Latest / Foul Territory / Mariners winter report w/Adam Jude

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Mariners winter report w/Adam Jude · Foul Territory

0:03
Speaker 1: Let's keep rolling. Adam Judy is joining us. We're going
0:05
Speaker 1: to talk about the Seattle Mariners.
0:07
Speaker 2: Now.
0:07
Speaker 1: You can follow Adam's coverage in the Seattle Times. Adam,
0:10
Speaker 1: great to have you back on the show. Appreciate the time,
0:12
Speaker 1: and we'll just start nice and simple. How do you
0:15
Speaker 1: grade the off season right now for Seattle?
0:18
Speaker 3: Thanks for having me Fellas. Yeah, the Mariners, there's some
0:22
Speaker 3: bubbling frustration I think of brewing with Mariners fans. I
0:27
Speaker 3: would grade it as a solid BB plus for the Mariners,
0:30
Speaker 3: but it does feel a little incomplete. I know the
0:33
Speaker 3: Mariners are still in the market for a proven veteran
0:37
Speaker 3: bat that they'd like to be able to insert either.
0:40
Speaker 2: At the top or the middle of the lineup.
0:41
Speaker 3: We can talk about the Brendan Donovan continued rumors here.
0:44
Speaker 3: But yeah, it does feel in some ways incomplete. Mariners
0:48
Speaker 3: have subtracted Jorge Polonco and Gino Suarez from the lineup
0:53
Speaker 3: that was really good and really deep and made it
0:56
Speaker 3: to Game seven of the ALCS, And so I think
0:58
Speaker 3: some fans here understand and are wondering, Okay, what's what's
1:02
Speaker 3: the plan here? You know, we're right there. This is
1:05
Speaker 3: maybe the best Mariners team they've had here in a generation,
1:11
Speaker 3: and they have reasonable World Series hopes this year. So
1:15
Speaker 3: what are we doing to add, you know, one more
1:17
Speaker 3: proven guy here? I'm hearing from a lot of Mariners
1:20
Speaker 3: fans as we get closer and closer to spring training.
1:22
Speaker 2: Here is this the lineup? Is this the team? What's
1:24
Speaker 2: going on?
1:25
Speaker 3: I do know the Mariners are continuing to scour the
1:28
Speaker 3: market and look for one more proven bat. I would
1:31
Speaker 3: be surprised if they don't do something by Opening Day,
1:34
Speaker 3: if not by by the start of spring training.
1:37
Speaker 2: But right now, you know, it's been a solid off season.
1:41
Speaker 2: They were they.
1:42
Speaker 3: Struck first with with Josh Naylor. That was a big
1:45
Speaker 3: commitment on their part. Five years, ninety two point five
1:47
Speaker 3: million dollars, the biggest free agent contract they've handed out
1:50
Speaker 3: to a hitter since Robbie Cano in twenty thirteen. So
1:54
Speaker 3: from the Mariner's perspective, obviously that was their priority. He's
1:57
Speaker 3: their middle of the order presence. He fit in perfect
2:00
Speaker 3: lee Naylor did with his team in this clubhouse. Obviously
2:03
Speaker 3: in the second half last year and deep into the playoffs.
2:05
Speaker 3: I think because of the timing of that in mid November,
2:09
Speaker 3: you have a lot of antsy Marion fans when are okay,
2:12
Speaker 3: now what now?
2:12
Speaker 2: What? Now what?
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Speaker 3: But overall it's been a good offseason, but in some
2:16
Speaker 3: ways it does still feel incomplete.
2:18
Speaker 4: All right, Only one thing I want to say, they
2:21
Speaker 4: need what a third baseman? Didn't they go get a
2:24
Speaker 4: guy that loves people, love in Seattle, and he loves Seattle.
2:28
Speaker 4: And he's still sitting on the free agent market name
2:31
Speaker 4: Gino Suarez. Why have have there been discussions like that?
2:35
Speaker 4: Seems like the most perfect, easiest fit of all time.
2:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, in a lot of ways, it really is.
2:41
Speaker 3: And he's still out there, and I think the Mariners
2:43
Speaker 3: have been in contact.
2:44
Speaker 2: He has the same agency as Julio Rodriguez.
2:47
Speaker 3: There's great relationships there between the Mariners and Gino and.
2:52
Speaker 2: His agency too. And Gino is thirty four years old.
2:57
Speaker 3: And then when you kind of dive into his numbers, Yeah,
2:59
Speaker 3: he had a season fifty two home runs, including three
3:03
Speaker 3: in the postseason, and his Grand Slam in Game five
3:07
Speaker 3: of the ALCS will go down as one of the
3:08
Speaker 3: biggest swings in marinern history. Absolutely, And so yeah, he
3:13
Speaker 3: checks all the boxes. Third base, awesome clubhouse guy, He's
3:17
Speaker 3: been here, he knows what it's like to hit in
3:19
Speaker 3: T Mobile Park.
3:20
Speaker 2: That said, and part of the.
3:22
Speaker 3: Mariners playing from day one this offseason, they've been really
3:25
Speaker 3: open about this. They have a lot of really young,
3:29
Speaker 3: talented infielders coming up knocking at the door right now.
3:33
Speaker 2: They don't want to block.
3:34
Speaker 3: Those guys, and specifically we're talking about Colt Emerson. But
3:37
Speaker 3: they've got Ben Williamson who played about half the season
3:40
Speaker 3: last year, was sent back.
3:42
Speaker 2: Down to Triple A when they did get Ginos Juarez.
3:44
Speaker 3: But Ben Williamson is certainly one of the best defensive
3:48
Speaker 3: third basemen, even as a as a rookie last year
3:51
Speaker 3: he proved that. But they want to give those young
3:53
Speaker 3: guys a chance. And then that second base you got
3:55
Speaker 3: another one in Cole Young, who just turned twenty two,
3:59
Speaker 3: is still going to be one of the youngest players
4:00
Speaker 3: in the majors this year.
4:01
Speaker 2: They want to give those guys some runway.
4:03
Speaker 3: And I think that's just part of the economics of
4:06
Speaker 3: Mariner baseball and economics of baseball for teams in the
4:10
Speaker 3: mid market to smaller market. You've got to find a
4:13
Speaker 3: way to get these young guys some opportunities and some runway.
4:17
Speaker 3: And not to sound like you know, executives speak, but
4:20
Speaker 3: there's a lot of truth in that too. When you've
4:22
Speaker 3: invested a lot, you've invested first round draft picks, you've
4:25
Speaker 3: invested a lot of time and resources and developing these
4:27
Speaker 3: young guys. At some point they're showing you, hey, we're
4:30
Speaker 3: ready for a real opportunity. And I think cold Emerson,
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Speaker 3: first and foremost top ten prospect in the sport, has
4:36
Speaker 3: a chance to go win this third base job in
4:38
Speaker 3: spring training would not shock me at all if he's
4:40
Speaker 3: the talk of Mariners camp by the time we get
4:42
Speaker 3: into to mid March, in part because the Mariners are
4:45
Speaker 3: losing a ton of guys to the World Baseball Classic,
4:48
Speaker 3: He's going to get a ton of it bats in
4:50
Speaker 3: spring training to show what he can do.
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Speaker 2: And I think he's as mature as any.
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Speaker 3: Twenty year old the Mariners have had coming through here
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Speaker 3: since Ken Griffy Junior, Frankly and maybe Alex Rodriguez. And
5:00
Speaker 3: he's that good, he's that mature, he's that advanced, and
5:02
Speaker 3: so I think the Mariners are really curious to see
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Speaker 3: what he is.
5:05
Speaker 2: And if they signed Genosuoraz.
5:07
Speaker 3: To a you know, two year deal, three year deals,
5:09
Speaker 3: he would probably prefer you know, they feel like they're
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Speaker 3: blocking maybe one of the best prospects in the entire sport.
5:15
Speaker 5: Or was it the trade deadline last year? Does it
5:18
Speaker 5: feel like, well, I could I could do a huge
5:21
Speaker 5: commitment to somebody for an entire season, maybe the next
5:25
Speaker 5: three seasons. Or look what we picked up at the
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Speaker 5: trade deadline and Gino Suarez, who had, like you said,
5:31
Speaker 5: the biggest home run in Mariner's history, marriage postseason history,
5:35
Speaker 5: and we picked up Josh Nayler who stole one hundred
5:38
Speaker 5: bases for us in like a month and a half.
5:41
Speaker 5: So do they did that kind of make them feel like, eh,
5:44
Speaker 5: we'll just wait, we'll kind of we'll just kind of
5:47
Speaker 5: hang around the edges and then we can make a
5:49
Speaker 5: trade deadline acquisition. Or do they truly think they can
5:52
Speaker 5: replace Jorge Polanco's one of one thirty six ops plus
5:58
Speaker 5: at either second base or third base with one of
6:00
Speaker 5: these young twenty year old prospects.
6:04
Speaker 2: It's definitely a little bit of both.
6:05
Speaker 3: I mean, not just this last trade deadline, but you
6:08
Speaker 3: go back even five years twenty twenty trade deadline, they
6:12
Speaker 3: brought in Andres Munios and Matt Brash, key pieces of
6:15
Speaker 3: their bullpens.
6:16
Speaker 2: Still now at the trade deadline.
6:18
Speaker 3: They got Luis Castillo in twenty two rand euros or
6:21
Speaker 3: rain at the trade deadline, and then you add in
6:23
Speaker 3: Naylor and Gino Suarez. I don't think any team in
6:27
Speaker 3: baseball has done more than the Mariners have the last
6:29
Speaker 3: handful of years at the summer trade deadline, and so
6:32
Speaker 3: that's definitely.
6:33
Speaker 2: Part of the Mariner's calculus.
6:34
Speaker 3: It does feel like in some ways that prospects have
6:37
Speaker 3: a little more value in the summer, just because there
6:40
Speaker 3: are maybe a few more teams that recognize they're out
6:42
Speaker 3: of it at that point and are willing to trade
6:45
Speaker 3: some of their veterans, like Arizona was this last year.
6:49
Speaker 2: But again, at the same time, the Maritors, they've.
6:51
Speaker 3: Proven they have a pretty good development system and they
6:55
Speaker 3: got to keep those guys churning.
6:56
Speaker 2: Yep. Again, part of it is the economics of it.
6:58
Speaker 2: These guys are.
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Speaker 3: Young, they're home there, they're good, but they're also cheap,
7:02
Speaker 3: and you're gonna have them, you know, fit the budget
7:05
Speaker 3: really nicely for the next few years.
7:07
Speaker 2: And obviously that helps too.
7:10
Speaker 3: I think part of calculus again is like you just
7:12
Speaker 3: paid cal Rawley, You've got Julio Rodriguez, committed long term
7:16
Speaker 3: now nailor some of these young pitchers are starting to
7:19
Speaker 3: get obviously expensive in their arbitration years too, So h
7:23
Speaker 3: with the Mariners and what they're willing to do with
7:25
Speaker 3: their payroll commitments that that was all part of the
7:29
Speaker 3: equation as well. And obviously, you know, ginos Warez was
7:33
Speaker 3: a fifteen million dollar player last year. The Mariners got them,
7:36
Speaker 3: you know, for two months at five million dollars, so
7:39
Speaker 3: pretty big bargain for them. Josh Naylor in the same
7:41
Speaker 3: boat too, So that's certainly certainly part of the calculus
7:44
Speaker 3: for them, and they've proven it too, right again the.
7:47
Speaker 2: Last handful of years.
7:49
Speaker 3: If they see something that they need Jerry to Poto
7:52
Speaker 3: Justin Hollander at the Mariner's front office have shown a
7:54
Speaker 3: willingness to go out and be aggressive, maybe more aggressive
7:57
Speaker 3: than anyone, to fill those needs in the summer.
7:59
Speaker 4: So the a is this a budget thing or is
8:02
Speaker 4: this a just they believe that much in their prospects
8:04
Speaker 4: because listen, everyone on here loves prospects. We love prospects. Yeah,
8:09
Speaker 4: we love yay go prospects. Everyone we have we have
8:11
Speaker 4: the seventeenth rated farm system. Whatever the Mariners are and
8:14
Speaker 4: everyone pops, you know, pumps up their farm system. But
8:17
Speaker 4: you know who isn't a prospect A Johinio Suarez because
8:22
Speaker 4: he's gonna hit you forty and you know that and
8:24
Speaker 4: what he's gonna be. So listen, I get it.
8:27
Speaker 5: I do get it.
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Speaker 4: I understand that you don't want to block guys, but
8:30
Speaker 4: I also come from the school of hey, if I
8:32
Speaker 4: have a proven commodity, I'll take the proven commodity. Anyways,
8:36
Speaker 4: that's I'm off that. Now let's go to something else.
8:39
Speaker 4: The Marriers have a lot of starting pitchers. Would they
8:41
Speaker 4: be willing to trade one of them to get a
8:44
Speaker 4: piece that they need, whether it's a second baseman or
8:46
Speaker 4: a third baseman.
8:48
Speaker 2: I don't think so. Yeah, they're not at that point.
8:50
Speaker 3: And again, a guy like Brendan Donovan, who they've been
8:53
Speaker 3: and talks with Saint Louis throughout the winner, I still
8:56
Speaker 3: think the Mariners are one of the favorites, if not
8:58
Speaker 3: the favorite, to land don In here, who certainly feels
9:01
Speaker 3: like he's going to get dealt. Before the start of
9:03
Speaker 3: the season, the Marriags were willing, I think the last
9:07
Speaker 3: couple of years to at least entertain the idea of
9:10
Speaker 3: moving one of those starting pitchers of Bryce Miller.
9:14
Speaker 2: Brian Wo's name came up a lot a couple of
9:16
Speaker 2: years ago.
9:16
Speaker 3: I don't know how close the marriage were to dealing
9:18
Speaker 3: Brian Wo, but I know he was on the table
9:20
Speaker 3: at one point, and obviously they're certainly glad they didn't.
9:24
Speaker 2: I think he was.
9:24
Speaker 3: He's the top ten pitcher in all of baseball right now,
9:28
Speaker 3: and Logan Gilberts George Kirby are coming off, you know,
9:31
Speaker 3: an injury riddled years a little bit. They really settled
9:34
Speaker 3: in late in the season and the postseason two, and
9:36
Speaker 3: then you've got the rock. Luis Castillo is sort of
9:39
Speaker 3: the steady presence there, the one real veteran guy.
9:43
Speaker 2: That they love.
9:43
Speaker 3: But no, I, you know, that's one of the questions
9:46
Speaker 3: I had asked over and over at the beginning of
9:48
Speaker 3: this offseason, all right, where are we at with the
9:49
Speaker 3: starting rotation? You know, is it time to move one
9:52
Speaker 3: of those guys to really get that impact bat? And
9:54
Speaker 3: the Marriagers were pretty steadfast. You know, it would have
9:56
Speaker 3: to be something, something wild, something substantial, and I don't
10:00
Speaker 3: even know what that would look like, frankly at this
10:02
Speaker 3: stage of the offseason.
10:03
Speaker 2: So no, I would be. I would be stunned if
10:06
Speaker 2: they moved one of those five guys right now.
10:08
Speaker 3: That not to say they won't at some point. You know,
10:11
Speaker 3: they've got two of the best starting pitching prospects too.
10:14
Speaker 3: Sorry AJ to keep going back to the prospects, but
10:16
Speaker 3: they they This is one thing the Mariners have proven
10:19
Speaker 3: they do, they do really well, is develop young pitching
10:21
Speaker 3: in the minors. They've got Ryan Sloan just I think
10:25
Speaker 3: turned twenty years old today. Guy who I'm getting, Garrett
10:28
Speaker 3: Cole comps too. He's got the size, the fastball, he's
10:32
Speaker 3: he's got commands of the zone. And then the number
10:34
Speaker 3: three pick last year at LSU, Kate Anderson is already
10:38
Speaker 3: knocking at the door. People are very high on him.
10:40
Speaker 3: So it's a nice problem to have if you're the Mariners.
10:42
Speaker 3: Too much good starting pitching and at some point you
10:46
Speaker 3: know they're gonna have to break up with these five
10:47
Speaker 3: guys that have been together now a few years.
10:49
Speaker 2: But I think with the Mariners where.
10:51
Speaker 3: They're at right now, they see themselves as the definitive
10:54
Speaker 3: favorites in the aos.
10:55
Speaker 2: They see themselves as one of the.
10:56
Speaker 3: Favorites certainly in the American League, and They're going to
11:00
Speaker 3: lean on that starting pitching again again.
11:01
Speaker 2: Those guys were banged up a little bit this last year.
11:03
Speaker 3: If they can keep those guys healthy or relatively healthy
11:07
Speaker 3: all season, I think they have pretty high hopes for
11:09
Speaker 3: what they can do together.
11:11
Speaker 5: This might be your toughest answer you're ever going to
11:14
Speaker 5: have to give, because AJ and I do not believe
11:16
Speaker 5: in spring training stats. What are Mariners fans and what
11:21
Speaker 5: is the Mariners as a front office or the coaching
11:24
Speaker 5: staff need to see from Cole Young and cold Emerson
11:27
Speaker 5: to say yes, they are starting second basement and third
11:31
Speaker 5: basement respectfully, because I don't think I don't think Ben
11:34
Speaker 5: Williamson's powers there. Maybe the defense is there, but to
11:38
Speaker 5: say ooh, he's definitely our big league starting third baseman
11:42
Speaker 5: this year.
11:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, for me.
11:45
Speaker 3: Cold Emerson, I think from day one, even before they
11:48
Speaker 3: drafted him, they were so impressed just by the makeup,
11:51
Speaker 3: the maturity he was. Cold Emerson was still seventeen years
11:54
Speaker 3: old when they drafted himhim at a small town Ohio
11:57
Speaker 3: and every step of the way the last few years
12:00
Speaker 3: he's checked every box. He made his debut in Triple
12:04
Speaker 3: A in late September and and and played in the
12:07
Speaker 3: PCL Playoffs with the Tacoma Rainiers and hit two home runs.
12:11
Speaker 2: He's a lefty swinger and both those home runs were.
12:13
Speaker 3: Off lefties too, so by all accounts, with his minor
12:16
Speaker 3: league track record, he's kind of platooned immune as well.
12:20
Speaker 3: So I think the Marriers are really intrigued by that.
12:22
Speaker 3: How we fa Harry fairs early on here spring training
12:25
Speaker 3: against lefties, but he spends a lot of time, most
12:28
Speaker 3: of his time at shortstop. I think the Mariners do
12:31
Speaker 3: see him as the eventual heir apparent to JP Crawford
12:34
Speaker 3: at shortstop, But what does he look like at third base?
12:36
Speaker 3: I do think by all accounts and scouts I've talked to,
12:39
Speaker 3: he's got the arm to play third, he's got the instincts,
12:41
Speaker 3: he's got the athleticism. Just how does he look there
12:44
Speaker 3: over a month consistently? What does he need to work
12:47
Speaker 3: on there defensively? But I think the profile, the makeup
12:51
Speaker 3: with the bat is all there again, now he just
12:54
Speaker 3: needs to see it regularly against some major league pitching.
12:57
Speaker 3: And again, I think ultimately the question is how comfortable
13:00
Speaker 3: the marriager is going to be to hand a really
13:02
Speaker 3: important position like that third base, to a twenty year
13:05
Speaker 3: old who's played all of you know, six or seven
13:08
Speaker 3: games above double A.
13:09
Speaker 2: So that's gonna be the real question.
13:11
Speaker 3: I don't think they're again circling back to just who
13:14
Speaker 3: he is and the makeup, the commitment, the attitude. I've
13:17
Speaker 3: heard a lot of comps to cal Rawley just in
13:19
Speaker 3: terms of the makeup and his desire to win, his competitiveness,
13:22
Speaker 3: his maturity, and I think obviously any marin fans would
13:26
Speaker 3: love another guy who who has similar makeups as cal Rawly.
13:29
Speaker 4: Right now, Adam, can the bullpen be as good as
13:32
Speaker 4: it was last year? Munno spire that whole brush, that
13:35
Speaker 4: whole makeup of what because they threw a lot Okay,
13:38
Speaker 4: they did throw a lot of innings, and they threw
13:40
Speaker 4: a lot of innings in the postseason. So can they
13:43
Speaker 4: be as good and as effective as they were last year?
13:47
Speaker 2: Yeah?
13:47
Speaker 3: I think coming into the offseason, priority one was re
13:50
Speaker 3: signing Josh Naylor. Priority one A was bolstering that bullpen,
13:54
Speaker 3: and they did that with what they the Mariners feel
13:57
Speaker 3: like is one of the most underrated relievers of baseball,
14:00
Speaker 3: Jose Ferrara.
14:00
Speaker 2: Obviously, they gave.
14:01
Speaker 3: Up one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball,
14:04
Speaker 3: Harry Ford and that deal with the Nationals to bring
14:07
Speaker 3: Freer here to Seattle, and the Mariners really wanted another lefty,
14:12
Speaker 3: and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they're still
14:13
Speaker 3: in talks trying to bring.
14:15
Speaker 2: In another established, you know, mid bullpen lefty type.
14:20
Speaker 3: I think that is something that's still on their their
14:22
Speaker 3: wish list here. But it's a fair question. They really
14:26
Speaker 3: rode those guys, particularly Gabe Spier.
14:29
Speaker 2: Edward Bizardo.
14:30
Speaker 3: Those guys were just gasped by a game step of
14:33
Speaker 3: the Alcs. You saw it.
14:35
Speaker 2: You can question some of the bullpen, you.
14:36
Speaker 3: Should stuff, but those guys got them there, They rolled
14:39
Speaker 3: them hard, and they were gonna got to ride them
14:41
Speaker 3: to the end. That's that's what you had. And those
14:44
Speaker 3: are the guys who'd come through so often for the Mariners.
14:47
Speaker 3: But yeah, it's a I think it's a question for
14:49
Speaker 3: any team that goes that deep into the playoffs and
14:51
Speaker 3: has to rely on the same four or five guys
14:54
Speaker 3: so much. Gabe Spier, I'm really curious to see he's
14:57
Speaker 3: gonna pitch for Team USA and the WBC.
15:00
Speaker 2: I was a little surprised at that not that he
15:01
Speaker 2: didn't deserve it.
15:02
Speaker 3: I think he was the most dominant lefty in baseball
15:07
Speaker 3: last year out of the Bullplant, outside of our oldest Chapman,
15:10
Speaker 3: and I'm curious to see it, you know, what he
15:12
Speaker 3: looks like this year, what he looks like for Team
15:14
Speaker 3: USA two. But he certainly deserves it with it with
15:17
Speaker 3: the year he had. But I do think bringing Ferrera
15:20
Speaker 3: in and they brought in some you know, kind of
15:24
Speaker 3: you know, under the radar types too. It's it's something
15:26
Speaker 3: the Manners love to do with their pitching development, you know,
15:30
Speaker 3: bring in the guys that maybe were cast off from
15:32
Speaker 3: other teams and maybe they see something or tweak something,
15:35
Speaker 3: or ask the guy to throw more sliders they love
15:38
Speaker 3: to do, or just throw them more strikes at the
15:40
Speaker 3: end of the day. Paul seawalld is maybe the best
15:42
Speaker 3: example they've had of that in recent years. But they
15:45
Speaker 3: always seem to find some hidden gem two that becomes
15:47
Speaker 3: a key seventh inning guy for them.
15:49
Speaker 2: So again, a j it's a it's a really good question.
15:52
Speaker 2: It's a fair question.
15:53
Speaker 3: But if you were to lay out just the guys
15:55
Speaker 3: that they have, Andre's Munios, Matt brash Farrer, Spyer Bizartro.
15:59
Speaker 3: I think the Airners kind of line up those five
16:01
Speaker 3: with with any five really in the American League right
16:04
Speaker 3: now for.
16:06
Speaker 5: A team to strapped for cash, you always look at
16:08
Speaker 5: every transaction, go oh, is that a good use of it?
16:12
Speaker 5: Rob Refsneider is somebody that wasn't brought up at all
16:15
Speaker 5: in this conversation. Was he in need that they have?
16:18
Speaker 5: When you look at their when you look at their outfield,
16:20
Speaker 5: it's all right handed with Victor Roblace, you have, you
16:24
Speaker 5: have Rosarina and Julio Rodriguez. Are they bringing in Refschneider
16:31
Speaker 5: just because of the fact that he can hit lefties
16:34
Speaker 5: really well and can Zone is left handed, and really
16:37
Speaker 5: they're paying a platoon DH six point two five million dollars.
16:42
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'll be honest, Eric, I was a little surprised
16:45
Speaker 3: at that number at the end of the day two.
16:47
Speaker 3: But again it shows me that the Mariners, yes, you
16:50
Speaker 3: could say they're pretty right handed heavy in the outfield,
16:54
Speaker 3: but off the bench, and then when you're talking about
16:55
Speaker 3: a platoon sort of DH guy too.
16:57
Speaker 2: They really like dom Ken Zone.
16:59
Speaker 3: Luke Raley is looking for a bounce back season. But
17:02
Speaker 3: both those guys are lefties. They're gonna get some time
17:05
Speaker 3: in right field and d H, and then ref Snyder
17:08
Speaker 3: will kind of be your backup, first, basement two and
17:10
Speaker 3: maybe fourth fifth outfielder type. But by all accounts too,
17:14
Speaker 3: he's a great fit in the clubhouse. And I'm sure
17:15
Speaker 3: every team says that, you know, they want good clubhouse guys,
17:19
Speaker 3: but I think the Marriers have really embodied that, probably
17:22
Speaker 3: as much as anyone in recent years. It's a really
17:24
Speaker 3: really good, really strong, mature clubhouse led by Cal Rawley,
17:29
Speaker 3: JP Crawford and you can throw certainly Julio sort of
17:33
Speaker 3: growing up and emerging in a leadership role here too.
17:35
Speaker 3: But they they've they've heard great things about ref Snyder
17:39
Speaker 3: and again he crushed lefties the last couple of years,
17:42
Speaker 3: and they feel like as a pinch hitter, part time DH,
17:45
Speaker 3: part time you know, right field or wherever you need
17:47
Speaker 3: to plug him in, he was kind of that that
17:50
Speaker 3: final piece they needed to round out their bench. And
17:53
Speaker 3: I'm curious to get to know him a little bit
17:54
Speaker 3: better and see what he actually looks like up close.
17:57
Speaker 3: But I do feel like it was a very specific
17:59
Speaker 3: need and the one guy that they realized they probably
18:03
Speaker 3: had to overpay for a little bit versus the market,
18:06
Speaker 3: just to make sure and get him across country here
18:08
Speaker 3: and ultimately sign him.
18:09
Speaker 5: I think Rob rif Schnyder's a great deal. I just
18:12
Speaker 5: think I hear all the Mariners because he's a great
18:14
Speaker 5: player and he has really really done a great job
18:17
Speaker 5: and unbelievable dude. But just the whole Mariners like spending money.
18:21
Speaker 5: You're like, how did they spend money and why did
18:24
Speaker 5: they spend it on this? So that was a good
18:26
Speaker 5: answer by you. Last question, we haven't even really talked
18:30
Speaker 5: about cal Raley. Is cal Raley going to be able
18:33
Speaker 5: to have I'm not even gonna say the same type
18:35
Speaker 5: of year. The reason we thought he was the MVP
18:37
Speaker 5: is because it was a historic year. But is there
18:40
Speaker 5: a drop off in cal Raley to forty home runs?
18:44
Speaker 5: That doesn't that detrimentally hurt the Mariners because they needed
18:49
Speaker 5: all sixty homers last year.
18:53
Speaker 3: The answer, it's not a great answer, but yes and no,
18:56
Speaker 3: I mean, where are those twenty exture home runs gonna come? Right?
18:58
Speaker 2: If you're not bringing you know, again, I'm not ruling out.
19:02
Speaker 3: Gino Suarez, but if you're not bringing Gino back, you
19:04
Speaker 3: lost twenty six homers from Jorge Polonco too.
19:08
Speaker 2: You got to find that power from somewhere.
19:10
Speaker 3: I think the Marriagers were third in baseball and home
19:11
Speaker 3: runs last year, behind the Dodgers and Yankees. They were
19:14
Speaker 3: also third, I think in stolen bases as well, So
19:16
Speaker 3: they tried to be versatile and diverse.
19:18
Speaker 2: With their offense. But it's gonna look a little bit
19:21
Speaker 2: different this year.
19:22
Speaker 3: I don't think anyone reasonably expects Cal to hit sixty again.
19:26
Speaker 3: But yeah, you're right, what does it look like if
19:27
Speaker 3: it's only forty only forty or forty five. But he's
19:31
Speaker 3: in the prime of his career. He's in great shape.
19:33
Speaker 3: I actually ran into Cal yesterday. He bought new property
19:38
Speaker 3: in Seattle last summer and he's getting settled in here
19:41
Speaker 3: and he's got I think five acres now, and he
19:43
Speaker 3: was actually meeting with some guys to get new batting
19:47
Speaker 3: cages installed on his property.
19:48
Speaker 2: Who was really excited about that.
19:50
Speaker 3: So I don't think there's anyone questioning cal Raley's work ethic.
19:53
Speaker 2: Or his commitment. But again, you guys would know better
19:55
Speaker 2: than I would.
19:56
Speaker 3: Catching every day, catching as much as he does, and
19:59
Speaker 3: then working with the pitching staff the way he does
20:01
Speaker 3: hitting for both sides of the play. I mean, his time,
20:03
Speaker 3: every minute of his day during the season is sort
20:06
Speaker 3: of accounted for.
20:07
Speaker 2: He's got his routine down, and you have to.
20:10
Speaker 3: Wonder at some point, you know, does he need to
20:11
Speaker 3: take a few extra days off here and there? What
20:14
Speaker 3: are they doing to manage his workload? But if you
20:16
Speaker 3: ask Cal, he wants to be in there. He wants
20:18
Speaker 3: to be behind the plate every day. Again, he's twenty eight,
20:20
Speaker 3: twenty nine years old, in the prime of his career,
20:23
Speaker 3: the picture of health knocking on wood for him. But
20:26
Speaker 3: I'm not sure there's too much of a worry about
20:29
Speaker 3: him not hitting fifty or sixty home runs. You know,
20:32
Speaker 3: you would think again, Hulio Rodriguez twenty five years old. Now,
20:35
Speaker 3: it's like we've seen him get a little bit better,
20:37
Speaker 3: a little bit better each year working on something. Is
20:39
Speaker 3: this the year where he finally gets off to a
20:41
Speaker 3: good start too, and he becomes the ten war player.
20:44
Speaker 2: I think everyone feels like is inside of him.
20:47
Speaker 3: Maybe that's the difference right there, Josh Naylor, for a
20:49
Speaker 3: full season, you get him in the middle of that lineup.
20:53
Speaker 2: The mayorsol will figure it out somewhere.
20:55
Speaker 3: But again, the power really was a big part of
20:58
Speaker 3: their identity offense last year, and they're obviously gonna have
21:01
Speaker 3: to find those home runs somewhere.
21:04
Speaker 2: If Kallas, you're subtracting.
21:05
Speaker 3: Twenty from him, and then you're losing paalon Co and
21:08
Speaker 3: you're losing Geno two.
21:09
Speaker 2: So I'm curious to see how that unfolds. Absolutely, godam mostly.
21:16
Speaker 4: I know we're a baseball show, okay, but there is
21:19
Speaker 4: a big game in about ten days, nine days or so.
21:22
Speaker 4: And listen, I'm a Bears fan, but everyone, including my family,
21:26
Speaker 4: all knows that my one.
21:27
Speaker 5: B team is the Seahawks.
21:28
Speaker 4: And I've been a Seahawks fan a long time because
21:31
Speaker 4: I have friends that work in the organization. So has
21:35
Speaker 4: anyone even noticed that the Mariners are in the offseason
21:37
Speaker 4: or is it all the twelfth man? And by the way,
21:39
Speaker 4: can we get them to wear these uniforms that's in
21:42
Speaker 4: the Super Bowls?
21:43
Speaker 3: Please?
21:43
Speaker 5: Because these helmets are sick.
21:46
Speaker 2: I'm actually I've got a hustle out here.
21:47
Speaker 3: I've been called out of the back end of the
21:49
Speaker 3: bullpen to help with helpless.
21:51
Speaker 2: Seahawks coverage at the Super Bowl. So I'll be there.
21:53
Speaker 2: I'll go put in a good word and see if
21:55
Speaker 2: we can.
21:56
Speaker 3: That's my preference. Those are the helmets I grew up
21:58
Speaker 3: with here in Seattle too. With the Seahawks.
22:00
Speaker 2: It's a great look and it looks great on you.
22:02
Speaker 3: You could, you could probably play some special teams maybe
22:05
Speaker 3: if they need you can.
22:07
Speaker 4: Sam Darnold, please, just you know, let's do it, Sam,
22:10
Speaker 4: one more game, Sam, Come on. Besides, nobody really likes
22:14
Speaker 4: the Patriots, do they? I mean, has everyone tired of
22:18
Speaker 4: the Patriots? Like I'm I mean, I know they went
22:21
Speaker 4: away for a couple of years, but now here they
22:22
Speaker 4: are again.
22:23
Speaker 5: Salary cap, salary cap will eliminde dynasties.
22:27
Speaker 1: It really, yes, yes, don't worry at him. Fifteen It's
22:31
Speaker 1: the stat that burns into my brain. Fifteen straight years
22:35
Speaker 1: Patriots are Chiefs in the semi finals in the NFL,
22:38
Speaker 1: the AFC Championship game. So parody galore. We love it.
22:42
Speaker 4: By the way, Adam. For the people that don't believe
22:45
Speaker 4: me that I'm a Seahawks fan, go back and check
22:48
Speaker 4: out with the game. The Seahawks played the Jaguars in
22:51
Speaker 4: Jacksonville's like twenty seventeen ish. There was a special ball
22:56
Speaker 4: boy on the sidelines for the Seahawks that day, and
22:58
Speaker 4: he did an amazing job running ball being the ball
23:01
Speaker 4: boy for the Seahawks.
23:03
Speaker 2: I could see it. I could see it.
23:04
Speaker 4: Pete Carroll, I know he just got fired.
23:07
Speaker 5: He's awesome.
23:08
Speaker 1: Sorry, he had thirty grade speed. Thirty grade speed as
23:12
Speaker 1: a prospect.
23:15
Speaker 5: Don't don't. Yeah. AJ is biggest waffler of all time.
23:20
Speaker 5: Born in New York from Florida. Hates the Snow, love Chicago,
23:26
Speaker 5: huge Bears fan. Wow, shocker that he's got one of
23:29
Speaker 5: the helmets of the teams in the playoffs. Just whiffle waffle, Waffle,
23:33
Speaker 5: whiffle waffle.
23:34
Speaker 4: You can ask my kids. My kids said if the
23:36
Speaker 4: Bears would have beat the Rams. The question was, Dad,
23:39
Speaker 4: who are you rooting for in the NFC Championship game?
23:42
Speaker 4: And I just said, I guess we'll never know because
23:43
Speaker 4: the Bears blew it against the Rams. But I know
23:46
Speaker 4: I definitely is rooting for last week, and I know
23:48
Speaker 4: I'm rooting for next week. There's no doubt.
23:51
Speaker 2: Should be good one. AJ and his many teams he
23:54
Speaker 2: rooted for.
23:55
Speaker 1: He's such a nice guy. Adam, thanks for the time. Yeah,
24:00
Speaker 1: the Watchers, thanks, Adam, appreciate it. This is great creative.
24:02
Speaker 2: But have a good one apcial you too, Thanks kissing
24:08
Speaker 5: Yeah,