00:00They have a very interesting game tonight in the series in Miami.
00:04Sandy Alcantara on the mound for Miami.
00:07That's always interesting.
00:09The price is also interesting in this one here, too, Tom.
00:13I mean, can we trust the Marlins at home?
00:17They've looked pretty decent over the weekend against the Nats.
00:22Yeah, this is certainly an interesting spot.
00:25Over the last 30 days or so, Sandy has been downright great.
00:32And I know this recent start against the Phillies, it wasn't everything he wanted to be.
00:37But a plus money price on this, I think, is really interesting.
00:41Frankly, I think I'm not sold on the Marlins overall,
00:45so this might be just the first five scenario if you want to trust Sandy to get in,
00:49do his thing, take care of business.
00:51And, you know, ultimately you're going to say, like, hey, the Red Sox are the better team.
00:55I know they haven't been, you know, blowing the doors off everyone as they were a month ago,
00:59but they're still the better team when it's all said and done.
01:01Give me the first five with Sandy, and then I'll wash my hands and I can walk away.
01:04Whatever happens, happens.
01:07Yeah, I mean, what is the, now that you've had a chance here,
01:10because there's still the jury's out on whether Crochet's coming back before, by the postseason.
01:16There's still, you know, it's great when they don't tell you.
01:19And it's the same thing with Judge, like, is he coming back?
01:21Is he not coming back?
01:22Like, what are we doing here?
01:24But Boston is interesting, because if they do get Crochet back, Roman Anthony on his way back,
01:31what's the ceiling for this Red Sox team as they sit there with the second wildcard spot
01:38with 71 wins on the season?
01:39What is the ceiling in your mind with this Red Sox team?
01:43The ceiling for the Red Sox is, I'm going to say, the same ceiling as it is for the Rays
01:48and the Yankees,
01:49is that one of those three teams, like, there's no guarantees in sports, Joe, as we all know,
01:55but, like, one of those three teams is absolutely going to be representing the AL when it comes to the
02:00wildcard.
02:00Like, the Astros are frauds.
02:03The Rangers can't win more than one or two games in a row.
02:06We're not trusting the White Sox or the Guardians or Seattle's not going to make a run.
02:10We can't trust it.
02:11Like, the three best teams in the AL are the Rays, the Yankees, and the Red Sox.
02:15So the ceiling for them is, depending on how the bracket shakes out for the MLB postseason,
02:20the ceiling is for the Red Sox to get to the ALCS and win that and be representing the team
02:25when it comes to the AL when it comes to the World Series.
02:29And, frankly, there were some quotes from Garrett Crochet, like, two weeks ago or so
02:32when he said that he would be willing to come out of the bullpen in the postseason.
02:37Because, frankly, Peyton Tolley, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez could be your one, two, three.
02:43And then if you're uncertain about a four, you have an opener and then you use Garrett Crochet as a
02:47piggyback.
02:48That could work for the Red Sox.
02:54Consistency.
02:55The bullpen you convinced with Chapman in the back end?
02:58I mean, Whitlock I thought was a big loss, but are you buying the back end of that bullpen?
03:04Some days, yes.
03:05Some days, no.
03:06It's the same thing with their offense.
03:07It's like they're a hot and cold team.
03:10But when they're hot, like, they could go into the wild card series and they could sweep that team.
03:14They also could lose.
03:15They could also get swept.
03:17It's like it's where the Red Sox are.
03:18So if they could roll into a wild card and they would be playing the third of the division winners,
03:26right?
03:27The third of that, none, because obviously the Rays would get the bye.
03:30Like, if they're rolling, like, White Sox, Red Sox, Red Sox, Rangers at the Rangers.
03:35Like, I'm taking the Red Sox in all those series.
03:38Yeah, especially against, you're right, the mid to, and the American League, we have said it,
03:43is just atrocious on so many different levels.
03:45It's not even, it's not even funny.
03:48But it does feel like that's the cut, right?
03:50Who is, and I still think there's time here, Tom.
03:53There is, who's going to be that team in the final 30 games that's going to get red hot and
04:00ride it into the postseason?
04:02And it may not be from the American League, by the way.
04:04It might be in the National League.
04:06But, you know, you look at a team like the Red Sox where maybe they get some reinforcements back here.
04:11But are the twins capable of rattling off, you know, winning 9 of 10?
04:17Is it the guard, like, who can we trust, especially in American League side,
04:23to get hot at the right moment?
04:25It would just be the Red Sox.
04:28The Yankees are going to make it.
04:29The Rays are going to make it.
04:30I can't trust any of these lower-tier American League teams.
04:33Like, the three teams that come to mind overall for bringing the NL into it,
04:36it would be the Red Sox, the Phillies are super hot right now, and then the Diamondbacks.
04:40And I know the Diamondbacks have a lot going on with the Gatel-Marté situation,
04:44and that's its own story.
04:46But the Diamondbacks are a somewhat proven team.
04:49Like, they were in the World Series just a couple of years ago.
04:52They didn't get it done, but they got hot.
04:54They won on the road.
04:55They won games.
04:56They beat Philly.
04:57So those are the three teams I keep thinking about.
04:59The Padres, I'm a little bit unsure of.
05:02But, man, something about the Diamondbacks and that momentum that they have,
05:05it could be them, the Phillies, or the Red Sox as one of the lower-tier teams
05:09to really make a run in the postseason.
05:11First season.
05:11First season.
