Latest / Foul Territory / Giants perspective on adding Rafael Devers w/Susan Slusser

Transcript

Giants perspective on adding Rafael Devers w/Susan Slusser · Foul Territory

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Buster was going to get a long leash as the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: guy in charge. He's beloved, he's an franchise icon. But
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: this was full.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: We're expecting Susan Slesser soon. Let's talk about the Giants.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: How good are the Giants with rapfield evers?
• 0:20
  Speaker 3: They're better?
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: How much better?
• 0:22
  Speaker 3: Significant? Significantly better?
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: For me? Do you want to rank that l West now?
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: Well, it's still Dodgers, okay. I think with the Giants,
• 0:30
  Speaker 3: they jumped in number two with their pitching. Logan Webb.
• 0:33
  Speaker 3: If you ain't seen Logan web pitch this yere, he's
• 0:35
  Speaker 3: a stud. He's an absolute stud. And the rest of
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: their pitching has been really good too. That's why they
• 0:42
  Speaker 3: can afford to move the guys they move with Hickson
• 0:45
  Speaker 3: and Harrison because they have other guys that are pitching
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: really well. Robbie Ray's been really good. And so for me,
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: what do they need? What's the thing we took? The
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: stat we talk about every year with the Giants. They
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: haven't had a thirty thirty home run guy since Barry Bonds.
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: That was in two thousand and four. I believe leir
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: I was there. That's crazy, okay, So who can hear
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: if anybody can hit. If anybody can hit, well, they've
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: had stars, buster posey. I mean, listen, they've had stars.
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: They just have anybody. Oh yeah, they don't have a star. True,
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: but this takes pressure off a damis. This makes their
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: lineup significantly better now. And you know what it brings.
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: It brings an energy to the team that they're like, man,
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: our front office is going for boys, We're going for cras.
• 1:29
  Speaker 3: You can't put a price on that.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: No, I mean, this is a for me. This is
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: a top ten hitter in baseball. And sure, you're going
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: to go to San Francisco and sometimes it's gonna go
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: opposite field and instead of going off the monster, it's
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: going to be a long flyball out that's expected. That's
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: part of what makes recruiting certain superstar bats difficult if
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: you're San Francisco, because some hitters are gonna look there
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: and they're going to look at other spots and be like,
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: do I want my numbers to go down? Because in
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: almost every case, your power numbers are going to go
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: down there compared to most other ballparks opposite end of
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: the spectrum here, Yes, this team is playing well. Most
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: of their players are in that prime window. He mentioned Webb,
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: He's twenty eight a Domins and Ryan Walker twenty nine,
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: Robbi Rays having a great year. He's thirty three. Matt
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: Chapmans on the il, but he'll be back. He's thirty two.
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: Got your Bailey.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, the time is now. If you're Buster Posey, you
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: know you're not pushing it down the line.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: Here.
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: I heard someone talking about this and this is a
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: big point for me. Buster Posey came up under Brian Savian.
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: Did Brian Savian? Say what you want about Brian Savian,
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: but he was the architect of with them winning the
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: three World series. Okay, what did Brian Savian have a
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: knack to do? When he thought it was time to strike,
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: He made a move to get him over the top.
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: Marco Scutero, right Hunter Pence, all these guys to get
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: him over the top, and it worked for three World series.
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: Buster Posey came up under that he's a former player.
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: Guess what he thinks. We can win every year, guys,
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: and we just get the right pieces. But he smelt
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: a great opportunity and not have to give up a lot,
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: and the owners gave him the go ahead to do.
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: And guess what he did? Yeah, we'll take Raffi Devers.
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: Are you kidding me? One thirty something ops plus in
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: the middle of our line up. Huh please? Here? Oh
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: you want Jordan Nickson, you want Harrison, and you want Tims,
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: the first rounders he ways away and some guy that
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: no one's ever heard of, Bello Byo. Yeah, here you go,
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: Red Sox. We'll take Raffi Devers problem off your hands.
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: No, you don't know how to communicate with him. Most
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: people in the league know Devers. He's been in the
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: league for a while. He is not a problem child.
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: He's not This is not Manny Ramirez in Boston. And
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: also they kept Manny and how did that go pretty
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: well for them while he was there. Yeah, so it's
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: not like they're acquiring someone that's going to be a problem.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: As long as they know how to do this, talk, communicate, they.
• 3:44
  Speaker 4: Know how to do this under Buster Posey, Matt Chapman,
• 3:48
  Speaker 4: Willia Domas now Raffi Devers over six hundred million dollars
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: they spent in those three dues because they couldn't they
• 3:56
  Speaker 4: couldn't produce enough position players to get the job done.
• 4:00
  Speaker 4: Maybe four han Ziety never got that money, or maybe
• 4:03
  Speaker 4: far Han was like, I don't see any surplus value.
• 4:07
  Speaker 4: Buster Posey sees an opportunity to win. He's striking while
• 4:12
  Speaker 4: the iron's hot.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: Raphaeldevers has fifteen homers this year. All lefty bats on
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: the Giants combined have fourteen homers.
• 4:22
  Speaker 4: Oh my gosh.
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, much more on this right in two minutes with
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: Susan Slusser, who's going to join us to talk more
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: about the impact for the Giants. Susan Slusser joins us
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: right now, and we got to give some love to
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: the Giant side of the story here. Senior baseball writer
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: for the San Francisco Chronicle, Susan, how crazy was this
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: news when you first either saw it or heard about it?
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: But I mean it was June fifteenth. You know that
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: it's just almost unheard of now to make deals, big
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: deal like that this early. I love it. I love it.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: You know when I covered the A's for a million years,
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: Billy Bean did this a few times, not quite this early,
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: but he did swing some earlier big trades. You tend
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: to get sometimes a better price. And I've always felt like, hey,
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: if you want a guy and you've got the deal
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: in place, you're going to get more you have them
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: for longer. The Giants really really be a big left
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: handed bat, as you guys were just saying, and I
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: hear you, AJ, let's not even go go to Susan,
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: I see how you are. But yeah, that's I mean,
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: Buster identified the need and he went out and got it. Bam.
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: Well, Susan, listen, when you're not on time, you know,
• 5:40
  Speaker 4: then we have to make adjustments.
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: So I just have to ask er Scott was talking,
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: Susan was talking too many s's. I couldn't hear either
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: one ignoring. Okay, but is this the biggest trade for
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: the Giants since they traded Booth bondser Francisco Loiano and
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: Joe Nathan for another greatft hand of hitting star for
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: the Giants?
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: Hm?
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: Who would that be? I mean that one's right up there. Uh.
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: I mean this is the biggest biggest Giants that made
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: in a law. I mean that was for me.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: It might be the biggest one ever.
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean this is one of the most the biggest,
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: brightest trades the Giants have made as long as I
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: can remember, they've signed guys that they haven't made a
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: trade with this kind of potential impact in forever that
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: I can remember.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: Yeah, this one's huge, This one's huge, and that's you know,
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: the previous front office did a lot of the heavy
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: lifting and getting this year's team where it is. Uh,
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: I think. But my one criticism of the previous administration
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: is that they did not make big trade deadline moves
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: the last three years. They needed something more, they didn't
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: do it, and we saw what happened down the stretch.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: They faded, missed the playoffs three years in a row.
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: The one year he did something was Chris Bryant, which
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: you know at the time looked like that was a
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: nice trade, but didn't wind up really making much difference
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: one way or another. So this I mean, certainly post
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: that World Series run of by far the biggest deal
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: they've made. At any time of year.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: It might be that time. If you're looking for a
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: new car, there's one place to go that is going
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: to take care of you, and it's car Gururus.
• 7:26
  Speaker 4: Yeah, looking for a car should be fun, not exhausting.
• 7:29
  Speaker 4: Everywhere else it's exhausting. You're dodging people, You're trying to
• 7:33
  Speaker 4: just oh can I look at this car? Cargoers, you
• 7:36
  Speaker 4: type in your search, you find the color that you want.
• 7:39
  Speaker 4: It narrows it down for you, and all of a
• 7:41
  Speaker 4: sudden you're like, this has been an exciting experience and
• 7:45
  Speaker 4: you got a great deal.
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: With over four million listings, Cargrews has more car listings
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: than any other major online automotive marketplace in the US,
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: so you can find the best deal. It's no wonder.
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: Similar web estimated traffic data shows cars gus is the
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: number one most visited car shopping site. Buyer, Sell your
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: next car today with cargur Us at cargrews dot com.
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: Go to cargur rous dot com to make sure your
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: big deal is the best deal. That's c r g
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: u r us dot com. Car gurus dot com.
• 8:18
  Speaker 4: Yeah, there you go.
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: All right? So what do you think about the Giants
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: lineup now? I mean, this team has been playing pretty well.
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: They have won a lot of close games, which means
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: a little more offense would certainly help. This is what
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: everyone I think would agree is at least the top
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: fifteen thatt I've been calling at least the top ten
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: bat in my mind. So how much do you think
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: this changes the complexion of the season for San Francisco
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: in terms of what they needed?
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: Well, they have the pitching, the defense is usually solid.
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: Chapman's out right now, but you know when he's back,
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: they they're solid to very solid. We have known since
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: before the season started that they were light on offense
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: and they were not going to have the best lineup
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: in the division by any means. This had become a
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: major issue. Not enough left handed hitters, not a left
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: handed power. I mean, it was really starting to show.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: And as good as the pitching is, the starting pitching
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: has been very good. The bullpen's been outstanding, there's going
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: to come a point where the pitching goes into a
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: little bit of a funk and you need the hitting
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: at that point to step up. That offense, you know,
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: was doing what it could certainly. You know they've they're
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: right there, you know, a half step behind the Dodgers.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: They've had a very nice start to the season. But
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: at some point that offense was going to have to
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: do more. You know, the trade letting Lamont Wade go,
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: that was step one. We all love Lamont, but he
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: was just struggling getting Willie Domas going. Finally he got
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: a day off going into Colorado, so it wound up
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: being kind of two days off and then Colorado. He
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: looks like he's kind of back where he was if
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: he's going when Chapman gets back, and then adding Devors,
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: they've got a much much stronger middle of the order.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: And remember they've got Junghu Lee who's now back in
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: the leadoff spot. They've got Elliott Ramos who potentially could
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: be an All Star for a second year in a row.
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: You know, they've still got some weak spots there, but
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: it links Linthen's lineup, and you know, as Don Smith
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: said yesterday, that Cove is suddenly going to be seen
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: some more action from the Giants side.
• 10:24
  Speaker 4: Finally, who benefits the most in that lineup from the
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: addition of Devers? Is it somebody that's getting protection? Is
• 10:32
  Speaker 4: Elliot Ramos who now doesn't have to do as much?
• 10:36
  Speaker 4: Or does Elliot Ramos then kind of say, WHOA wait
• 10:39
  Speaker 4: a minute, I was the star? Is there is there
• 10:42
  Speaker 4: some is there somebody that really is going to positively
• 10:44
  Speaker 4: affect the most?
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: Well?
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: I think everybody is thrilled about this move. You know,
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: a Logan Web yesterday he's he's very close to Kyle Harrison,
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: one of his best friends, and he said he was
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: ecstatic about about having Devers so tells you how the
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: pitching staff feels. And in fact, I think the pictures
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: are the one that will ones that will benefit the
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: most in the lineup. You know, it's they will probably,
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: you know, move things around from time to time. That's
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: the way Bob Melvin's kind of done things. They will
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: sort of platoon some guys, so on a given day,
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: it could be somebody different, but certainly whoever is hitting
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: right in front of him is probably going to get
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: the benefit of it. And you're right, it will take
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: a little bit of the pressure off some of the
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: bigger bats for lack of a better word, in the
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: lineup now, guys like Ramos, guys like Chapman, Wilmer Flores.
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: But we don't know where Devers is going to get
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: the bulk of his playing time still. You know, he
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: could play third until Chapman's back. But when Chapman's back,
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: obviously he's going to be there. So do you take
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: do you just put him at first? He hasn't wanted
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: to play first. They're going to sit down and have
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: a chat with them and said, then they'll decide the
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: DH spot is Wilmer Flores. Wilmer Flores can play first base,
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: but they really like at DH to sort of minimized
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: sort of the wear and tear on his legs. Last
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: year he just was not himself because of leg injuries.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: So I think that's going to be really interesting to see.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: But he'll be in there. Wherever he is, he will
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: be in the lineup.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: Susan, tell me about the other side of this trade,
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: if it hurts the Giants at all from a run
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: prevention standpoint this season, and also what Red Sox fans
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: should be expecting from Jordan Hicks and from Matt Harrison,
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: who was immediately optioned by the Red Sox, but I
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: would imagine will be a factor for them at some point.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Harrison, I mean, he's just he's he's a talent.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: You know, he was a Giant's top pitching prospect for
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: the last several years until you know, he came up
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: last year. Yeah, he's had his struggles. You know, he
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: was a rookie getting adjusted to the league. He's very young,
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: he's twenty two. He's local, so I think this came
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: even you know, it's a little bit even more of
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: a shock when you're a local guy. He's from Danville
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: in the East Bay. Loved pitching for the Giants, you know,
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: and you're on the mound warming up for a game
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: and suddenly you're traded. Like nobody would envision that, especially
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: again on June and fifteenth. But he's going to be fine,
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: and I think it will. This will probably make him
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: even tougher and better. Logan web Said said the first
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: thing he told him is you're going to be a
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: star in Boston, and I think he has the capability
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: to do that. He's left handed, he throws strikes, He's
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: got a lot of movement on all of his stuff.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: You know, he just needs to learn how to pitch
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: at the big league level a little bit more and
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: get more experience. I think he'll be up probably very quickly.
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: Jordan Hicks wanted to be a starter. He was so
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: great for the first sort of month and a half
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: last year in a starting role and then ran out
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: of steam. He said it was he sort of wore down.
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: So this year they tried it again. He really wanted
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: to go back to starting, and it just never it
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: just never clicked for him. And you know, currently he's
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: on the iel with a toe injury from dragging his
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: toe and his delivery that that's all resolvable, that's not
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: something that's an issue. I think he felt like you'd
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: got that figured out. He's pretty close to coming back.
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: He's obviously got a ton of experience in the bullpen.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: He can help them there and if they want to
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: try him as a starter, Andrew Bailey's there, you know,
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: I know him from Oakland, I know him from San
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: Francisco where he's the pitching coach. He will figure out
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: a way to make things work if that's what they want.
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: So that that's pretty interesting. And you know, don't sleep
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: on James Tibbs, who is the Giant's first first round
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: pick last year. That one hurt. That one also hurts.
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: You know, you don't want to lose number thirteen. Overall.
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: He was doing well at Hi a Eugene, So I
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: think that one, you know, that might come back to
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: bite them more than anything.
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: Susan, your your athletics love knows no bounds, no end.
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: So you know I'm going to drop them in.
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you just can't. You just can't help yourself, can you.
• 14:49
  Speaker 3: It's amazing, It's amazing. All right? What are the Giants
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: fans feeling on this? They have to be ecstatic, right,
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: And are they just all praising Buster Posey for doing
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: this deal? And yes, I know you're talking like this
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: gonna hurt, and this is gonna hurt, but they got
• 15:02
  Speaker 3: Raffie Devers and everyone is just saying they didn't give
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: up much. So are they just praising Buster Posey and
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: in the front office for making this deal with the
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: Red Sox at a time when nobody saw this coming?
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: I mean you'd have to. I mean, look, Buster was
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: going to get a long leash as the guy in charge.
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: You know, he's beloved, he's an franchise icon, but this
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: was bold. I mean he really he should get all,
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: you know, all the praise in the world for this one.
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: And you know, he's the thing he's done so far
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: that has been great is he's quick to identify needs
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: and then do something without looking like, you know, there's
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: any panic, like he doesn't believe in the team as
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: a whole. He's really kind of walked that line. Well.
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: But man, for a first major deal, this is this
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: is huge. This is a big swing, which I guess
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: is exactly what we would expect from somebody of Buster's background.
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: But yeah, I think the fan base is thrilled. You'd
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: have to be, and Buster said yesterday, this is the
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: kind of guy you just can't get in their prime.
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: So they jumped on it when they thought they thought
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: they had the opportunity. He's twenty eight. I mean, this
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: is a guy who has many good years left assuming
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: full health, and on a deal that's not prohibitive. I mean,
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: and also, you know what, Giants' ownership stepped up here too.
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: Buster got it done convinced ownership, and ownership was willing
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: to take on what's probably going to be about two
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: hundred and thirty a lot of it deferred.
• 16:39
  Speaker 4: Are you surprised if you were told that this trade
• 16:41
  Speaker 4: was going to happen, that Eldris would not have been
• 16:44
  Speaker 4: part of it. Are you surprised that they didn't really
• 16:46
  Speaker 4: have to give up that much.
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: I think we knew if they made a big deal
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: this year that it was probably going to be from
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: their young pitching. They've got a lot of good young arms.
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: They've got more in sac Gremento. They've especially Carson Wizenhunt,
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: who's who's probably going to be the next guy up
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: when they have a need that that is a position
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: of absolute strengthen them. Buster has mentioned that he'd he'd
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: be comfortable trading some of their good young starters. Andy,
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: did you know they know what they have in Kyle
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: Harrison and he's a good pitcher. I think he could be,
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: you know, maybe a two to three kind of big
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: league pitcher. He's a left team maybe even better because
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: this stuff is good. He's not quite at that caliber yet. Obviously,
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: he was not a regular starter for the Giants. He
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: was pitching in verlander spot while Verlander was out and
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: had been in the bullpen before then. But yeah, uh,
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: Eldridge was probably not going to be on the table
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: this year and potentially will never be on the table
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: if he does what the Giants are expecting him to do.
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: All right, Susan, Before we let you go, I have
• 17:49
  Speaker 3: to ask this, since we know your love for the athletics,
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: how's it going in Sacramento? Do you think they would
• 17:54
  Speaker 3: be this bad? I didn't think they'd be this bad?
• 17:56
  Speaker 3: And is there any heat on Mark Cott say, because
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: you know, you start reading some stuff and people are like, oh,
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: Kotsee could be in the hot seat. But I disagree
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: with that because he's only given what he's given and
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: he's had to deal with moving a team and this
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: and that, and everyone's complaining about the stadium. Did you
• 18:10
  Speaker 3: think it would be this bad?
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: I thought they were going to be good, you know,
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: all spring. I was out there. Yeah, I was out
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: there a few times the spring, and you know, they've
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: got the you know, they're almost the inverse of the Giants.
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: They had a really good offense. You know, they've got
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: a lot of good bats. When the Giants were kind
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: of you know, it became obvious that the Giants were
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: looking for a bat. I kept going like, maybe try
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: to pry somebody away from the A's. They need pitching.
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: But the pitching's been worse than I thought it would be.
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: There's just no way to blame kots say. There's just
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: there's so many factors going on with the A's, I mean,
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: playing where they are and dealing with all of that
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: that stuff. I do think they will be better, maybe
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: not the rest of it, but then the second half.
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: They have had a tendency under Kotze to really take
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: off in the second half. I don't think that they're gonna,
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: you know, contender anything, but I think they could make
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: things difficult on a day to day basis for a
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: lot of teams because they do have a really good lineup.
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: And aj, I have to tell you, I will be
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: at the groundbreaking in Las Vegas a week from today, So.
• 19:15
  Speaker 3: Yeah, next Monday, week after. I was just there, and
• 19:25
  Speaker 3: if their groundbreaking, they've done some serious work, because when
• 19:27
  Speaker 3: I was there last week or two weeks ago, whatever
• 19:29
  Speaker 3: it was, they still had cranes on there and said
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: demolition and progress stay away. So I don't know what
• 19:34
  Speaker 3: they did. But I don't know until I see something
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: going into the ground besides a golden shovel Susan, I
• 19:40
  Speaker 3: don't know if that I'm believing it, but we'll see.
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what I've always said. You know, I'm not
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: going to believe it until the shovels in the ground.
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: I'm not sure at this point I will believe it.
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: Maybe Hey, maybe this is just me like being in denial.
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: But it's going to be a very expensive venture. To date,
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: we have not heard of any new investors joining that
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: that project. They were looking for some The costs are
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: expected to go potentially over two billion. You know, it's
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: a dome stadium. I you know, Hey, if Vegas wants
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: something to get done, they usually get it.
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: Done.
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: I think Vegas is capable of it, but they might
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: have to step in and pony up a lot if
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: that's the case.
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: Okay, well we'll have to chat after your field trip over.
• 20:24
  Speaker 3: There, which which which giant casino are you staying at?
• 20:28
  Speaker 3: And are you a gambler, Susan. I can't imagine you gamble?
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: No, I'm not. I don't like the losing. I like
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: the losing so much less than I enjoy the winning.
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: So no, I and I think I might just be
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: like in and out just in the day.
• 20:43
  Speaker 3: Southwest. That's southwest. One is quick exactly slot.
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: How's that?
• 20:51
  Speaker 4: I can see you.
• 20:52
  Speaker 3: I can see you sitting there like in one of
• 20:53
  Speaker 3: those motorized scooter Susan. Just over again. Drink another drink
• 21:00
  Speaker 3: over here?
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: That part, that part you've got to.
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: Well, Susan. We'll be looking at the coverage, obviously, we're
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: all over the A stories. So thanks for joining us.
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: Everyone gives Susan a follow at Susan Slester on Twitter
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: and check out our work in the San Francisco Chronicle
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: and enjoy the Debors moment, especially next weekend they take on.
• 21:22
  Speaker 3: The red sign.
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: It's going to be so fun.
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: Thanks Susan, good to see you.
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: Thanks guys,