WEBVTT - White Sox grab 1st place, Giants pull off GRAND comeback, Mediocre Cubs run, Las Vegas series JOKE?! 0:00:04.320 --> 0:00:06.960 Welcome everyone to the Thursday edition of Fair Territory of 0:00:07.080 --> 0:00:10.159 Ken Rosenthal here with Alana Rizzo, and we've got a 0:00:10.160 --> 0:00:14.200 lot to discuss, as always on the program and Alta, 0:00:14.840 --> 0:00:18.800 Let's start with the first place team in the American 0:00:18.920 --> 0:00:19.840 League Central. 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:22.759 I never thought we would be talking about this on 0:00:23.320 --> 0:00:25.919 June what is it, eleventh, twenty twenty six. Ken, Good 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:28.160 to be back with you this week on Fair Territory. 0:00:28.280 --> 0:00:31.400 The first place Chicago White Sox. How did they get there? 0:00:32.920 --> 0:00:36.640 They got there by playing extremely well even without more 0:00:36.760 --> 0:00:39.559 when I Tako Morikami, they're great star who has been 0:00:39.600 --> 0:00:41.839 out for a while, but as I detailed in my 0:00:41.960 --> 0:00:45.920 notes Calumn today, their offense actually has been better without him. 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:47.920 I don't know how to explain that. I don't know 0:00:47.960 --> 0:00:50.240 how to explain a lot of things with the White Sox. 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:53.640 But they are a team that has the second best 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:57.480 record in the American League since I believe April seventeenth, 0:00:57.880 --> 0:01:01.320 right behind the Yankees. They are a team that is 0:01:01.360 --> 0:01:03.560 getting enough from its pitching, and they are a team 0:01:03.600 --> 0:01:07.080 that is playing out of its mind at home. Eighteen 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:10.039 and three at home in their last twenty one home games. 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:14.440 It's an amazing stretch and right now they are playing 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:18.039 the Braves in the middle of a difficult circumstance. Here 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:21.720 a schedule that has them playing the Braves, Dodgers, and Yankees. 0:01:22.240 --> 0:01:24.080 They've won the first two games from the Braves, they 0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:27.960 won this series, and they keep going in a weak division. 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:31.399 So it raises the question a lot of what can 0:01:31.440 --> 0:01:36.160 they do to keep this momentum surging forward? And will 0:01:36.200 --> 0:01:39.160 they do much at the deadline? I try to address 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:42.399 that somewhat in my notes column today, and clearly they 0:01:42.400 --> 0:01:45.039 are a team that will try to add I expect that, 0:01:45.360 --> 0:01:49.600 But like the Cardinals, like the Nationals, if the Nationals 0:01:49.600 --> 0:01:52.680 remain in contention, these are the other surprise teams. I 0:01:52.720 --> 0:01:55.280 do not expect them to go crazy and abandon their 0:01:55.280 --> 0:01:58.240 development plan. They are going to stay the course, but 0:01:58.680 --> 0:02:01.040 at the same time, they're not going to ignore where 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:02.320 they are in the standings. 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:06.360 Ken, nobody is more excited about a first place standing 0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:08.359 right now for the Chicago White Sox than a G 0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:11.840 eight Pierzinski, But you mentioned them as a surprise team, 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:16.440 the White Sox, the Cardinals. Who was a bigger surprise 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:17.960 in your opinion the Nationals? 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:18.639 Is this? 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:20.519 I mean to me, the White Sox are the biggest 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:22.680 surprise so far of the twenty twenty sixth season. 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:26.120 I would agree with you, Alana, but it is an 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:29.280 interesting debate, and it's interesting because, of course, the White 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:31.760 Socks were got off of the last couple of years. 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:35.960 The Cardinals, though, traded three veterans. They were rebuilding and 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:40.600 are rebuilding. They traded Sonny Gray, Wilson Contreras and Nolan Arnatto, 0:02:40.840 --> 0:02:44.320 and then they traded Brendan Donovan. Oops, four veterans, excuse me, 0:02:44.480 --> 0:02:48.080 and he's arguably their best player. So no one expected 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:51.839 this out of them so soon. And the Nationals, it's 0:02:51.960 --> 0:02:54.520 just bizarre. They blew the game in San Francisco yesterday. 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:57.840 We'll get to that. But they lead the majors in 0:02:57.960 --> 0:03:00.720 runs scored, runs per game, however you want to measure it, 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:05.120 and no one really saw that coming. And they're pitching. No, 0:03:05.200 --> 0:03:07.160 it's not good at all. In fact, it's one of 0:03:07.160 --> 0:03:10.399 the worst tests in the majors. But they score enough 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:12.720 to win, and they are one game out in the 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:16.160 wild card standings. The Cardinals, they are the top team 0:03:16.280 --> 0:03:18.480 in the National League wildcard standings, and of course the 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:21.680 White Sox are in first place, so all of them 0:03:21.880 --> 0:03:25.240 are surprises, and yes, I would still agree though with you, 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:26.919 that the White Sox are the biggest. 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:30.880 And how about Brandon Montgomery, of course, making his debut 0:03:30.919 --> 0:03:33.240 the other night, a walk off home or excuse me, 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:36.119 Braiden Montgomery, a walk off home run for the Chicago 0:03:36.160 --> 0:03:39.680 White Sox. People were scouring for his jersey in the 0:03:39.720 --> 0:03:41.720 pro shop. They couldn't find it. They were making their 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:44.600 own jerseys with Braiden Montgomery's name on it. That's a 0:03:44.600 --> 0:03:45.560 pretty special moment. 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:48.160 That was one of the highlights of the season in 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:51.640 my opinion. And not just was it a walk off 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:55.160 home run in his major league debut. He came against 0:03:55.200 --> 0:03:58.000 the team that has dominated Major League Baseball this year, 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:01.360 the Atlanta Braves. So to see that happen. And of 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:03.880 course Montgomery was part of the Garrett Crochet trade and 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:07.560 that trade has been bountiful, I'm sorry, bountiful for the 0:04:07.600 --> 0:04:10.360 White Sox. Kyle Teal will come off the injured list eventually, 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:13.200 and when they get Teal and Murakami back, they're going 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:15.680 to be that much better offensively. And they got the 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:18.920 seventh best offense by runs per game in the Majors 0:04:19.040 --> 0:04:22.760 as it stands. So yeah, that was a great moment, Alana, 0:04:22.839 --> 0:04:26.120 no question. And it's going to be really interesting to 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:28.800 see how this all plays out for them, for the Cardinals, 0:04:28.839 --> 0:04:31.599 for the Nationals, and just where this all goes. 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:34.000 Yeah, good for the White Sox. All right. So from 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:37.040 the South side to the north side. Ken a very 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:39.840 different situation with the Chicago Cubs, but they do have 0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:42.920 an asset that other teams will covet at the trade deadline, 0:04:42.960 --> 0:04:45.599 by the name of Saya Suzuki. What's going on? You 0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:47.040 wrote about it in your notes column. 0:04:47.720 --> 0:04:51.360 Well, we haven't talked much about who the Cubs might trade. 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:54.960 We've talked about who they might acquire. And they're still 0:04:55.000 --> 0:04:58.440 in a really interesting position. And forget what's happening on 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:01.960 the field for a second. We'll get that, but in 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:04.719 terms of where they are with their payroll and with 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:08.320 the players who are eligible for free agency, even after 0:05:08.360 --> 0:05:11.360 signing Nico Horner, they still have a number of guys 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:14.520 who are going to be free agents in Managa, tie 0:05:14.520 --> 0:05:18.320 On Boyd and sayas Zuki and Ian Happ are among 0:05:18.360 --> 0:05:22.120 them as well. Says Zuki, because he is a right 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:27.000 handed hitter, has particular value in today's game because basically 0:05:27.080 --> 0:05:30.440 you cannot find quality right handed hitters. It's a real problem. 0:05:30.600 --> 0:05:33.560 And I have a stat in the story today. Going 0:05:33.560 --> 0:05:37.520 into yesterday's play, the ops for all right handed hitters 0:05:37.560 --> 0:05:40.479 in Major League Baseball was six ninety six. That would 0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:45.000 be the lowest since nineteen ninety two. So Suzuki would 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:48.960 have value in that sense. Teams covet right handed hitters, 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:52.720 and the Cubs because of the situation they're in, not 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:55.680 just with the number of potential free agents, but the 0:05:55.760 --> 0:06:00.920 team in general, they're falling apart, so they're a team 0:06:00.960 --> 0:06:03.800 that probably will look to shake it up. You remember, 0:06:03.839 --> 0:06:06.880 at one time they were twenty seven and twelve. Since 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:10.360 then there's seven and twenty two. At one time when 0:06:10.360 --> 0:06:13.039 they were twenty seven and twelve, they led the majors 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:17.000 in runs per game. Right now, since that time, in 0:06:17.040 --> 0:06:20.839 this seven and twenty two stretch there next to last, 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:23.440 ahead of only the Padres. You see the numbers right there. 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:27.159 It's incredible how they fall and they're scoring almost two 0:06:27.160 --> 0:06:30.159 and a half runs per game fewer than they were 0:06:30.200 --> 0:06:32.800 when they were hot. I don't know how to explain this, 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:35.559 but this is a team that back at five hundred 0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:38.840 now and I imagine at some point they're gonna need 0:06:38.880 --> 0:06:41.880 to make some difficult decisions. Suzuki could be one of them. 0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:44.320 Now he has a no trade clause. But at the 0:06:44.360 --> 0:06:47.880 same time, players in their free agent years generally will 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:50.800 be open to waiving their no trade clauses because it 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:53.880 takes off the qualifying offer, and that would be something 0:06:53.920 --> 0:06:54.799 that would be enticing. 0:06:55.279 --> 0:06:58.440 As you mentioned, twenty seven and twelve can entering play 0:06:58.520 --> 0:07:00.679 on May eighth. Here we sit on in June eleventh, 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:03.440 having lost twenty two of twenty nine, and as you said, 0:07:03.520 --> 0:07:05.200 they are even at five hundred. 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:11.680 My don Bella would do anything for a treat, and 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:13.560 I want to give her a treat that will take 0:07:13.600 --> 0:07:15.080 care of her long term. 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:19.000 And a quick message from today's sponsor, the ASPCA Pet 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:22.160 Health Insurance Program. If you're frantically looking for what to 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:23.920 do with your pup when they have an issue, the 0:07:23.960 --> 0:07:28.000 program offers customizable accident and illness plans, making it easier 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:30.080 to get your pet the care they need. When you 0:07:30.200 --> 0:07:33.240 enroll in an ASPCA Pet Health Insurance Plan, you could 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:35.360 get a twenty five dollars Amazon gift card. 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What an unbelievable game 0:08:09.080 --> 0:08:11.440 for them yesterday, I mean, could have been the win 0:08:11.640 --> 0:08:14.520 of the year. Could that spark something for them? 0:08:15.640 --> 0:08:17.880 I guess it could have on them. But they're second 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:19.880 worst team in the National League. They've got the second 0:08:19.920 --> 0:08:22.800 worst record, ahead of only the Rockies twenty eight and 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:25.840 forty one. Okay, they're fifteen and a half games out 0:08:25.880 --> 0:08:29.840 in the division. They are eight back in the wildcard race. Now, 0:08:30.320 --> 0:08:32.400 some of their hitters have come around a little bit. 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:35.600 Dever's got hot in many he's cold again. Chapman's been 0:08:35.640 --> 0:08:39.319 really good, John Hoolee's been incredible, and Bryce Eldridge the 0:08:39.360 --> 0:08:42.400 home run king yesterday, the guy who hit the Ultimate 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:45.520 Grand Slam, becoming the youngest player ever to hit one 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:49.880 of those, and the one previously was Roberto Clemente. All 0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:53.079 that is good, but they still have too many holes, 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:56.600 too many questions, and I don't see them coming out 0:08:56.640 --> 0:09:00.760 of this. Maybe I'm wrong than wrong before, but this 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:03.400 is just a team that is too challenged in my opinion, 0:09:03.520 --> 0:09:06.520 to really go anywhere. And I should mention as well 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:09.199 Casey Schmidt, who's had a remarkable year playing on a 0:09:09.280 --> 0:09:11.800 number of positions. He is a guy who should be 0:09:11.800 --> 0:09:14.160 an All Star, should be their All Star. And there's 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:17.520 the win probability charge from yesterday. They had a ninety 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:21.920 nine point nine percent chance of losing this game and 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:23.800 they won it. They were down nine to one and 0:09:23.840 --> 0:09:26.320 they want it. Good for the Giants yesterday, But do 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:29.480 I expect it to spark a sudden surge to the 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:32.439 top of the NS standings. No, I do not. 0:09:33.440 --> 0:09:36.520 The Nationals are probably a little bit shell shocked, perhaps 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:38.839 not as much as the San Antonio Spurs are being 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:40.880 shell shocked right now. But I tell you what, I 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:43.720 doubt that they very seriously doubt ken that they thought 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:45.800 they were going to lose that game to the San 0:09:45.840 --> 0:09:49.040 Francisco Giants. What do you like or dislike about the 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:51.719 makeup of the Nationals? They are as surprise team, as 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:54.040 you mentioned, but do they have what it takes to compete? 0:09:54.480 --> 0:09:57.040 I like James Wood, I like c. J Abrams, I 0:09:57.120 --> 0:09:59.440 like some of the lesser names who were contributing as 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:01.920 well on the offensive side. Now do they have what 0:10:01.960 --> 0:10:04.960 it takes? They absolutely do not, and the reason they 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:07.840 do not is because they're pitching is just not there. 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:10.160 And I don't have the rankings in front of me, 0:10:10.200 --> 0:10:13.600 but I believe they're twenty second in era and that's 0:10:13.600 --> 0:10:17.080 not good enough. Actually twenty sixth in rotation era, something 0:10:17.120 --> 0:10:21.280 along those lines. So without pitching, you're not going to 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:21.920 go anywhere. 0:10:21.960 --> 0:10:25.720 And offense, not that it's fleeting, because this has been 0:10:25.760 --> 0:10:28.079 more than two and a half months now, or actually 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:30.840 about two and a half months of incredible offense from 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:33.760 the Nationals, but at some point I. 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:35.600 Expect them to slow down a little bit and then 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:38.200 they're going to have to pitch. And while Lttela has 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:42.200 been better and Michael is somewhat better, they still are 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:45.240 short in that area. And I don't expect under Paul Taboni, 0:10:45.320 --> 0:10:48.720 their first year president of baseball operations. They're gonna go 0:10:48.800 --> 0:10:51.199 all out of the deadline to fix it. They're trying 0:10:51.200 --> 0:10:53.920 to build something like Saint Louis, like the White Sox 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:55.040 for the long haul. 0:10:55.600 --> 0:10:58.240 Yeah, and your numbers back it up, Ken, because they 0:10:58.280 --> 0:11:01.320 are twenty fifth in Team EU out of thirty teams, 0:11:01.360 --> 0:11:03.880 so they just do not have the pitching. All right, guys, 0:11:03.920 --> 0:11:06.800 make sure you've subscribed to Foul Territory on YouTube and 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:09.559 wherever you listen so you don't miss an episode. We 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:12.720 want to spread the well. Get your questions in for 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:21.439 Grill and Ken. Next, get those questions in for Grill 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:24.920 and Ken. Ken Rosenthal answering those for you on Fair Territory. 0:11:24.960 --> 0:11:27.040 First question is a very serious one and it was 0:11:27.080 --> 0:11:31.280 a serious situation yesterday Ken seth Lugo taking a comebacker 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:34.400 off of his head. Obviously Brandon Nimo, his former teammate, 0:11:34.440 --> 0:11:37.439 felt so badly about it. Should there be a way 0:11:37.480 --> 0:11:41.000 for pictures to better protect themselves. This is not a 0:11:41.040 --> 0:11:43.800 new situation. In fact, you wrote about this two decades ago. 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:47.800 I wish there were a way to address this, And 0:11:47.800 --> 0:11:49.559 you're right, Alana, I wrote about this in the year 0:11:49.600 --> 0:11:52.160 two thousand, so it's actually two and a half decades 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:55.080 ago for The Sporting News, and I remember writing a 0:11:55.080 --> 0:11:58.520 column after Bryce Flory of the Red Sox experienced something 0:11:58.559 --> 0:12:02.160 similar to Seth Lugo, and I asked the question, Hey, 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:05.880 can't we fix this? And really the answer is no, 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:08.360 and you go back to herbs score way back like 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:11.600 in the fifties, and this has always been a danger. 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:14.160 Now I would argue it's a greater danger now with 0:12:14.240 --> 0:12:19.079 guys hitting the ball arguably harder than ever. But outside 0:12:19.120 --> 0:12:21.280 of putting a protective screen in front of home plate, 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:23.360 which is not I'm sorry, in front of them pictures now, 0:12:23.360 --> 0:12:27.000 which is not practical, outside of putting masks on the pictures, 0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:30.640 which is not practical. We saw them wear those outsized 0:12:30.720 --> 0:12:33.120 hats a few years ago. Most guys didn't like them. 0:12:33.160 --> 0:12:36.679 They never really caught on. So I don't think that 0:12:37.080 --> 0:12:39.120 there is going to be anything done. And my fear 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:41.360 back in the year two thousand, when I wrote about 0:12:41.400 --> 0:12:45.320 this initially, and my fear now is only if something 0:12:45.400 --> 0:12:48.720 really terrible happens will the sport be forced to act. 0:12:48.880 --> 0:12:52.199 And that's a tough place to be in. And yet 0:12:53.000 --> 0:12:56.120 I just don't see a solution. I'd like to see 0:12:56.120 --> 0:12:59.640 a solution. I wish there were a solution, but again 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:02.240 I asked those questions in the year twenty two and 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:05.199 a half decades ago, and there still really aren't answers. 0:13:05.520 --> 0:13:09.359 Yeah, honestly, twenty six decade, twenty six years ago, unbelievable 0:13:09.360 --> 0:13:11.600 that obviously it's still going to happen, is probably gonna 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:13.760 get worse, and probably the worst thing would have to happen. 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:15.480 I still don't know, to your point, Ken, what the 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:18.520 solution would be. All Right, moving on here on grilling Ken, 0:13:18.679 --> 0:13:22.520 this is a question from Daniel RDR nineteen nineteen. Is 0:13:22.559 --> 0:13:26.280 there a ceiling for these contract extensions for players before 0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:28.640 they have played in the majors. This is regarding obviously 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:30.600 to the Brewers and the top prospect. Is it a 0:13:30.640 --> 0:13:33.839 big risk, big reward philosophy for small markets? 0:13:34.280 --> 0:13:36.720 It is, And I don't know that I can say 0:13:36.760 --> 0:13:39.560 there's a ceiling. Certainly, these teams are trying to get 0:13:39.559 --> 0:13:42.840 ahead of the curve. And they signed Laura the Brewers 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:45.840 did yesterday seven years, thirty one million. They've signed Cooper 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:50.040 Pratt he got something north of fifty million. And what 0:13:50.080 --> 0:13:53.120 the Brewers are trying to do are lock up players 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:58.040 at fixed rates club friendly rates for the early parts 0:13:58.080 --> 0:14:01.679 of their careers. And it's a small market strategy in 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:05.280 many ways, and it's a strategy that could backfire if 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:08.120 you pick the wrong guys. Obviously, the Brewers are confident 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:11.800 in these guys. You can point to extensions like this 0:14:11.960 --> 0:14:14.920 that have worked dramatically in the club's favor, and you 0:14:14.960 --> 0:14:17.920 can point to ones I remember Jonathan Singleton of the 0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:21.760 Astros in particular, that have worked in the player's favor 0:14:21.840 --> 0:14:25.120 because the players did not pan out. Now, what's really 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:28.800 interesting about the Brewers is they've given these kids the money. 0:14:29.320 --> 0:14:31.840 Now when are they going to promote them. The Brewers 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:34.680 have a left side of the infield offensive problem. They 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:37.440 don't get any offense out of shortstop and third base. 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:42.040 Joey Ortiz at short is a great defender, but he 0:14:42.280 --> 0:14:46.000 is offensively challenged. And Lara is a center fielder, and 0:14:46.080 --> 0:14:48.800 he could come up and make an impact in the 0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:51.400 outfield as well, where Freelick is struggling, where they could 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:54.720 use maybe a center fielder. Actually Frelly's playing in the corner, 0:14:54.760 --> 0:14:56.880 but they could use the center fielder as well. So 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:00.840 I don't know when they come up, but it's simply 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:02.960 a case of a small market team trying to get 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:05.720 ahead of the curve. And what they're doing is trying 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:09.240 to get surplus value out of these contracts. And what 0:15:09.240 --> 0:15:12.720 I mean by that is get more value from the 0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:15.960 player than he is getting paid. That's always the goal, 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:18.680 and that's what the Brewers are trying to do here, all. 0:15:18.680 --> 0:15:22.440 Right, Spencer Cooper Pratt rather their number four prospect, eight years, 0:15:22.520 --> 0:15:25.880 fifty point seventy five million dollars, two club options two 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:29.200 thirty four and two thirty five. Next question on Grill 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:31.960 and Ken is in regards to the Nationals, why did 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:35.440 the Nats trade Mackenzie Gore? They could have used him 0:15:35.480 --> 0:15:37.880 this year, hindsight, Ken always twenty twenty. 0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:41.200 Well, they created him Alona because they were rebuilding, and 0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:43.400 sure they could have used him this year, and the 0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:46.920 Cardinals could have used Brendan Donovan. But these teams are 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:51.000 taking an approach where they're trying to supplement the young 0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:54.440 talent that they have with additional young talent. And the 0:15:54.520 --> 0:15:57.400 Nationals believe they got quite a coup or quite a 0:15:57.400 --> 0:16:00.880 score for Mackenzie Gore. We'll see that plays out. You 0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:04.320 never know, but Gore had two years of control remaining 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:06.560 and they just felt this was the time to move 0:16:06.640 --> 0:16:10.720 him now. The bigger question had been where they trade CJ. 0:16:10.880 --> 0:16:14.160 Abrams at the deadline? He also two years of control 0:16:14.200 --> 0:16:17.080 beyond this one. And the answer to that, probably right 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:21.040 now is no. He is not highly rated as a 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:24.800 defensive shortstop, which is problematic. But in the offseason, what 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:27.880 I expect the Nationals to at least listen on Abrams 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:31.520 given where they are as an organization. Yes, at the 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:34.280 same time, what would be the better play trading him 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:38.040 or extending him and building around him considering he is 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:40.920 part of this amazing offense you have. That's the question 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:42.720 these teams are going to have to face as they 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:43.320 go forward. 0:16:44.320 --> 0:16:47.160 A question for the first place White Sox Happy birthday, 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:49.760 by the way to Baseball tossed. He has this question 0:16:49.880 --> 0:16:52.920 for you. Can the White Sox actually win the division 0:16:53.080 --> 0:16:55.520 and we need pitching any names that make sense? 0:16:56.480 --> 0:16:58.560 Well, I don't believe Trek Skoober will be traded to 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:01.080 the White Sox in the division, and I don't believe 0:17:01.080 --> 0:17:03.520 that White Sox would pay the price for Trek school 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:08.119 Freddy Peralta will be out there, and that probably is 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:11.240 a stretch too. I would expect them to go for 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:13.840 a lower level guy now names off the top of 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:17.080 my head. Let's talk about Zach Lettel in Washington. Now, 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:19.560 he's probably not good enough for what the White Sox want, 0:17:19.720 --> 0:17:23.000 but they would want back of the rotation guys to 0:17:23.080 --> 0:17:26.239 give them innings because they have a younger group of 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:30.520 starting pitchers that come August and September might start to 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:32.840 wear down. I had a note in my column today 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:35.679 about how the only guy in their rotation who has 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:37.520 thrown more than one hundred and forty innings in a 0:17:37.600 --> 0:17:42.119 season in the majors is Eric Fatti. Now Anthony k 0:17:42.240 --> 0:17:43.960 has done it, but he did it in Japan. So 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:47.960 they could use someone simply to eat innings. I'm not 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:50.800 sure who exactly that would be. Sandy Alcantra would be 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:55.560 a great call, but maybe again too much in terms 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:59.399 of what would be required to trade him prospect wise. 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:02.639 All right, final question on Grill and Ken. Has Fernando 0:18:02.720 --> 0:18:04.520 Tatis turned a corner? 0:18:05.480 --> 0:18:08.359 Yes? And before the home run he had turned a corner. 0:18:08.920 --> 0:18:12.880 He over the last month has done really well from 0:18:13.040 --> 0:18:15.919 the standpoint of batting average and on pace percentage. No, 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:20.080 the power has not been there exactly, but compared to 0:18:20.119 --> 0:18:23.760 Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill, both of whom continue to struggle. 0:18:24.080 --> 0:18:26.919 Tatis has been a breath of fresh air. And again 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:29.959 it's been a month now at least, I think that 0:18:30.240 --> 0:18:33.840 he has really excelled offensively, just hasn't ate home runs, 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:35.760 but he did hit one yesterday and that was a 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:36.240 big one. 0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:40.600 All Right, let's crown dude and dork of the week next. 0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:42.720 All right. Before we do that, though, I wanted to 0:18:42.760 --> 0:18:46.440 talk a little bit about your game coming up Saturday, 0:18:46.520 --> 0:18:50.399 Phillies and Brewers on FS one. Phillies offense is humm 0:18:50.400 --> 0:18:52.280 and ken, but I tell you what, the Brewers are 0:18:52.320 --> 0:18:54.000 a very good team as well. I'm looking forward to 0:18:54.040 --> 0:18:54.440 this game. 0:18:55.280 --> 0:18:58.240 This is a potential playoff preview and it should be 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:00.520 a lot of fun seeing these two teams match up. 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:04.720 The Phillies obviously have played much better under Don Mattingly, 0:19:05.280 --> 0:19:09.200 but they still are a team that has serious offensive 0:19:09.280 --> 0:19:12.920 questions and it's curious to me that they're not performing 0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:16.080 better offensively. Harper's having a great year, Schwarber's having a 0:19:16.080 --> 0:19:19.320 great year, but some of the players that they expected 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:23.160 by now to be maybe star players are not at 0:19:23.160 --> 0:19:26.399 that level yet. Bombs stop those kinds of guys, but 0:19:26.520 --> 0:19:30.080 those Garcia's come on of late Trey Turner is not 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:32.920 having a good year. So yes, the Phillies are twenty 0:19:32.920 --> 0:19:35.440 eight and twelve in their first forty games under Don Mattingly. 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:38.520 As John Clark points out, there matches the best record 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:41.280 for any Phillies manager in his first forty games. But 0:19:41.520 --> 0:19:45.240 there are still some real questions with their offense. Rotation 0:19:45.440 --> 0:19:49.199 is outstanding, Duran, the end of the bullpen outstanding, but 0:19:50.160 --> 0:19:52.679 I'm wondering when the Phillies are going to hit like 0:19:52.760 --> 0:19:56.320 we think they should hit. They're an older group and 0:19:56.400 --> 0:19:59.040 maybe it's just not going to be there. But I 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:01.040 don't know. I still believe believe that if they get 0:20:01.080 --> 0:20:04.080 better outfield production in particular, and Brandon Marsh has been 0:20:04.200 --> 0:20:07.160 absolutely outstanding, but I'm talking about the rest of the outfield, 0:20:07.720 --> 0:20:11.200 then maybe we're talking about a better offense. Again, Marsh 0:20:11.720 --> 0:20:14.440 probably should be an All Star. He's been amazing. 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:17.240 And it would be at his home park in Philadelphia, 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:19.879 Citizens Bank Park. All right, seat, geek, we appreciate you 0:20:19.920 --> 0:20:22.120 being a part of the foul Territory network, and guys, 0:20:22.160 --> 0:20:24.280 we appreciate you being here. Of course, we have a 0:20:24.320 --> 0:20:27.200 code for you. You can use Territory ten for ten 0:20:27.240 --> 0:20:30.240 percent off your next set of Major League Baseball tickets 0:20:30.280 --> 0:20:33.760 at seat Geek. That's ten percent off any MLB tickets 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:37.040 with promo code Territory ten. Make sure you click the 0:20:37.080 --> 0:20:39.520 link and the description to download the app and have 0:20:39.640 --> 0:20:42.560 the code automatically added to your account so you can 0:20:42.680 --> 0:20:45.480 use it later. Again, thank you, Seat Geek. All right, 0:20:45.560 --> 0:20:47.040 let's get to our dude of the week. 0:20:47.680 --> 0:20:50.080