Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - MLB SQUAD SHOW COLLAPSE: Big market teams STUNNING fall from Grace Leaves Playoff Dreams in TATTERS

Episode Date: August 15, 2025

Big market MLB teams are struggling. Are the Mets, Yankees, and Dodgers facing a crisis?Jeff Carr and the Locked On MLB Squad analyze the unexpected challenges for baseball's powerhouses. From the New York Mets' shocking collapse to the Los Angeles Dodgers' luxury tax manipulation, the hosts dissect recent performances and financial strategies. The Chicago Cubs' small-market approach comes under fire, while playoff predictions spark heated debate. Sully argues the current MLB economic structure pits "28 teams against the Mets and the Dodgers," potentially leading to future labor disputes. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!5-Hour ENERGYTime to fuel up and turn it up with 5-hour ENERGY®️ Transfusion! Go to https://5hourenergy.com today and use my promo code LOCKEDONGOLF to receive 20% off your order. This offer is only valid until September 30th on one order and cannot be used with other promotions. The code is not good on subscription orders.  Supply HouseJoin the TradeMaster program today at SupplyHouse.com/TM and start ordering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks. Plus, use promo code S-H-5 for 5% off your first order. That’s SupplyHouse.com!OpenPhoneStreamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first 6 months at www.openphone.com/lockedonmlbGameday HueLet your colors talk—because colors speak louder than words. Right now, you can get 15% off with code MLB15 at GamedayHue.com.Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONMLB at monarchmoney.com/lockedonmlb for 50% off your first year.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelRight now, new customers can get ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's a pretty bad day if you're somebody that believes that you can buy yourself into the playoffs. Step up to the plate. It's the Locked-on MLB Squad Show, sponsored by game time. From the Dodgers to the Astros, the Mets to the Rangers, and everyone else in the league, with the experts of the Lockdown Podcast Network bringing you the most comprehensive breakdown of all the action around the horn. We're coming in spikes up. No hurt feelings allowed. So squad up. Welcome in to the latest edition of Locked-on MLB Squad. Glad that you're alongside us here today. We're going to be talking about the big things going on in the league.

And right now the big things going on in the league are the big markets not delivering. On this edition of the Lockdown MLB Squad show, we got Booney from Lockdown A's. You got both halves of Lockdown Reds between myself, Jeff Carr, and Stephen Offen Baker. And of course, you have the venerable, the inimitable, the I'm going to just keep up making words. Anyway, Sully from Lockdown MLB is joining us here. And of course, we are just absolutely flabbergasted at the fact when you look at New York, L.A., Chicago, everybody seems to be floundering in those towns right now. I mean, even the Chicago Cubs who are the number one wild card team in the National League, they're only five games up on the Cincinnati Reds who are not currently

in the wild card. At least as of this moment, the Atlanta Braves. are trying their best to knock the New York Mets out of that last spot. Sully, like, I mean, obviously, this is just a huge. Are we going to be able to buy the World Series argument here? Well, I said on my show the other day, I think it's really unfair, the financial system of baseball. How can teams from L.A., New York, and Chicago compete with the deep-pocketed owners of the Padres, the brewers, the Reds, and the Cleveland Guardians. I mean, it's just, this inequity just has to stop. We should lock the sport down for years and years and years.

Yeah, it's amazing. Here's what, of all the stats we're going to throw out right now, and we're going to throw out a bunch, folks, you know, buckle up, get a helmet. Right now, the New York metropolitan's are, I believe, six games out of first place. And hanging on, like hanging on like at the rope bridge in Temple of Doom, on the side of the cliff with Cincinnati going right behind him. Here is my favorite stat about this recent Mets collapse. The Mets were in first place in August by themselves in August.

It's still August. And they've dropped in less than a month a week in the standings. And on the verge of falling out, on the second day of August, they beat San Francisco 12 to 6. and were in first place by themselves. And now there is a much larger than zero chance that not only are they not going to win the division, but they'll be playing golf when the wild card series starts. I mean, in fact, you know, look, I don't mean to jump the gun a little bit here,

but the fact of the matter is I completely right now, not over 162 games, over 40 games, think the Reds will play one game better than the Mets over the next roughly 40 games. And that's all you got to do. That's literally all you have to do. It's the story about the person seeing the lion charging at him and he starts tying his shoes. He's going to tie your shoes for you. You can't outrun the lion. He says, yes, but I can outrun you.

And that's basically the wild card race now. You don't have to beat all these other teams. You just got to outrun a team that blew another game. today. There's a really good shot, Steve. I mean, the, the, the Mets come to Cincinnati here at the beginning of September. This is, this is great. You know, the Mets are one in nine in their last 10 games, and it has been just an absolute train wreck. And it's one of those things where you just can't look away. You have to keep watching it happen. It's good for the Reds. The Reds are primed. We talked about this on our show yesterday, Jeff, that, you know, all of the pieces are coming

together for the Reds to go on a run at exactly the right time. I think Sully is Absolutely right. The Reds don't have to be faster than everybody else in baseball right now. It's got to be faster than the Mets. And that looks like something that they can do. I love that right now, the New York Mets are paying more than $5 million per win while the Reds are paying right around two, maybe a little bit less. The Reds are getting maximum value for a team that was built with bubble gum and tape and some coupons. And they're out there getting it done. The trade deadline bargain bin that Nick Crawl found is. paying dividends for this team.

They're on their way. The Cincinnati Reds are making moves. And I think that each game the New York Mets lose right now is just leaning them just a little bit more into the inevitable meltdown that we're going to watch come over the next two to three weeks. Well, but they're not even the only team in New York that's like looking over their shoulder and not having to look in that far at who's right behind them. I mean, the Yankees. And they're a team that is deeply flawed as well really seems as though the guardians have a

good shot to overtake them. Well, can I tell you one big difference is, the Guardians have won 11 of their last 15 games and I've taken advantage over a Yankee team that has is 7 and 9 in that same stretch. The Mets have lost 13 of their last 15 games. In that stretch where the Reds have almost overcome them, the Reds record is 8 and 8. It's not an astronomical. You're on a rampage. It's just so horrible that it's like we technically need a third wildcard team.

The Mets and the Reds have a worse record than the Braves in that stretch. And yet it's because the Mets have been so god awful that the Reds are like, we'll take it. And the Reds have won games they're supposed to win. And the thing I'm going to say to you to Steve and Jeff here, remember all those one-thes, in games, the Reds lost at the beginning of the year. Just put two of them. They're in complete control. You flip a couple of those things and it's crazy.

But then even on looking past the wild card, looking at the NL West Booney, like the Dodgers aren't in first anymore. I'm adjusting my screen. I think I see that correctly. But I mean, do you buy that? Do you see that the Dodgers are going to be a wild card team? What this whole thing really shows you is that the

best players don't win, the best teams win. And chemistry matters, togetherness matters. All that stuff really, really matters. Just getting the highest paid guy that may not mix in, i.e. you talk about the N.L. West, about the giants, getting Devers. You don't get the right guy that mixes in. It could really mess up the whole team's chemistry. You saw one game team go south, the other team go the opposite direction.

With regard to the Dodgers, I still think the Dodgers are a bit of a different breed once you get into the playoffs. And as long as Snell and you got guys like Glastow, I think the Dodgers whole thing is gearing up for the playoffs. And when you got leaders like Freeman, it puts them at a different level. I'm going to push back a little boony, but it won't be as bad as the last time.

There's going to be, here's the deal. The Dodgers, I live here, I'm in L.A. County, and a lot of the Dodger fans remember that they came up short in the division series in 2019, 2022 and 22 and 23. And they were down to one throwing a bullpen game in San Diego last year.

So the Dodgers don't have, the Dodgers fans up until last year were lamenting that they think they can turn it on. They can't just turn it on. But here's where I do, mark the time and date, I do agree with you completely Booney that the idea of it not just being

the best stars you put together. Take a look at Toronto. Take a look at Milwaukee. Those are teams that play good, sound, fundamental baseball. They're not being led by a giant. Yeah, Vladdy Jr. is a great player. Christian Eilich is having a great season. They have good players on the team to be sure.

But those teams don't make dumb plays. Those teams don't make dumb errors. Their pitchers throw strikes. Their defense is tight. They go first to third, and they force the other team to make errors. And in other words, they play baseball. You want to hear something else interesting? starting real quick, Toronto and Milwaukee,

towards the last and least amount of strikeouts by a team. I guess that matters now. I guess not striking out, it's important. Well, when the other team doesn't care about defense, put the ball into play and force them to do something. And look at it, I did a guest spot on a radio show in Toronto. And I told them, I think it would be great for baseball in many ways to have that Paul Molitor World Series, Toronto versus Milwaukee.

And you'll see good sound fundamental baseball being played and not just superstar. I think the Dodgers have a very good chance of falling apart because their bullpins a mess and because they can't, they couldn't beat the angels. And if you're saying, well, you know, if we're going to rely on the health of Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, who were both in full body casts earlier this year, I don't know, call me skeptical, but you're not asking the Padres to be better than over 162, just over 40. I know that I've marked it back. You know what else I love, Jeff, about the way that the spending has broken down.

We're talking the demise of the big markets, right? You know, the Padres did everything they could do to try and spend and hang with these Dodgers and bring in the talent to compete in the National League West. The Dodgers did this thing by mortgaging a decades worth of their future. They deferred $500 billion. in payroll into the next decade, banking on the fact that they were going to run the table and get all of the deals and make all of the postseason money and line up 15 World Series trophies in their trophy case.

If they continue to implode, if they are a wild card, if they don't advance, if, listen, if they don't make the playoffs, if they fall apart that bad, I am here for it because they have circumvented the system. They didn't cheat, but they really manipulated the finances to, to build the super team, to build, to build the team that everybody tries to build playing MLB the show, right? They, they, they, they tried to skirt the natural workings of baseball. And I'm here for them losing $500 billion. Bring it on. I, I want to, I want to continue that thought here in just a minute, but I did mark it down the year of our Lord 2025, August the 14th,

10.54 p.m. Sully and Booney agreed. All right, we got that down. Also, we didn't, manage to say anything about the venerable Chicago Cubs. And quite frankly, I got a lot of thoughts on those guys coming up next. Time to fuel up and turn it up with five-hour energy transfusion. It brings the bold, great ginger, lime flavor of your favorite golf drink, minus the alcohol, of course, into a quick energizing shot. Whether you're sinking birdies or just making memories with friends, this one's a whole in one for your energy game. Let's be honest, some days on the course or off it, you just need that. extra boost to stay sharp and energized. In fact, it even works off the course because,

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a Yankees fan, Mets fan, Dodgers fan, Padres fan, we got a show for you here on Lockdown MLB. And of course, covering the league every single day you got Sully. And you have Lockdown MLB game night watching every game every night. Make sure you make locked on MLB part of your everyday routine. All right, before we jump into the Chicago of it all, let's look back on that, that comment that you made there, Steve, about the interesting nature with which they have manipulated their payroll there in Los Angeles, because I think you're right. I think that they're looking at a very interesting phase here of, you know, not only is this not

going, you know, if it doesn't work this season, it doesn't just not work this season. Like how much does this hurt them for the future? And then, of course, everybody, including the commissioner, is using the Dodgers as some sort of template to change the economic structure of the game. Yeah, they can very quickly look around the room and find that, you know, there's a whole bunch of people about to pull the rug right out from under them between the way they have structured their deals, the amount of money that they've deferred, Major League Baseball seeking to completely reinvent the way that it handles finances and player payroll and all the things. There is a storm looming for the Los Angeles Dodgers. And if they don't, if they don't

continue to win, because you know when they deferred all this money, when they deferred, you know, I said $500, $500 million, you know, half a billion dollars, that's just showhays money. I lost track of how many contracts they deferred and for how long. But that's just showhays money that they deferred into the next decade. So you look at that and then suddenly they find themselves having to play with a salary cap and other things after this collective bargaining. When they did those deferrals, you know that someone sat down with a calculator and was like, okay, we'll make this much money in playoff revenue.

We'll make this much money off of the extra merch for winning the World Series. We're going to win the World Series and we're going to do this and we're going to do that. And they counted all of that money. And you know, you have a crap season this year and you don't get that money. And it dominoes and you don't win the next three. like you in your mind thought you were going to. All of a sudden, they're looking for some cash infusion in Los Angeles. And, you know, I thought it was irresponsible the way they structured this whole thing.

And you know this, Jeff. I complained about it a lot while it was happening. There are no safeguards here. There are no training wheels. And they knew when they did this that the financial landscape of baseball was going to change after the 2026 season. So there's a lot of storm clouds for the Dodgers right now if they don't win. pretty sure they deferred a couple of Dodger dog vendors in there as well, along with

Shohei Otani. But, Sally, does that, does this move the needle for you? Like, looking at how the Dodgers have manipulated all of this? And is this something you think that will come back to Biden? Or is it just one of those things that we're just going to be like, ah, write it off? Well, I, I absolutely think they were going to try to be the first team since the big red machine to be the first National League team to win back to back. You don't have the offseason they had, which was pretty aggressive coming off of a World Series win and just think you're going to ease the car into port. I've been saying that I'm so disgusted by the idea of a potential lockout or work stoppage because this is not an issue of players versus owners. It's not.

There's no valid argument that says this is players versus owners. This is 28 teams against the Mets and the Dodgers. That's what it is. Two teams have decided to ignore the luxury tax. not the Yankees. The Yankees talk about it like crazy. Not the Cubs, not the Red Sox. They gifted Raphael Devers for, you know, for a crazy crab cake and, you know, some waffle fries with the garlic on it. And I heard there was a, there was a boodin loaf in there as well. Yes. Yeah.

And they tried to negotiate a clam chowder and a sourdough. But they went, there was a sourdough to be named later. But the fact of the matter is that. luxury tax either. But none of the teams, all the other teams are adhering to the luxury tax, which is a gigantic win for the owners, several collective bargaining agreements. And two teams are ignoring it saying, we don't care. We'll pay whatever it is.

And the other teams are, oh, that's not fair to us. Well, they're paying into the luxury tax. Now they're doing all sorts of shenanigans to manipulate it. But that's why the idea of a work stoppage, who are you? negotiating with you're going to negotiate with the players negotiate with have 28 owners talk to the met's and the dodgers i definitely want to get a lot it will get into that a lot as we like move into the offseason with some squad shows we're going to get that when there's no baseball in 2027 that's what there you go that's when we're going to get into it 100 percent but i will say this

those shows be rough in june you brought up chicago and i find it intriguing because of the the big look at teams that we've talked about. Chicago tries to operate like a small market team. They try to operate like a team that wants to win 86, 87 ballgame, sneak on into the wild card, and then see what happens from there because of the way that they address the off season, the way that they address this trade deadline. And they've gone through this whole big spell now. And maybe they just know that eventually their lineup's going to come out of it. But Kyle Tucker hadn't hit a home run in what feels like 12 years. And you've also got, you know, Pete Crowe Armstrong, who's trying to pull the team by the bootstraps and nobody else is helping this guy.

Like, I wonder where the lineup is gone because this team was built to beat teams 10 to 9. And they're not doing that right now. And a lot of that has to do with how they addressed their needs at the trade deadline, which is to say they really didn't because they traded for a guy that pitched two more innings than any of us did for the Chicago Cubs. and I don't know that Mike Sorope is coming back. No. And they're acting as if it's weird. It hasn't been working. Like the Brewers, the Brewers, less we forget, won the division last year.

Less we forget, the Brewers won the division the year before that. And we're a wildcard team. Like, the Brewers have been in the playoffs a hell of a lot more recently than the Cubs. So why they have this idea of like, well, you know, we're the Cubs. We're playing in a mediocre division. That hasn't been working. The Cubs, since. Since they lost the wild card game to Colorado in 2018,

then I think I made the playoffs in the COVID years. You know, because the pizza parlor down the street from me, had a softball team that made the playoffs in 2020. So I reads made the playoffs in 2020 and nobody wants to remember it. That's for sure. And they scored as many runs as the pizza parlor did. As opposed. Yeah, yeah, the PCI.

But the fact of the matter is the Cubs have not made. a playoff in a regular season and a regular 162 game season since 2018. And I'm sorry. Yeah, that's every other team, you know, like how many, this is a Cubs and they should be operating. They charge an arm and a leg at Wrigley.

Chicago is a relatively big city. And they have a huge media market. And they're acting. So Jed Hoyer's on the hot seat, right? Jed Hoyer's on the hot seat, right? Should be. I think you just got a contract extension. Oh, of course he did.

It's ridiculous. Like, I don't know what Chicago was doing, which makes me wonder. And I've got a question that I want to ask everybody here, and we'll see the answers here in just a minute of the big market teams in flux that we've talked about here so far. Who's going to make it the farthest than the playoffs? We'll discuss that next. Do you ever wish you could see all of your account? for your different debit and credit and investment accounts all in one place, Monarch Money can make that happen.

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you can always listen to us on your favorite podcast app. We're on every single one of them out there. And make sure you check out Lockdown MLB every single day with Sully with Lockdown MLB Game Night. They got the entire league covered from every single angle. All right. So the question is, and we'll start with Boone,

of the Dodgers, the Cubs, the Yankees, the Mets, who's making it the furthest than the playoffs this year? I think the Dodgers is going to make it the furthest. But I hope this whole thing shows teams not only in the offseason, but at the trade deadline. It's not about just trading for stars.

It's about asking the next question, who do you want to replace and who do you want to get and who fits in? For example, the one person I thought made the biggest difference at the trade line, or at least as in the conversation, is the guy no one even thought about was Miguel Andahar. And I said that when he got moved to the Reds. I said it at the spot that Miguel Andahar is the best right-handed hitter against left-handed pitchers and will make an immediate impact. The thing that's hurt Andahar was injuries. If he's healthy, he's as good as anybody. So I hope they start asking that next question.

Who do you want to get? Who do you want to replace? And who's going to fit it? I think the Dodgers though to answer your question. Steve, who you go? my last rant notwithstanding boone's probably right it's probably the dodgers you know they're it's just you look at their lineup one through nine and just in a short series it's going to be really hard to just shut them down multiple games in a row so i mean i think if

you look at all the teams that you're asking about they have the best chance to just break out and get right even if they're pitching is a mess so yeah i mean what's like let's the way the playoffs are, you know, if the playoffs started today, you know, looking at it like that, it's late enough in the season, that's not an absurd thing to say. There is a larger than zero chance that there will not be a home playoff game played in Los Angeles or New York this year. Because right now, L.A. would be the visiting team in the wild card series. Now, the reason why I agree with Poonie and Steve is that.

that the Dodgers bullpen is a mess, but they would be playing the Cubs. It was even more a mess. Yeah. So it's less about me having tons of confidence of the Dodgers and more of me thinking the Cubs are a paper lion right now. Like if you put the Otanis and Mookie Betts and Tiaska Hernandez and Freddie Freeman and all them facing the Cubs and expect Kyle Tucker to go on a rampage, no, that's not going to happen.

So I do think Los Angeles is going to make the playoffs. I don't think they're going to drop five more games in the standings. I think they're going to make the playoffs. And if they are matched, if they are the, if they're the division champ, they would be playing the Mets or the Reds. And I would have to lean in on the Dodgers for that. So yeah, I think the Dodge is the obvious answer. I think there's an excellent, excellent chance that neither, neither the Mets nor the Yankees

make the playoffs. Because, look, as a, you guys have. Frankona right now. Frankona used to be the manager of my beloved Boston Red Sox. And I remember the 2011 collapse. I remember that what the reason why the 2011 collapse was so just sustained over the final about month and a half of the season was that their starting pitching wouldn't give them more than four innings. So their bullpen was gassed and their starting lineup was pressing. and it sort of it's it absolutely snowballed that by the end the bullpen was absolutely exhausted the Mets can't have any of their starters go beyond the fourth and the and you know Boone is a better

boon to manage the of Yankees than Aaron is at this point no offense and the fact of the matter is the Yankees starting pitching even when they have someone pitching well like the other day they well we got to pull this guy because he's only throwing a masterpiece and so we better pull him after five. And they traded for every single reliever, including Raleigh fingers at the trade deadline. And yet still it says, hey, do you want for him? He's Devin Williams up?

Got him in there. Get him in there. Right. And he's pitching like it's coach-pitched Schlittle League. Like, which one do you want? You want to right down the middle? There you go. So I think Cleveland,

just because they have nothing to lose, will not play with any pressure. And the Yankees are playing with intense pressure. Now, nothing's going to happen with Boone nor with Cashman because they signed the same contract that the Pope signs. But the fact of the matter is the Yankees are, will be a worst team than Cleveland over 40 games. Not over 162, but over 40. I got to even step further than that. I think that they might be a worse team than the Rangers over the next 40 games.

I think that the Rangers might have a shot to jump both Cleveland and New York. But definitely I think that the Yankees have a really good. shot to miss the playoffs. I mean, on top of the pitching, if there's a ball that's hit anywhere in the field, you have no clue if it's going to actually get picked up by a glove or if it's going to get kicked by a foot. And I'm not talking about Paul O'Neill kicked by a foot. So I think that at the end of the day, the Yankees are the ones in the biggest trouble. I do agree. I think it's the Dodgers. I wish I could dissent and say otherwise. But I just believe that they've got too much talent on their roster to not at least make it to the division series.

but I could be wrong about that. They could get beaten in the wild card too. I want to circle back to that. Circle back to that Rangers thing for a minute. So are you saying you think that, you know, the Rangers are three and a half back right now of that final wild card spot?

You think the Yankees are going to fall behind both of them and it's going to be a Guardians' Rangers battle for that final wild card spot? I think so. I think that the... Stacy's going to come for you right now is why. I just, I want to make sure that's what you're saying. I just think the Rangers

The Rangers pitching is so good. Let me back up, Jeff, but not completely back up, Jeff. A couple of weeks ago, the Rangers pulled within half a game of the Yankees. In fact, for a couple of days, they were actually in a playoff spot. And I said, look out. Here they come. And they dropped seven of their last 10. Yeah.

And I'm really stunned that they didn't make a better run at it. And I think this little run they've been going on now, may be the thing that torpedoes their season. I thought the main reason I thought they were going to do really well. Obviously, they have DeGrom, obviously they have Eovol. They got Bochie. And every other year, you know what Bochie does. And they won the World Series in 2023, missed the playoffs.

I said, okay, they're due. And I picked them to win the pennant, partly because of that, but also because I looked at their pitching. I am really stunned at the Rangers. The Rangers hitting has been what's killed them, because they've actually pitched very, very well. And I've been thinking about all the Ranger teams, grew up watching that had amazing offense, whether it was Ruben Sierra or Rafael Palmero or Juan Gonzalez, all those amazing teams were just loaded with sluggers and they couldn't pitch because

they were playing outdoors in Arlington and it was like, there was sometimes it was 98 degrees Celsius in Texas and they were trying to pitch. And that's just not fair to the pitchers. And they wonder, why are all our pitchers winding down, you know, getting worn out by the end of the year? they're in a sauna, you know, so I really am stunned that the Rangers didn't make a better move of it. But hey, good on the Guardians who said, should we sell Stephen Kwan or try to win the World Series? What should we do? No, it's true. It's very true.

And I find it intriguing and we'll end it with this, is that all of this combined. We mentioned the Brewers at the very beginning of this show, but the Brewers' Run Differential is better than the entire rest of the NL Central. And that is including a plus 115 for the. the Chicago Cubs. When you put the Reds and the Cubs together and then the Cardinals and the pirates with their two negatives, forget about it. Ain't even close. It's insane. But that's just where we are right now. Like we've got the Brewers on top of everybody. We got Canada on top of the American League. And we've got New York and L.A. in danger of not even hosting a playoff game in the first three, at least for the wild card. And that's where we will end today's Lockdown MOPB Squad.

Thank you so much for checking out this version of the squad. We'll be back with you again, next week talking about the biggest stories and all of baseball because we are part of the lockdown podcast network your team every day