- 1 week ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00John, there's many reasons I think we enjoy covering Carlos Mendoza.
00:05Among them is he's very, very accessible and honest.
00:09Even in the worst of times, the Mets have generally struggled.
00:13They're playing a little better recently, but he's going to join us on the show.
00:16Yes, he's very accessible and very honest.
00:19And that's not why we, at least I advocated that they hold on to him.
00:23And I don't think you were in favor of them firing him either.
00:26Well, because this is not his fault, what's gone on with the Mets this year.
00:32But this will give me another chance to ask that question if the Mets just aren't a good team.
00:38But they are better than the first time I asked that question.
00:40So we'll see what he has to say.
00:42He gave the right answer the first time, which I think is he supports his guys.
00:48He believes in his guys.
00:49But let's see if I can press him a little further and see how much he believes in these guys.
00:53Because, you know, they did have a nice winning streak there, but obviously a loss in Seattle.
00:59They're now playing better teams.
01:02It's a pretty daunting month they have in front of them in terms of the schedule.
01:06And they come in with, obviously, we know a losing record.
01:08They're in last place as we talk about this.
01:11But we'll see what he has to say.
01:13Does he really believe?
01:14And why does he believe in this team?
01:16Yeah, their schedule is crazy, John.
01:18They haven't played Atlanta or Philadelphia yet.
01:21But they're going to end up playing about more than a quarter of their games against those teams for starting
01:26at about game like 65 or so of this season.
01:29It's just a weird schedule.
01:30We'll talk to him about all that.
01:32John and I are going to try to go deep on labor where we are, on the Parik Skubal market
01:37where we are, on if Jacob deGrom, 100th win, does anything for his Hall of Fame case.
01:42We'll play hit and error at the end if you stick with us on the show with Joel Sherman and
01:45John.
01:51John, since we were last on, we got the first volley in what I'm sure will be not just a
01:57labor negotiation, but a labor war.
02:00The Players Association made their offer.
02:03MLB made its salary cap offer.
02:06I think neither you or I reacted very much to this in any way.
02:10I'll tell you why I didn't and we haven't discussed this is like I just think both sides played their
02:15part here.
02:16They knew the CBA expires November 30th at midnight, so December 1st.
02:24We're almost certainly going to get there.
02:26We're almost certainly going to have a lockout.
02:28And I think both sides made an initial offer that was designed to piss the other side off and get
02:35them to put out some angry missive, but to follow labor law by offering something from both sides.
02:42And now we'll see, I mean, to me, John, I guess I could go through details if you want or
02:48you think the viewers and listeners want, but I think the big thing will just be, are the owners in
02:55this for salary cap all the way, no matter how destructive that might get?
03:00Because I think the players aren't going to back down on that without missing a lot of games and maybe
03:06even a season.
03:07Or is this all designed to push things towards something where they get an international, whatever other thing they might
03:14want that's acceptable?
03:16And does Rob have the 23 votes would be needed where at least 23 owners are OK without it?
03:24Or are there eight hardliners who are like, I'd rather miss a season than not be like the other three
03:30major longstanding sports?
03:32So, John, what do you think?
03:34Well, hopefully there's nobody willing to miss a season over this.
03:39I mean, at this moment, yes, they are very much together and wanting that salary cap, which I don't think
03:46you or I think is very likely to happen.
03:49I don't think it's just a ploy.
03:51I think they are interested in the salary cap and they're giving it a shot.
03:55Both sides made offers that were ridiculous, not even close.
04:01I mean, it's good they made offers, good for them.
04:04But, you know, just to give you an example, the union offered to raise the minimum from what, around?
04:12$7.80 to $7.80, right, double, basically double it to $1.5 million, right?
04:17And go to $2.2 before the end of it.
04:20Yeah, I mean, that's ridiculous.
04:23And then they make the pronouncement that this is good for players.
04:26No kidding.
04:28Do they have to convince their own?
04:29That's a bad sign to me.
04:30They have to convince their own players that they're working for them.
04:33Last time, let's recall that the eight players, I don't know what they call the executive council or whatever, the
04:39eight players who were really on the negotiating committee were all against the deal.
04:46And the rank and file voted for it.
04:48So I don't know.
04:49They're trying to maybe get on the same page, get together, whatever.
04:52But to me, that's a bad sign that they have to say that this is great for the players.
04:56No kidding.
04:57Of course it's great.
04:58It's beyond.
04:58And it made no sense because it's certainly not going to help the small market teams.
05:04And, you know, I'm in favor of raising.
05:08I do believe that it should be higher than $780,000.
05:12It is a great accomplishment to make the major leagues.
05:15And I do think that ultimately this will be one carat that the owners can hold over their heads and
05:23at least offer and say, let's raise it to a million or something, which is a very substantial raise.
05:30That's a 25% raise.
05:32And I think they'll get a lot of the rank and file on board for that alone.
05:36But to me, to raise it by double, 100% raise, I mean, I know inflation's high, but it's ridiculous.
05:43That's just, you know, I'm not going to go over all the other things that they offered, but they're all
05:48along those lines that are way over.
05:51And then, of course, then they came out and talked to a bunch of writers and told them how terrible
05:56the owner's offer is, which it is.
05:59But their offer was just as terrible, if not more terrible.
06:03So, you know, they're a long way off.
06:06I'll say that.
06:07Yeah, they're very far apart.
06:08But I think, again, like I think one of the reasons I'm just speaking personally, I didn't react to it
06:13is like I expected this is what they were going to get close to what the final deal is that
06:18is acceptable for either side.
06:20They begin at extremes.
06:22I think we're all expecting it near 100% that there'll be a lockout and that this thing will be,
06:28you know, pick your date on whatever gambling site you might like, March 23rd, March 27th or not at all.
06:34Like, you know, like I think that that's where we're heading.
06:36I want to ask one big picture question because I think it's at the heart of this.
06:41Do we have a competitive balance problem or do we have a competitive balance perception issue because of where payrolls
06:50are?
06:50Like I know this is the argument.
06:54I think MLB is, of course, leading with the fans and saying the fans want a salary.
06:59Right. You know, the fans kind of like on some level hate that athletes make a lot of money without
07:04thinking about what the Guggenheims make or the Cones make.
07:07They're upset about what players make.
07:10But with all the disparity of payroll, I still think like people are overreacting to the Dodgers who are like
07:18the Yankees were in the late 90s.
07:20And I expect like the Yankees in the late 90s.
07:23Sometime it will end and they'll stop.
07:24It's cyclical. Right. It's a cycle. Right. It's not going to go on forever with the Dodgers.
07:29Certainly the Otani deal probably lengthened their greatness because they're paying him $2 million and he's worth $300 million or
07:38something like that.
07:39So that has enabled them to do whatever they want, including spend or if you want to put it this
07:44way, waste $60 million a year on Tucker, whatever.
07:47But they are the best team. But, you know, I and I and I've asked MLB people about this.
07:54Is this is this hurt your argument? The fact that Cleveland, Milwaukee, Tampa are in first play three, three out
08:01of six divisions in almost Oakland to lead.
08:05You're you're old John Oakland. Oakland. I'm going to call him Oakland anyway.
08:10I don't care until they get to Las Vegas. They're still California. All right.
08:14Well, for now, then there'll be a Nevada. Yeah, I mean, you know, we're only one third of the way
08:20through the season.
08:21But does that you know, if it goes to the end like that, does that hurt your argument?
08:25And if the are you rooting for the Dodgers and Yankees to win to buttress?
08:30There are your argument that things aren't fair.
08:32I don't know what we're seeing on the field is not proving the point for MLB.
08:37I used to play in the World Series every year in the 40s and 50s.
08:40I was I hear that's the heyday of the sport. Now it's the death penalty.
08:44I just I look I have a problem with how competitive balance is being dealt with here, because I'll just
08:50throw out these two things, John.
08:51And you always know you're really great on money and understanding player value and stuff.
08:56So, like, I think the dirty little secret for for for fans is if you said to the Milwaukee Brewers,
09:03Mark Adonazio came to them on the first workday of 2026, whatever that is, January 3rd, January 4th.
09:09And said, you know, you guys have the best record in the sport last year, baseball operations.
09:13I'm going to give you 10 million dollars to spend and you could do it however you want.
09:19You could get a 10 million dollar player to five million dollar players, five, two million dollars players, or you
09:24could put it in research and development.
09:26The Brewers would absolutely put it into research and development because they believe that's where the greater return on investment
09:33is like that.
09:34There's a lot of money being spent behind the scenes that equals this out.
09:38And number two, if there were a salary cap and the Brewers had Freddy Peralta, I hate to tell Brewer
09:44fans this, the Brewers would not have extended Freddy Peralta.
09:47They still would have traded him.
09:49And what they do to get to the salary cap level would be like, hey, if we're offering Bryce Durant
09:55six at 100, we'll offer him six at 130.
09:58We'll keep our own.
09:59We'll tell the Dodgers, hey, we'll take Teoscar Hernandez.
10:02But you've got to attach a prospect or two and there won't be new money thrown into the industry by
10:09these bottom teams.
10:10I don't believe that.
10:12And that's why I think that the owners should just say, hey, these other sports have it.
10:18They have successful relationships with their media outlets.
10:21We believe it will rise revenue greatly.
10:24You're going to get half the revenue.
10:25It's good for us.
10:26The reason to have a salary cap is it does as close to assuring the values of franchises go up.
10:33And that's what we want.
10:34And we think that tide will bring you up.
10:36I don't think it has anything to do with competitive balance.
10:39Yeah, I mean, I think that it is about franchise values.
10:42That's the number one factor for the owners and the overall value for everyone.
10:48So I don't know if that would play.
10:50I think, you know, I'm not in public relations, but maybe they think it plays better to talk about the
10:57competitive balance.
10:57But that's why I asked you perception and reality, John.
10:59The perception that teams are spending like the Mets, they should win, but they don't always win.
11:04And if you spend like the Brewers, you shouldn't win, but they do often win.
11:08And I just think it's about competence.
11:10But, like, you want it to be a big money-making thing, then this is how, like, I would just
11:15present it as a piece.
11:17Yeah.
11:18Well, maybe that worked.
11:20I mean, to me, I would have just made a more reasonable offer.
11:23I mean, I'm not a negotiator either.
11:25Make it more reasonable.
11:26Because right now, I don't think anybody is swayed by either of those offers.
11:31If you were naturally for the owners, you're going to be for the owners.
11:34If you were naturally for the players, you're going to be for the players.
11:37But certainly, again, that player offer to double your minimum, that is doing the opposite of leveling the playing field.
11:48You know, you're now telling the small market teams that are getting, you know, reasonable, a lot of younger, cheaper
11:56players, they're going to have to pay double for them.
11:58So I think that's doing the opposite.
12:00Although, as I said, I'm in favor of a higher salary, but not to double.
12:05I mean, it was just, to me, to make a ridiculous offer and then scream from the high heavens about
12:11how ridiculous the owner offer was, I think it's silly.
12:15I think the union's got a problem with its leadership, right?
12:19I mean, Tony Clark was the leader.
12:21You know, he's charismatic, whatever you think of him.
12:23I'm sure that the players liked him.
12:25Now they, you know, you've got a guy who's got a really negative personality.
12:31You know, he's got to convince his own players that he's doing it for them.
12:35You know, make an announcement and say, this is a great deal for the players.
12:39I would think if you're negotiating, you want to say, this is a great deal for the owners, not for
12:44the players.
12:45But he comes out and says, this is a great deal for the players.
12:47So I don't think they're in a great spot.
12:49It's all in a bad, they haven't moved the ball forward.
12:53So I'm disappointed.
12:54That's basically my bottom line.
12:56Yeah, I'm not disappointed because I just think this is what I expected.
13:00Like, I don't think there's going to be serious negotiations before like March, February, March.
13:06You're probably right.
13:06I just think that this is all kabuki theater.
13:09They're playing the parts we expected them to play.
13:12And I'm not going to get overheated.
13:13And I'll cover the sport.
13:15I'm kind of agnostic about it.
13:17Like, whatever the rules are, I'll cover the sport.
13:20Like my brethren who cover sports with salary caps.
13:23If we have a salary cap, I'll cover a league with a salary cap.
13:27John, let's get on the field.
13:28I think the pressing issue of this moment is the do they or don't they?
13:34And I think both you and I, I hate to speak for you, think they're very, very close to where
13:38it's going to have to be due.
13:40Do the Tigers trade Tarek Skubal?
13:43They're sitting with the worst record in the American League.
13:45At the moment we speak, they won the first game of a series, but they had lost the eight previous
13:49series they played.
13:52They're starting to get back some of their injured players, Meadows, Torres, some of the pitchers.
13:59But, John, I think Skubal is going to go.
14:02I think there's going to be a huge bidding war between, and you've covered some of this already, between some
14:08of the obvious teams.
14:10I think the Cubs are as obvious a team as there is in the sport that needs them.
14:16The Dodgers, just because they're the Dodgers, I think will be there.
14:18But I expect that the Brewers, the Rays, like these teams are going to check in.
14:22The one I don't believe is the Yankees.
14:24I think the Yankees have other issues and that they're not going to use a lot of minor league collateral
14:29to get something they think they're already really good at.
14:33Yeah, I'm with you.
14:33I think there's an outstanding chance that he's traded, unless he doesn't come back.
14:39You know, I think he's doing well.
14:41I think he's expected back in about two weeks.
14:44I mean, that's kind of an estimate.
14:46You never know with these timetables.
14:49But two weeks, so that'll put him back at six weeks after the injury, which is ahead of schedule, I
14:56think.
14:57And look, the Tigers were half game out on his last start, April 29th.
15:03J.P. Morosi had this stat, and now I think they're, what, are they 8-22 since then?
15:08Something like that.
15:09Brutal.
15:10They're in last place.
15:12They're in a very bad spot.
15:14So it's logical.
15:15They have no chance to sign him long term.
15:17We know that they offered him four for 75 a year and a half ago.
15:21That wasn't going to fly.
15:23It's still not going to fly.
15:24It's not even in the ballpark.
15:27So, I mean, I think that assuming that he's healthy, he will be traded.
15:34And I'm with you.
15:35Unless Freed does not come back, I think the Yankees are probably a long shot.
15:40The Cubs make the most sense to me.
15:42They have the relationship with the executives on the teams.
15:47Scott Harris with the Tigers and Jed Hoyer with the Cubs, two guys we've had on.
15:51They are close friends.
15:52Harris was with the Cubs for their championship, as was Hoyer.
15:57And they are playing to win this year.
15:59It doesn't feel like they are the way they're playing, but they are playing to win this year.
16:03They've lost a lot of starting pitching, right?
16:05Yeah, right.
16:06I mean, they lost their ace, Kate Horton.
16:08So, that's, to me, the most logical, obvious team.
16:12We know the Padres are aggressive.
16:13We know the Dodgers are going to go for it.
16:15They want a three-peat.
16:16They have the prospects to do it.
16:19And I'm with you on the Brewers and the Rays.
16:21Certainly, the Brewers have the prospects to do it.
16:23The Rays are a team that's tried in the past to do interesting stuff like that.
16:27He hasn't really done it.
16:29New owner syndrome with the Rays also.
16:34I think they have a shot.
16:36I'm going to put them in there.
16:37And I think the Yankees are a long shot.
16:38So, I'm with you on all of it.
16:41And, you know, I'm going to say Scoobles, you know, unless he doesn't come back,
16:45which does not appear to be the case, he should be traded and probably will be traded.
16:51Yeah, the hurdles are obvious.
16:53Like, it's his third elbows procedure of some type.
16:56It's a new procedure, and nobody will know exactly how people come back from this new procedure.
17:01He's making a lot of money.
17:03On August 3rd, he'll be owed a little over $9 million of his $32 million to finish the season.
17:08So, there's some hurdles there.
17:09But if Tarek Scoobles, two-time Cy Young winner, defending AL Cy Young award winner,
17:15comes back and comes back well for three, four, five starts,
17:19the industry is going to circle on a guy who could be such a difference maker.
17:23John, on the subject of somebody who's won two Cy Youngs, did you like that tortured segue?
17:27Jacob DeGrom won his 100th game yesterday.
17:31I think the Odyssey is coming out.
17:33Christopher Nolan's Odyssey, the movie, is coming out this summer.
17:37It's been a bit of an odyssey for DeGrom to get to 100 wins.
17:40He's obviously much more talented than 100 wins at this point of his career.
17:44We know some of the storylines that went with him with the match where they just didn't score runs for
17:49him.
17:49I think we're beyond people caring about wins for the Hall of Fame.
17:54I think the question is going to be, do you think he has enough bulk total to do it?
18:00So, let me see if I can just frame his case and see what you think.
18:04So, he's at a little over 1,600 innings right now.
18:07I think his case needs 2,000 innings probably, and people would feel a lot better about it.
18:12But just where he stands right now, he's No. 2 all-time in whip, No. 4 in hits per 9
18:18innings, No. 4 in strikeouts per 9 innings, 8th in ERA+.
18:23This is all-time, by the way, and No. 1 in strikeout-to-walk ratio.
18:28I mean, we're talking about him historically.
18:29He got Cy Young votes in seven different years, and he's still pitching pretty well in his late dirties now
18:35for the Rangers.
18:35John, I think he's ebbing ever closer, and I think that's because we're going to change how we think about
18:42starting pitchers once we're past the Kershaw or Verlander Scherzer guys who will be long voted on by the time
18:47DeGrom is probably ready to be voted on.
18:50Yeah, I think we've already changed.
18:52I'm going to give us more credit than that.
18:53I voted for King Felix.
18:56I regret not voting for Johan Santana.
18:59Let's get him back on the ballot.
19:00I'd like to see him, the Veterans Committee, do what we should have done and put him in the Hall.
19:05So, I mean, I think DeGrom is right there.
19:07He's certainly a very good candidate right now.
19:11You know, if someone tells me he's in the Hall of Fame tomorrow, I'm not really opposed.
19:15He's won two Cy Youngs.
19:18He's been the best pitcher in baseball.
19:20You know, I'm a peak guy.
19:22You know, I always voted for Mattingly.
19:24You know, and we're not, you know, just because he wasn't the most pleasant guy to be around,
19:28it doesn't factor in.
19:30You know, everyone says, well, you didn't, Albert Bell's not in because you guys hated him or whatever.
19:34Look, there are a lot of guys we didn't really like who got unanimous or near unanimous, right?
19:39Steve Carlton was terrible with the media, right?
19:42Jim Rice was not good with the media.
19:43Now he's in the media.
19:45You know, not a bad guy, but he just wasn't good with the media.
19:49The media thing has nothing to do with it.
19:51People are going to vote for who they think belongs.
19:53Yeah, I mean, at this point, you know, I can't say DeGrom was my favorite.
19:59And I did poke fun at him a bunch, possibly because I didn't, he wasn't my favorite, partly.
20:05But, you know, writing that he was, what did I say, that he was America's highest paid part-time worker.
20:12I called him that for a few years.
20:15And, you know, I stand with that.
20:17He was America's highest paid part-time worker.
20:19And, you know, that would be the case against is that he missed a lot of time and doesn't have
20:24the bulk numbers.
20:24But at this point, I kind of, I'm leaning toward Hall of Fame for DeGrom.
20:29I mean, he, I'm a peak guy.
20:32The guy won two Cy Youngs, as you said, seven times he got votes, right?
20:37Yeah.
20:38He is a dominant, he's a dominant pitcher.
20:41Certainly the case isn't over yet.
20:43He's still pitching well.
20:45He's still a good pitcher.
20:46So, let's let him have a few more years and see how it goes.
20:50But I'm kind of leaning toward he is a Hall of Famer.
20:53Yeah, John, I think you hit two of the things that really resonate with me, which is on peak, you
20:59know, the best pitcher I ever saw at peak was Pedro.
21:02Like, when he pitched, I thought he was the best I've ever seen.
21:05I do think there was a three or four year period there where I would put DeGrom with who the
21:10guys on my next level, like Randy Johnson, Maddox.
21:13And like, I was young, but like, you know, seeing Seaver, who was obviously.
21:17And all those guys had bulk too, right?
21:19And you threw him.
21:19Oh, right, right, right.
21:20Maddox, Pedro, Johnson.
21:21But you were talking about, if I'm going to look at peak, there were like three years where I would
21:26say, hey, I'd put DeGrom on the mound to try to win a game against almost anybody for those three
21:30or four years.
21:31The other one is you mentioned the name.
21:33If you can go on a site like Baseball Reference or Fangraphs and do a comparative side by side, he
21:39looks very much, if he gets to 2,000 innings, he's going to look just like Johan Santana, who also
21:44won two Cy Youngs.
21:45And to me, Johan Santana was such a better pitcher than Felix Hernandez, who's going to get into the Hall
21:51of Fame because the voters now, of which we're part, but I think the larger, younger group wants to get
21:57people in.
21:58And I think Felix's number has risen both of his years significantly.
22:01I think it will continue to rise and get in.
22:03And I don't think Felix Hernandez in peak stands near Johan Santana or near Jacob DeGrom.
22:10And so I think I'm with you.
22:12If you told me I could only vote for Felix Hernandez, Johan Santana, or David Cohn, I'm doing a David
22:17Cohn-Johan Santana debate before I get to Felix Hernandez.
22:20Yeah, well, I voted for Cohn, so I think Cohn's a Hall of Famer, you know, and he won a
22:25bunch of championships, too.
22:27So he won a perfect game.
22:29He did win a Cy Young.
22:31I think Cohn, we missed the boat on that one, not me personally.
22:34I think I missed it on Santana.
22:36I think Santana should be in, and I do vote for Felix now.
22:39Now, I would say, you know, Santana versus Felix, I'd have to look at it.
22:44I think that's closer than you think.
22:46You know, there is a fame aspect to it.
22:49He is the king.
22:50He did throw a perfect game.
22:52He struck out a lot of people.
22:55I think it's pretty close.
22:56But since I am voting for Felix, that's why I regret not voting for Santana.
23:01I think they're in the same category.
23:03And I think DeGrom is in that category, too.
23:07You know, his bulk probably isn't.
23:08It's a little bit short of those two, but not enough to really even mention.
23:14So that's why I think DeGrom is probably a Hall of Famer.
23:18And let's do a re-vote with some of these guys, including Santana.
23:22Yeah, DeGrom will be an interesting case, former Met, of course, one of the reasons we're
23:27talking about him.
23:29The current Met manager, Carlos Mendoza, is going to join us next on the show.
23:38John and I are so pleased to be joined yet again by a frequent guest of the podcast,
23:43a friend of the show, and really a friend of reporters, as is being shown again here.
23:48They're Carlos Mendoza, manager of the Mets.
23:50The Mets are on the West Coast.
23:52The Mets are under .500.
23:54They've generally struggled this year.
23:55But Carlos is one of the great guys to deal with, and he's joining us here again on the
24:01show.
24:01Carlos, thank you so much for doing that.
24:03Thanks for having me, Joel.
24:04John?
24:06Carlos, look, I actually think you make the case that the best version of the Mets is
24:11kind of on hand right now.
24:12You're playing a little better.
24:14It feels like this week you get Polanco back, probably next week, maybe Alvarez, maybe not
24:20long after that, Lindor.
24:22You've gotten a little better stuff.
24:23Minaya was up to 92 average last night.
24:26Peterson gave you something good.
24:28Like, it feels like the team you probably maybe imagined is rounding closer to where you
24:34want, plus getting the injection of youth of Benjen Ewing.
24:37That seems to help.
24:37But you are 26 and 34.
24:40Have you just dug too big a hole, even if it feels like you're getting closer to the
24:46team that you probably envisioned having?
24:48Yeah, I think, obviously, we're not in a position right now that, going into the season, nobody
24:54expected something like this.
24:56Not ideal.
24:58Tough month of April, obviously.
25:00Especially, you know, when you lose 12 in a row, you're going to put you in a really
25:05bad spot.
25:06But that's in the past.
25:08You got to, you know, stay the presence here and control some of the things that are, you
25:13know, are in front of you.
25:15For me, the way I see it, yeah, there's a lot of positive going on right now.
25:20Started playing a little bit better.
25:22Tough one last night.
25:24But I thought, you know, our homestand after losing the first two games against the Reds
25:28and then coming back and winning the last four before this West Coast road trip.
25:35Yeah, I mean, you mentioned some of the guys last night's outing from Sean was very encouraging.
25:42You talk about the velo there.
25:44He hit 94, getting swing and misses with his fastball.
25:49He was pitch efficient.
25:51And we're going to need that guy.
25:52We're going to need him.
25:53You know, I thought last night's version was as close as we saw in 2024, which is really
25:59good.
26:01Peterson was really good on Sunday.
26:05And I think the biggest thing for me is that now we got a better idea when are we going
26:11to get some of the players that are on the injury list back.
26:13You know, you mentioned Polanco and Alvi.
26:17They are both scheduled to play tonight in Syracuse.
26:21You know, you would have asked me three weeks ago, two weeks ago, and I was like, I don't
26:26know.
26:27When are we going to get these players back?
26:29But now, you know, like I said, those guys playing in AAA, we have a better idea.
26:36But in the meantime, we've got to continue to play well here.
26:39It's been exciting watching AJ and Carson continue to develop at this level, playing the way they've
26:46been playing, especially defensively.
26:48But again, not in an easy situation that we're in, but you just got to take it day by day,
26:54series by series.
26:55And that's what we're doing.
26:56You know, a few weeks ago, I asked you a question and it got some play out there.
27:01I'm sure you might remember it, although a lot's happened since then.
27:05The team was doing even worse at the time.
27:07And I basically just said to you, you know, to be blunt, is it possible this just isn't a
27:13very good team?
27:14You said you believe in the guys, which I think was a great answer.
27:18I wonder if you can expand on that beyond believing in the guys, having that belief.
27:23What do you see out of them that makes you think that you really will get back to the
27:27playoffs as you as you managed to do from way behind a couple of years ago in 2024?
27:32Yeah, so when I start comparing our situation this year, our team, our personal compared to
27:422024, I think it starts with Juan Soto.
27:45You know, we were able to climb back in 2024 to something similar here.
27:50And we didn't have a guy like Juan Soto.
27:52Yes, we had started pitching.
27:54You know, we had three guys in Quintana, Seve, and Sean that, you know, were giving us consistent
28:00six innings.
28:02And sometimes we got seven out of them.
28:04And we got some clutch hitting.
28:05We had Iglesias.
28:06We got JD.
28:07This year, I mean, you look at our roster and, you know, it starts with Soto.
28:14Bo Bichette, man, like, Bo is a really good hitter.
28:18And it's like, we're sitting here, it's like, every day, you know, he hits both hard.
28:24And then there's a couple of days here and there where, man, you see him chasing and he's
28:31going to hit.
28:32That's why, like, for me, when you asked me that question, do you, I really believe on
28:37this team.
28:37We got talent.
28:38Yeah, we're dealing with injuries, but that's not an excuse.
28:40Like, I look at that rotation.
28:42You know, we got Scottie.
28:43We got Nolan, Freddie.
28:45Like, we should be playing better, right?
28:49And I continue to believe that.
28:51I think just continue to trust the guys, continue to trust that, hey, he will turn.
28:57And I'm confident that it's not going to happen overnight, obviously.
29:01It's not going to happen overnight, but just the mindset of winning series.
29:05And I truly believe that we'll turn this thing around.
29:07You mentioned Alvarez.
29:09You mentioned Polanco.
29:11The best guy on your injured list is your shortstop, Islund Duar.
29:15And it's a weird situation because when I talk to him, he keeps telling me, I've never really
29:20had pain with this injury, including now when he's doing some running on the field and hitting
29:25and some throwing, et cetera.
29:28What can you tell us about this injury and when you might get your shortstop back?
29:32Yeah, he continues to progress.
29:34He's doing a lot of the baseball.
29:35He's doing full baseball activity.
29:37I think he's in a place where the intensity, you know, he's running at 75, 80 percent, I want
29:44to say.
29:44And he's, you know, symptom free.
29:47You know, now we just got to continue to push it.
29:49Now we got to get that intensity to 100 percent, that first step when he's taking round balls
29:55and the reaction and all that.
29:58So I think we're getting close.
30:01And that's the report that I'm getting from the trainers, other reports that I'm getting
30:05from Francisco himself telling me I feel really good.
30:10Now it's just a matter of like taking that next step, which I'm pretty sure he's close
30:15to taking that next one.
30:16You mentioned Bichette.
30:17I'm with you.
30:18I think he's a great hitter.
30:19You know, I've seen it for years in Toronto.
30:22I don't know if you can guess on this or not, but I'll ask you since you're there every
30:26day.
30:26I mean, you know, New York affected Lindor's first year.
30:30It affected Beltran his first year.
30:32Bayerga, certainly.
30:34He's in that category of player where he's a great player and he's not performing like
30:39he can.
30:41Do you think it is a great challenge playing that first year in New York and you think
30:47that is a factor here?
30:48I don't think it is a factor, but it is a challenge.
30:51You know, making that transition, you know, I've seen it in both places with the Yankees
30:57and with the Mets.
30:59And it takes a little bit of time.
31:01With Bo, you know, this guy is super consistent.
31:04This guy shows up to the ballpark and you can really tell whether he's 0 for 20 or he's
31:0910 for 12.
31:10He's going to show up.
31:11He's going to put in the work.
31:14And he's been one of the best hitters, like, in the game for a few years now.
31:21I think all of us are surprised that he's taken this long.
31:24But at the same time, man, like, I see a guy that goes out there and I feel good when
31:30he's at the play.
31:31Yeah, the numbers probably right now is not where we want them to be.
31:34But I'm going to continue to say that at the end of the year, we're going to look back
31:37and the numbers are going to be there and we're going to forget about these four, six
31:42weeks that he's had so far.
31:45You know, a guy who didn't need a transition, whether it was really the Yankees or the Mets,
31:49is Soto.
31:50He just, he's a great hitter.
31:52He hit for the Yankees.
31:54He's hit for you.
31:55You're going through tough times.
31:57He's hitting.
31:58I wonder if you could give us some insight into the player.
32:01And look, I'm going to ask the question also.
32:03It seems like he's very engaged right now, like he's enjoying playing with these two
32:07young players in the outfield.
32:09He seems more enthusiastic in general.
32:11It's hard to ignore that Lindor isn't playing right now while that's happening.
32:15Are you OK with those?
32:16Are those two guys OK with each other in your clubhouse and as probably have to be the leaders
32:22of the team?
32:22Yeah, they're both leaders in their own way.
32:26Like they're different.
32:27It's just good to see Juan doing his thing.
32:31They want, like, everybody's seeing it now because he's doing it outside on the field
32:34with the young players in the outfield, you know.
32:37But I saw a lot of that version behind the scene.
32:40This is a guy that doesn't want to do it in front of the cameras.
32:43You know, that's who he is, you know.
32:44And very few people in that clubhouse have seen that.
32:49But, you know, like there's been multiple times going back to last year where, you know,
32:55I walk in the kitchen and he's having a conversation with a player and nobody's watching.
33:00I go in the weight room and he's in the corner there talking to, you know, someone.
33:06And that's how he leads, you know.
33:08Like he's a guy that he's not going to show the whole world what he's doing.
33:13But let me tell you, it's fun watching him doing it now, you know, on the field with Carson,
33:18with AJ.
33:19He's just having fun.
33:21Like I said, we need both of those guys healthy, playing.
33:25And it'll be fun, again, when Lindor gets back.
33:30But Soto, man, like elite, elite hitter.
33:33You know, you said it.
33:34He's hit everywhere.
33:35He's one of the best at what he does.
33:38And he's pretty impressive.
33:40And he's a joy to watch him day in and day out do his thing.
33:45Yeah, I mean, Soto's been spectacular, but the team has not offensively your last in OPS.
33:51You know, I asked this of David, too.
33:53I don't know if it's possible to quantify it, but how much do you think that is the injury?
33:59You're missing four starting players and for a long time, right?
34:02Four starting players.
34:03How much of that is injury and how much of that is underperformance?
34:07Because you should not.
34:08I mean, no one thought you'd be last, but certainly four starting players being out,
34:12it's a lot of players to be missing.
34:15Definitely, we're feeling it when you're missing four guys that were on the opening
34:20of the lineup and they were projected to be a huge part of our offense.
34:26But we've seen some inconsistency from some of our players that we were counting on.
34:31You know, Brett Beatty, Mark Vientos, the Bobby Shett situation.
34:37We've seen signs, you know, like in a few games, but then they go cold.
34:43So, yeah, I mean, not ideal.
34:45You know, obviously, you know, the offense has been a part of our game that, you know,
34:53obviously we're having a hard time.
34:55But we have some stretches where you see the signs of it.
34:59You know, we saw it this past weekend.
35:01We saw it against the Nationals.
35:03You just got to be able to put it consistently because, you know, we go hot,
35:07we go cold, and it makes it hard.
35:10You know, Carlos, it does seem that with Minta returning and the rise of Warren and Weaver
35:16pitching so well, et cetera, like your bullpen is in a good spot all of a sudden.
35:20But it's just being asked to do a lot.
35:24I feel like you could target last year's where you guys began to go wrong.
35:29Like, Senga gets hurt at the same time.
35:31You're trying to rehab and start guys like Montas and Blackburn and Mania.
35:36And then you get McGill hurt.
35:37You get Canning hurt.
35:39And you just weren't getting enough innings from your starting pitchers.
35:42I just wonder, the way Freddie pitches, where it takes so much volume to get outs,
35:48what we're seeing recently from McLean, where he's, like, walking way more than his history.
35:53Can you get enough from this starting group to A, win, but also B, not burn out what's
35:59looking like suddenly a strength, which is your bullpen?
36:02We're going to need those guys.
36:04We need those guys to provide innings.
36:06You know, we need those guys to start going six, you know, on a consistent basis.
36:14You know, because, like you just mentioned, we went through it last year.
36:17You know, it's not sustainable.
36:18You know, we're, what, in June?
36:22And you cannot be calling the bullpen in the fourth inning, in the fifth inning,
36:27because, you know, it's going to take a toll.
36:30You know, as much as we're trying to protect everyone and give guys off days,
36:35and it's just, you're not going to be able to get through a season
36:40without getting consistent starting pitching length from the starters.
36:44So, I'm confident that Freddie is going to take that next step.
36:49Nolan, after hitting, you know, these fast couple of starts,
36:52it was good to see him that last one battling.
36:54But, Scotty, we're going to need all of them.
36:57Again, last night with Sean pitching on a ball, as a ball guy, it was good to see it.
37:03But, again, it starts with the rotation,
37:06and I'm confident that those guys are going to start providing some of the innings
37:10that we need from them.
37:12Yeah, it does start with the rotation.
37:13Holmes was your best starter, and unfortunately, he is out.
37:17And Peralta and McLean are obviously givens,
37:20and we expect them to be better than what they've been.
37:23And, you know, they've obviously provided innings and been a little bit up and down
37:28for what we've expected.
37:29But what about all the other guys?
37:31What do you see now?
37:32It's been a little bit of a fluid situation.
37:34Peterson's been moved a couple times.
37:37Minaya as well.
37:40What do you see from the rest of the rotation between Scott,
37:43Senga possibly coming back?
37:45Maybe is Tong potentially in the mix?
37:47Minaya, Peterson, are they all candidates?
37:49Is any one of them, like, step forward in your mind to be the third guy for now
37:55until Holmes gets back?
37:58How are you going to piece this together, basically?
38:00Yeah, look, you mentioned Freddie, Nolan, and Scotty.
38:04We got those three for sure.
38:06Sean Minaya, I mean, that's a guy that I'm going to continue to say it here.
38:10Watching him last night is the closest I've seen of the 2024 version,
38:15and we're going to need him.
38:16And this is a guy that, when he's right, we saw it.
38:22Peterson is a guy that made an all-star team last year.
38:26We got to get him going.
38:29Jonah, Jonah's going to continue to play a part of that, you know,
38:32whether it's as a starter, as a bold guy.
38:36There's a good chance we see him today.
38:39And, look, Senga, that's another guy that, you know, we're going to need him.
38:46You know, he's scheduled a pitch tomorrow in Syracuse.
38:49He's almost treating him like a normal start where he's got 85 to 90 pitches.
38:55And, again, that's the group that we have here, and we're counting on all of them.
38:59You know, Carlos, again, I think we mentioned at the top of this interview how much we enjoy dealing with
39:05you.
39:05And part of it is just how you deal with tough situations.
39:08No one ever asks anybody in any other profession, doctor, lawyer, plumber, et cetera,
39:14hey, what do you think about your job status?
39:17But we end up doing it, and, you know, there was a period there right after the firings of Cora
39:23and Thompson
39:24and other big city markets that were struggling where you were getting asked it a lot.
39:28Just wonder where you think things are now, and, like, what is your relationship with the owner and David Stearns?
39:37Because, obviously, those are the guys who, you know, control your fate for how long you do this.
39:42Joel, I understand the situation.
39:44I know where I'm at.
39:45I know my seat, especially when you're managing a team with high expectations, big payroll, and not having the results.
39:55I know questions like that, especially when you're not playing well, like you mentioned a couple of weeks ago
40:00when the seat was hot, you know, and other teams are making managerial changes.
40:06For me, it starts with the relationship with Steve and Alex, very good relationship with them.
40:13They've been very supportive.
40:15Same thing with David.
40:16I mean, I love coming to work.
40:18I love working with him, the respect.
40:22But I also understand that this is a business, you know.
40:25But I spend all my energy day in and day out to be the best version of myself.
40:30How can I continue to lead?
40:31How can I continue to get the best out of the players?
40:34There's impacting people, communicating, like, things that are in my control.
40:38After that, you know, like, whatever happens, that's out of my hands.
40:43But I enjoy working with – for Steve and Alex.
40:47I enjoy working with David.
40:48David, I love managing the team.
40:51I love what I'm doing.
40:52But I also understand that, you know, I have a responsibility here.
40:56And then questions like this are going to come up when the team is not playing well.
41:01And that's part of it.
41:02You just got to embrace it.
41:03And you got to get resources, the bottom line.
41:07You know, Carl says, way to wrap this up.
41:09Why don't I just frame?
41:10You were the manager the first year also of this.
41:12You're 26 and 34 right now.
41:15You were actually a game worse through 60 in 2024.
41:18You were 25 and 35.
41:20The difference is you were three and a half out then.
41:23You're six.
41:23And because the American League stinks so much, there's 11 teams over 500 in the National League.
41:28So you have a lot of climbing to do.
41:31I know you're taking this inning by inning, pitch by pitch, game by game.
41:35But as you kind of have to do things, say, by middle of July to convince your group not to
41:40become sellers
41:41and to be either neutral or buyers, what do you think is the key issue or two for you to
41:47get to 500
41:48and then keep climbing as you're watching your club right now?
41:53The key to get back to 500, we got to start winning series.
41:57The players that are on the current roster, they got to start playing better.
42:01Especially from the offense.
42:03And then getting some of the players back.
42:06But we cannot sit here and wait for, okay, when is Lindor?
42:10We got to start doing it now.
42:12And I think, you know, it started this weekend.
42:16And we're on a road trip here where we're facing two really good teams.
42:20And we got to find a way to win series here.
42:23That's what it's going to take.
42:25Like you just mentioned, and I'm going to continue to say it, it's one day at a time.
42:28But the bottom line is we have to win series.
42:32It's not going to happen overnight.
42:33You know, it's going to take some time, especially when you're under, what, nine, ten games.
42:40And that's where we're at.
42:42But the group is not looking at, you know, we're looking at today's game.
42:47What can we do to get the job done today?
42:49And that's going to be the mentality, not only today, but moving forward.
42:53Look, there are good things going on.
42:56It's a joy to watch Juan Soto hit every day.
43:00Out of no place, guys like Austin Warren and Jared Young are really helping your team.
43:04Some of the energy from Benjen Ewing is help.
43:07I do think you're playing better.
43:09I do think you're getting closer to healthy.
43:10I do think it's going to be an interesting period.
43:13I think you're in a very tough part of your schedule.
43:15Seattle suddenly is playing well, and they're in the one in front of you right now.
43:19But I also know this, Carlos, a lot of people, when their team is struggling, wouldn't come on our pod.
43:25And John and I always appreciate that you do.
43:29Best of luck to you and your team, and thank you again for joining us on the show.
43:33Thanks, Joel.
43:34Thanks, John.
43:34Appreciate you guys.
43:35Thank you, Carlos.
43:42John and I, of course, thank Carlos Mendoza for joining us so often and again on the show this week.
43:48John, hit or error?
43:49I'm going to give a hit to Sarah Langs, who was unfortunately, tragically diagnosed with ALS a few years ago.
43:56And she's continued to work and provide amazing statistics, tens of them, scores of them a day.
44:04If you follow her on Twitter, just does an amazing job.
44:08And that's why I have this shirt on in support of her.
44:11Baseball is the best.
44:12That's her saying.
44:13I agree.
44:14Baseball is the best.
44:15And, of course, Sarah Langs is the best at what she does as well.
44:19Lou Gehrig Day today, right?
44:21Right.
44:21That's why I want to make it.
44:22I'm glad you mentioned it.
44:23Today is June 2nd.
44:24Lou Gehrig Day.
44:25He died June 2nd, 1941, of ALS.
44:29So, thank you for mentioning that.
44:32Yeah, I'm going from here out to the stadium.
44:33And I know because it's a big day in baseball, but certainly for the Yankees because of Garrett's ties.
44:38I know there will be ties there.
44:40And, yes, ditto seconded.
44:45Sarah Langs is an inspiration besides being a talent.
44:48And so, baseball is the best.
44:51And so is Sarah Langs.
44:53John, I hate to follow that with an error, but I'm going to follow it with an error.
44:56Man, the American League is terrible.
45:00I just – and because of that, I do think there's some pressure on the Yankees to dominate this league.
45:08They're sitting right now at plus 98 in their run differential.
45:11There's only four other teams – I'm sorry, there's one, two, five other teams with plus run differential.
45:19Combined, those five teams are plus 63.
45:21There's only five teams over 500 in the whole league.
45:24And one of them is the White Sox, who's a nice little story, but do we really think this?
45:28I do think the second best team, unfortunately for the Mets, is Seattle, who has begun to get their act
45:35together just as the Mets showed up there.
45:38I think they're the great threat.
45:39I think if the Blue Jays could ever get to a healthier rotation, I think they're pretty good.
45:45Cleveland is going to beat Cleveland.
45:47But the Yankees have by far the greatest strength in the league, their starting rotation.
45:53Seattle's pretty close, but I think the Yankees – if this is Cole, the Yankees are better.
45:58And the Yankees' length of roster is pretty good with lots of different ways to play the game.
46:04They should get to the top of the AL East.
46:07They should get to the top in the American League, and they should represent the league in the World Series.
46:12If this is the American League, and right now – I think, John, you and I both thought the AL
46:17East was going to be pretty good.
46:18It's dreadful.
46:19An interesting way to look at it.
46:20Yeah, added pressure on the Yankees.
46:22They do seem very good, better than their – even better than their good record.
46:27They are behind Tampa, believe it or not, despite a much, much, much better run differential.
46:32They have a great starting pitching.
46:34You've got Aaron Judge.
46:35You've got Ben Rice, who right now is probably – we don't vote on it one-third of the way
46:40through the season, but he might be the AL MVP.
46:43They have a great depth.
46:45Goldschmidt, Rosario, they're really good backup players.
46:50They probably could start elsewhere.
46:53They have a terrific team, and, yeah, I think that's an interesting way to look at it.
46:58It's a little added pressure.
46:59They better get there because nobody else is great or even close to great.
47:04John, it's so bad.
47:05They're playing Cleveland tonight.
47:07You know, one of the storylines this year, the Yankees are 3-8 against teams 500 or better.
47:11This will be their 12th game against a team over 500.
47:15The next lowest is the White Sox with 24.
47:17Now, the Yankees don't make their own schedule, and part of the problem, everybody they play pretty much stinks.
47:22They're in the American League.
47:24They all stink.
47:26And they've got to emerge.
47:28And, John, just for this, you're one-third of the way through the season.
47:31Like, Matt Hyde should go to the Hall of Fame.
47:33If Schlittler and Rice end up in the Cy Young in the American League, the scout who found them both
47:39in the middle rounds probably should go to the Hall of Fame.
47:43Yeah, I agree.
47:45They don't put scouts in the Hall of Fame.
47:50It's amazing what he's done.
47:51And Matt Blake, too.
47:52He hired him as a bird dog, an unpaid bird dog.
47:57And now he's the pitching coach of one of the best rotations and pitching staffs in baseball.
48:03So, I mean, he's provided three big-time performers for the Yankees.
48:09So, they should win this league.
48:11And I think they probably will win the league.
48:13The team I thought was really the threat was Detroit.
48:16And we covered them.
48:18They're a disaster at this point, right?
48:19I mean, they've had a ton of injuries.
48:21But they can't hit.
48:23You know, they basically have – I know they got 10 runs last night as we do this.
48:26But basically, you get past McGonigal and Riley Green and maybe a little to a degree Dingler.
48:33And that's about it.
48:35You know, they can't hit.
48:36And half their pitchers are injured.
48:39And Kenley Jansen, you know, has not done it for them.
48:43He's injured, too, now.
48:44Yeah.
48:45The Yankees are by far the best – even though they're behind the Rays, they are – they, to me,
48:50look like by far the best team in the league.
48:52Yeah, and bite your tongue on the Tigers' offense.
48:54They get Gleyber Torres back from his oblique injury tonight.
48:57I mean, come on.
48:59It's Gleyber Day as our friend, the great memory of John Sterling.
49:04Our Hall of Famer is Tommy Hogan, our producer.
49:07Thank you so much, Tommy.
49:08Every week, please subscribe, rate, review, Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen to podcasts.
49:13It does help the show if you care about the show.
49:16So does giving us a view on the New York Post Sports YouTube page.
49:19And please continue to follow us on the show with Joel Sherman and John Heyman.
Comments