Bob Nightengale’s Hot Stove Update: Tucker’s Mets offer, Phillies pursuing Bo Bichette, 2B & SP market

00:00:09
Speaker 1: Nightingale's notes.

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Speaker 2: Here comes Bob Nightingale from USA Today and and FT insider here joining us frequently. Bob, great to see you. And let's start out with fifty million dollars per year for Kyle Tucker. Do you think that's going to happen? Do you think that he'll end up with the Mets or this mystery long term Blue Jays offer will surface and become the thing for him.

00:00:31
Speaker 3: I think the Blue Jays make much more sense than New York. I think he liked me in Toronto more than New York. Kind of quiet personality. You know, the Cubs weren't crazy about him, thought he was okay. I think they thought or kind of hoping, you'd have more outgoing personality with them. I think his whole demeanor fits Toronto better than the Mets. And with your Mets, so you're really going to have, you know, one hundred million dollars worth of right fielders. You know, Tucker's defense is starting to slip a little bit too, just like Soto's. So I'd like him much better in Toronto than mess.

00:01:06
Speaker 4: Wow, what's the hold up here? What's the whole if you have three years of one hundred and fifty million, fifty million a year on the table staring you in the face of this report is true, and there's been multiple people that have reported this. Why would you not sign that? And if it has opt outs built into it, you know, after year one, after year two, if you're Kyle Tucker, are you really does he just want more years to get a little bit more money. But I mean, do what Peter Alonso did do it, Alex Bregmant did do it, Blake Snell did do it, Mattchhaman did take that one year, go out, have a great year and boom, then re hit the free agent market a year later and get that big long term contract.

00:01:41
Speaker 1: I just think he wants to do that.

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Speaker 3: I don't think he wants to go through the whole pre agent process again. You know, it's not a fun experience. I'm sure he thought there'd be more offers and you know what happened to those you know, four hundred and five hundred million dollar you know deals that you know were talked about last summer.

00:01:57
Speaker 1: So I think he's waiting for the blue Jays up the A. So okay, if the blue.

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Speaker 3: Jays are offered six or seven years, you know, get them to hike it up. An they're five or ten million a year, you know, obviously I can go to the Mets level, but they can certainly raise it.

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Speaker 1: I think that's what he's waiting for.

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Speaker 5: But also, if it's fifty million a year, everybody feels like the Dodgers can match that, And would the Dodgers be willing to go to that because if that's the case, is Tucker all the things you said about Tuckers he a better fit in LA, not wanting to go to New York and saying, hey, you know what I'm gonna hop onto a world back to back World Series champions.

00:02:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean get you know, you get lost his shuffle there, which I think he likes all the stars in LA obviously in Toronto you got Blad Guerrero there. I just think you of the Dodgers, hey just won two ruled surges about the guy.

00:02:48
Speaker 1: You don't need them.

00:02:49
Speaker 3: Maybe nights lecture and to have you know, if he wants to come as say forty years forty, maybe even forty five, so be it. But I don't think they're saying, hey, we're can get a Benning or with the Mets, do you want to be here or not. Do you want to win a World Series or not? You know, he lives in the Tampa area too, so you would think that with screen training, you know, both in Toronto and New York and Florida, that's got to be a little bit of advantage too, not having come all the way to LA.

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Speaker 5: Is it possible? Obviously anything's possible, But is it possible that there's another team that would be willing after everyone's heard about this Mets offer to go that again? Not maybe not a bidding war, but maybe in the forty seven million dollars a year range.

00:03:35
Speaker 1: I don't see it. You know. I checked with the Houston I thought, well, maybe Houston might be that team.

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Speaker 3: It doesn't seem like, you know, they've they're interested in bringing them back, certainly not that kind of money.

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Speaker 1: So there certainly could be, but I don't know where it would be.

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Speaker 3: Uh, you know, it's not going to be Philadelphia or some of these other big market teams, so I don't think so. It's not the Cubs, So I think the teams are hearing are really the only teams involved.

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Speaker 4: Bob with Toronto and you mentioned the AAV, do you think they'll get to a point with Tucker, because they've already done a lot of things this offseason with seas and Ponts and some of these other things moves that they've made, right, So do they have the money and would Tucker? Would they have to choose between Tucker and Bashett, And obviously they prefer Tucker over Bashett because of the possibility of our show and Springer leaving at the.

00:04:27
Speaker 1: End of the year.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's exactly what. I think They've already made their choice. They want Tucker. I think Bichette's the only chance to go back is that they don't get Tucker.

00:04:37
Speaker 1: And I think Tucker wants to make a decision here in the next few days too.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, they can certainly raise or offer I mean, they're not going to raise it to fifty million dollars a year, you know, you know, paying him like you are one Soto, but they can certainly hit the forty million dollar mark or eclips that barrier. And maybe that's what he's waitning for, just you know, one long term contract so you don't have to go through this, you know, year a year like the other guys did with those opt outs.

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Speaker 5: Talking about who ages is brought up Boba Schet cautiously optimistic for the Phillies. Is that something that's you know, more from the Phillies department or is this a market that Boba Sheet's needing to kind of get himself out there, to get the market going so that he's in a place in spring training.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think he expected a bigger market too. Uh.

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Speaker 3: The Phillies are the ones costally optimistic. They liked the zoom call that they had with him. They think that he's genuinely interested and they you know, conveyed that, Hey, they're generally interested in him.

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Speaker 1: It's not just to put some pressure on JT. Realmudo. Uh.

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Speaker 3: He's not using them to get more money from the Red Sox or somebody else. So I think it can happen. I think he'd be great for the Phillies us to shake.

00:05:52
Speaker 1: That thing up.

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Speaker 3: I mean, if you know, Gon bounced out early the playoffs here the last couple of years with pretty much the same lineup. If you don't bring him in, it's pretty much the same group of guys, uh for the most part. So I think be great for the Phillies to grab Bischett and just really shake that thing up give him a better chance to you know, get back to the World Series.

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Speaker 4: Well, if that happens, does I mean Alec Bohm is gone? Does I mean real Muto's gone? Can they signed Bishett and real Muto JT and bring him back or would that would they have to go and then go find possibly a catcher and then trade either Stot or Bom. I mean if that's why the Philly fit to a lot of people is an interesting one because in Dombrowski would have to possibly make other moves to make this all fit together and work.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, they don't have to shake up things that are hurry. I think Bone would be gone. It could be stopped, but I think Bone would be gone to go get a catcher.

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Speaker 4: Uh.

00:06:47
Speaker 3: You know, I was told that if they do sign Bischett that real Moto is gone. Uh, They're not that close to negotiations. I think there's been some tension there, just like it was years ago. I think there's more tension now. And so if they do sign bi Hit, I don't think there's any way they bring him back.

00:07:08
Speaker 1: You really have to drop down in his demand.

00:07:11
Speaker 3: Whatever he's acting for, and I'm not sure it's in a market for a thirty five year old catcher.

00:07:17
Speaker 1: I don't know where else you would go.

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Speaker 4: I'll tell you what. As a former thirty five year old free agent catcher, you sign a lot of one year deals. So that's where it gets interesting because you know, I'm sure he wants a multi year deal, but I've been there and it's one year deal offers and you do the best you can and try to go from there. Well, there's another name on the Phillies that no one has talked about, and he and a rough ending in Philadelphia, and that's Castianos. Have you heard anything about his market because everyone, everything you read and everything you see, everyone's like, there's no way Nick Castianos is back on the Phillies. Well, we haven't heard his name mentioned anywhere. Is this going to be a salary dumpy kind of thing like the Cardinals just did with Ronado or is there actually going to be some interest to Nick Castianos for a year.

00:09:02
Speaker 3: I think it's gonna be a big time salary top. I think they're going to have to eat the minimum seventeen million to twenty if not.

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Speaker 1: You know, eighteen or nineteen. I have not heard his name.

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Speaker 3: I would think as we get closer to spring training, I don't think the Phillies won them back in camp. I think they move him. Then you know, maybe a team like to say Anygo Podres or you know, someone could use some outfield help. They would make sense. I mean, the Potters wanted Ernando two, they just didn't want to pay the eleven million dollars that the Diamonbacks paid, So they're really in a money crunch, and I think it would be a great fit. I think the real risk for a team is if you bring Caslanos in, you better play them every day or he's gonna be upset and could cause disturbance in the clubhouse, which is what happened in Philadelphia.

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Speaker 5: Let's say the Phillies do get Boba shot j t Romuto is gone. According to Bob, what does that market look like out there for the Phillies. I asked Ken yesterday and he talked about Victor care teeny. Does Ryan Jeffers say, okay, yes, that's the guy that we would want, we have to go get him. Do the Phillies have the pieces to go get a guy who's a starting catcher because the team he's coming from needs a starting catcher too. So that's my That's like where I'm like it's a catching position is usually figured out by November, and now we're into January and the Phillies are in no man's land.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, they've got to go get another catcher.

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Speaker 3: It might be someone's backup or somebody who plays you know, sixty percent in the time.

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Speaker 1: You know, a little bit like the Cub situation. Grab you know a guy like that.

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Speaker 3: But you know you're gonna have to mix and match of the catchup position, which is fine, but you better You're got to get that trust from those Philadelphia pictures in a hurry.

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Speaker 1: I mean, you got a lot of money invests in that rotation. They're used to real mudo.

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Speaker 3: That's the big danger here is now that catcher and pitchers got to get to know each other in a hurry.

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Speaker 4: Here, Okay, well let's go. Let's go on to another team that made a big move. That's the Cubs. Cubs brought in Alex Pregman. Red Sox fans thought they had him and he was gonna come back for sure. The Cubs swoop in steal him away from the Red Sox. Does this mean they're gonna have to trade Nico Horner? Are they gonna run with Horner? Swansby, Dansby, Swanson and Pregman in the infield, Michael Bush obviously at first, and then what do you do with the Matt Shaw, who's a young player show promise in the second half. They've been high on him forever. Does he just slot in automatically to your utility role that they've had.

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Speaker 1: I was told that.

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Speaker 3: Horner stand put. Uh, you know that they want they want him there. Uh, so he's got one more year to their left. I think he stays put. I think Dodd Man out his Shaw. I don't think they trade him, but I think he bounces back and forth between the miners and uh a super childey player. Uh, he's gonna have to have a great spring just like he did a year ago to make the team and uh and show he can play multiple positions. If nothing else, you'll go to Iowa and just be that, you know, that reserve guy, you know, break for him. But I think that's what's going to have to happen for this next year. But I think Horner definitely stays put.

00:12:06
Speaker 5: Is framber Valdez's phone is it off? Like is it broken?

00:12:10
Speaker 4: Is there?

00:12:11
Speaker 5: We haven't heard anything? Has he been getting calls or stuff, waiting for something else, the first shoe to fall, and then something happens.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's strange. I mean, once he's got the two ten, you figure, Okay.

00:12:23
Speaker 3: Valdeza's going to come in right around the same thing, and you've heard nothing. I mean, it seems like you'd be a great fit for you know, a number of teams, particularly particularly the Mets. Uh, the Red Sox too, But yeah.

00:12:36
Speaker 1: I don't know.

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Speaker 3: You know how much that hurt during the season with the with the incident with the catcher in Uh, you know that they're prying around saying, winn now is he going to fit into our clubhouse? So, uh, we'll see. But yeah, I'm surprised. I think the biggest surprise of all this whole free agency is just the starting pitching market. Just how slow it is.

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Speaker 5: The Red Sox. You said, the Red Sox possibly on frame or you know, it's always a possibility, but it's starting pitching where they because they've already made the move with Sonny Gray and they got I'm blanking out right now anyway, the second move in Now they got Wilson Contrens, but they got another starting pitcher too, Johan Oviado. That dude, got your boy, I know I forgot. It's okay, It's okay, you forget things. Me and Bob.

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Speaker 2: That's his favorite picture.

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Speaker 5: Yes, But anyway, would they go to the starting pitching market or the fact that they just missed out on a bat that was a key part of their lineup, So they need a bat.

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Speaker 3: In a bat but you know they could add another arm. I mean, you know, through eight or ninety starters anyway, you know why not? But yeah, they need a bat somewhere. Uh, you know, I know that Diamondback said, hey, we're not trading get but you know what surprise anybody's screen trending if the Red Sox come back and say, you know what, we're gonna be willing to give you this we weren't gonna give to you before, We're gonna give it to you now. I can't believe the door is completely shut on the Martete trade talks.

00:14:14
Speaker 4: Okay, the Mets. The Mets have been roomed for Tucker fifty million a year all that stuff. Bob, why are they not going after more starting pitching and why will they not go after some of these guys guys like that that they might have to give is that just David Stern saying I refuse to give a long term deal to a starting pitcher because from Ravallo does I think would fit nicely in that rotation, Ranger Suarez, you know him, well, he's in your division for the last five six years. Why would they not go out and say, hey, we need to really focus on our starting pitching. Yes, Kyle Tucker is nice, but we need some pitching somewhere.

00:14:46
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:14:46
Speaker 3: I'm sure they're in on all these guys and say, Okay, here's a three year or four year deal.

00:14:50
Speaker 1: Who wants to take it?

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Speaker 3: And maybe they're gonna have to say, you know what, We're just gonna weigh give.

00:14:55
Speaker 1: You the opt out clauses too.

00:14:57
Speaker 3: I think they're just betting the market not being there obviously, you know, and as a materialized like those guys thought, and someone's gonna have to bite.

00:15:05
Speaker 1: So I think at some point we.

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Speaker 3: Got less than a month before fishes and catches your port, someone's can get nervous here in sign and saying I don't get to take the mess offer.

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Speaker 1: You know what's next. So I think they're just trying to play it smart, play shrewd in the sense that someone's gonna take our money and let's don't bid against ourselves. Uh, they've got to get least one more pitch, if not too.

00:15:28
Speaker 4: So that's what she thinks happening to a lot of these guys as teams are just sitting back saying don't panic and that. Meanwhile their agents are saying, don't panic, guys. The money's there or it'll get there eventually. So which one wins in the end? Is it the teams because the team's not saying collusion, But we've talked to some guys and they've had a lot of the same offers from multiple teams. Right, So our teams just sitting back and then you have every agent because I've been through this, and teams you get you get to once you hit Christmas, everyone says, oh, man, are you gonna sign you're not playing anymore? Or are you going? The wife starts hitting you up for where are we going for spring training? I got to find a place to live. So are the teams just counting on full panic setting in and they can maybe get some deals out of this?

00:16:09
Speaker 1: Yeah?

00:16:09
Speaker 3: I used to be like you said, a j full pin up for a Christmas you know, Now it's more towards spring training, we're seeing a lot more signings, but it's a lot more important for these pictures to signally because one spring training starts. You know, there's kind of, you know, a track record of guys that show up late, aren't ready, they have poor things. You know, look at Montgomery, what happened German Gunmy with the Diamondbacks, that sort of thing. So I think a teams are waiting for the players or pictures to panic and say, Okay, we don't like this software. We'll take it, giving me, give me a opt out, and I'll go hit that market again next year. You know, it's worked for guys, but for picture it's a lot more important to get to camp on time, and it's a position player.

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Speaker 5: How much validity is it when we hear stuff about the Giants looking for a second basement because there's two out there on the market. Obviously, I don't think that Martees going out there and you just said, Nico Horner, is there a aggressiveness from the Giants to make that trade to get that second baseman that they're possibly looking for?

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Speaker 1: Good?

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Speaker 3: They've got a nice farm system and uh, you know, we see toads and spring training all the time.

00:17:20
Speaker 1: You know, why not, why not wait and get a guy.

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Speaker 3: Uh, there's always guys that fall to the cracks and stuff like that, injuries, So I think they you know, wait, uh, you know, maybe they. I can't see the Diamax trading Marta to San Francisco. I'm not being the same division. But there'll be guys out there, and uh, the way they always operate, at least the Giants, you know, under bust or Posey is just take your time until you get that right guy.

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Speaker 1: So I don't think there's an urgency to get the guy right now. And I think you know, a Saint Louis is aggressive.

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Speaker 3: They've been dealing guys, you know, why not just wait to see if you know, Brendan Donovan falls in your lap.

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Speaker 4: But why where's the Giants fan?

00:18:00
Speaker 1: Uh?

00:18:00
Speaker 4: You know, Buster Posey, we got this, we do this was their move getting Devers last year. Where is the Giants been? Because the Giants are that team that's always rumored to you know, oh, they're gonna get this guy, and they might they're sneaky, gonna sign this guy and do this. And this offseason they've been relatively quiet, especially on the big name guys.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think the exactly is that Devers was their big guy.

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Speaker 3: If they signed him during the Winner, people say, oh, what a great move, sign a Domas to the big time contract last year. So they've been spending some big time money. Uh, you know, didn't pay off for him last year. So I think there's they were always playing and just do it kind of quietly that Hey, they weren't going to go out and get a big time free agent. They were just gonna kind of work in the margins and see who falls in there. Obviously they already have a big payroll. But yeah, they've never in on any of these guys. Uh, you know, could they be a sneaky team on Bichette, possibly, but I haven't heard that at all.

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Speaker 4: Well, they need a second baseman, they did, there's your second basement. There's another star you can add to the mix. There you go, Bob, Bob said it here first man. Oh shit, to the giants. There's been no links there, no at.

00:19:10
Speaker 1: Least at all.

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Speaker 4: No.

00:19:12
Speaker 3: But yeah, I mean it is uh it was. You know, market isn't what he thinks it's gonna be. You might as well throw your name of the fire and see what happens. But yeah, I mean, but yeah, Philadelphia is very very optimistic, or at least more than Caution is optimistic now that big ship.

00:19:27
Speaker 1: Could be a perfect fit for him.

00:19:28
Speaker 3: I think people in Philadelphia and the front office are a lot more excited about Bishett now than they were two weeks ago.

00:19:35
Speaker 2: Bob, are there any trade names that you feel are a definite over the next few weeks to actually happen? And we put the catel Marte trade talks to bed. It doesn't sound like Schoogle's happening, although maybe this arbitration battle kicks that up. Freddy Paralta, Brendan Donovan or anyone else we're missing, I.

00:19:55
Speaker 1: Mean Paralta Stills, I think that part's gonna be off there at all. Spring he's not dealt before.

00:20:00
Speaker 3: I think the mess are just waiting for someone to overpay and using somebody will I he's not making money. Uh, you know, obviously David Stearns knows sham. Do they make a run for pro Alta?

00:20:11
Speaker 1: Why not? Uh?

00:20:12
Speaker 3: You know, but you kind of wonder what the what the Cubs have done there. We're getting Cabrera, getting Brugman Brewers fans. I think we'll go bonkers if they trade away pro Alta, Like, what are we doing here? We've dominated this division, we believe going to raise a white flag here and not go for it again.

00:20:30
Speaker 1: So I think being a hard pr sell right now to trade Pralta, Bob, good stuff.

00:20:36
Speaker 2: We appreciate it as always great to check back in, and still a ton more to go over the next few weeks.

00:20:42
Speaker 1: It'll be busy.

00:20:43
Speaker 4: We'll talk see all right.

00:20:45
Speaker 1: Sounds good, Thank you guys,