BaseballBiz MLB PostSeason WildCard Week 2026 Yankees, White ox

378 BaseballBiz

Mark Corbett: [00:00:00] Welcome to BaseballBiz On Deck. I am Mark Corbett, and with me, of course, is the master of baseball himself, Mr. Mat Germain. Hey, Mat. How you doing, buddy? 

Mat Germain: I'm enjoying the playoffs, Mark. Already a lot of stories, and it's a ... it looks like a lot of fun already. 

Mark Corbett: Oh my gosh. You and I talk about X-rays, and we'll talk about that a little bit here because I see one name after another popping up, you know, on this team, that team, or the other.

Uh, briefly I'll just say what, uh, S- Sogard, who had been with us, and I see him more doing a double play earlier today with, with the Red Sox, it's, it was the other day obviously. But yeah, here we are. It is Tuesday, and it is September 30th. The games are going on. A few of them have been played, and right now I'm looking and seeing that the White Sox and the Astros are playing.

Bottom of the ninth in Houston, the Astros won a game yesterday, and right now it looks pretty inev- you know, seven to three they're ahead. I don't know. I, I'm never say never, but it's looking pretty good for the White Sox right [00:01:00] now. 

Mat Germain: Weirder things have happened, but I think, , the, uh, the pitching on the Red So- uh, sorry, Red Sox, the White Sox, is strong enough that they're gonna hold it, uh, together during this inning and, uh, and make it through.

So it's interesting that it, it happens s- so quick even though it's a three-game series. And, uh, the... You know, they'll get to face off against the Guardians. Now, I haven't looked back to see how the White Sox and Guardians faced off, but, uh, that would be a really interesting series 'cause they do have a lot of history, and they do have s- you know, semi-rivalry I guess you could call it.

So, uh, you know, two interesting teams to see match up. 

Mark Corbett: You know, one of the things looking at the, the White Sox and seeing some people like Benintendi on there, and then I'm thinking about a guy that they actually brought along to postseason, my understanding was they had to not bring an additional pitcher to get this guy along.

He's an outfielder. Tommy Pham [00:02:00] is- Mm ... actually on the roster in the postseason, and that poor son of a gun, he's been injured. I mean, if you look at stats for him this year, there's very few games that the man has probably played, I mean, compared to most years. So, but the energy that he brings, I, I believe, you know, the perfection he demands of himself and of others, you know, that, that's gotta be something that's helping out there.

Plus, let's say, uh, even in, in Houston, there's people wearing the pope hats because we know you know, the, the pope is a Chicagoan, and not just a Chicagoan, he is a Chicago White Sox fan. 

Mat Germain: Yeah, a lot of people are giving him a lot of credit for how, what's happening this year right there. I don't know how that plays out and, and how far they'll go.

If they win the World Series this year though, Mark, I will tell you this, there's going to be a holy ceremony somewhere in Chicago- ... and, and it's gonna [00:03:00] include a lot of baseball fans that are saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Uh, but Tristan Peters is one that I saw playing today on base in the postseason, and he's playing really solid, you know, defensively, so that's another X-Rays player that, uh, um, I'm glad that, that I'm seeing play that well.

But did you see the Chase, uh, home run earlier in this game? 

Mark Corbett: Oh, yeah I'll let you. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. Go ahead. That was a mammoth home run, yeah. So, so it's just a very quick stroke from, from Chase, but he was sitting on the breaking ball. Yeah. And, and usually you don't see very many young hitters sitting on it that, that, as much as he was.

But, uh, he just took that one and, and it k- it sort of broke open the game. But his reaction after hitting it was just like he knew, he knew he got it. The, the atmosphere in the clubhouse when he went in, uh, was just insane. Some guys were [00:04:00] losing their heads, were, uh, up, up into his face. As the camera's going in you're seeing all the emotions.

A- and they seem like, you know we were talking about the Rays and their success and how the team being bound together really has catapulted them ahead. It seems like the White Sox have a little bit of that going on. 

Mark Corbett: Well, I'm glad to see that. I mean, that kind of energy. It, it's, there's no doubt to me that's what baseball's about anyway.

But, uh, it's, it's kinda interesting, you know, 'cause Karen and I were just there at the Astros and, and s- uh, watching a game just a few weeks ago. So it's kind of interesting when you're thinking about the Crawford Boxes and the balls getting out there. It's, uh, it's, it's an interesting time. I'm gonna, jumping, though, kind of quickly to, oh my gosh, Matt, I don't know if you saw any of the game with the Phillies today.

The one- 

Mat Germain: Yes, I did. Yeah ... 

Mark Corbett: with Bryce Harper in the outfield. 'Cause it, the poor guy, he's been bounced around a lot as far as position. And there he is, the ball's coming to [00:05:00] him. He's there in the shadows. He catches the ball, snow cones it, and it's gone. Soon as he, soon as he has it, it falls out of his glove.

And immediately, uh, at r- at least I think a run came in. Now, it wasn't necessarily a home run, but it was a, a, a run came in, and you knew it ate the living heck out of him because the kind of professional that he is. But- 

Mat Germain: I have a question for you. 

Mark Corbett: Yes, please. 

Mat Germain: Was the glove a first base glove or an outfielder's glove?

Mark Corbett: Ooh I ha- I believe it was, um, I believe it was an outfielder's glove, 'cause I, I don't remember it being that large. Okay. You know, that what you're talking about. Yeah, 'cause that would've been ugly. 

Mat Germain: Right. Well, it would've explained it, right? 'Cause if you're just snow coning, like if you're playing with a first base glove, maybe you're not able to squeeze it as much and- 

Mark Corbett: Yeah.

Mat Germain: I- ... it kind of pops out, you know? I'd like to see. Anyway, yeah, I don't know what he was using at first, to be honest. I don't even know if he was using a typical first base glove, um, 'cause he's moved around between two, [00:06:00] and I know they get attached to gloves sometimes. They don't wanna switch it. So there are, you know, superstitions that go along with that.

But yeah, I, it is hard when you're moving people around positions. In the playoffs you're trying to get as many bats in the lineup. But Alec Bohm ended up hitting a bomb that really changed the course of their off-season- Yeah ... or postseason, I should say. So, um, you know, that, that series all of a sudden took a turn, and it feels to me that game and that, those, you know, that series, both teams are sort of looking for their swag.

They're starting to- Yeah ... they're looking for momentum. They're looking for, and they're, it's, it's sort of like a, you know, like a ping pong match where you're like, "Oh, they've got it. No, they've got it. No, they've got it. No, they've got it." And it's, you don't know which way it's gonna land, so that's gonna be a really fun third game.

Mark Corbett: Yeah, I would say at Truist Park I thought that the Braves might very easily wrap it up at two, but that wasn't the case, and as you mentioned, Alec Bohm. And going back to, uh, Bryce Harper, what was interesting is [00:07:00] that after that flub, the next inning, who was it? Uh, jeez, trying to say all this. Hang on.

Well, 

Mat Germain: the Astros are out, Mark 

Mark Corbett: The Astros are out. The White Sox have won. Oh my gosh. All right, brother. That's- 

Mat Germain: A Guardians and White Sox series coming up. 

Mark Corbett: Wow. Wow. No, I'll, I'll go back to the Phillies for just a minute. We'll, we'll get excited about that. But it's, it was what Kyle Schwarber came up, hits a home run, and Bryce Harper, he, he goes ahead and he hits repentance because he hits a home run back to back home runs, and I thought that was amazing.

Then like you were saying, Bohm, because I think a, a few innings later, both I think Schwarber struck out and Harper grounded out, and Bohm came in and homered. And it was just been interesting to watch. But the Chicago, look at these guys, man. They are absolutely ape. [00:08:00] I'm s- the excitement and the energy that we're seeing here with the Chicago fans, oh my gosh, this is absolutely nuts.

Uh, the energy, like I said, the excitement, uh, I think, I guess they got clerics out there tearing their vestments off right now. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. The, uh, the White Sox, I just wanna repeat this because I think people kind of forget a little bit of where they came from. In 2024, they lost 121 games. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: In 2025, they lost 102 games.

So after those two seasons, to end up in the ALDS is just insanity. It, it really is. And, and that speaks to a lot of, uh, a lot of people pulling together and ch- making changes happen, right? Like they actually pulled the Band-Aid off. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Made the changes and went forward with it. A- and it's nice to see.

Like, it gives, uh, any team that's out there right now, including the Rockies, for instance, [00:09:00] a, an idea of what you can do when you're changing ideology and, and your, the, the core of your team. Um, you can still have a lot of success. These guys look super happy, and, uh, it's nice to have a Cinderella story, Mark.

I, I always like that in the playoffs 

Mark Corbett: Well, with, with the White Sox, I mean, was it, it, you know, it, it's, it was just unbelievably sad how they'd gotten so low. And my gosh, Matt, the thing of it was, too, while all that was happening, I think we gave them a couple games that both of those years. It's like we were doing okay, and but we gave some to them, and I think when the Diamondbacks were suff- suffering, we lost some to them.

I thought, "They've only got a handful of games of one," but we did this. But to see this team down as bad as they were those last couple years, to see them be rejuvenated, make ... The staffing is different to, to make all this happen. You know, I mean, I'm a Rays fan and I wanna [00:10:00] see the Rays win, but if, if a Cinderella team wins, I'm happy about that, too.

Yeah. And this would be the one. 

Mat Germain: Well, here's the other thought, too, is you've got both Chicago teams still in the playoffs, right? 

Mark Corbett: Yep. 

Mat Germain: And, and the, the Cubs are, are in tough against the Padres down one-nothing in that series. So, you know, if they weren't to make it through, then all of a sudden all of Chicago is pulling for the White Sox, and you don't see that very often, right?

Where it's so ... That's a big deal for them as they're ... Are, are they still looking for a new stadium or stadium deal or something like that? I don't even know what- The last I'd heard is there was threats to move and not move, just like the White Sox used the Rays for, or sorry, Tampa for leverage at one point in their history.

Um, but they're always seemingly looking for stadium deals, but I'm not sure if that's been rectified or not and if they're gonna stay pat, so. 

Mark Corbett: I don't know. I mean, I'm thinking about, you know, the Kansas City, the Kauffman Stadium. It's gonna [00:11:00] be just a couple more years lease on that. And right across the street from, well, literally, you can walk across the parking lot to Arrowhead where the Kansas, uh, City football team plays, and it is like you gotta be kidding me.

That one, they have already made plans to go somewhere else. I'm not sure if they've done that with Kansas City yet. There is no loyalty to a community, man. You know, it's, uh, there's, there, there's been teams in the middle of the night just picked up and left. What, what was it, Baltimore years ago? The, the Co- the Colts, I believe.

Yeah. Anyway. Well, 

Mat Germain: that's what it is. They're, they're looking at the rail yards for a privately financed stadium. Mm. So it'd be 100% private financed. 

Mark Corbett: How in the world would that happen? That's just insane. '

Mat Germain: Cause it includes a lot of land. So it's 47 acres of, uh, Amtrak rail yard on the riverfront surrounded by residential retail.

So similar to what the Rays are doing, but like in a more central area with the Canal Street there [00:12:00] as well. So that's a really interesting kind of ... You know, if they pull that off, hey, good for them 

Mark Corbett: Well, let, let's talk about our Rays. I mean, we, we haven't said much because right now these guys are happy to have a little bit of vacation time of sorts.

I mean, obviously they don't, they've gotta be prepped for the season. But there, there has actually been a game played at the Trop, it's just we weren't there when it happened. 

Mat Germain: Yeah, that was a nog one, eh? 

Mark Corbett: Yeah, yeah. Game 162. Let's see, what was it? It was, uh, uh, Boston and the Cubs? No. Mm-hmm. Boston and the Cubs.

That's right. Yep. And, you know, it's like what? What's going on? I mean, it reminded me of the time years ago when I was a fan host and we had the Rangers and we also had, um, jeez, ca- the Astros. We had both of them there. It was after a, a tornado had come through. I think we were hosting for the Rangers at the time, I'm not sure.

It was one of the two Texas teams, 'cause a, a disaster of a [00:13:00] hurricane had come through- Mm-hmm ... and just completely devastated, you know, their, their stadium and such. So, ugh. Anyway, hard times. Rays fans 

Mat Germain: don't know anything about that. 

Mark Corbett: No. No, no, no. Oh, my. Have they 

Mat Germain: put, have they put the shovels in the ground yet?

I wanna know. Are there pictures? 

Mark Corbett: Have they- I have not seen it yet, and I'll be quite honest with you, I have been buried, buried, buried into this one project I've been working on for so long, the Senaida Shooshuworth project. And it's like I'm just feeling like I'm emerging. Uh, the other day even after a week c- completion of a, a great lecture and a bunch of people who came out to participate, it's like the next day I was just lost.

And to- Hmm ... I'm just now putting my feet back on the ground. But- Gotcha ... it, the, the Rays , I, I haven't seen shovels in the ground yet. And I d- I don't know what's the, the pause on that. If there's a date that they like in September that's ceremonial that they like. We'll have to find out about that. 

Mat Germain: So let's talk about their future opponents, which are set to [00:14:00] kick off here in a, in a few.

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Um, the Yankees, let's just put, put it this way, they crushed the Red Sox in the first game, right? And they lose Roman Anthony to a hand injury. So the Red Sox know that they're short-handed on top of it, literally. Pun intended. 

Mark Corbett: Ba-dum-tss. 

Mat Germain: So the Yankees now have the advantage. Now, do we see the end of the series tonight?

Or do you think there's gonna be a game three? 

Mark Corbett: I'm hoping there's a game three, I really am, 'cause, you know, I, I don't wish ill to the, for the Yankees, but I really would like to see the, the Red Sox, you know, come out on top of this. However, I do have to say I am impressed with no Giancarlo, no Aaron Judge, but you have a Ben Rice and you have some of these other players who've just really come up and made a difference with that team.

Uh, Ben Rice is amazing to watch, and every time he comes up to bat and we're playing, it's like, [00:15:00] oh, goodness, what's gonna happen next? But what about you? Do you have a, do you anticipate the Yankees will wrap it up tonight? 

Mat Germain: Well, now that we know Roman Anthony is out, I mean, the Rays would be crazy to not wanna have, face the Red Sox, right?

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: And I feel like we, we saw when the Rays were up against Ranger Suárez and a couple of other guys, they can get runs across the board with those guys. So definitely I would rather face the, the Red Sox. Having said that, the Red Sox have been the team that punted the Rays a few times in the playoffs, so there's no guarantees either way.

Um, but I feel like the, the, the new leadership, I would call it, in, in New York is definitely more fearf- you know, fearful for the Rays. Mm. You're looking at Ben Rice. Ben Rice is the new big bat in the Yankees lineup. Right. When Judge is there, for sure he's still, you know, the guy that he is. But Ben Rice is that and, and he's young, and he's up and coming, and he's [00:16:00] just, he's able to actually be the next building piece that they're gonna be around.

And they're, the young players they have, Mark, they, they, they've looked like they, they're up to the task of being in the playoffs. And, and it doesn't hurt when you have a, an MVP in there in, in Cody Bellinger, you know, still, you know, swinging the bat fairly well. Jazz Chisholm is gonna be as confident as you can get.

And their pitching, you know, Schlitter was gonna be Schlitter. We knew that. So I, I, I don't put too much weight in the first game. The, the big question for the Red Sox tonight is how does Sonny Gray pitch? Can he take the game deep and, and, and bridge that gap to Aroldis Chapman very short? Like, make it, like, one or two innings.

Right. 'Cause if he can do that, the Red Sox have a chance. Um, they still have to score runs, but- Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: That part helps, yeah. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. But, but I feel like, you know, it might go to game three is my feeling. 

Mark Corbett: Hmm. Yeah, I, I, I'd like that. [00:17:00] I'd... Plus, I'd like them to, whoever they are, to be worn out a little bit more before we see them.

You know, and Cam Shittler, Schlittler, pardon me, uh, when we played against him, it seems like we, we had one inning with him where we, we really wore him out a bit, and- Yes ... I was just stunned, amazed, and perfectly pleased to see that. So I mean, he can be held accountable, you know, by the opposing team. We certainly did it.

I think 

Mat Germain: Abby Richman did that in the game as well. He took him, you know, I think it was... I can't remember if it was 10, 11, or 12 pitches, but he really wore him down a- and that's the kind of stuff the Rays will be watching. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: They'll be looking at video and, "Okay," like, "well, why did the at bat last that long?"

Ya, ya, ya. But I feel like the Rays lineup is dangerous because of that. In the playoffs, they will wear pitching out. They're so contact oriented, and they, they get hits, and they keep guys on the bases. They drive [00:18:00] them nuts to the point where the catcher might make a bad throw to second, might make a bad throw here or there.

Um, I think the Rays planning should in theory help them out to be ready for the series winner, whoever that ends up being. But either way, like it's an AL East battle, and AL East battles are so tough to, to say yes or no to. They're just- They, they're, they're interesting because you never are overconfident.

You're always kind of tedious. Like, oh, you've lost so many times to this team. Oh, you've lost so many times to that team. It's almost like you have some trauma that you need to get over. Um, but I'm more curious to see once the, the series ends who the Rays name. We- I'm pretty certain it's gonna be Drew Rasmussen first, but who's gonna be two and three?

Those are the ones that are more you could, you could go a lot of different ways. 

Mark Corbett: Mm-hmm. Now you're just talking about sequence of who we're gonna be, are [00:19:00] putting in first game, et cetera. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, d- I figure it would be Drew and then Nick, but I don't know. And then, uh, Perata. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: Pera- I saw Perata got the AL pitcher of the month too 

Mat Germain: Isn't that crazy?

Like, when we talk about the Rays' legacy of being able to build and rebuild and adjust and bring in guys that have been, you know, quite literally put on waivers. And they bring them in and they turn them into gold. Like, Zack Littell is a good example. Like, Zack Littell was a legit, you know, number three, number four pitcher for the Rays, and they trade him or he goes to another team.

I think he signed for another team. And then boom, he's back to being what he was before. So I don't know what, I don't know what the Rays... I think, Mark, if we go in the clubhouse, there might be, like, some sort of drink fountain or something like that where they... You know, you remember Cocoon? [00:20:00] Oh, yeah. That movie, like, they go into the pool.

Maybe there's a pool somewhere in the Trop. 

Mark Corbett: Well, you know, it's just, Ponce de Leon's supposed to be around here somewhere, man. So I, I wouldn't be completely surprised if there's that special fluid going around. And it, I don't know. We'll, we'll see what happens with that. I'm trying to think what else, man.

There was something else. It's, uh, my mind is so f- fluid these days. Um, hmm. 

Mat Germain: I did wanna, uh, touch on the AFL, if you have a minute. 

Mark Corbett: Please, let's do that. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. So the AFL, um, kicks off. That's the Arizona Fall League. And the Rays end up sending, you know, players to, that get mixed up with other teams' players to build a team and be part of that league.

Uh, th- this year they're, they happen to be on the same team as the Brewers, for example, uh, the San Francisco Giants, and a whole bunch of other, uh, teams. I think there's two more teams. But they're sending a total of eight players to that Arizona Fall League, including Nathan Fluellen- Hmm ... which [00:21:00] is, uh, really interesting, 'cause he'll get to catch some of the better pitching in the AFL now as part of that team.

Uh, he's only 19 years old still, Mark. Like, when you think of the accolades of what he's done so far, hitting 21 home runs this year, uh, being the, um, Futures Game MVP. Yeah. Uh, you know, and he's looked awesome. So the more reps that he gets behind the plate to solidify his defensive game, the better off he's gonna be.

Uh, but the Rays are also sending a plethora, I would call it, of, uh, of pitching. So they've got five guys in there. Uh, Cesar De Jesus, Marcus Johnson, Mason Nichols, Andy Rodriguez, and Yerry Tukus. Um, but the one, the two names that I would monitor the most out of the, uh, aside from Nathan Fluellen, are Nar- Narciso Polanco and Brendan Summerhill.

Now, Brendan Summerhill, I think you'll remember we talked about him, where he, uh- [00:22:00] He, when they drafted him, I was like, "Why are you putting him in A ball? He belongs in A+." Well, so it turns out that he had struggles. Mm-hmm. And so I'm like, "Oh, well, then they knew what they were doing." Um, but he's, uh, he's gotten to that age now where he's a little bit over the average age of, for his level, and most of that is because of injuries.

So he's making up for injury time. That makes sense to send him to the AFL for that. But Narc- uh, Nar- hey, I wanna say it the right way. Narciso Polanco and, uh, Ma- uh, Marcus Johnson, like the pitcher, those are two guys that are Rule 5 eligible this year. I think the Rays are advertising them, first of all, to see whether or not they wanna keep them, but second of all, so that if they don't, they can actually market them to other teams and let them- Gotcha

see what they have. That happens a lot. Usually the Rays will deal one, maybe two of the guys they send to the AFL every year. So something to look for [00:23:00] coming up. And I'll finish it off with this. Uh, the Australian Baseball League signed a huge deal to have their games televised on MLB.TV. 

Mark Corbett: Really? 

Mat Germain: Which is really, really, really encouraging because they'll get some money for that.

I don't know how much it's gonna be. But any MLB.TV subscriber gets access to, uh, the ABL this winter. So you'll get to watch some baseball. You'll get to watch the Rays prospects, uh, the ones that end up going to the Perth Heat, and assuming there's some. 

Mark Corbett: Right. 

Mat Germain: Um, and, uh, it's, it's encouraging for that league altogether, 'cause it's really struggling right now, and any income that they can get to boost the bottom lines is gonna help that league survive.

'Cause, uh, even m- after they included some of the Korean players and teams, they're still struggling to make ends meet. 

Mark Corbett: Let me go off on a completely other tangent, and that is this [00:24:00] It's really almost shouldn't say it. I mean, if we get to lockout, what- When. Yeah, when. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: When and what kind of ball would be out there to be, we'd be watch?

Would that Arizona League still be, uh, something that would be available? I mean, whether it be through MLB TV or not, would, would that be- 

Mat Germain: It's an interesting question. So I'm not very well-versed on the entire, uh, CBA, like the l- lingo that they have in there in terms of... I remember though once, Mark, the, the, it, when, I think it was '94, they were talking about bringing in scabs, quote-unquote.

They were gonna play- Yeah ... bring in replacement players. Well, if they're allowed to do that, then the players can set up their own leagues. I wanna say this to be clear, if the players want to, especially now where stadiums are, like, 30,000 fans max, right? If the players wanted to get [00:25:00] together and build their own league, they absolutely could.

If they got that angry to the owners, they could literally leave MLB, start a new league, and they would be fine. I can go on Claude right now and set up all the parameters of what you would need to get that started. It's never been easier to start your own league, to be quite honest. So I think the owners need to be very careful about how far they push the players.

Mm-hmm. And, and vice versa, because there are a lot of hungry players that would play. And if the owners are like salary ca- salary cap or it, and that's it, and the players don't wanna put the time and effort and everything else that would go into starting a new league, then, you know, they've got a total line.

So to me, it's just a maturity contest, Mark. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: And, and really, the soccer is growing at such a pace right now that both sides need to grow up, [00:26:00] and they need to re-recognize the situation of the world and kind of put themselves in the shoes of fans and say, "Do we wanna ostracize the, the, the momentum we have right now," which is really a positive in all means, "and, and put it to a halt?

Or do we want to, um, harness the energy we have right now and sign a 10-year deal?" Never mind a five-year deal. 

Mark Corbett: Mm-hmm. 

Mat Germain: Sign a 10-year deal and make a statement and say, "You know what? We're doing it 50/50. We're doing this. We're doing that," and come to a decision that makes a lot of sense. 

Mark Corbett: Well, I like that idea.

I, I thought what, you know, it's like when you look in politics in the US and you look at seeing a representative, they have two years, man, two years in office, and they, but they've gotta start making money for the next time. They're, they're rene- if they were a company, you'd think of 'em as they're renegotiating immediately to try [00:27:00] to be in that job again.

Well, I, I think of that too when you're looking at a CBA for just three years. Y- you don't need to be thinking about renegotiating so quickly as soon as the ink dries. You know, you need to be able to have a commitment to a plan and a strategy and at least five, and I would love 10 years, in agreement to make something happen.

Uh, I th- I think that the fans would certainly like to have a comfort level with that. There are so many other competing sports like you were talking about with soccer. The growth of it is just huge. You know, here we got the, in, uh, the Tampa Bay area, we've got the, the Rowdies, and then we also have the women's team in Tampa, the Tampa Suns.

And then you got the Premier League, of course, but what, I think that's just starting up again. Yep. And all of this, and it's just a great time to lose fans to another sport, and that's exactly what I'm afraid will happen if, if they cannot come to some kind of answer. And, ugh, it just, it kills me because I, I [00:28:00] cannot imagine the investment that they have made, meaning the owners and certainly the players and their time.

But, uh, 

Mat Germain: to make this work. I think if you're looking at, if you're looking at athletes in general in the US, a lot of kids are moving away from football- Yeah ... because of the, the injury issues. And the same can be said for hockey. Like hockey is popular, but it's within niche, you know, areas and people, and it seems to be hit and miss depending on the school or the area that you go to.

So when you're looking at baseball and, and basketball, I mean, two completely different sets of body types, et cetera, so, you know, you're sort of separating people there. Yeah. So really when you're looking at the rest of it, it's soccer, baseball, if you wanna make big money- Yeah ... and, and you're sort of, you know, kind of picking between those two that a good portion of athletes at all these schools, et cetera, growing up are playing.

So when I look at the p- path [00:29:00] to, uh, becoming a baseball player, like a professional baseball player- 

Mark Corbett: Mm-hmm ... 

Mat Germain: before you get to the highest level, you've gotta go through so many different levels and steps. You know, even if you're one of the superstars, you still like, oh, use the Rays just drafted the second-best player in the draft.

He's still looking at a lengthy amount of time before he makes it to the show. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: In soccer, it's a lot quicker. You can actually, you know, be 18, 19, boom, you're on a pro team, you're on the MLS, and you're on the field and you're making it, right? So the, the path to make it up there, if you're really skilled, is a lot simpler than it would be for, uh, for a baseball player.

And if even if you're not part of the MLS, like you just mentioned, the Rowdies, there's other routes to become a professional, uh, soccer player and still make decent money, right? Um, I just think we just had the World Cup in Canada and the US. That really hyped up the popularity of the sport as well. [00:30:00] The more that Canada and the US do well overseas and in all the competitions and they continue to increase the profile, the more that's gonna amp that up.

Um, Ted Lasso is a huge show, very popular in the US. It brings another angle to the soccer thing. Um, there's a lot of, of momentum basically on the... What, what, uh, you remember that, uh, what was the name of that announcer show for baseball? Uh- 

Mark Corbett: Oh gosh. I can see it 'cause he's a voice from The Simpsons. He's a- 

Mat Germain: Yeah

Mark Corbett: Hank Azaria is the name, I think, of the- 

Mat Germain: Right, and that was about the demise of baseball, right? Yeah. It was explaining exactly where... That was the last show on baseball. So that tells you the state of mind around baseball is that the announcer becomes the commissioner of the league trying to save it.

Right? And so two completely different angles where one sport is growing. You've got the Welcome to Wrexham thing. That's another [00:31:00] positive- Right ... soccer thing. Where is the positive baseball thing? Like, aside from taxpayers being angry about tax money going to stadium, the positives are not really the same.

Like, they're... I don't know. Am I wrong? 

Mark Corbett: No, no. No, you're, you're too much on the mark. By the way, the name of that show was Brockmire. Yes. 

Mat Germain: And- That's it. 

Mark Corbett: Yes. Um, I, I'll give you another TV show. Oh gosh, it's painful. I just came across it the other day And it's about baseball and families and the clubs, and it's baseball moms.

Okay? Oh. Oh, yeah. Okay. All right. So if you're paying e- x doll- dollars for a 14 and under or thir- whatever it may be, 13 U team, and then they t- have these parents come in and, oh my gosh. Well, to get, give you an idea of the, uh, what's the direction of the show, it's produced by Kim [00:32:00] Kad- Kardashian. 

Mat Germain: So- Oh.

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Okay. Gotcha. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. Yeah, baseball- There's a lot of 

Mat Germain: marketing involved. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, gosh, yeah. So but the thing of it is, though, it, it shows the passion of these parents and the pressure put on these kids and such, and it's like, I couldn't watch but a few minutes of it 'cause it's like, oh my gosh, everything about this is wrong.

Mm-hmm. I'm so judgmental. But anyway, you know. Hey, so coming back to, um- Boston, New York now. They're, they've started a game. What, they're in the second inning now and zip to zip at the moment. Jazz Chisholm is up. What are you doing as far as watching these games? What are, what are, up there in Canada, what, where are you, where are you watching the teams?

Mat Germain: I've got a, a subscription now to, uh, uh, Rogers basically Sportsnet. Mm-hmm. And so, like, when the, the hockey season starts, I usually get a subscription for that time period, um, just to be able to watch the, all the Habs [00:33:00] games. And, uh, they played their first game against the Leafs, so I usually watch on that.

So the ... Like I said, though, I watch it with the volume off, which I really enjoy. And you know how I learned that? There's a time when, uh, one of the networks up here that usually had the games for hockey, um, went on strike. Like the people were, you know, on, for some reason weren't there, so they didn't have any announcers, but they had the sound of the game.

So you could hear the fans, you could hear the puck, you could hear ... It was awesome. If the league would actually have that, I would s- I would pay double what I pay right now for the subscription for that. Just leave the announcers out and let me listen to the game. Yeah. I can make my own judgments. I can make my

I don't need the squawking in the background. Just let me watch the game. Uh, but there are some good announcers. I'm not trying to take them out completely. I'm not, you know. I just think you should have the choice. So if you don't like the 

Mark Corbett: announcers- I respect that. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: Well, you and I were talking about it before 'cause we [00:34:00] said, you know, as soon as post season, it's like we miss Dway, we miss Brian A- you know, and their, their commentary.

Of course. Yeah. And give us somebody who doesn't ... Oh, yeah, there was one today. I love it. Joey Votto was part of the commentating on the game earlier today, and one of the g- he's talking about, about the Reds in the 2020 season. And one of the fellas said, "What, what was it like?" 'Cause he, he were, he were with the

No, it was, he was with the Braves. I'm sorry. He was with the Braves at that point. And they were talking about the tomahawk chop. And said, "Well, what was that like? Had the, did the f- fans do a lot of that when, when y'all had the, a hit or something during the game?" And Joey swayed sick. Said, "Yeah. Well, most of them are cardboard, so no, there wasn't really a whole lot of that going on."

Mat Germain: Yeah. The other thing I saw was Brett Phillips giving out gifts in, in, you know, at the Tampa games. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, wow. 

Mat Germain: Um, he gave out, uh, autographed bats from Junior Caminero, from Jonathan [00:35:00] Aranda to fans that were wearing their jerseys or, you know, were fans. They were giving out season tickets to next year. 

Mark Corbett: Mm. 

Mat Germain: They were giving out suites to a whole family for next year.

Uh, I... It was crazy. I was like, whoa. Like, they're giving out gifts that are very, very, very, very substantial. Um, so, and, and just the attitude and the things that, that Brett brought with it, the energy, the positivity. Yeah. You could see the crowd was feeding off of it, so- Um, it's great to see him be part of the Rays again and- Yeah

and be a positive impact. 

Mark Corbett: Well, he's a fun ambassador, 'cause we know baseball is fun. I don't have my shirt with his signed with, with that, but yeah, I love the slogan. But my gosh, no, that... I did not realize that they were doing all of that, Matt, that they were... I mean, that's a... I mean, actually that's gonna build good, goodwill.

Those sort of things really do build goodwill, and I can't wait to see once they finally get over [00:36:00] here in Tampa. 

Mat Germain: Yep. No, it's gonna be great. And I... here's the thing that I wonder too, is, um, the, the seating prices they're gonna have in that new stadium. You know, what are they gonna be like? What are the packages they're gonna offer?

They... That's gonna be very interesting, 'cause I know with their, uh, minor league experiences, they had a lot of interesting ways to go about the ticket pricing. So hopefully they do have some thoughts and everything on how they're gonna allow people of all income brackets, uh, to be able to afford to go to games.

And, uh, I, I think they'll make some room for that, Mark. I think they seem like that kind of ownership group that won't, uh, won't be very Yankee-like, I guess, is the best way to put 

Mark Corbett: it. I like that approach. Mm-hmm. Let's see here. So if we're looking at the post-season picture at the moment, it's gonna be whoever, uh, wins between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox [00:37:00] with those three games.

They'll advance to play us in the ALDS. And on the other side of that will be the White Sox now facing Cleveland, correct? 

Mat Germain: Yes. 

Mark Corbett: And then- That's right ... let's see, on the National League, we got the Phillies tied with... Yeah, with the Braves one from one. That happened today. And what's happening with the Cubs and San Diego?

That's later, I believe. I don't know. We'll see what happens there. And that, that team will face the Brewers. But going back to the Atlanta and Phillies, whoever wins that will be facing the Dodgers. So it will be interesting- Yeah ... to see how these come. And I mean, I... If you'd ask me what I would like to see all the way to the World Series, I would like to see the Brewers and the Rays.

You know? I think both- Absolutely ... both those teams have always been underestimated, and, you know, just, uh, the little kid in me wants to see, see [00:38:00] them there. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. The only thing that'll make me happier is seeing the Dodgers lose.

Mark Corbett: Here, here. No three-piece allowed. 

Mat Germain: That's right. A- and sticking with the Rays, um, there's a, a comparison that I made recently, which I think is very intriguing, not specifically for this year, but when we're looking at next year and beyond. I looked at the profiles of, uh, Brody Hopkins and Mizerowski, and I wanted to make, to see, 'cause I, I see so many similarities in terms of not just the velocity, but also the, the arm angle and how m- how much spin and how the ball actually comes onto the, the hitter s- and, and have a hard time to, to pick it up.

So both of them are at 30 degrees, 31 degrees on the arm angle. Like, that's, that's the angle they're coming in from. Uh, both of them use, uh, you know, a 99 miles an hour and above fastball. Uh, both of them have a [00:39:00] secondary pitch that you would consider to be plus, plus. Uh, so in, in the case of, um, of Brody Hopkins, it's a curve ball.

But he still doesn't have, like, the other attributes to th- be more deceptive. 

Mark Corbett: Mm. 

Mat Germain: A- and, and to be enough in the zone with those secondary pitches to actually, uh, remain in a starting role, but I think he'll get there. I think they'll continue to, to work on it so that he gets to that. Because you're seeing with, with Mizerowski that he's able to do that and stay healthy so far.

Like, it, the velocity hasn't really, you know, worn his arm to a nub to the point where he's not able to be effective. 

Mark Corbett: Right. 

Mat Germain: Uh, and I think Brody has a chance to be something like that. So it's a very intriguing thought for the Rays when you're looking at the wrong ter- long term of the pitching staff, uh, in terms of options.

'Cause if they get, like, a Mizerowski style performance from their pitcher a- and they have all the rest of the things that they have in-house and, you know, [00:40:00] all the, the high level prospects coming in with Theo Gillen, uh, Caden Bodine- Mm ... Nathan Fleming, and you start to paint that picture, you're like, "Wow, that's just a very intriguing young team to, to have coming through all at once."

So I wanted to put that out there because I, I'll be monitoring that very closely in spring training to see how the Rays have, have changed up his, uh, his, uh, secondaries and whether or not they have him starting again. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah, I w- I was very glad we got to see Brody Hopkins come up to, uh, play, uh, last week.

It's just... And remind me, Caden Baudoin, has he actually come up and played a game? 

Mat Germain: No, but he's on the taxi. He was on the taxi squad. 

Mark Corbett: Okay. 

Mat Germain: I don't think that they'll use him, but he'll be there at least as a backup I think, where I think even for the playoffs, they do have, like, I don't know if it's called a taxi squad- 

Mark Corbett: Yeah

Mat Germain: but they have a group of players that are there in case there's injuries and then they need a replacement for the next game. So he'll be hanging around, and he'll definitely be [00:41:00] watching the games. Uh, but like, it's just in- so intriguing because, like, I'm, I'm thinking the r- we're talking about the Rays having so many high level hitters, right?

That hit for average, uh, batting average on balls in play is very high. Their on-base percentage is very high, and they have the speed. Well, you add Caden Baudoin and Theo Gillen to that, you're, you're increasing that. You're not- You know, it's, it's insane actually, Mark, because you're gonna have the potential for about seven players in a Rays lineup to be hitting 290 and above.

A- and you just don't see that in today's game very much. Like, today's game is so low to middle batting average, try to not limit the strikeouts, but everything else is gravy sort of thing, right? Uh, but you're focusing on power and making impact. Um, so the Rays are very I don't know if they're gonna keep everybody and, and they're gonna keep going down that path.

Mark Corbett: Hmm. 

Mat Germain: But if [00:42:00] you add the guys that I just said there to Chandler Simpson, Jonathan Aranda, Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz. Jeez. And then you have Grady Emerson step in two years from now, like, come on. 

Mark Corbett: We, we, 

Mat Germain: we- That's just- ... need 

Mark Corbett: another Rays team. I mean, you need two franchises. Obviously, you know, that's... Oh, wow.

Jesus, 

Mat Germain: Nick. It's just so intriguing, Mark. When they open that stadium, this is what I'm thinking of. I'm like, they're gonna open that stadium with an all-star team. That's basically what they're going to have. Uh, and that's such an intriguing thought. You know, you wanna catapult the, the team into a new stratosphere, sell it out for the entire year.

Like, fill every seat for the entire season. What does that do for the Rays? What does that do for their budget, for the AL East, for how they're perceived, especially if they're able to maintain, like, their heads and not overspend? But, uh, I'm very in- intrigued, 'cause I look at the Blue Jays. I'm just... Not, I don't wanna go too far off, Mark, and I, I'm not gonna [00:43:00] go- No, 

Mark Corbett: not 

Mat Germain: at all

too deep into it. But I'm listening to a lot of the Blue Jays stuff up here, and I'm telling you right now, they're, you could build a graveyard 

Mark Corbett: Oh, oh ... 

Mat Germain: of the different players. And, and they're just, uh, they're looking already at, at bringing in, say, a Suzuki and at bringing in any talent that they can because they know they're in trouble, basically.

Like, they, that's the feeling I get, is that they're a little bit desperate to turn the page on this season already. Wow. Um, and, and I made the statement too where I was looking at the Rays and we just mentioned everybody that they had, uh, have for next year. Um, the one free agent that the Rays will have a fight to get if they want him is, uh, Teruyuki Soto.

So he's a, a Japanese player and he's got a lot of power, he's got a great bat, and he's supposed to be better than the ones that have come over this year, which you're seeing with the White Sox, you know, made quite the impact. Uh, the one with the Jays had a lot of success as well. [00:44:00] 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Um, so I, I don't know if he's a real fit for the Rays because Theo Gillen might arrive, you know, as early as June.

Um, but if they wanted to do that and make a few other changes and make room for him somewhere, he can play third base, uh, he can play left field, so we'll see how it goes. But the, the Blue Jays are already looking at him as an option. 

Mark Corbett: Jeez. It, uh, you know, I'm just so excited about this postseason, but, uh, it is interesting seeing how the, the Blue Jays.

We'll have to see about getting Brett Carty back on just to kinda maybe see after, after the World Series, we'll bring him back on and chat a little bit about what the future's gonna look like for them. 

Mat Germain: Mm-hmm. 

Mark Corbett: So let's see what 

Mat Germain: happens. Yeah, the thing that made me laugh for them, Mark, though, was, uh, the, one of the guys that I talked to before Ben Nicholson-Smith, he's, uh, he's saying, you know, "Oh, the, the Jays said they're gonna have the same [00:45:00] kind of budget for next year as they had this year."

I'm like, do they really have a choice? I don't think they do. The guys they have signed or have no trade deals or they're not attractive on the market, right? They're paying Andrés Giménez, uh, over $20 million. 

Mark Corbett: Jeez. 

Mat Germain: You know, and he's not really a, a star. 

Mark Corbett: No. No. 

Mat Germain: You know, Vladdy Guerrero's making 40 million.

Uh, you're not gonna be able to move that, and he's no trade, so, you know I don't know. Between those two guys, they make a 80% of the Rays budget. 

Mark Corbett: Jeez. Yeah. 

Mat Germain: And I'm not sure what they do beyond that. 

Mark Corbett: So. I, I don't know. Uh, it's, it's, it's sad when you see that. It's like they, maybe they should get a loan from the Dodgers or something.

They could, uh- Defer ... they'll cut them a 

Mat Germain: deal. Defer, defer, defer. 

Mark Corbett: Exactly. Jeez, Benes. Bobby Bonilla, whatever. Oh, I know what I wanted to ask you. Have... I haven't seen anything on Griffin Jax. How's he doing after he took a hit to the back, a ball co- coming out like 104 miles per hour? Have you seen anything on his health?

Mat Germain: Nope, [00:46:00] nothing. And they won't put, put anything out because they don't want you to know, um, what's going on, especially in the playoffs. Yeah. Uh, you don't wanna let people know what may or may not be coming if, uh, if he does maybe get into a game. Although he- Leave a couple question 

Mark Corbett: marks out there, man.

Mat Germain: Yeah, exactly. But Griffin Jax is one of those guys, like we're... Here's the thing that we don't really talk about is, is what, what pitchers on the Rays have experience in the postseason, and Griffin Jax did pitch in four games in the playoffs while he was with the Twins. He threw 3.2 innings. He allowed one hit, uh, did not walk anyone, and had five strikeouts.

So he's been in the postseason. He's had success in the postseason. It's not gonna be like a shock to his system. The question is, uh, you know, if he does come in, is it gonna be... Like, you know what I think of when I think of Griffin Jax? If he's not going to start, I think of him like Andrew Miller.

Remember that, uh, Andrew [00:47:00] Miller with the, the Guardians, or I think at the time they were the Indians? 

Mark Corbett: Okay. 

Mat Germain: Dominated everyone. He was just in there two, three, four innings doing it back to back games. He was on there all the time. It always seemed like, oh, they have people on base, bring Andrew Miller. It was- I don't know why, but it was like this insane run that he went on, and he was definitely the most valuable pitcher on their team.

Mark Corbett: Jeez. 

Mat Germain: I think Griffin Jax has the potential to be that for the Rays, where Kevin Cash is gonna lean on him if he's not starting to put out a lot of fires whenever is needed. Um, so the roster makeup for the Rays is so interesting. Do they, do they carry Steven Matz as, as an example, right? No. Uh, they're...

Well, exactly, but he has the experience. Again, we're, we're looking at, um, the, you know, the options that you have for the Rays where, uh, they've actually been on the mound in the playoffs. So let me just look this up. Uh, in the postseason, he has [00:48:00] 16.2 innings. He's not as successful as, uh, Griffin Jax. So he's got a 290 average against and a 1.44 whip.

And that was when he was young-er. 

Mark Corbett: That's kind. That's kind. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. I, I wa- watched him come in the other day after Jax had to leave. 

Mat Germain: Mm. 

Mark Corbett: It was not encouraging. It was not- No ... encouraging at all. And I know everybody has their days, but it's like he- I didn't see a lot of strength about what he was doing, you know, prior to that.

So I, hopefully Jax will be up to snuff, and I think there's n- enough good players that we, we should be able to do well, you know, as, uh, one of these teams, whether it be the Red Sox or the Yankees, we face them soon enough at the Trop. And right now it is the, what? Bottom of the third looks like, and Zero to zero.

So I don't know. Yeah. We'll, we'll find out what happens and I'm pulling for, uh, personally I'm pulling for the Red Sox. 

Mat Germain: [00:49:00] Yeah, I don't blame you. I, I will say one last one about the, the pitchers in the, in the postseason. Um, the one that, that has the most experience that I think we're overlooking a lot is Freddy Peralta.

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: And you just named him as the, the pitcher of the month. His, uh, post-season experience, 33.1 innings pitched. 

Mark Corbett: Ooh. 

Mat Germain: He has a 0.178 average against and a 1.02 whip. So this is a guy that shows up when it matters, right? Like, this is why they went after Freddy is, is they knew if they get him right, and you get him in the playoffs, he can go out there and shut.

So I'm really interested to see how he performs. I, I could see like a seven hit, like a seven inning, you know, performance if, if he gets dialed in the way that I think he can. Um, but you never know in the playoffs, it could go either way. So [00:50:00] but Freddy is, is a really interesting roadblock for any team that's coming up to the Rays, and I don't think anybody's taking him lightly.

I was listening to announcers, Mark, and we know as Rays fans, you get taken not seriously, but seriously. It's like that, you know, condescending like, "Oh, they're good at this, but they're not this-" Yeah ... "this," you know, like. So but now it seems like they're all like, "Oh, this is a good team." It's the first time that I've heard that from the majority of announcers where they're giving them real credibility.

Mark Corbett: Wow. Mm-hmm. And we, we love it- Yeah ... so much that they finally did. You, I don't know, man. It's like I, I don't want your praise. What is that whole thing? I don't wanna be a member of a club that would take me. It's like- Yeah. That's, it's kinda feel about that with, uh, some of those announcers. Oh, brother. Well, it's exciting.

I mean, we're looking at it now. It's postseason. The Rays are showing a lot of promise. Wouldn't be where we're at if they w- hadn't. 98 games won. We t- we bandied about earlier this year being we, we [00:51:00] hope they get to 80 something games, but they've, uh, they've, they've done so well, and I'm just excited to continue to be a fan for them.

I cannot wait to see what happens next, uh, with them at the Trop, but, uh, I've got a good feeling about it. They've got, my gosh, energy. Oh yeah, and, and one last thing I wanna say about this season, 162 games. Junior Caminero played- Woo-hoo ... 162 games. He played this entire season. That don't happen much. 

Mat Germain: Yeah.

That's a really nice thing to, to know. I, I missed that completely. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. He, uh, that's ... That doesn't happen very often, so, um, you know, I know he was very proud of it. I think Cassie was too, but, uh, wow. 

Mat Germain: That's not teaching. That's, that's playing third base constantly, right? Yeah. Like, so- 

Mark Corbett: That was my understanding

that's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. He was ... So somebody was asking him about it, uh, p- one point. He says, he said, "Yeah, I, I really wanted to do it." He says, [00:52:00] "But I, I feel a little tired from it." I bet he does. But it's- If you're 

Mat Germain: talking about guys that needed that rest, there you go. Yeah. You've got one right there. 

Mark Corbett: All righty.

Well, Matty, final words for our folks as we prepare for the postseason games? 

Mat Germain: No, enjoy all the games. Watch all the teams. You know, you'll hear the stories, but it's better to see it live because you see the buildup to it. So, uh, just enjoy it. 

Mark Corbett: All right, Matt. Thank you. And thank you all very much for joining us here once again today, and we look forward to talking with you again real soon.

Mat Germain: The playoff ball

Mark Corbett: Oh, brother. 

Mat Germain: Oh. 

Mark Corbett: I love it. I love it.