High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - EMERGENCY POD: PHILLIES TRADE MATT STRAHM (and AOA)

Episode Date: December 19, 2025

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz react to the Phillies trading Matt Strahm to the Royals and think this salary dump could le Presented by Miller Lite. To purchase Ring The Bell by Jack Fritz and Kevin Reavy go to RingTheBellBook.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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High Hope's podcast, I feel a little less alone. Yo, it is another edition of the High Hopes podcast, sponsor of Miller Light Official, partner of the Philadelphia Phillies, taste like Miller time Philadelphia celebrate responsibly fritzy i got to be honest with you i think this is the first time and it's obviously because of who's leaving more than who's coming i'm sure we'll get to that but uh i got to be on we never lie to that i hope's listeners we never have we never will i got to be honest to do i think this is the first time we're doing an emergency

podcast for a guy that i had never heard of when they actually made the train so jonathan booleon bullen whatever welcome down welcome to the phillies man all right Come, not surprised to see you go, but see ya. Let's get into it. How you doing, Fritzie? I'm good. It's our third podcast this week. Talk about exciting.

I don't care. I don't care what they do as long as you get to do a podcast. That's the only thing that makes me happy. I did. I know, and I felt bad that I made you do the solo one for Keller late at night, the whole thing. So I was like, I got to make it happen today. I'll be here. I mean, 40 minutes just going off about Brad Keller,

Ani Colambi, and then a little bit of Q&A, it was nice. It was about as Fritzy as it gets. I mean, that is like your happy place right there yeah we're still we're still on cloud nine about brach keller we are still bummed about annie colombie and then we brought right back up with the jonathan boling we're back no so so really interesting you said that not surprised i think if i if we said that at the end of the season no yeah i'm talking because of what dembrowski said i agree with you i think if you if you just take it in a vacuum if dave dombrowski didn't say anything at

the end of the season it would actually be shocking that they moved on for from Strom at this point, but I think because of the press conference, far less shocking that they moved up right. Yeah. So obviously, the press conference sure seemed like they had soured on the guy. And yeah, so maybe felt like a point of no return of, we just got to get him out of here. I'm really surprised at the return. I really am.

I thought that that Strom still being good, not having injuries. Now, one year of control probably hurt. Obviously, being 34, you know. It wasn't a crazy price, given what relievers are getting now in the trade market. I was surprised that it was just Bolin. I thought they could have maybe gotten a catching prospect like Carter Jensen, but, you know, I thought maybe the Orioles, they could have got one of their catching prospects. I felt like they were targeting that in a strong trade.

And this felt like a straight up salary dump. And it's not that Bolin's interesting. I think he is a, they have him under team control. until 2032 he has no options left but you know really yeah so but he has a lot of team control which is interesting i was you rarely see guys with six years team control without that you know without the options yeah my and and and digging more into them first off heavy heavy heavy heavy heavy heavy sinker and the field i feel like the Phillies are really trying to yeah i mean keller yeah yeah get macambly is hard on writing they they want guys that are tough to

tougher righties to square up so um so so so as you dig into it more he seems like a guy that that can start and if the Phillies are really in the mindset of shedding salary I thought that Taiwan was not going to be a part of that because they need them because wheeler's going to be down at the beginning of the year it would be nice to have Taiwan insurance but with this move maybe it would open up the door for for a Taiwan trade if they're in the market of just shedding salary. But I do think he's someone that slots in as a long man out of the bullpen. You know, I don't think he's going to be a leverage righty.

I think that was Brad Keller, but I think that he's someone that has interesting traits, but he's been up to 97 in some of the videos that I've seen. I think this could be something where they stretch him out, could be a starter, and kind of maybe it gets them in a Taiwan walker trade. yeah it's really interesting because i think you're right that there's like i don't think they're just like oh we can we can move on from six and a half million dollars of salary let's just do that

like i don't think that's the only impetus for this trade i think it's part of other moves and part of like a tapestry of things that they want to do but i do think that they were motivated to move on from strum and i think the money's part of it i also think look at the way dave talked to the end of the year like i just i think sometimes you know there are guys who don't fit your culture don't fit your team whatever they believe like it was clear as you i think it's a perfect way to put it they soured on matt strom again like i don't ever remember i mean even the brights harper thing which we were like whoa and was a bigger deal because who bryce harper is yeah was nowhere close to his critical as he was a strong like he buried

matt like you very rarely hear a general manager president whatever rip a a current player under contract the way he he went after strom there so like i'm not surprising we've done but like from a baseball sense to your point because I do think like I don't think any Phillies fan wants here, oh, well, they freed up $6 million unless $7 million, unless that's going to lead to something else because while like, you know, Banks and Alvarado you've got you hope Alvarado can kind of get back. You hope Banks is what he was last year and all that. But like it does open up a left hand that kind of hole in the bullpen in terms of guys you trust. He was probably the most trustworthy of those three just in terms of staying in on the field and contributing. Now you can

flip it around and say, look, you know, Matt Strauss pitched a lot of innings the last few years. Yeah. We saw him be less effective last year and then the season went on and all. He had that stretch in September. We looked a little better, but for the most part, we're down and whatnot. And we know that some of the, the ERA wasn't necessarily what, how good he actually pitched. So I do think there's an argument to saying that they got the best out of Matt Strom in these years. They had him and that he's probably not going to be as good next year even as he was this year, potentially, potentially.

And I think that's the part of the calculus, but I do think that unless they use this money or to your point, whether it's plus Taiwan to do something else or whether they use this $7 million to go get another reliever or to do something else, like I think people will be annoyed just on the face of it with them just, you know, seemingly like giving away, even though they're not just kind of giving them away in a sense, you know? Totally. I'm not really happy with it unless it leads to another move. me too and i don't even know if jt's i mean jt's fine i don't know if it's like and i don't know if the jt thing is one of the other like i think if they're signing jt they're signing jt you know yeah so if it doesn't lead to another move i think i'll be disappointed because i i think your team worse right you made your team worse today yeah you you you did you did i think cala will help against lefties and and whatnot but banks avarado is is a really tough bet to make i thought Banks is great last year, but obviously it's more

in a low lever spot. In Alvarado, we really don't know. We really don't know because when he came back after the suspension, he wasn't very good. Now, maybe a whole off-season, he gets it back, maybe he lost it last year, was rusty, who knows? It's a tough bet to make with not

really another lefty yet coming through the pipeline. There's not one, there's more righties, I think, that could help this bullpen than lefties. So, So that is 100%, that is concerning. So I just am in the mindset of they are trying to shed salary to get into the Bregman or Bichet markets.

Like I think that, I think this move, maybe the Taiwan move, Cassie will be gone, eventually, boom, which is $11 million that they won't have to spend. here's one that that would hurt. Here's one that would hurt 100%. But he is making $7.5 million this year. And that's Sosa. Wow, I didn't realize he was quite that high. I would guess he was like $4 million or $5 million somewhere in there. He's seven and a half, huh?

And I love. I do too. I think he's worth that money. I think that's a fair price for like, you know, like Whitmerfield was what, eight and a half. They gave him a couple years ago. Same type of vibe, I guess. Love it, Mundo Sosa.

But if they're in the mindset of. trying to get into one of those one of those guys markets it could be something that he would have value around the league i think teams have been trying to trade for admonos for a couple years he's he's 30 he's probably going to get seven and a half million dollars in arbitration this year oh yeah so you know that's that's another name to kind of look out for it but on its surface yeah uh the phillies did not get better today and hopefully this is just part of the long game i don't really buy the they got out of year early and and he was a super...

No, I was just saying, like, that, you know, it's possible when you look at that, you know. Like, if you're doing that, I would rather have it... I would have understood that more if they're able to get a real... Yeah, because then, yeah, totally agree. Yeah, I agree. But just getting Jonathan Bowlin back, Bowlin, is not... That screams straight salary dump to me rather than... So, I think it's a move that leads to a move.

And if they don't pay, if they don't pay JT, they got off Strom, they can get off of Bone. That's 11. So that's, we're getting, you're getting close to 30. Oh, yeah. No, you're. What's good, y'all? It's Vaughn Miller, Super Bowl MVP, Sagmaster, and now your host of Free Rain. This is where NFL meets Real Talk.

Every week, I'm bringing you inside the game from locker room stories to league-wide headlongs. You want football IQ locker room insight and real. conversations with the people shape in the league. Welcome to Free Range with Von Miller, where nothing is off limits and every down counts. New episodes every Wednesday. Listen and follow free range with me, Vaughn Miller, wherever you get your podcast. You're around that. But here, real quick, though, because you just made a comment that, you know, almost like

a throwaway if you get off JT. But like, what do you do if you get off JT? Like, oh, glad you asked. Yes, please. What's the plan? We roll them with Marshan and Stubbs? I don't think so, right? Nope.

Nope. Nope. Oh, I'm so glad you asked, James. Let me talk to you about Victor Carrotini. I mean... I like Victor Carrey. I like that. Defense, baby. Defense, but... But better offensively last year than J.T. Wow, was he really?

Well, so he hit 259 with a 728 OPS and 12 home runs. Okay. His war was only down because he played first base a little bit because Christian Walker was hurt and they had a deep. down there in Houston. Victor Caratini at like 5 million, 5 million when you get similar

production and pitchers love throwing to him. Oh, dude, he's like one of those guys that pitchers like wax poetic about, like people, he's got one of those reputations, you know? So Marcian, Caratini, and it's not perfect, but

if it lands you Bichette or Bregman. Oh, in a second. You take that swap. Especially because you're not talking about committing to a catcher for age 35, 36, 37, or whatever. Like, you'd have to do for D.T. Exactly. Exactly.

So that would be my planet catcher. But I think this is the beginning. I think that this is the beginning of some salary being shedded. And hopefully they can get, like, we need Kyle Tucker to sign up to Blue Jays. Really need it. Dying to see it. That's sad. So, Beau's gone.

That would take them out. I think Bichette and Don Mattingly whenever eventually he signs aboard are very, very close. There's that clip at the end of the year when they lost. The first person, Bichette went up to is Don Maddenly and gave him a big hug. So, you know, my head says Bichette, you know, 28. He slots in batting two. Perfect. And third base or second base, he's open to playing second base.

Yeah, which was interesting. You put that out there. Like you made it clear. Hey, guys. I'll play second base, everybody. well because you look at the shortstop defensive numbers and it's like yeah you probably should so the head says the head says adding could you play third could he play third because i don't think he's ever played it right like at least in in the majors yeah i think so i mean i think so if you can play short stop i think you can play most usually but you know you just never know or you mean stott did play third base in 20 22 is that when we started a year yeah because because sagura was still here So stock did start the year at third base in 22. And I don't know, we'll see.

And then, like, so my head says, bishat, because he's younger and you're hitting two. Heart always says braggy. I mean, yeah, ready to get pregnant. Yep, ready to do it. Ready to do it. Dude, that's great. Ready to do it. Ready to do it.

Ready to do it. So, um, because I, listen, pregnant in this line. lineup the winter vibes you want to talk about the amazing the between swarber and and harp and come on man so i don't know man i just i have a i have a good feeling about the rest of this all season and it feels that they're trying to to shake this up a little bit they're trying to maybe get some of the the guys in the clubhouse who weren't totally in line with everything get them out of here and and shake it up you know change the chemistry a little bit which they needed to do yeah like we've talked a lot about and I think

you know some fan expectation is unrealistic in terms of the situation they're in and like blow it up and change it all up and it's like I don't think people necessarily like think three four steps ahead of that and just kind of want change for change sake when it's like okay but what do they do with this what they do with that when we knew that they were in a situation where especially with schwarber like we wanted him back it made sense to bring him back but then you're committing to this group and this core and all these things like it just it would make i think it would just change the whole perspective on this whole thing if they brought in one more name like a beset and a bregman for everybody else but i think that for the team itself like you need you know

i think you can change it up by having some new got like i think adoles garcia's energy will be good for this team like i he needs to hit but like i think like that's the type a guy comes in and has can have a beta effect with his energy and that type of of stuff i like i'm still stuck on on the j t thing because i think it's fascinating jack in that i feel like the vast majority of ladies and even us on this pod really have just been like well j t'll be back almost like just and this is the first time you've kind of like been like well maybe he won't what would you like where where you lean are you like starting to shift to like thinking he actually won't be back or is this just if he isn't like how would you lay out your

percentages right now in turn because again Again, we were a few pods ago, like, almost like just a fact, where are you at now? Because it seems like you've shipped it. Yeah, I just, I think that, I think that they are, I think that they are interested in getting into a real difference maker type of move. And maybe, maybe what's happening is they're surprised in, in where the Bichette and Bregman markets are. And they might feel like they have an opportunity, a lot like the Cassiano. Cassianos, yeah, sure. where they were like, hold on, before we do the whole, you know, just bring back JT for two years or with a club option for a third year, maybe we can, maybe we can get into into one of those markets.

So, and maybe JT's like really holding out for a third year. Yeah. And maybe they're getting frustrated with it. I don't really know. But I think the Phillies are looking at the allocation of money and saying, hold on, do we want to spend the $15 to $17 million on JT? or should we just save it, get off some salary, and maybe go get, maybe go get in one of the markets for Pichette and Bregman. So I don't even know if I have a percentage of where I put JT coming back at this point.

The point is you're not 100 anymore and we were kind of like under 99, whatever, yeah. That's in and of itself interesting. It felt like it was done. It felt like JT was like, all right, I'm coming back. We're running it back, whatever. But I don't know. I don't get that sense anymore. I really don't.

and I kind of feel like that they are doing a little pause here and saying, do we really want to do this? Do we really want to do this? And I, dude, I know he had that stretch in the middle of the summer where he was really, really good. You look at the overall numbers last year, and it was, I mean, he ended up with us exactly 700 OPS, like exactly a 700 OPS.

And that was his age 34 season. So I understand the value he brings defensively is, We've documented, we talked about it, and how he runs the pitching staff, just how much, how valuable is that when there is a guy like Victor Karatini out there who also can run a game in a similar way for a way cheaper price and does get you possibly.

It allows you to do these other things. Yeah. No, and look, if nothing else, like, I want them thinking that way. Like, even if it ends up the J-Team's back or whatever, like I want them to go into the market and say, oh like look at how this market is playing out this presents different opportunities than maybe we

thought we were going to have coming in let's adjust let's be fluid you know i i i love that and i really hope that's where their mindset is because you know that's how you take advantage of opportunities when they come along instead of being like hamstrung or or set already or just even not thinking that like i like emily so much better me at thinking outside the box like i i struggle with that sometimes where i'm just like all right well this is the past that i'm thinking that I'm going to be like, well, why don't you just move that thing? And I'll be like, that was dumb. Yeah, of course, you know, I want them to think outside the box.

I don't want them to just go in and be like, well, we got to sign JT because it's JT. so I really, I really hope that's where they're at. And I think that's been a problem for them for the last couple years is the lack of creativity, the lack of creativity, you know, and being a, I almost feel like they don't trust themselves sometimes. They have something good and they're like, we can't possibly, he's ours. So, yeah, it's risky. it's certainly risky what I find interesting is they I don't think you can trade

bone unless you have it on pretty good authority agree one of those guys are coming now I've kind of got to the mindset where I know it sounds haterish but I mean 11.5 million dollars the bone's probably going to get or just roll with auto camp and and possibly Sosa And then Aiden, when he's ready to, like, you know, maybe he has a great first half of the year in the Myers. You just bring him up and roll, like, who knows, yeah. Yeah, I'm just, I'm ready. By the way, there is still the trade deadline. Like, we forget, but last year, the Phillies made themselves much better at the trade deadline.

Like, you can go in with a somewhat unsure situation in their position and still have optionality as the season progresses. I'm just sort of ready to be over the bone thing, ready. And then the other thing that I think is interesting. I don't think they're opening up money for Harrison Bader. The way that Debrosey talked the other day and it was kind of, now we had talked about it about they're going to start leaking out that Crawford is the center fielder and going from there. That could have been a message to Bader. Of course it could have. Take a year off the contract and maybe some of the demands down or we'll roll with Crawford.

So maybe this could also be freeing up money for Harrison Bader. It's not that I'd be disappointed because I love Harrison Bader. But I'd rather have Bade it. I'd rather have Bregman or Bichette, personally. I'm big game hunting. I'm big game. Yeah, and I'm thinking on a track record. Like, I love what Harrison Bader did here, but like, and I know that, like, potentially, like, there was a mechanical change or, you know, the plane or whatever, like, I'd much rather have the guy who's been good for, you know, five years.

The guy has been good for like seven years or eight years, whatever, pregnant. You know what I mean? Like, I'd rather just have the track record guy. Totally. But now, if they did bring back Bader, that would make a Mars trade, a possibility, there's, there's, there's a very. Bader back, don't get me wrong. I won't be upset. Like, Peter, I think, especially the defense,

like he is a valuable player and I like him, but I'd rather have Bichita Breggman, if given a choice. So there's some, there's some avenues here. There are some real avenues here. Right. It's exciting. Yeah, listen, I think today was just the start. I really do.

I think today was just the start, the first domino, and we'll see how the rest of the all season. You made me feel better, dude. You made me feel better. This is, oh, hold on. Phil's made another trade according to Tucker. Look at this as we get in. Oh, so it's not a, no, Tucker, another trade.

Man, A-O-A? They've acquired left-handed pitcher Kyle Backus from the Diamondbacks for minor leaguer Avery Awosu Asseidu. Yeah. Hey, how about that? The Clearwater Aaron judge. Yeah, he's, A-O-A, A-O-A is a model darling, but probably will not make enough contact to stick. Kyle Backus, the Strom replacement.

I'm sure. I'm sure. I'm sure. You're really chess in me here between. Well, here, look at my phone. I can tell us the peripherals real quick. What I will say, because I wanted to add one last thing before we're done. Oh, wow. He wasn't a big league. Because I wasn't on the pod, the soul pod you did. Crush some tape fully in on Brad Keller.

Yeah. What a dog. What a dog. I'm ready. And also, go, if you're not excited about Brad Keller, go to his savant page for last year. Like, you're going to be excited. and on Brackle. Kyle Bacchus. What do you got on Bacchus?

Leffey's hit 139 against him last year. All right! We got a stud! No, he did. Add him to the factory. Add him to the factory. Wow. He's a little,

oh, he's a little sidewinding lefty too. Oh, I mean, I love that. We never have those guys. Wow, they trade AOA though. That's sad. He was always a real potential guy that you would get excited about. Oh, you got to love those guys.

Yeah, probably no shot of being a real. Probably not going to put it together We were like almost all those guys. Almost all those guys. But could, but could. Can we close out this podcast with talking about real quick the, the, the, the, oh, yeah, what you, okay, no, hold on, let me set this up. I don't even need, you don't need a finish ends because I know where you're going

because I'm literally leaving work yesterday and I got a call from Jack and I'm like, oh, my God, what did the place make a trade? Do we have to do a podcast? No, tell them what you called me about. Well, I saw the news that Scoobble and Mason Miller joined, join Team USA and I had to talk about it. You called me. You didn't text me. You called me to tell me about the USA pitching staff for WBC.

It was a real thing that happened, yes. I was threatening to ruin your nap time. I really was. It ranked three times and I was like, oh, I forget he keeps his phone on ringer when he's something. And I was like, ah, it could have been a bad guy move. But then around 5 o'clock, Logan Webb was added to it as well. I mean, oh, buddy.

Dude, they're better than the 92 dream team, 100%. I mean, it ain't close. Close. I would-cadone that one. I would take this rotation over that starting five any day of the week. Any day of the week. I think we might have jumped the shark with this, by the way. You know what?

You know what's so nice about it? It felt like, it felt like, Skeen's being on the team. School Bowl is like, I'm not going to let him think he's the face of pitching in baseball. Now, who's your game one starter? Well, Skeens, right? No, I'm just kidding.

I actually think it's probably Scooble. I think it's Skeens. I think it's Skeens. I think. I think Skeins is going. to be better like long term but i think like today if i had to win one game because of the experience he's had in big games and stuff like that i go school dude their rotation two years ago they had nick martinez was the four-starter merrill kelly was the ace adam wayne wright was 40 and now we're going

with our montman no one blaine's like the five and he's going to come out of the bullpen no blaine is sick it is sick i can't wait i can't wait it's going to be amazing it's going to be amazing Brazil, Brazil, first game, by the way. I mean, I mean, schemes might strikeout 20 if they let them go. Can't wait. Come on. Now we're done. I can't believe they trade AOA.

It's crazy. I love that we're ending the pod with you can't believe they trade AO, not that they trade Matt Straum. Are you got anything else? No, but let's just. I'll say how to BLG for you. He'll be here in three minutes. Say how to BLJ and just, uh, just know.

This is, this is, you know what this reminds me of? You know what this reminds me of? You know when Howie? Oh, ho ho. In 2016. Browski season. When he went 13 to 8 to 2. The hopscotch.

That's what this is. This is just the beginning. Just the beginning. Exciting stuff. Pod title. All right. We'll be back when the next shoe drops. So can't wait until then.

Until then. He's rid themselves, sir.