June 3, 2025 • 19 mins
Legendary writer Larry Stone joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to talk about the not-so-pretty return of George Kirby, the wild weekend series, Jorge Polanco losing his bat and Cal Raleigh finding an even bigger bat, his deal and what to do with Harry Ford.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time for our weekly conversation with legendary sports writer
Larry Stone, brought to you by the Ram Restaurant and Brewery, Bigger,
better and fresher since nineteen seventy one, with eight DIGITSUND
locations from Marysville to Lacy and everywhere in between. There's
a Ram there you now with Softy and Dick, here's
Larry Stone.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Its thanks to the RAM for sponsoring this normally Wednesdays
at five o'clock, but we got NHL Stanley Cup hockey
tomorrow game number one, Edmonton, Florida. So we worked with
Larry's people behind the scenes to make sure we had
them on this week, and after long negotiations, he agreed
to come on the radio show today at six pm.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
He's with us right now, courtesy at the RAM. Larry,
how are you.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
Man, I'm doing good. Welcome back.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I appreciate that. So we're sitting here at the Emerald Queen.
I look up on the TVs and they got the
MLB network on. I don't know who it was that
was on TV, but the topic on the screen was
is tonight I must win for George Kirby. Tell me
about from your perspective, the importance of tonight's start for.
Speaker 5 (01:04):
George Well, the notion of a must win in early
June is kind of ridiculous, right, But I would say
it's a very important to show that he can put
together a good outing start for him.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
I mean, if he has three bad ones in a row,
you got to sort of wonder how long they could
stick with him without maybe having him tune up some
more in the minors or something. So I would agree
that it's a very important start for him. You know,
he's got an era sitting over what six, you know,
after two starts, and I've actually thought his stuff has
(01:43):
looked pretty good. I'm sort of thinking that he's not
that far away. He just needs to refine some things. Actually,
Vra is eleven point four to two, so it was
way off, even worse than I thought. You know, he
didn't have a spring training, didn't have much of a
minor league rehab deal.
Speaker 6 (02:05):
So.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
You know, maybe it's explainable why he's not sharp, but
they can't keep having him give up five or six
runs in five or four any each time out and
have been be non competitive.
Speaker 6 (02:17):
Well, Larry, we are a ninth inning, one run win
and a tenth inning, one run win away from having
what would have been probably the most miserable week of
the year.
Speaker 7 (02:27):
But they were able.
Speaker 6 (02:28):
To scratch out those runs doing it old school manufacturing runs,
which is not the way of.
Speaker 7 (02:34):
Twenty twenty five baseball.
Speaker 6 (02:37):
What is your take on how the Mariners won those
games and manufacturing runs in this day and age, particularly
in extra innings when you got a guy on second base.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Yeah, well, another way to look at it, Dick, is
that they're one Andre's munnos, saving a protecting a three
run lead from sweeping sweeping the twitch two I you know,
at home if the other team doesn't score. I'm a
proponent of bunting the leadoff guy bunting you only need
(03:10):
that run in the town. But you know, I know
a lot of people wanted uh uh a Ros Arena
to bunt in in that first game on Friday, I
think it was Friday, and you know you're facing uh Duran.
(03:31):
That guy throws one hundred and one miles an hour,
which it makes it really hard to bunt. And I
looked at a Rose Arena in his professional or his
major league career, he's never had a sacrifice. Butnt so
you know, it's got to be the it's got to
be the right person up there too. Uh. Tavares laid
down a beautiful bunt on Sunday and it ended up
(03:52):
leading to the winning run. So I think there's certain
guys that you just don't ask to bunt, but it's
provided it's not one of those guys. My feeling is
that the best way to go in the bottom of
the tenth if it's it's still a tie game at
the bunt and then you've got you can get the
(04:13):
guy home with a fly or with a dribbler like
they did, you know, with with with Young and you
know that's the way to manufacture a run and they
work well.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Larry Stone is with us on the radio show, and Larry,
I gotta tell you, Horray Polonko since I took off
for Europe has been terrible. I mean it's like I
took his bat with me and maybe he's going to
get it back tonight because I'm back home. But one
fifty three ops in the last fifteen games, he's got
a fifty three, Not one fifty three, but a fifty
three batting average. How concerned are you? Not concerned? Are
(04:49):
you about the last couple of weeks we've seen from
Horiy Polanco.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
Yeah, I think I think it dates back to a
couple of weeks before you want to yea to your
to be honest concerned, I don't think. I got to
think there's some health issues going on with him. He's
still not batting right handed, which is suspicious, and when
(05:14):
he does he tries to bunt, you know, so there's
obviously something going on. I mean, he hit won thirty
nine for the month of May, the entire month of
May with three extra base hit after being close to
the player of the months in April three eighty four,
So I don't think he just lost it like that.
I think there's got to be some health reasons. But
(05:36):
you'd think that if that was the case, they just
take the opportunity to put him on the IL and
let him get healthy. You know. I think it would
be preferable that there was some health reasons, because then
there would at least be some explanation for it. I
think it's probably at least time to move him down
the order, if not give him a few days off
to just sort of regroup, because as much of an
(05:59):
asset as he was for the first month, He's kind
of become a liability, Larry.
Speaker 6 (06:05):
When you sit back and watch these games, how many
Mariner relievers are there.
Speaker 7 (06:09):
When you sit back, you can cross your legs.
Speaker 6 (06:12):
And exhale and feel good about them pitching in a
close game.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
And well, we've got Mooney for sure, Brash. I feel
fairly good about Vargas well. And that's inspired and inspired
and inspired. You know, those are the four go to guys.
(06:37):
I think, you know the the other one, you know,
the Bizarros, Lego Mina when he was here. You know,
they're they're just kind of across your fingers guys. Even
Colin Snyder, although I was impressed with the way he
came back after the last Nationals game that he just
completely fell apart. Uh, he came back to the next
(06:59):
time it had two scoreless hittings the next year innings,
which is hard to do. So there, you got to
give him credit for that. But you know, I think
a leverage bullpen arm has got to be up there
high on the list of needs for the for the
trade deadline, and those guys are always available, so I
would not I would be surprised if if de Poto
(07:21):
didn't go out and get a leverage arm, which always
hasn't been successful. I mean, you know, Jimmy Garcia last
year was supposed to be that guy and he did nothing.
And of course Santos was supposed to be that guy
and he's been He's he's just been missing in action.
So you know, they haven't always been successful in trying
(07:43):
to get that guy.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Well, cal Riley's been very successful.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
He's on pace for obliterate Salvador Perez's record for home
runs in twenty one of forty eight in this season,
he's on pace for sixty five, one hundred and twenty
six ribbies. I mean, the pace he was on in
the last two weeks was a ninety seven home run pace,
which obviously is insane. But is he a legitimate I mean,
you're right, you know, I don't know if you have
(08:08):
an MVP vote yet or not, but or still or not?
Is he in your mind a legit MVP candidate or
is Aaron Judge just running away and hiding with that thing?
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Well, I think they're both. They're both true. I have
tick and I talked a little bit about this last week.
I've voted for MVP multiple times, probably fifteen times, but
I don't. I'm not eligible anymore now that I'm retired.
But you know, if Judge keeps up this pace, I
just don't see how we could be denied. But you're
(08:39):
threatening four hundred and he's on a pace to hit
sixty home runs himself. What Cal has going for him
is that he's a catcher, and he's probably the best
defensive catcher in the league in addition to being historic
offensively for a catcher. So I mean, right now, he's
the strong runner up. The only thing I worry about is, uh,
(09:03):
the toll of that playing every day will have on
col down the stretch. Will will he keep this be
able to keep up this pace for for the whole year?
And you know, I'd like to see them give him
a few more days off and a few more days
d hing uh, And I think that would preserve him
for the long haul. But I understand why Dan Wilson's
(09:26):
penciling him in there. How can you take him out
of the lineup now? You can't. The way he's hitting,
He's got to be in there every day. So but
if you look at it right now, Judges clear cut
number one, cow clear cut number two. But that could
that could change. You know, who's to say that Judge
isn't going to hit a slump at some point and
(09:48):
Cal could go past him.
Speaker 6 (09:50):
Lara, I think my biggest question long term for this
franchise is whether the stud pitching prospects.
Speaker 7 (09:57):
That we have had over the last five six.
Speaker 6 (09:59):
Years come up marry up with the stud offensive prospects
that are supposed to come up within the next one
to four years. But most of them are still pretty young.
So and because you know, we're not going to spend
three hundred and fifty million dollars on a player that's
just not the Mariner way.
Speaker 7 (10:17):
So it's got to be this way. Do you think
there's enough in the.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
Mariner farm system to feel the World Series Championship team
with that combination of pitchers and hitters that are young.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
I mean, optimally, if everyone progresses. I think Cole young
is is an example of how fast these things can move.
He's twenty one years old and he's he's the starting
second baseman and he'll to probably have that job if
he shows anything, which is for the foreseeable future. I
think Emerson Colt Emerson could be on a similar path
(10:52):
where maybe he's up by the middle of next year,
and some of those other guys aren't far behind. So
the question is whether that stud pitching is gonna that
which is already showing some signs of wear and tear.
Three of them are on the IL this year, whether
(11:13):
they're going to be still primo by the time all
those guys hit, Which is that you know the question
you asked me. It's hard to say whether that will happen.
I think there's potential for that to happen. The pictures
that are still young themselves. They still all have a
lot of service time left before their free agency years.
So I mean, if everything hits, yeah, I think that
(11:33):
could happen. But there's also certain lots of room for
that to fall apart as well, and I think they
will have to go at some point sign some more people.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Yeah, Larry Stone is with us again on the radio show.
I want to go back to the cal Raley thing
for a second because I remember saying on the air
when the contract details came out for him, I thought
the Mariner's got a steal with the cal Raley contract,
and it looks even more like a steal now. If
cal Rawley was going into a contract, meaning he had
not signed and it held out for one more year,
(12:06):
maybe even just two more months, and signed a deal
in June or July.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
How much more is he making right now?
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Yeah, I mean it's got to be significant. And you
look back to last I think it was last offseason
when he fired Scott Boris and changed agents. I'm sure.
I'm not sure, but my hunch is that Boris was
advising him exactly that, you know, telling him what he
could be worth, right And I think it's an indicative
(12:35):
of the fact that cal wanted to be here and
didn't want to play that game. So, you know, kudos
to him for that. I think fans should be grateful
for that. But I think he did leave probably some
money on the table, but I think there's enough money
there where he doesn't feel bad about it. He had
a lot of players want security over the risk playing
(12:55):
that risk game of waiting and you know who knows
it you get injured or whatever. So I mean, I
think it may have cleared his mind and allowed him
to have the year that he's having right now.
Speaker 7 (13:07):
That's exactly what I was gonna say.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
I think there's there is a reasonable chance he doesn't
have twenty three home runs right now if he still
doesn't have that contract, So I think that's that's something
you got to look at as well. But they're going
to keep him a catcher for at least, I don't know,
a couple three more years, which means poor old Harry
Ford down there in Tacoma, it doesn't have any place
to play unless you move him to a different position.
Speaker 7 (13:29):
So is Harry Ford?
Speaker 6 (13:31):
Should Harry Ford be legitimate trade bait over the next
seven weeks.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
Yeah, it's such a fascinating situation, particularly with the way
he's just tearing up the PCL right now. He's hitting
like he's never hit before in his career. Three twenty
with an on base of four forty. That's elite stuff. Yeah,
I think he is legit trade positive trade bait. I
(13:58):
think you only trade him in a block bust though.
Uh he's he's a top prospect. They should be able.
You only trade him if you get somebody who's a
stark kind of player who has more than he's not
just a rental player, who has a year at least
beyond this one, or maybe two years beyond this one,
then then I would deal him. Just even if he
turns into a star. There's just he's blocked here. It's
(14:21):
just the facts.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
How much longer?
Speaker 6 (14:25):
No?
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Sorry, go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
Oh, I'm just interested in at what point do you
call him up? If you're the Mariners and even though
Cow's going great, do you catch him a couple of
times a week? Do you h him three times a week?
And you know that that could be a potent bat
that you add to this this team. I think you've
got to think about that at some point, uh, you know,
and say goodbye to Garber.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
I would feel much differently about that if the pitching
staff was dominating right now, taking cal Raley away from
those guys. But they're struggling a little bit. So I
think you're onto something, man. I mean, Hoorri Polanco is
long term answer for the rest of the year. They
may have to jump ship on him at some point.
You know, Harry Ford dhing three days a week, catching
(15:09):
two days a week?
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Whatever?
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Is that a ridiculous proposition? I mean, you just brought
it up so clearly you don't think it's not nuts?
Is do you think the Mariners would do something like
that and start to back off on the amount of
days that cal Raley's behind the dish.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
You know, I can't answer that. The question I think
that they're going to have to answer is is he
ready defensively? Because you know, he's been pretty raw from
what I've heard from from people on the inside, that's
not until this year. I don't I haven't heard any
feedback from this year, so he maybe. I'm sure he's
making steps forward, but you know, for all his faults
(15:48):
at the plate, Garvers a pretty good defensive catcher that
the guys like throwing to. And if you throw a
rookie in there, you know it could be problematic. So
I think they may would consider doing that strongly. I
think if they decide he's ready defensively, But then you
he's a young prospect who needs to play. Are you
(16:09):
stunting his growth as a catcher by only catching him
twice a week? Those are tough questions to answer, and
I'm sure they're throwing all that around right now in
the in the conference rooms and deciding that. And then
the trade part, maybe are you worried about hurting his
trade value if he comes up and you know, suddenly
(16:30):
hits eighty nine for a month, and then you know
you've turned this guy who was hitting three twenty in
triple A and everybody could dream on And now suddenly
they've seen him struggle, and I think that that's all
worry as well.
Speaker 6 (16:45):
Yeah, Jared Kellnick's trade value was the highest when he
was his last stretch in Takoma, that's for sure.
Speaker 5 (16:51):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
The guys, Yeah, the spring, spring training, with the mat.
Speaker 7 (16:55):
Spring training, with the match. You're exactly right.
Speaker 6 (16:57):
Yeah, But Larry, yesterday's big stories around the organization was
Randy Johnson.
Speaker 7 (17:02):
They're going to honor him next year.
Speaker 6 (17:04):
I'd be interested to get your take on how the
number fifty one was handled. You think was handled right
from the get go by the Seattle Mariners.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
I mean back to when the retirement of it or
just the bestowing of it, to.
Speaker 6 (17:19):
The bestowing of it to each row and the timing
of the retirement of each ro versus Randy in number
fifty one.
Speaker 4 (17:27):
I think the bestowing of it was handled fine. You know,
each row wrote him a nice letter, which, you know,
asking him permission. I think that's fine, and Randy didn't
seem to have any problem with that. I mean, the
number hadn't been retired yet, it probably they wouldn't have
given out it's just some run of the mill player,
(17:48):
but each Row was, it was a celebrated player who
ended up having a Hall of Fame career. So I
don't think there's anything wrong with that. I mean, the
retirement thing, I don't know. I mean, I don't don't
have any huge problems with it. Again, I think Randy
deserves some credit for not wanting to range overshadow each
(18:11):
ro's moments with the retirement. And I'm cynical enough to
think that maybe part of that is because he wants
his own moment as well. You know, I don't want
to He doesn't want his moment overshadowed either, to which
you'll get next year. It's a tricky situation when you
got two all time players wearing the same number. I
don't know, it's not that common situation. So I mean,
(18:35):
do you guys have do you have issues with it?
Speaker 3 (18:37):
No, I don't at all.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
I think there's more meat on the Randy bone with
some of the comments they made their day about how
things ended in ninety nine or ninety eight, whatever year
it was, so we won't be as Yeah, we'll discuss
those next week when you come on. So get ready,
all right, because that's coming next week man, Larry, great stuff,
appreciate it and we're talking a week man.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
All right, Thanks guys.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Nic
It's time for our weekly conversation with legendary sports writer
Larry Stone, brought to you by the Ram Restaurant and Brewery, Bigger,
better and fresher since nineteen seventy one, with eight DIGITSUND
locations from Marysville to Lacy and everywhere in between. There's
a Ram there you now with Softy and Dick, here's
Larry Stone.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Its thanks to the RAM for sponsoring this normally Wednesdays
at five o'clock, but we got NHL Stanley Cup hockey
tomorrow game number one, Edmonton, Florida. So we worked with
Larry's people behind the scenes to make sure we had
them on this week, and after long negotiations, he agreed
to come on the radio show today at six pm.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
He's with us right now, courtesy at the RAM. Larry,
how are you.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
Man, I'm doing good. Welcome back.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I appreciate that. So we're sitting here at the Emerald Queen.
I look up on the TVs and they got the
MLB network on. I don't know who it was that
was on TV, but the topic on the screen was
is tonight I must win for George Kirby. Tell me
about from your perspective, the importance of tonight's start for.
Speaker 5 (01:04):
George Well, the notion of a must win in early
June is kind of ridiculous, right, But I would say
it's a very important to show that he can put
together a good outing start for him.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
I mean, if he has three bad ones in a row,
you got to sort of wonder how long they could
stick with him without maybe having him tune up some
more in the minors or something. So I would agree
that it's a very important start for him. You know,
he's got an era sitting over what six, you know,
after two starts, and I've actually thought his stuff has
(01:43):
looked pretty good. I'm sort of thinking that he's not
that far away. He just needs to refine some things. Actually,
Vra is eleven point four to two, so it was
way off, even worse than I thought. You know, he
didn't have a spring training, didn't have much of a
minor league rehab deal.
Speaker 6 (02:05):
So.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
You know, maybe it's explainable why he's not sharp, but
they can't keep having him give up five or six
runs in five or four any each time out and
have been be non competitive.
Speaker 6 (02:17):
Well, Larry, we are a ninth inning, one run win
and a tenth inning, one run win away from having
what would have been probably the most miserable week of
the year.
Speaker 7 (02:27):
But they were able.
Speaker 6 (02:28):
To scratch out those runs doing it old school manufacturing runs,
which is not the way of.
Speaker 7 (02:34):
Twenty twenty five baseball.
Speaker 6 (02:37):
What is your take on how the Mariners won those
games and manufacturing runs in this day and age, particularly
in extra innings when you got a guy on second base.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Yeah, well, another way to look at it, Dick, is
that they're one Andre's munnos, saving a protecting a three
run lead from sweeping sweeping the twitch two I you know,
at home if the other team doesn't score. I'm a
proponent of bunting the leadoff guy bunting you only need
(03:10):
that run in the town. But you know, I know
a lot of people wanted uh uh a Ros Arena
to bunt in in that first game on Friday, I
think it was Friday, and you know you're facing uh Duran.
(03:31):
That guy throws one hundred and one miles an hour,
which it makes it really hard to bunt. And I
looked at a Rose Arena in his professional or his
major league career, he's never had a sacrifice. Butnt so
you know, it's got to be the it's got to
be the right person up there too. Uh. Tavares laid
down a beautiful bunt on Sunday and it ended up
(03:52):
leading to the winning run. So I think there's certain
guys that you just don't ask to bunt, but it's
provided it's not one of those guys. My feeling is
that the best way to go in the bottom of
the tenth if it's it's still a tie game at
the bunt and then you've got you can get the
(04:13):
guy home with a fly or with a dribbler like
they did, you know, with with with Young and you
know that's the way to manufacture a run and they
work well.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Larry Stone is with us on the radio show, and Larry,
I gotta tell you, Horray Polonko since I took off
for Europe has been terrible. I mean it's like I
took his bat with me and maybe he's going to
get it back tonight because I'm back home. But one
fifty three ops in the last fifteen games, he's got
a fifty three, Not one fifty three, but a fifty
three batting average. How concerned are you? Not concerned? Are
(04:49):
you about the last couple of weeks we've seen from
Horiy Polanco.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
Yeah, I think I think it dates back to a
couple of weeks before you want to yea to your
to be honest concerned, I don't think. I got to
think there's some health issues going on with him. He's
still not batting right handed, which is suspicious, and when
(05:14):
he does he tries to bunt, you know, so there's
obviously something going on. I mean, he hit won thirty
nine for the month of May, the entire month of
May with three extra base hit after being close to
the player of the months in April three eighty four,
So I don't think he just lost it like that.
I think there's got to be some health reasons. But
(05:36):
you'd think that if that was the case, they just
take the opportunity to put him on the IL and
let him get healthy. You know. I think it would
be preferable that there was some health reasons, because then
there would at least be some explanation for it. I
think it's probably at least time to move him down
the order, if not give him a few days off
to just sort of regroup, because as much of an
(05:59):
asset as he was for the first month, He's kind
of become a liability, Larry.
Speaker 6 (06:05):
When you sit back and watch these games, how many
Mariner relievers are there.
Speaker 7 (06:09):
When you sit back, you can cross your legs.
Speaker 6 (06:12):
And exhale and feel good about them pitching in a
close game.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
And well, we've got Mooney for sure, Brash. I feel
fairly good about Vargas well. And that's inspired and inspired
and inspired. You know, those are the four go to guys.
(06:37):
I think, you know the the other one, you know,
the Bizarros, Lego Mina when he was here. You know,
they're they're just kind of across your fingers guys. Even
Colin Snyder, although I was impressed with the way he
came back after the last Nationals game that he just
completely fell apart. Uh, he came back to the next
(06:59):
time it had two scoreless hittings the next year innings,
which is hard to do. So there, you got to
give him credit for that. But you know, I think
a leverage bullpen arm has got to be up there
high on the list of needs for the for the
trade deadline, and those guys are always available, so I
would not I would be surprised if if de Poto
(07:21):
didn't go out and get a leverage arm, which always
hasn't been successful. I mean, you know, Jimmy Garcia last
year was supposed to be that guy and he did nothing.
And of course Santos was supposed to be that guy
and he's been He's he's just been missing in action.
So you know, they haven't always been successful in trying
(07:43):
to get that guy.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Well, cal Riley's been very successful.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
He's on pace for obliterate Salvador Perez's record for home
runs in twenty one of forty eight in this season,
he's on pace for sixty five, one hundred and twenty
six ribbies. I mean, the pace he was on in
the last two weeks was a ninety seven home run pace,
which obviously is insane. But is he a legitimate I mean,
you're right, you know, I don't know if you have
(08:08):
an MVP vote yet or not, but or still or not?
Is he in your mind a legit MVP candidate or
is Aaron Judge just running away and hiding with that thing?
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Well, I think they're both. They're both true. I have
tick and I talked a little bit about this last week.
I've voted for MVP multiple times, probably fifteen times, but
I don't. I'm not eligible anymore now that I'm retired.
But you know, if Judge keeps up this pace, I
just don't see how we could be denied. But you're
(08:39):
threatening four hundred and he's on a pace to hit
sixty home runs himself. What Cal has going for him
is that he's a catcher, and he's probably the best
defensive catcher in the league in addition to being historic
offensively for a catcher. So I mean, right now, he's
the strong runner up. The only thing I worry about is, uh,
(09:03):
the toll of that playing every day will have on
col down the stretch. Will will he keep this be
able to keep up this pace for for the whole year?
And you know, I'd like to see them give him
a few more days off and a few more days
d hing uh, And I think that would preserve him
for the long haul. But I understand why Dan Wilson's
(09:26):
penciling him in there. How can you take him out
of the lineup now? You can't. The way he's hitting,
He's got to be in there every day. So but
if you look at it right now, Judges clear cut
number one, cow clear cut number two. But that could
that could change. You know, who's to say that Judge
isn't going to hit a slump at some point and
(09:48):
Cal could go past him.
Speaker 6 (09:50):
Lara, I think my biggest question long term for this
franchise is whether the stud pitching prospects.
Speaker 7 (09:57):
That we have had over the last five six.
Speaker 6 (09:59):
Years come up marry up with the stud offensive prospects
that are supposed to come up within the next one
to four years. But most of them are still pretty young.
So and because you know, we're not going to spend
three hundred and fifty million dollars on a player that's
just not the Mariner way.
Speaker 7 (10:17):
So it's got to be this way. Do you think
there's enough in the.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
Mariner farm system to feel the World Series Championship team
with that combination of pitchers and hitters that are young.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
I mean, optimally, if everyone progresses. I think Cole young
is is an example of how fast these things can move.
He's twenty one years old and he's he's the starting
second baseman and he'll to probably have that job if
he shows anything, which is for the foreseeable future. I
think Emerson Colt Emerson could be on a similar path
(10:52):
where maybe he's up by the middle of next year,
and some of those other guys aren't far behind. So
the question is whether that stud pitching is gonna that
which is already showing some signs of wear and tear.
Three of them are on the IL this year, whether
(11:13):
they're going to be still primo by the time all
those guys hit, Which is that you know the question
you asked me. It's hard to say whether that will happen.
I think there's potential for that to happen. The pictures
that are still young themselves. They still all have a
lot of service time left before their free agency years.
So I mean, if everything hits, yeah, I think that
(11:33):
could happen. But there's also certain lots of room for
that to fall apart as well, and I think they
will have to go at some point sign some more people.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Yeah, Larry Stone is with us again on the radio show.
I want to go back to the cal Raley thing
for a second because I remember saying on the air
when the contract details came out for him, I thought
the Mariner's got a steal with the cal Raley contract,
and it looks even more like a steal now. If
cal Rawley was going into a contract, meaning he had
not signed and it held out for one more year,
(12:06):
maybe even just two more months, and signed a deal
in June or July.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
How much more is he making right now?
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Yeah, I mean it's got to be significant. And you
look back to last I think it was last offseason
when he fired Scott Boris and changed agents. I'm sure.
I'm not sure, but my hunch is that Boris was
advising him exactly that, you know, telling him what he
could be worth, right And I think it's an indicative
(12:35):
of the fact that cal wanted to be here and
didn't want to play that game. So, you know, kudos
to him for that. I think fans should be grateful
for that. But I think he did leave probably some
money on the table, but I think there's enough money
there where he doesn't feel bad about it. He had
a lot of players want security over the risk playing
(12:55):
that risk game of waiting and you know who knows
it you get injured or whatever. So I mean, I
think it may have cleared his mind and allowed him
to have the year that he's having right now.
Speaker 7 (13:07):
That's exactly what I was gonna say.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
I think there's there is a reasonable chance he doesn't
have twenty three home runs right now if he still
doesn't have that contract, So I think that's that's something
you got to look at as well. But they're going
to keep him a catcher for at least, I don't know,
a couple three more years, which means poor old Harry
Ford down there in Tacoma, it doesn't have any place
to play unless you move him to a different position.
Speaker 7 (13:29):
So is Harry Ford?
Speaker 6 (13:31):
Should Harry Ford be legitimate trade bait over the next
seven weeks.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
Yeah, it's such a fascinating situation, particularly with the way
he's just tearing up the PCL right now. He's hitting
like he's never hit before in his career. Three twenty
with an on base of four forty. That's elite stuff. Yeah,
I think he is legit trade positive trade bait. I
(13:58):
think you only trade him in a block bust though.
Uh he's he's a top prospect. They should be able.
You only trade him if you get somebody who's a
stark kind of player who has more than he's not
just a rental player, who has a year at least
beyond this one, or maybe two years beyond this one,
then then I would deal him. Just even if he
turns into a star. There's just he's blocked here. It's
(14:21):
just the facts.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
How much longer?
Speaker 6 (14:25):
No?
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Sorry, go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
Oh, I'm just interested in at what point do you
call him up? If you're the Mariners and even though
Cow's going great, do you catch him a couple of
times a week? Do you h him three times a week?
And you know that that could be a potent bat
that you add to this this team. I think you've
got to think about that at some point, uh, you know,
and say goodbye to Garber.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
I would feel much differently about that if the pitching
staff was dominating right now, taking cal Raley away from
those guys. But they're struggling a little bit. So I
think you're onto something, man. I mean, Hoorri Polanco is
long term answer for the rest of the year. They
may have to jump ship on him at some point.
You know, Harry Ford dhing three days a week, catching
(15:09):
two days a week?
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Whatever?
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Is that a ridiculous proposition? I mean, you just brought
it up so clearly you don't think it's not nuts?
Is do you think the Mariners would do something like
that and start to back off on the amount of
days that cal Raley's behind the dish.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
You know, I can't answer that. The question I think
that they're going to have to answer is is he
ready defensively? Because you know, he's been pretty raw from
what I've heard from from people on the inside, that's
not until this year. I don't I haven't heard any
feedback from this year, so he maybe. I'm sure he's
making steps forward, but you know, for all his faults
(15:48):
at the plate, Garvers a pretty good defensive catcher that
the guys like throwing to. And if you throw a
rookie in there, you know it could be problematic. So
I think they may would consider doing that strongly. I
think if they decide he's ready defensively, But then you
he's a young prospect who needs to play. Are you
(16:09):
stunting his growth as a catcher by only catching him
twice a week? Those are tough questions to answer, and
I'm sure they're throwing all that around right now in
the in the conference rooms and deciding that. And then
the trade part, maybe are you worried about hurting his
trade value if he comes up and you know, suddenly
(16:30):
hits eighty nine for a month, and then you know
you've turned this guy who was hitting three twenty in
triple A and everybody could dream on And now suddenly
they've seen him struggle, and I think that that's all
worry as well.
Speaker 6 (16:45):
Yeah, Jared Kellnick's trade value was the highest when he
was his last stretch in Takoma, that's for sure.
Speaker 5 (16:51):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
The guys, Yeah, the spring, spring training, with the mat.
Speaker 7 (16:55):
Spring training, with the match. You're exactly right.
Speaker 6 (16:57):
Yeah, But Larry, yesterday's big stories around the organization was
Randy Johnson.
Speaker 7 (17:02):
They're going to honor him next year.
Speaker 6 (17:04):
I'd be interested to get your take on how the
number fifty one was handled. You think was handled right
from the get go by the Seattle Mariners.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
I mean back to when the retirement of it or
just the bestowing of it, to.
Speaker 6 (17:19):
The bestowing of it to each row and the timing
of the retirement of each ro versus Randy in number
fifty one.
Speaker 4 (17:27):
I think the bestowing of it was handled fine. You know,
each row wrote him a nice letter, which, you know,
asking him permission. I think that's fine, and Randy didn't
seem to have any problem with that. I mean, the
number hadn't been retired yet, it probably they wouldn't have
given out it's just some run of the mill player,
(17:48):
but each Row was, it was a celebrated player who
ended up having a Hall of Fame career. So I
don't think there's anything wrong with that. I mean, the
retirement thing, I don't know. I mean, I don't don't
have any huge problems with it. Again, I think Randy
deserves some credit for not wanting to range overshadow each
(18:11):
ro's moments with the retirement. And I'm cynical enough to
think that maybe part of that is because he wants
his own moment as well. You know, I don't want
to He doesn't want his moment overshadowed either, to which
you'll get next year. It's a tricky situation when you
got two all time players wearing the same number. I
don't know, it's not that common situation. So I mean,
(18:35):
do you guys have do you have issues with it?
Speaker 3 (18:37):
No, I don't at all.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
I think there's more meat on the Randy bone with
some of the comments they made their day about how
things ended in ninety nine or ninety eight, whatever year
it was, so we won't be as Yeah, we'll discuss
those next week when you come on. So get ready,
all right, because that's coming next week man, Larry, great stuff,
appreciate it and we're talking a week man.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
All right, Thanks guys.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Nic
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