PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - TPSP: Swan Song

Starting point is 00:00:08 Happy for Thursday. Happy Thursday, everybody. This is the Phoenix Sports Podcast presented by the Jop King Sportsbook app, America's top-rated sportsbook app. Don't forget to hit that like button. Leave us a five-star review wherever you get to podcasts and subscribe to our channel. I'm your girl. It's Michaela Perkins.

Starting point is 00:00:30 That's Sean DePaz. Yo, yo. I know that I almost said it's Friday, but it's actually Thursday. I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow. So it's basically Friday to me. It's Friday for Sean. Sean is leaving us for vacation. So we're doing TPSP on Thursday on this special happy Thursday.

Starting point is 00:00:50 TGIT. Yes. TGIT. Yeah, there we go. I like that. I'm really excited for Sean to go on vacation for multiple reasons, but mostly because I get the office to myself,

Starting point is 00:01:01 but I only have to share with Max. I was going to say Max is still there. Thanks. I'm looking forward to getting away. from you too, I guess. And also because I get to catsit for Sean. And I'm so excited that he's going to bring his little kitty over to my house and I get to cats sit.

Starting point is 00:01:17 I'm freaking stoked about it. Hopefully you're okay with leaving me your child while you're gone. I am. I wouldn't trust you with much, but with my cat, I feel like you, you've proven that you are capable of taking care of a cat. So I guess I'll trust you there. Thank you. That is a great compliment.

Starting point is 00:01:32 I am capable. If you were giving me a ride to the airport, I don't know if I would trust you there. but I will never ever convince any of the people that work with me that I'm a good driver and it really hurts my feelings. Because I've been in a car with you. What do you mean? Did you die? That should not be the bar, Mac. That should not be the bar. I shouldn't be afraid at any point during a car ride. Listen, I'm a good driver and you're still intact, so I don't want to hear it. What I do want to hear about, though, is our PHNX party event coming up. It's next Friday. And I am so freaking stoked for this, you guys.

Starting point is 00:02:08 We are going to be renting out the entire driving range at the Dobson Ranch golf course. And we're also going to be watching the suns take on the timber wolves, which I am for the first time in my life, more excited about golf than I am about basketball. But if you guys want to come join us, the ticket prices are on your screen and you can get your tickets by clicking the link in our bio. You do not want to miss this. There's going to be so many fun things happening. there's going to be food, drinks, contests, prizes, and more. Our PHNX Sun's crew is going to be there as well.

Starting point is 00:02:41 So like I said, make sure you click that link in our description to reserve your spot now. And for all of our diehards, check out our Discord because you get a link that you will save money on tickets. It's going to be super fun and I can't wait for this. I'll be there.

Starting point is 00:02:54 The whole crew's going to be there. If you need to gear up, though, Sean. Yes. If you need to gear up, you got to check out Bad Birdie, the best golf apparel on the planet. That's the biggest reason I'm looking forward to it is because I'm going to actually get to show up in my bad birdie and not look out of place.

Starting point is 00:03:10 I'm going to be golfing. I'm going to put on some golf pants, the hat, the whole thing, at the glove. I'm going to be looking like tiger, but attractive. An attractive tiger woods. Because tiger's not out here rocking bad birdie. If you want to be more attractive than Tiger Woods and almost as attractive as me,

Starting point is 00:03:27 check out bad birdie golf.com. Use promo code P.HNX underscore Sports 15. That's PHNX, underscore sports, 1-5, or 15% off your order. So you can look good, feel good,

Starting point is 00:03:39 and still probably play bad because that's my plan, is to look good. That's okay. If you look at that, I think that matters. That's my philosophy in life. As long as I look good,

Starting point is 00:03:47 nothing else matters. There's no, no video allowed. No video allowed. I cannot have any proof that I'm bad at golf. Pictures, I'll look good

Starting point is 00:03:54 and still, I will not look good actually swinging a golf club. It's okay. None of us are really that good golf show. I also could not hit the broad side of a barn, so I will not be participating

Starting point is 00:04:02 in the golf. Well, speaking of things that are unfortunate, I think we need a temperature check on what is going on in the Valley right now because I am sad. I am depressed. I am unwell. I don't know how to feel other than hopeful. That's hopeless is a good way to put that fuel. I'm not making it. Not instilling a whole lot of hope in me as a valley.

Starting point is 00:04:31 no yeah there's not a lot we have going on for us right now that's very positive unfortunately it's just so frustrating because we have been through so much as a sports fan that I know I'm going to be fired everyone that's watching this podcast probably already knows what I'm about to say but being in Arizona sports fans sucks sometimes and we are definitely in a period of major suck right now a period of major suck I like that it's the suck era it's the suck era we're in our suck era yeah um you guys kind of already mentioned that the Cardinals, oh my God, mercifully, thank the Lord's above. Their season is coming to an end.

Starting point is 00:05:09 They've got one game left, and it's against the 49ers on Sunday, where they are 14-point underdogs, in fact, third-string quarterbacks going at it. And I think it does a lot. This is a fourth-string. This is fourth-string. Oh, yeah, for the Cardinals. It is their fourth-string quarterback. Kyler, Colt, McSwerly, and now David Blaine Blow.

Starting point is 00:05:29 David Blaine Blow. the fact that it is the backup, it's the battle of the backups and the Cardinals are so severely. I know there's a lot of other like discrepancies on that roster when you look at the 49ers, specifically the defense. But I think it just says a lot that, you know, the 49ers have managed to build so much depth and the Cardinals have none of that. Yeah, they've either built depth or they've built a system where it doesn't really matter who's playing quarterback. And either one is better than the situation the Cardinals are in.

Starting point is 00:05:58 yeah like you said i'm just i'm just excited that this is finally going to be over we can focus on the draft black monday is coming um and we can start looking towards the future because at least with the other franchises that suck there's something to be hopeful about um can't say that so much for the carnals right now but hopefully within the next week or so that changes yes speaking in black monday this could be potentially the last time we see cliff kingsbury as the head coach of the a Arizona Cardinals. This is an issue that is so, like, divided. Like, some people really think that Cliff Kingsbury is getting

Starting point is 00:06:33 fired and some people are convinced that he is going to be the head coach next year. So the funny part of it, though, is that not, no one is sitting here thinking that Cliff should be the coach next year. It's more the, they just don't have faith in Bidwell that he's actually going to fire. I don't think I'm personally among the belief that Cliff will be the head coach next year. Oh, will? Yes. Because I don't think Michael Bidwell can swallow.

Starting point is 00:06:54 an ego check that big and admit that he was wrong by giving Cliff an extension in the off season and then firing him so quickly afterwards. So I don't want, by all means, I do not want Cliff Kingsbury to be the head coach of this team. I do not think he is the guy to do it. But I don't see a place in time where Michael Bidwell accepts that much defeat, especially considering I don't believe that Steve Kime will be back to be the GM at all. So I think he's going to take the loss on Steve Kime and then just hold on to Cliff Kingsbury just so that he doesn't have to admit that he was wrong. No, I feel like I feel like Clif's going to because if you're getting rid of Kime, you got to admit

Starting point is 00:07:32 you're wrong there. You might as well do it all at once and just clean house. I mean, I agree. I think if you're going to, if Steve Kime is gone, like blow this whole thing up. Like blow up the coaching staff, blow up the roster. Like let's just fucking tear down. Yeah. Build a backup again.

Starting point is 00:07:46 I feel like if Bidwell is concerned about his his reputation, his ego, it's better to fire cliff and actually like be respectable as opposed to holding on to cliff and everyone thinking you're a joke just because you didn't want to admit you were wrong yeah um i who i would be shocked if cliff is still the coach even this time next week so you're in the he will be gone yes i i don't know there's no way billwell's that stupid you can't this has been so bad that you have to you have to i feel like you have to fire cliff at this point i would be i would be genuinely shocked if he was still the coach on Tuesday. I don't know. I just don't have any faith in Bidwell being able to admit that he was wrong. Understandable, but especially, I mean, Mikey Desert Cardinal brings it up.

Starting point is 00:08:30 Sean Payton. If Sean Payton is on the board, I feel like Bidwell will put his ego aside for something that will ultimately make him look better. If you can move on from Cliff, who is not one at any level, really, to a guy that's proven success, won a Super Bowl in the NFL. I feel like people aren't going to be questioning you too much if you make that move. I don't know. I guess we're going to have to see it. Let us know in the comments what you think if Cliff will be the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals post black Monday. This is also the last time we could potentially see D'Andre Hopkins in a Cardinals uniform. Obviously, if the Cardinals go in the direction of blowing things up, I don't think D.Hop is going to want to be here. He is 31 years old.

Starting point is 00:09:13 He's kind of, for a lack of a better term, slowing down a little bit. That knee injury is still bagging him. He does still have two years left on his contract with the Arizona Cardinals. Um, but he has $30 million towards the cap next year. And if the Cardinals are going to blow it up, I just don't see them wanting to retain that cap hit. Um, so Sean, do you think this is the last time that we see D. Hop in a Cardinals uniform? I mean, I, I, I can't say that I've thought about it too much.

Starting point is 00:09:39 Most of my attention has been on Cliff. But I, I think it might be. I think when you're in the Cardinals position, you don't really gain much from having one on the roster because I think it's pretty clear at this point that the championship window, uh, is not open. If it ever was, it's, it's now closed. And there's teams that are going to, they're going to pay to have these two years in his contract.

Starting point is 00:10:02 You look at a team like Buffalo Bills or, or Kansas City Chiefs, like one of these teams that, that could use another dominant go get it pass catcher. I think there's going to be teams that are going to want him. And it goes back to the blow it up thing. You're not, you're not going to be in a position to win the championship in the next two years,

Starting point is 00:10:17 especially with your star, your star quarterback, not going to be playing an entire year next year next. year. So at best, you're going to get a year and a half of your completed roster. I feel like there's just too much to gain by getting rid of him and too little to gain by keeping on holding onto him. So yeah, I do think we have seen the last of D.Hop is an Arizona cardinal. Yeah, I agree. I don't think D.Hop is going to want to stay around for a rebuild. He still has a lot to do, and this team is not the team to do it with. They also did shut down Colt McCoy for the season just to prevent any potential injuries because I'm guessing that they are.

Starting point is 00:10:52 expecting him to start next year. Obviously in the absence of Kyler Murray, who did post yesterday that he had his ACL repair surgery and everything went well. So we are wishing the best for Kyler on his road to recovery. But I think it's an interesting move shutting Colt McCoy down. I think it's a smart move just because obviously anything can happen in football as we've seen this past week. And there's no reason to risk yet another quarterback on your roster when there's no point.

Starting point is 00:11:18 Like they're playing for nothing at this point, except possibly maybe a higher draft picks. So there's just no need to put Colt in that situation. I am interested to see, though, if they do blow it up and they bring someone else, if Colt survives that change, because he is a old regime guy. Yeah. But yeah, I definitely think shutting down Colt was the right call there. Yeah, that was the most interesting thing about what Cliff said. And we have the video if we want to run it. It was tough. Yeah, he wanted to play. And it's just in our situation with like a at the impending probably not having a color to start the year. It's the right thing to do.

Starting point is 00:11:58 Yeah. So what fascinated me about that is, like you said, him talking about next year. Yeah. Because first off, I mean, obviously he's not going to publicly come out and say that he thinks he's going to get fired. But this move is a plan for next year, which does Cliff think he's going to be around? I would be surprised if he thought that unless he has had that conversation already. And also, I didn't really expect Colt to be around. I thought this would probably be one of the last times we would see Colt is an Arizona

Starting point is 00:12:26 Cardinal. So I was very interested to hear him say that that Colt is the plan for next year, which also goes to something I have said about how they should probably go and try and draft a quarterback. It seems like their plan, at least for next year, is Colt until Kyler. Colt until Kyler. Let's make out a shirt. Yeah, right? I was surprised by it.

Starting point is 00:12:47 That is not the move that I expected. But like you said, I'm not positive that Colt is going to be a part of whoever this new regime is. Especially if you get a guy like Sean Payton, maybe there is something that Bo and Johnny brought up, maybe a guy like James Winston is a guy that you would use as a little bit of a bridge there. There's the familiarity there. So I was surprised to hear that. So it'll be interesting to see. But I did not, prior to hearing this, I did not expect to see Colton the Cardinals review again.

Starting point is 00:13:18 Yeah, I definitely understand where you're coming from there. So it'll be interesting to see. I'm just glad the season is coming to an end because it has been majorly disappointing in every way, shape, and form from every facet I could have ever imagined. I've been disappointed at every single turn. Yeah. But hey, silver lining, you get the pleasant surprise of having a top five draft pick this year. Yeah. Didn't expect that.

Starting point is 00:13:38 That's definitely not expected. Hopefully, Steve Kai won't be the one making decisions on what to do with those draft picks because we've seen how well that's worked out in the past. speaking of picking things Sean underdog fantasy you can pick a lot of things York York yeah you can pick a whole lot of stuff you can do you can either dabble in their pickum game or you can do daily fantasy if your fantasy season has been ruined like both mine and Max have now yeah mine was

Starting point is 00:14:03 it was a fate deferred it's okay I still be you it's all I care about but we're both watching the championship from the couch but you don't have to worry about that if you do daily fantasy so check out the Underdog Fantasy app or you can do their pick them. It's pretty easy to get started. All you have to do is download the Underdog Fantasy app or go to Underdog Fantasy.com. Use promo code PHNX and Underdog will match your first deposit up to $100. So or as Shane likes to say, 100 bones, the exchange rate is one to one. But either way, check out the Underdog Fantasy app. It's one of the best

Starting point is 00:14:39 ways to make sports a little more excited. Who doesn't love more exciting sports? Especially when you have no reason to live as a Minnesota sports fan. Yeah, exactly. When the games aren't fun, make them fun. There you go. You have to make your own fun here in the valley. Speaking of making your own fun, sons, my lord. What have we done to deserve this, Sean?

Starting point is 00:14:58 I'm just beside myself in the state of the sports. The DA curse. Yeah, I'm beside myself with the state of the sports in this state. It's very disappointing. So the sons, they've only won one of their last five since losing Devin Booker to the Nuggets game. They lost the Cavs last night. very disappointing fashion after leading for a majority of that game. And they're currently 20 and 19, so they're barely above 500.

Starting point is 00:15:24 Their eighth place in the Western Conference, currently if the league were to stop to go to the playoffs today, they'd be playing for a play in spot. How the Mighty Fall is, Sean. How the Mighty have fallen indeed. I just like, I know that there's so many injuries and it's hard to really gauge what this team is made of when we haven't had a good chance to really get a, grasp on what they can accomplish with a healthy roster because their roster just hasn't been healthy.

Starting point is 00:15:52 But it's just disappointing because like you've, at least for me and you can tell me if I'm wrong, I've had this like existential dread about the Phoenix Suns because I feel like the grasp of the championship around my neck has been like tightening and tightening and tightening and tightening. And I'm like suffocating at this point. Like I feel like there's never going to be a chance for me to catch my breath because at every turn and there just seems to be another disappointment and another thing going wrong. And I just don't know.

Starting point is 00:16:20 I don't think we've necessarily hit the point of no return, but I'm starting to get very, very scared for the Sun's team. And I'm not quite sure that they're going to be able to turn it around this year, which sucks because there are so many external factors, CP3's contract. Like, I just feel like the wheels are falling off the wagon and there's nothing we can do to, like, get the wheels back on. Yeah, I, uh, I'm kind of there with you. The thing that almost sucks about it is that, like you mentioned,

Starting point is 00:16:45 We have not seen the full roster. We haven't seen them move on from Jay Crowder yet. So there's still like that little bit of hope that like, hey, there's still things to change. They're still going to figure it out. Obviously, we haven't seen Cam Johnson for the vast majority of this year. Devin Booker's out. So there's still like that little bit of hope that like, okay, once the roster's healthy, once they make these moves, and then we know what the roster is going to look like until the end of the year,

Starting point is 00:17:07 maybe they'll figure things out. But no one expected them to be this low on the standings at this point in the year. and I certainly didn't. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I was thinking this team was going to run over everybody and get to the finals. I did not think they were going to win the NBA finals this year, but I expected them to at least be in the top four seat, like a top four seed in the West and that's not what they are right now. So I'm not ready to completely sell the alarms because like I said, stuff still has to change. But yeah, I'm right there with you.

Starting point is 00:17:35 It is concerning. And especially when you see every other team in the Valley struggle, it seemed like the sons were the ones that added. literally like to slip through their fingertips so they were they were right there and so you still want to hold on to the idea that they can do it but oh i don't know that they can't i'm not confident that they can one more potential roadblock and that's making this whole situation very frustrating is the fact that robert starver who is still the owner of the team majority owner of the team he has a 60% stake um he according to brown winhorse at ESPN um which gerald actually later shared in a tweet confirmed that according to sources,

Starting point is 00:18:15 Sarver still has the power to sign off on trades, especially trades that have to do with any deal that is higher than the average player salaries. So I hate this. I hate this so much because obviously Matt Ishbia has been confirmed to be the next, not confirmed, but he plans to buy the team. there still has to be a vote. A process still has to take place in order for him to take control,

Starting point is 00:18:45 a majority control of the team. But that doesn't going to happen until after the February trade deadline. So that means that Sarver obviously still has this power to veto trades, to sign off on trades, to not sign off on trades. And I don't know about you, Sean, but I don't have a lot of faith in this man. And clearly things did not end on amicable terms. Yeah. And there's a lot of hurt feelings.

Starting point is 00:19:10 and I would not put it past this man to be a little vindictive and try to take the suns down with him on his way out. That's just me. I'm interested to see what you think about it, but I would not be surprised at all if Sarver cooks up some type of salty stew that he shares on his way out. I mean, I don't expect him to get in the way necessarily.

Starting point is 00:19:35 Well, I don't expect him to do anything specifically to hurt the franchise, but I also don't expect him to do anything to help. I think it's kind of like a lame duck president, right? They know they're on the way out. Yeah. They don't really have any incentive to help. The sale has already been, like the terms of the sale have already been figured out all

Starting point is 00:19:53 of that kind of stuff. So like he gains nothing by helping these people. And like you said, he probably is a little salty whether or not. I mean, obviously he's in the wrong, but it doesn't change the fact that he's still in power. And so I do not think he is going to do anything. anything for the betterment of the he's not going to be the bigger man here i don't think he's going to he's going to do anything to help um which is unfortunate because going back to what we were just saying about how this roster isn't uh complete a part of that is the the j crowder trade and if

Starting point is 00:20:23 if they are not able to do it a complete a trade that seriously even if they get healthy seriously hurts their chances of making a run for the final yeah the current average player salary is at 10.8 million crowder salary is 10.2 million um and the sons according to sources have talks about various multi-player trades over the past few months that would all likely land on Starver's desk. So it seems like there's no route through around Starver. It all has to go through Starver, which is definitely a bummer. I also clarify too, like, is there anything that the league can do to step in to try to get the sale to go through faster? No. It is not happening until after that February 9th trade deadline, which is such a freaking bummer because I just don't

Starting point is 00:21:07 have a good feeling about Sarver still having control over something as big as what this team needs in order to be a championship team. And I'm just worried for the Suns. Like, they can't, they can't compete for a championship with the roster they currently have. And if Sarver is going to be salty, which we also, we don't know. I'm not saying that he is. Like, this is all speculation. But if he's going to be petting, he's going to make it hard for the Suns, that's definitely a bummer because at that point, there's like their hands are tied. There's nothing this team can do at that point. And I think, you know, I, there was an interesting tweet that came out from PHNX, uh, on Twitter. Go follow us. PHNX underscore sports. Just kind of asking like,

Starting point is 00:21:45 do you think the Sun's championship window is already closed or if it's still open? And a lot of people were on the, it's closed bus. Many people said that it was closed after they lost to the bucks in the finals a couple years ago. Um, and they haven't done enough since that point to make sure that they got back to the finals, which I mean, I don't think anyone last year when they had the most wins in the NBA was going to scream. The suns aren't going to make it to the finals. But, you know, it's just been, it's been a frustrating couple of years. And I don't know if there's any way to jam that window back up and keep it open for

Starting point is 00:22:20 the suns at this point. Yeah. I'm not holding out hope. It would be a pleasant little surprise, but I'm not holding out hope. You probably get pretty good odds on them to win the NBA finals at this point on the drafting sportsbook gap, though. Probably. I would not be surprised.

Starting point is 00:22:34 Before we get there, though, I do want to ask. you. Do you have any faith in the Sons to hemorrhage this enough to keep them in a place where if Devin Boker comes back and the gods above blessed us with a trade that works for this team, they could make it back with and keep the window open, we'll say. Yeah. I mean, I think I think you just need to make the playoffs. I think if this team's healthy amongst the teams that would be in a play in game, I wouldn't want to see a healthy son's team to play in the game. And I feel like there's so much parody in the playoffs. I mean, look at what happened with the Suns last year against the Pelicans and then obviously the Mavericks. Like they had to, they had to fight in those. So you put

Starting point is 00:23:15 the sons in that position where they're the ones kind of, they're the underdogs. I think the sons have a chance to surprise people in that in that sense. So I definitely think that if they can hold on, there's still a chance, at least to get to the finals. I feel like the West is so wide open. Anybody can beat anybody. So I'm not I'm not ready to completely give up home. You're not punching on the season. I still think there is an opportunity because even as bad as things have gone recently, they're still in a playoff spot.

Starting point is 00:23:46 They're going to get healthy. They're going to get their pieces back. And then hopefully they're going to do a trade. But even without a trade, I still think this is at least a playoff team. And like I said, you get to the playoffs, anything's possible. So I'm not confident, but I still have hope. Okay. That's okay.

Starting point is 00:24:00 We'll end with this still have hope because hope is all you need, right? You were mentioning, though, there's probably some fun things you can do on the track game sportsbook app with the suns and their odds at championships. Have you bet on the Suns recently, Sean? I've been staying away from the Suns. For the record, the Suns are currently plus 1,600 to win the NBA Finals with the 8th best odds. So there is pretty good value there. That might be my next bet on the drafting sportsbook app is to bet on them to win the NBA championship. But I've been staying away from them.

Starting point is 00:24:33 I like betting on the Clippers a lot. They're a fun team. And every time I bet on the Celtics, they let me down. So I'm done with them. Yeah, when you bet, you got to find your teams that you trust. Yeah, that's very true. I have already said it many times, but I have three rules in sports betting. And there are three specific teams I won't bet on because I just never know what's going to happen on any given night when it comes to those teams.

Starting point is 00:24:54 So great advice. But if you want to get in on the action, download the app now. Sign up with promo code PHNX. Place a $5 pregame money line bet on any NBA team to win their team to win their. game and you'll get $150 in free bets if they do. That's promo code P HNX only at the drafting sports book app. Minimum age and eligible restrictions apply. See show notes for details.

Starting point is 00:25:17 All right, Jonathan. Let's round this out with some baseball talk because you and I are both. Positive news though, kind of. Yeah. Sure. Yeah. Not as negative as the other ones at the very least. This is true.

Starting point is 00:25:30 Where do you want to start? Should we start with Swanson or should we start with Davies? Let's start with Swanson, I guess. Okay. So yesterday, Gambo, everyone knows, John Gamborro at Arizona Sports 987, sent out an interesting tweet regarding the potential that the Diamondbacks had for signing Danesme Swanson. According to Gambo, they did make him a substantial offer a few weeks ago. The offer was very competitive with what he ended up signing. with the Cubs when he agreed to a seven-year, 177 million dollar deal,

Starting point is 00:26:09 which is the second largest deal in Chicago Cubs history, which means that the Diamondbacks would have been on par with that, either in length or in length and money, which I was shocked by, I'll be honest, Sean. I was like, what, the actual what? Yeah, I did not, I did not think they were going to be throwing that kind of cash around. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:26:32 But it is so exciting that they were willing. to, especially for a player who, I don't know if you know this, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks. First overall in 2015. He was a part of this organization. So the fact that they're going to spend that much money on a man that they once had is very encouraging to me that they are ready to actually kind of make moves. A little concerning because it gives me the like, we're doing this again.

Starting point is 00:26:56 We're jumping the gun. No, that's what I was going to say. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear about them wanting to spend money. Don't do that. But this, that's why to me, This is a perfect situation. You show that they were willing to spend money,

Starting point is 00:27:08 but they didn't ultimately make what I think would have been a dumb decision. Well, okay, let's be real. Trading Dansby Swanson was the ultimate dumb decision. But Shelby Miller. No, I never want to hear that name again. I annexed that name from your mouth because I will never hear that name again. I'm just kidding. But I mean, come on.

Starting point is 00:27:27 Like, the dumbest thing the dimex did was trade him in the first place. But then they want to try to get him back for a bowload of money. and a really long time when I don't think they should be spending any money in the first place because, hello, we have committed to this rebuild. And there are players on this roster that I have a lot of faith in that would love some of that money. Yeah. Who I think deserve some of that money. And we're not going to do what we've done in the past and shovel out big deals that don't work out. And I'm not saying that it wouldn't have worked out with Danesby.

Starting point is 00:27:56 Obviously, Dansby is a great, great player who definitely would have contributed to this team offensively. but I don't want to shell out money when we're still in the process of committing to this rebuild. And also I don't really have interest in paying for a 35 year old shortstop when this is when his contract is over. That part was very interesting to me that they were like first Dezander Bogart's talk and now Danesby Swanson. Like I was not. It was wild to me. I don't understand. And this is something Jacob and I have talked about like why are why is not every GM, especially one in the DVAC situation who has a

Starting point is 00:28:31 bunch of young talent not looking at the Atlanta Braves and being like, that's what I'm going to do because they have figured, they've broken the game. They've just signed all of their great young players to long team friendly contracts and they're all of the contracts are going to be up right at the end of their primes essentially. I think the oldest one, they're going to be like 35 on the contracts over like that. It's ridiculous. It's actually the start of their prime. So like Acuna's contract will be done when he's 28. So then you, so it's a win-win, right? So the player gets a contract that makes him a lot of money early in his career, which is why he's willing to accept a team-friendly contract.

Starting point is 00:29:07 But then he also has the guarantee that he can then go get his money at the end of it. So you get a shitload of control for basically nothing. And he still gets the assurance that he gets a big contract when the prime hits. Yeah. So I do, like, they are going to have to spend money eventually. Yeah. They're going to have to go get pitching. Yes.

Starting point is 00:29:27 And they should. They should spend a shit ton of money, but not right now. But you're not in the position yet. I feel like you need another season to figure out who you have, where your prospects are going to be able to fit into this franchise and then flow in the gaps there. And if you are going to spend money this year, spend money on the one thing that kept you out of being a playoff contender

Starting point is 00:29:43 and spend it on a bullpen. You need to fix that shit. What? I'm of the mindset that you don't spend all that money on a bullpen because I've seen what happens when you spend $110 million. That's fair. When you spend $110 million on a bullpen. You don't need to spend that kind of money, but if you're going to spend some money,

Starting point is 00:30:04 like your focus should be the bullpen. It should not be a shortstop. But they don't need to spend $110. No, that I agree with it. I'm looking at you, Monfort. Yes. So yeah, this whole thing was surprising to me. But I ultimately came away from it being pleasant, like, pleased with the fact that they are actually,

Starting point is 00:30:21 they're not going to be cheap in trying to become a winner. They are going to spend money. Thankfully, it just didn't do it the way that they wanted to. Correct. I agree. I listen, for the past year, I've had to hear Broncos country, let's ride. And I'm retooling it to DeBack's country, let it ride. Let it ride.

Starting point is 00:30:40 Let it ride. Just ride it out. We'll give it another year. We're going to let it ride for a year. And then we're going to figure it out after that. But I don't think you do anything Jurassic this year, which so far they haven't. We're going to talk about Davies. And we're going to talk about Longoria in a second.

Starting point is 00:30:53 But just let it ride. Just let the roster figure it out. And it's going to be fine. There's no need to blow a bunch of money on one person right now because I just don't think they're in the position. Yeah. And also like I think this is going to be a good team. And I had said, I said previously that I think this team could end up in the playoffs. The trade deadline exists. Like if you're going to, if you're going to improve this team, if you think, if you really think you're a winner right now, wait until the trade deadline to prove that you're actually a winner and then go make moves there. Because like, like I said, I think it's just probably a year or too early to be. to be making moves like this. Yeah, I agree. Thankfully, though, they haven't done anything yet.

Starting point is 00:31:32 Besides, make a couple of minor moves. Yesterday, it was announced that Zach, right-handed pitcher, Zach Davies, was re-signed for a one-year, $5 million deal with $3 million in incentives. Whatever, it's whatever. He's a serviceable pitcher. They need...

Starting point is 00:31:46 The back-end of your rotation. Yeah, they need a back-end rotation pitcher locked up. So, fine. If it's Zach Davis, Zach Davies, who he is a person is a different debate, but we'll have that talk another day. I'm not bothered by this deal. I think it's nice to have a familiar face in the locker room, I guess.

Starting point is 00:32:03 I don't know. I'm not like, it's just what it is what it is. Like they needed the back ended back end of the rotation picture. They have one. So yay. Yeah. No, this one doesn't really move the needle in either direction for me. It is, it's just cool.

Starting point is 00:32:17 We have a rotation. We have a rotation pitcher. Starting pitchers. Yay. Dope. Meh, like Chris said. It's very meh. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:32:25 But we'll take it. At least they didn't give more money to Madison. That's exactly what I was about to say. It could be worse. He's still not even the worst pitcher in the rotation. It could always be worse. And then obviously they brought in veteran third baseman Evan Longoria on a one year. $4 million deal with $1 million in bonuses.

Starting point is 00:32:42 Again, me like he's older, obviously on the tail end of his career. He is basically just an upgraded version of Emmanuel Rivera, who they already have over there, who's probably going to start the year in minors. but I mean they had to have someone who could hit lefties because Josh Rojas cannot hit a lefty to save a life. Yeah. So it's cool. I mean,

Starting point is 00:33:04 it's another. I feel like though the value for this is more the veteran leadership for all these young guys. This is a super experienced player. Very respected throughout the league. Yeah, exactly. So I feel like that is kind of where the value, a lot of the value comes in. And then like you mentioned, um, I think it, it is a marginal, but it is an improvement. And for the kind of the third base platoon that they have there.

Starting point is 00:33:25 And he's going to be able to hit lefty. So I definitely think it's a good move. I think the team's better because of the signing. But it's another, it's another signing where you're able to improve the team without jeopardizing the future in any way. So I think, I think it's, I think this is a good move.

Starting point is 00:33:42 And also it's cool to have like a name. Like I grow up baseball, especially growing up a Red Sox fan. So a lot of Evan Lomboea on the ALE East. I'm banning you from talking about the Red Sox on this freaking podcast. I'm in the West. And I'm a Debex fan. And I've seen plenty of him here in,

Starting point is 00:33:55 You're not allowed to say that name on this podcast. Listen, I can't. It is what it is. I can't help how I grew up. Career average of 370 in Chase Field with an OPS over a thousand. Just saying, maybe he's going to turn into an MVP candidate. There you go. You never know with this team.

Starting point is 00:34:10 That's not going to happen. No, I think it's a cool move. I think it's fun for baseball fans just to see a guy that has been around the league that people know. And then, like I said, the veteran leadership, I think is invaluable. I feel like we're a dumping ground for San Francisco Giants old players. First Madison, Bump Garner. Now Longoria.

Starting point is 00:34:29 At least this one, they are not giving a Brinks trust to for no reason. Like, just come on. Just give us all your old guys in San Francisco. We'll take them off your hands. Don't worry about it. At least they aren't paying this guy forever. That's a lot of money.

Starting point is 00:34:43 Yeah. Let's not ever do that again. My case and please. Well, there you have it. That's our temperature check from two ice cold teams to one lukewarm. It's a rough time being in Arizona. sports fan. It kind of makes me want to take an OGs because OGs, I need to mallow out.

Starting point is 00:35:02 It's been a rough couple weeks here and there's nothing that can sue those nerves like a good old old OGs. And they got a new flavor. They do. Oh my God. I'm so excited about this, you guys. You have to check out their new CBD, THC, Happy Balance, ratio flavor. It's strawberries and cream, which I'm so excited about because the orange creamcicle is my all-time favorite OGs. G. G. flavor but strawberries and cream sounds mighty enticing and i'm i'm not even kidding you guys i'm going

Starting point is 00:35:31 to try this happy balance strawberries and cream oj's gummy asap rocky because i need to um i just think strawberries and cream sounds so yummy yeah now strawberries and cream like a strawberries and cream or strawberry short cake or a strawberry short cake ice cream bar like all time desserts in my opinion yeah you add in a little t hc a little CBD you know a little happy balance yeah this is definitely right in my lane I cannot even, I feel like OG's made this just for me and I need to like hit up there guy. Be like, thank you so much. Like, I might start trying to mix flavors and like cut one in half and half and half orange creamsicle, half strawberries and cream.

Starting point is 00:36:05 We don't recommend doing that. No, just kidding. You never know what you'll get when that happens. Yeah, fair enough. The CBD THC ratio does sound quite amazing. But as always, you can find them at your local dispensary. You must be 21 years or older to enjoy. And while you're at it and you are running that high, make sure you head over to Mount

Starting point is 00:36:21 Mike's pizza or. deliver it to your house because you shouldn't be driving under the influence. Yeah. Fis. Be responsible. But getting Miam Mike's pizza delivers because their pizza is amazing. They delivered some to the office this week. Don't sleep on the wings.

Starting point is 00:36:35 Oh, the wings are also really good. Yes. Their food goes crazy. Their food does go crazy. It cannot recommend it enough. Thank you also, Mountain Mikes, for feeding the office this week.

Starting point is 00:36:43 The pizza was, as always, you can never go wrong with some Mountain Mikes. Pizza. Make sure you check out their locations in Mesa, and they also have a Tucson location. So for all of our peeps down the I-10, check out Mountain Mikes in Tucson. And don't pray they have a lunch buffet too, which is... I love...

Starting point is 00:37:00 I'm a sucker for a good buffet. Right? Who doesn't love a little lunch buffet? Sean, I am so glad that you were leaving town. Relax. What are we doing? I cannot wait to watch your tea. I'm mostly because Sean needs a break.

Starting point is 00:37:15 I do need a break and I'm excited for it. Maxine's a little too excited that she's not going to have to be around me. Yes, I'm excited to have one less person in our office. I'm excited to have your cat all to myself for a couple of days. You're going to Buffalo, right? You're going to Buffalo. Yeah, I'm going to Syracuse and Buffalo. There you go.

Starting point is 00:37:30 I'll be back in good old New York. Well, hopefully the airline industry doesn't spontaneously combust while you're in the middle of traveling. Not flying Southwest. American on the way there, Delta on the way back. Y'all better pull through for me. Well, you're going to have a good weekend. I'm going to have a good weekend watching your cat. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend as well.

Starting point is 00:37:48 Thank you so much for joining us on this random Thursday edition of T-Bel. TG-G-R-T, baby. You guys are all the best. Don't forget to hit that like button, subscribe. Leave us a five-star review. It helped us out so much. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Starting point is 00:38:01 And we will definitely see you next Friday at 12th. Bye.

PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - TPSP: Swan Song

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