High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - This Offseason Is On John Middleton

Episode Date: October 8, 2026

The Phillies have been eliminated from the playoffs for a week now. James Seltzer and Jack Fritz react to the latest rumors regarding the team's managerial search and think it might be up to John Middleton to save the franchise over the next couple of months. Presented by Miller Lite.

Miller Light, the official beer partner of your Philadelphia Phillies, is proud to serve as presenting sponsor of WIP's High Hopes Pod. So whether you're listening to the game, catching off on the latest High Hopes pod or at the ballpark. Remember, it tastes like Miller time, Phillies fans. Celebrate responsibly. This is the High Hopes podcast. High Hope! On the Odyssey app and Sports Radio 94, WIP.

The crowd is singing high hope. I feel a little less alone. Oh, oh, oh, edition of the host podcast, sponsored by Miller Light, official partner of the Philadelphia Phillies. Tastes like Miller time, Philadelphia, Celebrate Responsily. Fritzy. Yes.

How you doing, pal? I know I'm excited to talk to you, right? You were not in the same room, and I'm looking at you. It's so good to see you. I love you or my pal. I can't say I'm as excited to talk Phillies as I am to talk you, but we'll get there. How you doing, pal, pal? Dude, there's so much interesting.

the fuck. Yeah, it is interesting. That's a word. There's a lot of stuff to dig in and get into it. I just want to congratulate the Atlanta Braves on going exactly one round further than us, but ultimately not accomplishing the ultimate team goal. Man and a boo-boo, stick your head and doo-doo. We got a higher draft pick.

Just kidding. We don't. Drops 10 spots because of the luxury tax. And you're going to trade Ronald Cooney this offseason because he is not a big game player. And had he been healthy in 2021, you would have not won the world. series. Sure. I'm with you. It's great, but it's hard to, hard to like, I mean, they beat us. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I can't come on and be like, oh, ha, ha, ha, we got you good. I will tell you something, Jack, and I do feel bad about it because it does seem like there was some really fun

baseball being played. I have yet to watch a baseball game since the Phillies got. Oh, that makes me so sad. I know. It makes me sad. I'm going to be back in on the next round. Like, I'll watch this weekend. I just, I've been hurt, man. Like, this. sucked like this sucked i we talked about it after i allowed myself to get get rope back in i'm mad at myself for it idiot you are you moron i almost cursed tucker almost had to do work i almost had to do work i was bleeping moron i didn't i'm a moron so i've just been a little down buddy how you doing you doing you're doing all right you feel you seem like more chipper not jones than i would have expect. Yeah, I mean, listen, while it's going bad from one of our teams, you know,

come on, man. No, I just, I'm in a bad mood across the board. Give me LeBron. I need the hood. I never thought I'd say these words. I can't wait for LeBron James. That's where I'm at. Honestly, I don't know. I just think that there's, like, there's, there's so much, I'm so intrigued by this offseason. I'm preemptively getting mad about this off season. I'm already mad for sure. Yeah, no doubt. I, I haven't watched. I've caught more like the sixth through ninth ending of games. Which seems like the most fun times to have watched. It's been pretty exciting.

It seems like, yeah. Brewer's Padres was an awesome, has been an, was an awesome series. Dodgers Braves, I didn't watch much because I was actually too angry, but I was very happy that the Dodgers won.

Yankees raised for being a sweep was very, it was a compelling series. I agree. Yeah, I agree. And maybe this is the year that they pull the plug on a whole boony, but you know, who's to say.

So, yeah, like, it's actually, I mean, the baseball post seasons are the, of the best. The best.

It hasn't felt as, I feel like last year there's just so many moments in last year's postseason. I haven't felt, you know, that yet. But, man, I don't remember last year 10 o'clock starts for, for D.S games. So I cannot believe that we're about to get either the white socks or the guardians and the freaking ALCS. Maybe the white socks. Like I, my buddy's from Chicago and he was telling me how like how many people were betting on the socks and all this stuff because of the Pope, obviously. Maybe God's real and maybe God is just helping the socks win. It feels special, Jack.

Well, can the next Pope be a Phillies fan? I mean, we've got to get some mojo going our way. But, I mean, either way, those teams are going to be blasted by the race. Oh, my God. Yeah, yeah, it's raised versus Brewers or Dodgers for sure. And I tell you what, you know what I'm running for. I need Ray's Brewers, heading into a lockout. Oh, it'd be too good.

Too good. So all those little owners are like, Oh, the Dodgers. Yeah. You would be saying. It was what are small markets supposed to compete. That's what I'm rooting for. That sounded exactly like, like 27 of the owners.

That was phenomenal, man. Yeah. That's right about what it's. That was supposed to possibly afford. So that's what I'm rooting for. That's like I feel like that's leaked audio. I mean, that was phenomenal. I was really good stuff.

It's everything they call man for it. That's what they're saying. Me. I can't possibly compete as it. December 1st. That was the highlight of the pod. Everything else is downhill from here. December 1st, we have until December 1st

to make the best moves possible before no moves happen. We'll get that. Let's talk about because to your point, I think there's an angry fan base, there's frustration, there's depression, there's all the angst anger, what aggravation.

But to your point, it is a fascinating offseason for this team. It is a real pivot point. It feels like a real pivot point. I know we said that before, but. And maybe it won't be. Let's start at the top and then we'll get down to the field. But I think the biggest news right now is the fact that we're what, you know, over a week since the Philly season has ended.

No postseason press conference. We've still not heard from John Middleton, Dave Dembrowski, anyone there. We don't know the manager thing is we, you know, the Cora thing. It seems like that's not going to happen. We're getting that in a sec. And maybe not in a second. back who the hell knows what happened. We'll get to the manager part of it. And maybe that's why they haven't had a press conference. They want to make that decision. I don't know. What do you make just of

the fact that there has not been a postseason press conference yet? Like this has been a long time. They are still going. Like is Dave definitely back? What's going on? What's happening? What is your your read of the situation? Well, I mean, it took them, yeah, Tucker would maybe remember better. But it took them 10 days to fire, Gabe, right? I mean, really. So it was a lot. It was a lot. I remember the Eagles and Siriani thing where it was like nine days and the Jeffrey Lur yacht stuff and all. I remember that. I don't remember the Gabe thing taking that. I think the Gabe one took about 10 days.

And we were like, you can't just like, what are you guys doing? It was October 10th. Wow. Okay. So yeah, they didn't make the playoffs. It's like about 10 days, something like that. Yeah. That might have been.

Yeah, but probably about that. Because I guess they played a little later. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I don't think that Dave's job is in jeopardy for as unfortunate as that may seem to a good. I'm not booing you. I'm brewing that response there.

I'm just like, I think he's going to be back. Although I do, I do wish that there was, and this is the biggest thing that I am just begging. There's a lot of things I'm begging for from the Phillies off season. But the one that I'm just begging for

is like honestly having some tough conversations and evaluating where this franchise is at. Because if you're John Middleton, and this is obviously your baby, and I think this is a huge Middleton office, season. Oh, buddy. I need Middleton.

Middleton's got to kind of lay it on the line this off season because they are dangerously treading towards, I don't think they'll be fully irrelevant because they're a good baseball team while they're trending down 100%. But they are trending towards, if you guys win 85 games, no one's showing up. Oh, yeah. We can do this whole, just be happy we're getting 3 million fans in the ballpark thing. There's not going to be 3 million fans if this looks similar to last year and the year before. There's, it's not going to happen.

There's already, especially if coming off an off season of, of semi running it back or whatever they end up doing, and then they play that type of baseball, like there's already going to be a lack of excitement heading into the season, much less if they've looked that way. And of course,

I know there's not me three million fans because there's going to be a lockout. Right, right, right. Get the point. We're talking on a per game basis, guys, all right? Yes, per 162. So I think it's a huge off season and it's a, it's a Middleton, like, what do you want the future of this franchise to be?

And maybe a guy for big, can we get a little bold down there instead of just status quo? And can we stop being content with being good and be interested in being great? And this Dembrowski thing, I think DeBrowski has done a fine job. I think he has done a pretty good job as Philly's GM. But when they talk about him being a Hall of Fame executive, it's not because of what he's done here. So we're doing this like he's a Hall of Fame exec, he's a Hall of Fame exec, not for here. and I mean, he's, they're,

he's a middle of the PAC GM. So, oh yeah. We're going, we're going lifetime contract and all this stuff for a middle of the pack GM and with with a great resume, but not the best resume while being here. So I don't think Dave's job is in jeopardy, but I do think that there has to be pressure from John Middleton to, to Dave Dombrowski of let's shake this thing up. We cannot do the same thing we've been doing. And maybe we need to, again, I would not trade either of Bryce or Swarber.

I think the conversation is actually the dumbest I've seen is like, let's trade our only two good offensive pieces and that show up in the postseason more consistently than not. But there has to be some, there has to be some level of action taking this offseason that I think reinvigorates the fan base. in a way that will maybe rid the land. And that, if that's spending more money, if that is bringing the kids up, if that's having to trade one of the starters,

if that's trading Duran, if it's some level course of action rather than, hey, we can't find a better option than Alec Bome. So here's the qualifying offer. And Brandon Marsh was an all star. So we're going to, like,

there's not better defensive second baseman out there than stop. hey, we expect Trey to have a bounce back season and he actually played all right, shortstop, the second half of the year. So we're going to leave, like that, that mentality, we have a good club, which I don't think they have anymore. Like, that, that mentality has to be plastered on the wall as dead. And there's one guy who can change the mentality down there.

And it's the owner. It's the boss. It's John Middleton. And I don't want him to be content with where this team is at. and I don't want him to be content with having a sold-out ballpark because you have big names. Like, I want change. I want real change. And it starts with him.

Yeah, I think you nailed it. I think this is John Milton offseason. I think Dave Dabowski should be fired. I don't think he will. I agree with you. I think you nailed it when you said, fine. You flipped a pretty good.

I think he was fine. I think he's done a fine job. I think he's done a good job as president. I think the behind-the-scenes stuff that he's done and kind of moving the Phillies into the future in terms of of how they run as an organization. We've talked about this a lot in terms of. of beefing up what they do in Latin America, the clear water stuff they've done.

All these things have just like, you'll bring in the people they brought in, like a functioning organization that is not as far behind the times as they used to be. I'll say it that way. But I think when it comes to on the field moves, I mean, I know we give him credit for the Lazardo move and he deserves it.

But for the most part, he's done a pretty bad job. Like, especially in terms of the last couple years when it was clear that they had a real chance to win the World Series of the group they had and that that group was a couple years of from being their mid-friken 30s. And now they're in their mid-30s.

And you had a moment there to shake things up, to be creative, to be bold. And we didn't see that from him. Like, we talked about some last five. He's the least creative general manager, I remember. Like, it is like the most obvious state, like the Lozardo trade was creative. Outside of that, like, it's just been like sign a guy, sign a guy, small trade, deadline moves. We ran out of time.

Like, I actually think he has done a bad job as a general manager or player personnel guy the last couple years. And I think that's why they're in this position now where they've got an aging, aging roster. They have a lack of talent outside. They have three awesome starting pitchers and a young guy who could be something special. We'll see. But like they are so flawed across the field. And I think that change is so necessary, not even just from an on-the-field perspective,

just like this has to change chemistry-wise. This has to shake up. They have a real problem. Something else, Jack, that I think has to change. you kind of alluded to in general what you're talking about, but the players run this team. Like, how is Trey Turner still at shortstop? How did he bet first or second?

Joey bet it fifth last night. And then show hey, or two nights ago, whatever it was. Like, what are we doing here? Like, seriously, they can move the best player we've all ever seen in the history of watching baseball to the five hole. And Trey Turner can't be moving out of the top two spots because he don't want to be. They allow the players to run the show down there, it's been Bryce, whether it's been this traced up, whether it's Luisarise coming

and being like, hey guys, I'm playing second base. Just so you know. What? What are you talking about? You play where the hell we tell you to play. It's a baseball team. I'm so tired of it. I'm so tired of the inmates running the asylum.

I'm so tired of this just constant like, well, we got to put good ball club. Not anymore. Not anymore. You are not a good ball club. You are a mediocre ball club right now that needs serious changes both on the field and off the field. And my concern with Brian, John, I'm talking right to you, John Middleton. It is your offseason. Jack, it's 100% correct.

Dave Dombrovsky's not creative. He has never been creative here. He is resting on 50 years of success. Like the guy has had a great career. He's past it, man. He doesn't have it anymore from that perspective. You need someone who's going to come in and make moves, who's going to think creatively, who's not just going to say, well, look at the back of the baseball card.

Who's going to pay someone for future? performance rather than past performance. Well, I think the biggest thing is I would like you to go in and talk to the team and say, Trey, you're not playing shortstop anymore. Please, I will. I would look you right in the eyes and say, Trey, you're not the shortstop anymore. John Middleton has given me the power to come in and be the one to say it. Honestly, what a dream that.

I would love to go into that room and say, Trey, get the F out. F off. That's what I'd say. Paradise. So I think the biggest thing for Middleton, And again, in our conversation with John Middleton, that is certainly just one side of it. Happening right now, apparently, yes.

The biggest thing that I feel is I get a sense and I get a feel that he, he's a little too scared as to what the alternative could be. And he's a little too scarred from what happened with Clemtec and what happened with McPhail. And it's a lot like the Eagles and Chip, you know, like the Eagles and Chip. You know, like the Eagles and Chip, they have not given a head coach that kind of power since Chip. And, you know, the way that you look at it sometimes, you feel like these guys are puppets. And you look at the Phillies and I think that Middleton says, I got Dave. And Dave at the worst is a middle of the pack GM.

You know what I mean? Like at the worst, he's not the worst. But we have someone who's been in that chair for a long time. and there's an adult in the room. And I think that Middleton, just my read, likes having an adult in the room. But there's not this shooting for the stars and maybe taking a shot and being okay with failure.

Like there's not this being okay with failure mantra coming out of the Phillies that sometimes you need if you want to be great. If you want to be great, you have to be okay with failure. And I don't think the Phillies want to be okay with being with failure because of what they went through from 2012 to 2018. And I think that they are scarred by that. And I don't think they want to go back to that. And I think that it is hampering their view of Dave and of this team and being afraid of moving off pieces that have been here over the last couple years with by taking a shot on someone else in those spots. like that is my my biggest critique and on one hand i get it like on one hand i get it if i was

owning a baseball team i would be definitely definitely afraid of making a mistake i got it pretty good right now you know i got a there's a lot of fans in the ballpark every night although slowly going down and i got a good team we make the playoffs every year but in order to be great you got to be okay with missing. And that's where I think this franchise, I think we've reached that point with this team. And Dave's going to be back. So it's like, whatever.

But even if he is back, Dave has made bold moves before. Yeah, sure. And there needs to be maybe a little bit of, hey, go do it. Yeah, I need you to go make bold moves. Look, what you were saying there, and you know,

not to bring it back to LeBron, even though I desperately want to it all times now, that's exactly what he said. When he, you know, he did the media day, We played a lot of the audio, listened to it, and it was all, I mean, he said all the right things. But the one quote I thought was really strong was talking about to be great. You have to be okay being uncomfortable.

Like you have to keep doing things that make you uncomfortable until you're good at them. And that's exactly what you're talking about. Like the Phillies have to be okay being uncomfortable. They have to be okay taking risks, taking shots on things that might not work out, but give you the chance to John. Again, speaking right to you, you're the guy who in this building, I guess it might have been at 24th in the WIP buildings said, I'll do everything I can to bring my bleep and trophy back. Like right now,

what you need to do to try and bring that trophy back is you need to take risks and you need to be willing to be creative and to push. I mean, I would fire Dave, but if Dave's going to be here to push him to be creative, all right, let's get to the manager thing, Jack. What do you make of the cora of it all? the fact that multiple times last season,

including even like late August, early September, whatever, we're getting leaks saying, well, unless he wins the World Series, Don Mattingly's gone and Alex Corra is going to be the guy. Alex Quora, Alex Quora, Scora. And then it's getting leaked. The Alex Cora doesn't freak him off the job. What do you make of the whole Cora situation?

Well, speaking and bringing it back to Dave, you know, this is the third time in the last year where like optically it's been embarrassing. You know, the Bryce and elite thing was embarrassing. It's a bad look for the franchise. Like, I know that people really ganged up on Bryce this year. I'm like, ha, ha, ha, Dave was right. Dave was right.

La la la la, la. The dumbest, the portion of the damage I've ever seen. Like, Dave was wrong for doing that. Like, it was, it was, whether he meant it or not, and whether it's true or not, it's probably true. To do that to your face of your franchise was insane. It was a dumb move. And then he did that.

He got played by Bichette. And played like just worked by them got made it made it seem like made it seem like that was a done deal that he's going to be a Philly and all of a sudden the rug got pulled out from underneath us and he's a met and and then this he he he fires Thompson. I think with the idea that he's going to be able to swing and go straight immediately immediately. I am I will bet everything I have that Dave Dembrowski when he fired Rob Thompson thought I was going to immediately be the manager of the Phillies. And Cora said no then. And then Dave spent all second half saying leaking that, hey, he's not our guy. We're going to get Cora. It's basically a done deal.

All the reporters after the year saying that set it in stone. Alex Cores me manager of the Phillies. And, you know, Nightingale writes the night they get eliminated, that Maddenly is not going to be the manager. And bang, two nights, three nights later, he reports that Alex Cora is not going to manage this year. And spurns the Phillies yet again. and I'm not mad at Alex Cora if I was going to be paid $7,5 million

to do nothing and go on safari trips and be with my young kids versus like coming into Philly to manage an 86man baseball team. You yelled at by fans every night. Like, what are you crazy? I'll take my seven and a half mill and be thrilled. I'll see you in 2028.

But optically, I think this has been embarrassing for days. It's been embarrassed. It's a great word. It reeks of dysfunction. well it wreaks of a guy who the sport is just passing by one day to time this is not 1999 this is not all the way back in the day where like things would be written in the newspaper all this stuff is online and we all see it and we all react to it and he's not playing chess he's playing checkers like that is what we're doing here this all is that's my i never besides

mostly the pitching side i never never feel like this organization is on the forefront of anything. You actually feel like they're on the back front. It's even that. Like, it's not, it's further than that. Like, I never feel like they're on the forefront.

I feel like they're always trailing behind. Like, they are on the back end of these things. They're trying to catch up. And to just continually get played publicly and used publicly, it's, it's annoying. And,

like, Dave's got to tighten this crap up because it's going to continue to look worse and worse. ultimately, if you're Don Maddenly, you didn't want me when you first brought me in. You spent all second half saying, unless I win the World Series, I'm not going to be back. Meanwhile, we have like a 105 win record when I'm the manager. And again, I don't want Don back. But if you're making a case as Don, it's like, look what we've done with me.

Then immediately after we lose, I'm still not going to keep the job, even though it's mostly a roster related as to why this team, wasn't able to get the job done. And now you're going to come crawling back to me after Alex Corr said no. And you want me to be the manager for a year just so you can go after Alex for next off season. Yeah. If I'm done maddenly, it's bleep off. Like I would retire.

Yeah, I would retire before I would accept that. I'm Don Maddenly. Like, I don't need this. I've been in Philly for eight months. Like, I don't need to sit here and be. to begging for Alex Cora. I'm a borderline Hall of Fame, but that guy's a bench player that was a part of one of the biggest cheating scandals in the history of sport.

I love that. That was good work. Like, this is what I need to be subjected to is being leaked that I can't keep my job when I performed at a pretty dang high level. So I just think the whole thing, it's amateur hour. It's totally and completely amateur hour. Yeah, I, I'm not an ad. I think you've nailed it.

I agree with a hundred. percent of what you said. So stepping it forward, what do you think they end up doing a manager this year? I know it's early and, you know, but you figured that'll be one of the first dominoes to fall. What do you think the plan is? Is the plan? Hey, Donnie. How would you mean it? Is it just go get a place filler for a year? I mean, how do you, how do you hire someone in this situation where theoretically they come in knowing that there's a chance? It's a one year thing. Well, if I'm, if I'm done maddenly, uh, or if I'm, Dave Nebraska, I am not treating this as a one year thing. You have to move off Alex square.

I agree. Get over it. If it happens, it happens. But you cannot. He's just not that into you. Okay, Dave. He's just not dead into you. You can't go into an offseason planning on getting a manager in 2028.

That's not how you build a freaking team. And at the same time, it's like, dude, you're adding a manager. It's not, it's not like rocket science, what these guys. do. I mean, you can mostly interchange, interchange, interchange every year. It's not like he's adding eight wins to the rock. I don't know. It's just like all this for a manager drives me a little crazy. Um, so like in my gut, I think that they're just going to bring Don back and he's going to be the manager for a year. And God, like they're going to, they're going to just say, hey, we couldn't get it we wanted and here's Don. But we like our club. Yeah, I can't wait for the, we like our club.

Oh, it's going to be. It's so good. It's going to. It's going to. It's going to. annoyed. What Brandon Marshall was an all-star last season. You guys know that, right? I mean, we really like our club. So like, I,

I, my, my worst case scenario is that. Um, I can't decide, like, what kind of manager this team needs? Because on one hand,

I would love the, the crotchety old guy, you know, the box. The buck. The buck. It's the first thing about my buck shell alter. That's good.

Where he just like comes in and rocks the culture. for a year. Yeah. And says, I'm too old to deal with this crap. Like, I'm not going to deal with that. Like,

no. He gets in the play with their hair on fire. It burns out in a year and he's gone like a hockey coach. But, you know, like that's my first instinct. If Bochie's healthy enough, like my first call,

I'll be to Bochy. Of course. Who knows? And then, you know, the recent trend right now is, is the fresh out player, you know,

so you look at the playoffs right now, stammin, venable. Stephen Vote, you know, those guys are recently retired and are already managers. If they could find a Pat Murphy clone, I would take a Pat Murphy clone. This is an old college coach that's stuck in his ways. God, I love him. I love him so much.

I love him so much. I would trade for him. Yes, I would too. But so like I would, that would be my dream is like an older guy that also is in on analytics and also. A unicorn. You're saying a unicorn in this case. Yeah, that is my dream.

I wonder, though, you know, some of the names that have kind of popped in my head and, listen, I don't know how realistic any of these are, but, you know, Pooholz has wanted to manage. He did manage the Dominican Republic in the WBC this year. Now, if I was worth $500 million, I don't think that I would, you know, subject myself to day-to-day baseball managing, but like. particularly in Philly where it's not like a laid back. Like you can go be the manager of the royals and just chill. You know what I mean? Like you come to Philly.

It's going to be intense. It just is. I would make a call to Yadi Molina. Yeah, absolutely. Molina, he did, he managed team Puerto Rico in the WBC this year.

Obviously, Yadi is like a savant, I think, when it comes to baseball. And I think that there would be, they need, if they go the ex player route, I do think it has to be someone with,

with significant cache. I totally agree with you. I got Bryce Harper and Kyle. Those guys, again, this is already an inmates are running the asylum situation. Like,

you can't have someone who's just going to come in and be like one of the inmates. Well, it's like, you know, I don't think Will Venable would work for this team.

I don't think Craig Stamman would work for this team. It would take a little bit, I think, for those guys to be, you know, bought in. My nightmare scenario is Bryce says,

get me Dero, you know, get Deroza. Oh, come on. The worst manager I've ever seen him. Oh, he's awful. I mean, again, we all remember the WBC thing, right?

Like, we all remember that happened, the whole runs thing, and that happened. Yeah. So, you know, I would see if Yadi's interested about, I'm sure the Cardinals want him to eventually manage them, and I'm sure he's loyal to the Cardinals. And Beltron was going to be the Mets manager. It would be funny if they hired Beltron. It actually wouldn't be. The year after.

Instead of Cora, the whole Astros thing, too. Like, that'd be pretty funny. It'd be funny, but also, like, he was just inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame this year with his number retired and then him be so funny oh my god do it for that honestly it's worth it i don't know if he's ready to manage yet but a bench uh a bench of rizzo manager and david ross is the bench coach is is something that i would certainly love like rizzo as a team manager now again he's got a coachy studio gig he's got a podcast he's made a lot of money his career does he want to get on the road and be a manager i would think not but you want to talk about someone that i think

the clubhouse would have fun and respect at the same time. I think Anthony and Rizzo would be a superstar at it. I would also get the job to Howie Kendrick. I know he's been here. So that was when you first were going to start listing names, Howie Kendrick was the one that popped in my head. Because obviously he's been here. He's been doing the front office thing for all.

He's done coaching. Like he's kind of just prepared, it feels like, you know. It feels like he's ready for this. And he was in the club. I thought he was in the dugout more in the second half. Yeah, it felt like it. I would see what Kevin Kiermeyer's up to. He's a, he's doing some.

Well, he's doing, he's doing front office stuff for the Blue Jays. Okay, I was wondering where that came from. Great field, man. Guy could track down and fly ball. Yes, he's unbelievable at it. I believe he is a coaching thing in Tampa, so he's already in the area for like spring training and stuff. Okay.

So, you know, if he's already doing coaching stuff and he's already front office stuff for the Blue Jays, maybe he'd want to come down and be on the field. And then the one that that we've kind of, we've actually talked about, I think, since 2018 is Raul. Of course. Now he's maybe ready. I think the Mariners are interested in him. And he was in,

he's in for one of the jobs a couple years ago. And then, you know, pulled his name out of the running late. So maybe he's getting ready for it. I mean, he was on the field in L.A. Yeah,

with Chase. Oh, well, the Phillies are playing. Everybody's going to get eliminated. Good to see the face of our franchise. Yeah, it was fun.

fun. That was great. So, you know, there's some names that I kind of like, you know, thinking about and would they do it. And, um, you know, Tori Hunter is actually a special assistant to the GM out in LA for the Angels. He's a Dave guy. Maybe, but like, again, he would have cash. Like if they were going to go, I would love one of those type moves. Like yeah, me too. The recently retired ex player that has cash a that can, you know, I think have fun with the guys, understand the guys, but also hold them to a standard would be, would be fun. I would love a, an old cremogen for sure, but I just don't think that,

you know, they tried that sort of with Gerardy and they didn't respond well to that either. No. Maybe this is the route they go and at least it's not Gabe, who was just too out there too. Yeah, I just didn't fit the city.

It sucked. It is what it is. But I look, I love this idea. And I do think that it would be a change from what they've been doing with Topper and Mattingly. It would be a different style of voice, a different style of person in there.

I mean, you're going from a, you know, not, not crotchy, but like the old veteran guys to a young guy who's played in the league can relate to the players about their current issues, felt those issues. It's a fascinating thought. I, well, the last thing, the one that I just can't take, I cannot take a corpse in the bucket out anymore. Yeah, I know. I think Thompson was a great manager.

And I think he gave them an advantage on, on game days with what he was able to do with the bullpen and stuff like that. But, like, I just, I need someone with fire. Like, I just need someone with some kind of fire that cares. and like it's kind of how I feel about the whole org right now. I want a GM that has some fire. Totally. Someone who care,

feel like we feel like cares is upset losing like when we do. Like again, these end of season press conferences, and I'm sure the next one in DeBrassey's, it's going to be the same thing where he just looks like he doesn't have a care in the freaking world. Like everything's fine. I'm Dave Dumbrowski.

I live a great life. We'll figure it out. Baseball's baseball, tough sport. Like you get that vibe from him instead of to the, to the reference I talked about before. Like when Howie came back after that night. days after 2023.

It looked like he hadn't slept for nine days. Like he was up there. I was like worried about his health because he looks so beat up. And it was like, that's how I feel. I want someone to. And again, I understand that they don't always,

but I want to at least feel like they might feel what I feel. Well, yeah. Like here's my, here's my message to Dave. And anyone down there listening, have the hair messed up just a little bit, have maybe a little five o'clock shadow.

Make up, maybe some like under the eye, darkness if you need to. Like make it look like you haven't slept in weeks. Like that's what I said. And God forbid, can you just get on the stand and say you're pissed? Yeah. And say you didn't do a good job.

Say it. Say it. Say it. Say with your chest. I didn't do enough to help this team win this year. We're not good enough. That a phrase it's possible? Not like we almost beat the Braves. If I hear him say we almost beat the Braves, I might climb through whatever listening device I'm listening on

and strangle. I'm like, you can't do that. From we're a good club to we got work to do. How about that? Yes. What a nice little pivot that is. Yeah. What a novel concept. What a novel concept.

Take it to forgetability. It's a thing. All right. I want to get to the player and just what's on your mind. We'll do it all in a take bag because then we have too much more time. But Jack, I know you know, but people listening might not know. And the Phillies caused us a bit of it. Did you know that one and three people regularly suffer from nausea?

My wife, it's true. Well, my wife, family is one of those people. It's been a real problem in our lives. a car rides an adventure and pain tolerance. She has doubled over. Usually a peeked shade of green.

Can't talk. Zoe and I talk quietly so it's not to upset her. We're just driving along in time. You're right. You're right. How about this? We try to talk quietly. There you go.

It doesn't work out well. As has been said many times, Zoe says she's a Yapachino because her dad's a Yapachino. That would be me. And it's not fun when you can't yappuccino as much as you want a apacheo. I'll tell you that much, Jack. And we can't because Emily is.

and it's not fun and we can't take a cruise, we can't do anything, until relief ban came into our life. Relief ban has been an absolute miracle for us. We get in the car. She puts on it's like, bang, she feels fine. We hang out. We talk. The Yapachinos can yap as loud as they would like. And let me tell you, it's loud.

We've talked about taking a cruise down the road. It has been unbelievable. Relief ban is 100% natural. That means no pills, no side effects. And it works in just minutes. Relief band stops, nausea from things like motion sickness, morning sickness. Even for meds like GLP1, it even works for nausea from hangover. Trust me, I tried it.

Put Relief Band on your wrist and turn Nodge off. Go to ReliefBan.com or find them on Amazon with limited times deals for fall prime days going on this week only. So just search for Relief Ban on Prime. Hey, football fans is Von Miller, Dallas Cowboys linebacker, and host of the Free Range podcast. Come hang out with me and my guy, T.J. Banks, as we give you the best analysis, insights,

and guest interviews from around the league. each and every week. New episodes drop each and every Wednesday. Be sure to follow or subscribe to free range wherever you get your podcast. All right, Fridze. Yeah, I do wonder also, and speaking of the managers, I don't think they are. I do wonder, though, any chance for witting out Boone to see if he gets fired from the game. They better not, dude. I know he's got a Philly guy and all that. I think he is a horrendous man. Do you think Aaron Boone's good? I think he's fine. I think he's fine. So I don't watch every Yankees game.

I've seen some of the high pro. Like I have a bunch of friends who are a Yankees fans. Like one of my grooms of my wedding, shot at my buddy Jason Bergson. It's this big of Yankees face. You know me every single Yankees fan I know to a man hates Aaron. Like thinks he is a disaster for their baseball team. So like that's all I'm saying.

I feel like it's a rudimentary way to do it. But I feel like it's a decent way to do it. Yeah, it is. I have like one of my best friends is also a diehard. Yankee fan and he just is like it's not his fault like he does nothing like really so I've not heard that from most yet because like maybe your fans a more rational fan than my he views them as a puppet like he's just a puppet for whatever which it is for cashman I get that that's and I think that is true um but what do we want a Dave puppet that's even worse at least cashman's that's that you know

that cashman has been as great as I was saying I'm like ah you know what kind of the same yeah you're right no you're right no it's a great call the Phillies and Yankees are about the same thing. Yeah, I mean, one year apart from the last championship, and they're both just kind of doing the same thing each year. Judge and Harper are trending towards like may never get a ring, which is a total bummer. Yeah, you're right.

But, uh, but I don't know, at least like Boone would bring some fire. And at least I do think that Dave, I do think Dave lets his managers do more than Cashman would. Again, it's an Eagles fan, Jack. I know that means a lot to you to have an Eagles fan in Philly's dugout. Well, it would actually, I think that could be a reason why you like it.

I know, I know. I think that would be fun. Yeah. Well, I'll never forget. I don't know if I've told the story in the podcast, but we were down in Clearwater. And we went out to dinner and Boone happened to be there. And it was his birthday. May have had a few.

And Ike walks past. And he goes, Ike. He's like, who we drafted? No way. Really? And I was like, that's pretty sick. All right. I'm going on, you just want me over.

I'm fully allowed. I'm in on Aaron, but let's go. Bring me a birds fan. Bring me a birds fan. And, and I mean, he's a big Sixers guy, so he'd be all the brawned up. Yeah, that's pretty cool. And, you know, Bob, you know, the whole 80 thing. It's great.

I think he'd have fun with it. I think you have fun with it. You've swung me a little bit. Yeah, thank you. Thank you. I think he's a good man. He's a fine manager. I wouldn't say he's the best.

Well, the puppet thing's fair. And you're right. Like, I'm going mostly up based off what Yankees fans have said. And if you don't think about the puppet thing, then it's, you know, that's a fair point. Yeah. Yeah. He is 27 and 30 in the postseason, though. That's not great.

Aidan's playing in the Arizona Fall League, as is Dante Noree. Aiden, so far is hitting 429. But it is, it's been singles. I don't think he's a lot of W. We'll take it. We take that. So hopefully. We didn't see the guy play baseball a year.

I'll take what I can get. Now, I believe that, I believe he is, bat speed has gone up a little bit, which is good to say numbers. You want to see bat speed go up because just in case you hit it, you want to go further, right? Is that how that works? That's how baseball works in 2026. Good. I like that.

Don't tell Alec Bum. No, I don't think, he's probably going to be out of the 40 men, so he's not going to play in Lehigh Valley if there's a lockout. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I do wonder if there's something along the lines if they do with Aida and what they did with Crawford and they just say, hey, you're our third basement, you know. Maybe.

Maybe. I mean, he's a more pedigree pedigreed hitter than Crawford was. I don't care that Crawford hit over 300. Oh, yeah. Hayden's a better hitter. Oh, speaking of that. And we're eventually going to do our perfect off-season podcast. And I don't really know why I'm spoiling it.

It's just like really want to talk about it. Yeah, it's up. Because, oh, boy, the amount of tweets I saw in the first half of, ooh, there was certain Phillies podcasters slash radio host that was saying the Phillies to trade for this when we have Brandon Marsh. I need Stephen Kwan again. I mean, he's the, he's the ethical Louisa rise. The ethical Luisarize, which is like a singles hitter, but also like a super high average

and also has a 380 OBP. And also there's a great outfielder too. Yes. Yes. And also, you know, like, won't he get like 10 home runs? Like, I don't, I don't know exactly. But he's like got a few homers, right? A little more power.

Stephen Kwan was hit. hitting like 219 at one point and the end of the year with a very very he hit the end of the year hitting 282 with a 3.82 on base percentage. Wow. Now it was only three home runs. So only three. Okay. What did he have last year? I probably I think he had a little bit higher than that. But I do want to go. So I just want to point this out. Uh, July 1st, July 1st, James. He's hitting 2.14. Wow. Really? crazy it is to raise your numbers by that in three months to go. No, that's insane.

214 to 282 from July on. That's a freaking heater is what that is. Give me them. Give me them. I think his ARB numbers 11 million. So they don't want to pay that. And, oh, and the other one is we're going to be begging for Kwan. But the Red Sox are 100% going to deal.

FAA or non-tender, Jaron Duran, and Dave's going to go get Jared Duran. That's fine. You think they're going to non-tender him. Dude, he was horrible this year. And he's owed like 11 million or something. I don't think they want to pay that. Yeah, Jaron Duran was like the worst hitter in baseball. Love it.

Yeah, he hit 207. Let's go get. We've got the worst hitter in baseball last year and we got Adolus. Let's do it again. Hey, keep taking shots at the dark point. You're right. He still popped 20. Dude, there's a good player in there.

Somewhere in Jaron. There's, I think he needs a change. senior i don't disagree i don't know so uh yeah it's about it but it's about it all right the off season is back thank god maybe we'll do a podcast whenever dave talks the next day we will yeah that'll happen would love a what it sounds like a what could we get a friday news dump podcast for a press commerce tomorrow in which case we'll be recording saturday we'll find that that would be very that would be like a definitive dump if they decided to do it tomorrow and just let everyone know day of like hey guys we're talking to three today it's like madame

back in that. Exactly. Yeah. All right. Well, that'll be fun. That'll be fun. Good time. All right.

Either way, we'll be back next week. We'll be back after they talk. We'll be back. I can't wait. Okay. All right. Until that, these are results.