High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Second Base Review

Episode Date: November 21, 2017

Jon Marks, James Seltzer, and producer Jack Fritz review the second base position - breaking down Cesar Hernandez’s play in 2017, his future as a Phillie, when we’ll see Scott Kingery, and more. The guys also check in on the offseason hot stove, talk Rule 5 draft, and discuss the new Hall of Fame candidates for 2018. 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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Terms and conditions apply. Visit your nearest Best Buy store today. Terms and conditions apply. All right. It is the fourth episode of High Hopes, and I am not John Marks. I should say afternoon drive host. John Marks is my co-host. I will be leading the way today, as I figured, you know, John gets to drive the afternoon show.

Let's give me the silly podcast. Right, Johnny? Yeah, I probably wouldn't be bad. Coming back here on Monday night, I guess, is when we're going to try to tape it. Now, it's going to be scattered during the offseason, depending on with the holidays coming up. But, hey, man, listen, I'm putting all my energy into doing afternoons with Ike Reese. And so I figured that you, a very, I mean, we're not talking about you hosting the morning show here. I mean, it's a podcast, but I feel like that High Hopes is in very good hands with you leading the way.

I like it. So I will be your Robin. Look at that. Mr. Batman. Look at that. And I can't do any more nerd Marvel comic talk because I don't follow it. So you guys, you and Jack Pritchett will have to do it. I think that was DC to begin with, so we're already on a bad track.

Well, there you go. I don't know what I'm talking about. In all seriousness, and I'm sure all our listeners agree, all very excited for you, Johnny. I've worked your ass off and very excited to have you in that spot at WIU. Yeah, I was talking to Ike today about it. He's like, oh, you know, and I'm like, yeah, well, after here, I've got to go back and we do our podcast, our Phillies podcast on Monday night. And, like, he half thought I was kidding around.

I was fooling around with him. And I'm like, no, James Seltzer and I do a podcast every Monday. He goes, for what? And I'm like, because when the Phillies get really good again, we're going to be looked at like Ricky Sanchez. You're damn right. We both love baseball, and we both love talking Phillies, and because we can't do a lot of that right now with the Eagles and

probably in the spring with the Sixers, we can do it on here. And we've even hired a producer. This is how big time we are right now. We've hired a producer. Hired in quotes as well. Slash co-host. His pay is nothing. And I will give him nothing but a hard time, actually. But Jack Fritz is also joining us tonight.

Joining us today. He's sitting there looking at us. Always up, Fritz. We'll let him talk now. But generally better seen, not heard. But what's up, Fritzy? Is that the case? Everyone's all happy for John over here.

We'll see if this changes here in a little bit. But yeah, everyone's excited to talk about the Phillies. Because the Eagles are just coming off this big win. Who doesn't want to talk about a little bit of the Phillies right now? Yeah, I'm sure when we post this tonight, the podcast, people will run, not walk, to the link. I would say record numbers. Get ready.

Get ready. You know, the Eagles are good, so why not listen to Phillies podcasts? Anybody could have an – like there's 773 Eagles podcasts in Philadelphia. There's only a handful of Phillies podcasts. I like the sentiment. There's only a handful of Phillies podcasts. I like the sentiment. There's actually only one Philadelphia Eagles podcast. One podcast in general.

You know what I mean. We always joke. That's our joke. But look, I think it's kind of the exciting thing, and we're diving in today. We're going to go through a second base preview for the Phillies. We did our first base preview last time, and it goes through some of the general rumors surrounding the club right now. Of course, the hot stove is starting to get a little hot out there.

But also, I think generally the whole feel in the city is kind of a fun place to start. Just the concept that we are talking about a 9-1 Eagles team and Carson Wentz kind of dropped out of nowhere. The Sixers are playing right now and obviously

when you listen to this, they're probably not playing. They could be, but it won't be this game. But we were watching the Sixers in the background and Embiid and Simmons and that half against the Warriors and there's such excitement around this Philadelphia sports team for the first time in a while. I really do think the Phillies are going to be that next wave of that, John.

Yeah, it's nice to see especially when the whole Reese Hoskin things happen and him and Wentz are going back and forth on Twitter and everything else. There's a number of young star-type players in this city right now, and they all seem to get it. They all seem to understand, like, hey, we're here in Philly. We're all young. We all understand.

We're trying to win it and you look at the sixers you look at the eagles with carson wentz and reese hoskins has to be right up there as far as potential and what he's going to be able to do for his this team and if they're able to get some of the younger guys coming up and then add the money james that that we know that they have to spend uh you got to get get a little bit lucky. There are prospects for a reason. But this has a really, really good chance of in a couple years. I don't know if it's going to happen as quick as happened with the Eagles, but in a couple years it could happen.

Yeah, well, most things shouldn't happen as quickly as happens with the Eagles because that was just out of nowhere. Like one year, just all of a sudden they're the best team in football. But, I mean, look, it can happen in baseball. I think it's more likely this is more of a slower, deliberate type of slow burn type of build here, but I know we both feel very good about where it's at. And the fun thing about this, like, where this Eagles team,

while it is really on the back of cars and wins, but there's a lot of, you know, there's still a veteran presence here. There's still guys who've been around. This Phillies team is really young. Like, this is a team that has the potential to really see a lot of kids grow together which i think kind of adds an extra level of kind of excitement to the whole thing

and we saw it happen what 2005 exactly right 2006 yep jimmy came up first chase came up after that ryan came up he was added with flying hawaiian was a Rule 5, who got offered back to the Dodgers, and the Dodgers said no. So then Shane spent a year at AAA, was the MVP at AAA, came up and earned a job the next year. Jason Wirth was a great signing by Pat Gillick. I mean, when you look at how that team was constructed over the course of two administrations, you can see why that they won, and they also had to have some of their best players in franchise history come up through their minor league system. And you see a lot of the same things, at least in the minors, as far as young potential players. But now what you're going to have to have, and this is where I kind of look at Matt Klintak, and I'm uncertain about him, is can he be the one to make these trades?

Pat Gillick signed Jeff Jenkins, and it didn't work out. He ended up being disappointing. He signed Adam Eaton. Didn't work out. Jason Wirth. Some of the other moves that he made with Joe Blanton and Jamie Moore. The point is that you just can't go out and sign everybody with money, and you're not going to be able to get everything you need from your farm system.

You're going to have to make some good trades like Pat Gillick did. So Matt Klintek has his work on his hands too, but it's there. The foundation is there. He's just got to take it and run with it. A hundred percent. And like you said, a guy like Hoskins at the center of it, J.P. Crawford. I mean, there's such young talent here and also still a really good system in the minors as we're going to get into our second base preview in just a second. You know, Scott Kingery, one of those names that we'll talk about that kind of the forefront of this youth movement here for the Phillies.

So it is very exciting. John, did you know there are 87 days until Pitchers and Catchers report? 87 days! Well, that means that there's about 110 days until I am in Clearwater, Florida then. You're damn right there is. Because I will be like, last year I got to the station working nights and it was late.

If I was still working nights, I think I would have been able to weasel the trip, because that's like, hey, I'm working with the Phillies all year round, you've got to send me down there. But now I know I'm going to be going down there this year. Oh, yeah. And I know what Clearwater's like in March. It's nice compared to what it's like up here. Yeah.

That's for sure. About approximately 7,516,800 seconds until they report. One, two, three. Yeah, exactly, right? I'm pretty excited. It's good stuff. Valentine's Day. So as the spring training schedule is released today and all that.

So let's get into the second base schedule here, our second base preview here. And Fritz, if you want to chime in here on second base, we'd love to hear your thoughts. But let's start it off. Obviously, I think the big question, itnandez was your second baseman for 128 games this past season when he wasn't injured he was your second baseman and um looks heading at least as of now to be the the favorite to be the second baseman but obviously a few little wrenches in

this financial scenario here is scott kingery just mentioned uh number three prospect in the philly system according to to Baseball America, coming off a monster season between double and triple A, really kind of raised his prospect status more than anyone thought. And it's a big piece of this future here. So I personally think May, you know, as soon as that Super 2 status is passed, you're going to see Scott Kingery up here. We're starting to turn the page towards, you you know bringing these guys up and moving forward together but it really does raise an interesting question with Cesar Hernandez because he was a really good player for this team this year a 373 on base percentage out of the leadoff spot really became a much better leadoff hitter than I ever thought he could be good defense uh he actually

above average defender for 294 the last two seasons so he's not going to hit a lot of power last year he led the league in triples. This year down a little bit. But still, you know what you're going to get with Cesar Hernandez, which is what you just said, above average defense. He's probably an above average hitter for what he is as a leadoff hitter. He doesn't do anything on the base path. Even though, as I look at his stats right here, he had 15 stolen bases.

If you want to disrupt things on the base pass, if you want to wreak havoc as a guy that's getting on base on the top of the order, you need to have 35-40 stolen bases. You need for pitchers to be worried about what you're doing every time you get on base. And the commitment to that hasn't been on this team.

I don't know if baseball, it's just never going to happen like that again. I think to a certain point, but yeah. Well, here's why I'll go to Scott Kingery for a second. Scott Kingery isn't the fastest guy in the world. Scott Kingery isn't going to steal 50 bases. Scott Kingery is a willing participant in knowing what he is, which is get on base and create havoc.

And for me, Cesar Hernandez doesn't do that enough. He is a good player, so I don't know what they're going to do with him. He's an asset. That's the thing. It's not something where you just say, all right, well, Cesar, move aside, and we're going to bring Kingery up. Like, you're going to do something with Cesar Hernandez. I had posited when we kind of talked about our episode one or two,

our kind of macro view of this whole thing, talked about the potential for third base. Maybe you slide him over there. He's played there before in his career, and, you know, a huge believer in michael franco i'm sure there are a lot of people with me on that jp and cesar you can have a third baseman and kingery for that matter yes so i i had posited that then we hear potential trade rumors out there the uh los angeles angels apparently quote unquote uh extensive research on him they've been doing, according to Pedro Mora of the LA Times.

What does that incorporate? What does that entail? I was wondering the same thing. Extensive research. Checking his baseball reference. They went to baseball reference, right. That's exactly what it was. Wow, this guy's good.

Let's get him. Oh my God, look at all those home runs he had. No, Van Graffs. Let's not be silly. They went to Van Graffs. Are they smart enough to go to Van Graaffs? I mean, come on. They did get rid of Matt Klentak.

But yeah, no, I think it's... All right, so how do you feel about when you look at the general situation here, what kind of a deal would you be willing to move Cesar for? Or would you be happier kind of keeping him here to start the season? Well, I think part of the problem is we knew that they were shopping him. They had him on the market as they should have had him on the market last year, and they weren't getting the returns. The Phillies thought that they, because he led the league in triples

and he batted near 300, I think the Phillies thought that there was going to be more of a robust market for Hernandez than there was. So I can't see that there be this huge market for him. If you could get, I mean, you're not going to get a top prospect for him. I think the best case scenario is a team that says, like, hey, listen, we have this major league player. Give me your major league player. I don't know who that is. I don't know if it's going to be like a backup rotation starter.

I don't know if I want a middle relief guy because I like the young arms that they have. Maybe it's a middle reliever. But I'm not giving Cesar Hernandez away. I'm just not going to give him away to give him away. But I also realize that at some point, the rest of the league also knows that you have an abundance of middle infielders. And there's only so much you're going to be able to do. So worst case scenario, I keep them all and I let them fight enough for playing time. Yeah, I agree.

And look, if it comes down to at least in the early part of the season, a situation where it's, are you giving Freddy Galvez or Cesar Hernandez playing time? I would certainly want Cesar Hernandez out there playing over Freddy Galvez as well as with Mike Alfranco. So I do think Cesar has real value here and value to another major league team. But I think you make a really good point about their leverage. I mean, that's ultimately what it comes down to. And if you're not going to find a deal because of that leverage that is worthwhile of trading Hernandez for, he's going to be more beneficial to you on your roster. I'm going to ask this to you and Jack, and it's

who's more likely to be traded this offseason? Is it Freddie or is it Cesar? Because Freddie's last year of contract, but Freddie also a much more important position to where you, it's a plug and play. You bring him in at shortstop for one year, you don't even have to resign him, and if you send him to a team that

only needs that shortstop and is a playoff contender, he's the perfect guy for the team. So, who's more likely to get traded? Yeah, I think it'll be Cesar over Freddie, and that's not personally, I think Cesar's obviously the better player, but I think Freddie, for some reason, I just feel like they really value him, and I think he can get

more for Cesar because he's under more years of control and whatnot. And the Angels are a really interesting case, because they have a bunch of starters with high upside that just have injury problems, like Garrett Richards, Tyler Skaggs, Andrew Heaney, those kind of guys. I think if you can get, you won't get Richards, I don't think, but if you can take a

flyer on a Tyler Skaggs or an Andrew Heaney, it could turn into your Jake Arrieta trade, where it's like you get these guys high upside and they turn into something here with that health. Because the Phillies need a high upside ace-like guy like the Arrieta guy that they got for, who was it? Who did they give out? Steve Clevenger.

Oh, and who was part of the Arrieta trade? Orioles and Cubs. Yeah, to the Orioles and the Cubs. I can't remember who else it was, but it was someone just useless. But taking a shot on a high upside guy would be my plan for Cesar Hernandez or a dominant, not dominant, but a high upside middle reliever guy as well. I agree with you, and I'd rather take a chance as opposed to getting a fourth or a fifth outfielder or like a quasi starter, which I don't even know where

they'd start because this roster is pretty much set. I'd rather take a chance on a guy that's like, hey, he's got the potential there, but can he put it together? Because you've seen guys that just something happens and it clicks and they get with the right pitching coach and they put it together. Yeah, I mean, Jake Arrieta, like a perfect example. This guy who in Baltimore did not look like a major league pitcher and wins a Cy Young couple years ago.

Didn't look like that, that's for sure. Yeah, and he's a legit ace-like pitcher and always had this stuff. So I'm a big change of scenery guy in all sports. I totally, totally buy into that. And I think baseball, you see it more than any other sport. I mean, the list goes forever of guys like Brandon Phillips and guys who just don't work in a certain place get traded somewhere else, and then it works for them. So I really like that idea.

I'm a big Skaggs guy. Heaney talented, too. I too i really like tyler skags he's talented left-hander um so i think there's some some potential upside there i like the idea though i think look i would love to trade freddie too i do think there's going to be as you said before a more robust market for cesar hernandez out there i just think he does more for his team. Freddie, like, I get how Freddie is a perfect piece for the right team, but it's got to be that exact right team for that fit. And, again, Freddie, like, he's a bad hitter. Like, he's a bad hitter. I don't disagree, but he also has some pop, which Cesar doesn't.

Totally. And that's why I might be wrong here, but the fact that they weren't able to make a trade work last year, they were asking too much yes, which is fine. But how many teams are actually in the market for a good second baseman that's good defensively and doesn't have a lot of pop and doesn't really steal a lot of bases? What's the market for a guy like that? I'm sure there's teams out there that want him, but what's the price?

Well, it's one of those things where I think his actual real-life value is a lot more than his perceived value, right? It's the kind of thing where he's kind of bland when you look at him. It's like, oh, well, he just doesn't do anything great, but he gets on base at a 37% clip. There's a lot of things good. That's a really good player to have. Above-average defender at second base is a valuable thing to have.

Plus, he offers you versatility like we talked about. He can move around the diamond a little bit, play other positions. So I personally like if you give me you're starting a team and you're starting it with either Cesar Hernandez or Freddy Galvez, first of all, that sucks. But second of all, I'm going Cesar. I would start my team with Cesar for Freddy, so at least I would think the market would be a little more.

He's a better overall player. And his war is 3.1, which is for 2017, so that's good. It's pretty solid. I mean, he's had back-to-back over three war years. I mean, that's very strong for a guy at his position. You know, it's a very strong back-to-back years. Jack Fritz is also in our analytic department of high hopes as well. Producer and analytics and third microphone.

Yeah, basically- Big math guy. Yeah, well, Jack's going to be creating our own stats for us. So it's going to be special stuff. You thought launch angle was a big deal. Just wait for the stuff Fritz comes up with. See, I'm an eye test guy. Oh, I-

Oh, no. He's a scout. I'm all about the launch angle. That's my favorite. A new one? It's a good one. Yeah, it's a good one. Well, it's funny, too.

And I do think, though, just speaking of launch angle, I do think, though, to your point about Freddie's power, does that maybe mitigate a little of that value just because kind of everyone's hitting home runs right now? So the shortstop who can play defense, maybe it's a few more home runs than he used to, maybe a little less value from that perspective. You're right. A lot of people, I have discussions, I had discussions this weekend about baseball. a few more home runs than he used to, maybe a little less value from that perspective. You're right. I had discussions this weekend about baseball.

They're like, well, they're hitting home runs at record clips, but no one has 70 home runs. And it's like, yeah, because there's not bonds juiced up. There's 50 people hitting 20 home runs. Everybody hits 15, 20 home runs. Freddie Gallup is hitting those home runs. Yes, it does. Yeah, I think it matters. It all depends.

Supply and demand, man. Exactly. It's all about that. It all depends. All you need is one team that says, we really like Freddie. We really need a shortstop. We don't want to commit long-term. We're willing to give this piece up, which is probably more than we should get up, but we're trying to win.

All it takes sometimes is a relationship between two GMs. Yes. Like Howie Roseman. Howie Roseman does relationship deals with friggin' Mike Tannenbaum of the Dolphins. And Minnesota. Those two teams. And Minnesota. He just keeps killing them. So I don't know if Klintec has these relationships. I think you made

a really interesting point there, though, about the home runs and the way the game is and stuff. And I do think that before your point about the stolen base guys, I think there is maybe a potential for a bit of a turnaround, again, because guys like that really can create havoc. I remember Kenny Lofton back in the mid-'90s. That dude changed baseball games with his speed,

with the way he ran the bases. You don't see guys like that in the same way anymore. Going back to when I was, for whatever reason, I loved Lonnie Smith when he was a Philly, and then when he went to the Cardinals. You love him so much, I've heard you say about a million times. My favorite Philly. Yes, exactly.

Lonnie Smith was my favorite Philly five years old. And he went to, he was in St. Louis, I think, by like 1983, 1984. So I became a Cardinals fan as well. And Cardinals had Willie McGee and Vince Coleman. And Vince Coleman was really like the... And you had Ricky Henderson. And you had real base stealers. Real base stealers.

But I remember the split screen. And it's so prehistoric if you find any of it online on YouTube. But they had the split screen of the pitcher. Like the home plate angle from the outfield, the pitcher. And then a split screen of Vince Coleman on first base being held on by the first baseman. Love it! But when you have a guy that's stealing over 100 bases every year, which is what Vince Coleman did, pitchers are very, very concerned about him.

Absolutely. And it becomes such a cat-and-mouse game. And even if you're not getting the stolen base, if the pitcher's not concentrating on what he's doing with the batter, it's such a huge deal. And everybody's looking for value. In every sport, you look for value in draft picks and free agents. There's analytics or whatever. What's a better value than a stolen base?

You can turn a walk into a double like that for free, pretty much. It takes a guy off the base pass though. Yeah. Which is the argument on why it's going down every year. That's why you don't see those guys anymore. Right.

But if those guys were good at converting stolen bases. It's just baseball's changed to the upside thing. Where it's like taking that guy off the base pass. And also because of the home runs. It's all a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You want a guy on base because you're hitting more home runs. That run's a run that scores on a home run every single time, wherever they are. And I'm a small ball guy, too. It's like bunting is gone as well. It's all on bases and bunting has changed everything.

Because they don't want to give up in a bat for where they get hit a home run. Yeah, and I think that they're missing the soft stuff that you don't think about. The frazzling a pitcher, keeping the defense on its heels. That type of stuff matters to me. And I think that, like you just said, all of analytics, sabermetrics, moneyball, it's all about finding a market and efficiency. It's all about finding something that other people aren't doing and using that as a way to take advantage of your sport, your opponents, all that type of stuff.

So I really think that that is an area that potentially could be probed more, at least if nothing else, base running. We have not seen teams, shifts have been the most recent kind of team thing where it's like Joe Maddon shifting every play. I think base running is kind of underutilized in a way. I mean, people care about it, but not in the way where I really think you could create some mismatches and advantages through it. Vince Coleman,

his first three years in the league, 110, 107, 109 stolen bases. Insane. It's amazing. Then 81, 65, 77, and then it went straight downhill to 91. But he really made an impression on me as a

kid to where baseball has changed, obviously, and I don an impression on me as a kid to where like baseball has changed obviously and I don't know if it's ever going back to that type of era but the Vince Coleman's of the world can work in any era and if you get a guy and it's not about Scott Kingery stealing 60 bases, it's about Scott Kingery stealing 25 bases.

And going first to third and all that type of stuff and rattling and getting leads where your pitcher, even if you're not stealing a base, if the pitcher is constantly checking on you, constantly aware of you, like that throws him off. Groove a fastball where he's not paying attention and that could be a home run. Even if you're bluffing, it's just about being smart on the base passes and using it to your advantage. You mentioned Scott Kingery, though.

Let's get into him as well, because I think if we're going to talk about the second base preview. Maybe you should start with him. Yeah, we probably should have, because I think that, you know, if you have to say, if all three of us said who will finish the season as the Phillies' second baseman, it's absolutely going to be Scott Kingery. So do you think it is as simple as as soon as he has passed that Super 2 date, he is up? Or are we going to see another Reeseves-Huskins type of situation where it's like he should clearly be up and for some reason not up?

I'm wondering if they're going to try him at third base at all, which would make a lot of sense. We know JP kind of out of nowhere. He can handle third base. We also don't know if maybe Franco's getting moved in the offseason. I think if they can, they probably will, right? They can. It's just if they want to, what kind of a return are they going to get?

You would feel like if you traded Franco, you'd almost have to take back a similar project, like a guy that has a lot of potential. It's another change of scenery thing, right? Right. Yeah. Maybe a hitting coach or somebody gets to him. But I'd be surprised if Kingery wasn't the starter by the end of the season. But I also wouldn't be surprised if they brought him up and between Kingery, J.P. Crawford, Galvis, and Hernandez that you have

a bunch of guys playing a bunch of positions. Galvis is playing shortstop, but you know what I mean. Crawford will get a starter to here and there and there. Bottom line is that Kingery has shown that he can do it and he's got the major league bat. He's not going to be a power hitter. He's not going to hit 30 home runs like it looked like this year he's going to hit. He's going to hit 15 to 20. He's a gap hitter. He's a doubles machine. He's going to have timely hits.

He doesn't have great on-base percentage. He's not a big walker, which I don't necessarily like. But for what he does and what he brings to the team, he's an instant improvement. He'll drive in close to 100 runs every year. 70, 80, 90 runs, depending on where they have him in the order. But he can to the team. He's an instant improvement, and he'll drive in close to 100 runs every year, 70, 80, 90 runs, depending on where they have him in the order,

but he can help year one. Oh, I think so, too. I think he's a high-in-the-order type of guy. Two-hitter? I think two-hitter's a really good spot for him. Not a leadoff hitter? No, I don't think so. I mean, I think J.P. Crawford

is more of a type of leadoff hitter down the road type of guy. I mean, he's going to have a 400 on base percentage type of career. Theoretically, that's to have a 400 on base percentage type of career. Theoretically, that's a little high, but you know what I mean. He has that kind of potential, Crawford, in terms of his ability to get on base already and faster. But I think you make great points about Kingery and his headiness and the way he plays the game.

And also to kind of just warn people a little bit that he went on that run with the Homers and stuff, but, you know, he's not a power-hitting second baseman, per se. Like, he's got some pop, but that's not his game. It's like 5 for 10. Exactly. And, like, don't get me wrong. Buck 80.

Jose Altuve just won the MVP, so things can, you know, things can happen you don't expect, but I'm with you. I think that Kingery, that's kind of the projection for him more. Jack, I mean, I know, at least as you're talking about here, for me, I think J.P. Crawford, and we're going to get to our shortstop preview next week, but I think J.P. needs to be starting there from day one. We'll see if that happens.

How do you feel about Kingery kind of in relation to the whole mess, as it were, that we're talking about here between those middle infield spots? I mean, I'm a big Kingery guy, but I think he had strikeout problems once he got out of the AAA last year. And the OVP thing was a bit of a concern. So I'm not totally sure I'd bat him two-hole. Like, I like Aaron Altair as my two-hole hitter. Oh, I'm talking long-term. Yeah, I agree with you.

I'm talking like a lineup when he comes up next year. I like Kingery like in the five. Yeah. The five-ish. Maybe even six, seven range when he first comes up. Yeah, let him ease into the lineup. Unless you're Pete McKinnon and have Hoskins bat seven and then the next game have him

as your cleanup hitter, even though he went 0-4. Unless you want him to see some fastballs. It depends. You can switch that around so much where they hit, but you're right. I like him at two because he's not a guy that walks and he likes to swing, but that also works very well at five. So you can definitely

stack that at five. The trading Franco thing is really interesting, because do you really trade him right now? Well, yeah, you're trading him at the nadir of his value, right? If he figures it out, it's just like that could be a franchise-changing move. Yeah, he's never going to figure it out like that. I don't think he is. It ain't happening, brother. Look, all right, here's the thing.

John Maley maybe is really a wizard and can come in and get him to figure it out. But, I mean, the approach, and it's like the consistency of the same mistakes over and over and over again and the same lack of. Not changing anything. Yeah, and he doesn't seem to care. He doesn't seem to care that he's not changing anything. I mean, like, even, you know, a guy like Alfaro, who will never be mistaken for a walks machine, at least we saw somewhat as the season went along, we saw some progression. We saw

a change in his approach. We've been watching Franco for years now, and we've seen literally none of that. And I'll agree with Jack on this, is that I also don't think that it's time that you trade him just to trade him. Absolutely not. Unless you're getting... Sometimes you can make trades that make sense for both teams.

And if you can do that to where we were talking earlier, you get a guy that's like, it would make sense. It's a position of need. They could use Franco. They could develop him. The bottom line is the dude

has unbelievable raw tools. And when he does hit the ball and make solid contact, it goes a really long way. So I'm not moving him just to move him in the right trade. I would definitely move him. Do I think that he's going to figure it out and it's going to click? No, I don't.

I don't think I maybe for a half of a season or something. I'm like totally giving up on him yet, but I'm not expecting much. And next year, if he does the same thing he did this year, he's going to lose his job. We already saw that they're going to be willing to do that quickly. Yeah, I don't think he has a long look. But you're right. And look, he's with 25, 26.

I mean, he still has not reached his physical athletic peak, theoretically. There is still the upside there. Like you said, his wrists are so quick. He can turn on a ball so fast. said i mean his wrists are so quick like he can turn on a ball so fast uh but i mean just the the the lack of of dedication to the craft to to the approach to changing it so far for me at least john i'm with you like it's certainly not here i don't ever expect him to really have a a successful career here but i do agree with jack i don't think i don't think you're gonna trade him now because i just don't think you're gonna find that deal out there i don't i don't know where there's and and

if it is teams are could be another project. Teams aren't going to be beating down your door for, like, oh, we need him. But here's the thing. I do think that there are teams that would want to take a shot on him for all the reasons we're saying. You know, the talent, the skills, they're all there. But the point is that you're not going to get anything worthwhile to do it. For the right price, every team in the majors would want him.

Absolutely. Why wouldn't you? But the Phillies aren't just going to... You've got to believe. You've got to look at the tools and the age and say, oh, I can fix him. Because that's what they do. That's why they're in these spots. But the Phillies are a rebuilding team. So why shouldn't

they let him develop here? Theoretically, you're absolutely right. If another team's going to take a shot on him, let's take a shot. Well, the reason they shouldn't, and you know, it's a change of regime and a different hitting coach. That's why you would convince yourself to buy in or whatever. But the reason you don't is because you say, we've seen it, we know. We've watched this guy for years.

I'm not quitting him until I see him close his stance, and if I know if he can't close his stance and still can't hit, then I'll give up on him. But after I saw Giancarlo Stanton close off his stance and hit 65 homers this year, I'm not done on Franco yet. All right, look at that. So he basically just said Mike Alfranco is the next Giancarlo Stanton. Quote, unquote, Jack Fritz.

Hit him up on Twitter. Yeah, but I heard Pete McKinnon talk about how they're trying to get him to go the other way. And a lot of times he says to himself, maybe I should just tell him to try to pull everything. Because he's not putting stuff the other way. It's not working. And he's trying. It's not working. Why not?

Speak up a dead pull hitter. If that's what he wants to do, do it. It can't be much worse,'s trying. It's not working. Why not? Speak up a Deadpool hitter. If that's what he wants to do, do it. It can't be much worse, that's for sure, from an on-base percentage perspective, at least. You mentioned Stanton. So that's our second base preview. More on Mike Calfranco coming up in our third base preview. So we'll continue to preview the positions heading into the winter meetings and all that good stuff.

But speaking of rumors, and you mentioned Stanton, it does look like the Phillies likely out on Stanton, I think, which we all kind of expected them to be. Crowded outfield didn't really make a ton of sense. Obviously, the onerous contract. But there were a few other rumors come out over the last week. One that makes even less sense than Giancarlo Stanton,

if that's possible. According to and legitimate people connecting them here, John Heyman originally and John Marossi backs it up, saying the Phillies interested in D.H. Carlos Santana, John, not the guitarist. Well, you know, it's interesting that they both say the same thing, and I'm not going to say that these guys are throwing stuff against the wall because a lot of times this year there's just a lot of rumors

and, like you said, a lot of connecting the dots. Like, okay, this team needs a starting pitcher. Here are the top three starting pitchers on the market. They must have interest in a starting pitcher. This guy's going to cost money, ipso facto. It's weird that it makes such little sense that maybe it makes sense. Does that make sense? Sure, why not?

It makes such little sense that the Phillies would be in that make sense? It makes such little sense that the Phillies would be in on Santana then why is the name being put out there? Look, I think It would be to play first base and then Hoskins would play left field. Which I think would be a gigantic mistake. And we talked about it a little

last week when we did our first base preview that Unless they like him in left field, James. Man, I know, but I don't think he's a left fielder, but they might. It's possible. He's better than the bat out there. Pat the bat, isn't he? He's more athletic.

High praise. Well, Pat turned himself into an okay defensive player. He was okay. You were thinking, like, solid. He's better than Greg Luzinski. You were thinking mediocre. You ended up at okay, and you're probably still a little generous there. All right.

Yeah, he's in there for his bat, but I agree. All else being equal, you want him to be your first baseman, but if you have a chance to add a guy to play first base, I think he can be more than adequate in left field. I don't know about the guy they're looking to add to first base and how much money you're going to have to pay him. I don't really like the idea. Look, I think if they're signing Carlos Santana, I think they're doing

it in the same vein that they signed Howie Kendrick last year. Obviously a little bit bigger ticket, as it were, but they're signing him to try and trade him at the deadline. I think that's the most likely scenario in that type of situation. A team that needs a power rating for his baseman, a power rating DH, whatever.

I think that's the only reason you bring a guy like that in. Well, it'll also be interesting to see what happens with the market this year because you remember there were a lot of players that deep into, I mean, spring training, Bautista wasn't even signed in the beginning of spring training, right? Yeah, he got signed super late. Remember, that was the thing with the Edmond Encarnacion signing where Toronto offers him the contract and then he says no

and they sign Kendris Morales and then it's like, oh wait, no, I still am, I'm still interested. And then the Indians get him at a discount. It was really a strange market for the power hitters last year. Strange market and you saw a lot of names that were still there towards the end and I guess this is actually how why Michael Saunders ended up in Philadelphia

because there wasn't a market on him. Gee, I wonder why. So it'll be interesting to see the strategy that the Phillies have because they do have money, and would they be willing to go a little bit deeper with a player that say, hey, listen, we're not going three years, but we'll give you more for that one year than you're going to get in other places,

and then you're right back on the market next season. It's weird how free agency has changed in baseball. It really, really has. So I'm wondering if Klintak's up with that and he can make a couple of smart signings. He struggled last year, in my opinion, with his offseason moves, what he did. Some of them worked out, but we'll see what he can do this year. Yeah, look, we've talked about last season. I like the moves a little bit more than you, and I thought they were very clearly for that purpose.

They also didn't really spend much money last offseason. So, you know, you can rip the Saunders signing, but that's pretty much it. Like, no one else really cost any money whatsoever. It was all really low-budget type stuff. I mean, I was talking about the trade that they made for what's-his-nuts from Boston that I'm blanking on right now. Oh, Clay Buchholz.

Yeah, but they gave up an Oregon guy. Like, they gave up a guy who was a 24 year old single A guy. Josh Tobias. They gave up second baseman Josh Tobias because they had other guys in front of them. He's not ever going to play in the major leagues is the point. He may be a major league player. He had a pretty good year at AA this year. Google Josh Tobias

and see what he did. Josh Tobias was a guy. If you get drafted as a senior out of college, you have no leverage. And he signed for $10,000. I think it was like a fifth or a sixth round draft pick. When you look at how other guys are slotted now, and they're like,

we're going to pay a lot more money because he made a $10,000 signing. He got totally screwed. Look, and regardless, point being, not minor moves for the most part. How about you make a move eating salary and it But, um, but anyway. Look, and regardless, point being, not minor moves for the most part. Like, not any big ticket. Yeah, but how about you make a move eating salary and it works?

That's all I'm saying. Like, mix some of those things that work as opposed to bringing in buckles. Well, I think the Kendrick signing worked. I think the Neshek signing worked. I think the Benoit signing worked. I think those all worked. I mean, you got something for them. Neshek worked.

Yeah. Well, he was good. I mean, he was your best reliever for a long time. He was your 2017 All-Star. I think he was kind of a Richard. Oh, he was a total Richard. And people didn't really like him. Total Richard!

Because he didn't do back-to-backs or whatever the rumors I heard about him. Allegedly. Only liked to pitch one inning when he wanted to pitch, but that's beside the point. Pete McKinnon acted like a sissy dealing with it. Yeah, Pete did. Pete needed to be tougher with that. Larry Bowe would have choked him out. Yes. It would have been on

the leading sports center. Larry Bowe was like chokehold against the wall with Neshek like, oh. That totally would have happened. There are some big money contracts out there that are available

if you want to make like a Sixers-ish hinky move. Like the Ellsbury deal. If you can go for the Ellsbury deal. To SmartDot, to get a prospect, to take a contract. Try to get Miguel Andujar, even though they have a bunch of third-base guys.

The Yankees are not ideal for that, obviously, because they just don't mind paying off this contract so much, but it's a really good thought. And Michael Brantley, they're trying to get rid of that contract. That's $12 million next year. You posited to me to get Salazar. I would do that in a second. The idea was Cesar Hernandez would come in and play second base. They'd move Kipnis to the

outfield. Which they pretty much already have anyway. Right, and then we would take back Danny Salazar and Michael Brantley, and they get out of the Brantley deal, and we get a high upside Danny Salazar. See, and that's the thing you were talking about before. Danny Salazar is the exact type of guy the Phillies should be trading for. A very high upside arm who hasn't been able to either put it all together consistently or stay fully healthy on the field.

But Danny Salazar is a, if healthy, lead the league in strikeouts kind of pitcher, if he's healthy. He's that kind of nasty stuff. So, Fritz, I really like that name, and I think that's the general type of guy that they should be going after. Speaking of going to the middle relievers, but a similar type of guy of a high upside middle reliever who I like a ton, John Rossi, also reporting in on Jake McGee. I'm a fan of Jake McGee.

I guess one solid veteran guy that even maybe if they were... That needs to change. We just talked about it. They're signing him a year contract. I'm sure they're going to do that. I would. I would sign a couple of guys with clear intent on trading them at the trade deadline. I'm okay with that. I really like some of the young Phillies' arms in the bullpen, and I want to make sure that they get plenty

of opportunities. But having a veteran in there like that would probably work pretty well. Totally agree. And McGee's like, what, a year or two removed from getting a monster deal from the Rockies? So maybe get him back a little bit too. A little cheaper, maybe. And look, he's a good pitcher, man.

He's closed before. Not that you have a set type of thing there. McGee's a really nice, that's the type of guy that, again, for that Neshek type of move, it's a guy who can help you or can be a piece that you can trade at the deadline, which really can bring back value. And also, not commensurate value, right? Like, you sign Pat Neshek for whatever, a couple million dollars, and you trade him for a potential someone who can help you, like legitimately help you,

or more so for dollars in the draft, international dollars. That type of stuff is far more valuable than the two, three, four million dollars you're paying that middle reliever for that season. No, you're right, and Klintak definitely understands that. He made the trade or he made the deal where he claimed the player off of the, what was his name? The Pirates. That was a great move.

He more or less bought a prospect by picking him up and then traded him. And a good prospect, like a top 10 prospect for the Cardinals. One of their top prospects. Yeah, so like a legitimate move there. Yeah, because the Pirates, out of spite spite didn't want to make the trade, so they just gave him to the Phillies, which is the dumbest thing. That's exactly what happened. They got nothing for him. The Phillies just had the first waiver claim because they had the worst record in baseball.

The Phillies just traded to the same team that wanted him in the beginning of the Cardinals. Awesome. So he can see, it's like Jack was saying with the whole Hinckley thing, there are ways that you can use your low payroll and, hey, you're going to spend the money, then do it on a player that doesn't even matter if you want, but get something else in return. That's the point of it.

That's the beauty of it. And the hinky is kind of a great way to put it. It's funny how that just becomes synonymous. Trust the process, James. Yes, baby, yes. All right. Lastly, before we get out of here, I wanted to talk quickly about the Hall of Fame ballot release. Does anyone care about the MVP and say, you know? We don't really care that much, right?

No, I don't care at all. Congratulations to Jose Altuve, and we can just move on. I like Altuve. That's why I said it. Yeah, I love him. And also, I mean, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger may be the best pair of Rookie of the Year winners numbers-wise. So maybe we do want to talk about it, goddammit.

We just did. We did. That was fun. Corey Kluber and Max Scherzer are both good. All right. I want to talk about the Hall of Fame, though, because these are guys, you know, it's fun, John, and, you know, Jack is like, you know, five years old, so he can't get this yet. But, like, you and I understand now, like, we're at the point in our lives where the

last few years, it's really guys we spent our whole lives watching play baseball who are up for the Hall of Fame. And that's a different kind of thing than when you're in your 20s and, you know, you don't have that frame of reference. Maybe some kids, you guys, when you were a kid, you know, retired when you first started watching. You know them, but you don't really know them. Exactly. These are guys we know.

And this year, the big names, one of them connected to Philadelphia, obviously Chipper Jones on it, but Jim Tomey up for the Hall of Fame for the first time this year. And Omar Vizquel, the other big name of the new guys. Yeah, Freddie Galvis Sr. will make it. I don't know if he makes it his first year. I actually thought, were you working? Who was working when I got the phone call that said that Freddie Galvis was a better player than Vizcal?

And I'm like, better than a probable Hall of Famer? Like, ridiculous. Like, come on. Better than the second best, well, maybe Edwin Simmons is better, but second or third best defense. Jim Tomey is a surefire Hall of Famer. He was a great power hitter, albeit a DH really for a lot of his career. He played a while.

He hit a lot of home runs deep into his 30s. He was a consummate professional. Everybody loved him. He took a big contract in large part because the union needed him to take the contract in Philadelphia. He didn't want to leave Cleveland. He loved him. He took a big contract in large part because the union needed him to take the contract in Philadelphia. He didn't want to leave Cleveland. And he didn't. He really didn't. It's well documented. And the Phillies kept offering years and more money and everything else, and he knew that he kind of had to do it. But Jim Tomey was just one of those good guys that you're rooted

for that also could hit monster home runs. I remember going to the vet. Moonshots. Him hitting home runs in the vet where I was like, yeah, guys didn't hit home runs like this at the vet that I saw in my lifetime. I mean, it's just consistent bombs. So he'll get in. I don't know if it's the first year. I don't really follow the Hall of Fame that much, but he'll get in.

That's what you had asked before. Is he a first ballot? Look, he's a Hall of Famer, and he's going to get in. I think his best chance, I think he's the kind of guy who probably wouldn't normally get in on the first ballot just because they like to punish guys for some reason. Babe Ruth didn't get in for something. You're not a Hall of Famer this year, but you are next year,

even though you did absolutely nothing in that year. But sure, that makes a whole ton of sense. The Hall of Fame is a disaster. We don't need to get in. It's like my biggest pet peeve in all of sports is the Baseball Hall of Fame. But I think the chance he has is that he like you said, John, like he was loved by everybody. Like every reporter ever covered him, every fan who ever met him, all that type of stuff. And ultimately, it's these guys. These are reporters who are voting him into the Hall of Fame.

And I think the fact that they like him and the fact that he deserves to be in could get him in on that first bout I think Chipper Jones a a lock to get on that first bout and a well-deserved lock I mean I think you could argue you know after Mike Schmidt may be the best third baseman you know one of the best third baseman in the history of the game like on the top like top five third baseman in the history of the game, for sure, no question. That's crazy to think about. Yeah, Brooks Robinson, who I never saw play. Right. Mike Schmidt. And was also mostly defensive.

I mean, Eddie Matthews is a guy who pops up on the list. That's the point. You know, like Chipper Jones, one of the best third basemen of all time. Chipper Jones was probably the best hitter that all those Braves-Phillies games that we grew up in for so many years that he played. I remember being at the vet for a Phillies game, and my buddy had, if you remember back at the old vet, when you had box seats in the front, they were really boxes. And there were those metal boxes where you'd fit like four people in there. And that's where you could really get the foul balls or whatever.

There wasn't just like, oh, you're in the second row you're in the boxes and i remember being at an atlanta game and we were on him all night long larry larry and he handled it so professionally and like he knew that we were just idiot like teenage kids and we're doing stuff but he was um one of the best hitters that I've seen and just a great player and also just married his third wife, a Playboy model this time. Good for you, Chipper. So he's 0 for 2.

We're hoping he goes 1 for 3. And my buddy Kevin McAlpin, who works for the Braves radio, raves about him as far as a guy. That's what I've heard. You hear it everywhere. He was just a really good guy. Great guy. Loved the game.

Cared about his teammates. All that type of stuff. And seems the stuff that you've seen from him at post-career seems that way too. Kind of funnier than you would have expected and stuff like that. Everything you said, Edgar. Not a total douche like a lot of baseball players.

Yeah, that's what you thought. Like pat the bat. And it's funny too because when we think about the, you know, and those Braves teams, certainly in terms of extended dominance, the best run I've ever seen in my life, the 14 years of winning the divisions. I've never seen that kind of, I mean, the Patriots now, I suppose, up there in a different kind of way.

Not in baseball like that. Exactly. That's my point. We never saw anything like that and probably never will again. You always think about those pitchers. Chipper was the guy who was there through all of it. He was the position player. He was the guy. Like, he was the guy You always think about those pitchers. Chipper was the guy who was there through all of it. He was the position player. He was the guy.

He was the guy. Because think about it. Of all the guys, they kind of rotated in and out. You had Brian Jordans and Fred McGrath. Brian Giles. And who am I? Ryan Klesko. You had so many of those guys.

You had everybody. Think about it. David Justice. They had different waves of players. Kenny Lofton was there at one point. He was an important player on that team. There was different waves, but Chipper was always there, and you said it, the pitchers were always there.

Everything else was kind of interchangeable. And he was there for good reason, too, because he was a damn good hitter. I remember having, since James is probably Mr. Baseball Card Man here, Jack Fritz, I remember having the number one draft pick card of Chipper. He was a shortstop when he came out of high school, and they quickly made him into a third baseman. But I remember having that. I don't know what happened to it.

But that's when I first remember Chipper Jones. It's like, oh, Chipper Jones? I hated him from the start. And then Andrew Jones at the same time. Andrew Jones from Aruba. These guys. But yeah, look, no doubter for me. Fritz, real quick.

And Omar Vizcay, I think an interesting one. Personally, I don't know if he's Hall of Fame or not. He was certainly one of the best defensive players I ever saw in my life. I love those Indian teams, so I have a soft spot for him. But I don't know if he's there or not. The numbers put him there. But a lot of that is the longevity and stuff. I don't know if I ever watched him play and said he was a no-doubt Hall of Famer, but Fritz, tell everyone why Mike Musina should absolutely be in the Hall of Fame,

and it's ridiculous that he's not. He's one of, like, I think he has the most 20 win seasons ever, right? He's up there. I think he's tied for the most. It's ridiculous. His stats compared to people who are getting in are just right there with him. So why is he not in? Because the number one is ERA. This guy pitched in the AL East in the steroid era,

like the heart of the steroid era. He was right behind the names of Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, and then it was like Mucina. He wasn't in that raid, which is fine. Doesn't mean he's not a Hall of Famer. The guy had two no-hitter. Absolutely. 270 wins in his career. Not that I'm a big wins guy.

But it's important at some point. ERA blew three twice in his career. That was because of that division, man. A great postseason pitcher. Mike Mucina. That's why I brought him up. Until he gets in, he's going to be my of that division, man. Like a great postseason pitcher. Mike Mussina the most. That's why I brought him up because until he gets in, he's going to be my passion project for someone who is not in there, who absolutely

gets underrated. Never won 20 games? Other than, of course. His last year he won 20 games. Other than, of course, the best hitter I ever saw. He's not in the Hall of Fame, but who cares about that? Mussina was always a good pitcher. I never liked him because I never liked the Orioles. Me too. But then he went to the Yankees. That was the other thing too. He never won because he was always the Orioles. So he never won the

you know, he never got over a certain level and that really kind of hindered his... I actually liked him with the Yankees because I was still, I still, I liked the 95 Yankee team. I liked that era team. And when he came to the Yankees, I still was I liked some of the players. I was always a Jeter fan.

Yeah, the core four guys and all that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's not... Mussina's not a guy that you hate. I hated Roger Clemens. I hated steroided up Jason Giambi. There's a lot of players that came to the Yankees that I hated. Alex Rodriguez. Mussina wasn't one of them. I did root for him. I don't know if he's a Hall of Famer or not.

He's a Hall of Famer. Underrated. Alright, we'll do some more Hall of Fame talk as that kind of comes around. Love Hall of Fame. Me too. And it's so funny because I just said I hate it. It drives me crazy, but I love it, and it's my own issues. All right, Marks, any final thoughts before we get out of here? Real quick, the Rule 5 draft's coming up in December, but the Phillies today, so here's how it works.

They have 40 players they can protect based on service time. A lot of the younger players they don't have to protect because there's a certain amount of time since they were drafted to where they don't have to be protected. But this year they had some, a lot of the reasons why they made some of the trades is so they could remove guys from the 40-man roster

and they could put some of these younger players on. So I'll just give you two names of guys, probably the two highest profile guys that they didn't put on the 40-man roster are Andrew Polin and then Carlos Tocci, who are two outfield prospects. And Polin could be a guy that gets taken. Probably not, though. But like, you know, Rule 5, it's kind of minutiae, but it's also Shane Victorino was a Rule 5 guy. Odo Borrero.

Borrero was a Rule 5 guy.'s kind of minutiae, but it's also Shane Victorino was a Rule 5 guy. Odo Barreiro. Herrera was a Rule 5 guy. Johan Santana. Santana is the most notable Rule 5 guy. So if you know what you're doing, more often than not, is you draft a guy that sucks and he can't stay on the roster the whole year and then you have to offer him back. The Phillies took Shane Victorino and they couldn't keep him on the roster, so they offered him back to the Dodgers.

And the Dodgers said, no, we don't want him, so he was able to send him to the AAA. Ended up working out for him. So, again, this is another way where you can improve your team by selecting a guy and also protecting so he doesn't become that next guy that gets taken. That's a great point. And then the concept of the Phillies, because they are not a fully formed 40-man roster, a fully formed 25-man roster for that matter, they do have the ability to take someone and potentially keep him on that 40-man

and not necessarily lose that Rule 5 pick that they make. So, yeah, great point there. And Mark Appel, we forgot to mention. Yes, Mark Appel. BFA'd. Yeah, they yanked a couple guys off the 40-man roster to make room. And Mark Appel, who was part of the Kenny Giles trade. Vinny Velasquez and Mark Appel and a bunch of sadness.

Well, the problem with Appel is that even though he started his Philly's career off well, it wasn't really true. He was the first No. 1 overall pick. And I think the only way he makes the majors is if he's a reliever, and even then, he just doesn't have good enough stuff. Best case, yeah. Best case reliever or maybe a crappy end-of-the-rotation guy. It's a shame.

He was taking ahead of Chris Bryant. Well, think about this. With all the injuries and everything that the Phillies had last year, they didn't even think about bringing him up. He had some injury stuff, too, but they didn't even think about it. You got Zach Eflin starting a bunch of games. You had Henderson, Alvarez, literally back from the dead

to pitch games at the end of the season. They took him out of the independent league and he was starting. Literally, Long Island Ducks. That's what I mean. I think that really tells you where they kind of viewed Appel from an organization perspective. Also tells you that they really do have a lot of nice-looking young arms that are coming up to where they're saying, like,

hey, this guy's not going to be here, so let's just get him out of here and give these other guys opportunities. So it's a good thing for the Phillies. Fritz, final thoughts? Yeah, so international slot money. On the 40-man roster that came out today, four players were signed for under $100,000 in the international slot money. It's very important.

I'm very passionate about it. And if we can get international slot money at any time, take it. Like the Jeremy Hallison deal? Perfectly fine. Get as much international slot money as you can because you're going to need it and you're getting steals for a cheap amount of money. No, when they made those deals to trade for that, I said the same thing to Marks at the time.

I was like, market inefficiency. Find something that other people aren't doing and go do it. And trading for those dollars is something that no one else is doing. And they've done a really good job finding some good things. 6-0 Sanchez, Donos Medina, Reiner Suarez. Yeah, that's a great point. Well, they put roots down. They've said, we're going to build.

We're going to build roots in the Dominican Republic in these places. And we're going to actually have real scouts there and put effort there. Their starting rotation in four years, I'll say, is in the minor leagues right now. Yep. Noel is probably the one guy that's here. The rest of the guys, all high upside arms. Who knows what happens with 6'0 Sanchez? You're talking about a guy that throws 101 miles an hour and is

my size. You know, anything can happen with any of that. Medina might be just as good. Medina might be better because he has command of his pitches. I mean, that's what a lot of the scouts say about Medina. And Ranger Suarez is killing. I love Ranger Suarez. JoJo Romero.

JoJo Romero. They really do. They're lower levels that are moving up. They got young arms, man. And starting arms, too, so that matters. Well, that's everything, and that's the key. And you never know if they'll make it where you want them to make it, but certainly nice to have that upside.

All right, that'll do it for Episode 4 of High Hopes. High Hopes, baby! That's right. Next week. That'll do it for episode four. High hopes, baby! That's right. Next week, shortstop preview coming up next week. It'll be fun. I think that could be a little volatile. I could do it right now. JP Crawford should be the shortstop,

but it shouldn't be Freddie. Yes! End the episode. So that'll do it again. Thank you to newly minted producer Jack Fritz, and again... Well, it's interim. He's the interim producer.

Yeah, that's true. He's got interim producer. Yeah, that's true. He's got to prove himself. I like this. He'll definitely lose this job. You're on a prove-it deal here. Would you be able to afford life if you lost the job? I don't want to put you in a bad spot financially. The only way you're getting me off this board is if you trade me for international slot money.

Or if you get the nighttime producing job. That works, too. That works, too. Either way. Either way, we will make it work. So again, thanks for listening to iHopes. We'll be back next week. 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 daily baseball pod there is. Another fact. So jump aboard the B.I.B. Express. Follow and listen to Baseball Isn't Boring, presented by Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.