00:00Orioles are trying to win. If you're a fan of this organization, that's everything you want to see.
00:05I still am a little, and I know the front office hates when I bring this up, bringing the wall
00:09in.
00:10They had so much success when they pushed that thing away and the pitchers were able to get people out.
00:15But we'll see what happens. I would prefer if they kept the wall out there instead of bringing it in.
00:21Greg, we've given a bunch of bold predictions today, and we're super high on Gunnar Henderson having a bounce-back
00:27season.
00:28Utility player.
00:28When he was playing sparingly during the WBC, Greg, he showed up.
00:35Is it kind of crazy or not that crazy to say that Gunnar's heading into this season maybe a little
00:41underrated?
00:43I would agree with that.
00:44Well, I mean, look, it was a bit of a sophomore slump.
00:48People look at a player and they go, well, can't he make the adjustment, right?
00:51But he's never had anyone like Pete Alonzo hitting behind him.
00:54That is going to add to his success.
00:58To have other threats in the lineup is a big deal.
01:02But Sio's going to hit.
01:03I love that kid.
01:04They're going to have more power threats than they've had in years past.
01:08Gunnar's just coming into his body, by the way.
01:10You could just see in the World Baseball Classic, he's filling out.
01:13He was never a small athlete.
01:15But he's getting that man weight in a good way.
01:18So I wouldn't be shocked at all to see Gunnar Henderson hit 40 homers this year.
01:23The Orioles are going to hit.
01:24Yeah.
01:24It's just can they be healthy enough to be deep in their rotation for 162?
01:31We're talking with Greg Amsinger's Inside Access here on the fan.
01:34I'm curious, where are you and Adley Rushman right now?
01:37Because it wasn't that long ago, three years ago, he's looking like he was going to be one of the
01:41faces of the game.
01:42And quite frankly, the last year and a half, he hasn't been very good.
01:46So where are you on him?
01:48I think it's an audition.
01:50He's going to be auditioned for two, three months.
01:53At some point, he's going to get traded this year.
01:55Wow.
01:55I've been saying that from jump.
01:57I don't see why in the world you would hold on to him.
02:01Basayo can't be a young man that you're going to only let catch 30 games, 40 games, DH, play first
02:07base.
02:08That's not what you want to do to develop a young catcher.
02:10So to me, I think this is a long-term audition for Adley Rushman.
02:14And he's not the only one.
02:15There are other teams that have a depth at the catcher position.
02:18The St. Louis Cardinals are a great example.
02:19Yvonne Herrera is going to be catching periodically because they want to show the other 29 teams that he can
02:24catch.
02:25Even though he's not strong defensively, they just want to continue to add value to him.
02:29So I think Adley's going to play a lot because the Orioles want to show the world that he's a
02:33really terrific catcher.
02:35But they're going to try to move him at some point.
02:37And you don't draft two catchers in the first round if you think Adley's the catcher for the next 15
02:42years in Baltimore.
02:43Well, Greg, just to clarify, do you think he's moved at the deadline or following the season?
02:49To me, this reminds me of Luis Arise of the Marlins.
02:53We thought for sure at some point he would get traded before the season started.
02:57And the second Peter Bendix found the deal that he liked, he moved him well before the trade deadline.
03:01But you had to assume that they would hold on to him until the trade deadline.
03:05But if a deal comes, if there's an injury, a significant injury to a starting catcher on a team that's
03:10in win-now mode right now,
03:12then yeah, they make the knee-jerk reaction to give Baltimore what they want.
03:17So I just, in my opinion, at some point, mid-May to the trade deadline, Adley Rushman will be traded.
03:24Okay, so how would, and Bob, that's a, I love it.
03:28It's a hot take.
03:28I appreciate that.
03:29We're here for it.
03:30Yeah, I'm all in on that.
03:32How do you stack this division, which you have said is going to be an absolute war zone?
03:36Well, right now I think the Yankees are still the best team in the division.
03:40The Blue Jays are right there, although the Dylan Cease move, man, you've got to live up to that contract,
03:45bro.
03:46I mean, you had an ERA over four.
03:47That is the highest ERA of any pitcher to get a $200-plus million contract in their walk year.
03:53So, yeah, we love to spin with all the strikeouts, but you're going to have to be durable and effective.
03:57That ERA's got to be below three and a half for me to think that this was a good move
04:01for the Blue Jays.
04:02They're going to miss Bo Bichette.
04:03We could dive into that for a while, but they're big boys.
04:06They know how to win, so I think they're going to be right there.
04:08The Boston Red Sox, everyone's jumping on the Red Sox as the team to beat in the division.
04:12I have a major issue with that.
04:14They had to go get, I think Wilson Gutierrez is a good player.
04:17But the Red Sox needed to go get Wilson Gutierrez.
04:21That doesn't mean you're an offensive juggernaut.
04:23If you needed to go get Wilson Gutierrez, okay, Roman Anthony, wow, what a impressive young player.
04:29He's really good.
04:31Juan Soto comp?
04:32I don't know, man.
04:33I don't know.
04:34Is he going to be the freight train that you can put the whole team on his back at a
04:38young age and take him to the promised land?
04:40These have a lot of question marks all throughout that line.
04:42In my opinion, I just don't think they're going to score enough runs compared to what all my friends think.
04:46Like Abreu and Duran look great in the World Baseball Classic.
04:49Still questions to me.
04:51So the Rays are dangerous, man.
04:53Junior Camonero could be an MVP candidate.
04:55The Williams kid is short, is slick, he's smooth, he looks the part.
04:59They've got guys getting healthy again.
05:01McLane and back in that rotation.
05:02The Rays are always weirdly dangerous.
05:05And then you have the Baltimore Orioles.
05:07So to me, this division is as good as I've seen it since 2009 when MLB Network launched.
05:12So it's going to be incredible.
05:14But I think the Orioles will be battling the Blue Jays for second place.
05:18American League East, best division in baseball.
05:21But Greg, we know the Dodgers, they're the heavy favorite to come out of the National League.
05:26Who's the best team in the American League for you?
05:28Is it the Mariners or a team in the East?
05:30No, the Mariners were my preseason pick to go to the World Series.
05:34I think top to bottom, they're so good.
05:37The second best team, in my opinion, and this has been a wild take that we're doing a segment today
05:42on the National Pre-Game Show called our Club Crush.
05:45And I get to go to all these different camps and spring training.
05:47And every single year, I walk away smitten with a team.
05:50I'm like, whoa, every category is checked.
05:53The Kansas City Royals win 101 games.
05:56Wow.
05:56The Kansas City Royals are stretching out 13 pitchers to start games.
06:02Top to bottom, they believe that they're going to need all of them.
06:04They only want guys to start 22 games max.
06:07They're looking for a long-term pitching depth that is a strength in this sport.
06:12Their ninth inning, eighth inning combo of Estevez and Urceg are nasty.
06:16Love the back end.
06:17And what do we see at the World Baseball Classic?
06:19Bobby Witt Jr. looking like Derek Cheater, superstar shortstop.
06:22Vinny Pasquantino's hitting three bombs in a game, sipping on some espresso.
06:25Sal Perez, at the age of 36, is winning the World Baseball Classic called all the right pitches.
06:30Eduardo Rodriguez is not shaking him one time in the championship game.
06:34Mikel Garcia looks like a superstar who wins MVP of the World Baseball Classic.
06:38Jack Caglione is staying on his backside.
06:41You can see him hit 40 bombs this year for the Kansas City Royals.
06:44Carter Jensen is a hometown Kansas City kid who grew up in KC.
06:49And his favorite player was Sal Perez, who's teaching him how to catch every day.
06:53He looks like Bryce Harper if they let Bryce Harper stay behind the plate as a catcher.
06:58I'm all in on the Kansas City Royals.
07:00Get ready.
07:00They're going to have a huge year.
07:01Greg Amsinger spitting hot fire with us here on Inside Access.
07:04So, Bone just mentioned that the Dodgers are a heavy favorite in the National League.
07:08If the Dodgers are not in the World Series, who's representing the National League for you?
07:12Wow, man, it's such a tough question.
07:14And I want to say the New York Mets because I like the way they tinkered after they let Pete
07:18Alonzo leave and Edwin Diaz leave.
07:20But, man, the back end of the bullpen makes me bite my nails, bro.
07:24And my wife is trying to tell me to stop doing that.
07:26I just don't think the Weaver to Devin Williams thing is a guaranteed lockdown.
07:30They're going to go to the World Series.
07:32If not the Los Angeles Dodgers, if not them, I'm going to have to go with the Philadelphia Phillies.
07:38The window, you can hear it closing.
07:40I think Dave Dombrowski tried to light a flame under Bryce Harper by saying he wonders if he'll ever get
07:45to the elite level again.
07:46That's going to be talked about all year long.
07:48They haven't hugged it out yet.
07:50They need to do that just to shut people like me up from talking about it.
07:54But I think there's a chip on the shoulder of the Philadelphia Phillies to prove that they're not an aging
07:58group of superstars.
07:59And locking up every single pitcher they have.
08:02I mean, how much money?
08:03I need to go to the Phillies and ask them for a contract extension, even though I don't play for
08:06them.
08:06Everybody's getting a contract.
08:07It's amazing.
08:08But Christopher Sanchez, they need Wheeler back in the rotation.
08:11This Painter kid who's a rookie is going to be really good rounding out that staff.
08:15So I think if not the Dodgers, I'll go with the Philadelphia Phillies with the New York Mets right behind.
08:20All right, Greg.
08:21So you're smitten with the Royals.
08:23You think they're flying under the radar.
08:26Who's a big regression candidate for you?
08:29Oh, man.
08:30I hate saying that.
08:33But if you're going to force me to do it.
08:35I am.
08:36I'm going to go with the Texas Rangers.
08:38And they weren't in the playoffs last year.
08:41I think it's going to be a rough season in Arlington, and they're going to have to trade Jacob DeGrom.
08:46He'll be traded before Tarek Skubal is traded.
08:49If there was another team neck and neck with the Texas Rangers, it would be the San Diego Padres.
08:54I just don't think they have no starting pitching.
08:57And the Giants have more mojo right now, in my opinion.
09:01And they're going to take a few wins away from the San Diego Padres.
09:04So I could see the Padres sliding back to almost a 500 season.
09:08I think the Texas Rangers in that division, which isn't one of the best, is still going to slide.
09:14I love the big four in the rotation.
09:15I just don't think they're going to score enough runs.
09:17So I would put those two teams as the clubs in the American League and the National League
09:22that are going to take a major step backwards.
09:24Greg Amsinger, this has been awesome.
09:26And, frankly, I can't wait to have you back.
09:27This was great.
09:29Thank you so much for your time.
09:31Hey, opening night.
09:32Opening day is tomorrow.
09:33Let's go.
09:34Opening night.
09:34Enjoy it, guys.
09:35Enjoy it.
09:36Thanks so much.
09:37Hey, catch Greg, Harold Reynolds, and Dan Plesak.
09:39They're back with MLB Tonight.
09:41It's the National Pre-Game Show.
09:42Weekdays at 5 p.m.
09:43Leading up to all the games every single night.
09:46Wow.
09:47Coming up next, what do we think of the Orioles this year?
09:50How many games are they going to win?
09:51How do we stack the ALEs?
09:53Jimmy Patzos in studio at 430 here on The Fan.
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