Braves Offseason Outlook with MLB Insider Robert Murray

00:00:21
Speaker 1: Welcome on and all to the Humor Territory Podcast. My name is Sean Coleman. Hope, wherever you are and wherever you are listening, you are having a great start to the month of December, and of course, with December here every year on the baseball calendar, that means the Winter Meetings are right around the corner. And one of the best sources that keeps us in tune with what's going on with the Winter Meetings has been kind enough to join us from Fan Sided and now from Foul Territory baseball insider Robert Murray. Robert, absolute pleasure to meet you, sir. Happy holidays till you. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us tonight.

00:00:55
Speaker 2: No, thank you for having me. This is a pleasure. I love everything about Foul Territory.

00:00:59
Speaker 3: I love everything about you.

00:01:00
Speaker 2: So we're gonna have some fun today and hopefully, as we're talking about backstage, hopefully some news breaks. We just had something break now, so I mean, who knows. I mean, it's the off.

00:01:09
Speaker 1: Season, after all, I'm sure that's the life of someone that covers baseball. Of course, Robert's referring to the Pirates and Red Sox trade that just occurred. So you know, Robert typically is on top of things, so we definitely look forward to his insight.

00:01:23
Speaker 2: Robert.

00:01:23
Speaker 1: Of course, this is a Braves podcast, so let's jump right into it. I know that you know, you cover a lot of transactions and things like that as well, but you do this because you're passionate about the game and you follow the sport as a whole. The Braves are entering a very pivotal off season. Past two seasons, a lot of underperformance, a lot of injuries. Just where are you're when you look at the Braves, where do you kind of put them now in terms of what this offseason means and just how important this soft season is to a future they want to be as contenders. How pivotal is this soft season for them to get back there.

00:01:58
Speaker 3: It's extremely pivotal.

00:01:59
Speaker 2: And you look at that team and there is so much talent on it, Like you have homegrown players. You obviously traded for Matt Olsen, for Sean Murphy, you have pitching two and Chris Sale and Spencer Stryder, Like there's a tremendous amount of pieces here. But in recent years the story of it has just been the amount of injuries that they've had, and if Alexanthopolis can get this thing right and get this ship back going, it's not going to take much to get them back into the postseason. Like, and even made it clear when I was talking about the GM meetings, like he realized that there's holes on this team, Like, it's not perfect, that he needs to do stuff, but this core, this talent base, it's way better than seventy six wins. It's way better than missing the postseason. I honestly believe Alexanthopolis is the perfect guy to get this thing done because one thing that I hear a ton about behind the scenes is just he is relentless. When he wants something he like, he more often than not get it gets it done. I am a huge fan of what he does, and this offseason is going to be extremely active for him. And he's made it clear he wants to get a lot of relievers, he wants to get starting pitching, and he also wants to get a shortstop. He's done some of that, but he's still got a lot of work.

00:03:08
Speaker 3: To do yet.

00:03:10
Speaker 1: And Robert, you talked about that in an article a few weeks ago. You're in the GM meetings, you know exactly what the Braves were looking to get, and you're correct, there are multiple needs out there. When you look at this team, you talk about there being a lot of talent and that talent needs to bounce back. That probably remains the biggest thing for us to get back to contention. But when it comes to adding to this team, what stands out to you as being the biggest need, that the most important hole to fill for this team this offseason for you to categorize it as a successful offseason for twenty six.

00:03:38
Speaker 2: And beyond, Yeah, it's a great question, and that's something they got to figure out. And I mean, you can make an argument for being shortstop, you can make the argument for being starting pitching because there's there's some holes after you have i mean Stritter and Sale, the Gavronla Lopez there and he feels like a pretty safe bet to make the rotation. But after that, like what exactly you're going to go out and do or who do you have necessarily have a few different question marks, with Bryce Elder being one of them. That to me is a position they absolutely have to figure out. And it's tricky too, and you can look at it from a Freegio perspective. You can look at a Zach Gallon, you could look at I mean fromer Valdez. You can look at a Ranger Suarez. But what are those guys have in common qualifying offer and do they want to part with a draft pick to get them? Do you explore the trade market? I mean there's the trade markets kind of like there's there's names out there that have been floated for sure, like Freddie Parolta has been one. Matt Arnold and Mark Antinazio there in Milwaukee have basically said that them extending the qualifying offer to Brandon Woodruff but also him accepting it does not mean that Peralta is going to be traded. I still think the door is open there for sure. Mackenzie Gore, he is someone who I think has a better chance of than Peralta being moved. That being said, like, it's still no guarantee. But there's names in the trade market, but who exactly they identify and go out and get to upgrade that starting pitchings to me is a huge question mark. And also the saying can be said too at shortstop because there's no real questions or there's no real answers externally, especially in free agency because the market is pretty thin, and I don't expect Bobushet to be an option there for Atlanta. And also Kim, I know we're going to get into that a little bit later, but there's no real answers or like I mean, they traded for Mariso Dubon too. I don't want to forget about him, but I would like him more in a reserve slash utility role than a full time shortstop role.

00:05:29
Speaker 1: That makes good sense, And you know, those are some of the names that we've talked about. It agreed with you that the Boat Bushitt option his offense certainly would would make sense for Atlanta, but filling the in at that shortop position the defense probably long term, is not something that projects there. What you talked about Alex and Toopless, you mentioned about the fact that he is relentless, especially when he has a target in mind. One other unique and beneficial aspect of this offseason, Robert, is that the Braves. Of course, with Drake baud Win winning Rookie of the Year, they got that extra draft pick we know which twenty six in the draft. In that twenty sixth draft, they're going to have more opportunity to influx talent back into the system. That could make them more aggressive, potentially either maybe going after someone with a qualifying offer or meeting a price that they may not have met previously for a significant trade target. Which avenue do you think Alex and thopplss may go down? It's been trades in the past for him, but could we see a bit of an unorthodox free agent splash. Which avenue do you think he may be most aggressive in.

00:06:29
Speaker 2: It's a great question, and I feel like both are gonna end up being under consideration for him, but also the trade market too, like that's when he's done his best work. And like the thing is with the Braves is like I listed Peralta, I listed Mackenzie Gore. I mean, shoot, there's gonna be other guys in the trade market as well. But more often than not, he pulls a rabbit out of as you know what, and all of a sudden we see a Braves press release and it's Braves Acquire don't know, Chris Sale, Braves Acquire Medals, and like it's it's absolutely incredible how relentless he is.

00:06:58
Speaker 3: But also like nothing.

00:06:59
Speaker 2: With Atlanta Lee, it is so last minute when we find stuff out, it's a tremendous credit to him. So Like, but reading between the lines of what he said at the GM meetings and what I've heard, is like starting pitching is absolutely a priority for him. Like that to me is the ultimate area where they explore for agency. And I mean it's not like they've been against for agency in years past, like they made a very competitive offer in Aaron Nola before he ended up going back to Philadelphia, but they've been open to both. I still think the trade market is probably what he explores the most there. I'm curious to see what exactly what he ends up getting or who ends up targeting because at this point, as it always is with Atlanta, it's kind of a mystery.

00:07:40
Speaker 1: And one other note that I'll ask your opinion on when it comes to Atlanta in the trade market. I know that other teams, you know, especially when it comes to national rankings and things like that, you may have them, you know, potentially being able to offer better prospect packages. But the brave strength, once again is young pitching, and there are a lot of teams out there that could use that could that potentially position them better than people may expect for a big name target, whether it be a starting pitcher or some type of position player. Is that something that could get at lant up further in talks than some people may anticipate for a high value trade target.

00:08:11
Speaker 2: Oh, for sure, Like it's that for me, it opens a door for any kind of possibility. I don't believe they're not going to get stupid by any because they're not going to end up market mortgaging the farm by any means. But they are in a position where from a prospect capital from I mean shoot peril perspective as well, because they made it clear that they want to be a top five name or like a top five option in peril in Major League Baseball. That opens a door for any particular option that Nthopless wants. He can go shopping down any aisle. And I am, like, I feel bad not having like an an answer, like a direct name, but I think, you know, covering the braves, it's just so difficult to pinpoint who Anthopoless is targeting. It's yeah, he operates in silence more than anybody I've ever met. Like it's it's actually incredible, But everything should be at his disposal. That much I can say, Well.

00:09:01
Speaker 1: While much may not be known, that doesn't mean much is being done. And that is one thing that is known. Alex is going to do his work. But the thing about it is go ahead. Do you have something else to at yourself?

00:09:13
Speaker 2: Oh no, I'm glad you said it, because like the silence and like the lack of reports does not mean he's not operating. Like that's something that I've heard from so many people is like he's doing nothing, Like I've not seen any reports about the Braves being interested. No, he lurks behind the scenes. He makes sure things stay quiet because they have a very small circle of trust there in Atlanta, and he is as relentless as any executive that I can, like I bet around in baseball, maybe I mean besides a j Preller and Jerry Depoto, but he's uh, it is very unique. But it's also I'm clearly it.

00:09:47
Speaker 1: Works absolutely and it's what's put us in success in the past. And hopefully we'll continue in a bit, but of course with Robert here we'll at least talk about a few names. So we'll discuss those in just a moment after a word from our partners. So Robert, you know, I know we talked about pitching. I know we talked about the shortstop position. But let's get to a name that probably is creating the most buzz right now and especially when it comes to Atlanta, and that's Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins. Now, there's a lot of connections that make sense for Atlanta. They could use as bad. It makes it sta at another outfielder with their outfielder situation. He's from Atlanta, and there's previous interest that was reported from multiple outlets earlier this year. Your thoughts on that. We all know that Atlanta makes sense for a lot of reasons, but how sensible is this to actually consider it being a realistic option.

00:10:35
Speaker 2: I think it's very sensible. This is an option that to me, this is the This should be the top target for the Braves and you. Byron Buxton is an incredible player offensively, defensively. If he can stay healthy, we're talking about one of the best players in baseball. But he's also on a super affordable contract as well, and he is very open to waiving his no trade clause to go to Atlanta. There's other teams that are we'd be open to. I believe as Jeff Passing and ESPN reported, So shout out to Jeff for that. But this also depends on the direction of the Minnesota Twins. Like that trade deadline sell off that they had was super like We've we've barely seen anything like that in baseball before. And now what do they do this offseason? Do they trade Joe Ryan, do they trade Pablo Lopez? Do they trade off the major league roster? Even more, if that ends up happening, then if Buxton trade really becomes a possibility for Minnesota, and that's exactly when everyone's gonna start speculating all of this could be when Anthopolis strikes, like that could be the one move with Atlanta that we really forecasts, like oh yeah, like that could be something that that Anthopless would absolutely pursue. But until the Twins end up trading someone off of their major league roster, I'm skeptical about Buxton being moved. But I'm telling you, throughout this entire offseason, I'll be tracking that. I'll be watching that like a hawk because the talk about Atlanta is not going to go away.

00:11:55
Speaker 3: Like that Atlanta.

00:11:56
Speaker 2: Connection where he grew up in Georgia, Like that's a very real thing. He's comfortable there. I'm watching it. I'm not guant guaranteeing it by any means, but it braves to me and make the most sense of any team. If the trade that actually does go through.

00:12:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, it seems like it's one of those situations where it's still more likely than not he stays in Minnesota. But if a trade actually happens, it's even more percentage that he could come to Atlanta. But to your point, it's conditional more than anything, Right, This isn't something that likely is going to happen at the Winter Meetings. Other moves have to happen for the twins, and I'll kind of hint at that real quickly when it comes to what you anticipate Alex and Thoppless may do, especially at the Winter Meetings. Position player wise, Buxton is someone that we could see them go after. We're gonna get into Hasan Kim in a minute. But do you think that there could be a surprise move, some other type of move that maybe Alexandoppolss inquires about Byron Buckson. He doesn't get the response that he likes, and so we pivot somewhere at the Winter Meetings because another opportunity rises. Could you see there being we talked about off the law opportunities. Could you see that being in the position player aspect of things, them adding the surprise source of hour maybe or to the outfield other than names have been mentioned.

00:13:03
Speaker 2: Yeah, And first of all, I'll go back to the Buston thing for a second because I'm gonna like tie two of these things together. Is his relentlessness can end up really benefiting him. Let's say the twins say, now, in two weeks from now, three weeks from now, yeah, we're not trading Buston. But in week four he calls and next thing you know, they're suddenly open to moving home. That's when that can end up really benefiting him, and his relentless or relentlessness can end up getting him a Buckston type or anybody else like that. But that being said, like going, okay, so let's go back to the position player market here, because I said I don't believe Bobaschet's get end up being an option for them. I think Bishett is a player who I believe could do much more meaningfully better in free agencies than some of the projections here. I've seen the William Domas projection of one hundred and eighty two million. I've seen I believe Emily trade Ermers predict two hundred and eight million. I could see it being closer to Xander or Xander Bogarts is two hundred eighty MILLI like that's but Schet's got a lot of fans in baseball, and that is part of also the part of my logic and thinking that Atlanta may not be the best fit for Bishet. But that being said, the position player market, like infield wise, is not very good in free agency this year, so that could be something where they end up exploring it through trade. Willie Castro, you never know, he's a pre agent right now. It was an option that was moved to the deadline. Maybe that could end up being a possibility. But if they're gonna end up coming off of a surprise at the Winter meetings or just somewhere in the offseason as far as a position player goes, that to me kind of screams and thopless making a trade. But again, who's out there that he would end up trying to do that with, And.

00:14:43
Speaker 1: Of course, you know, depending on what happens when the Pirate bucks in front, certainly plays into that. But one other name that many in Braves Country are interested to know about is Hasan Kim, who the Braves of course claimed off of waivers from the Rays for one month at the end of last year. Declined his player option for this year, which makes sense, but they're not being many shortstop options. Robert, what are you hearing as far as is the market for halas On Kim? Maybe the Braves involved in there, because even with the acquisition of Maurisio Debon you said it yourself, he's probably better in a utility role. And hey, if haws On Kim, if the price is bride, he's still a winning player, which the Braves want to do. Just your thoughts on where things are kind of with him and where the Braves mixed into that.

00:15:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is a player that Atlanta likes and he liked being in Atlanta, and I believe the interest is going to be mutual there.

00:15:27
Speaker 3: But one of the things that his.

00:15:28
Speaker 2: Agent, Scott Bores, is known for is waiting out the market and he lets the market establish the values for their players or for his players, and if the opportunity presents itself like he'll sign, they'll sign quick like we saw it with Dylan Cees where he got two hundred and ten million. He took that deal right away. Signs super aggressively in free agency. But we've also seen players linger into like June or not June, but like into March or something like that. And that feels to me like something that can end up happening here with haus On Kim, So I would imagine Anthopolis is going to want to answer as sooner rather than later. I mean, maybe an offer like an offer is made that entice is Kim and Boris to take it. But if they want an answer sooner rather than later, my guess as they look in a different direction. But neutral interests sometimes lead to deals. You never know.

00:16:13
Speaker 1: But I don't know.

00:16:14
Speaker 2: I think the Braids are gonna have to go exploring some other options here.

00:16:18
Speaker 1: So that's the thing. We know two names that the Braves are really tied to, but hey, there's also other teams that are interested. So don't be surprised if you hear more rumors about Hassan Kim and Byron Bucks and the Braves, but be just as you know, competent that they can pivot somewhere else. That's kind of the the overall theme that I'm getting from you.

00:16:36
Speaker 3: No, that's exactly it.

00:16:37
Speaker 2: And like I again, I wish I had more answers like on direct names with Atlanta, but man, they runs a tight ship there, man, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

00:16:48
Speaker 1: Of course, though we talk about the position player side of things, but as you mentioned, going to talk about a few names maybe on the pitching side of things that could make sense with the thoughts, especially for you, that Atlanta could feel those needs. More on that in just a moment. So, Robert, we talked about in the first segment. We know Alex Andthopolis you really felt coming away from that we could talk about the offense under performance and how a difference maker is needed. Their depth is probably what is needed on the starting pitching front, especially for the Braves. What is kind of the assessment that you get about the braves pursuit of starting pitching. You know, we know the big names that are out there with the qualifying offers attached to them. A name or two, maybe I'll met second tier that could be more of a depth option, or could they go the trade route for maybe a controllable pitcher. What kind of direction do you think the Braves may take when it comes to their pitching pursuits.

00:17:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, I believe they're gonna end up having every avenue available here for them that you like. You can look at the top tier guys ra Anger Suarez, fran Ravaldez like players like that. Zach Gallen is a player who obviously is attached to the qualifying offer. Another one that is not attached to the qualifying offer who could make some sense is Merril Kelly, and he is someone who a reunion in Arizona is absolutely in play for Ki Like, so there's gonna be plenty of competition for him. But he was really good in Arizona, was good in Texas. He is someone who I believe is going to be having a really strong market. He kind of, to me, fits exactly what Atlanta likes. And one thing that I've heard, like continuously from the Brave side for years ever since I've gotten into baseball, really is Anthopolis likes players who are really good locker room guys like That's something that he prides himself on. He wants to have good people and make it really easy for him to come to work. I was around Kelly here in Arizona, and he's a great dude. People Rave about him. So from a culture perspective, from a performance standpoint, like, that's a really good fit there too. But also we got to like start thinking a little bit outside the box here because we saw them sign Ronaldo Lopez. It's a bullpen guy and they moved him to the rotation. Could that be something that say they do with Brad Keller. Keller has been drawing interest from teams from as a starting pitcher as a reliever. He was awesome with the Hubs last year, So I don't know, a minor league deal, had a two point oh eight r and sixty eight appearances. Again, I don't know exactly what the Brave view him as, but that to me would make a lot of sense there. You never know, but those are two options that to me kind of stand out at least initially here.

00:19:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, a lot of versatility guys that can also eat innings as well. You know that that's something else that durability is something that definitely the Braves could use. So speed of a current Brave Robert you know, of course, Spencer Strider came off of elbow surgery last year and the results were, you know, they were not encouraging for much of the year. Did a little bit better towards the end of the year, but it was a figure it out as you go type situation because the trademark velocity just was not there. With what you talk with folks about around baseball, your own assessment as well, seems like there could be a lot of outcomes with Spencer Strider and twenty six and beyond, just where do you think he is? Because for the Braves to get back to contention, that becomes a lot more likely with Spencer Strider getting back was old.

00:20:00
Speaker 2: Self thousand percent. I think I couldn't have said it better myself. And Strider is a key part of this thing. And like typically it takes some time or it takes time for guys to build up after undergoing such a serious surgery. So you're two to me and from other people around the league, is gonna end up faring better for a glex Spencer Strider. And if that's the case, and let's say you have Ronald Lacune a junior healthy, Austin Riley healthy, all these guys healthy, you're looking at a totally different Braves team. But the pitching perspective is such a key for them. There is a reason why they ended up signing Strata to an extension all those years ago and bet on him early. They when he's right, when he's healthy, he's a difference making ace. He's one of the best young pitchers in baseball. I mean he's also got one of the best mustaches in baseball as well. I think we got to call like we see it there. But he's He's one of the biggest keys of this and my feeling, my indications from talking to people is will be better. And if that's the case, so all the Atlanta Braves awesome.

00:20:59
Speaker 1: Yeah. Probably the biggest storyline with Strider was the one day towards the end of the year where he showed up without the mustache. We were all like, what is going on.

00:21:07
Speaker 3: I'll tell you I would scare the crap.

00:21:09
Speaker 2: It would be like, I'm actually a nick, I'm an Eagles fan and Nick Sirianni. He shaved his head and it changed the Eagles season. So maybe him shave of the mustache is going to be changing his entire outlop for twenty twenty six.

00:21:20
Speaker 3: Who knows. I'm also a guy who's.

00:21:22
Speaker 2: Optimistic to and I love Spencer Strider, so fingers crossed for him.

00:21:26
Speaker 1: I also want to touch on the bullpen a bit. You know, the Braves of course re signed Russell Iglesias. We're seeing a lot of heavy movement on the closer front. I thought maybe the Braves could go after a few big names on that end as well, but they may not. They may find a value bill there. But it also seems like that the Braves may feel that they are internal options are a bit more than the people may think. I know, Alexanthopoulis mentioned a lot of relievers. Do you feel that that could be more you know, these minor league waiver claims or something along those lines, or could you see another significant addition to the bullpen if the price was right.

00:21:59
Speaker 2: I could see a significant addition to the bullpen. I absolutely could. And I mean there's plenty of guys out there. We have, I mean, Pete Fairbanks. We have so many different guys that are out there. And Fairbanks is drawing a ton of interests, by the way, like he's like he's a very coveted guy. Evan Phillips is out there. He's also drawing a lot of interests as well. So it's not like these these top tier guys like Edwin Diaz, Roberts Suarez, all those guys, they get like the bulk of the attention. But Fairbanks, as I said, is drawing a ton of interest. Brad Keller, who I mentioned as a maybe even could be an option for the rotation, is a guy who's going to be drawing a lot of interests as a reliever too, and he's a strong option there. So there's a bunch of different avenues here. And with just the bulk of options that are in the bullpen, these guys are going to get paid. But maybe what are some of these prices down a little bit too? You never know, But I think the bullpen and just the rotation are two of the biggest needs in two of the biggest areas where they're going to spend the most money, because really there's no option for them to spend big at shortstop. I mean, Hassan Kim, He's not going to get like a huge deal by any means. And I can't see them training for anybody that's going to requiring a big, big deal. Watch now that I say that, the thought this is going to do something massive there, it's just typically how it goes. He's gonna age like a glass of milk. But I would imagine the majority of their money's going to up going to the pitching side for sure.

00:23:17
Speaker 1: So in general, it seems like you definitely think Atlanta still is due for a lot of opportunities, still going to see a lot of movement on Atlanta's In the one final thing that I'll ask in terms of potential offensive moving, could there be a surprise in terms of a move where it includes a major league piece? You know, I know that you know Sean Murphy for instance, I know that he's going through off season surgery. Great Baldwin of course, you know one rookie of the year. Braves are going to probably be looking to add quite a bit when it comes financially. They may look to move off someone that's already on the roster to kind of even that out. Could you see that as a possibility or do you think there's probably not that big of a chance of some type of significant subtraction from the current roster.

00:23:58
Speaker 2: I'll say there's a chance, but I'm going to say there's not a great chance. And Sean Murphy is somebody who I thought could end up being an option. And I asked Anthopolis that when we were at the GM meetings, and he made it pretty clear he likes having multiple catchers like he had that for years previously. Travis Darnaut is somebody that he absolutely loved there, and having Murphy and having Drake Baldwin like that gives them such a luxury because it's very difficult for a catcher to have one hundred and sixty two games slately, you can end up divvying it up between those two guys, and especially if one of them gets hurt like them like we've seen, they have a backup option. So for me, I don't see them moving a guy like Murphy. But also, like we've seen rumors about Akunya, we've seen rumors about all these other guys, and I at the deadline, I asked Ron about it and I was told zero, Like no shot. Off season maybe a bit of a different story where you can listen to these guys and see exactly what you're gonna get. But for me, I see absolutely no hurry for them to move any of those big core pieces off the major league roster because they want to compete, they feel like they're close to competing, and that they have holes they're going to address those holes and moving Murphy, moving ACONYA move in any of those guys creates a further headache. And I just can't see how Thought was doing that.

00:25:10
Speaker 1: That makes perfect sense. So adding to what they already have, that seems like a pretty good way to have a successful offseason. As we're wrapping up this edition of the Hammer Territory podcast with Robert Murray of Fans Sided as well as Foul Territory, Robert just last question you yourself, what does the next week look like? For you? Again? You were exit when it comes to your consistency of providing great reporting, great insight. But this time of year, I'm sure it's fun. I'm sure you're passionate about it. I'm sure you may get maybe two hours of sleep at night. But what's the next week like for you? With winter meetings and just going through all the stuff that you go through to stay on top of what's going on?

00:25:47
Speaker 2: Pure chaos and I absolutely love it, like it's so much fun. And I was told I was telling you before we ended up hopping on here, Like the majority of the moves that I break are either while I'm working on at the gym or when i'm taking my dog Cooper out to go to the bathroom. Like it's it is unbelievable how these texting calls are just time like that, but it's it's continuously like phone calls texting. I'll be eating food and I'll have like like this is like going away behind the scenes, so hopefully you don't end up mind in this. I have like a full bite of pizza in my mouth and I'll get a call. I'm like, oh crap, I have to spit it out, and it's just sitting on my plate and I'm like talking to this person, I'm like, oh, you got to be kidding me. But where it's the way to get information. It's a constant, steady flow of information. It's so much fun. Like it's also you got to figure out what's right and what's wrong. Because a couple of days ago, I'll give you an example, I had somebody who I trust pretty well around the league text me that the signing was going down, and I'm like, oh, okay, this is pretty It was a pretty notable one, I'll give you that, And all of a sudden I sent some texts and I immediately got a denial and then another denial. So weeding out exactly what's right and what's wrong is a big part of this. But also off seasons and this kind of thing are they're one during the regular season because that's when the majority of the networking is done, when you can just like actually get to know somebody on a personal level and not just you don't like, the last thing you ever want to do is reach out to somebody for the first time when you need something, because that sends an immediate bad precedent. But it's a steady flow. It's so much fun. I can tell you this, There is nothing that I can ever envision doing in my life besides this because it's such a such an adrenaline rush. And hopefully just hopefully we break some big ones because it's possible, I'm telling you, stay tuned, I'm hoping.

00:27:31
Speaker 1: So we'll certainly see and hope the Braves are involved with that as well. And just one of the things, well, you know you talked about, you know during season networking, you know, you establishing those sources. I think also that's a similar setup with you. When you see these big trades go down or see these big signings go down. This isn't something that happens that comes together just within seventy two hours or so conversations happened at previous trade deadlines in previous off seasons. Is that pretty accurate, especially the bigger the deal that happens.

00:27:57
Speaker 2: Oh, one thousand percent. And I'll give you the perfect example of this was So I was talking about it with a j Preller the GM meetings this year, and we were talking trade deadline and just talking trades in general, and well, one of the funny things that I was talking I asked him was like, so, what, like, what do you eat on deadline?

00:28:12
Speaker 3: Dan?

00:28:13
Speaker 2: It's it's typically like for roll ups, Phoebe and Jay's like, he'll drink gatorade or chocolate milk. I mean, he's just he runs on adrenaline, is basically what he said, and he gets maybe an hour and a half to two hours of sleep at night during the deadline. But the first conversation that he had about the wan Soto trade with the Yankees, it ended up happening the first or one of the first days of the GM meetings of that offseason, and it ultimately ended up getting done at the winter meetings. So it took over a month of conversations a month of talks to get that deal done. And that can be said for so many of these other deals as well. And the perfect example for me now is Freddie Peralta, and Peralta is a player obviously mentioned tremendously in trade rumors, like we've heard about him since the deadline, hearing about him now and almost every team in baseball is checking in to see exactly what's going to take. It's going to take months, maybe weeks, of conversations to get that Donner. Shoot, maybe it doesn't even get done, but the groundwork for that deal and so many others has been laid at the GM meetings and it's gonna end up being what leads to every deal happening throughout the entire offseason.

00:29:14
Speaker 1: Here that is tremendous insight and again follows through with what we've known for you from years. Robert, if you'll stick with this for just a moment afterwards, but can't thank you enough. You can find Robert's work on Twitter, slash x, you can find it across all forms of social media as well as fancited now a regular contributor as well to foul Territory. Just one of the best sources of insight when it comes to covering baseball. Robert, thank you so much for your time and again, happy holidays.

00:29:39
Speaker 2: Hey, Happy holidays. I appreciate you having me and hopefully we can do this again sometime soon.

00:29:42
Speaker 1: Absolutely look forward to it. Of course, you could find a Hammer Territory across all forms of social media Foul Territory as well. Make sure you stick with Hammer Territory throughout the next week. In particular, we're going to have your covered on nearly a daily basis when it comes to the Braves and hopefully a few moves that Robert him himself will break when it comes to Atlanta. For Robert Murray, my name's Sean Coleman. Until next time, we'll talk to you again soon here on the Hammer Territory Podcast