MLB Trade Deadline, Tampa Bay Rays - Part 1 - PTBNL?

307 BaseballBiz On Deck - RaysUp

[00:00:00] Mark Corbett:. Welcome to Baseball Biz on Deck. I am Mark Corbett, and with me of course, is Mr. Mat Germain. Good afternoon, evening, and whatever else it might be. How you doing, Mat? 

[00:00:15] Mat Germain: I'm enjoying the trade deadline. Mark. I think I'm, I'm ready for changes to be made across the league and the weather's heating up.

[00:00:22] The phones are heating up or texts or however GMs communicate nowadays. It's no longer smoke signals. I think they, they have, , group chats and they use them a lot more efficiently than the governments do. I think nowadays. 

[00:00:36] Mark Corbett: Well, let me get my signal account up here and see if I'm oh, oh, oh. He's on my, oh, he's not supposed to be there.

[00:00:44] Nevermind. 

[00:00:46] Mat Germain: I'm waiting for that to happen in baseball where they send the trade offer to the wrong person and they're like, wait a minute, what are you doing? 

[00:00:53] Mark Corbett: Why? Why's his wife on this chat? I, I didn't expect to, to see the owner's wife on this thing. Okay. Yeah, it is pretty [00:01:00] crazy when you look at all that's going back and forth with all these trades and all, I mean, to me the whole idea is it started like baseball.

[00:01:08] You never know what's gonna happen before the, by the end of the ninth inning. And same with these trades. Everybody likes to speculate and there's a few people out there who speculate and you go, that particular person, no, I'm not gonna believe that particular source. I know that source is dumped for me in the past.

[00:01:26] And there's those that you trust. I mean, Ken Rosenthal's one you feel pretty confident about, I believe. But there's a lot of other ones. Not so much. 

[00:01:34] Mat Germain: It's funny you say that 'cause I, I find he's changed his style a lot since. Kind of been severed from the traditional news roots at that point. He was extremely conservative about what he would say and what he wouldn't say.

[00:01:48] So I, I think he's changed that a little bit because of that. And, and now he's a little bit more open to speculation because it gets him more airtime and more clicks and more, you know, bait. [00:02:00] So, I, I think he's leaned a little bit further from what I, I think Jeff Passan is the guy that you would say is still acting in the role that.

[00:02:09] Ken Rosenthal used to act. Yeah. And, and so you're seeing those different styles where when Jeff Passan says something is happening, it's happening. Like there is no ifs, ands, or buts about it. John Haman, on the other hand, is the other side of, of those where he is throwing caution to the wind and he is like, you know what, uh, this sounds like it might be pLowesible.

[00:02:31] And somebody threw me a, a piece of information. I'm just gonna run it right over to the edge and see where it lands. And it's fun. It's, it's fun to go with. So, yeah, you get the different reporters and the different styles. And so what, what sources do you lean on this time of year? 

[00:02:48] Mark Corbett: Oh, brother. You know, I do the MLB trade rumors.

[00:02:51] That's one of them. I do look at Passan occasionally. Um, if I see Heyman and some other ones, I just skip right past them. You know, I, [00:03:00] I'll look sometimes, I'll see what Craig Calcaterra may be talking about. And, and you, sir, you seem to have your thumb quite a bit on there. You go through quite a bit of the horses, but, um, yeah, passing's probably the first one I look at these days.

[00:03:12] Mat Germain: Yeah, I, I watched, uh, it's funny, I was watching John Heyman on YouTube today, ju just because I'm, I'm in trade deadline mode. I want to see who's seeing what and what, sometimes you, you don't have the ideas, but then somebody else throws a name out there and you're like, well, I don't think he would fit on this team, but I think he would fit somewhere else.

[00:03:30] And it, it brings about ideas that you wouldn't have thought of in the past. But, um, so I was watching him and the whole time during this YouTube thing, he's looking down at his phone and then looking up again. He is like, wait a minute, wait, I'm getting information. So, you know that he's got like 15, 20, 30 people texting him information all the time.

[00:03:48] And he has to sit there, live on YouTube and, and try to figure out if it's credible or not. Does he say anything? Does he, and you can see the wheels spinning as he's reading his texts. He's [00:04:00] like, wait a minute guys, I gotta go. Oh, oh wait, I gotta get another piece of, and he keeps doing that back and forth and it's just funny to watch because, you know, he is being tormented and he wants.

[00:04:09] Spill it all out there. Right? That's our inclination as human beings, we have information, we want to share it with people. That's, that's the way we are. 

[00:04:18] Mark Corbett: Well, and, Mat, is they want to keep their credibility. So if he's got 15, 20 people sending him stuff and then still trying to say, I've gotta be current, I gotta be fresh, and if it's hot, I wanna get it out there, but can I trust this source?

[00:04:33] Yeah. When you're doing this stuff live, and that's why we love to record it here, 

[00:04:37] Mat Germain: advance, 

[00:04:39] Mark Corbett: but 

[00:04:40] Mat Germain: I wanna use one example from last year, or is it two years ago Shohei Ohtani was on a plane, right? Mm-hmm. Who was saying all that you know about, oh, he's gonna be at such and such a restaurant because that restaurant was booked by for this many people, and then they're tracking the plane.

[00:04:59] It's gonna land in [00:05:00] Toronto. Everybody's waiting for Shohei, to show up in Toronto. Right? Like, that's a big deal. That's a, that's a heartbreak that you, it is hard to get over sometimes. But yeah, guys like John Paul Morosi and everything else, like of course they're running with it because it's huge news.

[00:05:16] Um, and sadly, I don't think we're gonna have that kind of news this time around Mark. I don't know who, which big, biggest names you're expecting to get moved, but, uh, I think it'll be a little tamer overall than, than Shhe. 

[00:05:29] Mark Corbett: Yeah. I don't, I don't think we're seeing anybody that huge either. Um, I mean, I'm looking across, even just with our Rays, uh.

[00:05:36] Right. Well, let's see. What do we have thus far? I know the catcher Danny, Danny Jansen's gone. Right? And it was kinda weird. And this, this is the thing, it's kind of the nature of the trades too, is Danny, we're trading you, but by the way, we need you sitting here in the dugout tonight because hey, if Mat Thaiss something goes wrong, you know I'm not gonna put Taylor Walls behind the plate to catch.

[00:05:59] And [00:06:00] so I got a have you hear Danny till all that's done. And it's those odd moments where you're a person has to be in transition. His mind's already probably going to that next team and it's also some pain of leaving these guys. He, he's built a friendships and a team spirit with together. Strange, 

[00:06:17] Mat Germain: I think it was an opportunity missed Mark, like imagine the marketing that it would've happened if they did have to put Taylor Walls back there.

[00:06:25] I would've even told Nick Forte, listen. You know, around this time, you know, at the eighth inning, or sorry, uh, who is, uh, who is catch Mat Thaiss? 

[00:06:34] Thaiss 

[00:06:34] Mat Germain: thanks. I would, I would've said, you know what, in the seventh inning, get a cramp or something so that we need to put Taylor in. I I need the news to come across.

[00:06:42] Right. And Oh, I love it up. Maybe I, I'm positive Taylor Walls would've been like, yeah, I'd love to go back there. Sure. Um, no, it's not easy to catch a, you know, a 98 mile an hour fastball. And, and , with the way that they finish, you know, at the end, , it just takes that [00:07:00] one, , missed hit ball to, to hit them in the wrong area and then boom, that player's out as well.

[00:07:05] Right. So I get it. No, that's definitely the first time though, mark, I think I've ever heard or seen that happen mm-hmm. Where a player gets traded and still ends up on the bench for a game like that. 

[00:07:18] Mark Corbett: I'm trying to think of, there was one today, and I can't remember if it was the Orioles. The Blue Jays and the person went through the tunnel from one team to the other.

[00:07:29] I think that was today. 

[00:07:31] Mat Germain: Right? 

[00:07:32] Mark Corbett: So 

[00:07:33] Mat Germain: Seranthony Domínguez, that's it. 

[00:07:35] Mark Corbett: Yeah. You talk about suddenly feeling immediately separated. I mean, you, you don't know how much, uh, knowledge they may have on this. I mean, there's always rumors, there's always speculation. I mean, now I was listening to WDAE yesterday and they were talking with Pete Fairbanks and Pete's Peter, are you gonna be, you know, traded?

[00:07:58] Pete doesn't know, you know, [00:08:00] he, he hopes he's able to stay. He's all likes it here, but 

[00:08:03] Mat Germain: person in a row, they've been trying to trade him like that. Everybody, I mean, everybody speculates that he is going to be, now I will say this time around it feels different, and I'll say two things for that. Number one, they brought in Brian Baker and, and I know they really like Edwin Uceta.

[00:08:21] So when you consider those two ingredients, you're saying, okay, well they could slide Uceta into the closers role, have Baker setting 'em up and then, you know, get whatever value they can out of uh, Pete Fairbanks. And the other part is, I don't believe that they're comfortable paying him 6 million next year.

[00:08:39] Mm-hmm. 

[00:08:39] Mat Germain: Uh, you know, within, I don't know what the budget's gonna be next year. I really truly don't. Having said that, he did sign a team friendly deal with the Rays, so, you know, you have to respect that aspect. But last year they traded Jason, Adam, they got a pretty good haul for 'em. I don't know, based on the peripherals that Pete Fairbanks is putting up right now, [00:09:00] if, if they get a similar value, it depends on how desperate certain teams are.

[00:09:05] Like right now, I think we just heard Jhoan Duran got, uh, traded to the Phillies, right? So the Mets have picked up a couple of relievers. The Blue Jays have picked up a couple of relievers. So if you're one of those other teams that haven't gotten a reliever yet, or haven't boosted that area of your team, are you starting to get desperate and Nancy to add a piece?

[00:09:25] So you look across MLB, there's a lot of teams that are still in it. You're not getting a reliever from the Rockies and trusting that you're not getting a reliever, you know? So now everybody's talking about Mason Miller, which is gonna cost you an arm and a leg. And Pete Fairbanks. And, and those are the two big pieces, right?

[00:09:43] Like the, so if you're the Dodgers, Padres Giants, I, I may be the Mariners, but they have some intriguing arms back there already. Uh, the Rangers, that's where I have Pete Fairbanks going, it's the Rangers. Wow. And they're the team that drafted 'em and brought 'em up and trade 'em to the, the Js [00:10:00] or to the Rays Ray, you know, for Nick Soak way back when.

[00:10:03] So I think they make the most sense for a lot of reasons. Number one, they have a lot of outfield prospects, which the Rays, they're still today trying to figure out the outfield, you know, angle of the system. I don't think they've perfected it. They got Aiden Smith last year and um, I just think that they match up in terms of needs and it not hurting to Rays too much this year.

[00:10:30] Mark Corbett: Well, you know, it's been interesting you talking about the outfield. I think Chandler was either not starting a couple of nights ago, and I was concerned for a moment I hadn't seen it was he's been injured or something. But it was good because it got to see Johnny DeLuca come out. You know, you're talking about the outfielders.

[00:10:47] And man, you see him, he runs up that catch that ball and he has to climb up the wall not to catch it necessarily because just sheer momentum that he had to get there. And then tonight, tonight watching Chandler out there [00:11:00] and there's a ball and it's going high and he gets all the way to his back to the wall, you know, leaps straight up, catches that ball just before it goes over the wall.

[00:11:09] These guys are exciting. They are bringing performance to the game. And let's face it, Chandler brings it on the bases as well. But as far as outfield, I mean, you, you look at Josh Low and Josh has his good days and his bad he, but he performs pretty well in the outfield. Um. Ain't going, you know, Morrell, I, I'll be honest with you, Morrell, I have to say, I, I, I don't see him there.

[00:11:33] I mean, I see him down. Aa maybe there's more to work on, but, uh, that's just me. 

[00:11:39] Mat Germain: So the, the problem that I have with the Rays out field is this. If you, if you're looking at the contenders, right? Mm-hmm. 

[00:11:45] You 

[00:11:46] Mat Germain: have Jackson Chourio, who's a mega star in the Brewers. Yeah. Uh, the, the Dodgers have Mookie Betts. . 

[00:11:53] They 

[00:11:53] Mat Germain: have, uh, Juan Soto in New York. They have Aaron Judge in New York. They have, everybody has that one [00:12:00] staple outfielder usually in right field. That can really be the focus of their offense and also play a solid defense. The Rays I've never had that I can remember.

[00:12:14] Maybe Carl Crawford, you could argue, is close to that player, but they've never had that all five tool kind of player that is in the top, you know, 10 to 20 hitters in MLB. Jonathan Aranda would be the first guy that I could say, you know, is, is internally built, that is a top 30 hitter in MLB right now, and he's playing a premium position at, at first base.

[00:12:39] So the bat is warranted there for that position. Right? But they've never had that in the outfield. They've tried , Josh Hamilton and then you can go back to, , all the first round picks that they had way back when or second round picks that they've. Invested a lot of money and time into some unfortunate off the field, you know, things, ended up hurting those careers.

[00:12:59] But [00:13:00] Kevin Kiermaier was a stud defensively, but he was never going to be a, an elite player offensively. Yeah, 

[00:13:05] I 

[00:13:06] Mat Germain: want the Rays. It's fine if you have that in center field, but I want them to have the corner outfielders that are able to anchor the lineup in the same way that happens on some of those premium teams.

[00:13:18] Because let's face it, when you get to the playoffs, those key moments and the pressure on the pitchers happens because the length of that lineup and the beasts in the outfield corners are putting pressure on it. I'll give you an example, like the bRays, when they won the, the World Series and they had your, uh, Jorge sole hitting home runs like crazy.

[00:13:40] That was what was needed at that time. Right. That was the difference maker. The Rays don't have anything close to that right now. 

[00:13:47] Mark Corbett: No. 

[00:13:48] No. 

[00:13:48] Mat Germain: And, and so they've drafted to try to address it, but what I, that's why I'm, I'm pushing the angle of Alec Burleson with, , with the St. Louis Cardinals or Oneil Cruz, because it's a weakness [00:14:00] through the system all the way down to the very bottom that they're not able to get a corner l fielder that has power and speed.

[00:14:07] Mm-hmm. And anchor a lineup at the same time. If they get that, the rest of it, they can figure out, they're experts at it. They, their whole scouting department can Dr. You know, dream up guys constantly to fill the rest of the holes, but they need to figure out that right fielder that is going to anchor them in a playoff run and really help push their lineup to the next level.

[00:14:30] Mark Corbett: I am just wondering if it's a dollar figure. I mean, for the future. I'm not talking about right now with the trades and, and the thing, because as you pointed out, got some really, really good defensive stuff going on out in the outfield. I anticipated Josh or even Nathan, , when he was with us, either one of those Lowe boys.

[00:14:47] I would, I would've thought that maybe they would've been that person. Certainly I had high expectations for Josh, and not that he's a great player, don't get me wrong, but when you're talking about the level of the eliteness of somebody, like a Mookie Betts. 

[00:14:59] Yeah. [00:15:00] Right. 

[00:15:00] Mark Corbett: I don't know. I mean, is this something down in the farm system we have to develop more?

[00:15:04] Is it something in the draft system we need to look at more? What, where do we go with this, Mat? 

[00:15:08] Mat Germain: Just look at the, the drafts. This is why they've done their rounds the way they have. Like this year there was three outfielders in their top five picks. Uh, they're trying to address it and they're picking different guys.

[00:15:19] So the first guy that I can envision possibly becoming that guy is if Xavier Isaac gets pushed to the L field, he could be that kind of player. Um, that really, you know, in left field probably becomes that power bat that scares the bejesus out of every pitcher on the man when he comes up. And he is a great on base percentage guy as well.

[00:15:41] Still young, still has a lot to learn with the HIT tool, but he's one of those first guys that could arrive and be like, wow. Behind him there's Theo Gillen and Aiden Smith. Aiden Smith is more of a five tools. Kind of guy. And his hit tool scares me where he, he may never [00:16:00] get to a high enough level. Like he might take a long time, a little bit like a Jake Mangum to figure it out and finally get there.

[00:16:05] But he has more power than Jake Mangum does. Um, but Theo Gillen is the first guy that I've seen in a Rays system that I'm like, if he stays healthy because he has had knee issues in the past, he has the five tool package, he has that. Wow. Okay. Now you've got that outfield anchor that you want out there every day.

[00:16:26] And, um, they're the other guy that they drafted, uh, this year. Summerhill, he's another one of those types that could, and I haven't seen him play yet, you know, in, in a ball. So it'll be different possibly when I see him against different pitching. But from what I hear and read and saw in college videos, it looks like he could be that intense kind of spark plug.

[00:16:51] You know, and so if he's able to translate that at the higher levels of the minors, then the Rays would get very excited about that. But they're investing in the and and so that's important [00:17:00] that they actually keep trying. Right. Um, so yeah, the, in this trade period, I don't know if they get to resolve that corner outfield piece, but that's where I would lean that they focus on, whether it's at the MLB level or in the minors, I think they're gonna target some outfielders just to increase their chances that one of them will break through and actually be that guy.

[00:17:24] Mark Corbett: Now I have seen on your list the name Oneil Cruz and I thought, boy, yeah, that would be some juice that, that would be great to have. 

[00:17:34] Mat Germain: Right. And because he's controllable too, I could see them making like, a lot of people like to dream on Kyle Tucker. Right. But there's gonna be a lot of takers on Kyle Tucker and a lot of competition.

[00:17:45] So whether or not you want to bet on that, it's really hard if you're the, the Rays, unless he's indicated in the past that he would love to play at home. Right. They and yeah. Stay there. I don't know, maybe there's information there that I'm missing, but Oneil Cruz [00:18:00] has early tools across the board except for the HIT tool, which you can keep developing.

[00:18:04] He's still young. He's gonna be 27, right? 28. You're gonna have him age 29. Age 30. So you're, you're getting him in those core years. Yep. And. I think that if the, they have enough success with them, they might, you know, say, well, we're getting a new stadium. Are you interested in sticking around? And then keep him around for, for more years beyond that?

[00:18:23] But he is that kind of a lead player who's never had the chance to play, I think, on a premium team. And I think his stock would take off even more as part of a better lineup. 

[00:18:35] Mark Corbett: We've seen some, uh, new faces coming up lately. I mean, the other night, Tristan Gray that you'd been talking about him for some time.

[00:18:42] You were talking about Tre' Morgan for some time, but Tristan Gray as well. And it's interesting 'cause I feel like while we're in the midst of trying to figure out all these trades that are also saying, well, this is a good time to do some mix. And if you're really trying to get to the World Series, I, I sometimes say, well, I don't know if it's the time to do that mix, [00:19:00] but, eh, when, when are you not gonna do it?

[00:19:03] Or, 

[00:19:04] Mat Germain: well, I think that's the main. Thing that the Rays have to ask themselves right now. Do they want to throw their chips to the middle with Brandon Lowe and Yandy Diaz and you know, and p Fairbanks really? Or can they lose Pete and still continue forward and, and find another reliever that can step up and be, you know, a key cog in the pen and still improve and run with it for this year?

[00:19:31] Or do they sell them all? I don't think there's an in-between, between those three. Like there's, I don't think you can just let Brendan Lowe go and still compete for this year, right. I don't think it can let just Y Diaz go and still compete for this year. I think there will be ups and downs and maybe you could benefit in some ways.

[00:19:49] I don't know. But it feels like that, like if they're going to trade Yandy Diaz or Brandon Lowe. Both of them are gonna go and, and so is Pete, and they're just gonna turn the page and they're [00:20:00] gonna, , start hand handing the reins to some of the other players. But it, it's a really tough call to make for the Rays, especially when you have new ownership coming in.

[00:20:08] Yeah. Who's going to judge you based on these moves? What conversations are going on with that new ownership? Mm, I have no idea, but I'd love to be a fly on the wall man. 

[00:20:20] Mark Corbett: Yeah. I mean, conversations are, will they be speaking, I mean, they're gonna be, obviously speaking with Stu, but will they also be speaking with Neander?

[00:20:27] Will they be going, you know, down the list where, you know, there's gonna be people who have connections? Let's see. They, here's a, here's a question, uh, too. The new owner has, it's with a group that owns the Jacksonville jumbo Shrimp. 

[00:20:42] Yes. 

[00:20:43] Mark Corbett: Now 

[00:20:43] is, 

[00:20:44] Mark Corbett: yeah, I love that name. Um, is there going to be a conflict by owning a team that's, they're affiliated, I'm sure with another MLB team, aren't they?

[00:20:56] I 

[00:20:56] Mat Germain: take it, I take it a step further, like, what influence did he [00:21:00] have in that Marlin's team? Uh, deal. Yeah, 

[00:21:03] like, think 

[00:21:03] Mat Germain: about it from this point of view where Mathew Etzel has no guarantee to ma ever make it to major league baseball. He's got good tools and he's a good prospect, but he's not, nowhere near the top of the top 30 prospects the Ray's had.

[00:21:16] And the Rays got one of the top five defensive catchers in Major League baseball for him. So what influence did he have in allowing Fortes, you know, and on top of it, you know, the, the guy who's running the Marlins as a GM is an X ray run. 

[00:21:33] Mark Corbett: That's right. I, that's high, isn't it? 

[00:21:35] Mat Germain: Yeah. No, it's appendix Peter Bendix.

[00:21:38] Mark Corbett: Oh gosh. I can't keep up with 'em anymore. Yeah. 

[00:21:41] Mat Germain: Yeah. So you look at those, you know, triangle pieces I guess. 'cause Nick Forte was with the Jacksonville, , jungle shrimp at some point. So it's really strange. Like, I, I think, the important part to kind of sit back and say is until the, the, the ink is [00:22:00] dry on paper, really, they shouldn't have any say, but we know that's not true.

[00:22:04] Yeah. We know that, you know, no Mater what, there's going to be things. 'cause you, the last things too would want is for him to make a move that either angers or changes the terms or does whatever jeopardizes things. You know, if you trade Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe and the other, the owner was like, I wanted to keep those guys.

[00:22:21] Then, you know, what are you gonna say? So I'm sure things are going through. The channels to make sure that whatever's decided on is kind of kosher, I guess, is the best way, especially with the bigger stars of the team. 

[00:22:35] Mark Corbett: You know, what's, what's kind of funny what you're talking about that this image came to mind of a chess game.

[00:22:40] Mm-hmm. And you know that one person is picking up, we'll say their, uh, their Bishop. Bishop and they're looking across the table as they're still holding in their hand. They haven't put it down yet. Yeah. And they're starting to look and say, what's gonna be the impact if I do this? And in this case, it didn't Mater of just getting on the, another side of the board, it's, [00:23:00] you actually wanna make that person happy too.

[00:23:01] It's not about just winning. Yeah. Oh, I don't know it, I, yeah, I don't think that there's a. I mean, it's necessarily a direct influence on those things, but certainly there are thoughts that Stu and the, the whole Rays organization has to be thinking about right now and saying to make this team as attractive as a possible for the new owner to give it the best value for them to, to facilitate and complete that deal.

[00:23:27] So we will see. Mm-hmm. Oh, brother. But tonight, Zach Littel is out there on the mound. Is he still out there at, see, I haven't looked lately. And um, he, it is one of those deals too. It's like Zach, I'll go out there and play. I keep waiting to see if, if cash comes up behind him when he is sitting over there between innings and saying, putting his hand on his shoulder and say, you know, Zach, uh, go ahead.

[00:23:54] We got some Mike clearing out your gear for you. Go ahead and put it together and we'll see you. 

[00:23:59] Mat Germain: Well, he is, [00:24:00] he hasn't allowed a, a run yet, only allowed two hits, three walks in four innings, but he is thrown 80 pitches, so chances are he only goes five tonight, I would imagine. 

[00:24:09] , , The Rays, you know, the hit the hitters are, are not backing him up big time.

[00:24:13] They only gave him one run, and that was Brandon Lowe and a double that drove in Taylor Walls. So welcome back, Brandon. It's nice to have you back in the lineup. Um, but yeah, that, you know, there's so many people that are probably sitting on that bench right now, including Kevin Cash going, what's, what's my team gonna look like tomorrow?

[00:24:32] Like, that's, that's a weird feeling to have, especially where you are in a division, how close you are to the Yankees and you're playing them in New York and you're thinking, I should just be focused on beating the Yankees. But in the back of my mind, there's always that, you know, thought, you know, a lot of, could, could, and a lot could change now.

[00:24:54] They, the Rays are in a weird position because if you look at Dom Keegan, who's a catcher, [00:25:00] they have Carson Williams who's a shortstop, can play, you know, probably third base if you wanted them to. And Tre' Morgan and I would add to that, Tristan Peters in the outfield, you have four guys that I would deem quote unquote MLB, ready.

[00:25:15] So that to me is the, is what supports making some moves because no Mater what, you can call 'em one of these guys and I think they would do well at the, um, uh, major league level. So whatever you get in trade from somebody else for one of those pieces, um, you know, at those positions would actually bring back a lot, of value for the future.

[00:25:38] But it's weird to say Mark, but I can see the Rays this time around because of the new ownership coming in saying, you know what, we're gonna stick with what we have, but we're gonna trade Taylor Walls. To, let's say the Pirates or somebody else for whatever piece they're looking for. And we're going to call up Carson Williams because I think [00:26:00] there's, you know, you have to pick and choose, uh, if you are going to try to amp up things at the, you know, for a playoff series.

[00:26:11] And I don't think anybody else has as much impact for the Rays going forward into a playoff Rays than Carson Williams would, just because of the speed, the defense, and the p the power that he would provide at that position. We were talking before about right field being one of those positions where the Rays are lacking a little bit.

[00:26:30] Well, if you amp up that angle of the game at shortstop, why wouldn't you avoid it? And, and his June, July, tell me that he is. Opening up some eyes that he might be ready. He's knocking on the door. He is a very mature individual, very well grounded. I know he could handle the major league, pressure.

[00:26:49] So that's, that's something I could see happening with the Rays if they decide to not throw all their chips in and, and go and trade a lot more assets. [00:27:00] 

[00:27:00] Mark Corbett: Well, let me ask you something else. Last night watching the game. It was interesting because I'm thinking, oh, we're going up against Max Fried.

[00:27:07] We got Joe Boyle and we got Max Fried. We've got the a newbie and we've got a veteran who's just gonna kill it. And while indeed the Yankees won last night, it wasn't to the extent that I think a lot of people feared it might be with Max on the mound. I don't think Max has done as well lately as he was maybe earlier in the season.

[00:27:28] I could be wrong there, but I think think he's, he's, uh, well, we'll see. And the other thing about. The Yankees right now, they are definitely working with a deficit. When you don't have Mr. Judge or Mr. Cole out there with your team, those two guys are pivotal. They make all the difference. Um, they make, I mean, that record is gonna change immensely.

[00:27:51] So we have the chance to take three of the four. Yeah, we, we've lost one. There's only two games thus far. We're working on the third one tonight. [00:28:00] Mm-hmm. It would be so cool to walk outta Yankee Stadium with three wins, but, uh, I don't know, brother. We'll see. 

[00:28:08] Mat Germain: I think the, um, you know, sadly the, if, if the trade deadline was August 2nd, it would be a lot different than how you could react, right?

[00:28:18] Yeah. That one extra game Maters. But, uh, I, I think, you know, the, that game that you're talking about, the free versus Boyle, I really liked what Boyle showed, like, the potential. He's like a wild stallion and they were trying to, to tame him down. And then the velocity was just, you could see the nerves and the, you know, the over pitching and the Rays have done that with a couple of their pitchers.

[00:28:43] But, um. It showed a lot of his potential. Now, I think if you have him working with Nick Forte for a long time, he will get himself under control and he will do much better, you know, in the next time out. Like, I think he's facing the Dodgers the next time he comes up. [00:29:00] So good luck with that too. That's not gonna get any easier.

[00:29:02] Uh, but he has stuff that can overpower hitters, definitely, as long as he stays within himself. Um, so I really like what we saw from him, but you're right, max Fried. I think the umpire also had a lot to do with it, and he hurt both pitchers equally, really. But, but he wasn't calling a lot of the, the high strikes and he wasn't calling a lot of the low strikes.

[00:29:24] So everything had to be in the middle. And that can get testy, you know, when you're, when you're somebody that likes to work. The Fri uh, work, the fringes, um. But I think Max Free is definitely one of those guys that in the playoff situation will be tough to, mm-hmm. To face. And the Rays showed that they could score some runs off 'em.

[00:29:41] So, you know, that's only gonna build confidence in them if they ever did face 'em in the playoffs. Yeah. 

[00:29:48] Mark Corbett: Wow. You know, I just, the excitement for me, if I had to pick one guy, it's definitely gonna be Chandler Simpson. And the energy that, I mean, we talked about it when we talked with, uh, Boey from, uh, the biscuits [00:30:00] and just watching him, I mean, just earlier tonight, talking about the leaping to get that catch, you know, running and stealing the bases.

[00:30:08] Uh, he's redefined what the Rays can be. Uh, I was talking with a fellow today who's got quite a bit of history and family from Tampa and baseball, and he was talking about one part he misses in the game. You know, I think he, he's a bit old school and he likes, I think, stealing. He likes to see the bunt.

[00:30:26] He likes to see sacrifice, sacrifice flies. And I don't think he realized that the Rays are doing a lot of that, because I hear some people being critical of the Rays in that particular category. And I think, eh, you know, we're, we're seeing more bunts, we're seeing certainly stolen, stealing bases. Mm-hmm.

[00:30:43] Um. I don't know what more old school you'd wanna see from this team. 

[00:30:47] Mat Germain: Oh my goodness. No, there's, they're about as old school as you can get. 

[00:30:51] Yeah. The 

[00:30:52] Mat Germain: only thing they haven't done is run over guys at second base when they try to steal. I think that's the only thing. Or, and spike somebody at [00:31:00] the plate when they, 

[00:31:00] you 

[00:31:01] Mat Germain: know, kick sand on the umpire.

[00:31:04] What is he looking for that's more old school than what the Rays are doing this year. That's, there's no openers. Everybody is starting, you know, that's, so, yeah. I, I think the Rays are definitely playing a, an old school, you know, maybe late eighties style of, of baseball that, uh, that people are appreciating a lot.

[00:31:22] And, um, they're, they're a fun team. They, generally speaking, there's nobody that's, that's arguing otherwise that I can see. Uh, there's always gonna be people that pick on the Rays because they are the Rays. But, uh, I look at the future of the teams though, and I, I wonder who's gonna stick around. Like if I look at the lineup right now.

[00:31:42] And and the bench especially. I'm like, who's going to be here in three years? Chandler Simpson definitely is one of those guys that could envision sticking around Junior Caminero, , Jonathan Aranda. But you get be beyond that and it's like, oh, I don't know. 

[00:31:59] Mark Corbett: [00:32:00] Oh my gosh. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's just the nature of the beast too, because unless there is something that is just.

[00:32:09] The Rays are going to, they're gonna churn 'em and they're gonna make sure they have them young. And while they still have them under control, they're paying them, uh, before they're into deep into arbitration or a free agent. And I think that's just the nature of it. I don't think that that will change with new ownership.

[00:32:27] 'cause I think that's part of the appeal of the Rays. Uh, let's face it, there's been a lot of appeal to neander, uh, children, if you will. Whether it be Bendix, whether it be hin, bloom, and who's the other fellow that was out there at Houston for a while? Click, click. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, Hmm. 

[00:32:45] Mat Germain: James? Click. Yeah.

[00:32:46] James. 

[00:32:46] Mark Corbett: Yeah. I mean, those are, those are the ones I can think of anyway. Three right off. So. I what the Rays are doing is appreciated by others. So I, I don't know, brother. I think we still got a, a good [00:33:00] season ahead of us. I'm curious to see how this falls out in the next 24 hours, seeing if Pete will still be with us.

[00:33:05] I think Brandon will be, I, he's just, he's in the game. There's gonna be at least one more run on the board period. The RBI, tonight's kind of indicating that. 

[00:33:15] Mat Germain: Yeah, I, I'm trying to read the pitching. Like if they're starting pitching, I think the Rays are confident in enough that they will push their chips in, like we said before then yeah, you keep Brandon, you keep yandy, and you go for it, and you just say, you know what, we'll worry about everything else next year.

[00:33:33] And they do have options on both of 'em, right? They, there's no, the only one that's really a free agent that they, they're going to lose no Mater what is Zach Littel. So you could make a case that Taj Bradley could come back up and take let's spot, and Zach Littel will be one of the few ones to go. And maybe Pete Fairbanks, depending.

[00:33:53] I, I still fall, you know, if, if Pete Fairbanks has a finger or temperature issue [00:34:00] that jeopardizes his performance in the playoffs, why in the world would a, would a team trade significant value for him? Right? Like that's, I, I don't know that that value will ever be there, and I don't know that the Rays will ever sell low, so.

[00:34:15] It is a, it's a catch 22 and then the Rays are stuck using 'em in those situations. If they do have 'em aboard and then chancing it, you know, they're stubborn. They, they are definitely one of those stubborn teams. I think I, if I had to say, you know, which player would be the most likely to be dealt by the Rays this time around?

[00:34:35] I, I do think it's Taylor Walls because he has value, because he is shown to be a more. Versatile player and, and a little steadier offensively than he had in the past, and then showing more dimensions to his game. And so they'll have value in there. So what I'm thinking is if they're able to package 'em to a team like the Pirates with a lot of really high end prospects for an Oneil cruise, sure.[00:35:00] 

[00:35:00] Do that and you'll improve the Pirates, just their entire pitching staff Will, will, will be much better because they have tear walls at shortstop. But, um, other than that, I, I don't know that there's a huge move out there and I'm not surprised they moved on from Jansen. 

[00:35:16] Mark Corbett: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm, I am curious to see how it all goes from here.

[00:35:21] I dunno how much more you went about the Rays or Major league baseball. I do have some other things I wanna address today. One of 'em is the women's baseball, excuse me, the all Women's Baseball Tournament. Now this is one that S Pay who've talked about before on the show who passed away recently. Great woman who was with the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.

[00:35:39] She kind of got started up and was looking at a way of maybe having a limited number of teams play for her limited season each year and just build over time. Well, some of that's changed 'cause there was also some other things going on. There is the Women's Professional Baseball League, which uh, actually started up with a lady, I think [00:36:00] Justine Siegal, and an organization called Baseball For All.

[00:36:05] While all that's going on and you guys maybe hear this story before, is that Kim Ng, who was supported by Commissioner Rob Manfred, has put together a league for softball and I am so good with that, but I thought Rob should have started with women's baseball first.

[00:36:22] Uh, another thing, just throw out information into the mix, this tournament that's gonna be held in Durham, which is called the All Women's Baseball Tournament, which is part ab talking about Sue having started, uh, a while back, it's changed a little bit.

[00:36:37] Um, the structure of the games and such, not so much. You still have like four teams that are named after the original, , teams of the All Americans, the Peaches, Rockford, peaches. You've got, uh, the blue socks, the comets, and I forget who else. But the part that has changed is that this is also kind of the proving ground.

[00:36:58] For the US a women's [00:37:00] national team. Mm-hmm. So what happens there and the people that are seen there, that's also gonna be sort of where maybe we see future women from the USA Women's national team, which is the equivalent of the USA's Women's Olympic team. If we actually have Baseball Olympics. 

[00:37:19] Mat Germain: Why don't they have Women's World Baseball Classic?

[00:37:25] Mark Corbett: Well, I mean they do. I mean, you think about in Thunder Bay last year. Mm-hmm. We have it like every three years. 

[00:37:32] Mat Germain: I'm saying make the women part of the World Baseball Classic make like the same exact tournament. Oh, they could even piggyback on the exact same. So if Canada's meeting the us, the women's team plays before the men's team plays, yada, yada, yada.

[00:37:47] And you piggyback off that same like. 

[00:37:51] Mark Corbett: I mean, they have the same organization, but they don't put 'em together. They don't bring them together at one location at the same time. And, and I be, quite honestly, [00:38:00] I like kind of the independence of it, but I also see that there would be a strength in having USA, 

[00:38:06] Mat Germain: the fans are already there, right?

[00:38:07] Yeah. The fans are there. So the Colombian fans would be there to watch the Colombian men, they would watch the Colombian women, yada, yada, yada, the whole thing. So I'm not saying it's gonna force the fans to watch it. 

[00:38:19] No, but it's 

[00:38:20] Mat Germain: going to give them the opportunity while they're there. Why not? Right. And I think it would just bring a natural attention to, uh, another aspect that Major League Baseball can then benefit from on the other side as well.

[00:38:35] Because, you know, like we've said before, they probably should be involved in creating a women's league that is equal and you know, as competitive as Major League baseball is so. It's one of those opportunities where I think you kind of have to, if you're baseball, so the other leagues aren't doing it. So you have a women's world cup of soccer and you have a men's world cup of soccer.

[00:38:59] [00:39:00] Well, they miss out for that. They don't do as well because they're separate. If they were together, probably they would do better. So maybe you can be that first league that decides to pair 'em up, like hockey hasn't done it. The, uh, WNBA hasn't done it with the NBA be the first league that says, you know what, we're gonna put them together and we're gonna show the world what there is to offer.

[00:39:23] Maybe that could be the, the, the difference maker between the them and the other leagues. 

[00:39:27] Mark Corbett: It, it would be curious, but I, I'm not sure I agree with you completely. I get it. But I'll tell you one thing. Years and years and years ago, back when I was in college and I worked at the campus radio station and myself and a gentleman named Gary Elder would go ahead and.

[00:39:45] We wanted to be able to call the basketball game for the University of Louisville and the men's team. Well, lo and behold, licenses and such would not allow them to let us do it. However, before most every men's game at [00:40:00] this fairground center, which a large one was fairly large, they would have the U of L women's team play.

[00:40:06] So Gary and I would go out there, he would do all the play by play, and I would do some color. And it was, it was the beginning in some ways. People who got there early from the, uh, to for see the men's game would catch some of these, the women's game. And, you know, we, we kept wondering, will this evolve? And obviously it did.

[00:40:26] It took a few decades. Uh, but um. And maybe there was something as far as building that initial audience there, and I could see that I, I, I don't know. We're, we're gonna see how this goes because sometimes I feel like we're going two or three different ways at the same time. And are we gonna build enough strength, be beneath each one of them, or are they going to find a cumulative effect?

[00:40:49] But, but if you're already hitching yourself to something that's already got strength, legs, and, uh, structure, if you will, and infrastructure, then yes. Maybe [00:41:00] the USA Women's National team and the USA women, the men's team, they should be coming in and blend those tournaments together. Why not? 

[00:41:08] Mat Germain: Yeah, it's a bigger event.

[00:41:09] It's a longer event. It's, there's more opportunities to get kids in the games and, um, I think, you know. I, I've seen this happen in a lot of different sports. The more access you give people to, to any kind of game, the more they're going to be drawn to it. So it doesn't Mater if it's lacrosse, if it's hockey, if it's basketball, it's all similar in terms of what they need to get excited about it.

[00:41:38] Yep. 

[00:41:38] Mat Germain: Like I, yeah, you can go all the way back to before games were televised, like just hearing a game on the radio way back when was a big deal because it hadn't been Right. You had to go to the games before they started broadcasting games on the radio. So imagine that you didn't even, you had to go to the park physically and watch it.[00:42:00] 

[00:42:00] Yep. In order to know what the game was like. And then people would talk about it and it would become a big rumor mill. And then the radio came out. You never got to see it, but you got to hear it. And then the TV came out and now we're at the streaming portion where you can literally see it live and.

[00:42:16] Happens. So yeah, I, I don't know that, um, yeah, I don't know what the secret sauce is for them, but I know that having one direction definitely would help the process along. And, and you know, I don't, maybe they can create their own tournament that's similar to the WBC has a different name, but I just think that WBC is such a, a success for baseball internationally, not just in, in North America, but, uh, you know, you have the JA Japanese who take it extremely seriously.

[00:42:51] Oh 

[00:42:51] yeah. Uh, 

[00:42:52] Mat Germain: the Koreans who do it, the Canadians even love it when they beat USA way back when. Uh, you have a lot of different [00:43:00] aspects to it that, that make it a, a bigger draw and would actually, you know, promote the game globally, not just the United States in, in one league or, or two leagues, depending on how it works.

[00:43:12] And so, yeah. I don't know. I think 

[00:43:16] Mark Corbett: it 

[00:43:16] Mat Germain: has. Well, 

[00:43:17] Mark Corbett: yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah, I agree with you. I think it definitely has potential. I am interested too, though, in seeing what's coming up in later in August and that's gonna be the Women's Pro Baseball League. And you mentioned as far as, um, international. Mm-hmm. I know that Ally Schroeder from, uh, Canada, you know, fantastic baseball player mm-hmm.

[00:43:40] Has signed on with that. And there's a few other, I think there may be a lady from Japan, I think there's some from Australia who have signed up with this. It's gonna be interesting because the, uh, is it to take a peak here, there is 600 women who have registered and only [00:44:00] 150 will make it through there.

[00:44:03] From that, they'll, maybe the 150, they'll actually put together the teams because they're gonna limit it to just the very few teams. The, the first year. So I'm, who, 

[00:44:13] Mat Germain: who's the most famous basketball player in the Women's League? In N-W-N-B-A? 

[00:44:17] Mark Corbett: You Besides Caitlyn Clark. Yeah. 

[00:44:20] Mat Germain: So who's gonna be that first name in baseball that everybody recognizes?

[00:44:24] And I don't know what's gonna make it happen. Maybe, you know, it's hitting 40 home runs, 50 home runs. Maybe it's throwing pitches at 95 plus miles an hour. I don't know what it's gonna take, but somebody is going to be that player. I, I have a feeling. Or there's gonna be a couple and they're gonna have to carry that, you know, the league to the next level and people will go and see that if, if it gets promoted correctly.

[00:44:49] Like that's going to be a draw. So I'm curious, like once they start playing and an action starts, mark promote us that information and let us know who is shining. [00:45:00] Uh, you know. In that kind of format. Basically, 

[00:45:05] Mark Corbett: , What I can tell you, , is that a lot of veteran womens who have been recognized as fantastic players, uh, including I know the one player can't say Ayami Sato from Japan.

[00:45:16] Mm-hmm. Yep. You know, she's a name they'll recognize, I think Ali's the name they'll recognize, and there's, there's other ones I know as well that have been established players who will either be there, maybe as an advisor or maybe a coach before. It's all said and done in the women's, uh, games that'll be playing in Durham.

[00:45:35] That particular, that's, which is separate. I know Tamara Holmes, who we had on the show a few times, Tamara is gonna be one of the managers of those teams. So there's historic leaders and there's talent that's up and coming or who's been established. And yes, it's going to take that, but Caitlyn Clark has, has really just been the name.

[00:45:54] When you think of WNBA, if a person's absolutely nothing about it, they probably know that woman's [00:46:00] name. 

[00:46:00] Mat Germain: Exactly. So I'm hoping for one of those names to come out the baseball side of it as well. Just like that one phenom that just says, you know what? The sport is here. It's arrived. It's, uh, it, it draws eyes.

[00:46:14] And I, I mean that in the, in the most fun way because you get excited about it. It's fun to watch those, you know, outliers that kind of, you know, just for whatever reason they're born with a gift or they worked hard to get that gift. And, and, uh, we need more of those gifts in the world. Mark more is better.

[00:46:37] Mark Corbett: We just need Jerry McGuire to go out there and sell it, man. You know, 

[00:46:41] Mat Germain: show me the money. 

[00:46:43] Mark Corbett: Well, think about it. You know, if, if you can find the player that you know, you can market with a product that's excited about having there, and that would be it. Because that person becomes, they're promoted, not just within their sport, they're promoted in all these other things out there.

[00:46:59] [00:47:00] It brings people back into the sport with it and with Caitlyn Clark, you know, that is certainly the case. So yeah, I would absolutely love to see it. Let's just keep her eyes on that one. Um, you know, I'm not gonna be able to go see the women for the trials for the all, uh, the Women's Pro Baseball League because I'm gonna be heading toward Williams Sports c Little Leagues and World Series Tournament.

[00:47:23] That's gonna be fun. But there's a couple of things that bothered me recently, man. You saw the whole thing with the Venezuelan kids who had actually achieved status to be in a little League World Series. But because of what's going on with Rubio and the State Department, these kids aren't allowed to come in the country and play in the tournament, even though they've qualified, you know, they're gonna have to be bringing somebody else in.

[00:47:47] And that sticks in my craw. , So I'm, I'm probably not gonna be popular about some of the things I'll say, but that's something that I think that we just need to face something and people speak up about. I realize there's challenges right now, but [00:48:00] that just seems wrong. And, and if, if you don't feel like that's what's going wrong enough, there's another piece I saw that, I posted something on Blue Sky and others today, and it's probably two weeks old and I just came around to find it.

[00:48:11] It's this, uh, coach's manager in, in Harlem, and he's got these youngsters. Playing out there and with batting cages. It's a batting ACA academy. It's Harlem Baseball Batting Academy. I love it already. And so he's there working with all these kids. He's got 'em from everywhere. The, he's the Dominican Republic, you know, Africa, uh, the us, wherever, all of them.

[00:48:33] Well, lo and behold, as they're working there out in the batting cages and some other ones over, playing a little basketball on the side up come, these agents started asking kids questions about, you know, where they lived, da, da da da. Yeah. I, we had a name for that when I was a kid. Some stranger came up to you in a ballpark and started asking questions like that.

[00:48:50] Next thing they say, Hey, can you come over? I got something by the snacks. Then I wanna show you. You know, it is this. Yeah. Well, my gosh, well, this man, he [00:49:00] had the fortitude and knowledge to stand up and say, Hey, I, I, I, you leave these children alone. These are not, you don't do that. Well. The covering. The agent he said was, uh, said, no, no, no.

[00:49:12] We didn't do anything like that. We weren't there, you know? Well, I, I kind of doubt that, you know, I, I kind of believe the man and, , it's just another sense of where, whether or not you're telling me I gotta change my team name back to the Indians. Well, you're telling me that there's young kids who can't come into this country to play in a little League World Series.

[00:49:31] And whether you're going ahead and questioning other kids, you know, in a youth academy of baseball, because guess what? That's where they hang out. That, you know, go out there and go to the Home Depot store where you're at it, and let's go find some guys. Uh, rant, rant

[00:49:45] Yep.

[00:49:49] Mat Germain: Well, 

[00:49:50] Mark Corbett: go ahead. 

[00:49:51] Mat Germain: I dunno if you've, uh, you know, Bobby, or obviously Yep. Hockey player defenseman for the Bruins. He became an agent [00:50:00] after, uh, after his career was over. And, uh, and one of the things that he was found to be doing illegally was to try to sign players before they ever came of age to sign. So he would get them actually, you know, I, I don't wanna say pressure them, but however he did it, he actually approached them before they were of age to sign and, and coerced them, essentially to stick with them once they were able to sign.

[00:50:27] So he ended up getting penalized for that. Like, I don't know exactly what the penalty ended up being, but young athletes are. So, um. Influenceable. Now I keep thinking back to the baseball side of things. You know how much abuse there has been over the decades in the Latin American circles, right? Where they ba basically have agents down there who will sell them to teams quite literally.

[00:50:51] Yeah. 

[00:50:52] And they will 

[00:50:52] Mat Germain: own part of their salaries for years and years and years. And, and a percentage gets thrown to this person who just essentially [00:51:00] sold the player to a, a major league franchise team. And it's so shady in so many different ways. And then I keep thinking back the, again, wonder Franco's deal, that was the most team friendly deal I've ever heard of for Phenom Mark.

[00:51:14] Yep. Yep. And then they had a lot of those kinds of same of, you know, ma uh, I guess, ethic issues that you're talking about before. 

[00:51:25] Mark Corbett: Well, you, we, and while we can talk about that, what's happening today, you know, and not so much about where a person comes from. In a sense, you could be, you look back at Mickey Mantle.

[00:51:37] Mm-hmm. This old country boy guy came out there, discovered him, and, uh, paid off, I think the, the principal to tell other ones that, you know, he wasn't gonna be able to do anything. So this agent got this young man, I think he was probably 16 at that point, to basically push, he got the principal to push other potential, uh, people away from him, you know?

[00:51:57] Mm-hmm. This is an adult controlling something [00:52:00] where his father was a, I mean, we're talking. Not taking anything away from me, but I think he was a simple man, just simple job. And he wasn't gonna be able to know how to do the best for Mickey. And, you know, it, it hurt Mickey and what he was able to negotiate in his early years with his career, his career.

[00:52:14] But, uh, boo-hoo on. I know, that's, I know I said I apologize, but I get on some of this stuff. But it, it's important, man, you know, and Mat, when I, I saw that man, Youman Wilder, talking about those kids,

[00:52:28] yeah. 

[00:52:29] Mark Corbett: But, uh, anyway, getting back to the game tonight.

[00:52:32] Let's, so we're playing in the third game of the fourth series Right now it is top of the seventh and it's still 1. To zip the Rays leading 

[00:52:41] Mat Germain: woohoohoo. They've held the Yankees to two hits tonight. Mark. Oh my gosh. It was always great to see. 

[00:52:47] Mark Corbett: Yeah. You know, every time I see John Carlo Stanton walk up to the plate, I wanna see him get beaten.

[00:52:54] But this sad thing is, I, I, I kind of feel like every time he steps the plate, he already is beaten [00:53:00] and it's just like, it's kind of sad.

[00:53:02] Mat Germain: He is. When you consider that the, um, um, oh, this is the other thing I wanted to mention. I almost forgot My goodness. Taj Bradley is throwing a no hitter right now on the seventh in, in Triple A.

[00:53:16] So he's allowed two walks. He has three Ks, no hits. 

[00:53:21] Mark Corbett: Wait, go Taj. 

[00:53:22] Mat Germain: You wanna talk about making a statement and saying. I want back in. Like he's doing it, they're winning eight, nothing in Durham right now. And, uh, and you know, I, I think Tre' Morgan's hit now three home runs in the last week, so everybody's been knocking him in terms of his power capabilities and I'm like, it's going to come around.

[00:53:44] He's very young. He's, he's only 22, I believe, , in AAA and, , and his hit tool is as elite as Yandy Diaz. 

[00:53:53] Yeah. 

[00:53:54] Mat Germain: So, um, you know, he is, he is gonna get on base. So anyways, he hit a home run tonight and, uh, Curtis Mead also has, uh, [00:54:00] has chipped in with a double. So it's good to see the, the triple A guys who are, who want to get into, , the show to, be doing well , and supporting Taj appropriately.

[00:54:12] Mark Corbett: I love it. I absolutely love it, man. I love to see the, the fires there. You know, we know sometimes sending a guy down is just what they need to get their head straight. And it sounds like that's working for Taj. Wow. Wow. You know, it goes back to what we talk about a lot of times at the end of the show is minor league ball, man, go out and enjoy it.

[00:54:29] It's just, it's great. You know, you, you've got 'em while they're hungry. You've got 'em while they're hungry. They, they're just wanna climb up there and get out of that bucket and make things happen. And, , Taj is obviously, , symptomatic of that. So who knows what we will see as the less than 24 hours when the trade deadline closes.

[00:54:51] But, eh, I don't expect too much. Who knows? Eric might surprise me, but I don't expect much more. 

[00:54:56] Mat Germain: Who do you think the biggest name will be dealt this, uh, [00:55:00] this trade period? 

[00:55:01] Mark Corbett: Fairbanks. 

[00:55:02] Mat Germain: Uh, for the Rays, right? For Thera. Oh, 

[00:55:04] Mark Corbett: you meant above that? Geez, geez. I don't know. Um. That's a tough one, right? Yeah. 

[00:55:11] Mat Germain: Yeah. If you look at the, you know, I think if a team loses its mind and really wants to do, you know, sort of what the Cubs did when they went and got a role, dis Chapman from the Yankees way back when, if they throw a lot of money from Mason Miller, that could end up being the biggest name move just because of the dominance he has in that closing role that really, you know, puts your team pen at, at a different level.

[00:55:37] But position player wise, it's very thin. There, there isn't much in terms of impact because a lot of those lower down and, and out teams don't have really have much to offer. We saw Ryan McMahon go to the Yankees that might end up being the biggest position player to go really in, in truth, 

[00:55:57] Mark Corbett: I, I can't imagine, I'm trying to think [00:56:00] what the Reds are doing right now.

[00:56:01] You know, I mean, I always say of. Wouldn't it be neat to see down the cruise somewhere else? And Francona what we, we still got some kind of friendship with him. He's the manager there. Could get somebody from the Reds like that. 

[00:56:14] Mat Germain: Well, they, they just acquired Ke'Bryan Hayes from, uh, from the Pirates. So they got their third baseman.

[00:56:19] He really good defensively, but offensively struggled. But Will Cincinnati be a boon for him in terms of that, like changing the page, get some different advice at the plate? You know, maybe his bad comes to life, but, um, I, I think they're adding more, like they're pitching, their front five are extremely strong, so I don't know they're a threat in the playoffs, you, you would be, you know, hard pressed to find a better depth in terms of the, of the top five.

[00:56:50] And if you're taking two of those and putting 'em in a pen, that's. That's a pretty good team. And Terry Francona, I mean, he could, he could lead a team through the playoffs if he makes it in, if he [00:57:00] squeezes in there. Um, they have to kind of contend with the, the Cubs and the Dodgers obviously, which are gonna be the favorites in the National League.

[00:57:08] And I think the Cubs are the team that could be the most aggressive. They're the team that I would look at for Mason Miller that says, you know what we're giving them whatever they asked for. We're getting that guy again like they did with Chapman and we want that championship this year. Um, but they need a, a starter too.

[00:57:24] So maybe they add in Jeffrey Springs or maybe they add in Louis Severino or I don't know, like there, there's options there to them to, to kind of amp it up a little bit. But, um, maybe they get Dylan Cease, I don't know. The Cubs are one of those aggressive teams. If they went out and got Kyle Tucker and they might lose him this off season for nothing.

[00:57:43] Yeah, we 

[00:57:43] Mat Germain: don't know. They are pretty much all chips on the table, so they're the one team I look at across and maybe Jerry Dipoto in Seattle because. He's, he's been promising them a ring forever and he loves the big traits. [00:58:00] So yeah, 

[00:58:01] Mark Corbett: we will see my friend. Well, I don't have any other nuggets. How about you?

[00:58:06] Mat Germain: Uh, that's all I got. I want the Rays to win the next two mark and, and, and really. If they do that and they keep the roster as is and they add a little bit and they tweak something here and there, you know what? I'll be happy to write it out. And I think Rays fans should be too, because that shows a lot of, uh, confidence.

[00:58:22] But I want them to be understanding as well if things go awry and the whole thing gets dealt, 

[00:58:28] Mark Corbett: that's, that's it. Because baseball is fun as Mr. Brett Phillips coined. But the thing of it is, it's also just insane. And we see, who is it? Uh, Mr. Mason Englert taking this, the mound here in the bottom of the seventh. I just, I wanna see 'em.

[00:58:43] I just, I just wanna see us beat those Yankees for two more games. Let's just face it as one of those things that sticks in my crawl. I can pretty much detach myself from personalities and teams on most of them, but not when it comes to Yankees. I'm sorry guys. There you go. [00:59:00] 

[00:59:00] Mat Germain: I'm the same way. Mark. Rays up.

[00:59:02] Rays up. Uh. Take care, uh, this week and, uh, hopefully we'll have some really encouraging news, uh, to, to chew over next week. 

[00:59:13] Mark Corbett: Sounds wonderful. Thanks a lot Mat. Thank you all for joining. Mat and I here today on Baseball Biz On Deck. It's always fun and we've got plenty of great things coming up here in the future.

[00:59:22] You got any questions? Of course. Send 'em our way. There's links on all of the sites, whether wherever you may find us, and we'll talk with you again real soon.