August 2, 2023 • 54 mins
The Book of Joe Podcast with hosts Tom Verducci and Joe Maddon examine the moves made at the MLB Trade Deadline. The Mets are left with $210 million in dead money but Tom explains why the team can still be happy. What's happening with the Dodgers and how can it be fixed? We look at other deals made by teams preparing for stretch runs while Tom thinks the Yankees are in trouble offensively. Joe explains how teams 'learn to win' and the lineup changes we'll be seeing by contending teams.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hey there, welcome.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Back to the latest episode of the Book of Joe podcast.
And this is a special trade deadline edition of the
Book of Joe podcast. And Joe, I don't know if
you've been in a clubhouse at the trade deadline where
your team either made a big move or did nothing,
But it's that time of year when players almost expect
(00:39):
something good to happen if you're in the race.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
True, it's amazing.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
I was kind of like, I get it, But how
the players really react when you do acquire somebody, how
they get stirs them up.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
It does.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
It brings us other breath of fresh air into the room,
and the guys really get pumped up from that. Having
said that, though, again because they've been part of this,
where some comes into the room that you think you've
already got there among the players, and if it takes
the spot of a veteran player, which doesn't really happen
often anymore. I'm just saying from my own personal experience,
(01:14):
when you bring somebody in that does not necessarily indicator
show an increase in the team's ability, that could actually
work against you.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
However, I don't think I've.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Really seen that more lately or recently, but it definitely
has an impact within the group and conversy. Also, sometimes
you don't get that done. It's kind of deflating to
some groups too.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Well, let's start with the headline, because I think this
is the biggest story coming out of the trade deadline,
and that is the New York Mets and their owner
Steve Cohen are playing by completely different economic rules. You
knew that going into the season when the Mets field
and a team with a record three hundred and fifty
seven million dollars payroll way beyond anybody else. And here
(01:56):
we are four months later, and the money that he's
paying to get out from under that broken team is
unpressed it in the game, of course, Schurzer went first
to the Texas Rangers, and then Justin Verlander goes to
the Houston Astros. Joe including luxury tax money and he's
(02:17):
paying eighty eight point five million dollars to have Schurzer
and Verlander go away. Assorted other deals Canada Escobar going
back to James McCann, the New York Mets are paying
two hundred and ten million dollars in completely dead money.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Their dead money is equivalent to the fourteenth highest.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Actual payroll in baseball, so to get out from under mistakes.
And if you're a Mets fan, you should be happy
about this, folks, because by paying down the money as
much as he did on Schurzer and Verlander, Steve Kohen
was able to get some really good prospects back. In
other words, if you're trading for a player with a
(03:00):
big salary and you're taking on that salary, generally you're
not going to give up really good prospects. Part of
the value is you're taking that financial burden away from
the team. But when the money is paid down, you're
going to have to pay more in prospect capital. And
that's what both the Rangers and the Astros did so
(03:20):
good on the Mets. I'm not knocking them because they're
using what is their greatest resource money to help fund
the next really good Mets team with good young players.
So the ability of the Mets to pivot here Joe
is just mind boggling to other teams in the game
that they can spend that kind of money to get
(03:41):
into a high revenue payroll and then get out of it.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
I mean, I've been a part of say, for instance,
the Rays for so many years and we could not
make mistakes down there, and they still can't make mistakes
done there when he came to investments in different free
agentcy signings that you may take on. So that was
a big part of that, and actually it was a
big part of this access down there too. Obviously, this
(04:07):
situation indicates that just by spending a lot of money
doesn't ensure success.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
They did take on a lot of risk. I think.
Also there's a lot of old.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Players involved everything you're talking about right there, Guys a
little bit more long.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
In the two.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
So in order to think that they're going to replicate
what they have done several years.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Ago, which basically you're paying them for.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Not necessarily it doesn't necessarily hold up, especially when you're
betting on so many of these guys to do that. Yeah,
it's to basically what they've done is you kind of
indicate it there. They domess have paid an astronomical sum
for young players that haven't done anything yet either. I
know their prospects, but that doesn't necessarily again mean that
they're going to be successful on the major league level.
(04:48):
So yeah, it's all about money, right, having that kind
of do not being concerned about making those kind of mistakes,
taking those kind of chances, whereas other organizations, and again
I'll use the Raise as an example, you can't make
those mistakes. I'm saying Baltimore to get to the point
where they're at right now, did not want to make
those mistakes Cincinnati. So I don't know, you just got
(05:10):
to be really the game comes down to me to
the really good scouting and player development. It really does.
And if you have those two things going on, you
should be able to sustain yourself. To constantly try to
buy into the final round, into the World Series, to
constantly try to just spend money to do that, think's
a bad way to go. I think it's a great
(05:31):
way to augment the opportunity, But to solely rely on
that to get you there's a very difficult part. Last point,
just the fact of the camaradi compon camaraderie component. Bringing
groups together not easy to do. Disparate group coming from everywhere.
I have no idea that the relationship between Suzer and
Berliner except that I've read different things, and again, bringing
(05:51):
them back together doesn't ensure that they're going to be successful.
Together again years after that they had done in Detroit.
Groups right now, bringing players in at the trade deadline,
lots of them to think that the group's just going
to come together and play baseball.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Well as a group. It's not easy to do.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
So all these different things are considerations that nobody really
adds to the Mixer talks about a whole lot.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah, the Mets wound up paying Schuzer in Verlander one
hundred and eighty eight million dollars. Wow, and that's getting
a year and a half from Schurzer and four months
from Verlander.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
It costs seven million dollars per win. That's crazy have
those two pitchers.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Let's talk about from a baseball point of view what
it means for the Astros, and then.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
We'll talk about the Mets Verlander. Going back to the Astros.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
In my book, that is the single biggest move that
was made at the deadline, the move that will most
impact who wins the World Series. I say that because
JV has already been in Houston, right There's there's a
comfort level there, you know. He he trains close to home.
Their spring training home is close to his home. He's
got Martine Maldonado, he loves throwing to behind the plate.
(07:06):
There's no break in period here for Justin Verlander. He
hits the ground running. Justin Verlander, I know that you
can talk about age. His goal is to be Nolan Ryan.
He wants to pitch into his mid forties and he
probably can do it. I look at the way he's
thrown lately. Yeah, the fastball is lowest velocity in seven years.
It's still darn good. I mean it's coming down from
(07:26):
a very high level. The slider is probably better than ever.
This is a guy in his last seven starts, and
I always want a pitcher to be hot.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
When I trade for him.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Joe, He's four and one with a one point four
to nine ERA, and most importantly my book, he's giving
up one home run in his last seven starts.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
He's keeping that baseball.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Off the barrel and the Astros then, oh, by the way,
go out and from Burvaldez throws a no hitter the
day they get Justin Verlander. So that is an impactful trade. Listen,
their rotation was wobbling a little bit. Christian Javier's fastball
is not the same this year based on the workload
he had last year. We know about the injuries to
mccullars or Kati Garcia, this is a perfect fit. And
(08:12):
if I'm the Texas Rangers and I've played so well
this year and I can't shake those darn Astros, I'm
really worried about them in terms of how the division
is going to shake out. Those two teams have just
one more series left, three game series in opening in September.
But I think Verlander was the perfect fit for the
(08:33):
Houston Astros. And you can make an argument, Joe there
once again the team to beat, all respect to the
Baltimore Orioles, but in a playoff atmosphere that we've seen,
how tough this team is going to six straight lcs's.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Yeah, they're pretty impressive. To maintain that kind of level
of passion on an annual basis not easy to do
when you've accomplished what they have and continually come back
for more.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
I really have a lot of respect for all of that.
Among their players.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
I don't know a lot of there's guys, but from
a distance, obviously there's something going on there that's really good.
And as you suggested, very Lander coming back to throw
to Meldonado is very very comfortable for him. There's no
transition whatsoever. There's just a bunch of excitement. He walks
in the door. Very Lander's back.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Here we go.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
And among the other guys, the other starting pitchers are
just Valdez, who is outstanding. It definitely picks all them up, too.
It picks everybody up in the building just having the
one guy walk in. So they've already been good there.
They're on their role right now pretty well. They're they're
right knocking at Texas's door and it's probably gonna happen.
They're going to be there, They're gonna stay there. I mean,
(09:39):
both teams are going to play well, but I could
definitely see Houston potentially overtaking them.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
I do like some of the.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
Latter acquisitions also though by the Rangers too, But I
was looking at the Rangers lineup. It just it's just
it's just it's it's good, it's not great. So there's
there's things going on there that that it's not a
lock for them, the Rangers, that is to just uh
Sachet through the rest of the season and and do it.
But they had been doing earlier in the year, so yeah,
(10:05):
interesting development. Bril Lander can be the difference maker.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
I agree with you.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
I love that word sachet by the way.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Yeah, you got it.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
Good on you.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
And people say, well, why didn't the Astros just resign
Justin Verlander instead of giving up two really good prospects
to bring him back. Well, he went on the free
agent market, and the Mets paid him forty three million
dollars a year. There was no way the Astros were
going there. Now, with the money that's being paid down
by the New York Mets, Verlander becomes a guy at
(10:34):
basically an average annual value of seventeen million.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Dollars a year.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
I mean, that's why he's an Astro now and not
as a free agent. All right, the New York Mets,
let's talk about them. Billy Eppler, who you had with
the Angels, had some terrific executive speak here about defining
what's going on with the Mets. The Mets are not rebuilding,
They are quote unquote repurposing. That's a new one on
me in direction of ball clubs. The Mets are repurposing,
(11:01):
and they are going to in his words, field a
competitive team next year. Boy, that's going to have them
dancing in the streets and queens. Hey, we got a
competitive team next year. Listen, there's no question you know,
the Mets blew it open this year payroll wise, it
didn't work.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
They are really rebuilding here.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
I don't care what they say in the front office,
trying to restock the farm system at the cost of
essentially next year maybe another year after that. If you're
an agent, you got players in the free agent market
this year. Man, it's bad news to have the New
York Mets not be a player in the big free
agent game. And they won't be. I never thought Shoeo
Tani was going to Queens. It's official now he's not.
(11:42):
The Mets are not going to be a player at
the top of the market. So the Mets are going
to have to pivot here. I think they're doing the
right thing, but don't kid yourself. I don't think they
can turn this thing around in one off season.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Well, first of all, Billy is very bright, and I
know a Billy's capable of putting words together just like that. However,
I still believe that comes from above him.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Oh, no question about that.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
I agree with you, yeah, because everybody's bagging on Billy
right now. But the conversation has to come from higher
than that, and then the dialogue, the talking points. But
did you see what Francisco Lindor said today in the paper.
I thought it was like back in economics won on
one class at Lofield College. I mean, coming from him
the way he described and I don't know the quote
(12:24):
in front of me, so I don't want to paraphrase,
but it was definitely economic ease.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
I mean he was talking.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
Numbers and futures and whatever, and I was kind of
surprised by that. But then again, all they could think
about is that somehow there's.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
A program going on possibly.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
There where they're all trying to say the same thing
and it just doesn't come across well, it doesn't come
across right. So again I really wish they'd get away
from that kind of stuff. The fans there want to win,
want to win right now, they have the resources to
do it. They had the bad season, absolutely everything that
things just didn't go right. Okay, stuff happens sometimes, But
(13:01):
to say that you're just going to be competitive the
next year looking to be competitive, that just doesn't resonate.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
It just doesn't.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Yeah, and let's be clear, this was really driven by
both Shuser and Verlander in terms of these trades. You know,
once they traded David Robertson, that was a signal that
they were out at least for this year. And if
your shures are in Verlander pitchers at that age, and
you signed with the New York Mets in big part
because of the huge commitment from the owner that you
(13:29):
were all in, and now the signaling is, well, we're
not actually all in now. You know, I think Steve
Cohen did the right thing here because you owe it
to players of that stature, with that kind of investment,
to be honest with them. And at that point in
their career, these guys don't want to go through any
repurposing or rebuilding, whatever you want to call it.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
They want to win. So they both have no trade clauses.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
They dictated where they went when they went, and I
don't blame either player Joe if I'm sure's or Vernlander,
and the messaging is, well, you know, we're gonna kind
of pivot here, that's not what they signed on for.
So I think they treated both pictures well. And these
guys drove the trade. Verlander wanted to go to Houston.
You know, the Dodgers were in there a little bit
(14:10):
but clearly the comfort factor meant a lot, so the
Mets were limited and where they could send these guys.
They did well all things considered. But I think they
did right by the two veteran pictures.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
Of course, I don't disagree with that at all. Yeah,
to have the conversations that they had. Again, I read
the papers every day and I was definitely aware of
that stuff. They did treat both veteran pictures well. I
think that's going to serve them well in the future
when other folks want to come to town.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Just seeing how gracefully classy that they handled.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
This situation, it does. It does speak well for them. However,
it's still moving in forward.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Man.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
Just to talk about being competitive only next year, that's
going to be a hard self.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Hey, we got a lot to dive into here.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
I mean, what happened to the Dodgers, what's going on
with the Yankees? And how about your Chicago Cubs and
how read hot they are.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
We'll dive into those teams and more right after.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
This quick break.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Welcome back to the Book of Joe podcast, Trade deadline Recap,
and let's talk about the La Dodgers. Joe in the
month of July their rotation era was six point one
point eight, the worst month in Dodgers' history since they
the franchise moved to Los Angeles.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
There clearly is a need there to improve that rotation.
And what did they do well? They tried.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
They got in on Verlander, swung a miss They talked
about Dylan ce so the White Sox missed on that.
They did get lance Lynn, by the way, and Ryan Yarborough,
but the big ones.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
They wanted they couldn't get.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
They did arrange a deal with EDWARDO. Rodriguez of the
Detroit Tigers. Now he has a partial note trade clause
ten teams where he has veto power.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Dodgers were on that list.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
He said, no, I have a family in Miami and
I respect that that comes first, and he'd rather not
go to the West Coast.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
So that deal fell apart.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
I don't know how it got to that point, Joe,
where players got a list of ten teams that he
doesn't want to go to, and you arrange the deal
and then go back to the player essentially at the
eleventh hour, right before the deadline, and it doesn't get done,
of course, and the Tigers wind up.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
I don't want to say, stuck with Rodriguez.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
He's a good pitcher, but they had a trade asset
that they did not cash in. They really had to
do that, so the Dodgers wound up really not getting
a premier starting pitcher. So give me your sense of
where the Dodgers are at. I know they still have
Kershaw and Arias and Gonsolin and Lynn and Bobby Miller
and emmittt Shean, But you know the kind of confidence
(17:03):
factor you have in a Dodger rotation in past years
going to the postseason, I'm sorry it's not there.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
Well, I just it comes down to how hard did
they try too? I mean, I still all this stuff
indicates to me that they still have show a in
mind going into next season.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
The Rodriguez thing.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
That always amazes me that somebody doesn't want to go
from a really mediocre team to a team that has
a chance to win, like I know Vado did that
for years in Cincinnati, and I always that always bothers
me a little bit from a distance. I don't know
exactly what would hold you back. And we have Jed
airplanes and stuff. I mean, we all have family, so
(17:43):
that part of it. I've always had a hard time understanding.
But I do believe how hard did the Dodgers try
for all this stuff? Because for me, with Andrew wants
something and he goes and gets it, and so I
don't know they they've had a lot of success.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
There's still are successful, and I.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Do believe that they believe that they're going to get
to the playoffs somehow, and then it's going to be
that proverbial crapshoot.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
They may have some guys getting well that we don't
know about.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
There's some guys maybe they're in their system that they
really dig on that they think is going to be
very going to be very helpful or useful by the
time of September rolls around. So just indicates to me
that Andrew is sitting in the weeds for some reason.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Here. He knows what he's got.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
He evaluated everything, he did not want to give up,
certain people didn't think it was worth it for right now,
and he's again he's looking both the present tense and
future future tenses O Twani.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Present tenses. We looking at everything.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
They feel like they're going to be in the playoffs
this year, and either guys getting well, like I said,
or somebody's coming on board. They're looking at that in
regards to getting things better, and they're looking they're going
to dissect the competition very well and see how they
believe they stack up going into those last two months.
So I just I would just stay with the Dodgers
a bit. Something's going on there. They definitely have a
(18:58):
plan in mind, So I do believe they backed off
Lou but did not want to give up too much
because I think Show might be the the big target there.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
That's a great point.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Everything the Dodgers do is done through the prism of
Shohei Otani being a Dodger next year. That's at least
the plan. We'll see if it comes to fruition. But
it was a good day for the Atlanta Braves because
to me, the Braves, we all know, this best team
in the National League, and most of the impact moves
that were made around baseball were in the American League.
(19:26):
I didn't see anybody closing ground on the Atlanta Braves.
I liked what the Phillies did with Michael Lorenzen. Looks
like they might go to a six man rotation here
for the next couple of weeks to try to ease
off some of their big starting pitchers. You know, Wheeler
and Nola had big workloads last year and they've been
a little uneven this year. So adding another really good
arm who can also pitch out at the bullpen in
(19:48):
a postseason scenario. I like the pickup of the Lorenzen.
But again, the Braves, to me, they're far afield of
everybody else, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, you name it. So good
good day for the Atlanta Braves. Not such a great
day for the New York Yankees. Joe listening, we know
about their offensive problems. You know, Judges back in the lineup,
(20:10):
but Aaron Judge is going to get absolutely nothing to
hit unless somebody starts to heat up behind him in
that lineup.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
You're seeing that already.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
And they came away basically with Kenyan Middleton. It was
a really good relief pitcher. But that's the strength of
their team. They add it to their strength and addressed
none of their weaknesses. They're in the stretch of playing Baltimore,
Tampa Bay, and Houston. It's not going well so far,
having lost four out of five, and now the Houston
(20:38):
Astros come in with Verlander to face them.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
They're in a lot of trouble, Joe.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
And again we talked earlier about this. When you have
a team and you get through the deadline and you're
just kind of scrapping on the outskirts of the race
and you really do nothing of significance, to me, that's
a letdown.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
So let's see where the Yankees go.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
We know they're counting on, as they'd like to say,
the back of the baseball card of guys like Lemayhew
Rizzo Stanton, but you know what, those guys have not
been good for a while here this year, and right
now the New York Yankees look like they're in trouble.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
Offensively, yeah, I think they're almost in the same category
with the Dodgers, meaning that how hard did they try
regarding their positioning right now and the fact that I
still I do believe that they have Showy in mind
for next year too, And I don't think I don't
have any kind of inside information other than I think
that show now has been in the United States for
(21:31):
several years. I think it opens up more markets to him,
So I really believe that has something to do with
it too. Regarding the Yankees, they just don't move well.
I mean, I watched them a lot. A lot of
these guys just have lost a step a bit, and
that's really what it comes down to there. There are
better players, you know, are a little bit getting a
little bit longer in the tooth, and they're just not
(21:53):
moving as well as they had in the past. The
young guys, they got some nice young guys, but you know,
the vote, they still needs a lot of work to
do offensively, pitching wise. Herman, I mean, Herman Severino hit
or miss big time. So the Yankees to me, just
they don't move well, and I don't They're just they're
not going to hit. Their lineup is not a typical
(22:13):
Yankee lineup that we've seen in the past.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
We know that. So I think that that's what they did.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
I think Cash decided to, you know, just try to
play the middle as well as he can and his
plan for the future and not give up whatever other
prospects they have left right now. So I think they're
in the same boat as the Dodgers. How hard did
they try right now to change things? Last point with
Lorenz and I love Lorens and by the way, I
was with him for a bit, I thought and I
told him, I said, you were kind of like Mark
(22:38):
Fidrich and then he ends up going to Detroit. I
told him that last year. I love his sinker. I
love his sinker, and I love his change up. He
has a great change up. Competitive, great athlete, great athlete.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Good guy.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
I'm curious that he get on a team that's winning.
I want to see what he does for me. He
gets too complicated sometimes. I like when he's primal pitches
primarily with fast all sinker for seam or two and
then and then the change up and then judiciously uses
break and ball.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
But I think this guy could put He puts the
ball on the ground a lot.
Speaker 4 (23:16):
If you put a good defense behind him, which the
Phillies you know, pretty much have right now on the
ground up the middle, especially this this could be beneficial.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Then, so heads up with him.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
I might I like Michael a lot, and I'm really
pulling for a success.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
But I thought that was great acquisition.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
That's a great scouting report. By the way, Mark fidris Man,
he could put the ball on the ground as well
as any pitcher I've ever seen. So yeah, good pick
up by the Phillies. And you're right about the Yankees,
especially when they play. Some of these athletic teams, like
the Orioles and the Rays, they do look old and slow.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
I was looking at this the other day, looking at
some of their older.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Hitters against velocity against ninety five and above, and these
guys are all thirty three and above. Stanton's hitting a
buck seventy eight against velocity. Rizzo is hitting two nine,
Lea Mayhew is hitting one three against ninety five plus.
And Josh Donaldson. I know he's out for the season,
but he was hitting forty eight against velocity you're talking about.
(24:13):
You know, the Yankees invested a lot in these older hitters,
and the game changed on them. The rules of the
game literally changed. And of course we all know velocity
goes up every year. Uh, and they're stuck with this team.
As you said, Joe, that not a great not great movers,
and that includes in the batter's box.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
So I will give them this though.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
I thought the perfect fit for the Yankees was a
move they had to make weeks ago, and that was
Cody Bellinger.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
You know. Uh.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Bellinger was the kind of young athletic hitter from the
left side, especially the kind of bat the Yankees really needed.
But that window closed because of how well the Cubs
have played, so listen, I don't know if they could
have gotten Bellinger at that point the way the Rangers
stepped up jumped the market for earld As Chapman when
they knew they had an obvious need and a bullpen.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Why wait till the deadline.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
But there wasn't a whole lot out there for the
Yankees bat wise, impact bat wise once Bellinger came off
the market. And speaking of the Cubbies, Joe, the Cubbies
on July seventeenth had a six percent chance of going
to the postseason. They were in a lot of trouble
right well, they've been red hot since then. They are
only four games back. Now, they are in this thing
(25:27):
now and they're playing with a lot of belief. Picked
up Jamer Candelario, who was one of the best bats
on the market, and they go out and score twenty
runs on thirty one hits in their first game on
the other side of the deadline. So I don't know,
Rossi's got a little bit of a dangerous team right now.
Joe reminds me of some of your Cubs teams that
start playing better as the year goes on.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
Agreed.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
That's what I've been seeing too. Candelario is a nice
kid too.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Man.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
People don't know him. He's wonderful. He's got a great
way about him. When we first had him, when there
with the Cubbies, he was just coming up and he
showed great signs of being a good player, and then
he went away.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
Know he's come back, so I'm happy for him. He's
good people.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
I was watching Alzala the other day on TV. I
don't know who he's been working with, but the comebacker
on the inside edge the left handed hitters as spectacular
right now. Because I was curious why he was in
the at the end of the game, and then I
saw one pitch.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Is that there?
Speaker 4 (26:21):
It is because right now I can get out both
Rhydy's and lefty. So they got this going on. They
got some nice starters, but they have energy. I see
energy on the field. I think Bellinger's renaissance really feeds
a lot of that energy on the field. I love
Nico Horner.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
I think Nico is a winner. I like him a lot.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
I think he's a really good baseball player. And I
like Gulbs behind the play too. I think there's another
guy they got some They have a nice mix. They
got some young guys, they got the right older guys
almost like you said, like we did in twenty sixteen.
So there's a lot to like there right now. But
I do see energy when they play. I think they
have some baseball players out there. And like I said,
al Zalay, I didn't know that this is I was curious, but.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Just check that out.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
Check out that two seam back front door against left
ten hitters. It's a lot like Kyle Hendricks with a
lot more of velocie. I was wondering if Kyle had
worked with him at all.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
That's a good call.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
They've been waiting on him for a while, always liked
his arm, just trying to find the right spot and
how to use him.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
But it looks like they have found the right spot.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Now give you your thought now on that division here,
because the Cubs are definitely in play.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
The Brewers did what the Brewers do.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
You know, they tinkered around the edges of the roster,
which is not a complaint. I mean, they just find
a way to bring the right pieces. I love bringing
in Carlos Santana. They brought in Mark Canna, who's going
to help in the outfield, some veteran presence. They're getting
Brandon Woodriff back in that rotation, so you know, we've
seen this before the Cubs. The Brewers can be a
scary postseason opponent when they throw Burns, Woodriff and Peralta
(27:53):
at you.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
And we know how good the back of their bullpen is.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
So they love to get you in a three to
two ball game and chances are they're gonna win that
kind of game. And then the Reds, who you know,
they've been coming on like gangsters, but didn't add anything really,
Sam Mulla or Lever they added, but for a team
with a lot of young starting pitching, they're going to
ride with what they have now. I understand Hunter Green,
Nicolodolo both coming off the i L, so those are
(28:19):
sort of like additions through the trade market but coming
off the IEL. But you know, I think the door
is left open in that division and I think it's
now a three team race with the Cubs.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Well, first of all, yeah, you're right.
Speaker 4 (28:33):
Uh just when you talk about the Cubs, the one
thing that just comes to my head, it's hard to
maintain that level of success. But they went like almost
ten in a row, something like that recently went from
way under two a little bit over five hundred. That's
the one part that if there's if they're able to
and you'll find that out over the next two weeks,
if they're able to maintain that level, then they got
a legitimate chance or shot.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
It's just hard.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
It's hard to come back from that far. There's a
lot of again expenditure of energy to get there, and
then you get there and we'll see so well, yes,
I love what they're doing, but it's hard.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
To maintain that level of victory.
Speaker 4 (29:08):
The reds to me a little bit hot and cold,
and again that could be the youthful component of that.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
You're going to get to September.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
With some of these young guys actually going to get
a little bit fatigued. They're not used to that that
kind of a grind all year, So we'll see how
that plays out. But again, athletically and the youth should
be on their side. But then again it could break
down at some point. But I do love them, which
fringes me to the Bruers. The Brewer is to me,
like you just said, with those pitching, that pitching they've
had and they're kind of a steady methods. I think
(29:35):
they're going to continue that. You know, Craig in the
Dugout does a nice job with all that, and of
course David doesn't, so both Davids do. But I think
there's a consistency of steadiness about the Brewers. They're kind
of a metronome, so and you could be that way
when you when you pitch like they do. And I
like the acquisitions they just made two So if I
(29:56):
had a rank them, I just still say the Brewers
have an advantage just based on history, and they're pitching
cubs a lot of energy to get and now it's
going to be hard to stay there.
Speaker 3 (30:05):
And if they show you they.
Speaker 4 (30:06):
Can't over the next two weeks, heads up, and they
and the Reds just that they learning and understanding how
to win, how to win late in the season, and
how to when you get to the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
For the first time.
Speaker 4 (30:18):
That's there's something to that, and so that's what they're
experiencing right now. So when I look at those three teams,
that's how I see it.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
Well, it's a good point you make learning how to win.
That reminds me of the next team we want to
talk about. That's the Baltimore Orioles, and I've got to
get your take on a couple of your former teams.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
The Rays and the Angels.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Sure we do that right after this. I like that
phrase you had, Joe learning how to win. I really
do believe there is something to that. You know, the
environment when you get down the stretch.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
It's a little bit different.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Baseball becomes more of a sprint than a marathon, more
urgency and games. How you respond to that. I always
like teams that have been through. That doesn't mean you
can't win when you're young. Your team in twenty sixteen
was very young, and they handled it really well down
the stretch.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
I look at the Baltimore Orioles.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
Your guy Brandon Hyder has done a great job running
that team, best team in the American League. I thought
all along they really needed a starting pitcher. They have
some really good young pitchers who are throwing more innings
than they ever have.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
We know about their base of position players. It's terrific.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
And they went out and got Jack Flaherty, and I
applaud the move. And this is where you have to
rely on your scouts, because Jack Flaherty, when he's right,
he's got front of the rotation stuff. He's pitched better lately,
but he has not been a swing and miss guy
era well above four. I like the addition, don't get
me wrong, but this is where you rely on your
(31:54):
scouts about bringing in a guy like Jack Flaherity.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Is he the answer for the Baltimore Orioles?
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Listen when he was with the Cardinals.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
When I first saw him, I said, man, and this
guy is going to be like he's going to be
the bomb for years to come. He's so athletic and
that's still when pictures were hitting he hit, he'd line
drive the left field, get on first base and steal second.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
That good of an athlete. I thought the delivery was sound.
This stuff was outstanding.
Speaker 4 (32:20):
He didn't get tired, all the things you're looking for
in a young started, great body. And then like when
I saw him more recently, I didn't like the ARMStrokes.
I don't know what happened there. Something's different than when
I had seen him in the past. Is he I'm
not sure. Has he been injured? He did he hurt
his arm at all?
Speaker 1 (32:36):
Yeah, he's had some injuries, nothing major, but he's had
some shoulder issues. He's worked through those there have been
times where we've seen flashes of that flirty you talked
about in those first couple of years, But for the
most part, no, he's not been this quite the same picture.
And I'm with you, by the way, when he got
to the big leagues, man, he just looked like a repeater,
you know, a guy that you can count on each
(32:58):
year to make your thirty stars throw one hundred and
eighty innings with a three something era, And he just
hasn't been back there.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
I just I agree with you. The armstroke just doesn't
look the same.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
Something's off.
Speaker 4 (33:10):
I watch him, and then he'll misspy a lot, and
then he'll come back just because he's so athletic. He'll
get through some tough situations just based on athleticism, and
he's got good stuff. But it doesn't have that purity
that I saw when I first saw him with the
Cardinals several years ago. So I don't know what's been going.
I didn't watch him closely enough. And like you said,
scouts on the road they did it with Hicks when
(33:32):
they brought him to Baltimore from the Yankees. They must
have seen something, and apparently they probably saw something with
fire because young, yet he's got again one of the
better athletes on the mound you're going to see in
the game, kind of like Muskrove with the San Diego
they're kind of, you know, built like the same, and
they're very athletic, and they got good stuff. But I'm
just curious. I mean, I'm gonna watch when he pitches up.
(33:55):
I'll check out their games on the two because this
guy can be a difference makeare if they saw something,
then they can fix it and creat a little bit
more fluidity about his delivery and get his command back.
Heads up, because this stuff is that good.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Yeah, let's talk about the Rays because they also got
a starting pitcher. Aaron Savali of the of the Guardians. Listen,
it's a head scratcher. If you're a Guardians fan, you're
trading one of your best, healthiest starting pitchers when you're
right smack dab in the middle of a race for
a prospect first baseman who's thought of as a good hitter.
And listen, we know the Guardians need hitting, but these
(34:27):
windows to get into the postseason are precious. Every single
one of them head scratcher to me. But okay, that's
what the Guardians do. We've seen them in the past
trade starting pitchers during the season, whether it's Bauer, Clevenger, Klueber,
on and on they go. But kudos to the Rays
because we all know about the injuries, the Springs and
Rasmusen there. Now they have a really legit five man rotation. Joe,
(34:52):
no openers, guys who can give you length. Lastno McClanahan.
Adding Sivali to this mix. I really like the pick up.
It didn't get a lot of attention. He's not justin Verlander,
but he's got some of the best breaking ball metrics
in all of baseball. And my goodness, we all know
what the Rays can do with spin, So give me
(35:13):
your thoughts on where the Rays are at.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
And adding Savali.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
Well, I saw him briefly with the Indians. He is
a very good breaking ball pitcher. I don't even know
they Maybe they did some kind of study in the trap.
The combination of the field and the barometric pressure there.
It's going to make his breaking ball even better. He
has a great addition for them. But going back to
the Cleveland side, it just tells me they have somebody
to replace them, somebody they like. Again, when things like
(35:38):
this happen, there's got to be somebody in the wings
that they want to give opportunity to. And they know
Savali better than anybody knows Savally, so there's something with
that too, and I always consider that. But again from
the race perspective, you know, they did slip a little
bit more recently.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
I watched them last night. They looked pretty healthy last night.
Speaker 4 (35:57):
I guess Franco has not been the same or since
the little incident a couple months ago, and that has
had some kind of an impact on it. There's you know, internally,
they're not as groovy and internally as they had been.
I don't think a couple of months ago before this
all occurred. And I don't know, because again I'm not around,
and I don't I only watch some games on TV.
But I look at things like that, the kind of
(36:20):
immeasurables and how impactful they can be. So they have
a little bit crack in the armor that they weren't
showing early and here obviously, and Baltimore is not letting up.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Listen.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
I love watching the Orioles. I do, and they got
you know, somewhat close last year and now this year
they've they've added.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
You know, their young.
Speaker 4 (36:40):
Players are really coming into their own a bit. There's
something about them. They got that look that other teams
don't have nightly, and that's why I'm digging on them
right now. But of course the Rays have the history,
they have the pedigree, but there's just something there and
I'm not one hundred percent sure if I know what
I'm talking about, but it's just an observation.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
Now.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
I actually would agree with you. I think they've struggled
offensively for the last month. The happiness factor is not
quite the same, and the Orioles definitely have that hit factor.
My goodness, these young players really came up together. They
A lot of these guys have been teammates for a
long time, and that includes Gunnar Henderson and Attlee Rushman,
and those two are two franchise players. When you start
(37:23):
with two franchise players in their early twenties up the
middle on the diamond catcher and short stuff. If you
even't seen Gunnar Henderson play, folks, I mean you're missing
something because this guy is just an absolute stud. Big
guy magine Corey Seeger with more speed and a better
throwing arm and more range.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
I mean that's essentially who Gunnar Henderson is. So yeah,
I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (37:50):
I'm not discounting I still think the Orioles are the
team to be, but I do like the move the
Rays have made.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
Let's move on to the Angels and give them credit. Man.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
I mean, if you're a fan, you always want your
team to try as hard as it can to win,
especially when you have a chance, even a chance to
go to the postseason.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
And the Angels are doing that. Man I felt so bad.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Taylor Ward goes down, gets hit by the face perryman
Izzi and the GM pivots immediately and gets Gritgick and
Krone original draft picks by the way by the Angels.
But man, I look around, and it's still gonna be
tough for them, because the Astros got better, the Orioles
got better, the Rays got better, the Blue Jays got better.
All the teams that are in front of the Angels
(38:33):
for a playoff spot have not made it any easier
for the Angels to start leapfrogging anybody for that last
wildcard spot.
Speaker 4 (38:41):
Yeah, but I agree with you. I think they kind
of got the right guys. They got some veteran presence
in there, hard players. I'm a Crone dog fan. I
had his daddy back in the minor leagues. Chris cc
I had cc for years and CJ has the same
kind of attitude as his dad. I love that part
about it. And Ritchik I watched him from a distance
(39:02):
with Saint Louis. This guy can strike out four times
in a night and come out the next night and
whistle three balls to the right center. Good outfield. They're hard player.
They got hard players. Stock is hard player. The guys
they picked up are hard players, and I like that.
The biggest challenge they have there for Phil right now,
I think is just bringing them all together in a
short period of time.
Speaker 3 (39:22):
I think what they're trying to do.
Speaker 4 (39:23):
They've kind of emulated the success story of the Braves
from a couple of years ago, and they brought in
all those outfielders simultaneously at the trade deadline, and they
got some Solaire in Rosario Duval and I'm missing Jock Peterson.
I mean, it's kind of similar to that. And they
got to pitch, and they've been pitching a little bit better. Defensively,
(39:45):
of course, we got to catch the ball, but the attitude.
Speaker 3 (39:48):
On the field is dramatically improved with these guys.
Speaker 4 (39:50):
They got real guys, they got grown ups with good makeup,
so they're gonna be it's gonna be curious to watch
this whole thing unfold. But again, to me, the most
difficult thing to do right now is you got good players,
is to bring them together and not just be mercenaries
and be Angels and see if that results in a
winning season.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
Yeah, but I would agree with you they got the
right players to make that happen. When you think about
Mike Mustakas and a dwardo Escobar, these guys.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Are great teammates. You know that, Joe.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
It's important when you drop guys in the middle of
the year, and as many as the Angels have, so
I think, at least in terms of character, I think
they have the right group to make that happen.
Speaker 3 (40:31):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (40:31):
I mean that's what I look at. I always talk
about having grown ups in the room. I mean, I
had to be my I'll be lamenting that during the.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
Course of a season.
Speaker 4 (40:39):
Sometimes they did more recently with the Angels because there
wasn't enough grown ups in the room. Guys that may
eventually be better players, but for right now, it just
wasn't working. So you need to get grown ups in
the room, and meaning guys like Mustakas.
Speaker 3 (40:52):
What does that mean?
Speaker 4 (40:52):
A guy that shows up every day, it's not afraid
to call somebody out conversation.
Speaker 3 (40:57):
I'm not talking about.
Speaker 4 (40:58):
Loudly in front of everybody, but go to the locker
and have the right kind of conversation with that player.
That's important. I just I've already mentioned this before. I
think Mustakas might be the most viable addition.
Speaker 3 (41:10):
I see him.
Speaker 4 (41:11):
It's ten him out almost two. When the Royals brought
in Ibanyas a couple of years ago, I see him
having that kind of personality, that kind of impact. Very
positive guy and a good player. I mean he's a
better player than people give him credit for. He's a
clutch player. So that's what they needed. They needed to
do that, and they've done that.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
Just to give you an idea though, how tough the
schedule is coming up here. They're just finishing up a
series at Atlanta. Then they play the Mariners, the Giants,
the Astros, the Rangers, the Rays, and the Reds.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
I mean that's tough. That's a tough stretch for the Angels.
Speaker 3 (41:53):
Well, that's the whole thing.
Speaker 4 (41:54):
I mean when I was looking at it, when they
were making all these moves, and I kept getting the
same question even on MLB network, like what do you think?
Speaker 3 (42:01):
What should they do?
Speaker 4 (42:02):
And I'm well, I understand why they're doing what they're doing,
but they is there a tougher schedule than there's right now?
You know it comes mathematically, I don't even know because
I saw I looked at there, I looked at the
last team. I said, Wow, that's quite a trip. But
I also believe this it's going to bring out the
best in that group. They've already played the Braves tough
(42:23):
the last two nights, uh two losses in Toronto, come
back and win a tough.
Speaker 3 (42:28):
Game on the last day.
Speaker 4 (42:29):
There's there's a there's a grid about these group of guys,
and I like these guys.
Speaker 3 (42:33):
I do. I know a lot of them, and I.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
Think they're They're good people, and they they're hard players
and they care.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
So that's it.
Speaker 4 (42:39):
They're they have an almost impossible schedule, but in order
to be the best, you got to beat the best,
and it might bring out the best in them because
on a nightly basis, there's there's no there's no letups.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
Absolutely, Hey, we're gonna take one last quick break.
Speaker 5 (42:54):
We come back.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
We're gonna wrap things up.
Speaker 1 (42:56):
And I want to ask Joe if the trade deadline
at all changed his idea of who is bound.
Speaker 2 (43:04):
For the World Series.
Speaker 5 (43:05):
We'll be right back. Welcome back to the.
Speaker 1 (43:19):
Book of Joe podcast Wrapping Things Up, our Trade deadline special.
By the way, Joe, I mentioned the Guardians kind of
head scratcher moving a starting pitcher there in the race,
but it's head scratcher. The Minnesota Twins did absolutely nothing.
This is a team that got absolutely scorched at the
deadline last year in trades for Pablo Lopez and Tyler Maley.
(43:41):
Gave up a lot of prospects, got basically nothing in return.
I don't know whether they turned gun shy or not,
but they did nothing to an offense that has way
too much swing and miss. And I know that the opportunity,
the door is wide open to win a very weak division.
I get that it wasn't like they had to do anything,
but man, I wanted to see the Twins add a
right handed bats somebody who could put the ball in play,
(44:04):
like Tommy fam who wound up with the Arizona Diamondbacks
was a great fit.
Speaker 2 (44:09):
So yeah, it's a flip of a coin.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
I don't know who you like in that division though, Joe,
you're talking about the Twins and the Guardians.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Neither one had a great deadline.
Speaker 4 (44:18):
Well, at the beginning of the year, I really thought
Minnesota had a solid chance.
Speaker 3 (44:22):
I've been surprised. They check up on them daily and
they keep spinning their wheels.
Speaker 4 (44:26):
But I've been in part of groups that have spun
their wheels up until August, and all of a sudden,
you gain traction, Like you're saying, you think that they
may have added something, some kind of energy, something they
need as you're suggesting, with contact, but they still they
still have I think the best chance of winning that division.
Speaker 3 (44:45):
I do.
Speaker 4 (44:46):
Of course, that's not stepping out on a limb. They
have really good talent they need they need to catch
a wave at some point and start writing it. So again,
I don't know the internal makings of all that. And
when it comes down to more acquisitions, they I could
actually see meetings there where the guys are saying, yeah,
if we do something like this, they may get us
to the playoffs, but do we want to sacrifice the
(45:08):
future because I don't see us going deeply into the playoffs.
So there's all these different kinds of conversations that do occur.
They'd either motivate a group to do something or to
hold on to what they got. They should, they should
at some point gain some traction and do it. I
do like their pitching, and like you said offensively, just
I don't know. Philosophically, I don't know. I mean, this
(45:28):
is the strikeout world that we live in. I just
haven't watched them enough. I got to start putting them
on the MALB network a little bit more off for
the MLB package and start checking them out.
Speaker 3 (45:38):
I just I look at them in the newspaper a lot.
Speaker 1 (45:41):
Yeah, I mean, as you know that the teams that
really put it together put together a charge. You want
to go back to seven with the Rockies, when something
like twenty one out of twenty two down the stretch.
Speaker 2 (45:50):
We all remember those because they're outliers.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
It's very difficult to play one way for one hundred
and ten games or one hundred and five games and
then all of a sudden be lights out right. And
I think about the San Diego Padres in that regard. Right,
you look at the roster their talent, and they made
some moves that improved the roster a little bit, but
there's still under five hundred in my book. To get
the eighty seven wins, which I think is the minimum
(46:14):
you're going to need to be a postseason team, they
need to finish thirty five and twenty. I see nothing
about the way they've played the entire season to think
that's possible.
Speaker 2 (46:25):
But I look at the roster on paper and I think.
Speaker 1 (46:29):
Why can't they play six fifty baseball? So they've confounded
me all year, Joe. Sometimes you wait for a run
and it never comes.
Speaker 4 (46:38):
Well, I watched them too, and I just, again, for
a lack of a better terms, I just don't like
the way they play a lot. I mean, there's just
something kind of missing. There's a level of intensity that
just doesn't seem to be present there. But the names
are great, great names, really good names on the field
and the mound and the bullpen, a lot of really
good names. It just does not want to click. And
(47:02):
you're right, it's hard to just turn that U Dimmer
switch up and all of a sudden you're gonna be good.
Speaker 3 (47:07):
Now.
Speaker 4 (47:07):
The one situation I've been in and you're aware of.
This was the greatest night in baseball because that month,
the Rays we came from like eight or nine games
back at the September first in order to edge out
the Red Sox on the last day of the season.
So you know, when teams choose to give up or whatever.
I always in the back of my mind because listen,
(47:29):
as a manager, I would start trying to map out
different ways that we're gonna that we're gonna catch up,
and like a game a week or two games maybe a.
Speaker 3 (47:37):
Week in August.
Speaker 4 (47:37):
I mean I had all this different or in September,
different scenarios plotted out. So it's not impossible, but you
have to play, obviously.
Speaker 3 (47:45):
At a very high level. Mentally. It really comes down
to it.
Speaker 4 (47:49):
It's it's a there's it's a mental exercise because on
a daily basis, brother, of course, you're gonna make mistakes,
but if you do, you've got to be able to
turn the page and move on very quickly to the
next moment.
Speaker 3 (48:01):
That's part of it that helps you.
Speaker 4 (48:03):
You get through these stuff times or achieve the thirty
five and twenty kind of a record that you're looking for.
That stuff does happen, but it takes a mental effort,
a giant mental effort more than anything.
Speaker 1 (48:17):
I like the way you put that you just can
never give up. You really have to keep the pedal
to the floor. And even then, as you did with
the Rays that year, you need help. Yeah, I mean
the Red Sox absolutely collapsed in September. They want something
like five and twenty, So you need both ends to
work in your favor, all right. I think that the
deal for Justin Verlander makes the Houston Astros for me,
(48:42):
the favorite to come out of the American League. I
just have so much respect for the way that team
plays postseason baseball. They put the ball in play, Been there,
done that. That's a big factor for me. Starting too.
Of Valdez and Verlander, however you want to arrange them is.
I mean, I don't know if anybody's got better first
too at the top of the rotation, especially if they
(49:03):
can win the division and stay out of the wildcard
round in the first round get their pitching lined up,
that would be huge.
Speaker 2 (49:10):
So in the American League, I like the Houston Astros jaw.
Speaker 1 (49:14):
I think when we look back on it, I think
the trade of Verlander will be the most impactful trade
that happened at the deadline.
Speaker 4 (49:20):
It's hard to argue against that. However, I still like Texas.
I think, you know, Boach really helps that situation a
lot quite frankly, the bullpen, you know, with Chappie throwing
the ball really well. And last night they used tim
first and then Smith's second to finish a game. Last
night it was a two to nothing win.
Speaker 3 (49:35):
Team on the field.
Speaker 4 (49:37):
You know, like I said, they're good, They're not great,
but I you know, Andrew Heaney would eleven punchdowns the
other night. I'll see Andrew to me is like one
of the best kept secrets if this guy just trust
and believes in his fastball, because his other stuff is
penestri and his fastball is that good. But just pointing
it out, they're still there, and that's going to be
I think Houston's obviously biggest challenges them and of course
(50:01):
the Braves in the National League. But I it's gonna
be it's gonna be interesting to watch, especially that they're
they're in the same division a couple hours apart actually
physically geography geography speaking, So I got Houston and Texas
making it very interesting.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
Yeah, and by the way, we should have mentioned that Texas.
Speaker 1 (50:21):
I think it's the most impactful under the radar deal
was getting Austin Hedges to catch. I mean, a huge
injury to Jonah him who's having an All Star season,
does a great job receiving, blocking, throwing and hedges. You're
not gonna get the offense, but my goodness, he's a
premier receiver behind the plate. And listen, you made the
(50:41):
investment in pitchers like Evaldi. We'll see if he's healthy.
Heine and now Scherzer. They're gonna love throwing the hedges.
So that that's a big one in my book. And
you know with Bochi it's that's important for him as well,
and the way he runs a game to have that
that really defensive minded catcher behind the plate.
Speaker 2 (50:57):
So good on Chris Young for picking up.
Speaker 1 (50:59):
I thought it was a need to get a catcher,
and to me, they got one of the best defensive
catchers in the game.
Speaker 3 (51:04):
Is Montgomery there too, and.
Speaker 2 (51:06):
Montgomery there as well.
Speaker 3 (51:07):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (51:08):
I'm a fan. I'm a big fan. I like him
a lot. He's one of those under the radar guys.
Speaker 3 (51:16):
You know with the Yankees, I liked what I saw there.
Speaker 4 (51:18):
Came on good with the Cardinals, they're probably you know,
I don't even know if it's matching up against the
Astros Alvarez. Though Alvarez Pummel's left handed pitching, there's no
advantage to be had there.
Speaker 3 (51:32):
I don't know if he's cooled down with that.
Speaker 4 (51:33):
But I like that move also, so they as a
pitching group, the Rangers are pretty tough to beat right now.
Speaker 1 (51:41):
Montgomery is amazing to watch. I mean, he gets two
strikes on you. He's not going to throw the ball
in the strike zone. He's going to bounce his breaking ball,
bounce his change up, and guys still swing at it.
There must be something about the way he throws. Guys
just don't track it well off him.
Speaker 3 (51:54):
Well, there's deception. There's absolute deception there.
Speaker 4 (51:57):
And it's kind of like a bigger version of like
Jeff's on or Tommy John I mean, where they actually
catch these and workouts, and they would never throw the
ball over the plate. Never the white part of the
play was never utilized. It was always edges, an inch
or two off the edges and like you said, underneath,
because back then it wasn't about throwing the ball up
in his own hardly at all.
Speaker 3 (52:17):
But I think there's a craftiness about this guy.
Speaker 4 (52:21):
I don't know him, but I like the way pitches
and I think he could be tough in the latter
part of the year.
Speaker 1 (52:26):
Well, Joe, this has been fun and I think it's
a fun time of year because this is the stage
of a season where urgency comes into play, right, It's
the sprint begins. Now you're on the other side of
the trade deadline, you know, with the new rules with
the deadline, it's not like you're gonna sneak guys through waivers.
There's more deals coming the way the Astros got Verlander
a few years ago.
Speaker 5 (52:47):
This is it.
Speaker 1 (52:48):
This is the team that you have pretty much going forward,
other than guys who are released, and everybody knows that.
Everybody's locked in with the personnel they have now and
it's game on. It's as you said, you got to
lock it in every game down the stretch.
Speaker 2 (53:01):
Here, it's a fun time of year.
Speaker 4 (53:03):
And this is where really good farm systems play big too, because,
like I said, with the Dodgers, I.
Speaker 3 (53:07):
Don't know this.
Speaker 4 (53:08):
I don't know anything about their farm system except that
they're hiding somebody. They got somebody that they really dig
on that they're going to eventually pop at us in
the near future.
Speaker 3 (53:17):
I really believe that.
Speaker 4 (53:18):
So it comes down to that kind of stuff too.
And also guys getting well. I think you mentioned that
about a couple of pictures coming back for a particular team,
But that's another part of it. That's another version of
an acquisition is when you've lost somebody for the majority
of the season, all of a sudden, he's going to
get well August September. That's kind of an acquisition too,
and you got to be aware of that. So, yes,
(53:39):
you can't acquire anybody like traditionally, but I like i'd
like to this one. You really scour the farm systems
and what people are doing, like I said, the injury list,
who's coming back, because that could be a difference maker.
Speaker 3 (53:51):
Two m.
Speaker 2 (53:52):
You just made me think about Walker Bueller. Maybe he's
ahead of the schedule.
Speaker 1 (53:56):
Maybe he's going to be a weapon even if it's
out of the bullpen for that Dodger team.
Speaker 2 (54:00):
Very interest.
Speaker 3 (54:00):
They got something, they got something going on.
Speaker 1 (54:02):
Yeah, how about you you got something for us to
take us out here In our trade deadline edition of
the Book of Joe podcast.
Speaker 4 (54:08):
Yeah, this young philosophical young lady by name of Nick
Nicole Lyons loved it. Whatever it is that stirs your soul,
listen to that, everything else is just noise.
Speaker 3 (54:19):
I think I lived by that, so I thought that
was really appropriate to me.
Speaker 4 (54:24):
Whatever it is that stirs your soul, listen to that,
everything else is just noise.
Speaker 2 (54:29):
Love it very poetic. I love that. It's been fun, Joe.
We'll see you next time.
Speaker 3 (54:34):
Thanks brother, appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (54:41):
The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.
For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hey there, welcome.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Back to the latest episode of the Book of Joe podcast.
And this is a special trade deadline edition of the
Book of Joe podcast. And Joe, I don't know if
you've been in a clubhouse at the trade deadline where
your team either made a big move or did nothing,
But it's that time of year when players almost expect
(00:39):
something good to happen if you're in the race.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
True, it's amazing.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
I was kind of like, I get it, But how
the players really react when you do acquire somebody, how
they get stirs them up.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
It does.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
It brings us other breath of fresh air into the room,
and the guys really get pumped up from that. Having
said that, though, again because they've been part of this,
where some comes into the room that you think you've
already got there among the players, and if it takes
the spot of a veteran player, which doesn't really happen
often anymore. I'm just saying from my own personal experience,
(01:14):
when you bring somebody in that does not necessarily indicator
show an increase in the team's ability, that could actually
work against you.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
However, I don't think I've.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Really seen that more lately or recently, but it definitely
has an impact within the group and conversy. Also, sometimes
you don't get that done. It's kind of deflating to
some groups too.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Well, let's start with the headline, because I think this
is the biggest story coming out of the trade deadline,
and that is the New York Mets and their owner
Steve Cohen are playing by completely different economic rules. You
knew that going into the season when the Mets field
and a team with a record three hundred and fifty
seven million dollars payroll way beyond anybody else. And here
(01:56):
we are four months later, and the money that he's
paying to get out from under that broken team is
unpressed it in the game, of course, Schurzer went first
to the Texas Rangers, and then Justin Verlander goes to
the Houston Astros. Joe including luxury tax money and he's
(02:17):
paying eighty eight point five million dollars to have Schurzer
and Verlander go away. Assorted other deals Canada Escobar going
back to James McCann, the New York Mets are paying
two hundred and ten million dollars in completely dead money.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Their dead money is equivalent to the fourteenth highest.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Actual payroll in baseball, so to get out from under mistakes.
And if you're a Mets fan, you should be happy
about this, folks, because by paying down the money as
much as he did on Schurzer and Verlander, Steve Kohen
was able to get some really good prospects back. In
other words, if you're trading for a player with a
(03:00):
big salary and you're taking on that salary, generally you're
not going to give up really good prospects. Part of
the value is you're taking that financial burden away from
the team. But when the money is paid down, you're
going to have to pay more in prospect capital. And
that's what both the Rangers and the Astros did so
(03:20):
good on the Mets. I'm not knocking them because they're
using what is their greatest resource money to help fund
the next really good Mets team with good young players.
So the ability of the Mets to pivot here Joe
is just mind boggling to other teams in the game
that they can spend that kind of money to get
(03:41):
into a high revenue payroll and then get out of it.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
I mean, I've been a part of say, for instance,
the Rays for so many years and we could not
make mistakes down there, and they still can't make mistakes
done there when he came to investments in different free
agentcy signings that you may take on. So that was
a big part of that, and actually it was a
big part of this access down there too. Obviously, this
(04:07):
situation indicates that just by spending a lot of money
doesn't ensure success.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
They did take on a lot of risk. I think.
Also there's a lot of old.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Players involved everything you're talking about right there, Guys a
little bit more long.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
In the two.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
So in order to think that they're going to replicate
what they have done several years.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Ago, which basically you're paying them for.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Not necessarily it doesn't necessarily hold up, especially when you're
betting on so many of these guys to do that. Yeah,
it's to basically what they've done is you kind of
indicate it there. They domess have paid an astronomical sum
for young players that haven't done anything yet either. I
know their prospects, but that doesn't necessarily again mean that
they're going to be successful on the major league level.
(04:48):
So yeah, it's all about money, right, having that kind
of do not being concerned about making those kind of mistakes,
taking those kind of chances, whereas other organizations, and again
I'll use the Raise as an example, you can't make
those mistakes. I'm saying Baltimore to get to the point
where they're at right now, did not want to make
those mistakes Cincinnati. So I don't know, you just got
(05:10):
to be really the game comes down to me to
the really good scouting and player development. It really does.
And if you have those two things going on, you
should be able to sustain yourself. To constantly try to
buy into the final round, into the World Series, to
constantly try to just spend money to do that, think's
a bad way to go. I think it's a great
(05:31):
way to augment the opportunity, But to solely rely on
that to get you there's a very difficult part. Last point,
just the fact of the camaradi compon camaraderie component. Bringing
groups together not easy to do. Disparate group coming from everywhere.
I have no idea that the relationship between Suzer and
Berliner except that I've read different things, and again, bringing
(05:51):
them back together doesn't ensure that they're going to be successful.
Together again years after that they had done in Detroit.
Groups right now, bringing players in at the trade deadline,
lots of them to think that the group's just going
to come together and play baseball.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Well as a group. It's not easy to do.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
So all these different things are considerations that nobody really
adds to the Mixer talks about a whole lot.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah, the Mets wound up paying Schuzer in Verlander one
hundred and eighty eight million dollars. Wow, and that's getting
a year and a half from Schurzer and four months
from Verlander.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
It costs seven million dollars per win. That's crazy have
those two pitchers.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Let's talk about from a baseball point of view what
it means for the Astros, and then.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
We'll talk about the Mets Verlander. Going back to the Astros.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
In my book, that is the single biggest move that
was made at the deadline, the move that will most
impact who wins the World Series. I say that because
JV has already been in Houston, right There's there's a
comfort level there, you know. He he trains close to home.
Their spring training home is close to his home. He's
got Martine Maldonado, he loves throwing to behind the plate.
(07:06):
There's no break in period here for Justin Verlander. He
hits the ground running. Justin Verlander, I know that you
can talk about age. His goal is to be Nolan Ryan.
He wants to pitch into his mid forties and he
probably can do it. I look at the way he's
thrown lately. Yeah, the fastball is lowest velocity in seven years.
It's still darn good. I mean it's coming down from
(07:26):
a very high level. The slider is probably better than ever.
This is a guy in his last seven starts, and
I always want a pitcher to be hot.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
When I trade for him.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Joe, He's four and one with a one point four
to nine ERA, and most importantly my book, he's giving
up one home run in his last seven starts.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
He's keeping that baseball.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Off the barrel and the Astros then, oh, by the way,
go out and from Burvaldez throws a no hitter the
day they get Justin Verlander. So that is an impactful trade. Listen,
their rotation was wobbling a little bit. Christian Javier's fastball
is not the same this year based on the workload
he had last year. We know about the injuries to
mccullars or Kati Garcia, this is a perfect fit. And
(08:12):
if I'm the Texas Rangers and I've played so well
this year and I can't shake those darn Astros, I'm
really worried about them in terms of how the division
is going to shake out. Those two teams have just
one more series left, three game series in opening in September.
But I think Verlander was the perfect fit for the
(08:33):
Houston Astros. And you can make an argument, Joe there
once again the team to beat, all respect to the
Baltimore Orioles, but in a playoff atmosphere that we've seen,
how tough this team is going to six straight lcs's.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Yeah, they're pretty impressive. To maintain that kind of level
of passion on an annual basis not easy to do
when you've accomplished what they have and continually come back
for more.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
I really have a lot of respect for all of that.
Among their players.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
I don't know a lot of there's guys, but from
a distance, obviously there's something going on there that's really good.
And as you suggested, very Lander coming back to throw
to Meldonado is very very comfortable for him. There's no
transition whatsoever. There's just a bunch of excitement. He walks
in the door. Very Lander's back.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Here we go.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
And among the other guys, the other starting pitchers are
just Valdez, who is outstanding. It definitely picks all them up, too.
It picks everybody up in the building just having the
one guy walk in. So they've already been good there.
They're on their role right now pretty well. They're they're
right knocking at Texas's door and it's probably gonna happen.
They're going to be there, They're gonna stay there. I mean,
(09:39):
both teams are going to play well, but I could
definitely see Houston potentially overtaking them.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
I do like some of the.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
Latter acquisitions also though by the Rangers too, But I
was looking at the Rangers lineup. It just it's just
it's just it's it's good, it's not great. So there's
there's things going on there that that it's not a
lock for them, the Rangers, that is to just uh
Sachet through the rest of the season and and do it.
But they had been doing earlier in the year, so yeah,
(10:05):
interesting development. Bril Lander can be the difference maker.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
I agree with you.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
I love that word sachet by the way.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Yeah, you got it.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
Good on you.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
And people say, well, why didn't the Astros just resign
Justin Verlander instead of giving up two really good prospects
to bring him back. Well, he went on the free
agent market, and the Mets paid him forty three million
dollars a year. There was no way the Astros were
going there. Now, with the money that's being paid down
by the New York Mets, Verlander becomes a guy at
(10:34):
basically an average annual value of seventeen million.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Dollars a year.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
I mean, that's why he's an Astro now and not
as a free agent. All right, the New York Mets,
let's talk about them. Billy Eppler, who you had with
the Angels, had some terrific executive speak here about defining
what's going on with the Mets. The Mets are not rebuilding,
They are quote unquote repurposing. That's a new one on
me in direction of ball clubs. The Mets are repurposing,
(11:01):
and they are going to in his words, field a
competitive team next year. Boy, that's going to have them
dancing in the streets and queens. Hey, we got a
competitive team next year. Listen, there's no question you know,
the Mets blew it open this year payroll wise, it
didn't work.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
They are really rebuilding here.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
I don't care what they say in the front office,
trying to restock the farm system at the cost of
essentially next year maybe another year after that. If you're
an agent, you got players in the free agent market
this year. Man, it's bad news to have the New
York Mets not be a player in the big free
agent game. And they won't be. I never thought Shoeo
Tani was going to Queens. It's official now he's not.
(11:42):
The Mets are not going to be a player at
the top of the market. So the Mets are going
to have to pivot here. I think they're doing the
right thing, but don't kid yourself. I don't think they
can turn this thing around in one off season.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Well, first of all, Billy is very bright, and I
know a Billy's capable of putting words together just like that. However,
I still believe that comes from above him.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Oh, no question about that.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
I agree with you, yeah, because everybody's bagging on Billy
right now. But the conversation has to come from higher
than that, and then the dialogue, the talking points. But
did you see what Francisco Lindor said today in the paper.
I thought it was like back in economics won on
one class at Lofield College. I mean, coming from him
the way he described and I don't know the quote
(12:24):
in front of me, so I don't want to paraphrase,
but it was definitely economic ease.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
I mean he was talking.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
Numbers and futures and whatever, and I was kind of
surprised by that. But then again, all they could think
about is that somehow there's.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
A program going on possibly.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
There where they're all trying to say the same thing
and it just doesn't come across well, it doesn't come
across right. So again I really wish they'd get away
from that kind of stuff. The fans there want to win,
want to win right now, they have the resources to
do it. They had the bad season, absolutely everything that
things just didn't go right. Okay, stuff happens sometimes, But
(13:01):
to say that you're just going to be competitive the
next year looking to be competitive, that just doesn't resonate.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
It just doesn't.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Yeah, and let's be clear, this was really driven by
both Shuser and Verlander in terms of these trades. You know,
once they traded David Robertson, that was a signal that
they were out at least for this year. And if
your shures are in Verlander pitchers at that age, and
you signed with the New York Mets in big part
because of the huge commitment from the owner that you
(13:29):
were all in, and now the signaling is, well, we're
not actually all in now. You know, I think Steve
Cohen did the right thing here because you owe it
to players of that stature, with that kind of investment,
to be honest with them. And at that point in
their career, these guys don't want to go through any
repurposing or rebuilding, whatever you want to call it.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
They want to win. So they both have no trade clauses.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
They dictated where they went when they went, and I
don't blame either player Joe if I'm sure's or Vernlander,
and the messaging is, well, you know, we're gonna kind
of pivot here, that's not what they signed on for.
So I think they treated both pictures well. And these
guys drove the trade. Verlander wanted to go to Houston.
You know, the Dodgers were in there a little bit
(14:10):
but clearly the comfort factor meant a lot, so the
Mets were limited and where they could send these guys.
They did well all things considered. But I think they
did right by the two veteran pictures.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
Of course, I don't disagree with that at all. Yeah,
to have the conversations that they had. Again, I read
the papers every day and I was definitely aware of
that stuff. They did treat both veteran pictures well. I
think that's going to serve them well in the future
when other folks want to come to town.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Just seeing how gracefully classy that they handled.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
This situation, it does. It does speak well for them. However,
it's still moving in forward.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Man.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
Just to talk about being competitive only next year, that's
going to be a hard self.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Hey, we got a lot to dive into here.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
I mean, what happened to the Dodgers, what's going on
with the Yankees? And how about your Chicago Cubs and
how read hot they are.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
We'll dive into those teams and more right after.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
This quick break.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Welcome back to the Book of Joe podcast, Trade deadline Recap,
and let's talk about the La Dodgers. Joe in the
month of July their rotation era was six point one
point eight, the worst month in Dodgers' history since they
the franchise moved to Los Angeles.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
There clearly is a need there to improve that rotation.
And what did they do well? They tried.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
They got in on Verlander, swung a miss They talked
about Dylan ce so the White Sox missed on that.
They did get lance Lynn, by the way, and Ryan Yarborough,
but the big ones.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
They wanted they couldn't get.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
They did arrange a deal with EDWARDO. Rodriguez of the
Detroit Tigers. Now he has a partial note trade clause
ten teams where he has veto power.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Dodgers were on that list.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
He said, no, I have a family in Miami and
I respect that that comes first, and he'd rather not
go to the West Coast.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
So that deal fell apart.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
I don't know how it got to that point, Joe,
where players got a list of ten teams that he
doesn't want to go to, and you arrange the deal
and then go back to the player essentially at the
eleventh hour, right before the deadline, and it doesn't get done,
of course, and the Tigers wind up.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
I don't want to say, stuck with Rodriguez.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
He's a good pitcher, but they had a trade asset
that they did not cash in. They really had to
do that, so the Dodgers wound up really not getting
a premier starting pitcher. So give me your sense of
where the Dodgers are at. I know they still have
Kershaw and Arias and Gonsolin and Lynn and Bobby Miller
and emmittt Shean, But you know the kind of confidence
(17:03):
factor you have in a Dodger rotation in past years
going to the postseason, I'm sorry it's not there.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
Well, I just it comes down to how hard did
they try too? I mean, I still all this stuff
indicates to me that they still have show a in
mind going into next season.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
The Rodriguez thing.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
That always amazes me that somebody doesn't want to go
from a really mediocre team to a team that has
a chance to win, like I know Vado did that
for years in Cincinnati, and I always that always bothers
me a little bit from a distance. I don't know
exactly what would hold you back. And we have Jed
airplanes and stuff. I mean, we all have family, so
(17:43):
that part of it. I've always had a hard time understanding.
But I do believe how hard did the Dodgers try
for all this stuff? Because for me, with Andrew wants
something and he goes and gets it, and so I
don't know they they've had a lot of success.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
There's still are successful, and I.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Do believe that they believe that they're going to get
to the playoffs somehow, and then it's going to be
that proverbial crapshoot.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
They may have some guys getting well that we don't
know about.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
There's some guys maybe they're in their system that they
really dig on that they think is going to be
very going to be very helpful or useful by the
time of September rolls around. So just indicates to me
that Andrew is sitting in the weeds for some reason.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Here. He knows what he's got.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
He evaluated everything, he did not want to give up,
certain people didn't think it was worth it for right now,
and he's again he's looking both the present tense and
future future tenses O Twani.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Present tenses. We looking at everything.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
They feel like they're going to be in the playoffs
this year, and either guys getting well, like I said,
or somebody's coming on board. They're looking at that in
regards to getting things better, and they're looking they're going
to dissect the competition very well and see how they
believe they stack up going into those last two months.
So I just I would just stay with the Dodgers
a bit. Something's going on there. They definitely have a
(18:58):
plan in mind, So I do believe they backed off
Lou but did not want to give up too much
because I think Show might be the the big target there.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
That's a great point.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Everything the Dodgers do is done through the prism of
Shohei Otani being a Dodger next year. That's at least
the plan. We'll see if it comes to fruition. But
it was a good day for the Atlanta Braves because
to me, the Braves, we all know, this best team
in the National League, and most of the impact moves
that were made around baseball were in the American League.
(19:26):
I didn't see anybody closing ground on the Atlanta Braves.
I liked what the Phillies did with Michael Lorenzen. Looks
like they might go to a six man rotation here
for the next couple of weeks to try to ease
off some of their big starting pitchers. You know, Wheeler
and Nola had big workloads last year and they've been
a little uneven this year. So adding another really good
arm who can also pitch out at the bullpen in
(19:48):
a postseason scenario. I like the pickup of the Lorenzen.
But again, the Braves, to me, they're far afield of
everybody else, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, you name it. So good
good day for the Atlanta Braves. Not such a great
day for the New York Yankees. Joe listening, we know
about their offensive problems. You know, Judges back in the lineup,
(20:10):
but Aaron Judge is going to get absolutely nothing to
hit unless somebody starts to heat up behind him in
that lineup.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
You're seeing that already.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
And they came away basically with Kenyan Middleton. It was
a really good relief pitcher. But that's the strength of
their team. They add it to their strength and addressed
none of their weaknesses. They're in the stretch of playing Baltimore,
Tampa Bay, and Houston. It's not going well so far,
having lost four out of five, and now the Houston
(20:38):
Astros come in with Verlander to face them.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
They're in a lot of trouble, Joe.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
And again we talked earlier about this. When you have
a team and you get through the deadline and you're
just kind of scrapping on the outskirts of the race
and you really do nothing of significance, to me, that's
a letdown.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
So let's see where the Yankees go.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
We know they're counting on, as they'd like to say,
the back of the baseball card of guys like Lemayhew
Rizzo Stanton, but you know what, those guys have not
been good for a while here this year, and right
now the New York Yankees look like they're in trouble.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
Offensively, yeah, I think they're almost in the same category
with the Dodgers, meaning that how hard did they try
regarding their positioning right now and the fact that I
still I do believe that they have Showy in mind
for next year too, And I don't think I don't
have any kind of inside information other than I think
that show now has been in the United States for
(21:31):
several years. I think it opens up more markets to him,
So I really believe that has something to do with
it too. Regarding the Yankees, they just don't move well.
I mean, I watched them a lot. A lot of
these guys just have lost a step a bit, and
that's really what it comes down to there. There are
better players, you know, are a little bit getting a
little bit longer in the tooth, and they're just not
(21:53):
moving as well as they had in the past. The
young guys, they got some nice young guys, but you know,
the vote, they still needs a lot of work to
do offensively, pitching wise. Herman, I mean, Herman Severino hit
or miss big time. So the Yankees to me, just
they don't move well, and I don't They're just they're
not going to hit. Their lineup is not a typical
(22:13):
Yankee lineup that we've seen in the past.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
We know that. So I think that that's what they did.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
I think Cash decided to, you know, just try to
play the middle as well as he can and his
plan for the future and not give up whatever other
prospects they have left right now. So I think they're
in the same boat as the Dodgers. How hard did
they try right now to change things? Last point with
Lorenz and I love Lorens and by the way, I
was with him for a bit, I thought and I
told him, I said, you were kind of like Mark
(22:38):
Fidrich and then he ends up going to Detroit. I
told him that last year. I love his sinker. I
love his sinker, and I love his change up. He
has a great change up. Competitive, great athlete, great athlete.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Good guy.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
I'm curious that he get on a team that's winning.
I want to see what he does for me. He
gets too complicated sometimes. I like when he's primal pitches
primarily with fast all sinker for seam or two and
then and then the change up and then judiciously uses
break and ball.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
But I think this guy could put He puts the
ball on the ground a lot.
Speaker 4 (23:16):
If you put a good defense behind him, which the
Phillies you know, pretty much have right now on the
ground up the middle, especially this this could be beneficial.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Then, so heads up with him.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
I might I like Michael a lot, and I'm really
pulling for a success.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
But I thought that was great acquisition.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
That's a great scouting report. By the way, Mark fidris Man,
he could put the ball on the ground as well
as any pitcher I've ever seen. So yeah, good pick
up by the Phillies. And you're right about the Yankees,
especially when they play. Some of these athletic teams, like
the Orioles and the Rays, they do look old and slow.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
I was looking at this the other day, looking at
some of their older.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Hitters against velocity against ninety five and above, and these
guys are all thirty three and above. Stanton's hitting a
buck seventy eight against velocity. Rizzo is hitting two nine,
Lea Mayhew is hitting one three against ninety five plus.
And Josh Donaldson. I know he's out for the season,
but he was hitting forty eight against velocity you're talking about.
(24:13):
You know, the Yankees invested a lot in these older hitters,
and the game changed on them. The rules of the
game literally changed. And of course we all know velocity
goes up every year. Uh, and they're stuck with this team.
As you said, Joe, that not a great not great movers,
and that includes in the batter's box.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
So I will give them this though.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
I thought the perfect fit for the Yankees was a
move they had to make weeks ago, and that was
Cody Bellinger.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
You know. Uh.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Bellinger was the kind of young athletic hitter from the
left side, especially the kind of bat the Yankees really needed.
But that window closed because of how well the Cubs
have played, so listen, I don't know if they could
have gotten Bellinger at that point the way the Rangers
stepped up jumped the market for earld As Chapman when
they knew they had an obvious need and a bullpen.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Why wait till the deadline.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
But there wasn't a whole lot out there for the
Yankees bat wise, impact bat wise once Bellinger came off
the market. And speaking of the Cubbies, Joe, the Cubbies
on July seventeenth had a six percent chance of going
to the postseason. They were in a lot of trouble
right well, they've been red hot since then. They are
only four games back. Now, they are in this thing
(25:27):
now and they're playing with a lot of belief. Picked
up Jamer Candelario, who was one of the best bats
on the market, and they go out and score twenty
runs on thirty one hits in their first game on
the other side of the deadline. So I don't know,
Rossi's got a little bit of a dangerous team right now.
Joe reminds me of some of your Cubs teams that
start playing better as the year goes on.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
Agreed.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
That's what I've been seeing too. Candelario is a nice
kid too.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Man.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
People don't know him. He's wonderful. He's got a great
way about him. When we first had him, when there
with the Cubbies, he was just coming up and he
showed great signs of being a good player, and then
he went away.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
Know he's come back, so I'm happy for him. He's
good people.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
I was watching Alzala the other day on TV. I
don't know who he's been working with, but the comebacker
on the inside edge the left handed hitters as spectacular
right now. Because I was curious why he was in
the at the end of the game, and then I
saw one pitch.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Is that there?
Speaker 4 (26:21):
It is because right now I can get out both
Rhydy's and lefty. So they got this going on. They
got some nice starters, but they have energy. I see
energy on the field. I think Bellinger's renaissance really feeds
a lot of that energy on the field. I love
Nico Horner.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
I think Nico is a winner. I like him a lot.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
I think he's a really good baseball player. And I
like Gulbs behind the play too. I think there's another
guy they got some They have a nice mix. They
got some young guys, they got the right older guys
almost like you said, like we did in twenty sixteen.
So there's a lot to like there right now. But
I do see energy when they play. I think they
have some baseball players out there. And like I said,
al Zalay, I didn't know that this is I was curious, but.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Just check that out.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
Check out that two seam back front door against left
ten hitters. It's a lot like Kyle Hendricks with a
lot more of velocie. I was wondering if Kyle had
worked with him at all.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
That's a good call.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
They've been waiting on him for a while, always liked
his arm, just trying to find the right spot and
how to use him.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
But it looks like they have found the right spot.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Now give you your thought now on that division here,
because the Cubs are definitely in play.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
The Brewers did what the Brewers do.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
You know, they tinkered around the edges of the roster,
which is not a complaint. I mean, they just find
a way to bring the right pieces. I love bringing
in Carlos Santana. They brought in Mark Canna, who's going
to help in the outfield, some veteran presence. They're getting
Brandon Woodriff back in that rotation, so you know, we've
seen this before the Cubs. The Brewers can be a
scary postseason opponent when they throw Burns, Woodriff and Peralta
(27:53):
at you.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
And we know how good the back of their bullpen is.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
So they love to get you in a three to
two ball game and chances are they're gonna win that
kind of game. And then the Reds, who you know,
they've been coming on like gangsters, but didn't add anything really,
Sam Mulla or Lever they added, but for a team
with a lot of young starting pitching, they're going to
ride with what they have now. I understand Hunter Green,
Nicolodolo both coming off the i L, so those are
(28:19):
sort of like additions through the trade market but coming
off the IEL. But you know, I think the door
is left open in that division and I think it's
now a three team race with the Cubs.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Well, first of all, yeah, you're right.
Speaker 4 (28:33):
Uh just when you talk about the Cubs, the one
thing that just comes to my head, it's hard to
maintain that level of success. But they went like almost
ten in a row, something like that recently went from
way under two a little bit over five hundred. That's
the one part that if there's if they're able to
and you'll find that out over the next two weeks,
if they're able to maintain that level, then they got
a legitimate chance or shot.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
It's just hard.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
It's hard to come back from that far. There's a
lot of again expenditure of energy to get there, and
then you get there and we'll see so well, yes,
I love what they're doing, but it's hard.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
To maintain that level of victory.
Speaker 4 (29:08):
The reds to me a little bit hot and cold,
and again that could be the youthful component of that.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
You're going to get to September.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
With some of these young guys actually going to get
a little bit fatigued. They're not used to that that
kind of a grind all year, So we'll see how
that plays out. But again, athletically and the youth should
be on their side. But then again it could break
down at some point. But I do love them, which
fringes me to the Bruers. The Brewer is to me,
like you just said, with those pitching, that pitching they've
had and they're kind of a steady methods. I think
(29:35):
they're going to continue that. You know, Craig in the
Dugout does a nice job with all that, and of
course David doesn't, so both Davids do. But I think
there's a consistency of steadiness about the Brewers. They're kind
of a metronome, so and you could be that way
when you when you pitch like they do. And I
like the acquisitions they just made two So if I
(29:56):
had a rank them, I just still say the Brewers
have an advantage just based on history, and they're pitching
cubs a lot of energy to get and now it's
going to be hard to stay there.
Speaker 3 (30:05):
And if they show you they.
Speaker 4 (30:06):
Can't over the next two weeks, heads up, and they
and the Reds just that they learning and understanding how
to win, how to win late in the season, and
how to when you get to the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
For the first time.
Speaker 4 (30:18):
That's there's something to that, and so that's what they're
experiencing right now. So when I look at those three teams,
that's how I see it.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
Well, it's a good point you make learning how to win.
That reminds me of the next team we want to
talk about. That's the Baltimore Orioles, and I've got to
get your take on a couple of your former teams.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
The Rays and the Angels.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Sure we do that right after this. I like that
phrase you had, Joe learning how to win. I really
do believe there is something to that. You know, the
environment when you get down the stretch.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
It's a little bit different.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Baseball becomes more of a sprint than a marathon, more
urgency and games. How you respond to that. I always
like teams that have been through. That doesn't mean you
can't win when you're young. Your team in twenty sixteen
was very young, and they handled it really well down
the stretch.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
I look at the Baltimore Orioles.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
Your guy Brandon Hyder has done a great job running
that team, best team in the American League. I thought
all along they really needed a starting pitcher. They have
some really good young pitchers who are throwing more innings
than they ever have.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
We know about their base of position players. It's terrific.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
And they went out and got Jack Flaherty, and I
applaud the move. And this is where you have to
rely on your scouts, because Jack Flaherty, when he's right,
he's got front of the rotation stuff. He's pitched better lately,
but he has not been a swing and miss guy
era well above four. I like the addition, don't get
me wrong, but this is where you rely on your
(31:54):
scouts about bringing in a guy like Jack Flaherity.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Is he the answer for the Baltimore Orioles?
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Listen when he was with the Cardinals.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
When I first saw him, I said, man, and this
guy is going to be like he's going to be
the bomb for years to come. He's so athletic and
that's still when pictures were hitting he hit, he'd line
drive the left field, get on first base and steal second.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
That good of an athlete. I thought the delivery was sound.
This stuff was outstanding.
Speaker 4 (32:20):
He didn't get tired, all the things you're looking for
in a young started, great body. And then like when
I saw him more recently, I didn't like the ARMStrokes.
I don't know what happened there. Something's different than when
I had seen him in the past. Is he I'm
not sure. Has he been injured? He did he hurt
his arm at all?
Speaker 1 (32:36):
Yeah, he's had some injuries, nothing major, but he's had
some shoulder issues. He's worked through those there have been
times where we've seen flashes of that flirty you talked
about in those first couple of years, But for the
most part, no, he's not been this quite the same picture.
And I'm with you, by the way, when he got
to the big leagues, man, he just looked like a repeater,
you know, a guy that you can count on each
(32:58):
year to make your thirty stars throw one hundred and
eighty innings with a three something era, And he just
hasn't been back there.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
I just I agree with you. The armstroke just doesn't
look the same.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
Something's off.
Speaker 4 (33:10):
I watch him, and then he'll misspy a lot, and
then he'll come back just because he's so athletic. He'll
get through some tough situations just based on athleticism, and
he's got good stuff. But it doesn't have that purity
that I saw when I first saw him with the
Cardinals several years ago. So I don't know what's been going.
I didn't watch him closely enough. And like you said,
scouts on the road they did it with Hicks when
(33:32):
they brought him to Baltimore from the Yankees. They must
have seen something, and apparently they probably saw something with
fire because young, yet he's got again one of the
better athletes on the mound you're going to see in
the game, kind of like Muskrove with the San Diego
they're kind of, you know, built like the same, and
they're very athletic, and they got good stuff. But I'm
just curious. I mean, I'm gonna watch when he pitches up.
(33:55):
I'll check out their games on the two because this
guy can be a difference makeare if they saw something,
then they can fix it and creat a little bit
more fluidity about his delivery and get his command back.
Heads up, because this stuff is that good.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Yeah, let's talk about the Rays because they also got
a starting pitcher. Aaron Savali of the of the Guardians. Listen,
it's a head scratcher. If you're a Guardians fan, you're
trading one of your best, healthiest starting pitchers when you're
right smack dab in the middle of a race for
a prospect first baseman who's thought of as a good hitter.
And listen, we know the Guardians need hitting, but these
(34:27):
windows to get into the postseason are precious. Every single
one of them head scratcher to me. But okay, that's
what the Guardians do. We've seen them in the past
trade starting pitchers during the season, whether it's Bauer, Clevenger, Klueber,
on and on they go. But kudos to the Rays
because we all know about the injuries, the Springs and
Rasmusen there. Now they have a really legit five man rotation. Joe,
(34:52):
no openers, guys who can give you length. Lastno McClanahan.
Adding Sivali to this mix. I really like the pick up.
It didn't get a lot of attention. He's not justin Verlander,
but he's got some of the best breaking ball metrics
in all of baseball. And my goodness, we all know
what the Rays can do with spin, So give me
(35:13):
your thoughts on where the Rays are at.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
And adding Savali.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
Well, I saw him briefly with the Indians. He is
a very good breaking ball pitcher. I don't even know
they Maybe they did some kind of study in the trap.
The combination of the field and the barometric pressure there.
It's going to make his breaking ball even better. He
has a great addition for them. But going back to
the Cleveland side, it just tells me they have somebody
to replace them, somebody they like. Again, when things like
(35:38):
this happen, there's got to be somebody in the wings
that they want to give opportunity to. And they know
Savali better than anybody knows Savally, so there's something with
that too, and I always consider that. But again from
the race perspective, you know, they did slip a little
bit more recently.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
I watched them last night. They looked pretty healthy last night.
Speaker 4 (35:57):
I guess Franco has not been the same or since
the little incident a couple months ago, and that has
had some kind of an impact on it. There's you know, internally,
they're not as groovy and internally as they had been.
I don't think a couple of months ago before this
all occurred. And I don't know, because again I'm not around,
and I don't I only watch some games on TV.
But I look at things like that, the kind of
(36:20):
immeasurables and how impactful they can be. So they have
a little bit crack in the armor that they weren't
showing early and here obviously, and Baltimore is not letting up.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Listen.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
I love watching the Orioles. I do, and they got
you know, somewhat close last year and now this year
they've they've added.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
You know, their young.
Speaker 4 (36:40):
Players are really coming into their own a bit. There's
something about them. They got that look that other teams
don't have nightly, and that's why I'm digging on them
right now. But of course the Rays have the history,
they have the pedigree, but there's just something there and
I'm not one hundred percent sure if I know what
I'm talking about, but it's just an observation.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
Now.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
I actually would agree with you. I think they've struggled
offensively for the last month. The happiness factor is not
quite the same, and the Orioles definitely have that hit factor.
My goodness, these young players really came up together. They
A lot of these guys have been teammates for a
long time, and that includes Gunnar Henderson and Attlee Rushman,
and those two are two franchise players. When you start
(37:23):
with two franchise players in their early twenties up the
middle on the diamond catcher and short stuff. If you
even't seen Gunnar Henderson play, folks, I mean you're missing
something because this guy is just an absolute stud. Big
guy magine Corey Seeger with more speed and a better
throwing arm and more range.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
I mean that's essentially who Gunnar Henderson is. So yeah,
I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (37:50):
I'm not discounting I still think the Orioles are the
team to be, but I do like the move the
Rays have made.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
Let's move on to the Angels and give them credit. Man.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
I mean, if you're a fan, you always want your
team to try as hard as it can to win,
especially when you have a chance, even a chance to
go to the postseason.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
And the Angels are doing that. Man I felt so bad.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Taylor Ward goes down, gets hit by the face perryman
Izzi and the GM pivots immediately and gets Gritgick and
Krone original draft picks by the way by the Angels.
But man, I look around, and it's still gonna be
tough for them, because the Astros got better, the Orioles
got better, the Rays got better, the Blue Jays got better.
All the teams that are in front of the Angels
(38:33):
for a playoff spot have not made it any easier
for the Angels to start leapfrogging anybody for that last
wildcard spot.
Speaker 4 (38:41):
Yeah, but I agree with you. I think they kind
of got the right guys. They got some veteran presence
in there, hard players. I'm a Crone dog fan. I
had his daddy back in the minor leagues. Chris cc
I had cc for years and CJ has the same
kind of attitude as his dad. I love that part
about it. And Ritchik I watched him from a distance
(39:02):
with Saint Louis. This guy can strike out four times
in a night and come out the next night and
whistle three balls to the right center. Good outfield. They're hard player.
They got hard players. Stock is hard player. The guys
they picked up are hard players, and I like that.
The biggest challenge they have there for Phil right now,
I think is just bringing them all together in a
short period of time.
Speaker 3 (39:22):
I think what they're trying to do.
Speaker 4 (39:23):
They've kind of emulated the success story of the Braves
from a couple of years ago, and they brought in
all those outfielders simultaneously at the trade deadline, and they
got some Solaire in Rosario Duval and I'm missing Jock Peterson.
I mean, it's kind of similar to that. And they
got to pitch, and they've been pitching a little bit better. Defensively,
(39:45):
of course, we got to catch the ball, but the attitude.
Speaker 3 (39:48):
On the field is dramatically improved with these guys.
Speaker 4 (39:50):
They got real guys, they got grown ups with good makeup,
so they're gonna be it's gonna be curious to watch
this whole thing unfold. But again, to me, the most
difficult thing to do right now is you got good players,
is to bring them together and not just be mercenaries
and be Angels and see if that results in a
winning season.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
Yeah, but I would agree with you they got the
right players to make that happen. When you think about
Mike Mustakas and a dwardo Escobar, these guys.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Are great teammates. You know that, Joe.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
It's important when you drop guys in the middle of
the year, and as many as the Angels have, so
I think, at least in terms of character, I think
they have the right group to make that happen.
Speaker 3 (40:31):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (40:31):
I mean that's what I look at. I always talk
about having grown ups in the room. I mean, I
had to be my I'll be lamenting that during the.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
Course of a season.
Speaker 4 (40:39):
Sometimes they did more recently with the Angels because there
wasn't enough grown ups in the room. Guys that may
eventually be better players, but for right now, it just
wasn't working. So you need to get grown ups in
the room, and meaning guys like Mustakas.
Speaker 3 (40:52):
What does that mean?
Speaker 4 (40:52):
A guy that shows up every day, it's not afraid
to call somebody out conversation.
Speaker 3 (40:57):
I'm not talking about.
Speaker 4 (40:58):
Loudly in front of everybody, but go to the locker
and have the right kind of conversation with that player.
That's important. I just I've already mentioned this before. I
think Mustakas might be the most viable addition.
Speaker 3 (41:10):
I see him.
Speaker 4 (41:11):
It's ten him out almost two. When the Royals brought
in Ibanyas a couple of years ago, I see him
having that kind of personality, that kind of impact. Very
positive guy and a good player. I mean he's a
better player than people give him credit for. He's a
clutch player. So that's what they needed. They needed to
do that, and they've done that.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
Just to give you an idea though, how tough the
schedule is coming up here. They're just finishing up a
series at Atlanta. Then they play the Mariners, the Giants,
the Astros, the Rangers, the Rays, and the Reds.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
I mean that's tough. That's a tough stretch for the Angels.
Speaker 3 (41:53):
Well, that's the whole thing.
Speaker 4 (41:54):
I mean when I was looking at it, when they
were making all these moves, and I kept getting the
same question even on MLB network, like what do you think?
Speaker 3 (42:01):
What should they do?
Speaker 4 (42:02):
And I'm well, I understand why they're doing what they're doing,
but they is there a tougher schedule than there's right now?
You know it comes mathematically, I don't even know because
I saw I looked at there, I looked at the
last team. I said, Wow, that's quite a trip. But
I also believe this it's going to bring out the
best in that group. They've already played the Braves tough
(42:23):
the last two nights, uh two losses in Toronto, come
back and win a tough.
Speaker 3 (42:28):
Game on the last day.
Speaker 4 (42:29):
There's there's a there's a grid about these group of guys,
and I like these guys.
Speaker 3 (42:33):
I do. I know a lot of them, and I.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
Think they're They're good people, and they they're hard players
and they care.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
So that's it.
Speaker 4 (42:39):
They're they have an almost impossible schedule, but in order
to be the best, you got to beat the best,
and it might bring out the best in them because
on a nightly basis, there's there's no there's no letups.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
Absolutely, Hey, we're gonna take one last quick break.
Speaker 5 (42:54):
We come back.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
We're gonna wrap things up.
Speaker 1 (42:56):
And I want to ask Joe if the trade deadline
at all changed his idea of who is bound.
Speaker 2 (43:04):
For the World Series.
Speaker 5 (43:05):
We'll be right back. Welcome back to the.
Speaker 1 (43:19):
Book of Joe podcast Wrapping Things Up, our Trade deadline special.
By the way, Joe, I mentioned the Guardians kind of
head scratcher moving a starting pitcher there in the race,
but it's head scratcher. The Minnesota Twins did absolutely nothing.
This is a team that got absolutely scorched at the
deadline last year in trades for Pablo Lopez and Tyler Maley.
(43:41):
Gave up a lot of prospects, got basically nothing in return.
I don't know whether they turned gun shy or not,
but they did nothing to an offense that has way
too much swing and miss. And I know that the opportunity,
the door is wide open to win a very weak division.
I get that it wasn't like they had to do anything,
but man, I wanted to see the Twins add a
right handed bats somebody who could put the ball in play,
(44:04):
like Tommy fam who wound up with the Arizona Diamondbacks
was a great fit.
Speaker 2 (44:09):
So yeah, it's a flip of a coin.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
I don't know who you like in that division though, Joe,
you're talking about the Twins and the Guardians.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Neither one had a great deadline.
Speaker 4 (44:18):
Well, at the beginning of the year, I really thought
Minnesota had a solid chance.
Speaker 3 (44:22):
I've been surprised. They check up on them daily and
they keep spinning their wheels.
Speaker 4 (44:26):
But I've been in part of groups that have spun
their wheels up until August, and all of a sudden,
you gain traction, Like you're saying, you think that they
may have added something, some kind of energy, something they
need as you're suggesting, with contact, but they still they
still have I think the best chance of winning that division.
Speaker 3 (44:45):
I do.
Speaker 4 (44:46):
Of course, that's not stepping out on a limb. They
have really good talent they need they need to catch
a wave at some point and start writing it. So again,
I don't know the internal makings of all that. And
when it comes down to more acquisitions, they I could
actually see meetings there where the guys are saying, yeah,
if we do something like this, they may get us
to the playoffs, but do we want to sacrifice the
(45:08):
future because I don't see us going deeply into the playoffs.
So there's all these different kinds of conversations that do occur.
They'd either motivate a group to do something or to
hold on to what they got. They should, they should
at some point gain some traction and do it. I
do like their pitching, and like you said offensively, just
I don't know. Philosophically, I don't know. I mean, this
(45:28):
is the strikeout world that we live in. I just
haven't watched them enough. I got to start putting them
on the MALB network a little bit more off for
the MLB package and start checking them out.
Speaker 3 (45:38):
I just I look at them in the newspaper a lot.
Speaker 1 (45:41):
Yeah, I mean, as you know that the teams that
really put it together put together a charge. You want
to go back to seven with the Rockies, when something
like twenty one out of twenty two down the stretch.
Speaker 2 (45:50):
We all remember those because they're outliers.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
It's very difficult to play one way for one hundred
and ten games or one hundred and five games and
then all of a sudden be lights out right. And
I think about the San Diego Padres in that regard. Right,
you look at the roster their talent, and they made
some moves that improved the roster a little bit, but
there's still under five hundred in my book. To get
the eighty seven wins, which I think is the minimum
(46:14):
you're going to need to be a postseason team, they
need to finish thirty five and twenty. I see nothing
about the way they've played the entire season to think
that's possible.
Speaker 2 (46:25):
But I look at the roster on paper and I think.
Speaker 1 (46:29):
Why can't they play six fifty baseball? So they've confounded
me all year, Joe. Sometimes you wait for a run
and it never comes.
Speaker 4 (46:38):
Well, I watched them too, and I just, again, for
a lack of a better terms, I just don't like
the way they play a lot. I mean, there's just
something kind of missing. There's a level of intensity that
just doesn't seem to be present there. But the names
are great, great names, really good names on the field
and the mound and the bullpen, a lot of really
good names. It just does not want to click. And
(47:02):
you're right, it's hard to just turn that U Dimmer
switch up and all of a sudden you're gonna be good.
Speaker 3 (47:07):
Now.
Speaker 4 (47:07):
The one situation I've been in and you're aware of.
This was the greatest night in baseball because that month,
the Rays we came from like eight or nine games
back at the September first in order to edge out
the Red Sox on the last day of the season.
So you know, when teams choose to give up or whatever.
I always in the back of my mind because listen,
(47:29):
as a manager, I would start trying to map out
different ways that we're gonna that we're gonna catch up,
and like a game a week or two games maybe a.
Speaker 3 (47:37):
Week in August.
Speaker 4 (47:37):
I mean I had all this different or in September,
different scenarios plotted out. So it's not impossible, but you
have to play, obviously.
Speaker 3 (47:45):
At a very high level. Mentally. It really comes down
to it.
Speaker 4 (47:49):
It's it's a there's it's a mental exercise because on
a daily basis, brother, of course, you're gonna make mistakes,
but if you do, you've got to be able to
turn the page and move on very quickly to the
next moment.
Speaker 3 (48:01):
That's part of it that helps you.
Speaker 4 (48:03):
You get through these stuff times or achieve the thirty
five and twenty kind of a record that you're looking for.
That stuff does happen, but it takes a mental effort,
a giant mental effort more than anything.
Speaker 1 (48:17):
I like the way you put that you just can
never give up. You really have to keep the pedal
to the floor. And even then, as you did with
the Rays that year, you need help. Yeah, I mean
the Red Sox absolutely collapsed in September. They want something
like five and twenty, So you need both ends to
work in your favor, all right. I think that the
deal for Justin Verlander makes the Houston Astros for me,
(48:42):
the favorite to come out of the American League. I
just have so much respect for the way that team
plays postseason baseball. They put the ball in play, Been there,
done that. That's a big factor for me. Starting too.
Of Valdez and Verlander, however you want to arrange them is.
I mean, I don't know if anybody's got better first
too at the top of the rotation, especially if they
(49:03):
can win the division and stay out of the wildcard
round in the first round get their pitching lined up,
that would be huge.
Speaker 2 (49:10):
So in the American League, I like the Houston Astros jaw.
Speaker 1 (49:14):
I think when we look back on it, I think
the trade of Verlander will be the most impactful trade
that happened at the deadline.
Speaker 4 (49:20):
It's hard to argue against that. However, I still like Texas.
I think, you know, Boach really helps that situation a
lot quite frankly, the bullpen, you know, with Chappie throwing
the ball really well. And last night they used tim
first and then Smith's second to finish a game. Last
night it was a two to nothing win.
Speaker 3 (49:35):
Team on the field.
Speaker 4 (49:37):
You know, like I said, they're good, They're not great,
but I you know, Andrew Heaney would eleven punchdowns the
other night. I'll see Andrew to me is like one
of the best kept secrets if this guy just trust
and believes in his fastball, because his other stuff is
penestri and his fastball is that good. But just pointing
it out, they're still there, and that's going to be
I think Houston's obviously biggest challenges them and of course
(50:01):
the Braves in the National League. But I it's gonna
be it's gonna be interesting to watch, especially that they're
they're in the same division a couple hours apart actually
physically geography geography speaking, So I got Houston and Texas
making it very interesting.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
Yeah, and by the way, we should have mentioned that Texas.
Speaker 1 (50:21):
I think it's the most impactful under the radar deal
was getting Austin Hedges to catch. I mean, a huge
injury to Jonah him who's having an All Star season,
does a great job receiving, blocking, throwing and hedges. You're
not gonna get the offense, but my goodness, he's a
premier receiver behind the plate. And listen, you made the
(50:41):
investment in pitchers like Evaldi. We'll see if he's healthy.
Heine and now Scherzer. They're gonna love throwing the hedges.
So that that's a big one in my book. And
you know with Bochi it's that's important for him as well,
and the way he runs a game to have that
that really defensive minded catcher behind the plate.
Speaker 2 (50:57):
So good on Chris Young for picking up.
Speaker 1 (50:59):
I thought it was a need to get a catcher,
and to me, they got one of the best defensive
catchers in the game.
Speaker 3 (51:04):
Is Montgomery there too, and.
Speaker 2 (51:06):
Montgomery there as well.
Speaker 3 (51:07):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (51:08):
I'm a fan. I'm a big fan. I like him
a lot. He's one of those under the radar guys.
Speaker 3 (51:16):
You know with the Yankees, I liked what I saw there.
Speaker 4 (51:18):
Came on good with the Cardinals, they're probably you know,
I don't even know if it's matching up against the
Astros Alvarez. Though Alvarez Pummel's left handed pitching, there's no
advantage to be had there.
Speaker 3 (51:32):
I don't know if he's cooled down with that.
Speaker 4 (51:33):
But I like that move also, so they as a
pitching group, the Rangers are pretty tough to beat right now.
Speaker 1 (51:41):
Montgomery is amazing to watch. I mean, he gets two
strikes on you. He's not going to throw the ball
in the strike zone. He's going to bounce his breaking ball,
bounce his change up, and guys still swing at it.
There must be something about the way he throws. Guys
just don't track it well off him.
Speaker 3 (51:54):
Well, there's deception. There's absolute deception there.
Speaker 4 (51:57):
And it's kind of like a bigger version of like
Jeff's on or Tommy John I mean, where they actually
catch these and workouts, and they would never throw the
ball over the plate. Never the white part of the
play was never utilized. It was always edges, an inch
or two off the edges and like you said, underneath,
because back then it wasn't about throwing the ball up
in his own hardly at all.
Speaker 3 (52:17):
But I think there's a craftiness about this guy.
Speaker 4 (52:21):
I don't know him, but I like the way pitches
and I think he could be tough in the latter
part of the year.
Speaker 1 (52:26):
Well, Joe, this has been fun and I think it's
a fun time of year because this is the stage
of a season where urgency comes into play, right, It's
the sprint begins. Now you're on the other side of
the trade deadline, you know, with the new rules with
the deadline, it's not like you're gonna sneak guys through waivers.
There's more deals coming the way the Astros got Verlander
a few years ago.
Speaker 5 (52:47):
This is it.
Speaker 1 (52:48):
This is the team that you have pretty much going forward,
other than guys who are released, and everybody knows that.
Everybody's locked in with the personnel they have now and
it's game on. It's as you said, you got to
lock it in every game down the stretch.
Speaker 2 (53:01):
Here, it's a fun time of year.
Speaker 4 (53:03):
And this is where really good farm systems play big too, because,
like I said, with the Dodgers, I.
Speaker 3 (53:07):
Don't know this.
Speaker 4 (53:08):
I don't know anything about their farm system except that
they're hiding somebody. They got somebody that they really dig
on that they're going to eventually pop at us in
the near future.
Speaker 3 (53:17):
I really believe that.
Speaker 4 (53:18):
So it comes down to that kind of stuff too.
And also guys getting well. I think you mentioned that
about a couple of pictures coming back for a particular team,
But that's another part of it. That's another version of
an acquisition is when you've lost somebody for the majority
of the season, all of a sudden, he's going to
get well August September. That's kind of an acquisition too,
and you got to be aware of that. So, yes,
(53:39):
you can't acquire anybody like traditionally, but I like i'd
like to this one. You really scour the farm systems
and what people are doing, like I said, the injury list,
who's coming back, because that could be a difference maker.
Speaker 3 (53:51):
Two m.
Speaker 2 (53:52):
You just made me think about Walker Bueller. Maybe he's
ahead of the schedule.
Speaker 1 (53:56):
Maybe he's going to be a weapon even if it's
out of the bullpen for that Dodger team.
Speaker 2 (54:00):
Very interest.
Speaker 3 (54:00):
They got something, they got something going on.
Speaker 1 (54:02):
Yeah, how about you you got something for us to
take us out here In our trade deadline edition of
the Book of Joe podcast.
Speaker 4 (54:08):
Yeah, this young philosophical young lady by name of Nick
Nicole Lyons loved it. Whatever it is that stirs your soul,
listen to that, everything else is just noise.
Speaker 3 (54:19):
I think I lived by that, so I thought that
was really appropriate to me.
Speaker 4 (54:24):
Whatever it is that stirs your soul, listen to that,
everything else is just noise.
Speaker 2 (54:29):
Love it very poetic. I love that. It's been fun, Joe.
We'll see you next time.
Speaker 3 (54:34):
Thanks brother, appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (54:41):
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