00:00Real Conver, we're having Justin Latta on tomorrow from Locked On Guardians.
00:03Real conversation that was asked.
00:05Because they were like, well, you could get ahead of it.
00:07Because who, was it Bobby Witt you mentioned during one of the breaks, Owen?
00:10Yes.
00:10Yeah, Bobby Witt Jr.
00:11They paid him like a billion dollars early.
00:13And people were going, what, what, what?
00:15And it's like, well, that actually might pan out for them.
00:17He'd been up for a year.
00:17Yeah.
00:18Well, this would be an all-timer.
00:19It would be an all-timer.
00:20I mean, after, but now the question is, after he went 0 for 4 last night.
00:24Oh, does that impact it?
00:26A couple of dollars, that's tough.
00:27I think you're one short.
00:29I think he might have been 0 for 5.
00:30Was he over 5?
00:32Did we speak too soon on Chase DeLauder?
00:34You can't go 0 for 5 if you don't go 0 for 4.
00:37That's right.
00:37That's the pathway to get there.
00:39Oh, no, he was 0 for 4.
00:40I gave him too much.
00:41I gave too much.
00:42I'm sorry.
00:42Improved that batting average already.
00:43I apologize.
00:44Steven Kwan was 3 for 5.
00:46I saw the 5 in a different spot.
00:48Much needed.
00:50Much needed to quell, to slow down any of the exaggerated conversations.
00:56Because at first.
00:57That you had outside of the studio yesterday.
00:59Well, it was weird because I had, can I just say it real quick?
01:01You're right about that, but can I just say it real quick?
01:02Because I brought up Cade Smith.
01:05It's like, hey, do we have to have a Cade Smith conversation?
01:08And there were several people that got in the messages and were like, hey, whoa, it's too
01:12soon.
01:12It's too early.
01:13Well, if you go back to last year.
01:15And where Steven Kwan, you asked me about Steven Kwan.
01:17I go, wait, it's early.
01:18Let's see what happens.
01:19Well, Steven Kwan at the end of last year was struggling.
01:22And we were talking about him getting $30 million at one point.
01:25Well, you do wonder how.
01:25I don't know who would you pay to talk about getting him $30 million.
01:28Don't say we like it was everyone.
01:30It was you two.
01:31You two were doing it.
01:32The closer conversation.
01:34Zach Meisel entertained the conversation.
01:35Thank you very much.
01:36And said somebody would pay him.
01:38The closer conversation is always an interesting one.
01:42Because, Kenny, you were dying to talk about how many does it take?
01:47How many saves does it take?
01:48How many saves do you have to have to have a real cool entrance?
01:52But then part of that conversation was.
01:54Like Edwin Diaz or like Mason Miller who had just the other night,
01:56which was amazing.
01:57How many is it until a fan base is like, that's our closer?
02:00How many saves is it?
02:02Because those two things are hand in hand.
02:04It's got to be, yes, that's our closer.
02:06And, yes, we got a good closer.
02:08But the crazy thing about the closer role is it always feels like you could be
02:13three blown saves away from losing that job.
02:16I think it's almost nothing like it in sports.
02:18I think it's one of the top three toughest positions to play in sports.
02:22Easily.
02:23I think kicker is number one.
02:25I think closer.
02:27Pressure-wise.
02:28Yeah, yeah.
02:29Top three.
02:29Kicker's number one.
02:31Closer's got to be number two.
02:33Number three, let me think about it.
02:35But those are the top two.
02:38So I know what I'm saying when I say it about Kate Smith.
02:41I don't want to be crazy about it.
02:44But, I mean, you're telling me anybody sees Paulette and they don't go,
02:47hmm, high leverage situations.
02:49You guys are already talking about it.
02:50High leverage, high leverage, high leverage.
02:53You can't help but wonder if a guy, you can't close games consistently.
03:00And I, guys, I am rooting for Kate Smith because I want to put this greasy,
03:05Emanuel Class A stuff behind us.
03:07I'm rooting for him.
03:09I'm tired of talking about gambling.
03:10A guy who could possibly do 65 years in prison.
03:13There's no way he's going to do 65 years in jail, is he?
03:18No way.
03:19But I'm ready to move on from that.
03:21Are you, real quick, would you entertain at all?
03:24At all.
03:25We'll get back.
03:25The Browns ain't going anywhere.
03:27I'll get right back to show.
03:28You bet your ass on that.
03:31Would you kick around, say he's a rookie of the year, top rookie of the year
03:36candidate by the time the all-star break comes around, which would make him an all-star.
03:39If he's an all-star, are you talking extension?
03:41It's obviously way too early, but let's have some fun with this.
03:44But you know what?
03:44We're having some fun because he's been that awesome to start the season.
03:50And you've been waiting for him forever.
03:52You've been waiting for him to be healthy and to be able to go out there.
03:56Nobody ever questioned the talent.
03:58Even if you didn't love his swing or anything like that, you still never question the talent.
04:03The problem is, of course, the injuries.
04:05And you do have team control of him until he's, what, 29?
04:08So what's the urgency on the Guardian's behalf?
04:13You know, he's had such a struggle staying healthy to this point as it is.
04:18Well, that's why I said all-star break.
04:19Because if you invest it now.
04:22Is that enough time to see him?
04:25Probably not.
04:26Probably not.
04:27You've got to fold the blitzer factor into this.
04:29I mean, he's had a broken foot, that toe on his left foot, a foot fracture, again, turf, toe, hamstring.
04:37Well, you better call Dr. Mendezun with all them feet.
04:39This is a lot.
04:41So it's like, how many straight months do you want to see him healthy before you'd really be willing to
04:49commit to something like that long term?
04:50Well, Big Z had bad feet for the first couple years of his career.
04:53Yes, he did.
04:53And then that was it.
04:54You know, obviously, it picked back up after that.
04:57Well, I think David Blitzer needs to be a factor into this, by the way.
05:01Because, you know, Paul Dolan would wait.
05:03They both have plenty of time.
05:04The way Justin had described it is like, hey, you know, there's pool money in there.
05:09If he continues this, he ain't going to make $830,000.
05:11He's going to end up making like $3 million.
05:13So there's plenty of time for both sides to wait.
05:15But you're thinking, if you're David Blitzer, you and I both talk, when he officially takes over,
05:19you would talk, we both predicted there'd be a splash signing.
05:23That would be a splash.
05:25It's your own player.
05:26It's your own guy that fans are excited about.
05:29It is far too early.
05:30Obviously, it's far too early.
05:31But if you get to the All-Star break, and he's healthy, and he's still playing like an All-Star,
05:36and he becomes an All-Star, because if you're a Rookie of the Year candidate,
05:38then you're probably an All-Star, I'm imagining.
05:40So if he were an All-Star and a Rookie of the Year candidate,
05:44why not have a conversation at the All-Star break?
05:47Or, you know, you go into next year and you go, hey, let's get this pounded out.
05:50We'll get this work stopped and figured it out, and then we're going to move on.
05:53I think I'd wait until the end of the year.
05:55I know that can be difficult, because then, you know, talks can already start to get contentious
06:00between the two sides.
06:01But it's like everybody knows when they get drafted by the Guardians,
06:04you're going to get incredible, especially pitching,
06:07you're going to get incredible organization, great development.
06:11At the same time, you know, it's going to be hard to really talk Turkey about the financials,
06:17because you know the situation you're dealing with,
06:20which isn't that different from a whole bunch of other teams, obviously, in that sport.
06:23I brought up Bobby Witt.
06:25He played two years before they gave him that extension.
06:28So he had a good rookie year, and then he had a 30-30 season the next year.
06:33And they gave him 11 years, $288 million.
06:38That's a lot of money, a lot of years.
06:40But he's young, right?
06:41And you're willing to take that risk on a guy after two years kind of proving that.
06:46I feel like the Guardians are in a situation where they at least have to put it out.
06:50They did it with Lindor, right?
06:52They put that out, and we found that out on a spring training game from the GM's son.
06:57Well, that did become kind of a stare-down situation with those two.
07:01And then, you know, Lyme had brought up where he had heard that Lindor wasn't going to sign here,
07:05even if they matched $300 million from anybody.
07:08We've loved a lotter in Cleveland since, you know, at least last season.
07:13Like, early last year, it was like, get him up here, let's go, right?
07:17Francisco Lindor, everybody loved Francisco Lindor.
07:21You know, and it was pretty much riding on the wall with him.
07:24So, just saying, David Blitzer could do himself – if he could – it's obviously very early.
07:30If he could continue, he's got to stay healthy.
07:32If he stays healthy, the talent's there.
07:33If he stays healthy, the talent will come to fruition.
07:36And if you're David Blitzer, you talk about hitting the ground running.
07:40I know right now it's in line for the end of 2027.
07:43But if you signed him, homegrown, fans already love him.
07:47I think they're going to be very excited to see him on Friday.
07:50If at the end of all this, there's a lot of ifs, ands, and things that have to play out
07:53here.
07:53But, boy, that'd be a home run already if you were taking over as the owner of the Cleveland Guardians.
07:582-1-6-4-7-4-0-0-92.
07:59That's just where I stand on that.
08:00All right.
08:01All right.
08:01All right.
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