High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 1: The Phillies have a Soto

Episode Date: January 8, 2023

Don't have time to listen to the entire High Hopes pod? Check out this segment where James Seltzer and Jack Fritz react to the Phillies trade for Gregory Soto and what they think it means for the bullpen in 2023. Presented by Miller Lite. 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

They got Gregory Soto automatically becomes the best Soto in all of baseball. A hundred percent. I can't think of another one that, that even, you know, compares to them. So, you know,

we had been talking to the last go podcast of like, all right, they got Kimbrough and he started going through it. And it's like, yeah, Kimbrough strength. It's literally how he ended the last pod. I was like,

Jack, this is the one area I'm like, do they have enough here? Yeah. And then I guess Dave was like, Hey, i listened to the pod i kind of agree like i i kind of agree so um i just love that absolutely no one cares about the eagles clinching the one seed today uh gregory soto is at the top of everyone's brain

um and james the stat was thrown out yesterday by uh so good 81% of left-handed through 100-mile-an-hour fastballs last year were thrown by Jose Alvarado and now Gregory Soto. It's so funny, James, because I believe that the foundation of this podcast for the first three, four years that we did it was just give you guys throw hard and have like ridiculous stuff and now you start going through the entire bullpen and it's just stuff on stuff on stuff slider cutter 98 99 and it's like what universe like dude three years ago we were watching mike moran and like blake Blake Parker split their way to like whatever we have come so far um and and Gregory Soto I I can't wait dude I can't wait and you know we talked last podcast about I I kind of felt like they're gonna name Kimbrel the closer this this signing just confirms that they're just they're gonna go with whatever works every single night. Whether it's

Serenity. Well, they can. They can. They actually can. Yeah, they got match-up guys now. You can really play it by what you need to do and do it the right way. It's a really well put together pen where all the kind of strengths and weaknesses

work together. Arms, all of it and you know the the lefties jack we got like three lefties who we feel good about what the hell is that dude i mean you want to talk about living in an alternate universe yeah um we're at a point now where uh let's say sir anthony or um kimbrough pitched two days in a row and it's like oh we're going for three straight wins. We'd hate to lose the momentum. It's like, hey, let's just throw Gregory Soto and close out the game. Yeah, 30 saves last year. No big deal.

Well, because the last couple years, it was like, oh, my God, if Sir Anthony gets hurt, we have no one that can get the last three outs of a ballgame. And we would have to go with whoever to close out a game. And now we're sitting here. There's four guys that you could have theoretically close out a game. And now we're sitting here, there's four guys that you could have theoretically close out a game. It's insane. And, I mean, on paper, it's far and away the best bullpen of my life.

You know, I mean, obviously the 08 bullpen, they ended up being the best bullpen that we've seen. But just stuff-wise, just talent-wise, just depth-wise, I mean, it's hard to fathom, James. They're top seven right now. This is before we even get into interesting names. Is Sir Anthony Soto, Alvarado,

Kimbrel, Bilotti, Brogdon, Strong? I mean, I trust every single one of those guys. Like, I trust every dude. Any guy comes in, I'm like, yeah, they can get outs for me. Like, what is that? Jack, we never, Mike Morin was throwing 60 mile per hour curve balls, Jack. Like we were sitting there like, what am I? You hated him.

That made you so sad. Mike Morin being on the Phillies like broke your heart and soul. Like that was the exact like symbol of all that was wrong with the Phillies at that moment for you. Mike Morin. Well, it's because he just said nothing. He just had no stuff, and that's what I hated. I hated guys that didn't have stuff.

But I'm looking over it, James. I mean, Tommy Hunter, Blake Parker, Adam Morgan, Brandon Workman, David Hale, Ramon Rosso, Heath Hembree, David Phelps, D'Alyse Guerra, who ended up being pretty good last year, Reggie McClain, Trevor Kelly, Austin Davis, Mauricio Oliveira. Austin Davis.

That was our lefty. We had Austin Davis coming. Austin Davis. I mean, think about it. Think about how far we've come. You want to talk about things that we've deserved, things that we've earned, like things that we've gone through. Oh, we've earned,

buddy. We've earned. We've earned this. We had the single worst bullpen in the history of baseball. The Phillies have a lot of records for the worst things. The most losses. I feel like they've had the most errors. There was like the Phillies have a lot of records for the worst thing. The most losses. I feel like they've had the most errors.

They've had like the least inning started by starters or whatever. And here we are. And they've sort of built a super ish ball. Yeah, dude. And that's the thing too, is coming off the world series and seeing how that played out. Like one of the biggest, if not the biggest reason the World Series and seeing how that played out, like, one of the biggest,

if not the biggest reason the Astros beat the Phillies was because of the bullpen. It was the best bullpen we've seen, and they just shut it down time and time again when they needed to. That 3-2 game, obviously the no-hitter. The last game, like, it was just over. It was over. Other than game one, it was over when they went to the pen.

And, man, to your point, I honestly, like it's hard for me to believe that this bullpen is this good, Jack. I'm so used to not trusting guys coming in from the pen on a consistent basis. And to your point, like they're seven deep. And that's even before we get into all the guys you talked about in the last one with the Drew Bakers and the Griff McGarrys and all these other options to go up and down, which you'll need. You'll need depth.

But all of a sudden, they have dudes. They've got depth. They've got high end. It's a really well put together bullpen. You've got four righties you can count. You've got three lefties you can count on. It's like a really – I can't get over it. I can't get over it.

It was the one thing I said at the end of the last pot. I'm like, look, I feel really good about the starting pitching. Assuming we assume Painter is going to be a part of this later. And you think about that. And yeah, I could use a little more depth, but they're good there. We got something there. The lineup, we're going to feel amazing when Harper comes back. But I said to you, I'm like, I look at this bullpen and I worry if they're just a guy or two short.

Like if they don't have that and you made a great case for the youngsters and how they can cycle guys in, and for the first time in a long time we have that, but then they just go out and trade for a guy who is a difference maker and get an end. And I know a lot of people have talked about this, and it goes to the stat that Suspense Barbecue put out there, but like the Phillies were able to fix Jose Alvarado. Jose Alvarado was in the minors last season

and then became one of the best relievers in the sport for three months. Like, this is the exact... And look, Soto has been way more consistent the last two seasons. I know he's got some control stuff, but way more consistent than Alvarado is. I mean, what's the ceiling with this guy?

If they can get him where they need him to be, it was a masterclass of a move. move and again no offense to the guys we gave up like we love maddie v thank you for everything nikki mayton you know this fan base loved the guy but i mean they essentially gave up bench players to go get a guy who could be pitching like the eighth inning of the world series for you jack like that's the kind of trade they made and that's what makes it so surprising to me because like if you're the Dodgers, why were you not more on this? If you're the Rays in a way, and they know that a guy as talented as Gregory Soto is available,

how are they not on it? And hey, maybe the Tigers value Nick Maton more than we do. And I think that if he played every day... And look, Dombrowski's relations probably mattered too. They probably did. And they had the guy who was with the Tigers last year, Chad or whatever his name is. They had the inside information on the whole thing all that like that stuff matters too we know that no it does um and the brassy talked about that yesterday that he he had some help from

from david chad i think his name is um that that he had you know good scouting on these players but even if you have that if you're just looking at pure stuff, if you're just looking at the numbers, you're looking at the spin, you're looking at just the – if you're one of these teams that has always had these super bullpens, the Astros, the Dodgers, these teams that we view as smart, you let Dabrowski have a little master class for Nick Natan, Matt Veerling. How? How? Donnie Sands? I don't know.

I don't know. It's crazy to me. So just inside baseball for everyone out there, Matt Veerling, you know, like Donnie Sands. I don't know. I don't know. It's crazy to me. So just inside baseball for everyone out there, when Jim Salisbury and Chad Jim had the scoop first, Jim tweeted out, you know, hearing a possible Gregory Soto trade or whatever he said to the Phillies or Phillies are in on Soto or whatever it was. Jack texted me, Mick Abel.

Like, that's what Jack thought. We would probably have to give up to get a guy like Soto and they gave up Matt Verley and Mayton and Donnie Sands like we were ready to give up Mick freaking able for this guy Jack yeah and maybe though obviously that was an overreaction overreaction but still the point being that I can't believe how much less than Mick able it was well because and my thought process was he has three years of control left he's been a back-to-back all-star um he has some of the best stuff in the sport you know those kind of guys just seem to go for they say they do like it it's not that i just think those guys go for more than than what they

gave up and absolutely i mean maybe listen um veerling i i can't see an everyday player mayton i i could see an everyday player um donnie sands like is probably a dh more than a catcher like yeah i think they got three major leaguers but you're giving up a legitimate like you're giving up a a possible guy that can again you mentioned it he pitched the eighth inning of the world series which is the ninth in the world series yeah you know um he can pitch in these in these big moments because his stuff is that good so i honestly just to hear more flabbergasted than anything that that's all they gave up when i when the whole narrative around the sport is all the dodgers have so much depth they can go get anyone uh yankees uh you know these teams they can just go get whoever

they want because they have loads and loads of young talent the phillies were able to get it done for guys who aren't going to start next year i mean is it is it nice to have the the right-handed platoon option with with brandon marsh if he struggles against lefties i mean yeah he's like what a 519 ops guy against lefties in his career so hopefully he can figure that out but like dude it's in a perfect world these guys never play exactly and they are replaceable like maybe you can't get the same a young player with the potential the mat and not that it's through the roof but the potential matt veerling has you can get someone to give you more or less what matt veerling would give

you this year for cheap like that is not a super expensive guy to add to this team and again to your point like look or like philosophically if a team like the tigers that is clearly not trying to compete this year, is not ready to make the steps or whatever the affiliates are and all that, trading a controllable middle reliever for a young bat who can turn into something is the right trade. It's the right trade. They just got the wrong guys.

They just traded for guys who are like, I mean, what's fearling ceiling? Like the eighth hitter in your lineup, maybe? And a fine defensive player? Like what's Maiton ceiling? Like the eighth hitter in your lineup, maybe? And a fine defensive player? Like what's Maiton ceiling? Like maybe an everyday second baseman? Like maybe? I don't know. Probably not, though.

Like I just, and maybe Donnie Sands can hit, and they are into that. Look, I think the idea of trading a troll believer for three bats, and if one of them hits, it was a great trade for the Tigers. I just don't think they got enough upside on these bats and it's crazy to me to your point that one of these other teams who could absolutely love would love to have gregory soda in their bullpen wasn't willing to give something and maybe again beauty's in the eye of the beholder maybe the tigers just really like these

guys again maybe dembrowski's connections with the tigers help pump these guys up whatever i don't know but i was shocked jack i was shocked that that was all they gave up for this