Josh Donaldson addresses the Ohtani Catcher drama

On this episode of GET IT DONE LEAGUE, Josh Donaldson, Arash Madani and Russell Martin break down the insane Ohtani Rushing drama, talk about their experiences in the club house, and get real when breaking down Bo Bichette's departure from the Jays and why both Josh and Russell ended up leaving the team.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Like if I were to ask, hey, I need you to sing a song. And like you actually like tried, like it doesn't even matter if you're good, right? Like, but if you really tried, immediate respect. Everybody goes crazy. You get the boys back into it. But the other side, if he's like, no, I ain't doing that. I'd put him in the shitter and make him sit in the shitter for 35 minutes all the way to the to the LA uh airport. And then if he if he still didn't want to act right, I would just make his permanent seat in the shitter, and then I'd have the busty take a shit in it right before we got on the bus. This isn't the tri league.

SPEAKER_03 0:57

Get it done league! It's another week. It's another episode of the Get It Done League, North America's fastest growing baseball podcast. And you know why. That's the MVP Josh Donaldson. There is Russell Martin. I'm your host, Arash Madani. Thank you so much. We encourage everybody to like, subscribe, follow wherever you get your podcast, and of course on YouTube. Fellas, happy summer. Russ, I have some my I have some spies out there who tell me that our co-host was spotted in Vancouver wearing red and white with a Canadian badge at the World Cup match between the national team in Switzerland. In a game that Canada had to get it done, they didn't. But JD, you're in the house for it.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

Yeah, I was I was uh that was my first ever uh soccer game, professional soccer game. So it was pretty cool. They uh FIFA hooked it up for us, and obviously the other side of my family is Canadian, so I wanted to support them. And you know, my wife was like, you're like 30% Canadian. I was like, okay, if you want me to what'd you make of it?

SPEAKER_03 2:11

Like 53,000 people, like the red, the the march to the stadium, the pageantry.

SPEAKER_02 2:19

Yeah, I mean, it's been a while since I've been to Vancouver. Vancouver's really, you know, a really nice city um to go to. Uh, but yeah, Dodger Sitter, as far as how many people were there, right? Like it's it's a lot of people, and it got loud for the one goal that they had, and there was a lot of times when they were ready to erupt and where they just couldn't quite finish off a goal. It looked like they had so many opportunities that we had such a good view on a lot of them. So it was it's fun. I mean, anytime for me, I appreciate when it's at the highest level and it means the most. Like you have an appreciation for those guys that are on the field for sure.

SPEAKER_03 3:01

Yeah, Russ, I know you're into this thing too, huh?

SPEAKER_01 3:03

I love soccer or football, foozy ball, whichever way you want to say it. It's uh I mean it's it's just fun to have Canada in it. And uh, you know, they won their first game. Obviously, that was that was a tough loss against Switzerland, but they've been put on a good show. You know, they've been fighting.

SPEAKER_03 3:24

It's fun to watch. Yeah, it has been fun to watch. It's the get it done league, Josh Johnson, Russell Martin, a rash Madani with you. All right, guys, let's get into it. I mean, it's become the story in baseball over the last, I don't know, week or so. The Dalton rushing, Shohei Otani, young catcher. The narrative has been that the catcher is showing up. Shohei Otani? Like it just how that whole thing all shook down, and then Dave Roberts kind of puts his arm around rushing in the dugout afterwards. Freddie Freeman goes and has a chat with a young 25-year-old just finding his way in the big leagues. Otani said all the right things afterwards. Rushing said all the things afterwards. But Russ, you see something like that shakedown with a young catcher. What's what's your kind of reaction to this?

SPEAKER_01 4:18

Well, your job as a catcher is to protect your pitchers, right? You never want to show you're never supposed to, you know, show your pitchers up. Just like pitchers, if somebody makes an error behind them, you know, you don't want to see your pitcher throw his hands up or you know, bark at you or whatever. Um, and as a catcher, I mean you're you're you're facing everybody, everybody's looking at you. So if you show bad bad body language or and if there's one guy that you probably should never, ever show up, it's Shohei. Yeah, I mean, he's you know, are arguably one of the best talents that has ever played the game. And he seems like a great teammate and and a good dude. And I don't think he would ever show anybody up, ever. So I I uh I don't know. I wonder what's going on. I'd like to know what the real conversation was like, you know, before they talk to the media afterwards.

SPEAKER_03 5:16

It looked heated on the mound with Shohei and Rushing. Like when the catcher went up to Shohei, even before the translator got there, even before Mark Pryor, the pitching coach, got there. Like JD, I I can't remember the last time on the field I've seen Otani that animated.

SPEAKER_02 5:34

Yeah, well, I think I think there's a couple layers to this, right? I think one of the layers that I will talk about first is Shohei kind of has been giving up a few runs leading up to this. And I even saw earlier in the week where he's like throwing another bullpen to try to get some feel for some pitches and work on some things. And if you know Shohei, I don't think he likes it's not that he doesn't work, but I don't think he puts his body through more than what he should because of him hitting and pitching, right? Or whatever he thinks. So I think he's kind of feeling a little bit like he wants to write this ship, and then when he's going out there and he's got this young kid that's either they're getting crossed up or he's showing him up, and it doesn't look good on TV. It doesn't look good to Shohei, like uh, because the game, if there is one game that the guy's about, everybody's talking about, it's Shohei. Nobody you're a backup catcher, first off, right? Like, nobody should know your name as a backup catcher. Like, you should be like in the shadow, you should be catching your tail off. And I think here's where I I kind of see this Dalton rushing because I watch him play, he kind of reminds me a little bit of myself where the other team doesn't like him, he's gonna play hard, he's playing, he's playing away, he's taking guys out at second base when you're really not supposed to be taking guys out anymore. He's doing uh some stuff behind the plate. He's you know, he has some antics, I'll say that. And I remember when I was a catcher coming up to the big leagues the first time, and I was, you know, I was vocal, I was loud, and Kurt Young was our pitching coach, and he'd say, JD, we don't want to hear you. We don't want to hear you. Be quiet, just be quiet, stay back there, stay, stay soft, be quiet. I think rushing needs to take a step back and say, This isn't about me. Like, I'm the backup until and it reminds me of a movie clip, one of my favorite movies, Bull Durham, when we're talking about the picture, right? And he's like, he's looking at his uh you know, his shower shoes, and he's like, they're dirty. Yeah, like it's disgusting. He's like, when you're in the minor leagues and you're grindy, you can't have dirty shower shoes. He goes, but if you're an all-star, if you're number one, now those shower shoes mean like you're an artist or like so like you're creative, like they make it something good. Like you're not good enough right now, Dalton, to be acting the way that you are. Like, get get some give it some time. I'm not saying you're not a good player, but right now you're not the guy.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

So I mean, you guys got the potential, he's got the potential, like that's a good player. Yeah, yeah. He is a good player, he can do some things.

SPEAKER_03 8:42

So Russia's but he's not that guy. So, what's the conversation? Like, we saw again, we saw Freeman, we saw Roberts, and and I hear what JD's saying, but like, how do you express that to a dude who may know better, may not know better in terms of how to handle it now in game, how to handle this post-game, and how to handle this tomorrow.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

I mean, it's pretty easy. Those are conversations that need to be had away from cameras, right? You don't want to escalate a situation when all the eyes are on you. So and it's it's the same thing with if you have something to say to the umpire, it's you don't turn around and face him and then start barking at him. Like you can keep facing the field and and and and say your say whatever you want to say, but just don't show anybody up. It's just it's it's pretty simple, you know. Just wait, wait for the time. Like there's a time and place for everything, and um, you know, barking at somebody on the mound in front of everybody is is is never gonna go well with with anybody. So it's just you can you can have the conversation in the dugout, or even better, you go walk into the tunnel and then you kind of hash it out that way. So I think it's just you know, a little kind of like a kind of like a rookie mistake type thing, where you just gotta pick the right time and and sometimes you you just gotta bite your tongue a little bit, even though you're frustrated and and and just wait a little bit. You just gotta wait.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

You gotta find the right time to it's the expression that we it's the expression we like to say, you just gotta wear it.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

You gotta wear it for a little bit sometimes.

SPEAKER_02 10:28

Even if it's Shohay's fault, like you're wearing that. Like you're wearing, you're the you're the catcher, like he's the guy. You wear that, you have your talk. And that's gonna be the first conversation that the boys have with them in the in the locker room, like, hey dude, like we understand, like this might not have been your fault, but doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

Yeah, right? Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 10:49

The the problem the problem with this is an easy fix. It it is if it's if the if it's not uh falling on deaf ears. Like we've had those guys, yeah, that when it falls on deaf ears, like he's gone.

unknown 11:05

Right.

SPEAKER_02 11:05

Like, like like your numbers aren't gonna be good enough for the antics that are there right now, and so like if this doesn't turn around, like you're gone, dude. Like that's that's the easy fix if he doesn't, right? But I don't think like they see the talent with the kid, so they want to give him some runway. The only problem is there's just been kind of one too many things now, which is starting to lead me to believe like does this guy think he's shohei? Oh boy, oh boy, so like if like are do you think the show's about you? Because it's not, dude. Like it's it's not.

SPEAKER_03 11:49

So you but you both have had teammates like that along the way. What you know, they they don't they don't come around often, but they've been around. What what have you like that that shelf life cannot last long over 162 in an everyday situation environment? So how does that get handled?

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Like what how does this evolve, Russ? Well, this is what this is an example of what can happen is obviously, you know, when Josh was told to be quiet, he probably wasn't quiet, and then they moved him to third base. So no, I was.

SPEAKER_02 12:27

I actually I actually was. I was like, uh I'm like sorry. But it did feel out of like uh wasn't good, like I didn't feel good about it.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Yeah. Um I mean I I don't really remember any teammates being like that tough. Uh well, you know what? Like there there was like an early Matt Kemp that had a like you know, and it was it was I mean, that's a long time ago. That was kind of like when teams were built, they had a lot of veteran players, and there used to be kind of that separation between the veterans and the young guys. And the young guys, normally the rookies, kind of just kept their head down and didn't say much, and you know, you you kind of needed to like prove yourself, and then after a couple years, then you can kind of start taking up more space in the locker room and and kind of showing your personality and stuff. Um, and Kemp was, I mean, he's a he's a he's a big dog, like he's he's not afraid of anybody, and he's not taking any shit from anybody. And there were some situations where some of the veterans were were were getting a little, you know, pissed off at him. And uh, and it was just like it was like typical rookie stuff, like, hey, rookie, you know, take my luggage to the plane, right? And Kemp was like, I ain't having that. And it kind of, you know, there was some there was some heated exchanges, and um eventually, you know, everything kind of fell into place. But and I don't think, you know, I think the veterans nowadays aren't as hard as they used to be, right? Well, you can't feel like the the league, the league is so much younger than it used to be, and there's a lot more young guys. Um but but like it's just you gotta be professional. That's that's and it and it goes for the veterans and and the younger guys. You just you gotta you gotta keep it professional.

SPEAKER_03 14:32

Josh, you say the vets can't be in what ways?

SPEAKER_02 14:36

Yeah, well, I remember like the the rookie dress-up stuff that we used to do, and that I was a part of myself, like they've taken that away, like the rookie hazing like stuff away. I know we talked about Bauer, like he was the guy that got rid of that because he didn't want to do it, and he complained to Manford about it, and so they kind of cracked down on right? Yeah, I didn't know that. I didn't know that either. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

So um that yeah, they they they do coffee runs now, like in Chicago gets coffee.

SPEAKER_02 15:08

Coffee runs, you know, like in full union. It's kind of like what Russ was saying. And rosters nowadays aren't created to have like a veteran presence guy, like that 24 to 26 man roster spot that is like a solid veteran that's been around that can grab a guy by like for me, it was Johnny Gomes, like grab me by the shoulder and be like, hey kids, like you're doing good, or like, hey, like you gotta clean this up. Like, hey, we're gonna do this. This is how we go. You know, if you want to drive the bus, like this is what this is how you drive the bus. And um, they've kind of gotten away from that and gotten into the younger players, um, and younger coaches. Like, like you have coaches nowadays that they want to be your friend, like, oh hey, they like, what's up, buddy? Like, like they're like 35 years old. These like I remember well, my last couple years of the Yankees, I was older than some of the hitting coaches, and I'm like, what is this? I'm like, these these guys don't want to talk to me about hitting because like what are they gonna say to me? Like, and if they know if I catch them slipping on something, I'm gonna call, I'm gonna say, like, no, that's I don't believe that. Right? And like, do you think they want to say something to John Carlos? No, they don't want to say something to Judge Staton and these guys, and they're just there, like it, you know. But with that being said, everybody's younger, and you rely on some of these guys. The unique instance that we're talking about with rushing is that he has three dudes on his team that are MVPs. He's got Freeman, Mookie Betts, uh, Shohei Otani. Like, why are we talking about you? We should not be talking about you unless you're just scorching earth carrying the team.

SPEAKER_03 17:08

And it's not just that you have I'll leave it at that. Well, it's not just that you have MVPs, you're the defending World Series champions, you have the highest payroll in baseball, like you're the team. Like, this is the team. You're the team, you know. This is the Ferrari.

SPEAKER_01 17:22

I mean, back in the day, the the backup catchers were like old veterans. Like the backups that I had coming up, I think I had Sandy Alomar my first year. He was like 42, like the age that I'm right now, which is pretty impressive. Then I had I had Brad Osmus, uh like Mike Lieberthall, and like all veteran guys who had been through tons of seasons and they kind of knew like they know their role, right? They they in rushing it's like a different situation because he wants to prove that he's capable. I'm sure he wants to be a starter and he has the potential to be. So it creates uh you know how how teams are assembled, it it's not conformed to have the best chemistry, right? Right. Like in a perfect world, you'd have like a good veteran who you know catches every third or fourth day and knows his place, but with rushing, like he wants to bang.

SPEAKER_02 18:25

He wants to 100%, you know.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

And I respect that. He won't he he wants to be an everyday guy. I respect that. I mean, which yeah, that's the way you want your young players to play. Um, so let's talk about the you know what I would do?

SPEAKER_02 18:37

You know what I would do too? I'd finish it off like this. If I was on the Dodgers right now, and let's say, like you're leaving Dodgers Stadium, and how long is it to get to the airport, Russ, from Dodgers Stadium?

SPEAKER_01 18:51

With traffic or no traffic? I would say it's like 45 minutes an hour.

SPEAKER_02 18:55

Oh, perfect.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

So I would traffic, maybe more.

SPEAKER_02 18:57

I would I would as soon as he got on the bus, you know, you get on the bus, there's a mic man. And I'd wear him out for 10 minutes, and I'd make him come up. I would just absolutely obliterate him for 10 minutes, and then I'd get him to I'd get him to come to the front, make him sing a song or something like that. And here's the deal: this is what's cool about baseball is like as a young guy not knowing this, when you're on the bus and there's a bike man and he's trying to get after you a little bit, if you take it in stride and you just if you wear it per se, like we were saying, and then you actually like if I were to ask, Hey, I need you to sing a song, and like you actually like tried, like it doesn't even matter if you're good, right? Like, but if you really tried, immediate respect, everybody goes crazy, you get the boys back into it. But the other side, if he's like, No, I ain't doing that, I'd put him in the shitter and make him sit in the shitter for 35 minutes all the way to the to the LA uh airport. And then if he if he still didn't want to act right, I would just make his permanent seat in the shitter, and then I'd have the busy take a shit in it right before we got on the bus.

SPEAKER_01 20:16

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 20:18

I mean, it's funny you say that about the about the music. Like Aiden Hutchinson, who was like top pick in the NFL draft, you know, University of Michigan gets taken by the Detroit Lions in front of the whole meeting room, whatever, the first week of training camp. He busts out Billy Jean by Michael Jackson. The whole room's going crazy, they're dancing along, they're singing along. Boom. He had them.

SPEAKER_02 20:45

He's got him. He got him. Got him. And now, and now you and what now you take away from is because in the NFL, it's like, oh, he's the first rounder. He got the big signing bonus, he's got this and that. And to where people are jealous of that, right? Like that are in that locker room that didn't get that money. Now, all those people they're like, oh shit, he's one of us. He's a dude. Like he's not a he's not a D-bag, you know. Like, he's that's how you gel.

SPEAKER_01 21:11

That's how you create like good kick team vibes. Yeah, it translates. It does. I remember with I remember with LA early on, we went to we went to a bar and sang karaoke. And our our closer, who became the closer, he started the year in the minor leagues, was a Japanese guy, Takashi Saito, and he sang what song? What song did he sing? It was a Beatles song, Hey Jude. Oh, wow. He sang Hey Jude, like like with the voice of an angel. Oh, baby. And everybody was like, What? I feel like Japanese people are known to be pretty good karaoke singers. Like it's it's part of their culture. They get after it. Man, I was like, I was in awe. I just thought, I was like, dude, I like this version better than the Beatles. One like he killed it, it was amazing, and then from then on, like everybody loves Saito. He was it was fun. I I I didn't get up there.

SPEAKER_03 22:10

I'd love to hear Edwin. But on the book, like we're Edwin's in karaoke, by the way. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 22:17

Edwin, dude. Yeah, I wish I was there. You need earplugs for that. You need earplugs for Eddie singing for sure.

SPEAKER_02 22:22

It just depends. It just depends on how much you know uh of the dark sauce that he had. If I mean he if he was if he was a little tipsy, I bet he would air it out. I've seen that I've seen that side of him when he just you know Carnassian.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

What a one one of the greatest teammates. What a beauty. He's a beauty, he's a beauty. So he's did you have to did you ever have to go sing up on uh oh yeah on the bus?

SPEAKER_02 22:48

I did. Yeah, oh yeah. Are you kidding me? I'm a lightning rod that they wanted to I had to do jokes, I had to crush. I had to do jokes, and I had Dallas Braden who was on the team, and he was just the whole time crushing me. That's why that's why I became a good mic man because he was our mic man and he just used to bang us. He would just kill us. But then if you tried, like and you did good, like they he was you feel good about it, you know what I mean? Because he did you guys have kangaroo court too?

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Did you guys do kangaroo court?

SPEAKER_02 23:20

No, I think the last I think the last time I did kangaroo court was in maybe the minor leagues. Yeah, does that even exist still? Does that exist? That's old school, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:32

It's sure tried to bring it around to the Jays this year, but explain it, Josh, for those who don't know.

SPEAKER_02 23:39

So Kangaroo Court is you have normally you'll have three judges on the team, and anybody can be fined. And so what happens is let's say let's just say something. You're late for stretch. You're late for straight, you're late for stretch. You get banged, somebody catches you, you have somebody that does the accusation, blah blah blah. It gets read in front of the team, and then the three judges decide whether, and then they'll recommend like how much of a fine it should be. Like it could be max fine, it could be a dollar, two dollars. You know, when I was in college, it was like max fine was five bucks. Like they weren't trying to kill guys, but at the end of the year, all the kangaroo court money would go to like a big party at the end. And uh, yeah, so they read it out, the jury or the judges decide whether or not you're guilty or you're not, and then you would get a chance after he would uh after he would the piece of paper was read, you would get a chance to defend yourself to say like this is what happened, and then they would decide what what would happen.

SPEAKER_03 24:58

Were either of you tried or convicted? Oh yeah. At any stage along the way. All right, let's hear it. Never perfect record law and order Law and Order, Martin Donaldson. Let's hear it.

SPEAKER_02 25:13

No, Russ probably did, but he didn't understand because he could only understand French at the time. Save it, man. I was they were begging it, but it was in English, so he didn't know.

SPEAKER_01 25:28

No, man.

SPEAKER_02 25:29

They were too never they were too scared to take his lunch money away from him. Uh yeah, for me, I mean, it was always, you know, you know, late. It was like a late.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

You pop off all the time. You're like asking for it. Yeah, I was. I loved it. I loved it.

SPEAKER_02 25:49

Yeah, yeah, I did.

SPEAKER_01 25:50

Yeah, yeah. You like you you wanted to go to Kangaroo Court.

SPEAKER_02 25:53

Probably hey, probably one of probably one of the funniest things. We had this is my freshman year of college when I was at Auburn. We had this little outfielder, his name was I think it's JT. He was like a fourth outfielder, like little lefty, it was like five foot eight, like definitely had little man syndrome for sure. And they we had all just gotten our new spikes for the year, and so they took um all of the boxes from everybody's shoes and stacked them in front of my locker, right? And I was like, oh, sweet, like, all right, fine. Like, it's like it was my freshman year of college, like it's the same thing as being a rookie of the big leagues, like you're gonna get like you're gonna get it, especially for me, because I like to voice my opinion. And all of a sudden I go to start taking the boxes out, and this little guy just jumps straight out of my locker and starts like scares the crap out of me. I'm like, oh, what the crap? And so I literally chased he was a junior at the time. I literally chased him around Plainsman Park, which is the name of our baseball field. I chased he ran from the locker room to our field, and I chased him for like 15 minutes until I finally like caught him and I took him to the ground and like we wrestled for like a little bit, and then it was over.

SPEAKER_01 27:21

So, yeah, wasn't there a story? Wasn't there a story of I don't I forget what team it was, but somebody pulled a prank and they took the like they took the rims and the wheels off somebody's car.

SPEAKER_02 27:34

Oh, I was in Chicago when that happened. Um you were there?

SPEAKER_01 27:38

Carrie, it was my first that's an all-time, that's an all-time prank right there. That is insane.

SPEAKER_02 27:44

Yeah, it was my first big league camp. Carrie Wood. I want to, or it was Dempster. It was Dempster or Carrie Wood took the wheels and put it on blocks. This guy just got a brand new car and was parked in the wrong spot.

SPEAKER_01 28:01

Uh oh. But it was payback. It was payback for another prank that was put on him or something. Yeah. By the way, Dempster is like stand-up comedian, like he's a beauty, quality, funny. He's hilarious.

SPEAKER_02 28:14

I literally, we were at a golf event.

SPEAKER_01 28:16

Good Canadian boy, too.

SPEAKER_02 28:17

We we were we were at a golf event one time, and we were all you know having a good time. And he literally, this is the only words he said was Andy. That's all I said. For an hour and a half, he's talking about his golf swing, and he's like, Andy. And this for an hour and a half, and had different like little accents, like every little time he did it. You want to talk about like I my eyes were swollen after I left there because I was crying laughing so hard. It was an absolute I'm like, I'm like, this guy's why is he not on a stage somewhere?

SPEAKER_01 29:09

Like, this is he he could be. He's that good, he's that good. So funny. Oh yeah, he's hilarious.

SPEAKER_03 29:16

Who else is up there, fellas? Who's who's who's who's got a little special shelf of their own?

SPEAKER_02 29:22

I mean, I mean, I think we all have got to. I don't know if he's a comedian or I think he might be like what was that, like part of the usual suspects or something, but uh Joe B a genie. I think he should be on a stage somewhere. Joe B should be on his stage.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

That dry humor, like he doesn't laugh at his own jokes. He's got like that awkward funny, and he he knows he's awkward, but he's like he he just he'll never laugh. And you're just sitting there and you're like, it's like cringy almost. It is, and then like when you're like seriously, little Will Farrell, little Will Farrell in it too, a little bit, I think.

SPEAKER_02 30:01

And when you're being serious to him, like he'll like look at you and be like, like Joe, like I'm being serious right now.

SPEAKER_01 30:07

Okay. Even when, yeah, even when he's really listening to him.

SPEAKER_02 30:13

Like I'm being serious. Yeah, like Joe, I'm being serious. Okay, I'm serious too. I'm gonna kill you, dude. Like, I'm gonna kill you. Like, stop looking at me like that, like be serious.

SPEAKER_01 30:28

Oh, who we had Toronto had some good ones. Kawasaki. Oh I love Kyle, yeah. Kawasaki, so funny. He was like physically funny, yes. Or or and just like in interviews.

SPEAKER_02 30:39

He just plays barely speaks English, and he's hilarious. He played that role so well. Like, you you want to talk about like absolutely like dominating a role. Like, literally, we brought Kawasaki up for a time because our team was like a little, it was scuffling a little bit. Kawasaki was not even playing in the minor leagues, he was he was like the all-time first base coach. Okay, he wasn't playing. We called him back up to the big leagues because we knew they knew as soon as the guys had told like Alex, like, hey, we need we need Kawa up here, like he's gonna bring good vibes. Kawa gets called up, like everybody's pumped up. We go on a winning streak, and it was like the rest is history. Like, he knew he wasn't playing, we knew he wasn't playing, but he was gonna bring great vibes to the clubhouse, and that's what we needed.

SPEAKER_03 31:31

Mark DeRosa Mark DeRosa had a great line about Kawasaki. He said, I don't know what he's saying all the time, but he just gives a lift to this entire team. I thought that was a good one. That was a good one.

SPEAKER_02 31:42

He's the best. He's the best.

SPEAKER_03 31:44

Um, look, I I wanted like we we talked about Edwin and Vlad, and you know Bo coming back to Toronto, Canada today. It was supposed to be the Bo and Vlad show forever. Like they, you know, they come up all the way through the minor leagues and they have the success, and obviously second generation big leaguers, etc. Um when along the way do you do you know as a player you know what? My time's probably up here.

SPEAKER_01 32:15

Well, I I got a take on this. I so I feel like you know it's it's a little dig to to to the front office when you have players in your system from the minor leagues, and you know they're gonna be good, you're there's a window, there's a window there to where you can you can sign them to a contract and not have to pay free agent money, right? And I feel I feel like they dropped the ball on both of them. They paid Vlad free agent money, and then Bichette, they lost him because it got too close to free agency. And like I think everybody, at least in the clubhouse players, knew that these guys were good. We wanted them called up earlier, but you know, they did the proper thing and kind of waited for the city. You can't call him a legend one week into camp, but he doesn't, but like you know what, you know when somebody's got it, sometimes, right? It doesn't always work out that way. Yeah, but I I feel like they could assign them to to longer contracts earlier and probably gotten you know a less less of less of a hit annually on on their salary, personally, you know, like that's how the small markets, that's how they do it. They take risks with players who they they think are gonna project really well. They give them contracts, they cost them less long term. Maybe you miss once or twice, but you you make a couple good moves, and then that kind of gives you wiggle room for other guys, kind of like what Atlanta did with Ozzy Albys. You know, they they it just it takes a couple guys who don't sign good contracts early on or just lesser contracts, and then it gives the freedom to add with you know free agents when when when they need to add to that team. And I think the Blue Jays, you know, they play they paid Vlad free agent money. And then I I don't think I that's my take on it.

SPEAKER_02 34:19

I I think I agree. Like if they could have signed them, I bet they were trying to at some extent. But when you have two dads that were in the big leagues that also know how good their kids are, like they're not letting them sign a Ozzy Albi's deal. Like, no, that's not gonna be. No, but I just but I'll say this: I think there were concerns to like I don't want to sound like I'm like backing, which I kind of am backing the front office a little bit. I think there were concerns from both sides, like Vlad had like some years, and especially early on, when he was dealing with some weight issues and you know, being in coming to camp, being in shape. I remember whenever I was on the team, like he was in, they didn't send him to a team because he needed to lose 40 pounds.

unknown 35:09

Right.

SPEAKER_02 35:09

So I think they were also kind of nervous that if they gave him money early on, that they didn't want to encourage that. Exactly. They didn't want to encourage that exactly. So they made Vlad kind of like earn it to get to the free agent market because I don't think they were believers that he was going to do that. You know what I'm saying? Right now with Book I think now with Bo Bachet, I think in the last year or so, either he made his mind up about not wanting to be there anymore, whether it was the field, because I know a lot of infielders have, you know, it's that that infields tough on your body, you know, the turf, the the dirt that they have, you're literally on four inches of surface, and then you're on it's concrete, right? Um, so I don't know if it they're like and he's had some body issues uh towards the past.

SPEAKER_01 36:09

You just I mean, once you start getting close to free agent, yeah, you're like one year away, and then you're you're trending, you're having one of your best seasons, you're like, I think I'm just gonna, you know, get you know, 15 other teams who are interested involved to see what I can get.

SPEAKER_03 36:27

And it was interesting, you know what I mean. Coming off the World Series, going into that offseason, it was one of the most awkward dances where nobody wanted to say a bad word about the other. But it was very clear that Bo wasn't Bo had no interest in coming back, and the Blue Jays had no interest in bringing him back. So it was like this awkward high school dance where nobody wanted to make the first move to the exit. Like it just wasn't going to happen at that point. I wonder along the way, as players, when you just get a sense this isn't this isn't for me long term, or this isn't going to happen for me long term.

SPEAKER_02 37:04

Well, I could tell you I could tell you from my own personal experience dealing with the same front office. Right? I remember 2018, we got there, like and it kind of stemmed like a little bit before spring training. I thought, what is it? Like when you what was it when we had to go and see the fans and stuff like in Canada?

SPEAKER_01 37:25

You know, the winter tour. The winter tour. Winter tour.

SPEAKER_02 37:28

So we did the winter tour, type stuff, and you know, the um media was asking me, like, Josh, you're gonna be a free agent coming up. Like, do you want to stay? I was like, or like, what's your conversations like? I'm like, well, we aren't having any conversations. Haven't heard anything. They're like, Well, what do you think? I'm like, well, I'm perfectly happy because they did what they needed to do through my arbitration stuff. Like, I'm fine. Like, I was making plenty of money through arbitration, and but I did want to stay, like, and I made it very clear to Ross and all involved, like I wanted to end my career as a Toronto Blue Jay. Said that word for word, and their thought, like, then we kind of go to spring training, and there's a whole lot of talk that are going, we go play a round of golf, and we're talking, and he's like, Josh, like, what are you thinking for like a like a deal or whatever like that? And I was like, I don't know. I was like, I I want what's fair, and I would like to end my career here in Toronto if that's possible. And then it was like they shorted, they started at like three years, and they're talking about like a certain amount of cash, and I'm just like, Ross, like I'm gonna play longer than three years. Like, I don't wanna like I want this to be it, like I want this to be my last team, I don't want to have to worry about another day of like putting on another uniform, and so then we're sitting there talking throughout the round, and he's like, hey, like you should come in and see like how we project you over like the next like four or five years. And I remember I was like, Ross, I said, so you want to just nullify all the body of work that I've put in before that, and then now here I am like having to go off what your projection of me is. I said, No, like I know what you're trying to do with that. I said, here, let me let me help you. I said, 2013, fourth in the MVP, 20 uh 14, 8th in the MVP, 2015, I won it, 2016. I was fourth, 2017. I missed 50 games, but it was my best home run per bat year of my career, and I pretty much had him admit like if I don't miss 50 games, I'm top four in that. And I said, that's what you're that's what you're paying for. Like that's that's what you're getting. And obviously, like stuff happened in my career where I got banged up and like, yeah, it happens. I go, but I said, I just want what's fair for whatever the market is gonna be. And he's like, Josh, it would be you know, it would be great if our team had 11 of you or you know, 25 of you on our on our on our roster. He goes, but you know, it doesn't really matter, like Rogers doesn't really care like if we sign you or not. And I go, okay, well, here's the deal. If Rogers doesn't care that they sign me, I go, then I don't want to be a part of this organization anymore because you're telling me you don't want to win. Like if that's the case. And their whole thought was it didn't affect the shareholders' value or whatever the team. I don't know. That's that was the that was the garbage that I got. And so I go to like the next day to spring training, and I go, um I just went straight up to Ross and I was like, hey man, I just wanted to let you know. I I kind of had talked to my agent about our discussion yesterday, and I'm like, I don't want to see your projections of me. And I'm like, I really didn't like how the conversation went. And I had always told Ross, I'm like, just be straight up with me. I'm okay with it. Be straight up with me.

SPEAKER_03 41:48

Right. Let me know where I stand.

SPEAKER_02 41:50

Yeah, like if you don't want me here, like if you're trying to get like the new generation to come up and turn over, like I'm okay with that. At least like when I put my head down at night, like I know like I'm playing now for the Jays, but like my future doesn't lie there. Right? And so how that conversation ended up happening, like how it ended up going the other way, is I woke up the next day and I said, Okay, like if that's how I'm gonna be treated in this instance, I said, I'm not talking about I'm not talking about contracts anymore. Like it's over, like you just took your chance at doing it how you thought you were gonna do it. And I think like maybe there was some intent to that. Maybe he wanted me to not want to come back. I don't know. But I remember coming back with Atlanta in 2019 to bring it back full circle with Bo. Is like when I was out there playing catch and looking around in the stadium and seeing it, like I felt like a piece of my heart was kind of gone at that time. And I remember like I was like fighting back tears, like just like playing catch in the outfield, like because that's where I wanted home to end up being, you know, and obviously the fans' reaction, you know, Toronto's great with guys come back and have their moment coming back because you know once when you do great things in that city, like they remember you, like they they love athletes there, and they really appreciate um you know that you sweat and bled and did the things you did for that organization. They really appreciate that, and that's why for me the Toronto fans are the best.

SPEAKER_03 43:42

Yeah, there's such a connection I find between the two of you, like Bo coming back, shoot Kyle Lowry. Like, you know, they want to build a statue of Kyle outside the the basketball arena, Bautista. Um, there's such a there's such A neat bond between the fan base and certain dudes who laid it on the line and had success there. Like I remember that series, JD, and I remember the Jays came to Atlanta. It was around Labor Day that season. You almost said like that that series was almost like closure for me on, you know, like whether it was the death of my time in Toronto, the divorce of my time. Russ, I remember you and I chatting in LA when the Jays came, and you were pretty matter-of-fact about it. You knew at that point, you know, my career is winding down, making a lot of money. They're going with the youth movement. I know what this is. Um, but it was it was different stages of your careers for both of you at that point.

SPEAKER_01 44:45

Yeah. I I mean the fans they they appreciate they they they they can see the guys who who play with with heart. And I feel like that's what kind of resonates with them. And um yeah, it's just you you it's it's kind of like just the the circle of life. Like it's right, there's gonna be a time where it's you know you're not playing like the way you used to play. And at least for me, that's that's what it was. You know, I had had a couple poor seasons, and I'm like, man, it's like I'm I'm trying. It's not like I'm not trying, but it's just not not uh not as not as good as I once was.

SPEAKER_03 45:27

There you go.

SPEAKER_01 45:28

There you go. Type thing, you know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:30

Well, and it's just like every time you guys come back, it's just amazing. Like JD, when you threw out the opening pitch, the playoffs last year, like that place roared, you know. Bautista's jersey induction, when they announced Gibby, you know, the manager, that place roared. Like it's just it's amazing that connection that can be built.

SPEAKER_02 45:51

Yeah. And like, you know, saying what we said earlier, like I don't have any ill will towards the front office now. Like that was the business of what happened at that time. And I definitely think that there are like we're all humans here, so there are feelings that kind of you know that get stretched at times. Um, but I mean, yeah, are you always gonna make every right decision? No, you know, but I think at the end of the day, for me, like one of the mottos like that I try to use for myself is like if I'm staying true to myself, then I can live with like having a bad decision or right, you know, being on the right side or bad side of it. Like, stay true to who you are. And I think for Bo, I think there's definitely gonna be some emotions like coming back because that was a close team, we all saw it. And he was a very integral part of that. And I wouldn't be surprised if some motions are going on, and however he feels right now. I think whatever he's done playing, he's gonna look back at that time, and you know, then he'll get to under fully understand like, did I make the right decision or or not?

SPEAKER_03 47:06

Or not, yeah. It's an amazing bond when you win together, right? Doesn't matter if it's a division like you guys had in 15, it doesn't matter if it's the pennant like they had last year. Um it's the get it done league. When you get it done, it it absolutely brings the guys together. Fellas, this has been awesome. Um JD, I just love I love that you're wearing a Team Canada jersey at a soccer game. I gotta tell you, that that is that is that is awesome to me. If if only somebody could tell the kid at Auburn 20 years ago that that's what you would be doing. Um, it's amazing how talk about the cycle of life. It's amazing life comes at you fast.

SPEAKER_02 47:43

What women will do, huh? What women will make you do for love, you know.

SPEAKER_03 47:50

I love it. On that note, another episode of the Get It Done League. There's Russell Martin, there's Josh Donaldson. I'm a Rash Madani. Please like and subscribe. And thanks to all of you for making us one of North America's fastest growing baseball podcasts.

SPEAKER_02 48:07

Get it Done League.