PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - PHNX D-backs After Dark: We F*cked Up

Episode Date: February 8, 2026

Things didn’t exactly go our way this week. The Diamondbacks added veteran first baseman Carlos Santana instead of franchise legend Paul Goldschmidt to fill their gap at first base, the Ketel Marte trade rumors came back from the dead, and the Snakes traded friend of the show and known snake-thief Blaze Alexander to the Orioles. So Derek and Damon take turns blaming each other during a very busy week.LIMITED-TIME 60% off Diehard Offer: https://gophnx.com/intro-offer-youtubeJOIN THE SUPPORTERS CLUB ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/yc6km2r4An ALLCITY Network ProductionSUBSCRIBE to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/phnx_youtubeALL THINGS PHNX: http://linktr.ee/phnxsportsMERCH https://store.allcitynetwork.com/collections/phnx-lockerALLCITY Network, Inc. aka PHNX and PHNX Sports is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by the City of PhoenixPHNX Events: Get your tickets to PHNX events and takeovers here: https://gophnx.com/events/Phoenix Raceway: Get your tickets now for March 5-8! https://www.phoenixraceway.com/march-cup-weekend/?CID=PIR_DI_TP_BA_PHNX26Spring_251120ALLCITY — including us here at PHNX — is teaming up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for an exciting three-year partnership. To learn more, visit https://www.bbbs.org/allcity/Branded Bills: Use code BBPHNX at https://www.brandedbills.com/ for 15% off your first order!Husband & Wife Law Team: If you’ve had a serious injury, Call The Husband & Wife Law Team first at 602-783-8841 or visithttps://husbandandwifelawteam.com/?utm_source=allcity-padcasts&utm_medium=digital-phx&utm_campaign=allcityShowNotesbet365: https://www.bet365.com/hub/en-us/app-hero-banner-1?utm_source=affiliate&utm_campaign=usapp&utm_medium=affiliate&affiliate=365_03485317 Use the code PHNX365 to sign up, deposit $10 and bet $5 to get $150 in bonus bets!Disclaimer: Must be 21+ and physically located in AZ.  If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-NEXT-STEP, text NEXTSTEP to 53342 or visit https://problemgambling.az.gov/Gametime: Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code PHNX for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.Shady Rays: Head to https://shadyrays.com and use code: PHNX for 35% off polarized sunglasses. Try for yourself the shades rated 5 stars by over 300,000 people.Circle K: Join Inner Circle for free by downloading the Circle K app today! Head to https://www.circlek.com/store-locator to find Circle Ks near you!When you shop through links in the description, we may earn affiliate commissions. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You are now listening to PHNXD back after dark. Damon, this has been a busy week for both of us. And I'll acknowledge in very different ways. I do not like to ever criticize you. And I know how hard you've worked this week. But I have to admit, I feel like I don't, take a lot of vacations. I don't take a lot of time off.

And yet the minute that I left town, just for a few days to get away, celebrate potentially my friend winning a big award, and just hug Homer Simpson at Universal Studios, feels like the shit hit the fan a little bit while I was gone. And I don't want to prime I'm merely placed the blame on you. But I do feel like you were kind of left in charge of the Diamondbacks while I was out.

And since then, we don't get Paul Goldschmidt. We get veteran Carlos Santana. The Catele-Marté rumors resurrect and come back to life and are haunting us once again. and you let our baby boy Blaze Alexander get traded to the Baltimore Orioles. Hmm. I think, well, I think we'll respond to these in turn at each of the three accusations that were made at hand, correct? So starting off, what was the first one again, Derek? Franchise legend Paul Goldschmidt slips through our fingers.

And instead we get 40-year-old Carlos Santana. Absolutely. Paul Goldschmidt also 40 years old. I just want to throw that into the conversation. Your least favorite player, Paul is not a fucking factor here. Age is not. Your least favorite player, Paul Goldschmidt. Guys, I want everyone at home to know that Derek fist pumped when he saw the news that Carlos

Santana was signing with the Diamondbacks because he was that happy that Paul Goldschmidt would not be returning home. That's the guy who doesn't want Paul Goldschmidt, not me. Number two, could tell Marte. I'm threatening to beat up all. old men in the street because of these rumors coming back, Derek? Am I not? Is this not a thing that was talked about?

I am telling Jim Bowden, how many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man to which everyone knows is a reference to SpongeBob, in which they go assault an old man multiple times throughout the episode. That's what I'm willing to do to dispel Catel Marte rumors. And number three, Blaze Alexander, your arch nemesis, Derek, your arch nemesis. All of a sudden, he's true.

The day you come back from vacation, you think that that trade just so happened to just be on hold until the day Derek got back to Arizona? Or do you think that Derek was running Blaze Alexander out of town for what he did to Jesse Jr. As per his comments on the show today when he said, do not mess with my son. I rest my case. I mean, you do make a good case for yourself. I have always respected your ability to clap back. And especially in this instance, you've done a successful job at that.

I think, again, though, I kind of handed you the keys to the franchise here a little bit. And now you like drove it off road, off a cliff, and into a ravine and you're blaming me for the windshield wipers not working properly right like I did nothing

I went to the Grammys terrible experience by the way can't recommend it enough just avoid it at all cost to watch my friend not get the trophy by the way a lot like the fucking Super Bowl when you attend it as a fan

and your team doesn't win I didn't like I don't want to cut you off here but I just have to throw out here and this is no disrespect to friend of the program Megaran because I don't I want him to know that this is not his fault but seemingly wherever Derek Montia goes

disaster awaits and inviting that guy next to me the guy talking on this podcast to go along with you your Grammy party I think the writing was on the wall right then in there no disrespect to Megaran And it's all Derek Montia's fault.

No, I get it. I wouldn't invite me to go with me to the Grammys. That's a very fair point. I still, to this day, don't understand why he befriended me. That's a topic for a completely different day. Perhaps an interview for him. Maybe not even an interview, maybe more of like an intervention or a therapy session of some kind. I just feel like in this case, again, all the things that I didn't want to happen happened

when I turned my back, you know? I just turn my back for a second. And I'm like, I'm not entirely blaming you. I just feel like it's all your fault. Does that make sense? Like it's weird. It's not like,

yeah, there's a lot of moving parts. Mike Haza was involved. There were trades. My dogs don't like it. See, the dogs don't like it. The dogs,

they don't like when I talk bad about Damon dog. But I have to say they're speaking up for me. I think they're like, you know what really is going on. Just like decoy. Cosmo knows what's going on behind the scenes. Yeah, well, I'll tell you, I don't know what's going on behind the scenes anymore. I don't like it and I don't like what happened this week. I will say that all of these fucking moves, Damon,

better pan out. That's what I want. This is another case of prove me wrong with how dissatisfied I am with this goddamn week. Because I wanted this team to do something. And what they chose to do was piss me off while I was gone and do all the things I didn't want them to do. I'm surprised they didn't trade could tell this week. Surprise. I didn't get traded to CHGO. Oh, my God. We have been shopping you around.

And honestly, after this week, you, like, you don't deserve the criticism that I'm heaping your way. You have had an awful week. sell high. Now is the time. Exactly. It's like we talked about on today's live show, Derek. You don't want to sell low on Jordan Lawler. You do want to sell high on Damon Dogg.

Yeah, you don't want to sell trade Damon like during the college basketball football offseason. That's a bad time. You don't want that. You want right before March Madness kicks in. You want that Damon dog. You want pre-tournament Damon dog. That's the one you.

definitely want to trade. The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, they did trade Blaze at a good time, but a bad time for us on this show, Damon. I don't have a lot of friends in that clubhouse, you know, not good friends. Derek lost all of his friends. I'm losing all of my buddies. If they trade Ryan Thompson, I'm just going to hang it up. I'm fucking done.

There's nothing left for me. Yeah. as per our conversation on the show again from earlier today like Ryan Thompson better fucking make this roster or else Derek screwed. Oh, I'm screwed. Yeah. Yeah, I have no inside information. Nobody.

Let me just say, can we at least, can we at least watch my boy Stroud play ball before we start blaming me for Blaze Alexander. And that's why I said, all this shit better work out and just fucking work out and prove me wrong and make me be like this was for the best. I'm still concerned about Blaze from a person. perspective because I don't love the amount of playing time he's going to get over there in Baltimore. I got to look out for my guy here a little bit. But obviously our prior concern here, or our biggest concern here is what's going to go on with this team. And again,

these moves, this entire offseason, it's been clunky. It's been weird. And it doesn't feel like any of the things they've done really are the kind of moves you wanted to see this team make. You know, everybody's a veteran. You got Carlos Santana coming in. You got veterans on the corners with him and Nolan Aeronado. You really didn't do a ton to address your bullpen, but you did. There are a lot of weird moves that you don't really think of and you don't think of what, you know, the changes that have been made, the trades have been made.

it's just all so weird you know my kazen's doing his best but like again i've made this comparison before he's trying to shop with a very limited budget yet he's trying to get a kid's wish list done and you know in some cases we're we're shopping at the dollar tree we're shopping at the 99 cent store we're getting really creative you know you got to sometimes go out there and get very creative with how you spend your money when you don't have much of it. Right. So, you know, to that extent, it did involve a trade we don't like. It does involve going out and getting somebody that cost far less money than Paul Goldschmidt and Carlos Santana. And again, it's going to always involve Coutelmartia trade rumors floating and being a thing. it just due to the fact that the Diamondbacks most obvious path to getting better is trading Marte.

And that feels like no matter how much they say they're not trading Marte, it's just going to exist from now until the end of his time with this team. Yeah, I mean, I think the other side of that coin is that when you're paying a guy like Catel Marte, you're paying Geraldo Perdomo, you're paying Corbyn Carroll, Brandon Fott, Merrill Kelly. like you do have some big contracts that are bigger contracts, I should say, that are on the books. I do think that that just means that you need internal development guys to guys that are paid, you know, more minimal salaries to step up and provide that kind of, you know, intermediary piece. So that's where, you know, I think that there was some hope for someone like Blaze because he's, you know, he is one of those guys who is not being paid a whole lot of money and, you know, had room and potential to be maybe a little bit more than what he was being.

paid but it doesn't just stop at Blaze it also goes to Alec Thomas and it goes to you know Pavin Smith and Jordan Lawler and you know even Ryan Waldschmidt and a lot of the Tim Tawa I feel like we never talk about Tim Tawa

on this show but you know that's a guy that is going to be maybe the new super utility man now that Blaze is gone that might be that might be Tim Tawa's role to fill now and so I do think that like you you're just hoping that some of these maybe younger minor leaguer players that you brought in are maybe the guys that can fill the void

and just provide a level of play that you don't necessarily expect from these guys, but you know, you never know. They're young players. It's a shot in the dark. And as we keep talking about, thrown off at the wall and something will stick. I'm just distraught over these moves. And I know some fans are upset. Some fans like the move, especially the trade. with the Orioles for Lays Alexander. Cade Stroud looks like he could be a stud. And that is something that the Diamondbacks desperately need when it comes to their minor,

their bullpen and their minor league depth and everything that he could provide to this team. But I just fucking hate it, Damon. I hate it. These are the growing pains. This is like, you know, again, I guess not as big as a Cattel trade, but similar in the fact that, that a Cattel trade is going to upset you.

However, if the return is good enough, then you feel like, okay, this sucks. It's going to take a while for me to get over it, but our team just got better. I do feel like there's a good chance that with the moves they made, at least they addressed first base, they addressed a right-handed bat. Carlos Santana's defense is great.

They have now added a reliever who could really factor in for this bullpen, but I fucking hate it. I hate it. And it fucking feels like, you know, again, it feels like the Blaze Alexander could very much go on to be a superstar like some other players that have left this team to achieve, you know, their highest, I guess, potential elsewhere. However, I don't want to, you know, again, let you off the hook here. I know you were working hard. What did you produce like five shows in one day? I averaged about three shows per day.

Three and a half, three point five, something like that. Yeah, I mean, you were working hard. This was the Super Bowl week sucked for most of us back at the office. Most of you, I shouldn't throw them in there. I've been at the office very little. So I guess I do have to accept some form of responsibility here for, I guess finally taking some days off. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry that I finally took some fucking days off. And when I did, they did all the things that I didn't want them to do. All I wanted to hear was you apologize, Derek. That was the point of this podcast. And that's the point of D-BACs after Dark is it's Derek and Damon's therapy sessions, group couple therapy. That's all this is.

That's all this is. Well, we'll get through this one, D-Backs after Dark. at a time. But we thank you guys for checking out the show. We appreciate you listening. Cosmo says it's time to wrap it up. So you know it means it's time to wrap it up. Yes, we're going to eat some dinner right now, buddy. But you guys can follow us on Twitter. I'm at cap underscore caveman with a K. Damon is a Damon dog with a DWG at the end. And my dogs will tell you we're all Damon's dog, spark, bark. Thank you guys for checking out the show. We'll see you next time. And remember, kids, baseball is fun, but it's so much more fun after dark.