Jim Bowden: Schwarber’s market, Mets/Yankees think BIG + Nats POBO Paul Toboni joins FT

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Speaker 1: Front just off the filter time and we are live here at the Winter Meetings in Orlando. AJ in my backyard. Jim Bowden with us right now, JB. Such a pleasure to see you in person.

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Speaker 2: Yes, Scott AJ. Great to be Will you.

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Speaker 3: Look get a shirt?

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Speaker 4: Way?

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Speaker 1: Yeah?

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Speaker 2: Look?

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Speaker 3: How look at this slang bonta by fire.

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Speaker 2: Foul territory.

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Speaker 1: It's my second favorite this.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, my favorite hoodie is my foul territory here though. Yeah, and we see it for sure. I sport it once in a while.

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Speaker 1: Yeah you do, you do.

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Speaker 2: Good to see you and yeah, great, see you.

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Speaker 1: Uh where should we start? In your mind? What is the top storyline? Like you've been doing shows.

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Speaker 5: I mean, look, I think what we're looking at two most likely guys to be traded out of the gate, Brendan Donovan and the Cardinals Mackenzie Gore the Nats.

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Speaker 2: I'm expecting them to be the first two guys traded.

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Speaker 5: I think the other big storyline that is being talked about enough is how much the two New York teams are gonna do. New York Squared are gonna crush it. We have Brian Cashman on our radio show and I'm like, all right, so you know, what are you gonna do? And he went through this long speel of you know, we have Spencer Jones and Domingos and left and we are like man at third and then it was all said and done. He was finished, all a GM speak and we got the reel out of him. It's like, Okay, it's gotta be Tucker or Bellinger, you know, maybe Bashett, maybe Bregman, maybe kateell Marte.

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Speaker 2: We're gonna get another starting pitcher.

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Speaker 5: We know we have to wait for Rodon and Cole, and I just feel like the Yankees are just waiting to pounce. He's not downplaying it at all publicly, and when he doesn't downplay it publicly historically, he makes moves. And if you're the Mets, okay, you can come out and you can say I'm not gonna do the long term deal with pictures. Well, look at you're not gonna make the playoffs. If you don't start building this rotation besides the young kids, you're not gonna be there.

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Speaker 1: You have to.

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Speaker 2: And by the way, if the lawns So leaves.

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Speaker 5: For Baltimore or Boston, he's meeting with both teams on his right over right now to go meet with them.

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Speaker 2: If you lose them, what are you gonna do power wise? In your lineup?

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Speaker 5: You're gonna have a three hundred and fifty million dollar paper and finished out of the playoffs again.

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Speaker 2: So New York Squared are gonna crush it. Aj real, They're just getting ready.

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Speaker 3: I want to hear crowds and then I'm gonna then I'm gonna bury you.

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Speaker 4: I'll I'll just take it right to the trades. The one trade you has Brandon Donovan. I don't think a lot of people know much about him. How on earth can you package Jordan Walker in anything? The guy?

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Speaker 6: Is there value for that?

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Speaker 4: And the Royals you have Chris Chris Bubach is the one going back to the Cardinals in that trade. The Royals can't do this again, can they? They already got rid of Brady Singer last year and that didn't work out well. Now they're like, oh, yeah, you know what Jim said, we should get rid of another starting pitcher for an outfielder who had almost a negative two war.

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Speaker 5: All right, Eric, So I love yeah, great comeback. So I just talked to Oliver Marble. We had them on my SFM radio show, and Oliver Marble was very very clear in his thoughts at Jordan Walker, which are Jim, please be patient. Because I started the question by saying, you know, I hate being wrong on players, and I have been wrong on Jordan Walker, so I'm like, please tell me at some point I could be right.

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Speaker 2: He said, please be patient.

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Speaker 5: He goes, I'm telling you he's gonna be a late bloomer, but he's gonna get there. I don't know if he is or not, but I'm gonna still hold out hopes. He said he's making a lot of adjustments at the plate and he thinks he could still become a star, So we'll see.

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Speaker 2: I mean they're monitoring him. He's doing a lot of work this offseason. Now.

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Speaker 5: In terms of Brendan Donovan, I mean, who doesn't want Brendan Donovan right play second, can play third and play left. Go glove has all the make up, the character, the intangibles, winning player, And if you're sitting there, you're hind bloom and you're the new friggin running in the baseball ops.

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Speaker 2: He's your best trade asset. He has more value than anybody that you have.

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Speaker 5: So of course you're gonna sit there and try to trade him now in terms of the Royal again, I just listened to them, right, we had Matt Cartrero was on my show every Sunday on Serious XM, and I said, are you gonna trade.

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Speaker 2: A starter for a corner of popular? Yes?

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Speaker 5: They need to extend their lineup. That's why they want to do this. They need another bat. They think Kaglio is gonna still be a star, right. They're very happy with Carter Jensen's development. They want one more bat. And they feel like when they made that deal with the Padres of the deadline, they got two more starters there. They feel like they have enough depth where they could trade one if they could trade one of their starters to get Jaron Duran deal get done to night, I promise.

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Speaker 3: All right, and no, I got to the two New York Squared are going to crush it. Didn't they win the offseason last year? Juan Soto to the Mets, Max Free to the Yankees, Devin Williams to the Yankees. Didn't they win the off season last year?

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Speaker 6: It was fun?

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Speaker 2: I loved it.

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Speaker 3: How to Go? I just need more how to Go?

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Speaker 6: Oh?

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Speaker 2: In the standings, I don't know.

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Speaker 5: They weren't there at the end exactly that team that is there at the end of the Dodgers who do a little bit better job.

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Speaker 6: But that's my thing.

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Speaker 1: Let's say that the Mets won the off season last year, as much as you praise, Hey, that got This conversation started last year, even really the year before when David certain said, hey, I'm used to Milwaukee saying, you know what, too old, too many years for this ace, too risky, and how did that go?

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Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean I didn't like, as you know, in March, I said I don't like their starting pitching. I don't I don't see it. And then I was wrong. After when I got to June, I was.

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Speaker 2: Wrong, right, we're getting I was getting obliterating right. Then we ended up being right.

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Speaker 5: Just got like Jordan Walker, you have to wait, you have to be patient, waited out. So yeah, I mean I think the Mets, if they have to address the starting pitching on the line, what's move let's see.

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Speaker 3: It, what's that move? They trade for schoobl.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, I don't think they trade for schoobl I don't know what school was a tough trade because if you look at who's really safe for them, unless you're putting Nolan McClain in it. I don't think people saying that you can put sprout and tong and get Schooble, I don't think that's accurate. And I don't think he's gonna trade his system for one year of Schooble. I think I think Brian Cashman would if they came up with the right spackage.

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Speaker 2: Jones, Yeah, he would do it for school.

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Speaker 6: Did my wrong?

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Speaker 3: Spencer Jones wasn't a top hundred prospect.

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Speaker 2: He is?

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Speaker 6: He is?

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Speaker 1: Okay, also depends on public's power speed.

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Speaker 5: But you know, he's still like every prospect, He's still a suspect until until.

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Speaker 3: It comes out, Yes, many years ago?

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Speaker 2: Is that no doubt?

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Speaker 1: How old is he?

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Speaker 3: Twenty four?

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Speaker 2: Okay?

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Speaker 1: Prime?

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Speaker 5: Yeers are twenty five to thirty right for reason? Some of you, well, the algorithms pretty accurate.

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Speaker 1: Wait, I want to get to the Reds, a team that you know super well. Obviously you have to run that front office.

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Speaker 2: Okay, so you're gonna do Schobern next. Come on, So here's the one that I want to Here's the one that irritates me.

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Speaker 7: A better chance of pirates are red. But here's but here's the thing. How can the Pirates with a straight they say, we made a four year offer for Schwarber, Like, what are you doing? If you want Schwarmer, you think you're gonna be able to make a market offer and get them over the Oh, I want to go to the Pirates over the Phillies six years, one hundred and ninety million.

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Speaker 5: I made that offer. Okay, we'll stand up. Then you made an offer. Don't sit there and say you made an offer when you undercut with the Phillies. That he don I'm on the table, Josh. Now for the Reds, same as what they do with Naylor.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, we're signing. They're like, oh, we offered him eighty and he got ninety two.

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Speaker 2: Whatever, what are you doing?

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Speaker 5: And by the way, Josh Naylor is going to make less money than Trent Grisham is this year and next year and the year after. Like, Naylor is never gonna make what Grisham's gonna make this year. Think about that for a.

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Speaker 2: Minute, but I like it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah you think.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, you would have gotten more. Maybe you want to Yeah, that's okay, that's fine. I mean there were no other jobs. That's his problem. Right.

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Speaker 5: If Alonso resigned with the Mets, where are you going. Boston wants a right ending first baseman. So and he saw what happened to Pete last year. Yeah, he made their he made the right call. But it should have gotten more.

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Speaker 1: Okay, but what about the Reds? Can they I mean they can do this?

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Speaker 2: They can. I mean they can.

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Speaker 1: You know their books from back in the day. But like, thank you, if you stretch this out, Javy, I get it. This team has to operate. It's such a slight margin here. But if there's ever a time, isn't this the time?

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Speaker 2: Yeah?

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Speaker 5: It's the person. It's that's the one person you spend the money on. He is the guy that gets La daa Cruz on back on the Hall of Fame track. He is the one guy that gets to La Marte to the next level.

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Speaker 2: He's the guy I want in that clubhouse.

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Speaker 3: Please.

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Speaker 2: I got Tino and I got Schwarmer.

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Speaker 3: That doesn't matter. I got a chance that doesn't matter. That doesn't matter.

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Speaker 2: I agree, that's everything that that means.

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Speaker 3: Almost always I have this argument, Yeah, you're right there. You need you need a team.

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Speaker 2: Amen.

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Speaker 3: You have a bunch of young guys. At some point you gotta go get some veteran dudes that have done it and can show these young guys. You can't have twenty five young guys and say we're gonna make it. Guys, at some point you gotta go get a dude that shows these other younger kids how to be dudes.

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Speaker 2: Amen. And let me tell you this.

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Speaker 5: The person that's gonna walk away this winter with CJ. Abrams is gonna win because they're gonna put them on a team that has that Schwarber or that AJ Prazinski that's gonna be able to keep in line. Abrams can do whatever he wants because who in that club I was gonna tell him, No, it's not James Wood, it's not Dylan Cruz. So who in the world's gonna tell CJ. Hey, let's go to bed. It's five thirty in the morning. We got a game at one o'clock in the Yeah.

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Speaker 3: No casino. If five in the morning with one.

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Speaker 2: Who's gonna tell them?

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Speaker 1: Babies in there?

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Speaker 5: Yeah, So you gotta have veterans in there to lead them when you're developing team. I've been there, I've witnessed it. If you have a team of all babies, you got zero chance.

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Speaker 2: You need. You need to be bringing veteran guys. They don't have to be stars, but veteran guys.

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Speaker 5: That have played on championship level teams and have them in the clubhouse to help teach those young talented guys what it takes to prepare great Jim.

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Speaker 4: But Jim, what they're gonna say is, well, I can pay. I'll wait till you get it in there. There you go, Yeah, I can wait. I can pay Justin Turner that for one year. Why are they gonna do that with Schwarber because that's you know, you go down the league and there's there's the standard guys who just are recycled and repeated. To me, Kyle Schwarber is worth it. I agree with you. But teams say, I'd rather just give you the Justin Turner and then soon down the road it'll be the you know Garverer, you know, just recycle the guy's name.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that doesn't work.

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Speaker 5: I mean, it's nice to have those guys as part of the team, but in general, I want my star players to have that kind of makeup and character. Ideally, if I'm going to invest the money for those kind of guys, I need that.

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Speaker 2: Now. I'm not saying you.

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Speaker 5: Have to have that I'll take Kyle Tucker on Aaron Judge's team. I'll take Kyle Tucker on Mookie Betts's team. But I don't want Kyle Tucker to be that leader. I want Kyle Schwarber to be that leader. Tucker doesn't do for the Reds Clubhouse what Kyle Schwarber would do for the Reds Clubhouse, if that makes sense?

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Speaker 6: Agreed?

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Speaker 4: Is there any way of knowing how much more that is gonna get Kyle Schwarber? Like as far as like on paper, Kyle Schwarber's worth you know, three four years, one and twenty million, anything over that or anything over that number that physically his baseball is worth. Is that what his clubhouse presence is worth?

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Speaker 2: Five million a year for two extra years, that's my value on it.

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Speaker 5: Wow, give me all the numbers you want. I'm gonna tear it up. I'm gonna overpay. I'm gonna let the Commission's office call me and be pissed at me. I'm gonna give him two extra years and I'm gonna get the player. I'll tell you a little story I'll never forget. This is when the Tigers signed Magli Ordoniez and Pud Rodriguez, Yeah, two and four, and they overpaid both of them by a lot of money. And it was really irritating for those of us running small market teams, like you just screwed up the whole marketplace. So I was with Jim Leeland, I'll never forget, and I said, Jim, you guys way overpaid for these guys.

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Speaker 2: And Jim took out a cigarette, he lit it and he goes, yeah, but we got the players and you didn't. And he walked away, and you know what, he was so serious.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, that's where they went to and why because they got the players.

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Speaker 2: Because they spent too much money and they spent too many years. So sign me up, baby, exactly.

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Speaker 3: Have you got an owner that'll spend it. That's why it's easy for us to do this job. Jim, Yeah, aint my money.

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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it's so much easier. I love it.

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Speaker 3: Money spend this world.

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Speaker 2: Oh I'm ready for this.

00:12:40
Speaker 1: I got my next one for you in terms of spending money. So JP put a great wish list article out there, predictions and wishes right, not like everything is direct intel here, okay, but framber Valdez, you put seven years to eighteen to the Mets, tell me if you would sign Framberg for that kind of money. You know, base on the one incident. And also I did cover Fember a lot with the Astros. He'll be fine going forward. Here's my concern he always was. I think you get rattled pretty quickly and then get off kilter. Is New York the right place for him?

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Speaker 2: Yeah?

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Speaker 5: So so my opinion on him is left handed, tremendous ground ball rate. Not concerned about the hard hit rate because the hard hit is usually on the ground. As long as I have elite defense, if I can have Lidnort short and say simmy in a second, you know, And I'm really focusing on the defense behind him.

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Speaker 2: He pitches in big games. He's durable, He's got the frame. He should age well, being left handed and being the size in the frame. And I'm sorry about that incident with the catcher. I hate it.

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Speaker 5: I want to punch him in the face for it. But what's the other incidences over the years when we've been covering them in the playoffs, Like, I don't have other incidentss And I always wanted him on the mound for me. Is it an overpay?

00:14:04
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:14:04
Speaker 5: I don't like that contract. I don't like ceas, but it's the price of doing business. I didn't go out there and see a house I like. That was four million dollars two years ago, it's now twelve.

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Speaker 2: Okay.

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Speaker 5: I can't afford it, but that's the price. If I wanted, I have to pay it. So let's start worrying about the price of business. We've set the price. It's not going down. It never does. Accept it and move on. They must have the money or the pay the payrolls wouldn't get to this point if they weren't making the money.

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Speaker 2: It's there.

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Speaker 3: Agreed, Agreed. I fight that fight all the time.

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Speaker 8: You got the last time before we let you go. Yeah, there was a vote last night. Okay, you know what it was of fame. Yes, Jeff can't kitts in. I thought he should have been in a long time. Yes, your thoughts on the other guys.

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Speaker 3: Bonds Clemens, Yeah, so I I popular.

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Speaker 5: So I wrote this on the Athletic in that same article you're talking about the wish list, of which I said Jeff Kent would be the only one that can. It's in I wrote that. No, I did not they I had no idea how they're going to vote. But I know the committee, I know the group, and I know the thought process, and I thought he'd be the only one for those reasons.

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Speaker 2: I just speculated. But you've got to see my personal opinion.

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Speaker 5: Barry Bonds is the best player I ever saw in baseball until shoey Otani Kan. Roger Clemens is one of the best pitchers I ever saw in my life. Gary Sheffield was one of the best clutch hitters and best bat speed I ever saw in my life, without a doubt, and all three should be in the Hall of Fame. For me, with all of the baggage around them, I have no problem any allegations, any positive tests, any balco investigations, any MLB investigator. Throw it all in Cooperstown with them. I think it's a museum. I think we should be celebrating the best players in the game. And I feel like those three guys, of all of them, including Kent, were the three that deserved to be in the most because of what they did on the field. Now what they did off the field, I don't like it. I don't like anyone that cheated. But I will tell you this, and I mean sincerely, and I'm never going to give names. Two guys are in the Hall of Fame that used and that's okay because they weren't caught.

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Speaker 2: Is that fair?

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Speaker 3: This is my argument that I had with Scott and I want I want your take on it. So the players that are on this committee, there was what seven and I know and I respect the hell out of trammel Tony Perez, Jim Cott. They're all awesome, right, Robin Yell all these got one marrion. They're unbelievable players, unbelievable people, all good. I know them all and talk to them all. They're awesome. If they didn't vote for those guys that you just named, okay because of the ped's accusations, then I say, did every one of you not ever take a greenie? Because greenees? The argument is, oh, they weren't allowed. They weren't allowed, but they were legal. Greenies are were legal and now they're banned. So if you took a greenie, aren't you the same as one of these other guys.

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Speaker 2: In terms of I'm just a breaking the rule.

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Speaker 3: Yes, But but you get suspended for taking a greenie?

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Speaker 2: Now, yeah, that's true.

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Speaker 3: I don't know that's that's just different.

00:16:59
Speaker 2: But I'm not agreeing with them.

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Speaker 5: I'm not I'm not disagreeing. I'm not agreeing. I'm not disagreeing because you hit.

00:17:05
Speaker 3: But it's it's not it's not apples to apples, but it's similar.

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Speaker 5: The problem that I have is I was a GM during that period and everybody looked the other way. It wasn't just owners GMS, it was players, it was coaches, it was media, the commissioner.

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Speaker 2: Everybody was looking the other way.

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Speaker 5: I don't know who didn't, but I do know changes that they all had. I have every team has a print out of changes and body fat and weight and hat size by the way.

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Speaker 2: They all have it, but no everybody wanted to ignore it.

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Speaker 5: And yet some of them get to the Hall of Fame because they weren't caught, and some of them don't because they were caught, and some of them don't because they worked out with someone who gave them something that I just don't like it. I think it's screwed an entire era of star players, and I'm not sure that's that's how we should handle it.

00:18:01
Speaker 1: Right. So your line is, once we formalized it a little bit more, then we all were on I don't want to say the same playing field, but you get tested, you get suspended if there's a problem, right like the a rod Manny Ramirez kind of.

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Speaker 3: World for me as a player, and I played in all this, I played. Yeah, I was there and I came in ninety eight, so I played through all of it. I draw the line as a player, whatever you did before two thousand and five when they started testing, I don't know whatever it is. I don't know the answer. If you get caught after two thousand and five, yeah, then you're out. Oh then you're not because you're out because you're blatantly cheated.

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Speaker 2: You knew, you knew, and you did it anyway.

00:18:40
Speaker 3: Yeah, So to me, they're out.

00:18:42
Speaker 2: Then there's not even a discussion at that point.

00:18:44
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. But you cheated, and you know you you blatantly.

00:18:51
Speaker 6: Cheated and knew it.

00:18:52
Speaker 3: Yes, so to me that that's But the other thing, before two thousand and five, we don't know what guys were doing. That's the idea we think, we don't really know. You don't know, so to me, those guys should be in. But anyways, I.

00:19:05
Speaker 2: Agree, it's it's never it's a hard issue to agree on.

00:19:08
Speaker 5: So it's interesting we agree because most people won't agree with that vantage.

00:19:12
Speaker 1: Yeah, you guys are on the same page there, and and he's fired up today about it because of the results. But it is what it is.

00:19:18
Speaker 5: I just have a hard time explaining to my children Barry Bonds is not in the Hall of Fame.

00:19:24
Speaker 2: I have a hard time with that.

00:19:26
Speaker 4: I saw.

00:19:26
Speaker 3: It's not even close, not even close.

00:19:28
Speaker 5: And whether he did or when he did or when he started to would have nothing to do with him getting into the Hall of Fame.

00:19:35
Speaker 1: But you could explain a rod right because hey, he tested or he got caught, right, he did.

00:19:40
Speaker 3: It his whole career, he said he started in two thousand ish, in his whole career.

00:19:45
Speaker 2: He's done.

00:19:46
Speaker 5: Yeah, he did an he lied, he did it, he lied, he lied, he did it. His track record is so clear and concise that you don't even have to think about his situation.

00:19:54
Speaker 1: Right, that's a different story. Jbre the Man. Fancy new animation for our first guest here joining us during Sweet Life. It is Paul Timoni, who is the president of Baseball Operations. You got us here, but you can hear us here. Paul. Great to have you on here. Congratulations on the gig, and we're excited to talk to you about what life is like and what is it like over the last few weeks for you.

00:20:25
Speaker 6: Yeah, right on, No, I appreciate you guys had me on what so well?

00:20:28
Speaker 3: Hold on first of all, cratch, no quarters up for the front office, no look jacket, fancy shirt. It's amazing, it's amazing. It's the best. So much better of an.

00:20:42
Speaker 9: Helping about coming in with like cut off or like tank top or something.

00:20:45
Speaker 3: But hey, did that he and did that in spring train memory came home with a T shirt and the bucket.

00:20:50
Speaker 6: At the.

00:20:53
Speaker 3: Eric you don't need the hat. He's like, I never know, son, Yeah, he's sitting in his dark room with his big hat. So anyways, we appreciate.

00:20:59
Speaker 6: You dressing absolutely Yeah, only you guys.

00:21:03
Speaker 1: Hey, So, I mean you've been around front office leaders, right with with Boston all that. Once you're actually in the seat. What has been the most surprising thing for you thus far?

00:21:15
Speaker 9: I think the biggest thing honestly has just been, uh, you know, I'm stepping into a new organization. I don't I didn't really know a ton of people in the new organization, right, So former relationships with everyone in the building and as it relates to the actual responsibilities of the job. Like, it's crazy to say, but nothing has really felt all that much different, you know what I mean?

00:21:35
Speaker 6: I guess more.

00:21:36
Speaker 9: Interaction with ownership group with the Nationals than maybe I had with Boston, which isn't necessarily a small thing. More more media, but uh, but those those are the big things. All the all the other baseball specific stuff, like, isn't all that different at least for me?

00:21:50
Speaker 3: How long does it take you to learn an organization because you came from Boston? Does that mean you and Bres are gonna get on the phone and like Mackenzie Gore to the Red Sox because you know, all the prospects wrap back. So how long does it take you to learn your own organization? Before you call Breas and say Breas, listen, man, I got Mackenzie Gore. He'd look great pitching in Fenway. I'll take ABC and D.

00:22:10
Speaker 9: So I think, uh, I mean to your first question, learning a new organization, like all the staff members all that, that takes a lot of time.

00:22:17
Speaker 6: Its probably gonna take a year or two, you know.

00:22:19
Speaker 9: I think it's probably gonna take a year to meet everyone and in person, right, but then probably two years to actually like have folks be comfortable around me and just you know, you know, it is former relationships, like you're on a team and uh, probably not for a year, eighteen months, two years for you to feel really good around people. So so yeah, it's gonna take some time, but looking forward to it. And I was I was in Boston for upwards of ten years, and so those relationships are really tight, you know what I mean.

00:22:46
Speaker 6: So leaving there was tough, but it'll happen over time here.

00:22:50
Speaker 4: All right, Well, you brought in can you can you hear me? Okay, Paul, Yeah, I got you. Okay, you brought in, you brought in a whole new staff, and you talk about getting to know people. How do you say to okay, another team or even one of the players, because it was in the news that you talked to Gore about possibly being traded. You don't know him. The people that coached him last year in the big leagues don't don't know him because they're on another organization. How do you make that decision other than up here's my list.

00:23:22
Speaker 3: I have c J.

00:23:24
Speaker 4: Abrams, I have Mackenzie Gore. How do you make those decisions when you just said nobody really knows me and I don't really know them. It takes maybe a year and a half, two years.

00:23:34
Speaker 9: Yeah, it's challenging, right, Like, I think part of it is like you can do everything in your power to try and get to know these guys during this period, right, But then I think you got to lean on people that you do know, that know these players well.

00:23:48
Speaker 6: Right. And obviously I'm not even really talking about.

00:23:50
Speaker 9: The baseball side of it, which is a huge part about it, but make up such a big part of it, and you probably know better than anyone, right, So making sure that we know, you know what drive these guys and what kind of character they have, like, that's huge, and so uh, lean on folks that know them well.

00:24:04
Speaker 6: I think I think that's probably the key thing.

00:24:07
Speaker 3: It's got to be hard. It's got to be because you're you're coming over and you basically have a whole new toy like a whole new toy chest, and you're like, oh, this guy was pretty good, this guy looked pretty good. We played against this guy. He seemed pretty good. But then I can get something for the future, right, So how hard is it to balance that of saying, just start everything over. And you've done that with the coaching staff, and you've done that with obviously you coming in, But how hard is it with the players because you can't trade everybody and completely start over, right, So how do you where's the line that you draw on that? Because again you don't know these guys?

00:24:41
Speaker 9: Yeah, I think like that's a that's a tough one to answer, you know what I mean? I think like, really, what it comes down to is each individual player, and like, hey, what do we think about what do we think about this guy's impact.

00:24:52
Speaker 6: On our twenty twenty sixteen and beyond?

00:24:54
Speaker 3: Right, Well, then maybe the question is, yeah, how far in advance you look?

00:24:57
Speaker 6: Right?

00:24:58
Speaker 3: Twenty twenty six is what it's going to. But are you looking? Because I always make a joke in here that if I was a GM, I just keep telling the owner, I'm gonna rebuild how we didn't make it, give me five more years to get my players, to get my players in in all that stuff, right, So how far ahead you as an organization? I've never asked a GM president guy, how far ahead do you look? Because I know everyone wants to win the year they're in, But how far ahead? Are you looking down the road?

00:25:21
Speaker 9: Yeah, I mean I think like even if you know, I was working as part of the an organization that had one of the best records in baseball last year, right Like, I think it's uh, it's smart to be looking, you know, years ahead, but I think it's a little bit dangerous to be looking too far ahead as well. Right, Like, Hey, let's lock in on like how good we're going to be these next couple of years, and and then be willing to update our beliefs when we go out next year and hopefully we surprise some people and uh, you know, we're set to win a higher number of games going into twenty twenty seven. Like let's uh, let's be willing to I say it, like, we can be pretty rigid on our vision but flexible in the details of achieving it.

00:25:58
Speaker 1: So well, let's get to one deal that actually happened. And this was a cool one for me. I've met Harry Ford, I've watched him, and he gets picked up by your side, Jose Ferrere going back the other way, just playing to the point here. It's not like you're gonna say, you know this guy to a t talking about Frere but I'm sure even with Boston, you guys had scouting analysis and you know who Harry Ford is. And by the way, I think you're his favorite player.

00:26:24
Speaker 3: I love Harry.

00:26:26
Speaker 1: He's like, can I FaceTime ag?

00:26:29
Speaker 3: So I'm like, I got Then I did the playoffs and he was on the playoff roster and I told him like, hey man, you're probably not gonna get to play, but you know, soak it all in and you might get traded. And then way am I I wake up and I'm like, oh, Harry Ford got traded. So I'll let you answer, and then I have a question.

00:26:44
Speaker 9: Yeah, maybe maybe this is a good example of what you guys were talking about earlier. Like, so he was part of the twenty twenty one draft when I was with the Red Sox were we were picking forth was the year we took Marcelo, And I think part of this was Harry was was part of our mix. So we spent a lot of time getting snow Harry as a as a person and understanding the makeup there.

00:27:04
Speaker 6: Felt great about it, like probably.

00:27:06
Speaker 9: The same things you're seeing AJ Like we saw just stud kid and and then you know, we followed him along the way and uh, he's been fun to follow, like he's uh, he's pretty unique, man, Like he's a stud athlete at that position, Like that's those guys are pretty tough to find. And uh, and I think I mean people forget because he's been in minor league baseball for whatever it's been four years. Like he's still really young. He's twenty two years old. So I think he's still got a lot that he can improve. I think Harry will tell you that. And uh, when he does start chipping away at some of those things, like, uh, watch out, because I think I think we might have something special.

00:27:39
Speaker 3: What do you do with Ruiz? So you have four you just trade it for yeah, and you have a catcher that's signed in Cabert Ruiz. So how do you make the decision on who plays and who you know playing times at a Is it a spring training fight or is that something when you make the trade for Ford, you say, hey, we're gonna need him to play and we'll look to maybe move Ruise somewhere else.

00:27:58
Speaker 6: Yeah.

00:27:58
Speaker 9: Uh. Keybrad was one of the first people I called after the trade, and like I said, nothing changes, man, Like we we want to create a really competitive environment for for not just you guys, but Drew and Riley and the others to to compete and then uh man, we're gonna go with the best guys, you know what I mean? But that should uh man, we want to be we want to have players on our team that are that are embracing that challenge and willing to run towards it, not shine away from it. And I think Keybard is that type of dude. And Harry's the same way, Drew's the same way, Riley's the same way. So uh, we're a sembling a fun group and uh, like I said, we're gonna see who who the best guy is coming out of it, and uh and see that, you know, have the chips fall where they met.

00:28:34
Speaker 3: He's got the GM speak down, doesn't he I don't. I know, I love it.

00:28:40
Speaker 6: I didn't hear what he said.

00:28:40
Speaker 3: You know, if you have some of the GM speak down, love because you're giving us enough to where it's like, oh, I have a follow up, But then you also kind of aren't giving us enough to where I'm like, well, I do have a follow up, But we.

00:28:52
Speaker 1: Like to judge the GYM streak. I don't think it's like he's goods good yeah, right.

00:28:58
Speaker 3: A newer, newer person. So here's so then you worked for him, Yeah, and then you work for Bres.

00:29:05
Speaker 6: Yeah?

00:29:05
Speaker 3: Were you there before him?

00:29:06
Speaker 6: Yeah?

00:29:06
Speaker 3: Were you with Charrington?

00:29:08
Speaker 6: Charrington?

00:29:08
Speaker 3: Dave influenced your I'll throw out because you weren't there for a year with Bres.

00:29:15
Speaker 6: A couple of years, A couple of years.

00:29:16
Speaker 3: Okay, I played with Bres. So that's how old I am. But which one of those guys influenced your your style the most?

00:29:26
Speaker 4: Right?

00:29:26
Speaker 3: Because Dave's like more the gambler, I'm gonna throw all my chips in high and build the organization. Bres is newer at it. Charrington released me, so he doesn't count. Yeah right, So you know what I'm saying, Like which one would Are you more of the gambler like Dave? Or are you more like let's build this long term like him would be?

00:29:42
Speaker 4: Yeah?

00:29:43
Speaker 9: I think I probably take different This isn't meant to be GM speak, man, I I probably selfishly take different pieces of all of them, Like I uh, I mean dating back years, like overseeing the draft there to me like risk doesn't really like get my heart rate going, and when you're taking a player training for a player or whatever, and I maybe I, I don't know, subconsciously pulled that from Dave, right, But then also, like I think about him and how how intentional he was with his decision making. I'm never gonna be as smart as him was, but there is, but I think I can be prepared like he was and in breds the same way and then the same way too. Like I will say that the key difference was when I was working under Ben and to a lesser extent Dave, I was still pretty.

00:30:27
Speaker 6: Junior, you know.

00:30:28
Speaker 9: The more I rose up through the front office, I worked closer with with him than with Brez and gained a really good understanding of how they see things, which was which was good for me to see up close.

00:30:39
Speaker 1: Last one, because the players are being talked about a lot, Mackenzie, Gore and C. J. Abrams. I'm not going to ask you like, hey, what's gonna happen, but like, have you spoken to those guys when when their names circulate and you're new, do you speak to them? Real quick?

00:30:50
Speaker 6: Yeah? Well, first of all, I didn't.

00:30:52
Speaker 9: I didn't see the cg Abram stuff until today, and so I didn't think that was the thing, and so I haven't talked to CD about this, Like CJ and I have been talking.

00:31:00
Speaker 6: I chatted with them live the other day.

00:31:02
Speaker 9: Mackenzie was different because I saw this stuff coming up with Mackenzie and I'm like, man, I'm gonna call him just because if I put myself in Mackenzie, she was like, I'm probably wanting to hear if this is real or not right, or if it's if it's BS and so and more than that, man, I'd like I said it the other day, like one of the most gratifying parts of this job for me is building relationships with staff and players.

00:31:23
Speaker 6: So to me, it's like I'd already talked with Mackenzie.

00:31:25
Speaker 9: I was just calling again to check in and say like, hey, by the way, like you're gonna see this and uh, and this is how I think through it, and if you have any questions, hit me up whenever you want.

00:31:33
Speaker 6: So That's how I'd approach it with anyone.

00:31:35
Speaker 9: At the same time, I'm not sure it's the best thing to set a standard where like every single time someone's name pups into the media or I'm giving them a call and update and or not.

00:31:44
Speaker 6: Yeah, so try and bounce those two things.

00:31:46
Speaker 9: But but so much of this in My opinion comes back down to relationships, and if you have great ones, they trust what you're telling them, and you want to keep them informed, but probably don't want to over communicate.

00:31:56
Speaker 1: To Sure, I like that. I know you would appreciate that at that happen that Paul really appreciate the time. It's great, very nice to me.

00:32:02
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, great, mean you guys but the best. Yes, that's good

00:32:09
Speaker 9: M hm