Ken Rosenthal’s trade szn update: AL East moves, D’Backs decisions

00:00:00
Speaker 1: And given the voluntility of relievers in general, you make this trade every day of the week, in my opinion. For the thirty seventh tick in the draft.

00:00:14
Speaker 2: Let's hit inside Scoup with FT senior insider Ken Rosenthal. Happy Friday, Ken, And sometimes the headline just writes itself. For the top of our segment, we'll go right to the notes column released this morning in The Athletic. I advise everyone to check it out, but it starts with why an Alex Bregman trade makes no sense for the Red Sox? Why Ken, It.

00:00:36
Speaker 1: Actually makes no sense, period, And I'll go through it here. There's been some talk about this various websites, just people kind of speculating about the possibility if the Red Sox fall out trading Bregman. One, they're not falling out. They've got a seven game winning streak going, they've holding or they're currently holding the third wildcard spot. And yeah, they've got a tough schedule coming out of the break, but in the American League with so many teams kind of in a mediocre place, I don't see them falling out, even if they go say five and ten. The other issue here is his contract, and as you guys know, it's a three year, one hundred and twenty million dollar deal. This is the first year. He can opt out after this year. He can opt out after next year. So if you trade him to a team, they're going to take on about thirteen million dollars in salary and they're gonna think, Okay, that's okay if he opts out, because if he opts out, we're not doe for that forty million or maybe the other forty million on top of that, Well, there's no guarantee that he is going to opt out. What if he blows out his knee or something else happens from an injury perspective that keeps him out for part of next year as well as the rest of this year, then you don't want to be paying forty million. And that's actually the Red Sox position right now, the situation that they're in that could happen. Gregman's coming off the IL without a rehab assignment. I'm not predicting an injury or anything like that, but there is a non zero telling that he does get hurt. So for all those reasons, and the other reason being what is in it for the Red Sox, they want Alan to their team they want to re sign him. So it just doesn't seem to add up in any way at all. And the other thing too, I'll keep betching other things. What are you getting back If you're sending thirteen million along with Alex Bregman, you've got to pay that if you're a team that's taking him, and even if you're assuming he's going to opt out, you're gambling on that. Well, a team taking on thirteen million at the deadline is not going to give up much. If you want, and you're the Red Sox, you can contribute money and send some money along, but then what are you doing. You're getting a better prospect package. They don't need any more prospects.

00:02:45
Speaker 3: They're good.

00:02:47
Speaker 1: So I just don't see the logic of this at all. And I know it's the time of year where we all speculate and we all kind of dream up ideas, but this one to me seems like a distant dream at best.

00:03:00
Speaker 3: If they were out of it. You look at that roster, because I was just at Fenway. I just talked about it yesterday. It's Trevor's story and Alex Bregman and a bunch of kids from you know high school like it is a young team or inexperienced team like at Rome. Gonzalez is a little bit older, but not he's not ancient. Do the team still look at that as like with the Red Sox still look at that as like, Hey, this is a guy who's won a lot. He can teach our young guys how to win. And if that's the case, does that increase his opportunity to maybe re up or guarantee more of that contract this offseason? Not saying before free agency. I'm not saying he's gonna skip free agency, but the Red Sox will be like, hey, your value is huge here because of this the mentoring part.

00:03:49
Speaker 1: Eric. That's why they signed him in the first place. They knew they had these kids coming and they wanted Bregman to serve in that leadership role. And we have another story on The Athletic Today by Jen McCaffrey who covers the Red soixe for us about just the impact Gregman has made on players as individuals and as a collective. This guy is all about baseball all the time. He sees things on the field, he imparts that wisdom to his teammates. So yes, they're going to want to keep him, and they're going to want to keep him for just the reasons you stated. They don't have many established veterans on their team, and not only is he an established veteran, he brings that extra intangible, that knowledge of the game, that savviness that frankly is in short supply today. So I don't know how it gets done, if it gets done, when it gets done, but it's something the Red Sox certainly are going to pursue.

00:04:43
Speaker 4: I want to skip to the Yankees here a little bit. Excuse me, third base. I always thought Josh Chisholm should have been a second basement at the end of the day. I mean that was my opinion. Sorry, got something stuck in my bad.

00:05:00
Speaker 2: You want to make a call to the bullpen. I'm here, I'm Scott right, thank you, thank you. Okay, Ken, I know what he was going to ask about. The Yankees, Duke now currently have a hole at third base, and my friend who used to play the position, wants to know who you think they could scoop up around the trade deadline to fill now a very vacant third base hole now that Chazz is back to second, how'd I do he did great, that's good. He clear his throat.

00:05:22
Speaker 1: I nominate Todd Frasier, but no, Curiously, I talked about this a little bit in the notes Calm as well. So with DJ Lemayhew, they just released him and they owe him twenty two million dollars still. To me, that would sort of preclude them getting a guy who has a lot of money left on his deal. They're gonna need to address other areas as well, pitching, starting in relief. So when you talk about Noan Ornado who has plenty of money left on his deal, when you're talking about Ryan McMahon, who has a couple of years left on his deal, that doesn't make as much sense to me from the Yankees' perspective as a guy like Ajohano sare As, who is a potential free agent. He would be owed about five million at the deadline, if I'm not mistaken, And it just seems to me, when you've got so many different holes to fill in future commitments as well, that you don't want to be tying it up in guys who have money coming. I might be wrong about that. Maybe the Yankees just say the heck with it, but it just seems to me a guy likes Suarez doesn't have to be him, but someone who's a potential free agent that would be a better fit.

00:06:28
Speaker 3: How about ca Brian Hayes. And I say that, and I get it, people are gonna be like, you're an idiot. We don't want k Brian Hayes. But so much of what was talked about the Yankees was defense. He would add that defense. He would lock down the number nine spot in the lineup. I get that. Maybe he has an uptick when he's in a winning situation. Is that a possibility? I get it, though it's the same as what you're saying. Already has a contract, but it's not that big.

00:06:58
Speaker 1: Right his deal is I'm not sure exactly if the numbers are eric, but it's not as lucrative as the others, if I'm not mistaken. And Cabrian Hayes, yes, he would give something to the Yankees that they badly need, and that's defensive improvement. They have been better defensively this year and they'll be better now with Jazz at second. They had him out of position, let's face it, and he wasn't bad at third base, but DJ was at second. DJ was not as mobile as he once was, so it wasn't the ideal defensive scenario. Cabrian Hayes does fit from that perspective, and I would expect that if he got out of Pittsburgh he'd be a better offensive player. So dealing with the Pirates not always easy. And I'm not sure what they'd be looking for from the Yankees because what they need Pittsburgh is a group of young hitters to support the young pitching that they have. Can the Yankees provide that? I don't know. You're not getting Jason Domingez for Cabrian Hayes. They don't have many other young hitters. I guess Spencer Jones would be one. He's in the minors. He's doing okay. But I don't know that you do that if you're the Yankees either, So that to me would be more of the issue finding the match.

00:08:09
Speaker 2: Yeah, Kene, in my mind, I mean I'm the more cynical one. Especially with the Pirates. They might be saying, hey, we're not making as much money as we thought this year, let's clear some books. And we've now had two years in a row of key Brian Hayes not hitting up to par. Where it might change with the Yanks. I looked up the contract for you, so it was seven years eighty mili and Kratz did mention it was front loaded, which is true. He mentioned that, I think a day or two ago. So this year he's making seven twenty twenty six, he's making seven, twenty seven, he's making seven twenty eight, eight twenty nine, he's making eight. And then there's a club option, not at all prohibited.

00:08:44
Speaker 1: That's not sixty million, do it, Ryan McMahon or whatever Arnatto is doing in like the thirties, if I'm not mistaken. So that's a different deal entirely. In fact, eight seven eight million for a player, it's almost utility player money. Not quite that, but certainly reasonable. So the money, I don't know that would stop the Yankees. The quality of the player might, and the offense is a question. And let's face it, they don't have to have a bopper at third base, but they want a competent offensive player, and maybe with Cabrian Hayese, you decide, okay, the total package, we get a really really good defensive player, a goal glove type third baseman, and we'll settle for less offensively. That's kind of how they see Volpi right now, quite frankly, and I don't know how many of those guys you want, but it's an interesting thought.

00:09:32
Speaker 2: For sure.

00:09:34
Speaker 4: The d Backs are already out without Jordan Montgomery and Cormyn Burns. If they're looking to sell, or there are a couple guys that are not likely to go just because of their pitching depth. What do you think about that situation during the trade deadline.

00:09:50
Speaker 1: They have a couple of potential free agents who are going to attract attention if the Diamondbacks want to move, and that's still an open question. They have all of these bullpen injuries, all of these rotation injuries. It seems like it's a Star Cross season for them and it's not going to go the way they wanted to go. But Mike Key's in their general managers and pretty adamant about saying I want to buy, I do not want to sell. They have never rebuilt under Hazen. It's just not something he is comfortable doing. So if they end up trading one of the starters, and it would be one, from what I understand, they would not trade both because then they'd have a difficult time getting through the season. Gallen better in his last two starts probably would get more attention than Kelly, who is older thirty six. Granted it's a rental and he's a very consistent pitcher, but Gallon is the sexier name in that case. Yes, he'd be in high demand, and rightly so. He's Zach Gallan. He's been a cy young finalist Meryl Kelly, though, is interesting and I didn't know this until somebody pointed it out to me yesterday. He's thirty six and in his last start against the Padres he threw four of the five hardest pitches of his career. So this stuff is intact, maybe even ticking upward even as he gets older.

00:11:06
Speaker 2: Wow. All right, let's finish with this topic. The Rays in the Ools actually did make a real trade for a player that could be a contributor in a playoff game in a high leverage spot. Let's wipe away what happened for Brian Baker in his first start of hours into finding out that he ended up with a new team. I want to get your thoughts here. I know you touched on it on fair Territory yesterday, but then in your notes, Calum, it sounds like you learned a little bit more about how this went down, why it was this particular pick, and why the Rays were so interested in Brian Baker. I'm going to give you one more layer to add ken. I don't know if you caught the comments that we just talked about with Michaelias saying, yeah, we weren't going to trade him, but if you temp me with a pick, I'm in.

00:11:45
Speaker 1: Well, from Michael Elias's perspective, you've got a reliever with three additional years of control. He is a good reliever. I don't know that he's a great reliever, and given the volatility of relievers in general, you make this trade every day week. In my opinion, for the thirty seventh pick in the draft gives the Orioles ticks nineteen thirty, thirty one, and thirty seven, and the Rays had two competitive balance A round picks thirty seven and forty two. They couldn't trade forty two because while these picks are the only ones that can be traded the competitive balance picks, that one already had been traded. They had acquired it in the Jeffrey Springs trade, so that one was out. Thirty seven was the one they had, and from the race perspective, it's so difficult to make a deal this time of year. Teams are getting ready for the draft. They're not really ready to declare themselves sellers buyers. It's just too early. The deadline's still nineteen twenty days away. The Rays wanted to get something done. Their bullpen has been reeling over the last two weeks or so, so to get something done, they had to part with that pick. And in their minds, Baker is a quality guy. He's kind of platoon neutral going forward in their heads, and they see him as someone that they can keep for a couple. They weren't going to give the pick up for a rental, but with three years of control through arbitration, this was something that appealed to them.

00:13:08
Speaker 2: Okay, do you think that the Rays will continue to be active like this? Ken last one here on the Rays? Do you think that they're they're going to push chips in. I know you talked yesterday about how they were very definitive last year selling pieces, but it seems very clear that the Rays feel like they have something this year and we'd all like to see that ALCS in Miami, right, They had.

00:13:29
Speaker 1: Every reason to sell last year, Scott, and they did sell. They traded nine players, got sixteen back, most of them were minor league prospects, and this year is an entirely different competitive scenario. They're in this thing, they're in it pretty well, and until this recent slide they were looking really good. And they've got Shane McClanahan coming back, so they can do some buy sell things. Zach Lettel is a guy that for me, doesn't get enough attention. He's a very consistent starting pitcher. He's not sexy, doesn't throw a million miles an hour, but he gets the job done. The race could possibly flip in to get something else that they need. I do expect they're gonna add maybe even more to their bullpen. Yes, they will be active, they will be trying to do some things. There's no question in my mind. When they are good. The Blue Jays are like this too much different financial circumstances, of course, but when these teams are good, they generally go for it, and I expect the Rays will do that.

00:14:26
Speaker 2: If Shane McClanahan comes back and he's anything like Shane McClanahan, I mean, the race could be a problem. I love it. I'm into it. Ken, thank you. We'll see you in a few days.

00:14:36
Speaker 1: Thanks Scott, yep sounds good.

00:14:37
Speaker 2: Appreciate it. Safe travels Ken Rosenthal Fair Territory twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays. Thursdays are live with Alana Rizzo and Mondays now are live as well with Ken riding solo, ready to answer all of your questions about the trade deadline, and Ken will join us. I think we'll see him on Tuesday for a little stop by at the Tourist Community Corner, So if you'd like to join us again if you missed it earlier, we're going to be live there Monday and Tuesday. Its right next to the ballpark, so if you're hanging around the area, come kick it with us. And the little nineties style setup that they have. There's photo opportunities, meet and greet, autographs, retro jersey giveaways. There's obviously music flowing. Besides when we have the show going and then scheduled to join the party our David Justice, Andrew Jones, Fred McGriff, Chipper Jones. We're talking to some current players about potentially stopping by and some former players plus Ken. I have the invite out to John Smolt, so it's gonna be awesome stop by Out of the Park Baseball twenty six, best simulation baseball game on the market every single year, is going to help us with second half predictions. So let's go through the board. We're going to start with the second half prediction playoff teams and then eventually we'll get to what they think is going to happen in the playoffs. Let's get your thoughts on these ale Division winners. They have the Tigers, the Yankees, and the Ashers. Now, keep in mind they were able to spit out simulations with what is currently happening, so they know everything. They know the records, they know who's hurt, they know who's thriving. That gives you a lot more information than when you're doing it before the season starts, right, So that's why we're doing a little reload here. N L Division winners Dodgers, Cubs, and they have the Mets taken the East in the wild card seats. They have the Blue Jays, the Mariners and the Rays getting in. On the National League side, they have the Phillies, the Brewers and the Giants getting in. Anything stand out one way or another for you, Todd Father. A lot of the teams that are playing well right now, they have them sticking in that spot. It looks like the Padres are missing from a playoff spot in the National League. Who's missing in the American League obviously no, oh yeah, no Cardinals in the n NL and Krats, no Red Sox in the AL.

00:16:53
Speaker 3: They're not a good team.

00:16:56
Speaker 4: I don't know. I still think they got a shot. I would say the Mets. I think the at least find a way to win that division. In my opinion, humble opinion, the Mets have been teetering a little bit here. You know, they'll go through some spur, just like the Yankees did. And I don't know why I always bring the Yankees up. They're both the teams and New York people talk about. But they're a good team. But they need to finish this whole season off. And I think the Phillies find a way to win that division and the Mets get in and wildcard.

00:17:25
Speaker 2: Actually real quick Kratz. So they also posted the exact win totals because it's a simulation. They had the Mets and Phillies both with ninety two wins, and that the Mets took the season series and that's why they get the division, while the Phillies end up with a wild card team with the least wins to crack the postseason. They've got the Rays with eighty four, Mariners with eighty seven, blue Jays with eighty eight. They have the Tigers leading the American League with ninety seven wins, the Dodgers leading all Baseball with ninety eight wins. They have the Cubs finishing with ninety six wins, and then the Brewers at eighty six. The Giants sneaking into the playoffs with eighty five dubs.

00:18:06
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I'm surprised it doesn't have the Cardinals. Just I guess they're not believing in the fact that their team leader in home runs is now at twelve Wilson Contrere. So you go, eh, maybe they're not believing in that some of this is some run differential things that's cooked up. I think it's interesting that they don't believe in, you know, what the Blue Jays are doing. They don't believe in the fact that the Blue Jays have two game lead like it's a and some teams like bad underbelly of their teams are showing. And I think I would love to see ots otp's prediction. Maybe August third too, after some teams add and some teams don't add, and see where that puts their roster strength.

00:18:55
Speaker 2: We can make that happen. That's actually a good idea. Put it in the simulation after we know what the right look like, because you can't really change much after the trade deadline. We used to have the basically two trade deadlines, and now there's just the one. Okay, then let's get to the playoff predictions that they have put together. Here they have the AL Wildcard Series with the Astros taking down the Rays and the Mariners beating up the Blue Jays. In the National League Wildcard Series, they have the Mets advancing past the Giants and the Phillies advancing past the Milwaukee Brewers. Keep in mind, when we say wildcard, two teams get the buye and then one team that's a division winner still has to play in the Wildcard series. Ale Division Series, they have the Tigers beating the Mariners and the Astros taking down the Yankees. On the National League side of the bracket, the Dodgers beat the Phillies, the Cubs beat the Mets. So your final four as of now, according to their simulation the Tigers meeting up with the Astros in the ALCS, the Dodgers taking on the Cubs in the NLCS, and they have Tigers Dodgers World Series with we could show the winner and then get thoughts after that the winner of the World Series in twenty twenty five as a team that will not be back to back champs of the Dodgers getting taken down by the Tigers, what do you think of the whole playoff bracket they put together? It's early, but fun to do the exercise.

00:20:26
Speaker 4: You want to go first or may.

00:20:28
Speaker 3: I would just say that Dodgers have a lot of work to do. Oh and I say that because there's a lot of season to go right now, and I get it. They're losing right now, so it's kind of forefront of our mind. They have a lot of work to do in the sense of how are they going to get their starting pitching innings in to then keep what essentially won the playoffs for him last year healthy their bullpen. They need to get their bullpen healthy. They can't do that right now when you're starting pitching, he's going four or five innings, and it's the reason they're losing is they're not scoring runs right now, this team is going to score runs. Look, you go through ups and downs offensively. They need to figure out to win the World Series. Not to make the playoffs or win a division, but to win the World Series. They need to figure out how to get their bullpen healthy. Because right now, Tanner Scott's showing you that he is you know, he's hittable's he's given a few few games up. But to me, when you slide him back into you know, three to four times a week instead of needing him in the eighth and now he's going out for the eighth and ninth or meeting him in jams like give him a clean in and give him situations to be able to close the game down. That's how this team wins. And I just figure, I just think they have they have some work to do right now to be able to make it through the National League, which is the best league in baseball. And I think the Cubs are going to give a lot of teams a lot of problems.

00:21:59
Speaker 2: Ronnie said in the chat, how are the Padres not in the playoffs? I would agree there, I think the Padres are gonna get in agreed.

00:22:08
Speaker 3: Who do you think is better right now, Padres entire team or the Giants entire team. Padre who has a better lineup? Padres? Who has a better pitching staff?

00:22:24
Speaker 2: It's close, probably, I mean you don't think it's close. Do you think the Giants are much better pitching staff.

00:22:30
Speaker 3: Top to bottom? I think they are a better pitching staff.

00:22:33
Speaker 2: Okay? Who?

00:22:38
Speaker 3: Like to me, the Padres best starter right now is.

00:22:42
Speaker 2: Nick Pivetta.

00:22:44
Speaker 3: And what's his era right now?

00:22:46
Speaker 2: Probably two six?

00:22:49
Speaker 3: Okay, Then who do you got Dylan Sees?

00:22:53
Speaker 2: Yeah? Who? I still really like? I know he had a rocky start.

00:23:01
Speaker 3: It doesn't seem like it doesn't seem like his fastball has enough to finish hitters right now, could it? Does he need like an upticking adrenaline in the playoffs? Absolutely? This dude's already thrown in the playoffs and he was nasty when they went the blackout in Chicago. Like to me, their season is going to be dictated on what happens with Dylan Cees. Pavetta's shown me that he can throw. He can throw like he is other years. This is when he started to fade. He almost looked like he got tired. He's been thrown like he has kept that consistent. He's been their most consistent starter. Dylan Ceze good start, couple bad starts, good start, couple of bad starts. I think the season hinges on Dylan Cease because that lineup they can bang, they can go get it too, and in the infield, in the outfield, great defense. They'll they'll get a left fielder, maybe he'll take one of the Phillies left fielders.

00:23:58
Speaker 2: And they've got a good bullpen. I mean as far as at the back Adam Morihane or Strata. That's a good back end of the bullpen in my mind, and that's what made them so dangerous last year and almost slaying the Dodgers. Darvish's back. We'll see how he does over time here, but hey, I mean, at least he only gets to pitch half a season. That might be better for someone like him at his age of I think thirty eight years old. Randy Vasquez is having the year of his life and also made some tweaks that puts him as a nice dings eater in the back end of the rotation. A lot of it's gonna hinge on Michael King. I don't know what the latest update is with him, Kratz. But if they can get him back and right and then wait, you're sleeping on the biggest part of all of this. For the Padres, aj Preller's not gonna sit around. No, he's gonna make one or two moves. He always does, and I gotta give him credit for that. I mean, last year he almost made enough moves to win them a World Series. He built a super bullpen. Last year they just couldn't score. They choked in the playoffs, they were distracted or something. But I still like that team. I think that's a playoff team in my mind, mind I disagree with you, Kratz. I like the Cardinals. I don't think they make it to the playoffs. So for their wild card teams, I think that's one of the most interesting discussions is who are the NL wild card teams? That the Braves falling out of the East makes it a little easier to decipher because you've got the Mets and the Phillies. They're going to get in, right, we all agree with that. We all agree that the Cubs are going to get in. We all agree that the Dodgers are going to get in. Okay, after that is where things are interesting they've got You've got two spots, and you've got the Brewers, You've got the Padres, you've got the Giants, you can technically call the Diamondbacks and the Reds. So five teams for those two spots.

00:25:39
Speaker 4: I think if this well, I don't think the Cubs beat the Mets. That's the only thing.

00:25:44
Speaker 2: I just so in the playoff part.

00:25:47
Speaker 4: But I Diamondbacks, I don't see them man at all.

00:25:52
Speaker 2: Reds so hard.

00:25:55
Speaker 4: I hate the root against them because I love the team, but they just can't get over the hump right now, and a couple injuries and they just you know, they'll go through some spurts where they'll win the games and then they get two or three within and then boom.

00:26:08
Speaker 2: Good pitching stats. I want them. I want them in so bad.

00:26:11
Speaker 4: The city needs that.

00:26:12
Speaker 3: It's been a while.

00:26:13
Speaker 4: So yeah, but you seem like when you bag and you play, those are the teams I really don't get out, and you see it time and time.

00:26:20
Speaker 2: I go, Yeah, they ran one thousand sims to put all of this together. So last piece of the puzzle is they showed us a few of the stats. So they had cal Riley finishing in the thousand sims seven times with sixty two homers or more, one time at sixty four. The high homer mark for a tany they had sixty six in one thousand sims. They had one seventy homer season. For judging, this means the percentage chance is super low, but it's it's not nothing. So just throwing it out there with some of the individual stats that they put together, and I'm trying to see if there were any other kind of big upsets. It's about it.

00:27:00
Speaker 4: Ever find one hundred and thirty eight sims at forty forty seasons.

00:27:04
Speaker 2: Out of a thousand, so they're giving him about what a thirty fourteen?

00:27:08
Speaker 5: Yeah, a little under four. I love it. This is what I want to see. I want to see. I want to see something like that. I want to see the race for forty forty. I want to see PCA going, you know where we have the ticker up, thirty six homers, thirty eight bags, one week left. I want to see a home run race like I want to see the daily. Maybe I'm nostalgic from the whole Soasa maguire, yeah season, but I want to see a home run race where it's like.

00:27:37
Speaker 3: Bang, cal Rally hits one. Bang Judge, he hits one. Everyone's hating on cal Rally because he's a switch it or everyone's hating on Judge because he's hitting him a Yankee stadium and they're just back and forth thirty seven, thirty nine, thirty nine, forty like that. I want to see that, I do. I think that's great from the game.

00:27:55
Speaker 2: That was fun. Yeah, I'm with you. I'm with you. We got some big boppers. They've got the to do it. Cal's probably gonna get a little more DH time in the second half to make sure he's in the lineup every day, right, I mean, I know he can catch every day and he wants to know. You don't think soakrats.

00:28:10
Speaker 3: I just think he's gonna be out there because they're gonna be pushing that watch the starting catchers start. They're gonna be pushing for that wildcard spot and dudes like this, dudes that are built differently. Unfortunately, it might hurt him offensively. He's going to be out there day game after night game. He's gonna be out there.

00:28:28
Speaker 2: They need him offensively. Krats like he is the Hey is the guy the they're just as relying on him now as the Yankees are on Judge.

00:28:35
Speaker 3: And he but he's offensively I get it, so he's gonna be out there, but he's also a platinum glove. Mitch Garver's receiving numbers aren't right there they had They need every margin of error like they need every every on the margins to be able to make it to the playoffs. Again we talk about it though, the Mariners in the playoffs be very very careful.

00:28:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, with that's that. Also, it doesn't happen often, so the city deserves it. Thanks to that of the park. Baseball twenty six for putting these sims together really cool and I like Kratz's idea. Let's do that again after the trade deadline. OTP twenty six is now at fifty percent off through July seventeenth, that's next week, and for the first time ever, they have the Road to the World Baseball Classic in there. The Player Development Lab two point zero is up and running. You can scan that QR code on the screen or check it out if you google it. It'll take you to a page to be able to purchase the game for half off for the next week. Jason Stark put out his twenty twenty five Mid season Awards right now, ALMVP for him, Aaron Judge, n LMVP for him. Sho HEO Tani. So he's got Cal second, Raley and Pete Crow Armstrong second PCA in the National League. Let's start there real quick, like don't.

00:29:56
Speaker 4: Like, I like, but Raleigh's a strong, strong one. B right now he is, Okay, he's a stut.

00:30:02
Speaker 2: What about Otani over PCA.

00:30:05
Speaker 4: I would say Otani and I like Otani.

00:30:07
Speaker 2: You like And obviously O's gonna keep pitching and racking up more anings. I know they're going to slow play it, but it helps. Kratz looks like he's got other thoughts.

00:30:17
Speaker 3: In the National I would say I would say pc A over over Otani because I get what Otani has done. He's done it at DH, though could change in the second half. The more he keeps pitching, he might just he might just run away with it. But what PCA did, He's put this team, He's putting, not his own as back because Kyle Tucker has been helping to and other guys. It's a full team effort. But may PCA's first half and I agree with him when the judge part I I'm not saying that cal Raley's not going to win it, but I think judge what he did in the first half is also historical.

00:30:56
Speaker 2: Everything that PCA is doing is elite right, base running, dur clutch everything. Yeah, I'm a big PCA guy, but Otani could play catch him in the second half with the pitching and the hitting that that usually helps. No one else does that, So you're going to see him slowly tick up. They're going to take their time. They just want him by September in a five inning spot, and I'm sure he'll try to push to six and in the playoffs, maybe even seven if he's really feeling himself. Let's go over the LVPS. So Jason Stark, from his article in The Athletic listed the al LVP least valuable players, so underperformers as Luis Robert really is having a down year and it's a bummer obviously for White Sox fans, but really for another team that could have acquired him, and he's such a talent, it just hasn't figured it out. A Doley Scarcia having a down year, and then he listed Anthony Rendon as a Career Achievement Award which is fair. On the National League side. Michael Harris, who we've talked about a couple of times in the past week. Really, right now, I'm qualified players. It is the worst in baseball as he all be is having a super down year, and Brian Reynolds on this list who could get traded, but it has to be to a team that believes that this is a blip in the radar. I think so. But what do you think of the LVPS?

00:32:16
Speaker 4: I get Luis Robert mat It's tough. He had what thirty nine homers last year or the year before, almost reached a forty mark, and now it's just been hit or miss with this guy, Bro, I don't know. It's a tough one. I would agree with Dallas has got to figure it out. Ren Don just hasn't played, so I don't even know what you do with that one. Yeah, Harris had a great year last year too, No, my mistaken him. I thinking about the wrong guy. Now he's bat and ninth for the Braves, right, he did pretty darn good in that nine hole.

00:32:44
Speaker 2: Harris in his career has had nothing like this. I mean this is year I believe this is year four in his career. Yeah, this is season four in his career. He's had nothing like this his first three seasons. I mean, he was the best in twenty twenty two, his rookie year, right going on a tear bat ninth. Yeah, his offense has gone down year to year here, but even still last year he's about league average offensive player and he's an elite defender, good base runner. But yeah, Kratz, it could be a case of the league starting to figure him out. I know now he's in his head at this point. But the offensive numbers went from rookie year, second year down another you know, ten to fifteen percent, another ten to fifteen percent last year, and then this year it's it's it's a mess.

00:33:25
Speaker 3: It's a mess. It's a mess. And the again, I mean I talked about strikeouts earlier. I just don't know where the strikeouts and came from in this sense. I mean, he's one hundred strikeout guy. But you know, I guess this people will say, people will say metrically, analytically, well, if you don't control the strike zone, you know, he's not a big he doesn't walk a lot. That's this is going to catch up to you. You know, it doesn't it doesn't last if you don't control control the strike zone. To me, the Luis Robert thing is is crazy though. Least valuable player like some and I would be one of them, would have been like, you know, how motivated really is this guy? Guy's got twenty two bags, so when he's getting on like he wants to get after it, he just has to figure out a way to put together consistent at bats. And to me, I think, shoot, even a hot month this year, he could have he could have worked himself into a big trade and everybody would have said he was back. He's just he's just like any other elite prospect where it's like as soon as you show a glimpse of something, they're like, yep, this is it. This is the guy where petty you know, the reason we got him, the extension thirty nine home run guy, and he just hasn't been there.

00:34:43
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's crazy for Luis Robert. I mean he is. He is someone that they could have gotten a lot for a couple of years ago, but he had so much team control. Now he actually doesn't have team control because his next couple of years are option years and he's not worth the money right now. So it's kind of crazy that they're gonna maybe get almost nothing for that asset, which brings me to you Arena Club, because if you held on to your Luise Robert cards, it did not work out well a few years ago. If you got a Louise Robert rookie and you got a little buy back from Arena Club, which happens every time you open a slab pack, you can just sell it right back to them. If you're like, you know what, I don't think this guy's worth it, and I'm going to take the cash. That's what you can do here. Use code foul for twenty percent off your first slab pack or card purchase. Go support it at least check it out arenaclub dot com slash foul and we're back, and we're saying bye bye people for real. Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend, last three games before the All Star Break for whatever team you're looking for, and then we will see you in atl for the Derby and the All Star Game. We're super pumped about it. We'll have shows every day next week as well for All Star Week.