00:00We also learned, I believe, that Otani plans on returning to the mound, Tom,
00:06at some point over the next couple of weeks.
00:10Okay, I mean, why bother?
00:13I don't think you're going to need it until the postseason anyway.
00:15But you might go out there as an opener to something along those lines,
00:19but they by no means need Otani back in that rotation anytime soon, do they?
00:26They don't, and frankly, I don't think the Dodgers want it.
00:30I said this to Craig Mitch on Pro Baseball.
00:33Today over the past few weeks, I have a very clear stance on this.
00:36I think Otani wants to pitch.
00:38I think he wants to pitch, and the Dodgers are like, all right, we'll have you pitch.
00:43I think ideally the Dodgers would say, no, they're not going to pitch.
00:47We have our rotation.
00:48We traded for Scoobl.
00:50Glasnow's coming back.
00:51I believe he's starting on Tuesday or Wednesday this week, Tyler Glasnow.
00:54Snell is back, and you roll into the postseason, and you have Yamamoto,
00:57you have Scoobl, you have Snell, and you have Glasnow.
01:00And whether or not Glasnow's great or Snell is great,
01:03you still have Robleski that you can bring in, you know,
01:05in a half-starter, half-opener, piggyback off of Glasnow,
01:08and that's perfect for the team.
01:10But I think Otani and his people are telling him, like, yeah, he's going to pitch.
01:12Of course he is.
01:13That's what you signed him to do, so he's going to pitch.
01:15And then they're just like, all right, we have to let him pitch,
01:17so he's going to.
01:18Even though that's not the plan, I don't think he should be pitching.
01:23I don't see why they would, but I think you're right.
01:26I think his desire to want to pitch is basically what's the driving force here.
01:32And I think sometimes you've got to save the player for himself.
01:34It's not like he's been a great hitter this year when he was pitching.
01:38I would much rather have his back than I do need him to be a starting pitching.
01:44They'll have, they can rotate a million starters out there in the bullpen.
01:48And I think they're going to be just fine there, but it's the hitting that would worry me here.
01:54Also, coming up here, we also learned, is it Pete Crow Armstrong or is it Otani?
02:01Is that play a role in it?
02:03Does he need to come back on the mound to lock up the, I mean, as you can see, minus
02:08185.
02:09Does he need to come back on the mound to win the MVP,
02:13or has he done enough already in your mind?
02:16I think, frankly, he's done enough.
02:18Listen, if you think Otani is going to come back and pitch, and if we get the reports,
02:23like, I don't think the plus 150 number will be there.
02:26Like, I think Otani deserves the MVP.
02:29If you want to look at certain things, I think, you know,
02:31you can make the argument that PCA deserves it based on war, based on this, based on the other thing.
02:36But listen, if you think Otani is going to pitch, you've got to make that bet now.
02:39Because the day we get announced that he's going to pitch, that plus 150 number is not going to be
02:44there.
02:44Whether or not he wins it is a different story.
02:46But that plus 150 number will not be here.
02:51Should it even count that he's a pitcher?
02:53I mean, honestly.
02:54Should it even, should that even factor in?
02:58It's just, it's the Otani award every year.
03:00As long as he pitches like 80-ish innings, he doesn't even pitch the whole year.
03:04And he doesn't need to hit 300.
03:06But I've said this for a couple years now on Pro Baseball today.
03:10We need a player who did what Acuna did.
03:13I think it was the 2021 season of 22 when he had 70 stolen bases and 40 home runs.
03:18Or Schwarber pushes for 65 home runs.
03:21Like, we need a player to do something that is so monumental and so crazy that there's actual reason.
03:26Like, PCA's having a great year.
03:28He is.
03:28He's a great defender.
03:29We all know that.
03:30But that doesn't, does that supersede what Otani does by hitting and pitching?
03:34That I don't know.
03:35But I want to see a player hit 70 home runs so we can be like, hang on.
03:38We actually have to challenge what Otani actually does now.
03:43Yeah.
03:43I mean, listen.
03:45He's also a gold glover there, PCA.
03:48I mean, his defense has been phenomenal all year.
03:50You don't take that into consideration.
03:52Second, I believe, in stolen bases as well there, Todd.
03:56I mean, he is, he's having an MVP kind of year.
04:01The problem is, Otani comes out, wins a couple more games than starts.
04:05That's, you know, top of mind.
04:07That's going to be very hard to overcome unless they're just fatigued with voting on Otani.
