High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Inching Closer to Actual Baseball

Episode Date: February 21, 2020

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz are back as actual baseball is on the horizon. Macphail speaks which is always awful but who cares because we're close. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. 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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Adventure awaits in Ottawa. From oh to ah. Plan your Ottawa adventure at OttawaTourism.ca. Travel better with Air Canada. You can enjoy free beer, wine, and premium snacks in economy class. Now extended to flights within Canada and the U.S. Cheers to taking off this summer. More details at AirCanada.com This is the High Hopes Podcast.

High Hopes. It's a bunch of baseball nerds talking about the Philadelphia Phillies on Radio.com and Sports Radio 94 WIP. Yo! It is another edition of the High Hopes Podcast. And can I say, Jack Fritz, the last High Hopes Podcast before the Phillies are playing baseball again, baby. James, you said a lot of sweet words, but nothing has ever been as sweet as what you just said. I'm so excited, man. Jack, inside baseball, letting everyone know know jack came into my studio today and

said so emergency podcast sunday night legit because i know i know i know if i was if i was running this podcast like you are running this podcast i would have a podcast i would have a podcast up by i don't know four o'clock on sunday afternoon um dude honestly so i was i was in an uber today and i was going somewhere and all i could help but think about was like we're legitimately three days away from baseball. We're so freaking close. Sure, sure, sure. Nick Pavetta is a game one starter. And I will – listen, you can't tell me he's not a game one starter because he's definitely a game one starter.

But we have – Well, let's tell everyone too. You text me before the uber ride and said i gotta tell you man i'm so excited to talk philly's baseball and i said when aren't you jack when aren't you and i said when i'm nine feet under and then i was like you mean six feet well you know some some people have to be buried uh lower than other people yeah it's true you can't prove that wrong um it's true i what i'll say is i am genuinely tired and beat and it has been a long day the trial of joe to camera and all that and i don't care i just want to talk phillies with you

like i don't care how tired i am i don't care it's all good um i am filled with life right now jack i feel the same way uh the trial of jude camera was hilarious it was pretty good and and like all right so i already have my plan for sunday. I'll probably get a nice crisp walk in the morning. Like an old man. I like that. It's on brand. And around 1 o'clock, I'm going to – listen, James, James, have I ever lied to the High Hopes listeners?

No, nor would you ever, nor would we ever because we love them. Like genuinely deep in my soul i can't explain i can't put into words how much i love the iops listeners like zoe is obviously like tops but it's not that far behind it's it's less far behind than it should be i'll say that i wasn't like we walked into this thing and like oh i can't wait to meet our fans but like i genuinely love me too well and what we did on i hope's night like we both went to each other and we're like holy crap we have the best fans in the world like they're amazing all the people we met were awesome people normal wonderful cool people it was uh it was awesome. Yeah. And listen, I cannot wait.

We're going to, I can do a high hopes night once a month, but by the way, high hops night might be the thing I've been most excited for in my life. High hops night. It's going to be amazing. It's, it's in production right now. Um,

I have a direct source with the company and with the head honcho over there at at direct source i like the way you phrase that it's good you got a connection right at four fingers brewing company and the high hops ipa was in production the other day yeah you might you might know the the guy there you might yeah well listen my dad not the biggest baseball guy, but all I said was, listen, I need this to be the best baseball beer of all time. And I hope that we are working towards that goal. Well, I love that you're like Ross is in on high hops and I'm like, who's Ross, Jack? I love referring to my parents as their first name. I know I found that out. It was good.

Well, I feel like i feel like now that i'm post 25 and closer to 26 then i'm turning 25 by the way 26 has got to be the oldest age of all time like dude like i'm turning 39 this year jag come on oh god you're so cooked i know man you're so washed i know i know it's all downhill man it's all so close to you're so you're so close to 40 you don't think i have it don't think i haven't had a few moments like wow like yeah 40 it's coming i have noticed i have noticed an uptick in your gray hairs me too i'm not even kidding me Me too. There will be some pictures. Emily will take a picture of me and Zoe and then show me the picture.

And I'll be like, oh my god, is that what I look like? What is going on right now? Listen, I didn't want to be the one to break it to you. Yes, you did. Don't lie. You totally wanted to be the one. Don't lie. Can I have another take on James' body features?

Please. That's why we're here, Jack. That's why we're here. I mean, come on. I'll tell you what, buddy. I may be shedding pounds, but you are grinding towards having a better gut than me. Oh, you know what it is? I've been drinking a lot of beer lately

hey a lot of beer lately what can i say listen beer trying to pack that gut together and can we be fair i might be way older than you but my gut is nowhere near yours let's listen i have a fantastic gut your gut is strong yeah strong listen i i i made this gut the way it is i'm well aware i'm i'm well aware of where my gut what's what about bryant lead i mean come on have we just given up no i'm down 10 pounds i've literally lost i've lost 10 pounds since the start of of bryant lead i've been the same weight for like 15 years so i'm okay how how doesn't doesn't your metabolism get slow as you get older you level off man you find your you find your your homeostasis and you stick to i've been between 165 and 175 legitimately for

like 18 years or something dude that's how much you weigh yeah dude i've been one that i haven't been 175 since like freshman year of high school honestly so let's let's not throw slander about guts just yet all right well listen you're you're slowly creeping towards 224 where i'm at right now. Yeah, I'm going to be dead soon. So that's really all that matters, right? How am I 225 pounds? Are you really? Wow.

You are taller than me, which is, you know. But, man, Jack, you can do better. It's a lot of muscle, though. How am I supposed to continue with the podcast after that that's up to you man i'm ready to move on anyway so anyway let's talk phillies i've been thinking a lot about sunday and like i understand people being excited for opening day and i understand people being like oh can't wait for opening day down in Miami. And then I can't wait for the home opener at 305. I decided today that I'm taking off for the home opener.

I think we should do something for the home opener. Well, I don't have to take off, so I'm in. That is a bold move. I like that by you. No, I decided that, like, dude, I need to be at the ballpark. Well, I'll be there. I'm done at two, so I'm in. So I was thinking about sunday

and i was like dude i don't care i don't care if it's 25 degrees out my windows are going to be open i'm gonna have franski la and france and it's a three-man booth oh is it really gonna be three-man booth is that really yes is that? Oh, it's nice. I like that. We're going to have a three-room booth. I don't care if it's 25 degrees out. I don't care if I'm shivering. I'm going to have the windows open, radio blaring. I guess I can't have beer at this point, but I would like to have a beer.

You're going to have beer. Let's be real. I mean, it's a baseball game. There's nothing more I want in the world. I think once the season starts, it's over. Listen, here's where I'm at on Brian-let, is that I am fully committed to losing 21 pounds for the $21 million it would have cost. We all know the deal.

Let's be real. Once Bryce Harper said, it's not happening, I think we knew it wasn't happening. Honestly, this statement by Bryce hurt. It hurt. I know. They got to Bryce. They got to Bryce. They got to Bryce.

They got to Bryce. It's okay. I am still committing to lose the 21 pounds because I want to hold John Middleton accountable. But I don't know how I'm supposed to watch baseball and not have a beer in my right hand. Well, especially when there's going to be a beer made for us. I mean, come on. Yeah, that's true.

That's true. Come on. That's the dream, right? I mean, that's the dream. As soon as I lose the 21 pounds, I am going to have beer. I love it. I'm all in. I'm all in. I believe in you, I am going to have beer. I love it. I'm all in.

I'm all in. I believe in you. I believe in you, buddy. I've lost 10 pounds already. How low can you go? That's a good question. Let's find out. Let's find out.

Honestly, James, once again, we mentioned it five minutes ago. Never lie to the IOP listeners. I've enjoyed eating pretty healthy. Wow, really? Yeah it i thoroughly enjoyed it i am ready to turn over a new leaf i'm proud of you buddy much like much like the phillies are ready to turn over a new leaf i too am ready to turn over all right let's dive in you're laughing way too hard at that are you not taking my very not but that's okay as long as you take it seriously right i mean it's all matters listen what do you have one kid one kid yeah only one one and done that's

my philosophy i'm a one and done guy hey hey i hey, I was a one and done kid. And look how great I turned out. Oh, no. You're telling me I should have another kid, Jack? Is that what the takeaway is? You can take that as much as you want to take it. But as a one and done guy, I think I turned out pretty well. You did. I would say it's more of a positive argument than a negative argument.

I would agree. Yes. All a positive argument than a negative argument. I would agree. Yes. All right. Let's dive in. We'll get back to the luxury tax thing in a minute because I would like to start a public petition for Andy McPhail to never be allowed to speak in public ever again. But let's start with JT. I think that's probably the most pressing news of the moment jt romito losing his arbitration um against the phillies arbitration argument um it people

kind of seems like took it way too seriously jack should should people not be freaking out right now you want to talk people off the ledge here all right listen i don't i i get it like oh they're totally cheapening out they're they're cheapening out jt real me though that's just it's not the case it's not the case like for as much as people melt down it's like they submitted their number jt submitted their number there's no middle ground like that's how baseball works this is how baseball works it's how baseball works it's they're not alienating jt real amido like jt is fine he is walked into this knowing that it's a business like and he even said even said when he was going for that number, he's like, this is not for me.

This is, I'm setting a precedent. I'm trying to, you know, do, like, this is a players union thing. This is for other players. I'm trying to set a precedent here. He's trying to set a precedent. He is, he is, like, he walked into that press conference, or he walked into the arbitration meeting. The Phillies,

like, here's what I find so funny. The Phillies side has openly said that, that JT Romito is the best catcher in baseball and they don't want him to go anywhere. Both Joe Girardi and Matt Klintek have said that JT Romito has said, I want to spend my career in Philadelphia. Like,

it's so funny how JT said, like, like the direct quote was, I would love to spend my career in Philadelphia. It's so funny how JT said, the direct quote was, I would love to spend my career in Philadelphia. I also know I'm a year away from free agency. And then he ended it with, I don't want to go anywhere. I feel like this is a PSA.

I feel like it's one of those things. You don't give up 6-0 Sanchez for two years of jt ramudo like you just no team is realistically doing that so if you're freaking out about jt if you think there's any shot that jt is going to leave if you if you think any of that the phillies did not trade their best pitching prospect the pitching prospect that could have paired with spencer howard aaron nola zach wheeler uh they didn't trade that away not to sign jc romito to a to a legit extension so um yes jake arieta is coming off the books next year i i pretty much assume

that jc romito is fitting right into the j into the Jake Arrieta missing money on next year's book I would say the Phillies are not messing up here JT is not messing up here they are they're going to come to a conclusion and he's going to be a Philly I think for the rest of his career yeah at least certainly for the rest of his meaningful career while he's a a impact player look and we just talked about the Bryce Harper thing I think the two big takeaways from those Bryce Harper comments were one Chris Bryant's not coming here right now like who knows what happens at the deadline who knows what happens down the road but right now Chris Bryant isn't coming here but the other big takeaway was that JT Romero's gonna be

here for a long time like he made a point ofT Romito is going to be here for a long time. Like he made a point of saying like JT is going to be here for a long time. We're going to get JT signed up. Like he basically said that like almost verbatim. So, yeah, I honestly like it sounds ridiculous, but 0% worry that JT Romito is not going to get signed a long term contract. Literally zero. 0% worry that JT Romito is not going to get signed to a long-term contract. Literally, zero. I feel as confident about that as I do about anything with the Phillies.

So I'm with you. And again, for those who are kind of, look, the Phillies haven't been good for a while, so there are a lot of people who look at these arbitration things and haven't really had to focus on them for a while, haven't really had to think about, you know, these arbitration reference. This is baseball. This is what happens every single off season teams go against their best players and say, he deserves this. And the player says they deserve that. And they go to court and that's what happens. Like it is just the way. And to be fair, I don't think it's the best system. Like I'm not a huge fan of the arbitration system and the way it to be fair i don't think it's the best system like i'm not a huge fan of the arbitration

system and the way it works and all that i don't love the concept of pitting the player in the and the team against each other and all that but that's just what it is it's what it is i will be i will be floored i will be as shocked about anything as i have with the phillies in as long a time as i can remember if jj romito is not signed to a long-term contract in the generally near future. Yeah, if Romito is not even signed, I would say if he's not even signed by the trade deadline. Yeah, mid-season. I totally agree with you. I would melt down at that point, but I fully expect this team to pay what it takes to get J.J. Romito here. They have to.

They almost don't have a choice. They've almost been painted in no quarter. And the nice thing about JT Romito and the possible extension that's coming is that as a long proponent of the DH coming to the National League,

it makes a lot of sense. I like that, Jack. Can you say that again i i might have missed that i just uh i don't think i should because i'm worried that you can cut it i'm worried that audio yeah yeah i don't want that to happen at all but like if you can get real immuno and you can have him be the first baseman h Hoskins be the – like in a perfect world, you could have Real Muto be the first baseman for a couple days, Hoskins is a DH, or Baum is a DH. Baum, it's perfect.

Like it just helps this team so much to where – Honestly, of all the teams in the – like, and again, things change quickly in baseball. But right now, if you took every single team in the national league and said who does the dh coming to the national league help the most the phillies would absolutely be one of the two or three teams you mentioned immediately like it just helps them the most like it is what it is i'm thinking about them i'm thinking about the rockies yeah there are like a couple teams that you would mention but they are right there at the top of the list. For fantasy value, I just wanted Ryan McMahon to have an everyday

job. Tell me about it, buddy. Tell me. I've owned Ryan McMahon far too much for far too many years here. Like three years in a row, I've been like, this is the year. He should be good. I think so, too.

He can't play a defensive position, but that's enough Rockies in this podcast. Yeah. What can you do? I'm a big Garrett Hampson guy. Sometimes you go down the what was the

man, what was their bomber's name? Their bomber's name? Oh, the Blake Street Bombers. yeah ah gotcha come on man well i thought you're talking about a specific player was like the arenado like larry walker are we going old school um yeah no i look i'm with you and also i think the thing with romito too is that as far as it goes it's always going to be be some sort of a risk to sign a catcher at that age to a long-term deal. But as we've talked about many times, like Romito is kind of an exception in a number of ways, first and foremost, just way more athletic than 99.9% of catchers we've seen

in our lifetime. And more so he's someone who doesn't have the same wear and tear. He's not played catcher his whole life. Like that matters. It matters. The fact that he was a shortstop, the fact that he doesn't have the same type of just wear and tear on those knees, the same type of, you know, like I do think that is something that when you're talking about something as important as signing someone to a long-term deal does matter. Like I really do. And you see guys like, look, the history says that catchers can't save that position that long whatever but there are exceptions like yadi melina is still freaking catching and still doing a good job of it from a defensive perspective like there are guys who can kind of be exceptions that rule and i think that when you look at the makeup of velmuto from an athletic perspective from a history of what he's done of what he's done to his body perspective i think

that he's someone that i uh comparative to other catchers he is on the the tippy top of the list in terms of someone who i would be willing to bet can play that position through another deal like another long-term deal that he would sign. Yeah, I totally agree. I mean, he was a high school quarterback. He played shortstop his whole high school career and just started catching super late into his high school career slash minor leagues. And yeah, I totally couldn't agree more. I think he is an exception to the rule,

and I think he will be the value that that contract commands. He's going to be the highest paid catcher in baseball, I would think. And I'm not afraid giving him that money because I think that he will hold his value there. I don't think it's going to be one of these things where he can only catch for two years. I don't think it's going to be a Posey. I don't think it's going to be a Joe Maurer. He's going to be a guy that can stick there.

And with the DH probably coming to the National League, it should theoretically only help his value. And hopefully by that point, Andrew Knapp is not the only option. Oh, God. Hopefully by next week, he's not the only option for a backup catcher. Listen, stop picking on Andrew. It came up on the air this week somehow. I don't remember what caller brought it up,

but the fact, I mean, I know we've heard it a million times, but the fact that bellinger went right after it it's just it's the definition of a kick in the nuts it is such a kick in the nuts but um i'm i'm 100 with you on ramito also i do think that and you and i i think are probably you know we we are fans of analytics we're fans of of using those types of things and forward thinking and all that. But I do think that there is also an element to Romito that you and I are both believers in, that we believe in culture. We believe in leadership.

We believe in those types of things mattering in baseball. And he's like that dude. Like, he is that dude. He is that guy who he is that dude he is that guy who sets a tone he's that guy who makes a difference he's that guy who grinds in terms of of you know getting pictures ready preparing for games like setting an example all that type of stuff i i legitimately think that matters yeah i think he's our generation's dutch i i mean obviously he's your he's definitely your generation you're such an ass i mean i get it i knew i knew it was coming and it was still you know still stuck still stuck a little bit um so i didn't i didn't get to watch Dutch, but Dutch is probably the Philly.

Of the Phillies I wish I could have seen play, it goes Schmidt, Dutch, Boone. Pete Rose would have been cool to see for a couple years. Yeah, end of his career, but totally. Carlton, I would have loved to watch Carlton. Of course. Richie Ashburn, Dick Allen. Of the fillers I wish I could have seen. Chuck Klein.

Yeah, I guess so. No, I know. I guess Robert Roberts. Robert Roberts should be on the list, especially for you. I mean, Robert Roberts was a take the ball every other day kind of guy. Listen, I wish I could be that guy. I know. Now at the point where it takes me a whole freaking week just to feel like I can pitch

again. But by the time I feel 100%, it's like, oh, you got to go out there again. So Dutch is like the guy. For as old and decrepit as you are, I am jealous that you got to watch the 93 team like i'm i am thank you i appreciate that it was until oa it was easily far and away my favorite team in my lifetime it wasn't even close and in some ways it's still my favorite team just because of how unexpected it was how fun they were um you know just how kind of you know just out of nowhere that happening and you're right dutch was he was my favorite player on that

team no question he wasn't the best player i mean dykstra you know ass whatever he is like that dude was dude no pun intended but he was amazing like he just was that guy but dutch was my favorite player on that team for so many reasons and he was the leader of that team he was the heart of that team he was the guy who really set the tone and i i do i think it's a really fair comparison with romito i think romito actually a more talented baseball player to be blatantly fair like maybe not as much of a um uh you know middle of-order bat type of guy, even though he's a really good player. But all around, Romito's a better player than D'Andreus.

Yeah, and I just think that the team – we talked about this a lot last year, but Bryce and JT and these guys who were brought in kind of – and Andrew McCutcheon. These guys were brought in kind of out and Andrew McCutcheon, like these guys were brought in from other organizations to to form this kind of leadership thing here in Philadelphia. That takes a while to kind of. To kind of settle in and J.T. Bryce McCutcheon until he got hurt last year, like that was a trio of guys that that felt like the leaders of this team and now you have a whole spring training you have a whole spring training

of jt ramito catching these pitchers and and being fully comfortable being fully versed in where these guys are like i i don't think that can be can be overstated enough i i think that jt is going to bring a whole nother level of leadership i think I saw a John Clark story this week about how the players in this team view JT Rolamito as their leader. And I just think that is so, so massive for this team because he's not an outsider. He was here all last year. He is the catcher of the baseball team. He is the best catcher in baseball.

And the players on that team respect what JT Romero brings to the table. It's going to be a massive JT year. It's going to be a massive Bryce year. And it's nice having that leadership already planted and ready to succeed. Yeah, well, especially when you add in the Girardi factor, right? I mean, we've talked so much about what Girardi is going to bring from a professionalism standpoint, from a changing the culture standpoint, but also a former catcher, you know, someone who's, I think, for real,

Muto, more than anybody, was kind of, you know, felt like he was kind of alone in what he was doing from a leadership perspective last year. Now he has a guy who understands him and understands what he does on the deepest of levels and really is, you know, Girardi was basically Real Muto, just less talented. Like the same type of guy, the same type of player in terms of the way he went about his business and all that. And I think as a manager is a very similar attitude. I just

don't think it can be understated how much the culture, the professionalism, the just kind of accountability that's going to be in that locker room. I, again, I think that, you know, the managers don't mean that many wins in baseball. I think in this particular case, coming off Gabe, going to Girardi, and the culture in that locker room with the guys already there, I just think it is. I think it's going to matter. I think it's going to mean six, five, six, seven, eight more wins for this team. I really do.

And I just think it's a really good fit. I think it's a really good fit from manager to players to all that. So, all right, speaking of which uh speaking of of good fits let's let's flip to a bad fit because i mentioned it before but jack i'm really reaching my boiling point my breaking point with hearing andy mcphail's voice but you know we gave a little credit for that we gave a little credit for that press conference you know but my man just stop talking stop saying things how many times have we said on this show how dumb would it be if the philly's philosophy is oh we'll just wait till the all-star break and then go over the luxury tax welp andy Andy McPhail said that's what they're doing, Jack.

That's the deal. That's the quote-unquote plan. Can we – I honestly – there was a couple things that I saw where it was like, oh, this actually makes sense. It's like can we just please take this to the next level? Like, on the surface, sure, it makes sense. It's like, oh, you want to wait until the deadline and then spend the money, and then you'll see what happens.

It's like, hey, why not, crazy idea, why not spend the money in the offseason, go over the luxury tax, and then guess what? By that point, your team's probably in better shape and you can go even more over it. I don't know if the Phillies know this or not, but there's no additional penalty to going over it until at least $250 million. So you have all that leeway to where you can just go over the luxury tax, and it's not some kind of meltdown status. So, yeah, and McPhail, you know, it was, I guess, I don't know. It was nice to hear him say that we are not reluctant to overcharge.

Yeah, of course. But, dude, that's such poor management. It's such poor planning. The idea that, again, you could have 90 more games of whatever player you're going to get if you just went over before. Like, you could be in such a better position at the deadline. Instead, they just want to hedge their bets. They want to wait.

They want to, like, make sure. And that's, I'm sorry, that's weak. It's soft. It's incredibly disappointing. I agree. Look, would I be more upset if Andy McPhail said, oh, well, you know, luxury tax. You know, no matter what happens, we really don't want to go over that. Of course, I'm happy he said that, you know, at the trade deadline, I'm sure we'll go over it.

But it's still weak, man. It still doesn't, it doesn't inspire confidence in me. And again, look, it shouldn't. We don't inspire confidence in me and again look i it shouldn't we don't believe in matt klintzak we don't believe in annie mcphail so i'm not surprised that i'm not inspired but i mean it's so weak man it is so weak it's not the way you build it's not the way you inspire confidence in a clubhouse and a team whatever it's like they're clearly hedging their bets they're saying let's see what happens. Let's see where we're at.

And if we're contending, we'll go make a move, and we'll go for the luxury tax. Like, no, no. Get the 90 extra games out of these guys. Like, it's crazy town. And especially, look, that's even putting aside the minuscule penalty that the billionaire is paying for this, that it should just be a no-brainer to

begin with the dodgers went over the luxury tax 15 years in a row at one point like it's just on its face it's asinine but to to have this as your you know your organizational strategy it just is so uninspiring. I mean, it's awful. It's like, I just don't understand how there's one Phillies fan out there that can see, like, oh, awesome. So at the trade deadline, we'll decide if we'll go over or not. Sweet. Especially after last year, you made it very clear you don't care about

the second wild card. So why is that going to the braves are gonna be good man the braves are gonna be a good team like there's a chance the phillies are a really good baseball team and are looking really good at the trade deadline and are still a wild card team like through no fault of their own like it's just frustrating and what's even more obnoxious is that if John Middleton has a position or is in a position to make the playoffs, he's going to do what it takes. Like, I fundamentally believe that John Middleton, if he's in a position, will go over luxury tax and try to help the team make the playoffs. Like, you can't tell me that that guy, even if it's the second wild card

or he's in pole position at the wild card, that he won't go over it. But why would you not go over this offseason and help that to make the burden of the trade deadline even better, except if you don't want to spend the extra money to to make this seem better and not go over the second luxury tax threshold like it's so it's so it's so stupid there's nothing there's nothing dumber than that smart team smart teams don't do that like that's really what it comes down to smart teams don't act like this and all we want is a smart team it's all we ever talk about anyone act like this and all we want is a smart team it's all we ever talk about anyone who listens this podcast knows we just want a smart baseball team that's

all we want here we want a smart team that does smart things and they don't act like it oh no i mean i mean they're they're slowly getting there um the driveline guys, the drafts. Yes, and look, I think on the field level, I don't think it gets much smarter than Girardi and the staff he's put in place, whether it's Price or Dillon or whatever. I think they're going to have among the better coaching staffs in baseball from an intelligence perspective, from a blending the gut and analytics perspective, all that stuff.

It's just, man, the people who run this team from middleton to mcphail to klentak all three of them i'm sorry like it feels like it's it's a a bunch of morons like the way they're going about it oh it's so weird like klentak should definitely be desperate, and he should definitely be. Right? It's almost crazy. Like, I almost want to give him credit for not just saying, screw it, my job's on the line, I'm going to go nuts. But it almost feels like he doesn't have a choice. This feels like a Middleton decision. It does.

It feels like this is a John Middleton directive. That's how I view it. Yeah, I think it's a guy that said, I don't really trust you with my money. And yes, I just extended you last year after the Bryce Harper signing, but I'm not going to let you just spend rampant and spend all my money.

And if that hurts, that's what sucks, is that that is hurting the product on the field. Like, sure, we can talk ourselves into Drew Storm, Francisco Liriano, Bud Norris, like the guys they brought in on non-roster invitee stuff. And for as excited as I am to see what they can turn into, like, there's clear upgrades out there. Like, Chris Martin was an obvious signing. Oh, such an obvious signing. Oh, such an obvious signing. It was such an obvious signing.

We said it. We said it. We said it was such an obvious move. I get that they've been burned in the past, but it's almost like they're overcorrecting, which is something this front office just loves to do. Like, if there's one thing this front office loves to do, it's just overcorrect in one offseason.

So since that David Robertson got hurt for the first time in his career, they are taking the durable guys that have gotten hurt for the first time ever and they're overcorrecting it and saying that let's bring in, I don't know, 30 relief pitchers, and we'll let those guys kind of figure it out from there rather than spending legit money and trying to make this bullpen definitely better than maybe better. It's crazy how fast this front office is like into the overcorrecting phase of their plan, I guess.

Yeah, and it's not what smart front offices do. No. Just facts. Backline tech? No, no. Honestly, and again, as we've alluded to, I think we both have, pardon the pun, relatively high hopes for this team this season from a playoffs perspective. But if nothing else, and I expect them to make the playoffs,

and as the season gets closer, we'll really make our official predictions and all that stuff. But I expect them to make the playoffs. But if nothing else, if somehow it goes awry, the one upside, if they don't make the playoffs, that's gone and i don't know at least there's something i still want to make the playoffs i still would prefer that but if nothing else at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel from their perspective all right fritz what else you what else you got what else do i have uh so i think that uh i legitimately think that they are slowly but surely forcing their way or forcing gene segura into a trade um so scott interesting take i like that

so scott lauber not reported but kind of speculated this week that Gene Secura is going to start at third base and Scott Curry is going to start at second base. And, like, sure, I understand the idea of, oh, let's lock in Scott Curry for second base because apparently he's going to be a 400 hitter if he just plays second base every single day. But what happens when Alec Boehm is ready to come up?

Because Alec Boehm is going to be ready to come up whether it's May, June, whatever. Alec Boehm is going to be on the Major League roster. Are you going to put Segura on the bench? Are you going to put Segura in second base and Kingery in center field and then put Adam Haseley on the major league roster are you going to put segura on the bench are you going to put segura at second base and kingery in center field and then put adam hazley on the bench so it gene segura has a full no trade clause and i kind of just from looking at this it seems like they almost sure they're probably gonna have to eat money on a Segura trade but it's weird all this

reads to me is that they're going to put Segura on the bench if Bones is ready to come out and play because they seem committed to Kingery at second base and like Segura is just going to be on the bench which seems crazy but

it could force him to be like all right it's time to trade me i'm ready to get out of here and all that stuff so well the funny the funny part too is i actually think sagara is gonna be pretty good like he you know i'm not why as we've talked about a million times, I don't fall for the best shape of his life stuff. But I do think that when you look at, you know, obviously clearly he's in shape. Like clearly he is coming in shape. But also when you look at the numbers last year,

the pre-McCutcheon, post-McCutcheon, like I do think that mattered. I do think that was something that weighed on Gene Zagura's mind. And, you know know you know my my like number one rallying cry when i talk about sports is that athletes are human beings and that a lot of times like you know things that you know you expect them to be like this robot who goes out and puts up their numbers and whatever but like sometimes like real life things affect these people and it's hard for them to perform under these circumstances. And I think this was a case where it turns out that Segura, as he probably should, did put a lot of blame on himself for the McCutcheon injury.

And I think it really kind of sent him in a tailspin and I don't think he was ever really able to come out of it. Yeah. And listen, I don't think it was uh sagura's fault i think it was agree as we talked about it it happens it's baseball is a freak injury a human baseball error and it was just one of those things where it's like i can't believe andrew mccutchen towards acl on that so i don't i don't want to kill i don't want to kill Segura but the fact that it seems like he cares so much about it I think is important and I don't

I'm not calling for Segura to be benched and traded it's just that's kind of the feel I get I get this feel that they're going to put him on the bench after Boehm's ready to come up and say hey man if you're not going to waive your no trade clause you're just going to waive your no-trade clause,

you're just going to sit on the bench. So would you rather play? Unless he's crushing it, and then I wouldn't be shocked. And again, there are a lot of factors here. Haseley needs to play well. If Haseley struggles and Segura crushes it, then I wouldn't be shocked if they move Kingery to center field and put Segura at second base and all that.

I think they will do what is best for the team in the moment. But I do agree with you that if everyone else kind of performs up to a certain level, I think it is an interesting situation. Yeah, and I tweeted today in my take a day until opening day thread that I have going on Twitter that I think that their best lineup in May is going to be Boma third base, Kingery second base and no, no, Segura second base and Kingery

Yeah, I mean that is I mean in terms of just pure talent and readiness I think maybe not from a defensive perspective but I think that's their best lineup for sure I think it's definitely the best lineup Like no, no question.

Right. Yeah. Yeah. So that's, that's exciting. Like, and it just makes so much sense. I mean, you have,

you have DD at short, you have Segura at second, Bowman at third, Kingery at center field, and hopefully McCutcheon. I'm not totally sure. McCutcheon be ready by, by opening day.

I, I, I feel like he's a little bit slow, and he's 32 coming off an ACL injury. I just think that we're – I think most people are banking too much on him just being fine from opening day. I'm not 100% sold on him just being okay from day one. Like, Jay Bruce might have to start in left field. Which, you know what, it's fine.

Like, I mean, it's funny. Like, there was a point last year where, you know, Jay Bruce was our savior, and we forgot that Jay Bruce can still hit and still a really solid Major League Baseball player. I think he's almost been kind of the forgotten guy. You know, sometimes I'll forget he's even on the roster. But the point is, it is nice to have a little flexibility there. And I agree with everything we've heard about McCutcheon. It does seem like, you know, the things we're hearing are not great in terms of

like thinking he's going to be ready to start the season. But I think ultimately he's going to be okay and he will contribute a lot this season. But it's going to be interesting to watch. Regardless, it is nice to have that depth there. What else you got, Fritzy? What else do we need to hit here? I'm starting. I'll be honest. I'm tired.

You starting to fade? I'm starting to fade a little, man. I'm starting to fade a little. I'm here. I'm fading. All right. I will let you off the hook if you promise that we can do an emergency podcast on Sunday after the – Well, I'm away all weekend, so I can promise that if nothing else, if we can't do it Sunday night, I will do it on Monday.

And then we'll still do another later in the week. But, like, I can promise Monday at the worst. And I will try to do Sunday night, but I'm taking Zoe to New York for the weekend, and it's going to be a long, stressful weekend, so we'll see. But I will promise to try. Is that fair? All right, you can try. I will be here.

I am very excited that Nick Pavetta is not starting on television on Saturday. I'm a little nervous. And my final, final, final thought is that I hope that everyone enjoys the baseball on Sunday afternoon. And I have stated many times. I don't know if I've probably officially stated this on my podcast, but I'm not a hundred percent sure, but Ed Howard is officially my guy in the draft. Yes.

I've gotten to again, inside baseball, somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 Ed Howard tax from Jack Fritz in the past month. Just so people know. Ed Howard is a face of a franchise. I won. Again, the draft's in June,

Jack. It's in June. Dude. But here's the thing is that now that I'm so in on the draft, I followed like six baseball America writers over the weekend. And I was watching like college tape and i'm already in love dude james i have five guys i'm in love with it i i totally believe it man oh i can't stop thinking about it like i'm so jealous of people that get together that get

to cover the nfl draft because they're like oh sweet, we can pretty much do this all year round. There's always going to be content. There's like zilch content on the MLB draft. I know. And it aches my soul. There's zilch content like when it's happening, no one knows who the people are. It drives me crazy. I know.

But the Baseball America draft, Baseball America mock draft came out this week. Mock draft like 2.0. And if you think I'm not all over the mock draft 2.0 then you don't know me at all um but ed howard was projected to go 22 to the washington nationals and i would just like to say that if that happens i am personally riding down broad street and the the the person that the phillies had drafting at 15 was patrick bailey who was a catcher from nz state and they dropped a freaking catcher after signing jt romito to a massive extension i'm gonna lose my mind but the good

news is james is that ed howard's on the board cole wilcox is on the board, and I can't wait. So it's going to be – honestly, I might do a solo draft show by myself because I'm so excited. There's so much talent at 15. The Phillies are back. We have baseball on Sunday. It's going to be on live TV. We're going to see Tom McCarthy for the first time all season. Are we going to get T-Mac and Crocker,

or are we going T-Mac and Ben Davis on Sunday afternoon? I'm guessing Ben Davis. That's my call. You think Benny's a Clearwater guy? Yeah. I think Ben will be down there. You think Croc's a Clearwater guy? I think Crocker's just always ready to go.

I don't know. I think Ben Davis is more ready to go than Croc. Let's be real. Let's be real. For as excited as I am for the first crack of Scott Franski on Saturday, I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see Tom McCarthy's face. Me too. I'm excited.

I'm excited to see Tom pop on my TV screen. Dude, 71 guys. 71. 71 baseball players. And, like, 71 legit pretty okay guys. Yeah, I like it. Legit pretty. 2020 Phillies, 71 legit pretty okay guys.

Listen, take that to the bank. Oh, man. Well done. Rate and review the podcast. means the world and again like help help us grow help us grow like seriously this is the time of year where people are starting to get back into baseball get back into the phillies and and legitimately if you rate and review the pod it helps people find it like when they search affiliates it pops pops up more. It shows up in iTunes reviews, all that type of stuff. So seriously, it really does help us. And we love you.

So if you love us, which we hope you do, rating and reviewing really does make a difference. So please help us out there. And again, more details coming. High Hops Night is happening. It's happening. It's happening. It's literally in production. It is in production.

So we'll have more details and specifics for that. And again, as Jack said last time, we're working on a few High Hopes Nights as well. So we'll have that information for you guys as soon as we do. And again, all we want to do is hang out with die ups listeners. We want to meet you all. We want to hang with you all. Cause all the ones we've met are awesome. I met one Sean, uh, at parks the other day, you know, he was awesome. He came up and, and just started talking to me about hopes. And every single time I've met a high hopes listener, um,

it's made me feel amazing because I can't believe that such awesome, cool, normal people actually like what we do. So, um, thank you. Keep listening. Keep, uh,

helping us out with rates and reviews and, and we will have information on how we can all hang out, uh, the multitude of times coming up soon. Uh, so until Sunday, Monday, whenever it Sunday, Monday, whenever it is,

uh, baseball coming, listen, I can't, I can't promise. I can't promise that we're not doing an emergency podcast. If Pavetta goes like two innings on Saturday with, I can't,

I can't promise there won't be the emergency. I can't either, but, uh, but there might be. And that'll be a beautiful thing. So, again, thank you. Until then, can't wait.

Please, Nick. Nick, do it for Jack, all right? Yeah, actually. Do it for Jack! Like, on the real, do it for me. All right, he's for it's himself. We'll see you later. All-star closer, Kenley Jansen.

We have a question. What's the best podcast of all time? Baseball isn't boring, baby. I'm Rob Bradford, and every single day I'm sitting down with the biggest names to show you this great game is the greatest game. It's my podcast. It's my passion. It's a cause I started more than two years ago and is now the most prolific national

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