WEBVTT - Fair Territory: Realignment predictions, Red Sox-Yankees juice 0:00:01.840 --> 0:00:04.480 Welcome everyone to the Thursday edition of Fair Territory. I'm 0:00:04.559 --> 0:00:07.840 Ken Rosenthal here with Alana Rizzo. I am in New York. 0:00:08.000 --> 0:00:11.600 Fox has the Yankees Red Sox series opener tonight. But 0:00:11.640 --> 0:00:13.720 we're not just going to talk about the Yankees in 0:00:13.760 --> 0:00:17.079 Red Sox. We've got realignment, We've got Kyle Tucker, We've 0:00:17.079 --> 0:00:19.520 got dudes in dorks. We've got your questions as well. 0:00:19.800 --> 0:00:22.079 So Alana, greetings, I hope you're doing well. 0:00:23.200 --> 0:00:24.239 It's good to see you. 0:00:24.239 --> 0:00:27.600 You're in New York, I'm in Boston. Do we have 0:00:27.800 --> 0:00:31.760 a rivalry? I am not sure, but Ken, the rivalry returns. 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:34.400 How much juice is there with this series beginning? 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:37.760 Alana, It's a really good question, and I like the 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:40.480 way Chris Kirshner put it in The Athletic this morning. 0:00:40.520 --> 0:00:43.840 In his mailbag. He thinks that this is the most 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:46.760 meaningful meeting between the Yankees and Red Sox since the 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:50.680 twenty twenty one Wildcard game, and I would tend to agree. 0:00:50.840 --> 0:00:54.240 Both currently in wildcard position, Yankees at the top of 0:00:54.280 --> 0:00:57.240 the standings based on their recent run, and the Yankees 0:00:57.280 --> 0:00:59.840 have closed by winning seven of eight too, with a 0:01:00.480 --> 0:01:03.400 four games of the Toronto Blue Jays in the Al East, 0:01:03.560 --> 0:01:06.480 so things are heating up. The Red Sox need to 0:01:06.560 --> 0:01:09.520 kind of start getting going again. They're three to seven 0:01:09.520 --> 0:01:11.720 in the last ten, have not played well of late. 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:14.640 They've made some moves in advance of this series, some 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:19.000 pretty interesting moves. They send down Isaiah Campbell, bringing Richard Fitz. Now, 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:21.520 Richard Fitz has been a starter his whole career, but 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:23.400 it appears for now the Socks are going to use 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:25.400 him out of the bullpen at least in this series. 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:29.679 And then just today it was reported that the Socks 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:33.119 also have designated Abraham Toro for assignment. He gave them 0:01:33.160 --> 0:01:36.440 some good playing time at first base until kind of 0:01:36.440 --> 0:01:38.600 fading after the All Star break, and they've brought back 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:42.160 David Hamilton. Now, David Hamilton gives them additional speed for 0:01:42.240 --> 0:01:44.920 this series so they can pressure the Yankees. And David 0:01:44.959 --> 0:01:48.040 Hamilton also plays second base, and perhaps that will enable 0:01:48.080 --> 0:01:51.480 the Socks to move to Don Rafaela playing more in 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:55.640 center field, where he is so brilliant. Rafaela has struggled offensively. 0:01:55.760 --> 0:01:58.440 Perhaps it's related to moving back to the infield. I 0:01:58.480 --> 0:02:00.720 don't know, but this is going to be a really 0:02:00.720 --> 0:02:02.480 interesting series for sure. Alana. 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:04.520 Does it solve their issue? 0:02:04.560 --> 0:02:04.760 Though? 0:02:04.840 --> 0:02:07.480 At first base, Ken we're talking about the Boston Red Sox. 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:11.040 Obviously there was a platoon situation there between Abraham Toro 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:14.600 and romy Gonzalez, especially when you know there was a 0:02:14.680 --> 0:02:17.239 left hander on the hill. Romey Gonzalez, though, is starting 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:21.040 to play against right handers as well. Rob Refsnyder is 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:23.400 on the il. What is the plan for the Socks 0:02:23.480 --> 0:02:25.240 at first Well. 0:02:25.040 --> 0:02:28.160 The signing of Nathaniel Low changes everything for the Red Sox, 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:30.440 and that really is what led to the move with Toro. 0:02:31.200 --> 0:02:33.400 So the other night, Low at the game tying home 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:34.960 run in the ninth inning, it would have been a 0:02:35.040 --> 0:02:37.240 huge moment if the Red Sox had won that game. 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:40.160 They did not, So now going forward, they've got Low, 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:43.119 They've got Rome Gonzalez in the mixed. Roman Gonzalez also 0:02:43.200 --> 0:02:46.840 play second. Once ref Schneyder is healthy, he'll be in 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:50.200 the equation as well. What they are clearly trying to 0:02:50.240 --> 0:02:52.919 do here as we enter the final six weeks of 0:02:52.960 --> 0:02:55.600 the season is put their best team on the field, 0:02:56.040 --> 0:02:59.120 and that is the goal here and with these moves, 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:02.160 that is clearly the intention, and it's going to be 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:04.240 interesting to see the lineup tonight. It's going to be 0:03:04.240 --> 0:03:06.640 interesting to see how this plays out going forward, both 0:03:07.320 --> 0:03:10.240 at first base, at second base, and in center field. 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:12.760 There shouldn't be a both there. There's three positions, all 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:14.720 three of those positions, and. 0:03:14.680 --> 0:03:16.680 You know Roman Anthony ken is going to be in 0:03:16.720 --> 0:03:19.600 that lineup for the Red Sox, a big extension for him. 0:03:19.639 --> 0:03:22.280 He wrote about it currently in the Athletic This kid 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:25.400 is way beyond his years in terms of maturity and 0:03:25.440 --> 0:03:26.920 specifically played discipline. 0:03:27.840 --> 0:03:31.440 That's exactly what I wrote about Alana. And it's interesting 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:34.360 to me that this kid just turned twenty one in 0:03:34.440 --> 0:03:38.800 May and is unphased by everything that he has encountered 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.560 so far. And I am sure quite certain he will 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:44.400 be unphased by playing at Yankee Stadium. He's going to 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:46.960 be a centerpiece of this rivalry for the next eight 0:03:47.080 --> 0:03:50.560 or nine years at least, and Yankee fans, I'm sure 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:52.720 are going to come to dislike him. But it's hard 0:03:52.760 --> 0:03:55.000 to dislike this guy. He's kind of quiet on the field, 0:03:55.040 --> 0:04:00.000 doesn't show much emotion at all, just plays really well 0:03:59.720 --> 0:04:02.880 a really high level and yes, play discipline. In this column, 0:04:02.960 --> 0:04:06.640 I wrote Alex Cora compared him, Wait didn compare him 0:04:06.680 --> 0:04:08.360 to Barry Bonds. He said, I can't compare him to 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:11.200 Barry Bonds, but he kind of thought maybe like an 0:04:11.240 --> 0:04:15.200 early Wan Soto. And that's high praise obviously for Roman Anthony. 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:17.320 And I love the fact that you talked to Alex 0:04:17.400 --> 0:04:20.400 kra about this, and he said that when they told 0:04:20.480 --> 0:04:22.280 Roman Anthony Ken that he was going to start the 0:04:22.320 --> 0:04:24.800 season in Triple A, he shook Alex Korra's hand. He said, 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:27.240 I'll see you soon, and Alex Corr was like, I'm 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:29.359 sure you will, and sure enough, Roman Anthony had to 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:32.839 wait until June. But it's been a good change ever since. 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:36.360 Aaron Boone and Aaron Judge, what more can you tell 0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:39.320 us about the disagreement, if you will, in the throwing 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:41.000 ability of Aaron Judge right now? 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:44.000 Well, it seems that Aaron Boom when he said that 0:04:44.320 --> 0:04:47.400 Judge might not throw the way he normally throws for 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:49.680 the rest of the season, was kind of getting ahead 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:52.440 of himself, and Judge quickly corrected him. I don't know 0:04:52.440 --> 0:04:54.200 that this is going to be any issue. Those two 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:57.800 are very close. But the real question is when does 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:00.680 Aaron Judge get back into the out field. And I 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:02.599 don't know that it will happen this series. I would 0:05:02.600 --> 0:05:05.360 not be surprised if it did. He has been throwing, 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:09.480 and clearly, when you're playing with some kind of elbow issue, 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:12.200 it's going to be a little bit dicey at times. 0:05:12.240 --> 0:05:16.960 But fully, the full expectation of the Yankees, I should say, 0:05:17.120 --> 0:05:19.520 is that he will be back in right field. Then 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:22.080 you have judge and right Grisham and center, Bellinger and left. 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:24.840 That's a really good defensive outfield. And that's where the 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:25.960 Yankees are heading with this. 0:05:26.960 --> 0:05:28.640 All right, let's talk about the New York Yankees a 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:32.680 little bit more. Can their schedule stiffens beginning this weekend? Obviously, 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:34.840 the Red Socks are trying to make the postseason team. 0:05:35.200 --> 0:05:37.320 The Yankees obviously are doing the same. It's not going 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:39.159 to get much easier for them going forward. 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:45.240 It won't for this particular period, but going forward totally. 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:47.960 When you look at Fangrafts and the remaining strength of schedule, 0:05:48.040 --> 0:05:51.599 they actually have the Yankees as the easiest remaining strength 0:05:51.640 --> 0:05:53.760 of schedule based on a couple of different factors. Now, 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:56.760 other websites Alana don't have them with the easiest, but 0:05:56.839 --> 0:06:00.240 it's not that bad. And they end the season with 0:06:00.400 --> 0:06:03.279 a pretty easy schedule with a number of non contenders. 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:06.800 So the Red Sox after this series, play I believe, 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:10.680 five straight series against non contenders and they're going to 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:12.920 have some different teams that they play to that are 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:15.240 more competitive. So well the Yankees. The Yankees play each 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:19.600 of the division leaders one series each remaining this season. 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:22.919 So it's funny we talk about schedule all the time. 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:27.080 I talk about it constantly, but it really depends on 0:06:27.279 --> 0:06:30.120 which teams are playing the best at that particular time. Now, 0:06:30.160 --> 0:06:32.680 it certainly helped the Yankees to beat up on these 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:35.520 three sellers as they did in these last three series, 0:06:35.560 --> 0:06:38.480 but they've got to play well to win games. We 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:41.760 know that. We've seen that with them, So that really 0:06:41.880 --> 0:06:46.159 is their challenge here to play at a high crisp level, 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:49.279 something that they haven't always done, regardless of who the 0:06:49.279 --> 0:06:49.960 opponent is. 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:52.599 Yeah, no question about that. It's going to be interesting 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:55.039 to see how many teams in the Al East can 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:58.200 get into the postseason. As far as that picture is concerned, 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:02.039 Let's talk about another topic here, unfair territory with Ken Rosenthal, 0:07:02.120 --> 0:07:04.680 where there is a lot to unpack, and that is 0:07:04.920 --> 0:07:07.760 realignment and a lot of folks have been talking about 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:09.840 this ken for a long time. 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:13.760 What is the latest. The latest day is Rob Manford 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:16.640 went on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball and of course talked 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:20.360 about the possibility of expansion, which would lead to realignment. 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:23.920 Now it's important to note as Jason Starke did this 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:27.320 morning in The Athletic in a really good article that 0:07:27.400 --> 0:07:30.680 gave a lot of context to the situation. Basically, Jason 0:07:30.720 --> 0:07:34.239 starts by saying this isn't close. None of it is close, 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:37.440 not expansion, not realignment, and not, as he mentions here, 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:40.640 the possibility of the schedule shrinking. And Jason makes some 0:07:40.800 --> 0:07:44.240 very good points in that article about why the schedule 0:07:44.320 --> 0:07:48.240 could shrink if the sport indeed goes to thirty two teams, 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:52.400 That too, is a discussion to come. But the realignment 0:07:52.440 --> 0:07:55.960 conversation is one that got fans really excited or I 0:07:55.960 --> 0:08:00.520 would say intrigued, because obviously it would lead to major implations. 0:08:00.960 --> 0:08:04.400 It might lead to the sport looking unlike the way 0:08:04.440 --> 0:08:06.960 it has looked for quite some time now. So there 0:08:06.960 --> 0:08:09.040 have been a couple of proposals thrown out there. Let's 0:08:09.080 --> 0:08:12.520 get into them, all right. 0:08:12.560 --> 0:08:15.560 So if you think about the proposal from Jim Bowden, 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:19.000 two years ago. Let's look at that one first, because again, 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:21.040 this has been talked about for quite some time, and 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:24.200 there's a bunch of realignment when it comes to where 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:28.440 teams are going. But moreover, where are the new teams going. 0:08:28.240 --> 0:08:29.200 To be housed? Right? 0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:31.320 Is it going to be Nashville? Is it going to 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:34.440 be Charlotte? Like, that's a whole other picture too, in 0:08:34.520 --> 0:08:36.680 terms of another piece of this puzzle. 0:08:36.760 --> 0:08:40.320 Can a lot? It sure is, And you make a 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:42.600 great point, we don't even know who the expansion teams 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:45.400 are yet. Is it Charlotte? Is at Nashville in the east? 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:47.720 Is it Salt Lake City? Is it Portland in the west? 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:51.160 Are there other cities that are perhaps in the mix 0:08:51.200 --> 0:08:53.959 that we don't even think about or haven't even considered yet. 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:57.480 I don't believe so. But all of this will depend 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:01.599 on where those expansion teams end up. Games proposal, what 0:09:01.760 --> 0:09:04.960 he brought about a couple of years ago, basically is 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:08.760 done purely on geography and natural rivalries. So you see, 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:12.120 the Midwest division would have the Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, 0:09:12.160 --> 0:09:14.640 and the Twins. They're all rivals. Even the Brewers and 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:19.840 the Twins have a rivalry. Southwest Astros Royals, Cardinals, Rangers, 0:09:20.040 --> 0:09:23.160 Pacific Coast down that Rockies don't belong on this Pacific coast, 0:09:23.200 --> 0:09:27.520 but it doesn't always work perfectly. Colorado, the Athletics wherever 0:09:27.559 --> 0:09:31.360 they might be, Seattle, San Francisco. Then the Western Division Arizona, 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:34.240 the Angels, the Dodgers, and the Padres. That makes a 0:09:34.280 --> 0:09:36.760 ton of sense. And then you go to the East. 0:09:37.320 --> 0:09:40.800 This would be an amazing division. The Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:46.120 and Phillies, the North Reds, Guardians, Tigers, Blue Jays, and 0:09:46.120 --> 0:09:49.320 you see the others as well. Mid Atlantic with the Orioles, Charlotte. 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:54.480 Perhaps maybe it's Nashville, Pittsburgh and Washington, and the Southeast Atlanta, Nashville, 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:56.800 Tampa Bay and Miami. Another one that makes a lot 0:09:56.840 --> 0:10:01.520 of geographic sense. Now that's that's an interesting proposal, no 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:04.079 question about it. But what I liked a little bit 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:08.640 better because it kept the leagues kind of more intact, 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:12.640 was what Stephen Nesbit suggested in the Athletics the other day. Now, 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:16.040 what Stephen doesn't have that Jim does are the Mets 0:10:16.040 --> 0:10:18.760 and Yankees and the Dodgers and Angels and all those 0:10:18.800 --> 0:10:21.920 teams necessarily in the same divisions. He did it more 0:10:22.040 --> 0:10:24.400 like the way the leagues are currently constructed. I'm not 0:10:24.400 --> 0:10:25.880 going to read all the names here, but you can 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:29.600 see them. And in the East, for example, he doesn't 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:32.400 have the Mets and Yankees together, but he has the Mets, Phillies, Pirates, 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:35.840 and Nationals. And then another example for him that would 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:39.680 be interesting would be in the West the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Padres, 0:10:39.720 --> 0:10:42.600 and Giants. No Angels, but you have the four natural 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:46.040 remaining n L West rivals. It's sort of the same 0:10:46.240 --> 0:10:48.680 in the American League the way Steven has it laid 0:10:48.720 --> 0:10:51.680 out East kind of preserved the way it is now 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:54.640 without Tampa Bay, every other team is in there. And 0:10:54.679 --> 0:10:57.720 in the West it's a little bit different. The A's 0:10:57.800 --> 0:11:00.960 wherever they might be, the Angels, saw Lake City or Portland, 0:11:00.960 --> 0:11:03.160 plus the Mariners, and you can see the North and 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:06.120 South divisions there too. Now the question is going to 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:09.200 be if this all comes to pass, and again we're 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:11.320 not close yet. We're not close to expansion, we're not 0:11:11.320 --> 0:11:14.520 close to realignment. But if it does come to pass, 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:20.199 then at that point Rob Manford, whoever is Commissioner of 0:11:20.240 --> 0:11:22.720 Baseball at that point, will have to decide, Okay, do 0:11:22.760 --> 0:11:24.920 we want to sort of preserve the leagues or do 0:11:24.960 --> 0:11:28.680 we want to go just pure geography and natural rivalries. 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:32.280 That's the decision. But again, we're talking about something that 0:11:32.360 --> 0:11:34.080 is years away. A lot of fun for us to 0:11:34.120 --> 0:11:36.880 talk about, no question, but we're not there yet. 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:40.640 Okay, do you have a different opinion or different solution? 0:11:40.840 --> 0:11:43.079 Do you or do you have a preference and how 0:11:43.120 --> 0:11:46.520 important is it to you, Ken Rosenthal to preserve the rivalries. 0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:50.680 I don't have a preference. I would lean a little 0:11:50.720 --> 0:11:53.560 bit toward Nesbitz, but I understand Boden's And I understand 0:11:53.600 --> 0:11:56.200 Bodens because if you're a met Yankee fan, if you're 0:11:56.240 --> 0:11:58.720 a White Sox Cubs fan, if you're a Dodgers Angels fan, 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:00.719 you want to see those teams and you want to 0:12:00.720 --> 0:12:02.960 see them in the same division. I assume not everyone 0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:06.600 would agree. No one ever agrees entirely on anything, but 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:09.920 that would be the appeal of Jim's proposal. I kind 0:12:09.960 --> 0:12:13.160 of lean towards Stevens a little bit, and that's where 0:12:13.160 --> 0:12:14.760 I am with it. I don't have my own proposal. 0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:17.360 I've not sat around thinking about this too much, but 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:20.760 it is cool to imagine what might be and then 0:12:20.760 --> 0:12:23.960 of course, if you have a reduced schedule, as Jason 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:26.640 suggests this morning, what would be the point of that, Well, 0:12:26.880 --> 0:12:29.840 mathematically it might work better with thirty two teams, and 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:32.640 the other point would be more playoffs. I don't know 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:34.920 that we need more playoffs. I don't know that Baseball 0:12:34.920 --> 0:12:35.839 agrees with me on that. 0:12:36.520 --> 0:12:37.920 Yeah, they're going to have to find a way to 0:12:37.920 --> 0:12:40.120 make up the revenue if it is only one hundred 0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:44.720 and fifty four game regular season, so perhaps expanded playoffs 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:46.640 are the play I do think it's funny, though, that 0:12:46.679 --> 0:12:49.280 Colorado would be in the Pacific Coast Division if it 0:12:49.360 --> 0:12:52.400 were to be new divisions, because some would argue Ken Rosenthal, 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:55.400 me not you, that Colorado doesn't even belong in Major 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:56.120 League Baseball. 0:12:56.200 --> 0:13:01.720 Okay, boom boom, we don't have relegations. If we ever 0:13:01.760 --> 0:13:03.079 get your relation. 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:05.640 Maybe yeah, although they have taken two of three so 0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:08.359 far from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that's for another conversation. 0:13:08.520 --> 0:13:11.320 All right, get your questions in for Grill and Ken. 0:13:11.360 --> 0:13:15.600 It's fair territory continues here on all of our different networks. 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:17.480 We appreciate it. We're going to take a quick break 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:20.160 and we'll be right back ft FAM. 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:24.160 When you're playing games, you kind of have some stress anxiety. 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:27.719 Teammates need somebody something to help. Now it's at your 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:29.000 fingertips with Rula. 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:32.120 That's right. 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Head on over 0:13:59.240 --> 0:14:01.760 to rula dot com slash foal to get started today. 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:03.680 After you sign up, they ask you where you heard 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:06.640 about them. Please say that ft sent you there to 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:09.720 support the show, but also worry about yourself here at 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:14.000 ruleer dot com, r u la dot com slash foul 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:16.720 and take the first step towards better mental health today. 0:14:16.920 --> 0:14:20.040 You deserve quality care from someone who cares. 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:26.040 All right. 0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:28.080 Time now for Grill and Ken, the first one comes 0:14:28.080 --> 0:14:31.280 from Armand. We always appreciate the conversation and the questions, 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:34.360 which National League team do you trust? Believe in more 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:37.560 Ken to clinch the third wildcard spot. He's putting you 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:40.200 on the spot, either the Mets or the Reds. I 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:42.960 don't trust and believe in my Mets. Armond is obviously 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:43.760 a big Met fan. 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:48.200 Armand might have a point. Now. The Mets lead the 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:51.760 Reds by one game for the final wildcard spot. If 0:14:51.760 --> 0:14:54.440 you had to pick this based on starting pitching, you 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:58.360 would pick the Reds Winter Green, Lindolo, everything that they 0:14:58.440 --> 0:15:02.320 have Andrew Abbott. That's a stronger rotation than the Mets 0:15:02.360 --> 0:15:05.640 are offering right now. Single last night again not great, 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:09.480 and David Peterson really has been their only consistent starter. Now, 0:15:09.520 --> 0:15:12.840 perhaps Norm McClain, will Nolan McClain not Norm, will give 0:15:12.880 --> 0:15:15.400 them something that they've been looking for, and perhaps they'll 0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:17.440 bring up some of their younger prospects as well in 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:22.440 addition to McLain to kind of fortify themselves. But they 0:15:22.440 --> 0:15:23.960 still have the lead. They don't have as good a 0:15:24.040 --> 0:15:26.360 run differential as the Reds. For whatever that is worth. 0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:30.120 I just trust that their players, their position players. In 0:15:30.160 --> 0:15:32.920 the end will carry them, but I'm not convinced of that. 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:36.360 And the Reds rotation is dangerous, and if the Reds 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:39.400 get in, they're dangerous for that reason. And their offense 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:42.760 has been a little bit better of late, so armand 0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:44.800 I would say that I cannot give you words of 0:15:44.920 --> 0:15:47.200 comfort here. I'm not so sure this is going to 0:15:47.240 --> 0:15:49.320 go exactly the way the Mets want it. 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:52.360 Is that the biggest collapse in your opinion of the season, 0:15:52.440 --> 0:15:56.320 ken considering if they don't make the postseason, considering all 0:15:56.360 --> 0:15:59.600 that was put into in the offseason, obviously Wan Soo, 0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:01.360 all of the different things. I mean, that would be 0:16:01.360 --> 0:16:02.480 an epic fail, would it not? 0:16:03.560 --> 0:16:06.080 It would? And in fact, my friend Joel Sherman and 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:09.600 your friend as well, Alana, wrote a column recently basically 0:16:09.640 --> 0:16:12.640 asking the question, would this be the most disappointing Mets 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:15.880 season in history? Now there's some competition there for most 0:16:15.880 --> 0:16:19.160 disappointing season in Met's history, but the mere fact that 0:16:19.240 --> 0:16:22.560 Joel would be asking that question in Juan Soto's first 0:16:22.640 --> 0:16:24.560 year with the team and a year when they've resigned 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:28.720 Pete Alonzo, that is troubling alone. And we'll see what 0:16:28.760 --> 0:16:33.680 happens here. I still expect the Mets big players Alonzo, Sodo, Lindor, 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:36.600 et cetera, to step up, and certainly the loss of 0:16:36.680 --> 0:16:39.480 Alvarez for however long it is behind the plate, hurts them. 0:16:40.800 --> 0:16:43.000 I just see their position club as being stronger than 0:16:43.000 --> 0:16:45.000 the Reds, and that's the question I have with the Reds. 0:16:45.040 --> 0:16:47.840 Will they score enough to support that rotation? Now? 0:16:47.880 --> 0:16:49.560 The fact that the Reds are even in the conversation 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:51.240 is fun. I'm not certain that I would have put 0:16:51.240 --> 0:16:54.400 the Reds in the postseason picture. Good for Cincinnati. Another 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:57.720 question on Grill and Ken in regards to realignment. Of course, 0:16:57.760 --> 0:16:59.520 a lot of folks want to talk about this because 0:16:59.520 --> 0:17:03.080 it's been a topic of conversation for some time. Bernie Suarez, 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:05.919 in what world would it make sense to have the 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:10.080 Dodgers and Giants in different divisions, preserving those rivalries? Bernie 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:10.560 wants to. 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:14.199 Know, Bernie, not my world that I don't believe in 0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:16.880 Alana's world either would that makes sense. So I don't 0:17:16.880 --> 0:17:19.800 know which proposal had that, but I hear you, man, 0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:24.119 and certainly the balance here. The trick here, if we 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:26.960 ever get to this point, will be for major League 0:17:27.000 --> 0:17:31.240 Baseball to preserve what is good Dodgers, Giants, Dodgers Padres 0:17:31.280 --> 0:17:35.000 for that matter, while still doing this realignment, which basically 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:38.720 is all revolving around geography anyway, So why would you 0:17:38.760 --> 0:17:41.760 not have the Dodgers, Giants, Padres, and Diamondbacks all playing 0:17:41.800 --> 0:17:45.320 each other. I would rather have that than Dodgers' Angels, 0:17:45.359 --> 0:17:48.119 for instance, in the same division. So I'm with you 0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:50.200 on that. Put it that way, I agree. 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:52.280 I think the rivalries are important for the sport and 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:55.440 obviously just for the history of this great game of ours. 0:17:55.480 --> 0:17:58.040 Next question on Grill and Ken is from Craig Osterberg. 0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:02.520 Appreciate you, Craig, Well, pitching or decide these divisional races. 0:18:02.720 --> 0:18:06.320 That's a good one, asking a general question here, and 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:09.080 it's a good one. I'm not exactly sure how you 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:12.920 can break down each one along these lines, because I'm 0:18:12.920 --> 0:18:16.560 sure pitching will decide some. It may decide the NL 0:18:16.600 --> 0:18:18.679 wild Card, for instance, as we just discussed, and I 0:18:18.720 --> 0:18:21.880 would imagine hitting will decide some others. For instance, if 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:24.919 the Yankees slug their way to the Aleast title and 0:18:25.000 --> 0:18:27.639 the Blue Jays don't start playing better again, that could happen. 0:18:27.680 --> 0:18:30.560 A lot of things gonna happen, So I'm not exactly 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:34.640 sure how to answer that, but basically, put it this way, 0:18:34.960 --> 0:18:36.720 the team with the best combination is going to be 0:18:36.760 --> 0:18:37.720 a really good shape. 0:18:38.119 --> 0:18:39.600 Who do you think has the best combination? 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:45.040 Milwaukee has had a good combination, There's no doubt about that. 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:48.880 And they're pitching, in my view from a national standpoint, 0:18:48.880 --> 0:18:52.000 gets a little overlooked at times because we all dwell 0:18:52.040 --> 0:18:54.200 on their offense and the cool things that they do, 0:18:54.320 --> 0:18:58.000 the way they generate and manufacture runs. But if they 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:00.200 get mis going again and he struggled a little litle 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:04.840 bit yesterday again, then there will be a formidable combination 0:19:05.040 --> 0:19:07.520 for sure. And then you look at the Phillies as well. 0:19:07.800 --> 0:19:11.520 The Phillies had an incredible offensive series against Seattle. Trey 0:19:11.600 --> 0:19:15.480 Turner is ridiculously hot, seven straight three hit games. Match 0:19:15.480 --> 0:19:18.560 Gel wrote about that today in The Athletic and the Phillies, 0:19:18.600 --> 0:19:22.240 even without Wheeler, if Ranger Suarez pitches the way he 0:19:22.240 --> 0:19:24.920 did the other night, if Christopher Sanchez keeps it up, 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:30.000 you have the makings of a dynamic playoff rotation with Lozardo, 0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:33.800 with Aaron Nola possibly getting back in things too. So 0:19:34.160 --> 0:19:36.280 they've got some possibilities there. They're going to be an 0:19:36.280 --> 0:19:37.560 interesting team in the playoffs. 0:19:37.840 --> 0:19:40.000 Man, the National League is so interesting because there's so 0:19:40.040 --> 0:19:41.920 many good teams. You just don't know which way it's 0:19:41.960 --> 0:19:44.520 going to go. I think a definite easier path is 0:19:44.600 --> 0:19:46.920 in the junior circuit. All right, much more to come 0:19:46.960 --> 0:19:49.760 here on Fair Territory with Ken Rosenthal. We appreciate the 0:19:49.840 --> 0:19:52.640 questions on Grill and Ken, but next we are talking 0:19:52.840 --> 0:19:54.360 dude and dork of the week. 0:19:54.480 --> 0:19:58.359 Right after this, Okay, Kratz. I opened up Arena Club, 0:19:58.520 --> 0:20:01.399 put my own money in there, and I wasn't gonna 0:20:01.400 --> 0:20:01.720 go big. 0:20:01.760 --> 0:20:01.919 I know. 0:20:01.960 --> 0:20:04.320