Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: Welcome back to Sources from the Sofa Sports Podcast.
We got everybody. It is Tuesday night, 8:20 and we are in the final frame of the MLB All Star game. So we'll be talking about that live as that progresses forward. But we'll talk a little home run derby. We'll talk about the game, we'll talk about the first half of the MLB season, what we liked, what we didn't like and also what we can expect from the second half. It is not going to be Jason's expected full, full on preview but we'll do our best to, you know, appease the baseball masses.
[00:00:41] Speaker C: The longest, you know, running storyline of the past three months since football left us Rome is the people wanted the MLB preview you kept denying us. You shut Aaron and I down when we're talking about important fantasy, you know, advice and you know, Aaron's big fantas league. So we finally get to the halfway point Rome and you're just, you know, just dismissing the mid season preview for the, for the Major League Baseball.
[00:01:08] Speaker A: We'll get into it.
[00:01:09] Speaker B: I'll let you guys go into it. Aren't you guys just NL guys though, anyways?
[00:01:12] Speaker C: Well it's Aaron's got me in the NL only fantasy league but I'm an American League guy so obviously there's been a little bit of a learning curve for me on that. But yes, the, the fantasy league is NL only. So unfortunately I, I need to keep tabs on, you know, the seventh starter for the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates or the, you know, backup catcher for the Washington Nationals.
[00:01:36] Speaker B: Sounds amazing.
[00:01:37] Speaker A: Yeah, I think, I think you didn't make a move on your catcher on the IL there, Jason. You missed it the last. I think he's back though, right? It was just a concussion little seven day.
[00:01:46] Speaker C: It was seven days so I didn't want to add anyone because I was like, yeah, I'll be back. And then he went back on the IL for another seven day and the concussions, hopefully he's back but not. But now I need a first baseman.
Christian Uncar Strand got sent down to the minors, Aaron, so I need now.
[00:02:00] Speaker A: Now I've got a trade, Jason, and it does involve that guy but I'm just not sure if I'm ready to pull, I'm not sure I'm ready to pull it on the trade right now.
[00:02:11] Speaker B: Just tell them oh live trade negotiations and no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
[00:02:18] Speaker A: Yeah, you know, wait a minute, wait a minute here. You know the host of the show is calling us out on it. So I'm really Curious looking at. And these are some good guys. I mean, I know, I know you need a closer.
I know you need a closer. I did just pick up Matt Strom, if you might know. I just picked up a save on Sunday. So I was going to throw Matt Strom in the trade and I was going to offer Luis Garcia from the Nationals for your guy Strand and your minor league pitcher out of the Cardinals.
Oh, that's. That's the deal I'm kind of looking at.
I'm not sure if I even want to pull the trigger on that deal, but that's what I'm kind of leaning towards looking at. Yeah, it is a tough one. It's one you got to sleep on.
[00:03:02] Speaker C: It's one I gotta sleep on. You know, my pitcher for the Cardinals in the minor supposed to be good. My early season strategy Rome was I needed to hoard some young arms coming up for the upcoming season. But I'm a little light on the position players right now. But I'm also light on arms because I got Nestor Cortez and Michael King on the illness for this year. So I don't know, it's. I'm in a difficult spot room. I'm in. I'm in the, I'm in the money position right now, hovering between second and I'm in fifth right now. But I've been. I. I've been up to second. I'm like within really of second. Wow.
You know.
Yeah. So I'm.
[00:03:38] Speaker A: I'm in a position right now, Rome, just so you know, because this is a league based on categories. 10 categories, 10 points for the best in the category, one for the bottom. So, you know, basically you're getting one point to 100 points.
Top guy has 77, two guys tight at 66. Then you got 62. Jason coming in at fifth at 61 and a half, followed by LaFlamma at 60. So right now that's your top six. So he could easily win second. He could fall out of the money. So it's kind of one of those things.
I'm giving him two players right now and Garcia for basically Strand, who's not going to do anything, and a closer part time, maybe full time now in Stram, that is going to be the main guy maybe. But like you said, it's going to cost him a possible top minor league arm. That's. That's the risk versus reward that you got to look at. Is it? Is the reward versus maybe picking up, you know, two $3,000 in his pocket or does it. He get nothing and goes down 2000 for the year. That's, that's the real question.
That's what's on the line on this league right now, this trade possibility. There's a deadline coming up in two weeks.
[00:04:45] Speaker C: There's also some, you know, there's, there's some salary cap implications of this too, Rob. I'm just looking it over right now. So he's got, he's got Luis Garcia over here. If I'm reading this right, Aaron, you got him for a two year, 19, we'll say $19 million contract right now. So I, I take that salary on Rome. I'm, you know, it's a big salary.
[00:05:07] Speaker A: Your salary is good for this year. I mean, it's up to you whether or not you want to keep them or not.
True, that's, there's, there's no penalty dropping him.
There's just put it that way. He's not above a certain threshold.
Like, you know, I, I still don't know why he's not traded Devers yet. The last place guy basically picked up Devers for $110 and now it's going to cost him a $220 fine if he keeps them for the reminder of the year.
[00:05:35] Speaker B: Has not been playing good.
[00:05:36] Speaker C: An all time pickup. I knew for a fact someone was going to do $110 on this to create a 200.
[00:05:41] Speaker A: I was thinking about doing it and honestly I was thinking about doing it. But before, like, I was talking to my roommate partner in the league, I'm like, dude, like I would pick him up, but I already have a trade lined up to get rid of them. Like, I was gonna hit you up because you needed some hitting. I was gonna be like, dude, I'll give you Devers and just give me some, you know, whatever. This guy a bomb and give me a decent player in return. Yep. But he's like, literally like, hey, I'm gonna try to still play in the money. I'm like, dude, you're, you're 20 points back from even cashing right now.
So I, I didn't get that move at all.
[00:06:12] Speaker C: Some interesting moves in this league, Rome. I don't know if you want to keep going into it, but we'll, we'll have the trade talked about a little more throughout here, but it's a solid offer. We'll have to review. Aaron.
[00:06:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I know.
[00:06:23] Speaker A: It's.
[00:06:26] Speaker B: Six. Six. Al's tied it. Oh, yeah. So it's getting tight. It's getting tight. I guess Ale has won 10 of the last 11.
Going for 11 out of the last 12.
[00:06:39] Speaker C: While the Al is the superior league. Raw, as an Al guy.
Well, what you just said, how many All Star Games they've won, you know.
[00:06:47] Speaker B: No, I know they won the All Star Games, man. Just, it's just amazing because the NL so awesome.
[00:06:53] Speaker A: I mean, I, I tend to disagree with that statement. It's an All Star Game. The NL so good. They just give the AL one time win a year. So we'll leave it at that.
[00:07:01] Speaker C: We'll talk from the, from the Braves and Dodger fan right here, just how great the NL is.
[00:07:05] Speaker A: You know, it's always been the National League, man. It's, you know, the picture going out there and hitting. That's real. It was real baseball back in the day.
[00:07:12] Speaker B: One thing I really like about this All Star Game in Atlanta, they had Tremaine, Dupree and Ludacris.
[00:07:17] Speaker A: I did see that.
[00:07:18] Speaker B: And also looked pretty good, man.
[00:07:20] Speaker A: He looked good. He looked so good for him, man. He looked, he looked pretty sharp.
[00:07:27] Speaker C: They didn't get Jamie Foxx to do Georgia.
[00:07:29] Speaker B: They should have. I, I, I didn't recognize the singer that they got. And then they had some band.
I don't know who it was.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: Zach Brown. I think it was Zach Brown.
[00:07:38] Speaker B: I don't know who that is, but I recognize the name, though. And they.
[00:07:42] Speaker C: Zach. Zach Brown's also the CEO of McLaren Racing, but it's a different Zach Brown.
[00:07:47] Speaker A: I believe so.
[00:07:49] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:07:50] Speaker A: He might have been in the background. He might have been in the background phrasing that Red Bull move. We'll get into maybe.
[00:07:57] Speaker B: Well, well, we'll get into that. Let's jump back into the Home Run Derby. Now that you guys hijacked the first part of the pot with your little trades and your little keeper league, why.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: We'Re on the Home Run Derby in her baseball league. It was all really just Jason's team in the Home Run Derby. 100.
I was rooting for them. I was rooting for them. 1, 2. And James woods, unfortunately, was the first man up and went out. But James Wood's a beast.
[00:08:25] Speaker C: If you want to know why I'm in, why I'm possibly in the money for this fantasy year. Rome it is James Wood, outfielder for the Nationals. He was my highly touted prospect as Aaron invited me to join the league last year. And he was the one minor leaguer I selected from the expansion draft I was in, and he's been an absolute star this year. And then my other guy, o' Neill Cruz, who I invested in pretty heavily too was in the Home Run Derby. So yes, Aaron is right. Now I will tell you, Aaron, not only is this, you know, I mean, I know a lot of these guys have. Are on their fantasy teams, but the big dumper, Cal, Raleigh, o', Neill, Cruz, Junior Caminero, all on my other fantasy team that I referenced a couple weeks ago too. So really I got the, I got the big boppers in a lot of my teams.
[00:09:10] Speaker A: And you have Juan Soto on our team.
[00:09:12] Speaker C: And I do have Juan Soto, so.
[00:09:13] Speaker A: Who should have been an ex participant in the Home Run Derby. So yeah, I mean I was telling, I was telling Jason even when our ex guy Nick was in the league. Dude, take James Woods. He actually, I think waited till like the 8th or 10th round before one of you guys actually selected them. I would have taken them first because I know the importance of selecting these young minor league potential superstars. But Jason got him and he's benefiting big time for him.
[00:09:41] Speaker B: Is your guys, Nick's. Is your guy's friend Nick still. Still in the league?
[00:09:45] Speaker A: No, he got, he got booted out.
[00:09:46] Speaker C: He got booted?
[00:09:47] Speaker B: Oh, he did.
[00:09:48] Speaker C: Mid year boot from the league. Aaron, why? Aaron had a reputation for referring. Referring a guy that, you know, got kicked out of the league this quickly.
[00:09:56] Speaker B: Why would happen.
[00:09:58] Speaker C: He had other competing priorities. You know, he just couldn't commit to the grueling grind that is Aaron's fantasy baseball league.
[00:10:04] Speaker B: That's not a shocker there couldn't even show to one segment for the NBA podcast. Still not happy about it. But I did give a raving Yelp review for his restaurant, Corona.
[00:10:14] Speaker A: Yeah, well, maybe you have to get one for the next one. That opens up in Ontario, I believe.
[00:10:20] Speaker B: Yeah.
All right, back to the All Star game.
I caught it towards the end of the first half or like the first round. They did like, they keep on changing the format, but I wasn't a big fan of like the slow pitches at the end where they get like three outs and they. You take, take your time. Not too many batters actually did better in that section. It seems like you're kind of like out of the flow and like a little more tense up on that. But it was really cool. I did catch it when, when rally did get 17 home runs and then they. I thought they should have just done like, like a slug off, but they didn't. They did all the analytics and he wins by less than a. An inch. And I thought that was like such the.
That was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. And I feel like we Kind of got robbed out of the first round out of that one.
[00:11:10] Speaker C: I mean, yes or no? I mean, I think it was. It was the most unique thing. So if you're taught you want drama and what's going on and everything, and we're down to.
Down to an inch on the longest length of the home run. I. There was some great Twitter commentary, if you're live tweeting this too, that we got, you know, aging umpires out here calling balls and strikes, but they were deciding the Home Run Derby by. By. By inches in the out on ball, on balls, going out of the park. And it's like we have this great technology for ball tracking going like 475ft. But the balls and strikes, we got to keep the umps. The umps behind the plate.
[00:11:49] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I think it would be better if they did like, a little home runoff between the two. Right. You just come up, and if as soon as you get in, out, you're done, the next guy goes, so if I hit three home runs, the next guy hits two, I advance, you know, almost kind of like a shootout, but a Home Run Derby type scenario. Instead of like you said, he beat him by whatever, you know, 0.6 of an inches, whatever it was, on total home runs or distance or whatever it is.
[00:12:17] Speaker B: So I think I caught it right when Jazz was up and only three home runs, man, he just did not have it.
[00:12:22] Speaker A: Why was Chaz in the Home Run Derby? They just couldn't get anybody else.
[00:12:26] Speaker C: He said yes, and everyone else said.
[00:12:27] Speaker B: No, he did not do good. Matt Olson, he went on a nice little run at the end but couldn't catch up. Rally beats out Rooker. They go into the semifinals. So it's Rally against Cruz and then Bucks in against Caminero.
I was all in on Rally after that. It was really cool. His dad was pitching and his little brother, 15 years old, tall as shit, though. Almost taller than his brother was the catcher and just hyping him up in the second. And that dude was 15.
[00:12:55] Speaker A: I mean, I. I just briefly saw him, but he looked like he was big boy for 15.
[00:12:58] Speaker B: 15, yeah.
[00:13:00] Speaker C: Young guy, I'll tell you. I mean, Cal Rally overall, you know, we haven't talked a ton of baseball on the show, but Rome, are you. Are you familiar what he's doing with home runs in the regular season right now?
[00:13:12] Speaker B: Yeah, a little bit. I haven't been watching too much, but I have a friend that. Who's a big Mariner fan, so he's always posting up stuff on Social. He's usually pretty quiet, but this year he's been like more vocal than usual. But yeah, switch hitter.
He's on pace to break Ken Griffey's single season home run record as well. Just kind of doing it all and.
[00:13:33] Speaker C: Well, not only, not only Griffey, like, I mean he is on, I mean he's on the pace of like Bond.
[00:13:39] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, He's. He has 35 right now.
[00:13:41] Speaker C: 38.
[00:13:42] Speaker A: 38.
[00:13:43] Speaker C: Jesus Christ.
[00:13:44] Speaker B: That's a lot.
[00:13:45] Speaker C: Judge has 35, so he's right behind him too. So like, I mean the minimal stuff, no one cares about league records anymore. But I mean you're talking about him potentially beating Aaron Judges and American League record that he just set a few years ago when Judge beat Roger Maris's record. But I mean he's in that kind of ballpark right now where you know, he's, he's on pace for, you know, the Bond Sosa type stuff getting into the mid-60s or potentially into the 70s with you know, as McGuire, Bonds and Sosa were doing. So it's pretty unprecedented. There was a great stat I think going into the All Star break where he was like six for his last 36. All six were home runs.
[00:14:22] Speaker B: So that's so crazy.
[00:14:24] Speaker A: Do you think, do you think he's gonna hold off Judge? Because I think Judge probably gonna pass him for the home run league as the season goes on.
[00:14:30] Speaker C: I do too. Just because the fricking crap porch out in Yankee Stadium that you hit it like 250ft and it goes over the fence for the left handed hitters over there. So yeah, Judge, Judge gets some of those like gift home runs over there in Yankee Stadium. So shots, you know, I mean it's, it's for real. I mean it's all over the Internet. You look at like where some of these, like some of these things in Yankee Stadium where it's a fly ball and 29 other parks in the, in Major League Baseball, but it's a home run at Yankee Stadium. So yeah, I think Judge probably, probably gets, Does Raleigh get the protection? You know, where are the Mariners kind of sitting? He's a catcher too at the same time, so I mean it's kind of unprecedented for this type of position having that type of power. So I mean it'll take some things going his way. But I think incredible story and like I said, he's on my, one of my fantasy teams. He's a driving force every week hitting bombs. So you know, we need him to keep up.
[00:15:21] Speaker A: But I mean I think that's all he's doing to be six for 36 of six home runs.
[00:15:25] Speaker C: Hey, he's. He's bringing runs in, man. He's carrying the Mariners right now.
[00:15:29] Speaker B: He's killing it, man. And like he's been better every year.
22, 27 home runs, 63 RBIs. 23, 30, 75 last year, 34 and 100.
And we still got how many more games left? Like what, 60 or so? 70, 75.
[00:15:50] Speaker A: 70. I think we're at what, about 90 plus games right now?
[00:15:53] Speaker B: Yeah. And he's already at 38 and 82.
[00:15:57] Speaker A: That's that, that's what's he on pace for right now. Jason, does it say probably what about 68 or something?
[00:16:06] Speaker C: Yeah, it was the high 60s, I think when I had saw it.
[00:16:09] Speaker A: Yeah. So I, I would, I would take. Just based off what Jason said, he's a catcher. He's kind of in the cold slump. I would take the. Under whatever he's projected to hit.
I, I think Judge is probably going to hit 65 plus. I think Cal Riley's probably going to be that 60 to 63 range. But we'll see. I mean maybe he continues his hot streak number, but we've seen a lot of times we haven't talked about guys that participate in the Home Run Derby. They come out fatigued and tired and don't really do good that next couple weeks. So we'll see how that affects them.
[00:16:39] Speaker C: Yeah, that was. I did have this conversation with some friends of mine as I'm talking about how many of my players are in the Home Run Derby and how many are going to be super crafts. It's going to be crappy. Yet they all lost their swing.
[00:16:51] Speaker A: That's why I got the trade on the table for you, Jason.
[00:16:53] Speaker C: Right.
[00:16:53] Speaker A: There's enough reason to take it, dude.
[00:16:55] Speaker B: So it's a tight game and there's like new rules. There's no more extra innings and now it's a home runoff.
[00:17:03] Speaker A: Didn't what we just talking about. They should have this Home Run Derby and now they have in the All Star Game.
[00:17:07] Speaker B: This is, this is a. This is so weird.
[00:17:10] Speaker A: All these new rules that baseball keeps throwing out. I mean I like the look and this is the thing. If the AL wins this thing, they're going to claim victory again. Let's just call it a draw and then just have a little separate.
Every team should have their batters. Each guy get one chance to hit a home run. Every player, not just one and one just every. All nine guys that started the game are Remaining in the game. They all get at least one out. One home run chance. Not just one guy. One guy. Almost like a shootout where you bring up your top five guys. I don't know if that's how they're gonna do it here, but I don't know.
I think baseball just keeps changing the rules on the fly.
[00:17:44] Speaker C: I mean, it's no longer decid home field advantage in the World Series.
[00:17:49] Speaker B: Thank God. Yeah.
[00:17:54] Speaker C: So anyways, Aaron, to answer your question, I just crunched the numbers. He's on pace for 62 home runs. The Mariners have already played 99 games, so they only got 63 games left.
[00:18:03] Speaker A: I think it's about right. I think it's about right. I think I said he did between 60 and 63, so I think it's about right. Not 99 games.
[00:18:09] Speaker C: You said 99 games they played.
[00:18:11] Speaker A: So he's averaging 63. 63 games left.
[00:18:13] Speaker B: Okay, so the semifinal was pretty fun. Buxton kind of struggled in the second round. Only got seven. And then Caminero just needed one minute to hit eight.
Timeout. They were done. Moves on to the next round. I. That's the part I didn't really like, you know, going like one on one. Because if you have like the top two, then it's just rally and cruise again in the final. That's how it used to be.
But then what were they doing after like a few years? Like the, like, like, like the. The cumulative from the first two rounds. That was kind of dumb too, but.
[00:18:44] Speaker A: Well, I mean, I. They've kind of changed up the rules, Rome, because I remember it was probably like, damn, 12 years, maybe 15 years. Remember, like, Josh Hamilton hit like 36 bombs in the first round or something. And then I think he hit 27 in the second round. It ended up losing the final even though he hit like 17 more home runs than everybody else. And then they just changed the rules to where you get a timer.
You get so many outs if you hit the ball so many feet. Now you get a 30 second bonus. Time they would have. Now it's an extra out on that final three pitch. Slow pitch. Crap.
[00:19:16] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:19:17] Speaker A: It's just, you know, baseball's just making them rules on the fly, you know.
[00:19:22] Speaker B: That extra out, though, did benefit rally in the second round, or was it the third round? Yeah, because he. He ended up knocking out like, I think like another four or five home runs.
[00:19:31] Speaker A: Yeah, you have to hit about 425ft.
[00:19:33] Speaker B: To get that extra bonus out. I think it was at 13. And they were saying, like on the telecast which it was funny, man. They were saying, like, a lot of weird jokes, and they're like, you know, if he gets a 1718, that's probably the safe spot. And Cameron Arrow, man, almost.
[00:19:50] Speaker A: He.
[00:19:50] Speaker B: He was on fire. And then after that timeout, after that kid robbed that home run.
[00:19:57] Speaker A: They gave that home run to him, right?
[00:19:58] Speaker B: They did. But I saw the replay.
[00:20:00] Speaker A: It looked like it was gonna be a home run. It was gonna be a home run.
[00:20:03] Speaker C: Yeah, it was gonna get out.
[00:20:04] Speaker A: It was.
[00:20:05] Speaker C: It was close, though. But that's hilarious, man. You tell these kids to go out of the outfield and one. Just bring them back.
[00:20:10] Speaker A: Well, they played. They played. They played. The Yankee Stadium rules. It's a home run there. So they gave it to him.
[00:20:15] Speaker B: It was really funny, man.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, though. I haven't watched the Home Run Derby in a while, and although I'm not a big fan of all the.
All the things, you know, just seeing Rally win it with his dad and. And the. And the brother, it was pretty cool to see.
[00:20:31] Speaker C: Yeah, it was. I. I give baseball. I mean, obviously Aaron and I are big baseball guys, but I give baseball for this. Even though we talked about all the things they've changed to, this, the. The Home Run Derby, when it comes to all these pro sports leagues, like, all star breaks, still is the best thing out there. Like the dunk.
[00:20:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:51] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:20:51] Speaker A: I was going to ask you what. What's better, the Home Run Derby or the dunk contest or what's more popular, you think?
[00:20:56] Speaker C: I think it's Home Run Derby. I think.
[00:20:57] Speaker A: I agree. I agree.
[00:20:59] Speaker C: The dunk contest. Every year, we're just talking about who's not in it because none of the big stars do it. Have. Have done it. Like a 1015.
[00:21:06] Speaker A: LeBron ruined it.
[00:21:07] Speaker C: Yeah. And so none of the big stars do it. You know, the dunk creativity at this point, like, we've kind of reached the human limit on things you can do. You know, once we brought the Blake Griffin, we're bringing a Kia into it. We using props and everything.
[00:21:19] Speaker B: That was, like, the end of it. Yeah. That was like, the height of it. Like, all right, jumping up of cars now.
[00:21:23] Speaker A: Well, the guy that's the guy that's winning. It's the guy in the G league the last two years. Right.
He's not even in the NBA.
[00:21:30] Speaker B: He's.
[00:21:31] Speaker A: He.
[00:21:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:32] Speaker A: I mean, he's a G2G leaguer, but, yeah. I mean, he does. He does some good. Nice dogs. I'm not gonna lie. He deserves to win the contest. But I think that's the whole point you're talking about.
[00:21:41] Speaker B: I mean, it's just weird.
[00:21:42] Speaker A: I mean, imagine the whole bringing some guy in from single A because he hits 40 home runs the first half of single A. And you know. And you know he can still crush the ball because it's soft pitch. It's not like he's deep to throw in 100.
So I'm just. Yeah, I agree with Jason. I think the home.
[00:21:58] Speaker B: How many swings do they get?
[00:22:00] Speaker C: I don't know.
[00:22:00] Speaker A: I'm just watching three swings.
[00:22:02] Speaker C: Yeah, swing three. This guy's got one.
[00:22:05] Speaker A: I don't.
[00:22:06] Speaker C: I want to be honest with you, you guys. This is probably best case scenario for baseball because you basically just got a game in and now we got a second home run derby going on. This is awesome.
[00:22:14] Speaker B: It's the same guys. Yeah.
[00:22:17] Speaker A: I mean this is kind of what we were saying, but this is how this determined.
Well, there's getting back at it, everyone.
[00:22:25] Speaker B: Yeah. At least he's in it because he should have been. Yeah.
[00:22:29] Speaker A: I mean, I. Stowers. I mean, I. I know he doesn't listen to the show, Jason, but there was a bonus on the last day. Did you see that? Stowers did hit three home runs for the Marlins. That hasn't been announced yet, but I'm sure it'll be announced tomorrow.
[00:22:42] Speaker C: Okay. Three home run bonus. We gotta get announced your bonuses in the fantasy league realm. If it's just to get you up. So.
[00:22:47] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, I know. I told you.
[00:22:49] Speaker A: That's why we're on it since they don't listen to the show either. I mean, we were talking about how Nick got booted. He did get a bonus. He didn't claim it. He. And you could still claim it. You have till the end of the year to claim any bonus. So you have till whatever September 30, whatever date that is, to claim.
[00:23:05] Speaker B: I'll claim it for him.
[00:23:06] Speaker C: No, it's not. We got. We got. There's new. There's new ownership. They were pretty cocky. I don't know these guys. I think they were in the league before, but we'll. We'll just keep them out. They all. The hilarious part is money.
[00:23:16] Speaker A: Those guys.
[00:23:16] Speaker C: Well, all these dudes talk about is like, oh, we just need to push more money into this league. I'm like, you guys got like, I don't know, just, just. We just need to randomly just throw money into these pots.
[00:23:26] Speaker A: Just.
[00:23:26] Speaker C: No strategic. So just throwing money around.
[00:23:29] Speaker B: Stars is up.
I thought the NL was going to win this, by the way.
[00:23:34] Speaker A: And I Did too, when they were up six zero. They're up six zero.
[00:23:37] Speaker B: They're comfortable in the lead. I don't know what happened. Dave Roberts probably pulled some old weird management game stuff.
[00:23:43] Speaker C: Why is the gate open back there while they're doing this?
They got security. What if. What if that went over that area?
[00:23:50] Speaker A: What if you get three swings?
[00:23:51] Speaker B: Three swings.
[00:23:52] Speaker C: One of you.
[00:23:52] Speaker A: I just want to see. I want to see it be tied after these guys get done and keep going again.
[00:23:56] Speaker C: Oh, that one's gone.
[00:23:57] Speaker B: Oh, no. It looks like it's a. Oh, it's gone.
[00:24:02] Speaker A: You guys must be behind me then.
[00:24:04] Speaker B: Oh, man.
[00:24:05] Speaker A: Aaron, you guys must be way behind.
You gotta get on that Direct TV, man. Get up the times you guys about 15 seconds behind because this is the.
[00:24:12] Speaker B: Times I've straight broke table.
[00:24:16] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:17] Speaker C: Why YouTube TV, man. You know?
[00:24:19] Speaker A: Yeah, live. Live in game betting. I'm already. I'm already on the next three batters while you guys are still trying to cash your old bets down over there.
[00:24:27] Speaker B: Aaron, you.
[00:24:28] Speaker C: You were talking about the all. Just the All Star game, that NL being up.
[00:24:32] Speaker A: I. I've already been told by Jason, you and the wife to be quiet, so I will. That's three strikes. I'm gonna be quiet. I'm just gonna be quiet.
[00:24:41] Speaker C: You're talking about.
[00:24:42] Speaker B: She would say that too.
[00:24:44] Speaker C: The NL being up six. Nothing at the start of this game.
Like, through three batters for the NL, Paul Skeen's got more run support in three batters than he did for like seven out of his 20 starts for the Pirates this year. In three batters.
[00:24:57] Speaker B: He has that guy.
[00:24:59] Speaker A: He's got a 1.99 career earned run average and 43 starts and what a losing record. That's insane. That's just insane.
[00:25:06] Speaker C: The thing is, though, I do have a friend that crap bitches about it, though. Like, he only. Like, he basically only goes five innings. So the Pirates are just like, there's no stretch in him. Not that it's gonna matter. The Pirates aren't gonna score any runs anyways. But it's pretty insane.
[00:25:19] Speaker A: Well, their bullpen sucks too. So even if he leads the game with the lead, they're not gonna hold it.
[00:25:24] Speaker C: Yep, yep.
That one a Rosarena trying to throw out his shoulder on that swing.
[00:25:29] Speaker B: Yeah, I saw that.
[00:25:30] Speaker C: Aaron probably saw that a half hour ago.
[00:25:32] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, he's.
[00:25:33] Speaker A: He's already done over here. Thanks.
[00:25:35] Speaker B: Aaron. I just said shut up.
[00:25:38] Speaker A: I didn't say. I'm not saying what the result was. I just said he's done. You're gonna see what happens on the next one.
[00:25:43] Speaker B: Well, since we're watching this swing off here, biggest takeaways from the first half of the MLB season.
You got American League. Let's break it down. Blue Jays lead the East. Yankees kind of had a tumble, so they're kind of calling back. Red Sox have been red hot. They have won the last 10 games.
Kind of looking like that 2004 season.
[00:26:09] Speaker C: I think I want to pause there, Rome, because that would have been what I said to previous. The minimal baseball we talked was about the Devers trade and, you know, people ripping Red Sox management out over the deal. And really they're probably more ties to what they did with Mookie Bets and letting Bogarts go. And really just the overall approach from the management in Boston not paying. But like, this was. I think this was definitely a thing where, where Devers was. He was, I don't want to say a cancer in the clubhouse, but this was a. This was an addition by subtraction move where he felt like, hey, it was in the best interest of the team and they were to get more out of it. And I agree. You look at that 04 team and some you say, but I mean, this team just won 10 straight going into it, so what do I need a guy that didn't want to play first base and in different aspects. And maybe the communication was bad and they couldn't get on the same page. But I mean, it's baseball. And I think what you know about baseball is that one player isn't always going to have the biggest impact like we do when we talk about a sport like the NBA. And if the Red Sox do in the off season, reinvest that money into different stuff, stick with a Schwarber shot to center field.
[00:27:15] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:27:16] Speaker A: You guys, you guys are way behind.
[00:27:17] Speaker B: So, like, two things on that. Like, I get what you're saying. I think that one year they. They trade away Nomar Garcia Parr. Right.
[00:27:25] Speaker C: That was the 04 season. They traded. No more.
[00:27:27] Speaker B: Yep. And. But I just think, like, when you. When you take away such a big presence like that, I think maybe sometimes just all the other guys try, you know, kind of rally and play better because now they don't have that big bad, that big presence.
That could be it. Or maybe Deborah's was a cancer. I don't know.
Now that Deborah's is here, though, in San Francisco, it's a different ballpark. It's windy, it's cold, lots of pressure. They've been hyping up so much. He Only has one home run since he got here. I think it's just a lot. He just needs like to chill out. I think it's just all mental at this point.
[00:28:01] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree. Rome. I think give Devers time. I mean, we talked about it when we briefly talked about the trade. He started the year like over 16 of 11 strikeouts. I think he's 20 strikeouts in his first 25 at bats. He got off a slow start.
[00:28:16] Speaker B: Money.
[00:28:16] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, three for three. He got, you know, Devers got off to a slow start, was red hot.
They traded them. Obviously, Boston now has gone on and they won 10 in a row going into the break.
But I mean, I think we're underestimating how good of a manager Alex Core is. I mean, we know there was some beef there between him and Devers, whatever was going on there. But Corey can manage. He's a really good manager. You give him some players, you give him some guys.
He's, he's, he, he's. She's proven it in the big moments in the postseason. I mean, I don't know how much, you know, out managing Dave Roberts. I don't know if that's that hard nowadays, but depending on who you talk to, but he did that and like we talked about, you know, I mean, those are, those are the old days in Houston. And Houston still owns the Dodgers. Everybody that's supposedly cheating against the Dodgers still owns up to this day, in fact, even owns them worse than when they were cheating. So I'm happy for that since we're talking baseball.
But yeah, I mean, they got that money, they get the money back, they get, you know, some prospects. Like we mentioned, Kyle Harrison, supposed to be a nice arm. I think he can develop into a number three or four starter in the big leagues. You know, the Giants liked him and they got a couple minor league prospects back.
But to your point, you know, he's going from a hitter ballpark to a pitcher's ballpark. It's going to be cold, it's going to be windy.
Home runs that you would typically hit there, depending on how the wind's blowing in, won't be home runs. Could just be routine pop outs to the outfield.
Give him time, he'll get settled in and I think he'll be most missed. Even if the Red Sox do make the playoffs and the Giants, it looks like they both have a chance. I think it's the postseason. Just the clutchness of having a guy in the lineup like that that pits a threat into pitchers, bullpen, late game, heroics you know, he can come through.
Not having a guy like that, an ace in a hole that can make those big hits, I think will hurt Boston later on and will benefit the Giants if these two teams are in the run for a playoff or get into the playoffs.
[00:30:12] Speaker B: Yeah, east is really tough.
[00:30:14] Speaker C: Oh, the AL east is always tough. And I. And I was saying the addition from distraction. I'm saying that from a pure Red Sox, you know, perspective. I. I still think it's the right move from a Giants perspective because of where the Giants had been in free agency the past couple years, where they were really trying to spend money and bring a big hitter to the ballpark, you know, when they were, you know, I think, loosely involved with the Ohtani sweepstakes, they were trying to go after Judge and made him a very, you know, significant offer that I think equaled. Aaron's pumping his fist. So we already know the NL probably won on this.
[00:30:49] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:30:51] Speaker A: Don'T you fuck with the nl, Jason. It's all NL baseball, man.
[00:30:55] Speaker C: Your head short.
[00:30:55] Speaker A: Money's at. The money is at. You had Schwarzerber pay the man the bonus. Three home runs. Pay him a bonus. I'll pay it.
[00:31:03] Speaker B: Schwarber, 10 seconds ahead of us, at least.
[00:31:06] Speaker A: I think 15. Dude. That's at least.
[00:31:08] Speaker B: Jesus.
[00:31:09] Speaker A: I already cashed my ticket, dude. You guys are still waiting.
[00:31:12] Speaker C: But, yeah, I. Again, I think win is probably a win win trade for both teams. But I think when you're looking at the Red Sox and what they needed, and if this frees up a whole ton of money in the Red Sox reinvest in the offseason and overlooked, we're thinking about this year, and many Red Sox fans are like, oh, they're putting a white flag on this season. You know, they have flexibility to potentially trade and get something else in here, but in the off season, okay, we still got flexibility to. To. To buy, you know, something else that hits the open market. And for the Giants, hey, they secured the big bat that they had, but you couldn't get in free agency, and now they have it, and they. You know, both divisions those teams are in are. I mean, you could say those are the two best divisions in baseball because, you know, you say the. The. The AL east is stacked, but damn, the NL west is stacked, too. You know, they got four, you know, really good ball clubs in there. Arizona hasn't been as great this year, but they're, what, two years removed from being in the World Series. So, you know, you have four out of five teams in both of those divisions. Being super competitive.
So it'll, it'll be tight all the way down the stretch. But I think the Red Sox with the trade and then how they finish the first half, probably the biggest story really of this baseball baseball season for the first half.
[00:32:20] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, agree. I think both teams get a win there.
Red Sox financial flexibility and like you guys have been saying, the Giants been pursuing big bads. Aaron Judge, they were trying to get him. Ohtani, they were trying to get him. They will. They were able to pick up Willie Adamus in the off season from Milwaukee, add Devers in, who could be your third base DH of the future, whatever. I mean, Matt Chapman just came back from the injured list. They just had a great three game series that went back and forth with the Dodgers. Dodgers ended at seven game losing skid there.
Giants aren't going anywhere. They've got pitching.
Posey, he's running things over there now. He's a smart guy, knows what he's doing. Ownership is giving him, you know, permission to go out, spend their money. They've been trying to spend money.
I like it. I think it's a win. Win. And agree, those divisions in baseball are really, really tough. Boston even, like you said, they're playing well, but they're, they're in the wild card right now. They're in there but three, you know, third place in that spot. And then the Giants, Padres, Dodgers. I mean the Dodgers are the class of the NL west, but you know, Giants right now, I give them the edge over the Padres. I think they got a better pitching, they got better lineup.
I think they got a better manager too. So we'll see how it plays out.
[00:33:34] Speaker B: Yes, I, I guess we'll just talk about the National League overall. Cubs being in first place, kind of surprising.
Brewers hanging pretty closely just a game back. That's a pretty good division too. Like everyone's a two. Reds, Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs. Everyone's above.500. There's some like really weird anomalies going on this year. And then on the East, Philly's just hanging on, but Mets are just right there, half a game out.
And I think that's about it.
Do you think it's gonna stay like this? You think Phil's gonna pull it off? Do you think the Cuz will keep it?
[00:34:11] Speaker C: I mean, I, I think, I think the Phillies are a really good team, you know, and, and obviously, you know, nlcs last year, Aaron, we were talking about the Phillies. I mean, from a starting pitchers perspective. They have one of the best starters in the game, right? Now and then obviously from a lineup perspective with Trey Turner and Harper and a bunch of these other guys they have in the lineup, like the Phillies are just are a really good team. Zach Wheeler, who I was talking about for from the starting rotation wise, I just spent lights out for a ton of his time this year for the Phillies in the Central.
The Cubs have been great but they've had maybe one of the biggest surprises. We talk about James Wood.
Was that on the pot or before the pot? I can't even remember. We were talking about my fantasy team here. But you know, as good as James Wood. Yeah, okay, but James Wood for the Nationals has been, you know, just lights out. But Pete Crow Armstrong, second year player for the Cubs, arguably maybe what second place Aaron in the NL MVP could be winning the NL MVP right now.
[00:35:14] Speaker A: I didn't realize how good his numbers are, but he's looking at 50. 50, 50 home runs, 50 stolen bases to join Otani at that. He's on pace or close to it.
[00:35:22] Speaker B: So yeah, they're talking about that today. On the yeah, I didn't know.
[00:35:25] Speaker A: I mean I know he's hit a lot of home runs. I didn't realize how they call him pca.
[00:35:30] Speaker C: So I mean so. And, and the Cubs, you know, can they make a move to kind of bolster the roster? I'll tell you, there has been criticism of the Cubs ownership unwilling to spend money for being hey, the number three market in the country. The Cubs have, you know, one of one of the richest fan bases and you know just how much an overall they could draw money and this team just continues to not invest. They signed who they signed it. Was it Bregman who they have at their. I can't or no, I forgot. Oh, Kyle Tucker. Yeah, they have Kyle Tucker but they only signed him to a one year deal and he's having a pretty solid year. But they haven't signed.
[00:36:07] Speaker A: Yeah, the one year. Did they sign the one year deal or is that what he had left remaining on his contract coming over from Houston?
[00:36:13] Speaker C: Maybe that was.
[00:36:14] Speaker A: I forget.
[00:36:15] Speaker C: I can't remember either. But there's been a lot of talk about them not paying him yet and him in the, in the open market and so I Overall from the.
[00:36:23] Speaker A: Is he worth. Is he 500 million man, I don't think so. I think that's what he's going to get on the market at this point.
[00:36:29] Speaker C: I think you're running out of teams willing to pay that because you got these teams going every year but you know, potentially. But overall the Cubs should be one of those teams. You know, they're the number one team in that market, sad to say, for my White Sox, but, you know, they have not spent the money since that 2016 World Series. They haven't really paid anyone. The, the Bellinger, you know, kind of three year, hundred million dollar deal or whatever, they sign him a while back was the biggest splash kind of the Cubs have made in spree agency. But you know, they're tight with the Brewers. And the brewers, you know, last year we talked a little bit about them, you know, going into that postseason when we kind of started up the pod here last year. And the brewers are kind of under the radar team. They have some really solid pitching. They got some, you know, really timely hitting throughout their, throughout their lineup. And they're kind of just lingering there a little bit. And they've been hot going into the All Star break, too. And they'll get some guys, Nelson Cortez back after the All Star break to add to bolster that rotation. So, I mean, it'll be competitive, but I think you'll see what, what the Cubs really can, you know, potentially make a move. And there really honestly has not been a ton of trades. Like when you think right now, besides the Devers trade, we came out of nowhere. I mean, we're at, we're in the middle of July and some of the times there's these trades right before the dead, right before the All Star break and stuff. So now we're going to be really going up to it these last couple months before the deadline of which one of these teams is going to bolster location because the Marlins, maybe Aaron's Braves, who've been maybe, you know, the most disappointing team so far this year.
The Nationals got guys like mackenzie Gore who, you know, are the Nationals going to extend him because he's at kind of getting towards the end of his arbitration years. When they got him from the Padres, they're going to pay him or let him go. So there's some assets out there from some of these underachieving teams that.
What, what is, what's going to be the price on them going into this market?
[00:38:20] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, there's still a lot of teams that really are in contention here. I mean, the Marlins, I think, are probably going to be sellers. I mean, I know they've got, you know, Sandy Alcantara that, you know, two years ago won the Cy Young, then had Tommy John. He's really struggled this year, but he's, he's only worth like five and a half million on the salary, they're not going to sign him to a long term deal. So I think somebody's probably will trade for him. Good, good pitcher. Good army just has not put it together coming off that Tommy John, but he's got elite stuff.
I think he's gonna be a pitcher worthwhile.
The Cubs, you mentioned, what are they going to do with Tucker? Are they going to pay him? You know, we're hearing he's having a great year. I mean, we're hearing, you know, possible 500 million plus guy. I don't know if he's worth that or not, but there's not a lot of teams that can pay that. But are the Cubs going to, you know, step up to the plate and pay some guys? The brewers, they're just one of those organizations that every year they just find a way to win. Like they'll lose. They lost Willie Adamas, they've lost other pieces and they come out they've got a good farm system. Miz, you've seen him make the All Star game. A lot of us slack about that. Only five career games, but he's 102 mile per hour pitcher, got lightning stuff.
He's going to be really good. And then the Reds, you know, we talked about Terry Francona. Wherever he goes, that organization wins. The Reds, the best thing they did was get rid of David Bell and hire Terry Francona. He's getting the best of young talent. I don't think they have enough to get to the playoffs. But Terry Francona is the guy the Angels should have hired once they moved off of their old manager. Can't think of his name off the top of my head right now, but that was, that was a mistake, one that they made. But Terry Franconic I think should probably be manager of the year once it's all said and done, at least in the National League.
And going back to the Tucker thing.
[00:40:07] Speaker C: Aaron, you were right. Aaron or Tyler Tucker was traded with the one year left to zeal. So that means that investment of the Cubs, they gave away the number 73 overall prospect in baseball and two other pieces for Tucker and then not extending him to this point or getting that thing and let him hit the open market.
Just, just interesting when it comes to what the Cubs are going to be able to do here in the off season, but more of the trade deadline too.
[00:40:30] Speaker A: I mean, Cubs need starting pitching. I mean, I think a lot of these teams need starting pitching. I mean, I think the, the Dodgers, if they get their starting pitchers back healthy, which it seems like they're Starting to probably in the best position there. Padres got some good starting pitcher. They just got you. Darvish back. He just made his second start.
You mentioned Zach Wheeler. They've been without Aaron Nola. So you got Nola, Suarez, Sanchez, Wheeler.
Phillies really loaded as far as starting pitching. Their bullpen's been stinking. They get Alvarez back, but he's suspended for the playoffs due to the performance enhancing drugs.
So Phillies need bullpen help. The Mets seems like every one of their starting pitchers is going down. I mean they just lost, what was it? Canning to an Achilles injury. So he's out.
They've got a couple other guys done.
I mean the Braves.
The Braves don't need to move anybody because all their young players are already tied up under contracts that are favorable for the team anyways.
So they're not for the Braves. I think it's all about looking to the off season and getting a new coaching staff down here.
[00:41:29] Speaker B: Yeah, that's.
[00:41:29] Speaker A: I mean, yeah, they're basically. The Braves are going to sit on it, see what they got. They've had some injuries to their pitching staff as well, but they're going to do new pitching coach, hitting coach, manager. That's going to be the turnover for the Braves. But I don't see them getting rid of anybody. They don't everybody's favorable contracts for them at least in the National League.
[00:41:47] Speaker B: Guys, got any bold predictions for the second half for the NL before we hop over to the al? Not too fast.
[00:41:55] Speaker C: Well, you're asking for bold. Trying to think about what can be bold about this because you have a lot of the.
[00:42:01] Speaker B: It's brisk, baby.
[00:42:03] Speaker A: It's.
[00:42:05] Speaker B: Sorry.
[00:42:06] Speaker C: Do an info.
[00:42:06] Speaker B: Marshall. The commercial popped in my head. Yeah.
[00:42:08] Speaker A: All right.
[00:42:09] Speaker B: Dice to drink so much brisk. And they all make anymore, right?
[00:42:12] Speaker C: They do.
When it comes down to it, I mean we're talking especially with the wild card and where things are going to be at.
[00:42:21] Speaker B: Yeah, dude, it's so packed.
[00:42:25] Speaker A: It's really packed.
[00:42:26] Speaker C: But at the end of the day you got. You got six spots and probably seven teams that you're taking seriously in this. So do the NL west kind of cancel each other out in the three way race between the Padres, Giants and Dodgers, you know, to the Cubs and Brewers. They got games against the Pirates and I don't know, there's. There's a lot to be said. The Cardinals kind of lingering around there a little bit too. So.
[00:42:57] Speaker A: Bold.
[00:42:57] Speaker C: I don't think I have anything bold, bro. Because I think the NA. The NL's got some top heaviness that we're not going to be talking about here, but I think, I think it.
[00:43:04] Speaker B: Was due for like a winning streak in this in the second half for sure.
[00:43:09] Speaker C: They still have the best record in the NL and they had like a nine team losing streak or something.
[00:43:16] Speaker B: It's been kind of a game for them. But yeah, as they get guys back from the.
[00:43:21] Speaker A: I mean I'll, I guess I'll give you some bold. I, I think the Padres aren't going to make the wild card. I think the Giants are.
[00:43:27] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:43:27] Speaker A: I'll say the other one. The Dodgers won't finish the National League with the best record. I think either the Mets, Cubs or at least surpass them for best record in the nl.
[00:43:37] Speaker B: All right.
[00:43:38] Speaker A: By seasons end.
[00:43:39] Speaker C: Nah, yeah, I don't, I don't agree with that. You look at like run differential for the Cubs like 119 far and away like best in the National League. The brewers are even strong contenders with their twos. It's just so showing overall balance.
Yeah. Aaron's probably right around the Padres because like some of the hitting they're going to get, they've lost Michael King. Dylan Cease has had a lot of strikeouts but not going deep in some of these games.
[00:44:02] Speaker A: 4 and 4 and 2/3, man. 4 and 2/3 innings as Dylan sees.
[00:44:05] Speaker C: Man, yeah, just too many pitches. It's the same story.
[00:44:08] Speaker A: Too many walks, man. Too many walks.
[00:44:10] Speaker C: My guy Cease. But yeah, I think you were looking down the stretch. You're definitely I think going to give the Phillies in medicine it. I think the brewers and the Cubs probably make it. So you're probably getting an odd man out between the Giants and Padres. And man, I don't want to agree with Aaron like that but I. Now, you know what, I'm gonna disagree with Aaron because I, I worry about the Giants. Do they have enough, do they have enough overall hitting balance either even in that pitches, ball, pitchers, ballpark as it gets colder or the Padres. The Padres.
[00:44:38] Speaker B: For what it's worth, it gets warmer here in San Francisco.
[00:44:41] Speaker C: Why? Because it's so damn cold.
[00:44:43] Speaker B: October.
Yeah. We get the summer late September, October over here. It's really nice.
[00:44:48] Speaker C: All right.
[00:44:48] Speaker A: Well you're late August, September. Right.
[00:44:50] Speaker C: You're schooling me on Bay Area.
[00:44:52] Speaker A: I guess that's when Devers will come through and I think that'll be the difference.
[00:44:59] Speaker B: I think the Giants are going to go on a little run in the second half. They're still kind of feeling it and they're getting some guys back from the IL as well.
[00:45:05] Speaker A: They're still waiting for Verlander to get his legs under a man.
[00:45:10] Speaker B: I totally forgot about that. Jesus Christ.
I should go see him play. I'll be kind of.
[00:45:15] Speaker C: The Padres just got this overall, like, spark when you watch them play. And they've had, they've had a lot of, and they've had a lot of tight games and Suarez has been like, awesome closing these games down for them, you know, Tatis and, and just everything around them. So I, I, that's the only thing with the Padres were even like last year. I don't think people out took them very seriously, but they were a severe. They've been a threat to the Dodgers overall, even though it's one of those things where Rome, as a Dodgers fan, so maybe doesn't consider the Padres a rivalry, but the Padres got something there where it's strong.
[00:45:46] Speaker B: I think it's strong down there. Yeah, I think, Yeah, I think the.
[00:45:51] Speaker A: Padres and the Giants are both big rivals right now to the Dodgers. I mean, the Dodgers, if they get healthy, Blake Snell, you know, Glass now, all those guys back and pitching and even Shohei finally worked his way up to three innings on Sunday. I believe against your Giant, you look good, but, you know, that's, that's been the concern of the Dodgers. They get all these guard arms, they start looking good and then bam. All, all of a sudden shoulder inflammation, elbow inflammation.
[00:46:18] Speaker B: And then they're taking their time with sh. Man.
[00:46:22] Speaker A: I don't know how it's going to end for show this year, but I do, I do feel in the future he's going to have some arm problems and it's just going to go back position.
[00:46:29] Speaker B: That's a closer.
[00:46:30] Speaker A: What are you, John Smoltz 2.0 over here or what?
[00:46:33] Speaker B: Dude, I, I think, like, why risk it? You know, they got a good closer.
[00:46:38] Speaker A: And Tony Scott and they do, but.
[00:46:39] Speaker B: You know, if they need it, you know, Shohei.
[00:46:42] Speaker A: Two, three innings, maybe, maybe the postseason, maybe. They were gonna, they were. There was rumors.
I mean, I know Dave Roberts kind of floated out during the World Series.
[00:46:50] Speaker B: Yeah, he was gonna use them, but no way.
[00:46:53] Speaker A: That wasn't gonna happen.
[00:46:54] Speaker B: By the way, real quick, though, are you guys watching this telecast right now?
[00:46:57] Speaker A: I turned it off.
I got so crazy on the show.
[00:47:03] Speaker B: Alex Rodriguez is like ten shades darker.
[00:47:06] Speaker A: You gotta get out of that. Minnesota, Minnesota cold early in the year, man.
[00:47:11] Speaker B: I need to get a green suit, though. It's a nice suit. All right, go ahead.
[00:47:15] Speaker C: I want to throw, I want to throw this out there as we're talking through because one thing, strength of schedule Remaining.
When you look at that. So Cubs third easiest schedule in the second half. Padres, fourth easiest schedule in the second half.
So you know that maybe that plays into it when you look at top teams in the nl. Milwaukee has the fifth hardest schedule. The Mets had the seventh hardest schedule.
So if you're looking at a couple of those factors where it can play in, that could potentially balance some things out towards the end of the year, like who they have to play, you know, could come down to it. Could we have a couple games here or there?
[00:47:54] Speaker B: All right, let's hop to the album.
Blue Jays E, as we mentioned, lead the east, but Yankees, Red Sox, right there. I kind of have a thing. I think the Yankees will kind of make a push here as well. You got Tigers with a really comfortable lead. That's not going anywhere. I think we can lock that in. And they're a pretty fun team to watch. I really like a lot of their players. I think one of their guys is from the Cubs, too. Right, Baez?
[00:48:21] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:48:22] Speaker B: Yeah. Good year.
Astros. I can't stand them. I, I.
[00:48:27] Speaker A: This one, man, they just win.
[00:48:29] Speaker B: So just seeing their logo just makes me pissed off. But I'm really pulling for the Mariners.
[00:48:33] Speaker C: Astro's second easiest schedule in the second half.
[00:48:36] Speaker B: Son of a. Dude. It's lining up, huh?
[00:48:38] Speaker A: Astros are going to the playoffs. Let's just put it. They're gonna win the division, too.
[00:48:42] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:48:43] Speaker B: You know, I really feel bad because the Mariners always had, like, these young stars, and they have, like, these really fun years, and then, and then they should have it.
[00:48:50] Speaker A: They play in a ballpark where you can't score runs.
[00:48:53] Speaker B: It's just disgusting. I really feel bad. It's like, man, they got good, young.
[00:48:57] Speaker A: Pitching, but they just, they don't score enough runs, man.
[00:48:59] Speaker B: Good young pitching, good young hitters.
[00:49:01] Speaker A: I'm rooting for Seattle, too. I mean, didn't it. Was it, like, Was it two years ago was the first time they made the playoffs in, what, 20 years, whatever that streak was?
[00:49:10] Speaker B: Yeah, I think they kind of blew the, the division title, though.
[00:49:13] Speaker A: Well, last year, Houston. I think the last month came and took it from them.
[00:49:16] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:49:17] Speaker A: No, and then the year before that, I think it was Texas when they went on to win the World Series. So, yeah, I mean, Seattle's always kind of faded.
[00:49:24] Speaker B: Like, honestly, the, the AL west, pretty competitive, though. Like, man, you got the Rangers, Angels, Athletics, like, not too bad.
[00:49:32] Speaker A: Angels. Angels have been a surprise team.
[00:49:34] Speaker B: Almost 500.
[00:49:36] Speaker A: Yeah, they had Washington wish them well, man.
[00:49:39] Speaker C: Pretty bad May for the Angels, but I think they kind of came on here a little bit of June and then a little bit of July.
[00:49:44] Speaker B: I mean, not as they have 500.
[00:49:47] Speaker C: Earlier in the year they were.
[00:49:49] Speaker A: Yeah, they're about like 28 and 28, 25, 25, something like that. They probably were.
[00:49:53] Speaker C: Went on a little bit of a slide, but they've kind of come back into it.
But I. I don't. I just don't see it lasting. I.
The Rangers, potentially. But the Rangers have kind of been that team where, you know, what happened.
[00:50:06] Speaker B: To the Rangers, they're interested in the World Series.
[00:50:10] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, thin margins in baseball, man, when you have some of this. And they invested well, I mean. Yeah, I mean, they invested a ton in like Marcus, you know, Marcus Simeon at second base and Seeger at short. That one off season, Simeon's had a pretty bad year overall. So if he has a better second half, that could be some offense or unlocking. But for as much as they have invested in offense, they've scored the least amount of runs in the AL west so far.
[00:50:36] Speaker A: I think they fired their hitting coach like midway through the year too, right?
[00:50:39] Speaker C: I believe so. Yeah. So, I mean, there's some opportunity there. But for Texas overall and again, I'm gonna go to strengths of schedule. They got the six hardest schedule here, you know, so as a team around 500, they gotta play a hard schedule. Houston, like I said, second easiest schedule.
Seattle, they're about the 21st hardest schedule. So there it's like a bottom third strength. So I, I don't think the Rangers. I don't. Definitely don't think the Angels. I don't. I don't. I don't care about you. Show me a minus 62 run differential. Even if you're at.500, that means you are not good. You're just lucky. You're just.
[00:51:14] Speaker B: Who's playing 62 right now?
[00:51:16] Speaker A: That's the Angels.
[00:51:17] Speaker B: God damn. So they're so lucky.
[00:51:20] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, just. They.
[00:51:22] Speaker A: They've been playing bad, but they still don't get beat. 181 at home like the Dodgers do against the Astros.
[00:51:27] Speaker B: But shut the up.
[00:51:30] Speaker A: I don't want. I don't want that part edited out. Leave that one in.
[00:51:33] Speaker C: I don't think that. I think that's the turnaround for the Angels when they swept the Dodgers. Right. That was the big turnaround.
[00:51:38] Speaker A: There you go. Freeway Series.
[00:51:40] Speaker B: That was really shocking. But that's been like the Dodgers season so far.
They're gonna get hot in the.
[00:51:47] Speaker C: In the west, though. I think you have an two teams probably come out of There you get the Astros and more. More than likely the Mariners, I think would be the two.
[00:51:55] Speaker A: The.
[00:51:55] Speaker C: The Tigers obviously win the Central, and now you'll probably get two wild card spots coming out of the East. And I agree with you. I think the Yankees eventually take it. The Blue Jays, while they've been good, again, and I don't want to harp this on run differential, but you look at run differential to kind of at 162 games. Where's the sample at? And you got the Yankees at plus 111. The Red Sox and Rays up plus 61, and then the Blue Jays just at plus 17. So, again, playing a ton of close games. Where does that end in the second half?
I just don't know if the Blue Jays are kind of built, you know, to go against.
[00:52:32] Speaker B: I'm really big on run differential, point differential. I think we talked about a lot in football. Do you guys know at one which sport? I did not talk about it recently.
[00:52:44] Speaker C: Basketball.
[00:52:45] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:52:47] Speaker C: No.
[00:52:48] Speaker B: Do you guys know why?
[00:52:49] Speaker C: Because the Lakers sucked at it.
[00:52:52] Speaker B: The Lakers are a negative point differential, but yet had second best record in the West. And it made no sense.
[00:52:59] Speaker A: We. We brought that up. I think at one point, right when they made the trade for. I think right when they made the trade for Luca, they were like point negatives or point zero.
I'm like differential because I'm watching the.
[00:53:10] Speaker B: Team, like, yeah, they're a lot of fun, but, oh, no, man, These. These wins and these losses, they're so shaky there. Yeah.
[00:53:18] Speaker C: I just think the Blue Jays are gonna have a tough time in this. So I think you're looking at. You're probably.
I think Yankees take the East. I think the Red Sox give him a run for their money. And I'm not counting out the Rays because the Rays just got some randomness stuff. They've been cold lately. I mean, they've lost four straight.
Yeah. Two and two in their. Eight in their last 10.
But, you know, they. Weird things go on in Tampa, man. They got a roster of guys that no one's ever heard of. I think people.
[00:53:44] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:53:44] Speaker C: If you watch baseball, the Home Run Derby, it was the first time anyone heard of Junior Caminero, so. And that's. And I guess he's probably their best player, so I think there's a lot of things there. The Blue Jays, you know, they got. They got some stars in that team, but do they have it all to put it together in a tough division? Not sure. And out of all those remaining teams in the east, the Blue Jays have the hardest Record, so. But I think you're seeing Yank, Yankees, Red Sox, Rays in, Tigers in, Astros, Mariners in.
[00:54:10] Speaker A: I'm going to disagree. I think Red Sox, Mariners don't get in. I'll say Rays, Blue Jays, those teams do stay in. I the Red Sox are hot right now, but they're going to fade 110 in a row if they f out those 10 wins are below.500. Probably not talking that much about them in Seattle is the same recipe. Can't score runs. I, I see them fading again. It's been the theme every September for like the last five years. They fade the Rays, I think they'll get hot again. They're just managed well. They'll find ways to win. They'll get into the playoffs. Texas kind of the outside wild card, but too many ups and downs for them. They haven't hit.
Relying on kind of older pitchers like Jacob deGrom and whatnot. They got a good staff. If Texas can get things together and put together, they might be a team that I think can sneak in. That would be my bold prediction for them to get into the playoffs. But I got Mariners and the Red Sox, probably both may be falling out of there and I'll put the Rangers in and Blue Jays hold on and keep the spot in the playoffs.
[00:55:08] Speaker B: Interesting. What do you think, Jason?
[00:55:09] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, it's super tight, but I, I just, with the, with the Blue Jays, I think just the tougher schedule, who they're playing and what those other teams have, I think you just have to. There's going to be an ability for those other teams to sneak in. I think the Red Sox got more, more in the tank, especially some of these guys they brought up that haven't kind of fully, you know, done a ton on the big league level right now and starting to click. Aaron mentions that Mariners not being able to score, but so far, you know, they have the best offense in the AL West. They got 451 runs so far. And so they've, they put up numbers. The pitching, I think just needs to be a little more improvement on the Mariner side, which, you know, maybe that improves as we get down the, down the stretch, so we'll see. I again, like, I, I like the Mariners.
This is probably me being a fantasy homer for my, my guy, the big dumper Cal Raleigh. But I think there's, I think there's more in the tank for them as they kind of, as they go down the stretch, the Rangers.
It's a good prediction from Aaron because like I said, like Marcus Simeon and Some other pieces they have there that underperformed in the first half. If they get hot, you know, all of a sudden this is an offense that has been sleeping, you know, maybe carries into the playoffs. So I think it's definitely possible for Aaron on that one.
[00:56:23] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean I'll. I'll ride Texas, I'll ride them. And you know, I, I think Seattle's getting ready to take a big dump. Like I said, I think they fall out of the wild card. It's just why I see it going.
I see them coming out. I like Tampa to get in over them.
And the Red Sox, like I said, they've been hot right now. Jason mentioned the youth players are playing good. But we'll see what happens once we get to September. The pressure, the moment can they want to happen. I think, I think young players start to press a little bit more in the veterans like endeavors and stuff. His. His presence will be missed on the field more so than in the clubhouse. And I think that will be a big difference for the Red Sox not making the playoffs.
[00:57:03] Speaker C: We got two pretty important weeks coming up with the trade deadline kind of alluded. That's a little bit Rome. And as Aaron said, a lot of people are like in contention. So the additional wild card, what I've liked about that is you've kept more teams in contention. So the sellers a little bit of a cornering of the market here. So if you're going to make a big move, who are the teams actually willing to part with People. So you know, what are the A's have out there? Do the Angels decide whether they're buyers or sellers in the future?
You know, does anyone have a bad two weeks? You know, do. Do the Rangers get worse and they have a bad two weeks and they go like, hey, it's not worth it. We become sellers. And so when you have this many teams in contention right now, it's an important two weeks coming up of like who's actually be the sellers and what's the market looking like for, you know, hey, we got 20 buyers and 10 sellers. You know, there's minimal stuff on the market. What's the price you're going to pay? What's the team that's going to make the bold move that potentially overpays with a bunch, you know, with a bunch of excess prospects in the deal. So I. More will come out. I think we can reevaluate this. On. Is the 31st still the deadline? I think it still is July, but yeah, we could probably talk about this.
[00:58:13] Speaker A: On August 1st August, August 1st is our fantasy league deadline. So, yeah, it's right after. So, yeah.
[00:58:19] Speaker C: So you talk August 1st. I think you look at some GMs who made some bold moves. And I mean, a lot of times it's maybe not the stars that are going, but what are some pieces that maybe, hey, it's a, it's a defensive player that's going to provide some defensive depth. It's somebody who can help with some base running. It's going to be, you know, a middle relief, you know, pitcher that comes in, you know, in a tight spot. So those, those are the moves, I think, to watch out for some of these teams down the stretch that provide, you know, 12 game advantage or show up big in playoff moments. I think watching, I mentioned watching that Red Sox documentary a couple weeks ago and you know, the trades they made you, the Garcia part trade, but they bring in, you know.
[00:58:59] Speaker B: Man, I was so heartbroken with that.
[00:59:01] Speaker C: Yeah, it was. But then, hey, he brought in Doug man Cavich. And who do they bring in at shortstop? I can't remember. But yeah, we brought in some defensive guys. They're gonna, you know, that are gonna, you know, improve the overall field, you know, defense and a middle reliever or something like that.
These are the kind of underrated moves of teams as they kind of tell their story, you know, going to the playoffs and to win a World Series.
[00:59:23] Speaker A: Yeah, I think, I think back in bullpen depth is going to be big for a lot of these teams. That's what teams are going to look to add. I mean, starting pitchers. We'll see. I don't think there's going to be another name like Devers, but you never know. Somebody might move somebody. But yeah, I mean, it's going to be a lot of probably back in top bullpen guys, seventh, eighth, ninth inning. Maybe a closer gets moved. You know, Kansas City's got some nice bullpen arms themselves. We'll see if they make some moves.
The guardian is a team that was, you know, almost in the World Series last year. They're three games below.500. We know they'll probably might sell off some guys starting pitching. Pitching is always big. And then like Jason said, you know, a platoon position player, a guy that can come in and sub in for him if somebody gets hurt and goes on the IL for two, three weeks or come in and play, you know, late innings, pitch, hit, you know, go from the infield to the outfield. I mean, the Dodgers have been always great at picking up like a Tommy Edmond who can go from second base to center field build and, you know, comes alive and earns themselves a big contract because he had to eat home runs in the postseason. Who's going to be that guy and that player, that one of these teams in the top five or eight, get that, get them over the top to get to the playoffs and potentially get to a World Series? I mean, even Arizona, they did a nice job two years ago, we forget, but they were in the World Series.
