00:00The Washington Nationals kind of limp into the second half of the season,
00:04which sucks because it's been such a fun season for the Nats,
00:09but to conclude the first half with a sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees
00:14for them to drop under .500 at the All-Star break just sucks.
00:18All of it sucked, and it's primarily a result of a bad bullpen,
00:24and the poor quality of the bullpen has a lot of owners, right?
00:31There's a lot of people that have to take some ownership of that.
00:34One of them is Paul Timoni, who by and large has been very good,
00:37but you traded away your closer in Jose Ferrer for Harry Ford.
00:42Now they're calling Ford up, right, Stallion?
00:44We're going to see if this is – let's see what we got here.
00:48Now, K-Bear's been pretty good, but you platoon catchers regardless.
00:50This kid's going to play.
00:52We'll get to see what they got.
00:53I saw they traded away Robert Hassel just for cash.
00:57We're just trading away dudes for cash, just Moneyball style.
01:00You've got to send us a soda machine.
01:03But I get it.
01:04You have a glut of outfielders anyway.
01:06You can probably trade more of them, frankly.
01:10Should the Nats be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?
01:14They're one game under .500 as baseball starts back up tonight.
01:19They're in Sacramento, which is where everybody wants to be.
01:21Let's start with Ryan in Arlington.
01:24Ryan, buyers or sellers for the Nats?
01:27Hey, guys.
01:28The Nationals should be neither.
01:30And it stinks because everyone always says buyers or sellers, and you've got to do something.
01:35But when the Nats have a full team of guys that are under, at least, they're not expiring deals besides
01:41Foster Griffin.
01:42And Foster Griffin, I say you've got to extend him.
01:45I mean, this team needs five starting pitchers next year.
01:48And the only one, if you lose Foster Griffin, is Cade Cavalli.
01:51And you can't imagine that Sikora and Susana and, like, the other filling guys are those guys.
01:56And Foster's going to be cheap.
01:58They extend Foster Griffin.
01:59The reason they can't be buyers is because the bullpen is an unfixable problem right now.
02:04It has to be fixed in the offseason.
02:05They can't trade a bunch of prospects for one or two bullpen arms because, unfortunately, it's not even enough.
02:11So they have to be sit tighters and maybe extend Foster Griffin, and that's it.
02:17Appreciate you, Ryan.
02:18See, that call right there is how I think most times.
02:21Like, if you just get rid of everybody all the time, when the hell are you going to be able
02:25to start building something?
02:27You have to, like, whenever we talk about buyers still be looking for what position they're in,
02:32I'm always looking at the fact, build a nucleus.
02:36Then you can fluctuate.
02:37But they got to have a nucleus.
02:39And he stated, if you get rid of your pitchers, you got one left.
02:43Next year, you got to go look for a lot of them again, right?
02:46I want to be unequivocal.
02:47I will look at the cameras so we're clear on this.
02:50I don't know which camera is White Bryant and which camera is Joey.
02:53Just so everybody hears me in the cheap seats, the 400 level, the tarps off boys.
02:57Sell.
02:58Sell.
02:59Sell.
02:59Sell.
03:00Sell.
03:00Sell.
03:00Sell.
03:01You say that all the time.
03:02Then you'll be complaining next year when they don't have anything.
03:05No, I won't.
03:05You will.
03:06They already moved the goalposts.
03:08And I think it's fair to Toboni and this crew.
03:10Are you okay with them constantly moving the goalposts?
03:12I'm not.
03:12I'm like, do something, damn it.
03:14I agree, but this crew just got here.
03:16They're not too lame for years of nothing.
03:17I understand that, but still, the people that's been paying their money ain't just got here.
03:20They've been here.
03:21And if you've got something that makes you closer, why step back?
03:25It's like baseball has this mindset.
03:27You can always step back.
03:28No.
03:29Sometimes you've got to keep the progression you've had.
03:32Try to hold on to that some type of way.
03:34The only thing you can't sell is Wood.
03:38Wood is the future.
03:41Foster Griffin.
03:42Wood ain't going to win by himself.
03:44Here's my stance, and I'm not trying to be a hater because I love what this staff has done.
03:48They have really focused on developing players.
03:52We were talking about the golfers.
03:54And at the British Open every year, there's some dudes on the leaderboard who I've never heard of.
03:58They play in Italy or they play in Zimbabwe or they play wherever they may play.
04:03But those dudes are in the British Open for a reason.
04:06They're a talented player.
04:08They're a world-class player.
04:11Everybody on the Nats roster is in the big leagues for a reason.
04:15And I think what Taboni and Butera and this crew has done is let's focus on what you do really
04:21well and maximize that and stop doing the other stuff.
04:25And I think that's a big part of why they're hitting so well.
04:28Okay, they're hitting well.
04:30But my thing is they're hitting so well, you're saying sell, so you're going to sell some of them hitters
04:34too.
04:35And then all of a sudden, what's going to happen?
04:38I know Wood is great.
04:40He's been on a tear.
04:42They're still losing games.
04:44They don't have pitching.
04:46They have him.
04:47If they get rid of CJ and get rid of some other people, you're going to all of a sudden
04:51find out this is going to take a dip again.
04:53Well, my list, my sell list is a little different.
04:58Foster Griffin, it's an incredible story.
05:01This dude's a 30-year-old rookie who's pitched in Japan the last few years.
05:04He's on a one-year deal.
05:06He went into the All-Star game.
05:08The announcers were kind of S-talking him.
05:10They're like, the most unlikely All-Star.
05:12All he did was deal.
05:13Two strikeouts and kind of a flare-out, right?
05:17Sell him.
05:18Sell him yesterday.
05:19Like, I hope Foster Griffin goes on to win Cy Young's.
05:24I'm just not entirely convinced it's going to happen.
05:26What I am convinced won't happen if Foster Griffin continues.
05:30B, right now he's a plus 3.3 war.
05:33He's got a 10-2 record.
05:352-7-7 ERA.
05:36I'm sure there's more advanced metrics that people can point to.
05:39Like, what are you going to get for him?
05:42Prospects.
05:43You're not going to sign him.
05:44Do you know what he's going to cost?
05:46You know what a free agent pitcher that has had a phenomenal season is going to cost?
05:50They're not going to pay it.
05:51So maximize.
05:52So you're selling them to sell, sell, sell because you don't feel nobody's going to pay them.
05:57And you're going to keep getting prospects.
05:59And we keep getting a lot of prospects that don't show any prospectability.
06:04Right now they appear they are.
06:06I mean, if you look in their minors, they're.
06:08Yeah, they're in their minors.
06:11Luis Garcia has been a phenomenal story.
06:13He had a three-week stretch where he was the hottest hitter in baseball.
06:17Luis Garcia, in the first half of the season, in 90 games, plus 2.1 with 20 home runs.
06:24His OPS is 870.
06:28His career OPS coming into this year was a 729.
06:33Last season, in 139 games, he hit 16 home runs.
06:38Do we believe he has turned the corner in his age 26 season?
06:42Maybe, maybe not.
06:44Or do you think you can maximize an asset?
06:46So you think, sell him too?
06:48He's a free agent after 27, which is likely to be a lockout year.
06:54Sell.
06:54Here's my question.
06:55And for those that want to sell, those who want to tell me this offense is legit, they can carry
07:00them in October, maybe you're correct.
07:03But do you really think this is a World Series team?
07:07Do people really think so?
07:09I ask you this question, when they sell, when do you think they're going to become a World Series team?
07:16When they start spending money.
07:17And they're not going to do that until at least the labor stuff gets resolved.
07:21So in other words, you're ready to push it off another year or two?
07:24I mean, we're talking half a season now, and it's entirely possible they don't play next year.
07:30But listen, man, I know it's great to say buy, great to say sell, but you know what?
07:35Sometimes you've got to split it down the middle.
07:39You can't just – I hear baseball talk every year, and it's the same old crap every year.
07:45Eventually, do something different.
07:46Because they don't spend money.
07:47Well, maybe that's what they need to do.
07:49Right, but I –
07:51Paul Saboni can't control that.
07:52He can't control that, but the mere fact, if he can now predict, since they're doing all their stuff,
07:58they can predict who's going to be better, maybe you start saying, okay,
08:02in a way we have to do this because they're not going to spend money,
08:05we might want to hold on to something because this is going to come a little quicker than we think.
08:09That's all I'm saying.
08:10Mike is in D.C.
08:12Mike, buy or sell for the Nats?
08:16Mike, you up?
08:17Michael?
08:19Michael?
08:20Put him back on hold.
08:21We'll see if you can see what's going on there.
08:24We'll take your calls.
08:25Dan is in Fairfax.
08:27Danny, what do you say?
08:29Hey, boys.
08:29I think they should probably sit tight kind of like the past couple of calls you said.
08:34But what I'd be looking to do is sell on the margins.
08:36As much as I don't want to get rid of Forrest, I think he definitely should be moved.
08:41But I would be looking to buy at premium positions.
08:43Not necessarily a starting pitcher, but if you can get an everyday bat that's going to be a potential all
08:49-star
08:49in and out every year over the next five, six years, I think upgrading the baseline talent might be worth
08:55looking at.
08:55You've got to sell to do that.
08:59Not if you're buying.
09:00Like you mentioned, they've got some prospects coming up through the system that could be attractive.
09:05And if their calling card, this GM and this front office, has been development over the prior ten years
09:14with a less financially potential group, I think they should lean into that
09:21and, you know, just go in all-in for an all-star bat while adding through the margins to build,
09:30you know,
09:31players that may be overlooked but they can squeeze out.
09:34Like the current first baseman I've got to let has made me, I believe.
09:37Like someone who is not necessarily...
09:41Curtis Mead hits bomb.
09:43It's absolute.
09:44Yeah, but...
09:45I appreciate the call, Dan.
09:46We've got to run to break.
09:47Thank you, buddy.
09:47Yep.
09:48Um, we're going to keep this going.
09:49800-636-1067.
09:52I vote sell.
09:53B votes buy or hold pat.
09:55I, I, I...
09:55My thing is, you don't have to just buy or sell like the caller just stated.
10:00You may see a position where you can go get, maybe another position that can help you out
10:06get a lot of prospects.
10:07But I don't think it has to always be one or the other.
10:11Your call is next.
10:12It's be Mitch Finley.
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