The Athletic's Chandler Rome Joins The Show!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Straight up five o'clock here on a Friday edition of
the A Team, which means it's time for baseball at
five like every single week, all right, not really? Chandler
Rome of the Athletic joining us for his weekly visit. Chandler,
it's much quieter on the Astros front compared to last
week when you were in here and we were talking
all day Thursday about the Jake Meyer situation, and then

(00:23):
once again your visit on Friday, although the schedule resumes
tonight and already kind of a quirk in the rotation.
What did you make of the sudden change in what
the what Joe spot is going to do this weekend
in Seattle?

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yeah, well, to be to be candid with everyone, I'm
not in Seattle, so I won't be able to ask
or know in the near future like Brian mctagger and
Matt kalaharawill. But initially on first glance when they sent
out the original probables, I didn't find it that strange
because I think, as you're seeing around the league, like,

(01:00):
aren't just coming back and putting their workhorse starters, you know,
in Game one out of the break. I think the
Yankees are running a bullpen game today. The Angels are
running a bullpen game like they There's teams that value
getting their starters extra rest after the break. Even the
Mariners are doing that. They're not pitching Brian wu in
this series today. Seeing the other switch that Hunter Brown

(01:22):
will pitch Sunday and from Ber Beldez apparently he's going
to go in the Arizona series. I wonder if it
has something to do with remember Fromber took that one
hundred and four mile an hour line drive off from
Cory Seger off his shin. I wonder if they got
they had a workout yesterday in Seattle. I wonder if
when they worked out, maybe it just still didn't feel
great or didn't feel right, and maybe they just want

(01:43):
to give them an extra day just to be cautious.
That could be it. I don't know, but that's probably
my best guess. But yeah, I was not surprised to
initially see that both of Fromber and Hunter Brown were
not going to pitch in the series, just because I
knew they wanted to give at least one of them some.

Speaker 3 (02:01):
Extra rest Before we dig back in on the astros
and the post All Star breaks schedule. The Mariners, the races,
the postseason, the trade deadline, et cetera. What were your thoughts,
if any of great significance about Tuesday's All Star Game
and the swing off?

Speaker 2 (02:17):
You know, I think anytime major League Baseball can get
people outside of its own bubble talking about major League Baseball,
it's a good thing. And I think that swing Off
kind of like transcended sport, kind of like transcended that bubble,
if you will. Like you saw national pundits, you saw
like places that don't normally write or talk about baseball.

(02:37):
We're talking about baseball, and that's a good thing. I
don't know that that's ever going to come into a
regular season game, but it was cool to watch, you know.
I think it got what you wanted to get done.
Like I mean, you have great players in you know,
hitting massive homers, and it was it was fun. There
was a lot of tension around even though it wasn't

(02:58):
a even though it wasn't a you know, a a
real game, you know, that was fun. I enjoyed it.
I'm maybe in the minority here. I like the miked
up segments. I like the miked up interviews. I loved
Clayton Kershaw and John Smoltz going back and forth when
he was pitching. I liked Jacob Wilson and his dad
getting to talk during the game. That was really fun.
That was really cool. I like that, And then I
mentioned those on my podcast a couple of days ago.

(03:19):
But for everyone that gets all worked up and annoyed
and claims that, you know, they're forcing these guys to
do these interviews in game. They're forcing these guys to
wear a mic. There's a provision in the collective bargaining
agreement that players get fifteen grand every time they're miked
up in game or even in an All Star game.
So let's not act like they're being forced to do this.
They're evening paid handsomely to talk for a couple of

(03:41):
minutes during a game. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
I heard you mention that on Chrus Shitty Territory with
Tyler and Josh about that not only did they get paid,
but that figure, which is it's pretty nice for the
work they're asking of you. Specific to something else you said,
you said you don't think you'll see it in a
regular season game. I understand the league is a Major
League Baseball as always looked at different ways to either
catch eyes or shortened games or whatever their purpose is.

(04:05):
With some changes they've made, you know, specific two extra innings,
the gift runner put on second base. It alters the
way an inning is played, but it's still baseball. You're
playing the baseball game. This is a total non starter
for me. This is not a baseball game. You're not
doing anything other than asking a guy to hit the
ball over the fence with a non pitcher, a practice

(04:27):
coach throwing him softballs. That should never be a part
of Major League Baseball's deciding who won a regular season game?
Is that even possible? Way down the road they'd consider this.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
I mean, look, I'm not gonna say never. I mean,
they did the ADS system in the All Star Game,
and that's comming. That's coming sooner than you think. So
that they tested like that, they showed that in the
All Star Game, I don't think is a I don't
think that's like a coincidence. I don't think it's just
like some funny thing. I can't imagine though, that that
becomes the norm. You know, the automatic runner at second

(05:02):
base has worked so well. Like the games are shorter,
you're not seeing games go thirteen fourteen to fifteen innings,
you're seeing at most eleven innings. Maybe sometimes you see
a twelve inning game. But it has worked. That has
done its job, and that, coupled with the pitch clock,
has shortened games. It's you know, kept rosters intact because
you're not having to use ten pitchers in a eighteen

(05:25):
inning game and then have to make a bunch of
roster moves the next day. Like those rule changes are working,
and I don't see the benefit maybe of the swing off.
But again, don't get me wrong, Like if they did
it in the All Star Game, it's at least something
that they have thought about. That doesn't mean it's gonna happen,
but I think there is certainly something to the fact
that they even put that out there.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
When are we going to see ABS next year?

Speaker 2 (05:51):
I think it's gonna be in twenty twenty seven because
it's got to be collectively bargained and as everybody knows,
a lot of the CDAs fures after next year, and
that's one of the things they talk about when they're
trying to renegotiate a new CBA is all rule changes
have to be collectively bargained. I would imagine it's going
to come in twenty twenty seven. It could come earlier.

(06:11):
They could do you know, they have a separate committee.
I think it's the competition Committee that collectively bargains all
rules on the field, and they can call a special
meeting of them and bargain and vote and get it done.
So maybe it could come in twenty six. It seems
like the more logical path is twenty seven. But I
like it. I like the way they have it set up.
I like the challenge system. I like that it and

(06:33):
their strategy to it too, because like you can't just challenge,
you know, a strike you don't like in the second inning,
because then you may get screwed later in the game.
There's a lot of strategy to it. There's a lot
of you know, layers to it. I really like and
I hope it gets here sooner rather than later.

Speaker 3 (06:48):
What do you think Dana Brown views internally because it's
not related to what he might say publicly, but internally
about the timeline of some potential returnees, specific to pitching,
Javier Garcia, Spencer Aarraghetty again, as it relates to when
we only have two weeks till the deadline and the
decision has to be made on what else you're doing
to the roster without necessarily knowing that in full Do

(07:09):
you believe he should have or does have internal confidence
that not only A Javier maybe returns and they can
count on him being successful. How do you think he
really views this with two weeks till the deadline?

Speaker 2 (07:22):
Yeah, I think that I think you just hit on
like the real question I have to ask themselves. Wex is,
Like it's one thing to say, like you're getting these
guys back. It's one thing to say you can activate
Hoavier off the ail, Garcia, Araghetty like that that's all
fine and well, but like they also have to pitch well,
they have to be effective. And arag Getty, I think
you're a little less concerned about just because he has

(07:43):
He's had a long layoff, but it hasn't been what Javier,
France and Garcia have had. I mean, when West Garcia
hasn't pitched a major league game in twenty six months,
Christian Javier hasn't pitched a major league game in thirteen months. Usually,
when guys come off reconstructive surgery like that, like they
have to be monitored no matter what, to keep a
close eye on them, and usually most of the time

(08:03):
they're not as effective when they come back that first season.
What Justin Verlander did in twenty twenty two is a
complete outliner, like you're not supposed to come back from
Tommy John surgery have a sub two era and when
the cy young unanimously that doesn't happen. So I think,
you know, as far as timeline is, like, look, none
of them are going to be back by the trade deadline,
so they're gonna have to go into the trade deadline

(08:26):
somewhat blind, Like they'll have their internal reports, they'll see
they'll get the data from the FCL when they're making
their rehab assignments. They'll be able to look at the
characteristics of the pitches and things like that, but that
can only tell you so much, like you don't know
until you're in a major league game facing major league hiders.
So I think there's internal confidence that they're going to
at least get these guys back. But again, I think

(08:48):
the question that they really have to ask themselves is
how many high level outs can these guys get, how
many high level innings can these guys throw? And are
we satisfied with that answer as we go into the deadline,
where starting pitching and u handed bat remain their top priorities.

Speaker 1 (09:04):
You mentioned, it's just not common to see that because
of Justin Verlander, and I think his preparation and in
this case, his rehab is you know, legendary, the kind
of things that he did to get back not only
to just being able to pitch, but to pitch at
the level that he did. Do you see any of
that in a Christian Javier. I know they're completely different guys,
but I just look at Christian Xavier and how surgical

(09:27):
he was before he went down with the injury and
just how dominant, you know, being a part of multiple
no hitters in a season, that kind of thing. Is
he one of those guys that you wouldn't bet against
doing that kind of thing.

Speaker 2 (09:39):
I mean, like you said, it's hard to like put
Verlander in anyone in the same sentence. The one thing
I'll say about Verlander's rehab that's been different than Javier's.
And Verlander even talked about this, like after when he
came back, Remember that year in twenty twenty one, he
was like up to facing hitters and throwing bullpens in
like September and like was a possibility for them, like

(09:59):
could have pitched in the playoffs. It's like was ready
was built up to that point, and they decided, you know,
let's not shut that down. Let's give him a full
offseason to get ready. He came back and was incredible.
Javier's not doing that like Javier. They give you like
a twelve to fourteen month timeline on Tommy John. Javier's
trending like he's gonna come back, you know, thirteen fourteen months.

(10:21):
I think Justin Verlander was like fourteen or sixteen months
postop when he made his return, So does that matter.
I'm sure that had something to do with it. You know,
Justin Verlander's an older he was an older pitcher. Then
that's something that they certainly wanted to take into account.
Had more tread on his tires than Christian Xavier does.
But don't rule out the fact that that Verlander had

(10:42):
a longer layoff than Xavier and that may have helped
him when he got back. Justin Verlander's also a freak
and just a generational pitcher and there's no one that
you can really put up against him in terms of comps.
So you know, I again, I wouldn't bet against Christian hobby.
But I also wouldn't if I'm Dana Brown, or if
I'm an Astros family, I wouldn't just assume that the

(11:05):
Christian Hobbier you get back in mid to late August
is going to be the guy that was on the
mountain in the twenty twenty two World Series.

Speaker 3 (11:12):
Chandler Rome of the Athletic covering Major League Baseball in
the Astros, and we appreciate your time. Enjoy your time,
enjoying Coldplay concerts or whatever is you'd like to do
with your time.

Speaker 2 (11:23):
Look at this photograph. Oh that's wrong. Damn it, that's wrong.
That's the wrong bad band, the wrong bad band, The
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