Cubs land Bregman, Bellinger done w/ Yankees? Max Kepler's PED suspension, Freeman withdraws from WBC

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Always feels like a lot's happening.

00:00:05
Speaker 2: Things are busy, of course news but you had a busy weekend.

00:00:08
Speaker 1: I had a busy morning.

00:00:13
Speaker 3: The Nigerian Prince.

00:00:14
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, he didn't want money. He wanted my body. They didn't want money.

00:00:21
Speaker 2: First time I ever entertained a scam call because they didn't ask for money.

00:00:25
Speaker 1: They just wanted me to show up at the what is it.

00:00:27
Speaker 3: Called clerk usually the clerk of the courts.

00:00:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what they wanted me to do. They wanted me to drive over to the clerk of the courts and I was like right now and they were like, yeah, you miss Jerry, dude, can you sign this thing?

00:00:36
Speaker 3: And I was like, can you sign this thing?

00:00:38
Speaker 1: Well, they were more eloquent.

00:00:40
Speaker 2: They had all the case number, this, that, whatever, all my information besides socials, so they were pretty buttoned up. And I was like, you don't need money. They're like, no, no, we need you to show up to sign a thing. All right, Well, I mean I do taekwondo krats, So I feel like I'm ready.

00:00:58
Speaker 4: Is that how the White Sox are going to get a free agent? They're calling them and scamming people will be like show up at Chicago at the stadium, and we'll give you many American monies to play the game of baseball.

00:01:10
Speaker 3: Ah, got you? You signed it?

00:01:13
Speaker 1: That's rude.

00:01:14
Speaker 3: We have a Sean Newcomb's coming on today and he's nice.

00:01:16
Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. We have a white Sox player. Actually, we've had almost all of them besides Murakami. I mean, Anthony Day was on the other day.

00:01:22
Speaker 3: How do we get Murakami?

00:01:25
Speaker 2: It's all you I heard you're the Markammi whisper. Where you're going to be? What if he shows up and he's like, they're like favorite white sock and he's like Perzinski should be, then you're in should be like Harry Ford. Henry, Harry Henry's the truck guy, the Ford guy. All Right, anyway, I'm on low sleep.

00:01:47
Speaker 1: Let's get to a little bit of news. They did it. Do you see this shirt?

00:01:56
Speaker 3: I know, I can't believe you're wearing that North Side Territory.

00:01:59
Speaker 1: The cub did it.

00:02:01
Speaker 2: It's the great show, by the way, should check it out or the merch Alex Bregman is a Chicago Cup. How shocked were you and you were in Chicago on the scene. We almost went live to Pruzinski on the scene in Chicago and.

00:02:11
Speaker 3: Soldier Field and snow Yeah Live to AJ watching those Packers lose and then crying about it. Poor guys. I didn't really this didn't really come out in the stadium until the game was kind of over ish, and so then people as were as I was walking out, because if you've never been to Soldier Field, you got to walk out like two miles to get anywhere because we didn't park, we didn't drive a car at a car service, so you have to walk like forever to get out, and that people were kind of clamoring about it as we're walking. Then I just checking my phone and I was like, oh, wow, this is pretty awesome. But you know, the Bulls won, the Blackhawks one, the Bears one, and the cub signed Alex Bregman in like a twenty five minute span. So it was a pretty pretty cool moment to be in the city of Chicago and people were very excited. Listen, I love this song. It's a lot five one seive. What do you do with Matt Seawan?

00:03:03
Speaker 4: Now?

00:03:04
Speaker 3: Do you trade them? Do you make them a super utility guy? What do you do there?

00:03:07
Speaker 1: Yeah? Trade Matt sha so young?

00:03:09
Speaker 3: Okay, do you trade Nico.

00:03:10
Speaker 1: Horner, then I wouldn't.

00:03:11
Speaker 2: There's a great article by Northside Territory hosts Jadeve Sharman in The Athletic about why they should.

00:03:16
Speaker 1: Just roll with it.

00:03:18
Speaker 3: I agree, Listen, I think they're finally act. This is finally a move they act like a big market team. So I love this move for the Cubs. And that's hard for me to say, as everyone knows he brings leadership, he brings defensive third, he'll hit you some homers, and from everything you've talked to hear from people is he makes every player better, a younger players, better, veterans player because of his preparation and the way he teaches people what he looks for. So this is a great move for them, and the congratulations code fans. He actually Cubs actually are acting like they're the Cubs, and this is a move that they did that. And to me, I think with the moves they've made Drenth in the bullpen, adding rotation, and now you add Bregman, there's got to be the favorites in the central Really, people say the Brewers, the Brewers, the Brewers. Yeah, this move, the moves they made with Hunter Harvey and some of the other bullpen moves they made, and then strengthening some positions like benchwise. I think they're probably the favor right now. I know Krats is gonna say no, and everyone else is gonna say what the Brewers find a way to do it every year, But I mean this move really helps. It does, especially if the Brewers trade Freddy p then I'm.

00:04:24
Speaker 2: Like, that's what I wanted to ask Krats. Krats, do you think that the Cubs are the front runners in the division now? And if the Brewers trade Freddy prawlte does that change your mind?

00:04:35
Speaker 4: Oh, the Brewers trade Freddy p Yes for sure, because everybody else you're just trying to fill in that rotation. Nobody would fill in for what Freddy gave them last year. Are the Brewers in eighty seven win team this year like they're predicted?

00:04:51
Speaker 3: I don't know.

00:04:52
Speaker 4: Like, obviously we're not supposed to bet against the Brewers because they just keep showing the naysayers wrong. But the Cubs, the Cubs, to me, they're not quite back offensively to the point where what they what they had from Tucker last year, even though he faded in the end. Bregman's not going to give them all of that, but you know, is this an upgrade, It'll be an upgrade based on how they deploy the rest of their roster, their rest their roster, their position player roster is. To me, it's it's really good. Is it better than last year? And last year's offense was clicking, was holding them together, and then you know they went.

00:05:35
Speaker 3: Through some ups and downs.

00:05:36
Speaker 4: So I think, are they the are they the favorite? I would kind of lean towards yes, but I'm not one hundred percent convinced yet, just because it seven straight years the Brewers have done, you know, have won more games, and everybody thinks they're gonna win.

00:05:57
Speaker 1: Well and fruit offensively. They lose Kyle Tucker, but.

00:06:02
Speaker 3: They can't do anything for him the entire second half. He was hurt. Yeah, it did to almost nothing in the first July on he was really he didn't do a whole on there and honestly their whole production window.

00:06:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, they were I think twentieth in runs in the second half after I think they finished all really high mark like maybe five six something like that, and run scored, and I know run scored is not the perfect stat you know, factor in ballpark, all of that although the Cubs ballpark can get so pretty dicey, uh these days for hitters, Yes.

00:06:35
Speaker 4: My thing is, my thing is doesn't make them. The question is are they better? Do you get another year of like Matt Shaw? Offensively, yes, Bregman's a an upgrade over him, But like in the second half, you talk about what they didn't do in the second half, PA all Star, he creator, he started creating a little bit before the All Star Game. Saya Suzuki should have been an All Star. Cratered in the second half as far as like number stats wise, Kyle Tucker was obviously going through injuries that have been well documented. So does signing Bregman somehow help the whole team from not cratering in the second half.

00:07:19
Speaker 3: I don't know. But if you're looking at.

00:07:20
Speaker 4: Making it, because they make teams right now in the offseason, they make them based on projections, based on your war what kind of defensive value you're gonna get in everything? And Bragman is not an upgrade over Tucker? Is he an upgrade to this team without Tucker? Obviously he's an upgrade just hand in hand to Matt Shall. Yeah, people are gonna argue Shaw's war was pretty close to the same. He had good defense. I get it. But to me, this is a good job by by Jed Hoyer looking ahead and saying, Nico Horner is gonna be a free agent. We signed him to a nice little three year, thirty five million dollar deal to get this one extra year of free agency, and next year he'll be a free agent. Does that mean Shaw moves a second? Does that mean Bregman moves the second Shaw comes back to third? To me, if i'm them, I don't trade any of those guys. It is a good thing to have a lot of depth. It's gonna suck for somebody to not get the full one hundred and fifty at bats that you know you're probably gonna lose. But then next year they slot in and they play. You know you have your second and third basement for the future.

00:08:31
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00:09:00
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00:10:13
Speaker 1: This past season he was.

00:10:14
Speaker 2: He was six point two on b WAR, fourth among NL position players. I'm bringing this up because a version of this is what many front offices look at. So I'm like, if you add Bragman, you freaking keep Nico Horner and also have a super tight defense.

00:10:30
Speaker 1: Look at that defense now, they're.

00:10:31
Speaker 3: All about run saved. Yeah, defensive tight Yeah.

00:10:36
Speaker 2: So I don't even think you entertain it. Nico's making twelve million dollars this coming season. All good operate like a big market ball club, have a good time, and enjoy a guy who has looked at as one of the team leaders.

00:10:50
Speaker 1: Craig Council spoke about him at the winter meetings.

00:10:52
Speaker 2: This was Insideed Charma's article, and he said, Nico's great at something I think other people think they're good at and they're not good at it.

00:11:00
Speaker 1: I'm not talking about just players. I'm talking about people.

00:11:02
Speaker 2: When he's talking about reps and completing it perfectly and all of that, right, and he's saying, some guys think they're good and they're not that good at all of the press.

00:11:09
Speaker 3: By the way, as much as we're hyping through Cubs at this, what about the Red Sox.

00:11:13
Speaker 1: We're gonna get to the Red Sox have Pap joining us soon.

00:11:16
Speaker 3: The Red Sox, this is a this was a huge piece of their team last year. What do they do? I mean, I know they went on and got Sonny Grand I know they went out and got Wilson and Treres, but they they have a whole at third base and second base right because they were most I think I think most Red Sox fans were like, Ah, we'll keep Bragman, We'll bring Bregman back and then we'll figure out second base. Whether so, does this bring Boba shit into the Red Sox land of opportunity?

00:11:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's gonna cost more and there's other teams involved. My thing is, if you really wanted Bregman, you couldn't just figure this shit out.

00:11:46
Speaker 3: I love Chris Catillo's text too or tweet by the way. What so they traded Devers for a one year of Alex Bregman and now they don't have either one correct and now they're searching for a third baseman.

00:11:56
Speaker 1: Again, had that opt out go? Here's the thing I.

00:11:59
Speaker 3: Think, I honestly believe that every Red Sox fan the last path when he comes on, thought that this was a done deal, like he's oh, he's coming back, he's good too. Why would any why would anybody ever walk away from the high and mighty Red Sox. Why would anybody ever leave the Red Sox, especially we made the playoffs. Him and ac are tied, Alex Cora and now all of a sudden, here he is boom on the Cubs.

00:12:21
Speaker 2: Five years, won seventy five mil, seventy million dollars in deferrals for Bregnant and what it seems like, and this was first I think reported from Sean McAdam, is that the Red Sox would not go past five years, one sixty five mil. That was their final offer, with significant deferrals that were going to be paid out later than the Cubs too. So it actually then his present value gets.

00:12:43
Speaker 1: It to distant.

00:12:45
Speaker 3: The Red Sox made an offer early in the off season. Whatever that was, let's say five one fifty. I don't know. These are not the real numbers. Okay, I don't know the real numbers.

00:12:55
Speaker 1: Okay.

00:12:56
Speaker 3: They made an offer at Alex Pragman early in the offseason and said here it is, and then his camp kept going back saying that's not our market. Our market's higher than that, and it made Alex a little bit mad and they would not move. So then the Red Sox were like, okay, well take it or leave it, and they will not budge. Then Bregman's camp with Boris goes back to him and says, hey, we have a higher offer and we're gonna probably take it, and the Red Sox were like, we don't believe you. If you can do it, do it. And then they said, okay, well we're gonna sign. We're not telling you the number. We're gonna sign with a different team. And that's when the Red Sox went to this five one sixty five. But Bregman was already one mad and two had a higher offer. And the longer the more they tried to stretch it out, the longer and farther down the road the deferrals got so Bregman's like, I'm getting more money in a shorter amount of time. I'm going to the cob. What does he owe the Red Sox Nothing, That's what I'm saying. But the Red Sox literally would not move and would not budget, really wouldn't negotiate until it was almost Well, it wasn't almost too late, it was too late. And now they're like, uh, we messed that one up. And now obviously Red Sox fans are flipping out about it.

00:14:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, and Cubs fans should be thrilled. They went through this last year, Kratz. Last year, the Cubs were trying to play ball for Bragman and very interested in him and didn't land him.

00:14:11
Speaker 1: So did the Tigers.

00:14:12
Speaker 3: And the Tigers, from what I heard, did this to Pregmant last year, the same thing that the Red Sox did this year. They said, here's an offer, take it or leave it. We don't know who your market is.

00:14:22
Speaker 1: Six s one point five, by the way, was the number last year.

00:14:25
Speaker 3: Okay, Well, they wouldn't move though, again that was.

00:14:28
Speaker 1: The highest they'd go.

00:14:29
Speaker 3: They wouldn't move. Yeah, And so Bregman was like, well, I can get opt out or do you get this opt out deal with the Red Sox. And then he got his five one to seventy five, so we got six almost two hundred you count the one year in Boston.

00:14:42
Speaker 2: Yeah, two hundred plus and deferrals make it a little murky, but he got way whatever he got more. Yes, it's sometimes difficult to do the present day value on the fly like that when you're doing comps from past years.

00:14:52
Speaker 1: But regardless, yeah, he did better. He got what he wanted deal done.

00:14:57
Speaker 2: And actually when you look at it, it's not crazy, right, five one seventy five and there's deferrals there, So we'll figure out what the exact n.

00:15:04
Speaker 3: Hit we hit the Ballinger later in the show. I want to talk about some stuff too there just one could affect the other and how this just because we had a whole thing on this on Friday, Crawts, you were on, but I went on a little bit about Bellinger and what, you know, what his market might look like. And I've talked to some people and it's been clarified a little bit for me. So we'll see how Bregman affects Bellinger. Talk about it.

00:15:24
Speaker 1: But for Bregman, no trade clause, no opt outs. This is it good?

00:15:31
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's it, Fred and seventy five million Alex. This is it baby, all right?

00:15:37
Speaker 2: So what's next? Who is next to sign? Will it be the Yankee signing Cody Bellinger?

00:15:42
Speaker 1: Not?

00:15:43
Speaker 2: According to Buster Only, He said the Yankees are now operating under the assumption that Bellinger is going to sign elsewhere.

00:15:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, posturing by the Yanks to be like, well, that's it.

00:15:57
Speaker 3: They just they have a five year deal on the table and now they're like, oh, he's not taking it, so we're gonna move on.

00:16:03
Speaker 2: Yeah, we think it's five thirty and they're like, ugh, you don't appreciate it.

00:16:06
Speaker 3: Has not been offered a six year deal according to the Numeros sources, so maybe it's five. Okay.

00:16:11
Speaker 1: If it's not six, then it's four or five.

00:16:13
Speaker 3: Much right now? And I learned. I've learned a lot since we talked to Bellinger last time. First of all, I was told that the Bragman signings should open up the free some free agents signings other ones. Now there's a little bit more of an established market. Second of all, we had a whole conversation. I was like, if you go back this many years. You know, da da da da dad. What I was told is teams usually an agents only go back three the last three years for comps for comps.

00:16:36
Speaker 1: Now agents do that or teams do that?

00:16:38
Speaker 3: I think both both.

00:16:39
Speaker 1: Okay.

00:16:40
Speaker 3: So then the other thing that's interesting to me is you can make an argument, and certain people make this argument that Bellinger for the last three years has actually been better than Bragman. Andy's two years younger. I'm not saying that he gets more than Bragman, but I'm saying some people out there could think it could make You could make a case that he should get more than break What about the no longer? Don't you think that's where they year the seven years?

00:17:02
Speaker 1: Yeah, but Bregman also has a sauce to him.

00:17:04
Speaker 3: That I'm not I'm not. I'm just I'm just saying what people are saying.

00:17:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, I understand that, but agree or disagree Bregman and say Kyle Schwarber right in different ways a little bit, but have a certain sauce that people afies their value.

00:17:19
Speaker 3: I'm not going to the media and people in their clubhouse have come out and said Bregman makes everyone better, Charmer makes everybody better. So teams see this in the media repeatedly and they're like, Oh, he can make our team better, let's bring him in.

00:17:29
Speaker 1: I think that it.

00:17:31
Speaker 3: Matters because then if you have if there's a guy out there and like, oh, he doesn't really make anybody better, Oh, we don't want to touch him.

00:17:37
Speaker 1: Bellinger's cool. I gat he's not. We know everyone would say that.

00:17:41
Speaker 3: No, but he's better defensively. Yeah, he earns a lot of his war defensively. He's better defensively than look at his war, B war, D war, whatever it is.

00:17:51
Speaker 1: I mean, different positions.

00:17:53
Speaker 3: But it doesn't matter who had a higher war last year, Bregman or Bellinger Bellinger.

00:17:58
Speaker 2: Okay, Bregman also played a hundred and what fourteen games and how many?

00:18:02
Speaker 3: But he had almost a two war less one three point five to five point Wait.

00:18:05
Speaker 1: Wait, way close, Okay, I'm sorry.

00:18:10
Speaker 3: I mean Bellinger over the last three years nine point nine twelve point one.

00:18:17
Speaker 1: Wait.

00:18:17
Speaker 2: I just want to document history right now. I am on a different side of the coin.

00:18:22
Speaker 3: Here they had about the same war.

00:18:24
Speaker 1: AJ is calculating war.

00:18:26
Speaker 3: I'm just saying this is how teams look at it. Ops plus one twenty eight one sixteen one twenty two for Bregman and for Bellinger one thirty nine to eleven. Better for Bellinger last three year. I'm just going last three years. I'm not Plus he plays center field, Plus he can play first base. Plus he'll steal your bases. I'm not listen. I'm not making the argument one's better than the other. I'm just saying the way I was told for people. This is how market teams and agents look at it, and they say, well, if the market for Bellinger or for Bregman is five five, you can make an argument Bellinger is actually better. He should get more, longer, longer term, and more.

00:19:04
Speaker 2: Who do you want over the next five years? I mean, it's a show. We have to do it all. Who do you guys want over the next five years? I take Bregman both. No, you can't do that.

00:19:13
Speaker 3: I can't tell me what I can and can't do.

00:19:15
Speaker 1: Okay, fine, But if you're upstaining, then you're obstaining krats.

00:19:19
Speaker 4: Who am I? Who am I putting? What team am I putting him on? Am I putting?

00:19:24
Speaker 1: Yeah?

00:19:25
Speaker 2: But you guys are doing defensive fits like, oh, he's a better defender than him, Like they're playing two different positions.

00:19:31
Speaker 3: We're supposed to be equal, though, Scott, at your end, all be.

00:19:33
Speaker 2: All stat Okay, so you have an opening in the outfield and at third base.

00:19:38
Speaker 3: Which team, which which park and which team because parking matters.

00:19:45
Speaker 4: Bellinger doesn't need to be the Alex Bregman of the team because they have judge. So to me, Bellinger is more valuable to the Yankees. So I take Bellinger if you're making me choose, I love I love breg I think I think Bregman to the Red Sox is more valuable than Bregman to the Cubs. People are gonna be like, what does that even mean? You're an idiot, But to me, it's all based on how if you're using that like intangible Kyle Schwarber, Alex Bregman. They got the sauce, like you said, Scott, that plays at different places. That is a if there's already an established leader on the team that plays at different places, and maybe the Cubs needed that guy. We just heard that maybe Nico Horner was probably that guy for them, or you know, Danzy Swanson is that guy, whatever it is. But I think your your sauce fits on a team a certain team differently and I think breg I think Bellinger's ability to back up Ben Rice at first base if he goes to catch a few games, gives him versatility. The fact that he can play center field. If Trent Grisham has a down year, something happens, they're slotting a center fielder into field, and he doesn't if he lacks that Bregmann leadership or Swarber leadership, which is rare, elite type of leadership that we hear.

00:21:08
Speaker 1: In the game.

00:21:10
Speaker 3: Judge has already got that.

00:21:11
Speaker 4: Judge is already the guy, and he's not going to step on Judge's toes.

00:21:15
Speaker 2: It's a good explanation, and I want to double down. I like Cody Bellinger, and I think he's worth thirty million dollars per year. We did this exercise on Friday together. We were like, if the Yankees are not offering him five years, shame on them. Yes, if Belly's asking for seven, I don't know if anyone else is going to give him seven at that rate, that's just my guess.

00:21:36
Speaker 1: We don't know everything. And then six we were like, Okay, I can see.

00:21:39
Speaker 3: That we also didn't have the Bregmann contract. Now to look at either sure and I know they're different players, different positions at the ages, but I'm just saying, if you're younger, if everyone's if you go back and look say numbers, it changes.

00:21:50
Speaker 2: Six at one thirty. Didn't we literally said six at thirty or one eighty, And I think everyone's happy, didn't we say that?

00:21:56
Speaker 3: Yeah? Yeah, nobody's gotten to six yet. Then, so then if they say it's listen Bellinger, then if that's all you got, you gotta take it, right.

00:22:06
Speaker 2: If that's all you have, you got to take it. But if you've got some other team lurking Cubs just did with the Red Sox.

00:22:12
Speaker 3: Well, the Cubs have always been a rumored team for Bragman. It's not like they just came out. We had always said, oh, Bregman would fit last year. Remember we said, oh Bregman wuld fit nicely on the Cubs. We said that last year and the Tigers and the Tigers, and the Tigers definitely weren't pulling that trigger in the Cubs we didn't think would either. Yeah, right, so then but then after time, I mean, listen, the Tigers.

00:22:30
Speaker 1: Did pull the trigger. They just came up short on last year.

00:22:33
Speaker 3: Not this year. But then this year but then for Bregman this year with the Cubs, like everyone again it goes back to every Red Sox fan just assumed he's going to be a Red Sox again.

00:22:44
Speaker 1: Okay, so then they missed.

00:22:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, so we're trying to figure out the place for him, and it does still feel like the Yanks, and so they're just having a good old fashioned stare down right now.

00:22:54
Speaker 1: There's other spots.

00:22:55
Speaker 3: I mean, that'd be great on the Angels.

00:22:56
Speaker 1: Angels would be big. Oh my gosh, they Met's Angels. Met's is a fit. Yeah, shake it up.

00:23:02
Speaker 2: All right, we're gonna get to some quick hitter news. So let's start with Freddie Freeman actually dropping out of the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada for personal reasons. I mean, what are the reasons, I don't know. But also Freddy's in the playoffs every year, he's getting up there. I mean, I know, you want a reference your thing that's fair dying to go back in fairness, I can say this with confidence. Team Canada is not winning a World Baseball Classic. I know that's not in a great excuse, and you want to see Freddy there. But two years ago I was going through the ankle I don't know. You never know what someone's going through, and he wants to be geared up for the Dodgers this year to try and repeat.

00:23:42
Speaker 3: How is Jamison Taian Canadian?

00:23:44
Speaker 1: What do you mean?

00:23:45
Speaker 3: He just is born He's from Houston. He is born in Florida.

00:23:53
Speaker 1: Wasn't he born in Lakeland?

00:23:55
Speaker 3: Yeah? I mean Lakeland's not I mean a metropolis, but it's also not Canada.

00:24:04
Speaker 1: You did your homework on that.

00:24:07
Speaker 3: I think he played. I think he played. I mean he was.

00:24:09
Speaker 4: He was with that like original crew of really good start, like Francis ty On and then uh like Filipo Mont like they had some Ryan Dempster, LaRue well after Dempster, but Chris LaRue like all those guys.

00:24:28
Speaker 2: This is I think the same connection that Freddie Freeman has because Freddy never lived in his parents his parents, and for Jamison, his mother is Canadian, so there was no living in.

00:24:38
Speaker 1: Living in is not a requirement.

00:24:40
Speaker 3: I just didn't know what the connection was there. So good for him, Liten, you get to play and if you're not going to be in USA, I mean Freddie probably maybe could have been on USA, but he's also said I'm playing for Canada. The last two times, so he was definitely someone the Canadians were counting on. Good for Freddy whatever, we'll ask him when we go to Dodger camp.

00:24:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, huge blow to the Canadian team obviously.

00:25:00
Speaker 3: Then he went.

00:25:02
Speaker 4: Ernie WIT's been a manager for Team Canada for every year for WBC. For the qualifiers, Ernie went Larry Walker, two Stalwarts, and uh and Leaper Leaper the third base coach for the Padres, and then Stubby Clap Canadian legends.

00:25:23
Speaker 2: Well, Canada's got a good right now with baseball, so they might not win the WBC, but the Blue Jays are looking damn good.

00:25:30
Speaker 1: All right, let's do quick hitter signings.

00:25:32
Speaker 2: I'm gonna start with Ryan Stanek going to the Saint Louis Cardinals.

00:25:38
Speaker 3: Like me, okay, I mean, well, good for Ryan Stannick.

00:25:40
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's coming off.

00:25:41
Speaker 3: It's gonna have a down year for Him's gonna happen. He's gonna go out and ball out and in July they're gonna be like, hey, Ryan, you're going to a new.

00:25:46
Speaker 2: Tea Bingo one year, three and a half million and a six million dollar club option for the year after.

00:25:51
Speaker 1: That's actually big.

00:25:52
Speaker 2: I mean, if you performed well he could be worth that number, but yeah, he's coming off again.

00:25:57
Speaker 1: I know Ja is not the end.

00:25:58
Speaker 2: All, be all for for reliever, but it was one of his worst year's era wise, five three zero. The walks were up, but stuff wise, there's still a lot to light there. I mean, the big fastball, splitter, a couple breaking balls that play. So the Cardinals have actually had some success with this. Philm Ayton last year, this is we.

00:26:16
Speaker 3: You should do if you're not trying to win, which the Cardinals have kind of said, we're not really trying to win. Right, You go out and you sign these veteran guys to cheaper deals, and then you trade them at the deadline and you get something back. Maybe that person helps you this year, next year, two years from now. And they said, man, we got this guy for Ryan Stannick for those three months where we had Ryan Stannick.

00:26:35
Speaker 2: It's exactly what you should be doing if you're the Cardinals and you're in rebuild mode. Next up, the Cincinnati Reds woke up this off season after falling asleep post losing the Kyle Schwarber sweepstakes, and they signed Pierce Johnson one year, six and a half million Bucks great for the Reds bullpen to strengthen it a little bit. They also brought back Amelia Pagan, so the Reds bullpen should be strong. They've done a really nice job in terms of pitch talent. You know, it's something that you thought you'd never see, right, there were times in life where you'd watch the Reds and be like, damn, I mean, you just it's so difficult in that ballpark. All the pitchers get lit up, and you're like, all right, maybe the ballparks changed and maybe like in terms of you know, how the baseball is playing there. But also this team is I think put a pretty strong emphasis on improving their pitching, not I mean development, of course, but also craps just spending more on pitching, drafting, pitching very consistently. Right the famous move of Chase Burns over Charlie Condon, which might turn out really well for them. So thoughts on the Reds doing a little high leverage reliever ad here.

00:27:43
Speaker 4: This I mean, I love the high leverage reliever ad every every team needs it. They had a taste of the playoffs, so you know you need that when it comes down to it, and you got to find somebody you got to find somebody that's like, ah, you know, this guy didn't work as a starter, so we threw him in the pen and he became our third guy. If you have Pegan and you have Pierce Johnson and then you have that guy, now you have a three headed beast at the end. But they started this back in two thousand and nineteen after the eighteen season, when they brought Derek Johnson over. You talk about a team the Reds, who you're like, oh, you said it, Scott can't. Nobody can pitch in Cincinnati. It's too small. No pitchers want to get there. They went out and they got, in my opinion, one of the best pitching coaches available, and in DJ Derek Johnson, who was the pitching coach for the Brewers, and they said, we're going to give you. The industry gives out whatever two year deals to pitching coaches. They gave him an extra year. Like they went above and beyond in an area where it was like, oh, it's a weakness to be you know, have some good pitching in Cincinnati. And since then they've kind of build it to what it is. You've gotten a lot of value out of the extension. That you signed from Hunter Green. He seems to like he seems to be taking the next step. Can they continue that? To me if they do continue it, because they have over the last three years of just slightly increasing and changing and making adjustments, each pitcher getting better and better. And then finally the offense, which I thought was going to be the part of the organization that carried them. Maybe some of those guys step up, those young guys that everyone's so much promise had this year this injury. Now they got to come back, steroid use all that stuff. They should score runs, But right now they're just run prevention.

00:29:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're about short in my mind, from feeling really good. And maybe they continue to play the song and dance with the White Sox over Luis Robert. Maybe there's someone else there involved. And you always see that connection with those two where clearly they're not in line, and I'm betting they're not in line, more on the money side than the prospect side, but trying to improve at the margins. If there's one thing you know Pierce Johnson can do, it's sling a curveball. Yeah, he's at i mean now two years of about three quarters of his pitches the curve, so you like the bride and of the bullpen.

00:30:11
Speaker 1: If you need a curveball guy, you got him.

00:30:14
Speaker 4: Are we supposed to Are we supposed to look at the Red lineup and go, yes, all these guys are just mediocre.

00:30:21
Speaker 3: One point two to one point you.

00:30:25
Speaker 4: Know, five win players or one hundred and seven ops plus, Like when is O'Neil cruz gonna take the next step? Is mcclean's surgery The injury had to his shoulder, the.

00:30:37
Speaker 1: One that's say, what did I say, O'Neill?

00:30:43
Speaker 3: I meant Elliot.

00:30:46
Speaker 1: Yep.

00:30:46
Speaker 4: But you know, Spencer Steer has always been the guy.

00:30:50
Speaker 3: T J.

00:30:50
Speaker 4: Friedel's a guy that drives in a ton of runs, kind of more of an unassuming player. Noelvi Marte made some beautiful plays in right field last year as he made that transition. Is where his numbers before inflated because the steroids like, I don't think there's an organization. I don't think there's a position player corps that's as young and underachieving as the Reds, probably not to the extent of like the Orioles. The Orioles, you know, they have a great young core that you're like all right, these guys need to take the next step too. But in that in that case, you know, Gunnar Henderson's has taken the next step. Gunner Henderson's proven he can be a star. Who in this reds Cores can prove that they're gonna be a star or are they all just kind of like Ellie where it's like so much, so much potential, but nobody wants to take that next step.

00:31:44
Speaker 1: Solid players.

00:31:45
Speaker 3: They of course, it would be nice to see him. I know they tried for Shorebert Bushit or Bellinger or somebody like that, just a veteran guy that could really do some damage. It won't happen, but they found a way because they said, oh, Schwarbur would help us sell tickets. Well, so Boba shit and so Cody, why would.

00:32:02
Speaker 4: He help sell tickets because he's there? Because he went, I mean, what are you gonna get. You're gonna get to local, you know, Cincinnati High School Local night? You sell an extra thirty tickets? Like, I think that's a if, that's if that's really what they're saying to me. I think that's a tired excuse. He's gonna help the team because of all the things I just mentioned. They have a good young core that he's gonna get these dudes to be, Like, I don't want to say be out there every day because like that's not fair to that team to say, oh, they don't want to be out No. I think guys Ellie played through injuries last year, Matt McLean was coming back from his shoulder surgery. Like, there's a lot of things. I just think. I just think there is that piece, and I think Schwerber would have been an awesome piece to add to that. But some of these guys need to step up. And I think if they do step up and they hit closer to their potential, I think the Reds are dangerous even in the central with Bregman.

00:32:59
Speaker 1: Go to the Cubs. Good call. Let's hit hot Corner.

00:33:06
Speaker 2: On Friday at three two pm, two minutes after Vowel Territory Live ended, we received a press release that Max Kepler has been suspended eighty games for ped usage. He is a free agent, as John Hammond noted Captain obvious, this will not help.

00:33:25
Speaker 1: His free agency.

00:33:27
Speaker 2: He tested positive for something that I don't even know how to pronounce, so you can go online and look up more on it. We're not going to do science territory. That show doesn't come out until June of twenty twenty seven. But in all seriousness, not good for the player.

00:33:45
Speaker 3: No, no, not good Nope, pen I mean now a team will be like, hey Max, we'll sign you for one year, one million, and no, by the way, you lose half of that before you start. I mean that's basically what he's gonna have to do and then suck it up for eighty games. He was, you know what he was hoping. He was hoping he would sign before this news broke A lah jerks and Profar Right.

00:34:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, but Profar, you think tested? I think that.

00:34:11
Speaker 2: I don't know what the timing that's that's at again again, I don't know the timing the league will give. I mean they're probably not. I don't know how it all goes behind the scenes. But if somebody did test positive, I feel like a team would.

00:34:22
Speaker 1: Know about it. Is that what you know?

00:34:24
Speaker 3: Absolutely not?

00:34:26
Speaker 2: So then you would just sign him and then find out, Hey, surpriseps.

00:34:31
Speaker 3: They don't know.

00:34:32
Speaker 4: Team knows nothing about it. Even if you're on a team, team knows nothing about it. You're the first one, only one. So anytime it's ever released beforehand appealing or anybody that's been released by the player, so there's no they could have signed them. They could have signed them. And then they've been like, wait, you knew about this to me this timing. It was an off season test. And we might talk about Andrew mccutchon's offseason test before, but this because you always get an appeal process.

00:35:02
Speaker 1: You get in.

00:35:03
Speaker 4: Whether whether players take it or not, you know, that's that's up to them, whether they want to fight it. No, it was I went to Mexico, I had a steak. I didn't do it. I don't know who knows what he did, but they they are the only ones to know. Teams do not know. The league does not know. Players Association does not know. I think the players Association is actually the second maybe they're the second one notified, but I know the teams do not know.

00:35:36
Speaker 1: Y'all.

00:35:37
Speaker 3: Steak in Mexico it gets me every time, and that's I need steaks in Mexico.

00:35:43
Speaker 1: Now I can have them. I don't care. That's me.

00:35:46
Speaker 3: But in all seriousness, listen, can we show the Andrew mccutch and stuff, because I find this this is the part.

00:35:51
Speaker 1: We can't talk about this at all anymore. That's it.

00:35:54
Speaker 3: Oh, I mean, what are you gonna say, mex number, don't cheat, you got caught. Bang, that's it. People in chatter, I don't know his numbers, saying numbers went way up in July, so maybe that was it. But anyways, this is what happens if this was an off season test. I don't know Krafts. I'm sure he got tested in the off season. But they call you and they say, hey, are you home, and you're like, uh no, when will you be home? And you say an hour. They'll be like, all right, there'll be some of your house in an hour. Or if you're out of town, you're like, I'll be home on January fifteenth, and they're to be like, all right, there'll be a guy there to test you.

00:36:24
Speaker 1: Like right here go, I said, nothing like the CDT, which is the testing coming to my house on a Sunday. I got five kids in church.

00:36:34
Speaker 2: But let's get that urine sample real quick, UNC, and then you give us more update. I didn't give enough of the year in sample. So I'm currently outside in this Pittsburgh weather shirtless to see if that will speed this process up.

00:36:48
Speaker 1: I live for this update. That worked.

00:36:53
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm in.

00:36:55
Speaker 1: You have to let them know if you're well.

00:36:56
Speaker 3: They call you. So you get a number they you get this random phone call and they'll be and they'll say, oh, this is CDT blah blah blah. Are you home. And if you say yes, they say, okay, well there'll be a guy at your house or a girl. There'll be a CDT agent at your house in the next forty five minutes. Or if you say no, I'm out of town, I'm on vacation. I'll be home Tuesday at eight o'clock, they'll be like, all right, there'll be someone there at eight thirty. I remember one time at my house the guy showed up at like seven in the morning and I had breakfast for him. I'm like, you want some donuts and some coffee while we're sitting because when you wake up, you pee. Most people wake up when they urinate when they get we have to wake up. So then you're like, all right, well, how do I get this to get right? So you gotta start drinking water and you just got to sit there because the guy just sits there and watches it. In your house, he's just like sitting at a counter like so.

00:37:47
Speaker 1: You guys share some donuts and coffee, and then I.

00:37:50
Speaker 3: Mean, what are you gonna drink too much? You can't go anywhere drink too much?

00:37:55
Speaker 1: Too much?

00:37:55
Speaker 4: What because it couldn't It could get diluted. If you can't pee enough, then you drink too much, and the samples too diluted. The one time they got, they got me in the afternoon, and every time I would go work out, I work out from I drop my kids off at school, work out from eight to eleven, and I would drink a gallon of water while I was working out. My pea's pretty clear. The guy calls. I'm like, okay, he comes over early afternoon. Nope, sorry, sample's too clear. Stop drinking. They'll stop drinking, but you need more pea. So I'm supposed to be dehydrated. I got one time I got the samp, the CDT guy, and they had to coordinate. Somebody'd come and take my blood at the same time, so they had two people sitting in my house taking blood, taking pea. Another time I was on a I was in a at a conference out in uh Colorado Springs. Beautiful hotel ran on the lake. I'm not even sure what the hotel was called five star hotel. This dude's got to come to the got to come to the either public bathroom. Because they called me and they're like, are you home. I was like no, I'm in Colorado Springs and they said, well, we need to come and visit you in your hotel. So I'm at this conference with my wife, Professional Athletes Outreach it was called, and they were like, well, can we go into the public bathroom in the hotel. I was like no, I'm not going into a bathroom with another dude. So we went up to my hotel room and I'm in my hotel room and I'm like, why am I in my hotel room with a drug testing guy? Like what is this happening? Like what is going on? So yeah, they're everywhere and they'll find you. They will find you. They called me after I quit. Yeah, they called me after I quit. They were like, hey, we're gonna come to your house.

00:39:49
Speaker 3: Are you home.

00:39:50
Speaker 4: I was like I quit, playing longest pause ever. The woman on the phone was like, all right, that was it. She ain't got the news.

00:40:05
Speaker 2: Do you want to know why you were in a bathroom in your hotel room with a tester? Max Kepler Jerkson profar, let's go down the line. This is why because they catch.

00:40:18
Speaker 3: But see here's what people used to do. And this is something that needs also be said, is what the the reason why they have the dilution test and all that is what guys would do is when they were doing things, and then they stopped allowing you to go in the hot tub, and they stopped allowing you to going to the cold tub because guys were doing stuff, and then they would drink but they would be like, oh, I don't have to pee. They go, well, I got to get my work done. Postgame, they go in the hot tub, they go in the cold tub, they drink a ton of water, and they'd pee in the hot in the cold tub until and they just keep drinking water. I can't pee, I can't pee, I can't pete. And then it would come out to where it was clear and it was too diluted to test, and they'd be like, okay, well you can't test today or too diluted. And that's how they would get that's how the guys got past these things. So now they banned you post game from going in the hot tub in the cold tub because they're like Nope, you got a pee and you got a p first before. These dudes follow you everywhere. They're their pregame. They follow you everywhere you go. They're right behind you on the field, they watch you on the field, they watch you come in.

00:41:14
Speaker 2: They're heroes though, because they have saved so many hot tubs and cold tubs from being just yellow piss nastiness.

00:41:23
Speaker 4: No people would drain them. You knew if the hot tubs were drained in the middle of the day that that's what was going on. Somebody was trying to clear their system. Saw it plenty of times. I saw pictures go out to the bullpen. The the guy can't go into the bullpen, so he watches you and they would go out to the bullpen and they would pee in the bullpen bathroom. They would make they would make the the testing guys stay all day long and look like people are all talking talking about the fact that he hit two sixteen, like he's on steroids.

00:41:56
Speaker 3: You know that those steroids sucked all that stuff.

00:41:59
Speaker 4: Or maybe he hit two sixteen and he was like, I don't want to do that again, and he was looking for a performance and answer.

00:42:05
Speaker 2: Then yeah, do you guys start to think, oh, how long has this been going on? When you hear about this, I'm trying to get the.

00:42:12
Speaker 3: Players has been going on. It's been going on since forever.

00:42:15
Speaker 2: With the individual person, Like, oh, when he shows up to camp, if he signs a deal, is everybody going to be like, well, I'm looking back that that.

00:42:23
Speaker 1: Twenty nineteen when he took off.

00:42:26
Speaker 3: You know what, it's always a question happened. It's always a question now forever, but forever. Rob I look at the biggest example of well a Rod we all know in his whole thing, Like when did he start? You know he says, oh, I only hit five homers. I'm like, oh god, dude, Like I know people that said you were doing them way back way back in the day, right, so you never know, Robinson Cano. That's a big thing with Robinson Cano, like, oh, he tested positive in Seattle, but was he doing them with a Rod back in New York. It's we're not blaming or accusing anybody, but those are questions that are asked now kind of like especially players, right, players are like this guy doing these because this back then we don't know. So it's always going to be there once you test positive and it sucks, but don't don't do drugs kids.

00:43:10
Speaker 4: But it also, I mean, it's also it's just as applicable as anything else in life. Very rarely does somebody get caught for a DUI. The very first and only time they went had some drinks and they went and dropped drove like you've been testing the limit for a little while. Like the guys that I the guys that I know that have tested positive for steroids were not one time offenders. They had snuff, especially now, especially now with all that we know about masking agents and everything, and always being ahead of the testing, the testing, trying to keep up all that stuff they're skirting by. Nobody ever tests me, like I live in this place. Nobody ever tests. You know, I'm here, like I'm willing to take the chance for what a kepler get ten million dollars until all the money is taken away from guys who test positive, You're always going to have it out there. And as soon as so many tests positive, Scott, your question was, do you think it's you know, it was more than that. Yeah, I do, I do, And I think my view has come way down from when you know two thousand and eight two thousand and nine, where everybody that had a career year, I was like, hmm, career year, came into camp best shape of his life, twenty pounds bigger. I'm like, I'm grinding away in the weight room, no weight change, no like body change like that, and these dudes come in and they're just completely different units. Yeah, Like that was that was what I thought all the time, and I voiced it before with Jackson Profar, like, you just don't gain, Like there's anomalies in the sport, but those anomalies are like dudes who make swing changes at twenty two not at thirty in your platform, and then you get fifty million dollars.

00:45:04
Speaker 1: Right.

00:45:04
Speaker 2: It causes suspicion and that's why as funny as some of the processes, it's important for the game wise, even more dudes would be doing it.

00:45:13
Speaker 1: And Ryan in the chat said, WHOA, WHOA are we.

00:45:15
Speaker 2: Listening to two former players picking up on suspicious things teammates did to avoid failing a DREADS test.

00:45:21
Speaker 1: Is that enabling cheating? Then?

00:45:23
Speaker 2: I don't think everybody's locked into to YouTube right now, being like I gotta get tips from Krafts and AJ on what they saw their teammates doing.

00:45:32
Speaker 1: I don't think it's it's that far making like.

00:45:35
Speaker 4: He was he saying that I enabled it because one of my teammates, oh decisions. I think that's what he's saying is I should have turned my teammate in for for what, Like there was other things that guys took, not just steroids, like that they wanted to get out of their system, Like they're testing for more than just steroids. So like that's like if I make am I making like judgments based on what my teammates are doing, Like you saw it and you went about your career, you knew that other guys were doing it. I told the story before here. I knew one of my ex teammates. He gave me his he gave me his apartment, and my wife went and got groceries while I was on the road. She got back and started putting them in our new apartment in our fridge, and there was HGH vials in the I mean, the the syringes were in the refrigerator. Like, was I supposed to turn in my ex teammate who wasn't on the team anymore because he was taking HGH? Like I don't think that I'm not supposed to do that, am.

00:46:44
Speaker 1: I not your job?

00:46:45
Speaker 3: No, listen, there's one you want to I tell you what you want to lose faith in all your teammates really fast talk about things that are happening in a clubhouse, on the road whatever, like they nobody's business. It's not. It's not, it's not. And it also unless I actually see somebody injected themselves and I know exactly what's in the the needle and all that, I don't know what they're doing. They could be diabetic and they got to get some I don't.

00:47:18
Speaker 1: Know what they're playing.

00:47:19
Speaker 3: I don't know. You can't. It's like, okay, it's like when I do a game for Fox, right, someone gets hurt. I don't speculate on what they hurt because I don't know, and I don't want to be wrong right, because I remember we did a game not long ago. I did a game and our stat guy had heard that so and so broke their arm, and the Telly by play guy goes, oh, they broke their arm, and I'm like, no, they didn't. Like let's you can't. You just can't speculate on that kind of stuff because you don't know.

00:47:45
Speaker 1: YEA, not with the medicals, medicals.

00:47:48
Speaker 3: And I don't know guys are doing. And you know what, it's none of my business what people are doing.

00:47:53
Speaker 2: No, no, And it's just not your job. I mean the league's job. That's the point of the league. And I mean this is a joint thing, the league and the player side. They come up with an agreement on who's going to police this, and then there are paid professionals and the organization gets paid a lot of money, the CDT to.

00:48:09
Speaker 1: Regulate all of this stuff.

00:48:11
Speaker 2: All right, anyway, I want to get to two more things quick here too well moves. Tyler Kinley signs with the Braves one year. I was just getting rid of all of the weekend news. Here on my checklist four point twenty five million And for Kinley, Brave fans were shocked that they let him go.

00:48:32
Speaker 1: They declined the option. It was for five point five million.

00:48:36
Speaker 2: And this actually plays to Kratz's whole collusion thing because like the teams, they all have like the same figures on what the guy's worth. So they let him go and then they're like, we'll be able to get him for a little bit less, and they did. I'm not blaming the Braves I'm just saying that's how the whole system is. Everybody probably has him at the same number, and then he hits the free agent market and gets signed. So good for the Braves. He was lights out with Atlanta. He was traded to them at the deadline. He had an O seven to two ERA in twenty four appearances out of the bullpen with more breaking ball usage, slider curve.

00:49:12
Speaker 1: He was vac.

00:49:14
Speaker 3: He was gonna.

00:49:15
Speaker 4: I thought he was gonna be one of the big pieces at the trade deadline and the and the Braves got him because I went to the gate he was lights out for the Rockies and I was actually at the game. I think he gave up in Boston. I think he gave up like five or six runs. I remember telling my son, who was sitting next to me, I was like, this guy could be a huge, huge trade piece because he's having a great year. He looked over at me after he gave up a bunch of runs and I was he was like, ooh, sorry, Like I didn't jink him, but he had.

00:49:45
Speaker 3: A really good year.

00:49:46
Speaker 4: I know you're gonna look at the numbers from Colorado and you'd be like, but so another great another great pickup. Don't don't forget Atlanta gets their job, gets a lot of their free agency stuff done early. They have put together a banger of a bullpen right now. And to go with that, starting rotation should be healthy this year and that position player corps.

00:50:10
Speaker 3: Don't don't sleep on the braves.

00:50:13
Speaker 1: Mm hmm. They'll have I mean a little chip.

00:50:16
Speaker 2: It was a rough year for them, no playoffs, and uh, they brought in Robert Tuirez. Rice Eglesis is back. But it's a good looking bullpen right now. And then lastly, Jake McCarthy traded from the Diamondbacks to the Rockies. He'll get playing time.

00:50:31
Speaker 3: Mm hm.

00:50:33
Speaker 2: He's had some moments, yeah, and then he kind of fell out of favor. You know, he lost some pt this past year with the d Backs. But you know, it's kind of like a make it or break it situation. He had a really down season and then only ended up going let's see two hundred and twenty two played apartment.

00:50:47
Speaker 3: You need a good year. Colorado's a good plays as an offensive player.

00:50:50
Speaker 1: It is so good for him find it again that I.

00:50:53
Speaker 3: Don't think I'm the Diamondbacks. So they were like, okay, trade them, you know, trade them in the division. Get find the one place to play nice nice chocolate joke Arizona.

00:51:01
Speaker 2: He said two good years, twenty two and twenty twenty four were two solid seasons, So we'll see if he can find it again. Still, what is he twenty This will be his age twenty eight season. He's twenty eight, so there's a little best.

00:51:14
Speaker 3: Left on left.

00:51:16
Speaker 4: At one point in twenty four he was one of the best left on left hitters. And that's a really catapulted his year. I didn't look to see what it splits were last year, but it's a value that maybe he can take what he learned and if he gets every day at bats in Colorado, that can be how he catapults himself to, you know, to that next level that it looked like he was taken in twenty four. Not a lot of power guy, but just puts together ridiculous runs of at bats, line drop contact like left on left, right on right, it didn't matter.

00:51:53
Speaker 1: Let's slap.

00:52:07
Speaker 2: Dodgers' territory is coming up in two minutes live on the FT Network on their own YouTube channel. They do good numbers over there. Even if you're a hater and you want to see what's going on. One topic we didn't get to today that maybe we'll get you tomorrow, the Kyle Tucker Sweepstakes. It appears that the Dodgers are going up against the Blue Jays and the Mets. That's what Jim Yukatt said, and that's what some other insiders have been talking about. So we'll see what the Dodgers or what Dodgers' territory says Katie woot new addition to the Dodgers' territory. Team will be on that show in one minute Hot Sheet with me and the Baseball America crew coming up after that at three point thirty Eastern time, and stay tuned to that show is going to move to a different time slot soon.

00:52:53
Speaker 1: And Kratz hats.

00:52:56
Speaker 4: Well, the Chicago Bears must be the raining NFL World champions right. Oh wait, no, it's the Eagles. So it's fun. It's like, just take it, just take it off season, It's totally fun. Ever since a j Man to Chicago, the only team that's ever won a championship is the is the White Sox and Cubs. So good for the Cubs making a move. That's why were my Cubs hat today. They're a big market team, big market city.

00:53:24
Speaker 1: See where the Bears go this year, Baseball City.

00:53:28
Speaker 3: They went further than the Eagles and they beat the this year. I was talking about this. I'm not here to talk about the past.

00:53:35
Speaker 2: But it's a baseball seat because that's what the titles are. One Yeah, baseball Baseball City. I think we all on that one thing, Baseball City, where the titles are one Baseball City. Guest list for the rest of the week on our way out here tomorrow, Ken Rosenthal, Craig Stammon, and Rowdy Telez Wednesday. Sean Armstrong, Mason Miller, and Grayson Rodriguez are scheduled for Thursday.

00:53:59
Speaker 1: Ken's back on Friday, him a fill in the rest of those.

00:54:00
Speaker 3: Time before we go we're talking about. I was at the Bears game. As everyone knows, dip Shit Derek if you watch Stranger Things, was on the sideline. He's like, he's like a young kid, and I wanted to meet him when I because I saw him and I I was kind of away from me a little bit, and I was like, if I go up to him, do I call him Dipshit Derek because that's his name in the show. Do you say, hey, you're dipshit Derek.

00:54:21
Speaker 1: You should say that, but like, is that is.

00:54:23
Speaker 3: That it's respectful, but like I don't know what his real name is. Hey, you're dipshit Derek.

00:54:28
Speaker 2: But that's like going up to half the music artists that have names, Like you don't have to say their real name, you just say what they are.

00:54:33
Speaker 3: But they're adults, Yeah, they're adults. Is a kid?

00:54:37
Speaker 1: See, I don't know what. I don't know he's he's an actual kid.

00:54:39
Speaker 3: It's not like, yeah, he's a kid. I mean he went he was delightful Derek for about five minutes, but then he went back to being a dipshit in the show.

00:54:45
Speaker 1: Wow. See, I know nothing.

00:54:46
Speaker 3: It's the same everybody.

00:54:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, someone wanted me to say happy sleep but I can't say it Sleepier.

00:54:55
Speaker 1: They were like, I hope you say it to AJ today.

00:54:57
Speaker 3: I was like, too late, we made the rules.

00:54:59
Speaker 1: I can't do it.

00:55:00
Speaker 3: Someone said it to me today and I was like, John Hart. You know you guys know John Hart. Is he said Happy New Year?

00:55:05
Speaker 1: And you tell him John, I just I know you signed me back in the day. But on accepted, all right, we'll see it. Tuesday m