Braves sign Ha-Seong Kim, Uncertainty for Darvish, Edwin Díaz unveils LA v. NY negotiations, Nats ink Griffin, Cubs sign Thielbar

00:00:02
Speaker 1: I'm almost doing a double take when I'm looking at this list. Do you guys know how many teams are left to sign an MLB free agent like a major league free agent deal? I saw this from somebody who appears on the show sometimes. Aaron Gleaman posted this the other day, and then one of the four teams he posted just signed someone.

00:00:23
Speaker 2: So.

00:00:26
Speaker 1: Eighteen, there's only there's three left according to his tweet, that hadn't signed a major league free agent. One of them was the Twins. Aaron covers the Twins, so then we're down to three. I'm like, that's actually surprising that we're this in my mind early in the off season. I know this didn't used to be early in the off season, but nowadays, scrats, we are early in the off season and everybody but three teams has already signed a free agent.

00:00:50
Speaker 2: This has to be early in the off season because the Braves are done all their lifting. The Braves are always the first one. Alex Anthopolos is like, I'm pouncing. I'm trying to think of the three teams. I'm trying to think of.

00:01:03
Speaker 1: You got to play the game where you go down the line right like it's now the Cubs have signed some relievers, including philm Mayton. Oh, just go down the line. Yeah, Like, let's start, because I'll give you a hint on one of the teams. So one of the teams is in the National League East. We're going to talk about the Braves in a moment. We know that the Mets signed Polanco the other day. Who do you got?

00:01:22
Speaker 3: The Marlins, Nats.

00:01:26
Speaker 1: The Washington Nationals. The Marlins signed Morel and I think they might have signed someone else, But the Washington Nationals are one of the three teams. We have two others. Just in terms of not taking up forty minutes on this, I'll give you the next division. The AL East has a team without a major league free agent signing. Yet the Yankees signed to med Rosario and one or two others. I believe. We know the Oriols have done a lot of damage. We know the Blue Jays have made some moves.

00:01:55
Speaker 3: Red Sox the Red Sox, Red Sox, they made some trades. They made some trades though the right.

00:02:04
Speaker 1: Right, this is just signings. And then lastly, this team resides in the National League West.

00:02:12
Speaker 3: I think you nailed it, didn't you say the Mariners or the.

00:02:17
Speaker 1: No National League West.

00:02:19
Speaker 3: Rockies, Oh, Nationally West Rockies.

00:02:21
Speaker 4: That one's on a platter for us.

00:02:23
Speaker 1: That's why I saved that one for the last. The Rockies are figuring out. They're kind of like they were fighting in a cave and for twenty years and they were only hanging out with their same you know seven.

00:02:36
Speaker 3: They're waiting for the football season to be over. That's where they're getting their players.

00:02:41
Speaker 1: No, they're meeting new people. They're like, right, that's true. Actually that's a good point.

00:02:45
Speaker 3: I like that.

00:02:46
Speaker 1: Yeah, some of the Browns players, some of the failed Browns players are about to get baseball bats. But you know, they got out of their phone.

00:02:55
Speaker 4: They're like, this is do you think JD's gonna Do you think j D's gonna know? I mean Pd? You think PD's gonna call me?

00:03:04
Speaker 3: Oh, Paul, come on.

00:03:08
Speaker 1: Just don't sign Deshaun Watson too soon. Anyway, Let's do some not breaking news because we learned about it last night. But a little charge amound action on a nice little signing.

00:03:21
Speaker 2: Charge about.

00:03:25
Speaker 1: Kevin. A team that you recently spent some time with, the Atlanta Braves, does in fact like to get their off season shopping done early. It was very clear that they spent a little bit of money on Hassan Kim last year in a trade acquisition that didn't have a ton to do with competition. They were not going to make the playoffs last year at that point, very very unlikely. So they pick him up. They see him decline his sixteen million dollar option, his player option, and he's back for twenty million bucks on a one year deal. I mean that the shortstop market's basically empty this year. So what do you think for atl.

00:04:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it was a smart move dating back to last year claiming him off waivers. It's easy to kind of evaluate a guy from far, but when you're able to bring a guy into your room, your clubhouse, see how he worked, see how he kind of fits in with the group, because one thing about Alex is he loves quality people. He likes all the puzzle pieces to kind of fit. So a great signing. You know, they got a thin shortstop market, and you know, ever since Dansby's left there, you know, they were able to kind of patch it together with Orlando Arcia, who kind of just came out of nowhere and ran with the job. Was actually an all star for the Braves. And then kind of went back to who he was. So, I mean, you know, like me and Craftsy always talk about there's no such thing as a one year bad deal. So they go and get a shortstop, and you know, reading here, you know they say they want him to stay potentially longer after that. You know, when if there's anyone who has a track record of signing guys up before they get to free agency again, it's it's double a so good signing with him.

00:04:58
Speaker 2: Yeah, should have he should have signed up KP for a long term before he got rid of him. But that's a different day. Sorry, KP, you're on here. I'd be remiss if I didn't say that. But this Braves team is built on the extensions that they made, the fact that they have dudes that are supposed to bang. You don't need to add this massive DH, this massive hitting position player of some position. They've filled in already with with Yaz. They've filled in last year with Profar. They thought that was gonna be a good signing. This team is supposed to hit with their core. You are paying twenty million dollars as a Braves fan, you're gonna go, wait, what we're getting a guy who's a career below average OPS plus. I think his career at OPS plus is ninety seven. He's a career below average hitter and based on one season essentially was his best offensive season. But you are getting in my opinion, I think with Andre Semenez at shortstop, now you know you're he's one of the top three, if not top five, defensive shortstops in the game, and I think they got their eyes on that. And to pay twenty million dollars for a defensive shortstop is a little steep. So I love this for players because now you really just have to hit average if you are an elite defender. Before, if you're an elite defender at a premium position center catcher and shortstop, you're just looking. You're looking at your one year, one point five two point three million dollar deal. Hassem Kim has done a great job of kind of bumping that market, and he has to bet on himself. Unfortunately, he had a he had an injury. He had an injury two years ago at the end of the season that caused him to miss a lot of last year regain his value. It wasn't enough at bats regain his value. Now this year is the year. Hopefully now after this year he could still get that three year deal. And if you put it all together, it's a lot of money that's made so defensively.

00:07:03
Speaker 4: This is this is it. I think this buttons up everything that the braves need to do.

00:07:09
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00:07:14
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00:07:19
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00:09:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, a lot upside. I'm looking at his Baseball reference page here, and you know during his years where he didn't play full time and his bad years two point one two point six war his two years in San Diego that he was really really good five and a five point four, you know, So if you get somewhere in between that it's money well spent. But to Crossey's point, they the Braves just go out and make moves early, and they go out in these signings and sometimes they don't completely make sense. But I'm referring to the Mauricio Dubont signing. Is he going to be your every day shortstop?

00:09:33
Speaker 1: No?

00:09:33
Speaker 3: But to your point, Scott, if he does regress, they have a guy in Mauricio Dubont that they feel comfortable maybe stepping into the shortstop role, you know, down the stretch for a playoff run. But it's a one year deal if they able to, if they're able to get him back on track offensively, and knowing the hitting staff that they have there, they feel like, I feel like they're going to be able to do that for him. In all fairness, if they have the offensive production from their guys that are supposed to hit, he's gonna be hitting towards the bottle of the lineup anyway. So go out and play good defense, get on base, which he's always done. A pretty good job of getting on base. It's gonna be a great signing.

00:10:13
Speaker 2: On base and run. People forget like when dudes do shoulders. KP just had his shoulder surgically repaired. It affects running, It affects your sliding whatever that is. Obviously, it affects throwing, even if it's your lead front shoulder. It affects how it affects how you move around the field. He's coming off now, He's gonna have a full, healthy offseason. I said that yesterday. A full healthy off season is way different than a full healthy season, like where you can get to your peak strength, your peak speed, your peak everything, so that when the season hits, you hit the ground running, not June, you're healthy enough to jump into a big league season. I mean, you're telling this is a guy who is always going to walk over ten percent of his played appearances throughout his career. Stolen bases twelve, thirty eight, twenty two, and KP said he's going to hit seven, eighth, ninth in this batting order. Those at batch don't matter as much as the ones at the top, but what they do matter, and you see it in the playoffs because you're more keyed into one game and how like, oh the Superstars coming up, show hes coming up, Acunya's coming up. In a regular season, if you have a guy that controls the strike zone at the bottom of the order, it creates way more havoc on teams because now that walk rolls the lineup back over. You get a Kunya up one more time, you get Austin Riley up one more time, you get Matt Olsen up one more time. And that is where this team will succeed or they won't succeed. It's going to be obviously health. Last year they ran into too much health. But it's going to be in that lineup banging.

00:11:57
Speaker 1: Can I point out something that I thought was interesting? KP and curious to get your thoughts. Atlanta was not in it for basically the second half of the season, right, They just they were off to a slow start. They lost their starting staff. It wasn't the year for them. Their trade deadline was unconventional. Ryce ell Iglecias could have been dealt. They had asks. They didn't feel like the asks were that meaningful, right, like, what's your line? Is it a prospect where they're like, I don't even think this guy has any chance of making it, or such a low chance of making it, we'd like to keep Rice Cell in the same place. He doesn't have to move over the next couple months. We really want him back. Let's talk him into coming back. Let's acquire Kim because we're looking at the free agent shortstop market and we'd like to have one of them. We'd like to put one in. And now look what they do right with Dubon being able to play all over the place and Kim getting to step in for atl And it helped, like you said, to have him in the organization. You don't see that very often, and sometimes it can be criticized because people are like, you're out of it, get whatever you can. Why are you going to take on a couple million bucks of a player down the stretch. It worked.

00:13:05
Speaker 3: I mean, it's it's the human side that we never talked about, and I think that's what makes some general managers so good. And I had a similar experience with one of these teams that I played with behind me, I was on a team that was out of it leading into the trade deadline, and they called me up and said, hey, we don't really love the return of the package that is being offered for you. But if you want a chance to go somewhere else, we'll send you there. If you want a chance to just stay here and you know, finish your season here because you have a family and you're comfortable here and we value you being here, then you can stay. And they gave me the choice and I ultimately ended up staying put where I was at because my family was happy, I was enjoying what I was doing. I was having a pretty good year.

00:13:47
Speaker 1: You know.

00:13:47
Speaker 3: Part of it was I was hoping to get a chance to come back to that team the following year. That didn't happen. But that's the human side of it too, is if it's not going to move the needle and you have a chance to potentially go out and resign up guy like a Glacias because you gave him that option and the communication was very upfront, then go ahead and do it. But not everyone operates like that, and I think, you know, that's why you're able to get a guy like a Glacias to kind of potentially come back to the Atlanta Braves because maybe that was a conversation they had, you know, thinking outside the box, being like we're not going to the playoffs. But let's get this guy in the door. Let's see what he's about, because maybe he is our short step of the future, or at least for next year. So I love what the Braves do. I'm a huge fan of Alex. I think he's one of the best gyms in the game.

00:14:35
Speaker 4: Which team was it?

00:14:37
Speaker 3: One of these.

00:14:40
Speaker 4: Kp this one right here?

00:14:43
Speaker 3: The Angels, the Angels.

00:14:45
Speaker 4: Good for them, Yeah, Scotty conversation, Scotty.

00:14:50
Speaker 1: Good idea. Now, I just wanted to motion like a mind good idea. I like that. He pointed behind him, one of these Angels. There's two teams behind him. For anyone listening on the pod, he's got an Angels and a Mets UNI. But good for them. Good move.

00:15:02
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's what he said.

00:15:03
Speaker 1: That's what he said.

00:15:05
Speaker 4: That's what he said.

00:15:06
Speaker 1: That's what he said. Hey, guys, this might be it for you. Darvish. So he spoke on Monday through a translator interpreter, and he said, I'm not necessarily thinking about really pitching as I go through this rehab process right now. I don't have that in mind. I'm just trying to rehab my arm right now, and if I get the urge to come back. If I feel that I can stand on the mountain come back, then I will go for that. But I'll just leave it there for now. So he's got a contract running through twenty twenty eight. He's going to be out for next season. He's due to come back in twenty twenty seven. This is interesting on a couple fronts. Number One, from a fan perspective, KP. I'm sure fans want to see Darbish and you miss him as part of the rotation this year. All of that. On the other side, the Padres are going to be sold, They're gone through some lawsuit crap with who gets what, with the aftermath of Peter Sidler passing away, and if you Darvish is serious, he's going to have to give money back. I remember my friend and you guys know him, right, Ryan Dempster did this is one season with what Boston and Kratz is smirking. Did he not do that?

00:16:21
Speaker 2: Kratz, he did it, but let's make sure maybe there was a little bit different circumstances too than just say I don't want to play again.

00:16:31
Speaker 1: Okay, fair, But for Darbish, I mean you rarely see this. Is he going to give back KP a year, maybe more of money to just call it.

00:16:41
Speaker 3: I think he might. I mean, I appreciate the honesty. I mean, you know, as a as a fan, you're probably maybe a little bit upset because he is going to get paid to rehab this year. But you know, as a player, I mean, I appreciate his honesty. I mean, he he's it's been kind of a weird last couple of years for him. He's had some you know, absences away from the team for some personal reasons. We don't really know what was going on. He would go back to Japan for certain things. He's had an unbelievable career. If this is how he truly feels in his heart, and obviously going through an injury like Tommy John at his age, you know, with the amount of innings that he's pitched for as long as he's pitched, it can't be the easiest thing. And if that's where his heart's at and he feels like he's just gonna take it day by day, what I really like is I love seeing the videos of him catching his son throwing bullpens. So he might just be at that point of his life where, you know, his son or his family life is a little bit more important, and he's made a ton of money, and I know it's a lot of people are gonna be like, damn. And I'm sitting here thinking I would never get back the money because I didn't make as much money as him. But apparently he feels comfortable with the amount of money he's made that he's willing to maybe forgo the last two years of his career. But I appreciate the honesty, and I guess we'll just see what happens a year from now.

00:17:59
Speaker 1: One fan in the chat mentioning how Michael Kadyre did that? That was Micha LaVerdi. Do you guys remember Kadier did that? What for the last year of his contract. It's happened. It happens time to time, remember that.

00:18:13
Speaker 3: I mean, I I was with Kadier during Homer and DERBX and that kind of came up, you know, me just recently being retired, talking about kind of the transition I was making in my life, you know, leaving baseball, and he kind of talked to me about that story where he was at in his life, and he left a lot of money. I think it was like eleven or twelve million dollars on the table, but he felt like he had given everything he had to the game, that he wasn't going to be the type of player commanding a eleven or twelve million dollar deal as kids were at a certain age. I think he's got twin daughters, and I think he has a son who's actually going to be playing at North Carolina next year. So, you know, some people just you know, money's not everything to every person. It's a lot easier when you've made a ton of money to give up future earnings. I love when people just you know, knowing they've had enough, they've given enough to the game that there's other priorities in their life and they're able to walk away from some money. You know. Uh, Aaron, the Roachs did the same thing, you know, with the situation in White Sox spring training where his son wasn't was it the White Sox or is it the National at the time, Adam the Road, Sorry, Adam the Road? Sorry, Aaron. Yeah, yeah, but he felt like, you know, whatever money he was owed was not equal to the value that he he cherished the time with his son being able to bring him into spring training in the clubhouse and when they said no, he said no to the money. I'd rather there's not enough money in the world you could give me to separate me from this time that I have from with my son. So good for good for guys and people for being willing to do that.

00:19:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, and and everybody's everybody's situation is different, like Roachi.

00:19:55
Speaker 4: One of the reasons.

00:19:56
Speaker 2: Yes, obviously him and Kenny Williams kind of butted heads about the whole, like, you know, his son wasn't allowed to come in, and he's like, dude, I was in the clubhouse with my dad throughout his entire career. He's been in the clubhouse a year before. They didn't see eye to eye. But also there's something in the off season. You know, he had done some he had done some mission work with International Justice Mission saving kids from human trafficking, and he was like, I'm going to spend an entire baseball season, which is a lot people don't People think sometimes players just go to the ballpark and they play the game and then they come home. Oh, you're playing a game. There is so much that goes on into it. My last year was twenty twenty. In twenty one, Team USA said we want you on the Olympic team. It's your spot, you'll be on it. And there was no doubt in my mind. I did not want to play. Physically, I could have done it. Physically, everything was fine, but the fact that I would have had to work out every single day with disregard to my family, which I had disregarded pretty much for the nineteen seasons before, the nineteen years before.

00:21:07
Speaker 4: In my life, because.

00:21:10
Speaker 2: The fact that you know you're constantly the guy when you're the player, and all of a sudden, family becomes more important and you're like, I gave a lot to it. You Darvish is no different. I also think there's another level that I don't understand. KP probably could understand a little bit more elite. He was elite. He knows he'll never get back to that. He knows last year his velocity was down, his max velocity not even telling his average velocities. Max velocity he could throw a baseball was down two miles an hour. So you know, when you're at an elite level earlier in your career, how are you ever going to get back to that? Then you're like, wait a minute, I got to work out for twelve months. I got to miss my son who just committed. I think he's going to University of California, San Diego or something. I'm not sure exactly which, but he just committed to play. So there's more things that are involved in that than just oh, I'm gonna get eighteen million dollars, I'm gonna get twenty two million dollars, which is a ridiculous thing to say to ninety nine point ninety nine nine percent of the population.

00:22:20
Speaker 1: Okay, and then Padres fans are like, what does this mean? Do we save money? Does this help us? Because it sounds like from our conversations with Ken and from reading others, the Padres aren't going to be the ownership forcing a j preller to just dump payroll left and right. But it's going to stay at a similar rate, if not come down to drop. Also, it's going to add up with some of the long term contracts that I think get higher as they go. So what do you think ap for San Diego Padres fans. I mean, it's not going to save any money this coming season. I think we should lay that part out twenty twenty six. He is out for the year. He's getting paid, He's getting paid to rehab. That's just how it works. Could it save them money in twenty seven or twenty eight, Yeah, maybe.

00:23:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, it certainly could if that's how he decides to, you know, go out in his career. Obviously, he has a ethical responsibility to show up if he is healthy or if he is still rehaving if he completes, and the team obviously documents this for people at home listening. He's going to go through his rehab process with the team. He is going to have to check all these boxes. He's going to have to get off a mound, He's going to have to go on a rehab assignment. Once that is all completed and he is healthy to perform, and he decides that he does not want to perform anymore, he is going to have to make a decision to He's going to have a decision to make, which is going to come with him forfeiting the rest of his money. He's going to have to retire. The team is going to save money. But I mean that's still a year away, so there is a chance that the padres on the back end of this contract, which to a lot of people thought was a little bit crazy given his age when he signed this extension. But you know there could be a silver line for Padres fans that they may be saving a good amount of money in a year from now.

00:24:10
Speaker 1: Jay Farrell and the Chat said he took the long deal to help the Padres out and keep the AAV down. He should get every dollar he's owed. I know you guys usually feel that way, but I will also say, when you sign those deals on the other side, you got to play through the deal. Right, We've seen some of these deals ten years, twelve years. If you get hurt, that's one thing, but otherwise you got to play through the deal kratz. And if not, then you do give money back. That's how this works. It's not like, oh, well, you know what, I helped them out on the short and plus I got to look at what the number is and don't have my computer today, so I'm a little born limited. But if you evaluate this contract and how much U's been hurt and now it's going to miss more time, it's a bad contract for the Padres.

00:24:53
Speaker 2: This was an extension. This was an extension that he had signed. But yeah, I mean it's it's not an and that's why I think possibly there could be some insurance, which could save the Zeidler family or the trust a little bit of money. But I mean he's owed sixteen in the next successive years, sixteen, fifteen, and fifteen.

00:25:12
Speaker 4: So yeah, it stinks.

00:25:14
Speaker 2: But one other thing, you're talking about it, and maybe we'll ask him next time he comes along. We'll probably have more pressing matters. But Buster posey. I remember playing with him in nineteen and you and I were both there at KP and Buster looked to Evan Longoria and he goes.

00:25:31
Speaker 4: You got five more years on your contract. He's like, that would be brutal.

00:25:38
Speaker 2: He just wanted to play to a certain extent because he wanted to be home with his family. He wanted to move on to the next thing. And I don't think people necessarily understand that, because I think then Buster sat out twenty twenty because of COVID twenty one. He signed his one year deal, and I assume they went to him because he had a mass of year that year. When they went to Crawford, who signed a two year extension, and I'm assuming he probably declined it. It was like, no, I'm good, Like some guys are good to be done. It's okay to be done and not be shackled by the fact that you have an obligation to keep playing.

00:26:20
Speaker 1: Mm hmm. The obvious example being brought up here by mgr in the chat, Mjr. Did Rendon play through the deal? Well, it sounds like they're going to figure something out for this coming season and he's a tricky case. Yeah, it's different. Different, it is different. This is very different. But it's different.

00:26:44
Speaker 3: This is different because at the end of this deal where we're talking about, at the end of this rehab process, he's going to have a choice to make you darvish and if he wants to give that money back by saying I don't want to play anymore, he's going to give the money back. There's there's a difference in and you have to respect what Kratzy is saying. He understands that he might not ever be a lead again, and he doesn't want to pitch at not being elite anymore. So if he decides to go home and give the money back, that's that's one thing. I think it's worse for him to just check the boxes and go out there and be a way less version of himself and just going out and collecting a paycheck. So if he wants to give the money back, go give the money back. You know, like Kratzy said, we are humans, we have families, we have our priorities change, and yes, you do have a responsibility to kind of honor that contract. But if you can get out of that contract by not receiving the money, then who's upset about it.

00:27:41
Speaker 1: He's made plenty of money, so he's gonna be okay. Yeah. On the Padres side, I mean, I don't think it's going to change much in terms of plans for them this coming season. Some Padres fans are probably like, no, don't trade Nick Pivetta. Why is he even in a conversation, And I agree with that. I mean, Nick Pivetta had a banger year and he's always a guy that you were watching and thinking that he could find another gear. It goes back to our combo we had with Ken about the national sinking they've got another gear with their crew coming in to try and boost some of their players. You didn't feel that way, krats I felt that way. You think it's more of an anomaly year, or do you think that they helped him unlock something and he might have a nice little run here for the next couple of years. I just think I don't know. I mean, I wouldn't trade him, is my point. And I don't think whatever Darbish does has any idea or has any correlation to this, because you're not going to know what Darvish is doing for a while.

00:28:33
Speaker 4: I think it's a lottery ticket.

00:28:35
Speaker 2: I think if they cash in Nick Pavetta because of what they I think there's a lot of value there because they only paid him five million dollars maybe four million dollars last year, because of how they they staggered or loaded that.

00:28:46
Speaker 4: Contract it was.

00:28:47
Speaker 2: I think I think it's a lottery ticket that there might be another Nick Pavetta out there.

00:28:52
Speaker 4: What do they see in like a Luise Heel, what do they see?

00:28:56
Speaker 2: I just use that name because you have to trade him to a team that's willing to pay a starting pitcher for the next four years on this contract. There's a lottery ticket and maybe this is a chance to say, you know what, we see this value in somebody else that we just saw the league was undervaluing in Paveta, and that's how we got that contract.

00:29:16
Speaker 1: I think Paveta's situation was the qualifying offer Okay, I mean there's someone else that has really hard for that. No, you're right, You're right, I know. I'm just saying that's where they find value, is they go, Okay, all these teams are avoiding this guy because he's not a star free agent available last year and he's got the pick attachment and teams don't want to give that up. And I also do think that ultimately the league is trying to get rid of the compick for a significant trade off like the International Draft that's getting into CVA talks. So players have consistently been getting punished with the qualifying offer, and I think examples are being made so that they can use that. It's one of their best bargaining chips. Just giving you inside baseball and what's going on with that world a corner. We had two moves while we've been on the show. I'm going to start with the most recent one because he's been on our show, and I think it's for more money one year, five and a half million bucks for Foster Griffin. Do you remember the conversation Kratz was it AJ that day? Was a KP who was on.

00:30:20
Speaker 4: That was agent Foster Griffin? Was a whatever over the school is that he sends his kid to so for Foster.

00:30:32
Speaker 1: Yeah, one year, five and a half million bucks, comes from overseas, has a ton of pitches, seems like a great dude. This is something that's been more prominent lately. And it's not just oh, there's just one guy coming over. I remember when it was Miles Michael list and he went to winter meetings and he's meeting with everyone about all the changes he made. This is happening more frequently. I mean, this year really getting a ton. There's there's names we're getting to know, Michael Weiss, who was just on crush shitty Territory if you want to hear his story. But Foster specific three seasons in Japan, Ryan Weiss, is it Ryan Weiss? Yeah, Ryan Weiss. And there are a number of others, Anthony Ka who signs with the White Sox. White Sox have signed Eric Fetty, guys coming from the KBO Korea or MPB in Japan. And for Foster, he actually knocks the Nationals off our list. And now we're down to two teams that haven't signed major league free agents already, and we're not even in twenty twenty six yet. But KP. Seems like it makes sense for the Nats. Are they going to be playoff contenders? Not likely, But if there's a good year, this is a good flip over to a contender.

00:31:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I love it. I just wish that were there was a I wish there was somewhere. And obviously you can go overseas as a position player, but it doesn't really kind of change your stock, your value, your stock, you know. I love that it's happening for players that maybe run into a little bit of a tough time here in the States. You know, you're bouncing around from minor league team the minor league team. You got a chance to go overseas and kind of make some real money for your family, and sometimes you figure it out, you find something you get away from, you know, maybe the pressure and stress of trying to make it to the big leagues and maybe you learn some different grips, or you're just around some different people and it finally clicks for you. So I love that pictures or they have that option to go overseas, make some money for their family, kind of reinvent themselves and then get a chance to come back here and actually cash in we're seeing multiple year deals. Me and the Blue Jays signed Ponts for thirty million dollars and that's out of the KBO. So I just hope that eventually it will catch up. For the position player side, where you know you're bouncing around in the minor leagues, you're not making a ton of money. You get a chance to go to you know, Korea or Japan, and they kind of value the adjustments that maybe hitters make similar to pictures.

00:32:55
Speaker 1: I'll say this technology helps a ton. This is going to relate to our next segment. Technology helps a ton. Here, why you're not just no, I'll tell you why. Krats. In my mind, teams are trusting players like this to bring them over and give them real money more so than before because they can try and grade pitches better. This is one of those spots where I do think it's effective. When we talked to Dylan Sees the other day and he's saying, how you can't just go off of stuff plus slider score since it could be a more exposed pitch if he changes the way he's opening up right. We can get into all that, but just from a pure quality standpoint on a pitch, I do think the tech helps here because it's hard to project how a guy is going to look. When he's been in the States, he hasn't necessarily performed well. He goes overseas, he looks like a stud. Sometimes some of those studs are great, sometimes they're not, and they're at least able to say, hey, this pitch changed a ton. It's not just Felo, it's shape. He figured it out, and now this is a more effective pitch. Sure you can look at results, but I do think it helps to have a little bit more behind it for them to say, now, for Foster, okay, this is a quality cutter, and he's got a change up that has really emerged that we think has very similar characteristics to pitches we see in the majors, and it can be successful there.

00:34:10
Speaker 2: This is exactly what's KP was talking about too. It's all in the pitchers. It's the only sport where the defense has the ball. Like, there's nothing that's affecting a pitch shape other than the pitcher. The position player value going over there right now is all watered down. We just heard about it with Morikami. Morikami legitimately has eighty power. I've seen this guy hit the ball in VP far as far, if not farther than anybody that I've seen just in batting practice. But what's the first thing they're gonna do, M velocity. You're not consistently facing this so right now, exactly what you're saying, Scott, Yes, it's helping pitchers, exactly what KP is saying.

00:34:57
Speaker 4: It's not quite helping hitters yet. You know the last this guy.

00:35:00
Speaker 2: That really went over there and truly cashed back in here, Eric Dames. Eric Dames went to Korea and was I'm not sure if he was fifty to fifty, but I know he was forty forty. I mean he had video game he had video game arms, but he had video game numbers over in Korea and was an absolute legend over there. But it's just hard for position players to go over there and get that value to come back. It just hasn't happened yet. There will be a team that will find that value for sure at some point.

00:35:34
Speaker 1: Next up, we have Caleb Thielbar agreeing to a deal with the Chicago Cubs. Spending and physical so the Cubs keep building their bullpen back up. I like this cub spending on some quality relievers, crats. You know Caleb.

00:35:50
Speaker 4: Oh, yeah, we.

00:35:51
Speaker 2: Played together in twenty nineteen Team USA. He was currently at the time, he was recruiting for a college in I think North Dakota. That's what his job was. We went to Arizona to play against some college teams to kind of prep for Team USA. Then we went down to Mexico. He went on some recruiting trips down in Arizona to try to get some kids to come to his college up in North I think North Dakota. I'm not sure why I'm thinking North Dakota, but it was something crazy like that. And now look at him. He's he was done. He was legitimately done on his accord, he had a baby coming, his wife was a is a college softball coach, and now he has made some cash.

00:36:34
Speaker 4: And he is a.

00:36:35
Speaker 2: Very quality not just left on left reliever because he throws that curveball from the upper deck.

00:36:43
Speaker 1: K B. Did you face him?

00:36:45
Speaker 3: Yeah? I faced him. I mean, you know, he's typically the guy that's gonna come in to face a left handed batter and a guy like me who when I played, is the guy who gets tapped on his shoulder and says, go get him. And it's not a comfortable at that because it's an elite curveball, the sneaky fastball. But it's a great signing he had. He had a nice year last year, and you know the Cubs made the Cubs made a nice run last year, so they're bringing back some of the pieces that they had last year.

00:37:13
Speaker 2: Scotty, you'll love this kind of good against both He's he's always gonna be. You know, they're gonna think he's left on left. But when the Twins unlock the fact that he throws that fastball. Some years he's touched ninety seven. Normally he's like a ninety five ninety three guy. But he ran he starts running that fastball in. It's just too hard. It's too hard for a guy like kp who handles that ball in and clips him out front to then say, oh, I'm gonna wait back on that curveball. I mean his numbers, his numbers batting average against against lefties one fifty eight. I gotta make sure, yeah, last year one fifty eight against against righty's two to oh five ops against rightyes, five eighty eight. So it's not just a left on left. But teams have implemented that, and he's able to get out there, stay out there and get his three outs or get that fourth out. If you know a team, stacks are left right, left, right left.

00:38:12
Speaker 1: I like it. And the Cubs are spending money to build the bullpen right back up right because they had quite a few free agents, and they didn't keep Kittridge. Remember they sent him back to the Orioles. But Polenty was great for them most of last year. They just signed Mayton. Recently they signed field Bar today. I like the potential of porter Hart Porter Hodge, who's twenty four years old, who had ups and downs. He's great in the beginning and then but yeah, I think most people are anticipating good things from him. He's nasty Holby miner who gives you a completely different look. And I like Ben Brown out of the bullpen can give you multiple innings like this is this solid bullpen.

00:38:51
Speaker 3: Hey, I'm confirming Kratzy. South Dakota State University. So you were you were in the right region. You're in the right region South Dakota.

00:38:59
Speaker 4: North Dakota is not.

00:39:01
Speaker 2: South Dakota is actually less inhabited, I think than North Dakota, is what I've heard like there's a larger there's a larger city in North Dakota. But either way, it was in the middle of nowhere, and it was the craziest time I've never played with somebody who was doing recruiting trips at night in the middle of our in the middle of our prep to go play in Guadalajara, Mexico.

00:39:22
Speaker 1: Do people from North Dakota or vice versa for people from South Dakota get pissed if you mess up to Dakota. Oh sure, it just said North Dakota. It's South Dakota.

00:39:34
Speaker 2: Come on, I'm sure they get pissed. I'm sure they get pissed because think about it. Talk to somebody from North Carolina and be like, oh, you're from South Carolina. Huh. They're like, what it's like Virginia and West Virginia. Like I would tell people I lived on the western side of Virginia, like right near the border of West Virginia. Like here's Eric Kratz from West Virginia. And I'd be like, whoa, so each it's like no, no, no, no, like we're not because north people from North Dakota say that birds fly upside down in South Carolina and South Dakota. There's nothing good enough to poop on in South In South.

00:40:11
Speaker 1: Dakota, Hey, South Dakota is offended though, because they actually have a higher population. It seems like they're at nine hundred thousand ish according to recent estimates, and North Dakota's around eight hundred thousand. I would love to hear from an FT fan from one of those spots and let us know if you get offended. If someone's like, oh, you're from South Dakota, You're like, yeah, I'm not from South Dakota. South Dakota from North Data.

00:40:35
Speaker 4: That's weird, bro, it's hot down there.

00:40:39
Speaker 1: The South.

00:40:40
Speaker 4: Come on.

00:40:52
Speaker 1: Right. Two things on our way out, one krats hats, and then I promise everyone should stick around for an extra minute after that for an Edwin Diaz quote.

00:41:00
Speaker 4: Nice best color hat in a game.

00:41:02
Speaker 2: I know the Mariners have a similar one for their spring training, but I think there's the best logo color hat in a game.

00:41:09
Speaker 4: How to wear it?

00:41:09
Speaker 2: For Mikey coming on the show, who was one of my favorite interviews in the last few weeks.

00:41:15
Speaker 1: Soroku's great, he's so well spoken. And then lastly, do we have the tweet there's a bunch of quote action coming out of Edwin Diaz and his comments on how things went down with negotiations with the Mets stand filed. I think I can find it myself to give you a little read. So Edwin Diaz on why the Mets didn't get a shot to match the Dodgers deal. He said, we took an offer to the Mets. They said they have a gap to negotiate, but that usually means is they're not giving you the straight shot number forget best and final. They're just like, We're like, here, let's keep dancing. You come back, we might have a little room. He said. He took his number and info right what he was looking for at that point. To the Dodgers, they said, cool, done, accept it right away. And being that they accepted it right away, he couldn't go back to the Mets and then start going back and forth again. You can't mess around. This is how the game works. And I've spoken to many agents KP about how they often feel as if front office executives are offended by the way the market works. They're like, what I'm supposed to just keep going back to you, maybe lose the other deal for my client, Like that's just not how this works, right, Like, oh, how come you didn't give us one last chance? This happens all the time. I know this happened with a number of teams last year. So with like say Alex Bragman and the Tigers, right, we have this number, we probably can go higher. Okay, well I got a better deal now from the Red Sox. I don't have to freaking call you just because I spent a lot of time with you or with aj Hinch. That's not how this shit works.

00:42:51
Speaker 3: It's not how real life works. I mean, I've been doing construction at my house for the last month or last year. You know, when people coming in bid jobs, it's like, okay, you know, obviously you want quality and stuff. But when you're talking about two quality type of things and you know there's a price differential, I don't owe it to anyone to go try to you know, you know, sell it to someone else, and good for the Dodgers. That's how you do business. But it's not only the Dodgers. Good on Edwin Diaz and his agent, because I think in this sport there's too much of like, hey, let's you know, you know, let's set a ballpark. We want seven years. Just come out with a realistic offer, what you think your client's worth according to the comps and the history of the game, and where your player's at be within like you know, a ballpark, and you're gonna get a deal done. I love the Dodgers saying, yep, you're in. Can't go back now. Obviously Edwin probably could have, but it's probably not good for business for you know, his agent and himself. If he would have, the Dodgers would have agreed on it. And he says, oh, I'm gonna go run back to the Mets. But this is you know, business one oh one by the Dodgers and Edwin Diaz and his agents. This is our number. If you want to accept it, accept it. And the Dodger said, we accept it. You're ours. It's over done.

00:44:06
Speaker 1: That's how you do this. Done. Good stuff today, great show, KP, you're superman. Thanks for joining us. We're gonna talk again soon. I think I think we got you back soon.

00:44:17
Speaker 3: Right yep, yep, right before Christmas.

00:44:21
Speaker 1: Okay, what do you know, what day are we on with you?

00:44:24
Speaker 3: I'm on the twenty third.

00:44:26
Speaker 1: Oh nice, that's a good shoe, you.

00:44:28
Speaker 3: Know, And less unless there's someone else that you know runs into a problem. You know, I'm always available off the bench.

00:44:34
Speaker 1: KP to the rescue Superman. Truly good stuff, dude. Todd Father is back on with us Tomorrow. Bob Nightingale will join us for an insider segment and we'll see then