Latest / Foul Territory / Ken Rosenthal's weekend update: Cohen v. Boras on Pete Alonso talks, Bregman/Astros reunion?

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Ken Rosenthal's weekend update: Cohen v. Boras on Pete Alonso talks, Bregman/Astros reunion? · Foul Territory

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It's almost the violation of the fans trust when you
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: have a season the way they did, you draw the
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: way you do and then huh, but.
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: Good guys, Ken, I don't know if you saw Pete
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: Alonso chance at the Mets Fest or whatever they call it.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: We've been busy today, whatever they call it. Obviously, there
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: was some lines from Steve Cohen and then a response
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: from Scott Bors. Would you like to give me your
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: take on.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: All of that. It was a very interesting afternoon at
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: the Mets Fest. So when Steve Cohen, David Stearns, Carlos
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Mendona were Mendoza was sitting there answering questions. The fans
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: were chanting, we want Pete pie Alonzo, Pee Alonzo, and
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Cohen basically said, hold on one minute. And then he
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: addressed the negotiations and he said, I'm not happy with
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: the way these negotiations are going. I'm not happy with
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: the structure that's been presented. And it seems what he
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: was referring to was the structure that Scott Boris, Peter
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: Alonzo's agent, took with the free agents that lingered on
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: the market last year. Short term high average annual value
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: opt outs now that in some people's estimation is one
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: sided toward the player. The player is the only one
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: with the flexibility in that deal. The club does not
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: have flexibility. Scott Boris's argument probably would be and it
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: was actually Will Salmon if The Athletic quoted him as
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: saying this, these are the standards and practices for deals
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: of this nature. This is the way it is, and
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: it was for those four guys last year. None of
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: them had major deferrals. The Mets apparently are asking Alonzo
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: to defer some money, and for whatever reason, this negotiation
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: has gone a little bit sideways. Now, my question from
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: the beginning, I said this on the show the other day,
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: was how much do the Mets really want Peter Alonzo?
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: That really is the question, because if they wanted Peede Alonso,
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: in my opinion, this would be done.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: Yes.
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: Do you think David Serves is gonna be like, oh no,
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: I don't want to spend an extra ten million, so
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: he would do it. If Cohen and Sterns were said,
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: we want ped Alonzo, he'd be a met That's why
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: this is such a fascinating This is the most fascinating
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: negotiation for me the whole offseason.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: Oh, no doubt.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: They want him only at their price, and their price
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: we saw what their offer was, sixty eight to seventy
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: million over three years. That to me was an offer
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: they knew Peter Alonzo would refuse, and that told me
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: everything you need to know about where he stands in
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: their eyes.
• 2:22
  Speaker 4: Now.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: Granted it was probably negotiable and they could have gone
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: up a little bit, but that offer, to me, he
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: was never going to take that. So the question now
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: is what are Alonzo's other options? Does he want to
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: go to Toronto, if indeed Toronto is an option as it
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: appears to be, does he want to go somewhere else?
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: Maybe the Los Angeles Angels would get involved, the wh
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: I've heard they're not involved. So if his options are dwindling,
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: then it becomes a question of what is he going
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: to take. How does he get back on the market
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: next year if that's what he wants to do. And
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: it's just a really difficult situation that, frankly, guys, you
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: could have seen coming.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: I think we did all year. I mean, we talked
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: about this. It wasn't just going to be this easy,
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: massive contract for Pete Alonso based on so many factors
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: and I think ken it goes beyond his profile as
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: a first baseman, which obviously does not get the same
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: love as many other positions the age, the righty bat,
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: first baseman, right, But to me, there's another level to this.
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: Steve Cohen hires David Stearns that had been talked about
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: for a while. He wants to let him run the ship,
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: right right.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: Sodo was the big babble, and Sodo was the guy
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: because of his youth that the Mets and Cohen were
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: willing to extend for. But Cohen is not going to
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: simply trample Sterns at every opportunity. And I don't even
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: know that he trampled him in that opportunity. Sterns likes
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: younger players, like all general managers. So here's Alonso. He's
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: entering his thirties. He's not the most athletic guy, he's
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: not the greatest defender. He's accomplished a lot in New
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: York where a lot of other players have not. But again,
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: he just does not seem to be David Sterns type.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: That is the issue.
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: Wants to put his stamp on this team. Also, it's
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: one thing if the Mets had a crappy year. They
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: had an awesome year last year.
• 4:07
  Speaker 4: He had a huge home run. He did.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: But but David Stearns obviously made a lot of brilliant
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: moods last offseason that led to a very successful underrated
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: You know, we didn't see this coming, most of us
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: for the Mets.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: But they still need another bat.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: They do need another bat. David Sterns loves defense, and
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: that's where things get complicated.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: No doubt, no doubt.
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: He's well, that's why it got interesting that, that's why
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: it's the most negotiation.
• 4:32
  Speaker 4: Yes, because the fans won them.
• 4:34
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and so Cohen and Sterns are basically saying we
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: don't want them that much.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: If only Scott Boris was Hereman's.
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: Interesting too, he is in the building.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: He's here, right, Bregman, we got interesting too. And they
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: had their fan fest as well. Today. Their fans want
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: Alex Bregman back and the Astros are trying. I don't
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: know how far it's going to get, but if I
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: had to bet right now, I would bet the Astros
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: in this negotiation. Even though they made their offer, it
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: was six years, one hundred and fifty six million. Jim
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: Crane offered that to Bregman. But if they come up
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: a little bit and he doesn't really have anything that
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: he likes as much, and I supposedly has long offers
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: along those lines. But again it's where do you want
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: to play. And if Alex Bredman goes back apparently he
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: played third, they'd moved Paradis to second and Jose al
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: Tuovey would play left. That's interesting. Al tuove said today,
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: I will do this for Alex Bregman. I want Alex
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: Bregman on my team. And from that perspective, that was
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: I felt a really cool statement. Al two Bay's days
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: is a great defensive second baseman are long gone, but
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: at the same time position change. He's a prominent player
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: Hall of Fame track. I thought that was an impressive
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: state leftfield, left field.
• 5:49
  Speaker 4: They need an outfielder that would be their outfielder.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: Do you think that we were talking about this on Friday?
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: Neither of you were on so they said, and by
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: that I mean you and Todd. I think agreed, right,
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: you say it.
• 6:02
  Speaker 4: You think he can get out there and do it.
• 6:03
  Speaker 4: I think he can do it.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: Versus who versus Paradis going He was like, put Paradis
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: out there.
• 6:09
  Speaker 5: Parades Is nine years younger. If you're learning a position,
• 6:13
  Speaker 5: and I'm.
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: Gonna say this, have you al two VA's defense, as
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: Ken said, that has kind of fallen off a cliff.
• 6:18
  Speaker 4: Remember he got the yips for a while, I couldn't
• 6:20
  Speaker 4: do the ball to first.
• 6:20
  Speaker 5: He was already in sixteen when I played with him.
• 6:23
  Speaker 5: She kept it curtailed, and it was only on certain plays,
• 6:26
  Speaker 5: like if you watch all of his yippie throws, it's
• 6:29
  Speaker 5: all the same type of play when he can't keep
• 6:31
  Speaker 5: his feet moving in the right direction.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Now, Eric I should say Joe A. Spotta, the manager
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: of the Astros, ruled out Parades in the outfield today.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: My question is, if Bregman is willing to play second base,
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: as he is for the Red Sox, why not put
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: Bregman at second base? Parades at third Parades's range is limited.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: You're a better defensive team in that scenario. But they
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: seem to be saying that Bregman is going to play third.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: Parade second l two VA left put very interesting.
• 6:58
  Speaker 5: We put Mike Mustakas in two thousand eighteen at second base,
• 7:02
  Speaker 5: Travis Shaw at second base. But what did we have
• 7:04
  Speaker 5: differently in twenty eighteen that we have that we don't
• 7:07
  Speaker 5: have now shift and you can. You can make those
• 7:11
  Speaker 5: changes a lot easier when you have the shift you
• 7:13
  Speaker 5: can put We had Orlando Arcia play more of that range,
• 7:16
  Speaker 5: and so essentially he was playing like a right field
• 7:19
  Speaker 5: when those guys were out there. Parade's played I think
• 7:22
  Speaker 5: fifty two or fifty five games at second base already,
• 7:26
  Speaker 5: but that was just when they were trying. It was
• 7:28
  Speaker 5: probably for like four or five innings until the Rays
• 7:30
  Speaker 5: made their switches and they brought in a right handed pitcher,
• 7:32
  Speaker 5: and then he moved back when they had more of
• 7:34
  Speaker 5: a left handed lineup and he stayed in the lineup.
• 7:37
  Speaker 5: So I just feel like, because he's nine years younger,
• 7:42
  Speaker 5: you're gonna have you want all three of them in
• 7:44
  Speaker 5: the line up. That's why you're trying to make these changes.
• 7:46
  Speaker 5: And I just think you need to try to have
• 7:49
  Speaker 5: You got to try to see what that looks like.
• 7:51
  Speaker 3: It you know, whould have solved all this for the Astros.
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: Kyle Tucker, Nolan Arnatto remember Nolan Nolan.
• 7:59
  Speaker 4: Arnado was going there and they said not yet, so
• 8:02
  Speaker 4: maybe he still but.
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: No, wait, there would have been no Parades and right
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: Arto said no, So they said we can get for Tucker,
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: we can get Parades to come play third because we
• 8:14
  Speaker 3: don't know about Bregman, so it's just a trickle down effect.
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: I don't kind of like them though. If they end
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: up with Christian Walker, Parades Bregman, that's pretty good.
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: It's a pretty good office because Tucker is a star,
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: huge and when you get to replace him with Okay,
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: first base was a mess for the Astros yes last
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: year and really for the past couple of years, it's
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: a massive upgrade. That's the difference maker for me is
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: if you add that one more bat. Now you're looking
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: from last year's team this years team and you're like, yeah,
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: this might be a little bit better.
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean Tucker is a big loss obviously, but
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: we're talking about others that will come in and pick
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: up some of that slack, if not all of it.
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah, they have pictures right that that we saw last
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: year that fared really well. Fromber obviously is hitting. This
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: free agent year, Hunter Brown was really good down the
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: stretch for Houston.
• 9:03
  Speaker 5: Dudes, do sinkers highest some of the highest ground ball
• 9:08
  Speaker 5: pitchers in the game. You can't ask them.
• 9:10
  Speaker 4: Well from Per's pitching, you I won Alex Bregman in
• 9:12
  Speaker 4: a third.
• 9:12
  Speaker 5: Base, right.
• 9:15
  Speaker 4: That's it.
• 9:15
  Speaker 5: That's what I'm saying, Like, you have to make sure
• 9:17
  Speaker 5: your defense is still good. You have a right handed,
• 9:19
  Speaker 5: heavy lineup that mashes in that park, but you still
• 9:24
  Speaker 5: got to you still got to pick the ball because
• 9:25
  Speaker 5: they're not like they're not two hundred strikeout a year. Guys.
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: This wasn't the biggest news, but it is news, and
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: I wanted to mention it because we did learn this today.
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: Luis Garcia had a setback that we learned about from September,
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: so he's not going to be ready for the start
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: of the season. And then Lance mccullors, who unfortunately has
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: not been able to get on the field for years now.
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: We spoke to him last spring training, I think it was.
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: But I mean, especially Garcia. Here's a really good picture
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: for them recently, and we thought he was going to
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: be back opening day here, so they'll get by. But
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: I don't know, I just start to get concerned with
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: with Astro's guys going down to his injuries. Yeah, but
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: also we don't see them pop up for a while,
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: like you know it. They're not the most straightforward always
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: and open about the injuries. Through these guys. They're known
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: for that. Channl Rome talks about that all the time,
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: so you know, even Christian Hobbier. There's just a lot
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: of guys that we've known in the Astro's rotation for
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: a while where we don't know when they're coming back
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: and they're going to get hit with injuries just like
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: everyone else. And they do not, as far as I know,
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: have the deepest farm system either with starting pitching very thin. Yeah,
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: so they were astrass fans were pissed today when they
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: heard about that. Again, mccullors, it's been a whole deal
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: where they it just sounds like the chronic and all that.
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: I know, Hey, it sucks because he was he was
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: damn good. He was pitching even what was it the
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: White Sox series. I think was the last time he
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: pitched in that playoff Alds. I'm pretty sure that was
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: the last and he was their number one starter and
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: he was money and then he didn't pitch the next
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: round and I don't think we've seen him since.
• 10:51
  Speaker 4: So I was twenty one.
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: I was twenty one out. Yeah, oh yeah, that playoff
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: series in Chicago was awesome. It was electric, It was awesome,
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: but anyway, so you're looking at yeah, I mean Valdez, Hunter, Brown,
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: Ronel Blanco, Spencer, Raghetty, Hayden Msnski who was acquired in
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: that Kyle Tucker deal but really hasn't established himself yet
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: as a starter. So anyway, that is a hit. I'm
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: just saying. The Al West is no doubt, you know,
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: obviously going to be a little more interesting, even though
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: Mariners continue to just sit around. But the A's got better.
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: One thing also to watch in the coming weeks here
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: about the Mariners. Yeah, they're still talking about Castillo. The
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: Padres are still talking about cease and I don't know
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: how this shakes out, and I don't know where the
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: Padres are going. They've just lose Profar who's a big
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: part of that team. But besides the starting pitchers who
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: are still available, Flowerty, Paveta, et cetera, you have those
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: guys out there. The teams are looking at and evaluating
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: and thinking about, all right, what's the price in the
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: trade versus the price of a free agent? Which picture
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: do we like better. There's a lot going on on still,
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: even though it's man late January already, so it could
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: be a couple of interesting weeks before spring training.
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: That's because a lot of teams haven't done anything yet.
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: They're gonna, they're gonna do something, and they need to
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: do Yeah. Yeah, they're waiting for Price is.
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: Not afraid to make late season No, I know ready,
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: he traded Kimberle. He got traded for kimberl and Upton late.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: Last year or the season.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, but something's going on there when you Obviously
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: san Diego doesn't bring back Profar, but the ceased thing
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: we've talked about a lot on our show. I don't
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: know if we've gone over it that much with you, Ken,
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: It's not like he's making thirty million dollars this year.
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: He's making I think it's thirteen in change, and he's
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: he could be a top five side young guy coming
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: into this season. To me, that's the difference maker with
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: san Diego. I'm like, if they trade him, what's the
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: plan this year?
• 12:46
  Speaker 4: Well?
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: And also if they trade him, their rotation beyond him
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: Darvish and Michael King as awfully thin as it is.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: So that's the question. Where is San Diego going? Are
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: they taking a step backward this year? What are they doing?
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: And of course their ownership question hovers over the whole
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: thing with Peter Siler's widows suing Peter Sidler's brothers for
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: control of the team, and that's something that is not inconsequential,
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: no matter how much the Padres might try to tell
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: us it's business as usual, No way, it's not business
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: as usual. If Peter Sidler was still running the team,
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: it would not be like this. It would be different.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: They might be cutting payroll, they might be doing some things,
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: but they be aggressive. Then this way is not.
• 13:27
  Speaker 4: Well, it's a shame for me.
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: It's a shame, real shame, because that place is unbelievable rocking,
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: and if they're the only team in town, they got
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: the fans one hundred percent behind them. They were so
• 13:37
  Speaker 3: close to beating the Dodgers last year, and now they
• 13:41
  Speaker 3: have to take another step back after taken what people
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: thought it was a step back last year.
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, their payroll actually is up from last year because
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: of some raises cease and of course the rise wasn't
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: really part of the payroll for the full year last year.
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: But they clearly are not being all that aggressive now.
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: One team we haven't talked about in this regard, and
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: we should. I couldn't ask Pat Murphy about this because
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: it's not his situation. Yeah, actually it's not even bad Arnold's.
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: He's the GM. Milwaukee Brewers have the same payroll projected
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: as last year. They went to the playoffs, they had
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: a pretty good year. They've traded their closer, Devin Williams.
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: What are we doing? And that's a team that I
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: don't believe is going to spend much more, if anything.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: And they brought in Granted nest to Court to junior
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: and Chad Durbin for Devin Williams. But my gosh, you've
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: lost Devin Williams.
• 14:30
  Speaker 4: They also lost their shortstop. Yeah, a big loss.
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: I know they have Joey or Tis and they've got
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: great infielders Bryce Terraang, but man, you can't make up
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: his offense. And that's a team that, in my view,
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: is not taking enough heat.
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: Do you think they're kind of testing how bad the
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: division could be and how they even.
• 14:59
  Speaker 5: I agree, and I don't think they worked that way.
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: But spoke to someone else here Brewers wise, and we
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: don't do much. People think we're going to be bad
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: and then we're good.
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: That's always the case, that's true. And last year myself included.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: I was like, these guys, no counsel, no Corbyn burn Ye,
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: it turns out from a lot of the year, and
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: look what they did. They blew away the division. So certainly, yes,
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: they can look at that, but it catches up.
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: We said that about forever they've had bound ye ye,
• 15:31
  Speaker 3: it got to catch up to you at some point.
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: Different though, it's the divisions. I'm telling you, Cardinals are
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: taking a step back. The Pirates aren't doing anything as usual.
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: The should should be better and the rep should be better. Yes,
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: but it's not like we're looking at either of those
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: teams going they're gonna be.
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: They're the Dodgers, right, yeah, no chance.
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: And the Brewers have a good farm system. That's what's changed.
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: I think there was a long period of time where
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: there wasn't a lot coming up for them, and nowadays
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: there is.
• 16:01
  Speaker 5: I think the guys they had for a long period
• 16:02
  Speaker 5: of time, the guys they had, they just sent him
• 16:05
  Speaker 5: up there and they put them in a good situation.
• 16:07
  Speaker 5: They it wasn't a good farm system. Now they're actually
• 16:10
  Speaker 5: having dudes come up. When you have Churio coming up,
• 16:12
  Speaker 5: when you have the catcher Kiro coming up, you have
• 16:16
  Speaker 5: you have.
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: Different guys Misaki yea dude with the flamethrower.
• 16:20
  Speaker 5: L arms a ski.
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: Are good, but just just saying I mean, I feel
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: like they not it's not jaded, but they kind of
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: look around. They're like, well, this seems to keep working
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: for us. But that's what you're saying, you know. And
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: they did sign Reese Hoskins last year. He was okay
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: for them, and that was a.
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: Late, fairly late signing.
• 16:38
  Speaker 5: Yeah, so I feel like they always kind of hit
• 16:40
  Speaker 5: on like some type of late I had bragman going
• 16:43
  Speaker 5: there if he goes with a one year deal. Now
• 16:46
  Speaker 5: obviously all this stuff right runs ago.
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: But Eric, I want to see it. I want to
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: see it because to me, it's almost the violation of
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: the fans trust when you have a season the way
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: they did, you draw the way you do and then huh,
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: but good guys again. You could do it for so
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: long and maybe I'm wrong and maybe they do it again,
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: and I'm sitting here for the way I was last year,
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: but it just seems to me, man, they should be
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: doing it at least something, and they really have not
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: done much at all, if anything.
• 17:15
  Speaker 5: Do you think you're talking about the pictures. Do you
• 17:17
  Speaker 5: think those trades are holding up the free agents? We
• 17:21
  Speaker 5: just had Jeff Flaherty on Jack was very he was
• 17:24
  Speaker 5: very voisterous, vocal about his displeasure of how.
• 17:27
  Speaker 4: It's going on.
• 17:27
  Speaker 5: What's going on? Who's holding who up?
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: That's a great question, Eric, and I don't know the answer.
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: I do believe that what we see from teams their behavior,
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: and this is true of the bullpen markt too. The
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: longer they wait, the better leverage they have. And that's
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: the game they're playing. And people ask, well, is that collusion.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: It's not collusion, but they all think alike. So they're
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: all doing the same thing. And you can talk about
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: the Mets and Alonso and the Astros and Bregman. Let's wait,
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: let's wait, and obviously the scales of leverage shift and
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: perhaps the clubs get a better deal. Now, that's just
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: the way the game is. And front offices have gotten
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: a lot more shrewd over the years and more efficient.
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: And they're thinking it's kind of annoying from an outside perspective,
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: and it's certainly annoying from the player's perspective. But that
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: seems to me what is going on here. It's a
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: waiting game and they're saying, we'll keep waiting and you'll
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: drop your price.
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: And it's bad for business. But front offices don't care.
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: I always care people, it's not their job.
• 18:32
  Speaker 4: It was a good deal. They want to be able
• 18:33
  Speaker 4: to go to the owner and take it. Look, I
• 18:34
  Speaker 4: got a great deal.
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: On this, got a great deal, and they want to
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: win more games. Nothing else matters.
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: All that deferred money. And were you surprised, Yes, I
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: was surprised, but that was a product of waiting him
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: out that Jay's knew he wanted to be there, and
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: eventually they got to a price where they were comfortable.
• 18:54
  Speaker 4: See, was that the only offer he had?
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know that age because why
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: would he It's the best offer.
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: Every massive deferrals.
• 19:02
  Speaker 4: No, I saw that.
• 19:02
  Speaker 3: But it's crazy to me because he said the Blue
• 19:05
  Speaker 3: Jays knew he would get he would he wanted to
• 19:06
  Speaker 3: be there.
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: Wait, think about it, I mean he signed what a
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: week ago ish, it's mid January. If a team that
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: is aggressive really wanted him, they would have done it.
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: All right now. There are times I should say this
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: where players want deferrals for a variety of reasons, and
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: it's kind of hard to explain, and each case is different,
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: but that might be part of it here. But at
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: the same time, in a perfect world, come on, he
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: wants the up front money. Everybody does.
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, of course. Yeah, last one real quick, an Asher's topic.
• 19:36
  Speaker 2: We didn't get to, but it sounds like Ryan Presley's
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: kind of waiting and we should sound like that's going
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: to happen.
• 19:41
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: I think he'll go to the Cubs. Yeah, he should.
• 19:44
  Speaker 4: He'll be the man there closer.
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: Yes, he was not happy when they brought in hater
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: over him, and you can understand where he's coming from, right,
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: These guys had an amazing postseason record for them. He's
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: been tremendous. We know Josh Haider's Josh Hater, but any player.
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: I don't need to tell you, guys, this pride and
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: his pride was wounded. And now yes he can go
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: back and be Ryan Presley, back of the game for
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: the Cubs.
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's cool.
• 20:10
  Speaker 4: I know.
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: I think Chandler even told us the other day Detroit
• 20:12
  Speaker 2: might have been involved. But however, whether it was a
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: worse offer or he doesn't want to go there, he's
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: got full no trade, so he can decide where he
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: wants to go, and.
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: There's a tax problem that he's having, or at least
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: a tax issue that might be holding this up a
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: little bit because no state taxes. Oh yeah, Texas state
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: taxes in Chicago, and generally players want that even doubt
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: when they're waving a no trade.
• 20:35
  Speaker 2: And that's fair, very fair. Yeah, exactly, and that's stuffs
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: normal though that happened, right, yes, absolutely, okay, cool, All right,
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: well there are all your updates from today. Yeah, there
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: was actually a lot of news just based on those
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: fan fests. And the last thing I'll say is I
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: will give credit to the Ashers and the Mets for
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: providing some transparency to fans. You know, they're there obviously
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: to please the fans, entertain them at these things also
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: sell tickets and you can't just sit there. Some do
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: in other fan fest We've seen it where they just
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: give you a cookie cutter answer. Those were like real
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: news bites today from both sides.
• 21:06
  Speaker 5: So some teams even really skip out.
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: Right they don't have them, yes, which which is another
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: thing that that needs to change. Yes, yeah, we used
• 21:14
  Speaker 2: to have them basically for all thirty yes, right, yeah.
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Now you don't always have executives standing up there
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: answer questions, but yes, there needs to be much more common.
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: That's very cool.