MLB Trade Buzz Update, Twins owner calling fans to apologize, Tampa Bay Rays moving to Orlando?

00:00:03
Speaker 1: I do look at the comments. I do look at the comments. I just wanted to throw that out there yesterday, Aj, you weren't here, But I don't even know if I brought this up to Kratz. There was a Mets fan in the chat who said f you, but the real words to Kratz, and he's denying it right now today in the chat. But I saw it. I'm not crazy, and I put him in time out twenty four hours and now he's back because he said he wouldn't be silenced, and I said, you will be silenced if you're not nice. We have a very active chat, a great community, and we like to go back and forth. Sometimes AJ does it too. We'll go back and forth, sometimes the little trollish. Sometimes we don't like what you say. Often we love what you say, and we love the questions that you ask. But that's the line for me, just the pure personal attacks is when we do a little time out.

00:00:52
Speaker 2: Hurt my feelings. And I didn't even know about it, but I want to know what I said. I made he or she so mad?

00:00:59
Speaker 1: Okay? Well, Aj, it was another day for Kratz to question the Mets rotation and their defense to our yet of the construction of it, which is fine and fair. And I defended you to the death yesterday, not for your comments going forward, but for your comments last year where you ripped the team and you were spot on. The one thing that bothered this particular fan was he said that you had Marcus Simeon's age off by two years yesterday, and he wants you to get the facts straight. I don't remember that part because I was probably too busy in the chat I did.

00:01:31
Speaker 2: I said his age when he was going to be done with his contract and not his current age. I am sorry, and I'm glad this person is back in the chat because we're ready to get another show going and the Mets still haven't gotten better since yesterday. You're a bad human crats I have won, I have been called worse, and this is why I didn't read the comments when I played, because it really affected me.

00:01:57
Speaker 1: He said he's going against me, and he is right technically, but we're in the same ballpark here. He said. He didn't say, did you. He just called you a the F word goon, Like I think that's a little much. Goon. Goon is fine, but F word goon.

00:02:16
Speaker 2: I'll deal with goon, buffoon, bald, terrible player, goof. Oh I love the word good yeah, big goof.

00:02:29
Speaker 1: We just want to get along, that's all. We can disagree all day, but we'd like to get along nicely.

00:02:36
Speaker 2: What did I I mean? Steven A.

00:02:38
Speaker 3: Smith the other day went on on a rant about how the defensive coordinator and he wasn't even the defensive coordinator.

00:02:45
Speaker 2: He was he was he had prostate cancer all year. He just came out and said, see, I was right. I knew.

00:02:49
Speaker 3: The difference between knowing and saying it right is different, So chras just go with that defense. Just say you know what I knew. But I knew, but I just didn't say it properly. So I'm fine.

00:02:59
Speaker 2: I won't. I will definitely say when I made a mistake. So welcome back, chat. Let's get it today exactly.

00:03:07
Speaker 1: Thank you. Stephen A watched some sports, not baseball. He doesn't really talk about baseball, so we won't make fun of him too much. Only three times a year when he does bring up our sport. Let's charge.

00:03:19
Speaker 2: Let's charge about.

00:03:22
Speaker 1: Today. We're going to spend some time going over potential trade candidates between now and opening day, So Jim Boden put out his list of the top seven in terms of talent. It doesn't mean that they're going to get traded. In fact, we might not see any of these players get traded. But he listed Scoogle, kud Tell, Marte, Jaron Duran, CJ Abrams, Sandy al Contra, Brendan Donovan, and Louis Severino on there. Again, not that they're necessarily going to get traded. We know that the Diamondbacks came out publicly AJ and said we're not trading. To tell Marte, JB doesn't quite believe them. He thinks that the asking price wasn't met. And I suddenly there's a spring training injury or some type of issue for a team, they might call them back and try to make it happen. I don't want to make this just about Cantell, but your overall thoughts on the list, and do you think anyone on there actually could get dealt between now and call it March first?

00:04:19
Speaker 3: C J Abrams would have been the one for me, but then they just ask and they got rebuke because they asked for too much. Scooble after talking to him at the BBWAA on Saturday and talking to Hinch and everybody else involved. He's not getting traded unless something crazy happens because they're ready.

00:04:34
Speaker 2: They're ready for arbitration. And AJ Hinch was talking about how he's throwing a hundred already and he told him to calm down because they need him for the long hole. Martella, They've already tried. Didn't happen? Jared Duran possibly, But if I'm the Red Sox, I wait because I want to see what kind of year I'm having. Sandy.

00:04:49
Speaker 3: You need him to come out and start, get off to a hot start, then you trade him to a contender Donovan, Yes, but why haven't they traded him already? That's my question with Donovan and then Severino. I think the A's want to see how they start also before they make that movement. Okay, I'll say Donovan and Abrams would be the two on this list, but why hasn't Donovan been traded? And we just heard that CJ. Abrams was closed but they wanted too much for him, So I'm going to say zero before opening day.

00:05:16
Speaker 1: I like what you're saying as your secondary though I don't think there's any, but if it happens, it's the second base market. Why, because there are at least two, if not three, or four teams that could use a second basement right now. Seattle for sure, San Francisco for sure. I would say Boston should be on that list, and then I'm probably missing some other because I'm just ripping off the top of my head. I'm with you, Abrams, the asking price is going to be high. Donnovan the asking price should be a little bit lower. Very different players, but also Donovan's for two years, c J. Abrams is for three years. There's a difference in control there. They have very different pluses and minuses. Abrams actually needs to improve on the play discipline on base percentage side, and that's the one spot that Donovan has to a t I think it was three on base last year. Kratz, what do you think about this list?

00:06:05
Speaker 2: I mean, I think the list I'd go back to what Joel Sherman If you guys didn't see, Joel Sherman was on the show after the bbwaas and he was talking about the Mets and how like the first Domino had to fall with Neimo, I feel like Jaron Duran on this list is very similar. The first Domino has to fall for the Red Sox. The Red Sox either need a second baseman or a third baseman. I think Marcelo Meyer they think could fit into one of those. And I think if they would get a Hinneo Suarez, if they would get a you know, maybe possibly you know, you get Isak Parades from the Astros, there's obviously possibilities there for third base. It pushes a Meyer to second and then maybe now they they got that right handed bat, They're okay getting rid of Duran. They're okay trading for one last upgrade at that second base position if Myer's not going to play there, or if they don't get one of those guys, Meyer plays third and they get that upgrade. So I think Aaron Duran I just felt like there's a lot of smoke before and I don't think that smoke went away. I think there's still fire there. And I don't think the Red Sox are done yet. I think they've made their one free agent splashed with Suarez Ron Hare, and now I think they could move him because I don't think they want to move a brayew and obviously not moving Roman Anthony out of their outfield. If you're looking to get your food routine down at home, you need to add some premium protein from Omaha Steaks.

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Speaker 1: Let Omaha Steaks deliver high quality proteins right to your door. Visit Omaha Steaks dot com and get an extra thirty five dollars off with promo code fall at checkout. That's Omaha Steaks dot Com. Promo code foul terms apply see site for details. There might be some prospect pieces that move as part of that too, but aj do you like the complexion of an esac paratus to help the infield logjam? Moving over to Boston, where there's a very very primary need at third base or second to an extent or, and then Duran goes the other way to Houston. I know we're going to talk to Channel room later. This was a team where you're looking for a little more action.

00:08:57
Speaker 2: Right from Boston or from Houston.

00:09:00
Speaker 1: Houston, Houston, I mean technically both, but Houston too, right.

00:09:03
Speaker 2: Oh, Houston went out and got him. My. You know, they've done some stuff. They're counting on Alvaroz coming back, Christian Walker being back, and East Parade's having an entire year there. So I don't know they didn't they they signed an out didn't they bring an outfield or two? I have to look now, shoot, pretty sure that bring in. I just don't know where Paratas plays. I just don't know where Paradis plays for for the Astros, and I think.

00:09:27
Speaker 3: Well care maybe second base. They try all to b left field trick again.

00:09:32
Speaker 2: I mean, he's gonna get second.

00:09:35
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what they said at fan Fest. No, I'm with you, that's what they said at fan Fest. They don't want l two a playing much outfield, but he might play a little bit there parades second. Yes, the way that they're describing things does not make it seem very logical in terms of your best defensive fit. Right now, I'll give you the lineup from Fangrafts against Righty's Jeremy Payne, your shortstop. You're on at d H second base, A to a third Korea Christian Walker at first, Au Sanchez, who was terrible for them last year in right, Gyner Diaz it catcher zat colon left, Jake Myers in center. They could use a Jaron Durant in the outfield.

00:10:13
Speaker 2: They could totally, And I think they need to continue to let Cam Smith eat. He's in his second year. Don't don't platoon this man, Like the Astros weren't built on that mega platoon. Yes, they had guys like Marvin Gonzalez who were able to slot in places because he was a switch hitter. But to me, Cam Smith, you got rid of Tucker, Like, give him some leash. Don't make it a right handed only. Don't don't let Hayesue Sanchez take his at bats away, whether it's versus right handers or if he's hot. That that type of thing, to me, I think that is anyway. Obviously we're just looking at a projected lineup. I shouldn't have gotten so heated about it.

00:10:53
Speaker 1: No, you should because I agree with you. When I just read the projected right up against a lineup against right he's Radis and cam Smith are on the bench. Ideally, those guys should be platoon neutral and be able to play against lefties and righty's for sure. So I know they're right handed bats, but I mean, it's not like they're gonna sit every day against it.

00:11:13
Speaker 2: It gives you flexibility campus play.

00:11:19
Speaker 1: And pretty should play every day.

00:11:21
Speaker 2: And Paridi should be gone for that. For that, he should be gone to me. And it's not that they don't want him. They to me. I think they were. They made their bed when they traded for Korea. And I know we talked about with Channel of Rome. Before I asked him, I was like, oh, well then I think ahead. It was more of like, hey, we're making a run right now, and we're able to get a guy like Carlos Carea back in the fold. We figure it out. Well, now, let's figure it out time. And I and I hate to hear that we we kind of played this song and dance last year without Tuve and left and how did that go? And then well we don't really like him at second, so maybe Paradi so go to set like no, I think it's I think there is a clear value with eastop Paradis, and it may you know, it may not be that much more added in Paradis for Jared Durant. So that's why I picked that out of the list, the one that I think is most most likely out of the whole list.

00:12:20
Speaker 1: I'll end this with this. I mean, the Astros actually go even further back to Christian Walker, and they were shopping him lightly this offseason, at least that's what it seemed like. And they're not going to get a team to bite on much there based off just an okay year. So if you didn't have Walker there, you could slot Paradi said first things line up a lot easier for them. But that's not the case, I think.

00:12:45
Speaker 2: But we also let's also let's not forget we praised them when they signed Christian Walker. I like, remember they were coming off Josea Breeu, who was a disaster. They needed some right handed power. They didn't know that Jordan was going to miss the whole year. They didn't realize that Parades once they traded for him, was going to miss a lot, a huge chunk of time. So the Christian Walker deal for them made total sense when they did it, and now we're like, oh, we got to get rid of them. Let's let's pump the brakes.

00:13:10
Speaker 3: Let's give Christian a chance to have a second year, because the second half was much better than his first half. So let's let's not just say, oh, well, Christian Walker's got to go. I disagree on that. I think Christian Walker's in line to have a possible big year.

00:13:24
Speaker 1: I agree power didn't really go down much. He still hit twenty seven homers after he had twenty sixth the year before. It was just the on base percentage dropped quite a bit for him. He's still one of the best defenders at first base. So I'm with you. I don't think you're going to get much value on the trademarket. You should keep that man and let him play first base for you for the next couple of years. Show me the money. Yes, there are quotes from the I want to get this right Hillsborough commissioner Yeah ye ken Hagen in this story in the Tampa Bay Times that says the Rays are Orlandos if Hillsbury College deal fails, according to Hagen, so it looks like Orlando is a real fallback option if the Rays can't figure this out with Hillsboro College. This has been going on forever, so I will just put a blanket statement over this to start aj and then I'll let you explain the geography and the backstory here. If they don't figure it out with Hillsboro College, I think it's time. They've been talking for decades in the area. They are playing again in a place that is essentially made of paper mache and was not supposed to be lasting this long. It is still the butt of many jokes. I was on a sales call yesterday with a brand and they were making fun of the place. Enough, already figure it out. Let's get some baseball in a better spot in Florida in this region. So I'll take the quote and then we'll get your comments on it. The guy said, the reality is Orlando has significantly more bed tax revenue than we do. They've been pushing for a team, and he's of course then knocking Orlando later on in this conversation for more traffic and that the TV market in Tampa is better. We can get to part two of that. But let's start with part one. Tell us what you know about the Hillsborough College site, because that's Tampa, right, that's not Saint Pete's.

00:15:27
Speaker 2: So that's Tampa. It's right next to it's right next to George Steinbrenner Field, and it's right across the street from the Bucks. I mean they're literally I mean it's like one, two three on Dale Mabray if you know anything about Tampa right there, So it's all it's all in the same general area. And if you're talking about traffic, I don't know if you've ever been to Dale Maby when there's a Bucks game. We're even been to a Yankee spring training game. But there's some serious traffic on Del Mary because there's one road in a one road out. But that's not the point. Here's where I get a little squirrely on this one is this is a negotiating play. Let's be serious here.

00:16:05
Speaker 3: Like and I think people in Orlando haven't got excited about this because they all think at the end of the day they're going to keep it in Tampa.

00:16:13
Speaker 2: I don't know that.

00:16:14
Speaker 3: I love to have a team here, yes, but then if you talk to the people that the Dreamers whatever they're called. Barry Lark and his group that's running it. You know, they're taught. They've already moved. They kind of already moved.

00:16:23
Speaker 2: On to like a you know, expansion franchise, right, but they're not going to put three teams in the Florida area.

00:16:30
Speaker 3: So do I think it would be great for Orlando to get a team? Absolutely? Do I think that Orlando has a space to do it. They have a small space to do it, but owners want one hundred plus acres to build a giant place to think. Orlando's thought they were talking about as thirty five acres. As far as the traffic and stuff goes, Listen, from what I've heard about the Orlando space, there's two major highways that are run right next to where it is. I know where it is. I've been to this so many times. And they're putting a rail station right in there that will run one day to Tampa. Right now, we'll run runs from the airport to Miami, so you can run from the airport. And the biggest thing is you got to get the theme parks involved. I don't know how you do that. If you're Orlando. Listen, Orlando generates eighty has eighty million tourists a year. They generate I forget how many billions of dollars in tourism. They have a tourism tax. All that money now goes to the Citrus Bowl which is now called Camping World Stadium, and the Kia Center where the Magic play, and to this place and to that, and if the Orlando team can just.

00:17:27
Speaker 2: Get a little slice of that, it would help. So there's so many moving parts on this, but at the end of the day, you have to remember this.

00:17:33
Speaker 3: It's a negotiating eployee. Remember when the White Sex sad, we're going to move to Nashville. Remember when the White Sex sid we're going to move to Tampa. Remember when the Giants were moving to Tampa. Remember when this team was moving here in this and we'll guess what ends up happening. They get a new stadium. So this is all about negotiating. It was a smart play by this Hillsborough County commissioner.

00:17:50
Speaker 1: But we'll see, yeah, because the way you read it is there's not going to be Saint Pete Baseball anymore. It would.

00:18:02
Speaker 3: Yeah, here's that when you do when you do markets like Okay, So let's just say we're you know, he said Tampa is bigger than Orlando. I think Tampa is twelve in markets. But that's Tampa, Saint Pete, Sarasota, basically the entire almost west coast of Florida, and Orlando's Orlando, Daytona and basically like the central mid central area east of in Florida. Right now, Orlando, I believe, is fifteen. They're going to pass Detroit shortly for fourteen. So it's not like Tampa's two, and I think Orlando's twenty five. Like it's not like it's not like New York and then Las Vegas way down here, right, I mean they're about the same, Okay. So that's one of the arguments that I don't understand because and also if you look at visitors and all that, Orlando blows Tampa Saint Pete clearwater out of the water as far as visitors on a yearly basis.

00:18:54
Speaker 1: I think this is a huge topic, and AJ has a point. It also could be pasturing. We're going back to the conversation about the Rays. This is big. The Rays were sold recently. There's a new owner in town. It's been so damn long that they're trying to figure out their ballpark situation. I do think we're going to get some type of resolution quicker this time. MLB can be criticized for letting this go for a long period of time, but they're also pissed too. They want to get this done. They want to eventually figure out their expansion situation. There's only so much you can do too. Ultimately, the owners own the league, so they all vote on what happens. Let's go back to a part that I think probably pissed aj off. I think you properly clapped back at the commissioner there, the county commissioner for the TV market, and how I think Orlando keeps up there in terms of how many people are in the Orlando area and the tourists eighty million tourists per year. That's insane. That's double Vegas, which is second he said quote. People think think traffic is bad here, it's horrible over there. Orlando couldn't keep the Atlanta Brave spring training team, if you remember that. But the reality is, if a deal can't get reached here, I firmly believe Orlando is where they're going to be playing. There's another part I'll get to that in a moment. I live in Orlando. AJ lives in Orlando. We live on different parts of the city. We live in separate sides, right different parts of town. AJ. I have spent most of my life driving around the New York City Tri State area. The traffic in New York City area Long Island, some of these spots I always had to drive through is a ten out of ten when people complain in Orlando, aside from a little bit of Disney traffic, like right around the parks there, it's like five minutes. You know, people will be like, oh, got so backed up, and it's like five ten minutes. I get stuck on one street or avenue in New York City and then you go to the next street or avenue and get stuck again. So it's all relative. And I actually do think that the Causeway and some of the parts over there in Tampa and Saint Pete area have worse traffic than Orlando does.

00:21:07
Speaker 2: What do you think now, have you ever been again? Have you ever been to a Rais game? Have you ever been to a Bucks game? Have you ever been to a Yankee spring training game? The traffic is insane. It's on Dale Mayby. It's the one street right.

00:21:21
Speaker 3: They also have some stops along the way that you can stop if you want to waste some time.

00:21:25
Speaker 2: Maybe we don't have that many in Orlando. That's why he's talking about traffic. I don't know.

00:21:29
Speaker 3: Let people figure that out on their own. I want to go back to something else. The traffic is not that bad. Listen, there are times and where I live. I live on the Disney side of Orlando. Okay, yes, can there be bad traffic, yes, But it's all about when. And there's certain times of the day that you know, I don't go to Disney, and there's certain times of the year when you say, okay, I got to stay away from this general area because I know there's a million people in town for a convention or something at Disney, so you stay away from that area. Other than that, Disney is a self contained animal, and Universal is now almost a self contained animal where they are located because they have this whole area that's Universal and Disney's not even in the city, so it doesn't even count. But I want to go back to what the guy said about Orlando could and keep the Atlanta Braids at Disney Spring Training I played for the Braves my last two years. Okay, we sold out damn near every game. I'm saying, I don't know how many stat Stadium hold ten twelve fifteen thousand. It was sold out almost every single game. The Braves didn't leave Disney because they weren't drawing people and they weren't getting fans.

00:22:32
Speaker 2: They left as the complex fucking sucked. Okay. We had to sit in there with no chairs. We had a locker room with no chairs. I had to bring my little fulled up tail getting chair and put it in my locker because we didn't have room for stools and we didn't have room for chairs. That's a big leage clubhouse. To get to any work done, you had to walk all the way across the field. The training room was had two tables in it because it was so small. There was one couch. The food room was smaller than a closet at Scott's House. Okay, So it wasn't because there weren't drawing, and it wasn't because it wasn't popular. They moved because the facility sucked and the Disney wouldn't throw money into it.

00:23:06
Speaker 3: It's like, why are we throwing money into this, we get fifteen thousand fans a game. The Braves were like, hey, Northport or Sarasota, Northport, yeah it south Aarrisota whatever they call it. Said, hey, we'll build you a brand new complex, state of the art. Oh yeah, and we'll build all the fields and you don't have to pay a dime. But the brand, who's gonna say no to that?

00:23:25
Speaker 2: No? Because there were times when I was with the Braves we couldn't go on the backfields because there was a Little League tournament happening, right and it would rain. We had to go into the Milk Jug Complex whatever it's called over there at Disney and throw indoors because there was no fields that were available to use, right, So that's why, So don't don't throw it like that's this is like one of those worst arguments ever, like, oh, they left, so I'm gonna use that. It's not true.

00:23:49
Speaker 3: Okay, so before this is one of those county commissioners, good politicking, but it's not true.

00:23:54
Speaker 1: Thank you. I knew that would fire you up. And as someone who has lived in Orlando for a much much less portion of their much fewer years in his life, I was even pissed reading some of these comments. The thing to look at though, that I do believe all the bs and the posturing and the debates about which cities which right, and I like, we both love Tampa. It's not it's not anything against Tampa. I just genuinely feel that I can comment on this these days as a Florida resident. I think Orlando would be a much better spot for a team, and I even think that MLB is on board at this point. With Orlando being a better spot, it would be much easier government money wise.

00:24:37
Speaker 2: What's the problem you have to You have two problems right now.

00:24:40
Speaker 3: One, Ron DeSantis is the governor and he's from the Tampa Clearwater area, so he wants to keep the team over there, right. The other problem you have to figure out is that if they haven't exhausted, you have to if it's going to come to Orlando, it almost has to be turn key right where they say, okay, we're going to Orlando, and Orlando has to have the infrastructure everything already ready to go.

00:24:59
Speaker 2: Right like boom, you say, yes, we turn the foss and all we start building the stadium, we start improving the roads, we have the train station ready to go, and it's done right, because what it gets hung up is where it's hung up now in Tampa, politicians, bureaucrats, whatever. Oh I want my little peace, I want my little piece. I want this. I want that. You have to have it.

00:25:16
Speaker 3: If you're Orlando, you have to have it turnkey where they just say, boom, we're turning on the faucet.

00:25:21
Speaker 2: Okay, let's move. Let's make this move.

00:25:22
Speaker 3: Let's start the stadium next month and the Rays are moving in three years, however long it takes to move a stadium.

00:25:28
Speaker 2: Will it happen? I don't know. Do I hope it happens. Of course, I'm from Orlando. I want a team. The Magic have done well.

00:25:33
Speaker 3: As long as you get the theme parks involves them. Well, I don't know how you do that because most of them want their people to stay in their theme park area. But you gotta get the theme parks involved one way or another, and I don't know how you do that.

00:25:46
Speaker 1: I will say this last point. The reason this came up with the county commissioner out there for that Hillsbury County or Hillsboro County, and that's the college, Hillsboro College. So they would actually take over parts of the college campus. When we've seen that in the by the way, it usually ultimately gets rejected when you're trying to get the education system involved in all that. So I'm skeptical, but we'll see what happens. DeSantis spoke about this the governor of Florida and said, yeah, they're gonna get the first crack talking about the Tampa Bay area. But if not, He's like, our priority is keeping this team in Florida. And I do believe that's the case. So he did say, I mean Orlando wants it. Disney would love to put out Wilde World of Sports. Universal could put it close to their parks. So I believe that's back in the conversation here. And I don't know the new ownership group well, but I think there's a chance they look at what's gone on there for a long period of time and say, okay, enough, this is too long. We went through this last time around. I don't want to be a villain. I want to actually see this team thrive and be able to compete in Major League Baseball. That's part of the problem too. Are they always going to be Moneyball of Florida?

00:26:53
Speaker 2: Thirty years years, thirty years it's ridiculous. I saw I saw an NBA game like in nineteen ninety geez one at the Trop back in the day. I mean it was way back.

00:27:08
Speaker 3: I remember when Vaughan Hayes, Philly's legend Kratz was in spring training. They brought them over from clear Water and they hit them fly balls in the Trup to make sure that people could see, so they could prove that they could have a team and support a team in the Trop. So the stadium was built before there was a team, because Saint Pete actually was forward thinking and said, man, if we build a stadium, they will come.

00:27:27
Speaker 2: A team actually came and now we're here, But that was in the That was like nineteen ninety when they built the Trop. And so now we're almost, you know, forty years later, and the Rays are still looking for a new team in Tampa. Doesn't seem to be helping them and every capacity that they can.

00:27:43
Speaker 1: I can't believe it's been that long. It blows my mind. There should be some type of deadline that leagues put together going forward and say if you don't do this, you get fined X amount of money. I mean, if you put a deadline in baseball on almost anything, it usually leads to a little more action. So we'll say, to be continued, Yeah, that's what he said.

00:28:03
Speaker 2: That's what he said. That's what he said.

00:28:06
Speaker 1: That's what we said. Fascinating story over the weekend from Dan Hayes and The Athletic covering the Twins and their new head honcho, same last name, different first name. Yes, it's Tom Pohlad these days who is running the Minnesota Twins, and he apparently personally has been calling fans to say, sorry, can you come back and buy season tickets again? I think they're losing many season ticket holders lately. I don't think we need to explain why. And he has been very candid that the Twins tripped over themselves. He said, quote in a lot of things, we tripped over ourselves, and we certainly didn't do a good job communicating what we were going through and what we were trying to accomplish. You take that all together, and it's a recipe for a very challenging time. We're trying to hit the reset button, bring a new energy, different sets of urgency, accountability, blah blah blah. They admitted that they blew it. This is the whole thing. This is the whole storyline in one narrative, and we were all over them. They blew it when they finally made it past a playoff round in twenty twenty four, and then after the season they're like, cut and payroll, thanks for all the extra money. Minnesota cutt and payroll, thanks for the playoff games. They slashed payroll by thirty million dollars. And that was the beginning of the downfall. Of course, it's going to most likely make the team worse. Fans were livid. They were like, cool, we finally built up to this moment, and then they just got punched in the face. And from then on you had eventually the ownership group looking to sell. They didn't sell. They said we're keeping the team. We're the best people to keep the team. And here we are now with one of the most pissed off fan bases in all of sports, and they're trying to make up for that right now. Paul ad was very good in this either interviewer with the Press. He said most of the fans didn't pick up his call, some of them didn't believe that he was calling. He acknowledged one fan hung on up on him. Aja three times convinced the phone call was a hoax. It gets better. When he finally convinced the fan via text messages he was in fact the new Twins head control, owner, chairman, whatever it is. He received an unkind response and a refusal to speak. So it was I don't believe you. And then finally and I believe you, but I still don't want to talk to you. Your thoughts on the state of the Twins, and I'll throw one more thing in there for you. They talked about how they need a sustainable winner and how twenty twenty six is huge for them. What are you doing this offseason? Not much?

00:30:39
Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, cool? He called fans trying to get him back. That's cool.

00:30:44
Speaker 3: He called like thirty or forty fans that had given up their season tickets. But then I ask you this question, what's the incentive for the fans to come to the games in downtown Minneapolis right now? Because the team's just they traded away what ten guys at the trade deadline last year and no offense to Victor Kartini and Rogers, but they didn't really bring anybody in. And they're talking about trade and Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez could be on the book Byron Buckson's been talked about getting traded. Ryan Jeffers has been I mean, I know Royce Lewis can be something if he stays healthy, which is the biggest, one of the biggest ifs. Ever, what's exciting for the Twins fans to be excited about and want to go to these games? Target Field's awesome. I get all that, but what's the excitement. Where's the Hey, we're help, We're trying to show everybody that we're committed. Twenty six is huge, but we're slashing payroll.

00:31:38
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:31:39
Speaker 3: This just seems like a lot. It just seems like a lot of I don't even know what to call it. Just it's just a lot about nothing. It's just a lot about nothing. Right, It's it's cool that he did this, but at the same time, you know, put your money where your mouth is.

00:31:53
Speaker 2: Whatever it is.

00:31:54
Speaker 3: And we've talked about on the show too many times, and Aron Glehamans talked about it.

00:31:58
Speaker 2: It just seems like they're waiting for the right oppertunity to sell the team.

00:32:02
Speaker 1: No doubt they're definitely going to sell the team. There's no doubt about that. That's why they pulled that off. They cleared some debt that makes the team more attractive to sell. They acted like it was going to make them do more. They haven't done anything. So you look at a team right now that is going into twenty twenty six, almost like a lame duck with an owner, right You're just waiting for the team to be sold and for a fresh set of decision makers. So I want to do this. We haven't done this in a really long time, and I feel like it's the perfect day for it. A lot of people are cold inside, maybe didn't even go to work today. I would like to resurrect role play now. Yes, I am allowing either of you to pick aside. So whoever wants to participate in this, the other person will kind of be with them. We're going to have an owner in Tom Polad, who's like the new spokesman in the pol Ad family. And then you'll have a season ticket holder, and maybe it's two season ticket holders. So you guys get to pick your roles and I'll decide based on what you guys pick who I'm going.

00:33:06
Speaker 2: To be a part ticket holder beause because.

00:33:12
Speaker 1: Yeah, do you want to be do you want to be Tom or do you do? You want to be on the Tom side or the season ticket holder side, and then I'll decide which side I should be on.

00:33:19
Speaker 2: No, I'm out. I want you to to role play and I'll be the I'll be the arbitrator.

00:33:23
Speaker 1: Can you do like play by play? Okay? Cool? So all right, let's let's get this rolling here because and the last thing I'll say before we start this is in the article they mentioned how there's too much one good year, one bad year, and they want to build a sustainable product just like every freaking team in baseball. You can't all do that. Not everyone's going to be good every year and bad every year. But they essentially created their own rebuilt after they finally cracked a postseason series. So with all of that being said, here we go. I've already gone through multiple calls. Then I texted Krats, who was a longtime season ticket holder in Minnesota, and he doubled down and bought better seats when they moved into target Field because they did a great job with that place, and they promised the city and the fans that they would spend more because they would make more till they rugged everyone. So I finally got a hold of Crats and we're on the line right now. Eric, this is Tom Poule. Lad thank you for finally picking up the call. How were you?

00:34:24
Speaker 2: Oh? Thanks? Thanks for calling, big Minnesota fan, don't you know?

00:34:29
Speaker 1: Wow? This is already off to a nicer start than I anticipated. We'd like you to come back. We'd like you to buy season tickets again. I saw that you canceled last year. Things are going to be different now. Payroll's about the same. We're coming off a bad year. I know we got rid of a third of the team, but Eric, we didn't trade our stars. We're keeping Pablo Lopez for now. We're keeping Joe Ryan for now. Carlos Kraja moved on, but that's okay. We'll eventually be able to reinvest that. Did you know that our debt is in better shape than it was?

00:35:00
Speaker 2: I didn't even know that you guys had a bag of debt because it's just one of those things that there's a fan. All I'm really looking for is to watch my team win a bunch of games. And right now I'm doing a lot of ice fishing up in the Upper Uopers and there's just really not a lot of baseball in my mind. When it gets sunny. You know what I want to see. I want to see Byron Buxton stay in center field, and I want to see nine more relievers that you traded away coming in to save the games. Because it's one of the nicest stadiums, it's a great environment. We probably should have a roof, but I'm okay with that because Target Field is nice and we are nice people up here, and we enjoy the city when it's in the summertime, don't you know, Because there's a lot of mosquitoes up here. But right now you feel like a mosquito, and you're biting my fandom right out of me. Tom.

00:35:51
Speaker 1: Wow, this is an eloquent and very nice reply from you. First off, I want to say that we are keeping Buckston for now. We kind of tried to trade him but it didn't want to go and he's got this no trade class thing, so we actually can't even trade him if we want to at the moment. Poor guy, why won't you come back? What do you need us to do differently to convince you to show up here. I'm not like my brother, I'm much more of a go for it guy, and I'm trying to build a sustainable winner here.

00:36:20
Speaker 2: I actually have a check right here that I would be willing to write to the team for my season tickets if you were exactly what you said and actually go for it. You've not only lied to the city, but you also lied to Carlos Korea, who when he signed here was one of my favorite signings of all time. And you lied to him and said you would pay more money. You haven't been upfront. So I'll keep my check right here, and I'll go ahead and hunt mosquitos in the summer instead of going to Minnesota Twins games. Thank you very much. Tom.

00:36:52
Speaker 1: Well, mosquitoes don't build a sustainable product. They often die out in the wintertime. But whatever. Anyway, Okay, so he hung up. All right, I'm going to hang up, and I'm going to turn to my Twins advisor AJ Prisentki AJ for the next phone call. What do you think I should do differently? How do I convince these season ticket holders to actually come back when I have nothing to tell them? And this is where I'm coming back to real life for a moment. AJ. What are they saying on the phone?

00:37:19
Speaker 3: Nothing is changing, That's exactly right, hey, please come back because I called you personally, Like what, I don't know. Listen, the pole IDs have owned the team for a long time since like the eighties, I believe, and nothing has really changed.

00:37:33
Speaker 2: Listen.

00:37:34
Speaker 3: I played there in ninety eight, ninety nine, two thousand and two thousand and one thousand, so six years I played in the major leagues in Minnesota. We played in the Metrodome. Their excuse was, we have the Metrodome. We can't spend money the Metrodome, the Metrodome, metro We actually drew big crowds of the Metronome when we in two thousand and two, we won the division.

00:37:49
Speaker 2: Two thousand and three, he won the division. The crowds are pretty good.

00:37:52
Speaker 3: They got twenty five thirty thousand pretty much every game, even on school nights, and the place was rocking.

00:37:57
Speaker 2: And they said what they said, Man, as soon as we get get into the new stadium, we're really gonna go for it. We're gonna throw so much money at this team. And they did. They did a little bit, you know, they signed Joe Mauer, they signed you know, they did some things. They tried, never really got over the hump. Twenty two, they finally win the first postseason series, and since I was there in two thousand and two, and they're like, we're slashing payroll. So if I'm a fan, I'm like, you have told me you're gonna spend money. You've told me when they get a new stadium, you told me when they finally win the playoff series, we're gonna do this, We're.

00:38:29
Speaker 3: Gonna do that, and it hasn't gotten any better. Like kind of, like krat said in his funny accent, why would I spend my hard earned money to go watch a product that I know is not gonna get any better.

00:38:40
Speaker 2: You have to do something to prove and that to the fans. You have to earn their trust. It's like the Pittsburgh Pirates in Oakland, or the Sacramento A's and and these other teams, the Miami Marlins. You want to you have to prove that more than one year you're actually gonna put a good product on the field. And if you do that, you can grow the fan base back and get them excited again. But if you're not and you're not gonna try, fans move on. Attention spans are short in today's world. You know that Scott Gratch you know that you have kids, Like attention SPAN's gone. If you don't do it and you don't make me entertain, I'm out. I'll find somewhere else to go and spend money. Fans complain about ticket prices going up, Well, good news is Minnesota Twins fans, your ticket prices are gonna go down. And it's not because they cut payroll, slash payroll. It's because people don't want to go there. They had an influx of season ticket holders purchasing tickets when they signed Carlos Korea. Why is that because they wanted to come and see him play. Because they had developed intrigue around the fact that Royce Lewis was now coming up, that that Byron Buxton was going to stay healthy and there was you know he signed his extension. Wow, like this is a team I want to watch on the field. They didn't have to pay any money for their bullpen. They created those dudes like they were a dest that's a nation for guys to come, like Correa who missed out on two large markets, the Mets and the Giants because of a physical and the Twins said, yes, we're coming in and part of that contract while it wasn't written anywhere. He was told, yes, we're gonna spend money to keep putting players around you. That's that creates so much of an intrigue for fans, which creates demand, which raises ticket prices. When you don't do that, ticket prices plummet because nobody wants to go to the games. So the best way stop calling people, Stop calling ex fans. While it's a cool idea and it's very nice, it's a great gesture. Call free agents. Call people that will be will bring the fans out to watch them play.

00:40:47
Speaker 1: They just said they messed up two years ago, but they're doing the same thing. They just said they messed up, and they got an influx of cash. The only thing that's gone up is the franchise value. They were bought in nineteen eighty four for forty four million dollars. The team is at least worth one point five bill. They just did a raise, right, so they have new minority investors that are part of this group, and the raise, I believe was valued at one point seventy five billion, if we're going off the one point five bill, which is a number that a ownership group would give up this second for the team. They laughed at them because they wanted one point seven to seven five, which they think they're going to get when they vote for a salary cap and the franchise value goes up thirty four x return, not finding thirty four x returns basically anywhere else in life thirty four x return. They have done very well for themselves, they just haven't treated the city that way. Well, you're trying to do some math. If you can get thirty four hundred percent on.

00:41:44
Speaker 2: Any investments right now since nineteen eighty what I mean thirty four x? No, you you're not finding that unless it's crypto year to year. But what year did they buy it?

00:41:55
Speaker 1: Nineteen eighty four?

00:41:57
Speaker 2: So in that time you are going to get, you are going to get. Your value of an investment is going to go up over forty forty two years, not at that rate though not at the times.

00:42:08
Speaker 3: Also, let's not forget to pull out to many other businesses. I mean, I remember when I was playing there, they sold like a Pepsi distributorship or something for three hundred million dollars or some crazy amount four hundred million, and they're like.

00:42:19
Speaker 2: Oh, we can't put five million dollars to buy the team. Fleeces, you have to buy your own fleece's team because we can't afford it. And we're all like, wait what, it's true and we are going to be accused of Oh, small market players always are looking for more money. It's just about bringing it because this conversation is all about bringing season ticket holders back. Create intrigue around your team, don't create question marks of whether this owner of whether your ownership group cares about winning or not.

00:42:55
Speaker 1: Thank you, and we hang up the phone. Let's lap some news. Aaron Sanchez signed a minor league contract. Do you guys remember Aaron Sanchez Kratz you do. We're a teammate alert. He's going to try to crack camp with the Royals and we're going to try to get him on the show. I was actually sending messages to him back and forth this morning and he says hello and he loves you. It's a serious line back from him. So he was a little busy. It was actually a back and forth today. Clearly he was a little busy. He's just signed a minor league contract today with Kansas City. But we'll try to get him on the show Man. He was good for a minute.

00:43:42
Speaker 2: He was very good. It was he was very good prospect. Later pick I want to do more research, but I think there's a crazy story about how the blue Jays actually got that pick, but I have to confirm it before I tell the story. It's nothing about him, it's more how the Blue Jays just canoodled this system. But yeah, oh great teammate him and Stroman came up right around the same time, and I got to see him both in the minor league's a together, and you know, we had a lot of really really fun conversations when you're at the end of your career and someone is just starting the new part of their career or their new career in the big leagues.

00:44:23
Speaker 1: Very cool. And then also, Dave Roberts wants to coach Team USA, not in the World Baseball Classic. They already have a manager. He wants to coach them, manage them in twenty twenty eight at Dodger Stadium at the Olympics. So he's already thrown his hat in.

00:44:39
Speaker 2: Wait, how's that? How would that happen?

00:44:43
Speaker 1: We're saying they have yet.

00:44:45
Speaker 2: Wait, wait, you have big league players, you have a big league manager, but no big league players.

00:44:53
Speaker 1: Well, if it happens, I think it's going to happen. I think it's good.

00:44:58
Speaker 2: It's going to happen.

00:44:59
Speaker 1: Yes, so good for Dave Kratsats on the way up.

00:45:05
Speaker 2: I mean we had Nolan on. I had to make sure he knew new colors he's got to put in his cleats. And Nolan, if you're still listening, you're not that old. You're not that old. If you keep telling yourself you're old, you can put these kinds of colors on your cleats. Drip it up, get some get some super.

00:45:23
Speaker 1: Drip Team Poland, if you'd.

00:45:28
Speaker 2: Ever stop drip ever stop dripping, by the way, never have.

00:45:32
Speaker 1: Told if you want to participate in the Olympics for baseball. AJ's phone is tough to reach, but he will do it. He will do it right.

00:45:46
Speaker 2: I don't think I can connect you with the correct people. I'll say that I'm a connector.

00:45:51
Speaker 1: Okay, the most bottom