- 12 minutes ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome back to Newswire here on SportsGrid.
00:03Great to have Peter Apple in the house to go over the latest from Just Baseball and Major League Baseball as well.
00:11And we think that when Peter comes on the show, we're going to have to dive in in this slow, hot stove to some off-topics.
00:18And then we get hot right before the show today.
00:20I like that. That's the way that it works here.
00:22So Peter's here with us. And certainly, Peter, the Athletic, the first to report that Nolan Arenado has a new home.
00:30It is the Arizona Diamondbacks. And so his tenure comes up here in St. Louis to an end.
00:36He'll try and chase down a postseason appearance, maybe even a World Series ring here at the end.
00:41He's been the consummate professional, a multi-gold glove award winner.
00:46I think it's 10 at least, if I'm not mistaken.
00:48But clearly, at the end of his career, and in return, the Cardinals get nothing.
00:53They get some money. No offense to the player they got back in return.
00:56But truth be told, this was a money dump by the Cardinals who were going through a rebuild.
01:00So did I miss any perspective on this?
01:04Not really. I think it's fun to highlight Nolan Arenado's stats at Chase Field in Arizona, his new ballpark.
01:11We actually just posted it on our Twitter page.
01:13In 77 games, he's hitting .280 with a .334 OBP and a .507 slug with 13 home runs and 25 doubles.
01:24So he loves hitting there.
01:26And of course, the defense is still really solid for Arenado.
01:30It's just a bat that has continued to decline as he ages.
01:34But the Diamondbacks are hoping, can he provide a spark, at least defensively?
01:38And can that bat fit in with our stadium?
01:41And one more thing that I'm interested to find out with Arizona is they still could use a first baseman.
01:47You know, they can move Pavin Smith maybe to the DH role, which they currently don't have one.
01:51Or platoon with a former teammate of Nolan Arenado in Paul Goldschmidt.
01:58But I think it's a win-now move for the Diamondbacks.
02:01And after they started to float, Quetel Marte, they ended up keeping him in-house.
02:06And now they're adding.
02:07And I think it's exactly what the Diamondbacks should be doing.
02:11Peter, it's interesting because I always, you know, I see the Marlins the most in spring training.
02:16And then the team that I see the second most is always the St. Louis Cardinals because they share the building with the Marlins.
02:23I got to tell you, this is going to be the most unusual Cardinals spring training I have seen in a really long, I want to say lifetime.
02:30But like a really, really, really long time.
02:34A lot of faces that I'm not going to know.
02:36Cardinals usually always bring in some star of some kind, trade, whatever.
02:40But definitely a rebuild.
02:41By the way, I'm with it.
02:42Heimbloom, I think, is going to do a great job there.
02:44But it's just going to be different, I think, for them.
02:46So let's get to the big signing over the weekend.
02:50ESPN first reports that Alex Bregman goes to the Chicago Cubs, was offered a little bit more in terms of finances.
02:58So the Red Sox, I guess, Peter, apparently are a little butthurt that he didn't choose to go back to them.
03:05I don't know why he would if he's being offered more money by the Cubs.
03:08It certainly doesn't make sense to me.
03:10But I think Bregman will be very good, like he has been very good pretty much every year of his career.
03:17And a really nice add for the Cubs, both on and off the field.
03:21I would say well done.
03:22Good signing for them.
03:23I agree.
03:24And it was also reported that he chose the Cubs not only for the money, but for the no-trade clause.
03:30He's a veteran.
03:31He's getting into his 30s.
03:32And he wants to settle down with his family in one place.
03:35And I totally understand it.
03:36And it is reported that the Red Sox did not offer him the no-trade clause.
03:41And the Cubs did.
03:42And it's kind of a no-brainer to go join the Cubs.
03:45And I love the pickup for Chicago.
03:47It's an absolute no-brainer.
03:49Alex Bregman's a winner.
03:50He's been in nine straight postseasons.
03:52And the Cubs are looking like they'll make another postseason run.
03:56So he can make that 10 straight times going into October.
04:00And then in terms of the bat, he's one of six players since 2022 to strike out less than 15% and put up an OPS above 800.
04:11And in that span, he has the second lowest strikeout rate at 12.8%.
04:16So the Cubs paid him five for 175.
04:20I think it's a fair deal.
04:21I would rather have him than Kyle Schwarber or Pete Alonso.
04:25And you might wince at that because you look at the power output from both Alonso and Schwarber.
04:32And maybe in theory, you would rather have that.
04:34But Bregman is a much more well-rounded player.
04:37He's also on the younger side between Schwarber and Alonso.
04:41I think he and Alonso are about the same age.
04:43And if you just look at war totals, you know, you see it on the screen.
04:47And you can tell a big difference between Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso because of the defense coming with Bregman.
04:54So big time pickup for Chicago.
04:55And Red Sox leave another one.
04:58Yeah, I mean, Mookie Betts, Devers, Bregman.
05:01I mean, they're very good at losing to players at this point.
05:05Since 2016.
05:07Yeah, Chris Sale, too.
05:08Yeah.
05:08In terms of players since 2016 who made their debut in war, look at Bregman.
05:12He's right there after Aaron Judge.
05:14And very, very impressive.
05:15I agree with you.
05:15I think Bregman's going to age better than those other names that you mentioned, too.
05:19Good signing for the Cubs.
05:20Meanwhile, the Cubs also made a trade, as you know, Peter, with the Miami Marlins this past week.
05:25Edward Cabrera is now a member of the Cubs as he will be the number two or three starter in their starting rotation.
05:32In return, Miami gets back outfielder Owen Cassie as well as some other nice young prospects.
05:38In particular, the first two that they got in the deal, I think, were impactful.
05:41The third a little bit further down the line.
05:43And so, a trade that I think will work well for both sides, provided that Cabrera is healthy.
05:48He will help out the Cubs rotation a lot.
05:51And Miami looking for more offense for what I would believe is attempting to sell high on a player.
05:57And so, Miami believing they got the very best as to what they were going to see from Edward Cabrera this past season.
06:03Yeah, I think they did get the very best in terms of a package coming home.
06:07Owen Casey is one of the best offensive prospects.
06:10And the only reason why I was a little bit confused is more on the Cubs side because you let Kyle Tucker go.
06:19And now you might just be priced out of it.
06:21But a big reason why is Casey was going to be your starting right fielder next year.
06:26And now Kyle Tucker looks to be on his way out.
06:28And now you decide to trade Owen Casey.
06:31The good thing is the Cubs are getting back an electric arm.
06:34I mean, Craig, you've seen plenty of Edward Cabrera took a big step this season.
06:38That changeup is fantastic.
06:40Has a wide array of breaking balls and off-speed pitches.
06:43And if he can dial in that fastball a little bit more, this could be a top-end ace-level talent.
06:50And we see what the price is for a pitcher with this talent and what it's going to cost coming back with years of control.
06:59And overall, I'd be very happy if I'm a Miami Marlins fan.
07:04You get a big-time prospect in return.
07:06And there's still that uncertainty with Cabrera just because this was the first season he proved he can stay healthy.
07:13And it was still about 140 innings.
07:15But if you are a Cubs fan, you're getting a guy with a ton, a ton of potential.
07:22Definitely so.
07:23And by the way, the Cubs are still the favorites right now to win the National League Central.
07:27They moved a little bit ahead of the Brewers, who in the end we know are going to win the division.
07:31The Brewers are never going to be the favorite, but they're always going to win.
07:34Sort of shocking to see the Cardinals that far down below the Pirates at 21.
07:39All right, let's get to Tarek Skubel, who is going through arbitration, asking for $32 million.
07:44Again, the reason why $32 million, Peter, is because Juan Soto got $31 million.
07:48So if you're an agent, you want to break the record.
07:51That's what they're going to try.
07:52So naturally, it did not.
07:53I mean, people make so much of this.
07:55It didn't matter what the Detroit Tigers wanted to pay him.
07:58They were going to file a lot less because they knew they were going to file at the record number here.
08:03I think people are forgetting that.
08:05I don't know if he's going to break the record or not.
08:07That room is really strange, those arbitration rooms, Peter.
08:10But certainly, he's going to get close.
08:11He'll get the most ever for a pitcher.
08:13It's just a matter of if he breaks Soto's record.
08:15Yeah, I do not want to be sitting in those rooms on the side of the Tigers telling Tarek Skubel why he's not worth that amount of money.
08:26And you could say, well, you know, Juan Soto was a super two guy, so he got an extra year of arbitration.
08:33So automatically, that number is going to be a little bit bigger.
08:36So Skubel, for you to go break that record, it still doesn't make sense.
08:40Can we settle somewhere in the middle?
08:42My hope is that the Tigers don't lowball him out of the room because we saw what happened with Milwaukee and Corbin Burns, and it really soured that relationship.
08:51So I would just like to see the Tigers maybe even spend foolishly in this arbitration room just to keep good graces with Skubel.
08:59Peter, I'm here to tell you, I'm sorry, not going to happen.
09:04That's not the way that it works.
09:06They hire people to go into arbitration and win those cases.
09:10We'll take a quick break.
09:11When we come back with Peter, the Atlanta Braves made a signing recently, and they've bolstered their bullpen.
09:16Is it enough in the NL East?
09:18We'll discuss that next.
09:19You're watching Newswire here on SportsGrid.
09:20Peter Apple of Just Baseball is back with us.
09:23Their show is coming up in 15 minutes.
09:24Lots of baseball discussion to be had, so make sure you stay on the grid for that.
09:29Let's wrap things up with Peter by talking about, you know, it's been kind of slow.
09:32There hasn't been a lot of free agent news.
09:34There still are a lot of free agents out there.
09:36So this segment is not going to be the Tyler Kinley segment, but it gives us an opportunity to talk about the Braves,
09:42who have definitely bolstered one very weak spot of their team last year, which is the bullpen.
09:47I'm adding Kinley to that and then Aaron Bummer last year and bringing Iglesias back.
09:52It does feel like the Braves and Alex Anthopoulos identified something that they needed to get better at.
09:59And even though this was kind of like a minor signing overall in baseball last year, I think the indication is Atlanta sort of feels like,
10:04hey, we don't want games costing us after the fifth or sixth inning.
10:08Do you think that they have done enough in that respect?
10:10I can't see them spending any more money at this point on that.
10:14I would like to see them add one more arm.
10:16I think bringing in Kinley is important, though.
10:18When he came over from Colorado, he was putting up a 5-6-6 ERA,
10:22but the Braves identified, excuse me, that this guy has excellent breaking balls.
10:29He can really spin the baseball.
10:30His slider and his curveball take up about 80% of his arsenal,
10:35and he comes over to Atlanta and puts up an ERA under one in 25 innings.
10:40So I thought it was really, really important for them to bring him back.
10:43But the issue is they lost an important bullpen piece in Pierce Johnson,
10:48who just signed with the Cincinnati Reds, and Pierce Johnson put up a great season for them.
10:53I still think that they need to replace that arm.
10:56They've done pretty well in the bullpen so far this offseason,
10:59and if they roll into 2026 with this current bullpen, it's good,
11:04but I would like a little bit more to continue to compete to go win this division.
11:09Fair enough.
11:10Now let's get to the names that everyone is still out there discussing,
11:13as we have for a while, and here we are in January,
11:16and look, I think that the offseason has actually gone better than I thought it was going to go, Peter,
11:21but the reality is until we get the CBA fixed, this is what we deal with.
11:25Arguably the very best player on the free agent market unsigned.
11:29Kyle Tucker still, still out there in January.
11:34This opened up in November.
11:37Can somebody please make this happen and get Kyle Tucker signed?
11:40Meanwhile, Bo Bichette reportedly asking for a ton of money.
11:44I'd be shocked if he got what he was asking for,
11:46but I guess we'll see, and it does feel inevitable at some point
11:49that Cody Bellinger does go back to the Yankees.
11:51Too much chatter, I think, about machinations of what a deal may look like.
11:56It feels like they're playing this through the media a little bit,
11:58so I say Bellinger goes back to New York.
12:00I got no feel, by the way, on Tucker or Bichette.
12:04Tucker initially, I think maybe we thought he would end up with the Blue Jays.
12:07Now we're not hearing as much.
12:08What do you think ends up happening with those two?
12:10So there was a report today from Will Salmon,
12:13and he said that the Mets are interested in giving Kyle Tucker a three- to four-year deal
12:19in the $120 million to $140 million range,
12:22which would be one of those classic really high AAV deals on a shorter-term deal.
12:28And if I'm Kyle Tucker, obviously I want the big long-term deal.
12:32But if this one has opt-outs and you can go over to New York
12:36and play with that team, get into October and play postseason baseball
12:40and kind of right some of the wrongs that happened going into his free agency season
12:46where he was hurt a little bit, struggled in the playoffs,
12:49I think those are the main concerns for giving a guy a 10-year deal.
12:55And it works right into exactly what David Stearns and Steve Cohen want to do
13:00because they're willing to spend money.
13:02Stearns has just come out and said,
13:03we don't want to give out these super long-term deals.
13:06And we're a year removed from them giving Juan Soto $765 million
13:11and then winning under 85 games.
13:14So they have to look in the mirror and say,
13:16is this really the way to win is to spend on these big-time guys?
13:20So for me, the Mets need an outfielder.
13:24And Kyle Tucker is the best of the bunch.
13:26And if he agrees to a deal like that,
13:27I think the Mets will go over what a team like the Dodgers
13:31would give.
13:33And I'm sure the Blue Jays will still offer a big long-term deal.
13:37The thing is, do the Blue Jays truly need an outfielder?
13:40They already have a glut.
13:41You're expecting Anthony Santander to come back.
13:44And that's why I still think Bobachette to the Blue Jays
13:47makes more sense than Tucker.
13:49Just because you can move Ernie Clement around
13:52and there's your position at second base.
13:55You can even move him back to shortstop
13:57and move Andres Jimenez back over to second base, right?
14:00And use Ernie Clement in this super utility role.
14:04Bring back the core.
14:05He's good friends with Vladdy.
14:06I think Bichette ends up landing back in Toronto.
14:10I think Tucker signs with the Mets.
14:12And I'm really not sure about Bellinger.
14:14I'm really not because the Yankees do not want to go above five years,
14:18$150 million that's been reported through multiple outlets.
14:21And Bellinger's looking for a seven-year deal.
14:24It might come to terms.
14:26He might come to terms and say,
14:27all right, I'm not getting it from anywhere else.
14:29I'll go back to New York.
14:30But truly, if I'm the Yankees,
14:32I'm giving Jason Dominguez the run in left field.
14:35I'm not signing Cody Bellinger to that big deal.
14:37And I think, you know,
14:38every Yankee fan would disagree with me here,
14:41but I would just be a little nervous
14:42about giving a guy $150 million
14:45after his best season since 2019.
14:49Yeah, no, it's true.
14:50I mean, he really had that incredible MVP season
14:54and hasn't been the same.
14:56He's been up and down.
14:57And we'll see.
14:59We'll see what the Yankees end up doing.
15:00It's fascinating.
15:01All right, so in terms of pitching here,
15:02we do have a couple of mega deals.
15:04I'm assuming Frambois Valdez and Ranger Suarez
15:06will both get that $100-plus million.
15:09I don't know what Zach Gallin will end up getting,
15:11but he's the third, I would say,
15:12best starting pitcher out there, Peter.
15:14Is that fair to say?
15:16I have heard nothing with Frambois going back to Houston.
15:18They signed MI, so that could be it there.
15:20And I've heard nothing about Suarez going back
15:22to Philadelphia either.
15:23So where's the destinations for these guys?
15:26Craig, when you were saying that,
15:27I was smiling to myself
15:29because I just posted on Twitter X,
15:31whatever you want to call it, the other day.
15:33And I said, I haven't heard a single rumor
15:36about these two.
15:37And it was Frambois and it was Ranger.
15:40I haven't heard anything.
15:41I don't know if short-term deal, long-term deal,
15:45teams interested.
15:47Of course, you know, Frambois had that problem last year
15:50with the switch up with the catcher.
15:52I'm sure teams are looking at that.
15:54And Ranger Suarez throws about 90 miles an hour,
15:56so I'm sure teams are concerned.
15:58But I haven't heard a single thing,
15:59but I want the Detroit Tigers to get involved.
16:02If you're not going to get Scooble,
16:03show your fans that you're going to spend.
16:06Sign one of these guys.
16:08I think so.
16:09I would like to see,
16:11especially Gallen,
16:12who I got to know here in South Florida,
16:14I'd like to see him land in a good spot.
16:16But the longer this goes,
16:17it sort of tells me maybe it's another short-term deal
16:19where he has to go back out there after the season
16:22because this season was not his best.
16:23But all right, great stuff, Peter.
16:24We'll catch you on Just Baseball
16:26coming up in about 10 minutes.
16:27Thanks again for coming on Newswire.
16:29I really appreciate it.
16:30Thanks so much for having me.
16:31It was fun.
Be the first to comment