Chicago White Sox Director of Player Personnel Gene Watson joins Craig for his weekly baseball conversaton. They break down the teams still in the hunt for a Wild Card playoff berth and shares why the Boston Red Sox have much to look forward to in 2025 and beyond.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm glad to have you with us today, and it's
usually at this time on Friday's that we take the
opportunity to talk to baseball with Geene Watson from the.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Chicago White Sox front office, who.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Joins us in a from A correct me, if I'm wrong?
Would this be the north eastern most Major League affiliate
baseball team in the United States? Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I think you might be right. I think you might
be right.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Portland, Maine, home of the Portland Sea Dogs, is where
you are the Red Sox double A affiliate.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Correct, correct, But I'm.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Wondering about Everett, Washington, where I was at about three
months ago. But I think you might be right.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Well, that's why that you know what, That's why I
said northeastern most Everett Evan. Would Everett would definitely be
the the northwestern most.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I think it's right about that.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
All right, At first things first, we have to am
some business here. You've probably already met her and visited
with her, but you do have to say all over
for me to Emma Tiedeman, the play by play voice
of the Portland Sea Dogs, who's outstanding. In fact, I
think she's the next female with a real opportunity to
be working at the big league level, and of course
(01:18):
my connection to her. Her grandfather was the immortal Bill Mercer,
who of course was my broadcast mentor and teacher and
first play by play voice of the Texas Rangers and
did White Sox with Harry Carey in addition to doing
the Cowboys and calling their first Super Bowl and was
the voice of the Mean Green of North Texas for
thirty five years and did all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I don't know if you've.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Met Emma, but for folks to hear her, she's outstanding.
And the Red Sox put her on a telecast every
yod she did about a couple of weeks ago or something,
and she's really something. But she's really adapted to Portland,
Maine pretty well.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
She's done really well. She is just tremendous. And I've
actually been with her. Husban been the last two nights
during the game, sitting and talking.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I believe he's.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
The general manager of the team here, and several of
the employees here came from Lexington, Kentucky, which was our
low Way affiliate when we were in Kansas City. So
there's a great connection here and that we've talked about
Bill almost every night, and she is truly one of
the rising young stars in broadcasting.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yeah, yeah, no doubt about that.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Way. People will have to keep that in mind when
they hear Emma teetam and on that. And by the way,
those employees from Lexington might well have known if they
were there, say ten years ago or eleven years that
they might have as well remembered a young Andy Way
who was starting out in the Royals organizations as a videographer.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
That is correct, that that group is all here right now.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Wow, that's great, that's great. Okay, I want to talk
before we.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
I'm curious to get your thoughts on this.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
When do we start actually.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
And I say we, I'm already in it, but I mean,
when when should casual baseball fans really start paying attention
to what are quote unquote not just what we used
to always call pennant races going for in the old vernacular,
the National League and American League titles, but then the
division titles. But now it's really playoff picture. Because the
(03:27):
Florida Marlins team you worked for was a wildcard that
won a World Series the Texas Rangers two years ago.
One a World Series is a wildcard, So just getting in,
As I've heard you say, getting in is where it
really begins.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
So when does it really.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Begin to start taking a crucial look at the teams
that you think of have a real shot to gain
in other than of course the division leaders.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I think it's really about the last ten days of
the season. It really depends on the number of teams
that are involved. Were starting to take pretty good shape
with the wild cards in both divisions. That the Royals
being two out I think is the outside of that,
and the Reds I believe are still one out, and
after that, I think that there's not a lot to
(04:13):
be concluded. I think that a team would really have
to go on a hot run, which we've seen with
the Colorado Rockies before in September, and so it's not
out of the realm of possibility. But I think really
the last ten days, when you talk about having to
win every night and teams that you're chasing lose almost
every night, it gets harder and harder to pass, you know, two, three,
(04:35):
four teams a night, and so really the last ten
days for.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Me, what was what was the biggest deficit When you
were with the Marlins and O three.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
What was the biggest.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Deficit at its latest point before it really flipped for
the Marlins in September of three.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Well, we were nine out on May first when we
hired when we fired Jeff Torboard in Houston. But but
the real kicker was in September, late August early September.
We lost eight out of eleven games, and the Phillies
were chasing us, and every night that we lost, the
Phillies lost. And had they probably played at least five
(05:14):
hundred or a little over five hundred baseball in late
August early September, we don't even get in. If you
look at the Yankees in two thousand and one, I
was covering them for the Atlanta Braids for the World Series.
They didn't get beat in September, like twelve out of fourteen,
they got humiliated. They got beat every night by a
(05:37):
high number of runs, and they end up winning the
World Series. And so it's just you can't pay too
much attention to it. All you're really trying to do
is just play the base base balla best baseball you
can stay healthy, and really those last five to seven
ten games get your team rolling, which is when you
see these teams at clinch early and they give their
(05:59):
starters a couple of days. You know, that's where the
moment of the wild card, when you have to play
that sharp every day and think about winning every night,
that's where that wildcard becomes very, very dangerous, because this
is not a sport where you can turn it off
and turn it back on.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Historically, history teaches us just what you said, geno, I mean.
And in the pre divisional days, obviously everybody knows about
the fifty one Giants who caught Brooklyn and the shot
heard round the world, Bobby Thompson's homer, And what they
may not know is it wasn't that the Dodgers played poorly.
They were around five hundred, maybe a little above. But
the Giants went thirty seven and seven in their last
(06:36):
forty four games in sixty four. It was clearly a collapse.
The Phillies are up and this just seems unfathomable even today.
They were up six games with twelve to go and
wind up losing all of it. If they had just
won one of those, they lost ten in a row.
And if they'd just won one it they would have
been in a three way playoff, which had never happened
(06:58):
before that happened. But now in the modern times we
get to watching those races toward the bottom of the
playoff picture, I know that Red Sox raised thing that
years ago comes to mind, that's going to do. And then,
like we said, the Rangers seemingly gave it all the
way there with the collapse there late in the season
(07:18):
with the Astros winning the division, only to see the
Rangers beat them in the ALCS to get to the
World Series and they go on to win the World Series.
How much does mindset play in this when you start
to lose games late in the season and what is
that clubhouse vibe like because you've been there and you've
been around.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
It as to flipping.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
The script a little bit, so don't let it become
a crash and burn by the end of the year.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Well, I think that teams that say just get in
and you've got a chance, I disagree with that. I
think you've got to be playing very.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Very good.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
You've got to be able to match up with anybody
else's number one, two, three star. You've got to have
a great closer, you got to play very good defense
off the middle, and you've got to have a little luck.
I've been a part of four World Series teams where
I've lost two. I've been a part of losing two
and the two we won we could have lost. The
two we lost we could have won. We could have
been swept at all four and won all four and
(08:15):
so but you have to have the talent base.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
To get there.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
But I think that really depends on the club. If
you've got a veteran mindset, there's not gonna be any
panic or any fear to the club. But those last
few days, and when you think about fourteen, Mark Burley
starts the last day of the season in fifteen for
Toronto and gives up, you know, eight or nine. In
the first we went home field advantage, and home field
(08:39):
advantage ended up being very big, a big part of
that fifteen ALCS And so I think you got to
do the very best you can to keep your team's
edge and play the best baseball that you can the
last seven to ten days.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Talking baseball with Gene Watson here on thirteen, I'm gonna
I'm gonna name these teams on it, and again I'm
just zeroing in on the wild carnd Then we're gonna
get to a couple of big series this weekend. But
I'm going to start off in the American League. And
you tell me if you think that the word I'm
looking for, the term that I'm ascribing to this is
the word realistic. So I want you to tell me,
(09:14):
as I run down these teams and where they are,
how realistic a shot they have to be in the postseason.
I'm not talking about getting to the World Series, are
winning it. I'm just going to get into the postseason all right.
In the American League, Yankees, Red Sox, and Mariners right
now would all be in the playoffs if the season
ended today. And so the Royals are two back, the
(09:36):
Guardians are three back. Are all of those realistic possibilities
to be able to still get into the postseason.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
I believe they are. And I think you've got to
be careful of Kansas City right now. They played as
good at baseball as anybody since the All Star break.
They're getting hot and they're getting healthy. Cole Reagan's is
going to be back soon. They've got the kind of
players that when you expand your roster in September, they've
got some dynamic arms and some dynamic UH position players
(10:06):
that they can decide on to bring up. And this
is a very dangerous team right now. And kudos to
JJ Piccolo for not panicking at all and just being
patient with his roster.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
And and uh, they've.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Got a legitimate shot to uh to make this run
with two being two games out so far.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
How about the Guardians three back?
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Uh, it's gonna be a little bit more difficult for them.
I think, I think that that it's starting to the
clock is starting to run out on what they can do.
The Royals are just super hot.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I don't see anything happening, uh.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
With with two of the three teams that are in
right now. And so to me, it feels like either
Kansas City is gonna make the push or or there
won't be anything happening there.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Okay, And you're feeling now the Rangers and and and
you just you feel for him because the Astros went
through that slump and got swept by the Tigers. But
the Rangers could not pick up any ground because they
couldn't beat the Royals. And they're five.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
And a half back and the Angels are six and
a half back.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
You figured that the that the Mendoza line probably is
where Cleveland is at three back.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Well, and here's the thing. What you're gonna start to
see now, you're gonna start to see some dumping of contracts.
Players with contracts are gonna be going on waivers soon,
and teams are gonna have to decide, you know, do
we want to take on this financial responsibility and potentially,
you know, take on some salary but improve our ball
club and improve the depth of our club. And the
(11:30):
clubs that do that might have a chance of really
strengthening their team if they have the payroll flexibility. So
you're gonna start seeing that in the next week. It's
something we discussed today with our players, and you're gonna
start seeing that this next week with teams that could
potentially add talent by adding payroll to their overall salary.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
All right, let's jump to the National League.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Cubs are sitting on top of the wild card picture
by a one game over the Padres. Then the Mets
would be the third, Then the Reds are a half
game back of them, and then you've got the Cardinals
at four back, Diamondbacks.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Five and a half, Giants six and a half.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
So is the cutoff point below Cincinnati?
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Is that the deal?
Speaker 3 (12:13):
I think that they're gonna have a tough they got
to really get hot, and they got they pitch as
well as anybody in baseball, But you get them outside
that ballpark and they're a little bit of different team.
That The interesting part of how watching this season finishes
is watch the Saint Louis Cardinals. They've got a tremendously young,
(12:34):
talented team at the major league level, and they've got
very good players at the upper levels right now. And
watch the Cardinals this winter. You're gonna be hearing a
lot of momentum about them being at force in twenty
twenty six. And there's gonna be some inner divisional play
towards the end where there canna be some statements made.
But I really don't see it. Have said for a while,
I don't see much movement taking place in the National League.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
All right, all right, let's go to the weekend here.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
I'm gonna start with the American League because Red Sox
and Yankees are playing in New York this weekend. Red
Sox won last night Brian Bellow and Max Free the
pitching matchup tonight in New York. How crucial a series
is this for each of these teams? Starting off a
(13:20):
four game and this is got rolls all the way
back to my question when we first started the conversation
about how close attention do you pay pay to the races?
Still with six weeks to go in the season, but
it's a head to head series Boston and New York.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
This is for Boston and who I just left. I've
just left their major league teams a real statement series.
And last night Roman Anthony's home run the backflip. I mean,
this is a kid that is arguably going to be
the best player in the game within five years. He
is a superstar and a bit of a statement for
(13:58):
him last night going into Yankee Stadium. But when you
look at the two teams, Boston young, talented, athletic, energetic,
high energy. They defend well, the Yankees a little older,
not as healthy, don't run as well, good in their ballpark,
but really rely on the home run. And so this
(14:20):
is a chance. And I truly believe that Boston's going
to control this division beyond this year for about the
next five because they have a great major league team,
and they've got a really good system, and they beat
you in so many different ways. But this is a
chance for Boston to kind of, you know, say this
is our division, it's our October and going to New
(14:41):
York and really make a big statement of this series.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
The other big American League series this weekend starts signing Detroit.
It's the Tigers and Royals on this and this this
is a crucial thing. You know, Detroit is back on
track after they really staggered for a bit. They seem
to have put the train back on the track and
they're rolling again. But like you said, it's an opportunity
for Kansas City to make a statement of climb and
and and launch themselves into the wildcard picture.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
This is gonna be a great series. And and yes,
both teams are playing extremely.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Well right now.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
Where Detroit really went through their struggles for a couple
of weeks, you know, about a month ago. But both
teams are playing at the top of their game. Both
teams know they are the class of the division. And
don't be surprised if you don't see a little bit
of Dodger Padre edge to this series. Both teams know
what's on the line, not just for this series and
(15:35):
for October, but but truly, both teams are the class
of the organization. Are the class of the division for
the next few years. And so it's gonna be highly emotional,
highly competitive, and and this is gonna be of all
the series this weekend, this is going to be playoffs.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Baseballer, you have always been been a man of absolute
supreme timing, which brings us to Dodgers Padres.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Uh last weekend San.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Diego that actually had a one game lead going into
the weekend series of Dodger Stadium, Dodgers swept them, went
out to but the Dodgers really just kind of struggled
and kind of treaded water against the Rocky split a
four game series where the Padres won three of four.
So here's San Diego one game back. Now they get
the Dodgers at home. It's Blakestell against you, Darvish. Tonight,
(16:21):
tomorrow it's Tyler Glass now against Nessor Cortes, and Sunday
your Snobo Yamamoto against Nick Pavetta.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
How about that series.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Even your description right there tells the story of what
this is. It's a horse race, and nobody's gonna panic,
nobody's gonna get too far out in front of the other.
Everybody knows where it was last year and as I
said many times before, teams when they know they're good
and they know they're October, almost wished the season away.
(16:51):
And you go through your ups and downs and your
struggles and your your peaks. But these both, both these
teams know where they are as teams, and they know
what's on the line and they know what's coming. And
so again, just playing as good at baseball as you
can and staying healthy right now. But these guys both
know they're headed first show down in October, and so
(17:11):
there's not a ton of panic going on with either
of them right now. But it'll be a great series,
and we're actually going to be covering that series out
in San Diego.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
He's Gene Watson from the Chicago White Sox front office.
He's in Portland, Maine, where right now it says it's
seventy seven degrees and sunny, and then it's going to
be in the seventies again tomorrow. New England weather must
suit you well, right, you know, it.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Feels like a Friday night football game in Temple, Texas.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Hey, I appreciate the time. Say hi to Emma for
me and look forward to seeing you.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
And we'll do it again next week.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
All right, Greg, I'm great week you too.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
All right.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
That's Gene Watson from the Chicago White Sox front office.
Back through some SEC football when we continue on thirteen
under the Zone
I'm glad to have you with us today, and it's
usually at this time on Friday's that we take the
opportunity to talk to baseball with Geene Watson from the.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Chicago White Sox front office, who.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Joins us in a from A correct me, if I'm wrong?
Would this be the north eastern most Major League affiliate
baseball team in the United States? Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I think you might be right. I think you might
be right.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Portland, Maine, home of the Portland Sea Dogs, is where
you are the Red Sox double A affiliate.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Correct, correct, But I'm.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Wondering about Everett, Washington, where I was at about three
months ago. But I think you might be right.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Well, that's why that you know what, That's why I
said northeastern most Everett Evan. Would Everett would definitely be
the the northwestern most.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I think it's right about that.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
All right, At first things first, we have to am
some business here. You've probably already met her and visited
with her, but you do have to say all over
for me to Emma Tiedeman, the play by play voice
of the Portland Sea Dogs, who's outstanding. In fact, I
think she's the next female with a real opportunity to
be working at the big league level, and of course
(01:18):
my connection to her. Her grandfather was the immortal Bill Mercer,
who of course was my broadcast mentor and teacher and
first play by play voice of the Texas Rangers and
did White Sox with Harry Carey in addition to doing
the Cowboys and calling their first Super Bowl and was
the voice of the Mean Green of North Texas for
thirty five years and did all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I don't know if you've.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Met Emma, but for folks to hear her, she's outstanding.
And the Red Sox put her on a telecast every
yod she did about a couple of weeks ago or something,
and she's really something. But she's really adapted to Portland,
Maine pretty well.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
She's done really well. She is just tremendous. And I've
actually been with her. Husban been the last two nights
during the game, sitting and talking.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I believe he's.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
The general manager of the team here, and several of
the employees here came from Lexington, Kentucky, which was our
low Way affiliate when we were in Kansas City. So
there's a great connection here and that we've talked about
Bill almost every night, and she is truly one of
the rising young stars in broadcasting.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yeah, yeah, no doubt about that.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Way. People will have to keep that in mind when
they hear Emma teetam and on that. And by the way,
those employees from Lexington might well have known if they
were there, say ten years ago or eleven years that
they might have as well remembered a young Andy Way
who was starting out in the Royals organizations as a videographer.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
That is correct, that that group is all here right now.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Wow, that's great, that's great. Okay, I want to talk
before we.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
I'm curious to get your thoughts on this.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
When do we start actually.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
And I say we, I'm already in it, but I mean,
when when should casual baseball fans really start paying attention
to what are quote unquote not just what we used
to always call pennant races going for in the old vernacular,
the National League and American League titles, but then the
division titles. But now it's really playoff picture. Because the
(03:27):
Florida Marlins team you worked for was a wildcard that
won a World Series the Texas Rangers two years ago.
One a World Series is a wildcard, So just getting in,
As I've heard you say, getting in is where it
really begins.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
So when does it really.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Begin to start taking a crucial look at the teams
that you think of have a real shot to gain
in other than of course the division leaders.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I think it's really about the last ten days of
the season. It really depends on the number of teams
that are involved. Were starting to take pretty good shape
with the wild cards in both divisions. That the Royals
being two out I think is the outside of that,
and the Reds I believe are still one out, and
after that, I think that there's not a lot to
(04:13):
be concluded. I think that a team would really have
to go on a hot run, which we've seen with
the Colorado Rockies before in September, and so it's not
out of the realm of possibility. But I think really
the last ten days, when you talk about having to
win every night and teams that you're chasing lose almost
every night, it gets harder and harder to pass, you know, two, three,
(04:35):
four teams a night, and so really the last ten
days for.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Me, what was what was the biggest deficit When you
were with the Marlins and O three.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
What was the biggest.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Deficit at its latest point before it really flipped for
the Marlins in September of three.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Well, we were nine out on May first when we
hired when we fired Jeff Torboard in Houston. But but
the real kicker was in September, late August early September.
We lost eight out of eleven games, and the Phillies
were chasing us, and every night that we lost, the
Phillies lost. And had they probably played at least five
(05:14):
hundred or a little over five hundred baseball in late
August early September, we don't even get in. If you
look at the Yankees in two thousand and one, I
was covering them for the Atlanta Braids for the World Series.
They didn't get beat in September, like twelve out of fourteen,
they got humiliated. They got beat every night by a
(05:37):
high number of runs, and they end up winning the
World Series. And so it's just you can't pay too
much attention to it. All you're really trying to do
is just play the base base balla best baseball you
can stay healthy, and really those last five to seven
ten games get your team rolling, which is when you
see these teams at clinch early and they give their
(05:59):
starters a couple of days. You know, that's where the
moment of the wild card, when you have to play
that sharp every day and think about winning every night,
that's where that wildcard becomes very, very dangerous, because this
is not a sport where you can turn it off
and turn it back on.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Historically, history teaches us just what you said, geno, I mean.
And in the pre divisional days, obviously everybody knows about
the fifty one Giants who caught Brooklyn and the shot
heard round the world, Bobby Thompson's homer, And what they
may not know is it wasn't that the Dodgers played poorly.
They were around five hundred, maybe a little above. But
the Giants went thirty seven and seven in their last
(06:36):
forty four games in sixty four. It was clearly a collapse.
The Phillies are up and this just seems unfathomable even today.
They were up six games with twelve to go and
wind up losing all of it. If they had just
won one of those, they lost ten in a row.
And if they'd just won one it they would have
been in a three way playoff, which had never happened
(06:58):
before that happened. But now in the modern times we
get to watching those races toward the bottom of the
playoff picture, I know that Red Sox raised thing that
years ago comes to mind, that's going to do. And then,
like we said, the Rangers seemingly gave it all the
way there with the collapse there late in the season
(07:18):
with the Astros winning the division, only to see the
Rangers beat them in the ALCS to get to the
World Series and they go on to win the World Series.
How much does mindset play in this when you start
to lose games late in the season and what is
that clubhouse vibe like because you've been there and you've
been around.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
It as to flipping.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
The script a little bit, so don't let it become
a crash and burn by the end of the year.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Well, I think that teams that say just get in
and you've got a chance, I disagree with that. I
think you've got to be playing very.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Very good.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
You've got to be able to match up with anybody
else's number one, two, three star. You've got to have
a great closer, you got to play very good defense
off the middle, and you've got to have a little luck.
I've been a part of four World Series teams where
I've lost two. I've been a part of losing two
and the two we won we could have lost. The
two we lost we could have won. We could have
been swept at all four and won all four and
(08:15):
so but you have to have the talent base.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
To get there.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
But I think that really depends on the club. If
you've got a veteran mindset, there's not gonna be any
panic or any fear to the club. But those last
few days, and when you think about fourteen, Mark Burley
starts the last day of the season in fifteen for
Toronto and gives up, you know, eight or nine. In
the first we went home field advantage, and home field
(08:39):
advantage ended up being very big, a big part of
that fifteen ALCS And so I think you got to
do the very best you can to keep your team's
edge and play the best baseball that you can the
last seven to ten days.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Talking baseball with Gene Watson here on thirteen, I'm gonna
I'm gonna name these teams on it, and again I'm
just zeroing in on the wild carnd Then we're gonna
get to a couple of big series this weekend. But
I'm going to start off in the American League. And
you tell me if you think that the word I'm
looking for, the term that I'm ascribing to this is
the word realistic. So I want you to tell me,
(09:14):
as I run down these teams and where they are,
how realistic a shot they have to be in the postseason.
I'm not talking about getting to the World Series, are
winning it. I'm just going to get into the postseason all right.
In the American League, Yankees, Red Sox, and Mariners right
now would all be in the playoffs if the season
ended today. And so the Royals are two back, the
(09:36):
Guardians are three back. Are all of those realistic possibilities
to be able to still get into the postseason.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
I believe they are. And I think you've got to
be careful of Kansas City right now. They played as
good at baseball as anybody since the All Star break.
They're getting hot and they're getting healthy. Cole Reagan's is
going to be back soon. They've got the kind of
players that when you expand your roster in September, they've
got some dynamic arms and some dynamic UH position players
(10:06):
that they can decide on to bring up. And this
is a very dangerous team right now. And kudos to
JJ Piccolo for not panicking at all and just being
patient with his roster.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
And and uh, they've.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Got a legitimate shot to uh to make this run
with two being two games out so far.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
How about the Guardians three back?
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Uh, it's gonna be a little bit more difficult for them.
I think, I think that that it's starting to the
clock is starting to run out on what they can do.
The Royals are just super hot.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I don't see anything happening, uh.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
With with two of the three teams that are in
right now. And so to me, it feels like either
Kansas City is gonna make the push or or there
won't be anything happening there.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Okay, And you're feeling now the Rangers and and and
you just you feel for him because the Astros went
through that slump and got swept by the Tigers. But
the Rangers could not pick up any ground because they
couldn't beat the Royals. And they're five.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
And a half back and the Angels are six and
a half back.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
You figured that the that the Mendoza line probably is
where Cleveland is at three back.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Well, and here's the thing. What you're gonna start to
see now, you're gonna start to see some dumping of contracts.
Players with contracts are gonna be going on waivers soon,
and teams are gonna have to decide, you know, do
we want to take on this financial responsibility and potentially,
you know, take on some salary but improve our ball
club and improve the depth of our club. And the
(11:30):
clubs that do that might have a chance of really
strengthening their team if they have the payroll flexibility. So
you're gonna start seeing that in the next week. It's
something we discussed today with our players, and you're gonna
start seeing that this next week with teams that could
potentially add talent by adding payroll to their overall salary.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
All right, let's jump to the National League.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Cubs are sitting on top of the wild card picture
by a one game over the Padres. Then the Mets
would be the third, Then the Reds are a half
game back of them, and then you've got the Cardinals
at four back, Diamondbacks.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Five and a half, Giants six and a half.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
So is the cutoff point below Cincinnati?
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Is that the deal?
Speaker 3 (12:13):
I think that they're gonna have a tough they got
to really get hot, and they got they pitch as
well as anybody in baseball, But you get them outside
that ballpark and they're a little bit of different team.
That The interesting part of how watching this season finishes
is watch the Saint Louis Cardinals. They've got a tremendously young,
(12:34):
talented team at the major league level, and they've got
very good players at the upper levels right now. And
watch the Cardinals this winter. You're gonna be hearing a
lot of momentum about them being at force in twenty
twenty six. And there's gonna be some inner divisional play
towards the end where there canna be some statements made.
But I really don't see it. Have said for a while,
I don't see much movement taking place in the National League.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
All right, all right, let's go to the weekend here.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
I'm gonna start with the American League because Red Sox
and Yankees are playing in New York this weekend. Red
Sox won last night Brian Bellow and Max Free the
pitching matchup tonight in New York. How crucial a series
is this for each of these teams? Starting off a
(13:20):
four game and this is got rolls all the way
back to my question when we first started the conversation
about how close attention do you pay pay to the races?
Still with six weeks to go in the season, but
it's a head to head series Boston and New York.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
This is for Boston and who I just left. I've
just left their major league teams a real statement series.
And last night Roman Anthony's home run the backflip. I mean,
this is a kid that is arguably going to be
the best player in the game within five years. He
is a superstar and a bit of a statement for
(13:58):
him last night going into Yankee Stadium. But when you
look at the two teams, Boston young, talented, athletic, energetic,
high energy. They defend well, the Yankees a little older,
not as healthy, don't run as well, good in their ballpark,
but really rely on the home run. And so this
(14:20):
is a chance. And I truly believe that Boston's going
to control this division beyond this year for about the
next five because they have a great major league team,
and they've got a really good system, and they beat
you in so many different ways. But this is a
chance for Boston to kind of, you know, say this
is our division, it's our October and going to New
(14:41):
York and really make a big statement of this series.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
The other big American League series this weekend starts signing Detroit.
It's the Tigers and Royals on this and this this
is a crucial thing. You know, Detroit is back on
track after they really staggered for a bit. They seem
to have put the train back on the track and
they're rolling again. But like you said, it's an opportunity
for Kansas City to make a statement of climb and
and and launch themselves into the wildcard picture.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
This is gonna be a great series. And and yes,
both teams are playing extremely.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Well right now.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
Where Detroit really went through their struggles for a couple
of weeks, you know, about a month ago. But both
teams are playing at the top of their game. Both
teams know they are the class of the division. And
don't be surprised if you don't see a little bit
of Dodger Padre edge to this series. Both teams know
what's on the line, not just for this series and
(15:35):
for October, but but truly, both teams are the class
of the organization. Are the class of the division for
the next few years. And so it's gonna be highly emotional,
highly competitive, and and this is gonna be of all
the series this weekend, this is going to be playoffs.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Baseballer, you have always been been a man of absolute
supreme timing, which brings us to Dodgers Padres.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Uh last weekend San.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Diego that actually had a one game lead going into
the weekend series of Dodger Stadium, Dodgers swept them, went
out to but the Dodgers really just kind of struggled
and kind of treaded water against the Rocky split a
four game series where the Padres won three of four.
So here's San Diego one game back. Now they get
the Dodgers at home. It's Blakestell against you, Darvish. Tonight,
(16:21):
tomorrow it's Tyler Glass now against Nessor Cortes, and Sunday
your Snobo Yamamoto against Nick Pavetta.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
How about that series.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Even your description right there tells the story of what
this is. It's a horse race, and nobody's gonna panic,
nobody's gonna get too far out in front of the other.
Everybody knows where it was last year and as I
said many times before, teams when they know they're good
and they know they're October, almost wished the season away.
(16:51):
And you go through your ups and downs and your
struggles and your your peaks. But these both, both these
teams know where they are as teams, and they know
what's on the line and they know what's coming. And
so again, just playing as good at baseball as you
can and staying healthy right now. But these guys both
know they're headed first show down in October, and so
(17:11):
there's not a ton of panic going on with either
of them right now. But it'll be a great series,
and we're actually going to be covering that series out
in San Diego.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
He's Gene Watson from the Chicago White Sox front office.
He's in Portland, Maine, where right now it says it's
seventy seven degrees and sunny, and then it's going to
be in the seventies again tomorrow. New England weather must
suit you well, right, you know, it.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Feels like a Friday night football game in Temple, Texas.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Hey, I appreciate the time. Say hi to Emma for
me and look forward to seeing you.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
And we'll do it again next week.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
All right, Greg, I'm great week you too.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
All right.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
That's Gene Watson from the Chicago White Sox front office.
Back through some SEC football when we continue on thirteen
under the Zone
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