
2 Guys Talking Baseball
Dallas Danger and Brian Logan discuss the game of baseball. Two fans, two personalities, Two Guys!
2 Guys Talking Baseball
Put Your Money where your mouth is!
Can a single trade redefine a baseball team's future? Join us as we explore the Chicago Cubs' audacious acquisition of Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros, a move that boldly signals their intent to be serious contenders this season. This episode unpacks the trade's strategic significance, including the expectations for Tucker's impact and the implications for players like Ezok Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and Cam Smith who make their exit. We also give a heartfelt nod to Cody Bellinger's nostalgic journey to the New York Yankees, where he'll don his dad’s number, and discuss the broader market strategies shaping these roster shifts.
Our conversation continues with a spotlight on the Cubs' tactical maneuvers, such as trading Matt Mervis for the versatile Vidal Brujan, showcasing how crucial adaptability is in assembling a championship-level team. Shifting to the Los Angeles Dodgers, we highlight Patrick Wisdom’s exciting new chapter with the KBO’s Kia Tigers and the potential resurgence of David Bote. The Dodgers' decision to retain Teoscar Hernandez underscores the importance of stability amidst injury challenges, reflecting their commitment to maintaining a formidable lineup.
From there, we journey to the Boston Red Sox with Walker Bueller's fresh start and dive into the intriguing Hall of Fame candidacy of Russell Martin. The episode concludes with a celebration of the vibrant era under Mets owner Steve Cohen, marked by strategic signings and priceless memorabilia, creating a buzz for the team's future. Grab your headphones and join us for a lively discussion of baseball's past, present, and promising future that promises to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Hello and welcome inside. Well, brian's inside the Three Crow Studio in Morristown, tennessee. I am in my living room. More on that in a minute. But Happy New Year. Welcome to Two Guys Talking Baseball. Hope everyone had a nice holiday, no matter how you celebrate or what you celebrate. We got a lot of catching up to do, brian. We've been off for two weeks.
Speaker 2:It's a great week for baseball, and we do have a lot to catch up with yeah, so, uh, right right at the top.
Speaker 1:Uh, thank you for being so cool, everybody, that we took a couple weeks off. Um, you know, things happen, life happens and, um, this week is no different. I sound uh, again. I'm not in the studio. I'm going to sound a little bit different than normal because I'm in my living room, because this morning I tested positive for COVID yeah, the dreaded COVID, but I feel great I've got a voice. So we figured we would try to get caught up on everything that's been going on and there's been a lot going on the last three weeks in the world of baseball. And, yeah, we're getting closer to games 84 days until opening day and I think that's just traditional opening day, which means we have even less until the Japan series between the Cubs and the Dodgers, which we're both looking forward to.
Speaker 2:Can't wait for it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's going to be fantastic. And then you know even less than that. I mean, we're less than two months from spring training games, which is that's always my big countdown day. I want to know when we've got spring training games because, you know, as a frequent viewer of Dodger baseball, I need spring training too.
Speaker 2:Right, absolutely, we've got to have spring training.
Speaker 1:Got to get used to watching every day.
Speaker 2:You know, got to get in the swing of things. The new names, yeah, everything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, absolutely Got to get in mid-season four, right, okay, so let's get started with the Cubs. Brian, the big news since the last time we did a show is that the Cubs traded away Ezok Paredes, hayden Wesneski and Cam Smith to the Houston Astros for Kyle Tucker.
Speaker 1:Yeah that's huge. It really is huge. And it's huge for a couple reasons. This was something that was rumored to be in the works, but especially the last couple years. Any time a big-name player on an expiring contract gets rumored to be traded, most of the time the team that has the player and would be trading the player away, the asking price, gets too high. Nobody wants to pull the trigger. You know it does happen, but this didn't seem real until it actually was real. And for the Cubs to kind of swoop in and do this, and for the Cubs to kind of swoop in and do this, I think it signifies that they are as much as they can in one year. They are going for it.
Speaker 2:I hope so. I mean I really hope they're going for it. I mean, some of the trades and decisions they've made lately are pointing in that direction and that is a great sign.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and they're giving up a lot. Cam Smith is a very highly touted prospect that is probably going to crack the major leagues in the next year or two. Hayden Wisniewski was a solid piece in that pitching staff. And Paredes I really want to hear your take on the half of the season that. Parades was a Chicago Cub. We covered it a lot from the deadline on last season, but this almost is an admission that that was a failed experiment. What do you think?
Speaker 2:Oh, it was definitely a failed experiment. I mean, he just didn't fit in. He didn't look comfortable from moment one. He didn't seem to mingle with the team very well, he didn't seem happy to be playing and his playing really wasn't anything, uh, extraordinary. It was just, you know, it was okay but it wasn't what he was touted to be. Um, and I'm kind of glad that we traded him off, but you're right, it is a failed experiment. We should have never traded for him to begin with.
Speaker 1:And you know, I think his performance at the plate had a lot to do with the fact that Wrigley was not a place where he was ever going to have success. And he's going to Houston, that stinking Cracker Jack box in Houston, where he's liable to hit 30 home runs next year Pulling the ball. Those Crawford boxes, I mean, I hate that place.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a terrible field.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, need I remind everyone that when they first built that ballpark, there was a hill, a literal hill. You had to climb up in center field.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's a dump. Don't get me started on anything to do with the Astros, but Kyle Tucker. You know this is the best way I've heard this put. As far as what Kyle Tucker coming to the Cubs means to that team and that organization, even if he's only there for the one year left on this contract, the Cubs have seemed right on the cusp. They go out and they spend money on a manager that was, you know, a huge contract for a manager, a guy that was really, really sought after around the league. In Craig Council They've been just under the win total to get into the playoffs the last two years. They were missing a guy who was like a top 10, 15, top 20 player in the league. They now have that.
Speaker 1:Kyle Tucker is that guy. He is absolutely, and if you're listening to this show and you're thinking, well, if he's that big of a deal, why don't I know more about him? It's because he's about the most boring dude I've ever encountered in my entire life. There's not really anything interesting about him personally, but you know, let's just take a look. You know he debuts with Houston in 2018 and since then has been a really incredible hitter.
Speaker 1:2023 had the most RBIs in the league, which you know. Say what you want about that statistic. Ops plus for his career 139. Plus for his career 139. Uh, basically ever since 2019 which, um, you know, was when he really kind of started to get antiquated to to the big league level he's been an above average hitter, right, uh, well, above average, you know, I mean he only played 78 games last year, but his OPS plus was 181, which is really stinking good. I mean, that's creeping up on Otani and Judge levels of overall hitting. So this is a guy again that gives the Cubs that one piece. They seemingly were missing at least in the lineup, and you know we'll talk more about some things that have been done since then. But, brian, you and I talked about this when, when the tucker trade happened.
Speaker 2:If they make a couple more moves around this, they're right in the thick of the national league next year yeah, they've got the, the moves they made at the end of last season with the pitching staff, and the pitching staff that they have, uh, are gathering now in the offseason and then with this guy, I mean, you're right, there are a couple of pieces away from really looking like a solid contender.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and here's what we don't know. That, I think, is an interesting piece of this whole thing, because I don't know that the Cubs know the answer to this either. What do they have to do in 2025 to get Kyle Tucker to seriously consider signing with them and coming back?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean. Yeah, I mean it's, it's a huge deal, right, I mean what? What did they have to do?
Speaker 1:Well, you know, kyle Tucker has made it pretty clear, from from my understanding, that he he wants to test the free agent market because he thinks he can bring in a pretty big contract. And you know, does he get Soto money? I mean, I don't think anybody's going to get Soto money.
Speaker 2:No, he doesn't get Soto money.
Speaker 1:No, you know that's a really. I mean, you know you could argue Soto shouldn't have got the Soto money Right, really. But he's going to bring a big contract, hundreds of millions of dollars. He'll be 28 when he hits free agency, which is pretty young.
Speaker 2:You're right.
Speaker 1:You know a lot of years left and you know this is a guy who you know already is a three-time All-Star. He's won a World Series, he's won a Gold Glove. You know he's got the pedigree. You know to be one of the best players already is one of the best hitters in all of Major League Baseball and he's on the Cubs roster now guaranteed for a year, unless something goes horribly wrong in the first half and they trade him at the deadline. But we don't want to assume that's going to be the case, because I think this makes the Cubs a lot better.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they want to keep him. I don't think this is a moving piece to some other deal. I mean, I think they want to keep him and let him contribute to the ball club.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I do too. I'm just saying hypothetically they could not do as well as they hope in the first half of the season and go. Well, if he's going to walk anyway, we might as well try to get something out of him.
Speaker 2:Well, he did say he was open to the idea of more, more time with the Cubs. They just hadn't got there yet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, and that's good, because I think, you know, I think from Jed Hoyer's standpoint, he had to know at least to some degree that Kyle Tucker was open to re-signing with the Cubs.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It just. I would be surprised if that deal comes together before next winter.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't think he's going to have enough time in this organization for them to wow him enough to to get that like team friendly discount to stay where he's at. Yeah, that a lot of players, a lot of players give teams just because they want to stay. Maybe they know the team can't give them the big contract that another team could. Whatever it is, you know these are all conversations we're not privy to, so this is all speculation. But it's exciting. It's exciting for the Cubs, it's exciting for you, it's exciting for me. It's exciting for you, it's exciting for me, it's just exciting overall that Kyle Tucker is going to be on the Cubs this year.
Speaker 2:It really is, and it's very exciting for me because you know we were missing a piece. We searched for it all last season and I really think he's going to be the missing piece. I'm very happy about this trade and you know I can't wait to see him play.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun to watch cubs games this year, um for sure more fun than it is usually. It's just, you know, the cubs are a fun team. They have to be a fun team to be successful exactly this is. This is going to make them a lot of fun to watch yeah, I mean I.
Speaker 2:I just hope he he acclimates to the Cubs' program there and plays happy, because that's the key in Chicago you have to be the fan-friendly. You're out there playing every day and you don't get discouraged by what happened yesterday. You play for the day and then you mount that up and go from there. So I hope that he—I guess the culture is what I'm trying to say that he embraces the culture of the Cubs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and I think the fan base is going to embrace him and he's going to do a lot of good things for the team. Even if it's just for a year, Might as well go for it. If you got him for a year, you might as well go for it, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2:That's what he's there for, and they should definitely go for it.
Speaker 1:And the other thing about this, too, was, leading up to the news breaking that the trade had been agreed upon, there was a lot of speculation that the Astros wanted Parades and Seiya Suzuki, or they wanted Cam Smith and Matt Shaw, and we end up with this trade, and while it is a lot, I think, parades, whatever, I think the Cubs are just happy to move on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wes Neskin you may have already replaced with another deal we're going to talk about here in a minute. And then Cam Smith yeah, he's a big prospect, but another deal for the Cubs that we're going to cover here in a minute. What I told you, brian, when Brujan for Mervis happened and we're going to cover that at length here in a little bit but when you have these highly rated prospects and you don't have an immediate place to put them on the big league club and they're just being blocked, you have to, if you want to compete, turn those prospects into pieces to help the big league club yeah, definitely and and that's what they've done with cam smith here in the kyle tucker deal for sure yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean again I know I keep echoing the same thing it's just a good deal all the way around. I think that it worked out and for once Jed Hoyer really got the job done.
Speaker 1:Alright, so you got anything else to say on Kyle Tucker in this trade.
Speaker 2:No man, I'm just really excited to watch him play. I mean, I'm not that familiar with his play because he plays for a different team. I mean, obviously I've seen him play but I'm really looking forward to him being on our team this year and seeing what he can do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, me too. I got a feeling it's going to be a good fit and I think the Cubs will be really successful this coming season. And I think, if the stars align, I think the Cubs have a real opportunity to get him inked up and make him a centerpiece for this franchise for a long time, moving forward.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. And again, I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but hopefully we do get him for multiple years and that's still a possibility.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that would be ideal for sure, Absolutely ideal for sure, Absolutely ideal for sure. Okay, so more Cubbies being traded and guys getting traded to the Cubs. So Kyle Tucker goes to the Cubs. There's already sort of a traffic jam in the outfield in the north side. So Cody Bellinger I don we, I don't know. It seemed like from the reporting it was a foregone conclusion. Cody Bellinger was going to get traded and that ends up happening. Cody Bellinger goes to the Yankees for Cody Petit and $5 million, which is paying down some of that contract that the Cubs wanted out of with Bellinger after he exercised his player option for 2025. So from a Cody Bellinger standpoint, this is kind of cool. His dad, notably, played for the Yankees when they were very good, won a couple World Series there. He's going to wear his dad's number for the Yankees, which is pretty cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's really cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I love Bellinger. You do too. We've both been able to live the Cody Bellinger experience with our favorite team, so good for him going to a place where he's going to play every day. He's going to be a big piece and that's good.
Speaker 2:I think he'll thrive up there. I really do. I think he'll fit in just perfectly and he may end up having one of the best seasons he's ever had because of the you know, he's went from LA to Chicago. Now he's in the big market and I think he's ready for it.
Speaker 1:Well, and the funny thing about Cody Bellinger at this point in his career is we're never going to see the 47 home run Cody Bellinger again, because he got in such a bad way a couple years ago that he has completely changed how he approaches hitting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's night and day.
Speaker 1:He's not really a power hitter anymore. No, I mean, he has that in there, but he's not going up there trying to hit bombs and hitting 40 a year. He's just trying to get on base. And you know his time with the Cubs. I thought he was pretty successful and he got in a decent place. And and he and and you know his time with the cubs. I thought he was pretty successful and he and he got in a decent place. And, yeah, now he's moving on and and going to the yankees and, um, fuck the yankees, but we love cody bellinger.
Speaker 2:So right, right, right, yeah, that's. The worst thing is is that, at the end of the day, he's a yankee, so you know, so much for our fandom.
Speaker 1:Well, for the time being, Right. But let's talk about the Cubs' perspective on this. $5 million is not that much money on what he was owed. I was shocked that that was the case. That they didn't have to pay a bigger chunk, I guess is what I'm trying to say of that remaining contract Right and Cody Petit. I don is what I'm trying to say of that remaining contract Right and Cody Petit. I don't know a lot about him, but I have heard people say that he is going to slot right in where Hayden Wisniewski was in that pitching staff. Yeah, and has the potential to be a really good piece for the Cubs. But I mean, at the end of the day for the Cubs. They freed up space for everybody to play in the outfield. They've made sure now that Michael Bush is going to be the first baseman they got out from under that contract of Cody Bellinger. If the opportunity presents itself, they can use that money to add to this team and do something with it and get a couple guys to help the ball club.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. I mean yeah, it wasn't a lot of money. I mean it's funny to talk about $5 million. Isn't a lot of money, but in baseball it really isn't.
Speaker 1:Well, when you owe the guys, I mean I think they owed him like $27, $28.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, so you know. I think most people would have expected them to pay a lot more of that to a team that they were trading into.
Speaker 1:But I think what ends up happening here is the market for Bellinger wasn't that high, there weren't a lot of teams that were willing to take on that contract. They just kind of lucked up with the Yankees Deeper pockets, obviously, with the Yankees and the Yankees had a need, and more than that. The Yankees have very much since Juan Soto signed elsewhere and across town, basically with the Mets. They have made it clear that they are going to take the money they saved by not signing Juan Soto and and spend it elsewhere.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So you know, good for them, I guess. But you know, this is just another piece of this equation for the Cubs, and I think I mean, we won't know until we look back on the 2025 season and know how all this played out. But one thing is for sure Jed Hoyer is working his ass off right now.
Speaker 2:Oh, he definitely is and you know, despite what I've said in the past, he is working hard. Now some of his deals prior to these last ones were suspect, but he's doing a decent job here the last month and he is trying, and that's all you can ask is that he tries to do his job.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think the story with Jed Hoyer and the Cubs so far has been a lot more about what he was not able to do compared to what he has been able to do the fact that these deals are getting done is a tick up, it's a trend up for the Cubs and for Jed Hoyer, because you know, I mean we've talked about it multiple times, but when he had to face the media after last year's deadline and just say, look, none of it worked, Like I tried everything and nothing worked. And you know, and that was hard, that was tough.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Especially coming off of trading Christopher Murrell, who, while statistically not a great player, was someone that the Cubs fans really loved, with good reason. You and I, brian, saw him play up close and personal. Oh yeah, it's a lot harder to not like that guy than it is to like him.
Speaker 2:Yep, just a really likable dude. Nicest guy on the planet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, if he was within 100 yards of a kid, he made that kid's day. Yep, every time we were at the ballpark.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:But coming off of trading him, which you know on paper was a good move. It just didn't work out. You know it's been a lot of bad luck for Jed Hoyer too, so he needed some good luck, and this is all some good luck for him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was, and part of that bad luck with Murrell was that I think they did it in the middle of the game and it made it seem more intense and sad than than it was really was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because you, because you have that footage of Morrell having to tell everybody goodbye.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And go back in the clubhouse and pack his stuff. You know, and that always adds to that Like, like you're saying, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean just in the, I was flabbergasted they did it in the middle of the of the game. I mean I, I mean I'm sure that's happened before many times. I just I don't know if I've ever seen it happen in the middle of a game. I mean, certainly I have. Um, it was just it added to the gravitas of the moment that the cameras were able to catch all that yeah, yeah, it definitely added to the emotional aspect of morel being traded away.
Speaker 1:Uh, I can agree with that all day long. So then we get um, then we get to a point where we've got this really interesting trade that just happened and I think there's a lot of different ways to look at the Cubs getting Vidal Brujan from the Marlins for Matt Mervis. I think the easy thing to look at is the fact that Brujan, while you know, he was a number one prospect not that long ago and he has not quite lived up to that hype yet as a big leaguer. But we'll get to that in a second. I'm trying to sorry everyone. I'm browsing the internet for some information while we're talking.
Speaker 1:So Matt Mervis last year has a really, really phenomenal year in the minor leagues. You know one of the better players in the minor leagues last year has played, you know, 36 games in the big leagues, but still a prospect. So I think a lot of people look at this deal and go why would they give up Mervis for a guy who I think at his best at the Major League level, at least at this juncture, is a utility guy and number one? You know Mervis is another guy that didn't have a spot with the Cubs. So Mervis is another guy that didn't have a spot with the Cubs. He just didn't have an obvious place to plug in on the big league club.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there just wasn't room.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there just wasn't room for him, which has been an issue for a lot of guys with the Cubs recently.
Speaker 2:Yeah, nothing against them. There's only so many people you can put there.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And again, I think what Jed Hoyer is attempting to do here is sell high on Matt Mervis and try to get somebody that can help the big league club. Vidal Brujan is not going to be a star player unless he just totally breaks out, which would be amazing. But you know, even if he's just a solid, good, super utility guy for you, you took a guy who's doing well in the minor leagues that you don't have a place for again, like we talked about with Cam Smithith and the tucker trade, and you're turning matt mervis into a piece for the big league club. And when you look at, you know let's just look at the most recent world series champions, the los angeles dodgers. Where would they be without kike hernandez?
Speaker 1:oh, absolutely not the same team, and I'm not saying brujan is is kike hernandez at the plate at this point in his career, but he fills that role.
Speaker 2:He's literally played every position but catcher in the major leagues already in a very short amount of time he's, he's just one of those guys you can plug in anywhere if the cubs was a glass of water and that glass was filled with all the players, you add him and it puts him over the top and lets the water run everywhere. He could be the key, the blasting cap if you will, to get him getting them on a run. You know, he could be the utility guy that fills in everywhere, that fills the gaps, that keeps them going through the whole season.
Speaker 1:And you know, 2025 will only be Brujan's fifth season with big league top and he played 102 games last year, which basically doubled his career high in the big leagues. And his numbers are not great when you look at him now, but they've gotten better and better every year. Yeah, that he's been in the big leagues and last year he was really really close to to getting to the point where he is a serviceable hitter and maybe the change of scenery you know what I mean could put him over that hump even more.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And again, this guy can play anywhere, right. And when you look at the Dodgers and what the Dodgers have built, you know, from a foundational standpoint, just completely organizationally, you need guys that are flexible as far as their position, from a foundational standpoint, just completely organizationally. You need guys that are flexible as far as their position and if they can get anything offensively out of Vidal Brujan, I think no matter what happens with Matt Mervis moving forward this is a win for the Cubs.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's a win. I'm all for utility players. I think they fill in. Just, you know, compliment that you got to have them, you, they compliment the team. Uh, especially if he's played every position and and we still got some catcher problems. So that would that would be interesting to see if he fills in there at all yeah, let me take a look and see how much he he has caught.
Speaker 1:He might not have caught. I might be speaking out of turn there, okay, um, because I looked the other day and here we go yeah, he hasn't caught.
Speaker 2:That's the one thing he's not done. If I said that.
Speaker 1:If I said that incorrectly, uh, I apologize. He's played every position, including pitcher, oh wow, yeah, well, he I mean no big deal, just you know yeah, he was on the marlins. They get blown out a lot. You need position players to pitch in any and every right, right, right, but it's still interesting when that happens.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, so, yeah. So I mean this is a guy that has big league experience everywhere. I mean just every position can really do it, all you know. Let me see it looks like he's played the most at second base Okay. Let me see it looks like he's played the most at second base Okay, which, obviously, barring an injury or Nico Horner getting traded is not going to be the case, right.
Speaker 2:Which might set up for. Nico being traded, though.
Speaker 1:I don't know, I don't view that, I don't think this leads to that, just because, again, I think this guy plugs in when you need it, when somebody needs a day off, you've got Brujanda getting there and playing whatever position it is Right just to fill in, he's ready. He's ready to play any position. So you know, nico needs a day off. Whoever needs a day off, he's there to fill that void. And again, if the Cubs get anything out of him offensively, I think it's a win, it's a plus, right? Yeah?
Speaker 2:Any little bit that he contributes is a plus, without a doubt.
Speaker 1:So, again, we'll see how all this shakes out, but I feel like he's such a good fit for the Cubs, I feel like he's a piece they needed and, you know, solidify that bench Because, again, championship teams have good benches. They have guys that can contribute who aren't in there every day.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep, you got to have that depth.
Speaker 1:So yeah, just to kind of recap, I like what the Cubs are doing. I think Jed Hoyer's pants might be on fire because he's like what the Cubs are doing. I think Jed Hoyer's pants might be on fire because he's really on the hot seat, yeah. I agree with that, but at least they're going for it and they're trying to get better and they're trying to give Craig Council a team that can allow him to prove that he you know what I'm saying Right For him to live up to that contract he got.
Speaker 2:Giving him a chance, giving him the tools to make it work. Not that he didn't have the tools last season, he just you can always have better tools.
Speaker 1:Well, but at the same time didn't he say publicly, sitting right next to Jed Hoyer, don't look at me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh yeah he did. He put the blame where the blame should have been.
Speaker 1:Call Jed Hoyer right out on the carpet and this is Jed Hoyer saying you know what? Maybe you're right.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:Maybe you're right, yep, and I'm going to go out there and get you better pieces and see, and then we'll see. Then we'll see if it's you, because you know council's supposed to be the best manager out there when they got him and I don't know. I mean, but I like where the Cubs are at, I like what they're doing.
Speaker 2:I do too. I think they're going to be a contender this year. I really do. I think this could be our year.
Speaker 1:And I say this all the time, I mean every episode we've ever done. I've said this in a winnable division, you know nobody's blowing the doors off the NL Central.
Speaker 2:The.
Speaker 1:Brewers win it every year, by default, I mean. And that's not taking anything away from the Brewers, they're really good at what they do, but they are by no means unbeatable in that division.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And even if you don't win the division, the way that the playoffs are set up now you can still get in.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And the Cubs have been really close to that the last couple years.
Speaker 2:They've just been a couple of games away. Man, Like I've said, if they could have just played an extra week, then we would have been fine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, hopefully they don't need the extra week this year. Hopefully they would have been fine. Yeah, well, hopefully they don't need the extra week this year.
Speaker 2:Hopefully they can get it done in 162. Yeah, hopefully, hopefully right fingers crossed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right. Well, um, just briefly, before we move on from the cubs, because we've spent a lot of time on the cubs, uh, with good reason yeah uh, we wanted to mention a former cub. Patrick wisdom is headed to the KBO, you know, and I see him as a guy that could potentially go to Korea and tap into something and come back and be really successful, more so than he was first go-round in the majors.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he could go over there and play really well, become a star there, get some more seasoning and then come back and make one more run over here. I mean I loved watching him play. I thought, you know, the grand slam he had a couple of years ago was fantastic and, uh, you know, I just I really enjoyed watching him play and you know, I just I really enjoyed watching him play.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he's going to the Kia Tigers, who are a really successful team. It's a one-year deal. One year and he's going to go over there and again he's going to be on a good ball club, it seems like if he contributes to a championship or does anything really of note in the KBO. He's 33, you know he'll be 34 when that contract runs out, right? That means he's got gas left in the tank and I think there's an opportunity for him if he shows anything in Korea.
Speaker 2:Oh, without a doubt, I think this is a good move for him, because the Cubs just didn't have a place for him Again. You know, it's not that he did anything. Cubs just didn't have a place for him again. You know, it's not that he did anything bad or they didn't like him, it's just there's only so many slots. This is a good opportunity for him to go over there, get some money and to become a better player and get, get that seasoning, you know, get, maybe get in a leadership role over there and come back and bring that to the states and MLB again absolutely uh.
Speaker 1:So good luck to patrick wisdom definitely in korea. Yeah, we, we like him a lot and uh look forward to seeing what's next for him after, after his year with the kia tigers yeah, we'll be.
Speaker 2:We'll be following p weasel yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:I'll try to keep an eye on that and uh see how he's doing as the kbo season goes along and maybe we'll have a new segment every week. Every week, the the p-wizzle watch yes, we can do that. That would be interesting okay, let's talk about the dodgers a little bit. Um, who oh? Yeah those guys, those guys, um so, speaking of former cubs, uh, david bode has signed a minor league deal with the dodgers and uh, I don't really have much to say on that.
Speaker 1:Brian, do you? What would you like to say? I mean?
Speaker 2:he, I loved watching him play and he was a clutch player that really he was glue, he glued them together. Um, he was one of those players that would hit in the, you know, say, the five through eight deal in the bottom of the order and, uh, he would really. You know, he showed some promise. I enjoyed watching play and I think he's a good ball player. Again, a victim of not enough room, and I think normally I'm not for going back down to the minors after you've spent considerable time in the majors, but I think again, this could be good for him, especially with the Dodgers organization, if he can make it back up to the majors and play for them a little bit. So I think that's a good move for him as well.
Speaker 1:I think the most interesting thing here is you know, the Dodgers kind of have a traffic jam of position players right now but David Bodie, in the case of an injury, could come up and contribute, I think for the Dodgers.
Speaker 1:And you know, obviously I don't want to see that happen because that would be less than ideal from a Dodgers standpoint. But I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that that happens. Now, if he breaks camp and doesn't make the team, I think he might be in that and I didn't do enough research on this to really say for sure, but I think he might be in that window where he can elect free agency. So let's say he has a good spring but the Dodgers haven't figured out as far as who's on the big league roster opening day. I think he could have the opportunity to go and say, hey, look at the spring I had and get a job somewhere else. So you know, we'll see with David Bodie. But you know I wanted to bring that up, um, because we focus very heavily on Cubs and Dodgers and uh, that's just how it goes, so uh wanted wanted to make mention of that.
Speaker 2:Bodie's a fun player and I think he's a good player. I think he'll resurface somewhere.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think so too. I think at the end of the day he's going to get a job somewhere. Somewhere, whether it's in the minor league, sort of as a fringe guy for the Dodgers or or you know somewhere else, he's going to be able to put him on the big league club and keep him there and, you know, give him a chance. So so we'll see. It's an interesting timing. I wanted to make sure we got we snuck that in. Yeah, um, I'm trying to. I'm trying to stick and move on some stuff here, because, again, we got a lot to cover today yeah, we, so much has happened yeah, so, uh, the big news for the dodgers, teoscar hernandez, is back three years 66 million.
Speaker 1:They got it done and, um me, that was the biggest piece of this offseason for the Dodgers, you know, yeah, we just won one, but the goal in LA is to win one every year, or at least give yourself the best chance to compete, to win one every single year. And this is a different team if Teoscar hernandez is not that yeah, yeah, I agree he's.
Speaker 2:He's the heart and soul. He's, uh, he's the christopher morel, he's the heart and soul man. Um, I had to say that because it just cracked me up that to compare teo to that. But uh, yeah, I mean they needed him, that he needs to be on the dodgers playing in the lineup agreed, he was such a rock.
Speaker 1:Uh, in 2024, you know um, outside of otani was the the most consistent season-long hitter yeah you know, with the injuries and all the personal stuff with Freddie Freeman.
Speaker 1:you know, mookie's out for months, max Muncy's out for months, will Smith sort of takes a tick down offensively. Last year, just look at Tao Hernandez. I mean this dude lives for the big moments. Yeah, I mean performs at a much higher level when the lights are the brightest. You know, went up to Yankee Stadium and had a monster series in the regular season. You know just a guy that you want on your ball club and now the Dodgers have him for for a few more years.
Speaker 1:Um, and the funny thing is, a lot of the reporting would have led you to believe that he was either after more than three years or more than $22 million a year and that the Dodgers weren't willing to give him whatever it was he wanted. And then we get this. It's three years, $66 million, I think. The whole time he was just chilling for the holidays and his agent was putting stuff out there to try to get bigger numbers out of the dodgers, knowing full well. And good, teo was going back, no matter what the offer was, as long as it was within reason, you know yeah, that makes sense that he would do it that way.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's the smart business way to do it yeah, and I just don't know, you know, I don't know that there was a bigger market out there for him and if there was, there's no way it was a better fit. I mean, tao belongs on the Dodgers right now.
Speaker 2:Without a doubt.
Speaker 1:He bet on himself. He took a one-year flyer contract. He turned down more years and more money to go elsewhere because he wanted to be here, because he wanted to play on the Dodgers. And you know, for anybody who didn't see the uh, the World Series celebration, after the parade at Dodger Stadium he got a very emotional talking about winning the World Series with the Dodgers. And you know him and Shohei got really close and you know he, he brought the the sunflower seed celebration. You know he's just such a part of this ball club now it would have been crazy to for him to just move on after one year yeah, I mean, if he would have moved on, who would have done the sunflower seeds man?
Speaker 2:and that's you got to have that. That's part of the Dodgers lore.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Well, you know and I I. I have to buy a Mr Seeds shirt. Um, now, and I don't remember which company made that shirt, but I'm going to look it up cause I want to shout them out, cause it's a great shirt. Um, but I, I, you know, I said, like I always do, that I won't spend a lot of money on a player, you know if he's just going to be around for a year.
Speaker 1:Okay, let me see. I think I got it. It was Roto-Wear. I thought it was Roto-Wear, but I wanted to be 100% sure. So shout out to Roto-Wear for a great shirt that I have to buy now, because I put my money where my mouth is Absolutely. I'm just so happy. I mean, we talk so much with the Cubs about how excited we are Now. I texted you the day that we got the news. Tao was back.
Speaker 2:I said I'm ready.
Speaker 1:I'm ready to get to spring training now, because he was the piece, he was the one piece this offseason that I felt like we had to make work. It had to happen. Now do I think the Dodgers are done? Not necessarily. The Rookie Sasaki sweepstakes is still going on. I think Tanner Scott is a piece that the Dodgers would really like to add. But you know, if we showed up with the roster we have right now, I'd feel pretty good about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're sitting pretty over there, aren't they?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and there's a lot to figure out roster construction-wise. I mean, quique Hernandez is still a free agent, clayton Kershaw is still technically a free agent, and these are guys you know. Kershaw's already said he's back and I think the only reason he declined the option is because it made the most sense for the Dodgers for him to not take up a roster spot. And I think there's I mean there there's a few guys. I think that for definites that as soon as spring training starts and the 60 day IL slots are available, they're immediately moving over.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because there's there's guys on this 40 man roster that we know aren't going to be pitching next year. So you know, I think we're just waiting on that to get Kershaw's deal done. Honestly, I've heard this theorized and I kind of vibe with it. The fact that we haven't heard anything about the market for Quique Hernandez, I think could mean there's already a handshake deal done and they're just waiting for the available roster spot to open up for him to for him to be officially a part of the Dodgers Cause. I cause I just don't. I mean we'd be hearing something right.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, yeah. In this case I think, yeah. In this case, I think no news is good news.
Speaker 1:I think so too, and maybe that's wishful thinking, because man who doesn't love Kike Hernandez? Absolutely, but again you just feel like he belongs on this ball club.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, he does. I mean he's part of the team. I mean he does, he's he. I mean he's part of the team, I mean part of the heart and soul of the team. You gotta have him there. I mean, when they just got him back, um, we were so excited because that's where he belongs yeah, agreed, 100, okay, um, let's move on.
Speaker 1:Let's, let's do some. Let's do some stuff pretty quickly because we still got quite a bit to cover. Walker Bueller signs with the Red Sox. I don't think this is a big surprise. I don't think it made a lot of sense for him to come back to the Dodgers from either side. But you know, the guy that threw the last pitch of a World Series win, leaving in free agency of sucks, um, yeah, you know uh, the one thing I want to I want to talk about here.
Speaker 1:Uh, and obviously best of luck to walker bueller. Love that dude always will, and part of the reason for that is, I found out the other day, he's gonna wear number zero with the red socks okay, and. Okay, and I just love that number, yeah, you know.
Speaker 2:I don't want to get up.
Speaker 1:I don't want to talk about all the reasons why, because we don't have a lot of time to get into stuff that has nothing to do with baseball, it's just me stuff. But yeah, what a badass dude, and I think the Red Sox are a good fit.
Speaker 2:They are. I was a little disappointed. I was hoping he was going to come to the Cubs. I think he could have helped us out a lot. But you know, the Red Sox is probably a good fit for him and he's got another year in him. He needs to make that money Coming off his, you know, the win the World Series win and this should be a good year for him. He should do well there.
Speaker 1:I think so. I think he's going to have a good year. I think he's going to hit the market again next year, or maybe not. I think I read that there's a mutual option after the one-year deal, so maybe he does really well and the team and Walker Bueller agree that they want a second year. But all the best to him. I'll be paying close attention to how he does.
Speaker 1:Yeah, with the red socks. Um, I also wanted to mention this. I kind of wanted to get deeper in the weeds on this than we're going to have time for. But, um, russell martin, uh, former dodgers catcher, uh, on the hall of ballot and I think most people when they saw that assumed you know, oh well, good for him, but he'll be lucky to be on the ballot more than one year.
Speaker 1:Then this conversation kind of just gets opened up where it was, and the first place I really saw it was a Cubs beat writer Megan Montemaro posted her ballot.
Speaker 1:She has a Hall of Fame vote and, like a lot of voters do, she posted her ballot and she included Russell Martin and her reasoning and I'm really paraphrasing here, and I don't I don't mean to misquote, I'm just kind of given the ballpark idea. Sorry, I'm taking a drink of water, I know you can't see me, brian. So basically, she said I intend to vote for Yadier Molina when he hits the ballot and I can't justify voting for him and not voting for Russell Martin, because when you look at Russell Martin's pitch framing specifically, he is like the most elite of all time and some people get hung up on war as a statistic Baseball reference Russell Martin's war 38.9. Good career, probably not a Hall of Famer. Just under that threshold most people, I think, view catchers you got to have 40 career war. But when you go over to fanraphs, who always values defense more but also, unlike baseball, reference accounts for pitch framing, his war is over 50, which puts him in a Hall of Fame conversation.
Speaker 2:Right Makes a big difference.
Speaker 1:So it does make a big difference, and Jay Jaffe has also written a lot about Russell Martin and how there's more of a case than you think. You can't just see his name and react and go. He's not a Hall of Famer. You have to dig a little deeper. And I think personally and this is definitely wishful thinking, but I really believe that this conversation has opened up enough that he's going to get enough of a percentage to be on the ballot more than one year. Do I think Russell Martin is ever getting in the Hall of Fame? Probably not, and that's okay. But he's one of my favorite Dodgers of all time and the fact that we're even discussing it is awesome yeah, it is.
Speaker 2:I mean, give him his little moment in the sun and celebrate him a little bit. He might not make the class, but he's. You know.
Speaker 1:It's an honor to be mentioned, to be nominated well, and at the end of the day he's on the ballot and for some guys that's like getting into the Hall of Fame. I remember a few years ago or a couple years ago, whenever it was when Nick Swisher was on the ballot and he's just such an energetic, likable guy that he was doing all the media interviews just like man. I'm just happy to be on the ballot and this is my version of the Hall of fame and it tells me that you know, I had a great career. You know, um and and and I think that was kind of my feeling about Russell Martin was like you know what? He'll be on the ballot for one year. He'll get to do some media and, uh, get, you know, get his, like you said, his moment and son.
Speaker 1:But now I kind of I'm kind of hoping I'm like man, maybe we can get russ on the ballot more than one year, you know maybe we can push this, maybe we can push this issue a little bit, um and then and then down the road, you never know, with the, with the um heiress committee, anything could happen. So you know, excuse me, excuse me, but again, do I think Russell Martin is going to be a Hall of Famer? Probably not, and that's okay. I'm just happy that we're talking about a guy that I really enjoyed watching play and I really liked him when he was on my team.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean it's good to have his name being run about and talking about and I mean this is what that is about is acknowledging him for his service and, you know, giving him his moment, and that's cool that we can give him a moment and talk about him.
Speaker 1:Absolutely so good for Russ, and I hope we get to open this conversation up again next year. That's my hope is that he stays on the ballot and we get to keep talking about him.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Good for him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like talking about Russ Smart. Yeah, all right, so we're going to bring the move down a little bit. An episode of this podcast. We lost one of the absolute best players of all time. Ricky Henderson passed away at the age of 65. And this was made a little bit more sad by the timing, because Major League baseball, major league baseball, just left oakland and the a's are no longer affiliated with oakland, and now they lose their guy you know I mean ricky.
Speaker 1:Uh, I don't think anyone is more synonymous with the oakland a's history than ricky henderson yeah um, just about every big moment of his career was in an A's uniform. Yeah, really unfortunate, brian. What are your memories of Ricky Henderson?
Speaker 2:Well, you always remember the stolen bases, of course. When he got the record we've talked about this before him standing and holding the base over his head. That's an iconic moment that will live on forever in my mind. He was just so fun to watch because he was so quick. If you put him on first, how long was it going to take him to get to third? Just a great all-around player, great for the game. Seemed to have been a good guy. Everybody liked him and it's a shame that he's passed on yeah, you know, just the greatest case of all time.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's that. I think that goes without saying without a doubt. I think you could say the greatest leadoff hitter of all time, because he was one of the few guys in his era, and really any era until now, to have as much power as he did in the leadoff spot.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:You know, has all the leadoff home run records and maybe always will. We'll see that the way that lineups are constructed is a little different now. So I think it's only a matter of time before Anacuna Jr, or somebody like that, gets some of those leadoff home run records. But, I want to make the case and I guess not make the case. I want to ask you, Brian.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Is Ricky Henderson the greatest baseball player of all time? And I want to, before you answer, I want to put this out there If you are a hitter, if you're an offensive player in baseball, what is the goal? The goal is to score runs. The object of the game is to score more runs than your opponent. No one in major league history has scored more runs than ricky henderson. So again I ask is he the greatest ball player of all time?
Speaker 2:I would say, up to right now, the argument could be made and by right now, I mean going into the 2025 season that he could be the best player scoring more runs, more stolen bases. I think for sure, but people are probably sitting at home going well, what about Otani? Well, yes, Right, right be sitting at home going.
Speaker 2:What about otani? Well, yes, right, right in in the future. It's a different conversation, but otani's not quite there yet as far as longevity. So I I think you could make it a very big argument that ricky henderson was the best player ever. I mean not emotionally, you know, everybody has their own favorite player but statistically. Statistically, I think it could be argued that Now do I think that Otani's going to overcome that? Yeah, yeah, I think that eventually that'll be his claim to fame, but prior today, going backwards, then I think a good case could be made about Ricky Henderson.
Speaker 1:I think and you're right, emotionally everybody's got their guys and everybody's you know gonna, you know have their favorites. Yeah, but I think, if we're speaking objectively and you're constructing a Mount Rushmore, I just don't see how you could know anything about objectively and you're constructing a Mount Rushmore. I just don't see how you could know anything about the game of baseball and he's not on it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's definitely on the Mount Rushmore.
Speaker 1:He's in that conversation, no matter which angle you come at it from, just as far as overall ballplayer, and I think, when you add what he meant to the game, he was such a personality, he was such a guy that spoke his mind and wasn't afraid to be himself and I think that's part of his success. Because, you know, baseball is a game of failures. It is a mentally taxing game far more than any other sport, even when you're at the talent level of a guy like ricky henderson. So to have that confidence and that self-worth figured out I think that's part of why he was so good at this game, was he? He didn't have the doubts that a natural human would. If you go 0 for 3 or you strike out a couple times or you're just in a slump for a week, you know, yeah, you know just a phenomenal player by all accounts, a phenomenal guy. And yeah, I mean I just think really, if not one of the absolute greatest to ever play the game. You know, just, really, a huge loss for baseball and for Oakland.
Speaker 2:It's a huge loss for mankind. I mean he was a beloved guy, a beloved fixture in pop culture, and I mean just think of the ripple effect of emotion. You know all the millions of people that loved him.
Speaker 1:You know.
Speaker 2:So it's sad that he passed on and really 65 is. You know, I can't believe that I'm saying that's young, but that is young. You know, now that I'm getting older, you know, when I was younger I used to think, well, that's old, but 65 is not very old to be passing away, right, and it's just a sad thing that he did. I'm just grateful that I got to watch him play.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I'm just grateful that I got to watch him play. Yeah, yeah. So I'm just poking around looking at his baseball reference page for anything of note to bring up. So 1998, he comes back to the A's again. This was his one, two, three. This was his fourth stint with the A's.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:It was one season. It was his age, 39 season. Led the league in stolen bases with 66. Yeah, yeah. After not stealing more than 45 for like seven years.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Before that, that was just Ricky, just Ricky, and Oakland just made sense.
Speaker 2:They mixed well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, just a really, a really good fit. We talked about Tay, oscar and that fit. We've talked about players with the Cubs and their fit. Ricky and Oakland just worked.
Speaker 2:Like peanut butter, jelly and gold.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, man, absolutely. So rest in peace to one of, if not the greatest baseball player of all time, ricky Henderson. You know, I don't think there's a chance in hell his name will ever be forgotten.
Speaker 2:No, never he's. He's a institution. Now he's a martyr, an icon, if you will, of baseball.
Speaker 1:Absolutely All right. So you know, obviously wanted to talk about Ricky, but I wanted to end the show on a little bit more lighter note. End the show on a little bit more lighter note um, so, brian the uh. So you know, let's just kind of flash back. Okay, it's game five. It's game five of the 2024 world series okay, the dodger.
Speaker 1:The dodgers are up in the series three one. But the yankees are hot. They won game four. They're up five to nothing. Garrett cole is throwing a no-hitter in the World Series.
Speaker 1:We get into the fifth inning, things start happening. Kike Hernandez gets a base hit, breaks up the no-hitter, tommy Edmond comes up and hits a very routine fly ball to center field and Aaron Judge drops it and that sort of opens the floodgates of that fifth inning. And in case I don't I mean if, if, if you're listening to this show, you don't know anything about baseball, but for some reason we've still got you and you missed it the Dodgers came all the way back, tied the game up at five, five and went on to win game five and the world series that night. The ball that Aaron judge dropped and went on to win Game 5 and the World Series that night, the ball that Aaron Judge dropped in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series auctioned for $43,510. So I have two questions for you, brian Logan. Okay, I'm ready. I have two questions for you, brian Logan. Okay, I'm ready. First question is do you think that ball is worth $43,510? Absolutely not. What would you have paid for it?
Speaker 2:I don't know, I'd have paid a couple hundred bucks for it. Okay, All right Well you'd have been out in the early bidding. I'd have been out.
Speaker 1:I'd have been completely out I mean it's got to either be like a mega collector of some sort or a dodger fan, it's like who else is who else is buying that ball for?
Speaker 2:well, I mean it's some rich guy that uh has this. You know, just you know, fuck you money because who pays? $43,000 for a baseball A used baseball at that. I got one right now in my hand that I'll sell him for fucking 20.
Speaker 1:Okay, here's my other question. Can you tell me the highest price for a World Series error ball of all time $643,429.43. Okay, you're wrong, but I was actually asking for the ball.
Speaker 2:Oh, I was going to say what it was going for. I don't know what the ball would be the Buckner. Yeah, it's the Buckner ball. Oh, I was going to say what it was going for. I don't know what the ball would be the Buckner.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's the Buckner ball.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:So Mookie Wilson ended up with that ball.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Famous Mets player, obviously from that 86 World Series champion team. He signed it and he gifted it to the team's traveling secretary okay uh, it sold for four hundred and eighteen thousand two hundred and fifty dollars in 2012 okay which is like almost 10 times what the aaron judge drop ball went for yeah, I was.
Speaker 2:Close though I was, I was only off by a couple of hundred thousand yeah, yeah, you had.
Speaker 1:Surprisingly, you went too high I know right but the buyer was later revealed to be the guy who owns the mets now, steve cohen. So the guy that owns the mets has the ball that got through. Buckner's leg is an 86.
Speaker 2:That's pretty cool. That is that's pretty cool.
Speaker 1:Amazing.
Speaker 2:It's a shrine, is what not to do again?
Speaker 1:It's so funny when, when, when I saw that news um, I had it as a bullet point on the format for the podcast, and that was probably two weeks ago.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And so you know, I've kept a format as a running thing in case, you know, big things happen and I have to replace with whatever add to you know. Then I basically decided it was staying and so I kind of did the research to back it it up.
Speaker 1:and I saw the thing about steve cohen and I was like we got to talk about that yeah because that is so representative of steve cohen as the owner of the mets so far, because it has been nothing but fun and games for the mets since steve cohen bought that team. I mean they're they're riding a rocket ship right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's just a big fan.
Speaker 1:Well, and that's what he said when he bought the team which is like I'm a fan and I don't care to spend money. You know, I mean, this guy is worth so much money and he's just digging into his own personal pockets to do this. And that's why they got Juan Soto, because he's not afraid to spend the money. You know, own personal pockets to do this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's why they got Juan Soto, mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Because he's not afraid to spend the money, you know, and that's just great for the Mets. Cool little piece of trivia there.
Speaker 2:Well, we're going to.
Speaker 1:He owns that ball and where it came from.
Speaker 2:We're going to have to watch the Mets this season because they're going to be a contender. They're going to be somebody to deal with.
Speaker 1:They really are. I mean, we're talking about a team that got to the National League Championship Series last year and with one signing they got so much better.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely, I mean they're going to be a dangerous team.
Speaker 1:You add in the fact that they're bringing back Sean Mania, which I think is a really good move for them. Still to be determined what happens with Pete Alonzo and his free agency. If you believe the reporting that's out there, he's not signed because there's not a market for him, because he's asking for way more money than anybody's willing to give him at this point. So the Mets, I don't think, are done this offseason and they're definitely going to be a team to watch next year. You're right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, and we always play. They're always good games when the Cubs play them. So you know, this is just going to make it even more intense now that they've got what they got.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so looking forward to that I mean we covered the mets quite a bit this past season, just because of all the shenanigans. You know grimace and the. You know all that.
Speaker 2:It just well, it just kept popping up, they just kept making headlines. It wasn't like we, we were focused on them.
Speaker 1:It just they popped, they worked their way in there and that's great, yeah, yeah, they were a team to talk about a lot last year and, I'll be honest, when the playoff pumpkin surfaced, I was worried because I was like this is a team of destiny, it's feeling like a team of destiny. They just had everything going for them and they ran into the Dodgers. But, man, I think they can hang their hats on what they did last year. And now they went out and got the biggest name on the market, huge contract and all that. I mean I don't think the Mets are going anywhere.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't think they are either. I think they're definitely going to be in the talks of the 2025 playoffs.
Speaker 1:I'm saying that now you know, yeah, oh yeah, I agree, I agree. They're a team to watch, so shout out to my brother, aaron, who's a Mets fan.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Has been enjoying the Stevie Cohen era so far, but as all Mets fans probably have been. But anyways, brian, do you have anything else to say to the good people, our good listeners, before we head out this week?
Speaker 2:Well, I'm just so excited. I can't wait until this season starts. For one thing, I'm really excited that we're going to be doing the podcast the entire season. I'm really looking forward to that weekly and I miss baseball so much.
Speaker 1:I just can't wait until we till we get to spring training one of these days, um, we're, we're gonna get on the the, the winter ball kick and watch some winter ball. Yeah, I, I watched part of one game and enjoyed it, but I wasn't really like super invested right uh, I, I think you know what. Let's make that a project for next offseason. Okay, for the purposes of the podcast, because here's the thing. Yes, we primarily talk about Major League Baseball, because that's what's accessible to us the easiest.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But I'm a firm believer, personally, that Major League Baseball is not baseball. There's so much baseball outside of the major leagues, outside of this country, and you know, when I feel moved to cover it, we cover it.
Speaker 2:Right right.
Speaker 1:We've talked about a lot of stuff in the minor leagues. We've talked about a lot of stuff that happens in Japan and Korea when it happens. And you know we talked a lot this past season about the Oakland Ballers and the movement there in Oakland and what that meant when they learned that they were losing their major league team. And so there's a lot more to baseball than just the major leagues and for the sake of the podcast and for the sake of that stance on baseball as a whole, I think we should make it a project that by by this time next year, by the by the off season next year, you and I will have picked out a team to follow and root for in winter ball and and we'll cover winter ball next year.
Speaker 2:That sounds great. I love that idea. Let's do that for sure.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, you might have to remind me, cause I know I'm going to have to do most of the work on this, of course, all right Well thanks so much for listening and then, once again, thanks for being so cool.
Speaker 1:Everybody about us taking a couple weeks off. We almost had to do it again this week, but we pulled it together and uh got you an episode, got caught up on some things, um, if you like what you hear, 2gtbstore is our uh, our merchandise shop. We got a lot to offer over there and it's free to look around, um, so so we, we ask you to please do that, and it's free to look around, um, so so we, we ask you to please do that. And if you want to get a little bit deeper into the podcast, patreoncom slash 2GTV, uh, we promise at some point we will start adding new content again, um, but, but all of our original episodes from 2022 are there, um, a lot of other good stuff that we've done over the last couple years that you can only hear on the Patreon. So, once again, that's patreoncom slash 2G TV, and that's where we'll leave it for now, but until next week. I'm Dallas, you're Brian.
Speaker 2:We'll see you at the ballpark.