December 11, 2024 • 24 mins
MLB Analyst Ricky Keeler breaks down what the New York Yankees should and will likely have to do after Juan Soto heads to Queens instead of back to the " Boogie Down Bronx"
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Welcome everybody to another episode of Heavy and the Paint
Baseball edition. It has happened, and it's happened not in
the way that I thought it would. Make sure you subscribe.
Hit the subscribe button. You can always catch me on
Serious Sex of m NBA Radio Child eighty six, as
well as on the Nightcap on Mad Dog Sports Radio.
(00:38):
Bringing back one of the best in the business and outstanding,
very insightful gentlemen. When it comes down to Major League Baseball,
I trust his opinion, the one and only mister Ricky Kieler. Ricky,
we talked about this a few weeks back, and you
had said that it would probably come down to around
(00:59):
the tip of the Baseball Winter meetings. And obviously, Juan
Soto is perhaps maybe major League Baseball's version of Lebron
James twenty six years of age free agent.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
We heard so many things Dodgers, Mets.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yankees, and he just said, you know what, he's got
to be able to come back to the Yankees.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
He doesn't he lands with the New York Mets. What
is it?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Fifteen years, fifteen years, seven hundred and sixty five million,
with the possibility of it escalating to eight hundred and
five million dollars.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Ricky money talks.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
I get that, but you said that you couldn't, you
wouldn't discount and don't discount the New York Mets. Why
did you feel the way you did, which you'll neverly
proved to be right?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Well, Gerald, it comes down to this. I don't think
Steve Cohen was going to lose this one. Steve Cohen
is a guy that comes from a lot of wealth.
Both talked about his ability love with collecting art, and
art doesn't depreciate. So Steve Cohen probably looks at it
as okay, if Juan Soto is doing this.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
That you're twelve when you're thirteen.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
But I got a couple of titles out of it,
I'm okay with it. It just comes down to this
is the generational piece that the Mets need, and they're
trying to not only build a winner, but to build
a sustainable winner, and to have this guy with Lindor
and him being the center, guy like this, this is the.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Guy you build things through.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
And there's stuff with the Mets build like there's we
can get into it what the pros with the Mets are.
By the end, he was just gonna go where the
money talks. And I give House Stin Brenner at least
some credit for getting to seven sixty because the Yankees,
I know, didn't want to go that direction, but they
gave it a try. You don't like to give people
credit for trying, but I think in this case, when
(02:53):
you're offering the biggest contract in professional sports, you kind
of get a benefit of doubt for giving it a shot.
But again, he wanted the money, and I guess, to me,
I don't know if he's Lebron. I think he's just
a really good businessman. And he turned down four to
forty from the Nats and he's gonna get maybe eight hundred.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
From the Mets.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
So talking like I banked on himself and got a
lot of money out.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Of it, you know, I you know, it's it's a
great business move, right And I think clearly, look this
helps major League Baseball.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Right, so we look at this.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
You know, major League Baseball announcist on a Sunday, well,
you know, mon Solo announcis on a Sunday, and there's
no you know, Monday Night football, there's not that much NBA.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
It's full attention on this signing.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
But and I get it, you know, I'm happy for
him that he got his money, generational wealth. This is
a very very big mining moment moment for him, for
his team, for his family. But I keep coming back
to this thing where it's the unknown, right, like overall, right, look,
(04:04):
I get it, the monies and stuff. You know, it's
seven sixty five on the surface, Yankee seven sixty an
extra year.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
I did. All that matters, but a level of comfort, right.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I talked to an agent today and said, hey, look,
you know, Scott Boris made out like a fat rat, right,
this is great because he's making ain't herdred million? Scott
Boris in all likelihood gets twenty percent of that. So
you're talking about somewhere about it up with about one
hundred or so million that Boris has made in client fees.
(04:41):
But at the end of the day, and he could,
you know, has opt out five years. He can get
back right back out of the market at twenty six,
well at thirty one. I just look at the facts
that you knew what you had in New York. You know,
it's nothing like New York and playing for the Yankees,
nothing like Yankee Stadium and listen to no disrespect to
(05:02):
the Mets.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Aaron Judge is Aaron Judge.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
You know what you have, and the path to a
World Series is a lot easier in the AL than
it is in the NL. When you got the MLB's
version of the Lakers in the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
When you look at this, how do you see this?
Speaker 1 (05:25):
And I mean still, if you look at those right
there and wear these apples and.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Oranges, do he look like he might have made the
wrong decision.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
I don't think so, just because I mean it's tough
for us to say he made the wrong decision because
the end of him making the money. But over fifteen
years these things can change. Like right now, the NL
looks great. Who knows in five to ten years if
that stays the same. I think the difference you brought up, Judge,
Judge can look out and I heard this on the
Michael K Show today, The Judge can look out in
(05:57):
left field and see monument part and invagine himself as
a homegrown player getting a plaque and getting ninety nine
up there. What does one Soto really see? I mean,
this is the guy the Yankees got for the sole
purpose of winning a World Series. There was no a
lord to stay with the pinstripes.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
There's no lord to.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Accomplish. I guess accomplished a goal he didn't accomplish. Is
really the one thing you could maybe like, what was
the what's the Yankees pitch really in courting this guy,
like the Mets can truly go out and court this
guy right and make him feel like the center of attention.
Wan Soto is not the center of attention with the
New York Yankees, but.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
You know what it is.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
And I heard that before and a question I just
and my policies into rugby, because I'm saying he was
adored in Yankee Stadium in right field, the bleacher creatures
embraced him, and it just seemed apparent that, look, Aaron Judge,
you know legacy, he's the captain.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
It didn't really.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Overshadow one Sodo because one Soto fall intensive purposes. You
know what, Listen, he been helped. He helped Aaron Judge
to see a lot of pitches based upon of fact
that he was on base. It really worked together. So
that's why I'm trying to figure out where now it
sounds like the ego where look, aside from their additional money.
(07:25):
If it's five million dollar difference on the surface, and
you wanted to make fifty million dollars a year as
opposed to forty six forty seven, and you're going to
a team that you already spent the year, and you
went to the World Series you lost in five games.
I just have a I just can't wrap my head
(07:45):
around it. And I'll ask you, does winning really matter anymore?
Speaker 3 (07:51):
This depends on the player. I mean, we talked about
this a few weeks ago. I mean, Soto does have
a World Series bring to his credit, He's not out
there necessarily trying to get that elusive first one on
the resume. Like he can now go out there and
look for different things and different what what necessarily fits in?
Speaker 4 (08:11):
Like he was loved by the bleacher creatures.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Yes, but in the back of his mind, you think
about all the times he was asked about the fans
and asked about all these things, and he would answer
like a Scott Bors client. He would answer without really
appealing to the fans or appealing to anything at all.
Doesn't mean he isn't like Yankee fans. But at the
same time, I mean he knows how to play in
New York. I don't think moving from one burrow to
(08:36):
the other really changes that. If anything, you talk about
a team that, yes there's an unknown, but he did
make it to the NLCS, and a team that still
has Francisco Lindor if Lindor is not Judge, but Lindor
is still a runner up MVP candidate. And now you
maybe put Sodo third in front of a guy like
Biento's who had a good year, and now Vientos gets
(08:57):
more pitches to hit.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
I mean it does change some things.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
I don't really look at the Sodo stuff and say
winning doesn't matter, because it's not like the Mets are
not set up with Stearns and with Cohen to win.
I think it's just more they have the finances, and
you think about it, the Yankees got Sodo, they couldn't
do anything else. The Mets still can do other things
(09:26):
because they're off the Scherzer contract, they're off the Rowlander contract,
they're off the James mccannon contract.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
I believe.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
So there's so much deferred money that now they didn't
give men a deferrals, but they're off so much of
the bad contracts they had, they can spend more the Yankees.
If they gave Soda that money, couldn't really do much
anything else, and there's still so many holes they have.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Well, let me ask you this then, So when you
talk about that, right Baseball on list, Ricky Kila.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Joining me here, heavy in the paint, Joe Brown, what
is next for the New York Mets? G give me
a name or two that's out there that you really
could see, because clearly you can't take this team right
now on paper and say that the Mets I.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Don't even I mean you can't even say they're the
best team in the NL East.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
I mean, Sodo is a good piece, But you know,
give me a name that perhaps Mets fans should look
out and look for the Mets to upgrade, and maybe
a player or two.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Well, obviously, I think the first one is what happens
with Pete Alonzo. I mean, do the Mets feel that
now they got Soda, do they have the money to
get pie Alonzo to stay? Does p Alonzo take less
with the Mets with Sodo inlandor or does he try
to get the most money. I mean that that comes
down to again. I think he also is represented by Bors,
(10:52):
so that'll see what he decides to do. If you're
going outside of the Pete front, it's starting pitching because
outside of Sanga, who's coming off injury, David Peterson at
a breakout year, you're looking at having to replace Mnia,
replacing Severino, who gets the big money from the Sacramento Well,
now the Sacramento A's and Quintana. You bring in Frankie Mantas,
(11:17):
who I don't know what he is and Yankee fans
never do what he was because he never.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
Pitched, but he was okay with Milwaukee somewhat.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
They bring in Clay Holmes, who is going to start
for the first time in twenty eighteen, So who knows
what Clay Holmes is going to be as a starter.
To me, I'm looking at what does David Stearns do well,
and what he did well last year was getting pitchers
with low risk, high reward stuff. Seve was that, Mania
was that. So you're looking at Walker Bueller, You're looking
at Jack Flaherty, You're looking at Native Valdi, You're looking
(11:46):
at Dick Pivetta. You're looking at maybe one or two
of those guys that want to take a one two
year deal and want to come to a winner and
boost their value a little bit, like the Stearns is
not going to go out there make the big pitching
move because of those things can work, but they're gonna
try to supplement it in other ways. So I think
(12:07):
pitching is really what they need. More so I'm interested
to see what arms Stearns can add on top of
what they have, because I think that's their weakness. But
they got to the CS with a patchwork rotation last year,
so you don't.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Think they would add outside of Peter A Lonzo, you
don't think that they would add another beat Well.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
The question I think would be the only bat I
could see.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
Is Bregman.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Moving to third, but that would require if Bregman went
to third, then you'd probably have to put Vientos at first,
which I mean Pete is gone.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
So Pete's gone. They want to pivot to Bregman.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
That's great, But all right, you're gonna add like you're
gonna add Sclaber to replace McNeil.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Probably not.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
They've got enough outfielders as is with Taylor adding Jose
Siri Marte still in the mix, so they don't really need.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
To add outfielders.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Valvarez behind the plate, so really it's just a corner
infield if they do add a bat and they're gonna
be Pete or they maybe if Pete's gone, they make
the move. Bragman, I think to me, it's more so
when you're going up against Atlanta and Philly in La
and San Diego, because that's the clear other four besides
the nets, you've got to pitch. And I think it's
(13:21):
more so with the lack of big bats on the market.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Now that Soto's gone, they have him, but you have
to get pitching, and yeah, that's where they should go next.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah, Alex Bragman. Obviously from the Houston Astros. Okay, let's
flip over to the Yankees, Ricky. The moment you know
Juan Soto, it was known publicly, it became a situation
where now, look, Brian Cashman is going to earn his money, right,
this is gonna be one oose situation and hopefully it's
(13:52):
not a knee jerk reaction like they went out, I
think the last time, and went out and trade it
for John Carlo Stanton And obviously that has just been
a load. But Anthony Santander left aded bat thirty years old.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
He's played in the al Leagus. I like him again,
he hit with power? Is he Soto? No?
Speaker 1 (14:15):
The best thing is they got to find guys that
they could perhaps get out.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
There that show up defensively.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
But give me some other names or perhaps positions in
areas that you would like for the Yankees to go
now and hopefully they take this house. Did Burger says say, Look,
we got seven hundre and sixty million dollars spend it,
which I don't believe is going to be the case
because they don't want to go anywhere near that luxury tax.
But give me some guys that perhaps you think the
(14:43):
Yankees will move on.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
I'll go after now that Jon Soto is no longer
coming back.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Well, I think that the misconception you brought it up. Well,
they don't have seven hundred and sixty million to spend.
They have essentially forty to fifty million. That was a
lot at Soto to spend. That's where or a top
of whatever signing bonus. So let's say sixty million timeless.
Let's say it's like eighty to one hundred million. Let's say,
all right, So I like Santandeer, but the defense is
(15:10):
an issue, and I think between Toronto and Boston and
all that competition that's gonna be tough to get. So, look,
they're not replacing Sodo. I think you have to really
go in saying you're not going to get a bath
to the place of Soda. So do you go after
Bregman to play third? Maybe, but Boston's looking at Brkman,
so who knows what happens there. I think the best
(15:32):
thing the Yankees could do there's a couple of things.
You look at, getting Walker first, and maybe trading for
Cody Bellinger, which you can get for next to nothing,
to play center because I think the goal is to
get judging right now that you don't have to worry
about judge and center field anymore. You keep his legs fresh,
maybe that helps him going forward. And they've always liked Bellinger.
You could probably go that direction. To me, go get
(15:54):
starting pitching. To me, it's more so all right, if
I can't get my offense better, make a strength better.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
And they're obviously looking at Max Freed. They like Max Freed.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
And you if you go and you can now take
if you get Freed or Burns or somebody like that,
you can now take Cortes or Schmidt or Heal and
trade for offense. So I think what you said work.
Cashman's gonna earn his money because how it took the
l to Cohen, And that's okay. Cashman can't take the
eel to Stearns. He has to get creative. I look
(16:26):
at this more like the Stanton thing, and not so much.
I look at it more like thirteen when they lost
Cano and they got Elsbury and McCann and Beltron and Tanaka,
and it sets this team back two three years.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
They can't spend stupid.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
That's where I think it's like, if you go out
there and you overspend for ti Oscar Hernandez and you
overspend for offense, that isn't sustainable. You're not You're gonna
just make it worse. To me, it's okay. If I
can't win with offense in a weak American league, let
me just go stack arms and get and get ready
for the playoffs, and try to get best with run prevention,
get pitching in defense because you're gonna hit home runs.
(17:05):
The Yankees do that better than anybody. If they get
Walker hits homers and defense. Bellinger is a decent defender
and center. You can make you can make things work.
Clan bets are never as great as Soto's plan a,
but there's a lot of variety at least getting this
done now in December, they have a lot of options
(17:25):
they can turn to.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Yeah, I don't know about Kristan Walker.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
I mean, that's the gentleman. For the Arizona Diamondbacks. You
had Cody Belager. You know, the Walker is a little
bit old. I think he's about thirty four. So I
think that's just kind of like a pseudo afy Rizzo
type of guy that you can plug and play right there.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
I do like Cody Belicher, but at what cost and
what price?
Speaker 1 (17:50):
You know, I'm not really up for giving up Clark
Schmidt as well as Louise Hill, especially after look, you
get give up Michael King. You gave up Michael King,
and then you lost Wandy Peralta, uh from the bullpen
to essentially just rent Lon Soto.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
So I just I.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Don't know if I could feel comfortable, you know, young
players that it's still able to be controlled contractually.
Speaker 4 (18:20):
I don't think you're trading both. I think it's.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
More Yeah, but if you get freed right, you have
Cole Rodan freed Stroman Cortes, heel Schmidt, that you got
a surplus like you're trading from sword plus. You're not
going out there and trading guys that you desperately need,
And it might not be for those specific players. It's
(18:44):
gonna be maybe it's a guy we've not heard of
that's available that you get a move for, like Cody Bellinger.
You can get for not much because he's only got
one year in the Clubs don't want to pay that money.
If you take on that money, you'ren't paying up that
much of an Army Walker even at thirty four. What
I like about Walker is he hits for power, and
he's a goal glove first baseman, Like what do the
(19:07):
Yankees need?
Speaker 4 (19:08):
Goal glove defense at first base?
Speaker 3 (19:10):
Like that? To me, the lot of the playoff losses
they had was not because they didn't hit.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
It's because they didn't defend.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
If you make the defense better and you add a
couple of runs here or there, like what are the
the Yankees we talked about it last time, didn't have
a home run from a first basement after July thirty first,
So if you get anything at first base, this offense
is better than what it was that was with Soto.
So it kind of if you address a couple of positions,
you can make this team somewhat close if it's not
(19:42):
gonna be the same. But in the American League, you
don't need to do too much unless you see Baltimore
or Boston because, like I looked at it yesterday, like
Baltimore doesn't get burns and most of the big free
agents go to the National League. There's not much the
Yankees need to do. They just got to improve on
the margins.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Before we wrap up, Ricky, if you had a gut
feeling how everything is played out right now, do you
think the Yankees are still the playoff team based upon
the moves that they make?
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Oh yeah, I mean you're talking about a team that's
still I mean, people back to the same team from
two years ago. They won eighty two games in a
year when Judge missed half the season in twenty three,
so right now, I mean, you got the rotation they
got to add to add to the bullpen, they got
to make some moves on offense. But at the same time,
(20:38):
this is still a team that's cable winning eighty eight
to ninety in the American League that should make the playoffs.
They're gonna add pieces. Like I think we all are
looking at the soda stuff and saying it's it's terrible
they didn't get them and all that makes sense. And
it's tough when you get up all the pieces they
gave up and the risks they took and they got.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
To a World Series with it.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
But there's still plenty of time this offseason. Brian cash
is gonna make a movie, said today at the Wair meetings.
They're gonna get aggressive, they're gonna do things. And I
think if they're the National League that's tougher. But in
the American League, if they don't make the playoffs with
the lack of dominant teams, that's a failure that that's
one that loses people jobs. So I don't see how
(21:22):
they're not a playoff team in twenty five. They're gonna
they're gonna end. They're gonna be the same team. It's
just they're not gonna be the elite offense that they were.
Now it's time to see if you can improve other ways.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Now, if they do add another piece of two, do
you put them in a situation where you say they
can come out the AL and represent UH to the
World Series and represent the American League in the World Series.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Yeah, I mean again, give me Like that's the thing
I was thinking about yesterday. I was like, okay, give
me their team. You're still scared of Cleveland, Like, okay,
Cleveland brings back Bieber. They still don't hit Kansas City
in Detroit. I need to see them do it again.
The askers getting older Baltimore. If they don't bring back
Burns and they add like another arm, they still don't
(22:06):
have that elite ace. What's Boston, what's Toronto? There there's
so many questions in the AL that the Yankee should
be a top two or three favorite to get out
and win the Pennant just because they're going to make
those moves. They're not competing with the Dodgers and the
Padres and the Phillies and the Braves.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Now, if they get to the World Series, yeah, you know,
it's drastically better.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
But they don't need to outspend themselves or outsmart themselves
to get out of the American League because right now
the AL is just down. And that's what I think
about yesterday, Like William Donas went to the Giants.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
If two or three more stars go.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
To the NL.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Then what's really the American League right now?
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Yeah, it's it's really up for grab.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Hey, Ricky, Before I let I'll let you get on
out of here and let everybody know where they can
find your work and everything that you have going on.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Well, you can follow me on X or tit or
whatever you call it. African Eater five five five and
catch my show New York Day of Sports every Monday
at noon and I E. Sports Radio at NY State
Sports II on Twitter. We talked a lot of Soto
stuff on Monday show. We talked a little Rangers. Still,
the Giants and Jets keep losing, so we just talk
(23:16):
about them just because maybe you should or Sanders will
talk about some more, but never this it's a good show.
Check out some of my network at MIT simmarized as well.
Uh and yeah, tune in is a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Hey, Ricky. Always appreciate you, my friend.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
You and your family have a beautiful and wonderful holiday
season and we just got to sit back and wait
and let Cash Ben and the Yankee staff do what
they need to do. But it's a great day for
Major League Baseball overall. I appreciate it definitely to look
forward to talk to.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
You real sill same to you, my friend. Happy holidays
to you and your family.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Appreciate Ricky Kilo. What are the best in the business?
Heavy in the pain, Peace to commute,
Welcome everybody to another episode of Heavy and the Paint
Baseball edition. It has happened, and it's happened not in
the way that I thought it would. Make sure you subscribe.
Hit the subscribe button. You can always catch me on
Serious Sex of m NBA Radio Child eighty six, as
well as on the Nightcap on Mad Dog Sports Radio.
(00:38):
Bringing back one of the best in the business and outstanding,
very insightful gentlemen. When it comes down to Major League Baseball,
I trust his opinion, the one and only mister Ricky Kieler. Ricky,
we talked about this a few weeks back, and you
had said that it would probably come down to around
(00:59):
the tip of the Baseball Winter meetings. And obviously, Juan
Soto is perhaps maybe major League Baseball's version of Lebron
James twenty six years of age free agent.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
We heard so many things Dodgers, Mets.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yankees, and he just said, you know what, he's got
to be able to come back to the Yankees.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
He doesn't he lands with the New York Mets. What
is it?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Fifteen years, fifteen years, seven hundred and sixty five million,
with the possibility of it escalating to eight hundred and
five million dollars.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Ricky money talks.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
I get that, but you said that you couldn't, you
wouldn't discount and don't discount the New York Mets. Why
did you feel the way you did, which you'll neverly
proved to be right?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Well, Gerald, it comes down to this. I don't think
Steve Cohen was going to lose this one. Steve Cohen
is a guy that comes from a lot of wealth.
Both talked about his ability love with collecting art, and
art doesn't depreciate. So Steve Cohen probably looks at it
as okay, if Juan Soto is doing this.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
That you're twelve when you're thirteen.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
But I got a couple of titles out of it,
I'm okay with it. It just comes down to this
is the generational piece that the Mets need, and they're
trying to not only build a winner, but to build
a sustainable winner, and to have this guy with Lindor
and him being the center, guy like this, this is the.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Guy you build things through.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
And there's stuff with the Mets build like there's we
can get into it what the pros with the Mets are.
By the end, he was just gonna go where the
money talks. And I give House Stin Brenner at least
some credit for getting to seven sixty because the Yankees,
I know, didn't want to go that direction, but they
gave it a try. You don't like to give people
credit for trying, but I think in this case, when
(02:53):
you're offering the biggest contract in professional sports, you kind
of get a benefit of doubt for giving it a shot.
But again, he wanted the money, and I guess, to me,
I don't know if he's Lebron. I think he's just
a really good businessman. And he turned down four to
forty from the Nats and he's gonna get maybe eight hundred.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
From the Mets.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
So talking like I banked on himself and got a
lot of money out.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Of it, you know, I you know, it's it's a
great business move, right And I think clearly, look this
helps major League Baseball.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Right, so we look at this.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
You know, major League Baseball announcist on a Sunday, well,
you know, mon Solo announcis on a Sunday, and there's
no you know, Monday Night football, there's not that much NBA.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
It's full attention on this signing.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
But and I get it, you know, I'm happy for
him that he got his money, generational wealth. This is
a very very big mining moment moment for him, for
his team, for his family. But I keep coming back
to this thing where it's the unknown, right, like overall, right, look,
(04:04):
I get it, the monies and stuff. You know, it's
seven sixty five on the surface, Yankee seven sixty an
extra year.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
I did. All that matters, but a level of comfort, right.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I talked to an agent today and said, hey, look,
you know, Scott Boris made out like a fat rat, right,
this is great because he's making ain't herdred million? Scott
Boris in all likelihood gets twenty percent of that. So
you're talking about somewhere about it up with about one
hundred or so million that Boris has made in client fees.
(04:41):
But at the end of the day, and he could,
you know, has opt out five years. He can get
back right back out of the market at twenty six,
well at thirty one. I just look at the facts
that you knew what you had in New York. You know,
it's nothing like New York and playing for the Yankees,
nothing like Yankee Stadium and listen to no disrespect to
(05:02):
the Mets.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Aaron Judge is Aaron Judge.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
You know what you have, and the path to a
World Series is a lot easier in the AL than
it is in the NL. When you got the MLB's
version of the Lakers in the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
When you look at this, how do you see this?
Speaker 1 (05:25):
And I mean still, if you look at those right
there and wear these apples and.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Oranges, do he look like he might have made the
wrong decision.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
I don't think so, just because I mean it's tough
for us to say he made the wrong decision because
the end of him making the money. But over fifteen
years these things can change. Like right now, the NL
looks great. Who knows in five to ten years if
that stays the same. I think the difference you brought up, Judge,
Judge can look out and I heard this on the
Michael K Show today, The Judge can look out in
(05:57):
left field and see monument part and invagine himself as
a homegrown player getting a plaque and getting ninety nine
up there. What does one Soto really see? I mean,
this is the guy the Yankees got for the sole
purpose of winning a World Series. There was no a
lord to stay with the pinstripes.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
There's no lord to.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Accomplish. I guess accomplished a goal he didn't accomplish. Is
really the one thing you could maybe like, what was
the what's the Yankees pitch really in courting this guy,
like the Mets can truly go out and court this
guy right and make him feel like the center of attention.
Wan Soto is not the center of attention with the
New York Yankees, but.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
You know what it is.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
And I heard that before and a question I just
and my policies into rugby, because I'm saying he was
adored in Yankee Stadium in right field, the bleacher creatures
embraced him, and it just seemed apparent that, look, Aaron Judge,
you know legacy, he's the captain.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
It didn't really.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Overshadow one Sodo because one Soto fall intensive purposes. You
know what, Listen, he been helped. He helped Aaron Judge
to see a lot of pitches based upon of fact
that he was on base. It really worked together. So
that's why I'm trying to figure out where now it
sounds like the ego where look, aside from their additional money.
(07:25):
If it's five million dollar difference on the surface, and
you wanted to make fifty million dollars a year as
opposed to forty six forty seven, and you're going to
a team that you already spent the year, and you
went to the World Series you lost in five games.
I just have a I just can't wrap my head
(07:45):
around it. And I'll ask you, does winning really matter anymore?
Speaker 3 (07:51):
This depends on the player. I mean, we talked about
this a few weeks ago. I mean, Soto does have
a World Series bring to his credit, He's not out
there necessarily trying to get that elusive first one on
the resume. Like he can now go out there and
look for different things and different what what necessarily fits in?
Speaker 4 (08:11):
Like he was loved by the bleacher creatures.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Yes, but in the back of his mind, you think
about all the times he was asked about the fans
and asked about all these things, and he would answer
like a Scott Bors client. He would answer without really
appealing to the fans or appealing to anything at all.
Doesn't mean he isn't like Yankee fans. But at the
same time, I mean he knows how to play in
New York. I don't think moving from one burrow to
(08:36):
the other really changes that. If anything, you talk about
a team that, yes there's an unknown, but he did
make it to the NLCS, and a team that still
has Francisco Lindor if Lindor is not Judge, but Lindor
is still a runner up MVP candidate. And now you
maybe put Sodo third in front of a guy like
Biento's who had a good year, and now Vientos gets
(08:57):
more pitches to hit.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
I mean it does change some things.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
I don't really look at the Sodo stuff and say
winning doesn't matter, because it's not like the Mets are
not set up with Stearns and with Cohen to win.
I think it's just more they have the finances, and
you think about it, the Yankees got Sodo, they couldn't
do anything else. The Mets still can do other things
(09:26):
because they're off the Scherzer contract, they're off the Rowlander contract,
they're off the James mccannon contract.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
I believe.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
So there's so much deferred money that now they didn't
give men a deferrals, but they're off so much of
the bad contracts they had, they can spend more the Yankees.
If they gave Soda that money, couldn't really do much
anything else, and there's still so many holes they have.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Well, let me ask you this then, So when you
talk about that, right Baseball on list, Ricky Kila.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Joining me here, heavy in the paint, Joe Brown, what
is next for the New York Mets? G give me
a name or two that's out there that you really
could see, because clearly you can't take this team right
now on paper and say that the Mets I.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Don't even I mean you can't even say they're the
best team in the NL East.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
I mean, Sodo is a good piece, But you know,
give me a name that perhaps Mets fans should look
out and look for the Mets to upgrade, and maybe
a player or two.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Well, obviously, I think the first one is what happens
with Pete Alonzo. I mean, do the Mets feel that
now they got Soda, do they have the money to
get pie Alonzo to stay? Does p Alonzo take less
with the Mets with Sodo inlandor or does he try
to get the most money. I mean that that comes
down to again. I think he also is represented by Bors,
(10:52):
so that'll see what he decides to do. If you're
going outside of the Pete front, it's starting pitching because
outside of Sanga, who's coming off injury, David Peterson at
a breakout year, you're looking at having to replace Mnia,
replacing Severino, who gets the big money from the Sacramento Well,
now the Sacramento A's and Quintana. You bring in Frankie Mantas,
(11:17):
who I don't know what he is and Yankee fans
never do what he was because he never.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
Pitched, but he was okay with Milwaukee somewhat.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
They bring in Clay Holmes, who is going to start
for the first time in twenty eighteen, So who knows
what Clay Holmes is going to be as a starter.
To me, I'm looking at what does David Stearns do well,
and what he did well last year was getting pitchers
with low risk, high reward stuff. Seve was that, Mania
was that. So you're looking at Walker Bueller, You're looking
at Jack Flaherty, You're looking at Native Valdi, You're looking
(11:46):
at Dick Pivetta. You're looking at maybe one or two
of those guys that want to take a one two
year deal and want to come to a winner and
boost their value a little bit, like the Stearns is
not going to go out there make the big pitching
move because of those things can work, but they're gonna
try to supplement it in other ways. So I think
(12:07):
pitching is really what they need. More so I'm interested
to see what arms Stearns can add on top of
what they have, because I think that's their weakness. But
they got to the CS with a patchwork rotation last year,
so you don't.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Think they would add outside of Peter A Lonzo, you
don't think that they would add another beat Well.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
The question I think would be the only bat I
could see.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
Is Bregman.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Moving to third, but that would require if Bregman went
to third, then you'd probably have to put Vientos at first,
which I mean Pete is gone.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
So Pete's gone. They want to pivot to Bregman.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
That's great, But all right, you're gonna add like you're
gonna add Sclaber to replace McNeil.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Probably not.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
They've got enough outfielders as is with Taylor adding Jose
Siri Marte still in the mix, so they don't really need.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
To add outfielders.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Valvarez behind the plate, so really it's just a corner
infield if they do add a bat and they're gonna
be Pete or they maybe if Pete's gone, they make
the move. Bragman, I think to me, it's more so
when you're going up against Atlanta and Philly in La
and San Diego, because that's the clear other four besides
the nets, you've got to pitch. And I think it's
(13:21):
more so with the lack of big bats on the market.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Now that Soto's gone, they have him, but you have
to get pitching, and yeah, that's where they should go next.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah, Alex Bragman. Obviously from the Houston Astros. Okay, let's
flip over to the Yankees, Ricky. The moment you know
Juan Soto, it was known publicly, it became a situation
where now, look, Brian Cashman is going to earn his money, right,
this is gonna be one oose situation and hopefully it's
(13:52):
not a knee jerk reaction like they went out, I
think the last time, and went out and trade it
for John Carlo Stanton And obviously that has just been
a load. But Anthony Santander left aded bat thirty years old.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
He's played in the al Leagus. I like him again,
he hit with power? Is he Soto? No?
Speaker 1 (14:15):
The best thing is they got to find guys that
they could perhaps get out.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
There that show up defensively.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
But give me some other names or perhaps positions in
areas that you would like for the Yankees to go
now and hopefully they take this house. Did Burger says say, Look,
we got seven hundre and sixty million dollars spend it,
which I don't believe is going to be the case
because they don't want to go anywhere near that luxury tax.
But give me some guys that perhaps you think the
(14:43):
Yankees will move on.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
I'll go after now that Jon Soto is no longer
coming back.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Well, I think that the misconception you brought it up. Well,
they don't have seven hundred and sixty million to spend.
They have essentially forty to fifty million. That was a
lot at Soto to spend. That's where or a top
of whatever signing bonus. So let's say sixty million timeless.
Let's say it's like eighty to one hundred million. Let's say,
all right, So I like Santandeer, but the defense is
(15:10):
an issue, and I think between Toronto and Boston and
all that competition that's gonna be tough to get. So, look,
they're not replacing Sodo. I think you have to really
go in saying you're not going to get a bath
to the place of Soda. So do you go after
Bregman to play third? Maybe, but Boston's looking at Brkman,
so who knows what happens there. I think the best
(15:32):
thing the Yankees could do there's a couple of things.
You look at, getting Walker first, and maybe trading for
Cody Bellinger, which you can get for next to nothing,
to play center because I think the goal is to
get judging right now that you don't have to worry
about judge and center field anymore. You keep his legs fresh,
maybe that helps him going forward. And they've always liked Bellinger.
You could probably go that direction. To me, go get
(15:54):
starting pitching. To me, it's more so all right, if
I can't get my offense better, make a strength better.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
And they're obviously looking at Max Freed. They like Max Freed.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
And you if you go and you can now take
if you get Freed or Burns or somebody like that,
you can now take Cortes or Schmidt or Heal and
trade for offense. So I think what you said work.
Cashman's gonna earn his money because how it took the
l to Cohen, And that's okay. Cashman can't take the
eel to Stearns. He has to get creative. I look
(16:26):
at this more like the Stanton thing, and not so much.
I look at it more like thirteen when they lost
Cano and they got Elsbury and McCann and Beltron and Tanaka,
and it sets this team back two three years.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
They can't spend stupid.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
That's where I think it's like, if you go out
there and you overspend for ti Oscar Hernandez and you
overspend for offense, that isn't sustainable. You're not You're gonna
just make it worse. To me, it's okay. If I
can't win with offense in a weak American league, let
me just go stack arms and get and get ready
for the playoffs, and try to get best with run prevention,
get pitching in defense because you're gonna hit home runs.
(17:05):
The Yankees do that better than anybody. If they get
Walker hits homers and defense. Bellinger is a decent defender
and center. You can make you can make things work.
Clan bets are never as great as Soto's plan a,
but there's a lot of variety at least getting this
done now in December, they have a lot of options
(17:25):
they can turn to.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Yeah, I don't know about Kristan Walker.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
I mean, that's the gentleman. For the Arizona Diamondbacks. You
had Cody Belager. You know, the Walker is a little
bit old. I think he's about thirty four. So I
think that's just kind of like a pseudo afy Rizzo
type of guy that you can plug and play right there.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
I do like Cody Belicher, but at what cost and
what price?
Speaker 1 (17:50):
You know, I'm not really up for giving up Clark
Schmidt as well as Louise Hill, especially after look, you
get give up Michael King. You gave up Michael King,
and then you lost Wandy Peralta, uh from the bullpen
to essentially just rent Lon Soto.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
So I just I.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Don't know if I could feel comfortable, you know, young
players that it's still able to be controlled contractually.
Speaker 4 (18:20):
I don't think you're trading both. I think it's.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
More Yeah, but if you get freed right, you have
Cole Rodan freed Stroman Cortes, heel Schmidt, that you got
a surplus like you're trading from sword plus. You're not
going out there and trading guys that you desperately need,
And it might not be for those specific players. It's
(18:44):
gonna be maybe it's a guy we've not heard of
that's available that you get a move for, like Cody Bellinger.
You can get for not much because he's only got
one year in the Clubs don't want to pay that money.
If you take on that money, you'ren't paying up that
much of an Army Walker even at thirty four. What
I like about Walker is he hits for power, and
he's a goal glove first baseman, Like what do the
(19:07):
Yankees need?
Speaker 4 (19:08):
Goal glove defense at first base?
Speaker 3 (19:10):
Like that? To me, the lot of the playoff losses
they had was not because they didn't hit.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
It's because they didn't defend.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
If you make the defense better and you add a
couple of runs here or there, like what are the
the Yankees we talked about it last time, didn't have
a home run from a first basement after July thirty first,
So if you get anything at first base, this offense
is better than what it was that was with Soto.
So it kind of if you address a couple of positions,
you can make this team somewhat close if it's not
(19:42):
gonna be the same. But in the American League, you
don't need to do too much unless you see Baltimore
or Boston because, like I looked at it yesterday, like
Baltimore doesn't get burns and most of the big free
agents go to the National League. There's not much the
Yankees need to do. They just got to improve on
the margins.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Before we wrap up, Ricky, if you had a gut
feeling how everything is played out right now, do you
think the Yankees are still the playoff team based upon
the moves that they make?
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Oh yeah, I mean you're talking about a team that's
still I mean, people back to the same team from
two years ago. They won eighty two games in a
year when Judge missed half the season in twenty three,
so right now, I mean, you got the rotation they
got to add to add to the bullpen, they got
to make some moves on offense. But at the same time,
(20:38):
this is still a team that's cable winning eighty eight
to ninety in the American League that should make the playoffs.
They're gonna add pieces. Like I think we all are
looking at the soda stuff and saying it's it's terrible
they didn't get them and all that makes sense. And
it's tough when you get up all the pieces they
gave up and the risks they took and they got.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
To a World Series with it.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
But there's still plenty of time this offseason. Brian cash
is gonna make a movie, said today at the Wair meetings.
They're gonna get aggressive, they're gonna do things. And I
think if they're the National League that's tougher. But in
the American League, if they don't make the playoffs with
the lack of dominant teams, that's a failure that that's
one that loses people jobs. So I don't see how
(21:22):
they're not a playoff team in twenty five. They're gonna
they're gonna end. They're gonna be the same team. It's
just they're not gonna be the elite offense that they were.
Now it's time to see if you can improve other ways.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Now, if they do add another piece of two, do
you put them in a situation where you say they
can come out the AL and represent UH to the
World Series and represent the American League in the World Series.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Yeah, I mean again, give me Like that's the thing
I was thinking about yesterday. I was like, okay, give
me their team. You're still scared of Cleveland, Like, okay,
Cleveland brings back Bieber. They still don't hit Kansas City
in Detroit. I need to see them do it again.
The askers getting older Baltimore. If they don't bring back
Burns and they add like another arm, they still don't
(22:06):
have that elite ace. What's Boston, what's Toronto? There there's
so many questions in the AL that the Yankee should
be a top two or three favorite to get out
and win the Pennant just because they're going to make
those moves. They're not competing with the Dodgers and the
Padres and the Phillies and the Braves.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Now, if they get to the World Series, yeah, you know,
it's drastically better.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
But they don't need to outspend themselves or outsmart themselves
to get out of the American League because right now
the AL is just down. And that's what I think
about yesterday, Like William Donas went to the Giants.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
If two or three more stars go.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
To the NL.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Then what's really the American League right now?
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Yeah, it's it's really up for grab.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Hey, Ricky, Before I let I'll let you get on
out of here and let everybody know where they can
find your work and everything that you have going on.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Well, you can follow me on X or tit or
whatever you call it. African Eater five five five and
catch my show New York Day of Sports every Monday
at noon and I E. Sports Radio at NY State
Sports II on Twitter. We talked a lot of Soto
stuff on Monday show. We talked a little Rangers. Still,
the Giants and Jets keep losing, so we just talk
(23:16):
about them just because maybe you should or Sanders will
talk about some more, but never this it's a good show.
Check out some of my network at MIT simmarized as well.
Uh and yeah, tune in is a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Hey, Ricky. Always appreciate you, my friend.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
You and your family have a beautiful and wonderful holiday
season and we just got to sit back and wait
and let Cash Ben and the Yankee staff do what
they need to do. But it's a great day for
Major League Baseball overall. I appreciate it definitely to look
forward to talk to.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
You real sill same to you, my friend. Happy holidays
to you and your family.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Appreciate Ricky Kilo. What are the best in the business?
Heavy in the pain, Peace to commute,
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