00:00Alec Thomas of WBC fame and of postseason fame in 2023.
00:05Thomas has been a big piece for the Arizona Diamondbacks for quite a while at this point.
00:10Alec Thomas had one option remaining, but it was really interesting when Ryan Waldschmidt got the call to make his
00:16Major League debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
00:18And you can hit on Waldschmidt for a minute if you want.
00:20But when Thomas was DFA, it came as a surprise to a lot of people around the league.
00:25I think there was a little bit of a bidding war.
00:29Like there was no way this guy was getting to waivers, right?
00:33There was no way that a team was not going to try and skip the line and trade for Alec
00:38Thomas.
00:39And it turns out that the Dodgers were the ones that were able to skip the line.
00:43The Dodgers were acquiring or are acquiring Alec Thomas from the Diamondbacks in exchange for a guy that has yet
00:50to make his professional debut in 17-year-old Jose Ricania.
00:54What do you make of this Thomas fit with the Dodgers and why was it the end of the line
00:58for his Diamondback?
00:59Yeah, I think the option aspect is interesting and I think maybe just wanting to do right by him, but
01:04also knowing that, you know, if they put him up on waivers right now, like there's going to be a
01:10lot of teams that are interested and willing to part with a decent prospect.
01:14I don't know anything about Ricania, but I do know that the Diamondbacks had plenty of teams trying to jump
01:21the ladder there to pick up Alec Thomas and climb up the waiver order a little bit.
01:28So, I mean, the Diamondbacks at least had some options of other prospects to compare it to.
01:32And I guess maybe their international guys really liked Ricania, who's yet to make his professional debut, signed for about
01:37$300,000.
01:38But, again, might have been a guy that they were interested in.
01:41I'm really excited about the Waldschmidt addition to the team and its clear move to prioritize offense.
01:48And I think Waldschmidt can absolutely do that with the defense coming along to the point where he can play
01:52all three spots.
01:53I don't think he's going to be the defender that Alec Thomas is, but I think there's obviously a lot
01:57more offense to dream on there.
01:59And that's going to be the way that this team ultimately wins games.
02:01I did think it was interesting just to see that DFA.
02:05And I think that it is going to be scary for Diamondbacks fans because if Alec Thomas is a good
02:11Dodger, I think that's going to be nauseating.
02:14I think that's a conservative word for Diamondbacks fans.
02:18But at the same time, I do think this is a great landing spot for Thomas, obviously, with what they're
02:23able to do with players offensively and potentially get a little bit more out of them.
02:27But the fact that, you know, he can really feel kind of this fourth outfield role for them if the
02:31Dodgers are able to just be a new set of eyes and unlock something offensively.
02:35He out Thomas only needs to be a 95 WRC plus to to be a really an average regular in
02:41the outfield.
02:42I can't believe that that came up there.
02:44I was hoping that that that tweet would not be seen.
02:47This is from 2021 here that we got podcast fee thrown up on the screen.
02:52Add Alec Thomas to the list of if he's not good.
02:54If he's not a good big leaguer, you can punch me in the face.
02:57We'll probably publish that list soon.
02:59That came from arm late in the 8th, November of 2021.
03:02Please don't punch me in the face.
03:03I was still learning then.
03:05I got a little bit overzealous.
03:07Did you ever publish that whole list?
03:08I don't think so, but I'm very nervous that Tristan Casas would have been on that list, too.
03:12So that one's not my fault.
03:14That one's not my fault.
03:15He was a good hitter.
03:16He has a car crash inside of his body every single week.
03:19With the swings, yeah, all the torsion creates that sensation.
03:23I don't know.
03:24I don't know why I said that.
03:25I've learned in the approximate years that it's impossible to know for sure.
03:32That said, I don't think you can sunset Alec Thomas until after the Dodgers era.
03:38If he goes to the Dodgers and doesn't hit with them, then I guess the punch in the face is
03:42valid.
03:42Just please don't warn me and just do it.
03:45He's a 73 career WRC plus, and if this guy can be within 15% of league average offensively,
03:54I think a lot of teams could justify having him as a regular offensively.
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