August 2, 2024 • 20 mins
Former Mariners All Star Bret Boone joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to discuss the M’s loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday, playing at Fenway Park, the trade deadline acquisitions by the team and what to expect offensively, and Mitch Garver’s comments.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Coming to you live from our Elliott Avenue studios of
Sports Radio ninety three point three KJRFM. It's time for
our weekly conversation with former Mariners all star Brett Boone,
brought to you by Venue Kings. Visit venue Kings dot
com for all your ticket needs. Now with Booney, here's
SAFTI in Dick.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
All right, we got the Seahawks into Denver in week one.
You dub Michigan coming to town later this year, Mariners
back home against the Phillies tomorrow. What we say? You
want to go see the Seahawks and Chargers and the
opener in LA next Saturday. Three dollars gets you with
the door for that game at benu Kings dot com.
He's sure in us coach toffee at checkout for an
(00:40):
even bigger discount. Actually, I think if you use the
Softy discount on the Charger game, I think they would
end up paying you. Seriously, They'll give you money and
a ticket if you use the Softy discount. How much
do you have to be paid to go to a
preseason game?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Paid?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Yes? I mean I go for free. I complain the
whole time, but I got Boone joins us on the
show courtesy of Venue King's booney, how are you pale?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
What's up, guys? I'm well, I'm very well.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Good to hear. It sounds well, good to hear, and
looking forward to seeing you this weekend. By the way,
when do you get to town.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
That's a big deal, isn't it. Here? I fly home.
I'm in Hawaii at fly home tomorrow tonight. I'll be
in town Saturday. Okay, I'm coming out Saturday Sunday, and
then uh leave Monday night. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, we'll see you at Sahali on Monday for the
ACS tournament. Looking forward to that. But let's first of
all go back to yesterday. So Mariner's Red Sox are
in the bottom of the tenth, is that right, Dick too? Two?
Uh man on second base to start the inning, and
Raphael Dever is at the plate with a meaningless run
because obviously the only run you're worried about is the
(01:48):
runner at second base, and Dick and I are just
kind of sitting there, going, well, why not just walk
him and put a force on at you know, every
base except for home, And they pitched to him and
he hits the game winning double. The Mariners lose three
to two. So the idea of putting a guy on
with a meetingless run in extra innings and creating a
(02:08):
force instead of pitching to him. Your thoughts on that idea,
because that's not what Service did yesterday.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
For me on that Boston team and this year, surprisingly
to my surprise, they've been really good offensively and they
pitched really good. They're kind of in that division over there.
They're the lost kind of the lost team, but they're
really good. But I'm not letting Devs beat me ever.
You know, it's it's it's just that guy that you're
(02:35):
not gonna let beat you. Scotty maybe thinking, who knows,
maybe he's the guy in the mound right there. He
doesn't want to put him in a tight situation bases loaded,
having to throw, you know, that strike. But for me,
I'm never letting Devs beat me in that situation with
a base open.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
How about Fenway Park. I know, it's historic, it's awesome.
I've you've played there many times. I've been there before.
It's great to watch a baseball game, But you know,
sometimes you just see these pop ups and you see
the right handed hitter look up at the sky like
he's just hit, you know, a pop up to shortstop
and it ends up hitting the wall for a double.
I mean, is it Obviously as a hitter do you
(03:11):
like it? But as a baseball fan, do you like
a park that that's that it's that easy to get
a single or double in?
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Well, it's really not that easy, though. I mean it's
okay for me my hitting style, especially the second half
of my career, I really didn't like going to Fenway.
I felt like it really could get me out of
my rhythm. That wall is so close that it's just
so enticing. Like you said, you can hit a pop up,
can a corner. If I hit a ball two hundred
and seventy feet in the air short of any warning
(03:40):
track in baseball, that's a double. And if I get
it up I sneak I might be able to sneak
it out of the park down the line, but my
eye didn't set up well to that place. I right
center is huge right down the right field line. Other
than that, as soon as you go about two feet
left of the right field line, it's the biggest right
field in baseball. So for me personally hated it. I
(04:01):
didn't want to get into hookey moto. Let me just
take this this heater away and hook it off the wall.
Got me into bad habits. I didn't like it for
a left hand here like a Wade Bogs who just
hit the ball the other way. He just wore out
Fenway Park. So it depends on the hitter, depends on
their style of hitting. But now I think it's it's
just one of those legendary places in the game. I
(04:22):
think people love to go watch baseball there, and I
don't know, I think it's kind of nice not having
everything a cookie cutter. It's just you. You have your
little nick little niches, little what are we gonna call them?
I don't know. Well, there's specialty park.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
There's characteristics of Fenway that are totally different than any
other park in baseball, And that's one of the cooling
of baseball is at the stadiums are different sizes, they
look different, the walls are different heights, and it's totally
unique from park to park. So it's one of the
quirks about baseball that I really enjoy. But we haven't
talked to you since the deadline. Uh, Jimmy Garcia, J Chagua,
(05:00):
Randy A. Rose, Arena and Justin Turner. They made four moves.
I got a DH first baseman, left fielder, and two relievers.
What do you think?
Speaker 3 (05:09):
I think? You know it's in looking at the trade
deadline as a whole. Throughout baseball wasn't very A lot
of moves, a lot of people change in uniforms, but
none of the marquee guys are out there. I was
looking for a school at Crochet. I talked to Jim
Bowden Monday on the show and he said, there's no
way they're moving Vladimir Carrero. For me, vladimiric Arero was
only that the only big, big guy, the difference maker,
(05:31):
middle of a lineup guy that I thought the Mariners
had a chance. That we've talked about Diaz late coming
over from Tampa Bay. They moved everybody else. I don't
know why they didn't move Dz, but other than that,
the star power wasn't there. I look at the Mariners
compared to everybody else that made moves, and especially the
moves in the division. Look at Texas. They got a
little They got a backup catcher, and they got a
(05:52):
guy to help them in their pen chasing from Detroit.
You look at Houston, they had a Kokuchi. Cacuchi. All right,
he's nice, but it's not a difference maker for me,
and he's been struggling recently. I look at the Mariners
a Rose Arena, off to the worst start probably of
his career. He's been swinging better of late, but he
brings in energy. He's got a lot of postseason success
(06:15):
for that big stage. Everybody knows how flamboyant he is
personality wise. I think it might be a positive thing
for a Julio Rodriguez having a guy that can match
his energy come in, maybe maybe light a fire under
Julio and he can have a great two months after
he comes off the io. I think Justin Turner's the
cost the consonant pro. He's like a JD. Martinez. He's
(06:37):
the elder statesman. He's thirty nine years old, he's been there,
done that, well respected in the game, and he's kind
of to me like Edgar at the end of his
careers and kind of sit at the end of the clubhouse.
Everybody in there, especially the hitters, have the utmost respect
to him and kind of as a sounding board and
a voice of reason. I think he's going to be
a really good addition that clubhouse kind of like what
(06:58):
I think you're missing it when you move Eugenio Suarez.
I heard how great he was in that clubhouse. Turners
replaced that, and I really like Garcia. That's an under
the radar move. It's a guy you haven't You've really
had a hole in that bullpen, missing Brash all year,
and I think Garcia is having a really good year.
He's a strikeout guy, and I think he's going to
be a good addition to that bullpen. I've been looking
(07:21):
at this marriage. They're going back and forth, first place
out of first place. I don't know if there's going
to be a wild card come out of this division.
So the longer I look at this, you might have
to win the division to go to the playoffs. As
soon as you drop out of the division, you're three
and a half out of the wildcard, no matter who
it is. Mari Nurse Houston. So I think it's going
to be a battle in this division, and we'll see
(07:42):
who comes up in the long run. I'm always gonna
doesn't matter. We've talked about till we're blue in the
face that we've never seen. You know, this good at
pitching that didn't have a better record than they do,
but it is what it is. I think they're kind
of mirroring the Atlanta Braves of the National League. Braves
are same thing. They pitched their butts off. You got
the number one pen in the game, and they're tied
(08:04):
with the Mariners for the best e RA in the game.
As a staff, they're not sway in the bat's good,
they're big guys, are down a Kunya, they left early.
They just lost Albis, their first baseman. Olsen's having a
real down year for him. The only guy having a
big years of Zuda. But they're down offensively, but they're
still in the hunt. I think they kind of mirror that.
Just it's shift getting to the postseason, getting to the table,
(08:27):
and uh, you know, we'll see. I think overall from
everybody that I looked at every move, I think the
Mariners are one of the winners at this trade deadline,
even though it's not star packed.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
Yeah, I know, i'd agree with you and Brett. We
played we played Boston without a third of the of
the lineup. I mean, you had you had Julio out,
you had JP out, you had Rob who's been as
good a hitter as they've.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Had, so getting those guys back.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Let's say it's September one, right, and you got all
those guys back, you got you got added Rosarana, you
added JT. Let's just say you're you're kind of still
right there with Houston yours of battling back and forth.
How good can this offense be? How how much can
the baseline be raised from worst offense in Major League Baseball?
How high can they bring it up with those guys
(09:11):
that you see in the lineup come September.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Middle of the pack. You're not gonna be an elite offense,
just that you just don't have the inventory there. You're
not good enough.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Isn't that enough?
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Though?
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Middle of the back good enough?
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Right? Middle good enough? Ask Arizona a year ago? Yeah,
middle of pass good enough, especially with that pitching. The
team the Houston's right there, the team that kind of
you know, I'm looking at them all year and I'm going,
wait a minute, are they gonna wake up? Texas Rangers?
Best offense in the American League a year ago? Won
a World Series. Great pitching, okay, I look at how
they're pitching. Set up sures are okay, He's not the
(09:44):
sus Are of four years ago. Eve all Day, bona
fide horse, Bradford. They just got back the key in
that division for Texas, and if it happens, a lot
of ifs. If the Grom comes back healthy, and that's
a huge hip to have the Grom of all they
sures for two months or seven weeks, that's a little
bit scary to me, but that's that's a big if.
(10:06):
But Texas is not out of this. They're four and
a half back. They are not out of this with
the Grom lurking, but he's the X factor. If he
doesn't come back, I don't give Texas a shot. If
he does, that changes the scenario and they are definitely
a player for this division. So it's going to be
an interesting race with these three teams.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean, look, obviously JP
is going to be out for a while. Who knows
when Julio is on the way back. But go back
to Justin Turner. I mean, honestly, like, how much do
you think this guy's going to bring to this baseball team?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Man?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
What's fair to expect from him?
Speaker 3 (10:36):
I think he's I think he's been in this position
enough times his career, and let's be fair to him,
he's thirty nine years old. I mean, I think he
came over here hitting the little hundred two sixty. He's
not gonna you know, he's never been a big power guy.
But you can count on him for fifteen twenty home runs.
He's not going to do that. I think he can
be a steadying proc, a steadying presence in that lineup.
(10:58):
He's a professional hitter. He knows how to He's like
a JD. Martinez, a little bit older version of that.
Just he's going to give you a pro at bat.
He's going to give you good at bats on a
consistent basis. But I think his days of being you know,
and he's never been that star star player, but he's
had years where he plays at that all star level.
I think those years are probably over for him. But
(11:19):
to give you a good bat, I'll take him in
a pennant race anytime, especially with you know what what
what the Mariners have been dealing with that at that
DH position, I think he's going to be a welcome
and I think he's going to be an entity. I
think he's going to be invaluable in that clubhouse. Uh
and and I think a Rose Arena same way, with
a completely different personality. I think he can The young
(11:42):
kids in that clubhouse are going to like a Rosaria.
They're gonna like his antics, They're gonna like his personality.
I think Julio especially, it's it's Julio has that big personality,
where's his emotion on his Leave's got that big smile
where he just met his match for personality because the
Rose Arena is just as big a personality, so they
might push one another.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
I want to read a quote from you, from Mitch
garver Brett. He was quoted yesterday. Oh you read it.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Me and a Bell were discussing it, but I'd like
you to read it again.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
All Right, I've already accepted the fact I'm not going
to hit two hundred this year. It might not get
any better. Who knows, Maybe it gets worse. I don't know.
But I show up at the field and every day
to prepare to play. This is by far the worst
I've ever played. I'm tough on myself, or it's tough
of myself, tough of my family, the death threats and
the retire and that you suck and f and kill yourself.
All that stuff is getting old, but the only way
(12:34):
it changes is to play better. Your thoughts on just
all of that, well, that's a bad quote.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
I think we gave a little too much info for
the question being asked. That being said, I've been a
player that's gone through some tough stretches and it's a
part of the game, and especially when you come over
and you sign it. You sign a big contract and
people expect that a lot out of and to be
one of the leaders and one of the guys in
the middle of that lineup, and you're not. Reporters come
(13:00):
to you, and they come to you every day, and
they ask you the same questions every day, and you
hear the fans and believe me, you're hearing gets a
lot better when you stick. So you're hearing the little
quips and and the things that normally you wouldn't hear
or pay any attention to. You're you're hyper sensitive to it.
So he's probably hearing that a lot. He's getting asked
the same questions every day, and when he leaves Seattle
to whatever opposing city therein their be writers are coming
(13:25):
over and asking him the same question. So I understand
it gets frustrated, well, but at this stage you've got
to be a pro about it. You got to deal
with it. It's a part of the game. I'm all
for once in a while somebody gets frustrated and kind
of says some things they wish they wouldn't have said.
That's just getting a little too deep into it for me.
And the death threats and this and that we're in Seattle,
(13:46):
so this isn't uh and and I don't know, Garber,
I don't know. I don't want to say if he's
out of context. But it also makes it. It kind
of is comparing it to when Hank Aaron was chasing
the home run record. A little different situation here, but
never less. It is frustrating, but I always when things
were going tough and the heat was on, I felt
the heat was on it. And you deserve it. I mean,
(14:08):
when you sign on the dotted line, you sign a
big contract. You know what you're in for, and you
need to be accountable when you're not carrying the mail.
We all need to be I think you are an
example and you need to be that. So you're gonna
have a lot of criticism. That's part of the game.
But to just kind of go on and on. That
just feeds it, and that has me and you talking
about it right now deck, where if he wouldn't have
(14:29):
said anything, we wouldn't be talking about it. He just
needs to shut up, go to work, and play better,
pretty much. That's what we all have to do when
we stick. And believe me, I've stuck a lot in
my career.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Well maybe yeah, maybe for him, just getting it off
his chest will actually help him. I don't know. We'll
find out starting tomorrow. But Brett Boone is with us
on the radio show, and you know, Brett, I'm just
thinking about this series with the Phillies. The Phillies are
actually scuffling a little bit in the second half of
the year so far. But what do you make of
this Phillies team that we're about to see starting tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
They've they've been really scuffling. Harper's really they're they're big star.
He's been having a really tough time. I think he's
won for his last thirty three. But I look up
and down, look at look at the both leagues. Philly
gets off. They're the best team in baseball, and I
still think talent wise, Philly is the best team in baseball.
LA Dodgers been plagued by injuries. They're a great team,
(15:20):
but they've had their ups and downs. Uh. Atlanta has
definitely had their problems. The great teams are going to scuffle.
The Orioles went on a tough stream, obviously. The New
York Yankees had a really rough July. They've turned around.
They've won five in a row. This is baseball. It's
gonna happen. Philly's gonna go through that tough time. But
you look up and down that Philly roster. They've got
(15:41):
three or four annual MVP candidates and they've got Wheeler, Nola, Suarez,
and Sanchez. I believe Suarez is hurt right now, so
you're not going to see him in this series in Seattle. Uh.
But they're just they're a really good team going through
a tough time. So hopefully Seattle takes takes advantage of
the tough skid they're going through. But Phillies teams for
real and uh, for my for my money, talent wise,
(16:04):
pound for pound, I think Philly's best team in baseball.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Brett Mike Trout just announced that he's not going to
play the rest of the year. He will now miss
almost four hundred games over the last four seasons.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
He is he has.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
Owed two hundred and ten million dollars over the next
six seasons.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
If this, if I.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
Called the Angels GM and said, I'll take half that
contract and Mike Trout and you only have to pay
one hundred and five million dollars instead of two hundred
and ten million dollars for six more years of Mike
Trout who says no? Does the Does the Angels say no?
Or do they ship Mike Trout off in a trade
if you give him some prospects and half the contract?
Speaker 3 (16:46):
I think Angels doing the heartbeat.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
I think they do too. Would you do it if
you were Would you do it if you're Jerry Depoto
and in a city that is more desperate for offense
than any other good team in baseball at.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
This stage of the game. No, He's proven to me
too many times that he can't be trusted to be
on the field. That it's like we were talking about
Robert at the trade deadline in Chicago White Sox and
White Sox held onto Robert. They shipped off Eloy who
Menez a bunch of their players. But you notice Robert
didn't go anywhere. I think it was more that other
teams didn't trust Robert to be on the field than
it was that Chicago didn't want to move Robert for
(17:22):
the correct prospects. I think Mike Trout's getting to that point.
And all due respect to Mike Trout, Hall of Fame talent.
You know, when he's healthy and playing well, best best
player in baseball, but he's he's gotten to that point
in his career where he's proven he cannot be trusted
to be on the field. And you know, I saw
him the other day and it was good to see
him coming back. I mean, those Angels are going through
(17:43):
such tough times. If Tony left the Rendon situation on
top of the of the Trout situation, He's just getting
to a point. And Junior went through it a little bit.
You know, he's the best player in baseball. All of
a sudden, he started getting hurt and he couldn't be
relied on. Now, I'm not going to put him in
Junior's category and say that's going to happen. Junior ended
up having an unbelievable career. But Trout in the last
(18:05):
three or four years since he signed that deal. You're right.
I mean he hasn't been on the field that he
can't be trusted. For me, an important thing in this
game is the ability to post. And when you become
that guy that can't post. And I'm not saying these
injuries aren't real, they're definitely real. Some guys just have
a thing their body. They're built a different way where
injuries at a certain age keep happening and happening and happening.
(18:28):
And other guys are lucky, they kind of go through
their career injury free, you know, ganged up a little
bit here and a little bit there. But Trout's starting
to prove that he's one of those guys that really
can't be trusted that he's going to be on the field.
You guarantee me, guarantee me a healthy Mike Trout. I
think I think every GM in baseball would take them,
But at the age of his career, I think he's
too much of a risk for that kind of money.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
By the way, it's two hundred and twenty three million
according to Baseball Reference, and these are zero forty.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
Well, I wasn't counting this year.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
It's starting next to you. He's got six more years left
thirty seven point one two and twenty three million total
zero forty one in zero. Those are the amount of
games he's played in the second half of the year
the last four years in a row. Cheese, it's unreal.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Here's the here's the thing too, that that kind of
gets me a little bit all of a sudden. You know,
we got two months left of the season, and did
we just decide that this is his season ending? It is?
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Yeah, Yeah, he's done. It's a meniscus another meniscus tear.
I don't know how he did that again. Yeah, he's out. Yep.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Well, there's a guy that just had meniscus surgery. His
name is Nino, not Nemo from the Mets. He's just
getting They said he's out four to six weeks.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Yeah, it's I don't know. I mean, the Angels suck.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
Maybe, Well, why would you bring it back if he's
out six weeks? Why was you bringing back in mid September.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
For me as a play for me as a player
when I missed that much time. It's just a psychological thing.
I don't care if it's a week left the season.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
I'm getting back, all right, man? Great stuff, And uh
we'll talk in a week. See a palace. Hey, I'll
see you Monday. All right, you got it? All right,
Brett Boone with us on the show. I think we
should kick that mic trout thing around. And also, by
the way he does, Jimmy Lake deserve more credit for
the year the Huskies just had a year ago. We
found the clip from Media Day from like three years ago.
(20:07):
I want to play this for you. And then Isaiah
Thomas game clock at eight. He's gonna do it himself.
He'll join us at six ninety three to three KJRFM.
Coming to you live from our Elliott Avenue studios of
Sports Radio ninety three point three KJRFM. It's time for
our weekly conversation with former Mariners all star Brett Boone,
brought to you by Venue Kings. Visit venue Kings dot
com for all your ticket needs. Now with Booney, here's
SAFTI in Dick.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
All right, we got the Seahawks into Denver in week one.
You dub Michigan coming to town later this year, Mariners
back home against the Phillies tomorrow. What we say? You
want to go see the Seahawks and Chargers and the
opener in LA next Saturday. Three dollars gets you with
the door for that game at benu Kings dot com.
He's sure in us coach toffee at checkout for an
(00:40):
even bigger discount. Actually, I think if you use the
Softy discount on the Charger game, I think they would
end up paying you. Seriously, They'll give you money and
a ticket if you use the Softy discount. How much
do you have to be paid to go to a
preseason game?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Paid?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Yes? I mean I go for free. I complain the
whole time, but I got Boone joins us on the
show courtesy of Venue King's booney, how are you pale?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
What's up, guys? I'm well, I'm very well.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Good to hear. It sounds well, good to hear, and
looking forward to seeing you this weekend. By the way,
when do you get to town.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
That's a big deal, isn't it. Here? I fly home.
I'm in Hawaii at fly home tomorrow tonight. I'll be
in town Saturday. Okay, I'm coming out Saturday Sunday, and
then uh leave Monday night. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, we'll see you at Sahali on Monday for the
ACS tournament. Looking forward to that. But let's first of
all go back to yesterday. So Mariner's Red Sox are
in the bottom of the tenth, is that right, Dick too? Two?
Uh man on second base to start the inning, and
Raphael Dever is at the plate with a meaningless run
because obviously the only run you're worried about is the
(01:48):
runner at second base, and Dick and I are just
kind of sitting there, going, well, why not just walk
him and put a force on at you know, every
base except for home, And they pitched to him and
he hits the game winning double. The Mariners lose three
to two. So the idea of putting a guy on
with a meetingless run in extra innings and creating a
(02:08):
force instead of pitching to him. Your thoughts on that idea,
because that's not what Service did yesterday.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
For me on that Boston team and this year, surprisingly
to my surprise, they've been really good offensively and they
pitched really good. They're kind of in that division over there.
They're the lost kind of the lost team, but they're
really good. But I'm not letting Devs beat me ever.
You know, it's it's it's just that guy that you're
(02:35):
not gonna let beat you. Scotty maybe thinking, who knows,
maybe he's the guy in the mound right there. He
doesn't want to put him in a tight situation bases loaded,
having to throw, you know, that strike. But for me,
I'm never letting Devs beat me in that situation with
a base open.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
How about Fenway Park. I know, it's historic, it's awesome.
I've you've played there many times. I've been there before.
It's great to watch a baseball game, But you know,
sometimes you just see these pop ups and you see
the right handed hitter look up at the sky like
he's just hit, you know, a pop up to shortstop
and it ends up hitting the wall for a double.
I mean, is it Obviously as a hitter do you
(03:11):
like it? But as a baseball fan, do you like
a park that that's that it's that easy to get
a single or double in?
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Well, it's really not that easy, though. I mean it's
okay for me my hitting style, especially the second half
of my career, I really didn't like going to Fenway.
I felt like it really could get me out of
my rhythm. That wall is so close that it's just
so enticing. Like you said, you can hit a pop up,
can a corner. If I hit a ball two hundred
and seventy feet in the air short of any warning
(03:40):
track in baseball, that's a double. And if I get
it up I sneak I might be able to sneak
it out of the park down the line, but my
eye didn't set up well to that place. I right
center is huge right down the right field line. Other
than that, as soon as you go about two feet
left of the right field line, it's the biggest right
field in baseball. So for me personally hated it. I
(04:01):
didn't want to get into hookey moto. Let me just
take this this heater away and hook it off the wall.
Got me into bad habits. I didn't like it for
a left hand here like a Wade Bogs who just
hit the ball the other way. He just wore out
Fenway Park. So it depends on the hitter, depends on
their style of hitting. But now I think it's it's
just one of those legendary places in the game. I
(04:22):
think people love to go watch baseball there, and I
don't know, I think it's kind of nice not having
everything a cookie cutter. It's just you. You have your
little nick little niches, little what are we gonna call them?
I don't know. Well, there's specialty park.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
There's characteristics of Fenway that are totally different than any
other park in baseball, And that's one of the cooling
of baseball is at the stadiums are different sizes, they
look different, the walls are different heights, and it's totally
unique from park to park. So it's one of the
quirks about baseball that I really enjoy. But we haven't
talked to you since the deadline. Uh, Jimmy Garcia, J Chagua,
(05:00):
Randy A. Rose, Arena and Justin Turner. They made four moves.
I got a DH first baseman, left fielder, and two relievers.
What do you think?
Speaker 3 (05:09):
I think? You know it's in looking at the trade
deadline as a whole. Throughout baseball wasn't very A lot
of moves, a lot of people change in uniforms, but
none of the marquee guys are out there. I was
looking for a school at Crochet. I talked to Jim
Bowden Monday on the show and he said, there's no
way they're moving Vladimir Carrero. For me, vladimiric Arero was
only that the only big, big guy, the difference maker,
(05:31):
middle of a lineup guy that I thought the Mariners
had a chance. That we've talked about Diaz late coming
over from Tampa Bay. They moved everybody else. I don't
know why they didn't move Dz, but other than that,
the star power wasn't there. I look at the Mariners
compared to everybody else that made moves, and especially the
moves in the division. Look at Texas. They got a
little They got a backup catcher, and they got a
(05:52):
guy to help them in their pen chasing from Detroit.
You look at Houston, they had a Kokuchi. Cacuchi. All right,
he's nice, but it's not a difference maker for me,
and he's been struggling recently. I look at the Mariners
a Rose Arena, off to the worst start probably of
his career. He's been swinging better of late, but he
brings in energy. He's got a lot of postseason success
(06:15):
for that big stage. Everybody knows how flamboyant he is
personality wise. I think it might be a positive thing
for a Julio Rodriguez having a guy that can match
his energy come in, maybe maybe light a fire under
Julio and he can have a great two months after
he comes off the io. I think Justin Turner's the
cost the consonant pro. He's like a JD. Martinez. He's
(06:37):
the elder statesman. He's thirty nine years old, he's been there,
done that, well respected in the game, and he's kind
of to me like Edgar at the end of his
careers and kind of sit at the end of the clubhouse.
Everybody in there, especially the hitters, have the utmost respect
to him and kind of as a sounding board and
a voice of reason. I think he's going to be
a really good addition that clubhouse kind of like what
(06:58):
I think you're missing it when you move Eugenio Suarez.
I heard how great he was in that clubhouse. Turners
replaced that, and I really like Garcia. That's an under
the radar move. It's a guy you haven't You've really
had a hole in that bullpen, missing Brash all year,
and I think Garcia is having a really good year.
He's a strikeout guy, and I think he's going to
be a good addition to that bullpen. I've been looking
(07:21):
at this marriage. They're going back and forth, first place
out of first place. I don't know if there's going
to be a wild card come out of this division.
So the longer I look at this, you might have
to win the division to go to the playoffs. As
soon as you drop out of the division, you're three
and a half out of the wildcard, no matter who
it is. Mari Nurse Houston. So I think it's going
to be a battle in this division, and we'll see
(07:42):
who comes up in the long run. I'm always gonna
doesn't matter. We've talked about till we're blue in the
face that we've never seen. You know, this good at
pitching that didn't have a better record than they do,
but it is what it is. I think they're kind
of mirroring the Atlanta Braves of the National League. Braves
are same thing. They pitched their butts off. You got
the number one pen in the game, and they're tied
(08:04):
with the Mariners for the best e RA in the game.
As a staff, they're not sway in the bat's good,
they're big guys, are down a Kunya, they left early.
They just lost Albis, their first baseman. Olsen's having a
real down year for him. The only guy having a
big years of Zuda. But they're down offensively, but they're
still in the hunt. I think they kind of mirror that.
Just it's shift getting to the postseason, getting to the table,
(08:27):
and uh, you know, we'll see. I think overall from
everybody that I looked at every move, I think the
Mariners are one of the winners at this trade deadline,
even though it's not star packed.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
Yeah, I know, i'd agree with you and Brett. We
played we played Boston without a third of the of
the lineup. I mean, you had you had Julio out,
you had JP out, you had Rob who's been as
good a hitter as they've.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Had, so getting those guys back.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Let's say it's September one, right, and you got all
those guys back, you got you got added Rosarana, you
added JT. Let's just say you're you're kind of still
right there with Houston yours of battling back and forth.
How good can this offense be? How how much can
the baseline be raised from worst offense in Major League Baseball?
How high can they bring it up with those guys
(09:11):
that you see in the lineup come September.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Middle of the pack. You're not gonna be an elite offense,
just that you just don't have the inventory there. You're
not good enough.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Isn't that enough?
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Though?
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Middle of the back good enough?
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Right? Middle good enough? Ask Arizona a year ago? Yeah,
middle of pass good enough, especially with that pitching. The
team the Houston's right there, the team that kind of
you know, I'm looking at them all year and I'm going,
wait a minute, are they gonna wake up? Texas Rangers?
Best offense in the American League a year ago? Won
a World Series. Great pitching, okay, I look at how
they're pitching. Set up sures are okay, He's not the
(09:44):
sus Are of four years ago. Eve all Day, bona
fide horse, Bradford. They just got back the key in
that division for Texas, and if it happens, a lot
of ifs. If the Grom comes back healthy, and that's
a huge hip to have the Grom of all they
sures for two months or seven weeks, that's a little
bit scary to me, but that's that's a big if.
(10:06):
But Texas is not out of this. They're four and
a half back. They are not out of this with
the Grom lurking, but he's the X factor. If he
doesn't come back, I don't give Texas a shot. If
he does, that changes the scenario and they are definitely
a player for this division. So it's going to be
an interesting race with these three teams.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean, look, obviously JP
is going to be out for a while. Who knows
when Julio is on the way back. But go back
to Justin Turner. I mean, honestly, like, how much do
you think this guy's going to bring to this baseball team?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Man?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
What's fair to expect from him?
Speaker 3 (10:36):
I think he's I think he's been in this position
enough times his career, and let's be fair to him,
he's thirty nine years old. I mean, I think he
came over here hitting the little hundred two sixty. He's
not gonna you know, he's never been a big power guy.
But you can count on him for fifteen twenty home runs.
He's not going to do that. I think he can
be a steadying proc, a steadying presence in that lineup.
(10:58):
He's a professional hitter. He knows how to He's like
a JD. Martinez, a little bit older version of that.
Just he's going to give you a pro at bat.
He's going to give you good at bats on a
consistent basis. But I think his days of being you know,
and he's never been that star star player, but he's
had years where he plays at that all star level.
I think those years are probably over for him. But
(11:19):
to give you a good bat, I'll take him in
a pennant race anytime, especially with you know what what
what the Mariners have been dealing with that at that
DH position, I think he's going to be a welcome
and I think he's going to be an entity. I
think he's going to be invaluable in that clubhouse. Uh
and and I think a Rose Arena same way, with
a completely different personality. I think he can The young
(11:42):
kids in that clubhouse are going to like a Rosaria.
They're gonna like his antics, They're gonna like his personality.
I think Julio especially, it's it's Julio has that big personality,
where's his emotion on his Leave's got that big smile
where he just met his match for personality because the
Rose Arena is just as big a personality, so they
might push one another.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
I want to read a quote from you, from Mitch
garver Brett. He was quoted yesterday. Oh you read it.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Me and a Bell were discussing it, but I'd like
you to read it again.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
All Right, I've already accepted the fact I'm not going
to hit two hundred this year. It might not get
any better. Who knows, Maybe it gets worse. I don't know.
But I show up at the field and every day
to prepare to play. This is by far the worst
I've ever played. I'm tough on myself, or it's tough
of myself, tough of my family, the death threats and
the retire and that you suck and f and kill yourself.
All that stuff is getting old, but the only way
(12:34):
it changes is to play better. Your thoughts on just
all of that, well, that's a bad quote.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
I think we gave a little too much info for
the question being asked. That being said, I've been a
player that's gone through some tough stretches and it's a
part of the game, and especially when you come over
and you sign it. You sign a big contract and
people expect that a lot out of and to be
one of the leaders and one of the guys in
the middle of that lineup, and you're not. Reporters come
(13:00):
to you, and they come to you every day, and
they ask you the same questions every day, and you
hear the fans and believe me, you're hearing gets a
lot better when you stick. So you're hearing the little
quips and and the things that normally you wouldn't hear
or pay any attention to. You're you're hyper sensitive to it.
So he's probably hearing that a lot. He's getting asked
the same questions every day, and when he leaves Seattle
to whatever opposing city therein their be writers are coming
(13:25):
over and asking him the same question. So I understand
it gets frustrated, well, but at this stage you've got
to be a pro about it. You got to deal
with it. It's a part of the game. I'm all
for once in a while somebody gets frustrated and kind
of says some things they wish they wouldn't have said.
That's just getting a little too deep into it for me.
And the death threats and this and that we're in Seattle,
(13:46):
so this isn't uh and and I don't know, Garber,
I don't know. I don't want to say if he's
out of context. But it also makes it. It kind
of is comparing it to when Hank Aaron was chasing
the home run record. A little different situation here, but
never less. It is frustrating, but I always when things
were going tough and the heat was on, I felt
the heat was on it. And you deserve it. I mean,
(14:08):
when you sign on the dotted line, you sign a
big contract. You know what you're in for, and you
need to be accountable when you're not carrying the mail.
We all need to be I think you are an
example and you need to be that. So you're gonna
have a lot of criticism. That's part of the game.
But to just kind of go on and on. That
just feeds it, and that has me and you talking
about it right now deck, where if he wouldn't have
(14:29):
said anything, we wouldn't be talking about it. He just
needs to shut up, go to work, and play better,
pretty much. That's what we all have to do when
we stick. And believe me, I've stuck a lot in
my career.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Well maybe yeah, maybe for him, just getting it off
his chest will actually help him. I don't know. We'll
find out starting tomorrow. But Brett Boone is with us
on the radio show, and you know, Brett, I'm just
thinking about this series with the Phillies. The Phillies are
actually scuffling a little bit in the second half of
the year so far. But what do you make of
this Phillies team that we're about to see starting tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
They've they've been really scuffling. Harper's really they're they're big star.
He's been having a really tough time. I think he's
won for his last thirty three. But I look up
and down, look at look at the both leagues. Philly
gets off. They're the best team in baseball, and I
still think talent wise, Philly is the best team in baseball.
LA Dodgers been plagued by injuries. They're a great team,
(15:20):
but they've had their ups and downs. Uh. Atlanta has
definitely had their problems. The great teams are going to scuffle.
The Orioles went on a tough stream, obviously. The New
York Yankees had a really rough July. They've turned around.
They've won five in a row. This is baseball. It's
gonna happen. Philly's gonna go through that tough time. But
you look up and down that Philly roster. They've got
(15:41):
three or four annual MVP candidates and they've got Wheeler, Nola, Suarez,
and Sanchez. I believe Suarez is hurt right now, so
you're not going to see him in this series in Seattle. Uh.
But they're just they're a really good team going through
a tough time. So hopefully Seattle takes takes advantage of
the tough skid they're going through. But Phillies teams for
real and uh, for my for my money, talent wise,
(16:04):
pound for pound, I think Philly's best team in baseball.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Brett Mike Trout just announced that he's not going to
play the rest of the year. He will now miss
almost four hundred games over the last four seasons.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
He is he has.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
Owed two hundred and ten million dollars over the next
six seasons.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
If this, if I.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
Called the Angels GM and said, I'll take half that
contract and Mike Trout and you only have to pay
one hundred and five million dollars instead of two hundred
and ten million dollars for six more years of Mike
Trout who says no? Does the Does the Angels say no?
Or do they ship Mike Trout off in a trade
if you give him some prospects and half the contract?
Speaker 3 (16:46):
I think Angels doing the heartbeat.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
I think they do too. Would you do it if
you were Would you do it if you're Jerry Depoto
and in a city that is more desperate for offense
than any other good team in baseball at.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
This stage of the game. No, He's proven to me
too many times that he can't be trusted to be
on the field. That it's like we were talking about
Robert at the trade deadline in Chicago White Sox and
White Sox held onto Robert. They shipped off Eloy who
Menez a bunch of their players. But you notice Robert
didn't go anywhere. I think it was more that other
teams didn't trust Robert to be on the field than
it was that Chicago didn't want to move Robert for
(17:22):
the correct prospects. I think Mike Trout's getting to that point.
And all due respect to Mike Trout, Hall of Fame talent.
You know, when he's healthy and playing well, best best
player in baseball, but he's he's gotten to that point
in his career where he's proven he cannot be trusted
to be on the field. And you know, I saw
him the other day and it was good to see
him coming back. I mean, those Angels are going through
(17:43):
such tough times. If Tony left the Rendon situation on
top of the of the Trout situation, He's just getting
to a point. And Junior went through it a little bit.
You know, he's the best player in baseball. All of
a sudden, he started getting hurt and he couldn't be
relied on. Now, I'm not going to put him in
Junior's category and say that's going to happen. Junior ended
up having an unbelievable career. But Trout in the last
(18:05):
three or four years since he signed that deal. You're right.
I mean he hasn't been on the field that he
can't be trusted. For me, an important thing in this
game is the ability to post. And when you become
that guy that can't post. And I'm not saying these
injuries aren't real, they're definitely real. Some guys just have
a thing their body. They're built a different way where
injuries at a certain age keep happening and happening and happening.
(18:28):
And other guys are lucky, they kind of go through
their career injury free, you know, ganged up a little
bit here and a little bit there. But Trout's starting
to prove that he's one of those guys that really
can't be trusted that he's going to be on the field.
You guarantee me, guarantee me a healthy Mike Trout. I
think I think every GM in baseball would take them,
But at the age of his career, I think he's
too much of a risk for that kind of money.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
By the way, it's two hundred and twenty three million
according to Baseball Reference, and these are zero forty.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
Well, I wasn't counting this year.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
It's starting next to you. He's got six more years left
thirty seven point one two and twenty three million total
zero forty one in zero. Those are the amount of
games he's played in the second half of the year
the last four years in a row. Cheese, it's unreal.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Here's the here's the thing too, that that kind of
gets me a little bit all of a sudden. You know,
we got two months left of the season, and did
we just decide that this is his season ending? It is?
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Yeah, Yeah, he's done. It's a meniscus another meniscus tear.
I don't know how he did that again. Yeah, he's out. Yep.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Well, there's a guy that just had meniscus surgery. His
name is Nino, not Nemo from the Mets. He's just
getting They said he's out four to six weeks.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Yeah, it's I don't know. I mean, the Angels suck.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
Maybe, Well, why would you bring it back if he's
out six weeks? Why was you bringing back in mid September.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
For me as a play for me as a player
when I missed that much time. It's just a psychological thing.
I don't care if it's a week left the season.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
I'm getting back, all right, man? Great stuff, And uh
we'll talk in a week. See a palace. Hey, I'll
see you Monday. All right, you got it? All right,
Brett Boone with us on the show. I think we
should kick that mic trout thing around. And also, by
the way he does, Jimmy Lake deserve more credit for
the year the Huskies just had a year ago. We
found the clip from Media Day from like three years ago.
(20:07):
I want to play this for you. And then Isaiah
Thomas game clock at eight. He's gonna do it himself.
He'll join us at six ninety three to three KJRFM.
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