Bob Nightengale: Buxton upset with Twins? Gallen’s 1-year deal, Padres get Castellanos for revenge tour

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Let's talk a little bit about Nick Castianos. We were talking about, you know, after his divorce from the Phillies, the Padres landed him, and you put and you wrote in your article the Padres were elated to land a quote baller like Nick Castianos. What was your read on this and him fitting into that clubhouse because as a lot of people have talked about, you know, with personalities like Manny Machado or Fernando Tatis, that seems like a clubhouse he might fit into.

00:00:28
Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, you know, he and Manny grew up together. I mean since you know, nine years old, played against each other, you tournaments and everything else, so they know each other well, you know, being born and raised in Miami. Hey, you know the A. J. Peller did a lot of a research. He talked to coaches who had him, players that played with them and saying, you know what, perfect you know, you get a freebie like many Manchatto said, you know, pennies on the dollar, so it's a no risk. Then, you know, they didn't know about the beer incident, but you know, like Eric and Aj said, you know, no big deal. I remember back in the day come the Royals. The guy was pitching no hitter, and he cracked open a couple of beers on the bench. He's not that big a deal, so I think they thought things got way overblown in Philadelphia. This just gives him a fresh start.

00:01:16
Speaker 3: He's excited, and it's definitely first base because this team's configuration, he's not he's not playing right field. He's definitely not getting in even the fourth outfielder. So first base is a position that, like you said, it's not even really if he doesn't do well, they can cut him and it's they're not on the hook for anything.

00:01:38
Speaker 2: Right. But in ty France this morning, Uh so I think they're you're planning to play him on your left field. I think he's gonna see a lot.

00:01:44
Speaker 4: Of d H.

00:01:45
Speaker 2: So I agree. I mean, uh, Tatis, you know, plays plays a lot. So it's not like he's going to be needing right field. You know, maybe once every few weeks something like that. But I think the big thing would be more DH than anything else.

00:02:01
Speaker 5: That makes sense, Bob. On this team, they need a first basement, right, they need a first basement. The outfield stack DH can be covered with sheets or whoever they want to use it for. I like this move for the Padres. It's a no lose situation. If he stinks they're like eh, you can always release them and have them move on and try something else.

00:02:19
Speaker 2: Right.

00:02:20
Speaker 5: So I mean, listen, I know this as somebody that's had things said about me in the past. When you go to a new team, you go and you say, Okay, what did people say about me?

00:02:29
Speaker 6: Okay, well maybe.

00:02:30
Speaker 5: This is whatever, And you look yourself in the mirror and say, maybe this is true, maybe it's not. But then you go and at least for one year that Castian is gonna be on his best behavior. I would think, not that he's a bad guy anyways. He just says what he means. He's honest with people, and people don't like honesty. Bob, trust me, I know that right. He's honest. He tells people where they stand, he tells people what they think. And everybody in today's game world, however you want to put it, wants to be told you're the best, you're the best. Nobody wants to hear that, hey, you know what, you're not very.

00:02:57
Speaker 6: Good at that. Work on it. And so I like this.

00:03:00
Speaker 5: I think it stirs up the clubhouse a little bit, especially if Manny's on board, because one of the things that you know, and I know from being around San Diego a little bit, is you need Manny on board to make things work with the Padres.

00:03:11
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's certainly his clubhouse. You know, he's got me on bored. You know, we all know about the Soto things with him and Manning and to tease that sort of thing. But yeah, I think Manning's excited to he's excited and uh, you know, look we didn't hear an these things going on in Philadelphia. Have things with that bad and with the Phillies they could trade him or release them during the season, so you know, things kind of got blown up. I think, you know, big time once he left. I mean, how many times we hear that when when players leave and managers get fired, we hear things. You know, it should have been said at the time, you know, not now when he's gone.

00:03:48
Speaker 3: One of the things people need to understand is then Nick got to choose this. Nick didn't get placed on the Padres or the Padres didn't offer more money. I think people really understand that part of it was this Nick's best option of a team that was good. Have you heard or talk to Nick or talk to anybody else, and the other options that he had.

00:04:08
Speaker 2: He said he talked to a couple of other teams there. I can't say what it was, but I think that Pottery's was so aggressive. I an Aj Probler yesterday said that he was talking with Dave Dobrowski and says November just never lined up on a trade. And I think the thing was, I'm sure he thought, you know what, we know he's not going back to Philadelphia. Well, summone trade for him. We're gonna gamble that gets released, got released, and eight pounced on it. You know, he was released on Thursday. They were in a conference call, you know, Friday morning, and then you know, boom playing right out uh to Arizona. So I think it, you know, I think it was a natural fit. You know, probably from last month or two.

00:04:46
Speaker 1: All right, Bob, when you first joined, we were going to ask you about Zach Gallen and then we.

00:04:51
Speaker 2: Couldn't hear you.

00:04:52
Speaker 1: So we'll ask you again about Zach Gallen. You know, every off season we talked about this. At least one free agent who rejects a qualifying offer can can get a.

00:05:01
Speaker 2: Little bit burned. But what did you make of Zach.

00:05:04
Speaker 1: Gallen returning to the Diamondbacks. You know, AJ and Eric talked a lot about how it's a comfortable place for him to be. He knows the staff, everybody knows him. It's easier to make adjustments there. What's your take on that situation?

00:05:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, agree, she was the only one person against burn every year, and he's he was a guy, uh you know in Arizona. Finally say you know what, here's the deadline. Well, we want you to sign by the weekend or forget about it. We're not you know, we're extending money for you. So, you know, fourteen million dollars was deferred. Obviously, would have been better off just taking the uh, you know, the qualifying offer from the get go. He thought he'd get a you know, long term contract. You know, so did the agent, Scott Borris. You know, I did too, and uh, you know, some teams came, you know, kind of low ball and multi year offers, but not at twenty two a year. So you better himself, you know. He said, you know what, I'm going to hit the market again. And I agree with the agent. He said, I think he's gonna have a monster year, and I think he's going to have a big time chip on his shoulder and said, hey, you could have me, you could have me, let me show what you're missing out on. Uh. You know, he's a Philadelphia area and kid, and he pitches his best when he's facing the big boys like the Yankees and Mets things like that. So I think he's going to have a spectacular here.

00:06:20
Speaker 3: He was on our show and he actually had on his phone a list of teams that he had a little bit of a chip on his shoulder about. I think that list probably has gone to about twenty eight. I don't think he's mad at the Rockies that. I think he's fine with how whatever happened with the Rockies?

00:06:36
Speaker 6: Is this?

00:06:37
Speaker 3: Is this because there's always one there's always one person each year? Is this enough to get rid of the qualifying offer because there's somebody like this? I get it more than one could have this happen to him. But really, I mean, Zach Allen's the one unfortunate. But do they change entire qualifying offer because one of fifteen or fourteen to seventeen guys however many got them each year, get screwed because of the qualifying offer.

00:07:05
Speaker 2: I think it's going to go away. Remember now, in the last cbamus League Baseball said we'll get with the qualifying offer if we can have an international draft, and that was debated back and forth with the Union and everything else, and the side the international draft was more important. Several agents were upsets. Oh my god, it's going to hurt free agency. And sure enough. I mean watch all the offers that will pour in for Gallon next year, you know, just like you know, brag me these guys that had those qualifying offers and had to take the opt outs. So no, I do believe it's going to go away. It's just too big a restriction on players. And there's so many teams. I mean, Atlanta they really badly need them, but they had the twenty fourth pick in the draft and they weren't going to forfeit that trade or not porfit, but give up that draft pick for anybody, whether it was Dylan Cees, Framer Bell Deads or anybody. That's how important those drapt picks are.

00:07:58
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00:08:07
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00:08:23
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00:08:59
Speaker 5: Bob mentioned that in the last CBA it was discussed, and I remember they changed some of the things about you can't get more than one, and if you're traded, you can't have a qualifying offer, and there was a lot of things that they kind of made tweaks to in the last CBA. Well, the CBA, as we all know, is up in December. What is something that the owners would need to get that power back to. I mean, I know the World Draft, but I just don't know that that's ever going to be a thing because of the way the Latin American countries are scouted and guys are signed Japanese guys. But is there something else the players could say, Hey, we hate this qualifying offer, we'll give you besides a salary cap obviously.

00:09:38
Speaker 2: I mean, I think international draft that won't is that big to players. I mean, you know, we know a lot of players that get upset when setting guys over from you know, Cuba and different things like that and don't work out, and things like, hey, if you were born to raise this country, you know you're going to get a maximum signing bonus and a draft where if you come from a foreign country there's no limit when they give you. So I think they'll give that up. They really do, and I think that's all it takes. I don't think that's that big of a give for the Players Association to say, Okay, you can have international draft. We don't want that qualifying offer. We don't want restrictions on free agency ever. Again, I think just too big of a burden. And I think of all the guys who you know, and the qualifying offer attached to him, I think it definitely hurt Gallon by far the most, and nobody else that really came up, but with him, that's all you're heard from everybody was I don't want to give up those raph picks.

00:10:34
Speaker 3: I want to circle back to the Padres real quick and hit aj Preller aj Prellys comments from you know, from Manny Machado about a J Pereller. Nobody can deny that a J Peller wants to win. Is this season or the coming seasons of the extension and everything all that stuff for him happens. Is this his fault if they lose ultimately some players, but is it his fault if they win? Also because of what's been written about him about how he butts heads, He's been through a lot of managers and they haven't gotten to the place where this roster should be, which is a world series.

00:11:13
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean not too many gms. I'm not sure I can think of when that survived that many manager changes. Well, I think he's fourth or fifth manager. That usually doesn't happen. Usually get two and that's it. They've been knocking the door. Obviously, they sell out most of the games, so financially they're doing well at the gate. You know, it's not his fault. The TV money kind of went away in San Diego. They should have knocked off the Dodgers two years ago, up two games a one in the best of five series. Dodgers in a bullfing game, no Freddie Freeman and blow him out. And then of course one game five, two zero, even though you darbage pitch so well. So they're knocking the door. They're in the playoffs. They spend a lot of money. I mean when Peter Salder was alive, it was almost like the George Darmer days. Get whoever you want. I mean, the only reason they got Xander Bogart so he got two hundred million dollars is good. They were offering over three hundred and fifty million dollars for Trade Turner, and they were going to go over four hundred million even more for Aaron Judge, but he want to go back to the Yankees. So they spend amount of money. You know, now they're kind of, you know, up against it. So I think a year from now will be very be fascinating to see what big contract has to go. And the one guy here he talks about Strtis because his contract is certainly tradable.

00:12:31
Speaker 1: All right, bob Let's transition to the Twins a little bit. We've heard a lot about this Byron Buxton thing, how he was upset, you know, with the Twins for basically not declaring their loyalty to him, because he felt that he did that for them, you know, when he told the media in the off season and during the season last year that he wasn't going anywhere. He was a little upset that the Twins didn't come out and say, yeah, we want him to stay here, like blatantly. Right, They said that they were hoping he would. But in my mind, I'm thinking, isn't that understandable that the Twins didn't come out and say that, because you know, everybody is on the table and they'll listen to offers from other teams. What was your take on that?

00:13:15
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, nowadays it seems like, you know, players are more sensitive to that sort of thing. I mean, they had apologized to get tell Martine Arizona for listening to offers. But Buckston had a you know, no trade class. He was just upset to the Twins and say, hey, you know we're not moving you under any reason. Uh, no circumstance will change that. So he was upset by that. And there were teams that were telling him, hey, hey, waiter trade class to Dodgers waider trade class. Here, we'll take you in a hurry. But those Minnesota you should you should get rewarded for that. But I remember when Kevin Towers was a GM, the San Diego potter Is, and he would tell teams, hey, you want to make an offer for Tony Gwym, You want to make an offer for Trevor Hoffin, go ahead. You know, I don't think there's any way up. We'll move them. But sudden blows away, well sure, think about it. So a lot of jams will say, you know what, we'll listen to everybody. And maybe that's what the Twins were thinking too. Okay, if somebody blows his away from Buckston, let's see if he wants to leave.

00:14:12
Speaker 5: But Bob, why does it matter. He's Byron bucks He has a no trade clause. Who cares if they say they're like get like, I don't understand why we're mad. Like Byron Buckson is a great player, but why are we you have a full no trade. Guess what, Byron? If you don't ever wave it, you're a twin for life. So why does the team have to come out and say we're not gonna trade him before they even trade you. They'll have to do what they had to do to Nolan Arnado. Hey, Nolan, will you go here?

00:14:37
Speaker 6: No? I don't want to go there? Okay, will you go here?

00:14:40
Speaker 2: No?

00:14:40
Speaker 6: I don't. I'm gonna stay here in Minnesota.

00:14:42
Speaker 5: And he has that right until the end of time unless they release him and eat the money, which the way the Twins are going, they need to save every penny, Bob, So tell your son not to like get a pretzel at the concession stand or anything, because they might charge him double. Okay, but you see what I'm saying, Like he has the like I don't understand why this is a thing, Like, oh, they didn't say to me that I'm not getting traded Byen you have the power you don't have.

00:15:04
Speaker 6: You'll never be traded if you don't want to be traded.

00:15:06
Speaker 5: You can sit right there in Minnesota, fish out on Minnetonka right, go to Maynards, go to wherever you want in Minneapolis and have a great time, and you can be a twin for life.

00:15:15
Speaker 6: Buddy.

00:15:17
Speaker 2: I think players now just want that kind of support. They want the Twins, like you said, even though he has a bower. They want the Twins to come out and say, oh, there's no way in the world will ever trade you. We love you. Then you just players like you want that. I look at Philadelphia, you know, when Date Dobrowski, you know, talked about Bryce Harper helpfully become an elite player again. I think it was a big deal. Sort of that kind of stuff went on forever, but obviously it bothered Harper and he still talked about it extensively yesterday. So I just think it's a different, you know, time and life for players. You know, so a lot different from when you know you played AJ and Eric too, nobody worried about those things, but now I think just everybody's very sensitive.

00:15:58
Speaker 3: Let's take both of those stories, and I want your resolution of both of those stories. Buxton saying what he said, and I agree with AJ. It's kind of like whatever, like it's totally fine, you have all the power. And Bryce Harper being called not elite? Is this the first stepping stone to maybe a time when Byron Buxton changes his mind and says, you know what, I'll play after this season he has two more years, I'll go play somewhere that wants to win. And is there something that could possibly come of the Bryce Harper you know rift or tiff that's going on?

00:16:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, you know Harper still remember you want extension years ago and they said, come on, you said that contract, you didn't want the opt out clause, so nothing really came about it. I still don't think Harper leaving there. I still think he's the you know, face of the franchise obviously, you know, with Kyle Schwarber so beloved there, and I think he likes playing Philadelphia too. He loves that intensity. Nember when both of them were free agent, it's called Harper Machado. I think worked out perfectly. I think Harper would have been bored on his mind and seeing Diego, and I'm not sure Manchada would have loved playing in Philadelphia. So worked out great. Busting in our hand, you know, all you got to do is look at both you know Texas and met straight Brandon Nemo had a no trade class too. Obviously something sent him off where he say, you know what, I want to go. Samon didn't have no trade cost those two places, but he was probably willing to go to New York. So it could be a case here too where if he's a little discreunted, he can say, you know what, I'm from Atlanta. If Atlanta wants me, I love, I love to go there. You know, keep it quiet, but that we leave. I mean colech Gray had no trade class too. It wasn't until Houston came out and say wait a minute, now, uh, you know what's going to happen here he was even thinking about leaving at all. And when they present it to him, he jumped at the opportunity.

00:17:57
Speaker 1: All right, Bob, let's talk about where you're at right now. You're obviously at the Angels camp. And we've heard a lot about Mike Trout in the news a lot recently, whether it's talking about center Field, whether it's talking about the WBC. What's the latest with Mike Trout that you're hearing from Angels Camp.

00:18:13
Speaker 2: Well, he met with the Perrymanesium in the GM and also with the versus Zuk and the new manager, and said, I want to go back to centerfield, and they said, okay, let's work that out. So he plans to play center field now for four or five days a week. He was bored as a DH. They said he was taking thousands of swings during the game. He hated being in DH and he had the worst year of his career. His best year was twenty twenty two when he played centerfield for about her and twenty games. So did that's try it? He feels healthy, so he's going to be back in center field WBC. He says he badly wanted to do it, but the insurance was a hang up. He's very disappointed. He loved being there in twenty twenty three. He kind of feels takes pride that so many guys want to do it now because they had so much fun in twenty twenty three. But you know, insurance reasons. Insurance reasons stopped it, and he wasn't going to be you know, the every day you know outfield anyway with that as loaded as that team is. But he's certainly wanted to be.

00:19:13
Speaker 5: On it, Bob, How could can the Angels be? I mean, they're they're they're kind of in a tough spot right with the Astros, the Mariners, the Rangers are supposed to be should be better this year.

00:19:25
Speaker 6: What what?

00:19:26
Speaker 5: What can the Angels be in this division? I know they've tried to make some move, some of their young guys have gotten to take another year, another step, But can the Angels actually compete this year in that Al West which is getting has been good and continues to get better.

00:19:42
Speaker 2: I think it moved closer to five hundred. I don't think they can contempt a division. They're still parrolls still pretty low. You know, they got Rhythm and Dome contract, but it's not like they spent that money. You know, Redomet contract has now deferred. But I think their pared roll is only about one hundred forty eight million dollars, so well before the luxury tax threshold. So I just don't think they want to spend money yet because you don't think they're ready to contend. So I think they're making some slow progress things like that, but I just can't see them being a true contender, and you know, and challenging Seattle marriage or Houston Astros, or even Texas for that matter.

00:20:25
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00:20:43
Speaker 2: If you win.

00:20:44
Speaker 1: Grab your token and elevate your excitement with bet MGM. If you have a gambling problem or concern, call one hundred gambler. Take a look at that. All right, guys, give me your take on the Manager of the Year odds. You got Dan Wilson, John Schneider, Stephen Ute, Craig Albernas.

00:21:01
Speaker 2: What do you think aj?

00:21:03
Speaker 6: Where's Will Venable on that list?

00:21:07
Speaker 5: Kevin Cash, Patricia But I think Albernas to me is the one on this list. It makes sense just because he's going to a team that's supposed to be super talented, right they've kind of underachieved last year. If he gets them to the postseason, he'll get some votes. Hinch is supposed to win votes won two years in a row. They're not going to give him the repeat. I don't think Dan Wilson, John Schneider. They both have good teams, so they're expected to win. I think Albernas on this list is the one that really stands out at plus seven.

00:21:33
Speaker 3: Hundred yep one hundred percent and I was boring, but that's the one voter's not gonna win three years in a row, whether they do good or not. I think Craig Albernas has a playoff team. If he gets him there, the voters will vote for him.

00:21:52
Speaker 5: Isn't ironic that they're together, they're the same odds and they're like best of friends.

00:21:55
Speaker 6: Isn't that funny? It's funny. I think they have a side at where they're like who wins me or you