00:00What do you think, and who do you think is the best division?
00:03First, we'll do the National League here.
00:05What's the best division in baseball you think it'll be this year?
00:11I still got to go back to the AL East.
00:14I do think the AL West was that division, and we'll see.
00:17We'll see what San Diego does the rest of the year.
00:19We'll see if Arizona can play above 500, if the Giants bounce back.
00:24So if those things happen, then you say, okay, back to the National League West
00:28because of the Dodgers.
00:29But that AL East is still powerful.
00:32I know the Yankees haven't played like they thought they would.
00:36Neither has Boston, neither has Baltimore.
00:38And Toronto has been a big disappointment.
00:40So I'll still stick with the AL East.
00:43But if the National League West teams outside the Dodgers keep on playing like they are,
00:48they'll go back to NL West.
00:51I'm going to keep asking you this every time we get you on here about the ABS system.
00:56Are you getting more comfortable with it?
00:58Do you think the umpires are getting more comfortable with this system?
01:02The fans seemingly like it a lot.
01:05So far, the grade for you would be what?
01:11Maybe it'd be.
01:12You know, the thing that drives me crazy is, you know, umpires can miss a pitch by like
01:17a hundredth of an inch.
01:19And, you know, they overturn it and fans are going crazy.
01:21Like, really?
01:22You can't swing a bat?
01:23You can't have a buffer zone?
01:24So they're getting used to the strike zone.
01:26It's different.
01:27Pitchers would tell you the strike zone is much smaller.
01:30It used to be.
01:30That's why we're seeing a lot more walks.
01:32So I still think we'll have a full ABS system coming to play in about five years or so,
01:38which I don't think, you know, a lot of players I've talked to don't want to see that.
01:43They don't want to lose that human element.
01:44But, you know, I think it's coming.
01:48The Dodgers, correct me if I'm wrong on this.
01:51So the Dodgers spent a year ago, Bob, $515 million to win that World Series by a foot.
01:59I mean, that's how much money Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers pushed across the table for
02:05them to be able to hold off Toronto.
02:07I mean, you see the Dodgers continuing this trend here.
02:11I know I'm going to ask you here in a minute about the upcoming work stoppage potentially.
02:15But, I mean, boy, you've got the Dodgers spending that kind of money and you've got
02:19a team like the Rays spending $108 on a payroll.
02:22I mean, the differences in this sport compared to the NFL, it's so drastic.
02:28I mean, how do you fix that if you're Major League Baseball and Rob Manfred?
02:34Well, MLB would like to have a luxury, I mean, a salary cap or lease salary restrictions
02:40to force teams to spend money that don't and curb the spending of the, you know,
02:44Mets, Yankees, and Dodgers, of course.
02:47You know, that Dodger figure you told, you said, that includes luxury tax penalties.
02:51They're real payrolls, but, you know, like you said, it's under the Mets.
02:55But they pay penalties because they can do so.
02:58So, yeah, you want everybody to have an equal chance.
03:01That's why the owners are pushing for this.
03:04But I tell you what, I think that Padres sale kind of hurts MLB's stance.
03:08Like, wait a minute now, you know, look at a team like the Padres.
03:13You know, they're hanging around year after year.
03:15Look at the Brewers.
03:16Look at Tampa.
03:17They got small payrolls, and the Brewers are in the playoffs every single year.
03:21Tampa used to be in the playoffs every single year.
03:25So, we'll see.
03:26But I think it does hurt MLB's fight.
03:30Like, okay, we're not making enough money here when you see a team sold for 3.9, you know,
03:36and it's a team that's on L.A., New York, or Chicago.
03:40Bob, you mentioned it now that this record sale now for the Padres.
03:44Well, eventually we're going to have, like, restructuring of the divisions if you're going to have maybe expansion in Major
03:51League Baseball.
03:52If the Padres go for $3.9 billion, what are these, like, expansion franchises going to go for for Major
03:59League Baseball?
04:00And like you said, that's got to be a negotiating and collective bargaining on how you look at it.
04:05You can't tell me you're losing money when you're selling baseball teams for $4 billion.
04:11Yeah.
04:11I mean, the expansion fees right now, they're estimated to be $2.2 billion per team.
04:17So, you divide that up, that's another $115 million for the players.
04:21They're also talking about, you know, centralized national TV fund.
04:25That'd be $250 million per team.
04:28So, I mean, things look good.
04:29I mean, the gambling revenue now is greater and will become even bigger in baseball.
04:35So, money is no problem.
04:37And that's what the players are arguing.
04:39Like, you guys are making a ton of money.
04:41We're making a ton of money.
04:43You know, let's keep the system the way it is.
04:4630 seconds.
04:47Do you think that you'll see a work stoppage in December?
04:53I want to say yes before the Padres sale.
04:56Now, I think no.
04:57Or if there's a work stoppage, it certainly won't cost them any regular season games.
05:02You know, if there's a work stoppage in December, January, who cares?
05:06But as long as, you know, as long as the season's kept intact.
05:10So, I'll say we will not miss any games next year.
05:14So, I'll say we'll see you next year.
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