November 26, 2024 • 25 mins
MLB Baseball Analyst Ricky Keeler joins me to break down where the baseball's Lebron James, Juan Soto might be headed and what the MLB Free Agency might look like.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Welcome once again to another episode of Heavy under Page
Gerald Brown.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Here. You can also hear me on Serious xm.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
NBA Radio as well as the night Cap on mad
Dog Sports Radio. Serious XMNBA Radio Channel eighty six, mad
Dog Sports Radio Channel eighty two.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
But you know what here, I'm here right now with
a gentleman.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
I call a friend because again met a minion years ago,
and one thing I can say from then to now,
his baseball insight is on point. And you know what, again,
he knows his stuff. The one and only mister Ricky
Keeler is joining me. Ricky first and foremost, always appreciate
(00:56):
your time. This one Soto thing, it's it's it's it's
funny because you know, when the World Series was over
or better yet, during the course of this season, there
were conversations where Wan said, hey, I'll be open and
listening to a deal right now, and you know, you know,
(01:16):
hal Steinberger said, oh, that's believing Yankees.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
We don't do things like that.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
And clearly we know Scott Boris is gonna throw all
these teams in here and some of the stuff in
Wan's post post postgame press conference after the World Series,
like he was gonna listen to all these teams and
it was just really the Tampa Bay Rays win. Then
I was like, there's no disrespect. But it was like,
wait a minute, is it about winning as he would sing,
(01:41):
or is it about the money? It was so many
different things that I said, Okay, he's reading this all
as to drive up the price. But now I'm starting
to get a little worried because I heard the little
tidbits that it was a great meaning with the Red Sobs,
the Mets could be the you know the again that
the competition for the Yankees.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
When you look at this overwall thing with.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Juan Soto, what is your biggest takeaway from this whole
free agency frenzy with Sodo being at the forefront.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Well, here's the thing. You're You're always a pleasure to
talk to you, Jarld.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
I always enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
You're not going to hear that these meetings are terrible.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
It's like you're gonna.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Like, if I'm meeting with the team, not gonna hear
man that that meeting with the Dodgers was awful. He's
not like it's like when you go to surgery and
never hear someone has.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
A bad surgery.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So I take that with a green of salt whenever
I hear that to me. I look at the Solo situation,
and there's a reason this guy turned down fifteen years
and four forty from the Nationals back when he was
in Washington. He wants the cash now, he wants to win.
I don't think I think both can be exclusive. And
you look at the markets he's been talking to. The
(02:53):
Red Sox are trying to get back in contention. The
Blue Jays, of course want to want to start winning.
The Mets, of course get to the NLCS. The Yankees
are in the World Series. So those are the four teams,
and let's say the Dodgers defending champions, and maybe the Phillies.
They're always in playoff contention. So he wants to win
over the course of the contract.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
The thing I.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Would have a problem not a problem with. I think
he wants a six hundred plus billion dollars deal. And
that's what happens when you have Scott Boris's raging, and
Scott Boris is gonna drive up this price. The thing is,
Scott Boris knows he's got so many other clients he
can't keep Soto going to January because the other teams
(03:33):
need options. I think this is one that gets done
in the next couple of weeks. A lot of the
Jeff Passes of the world think the Winter Meetings, I
could definitely see that happening because teams need to find
Plan B, Plan C and all those things. Look, he's
an impact play wherever he goes. He is, what twenty
six years old, he's going to be a star. We
(03:53):
saw it in New York that he's able to be
a star. But when I after the World Series, when
he made those comments about Regency, I was like, you know,
I don't necessarily think he's coming back to the Yankees.
He still might, but.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
There's no.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Yankee appeal. I mean, the appeal is different Judge, at
least homegrown Yankee. Finish your career Yankee be in minument bark.
Does one Soto care about that? If he doesn't, that's okay.
We have to figure out what Won Soto actually wants.
And I think that's what's interesting to see at this
meeting is how are these teams pitching him and what
(04:33):
is he looking for. It's not as mysterious as so Tawany,
but it's not as clear.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
If that makes any sense. Yeah, when you say that, though, Ricky,
because you know, I think.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
At one point during the course of the playoffs in
this season, and I just kept saying that, you know,
the best thing that could ever happen for the Yankees
is that they won.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
And he played an intric.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Role in that right all the way across the board,
Like you know, he was embraced by Yankee you know,
fans and you know the media. He was embraced. He'd
handled Yankee New York, right, he handled it. And I said,
why else would you want to go somewhere? Right, because
you know, if you know what's to say, if you
could do it here, you could do it anywhere. But
(05:17):
then I thought about the fact is I'm not saying
he was on that same level. But Robinson cano homegrown guy.
You know, It's like, hey, you want to compete, you
want to play for World Series Championships and stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
He took that money and went to see Seattle, and
obviously his career was never the same.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
So I, you know, I don't know, and you know,
and I've heard the different things about guys saying, you know,
they shouldn't pay all this money and all this stuff.
I'll ask you, Ricky that type of money, you know,
six hundred million dollars or plus five hundred million plus.
I think that we're just in a climate that look, God,
(05:58):
rest is so ould. If Jackie rober Wmison was playing today,
he probably would be worth that type of money. Babe
roof would be that worth that type of money. When
you look at the numbers, do you really sit back
and say a team should really sign him for that
amount of money or do you just believe the fact
is that he's not really worth that much money.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
And any baseball player in today's game.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I think he's worth the money just because the guys
in his late twenties. I mean, how often is the
guy in his late twenties or mid twenties even get
to free agency and you can have him for ten, twelve, thirteen,
fourteen years. He has generational type talent and he's had
it ever since he come up with the Nationals. And
there's no reason to think that he's going to be
(06:42):
a different player. He handles the media well, he's got
the swagger that you love, he's got the power you love.
And the best part for him, unlike Cano who gave
who chose the money to go endorse Starbucks and umbrellas
and Brandy Seattle. You mentioned why we want one to leave.
He doesn't have to. There's another borough that's still New
(07:04):
York that he could play in, Like I think that.
And he's got Steve Cohen, and Steve Cohen's got cash.
Like the one thing you look at is how many
teams can actually afford that contract. If the Yankees give
him that contract, If you believe Holsetin Brenner, they're not
going to go past three hundred million in payroll. So
(07:26):
you're looking at Soto and what else. And we know
how limited these the Yankees were and how exposed they
got by the Dodgers in the World Series. Can they
really fix that? While you have the team in Queens
that doesn't have the Shurzer money anymore, doesn't have the
Verlander money anymore, doesn't have Alonso right now has all
(07:46):
this money to play with and a smart GM and
David Stearns, I mean that is a really smart president,
David Sturns. That is a really dangerous combination. So it
all depends on who wants to pay. Toronto has the
just nobody wants to take it. And Boston, I believe
Boston spends a game when I see it, because we
haven't seen the Red Sox acts like a big market
(08:08):
team in years, so I think Soto is worth the money.
The problem is, in this date and age, not a
lot of teams either have it or willing to spend it.
And that we've talked about it before. That's the same
league wide problem more so than a Sodo White problem.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Yeah, Ricky Kala joining me here on heavy end of painting. Ricky,
you mentioned about obviously in Queens and right. You know,
the Mets were really, let's be honest, an underachieving team.
I'm just calling what it is. And maybe that's the
Yankee fan blood in me. They were an underachieving team,
but they got hot, hot at the right moment, and
(08:44):
they rolled this way all the way through. We witnessed
them going out spending money on Suersier, we witnessed them
going out getting Verlander. It didn't work out, right, It
didn't really work out. When you look at them and
you look at just putting yourself in perhaps maybe Soto's
in that space. If you want Soto. You went to
(09:07):
the World Series with a Yankees team that was in
the running from the beginning of the season to the end,
and yeah, you know a lot of people can make,
you know, comments about yes, we understand the Dodgers, you know,
the defensive side, it really wasn't sharp.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
But those things are all fixable.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
You know, you got a lineup where you got a
MVP guy, it's gonna be MVP and Aaron Judge there,
Gian Carlo stand obviously with him in that lineup. Sodo
I think clearly he benefited the most from that. And
then you got young players like Vopie Wells and in hell,
you still have a lot of movable pieces pieces there
(09:50):
that if you put Soto in there and you say, hey,
look we show up first base and decide what we're
gonna do with.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
The second base, and then you got one, you know,
Jason Dimiguez there.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
I don't think that the Yankees you could just write
them off if they had one Soto. So that I'm
saying to you, if you're Juan Soto and you look
at the Yankees, I mean pretty much it doesn't seem
like that that's a team that couldn't get back to
the World Series. How do you view the Yankees in
terms of just what they would offer to a guy
(10:23):
like Juan Soto, especially with just seems like minor tweets
that they need to make.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Well that their path is much easier man, we saw
it this year. But the fact they had to go
through the Ales central to get to the World Series,
which is what the Yankees loved to do. It was
probably their best time to get to the World Series
in years. They took advantage of that and they shouldn't
apologize for that. Look, they could offer a Loto on soda.
I mean they could offer of course, the fans love
(10:50):
them offering the Aaron Judges you mentioned consistent winning opportunity
year in and year out. Let's not say the Yankees
don't have the pitch. But when you're paying Garrett Cole
thirty million a year, and you're paying Stanton for the
next three years, and you're paying Judge forty million a year,
there's only so many contracts they can give out. And
(11:15):
you mentioned, yes, you've got the kids, and that's great,
but can the kids play first base? Can the kids
play second base? Like that's gonna be something I think
that's interesting where the Yankees remember they have to replace
some of their bullpen as well, so that's going to
be more so what they look at. Soto's a fit,
don't get me wrong, and I pay the money if
(11:37):
I'm House Time Brenner and I they think they should.
But do Soto want to be the one be to judge?
And I think I look at a guy that loves
being the outpha And yes, Lindor is the alpha with
the Mets, but one Sota goes to the Mets, he's
a star. He is the guy that is on every
season ticket, everything and the Mets. Right now, I've also
(11:58):
started to build more aable winner with Stern's If you
think about Stern said last year, they didn't spend on anything.
I mean they took a flyer on Sevre and took
a flyer on and I took a flyer on Quintana.
It took a lot of the They didn't make that
blockbuster move. They brought in Mendoza, which Yankee bench coaches
seem to do better than the actually Yankee manager. But
(12:21):
they find ways to win and get to the NLCS
in the year they weren't supposed to do anything. Now
you throw Soto in there and it changes the dynamic
and giving magic, giving Lindor protection in that lineup what
Lindor can be and after me it gets off to
a better start. I think this is one that Steve
Cohen just wants to win. Steve Cohen wants the back pages.
(12:44):
Steve Cohen wants the Mets to be in the forefront,
and this is the kind of guy to do it with.
It's again, it's not a the Yankees can or can't offer.
I just think the Mets have more money to play with.
And the questions is Soto all about the money or
see how much less would he be willing to take
to stay here. I don't think he has that much
one year of loyalty enough to turn down that much money.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
We had a situation where we witnessed with the Dodgers
and what you had Otani able to do. We think
we will see other teams and other players maybe Soto
look to start to defer a lot of their money,
uh in order to help their teams continue to stay competitive.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
I think that was a rare thing Jeraldi. I think
Otani realized that, hey, I'm going to make all this
money and endorsements, I'm going to make all this money
afterwards and deferring a lot of it to bring other
stars in to bring a Yao moto in Otani. I
think it is just a rare both on the field
player and off the field player. Look, so wants Soda,
(13:48):
wants the gash, and it's okay to want the present
day gash. We all like, not everybody's in that circumstance
where they can defer money. They might be able to
defer part of the money, but I don't think, like
we've seen the National prefer part of Max Scherzer's contract.
They won a World Series and you're not talking about
shurs or the way the Mets talk about Bobby Beneath
like you've seen deferrals before. That was just a weird
(14:10):
looking deferral that Otani did, But you're only in that position.
I mean, Otani has had a contract to's so many
unique clauses in it, but that's the place he wanted
to go the whole time. I don't think you'll see
stars do that because I think in baseball, you don't
normally see guys take less money, especially in a non
(14:33):
salary cap sport. Even though there is the Steve Cohen
tax and the CBT threshold, you're not gonna see that.
And it's just gonna be a matter of how do
you build a team with enough stars and enough young
talented players to make things work. To me, the Otani
thing is just one in a million. I don't think
you'll see guys defer that much money. Make for a
(14:53):
little bit, but not that much.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Let me ask you a question. Let's go around the league.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Put your g I'm gonna make you the commissioner of
Make League Baseball. Major League Baseball I think was the
biggest winner out of all of this with their playoffs
because they got what they needed, they got what they wanted,
and they pretty much again five games.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Yes, I would have loved to have seen it gone seven, but.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Clearly baseball was back on the forefront and being in
a situation where they were able to take.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Full advantage of the market.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
I don't know if phased out, but you know what,
Major League Baseball, it's going to be edited. Major League
Baseball really won this World Series. And I'll say even
the playoffs, what do you think will be the main
thing for baseball MLB to follow up what happened with
the playoffs and stuff and really re energizing a sport
(15:48):
that really needed something.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
It's just the perfect story Yankees Dodgers in the World Series.
The things people predicting sports illustrated for like ten to
fifteen years. To finally actually have that happen was special,
And I think it was just a matter of the
big markets that we're in. I mean, you look at
having both New York teams in being able to get
the craziness of the Wildcard Series, even though we haven't
(16:14):
really had that classic Wildcard series. While most of these
series ended in sweeps, we had the crazy finishes with
the Mets against Milwaukee, Lindor's Grand Slam, Freeman's Grand Slam
in the World Series, Soto's home run against Cleveland. There
were so many great moments that made that postseason special.
It wasn't just great games. It was just great moments
(16:34):
in itself. But you look at where the game is now,
and I think it's just more teams have opportunities. I mean,
think about Paul Skins going to next year and the
Pirate fan that now feels optimistic, and you got Kansas
City can make it to the playoffs, and Cleveland can
get to an ALCS for the first year manager, Milwaukee
wins the division with the first year manager really just
the competitive balance I think is more there now because
(16:58):
you don't have that dominate team here. The Dodgers were great.
I never looked at them as dominant. This year is
probably one of their worst teams, considering they had no pitching.
I mean they won a World Series three starting pitchers.
So when you have San Diego relevant and the Giants
now with Posey as president, what do they do. There's
so many teams that can make a case for themselves.
(17:20):
That's what keeps the game going, keeps markets going, because
when you have one hundred and sixty two game season,
you need as many teams to be competitive as possible.
I think you're kind of seeing it now going to
sport you love. In the NBA. I was looking at
the standings of the day in the East. There's only
four teams over five hundred, about a quarter the way
through the year, and they wonder why ratings are down.
(17:42):
Baseball to me, at least needs the teams to be
more teams relevant the better. Now that ruins the elite teams,
but in a way it makes the playoffs more dramatic.
It makes you want to watch every night that nothing
is predictable. And while we had a predictable World Series.
It was a different route to get there. I mean
redown shot one to San Diego. I could have gone
(18:02):
either way. That's what's going to make the playoffs and
make the sports special. It's not adding teams, just the
fact that more teams are willing to spend and willing
to try to win it.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
It makes it better.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Yeah, I think you need David and Goliath. You can't
have two Davids going against each other. You know, I
has often said a Tampa Bay, Phillies, Texas and Arizona
that no, those are regional World Series. You need David
versus Golive or you need two Goliaths to really carry
the sport.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
And then the playoffs as a whole.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
You had big major markets from New York having two
teams there, you know, you had California having two teams
involved and stuff. So it really helped some of these men,
major cities and stuff like that in the markets to
be able to carry that.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
You know, really really lent to the excitement of the
World Series.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Give me a free agent that is out there that's
not named Juan Soto that.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
You'll be watching carefully to see what this free agent
ends up. At them.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
All right, I'll give you a picture and I'll give
you a hitter. Picture wise, I'm interested in Max Freed
from Atlanta. I wonder if you'll go back to the Braves.
Is the guy with a lot of talent but a
lot of injuries over the last year or so. Second
on the market, probably the Corbyn Burns. Burns I think
we know is going to get that contract that he wants.
(19:24):
I'm interested to see how much teams pay for free
when there's a Severino and there's a Mania and there's
other pictures on the market, how long he lasts. And
on the hitter side, Anthony sun Tander, I mean, Alas
fans know him well with the Orioles. He's had a
really good last couple of years. Do the Orioles and
Mike Elios pay up and try to actually keep him
(19:45):
in Baltimore, or does a team like all right, somebody
misses out on mon Soto. There's probably the second best
out there on the market. He's not flashy, he's not dominant,
but he's consistent. He's been a consistent player that's going
to get to the numbers you expect. You can plug
that in and make your team work, and I think
he's just you make the case second best year in
(20:07):
the market. I know people will talk about Alex Bregman,
but how much you're willing to pay Bregman with Boris
as his client and potentially him wanting so much that
he goes till January February looking for a deal because
he's kind of in the latter stages of his career.
So again, to me, the team to watch would would
be the Oriols. Do they pay up with Burns? Do
they pay up with Santander? And they actually put the
(20:28):
money in because they didn't really take advantage of the
deadline last year, and they take advantage of the offseason
and actually keep what they have to stay on the
path they're on.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Uh, you know, Ricky, before I let you get on
out of here, you know, I look at Paul Skins
and seeing him win the Rookie of the Year and
obviously Louise Hell, but it just seems like Eric Cole
all over again, and the way I look at it
is like, you know, he's not going to be there
long term, and that's the unfortunate thing. When I look
(21:00):
at schemes, you look at Elie de la Cruz that's
in Cincinnati. These are the players of the next generation.
And you know, Bobby Wood signed this long term deal
in Kansas City. But when you look at those two
players in particular, how much does baseball really need these
two players to be able to stay with those organizations
(21:23):
at least for at least maybe eight to ten years,
to really have sort of in a sense, a broader,
you know, appeal for Major League Baseball.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
I think especially for the Pirates. I mean, can you
get Pittsburgh, go get some offense for this guy. But
the fact that Skien's won Rookie of the Year actually
gives him one less year. He has to stay in Pittsburgh.
So the Pirates, when they could have just shut him
down and actually got the extra year, kept pitching him.
He won Rookie in the year. He's gonna now be
a free agent after twenty nine. It'd be good to
keep him there because you look at Pittsburgh when they're
(21:56):
building with him and Jared Jones, there's at least a foundation,
but they've got to find bats. And Cincinnati with Dayla Cruz,
I mean, what's part of the breads? They never have
a pitching can those guys either if you want to
spend and keep them, you kind of have to lock
them up before they're a year away from for agency,
or you have no shot, and that's going to be
I think something to me in to watch over the
(22:17):
next couple of years because it.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Daya Cruz.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
You don't want it up. Like Mike Trout who's in
Anaheim and Los Angeles now wondering if he's ever going
to win because he took he started to stay and
didn't work out for him. I think the more competitive
markets they said earlier you have, the better, Like Bobby
Wit makes kansasity relevant, makes them a team you want
to watch, and it kind of fits the identity of
that team. Steen's and day La Cruz fit the identities,
(22:43):
and in essential that's very winnable. I mean, I don't
look at Milwaukee as the super team. Saint Louis is
tearing it down. The Cubs, I don't know what they are.
So those two markets, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati particular, have really
good opportunities. Breads have kind of blown there is and
have to fire their manager and now have to kind
of reset pirates. That's gonna be a lot of pressure
in Derek Shelton next year because they have an opportunity
(23:06):
to win. And they're not saying I have to win
the division, but you kind of have to at least
be competitive into September. And if Paul Sken doesn't see
that he's the guy with the cloud he has and
the reputation he's got, then he's going to expect high expectations.
But the cautionary tail is take a look at Stephen Shtrosburg.
Steven Shrosburg got the lifetime contract in Washington, and once
(23:27):
he got it, he never stayed healthy again. So to me,
I don't if I'm the Pirates and Reds, I'm looking
at least in Pittsburgh case with schemes, how am I competitive?
The longer I have him and then I worry about
the contract a couple of years down the road. That's
you set the foundation. Now you have to keep building
on it.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
Yeah, well, Ricky, Ricky, we're pretty much a couple of
weeks out or so with the Winter meetings. It seems
like it's gonna set up to be a unbelievable Winter Meetings,
and hopefully it gets you back on and.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Really talk about these winner meetings.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Because it's gonna be a lot of moving and shaking,
especially once the first Domino, the Jan Soto deal comes
through wherever he decides and land, it's gonna really open up.
So definitely look forward to talking to that. Listen, my friend,
have a wonderful holiday. Always a pleasure, man. I appreciate
the insight, and I'm gonna keep my fingers and toes
(24:22):
cross that. Definitely, hopefully Soto ends back up with the
Yankees and we'll figure out what they're gonna do with
first base and second and if they decide what they're.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
Gonna do with third, if Labor doesn't come back.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
Likewise, always a pleasure and it's gonna be a lot
of fun. I think that's what they have, both the
New York teams involved in this and to sweepstakes like
no other and interesting to see how it plays out.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
And Ricky, before you let you get it out of here.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Let people know where they can catch your stuff and
everything that.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
You have going on.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
So you can follow me on X African Adior five
five five. He catch me on New York Stay of
Sports and I E. Sports Radio every Monday at noon.
We'll be talking so because we can't sure talk about
the Giants and Jets anymore because they are. They mean
the NFL in New York is ruined up before Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
It's it's ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
But we talk all things in New York sports from NFL,
the NBA, and HL. We do soccer, we do everything
in New York college football. We were Premium Army noted
aime this week, which is a really big game that
between two top twenty teams, so be sure checked out
again every Monday at noon. N y Stata Sports followed
that account at NY State Sports. I eat catch on
(25:31):
my work on metsmerized and Mets Miners, doing some stuff there,
but yeah, tune in. I appreciate the time.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
He's one of the best of the business. Ricky Keeler
right here having to pay peace
Welcome once again to another episode of Heavy under Page
Gerald Brown.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Here. You can also hear me on Serious xm.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
NBA Radio as well as the night Cap on mad
Dog Sports Radio. Serious XMNBA Radio Channel eighty six, mad
Dog Sports Radio Channel eighty two.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
But you know what here, I'm here right now with
a gentleman.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
I call a friend because again met a minion years ago,
and one thing I can say from then to now,
his baseball insight is on point. And you know what, again,
he knows his stuff. The one and only mister Ricky
Keeler is joining me. Ricky first and foremost, always appreciate
(00:56):
your time. This one Soto thing, it's it's it's it's
funny because you know, when the World Series was over
or better yet, during the course of this season, there
were conversations where Wan said, hey, I'll be open and
listening to a deal right now, and you know, you know,
(01:16):
hal Steinberger said, oh, that's believing Yankees.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
We don't do things like that.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
And clearly we know Scott Boris is gonna throw all
these teams in here and some of the stuff in
Wan's post post postgame press conference after the World Series,
like he was gonna listen to all these teams and
it was just really the Tampa Bay Rays win. Then
I was like, there's no disrespect. But it was like,
wait a minute, is it about winning as he would sing,
(01:41):
or is it about the money? It was so many
different things that I said, Okay, he's reading this all
as to drive up the price. But now I'm starting
to get a little worried because I heard the little
tidbits that it was a great meaning with the Red Sobs,
the Mets could be the you know the again that
the competition for the Yankees.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
When you look at this overwall thing with.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Juan Soto, what is your biggest takeaway from this whole
free agency frenzy with Sodo being at the forefront.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Well, here's the thing. You're You're always a pleasure to
talk to you, Jarld.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
I always enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
You're not going to hear that these meetings are terrible.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
It's like you're gonna.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Like, if I'm meeting with the team, not gonna hear
man that that meeting with the Dodgers was awful. He's
not like it's like when you go to surgery and
never hear someone has.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
A bad surgery.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So I take that with a green of salt whenever
I hear that to me. I look at the Solo situation,
and there's a reason this guy turned down fifteen years
and four forty from the Nationals back when he was
in Washington. He wants the cash now, he wants to win.
I don't think I think both can be exclusive. And
you look at the markets he's been talking to. The
(02:53):
Red Sox are trying to get back in contention. The
Blue Jays, of course want to want to start winning.
The Mets, of course get to the NLCS. The Yankees
are in the World Series. So those are the four teams,
and let's say the Dodgers defending champions, and maybe the Phillies.
They're always in playoff contention. So he wants to win
over the course of the contract.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
The thing I.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Would have a problem not a problem with. I think
he wants a six hundred plus billion dollars deal. And
that's what happens when you have Scott Boris's raging, and
Scott Boris is gonna drive up this price. The thing is,
Scott Boris knows he's got so many other clients he
can't keep Soto going to January because the other teams
(03:33):
need options. I think this is one that gets done
in the next couple of weeks. A lot of the
Jeff Passes of the world think the Winter Meetings, I
could definitely see that happening because teams need to find
Plan B, Plan C and all those things. Look, he's
an impact play wherever he goes. He is, what twenty
six years old, he's going to be a star. We
(03:53):
saw it in New York that he's able to be
a star. But when I after the World Series, when
he made those comments about Regency, I was like, you know,
I don't necessarily think he's coming back to the Yankees.
He still might, but.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
There's no.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Yankee appeal. I mean, the appeal is different Judge, at
least homegrown Yankee. Finish your career Yankee be in minument bark.
Does one Soto care about that? If he doesn't, that's okay.
We have to figure out what Won Soto actually wants.
And I think that's what's interesting to see at this
meeting is how are these teams pitching him and what
(04:33):
is he looking for. It's not as mysterious as so Tawany,
but it's not as clear.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
If that makes any sense. Yeah, when you say that, though, Ricky,
because you know, I think.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
At one point during the course of the playoffs in
this season, and I just kept saying that, you know,
the best thing that could ever happen for the Yankees
is that they won.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
And he played an intric.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Role in that right all the way across the board,
Like you know, he was embraced by Yankee you know,
fans and you know the media. He was embraced. He'd
handled Yankee New York, right, he handled it. And I said,
why else would you want to go somewhere? Right, because
you know, if you know what's to say, if you
could do it here, you could do it anywhere. But
(05:17):
then I thought about the fact is I'm not saying
he was on that same level. But Robinson cano homegrown guy.
You know, It's like, hey, you want to compete, you
want to play for World Series Championships and stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
He took that money and went to see Seattle, and
obviously his career was never the same.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
So I, you know, I don't know, and you know,
and I've heard the different things about guys saying, you know,
they shouldn't pay all this money and all this stuff.
I'll ask you, Ricky that type of money, you know,
six hundred million dollars or plus five hundred million plus.
I think that we're just in a climate that look, God,
(05:58):
rest is so ould. If Jackie rober Wmison was playing today,
he probably would be worth that type of money. Babe
roof would be that worth that type of money. When
you look at the numbers, do you really sit back
and say a team should really sign him for that
amount of money or do you just believe the fact
is that he's not really worth that much money.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
And any baseball player in today's game.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I think he's worth the money just because the guys
in his late twenties. I mean, how often is the
guy in his late twenties or mid twenties even get
to free agency and you can have him for ten, twelve, thirteen,
fourteen years. He has generational type talent and he's had
it ever since he come up with the Nationals. And
there's no reason to think that he's going to be
(06:42):
a different player. He handles the media well, he's got
the swagger that you love, he's got the power you love.
And the best part for him, unlike Cano who gave
who chose the money to go endorse Starbucks and umbrellas
and Brandy Seattle. You mentioned why we want one to leave.
He doesn't have to. There's another borough that's still New
(07:04):
York that he could play in, Like I think that.
And he's got Steve Cohen, and Steve Cohen's got cash.
Like the one thing you look at is how many
teams can actually afford that contract. If the Yankees give
him that contract, If you believe Holsetin Brenner, they're not
going to go past three hundred million in payroll. So
(07:26):
you're looking at Soto and what else. And we know
how limited these the Yankees were and how exposed they
got by the Dodgers in the World Series. Can they
really fix that? While you have the team in Queens
that doesn't have the Shurzer money anymore, doesn't have the
Verlander money anymore, doesn't have Alonso right now has all
(07:46):
this money to play with and a smart GM and
David Stearns, I mean that is a really smart president,
David Sturns. That is a really dangerous combination. So it
all depends on who wants to pay. Toronto has the
just nobody wants to take it. And Boston, I believe
Boston spends a game when I see it, because we
haven't seen the Red Sox acts like a big market
(08:08):
team in years, so I think Soto is worth the money.
The problem is, in this date and age, not a
lot of teams either have it or willing to spend it.
And that we've talked about it before. That's the same
league wide problem more so than a Sodo White problem.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Yeah, Ricky Kala joining me here on heavy end of painting. Ricky,
you mentioned about obviously in Queens and right. You know,
the Mets were really, let's be honest, an underachieving team.
I'm just calling what it is. And maybe that's the
Yankee fan blood in me. They were an underachieving team,
but they got hot, hot at the right moment, and
(08:44):
they rolled this way all the way through. We witnessed
them going out spending money on Suersier, we witnessed them
going out getting Verlander. It didn't work out, right, It
didn't really work out. When you look at them and
you look at just putting yourself in perhaps maybe Soto's
in that space. If you want Soto. You went to
(09:07):
the World Series with a Yankees team that was in
the running from the beginning of the season to the end,
and yeah, you know a lot of people can make,
you know, comments about yes, we understand the Dodgers, you know,
the defensive side, it really wasn't sharp.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
But those things are all fixable.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
You know, you got a lineup where you got a
MVP guy, it's gonna be MVP and Aaron Judge there,
Gian Carlo stand obviously with him in that lineup. Sodo
I think clearly he benefited the most from that. And
then you got young players like Vopie Wells and in hell,
you still have a lot of movable pieces pieces there
(09:50):
that if you put Soto in there and you say, hey,
look we show up first base and decide what we're
gonna do with.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
The second base, and then you got one, you know,
Jason Dimiguez there.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
I don't think that the Yankees you could just write
them off if they had one Soto. So that I'm
saying to you, if you're Juan Soto and you look
at the Yankees, I mean pretty much it doesn't seem
like that that's a team that couldn't get back to
the World Series. How do you view the Yankees in
terms of just what they would offer to a guy
(10:23):
like Juan Soto, especially with just seems like minor tweets
that they need to make.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Well that their path is much easier man, we saw
it this year. But the fact they had to go
through the Ales central to get to the World Series,
which is what the Yankees loved to do. It was
probably their best time to get to the World Series
in years. They took advantage of that and they shouldn't
apologize for that. Look, they could offer a Loto on soda.
I mean they could offer of course, the fans love
(10:50):
them offering the Aaron Judges you mentioned consistent winning opportunity
year in and year out. Let's not say the Yankees
don't have the pitch. But when you're paying Garrett Cole
thirty million a year, and you're paying Stanton for the
next three years, and you're paying Judge forty million a year,
there's only so many contracts they can give out. And
(11:15):
you mentioned, yes, you've got the kids, and that's great,
but can the kids play first base? Can the kids
play second base? Like that's gonna be something I think
that's interesting where the Yankees remember they have to replace
some of their bullpen as well, so that's going to
be more so what they look at. Soto's a fit,
don't get me wrong, and I pay the money if
(11:37):
I'm House Time Brenner and I they think they should.
But do Soto want to be the one be to judge?
And I think I look at a guy that loves
being the outpha And yes, Lindor is the alpha with
the Mets, but one Sota goes to the Mets, he's
a star. He is the guy that is on every
season ticket, everything and the Mets. Right now, I've also
(11:58):
started to build more aable winner with Stern's If you
think about Stern said last year, they didn't spend on anything.
I mean they took a flyer on Sevre and took
a flyer on and I took a flyer on Quintana.
It took a lot of the They didn't make that
blockbuster move. They brought in Mendoza, which Yankee bench coaches
seem to do better than the actually Yankee manager. But
(12:21):
they find ways to win and get to the NLCS
in the year they weren't supposed to do anything. Now
you throw Soto in there and it changes the dynamic
and giving magic, giving Lindor protection in that lineup what
Lindor can be and after me it gets off to
a better start. I think this is one that Steve
Cohen just wants to win. Steve Cohen wants the back pages.
(12:44):
Steve Cohen wants the Mets to be in the forefront,
and this is the kind of guy to do it with.
It's again, it's not a the Yankees can or can't offer.
I just think the Mets have more money to play with.
And the questions is Soto all about the money or
see how much less would he be willing to take
to stay here. I don't think he has that much
one year of loyalty enough to turn down that much money.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
We had a situation where we witnessed with the Dodgers
and what you had Otani able to do. We think
we will see other teams and other players maybe Soto
look to start to defer a lot of their money,
uh in order to help their teams continue to stay competitive.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
I think that was a rare thing Jeraldi. I think
Otani realized that, hey, I'm going to make all this
money and endorsements, I'm going to make all this money
afterwards and deferring a lot of it to bring other
stars in to bring a Yao moto in Otani. I
think it is just a rare both on the field
player and off the field player. Look, so wants Soda,
(13:48):
wants the gash, and it's okay to want the present
day gash. We all like, not everybody's in that circumstance
where they can defer money. They might be able to
defer part of the money, but I don't think, like
we've seen the National prefer part of Max Scherzer's contract.
They won a World Series and you're not talking about
shurs or the way the Mets talk about Bobby Beneath
like you've seen deferrals before. That was just a weird
(14:10):
looking deferral that Otani did, But you're only in that position.
I mean, Otani has had a contract to's so many
unique clauses in it, but that's the place he wanted
to go the whole time. I don't think you'll see
stars do that because I think in baseball, you don't
normally see guys take less money, especially in a non
(14:33):
salary cap sport. Even though there is the Steve Cohen
tax and the CBT threshold, you're not gonna see that.
And it's just gonna be a matter of how do
you build a team with enough stars and enough young
talented players to make things work. To me, the Otani
thing is just one in a million. I don't think
you'll see guys defer that much money. Make for a
(14:53):
little bit, but not that much.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Let me ask you a question. Let's go around the league.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Put your g I'm gonna make you the commissioner of
Make League Baseball. Major League Baseball I think was the
biggest winner out of all of this with their playoffs
because they got what they needed, they got what they wanted,
and they pretty much again five games.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Yes, I would have loved to have seen it gone seven, but.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Clearly baseball was back on the forefront and being in
a situation where they were able to take.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Full advantage of the market.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
I don't know if phased out, but you know what,
Major League Baseball, it's going to be edited. Major League
Baseball really won this World Series. And I'll say even
the playoffs, what do you think will be the main
thing for baseball MLB to follow up what happened with
the playoffs and stuff and really re energizing a sport
(15:48):
that really needed something.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
It's just the perfect story Yankees Dodgers in the World Series.
The things people predicting sports illustrated for like ten to
fifteen years. To finally actually have that happen was special,
And I think it was just a matter of the
big markets that we're in. I mean, you look at
having both New York teams in being able to get
the craziness of the Wildcard Series, even though we haven't
(16:14):
really had that classic Wildcard series. While most of these
series ended in sweeps, we had the crazy finishes with
the Mets against Milwaukee, Lindor's Grand Slam, Freeman's Grand Slam
in the World Series, Soto's home run against Cleveland. There
were so many great moments that made that postseason special.
It wasn't just great games. It was just great moments
(16:34):
in itself. But you look at where the game is now,
and I think it's just more teams have opportunities. I mean,
think about Paul Skins going to next year and the
Pirate fan that now feels optimistic, and you got Kansas
City can make it to the playoffs, and Cleveland can
get to an ALCS for the first year manager, Milwaukee
wins the division with the first year manager really just
the competitive balance I think is more there now because
(16:58):
you don't have that dominate team here. The Dodgers were great.
I never looked at them as dominant. This year is
probably one of their worst teams, considering they had no pitching.
I mean they won a World Series three starting pitchers.
So when you have San Diego relevant and the Giants
now with Posey as president, what do they do. There's
so many teams that can make a case for themselves.
(17:20):
That's what keeps the game going, keeps markets going, because
when you have one hundred and sixty two game season,
you need as many teams to be competitive as possible.
I think you're kind of seeing it now going to
sport you love. In the NBA. I was looking at
the standings of the day in the East. There's only
four teams over five hundred, about a quarter the way
through the year, and they wonder why ratings are down.
(17:42):
Baseball to me, at least needs the teams to be
more teams relevant the better. Now that ruins the elite teams,
but in a way it makes the playoffs more dramatic.
It makes you want to watch every night that nothing
is predictable. And while we had a predictable World Series.
It was a different route to get there. I mean
redown shot one to San Diego. I could have gone
(18:02):
either way. That's what's going to make the playoffs and
make the sports special. It's not adding teams, just the
fact that more teams are willing to spend and willing
to try to win it.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
It makes it better.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Yeah, I think you need David and Goliath. You can't
have two Davids going against each other. You know, I
has often said a Tampa Bay, Phillies, Texas and Arizona
that no, those are regional World Series. You need David
versus Golive or you need two Goliaths to really carry
the sport.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
And then the playoffs as a whole.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
You had big major markets from New York having two
teams there, you know, you had California having two teams
involved and stuff. So it really helped some of these men,
major cities and stuff like that in the markets to
be able to carry that.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
You know, really really lent to the excitement of the
World Series.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Give me a free agent that is out there that's
not named Juan Soto that.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
You'll be watching carefully to see what this free agent
ends up. At them.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
All right, I'll give you a picture and I'll give
you a hitter. Picture wise, I'm interested in Max Freed
from Atlanta. I wonder if you'll go back to the Braves.
Is the guy with a lot of talent but a
lot of injuries over the last year or so. Second
on the market, probably the Corbyn Burns. Burns I think
we know is going to get that contract that he wants.
(19:24):
I'm interested to see how much teams pay for free
when there's a Severino and there's a Mania and there's
other pictures on the market, how long he lasts. And
on the hitter side, Anthony sun Tander, I mean, Alas
fans know him well with the Orioles. He's had a
really good last couple of years. Do the Orioles and
Mike Elios pay up and try to actually keep him
(19:45):
in Baltimore, or does a team like all right, somebody
misses out on mon Soto. There's probably the second best
out there on the market. He's not flashy, he's not dominant,
but he's consistent. He's been a consistent player that's going
to get to the numbers you expect. You can plug
that in and make your team work, and I think
he's just you make the case second best year in
(20:07):
the market. I know people will talk about Alex Bregman,
but how much you're willing to pay Bregman with Boris
as his client and potentially him wanting so much that
he goes till January February looking for a deal because
he's kind of in the latter stages of his career.
So again, to me, the team to watch would would
be the Oriols. Do they pay up with Burns? Do
they pay up with Santander? And they actually put the
(20:28):
money in because they didn't really take advantage of the
deadline last year, and they take advantage of the offseason
and actually keep what they have to stay on the
path they're on.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Uh, you know, Ricky, before I let you get on
out of here, you know, I look at Paul Skins
and seeing him win the Rookie of the Year and
obviously Louise Hell, but it just seems like Eric Cole
all over again, and the way I look at it
is like, you know, he's not going to be there
long term, and that's the unfortunate thing. When I look
(21:00):
at schemes, you look at Elie de la Cruz that's
in Cincinnati. These are the players of the next generation.
And you know, Bobby Wood signed this long term deal
in Kansas City. But when you look at those two
players in particular, how much does baseball really need these
two players to be able to stay with those organizations
(21:23):
at least for at least maybe eight to ten years,
to really have sort of in a sense, a broader,
you know, appeal for Major League Baseball.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
I think especially for the Pirates. I mean, can you
get Pittsburgh, go get some offense for this guy. But
the fact that Skien's won Rookie of the Year actually
gives him one less year. He has to stay in Pittsburgh.
So the Pirates, when they could have just shut him
down and actually got the extra year, kept pitching him.
He won Rookie in the year. He's gonna now be
a free agent after twenty nine. It'd be good to
keep him there because you look at Pittsburgh when they're
(21:56):
building with him and Jared Jones, there's at least a foundation,
but they've got to find bats. And Cincinnati with Dayla Cruz,
I mean, what's part of the breads? They never have
a pitching can those guys either if you want to
spend and keep them, you kind of have to lock
them up before they're a year away from for agency,
or you have no shot, and that's going to be
I think something to me in to watch over the
(22:17):
next couple of years because it.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Daya Cruz.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
You don't want it up. Like Mike Trout who's in
Anaheim and Los Angeles now wondering if he's ever going
to win because he took he started to stay and
didn't work out for him. I think the more competitive
markets they said earlier you have, the better, Like Bobby
Wit makes kansasity relevant, makes them a team you want
to watch, and it kind of fits the identity of
that team. Steen's and day La Cruz fit the identities,
(22:43):
and in essential that's very winnable. I mean, I don't
look at Milwaukee as the super team. Saint Louis is
tearing it down. The Cubs, I don't know what they are.
So those two markets, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati particular, have really
good opportunities. Breads have kind of blown there is and
have to fire their manager and now have to kind
of reset pirates. That's gonna be a lot of pressure
in Derek Shelton next year because they have an opportunity
(23:06):
to win. And they're not saying I have to win
the division, but you kind of have to at least
be competitive into September. And if Paul Sken doesn't see
that he's the guy with the cloud he has and
the reputation he's got, then he's going to expect high expectations.
But the cautionary tail is take a look at Stephen Shtrosburg.
Steven Shrosburg got the lifetime contract in Washington, and once
(23:27):
he got it, he never stayed healthy again. So to me,
I don't if I'm the Pirates and Reds, I'm looking
at least in Pittsburgh case with schemes, how am I competitive?
The longer I have him and then I worry about
the contract a couple of years down the road. That's
you set the foundation. Now you have to keep building
on it.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
Yeah, well, Ricky, Ricky, we're pretty much a couple of
weeks out or so with the Winter meetings. It seems
like it's gonna set up to be a unbelievable Winter Meetings,
and hopefully it gets you back on and.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Really talk about these winner meetings.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Because it's gonna be a lot of moving and shaking,
especially once the first Domino, the Jan Soto deal comes
through wherever he decides and land, it's gonna really open up.
So definitely look forward to talking to that. Listen, my friend,
have a wonderful holiday. Always a pleasure, man. I appreciate
the insight, and I'm gonna keep my fingers and toes
(24:22):
cross that. Definitely, hopefully Soto ends back up with the
Yankees and we'll figure out what they're gonna do with
first base and second and if they decide what they're.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
Gonna do with third, if Labor doesn't come back.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
Likewise, always a pleasure and it's gonna be a lot
of fun. I think that's what they have, both the
New York teams involved in this and to sweepstakes like
no other and interesting to see how it plays out.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
And Ricky, before you let you get it out of here.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Let people know where they can catch your stuff and
everything that.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
You have going on.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
So you can follow me on X African Adior five
five five. He catch me on New York Stay of
Sports and I E. Sports Radio every Monday at noon.
We'll be talking so because we can't sure talk about
the Giants and Jets anymore because they are. They mean
the NFL in New York is ruined up before Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
It's it's ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
But we talk all things in New York sports from NFL,
the NBA, and HL. We do soccer, we do everything
in New York college football. We were Premium Army noted
aime this week, which is a really big game that
between two top twenty teams, so be sure checked out
again every Monday at noon. N y Stata Sports followed
that account at NY State Sports. I eat catch on
(25:31):
my work on metsmerized and Mets Miners, doing some stuff there,
but yeah, tune in. I appreciate the time.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
He's one of the best of the business. Ricky Keeler
right here having to pay peace
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Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.