multiple reasons, it could impact
(41:03):
the future of the Braves in terms of their path
not only to the playoffs, but just to success in
general moving forward. Steven, anything else from you as we
wrap up this edition of the Hammer Territory podcast.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
No Back on the Field tomorrow, start a series of
the Mets. Joey Wentz on the mound. The Mets have
one of their kind of prize young rookies, MacLean McLean
something like that. I don't know exactly how to pronounce
his name, but he's on the mound for the Mets.
Spencer Strider got pushed back. He's not going to pitch
in this series. Where we are going to see cal
Quantrill pitching this series, so you know, we'll see what happens.
(41:39):
I'm not so sure that Cal Quantrill doesn't give the
Braves a better chance to win right now than Spencer Strider.
As crazy as that sounds, but go beat the Mets. Like,
the Mets just lost a series to the Nationals, which
is hilarious. I was watching that game all day. They
actually got dropped by the Nationals. They lost like nine
to three. Let's continue the misery for the Mets. Go
win two out of three. You know, maybe the Reds
(42:01):
can steal that playoff spot and the Mets can miss
the playoffs. That'd be entertaining as hell. But yeah, thanks
for all the support as always, guys.
Speaker 1 (42:08):
Yeah, Hey, if they want to play spoiler, let's play spoiler,
and let's play the heck out of it now. Obviously,
one of the other development to watch is Chris Sale
will be on the Mound in Columbus over the weekend,
as will make sure to check out his start. Obviously,
a successful start likely means that his next start would
be with the Braves. So you know, hey again, I
(42:29):
know this has been a season that nobody really anticipated
in a negative way, but at least right now we
have more positives than probably many anticipated to talk about
this time of year. Let's keep that ball rolling. And hey,
if you can sit here and contribute to the Mets
missing the playoffs as Steven mentioned, I'd be all for that.
Until next time, Go Braves. You can find Steven Tilbert
(42:50):
at be Underscore Outliers on Twitter, myself at stats Sac
on Twitter, slash checks, Foul Territory, Achieve Me Hammer Territory
across all forms of social media, part of the Foul
Territory family of podcasts. Until next time, Go Braves. We'll
talk to you again soon. Here all, thank for Territory podcast.
Welcome on and all to the Hember Territory Podcast. My
name is Sean Coleman. Hope wherever you are and wherever
you are listening, that you have had a great week
so far. It was an off day for the Braves,
and you know what, I hope that they had an
enjoyable off day, coming off series winn against the White Sox.
Been playing good ball over the past two weeks, some
good offensive results here recently as well. A lot of
(00:43):
good things happening for the Braves. But even though they
didn't play today, there's still plenty and I mean plenty
to talk about. Is plenty of news was revealed on
Thursday when it came to the Braves and here to
break it all down with me as always is my
podcast partner Steven Tolbert Stephen Good talking with you us
her Hope all as well on your end.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
What's up, buddy. Yeah, it was obviously no game on
the field today, but it was not a quiet day
in Brave's country. There was a lot of almost like
the team knew we had a podcast to do tonight.
It was like, you know what, we're gonna throw Steven
and Sean a bone. We're gonna drop like twenty different
bits of news, some of it pretty significant that impacts,
(01:25):
you know, could impact this year and next year. You know,
some roster moves, like three or four roster moves actually,
and then obviously we've got some national stuff happening with
all of this expansion talk that we're going to get
into on the second half of the show. So yeah,
off day to day, but quite a bit to talk.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
About, absolutely, And let's get right into it with the
biggest news of the day. And I think that it
was news that many kind of had prepared vim so for,
though it's not the most ideal outcome when it comes
to Austin Riley. Let's set the stage here a little bit.
If we go back to July ninth, I believe it
(02:02):
was July ninth, maybe it was July eleventh against the Cardinals,
Austin Riley exited a game in Saint Louis. It was
the series, right before the All Star break with an
abdominal injury. You know, he went through his duration that
stint of the ten eleven days that he was on
the IL, came back I believe for about a week,
maybe less than a week, and wound up re injuring
himself again on the race to home plate. I believe
(02:24):
with the Eli de la Cruz, you know, in the
game at Bristol. But all that to say, Riley had
been on the il once again now for about three weeks.
Well this week he tried to ramp up his baseball activity.
He still felt some discomfort, went and consulted with the
doctor and it wound up being that he needed core
muscle surgery. I don't want to speculate too much. Some
(02:44):
of alluded to it was to repair a sports tourney
of whatever the details are, I'm sure that'll come out
in time. But the biggest takeaway is this he did
have surgery. He's out for the season and the Braves
do expect him back for spring training, so that's at
least good news. The thing that stands out is is
that this does not seem to really be something that
will impact him in terms of health going into the
(03:08):
twenty twenty six season. But that aside Steven, this is
impactful because it's just one more disappointing development for Austin Riley,
both in terms of performance as well as health. The
past two seasons certainly continue to bring up more concern
than confidence. When it comes to Austin Riley long term,
(03:28):
I think there's a very good shot we're going to
see Austin Riley be himself once again. But that's not
to say there's not reason to be concerned on multiple
levels right now when it comes to his outlook for
twenty twenty six and beyond.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yeah, so, you know, obviously core surgery is very vague.
It's intentionally vague. You know, obviously everybody connected it to
a sports hernia. You know, we're not going to speculate,
it's not fair, but you know, it's not like so
Danzi Swanson had this same surgery last offseason, Mitch Hanneger
(04:03):
had the same surgery a couple of like three or
four off seasons ago. You know, the timeline is always
the same. It's always like six eight weeks, and obviously
where we are in the calendar, it really doesn't like,
you know, anything more than three or four weeks was
probably gonna knock Austin out the rest of the year,
just how much he was had already missed. And because
(04:24):
we're so you know, it's so long until we get
to twenty twenty six that none of this is going
to really affect him for twenty twenty six. So you know,
it basically just means we're not gonna see Austin in
twenty twenty five anymore. And honestly, with every update that
we got about this injury, where like every time Austin
Riley was on the field, it was like nope, nope,
(04:45):
still hurt, Nope, still feeling it, Nope, nope, Like the
writing was on the wall that we probably weren't going
to see Austin again this year anyway. So I don't
know how much today's news was, you know, even shocking
or you know, I don't know how well people have
followed it, but like you said, we pretty much expected it,
and it does kind of just cap a really disappointing
(05:06):
year for him, and we'll just have to see, We'll
have to see what he looks like in twenty twenty six.
I have no doubt that he should be one hundred
percent healthy by the time we get to spring training
unless something else crops up. It is a little concerning
that it's something that he kept like reaggravating. You know,
it could just be a fluke thing that play at
home plate with Elie de la Cruz in the Speedway
(05:27):
Classic was a really unusual looking play, Like it's not
a play that happens a lot. You know, Third Basement
don't typically like doing an all out sprint like that.
I'm not actually sure I've ever seen that play before,
to be honest with you, So I don't know how
like concerning this is long term, but as far as
this specific injury, it shouldn't affect him for twenty twenty six.
(05:48):
He'll be back one hundred percent by spring training. And
you know it's gonna be a big year. I mean,
we'll say it all off season, but it is going
to be a massive year for Austin Riley again as
the the recipient of the biggest con in the history
of the franchise. And you know, it's been a disappointing
two years for him, both on the field and off
the field. So you know twenty twenty six is going
(06:08):
to be a big.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Year, absolutely, and you know, of course we will we
won't get too in depth about what to make all
of the past two years with Austin Riley, what needs
to change to get him back to where he was
in twenty one through twenty three, when he had three
straight seasons of top seven MVP finishes. We have all
off season to discuss that. What I think is a
bit more pertinent right now, though, is what's going to
(06:30):
happen in his absence when it comes to the third
base position. And the obvious answer is we're going to
get to see an extended look of Nacho Alvarez. Scott
and I talked about that on Tuesday. If it came
to this where Riley was going to be out for
the rest of the year, Nacho Alvarez getting an extended
look definitely can see that being a positive. You know,
he's heated up with the bat. He definitely seems to
(06:52):
be able to pick it at third base. Defensively, My
opinion of Nacho Alvarez has improved because of how well
he's played so far, and maybe he could carve himself out,
you know, being a bench piece for the Braves in
twenty twenty five. Another thing I wouldn't mind seeing get
Eli White a few looks over there. We heard about
Eli White being you know, increasing his versatility. Is a
guy that could play all over the diamond, you know,
(07:12):
could he potentially get a couple of looks over there,
you know, just different bodies at third base seeing what
they can do. The Braves should take full advantage of that,
but the main focus is getting former top prospect Nacho
Alvarez the opportunity to get an extended look and really
see number one, if he can show that he can
stick in the majors and beast a somewhat reliable source
(07:35):
of offense, because I really think that's where the questions
remain with his outlook.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Yeah, it's all about his bat. I mean, if he
wants any chance of being like a consistent everyday player
like not's gonna have to hit more. He's got a
really good glove at third base, but you can't play
third base if you can't hit, quite honestly. So you know,
we've talked about before about the how important offense it
is at these corner positions. You can be a utility player,
(08:01):
you can be a bench player. But if he has
dreams of being an everyday regular at third base, and
that looks like kind of his best defensive position, then
he's gonna have to hit substantially more than he has.
So you know, he'll get he'll get run. He'll get
about six weeks to run here, and he can make
an impression at the very least maybe secure bench spot
for next year. But yeah, with Austin gohnn you're gonna
(08:24):
see a lot of Nacho Alvarez in the last six
weeks and your muted again.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
We're gonna talk about plenty about Austin Riley as time
goes on. But again, I want to hit on this
point Stephen, and you know, agree or disagree. The one
thing that I will end with when it comes to
Austin Riley and his outlook. I don't know if there
is a bigger swing source or swing swing stat I
(08:53):
guess you could say, but there's not a bigger development.
I feel for the Braves to get back to me
the contender. We all hope that they can be that.
Austin Riley getting back to his old self. That really
has to happen for this offense to get the consistency
that it needs, for the overall investment that this team
has made in its core to be where it needs
(09:15):
to be. And just in general with you know how
important Austin Riley is in this team on the field,
off the field, what have you. When he's playing well,
this team is playing well, and that's got to be
a big key factor. Really seeing him be able to
get back to himself is going to be a major
swing factor in the Braves getting back to being a
true contender for years to come. You have to hope
(09:35):
even if he's not healthy all off season, he figures
it out this offseason going into spring training.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yeah, I mean, I can make the argument the single
biggest number for the Braves offense, or for any one
player on the Braves offense, is Austin Riley's slugging percentage. Yep,
Like he's a slug first guy. He's never been an
on base guy really, I mean, you know, he's not
a huge walk guy. He's always lived in like the
(10:03):
three thirties on base, but he lives off that slugging
percentage man doubles and homers and when he's like a
five hundred slug guy, he's an MVP level player. But
we've watched his slugging percentage literally the last four years.
I mean, it's a it's a terrifying trend quite honestly,
of just it dropping and dropping and dropping and dropping
(10:25):
and dropping. And so you know, with Austin you can
honestly look at one number, I mean you could you
could literally just look at his slugging percentage on a
given day and I could tell you exactly the kind
of season he's having. So yeah, getting back to that power,
you know, hitting balls over the fence, hitting balls in
the gap. That is the key to Austin Riley, and
(10:46):
in a lot of ways, Austin rally is the key
to the offense. So you know, you can make the
case that that literally, that one number is the biggest
number for the Braves entire offense.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Absolutely, and the big thing is is that nobody knows
that more than Austin Riley. So you know, we talk about,
like we say, we talk about Spencer Strider, his development
this offseason, him getting back to his normal self on
the offensive side, the equivalent is Austin Riley, and you
certainly hope that sooner rather than later we see that
old production come back for a guy who clearly has
(11:19):
shown he can be one of the best bats in
the National League and also at third base. But speaking
of bats, let's talk a little bit about some of
the Braves bats. As we look at the dream you
have seen this addition on plenty of the shows throughout
(11:41):
each week that we've done Hammer Territory. You know, this
is the part of the show where we really look
into some braves that can make you some money. That's
the big thing here is the opportunity for you to
be able to make some money off of your favorite players,
whether they're Braves, whether they're not Braves, whomever they may be.
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get into the action and pick which hitters, which pitchers
(12:03):
you feel are going to have the most successful days.
We are sponsored today by Pick six, the Pick six
app from DraftKings. All you have to do is pick
more or less on the stats for two or more
of your favorite players, and you're in the mix for
cash prizes. Now, Steven, let's let's get into this a
little bit. When it comes to the Braves, the Braves
starting the series with the Mets tomorrow. We know that
(12:25):
the Braves have played very well against the Mets this year.
Who are you feeling, are there a couple of hitters
more than others who you feel could really be options
for those who like to play the DraftKings Pick six
to choose to make some money over the weekend.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, So we obviously went on and we just looked
through the list of names to see you know what,
when matchups felt good, so Jerks and Profar more or less,
we put more is a zero point five homers, So
we took Jerks and Profar. I mean, Profar has just
been as hot as anybody. Obviously go against a right
handed pitcher. The Mets are starting on Friday night a rookie,
(13:05):
So Jergson Profar more than point five homers. And then
I took Ronnie. I took a Kunya. Acunya has not
hit a homer since he's been back. He usually hits
really well against the Mets. He usually hits really well
in that park. I'm gonna say Akunya gets his first
home run since coming back again, we're picking more. He's
at zero point five homers on DraftKings, so we're doing
(13:27):
more homers on Acunya, more homers on Profar, and hopefully
all of that together leads to a Braves win.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Absolutely, it's always good when you can enjoy your favorite
players a bit more by them contributing to a win
for the Braves on the field, but also contributing to
you and your bank account getting a few extra dollars
off the field. And I think that these are good
pick Steven, You're you're picking someone who has proven to
(13:55):
be that he's kind of on a hot streaking Jerkson Profar,
but also picking one to Ronald Acuna Junior, who's due.
And I think that's a good strategy for this pick
sixth formula when it comes to draftkick Kings, pick players
who are hot, but also player pick players who are due.
And it's always good to pick players who you know
could have some real success against the Braves rival.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Yeah, and again, Akunya is a you know, Akunya is
just always one swing away from getting crazy red hot. Again,
he hits the Mets very well. Wouldn't surprise being able
to see Kunya hit multiple homers in one of these games,
quite honestly, But you know, as hot as Profar has been,
you know, you could obviously go with Michael Harris, Mattles
and there's a lot of ways to go here. For
(14:39):
the Tonight's you know, for Friday Night's game, we went
Ronnie in Profar for a couple of homers.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
And the great thing about it is that you could
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(15:06):
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Speaker 3 (15:33):
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Speaker 1 (16:03):
So Stephen, Obviously we talked about Austin Riley, but that
just was one part of the day. As a matter
of fact, you know, the Braves in typical Braves fashion.
The most impactful. Our biggest news was actually the second
or third tweet of the thread, but the first tweet
of the thread that also made news today was the
(16:23):
fact that the Brave has made several roster moves. Now
bear with me for a few hours as I go
through this all kidding aside, just real quickly going to
read through the move the the moves by the Braves.
Of course, the big move of the day was the
fact that the Braves tray are acclaimed familiar name Col
Quantrill from the Marlins. That that certainly is a move
(16:47):
that I think that many you know, kind of looked
at and they're thinking, Okay, is this is this another
Braves move where they are potentially going after a picture
that they feel at the very least could give them
some more innings this year, or is this an arm
that perhaps they feel they may be able to get
some value out of and could he be someone that
(17:09):
could be available for them in twenty twenty six. I'm
not sure off the top of my head if he
has control. But Stephen, before I get into the other
moves that were made, what are your thoughts on the
pickup of cal Quantrill. I know that's a name again
that many have you know, seen around. He's been on
many teams throughout his career. But the pickup of Cal
Quantrill just something for this year to help eat innings
or are you intrigued for what he potentially could provide
(17:32):
for twenty twenty six and beyond.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
I'm almost ninety percent sure this is just a inning
Zeter guy, especially if the Breads end up, you know,
shutting down any of their starters. Quantrill is a free
agent at the end of the year, so I don't
I don't think there's any long term And listen, he's
thirty thirty one. I think he's got an era in
the fives the last three years combined, he's quite awful
(17:59):
with the Marlins. I think this is just an arm.
I think he's an arm to help get through the
end of the season. Again, we've talked about would not
be stunned at some point if they shut down Spencer Strider.
Wouldn't not be stunned at some point if they shut
down Hurston Waldrup. You know, the Braves, they certainly don't
need to push those guys anymore than they absolutely want to.
(18:22):
And you know, you just need arms. You know, this
is I'm not gonna say this is Carlos Carrasco, because
obviously Crasco was quite bad, but it has a potential
of being Carlos Carrasco, where you're just literally you're throwing
a guy out there for a handful of games just
to get innings. Results be damned, and you know, we'll
see what happens. He is a guy that has pedigree,
like he's been around for a while. It's kind of
(18:43):
a well known name. He's a a pretty good run
of success in Cleveland, but he's never been able to
find it again. The Braves are one of those organizations
that usually get the most out of arms though, So
you know, I would have said all this stuff about
Joey Wentz a few weeks ago, you know as well,
and we've seen what Joey Winz did. So if you
told me right now that Kyle Contro is gonna come
to Atlanta and have some success. It wasn't stunned me.
(19:06):
I mean, this is kind of what you know, Rick
Kranitz and company do with Journeyman Arms. So we'll see
what We'll see what happens.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Yeah, and I mean this could easily be he makes
you know, he's immediately going to be in the action
this weekend for the Braves. He can make a start
or two and then you know, potentially be on the
move you know less than you know a week from now.
So to your point, that's probably what it is. And
also to your point, you've got Waldrop, you've got Spencer Strider.
When sale comes back, I don't necessarily anticipate him making
(19:34):
four or five more starts. So yes, it's it's eating
the innings. More of an Eric Fetti type addition than
you know, maybe a Joey Wentz who could figure into
the mix in twenty twenty six and some shape form
or fashion. But again this was just one of the
moves that the Braves made today. Is they got cal
Condrell off waivers from the Miami Marlins, the option Dame
(19:55):
done into Triple A. They also reported Jake Freeley, who
they you know, claimed earlier this week an option to
Connor Sebo back to Gwinnett. Following Wednesday night's game, they
recalled Dylan Dodd and placed Luke Williams on the ten
day injured list back dated to August nineteenth, with the
strained left oblique muscle. Now, of all those names that
(20:16):
I mentioned, none of them really are our long term
fixtures in Atlanta, but plenty of roster shuffling for the Braves.
I am intrigued by them bringing Dylan Dodd back to Atlanta. Obviously,
Luke Williams going on the IL if we get blown
out or blow out a team, who's going to pitch
the eighth or ninth And that's also a big loss,
open intended. But the point is that the Braves were
(20:37):
just doing a lot of roster shuffling today, but nothing
really of note that's going to impact this year significantly
or beyond. When it comes to all of today's roster moves.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, I mean, you know, out of everybody moved today,
Jake Frehley is the most talented guy. Dylan Dodd probably
has an argument there. Frehley is like a proven major
league caliber outfielder. He's got a career WRC plus in
one hundred. I think it's a one oh two or
something like that. So like, if you told me right
(21:10):
now that Jake Frehley uh and he does have team control,
the Braids would have to I think they would have
to tender him a contract and pay him like four
million bucks. But he typically does have team control next year,
so I would guess this is gonna be a bit
of a tryout. Freiley has always been pretty good against
right handed pitching. He can't not hit lefties, for crap,
but he's always been decent against right handed pitching. He's
(21:31):
a decent defensive outfielder, got a little bit of speed.
You know, you can do worse as a fourth or
fifth outfielder. The Braves famously have no outfielders, you know. Ever,
they always are kind of dumpster diving in the middle
of the season for outfielders. I think this tells you
where Jared Kelnick is on the pecking order, the fact
that you know, Freyley's already jumped above him, so you
(21:54):
know it wasn't done me if Frehley showed some stuff
that if he was around again next year on the bench.
But yeah, mostly just you know, moving around the deck
chairs a little bit. Luke Williams. You know, everybody made
the joke today that you know, the greatest pitching keeps
getting hurt in Luke Williams is the latest example of
the pitching getting hurt. So, you know, a Strando bleak,
(22:14):
you know. The only the only surprising part was it
wasn't a sixty day il trip, I guess. But you know,
now that they have Quantrill, I'm guessing Quantrill is probably
gonna we know, he's going in the rotation. They did
add Dylan Dodd back, so they'll have some they'll have
some blowout relief, you know, if they need it. But
I think pretty clearly Jake Freeley is the most interesting
name among all the moves today.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Absolutely, and on a non injury front, at least in
terms of, you know, an injury update for this season.
There was another revelation when it came to Rinaldo Lopez. Now,
of course low piz throughout league five innings in one
start this year and then unfortunately went under a procedure
when it came to his throwing shoulder, and he's going
to be out for the rest of the year. So
(22:58):
it's kind of a lost season Fordo Lopez, but Mark
morbleto VMLB dot Com talk about the fact that Ronaldo
Lopez has made it clear he has no intention of
potentially going into the bullpen next season. His full focus
is going to be on being in the rotation, and
I think that's great. Now, that's awesome that's his focus.
(23:20):
And with the Braves being on the hook for about
fifteen million for him next year, that would be the
most valuable outcome when it comes to Ronaldo Lopez. But
the only thing that kind of strikes me is is
that Steven will let you elaborate on this a little bit.
I'm perfectly fine with him going after a rotation spot
because he was highly effective last year, but I would
(23:42):
much rather have him healthy as a member of this
staff as a whole than someone who potentially once again
is an injury rick risk next year in the rotation.
So I get his mentality. I understand where he's coming from,
But if I was him, I also would would definitely
keep open the idea being a part of the bullpen
because he could be a good arm in the bullpen
(24:04):
as well. But more than anything, just need for him
to be healthy.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Yeah, listen, when you miss an entire season with a
shoulder problem, and that's I mean. I know he pitched
in the first week of the season, but Ronaldo effectively
missed the entire season with his shoulder problem. And you
know when that happens, you gotta get healthy before we
ever start worrying about what your role is gonna be.
(24:31):
And listen, they did pay him like they owe him.
I think they owe him. I have to go back
and look, I think they owe him like thirty forty
million dollars something like that. The rest of his contract.
They paid him like a starting pitcher. And I'm sure
they're gonna want to put him in the rotation to
try to extract as much value out of him. But
when you miss an entire season with shoulder problems, what
(24:53):
your role is gonna be in twenty twenty six, that
question is a distant second to just are you gonna
be around and contributing some way in twenty twenty six?
And so, like, I know, this is gonna be a
thing where people talk about, you know, they've got so
many arms in the rotation, does one of them go
to the bullpen? That never, that never matters. There's always
(25:16):
always injuries, there's always some sort of you know, you
just need so much depth in the rotation. I'm fine
if he starts. He was really good last year when
he was healthy. But until he gets healthy and on
the mound, I don't I'm not gonna spend a lot
of energy caring about debating what his role should or
(25:36):
is going to be, because that's kind of putting the
you know, not to put too fine a point of it,
but that's kind of putting the bullpen cart ahead of
the horse. We got to get the guy healthy, and
so you know, that's where he's got to be. That's again,
it's a shoulder. It's terrifying, it's terrifying. Gotta get him healthy.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Yeah, and again I wanted to have that mental I
want his focus to be on the rule.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
I have no problem with what he said.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely not, but definitely, you know, be
open whatever can keep him healthy to the point that
he because again, a healthy Ronaldo Lopez, I think, is
a trustworthy arm that can work through an opposing playoff
lineup in the playoffs. That's what the Braves need. That
is something that they have sorely lacked since the twenty
one World series is depth of options on the pitching side.
(26:29):
Another biggest issue in the playoffs has been the offense,
but it's also been the depth of options on the
pitching side that could legitimately go through an opposing playoff
lineup confidently at least one time through. And I have
to mention multiple times, Drue, they need as many of
those options healthy for future playoff runs. Ronaldo Lopez can
be that, So I'm all for what keeps him healthy
(26:49):
for potentially being in that spot. But we're talking about
the Braves, and we're talking about the future and what
that could look like for Atlanta, But what about Major
League Baseball as a whole. Commissioner Rob Manfred had some
interesting thoughts and comments when it comes to the future
outlook of the future outlook of the majors as a whole.
(27:11):
Recently during the Little League Bait or MLB game, I
believe it was between the Mariners and the Astros. Steven
and I are actually going to expand our thoughts on
the idea of expansion right after this word from our partners.
Speaker 4 (27:24):
Okay Kratz, I opened up Arena Club, put my own
money in there, and I wasn't gonna go big.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
I know we went over the Ruby pack a week ago.
Speaker 4 (27:31):
This time I just went for the low level pack
where it's an easy entry point twenty five bucks. You
can get yourself a big Boy card. The Grail has
many good options. I slice open the pack. We're looking
at it if you're watching us right now, and I
pull a card from.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
The nineteen fifties. Super cool. I enjoyed the experience looking
at it. It's Jim Gilliam. It's the top set from
the mid fifties. It's cool. It's a Brooklyn Dodger.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
But it's worth more than the card.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Like I said, I'm going to sell it back.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
They got twenty eight bucks instantly, so I can buy
another one of those packs and try and get what
I want.
Speaker 5 (28:05):
Absolutely the excitement I heard Kip say it before. The
excitement's in the chase. You sold it back, Now you
get to open another one. I enjoy when you slide
it across the screen there and the pack opens.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
You know where to go.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
Arenaclub dot com slash foul twenty percent off your first
lab packer card for it.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Just get after it. Steven, as we were watching the
latest word from our partners and I was looking at
a highlight of Boston bread Sox outfill with Roman Anthony,
who just seems like an absolute stud. He hit a
ball a mile, you know, in his first game in
(28:42):
Yankee Stadium. But I bring that up because I know
many and Braves country aren't just fan of the Braves
and their rivalries, they're fans of Major League Baseball as well.
And it's so much fun seeing Drake Baldwin and what
the impact he's making as a Brave. We obviously know
what the future could look like with Ronald mcconey junior,
but seeing the rookies that are in the American League,
there's a lot of fun when it comes to the
(29:02):
product of Major League Baseball moving forward, and for that reason,
the idea of expansion makes things even more exciting the
game going into new mark markets, even more talent coming
into the fold. When it comes to the league, the
idea of expansion is always one that's fun to speculate about,
and Rob Manford seemed to do more than speculate. He
(29:23):
seemed to basically put it out there. This is certainly
something in the near future we're going to see become
more and more of a likelihood. But the reason I
want to bring it up here is because the one
team in Major League Baseball that could potentially be impacted
the most by the idea of expansion is the Brave Steven.
You want to elaborate a little bit more of that.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Yeah, So expansion is coming, Like it's not even it's
not even an if, it's just a win. When do
they get on You know, it's a whole process. You
got to you know, two cities have to win the
bid and stadium contract and all this stuff. It is
a process. But expansion is coming. The MOB has made
(30:05):
it very clear over the years they want to get
to thirty two teams and you know, they want to
kind of move more to a eight division, four teams
per division format again like the NFL. So division has
come or excuse me, expansion is coming. What's going to
be interesting is when it comes a where do these
(30:25):
new teams go? You know, the the general consensus has
been forever that they're going to put another team in
the Southeast, and they're going to put another team in
the Northwest. And you know, it's very easy to just
say Portland, you know, Portland and Charlotte or Salt Lake
City in Nashville or something like that. But that's what
I think is going to end up being. The reason
(30:46):
it's so impactful for the Braves is because they have
operated for decades, decades as the only team in the
Southeastern footprint of the United States. And I don't really
know how they've managed to pull that off. I don't
know how they've thwarted off any sort of other team
from coming literally anywhere else in the footprint, but they have.
(31:10):
And it actually doesn't make any sense that there's only
one team in the Southeast. There needs to be too.
I mean, it's such a massive region of the country.
There's millions and millions and millions and millions of people
that live here by far, far and away, I mean
easily can support more than one team. So the fact
that another team is probably coming to the Southeast, that
(31:31):
is going to cut into the Braves market. Now, typically
teams do get compensated for that, Like obviously when there's
talk of expansion and you know, markets get impacted. You know,
teams push back and they ask for concessions and all
that's part of the negotiation. But one hundred percent of
the Brads are going to be impacted by this because
there's going to be another team. You know, right now,
(31:52):
the closest team to the Braves is the Cincinnati Reds
by Miles, which is crazy at Cincinnati's in Ohio, and
that's the closest team to the Atlanta Braves in terms
of like, you know, distance, that's gonna change. There's gonna
be a team in Nashville, There's gonna be a team
in charlot There's gonna be a team somewhere in the
Southeastern footprint. And the interesting thing is gonna be when
(32:16):
that happens, when they add these two teams, how do
they then configure the divisions? And this is what everybody
wants to talk about, right every time you see a podcast.
They've got the map up, they got all the teams,
you know, they got the logos, they're drawing circles. You know,
these four teams could be together in these four teams.
And then once you have the teams, you have to
(32:38):
configure the leagues. Who's gonna be in the National League,
who's gonna be in the American League, how's it gonna play.
There's endless possibilities. There's some very clear geographical, you know,
ideas in terms of like the Braves being with the
new expansion team, plus being with the Marlins and the Raids.
(33:00):
You know, just geographically that makes sense the Brave, I mean,
obviously Brais fans would absolutely the Braves would run that
division like it's I mean, like it's a high school division.
You know, the Rays go up and down, but the Marlins.
You know, no one's worried about the Marlins. It usually
takes these expansion teams years to get off the ground,
so Brace fans would love that. You know, there's talk of,
(33:21):
like in the Northeastern corner, putting the Yankees and the
Mets and like the Red Sox and Phillies. I don't
know if you could put those like massive organizations all
in one division. But that's what I'm talking about, Like,
there's so many variations of this stuff, and that's where
it's gonna get interesting. And that's where a lot of
the conversation has happened the last you know, a week
since Manford said all this is everybody's you know, playing
(33:44):
around with the map trying to draw these divisions. So
I don't know if you have an opinion on these divisions,
but that's where the conversation gets interesting.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Absolutely, and I don't think. I don't see Major League
Baseball have the divisions like that. What I mean by
that is is that I think that they would see
too much of an opportunity to where you would be
too top heavy in one division where it would be
the two New York teams Boston and Philly, or even
(34:13):
if it's Toronto who's in a big market as well.
Now that would be a very top heavy division. And
then you have the Southeastern Division where it's one of
your marque organizations in the Braves, and then three others
you know, who are not marquee. For lack of a
better way of putting it, I don't necessarily think that
Major League Baseball would find benefit in that. So while
it would be great in terms of future outlet for
(34:35):
the Braves, I'm just not too confident that would happen.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
And yeah, I do want to point out the reason
people are doing that is because Manford specifically said it
would give us the ability to realign geographically. He actually
used the word geographic in his quote, and so obviously
what everybody has done is go to a map and
just circle all the teams that are as close to
(34:59):
get as possible that's where all that's come from.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Yeah, And while I think Baseball would want that ideally
to work out, I don't necessarily know if strategically for
the best of the sport, for the competitive strategy of
the sport, it would make the most sense, and I
think that that at the end of the day, would
win out. The other thing that I'll say is this
is that you know, Charlotte or Nashville, if one of
(35:23):
them got a team, I think the city bases there
of Charlotte and Nashville could support a major league organization.
But I also don't think that it would be something
that would just absolutely be a big threat to what
the Braves have in the South. I think if you
had a Nashville or a Charlotte, their fan base outlook
would be more like what you have with Cincinnati. It
(35:44):
would be that local region. Now, speaking as being someone
who's been born and raised in Tennessee, West Tennessee has
been Cardinals country for so many years. In Central and
East Tennessee has been Braves country. That's the thing about
it is that if you put it for ends to Nashville,
you're getting close to an area of the country where
you've got the Cubs that are in the upper Midwest,
(36:06):
You've got the Saint Louis Cardinals that are in the
central and southern Midwest, and you've got the Braves in
the South. So yes, there is room for another team,
and I think that Nashville could support that, you know,
a franchise for instance, But I don't think overall the
impact would take away from what the Braves have. You know,
and what we're talking about, moral Madian is what we've
(36:27):
all been discussing, the financial outlook for this team. Will
it stay as beneficial as it's been. I think even
if an expansion team lands in Charlotte or Nashville, that
would be just fine. But I'm here for expansion. Bring
more teams into the fold. That means more talent is
going to be in place, and that also means that
you're going to see the opportunity for more rivalries to
(36:49):
develop as well. So I'm here for it. I think
it would be a lot of fun. But I also
think that when we get closer to or get to
the final product, it likely is going to be significantly
different that what people were speculating on at the moment.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Yeah, and listen, I mean where they end up putting
these two teams is gonna matter. Like everyone is assuming
a Southeastern team and a Northwestern team, but it's not
necessarily locked in stone that that's what's gonna happen. Just
makes the most logical sense. I'm fine with expansion. I
like I think it's a fun idea. You know, the
whole expansion draft, where you know, these two teams kind
(37:25):
of get to draft players from all the other teams
would be a fascinating thing to cover in like real time.
You know which players is your team gonna protect, you
know which players is your team gonna leave open to
this expansion draft. That would be a fascinating bit of
content just to cover. I think the last expansion draft
we had was when the diamond But was it when
(37:47):
the Diamondbacks came? Uh, Sean, you're better with the history
stuff than I am.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
Was it the raising Diamondbacks? I think that was it.
I can't remember if there was an expansion draft. That
was the last time that you had two teams. You
had the Rockies and Marlins and ninety three and then
the Diamondbacks and the Rays and in ninety eight I
believe it was the Backs and the Race yet But
that would have been the last time if it happened.
I can't remember exactly what the details of the expansion
draft look like.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Yeah, so that would be I mean, just just to
have an expansion draft in like the modern era, you know,
the social media era of teams protecting players or not
protecting players. My god, the takes and the content would
just be absolutely flying. So it'd be entertaining. The thing
I hate that I know is going to happen is
that it's going to be any sort of expansion in
(38:32):
realignment is also going to be wed with expanded playoffs.
MLB is just trying to keep you know, they're trying
to add as many playoff teams as possible because it
makes them a ton of money. And listen, this a
lot of this is about money. It's about expanding TV reach.
There's a reason Scott and I talked about this. There's
a reason all of these TV deals that MLB is negotiating,
(38:54):
there's a reason all of this is coming out now,
Like all of this is connected. They're trying to get
more and more money into their pockets, and the easiest
way for owners to do that is more playoff teams.
Because more playoff teams. Equals more races, and equals closer
races down the stretch. It equals more playoff games. Networks
love playing paying for playoff games because they do massive ratings.
(39:18):
You know, advertisers love advertising playoff games because they do
massive ratings. It's just more money. So I know expanded
playoffs is going to be a part of this which
I can't stand. But every other part of expansion I'm
actually pretty excited about. I will say this, I do
hope MLB. I hope they respect some of the history
of the game. You know, there are teams like the
(39:41):
Braves and the Reds and the Phillies. These teams have
been in the National League for so long. Like I
it would kind of piss me off, honestly if they
were like, all right, you're in the American League now,
like all of that history just kind of, I don't know,
swept under the rug. You know, some you know, there's
obvious gonna have to be some changes, and changes aren't
(40:01):
necessarily bad. I just hope as they do it, they
do it with more of a scalpel than like a machete.
You know, let's have some let's have some grace with
how we do this and be tactful about it and
respect some of the history of this game that you
know has been around for one hundred and fifty years.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
Absolutely, And that's the thing about it is that you know,
I know that sixteen teams make the playoffs in the NBA,
and I know that the fourteen teams make the playoffs
in the NFL. You know, right now we're up to
twelve teams in Major League Baseball. I know that they
want to expand on that, but twelve seems like it
it's enough. But you know, obviously that's not going to
(40:42):
be the case as we move forward. So it's really
going to be interesting to see, you know, how this developed.
I know we're years away even from, you know, multiple
years await even from having an idea of where these
teams are going to be, But if you're in Braves Country,
it certainly is a storyline to you know, put a
pin on, because wherever they wind up, the team winds
up in the Southeast for multiple reasons, it could impact
(41:03):
the future of the Braves in terms of their path
not only to the playoffs, but just to success in
general moving forward. Steven, anything else from you as we
wrap up this edition of the Hammer Territory podcast.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
No Back on the Field tomorrow, start a series of
the Mets. Joey Wentz on the mound. The Mets have
one of their kind of prize young rookies, MacLean McLean
something like that. I don't know exactly how to pronounce
his name, but he's on the mound for the Mets.
Spencer Strider got pushed back. He's not going to pitch
in this series. Where we are going to see cal
Quantrill pitching this series, so you know, we'll see what happens.
(41:39):
I'm not so sure that Cal Quantrill doesn't give the
Braves a better chance to win right now than Spencer Strider.
As crazy as that sounds, but go beat the Mets. Like,
the Mets just lost a series to the Nationals, which
is hilarious. I was watching that game all day. They
actually got dropped by the Nationals. They lost like nine
to three. Let's continue the misery for the Mets. Go
win two out of three. You know, maybe the Reds
(42:01):
can steal that playoff spot and the Mets can miss
the playoffs. That'd be entertaining as hell. But yeah, thanks
for all the support as always, guys.
Speaker 1 (42:08):
Yeah, Hey, if they want to play spoiler, let's play spoiler,
and let's play the heck out of it now. Obviously,
one of the other development to watch is Chris Sale
will be on the Mound in Columbus over the weekend,
as will make sure to check out his start. Obviously,
a successful start likely means that his next start would
be with the Braves. So you know, hey again, I
(42:29):
know this has been a season that nobody really anticipated
in a negative way, but at least right now we
have more positives than probably many anticipated to talk about
this time of year. Let's keep that ball rolling. And hey,
if you can sit here and contribute to the Mets
missing the playoffs as Steven mentioned, I'd be all for that.
Until next time, Go Braves. You can find Steven Tilbert
(42:50):
at be Underscore Outliers on Twitter, myself at stats Sac
on Twitter, slash checks, Foul Territory, Achieve Me Hammer Territory
across all forms of social media, part of the Foul
Territory family of podcasts. Until next time, Go Braves. We'll
talk to you again soon. Here all, thank for Territory podcast.
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