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00:00Guardians playing, well, who knows.
00:03So you're going to be the Houston Astros or the Chicago White Sox.
00:05Social media reactions on X are brought to you by?
00:07Jive and Jewelers, Cleveland's premier jewelry store.
00:10Emily said to us, guys, can we do an on-air plea for people not to sell their guards tickets
00:14if the Sox win?
00:16Sox win, I don't want to hear a bunch of Chicago fans.
00:18And I said, I really don't think White Sox fans, I think they're much different fan bases.
00:24You know who would know, though?
00:25Anthony Kastrovitz, who joins us right now on the Wise Heart Right, We Make It Right
00:29called Kyle Wright Hotline.
00:30I mean, Anthony, you've done some traveling, obviously.
00:32You've seen all the bells and whistles that Major League Baseball has to offer.
00:35If the White Sox win that series against Houston,
00:39do we have to ask Guardians fans not to sell their tickets to White Sox fans?
00:44Will there be an influx, a mass influx of White Sox fans compared to, like, Cubs fans?
00:51I don't think so.
00:52You know, you have 108 years of history that were baked into that one.
00:57And, yeah, Cubs fans are generally, in my experiences, you know, they show out more,
01:04more passionate.
01:05But the White Sox fans, they lurk in the weeds.
01:08They lurk in the shadows.
01:08And then a season like this comes along and, you know, suddenly it's a whole different vibe there.
01:13So I can't remember the last time I was at a relevant game at the rate, as they call it.
01:19So, you know, it would be cool to see that in the division series.
01:24Certainly would be.
01:25Go ahead there, Tone.
01:26So it seems like we don't have much to talk about, you know, until we get to maybe Friday other
01:32than rust.
01:34In this, is this going to be a factor?
01:37It seems to be the biggest question every year for these teams that get that buy through the wildcard round.
01:43It really is.
01:44I mean, you know, obviously anybody would choose the Guardians situation over the White Sox situation.
01:50Like, it's just fundamentally better to be able to set up your pitching.
01:53But it's a very real thing to go five days without playing.
01:56It's totally antithetical to the, you know, the way the season is set up.
02:00And, you know, I get why there was problems with the one-game wildcard.
02:07I loved it personally.
02:09I miss it because, you know, these series don't have the juice of the one-game wildcard, in my opinion.
02:13And, you know, you are making those division winners sit around for a bit longer.
02:17But, you know, I think ultimately, especially for a team as pitching-oriented as the Guardians are, it's ultimately a
02:25good thing.
02:26Well, I like hearing that.
02:27Anthony Kastrovic joining us on the show.
02:29Are they even surprised by how well they've done down the stretch of this season, the Guardians?
02:36You know, I think there's a little of that if you administered some truth serum.
02:40Because the offense was just not there for the bulk of the season.
02:45And while they were aggressive at the trade deadline, to their credit, you know, Joe Adele, Nathaniel Lowe,
02:50it's not like Nathaniel Lowe showed up and, you know, put the team on his back.
02:54And Joe Adele had some huge home runs.
02:56But it's not like his rate stats were, you know, Jordan Alvarez-type numbers.
03:00So they really, something happened mid-year where, I don't know if it was a change in approach or what,
03:07but part of it is just having, and this is like an annual conversation,
03:11like having a predominantly young lineup and guys figuring it out at the big league level,
03:15it feels like we have that conversation every single year.
03:18It's just the cast of characters changes.
03:20But this year was a little more legit where, you know, Bazzana and DeLauder,
03:24DeLauder had that great start, but, you know, he had to fight through some adjustments over the course of the
03:28year
03:28and just prove he could stay healthy.
03:30But, you know, those guys have pedigree.
03:31So they did have a little bit more to offer offensively as the year progressed.
03:36And to their credit, man, they just, it really came together very well.
03:39I mean, that was what was so striking.
03:41You know, last year was this historic surge,
03:43but it was just as much about the Tigers completely falling apart in the second half.
03:48Whereas, you know, I think this one, the Guardians, they really,
03:51they didn't have to have this historic pitching dominance that they had in the last couple months,
03:56the last season, where they were just so unhittable.
03:59They were just very stout on the pitching side.
04:01And one of the better teams in the American League in the second half offensively,
04:05which was a shock, quite frankly.
04:07All right, Anthony Kastrovin's joining us.
04:10In years past, we would have an MVP candidate, Jose Ramirez, kind of carry the load.
04:15And then there was a lot of pressure on him in the postseason.
04:18But this has been such a tough year for him.
04:21And then September, he backslid again.
04:23It actually might have been his worst month of the year.
04:26So will this rest help him at all?
04:28And what are your expectations for him here in the postseason?
04:32Yeah, I mean, I think that's the case where the rest is good.
04:34But there's no scenario where he comes out of 2026, you know, perfectly healthy.
04:40He's obviously playing hurt.
04:41He's obviously playing compromised, I should say, you know, following that surgery.
04:45It's a tough one, particularly for a switch hitter.
04:48And, you know, players talk about their power taking months to come back.
04:52And this guy missed less than six weeks and didn't even go on a rehab assignment.
04:55So give him a lot of credit for posting up as much as he has this year.
04:59And I don't know how much it was bothering him prior to the, you know, him going on the IL
05:03and having the surgery.
05:04But it just obviously hasn't been a Jose type year.
05:07That's what makes it all the more remarkable, what we were just talking about, where they came alive offensively in
05:10the second half.
05:11And it wasn't like, you know, Jose was ripping people's faces off.
05:14So, yeah, again, there's no scenario where he's 100%.
05:19But the rest has to be good for him, I would imagine.
05:23Steven Kwan, what did he actually change to get back on track?
05:27I think he just remembered who he is at heart, you know, and, you know, got back to basics in
05:32terms of his plate approach.
05:33And, I mean, you see, when that guy is just, just get on base, man.
05:37Just hit some singles, draw some walks, get on base.
05:41And the lineup looks a lot different when he's productive near the top of it.
05:45So that really was as big a factor for them as anything in the second half.
05:51And it was great to see, you know, because that guy was really going through it.
05:54You know, I mean, he was questioning himself. Fans were questioning him.
05:56It was not just a first half of struggles. It was really dating back to the second half of last
06:01year.
06:02But when he sticks to his strengths, you know, that's a really valuable player, what you get defensively and with
06:08the on-base ability.
06:09So we have a bit of the schedule that came out, at least the times of the first two games.
06:14But we do know what the rest situation is.
06:17So, obviously, it seems like the Guardians are going to be able to capitalize on using their stud two pitchers.
06:22But how are they going to operate with game three?
06:26Yeah, a huge question.
06:28And I don't know when we'll learn more on that.
06:30They will chat with us today.
06:32But, you know, it's fascinating because you have the Tanner Bybee dynamic where, you know, that's the guy you've invested
06:39in.
06:39That's the guy you've, you know, kind of built as an ace at one time and obviously hasn't, you know,
06:43pitched like that here of late.
06:45But, you know, it gets uncomfortable if you skip over him for any reason.
06:51And I'm not saying that should guide decisions, but it is a real thing, you know, in that clubhouse.
06:55So there's that, you know, Foster Griffin has had, obviously, uneven performance since coming here.
07:01But I do think that's a guy whose profile really plays up in the postseason, you know, if he is
07:07at his best.
07:08I mean, that's a profile I'd like to see, you know, in this round.
07:14So, I don't know, man.
07:15To me, it comes down to those two guys.
07:17Or maybe they do the Cantillo.
07:20You know, they've had success with Cantillo.
07:22Cantillo is a bulk guy, you know, coming in after the opener.
07:26A lot of options there.
07:27And, frankly, you know, good options to have against whoever you're playing is going to be compromised pitching-wise coming
07:33out of this.
07:33And, you know, the Guardians and their fans should certainly be rooting for the Astros tonight and then root for
07:3820 innings tomorrow.
07:40And then let's go this weekend.
07:42Anthony Kastrovitz joining us on the show.
07:44This is weird.
07:45I hate to be like, talk about it or anything like that.
07:47Can you just tell me a few really good reasons why Foster Griffin would be a good pick?
07:53Just because, so I can replay it if they do make that choice.
07:56Because I don't think that would be very popular with the fan base.
07:59Yeah, and I get that.
08:01And, you know, it's always hard to evaluate a guy who comes in a midseason trade.
08:06And this is a guy who, you know, came over from overseas and kind of reestablished himself over there.
08:12And came back and had a tremendous first half.
08:15And then he gets traded.
08:16And so your life is kind of upended.
08:18But I do think there is the potential there to keep the ball in the park in the postseason and
08:22command the ball.
08:24But, you know, would that be my first choice?
08:26I don't know.
08:26I might lean towards Tanner Bybee for the reasons I mentioned where, you know, he's probably hungry.
08:33He had a really terrific, I thought, first half, you know, with some tough luck on the offensive end.
08:38And now he's getting the support and he's not doing much with it.
08:41But, you know, I might lean towards him just because of the dynamics I talked about and the fact that,
08:48you know, he is your guy.
08:50But the good thing they have is a variety of looks.
08:54And in a Game 3 scenario, you would fundamentally just have more rested arms back there, you know, more live
09:01arms back there.
09:02And the ability to mix and match and get through a game.
09:04And that's all you'd have to do to get to the LCS, which is pretty wild.
09:07So, we talked about the rooting interest, kind of, you know, watching this game yesterday.
09:13And you said rooting for the series to go 20 innings.
09:17But overall, we've got to like how this sets up for the Guardians to get all the way to potentially
09:22the ALCS.
09:24I mean, how are you feeling about their chances right now?
09:27I feel great about it.
09:29You know, it's all there for the taking.
09:30It doesn't mean it's a layup by any stretch of the imagination.
09:32But, you know, you watch yesterday's game and the White Sox had to go to Grant Taylor for 56, 57
09:39pitches, something like that, two and a third innings.
09:42You know, that's the stuff it takes to get through this wild card series.
09:45So, then, you know, he hasn't done that since he was in double A.
09:49He hasn't thrown that many pitches.
09:50So, that's their best reliever.
09:51So, stuff like that can really snowball on the team in terms of their pitching plan.
09:56And, you know, they've got to get through Yordan and Alvarez and company today.
09:59So, they have a tough matchup today with Hunter Brown.
10:01So, now you're potentially looking at a game three.
10:03And, you know, all that plays in the Guardians' favor.
10:05So, we knew the bracket was set up well for them.
10:07It doesn't mean, you know, it's a gimme by any stretch of the imagination because, you know, this Guardians team
10:13we saw for the better part of the season, it had its warts.
10:16And the rust thing can be real.
10:18But, I mean, they should be the heavy favorite in either scenario.
10:21This is going to go somewhere, I promise.
10:23How important are managers in Major League Baseball?
10:27Well, you know, I still think they have a lot of value.
10:31And most of it is stuff away from the field over the course of the long season.
10:35But, I will say, you get into this environment, this tournament, you know, series like the one we're watching right
10:41now, best of three.
10:42And, you know, I look at, like, Chad Tracy.
10:45He really, you know, the Red Sox made a change earlier in the year.
10:49There was a couple months of adjustment period under Tracy who came up from AAA.
10:52He knows all those guys from the system.
10:55But, you know, once they got settled, they went on this great run.
10:59But we got in the postseason last night, and I thought he was just flat-out outmanaged by Aaron Boone.
11:03And then I can go back a couple years, and I think Aaron Boone was flat-out outmanaged by Dave
11:07Roberts in Game 1 of the World Series, which, you know, got turned on its head late.
11:12I thought Aaron Boone cost the Yankees that game.
11:14So, you know, these things matter when you get between the lines, and sometimes that experience matters.
11:19Or just, there are certain guys who are just better at managing bullpens or, you know, managing in-game pressure
11:25than others.
11:26And that stuff still matters.
11:28So, you know, we don't quite have the AI engines program just yet in the dugout to run everything.
11:34But, you know, some teams kind of operate that way, essentially.
11:38You know, it's cohesion with the front office.
11:39I mean, every team has cohesion with the front office, and there's front office input.
11:43But, man, having someone who can think quickly, because the game does speed up quite a bit in the postseason.
11:49And you can't overstate enough, like, it's a very different sport in the postseason than it is in the regular
11:54season.
11:55It's just so much different.
11:56You know, the off days and the bullpen importance and teams being distilled down to their best arms, and you
12:03have to manage it properly.
12:04So, I've been warning everybody.
12:05Maybe they won't care because we'll be, hopefully, in the throes of an exciting run into the postseason.
12:11But when the Guardians are playing Saturday, there will have been either a New York or a Boston eliminated, potentially
12:19a Philadelphia.
12:20And I'm saying, wait for it, fans are going to talk about how bad the bracket and the playoff setup
12:25is baseball.
12:26Ken Rosenthal says MLB should re-seed the playoffs after the wildcard round.
12:30Of course, that wouldn't help one of these teams eliminated.
12:32But do you think baseball will be retooling their playoff setup after this year?
12:39I don't know about after this year.
12:40I mean, obviously, we're going into a CBA, and there's other stuff on the table.
12:43And, yeah, I think there is value in discussing a different format.
12:48I just wonder if it might be something better reserved for expansion, you know, and blowing things up, and realignment,
12:55you know, radical realignment, really, and a radically different, you know, playoff setup.
13:01But as it stands now, I mean, it's still a league and division-oriented league.
13:05And you can't, like, sell divisions for six months and then three games into the postseason say, never mind, here's
13:12the seeding.
13:13But, Anthony, they'll argue how are you selling 162 when, especially with more balanced schedules now than ever before, that
13:21if you finish with more wins, I mean, Boston easily could have had 90 wins.
13:26They kind of tank the end of the season, and they have to go to a wild card and play
13:29a team like the Yankees as opposed to watching, you know, the Guardians and potentially the White Sox.
13:36Yeah, I mean, no doubt.
13:37But also, I mean, even with the more balanced schedule, it's still a division-oriented schedule.
13:40Like, you still play, you know, predominantly division teams.
13:42You play your division teams, you know, 12, 13 times.
13:44And then I also say, I mean, look, we're here in Cleveland, man, and we're talking about salary cap and
13:50floor and all this stuff.
13:51But right now, I mean, the division as it's set up is a bit of an equalizer.
13:56When people talk about the great competitive balance, you hear about the Ken Rosenthal's of the world saying we have
14:01great competitive balance in baseball.
14:02We don't need a cap and floor.
14:03Well, the competitive balance largely emanates from the existence of the three divisions, the existence of the central divisions where
14:09you have only one revenue-sharing payor in the Cubs,
14:12and the rest are payees, and the nine other teams in the two central divisions are payees.
14:16So it's like these, quote-unquote, great competitive balance numbers that are entirely regular season-driven,
14:21as opposed to postseason-driven, where the big-money teams tend to win out, you know,
14:25the regular season parity is largely driven from the complexion of the divisions.
14:29It just is.
14:30I mean, that inflates the numbers greatly.
14:31So, yeah, we can go all around with this.
14:34And, you know, people make a fuss based on, you know, that year's outcome.
14:39People will read dramatic things out of this year's outcome, whatever it is.
14:43If it's the Dodgers win the World Series or the Brewers win the World Series, those are two very different
14:47extremes.
14:47But, you know, you've got to look at the big picture.
14:49And generally speaking, I mean, the division formats have worked pretty well for baseball,
14:54but I do think when we get to 32 teams, I think there's a really solid conversation we had about,
14:58you know,
14:59really reimagining what the leagues look like.
15:02And, you know, there's ways to do it without, like, breaking up great rivalries that have been established and that
15:07sort of thing.
15:07But, you know, that would be a good time, I think, to reimagine the playoff format as well.
15:12Anthony, we thank you very much for the time.
15:13All the best, and hopefully we'll talk to you again soon.
15:16All right, guys.
15:17Sounds good.
15:18Anthony Kastrovitz on the Wiseheart Right.
15:20We make a right call Kyle Right hotline.
15:21There was a reason I asked him about the managers, because when you got something good,
15:26someone's going to want to come try to steal it from you.
15:28Ken Carman, Anthony Lima.
15:29That's in five on the...
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