PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - WHY The D-backs Should Target Ryan Helsley To TRANSFORM Their Bullpen

Episode Date: November 18, 2025

Ryan Helsley is one of the the elite closers available on the free agent market and we discuss why adding him could transform the Diamondbacks’ bullpen. We also dive into Corbin Carroll’s 2026 MVP... potential, including the MLB records he could realistically chase to help him edge out Shohei Ohtani. Plus, we ponder why Fangraphs would suggest the D-backs would trade Drey Jameson to a team that still believes in him as a starter when Arizona desperately needs starting pitching.JOIN THE SUPPORTERS CLUB ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/yc6km2r4An ALLCITY Network ProductionSUBSCRIBE to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/phnx_youtubeALL THINGS PHNX: http://linktr.ee/phnxsportsMERCH https://store.allcitynetwork.com/collections/phnx-lockerALLCITY Network, Inc. aka PHNX and PHNX Sports is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by the City of PhoenixPHNX Events: Get your tickets to PHNX events and takeovers here: https://gophnx.com/events/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/APS:  Find instant rebates, discounts and special offers on smart thermostats, energy-efficient appliances and more at https://marketplace.aps.com/default/heating-cooling/smart-thermostatsBranded Bills: Use code BBPHNX at https://www.brandedbills.com/ for 15% off your first order!Husband & Wife Law Team: If you’ve had a serious injury, Call The Husband & Wife Law Team first at 602-783-8841 or visithttps://husbandandwifelawteam.com/?utm_source=allcity-padcasts&utm_medium=digital-phx&utm_campaign=allcityShowNotesChicken N’ Pickle: Family friendly fun awaits! Visit chickennpickle.com to plan your visit today!Access Auto Insurance Agency of Arizona, LLC (Access Auto) is a renowned agency offering personal and commercial auto insurance options to Arizona residents. If you’re on the hunt for a new policy, call Access Auto today at 1-480-400-0546 or get a free insurance quote by visiting our website www.access-insurance.com.Visit https://www.macu.com/accounts/checking/mystyle-checking?cid=ea-PHNX-AZ-mystyleAugust2025-checking to learn more about their MyStyle Checking Accounts!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 35% off polarized sunglasses. Try for yourself the shades rated 5 stars by over 300,000 people. Circle K: Join Inner Circle for free by downloading the Circle K app today! Head to https://www.circlek.com/store-locator to find Circle Ks near you! Monarch: Use Monarch to get control of your overall finances with 50% off your first year at https://www.monarchmoney.com/phnxWhen 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.#dbacks #diamondbacks #arizonadiamondbacks #mlb #zacgallen #corbincarroll #ketelmarte #mlbtheshow #mlbtraderumors #tradedeadline #traderumors #allstargame  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 I am going to give you all of the reasons today why the D-Backs shouldn't walk. They should run to sign Ryan Helsley as their closer for the 2026 season. Plus, MLB dove into who around Major League Baseball could usurp Shohei Otani for the MVP crown? And it would appear Corbyn Carroll is him. And we are going to talk about all of the reasons how Corbyn Carroll could get that done. All of this in 30 seconds, don't you go in here. And happy Tuesday to you all. Welcome in to another edition of the PHNXDVX.
Starting point is 00:00:41 podcast live from Studio K, presented by our friends at Circle K. It is I, your mayor of P.HNX, occasionally known as Derek Montia. Thrilled to have you guys here on a rainy Tuesday in Phoenix, Arizona. We love the rain around here. In fact, I was at an outdoor concert last night, once again, out way past my bedtime. And we got rained on, and it was a religious experience. It was wonderful. So thrilled to have you guys here, of course, this.
Starting point is 00:01:11 show is brought to you by our friends at GameTime. Make sure to download that GameTime app right now. Create an account and use our code of PHNX for $20 off your purchase. That is off your first purchase and that is those already low ticket prices that you can get last minute from GameTime. Terms do apply. And again, yeah, just like the concert I went to last night. Very last minute, Megaran calls me up. He tells me that he is performing with one half of the moldy peaches from the movie, if you remember, the movie Juno featured their music. That's what got them popular in the 2000s there. Kimya, shout out to Kimia Dawson. Happy birthday to her yesterday. It was a pleasure to meet her. And again, a pleasure to meet somebody who one of their songs is on my forever playlist. So it was very cool.
Starting point is 00:01:56 And again, last minute, last minute. I was not ready to go out. I was very much enjoying just being home, being off, being out of the weather. I had my shoes off. My wife was home. My wife was home. and we were going to have a lovely evening, and instead I, last minute, had to ditch my family to go hang out in the rain with famous people once again. You know, that's some things you have to do sometimes. But it's what makes life enjoyable sometimes. Speaking of making life enjoyable, I got Noah here on the ones and twos today in lieu of Damon Dogg. And he always makes things enjoyable around here.
Starting point is 00:02:30 Things get weird when Noah is involved. So I'm glad to have him here today. We have a lot to talk about. it is deadline day. And I'm sure none of that news is going to occur before the end of this episode. But we will remind you once again, all that is on the line today.
Starting point is 00:02:48 The Arizona Diamondbacks have two very big looming deadlines that we discussed yesterday. Those doom, dooming deadlines? That might be foreshadowing. Those looming deadlines are both the Diamondbacks roster decisions as far as their Rule 5 eligible players and if Zach Gallen does in fact accept that qualifying offer, he is one of 13 free agents that were tagged with qualifying offers.
Starting point is 00:03:14 For those of you that may not know, every free agent that receives a qualifying offer receives the same amount. There were 13 free agents that are expected to at least consider the $22.025 million offer, though less than half of them are not expected to seriously be considered. considering it all. I think Zach Gallen falls right in the middle as far as whether he would accept that offer or not, but again, still remains to be seen. I think it is still very much in favor of him not accepting that offer, as quite frankly it is in favor of most of these free agents that are
Starting point is 00:03:52 here pending one more year with their team or to explore the free agent market. It feels like most of those players do feel like they have an advantage by going out testing the free agent waters. They can still at the end of the day, resign with their teams. It's not even like the qualifying offer declining the qualifying offer is the end of the road for Zach Gallin's time with the Diamondbacks or any players. Similar to the situation with Merrill Kelly, right? Trading Merrill Kelly away does not mean that the Diamondbacks cannot bring him back here as a free agent this offseason, but it seems unlikely, right? And we have until 2 p.m. to find out today. use daylight savings time. Daylight savings time once again screws us. We don't want to have anything
Starting point is 00:04:36 to do with daylight savings time here in Arizona. We try our best to abstain from that ridiculous practice. We're not farmers. We work in office buildings that are tall. That's the way this worked. We don't need daylight savings time around here. And that's why we refuse to acknowledge it. However, due to the change, instead of the deadline being 1 p.m. Arizona time as it should be, It is now 2 p.m. And we will have to wait until tomorrow to discuss this news. We will be discussing it with Jesse Friedman on Wednesday's show, so we're excited to find out.
Starting point is 00:05:07 But again, it just gives me another opportunity to say, damn you, daylight savings time. Meanwhile, MVP candidate Corbyn Carroll, perhaps. We will see what happens in 2026, but MLB.com posted an article yesterday or today, I believe it was yesterday, basically naming an MVP candidate for each team in 2020. 26. Who could possibly usurp
Starting point is 00:05:30 Shohei Otani and his current evil reign over the MVP crown? Damon, Damon's not here, and this would be a perfect Damon question, and I'm sorry Noah to thrust this upon you, but I know that I already know what his answer would be. So I guess this is perfect to ask you.
Starting point is 00:05:51 Is it suspicious that he named the dog decoy? Is it suspicious that he named his dog decoy decoy like you don't name your dog decoy and it's a real weird thing
Starting point is 00:06:06 to just have with you at all times a decoy like what kind of criminal doesn't think of that decoy? Yeah that is that's messed up it's suspicious right
Starting point is 00:06:19 the dog doesn't deserve that he's an adorable dog but decoy I don't know he knows what he's doing unless somebody that doesn't like him named his dog for him, then he's like, because he's like, I don't know that word in English. Right.
Starting point is 00:06:33 Right. Right. So, sure. It's awesome in Japanese, right? Yeah. And it actually is. It is. It is really cool sounding in Japanese. But I'm suspicious of decoy and why you would name your dog that. Just seems like you're like you're planning evidence on your dog or you're, again, you're, you're having your dog run interference between you and the FBI or, you know, law enforcement agents.
Starting point is 00:06:52 I'm just saying. I'm just saying. But anyway, back to the actual conversation. here, and that is Corbyn Carroll as an MVP candidate. Apparently, according to this article, Carol obviously was a revelation in his rookie year, and everybody knows that he won that rookie of the year title two seasons ago. And again, he didn't quite match those numbers in 2024, but 2025 he did. He came back and he led the NL and triples again with 17. He added more power with the home runs. He got the first 30-30 season there in Diamondback's
Starting point is 00:07:26 history. And he's just an incredible player. He is a five-tool player that, quite frankly, is very capable of being an MVP candidate, right? I think that we all know what he is. We, we, I think everybody agrees that Geraldo Perdomo was the MVP of this team in 2025. However, I think the one thing I think of with Corby and Carroll is that he is always striving to get better. And with all the records he set and everything he did, everything he was capable of in 2025, you can only imagine him getting better. There were a lot of things that he still didn't do very well, and there were still some things that it felt like he was in, like the process of getting better at, including being a better defender,
Starting point is 00:08:10 having a better arm, taking better routes to balls, in general, things like that. There were still a lot of things that he could work on to get better at them overall. But like his base stealing ability is no question. Realistically, it just felt like last year he almost had too much power to steal bases. He constantly found himself on second and third instead of those opportunities at first base. And right now, really what Corbyn Carroll needs is a little bit more plate discipline. His strikeouts were up last year and his walks went down. And I think that if Carol can find a way to improve his on-base percentage, leading to more stealing opportunities, just leading to more base runners, leading to more chaos on the base path for the Diamondbacks, it will not only help
Starting point is 00:08:52 this team and this offense be even better than they were in 2020. 25, but I think it could actually lead to MVP considerations for Corbyn Carroll. Like this is one of those articles that just puts out a candidate for every team. So it's your typical offseason fodder, your typical offseason content where it's just grabbing who they think is going to be the best player in 2026. Now, it does seem like it could be Corbyn Carroll's turn, right? It's like Catel Marte, Geraldo Podomo, now Corbyn Carroll. And again, if he can find a way to maintain his power outposts,
Starting point is 00:09:25 I think, or increase it, I think that that right there is going to be a big way for him to be in that MVP consideration. Everything else he does in his game is solid. And if you can maintain that and become an even better defender, obviously that, that shores that up. But if we're seeing 30 plus homers again while maintaining a high slugging percentage because of his ability to get those extra bags and a high on base percentage because he can increase those walks, get on first more, those steals, then that could lead to that MVP caliber season, right? The steals are, that, that is it. I mean, him being dangerous on the base path is really, I think, one of the keys. Like, Corbyn will probably have to set records in Major League Baseball in order for him to be
Starting point is 00:10:14 considered an MVP candidate. But if you're talking about a guy that can do that, it's Corby Carroll. He's already set team records. It already looks like he could, you know, set MLB records, or at least match things that historically great players have done. He was already in conversation last year with guys like Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio. Once your name starts getting thrown around in that conversation, I think you are already entering the MVP conversation. But, you know, again, it's about obviously staying healthy throughout the season. That's the biggest thing for any player to be considered MVP is durability and health.
Starting point is 00:10:48 I feel like Corbyn has had some health issues in the past. hopefully he can be at 100% and again continue to work, continue to get better in certain areas, but be at 100% next year, which I don't really feel like we've seen him at 100% ever since that weird shoulder injury that ended up not really being a shoulder injury. It just felt like everything changed with Corby and Carroll since then, and I do feel like, again, there is definitely a path here to him being healthy, staying durable, and being around the entire season to kind of rack. up the numbers that he would need to wreck up.
Starting point is 00:11:24 You know, the Otani impact here is just the fact that he is the huge offensive threat that he is and the incredible offensive player he is. And on top of that, he happens to be one of the best pitchers in baseball, right? So it's just a very difficult thing to overcome those two things that Otani is, right? But again, that's where the defense and having a high war contribution from his defense, having again those stellar numbers that made him a gold glove finalist but maybe a gold glove winner
Starting point is 00:11:55 in 2026 could be that key outs above average getting those defensive run saved those things are going to be the statistics that drive his war and make him a better defender and again we've already seen a huge improvement in his arm in the outfield so there's so many things about Corbyn
Starting point is 00:12:13 that make him a great baseball player but his defense right now is improving and that's I guess scary for opposing teams because he was already a very good defender and you feel like overall the defensive contributions are a big factor here for any player that hopes to steal the crown away from Otani, right? It has to come at that. However, the biggest impact isn't necessarily in Corbyn Carroll's control.
Starting point is 00:12:39 The biggest impact is team success, right? An MVP, by definition, should lead their team to success. it is the reason why I completely understand Shohei Otani being a unanimous MVP and I still have my gripes about Aaron Judge, right? There are things there that you have to consider and I know that a lot of these awards and a lot of these decisions are made prior to what happens in the postseason.
Starting point is 00:13:05 So it is what it is. But again, Otani is the reason why the Dodgers were as good as they were. And you can't really say the same thing about Corbyn Carroll in 2025, right? We said that Heraldo Pardomo absolutely made the case for that. He was our MVP, and the voting showed that by him finishing fourth overall. But Corbyn Carroll did receive his fair share of voting. And I think when you finish in the top 10 of MVP voting, you are recognized as being one of the elite players in your league. And Carol got that acknowledgement, right? But I think that, again, the team's success is what is going to drive the ability for any player on this team to be in. an MVP candidate or an MVP in consideration for an MVP. It's the reason why I literally booed the idea of Juan Soto even being on there, right? The Mets had an epic collapse. I don't care what Juan Soto did. Nothing of his contributions did not help that team be anything, right? They fell at the end. And if you're not going to award like Hualdo Pardomo with that finalist acknowledgement,
Starting point is 00:14:09 then I don't feel like Juan Soto deserved it either. But that that's it. Like with an MVP, the success of the team has to go that way. So the Diamondbacks need to surprise people. They need to come out in a similar fashion to what the Phoenix Sons have done this year and just be a team that nobody expects a lot out of. Maybe that lack of expectations, the lack of pressure on this team
Starting point is 00:14:31 will allow them to succeed and will allow them to surprise many. And if Corby and Carroll can be, you know, the face of that, the front of that, then it's going to be, you know, that that's going to drive him to be an MVP candidate. It's all about the narrative. It's all about, like, the branding of Corbyn Carroll as the face of this team and being the face of the franchise.
Starting point is 00:14:52 Like, like you said, Jason Armstrong said, Jerry for team captain, stitch that C on his uni now, right? Like, Corbyn Carroll is not going to be the captain of this team. I don't think he has the desire to do so to be that kind of front role, like actual team captain in the way that Herald-Prodomo, a vocal leader amongst his peers. But I also think that like Corbyn Carroll, again, is a guy that doesn't, that understands everything going on and very much understands how to support his teammates and be a great teammate and be a leader by example. Similar to other guys on this team in the past that I've said that about, that I felt like that leader role was thrust upon them simply because they were the best player on the team. And I think that's, that's confusion, I think. if you expect the best player on the team to also be the leader of the team, you're confusing those two roles, right?
Starting point is 00:15:49 And I think far too often that's who people look to, right? Corby and Carroll can easily be the best player on this team while Geraldo Protomo continues to be the captain, to be the leader of this team on the field, right? So, and again, I think that that, you know, again, the narrative of Corbyn Carroll being kind of the face of the franchise, it's what's more important than him being the actual leader. Again, though, it's going to take a lot. And this article didn't really dive into it and didn't dive into what it would actually take for Carol
Starting point is 00:16:19 to be a leader. And I do think that the team success, number one, right? The number one thing is team success. But if Carol can make some personal achievements and make MLB history in 2026, then that is another surefire way for him to at least be in that conversation or perhaps even still be the, you know, a top MVP candidate, right?
Starting point is 00:16:42 I think the number one thing that Carol has the ability to do is potentially get the triples record, right? I mean, historically, that's not the hardest achievement to get. And Corbyn had, I believe, 17 in 2025. So I do believe that, you know, something like a triple record, some sort of base running record, perhaps, of, you know, like the fastest time to third base in 2025, which he had in, you know, or I'm sorry, he had the fastest time from first base to third base in 2025. He continues to be the fastest guy on the planet and rack up records there when it comes to some of those numbers, even if they're just speed numbers. It could absolutely be that.
Starting point is 00:17:29 But again, it's going to take like a historic combination season for Corbyn, like we saw last year, right? the power speed combo, 40 home runs, 30 stolen bases, something like that. Corbyn already did have some amazing seasons, 20 home runs, 50 stolen basins in the prior season. I think if Corbyn Carroll can somehow achieve a 30-60 season out next season, which has only been accomplished by Ronald Acuna, the only player Major League Baseball to do so, then I think that right there is a very feasible way for him to enter that conversation. You pair a 30-60 season with a winning record for the Diamondbacks. It's hard not to at least consider Corby and Carol for MVP,
Starting point is 00:18:19 have him at least be a finalist in that category or at least part of that conversation. All right, well, we are done worrying about that. We don't need to worry about Corby and Carroll really getting the MVP overall. we need this team to win. And that's, again, the most important factor in doing that. And that's the most important factor in our hearts. That's what we need. We need that. We're a sad sports town lately. And other than those Phoenix Suns I talked about earlier, a lot of our teams are letting us down. So we were going to talk about one man the Diamondbacks could bring in in 2026. We could help this team improve and turn things around. And that is Closer Ryan Helsley. And we're doing this one specifically for
Starting point is 00:18:59 Yoshi. We got you piece of Yoshi. Don't worry. We're bringing it. in his favorite closer. We're going to talk about that on the other side of this break. Don't you go anywhere. You're watching the PHNX Diamondback show. Well, our friends at Branded Bills can help your brand stand apart
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Starting point is 00:20:51 game day vibe. Find your local Rallyhouse location today and shop their entire product assortment online at Rallyhouse.com. All right. Well, we got a rivalry brewing in the chat between Max and BC and it's good times. A good times 100%. I love when people in the chat want to fight with each other. That's my favorite. We haven't had enough of that lately. Rex has been missing, so I'm feeling lonely when it comes to fighting with people. Piece of Yoshi might want to fight me on this next segment because we are discussing another free agent that the Diamondbacks could potentially go after this offseason. And piece of Yoshi says, do you think this is funny, suggesting Ryan Helsley coming here?
Starting point is 00:21:39 I think it's hilarious. And that is because I do think Ryan Helsley is still an elite relief pitcher in Major League Baseball, one that became a dominant closer back in 2022 with just an elite strikeout ability and very much a high leverage pitcher that the Diamondbacks could use as their closer of the future. In fact, just one season ago, not in 2025, when he came in and, ruined the Mets season. In 2024, he was named National League reliever of the year for the St. Louis Cardinals. And again, he's had himself an amazing career, just not an amazing
Starting point is 00:22:19 2025. And that's really what it comes down to it, right? A few look at some of his recent numbers here is 2025 season didn't go very well. And a big part of it was his tenure specifically with the New York Mets. Now, when he was with the St. Louis Cardinals, he was a closer, and he had an ERA right around three. When he was traded to the Mets, his ERA ballooned above seven,
Starting point is 00:22:47 and his numbers for the year ended up looking pretty atrocious, as you can see here on the screen. He had an ERA for 2025 of 4.50, a whip of 1.536, a FIP of 4.14, 21 strikeouts, and two point, or excuse me, strikeout, 21 saves, excuse me, and a 2.52 strikeout to walk ratio. That was in 56 innings pitch in 2025. Meanwhile, his career numbers look much better. And this is the reason why, as far as my interest in Ryan Heldsley believes that if you can get this man back to being a closer, at 31 years old,
Starting point is 00:23:26 I do believe that he still has a lot left to offer as a relief pitcher, an elite relief pitcher, Major League Baseball. His career number is 2.96 ERA, a 1.173 whip, a 3.305 saves, and a 2.86 strikeout to walk ratio. Again, 377 career strikeouts, 319 and 2 thirds innings pitched in nearly 300 games all in relief. He has 105 their career saves. And again, dating back to the 2002 season, he was elite. as a reliever, he went 9-1 with a 1.25 ERA. He had 94 strikeouts and 19 saves. But 2024, when he had the NL reliever of the year award, he was incredible. He led MLB with 49 saves.
Starting point is 00:24:14 He had an ERA of 2.04 over 66 in the third inning's pitched, and he had 79 strikeouts. So again, why, especially here in this case, do we feel like Ryan Housley would be a good fit? Well, of course, there is always the slightly used aspect here, right? A bad 2025 season, especially a bad second half of 2025 season, definitely diminished his value overall. And I believe that, again, much like what we talked about with Devin Williams,
Starting point is 00:24:49 who according to another MLB.com article may not be as cheap, as we were alluding to on the show, the season he had might impact his value. and the Diamondbacks ability to afford him overall. He's still an elite closer with an elite closer experience. He's proven that he can handle high leverage situations, and that's something that the Diamondbacks, quite frankly, need. They need a competitive pitcher late in games that can win them ball games, and that's what Ryan Hellsley can do.
Starting point is 00:25:16 He's a strikeout pitcher. He pitches. He is not afraid to attack batters. And again, that's something that the Diamondbacks don't technically have. It feels like certain pitchers in the bullpen specifically kind of shy away from these big moments or shy away from attacking batters. He's racked up 377 strikeouts and 320 innings pitch, making him again one of the most effective one-inning relievers in Major League Baseball history. Plus, his track record of success shows that he's not a flash
Starting point is 00:25:48 in the pan. He's had far more success in his career over the past few seasons than he did just for one portion of a year for a New York Mets team, specifically a New York Mets team. Specifically, a New York Mets team that only used him kind of as a bullpen arm and not a closer because they had Edwin Diaz. Right. That's another situation here to consider is that Ryan Heldsley was taken out of the role that he was comfortable in, that he knew, that he had success in, and was just another arm out of the bullpen. I don't know how much that impacted him, but we know that baseball players are kind of creatures
Starting point is 00:26:21 of habit. They are routine. They like routine. They like to, you know, know what they are going to do, what they're a role. goal is going to be. And I think that perhaps moving him to the pen and using him specifically out of the pen is the reason why we saw that 2025 regression. That regression is a big reason why I think the Diamondbacks could afford him. And again, it's just based on a small amount of time, right? So perhaps teams, perhaps other teams don't view that as being anything that impacts their
Starting point is 00:26:53 view on his value or bringing him back. I do know that there's strong consideration. from the St. Louis Cardinals to bring him back to their organization, as he is kind of beloved there in St. Louis. But overall, you know, again, his 4.50 ERA and his 1.54 whip in 2025 could be concerning to teams. His whip suggests, though, again, allowing more base runners. That specifically was more of the problem than just his high ERA, because that's more on him. And again, he, you know, he's a guy that throws a lot of strikes that tends to, in general, be something. that regression sees and numbers start to go up. And many might believe that this is where that starts for him, right? We have seen the Diamondbacks go after the best pitchers in baseball.
Starting point is 00:27:42 And again, even with Corbyn's injury aside, his first few starts were not exactly what we wanted to see. I remember it not necessarily being on him and being a bit more on the defense behind him. However, you know, it's just disappointing to go out and pay as much as you did for a guy like Burns. and not come out and watch and pitch eight innings of 12 strikeout baseball and just be like, yeah, we got our guy. And I don't know when the last time the Diamondbacks felt that about a free agent pitcher that they went out and acquired, where he just came in and was lights out. We were like, hell yeah.
Starting point is 00:28:13 There are guys that they've traded for. There are guys that they brought in from other teams. I think Ryan Thompson, quite frankly, in 2023, was a godsend with how good he was. But again, just inconsistent. And I do think that Ryan Thompson could still be a part of a really good bullpen that includes Brian Helsley, but adding Helsley as the closer, once again, lets all of these other guys in the pen know what their role is. And the pen needs to be addressed here,
Starting point is 00:28:38 and that one move could potentially be enough. I don't know if the Diamondbacks have enough pitching for that necessarily to be the thing that sets them up for success in the first half, but you feel so much better about that bullpen if Ryan Helsley comes in, takes over that closer role, and from there you can start stacking your guys up as to who you can trust and who you believe in high leverage situations. Perhaps someone like a Brandon Garcia fills in as your eighth inning guy. Perhaps you even see like Rashy or, you know,
Starting point is 00:29:10 Ryan Thompson fill in there as an eighth inning guy or a seventh inning guy there as you get closer to the end of the game, right? But, you know, again, bolstering that back end of the bullpen is important for Arizona. And if they want to compete 2026, they have to address it either through trades or three free agency. and it just feels like his, obviously, his poor performance in New York is something easy to overlook. That's probably just easy, you know, not just easy for the Diamondbacks. It's probably easy for a lot of MLB teams to overlook. But overall, Ryan Helsley splits here, like I said, with the New York Mets versus the St. Louis Cardinals.
Starting point is 00:29:49 You know, a bit staggering overall. He had a 1.389 whip with the Mets. Meanwhile, 1.80. whip with, or that was with the Cardinals, 1.80 whip with the Mets. He had a 3.00 ERA with the St. Louis Cardinals, 7.20 whip with the Mets. And again, it wasn't a small sample size. It was 22 games and, you know, let's see here, 20 innings pitched for the New York Mets. So it's big enough for it to be a concerning sample size, a concerning number. I just think, again, the Diamondbacks right now to bring in a guy that's going to return to a closer role and perhaps feel more comfortable than taking over that role,
Starting point is 00:30:29 you might have to just make that risk. Whoever, once again, the Diamondbacks bring in, most likely isn't going to be a guy coming off one of the best seasons of his career. Mike Hazen has to be smart. He has to be savvy. He has to try to find a guy like this that hopefully the, you know, the season they had causes just a little bit of a Black Friday sale, just a little bit of a discount on what their price would be and it makes it reasonable enough for this team to open up their wallet and pay a closer like this. The moves, again, there's not going to be a lot
Starting point is 00:31:06 if the Diamondbacks try to go after elite pitching and that even includes someone like Ryan Halsley. But again, if you talk about complimenting the young arms that they already have in the bullpen with a closing, experienced, high-leverage arm at the back end, then this is your guy. And I think that if the Diamondbacks are going to spend on somebody, they should spend on a closer.
Starting point is 00:31:29 They are going to be without Justin Martinez and without A.J. Puck for the majority of the season. Right? We're not talking about, oh, just two or three months, like just, you know, 80 games of the 162 game season. That's not how this is going to be. It's going to be, they're going to be without those two gentlemen and Corbyn Burns for a very long time. But when that time comes after the All-Star break, this team, no matter what, can make a push for contention. They could completely be transformed.
Starting point is 00:31:59 They could literally come out of their cocoon being this ugly, you know, caterpillar that is now a beautiful butterfly in the second half. And it could all be because of what the bullpen looks like at that point. You add this shutdown closer that can help you win games in the first half. And then you come back and you're talking about a bullpen. after the All-Star break that has Ryan Helsley, A.J. Puck, Justin Martinez, Kevin Ginkle, Ryan Thompson, Andrew Salfrank. Perhaps some of those young guys take the first half to kind of step up into the spotlight and achieve for this team. Again, like a Brandon Garcia, who I strongly believe in, a Philip Abner, who seems like a certified G and a bona fide stud. And as you know,
Starting point is 00:32:41 you can't teach that, right? So like these guys perhaps have an opportunity in the first half of the season to become the studs they need. And then you add. Add Justin Martinez and AJ puck to that already, it just completely transforms this team. It just really, really does. But you kind of almost have to navigate this free agency season and how you're going to build this bullpen like if you don't have those guys at all, considering how much time you're missing them for. Their return will be a relief, as will Corbyn Burns. You also have a starter to be converted to a reliever there as well, right? Whoever is going to take over in the starting rotation, I mean, they're not going to go with the six-man rotation. injuries might happen. A lot of things could happen. But if everything goes the Diamondbacks way,
Starting point is 00:33:24 you get Corbyn's back a little bit ahead of schedule, and now you have the ability to convert whoever you had step into the starting rotation into that long reliever. And again, your bullpen seems very set. Your bullpen seems consistent top to bottom, and it feels like especially in the back end, your high leverage guys are going to be Ryan Halsley or a closer to be named later. A.J. Puck and Justin Martinez, that's your three lockdown guys. at the end of the game? I'm feeling much differently about that team, especially their ability to win playoff games
Starting point is 00:33:56 and make it to the playoffs, if that's what their bullpen looks like come the second half of the season, right? So that's that. But what will it cost? I don't know. Not a lot. It says around $13 million a year.
Starting point is 00:34:12 SpotTrack says it will take three years, 40 million, maybe a little bit over 40 million to get Helsley. My answer to that is yes. again, don't walk, run to sign this man. He'll be 34 by the end of a three-year deal, right? 34 years old, you're still in the prime of your career, essentially. You could argue that.
Starting point is 00:34:32 You could still even get like another four-year deal after that, potentially, right? But I'm just saying, like, as far as signing him to a three-year deal, I see no reason why the Diamondback shouldn't make that a priority, or at least be on the phone making calls about Ryan Ellsley. He might cost more than $40 million. In that case, again, you're starting to get north of $15 million a year. That's where the debacks can't really afford to invest that much in a closer. However, as we have discussed, as our friend Jesse Friedman wrote on go phnx.com at one time,
Starting point is 00:35:04 this franchise has just been forever saddled with a bullpen problem. And I don't know if Brian Helsley is the exact fix to that, but I feel like going out and adding an elite closer at this point to help you through the 100 games. you're going to have before you get back a Justin Martinez and AJ puck is essential. And then I think that when those guys return, if they can be as good as they were before missing time due to injury and surgery, then that's elite. That's pretty late. So Tim Big Riggins in the chat says three for 40 is a bargain. Yeah, I felt like it was,
Starting point is 00:35:39 I thought that was low too. And again, this is just an estimate. Who knows what it's actually going to cost? And again, once free agent relievers start signing with, teams, we'll see where the market goes. That's all going to be impacted and dictated by the market and what teams start paying guys, right? Josh Naylor is the first guy to get things kicked off. And we're going to talk about him finalizing his five-year deal. We're going to do that at the end of the show. But I still think that this Ryan Helsley thing is a great idea. You guys let me know what you think in the chat. We always love to hear from you guys. Carson said, do we think the debacks allow Hayeson to make that big of a gamble based on his track record on Helsley?
Starting point is 00:36:15 Oh, Carson, I don't know. You're right. You're on to something there. I just feel like you can't be gun shy because things in the past didn't work out, right? Like Jordan Montgomery, nobody saw that coming. And you can't expect or you can't know injuries. You still also can't blame injuries on anybody as much as we want to do so bad. We always want to blame somebody or find a cause. It's human nature. We want to blame Brian Kaplan. We want to blame the Debex training staff. I do think it's just. I do think it's just. just kind of a freak situation with how many injuries they had, but I'm also trying to be cautiously optimistic about this and not feel like guys got injured due to human error. I think injuries are just something you can't plan around. However, yeah, I think, Carson, you're on to something overall because I believe that is the exact reason why we already We see, you know, the Diamondbacks and Ken Kendrick talking about pulling back on spending. And that's, I think, a big reason why is because of the fact that their deals haven't worked out. And they are definitely not going to go out there and get any kind of top of the market starting pitcher again,
Starting point is 00:37:27 nor are they going to go out and get a top of the market reliever again. I think that is what you are discussing there, making, you know, having another big, big gamble. I don't know if three years and $40 million for Ryan Helsley is necessarily a gamble. I do think that he has a proven track record. I think that, again, the gamble is going to be whoever the Diamondbacks do go after, starting pitching or relief pitching-wise. It's probably going to be a guy, as I said before, that is coming off of a bad season. Not a bad career, not a bad proven track record.
Starting point is 00:38:02 Someone like Ryan Helsley, who quite frankly has a pretty good track record outside. of his time with the New York Mets in the second half of last season. So I don't know, but there's never a right answer. You just got to, you know, every signing to a certain degree has analytics, thought, experience, a group, a tribe coming together to make a decision like that. But at the end of the day, anytime you pay a player a ton of money to come to your team, you're still scratching a lottery ticket. You still are because you don't know what you're going to get until that man
Starting point is 00:38:36 has joined your franchise and is out there performing every day. And again, that's why as much as you got to put as much of that analytics, as much of their career numbers into it, but you're still taking a chance anytime you sign a reliever or a player, whether it's one of the best on the market or a long shot that you think is just going to bounce back and have a good season for you. So regardless, the Diamondbacks are going to have to figure out a way to budget everything. and if they do spend this kind of money on Ryan Helsley,
Starting point is 00:39:07 it's going to definitely restrict them on what they can do in the free agent market to fix their starting pitching rotation. I have one solution, and that solution is based on an angry ran I'm about to have because Fangraph suggested trading away Drey Jamison, and I hate that. Not that I hate the idea of making a trade for somebody who I love as much as Dre Jameson,
Starting point is 00:39:29 but their reason infuriates me, and we're going to talk about it on the other side of this break. Don't you go anywhere. you're watching the PHNX Diamondback Show. You know I love myself some pure edibles, and I might need some if the Diamondbacks end up trading one of my favorite players away in Dre Jamison. But that's only because I know Pure Edibles has some wonderful effects,
Starting point is 00:39:50 and one of those effects is calming me down. I tend to be an excitable boy, and I like the fact that a pure edibles, not only do they have a wide variety of candies, not just gummies, candies, hard candies, chew, soft candies. They also have their kicks, which are their version of Starburst, but they also have a wide variety of strains. So whatever mood I'm in, I can help fix my mood, whether I need to calm down or, quite frankly, I need to be happier, elevate my mood, make things more glorious.
Starting point is 00:40:15 Most importantly, I love to get a good night's sleep. And that's another thing pure edibles can help me with. But much like many collaborations that are happening in my life, right now, right now, like Cam Scataboo being at WWE last night, they have a wonderful collaboration with my favorite brewery in the state, Mother Road Brewing Company, and their wonderful IPA, all-station. Power station IPA, excuse me. It's their tower station IPA all in one, where right now you can get the smooth offering of THC all in a all in one device,
Starting point is 00:40:47 captures the crisp citrus and pining hops of Arizona's favorite IPA without the pouring, without the waiting, just a good tasting high whenever you want it. So if you are here in Arizona, check out local dispensaries and grab your tower station IPA all in one from Noble Road.
Starting point is 00:41:03 And also go find yourself some pure edel products from one of over 130 dispensaries across the state. And I've told you this before, but what pairs well with a stop by, pure edibles, or any dispensary, is a trip to Circle K. Go get yourself some snacks, get yourself something to drink. And right now, fill up your gas tank. Join the Inner Circle and you can save yourself 40 cents off per gallon on Thursday, November 20th, at participating Circle K locations across Arizona. Just got to get yourself registered.
Starting point is 00:41:31 It's really easy. Download and get enrolled. then you just use your phone number and score Circle K deals. And so while you're filling up your gas and saving 40 cents, go save yourself some more money. Go inside now that you're an inner circle member, get yourself a 79 cent polar pop, get yourself a 99 cent froster.
Starting point is 00:41:46 I love myself a slushy drink. And also save more on future gas purchases by getting yourself some Celsius. You buy yourself three 12 to 16 ounce Celsius and you will save 30 cents off per gallon on your next fill up. So join the Inner Circle for free right now by downloading the Circle K app today. Terms and conditions do apply at participating locations. Visit circlek.com for details. Ryan H says that mustache belongs on the nightly news.
Starting point is 00:42:13 Thank you, Ryan. I don't know if that's compliment or not. Somebody yesterday said I looked like a reliever from the 80s, and that is the exact look I was going for. So I'm very proud about that. Also, side note, Noah very much respected my mustache when I came in the office yesterday. It was like killer stash, looks great on you.
Starting point is 00:42:29 Then I revealed to him that it was due to a shaving mistake, and I think he lost all respect for me. I think all the respect for the mustache went right out the window. It was like, oh, this wasn't a choice. This was because you're a moron. Yeah, okay, no, I take it back. So it's understandable. A little bit.
Starting point is 00:42:43 A little bit. You didn't lose all respect. Just a little bit. Just a little bit. Because if it was a choice, that's a risk. Yeah. But it turned out well. Yeah, but if I would have come in with the beard down one side and higher on the other,
Starting point is 00:42:55 I would have never heard the end of it from you clowns. Or if I would have had a weird beard thing going on. They would have been like, what's with your beard? Like, I would have never heard the end of it. So I don't believe that. at all when anything comes to this mustache. But thank you. Thank you all. Very complimentary. Might stick around. We'll see. But of course, we're going to talk about players who might not stick around on the Arizona Diamondbacks because again, today is the deadline to add rule five
Starting point is 00:43:19 eligible players to your 40-man roster. And that also involves other roster moves, right? The Diamondbacks roster right now is currently at 38. So in order for them to add guys, unless they just add two players, then they might have to maneuver and perhaps remove guys from their 40-man roster. Option them to AAA Reno, and some of those players might now be themselves in danger of Rule 5 draft eligibility. Right now, we had an article posted from fan graphs that discussed the 40-man roster crunch for the Diamondbacks, and they agreed with what we discussed on yesterday's program, and that was the Diamondbacks really do have to protect Cole Drake and Mitch Bratt. Those are the two players, two of the three players that they received in the trade for Merrill Kelly, and quite frankly, two of the top pitching prospects in the Diamondbacks organization. Those guys are very, very much susceptible to the Rule 5 draft because there are teams like the Rockies and the White Sox, who I don't think would have a problem not only adding them to their rosters as starting pitchers and part of their starting rotations, but if that shouldn't work out, converting them to relievers and finding a way for them to stay on their 26-man roster throughout the season.
Starting point is 00:44:29 not allowing them to come back to the Diamondbacks. Again, the caveat here with the Rule 5 draft is any player taken. Basically has to be Major League ready. They have to be on the major league roster, and they have to be there the entire season next year. But Jerry Torres says 37 didn't Christian Montez-De Orca get outrighted yesterday? Well, I'll tell you, I will double check on that, because Christian Montes-Dorca is one of the guys
Starting point is 00:44:53 that Fangraph suggested was on the 40-man bubble. They're also considering Andrew Hoffman and Taylor. Taylor Rashi to be there as well. So those are guys that were on the 40-man roster and are potentially guys that could be added. As far as right now, I did have the 40-man roster up earlier. Christian Montez de Oka is still on the 40-man roster. But again, that's ever-changing and news may come out, especially on a day like this where anybody, quite frankly, could still be moved around at any point. Oh, wait. You know, what, he's right because I just updated the roster and I do see that he has been removed.
Starting point is 00:45:34 So Montes de Orca has been removed and the roster is currently at 37. So there is one of the guys that has been outrighted. We also have, again, Taylor Rashi and Andrew Hoffman as being potential guys who could also get removed off the roster to make space. That would put the Diamondbacks roster right now at 37. They're 40 man. So Mitch Brick, Mitch Bratt and Cole Drake, again, those are guys that most likely will take up two of those three available spots
Starting point is 00:46:00 and the Diamondbacks could open up other spots. There are some prospects that we discussed that they consider to be fringe prospects in danger of being taken in the Rule 5 draft. Those include Spencer Geisting and Gavin Conticello. Again, Gavin Conticello being one of the top 30 prospects for the Diamondbacks. Also another pitcher in Alfred Morillo.
Starting point is 00:46:22 Morillo, excuse me. You get me for that one. That one I deserve to be got for. Dylan Ray Landon Sims, then Christian Serta, Ivan Melendez, Ruben Santana, Jose Fernandez, a.J. Vukovich. Those are all guys fringe prospects, but still highly doubtful that any team would necessarily take them, again, because of that attached, you know, portion of the Rule 5 draft rules. Fan graphs, though, was also suggesting that the Arizona Diamondbacks trade away pitcher Dre Jameson.
Starting point is 00:46:54 Now, as you know, that instantly put fire in my blood. My blood is full of fire. I've never had a temperature that's hotter hearing that. And it makes me angry. It makes me angry because, obviously, you know, if you have watched this show over the last four years, how much I personally love Dre Jameson and how electric his interviews always are.
Starting point is 00:47:16 Also, again, a man who I cannot see traded away from this roster until a live foot race between him and Corbyn Carroll takes place. I need an actual foot race. I need it. Maybe get the freeze involved whenever you hire a new freeze. I don't care. Maybe have them race the legends. I just need to see a race between Jay Jameson and Corbyn Carroll before that is no longer possible.
Starting point is 00:47:39 But here's the thing. It's per the article, Dre Jamesson has external interest from teams that think he still has a shot to start. excuse me, excuse me? What? So you're telling me that one of the biggest needs for the Arizona Diamondbacks during the 2025 offseason is potentially a starting pitcher that could fill a rotation spot and eventually convert back to a high leverage reliever or perhaps a long reliever for this team out of the bullpen in the second half when Corbyn Burns returns. and you're telling me we have this in-house already, and you're suggesting that we trade him away? What?
Starting point is 00:48:35 It's like, we already have McDonald's at home. Why are we going out to get McDonald's, right? Like, what are we doing here? Why are we going out to spend money if Dre Jameson, who at one time was a starter, has the belief of other teams, but not the belief of the Arizona Diamondbacks, that he could be a starter.
Starting point is 00:48:51 What makes the debacks not believe in Drey Jameson as a starter? Right? He did return from a Tommy John surgery. He did also have complications with bone chips after that, which they feared was going to require another Tommy John surgery. But luckily was not required. So again, that's the reason why we saw Jameson in the Arizona Fall League. He missed so much time due to injury that he just wanted to get some more time
Starting point is 00:49:16 against live batters. And he got that. And quite frankly, he was very good. He was very good in the Arizona Fall League. Not flawless, but again, it's the Arizona Fall League. I'm not sure if results mattered much for him personally. They do for the freaking Suaros from Surprise, who won their fifth AFL championship in a row.
Starting point is 00:49:36 You want to talk about dynasties that need to be investigated. Forget the Los Angeles Dodgers. I need somebody from the FBI to investigate the Surprise Suarez and what's going on over there with their dominance over the Arizona Falle. But again, we have Drey Jamison, who has made starts for this team at a major league level, has pitched at a major league level as reliever, and quite frankly,
Starting point is 00:49:58 always put up great numbers. In fact, in seven games as a starter, I know it's a small sample size, but here is Drey Jameson's numbers for those seven starts. He went three and one in those seven starts. He had a 2.45 ERA. He posted a 1.303 whip. He had a 2.29 strikeout to walk ratio,
Starting point is 00:50:19 any opponent batting average of 236. All I'm saying is if there are, the Diamondbacks aren't in a position financially or roster-wise to be choosy, to be picky, to be going out there and risking money on more players that quite frankly you don't know if they're going to succeed, but then turn around and trade a player like Drey Jameson
Starting point is 00:50:47 who could potentially answer all of those needs. I don't know if he's the answer. or I don't know if he can still start, right? Like that's something that internally the Diamondbacks have to take a look at, decide, and figure out. I know that in his heart, Drey Jameson is a starter, but in his heart, Drey Jameson is a five-time Cy Young winner. Like, that's the kind of guy he is, right?
Starting point is 00:51:09 He's just a competitor and he really does believe that he is awesome and has the confidence that you need out of a guy to go out there and instill that in his team. Like, I know he's not the biggest guy. No size impacts that as it does with other guys in the organization like U.M.N. Linn and such. But, again, I think that in a very small sample size, he's shown you that he can be a starter.
Starting point is 00:51:34 He is hopefully recovered from the Tommy John surgery and the bone chips and everything. And quite frankly, if there are, the word is out that other teams are interested in kicking the tires on him as a starter, why aren't the Diamondbacks doing that? So maybe there is your internal answer. Maybe that is the guy that the Diamondbacks can take a look at. I know that Gilber Diaz has been tearing it up in the Venezuelan League, but he has been doing that as a relief pitcher himself.
Starting point is 00:52:00 Jill Ber Diaz might be another guy that might be a candidate to step in to a role with this team and perhaps, you know, fill a role in the bullpen. I mean, maybe some of these options that the Diamondbacks have are right here in house and maybe just maybe we were patient enough to let them develop. here and now they might be ready to help this team when the team needs them the most. Gilbert did that for a period of time as a starter, but I think in like seven games for the Venezuelan league, I think he has a zero ERA or something crazy. We'll take a look at that later this week for sure and bring you some updates on how Diaz is doing. But again, when it comes to Dre Jameson,
Starting point is 00:52:36 if teams are considering him for a trade, then why don't the Diamondbacks consider him for that exact thing that they need? All insane. I just got, I just got three ideas. I I'm just giving out free ideas here. You just have to watch on YouTube, and you'll get all the free ideas you need. So that's what I'm here for. We're going to take a quick break. On the other side of this break,
Starting point is 00:52:55 we're going to wonder if anything's happened with any of these qualifying offers or anything yet. And we're also going to take a look at, of course, Josh Naylor finalizing that deal. But before we do that, of course, we do want to let you guys know, of course, about the PHNX newsletter. The PHNX newsletter is your best way
Starting point is 00:53:10 to get the biggest news in Arizona Sports in your inbox daily at 6 a.m. It's completely free. And honestly, I really hate to give our guy, Alex, this much credit. I don't want to give him this much credit, but I think, quite frankly, Noah, he deserves it. It's the first thing I look at every single morning. It's the first thing, like my eyes open up, and the very first thing I see is words from Alex Dagastino. So make sure you sign up for free.
Starting point is 00:53:43 You can do that over at go phtonx.com slash newsletter. You can be the smartest fan. You know, today in the newsletter, Alex had a ton of information about trade rumors with the Diamondbacks, Ketelmarte rumors, rumors about obviously Alec Thomas and Jake McCarthy and so much more. So do not miss out on that newsletter every single day. He also discussed in that newsletter, Josh Naylor, finalizing his five-year deal with the Seattle Mariners. That five-year deal that we discussed yesterday was. finalized. And we knew it was going to be finalized. And we knew it was going to be for a lot of money.
Starting point is 00:54:21 In fact, we knew it was going to be for the most, or the most, I guess, expensive free agent deal that Jerry DePoto has ever signed as the head of baseball operations over there, president of baseball operations of the Mariners. But now after he completed his physical yesterday, Josh Naylor has signed a deal worth $92.5 million. We knew it would be in the neighborhood of $100 million. So that's pretty great for John. first time dad, great for him, great for his family. And quite frankly, that is a team that made it known it was a priority to bring back Josh Naylor. Like that has to be a pretty good feeling considering that when 2025 started, you weren't even a part of that franchise. And halfway through the season, you were traded there, you become a part of the team. But you became more than that. like Josh Naylor instantly became a legend for that franchise. I mean, they love a guy that does quirky stuff.
Starting point is 00:55:22 They love a catcher that hits more home runs than any other catcher and calls himself the big dumper. And man, they love Josh Naylor rumbling and bumbling and tumbling down the baseline and stealing bags left and right. And it became, like I said, their off-season priority. It's the way that the Diamondbacks need to make their players feel. It's the way that the Diamondbacks need to act towards players that have done great things for them. And quite frankly, Mike Hazen has done an excellent job of that, extending guys like Geraldo Perdomo, Cotel Marte, Corbin Carroll, extending Brandon Fod, extending Justin Martinez, like extending so many pieces of this organization when they are young and have proven that they are very valuable commodities.
Starting point is 00:56:07 You're telling not only the players themselves, but you're telling future players, future prospects, that this organization cares about players. But again, it's just crazy that Naylor here signs the richest free agent contract for position player in Seattle since Jerry Depoto took over in 2015. The most lucrative deal, as you might remember, was Robinson Cano's 10-year, $240 million contract that was signed right before Jerry DePoto took over. And I think is a big reason why we didn't see that franchise really sign.
Starting point is 00:56:43 any other players. But they made savvy moves. And that's one thing, as we discussed on a prior episode, that brought the Mariners to success. Jerry DePoto was not afraid to trade. And that is where the Diamondbacks are at, right? Like the Diamondbacks, this off season need to be creative. And it's the reason why, as much as it hurts, as much as it doesn't make sense, so many of the trade rumors involved Catelle Marte because quite frankly, he is the guy that could provide a return that changes the franchise. Also, botching that deal could destroy this franchise. It could seek this franchise for years to come. So I specifically don't love the idea of trading Cotel Marte, and I think the Diamondbacks still have plenty of years to build a winner around him. However, again, some of that is going to take some free agency moves. Some of that is going to take this team
Starting point is 00:57:38 just, you know, again, making some savvy trades. Those trades could potentially involve some of the top prospects that we've discussed, and that is also going to suck. But what doesn't suck is Josh Naylor getting recognized for the incredible player that he is, and again, it's just one of those fits in Seattle. The Mariners still have a lot of things to address, though. They still have a second base and third base position to fill, and I know that as much as they want to bring back Gino Svarez,
Starting point is 00:58:07 as I imagine that this $92.5 million deal makes it a little harder to afford Gino. Also, I can't help but wonder what the trade to Seattle and his lack of performance there did for Gino's value this offseason as a free agent. He was on his way to looking like he was going to get a huge payday when he was a part of the Diamondbacks. And then his performance definitely suffered in the second half when he was traded. I will say, though, that he still hit an iconic home run for Seattle that will probably never be forgotten in Mariners history. So Gino will still probably get that payday he deserved. I hope you all get the payday you deserve. We will be back tomorrow with a bunch of breaking news,
Starting point is 00:58:48 I'm sure with our guy Jesse Friedman about the 40-man roster decisions, who was added, who wasn't added. And more importantly, we were going to discuss that Zach Gallen qualifying offer if he did accept it, if he didn't accept it, and where do we go from here? So we thank you guys so much for joining us. We'll be back tomorrow at noon. Until then, make sure to follow us on Twitter. I'm at Cap underscore Caveman with a K. Noah, meanwhile, does not want you to follow him. He does not want you to know he exists and refuses to even confirm that he isn't AI. You guys accused me of being AI yesterday. Noah, have you ever seen Noah on screen? Just saying, I'm sure the Cardinals guys threw you up there, but that's an easily manipulated visual. Our show, regardless, is at
Starting point is 00:59:31 P HNX underscore DVEX, but as always, all roads lead to at PHNX underscore sports on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Thank you guys so much for your time. We love you so much. We will see you tomorrow. Until then, have a wonderful evening. And remember, kids, baseball is fun, but it's so much more fun when daylight savings time doesn't impact when I get my news.

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