High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - The High Hopes Phillies Podcast: The Biggest Offseason in Phillies History is Upon Us

Episode Date: November 1, 2018

The biggest offseason in Phillies history is upon us and James Seltzer and Jack Fritz are anxious. Jack gives his take on Manny Machado, they talk about JD Davis and pour one out for Joey Mennesses. All that and more on this edition of the High Hopes Podcast.  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

This episode is brought to you by Mazda. When you drive a Mazda, you'll find out why RSUVs won more 2024 IIHS Top Safety Picks than any other brand as of June 2024. Find out what makes Mazda different at Mazda.ca. Your teen requested a ride, but this time, not from you. It's through their Uber teen account. It's an Uber account that allows your teen to request a ride under your supervision with live trip tracking and highly rated drivers. Add your teen to your Uber account today. yo it is another edition of the high hopes podcast james seltzer coming your way with the next 40 years of your life radio superstar jack fritz fritzy what's up uh i feel like people

haven't like it hasn't really set in for a lot of people that the biggest off season in philly's history is starting on tomorrow night tomorrow night midnight saturday like but the most annoying not annoying it's it's all great but um like with with with with basketball and with football like it kind of there's stuff leaking out prior and there's kind of a tampering period where they can tamper legally or whatever and the first day of free agency there's not much going on like it's basketball is a little different but and names kind of sign fast it's just not the case of baseball like these guys like aren't going to sign on saturday it's a process it's a killer it stinks well here's the thing and and it is kind of funny

because it does feel like maybe because we are so invested this offseason, but it seems like free agency is coming way quicker than anyone has expected it. Which is great. Which is awesome. And you're right. It's usually the winter meetings in December where things start to really happen. However, with Harper and Machado this year, those are two free agents we've never seen before.

We've never seen guys at this age with this type of accomplishments already going on the market. So I do think Harper and potentially Machado are going to sign a little quicker than your classic biggest free agents on the market do. I know Boris kind of trolling people saying the deal's already done. He got you, didn't he? He got Joe to camera. He did not get me. Well, then why'd you play the audio because joe asked me to play the audio and then when joe asked me if i thought it was serious i said no i think he's trolling people you know i do my job what can i say um yeah but it's interesting so because you have what you

have free agency starts on saturday and then there's the gm meetings and then the winter meetings yep and it feels like the gm meetings are where things kind of get set in place and set in motion, and the winter meetings is where a lot goes down. I'm going to drive myself crazy if Harper is not signed within the next month. I need him. Well, Matt Klentak on the Midday Show today. It is Thursday. Not to toot your own horn.

Yeah, get Matt Klentak on. You got to toot a little bit. I got to talk to Matt Klentak today. I was like, I got you, buddy. Hang in there. Big fan, brother. Did you say, hey, listen, I understand the value of Carlos Santana. I know a lot of people don't, but I do.

We're going to get into that because people were really angry about that one. The Carlos Santana debate got re-litigated today. It's like, what are we doing? People get really mad. Carlos Santana's a hot butt knows you for a lot of people jack ritz i know when when we have gabe capler on this podcast when the first thing we're going to say to him is gabe we we under we as a podcast and the listeners of this podcast understand the value of carlos santana you are welcome into this knowing that

and he will hopefully will say thank you guys like i appreciate that you guys are presenting very well yes i like that um but clint tag did it first we'll get to the machado stuff in a minute he had an interesting comment on that maybe a little a little less bullish on machado than people might think but um i thought it was interesting when he was using a a just an example he was trying to, to discuss, you know, signing big free agents and how that influences the rest of the team. And he's like,

just for example, let's say we sign an outfielder. And that was the example he used. And in my head, all I'm doing is Bryce Harper, Bryce Harper, Bryce Harper, Bryce Harper,

Bryce Harper. Ah, they're signing Bryce Harper. Um, I do feel very confidently about Harper, but let's start with Machado. Cause I thought the Machado thing was really interesting. Klintak, they asked him about the comments, the Johnny Hustle stuff and all that,

and Klintak basically said, you know, it caught my attention. Perception matters. That's something that we are going to look at, something that will factor into our decision. He was careful, of course, to say, now, hey, Manny Machado is still a pretty great baseball player. Let's not forget that. What was your interpretation of the whole thing and the situation with Machado right now?

Listen, I appreciate what Klintak said, and I want to believe him. I hope that he is considering what Machado did in the postseason. I hope he considers his lack of hustle. And it leads me to my take. Whoa, we need like a bell or a ringing sound. It's Jack Fritz take time. It's one that... Real quick, can we pour one out for the Joey Manessis take?

You know, Joey Manessis is going to light up. Where's he going, Japan? Listen, he's a AAA MVP. Some might say he is the most important player on that Japanese team. In that whole franchise. I can't believe the Phillies let him go. I can't believe they let the clear next Max Muncy. All right, lay this take on me.

So this is one that I've been afraid to go all in on. Oh, gosh. It's one that I've been afraid of, but it finally hit me today. Okay. I would rather strike out in free agency than bring in Manny Machado. What? I don't want him here. What? I don't want him at all. I have zero interest than bring in Manny Machado. What? I don't want him here. What?

I don't want him at all. I have zero interest in bringing in Manny Machado. And this is a full about face because when you and I argued, I don't know, like five months ago, four months ago, you were all in on Machado and I was like, no, I want Harper. Harper is the better guy. You're with me now very clearly, but this is like a 180 degree full about face. Tell me why because more than ever not more than ever but in the most recent years culture has mattered more than most things in baseball i understand analytics i understand all that all that stuff but culture matters and i think if you give manny machado

250 300 million dollars like he is not a guy that is coming here to win baseball games his only reason to be here is to make that the most amount of money possible and if that's your incentive I don't think you're going to help a team win a ball game I think it has the potential to be a lot like the the the Rangers in A-Rod like it's it's it's if your main goal of signing with the team is only to get the most amount of money possible, I just don't think your commitment to winning is really there.

I don't trust him giving him that money. I think ultimately he's, he is a losing player. He's a good stats, bad team guy. Like, I just, I don't trust him. I don't want him on this team. I don't, like, if you're a younger player and you see the highest paid guy on the team is lackadaisical, and I'm

not the big hustle guy, but if you're doing that in the World Series, if you're hitting doubles off the wall, it should have been doubles off the wall, or a home run, you're on first base, get your ass to second base. That's unacceptable. And that's the World Series. What's he going to do for the whole season? Jim Tomey, when he was brought here, was a culture changer.

He was a culture changer. He was a culture changer. He was a guy that, once he was in the locker room, it's like, wow, it's time to heighten our sense of awareness. Machado is not that. Machado is not that at all. I just, I don't want him.

I think it's a desperate move by a team that has all this money to spend. I think it would be viewed as a desperate move. Whereas, if you get Harper, Harper I know, and I know people for some reason don't think this guy hustles. Like,

Harper is a winning ball player. He talks about winning. I don't think Manny Machado cares about winning. I think he only cares about money and I think he would sink the locker room. Wow.

That is a hell of a take, Fritzy. I'm sorry. It sounds like, oh, radio being radio guys. This is, like,

in my, in the depths of my gut, that is exactly what I'm feeling. Wow. And I don't want to. Which means he's going to be at Philly because everything I don't want to happen. Well, first and foremost on the Harper thing, I don't get it. I never got why people didn't like Harper. I get it if you don't like him because he's on another NLE's team that is good

and you don't like him because you just don't like players on opposing teams, that's fine. That's being a fan and rooting for your team. I don't get the whole, like, oh, he's a knucklehead. If you watch Bryce Harper play with any sort of consistency, all that guy cares about is winning. That's it. Not just that.

He wants to be the best player in the history of baseball. Like, Bryce Harper wants to be great. That guy gives a shit about greatness, and that's it. And I'm with you. I love that. I've always wanted Bryce Harper more. I still want Bryce Harper wants to be great. That guy gives a shit about greatness, and that's it. And I'm with you. I love that. I've always wanted Bryce Harper more. I still want Bryce Harper more. My one, only, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, ten, whatever,

top ten priorities this offseason are signing Bryce Harper. That's what I want. It's what I've always wanted. Having said that, I'd still take Manny Machado, and I get where you're coming from. I get it i understand but i first and foremost who's signing up to play with manny machado no one likes manny machado first and foremost you look at what that guy has done by the age of 26 they're like literally a

hand a handful of players in the history of baseball so great because of his third base a handful of players in the history of baseball who have achieved what he has achieved by the age of 26. It's true. It's a fact. On top of that. No. It's true. Just pure numbers wise.

If we're looking at his total war for the first. Well, we're not just looking at war. Because you're comparing it to the other players of the highest war through age 26 season. I understand what you're doing. But that was a third base. Like his value for the first five years of his career was mostly at third base, and he had pot potential. But, like, two years ago, he had a 310 OBP and a 250 OBP.

Or 250 batting hammer. He was hurt a lot for the first part of that season and stuff. Look, I get where you're coming from. What I'm saying is that, and look, Matt Klintak just admitted that's something that they're looking at. So I'm willing to give them the benefit of doubt that if they talk to Manny Machado, they know Manny Machado, they brought Manny Machado into baseball. Like, I understand that, look, this is a very high profile. And again, my issue is just being so dumb to actually say that out loud to somebody.

That's my issue. Like, how could you be that stupid, especially as a free agent coming up? But to take one example, and I know not hustling in the World Series is bad, man. It's bad. It's so bad. But I'm not willing to indict the rest of his career based on that. I'm just not. And again.

Well, but it has been his whole career. It's just no one's really noticed it. Right. And well, that's the look we don't we don't know like we don't i have not watched the orioles play on a consistent basis where i saw mini machado play every night and look again to do that in the world series is is you could say why would he hustle in game 100 if he's not hustling in the world series i think that's a fair take too i just think that what he brings from a baseball perspective i'm not willing to say he's a. I think that's a fair take too. I just think that what he brings from a baseball perspective, I'm not willing to say he's a clubhouse cancer. That's kind of where I'm going. And how do we know? What has

he done? He just had a clean up in the World Series. They didn't win, but they won two playoff series before that. I mean, it's not like he's... But he wasn't like the guy. He was brought in on a team that was in the World Series last year. It's not like he was the guy pegged as turning this whole thing around. But he still played a role.

He still hit the ball well and all that. Obviously, he's playing a role, but here he'd be the guy. Right. All right, look, let's put it this way. I'd feel a lot better about Machado if they brought Harper in, too. Right, that's the only way I want Machado. That is the best case scenario in my mind for bringing Machado in. I agree with you.

Look, if Machado is the only big move of the offseason and they are pinning all their hopes on Machado, look, I would still do it. I think that he is worth the money, and I would be willing to take that shot with him. But I understand, and I think there would be reservations about it. I would rather strike out this offseason on him, and then go after Arenado,

and then save your assets for a trot trade. I was thinking about this the other day. So we were talking about Arenado last week save your assets for a trot trade. I was thinking about this the other day. So we were talking about Arenado last week and possibly trading for in this offseason if he decides to decline.

He's not going to resign. If he doesn't resign, right. And I have a question for you. So let's say Arenado's available, right?

Okay. And he's available for a trade. And we're taking a leap. There's a team that made the playoffs this past year. Yeah, but also at the

same time, if you're the Rockies, you know you can't pay people anyway. You also have Brandon Rodgers coming up. True, but Brandon Rodgers is in the league. You have three guys for two spots theoretically,

though they have tried Rodgers out at second base a lot in the minors. And LeMay, he's a free agent this offseason. And on top of that, I think that if there is one guy that the Rockies would re-sign,

would be willing to pony up for, to put that money out there for. I think it's Arenado. I mean, that guy's the face of the franchise. But wouldn't you say that they just did that for Charlie Blackman? Yeah, they paid Blackman, too. But that doesn't preclude them from signing two guys. And Blackman wasn't a top tier. It was an expensive contract, but it wasn't what Nolan Arenado said.

There is precedent for the Rockies, though, because they did trade Matt Holiday a year before his free agency. So we're just throwing it out there. Would you be nervous about going after Arenado because it might take up your assets for a possible trial trade? It's a great question. Look, here's the thing, though. If you do it then, you're one year away from trapping a free agent, right? Well, if you do it this offseason.

If you do it this specific... Because he's one year left on his deal. Here's the thing. agent right uh well if you do it this offseason that's what if you do it this specific oh because he's one year left on his deal i here's the thing i think that these are the types of things where there's just too many variables for us to really make a real call on it because we don't know if teams have talked to the angel if the angel said fuck you we're not trading mike trout sorry or if they've talked to to the rock i mean there's so many variables. But I think that the closer we get to Trout's free agency, the less likely I am to trade for him. Because I think that if he is a free agent,

the Phillies are the top team he's going to want to go to. We've talked a ton about it. I do believe in that with Trout. I do believe that he is someone who wants to play here. If given the opportunity if given the the choice you're on the market you can go wherever the hell you want i think he wants to be here so i i would be willing to take that risk rather than trading a bunch of assets so close to his free agency you're so i think i would if you have the opportunity to trade for arenado i would trade

for arenado so you take your op you take the chance on getting Arenado and you'd trade for Arenado. Again, dependent upon the Angels' reception to trade talk. So you would trade for Arenado and run the risk of missing out on a drought deal, I guess. I would just try to sign him as a free agent. Yeah. In that case, in that specific scenario, and again, this is a tough scenario. I know. I was thinking about it this week.

I was thinking about Arenado and I was looking at his highlights and I was getting really excited for some reason. Because he's awesome. Monday nights here are really freaking boring. Like I have to, so I'm basically just pressing buttons

from eight to midnight basically. But it's like a half hour in between pressing buttons and I just, like the window is looking very appetizing around those times. And I have to do

the same thing tonight. So I'm really excited for it. And usually this is when I go into my deep dives. This is also when I found my new love of life, J.D. Davis, who I forgot to talk about last week. You pumped it up. All you wanted to talk about was, can we do the whole show on J.D. Davis?

And we did none of it on J.D. Davis. I know. And now J.D. Davis' dad is tweeting at me, and he is saying that him and Reese Hoskins were friends growing up. There's a lot of legs to this. I can't believe I was the first one to bring it up. But, yeah, if you don't know about J.D. Davis, which you probably should not know about J.D. Davis.

Most don't. Right. He's like a 25-year-old AAA. So he's rigged AAA. He had weighted runs created plus of like 176, like AAA batting title, amazing AAA player, struggled in the big leagues for the Astros, struggled in the big leagues, still a good third baseman,

can play left field. One of my moves this offseason is finding a way to steal that guy because he has all the makings of... The next J.D. Martinez. J.D. Martinez, Max Muncy, these guys that are like completely undervalued, and the Astros don't have a spot for him. steal that guy because he has all the the makings of the next jd martinez jd martinez max moncy these guys that are like completely undervalued and the astros don't have a spot for him the astros have nowhere to play jd davis if you can trade like a bullpen piece for him like neshek for jd davis in like i think jd here fresh change of scenery starts raking again listen he's an

astros top eight prospect like i like jd davis i'm not poopooing he's an he's an Astros top eight prospect. I'm with you. I like J.D. Davis. I'm not poo-pooing this. He's an Astros top eight prospect that just struggled in the big leagues for the first couple years of his career. They don't have a place for him. I would rather have him at third base next year than Franco. Franco Island is getting lonely. I can't. He steps out. I can't take the stepping out.

Until he changes that, which I don't think he ever will, it's like how are you going to be a consistent hitter in today's big leagues? I'm with you. All right. We'll get back to it. I'm glad we got a J.D. Davis. We had to. You shoehorned it in.

I like that. The Machado take is hot. It's a hot take. Listen, I don't want to lie. I'm happy you didn't. Deep in my soul. I'm happy you didn't. All right.

More. Anything else? Real quick, we'll get to more of the Klondike stuff, but the Carlosintax stuff, but the Carlos Santana thing, you mentioned it before, really seemed to ignite the fire here in Philadelphia. All Matt Klintax said was he thought Carlos Santana was a great player, and people went nuts. Jack, you have gotten into the fray on Twitter.

Our good buddy John Stolnes firing back. Tempers are flaring here over Carlos Santana. Maybe the most volatile player in Philadelphia in terms of fan opinion of him, Jack. Tell people why Carlos Santana is a good baseball player. Like, I smiled as I sent that tweet out because I knew that there was going to be a reaction to it. Listen, again, it's not Carlos Santana's fault that they paid him that money.

They gave him that money. It's not Carlos Santana's fault that they decided to put him at first base and reach Hoskins in left field. It's not Carlos Santana's fault that he's a four-hole hitter. The Phillies brought in Carlos Santana to be a key cog in the offense. I just can't believe. I feel like people made their Carlos Santana assumptions for the first two months. He had a bad first month of the season and then literally batted 260 with a 350 OBP. He's a very good player.

All I said was he's a very valuable offensive player. He gets on base. He gets homers. That's what he does. The fact that he's batting four, that's not my fault. He shouldn't be a four-hole hitter. I don't think he's a four-hole hitter. I don't either.

I've talked about this a fair amount. He's a lead-off two-hole, five-hole hitter. Yep. He is not going to be. But if you're telling me that if he's your third best offensive player, you wouldn't take Carlos Santana? He's your second best offensive player. No, I'm just talking about if you add Harper, you have Hoskins already.

Santana's your third guy. I think it's insane. People want, on the Midday Show today, they were suggesting the idea of trading Santana away to a team that will eat $14 million a year of his salary and doing a deal where they could just basically give him away. I don't get it. He's the second best hitter on this team as we sit here today.

Why are we giving away a good player? I don't get it. People just don't like carlos santana and i think you're right jack i think what you hit on is right i think the fact they paid him that money 60 million over three years people thought they were getting a different type of player than what he is he is a valuable offensive player he got on base 35 of the time last year and that's including a terrible first two months of the season this guy gets on base he scores runs he's an offensive presence he actually plays a pretty damn good first base too or at least a solid first base not a great year last year got better as it went on I think the other thing too is this belief that all of a sudden if you put Reese Hoskins at first base he's going to be this awesome first baseman hey guess what he sucks at first base too Reese Hoskins is a designated hitter there is no spot that you

can find for Reese Hoskins that's going to make him a better player sorry he's just not a good fielder wherever you stick him honestly and again I get the the way it fits on the team sure he's probably a better first baseman than he is a left fielder. But left field is the least important position. Shoving him out there isn't the worst thing in the world you could do with Reece Hoskins. Again, we all know. We saw it. Jack, where do you come down on this whole

kind of issue of the Santana, Reece, the whole first base of it all and all that? Listen, I'm fine if you want to move on from Carlos Santana, but the notion that you're just going to give this guy away, I think, is ridiculous. I think whatever happens next year,

Hoskins is going to play some left field next year. Santana's going to play some third base. Hoskins is going to play some first base. I think Hoskins is going to play more first base than he did this year. I think that's something the Phillies learned. But if you watch the Dodgers and you watch how they manage their roster, they have guys playing all over the place

and I think that's just going to happen with Carlos Santana. That's the natural move here rather than just shipping him away as a part of... Unless it's a part to get a better player and unless you can't fit him in and you can just move him for for some other valuable yes because there are so many offensive stalwarts on this team that they can't fit in a guy like carlos santana right and i don't know it's just that i don't i don't understand what people get so mad about i think they just get

mad because he resembles modern baseball i guess like he's walks and gets on base and occasionally just tries to hit a homer and has a great launch angle and all that stuff. And I just, I don't, I consistently, I just don't get the outrage. What he does on offense is valuable. And if you put him in the five hole and you have good hitters around him,

like in Cleveland, then he keeps the line moving. And ultimately, if you get more guys on base, guess what? There's a higher chance you're going to score more runs. Like, so what the frick is so hard about that? I don't get what's so hard about that. What is so hard to understand about what Carlos Santana brings to the table? And people are pegging me as this, I love Carlos Santana.

I like Carlos Santana. I understand his flaws, but what he does is valuable. You cannot argue that what he does brings value to an offense. Are you kidding me? That's where I'm at. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. I feel like people just want to say he sucks and argue that. Like, that's it.

Because they look at freaking batting average? Yes. Yes. Because they look at 100% yes because they look at batting. That's what Jonah Cameron said to me on the air. He's like, get back 215 and be a good player. I mean, Jonah Cameron knows nothing me on the air. He's like, get back 215 and be a good player. I mean, Jonah Cameron knows nothing about baseball.

So this is nuts. Yeah, he also brought up his Cole Hamels as a top of the front rotation. He desperately wants Cole Hamels back. It's moronic. Carlos Santana, I can't believe we're – I thought we were over this. I thought we had moved on. Again, what he does on offense is good it's not his fault that he was brought in with that money to be a four-hole hitter because once you put him in the lineup where he's the third best option like he's first off he's already a bargain like 60 million

dollars is nothing the fact the fact that people think that carlos santana is overpaid is ridiculous well that's that's a problem with with fandom and where baseball is right now. Dude, people think Scott Kingery's overpaid. People just don't understand what major league contracts are now and what people get paid and what value is. People don't get it anymore. People see these numbers and go, oh, it's crazy in my day. People think Covington's overpaid.

Covington and Santana are basically the same thing. They both have their flaws, right? Carlos Santana doesn't hit for a high average, but he has a great launch angle i know that sounds like super stupid and nerdy but like he his goal every single time is just to hit a home run double or walk which guess what as much as you might not like it some might not like it that is the phillies offensive philosophy do i wish they. Do I wish that some players didn't? We both do. We talked about

this. Yes, I would love to have a guy who goes up there and swings the first pitch and gets a bully, sees and drives it and is a gap hitter and all that. I would love that, but that's not what they're doing. Santana is Covington. Covington brings value. For some reason, everyone

hates him. Whatever. It's the same exact thing. It's a good comp. It's the same thing as Santana is Covington. Like, Covington brings value. For some reason, everyone hates him. Whatever. Like, it's the same exact thing. It's a good comp. It's the same thing as Santana. So, I can't believe we're still arguing about it. But, I mean, what are you going to do? The city's freaking stuck in the mud when it comes to baseball. It's not great, bub.

Any other takeaways from Klintac? No, I thought the Machado stuff was revealing. Just that it sounded like they, they really care about it and they should care about it because it should, because it's, it does matter when you're, when you're talking about team building, bringing in a guy like Machado and maybe even Santana would help out Machado may help him grow up a little bit. I think there's a real good chance of that. I mean, you know, we've talked about that before and Santana, I know a lot of the Latin

players on the team have talked about what kind of influence he's been and all that. So yeah. Yeah. We all that. So, yeah. Yeah, we'll see. But it was a good interview. It was a good interview. I liked it. I thought so, too. I thought Klintak did a good job.

What hope you thought it was good? It was your show. Yeah, well, you never know. I thought he did a good job. I thought he was honest. I thought he hit on some interesting things. Like you said, I thought the Machado stuff was really interesting. So, look, I'm with you.

So, right now, we are – I mean, there's a chance that we're not talking again until there's an emergency pod. Again, we both don't think it'll happen that quickly. Emergency pod. We could be doing an emergency pod this weekend, early next week, if that is the case. Are we going to do an emergency pod even if, like, Machado goes elsewhere? It's a great question.

Or Harper goes elsewhere? Let us know. Tweet at us. Let us know if we need a sad emergency pod. Obviously, the happy ones definitely happen. Yeah. I want to get this out there before free agency starts because I think it's an important reminder because I feel like people are going to freak out if guys go elsewhere.

Oh, they definitely are. People are already freaking out about the potential of guys going elsewhere. No, I mean, so am I. I mean, I literally wake up every morning thinking about it. I have tried my hardest to put the thought of Harper not signing here out of my mind. I can't do it. I'll be devastated, Jack. I'm all in.

I just believe. can i just say can i reveal to you my sad life yeah so i get home around 12 30 and i can't sleep so i crack open some tired hands and i start i start drinking it's good work and i just watch bryce harper highlight it's it's all i do it is all i think about it is i text my nat and i believe this i text i text my gnats friend who likes the Nats. And I was like, what's it like rooting for Harper? And he's like, it's a roller coaster. When he's struggling, it's infuriating.

When he's going great, it's a lot of fun. I can't stop thinking about him. Just put me on the ride, baby. I'm ready for that roller coaster ride. And I just want people to remember that as we head into free agency, if these guys sign elsewhere, it's not because the Phillies are going to get outbid. I've already seen that narrative starting. Which is crazy talk.

I've already seen the narrative starting where, well, the Phillies. Oh, the Phillies don't want to spend money. Classic Phillies. What? No matter what happens, the Phillies are going to outbid whoever ends up getting these guys if they don't come here. It's not going to be. So I just want to nip that in the bud. If there's anyone out there saying they got outbid, all this stuff, it's just not going

to happen. They have all the money in the world and they've been saving up for this exact moment. And Klintak said that. He said that we have purposefully been very careful about the money we have put out as we want to have financial flexibility. He made it very clear that they have put themselves in this position purposefully. Very interesting answer. All right, we got some questions?

Any other final thoughts on the free agency stuff? Oh, yeah, my take, they're signing Bryce Harper. I feel really confident about it. So do I. I believe that Bryce Harper will be a Philly, and like I said, Jack, unlike you, I've not taken the steps to prepare myself for the worst I'm just going to be despondent on the podcast people can hear me yelling curse it'll be fun

um it's gonna be it's gonna be annoying I I don't want to I don't even want to think about that's why I haven't done that they're signing Bryce Arbor so that's the way I feel about it yeah it's just I can't I just can't picture these guys in Philly you know I know it's gonna be great that's what I'm all about. I'm so excited. All right. First one from Alyssa Bauer. Who do you think the Phillies will sign this offseason outside of Machado and Harper? They could be a big contributor.

So those Vegas odds did come out. And I saw AJ Pollock on there, which no. I like AJ Pollock. You don't like him. I like AJ Pollock a lot, but the guy gets hurt every single year. I know. I know. He can't stay healthy. I know. He's a really good baseball player. Really good baseball player that can't like him. I like AJ Pollock a lot, but the guy gets hurt every single year. I know. I know. He can't stay healthy. I know.

He's a really good baseball player. Really good baseball player that can't stay healthy. I'm with you. I worry about that. So for you, who would be your favorite guy, I guess, that would be a possible big contributor that's a free agent? That's not Harper or Machado. That's not Harper or Machado.

It's a great question. I mean, look, we've talked a little bit about some of the pitchers. I love Charlie Morton. I always have him. Big Charlie Morton guy. I would love to see that guy back here. I think that's the type of name you could see. I know your boy, a.k.a. World Series hero, Nathan Eovaldi.

A name. Hold on. That would be very interesting. Hold on. Hold on. Excuse me. I would just like to say, I want to, no one, obviously, no one reads James and I's text messages.

For three years. Years. I have been ridiculed. Yeah. Attacked. It was all correct at the time. Questioned. Yes.

And I just want to say, that dude took the ball For seven innings In the extra innings He did Lost me money Not happy about that Yeah But He was awesome

The guy is Some might say The next Nolan Ryan Well yeah How am I supposed to keep talking When you say something like that I look For that dude

Two Tommy John surgeries All that To go out in that spot And give them seven innings of relief on and off there that was just a monster that was a man's showing that's another thing I was thinking about so the Phillies have so many they have so many

arms right they have so many pitch starters starters like Eflin extra arms and I'm wondering if the next trend in baseball is using starters out of the bullpen more and more

for the six through eight innings. It's an interesting thought. The Red Sox bullpen is dog crap. And that's what they did throughout the whole playoffs. Yes. It's good.

Porcello go in. Valdi go in. You know that's a really interesting point. And we did see when Francona did all that stuff a couple years ago in the World Series with Andrew Miller and all that, it really did change the way the teams used their bullpens.

People were like, oh, that's smart. I'm going to do that. I think it's a really good call, Jack. I think that could be a really interesting development moving forward. The Phillies have so many guys. They're not going to go anywhere. Like Cole Irvin, maybe he works himself into the rotation, but I don't know.

It's interesting. i'm monitoring that also um before we get too far brett gardner did sign with the yankees or re-sign with the yankees yesterday which i was sad about i want him to be our fourth outfielder i was all in all in on bready well how about a guy that you've also brought up in this pod i'd be all right if they want to go get a josh harrison type of guy someone who could play a bunch of positions. They love positional versatility. Someone like that. Someone who could... Jed Lowry's a guy you mentioned before.

I think Lowry would make a big impact. If we're talking about underrated guys that can make a big impact, one name... I understand... A lot of people want to bring back Wilson Ramos. I don people want to bring back Wilson Ramos. I don't want to bring back Wilson Ramos at all because I don't think he's, first off, he doesn't play enough. He's hurt, he's banged up.

I understand he rakes. I would be interested in seeing how low his Monte Grandal's value is now after his postseason. Talk about guys who hurt their value. He killed his value, but he had a really, really good season. And he's a switch hitter. He plays great defense, usually. Except for the postseason.

Yeah, it's strange. Really a brilliant defensive catcher until the postseason. There's one thing on Klintzak that I forgot to bring up that I was pretty angry about. Uh-oh. Why are you saying that Jorge Alfaro had a great defensive season? Oh, that was my one problem with the interview. Listen, framing does not mean that you had a great defensive season.

No, you can't say that, man. I did not like that at all. In fact, one of the questions inside baseball, appropriately, that Richie wanted to ask him before that I shot down because I thought it was just a little too micro and you only have so much time for so many questions, but Richie wanted to ask him, how do you go about fixing Jorge Alfaro defensively because he was such a problem I like come on man like Matt

I thought that was a very tone-deaf answer I'm with you there yeah it was just like having good framing I thought his framing did help a lot of the pitchers that doesn't mean he had a great defense season he still dropped to his knee a lot he's got a lot of pass balls like that's just that's just not being fair to the people who are watching the games. You want to bring Adam Adovino in here? Adam Adovino, I am shocked he's old. Yeah, he's 33. I had no idea. Didn't know where that came from. No.

It felt like he was a rookie a year ago. If you've learned anything from this postseason, well, I guess the Red Sox kind of stumped that theory. I want as many bullpen pieces as you can get. I want as many elite arms as I can get. Adam Adovino is an elite arm. And he's doing it in Colorado. And he's a guy who has hook and stuff like that.

And I know the Phillies love spin rate. Yep. Oh, he's a Mr. Spin rate. Right. That's all he does. He actually just spins the ball. I got a name for you. I wish you all could see Jack's face. I got a name for you. Hold on. wish you all could see Jack's face. I got a name for you.

I am going to pull up his stats from a couple years ago. I'm very excited about this. I love when you give me old stats. Yes, that's what I do. I'm a fan. That's what I do. So in 2015, this guy batted.287 with a.355 OBP. We don't care about batting average here, Jack.

It's still pretty good batting average. A.355 OBP. We don't care about batting average here, Jack. It's still pretty good batting average. A.355 OBP and had 15 homers. That was in 2015 as a 28-year-old. 2016,.255 average,.354 OBP, whatever. 21 homers, didn't play in 2017, came back in 2018 as a 31-year-old, and only played in three games. Any idea?

Played third base. Only played in three games. Hmm. It's not Josh Donaldson. He played more games than that. Obviously had better years before. Only played two seasons. Two seasons. Was out all of 2017. Came back

and played three games in 2018. Who am I talking about? on me jung ho kong well okay there's some other issues i would say so i mean he's got a really shaky past seems like a bad dude terrible guy yeah he's like it's the same i'm just gonna say no i like him as a talent offensive i'm just gonna say no it's the same him as a talent offensively. I'm just going to say no. It's the same thing as Roberto Azuna. When I was watching Roberto Azuna in Toronto, I was like, oh, he's an innocent kid. And then he goes to Houston. He's not.

And I'm looking at him. I was like, you are terrifying. You're evil, man. You're an evil dude. Yeah. I'm going to say no. Karma really came back to the Astros. But I like the thought of it.

I like that type of player. Just not an asshole would be in my deck on that. Yeah. Michael Brantley, another interesting name, depending on how much he's going to get paid. Obviously, another guy who's always hurt, too, but had a nice year. Yeah, he's like a cheaper, maybe better version of AJ Pollock. Except definitely not better. What's next?

We sure? I think Pollock gives you more, but Brantley's a really good hitter. Pollock would give you more. Brantley had a good yearantley's a really good hitter there's just like outside the big names it's a mediocre class but the guys are older and you're paying for prior talent

do you see them being in on any of the high end pitching names the Keichels the Corbins I don't think Kershaw actually hits the market he's signing his extension so that's what I figured would happen I think they'd be interested in Hap I don't think Kershaw actually hits the market. He's signing his extension. Is he signing? All right, so that's what I figured would happen. I think they'd be interested in Happ just because he's been so reliable.

And it wouldn't be a huge commitment in terms of years because he's old. If you can pay Happ for two years, be your 4-5 guy and reliable, unlike Jake Arrieta I'm in. No interest in Keuchel. I have hated Keuchel. You've always been a... I don't like guys that throw 89. You've never been a Keuchel guy. Eventually, they get figured out. I'm in. No interest in Keuchel. I have hated Keuchel. You've always been a... I don't like guys that throw 89. You've never been a Keuchel guy.

Eventually, guys, eventually they get figured out. I'm sorry. I don't like Keuchel at all. I would love, I would love, love, love, love a rehab Garrett Richards signing.

Yeah, sure. Talk about guys you can never say on the field. I don't care. Put him in the bullpen. The talent is there. Put Garrett Richards in the bullpen. It's a great idea.

It's a great idea. That is the move. It's a great idea. It's a great idea. You'd have to pay him to be a starter. Klintak. Klintak. Garrett Richards. Dude, Garrett Richards. It would be like

Lance McCullers on freaking steroids. I'm with you. I love Garrett Richards. I'm sorry I just came up with it right now. I'm just so excited. I'm going to spend...

So as I'm producing Thursday Night Football, all I'm doing is watching Garrett Richards because Garrett Richards is the 7th and 8th inning guy for the Phillies in two years. I love it. Bang. Is he out next year?

I don't know. He might be. It seems like he's out every year. He's out every year. I owned Garrett Richards. So I have a long history. So his first year when he came up and he was just downright dominant. And I picked him up off the waiver wire.

My fantasy league is my first time playing against a bunch of guys who know what they're doing. And I picked him up off the waiver wire. My fantasy league is my first time playing against a bunch of guys who know what they're doing. And I picked him up, and I almost won the league. Very excited. Anyway, owned him two years ago. Last time it was good to own Garrett Richards. Yeah, owned him two years ago coming off of Tommy John. And I was reading all the stories about how he had, like,

didn't get Tommy John, he got the stem cell. He got the stem cell. And I thought he was going to be healthy. I was like, oh, Garrett Richards season? He did not. I went into drafts going, he was do not touch guy i was watching his first start against oakland no hitter through four downright disgusting and then that was got hurt in the first start of the season i was like are you freaking anyway that's the move alissa that's

the move it is garrett richards for the seventh we got there al. It only took us like 10 minutes to get there. It takes a lot of... Sometimes you gotta think about things. Alright. From Steven Appelman. What is the best thing about playoff baseball and what is the worst thing about playoff baseball? Well, the answer is nothing. Yeah, nothing. Actually, the only bad thing about playoff baseball is I was up to like 3.30. I was just about to say, well, it's funny.

It's funny because I think the best thing about playoff baseball and the worst thing about playoff baseball is the exact same thing. It's the no clock. It's funny because I think the best thing about playoff baseball and the worst thing about playoff baseball is the exact same thing. It's the no clock. It's the fact that you can have an 18-inning marathon that's walked off at home with a home run in one of the great moments in recent baseball history, but you also have to stay up until 3 o'clock in the morning sometimes

to watch these baseball games. Yeah, I stayed up until 3 o'clock. Best and worst. More best than worst. Almost all best. I watched myself lose money, so that was great. What was my other point? Oh, I laid out last night on the air, my first show, the Jack Fritz plan to fix baseball. Ooh.

And I like it. I would hope you do. It's your plan. It's kind of screwed if the plan is already done. The first one was opening up the strike zone a little bit. Yeah. I want them to open up a little bit. It's going to lead to more strikeouts. bit. Yeah, I'm totally fine with that. I want them to open up a little bit.

It's going to lead to more strikeouts in the beginning, but I think eventually guys are going to start expanding the zone and swinging at pitches. Anyway, I think they should expand the zone a little bit. Fine with that. 22nd pitch clock. I used to hate it. I've long been a fan of that.

I used to hate it because I think pitching is a mental game and people don't understand that. And they're just robots and think pitchers are robots. We're people too. Yeah. But I watched it in minor leagues and the game was moving. And it's one of those things that once pitchers know it and they come up with it, especially in the minors,

they're just used to it and that's the way they go about their business. It would have shut off 20 minutes out of game two. That's a big deal. Which is a huge deal in today's league. And the final one, I was kind of in on the idea of limiting pitching changes. Oh, this is my... But I don't like it. See, that is my go-to.

No, no, no, no, no. I feel very strongly about it. It's a better idea, though. It's a better idea than limiting pitching changes because it does limit strategy. Guys have to come in and face more than one batter. Yeah, same idea that's my idea but it's not you can't go righty lefty righty i like that i think the reason see i think limiting pitching changes makes so many so much sense on so many levels in the sense that you want to talk

about strategy like you've only got six pitching changes that's strategy that's knowing when you have to use guys what you have to do and I understand how it's tough because if your pitcher gets shelled in the first inning and you have to take him out, you're in a deep hole. And I get that. And I get that's why it's tough. But I think guys are gonna... But then you build your roster that way. Then you have guys. You have to have long men on your team. But James,

here's the problem. And here's the problem with the limiting pitching changes. There is no problem. There is a problem. There is a problem. Unless you go to extra innings, then you get more. No, no, no, no, no. Guys are going to start faking injuries and saying, I've got to come out of the game. You've got to change around how you're going to... Because injury would be a reason to give them

an extra. You have to factor that in into your limiting pitching change. It's an interesting point. No. But if they have to face more than one batter, they're already in the game. Look, I would be fine with either of these things happening. I think they're both good ideas. I like the idea of the strategy involved with limiting pitching. And you know what might be interesting about facing more than one batter

is the long man may be more valuable than the lefty specialist. Yeah, totally. And I'm all for that. Having guys that can go multiple innings, I think, would be the main cause of that. I have long been saying baseball doesn't need to be fixed because I love it, like whatever.

But... It needs cosmetic changes. Ratings were down 23% in a World Series between the Dodgers and the Red Sox. Yeah. That is a baseball wet dream.

Yep. And it didn't click. Now, if there's games six and seven, it probably clicks. But still, I'm with you. And because... Do people really like watching a team that's obviously going to roll the team like i knew the red sox were gonna

roll the i don't think everyone knew that the red sox were gonna roll but i think if you watch baseball you had a pretty good feel that the red sox were a significantly better team yeah i'm just saying that maybe there wasn't the intrigue because yeah no it's possible that's why the finals ratings are down yeah because the golden state's just gonna win i agree i think there's something to that i just don't know if it's certainly not 23 percent worth of it um i guess the last one here uh from hot takes man which that's right look at you uh what are your thoughts on machado machado what are your thoughts on going on what are your thoughts on going after machado in the post after the postseason i always knew we had a

history of doing bad things but this series just showed me in the baseball world he has not grown up. So we've kind of already answered that question. So why don't we bring out another take that is maybe the most dogshit take I've ever heard. Shout out to our good buddy Todd in South Philly who said that Carlos Santana is the Jordan Matthews of baseball. I'm just going to leave that there on its own.

Just an atrocious, horrible take. Sorry, Todd. Jordan Matthews is a. I'm just going to leave that there on its own. Just an atrocious, horrible take. Sorry, Todd. Jordan Matthews is a bad football player. Yeah, and Carl Sandan is a good baseball player. Right. It's Covington. Covington's the best comp. Covington's a perfect comp.

Yes. It's a very good comp right there. Thank you. All right, Fritzy, any final thoughts before we get out of here, other than, of course, sign Bryce Harper? Final thoughts. We are at 96 reviews, 96 five-star reviews. Do people want to hear

Fritz sing or not? I guess people don't want to hear Drops of Jupiter. Oh, come on, guys. You hate to see it. Do it for me. You really hate to see it. So Drops of Jupiter

not happening yet. We're at 96 five-star ratings. Again, if Harper or Machado sign elsewhere, it is not because the Phillies got outbid. I don't want you tweeting, getting angry,

saying, Cheap bastards. Classic, the Phillies get outbid. I don't want you tweeting, getting angry, saying, Cheap bastards. Classic, the Phillies get outbid. Not the case. They will not be outbid if they go elsewhere. It's only because they didn't want to be here, which is also a problem. And we'll get into that later. Yeah, that's a problem.

That's an actual problem. And that's an actual problem that we will discuss. Luckily, Jack, I don't think we're going to have to discuss it because the next time we talk to you guys, I think Bryce Harper is going to be filled. I feel really good about that I am going to be drunk I can't Again

For 72 hours Again I have not Unlike you Which is smart You're doing the smart thing You're preparing yourself just in case I'm all in

I don't even care They're getting him In my mind If they don't get him I'm going to be crushed Because I am putting all my eggs In that basket It's so Philadelphia So let's in that basket. So Philadelphia.

So let's hope that I don't get crushed. And again, shout out to Matt Klintak. We got to get him on here with the people who understand him and appreciate him. That's the next goal. We got to start getting on Kapler and Klintak and all that fun stuff. That's coming to Emergency Pod, hopefully a positive Emergency Pod. Do we do Emergency Pod? Yeah, let us know if we do an emergency pod if they don't get them.

What if they trade for J.D. Davis? Is that emergency pod worthy? Oh, well, obviously. I mean, that's even more so than Harper, right? Probably the most important. Yeah. And we'll get your buddy's dad on or whatever. Yes, we're good friends.

Maybe get Joey Mineski on from Japan. Probably not. Probably. Hey, Joey. Joey, I just want to say I thought you were the single most important piece in the Phillies organization. And then they let you go to Japan, so it turned out I was wrong. We're sure Matt Klintek knows what he's doing. That's Jack Fritz.

I'm James Elter. We'll be back, hopefully, with a Bryce Harper emergency pod. Either way, talk to you guys soon. 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 it's now the most prolific national daily baseball pod there is. Another fact, so jump aboard the BIB 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.