PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - Carlos Correa signs with the Twins for now and continues to move farther away from the D-backs

Starting point is 00:00:07 Ahoi, aoy. Since Espos is going to steal my titles, I'm going to just steal his catchphrases. But welcome in to another edition of the PHNXTBACs podcast right here on PHNX. My name is Derek Montia, occasionally known as your mayor of PHNX. And I am joined by the one and only the incomparable thunderstick Jesse Friedman.

Starting point is 00:00:27 Derek last night, we tweeted, starting to feel like we're going to wake up to find out Carlos Correa, signed with the Dodgers in the middle of the night. and he did sign in the middle of the night, but he did not sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's crazy. It is the craziest saga. I think I've ever been through with a free agent. And I'm just glad that we put that evil out there into the universe

Starting point is 00:00:50 to counteract the evil actually happening. It definitely would have happened if you would not. Had we not done that? Yeah, 100%. I'm 100% convinced to that. Look, he did sign, right? You know, the vultures were circling. But of course, this show is brought to you by the fine folks at the Drafking Sportsbook app.

Starting point is 00:01:07 America's top-rated sportsbook app. Welcome in, guys. As Jesse said, this Carlos Correa saga has just become incredible. Obviously, we know about the collectible jerseys that Carlos Correa is leaving around the United States at various clubhouses in preparation for his inauguration, his welcoming press conference. That never happened. Now there's one in San Francisco. And I'm sure there's one in New York. But yes, like Jesse said, the Carlos Correa situation takes yet another turn.

Starting point is 00:01:39 As now this morning, we are finding out from Jeff Passon that Carlos Correa has signed a six-year deal with the Minnesota twins to stay in Minnesota. And, of course, it's pending a physical. Yeah, I was going to say three key words, pending a physical, which I think is hilarious, because the moment that this was announced by Passon and all the, all the, you know, big name sports writers, all the big name baseball writers,

Starting point is 00:02:09 everyone is, of course, instantly skeptical. Like, uh, pending a physical, huh? We,

Starting point is 00:02:13 we've, we've seen this movie before, right? But, uh, but yeah, it does seem like there are indications from multiple, uh,

Starting point is 00:02:22 multiple sources here that, that this deal should go through. The twins are more familiar with Carlos Kareas medicals than any other team was going into this process. because he obviously played for them last year. And apparently they still, they already know pretty much everything they need to know regarding his right ankle situation.

Starting point is 00:02:40 So it seems like there's much less risk of a hang up with this one. November 7th, 2002, Carlos Correa opts out of his deal with the Minnesota Twins to become a free agent. December 13th agrees to a 13-year, $350 million deal. with the Giants. December 21st in the middle of the night after complications with his physical with

Starting point is 00:03:07 San Francisco, he signs a 12-year deal, $315 million with the New York Mets. And now, today, after yet another physical halted a deal that was in the works, he is a Minnesota twin, six years, $200 million. Jesse, six years, $200 million. Yeah, and there are, you. years past this as well. There's some some pretty heavy vesting option language in the contract as well. The details are still coming out as we record this. But the six years are fully guaranteed. And then Correa has conditional salaries for years seven through 10 at 25, 2015 and $10

Starting point is 00:03:51 respectively. And it says that he vests slash guarantees year seven with 502 plate appearance. in year six. So based on plate appearances in year six, he can turn those options into guaranteed parts of the contract. So this really could be a 10-year contract when it's all said and done, but the guaranteed portion of the contract is six years. At least that's all according to John Heyman and some of those details are still coming out right now.

Starting point is 00:04:23 He went from making roughly $27 million a year. to making $26.5 million a year on a one year shorter deal to now making $33 million a year for a six-year deal. And this is the kind of thing that we talked about earlier, right? Some of these bigger deals, the purpose of them is to stretch that amount that is owed over the course of a long contract, thus making the annual salary much less as far as impacting, you know, what what they're spending, you know, what their payroll looks like. And obviously the twins aren't in the same position as the Mets that they need to worry about that considering the amount of money they're spending. The twins can pay him more for a shorter term deal. And to be honest, it's not the worst thing for

Starting point is 00:05:21 Correa. It's just got to be a bit weird. I'm sure Twins fans are thankful that he's back, but it also has to feel a bit like, you know, like, like, like, we were your third choice, man, right? You know what I mean? That's, that it's got to be a bit resentful as far as towards the fan base and, and the organization. Like I said, when you have somebody of his caliber playing for your team, you're, you're happy he's back regardless of how it happened.

Starting point is 00:05:50 Still, though, it's, uh, it's like, it's like, it's like being in a relationship with someone that you know you there, you were their second choice and that you'll never not know that for the rest of your life i i think i would argue that carea's relationship with the met's is more even weirder than that because like the met's came out steve cohen comes out we've talked about it before he says you know carlos correa this is the guy we needed this is like that last piece that really pushes us you know further into the playoffs than any other team we feel like we're set up to win a championship with Carlos Gray on this team.

Starting point is 00:06:25 And we all know, and we've talked about this before as well, that Steve Cohen is clearly not opposed to risk. He's willing to put money on the table, not knowing what he's going to get in return for it. We've already established that. That is very well established at this point with all of the money that he's thrown around this winter. I, for the life of me, Derek, do not understand why the Mets let Carlos Correa go. given Steve Cohen and everything that we know about that man and the fact that it doesn't seem to matter much to him anyway, how much money he's spending on these players, why would you let Carlos Cray walk? Why would you let Carlos Cray walk? I mean, I'm sure that the Mets could have gotten some language in there. You know, this deal with the twins is a significant cut as far as guaranteed money. Obviously, the Mets could have gotten some movement and wouldn't have had to give him the original contract. I am just dumb

Starting point is 00:07:21 founded that for some reason the Mets deemed that not worthwhile. And now Carlos Correa is going to play for the Minnesota Twins. And the Mets are going to be fine, right? I mean, they have Eduardo Escobar still to play third base. They have Brett Beatty waiting in the wings as well. But I just don't understand it. Why would you be so aggressive in so many ways and then let, you know, of course there was some health risk here, right?

Starting point is 00:07:48 We knew there was going to be health risk all along. I don't understand why that deterred the Mets when it was all said and done. That's the biggest thing that confounds me when it comes to this. It's not like they were the giants. The Giants offered Karea a huge contract. They wanted him to be a franchise player in San Francisco for a number of years. The physical comes out. It deems that basically the arthritis and his ankle is going to limit how long he can play at a major league level.

Starting point is 00:08:16 That's what the analysis probably shows to some degree. something in that, you know, obviously in that physical tells them that he is not built for a long-term deal like the Giants were trying to give to him, needing to give to him in order to keep that payroll low. Same thing with the Mets, but the Mets knew what they were getting into. That's the difference here. Maybe, you know, obviously the Giants aren't making the information from the physical known to other teams so they didn't know the degree maybe of, of, his situation, but at the same time, they knew that they were getting into a long-term deal with a player that another team, which had the money to spend, passed on due to something within his physical. Then when that thing comes up in their physical that they have done, they're surprised.

Starting point is 00:09:09 They, they, like you said, that's when you walk away. It's just, it seems like such a waste of time. It seemed like, again, it seemed like a desperate thing, right? Like to go, after Correa while he was in the middle of obviously an awkward situation with the giants. Maybe the giants were trying to renegotiate with him. And that's why the Mets kind of pulled the trigger on offering him what he wanted, which was this long-term deal in the neighborhood of $350 million. But it just seems to me like all of this was a huge waste of time. And it kind of makes the Mets look bad.

Starting point is 00:09:49 in my opinion here. The Giants, I don't think they're impacted at all here. The Giants look like they made a smart decision that now has been backed up by another team finding something, you know, obviously also concerning in his physical. I will say this, though, this situation for the Arizona Diamondbacks just keeps getting better. Yeah. The only way it could get better now for the debacks is if he decides not to sign with the twins and comes over here to Arizona on a three-year, a $62 million deal.

Starting point is 00:10:21 All right, that's the only way that this gets better for Arizona. But, you know, you went from him being in the division for 13 years to him still being a thorn in your side versus an NL opponent that you know you're going to have to meet up with. You're going to have to play more often than American League opponents. And there's a greater chance that you're going to have to deal with him in the playoffs at some point if your team is good enough to make it there. now we hardly knew you Carlos Correa goodbye as far as we're concerned so if you're a diamond back span this situation just keeps getting better yeah that's a great point that's a great point yeah I know like if you look at the spending from national league teams versus American league teams up before this deal there was a pretty big disparity like a lot of

Starting point is 00:11:11 the biggest spending teams around baseball are national league teams at this point and that is still of course the case after this. But, but, um, but it is nice to see a little bit more balance in, in that regard. Carlos, you want them going to a bad team. Let's be honest. I'm not, I'm not knocking the twins, but you don't want someone of Correa's caliber going to a team that's already in contention and just making that team that much more of a juggernaut to have to deal with. This is in, in all ways better, uh, for, for us as far as it is. It is. Yeah. I mean, the twins have done some nice things this offseason. They brought

Starting point is 00:11:45 and Joey Gallo on a one-year contract. They bought in Christian Vasquez to catch for them. They signed him on a three-year contract. But yeah, I mean, they already had Carlos Correa on this team last year, and they won 78 games. So there is something to be said from the DeBax perspective. You want all the big name free agents to sign with all the bad teams, you know, turn the bad teams into mediocre teams, but don't really like get in your way, right, as far as far as the postseason goes.

Starting point is 00:12:13 So that, yeah, from a DeBax perspective, this really has worked out extraordinarily well. And you just have to hope that this physical, the final details get worked out here, that the Dodgers don't, don't swoop in or, you know, something crazy happens here. Oh, man, don't do it.

Starting point is 00:12:28 Don't do it. I already tweeted that out. That's when we tried to block it with the tweet. But speaking of the Diamondbacks and free agent spending, how satisfied are you with their free agency and the trades? We'll factor in, obviously, the Dalton Varsho trade, because that was probably the biggest movement. move that they made.

Starting point is 00:12:47 But did they exceed your personal expectations on how they would try to make this team better this offseason? I would honestly say yes. Coming into the off season, we didn't really know how much room the debacks had to maneuver. I was at least not close to the idea that the Diamondbacks might just kind of have the same payroll as last year, maybe add five or 10 million. That has not been the case. They've added about $15 million.

Starting point is 00:13:15 And I think there's still, it sounds like from what Mike Hazen said after the Evan Longoria signing in that press conference the other day, he indicated that they're still looking to add to the bullpen. So I think you're looking at about a $20 million payroll increase when it's all said and done, which, no, that doesn't compare with a lot of other teams around the league. I'm not saying that's a ton of money. But it is a bigger increase than at least I personally was expecting. the debacks would have had to fork over basically the same amount of money just to keep the players that they had last year, much less to actually add to that. So, yeah, I think on the whole you have to be pretty happy with what the Diamondbacks, with what the Diamondbacks have spent relative to kind of what the expectations might have been. I know people still are, you know, they wanted Danesby Swanson after that report came out. You know, Zadier Bogart's, there were some dreams to be had there about Bogart's, you know, being a long time.

Starting point is 00:14:13 shortstop, third baseman, whatever it would have been for the Diamondbacks. But on the whole, the debacks have been pretty active this offseason. Maybe they're not exactly the players that you would have liked, but they haven't just sat on their hands. I mean, they signed two relievers so far, Miguel Castro and Scott McGuff. They, of course, made the big trade with Toronto. They made the trade with the Seattle Mariners, bringing in Kyle Lewis in exchange for Cooper Hummel.

Starting point is 00:14:39 And then, of course, they brought back Zach Davies as well. and they also brought in Evan Longoria. So, I mean, that's quite a few moves. I mean, there's a decent amount of turnover on the major league roster, probably a little bit more than I was expecting. They were attached to bigger names than we thought they were going to be, right? And like you brought up, Xander Bogartz and Danesby Swanson. You were gone, actually.

Starting point is 00:15:02 You were gone when the Danesby Swanson news broke. How did you feel about the Diamondbacks reportedly? We don't know exactly how close they were. But apparently they were they were somewhat in the ballpark of being able to bring Danesby Swanson back to Arizona. I sang the Steve Lacey song. I wish I knew you wanted me quite a bit, you know, that day. But yeah, it's a it's definitely something that you kind of want to see. It has like a, there's a storybook ending there a bit to Danesby Swanson coming back to this Diamondbacks team now, a bit of a success, a champion.

Starting point is 00:15:38 and having, you know, a good portion of his career back here kind of where a lot of us feel he belongs, right? I didn't think that they were going to be in the market for him, honestly. It was a surprise. I think it was a surprise to a lot of people. And, yeah, but the way I see it is the Diamondbacks did a great job of adding depth and improving their team without breaking the bank on any single player. Maybe the biggest investment here is in the trade to Toronto, and that's still relatively low-risk, high reward when it comes down to it. Dalton Varsho could go off to be one of the greatest outfielders in baseball. The analytics don't suggest that that's going to happen, but who the hell knows, right?

Starting point is 00:16:23 The thing is, is that Varsh was going to get more expensive, and the Diamondbacks just happened to be able to get one of the best prospects in baseball that is right in line with the timeline of their other young things. top prospects in baseball. So I couldn't be more excited about the moves they made this off season, especially, you know, that Gabriel Moreno trait, that that's incredible. And I think that they exceeded my personal expectations. I also appreciate the effort. It felt like, like you said, they were in talks about things that we didn't expect them to be in talks about. It made me feel like they were honestly trying, you know, to do their best to make this team better. And I know, compared to the Padres and the Dodgers in the division, you can't even say the Dodgers anymore.

Starting point is 00:17:09 You can literally say, compared to the Padres in the division, they're on a shoestring budget. I felt like Mike Hazen did a lot with a very little that he had. You know, the deals that he made, I like. Again, they're low risk. And I think that this team is going to be a better team next year. I think we're going to see this team surprise a lot of people, only because there wasn't a move big enough that,

Starting point is 00:17:35 you know, move the needle for a lot of people in baseball. You know, like nothing was earth-shattering as far as improving the diamond backs. I just think it's going to be a matter of these young guys coming up and having some breakout seasons all at the same time. That could be very, very exciting to watch.

Starting point is 00:17:51 And I just feel like that's going to happen. But can I say one more thing on, unlike the, on the Carlos Correa situation, there's one thing that's, There's one thing that still fascinates me. Do you think that going into this offseason that Scott Boris and Carlos Correa, of course, they were never going to say it, but do you think deep down that they knew this was going to happen,

Starting point is 00:18:13 the teams were going to put up the big money, 13 years, $250 million, but when it came time to do the physical, do you think Carlos Correa and Scott Boris were a little concerned? Or maybe they... You and I have talked in the past about Scott Boris and the real. resources that he has. Scott Boris has his own medical team. I don't doubt for a second that Scott Boris didn't have a physical of his own done on Carlos Correa and didn't already 100% know about this stuff coming down the pipe. I think it was just going to matter how much teams cared about it.

Starting point is 00:18:51 And again, the game we're playing here is to keep them under a certain amount of spending. these teams are extending these contracts out to ridiculous lengths. And the catch here with Carlos Correa is that obviously whatever is in his physical is concerning enough that they are suggesting he might not make it past maybe the midpoint of a 13-year contract or a 12-year contract. So that's probably the big problem with the commitment that teams don't want to make. yes, you're okay with spending later for a guy that's going to be big now, right? That's that's kind of the thing that you're planning on here when you're paying a guy who's going to be 40 at the tail end of his contract. But what you're not, what you don't want is for it to literally be like, oh, we get four

Starting point is 00:19:45 good years out of them. And then we have nine years where he can't even be on the field in some capacity. right so like i i have no idea i'm not a medical expert but to answer your question i don't think scott boris for a minute was unaware of you know his medical situation you know his his condition whatever it was that was going to be a hang up i am 100% sure that he knew about it and would not share that with anybody but his own you know staff and maybe maybe wouldn't even tell carlos carea i I don't know, but anyway, this is the kind of stuff you guys get here. Just basically wild speculation.

Starting point is 00:20:26 Jesse, do you think he? Do you think he knew? Do you think you knew? Yeah, I agree with you. I agree with you. It's just hard not to. He's too good at his job to have like just been like, oh, you what? You found something?

Starting point is 00:20:37 Like, no, that I don't think that happened. I didn't know that that was there. It still fascinates me, though, even though I am pretty confident that he probably would have known. like just imagine what Scott Boris must have been thinking when the Giants originally put up that much money. You know, it's like you have like this dirty little secret and you're hoping that nobody finds out about it in time, right? It's just this fascinating situation. It's like almost pulling off the perfect party while your parents are out of town.

Starting point is 00:21:12 But then they find one random beer can on, you know, the shelf that you did. you missed while cleaning up. You know what I mean? You're like, you're like, I almost got away with it. I almost got away with it. You know, anyway, uh, well, we thank you guys for checking out the show. Appreciate all of our audio listeners, of course. If you haven't done so already, make sure to go to go phnx.com and get yourself a diehard membership. That way you don't miss any of Jesse's diehard only pieces. He has a bunch of wonderful articles out there that are unlocked as well. But make sure to check that out because if you get a diehard membership, not only do you get access to those diehard only pieces, you get 20%.

Starting point is 00:21:48 off of merch at the PHNX Locker.com, along with a free piece of merchandise hat or a shirt of your choosing every single year that you are a member. Also, you get access to our members-only Discord. That is all the rage, Jesse. We appreciate, by the way, the very kind comments that we got in the Discord. We love being in there with you guys. And to be honest, I'm giving all credit to you are loyal debacks, debacks diehards, because you guys make that place of fun and incredible place to be all the time. And credit goes to you. Jesse and I are merely visitors at that party that we call the DeBacks Discord.

Starting point is 00:22:25 But of course, we get access to that as a member. And of course, you get access to all sorts of other benefits, including 20% off at our events, like our upcoming P.HNX Four Peaks Tea Party at Dobson Ranch Golf Course. It is coming up soon, you guys. Check it out this Friday, the 13th. That's right. It is Friday the 13th, and we are doing, we're having all sorts of fun. We're renting out the entire driving range.

Starting point is 00:22:52 We are going to have all sorts of samples and swag from our friends at Four Peaks. Of course, your entry fee gets you a one hour of free range time and golf balls at Dobson Ranch to be used that layered time. But at our party, you get unlimited balls. You get rental clubs if you don't have your own. And you get to join us for a fun time where we are going to have contest entries, including longest drive. putting challenges, highest score, and more. The driving range is incredible. I've talked about it quite a bit, but it's a normal driving range where they can track your balls digitally.

Starting point is 00:23:24 And it's all sorts of fun games to be had. I had more fun, Jesse, playing some of the, you know, silly kind of, you know, hit it 121 yards from here and try to get closest to the pin contest that they have on their driving range. And I ever have trying to just go out there and hit the ball as hard as I can. it's a lot of fun out there. And of course, Jesse is going to be there. He's going to be beating you and ping pong. I'll be over hitting golf balls while Jesse is beating you and ping pong. Maybe I'll stop by for some cornhole as well. Of course, we're going to have all sorts of free food from our friends at Chop Shop, Mountain Mikes, and more. And of course, four peaks will be out there. Oh, geez, we'll be there. So let me tell you, any party that OGs is a fun time. So don't

Starting point is 00:24:09 miss out on that. And of course, we're going to be watching the Suns versus the Timberwolves. I don't know which version of the Sun's team that we're going to be seeing that night. I hope it's not the current one that we've had to watch on a nightly basis and struggle through. But join us for the inaugural PHNXT party presented by Four Peaks at Dobson Ranch Golf Courts this Friday the 13th. Check the link in the description to reserve your spot right now. Go do it. And of course, if you can't join us, make sure to grab some Four Peaks wherever you're at. Grab some Four Peaks.

Starting point is 00:24:38 Join us remotely and in spirit. Of course, you must be 21 or older to enjoy. enjoy responsibly. The Arizona Diamondbacks, technically, as we've talked about in the past, are the last expansion franchise in all of baseball. We talked a bit about how the real deal here was to bring Tampa Bay a team. It was very important to give Tampa Bay a team after they kind of got slighted in the past. And of course, in order to have a new American league team,

Starting point is 00:25:08 you had to have a matching national league team to offset them. And that is out of the Arizona Diamondbacks. born folks, but they might not be the last because according to reports, there is a team that is trying to potentially expand into Major League Baseball. And obviously we would need two of those teams, but the Nashville Stars, which happened to be a Negro League team of the past, is looking to expand their ownership group, expand their front office and to make the Nashville stars the next expansion team in Major League Baseball. And it has a, that's not the only connection to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Jesse, that the

Starting point is 00:25:51 Nashville stars have. And let's just say, I'm a little worried for the future of that franchise. Yeah, yeah. So a couple of old friends, the Diamondbacks fans know, no very well. Spying on our exes. Dave Stewart. Dave Stewart and Tony Larusa both have a significant role within this organization. I think Dave Stewart a little bit more so.

Starting point is 00:26:20 Tony Larusa is kind of just there in an advisor role. Don Mattingly recently added as an advisor of sorts as well. Dave Dombrowski also in that same role, even as he works with the Phillies as their president of baseball operations. So, and Don Mattingly, of course, is the Blue Jays bench coach. So you're seeing, you know, people who have roles elsewhere in other major league teams still kind of coming out and lending a hand to the Nashville stars as they look to get things off the ground. I'm on their website, Derek, and I must say they've done a very good job marketing and just kind of making their case. It's MLB MusicCity.com. There's an entire FAQ page of why they want to become a major league franchise and what exactly it's going to take to get there and how realistic it is and all these different things.

Starting point is 00:27:15 It is crazy that the Arizona Diamondbacks are essentially the last team, right? I mean, that still kind of blows my mind. But I think it is only a matter of time before we go from 30 to 32 teams. Rob Manfred has, I believe, at the winter meetings, he discussed expansion. and didn't really get into any specifics. We don't know exact locations or anything, but there's a compelling case to be made that Nashville should be the destination for one of those teams.

Starting point is 00:27:45 He has said in the past that expansion is important, but before they worry about expansion, they are trying to get the Oakland A's and Tampa Bay raise. Yeah. You know, their stadium situations figured out. It sounds like Oakland is once again going to lose another team to Las Vegas and the A's most likely will find a new home in Nevada. And then there's basically trying to find Tampa Bay a new home within the city of Tampa

Starting point is 00:28:15 because they don't want to really move them away from where they're at. There was always that rumor about them being a part-time Montreal Expos team, which was always kind of funny to me. I really dug the combo hats that came out during that time. But yes, this seems to be more about expanding, more about bringing back a team that existed at one time and making it, you know, giving it the glory it deserves by finding a place in Major League Baseball, which I think would be very cool. But again, based on who is involved, Dave Stewart, Tony LaRosa, I'm very, I'm cautiously pessimistic about this becoming a thing. I mean, look, Dave Stewart shouldn't be the GM and Tony LaRusa shouldn't be the. the chief baseball officer, right?

Starting point is 00:29:03 As long as you use those two guys in roles that they're really qualified to fill, I think you could be in a better spot. I know Tony LaRousse obviously kind of a disaster as the manager of the White Sox. So I think maybe there needs to be some evaluation of, you know, what exactly should Tony LaRue's role in something like this be. But, yeah, I mean, there's some history here for sure. the, you know, Nashville has said minor league baseball for, for a number of years. And then the Nashville stars, if I'm not mistaken, Derek, were a Negro league team.

Starting point is 00:29:38 Correct. Yeah. Of course, way, way back in the day. So there's a lot of history about, you know, baseball in that city. And I think, I mean, just kind of off the top of my head, you know, thinking about what cities baseball could come to if expansion were indeed to happen, I think Nashville is right at the top of the list, at least for me. Nashville, I've also heard that there is a group in Portland that is trying to bring a

Starting point is 00:30:04 major league baseball team to Portland. And I think that's also a fantastic market. Look, I was in Seattle last week. And it was just beautiful. The way that the support of like the Seattle Cracken was insane in the area where I was at. Yeah. Yeah. They go crazy for the Seattle, even though the Cracken, I think are terrible.

Starting point is 00:30:24 They are terrible, but they still support the HACCN. hell out of their little terrible expansion team that they're thrilled to have. And they could, you could give them the Supersonics back and they'd fucking be thrilled. And they would support that team if they fucking lost 82 games. But I will say that, uh, you know, I don't think bringing back like a Portland sea dogs team is the worst idea. And I also just don't think that that area is, is too bad. I think there's other cities that makes sense. Um, but for me, you know, Nashville and Portland make the most sense based on the rumors and the,

Starting point is 00:30:56 reports that we've heard from cities that are interested in it. I also like the idea, like Las Vegas has really embraced their team, you know, their Golden Knights team and that Raiders team kind of sucks for the Raiders because the Raiders are always going to be, they're always going to have the same kind of like home field disadvantage that like, I think we have here in Arizona. It's just Las Vegas is going to be a place that, that away fans travel hard to so that they can go have a fun vacation in Vegas and go see

Starting point is 00:31:25 their team play against the Raiders. But I like Las Vegas, and I think Las Vegas would be a great, you know, a great city for the A's to find a home in or any team to find a home in, in fact. But interesting to see how that all works out and how it impacts the Diamondbacks, to be honest. Like there's a good chance depending on if any of those, like maybe Nashville ends up being the National League team. but if Portland or Las Vegas somehow ends up being a National League team,

Starting point is 00:31:59 that could very well be a new foe for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the National League West for all we know. So it will be great to see how that all shakes out. I love the idea of expanding, especially with the playoffs kind of expanding and the direction that baseball is gone. So far more is more fun, and I don't see a reason why to, you know, limit it at this point. but it's still weird that the Diamondbacks are the last expansion team in baseball. I mean, I'm just, yeah, I'm just thinking about the division situation, like what would happen? Because if you have 32 teams, you're probably not going to have three divisions in each league. You probably would want to have four.

Starting point is 00:32:39 Yeah, four divisions with four teams in each division, mathematically would make the most sense. Otherwise, you're just going to wind up with two divisions that have six teams, whereas the rest have five, which would be a little bit odd. So I don't know if that necessarily would work in the Diamondbacks favor. You kind of feel like the, you know, we're just going to end up with all the fucking California teams. Yeah, yeah. You know, maybe the giants, maybe the Giants end up in an NL, you know, maybe the giants end up in an NL north or something like that just because of how geographically they're located. And then we only have the Dodgers and the Padres and then the Rockies and the Diamondbacks in that South, an L South kind of division or whatever. I don't know. I don't know how to all work out, but I don't like it one bit. I don't like it one bit, Jesse. I'm just telling you that now. And I'll tell you this. I will have to take some OGs, of course, if we end up still in the same division as the Dodgers, the Padres and the San Francisco Giants. But I take OGs anyway, so it doesn't matter. If you know someone that needs OGs, make sure to pick up their wonderful product. Not only will they be out at our PHNX tea party, but you can find them at your local dispensary. OGs is all about flavoring life.

Starting point is 00:33:51 And they are all about making life fun. Let me tell you, not only are their parties fun, but OGs are definitely fun. They have a wide variety of flavors, including their sleep edition gummy that I am a huge fan of. I've been sleeping like a baby for months, thanks to our friends at OGs. I feel like it's something that just kind of carries over. It's not like I need a sleep edition gummy every night in their wonderful aqua berry flavor, but it's like it got me back on track to getting a good decent night's sleep. And then every once in a while, things get off track.

Starting point is 00:34:21 and I get back on track with my friends at OGs. But make sure to check them out. Of course, must be 21 or over to enjoy and enjoy responsibly. Also, Jesse, I'm very excited to be using our friends over at GameTime. Game time is the place to buy tickets. And of course, it's the place to buy your tickets last minute. Procrastinators out there should rejoice for this amazing opportunity to get tickets last minute at 60% off. And it's not just tickets for sporting events.

Starting point is 00:34:49 It's tickets for all sorts of things. And again, I've talked about my scheduling issues. I have another one of those weekends coming up, Jesse. I have tickets to go see Penn and Teller in Mesa on Friday night. And then the very next day, I have the innings fest, which I also double-booked as the same night as a wrestling show, where I'm supposed to be the commissioner. And there's a lot of things going on.

Starting point is 00:35:15 And I have non-refundable tickets that I have to figure that out. So don't be like me. Wait until the last minute. buy your tickets. That way you know exactly what you got going on and buy them at six up to 60% off over at game time. The best way to support us is by buying your tickets through the link in our description. So thank you guys so much for doing that. Of course, baseball season is right around the corner. So let game time be your hookup to last minute Arizona Diamondbacks tickets. It's the it's it's the thing to do. Of course, Jesse, before we go, we have one more

Starting point is 00:35:48 little issue to deal with or discuss, I guess. I mean, we're not thrilled about it. I feel like we hate talking about this every time, but it's also something that that does, once again, impacts the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Los Angeles Dodgers have DFAed Trevor Bauer, something that we had a feeling was coming, something that was kind of rumored.

Starting point is 00:36:10 But Trevor Bauer's suspension was shortened and it was going to be interesting to see how the organization dealt with that if they did deal with it in any other way besides parting ways with with bower right um so now here we are jesse in that limbo where we get to see which major league baseball team doesn't care enough about public opinion uh to now possibly pursue someone like bower and he doesn't have to go right away because the dodgers ended up having to pay him quite a bit of money uh in the dFA process as well yeah yeah yeah the Dodgers are eating $22.5 million in this situation.

Starting point is 00:36:51 If he signs for the league minimum somewhere, I guess they would save that amount of money. But yeah, the Dodgers, this contract has been pretty crazy, honestly, from the Dodgers perspective. Like Trevor Bauer, when he was on the field for the Dodgers, before any of this happened, was insanely good, frankly. In 2021, Trevor Bauer, in 17. starts at a 2.59 ERA, you know, 137 strikeouts and 107.2 inning. So he was, he was pitching

Starting point is 00:37:24 awfully well, of course, the year prior with the Cincinnati Reds. He won the Syng Award, and that's what led to this big contract in the first place. But yeah, you just kind of have to wonder here, like, how will teams perceive Bauer, you know, technically he wasn't convicted by a judge, which I think most people view is kind of a format. but I mean there is maybe I don't know if that really changes the equation at all but I thought it was interesting Alden Gonzalez wrote a story about this over at ESPN and talked to a number of GMs and agents and whatnot about you know their sense of his future and how much interest he would get and it seems like the majority say nobody's going to touch this guy you know he's probably

Starting point is 00:38:10 done you know pitching in in the big leagues at this point but there are some people who who say otherwise. There's one front office executive that says some teams will just take the arm and they'll deal with the blowback later. And so I think, you know, and other GM said all it takes is one team, right? If you have one team willing to deal with the ramifications of bringing in Trevor Bauer, that's all that he needs. So it's messy, it's ugly, you know, it's a, it's a disturbing situation that is muddied by the fact that Bauer wasn't technically convicted, but you know, you don't really know exactly what to do with that information.

Starting point is 00:38:50 So I don't know. It's just unfortunate all the way around. There are some people that will talk about due process and about him not being convicted, right? And that will be enough for some people to justify in their minds that he's not guilty and should just be allowed to go back to playing baseball, right? this situation and situations like it are different because the details come out. And when you start hearing about the details, the disturbing behavior, the pattern of behavior,

Starting point is 00:39:27 it goes beyond, I think, conviction or not conviction. Like, yes, a judge decided he wasn't guilty, but at the same time, it didn't seem like a lot of things that were being said were necessarily made up about some of the, you know, ultra-aggressive behavior, I guess you could say. Even if it wasn't a convictable behavior, it's still disturbing and it's still something that, like, as a, you know, character-wise, you don't want to be associated with, even if he's not guilty of a crime, right? Baseball, once again, is one of those fraternities that people, just like a lot of sports, should kind of, you know, it's a benefit.

Starting point is 00:40:11 to play. It's it's not a right to play it. It's, you know, it's something that you earn and it's something that goes beyond just your ability to play the sport well, to have a good pitching arm, right? Yeah. I think there is a good chance that baseball could kind of link up here and show some unity and not, you know, and not allowing Trevor Bauer back into their fraternity of baseball potentially. But like you said, it only takes one team. It only takes that opinion. of, and of course, there is going to be adverse opinions to ours. You and I kind of agree on this situation, but that doesn't mean everybody is going to agree with us. There are going to be people out there that have their own view on it, and especially

Starting point is 00:40:53 considering a conviction and a crime wasn't, you know, committed, quote, unquote, then, you know, it's going to be okay in their eyes. So like, it's, there's just going to be, you know, I think maybe regardless, there's going to be a period of time where he doesn't play, right? So I don't think it's going to be something immediate. Even if a team does go after him, maybe in 20, 24, they might pursue him, maybe the year after. Sure. Regardless, his prime years are going to be spent not playing baseball. And that's the sentence that he has convicted himself to with his actions and all of this stuff that's gone down, right?

Starting point is 00:41:30 I think it's telling that so after the Arbiter's ruling came out, he tweeted out the 2023 season vlog is going to be fire with two fire emojis. Can't wait to see y'all out at a stadium soon. This doesn't seem like a guy who really is reading the room or really understands the gravity of the situation. And I think like, like I personally am a, reason I'm a believer in giving players a second chance,

Starting point is 00:42:03 you know, when when the situation is appropriate. I don't love the idea of just like, You were accused of doing this bad thing, which is a very, very bad thing. And we're just, you know, we're not have nothing to do with you. I don't love that for a number of reasons. But if you're not, if you're going to give Trevor Bauer a second chance, you need to see that he is very understanding of how he's being perceived and, you know, very well aware of the situation. And he's just not that, right? I mean, this tweet, he's just making light of the situation.

Starting point is 00:42:37 and nobody is going to view that well. So I think there's a world in which I could see, like maybe a team is like, hey, like Trevor Bauer is different. Like he's changed through this process. I don't know if there's a whole lot of evidence to suggest that at this point. If he were more coachable, if you were more a guy that teams felt they could work with and, you know,

Starting point is 00:42:58 help work through this situation, then I think there'd be some potential there. But just that tweet alone in a sense kind of tells us everything we need to No. Well said. Well said. Well, we thank you guys again for being here right now on your favorite audio podcasting app. We ask that you subscribe if you haven't done so already and leave us a review. We always appreciate the feedback. Also go over to the PHNXports YouTube channel. Subscribe there. Sign up for notifications. That way you don't miss whenever we go live or any of the other wonderful shows on our network go live and leave Jesse a thumbs up on every single video of ours. Go back retroactively. Like old videos. Watch old videos. Some of our interviews from like a year ago have like 75 views, and that doesn't feel right. So go back and take the ride with us. Check them out. Of course, we thank you guys, as always, for listening and being here, regardless of whether it's now or in the past.

Starting point is 00:43:53 But we also want you to check out our friends at Draft Kings. Jesse, I made myself some money yesterday. Boy, on that national championship game, you had Fodge out here talking trash about the hypnotodes and TCU and all this. I took Georgia leading at half by a touchdown. I took them winning the game by two touchdowns, and I took the over of 63 points. Let me tell you, Jesse Friedman, Georgia did all three of those things on their own. Georgia scored more than the over for the entire game with their own points, and they rocked TCU, leaving them decimated and leaving me with $245 in my pocket, thanks to our friends over at the Draft King Sportsbook. So shout out to

Starting point is 00:44:37 Faj for being wonderfully wrong, but also for inviting me on yesterday's bet show, because I probably wouldn't have put that bet in had it not been for him. So let me return the favor and remind you guys at the Draft King Sportsbook app right now is there for all new and existing customers. And you can get a no sweat bet each day of the wild card round this weekend in the NFL. Just place any NFL bet of your choice. And if it loses, you'll get a free bet back up to $10. So download the Draft King Sportsbook app now. use our promo code PHNX if you're a new customer and you can bet $5 on the NFL and get $200 in free bets instantly. Only at the Draft King Sportsbook with code PHNX, minimum age and eligibility restrictions apply, see, show notes for detail. And yeah, go win yourself some money.

Starting point is 00:45:24 I'm changing my name from the mayor of PHNX to Lewis Rich, aka the Pillsbury doughboy, aka Daddy Fat Stacks. So that's what you can address me as going forward. in the future while I have at least this $245 in my pocket. But again, go make some money. We thank you guys for being here for checking out the audio and only show. Jesse and I will be back tomorrow with a live episode at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

Starting point is 00:45:49 So make sure to check that out. And of course, we thank you guys for following us on Twitter. We are almost at 5,000. So if you're not following us over at PHNX underscore DBAX, what are you doing? Why are you here and why haven't you followed this yet? I don't even know how you found us if you're not following us on Twitter. But do that. And then you can also follow me and Jesse.

Starting point is 00:46:05 I'm at cap underscore caveman with a K. Jesse is at Jesse N. Friedman. Our show is again, is at PHNX underscore D-Backs, but all roads lead to at PHNX underscore sports on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Jesse, the scripts just locked into the head. Once I get growing on it, it doesn't matter if I already said the stuff before. It's going to come out again. But we thank you guys so much.

Starting point is 00:46:28 On behalf of Jesse and myself, we appreciate your time. And remember, kids, baseball is fun, but it's so much more fun when you pass the physical. Thank you.

PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - Carlos Correa signs with the Twins for now and continues to move farther away from the D-backs

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