PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - Why D-backs Must Go ALL IN After Taking Control of NL Wild Card Race

Episode Date: July 23, 2026

The Arizona Diamondbacks have put themselves in position to make a postseason run, but now comes the hard part. With the trade deadline fast approaching, Mike Hazen HAS TO go all-in as a buyer. We break down why the D-backs can't afford to stand pat and why first base might be the toughest hole to fill with so few impact options available on the market. We also discuss potential trade targets that could help Arizona strengthen its roster for October as the deadline approaches. Plus, we preview a pivotal series against the Washington Nationals, take a look at what Arizona needs to do to keep its momentum rolling, bring back Throwback Thursday with a trip down D-backs memory lane, and head down to the farm for another edition of Snake Farm, where we check in on the organization's hottest prospects. 0:00 SkeeYee & Welcome to the PHNX D-backs Podcast!  8:25 Why Mike Hazen MUST buy at deadline  12:50 Top trade targets for D-backs  17:00 Need more SPs?  21:30 Bring Christian Walker back home 🔥  31:00 Nationals series preview  43:40 On this week in D-backs history...  52:25 Top minor league performers  58:10 Do D-backs need a new closer? 🤔  Limited-time offer! Become a Diehard for just $36: https://gophnx.com/intro-offer-youtube JOIN THE SUPPORTERS CLUB ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/yc6km2r4 An ALLCITY Network Production SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/phnx_youtube ALL THINGS PHNX: http://linktr.ee/phnxsports MERCH https://store.allcitynetwork.com/collections/phnx-locker ALLCITY Network, Inc. aka PHNX and PHNX Sports is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Phoenix PHNX Events: Get your tickets to PHNX events and takeovers here: https://gophnx.com/events/ ALLCITY — 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 BBPHNX15 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 visit https://husbandandwifelawteam.com/?utm_source=allcity-padcasts&utm_medium=digital-phx&utm_campaign=allcityShowNotes bet365: 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 40% 2+ pairs of 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.

Well, your Arizona Diamondbacks come off one of the best stretches in the National League, but the question is, is will they be buyers at the trade deadline? They have to be. And me and Damon are talking about it today, along with a preview of the upcoming series with the nationals and more. Don't you go anywhere. We are starting right now. Happy Thursday to you all.

Welcome in to another edition of the PHNX Diamondbacks podcast. Love from Studio K, presented. by our friends at Circle K. It is your mayor of PHNX, occasionally known as Derek Monta. Thrilled to have you guys here. Thrilled to be having an off day for us and not an off day

for the Diamondbacks who are currently in St. Louis having to face the coward of a team known as the Cardinals. But we're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about the series with the Nationals as well. And so much more. I am not alone. Not only do I have you wonderful people here in the live chat

with me, but I got my guy, Damon Dog, Your dog, my dog, the D-Backs dog, Damon Dog, aka Damon Farrell on the ones and twos. Bark, bark. To you, Damon. Happy Thursday. Derek, I'm feeling like yelling at you today. I mean, I don't really know why, but you told me I got to bring the heat. So I just, I'm getting fired up already.

Screw you, buddy. I get it. No, that's fine. That's warranted. And I like that energy. I wanted you to bring that energy. We're going to talk about the Diamondbacks needing to be buyers at the trade deadline. So I told Damon that he needed to bring aggression that even his.

aggressiveness would call aggressive normally. So we're going to get into that. But of course, this show is brought to you by the fine folks at Bet365. Bet365, we're winning is everything. Download the app and use our code of PHNX365 as a new user to get yourself some bonus bets. We're also brought to you by the fine folks at GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code PHNX for $20 off your

first purchase terms to apply. As you know, the Diamondbacks won themselves a baseball game and a series. yesterday by a lot of runs. They beat the athletics by a score of 15 to 5, putting up the most runs that they've put up all season long. They also scored the most runs that they've scored all season in an inning. D-BAC scored a season high, seven runs in the fifth inning of yesterday's game, and the D-backs overall took the series against the athletics by a count of two to one. Felt very much like they should have swept that series, and they came out very flat in game one. still felt like Mitch Bratt did an excellent job and the, I don't know, what do we want to call it?

The brigade of the Merrill Kelly trade kind of ripped in this series overall. Good job for them. The Diamondbacks improved to 53 and 49 with the win, and they beat the athletics for a number of years now. That's nothing new. But the debacks 8 and 2 record since July 9th is the National League's best record and tied for the second best in Major League Baseball with the Orange. behind, of course, the unbeatable Boston Red Sox who can't seem to lose a game. Their 10 wins right now are tied for second most behind the Red Sox once again.

And they are currently now a half a game ahead of the Cardinals and the Pirates for that third wild card spot. So great stuff here. Gabriel Moreno, as we've talked about, continues to be incredible. Reach base safely in 19 straight games and 38 straight starts. And in his 13 games since July 6th, he has reached. base two or more times in nine of those games. He's batting 388 Damon with a 993 OPS, three doubles, one home run, five RBI, and nine

walks. I think I'm ready to revisit that conversation we had on Monday about whether or not Gabby is a top three catcher in Major League Baseball. Maybe he's not a top three catcher. Maybe he's a top three DH because I have a feeling that the Diamondbacks might have this lineup that they had in there a little bit more with perhaps James McCann getting some more playing time behind the plate and Moreno focusing more on helping this offense keep going, right? But on the other side of things, Brandon fought.

He pitches today and today's game against St. Louis Cardinals. He has won four straight games. He is one shy of his career high as far as games won in a row. And in his last four bids, he has a 2.14 ERA and a potent batting average of 235, one walk, and 13 strikeouts. and Transonic wants to know how Dalton Varsho is doing just in regards to Gabriel Moreno. And I'll just tell you that the Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly shopping Dalton Varsho around at the trade deadline. No one's asking you, Siri. They're asking me.

Siri seems like she's pretty fired up for a-jump in. For a little bit of Dalton Varsho coming back to it. She's like, hold on, hold on. Wait, what are we talking about Varshow? Varshow is available? Let's talk about this, right? But of course, I don't, do we have the number BTN from yesterday, Damon? and let's take a look at that.

It's funny because baseball is weird, and even in this series where the Diamondbacks win the finale 15 to 5, and they take two out of three, somehow both teams still had the same number of hits. And I know that might just be fascinating to me, but it's fascinating. 34 hits apiece. Diamondbacks beat the athletics, 23 to 15.

They take two out of three. They had seven home runs, five of them in yesterday's finale, to the five that the athletics hit in the series. They were 9 for 21, 9 for 29 with runners in scoring position, which is very good. A lot of that action obviously was in the finale, but this does show much more consistency that we've seen out of this offense. Runners in scoring position have kind of been their Achilles heel, which, sorry to do an Odyssey reference there. And then you got the athletics 7 for 269 average. Starting pitching ERA, though, again, the battery of the Merrill Kelly trade did an excellent job posting a 3.07 ERA.

It's Mitch Bratt, Cole Drake, and Merrill Kelly, all three pitchers involved in the Merrill Kelly trade with the Texas Rangers last year. Meanwhile, the athletics pitching staff, like we said yesterday, did exactly what we kind of expected them to do. Starting ERA 6.75, bullpen ERA 8.48. And then the Diamondbacks bullpen ERA 6.08. Not great.

A lot of that was kind of impacted by that. Blown save there by one Paul Seawalt in game two. But we're not going to talk about that. We're going to push on and we're going to talk more about what the Diamondbacks need to do at the trade deadline in order for them to improve this team. And the biggest thing about them going eight and two over this stretch is that this feels very much like they put themselves in a position not only capturing the final wild card spot temporarily or for however long it might be, but also, you know, again, just sending a message here to the front office. I don't feel like they have to maintain that wild card spot between now and the. the trade deadline on August, when it's August 2nd. But I do feel like, you know, they've done enough right now to show who they are or who they

can be, what their potential is. You add some pieces to this to kind of shore up their weaknesses, and this team could be very dangerous. As it stands, they already have found themselves some guys that can at least fill the role in some of these young players that have been making. making their major league debuts to get them to at least a point where you feel like this team can be added to, or they can get back a Ryan Nelson and a Corbin Burns. Even if Ryan Nelson comes back in the capacity of being a reliever, you still love to see him back this season helping this team win baseball games. But there's no doubt about it at this point.

The debacks have to buy. They just have to. There is no other choice. There is no other message that you can send right now. being a buyer. They cannot get this close and stand pat at the trade deadline, nor can they start parting ways with guys that might be on expiring contracts unless it's those rare major leaguer for major leaguer moves that might help you improve, but it really doesn't feel like the diamondbacks have too many pieces that they can give up, that they can afford to give up

at the trade deadline that are major leaguers to improve this team, right? Not healthy ones. at least, and again, due to, you know, Lordus Gueriel getting injured, interest in him might be down. And that would pretty much put the focus on the Diamondback's farm system and their prospects. We're going to take a trip down to Snake Farm and talk about how some of those guys are doing. But again, it's something that teams don't want to do anymore. They don't want to get rid of prospects. They don't want to move on from guys because of potential that could be there. However, there are some players that have been reportedly made available at the deadline or could be available at the deadline.

And they are players that the Diamondbacks kind of need to kick the tires on and check in on. For Damon's sake, I think we need to start with starting pitching because it's something that Damon has beat the drum on. I mean, I would rather have a first baseman than a starting pitcher to be clear. You beat the drum on longer for the first baseman, New York situation by far. To be clear, I just think that we need two things, and it's starting pitching in a first basement. And I've been kind of reluctant to do that. And I know, I guess not that I am, because I don't make any decisions around here, but the front office is reluctant to do so. And I can understand why.

You've held on to a little bit of hope more on, I think, guys like Zach and Merrill figuring it out. No. Merrill has been all right. I hate that you keep bringing up Zach because I've never, I have not had faith in Zach. I've only wished that he would turn it around, not actually believed he was going. to. My thing is more about like Corbyn Burns, right? Ryan Nelson, obviously, the concept seems to be that Ryan Nelson would not return this year as a starter during the regular season because it would take him too long to stretch out, but he can return during the regular season as a reliever, right?

Now, I get why. You don't want to sacrifice a bunch for starting pitching. That's what I was saying. It's merely because you have these pieces that are returning. just have no idea if they're actually going to return. You start venturing from having confidence in their return to being more like Damon, where you're like, I'll believe Corbyn Burns will pitch for this team again in 2026, when I see it with my own two eyes happen in an actual Major League baseball game. And with all of the setbacks and everything that's happened to this team, it's completely understandable to take that position and have that doubt that we're going

to see these guys return. you know but that's how that's how we feel bless you meanwhile the front office thinks otherwise bless you damon i love you we're going to get nasty and we're not even going to disagree we're just going to get nasty at each other for no reason um but now i mean when you have two rookies in your starting rotation i don't care how good of a job they're doing like you can't feel super confident about that going down a stretch and being involved in a playoff chase, that having two rookies that have made their major league debuts this year, and those debuts, you could consider to be early as far as their development and their progress, you don't, you know, you would prefer to have guys that are major leaguers, even guys

that might have a higher ERA, maybe guys that haven't been having a great season, you might still feel more confident about those guys being in there and for good reason. Once rookies get figured out, things can turn sideways on them real quick. Baseball is just a game about information and there isn't a lot right now out there about Mitch Bratt and Cole Drake. But there are some starting pitchers that we've been interested

in, that teams have been interested in, and that the Diamondbacks have been connected to, that could be available at the trade deadline and should be options for the Diamondbacks. Two that I found that are kind of different situations. As we've talked about time and time again and we kind of looked at his contract situation,

there's Reed Detmer's from the Angels, who's going to cost the Diamondbacks far more just due to his years of arbitration still left versus Foster Griffin, who is currently a 30-year-old lefty on a one-year, $5.5 million deal and is a free agent. So he is a guy that would be more of a rental, and if the nationals are sellers at the deadline could become available, the nationals are still assessing, according to Ken Rosenthal and Will Salmon, whether to deal, extend, or keep the starting pitcher through the end of the season. I wouldn't feel good hearing that as a starting pitcher.

And Foster Griffin has been pretty good. He made the National League All-Star team. He posted a 2.68 whip with a 1.03 or excuse me, 2.68 ERA with a 1.03 whip. And he had a 4.1 strike out to walk ratio this year. Incredible. But apparently rival executives that, are not involved with the nationals feel that a trade is inevitable, considering that he is a free agent after this season,

and a guy that really could change the Diamondbacks. I mean, just absolutely could change the Diamondbacks being in their starting rotation. But again, the reason why starting pitching, either of these guys might not be the option that the Diamondbacks are seeking is they got Michael Soroka coming back. They have hopefully Corbyn Burns coming back. Brandon Fott is shoving. Eduardo Rodriguez is an all-star and he's had the best year of his career.

And Merrill Kelly still proved yesterday, even when he's sick, that he can go out there and give you nearly six innings and two earned runs. So that's the reason why I could see the front office still having hesitation about adding to the starting rotation, right? Plus Ryan Nelson. You also have Ryan Nelson factoring in, even though right now there's a good chance that with that full starting rotation if they feel comfortable with those five guys, that that would just add to the reason why it would make sense for Nelson to come back

as a reliever versus taking the extra time to stretch out as a starter, right? Reed Detmer's has been connected to the Diamondbacks, but he's also been connected to almost every team that's in the hunt. He's been connected to the Cardinals, the Cubs, the Orioles, the Braves, the White Sox, the Rays, the Blue Jays, even the Nationals. How are the Nationals, both buyers and sellers? I don't know. The A's also are in there, too. The athletes have no business doing anything, any trade moves.

I've seen like, yeah, I saw like a best fits for Redetmer's article that I read the other day, Derek. And it was literally, I think, about 18 teams that got listed. And I was like that, oh, interesting. It's half the league, you know. Because of course he is. Like you said, he's controllable. He's having, you know, a good season. They feel like they're still better.

And, you know, there's still more to come. He was a high upside guy. Yeah. He was thought of as highly. as a prospect. He's striking out players at a really high rate. He's top five in strikeouts in Major League Baseball right now. And I believe his, like, FIP and expected ERA are better than what his actual

ERA looks like. So the thought process is that you're with the angels. Young, controllable pitcher, you get him in a better situation. He's going to be a lot better. And he's showing a lot of swing and miss as is. Bring him into a team that's in the race. Bring him into a team that's competitive and see what he can do. You know, have them be around guys with experience that still care and aren't just going out there every day to play a baseball game because they're being paid to do that by the Angels and not really giving a damn about winning

or losing. I know the players over there care, but it's easy to have your stats not look so great when you're on a terrible team because, man, it's like, what, I'm supposed to be the only one that cares? I'm the only one that cares around here, you know? But anyway, what is your case there for starting pitching? I named off five guys that the Diamondbacks should have in there. by September.

Do you feel like the prospect slash rookie situation isn't good enough to get them through the month of August? Or do you feel like it's just truly more about making this the best pitching staff that you can make it? I think it's the latter. I don't think that it's that these guys are, you know, like I have, I've lost all hope already in Mitch Bratt and Cole Drake. Like I think that they have solid M.O.B careers potentially ahead of them. But I do think that, you know, this is professional baseball. This isn't, you know, like everybody gets their opportunity, little league. Everyone has to play their specific amount.

Like, we're trying to win games at the highest level of this sport. And if the debacks are truly going after winning and they think that they have a roster that could compete in the postseason this year, then they need to put the, I think, the idea and the development of Mitch Bratt and Cole Drake to the side for, a little bit and say that those guys are going to rise to the top if they are that level. And maybe that's, you know, this organization, it's a difficult discussion because it feels like we really struggle with pitching development internally. So, like, it's not as if the methodology of just not necessarily prioritizing their

development has been working. But I also think that the best organizations bring in a certain level of pitcher, and then their prospects have to reach that threshold, take their opportunities when they're given to them, and prove that they belong in the rotation long term, right? And that's where I guess it's kind of a conversation I've had specifically about Jordan Lawler over past years,

where everybody wants Jordan Lawler to just be given A-Bs all the time. And it's like, but he's not performing and is limited at bat. So how could you then convince, you know, Tori and Hazen and all these people that he deserves more playing time. And it's because he wasn't ready yet, right? And now we've seen what it looks like when he's ready, and he's a very good player it looks to be, right? Not consistently, but.

Shockingly good at Centerfield. He's been pretty damn good in the limited chances we've seen him this season. It just feels like, you know, like Cole Drake, Mitch Bratt, they're going to have to continue to take their chances where they're given to them when they get called up, pitch well. But yeah, it's the latter for me, Derek, to answer your question. Like I just think that, you know, a playoff rotation doesn't have unknown rookies in it necessarily. And, you know, those guys have plenty of opportunities next year at spring training to prove themselves and whatnot.

But if you can find a perceivable upgrade to help you make the playoffs the rest of the season, I think that, yeah, I'm willing to put, you know, the development on the back burner a little bit. Because I do think that this team, obviously being in a wildcard spot as we speak, could make the playoffs. So they need to go for that when they have that opportunity in front of them. Yeah, I mean, I'm with you 100%. No more Gallen, though, as Thomas says.

Like, I'm fine prioritizing Cole Drake and Mitch Brad over Zach Gallen, watching Zach Allen pitch again, because I know what I'm getting out of Zach Allen. I don't know, these guys are a little bit more of a mystery. They could be really, really good. They could be Zach Allen. So let's see what we got. But yeah, I think that overall,

all, like, I'm looking to at least just, like, bring in one trade and then you have Corbyn Burns and hopefully Michael Soroka back as well. Well, I'll tell you this much. Well, obviously, we know pitching is something that we need help with, but we got to fix for space. We just have to. No if answer or buts about that. Again, it's something I've even talked about.

I was on ESPN Tucson with our buddy Justin, and I brought your name up because, and not to tread all over you. I was like, Damon Farrell is no genius. He is no baseball savant. What? He is no front office executive. Yet this man assessed in December, perhaps even November, that the Diamondback's first base D.H situation was going to be 30 out of 30 in Major League Baseball.

And even with how doomsday you were about it. Yeah, it wasn't bad enough. You still weren't bad enough. I missed the mark. You did. You absolutely missed the mark on that one. It's the worst of all time. Yeah.

Actually, but recently it's probably been good enough from Tawa and Locklear in the last couple weeks here that it's maybe clawed its way out of worst of all time category. Tawa, for sure. Tawa gave us a little something, right? But I got two former Diamondbacks that can give us everything, Damon. Obviously, Christian Walker. There's no doubt about that. I mean, come on. Just for the song to come back.

You think I deleted the song? No, I've just done new versions of it in preparation for Christian Walker. to come back. But he absolutely could be in play for the D-backs if Houston backs out of the race, which they could. He has 20 home runs this season. I don't know if this is updated. 20 home runs. He was slashing 234, 310, 4-54.

That would be a very welcome site for Arizona. Plus, he has a year remaining on his contract. So it would solve our first base D-8 situation for next year as well. And that's something that's very good. Meanwhile, another- He was, I will say about Christian Walker, Derek. he was incredible to start this season. He's cooled off.

He's cooled off a lot. He now has a 761 OPS, 234 average. And honestly, it may be helps the Diamondbacks' chances of completing a trade here. Because, you know, I think the Diamondbacks, if they could have, or if they wanted to afford the contract that Christian Walker got in free agency, they probably would have offered it to him, right? Yeah. That was obviously probably a little bit too rich of a lot.

long-term money output for what they think Christian Walker was worth. Can you get the Astros to pay a little bit of that contract to get off of the deal? DeBacks, you know, maybe not quite Aeronado 50-50, but it's, if we do like 75-205. Orenado isn't 50-50. Aronado is like 75-25. Oh, you're right. The other direction. Maybe if you could make it more like, you know, like 6733, like two-thirds, one-third or something

with the Astros. and, you know, I love these, uh, fractions. Yeah. I'm saying like, I just think that like there's, there's avenue, different avenues that in, that you can be flexible with in this situation. And the fact that he hasn't played that well recently probably lead to the idea that maybe the Astros would be more willing to get off of one of their older, more expensive assets. But in his last 30 days, he's hitting 218, 299, 359, with a 658 OPS.

And his last 15 days, he's, He's hitting 138, 194, 207 for a 400 OPS. So playing really bad baseball right now, to be fair with Christian Walker. Still 20 bombs, still a 761 OPS, which would be levels, levels on what we've had so far this season at the first base position. I know he plays other positions, but Astros also have Isaac Paredes who plays first base, right? So they have somebody that could take over for Christian Walker over there. he is also available on the trade deadline as well.

In fact, there are not a lot of first baseman available on the trade deadline. Obviously, the most popular choice there for a while that's no longer available as Wilson Contreras. He took himself off the trade market by saying he would not waive his trade clause, and he wants to remain a Boston Red Sock for the remainder of his career. So that pretty much puts both of the Astros first baseman as the, best two available first baseman on the market. And they also have Josh Bell as number three. That's crazy.

Josh Bell, who honestly, he's having a good year, but he has settled in. And it looks to be his most productive season since 2022. I just don't know if it's a guy that I would necessarily feel confident is going to come in and be like what he's done this season for the, like I feel like. You just know for a fact that he still has the dark blue sleeve, especially playing for the twins. We did not get rid of the dark blue sleeve. We lose so much swag as a franchise when he wears the navy blue sleeve. I don't think you understand. It's not like the yellow or the pink or the purple or the light blue ones that this team wears. Jerry and Goodell during the

series against the athletics look like rainbows. It was amazing. But it looks cool. I counted six different colors on Goodell at one point. That's ridiculous. Yeah. But he does it in the tasteful way, Derek. It's this. The navy blue sleeve is not tasteful. It's not classy. It looks disgusting. But I was just, I just feel like Josh Bell is a 100% the type of guy that you go and you trade for. And then immediately he is back to being the guy that got cut a couple times in the last few years here. And, you know, you're like, oh, that's why no one's really valued him that highly. Again, even when he was with the Diamondbacks, he was having a much better season that year than he's having now. Yeah.

But still, they're just saying like in general, he's been productive. And as far as first base production is concerned, his 733 OPS. isn't that bad. He's got an OPS plus of 103. And again, he's having one of his better seasons of his career. The twins probably would not ask much for him. And again, probably a much different situation than what the Diamondbacks would have to figure out with Christian Walker, like you said, not only financially, but they would also have to figure out, you know, what pieces they wanted to trade. Walker isn't a rental. His contract isn't up at the end of the year. So it makes it that much more, it makes them that much more expensive as far as a trade target is concerned.

Yeah. They don't have Luis Garcia Jr. as a option, which is a very popular name for the Diamondbacks. And I'll tell you this much, just like with our guy Foster Griffin here from the Nationals, the Diamondbacks can help make the Nationals sellers by, I don't know, sweeping them in the three-game series that they're facing them in this weekend in D.C. We're going to talk about that series and so much more on the other side of this break. Don't you go anywhere you're watching the PHNX Diamondback show. Well, if you are a regular viewer or listener or viewer slash slash listener of this show or any PHNX show, we want to hear from you. We have a

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do apply. Visit 1AZCU.com for all the details. And like I said, they're in Washington, D.C. this weekend. Today, they're in St. Louis. And we hate the Cardinals for doing that. But we are very excited that our guy, Altek ZZ, is there. He said heading over to Bush Stadium. Now I think we got a super chat from them up there, Damon. Oh, Altex back in the chat. I haven't seen Altec in a while.

I love to see you. On my way to Bush Stadium as we speak, proudly reppping our team in St. Louis, go D-Backs, even brought a coyote's hat for possible autographs. What a legend. A coyote's hat? He's Mr. Coyote. I love it. I love to see it. PHNX Coyote's legend,

Old Tex. That's right. That's right. Good to see it. Erica in the chat as well. Oh. With the Rick Flair, Woo. With a big woo. Love to see it, Erica. And also, I love her energy, by the way. One of my favorites.

I will say this. The Nationals, of course, this is a big series. No doubt about it. It's a tough team that already kind of handled the Diamondbacks well. And they're still one of the top offenses in all of baseball, which is something the Diamondbacks have not done a great job against. However, their pitching staff is kind of bad, including their bullpen being one of the worst. So if the Diamondbacks can, in fact, keep this offensive role going from this yesterday's game

and maybe steamroll the Cardinals and take it into D.C., there's a good chance that they could take that series from the Nationals. Let's take a look here at the Nationals and how they match up with the Diamondbacks this season. again, we have ourselves a 52 and 51 record with a plus 26 run differential for Washington. They have a 771 OPS, which is second behind. You guessed it, the Los Angeles Dodgers. They have a 5-and-5 record in their last 10 games. Starting pitching ERA is 4.48, which is 21st in all of Major League Baseball.

Their bullpen ERA is 5.09, which is 28th. and I don't know, man, when you don't play in a minor league ballpark or you don't play in Denver, I mean, that might as well be the last, or the worst bullpen ERA in all baseball. They also have minus 15 outs above average, which is 23rd, but they still have a very, very dangerous lineup, a lineup that the Padres probably still have nightmares about giving them.

And this team is, you know, they entered the break for, the MLB lead and runs scored, and they've continued to swing the bat well. They have power through their lineup with C.J. Abrams, James Wood, Dylan Cruz, and the aforementioned Luis Garcia Jr. And Abrams right now is scorching hot. Plus, they're among the league leader in stolen bases

and consistently doing things that this Arizona Diamondbacks team used to do incredibly well. I think that's fair to say. Yeah, they're like the 2024, Four diamond backs, it feels like. Yeah, offensively. Horrible bullpen. Horrible bullpen.

Really good offensively. Like, play a little bit of small ball, whatever it takes to get runs across the board. Yeah. I mean, and that's where the Washington Nationals' front office struggles with what to do here at the trade deadline with this team, right? They are a team that they need to improve their bullpen. And when you have an offense that's good, it's hard to turn into a seller.

But, you know, there's, it's going to be difficult to upgrade pitching at the trade deadline. There are a lot of pitchers available, but again, it's going to be difficult for them. Plus, again, they face a similar issue as the Diamondbacks. Like, is this team really good enough for us to build around and sacrifice parts of the future for in order to win now? The nationals are still a young team. They're still a team that have, you know, years ahead of them of probably being a good baseball team. So that's what a GM has to deal with, right? You could say the same thing about the Diamondbacks,

except for the fact that they have so many veteran pieces on this team. And, you know, this is the last year of Tori Lobello's time as manager, potentially. It's the last year of his contract, at least. So you do feel like there's a bigger sense of urgency here for the Diamondbacks versus the nationals who might, you know, look a little bit more towards their future. And they've been allowing plenty of runs. So now is a great time to face the Nats, if we want to see this offense get on a roll

and continue to stay hot after scoring 15 runs against the athletics. But let's take a look at the probable pitchers and how our starters match up with their starters presented by our friends at 1AZ credit union as always 1AZ rooted in Arizona, invested in you and invested in the Diamondbacks pitching staff. Let's take a look here.

We got Eduardo Rodriguez going on the mound. Now these are not official. I do want to put that out there. The Diamondbacks have not released. least their probables for this series. So it still remains to be seen. It's to be determined on all three games. However, in yesterday's press conference, Tori was asked if he felt comfortable going forward with Mitch Bratt and Cole Drake, and he answered very quickly and said, yes, they both did a great job and they'll both be in the starting rotation. So this is the only thing

we can imagine they're able to do right now unless a move to possibly bring Jose Cabrera back could be in the works when he is able to be brought back. But as things stack up right now, this is the way that this three-game series would go. We would have Eduardo Rodriguez going in game one

with his 8 and 3 record and his 2.62 ERA going up against Zach Little and his 5.34 ERA 7-7 record, 61 strikeouts this year. Game two, we would have Mitch Bratt and his 5.06 ERA matching up with Foster Griffin, who is 11 and 2 this year, 2.680RA, 10011 strikeouts. And then last but not least, we have Col Drake making his second start.

He has a 1.80 ERA with his five strikeouts going up against Miles Meekyllis, who is 3 and 7 with a 5.60 ERA and 51 strikeouts. And this is all after tonight's game against the St. Louis. Cardinals, which once again still feels like the most ridiculous, egregious decision to ever be made by an opposing team. Why is it, Damon, that we always have to deal with some sort of rain issue in the Midwest causing us problems? No idea?

Literally no clue. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of the Cardinals and I'm sick of the Diamondbacks needing to do extra stuff. Like, come on. I still can't believe they just didn't move this game up. But a very important game still considering the impact, the implications it has on the wildcard race. And I know, I don't even want to start talking about the wild card race on July 23rd.

I really don't. I think it's ridiculous to. I don't think we should even be looking at these standings until September. But we have to because, again, this, the, we're. where they're at, how they're doing, the amount of teams between them and a possible playoff spot are all going to impact the decisions the front office has to make here come the beginning of August. And when I bring this up, I just, I still think that the cost is going to be very high no matter what free agent you pursue, or not free agent, but trade deadline target you pursue. And I don't know how ready the Diamondbacks are to give up their young prospects considering. how many of them have made their major league debut this year,

and how many of them have helped the Diamondbacks win baseball games when they were called upon. Pitching-wise, there's a definite gap there, though, and that's something the debacks need to focus on for the future. Col Drake and Mitch Bratt kind of being removed his prospects for now really leaves a big hole in the minor league system. Not to say either one of those guys had great numbers as a minor leaguer, but we are going to go into the snake farm,

and I'm telling you, I had a very difficult time finding a starting pitcher to discuss that was having a good season. It just goes to show how difficult it is to pitch in Reno and in Amarillo and how both of those teams, you know, kind of prepare you through fire, right? Like forged by fire when it comes to pitching in either of those stadiums, and dealing with, you know, having to come out of the minor leagues with a five plus ERA when you were supposed to be a top prospect.

But it's not, there is still a lot of work to be done. Even beyond that, I don't want to primarily blame the minor leagues, you know, for being a difficult place to pitch, right? You got to perform and they got to do a better job of developing them. And I do think that those two ballparks do impact their ability to develop young pitchers. However, Brandon Fott went down to AAA and posted like a sub two ERA after struggling at a major league level. And I know it's because Brandon Fott is a major league pitcher and he just kind of dominated those hitters at a AAA level. But he didn't go down and post a four ERA, a five ERA. So just keep that in mind overall.

But all right, Michael Dixon has had enough of us. He says he's out of here already. And in honor of that, we're going to take a quick break. On the other side of this break, we're going to do what we do every day. Thursday on this program. We're going to take a trip down memory lane on another edition of Throwback Thursday. Don't you go anywhere? You're watching the PHNX Diamondback Show. Well, the Window Depot is here to help you get started on your next project, and that project should probably be replacing the windows in your home. They are absolutely window experts, and they know everything

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just kind of make me look like a cool toddler. I mean, look at the shorts I'm wearing today. They have little baseballs on them and stuff. Like, I do dress like an eight-year-old, right? But when I want to look like a professional adult, Quince has me fitted. And it is with some of the most comfortable shirts and pants that I've ever had the pleasure of owning,

especially when it comes to dress pants. I hate dress pants. I hate them. But these, they're amazing. They're soft. They fit me better than any pants. have ever fit me, and they got that little stretchiness to them, which can help for, you know, weeks where I decided to indulge in more of the food at the ballpark than normal. But they have

far more than just clothes. It's not just clothing. Quince has become the go-to shop for everything from hotel quality bedding to bath essentials to premium cookware and even to have travel must-haves. There's a bag they have that I need it in my life more than any bag than I've ever needed before, ever. So make sure you stop by Quince. Upgrade your everyday. They specialize in everyday staples that work harder and have that just amazingly soft feel. They have ultra soft organic cotton teas and premium Mongolian cashmere sweaters, versatile, timeless, transition seamlessly from casual workday to a dinner out. And they help people like me that don't really know how to dress like an adult look better.

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It's this exact same show you watch on YouTube, but with more screaming in person, drinks and blackjack basically is what it is. It's free to RSVP. All die hard to attend, get a free drink ticket for the event, and the show starts at 6pm. So join us for PHNX Live, July 30th at the Upper Deck Bar and Grill at Heather of Resorts and Casinos Wild Horse Pass, and I'm very pleased to announce that since Damon is not going to be here,

I have made arrangements to have a co-host. And that co-host... Probably an upgrade. Probably an upgrade. Of course it's an upgrade. It's Alex Dagostino. Alex will be joining us live in person. Yes, for sure. So he'll bring his big brain out there and we'll be talking baseball. So come watch us do it in person. The link is in our show notes. But as you can see below, once the purple gets out, once the copper comes out, it's time for throwback Thursday, baby. And on this week, there were some fun things that happened that very much correlate to today, to this very team that we're watching in 2020. On July 21st, 1999, Tony Womack in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, legged out, and inside the park grand slam off release ace Billy Wagner to give the Diamondbacks a 7 to 4 win over the Astros. But more importantly, that was the very first inside the park home run in franchise history.

And as you may know, just the other day on July 19th against the Cardinals, Geraldo Perdomo had the most recent inside the park home run that I still can't believe wasn't just a single with an error. But hey, I'll take it. I'm going to shut up and we're going to move on from that. But shout out to the legend, Tony Womack. Speaking of another legend on July 26, 2008, we talked about this a little bit a few days ago,

but Brandon Webb struck out his 1,000th batter. It was his 1,000th career, strikeout, and he struck out Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. But he wasn't the manager then. He was the Giants player. Joining Randy Johnson as the only other D-back to reach that mark, that was in a five-to-three win over the San Francisco Giants that day back in 2008. Webb's line in seven innings, he gave up four hits, three earned runs, walked two, and struck out eight.

And again, shout out to the legend that is Brandon Webb. July 21st, 2012. Takashi Saito became the first player of Japanese descent to ever pitch for the Diamondbacks in his debut on July 21st versus once again the Houston Astros. They keep coming up in this somehow, some way. It was a 12 to 3 win over the Astros.

He pitched an inning, gave up one hit, had an unearned run, walked one with no strikeout. So again, Diamondbacks have not had very many players of Japanese descent, something Damon and I have discussed, something we think needs to be corrected, something we need more of, considering how good those players from Japan can be. But another very, very important,

I guess, occasion that happened on this date, not on this date, but during this week, on July 26, 2015, Randy Johnson, special assistant to the president's CEO of the Diamondbacks, as you know, that's what most people know them for, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame

in Cooper's 10th, New York alongside of Craig Beggio, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz. Randy Johnson became the first player in history to Don a Debeck's hat when being immortalized in the Hall of Fame. And that was like such a big deal. I know most people don't realize that, but, you know, Randy picking us felt amazing. I mean, and it made sense. He had his best years of his career here.

but I think everybody figured it was going to be a foregone conclusion that he was going to go in as a mariner. So I really do feel like him putting on the Diamondbacks hat for the hall was a big deal, was a big deal. And also, really good pitcher that Randy Johnson, aside from being a special assistant to the president and CEO. Last but not least, we got one more thing that happened, and this was on July 24th, 2020, six years ago tomorrow.

it was opening gay during the pandemic. It's crazy to think, Damon, that right now we'd be one day away from opening day. Like right now in 2020, we were getting the news, you know, or we were all prepping. It was finally time. We were finally going to get baseball back. And it simply meant everything to us. Incredible. Madison Bumgarner was on the mound for the Diamondbacks that day, by the way.

He pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up four hits, three earned runs, three walks, and four-K. Very Madison. That's actually a good day for Madison-Bum-Garner as a Diamondback. If I'm not lying. It was a two-to-seven loss to the Padres, though, unfortunately. And that is your look back at this day, on this day, on this week, I should say, in history.

I always do the day thing, but rarely can I nail the day. Rarely is it on the day. We're going to take a quick break, and on the other side of this break, we are going to take the trip down to Snake Farm to see how some of the Diamondbacks prospects are faring, especially a few guys that have recently been promoted. Don't you go anywhere.

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This time I'm going to be with us. This time we're all going to be together, and we're all going to be at Chase Field, taking over Chase Field on August 25th versus the Chicago Cubs for an all-you-can-eat-all-you-can-eat-all-you-can-eat-all-you-can-eat-all-you-can-eat-all-you-a-ccote-old-old-a-cou-h a shirt or a hat, plus die-hard, you, in fact, get 20% off. And most importantly, we get to go watch them take on the Cubs. A Cubs team that they are probably going to be,

locked into a wildcard race with at that point, it looks like. I've seen some people talking about the fact that right now we are in third place behind the Phillies and the Cubs, and as satisfied as we are about having a wildcard spot, those folks are like, let's go for the jugular and take out the Phillies. And when I say those folks, I mean Damon. That's the exact energy Damon brings when it comes to this.

We're not settling for third. We're going for second. We might even go for the first overall wildcard spot. Watch your back, Chicago. We're coming for you. But again, like I said, the Diamondbacks have had a lot of help from their farm system this year. A lot of guys have made an impact already, including just recently in this series against the athletics. So let's take a look at a couple of guys that we haven't had a chance to talk about much this year,

but have had some pretty nice seasons overall here. And a few of them have just been recently promoted. We have Gavin Conticello that I talked about the other day, who was recently promoted. to AAA Reno. He has been killing it so far. He has a 333 batting average with a 455 on base percentage and a 555 slug for a 1010 OPS. Now that's in a very limited sample size. So I'm not going to go crazy on that. Overall, on the year, Conticello has still had himself a good year, but the numbers don't look quite as good as they do immediately when he's in AAA Reno there. But I will say that He is an outfielder to watch and is a name that not a lot of people have really been bringing up much when it comes to the Diamondbacks potential outfield, you know, additions, right?

He is a, he bats left-handed, he throws right-handed. He plays right-field, third base, and first base. Mm-hmm. Just saying. And again, he, with the sod poodles, he slashed 270, 371, 471 for an 828 OPA. He's only had five games so far with the Reno Aces. Meanwhile, one of the guys that people can't stop talking about enough is Dmitrio Cresontes, who the Diamondbacks have coveted as one of their top prospects.

And he continues to literally kill it no matter where he is. These stats that you see in front of you for the Diamondbacks' third overall prospect is not just his AAA stats. These are his stats at four different levels this year combined. This is him doing it everywhere, and it's been impressive. He has a 315 batting average with a 413 on base percentage, a 552 slug, and a 965 OPS. This is Arizona Complex League. This is AA.

This is AAA. I mean, this man, right, as far as prospects that are tied to a rocket and soaring through the system, none are doing it as fast. as guys like Dmitrio Chrysantis and another guy that we've talked about a lot on this show, Manny Pena. So these are guys that with the rise that they've had. I mean, he was, again, in Hillsborough to start the year, Chrysantis. It's nuts. Started the year at High A, went to Amarillo, played in 35 games, and then was promoted to AAA Reno.

And he has a decent, like, amount of the season left here in AAA. Absolutely. You would think that this is a guy who's going to try to. force his hand onto the roster potentially next season. Yes, I agree. You know, via spring training. Like the way that he's risen through the minor league system is typically indicative of a guy that is absolutely a major league baseball player.

Absolutely. You couldn't be more right about that. And again, it's, it's Reno. So you're not going to learn much from him continuing to mash the ball in the PCL. Right now he's slashing 400, 400, 500, and 10 at bats. So again, I'm not going to get crazy about it. But still, he definitely feels like he is a guy that's going to have a huge impact on this organization overall as a player, right? So can't say enough about how exciting he is.

And then last but not least there is Dean Livingston, another name that a lot of people may not have heard much like Conticello. He is still at Vesalia, which is just a single A. But between the Arizona Complex League and Vesalia put up some impressive numbers himself as a starter. 2.55 ERA, 1.095 whip, he has 8.6 strikeouts per nine and 0.7 home runs per nine. Now, I will say that the reason why I had to dig up a guy from Vassalia is because that's how hard it is to find a prospect. That's a pitching prospect in their organization right now. That's putting up good numbers. I like Snake Farm to be a happy thing.

I like this to be a positive thing. I like to give credit where credits do. Sometimes I feel like we just got to take a look at how guys are. doing, especially guys like Jose Fernandez and others like Groover, guys that have been at a major league level and have gone back down just to keep an eye on them. But again, Snake Farm is usually a positive, happy thing. And the mayor here struggled quite a bit to find a positive pitcher in the system to currently talk about. I mean, even David Hagamon, who's currently at Hillsborough, has a mid, like a 4.6 ERA, something like that. So again, hard to find guys with very positive numbers

that are pitchers, especially, especially in Amarillo and Reno. And I don't need to revisit the reasons why that's the case. But again, we got ourselves a baseball game starting here at 2.15. We got Brandon fought on the mound. And we have all the reason to get revenge here against the Cardinals for making us fly back to the state of Missouri and play them today in a game that should have already taken place. So make sure to enjoy that.

Of course, you can follow us on social media. I am at cap underscore caveman with a K. Damon is at Damon dog with a DAWG, but as always, we're all Damon's dogs. Bark, bark. Our show is at PH&X underscore D-BACs, but all roads do lead to at pHNX underscore sports

on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. And again, people in the chat are talking about trading Seawald. I would love to see you try. Honestly, that was a conversation, Derek, that I was going to maybe bring up if it got to that place during our trade deadline discussion. Are you at all interested in bringing in a closing picture the way that Paul Seawalt has performed recently?

See, that's something that I feel like the Diamondbacks didn't think they were going to need to assess based on those arms returning. And Justin Martinez is still on track to return when he was supposed to, but that's still not until probably closer to the end of August and maybe even September. I don't know.

I don't know. Paul Seawald's just been such an anomaly this year. It's so hard to kind of... just giving up so many home runs. Yeah. And I mean, it's... I think Jesse tweeted it. This is...

He's one home run away from tying his most home runs he's ever given up in a season before. And there's still a lot of games left to play. A lot of games to play. Yeah. So that's not great. No. He also hasn't been given opportunities like the Diamondbacks are giving him at this point in his career, right? Even last year, he was not a closer anymore.

And the Diamondbacks bring him back and convert him back to a closer, which seemed to work out. for them for a long time, but I don't know how much longer it's going to. We've already seen Seawald as our closer do well and then fall apart, right? It's been very hit or miss with him in an Evax uniform. And again, you might even, you might just be saying, oh, like we did at one point, it was just four blown saves, but it was four blown saves in like the span of two weeks. So it got to the point where you're just pulling your hair out watching this man

cost us baseball games, especially considering how short they fell of the playoffs that particular year. Kind of makes me sick. So answer my question, Derek. You're not getting off Scott-free. Do I think they should? Yes. I mean, if money was no object and prospects were no object, bring me Mason Miller right now.

Well, money and prospects are an object in this context. And that doesn't mean that they're necessarily going to do this trade, but I'm saying, like, do you think they should? Would I want to? Yeah, but I would still prioritize that below first base and a starting pitcher. I'm more on board with a starting pitcher by far than I am because, again, you never know when a guy like Ryan Nelson, who has the best fastball in the game could be converted into a reliever and then he could be your temporary closer for the rest of the season. You also have J-Mart returning and that man might be able to get the job done. True. It's just can Seawald keep it together long enough. maybe they already have a guy in Brandon Garcia who they brought in to back up Seawald in several of those instances,

and he has had no problem coming into the ninth inning and being a certified G and a bona fide study. I think they need him as their lefty specialist, though. No, you're right. For right now. And A.J. Puck isn't coming back most likely this season or ever again for the Diamondback. So they just need Brandon Garcia as their lefty. You just love making me feel bad about that. I love saying it because it makes me sick to my stomach every single time.

And never again. And you're like, all right, Eric, I get it. Never again. Never again. Because I just can't believe it. I can't believe we're not going to see AJ. It's really unfortunate. Because we thought he was going to be the earliest one ready to go here. Yeah, absolutely.

He was supposed to be back before Corbyn Burns. Yeah, for sure. I'm on the same page as you, I think. I would want a closing option to be brought in. I don't think that they're going to do that. I think the Diamondbacks are, as we talk about all the time, they're such like a loyal organization. to a fault sometimes with their veterans,

where they'll just continue to let Pavin Smith go out there and take A-Bs for seven straight seasons where he's kind of hurting the team, you know, like 80% of the time mixed in of those seven years. Paul Seawald, you know, he hasn't been bad enough to really lose his job yet, but I think a lot of us are starting to kind of see the writing on the wall of like, this might not be all that sustainable.

And when he gets up there, we're not exactly filled with confidence that the ball's not going to go over the fence at this moment in time. So if they could get a decent closer for a solid price point, I would be very, very interested. You're right. It falls third on my totem pole of needs here. But I do think that they should take a real hard look at their closing options and say,

do we need to bring in somebody else that is probably an upgrade on Paul Seawald, if we're being completely honest. My problem with Paul Seawald right now at this point is, is that when he was having success, not to say it was a mystery, but it is a little harder to figure out when you're looking at his two-pitch mix and what his fastball maxes out at, why he's having the success he's having. And then when it gets hit hard, you're like,

right, that's, oh, that, there it is. That's what I'm waiting for. That's what I would expect to happen. Now, considering that it seems like his bad outings have been a little more frequent lately, my concern is, is that that information, that data can get out there, and teams can start analyzing what Seawald does wrong to let things fall apart, and perhaps that becomes more known, and he becomes even more susceptible to blowing saves and having bad outings.

Hope that's not the case, and I still feel like one of the things that Paul Seawald is so good at, is being a crafty veteran, understanding how to use the batters, whatever the situation is, whether they're a patient batterer, whether they're aggressive, whether they're young, use whatever their weaknesses are against them, and basically his intelligence as a pitcher is his biggest asset. It's definitely not his velocity of his fastball.

It's definitely not his pitch mix, right? So it's his knowledge of the game and knowledge of how to get hitters out. So that still gives me confidence that even though he's been rocked a few times, that he can still go in there and save games for this team and be a guy that has ice water running through his veins in the ninth inning. I just also think I saw Paul Seawald be more upset with that. himself in the dugout after that blown save than I've ever seen him before. And I do think that ruining a young rookie's major league debut probably added to that fire a little bit for him. But I also

think that he's as fed up with that happening to him as we are of watching it. So, I mean, I can understand how as an organization you might still believe in that man and not feel that that needs to be an area you need to address, especially considering you can say, all right, well, if he's not good. Hopefully in a few weeks we'll have J-Mart back and we can kind of switch over and, you know, utilize Branding Garcia and J-Mart a bit more in that spot. I don't love it, though, and I'm with you. I mean, if the Diamondbacks had the deep, robust farm system to pull off these trades, then I would feel like they should assess all three of these shortcomings that they currently have. I think they have a good enough farm system to make whatever trade that they want to.

It's just about whether or not you are willing to give up the prospects that are required, because they have a lot of guys that are on the precipice of becoming major leaguers, of establishing themselves as major leaguers, Walt Schmidt, Troy, and then you think about, like, you know, kind of like the cream of the crop of the minors this year,

Pena, um, Cresontes, like they have really, really good players in this, or in this organization. But I don't want them to get rid of them for just temporary, you know,

no, no, no, I don't think that you necessarily should. I just think that, like, for example, like when I brought it up the other day,

I think Gino Grover, Lou James Gruver is a guy that, I mean, he's on the, right on the cusp of being a major league baseball player. But would you really be that upset if the Diamondbacks traded him away to get a starting pitcher? I wouldn't. I think the thing about some of those guys is like a lot of the prospects that have the same timeline have played the same position. So it's like who truly is going to be your infielders of the future? A lot of second baseman. A lot of second baseman, a lot of third baseman, right?

So who's going to be your shortstop of the future beyond Pardomo? And knowing how long you have Pardomo extended for and how young he is, what's the timing on that? Right. It can't be a guy that's in AAA right now. You're not having that man sit around for years waiting to get his shot at shortstop. If anything, they're taking guys that are playing those positions that are blocked by extended superstars, and they're converting them to other positions. That's the reason why we're seeing Jose Fernandez play other infield positions and Groover play first base

another annual position. Right, Payna, right? It's going to happen because in order for those guys to come up and be on the major league roster, they can't play second base because Katel's there. They can't play short stop. My dream is that Chrysantis does play second base and Katel moves to DH. That wouldn't be the worst thing, especially at that point in his career. That's my long-term dream.

Maybe two years from now, you know, Katel's, you know, into his 30s pretty well into his 30s at that point. Yeah. I think that wouldn't be a bad way to preserve. your best hitter's body and also get another pretty, pretty solid bat it looks to be in Cresontes into the lineup. That's that's way ahead of where we are right now in the timeline. That's kind of what they're doing right now with Gabby and James McCann to an extent, right? Like Gabby has played more DH this year than we expected him to play.

And a big reason why is because when McCann came back from the injury, they felt comfortable with both of those guys being in there. They know McCann gives them something that Gabby doesn't as far as his experience goes. But Gabby... I think that they also know that their D.H situation sucks. So getting both those backs in the lineup sometimes is the best that you can do. Correct. Because not only does McCann bring you a bat, but he brings you a great mind behind the plate that can work with pitchers and help pitchers improve. Not to say Gabby's not capable of that.

But, I mean, Gabby right now is on a tear. He's one of, like I said, he's the most, not one of the most consistent hitter on this team right now. So we need his bat in there every day. When you're a catcher, you can't play every day. You just can't. So having Gabby in there is DH and letting James McCann almost become a primary catcher for a little while and having Gabby more backing him up kind of makes sense because that schedule can keep Gabby in the lineup more than just having him be a catcher primarily. And then have it because you can't give a catcher a DH day as an off day. A catcher needs true off days throughout the season because of how rigorous that position requires, you know, is.

just in general. Plus, Tori never likes playing his catcher, you know, 130 games. He loves having his catchers stay fresh and be able to rotate them. It's just we had to deal with Jose Herrera back there for so long, whereas McCann actually gives you something on both sides of the ball. But I don't know. Stanley says, will they trade for a starting pitcher? Remains to be seen, Stanley.

I think so. We will. I think they will. I mean. I mean. I think that this stretch recently is. has proven in my case in everything he needs to see to buy for this team. We've talked,

a month ago, he was saying he wants to buy. How about what they've been able to do with the big three struggling as they have? Not to say they all didn't contribute to that big 50s and five. You can't tell, Derek, you can't tell me that I'm the one that makes the show long. You're bringing up that topic right now.

You did it this time, though. I was literally in the rap. I was land in the plane. You brought up a comment about the closing pitchers and I asked a question. It was meant to be a quick answer. The landing gear was down. You're talking about James McCann.

Now we're flying around the airport. We got a circle around again. Don't put that on me. I asked you about Paul Seawall. You're over here talking about James McCain and Gabby Moreno. Your entire argument right now is making the show longer. You know what, Derek, you just, it's your show. You want me on screen and then you don't want me to talk.

There he goes. He threw his headset and he's out of here. We're not even going to wrap the show up because there's. There's no one behind the Mac anymore, so that's the way this is going to end. But we love you guys. We appreciate you, and we are here to fight for you. Jason says, whoa, Derek, what is that shirt with the pink snake? This guy.

If you've seen them in the team shop, it's got a sugar skull on the back with baseballs. Love this shirt. But anyway, we love you. We thank you guys for stopping by. Again, gave you our socials earlier, but cap underscore caveman, Damon, dog with the DAWG, PHNX underscore DBEX. And of course, all roads lead to at PHNX underscore Sports. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Thank you, guys. We love you. We appreciate you. We'll see you here tomorrow for another post game show. Until then, have yourselves a wonderful Thursday. Go D-Backs in St. Louis. And remember kids, baseball is fun.

But it's so much more fun when you just adjust the time for baseball games on rainy days, and you don't have to make us fly back to Missouri weeks later.