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00:00John, you don't drink coffee like me. I've been drinking more than normal because I have a feeling
00:05the Yankees and Mets are going to be very, very busy this week at all times of day and night.
00:12What do you think? Absolutely. The Mets have got to do at least a half dozen trades. They might do
00:18twice that many. Unfortunately for them, it's all sales. The Yankees are in the buy mode, of course,
00:26and it's very interesting to see how it goes. It looked like they were going to look at only
00:30pitching and maybe a catcher. Now it looks like they need a hitter as well, so a lot of different
00:36ways this can go. We still have some huge names out there, right? Miller and Skubal still not certain
00:42to stay where they are, and we've got a lot to talk about with six days to go as we
00:47do this.
00:49Yeah, we're going to try to go through everything the Yankees may do, everything the Mets may do.
00:54We're going to take questions from our viewer listeners and answer them. We'll play hit or
01:01error at the end if you stick with us on the show with Joel Sherman and John Heyman.
01:10John, we can't hide it anymore. We're doing this, and we're inside a week of the trade deadline,
01:18Monday, August 3rd, 6 p.m. Pencils down then. Last time you could really improve your team from
01:23outside. It's all inside after that. I think we're going to have at least a busy conversational
01:29week. We have so many teams that want to try to get in, that are close to getting in, are
01:35still
01:35deciding. One of the teams that's obviously inside the playoffs right now, the Yankees, are 60-46.
01:43They're number one for the wild card of the American League. They're two and a half behind Tampa. They could
01:49feel the Red Sox breath coming from behind. I think they're about to have a very, very busy week.
01:56Brian Cashman made a series of trades last year to address problems. I think he's just about to do it
02:02with at least one reliever I wouldn't be surprised to, with a right-hand hitting catcher, and I think
02:07a right-hand bat probably in the outfield. I think that's par. What do you think?
02:13Yeah, it's funny how the script has flipped. I mean, they need offense now, not pitching. We
02:19thought they were going to really focus on pitching plus a catcher. At this point, they have the lowest
02:25ERA in baseball, even better than the Milwaukee Brewers. Their starting pitching generally looks
02:31very, very good. They still have Rodon and Schmidt potentially coming back. So I think they're one of
02:39like maybe three teams that can really do without getting, three contending teams that can do without
02:45getting a starting pitcher, you know, along with probably Seattle and Boston. So they're in a good
02:53position there. If they get Mason Miller, that'd be fantastic. I like Luke Weaver also. He is available.
03:00Friend of the show. Friend of the show, you always have to say.
03:03Right. Friend of the show. I don't know that there are a ton of relievers I'd pick from there. Their
03:09bullpen has been excellent, but I would get a bullpen piece. I think every contender likes to
03:14get a bullpen piece because of the attrition in the second half, the fact that these guys have pitched
03:19a lot. So I would add a bullpen piece. I think they will, but they probably need bats. I mean,
03:26we don't know when Judge is coming back. We don't know when Stanton's coming back,
03:30and Bellinger is now four to six weeks. So, you know, three out of their best four offensive
03:37players are out for at least a month. That's, well, I shouldn't say that because we really don't know
03:43on Stanton, right? We have no idea on Stanton, but probably at least a month. So they need,
03:50they need some more offense.
03:51Can I agree 100% with you? Can I say, I think Mason Miller is not going to be traded.
03:59And yet,
04:00if there's even a hint of it, I think that that's got to be the number one priority for the
04:04Yankees,
04:05though. I understand he doesn't hit cleanup. He's not going to help the offense. It's just,
04:10I think though, if like CJ Abrams doesn't get traded, and my gut says he doesn't get traded,
04:18and Francisco Lindor isn't getting traded, and it's hard to find more than complimentary bats
04:26they could get in this market, right? Langoliers got hurt. Hey, Casey Schmidt,
04:31even a complimentary guy, just got hurt. Spencer Steer got hurt. And I just think that they have to
04:37get a backup catch, get a catcher. And the problem is the Twins keep winning.
04:44So Ryan Jeffers is going to be hard to get. I still think they're going to try to pressure
04:48the Twins as much as possible to get him. Lane Thomas, kind of outfield. Like, I do think that
04:55they could get complimentary guys to try to survive in advance with already the best run prevention in
05:00the sport. And I would just double down on the guy, John, their experience organizationally,
05:06we saw it firsthand. When you have the Rivera type closer, and I know nobody's Rivera, but this is a
05:12guy
05:12who's given up one extra base hit, a double, in Mason Miller all season. I mean, all season,
05:18he's given up one extra base hit. It's a seven-inning or eight-inning game with him. I think
05:23he's an incredible weapon in the postseason. I think if he's really, really available,
05:29that that has to be the number one priority while agreeing with you 100% that their offense is going
05:34to struggle in the short term. Yeah, if they get Mason Miller, that would be fantastic. I'm not
05:39sure how they do it, even if he is traded. Look, Brian Cashman has never given up a great prospect
05:46at the deadline. You wrote, I think that Mark Melanson was the best prospect they ever gave,
05:52at least turned out the best. So, you know, they'd have to start with Lombard, I think.
05:57They don't really want to trade him. I think that he's going to be up sometime within the next couple
06:03weeks, most likely. And I think they're thinking that he probably will be their shortstop.
06:09Down the stretch. But yeah, I mean, if you could get Mason Miller, because he's got three years to go,
06:15you'd have to really consider giving up Lombard. And then what? And then you have to give up much more
06:21because the guy is the best closer in baseball and you get him for three and a half years. So,
06:27you know, and do the Yankees beat somebody else out? Wouldn't everybody want Mason Miller? I know
06:39the Padres, but so do a lot of other teams. They make trades with everybody. So I'm not thinking
06:45it's that likely that he even gets traded. San Diego's 500. They've got now Colorado and San
06:51Francisco. I'm not sure which order it is. I don't know if it matters. You know, they've got two of
06:54the worst teams in baseball coming in. So they're likely to be over 500 and it's not going to take
07:01that much over 500, even the National League, to make the playoffs. They're a go for a team. So I'm
07:06kind
07:06of with you that it's not that likely. I mean, they got to, I think they, Jeffers is the most
07:11likely guy. They probably need to somehow convince the twins to trade him. It's going to be an
07:16overpay. But, you know, they need offense and he's a right-handed hitter. Overpay. They should
07:23overpay. They need him. I don't know who else they can get. You know, Longelier is injured and I don't
07:30think Goodman is getting traded. You know, I think it's better to get a rental catcher anyway.
07:36To get a guy, you know, you're not, it's difficult to, to, uh, get a new catcher and have him
07:44understand all the rules and, uh, you know, the signs and the pitchers and everything like that.
07:49Anyway, uh, I, Jeffers is a veteran, uh, said to be a great guy in the clubhouse. I think that's
07:56the guy to get. Yeah. The outfield, not, it's not a lot of, uh, it's not a lot of great
08:01choices
08:02right now. And, you know, they're not trading for Lindor. I know he had a great game yesterday,
08:06I don't, as we've said all along, we don't believe Lindor is getting traded. I've heard
08:11it's unlikely, uh, that Abrams is getting traded. Yeah. And Abrams has been the best hitter in
08:17baseball over the last few weeks. Uh, you know, it'd be difficult for them to trade him. He's not
08:22a rental. I think they might trade Luis Garcia, the first baseman. They already traded Meade,
08:26but I don't see that one happening either. Can I give you credit for something? Because I,
08:31just to jump in on your Abrams Lindor point, because you've made it in Lindor pieces you've
08:36written, which is if you look at the positional free agency in general, but the shortstop market
08:42in specific this off season, which is like, uh, Kim and Mateo, it's not very good. It's not very
08:50good. The Mets and the nationals will get, if they wanted to trade Abrams or Lindor this off season
08:57would get no less and potentially more because every team would be interested in, not just
09:01contenders, right? Like at that point, it's part of the Miller problem. Like today, the Mets aren't
09:07interested in Mason Miller, but how about on November 1st? They might be. And I think that's
09:12part of the problem of trading guys with time left. And you've pointed out well, and multiple times,
09:19the free agent market for position players stinks and shortstop might be worst of all. So if you're
09:24standing with Abrams and you're the nationals and you're in the race, you could have your cake and
09:29eat it too. Just run the race out. You're not going to get less for CJ Abrams on November 1st.
09:34If you want to trade them, then you would today. Right. I mean, the one shortstop who possibly could
09:39be traded, I think who's good, really good is, is Neto because the angels, they're not going to
09:44contend next year anyway. I don't think. Right. So I, you know, and they've given John Moselock,
09:50the new interim GM free reign, it seems to do what he wants. And perhaps Neto will be traded. But
09:57as
09:58we've said, we believe Lombard is going to be the shortstop for the Yankees and they should focus on
10:03Miller. And if they have a lockdown back end of the bullpen, that's huge. That was a huge in 96
10:09when they didn't have the best team, won the World Series and had Wetland and Rivera. And,
10:14you know, Bednar has been outstanding. He's been a worthy closer. I was wrong about that. And he got
10:21off to a rough start, but he's been a, other than Miller, he's been the best closer in baseball over
10:26the last couple of months. So they're in good shape, but they could be in great shape if they
10:31added. And if it's not Miller, you know, why not Weaver? I don't know. The Yankees and Mets,
10:37they occasionally make deals at this point. If you're the Mets, I wouldn't shy away from making a
10:42deal with the Yankees. You know, it's, you're not sending them Lindor or Soto back or anything
10:47like that. You know, Weaver's a very good player, friend of the show. And, but I would, I would
10:53trade him if I would. And it does feel like Weaver is out there and the Mets are likely to
10:57trade him
10:58at this point. John, you, you hit my transition perfectly and answered it already. So I'll have
11:02to find a different way. I was going to ask you, like, if, if it's not a San Diego guy
11:07and I would
11:08put Miller and Maura Hone, I just wonder even if San Diego is going for it because Maura Hone is
11:13a
11:13free agent at the end of the year. And if San Diego believes it has Estrada coming back, which I
11:19think
11:19they do. And they have some hope that Jason Adam will come back less. I believe they have hope on
11:24that. They, they might be able to trade a reliever if they could get a, like, if they could trade
11:29Maura
11:29Hone for Will Warren, you know, and put them right in the road, something like that. I don't know.
11:35And put them right in the rotation. Would they do it? I don't know if San Diego would do that.
11:39I'm sure Prella, we know AJ well enough to know he's got a 1100 things working right now. But I
11:45would ask you, would the Mets and Yankees, because the Yankees really like Weaver. They love Clay
11:52Holmes. Love him. You know, we're talking, he's pitching in the Florida state league for weather
11:58reasons today. This is Tuesday. We're talking. I expect there's going to be a ton of scouts there
12:04because it's, I think the last, maybe he gets another start over the weekend. Maybe not to
12:10showcase. So I think this is the last one that people will get to see. I still think Holmes is
12:15the guy who gets them the most in this market of all their guys, because he is a starter. He's
12:21so
12:21well-liked. Everyone knows he could fold into the bullpen. And just, I'll throw in one thought
12:26before I let you get all your methods. I do think he has Weaver and Brazoban out there. He's let
12:32everybody know this is the level it's going to have to go to because he doesn't have to do it.
12:36And if somebody hits the level that he, that David Stearns is the he here, is comfortable with,
12:42I think Brazoban and Weaver go.
12:44Well, I think they should go. They're more valuable to a contending team than the Mets right now. So
12:49they should be able to find something and they are out there. I mean, the Yankees love Holmes personally.
12:56You know, we love Weaver personally. I don't think that should matter. Weaver's the guy who fits the
13:02Yankees, right? I mean, Holmes is a starter at this point, right? They can't bring him in as a
13:06reliever, right? So I have a feeling the Yankees think they're to do the trades they want. They might
13:13have to use Warren and Weathers. And so I think that they're not against adding a starter, especially
13:18a starter who has comfort in their world and one who they know they could fold into the bullpen
13:23for the postseason because they've seen Clay Holmes not only in the bullpen, but go look at Clay Holmes'
13:28numbers in October. He's been an exceptional postseason pitcher. And I think he's a better
13:32pitcher today than he's ever been. So I think that they love that player.
13:37Yeah. Okay. I guess that's a possibility. As far as the Mets go, I mean, I know the fans are
13:42excited
13:42about the trade deadline, as I wrote today and we've all written at this point, it's not going to be
13:49a bonanza for the Mets. You know, they don't want to trade Torrens, which, you know, he's a backup
13:54catcher. You know, Torrens and Taylor are beloved around the league, but they are a backup and a
14:03fourth outfielder. And it doesn't matter how hot Taylor is or how great Torrens has been defensively,
14:10you're not going to get a ton for them. I think Weaver will probably bring the most. I could see
14:15Holmes
14:16bringing a decent amount. Peralta to me is the most interesting one. I mean, does somebody out
14:21there think that it's all the Mets fault? I mean, he only makes eight million, only three, eight
14:27million. So he's got less than three million to go when he's traded or about three million.
14:33Does somebody take him? I mean, I think so. I think that people, I mean, it's so little money for
14:39a
14:40team that you got to do it and think that you can do better than with him than the Mets
14:45have done.
14:45I'm not sure. I just keep thinking not, not that Peralta is an extreme ground ball pitcher,
14:51but the Cubs with their great infield defense and the fact that they might another, you know,
14:57they just DFA'd another friend of the show, Jameson Tyone. They need starting pitching. I think
15:02they've got to get two. And I just wonder if Peralta plus is what the Cubs end up with and
15:08hope with
15:08familiarity in the NL Central, where he obviously pitched the best with the Brewers and their infield
15:14defense. You know, they already took the David Peterson away and Peterson has two or three good
15:21starts for them. So I just wonder if that ends up being the road. Yeah. Peterson's been really,
15:28other than one start, he's been really good for them. It is amazing what the infield defense
15:33does for him. He is a ground ball pitcher. Certainly Peralta's got the connection with Craig
15:40counsel, the manager there. I can see that. You know, if I'm the Cubs, I got to do more than
15:45that,
15:45though. I think they need two starters. Yeah. And somebody else who's been better than Peralta,
15:50which is basically everybody who's a qualified pitcher at this point has done better than Peralta.
15:56I mean, I think it's an aberration. I think he'll be good at some point. But can you fix him
16:01quickly? I mean, if you acquire him, he's not only has a five ERA, he's been really worse than that
16:09over the last month. So, I mean, that's almost a lottery ticket at this point. I mean, you know,
16:16I don't see them getting much for him. But I like the idea that you think Holmes, even though he
16:21has
16:21not pitched in a major league game, will get a decent, decent take back. Now, I want to say
16:28Hall will be the wrong word. But no, I think he'll get a good return. Because John, when you
16:33tell me if you're matching the same thing, when I ask people about Holmes, they do talk about the
16:40fact that he had become a legitimate high end number three earlier this season. And that they
16:46think that it's just, yeah, yeah, right. That like, so that's start a playoff game guy. Right now,
16:52you can't say Freddy Peralta would start a playoff game. He'd have to pitch great down the last two
16:55months to assure that, that he's in a rotation. I think that teams think that whole, so I talked
17:04to a scout who watched him in the Brooklyn game. And the scout just said, he looked like Clay Holmes
17:10in spring training. He clearly healthy, clearly had stuff. He just didn't have command. You could
17:15believe he's two or three starts away from command, because you watched it for the first 10, 11 starts
17:21of the year before Spencer Jones broke his leg with the, with the comebacker. So I think that if you
17:26imagine, like, I think you'll do well. It's why I think the, the one thing I keep hearing is the
17:31angels are definitely, and again, what is definitely mean this time of year are going to trade Detmers
17:35and Soriano because teams are so desperate for people they believe will start a playoff game if
17:40they get there. And those two guys, as opposed to Holmes have control going forward. And so, so I just
17:46think that, that teams are trying to imagine who starts a playoff game besides everything else.
17:50And I think right now there's this strong belief that Holmes is just on the way back to being the
17:57guy he was now today could be a real important start. Uh, it looks like he's sharpened up like
18:03the Mets need a break or three, uh, here and like Holmes pitching. Well, again, this will be dated by
18:11the
18:11time people listen, uh, pitching well in the Florida state league would, would help because teams just
18:16want to see, Oh, healthy getting crisper. Cause you'll believe he could start a playoff game.
18:22Yeah. Holmes, uh, is an interesting case. What, what do you think about, uh, trying to sign him? I guess
18:28we're getting pretty late now and it doesn't feel like they are not happening because the Mets do need
18:33pitching. I, it is Thornton looks like a possibility, uh, as a backend starter, maybe I'm underselling
18:39it. I don't know, but obviously you have Scott and McLean, but, uh, they do need a starting pitching.
18:44Uh, you think that chip has sailed at this point, huh? I would, I would ask the question, John,
18:49if you are advising Steve Cohn and, oh, look, I say stuff like this all the time. I, uh, people
18:55should
18:55know John and I have been, uh, colleagues, competitors, and most importantly, friends for
19:00nearly four decades. And I often go to John for understanding the free agent market. I think he has
19:06great grasp of it. So, you know, that when a guy gets out there, he's out in the wild, anything
19:11could happen, but, but it is Steve Cohn's money. I would advise Steve Cohn. If we love Clay Holmes,
19:17let's have our cake and eat it too. Let's get the two prospects. Like his agency knows we love him.
19:23Clay Holmes knows he loves him. We could outbid everyone. It's kind of like what the Yankees did
19:28with a Roldis Chapman in 16. They traded him and then signed him that off season. I think the Mets
19:33could
19:33believe that. And I, I, I would at least try to do that. And then, so, so I'm curious what
19:41you think
19:41of that. I also curious if you were the Mets, would you try at all for someone? If you liked
19:47Detmers or Soriano, would you try to acquire them now? Like to the point that you need starters next
19:52year and the Mets do something where they say we, once they trade, by the way, once they trade
19:59Peralta and Holmes, who's starting games for them down the stretch? Like at some point,
20:04some of these young players are going to hit, I assume innings things, Scott back from TJ,
20:10McLean, Thornton. I assume Sean Minaya can't start every game. I'm sure they could pick up some,
20:17you know, an Eric Fetty on whatever, like to just finish this out.
20:21But like, I don't know. But, but, but, so I'm asking you two questions. Would you do the trade
20:28and try to sign Holmes? Would that be what you advise, Steve? Would you do any buying, especially
20:33of a starting pitcher with control if you were the Mets? Yeah, the trade and then sign back. I don't
20:38know. It sounds like an NBA thing, trade and sign. It's pretty rare. I mean, you had to go back
20:42several years, almost 10 years of, for that, uh, Chapman, I think Rick Aguilera, that was probably
20:4820 years ago. Uh, you know, this happens once every 10 years. And I know he said he'd like,
20:54he's interested. He likes the Mets. He'd like to sign. Uh, sure. Okay. I mean, I'd give it a shot
20:59now. If it doesn't work, uh, I would trade him and not count on signing him back. I think it's
21:04tough
21:04as far as how much he's going to cost. I mean, I think, you know, people bring up Lugo, uh,
21:10who got
21:1023 million a year as a converted reliever into starter who became a, probably a two to three type starter.
21:19Uh, so that was 23 million a year. He's a little younger. Uh, so, you know, he, he may end
21:24up
21:25getting three years at 23 million a year. I, I, you know, it's, you know, we'll see, but if he's
21:31out
21:31as a free agent, I wouldn't count on getting him back. Would you, would you try to trade for a
21:37controllable starter if you're the Mets? No, I, I think that's unrealistic. I mean, you know, I mean,
21:41look at the history of it. It just doesn't happen. The teams that are, uh, you know, particularly a
21:46starter who's going to be a playoff starter, uh, wouldn't a playoff team be able to pay more,
21:52uh, you know, you gotta, you only have so much time here to get these things done. I, I don't
21:58know. I, I, I've not heard of that ever happening, so I, I don't see that happening. Uh, maybe they'll
22:03be the first. Yeah. Uh, so I, uh, asked John a bad question. Hopefully you have a lot of good
22:08questions. We asked our, uh, our, um, our, our listeners, viewers to send us some questions as
22:16the trade deadline approaches and we'll tackle them next on the show. John, our wonderful, uh,
22:26viewer listeners have sent us some questions for the trade deadline. They're our guests this week.
22:30I'm going to open it up with Brad B 58. Uh, he asks, uh, realistically speaking,
22:36who will be the best hitter and the best pitcher dealt on the deadline? Why don't you start with
22:40hitter? Uh, you know, I'll try to make it a fun deadline. I'll say Zach Netto, I think is a
22:45great
22:45player and will be even better elsewhere. Yeah. I think that, that, uh, he, uh, everyone I talked to
22:52thinks that he, outside of, uh, the angels, which has not been a great place, you might get a much
22:57better player all around. And he's been a pretty good player there. The one thing I hear over and
23:01over is they're determined to trade Detmers and Soriano. And if they get the right number on the
23:06right return on Netto, they consider it as far as pitcher, John, I think at this point,
23:10when things are so sensitive, we're talking, the tigers just went through it are in the midst of
23:15a three game losing streak against not very good competition when they needed to be, uh, you know,
23:21feasting notably over the weekend, they lost two or three to Kansas city. Uh, I, I think Scooble gets
23:27out there. Uh, I've gone back and forth. I'm kind of with you, right. I've gone back and forth on
23:33this,
23:33but at this point they lost three out of four, including two to the Royals who are a seller.
23:38Uh, yeah, I think that Scooble is a strong possibility to be traded. If not, then you've got
23:44a whole bunch of guys that are probably tied, you know, whether you've got Soriano or Detmers,
23:49uh, Robbie Ray, who's done well this year. Uh, you know, nobody likes Scooble though. I don't think.
23:57Uh, Scooble, uh, if you had a, uh, wage, I'm going to go with the Tampa Bay Rays. Who,
24:02who would you go with? I'll find somebody else. The Rays are pretty, uh, being pretty aggressive.
24:07I'm going to go with the Dodgers. You know, they're saying they don't need them and that
24:10Snell will be back and Otani will be back and Glass now will be back. Uh, and they could be
24:16a seller
24:17even maybe they could sell Lauer or somebody at the back end of their rotation. I don't know,
24:21but, uh, uh, look, they want to lock down their third championship. You can't rule it out. They've
24:26done it before. You know, they've signed, they got Darvish, they got Trey Turner, they got Scherzer,
24:31they got Machado with the deadline. Uh, you know, uh, you know, we may not have baseball for a little
24:37while. I think they want to, I want to go and nine, nine players in the top one, nine prospects
24:43in the
24:43top 100. They all going to be super, they have four outfielders in the top 30. There isn't room
24:48for four outfielders, right? They're not going to be that lucky that Kyle Tucker is going to opt
24:52out. Right. So that one's already taken. They only have two outfield positions, four outfielders
24:57in the top 30. Uh, you know, they're the ones who can do the deal. Yeah. John, you know, you
25:02mentioned we might not have baseball next year. I think if they trade for Scooble, uh, they'll just
25:06harden the, a lot of other owners and we won't have baseball, uh, next year for a while. Uh,
25:11from, uh, retired NYY socks. That's a nice handle. Uh, do the Yankees look for even another bat now
25:20that Bellinger is out four to six weeks, or they just hold on to Dominguez and Jones to hopefully
25:24make up the difference. Jump on. I start with this and you jump in whenever you want. Look,
25:29this is an opportunity for Dominguez and Jones. They're going to get a lot of runway here. If they
25:34remain Yankees, if Mason Miller is available, I think it's a two tiered trade John, where they have
25:41to give up. You mentioned Lombard. I think they, they were all over the Yankee system in the last
25:46week. They had two guys at AAA. They, they had somebody at every level. They literally called
25:50the Yankees and asked where Kilby was playing, who was a player they liked in the draft, uh, without
25:56giving away too much. I think we talked to one of their guys, me and you, uh, at the winter
26:01meetings
26:01who mentioned how much they love Kilby. And that was months ago, uh, from the Yankee system. Uh,
26:07uh, so I wonder if he could be the key guy. I think the other tier of it is you
26:11got to give
26:11them a starting pitcher who could pitch right now is that Elmer Rodriguez, Will Warren, Ryan
26:18Weathers, by the way, who AJ Preller picked seventh overall in a draft. So they're familiar
26:22with and a back that goes into the probably outfield. And that's probably Jones or Dominguez.
26:28I, I think if you could get Miller who can, you know, you give up what you got to give
26:32up to
26:32go, go do it. If not, I think these guys, at least one of the two, cause I think the
26:36Yankees
26:36will get an outfielder here are going to get runway. What, what do you think, John?
26:42Yeah. I mean, if you could get a Miller for Dax Kilby as your main guy, I'd go ahead and
26:47do that. Uh, I'm not sure how likely that is, but look, I mean, Dominguez and Jones were
26:53top, top prospects at one point. And a lot of times guys have hiccups when they get to
26:58the majors and look, they're young, right? I mean, Dominguez still, what is he? 24 years
27:03old at this point. So, you know, certainly could be part of a, uh, package, uh, there.
27:10Um, but they definitely need to get an outfielder, right-handed hitting outfielder. I do believe
27:16on that. They are targeting a bunch of right-handed outfielders. The pickings are not great from
27:21what I can gather. And as you mentioned that steer is hurt now and he's pretty good. I mean,
27:26that was not a bad choice. Springer would be an interesting one. Would they trade for Springer?
27:31Would he okay it? Uh, I don't know. Uh, but I, I do believe they will. Yeah. I don't know
27:38if they would okay it or he would come or what. And he's got to have full note trade. So
27:43maybe
27:43that's, I'm just being crazy. Even mentioned Connecticut, right? Yeah. Maybe he would,
27:48you know, great guy. I don't, uh, whatever people say. A great big game player might like
27:54want to get into the playoffs in a, in a place. Do you think Yankee sucks as a Yankee fan?
28:03I don't
28:03know. He has a Yankee question. I don't know. Self-hating? I don't know. All right. Along the
28:08way. John, can I throw in one just here? Uh, look, I, I think you and I have probably heard
28:13like the
28:14Padres would love to find a way to attach like Bogarts or Machop, like somebody with a long number
28:19to it. I don't think anybody's touching those contracts. No way. No chance. Here's the thing
28:25is if it lowered the price and I don't think that probably would ever lower the price on Miller. I
28:30don't think he's polluting it, but if it lowered it at all, would you, if you were the Yankees,
28:34take Jake Cronenworth who signed through 2030, which opens up some more money for San Diego to do,
28:40do some other stuff. Like it's not my money. I'm all, you know, it's not my money. And that's a
28:45small amount of money compared to Bogart. Well, I think it's 12 a year through 2030. Okay. By the
28:50way, not that it matters because the Yankees aren't taking Machado at this point. Uh, he would
28:55okay the Yankees, Yankee trade. Cool. Here's one pinstripe press five. No sucks in there. Do you guys
29:06think the Yankees could get both Neto and Goodman while being able to get some good relief pitching?
29:11How about re reanimate Babe Ruth too? No, uh, go ahead, John. Hey, if you're a fan,
29:17you might as well. Yeah. Go for it. Go for it all. Might as well give it a shot. I,
29:23I, we think
29:24Lombard is going to be the guy, right? I mean, at shortstop barring a Miller trade, uh, he he's the
29:29guy at shortstop. So I don't see Neto for them. I think Neto would fit, uh, Boston. Uh, probably fits
29:36Tampa. You know, there, there are probably other teams that are, could be going for a shortstop.
29:41Um, so, uh, I don't think, and Goodman, I think that they've said unlikely at this point. And as I
29:48said, it's hard to break in a young catcher. Uh, you know, he's mostly a hitter at this point.
29:55You know, I, I think that would be a tough break in. Obviously he's got 31 home runs. He's been
30:00better on the road than at home. Part of that is he killed it in Las Vegas, but he has
30:05been better on
30:05the road than at home. He's terrific hitter and an all two-time all-star. Uh, you know, I, I
30:11think
30:12Goodman has got, it's more chance for Goodman than Neto. I'll put it that way. And I was told
30:15unlikely on Goodman. You know, when I talk to teams, John, and I asked, is Goodman available? They go,
30:20yeah, I don't think so. Maybe, I don't know. Like it's, it just feels like we are talking about it
30:26a
30:26lot, but it's a price that nobody's going to pay, uh, at this point. Can I tell him one thing
30:31on
30:31how busy I think the Yankees could be and a reason why, which is every one of their starting
30:38pitchers is controllable through at least next year. And now that includes Clark Schmidt and
30:45Luis Gil who are in here besides the six who are going and Elmer. So, so like when you think
30:52about
30:52what they're going to trade from, they really, their internal people, you know, there's John love
30:57Elmer Rodriguez. They probably feel he was a little rushed this year before he fully
31:01developed the third pitch. What they think he has the aptitude to do, but would they trade Elmer
31:07Rodriguez? I think they put up, got to get something special back because they have control of like
31:12eight starting pitchers with a lot of major league experience for at least next year. I think it
31:17opens up Ben Hess. I think it opens up Jack Seabird. You've written a lot about Ben Grable, who's a
31:23double-A who's a well-liked pitcher. I think that they're going to use that close to the major leagues
31:28and they have a good reputation in the sport, the Yankees, for developing pitching. And so I think
31:34they're going to use that group to do multiple things. This is-
31:39Let me just say, they have a good, let me just say, I have a good reputation. No, they have
31:43a good
31:43reputation for developing pitching. And I think Hess and Cunningham and some of them have already been
31:48out there to be traded, but many of them they want to hold on to, or at least that's what
31:54we hear.
31:54But let's not forget, and you mentioned it first, that Melanson is the best guy that
31:59Cashman traded. He's either extremely good at this or very cautious or both. I do believe he is good
32:07at this and he doesn't give somebody away who he thinks is going to be a star. I'm not there.
32:14I'm
32:14not in their meetings. I haven't studied Elmer Rodriguez or, I mean, to me, none of these, I mean,
32:21if you can get Mason Miller, uh, you know, I'm, I'm sending a bunch of them away to get Mason
32:26Miller. It's three and a half years of the best closer in baseball. And one of the best, I mean,
32:32he's heading, this is one of the all-time best seasons any, any closer has ever had. If you have
32:37Miller and Bednar, their world series chances, uh, probably double from what they are now. I don't
32:43know what the people say they are now. If they're 10%, uh, they probably double.
32:49Yeah, I'm with you, John. I do almost anything to get that player. This is from King Ventro.
32:53If the Mets 2027 core is Benj, Ewing, Soto, Lindor, and either Torrens or Alvarez for position
33:00players, do you think they are targeting the other positions in trade returns or just trying to
33:05accumulate talent so you can expand the talent base for future acquisitions, much like they did with
33:11trades in the past? John, why don't I start it and you piggyback on me? The Mets are not targeting
33:16a position. The Mets are targeting best talent they can get because I would think they want to go right
33:22back into the marketplace when this season is over to improve for next year. So I wouldn't be surprised
33:28if they accumulate some prospects right now that allow them to trade other prospects and or trade
33:34the prospects that they're getting now to go ahead and get some more stuff for 2027. The Mets are not
33:41close to a rebuild. They're going to believe that this season was the worst possible outcome if you
33:47played the season a thousand times. You're seeing right now Lindor is still a very, very good major
33:52league player. We know Soto is in his prime and they could build around those two guys and they got
33:58to go get some starting pitching. They're probably going to have to redo the bullpen because they're
34:02going to trade extensively from it in the next six days. John, that's what I think. They're just going
34:08for talent here. Yeah, I hope this doesn't sound rude, but beggars can't be choosers. They've got
34:13to just go for the best talent and I would look at it differently. I think pitching is the bigger
34:18need. I think Lindor, Soto, the outfield set, you've got Benj and Ewing. I still think Beatty's got
34:29something. They've got Bichette and Semien under contract and I know Bichette is better than this
34:38and he's still, what is he, 27, 28 years old. Semien's even showing some signs. I'm more worried
34:44about the rotation than I am the position players at this point. Although I will with one caveat,
34:50the position player list in free agency is brutal. It's probably the worst of all time. So, I mean,
34:57Jazz Chisholm, very good player, is probably the best position player available. I think, I don't know,
35:03is it Rosarino or Dalton Varshaw? I don't know, but there are only players of that ilk,
35:08which is good. I mean, those are very good players, but nobody, there's no superstar available
35:13on the market as there were last year and the year before and almost every year.
35:18At Goff to HOF, which I hope is for Hall of Fame and not something else. What are the Rays
35:25looking to
35:25do and is there a player in particular that catches their eye? I mean, I mentioned Scoobal,
35:29John, you go ahead. Yeah, I mean, the word you hear is they're going to be aggressive. It's
35:34unpredictable because they have new ownership, but, you know, the new owner probably wants to try
35:39to make a big splash in his first year and they are still ahead of the Yankees, amazingly. Good job
35:44by Cash and Neander and all of them. Yeah, I mean, I think they're looking at all the big guys,
35:50right? And certainly we've mentioned Scoobal, they're interested in. You know, it is unusual to
35:58see a team with a low revenue base loading up and trading prospects because that's how they
36:04continue to have low payrolls is to have their prospects develop and then become major leaguers
36:09and make the minimum. They could look at shortstop too. You know, there's a couple good shortstop
36:15names out there. And, you know, I expect at this point, after all this chatter you hear behind the
36:23scenes that they will land somebody pretty big. Yeah. What if they land Miller?
36:29It's a possibility. I mean,
36:31I mean, they have one of the five best farm systems that, you know, like if you kind of,
36:35again, ask around who has depth and, and, and the word is they're willing to trade from it. They
36:40have two highly regarded catchers. I hear one of them could certainly go into trade because they have
36:46two and that they're willing to, to, they have real like duplicative depth at certain spots. And
36:53again, keep hearing they're going to be very, very aggressive. And I just think that they'll get
36:59a big guy here. They got a chance to win this division. And we probably didn't think that was
37:04going to be the case in March. I certainly didn't think that I owe. I underrate them every year. So
37:10you got to go the opposite of whatever I say on the raise. I really don't have that wired, but
37:16like I said, it is unusual for a team with a low revenue base. I don't want to say small
37:20market.
37:21I don't believe that's a small market, but they don't have big revenues to package up prospects
37:26and trade for a big player. But you hear them certainly connected to at least Scooble, which
37:30would, even though he's a rental would cost a lot. Yeah. Miller would cost to me. Miller is twice as
37:36valuable as Scooble, right? It's nine times more time that he's got left. Right. So I think he's
37:42at least twice as valuable. I don't know if executives see it that way, but Scooble could
37:47end up being one playoff start potentially. Right. And I, I just think the bullpen still
37:53underrated. You know, I think teams win with bullpens. John, I agree with you. And I would say
37:58this is it's a very volatile spot, but I think you could make a case that the four best relievers
38:04since August 1st of last year are Bednar, Duran, Miller, and Varlin, who are all traded
38:15at the deadline last year. And all four have been brilliant since the moment that brilliant
38:20and healthy. Now, again, I know, you know, Miller, Miller draws 103. At some point he's going
38:25to blow. I know that I hear all the complaints out there. He only plays 60 innings. He's going
38:30to blow out at some point. I'm like, yeah, but until then, when he's in the game, the
38:34game is over. I mean, look at San Diego, look at that team. Look at the team. They're, they're,
38:38they're almost last in runs. They're like 27th and starting pitching ERA. Last I looked
38:43anyway, maybe they moved up to 26th and yet they're 500 and about to go over 500. It's because
38:49they have more hone and Miller. And that's kind of why I think, I don't think they're going
38:53to trade more hone. I think they're pretty excited about the lockdown of eight and nine.
38:57So. Yeah, I'm with you, John. I think that that's the strength of their team. And Preller,
39:02who we know hasn't slept since like about 1997, is probably busy trying to figure out how to do
39:08things without it. I think we got a couple more here. What do the Cubs add at the deadline?
39:14Garner, Garner, Shore, 42, 699. I think they'll, I mean, we're starting pitching. Obviously they
39:21need, I think multiple starters. I don't, I don't think it'll be Scooble because, you know,
39:26the MO of Jed Hoyer has been positioned players first and they've, they've got that and they can
39:32win with average or slightly above average starters. So I think they're going to look at
39:37Detmer, Soriano, Gaussman, Robbie Ray, you know, all those, I would say at this point,
39:43good number three type starters. If they could, you may be Peralta. We mentioned Peralta too. At this
39:50point, they'll be happy if he's a good, a good number three starter. I think eventually he will
39:56be, but I don't know this year. Maybe Mize, you know, there's a whole list of them and I think
40:02they'll get probably two of them. And that's probably the way the Cubs go. And they could,
40:06like every other starter, they'll look at bullpen as well.
40:09Yeah. Let me throw out one question. And I mean, it's just a question. I don't, I,
40:14I've heard some talk that they'd consider trading Suzuki, who's a free agent at the end of the year.
40:20And we know every team is looking for right-hand bats. And I've even heard like, they'll at least
40:26listen. Would they do it on Carson Kelly? Because Miguel Amaya is catching about half the time.
40:33They have a big catching prospect, Owen Ayers, who might be ready to catch in the major leagues.
40:38They might, you know, Moises Ballesteros, who's more DH probably than catcher,
40:43is also a AAA, that they might be able to cover that position. And both Kelly and Suzuki are free
40:48agents at the end of the year. When you think about it, the Yankees, for example, could use
40:53a right-hand hitting outfielder and a backup and a catcher. I'm not sure Carson Kelly would be the
40:59backup to Austin Wells. He would at least be a halftime with him. I don't know. And the Yankees
41:05have starting pitching. I'm just thinking about ways that the Cubs might be able to get a starter
41:11from some major league depth that is going to be free agents at the end of the year. You have
41:15any
41:15thoughts? Yeah, that makes sense. That's a good one by you. I like Suzuki, particularly when we
41:20listed the other right-handed hitting outfielders the Yankees could get. It doesn't seem like they're
41:24interested in Luis Robert. You know, he might look good for a few games. He's back, but I don't think
41:29they want to take that chance, at least at this point. It doesn't feel that way. The other names are
41:34probably not as good as, say, Suzuki. So, and I have heard his name out there, as you have.
41:39I would be surprised if they traded Carson Kelly, but we've been surprised before at the deadline.
41:46Yeah, the catching options. If it's not Jeffers, you know, Jonah Haim is doing a nice job in Oakland.
41:53They may need him now that Longlears is out. Maybe that affects that. Tyler Stevenson with the Reds
41:59is another guy who's a free agent after the year. So, another possibility, I think, probably more
42:06likely than Carson Kelly. But I like that idea of talking to the Cubs, because certainly Will
42:12Warren or somebody like that would really help the Cubs in terms of their starting pitching.
42:18Yeah, yeah. And the Cubs and the Yankees have made a lot of trades, especially deadline trades over
42:23the years, Jed Hoyer and Brian Cashman. I think they speak the same language at this time of year,
42:27which always matters. John and I are hopefully going to talk the same language when we come back
42:32and play hit or error. John, last one before trade deadline, hit or error? Well, since I gave an error
42:46last week to Caballero for delaying the games with his stall tactics, as well-intentioned as they were,
42:53they were annoying all of us, not just the pitchers. And I could give a hit to the commissioner's
42:59office for cracking down on getting rid of that, because we don't need three-hour games again. So,
43:03I could give a hit for that. But I'm going to give a hit to the Washington Nationals for turning
43:08Curtis Meade into Connolly early. Meade was DFA'd. This is an interesting career. The guy was
43:14traded for Christopher Sanchez, who started the All-Star game. He's DFA'd, and now he's traded for
43:19Connolly early. So, he's 25. He's already had a real up-and-down career. Good player. I think it's
43:25a good move for the Red Sox, although I did get hit by a pitch yesterday. Bad luck there. Hopefully,
43:30he's okay. But a great move for Washington, who got a young, controllable, left-handed starter. I don't
43:38know that he's going to be a top-of-the-rotation starter, as I've heard other people suggest. But
43:42he's a good starter, and Washington's having an amazing year. I mean, last I looked,
43:47they were leading the majors in home runs and stolen bases. I mean, who would have thought that
43:51about the Nats? And they are in the race, by the way. Just two finer points on that. You mentioned
43:56Meade is DFA'd. He was DFA'd in March, not like in 2022. He was just DFA'd by the White in
44:02March
44:04and traded to Washington, which has gotten a lot right. And one other thing I would add is Paul
44:07Toboni was there and drafted Connolly early. He knows the pitcher really, really well. Paul Toboni,
44:14who runs baseball operations. First year with the Nationals came from the Red Sox. John,
44:19I'm going to give an error to the institution of baseball because we do this too often. We
44:25cannibalize one event with another. No other sport does its Hall of Fame at a time where it's playing
44:33games, much less a full slate of games like we did Sunday. I mean, I don't know if Met fans
44:39love
44:40Carlos Beltran, and I know they don't love this team, but their team was playing. The San Francisco
44:45Giants were playing when Jeff Kent is inducted. You know, it's, to me, it's do it on a day where
44:53play one game, play it up there. You know, we have the Field of Dream games, like have the Hall
44:58of Fame
44:58inductions and then have one of the teams whose player is there play a game that night in Cooperstown.
45:05I mean, what are we doing? We're cannibalizing. And by the way, it's also the same week as the
45:10trade deadline. You and I, can we really break away? Like we covered Piazza. We covered Joe
45:16Torre's managing. We covered the whole careers of Rivera and Jeter. We don't go to the Hall of Fame
45:21because like, think about how rude it would be if our phone started blowing up during one of these
45:25ceremonies because one of the teams made a trade or something. This should be held in late June when
45:31there's nothing else really on the calendar, but school's out already. And by the way, it's a month
45:36earlier than the middle of the summer when 70 plus year old men are up on the stage in the
45:41heat.
45:42Like, let's do this at a different time. This is the wrong time. And don't play any other games,
45:49but one game that night. So everybody watches the Hall of Fame. I was at the Met game. I didn't
45:54watch a
45:54second of the Hall of Fame inductions because I'm covering a game. I just think we cannibalize.
46:02We do the same thing with the draft. We have the draft while games are going on. No other league
46:07does that. Have one game at night that day. Play the Futures game that day as part of a Futures
46:12thing, which is the draft and the Futures game. I just, there's not that many big events on our
46:17calendar and we cannibalize them. Yeah, I'm with you. Yeah, it would be nice. The Hall of Fame,
46:24people in baseball still care about the Hall of Fame. I guess in football, they do to some degree,
46:28but not to this degree. It is an enormous event. It is a big deal. It should have its own
46:34day.
46:35Yeah. And as far as the heat goes, I checked the temperature because I was hearing complaints.
46:41You know, it was 77 or something like that in Cooperstown and it was still too hot for
46:45many of these people. And it's not only the Hall of Famers who are, their average age is older than
46:50me.
46:51So that's pretty old. And it's the families of the Hall of Famers and the fans who come who are
46:58in their 60s and 70s and even older than that. So yeah, I am with you. But the main point
47:05is that
47:06it needs its own day. It is a big deal. It is an interesting debate. Always three guys got in
47:14who were not first ballot, right? None of them were first ballot Hall of Famers. So
47:19the debate went on. One of them was a veterans committee. So the writers, although I did vote
47:25for Kent, the writers rejected Kent 10 times and he got in. So it's always interesting. These guys
47:32all had great careers and whether they're borderline or whatever you want to say, they all had fantastic
47:38careers and they all deserve their own day. So I'm with you 100%.
47:44Yeah, someone on their way to a fantastic career, Tommy Hogan, our producer. Tommy, thank you so much
47:50as always. Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen to podcasts, please rate and review us. The New York
47:55Post sports YouTube page, give us a view. And John, the next time we're together, I think we'll be
48:00talking in retrospect about what happened at the trade deadline. If you stick with us on the show
48:06with Joel Sherman and John Heyman.