PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - D-backs GM Mike Hazen SHUTS DOWN Ketel Marte Rumors, Says Trade is “Mostly Unlikely”

Starting point is 00:00:00 Well, we know what happens in Vegas, doesn't stay in Vegas, but was Mike Hazen's comments enough for us to believe that the Diamondbacks will not trade Cotel Marte this offseason? We're going to break things down, but we're going to do that in 30 seconds. Don't you go anywhere? And welcome in to another edition of the PHNXDbacks podcast live from Studio K, presented by our friends at Circle K. It is I, your mayor of PHNX, occasionally known as Derek Montia. Thrilled to have you guys here. Thrill to be working with the high-broseph. two-headed monster of Shane Diefenbach and Noah, who is, we'll be here later,

Starting point is 00:00:49 but thrilled to have Shane here right now. And of course, this show's brought to you by our friends at GameTime. Go download that GameTime app, create an account and use code PHNX, $20 off. Your first purchase on those already low ticket prices, terms do apply. Shane, big bark to you today. There it is. We got some news happening out of Las Vegas in regards to the Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as taking a look at two.

Starting point is 00:01:13 veteran, which is a nicer way of saying older pitchers that might help the Diamondbacks in 2026. We also have some scathing comments from Joe Madden. But before we get to that, Shane, I did want to ask you, going to Las Vegas for work, thumbs up or thumbs down? I mean, I know you're a big thumbs up guy on this, but I'm talking about the actual, like, they're doing work while in Las Vegas like the GMs are doing right now in the GM meetings. mean like going to Las Vegas to actually I know I would it's the I don't care how you can work for 12 hours and then you know what time it is it's Las Vegas time it's party time it's party time whereas no would like to say it's party time yeah party time man yeah it's the best yeah well

Starting point is 00:02:00 I don't feel like the GMs are getting much partying in but I don't also think they're getting much work done this is like the preliminary high how you do in meetings uh in regards to what could happen this off season what trades could occur, what free agent signings could occur. Of course, all of this is dictated here by what's going on in Las Vegas, and it's the beginning of this whole thing. Mike Hazen did make some comments that we are very, obviously, very, very interested in here in regards to the Catel Marte thing. But, well, I mean, I'll preface this before we get into the comments with saying, does it really matter? We already know Mike Hazen's strategy as a GM. We know that he's

Starting point is 00:02:43 going to let on too much information. He's not going to, you know, blatantly tell us the fans or the public that Cotel Marte is, in fact, being shopped around. That doesn't seem to be the case. And Mike Hazen said that it is most unlikely that any moves like that get made. This is what Mike Hazen said on the MLB network when asked about a trade for Cotel Marte possibly happening this offseason. Mike said we get asked about all of our best players. We have a lot of really good players on our team. Humble Bragg right there.

Starting point is 00:03:18 The team, the way we're constructed, teams call us all the time and ask about those guys. A lot of times they're like, hey, I know you probably won't talk about it, but we want to express interest. So that's what's happened so far this off season. It's happened every year since we've had them and all the other good players we have, and we'll see where the conversations go beyond that. But I'd say it's mostly unlikely for that stuff to happen. meaning for any of those position players, those good position players the Diamondbacks have to be traded. Now, according to a report from Nick McCorough, there is a likelihood, as we've discussed many times this off-season,

Starting point is 00:03:56 that the Diamondbacks could move Alec Thomas or could move Jake McCarthy this off-season. That's very likely. But this is in regards to those core players. This really just addresses Corbyn Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, and Cotel Marte in this case. And again, the mostly unlikely comment is interesting because it's a meaningless comment. I will say that. And I say that because I think Mike Hazen's being truthful here, but there is no way any general manager of any baseball team can go on record like this in an interview and say,

Starting point is 00:04:31 we are 100% not trading Cotel Marte. And the reason why is because regardless of the feeling on that, the position on that, the position on that, there is no, that you never know when a team might blow you away with an offer that you just simply can't refuse. Again, he acknowledged that as a top player, just like the other guys, that they get checked in on here by the GMs, right? And he noted that clubs have received calls on Marte, but emphasize that the deal or the team, quote, isn't viewing a deal of that magnitude as the likely path. So, but he also went on to say, and this is the truth of the matter.

Starting point is 00:05:10 He didn't fully close the door by saying, I have to listen to what people say, and I think that explains the most likely portion of that. Like, yes, Catelle-Marte is not getting traded. Yes, we have no intention to do so. However, in this weird world of sports, you have to balance that with still being open enough to listen to deals. You never know when another GM is going to honestly do something very stupid, right?

Starting point is 00:05:36 And that's what you could consider a trade for Catelle Marte being on our side, right? On the Diamondback side, you could very much say that trading away an MVP caliber player like Marte, one of the best, if not the best second baseman in all of MLB for obviously not prospects, right? This would have to be a deal where these are major league ready players, proven players, and guys that can directly address the needs that the debacks have this off season. It also leaves them with a gap. We were talking yesterday about adding P. Alonzo to these three players because of how good they are getting on base

Starting point is 00:06:16 and how much the Diamondbacks would still benefit from having that power at the end of the lineup, or not at the end of the lineup, but, you know, hitting in the heart of the lineup there. Marte is kind of that for this team already. So if you trade Marte away, you're trading away a significant portion of the offense and that power that we have. have. It's not to say Corbyn and Cotel or Corbyn and Heraldo both don't have that pop in their bat as well. But again, the trio is a big reason why the Diamondbacks offense was so good this year. You

Starting point is 00:06:47 remove that component, even for starting pitching and you're reducing, you know, the one of the biggest strengths of this team down and maybe bringing the pitching up some. But there are some names that are being floated around in Las Vegas at the GM meetings that make things very intriguing. And that's the thing here where Mike Hazen can't completely close the door. The truth of Cattell's contract and how good he has been makes it nearly impossible to trade him. This is a very team-friendly contract. He's under team control through 2030. That's basically his prime years, despite some people apparently online feeling like he's past his prime,

Starting point is 00:07:31 which couldn't be further from the truth. but again it would take a lot and again the thing that the diamondbacks might have to sacrifice there is how many years of control they have could tell for to get somebody else that that might still have at least a few seasons under of control like a starting pitcher but still they're not going to get that that that number of years of control out of a player at the price that they're paying for catel martay in any other deal right that's another thing that's another thing keep in mind too if the diamondbacks trade Cotel even in a blockbuster deal

Starting point is 00:08:08 they have to take on the contract of that player they're bringing on and in this case once again Catell's team friendly contract really does make it difficult to consider trading him unless again the talent is the exact pitching talent that Mike Hazen is pinpointing

Starting point is 00:08:24 which is young controllable talent if that's the case if the Blue Js suddenly make a trade a savage available we're all in maybe but this is different right and I doubt the Diamondbacks, I doubt any team is going to want to, you know, put up a player of that caliber for Catele-Marté, right? So that's the reason why none of this makes sense. However, for some reason, and those reasons being the 10 and 5 rights of Cotel-Marté, the rift that he had with his team over going to the Dominican Republic, time missed.

Starting point is 00:08:57 These are the reasons why people feel like a Cotel-Marte trade is happening. But I don't really feel like the Diamondbacks as an organization or Mike Hazen as a GM have been floating it out there that they want to find a, you know, a trade for Catel Marte. Nor would they, even if that was the case, right? That's another factor to consider here. This whole Catel Marte trade thing is also much more difficult to navigate considering how close to the vest Mike Hazen plays his cards. He does not usually let things that are in the works be known because. if they fall apart, he just kind of sweeps that under the rug, and it doesn't look like, you know, you don't have all of this information out there. You don't have the situation

Starting point is 00:09:39 that Toronto Blue Jays had where they were certain that, you know, Oshohay Otani was on an airplane headed to Toronto when that totally wasn't the case. But I will say, Haysen did frame Marte as part of their core, and that is a strong indicator here that is value of what his value is to this franchise, what his identity is to this franchise. Many of us see Cattel Marte as the face of this franchise. You know, you see them as being obviously a leader on the field and quite frankly, one of the best players that the Diamondbacks have, right? But I will say this. Rumors at the, you know, GM meetings, they're heating up a little bit and there's been some talk of some starting pitchers that could be available as a trade candidate. And some of those

Starting point is 00:10:25 starting pitchers are incredibly good, including Freddie Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers. who apparently, it looks very likely, will be moved this offseason from the Brewers and Kingman's own Terrick Scoobel. You know, I've been beating the drum about that. That makes Noah absolutely sick to his stomach just to hear that. And again, this was confirmed via sources through Yahoo Sports. Our guys over there at Cespittus Family Barbecue, you know what they're talking about for sure. But they said Freddie Peralta likely to be moved by the Brewers with one final

Starting point is 00:11:00 year of team control left on his contract. Probably not a good match for the Diamondbacks, considering that you do not want to give up that many years of control for Cotell Marte, just to get a year rental of Freddie Peralta, essentially. Meanwhile, on the other side of the discussion, Terik Scouble, not a lot of time left on his contract either, but a guy that I might be willing to hear you out on. I'm just saying, I know that that might not be a need for the Detroit Tigers, not a good fit, but it's a good fit for me. It's a good fit for my heart. And it's a good fit for the great state of Arizona, who's shirt, I'm proudly rocking today. We do have now, like I said, we got the hybrid two-headed monster of Noah and Shane today.

Starting point is 00:11:40 We got Noah on the ones and twos. Noah, thoughts on that and this whole Terrick Scoobel thing kind of becoming a little bit more of a conversation. Like, it feels like there was a rumor. I feel like it kind of got squash. And now, like, with the GM meetings, it feels like it's kind of just heating up again. Yeah, I know it's been a pretty hot top. in Detroit that they're not like I think they're really far off on the contract

Starting point is 00:12:08 for the Tigers and Scoobel but I mean if I'm being honest if they have to trade scoble this is the one place that I would want him sure sure you selfishly for sure oh yeah but what do you think about as a Tigers fan Marte on the Tigers I think it's actually a really I think that would be a great fit yeah it's something I think we need. We don't have a consistent, like, hitter. Our best hitter is Riley Green,

Starting point is 00:12:37 and he is a strikeout machine. And he's like, he won a silver slugger, but, like, I watch a lot of Tigers baseball, and he swings the bat, like a golf club. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:12:47 And it's really frustrating. I think having Catele-Marté on that team would make fans extremely happy. Yeah. Like, oh, my God, finally, somebody who can just get on base when you need them to do and get good at back,

Starting point is 00:13:00 I mean, that'd be huge. And it's wild. But at the price of scoble, it's, it could be like a Jared Gough, Matthew Stafford trait. Yeah, honestly. Yeah, where it works out for both teams. It could work out for both teams. And again, you're right, though.

Starting point is 00:13:15 The cost for scuba entirely too high when that time comes. And as much as I'm sure the tigers want to make them a tiger forever, they're in that similar position of the Diamondbacks of spending too much on one player, no matter how good that player is, impacting. roster and being able to build around him, right? Like, again, a starting pitcher is probably one of the most important players you can go out and get, especially your ace. However, it's still a guy that only pitches once every five days, every five games, right?

Starting point is 00:13:44 And, like, that's the big problem with starting pitching is it costs you so much, but it's not an everyday regular player out there, which could tell Marte, quite frankly, is. And, again, I don't know if, you know, even if to improve the rotation, but could you imagine, Can you imagine a starting rotation with Tarek Scouple and Corbyn Burns in it? Oh, I can't. I won't. I refuse to.

Starting point is 00:14:08 Other news from the GM meetings, it appears that the Toronto Blue Jays are remaining very active, being very aggressive here in free agency and trade talks. One agent described the Blue Jays as, quote, hungry and, quote, acting like big boys. What's funny about that is, I don't feel like the Blue Jays have never. not been this. The Blue Jays have always been very aggressive. They've always made it known that they are in on the free agents and that they have money to spend. The problem is that they don't typically land the guys that they're going after. I mean, they do. That team is great. You know, we, we drank, we broke bread and drank maple syrup together. But they said that the

Starting point is 00:14:53 Toronto is in on top end starting pitching, back end relievers, position players, position players, and the incoming talent from Asia. So basically one agent said they're in every market. Crazy because it's very reminiscent to me of the Diamondbacks getting to the World Series and losing. You feel like you are so close that at that point, you're willing to open up the wallet and pay whatever you feel like you need to pay

Starting point is 00:15:21 in order to get over that very last hump. And in this case, it's the Los Angeles Dodgers. Right? So I'm not surprised that this. the Blue Jays are being very aggressive here, but I do think that bringing back Boba Chet should probably be their top priority at this point. Meaning other news involving the market,

Starting point is 00:15:38 apparently the closer market, very hot, very high in demand, and that impacts the Diamondbacks quite a bit due to the amount of teams that are currently seeking high leverage arms and quite frankly, the caliber of the closers and relievers available on the market. There are some really good relievers out there. And, you know, you got Edwin Diaz,

Starting point is 00:15:58 opting out of his deal and apparently trying to set a new record. He wants another deal that broke his old record for a new record. And that's crazy. If he does that, it does impact the market. And it does, once again, whoever scoops him up, most likely will be the Mets again, but might not be. Right. Could you imagine Edwin Diaz being added to the Los Angeles Dodgers?

Starting point is 00:16:21 I won't. I can't. I refuse to. I refuse to. But again, that could impact what the Diamondbacks end. up paying, or if the debacks, quite frankly, have the resources to go out to the free agent market and be able to add a reliever like that to their team. Again, starting pitching, credibly important for this team.

Starting point is 00:16:41 If they could still land kind of a deal in a short-term starting pitcher that's reliable, like a Merrill Kelly, to bring back to this team, or perhaps one of the talents that I listed in today's episode, which we'll talk about, perhaps the Diamondbacks will have enough money to do what they can do. especially if they could get themselves a veteran starter who they could at some point during the season when Corbyn Burns returns convert to that high-end reliever that they need to help out the bullpen, along with Justin Martinez and AJ Puck returning to help that relief course. So again, very interesting there. Last thing I want to talk about is Brian Cashman was unable to attend the GM meetings due to some non-baseball related issues. and I can only wonder how left out you feel as a general manager,

Starting point is 00:17:33 especially one of the Yankees, right, a general manager of the Yankees who has probably endless resources to spend and all sorts of needs in order to get that team back to being what they feel is competitive for a World Series title, right? So I can only imagine the fomo you have as a GM having to attend the GM meetings via Zoom. That feels miserable. Now, we did hear Mike Hazen at one point tell us that even though they will stay in hotel rooms literally next door to each other, these GMs do not walk out into the hall and knock on each other's door and have a conversation face-to-face.

Starting point is 00:18:09 They'll be 50 feet away from each other with simply a wall at the Hyatt Regency separating them, and they'll still be texting each other about deals. So I don't know how much it impacts it, but it is in Las Vegas. And if there's anything that's going to give you FOMO, it's having, your coworkers, aka your fellow general managers, be running around Las Vegas, having a great time, eating great food, and doing it without you. Trust me, I know that. I know something about that. My friends do it to me, and it works every single time. All they have to do is go on one vacation without me, especially to Las Vegas or New Orleans. And the pictures, the social media posts,

Starting point is 00:18:48 everything that they send me in our group chat will be enough for me to turn things, literally turn around in that moment, go buy a plane ticket and fly out to meet my friends. So shout out to Brian Cashman for having to figure it out via Zoom and get that FOMO. But we are going to talk on the other side of this break about two starting pitchers, veteran starting pitchers. I'm not going to put, I'm not going to heap the old word on them because, again, we don't do that in this podcast. But we are going to talk about two veteran pitchers that are free agents who could help

Starting point is 00:19:16 this Diamondbacks team in 2026 and could convert into a hybrid starting pitcher, relief pitcher that the D-backs are seeking to help them out in the first half of the year. So we're going to talk about two guys on the other side of this break. Don't you go anywhere? You're watching the PHA next time in Back Show. Well, we love our friends at Pure Edibles. They definitely help make watching

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Starting point is 00:22:14 and wants help, call 1,800 next step. Text next step to 533442 or visit problemgambling.az. Well, one thing that Diamondbacks fans are going have to get used to is shopping in the bargain bin. And I know sometimes shopping in the bargain isn't really even a bargain. Those prices at dollar tree sometimes? Complete rip-off. Just sometimes.

Starting point is 00:22:39 Sometimes they're good. Sometimes they're not. Right. And the same could be said about shopping in the bargain bin for Major League Baseball pitching. Even with shopping in the bargain bin, some can be good, some can be bad. And who knows if either of these pitchers are even going to be considered a bargain, when an offer is made. Now, one guy has a very, very strong connection to the team he currently plays for, and there's a good chance he could resign there. But another guy that I kind of like, and I think, once again, one of my prerequisites here is a player that's a free agent,

Starting point is 00:23:13 a pitcher that's a free agent that had a bad year. But a consistent track record and maybe even some other variables, some other stats that might say that his season was a little bit better than the numbers indicate. And one guy that comes to mind is free agent starting pitcher Nick Martinez from the Cincinnati Reds. Martinez did not have himself a very strong 2025 season, as you can see there. The whip's pretty decent at 1.207, to be honest. But his ERA at 4.45, not good, far too reminiscent of what the Diamondback starting pitchers right now or in 2025 did.

Starting point is 00:23:52 He did a post-opponent batting average of 254. he had a FIP of 4.33, which is just, I guess, below league average or above league average, depending on the way you want to phrase that, a little bit worse than league average. Let's put it that way. And then a strike out to walk ratio at 2.76. But again, the reason why I feel like Martinez would be a good fit for this team is due to the fact that he's coming off of a bad season. And, you know, again, he is a guy here that logged a lot of innings in 2025, meaning that he, He is durable and has that ability to give the Diamondbacks exactly, you know,

Starting point is 00:24:32 kind of what they need as a starting pitcher throughout this long season. He logged 162 or 165 in two-thirds innings. And again, that's that reliability for a guy that pitched over 150 plus innings is great. In 2024, though, he posted some really good numbers. In 2024, Martinez posted a stellar season. He had a 3.10 ERA and a 1.03 whip. in 142 and a third's innings. And he just demonstrated a lot of things.

Starting point is 00:25:03 He had great command. He limited hard contact and he just became a very reliable arm in 2024. Now, again, that's 2024. 2020. As you see here, numbers aren't so great. But again, that's one of the things that the Diamondbacks and us as a fan base are going to probably have to deal with. We are most likely going to have to deal with the diamondbacks picking up a guy that doesn't necessarily wow you or excite you based on their numbers from last year.

Starting point is 00:25:34 But given the diamondbacks have already made big investments, adding Martinez is just a lower cost way to strengthen depth. And when you look at the numbers in his career, quite frankly, it makes you feel like 2025 was a little bit more of an outlier rather than being the norm. And when you go back so far in his career, he has posted essentially a 4.16 career ERA. He had a number of years playing overseas in Japan from 2018 to 2021, came back in 2022, posted a 3.47 ERA in 2022. In 2023, posted a 3.43 posted a 3.43 ERA. And in 2024, posted a 3.10 ERA. Now, this will be his age 35 season. So another pitcher like Merrill Kelly who went overseas, improved, came back here, was able to raise his stock, and now, quite frankly, could be looking at one of, if not, the final contracts of his career.

Starting point is 00:26:35 That seems very negative. I don't want to say that. But not a lot of time here. Not a super lengthy contract expected. And again, that's something that the Diamondbacks are going to need. Plus, they need a little bit of a veteran presence right now, not to say. say Eduardo Rodriguez isn't that, but it's not the worst thing to bring in a bridge piece that has that veteran experience. He has significant major league experience and also, again,

Starting point is 00:27:00 pitching overseas as well. I feel like that gives him experience that most major leaguers don't necessarily have. And again, given that success to the ad in 2024, one could view his 25 numbers is just a slight dip or a regression that he's going to bounce back from. But you feel like with proper support, especially a very, very good defensive team in the Diamondbacks. And that's what Mike Hazen is looking to build, be, and make this team's identity in 2026. He might be able to replicate or approach those 2024 numbers. But again, that 4.45 ERA, not elite. And again, his whip at least at 1.21 kind of signals that it wasn't all terrible, but he does have the good but not great kind of vibe to him, right? And that's why

Starting point is 00:27:51 that might not be a good fit. We do know that Mike Hazen, once again, as I said earlier in the show, basically said that they're looking for young controllable pitching. And, you know, I'm looking to drive an Aston Martin, right? Like, you can want a lot of things in life, right? I want food available in the downtown area that doesn't cost me $15 to $20 every single day for lunch. Do I get that? No, no, I don't. Because even when I do, I go someplace and I buy a beer with it and I tip and I'm $25 lighter after that. So there's a lot of things in life I want too, Mike. I don't know if we're all going to get them. But at 35 years old, again, not young. And of course, the older the age, you got the risk of decline, injury, less upside, obviously. But

Starting point is 00:28:40 he does fit in to the Diamondbacks ballpark scheme and defense as far as his strengths are concerned and the Diamondbacks really can't commit significant money for years and years and years to a pitcher at this point there's a good chance that this team if things you know if things don't work out we could see at least some sort of significant tear it down and rebuild in 2020 27 and beyond don't know how far that's going to go but that that's a reason why when you start looking at some of these deals to be made, especially this off season, there's a good chance that a two-year deal is the most that the Diamondbacks are going to want to commit to outside of, you know, again, somebody really blowing them away, somebody coming here and giving them the opportunity to

Starting point is 00:29:24 sign them in the same way that Corbyn Burns did. I don't want to say Corbyn Burns gave the Diamondbacks a hometown discount, but you definitely feel like he probably could have gotten 50 million plus more somewhere else. And he wasn't coming to the Diamondbacks because they were knocking his door down. He came to the Diamondbacks because him and his family, he and his family very much wanted to come and live in the valley and be a part of this franchise. The Diamondbacks are blessed to have Corbyn's and to have signed him to what they did. But they can't squander this time with him away, even though he got injured.

Starting point is 00:29:59 They have to do something here. And again, that's why I feel like looking at a starting pitcher like Nick Martinez could add depth. He could be a guy that's a part of the starting rotation. just shines here for the entire season. He also could be a guy that, again, they could potentially turn into a reliever. Not to say that he's really been that in his career. But again, that's, I don't feel like that's completely outside of the realm of possibility. I mean, he did, he has had some relief appearances, I believe last year. He had 26 starts, but he played in 40

Starting point is 00:30:33 games. So he has come out of the bullpen before. And even if he doesn't reach his 20-24 peak that he was in the past, he's still likely to provide value. And again, potentially more value or as much value as many other comparable free agent pitchers that are available on the market. And it's probably going to cost you less. It's also going to be a better option than any internal fill-ins that the Diamondbacks have. And that's something that we'll have to probably reiterate time and time again when it comes

Starting point is 00:31:02 to these particular type of signings. Like these are guys that are going to be the complementary pieces to the core of the Diamondbacks, have here. But as time goes on, they're losing more and more pieces of their core. And they also don't really have, you know, pitching that seems to be part of their core outside of Ryan Nelson. It was said that really at the GM meetings, the only two guys that seem to be untouchable by the Diamondbacks are Corbyn, Carroll, and Ryan Nelson. And that's actually really awesome to hear in regards to Ryan Nelson because he is a guy that deserves to have that kind of label of being untouchable placed on him, and he will be a big, big part of this starting rotation next year

Starting point is 00:31:42 and for the rest of his career here in the Diamondbacks. No more bullpen for Nelly. But again, you bring in a guy here like Nick Martinez, and it's not out of the question to ask him once Corbyn Burns returns to maybe step into the bullpen and be a high leverage arm for this team. And that, I think, is going to have to be at least one of the two starting pitchers, the Diamondback's sign. So Nick Martinez, again, as far as his role is concerned, is he a true starter? Is he a hybrid starter reliever? The best results may come if his role obviously is well defined. So maybe if he comes in knowing that he's going to be a starter that converts to a bullpen arm for this team,

Starting point is 00:32:22 that might be something that he accepts and wants to do rather than it being something that's just a factor as the season goes on. However, if he shoves and he's awesome, then there's no reason for him to go to the pen. I'm sure we'll have some other starting pitcher that I can't curse on it. I miss cursing so much, but S words the bed. Let's just say that. But we're going to take a break here, and on the other side of this break, we are actually going to talk about another guy, Chris Bassett, and discuss if he would be a good option for the Diamondbacks to add on as a free agent pitcher.

Starting point is 00:32:56 And if he would even want to leave Toronto at this point, We're going to talk about that on the other side of this break. Don't you go anywhere? You're watching the PHA next time and back show. Well, tis the season for over $80 million in prizes over Arizona lottery. And let's be honest, I am a good gift giver. I don't want to brag, but I'm one of the best gift givers I know, right? I buy well thought out gifts.

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Starting point is 00:34:01 It smells like fresh peppermint, and I will scratch it every single day of my life. But of course, love to play and spread holiday cheer this holiday season with holiday scratchers from the Arizona lottery.

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Starting point is 00:35:15 All right, well, we're not done looking at free agents and we know it's free agent season, but we have plenty of time, right? We could have gotten to this earlier. Derek, why didn't you do free agents before free agent season was here? It's because I know MLB. I know MLB. This is why it sucks. Free agent season starts.

Starting point is 00:35:30 We're all pumped for it. We're like, yeah, five days after the end of the world series, free agents can sign with a new team. Crickets. Crickets. Nothing. Nothing. And that's because that's how Major League Baseball is. You got these GMs out there playing the Buffalo slot machine, getting down on the little Konami horses out there and not getting deals done, not making trades, not signing free agents.

Starting point is 00:35:52 But again, that's why we have plenty of time to go over it on this podcast. And of course, another name that we've talked about a little bit is Chris Bassett. Bassett, a veteran stud in Major League Baseball, a guy that had himself an incredible season and was a huge part of why the Toronto Blue Jays made it all the way to the World Series. He's just a consistent veteran presence that gives you consistent veteran production. I had a 3.96 ERA in 2025, a 1.327 whip, 4.01 whip, FIP couldn't be, like, league average, couldn't be more league average, which is fine with me. 2.61 opponent batting average and a 3.19 strikeout per walk ratio.

Starting point is 00:36:36 And again, started a lot of games for the Toronto Blue Jays this year. 31 games started. It is a starting pitcher. I don't want to confuse that. But I will say that he became a huge weapon for the Toronto Blue Jays out of the bullpen in the postseason. And for that reason, I couldn't help but covet him. While we watch this Blue Jays team go on and have to be. have Bassett come out and post those numbers that he posted over the postseason or over the

Starting point is 00:37:06 playoffs. It just looked really good and enticed me to think about, you know, once again, him as a hybrid option. He, of course, could be that guy that gives the Diamondbacks exactly what he gave the Blue Jays out of the pen in the second half while still being that arm that can help their starting rotation through the first half of 2025. And again, also a guy who could be so good. very durable. He's pitched a lot of innings. Pitched 170.1 innings last year, 171

Starting point is 00:37:35 innings innings in 2024, 200 innings on the dot in 2023. So he has been durable. I mean, again, 170.1 innings last season was the least he's pitched since 2021 when he was with Oakland. Rest in peace, Oakland. But again, he is a guy that continues to be a stud, continues to be one of the best pitchers in baseball. And again, even though he's, you know, 36, this will be his age 37 season. Again, another reason that he won't be expecting to sign a huge long-term deal, but a guy who could fit right into that two-year deal that I think the Diamondbacks might be willing to go to. I'm sure they, I really feel like a one-year deal is what they're seeking, but Chris Bassett probably wouldn't be seeking that at all. I also think that it's unlikely that he leaves Toronto considering how good that

Starting point is 00:38:25 situation has been for both of them. I don't see a reason. But again, he is entering his 37th season with age. As my back can tell you comes a risk of decline, injuries, and regression. All of those things have happened to my lower back and my sciatica. So the diving backs, obviously, we need to consider this, but they're going to consider it anyway because that's not something that can allow them or prevent them from signing a pitcher at this point. But again, I will say that injury is something that probably is going to be in Mike Hazen's head. It's hard not to after what happened to this team in 2025. So the caveat with these older pitchers is going to be the fact that they're older

Starting point is 00:39:04 and that, again, there's part of, I'm sure Mike Hazen and the front office is thought process that this team can't risk investing into yet another starting pitcher that could potentially injure themselves. But like in the case of Martinez and here with Bassett, these might be older guys, but these are guys that overall have done a great job of staying healthy in their careers and providing their teams with plenty of innings pitched, right? And again, you look at his numbers, 3.96 ERA over 170.1 innings, or in the third inning, excuse me, 166 strikeouts, 1.327 whip.

Starting point is 00:39:37 I don't hate those numbers. And again, they're very close to his career numbers as well. Over his very lengthy career, Chris Bassett has a 3.64 ERA and a 1.25 whip. So not a lot of regression there and hasn't. But again, Ryan says most likely he wouldn't. leave and I agree with that. I 100% agree that when you're in a situation like that even as a free agent, you feel like you want to run it back. You feel like you were a part of that team that got so close to winning the World Series. So there is definitely motivation on your part to stay there

Starting point is 00:40:08 in Toronto and help the Blue Jays get the job done. And I feel like the organization might have that similar mindset. However, as we discussed here early in the show, Toronto is being very aggressive according to reports in Las Vegas from the GM meetings about not only going after trades, but going after free agents. They're trying to upgrade their team. And there's a good chance that with Bassett being a free agent, that they don't bring him back, right? And that the Blue Jays move on to try to bring in a different high leverage arm

Starting point is 00:40:41 or a different starter, obviously, that they feel upgrades their rotation. So I don't think that it's that out of the question to, say, even if Bassett doesn't want to leave, that the organization might not bring him back. But if Arizona does believe that they are in any kind of win window here in 2026, and we've talked about that, they almost kind of have to be all in. They have to be all in for the final two seasons of Corbin Burden's contract. They can't just let this, well, could be the final two years of his contract. That still remains to be seen. But they can't really just let this time pass. by being a mediocre team that kind of squanders the final high-performing years of Corbyn's career.

Starting point is 00:41:28 Plus, that's not going to make him want to stay here at all. But, you know, again, if they do believe that Bass, it is a viable piece to anchor a third or fourth starter role in their rotation, right? Plus, his veteran status means that there's less risk of the unproven starter explosion that you could get from a younger player that you try to get from another team. Plus, proven track record means that, you know, those inconsistencies that we've seen out of the pitchers that the Diamondbacks have acquired, there might be a less likelihood of that. But, again, a short-term, short midterm deal, two years, maybe three with an option at the most makes sense. Limit long-term risk. It gives the team flexibility and matches Bassett's likely peak remaining years, most likely, overall, right? So a deal there does kind of make sense a little bit.

Starting point is 00:42:19 But again, it's difficult to say if Chris Bassett leaves that situation that he's in. And again, if the Diamondbacks really want to sign someone that most likely will cost you, what a starter will cost you, that you're eventually going to convert into a reliever later on in the season. But I don't know. I mean, I know it was just the playoffs. I know it's the postseason. I know in that case you kind of pull out. all the stops and do whatever. I still feel like both of these guys have shown that they are willing

Starting point is 00:42:51 to come out of the pen. So, you know, again, that hybrid, hybrid starter slash reliever role might be the exact thing the Diamondbacks are looking for, even if it's not one of these two guys. But again, they have so much to fix with this team that you got to start pitching. You got to start with pitching. You got to start with your absolute needs. And starting pitching is an absolute need for this team. It's not a, maybe it's not a, well, we can get by with what we have. They literally can't. They can get by with the position players they have. They can get by without another first baseman or another outfielder. They can get by without adding to their bullpen, quite frankly. I know it sucks. I know it's an awful situation, but they can get by with all of that. They cannot get by without

Starting point is 00:43:36 a starting pitcher. So, you know, until the starting pitcher situation is figured out by Mike Hazen in the front office, this team is still going to have work to do either through, trades or through free agency. We do thank you guys, of course. We love you guys for being here. Saw a bunch of you supporters club members here. You guys are just the best. Not to say that the rest of you are worse in any way, but yes, that's what I'm saying. No, I'm kidding. But I do love you guys. I love all of you. Thank you all for being here. Of course, you're for your supporters club member. Thank you so much for supporting us. It does mean the world to us. If you're not, of course, sign up. If you've ever sent a super chat to us, of course, that's going to be what it cost you per

Starting point is 00:44:14 I want $5 to become one of our supporters to get you access to a badge next to your name that updates with time based on how long you've been a supporter, a literal, a literal badge of honor. And then you can also get access to those custom emojis that change all the time. We started with four and now look at how many we got. So proud of us. So again, also access to exclusive content, including behind the scene vlogs, experimental stuff, putting googly eyes everywhere in this office and so much more.

Starting point is 00:44:45 Think of it as a fun way, obviously, to support PH&X. And it's not a paywall. It's not a central content. But we do want to make sure we give you guys that are supporters club more because we thank you so much for doing that. Jason Armstrong throwing the phoenix up. Yes, I googly eyed Phoenix. In fact, there was a googly eye fight over the big phoenix in our office.

Starting point is 00:45:04 We have a large fathead of Phoenix in our lobby there, which I saved, by the way. I was the one that rescued him from our old office. I was the one that took the time and the care to peel him off the wall without tearing him, transport him on a piece of cardboard over here from one building in downtown Phoenix to the other, put him up on the wall and make sure he looks great. Make sure all the bubbles were ironed out. Make sure all the little rips that happened when I took him down off the wall couldn't be seen. So as far as I'm concerned, he is my son out there and I will googly-eye him

Starting point is 00:45:38 whenever the hell I want to. So to the person in this office that keeps removing the googly eyes from the large phoenix, come see me after class. We're going to have a talk, maybe downstairs in front of Rumi's. But, of course, we got more to talk about, including hiring news around Major League Baseball. Our pal Adam Eaton, former Arizona Diamondback, has been hired by the Anaheim, Los Angeles, Angels of Anaheim, California. I don't know what they're called anymore, but former Diamondbacks outfielder Adam Eaton. he's been hired by Kurt Suzuki and the Angels as their new outfield instructor.

Starting point is 00:46:12 Again, nothing that makes me feel older in my time of covering baseball than a player who came along and was a new player. He played his entire career and now his career has ended and now he's a coach with a team. Nothing makes me feel older than that. So thank you to Adam Eaton for doing that to me. He does turn 37 here on December 6, so happy early birthday to him. And he finished his 10 season playing career as an outfielder with the Angels back in 2021. He was a teammate of Suzuki with the Nationals in 2019 and 2020. And also the first Arizona Diamondback to ever follow me on social media.

Starting point is 00:46:51 So that's really why it makes it an important story is that Adam Eaton was the first. Do you back to follow me? Shout out to Adam Eaton. Also, in other hiring news, Joe Madden is very mad at the Giants. former manager Joe Madden insulted quote unquote by the Giants hiring Tony Vitello

Starting point is 00:47:12 a college collegiate coach that had never served time in Major League Baseball never was a manager in Major League Baseball did not have any major league experience and Joe Madden is mad

Starting point is 00:47:24 about that exact thing in fact he went on to say quote quite frankly I'm using the word insulting only from the perspective that you don't have to have any kind of experience on a professional level to do this job anymore. I feel attacked just a little bit. That feels like it's coming at me, just a little bit. That's what Matt said. He said, because when I was coming up, you had to have all that.

Starting point is 00:47:49 You had to go through the minor leagues. You had to ride your buses. I was a scout. I started in 1981. I finally get a managerial job in 2006. There was a right of passage, a method to get to that point. so to think somebody can just do what you took, do what took you 20 some years to be considered qualified to, it's kind of insulting. Now, I'm going to say this. Like, this was kind of shocking to me from Joe Madden because overall, I feel like he's always been kind of a respectful person. And I feel like this was a little disrespectful. He did go on to compliment Tony Vitello. And he did go on to say that he thinks he's going to do a great job.

Starting point is 00:48:29 So this was no attack on Tony being hired or anything. thing, it's just more an attack on what's happening across sports. And you can't just say even just Major League Baseball, right? Across sports, you're seeing 30-year-old GMs and 30-year-old coaches and guys who are literally in charge of players that might be older than them. And I think that the old guard, the old ways of professional sports, they hate that. They can't stand that. And quite frankly, I'll say that there is something to be said about that.

Starting point is 00:49:07 You know, it's not to say that there are not brilliant minds of any age that understand sports and schemes and understand lineups and understand, you know, everything, depending on what sport you're talking about, right? but it doesn't mean that they might have the experience to actually be qualified for a job, like a manager in baseball. And I get it. The reason why I get it is because I think this was exactly what we saw this season from the Arizona Diamondbacks with members of their coaching staff. Brian Kaplan and Sean Larkin were both brought in with minimal to no experience. I mean, in fact, I don't believe either coach had any of,

Starting point is 00:49:58 experience doing the job that they were hired to come in here to do. I could be wrong about that. I don't have their resumes memorized. But I do know that obviously Brian Kaplan wasn't even involved in baseball at one point. He was just involved in like training in general. And he was involved in like fitness centers and stuff. I know that he was complimented and came, you know, very highly recommended from the Phillies organization. And I, I don't disagree that, you You know, Brian Kaplan doesn't have the intelligence and everything it takes, you know, to be a major league pitching coach. But one thing he doesn't have is the experience. Same thing was said about Sean Larkin.

Starting point is 00:50:42 And, you know, this season, again, they'll never be a way for us to quantify the impact that both of these coaches had on the Diamondbacks' successes and failures this season, right? Sean Larkin, obviously, it was bad enough to replace him mid-season. And then the Diamondback still went out and bringing JR House, a man that they feel like he's even more experienced and is even better fit for the role of third base coach than their previous replacement in Tim Bogart. But here with Brian Kaplan, Brian Kaplan will remain the Diamondback's pitching coach for 2026. And it's not to say that he should be fired. It's not to say that the injuries, especially the injuries or the performance,

Starting point is 00:51:24 is on Brian Kaplan this year. However, it's this idea that anybody can suddenly step into a major league coaching role and do it without having those years and years of experience. It couldn't have been a starker contrast between Brent Strom being here and then bringing in Brian Kaplan, especially considering that most of the guys on this pitching staff were here for both of those seasons, right? Like, I can only imagine how different the philosophies were from 2024 to 2025 for pitchers

Starting point is 00:52:01 like Erod and Ryan Nelson and Brandon Fought, right? Now, I will say that, again, Joe Madden went on to walk back some of this and make it not sound quite as angry in the same interview. However, I don't think even though that he, you know, is saying this that he's, and again, sounds very disrespectful. I don't think that he's wrong. I think that we are getting to a point where the one thing that a coach has is experience. And a coach, especially a manager of a baseball team, needs to be able to draw from that experience in order to make decisions in an instant. Instead, what we're hearing across Major League Baseball is the involvement of the front office and

Starting point is 00:52:45 higher ups and executives more and more. Tori has said he has a seat at the table when it comes to the lineup construction and the starting rotation and other factors. Like, that's crazy to me. And again, maybe that's the reason that it is allowing four younger managers and people with less experience that have never done it at a major league level to become managers. As far as the front office and organizations see it, it might just be easier to have a guy that isn't going to resist so hard,

Starting point is 00:53:18 that doesn't have all of that experience so that they can kind of puppet master him and control him and have him do the things that they do. I also think that there's something to be said about having a fresh coaching perspective on baseball, especially a sport like this that's been around for so many years. It's the reason why analytics came in and took over in the way they did because despite there was despite there being resistance to it, despite old guys being like, I don't need to know, you know, exit below.

Starting point is 00:53:47 I use my gut, right? But still, they have the, they accepted analytics, quite frankly, because it worked and it helped immediately. It helped improve teams. So this is, you know, going to a younger, I guess a younger demographic as far as coaching is concerned, or in general, a mind like Tonys that has not ever managed in baseball just might be that fresh take they're looking for. I get it. I also think that it's the San Francisco Giants, and I feel like that was a fairly coveted managerial position. I think that we talked about if the Diamondbacks would have parted ways with Toy Lovelo,

Starting point is 00:54:29 that they wouldn't have been in a great position as far as what they could do to get a new manager here because there are a lot of teams currently seeking managers. The fact that there are so many teams seeking managers makes it difficult to have this be a viable landing spot for the best of the best, right? It's not to attack us as an organization, but you have to be real. The Diamondbacks, this wouldn't be the most ideal landing spot for a manager that had his pick of which teams to go to. And when you look at the positions that were available across Major League Baseball, including the surprising hiring that they had there in San Diego and the other surprising hiring

Starting point is 00:55:14 the end, San Francisco, you know, those jobs were probably fairly highly coveted and probably would have been the direction, you know, a manager that the Diamondbacks wanted to sign win it. However, both of those organizations decided to go with very surprising, very young, very, you know, managers that do not have experience, that lack experience at a managerial level in Major League Baseball. So it'll be interesting to see. And quite frankly, I hope it doesn't work out for them. I hope it doesn't work out for the Giants. And I hope it goes even worse for the San Diego Padres. I hope all of the bad things happen to both of your franchises and nobody but yours and the Dodgers. That's what I hope. But again, I can hope for a

Starting point is 00:55:54 lot of things in life, including that cheap meal in downtown Phoenix and I'm still not going to get it. So we'll see what happens. I'm sure both of those teams will somehow find a way to be even better next year than they were this year. I'm a little miserable sometimes. Sorry about that. Love you guys. Thank you guys so much for stopping by. I think we do have a super chat from Emily. She says, Derek, did you like the pictures I mentioned? I didn't see the pictures. Oh, yes. She says Jose Cantana, I believe, and she also said Merrill Kelly. I love that. I love that. And you also said, Zach Gallen, I think you're giving us way too many pictures there, Emily. We only need two, and more like one and a half. But love you, appreciate you that. And also,

Starting point is 00:56:30 for Emily specifically, Damon and I will be ranking the Diamondbacks jerseys, all of them this Friday. So make sure to stop by for our special jersey ranking episode only for Emily. And then on top of that, I'm going to somehow figure out how to update that article for you with what we decide. So that's coming on Friday. But more importantly, tomorrow, we are going to have Arizona Diamondbacks number one overall prospect, Ryan Waldschmidt on the show. Can't wait to talk to Waldschmidt about, you know, why he chose baseball, coming back from that torn ACL and so much more. So very excited for that. Hope you guys stop by for that.

Starting point is 00:57:08 We will be live again tomorrow at 12 p.m. noon to make sure to join us then. Until then, you can follow us on Twitter. I am at Kapp underscore Caveman with a K. Noah does not want you to follow him on any social media at all. Social media at all. He refuses to give out his handle. And quite frankly, he's an enigma. So I can't explain it.

Starting point is 00:57:28 He just disappears sometimes and never comes back. Our show is at PHNX underscore D-Backs. But as always, all roads lead to. at PHNX underscore sports on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. And again, we thank you guys so much for stopping by. We will have more tomorrow. If you are a diehard member, by the way, make sure to stop by in the Discord.

Starting point is 00:57:47 Drop us any questions you have for Ryan Walschmidt. We'll make sure to ask those as well. But we will also be keeping our eyes, obviously, on the GM meetings in Las Vegas. We don't expect anything to happen at all, because, again, baseball. But we'll keep our eyes on it, and especially if one Mike Hazen should make any more comments that are scintillating.

Starting point is 00:58:10 We will bring those to you. Most likely, though, remember, I should wait for the remember kids, but I'm not going to wait for it. I'm just going to tell you right now. Most likely means nothing. As much as we want to put any stock into that thing he said, remember, it really means nothing. That's what I want you to take away most from the show. So we'll be back again tomorrow at 12 p.m. Again, thank you guys so much for your time.

Starting point is 00:58:31 I hope you all have a wonderful evening. behave yourselves, Emily, mostly, and Ryan. But as always, remember kids, baseball is fun. It's so much more fun when we finally stop talking about trading Cattel Marte.

PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - D-backs GM Mike Hazen SHUTS DOWN Ketel Marte Rumors, Says Trade is “Mostly Unlikely”

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