Ken Rosenthal’s Inside Scoop: Mets crumble, AL WILD West, MLB = CIA?

00:00:06
Speaker 1: It's the inside scoop with that T senior insider Ken Roseen dal Ken, what happened in that Mets Philly series? You were just there?

00:00:12
Speaker 2: What did you see? That was a crazy game last night. And for those who didn't see it, the Mets scored four runs in the first inning and then Hazus Lozardo retire excuse me, twenty two in a row. So that was the first time in Major League history that had ever happened that a team did not get a base runner after scoring four runs in the first inning. Lozarto was brilliant, There's no question about that, and that was the reason for it. But the Mets whole season has been so curious. Forty five and twenty four. On June twelfth, thirty one and forty seventh cent they had the best record of the majors. On June twelfth, they have the fourth worst since and now they're looking at a real problem in the wildcard race because their lead is down to one and a half games. They hold the tie break over the Giants, but not the Reds. So if the Reds do tie them, they've got a real problem. And guess what tonight they faced Jacob de Gram at City Field.

00:01:12
Speaker 3: Is what is a higher level excitement for the Phillies for what just happened or concern for the Mets.

00:01:21
Speaker 2: I would say both equal, Eric, because there should be excitement for the Phillies. The Phillies even without Wheeler for the rest of the season, even without Trey Turner and Alec Bohm for a little bit longer. For sure, they expect Turner back before the end of the season, Boom probably right at the end of his ten days. Even with those absences, they look great. They are eleven and three in their last fourteen games. They just completed a four game sweep of the Mets, and they seem to have whatever that equality is right now. And Harrison Bader has added a huge edge to that team, maybe one that was kind of needed, a little bit of an injection of energy. Same thing at the back into the bullpen with John Duran. So everything looks great for them right now. And I say that knowing that, of course, We've seen many teams this season look great and then all of a sudden crash and the Mets are on the opposite end of that spectrum. So yes, I am concerned about the Mets. I know it was just a couple of weeks ago. They swept the Phillies at City Field. I know who is in their lineup, we all do. But they're not performing. They're starting pitching remains really problematic. They're veterans. The ones who aren't hurt are struggling. David Peterson was pretty good last night, but it was still only five innings. And they've got the three kids going against Texas this weekend, Jonatan and then Brandon Sprote and then Nolan McClain. Those guys are really talented. We've seen that, but that's who you're going to lean on down the stretch. Three kids we just really just saw get promoted to the major leagues. They've got huge problems right now, and their bullpen is another one because it has been inconsistent. And what's so odd about this whole situation is the Mets and Phillies went for the same thing at the deadline centerfielder. Mets got Mullins, Phillies got baiter Lenen and relief. Philly's got Duran and Duran and David Robertson. The Mets got Helsley, who has nothing good, and Tyler Rodgers, who has been very good. It just seems these two teams are going in opposite directions. To use the old cliche, all.

00:03:24
Speaker 3: Right, well let's go to the Phillies. Since we've already piled on the Mets think too much and Ken's got a smile on today, so we gotta go to the Phillies. And the article you wrote about Bryce Harper, a guy who came up as the superstar of the next Lebron James of baseball, all this and what his career is now, He's at a point this season where you wrote Phillies leading man or supporting actor.

00:03:49
Speaker 2: Right now he's more of a supporting actor. Kyle Schwerber has been their leading man. Trey Turner has had a great season, their starting pitchers have been amazing, and as I just mentioned, the deadline additions have been really impactful as well. Harper has had a good season, not a great season. He had the risk problem which sidelined him for a time, bothered him for a little bit more than that. So it's been interesting to see the dynamic of that clubhouse. And some people with the Phillies mentioned to me, I'm not so sure. They said that Bryce is all that comfortable with this He's always been the center of attention. So I asked him about it after last night's game, and he said, listen, I just want to win. I am fine, I'm gonna be Bryce Harper and guess what my time is coming. I love October. I love the bright lights, I love the big moments, and he's gearing up for that, hoping that these final few weeks lead him into October to where exactly he wants to be.

00:04:47
Speaker 3: Did he give you any inclination that that risk is fully healthy? Did you ask? Or maybe it wasn't even the situation to ask, because a lot somebody that hit me up the other day said I feel like Bryce Harper's pulling the ball. A lot more were not able to stay on it longer, which could be an issue of that risk.

00:05:06
Speaker 2: I didn't ask, but I didn't think it was an issue.

00:05:09
Speaker 4: Eric.

00:05:09
Speaker 2: Now maybe I'm wrong about that, and maybe I should have asked. There are always questions that you don't ask that maybe you should have. But at the same time, he was really good coming off the IL in September. He hasn't been quite as good, but it didn't seem to me. He didn't mention the risk as a problem or an ongoing problem. So I don't expect that that's the issue right now. It didn't come up in the conversation. And again perhaps that's on me. I should have asked, But if he was hurting, I think he might have mentioned it too.

00:05:41
Speaker 4: I want to change gears here a little bit. Phillies are doing awesome. Well, let's go into al West here. Did you see this coming? I mean, as we know about this Mariner team, how good the pitching staff was, we knew how good Houston was, and how how they've been. Have you seen this Mariner team? I'm sure you have, but you did you see this coming at the end of the year.

00:06:01
Speaker 2: I didn't see any of this coming for any of those teams, not in the way it's happened. And if you remember Todd, at the start of the year, the projection systems had all of these teams, the three teams, the three contenders, with about the same records, and I remember Mike Petrillo of MLB dot com wrote about that, and that's what the projection system said. And it's turned out that way, but certainly not in the way anyone anticipated. So let's go through the teams. Houston incredible, injuries all year. They were without Alvarez for three months or so, starting pitching injuries all season long, they had seventeen players eighteen players on the il at one point, they're barely hanging on it seems right, even with Alvarez back, and even with some big moves at the deadline. Texas one of the most disappointing teams in baseball this season. They looked like they were out of it. Then about two weeks ago they lose Ivaldi, Simeon and Seger Garcia followed. And yet these younger guys, these inexperienced players that they've brought in, Cody Freeman, Michael Hellman, they've been the guys carrying the Rangers to this point where now they are back in contention. It's the oddest thing. And then finally Seattle, and we think of Seattle as this pitching monster, right, but they haven't quite been as good pitching wise as they've been in the past. Part of that is injuries. Now, Brian wu has been great, probably a top five cy young finisher, but if the others have been hurt and consistent, whatever you want I want to say about them, and their offense has been again kind of an in and out offense, but better at home certainly, and better of late. So they're right there. I don't know who's going to win this thing. I do know that each of these teams, like virtually every contender this year, has taken a circuitous path to where they are right now. But it's going to be a fun final stretch for those teams for sure.

00:08:00
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00:08:36
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00:08:58
Speaker 3: Dig In Opinion, Which are the three teams if they don't make it, because one of the three will not make the playoffs will have more long lasting ramifications? Is it the Astros because they got rid of stars and it's like, hey, we can't keep getting rid of stars like we have because in the past it's worked. Is it the Mariners? Hey, we we can't go all in like we did. Is it the Rangers? We can't start slow? So which ramification will have or will have the longest long term ramification based on if they don't make it?

00:09:32
Speaker 2: Eric, that is a great question. I don't know the answer. We do know that when teams experience disappointing seasons play below expectations that changes often are made front office wise manager wise coaching, whatever the case might be. So depending on which team is out and which team disappoints the most, I guess we may see some change along those lines. As far as long lasting ramifications. The Astros are in an interesting position that way. Al Twove's getting older and they have lost Tucker and Bregman over the years. Korea is back now cam Smith. He struggled a bit as a rookie since that hot start, but he could be a star of the future. And they still have pitching, but from ber Valdez is a free agent, so they might be in the most precarious state even with Alvarez signed long term. It's difficult to say the Mariners, too, are funny operation because if they missed the playoffs, how long did they give Jerry Depoto, their president Baseball operations, time to keep going in this fashion when they keep missing. I don't know that he did anything wrong here. Their team is good. He did well with the deadline. But I do wonder if their ownership, which historically has been inert, would maybe say, I don't know, it's time for something different.

00:10:53
Speaker 1: Ken, I'm gonna plug some other work that you put up in the athletic This week, So you have an article after a disappointing twenty twenty five, these four MLB teams might be ready for success in twenty twenty six. You know which team I'm picking because you also reported on the Orioles kind of quietly promoting Michael liias to President Baseball Operations before the season started. My two questions for you, Number one, why do this quietly when you're coming off back to back played a playoff appearances before this season that turned into a disaster for Baltimore. And two, this was a good point from AJ the other day. He's like, we should know the contracts for a front office leader. So my thing is, even if you're not going to disclose the money, don't you feel like fans have the right to know how many years are on a contract, because think about it, if the Orioles missed the postseason again next year, we're now in two years of in my mind, a disaster because you did five years of tanking for what for two playoff seasons and no wins.

00:11:48
Speaker 2: Scott excellent points. And when I heard yesterday and actually Britgeroli got the original tip that he was President Baseball Operations, I thought, okay, this is the The Oils are going to do this. They're going to elevate him now, eliminating any questions about his future, bolster their front office by hiring a GM under him. And then upon further reporting, we learned that this actually had happened last off season and they hadn't said anything about it, and it was really curious to me, and it remains curious to me. I am pretty sure at the time, let's assume this happened last November December. They figured, we're coming off two playoff years. We're gonna have a great year next year, right, be even better? All good, we don't have to worry about saying anything. Nothing's going to be a problem. Well, guess what they struggled. They had a bad off season. Then they had a bad start to the season. I wouldn't say a bad off season, an off season that didn't correct entirely what they needed to correct, which was their starting rotation. And then the season starts and people are saying, well, maybe Mike Golias shouldn't be the long term guy here. If they had just said in December or whenever they announced that or made that promotion, this is what is going on. It would have been a lot less heat on Michael oas now, maybe he doesn't care about that, maybe they don't care about that. Teams often seem to operate in their own little bubbles, but in retrospect, it seems awfully foolish not to have announced that. Now. To AJ's point, teams often do not like to announce the terms of the deals for their executives and their managers for that matter, because at that point, and I've been told this by executives, we start the countdown as media and fans, Hey, he's got a year left, what's going on. Teams hate having any pressure on them, hate having anyone question them, so that's why they go about it. It's odd because certainly the players are their terms are out there, and certain teams do announce terms of their managers and front office executives and just how long they're under contract. It's not that unusual, but there are teams that do not, and to me, it does a disservice to the fans and everyone else. But they're private companies. They can do whatever the heck they want.

00:14:03
Speaker 4: That is for sure.

00:14:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's CIA. Sometimes it's CIA instead of MLB.

00:14:08
Speaker 3: It's weird.

00:14:09
Speaker 2: I'm gonna put you at one more point in that, Scott. It's major League baseball, Okay, it's not geopolitics. And sometimes I think you really like geopolitics by the people running the teams when it's an entertainment vehicle. And yeah, it's serious business. We all know that it's a twelve million dollar industry. But for goodness sake, let's not get carried away with ourselves.

00:14:31
Speaker 1: Be transparent with your fans.

00:14:33
Speaker 4: That's all I ask interesting. I agree, you got last legs, last legs, two quick questions. You don't have to go deep into them. But I'm gonna put you on the spot kind of. You know, you deserve fans deserve to hear what you have to say. Here, one spot left in the wild card in the American League. Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays are in. Who gets that final spot as of today, I think see how stranger Okay.

00:15:00
Speaker 2: Houston, I don't see Texas getting there now. I am intrigued by Texas. I think they're really interesting, but it's two games still, and yes, if segu comes back and elevates them and Garcia comes back as well, but it just seems to me that Seattle as long as they stay at home, which they can't do the entire time, but they're better at home. They're gonna be okay, and Houston I don't see falling off entirely, all.

00:15:28
Speaker 4: Right, and then we'll go to the National League Cubs and Padres are in. Who gets that final spot as of today.

00:15:34
Speaker 2: The Mets, and there's no reason why they shouldn't get that final spot. It would be one of the all time flops with a three hundred and forty million dollars payroll if they can't hold off a Giants team that's sold the deadline and a Reds team that you look at it right there with the Giants two games over five hundred. The Mets should be better than this. They should be able to hold these teams off. But at this point, after watching them for the last couple of months, the last couple of days, I don't know that I would guarantee anything. And it's just disturbing to see what they have become and the fact that they seemingly are unable to get out of this rut. I don't quite understand it, and no one around the team does.

00:16:17
Speaker 1: Our director Jeremy, who produces Fair Territory with Ken was bringing up the epic Mets collapse. I think it was two thousand and eight, seven or seven, gave it up seven seven seven.

00:16:28
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's the first time the Phillies made it.

00:16:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, crazy lead and gave it up in five seconds. It was insane. So everyone can look that up. Hopefully we don't have to bring it up. If you're a Mets fan, if you're a Reds or a Giants fan, then then go look it up and get some inspiration.

00:16:41
Speaker 2: Ken. Thank you.

00:16:42
Speaker 1: We'll watch you this weekend on what do you have this weekend?

00:16:45
Speaker 2: Milwaukee Cardinals Brewers. I'm in Milwaukee right now, got it? Are okay?

00:16:49
Speaker 1: We'll watch you on Saturday.

00:16:51
Speaker 4: Thanks Kenel.

00:16:52
Speaker 3: No, that's a nice hotel. That's a nice hotel.

00:16:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I think I know that one. And that's that's not the one. That's not to the one they got great breakfast. Oh yeah, if you can make it through the evening, If you make it through the evening, did I talked to him? The ghost always Fair Territory with Ken on Monday. Fair Territory with Ken and Lana next week on Thursday,