00:00There's a guy named Imei coming from Japan who is a free agent.
00:03And it's like, could you imagine if they would have gotten a Bellinger and an Imei?
00:07Like, that would have been an incredible offseason for the Yankees because –
00:09Or it wouldn't have been.
00:10Have you ever seen Imei lift his arm?
00:12We haven't.
00:13I haven't.
00:13But also the –
00:14I mean, like, we don't know that.
00:17We don't –
00:17It's all projectable.
00:19Correct.
00:21And we don't –
00:23But it goes to the larger point about the starting rotation and the concerns that I have.
00:26Imei is the backup quarterback.
00:28We haven't seen him, so we're going to –
00:30That's right.
00:30That's right.
00:31And it's a period of time right now where obviously Japanese players, especially on the Dodgers, are so special that it feels there's a fervor for it, right?
00:41And I think Yankee fans are frustrated.
00:43Hey, there was that time, Matsui, Arabu, Tanaka, where they dominated the market.
00:50Again, I would suggest it was a time where the Dodgers were not owned by the Guggenheims, right?
00:56The Mets were not owned by Steve Cohn.
01:00You know, it's a different forum.
01:03And I do think Japanese players will gravitate to the West Coast, closer to home, better start times for their family back home to watch games, etc.
01:12So the Dodgers have a huge advantage.
01:16And good for them.
01:16They press the advantage.
01:18And Otani changes everything.
01:20They're so big in Japan because Otani's so big.
01:23But it is tougher to get in the market.
01:25But I don't think you should get in a market just to do that.
01:29Like, it's the right player.
01:30I remember two years ago when Murakami was first talked about.
01:36I'm telling you, if we did our show then, it would be like, hey, whenever that guy becomes a free agent, the Yankees better go get that guy.
01:41Yeah.
01:41Now, do you even hear his name?
01:43No.
01:44Like, it's funny.
01:45It's like, like, I talk to a lot of people.
01:48And there are a lot of people, like, worried about that guy's, like, strikeout numbers, not hitting velocity in Japan where it's not like now.
01:55And then there's people like, he's a great worker.
01:58He has athletic skills, whatever.
01:59He's going to learn how to hit here.
02:00He's going to be a real difference maker.
02:03Nevertheless, two years ago, if I would have told you Yankees weren't even going to think about it.
02:06Be like, oh, that's a house cheap.
02:08Why is he in Japan?
02:09And so it's just the changing perception of players we don't even see play.
02:13We have differing opinions on those we just watched play 162 games.
02:18And then we're going to talk about the guys we haven't even seen.
02:21You know, it's like, oh, you know, look.
02:23He's the next hot thing.
02:24He's the next hot thing.
02:25That's what it is.
02:26Somebody said to me the other day, a Yankee fan like yourself said to me, you know, the Yankees should do everything they can to get schoolable, but they shouldn't trade Cam Schlittler.
02:36And I looked at him and I went, what?
02:40That's crazy.
02:40And he goes, I go, I go 12 months ago.
02:43You didn't even know who Cam Schlittler was today.
02:45The best.
02:46If you're telling me that, you know, the Yankees traded Michael King with two years left for Soto.
02:51You positive this guy's going to be better even than Michael King, who's really, really good.
02:55Maybe, maybe he's the youngest.
02:57Maybe he's the next Cole.
02:58And you, but like 12 months ago, you didn't know who the hell Cam Schlittler was today.
03:03Like if there was an alien invasion and they said, we're going to blow up the planet.
03:09If you don't beat us at baseball, the guy, the human race would start against the aliens is Tariq Scooble, right?
03:16Like to save humanity.
03:17And you're not training Cam Schlittler.
03:19That's crazy.
03:20I would trade him in a heartbeat for Tariq Scooble.
03:22Come on, man.
03:23It's like, oh, you can't trade George Lombard.
03:25I'm like, you can't, you can't, do you feel this?
03:29How you felt about Anthony Volpe until you saw him play baseball.
03:32Well, the Yankees needed a shortstop too.
03:34They needed a shortstop.
03:35I mean, look, I, but, but you know what I mean?
03:37It's like, I'm always worried about when people talk about players, they haven't seen play.
03:42Cause we're going to have such differing opinions on the ones we have seen.
03:45Correct.
03:46Correct.
03:46And so like, like Emei might be terrific, Ryan, or, you know, he might be K a Gower too, for all we know.
03:54So do you think there's actual interest in the Yankees for, for a player like Emei?
03:57I think that that's not, I don't, the Yankees have three very, very expensive starting pitching contracts in Rodon, Freed, and Cole.
04:08I would be surprised if there was a fourth in the off season before Scooble becomes a free agent.
04:15That makes sense.
04:18Then, then the question would be on, on an unknown, on an unknown, unknown quantity who I, again, there are people who like him a great deal, who I respect, who I talk to.
04:30And there are people who are like, I think there's a little bit of a fervor because of what happened with the Dodgers.
04:35He's good, but not that.
04:37Yeah.
04:38And so people talk more about him being a number three.
04:43And there's probably like, if you're telling me you're going to take risk on number three, I would just try to bring Michael King back home.
04:50Well, that's because it's going to be less years or something like that.
04:54Yeah.
04:54It's going to cost you less too.
04:55And, and again, Michael King's a pitcher and a person I like a great deal, but I don't think the Yankees are going to spend a lot.
05:06I think they might get another starter.
05:08I think the Yankees, and I think this is a mistake.
05:13I think the Yankees look at it, that their rotation at some point is going to become a great strength next year when they get Rodon and Cole back.
05:21Yeah.
05:21I read into the Cashman comments last night too, about that too.
05:24I, I don't, I don't believe you ever get the starting rotation.
05:30You believe you're going to get like, there's never like that full moment where all five guys are standing and going well for a sustained period of time.
05:38It's too fragile.
05:39It's too whatever.
05:40Now, having said that, Ryan, you know, on this, on this webcast a lot last year, the rotation was always the big worry I had about the Yankees, that they were one more injury away from falling off the face of the earth.
05:54They never had that injury.
05:55The one more beyond the one where it became out.
05:59But, it's not just a Cole-Rodon issue for me.
06:04Max Freed pitched way more than he's ever pitched in his life last season.
06:09Schlittler and Warren pitched way more than they have.
06:13Luis Hill is a constantly injured pitcher.
06:17Ryan Yarborough is a swing man.
06:19To me, this idea of, well, we have those five guys to hold the, the fort until Cole and Rodon come back.
06:29I would say, I don't gamble.
06:32I don't have an app.
06:33I don't do any of it.
06:34But, if you told me there was a bet, do the Yankees survive six weeks of spring training where Freed, Hill, Warren Schlittler, and Yarborough are all healthy on March 20, whatever the thing is?
06:49No way.
06:50So, already, now you're down to what?
06:52Alan Winans?
06:53Trying to rush Elma Cruz.
06:55So, I would go get another starting pitcher.
06:59Well, do they go in the trade market for that?
07:01Because, again, I hear names like Sandy Alcantara, Joe Ryan.
07:05There's guys out there.
07:06You're like, you're rumors.
07:07I think Miami's much more likely to trade Edward Cabrera.
07:12Him.
07:12I would take him in a heartbeat, too.
07:14Then, then, yeah.
07:15It's, again, like, that is, is it Lombard?
07:22Is it Spencer Jones?
07:24Is it?
07:25I'm trying to win a championship, right?
07:26I get you.
07:28I would just buy it.
07:31Whatever that next level of starter is.
07:34I'm going to make up a name.
07:35I don't think they're in on this part.
07:37So, I'd be comfortable making up the name.
07:39Yeah.
07:39Like, if you told me you could sign Merrill Kelly for, like, two years and whatever.
07:46Because he's an older starter.
07:47I think he could handle New York.
07:49I think he's a legitimate number three starter.
07:52I think you could start him in a playoff game.
07:54And, like, if I get to the point where all my starters are healthy.
07:59And I'm, like, trying to figure it out.
08:01I'll make a trade during the season.
08:03I'll use the optionality on guys like Warren and Schlittler, who I'll probably want to slow down during the season.
08:10And I'll just wait for the next injury to happen.
08:12I think they should go get a real starting pitcher.
08:14Me too.
08:15Who fits in there.
08:16It doesn't have to be expensive.
08:17And it doesn't have to be a one.
08:19But it's got to be somebody who helps you.
08:22And you imagine, like, this idea that, like, Rodon and Cole are just going to come back.
08:25And then when they come back, they're going to roll.
08:28The other thing I would think about with Rodon and Cole is you need to try to be like the Dodgers.
08:33The Dodgers could have started Otani on day one last year.
08:37They contemplated having Otani pitch out of the bullpen in the 2024 postseason.
08:43Think about that.
08:44And then they slow played him.
08:45And it didn't start until, like, was it late May, June, whatever.
08:48I think that Rodon and Cole, especially Cole off of Tommy John, need to be on that program, which is have arrogance that you're going to play important games starting October 1st.
09:00And you say to Cole, I'll see you June 1st.
09:03Could you start on May 1st?
09:05Sure.
09:05I'll see you June 1st.
09:07Because if I got 130 innings from you, I got to save 30 of them for the postseason.
09:13I completely agree with you, Joel.
09:14It's a smart way to play.
09:16I would slow play Rodon, who's been a heavily used start of the last two seasons for that.
09:21I mean, I heard, again, I'm not here to make excuses for players.
09:24Somebody told me by the time the Yankees reached the playoffs last year, Rodon couldn't even straighten out his arm.
09:31That's how bad the chip was in the elbow.
09:33So he couldn't really throw his slider.
09:35And I give him credit.
09:36He went out there, did his best, whatever.
09:40Like, Rodon is changing opinions about him in his time as a Yankee.
09:45But he needed to go get that procedure and get the chip dealt with.
09:49Didn't they say there was even more to clean up than they thought when they went in there?
09:53Well, I think that he was just in a situation where he was a compromised starter.
09:58He was able to throw the ball, but he wasn't able to – you know, his slider is his most important pitch.
10:03Again, that is – by the way, I'm not reporting anything.
10:06That's secondary.
10:06I did not hear that from Carlos Rodon or, like, Matt Blake or Brian Cashman.
10:11I heard it from somebody associated with the team who was an admirer of Rodon who said, I'm telling you, this guy gutted it through the end of the year for us.
10:19So I would give him some time.
10:23He's been heavily – for a guy who, in the early part of his career, the question's about durability.
10:27He was really durable these last two years.
10:30And so because I'm talking about slow playing to your main starting pitchers, because I have lack of faith in Louis Ciel staying healthy, because I worry, like, Cam Schlittler might be great.
10:41Or Cam Schlittler might have been a shot in the dark.
10:44We just saw the best of Cam Schlittler.
10:46Or he gets hurt.
10:48Or Will Warren is like, I would go get a starting pitcher and worry if I have too many at any point.
10:56Because you know what you're not going to have?
10:57Too many.
10:58I completely agree with you, Joel.
11:00I could not agree with you more on this exact topic.
11:02And it doesn't have to be an ace, Ryan.
11:03No, it doesn't.
11:04To me, it's got to be a guy you feel good will, after five or six innings, with a good offense behind him and what you hope is a good bullpen,
11:12hand the ball to Aaron Boone with a chance to win the game regularly.
11:16I mean, it would be better if you could find another.
11:19I mean, maybe you roll the dice on someone like Cabrera, who's also off injured.
11:23He's injured every year.
11:25But, man, he is talented.
11:27And you're thinking, hey, with our medical staff and our pitching lab and everything, do we translate unhealthy number three-ish starter into something else?
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