Felger and Mazz provide their thoughts about the Red Sox trading for lefty reliever Steven Matz, the team's only move ahead of MLB's trade deadline with less than four hours left.
00:00And Steven Matz, that's one of the names, among many, that I forget the second someone says it to me.
00:05Yep.
00:06Steven Matz for Blaze Jordan, which is a name I do remember, but Blaze Jordan,
00:13they were going to get rid of him after the year anyway, weren't they?
00:15You know why you're, I just said this to Murray, you know why you remember the name Blaze Jordan?
00:19Because of Blaze.
00:20No, because I have told you multiple times over the last several months
00:24that this is precisely the kind of guy they should trade.
00:27So this is the kind of guy that they need to move.
00:29There was no space for him here.
00:31He didn't factor in.
00:32He never really lived up to what they thought it was going to be.
00:35He was never part of it.
00:36He was never really part of the plan.
00:37He was their 20th ranked prospect.
00:39But again, was I reading he was going to be like one of those guys eligible for Rule 5
00:43because he was out of service time or whatever, blah, blah, blah.
00:46He was out anyway.
00:47Correct.
00:48Gone.
00:48See you later.
00:49And so now again, Steven Matz, like it's just your run-of-the-mill lefty bullpen pickup.
00:55That's all it is.
00:56Your run-of-the-mill lefty bullpen guy.
00:58He can get lefties out, righties, beat him over the head like he's a baby seal.
01:02It's not really what they need.
01:03It's not enough.
01:04I know that at the very least.
01:05You still need a number two starter.
01:07You could use a bat.
01:07I mean, he helps theoretically.
01:09He gives you some depth in the bullpen.
01:10But was that like a major need?
01:11No.
01:12No.
01:12Again, that's one of those, Murray, that I always chalk up to, you know, you can't have
01:19enough lefties, so you might as well just walk down to the local bar and see if anyone
01:23can throw a bottle against the wall 100 miles an hour.
01:25And if he can, sign him up and bring him in because what the hell, we need another lefty.
01:30Who doesn't need another lefty?
01:32But is he some sort of major piece that alters their fate?
01:37No.
01:38It isn't.
01:39They haven't done that yet, at least.
01:41Four hours to go.
01:43My hope is that if there is a big deal to be made, it's one of those that gets made at
01:47the last minute.
01:49But with some of the names that are coming off the board today, how could you be confident
01:53that there's something coming?
01:55Well, because Joe Ryan's still out there.
01:56I mean, there at least seems to be some online buzz from Jared Karabas and a few others that
02:01maybe the Red Sox are still in.
02:02But you're right.
02:02I mean, the clock's ticking.
02:04You got less than four hours here.
02:05There's still a lot of Devers bucks left over and theoretical fake one Soto money, too,
02:10if you want to, you know, because they were in on one Soto in the offseason.
02:13So they got a bunch of prospects as well.
02:14So do something.
02:15Overpay.
02:16Everyone else is overpaying.
02:17Seattle's overpaying.
02:19Yeah, go ahead.
02:20Go.
02:20The Seattle thing to me is like Exhibit A and the argument against them.
02:26They tried that they being the Red Sox tried to make a deal with the Mariners over the
02:32winter for pitching and giving them offense because everyone knows that the Mariners need
02:36offense.
02:37Everyone.
02:39The Mariners wouldn't do it with the Red Sox during the offseason.
02:43They wouldn't do it.
02:44They didn't like what they were getting or they didn't want to give up one of their starting
02:47pitchers.
02:48And basically, the message there is we would rather wait.
02:52We think something's better is coming along.
02:56In the last week, they've added a small bullpen piece, too.
02:59But the real changes there have come on offense, which, again, is what they were talking to
03:03the Red Sox about.
03:05So in the last week or so, they have added Josh Naylor and now Eugenio Suarez from the
03:14Diamondbacks, who's one of the home run leaders in Major League Baseball this year.
03:17They've added one left-handed hitter who can impact the game and a right-handed hitter who
03:23can impact the game.
03:24And I don't think they've given up any of the pitching that the Red Sox were talking
03:28to them about trying to get for Tristan Casas.
03:31So you tell me, who looks like the smarter team?
03:35The Mariners or the Red Sox?
03:36Seattle called their bluff, was able to help their lineup without giving up their starters,
03:42and the Red Sox are still holding their Louisville Slugger in their hands, trying to figure out
03:46which way is up.
03:48So they spit on your talent, said, good luck with Tristan Casas.
03:52We don't want him.
03:54Now Casas is out for the year.
03:56To me, the Mariners have nailed it.
03:59Have nailed it.
04:00And the Red Sox, again, standing there with their thumbs in their ears.
04:03Where are the Mariners in the standings?
04:05Basically right next to the Red Sox.
04:06Yeah, they're tied for the third wild card right now.
04:09Yeah, they are a primary contender or competitor for one of those wild cards.
04:15Chief competition.
04:16Yep, absolutely, 100%.
04:18And to this point, in the process, they are running circles around you, basically.
04:22Correct.
04:23They have outmaneuvered you, and really, starting in the offseason.
04:28I mean, they turned down what you offered them, because they looked at it and said,
04:31that's not good enough for us to give up a starter.
04:34We can get something close or better for less.
04:38And they were right.
04:39They were right.
04:40They have absolutely executed what they wanted to execute, and you're still standing there.
04:46Thoughts on where the Red Sox are with less than four hours to go until the MLB trade deadline.
04:52Three hours, 51 minutes, and change until the deadline.
04:57Chris can tell us at your number, 617-779-0985.
05:01Lines are open.
05:02Chris Cattello of MassLive has been tweeting, live tweeting all day.
05:07He wrote this.
05:08Boston has $9 to $10 million to go before catching up against the CBT threshold, the tax threshold, of $261 million.
05:15That would seem to be hard to get to.
05:18And that means $9 to $10 million of prorated salary.
05:21Correct.
05:21In other words, you could sign a $20 million a year player and still be below the tax because of what they have left that year, this year.
05:28So $9 to $10 million to go before catching up to the tax.
05:31That would seem to be hard to get to.
05:34But one executive who has had talks with the Red Sox has said money is a factor in their negotiations.
05:41There's always a possibility of a John Henry-imposed budget, which in this case would be higher than the ones he has installed in previous seasons.
05:50But that money is a factor in their negotiations with the Red Sox.
05:54Your thoughts?
05:54I mean, what other thought could you have?
05:57What a horrible look.
05:58Are you kidding me?
06:00So wait a minute.
06:01You trade Raphael Devers.
06:02You shave.
06:03Let's just make it simple.
06:04You save $15 million off the books right out of the gate because you paid half his salary.
06:09You tell people or your chief baseball officer says that you do have some money to play with and that this may be something that can facilitate a deal for you at the deadline.
06:22And then the deadline comes and other teams are out there saying, well, they're money conscious.
06:27What happened to all the money you freed up from Devers?
06:30Is that the – if that's accurate, and I'm not telling you it is or it isn't, I'm just telling you if that's accurate, boy, did they look bad.
06:37Boy, did they look bad.
06:39And would it really be shocking to any of us if that were the case?
06:42Of course not.
06:43Please.
06:44Don't you believe it to be the case unless they prove to us otherwise?
06:46Absolutely.
06:47You hear it from too many guys, too many people, really tapped in, national guys, Jeff Passan, local guys, Chris Cotillo, former executives, J.P. Ricciardi.
06:58They're all saying roughly the same thing.
07:01The budgetary constraints put upon the baseball people by ownership.
07:06So we're back to where we started from.
07:09And Raphael Devers simply being to save the money.
07:13We just have MLB Network up here.
07:17Did they just – Yandy Diaz just got pinch hit for?
07:21Oh, he did?
07:21In the game we were playing this afternoon.
07:22Did I just see that, Jimmy Stewart?
07:24I believe he got hit in the hand while playing today.
07:27Okay, so that's another thing there, too.
07:28Yes, he did.
07:29So he got pinch hit for.
07:31But he also took a pitch off – it looks like the inside of the elbow, maybe, if this game is live and we're just seeing that in real time.
07:38So there's stuff happening by the moment.
07:41You guys got your Twitter decks up, right?
07:44Yeah.
07:44Like, you're following this.
07:45I can't even – I can't even get onto it.
07:47So one day, I guess I do wish I was on.
07:49No, you don't.
07:50You're right.
07:52But so you have –
07:53Diaz is undergoing x-rays.
07:54That's why he left the game.
07:55Okay.
07:56So various tweets, rumors, et cetera.
07:59Just keep them firing as you read them and as you see them.
08:03Just break in and say what's being tweeted.
08:05Please keep me up on that.
08:07But to me, the whole backdrop of today, the whole backdrop of the season is the Rafi Devers trade.
08:18You traded your best hitter and you did it at a time into a team that I think is obvious and the other owner confirmed it,
08:29that you did it just because they took on the salary.
08:33That's why you did it.
08:34That's when you did it.
08:35That's the team you did it with.
08:37And again, it was just confirmed by the Giants owner himself because they took the contract.
08:43So you sold your best hitter for money.
08:47What are you going to do with the money?
08:48And what are you going to do the rest of the year?
08:50That's the context of the team and the season and that's it.
08:53That's not a talk radio narrative.
08:54Those are the stakes.
08:57When you do that, everything gets judged against that trade.
09:02And today's going to be judged against that trade.
09:05He saved you a bunch of money.
09:06The Rafi Devers trade saved you a bunch of money.
09:09They were over the tax before the trade, correct?
09:11I think that is right.
09:13That trade put them below the tax.
09:14Are you going to stay there or are you going to go back into the tax?
09:17Are you going to use that money?
09:18Are you going to use those resources?
09:20Are you still going to try and be as good as you can be this year?
09:23Are you going to prioritize winning this year?
09:26Because that's what you said when you traded Rafi Devers.
09:28This was not waving the flag on the season.
09:30So are you going to wave the flag on the season?
09:33And is the season going to go down the toilet as a result of it?
09:36That's the backdrop of the season.
09:39So let's see what they do.
09:41They have to spend that money as far as I'm concerned.
09:44They have to make that investment, whether it's cash, prospect capital.
09:47They have to reinvest in the team or else they lose whatever moral high ground
09:52they might have been able to claim with the Rafi Devers trade.
09:54And that's the context today.
09:56How can you ask your fans to believe when you don't believe?
10:01How can you ask your fans to believe in the product,
10:05believe that you are trying to win when you don't necessarily show it?
10:09And not even necessarily.
10:10When you don't show it.
10:12So that's, to me, again, the words are always,
10:16you can always say whatever you want.
10:19At the end of the day, it's about what you do.
10:22That's what it is.
10:22It's about what you do.
10:24You trade away your best player and you don't really reallocate that money?
10:29Well, then what do you expect your fans to believe?
10:31You trade away your best player and you don't even know what you do.
