PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - D-backs to reportedly sign reliever Miguel Castro while Mike Hazen hints there is more to come

Starting point is 00:00:07 Well, hello and welcome on in to a Friday edition of the PHNX D-Backs podcast. My name is Derek Montia. Of course, I am your mayor of PHNX, and I'm joined by my vice mayor, the one and only Thunderstick, Jesse Friedman. Derek, we have news. We have news. The Diamondbacks did something. They did.

Starting point is 00:00:26 It's exciting. And it's exactly what they think they needed to do. We'll see, obviously, how it works out for them. But, of course, in the meantime, we have to let you know this show is brought to you by the fine folks at the Draft King's Sportsbook app, America's top rated sportsbook app. Jesse, the D-BAC signed right-handed pitcher reliever Miguel Castro, formerly from the New York Yankees.

Starting point is 00:00:49 They signed him to a pretty logical deal, I feel like, according to reports, per Robert Murray, who reported it first, he will receive $3.5 million for a one-year deal. What are your thoughts on them signing the, Big old righty. And when I say big, I mean big old righty. Yeah, he's six, seven, which I, I had no idea. Apparently the Yankees have some sort of a rule where like you have to be like six foot four at least in order to be a member of the New York Yankees.

Starting point is 00:01:25 Obviously, Aaron Judge being six, seven as well, I believe John Carlos Stanton, they have some other guys who are pretty dang large human beings over there. But yeah, Miguel Castro is somehow only 27 years old, despite the fact that he's been in the league for kind of a while. A long time. Yeah. Yeah. Seven years. He made his big league debut at the age of 20 back in 2015. He's bounced around a little bit.

Starting point is 00:01:57 He played for a number of teams, really. He played for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Colorado Rockies, the Baltimore Orioles. the Baltimore Orioles, the New York Mets, and then in 2022, he was with the New York Yankees. The numbers are fine. He had a 4.03 ERA this last year and 34 appearances, 29 innings altogether. Walks have been an issue for him throughout his career. He has a career 4.8 walk per nine. It was 4.7 this past year with the Yankees. So he does walk a few guys, which of course is not unusual for a reliever. But the reason the diamondbacks did this, and I don't think this is rocket science by any stretch of the imagination, is the fact that Miguel Castro throws a 98 mile an hour

Starting point is 00:02:43 sinker. His sinker literally averages 98 miles an hour. And we've talked at length about how the diamond backs coming into this offseason, one of their goals was to try to add just raw stuff to the back end of their bullpen to try to have guys who get more swing and miss. Miguel Castro, interestingly, he does get strikeouts. His strikeout rate is not super alarming. It was just slightly above average this last year. But he does a nice job of keeping the ball in the ballpark as well. He only gave up a couple of home runs this last year with the Yankees.

Starting point is 00:03:17 And a lot of that has to do with the fact that he throws a sinker and he gets a decent number of ground balls. So the combination of, you know, a 98-mile-hour sinker that generates some ground balls in a pretty decent strikeout rate makes him a pretty decent reliever and an interesting option for the debacks going into next year. I think once again, the diamondbacks are looking for guys that they can pick up at a relative value. I think this was a great deal for both sides, to be honest. I almost feel like it's a little bit of a deal that the diamondbacks got on getting him for only the three and a half million for one year. I also feel like, once again, the diamondbacks see a guy like Miguel Castro, who has been consistent, consistent over the last, what, six years and he's still 27 years old, right?

Starting point is 00:04:05 You take out his first two seasons, and the reason why you take those out is because he played in Colorado for those two seasons. You will find that he has a 3.93 ERA consistently over his seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, the Mets, and the Yankees. last season. He had a 4.03 ERA. Not great, like you said, not it's not like numbers that that pop out to you. But I think what the Diamondbacks see is a guy that has been consistent, a guy that is still young and a guy that is going to come over to this team and work with Brent Strom.

Starting point is 00:04:43 I know we constantly give Brent Strom a ton of credit, but you got to look at what he's done with some of the guys and what he's made Merrill Kelly into what he's refining Zach Gallen into. Even at times what he's been able to work with and do with Madison Bumgarner, it's been successful and it's also been a disaster. But he is trying his best to get the best out of these guys. And so far he's been fairly successful at that. The bullpen really has been the one area where you can say,

Starting point is 00:05:13 you know, he didn't have that magic touch. You know, he couldn't get those guys at least a couple of those guys to come over and be consistent. Joe Manthropy had the best first half of his life. So that could be something that you could attribute to the Brent Strom effect. But I think that that's something very attractive about a young pitcher like Miguel Castro. Also, Jesse, let's be honest, he's six foot seven. This is finally the chance. What more do you need to know? Here's what you need to know is that we can call him El Gran Unidad, and that's the big unit in Spanish. And I think we already have a nickname figured out for him, which is very important to us.

Starting point is 00:05:57 That's one of the first things we knew to establish when the debacks get a new player. I mean, I'm sure he already has one, but we have to give him our own. You know what I mean? He got, yeah, come, no, comé, ombre, there's a couple of them. He has a couple of them. So we'll have to get on board with some of them. Yeah, he's kind of a lanky guy. I mean, he's listed at six, seven,

Starting point is 00:06:18 201, which 201 is not much for a guy who's six, but seven. But yeah, his pitch arsenal is interesting to me. It's not just the 98 mile an hour sinker. The pitch he actually throws the most is his slider. This last year, it was 44% slider, 37% sinker, and then 19% changeup. His slider averages mid 80s, and his change up is actually quite hard at 92 miles an hour. He throws a change up that average 92 miles an hour, which is frankly faster than a lot of fastballs in the diamond bags bullpen. No kidding.

Starting point is 00:06:56 No kidding. It's heat all the way around from Miguel Castro. I do notice just kind of, and I'll probably write about this and do a little bit more of a deep dive. His spin rate did take a pretty sizable nose dive this last year across the board. his slider spin rate has always been exceptionally high. That took a dip, but is still quite high. His sinker spin rate went from just under 2,300 RPM last year to about 2,100 RPM this year. So what that means I'll probably dig into in an article, generally falling spin rates is not a great sign,

Starting point is 00:07:35 but the fact that he's 27 years old and still seems to be trending generally upwards as a pitcher. I think there's still plenty of reason to be optimistic here about his future. And he's a guy more than anything, Derek, who like, he's not on the downturn of his career, right? Despite what I just said about his spin rates. That's not something I'm overwhelmingly concerned about at this point. He's 27 years old. He's a guy who's still on the way up, right? Unlike a lot of the relievers that we've seen brought in here over the last few years.

Starting point is 00:08:07 He definitely fits the profile that Gambo said the Diamondbacks were going want to be pursuing, which is your relievers, not veteran relievers. And that's something that I think is a smart move, especially considering what the coaching staff is doing, the amount of youth that is currently here already. And, you know, how those guys will just absolutely, could absolutely fit in, right, with the group that they have, just having that kind of open mind. This guy is almost a veteran himself. And he's only 27 years old. So he almost, yeah, he almost fits both. profiles when it comes to being a major league baseball player. But of course, it's very exciting.

Starting point is 00:08:46 We also had a fun press conference today with the newest Arizona Diamondback officially because the Miguel Castro news as of recording this still isn't official. But Kyle Lewis outfielder for the Arizona Diamondback slash DH met with us, the media today. And it was fun to chat with him. He seems pumped. He seems amped to be a member. of this organization.

Starting point is 00:09:13 And interestingly enough, he just bought a house here before the trade occurred. So this seemed to be serendipitous for him. Yeah, he sort of like willed the trade into existence in some ways. He bought a house in North Scottsdale. I don't know exactly when, but it sounded like it was pretty recent.

Starting point is 00:09:33 And then, yeah, now he gets to live in this house year round. Originally he bought it just thinking, you know, he'd use it for spring training and whatnot. But, But yeah, now he gets to stick there year round. You can you could just tell based on what I heard in that press conference.

Starting point is 00:09:48 You can just tell why so many people like Kyle Lewis. Yeah. He really was like he really was a fan favorite in Seattle. You know, in those first couple of years when he was showing so much promise, I think people still seem to really like him toward the end there. But there came a point when I think Mariners fans were just so tired of, you know, knee surgeries that required a year of recovery that at a certain point they just yeah i think they were just ready to move on but he really has the kind of personality that i think fans gravitate toward uh i actually last night watched a like a 30 minute documentary thing that

Starting point is 00:10:29 the mariners did uh back in 2020 i want to say right after he won the rookie of the year award um they had a bunch of interviews with with him with his parents um with some of his friends from back home and whatnot. And yeah, you can just tell the quality of person that he is. And the fact that he's been through a lot, right? I mean, he's overcome just injury after injury, surgery after surgery. He's not the guy that he was in Seattle a few years ago, but I still think there are some reasons to be optimistic here.

Starting point is 00:11:01 He sounded a bit heartbroken because of Seattle being where, you know, kind of, he phrased it almost in a way where it sounded like, you know, he's, he's just been with the organization so long that he didn't know how to do anything. He's so used to the Seattle Mariners organization that it was hard to think about just who he was going to talk to about, you know, all the things that he calls people in that organization for. It's, I think it's a new start for him, though. I think that there is those kind of failed expectations with the Seattle Mariners with that organization. And it's not failed expectations. It's just obviously injuries have changed the course of his career. Here in Arizona, I think fans are aware of what they're getting with him. I think they are, we're excited at the potential of what he could reach, right?

Starting point is 00:11:59 But we also understand that this is a guy, like you said, that isn't the same player he was when he won the AL rookie of the year. Unfortunately, that's something that, probably isn't going to come back. It doesn't mean that he can't be a damn fine ball player. He seemed to definitely have the right attitude about coming over here and the, you know, being a part of this team, just kind of some of the buzz and, and, you know, the excitement about this team getting to a level where,

Starting point is 00:12:27 as he said, he sees being a playout, a team capable of reaching the playoffs. So it's, uh, I mean, it's probably an exciting change of scenery thing for him. and now expectations aren't really there, right? They're not these high expectations that at this point in your career, you're probably never going to live back up to again. The expectations are how can you help this organization that you're with win games? The Diamondbacks fans see that out of him, they will gravitate to him.

Starting point is 00:12:57 And like you said, he has a tremendous personality, so it's easy to do that already. But again, if he can come in here and be somebody that contributes, it's not maybe not on an everyday basis, but you know, can contribute in ways as DH, maybe sometimes even as a defender in the field, it can be one of those situations

Starting point is 00:13:17 that definitely works out for the Diamondbacks. They didn't give up a whole lot to get them. And I don't mean to belittle Cooper Hummel like that, but the man has a better chance of actually playing outfield for that team and maybe still playing some catcher. I think he's going to have a better opportunity to actually play, even if he doesn't end up in Seattle, wherever he lands, then he would have had here with the Diamondbacks.

Starting point is 00:13:41 Going back to what you said earlier about Kyle Lewis just leaving Seattle, and in some ways the timing is unfortunate for him, right? I mean, the Mariners literally just clinched their first playoff birth in 21 years. And he was demoted to AAA like a month or so before it happened. It was kind of a sad ending for him. and now, you know, he doesn't have the opportunity to contribute with that team moving forward. But something that stood out to me is just his optimism with the Diamondbacks. And, you know, of course, in your in your first press conference, you're going to say some nice things about your new team.

Starting point is 00:14:17 Every guy does. But, but he came across as being kind of bullish. Like, he basically said, you know, I'm looking at what we have here. And I don't see why we can't have the same kind of success that my team in Seattle was having. And that's telling. And it's something that we're starting to hear players say more and more about the Arizona Diamondbacks. You know, that this is a team that I don't want to make it sound like the Diamondbacks are, you know, a sleeping giant in free agency or something or that, you know, Aaron Judge is dying to come to Arizona or anything. But I think the perception of Arizona as a landing, as a landing spot, it has has improved significantly.

Starting point is 00:14:56 And obviously, you know, Kyle Lewis didn't come here as a free agent. you know, he didn't really have a choice in the matter, but, uh, but he seems genuinely excited to be in Arizona Diamondback and to be able to contribute on this team moving forward. The one thing I did find that stood out to me was that he said he felt great. Um, he, he commented on the health and he said he felt the best that he has in a while. So I mean, that's something that may not, you know, may not be a hundred percent true, right? but considering the number of injuries and such that he's gone through. It's kind of like he's probably not the healthiest he's ever been,

Starting point is 00:15:36 but it's probably the healthiest that he's felt in a number of years since these injuries started occurring. Right. So I think that this is something that we could still, we could still see a dynamic Kyle Lewis that maybe lost a half a step, but maybe isn't too much, you know, this shell of his former self, which is almost like what we're making it sound. like at times, right? It's just his defense.

Starting point is 00:16:03 It's just you can't expect Kyle Lewis to play, you know, an above average center field, which is what he was doing when he first came into the big leagues. It's just not going to happen anymore. But exactly, exactly. You don't need that. Yeah,

Starting point is 00:16:17 and we will talk about Mike Hazen's plan, potentially to move one of those. But for more information on Kyle Lewis being excited for his new chapter with the Arizona Diamondbacks, make sure to check out Jesse Friedman's piece. over at go p hnx.com. And if you haven't gotten yourself a diehard membership, make sure to do so.

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Starting point is 00:17:08 Otherwise, you know, I'll pick them out for them. And they're all going to be D-back shirts. That's what you're going to get. Every single person gets a snake shirt. Of course, if you're listening to us right now in your favorite audio podcasting app, make sure to subscribe to us there. Leave us a review.

Starting point is 00:17:22 We'd appreciate you for doing so. Also, go over to the PHNX Sports YouTube channel. Subscribe. as well sign up for notifications that way you don't miss whenever we go live uh and leave us a thumbs up whenever we're live we always appreciate you guys joining us live uh being there in the comments it's weird now jesse when we do these audio podcasts to do them without our our viewers and our listeners we need you guys there uh with us live because this is this is just me and jesse you know and that we meet a jessie we don't we don't actually get along

Starting point is 00:17:53 in real life we just get along just for this show it's all it's all an act right Right. But anyway, speaking of it's all an act, we can't determine whether or not these words from Mike Hazen are all an act or if he really means it. But according to an article from Nick Picorra over at AZ Central, Mike Hazen is not looking to, quote, wait around as trade market heats up. And Jesse, it seems like the main commodity on this team, as we've talked about recently so much as so many of you have asked us on Mailbag Monday and in the comments during the live shows. The outfielders are definitely the commodity that the Arizona Diamondbacks have that other teams are interested in. Yeah, when Sean was on the show the other day, we talked about Jeff Passon's column that day and how he referred to, he was talking about the outfield market and just sort of how that market is developing. And he referred to when the Diamondbacks move one of their outfielers as being like a possible turning point in the market. He didn't say if.

Starting point is 00:18:57 He said when the diamondbacks move one of their outfielder's. And reading this article today from Nick Picoro, who spoke with Mike Hazen once again, it's becoming pretty clear, Derek. Like, I don't want to come out and say that it's 100%, but the diamond backs are, the diamond backs are going to trade an outfielder. I mean, it seems like a near certainty at this point. It sounds like in this article that there's been some momentum within the last week. He said that the trade market has definitely heated up this week for the Diamondbacks outfielders.

Starting point is 00:19:32 So yeah, it's not going to be Corbyn Carroll. We still have some doubts that it's going to be Dalton Varsho, just given how big of a part of this team he already was last year. And the fact that those 27 homers are going to be hard to replace. But Alec Thomas and Jake McCarthy, one of those guys, probably not going to be on the opening day roster in 2023. Jake McCarthy and Alec Thomas are both once again very appealing options for other teams because they are under team control for another six seasons I believe. Whereas Varsho is is going to become expensive soon.

Starting point is 00:20:08 He's entering his arbitration years. Four years. Yeah, four years left with Varshow. And I mean, if he continues to to perform as he is, he's just going to get more expensive year after year, essentially, right? Yeah. Yeah. especially if he keeps sitting like if he keeps sitting around 30 homers then it'll it'll go up pretty quick he's not wrong and this is what's so fucked up about this this is what i hate about this

Starting point is 00:20:33 is like now we got to determine which of our talented guys is is is is is time to part ways with instead of just keeping them on this team right but that this team can't really get better through the free agency market like they really want to i don't think i don't think that they want the cost, but they do want to win and they want to win now. I can't help but think. Like, how are you not inspired again, as bullshitty as this is? Because it's once again, the team with the fourth highest payroll in baseball, but you can't help but be inspired by what the Phillies did,

Starting point is 00:21:07 considering the injuries that they had to deal with, what they were going through, how their season went, how they barely made the playoffs, but they were still able to kind of light the world on fire a bit once they reach the playoffs and do everything that they did. Like that, that is a different thing that hasn't existed because the playoffs just recently expanded. So now you feel like you got this window to win and, and the window's not very big because the window involves guys like

Starting point is 00:21:40 Zach Gallin and guys like Merrill Kelly, you know, and as long term as some of the rookies and younger guys coming up are going to be, those guys aren't going to be on the. team for a tremendous amount of time. So it's not like you have, you know, the next five years plus in order to start building and getting to the point where you want to be. The young outfielders are a commodity. They might not be every season either.

Starting point is 00:22:04 That's another thing. There are not a lot of centerfielders right now on the market. Varsho center fielder, right? I mean, Jake McCarthy, center fielder, Alec Thomas, center fielder. All three of those guys can play, play an exceptional center field. And they're just, that caliber of player is not available currently on the market in, in, you know, in a wide amount. There's just not that many center fielders, center fielder's available.

Starting point is 00:22:31 It's like what you said about Jake McCarthy. Who knows what McCarthy is going to go on to do? Maybe he goes on to be this for the rest of his career and he's one of the better players in baseball. Maybe he comes back down to earth and starts hitting 260 regularly and is kind of more around there. There's never going to be a time for his. stock to be as high as it currently is this particular offseason between his value from this

Starting point is 00:22:55 past season and the current state of the market. I'm still not convinced that you're going to get rid of Alec Thomas and that's because you demoted him before the end of the season. That can't help make his value very high right now in the mind of a lot of players, a lot of teams. But maybe, maybe we can fleece the Chicago White Sox because I know they want Alec Thomas. I know they want Alex Thomas more that they want any other player in baseball. So let's abuse that. Another layer of this article and some of the quotes that are here from Mike Hazen is just like this weird element of mystery here. So one of the things that Mike Hazen said, I'll just quote this.

Starting point is 00:23:38 He said, we'll be interested to see if there are other creative ways to make our team better, even if it's not what we have traditionally talked about. we're exploring a bunch of different ideas that might change the complexion of our team a little bit but that's okay we need to be open to these things to move the ball forward what on earth is Mike Hazen talking about

Starting point is 00:23:59 I mean like if it's something so something that we have not traditionally talked about so what is Mike Hazen talked about he's talked about right handed bats a whole bunch right we've heard a lot about right handed bats specifically specifically at third base

Starting point is 00:24:15 I guess would be the primary position that at least I've had in my head. We've talked about relief pitchers, certainly, right? That's another obvious one. But if it's not a right-handed hitting third baseman and if it's not a reliever, then who is it, right? Like what exactly is Mike Hayes in getting at here? I don't know, Derek. Like I have a few possible ideas in my head.

Starting point is 00:24:42 I'm wondering if maybe getting like a, a real starting level catcher who will be here for a number of years. I think that could be a possibility. We've talked about the possibility of Gabby Moreno from the Toronto Blue Jays. Mike Hazen has talked about getting a catcher, but it's been more in the vein of getting like a backup. So maybe that's what he's getting at. He has talked about starting pitching depth,

Starting point is 00:25:08 but maybe this move would be more like bringing in a top tier young starting pitcher. maybe that's what he's getting at. I don't know. I'm foolish and hopeful right now. It's disgusting. I can't stand it. It's just, it's just puzzling. It sounds like there's something brewing here that maybe we didn't really anticipate.

Starting point is 00:25:28 And that's for a team that it's felt like what the diamond backs were looking for up to this point was relatively clear. Now I'm not so sure. I've seen Mike Hazen talk to the media, specifically Nick Bacoro and Steve Gilbert. And let's be honest. He has a great relationship with these guys. And sometimes he has to be careful about how much information he gives up or what he says. But he still wants to tell them, you know, kind of be forthright with them and tell them what's going on, right?

Starting point is 00:25:57 I feel like this is the case where he's trying to be very careful. I think that could be the reason why it's all mysterious. I know that they, uh, you know, obviously he's a smart guy. He doesn't want to, you know, make big news waves with the things he says because he, he gives out a little bit too much information or whatever the case may be. Also, let's be honest, it's not smart to create resentment for players on your current team when you essentially talk about maybe replacing them or getting rid of them in the media. And then maybe you don't.

Starting point is 00:26:33 And then you still have those players on your team. And how are you expecting them to still feel the same way about the organization when they at one point knew that they were being talked about being moved by our side, not like another side, right? Like not that they were, you know, part of the future plans of this team. So I just think that that's the reason for the secrecy right now. Things might not work out for this team. They might not pull the trigger on whatever deal that comes through.

Starting point is 00:27:03 But Mike Hazen wants it to be known that this team is like open for business, right? Yeah, yeah. He wants it to be known that this team is willing to do deals. So don't think that anything. is particularly off the table, right? That to me, it's, it almost sounds a bit crazy. It almost makes me worried, right? These are the kind of statements that are made before the team does do something big,

Starting point is 00:27:27 but it's something that also costs us greatly, right? It's the Thanos meme all over again. Did you do it? Yes. What did it cost everything? And I'm worried about what, whatever we're doing could cost this team, right? but I'm intrigued. I'm excited and I know that you're going to be out at the winter meetings next week covering it.

Starting point is 00:27:51 And I have a feeling that whatever is going to happen is possibly going to happen at the winter meetings, Jesse. So make sure you follow Mike Hazen around everywhere he goes. Don't let them out of your site no matter what. Yeah, I don't know if I don't know if Casey Wilcox will like that too much. But yes, I do plan on not letting Mike Hazen out of my site. wherever he goes, I go for the stand of four days in San Diego. No, it's just that this situation is interesting. I think, and I know some people on Twitter in reaction to Jeff Passon's comments the other day when we were, you know, kind of hyping up the fact that it appears this trade really might be inevitable.

Starting point is 00:28:35 Some people were like, well, I mean, wasn't it kind of always obvious that this was going to happen? I don't think so. Not necessarily. it's not that easy for the diamondbacks to pull off a trade of an Alec Thomas or Jake McCarthy because you're you want to get a lot in return right like you're not going to let you don't have to trade those guys you need it to be a piece that really moves the needle for you and I don't think that was ever a given and I still don't think it's a given that the diamondbacks get to that point but but yeah I mean another quote that's here toward the end of this piece Mike Hazen says I think we have an opportunity in front of us to improve our baseball team. and that makes me excited. I get the sense that there is a lot of potential activity and we could be involved in some of that activity. What it sounds like is that Mike Hazen is getting some pretty reasonable offers

Starting point is 00:29:25 for the trade chips that the Diamondbacks have out there. It sounds like the market is kind of playing into the debacks hands in this regard, which is not surprising because there's not a lot of center fielder's out there. The debacks are in a very, very good position, you know, having a surplus of something that a lot of teams around the league need right now. And it seems like Mike Hayson's excited about it. He's excited about the possibilities of what could happen, as you said, pretty soon. It sounds like there might be some momentum for something to come down here,

Starting point is 00:29:58 maybe as soon as this next week at the winter meetings. Well, and, you know, Hazen talked about going after relievers. We heard the rumor from Gambo that it was going to be a, younger reliever and that's what's going on. So it's like the debacks aren't really shying away from being aggressive, going out there, making moves, to be honest, like not a lot of, not a lot of moves have happened.

Starting point is 00:30:24 And I know a lot of them are smaller. It's the reason why they're not making waves, but the Diamondbacks seem active in free agency and they seem active in trying to make this team better. I think Miguel Castro is a great pickup. And I think that he is going to approve this team. I think he's somebody that the, the diamond this is the type of pitcher that the diamondbacks were trying to pursue that Mike

Starting point is 00:30:44 Hayeson wanted as part of this bullpen. I think that, you know, the possibility of an outfielder being traded is something that we feared. We didn't really like Stone Garrett being DFAed, but we understood it. And we understand going forward that even though Mike Hazen at one point said that they can't play all four because they have a DH. Like he made it sound crazy that they needed to get rid of one of the outfielders. And like you said, that's what puts them in an advantageous position. They don't. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:31:17 They don't need to get rid of any of them. So if the deals aren't right, they don't have to pursue it. Pursuing someone like Miguel Castro, though, that is something that's a need, an immediate need. This team needs to do something to immediately address the bullpen. And that so far has been what they've done. A couple more things I want to mention on Castro. for a second. First of all, I mentioned that he threw 29 innings last year, which is not really

Starting point is 00:31:45 a full season. He did miss three months, a little under three months due to a shoulder strain. It looks like he didn't pitch in the ALDS for the New York Yankees, but he did pitch a couple of innings in the ALCS. So he did come back like right before the end of the year and seem to be, seem to be healthy. The other thing that's interesting here is it is a one year $3.5 million contract, but there is a, both a player and a vesting option for 2024 for the year

Starting point is 00:32:17 after that. This is according to Nick Picoro. So the details here are honestly kind of bizarre. What Nick Piccolo wrote is that if Castro makes 60 appearances, his option for 2024 will automatically vest for $5 million.

Starting point is 00:32:32 So it basically turns into a guarantee of $5 million for 2024 if he hits that benchmark of 60 appearances. There's also a player option in here. The way that works is if he finishes 40 games next season, it will trigger a player option that is worth $6 million. So 60 appearances guarantees a $5 million option.

Starting point is 00:32:56 If he finishes 40 games, it turns that option into a player option, which would be worth $6 million, in which case he could actually take the $6 million or he could just decide to walk away at that point. So there's some interesting and kind of confusing details built into this contract. Yeah, I don't remember. I don't remember anything quite like this in recent Diamondbacks history. No, not at all, not at all. But hopefully he's good enough that he hits those benchmarks, right?

Starting point is 00:33:28 And that would be a guy that would be great to keep on the team because he would still be only 28 years old. So I am down for that and I'm down for this team making moves that make this team better. I don't want to sit around and wait for this team to eventually be competitive. I also don't want to see them trade any major pieces of the way. It's once again why Alec Thomas doesn't seem like a great fit for a trade, simply because he's been such a highly touted prospect in the Diamondback system. Jake McCarthy once again,

Starting point is 00:33:57 he's almost, it's almost like playing with house money when it comes to Jake. And I hate that because Jake has become one of my favorite players. But, you know, Jake McCarthy, there wasn't, he was kind of a guy. that didn't have that same pedigree, I guess you could say, wasn't as high, highly thought of, but ended up playing at that same level, if not better than their top prospects. So Jake McCarthy has been a welcomed addition to this team, but I can also see him in the eyes of management being expendable if the price is right, right?

Starting point is 00:34:30 So we'll see. But in the meantime, we don't have to worry about that. In the meantime, what we have to worry about is the Netherlands team. Team Netherlands having the flu and hopefully that leading USA right past them tomorrow. We are looking forward to cheering on Team USA. Is that true? Is that a true story? The Netherlands have the flu?

Starting point is 00:34:49 They have the flu. The team. The entire country? No, not the entire country. Just the players. But people in the country and yeah, there are people in the Netherlands with the flu, Jesse. But apparently it's running crazy. It's causing chaos with Team Netherlands.

Starting point is 00:35:07 and you hate to see it unless you're a U.S. fan, and then you love to see it. But go watch this team this Saturday out at four peaks, the 8th Street Pub. We will be having a watch party, $3 kiltifter and wau wheat pints hosting every U.S. and Mexico World Cup match. So we want to keep this thing going, watching it out there at the 8th Street Pub on their 22-foot screen. There'll be giveaways, there'll be guest appearances, and so much more. And if you can't be there, make sure to stop somewhere, wherever you get your beer. your local grocery store and get yourself some Four Peaks.

Starting point is 00:35:41 Must be 21 years or older to enjoy and enjoy responsibly. Also, give the gift of beer this holiday season. Four Peaks has limited supplies of their December Advent calendar for $55. Enjoy specialty beers, tall boys, and more. Purchase it at their A Street pub in Tempe. Come on down for the U.S. match and then buy yourself one of these Advent calendars. Buy me one of these Advent calendars. So I know that's selfish, but I don't care.

Starting point is 00:36:06 Anyway, also get yourself some furniture for more furniture if you haven't done so. Get your loved one some furniture for Christmas. Do make your house nicer. I know you're going to have company over and you know you want it to look as nice as possible. So save up to 50% during Cyberweek right now at More Furniture. Over at MoreFurniture.com. Jesse, I was taking a listen to the podcast you asked me to, the one from a year ago where we said some dumb things about.

Starting point is 00:36:36 the lockout. Now, I feel like my dumb things were less dumb than your dumb things, which is why I'm really excited to go back and listen to this. But let's take a gander at Jesse's prediction for when the lockout was going to end. And I mean, I know it just started, Jesse. I know it just started, but I wanted to give our predictions on when we think it might end. Yes, the most arbitrary and impossible game ever. Let's do it there. Yeah. It makes a good. No sense at all. No sense at all. Jesse, I will give you, I will give you the floor for you to make your case for your date and what your date is.

Starting point is 00:37:15 All right. Well, I think it's obvious, Derek. I think everyone knows this. Everybody understands what's. Super, super clear. January 28th, mark it down on your calendars, ladies and gentlemen. January 28th, I'm sure of it that January 28th will be the day that this all ends. I don't really know, Derek.

Starting point is 00:37:35 but my case is just that I think I think that gives them a decent buffer before pitchers and catchers report. And I really do think that both sides are heavily motivated to get this done. Nobody wants to see us miss out on regular season games. Nobody wants us to see or nobody wants us to miss out on any spring training games or any part of that experience. I know like you said yesterday, that would be a big hit to the local economy. Oh, they're all right. already up in arms about it, Jesse. Yeah, yeah. Furious, they're furious.

Starting point is 00:38:09 They want, they want you to know that this lockout is going to affect the Arizona economy. And it's not, they're not wrong, right? Actually, they were wrong. It didn't affect the economy that much, but we still had spring training, Jesse. Of course, uh, your selection doesn't sound so bad. But it does, it is funny to me to go back and listen to that episode because they, uh, the, we weren't very optimistic, but we were also like, there's no way this can last as long as we're even saying. And that's, that's the part that reminded me of how crazy that situation ended up being. Yeah. January 28th. I was, I was only off by, what is that about 40, 40, 45 days. Yeah, something like that. I was about, uh, yeah, I was about 50% lower. 50% a 50% a 50% a 50%. A 50%. A 50%. A 50%. percent shorter lockout than what it actually wound up being. I was so naive. I was just like, yeah, you know, both sides, you know, both sides are, have a vested interest and want to make sure this gets done as quickly as possible, which in my defense, in my defense, we did, we did not have a lockout until, you know, June or July, as a lot of people thought. So, uh, when all was said and done, uh, both, both spring training and the actual regular season were not affected in a,

Starting point is 00:39:34 a huge way. But yeah, January 28th was just a little off there, just a little off. I wasn't too far behind you. I wasn't that much closer, but let's hear what my stupid prediction was. I don't know. I get what you're saying. I hear what you're saying January 28th. Sounds like a good date. It's still a little far away. But if they got it done by that day, there wouldn't be any drama. There wouldn't be any panic, Jesse. That's true. I'm definitely. I'm definitely that's a pretty optimistic day. There is no way they get it done that early. There can't be that lack of drama.

Starting point is 00:40:11 There can't be that lack of nail biting. So I am going with February 14th, Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day, wow. You know, here's the thing. It's Valentine's Day, so of course, because we all need to love each other. So maybe that'll be the day that they learn to get past their differences and just get this deal done.

Starting point is 00:40:31 More importantly, pitchers and catchers would report. either that Wednesday or the following Wednesday. And I know that they don't want to impact spring training, but I think that that is going to be the 11th hour for them. I think that is going to be when they truly will need pressure-wise to get the deal done because that is the point when no matter how you want to cut it, the season, the 22 season is now being impacted. Once we get past that midweek of February or the next week of 20,

Starting point is 00:41:02 you know, the 21st through the 25th, Yeah. We're going to be into a period of time where the, you know, everything's going to have to be pushbacked, condensed. They're going to lose games in spring training. They're going to lose time for these guys to get ready. Baseball is a fickle sport. You can't just all of a sudden pick up and say, all right, the season starts next week now. It's not, it doesn't work out that way.

Starting point is 00:41:24 The minute that they start to, you know, allow teams to get back to getting together, it's going to take a while for things to get ramped up. So. and I was also wrong about that, I guess, kind of, right? Like, they still managed to get the full season and spring training, right, with the fact that they didn't get the deal done until the 99th day, Jesse, the 99th day. We were both just off by a couple of weeks.

Starting point is 00:41:53 I mean, yeah, like, like you weren't right, obviously. I mean, you were still off by a little bit less than a month, but kind of like the spirit of what you're saying, accurate, you know, like they, they were willing to push it as far as they possibly could without like meaningfully changing the complexion of the season. Yeah. It just so happened that the last day to do that was a lot later than I think any of us really anticipated.

Starting point is 00:42:20 Right. Somehow they ended the lockout on March 10th, I want to say was the day. And, and with a shortened spring training, uh, you know, it was a really fast ramp up to game starting, but, you know, spring train or, uh, opening day was only about a week later than it was originally scheduled to be. And when all was said and done it, yeah, when all was said and done it, it really didn't make that big of a difference. Well, uh, definitely make sure you guys check out all of our sponsors. Uh, we want to thank you guys for checking us out. Of course, uh, shout out to our friends at the draft King's Sportsbook app. If you haven't done so already,

Starting point is 00:43:00 make sure to download that app. NBA season is going crazy right now. Download the app. Sign up with our code of PHNX. Place a $5 pregame money line bet on any NBA team, mostly the Sons, to win their game, and you will get $150 in free bets if they do, when they do, if you bet on the Sons. That's code PHNX only at the Drafking Sportsbook, minimum age and eligibility restrictions apply, see show notes for details. Again, thank you guys for listening. Thank you guys for being here all week. Jesse, I will see you via video.

Starting point is 00:43:33 We will continue to get together via video as you will be out in San Diego for the winter meetings. Excited to see what comes of this. Excited to see if Mike Hazen's comments come to fruition and we see this team make a big move. That not only impacts somebody currently on their roster, but brings in an unexpected, I guess, name to this team that Mike Hazen is mysteriously alluding to. But in the meantime, you can find us on Twitter. I am at CAP underscore Caveman with a K. Jesse is at Jesse and Friedman.

Starting point is 00:44:05 Our show is at PHNX underscore D-Backs. But of course, all roads lead to at PHNX underscore sports on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Thank you again for joining us on behalf of Jesse and myself. We always appreciate your time. And remember, kids, baseball is fun, but it's so much more fun when you say mysterious comments to the media.

PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - D-backs to reportedly sign reliever Miguel Castro while Mike Hazen hints there is more to come

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