Blue Jays land Okamoto, Imai out for WBC, The Murakami effect

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Let's begin with big news over the weekend, Kazuma Okamoto and the Toronto Blue Jays hook up on a four year, sixty million dollar contract. Kratz surprised that the Blue Jays come up with Okamoto, the questions about his defense regard the outfield and even third base to an extent, it sounded like many teams were interested in him as a first baseman. The Blue Jays have a first baseman named Bladdie Junior. So what do you think of the move?

00:00:27
Speaker 2: Very surprised.

00:00:28
Speaker 3: I mean we talked about a different you know, could they go Tucker, could they go but Shet? What does that do to Barger? Well, obviously, now this pushes Barger out to right field. Barjar was a good third baseman. Is this new signing going to be just more added just more added offense, I mean, a similar offense. He struck out about ten percent of the clip. He dropped his strikeout percentage last year to from the previous season five percent, So that's huge. He still has slug I mean his ops in Japan last year in for the Yori Giants was over a thousand. Like this is a huge pickup. It just was very unexpected for me. I thought if they were going to go somewhere it would be Bashett or Tucker.

00:01:21
Speaker 1: They still can. Yeah, most Sadders are saying irrelevant. Yeah, so this is truly icing on the cake before they actually figure out if it's Tucker, Boschette or someone else. It does sound like Bregman is out of the picture. Yeah, because they do.

00:01:36
Speaker 4: Because they have Barger and they have any Clement they can kind of bounce around a little bit.

00:01:40
Speaker 1: And Okamoto for third. So that's too many third basement.

00:01:44
Speaker 4: I think it's Bashett to play second, maybe Short or Tucker in the off because they also var show in uh Springer free agents at the end of the year, so that would kind of lessen if one if those guys leave, So I don't think it excludes him from doing.

00:01:57
Speaker 1: Anything neither, and they needn't let any more than a righty bat.

00:02:00
Speaker 2: Yes, and they're feeling it.

00:02:00
Speaker 4: You know why they're feeling it because they just went to the World Series and they were this far from winning it.

00:02:05
Speaker 2: I mean, excuse me, they were this far from winning the World Series.

00:02:08
Speaker 1: We say this a couple of times, but yeah, a couple of times. Their payroll was the highest it ever was last year and it doesn't always work out. Ask the Mets. But they made it five seconds away from winning a World Series and then they have reinvested it. I heard they made stupid amounts.

00:02:25
Speaker 4: I can only imagine because you saw how excited Toronto was. Yes, so of course they reinvested, which is huge. Yeah, they have the whole country. They don't have just a city. To have a country mind them.

00:02:35
Speaker 1: I love Okamodo the bat by the way.

00:02:37
Speaker 2: Don't worry about his defense.

00:02:39
Speaker 1: Yes.

00:02:39
Speaker 4: And one thing about the Blue Jays, they were really good defensively, yes, right, Well that's the other part.

00:02:46
Speaker 3: That's the other part that surprises me because their base is such a huge position. Defensively, yes, I get a shortstop is yes, Catchers, yes, center field is. And they have some of the best right now, even with Andre Semenez playing shortstop. You just think about, you know, when they had Matt Chapman and their and their starters had the lowest dra in baseball. If it's a question, which obviously they're like, hey, we're totally fine with it. If we're really good defensively everywhere else, does it come back to bite them because you're not gonna you're not paying a guy fifteen million a year. You're not have a four year contract to like bring a defensive third baseman in, And I don't know that there was necessarily one out on the market. It's not like Bargers won a Gold Glove this year. It's you know, he played right field and third base. It's not like Ernie Clement is gonna win a Silver Slugger or won a Silver Slugger this past year. He had a ridiculous World Series. But this is just an example of what we think most teams should do. You see a window, you don't just like go through the window. You smash through it, and you make sure you have enough offense, enough defense, enough pitching, everything to get back there and win and then win again and again.

00:03:59
Speaker 1: What's the thing that the swat team us is to open doors a battering ram? Yeah, they're using a battering ram right now to open there does home.

00:04:06
Speaker 2: No one's complaining that the Blue Jays are going to ruin the.

00:04:10
Speaker 1: Sport. Dodgers fans are. There's so many that government over that weekend, they're like, blue Jays are ruining baseball. I mean they're being sarcastic, tongue in cheek. They're like Blue Jay's ruining baseball with them actually trying this offseason. Yeah, I love it. I mean it adds significant versatility. If you do get an injury, you're in great shape with the configuration as long as they're not planning to trade anyone, and they theoretically will add someone like Bo, Kyle Tucker or someone else we're not thinking about. Also, I should mention there is a posting fee, so it's four year sixty plus about eleven mil. So it's really four years seventy one mil in terms of money that they're giving out. They'd give eleven million to his team, the Giants over in the MPB. But I mean again, I haven't watched a ton of games. I haven't watched any full games with him, but I've watched plenty of AB's. Actually I watched World Baseball Classic he was in last year. He homeered off or not last year, last time in twenty twenty three homered off Kyle Freeland. But it's a simple swing. There's contact, takes, walks, has pop how much pop? Is it fifteen omer pop? Is it thirty homer pop? There's pop though, So this fits exactly what the Blue Jays like as a hitter. It's really what everyone in baseball should like as a hitter. But you know how, we talked a lot about the Blue Jays in contact, and then you get the analytics crid being like, well you need slug too, and it's like, yeah, they had both. They had contact and slug. Who fits that O Komodo.

00:05:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, here's a good signing for him. I like this signing.

00:05:31
Speaker 4: I like this signing a lot, and it gets them into the Japanese market, which listen, say what you want, but that is a big deal because they love baseball and they follow their players, and it brings more money into the organization.

00:05:42
Speaker 2: I mean, show hey, show hey.

00:05:43
Speaker 4: Didn't start this because each row was kind of the first big Nomo was like the first one, right, he came over with the tornado wind up and all that with the Dodgers. But then there was a little lull and then Eachiro hit right, and then the Mariners went for with Sazaki. They tried to catcher jo Jima, and then some other teams have tried it. The Yankees tried out with the Rabu and some of the Matsui right, but when nim Matsui ta Deki, Godzilla came over and next thing, you know, and Yankee steed him. There was signs in Japanese which you've never seen before, right, and the teams that have done this and done this right, and then Shohey just took it to another level. Yeah right, he just he wiped everybody off the board. But the teams are now starting to learn from the Dodgers. Man, if we can get a Japanese star, we can make money. Like he signed for four to sixty that's fifteen a year, okay, which is a lot of money. But if you think you get some of the Japanese sponsors behind him, and he does well on the Blue Jays are off the charts, playing well, and every Japanese TV is turned in, guess what that money is.

00:06:37
Speaker 2: That's nothing.

00:06:38
Speaker 1: Those contracts pay for himself. If the guy is a star there, and he's been a star in MPB, he's a name. He's probably been the most consistent hitter in Japan in the NPB from twenty eighteen to twenty twenty five, the most consistent dude, and you look at like his you know the stat cast page that they have, I don't remember what it's called, but like the Baseball Smount they have out in MPB. He's like near ninety nine percent tile or whatever on almost everything. So he's a star out there. We'll see how that converts. I do want to bring in Jim Boden right now to comment on this hue, So let's get right to our resident GM because JB, I heard that you like the player, but you have some thoughts on this signing, so would you like to share them with us? Yeah?

00:07:16
Speaker 5: I like the player. I don't like the fit for Toronto. I don't like that they signed him. I don't like that they invested seventy million dollars in them. I would rather see this seventy million go towards Kyle Tucker or Bobaschett, or both.

00:07:30
Speaker 1: For that matter.

00:07:31
Speaker 2: Now, I like the player a lot.

00:07:32
Speaker 1: Why.

00:07:33
Speaker 5: I think he can hit and I think he's got more power than people think. So I really like the bat. And I think the bat fits in their blueprint, you know, the exact blueprint that got them to.

00:07:43
Speaker 1: The World Series.

00:07:44
Speaker 5: This guy can hit with power, and he puts the ball in play, he'll draw a walk. So I really like the player. He can't play third base, okay, he's a blue arts defender at third and I think one of the things I loved about this Toronto Blue Jay team last year is it was the best defensive team in the American League. And I love the fact that they could hit for average, they could hit for power, and they played plus plus defense all over the field. I think that was their calling card last year and I loved it. Now you have a blow average defender at third base. I don't I don't like that at all. His best position's first base. I think he's a plus defender at first, but Guerrero owns first base. He lives there, and he's only going to get to play first if Guerrero wants a day off or if he gets injured, which hopefully won't happen. And you can't dach him because that's George Springer has that spot and Anthony Santandera is waiting for that spot, and you really can't put him in the corner outfield. What are you going to put him in right with santander and left. That doesn't work for me defensively. So I just don't like the fit. I was fine with Barger and Clement at third base. Bring back Bashett sign Tucker. I just like that pathway better. But don't get me wrong, you never have enough good players. And if you have that extra money in Canada and you can be throwing seventy million dollars at a guy, that's best role now to me is part time first third, left right DH okay, but as an everyday third basement, I personally don't like the.

00:09:05
Speaker 3: Fit even if they sign a Tucker. Would you feel the same even if they sign a Tucker? And also from a GM standpoint, how much do you say, yeah, we are totally defense, We're really good at defense. It's okay if we have a little bit below average at third, or do you say no chance. I'm never being an elite defensive team. Taking one position where I'm a little bit below average.

00:09:29
Speaker 5: Yeah, I'll take left field below average and I can live with that. And I've already got that with Santander. If I'm the Dodgers, I have or with too I'm okay with that one corner outfield spot being below I don't want to be below in the infield.

00:09:41
Speaker 2: No, no, no, no.

00:09:42
Speaker 5: All those ground balls on the left side of the infield that they got to be out so they got to be double plays. For me, I need the range. I need the glove. I need the accuracy, I need the consistency. I believe in elite infields to win World Championships. Now your question about Tucker. Look, I'm a Barger guy. To be honest, I like him more than most people do. He's going to be a legit thirty home run bat. I'm a fan of his. And so look, if it ends up being Bargara and Okamoto and they're platooning at third base, I probably can live with that. If that's going to be the role. Sixty million dollars to platoon at third Okay, I'll buy into that. If they signed Tucker, sure, I feel a lot better about it. And then you have Clement at second with the men, is it short?

00:10:20
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:10:21
Speaker 5: That that that works for me. I do think Toronto needs another left handed hitter, and I do think Tucker would be the perfect fit there if they can make that happen too.

00:10:29
Speaker 2: Okay, that was my next question.

00:10:31
Speaker 4: Doesn't this doesn't mean the Blue Jays can't sign Tucker if they want to correct. And also, how good can the Blue Jays be with the team they have right now? We saw they almost won the World Series last year, and they've added They've added they've added this offseason. Now they don't have Bo yet because they could possibly still bring him back. But One, why does this stop him from signing Tucker? I don't think it doesn't. Two, how good can this team be? Because right now on paper they're pretty damn good.

00:10:56
Speaker 5: Yeah, their favorites to win the American League for sure. I'll get to that in a second. I want to answer your first question first. So I was told by the Blue Jays that this does not take them out of Tucker or Bashett. It takes them out of doing both Tucker and Bashett, but it doesn't take them out of doing one or the other. It does take them out of Alex Bregman. So they still have an opportunity to sign either Tucker or Bashett. I'm expecting them to get one of the two. Now, in terms of what this is meant to the team, I'm gonna focus on the pitching side. O Kamoto doesn't move the needle for me. What moves the needle for me is Dylan Cease, only pitcher in baseball last five years, two hundred strikeouts, thirty starts. What moves the needle for me is watching Cody Ponce on video that stuff just plays. If he lives up the potential, he could be one of the best undervalued free agents that we've seen sign this offseason. What moves the needle from me? Tyler Rodgers. I love the left handed submariner. Give me a different look in the bullpen. Add bullpen depth, help me improve that setup spot. Love that a lot. So the three pitchers they brought in for a team that was a half an inch away from winning the World Championship. That moves the needle for me. I think they're the team to beat in right now in the Al East than the team to beat in the league. And I think if they were able to sign Tucker or bring back Bashit it just puts that double red exclamation point we all have on our iPhones. It makes it more prominent.

00:12:19
Speaker 1: JB. We're gonna do a separate combo coming up in a second about everything else that's left on the board here, and there's a lot, but to wrap up the conversation on some of these international signings, did you feel like it was weird this year and that it could lead to some type of battle in the future between NPB and MLB. Okamoto actually kind of saves things because that's more of your standard contract. But am I can opt out, and I believe the posting fee would then be lessened at that point. Even Takahashi, who he didn't spend a lot of time on, ends up staying in NPB and he'll get opt outs, I think, in his contract over there, so he can then hit the marketing end here and not have any posting feet is as a league and PB's goal is to get as much money as possible for the players they control. It seems like they're getting less of that. Even with a Murakami, who's a superstar out there, ends up signing a two year contract that's a low posting fee, and then if he's good, he'll get his big contract without a posting fee.

00:13:18
Speaker 5: I think, Scott, it just comes down to the evaluation of Major League Baseball front offices on these players. Let's take em for a minute. You know, most of the teams that I talked to were really concerned about his fastball. Yes, it's gott velocity. A lot of teams tell me it's straight. They don't like the fact he can't locate it. They're worried about the command and control of the fastball as well as the life. They love the breaking stuff. I had several teams tell me that he's probably better suited for the bullpen in the back end, that that would probably be the best role. We can throw the break and ball most of the time because you know his split finger and slider or wipe out caliber stuff. Now, I talked to Joe A Spot of the manager of the Astros, yesterday morning. He made it very clear to me that they see him as a starter. Now, when I talk to other teams about Emi, basically what I'm told is, hey, he's a four starter with the ceiling to be a third. So I think that evaluation had more to do with the contract he ended up signing than anything else. And then with Murakami, as we've all talked about on this show, he has great power and great holes at the plate. Right, So is he Russell Brandon or is he more than that? How will he adjust to the pitching over here? No one can argue the power. There are some people that say is Dave Kingman? I say not. I say, because of his high on base percentage, he's going to be better than that. I think it's going to be a good signing for the White Sox, but I think best case scenario, he's a two forty hitter with thirty home runs. So we'll have to wait and see how they perform. And I think to answer your question, Scott, how these three guys perform this year along with the contracts, we'll have a lot to say of what happens in the future in transactions with the MPB.

00:14:57
Speaker 1: A little bit of coaching news today. Let's start with don officially joining the Philadelphia Phillies coaching staff as the bench coach for Rob Thompson. You like it, Kratz. We talked about it a little bit, what a few weeks ago, and now it's official. John Hayman also pointed out that, you know, he's got a long standing, great relationship with Topper, but also an excellent relationship with Boba Schett. That he did mention that coach on the bench doesn't usually determine how a nine figure free agent signing is going to go down.

00:15:28
Speaker 3: I mean, does this mean that the Phillies have no chance of winning the World Series because Donnie Baseball just has not won it? I mean, he couldn't have come closer, Like there was no tougher image than Bobashett patting Donnie Baseball on the back after they lost, Like, does this mean the Phillies aren't gonna win? Or does this mean this? Is it the years that Topper knew Donnie Baseball when he was with the yank working for the Yankees, Like, is this the opportunity because of the bench coach? Like, let's not, let's not blow up. Let's not blow up what a bench coach does. But he's going to be an awesome bench coach. The fact that you have a dude who probably should be managing in the big leagues. You saw what he helped John Schneider do in some way or fashion. I think you'll help top her too.

00:16:13
Speaker 4: Nelson, who's the GM fairly well in Phillybi.

00:16:17
Speaker 2: No, his son isn't his son the GM?

00:16:21
Speaker 1: Right?

00:16:21
Speaker 2: Isn't the president?

00:16:22
Speaker 1: Forgot about that?

00:16:23
Speaker 2: I think he has a pretty good relationship with him.

00:16:25
Speaker 1: Maybe Also they have this coincidence where they both have the same last name.

00:16:29
Speaker 2: It's weird, Scott. They're trying this new thing where they they work together but they have the same name. Wow, hey, dad, do you want a job?

00:16:39
Speaker 1: That's good?

00:16:40
Speaker 4: But I thought he was retiring, didn't you say he was retiring from he said he was stepping away.

00:16:46
Speaker 1: That was Mike Shilt retiring and then and then not retiring right and then not retiring addingly, didn't retire waiting.

00:16:54
Speaker 2: Did I miss something with Shill?

00:16:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, he got a different job, not a manager job, but he's doing something. He's in the front office consulting.

00:17:02
Speaker 2: Shoot, Orioles missed that. I missed that.

00:17:07
Speaker 1: We got to get him on at some point.

00:17:08
Speaker 2: You got a special assistant to.

00:17:10
Speaker 1: Blow down on the next job, special.

00:17:13
Speaker 2: Assistant to snaking Abernez's job. Watch out, watch out, prig Lo stop, don't even don't even say that. Craig's like, I just got here.

00:17:24
Speaker 3: Listen, There's no way a guy like Shill can't not be in baseball like this guy is when you talk to him.

00:17:30
Speaker 2: He just exudes.

00:17:33
Speaker 3: Baseball coaching and like front office like. For him to not have a job, he must like I was like, there's no way he doesn't get a job somewhere, and sure enough he lands lands with the Orioles. He's going coast to coast. He went Midwest for years, then he went to the West coast. Now he's going to see what the East coast. April is like.

00:17:53
Speaker 1: More interesting, Daniel Vogelback signs not as a player, but as the hitting coach for the Milwaukee brew Who saw that coming?

00:18:04
Speaker 2: Did he work?

00:18:04
Speaker 4: Can he do something? He worked for the Mets or somebody last year? Didn't he as a as an assistant hitting whenn't he the Mets guy? Because I remember seeing.

00:18:12
Speaker 2: What he was. I don't want the field.

00:18:14
Speaker 4: I know that he was on the co hitting coach of the Mets because I know he was on the field right and I know Javaz was there.

00:18:21
Speaker 2: Who was there? And then I thought he was like his assistant or something.

00:18:25
Speaker 3: I don't know what he was, but he was definitely in uniform. I mean immediately after he was done playing. So yeah, this is the next the next step. I mean, dudes love he might coach first base sometime too.

00:18:38
Speaker 2: Maybe.

00:18:38
Speaker 3: I mean it's an ex All star dude. Dude could Rake and he's he's just got that. I don't know the Brewers. The Brewers, they know who they're hiring. But man, being a hitting coach in the big leagues not very secure of a job.

00:18:56
Speaker 2: Let's put it that way.

00:18:57
Speaker 1: True. By the way, with the Brewers, Matt, there's a.

00:19:02
Speaker 4: Hitting coach and then there's there's as system. I saw that, but Matts he was selling. He was he's on the field. But the thing about a hitting coach now is every guy has their own hitting coach that they call, like whether it's a guy from high school or college or some guru they think knows everything. Like the hitting coach now just has to coordinate all the hitting coaches. Twenty what do they have thirteen hitters on your team. You got to coordinate all the thirteen hitting private hitting coaches into one thing to try to make the team work. Like it's crazy how everybody has their own guy. There was a big article I saw now long ago on Schwarber's He has Kevin Long and his dog out every day. He's one of the best in the world, and he's got his own guy.

00:19:37
Speaker 2: They were taking.

00:19:38
Speaker 4: They did an article about how Kyle Schwarber calls this guy that tells him was about his batsy.

00:19:42
Speaker 2: What about Kevin Long? He's pretty good.

00:19:44
Speaker 1: Schwarber has been working with that guy since twenty seventeen. I think, so that's his private guy, his team guy.

00:19:50
Speaker 4: The whitting coach job now is to meld what the private guy says and what the hitting coach of your team actually thinks their job is way harder than what he's you know what they're saying about a hitting coaches to v You know, when hitting coaches do their best work at the hotel bar after the game. That was when the hitting coach made his money because everyone's sitting there and oh, I'm over twelve. Hitting coach like, let's have another beer, and you're not that bad. No, nobody goes to the hotel bar to have a beer, so you can't even have that anymore.

00:20:19
Speaker 2: You got to just sit there in the cage all day.

00:20:21
Speaker 4: And I remember having conversation with Bret Boone about it, and he's like, we're facing the guy that has a six CRA. We're in August. He's like, how about we go treat this guy like he has a six cra in August instead of worrying about his fastball ride and his vertical break and his horizontal this and that.

00:20:37
Speaker 2: He's like, it's August. This guy has a six cr Let's go pound this guy.

00:20:41
Speaker 1: Well, do you want to hear what the coaching staff lay at is now? For the Brewers, Jason Lane was the third base coach. Now he's been promoted to offense and strategy coordinator who works with Eric Theesen, who is now the lead hitting coach. And then there are the co hitting coaches below him, Gama Martinez and Daniel Vogelback, who's the third base coason someone else. I guess, wellme to Ricky Week. He's still there. He's the bench Couddy. Yeah, Ricky is the bench coach, but they call him the association.

00:21:14
Speaker 2: No he did, No, I think he left.

00:21:15
Speaker 1: Oh he left? Man, I can't he did.

00:21:18
Speaker 2: I think I remember seeing something like that.

00:21:20
Speaker 1: Hey, it's January, so I think it's time to start telling people about this. Remember last year when we did the BBWAA Awards Scalat it's back. It's back every year for over one hundred years. But FT is back as well. Live on the FT YouTube channel, you can see Skeens, Scooble, Otani, Judge and many more baseball VIPs speaking accepting their awards. There's great presenters, the whole deal, So make sure you check that out. Saturday, January twenty fourth. Just wanted to let you know about it. You can also get tickets if you want to go in person. But we'll be there and we'll talk about it. Let's hit hot corner. Okay, let's start with the Chicago White Sox and their moves that we covered already, but not with this guy. Yes, more comedy.

00:22:02
Speaker 2: Signed h Mooney Muni, Mooney Muni.

00:22:06
Speaker 1: Now you get to watch the greatest power slugger in the twenty first century for the White Sox or for obviously in NPB, but now coming over to the White Sox every day since you watch White Sox games every day, I can't wait.

00:22:20
Speaker 4: Yeah about this Adam Done, No, that didn't work out so well. I was there for that first year he had a good career that he had the worst average. We can't I love Adam Done. I can't even talk about bad about Adam. He's one of my all time favorite teammates I ever had in my life. But I mean, the quote I'll never get is when he goes done. The reporter goes done, why'd you strike out with a gun?

00:22:44
Speaker 2: First and one? Or third and first and third and one?

00:22:46
Speaker 4: He goes I thought I might hit into a double play, so I figured if I only make one out, it's better, right, Like just things like that that he would say, or I'll never forget, And man, he had the worst.

00:22:57
Speaker 2: His first year there.

00:22:58
Speaker 4: He had the worst average of all time, right, and he needed like five more plate appearances with like three games ago, and they just didn't play him because they didn't want him to have that official record.

00:23:08
Speaker 2: Right.

00:23:08
Speaker 4: It was so bad, And the next year you actually had a pretty good year. Dunner was one of the best teammates. Well, so let's not even put him in the same category. But I tweeted about this, by the way, Burcott when they signed him, because finally they did something to make people notice them. This is what I've been clamoring about. I did Chuck Garfine at the winter meetings, I did his podcast, and I talked about this, and I got bashed on online for saying that they needed to go try and sign Kylee Skerber, go get some guys and know how to hit homers and show these other kids how to do it. I know they had a nice second half and all this and that, but if you're getting to be serious, then it's time to get serious. And this was a nice first step. Now they need to go out and do a lot of other things, but this was a nice first step. You cannot count on every one of your prospects to be a star. I saw it happened. Listen, col To Montgomery had a nice second ALP. He hit a lot of homers, but he struck out a lot and he hit barely two hundred. Right Chio their catcher, pretty good, kiro their other catcher, pretty good.

00:24:04
Speaker 2: My draft had in the six is ops. No offense to him, Luis Robert. They're paying twenty million.

00:24:11
Speaker 3: I mean, come on, we've discussed this ad nause and where we don't even need to talk about it anymore, right, but this is a nice first step.

00:24:17
Speaker 4: Now go finish it off, Go sign some real starting pitchers, trade for some real starting pitchers, and continue this. But the thing that got me was what Chris gets said that Jerry Reinsdorf had to be talked into this.

00:24:30
Speaker 2: I don't like.

00:24:31
Speaker 4: Yes, we talked about this on the show all the time, and I love Jerry Reinsworf. I've known him forever and been to my house whatever. I had a lot of time with Jerry REINSERP. You had to be told that signing an international superstar from Japan would help your ticket sales and your ad sales Like this again is the show? Hey Tani effect in baseball. If you go get the Japanese guy, the Japanese people will follow, they'll watch, they'll come to the game, they'll buy jerseys, they'll buy sign it like, yes, if you buy get better players.

00:25:02
Speaker 2: Guess what more people come to the games.

00:25:04
Speaker 1: They're gonna make this back. I mean, this is not the Otani contract. This isn't four hundred fifty two years present value. This is two years thirty four mils. So I think they were like, hey, we like this guy. We think we should sin him. And I don't even think it'll cost you anything. We might actually prop it off. A signing like this, that's what's been happening lately with Japanese players. And he's like, hmm okay, And we could show the tweet too that plays this out. Sam Falin, yeah, who covers them, said in three days since the Socks signed Murakami, this was a couple of weeks ago, season ticket sales skyrocketing, team getting national attention, social media pages popping off, international fans getting familiar with the White Sox brand. Spend money, make money. And I'll just add this, spend money, make money internationally right now, especially in Japan.

00:25:49
Speaker 2: And then you see the last line. Hopefully Jerry learns a lesson from this.

00:25:52
Speaker 4: But I can't figure out Jerry is very smart still, he's eighty eight, is eighty nine, He's still mentally very sharp.

00:25:59
Speaker 2: I saw him at the Winter meetings. He's very sharp. He's still there.

00:26:01
Speaker 4: Okay, but he should have known that he's owned this team for forty years plus years now, like they took this to figure out, like if you've got internationally especially right, Like I don't know that that. That was to me the biggest thing, Like I love the signing personally, I really do love the signing. I think it's a great signing. And if he becomes anything, they're gonna make money hand over fist for this signing. Okay, So I just that was the surprise when get said brook Me and Brooks Boyer, who's the basically the number two in command of the White Sox behind Jerry for marketing and for everything else that he needs done, had to go to him and say, hey, Jerry, if we do this, we can get money from the international meet you know, media, international sponsors. And he's like okay, wow, Like yeah, like that was the thing to me, like let's go White Sox finally.

00:26:54
Speaker 2: Yeah, I couldn't. I don't know.

00:26:58
Speaker 3: I'm I'm glad they signed him. It's not the White Sox winning window. How does this affect the young guys? I just think it puts another guy out there that, hey, you know what, we're not afraid to sign some money.

00:27:12
Speaker 2: You know you want the.

00:27:13
Speaker 3: White Sox to I don't think they're at the point where they would do the Jason Wirth type of contract and go out and get somebody that's like, Okay, now we're going to bring in free agents. So this isn't that type of contract. But at seventeen a year, I'm good with it, especially if he can hit some dingers, like everybody loves dingers.

00:27:32
Speaker 4: It's two years, Cratzy, that's not a big commitment. It's not a ten year, it's two years. It's literally two years. Like this is fine. You try it out and see if it works, and you know what, he might hit forty homers for you the next two years, and guess what, then you can resign him again and then you might hit forty more for you for the next five years. And by the way, justin I love you in the chat. But Shawn Newcomb and Jared Kelnick signings. They don't move the needle.

00:27:56
Speaker 2: I'm sorry.

00:27:57
Speaker 4: I played with Shawn Newcomb. Jared Kelnick has not panned out the way people.

00:28:01
Speaker 2: That's there.

00:28:01
Speaker 1: You go.

00:28:01
Speaker 4: You want to talk about prospects that don't become superstars. Remember he was supposed to be the future Seattle, New York. He got traded. They were like, oh my gosh.

00:28:11
Speaker 2: We traded kel Nick.

00:28:11
Speaker 1: Remember Brody van Wagoning got destroyed for that. When he was running the Mets front office. They were like, oh, how could you trade their top prospect for Edwin Diaz?

00:28:20
Speaker 2: Worked out? All right?

00:28:23
Speaker 1: Done for the Mets.

00:28:24
Speaker 4: I mean, I'm sorry, Like that's the perfect example. And listen, I mean listen, Anthony k I like the signing new guy, right, Sewan Nucomb foign a half million not a bad signing.

00:28:33
Speaker 2: I mean, he's not going to move the needle though for anybody you know, he's lot though.

00:28:38
Speaker 1: Yeah, trually he's going to get a chance and then he'll go back to But yeah, but.

00:28:43
Speaker 4: I mean, those don't Those aren't the types of moves that really push you to the next level. They're nice there, little pieces, but at some point, again, you got to go for the big the big names. The teams that win get the big names. People bars shine in October.

00:28:58
Speaker 1: People were excited to get your thoughts, and I think your thoughts are very positive.

00:29:02
Speaker 2: I love this signing. I absolutely love, love, love love lou signing.

00:29:06
Speaker 1: And he signed for way less than people think, because well, there's.

00:29:09
Speaker 4: Some people that aren't sold on him because he doesn't have a high batting average against high velocity. You know what he's in there for. Hey, listen, dude, go hit me thirty five to forty homers, Like that's the game now. I don't care if you strike out two hundred times, Go hit'eventy five to forty.

00:29:25
Speaker 3: How many did How many does it take for him to win Rookie of the Year. We talked about it one of the days you were gone, one of the one hundred days you were gone. But like, if he hits thirty five, is he slam dunk Rookie of the Year. If he hits two tens, I mean not if there's a Nick Kertz out there that goes out and becomes as one of the greatest rookie years of all time.

00:29:43
Speaker 4: I mean, I don't know who else. I mean, I don't know who else. You never know there could be somebody from an organization that just blows up. If he hits forty homers, he's probably gonna be Rookie of the year.

00:29:54
Speaker 1: Right.

00:29:54
Speaker 4: If he hits thirty five to forty homers, probably gonna be Rookie of the year. It's hard to It's hard to I find a rookie. I mean unless peet Alonso. Remember pet Alonzo hit what fifty seven is rookie year? Whatever that crazy number was, was it? Whatever he hit that year, he broke Judges record.

00:30:09
Speaker 1: Remember he and Judge his rookie year too, right, Because's what I'm saying.

00:30:12
Speaker 4: Yeah, like, unless you have someone that kind of does that trout, yeah, trout.

00:30:16
Speaker 2: Someone like that. I don't know. I just think that I think thirty gets it done.

00:30:22
Speaker 3: My thing with the whole like can't hit fastballs and all that stuff. I played in twenty nineteen with Cody Ponce and I'm trying to think who else was there, Joe Adell, Like for Team USA, we played against the Team Samurai, the Japanese All star team that goes to all the WBC, went to the Olympics, all that stuff. We played against them in Japan. It was the exact same thing like a lot of these guys couldn't hit fastballs, but you could see they were making adjustments. Seya Suzuki was on that team. He's done pretty decent and made adjustments. Akka Akamodo Okamoto was on that team. You know a lot of these guys were on those teams that I played against, And yes, they don't do well. But as AJ would say, like a lot of good hitters, a lot of big league hitters are okay with having a deficiency if they never miss the ones that they're looking for.

00:31:22
Speaker 2: You know what I mean.

00:31:23
Speaker 3: I'm not saying more comedy's that guy. I'm just saying I think people are too. They're too like, oh, man, he can't hit over ninety three or ninety four miles an hour, whatever that stat was. Well, they're not just gonna keep pumping him with ten straight fastballs.

00:31:36
Speaker 2: And if they do, I have a feeling a.

00:31:39
Speaker 3: Big league hitter from another country is gonna make the adjustment. And on a team like the White Sox, they're gonna be playing from behind. Teams aren't just gonna be like, oh, I'm super scared of this guy. I'm gonna pitch around him. I think they're gonna go after him, and that's why I think he's going to get his thirty to thirty five homers.

00:32:00
Speaker 2: All love it, ye know.

00:32:01
Speaker 1: There's just not There's not a lot of downside here. The downside is, Okay, he's not a super productive long term player and not worth locking in for whatever five seven plus contract. And that's fine. Then you got two years out of him. You got a lot of pop on a team that's not making the playoffs right now. Anyway, it's a rebuilding teams, a great science, butts and seeds.

00:32:21
Speaker 2: Here's the upside high I'll say this. Listen, it's in credits. Knows this.

00:32:25
Speaker 4: How many guys have you seen over suit Spencer Jones, Jason Deming goes. I go back to my time with the White Sox. Gordon Beckham. Okay, it was like the ninth overall pick and I love Gordon Beckham, right, great guy, good friend of mine still to this day. He went out his first year and had a great, unbelievable first half of his career, right, and the White Sox over hyped him in the offseason. He was doing a million things and then he never had that same success again. Now, whatever the cost for that was I don't know. Okay, he had a nice career, but he never became the star. Right, that's what you worry about when you see guys and I hope and I hope and pray it doesn't happen to Montgomery and Teal and Kiro and Mydrath and all these guys. Right, But now they have been attendee, they have more Kami, they have some at least a couple guys around that, you know. I know Murakami hasn't played in the big leagues, but at least he's played in big games and he's hit home runs, and he could show some of these younger guys how to do it.

00:33:19
Speaker 2: And that's what you need.

00:33:20
Speaker 4: You need guys around that can keep guys on their toes and ready and teach them how to be major league baseball players.

00:33:26
Speaker 1: Right. You can't just have a team full of kids. That doesn't it doesn't work. Now. You need the blend. Every good team has a blend. That's always what happens. Okay, let's get to a baby signing from the weekend. Paul DeYoung still going strong, a minor league contract with the Yankees with the major league invite to camp if he makes the team, he gets a million bucks. Last year he signed for a one year deal for a million bucks, So this is insurance to have more options for Anthony Volpi. Last year it was the deal with the Nationals for a million bucks. This year it's with the Yankees. Remember, Volpi is going to start late to his season, and to me, this is just another statement from the Yankees that they believe Volpi is going to be their shortstop. So they're just yeah, they've got cabi Ero, They've got Deyong if he makes the team, I get can Rosario play some short maybe he has? Yeah, So you've got those guys to fill in for a month and change, and then Volpi comes back and they hand the keys back to him. For fans that desperately want them to go find a shortstop, it does not appear to be in the cards. They do. They love him. Why are you smirking?

00:34:37
Speaker 3: Because Twitter, Well, AJ was in Africa Twitter Yankees. Twitter was eviscerating me and comparing my baseball reference page to a Rod's baseball reference page about my comments that you know what, Velpi has been more productive than Dansby Swanson at this point in his career, so maybe let it play out. We'll see, we'll see. I mean it could be worse to me. I like the signing you have Kaby. I think Kabierra will play more than we'll play more than.

00:35:06
Speaker 2: Paul de Young.

00:35:07
Speaker 3: Paul de Young, he came off last year, He came off of hitting a twenty twenty four home run season, and he only got a million dollars from the Nats to do what maybe be there in cases C J Abrams kind of thing, like I really like this. He's a professional player. You never heard anything bad about him.

00:35:29
Speaker 2: Did you play with him?

00:35:29
Speaker 3: Aj or was he not there quite yet? He's probably no Young? No, de Young was younger, but he played third base with the Nats last year. So I forget and did okay. But by the way I want to I just want to mention this. I didn't see all this on Twitter because I was just in a country, Tanzania that doesn't allow Twitter, so you can't you can't even go on x Twitter.

00:35:48
Speaker 4: It doesn't do anything. So as soon as you land in Tanzania, it's nothing that's weird.

00:35:55
Speaker 3: It's none for Tanzania. You can't even it doesn't do anything. My son was like, oh my good to Get my Bears News.

00:36:02
Speaker 1: No Twitter trolls in Tanzania.

00:36:04
Speaker 4: There are definitely no Twitter trolls. It's Twitter. And there's another one that there's two of them that are banned, TikTok because no, it wasn't TikTok, because TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp. There's like five of them that agreed to whatever the terms were that Tanzania needed them to so they would still allow them. But I guess because it said Twitter uses allows nudity on their app x, so they said that's why. And also because they said there was people protesting against the leaders of Tanzania, I don't know whatever, and they wanted to make sure that they were censored.

00:36:45
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:36:46
Speaker 4: It was a long whole thing. But when I landed, I was like, oh, let me check my Twitter and see what's happening. And it didn't do anything, and I was like, wait, what the hell's happening here? This is really strange, crazy, And so people were wishing me happy birthday on Twitter and I was like, oh, sorry, I didn't see these until I got back to the country that allowed Twitter.

00:37:04
Speaker 2: Cancer don't get Twitter, nos do not. Yeah, that's what he said.

00:37:12
Speaker 1: That's what he said.

00:37:14
Speaker 2: That's what he said.

00:37:16
Speaker 1: That's what he said.

00:37:20
Speaker 6: Paralta is attractive not only to teams like the Yankees and the Mets and the Braves and others who would be classified as big market, but even small market teams can afford him, and they're in the mix as well. Do I expect Paralta to get traded? I would say yes, I do expect that to happen. I expect the Brewers to get pushed to the point where they feel like they're comfortable doing it, and if they get a major League ready starting pitcher in return, they would have some depth in that rotation. They actually already have depth. It's Woodriff, it's Miserowski, and it's Priester to start that rotation, and then they have a bunch of other candidates that they feel good about. If they got one more, they feel even better. Even without Freddy Peralta, who of course has been immensely important to that team over the years and coming off arguably his best year.

00:38:12
Speaker 1: Freddy Peralta, will he or won't he go? The latest from Ken sounds like he will be training going. That's big.

00:38:19
Speaker 4: He's a cheap guy who's making an eight eight million this year for a guy that was unbelievably good last year.

00:38:25
Speaker 1: He's a one.

00:38:26
Speaker 2: Why would the Brewers do this? I know they can get some players.

00:38:30
Speaker 1: After this year. He's gosh, I know it just it just hurts you.

00:38:33
Speaker 2: It hurts your heart.

00:38:35
Speaker 1: He's gone after this year.

00:38:36
Speaker 4: If you throw an extension offer for five years one hundred, you think he would turn that down?

00:38:40
Speaker 1: Yes, okay, I do.

00:38:42
Speaker 2: I'm not there.

00:38:43
Speaker 1: I know.

00:38:43
Speaker 2: I'm just saying.

00:38:45
Speaker 1: I mean, it doesn't hurt to throw things out there, but if you're going to do that, you have to do it sooner. That's I know they did sign and I think Freddy would have done another one. But you can't do it with a year to go. I mean you can, but then at the number is close to free agent number. If you did it two years ago, the number could be attractive. Yeah, you're right, that's the whole thing. I mean, I think you can carry guys.

00:39:08
Speaker 2: So then where does he get traded? Yankees?

00:39:11
Speaker 1: They're definitely trying, but I think almost anyone's trying.

00:39:13
Speaker 4: For Freddy Pearl for Yeah, White Sox, Hello, White Sox.

00:39:19
Speaker 1: I don't think it'll be the White Sox for one season, but a team that's in this year. You got to be in it this year. You think you're winning, you think you're getting to the playoffs and doing damage this year. Then you're trading for Freddy per Altocrats because the asking price is going to be high. He also will get a qualifying offer after this season if he's traded before the season, so that gets factored into the price. So a team will have to give up someone, you know, a pick that's worthy of that, they make you pay for that, and then you trade the prospects or whatever you think the value is of the player on top of that.

00:39:49
Speaker 3: Rewind back. I didn't hear what you guys said because my screen froze. But Cormyn Burns twenty twenty three, Like that's exactly I mean twenty twenty four to the Orioles, Like if you're, oh, what's it gonna cost?

00:40:03
Speaker 2: Was it is? What's gonna cost?

00:40:05
Speaker 3: Except I they think Corbyn Burns made fourteen or sixteen that year in arbitration. Freddie P is making half Freddy P is gonna make hay and that means a lot to teams. But hey, you know what I I hated for my Milwaukee Brethren that they that they would lose Freddy P.

00:40:28
Speaker 2: Just I get it.

00:40:29
Speaker 3: They have depth, they do, but man, you can't because he's he's really he's really turned into he took another step next this this past.

00:40:38
Speaker 1: Year he did.

00:40:42
Speaker 2: True.

00:40:43
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, there are too many teams that need starters. This is too attractive. The Orioles could make an offer. I know they've already traded away a bunch of prospect capital and it's easier for them to spend, but they've also spent a lot. I mean, they could make a play. They've matched up with the Brewers the past. Don't rule it out. Is it like.

00:41:03
Speaker 2: Yankees, Brewers, Yankees, Orioles, Mets Nets.

00:41:07
Speaker 4: There's some teams out there that could make a move for Freddy that would definitely Cubs would I mean the would probably.

00:41:12
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, the Cubs would. Yeah, they wouldn't trade him in the Cubs. The Cubs would love to get Freddy P. Doesn't cost much in the Cubs.

00:41:18
Speaker 2: Or what about the break.

00:41:22
Speaker 1: What won't happen breaks? Wow?

00:41:25
Speaker 2: Okay to me, I think this is the Yankees got to be the Yankees.

00:41:31
Speaker 1: Right Well, I don't know if it has to be, because it depends on how they match up. The Brewers might say, hey, we don't love the prospects. You're throwing our way.

00:41:44
Speaker 3: True, but I mean they just they offloaded Collins already. Are they do they need to restat restock in the outfield?

00:41:53
Speaker 2: Do they need to.

00:41:56
Speaker 1: Like you guys?

00:41:59
Speaker 4: Here's a better question. Is this the year with the Brewers? Were they finally lost too much and they can't do it again?

00:42:06
Speaker 1: Oh and then they don't make the playoffs?

00:42:08
Speaker 6: Yeah?

00:42:08
Speaker 2: Is this the year?

00:42:09
Speaker 4: Because for years we've been people have been saying this is the year. Is just at some point it all it comes.

00:42:13
Speaker 1: To this isn't the year. And I'll tell you why. They actually have a number of starters that will be back that can It's not going to fill the place of Freddie p but they do have many starting pitching options there. They're farm systems in a better place the last few years, and I think that's what's taken them again to this next level of winning the division. And here's the most important part. Cardinals are going to be way worse. Reds have done nothing. Cubs have done nothing but rebuild a bullpen that was good and now fill that. But they haven't replaced Tucker or done much so where. I mean, there's competition, but it's not like you look in your life. What's the team I'm missing. Pittsburgh got a little better, but it's a little better. Yeah, just a little better for me. You think they got a lot better. I think they got a little think they got a little better than a little. Okay, they got better, but I still think the Brewers are the team to beat in the division right now. Okay that's me.

00:43:06
Speaker 2: Tell let's you a baseball. Pakodo says, I don't care about the wins. I mean wins they're going to adult.

00:43:13
Speaker 1: What is that?

00:43:16
Speaker 2: What does BEM have for their win total right now?

00:43:18
Speaker 1: I don't know, but we can check. We can check. We're doing that segment in a second. One other thing that just came through is am I in his press conference said he will not pitch for Team Japan in the WBC. He wants to get acclimated but his teammates without a disruption during spring training. And then Chandler Rome also tweeted he wants to prioritize getting used to things in his first year. Wait, I'm going to add to that. I want to prioritize my free agent year. He's trying to show that he's a one to fifty mil pitcher and not a sixty three or whatever. The number is right to all of these major league teams that just said me, we don't really believe in you stuff wise, if he can throw strikes, I think he could be a top end starter, right, And most teams just now said, eh, you're more of a four right with maybe three upside. He's trying to prove he's a a two. And then if you go back into the market as a two with that kind of stuff and upside, then you're now one hundred mili plus player. So for him, it's spring training. Major leagues. Screw the wb SI so much.

00:44:21
Speaker 4: Is Team Japan gonna get hurt? I mean, I know Isoto playing for Team Japan.

00:44:25
Speaker 1: Yamamoto is pitching, show Hey, I don't know if he's pitching, but he's playing. But he's playing.

00:44:29
Speaker 2: Then, But then is like Murkami probably won't play for teams.

00:44:34
Speaker 1: And position players are an easier sell I think, is it though?

00:44:37
Speaker 4: Because these guys are coming over to the new team. A lot of times guys don't want to do it in their first year because they're getting acclimated to a new team and everything.

00:44:44
Speaker 1: This is a big part of a question.

00:44:46
Speaker 4: I know, that's what I'm saying. These are big names for Team Japan. That's why I'm wondering if these guys all say, hey, we're not doing.

00:44:53
Speaker 1: It, they get a lot of pressure.

00:44:58
Speaker 4: See the thing about Team Japan that they we also do is they go like a month early if you remember, and they start practicing like now.

00:45:04
Speaker 1: But this is where you have leverage to say, listen, I just signed with the new team. I'll play, but I'm gonna play under my terms. I'm not doing the whole song and dance and everything else.

00:45:13
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:45:13
Speaker 1: It's interesting they have more leverage the guys. They also just won last time around, So I think Team Japan's like, we'll take the talent and if you need to work around your schedule a little bit, we'll do it. Okay, but we'll see. But no, inn It's interesting.

00:45:28
Speaker 4: It's just an interesting thought on because Team Japan had all these guys and now a lot of them have come to the States and now what happens to their teams is still as good as it was. And I still want listen, I still want show hey, facing whoever the best player is on Team USA in the finals with the game on the line, like you did with Mike Trout last time. Unbelievable judge, judge bottom of the Trout, not judge, No, no, this time, this time, I'm talking this time.

00:45:55
Speaker 1: Right, show Heber's judge would be awesome, Yes.

00:45:58
Speaker 2: Right, bottom of the night, tie game, one run lead, whatever it is, something like that. That's cool.

00:46:03
Speaker 1: But I don't know if we'll show. Hey, we mate, We'll see. Yeah,