High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 2: Jack Fritz's Perfect Offseason

Episode Date: November 22, 2022

Don't have time to listen to the entire High Hopes pod? Check out this segment where Jack Fritz details his perfect Phillies offseason, including multiple trades involving top prospects and big free agent signings. 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

This is my perfect offseason. I'm so excited. I'm trading Derek Hall to the Washington Nationals for Hunter Harvey. I like such a perfect start. Obviously, we're getting Derek Hall out of here. I can't deal with the non-championship. Just so you know, I have to deal with it. Yeah, it's great.

It's good work by you. First move is trading Derek Hall to the Nationals. They can replace Luke Voigt or whatever with Derek Hall, and he can go hit 25 meaningless home runs down in Washington, and we don't have to deal with the nonsense of him playing first base. This is perfect. He'll be a superstar there. You know that, right?

Like Joey Manassas and him will take over. I just want to i just want to lay the groundwork games i took a lot of chances on former failed prospects of mine i like that strictly i strictly i strictly made moves uh you're trying to win the world series strictly for 2015 fantasy baseball players that's what my perfect offseason was so obviously my first move is is getting getting Derek Hall out of here So that I can bring Hunter Harvey in And he can find his

Groove in Philadelphia So the ace that I am Trading for And I would just It would mean a lot To me to be able to bring this Home A mere

16 years after they made a trade very similar in 2000 i'm lying this is 2009 i am trading for shane bieber there it is there it is i knew it i knew it I'm so happy. I'm so proud of myself right now. This is like a really big moment for me. So I said, Shane Bieber. Thank you very much. The ace that I'm trading for is Shane Bieber. Just fair. I put together my own Shane Bieber trade, which probably would have been way less than it would have cost just, but I knew you were going to do Shane Bieber and that's why I didn't do it. So he has a year of control after this year,

so he has two full years left. I know they're not going to pay him. He just came off pitching 200 innings at an ERA of 2.88. I know his fastball velocity isn't insane. I get it. But dude, the guy can pitch. The guy knows how to pitch him

and nolan and ranger the same lineup would just be pitching like nirvana and then we let wheeler throw 99 at the top of it um it's the right time to make the deal and to make the trade happen i am trading mick abel johan rojas and ethan wilson so Ethan, I still believe in, but like did not hit well last year, but he's an outfield prospect, former second round pick that good pedigree. The guardians could use them. Rojas,

same kind of thing. He's blocked. Plus they drafted Justin Crawford, uh, and a Marion Boyd's a guy that drafted who I think is going to be possibly better than Justin Crawford. Um, and Nick Abel,

I love, like, I can't just sit here and think like I i've given up on nick abel as like my guy um but like i just it's so unrealistic in my head that like abel mcgary and painter come up and it's like oh we have the 90s brace so i'm i'm moving and it's the right off season to do it. I think that gets you close. They get a chance at another ace to pair with Gavin Williams, who's coming up in the next couple of years, McKenzie, Mick Abel. It's just a Guardian's move. That's what they do.

It's a lot like the Cliff Lee trade, where it was Carrasco and Abel were very comparable comparable ultimately like they didn't get the best return out of it but whatever i'm going and getting a shade beamer shane bieber and i think that's a the the first two able and rojas puts you in the ballpark yeah it might need a little more than that so but um yeah i look if you're trading Able, I think that's at least the ballpark for sure. I love Bieber. I am signing Trey Turner for seven years, $230 million. I go the extra year just to make sure I get it done. I think they want to sign him for 6200-ish, but I give him 7230 and make everyone happy and whatnot.

So everything else remains the same, my perfect offseason, except the only thing. So this is my second alternate universe, and I can't tell which I like more. In my second alternate universe, I am signing Carlos Cor correa and carlos frodom so i have only you'll lose one qualifying offer pick i only lose because uh correa doesn't cost one and dude like why why are i can't believe that it's not even being talked about

as Correa's possibility here. He's the youngest. He's the best defender. He's had huge postseason moments. He bet at 291 last year. He's always good and would not cost you a pick to sign him. He's a Boris guy, too. I mean, we got so many connections to Boris here.

I know Xander is, too, but, I mean, still. Yeah, it's shocking to me that there hasn't been more of a link between the Phillies and Correa. Maybe it's just like they're being quiet about it because it just makes too much sense. So I'm signing him and dude, I just

couldn't love Carlos Rodon more. I think that so Dabrowski is an old-school executive where he likes stars, but he also likes aces. And I just have a feeling he comes out of this offseason with another ace, whether it's Rodon, who they've been linked to,

or whether it's a trade for one of those ace pitchers out there. I mean, Bieber, Glasnow could be available. There's another one that I was thinking of that I forget right now. I mean, look, with the Brewers, you never know. Oh, yeah. Burns and Woodruff. That's what I'm i was thinking of but i mean look with the brewers you never know i mean oh yeah burns and like burns that's what i'm saying that's what i mean birds you never know like the brewers are kind of a weird organization like that um so like i just i

just have this feeling in my gut that he's gonna go and get one of those guys um last now interesting too because he's a five he's got a $30 million deal, but it's five this first year and then 25 the second year, which is interesting. And you know they're not paying that at all. Right, exactly. But yeah, if I was setting fan duel odds on the Phillies walking out of this offseason with one of the star shortstops and an ace level starter, this postseason or walking out of this offseason with like one of the star shortstops and and and

an ace level starter i think it's i think it's like minus 120 wow because i did two for what it's worth that's why i did it the way i did it even though i went shoot shot the highest it was like i feel like they're getting an ace i feel like they're getting a shortstop and these are the two i want so i'm going for it yeah so um like if if i told you you're getting correa rodon or turner and bieber what would you rather have turner and bieber interesting all right i would i would either way either way we are uh parading down broad street all right i got my i think i think rodon is probably probably better than bieber but they're really close but i definitely think turner is better and i get it korea is again he's my second

but that's why i would go with turner and bieber um so now that derrick hall trades out of the way we can move on to the rest of the perfect all season uh i'm giving two years 18 million dollars to ross stripling and just so we're both there so is it stripling or stripling i thought it was move on to the rest of the perfect all season uh i'm giving two years 18 million dollars to ross stripling and just so we're both there so is it stripling or stripling i thought it was stripling 99 sure it's tripling i trust you in these spots um so i'm giving two years 18 million to stripling if it goes to 20 whatever look at us look at us this is great we made this we were this way with knable last year which is not the greatest sign so um but i i think they need someone that's going to take down some innings um you know and i think

stripling is just a guy that's going to like pitch to a three five and maybe it's because he always pitches well against the phillies like that's why i wanted to sign them um but wheeler bieber nola ranger painter stripling is like a really solid um rotation that you can mix and match with i also wouldn't hate to bring thor back for you know small money and i would not hate uh signing waka either as like a walk is on my list so i had walk and smiley as the last two guys on my list oh drew and he's good cliff lee yeah yeah yeah i had uh those are the last two i had on my list yeah it's so funny we're here that's good i don't need to show yeah i had the walk-in smiley on my list too nice um my lefty reliever to pair with jose alvarado is a two-year 1818 million contract to Andrew Chafin.

Bring me that guy. Yeah, he's nasty. Failed starter. Was it lefty that just continues to put up numbers? Well, he was a big bad three, two years ago, and then all of a sudden figured it out. Seems like a good clubhouse guy. I'll take Andrew Chafin.

Love that you seem like a good clubhouse guy. I don take Andrew Chafin. Love that you seem like a good clubhouse guy. I don't know. He's got a mustache. I base it on, like, he has a cool mustache. That is such great analysis by you. How's that? And he wore a failed starter shirt, so it seems like a funny guy. Oh, yeah, he's self-deferential.

That's good. I like that. Deprecating. Always a fan of. seems like a self deferential. That's good. I like that. Which I'm always, always a fan of. Um, I am giving one year, $5 million to Jimmy Nelson, uh,

of, of former Brewers fame. And again, 20, Oh my God. He's, is he still around? Jimmy?

No, dude, that guy in fantasy many times. Yeah. I went to the Dodgers and was like, he had armed things, right? Some tough surgeries.

Yeah, exactly. Never healthy, but do not care for this bullpen. Never healthy. But he started to figure it out a little bit with the Dodgers. His stuff is always there. It's basically just upgrading the middle of my bullpen. I'll take Jimmy Nelson 100%. Look, I don't at all hate the idea of going after failed high-end prospect starters as bullpen guys.

I think that's a proven strategy. Well, you're going to love this one, pal. Yeah. He was designated for assignment, whatever, the other day. But I am not missing the Alex Reyes breakout. Oh, dude, I loved him too.

Cardinals. Dude, one year, 2 million for Alex Reyes, whatever. I don't know what's going to cost, but I'm not letting another team sign Alex Reyes and figure him out. Like I had some success in the bullpen too.

Like a moment. He had a moment there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Do not care. I like that. I like that.

Alex Rice, that's a good call by you. I'm in on Alex Rice. And then my final move is I'm giving like one year, $1.2 million to Robbie Grossman just so that he can like play the outfield, be a good lefty bench off the bat. Bryce Harper like could be out until June. You know, I've always liked robbie grossman um and i've always needed him to be a philly so i'm just like finishing that one out so my and like this is just like on paper roster obviously that's get cuts down and whatnot so

uh jc and stubs a catcher reese i'm keeping it first basic i just think they're gonna i think he's gonna be there i mean me too browski was pretty um fold was too they were both pretty strong about it yeah um although i'm not gonna say it didn't cross my mind of like how can i fit bellinger into this oh dude oh i i thought of a bounder too i think yeah i think he's gonna get more money than than we would think though probably someone will give him double digits for a year. Stott at second base. Turner at shortstop. Bohm at third base.

Outfield of Schwarber, Marsh, Kast, Vierling, Grossman, Bench of Sosa, and Maton. Starting staff of Wheeler, Bieber, slash Rodon, Nola, Ranger, Painter, Stripling. I mean, that's so sick, dude. Sorry. Just like that's especially when dude oh that's sorry just how taught like that's especially when painter finally comes up and if painter can hit the ground running and

again he's young and and all that but i mean the talent is is so clear i mean dude wheeler radone nola ranger painter buddy 2014 tiger that's what we're building how Wheeler, Radone, Nola, Ranger, Painter. Buddy. 2014 Tigers. How? That's what we're building. How? Five Cy Young winners. Bleep it.

Bleep it. Five Cy Young winners. Do not care. And then bullpen of, I mean, Sir Anthony Alvarado, Baladi, Brogdon. And the 2015 fantasy team. Jack's 2015 fantasy team. Andrew Chafin

Hunter Harvey, Jimmy Nelson Alex Reyes Sam Coonrod and Griff McGarry somehow figures his way into there as well that's my perfect doll season this is great, this is a lot of fun I thought, you know, as expected

I think we nailed it, especially especially me, spending a lot especially me spending a lot of money, you know. Spending a lot of money and unrealistic trades, yes. Spend, John. Yeah, the trades are a little unrealistic. I'll admit it. But the point being, I'm willing to trade both Rojas and McGarry to get relievers and add that.

And that's the way I'm going to kind of get it under the barrel. But I like your idea of trading less to get some we're signing some of those reclamation guys too that's there's some there's so many of them yeah i mean i mean and now we got development guys now we just you know bust it out i mean you have brian caplan who you know like has like a sports performance thing down in florida that works with a lot of these guys. I tried to, again, I'm just pleading to Dave. I mean, two years ago, it was Chase Anderson and Matt Moore. Last year, it was Jerry Simele and Brad Hand,

where it's like he has to sign these two crappy players for no reason other than like, oh, these guys have pitched the game. Oh, they were good. I remember them. They were good five years ago. I love that guy. I was terrified when Familia would come in in 2018. We're trying to bully Dombrowski out of not doing that this year.

I know that Adam Modavino is sitting right there. I know these guys are just sitting there, and I know that you're just like, wow, he was good. And I'm just, I'm just, I'm pleading. I mean, I'm pleading for him not to do that. Like there's like,

I was just, I was actually looking at it before and I was like, oh, these are such Dombrowski guys. Like for example, I mean, Kimbrel's a free agent, like Jansen. There's a ton of those guys uh

zach britain actually who i like wouldn't hate uh adam otavino like archie bradley so many of them that are just sitting there and i can just see him like oh this is gonna be my guy um don't do it we gave you the blueprint only 2015 fantasy prospects um please