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00:00Jermaine Wiggins joining us now on the River Islands guest line
00:03as all guests on 95.7 The Game appear on the River Islands guest line.
00:06Isn't it time for you to discover the islands?
00:08River Islands and Lathrop Jermaine Wiggins, former NFL tight end,
00:11Boston diehard sports fan, obviously host on The Greg Hill Show,
00:15our Odyssey sister station on WEEI.
00:17He looked sad this morning when I was watching him on their YouTube page.
00:21Are you sad, Jermaine?
00:22What is your emotional state right now as a diehard Boston Red Sox fan
00:27now that you moved off of Rafael Devers?
00:29What's up, Wiggs?
00:31I feel like a Dallas Mavericks fan right now.
00:34What the hell are we doing here?
00:36What the hell?
00:36You trade away, you know, arguably a top ten bat
00:42when it comes to hitters right now in Major League Baseball
00:45and you get back some big league chew and some third, you know, some bases.
00:50I mean, we didn't even get a bat and balls back that we can use.
00:54When you look at what San Francisco was able to get from Devers,
00:58I mean, you're going to get a legitimate bat in that lineup right now.
01:02And for us, the Red Sox fans over here, we were making our move.
01:06We were able to sweep the Yankees.
01:07We took two out of three from them about a week or so ago,
01:11and we took two out of three from Tampa.
01:13We're right in the mix when it comes to wild card.
01:15And then you trade away your best offensive weapon for ultimately nothing at all.
01:23All right, you kind of referenced, like, he's a great, you know, top ten offensive player.
01:28What exactly, we'll get to what happened, because I watched that Red Sox talk,
01:32but what exactly is he as a player right now?
01:34What was he doing this year for the Red Sox?
01:38Well, I mean, he's leading your team in home runs.
01:40He's leading your team in RBIs.
01:42When you look at, you know, 200, he's leading your team in batting average.
01:47And so he's your best offensive player.
01:50He's leading the league in RBIs.
01:52So when you start to think of what he is to your team,
01:56which is a team that struggles and at times sometimes struggles to score runs,
02:01you're giving away your best offensive player.
02:03And your second best offensive player,
02:05we don't know when he's going to be back in Alex Bregman,
02:08because he's been on the IL forever.
02:10So as a team, when you start to look at where you are,
02:14it just makes no sense to me.
02:16And I don't care about the fact that he didn't want to play first base,
02:20or he was a little upset because they moved him from third base to DH.
02:24I don't care about that kind of stuff.
02:26It seemed like they were past that.
02:28It just makes no sense.
02:29And then you do trade him, and then you get nothing in return.
02:33So where did this go wrong?
02:34Because I watched the Red Sox doc on Netflix.
02:37I thought it was great.
02:38I honestly, because I'm not a Red Sox fan.
02:40You know me.
02:40I'm kind of anti-Boston sports.
02:42But I really enjoyed it.
02:43Duran became somebody that I just like him.
02:45Like, I'm rooting for the kid.
02:47He's not perfect, but I'm rooting for him.
02:49Alex Cora, I thought, was a great communicator.
02:51Like, that's what came across from me.
02:53Devers was not really a part of that doc a lot.
02:56More of like an ancillary player.
02:59So what happened that led to all of this ruckus,
03:03like with Bregman, with everything?
03:05What happened here?
03:07Well, the one part where you said Alex Cora being a good communicator,
03:11that's where it went wrong.
03:12And whether that's Alex Cora, whether that's Craig Breslow,
03:15whether that's the ownership group,
03:17you didn't communicate with your best player in the offseason about the fact
03:22that you were going to bring in a guy that was going to take his position.
03:25Right?
03:26And so that's where it went wrong.
03:28So you didn't communicate that with him.
03:30Who the hell knows what you told him?
03:32It seemed like you told him that he was going to get an opportunity to play
03:35third base.
03:35And maybe you told him, hey, you're going to play third.
03:37We're going to put Bregman at second base.
03:40You didn't communicate with your best player on what his role was going to be
03:45in the offseason so you could at least cushion the blow a little bit.
03:50Let him, you know, cry and pout and do all he has to do in the offseason.
03:54So when he rolls into spring training, he's past the mindset of like, okay,
04:01all right, they did me dirty.
04:02I'm going to move on and I'm willing to just DH and that's all you want me to do.
04:07That was their problem.
04:08And then the other part was they yo-yoed him on it.
04:12He said, all right, we want you to DH.
04:14He goes to DH.
04:15He gets into that groove.
04:16And then you're like, well, we want you to play first base,
04:19but we want you to play third base.
04:21But then we need you to DH.
04:22So it was too much back and forth.
04:24And I think that rubbed Devers the wrong way.
04:27And he got petty about it.
04:28And maybe he got to the point where it's like, you guys don't respect me.
04:32It's time for you to find me a place that does and trade me.
04:36Talking with Jermaine Wiggins here on the morning row, Spadoni and Shasky.
04:40Jermaine, obviously, former NFL tight end.
04:42Boston diehard, born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts.
04:45Greg Hill show mornings on our Odyssey sister station, WEEI, out in Boston.
04:49And Jermaine, like, I'm just looking at this from just a fan of baseball's perspective, right?
04:54The Red Sox, for most of my life, I'm only, you know, I'm 32, right?
04:58So, but for most of my life, they've been synonymous with winning championships, right?
05:02They've had different iterations of that.
05:04That's a crazy sentence.
05:04It is.
05:04It is crazy.
05:05But it's a reality.
05:07Like, and I just look at this team now.
05:09Mookie Betts, homegrown guy.
05:12Xander Bogarts, homegrown guy.
05:14Rafael Devers, homegrown guy.
05:17All of them gone.
05:18All of them who have won World Series here.
05:21It's kind of baffling.
05:22So I just go back to ownership in this regard.
05:24Like, how much, and you mentioned Alex Corr, but I go levels above him.
05:29Like, how is ownership feeling about this?
05:32Yeah, I'll give you a slight pass on the Mookie Betts, because there was reports they offered him $300 million.
05:39And he ended up going to L.A. for $365 million.
05:42So maybe it was he didn't really want to be here, because if a guy really wanted to be here, he probably, you know, takes the $300 million.
05:49Or they could have came up a little bit more.
05:51I think that was more of a, they wanted him, but he didn't really want to be here, and he wasn't willing to take that little bit of a haircut.
05:58So I look at that difference.
06:01And the Bogarts, they weren't going to pay him the money he was looking for.
06:04When you look at Devers, you knew that, hey, he was one of the, you know, top players in the league at that time when it comes to contracts.
06:11And ownership, you know, did right by him and gave him this deal.
06:15I just think that the relationship got so strained over this offseason, spring training, into the season,
06:21where maybe Devers got to the point where he was like, I'm done with this, I want out.
06:27Because I feel like if you're the ownership, you don't just give away a player like that.
06:31You try to sit down and see if you can work it out.
06:34Tell him how much you care for him and you want him, and he's the face of your franchise.
06:39And I don't necessarily think that he felt like they did that.
06:43And, yes, I put this on ownership's plate.
06:46But when you start to look at where we are, if they would have communicated with him earlier,
06:50I don't think we're in this position.
06:52So where does that leave the fans?
06:54Where are they at with the trade itself?
06:57Where are they at with ownership currently?
07:00You've been filling calls all day.
07:01That's why I was listening this morning.
07:03I watched you guys on YouTube on my way into work today.
07:06So you tell me where are the fans at?
07:08Well, the fans are like this.
07:10And I love the Bay Area culture.
07:13So imagine you drive your nice car, you park it outside the ballpark, and it gets bipped.
07:19But that's what the fans feel like right now.
07:22We are completely frustrated.
07:24We're upset.
07:25And I guess I don't explain BIP.
07:27I learned about BIP, and I saw that.
07:29It's basically where they break your windows and steal your stuff.
07:31We feel like, as fans, we've been robbed right now because you're making a push.
07:37You get back into the playoff hunt.
07:39You're able to sweep the Yankees, your enemy, and it looks like you're headed in the right direction.
07:45The morale is changed around the team, and then the next thing you know, it completely gets pulled out from underneath you when you trade your best player.
07:55And then you get nothing in return.
07:58And I think that's the biggest thing right now is you've got nothing in return.
08:01I mean, first Stephon Diggs, now this, Joe.
08:03I mean, just a brutal couple-week stretch here in Boston.
08:06Am I right?
08:07Why do you look at me like that?
08:08It's okay.
08:09We don't know what was in the baggie.
08:10You brought up the whole getting BIP.
08:13Yesterday morning, Father's Day, I wake up to go golfing, you know.
08:16I go out to my car, and some drunk driver totaled my truck right in front of my house.
08:22Oh, damn.
08:23Oh, bro, I was devastated.
08:24So your little analogy really hit home for me.
08:28We got him on camera, though, Jermaine.
08:30I'm pissed.
08:30We got it on camera.
08:31That's the important thing.
08:32We got it on camera.
08:33I'm pissed.
08:34There you go.
08:35Your insurance should be able to cover that, so at least you got it on camera.
08:38Yeah, no doubt, but, you know, somehow it's my fault if you ask my wife.
08:41You know, you shouldn't have parked it right in front of your house.
08:43It's like, what?
08:44Jermaine, just, like, talk about Devers, Rafael Devers, the person.
08:48Yeah.
08:49Like, did you have any interactions with this guy?
08:51Like, what are Giants fans getting, and Rafael Devers, the person?
08:55Because we know about that, that, that's how Clayton Kershaw was on the broadcast yesterday
08:59saying he's a top-10 hitter in baseball at worst.
09:01So when Clayton Kershaw says that, your ears perk up.
09:03One of the greatest pitchers of his generation.
09:05But the person, who is the person, Rafael Devers?
09:08Well, I don't know him personally, but based on, you know, everything that his teammates
09:13have to say about him, it seems like everybody loves him.
09:17He's like, you know, he always has a smile on his face.
09:19He seems like a big kid out there that just loves playing the game.
09:23And it looks like, you know, there was never any issues of him being, you know, a problem
09:28in the clubhouse.
09:29And I think you're getting a guy that, I think the, you know, the San Fran players are
09:36going to really enjoy.
09:38I think the fans are going to love him.
09:39He obviously knows what his role is going to be there.
09:42And I think that's the biggest thing that, you know, really made it go sideways here is
09:46once he settled in on the DH, every time, whether it was the front office or the manager
09:52asked about him playing other positions, it was kind of too much of a wishy-washy where
09:57if they would have just said, he's our DH, that's all we want him to do.
10:01We don't want him to do nothing else.
10:02We'll figure out first base and third base, but he's our DH.
10:06I think he knows that going into San Francisco, obviously, because of Chapman and what they
10:10paid him to play third base over there.
10:13So it seems like he's going to DH and that's what he's going to do as a giant.
10:19He's going to go out there and I think he's going to know that and the players are going
10:22to love him and I think the fans are going to get a guy that every time he steps up
10:25to bat, you know, you're getting one of the best hitters in baseball.
10:29I know.
10:30I mean, he's got name recognition.
10:31He's got swag.
10:32I mean, this is everything we've been looking for.
10:34Well, let's say he does play some first base because we saw it with the Miami Heat when
10:38Butler got here and he was playing nice with everybody.
10:41Oh, it drove the Miami Heat people crazy that Jimmy Butler was playing nice and doing all
10:48the little stuff with the Warriors.
10:49If Devers plays first base and he does it well, how's that going to land with everybody
10:55in Boston?
10:56Yeah, that's going to be really a thorn in our side if he happens to go out there and
11:02play first base and does it well.
11:04I would be shocked if he did because it seems like he does not want anything to do with first
11:09base.
11:10You know, he's never played the position and, you know, some guys, they don't want to go
11:13out there and they don't want to be made to look the fool because it's a position that
11:17they may never play, but if he does and he does look good at it, we here as Red Sox
11:23fans, we are not going to like that one.
11:25Believe me.
11:25Yeah.
11:26And one last thing on this one, because like, you know, there's always risk, right?
11:29Like you guys, you know, trade away somebody who had a lot of money left on the deal.
11:33You know, there's a lot of money and we know the back end of some of those $300 million
11:37deals don't look so good.
11:39What are the risks, if there are any, from the Boston fans that you're hearing right now?
11:44I heard this morning, some people referenced, hey, he came in at camp out of shape.
11:48So what are some of the risks inherent with the contract and with the player?
11:53I don't think there's any risk.
11:54I think what you're getting is a, is you're going to get a guy you got for the next eight
11:58years that he's going to DH and all you're going to need him to do is hit the ball.
12:03He's only going to be, he's only 28 years old.
12:05So, I mean, you're talking about a guy who's going to be what, 36, 37 years old as a DH.
12:10Now, granted, it'd be $28 million you're paying him, but at that point in time,
12:14$28 million, you know, dollars for DH, I know it's a little bit expensive, but if the guy
12:19is, you know, you know, leading your team in home runs and RBIs, isn't it well worth it?
12:23Especially when your team is sitting there, what, second in the AL West and is a World Series
12:29contender.
12:29I know this from being in Boston.
12:32I am putting my money on the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series because the last
12:37time we traded a player this year, we traded Brad Moshan to the Florida Panthers, and it
12:42looks like they're going to win the Stanley Cup.
12:44So, I'm going to put my money on it that anytime a Boston team trades a player, whatever team
12:48he lands on, that San Fran wins the World Series, and I wouldn't be shocked if Devers isn't
12:54World Series MVP.
12:55Hey, Jermaine, Jermaine, dog, I love you.
12:58I love you.
12:59Stop saying San Fran.
13:01Oh, it drives me crazy.
13:03Give me the Frisco or something.
13:04You know, San Fran, oh, my God.
13:08Come on, doggy.
13:08You want me to go for, I don't know, is it the Frisco thing?
13:11I told you, I like the Bay Area swag.
13:13I know you do.
13:13So, if it's the Frisco thing, then hey, guess what?
13:16He's going to be in Frisco, a World Series, and I'm there for it.
13:21Just like I was there for the movie Freaky Tales, and I'm there for Two Shorts' new album
13:27coming out when he said he's going to bring it back to the 90s, Two Shorts.
13:30So, I'm there for all that.
13:32There you go.
13:32Hey, Jermaine, we appreciate the time this morning, man.
13:35Good stuff.
13:35You're going to kill the smile every now and then.
13:37Who was the guy in the back saying it's the worst trade ever, and the team is dead to me?
13:42What guy was that?
13:44That's Chris Curtis, but the sky's always falling with him, though.
13:47So, it's always with Chaski over here.
13:49It's the same thing.
13:50I feel that, though.
13:51I feel that, though.
13:51This is literally, hey, Jermaine, before you on earth.
13:53I love you, brother.
13:54This was Joe this time last year on the Giants.
13:57This is a drop we have at the station.
13:59I am rooting against the Giants.
14:01That was just a year ago, and now he's on the bandwagon.
14:04So, there you go.
14:05He's back on.
14:06Devons will do that.
14:07Devons will get you back on.
14:08Let's go.
14:09Hey, thanks, Jermaine.
14:09Jermaine's got me fired up.
14:10Let's go.
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