00:00So, you know, it's time for a refresh, and I think Stearns took a lot of heat, and I think
00:04you're finally seeing the first Stearns team.
00:06You've got to realize when Stearns came in, you had a lot of big contracts.
00:08You had the Verlanders and the Scherzers and veteran guys, and then, you know, all of a sudden they got
00:12really hot a couple years ago and made a great playoff run.
00:15I think they had to kind of go back to it.
00:17They added Soto, right, and that was the big move.
00:19This is, I think, the first year you've seen what they want to do and how they want to do
00:23it under Stearns.
00:24And I think when you step back and look at the finished product, it's really interesting.
00:27And what's most interesting about it is something a lot of fans will complain about, which is too many long
00:32-term contracts where guys just get comfortable.
00:34Not with the Mets.
00:35Bo Bichette, first of all, a guy, a throwback guy who hits 300.
00:38How many guys do you see that anymore?
00:39He's got power, but he makes contact all the time.
00:42He's really good with runners in scoring position, too.
00:45Sure, he's moving to third base, but again, who cares because he's a shortstop.
00:48Shortstops moving to third base is fine historically.
00:50Ask Cal Ripken.
00:52Ask A-Rod.
00:52Ask all those guys.
00:53They add Freddie Peralta, who was the ace that they did not have.
00:56How many years does he have left on his contract?
00:59Oh, wait, one.
01:00Bo Bichette, a guy can opt out after one.
01:02You also have Luis Robert.
01:03Another guy's got another year on his contract, right?
01:05So if this doesn't work, you just blow it up and continue to move on and let the kids continue
01:08to play like Carson Benj and you and all the other guys have left in the system.
01:12Marcus Simeon, they like that trade because they get better defensively.
01:17They get leadership there with Simeon.
01:19And less years committed to a contract that isn't great where they had Brandon Nimmo.
01:24Jorge Polanco, a guy coming off a really solid year.
01:26Versatile player.
01:27Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, two pieces in the bullpen.
01:29So to me, the Mets offseason is really good.
01:31And I think what you love most about it from a fantasy perspective is all these guys are on show
01:35-me contracts.
01:36And I think show-me contracts are the best kind of contracts to invest in.
01:39I've done this work and the homework about it in the Black Book in the past.
01:42And most of the time, those guys show up, ball out because they want to get paid.
01:47So I would expect all these guys to be out there, ready to go, ready to show the best versions
01:51of themselves.
01:51And Robert's the most interesting possibly because Robert is a guy, a couple years ago, looked like a star.
01:57If you get something even 80% of that, Matt, that's very different.
02:00What did you make of some of these moves the Mets made in this offseason?
02:03Yeah, I'm glad that you highlighted Luis Robert because out of this list, from a fantasy perspective,
02:08and I've been doing a few mock drafts and rankings just in whatever small spare time I have,
02:13Luis Robert keeps coming up.
02:15I'm just excited.
02:16I find in baseball a lot of times guys get hyped, but then they go away.
02:19But guys that have pedigree and they can kind of look at the interlying numbers,
02:23and you can see a guy like Luis Robert, Beau Bichette everyone knows,
02:25but I think Luis Robert will be sitting there for me in certain drafts,
02:29and I think he'll be a great addition to my team, to my bench from a fantasy perspective.
02:33And if he gets hot, he's fun for a total base kind of thing or a home run,
02:38any of these props where these guys can cash in quickly.
02:41Keeping with this winner's list, the south side of Chicago erupts when I say the Chicago Cubs are on your
02:47winner's list.
02:48Picked up Edward Cabrera, picked up Alex Bregman,
02:51going to have Justin Steele kind of coming back into the fold, Cade Horton also.
02:56A lot of people also wanted to know if guys like Nico Horner were going to,
03:01when Matt Shaw were going to be traded, neither were.
03:04I think Horner's another throwback player, like you said, put back to ball,
03:07and that's something we don't see a lot.
03:09So the Cubs rank as a winner.
03:11Are they a foregone conclusion in the central?
03:15Because I still think the Brewers have something to offer,
03:18and just everyone should know I'm a Cardinal fan as well,
03:20but the Cubbies are on your winner's list, Joe, huh?
03:23They are, and I think the Reds should be taken seriously as well.
03:26I think there's a lot of talent on that team.
03:27But I think it's a win for the Cubs because not only has you touched on,
03:32you get Justin Steele back.
03:33You hope for a better year from Imanaga, who's returning.
03:36And now all of a sudden you have Edward Cabrera along with Horton.
03:38So all of a sudden with Boyd, this is a real legitimate five deep rotation,
03:43which you don't see a lot of in the major leagues.
03:45There's a lot of teams that are quote-unquote contenders.
03:47You look at the back of that rotation, you go, I don't know how this looks.
03:50Not the Cubs.
03:51I think the Cabrera one is really interesting because you saw him break out last year.
03:55Lance Brozdowski I had on my show, and he did a whole breakdown in the beginning of,
03:58I want to say it was March with us about Edward Cabrera
04:01and why he thought he could take off this year.
04:03And to his credit, he was 100% right.
04:04He's one of the best in the business in terms of evaluating pitchers.
04:07And then you add Alex Bregman, a guy who's been there, done that, won everywhere he goes.
04:10His teams go to the playoffs.
04:12And it hurt the Red Sox, I think, quite a bit.
04:15And I think Red Sox fans are looking around going, what have we done here?
04:18We traded Devers.
04:19We thought Bregman was going to be that guy.
04:21And unfortunately, it wasn't.
04:22I think the Cubs did themselves really good service, bringing in a guy like Bregman, very solid.
04:26I think the Blue Jays had an underrated offseason as well.
04:29Dylan Cease, I understand a down year, but all the deeper numbers, the expected ERA, the FIP, the ex-FIP,
04:35all point to the fact that the ERA should have been lower.
04:38Akimoto, a guy that I think has some opportunity here to reprove himself.
04:43You had Cody Ponce, who was the MVP of the KBO League, and he was spectacular.
04:48And then you had Tyler Rogers, a nice addition to the bullpen.
04:50And then I guess you could say the Dodgers had a pretty good offseason, I guess.
04:56I mean, they did sign one of the best closers in baseball.
04:58And Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker was pretty good.
05:01You know, Kyle Tucker, it's about being healthy.
05:03But Matt, Kyle Tucker in the top of that line up there, Joey Otani, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, Ray Freeman.
05:12You know, Alex here ¿inho?
05:12You know, Alex here's the letter, man.
05:12Right friend, you know, kid.
05:12Right here when he's gone, and he may have tegen you.
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