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It's Phillies Hot Stove Season Time! (PST Episode 541) · The Philadelphia Sports Table | Philly Sports News & Views

0:00
Hey, everybody, it's Jeff. Hope you're doing well. We wanted to
0:02
let you know that we recorded this podcast episode on Tuesday, November twenty second,
0:06
twenty twenty three, so by the time you hear this, some things
0:09
may have changed here there, but we hope you enjoy the show. All
0:38
right, everybody, you are listening to the Philadelphia Sports Table podcast show,
0:41
the longest running weekly Philly sports podcast show in the world, that's right over
0:45
ten and a half years strong. We got a great episode coming your way.
0:48
We've got a great discussion what we're throwing down on the table this week.
0:52
We're gonna be getting into a lot of Philadelphia Phillies talk on this particular
0:56
show. I'm Jeff Warren. It's gonna be an abbreviated show this week.
0:59
My co hosts they're with family having some work obligations as well. Believe it
1:03
or not, yes, during this holiday season, as many others do as
1:07
well. So it's just gonna be me for a little bit here. Look,
1:11
the world of Philly sports is not terrible. It's not actually terrible.
1:15
At this particular point in time, as we are heading into the end of
1:18
November, the Philadelphia seventy six Ers as of us recording this have a ten
1:23
and five record. They're currently fifth in the East. I mean, there
1:26
are four teams with ten and five records at this point. The Magic,
1:30
the Bucks, the Heat, the Sixers, the Sixers exceeding I think expectations.
1:36
I know that Joel Embid sat out a couple nights ago. In terms
1:38
of the game with I'm actually forgetting who they were playing at this point.
1:42
I can't believe I'm forgetting who they're playing. However, Joel Embiid, you
1:46
know, getting some early rest and probably well deserved at this point. He
1:49
and Tyrese Maxey doing some really good things on the court. And if you
1:53
take a look at the Philadelphia Flyers, my gosh, a team that we
1:57
know is rebuilding. And if you want to hear a great discussion about that
2:00
rebuild and what we've been seeing from this team. Head on back in the
2:04
podcast feed where Charlie O'Connor from phl Y jumped on this past week. We
2:09
got into a great discussion about this Flyers team on the table Talk show.
2:14
Go back listen to that. But this Flyers team ten eight and one as
2:19
of us recording, this definitely right in the middle of the pack in terms
2:23
of the Metropolitan Division. I know there's a lot of discourse and a lot
2:27
of conversation out there about whether or not this Flyers team should be intentionally tanking
2:31
to get a better draft pick next year. It's interesting the way in which
2:37
this rebuild and dynamic has gone thus far. I would highly recommend you going
2:40
back and listening to that table Talk discussion with Charlie O'Connor if you're up for
2:45
it, if you're a Flyers fan. And then we have the Philadelphia Eagles
2:49
nine and one on the season after they just completely surprised so many of us
2:55
winning in Kansas City over the Kansas City Chiefs in a game where it looked
2:59
like they were supposed to lose. Quite frankly, you go through the first
3:02
quarter, the second quarter and you're saying, there is no way that this
3:05
team is going to be Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and this Kansas City Chiefs
3:09
team. Yet they did it. They found ways to win. Head back
3:13
in the feed and listen to the postgame show where Matt Rodgers from the honorable
3:16
mentioned podcast and I broke things down from that game. So look, like
3:21
I said, things are looking up in the world of Philly sports. We
3:23
got the Philadelphia Union as well. On November twenty fifth, they're gonna be
3:27
playing that first game in the second round against Cincinnati. What's gonna happen there
3:32
as well. It's been kind of a bizarre vibe that we've been getting from
3:36
the Philadelphia Union in terms of their in terms of their postseason at this point,
3:39
but gonna be very interesting for sure. The world of Philly sports is
3:44
doing well, folks doing well. And right now as we are in the
3:47
hot stove season in Major League Baseball, we are going to get into some
3:53
Philadelphia Phillies talk right now with our guest John Stalness from the Goodfight dot Com
3:59
and the Hitting Season podcast over at Billy Penn WHYY. And just wanted to
4:03
let you know that this discussion was recorded on November twenty first, twenty twenty
4:10
three with John, so it was a couple of days ago. Uh,
4:13
just wanted to throw that out there, not that too too much is gonna
4:15
be changing in terms of what's happening with this Phillies team. I mean,
4:18
who knows, who knows what's gonna be happening. John and I got into
4:20
it, had a great discussion about Aaron Nola and just the overall direction of
4:25
this team, the culture of the Philadelphia Phillies as well. It was a
4:30
great discussion. So let's get to that right now. And I think though,
4:34
we're gonna have to actually take a break before we get into it.
4:36
I know, I know, just just listen to the ads, folks,
4:40
Just listen to the ads. It helps us here. Okay, we're gonna
4:44
take a quick break and we will be back in just a bit. All
4:46
right, we are back. Let's get into some Philadelphia Phillies talk right now.
4:50
It is hot Stove season. It's what we're throwing down on the table
4:54
and now on the table. It is great to have on the podcast.
5:00
I always always enjoy speaking with him and getting his insights on the Philadelphia Phillies
5:05
major League Baseball. And then some we have from the Hit and Season podcast
5:11
and you can hear the Hitt and Season podcast on Apple Podcasts. That's where
5:14
I subscribe w h Y y Billy Penn as well. And it's great to
5:18
talk to him John stalin this buddy, how are you and how's this offseason
5:24
treating you so far? You know what, it's been going good so far?
5:28
We didn't have to wait too long for the Phillies to make a big
5:30
move, So that's good. I think every as the as the weeks have
5:33
passed since the disappointment in the NLCS, you know, we've all gotten a
5:38
chance to reflect on it a little bit. And I I gotta tell you,
5:41
there's a part of me that was so stressed out during the whole playoff
5:44
run. There was a small part of me that did feel a sense of
5:46
relief when they didn't get to the World Series. Okay, I can exhale
5:50
now and pay attention to the rest of the world around me. Yeah,
5:54
yeah, No, I completely feel you in terms of that sentiment. I
5:58
really do, because it is stressful when these Philly sports teams get to a
6:01
certain echelon. We talking about the Philadelphia Eagles on this podcast a lot.
6:04
I know you. You know you are very in tune with what's going on
6:09
with the Philadelphia Eagles as well, and losing that Super Bowl. You know,
6:12
you get to a certain level and you know, expectations are pretty high
6:15
in the city of Philadelphia. But in terms of the twenty twenty three Philly
6:19
season, John, before we kind of get into some of the topics,
6:21
that I wanted to dive into with you, just wanted to reflect on the
6:26
season a bit, because for me, I looked at this past season as
6:29
really helping to lay a foundational cult foundation in terms of the culture of what
6:33
this team and what the organization is likely going to be in the future.
6:40
And what I mean by that is a destination perhaps for free agents. We
6:45
saw and we're gonna, of course get into Aaron Nola. I mean,
6:46
it's the big the big news in Phillies Nation, but we saw on Aaron
6:49
Nola coming back at a lower cost. I mean when you when you reflect
6:55
on the twenty twenty three season, like what really comes to your mind in
6:59
terms of really you know where this organization is going in the future. Well,
7:03
for me, it goes back to twenty eighteen when Bryce Harper came aboard.
7:06
When Bryce Harper came aboard, that was that shifted the culture of this
7:11
franchise. That shifted the culture from to a team that expects to win,
7:15
and not only that expects to win, that expects to be a World Series
7:18
contender. Now we all know it took four years or three years of brycew
7:24
Was it four years? Yeah? I this four four yeah, four years
7:27
of Bryce Harper falling short and really is not being able to get it done.
7:30
And now finally in twenty twenty two and twenty twenty three, they figured
7:33
it out. They got over the hump, and now, yeah, the
7:36
expectations are there. This is a payroll that is always going to be among
7:42
probably the top three in baseball, maybe top two. I mean, who
7:46
knows what John Middleton's going to do this offseason. It's and it comes from
7:50
it starts with Bryce Harper on the field level, but it comes from the
7:54
top also in John Middleton. He is not someone who is looking to pinch
7:58
pennies. He wants to spend whatever he feels like he needs to spend to
8:01
bring a World Series to Philadelphia. And there are you can count, maybe
8:05
on two hands, the number of owners in baseball that care that much about
8:11
it, that are willing to eat money, are willing to lose money in
8:15
a venture. Really, I mean, I don't know if he's making money
8:18
with the payroll away this he probably is, right right, but he couldn't
8:22
be. You know, there are guys in his position who, you know,
8:24
take like a look at the Cardinals who are always scrimping and saving and
8:28
going on the cheap. And this organization is a is an organization that expects
8:33
to be a World Series contender and host a couple of parades at some point
8:37
over the next few years. And that's the culture now, that is the
8:39
culture and the culture of this particular we're seeing that happen with regard to this
8:45
offseason as well. That culture is really spilling out already, and it did
8:48
this past week. We obviously have to talk about Aaron Nola and him coming
8:52
back to Philadelphia on this deal. I mean, there's so much to say
8:56
about his wanting to remain in Philadelphia with this Phillies organization, John, and
9:01
ultimately how this move helps to solidify, of course, a key piece of
9:05
the Phillies puzzle as we move into twenty twenty four. And I thought it
9:09
was interesting in your recent piece in The Good Fight, and I think I
9:11
may have forgot to mention folks John Wright's at the Goodfight dot Com. You
9:18
talked about in your recent piece how badly other organizations like the Breves, like
9:22
the Dodgers, how they really wanted to bring Aaron Nola on board. They
9:26
knew and understood what his value would be for their teams. How would you
9:31
assess the importance of Nola coming back to this team, But as it relates
9:35
to you know where this team is within Major League Baseball. The fact that
9:41
he wanted to take less money, like, what is that importance and how
9:45
do you assess it? Well, I mean, each player makes their own
9:48
individual assessment of what's important to them, and certainly Aaron Nola, by all
9:52
reputation, is a simple guy. He is not someone who's necessarily looking to
9:58
be a flashy star player. He just wants to come in. He wants
10:01
to do his job, and I think he wants to I think he valued
10:03
as much as the money someplace where he was comfortable. And we've seen that
10:09
this clubhouse is a special clubhouse. These guys have a special relationship that is
10:13
rare for Major League Baseball clubhouses, Like this is a family. It really
10:18
is that this group of guys is a family, and I think Aaron Ola
10:22
feels like he would have been leaving the family if he decided to go someplace
10:26
else. And it also doesn't hurt that this is a contender that he got
10:30
one hundred and seventy two million dollars over seven years. So but all those
10:33
but you're right, he left some money on the table elsewhere. He could
10:35
have allowed the free agency process to drag on and allow a bidding war to
10:41
begin. He could have played the Braves off, the Dodgers, off,
10:43
the Phillies off the whoever. He didn't want to do that. You know,
10:46
his agent gave them a number and said, if you can get us
10:48
this number, we're coming back. And they made it work out. And
10:50
so I think the culture that we talked about with this team, the World
10:54
Series expectations and all of that, but also just the dynamics of the clubhouse
10:58
and the that Aaronola is the type of guy who valued staying in the same
11:03
place, coming in doing his job, being someplace where he's comfortable that you
11:09
know, each guy has to make their own decision when it comes to their
11:11
free agency and their future. And at the end of the day, he's
11:15
gonna be a Philly for sixteen years if he lasts to the end of his
11:20
contract, which is which is just bonkers, it really is. And he's
11:22
again one of those homegrown guys that we are seeing now. And I hope
11:28
that this culture trickles down also to the minor league level as well, because
11:33
like, I feel like just a few years ago, Aaron Nola might have
11:37
been out the door. You know, we talked about earlier Bryce Harper when
11:41
he came on board, Like that's when the culture really started to change.
11:43
But you know, a few years ago, Aaron Nola, he may have
11:46
said, see you later. I'm gonna be heading on to better opportunities.
11:50
But again, coming back to that team chemistry, that team culture that we're
11:54
seeing now, I mean, what does this contract mean in terms of where
12:00
the culture of this Philadelphia Phillies team has really manifested itself over the years here,
12:03
John, Yeah, Well, part of what this team really values is
12:07
dependability and durability, and that is something that Aaronola provided that none of the
12:13
other free agents starting pitchers on the market provided. And so if you're gonna
12:16
shell out seven or eight years and one hundred and sixty to two hundred million
12:20
dollars on a starting pitcher, you're gonna choose the guy that A you're probably
12:24
the most familiar with. B has a very high ceiling, and C has
12:28
performed well in the postseason D and pitches two hundred innings every year. Yeah,
12:33
you can count on one hand the number of guys who pitched two hundred
12:35
innings year after year after year, and Aaronola is one of them. There's
12:37
a lot of value in that and the Phillies No, going into every October.
12:43
If you have Zach Wheeler and Aaronola at the top of your rotation,
12:46
you are going to win some playoffs series. Yeah, it's a matter of
12:48
you know, other things have to be working, other things have to be
12:52
in place. And no, Aaronola wasn't perfect in the playoffs, but he
12:54
was perfect up until Game six. And I don't I'm not hammering him for
13:00
that start. He was so good in those other starts. Sometimes the other
13:03
guys on your team have to pick you up when maybe you don't have your
13:05
best stuff that day. I mean, I don't think there's people in Arizona
13:09
calling for Zach Allen to be shipped off someplace else because he had a couple
13:11
of really bad postseason games. So at the end of the day, Aaron
13:15
Nola made made the I think, the decision that was best for him and
13:18
for the Phillies. It was the smart decision because they have a guy who,
13:22
like we were talking about the Braves, wanted really badly the Dodgers wanted
13:26
really badly. Clearly they saw the value, and we get wrapped up in
13:30
this Philadelphia echo chamber where aeron Ola didn't have a good season this year.
13:33
I get it, totally understand that, and I was among those criticizing him.
13:37
But you're also gonna have to take a step back and look at the
13:39
whole picture. And I think if you look at Braves and with the Dodgers
13:43
and what other teams were willing to offer him, you have to take a
13:46
look and see, this is one of the betterest starting pitchers in baseball,
13:50
and it makes sense to lock him up. You mentioned how consistently year after
13:54
year he is pitching two hundred innings. It is astonishing to me. You
14:00
just said the overall picture we were critical to everybody was critical of Aaron Nola
14:03
earlier in this season. We're thinking to ourselves, my gosh, how long
14:07
is it going to take for him to get this pitch clock? You know,
14:11
working for him on the mound. You know it took some time,
14:13
of course, But at the end of the day, when you look at
14:16
the overall picture of work, like you said, when he's given consistently over
14:20
two hundred innings, per year. That value that says something about the type
14:24
of baseball player he is. Yeah, and I know the floor when he's
14:28
not doing well is pretty low. I think justin Clue who I know you've
14:31
had on the show a bunch of different times said, you know, he
14:35
he can look like a cy Young contender, and you know when he's down
14:39
on a bad days, he's SHAWNA. Sullivan, you know what I mean,
14:41
Like he's just there's And that's what That's what makes Phillies fans so crazy
14:46
is the floor can get very low, but the ceiling can be as high
14:52
as anybody. And there's a lot of in between two Like he rides rides
14:56
the levels up and down from from season to season, it seems like,
14:58
but this is a guy who's finished third and fourth in the cy Young voting
15:03
in two different seasons. So you know, I think you just you roll
15:05
into each season hoping that Aaron Nola has his mechanics worked out. I think
15:09
he figured out some things at the end of last year, and I'm hopeful
15:13
that he'll be able to carry those over into twenty twenty four and beyond.
15:16
Absolutely so are we, And I think we need to stick. I want
15:20
to stick with some pitching talk with you here, John too, because last
15:22
week on the show, Len and I were talking about the fact that you
15:26
know, we we as well as others in Phillies Nation. Two. You
15:28
know, if we were talking last week, if Aaron Nola is signed,
15:31
they're gonna we want him to sign another pitcher here. So I'm hoping Dave
15:37
Dombrowski is able to land another starting pitcher here. And of course I think
15:41
so many of us would love it if Yamamodo was that guy, if he
15:45
were signed. But I'm wondering if you think that that is the most realistic
15:50
path for this Phillies organization, or what do you think is that realistic path,
15:56
that logical path of signing another starting pitcher, if the team is even
16:00
looking to do that at this point, what are your thoughts here? Yeah,
16:03
I don't think if they do sign another starting pitcher, it's not going
16:06
to be a guy who is on a qualifying who declined the qualifying offer.
16:10
So I don't think you're looking at Sonny Gray, You're not looking at Blake
16:12
Snell, You're not looking at at anybody like that. Yeah, Now,
16:15
Jordan Jordan Montgomery could be interesting I'm not sure exactly what his what his asking
16:21
price is going to be. I think yet's still probably going to be a
16:22
little too rich for their blood, you know, in in those areas.
16:26
So I mean, maybe they look in in the trade in the trade market
16:30
and try and get somebody that way. You know, you've got you know,
16:34
there's there's Martin Perez is out there. I mean, you've got Marcus
16:41
Strohman is out there as a as a potential free agent. I mean,
16:44
guys like that Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn were just signed by the Cardinals.
16:47
I had no interest in any of those guys. But you know there's some
16:49
there's some guys out there who could be middle of the rotation type guys.
16:53
But if I'm the Phillies, they already have they already have a full five
16:57
man starting rotation right now. They do. So, I mean, you
17:02
could bring back Michael Lorenzen, if you're looking for Jakecoderzi, if you're looking
17:06
for like a number five, number six guy who can shuttle back and forth,
17:10
you know, those those are probably the more likely options. Michael Waka
17:14
maybe I mean Jack Flaherty could be somebody that you that you're looking at.
17:15
I mean, these guys all have issues, you know. There there is
17:19
certainly some things that would make you stop me, like why are they bringing
17:23
that guy in? But it just depends what you're looking for. If they're
17:26
looking for another high end guy, it's Yamamoto. I don't think there's anyone
17:30
else out there. If it's kind of bargain bin stuff, then you know,
17:33
then you're looking at guys like Lorenzen and some of the other guys that
17:36
I mentioned with regard to Yamamoto. What do you think the percentage is at
17:40
this particular point as we're here at the end of November. I'm thinking it's
17:45
a bad I'd say anywhere from like twenty five to like thirty percent chance that
17:49
it could actually happen. I don't know what are your thoughts in terms of
17:53
a percentage just for fun, just for just for giggles. I'm a little
17:57
less optimistic, probably put it in the ten range. The ten percent range,
18:03
I will say, it just depends on how badly John Middleton wants him.
18:07
John Middleton almost always, especially these last few off seasons, gets the
18:12
guy he wants, right. They wanted Bryce Harper, they got him,
18:17
They wanted Zach Wheeler, they got him. They wanted JT. Realmuto,
18:22
they got him. They wanted Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castianos, they got him.
18:26
Like every year, Trey Turner, they got him, you know,
18:30
and they had to fight for you know, there were a lot of suitors
18:32
for Trey Turner, ya, but they got But so when they make up
18:34
they wanted Aaronola, they got him. So when they make up their mind
18:37
that there's somebody out there that they want, generally speaking, they get them.
18:42
Just it just I'm not sure if this is just kind of like a
18:45
flight of fancy, you know, let's see what's out there, you know.
18:49
I know they put together a sizzle reel for Yamamoto about Philadelphia and so,
18:53
but I will say this, in terms of a destination spot, Philadelphia
18:59
has apps lutely improved its standing from where like five years ago, okay,
19:03
when schohey O Tani was being posted another Japanese The Phillies have never been a
19:07
player for any big name Japanese important ever, right, so this would be
19:12
this would be a first and so there's not a lot of natural connection there,
19:17
But the Phillies have scouted this guy. He's obviously a really good starting
19:19
pitcher would obviously be He'd be a good fit in any starting rotation. And
19:23
it's just I think a matter of how badly the Phillies want him, is
19:27
is John Middleton willing to go into the next luxury tax bracket in order to
19:32
sign him another twenties plus million dollar here guy on this roster? Can Can
19:37
they afford that luxury? I hope they can because it would be that would
19:41
think that would be an that would be a super rotation to rival twenty eleven.
19:44
I was at those ball games. I saw the concession stands. I
19:48
think they can do it, John, I think that they can do it.
19:51
For sure. They sold enough cheese steaks. Yes, yes again folks.
19:55
Talking to John Stalness from the Hitting Season podcast follow on Twitter at John
19:59
Stalness and the good Fight dot Com. Putting up some great content, some
20:03
very very good pieces over there as well. I want to get into it
20:07
particular gentleman who I don't think. I really don't think he's going to be
20:11
on the team, and it kind of saddens me in a way. And
20:14
that's Reese Hoskins. I think his tenure, I think we all think it's
20:17
tenure with the Phillies is likely over at this point, John and I say
20:21
that not because like he was the greatest Phillies first basement or anything like that
20:25
by an stretch of the imagination, But when we look at this past season,
20:29
we really saw what he meant to this clubhouse after going down with that
20:33
ACL injury, and you kind of saw how it affected some of the players
20:37
on this team. And if I don't know, if he does sign with
20:41
a team like the Cubs of the Brewers, I mean, how do you
20:42
think we should remember Reese's time here in Philly. I mean, he'll obviously
20:48
be remembered fondly, and there's a possibility the fact that he hurt himself means
20:53
that he'll be remembered more fondly than he would be maybe if he'd played in
20:57
twenty twenty s A good point because he remember for a lot of twenty twenty
21:02
two, people were not happy with Reees Hoskins. Even in the playoffs,
21:06
people were not happy with Reees Hoskins. One of the big problems that Phillies
21:08
had in the playoffs was that Rob Thompson would not take him out of the
21:11
two hole, and he was just all out of sorts. In the World
21:15
Series. He, like Aaron Nola, was a very streaky player, and
21:18
he had he was a really bad defensive first basement. I mean, there
21:22
are holes to his game. I think the team is markedly improved at first
21:27
base with Bryce Harper there, both offensively and defensively. I like Reez Hoskins.
21:33
I think he obviously was a valuable member of that clubhouse. He definitely
21:37
brought something to the plate. I think if you're hitting him six or seventh
21:40
in a lineup, then what he's giving you is terrific. But it's just,
21:45
you know, it wasn't a fit. He's gonna know, he's probably
21:48
gonna be a DH someplace, and there's just there's just no room for him
21:52
on this on this team with the way this roster is constructed to be here.
21:56
But there's enough strong leadership in that clubhouse that they can. You know,
22:00
they didn't have him last year for most of the season, so I
22:03
don't think it's going to really affect the clubhouse a whole lot. I think
22:07
most of the players, in most of the fan base didn't expect him back
22:11
after twenty twenty three. It's just it really is a shame that he wasn't
22:14
able to play his last year in Philadelphia. Yeah, you're absolutely right.
22:18
I know that I'm going to remember him fondly as well. I mean,
22:21
whether it was the batspike, you know, one of the greatest moments,
22:25
those home runs against the Padres in the NLC. Yes, I mean that's
22:27
canon, that's living forever. Yep. Absolutely, he will be remembered fondly
22:32
for sure. And as we're moving along here, John, you know,
22:34
I've read some tweets from you in recent weeks where you don't think the Phillies
22:40
would trade Kyle Schwarber by any stretch of the imagination. I completely agree with
22:44
you. Is the glue I think for this team. And I wonder if
22:48
there was one piece of talent on this team that you could see the Phillies
22:52
moving this offseason. I'm wondering who that individual would be and why the Phillies
22:57
might move somebody, because I think, you know, they do like to
23:00
make moves, they do like to make deals. Who do you think that
23:03
individual might be? Well, we already heard that Jason Stark mentioned in an
23:07
article in the Athletic that the Phillies are definitely willing to move Nick Castianos y
23:12
and they say they aren't. But if somebody's going to offer you something real
23:17
for Nick Castianos and you can upgrade there and get some of that swing and
23:19
miss out of the lineup and get out from at least some of the contract
23:22
that they that he has left, I think that they would do that.
23:26
I think that's a way that if you want to improve the at bats that
23:30
this team has on a night in, night out basis removing Castianos from the
23:33
lineup. And yes, you'd be missing some power, you'd be missing when
23:37
he gets hot. He can help carry the team, So you would definitely
23:40
be missing that. We saw that a number of times John this season,
23:42
we saw it a number of times. And that would be my concern with
23:45
actually trading Nick Castianus, because he really ended up being a spark plug in
23:52
a lot of games, especially early on too. I don't know that that's
23:56
my thought. And in the Braves playoff series when he got when he got
24:00
red hot, and just the frustrating thing was I mean I remember him saying
24:03
they got on the plane to Arizona and when he got off the plane,
24:06
he couldn't see the ball anymore. Like, how does how does that happen.
24:10
He's he's a weird guy. He's a weird guy, and he's he's
24:12
you know, he does things that are just like he says. I like
24:17
Nick Castianos. And if he's on this team, great, you know that's
24:19
fine. Let him hit six or seven. I think that's a good spot
24:22
in the lineup for him. But that being said, if you're looking at
24:26
for a big name guy who could move, I think the Phillies are certainly
24:27
sounds like the reporting is that they're listening on him. But I'll give you
24:30
a couple names. They have a glut of center fielders on this team.
24:33
Suddenly, shockingly, they have a glut of center field I think, yeah,
24:37
right, you know, so they could move. So they could move
24:42
somebody like a Johann Rojas. If it's for a starting pitcher, or maybe
24:48
a top tier reliever, like a top tier reliever, or or for a
24:52
bat that can play left field. You know, you may move him in
24:55
a Wan Soto trade. And that's not what that would be one of the
24:57
pieces of a one so and I don't think. I don't think the Phillies
25:00
are trading for one Soda. But I'm saying gonna move like that. You
25:03
know, Johann Rojas is a guy that you could potentially move because you've got
25:07
Christian Pace, You've got Simo Muzioti, who can also play some center field.
25:12
So that's a guy who has some trade value now with how he played
25:17
defense and how he played in the regular season, he's got a bright future.
25:21
And I think if they do go out and they sign somebody like Yamamoto,
25:25
you could see them trade Christopher Sanchez or and I'll throw the name out
25:27
there, Ranger Suarez. I don't I don't know that they would be looking
25:32
to do that, but Suarez would have a ton of trade value. You're
25:37
gonna have to pay You've already paid Aaronola, You're probably gonna pay Zach Wheeler
25:40
a big time extension. You're gonna have if you sign Yamamoto, you're gonna
25:44
be paying him a ton of money. You're not gonna be able to pay
25:45
Ranger Suarez two. So if you can, if you move Ranger Suarez for
25:52
something real, like a real good player, maybe you do that. But
25:56
those are the names that jump out at me, and I don't think any
25:59
of them are very likely at this point. Maybe Rojas would be the most
26:03
likely. I think if anybody moves, it's going to be someone like a
26:06
Muziati or or a Christian Pace, and you're not getting a whole lot in
26:10
return for you. Yeah. Absolutely. I remember on a few Hitting Seasons
26:12
podcast you were not too happy with Kristin Pace earlier. He turned it around
26:17
late in the season. Yes, lest he's he's just got to stay healthy.
26:19
He can't. He couldn't stay healthy this year. Yep. Absolutely,
26:22
all right. Well, to close us out here, John, I wanted
26:26
to ask you one of the most elementary questions ever, but I love asking
26:30
these sometimes of our guests here at the PST podcast show. If you had
26:33
a magic wand, If you had a magic wand and could make a couple
26:37
moves of reality for the Phillies to just have not only a great twenty twenty
26:41
four season, a dominant postseason next year and inevitably get back to the World
26:45
Series, what would those moves be? The two moves are to sign yamamotoo
26:52
okay, yep, and to trade for Wan Soto. Yeah, okay,
26:55
I mean bon Soto is the perfect fit for this line. He brings you
27:00
patients at the plate, he hits the ball out of the ballpark. You
27:03
wouldn't need him to be the star. You've already got a team littered with
27:07
stars. Everybody's saying, oh, he's a clubhouse cancer all this time.
27:11
There's absolutely no proof whatsoever that Wan Sota was a problem in the San Diego
27:15
clubhouse, none at all. And people like you don't like, you know,
27:19
kind of they perceive him as being lazy and not a winner. Man,
27:22
the guy carried the Nationals to a World Series championship in twenty nineteen,
27:27
so he has performed at the highest level on the biggest stages before. So
27:33
I just don't understand how anybody wouldn't just jump at the chance to trade for
27:36
Juan Soto and put him in left field. And they they do have to
27:40
go out and they do have to get more more reliever help. I can't
27:42
think of a big name that would be out there to go get at the
27:45
moment in terms of like another closer or you know, like a big time
27:52
late inning arm or two that they need. They got to get a Craig
27:53
Kimball replacement, but I think they'll do that. That's not a big thing,
27:57
you know, That's going to be just a standard move of the off
28:00
season. Yeah, well, it's gonna be interesting to see what happens the
28:03
next shoot to drop, and we're gonna be listening to it on the Hit
28:06
and Season podcast for sure. My friend, come back join us. I
28:11
would love to have you back on the show. And again folks at John
28:14
Stalness on Twitter and the Hitting Season podcast Why y Billy Penn, I listen
28:19
on Apple Podcasts and head on over to the Goodfight dot com and check out
28:23
everything John and his colleagues over there are doing. Join us down the road,
28:26
my friend. I would love to have you back on the show.
28:27
As always. It's always fun talking to you. Yeah, YouTube buddy,
28:30
anytime, Oh boy, talking to John. I'm getting excited, getting excited
28:36
for the next shoot to drop with this Phillies team and this organization and what
28:40
they're looking to build in twenty twenty four. I am really excited. Like
28:44
in all seriousness, folks, just like take a step back, you know,
28:47
I mean, I look, you may be running, you maybe on
28:48
a treadmill, you maybe in your car, whatever, just kind of just
28:52
get into a deep mental place and think Jan Soto on the Philadelphia Ways,
29:00
how does it feel? How does that feel? It feels great? Huh,
29:03
like John said, he would be a perfect fit for this team.
29:08
Of course. I mean like John was saying, you know, whatever John
29:11
Middleton really wants and how much money he is willing to spend at the end
29:17
of the day, that's what matters in terms of this offseason. And if
29:19
he's not willing to spend the money, this Phillies team is going to be
29:22
a really good team in twenty twenty four. They're going to be really good.
29:26
And we're seeing some shifts and we're seeing some things happening, especially in
29:30
the NL East, that you know have been I would say surprising, whether
29:36
it is with the New York Mets. Of course, you have the Braves
29:38
winning one hundred games again and they still can't get to where they need to
29:42
be, fizzling out the postseason. You've got the Marlins. God knows what
29:48
they're going to be like next season. So anyway, there's a lot of
29:51
really interesting aspects of this NL East and the one interesting aspect is that the
29:55
Phillies are going to be going into twenty twenty four as a contending team and
30:00
that is really really nice to think about. In the end, so it's
30:03
gonna do it for us here on this episode the PSD Podcast Show. Thanks
30:07
so much long time listeners. If you're new to the show, subscribe on
30:11
whatever podcast platform you're on. If you're enjoying the content, you can also
30:15
head on over to Philadelphia Sports Table dot com if anything happens to your podcast
30:18
feed. We've got all of our podcasts over there, and you can follow
30:21
me on Twitter at Jeffrey Underscore Warren, follow the show at Philadelphia PST.
30:26
My co host Len Hunsicker at Len Hunsicker, and you can follow Eric at
30:30
Brick Pollot. We've got our Eagles postgame podcast coming this week after the Bills
30:36
games. Stay tuned for that. Gonna be an interesting discussion for sure,
30:41
and I don't do it for us folks. Take care. We'll catch you
30:45
next time. This