Ken Rosenthal on Oli Marmol’s status, Dump deadline, D’backs vs media

00:00:05
Speaker 1: Let's set the inside scoop with that T senior insider Ken Rosenthal. Freshest story out on in the Athletic from Ken is about his question and answer with Ali Marmel, Cardinals manager. So Ken, let's start with, just like the top line, what was the most interesting thing that you learned from that conversation with him about how he's done and his job status.

00:00:26
Speaker 2: Well, a couple of things. The overriding thing to me was when I asked about his job status, he basically said he doesn't worry about that, and he said, I know it's a cliche. He indicated he knows people won't believe him. But the more he talked, and it's lent the interview, so you have to read the whole thing, but I did start to believe him, and I did understand where he was coming from. His point was I go one day at a time, I do the best job I can, and the chips will fall. And I also asked him about the looming presences of Yadier Molina and Albert Pouhols, both of been public in their desire to manage, and Marmel said that doesn't worry either. He has great relationships with both I don't know that either is going to be hired by hind Bloom to be the manager. I would expect Dolli Marmel would return next year. But those were two things that stood out. And then also when I asked him what he needed to get better at, and he said, listen, I'm a direct communicator, and sometimes that can be really good, and sometimes with some of the younger players, it's too much, and I've got to be more compassionate and kind of show that I'm in the fight with them rather than I'm simply evaluating them. And I think all of these comments that he had and all the things that we talked about were really interesting, not just if you're a Cardinals fan, but if you're a baseball fan and you want to know how managers think and you want to see what they value. Is important. When I asked him what he needed to get better at, he didn't talk about anything in the dugout with regard to game management. What he talked about was what I just said, the community cation part of it, and from so many managers today, that is indeed the most important piece.

00:02:07
Speaker 3: Do you think talking to him as long as you did for this interview and just knowing him and knowing other managers. Do you think his style works in a big city, a big market, a New York, a Boston, where you're always under fire. Saint Louis, you're kind of under fire, but if you're a five hundred team, it's kind of like it's not really your fault, it's mozay lock or or it's the ownership's fault.

00:02:32
Speaker 2: He was under fire the last two seasons, and remember they missed the playoffs badly in twenty three, coming off a great year his first year, and then twenty four they were above five hundred eighty three and seventy nine, but also missed the playoffs. So he does manage in a town that is very knowledgeable about the game, and while not as demanding perhaps as an East Coast kind of situation, it has its own demands. So I don't know that we have to worry about what he can manage on the East Coast because I expect that he's going to stay with Saint Louis. But I do think that, yes, he could manage in a bigger, more high profile market as well.

00:03:14
Speaker 4: Ken we were there on Saturday, I didn't see if you do this interview so I don't know that it really.

00:03:17
Speaker 2: Happened Friday aj before you arrived.

00:03:22
Speaker 5: Sorry, so of us were banana ball and cannot be perfect for you too. You could be the You could.

00:03:26
Speaker 4: Be the guy like the Eddy Goodell guy gets an automatic walk.

00:03:30
Speaker 5: Okay, here's here, here's what he gets it. He gets it, he got it, he got.

00:03:35
Speaker 3: It silt Yes, Oh that would be unbelieve sorr.

00:03:44
Speaker 5: Or they could do it the other.

00:03:45
Speaker 2: Way with my curt roll. Guys, I think I should stay with where I am.

00:03:48
Speaker 4: Okay, here's what I want to know about Olie. You kind of hit on it just in your answer right there. But my thing is is can you blame him? I think he's doing a pretty damn good job for the team he was given spent the last two years.

00:04:02
Speaker 5: I mean, Arnatto's done for the year. I would think.

00:04:05
Speaker 4: I don't know that for sure, but you know, there's no indication he's coming back anytime soon. A lot of their pitching has gone down, they traded away their team. They're still hovering around five hundred. I know they got swept by the Yankees, but I think he's doing a damn good job for the teams he's been handed twenty two, he gets there. They still have a really good team, Goldsmith wins the MVP.

00:04:24
Speaker 5: That whole thing.

00:04:24
Speaker 4: Twenty three is still they still have Wayne right and Yachdi and they're doing they're doing the whole thing right. And then twenty four and twenty five come and the team kind of shoot or sorry, twenty three Yaudi was gone, I think too, but you know whatever, they kind of oh, all right, we're not gonna spend money, We're gonna do this rebuild whatever they want to call it, retool, whatever they're calling in the Cardinal land. But how can you blame Ali He's managers are only as good as their players, and good managers can make good players better. But if you're great, you could be the greatest manager in the world, and you have a crappy team and you get what.

00:04:55
Speaker 5: You get at him, I think, oh, he does a good job.

00:04:57
Speaker 2: Well, you guys were just talking to Evan Grant for the Dallas w News. Bruce Bochi is a good manager and that team has underperformed, not Bruce Bochi's fault. So you didn't ask me this, AJ, But do I think he's done a good job? Yes? I do. That wasn't the premise of the article at all. What the premise was initially, at least up top when I started the introduction. What I wrote was that perhaps no manager was in as uncomfortable a position entering the season as Marvel, and there were a lot of reasons for that one. The team on the field was, as you said, Aj, in transition, they were going younger, they were trying to evaluate young players. Also, they have a president of Baseball Operations, John Mazzelok in his last year before being replaced by hin Bloom, who was in the organization and evaluating in his own right. And then you had and have Pooh, Hools and Molina sitting out there, very public in their desires to manage. So from all of those perspectives, how he's handled it, all those different angles, I would say, yes, he's done very well. The team has played probably better than a lot of us thought it would, So based on this year, I would expect that he is back next year. I don't know that heim Bloom is going to make a change just for the sake of change. I want my own guy. I don't know that he will do that right away. Ultimately, sure that could happen, but for now, I would expect that Marvel would be back.

00:06:22
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00:06:26
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00:07:23
Speaker 2: Kind.

00:07:23
Speaker 1: I'm going to switch subjects here to one of my favorite times of the year based on an occurrence a couple of years ago, and we coined it the dump deadline. So in less than two weeks, a team could put a player on waivers. It can happen now, which you report about over the weekend. I'll get to in a sec and another team could claim that player for the cost of the contract and that's it. So you report it on John Gray over the weekend. I know it doesn't really matter now he's hurt and no one claimed him, But just curious if that sparks any other dump deadline type situations, maybe even from that team, the Texas Rangers, if they continue to fumble.

00:08:01
Speaker 2: That's one team that I'm looking at, yes, and I'm not exactly sure how they would go about it. They don't want to do this. They want to contend and compete. They keep saying that, and it keeps not happening. So come August twenty eighth, twenty ninth, they may have some decisions to make. And they've got some relievers who are potential free agents who could be attractive. Patrick Corbin fits in that category as well. They have some things that they could do to at least save money. They're under the luxury tax threshold from what I can tell, so I don't see that being an issue. And if you wonder about which other teams could do it, certainly the team that kind of invented the dump deadline would always be a candidate. That would be the Los Angeles Angels, And then you might see, I guess teams like the Pirates try to save money. I was looking at the luxury tax figures this morning, and it doesn't seem to me that any team that is kind of out of contention is going to make moves to get under the threshold. Remember the angel did that two years ago, and if I recall, they did not get under the threshold, or maybe they did, they were really close and that was the driver for them at that point. I don't know that any team is in that same position, but certainly teams will look to save money for their owners, even if it's just a month's salary on a bigger type contract, because if you're out of it, what's the harm. Now? I know there are teams, just me correct, not correct that, but amplify that there are teams. And the Rangers are one of them that are going to want to finish strong and finish with a positive one loss record. That could be a motivated to keep a player, But there are other clubs that might look at it and say, you know what, let's save some money for our owners. I guess the Diamondbacks could be in that category as well. So again, I'm not certain any of this is going to happen, because the Diamondbacks, like the Rangers, do not want to finish poorly and they want to get through the season and build some momentum. But we saw with the Angels that certainly it's a possibility. And what the Rangers were doing with John Gray was a little bit separate. They didn't know it was hurt at the time, but he's a potential free agent. His role had diminished, so they felt, you know what, let's give him an opportunity somewhere else if that opportunity presents itself. It didn't and now he's hurt. But that was kind of an unusual circumstance. Maybe there will be some other players in that circumstance as well, with their teams say you know what, it's not working here or the role is not what it should be. Let's let him go. I just can't see in my crystal ball right now who those players might be.

00:10:34
Speaker 1: I have two I'll throw at you two that come to mind. Okay, one is more complicated. I'll start with this one. Zach Allen. He's pitched better this month. I know it's been a really down year for him. The er on the years like five and change. It's three and a half ish and four starts. I know there's a qualifying offer, but if the Diamondbacks aren't going to offer it, then that doesn't matter. So that was one name on to throw at you for Arizona, right, because that's one of the names. Basically I looked at who's that have gotten traded and didn't The other name that stood out to me, right, Cella Glaciers. Everyone needs a reliever. I'm like, how did he not get traded? If I believe he's going to be free agent after this year? And he's been on fire in August too. He hasn't given up a run in eight appearances. So that one is the biggest, right, Yeah.

00:11:17
Speaker 2: No, those are good examples, but I'm going to kind of quash both with Gallan. I believe the Diamondbacks will make him a qualifying offer because they're going to want that draft pick compensation. Gallan is going to sign, most likely for fifty million or more. That will get them the compensation. And I know he's had a down year, but he's still going to be attractive on the open market, and if you waive him, you don't get that right. So you want that, you want the draft pick compensation. With the Glaciers, the reason they did not trade him at the deadline was because they wanted something in return. And when they felt that they weren't getting something of quality in return, and I'm not talking about an a ball flyer. I'm talking about a legitimate piece, something that could help them possibly next year, they weren't going to do it. So now you're talking about waiving him and still getting nothing in return. I don't know that they're going to be thinking along those lines. Maybe, but I don't know that that's where they're going to go. They're not under financial pressure to do it, and they too have played a little bit better, and I would expect they want to win some games.

00:12:20
Speaker 4: In September, ken we had a whole discussion on ktel Marte and about what's going on with him. And it's not about I don't want to get into the situation, but it's more about a reporter's job on this right, the players are mad that they're saying some players are saying, well, the reporters need to take it easy on them. But all the reporters in Arizona were doing were reporting what was told to them.

00:12:41
Speaker 5: So what did they do wrong? Did the reporters didn't do anything wrong? I didn't think. They just said.

00:12:46
Speaker 4: Players are saying they're tired of him missing games and he should be there for the team in important stretches and he hasn't been. That's not on the reporters. Isn't that on the other players to tell them to stop talking about their own players and have their own meeting. Don't yell at the reporters for them.

00:13:00
Speaker 2: First of all, the reporter who broke this story, Nick Piccoro, from the Arizona Republic, is one of the better big reporters in the country. He's really good and for him to write that story, I would imagine he was hearing it not just a little bit, and not just over a week's time, but over quite some time. And remember this goes back to last year when he missed games right at the end of the season, when they were right in the thick of a playoff berth and for Nick to determine that this reaches the threshold for him to write, it had to be pretty noisy, and it wasn't necessarily every player. Heroto Podomo obviously came to the defense of Marte and said leave him alone. That was the guy who said leave him alone. It might not have been every player. That's fine, but if you've got four or five players, and maybe if you have a coach or two, or I don't know, maybe even the manager, who of course publicly defended Marte, then you've got enough. And Nick Piccoro obviously felt he had enough. He went with the story and listen, Cotel Marte yesterday apologized for missing some of those games. You also explained that some of it is due to workload management. Well, okay, if he's apologizing, obviously he feels he did something wrong as well, and that, to me gave the story further legitimacy.

00:14:19
Speaker 3: Team that was struggling, the Yankees, they're now seven and three in their last ten. I think they've won three straight after sweeping the Cardinals. Is it a matter of the team playing better or ironing out the things that maybe they had guys in positions they shouldn't have been in. Mike Devin Williams constantly coming in and now he hasn't been the guy's saving games consistently.

00:14:45
Speaker 2: It's a little bit of a number of things. The schedule has something to do with it. They've won five of six. They played the Twins, who traded ten guys of the deadline, then they played the Cardinals, who traded their three top relievers and were without Brendan Donovan and Wilson contraras the entire series. That helps. It also reflects on what you are saying, Eric, Devin Williams now in a lower leverage roll, looked good the other day. It was Saturday in our game when he, I believe, struck out the side and maybe now he can regain his momentum. They have foreclosers at this point. It's Williams, it's Doughball, it's Luke Weaver, and it's David Bednar. So they've got to store through their bullpen a little bit. And if Judge gets back on the field in a defensive posture this week, which is what they're talking about. Possibly he gets back into the outfield, then you've got Judge and right, Grisham and center, and Bellinger and left. That's a good defensive outfield at that point, even if Judge, as Aaron Boone said this morning, can't throw the way he once did for the rest of the season. So, yes, they have some good things happening. Ben Rice is a good thing happening, no question about that. Ryan McMahon solidified third base. He hasn't necessarily hit the way they've wanted yet, but he too looks like a guy who's going to be a solid player for them. They've got Rosario coming back off the il possibly tonight. I believe Anthony Volpi looking much better defensively, still streaky offensively. There are good things happening, and they are a good team. They just have to play like a good team, and that's something that they haven't done consistently until this past week.

00:16:21
Speaker 1: No, I'd see they've got the race this week division rival. We'll see what happens. Ken, good talk. We'll get you later this week. Thanks for the time.

00:16:28
Speaker 2: Thanks guys.

00:16:30
Speaker 1: Ken Rosenthal also on Fair Territory yesterday's edition up there for you check it out on the ft YouTube channel or wherever you get your pods to just type in fair Territory and Sam goes For Thursday, Ken's Back Live