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00:00John, we have somebody who was very, very busy this offseason to try to build up his team,
00:05and that's the president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs, Jed Hoyer.
00:09Not just busy. He executed it beautifully. I thought the Cubs were one of the winners,
00:13as I said in my column at the New York Post. Jed did a fantastic job. He's a friend of
00:18the show.
00:19He's always a great interviewer and really looking forward to this one.
00:22Yeah, he did one of the biggest moves of the offseason, Alex Bregman, bringing him in as a
00:27free agent. I'm sure we'll talk about that and a lot more. John and I are going to play a
00:31little
00:31game at the top where we pick the X-factor hitter and pitchers for both New York teams.
00:35We'll play hit and error at the end if you stick with us on the show with Joel Sherman and
00:40John Heyman.
00:45Well, John, we've reached probably far enough into spring. We're about the midway point
00:50of spring training to begin to try to see what would make the New York teams. I think we both
00:58think they're probably going to be pretty good this year. What would make them extra good and
01:02maybe real threats to win a championship? I was going to call them wild cards. Our excellent
01:07producer Tommy Hogan came up with a better word, X-factors. We're going to take a hitter and a
01:12pitcher from both teams who we think are X-factors. So we're obviously not talking about the Aaron
01:18judges and the Juan Sotos, et cetera. We're talking about people who we think could maybe
01:23have surprisingly good seasons and impact the New York teams. Why don't we start with the Mets,
01:29John? How about a hitter first? Who's your X-factor? I'll go with Jorge Polanco. It's a lot of
01:34pressure on him replacing Alonso. The fans loved Alonso. He was very productive, the all-time
01:43Mets home run hitter. I know obviously the defense wasn't great. Polanco is learning a new position,
01:51which is a little bit of an issue. I think he'll be okay because he was a shortstop coming up.
01:55He's
01:55a good athlete. He can hit. The guy can really hit if he's healthy. His career has been, it's
02:03obviously a good career. He's making $20 million a year. You don't pay somebody $20 million if you're
02:07not a good player, but he has been hit by the injury bug. You know, Alonso played every single
02:12day and he's not going to hit 40 home runs like Alonso could hit, but this guy can hit. And
02:17if
02:17he's on the field, he will be very productive. But history tells us there's no guarantee there.
02:24Yeah. You know, John, I think you hit on kind of, I'm going to go with a player here in
02:29a second and
02:30believe it or not, it's going to be first base also. But I think the overall X-factor for the
02:35match, just to jump on your thing is, do Polanco and Bichette handle these transitions well to
02:41positions they've never played before? I think we're probably in agreement that by adding Simeon
02:46in second and Robert in center, they have excellent catchers. Luis Torrens in particular is as good a
02:52backup catcher as there is in the sport because of his defensive quotient. And Lindor is a very good
02:57shortstop. I think the defense is really about that first and third, how these guys translate there.
03:02And because of that, I'm going to make my X-factor Mark Vientos with the belief that at some point
03:07he's actually going to be the first baseman of this team. Because I think, John, I think you're
03:13right on. I think Polanco is vital and having his bat hitting cleanup every day is vital. And I think
03:19he probably has to be off of his feet a little bit. There's just been some lower body stuff that
03:24I
03:24think he'll need to be protected from. And if I were establishing an over-under, you talked about
03:29Alonso's durability, which was pretty much 162 game durability. I would put it at about 110 for
03:36Polanco at first base. And then I'd go under. I think Vientos and Beatty are going to end up playing
03:43a lot of first base. And John, like to me, how close to 2024 Vientos do the Mets get? That
03:51was a
03:51pretty special hitter, not only because the numbers were great, but the timeliness of it all was great.
03:56Is that guy still in there? If he is, to me, it's an X-factor. It's transformative.
04:01Yeah, good pick. I mean, he was a great player in 2024. So clutch in the playoffs,
04:05but really good throughout the season after starting the year in the minors. 2025 obviously was,
04:11I don't want to say wasted year, but it was not a good year for Vientos. I think we're all
04:16rooting
04:16for him. Great guy, neighbor of mine, and a friend of the show. I mean, the guy has talent. He
04:24should
04:24be in a lineup, whether it's the Mets or somewhere else, certainly. You know, is he going to play?
04:32I don't know. I'm not sure how much he's going to play. I mean, I did say Polanco is going
04:35to
04:36not play a 162, which will leave some room for others. But I mean, Beatty's a guy. We could do
04:42a
04:42whole show on Beatty. I mean, I feel sorry for this guy. I mean, he was their one-plus defender
04:48who was a starter last year. I mean, obviously, Taylor and Torrenzo, you referenced, are excellent
04:52defenders. But this guy was like a plus-six, plus-seven defender at third base where people
04:58thought he couldn't play. And now he's been pushed out there. We thought he'd be in left field.
05:04Then they signed Robert. He's not really a starting outfielder at this point. Is he going to play
05:09some first base? I mean, you know, this is life. You know, there are ups and downs. I feel like
05:15Beatty deserves more. And he does deserve to play. And, you know, certainly with injuries and
05:20some underperformance, he probably will get some good chances. But, you know, I think it's been a
05:26little unfair to Beatty at this point. Yeah, I can't really argue with you, John. It's funny that
05:31with, you know, Beatty and Vientos have had a lot of kinship along the way, both on and off the
05:36field.
05:37Their stories are the same. They kind of like have had great hope with the Mets, but they keep
05:41kind of getting blocked or falling off the horse, so to speak. And they're in that place again. Is
05:46this the last round of Survivor for both of them to show what they can do? I kind of feel
05:52Beatty is
05:52going to get a lot of at-bats moving around the diamond. I don't think they want, you know, Simeon
05:58had been like Alonso, an incredibly durable player. I don't think the Mets want that out of them this
06:02year. I think they'd settle for 135 games there. I think they'd probably settle for about the same
06:08number of games at third for Bichette and use them at DH some. I'm not positive. I think Benj is
06:14going
06:14to be the right fielder, but I'm not 100%. And if it turns out, no, I think that Beatty gets
06:21in there.
06:21I think Beatty gets right. In other words, I think Beatty is, as a defender, is going to get a
06:25lot of
06:32I think you're probably right there. I just, you know, Beatty, to me, deserved more. You know, and
06:41I don't know. I think Vientos is a clear starting player for another team. The Mets are so
06:50enamored of good defense, and they certainly have improved defense. We talked about third and first
06:54are new players, but obviously they're much better in center as the starter is. They're much better at
06:59second now. They should be better overall in the outfield. So, I mean, the defense is going to be
07:03better overall, but I mean, they are so focused on the defense. I feel like somebody else would
07:09probably appreciate Vientos more. I don't know. It didn't seem like there was much buzz to him being
07:14traded. We heard Pittsburgh a little bit, but, you know, I kind of feel these guys, you know,
07:21they both deserve a shot, but certainly Beatty does after the year he had to be moved out of third
07:27base. You know, I think it was unfortunate for him. You know, John, I'm going to ask you to do
07:33a picture next. I'll throw this one thing in about Vientos. An executive said to me in the offseason,
07:38he said, you guys, and I think he meant the reporters in New York and the fan base think a
07:44lot more of Mark Vientos than the industry thinks of him. And so I, and I do, I actually think
07:50he's
07:50going to hit. I think he's a hitter in a time where it's hard to hit. I think he'll do
07:54it.
07:54But on the subject of the improved run prevention, why don't we move on to an X-factor pitcher,
08:00John? I wonder if we're going to end up with the same guy here. Go ahead.
08:03Well, I'm going to go with Sean Minaya. There are a lot of guys who could be X-factor pitchers
08:07for the mat. Certainly Senga could be one. You could go up and down, you know, I mean,
08:13you could even go with McLean, right? Because he only gave you, what, eight or 10 games last year.
08:17But I think we're, I think we're both pretty confident in him. But I mean, Minaya is a little bit
08:23like Vientos. He was great in 2024 and frankly, terrible last year. I know he's a friend of the
08:28show. If he's listening, I'm sorry, but he was terrible. I know they, you know, make an excuse
08:33that he came back too soon, came back too soon. He was out for what, three, three and a half
08:38months.
08:39Is that too soon? Would they want him out for the whole year? I, you know, there was no excuse.
08:43He was terrible. John, you were in the vicinity. I mean, I, I'm with you. I think there's so many
08:51X-factors. We didn't even mention bullpen guys. Do they get the Devin Williams who David Stearns
08:56had in Milwaukee? Do they get the Luke Weaver 2024 rather than 2025? Do their, does Minter get
09:03healthy? Who's such a good lefty? I think there were a lot of ways to go there. And I went
09:08on the
09:08Senga Minaya thing. And I took the other guy. I took Senga because I'm with you on, I just think
09:15McLean's going to be an ace. I just think he's going to be great. And then if Freddy Peralta is
09:21your number two, and you kind of feel good about like Holmes and Peterson on the back end, it's
09:25really how high an end the number three guy do you get? And that's about Minaya and Senga. And so
09:31since you did Minaya, I'll do Senga who for stretches as a rookie. And then at the beginning of last
09:37year until that fateful date of June 12th, when he leaps for Alonzo throw blows out his calf, I
09:45believe, and does comes back a couple of months later as a shell of himself. You know, there's
09:52questions. Is he hurt too much? Is he tough enough? Can he last the whole season? We've seen the high
09:57end. If they got the high end for 25 starts behind McLean and Peralta, that is a really fantastic
10:03rotation to have Holmes and Minaya and Peterson as the other guys. I just think he's so, I think
10:10his high end is higher than Minaya. That's why I went with him, Joe. Oh, it certainly is. I mean,
10:14look what he did in a couple of years ago, right? I mean, yeah, 2025 was not a good year
10:19for the Mets,
10:20right? If they all go back a year or two, they look a lot better, right? And you could say
10:24it about
10:25Vientos and certainly you could say it about Minaya and certainly about Senga. Yeah, I mean,
10:30Senga, you know, he pitched like a Cy Young candidate his first year with the Mets. And,
10:36you know, we just don't know what we're going to get. I mean, he was great for the first third
10:41of the
10:42season. Then he was hurt for the next third. Then he was really terrible. So bad they couldn't even
10:46use him. At least they used Minaya. So, yeah, I mean, that's a good pick. If Senga and Minaya are
10:53great,
10:53the Mets will have a great year. Yes, I actually, yes, that's a good statement. And, you know,
11:02yes. Why don't we flip to the Yankees? Let's start with the hitter there. Who do you have,
11:07John? I should say a position player, right? Not just hitter. Yeah, I'll pick a guy I think we both
11:12have faith in and had an outstanding year last year. And I think the numbers were misleading the
11:18previous year. And I'll say Ben Rice. I mean, I think he's going to be great. But how great? I
11:23mean,
11:24is he going to be all-star level? Is he going to have a 900 OPS? You know, this guy,
11:30you know,
11:32an Ivy Leaguer who, you know, 2020 was wiped out. You know, he was, I think, a ninth round pick,
11:39something like that. I mean, he's got star written all over him based on all the numbers last year,
11:46particularly the hard hit rate and exit velocity and things like that. You know, they said he put
11:52on weight last year and he showed it and maybe takes another step forward. And I think he's big.
11:59I mean, I think Stanton, it's great that he's playing, but we're not sure on him. You know,
12:04I mean, Rice could be the guy behind the best hitter in baseball and judge.
12:11You know, John, just so our viewers, listeners know, you and I discuss a topic, but we don't
12:18discuss what we're going to talk about in the topic. I picked Rice, too.
12:21Oh, really? I didn't think I would. Okay.
12:23You know, there's a guy, just like to your point last year, it was 530 plate appearances.
12:27He averaged his 4.9 homers every 100 plate appearances. That's right there with like
12:34Devers, Harper, Jose Ramirez. It's actually better than those three guys, a little better.
12:39That's how good it was last year. I think he has another step to go. For me,
12:45the question is, can he get to capable at first base to be able to stay in the lineup on
12:50a daily
12:51basis? The comp I used early or in spring when I wrote about him, John, was a Kyle Schwaber-esque
12:58arc. He started as a catcher. He showed really early promise with power and plate discipline.
13:05I think it's easy to forget because Schwaber has become such a great player that he actually
13:10got sent down to the minors in 2017 because he was doing so poorly and he grew into what
13:15he is now. If they get 85% of Kyle Schwaber along the way, imagine to your point, you did
13:25the background of where this guy came from collegiately and missing years with COVID.
13:29It would be a spectacular result. John, pitcher? I wonder if we're going to do the same pitcher
13:36now also.
13:37I don't think so. I don't think so. I'm going to go with David Weathers. He was so good.
13:41Ryan Weathers. Ryan Weathers.
13:42Ryan, I'm glad you corrected me.
13:44And by the way, we are going with the same guy. We're going with the same guy here too.
13:48Okay, Ryan Weathers. Yeah, I mean, we covered David Weathers. It's funny how many sons and relatives
13:55they bring in, right? Mark Leiter. We covered him. Now we covered Mark Leiter Jr. Bellinger.
14:00We covered Clay. Now Cody. I get that one right.
14:03Did you cover Dante Bichette when he was an angel?
14:06Yes, I did. I did.
14:07So you got that on me. You had him today also.
14:10Yeah, yeah. You know what? It's a big advantage being the son of a ball player to make it as
14:15a ball player, right? I mean, I think it's the genes mostly, but certainly the practice
14:21helps a little bit too. But Weathers was so good. It went 99.8 miles an hour, his first
14:26start. I mean, this guy could be quite a pickup for them. They gave up four prospects for him.
14:34You know, I think this one might really work. He's still only, I think, 25 years old. He's
14:40going to be 26, I think, soon. But a young guy was a number seven overall pick. And Ryan
14:45Weathers. I'm going to remember that. It's Ryan Weathers. Lefty too.
14:48Dude. John, I went with you on it. And I basically could say amen. They took a shot at a
14:59guy. The
15:00comp, again, I like comps. Most people don't like comps. The comp I made is the left-hand
15:04version of Nathan Evaldi. The Yankees made the same kind of trade with Miami 10 years ago
15:09or so when Evaldi was 25. And Evaldi had all this talent, but he had had a lot of injuries
15:17until he got there. Evaldi went 18-3 in his first season with the Yankees. And really,
15:23his full blossoming was once he went to Tampa, Boston, etc. But he really showed some stuff
15:29for the Yankees. The talent is so overt. John, I was there that night when he was throwing
15:35up to 99, left-handed starter. Now, he dominated a Washington team that wouldn't win the Southeast
15:41Conference. But it wasn't just a fastball. He threw five different pitches. His changeup
15:48was dynamic. There is stuff there. And as opposed to places like San Diego, where he's a high
15:54pick, or Miami, where they trade big stuff for him. Hey, man, you're going to be in a rotation
15:59with Max Freed, ultimately with Garrett Cole, ultimately with Carlos Rodon. I wonder if it unleashes
16:06him. That's the thing. The other side of the coin is there's a little more pressure here,
16:13right? Yeah, no doubt. He starts out as your number four or five starter. And you've got,
16:18obviously, Rodon coming back early in the season. You've got Cole coming back early in the season.
16:23I mean, you could flip him to the bullpen for sure, but I'm sure he wants to be a starter.
16:27And
16:27he certainly has the ability to do it. I give the Yankees Scouts credit. I didn't see that coming in
16:32the
16:33first outing in spring training, throwing 99.8 miles per hour. That could be a huge one for the
16:40Yankees. You know, the reason I had some thought about this almost from the beginning, John, is I
16:45did some just digging. And I called a lot of teams and asked, were you in on weathers? And there
16:52were
16:52a lot of teams that were in on weathers. Like, they all saw, to your point, what the Yankees Scouts
16:56saw
16:57and said, what if we put him in our place? You know, what if he's healthy consecutively? So
17:03obviously, that's what they're looking for. A team that also made a trade for a starting pitcher
17:08with the Marlins, Edward Cabrera, was the Cubs. Their president of baseball operations,
17:13Jed Hoyer, will join us next to talk about that and so much more about his team.
17:22John and I are so pleased to be joined this week by the longtime head of baseball operations
17:26of the Chicago Cubs, Jed Hoyer. Jed, thank you so much for joining us on the show.
17:32Anytime.
17:34Jed, I wonder if I could start with like a tough question, which is, you've obviously been at
17:40this a long time. You put a lot into this offseason, right? It's since 2017. It's one division title.
17:48It's three playoffs. It's one round you've won. Last couple of years, you finished behind Milwaukee.
17:54You got their manager, Craig Council, in those two years. What is the level of, I'm sure the answer
18:01is there's pressure every year, but at some point when it's mounting, how important is it to break
18:06through, win this division, and make some kind of mark in 2026?
18:11Yeah, that was a great question. I mean, I think in a lot of ways, we had a really successful
18:14season
18:15last year. We were super consistent. I think that underlying numbers were good. You know, we won 92
18:22games. But ultimately, yeah, there was a level of frustration, I guess I would say, with the fact
18:28that, you know, the team ahead of us was the Brewers, you know, and we lost to them in game
18:34five in the
18:35second round. And so while there was a lot of positives last year and how we played, you know,
18:41it definitely was a bitter taste in our mouth at the end of the year. And that's obviously a taste
18:47we want to get out of our mouth. I think there's always pressure in these jobs. I think there's
18:52different levels of pressure based on where you are with your players in your life cycle, you know.
18:58And I think we're in a place where, you know, we have a very mature team. You know, we have
19:02a lot
19:02of guys in contract years. We have a mature team. We have a good team. And that means there's more
19:07pressure. There should be, right? We are expected to be a good team. And when you're expected to be
19:13a good team, there's more pressure. And I kind of welcome that. Because when you're kind of building
19:19up during that process, there's a lot intellectually, it's a fascinating process. There is less pressure
19:26day to day to win. But you miss that. I think what ultimately what you want in these jobs is
19:30to
19:31feel the good team to have pressure and to try to win a lot. And I think we have a
19:35chance to do that.
19:37You had a big winter. And the biggest part of that winter was signing Alex Bregman. You had
19:41tried the previous year to sign him. This year, I think a lot of people figured he'd go back to
19:46Boston. Take me through it. How did this come about? Were you surprised in the end that you
19:52were able to land Alex Bregman? And why him? Well, I guess a couple things. I had a good feeling
20:00that there was going to be us or the Red Sox, I guess, even going back to the beginning of
20:05the
20:05offseason. We had had good communication with him last year. Obviously, he knew of our interest.
20:12We immediately kind of rekindled that to start the offseason. But I knew he had a really good
20:17experience in Boston. They're a good young team. I know he meshed with their young players. And so
20:23with that, I knew it was going to be challenging to not have him be a Red Sox. So I
20:29had a sense that
20:29it was going to be one of those two places. And obviously, I'm thrilled with the way it ended up.
20:34But it's free agency. Anything can happen. And so I never had a level of confidence. I had a feeling
20:43it was going to be one of those two destinations. And he's a really good player in so many ways.
20:50He plays good defense. He makes great contact. He has power. He makes good decisions.
20:57On top of that, I think he provides a level of leadership to a team that's, per the last
21:05question, ready to win. And I think that's really important. He wants to make other guys better.
21:10He wants to lead. And I think that there's not a lot of guys like that in the game that
21:15want that
21:16responsibility. And so that was definitely a factor in the decision.
21:21You know, it's interesting, Judge. You said you thought it would be you and Boston. I was a big
21:27guy in New York pushing that. I thought the Mets should go hard after him for all the reasons you
21:31said with some emphasis on the leadership after there was some questions about their clubhouse last
21:36year. I wonder after three weeks with him now, can you dive into it a little like all the things
21:42you
21:42hear about him as a leader? What are those things? Can you put into words what everybody
21:48talks about that he brings, that intensity, that leadership, whatever it is exactly?
21:53Yeah. Well, it is March 2nd. So, you know, obviously the proof will be over a long season. But
22:00just as an example, you know, he's been working with some of our young players, including, you know,
22:06PCA. And, you know, he's down there on the minor league side when those guys are taking
22:10extra at bats, you know, working with him when his day is long over. I think there's just
22:16he takes real responsibility for mentoring young players and for working with them. And that
22:22doesn't mean just occasional conversations. It means, you know, being being there in the cage
22:27with them. It means being in the minor league side with them. And so that part is very real.
22:33Obviously, he works on his own swing a ton, but he's sort of a baseball rat and he's obviously
22:38going to help out as much as he can. And I also know this from other relationships around the game
22:44that once we get into the season, I know he takes the pregame prep very seriously, the
22:50advanced report stuff very seriously. And we already have a team that does that really well.
22:55We have a very diligent group, but I think he provides even an additional level of maturity
22:59and responsibility to a group that's already like that.
23:04You mentioned PCA. It's a little bit of a sore point in New York still that he's not a Met.
23:10We won't go over. I think we talked with you last time about how you were able to land him.
23:15You know, what I want to know about is, is there hopes to lock him up? You know, there've been
23:20some
23:21thoughts of Nico Horner as well, who's a free agent after the year and an outstanding player as well.
23:27Are there efforts being made for either of them to be locked up between Nico Horner and PCA?
23:33And what a great defensive team you have. All these guys that we talk about, they're all great defenders.
23:38Yeah, our team defense is something that we take a lot of pride in.
23:41And we have a manager that, you know, you can see the teams they had in Milwaukee.
23:44I think he loves good team defense. And honestly, I felt like our team defense won us that Padres series
23:52last year.
23:52You know, they, they played, they played great. And it's, it's something, like I said, we take a lot of
23:57pride in.
23:58I'll say this, we, I never comment on extensions and, you know, both guys are guys that you love to
24:03have for a long time.
24:05Both have great makeup. Both, you know, are good on both sides of the ball.
24:10Both run the bases. Great. I mean, there's a lot, a lot of real positives with both guys.
24:14And like I said, they're guys we'd love to, to have long-term.
24:18You know, the, the other, the biggest second move probably after Bregman was Edward Cabrera.
24:25You traded with the Marlins. I hate to keep bringing up the Mets, but I think the Mets thought they
24:30were, had a good shot at him.
24:31Also, they were trying, there were a lot of teams who were trying.
24:35He obviously is an interesting pitcher because of the upside.
24:40There's always these concerns with the injuries.
24:42Why him? And why would you think you could keep him healthy and get the best out of him?
24:47Yeah. I mean, he obviously, you know, I think when any trade, you're always going to, if you're going to
24:53get a talented player, you're going to give one up as well.
24:56I think we felt like for us, we had a very contact oriented pitching staff.
25:01Our defense helps that, but, you know, we don't have that kind of stuff in our rotation other than, than
25:06Cade Horton.
25:08So he fit that well. Our pitching guys have long been enamored with him and, and, and, you know, getting
25:14a chance to work with him.
25:16And it's three years of control. I think that was a, that was a significant factor.
25:20His age and the control was a significant factor in, in sort of being willing to, to give up a
25:25lot of young talent to get him.
25:27And obviously, you know, in our game today, things have changed.
25:32The idea of rolling out, you know, five guys for a thousand innings isn't, isn't happening.
25:38But certainly, you know, our, our trainers, our training staff, our pitching guys will do everything we can to, to
25:44keep them healthy.
25:45And we have three years of control of a guy who's, who's really talented, who has a lot of ability
25:50to spin the ball.
25:51He's got a great change up. And, you know, like I said, he was a, he was, he's always been
25:56a guy that's been intriguing to us.
25:58And it was, it was nice to be able to finally get that kind of deal over the finish line.
26:03Steele, I think is healthy and Imanaga is back.
26:06Your rotation looks good, but I think you made runs at Emai and Cease and probably others.
26:11Tell us about some of those runs. And I guess ultimately you felt you'd rather trade the prospects than to
26:19pay the price.
26:21I always think, you know, in general, I think, you know, off seasons are a matter of, you're always going
26:27to have to put a lot of lines in the water.
26:29You mentioned a couple of guys that we did go after, and then there's, there's plenty of others you didn't
26:34mention.
26:35And I think that's the nature of an off season, right?
26:38The stuff that ends up on the cutting room floor is expected and you just have to be in a
26:45lot of markets, especially in starting pitching.
26:48So, you know, obviously we're able to complete Cabrera transaction, but there was plenty of other starting pitching transactions that
26:55we talked about.
26:56And, you know, going into the off season, we knew that was an area that we needed to fortify.
27:00So, you've got to be active, you know, you never know which team is going to value your prospects.
27:07You never know which free agent is going to, you know, you can get outbid by someone or he can
27:11just not want to go to your, to your destination.
27:14So, if you've got sort of a plan A and nothing else, then it's not going to work out very
27:19well.
27:19And I think you kind of learn that you've got to have a lot of, a lot of options.
27:22And like I said, you mentioned two guys that we were involved in that we didn't land.
27:27You know, Jed, you've done this a long time.
27:29You mentioned that plan A doesn't always, it doesn't really ever work out, right?
27:32You're not going to get whatever you put on your whiteboard as the ideal off season.
27:38How close did you get?
27:40And what keeps you up at night that maybe you didn't get at this point that you feel like, ugh?
27:47Well, that's a great question.
27:48I mean, I felt like we executed a lot of things we wanted to execute this winter.
27:52I guess I would say it like that.
27:53There's certainly some deals that we talked about that, you know, had they worked out, we would have been really
27:58happy.
27:58So, those things always, you know, you always go back at the end and do the post-mortem on the
28:03off season and talk about why didn't they.
28:05And sometimes it's as obvious as another team was more aggressive.
28:09But you always want to make sure you talk through those things and try to learn from that as much
28:15as you can.
28:16And as far as what keeps me up at night, it's sort of always the same thing now is just
28:20pitching, you know, that, like I said, I've done this a long time.
28:25And, you know, you, in the past, you could just kind of, your five starters generally made most of their
28:31turns.
28:31And, you know, we live in a world now where I feel like your ninth and 10 starters are really
28:36important, you know.
28:37So, making sure you have enough depth in the rotation, making sure you have enough depth in the bullpen to
28:43get through this marathon.
28:45Because, you know, you look around and there's, you know, guys get hurt more often.
28:49You know, guys, you know, you're piecing together the 1,440 innings in a different way than you used to.
28:55And I think that that's the thing that probably always gives you trepidation is, like, how are you going to
29:01piece that together?
29:03I think we have a lot of arms to throw at that issue.
29:08But you never feel comfortable.
29:09And I think there was a day in the past that you felt comfortable that way.
29:14And you're not really anymore.
29:17Your big move last winter was to bring in Tucker.
29:21And so, I mean, when you got Tucker, were you thinking that this is going to be, I don't say
29:28likely, but decent chances might just be a one-year thing?
29:31And also, ultimately, I mean, it seemed dissatisfying in the end.
29:36I mean, he obviously is a fantastic player, which obviously you traded a lot to get him.
29:42Is he not a Cub due to the money or the fit or both?
29:47Yeah, no, it's a great question.
29:48And, you know, when we made the transaction, I couldn't have handicapped the odds of him being a Cub or
29:56not being a Cub.
29:57I mean, I look at it like you bring a great player in and you know that he's going to
30:02have options.
30:04We have a good relationship with Casey Close.
30:06We had a lot of conversations about him both prior to him playing for us.
30:13And then, obviously, we didn't talk much during the season about that stuff, but we did talk after the season.
30:17And, you know, ultimately, listen, any team is better for having Kyle Tucker.
30:22There's no question about that.
30:23He's a great player.
30:24But as we sort of thought about, you know, just a combination of everything, the fit, the resources, what other
30:29things we need to do with our roster, it made sense for, you know, for both sides to go in
30:35a different direction.
30:35Obviously, he landed an incredible deal in L.A., and we feel good about where we are right now as
30:41a team.
30:41So it sort of worked out.
30:42But, yeah, it was a good one year with him.
30:48I thought he played great.
30:49I think that when we were at our best was when he was at his best in the first half.
30:55But then, obviously, like I said, you know, the long-term fit, I think there was a better way for
31:02both sides to maybe go in a different direction.
31:04But I've got nothing but good feelings about Kyle, and I wish him luck.
31:08And, like I said, he landed a great deal with a great team.
31:12Why don't we stick with that?
31:13He landed a great deal with a great team.
31:15What do you think about the Dodgers of it all?
31:16I mean, first you've got to deal with the Brewers and the NL Central, but it feels like the NL
31:21Championship will probably go through Los Angeles again.
31:25Like somebody's going to have to figure out how to knock them off of this.
31:30There's so much worry.
31:31Are the Dodgers ruining baseball?
31:32What does it mean to have a $400 million payroll and a $150 million luxury tax bill?
31:38And add Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker to the two areas you feel like.
31:42Like, I wonder if they had pretty much plan A happened for them off of the World Series.
31:47What do you think about having this in your life?
31:51Great challenge to have.
31:53I mean, listen, they've made some incredible business decisions that have led to having a lot of money to spend
32:01on really good players.
32:02And that's what they're doing.
32:03And so the way I look at it is it's baseball, you know, and they were down 2-1 to
32:12the Padres in 24 and were able to squeak out of that series and win the World Series.
32:18And then, you know, last year, obviously, they had a really tough series against the Phillies that I know it
32:23was 3-1, but it kind of could have gone either way, the way those games were.
32:26And then, you know, I mean, they were an eighth of an inch away from losing the World Series or
32:32whatever it was on that play at the plate.
32:34So, I mean, I look at it like it's still baseball.
32:38They're a great team, a great organization.
32:39They've won two times in a row.
32:41But, you know, things could have easily gone in different directions, both against the Padres, the Phillies, the Blue Jays.
32:48And so, you know, it's a great challenge.
32:52I think that it reminds me of the late 90s in a lot of ways with the Yankees and how
32:58it felt.
32:58And you know what?
33:00It felt really good when we were able to finally sort of, you know, beat them when I was with
33:04the Red Sox.
33:04So it's a great challenge.
33:06And the reason it's a great challenge is they're a great organization and a great team.
33:11But it's baseball, and you can still win because it's baseball.
33:15You mentioned they made great business decisions.
33:18You actually were one of the five teams that really pursued Otani, and then I don't believe you got the
33:23okay on the final offer to make to him.
33:27So I won't ask you to bash your own, or now I'll ask you a nicer question than that.
33:32Cade Horton, how good can this guy be?
33:35You know, the thing I love about Cade is that, I mean, he's a great athlete.
33:38Obviously, you know, the football background is something that's been talked about a lot.
33:43He started out as, you know, he was a two-way player for, you know, a long time.
33:47I mean, you see him sort of, like, feel his position.
33:49You can tell he once was an infielder.
33:53But I think that the way he uses that athleticism is really, really special.
33:58When I look back at his college video, he's a guy that relied on this incredible slider.
34:03He still has that slider, but now, you know, he's, you know, learned a two-seamer to go with his
34:08cutting fastball.
34:09He's, you know, developed a changeup that's now a really good pitch.
34:12I just love the fact that he keeps evolving as a pitcher.
34:16He keeps adding different weapons, and our pitching guys have done a good job with him.
34:20But I think his athleticism allows him to do that.
34:24So I think he can keep getting better.
34:26And he was really, really good last year.
34:28From where he was in May when he debuted against the Mets to where he ended up by the end
34:35of the season was really impressive.
34:37So I think he can keep getting better, and he's a great guy to have on staff.
34:42Yeah, we have a similar guy in New York who was a two-way player, Nolan McLean.
34:46They both have incredible futures.
34:49McLean is so fun to watch.
34:51I mean, he spins the ball so easily.
34:53We faced him, obviously, in September.
34:55And, yeah, I think that there's something to be said for even, like, watching McLean do his warm-ups between
35:02innings,
35:03the way he does them, it's so athletic and so natural.
35:07And I think sometimes you realize that these really good athletes that do a lot of different sports
35:13or do different positions, like the ability to change arm angles
35:19or ability to create different things is different.
35:21And I think McLean is like that.
35:24What about Michael Conforto?
35:25You signed him to a minor league deal just a couple weeks ago.
35:29What are your plans for him if he does make the team?
35:33Yeah, I mean, he's in camp competing.
35:35He's looked good so far.
35:37He's only gotten in one major league game, but he's played really well on the backfields.
35:42And, I mean, he's a veteran guy looking to reprove himself.
35:46You know, I think he's had for a long time now, hasn't been in that mode.
35:51And I think he's talked about how he's kind of refreshing.
35:53He's here competing.
35:54I know he had his struggles last year with the Dodgers,
35:56but he's, you know, a year removed from being a good player against right-handed pitching.
36:01So we're excited to have him in camp.
36:03He's been good so far.
36:05You know, Jed, as a way to wrap up, I wonder, it's hard not to see the concern coming about
36:12a potential lockout after this season.
36:15So I wonder if there's a two-part thing here, which is, one, did you do any, did you amend
36:21any,
36:22do anything different because we, of the potential of not playing a portion or all of next year
36:28in your decision-making?
36:30But you're a thoughtful guy, as John and I know.
36:32We both talked to you for a long, long time.
36:34What do you think that we're talking about labor for next year as March of this year is beginning?
36:42Yeah, I mean, I guess a couple things on that, having been through this cycle a number of times,
36:47this is the most that we've talked about it at this point.
36:51It feels like in other times, maybe mid-season it became a topic,
36:56but it definitely feels like it's something we've, I mean, we're talking about now,
37:00we've been talking about it for a couple of years now.
37:02So I do think that it is something that everyone is, I wouldn't say focused on,
37:07but it's something that everyone has, like not in the back of their minds, but it's there.
37:11And it's something that everyone's aware of.
37:14And I mean, my hope is that, you know, I do think in a lot of ways,
37:19I think that what we're about to see this spring with the WBC is a showcase of the fact
37:23that we have so much talent in the game right now and really exciting, fun talent to watch.
37:30And so to me, it's just, I just hope that we can find a way to not lose time
37:35because I think we're in a place in the, we're at a really important point in the game's history
37:41in the sense that we have a lot of really exciting players.
37:44We need to, you know, just continue to move forward and not, you know, not take steps back.
37:50As far as our own stuff, I mean, I think you can see, like we have a lot of free
37:55agents after next year.
37:56Um, did, yeah, did we do some contracts that ended after 26 intentionally?
38:02Yeah.
38:02I mean, I think that there's the fact that we have a lot of contracts that end after next year
38:07or something that we had talked about.
38:09Um, but it's hard, right?
38:10You're, you're, it's a constant topic of conversation just in the industry about,
38:16about a potential work stoppage or potential new systems or whatever it might be.
38:22But the fact is no one has any better information than anyone else, right?
38:26And so ultimately you're, you're dealing with a real unknown.
38:29And my hope is that we're doing this podcast next spring and, or next season.
38:34And that we're talking about baseball and how we got through this, this issue.
38:39And that we're, we have a, a, you know, a somewhat revised system that we're, we're playing.
38:44Cause I think that's, that's what the game needs.
38:47Amen.
38:48I hope we're doing that as well with you, but in the, in real time, we as always appreciate
38:52you're a friend of the show.
38:53You've been on multiple times and John and I both appreciate you doing it.
38:57Uh, thanks so much and have a great season, Jed.
39:00Awesome.
39:00Thank you guys.
39:01I appreciate it.
39:02See ya.
39:08We, uh, thank Jed Hoyer for joining us on the show.
39:12John, hit or error?
39:14I'm going to give it to the Blue Jays.
39:15I think I've given them a lot of hits lately.
39:17I'll give them another hit.
39:18I'm, I promise you, I'm not trying to make it up to them.
39:21I know I was hated there a couple of years ago when I wrote a whole column about why Otani
39:25should be in LA, not Toronto.
39:28Uh, I don't know if I'm making a comeback or not, probably not, but, uh, they signed Max
39:32Scherzer back.
39:33I think that's a good signing.
39:34Only 3 million guaranteed.
39:36He's got $10 million in incentives.
39:38That's probably the way it should be done.
39:40He 34 starts over his last three years, but he had two really good starts in the playoffs.
39:45One in the ALCS against Seattle and, uh, one in the world series against the Dodgers.
39:50So I, I like that signing.
39:52I know it's not the big signing that Dylan Cease or whomever, but I, I like him back.
39:57And it's obviously an accomplishment if you're 41 years old and still pitching, although that
40:01still doesn't beat, uh, Verlander, which is amazing to me.
40:0443.
40:05Yeah.
40:06Uh, John, I, I'm with you on it.
40:08I, I like a, that they haven't stopped trying Toronto.
40:11They've kind of gotten, you know, like, like the taste of it all.
40:15And they pushed this off season and they continue to push.
40:18And I suspect that the trade deadline, if they're good, they'll continue to push further.
40:21That's where they are now.
40:22I think they have some real worries about what Shane Bieber is going to be able to give
40:26them this year, uh, physically.
40:28So Scherzer offers some cover there.
40:31I think they're slow playing trade is savage, uh, in spring training.
40:35I still think they're not positive what they have, uh, in Jose Barrios.
40:38So I like the signing just as some level of protection, John, I'm going to give a hopeful
40:44hit to the world baseball classic.
40:47Uh, you and I are doing this on a Monday morning when this is done.
40:50I'm going to be, uh, you're in Florida.
40:52I'm in, uh, I'm in, uh, Arizona.
40:54I'm going to team USA's, uh, press conference today.
40:57I'll be at their first spring game.
40:59I believe tomorrow, like their exhibition game, getting ready for it.
41:02We just sort of spectacular Olympic tournaments in both men's and women's hockey, where the
41:08United States ended up on top.
41:10Uh, and I think this is, I dare say, sorry to the 1988 gold medal Olympic team, the best
41:17collection of American players that have ever been put together, uh, led by the captain,
41:23Aaron judge.
41:23And by the way, there's a lot here for judge, right?
41:26He can, can he win a championship?
41:29Can he win a championship over Ohtani, right?
41:32Ohtani is like ahead of them.
41:33It's four MVPs to three.
41:34It's a couple of world baseball champ, uh, uh, classics to no shame in that.
41:39No shame.
41:39Ohtani's ahead of everybody.
41:41And two championships with the Dodgers, including one over the Yankees and judge.
41:45So, so I, I like everyone else, uh, respect to all the countries.
41:50I hope we're like, it ended up Canada and the U S in both hockey finals.
41:55I hope it ends up U S in Japan again in the WBC finals.
41:59And it's as classic as it was last time when Ohtani struck out trout to end the whole thing.
42:05Uh, so here's hoping it's a great tournament and we get, and we get that great final.
42:10Not U S in Canada again, you're not, you're not thinking that we'll get another U S Canada.
42:14I think they might be lined up on the same side, so I don't think we can get there,
42:17but okay.
42:18All right.
42:18You're more of an expert.
42:19You're going to the press.
42:20No, I'm not an expert.
42:21I might be wrong about that, but, uh, all right.
42:24Uh, yeah, I mean, that's the logical final, right?
42:27Although Dominican is out team is outstanding as well.
42:30That lineup is just incredible.
42:32Uh, look, Mark DeRosso, you had on this podcast a few weeks ago, uh, did a great job recruiting.
42:38He started with judge.
42:39I mean, he started with schemes.
42:41He got school ball, uh, you know, our rotation, even without Joe Ryan is amazing.
42:48Uh, Logan Webb is a fantastic number three starter.
42:52Uh, we have a great team.
42:54We have no excuses in the past.
42:56We've always had kind of a, or often had a kind of an okay, uh, rotation, not a spectacular
43:01one.
43:01Now we have arguably the two best pitchers in the world.
43:04Right.
43:04And we have a lineup that compares to, uh, the Dominican and probably better than Japan's
43:10and, uh, there are no excuses.
43:12Uh, so let's go, uh, win this.
43:14Uh, yep.
43:15I'm with, uh, I'm with you.
43:16Uh, our champion every week is Tommy Hogan.
43:19He's our producer.
43:20This was again, a quickie show put together yesterday to be on, uh, be able to do this
43:24today.
43:24We always appreciate Tommy finding the time to be able to do it.
43:28Apple, Spotify, wherever you, uh, uh, listen to our podcast, please rate and review us.
43:33They really do help us as those watching us on the New York post sports YouTube page
43:38and continue to, uh, listen, watch, or however you're taking in the show with Joel Sherman
43:44and John Haynes.
43:46Hey, baby.
43:47We'll see you Ś©Ś poetry.
43:48So, let's take another video.
43:48So, you make a great question.
43:49Take it.
43:50Bye.
43:50You
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