July 29, 2025 • 58 mins
On this podcast: Dave Steinwedel and David Miles are back for a loaded podcast including:
Sirus XM NHL Network Radio Host Dave McCarthy joins the guys to talk about the Maple Leaf fans that went after him. The Maple Leafs offseason decisions, how Florida is still number 1 and can't be touched, the Metro sucks, Edmonton's goaltending plans and more. (4:01-25:05)
MLB Writer for Bleacher Report Kerry Miller joins all the Dave's to talk about the Blue Jays being the best, what to make of this trade deadline, Should MLB do a salary cap? Bryce Harper and Rob Manfred, Yankees, and why this might be a slow deadline. (25:06-END)
Sirus XM NHL Network Radio Host Dave McCarthy joins the guys to talk about the Maple Leaf fans that went after him. The Maple Leafs offseason decisions, how Florida is still number 1 and can't be touched, the Metro sucks, Edmonton's goaltending plans and more. (4:01-25:05)
MLB Writer for Bleacher Report Kerry Miller joins all the Dave's to talk about the Blue Jays being the best, what to make of this trade deadline, Should MLB do a salary cap? Bryce Harper and Rob Manfred, Yankees, and why this might be a slow deadline. (25:06-END)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This week's Opening Kickoff Podcast is presented to you by
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next event. Hello, Welcome to this week's edition of the
(01:15):
Opening Kickoff Podcast. So we got a great one in
store here tonight. I'm your host, Dave Steinwinel. We are
gonna be off next week. I'm on vacation, so we're
gonna take a much needed breather before football previews. We
have our good friend kp is gonna join us to
host the college football and NFL preview shows that will
(01:36):
happen in the month of all because a lot of
great stuff coming up. Great show tonight, Our good friend
from serious x MNHL Network Radio, Dave McCarthy is gonna
stop by. We haven't had Dave one in a while
and talk some NHL off season Carry Miller or Bleacher
Report is gonna swing by. Later in the show, we're
gonna dive into the MLB trade deadline. Bryce Harper getting
(01:58):
into it with Rob Manfred. The latest on that Aaron
Judges on the IL. Could we see him not play
in the field when he comes back? A lot of questions,
a lot of fun topics in the baseball world to
get into. Uh Peyton Roden not here this week. Brandon Stevens,
we don't currently know where he is.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Somewhere deep in the government.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Hey, we lost him in the government. He's a government worker.
Now maybe we'll see him again. I don't know. I
hope so, I hope Brandon's just doing well. May Peyton
mayhop on later. Don't know. He's got family in town.
So I got my guy, David. Miles is here with me. David,
it's been a couple of weeks for you, all right,
(02:40):
gotta shake the rust off here, get back into this.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Swing of it, those of you who had been here
since around the year two, because I wasn't here yere one.
You know me, when I get back in shape, I
can get back in shape even if I have unexpected visitors.
Sometimes I can't always maneuver my way around. Because we
have another unexpected visitor today, So hello, say hello. I
(03:04):
am joined by the one and only Camden and Miles.
That's how we adjust over here on opening kickoff radio,
and he is muted, ladies and gentlemen. This is how
we do.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, I've had to mute myself because apparently this microphone
is so good. You can hear me breathing from time
to time.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yeah, yeah, there was there was any of you a
couple weeks ago where I was just like, who's breathing?
And then I look at this is you just.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Okay? I Yeah, I had a couple of weeks ago
or two listening back to the pot as I'm editing it.
I go good, God, I sound like a fat guy
that donut shop right now?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Like easy there, bring fellow in your defense, you've lost
a lot of weight, Daves. A great job. Great job, man,
I'm proud of you.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Yeah. Well, I'll go to the beach next weekend. I'm
not sure that's gonna stay, but we'll find out.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Now to show it off somehow, someway.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
All right, give me, we're waiting on Dave McCarthy. We're
having a little bit of technical issues here, it appears,
trying to get him situated. Uh so we are gonna
step aside. We're gonna come back here in a moment
with Dave McCarthy hopefully on the opening kickoff podcast. All right,
(04:29):
so technical difficulties aside. It took us a little bit
to make this happen. Dave steinmdel David Miles, and please
to be joined by our good friend. It's been a
while since he's been on the program. From up in Canada.
That would be serious XMNHL network radio host Dave McCarthy.
He's got an amazing backdrop right now, a bright blue shirt,
(04:50):
David is great to see. How you doing.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
I'm good boys, what's going on and tell you what
the technical difficulties were nothing to do with me not
wanting to be on. I was yelling at my phone there.
I'm like, what the hell is going on here? I've
got an invite, there's no link. I'm old, I don't
know what's going on. Like it was a It was
a panic inducing situation for about a few minutes.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
And I did take ownership, full responsibility. It was it
was my fault. I didn't Yeah, I did not send
the right link the first time. Probably should have double checked.
That didn't double check. It's that's a bad host. That's
a bad host on my part. So let me ask you, Dave,
what's been the most technical difficulty you ever had on
(05:33):
the air?
Speaker 4 (05:34):
Well, we only deal with phones, so we're operating on
a technology that exists, and it's like, what when was
the phone invented? I don't like the early nineteen hundreds,
So we're not We don't try to do the video
zooms and all that on serious XM. And so we're
(05:55):
fortunate that way because at times I think the phone
is enough of a challenge for Yes, I've got a
story that actually comes to mind. We had Joel Erickson
eck of the Minnesota wild On probably what was it
two summers ago now, maybe maybe three that he signed
his extension in Minnesota, and Minnesota is great to deal with.
(06:18):
Aaron Sickman and his whole staff. They're incredible. They win
the pr Staff of the Year war just about every
year for good reason because are unbelievable to deal with. Anyway,
this was I think early July, early July, mid July.
Whenever he sign it doesn't matter. But he was like, yeah,
Joel can come on, no problem. Here's his number. Given
(06:42):
a call. It was a Swedish number. It was like
plus exclamation point four three whatever. I'm like, oh my god.
So we tried calling it and it didn't. It didn't work.
And I'm on the air as we're trying to do
this right and my producers he's not working man, as
I can't even get a dial zone. I'm like, okay,
(07:04):
hold on. So, like while talking, I sent off an
email to his associated at the time it's not even
with a while anymore, and she's like, oh, and like
this is Sunday morning, right, I'm like, they're probably not
even gonna respond. She responds within like second, and she's
like oh my god, hang on, let me call him
on my phone and then you can call my phone
(07:26):
and I can merge the call. At that point she
might as well been talking Swahili lost me, but I'm like, okay, sure,
let's try to do that, and within like two minutes
he was on the air. So that was probably the
greatest technical difficulty story that I can remember, off to
off my head for the Minnesota wild Aces, in my books,
(07:47):
they're among the best to deal with.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
How's the off season been for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
I see you've been having some spars online with some
of the Leafs, and I get it to leave fans
are passionate. This has been a tough couple of years,
and this has not been a great off season in
a sense because you lose Mitch Marner. But how do
(08:11):
you view it?
Speaker 4 (08:15):
Yeah, so I guess you were among the several hundred
thousand people who saw that Twitter exchange when they announced
the schedule, and I just like I thought i'd advance
the story right, Like we all know, because you know,
we're in the business, we understand how it works. But Joe,
average fan generally does not understand that if you are
(08:39):
on the road and you play the night before and
then you travel into a city the next day and
are playing that night, that there is no mourning availability
like most people don't understand that. So most people were
tweeting out the schedule, and I thought I'd value value
ad if you will to the story by pointing out
(09:02):
what that likely means. And oh my god, did I
get Pillar read fellas Pillar read by people who apparently
suggest that I was trying to cause shit? Am I
allowed to say that I just did for Mitch mart
So what I was trying to do. All I was
trying to do is there's a lot of people who
(09:23):
are interested in what he has to say, okay, and
I am among them. Now, not everybody, I can promise
in this city with Broker a fair interview, I can
promise that I would. I'm interested in getting the chance
to speak to him. And I pointed out that they're
(09:43):
given the fact that they are in Boston on the
Thursday night and then in Toronto on the Friday night.
You know that that Boston to Toronto back to back.
That happens all the time every year. I thought i'd
point out what it never happens. I thought i'd point
out what that means, and I looked at my phone. Honestly,
(10:08):
I put it down, as I generally do in the summer.
I usually do my tweeting between like four and five,
when I'm sitting like literally right here for those of
you watching, like I usually do my tweeting right here, Okay,
thank you, four and five. I'm relaxing. I am myself
at that time, and then I put the phone away
until like nine o'clock after I make dinner, and I
(10:30):
picked up my phone at nine o'clock, and I was like,
oh my god, what the hell happened? And then it
was simply because people thought I was creating a to do,
not at all. So that was the early part of
my summer. And I just think it's very coincidental that
Vegas has never been to Toronto on the second of
(10:50):
back to backs, no once, and and if I made
very quick I thought, well, they're in Vegas the week prior,
maybe I'll make my way out to Vegas get them
the week before. Where are they the day before they
(11:14):
play in Vegas the maple Leafs. They're in Los Angeles,
So that's not going to be a possibility to either.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Okay, feel good to get that off your chest.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Yeah, I mean I would know. Like that's the thing.
It appears people think that I'm buttered. I am not buttered.
I would just like the opportunity to speak, that's all.
And I don't I don't know why it seems to
be such an issue to get to Minch, That's all.
(11:56):
I don't have anything else to say on it. That's
all I can say.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Is it fair to say, though, that it feels like
Toronto looked at this roster heading into this offseason after
another playoff disappointment and said we have to do something differently.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
Yeah, for sure, Because Brad Trey living prior to all
this coming to pass, in like mid May, after they
got eliminated, he said, there's DNA change that needs to
occur on this roster, and he's right. After you look
at games five and seven on home ice. How can
you argue otherwise, How can you argue otherwise? They weren't
(12:35):
even in the game. Like I was saying to a
girl from she just moved here this summer yesterday from Calgary,
and I said to you a flame span She's like, well, yeah,
I like I'm in Toronto now, So I was like
a leaf span. She was like, what the hell was that.
I'm like, I mean, you're not wrong, right, Like it
just didn't even look like they were in the games
in games five and seven. I think the most confounding
(12:59):
thing is Game six, they played pretty good, so like
you had two chances to finish them off. You couldn't
get it done in game or not in game five
to finish them off, but to take the lead in
the series, you lay an a backs up against the wall,
you play pretty good on the road in game six.
You get another chance to finish them off in game seven,
(13:20):
and it's a no show the likes of which we
saw in game five. Like, something's got to change, because
it's not just this year, as you guys know, it's
been time and again and again and again and again
and again and again and again and again. And I
think that's nine fingers, okay, So something has to change. Now.
With saying all that, here's the wild thing. The Leafs
wanted to resign Mitch Marner. Leafs wanted to resign Mitch Marner.
(13:43):
He chose that he wanted to go elsewhere, and that's fine,
that's his prerogative. I just wish that he'd be able
to speak different story we just talked about, But I
think it's gonna be a good thing. At some point.
You can't keep bringing back the same time and again
and again. He got to change leaves. Are still a
good team. They've got a spine that most teams in
(14:05):
the NHL would be envious of with with Matthews and Tavares,
which took less and is revered as a hero. Now
after what he said, maybe a different story. We'll talk
about that later, maybe when those kneelander. They've got some
good depth. I think they did good and bringing in
Nick Waugh and and and Dakota Joshua, Bobby McMahon, Scott
(14:27):
lot and like that. Steven Lorenz like that's a pretty
good bottom six. Their d is strong and their goaltending
is strong. They'll be fine, And once teams fall out
of it in season, they'll be able to go out
and add an upgrade to their top six, and I
think they'll be fine. But you know, it was it
(14:48):
was a case that I think something had to change,
and in this case, Mitch decided something needed to change,
and so he goes to Vegas and we'll see what
happens there, and I think the Leafs will still be
a good team, So I think it's probably a win
win for everybody.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
I gotta ask about Florida though, because Florida. It was
honestly impressive the moves that Billy Zito the GM made
at the trade deadline, bringing in Marshan, bringing in Seth Jones,
and then able to keep the band together in the offseason,
which didn't feel like a possibility. No, how exactly did
(15:28):
Billy Zito be able to do this well?
Speaker 4 (15:32):
I think the biggest thing is is that there was
buy in from the players. Aaron Ekbland left millions of
dollars on the table by not going to free agency,
and what he said in signing the contract that he
did was that I like it in Florida. I've done
(15:54):
pretty well. I'm still doing pretty well and signing this deal,
even though it's not as good as I could be doing,
I'm still doing pretty well and I've probably got another
Like there's probably probably four years right in in in
Florida where they're going to continue to be at the
(16:14):
top of their of their division, where I can continue
to take kicks at a Stanley Cup. I don't have
to move. I don't have to move my family. The
tax situation is good, like this is a win win
win win win, but for the fact that I'm probably leaving.
What did he sign for like five and change? He
(16:35):
probably could have got like eight and so twenty four
depends where he signs after tax, it's twelve. You move
your family. I'll probably call that two million my like
ten million, like when he's made whatever he has goes
to one hundred, Like what is like, it's not moving
your needle. You're happy. As Brad Trey Living told me
(16:55):
around July first we were talking about other stuff. He said,
don't with when we were talking about John Tavares, and
same commentary I think applies to Aaron Ecklett. Don't screw
it with happy. He's happy there. It works. So he
got buy in there. That was number one. Sam Bennett, Well,
(17:17):
you know what, he got his money and that's more,
probably more or less what he was going to get
paid elsewhere. People suggesting he was going to get ten
plus if he went to the open market. I didn't
hear that myself. Behind the scenes. I think that was conjecture.
And he's the type of guy that, like if you
were to pay him ten, you would hate that deal
(17:40):
the moment the pen hit the table, right, So he
got his money, he says, in the situation where he
knows he has success, doesn't have to be the guy.
He just continues to play the role that he played.
He's going to play it very well. And Bradley Marshawn
took a seven thousand year deal to keep his capy
it low, so good for him. But again, he wants
(18:02):
to finish out his career in a situation where he's
got a chance to contend and he's gonna get his money.
He's just going to take a little bit longer. But whatever,
he'll get his money. It's a win win win. And
you don't get buy in like that the players all
the time, and they did there. So the fact that
they've created a culture where like that is the epitome
(18:23):
of take a little less so that we can continue
to keep the band together. Like I don't know Pittsburgh
back in the day. They've created that in Florida and
they're reaping the benefits of it. And I think if
you're the Florida Panthers and their fans right now, you
gotta be looking at the rest of the teams, not
just the Atlantic Division but around the NHL and saying
(18:43):
who who the hell got better? Like not better from
seventeenth to twelfth type thing, and this like better to
the point where you were in the mix and now
can really challenge us for a Cup. I can't really
point to a team. I think it's Florida one, and
then like somewhere down here, it's everybody else starting it too.
(19:06):
I think they're absolutely the favorites going in the next year.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
That was actually gonna be my question if that's taking
that step to contain Like.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Can you think of anybody like I can't, maybe Vegas,
but like, I don't know. I got to see what
Mitch can do in the playoffs. I haven't seen it here.
And they've lost Alex Petrangelo, who was a guy who
played like twenty eight minutes a night on their back end,
and they haven't replaced him yet. They might, but at
this point they haven't. That's a huge hole because that
was the foundation of their team, their back end. So like,
(19:40):
is there a team that comes to you guys?
Speaker 3 (19:42):
I mean, I'm not the hockey Savannah of the show,
but I'm a local guy.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
I'm in Philly.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
I know that the Flyers have made moves. I'm not
sure how to quantify them as far as they're the
moves to make them from the pits of where they
are to this astonishing team. But I do know that
they've generated a whole buzz of hype and I would
say a resurgence of interest into the team. And so
I was going to say maybe them, but as you said,
(20:08):
you know, you know they made that step up into
being able to uh be close to it's kind of
as a huge gap and then too.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
So yeah, no, I'll put it this way. Philadelphia's in
the business is selling hope right now, and and hope
is from climbing out of the basement to being in
the mix for a playoff spot. That that's what they're
trying to sell right now. And and I think they've
got a team where you can kind of get behind
(20:36):
them to an extent. Are they going to be a
Stanley Cup contender? Chance? I'm sorry, not a chance right
And and I but but could they be in the
mix come March? Yeah? Maybe maybe, Because I honestly I
don't think the Metro is that good Metro division. I
think is probably the worst division in the league right now,
(20:58):
so absolutely they could be in the mix because I
think Pittsburgh sucks, Like really, I think Columbus is looking
to take a step. The Islanders will see what happens.
The Rangers, like, honestly, we'll see what happens. They were
no good last year. Carolina I think will be good.
The Devils should be good if Jack Hughes can ever
stay healthy. Who am I missing here in that division? Washington?
(21:25):
I think Washington will be good. So like, could Philly
challenge for Walkhart Maybe for sure? Maybe, And I think
that would be a successful season for them. But like,
in terms of really challenging for the Cup, look at
teams that went deep. Did Winnipeg get any better? No,
they lost Nick Elers, they didn't really replace them. Did
Toronto get any better, like right now? No? Did Dallas
(21:48):
get any better? No? Did Colorado get any better?
Speaker 2 (21:50):
No?
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Did Edmonton get any better? I don't think so. They
don't address their goal attending.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Which is unfathomable. I the and and to cutch off,
but how can Edmonton after that playoffs sit there and
honestly go you don't have a problem with our goaltending
when Everybody watching the Stanley Cup would say Edmonton's gonna
(22:18):
get far because of their offense and that defense, but
they're gonna lose when it comes to crunch time because
the goaltending is just so poor.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
There's not a lot of goalies available. That's the problem,
right that can fit into their cap structure right now,
That's that's prom Edmonton is in cap hell right now.
Like they have no money. They are the Leaps five
years ago, right, They've got no money. They can't address
their goaltending. And if you're gonna bring in a guy
that eliminates those concerns, it's gonna cost money. It's gonna
(22:56):
cost money, and they don't They don't have that money
right now. So the reason that they're in that position
is because Darnell Nurse is making too much money and
Leon d Reisidel's contract kicks in and he deserves it,
but it's gonna cost money. They can't bring in a
guy with term because Conor McDavid is gonna cost money.
(23:17):
Their hands are tied, so they've got to go bargain
basement shopping when it comes to goaltending, and there's just
not a lot of value guys like they wish they
would have signed Anthony Stolar's last year at this time.
Credit to the Leaps they did that and he's looked good.
There hasn't been a guy like that out there this year,
(23:39):
or at least that we've seen that will have the
year that he had with Toronto last year. So they're
in a tight spot right now when it comes to
their goaltending and will that be the thing that holds
them back? Like it it might be because because Stewart
Skinner was not very good at times in the Cup Final,
(24:03):
and I think it cost them to an extent. So
I guess the broad point being nobody's really gotten better
to the point where you can legitimately challenge Florida, and
I think they're in a pretty good spot here heading
into the season.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
It feels in a lot of ways, sort of like
Tampa a couple of years before, where you just looked
at the Lightning and said, they just continue to make
themselves the best team, and there's not anybody that you
can say, oh, right, that team's made the improvement enough
to be able to contend or pass Tampa Bay.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
Yeah, I think you're right, you know, and I think
Tampa is still a pretty good team, like there'll be
a team to be reckoned with, but like Florida didn't
lose anybody of consequence, but for Nate Schmid, who made
he pulled the Oliver Reckman Larson routine. Right, you come
to Florida and a bargain basement deal, you win a cup,
and then you signed bank elsewhere other than him, they
(25:00):
didn't really lose anybody, So the value that they kept
their guys together and nobody else really got better outside
of Florida. I think that's why I look at them
as the odds on contender here heading into next season.
And not only that, but just the way they play it.
There's not a lot of teams that want to and
(25:20):
are willing to play that way, but Florida is, and
I love the way they play. Their style is conducive
to winning. It's hard to play, but they're willing to
do it time and again, and especially in the playoffs.
And we saw over the last two or three years here.
Once you get in the playoff time, they are heard out.
(25:42):
They are a heart out.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
All right, Well, we got to hit Paul's for a minute, Dave.
We'd love to have you stick around with us. Because
joining us now is national baseball writer for Bleacher Report.
Our good friend, Carrie Miller, Carrie, you got us.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
I got you.
Speaker 5 (26:01):
I was worried I might be running late. I had
to read some Harry Potter to my daughter and put
her to bed. Now I gotta shift into the baseball note.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Well, you're on with the Daves. Dave McCarthy serious XMNHL
Network Radio is kind enough to be with us. So
he's a Blue Jay fan, So I'm gonna let him
ask the first question to you care.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
I'll tell you this much. We here in Toronto in April.
You could have bet all of your money and would
not have found one person to take that bet that
on July twenty eighth, the Blue Jays would be the
best team in baseball. And I guess, as we're a
few days away here from the trade deadline, do you
(26:45):
see my blue Jays get I can see my blue
Jays because I don't cover the team, I can be
biased here. You see my blue Jays getting anything done here?
Because man, it was ten years ago today that they
went out they got too low. We'd like to see
that happen again. We'd like some buzz in Toronto. But
our baseball team.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
Yeah, I mean I think south of the Niagara Falls border,
we wouldn't have bet on that either, that the Blue
Jays would have the best record in baseball right now.
I mean, they certainly did their work in the off
season to make it happen, right, I mean, getting Santander,
trading for him and z and Miles Straw, who's surprisingly
be more valuable than they've expected, signing Scherzer. But like
(27:28):
even heading end of the season, they were like, I
forget what their win total was, it was shockingly low.
For as much as aggressively as they approached the off season,
I was surprised that there wasn't.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Higher expectations for the Blue Jays. But here we are.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
Yeah, they have the best record. I think they will
be relatively aggressive. I don't know what they need though,
That's the interesting thing. I think they're in a position
to just make a splash for something. I think that
I wouldn't be surprised if they end up getting Heno Suarez, right,
the big rental everybody wants, if only for them to
(28:05):
block the Yankees from getting him. Because they have right
Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, they can play pretty much anywhere,
Like they could certainly slot Suarez at third base and
put Clement somewhere else. But I think they're going to
be more splashy than necessarily, you know, a necessity type
(28:25):
of acquisition.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
They could.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
They could use some bullpen help, maybe a fourth or
fifth starter, because they have a lot of just kind
of B plus guys in their rotation.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
But yeah, they've been They've been a pleasant surprise.
Speaker 5 (28:38):
Them and the Brewers both have been very impressive to
me compared to preseason expectations.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
For sir, I have to ask the same for my Phillies.
I know that we're we're in a we were known
to choke at the end, and so I need to
know if they're a move that we can have, that
we can make for us to not saw them the
same path for the third year in a row.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (29:03):
See, the Phillies and the Blue Jays are polar opposites
right as far as what they need. Like the I
feel like the Phillies are a better version of what
the Royals were last year, where they have a really
really good rotation and like three really good hitters they
can rely on and then just like everything else could
(29:24):
afford to be upgraded, like the entire bullpen. If they
were to trade for six relievers, that'd be fantastic. I
don't think that's gonna happen, but now you got Alec
Bohme's hurt. Even heading into the season there was talk
of Luis Robert. I guess Cedric Mullins is probably the
more realistic option from Baltimore, although he hasn't been any
(29:47):
one of the days on the call can tell you
Cedric Mullins has not been very good for the last
three months. But I think the Phillies, outside of Bryce Harper,
Kyle Schwarber and Trey Turner, basically all of the positions
could be upgrade and the entire bullpen, so I think
they can. They can do a lot of things to
improve what they've got and really turn themselves into maybe
(30:09):
the team to beat, since the Dodgers apparently have no
interest in cementing themselves as that team this season.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Well, in fairness, the Dodgers, every bullpen arm feels like
they get hurt. At least once a day. There's a
bullpen arm for the Dodgers going on the il. The
Yankees have made a move. You mentioned that the Blue
Jays blocking would block, could potentially block with a Haineo Suarez.
I mean, what realistically can the Yankees do. I mean,
(30:40):
now you have Judge on the il, and there's a
lot of speculation about what he's going to do when
he comes back. I mean, it feels like they've got
a very uphill climb to catch up to the Blue Jays, who,
by the way, have to point out, sorry, Dave, are
losing to the Orioles right now.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
It's the only right.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
What can the Yankees do here to trade deadline?
Speaker 5 (31:07):
Yeah, certainly the Judge injury has thrown a colossal wrench
into their future, but they're still on a game and
a half up on. I think the Mariners and the Rangers,
like they don't have a cushion by any means anymore.
I think they're at this point less concerned with catching
(31:28):
the Blue Jays than they are with just staying in
the playoff picture. With Judge out, obviously, Clark Schmidt losing
him for the year to Tommy John was pretty brutal.
They should be getting Louis Hill back soon, I think
in the next week or so, but even that, like
they still need a fourth and a fifth starter. The
(31:50):
lineup outside of Judge has been kind of questionable all
season long. So yeah, I don't think Ryan McMahon and
Ahmed Rosario or the solution to the Yankees problems. I
think the moves they've made thus far are pretty weak.
I think it's kind of crazy that they were okay
(32:12):
with going with McMahon, a guy who for his career
has ops splits. I think his ops is like eight
fifteen at Course Field and like six sixty everywhere else. Now, granted,
Yankee Stadium is not exactly a Pictures paradise, but I
don't know how McMahon is going to work out there
(32:33):
in the long term, and they're they're going to have
him for the next two years sixty million a pop.
I thought that was crazy that they jumped on McMahon
when in theory Aeronado's out there, when for sure Aohenio
Suarez is out there.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
I don't know. It all kind of.
Speaker 5 (32:50):
Feels like just like the Yankees fans in the I mean,
nobody's on this call a Yankees fan, but I see
them on Twitter. They're like, oh, this is just perfect.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
Now, Judges.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
They could be like, oh, well we got hurt, now
we can bring Aaron Boone back because Judge's injury just
just forced our hand and it's just another loss season.
Oh well, but it just feels like they're they're the
freaking Yankees. You can go and get whatever you want.
They just they're not doing it. I don't I don't
know what their plan is here, because there's not much right.
(33:21):
Suarez was his hands down the rental of this year's bram.
If they're going to go get a Mitch Keller from
Pittsburgh or Edward Cabrera from Miami to bolster the pitching rotation,
that's one thing. But if that's all they're doing, if
they're just getting Suarez in Rosario and calling it today,
(33:41):
that's there're gonna be a lot of irate fans in
the Bronx.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
I do want to ask about the news today that
Bryce Harper told Rob Manfern in a meaning last week, Dave, yes, hop,
what would you like to say?
Speaker 4 (34:00):
Continue? But I'd like to just offer my opinion once
you finished, then we'll turn it over to care.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
Absolutely. Bryce Harper told Rob Manfred when he walked into
the clubhouse to get the fuck out. If you were
going to mention a salary cap, it's a very volatile
situation with the players. So, Dave, you covered hockey, I
want to hear your take on this.
Speaker 4 (34:27):
That's fake tough guy right there, Like, I'm sorry you
were doing that. Where it was the press in the
room at the time, Do we know that obviously it
was because we found out about this, right, we can
confirm the press was in the room.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
That's yes, because Mark de Rosa of MLB Network was
in there and apparently made a joke afterwards that the
players didn't exactly take as a joke.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
Like you know, like seriously, he can have his opinions
and he's entitled to them, but to go in your
her face to the commissioner, brother, like pull the guy
aside and make your point like an educated human being.
Any dumbass can get in some guy's face who's the
(35:15):
commissioner of baseball to appear fake tough, but like, I'm
sorry if I'm the commissioner of baseball now, I'm thinking
we got these guys exactly, like for real, I don't
find that impressive at all. If the story had come
out later that Bryce Harper pulled him aside and explained
(35:37):
some points and made his case and they're gonna have
a further meeting, and now Bryce Harper's taking on a
leadership position within the MLBPA. I'm listening, Get the hell
out of here, you're muppet. Quite honestly, that's how I
see it. Am I wrong? Karrien?
Speaker 2 (36:00):
I mean it is.
Speaker 5 (36:02):
For a guy who's what six seven years into his
thirteen year, three hundred and thirty million dollar contract, like
they're not gonna avoid his contract no matter what happens
with no salary cap.
Speaker 4 (36:13):
But that was the so well and good for him
to say it, because he has nothing to worry about
right now and he's got his money, you know. But
I honestly don't think that that helps the lower guys
on the roster. I don't think the lack of a
salary cap helps the lower guys in the roster. I
(36:35):
think it actually hurts them because it's guys like Bryce
and guys like Juan Soto, and it's guys like Shoe
a Otani who get all of the money, and then
pretty much everybody from guy four on doesn't get any
of the money. So I don't think that helps most
of quote unquote Bryce Harper's constituency, if you will.
Speaker 5 (36:57):
And that's why they cap is unlikely to happen. I
think I know they're they're pushing it for the what
is it next December first of twenty twenty six is
when the MLBPA agreement is come and due. But yeah,
you've got all these thirteen year three hundred and thirty
million dollar deals, fifteen years, seven hundred and six the
(37:19):
toothpastees out of the tube, Like how are you going
to pull this back in and then imply or oppose whatever.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
Impose that's the word I'm looking for.
Speaker 5 (37:27):
Impose a salary cap with all these massive salaries already
in there, Like you're really going to go to the
Dodgers and say, hey, by the way, all your deferred
contracts are now a problem. Good luck with that through
two thousand and thirty four. I don't know what the
endgame is. And I guess you're I'll pick your brain
(37:52):
as the NHL guy, because I remember back in the day, Like,
wasn't it it was Iliya Kobalchuk signed that like thirteen
year deal initial that was the big one that kind
of forced the nnhl's hand there.
Speaker 4 (38:05):
Yeah, you're right, See, but I think what happens is
in baseball, like they pay all of the money to
a very select few of the players, and then everybody
else is struggling to get their money. And so you
know what you're seeing right now in hockey is that
(38:27):
you get you get teams that go to the polar
opposites where you're paying like three guys all of the money,
and then your hands are tied and it's it's a
struggle to win. Or you see teams like Florida where
they've got a bunch of very good players, maybe not
anybody who's elite elite, but a bunch of very good players,
(38:49):
all making very good money that end up having success.
And you look at Florida, you look at Tampa, you
look at Vegas who've won Colorado in recent years. You
don't have anybody making like eleven plus. And obviously the
financials are different in baseball, but I just don't feel
(39:12):
that that that what Bryce Harper thinks he's doing is
helping the lower guys on the roster right now, because
the lower guys on the roster aren't getting paid much money.
It's guys like him who were taking all of the
money and there's not a ton for everybody else, especially
in the majority of markets outside of Philadelphia and LA
(39:34):
and New York and New York, and I mean even
Boston right has shown a reluctance to not spend money
these days. So how the Red Sox aren't spending money?
The Jays don't want to spend a ton of money.
That's been the gripe here for a long time is
that you're a big market. Rogers has more money than God,
but they don't want to spend any money. And so
(39:57):
forget Pittsburgh, forget you know, you know, small market teams
in the US. I think a salary cap would help
bring every consolidated everything. And yeah, okay, maybe Bryce wouldn't
be making exactly what he makes, He'd still be doing
very well, but it would encourage guys on the bottom
(40:18):
end of the roster to make a little bit more money.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
I could Could you liken this whole thing to the
n i L and the NCAA, where there is no guidelines.
So you have kid ten ten that ten x more
than they would make in the league, they probably should
be in like the like the like the G League,
or any other development development like other the minor leagues.
(40:42):
Do you think that they're that they will that they
could take a page out of that book, or do
you think that that's also something where like the Cats
out the bag, there's there's no going back to fixing
that and we're just here where we are.
Speaker 5 (40:53):
Yeah, now now you're speaking my language as a guy
who covers Major League Baseball and college basketball. It's just like,
I just feel like the tooth faces out of the
tube in both reords.
Speaker 2 (41:02):
It's like, you know, aj Dia.
Speaker 5 (41:06):
Bantza at Byu is making whatever, five million.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
I forget. I think it's JT.
Speaker 5 (41:12):
Toppin being like four and a half million of Texas tag.
It's like, okay, so you have twenty two million or whatever.
It's so it's so weird, and I'm very much pro
salary cap, salary floor if only you know, selfishly speaking,
so that when I'm looking in the offseason at all, right,
(41:34):
where might you know coming up this offseason Zach Gallon,
It's like, where might he sign? Where would it make sense?
And it's just like, well, I don't know any of
the thirty teams, whoever wants him, whoever has money. It's
just I feel like with the NBA, maybe with the
NHL and NFL, it's it's easier to try and actually
project landing spots for players. And then with us in baseball,
(41:57):
we're just like, well, fuck, who wants to spend the month?
Speaker 2 (42:00):
I don't know. And it's the same with college basketball
now too.
Speaker 5 (42:03):
It's just it's just the wild West, and I wish
there were some some sort of regulations on it. I
just don't know how you reel it in with baseball
when you've got these seven hundred million, seven hundred and
sixty five million dollars in Toronto. Now you've got that
five hundred million dollars lad junior contract out there, Like,
what how do you get that under control within a
(42:25):
salary cap measure?
Speaker 2 (42:27):
That's just that's not my uh, not my forte to
know what it is.
Speaker 5 (42:33):
But I do wish that we could make some some
sense of offseason news moving forward.
Speaker 4 (42:39):
What the salary cap guys has done in the NHL
is it has provided the majority of the teams the
opportunity that when they show up in the fall of
training camp that they have a chance, a chance, maybe
not to win the Stanley Cup, but a chance to
be competitive. And you can sell that. You can sell
(43:00):
competitiveness making the playoffs to a lot of markets, to
a lot of markets, and in baseball, like you show
up in February and I feel like the day pitchers
and catchers report, half of the league already knows they
don't even have a chance of making the playoffs, let
(43:21):
alone winning a World Series. And I think that that
that equalization of the playing field to promote some level
of parody has been really good for the NHL. That's
why there hasn't been a lot of player movement in
the offseason this summer is because outside of like Chicago
and Pittsburgh and San Jose, most teams feel like we're
(43:49):
either contending for a Stanley Cup or at the point
where we need to challenge for a playoff spot, and
thus they're not selling anybody off, which I think, in
a round of my way, is a good. Yeah, you
can sell player movement and all the things in the summertime,
but that's all well and good for like a day.
It doesn't help Team X or Y sell season tickets
(44:11):
when the half your league knows that we don't have
a chance. But I'll tell you, in Columbus they feel
like they've got a chance. Anaheim, they feel like they
have a chance. Philadelphia. Dave and I agree there there's
some hope there this year with what they've done and
what they've been there. And you don't have that without
that great equalizer of the playing field. And so what
(44:35):
you hear, I think is guys bitching and moaning and
whining that you know you're restricting players' salaries. Yeah, okay,
in baseball, you might not make seventy million a year.
Maybe you'll make forty million dollars a year. You'll still
be quite quite all right. And and then what will
(44:57):
happen is the money will disperse because teams will be
little bit more careful because they know they got to
build out a team. And then it'll raise everyone. So
do you are you really worried about the guys in
your clubhouse or are you really worried about yourself? And yeah, your.
Speaker 3 (45:16):
Point, because when you look at the NBA and you
look at their offseason, it's like a mixture of both.
You have the players who want all the money in
the world. You have the owners of the teams that
don't really want to spend it. And you know, the
only time is that there's really any major movie when
a top five talent is in free agency. But the
majority of the the top talent try to stay within
(45:39):
their teams. But you have you said that within certain
within NHL, you have the opportunity for a Columbus to
like they can compete, or you know, any any team
has that level playing field. It's like with the NBA,
they have a salary cap, but there are still some
teams that come November October when they show up the camp,
they know they don't have a shot in the hell.
You have who literally has not who the playoffs. But yeah,
(46:04):
there's salary cap, they could spend all the money, but
you have the players that don't want to go to
Charlote because they know they're not gonna win. You have
teams like uh like the Clippers that they spend the money,
they do have the talent, but they just don't have
that extra push to make it past the second round
of the playoffs. Or you have a team like the
(46:24):
thunder who just won their first championship. They did it
the most ground grassroots way possible by draft making smart
offseason moves. But yet you keep that core and you
keep that core talent you have from the contracts that
you built off of rookie deals, and you go from there.
You then have a NBA MVP, you have a championship
(46:47):
all based off of a salary cap that you spent
some money, but not too much money. So to the
point to my original point, I think that the NBA
is kind of like the the the middle ground for
both where everyone's buying for. Oh, well, we want to
go to the top markets, like the LA's, like the
New York's, like the Miami's. I mean, I don't think
Miami is a big market in many other sports other
(47:09):
than basketball, but it's still you want to go those
big markets. But yet a small market just won the
first championship in years. This is, you know, a salary
cap I think should be helpful for But I don't
think the NBA really institutes that well to where it
should pan out that way.
Speaker 5 (47:27):
I think there are a few and I'm not an
NBA guy by any means, but I lived in Charlotte
for a while and I know that is one of
the worst run organizations ever. I think you're always going
to have dumbass owners making bad decisions. But to the
point with baseball, and I'm shooting from the hip here
on numbers, but I think the Royals in twenty fifteen,
when they won it all.
Speaker 2 (47:48):
They were the only only.
Speaker 5 (47:50):
Team outside I think the top twelve in opening day
payroll in like the last two decades to win a
World Series, and even them like they stretched their means
to get to like fifteenth in payroll and then they
were like terrible for eight years after to make up
for that one year that they really went for. And
you know, I'm a Nationals guy, they should have more spendability,
(48:16):
if that's a word, then they do. But they won
it all in twenty nineteen, and then they were like, well,
we can't afford Trey Turner or Max Schus and also
Juan Soda. We're gonna get rid of you two and
a half years ahead of time because they went all
in to win it all in twenty nineteen, and then
they just like they haven't been able to pay for
it since then. So yeah, I'm again I'm pro salary cap.
(48:36):
I think that would broaden the horizons. It would make
it feasible for a Pittsburgh or a Milwaukee or a whatever,
a Minnesota to win a championship in this current environment.
But I'm also pro shrinked the playoff field, because once
you get into the playoffs, anything is possible like these
(48:56):
five game series, Like, it wouldn't surprise me if we
end up with like for all this talk of salary
cap and whatnot, we could get a Detroit Milwaukee World
Series this year and just nobody's going to watch it.
Speaker 4 (49:11):
Ed Stanley Cup Final probably not on the Chicago Stanley
Cup Final, Right.
Speaker 1 (49:17):
But I did well because I wanted to ask you this, Carrie,
because this discussion to me led to we were having
that discussion texting earlier about the trade deadline sucking. Well
is it sucking? Because there are so many teams that
feel like they still have a shot with this extual
wild card. So we're not going to see a lot
(49:39):
of moves. I mean, there's only so many teams that
are selling My Orioles are one your Nationals, Carrie. I
hate to do that to you, but your Nationals are
one Arizona. But like, outside of that, there isn't slam dunks.
Like I think we all would have picked Pittsburgh, but
all of a sudden, Pittsburgh's got on a run here
(50:00):
where it's like, okay, they're not totally out of a
wild card spot.
Speaker 5 (50:10):
Is that I haven't even looked at Pittsburgh in so
long that they're dead. Come on, man, they're not trading
Paul Skins. But no, the I think this is kind
of a It's both a one off year and it's
an argument that they should push back the deadline if
the if the playoff field is going to remain at
(50:31):
twelve teams, right, it feels like there are only eight
or nine teams that are dead, and it just so
happens that most of those teams have dog shit to
offer this year.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
If we're being honest, like.
Speaker 5 (50:45):
Even the Marlins, right, who have been kind of hot lately,
we still assume they're sellers. The Marlins have literally one
player on their roster who isn't under team control for
at least two more seasons, So they're not your conventional
seller that's just going to give away these impending free agents.
My Nationals don't have much to offer outside of like
(51:06):
Josh Bell and I guess maybe Kyle Finnegan if you
don't mind his eight point one or in the last
two months, but the Rockies already traded away Ryan McMahon.
They have nothing else to offer. The A's they're probably
not I mean, maybe they'll trade away Louis Severino, but
at that point. Now they're trading away the guy that
they signed to a major contract to get the MLBPA
(51:30):
off their back about not spending money. I don't know
how that's going to go over, so they probably won't
trade him. So it's just this weird thing where, yeah,
you've basically got the Orioles and the Diamondbacks as these
teams that can sell off rentals and not much else.
I mean, even the Cardinals, who are in a weird
spot as far as you know where they're going as
(51:52):
a franchise, they probably should be sellers.
Speaker 2 (51:55):
But they've got Sonny.
Speaker 5 (51:57):
Gray and Nolan Arenado and Wilson Contreras and Miles Michaelis
who all have no trade clauses and have said we
don't want to go anywhere. So it's like, okay, you
can give away Ryan Helsley and that's about it. So
it's just a weird I think it's a weird year
for the deadline, But I do hope it sparks a
conversation about pushing back the deadline to maybe August fifteenth.
(52:21):
I would love it if we had the All Star
Game mid July and then the draft at the end
of July and then the deadline in mid August, just
to space things out a little bit, because as is, you.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
Almost have to.
Speaker 5 (52:35):
As a baseball person, you either care about the All
Star Game or you care about the Draft, but you
can't care about both because they are happening simultaneously.
Speaker 1 (52:47):
I also egg in the face moment looking at the standings. Yeah,
Pittsburgh is is dead, dead in the water. I freely
admitt I was wrong on that one. I didn't realize
that the Braves were ahead of a because I thought
the Braves were dead, and the Braves are dead.
Speaker 4 (53:03):
Yeah, Alex san Thopolas isn't dead very often. He did
this year.
Speaker 2 (53:08):
Oh yeah, big time.
Speaker 5 (53:10):
It will be fun on the Braves. Nobody needs a
reliever more than the Phillies. I would love to see
the Braves just be like worst keeping Iglacius. I don't
care you're not getting him, just to stoke that rivalry
a little bit.
Speaker 3 (53:27):
I mean, when you have when you lose your key
reliever in Avura is, you know, you kind of just
be kind of fuck yourself over.
Speaker 5 (53:35):
Yeah, at least the Braves and the Phillies know what
it's like to lose a guy for eighty years to
Peds this season.
Speaker 1 (53:42):
So oh I before we we let you good carry,
I do have to ask this question about Emmanuel class
A because we're talking about all this what could happen
as a trade deadline and there's a guy that was
probably the best reliever on the trade market and now
he's suspended for gambling potentially.
Speaker 2 (54:02):
Yeah, yeah, we were.
Speaker 5 (54:04):
We were talking about that in our our Bleacher Report
slack room earlier. It's like, what what if they had
traded him three days ago?
Speaker 2 (54:13):
What does baseball do? Just did they just undo the trade?
Speaker 1 (54:16):
Now?
Speaker 2 (54:17):
I don't know what the what would have happened there?
Speaker 5 (54:19):
But yeah, that's that's pretty crazy, speaking of right the
toothpaste being out of the tube. I mean, man at
least with at least with Ortiz, you could see it
because he was on a league minimum salary, but classe
as he's got his contract, he's making like eight million this.
Speaker 2 (54:37):
Season, Like, what's what's the excuse?
Speaker 5 (54:40):
And I know we've seen in the NBA, we've seen
some prop bet some issues propping up.
Speaker 2 (54:46):
So I don't know.
Speaker 5 (54:49):
And if I had written an article on you know,
what we need to do about gambling, every third advertisement
that popped up would have been from fan duel or
DraftKings in there. So I think we know what the
problem is.
Speaker 3 (55:03):
Actively are betting a betting at actually on my screen
right now.
Speaker 5 (55:06):
So yeah, it's it's it went from like complete tabot
like I've I've been doing this since twenty thirteen, and
I remember like I was not allowed to talk about
like national championship odds for college basketball like a decade ago,
and now it's like you should probably talk about what
(55:28):
the spread in is in this upcoming game or else
nobody's going to care anymore. Like we've completely junked the
shark on you know, not having gambling in sports. And
I know, at least on the college side of things,
there's there's that element of it, the amateur element. But yeah,
these these bets on the is the first pitch of
(55:49):
the inning going to be a ball? How did we
not think that that was going to be exploited by
the mob at some point in time?
Speaker 4 (55:56):
I mean, my god, a shame. The first pitch of
the inning. We're not a strike on that night? Right?
Speaker 1 (56:07):
Somebody? Actually I saw somebody went on Twitter and posted
where they they looked at some of the first pitches
from Emmanuel class A and and they were like he
missed badly on these to where you almost wondered did
he know what the prop that was on that first pitch?
Because there was one he threw to Bobby Wit It
(56:30):
was like a fifty seven foot fastball. He spikes it
in the dirt for no reason.
Speaker 5 (56:35):
Yep, I was watching, h I I was watching the
Yankees Phillies game the other day and Zach Wheeler threw
one like three feet outside the first batter. I was like,
what is Zach Wheeler on his forty two billion dollars
a year salary throwing the ball out of the like?
Speaker 2 (56:52):
Where how far have we gone? Here? My god?
Speaker 1 (56:56):
All right, well, Carrie, thank you for taking some time
with us. As a always it is a pleasure when
we get to have you on this program.
Speaker 2 (57:04):
Hey, it was good to be with you.
Speaker 1 (57:05):
Thanks for having me, all right, and that's gonna do
it our great. Thanks to you, Dave McCarthy for sticking
around and hopefully you had some fun with us here tonight.
Speaker 4 (57:17):
I'm the best time when I joined you guys, honestly,
and the fact that I get to talked about something
I don't cover every day, so I can just nobody
can come at me and be like I or bias it.
I don't cover baseball. Come out like I don't give
a I'm just I'm just letting it rip. So that
was great. Thank you for having boys anytime you need. Well,
(57:38):
we'll talk again. Uh, talk again once the season gets going.
I love being on with you.
Speaker 1 (57:42):
Guys, absolutely, Dave, it was our pleasure having you on.
Speaker 4 (57:48):
Day boys. After the Chase win the World Series.
Speaker 1 (57:52):
Yes, you get when if the Jay's win the World Series,
you come back, you get to host and we'll do
whatever you want for a podcast.
Speaker 4 (57:59):
Okay, like that, we'll take that deal.
Speaker 1 (58:02):
Deal alright, alright, that is gonna wrap it up for us, David,
that was a fun show. We are off next week
all getting a little R and R and then quite
possibly our two favorite chairs of the year college football preview.
Speaker 4 (58:20):
People.
Speaker 3 (58:21):
It's football time. OTAs are over. It had been over.
Is his training camp. Strap the cleats up, strap your
helmets up, strap your pads up, and get the popping people.
Speaker 4 (58:33):
Let's get it.
Speaker 3 (58:34):
It's gonna be a good season, all right.
Speaker 1 (58:38):
You heard it for David Miles on Dave Simono. This
has been the opening kickof podcast
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next event. Hello, Welcome to this week's edition of the
(01:15):
Opening Kickoff Podcast. So we got a great one in
store here tonight. I'm your host, Dave Steinwinel. We are
gonna be off next week. I'm on vacation, so we're
gonna take a much needed breather before football previews. We
have our good friend kp is gonna join us to
host the college football and NFL preview shows that will
(01:36):
happen in the month of all because a lot of
great stuff coming up. Great show tonight, Our good friend
from serious x MNHL Network Radio, Dave McCarthy is gonna
stop by. We haven't had Dave one in a while
and talk some NHL off season Carry Miller or Bleacher
Report is gonna swing by. Later in the show, we're
gonna dive into the MLB trade deadline. Bryce Harper getting
(01:58):
into it with Rob Manfred. The latest on that Aaron
Judges on the IL. Could we see him not play
in the field when he comes back? A lot of questions,
a lot of fun topics in the baseball world to
get into. Uh Peyton Roden not here this week. Brandon Stevens,
we don't currently know where he is.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Somewhere deep in the government.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Hey, we lost him in the government. He's a government worker.
Now maybe we'll see him again. I don't know. I
hope so, I hope Brandon's just doing well. May Peyton
mayhop on later. Don't know. He's got family in town.
So I got my guy, David. Miles is here with me. David,
it's been a couple of weeks for you, all right,
(02:40):
gotta shake the rust off here, get back into this.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Swing of it, those of you who had been here
since around the year two, because I wasn't here yere one.
You know me, when I get back in shape, I
can get back in shape even if I have unexpected visitors.
Sometimes I can't always maneuver my way around. Because we
have another unexpected visitor today, So hello, say hello. I
(03:04):
am joined by the one and only Camden and Miles.
That's how we adjust over here on opening kickoff radio,
and he is muted, ladies and gentlemen. This is how
we do.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, I've had to mute myself because apparently this microphone
is so good. You can hear me breathing from time
to time.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yeah, yeah, there was there was any of you a
couple weeks ago where I was just like, who's breathing?
And then I look at this is you just.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Okay? I Yeah, I had a couple of weeks ago
or two listening back to the pot as I'm editing it.
I go good, God, I sound like a fat guy
that donut shop right now?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Like easy there, bring fellow in your defense, you've lost
a lot of weight, Daves. A great job. Great job, man,
I'm proud of you.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Yeah. Well, I'll go to the beach next weekend. I'm
not sure that's gonna stay, but we'll find out.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Now to show it off somehow, someway.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
All right, give me, we're waiting on Dave McCarthy. We're
having a little bit of technical issues here, it appears,
trying to get him situated. Uh so we are gonna
step aside. We're gonna come back here in a moment
with Dave McCarthy hopefully on the opening kickoff podcast. All right,
(04:29):
so technical difficulties aside. It took us a little bit
to make this happen. Dave steinmdel David Miles, and please
to be joined by our good friend. It's been a
while since he's been on the program. From up in Canada.
That would be serious XMNHL network radio host Dave McCarthy.
He's got an amazing backdrop right now, a bright blue shirt,
(04:50):
David is great to see. How you doing.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
I'm good boys, what's going on and tell you what
the technical difficulties were nothing to do with me not
wanting to be on. I was yelling at my phone there.
I'm like, what the hell is going on here? I've
got an invite, there's no link. I'm old, I don't
know what's going on. Like it was a It was
a panic inducing situation for about a few minutes.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
And I did take ownership, full responsibility. It was it
was my fault. I didn't Yeah, I did not send
the right link the first time. Probably should have double checked.
That didn't double check. It's that's a bad host. That's
a bad host on my part. So let me ask you, Dave,
what's been the most technical difficulty you ever had on
(05:33):
the air?
Speaker 4 (05:34):
Well, we only deal with phones, so we're operating on
a technology that exists, and it's like, what when was
the phone invented? I don't like the early nineteen hundreds,
So we're not We don't try to do the video
zooms and all that on serious XM. And so we're
(05:55):
fortunate that way because at times I think the phone
is enough of a challenge for Yes, I've got a
story that actually comes to mind. We had Joel Erickson
eck of the Minnesota wild On probably what was it
two summers ago now, maybe maybe three that he signed
his extension in Minnesota, and Minnesota is great to deal with.
(06:18):
Aaron Sickman and his whole staff. They're incredible. They win
the pr Staff of the Year war just about every
year for good reason because are unbelievable to deal with. Anyway,
this was I think early July, early July, mid July.
Whenever he sign it doesn't matter. But he was like, yeah,
Joel can come on, no problem. Here's his number. Given
(06:42):
a call. It was a Swedish number. It was like
plus exclamation point four three whatever. I'm like, oh my god.
So we tried calling it and it didn't. It didn't work.
And I'm on the air as we're trying to do
this right and my producers he's not working man, as
I can't even get a dial zone. I'm like, okay,
(07:04):
hold on. So, like while talking, I sent off an
email to his associated at the time it's not even
with a while anymore, and she's like, oh, and like
this is Sunday morning, right, I'm like, they're probably not
even gonna respond. She responds within like second, and she's
like oh my god, hang on, let me call him
on my phone and then you can call my phone
(07:26):
and I can merge the call. At that point she
might as well been talking Swahili lost me, but I'm like, okay, sure,
let's try to do that, and within like two minutes
he was on the air. So that was probably the
greatest technical difficulty story that I can remember, off to
off my head for the Minnesota wild Aces, in my books,
(07:47):
they're among the best to deal with.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
How's the off season been for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
I see you've been having some spars online with some
of the Leafs, and I get it to leave fans
are passionate. This has been a tough couple of years,
and this has not been a great off season in
a sense because you lose Mitch Marner. But how do
(08:11):
you view it?
Speaker 4 (08:15):
Yeah, so I guess you were among the several hundred
thousand people who saw that Twitter exchange when they announced
the schedule, and I just like I thought i'd advance
the story right, Like we all know, because you know,
we're in the business, we understand how it works. But Joe,
average fan generally does not understand that if you are
(08:39):
on the road and you play the night before and
then you travel into a city the next day and
are playing that night, that there is no mourning availability
like most people don't understand that. So most people were
tweeting out the schedule, and I thought I'd value value
ad if you will to the story by pointing out
(09:02):
what that likely means. And oh my god, did I
get Pillar read fellas Pillar read by people who apparently
suggest that I was trying to cause shit? Am I
allowed to say that I just did for Mitch mart
So what I was trying to do. All I was
trying to do is there's a lot of people who
(09:23):
are interested in what he has to say, okay, and
I am among them. Now, not everybody, I can promise
in this city with Broker a fair interview, I can
promise that I would. I'm interested in getting the chance
to speak to him. And I pointed out that they're
(09:43):
given the fact that they are in Boston on the
Thursday night and then in Toronto on the Friday night.
You know that that Boston to Toronto back to back.
That happens all the time every year. I thought i'd
point out what it never happens. I thought i'd point
out what that means, and I looked at my phone. Honestly,
(10:08):
I put it down, as I generally do in the summer.
I usually do my tweeting between like four and five,
when I'm sitting like literally right here for those of
you watching, like I usually do my tweeting right here, Okay,
thank you, four and five. I'm relaxing. I am myself
at that time, and then I put the phone away
until like nine o'clock after I make dinner, and I
(10:30):
picked up my phone at nine o'clock, and I was like,
oh my god, what the hell happened? And then it
was simply because people thought I was creating a to do,
not at all. So that was the early part of
my summer. And I just think it's very coincidental that
Vegas has never been to Toronto on the second of
(10:50):
back to backs, no once, and and if I made
very quick I thought, well, they're in Vegas the week prior,
maybe I'll make my way out to Vegas get them
the week before. Where are they the day before they
(11:14):
play in Vegas the maple Leafs. They're in Los Angeles,
So that's not going to be a possibility to either.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Okay, feel good to get that off your chest.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Yeah, I mean I would know. Like that's the thing.
It appears people think that I'm buttered. I am not buttered.
I would just like the opportunity to speak, that's all.
And I don't I don't know why it seems to
be such an issue to get to Minch, That's all.
(11:56):
I don't have anything else to say on it. That's
all I can say.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Is it fair to say, though, that it feels like
Toronto looked at this roster heading into this offseason after
another playoff disappointment and said we have to do something differently.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
Yeah, for sure, Because Brad Trey living prior to all
this coming to pass, in like mid May, after they
got eliminated, he said, there's DNA change that needs to
occur on this roster, and he's right. After you look
at games five and seven on home ice. How can
you argue otherwise, How can you argue otherwise? They weren't
(12:35):
even in the game. Like I was saying to a
girl from she just moved here this summer yesterday from Calgary,
and I said to you a flame span She's like, well, yeah,
I like I'm in Toronto now, So I was like
a leaf span. She was like, what the hell was that.
I'm like, I mean, you're not wrong, right, Like it
just didn't even look like they were in the games
in games five and seven. I think the most confounding
(12:59):
thing is Game six, they played pretty good, so like
you had two chances to finish them off. You couldn't
get it done in game or not in game five
to finish them off, but to take the lead in
the series, you lay an a backs up against the wall,
you play pretty good on the road in game six.
You get another chance to finish them off in game seven,
(13:20):
and it's a no show the likes of which we
saw in game five. Like, something's got to change, because
it's not just this year, as you guys know, it's
been time and again and again and again and again
and again and again and again and again. And I
think that's nine fingers, okay, So something has to change. Now.
With saying all that, here's the wild thing. The Leafs
wanted to resign Mitch Marner. Leafs wanted to resign Mitch Marner.
(13:43):
He chose that he wanted to go elsewhere, and that's fine,
that's his prerogative. I just wish that he'd be able
to speak different story we just talked about, But I
think it's gonna be a good thing. At some point.
You can't keep bringing back the same time and again
and again. He got to change leaves. Are still a
good team. They've got a spine that most teams in
(14:05):
the NHL would be envious of with with Matthews and Tavares,
which took less and is revered as a hero. Now
after what he said, maybe a different story. We'll talk
about that later, maybe when those kneelander. They've got some
good depth. I think they did good and bringing in
Nick Waugh and and and Dakota Joshua, Bobby McMahon, Scott
(14:27):
lot and like that. Steven Lorenz like that's a pretty
good bottom six. Their d is strong and their goaltending
is strong. They'll be fine, And once teams fall out
of it in season, they'll be able to go out
and add an upgrade to their top six, and I
think they'll be fine. But you know, it was it
(14:48):
was a case that I think something had to change,
and in this case, Mitch decided something needed to change,
and so he goes to Vegas and we'll see what
happens there, and I think the Leafs will still be
a good team, So I think it's probably a win
win for everybody.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
I gotta ask about Florida though, because Florida. It was
honestly impressive the moves that Billy Zito the GM made
at the trade deadline, bringing in Marshan, bringing in Seth Jones,
and then able to keep the band together in the offseason,
which didn't feel like a possibility. No, how exactly did
(15:28):
Billy Zito be able to do this well?
Speaker 4 (15:32):
I think the biggest thing is is that there was
buy in from the players. Aaron Ekbland left millions of
dollars on the table by not going to free agency,
and what he said in signing the contract that he
did was that I like it in Florida. I've done
(15:54):
pretty well. I'm still doing pretty well and signing this deal,
even though it's not as good as I could be doing,
I'm still doing pretty well and I've probably got another
Like there's probably probably four years right in in in
Florida where they're going to continue to be at the
(16:14):
top of their of their division, where I can continue
to take kicks at a Stanley Cup. I don't have
to move. I don't have to move my family. The
tax situation is good, like this is a win win
win win win, but for the fact that I'm probably leaving.
What did he sign for like five and change? He
(16:35):
probably could have got like eight and so twenty four
depends where he signs after tax, it's twelve. You move
your family. I'll probably call that two million my like
ten million, like when he's made whatever he has goes
to one hundred, Like what is like, it's not moving
your needle. You're happy. As Brad Trey Living told me
(16:55):
around July first we were talking about other stuff. He said,
don't with when we were talking about John Tavares, and
same commentary I think applies to Aaron Ecklett. Don't screw
it with happy. He's happy there. It works. So he
got buy in there. That was number one. Sam Bennett, Well,
(17:17):
you know what, he got his money and that's more,
probably more or less what he was going to get
paid elsewhere. People suggesting he was going to get ten
plus if he went to the open market. I didn't
hear that myself. Behind the scenes. I think that was conjecture.
And he's the type of guy that, like if you
were to pay him ten, you would hate that deal
(17:40):
the moment the pen hit the table, right, So he
got his money, he says, in the situation where he
knows he has success, doesn't have to be the guy.
He just continues to play the role that he played.
He's going to play it very well. And Bradley Marshawn
took a seven thousand year deal to keep his capy
it low, so good for him. But again, he wants
(18:02):
to finish out his career in a situation where he's
got a chance to contend and he's gonna get his money.
He's just going to take a little bit longer. But whatever,
he'll get his money. It's a win win win. And
you don't get buy in like that the players all
the time, and they did there. So the fact that
they've created a culture where like that is the epitome
(18:23):
of take a little less so that we can continue
to keep the band together. Like I don't know Pittsburgh
back in the day. They've created that in Florida and
they're reaping the benefits of it. And I think if
you're the Florida Panthers and their fans right now, you
gotta be looking at the rest of the teams, not
just the Atlantic Division but around the NHL and saying
(18:43):
who who the hell got better? Like not better from
seventeenth to twelfth type thing, and this like better to
the point where you were in the mix and now
can really challenge us for a Cup. I can't really
point to a team. I think it's Florida one, and
then like somewhere down here, it's everybody else starting it too.
(19:06):
I think they're absolutely the favorites going in the next year.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
That was actually gonna be my question if that's taking
that step to contain Like.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Can you think of anybody like I can't, maybe Vegas,
but like, I don't know. I got to see what
Mitch can do in the playoffs. I haven't seen it here.
And they've lost Alex Petrangelo, who was a guy who
played like twenty eight minutes a night on their back end,
and they haven't replaced him yet. They might, but at
this point they haven't. That's a huge hole because that
was the foundation of their team, their back end. So like,
(19:40):
is there a team that comes to you guys?
Speaker 3 (19:42):
I mean, I'm not the hockey Savannah of the show,
but I'm a local guy.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
I'm in Philly.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
I know that the Flyers have made moves. I'm not
sure how to quantify them as far as they're the
moves to make them from the pits of where they
are to this astonishing team. But I do know that
they've generated a whole buzz of hype and I would
say a resurgence of interest into the team. And so
I was going to say maybe them, but as you said,
(20:08):
you know, you know they made that step up into
being able to uh be close to it's kind of
as a huge gap and then too.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
So yeah, no, I'll put it this way. Philadelphia's in
the business is selling hope right now, and and hope
is from climbing out of the basement to being in
the mix for a playoff spot. That that's what they're
trying to sell right now. And and I think they've
got a team where you can kind of get behind
(20:36):
them to an extent. Are they going to be a
Stanley Cup contender? Chance? I'm sorry, not a chance right
And and I but but could they be in the
mix come March? Yeah? Maybe maybe, Because I honestly I
don't think the Metro is that good Metro division. I
think is probably the worst division in the league right now,
(20:58):
so absolutely they could be in the mix because I
think Pittsburgh sucks, Like really, I think Columbus is looking
to take a step. The Islanders will see what happens.
The Rangers, like, honestly, we'll see what happens. They were
no good last year. Carolina I think will be good.
The Devils should be good if Jack Hughes can ever
stay healthy. Who am I missing here in that division? Washington?
(21:25):
I think Washington will be good. So like, could Philly
challenge for Walkhart Maybe for sure? Maybe, And I think
that would be a successful season for them. But like,
in terms of really challenging for the Cup, look at
teams that went deep. Did Winnipeg get any better? No,
they lost Nick Elers, they didn't really replace them. Did
Toronto get any better, like right now? No? Did Dallas
(21:48):
get any better? No? Did Colorado get any better?
Speaker 2 (21:50):
No?
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Did Edmonton get any better? I don't think so. They
don't address their goal attending.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Which is unfathomable. I the and and to cutch off,
but how can Edmonton after that playoffs sit there and
honestly go you don't have a problem with our goaltending
when Everybody watching the Stanley Cup would say Edmonton's gonna
(22:18):
get far because of their offense and that defense, but
they're gonna lose when it comes to crunch time because
the goaltending is just so poor.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
There's not a lot of goalies available. That's the problem,
right that can fit into their cap structure right now,
That's that's prom Edmonton is in cap hell right now.
Like they have no money. They are the Leaps five
years ago, right, They've got no money. They can't address
their goaltending. And if you're gonna bring in a guy
that eliminates those concerns, it's gonna cost money. It's gonna
(22:56):
cost money, and they don't They don't have that money
right now. So the reason that they're in that position
is because Darnell Nurse is making too much money and
Leon d Reisidel's contract kicks in and he deserves it,
but it's gonna cost money. They can't bring in a
guy with term because Conor McDavid is gonna cost money.
(23:17):
Their hands are tied, so they've got to go bargain
basement shopping when it comes to goaltending, and there's just
not a lot of value guys like they wish they
would have signed Anthony Stolar's last year at this time.
Credit to the Leaps they did that and he's looked good.
There hasn't been a guy like that out there this year,
(23:39):
or at least that we've seen that will have the
year that he had with Toronto last year. So they're
in a tight spot right now when it comes to
their goaltending and will that be the thing that holds
them back? Like it it might be because because Stewart
Skinner was not very good at times in the Cup Final,
(24:03):
and I think it cost them to an extent. So
I guess the broad point being nobody's really gotten better
to the point where you can legitimately challenge Florida, and
I think they're in a pretty good spot here heading
into the season.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
It feels in a lot of ways, sort of like
Tampa a couple of years before, where you just looked
at the Lightning and said, they just continue to make
themselves the best team, and there's not anybody that you
can say, oh, right, that team's made the improvement enough
to be able to contend or pass Tampa Bay.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
Yeah, I think you're right, you know, and I think
Tampa is still a pretty good team, like there'll be
a team to be reckoned with, but like Florida didn't
lose anybody of consequence, but for Nate Schmid, who made
he pulled the Oliver Reckman Larson routine. Right, you come
to Florida and a bargain basement deal, you win a cup,
and then you signed bank elsewhere other than him, they
(25:00):
didn't really lose anybody, So the value that they kept
their guys together and nobody else really got better outside
of Florida. I think that's why I look at them
as the odds on contender here heading into next season.
And not only that, but just the way they play it.
There's not a lot of teams that want to and
(25:20):
are willing to play that way, but Florida is, and
I love the way they play. Their style is conducive
to winning. It's hard to play, but they're willing to
do it time and again, and especially in the playoffs.
And we saw over the last two or three years here.
Once you get in the playoff time, they are heard out.
(25:42):
They are a heart out.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
All right, Well, we got to hit Paul's for a minute, Dave.
We'd love to have you stick around with us. Because
joining us now is national baseball writer for Bleacher Report.
Our good friend, Carrie Miller, Carrie, you got us.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
I got you.
Speaker 5 (26:01):
I was worried I might be running late. I had
to read some Harry Potter to my daughter and put
her to bed. Now I gotta shift into the baseball note.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Well, you're on with the Daves. Dave McCarthy serious XMNHL
Network Radio is kind enough to be with us. So
he's a Blue Jay fan, So I'm gonna let him
ask the first question to you care.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
I'll tell you this much. We here in Toronto in April.
You could have bet all of your money and would
not have found one person to take that bet that
on July twenty eighth, the Blue Jays would be the
best team in baseball. And I guess, as we're a
few days away here from the trade deadline, do you
(26:45):
see my blue Jays get I can see my blue
Jays because I don't cover the team, I can be
biased here. You see my blue Jays getting anything done here?
Because man, it was ten years ago today that they
went out they got too low. We'd like to see
that happen again. We'd like some buzz in Toronto. But
our baseball team.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
Yeah, I mean I think south of the Niagara Falls border,
we wouldn't have bet on that either, that the Blue
Jays would have the best record in baseball right now.
I mean, they certainly did their work in the off
season to make it happen, right, I mean, getting Santander,
trading for him and z and Miles Straw, who's surprisingly
be more valuable than they've expected, signing Scherzer. But like
(27:28):
even heading end of the season, they were like, I
forget what their win total was, it was shockingly low.
For as much as aggressively as they approached the off season,
I was surprised that there wasn't.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Higher expectations for the Blue Jays. But here we are.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
Yeah, they have the best record. I think they will
be relatively aggressive. I don't know what they need though,
That's the interesting thing. I think they're in a position
to just make a splash for something. I think that
I wouldn't be surprised if they end up getting Heno Suarez, right,
the big rental everybody wants, if only for them to
(28:05):
block the Yankees from getting him. Because they have right
Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, they can play pretty much anywhere,
Like they could certainly slot Suarez at third base and
put Clement somewhere else. But I think they're going to
be more splashy than necessarily, you know, a necessity type
(28:25):
of acquisition.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
They could.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
They could use some bullpen help, maybe a fourth or
fifth starter, because they have a lot of just kind
of B plus guys in their rotation.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
But yeah, they've been They've been a pleasant surprise.
Speaker 5 (28:38):
Them and the Brewers both have been very impressive to
me compared to preseason expectations.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
For sir, I have to ask the same for my Phillies.
I know that we're we're in a we were known
to choke at the end, and so I need to
know if they're a move that we can have, that
we can make for us to not saw them the
same path for the third year in a row.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (29:03):
See, the Phillies and the Blue Jays are polar opposites
right as far as what they need. Like the I
feel like the Phillies are a better version of what
the Royals were last year, where they have a really
really good rotation and like three really good hitters they
can rely on and then just like everything else could
(29:24):
afford to be upgraded, like the entire bullpen. If they
were to trade for six relievers, that'd be fantastic. I
don't think that's gonna happen, but now you got Alec
Bohme's hurt. Even heading into the season there was talk
of Luis Robert. I guess Cedric Mullins is probably the
more realistic option from Baltimore, although he hasn't been any
(29:47):
one of the days on the call can tell you
Cedric Mullins has not been very good for the last
three months. But I think the Phillies, outside of Bryce Harper,
Kyle Schwarber and Trey Turner, basically all of the positions
could be upgrade and the entire bullpen, so I think
they can. They can do a lot of things to
improve what they've got and really turn themselves into maybe
(30:09):
the team to beat, since the Dodgers apparently have no
interest in cementing themselves as that team this season.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Well, in fairness, the Dodgers, every bullpen arm feels like
they get hurt. At least once a day. There's a
bullpen arm for the Dodgers going on the il. The
Yankees have made a move. You mentioned that the Blue
Jays blocking would block, could potentially block with a Haineo Suarez.
I mean, what realistically can the Yankees do. I mean,
(30:40):
now you have Judge on the il, and there's a
lot of speculation about what he's going to do when
he comes back. I mean, it feels like they've got
a very uphill climb to catch up to the Blue Jays, who,
by the way, have to point out, sorry, Dave, are
losing to the Orioles right now.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
It's the only right.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
What can the Yankees do here to trade deadline?
Speaker 5 (31:07):
Yeah, certainly the Judge injury has thrown a colossal wrench
into their future, but they're still on a game and
a half up on. I think the Mariners and the Rangers,
like they don't have a cushion by any means anymore.
I think they're at this point less concerned with catching
(31:28):
the Blue Jays than they are with just staying in
the playoff picture. With Judge out, obviously, Clark Schmidt losing
him for the year to Tommy John was pretty brutal.
They should be getting Louis Hill back soon, I think
in the next week or so, but even that, like
they still need a fourth and a fifth starter. The
(31:50):
lineup outside of Judge has been kind of questionable all
season long. So yeah, I don't think Ryan McMahon and
Ahmed Rosario or the solution to the Yankees problems. I
think the moves they've made thus far are pretty weak.
I think it's kind of crazy that they were okay
(32:12):
with going with McMahon, a guy who for his career
has ops splits. I think his ops is like eight
fifteen at Course Field and like six sixty everywhere else. Now, granted,
Yankee Stadium is not exactly a Pictures paradise, but I
don't know how McMahon is going to work out there
(32:33):
in the long term, and they're they're going to have
him for the next two years sixty million a pop.
I thought that was crazy that they jumped on McMahon
when in theory Aeronado's out there, when for sure Aohenio
Suarez is out there.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
I don't know. It all kind of.
Speaker 5 (32:50):
Feels like just like the Yankees fans in the I mean,
nobody's on this call a Yankees fan, but I see
them on Twitter. They're like, oh, this is just perfect.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
Now, Judges.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
They could be like, oh, well we got hurt, now
we can bring Aaron Boone back because Judge's injury just
just forced our hand and it's just another loss season.
Oh well, but it just feels like they're they're the
freaking Yankees. You can go and get whatever you want.
They just they're not doing it. I don't I don't
know what their plan is here, because there's not much right.
(33:21):
Suarez was his hands down the rental of this year's bram.
If they're going to go get a Mitch Keller from
Pittsburgh or Edward Cabrera from Miami to bolster the pitching rotation,
that's one thing. But if that's all they're doing, if
they're just getting Suarez in Rosario and calling it today,
(33:41):
that's there're gonna be a lot of irate fans in
the Bronx.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
I do want to ask about the news today that
Bryce Harper told Rob Manfern in a meaning last week, Dave, yes, hop,
what would you like to say?
Speaker 4 (34:00):
Continue? But I'd like to just offer my opinion once
you finished, then we'll turn it over to care.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
Absolutely. Bryce Harper told Rob Manfred when he walked into
the clubhouse to get the fuck out. If you were
going to mention a salary cap, it's a very volatile
situation with the players. So, Dave, you covered hockey, I
want to hear your take on this.
Speaker 4 (34:27):
That's fake tough guy right there, Like, I'm sorry you
were doing that. Where it was the press in the
room at the time, Do we know that obviously it
was because we found out about this, right, we can
confirm the press was in the room.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
That's yes, because Mark de Rosa of MLB Network was
in there and apparently made a joke afterwards that the
players didn't exactly take as a joke.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
Like you know, like seriously, he can have his opinions
and he's entitled to them, but to go in your
her face to the commissioner, brother, like pull the guy
aside and make your point like an educated human being.
Any dumbass can get in some guy's face who's the
(35:15):
commissioner of baseball to appear fake tough, but like, I'm
sorry if I'm the commissioner of baseball now, I'm thinking
we got these guys exactly, like for real, I don't
find that impressive at all. If the story had come
out later that Bryce Harper pulled him aside and explained
(35:37):
some points and made his case and they're gonna have
a further meeting, and now Bryce Harper's taking on a
leadership position within the MLBPA. I'm listening, Get the hell
out of here, you're muppet. Quite honestly, that's how I
see it. Am I wrong? Karrien?
Speaker 2 (36:00):
I mean it is.
Speaker 5 (36:02):
For a guy who's what six seven years into his
thirteen year, three hundred and thirty million dollar contract, like
they're not gonna avoid his contract no matter what happens
with no salary cap.
Speaker 4 (36:13):
But that was the so well and good for him
to say it, because he has nothing to worry about
right now and he's got his money, you know. But
I honestly don't think that that helps the lower guys
on the roster. I don't think the lack of a
salary cap helps the lower guys in the roster. I
(36:35):
think it actually hurts them because it's guys like Bryce
and guys like Juan Soto, and it's guys like Shoe
a Otani who get all of the money, and then
pretty much everybody from guy four on doesn't get any
of the money. So I don't think that helps most
of quote unquote Bryce Harper's constituency, if you will.
Speaker 5 (36:57):
And that's why they cap is unlikely to happen. I
think I know they're they're pushing it for the what
is it next December first of twenty twenty six is
when the MLBPA agreement is come and due. But yeah,
you've got all these thirteen year three hundred and thirty
million dollar deals, fifteen years, seven hundred and six the
(37:19):
toothpastees out of the tube, Like how are you going
to pull this back in and then imply or oppose whatever.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
Impose that's the word I'm looking for.
Speaker 5 (37:27):
Impose a salary cap with all these massive salaries already
in there, Like you're really going to go to the
Dodgers and say, hey, by the way, all your deferred
contracts are now a problem. Good luck with that through
two thousand and thirty four. I don't know what the
endgame is. And I guess you're I'll pick your brain
(37:52):
as the NHL guy, because I remember back in the day, Like,
wasn't it it was Iliya Kobalchuk signed that like thirteen
year deal initial that was the big one that kind
of forced the nnhl's hand there.
Speaker 4 (38:05):
Yeah, you're right, See, but I think what happens is
in baseball, like they pay all of the money to
a very select few of the players, and then everybody
else is struggling to get their money. And so you
know what you're seeing right now in hockey is that
(38:27):
you get you get teams that go to the polar
opposites where you're paying like three guys all of the money,
and then your hands are tied and it's it's a
struggle to win. Or you see teams like Florida where
they've got a bunch of very good players, maybe not
anybody who's elite elite, but a bunch of very good players,
(38:49):
all making very good money that end up having success.
And you look at Florida, you look at Tampa, you
look at Vegas who've won Colorado in recent years. You
don't have anybody making like eleven plus. And obviously the
financials are different in baseball, but I just don't feel
(39:12):
that that that what Bryce Harper thinks he's doing is
helping the lower guys on the roster right now, because
the lower guys on the roster aren't getting paid much money.
It's guys like him who were taking all of the
money and there's not a ton for everybody else, especially
in the majority of markets outside of Philadelphia and LA
(39:34):
and New York and New York, and I mean even
Boston right has shown a reluctance to not spend money
these days. So how the Red Sox aren't spending money?
The Jays don't want to spend a ton of money.
That's been the gripe here for a long time is
that you're a big market. Rogers has more money than God,
but they don't want to spend any money. And so
(39:57):
forget Pittsburgh, forget you know, you know, small market teams
in the US. I think a salary cap would help
bring every consolidated everything. And yeah, okay, maybe Bryce wouldn't
be making exactly what he makes, He'd still be doing
very well, but it would encourage guys on the bottom
(40:18):
end of the roster to make a little bit more money.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
I could Could you liken this whole thing to the
n i L and the NCAA, where there is no guidelines.
So you have kid ten ten that ten x more
than they would make in the league, they probably should
be in like the like the like the G League,
or any other development development like other the minor leagues.
(40:42):
Do you think that they're that they will that they
could take a page out of that book, or do
you think that that's also something where like the Cats
out the bag, there's there's no going back to fixing
that and we're just here where we are.
Speaker 5 (40:53):
Yeah, now now you're speaking my language as a guy
who covers Major League Baseball and college basketball. It's just like,
I just feel like the tooth faces out of the
tube in both reords.
Speaker 2 (41:02):
It's like, you know, aj Dia.
Speaker 5 (41:06):
Bantza at Byu is making whatever, five million.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
I forget. I think it's JT.
Speaker 5 (41:12):
Toppin being like four and a half million of Texas tag.
It's like, okay, so you have twenty two million or whatever.
It's so it's so weird, and I'm very much pro
salary cap, salary floor if only you know, selfishly speaking,
so that when I'm looking in the offseason at all, right,
(41:34):
where might you know coming up this offseason Zach Gallon,
It's like, where might he sign? Where would it make sense?
And it's just like, well, I don't know any of
the thirty teams, whoever wants him, whoever has money. It's
just I feel like with the NBA, maybe with the
NHL and NFL, it's it's easier to try and actually
project landing spots for players. And then with us in baseball,
(41:57):
we're just like, well, fuck, who wants to spend the month?
Speaker 2 (42:00):
I don't know. And it's the same with college basketball
now too.
Speaker 5 (42:03):
It's just it's just the wild West, and I wish
there were some some sort of regulations on it. I
just don't know how you reel it in with baseball
when you've got these seven hundred million, seven hundred and
sixty five million dollars in Toronto. Now you've got that
five hundred million dollars lad junior contract out there, Like,
what how do you get that under control within a
(42:25):
salary cap measure?
Speaker 2 (42:27):
That's just that's not my uh, not my forte to
know what it is.
Speaker 5 (42:33):
But I do wish that we could make some some
sense of offseason news moving forward.
Speaker 4 (42:39):
What the salary cap guys has done in the NHL
is it has provided the majority of the teams the
opportunity that when they show up in the fall of
training camp that they have a chance, a chance, maybe
not to win the Stanley Cup, but a chance to
be competitive. And you can sell that. You can sell
(43:00):
competitiveness making the playoffs to a lot of markets, to
a lot of markets, and in baseball, like you show
up in February and I feel like the day pitchers
and catchers report, half of the league already knows they
don't even have a chance of making the playoffs, let
(43:21):
alone winning a World Series. And I think that that
that equalization of the playing field to promote some level
of parody has been really good for the NHL. That's
why there hasn't been a lot of player movement in
the offseason this summer is because outside of like Chicago
and Pittsburgh and San Jose, most teams feel like we're
(43:49):
either contending for a Stanley Cup or at the point
where we need to challenge for a playoff spot, and
thus they're not selling anybody off, which I think, in
a round of my way, is a good. Yeah, you
can sell player movement and all the things in the summertime,
but that's all well and good for like a day.
It doesn't help Team X or Y sell season tickets
(44:11):
when the half your league knows that we don't have
a chance. But I'll tell you, in Columbus they feel
like they've got a chance. Anaheim, they feel like they
have a chance. Philadelphia. Dave and I agree there there's
some hope there this year with what they've done and
what they've been there. And you don't have that without
that great equalizer of the playing field. And so what
(44:35):
you hear, I think is guys bitching and moaning and
whining that you know you're restricting players' salaries. Yeah, okay,
in baseball, you might not make seventy million a year.
Maybe you'll make forty million dollars a year. You'll still
be quite quite all right. And and then what will
(44:57):
happen is the money will disperse because teams will be
little bit more careful because they know they got to
build out a team. And then it'll raise everyone. So
do you are you really worried about the guys in
your clubhouse or are you really worried about yourself? And yeah, your.
Speaker 3 (45:16):
Point, because when you look at the NBA and you
look at their offseason, it's like a mixture of both.
You have the players who want all the money in
the world. You have the owners of the teams that
don't really want to spend it. And you know, the
only time is that there's really any major movie when
a top five talent is in free agency. But the
majority of the the top talent try to stay within
(45:39):
their teams. But you have you said that within certain
within NHL, you have the opportunity for a Columbus to
like they can compete, or you know, any any team
has that level playing field. It's like with the NBA,
they have a salary cap, but there are still some
teams that come November October when they show up the camp,
they know they don't have a shot in the hell.
You have who literally has not who the playoffs. But yeah,
(46:04):
there's salary cap, they could spend all the money, but
you have the players that don't want to go to
Charlote because they know they're not gonna win. You have
teams like uh like the Clippers that they spend the money,
they do have the talent, but they just don't have
that extra push to make it past the second round
of the playoffs. Or you have a team like the
(46:24):
thunder who just won their first championship. They did it
the most ground grassroots way possible by draft making smart
offseason moves. But yet you keep that core and you
keep that core talent you have from the contracts that
you built off of rookie deals, and you go from there.
You then have a NBA MVP, you have a championship
(46:47):
all based off of a salary cap that you spent
some money, but not too much money. So to the
point to my original point, I think that the NBA
is kind of like the the the middle ground for
both where everyone's buying for. Oh, well, we want to
go to the top markets, like the LA's, like the
New York's, like the Miami's. I mean, I don't think
Miami is a big market in many other sports other
(47:09):
than basketball, but it's still you want to go those
big markets. But yet a small market just won the
first championship in years. This is, you know, a salary
cap I think should be helpful for But I don't
think the NBA really institutes that well to where it
should pan out that way.
Speaker 5 (47:27):
I think there are a few and I'm not an
NBA guy by any means, but I lived in Charlotte
for a while and I know that is one of
the worst run organizations ever. I think you're always going
to have dumbass owners making bad decisions. But to the
point with baseball, and I'm shooting from the hip here
on numbers, but I think the Royals in twenty fifteen,
when they won it all.
Speaker 2 (47:48):
They were the only only.
Speaker 5 (47:50):
Team outside I think the top twelve in opening day
payroll in like the last two decades to win a
World Series, and even them like they stretched their means
to get to like fifteenth in payroll and then they
were like terrible for eight years after to make up
for that one year that they really went for. And
you know, I'm a Nationals guy, they should have more spendability,
(48:16):
if that's a word, then they do. But they won
it all in twenty nineteen, and then they were like, well,
we can't afford Trey Turner or Max Schus and also
Juan Soda. We're gonna get rid of you two and
a half years ahead of time because they went all
in to win it all in twenty nineteen, and then
they just like they haven't been able to pay for
it since then. So yeah, I'm again I'm pro salary cap.
(48:36):
I think that would broaden the horizons. It would make
it feasible for a Pittsburgh or a Milwaukee or a whatever,
a Minnesota to win a championship in this current environment.
But I'm also pro shrinked the playoff field, because once
you get into the playoffs, anything is possible like these
(48:56):
five game series, Like, it wouldn't surprise me if we
end up with like for all this talk of salary
cap and whatnot, we could get a Detroit Milwaukee World
Series this year and just nobody's going to watch it.
Speaker 4 (49:11):
Ed Stanley Cup Final probably not on the Chicago Stanley
Cup Final, Right.
Speaker 1 (49:17):
But I did well because I wanted to ask you this, Carrie,
because this discussion to me led to we were having
that discussion texting earlier about the trade deadline sucking. Well
is it sucking? Because there are so many teams that
feel like they still have a shot with this extual
wild card. So we're not going to see a lot
(49:39):
of moves. I mean, there's only so many teams that
are selling My Orioles are one your Nationals, Carrie. I
hate to do that to you, but your Nationals are
one Arizona. But like, outside of that, there isn't slam dunks.
Like I think we all would have picked Pittsburgh, but
all of a sudden, Pittsburgh's got on a run here
(50:00):
where it's like, okay, they're not totally out of a
wild card spot.
Speaker 5 (50:10):
Is that I haven't even looked at Pittsburgh in so
long that they're dead. Come on, man, they're not trading
Paul Skins. But no, the I think this is kind
of a It's both a one off year and it's
an argument that they should push back the deadline if
the if the playoff field is going to remain at
(50:31):
twelve teams, right, it feels like there are only eight
or nine teams that are dead, and it just so
happens that most of those teams have dog shit to
offer this year.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
If we're being honest, like.
Speaker 5 (50:45):
Even the Marlins, right, who have been kind of hot lately,
we still assume they're sellers. The Marlins have literally one
player on their roster who isn't under team control for
at least two more seasons, So they're not your conventional
seller that's just going to give away these impending free agents.
My Nationals don't have much to offer outside of like
(51:06):
Josh Bell and I guess maybe Kyle Finnegan if you
don't mind his eight point one or in the last
two months, but the Rockies already traded away Ryan McMahon.
They have nothing else to offer. The A's they're probably
not I mean, maybe they'll trade away Louis Severino, but
at that point. Now they're trading away the guy that
they signed to a major contract to get the MLBPA
(51:30):
off their back about not spending money. I don't know
how that's going to go over, so they probably won't
trade him. So it's just this weird thing where, yeah,
you've basically got the Orioles and the Diamondbacks as these
teams that can sell off rentals and not much else.
I mean, even the Cardinals, who are in a weird
spot as far as you know where they're going as
(51:52):
a franchise, they probably should be sellers.
Speaker 2 (51:55):
But they've got Sonny.
Speaker 5 (51:57):
Gray and Nolan Arenado and Wilson Contreras and Miles Michaelis
who all have no trade clauses and have said we
don't want to go anywhere. So it's like, okay, you
can give away Ryan Helsley and that's about it. So
it's just a weird I think it's a weird year
for the deadline, But I do hope it sparks a
conversation about pushing back the deadline to maybe August fifteenth.
(52:21):
I would love it if we had the All Star
Game mid July and then the draft at the end
of July and then the deadline in mid August, just
to space things out a little bit, because as is, you.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
Almost have to.
Speaker 5 (52:35):
As a baseball person, you either care about the All
Star Game or you care about the Draft, but you
can't care about both because they are happening simultaneously.
Speaker 1 (52:47):
I also egg in the face moment looking at the standings. Yeah,
Pittsburgh is is dead, dead in the water. I freely
admitt I was wrong on that one. I didn't realize
that the Braves were ahead of a because I thought
the Braves were dead, and the Braves are dead.
Speaker 4 (53:03):
Yeah, Alex san Thopolas isn't dead very often. He did
this year.
Speaker 2 (53:08):
Oh yeah, big time.
Speaker 5 (53:10):
It will be fun on the Braves. Nobody needs a
reliever more than the Phillies. I would love to see
the Braves just be like worst keeping Iglacius. I don't
care you're not getting him, just to stoke that rivalry
a little bit.
Speaker 3 (53:27):
I mean, when you have when you lose your key
reliever in Avura is, you know, you kind of just
be kind of fuck yourself over.
Speaker 5 (53:35):
Yeah, at least the Braves and the Phillies know what
it's like to lose a guy for eighty years to
Peds this season.
Speaker 1 (53:42):
So oh I before we we let you good carry,
I do have to ask this question about Emmanuel class
A because we're talking about all this what could happen
as a trade deadline and there's a guy that was
probably the best reliever on the trade market and now
he's suspended for gambling potentially.
Speaker 2 (54:02):
Yeah, yeah, we were.
Speaker 5 (54:04):
We were talking about that in our our Bleacher Report
slack room earlier. It's like, what what if they had
traded him three days ago?
Speaker 2 (54:13):
What does baseball do? Just did they just undo the trade?
Speaker 1 (54:16):
Now?
Speaker 2 (54:17):
I don't know what the what would have happened there?
Speaker 5 (54:19):
But yeah, that's that's pretty crazy, speaking of right the
toothpaste being out of the tube. I mean, man at
least with at least with Ortiz, you could see it
because he was on a league minimum salary, but classe
as he's got his contract, he's making like eight million this.
Speaker 2 (54:37):
Season, Like, what's what's the excuse?
Speaker 5 (54:40):
And I know we've seen in the NBA, we've seen
some prop bet some issues propping up.
Speaker 2 (54:46):
So I don't know.
Speaker 5 (54:49):
And if I had written an article on you know,
what we need to do about gambling, every third advertisement
that popped up would have been from fan duel or
DraftKings in there. So I think we know what the
problem is.
Speaker 3 (55:03):
Actively are betting a betting at actually on my screen
right now.
Speaker 5 (55:06):
So yeah, it's it's it went from like complete tabot
like I've I've been doing this since twenty thirteen, and
I remember like I was not allowed to talk about
like national championship odds for college basketball like a decade ago,
and now it's like you should probably talk about what
(55:28):
the spread in is in this upcoming game or else
nobody's going to care anymore. Like we've completely junked the
shark on you know, not having gambling in sports. And
I know, at least on the college side of things,
there's there's that element of it, the amateur element. But yeah,
these these bets on the is the first pitch of
(55:49):
the inning going to be a ball? How did we
not think that that was going to be exploited by
the mob at some point in time?
Speaker 4 (55:56):
I mean, my god, a shame. The first pitch of
the inning. We're not a strike on that night? Right?
Speaker 1 (56:07):
Somebody? Actually I saw somebody went on Twitter and posted
where they they looked at some of the first pitches
from Emmanuel class A and and they were like he
missed badly on these to where you almost wondered did
he know what the prop that was on that first pitch?
Because there was one he threw to Bobby Wit It
(56:30):
was like a fifty seven foot fastball. He spikes it
in the dirt for no reason.
Speaker 5 (56:35):
Yep, I was watching, h I I was watching the
Yankees Phillies game the other day and Zach Wheeler threw
one like three feet outside the first batter. I was like,
what is Zach Wheeler on his forty two billion dollars
a year salary throwing the ball out of the like?
Speaker 2 (56:52):
Where how far have we gone? Here? My god?
Speaker 1 (56:56):
All right, well, Carrie, thank you for taking some time
with us. As a always it is a pleasure when
we get to have you on this program.
Speaker 2 (57:04):
Hey, it was good to be with you.
Speaker 1 (57:05):
Thanks for having me, all right, and that's gonna do
it our great. Thanks to you, Dave McCarthy for sticking
around and hopefully you had some fun with us here tonight.
Speaker 4 (57:17):
I'm the best time when I joined you guys, honestly,
and the fact that I get to talked about something
I don't cover every day, so I can just nobody
can come at me and be like I or bias it.
I don't cover baseball. Come out like I don't give
a I'm just I'm just letting it rip. So that
was great. Thank you for having boys anytime you need. Well,
(57:38):
we'll talk again. Uh, talk again once the season gets going.
I love being on with you.
Speaker 1 (57:42):
Guys, absolutely, Dave, it was our pleasure having you on.
Speaker 4 (57:48):
Day boys. After the Chase win the World Series.
Speaker 1 (57:52):
Yes, you get when if the Jay's win the World Series,
you come back, you get to host and we'll do
whatever you want for a podcast.
Speaker 4 (57:59):
Okay, like that, we'll take that deal.
Speaker 1 (58:02):
Deal alright, alright, that is gonna wrap it up for us, David,
that was a fun show. We are off next week
all getting a little R and R and then quite
possibly our two favorite chairs of the year college football preview.
Speaker 4 (58:20):
People.
Speaker 3 (58:21):
It's football time. OTAs are over. It had been over.
Is his training camp. Strap the cleats up, strap your
helmets up, strap your pads up, and get the popping people.
Speaker 4 (58:33):
Let's get it.
Speaker 3 (58:34):
It's gonna be a good season, all right.
Speaker 1 (58:38):
You heard it for David Miles on Dave Simono. This
has been the opening kickof podcast
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