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Speaker 1: What's up everybody. Welcome to another edition of Crush City

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Speaker 1: Territory on Channel Room, joined by Tyler Stafford, where we

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Speaker 1: have created a safe space for everyone. You do not

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Speaker 1: have to watch CJ. Stroud throw the football, You do

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Speaker 1: not have to watch Damiko Ryan's coach like a coward.

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Speaker 1: We can just sit here and talk about the Houston

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Speaker 1: Astros for the next thirty five or forty minutes. Pitchers

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Speaker 1: and catchers are going to report on February tenth, Tyler,

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Speaker 1: which is a date that I think a lot of

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Speaker 1: people became more familiar with on Sunday after watching whatever

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Speaker 1: it is the Texans did in New England.

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Speaker 2: That was It's not fun. I've been hyping up Olivia

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Speaker 2: all year about football. We were watching the Champion or

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Speaker 2: you know, the divisional rounds on Saturday, and you're the

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Speaker 2: Broncos Bills game. She was like, do they play Astros

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Speaker 2: in the rain, because she calls all sports astros. And

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Speaker 2: I was like, well, yeah, they actually do play football

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Speaker 2: on the rain and sometimes in the snow. The Texans

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Speaker 2: are gonna play in the snow tomorrow. And then I

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Speaker 2: shouldn't have said that because then she was like, it's

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Speaker 2: gonna snow tomorrow, Like she was psyched, and I had

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Speaker 2: to explain like the concept of an away game and

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Speaker 2: that it wouldn't be here and all this stuff, and

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Speaker 2: so poor girl was just enjoying her live Saturday and

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Speaker 2: thought it was gonna snow the next day and then

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Speaker 2: had to watch that Texans game. It was. It was brutal.

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Speaker 2: That was not fun. I didn't enjoy any bit of that.

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Speaker 2: Thanks for bringing it up again. But you know, for

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Speaker 2: the next two weeks, I'm gonna check in on these

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Speaker 2: Rockets here. We have a tall fella. I'm gonna check

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Speaker 2: out that team for a bit and then onto baseball.

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Speaker 1: I went to the Rockets game on Friday. They played

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Speaker 1: the Tea Wolves, and Kadi, who is thirty seven years old,

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Speaker 1: dropped forty on the second night of a back to

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Speaker 1: back after playing like thirty nine minutes the night before.

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Speaker 1: He is a freak, just an absolute freak.

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Speaker 2: It's so weird because when you're a kid, you hear

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Speaker 2: like the age thing and you don't like that doesn't

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Speaker 2: mean anything to you. When you're like fifteen and you're

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Speaker 2: watching your favorite sport as a thirty three year old man,

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Speaker 2: it's insane to me that there are people older than

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Speaker 2: me playing sports because I can't move. I'm so tired

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Speaker 2: all the time. My body hurts just from living. I

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Speaker 2: can't imagine trying to play a sport for a living.

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Speaker 2: These people are freaks. Complimentary in parentheses in a good way,

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Speaker 2: but yeah, I don't understand it one bit. I'll tell

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Speaker 2: you one thing, though. You cannot pay me enough money

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Speaker 2: to be a punt returner. That seems like the worst

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Speaker 2: job in the world. It's so scary every time. I'm

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Speaker 2: just I'm biting my nails every time there's a kick.

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Speaker 2: No thank you, I'm not interested that. And catcher, no chance.

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Speaker 2: Could you pay me enough money to be a catcher?

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Speaker 2: Absolutely not.

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Speaker 1: And if the Texans had even seen a little bit

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Speaker 1: more of the Patriots punt return they probably win the game.

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Speaker 1: Mm hmm. Instead they decided to just give the ball

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Speaker 1: to them.

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Speaker 2: You don't get to bring your down energy in here

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Speaker 2: of these other sports. I have to pretend to be

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Speaker 2: a little objective on this podcast about the Astros. I

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Speaker 2: don't have to pretend for the other sports. I just

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Speaker 2: thought that was miserable.

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Speaker 1: I just sung Kevin Durant's praises for a minute. He's incredible.

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Speaker 1: Go watch the Rockets like Emoudoka is, like, I like

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Speaker 1: watching that guy coach. Now he's not going to punt

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Speaker 1: the ball with five minutes left and one time out

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Speaker 1: in a do or die elimination game with your quarterback

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Speaker 1: playing like trash. But I digress. Don't tell Olivia that

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Speaker 1: it could snow. It could snow this weekend in Houston.

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Speaker 1: Don't know. I don't want to know that because.

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Speaker 2: I'm excited, I hope. So she asked me almost every

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Speaker 2: day when is it gonna snow here? And because she

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Speaker 2: saw it, you know, last year, and I had to

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Speaker 2: explain to her, like, girl, I've lived here my whole

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Speaker 2: life and it snowed like three times. Don't get your

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Speaker 2: hopes up. She's always ask me, what when's it gonna snow?

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Speaker 2: When can we go to the mountains. I'm like, look,

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Speaker 2: I'm sorry, babe, you you have been born into the

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Speaker 2: wrong family. As much as I would love to be

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Speaker 2: in the snow and in the mountains every day, uh,

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Speaker 2: I'm not getting paid enough to live out there. So

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Speaker 2: we're gonna We're gonna live with what we got.

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Speaker 1: You know, maybe as this podcast continues to grow, maybe

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Speaker 1: well maybe we'll get to a point where you guys

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Speaker 1: can move to breck. Well, Red's got a Red's got

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Speaker 1: an extra room, like he's got probably an extra house.

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Speaker 2: How hard can it be? Just let me let me

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Speaker 2: I'll leave when you come in. I'll go to a

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Speaker 2: hotel for two weeks. That's fine, I can. I can

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Speaker 2: save the money that way.

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Speaker 1: Do it. Well, we'll ask Josh and we have him

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Speaker 1: on at the end of this week. Not we can

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Speaker 1: start talking about what the podcast is about now. Not

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Speaker 1: much going on in terms of the Astros since we

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Speaker 1: last talked. Kyle Tucker became very rich, not that he

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Speaker 1: wasn't rich before, he became much richer since the last

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Speaker 1: time we talked. Well, we'll table that for a couple

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Speaker 1: of minutes, because I know there's people that have a

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Speaker 1: lot of visceral reactions to what happened there. They always say,

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Speaker 1: don't bury the leads. So I guess to begin, I'll

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Speaker 1: give you a little bit just in the last few days,

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Speaker 1: having conversations with people that would know, I'll let you

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Speaker 1: know a little bit about what I'm hearing about trades,

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Speaker 1: about kind of what the astros are up to, what

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Speaker 1: they're doing. I don't know that I went to this

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Speaker 1: level before, but I'm willing to go here now. I'm

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Speaker 1: to the point where I would be surprised if the

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Speaker 1: Astros do not trade from their infield surplus. That is

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Speaker 1: one thing that I have gathered. I again, in this business,

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Speaker 1: in baseball and this kind of stuff, you never speak

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Speaker 1: in any absolutes, and just in general, speaking in absolutes

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Speaker 1: is dangerous. So I'm not going to sit here and

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Speaker 1: guarantee anything, but just all the conversations I have had,

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Speaker 1: I would be surprised if the Astros break came up

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Speaker 1: in West Palm Beach with their current situation on the infield.

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Speaker 1: As I've said before and as we've talked about on here,

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Speaker 1: their preference is not to trade Esak Paratus. They do

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Speaker 1: not want to trade him. They have a high price

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Speaker 1: to move him. But they are listening as they should.

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Speaker 1: It would be a dereliction of duty for them not

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Speaker 1: to listen. Christian Walker continues to exist. He continues to

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Speaker 1: have forty million dollars left on the two years of

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Speaker 1: his contract. I've heard that there is some interest. I

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Speaker 1: don't think it's a situation where they are crickets where

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Speaker 1: there's nothing being No one's calling on him. I think

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Speaker 1: they've had some teams check in, but it's going to

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Speaker 1: come down to how much of the money are these

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Speaker 1: other teams going to pay, And I don't think they're

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Speaker 1: anywhere close to where they could pull that off in

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Speaker 1: terms of money wise, in terms of how much the

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Speaker 1: other team would take on things of that nature. So,

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Speaker 1: like I said before, with Walker, I think as the

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Speaker 1: eason gets or as spring training gets closer, and as

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Speaker 1: some of these free are the few free agent hitters

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Speaker 1: that remain as they start to come off the board,

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Speaker 1: and maybe as there is a resolution with Esac Karatas

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Speaker 1: whether they move him or don't, then you could see

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Speaker 1: some teams maybe increase their interest in Christian Walker. But

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Speaker 1: as of this point, I'm willing to say I would

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Speaker 1: be surprised if the Astros do not trade from their

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Speaker 1: surplus on the infield.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, I mean, look, if you're trading Walker, it's

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Speaker 2: because you've decided you want to keep Pards and you're

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Speaker 2: just gonna pay money to not have Walker on you.

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Speaker 2: You're not going to get anything back for Christian Walker

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Speaker 2: unless you're pairing it with you know, other pieces or whatever.

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Speaker 2: But I mean, as far as trade value. Christian Walker

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Speaker 2: has negative trade value. He is he's being paid too

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Speaker 2: much money for what he's worth, and so if you're

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Speaker 2: trying to trade him, you're not going to get back

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Speaker 2: another player unless you are willing to give more than

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Speaker 2: what you know you're just giving up for Chris. You'd

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Speaker 2: have to pay down quite a bit of that salary,

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Speaker 2: which obviously the Astros are capable of doing that. That's

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Speaker 2: not like out of the question. But then it becomes

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Speaker 2: a question of, well, do you want to pay down

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Speaker 2: all this salary just to get it to like neutral

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Speaker 2: so you can just pay for the privilege of not

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Speaker 2: having Christian Walker on your team, or do you want

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Speaker 2: to take Yasok Prates, who has surplus value, who is

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Speaker 2: being paid less than what he is worth, trade him

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Speaker 2: and maybe try to improve your team and roll the

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Speaker 2: dice with Christian Walker. Because again, look, Christian Walker was

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Speaker 2: just objectively take out the take out the money he

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Speaker 2: was being paid. I mean, he he was worth essentially

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Speaker 2: nothing for the He just didn't he was just there

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Speaker 2: for the Astros. Baseball Reference has him had point two

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Speaker 2: war He was just under one hundred ops plus, so

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Speaker 2: he's just under a league average hitter. You know, he

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Speaker 2: had a little bit of defensive value. You know, obviously

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Speaker 2: if you watch him, he's a very good defender, but

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Speaker 2: he's a very good defender at first base, which doesn't

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Speaker 2: really count.

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Speaker 1: So I will say Tyler, like, I did not agree

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Speaker 1: with this, given that I watched him for one hundred

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Speaker 1: and fifty four games. But the metrics.

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Speaker 2: Hated the metrics, and especially with the Astros in particular,

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Speaker 2: the metrics are always weird just because of the way

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Speaker 2: that they position infielders and things like that. Like I

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Speaker 2: don't I don't care about Like, if you have eyes,

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Speaker 2: you know that Christian Walker is a good defender.

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Speaker 1: I'm not.

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Speaker 2: And if you're trading with other Major League Baseball general managers,

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Speaker 2: they are also aware that that he's a good defender.

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Speaker 2: But you're not gonna you're not dumping twenty million dollars

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Speaker 2: for a you know, good defensive first baseman. That's just

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Speaker 2: you know whatever. So yeah, tell us what's gonna happen.

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Speaker 2: Just tell us you you already know. I know you're

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Speaker 2: just hiding it from everyone. You've already heard what the

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Speaker 2: trade is going to be in a week. Just just

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Speaker 2: tell us what's going to happen where is the estoc

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Speaker 2: parade's going? Is it going to the Red Sox? Who

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Speaker 2: are we getting back? When's it going to happen? Quit

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Speaker 2: lying to us? What is it?

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Speaker 1: I mean you do know that. If I knew that,

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Speaker 1: I would tell you, like I think.

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Speaker 2: You're rehire famously. Just you're just trying to trick us. Uh,

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Speaker 2: Just what's going to happen.

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Speaker 1: Until the Red Sox do something, Until the Red Sox

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Speaker 1: respond to the loss of Alex Bragman, which they signed

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Speaker 1: Ranger Swarez a day later. But that's a picture. Until

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Speaker 1: they do something on the position player side to address

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Speaker 1: Alex Bragman going to the Cubs, it is going to remain.

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Speaker 1: There's gonna be speculation and there's going to be some

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Speaker 1: real traction. You know, the Red Sox are interesting e

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Speaker 1: sock parade. This is something that Ken Rosendaal and I

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Speaker 1: reported in November. It remains true. Now I would push

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Speaker 1: back a little bit. I know I'm gonna I'm gonna

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Speaker 1: say this. I say this at the beginning of every

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Speaker 1: off season, and I say this at the beginning when

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Speaker 1: the trade deadline starts to heat up. Be very careful

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Speaker 1: who you believe, Be very careful what you see on

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Speaker 1: social media, check the accounts. If they don't do it

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Speaker 1: for a living, if their paycheck doesn't depend on getting

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Speaker 1: things right, maybe look elsewhere. But I do know that

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Speaker 1: there was some scuttle butt, or at least it was

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Speaker 1: put into my timeline that you know, talks for ramping

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Speaker 1: up and they were close, and that is not true.

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Speaker 1: They you know, look, the Red Sox may have re

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Speaker 1: engaged and checked in after Bregman officially went to Chicago,

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Speaker 1: but there is nothing close. There is nothing, you know,

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Speaker 1: imminent that this has not accelerated anything it you know,

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Speaker 1: as we talk now on January nineteenth at eight twenty

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Speaker 1: five pm, nothing is close. There are other teams, not

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Speaker 1: name the Red Sox that have inquired on Eastock Paradus.

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Speaker 1: I'd be lying if I say I know who they are,

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Speaker 1: but I do know that there have been other teams.

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Speaker 1: What the Astros are intrigued by. But from the Red Sox.

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Speaker 1: Is there surplus of young outfielders. I know we talked

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Speaker 1: about Jared Duran here. I think Jared Duran, you know,

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Speaker 1: certainly on paper profiles what the Astros would need. I

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Speaker 1: would also offer you will you're a bray, you will

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Speaker 1: your a bray You is somebody that they know a

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Speaker 1: lot better than Jared Duran. Will You're a Brady was

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Speaker 1: also not making any money. He's making basically the league minimum.

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Speaker 1: He is not an arbitration yet. Jared Duran is making

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Speaker 1: about seven million this year. Will Your a brad You

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Speaker 1: has won a Gold Glove before in right field. He

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Speaker 1: is better defensively than Jared Duran. Jared Duran's probably got

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Speaker 1: a little higher offensive floor. Will You a Brady is

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Speaker 1: a younger player with more control. I would offer you,

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Speaker 1: will You're a bray You as somebody that maybe intrigues

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Speaker 1: them a little bit more. Again not I don't want

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Speaker 1: this to go out there as they're gonna trade e

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Speaker 1: sock Paraders for will you are a brain You? And it's

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Speaker 1: like no, no, no, no, no no. But in discussions,

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Speaker 1: this is some some stuff I've heard. Now. Obviously the

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Speaker 1: Ashers are very familiar with Willia or bra You. They

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Speaker 1: traded him along with another guy I forgot who him,

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Speaker 1: blanking on his name for Christian Vasquez at the twenty

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Speaker 1: twenty two trade deadline. The name will come to me

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Speaker 1: at some point. But you know, if Jim Crane and

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Speaker 1: Dusty Baker didn't team to veto the Wilson Contreris for

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Speaker 1: Jose Erkeuti trade that deadline. Well, you're a Brady will

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Speaker 1: you be playing right field for the Houston Astros right now?

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Speaker 1: An Emmanuel Valdez, Yes, that is who he got traded

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Speaker 1: alongside for two months of Christian Vasquez, who I can

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Speaker 1: confirm the Ashers have expressed interest in Christian Vasquez to

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Speaker 1: come be their backup catcher.

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Speaker 2: Who's still quarantine.

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Speaker 1: I forgot who with Minnesota Twins. He got two years

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Speaker 1: and fourteen million dollars, which is already I assume is starting.

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Speaker 1: They've got Ryan Jeffers, They've got He'll. I think his

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Speaker 1: role is going to be a little bit like it

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Speaker 1: was here, maybe a little more playing time in Minnesota

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Speaker 1: because they're not going to really try to win this year.

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Speaker 1: They don't have a great They have Joe, Ryan and

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Speaker 1: Byron Buckston and a bunch of guys you've never heard of,

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Speaker 1: So not really sure how much they're going to be

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Speaker 1: focused on winning. But yeah, good for Victor. Karattini got

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Speaker 1: a raise. As we talked about here, a good bit.

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Speaker 1: The Astros were always interested in the reunion, but they

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Speaker 1: knew that he was going to get more lucrative offers,

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Speaker 1: and you know, I'm sure the Twins probably did pitch

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Speaker 1: him on a little bit more playing time because you know,

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Speaker 1: they did give him a raise. He got a two

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Speaker 1: million dollar total raise. He signed with the Ashers two

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Speaker 1: years twelve million. He got two for fourteen from the Twins,

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Speaker 1: so he did get a raise after two of the

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Speaker 1: best seasons of his career. So congratulations to Victor Karattini.

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Speaker 1: But the Ashers will turn their attention looking elsewhere. They've

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Speaker 1: expressed interest in Christian Vasquez. I'm sure they're in on

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Speaker 1: some other guys too. They've got Carlos Perez as an

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Speaker 1: NRI in the camp. He's got some big league time,

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Speaker 1: but he's thirty five years old, hadn't played the big

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Speaker 1: leagues twenty three, so they need a veteran to come

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Speaker 1: in and give some competition to Casar salas Are. You know,

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Speaker 1: they're worried about overexposing Casar salas Are at the major

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Speaker 1: league level, and he's out of minor league options too,

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Speaker 1: so if it doesn't they need to prepare for the

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Speaker 1: the inevitability with salas Are that if they do carry

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Speaker 1: him then it doesn't go well, and they need like

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Speaker 1: to give another they can't just send him a triple A.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, that's that's the gist, that's what's going on

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Speaker 1: right now. But I do think Tyler, what's interesting is

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Speaker 1: the fact that they are so intrigued by the Red

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Speaker 1: Sox surplus of outfielders does kind of underscore the volatility

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Speaker 1: of their outfield as currently constructed, the Astros outfield, And

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Speaker 1: we'll talk about why that is right after this message

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Speaker 1: from our friends of ol Territory.

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Speaker 3: Nobody likes a bloated cell phone bill. It can consume you,

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Speaker 3: it can take over, it can be very annoying. So

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Speaker 3: I know that twenty twenty five ended Crafts and that's

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Speaker 3: when you have your end of your sales, but there

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Speaker 3: actually is still one sale that is running until the

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Speaker 3: end of the month.

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Speaker 2: Midmobile, they still have their fifty percent off their unlimited

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Speaker 2: premium wireless offer that you got to go and get

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Speaker 2: and take advantage of it because it's not necessarily.

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Speaker 3: Going to be around all the time, and all plans

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Speaker 1: Tyler, you were a teacher, I'm sure you're uh, you're

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Speaker 1: well aware there.

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Speaker 2: Were rocking the Goose Creek hat today. Congradua, what this

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Speaker 2: bad boy is?

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Speaker 1: Goose Creek? Where is that?

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Speaker 2: In Baytown? That's just cool district in.

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Speaker 1: Oh they have a BUCkies there. They sure do in Baytown.

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Speaker 1: That's the only reason why Baytown exists.

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Speaker 2: That's fair.

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Speaker 1: There's thirty Major league teams. Last season, the Astros extract.

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Speaker 1: According to Fangrafts, last season, the Astros extracted three point

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Speaker 1: three wins above replacement from their entire outfield. Last season,

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Speaker 1: there were nine teams that got fewer that got less

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Speaker 1: production from their outfield in twenty twenty five. Among them

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Speaker 1: were the Angels who were not trying, the White Sox

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Speaker 1: who were not trying, the Cardinals who were in a

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Speaker 1: full blown rebuild, the Rockies who were not trying, uh,

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Speaker 1: the Guardians who had one of the worst offensive seasons

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Speaker 1: by a playoff team ever, the Royals, and the Phillies

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Speaker 1: weirdly because they have Nick Castianos on their roster. So

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Speaker 1: and when you look at that, you take the three

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Speaker 1: point three that they extracted, you go look at their

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Speaker 1: team and what specific players did by war. Mauricio Dubon,

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Speaker 1: according to Fangrafts, was worth two point two wins above replacement.

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Speaker 1: He made a majority of his starts last year in

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Speaker 1: the outfield. He is now going to be the Atlanta

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Speaker 1: Braves opening day shortstop because Hassan Kim slipped on some

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Speaker 1: ice in Korea and screwed with his finger and he

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Speaker 1: tore attendant. So good for Doobie getting to be the

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Speaker 1: opening day shortstop. But it's like, so without Dubon, you've

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Speaker 1: got this hodgepodge of Zach Cole, Heyesu Sanchez, Jake Myers,

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Speaker 1: Cam Smith, Taylor Tremmell is still in the organization. We've

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Speaker 1: been told numerous times that Jordan Alvarez is not going

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Speaker 1: to play a ton out there, if he does at all,

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Speaker 1: Jose al Tuve may cameo a little bit in left field.

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Speaker 1: We know how that experiment went last year. Didn't go great,

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Speaker 1: but they didn't expect it to go great. I think

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Speaker 1: their interest in the Red Sox outfielders specifically and just

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Speaker 1: in general, Like I think as they're talking about trades

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Speaker 1: Freesock Paradus, if they're bringing that up, I think outfield

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Speaker 1: is the place that they are talking and looking for.

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Speaker 1: I think it underscores a point that there's a lot

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Speaker 1: that needs to be settled in this outfield. And I

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Speaker 1: don't know, Tyler, how comfortable they feel with this group

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Speaker 1: going to West Palm Beach.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, look, your best outfielder right now is

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Speaker 2: no offense Jake Myers. Uh No, They have made no

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Speaker 2: misk who they have made zero qualms about broadcasting that

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Speaker 2: he's on the trade block, that they have tried to

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Speaker 2: trade him all winter. Yeah. And I don't know how

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Speaker 2: you're not going to play one of al Twovey or

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Speaker 2: Jordan in left field. I know, they keep saying that,

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Speaker 2: sure feels like one of them is going to have

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Speaker 2: to be in left field every day, But you also

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Speaker 2: don't really have a second basement right now, you got

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Speaker 2: a bunch of question marks and right field. And then

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Speaker 2: look again, even even if you don't trade Jake Myers, like,

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Speaker 2: there is zero guarantee that he is gonna hit anywhere

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Speaker 2: near as well as he did last year. And again,

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Speaker 2: it was a career year for him last year hitting

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Speaker 2: and he had a one oh three ops plus, like

383
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Speaker 2: he was a league average hitter, and that was everyone

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Speaker 2: watching him was like, Wow, this guy's the best year

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Speaker 2: of his career and it's a league average hitter. Now again,

386
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Speaker 2: he's a phenomenal defender that you can you know, project

387
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Speaker 2: going forward. He's probably still going to be as good

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Speaker 2: at center field as he was last year. But I

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Speaker 2: don't know you can count on him hitting two ninety again. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: I mean that that outfield is a mess. It's there's

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Speaker 2: a whole lot of question marks. So it certainly would

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Speaker 2: behoove the Astros to get somebody who you can just

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Speaker 2: payle in for just like a two win season, Like

394
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Speaker 2: just somebody who you're like, this guy's gonna be a

395
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Speaker 2: league average hitter. He's gonna play most of the games.

396
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Speaker 2: He can play in the outfield, and you don't have

397
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Speaker 2: to worry about it because right now you're just every

398
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Speaker 2: day is like a you know, a Tetris puzzle that

399
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Speaker 2: you're trying to figure out how you're going to fit

400
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Speaker 2: your lineup together to get everybody out there. It certainly

401
00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:27,119
Speaker 2: would be nice to have another one that you know

402
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Speaker 2: for sure is that guy is in the lineup every

403
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Speaker 2: day in that spot.

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Speaker 1: It's interesting you said find someone that you can pencil

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Speaker 1: in for like a two win season. Would you be

406
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Speaker 1: shocked to know that Cam Smith had a two win

407
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Speaker 1: season last year?

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Speaker 2: I sure wouldn't because I that first half was great. Uh,

409
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Speaker 2: and then he fell asleep for a little bit, took

410
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Speaker 2: a little nap for a couple of months. We've all

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Speaker 2: been there. Last night, my kids, the two oldest state

412
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Speaker 2: at my parents. I fell asleep at ten and I

413
00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:03,960
Speaker 2: woke up at eleven thirty am. So I get it. Cam.

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Speaker 2: You know, sometimes you're just sleepy, and that's that's what happens.

415
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Speaker 2: So yeah, I mean, look, if you could today know

416
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Speaker 2: for sure that Cam Smith can play every day, and

417
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Speaker 2: we'll be a pretty good like you'd be fine with that,

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Speaker 2: but you don't know that right now, and you don't

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Speaker 2: have anybody else that you're going to And again, as

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Speaker 2: confident as they are in zach Cole, there is there

421
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Speaker 2: are a million scenarios where you look up in May

422
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Speaker 2: and he's hitting one forty and he's striking out fifty

423
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Speaker 2: percent of the time, and he's like unplayable. So you

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Speaker 2: just you don't have a lot of options. You don't

425
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Speaker 2: really have the guys in the system that you're just

426
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Speaker 2: waiting to, you know, to give playing time to. You

427
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Speaker 2: have some like you know, center fueled options, but you

428
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Speaker 2: don't have that like Slugger that you're just like, as

429
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Speaker 2: soon as he can show that he can handle it.

430
00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:01,359
Speaker 2: You know, you don't have anybody like that in your

431
00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:04,920
Speaker 2: system that you're just waiting on. So, yeah, they need

432
00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:09,199
Speaker 2: they need outfield help for sure. So who are they

433
00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:11,560
Speaker 2: going to get? Just tell us who's going to be

434
00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:11,960
Speaker 2: out there?

435
00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:15,879
Speaker 1: You know, again, I don't know. I will say, you know,

436
00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,520
Speaker 1: the two guys that are in the system that if

437
00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:22,399
Speaker 1: they're going to go internal, that they like are Lucas

438
00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:25,720
Speaker 1: Spence and Joseph Sullivan. They're both left handed hitters. They're

439
00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:30,320
Speaker 1: both more corner ish types. Lucas Spence is an undrafted

440
00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:32,960
Speaker 1: He's a he's a player. He is one of these astros,

441
00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:34,800
Speaker 1: player development out of nowhere guys.

442
00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:37,800
Speaker 2: He's a fake undrafted though, right it was a COVID

443
00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:39,920
Speaker 2: year draft, so there was only I.

444
00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:42,480
Speaker 1: Don't think so. I think he's just a straight undrafted

445
00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:43,040
Speaker 1: free agent.

446
00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:45,960
Speaker 2: There were like thirty rounds and he still didn't get picked.

447
00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:49,000
Speaker 1: Dude, his last college season was twenty twenty four. Like this,

448
00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:51,560
Speaker 1: he was an undrafted free agent, like out of college

449
00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:52,520
Speaker 1: two years ago.

450
00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:54,960
Speaker 2: I didn't know that. I this whole time, I've had

451
00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:56,720
Speaker 2: in my head that it was like undrafted, but it

452
00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:58,360
Speaker 2: was the one that was like five rounds.

453
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:04,320
Speaker 1: Yeah. He he went to somewhere called Southern Illinois Edwards.

454
00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:07,760
Speaker 1: Congratulations for them forgetting their name mentioned on this podcast.

455
00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:10,800
Speaker 1: But yeah, he's he's one of these. He's kind of

456
00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:12,679
Speaker 1: like a Zach. I mean, Zach Cole got drafted, but

457
00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:16,000
Speaker 1: kind of like Zach Cole just has really popped, had

458
00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:18,720
Speaker 1: a lot of helium last year, got to three different levels,

459
00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:20,199
Speaker 1: got to double A for a bit at the end

460
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:23,600
Speaker 1: of last season. They like him a lot. They like

461
00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:26,000
Speaker 1: Joseph Sullivan a lot. Those are the two guys that

462
00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:29,920
Speaker 1: keep an eye on them in spring training because those

463
00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:32,280
Speaker 1: could be the next kind of guys you start hearing about.

464
00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:34,560
Speaker 1: But it's interesting, Tyler, you know, you mentioned the Zach

465
00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:38,159
Speaker 1: Cole thing, and you mentioned how you know, there's a

466
00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:40,560
Speaker 1: very real possibility that you could look up in June

467
00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:43,560
Speaker 1: and he's hitting one forty and striking out fifty percent

468
00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:47,360
Speaker 1: of the time. You know, I feel like we're having

469
00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,320
Speaker 1: the same conversations about Zach Cole that maybe we were

470
00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:53,720
Speaker 1: having about Cam Smith in spring training last year. Like

471
00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:58,359
Speaker 1: obviously Cam showed out in spring training and Cam, like

472
00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:00,800
Speaker 1: you said, like it was tougher to distinguish it because

473
00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:03,080
Speaker 1: you watched him on the field and Great Fruit Legue

474
00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:07,000
Speaker 1: just destroying guys, and he had the prospect cachet about him,

475
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:10,080
Speaker 1: like I mean, he was the centerpiece of the huge trade.

476
00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:12,720
Speaker 1: Like but there was always this kind of thought and

477
00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:14,479
Speaker 1: the I mean, and we talked about it as much

478
00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:16,280
Speaker 1: as you hated to hear it, Like we talked about

479
00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:18,920
Speaker 1: like this is gonna be a tough transition, like this

480
00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:21,399
Speaker 1: is he can hit all the Great Fruit League pitching

481
00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:23,560
Speaker 1: he wants, but you get to the big leagues. It's

482
00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:26,240
Speaker 1: gonna be tough, and you saw that bear out, Like,

483
00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,120
Speaker 1: I wonder if they're going down that same path with

484
00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:33,720
Speaker 1: Zach Cole, who at least has more of a professional

485
00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:36,159
Speaker 1: track record in the minor leagues than Cam did. But

486
00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:40,280
Speaker 1: I wonder if they're going down the same path with that,

487
00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,840
Speaker 1: because to me, that that's dangerous. It's dangerous to because

488
00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:45,800
Speaker 1: you saw how dangerous it was that they relied on

489
00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:48,359
Speaker 1: Cam Smith to play right field every day when he

490
00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:51,520
Speaker 1: had not really you know, done it. And I get

491
00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:53,480
Speaker 1: at some point you got to get these guys opportunities.

492
00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:56,120
Speaker 1: But I think if they're going to do the coal thing,

493
00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:59,320
Speaker 1: if they're going to just commit to playing him, and

494
00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,600
Speaker 1: from Mike conversations, that does sound like their plan. They

495
00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:05,760
Speaker 1: they want to make it a point to find ways

496
00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:08,000
Speaker 1: to get him at bats every day, and as we

497
00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,479
Speaker 1: talk about the outfield, they have positions to do it.

498
00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,040
Speaker 1: I worry that they're going down that road again, which

499
00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:18,680
Speaker 1: would make it even more incumbent upon them to add

500
00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:23,199
Speaker 1: some depth, to add some established depth, whether it is

501
00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:26,040
Speaker 1: in a trade like we've talked about already, or whether

502
00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:29,440
Speaker 1: it's simply you know, going the last week of spring

503
00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:32,000
Speaker 1: the last week before spring training, seeing who hasn't signed

504
00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:35,520
Speaker 1: yet and saying, hey, will you take one year for

505
00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:38,199
Speaker 1: three million with a bunch of performance bonuses that if

506
00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:40,160
Speaker 1: you hit it, it can max to six or seven million.

507
00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:45,040
Speaker 1: Like they need they need some You're fond of saying this,

508
00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:47,359
Speaker 1: so I'll steal you. They need some grown ups. They

509
00:26:47,359 --> 00:26:48,760
Speaker 1: need some grown ups to play the outfield.

510
00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:54,760
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I mean, look this, this lineup has the

511
00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:59,360
Speaker 2: potential to get ugly real fast. You know, you there

512
00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:02,240
Speaker 2: are a lot of line ups where even when things

513
00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:07,119
Speaker 2: are bad, you've got just those like just bears and

514
00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,880
Speaker 2: left and right field who even if they're terrible out there,

515
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:13,520
Speaker 2: they can at least like you you joked about Nick

516
00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:16,760
Speaker 2: Cassianos or whatever, like that's still that dude's still gonna

517
00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:19,159
Speaker 2: run into twenty five thirty home runs a year just

518
00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:23,520
Speaker 2: on accident, just you know, being out there the astros

519
00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,119
Speaker 2: man Like, if Ordon is not healthy and Jordon is

520
00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:30,000
Speaker 2: not performing to the level he has, is there a

521
00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:33,840
Speaker 2: guy on this team that hits twenty home runs? I

522
00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:39,640
Speaker 2: don't know, Jeremy Panna, Yeah, I mean Yin will run

523
00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:43,680
Speaker 2: into twenty I don't know. I don't know if theer's

524
00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:47,440
Speaker 2: running into twenty. But I mean again, this lineup needs

525
00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:51,480
Speaker 2: just some pops, so you almost I mean HEYESU Sanchez

526
00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:54,120
Speaker 2: would be great if he could remember how to play

527
00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:57,240
Speaker 2: baseball magically in the off season. That would be nice

528
00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:00,800
Speaker 2: if if you came back, because that's a name, funnily enough,

529
00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:04,200
Speaker 2: if like he hadn't had those two months with the Astros,

530
00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:06,199
Speaker 2: that's a name that you would circle of, like this

531
00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:09,320
Speaker 2: guy's perfect. You know, you just happened to see him

532
00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:13,000
Speaker 2: not be perfect for those two months. So I don't know,

533
00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:16,480
Speaker 2: maybe maybe he runs into it, maybe maybe he's okay,

534
00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:21,640
Speaker 2: But yeah, that that outfield is is scary, uh for sure.

535
00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:25,000
Speaker 1: And I think we we discussed it in November when

536
00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,840
Speaker 1: Dana Brown made the comments, but I think we probably

537
00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:30,280
Speaker 1: should have maybe made a little more of it when

538
00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:32,920
Speaker 1: he said, oh yeah, Cam Smith's not guaranteed a roster spot,

539
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:35,560
Speaker 1: like we're going to We're going he's gonna have to

540
00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:38,239
Speaker 1: play his way onto the roster in spring training. And

541
00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:41,000
Speaker 1: then like you you hear that and you're like, well, yeah,

542
00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,720
Speaker 1: that that makes sense. He was, he was he should

543
00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:45,360
Speaker 1: have been in the minor leagues for at least the

544
00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,040
Speaker 1: last month of last year. But then like the next

545
00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:50,400
Speaker 1: logical questions were like, if he ain't playing right field,

546
00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:54,840
Speaker 1: then who is? And it's you know, it's Hey Sus Sanchez.

547
00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:57,360
Speaker 1: Who they are also trying to trade who they are

548
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:01,080
Speaker 1: fielding inquiries about who. I was told by one person

549
00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:04,520
Speaker 1: this week he sue Sanchez has actually more suitors than

550
00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,560
Speaker 1: you would think he's got. It makes sense, Yeah, I

551
00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:10,160
Speaker 1: mean he's got They've got teams calling on him, like,

552
00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:12,680
Speaker 1: teams are very interested in him, and I'm sure the

553
00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,040
Speaker 1: Astros would love to get rid of all six point

554
00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:17,840
Speaker 1: eight million dollars he agreed to make uh in the

555
00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:21,720
Speaker 1: arbitration process. So especially if you trade Hay Sus Sanchez,

556
00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:24,800
Speaker 1: like I don't like, it's fine to like, let the

557
00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:27,520
Speaker 1: kids play and you can run Za Cole out and

558
00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:30,080
Speaker 1: left if you still have Jake Myers play him in center,

559
00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:34,200
Speaker 1: Cam and right, and you just gotta cross your cross

560
00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:38,000
Speaker 1: your fingers and pray that the upside hits. Because the

561
00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:40,800
Speaker 1: Astros lived with the second half of last year, they

562
00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:44,040
Speaker 1: lived with the downside of relying on kids. You know,

563
00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:48,640
Speaker 1: you saw what happened to Cam and odds are he

564
00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:52,080
Speaker 1: won't repeat that. Odds are you know, with a full

565
00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:54,080
Speaker 1: off season of knowing he's going to be in the

566
00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:56,280
Speaker 1: big leagues, or presuming he's going to be in the

567
00:29:56,320 --> 00:29:59,800
Speaker 1: big leagues, I should say, well, full offs. Like I

568
00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,720
Speaker 1: I think it stands to reason he will make the adjustments,

569
00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:06,960
Speaker 1: and he won't. It won't be that cataclysmic. But this

570
00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:09,440
Speaker 1: is still a guy that you know, had a ton

571
00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:11,360
Speaker 1: of failure last year, and I'm not sure you can

572
00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:14,600
Speaker 1: just rely on him to be the aircraft carrier that

573
00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:16,920
Speaker 1: Dana Brown has anointed him like a year and a

574
00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:19,920
Speaker 1: half into his big league career. So they've got a

575
00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:22,280
Speaker 1: lot of questions in the outfield. It makes a lot

576
00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:25,000
Speaker 1: of sense as to why if they were to match

577
00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:27,280
Speaker 1: up with the Red Sox or any other team that

578
00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:31,920
Speaker 1: is interested in esc paratus, why outfield would be one

579
00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:34,720
Speaker 1: of the one of the main places they know.

580
00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:37,600
Speaker 2: That's that's the only thing. You've you've got more or

581
00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:40,600
Speaker 2: less your starting line or you're starting rotation. You know

582
00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:43,120
Speaker 2: you've got you've got that kind of figured out. Obviously,

583
00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,200
Speaker 2: if there's just somebody being dangled in front of you,

584
00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:48,400
Speaker 2: that is a no brainer. You know, you can certainly listen.

585
00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:51,400
Speaker 2: But yeah, I mean you need outfield help. You've got

586
00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,880
Speaker 2: a surplus in the infield right now, as much as

587
00:30:54,920 --> 00:30:57,240
Speaker 2: you don't want to trade a socc paratees, that's where

588
00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:00,120
Speaker 2: you're gonna get good players back. If you're again, if

589
00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:05,680
Speaker 2: you're trading Christian Walker, it is because you're deciding salary. Yeah,

590
00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:07,960
Speaker 2: it's a salary dump, and you're fine with Parades being

591
00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:11,200
Speaker 2: at first base and you're okay with what the rest

592
00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:13,280
Speaker 2: of your team looks like because you're not getting back

593
00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:19,440
Speaker 2: a big league caliber player for Christian Walker. You know,

594
00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:24,080
Speaker 2: maybe like a fifth guy out of the bullpen arm

595
00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,160
Speaker 2: is what you could like hope for if you're if

596
00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:31,320
Speaker 2: you're trading h Walker and paying down a bunch of salary,

597
00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,000
Speaker 2: but you're you're not You're not getting back somebody that

598
00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:37,200
Speaker 2: is improving your team. You're you've just decided that the

599
00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:39,760
Speaker 2: best way to improve the team is to have Parades

600
00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:42,280
Speaker 2: play every day. Then it is to have Walker play

601
00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:45,640
Speaker 2: every day. But if you're trying to improve the outfield,

602
00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:49,000
Speaker 2: it's you know, it's basically Parades, That's that's who you've

603
00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:53,640
Speaker 2: got available. And then you know, well or it's or

604
00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:56,840
Speaker 2: it's you trade Christian Walker. You get whatever money you

605
00:31:56,880 --> 00:31:57,480
Speaker 2: can from.

606
00:31:57,360 --> 00:31:59,640
Speaker 1: His off however much you can get off the books

607
00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:02,360
Speaker 1: you get that off the books and then you reinvest

608
00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:04,160
Speaker 1: you reinvest that into an outfielder.

609
00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:08,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, but I mean what who's who's out there? Who?

610
00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:12,160
Speaker 1: Like they're not gonna sign Cody Bellinger but they shouldn't.

611
00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:16,480
Speaker 2: Yes, but I mean who, I don't even I'm pulling

612
00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:17,080
Speaker 2: it up right now.

613
00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:21,560
Speaker 1: But like outfielders, Harrison Bader, like I'm just throwing names

614
00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:22,640
Speaker 1: out there, Harrison.

615
00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:26,120
Speaker 2: Battered Mullins, like that's I.

616
00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:30,120
Speaker 1: Think Cedrian Mullets signed with the Rays. Harrison Bader is

617
00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:33,000
Speaker 1: definitely free agent, Like Harrison Bader is like the name

618
00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:35,920
Speaker 1: that popped into my head. Like I'm not again, I'm

619
00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:38,760
Speaker 1: gonna be very clear, I have no idea if they

620
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:41,680
Speaker 1: have any interest in Harrison Bader, zero clue. But he

621
00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:43,160
Speaker 1: is a name that is out there.

622
00:32:43,520 --> 00:32:49,160
Speaker 2: And Michael Conforto, sure, there was that remember that big

623
00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:51,920
Speaker 2: thing like three years ago when like Michael Conforto wasn't

624
00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:55,640
Speaker 2: signed and it was like June and like all Astros

625
00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:58,720
Speaker 2: fans were obsessing over whether they would sign Michael Conforto

626
00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:01,320
Speaker 2: like off of his couch in June to come play

627
00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:03,280
Speaker 2: the outfield for him, and like you know, it would

628
00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:06,120
Speaker 2: be fun, not fun, but would be a good fit

629
00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:11,160
Speaker 2: would be Isaiah Kiner Filefa who can also play second base,

630
00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:16,480
Speaker 2: so it gives you that as well. But again, are

631
00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:20,000
Speaker 2: are you fist pumping that you've signed Isaiah kind of Philefa?

632
00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:21,120
Speaker 2: I don't think so.

633
00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:24,920
Speaker 1: You know, have you followed the ashers like what like

634
00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:27,880
Speaker 1: what what free agent have they signed? That's made you

635
00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:31,240
Speaker 1: do as like, aside from maybe em like what free

636
00:33:31,240 --> 00:33:32,840
Speaker 1: agent have they signed in the last five years, it's

637
00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:33,800
Speaker 1: made you do a fist pump.

638
00:33:34,280 --> 00:33:36,120
Speaker 2: No, and it keeps working. I mean that's the other things,

639
00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:40,880
Speaker 2: like it keeps working. But look, it had worked before

640
00:33:40,960 --> 00:33:48,000
Speaker 2: because you had priml Tuve, Korea, Bregman, Springer, Tucker like you.

641
00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:50,440
Speaker 2: You had these guys where it's like, look, as long

642
00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:54,360
Speaker 2: as as long as other people can pretend to contribute

643
00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:57,640
Speaker 2: to this team, the astros are going to be fine.

644
00:33:57,640 --> 00:33:59,440
Speaker 2: And the rest of the division was so bad that

645
00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,520
Speaker 2: it it didn't really matter. But I mean you had

646
00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:07,760
Speaker 2: four or five just all stars on lock every year

647
00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:12,560
Speaker 2: and right now, I mean position player wise, outside of

648
00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:15,360
Speaker 2: Jeremy Payne, I don't think there's anybody that you would

649
00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:18,560
Speaker 2: say it would be a disappointment if they were not

650
00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:23,640
Speaker 2: an All Star, you know, like obviously you expect yeah,

651
00:34:23,640 --> 00:34:28,319
Speaker 2: but are you are you are you really going into

652
00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:30,319
Speaker 2: this season thinking that he's going to play one hundred

653
00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:33,400
Speaker 2: and forty five games like you want him to? Of

654
00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:36,040
Speaker 2: course you want him to. But I would not be shocked.

655
00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:38,560
Speaker 2: I guess maybe if I rephrase that, who would I

656
00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:40,560
Speaker 2: be shocked if they were not in the All Star

657
00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:44,719
Speaker 2: conversation is Jeremy Payne, And that's that's really it. You're not.

658
00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:48,160
Speaker 2: It would not shock me if he's not, just because

659
00:34:48,200 --> 00:34:51,120
Speaker 2: he's a DH and if he's hurt, you know he's

660
00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:54,880
Speaker 2: not gonna make it. I'll two days old, like everybody

661
00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:57,520
Speaker 2: else is just kind of a good player, not a

662
00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:01,600
Speaker 2: great player anymore. I mean, they need the they need

663
00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:04,799
Speaker 2: the auxiliary guys this year to do more than they've

664
00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:08,640
Speaker 2: needed in the last ten years of Astros baseball. They

665
00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:13,160
Speaker 2: need guys who are like okay to good as opposed

666
00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:15,960
Speaker 2: to just not bad, which is what which is all

667
00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:19,480
Speaker 2: they needed before. Just don't embarrass us so the team

668
00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:24,440
Speaker 2: will carry. You know, they don't have that anymore. You

669
00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:27,719
Speaker 2: you can't count on a five wins season from you.

670
00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:41,320
Speaker 2: There's a like, as long as these guys are fine,

671
00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:43,160
Speaker 2: everything else is good.

672
00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:47,080
Speaker 1: I don't know if I've said this stat on this podcast,

673
00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:49,680
Speaker 1: but I'm gonna say it now because the Alvarez thing

674
00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:54,640
Speaker 1: triggered me. There is this, and I get it. A

675
00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:57,120
Speaker 1: lot of people were upset last year that he only

676
00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:00,239
Speaker 1: played in forty eight games. I'm not gonna blame on

677
00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:02,440
Speaker 1: one guy, but if he plays in fifty eight games,

678
00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:05,040
Speaker 1: they probably make the playoffs. But that's neither here nor there.

679
00:36:05,719 --> 00:36:08,000
Speaker 2: True of eight guys on the Astros last year.

680
00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:11,880
Speaker 1: Sure, but there's become this like narrative that Jordan Alvarez

681
00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:14,800
Speaker 1: is like never on the field, that he never plays.

682
00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:17,799
Speaker 1: I completely understand that in the sixty game season in

683
00:36:17,840 --> 00:36:19,799
Speaker 1: twenty twenty he played two games before he had both

684
00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:24,080
Speaker 1: of his knees operated on. But let's go from twenty

685
00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:27,360
Speaker 1: and twenty one to twenty and twenty four. That is

686
00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:29,960
Speaker 1: four one hundred and sixty two game seasons. That is

687
00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:33,600
Speaker 1: a four that is six hundred and forty eight games total,

688
00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:36,520
Speaker 1: so a six hundred and forty eight game sample size.

689
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:40,560
Speaker 1: Jordan Alvarez played in five hundred and forty of those

690
00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:44,640
Speaker 1: six hundred and forty eight games. In that same timeframe,

691
00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:48,280
Speaker 1: Josel Tuova played in five hundred and thirty games, Kyle

692
00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:50,880
Speaker 1: Tucker played in five hundred and twenty five games, Alex

693
00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:53,240
Speaker 1: Bregman played in five hundred and fifty two games. Carlos

694
00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:55,719
Speaker 1: Korea played in five hundred and five games. Yeah, what

695
00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:58,040
Speaker 1: does that mean? That means that Jordon Alvarez had one

696
00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:01,120
Speaker 1: anomalous season last year where he was just completely off

697
00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:06,239
Speaker 1: the field. This notion that he is never available, that

698
00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:08,880
Speaker 1: he can never play and never post is just wrong

699
00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:12,040
Speaker 1: because I just gave you the data of other guys

700
00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:15,719
Speaker 1: that are in his rarefied air, in his echelon of

701
00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:20,120
Speaker 1: being a superstar that played less games or marginally more

702
00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:21,880
Speaker 1: games than he did the past four to full one

703
00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:24,799
Speaker 1: hundred and sixty game seasons. You can all you can

704
00:37:24,840 --> 00:37:26,600
Speaker 1: be as mad as you want that Jordan and Alvarez

705
00:37:26,640 --> 00:37:30,839
Speaker 1: didn't play last year. Please stop this narrative that he

706
00:37:30,920 --> 00:37:33,440
Speaker 1: does not that he's not on the field like that.

707
00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:36,359
Speaker 1: It's just not true. The numbers do not support it.

708
00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:38,640
Speaker 1: And it's why Tyler, like you asked me, like are

709
00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:40,720
Speaker 1: you confident he's going to play one hundred and forty games?

710
00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:43,520
Speaker 1: Like I mean, I don't know, Like the tides could

711
00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:45,640
Speaker 1: rise and the world could end tomorrow, Like who knows,

712
00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:48,480
Speaker 1: but he's played one hundred and forty seven games in

713
00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:50,880
Speaker 1: twenty four, he played one hundred and forty four games

714
00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:52,560
Speaker 1: in twenty one, and he played one hundred and thirty

715
00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:56,120
Speaker 1: five games in twenty twenty two. Like, I think it's

716
00:37:56,239 --> 00:37:58,360
Speaker 1: reasonable to expect that he will play one hundred and

717
00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:00,920
Speaker 1: thirty games next year. And if that's not enough for

718
00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:04,160
Speaker 1: people to stop whining that, I don't know, but I

719
00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:06,600
Speaker 1: think it is rare because we have seen him do that,

720
00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:11,640
Speaker 1: We have seen him play this much for a prolonged period.

721
00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:13,200
Speaker 1: Last year was an anomaly.

722
00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:13,799
Speaker 2: It just.

723
00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:18,040
Speaker 1: I don't know why that specifically gets me, but this

724
00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:20,360
Speaker 1: notion that he is never on the field is just

725
00:38:20,440 --> 00:38:20,920
Speaker 1: not true.

726
00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:24,080
Speaker 2: I think it's also that he was bad at the

727
00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:26,600
Speaker 2: beginning of the year and then was hurt. Like if

728
00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:28,400
Speaker 2: he had come out and he was hitting three point thirty,

729
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:31,960
Speaker 2: you know, and just crushing the ball and then then

730
00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:34,799
Speaker 2: had an injury, then it's, you know, a different thing.

731
00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:37,480
Speaker 2: But when it's oh, he wasn't good and then he

732
00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:40,080
Speaker 2: missed one hundred games or whatever, that's that's when you

733
00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:42,560
Speaker 2: start to get worried. But yes, I agree, Look, I

734
00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:48,000
Speaker 2: Jordon's incredible. He's one of the best hitters of all time.

735
00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:51,480
Speaker 2: That is not hyperbole. He is he is a scary,

736
00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:56,160
Speaker 2: scary hitter. And I mean any team has a shot

737
00:38:56,360 --> 00:39:00,200
Speaker 2: if they have healthy yord On and there's no and

738
00:39:00,280 --> 00:39:04,120
Speaker 2: to assume that that he wouldn't be but again, you know,

739
00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:08,080
Speaker 2: it's a it's a datral like they're they're already saying like.

740
00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:11,040
Speaker 1: We's That's the other thing that I think irritates a

741
00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:13,600
Speaker 1: lot of people is that he doesn't is that he's

742
00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:14,319
Speaker 1: a DH.

743
00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:18,640
Speaker 2: It's it's more so I think, and fans can correct

744
00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:20,920
Speaker 2: me if I'm I'm wrong, but what I think will

745
00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:24,839
Speaker 2: I'm sure they will, But I think it's because he's

746
00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:28,640
Speaker 2: a DH not It's not a David or Tz situation

747
00:39:28,719 --> 00:39:32,920
Speaker 2: where it's like he just he physically, he's you do

748
00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:35,080
Speaker 2: not want him in the field, like he's like he's

749
00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:37,920
Speaker 2: fine in left field. It's it's because they talk about

750
00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:40,520
Speaker 2: him with these like kid gloves on of like we

751
00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:42,359
Speaker 2: don't want him out there because we don't want him

752
00:39:42,360 --> 00:39:45,520
Speaker 2: to get hurt. I think that's where that narrative comes from.

753
00:39:45,920 --> 00:39:48,920
Speaker 2: You know, if he were you know, if he if

754
00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:51,960
Speaker 2: he were three hundred pounds and he just hit the

755
00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:53,600
Speaker 2: exact same and it was like, well, yeah, of course

756
00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:55,960
Speaker 2: you don't want him out there. He can't. Then it's

757
00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:59,000
Speaker 2: a different situation, but it's because it's like, well, he

758
00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:02,480
Speaker 2: could play left field, but they're scared. That's where you

759
00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:06,279
Speaker 2: start to feel like he is more vulnerable than he

760
00:40:06,400 --> 00:40:06,879
Speaker 2: has been.

761
00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:12,160
Speaker 1: He talked about or I discussed that the Astros don't

762
00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:15,360
Speaker 1: sign free agents that make you pump your fist. The

763
00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:18,440
Speaker 1: Los Angeles Dodgers, on the other hand, they're good at

764
00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:20,359
Speaker 1: doing that. They're good at signing free agents and make

765
00:40:20,360 --> 00:40:22,680
Speaker 1: you pump your fist. Tyler, Can I get your instant

766
00:40:22,680 --> 00:40:25,920
Speaker 1: reaction when you got either a Twitter notification or a

767
00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:28,520
Speaker 1: text message from someone that told you Kyle Tucker was

768
00:40:28,520 --> 00:40:29,520
Speaker 1: going to sign with the Dodgers.

769
00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:32,279
Speaker 2: I get all my breaking news the same way. And

770
00:40:32,320 --> 00:40:34,719
Speaker 2: it is my friend Matt texting me a tweet from

771
00:40:34,840 --> 00:40:37,800
Speaker 2: two minutes ago. Shout out, Matt. That's how I found

772
00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:42,680
Speaker 2: out about this one four years, two hundred and forty million.

773
00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:48,080
Speaker 2: I believe listen, if the Dodgers paid me two hundred

774
00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:51,719
Speaker 2: and forty thousand dollars, would I would quit this in

775
00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:54,799
Speaker 2: I would become a Dodgers fan. I have no ill

776
00:40:54,840 --> 00:40:58,719
Speaker 2: will towards Kyle Tucker. I know some people do I

777
00:40:59,360 --> 00:41:06,080
Speaker 2: get it. That's so much money. It's a it's crazy.

778
00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:09,920
Speaker 2: You can't say no to that. You, I mean, what

779
00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:11,880
Speaker 2: are you doing? If somebody's going to give you that

780
00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:15,279
Speaker 2: much money to be the second best right fielder on

781
00:41:15,360 --> 00:41:17,799
Speaker 2: a team, then you you take it.

782
00:41:19,880 --> 00:41:22,719
Speaker 1: Dodgers, And to be fair, the Mets were prepared to

783
00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:26,600
Speaker 1: pay him basically the exact same amount. Their offer was

784
00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:29,919
Speaker 1: like five million dollars short of the Dodgers offer.

785
00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:32,680
Speaker 2: Have you seen five million dollars before?

786
00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:33,080
Speaker 1: Yes?

787
00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:37,320
Speaker 2: But it gets it just goes I've seen five million dollars.

788
00:41:37,640 --> 00:41:39,680
Speaker 1: It goes to like this whole the Dodgers can do

789
00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:42,080
Speaker 1: what other teams can't. Like, the Mets were prepared to

790
00:41:42,080 --> 00:41:44,319
Speaker 1: give him the same deal. The Blue Jays had offered

791
00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:47,239
Speaker 1: him three hundred million for ten years, like, so he

792
00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:48,760
Speaker 1: had he had options.

793
00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:52,400
Speaker 2: But yeah, I mean one time somebody accidentally zeld me

794
00:41:52,520 --> 00:41:54,920
Speaker 2: like fifteen hundred dollars and it was not to me.

795
00:41:55,760 --> 00:41:57,840
Speaker 2: Uh and when that showed up on my bank account,

796
00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:00,840
Speaker 2: I I mean, I had a full on panic attack.

797
00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:05,719
Speaker 2: So I can't imagine turning my nose at five million dollars.

798
00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:08,799
Speaker 2: I also liked that I think what was it, Like,

799
00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:11,279
Speaker 2: fifty million dollars was like a signing bonus. So this

800
00:42:11,360 --> 00:42:14,719
Speaker 2: man just woke up and just checked his uh, his

801
00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:18,959
Speaker 2: bank account. There was just fifty million more dollars in there, which,

802
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:25,120
Speaker 2: again for people, you know, when you're when you are

803
00:42:25,160 --> 00:42:27,680
Speaker 2: a baseball player, until you hit that free agency, you're

804
00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:31,239
Speaker 2: making not a lot of money. I mean, pre ARB

805
00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:33,839
Speaker 2: you're making half a million dollars a year. To get

806
00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:40,040
Speaker 2: fifty million dollars into signing bonus is just bonkers. Look

807
00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:45,520
Speaker 2: good for Tucker. The best thing about baseball is that

808
00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:50,879
Speaker 2: the Dodgers have just the nastiest team you've ever seen,

809
00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:56,720
Speaker 2: and they still, I mean, at best, are like thirty

810
00:42:56,800 --> 00:43:00,200
Speaker 2: percent odds to win the World's Like, there's just so

811
00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:02,879
Speaker 2: much that can happen over the course of a baseball season.

812
00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:05,640
Speaker 2: The Blue Jays took him a game seven, Like, I there,

813
00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:09,000
Speaker 2: that's that's what makes baseball fun. You just have to

814
00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:11,880
Speaker 2: get there every year and see what happens. It's a

815
00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:18,520
Speaker 2: long season, but yeah, that is that is quite quite

816
00:43:18,520 --> 00:43:21,839
Speaker 2: the squad over there in Los Angeles.

817
00:43:22,239 --> 00:43:24,800
Speaker 1: It was funny the night that the Knight that Tucker

818
00:43:24,880 --> 00:43:28,040
Speaker 1: signed and the whole world was falling apart because baseball

819
00:43:28,160 --> 00:43:31,320
Speaker 1: was broken and the sport was dead and the Dodgers

820
00:43:31,400 --> 00:43:34,240
Speaker 1: ruined baseball. I texted front of the pod mat Gelb,

821
00:43:34,239 --> 00:43:37,319
Speaker 1: who covers the Phillies for us, and I said, you know,

822
00:43:37,520 --> 00:43:40,280
Speaker 1: the Dodgers ruined baseball last offseason too. It was interesting.

823
00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:43,240
Speaker 1: And then we had the best World Series that we've seen,

824
00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:46,680
Speaker 1: maybe in my lifetime. We had the best alcs that

825
00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:49,120
Speaker 1: we've ever seen. Like, baseball didn't get ruined by the

826
00:43:49,160 --> 00:43:51,320
Speaker 1: Dodgers who wanted who's.

827
00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:52,200
Speaker 2: Wanted to have a villain man?

828
00:43:52,480 --> 00:43:54,439
Speaker 1: They won ninety three games last year.

829
00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:57,400
Speaker 2: Yeah, well they were all hurt for the entire season,

830
00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:01,160
Speaker 2: which again can happen. Tucker, You want to talk about

831
00:44:01,160 --> 00:44:03,799
Speaker 2: a guy that hadn't been able to stay on the field.

832
00:44:04,200 --> 00:44:08,560
Speaker 2: Uh not not saying that it is his fault, but

833
00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:11,719
Speaker 2: you know that's what happens in baseball. You just get

834
00:44:11,719 --> 00:44:16,200
Speaker 2: as many good players as you can and see what happens. No,

835
00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:19,520
Speaker 2: I who knows what's going to happen a year from now,

836
00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:24,880
Speaker 2: with however long we're locked out of baseball, I think.

837
00:44:25,440 --> 00:44:28,080
Speaker 1: And that's the other thing. Kyle Tucker could have signed

838
00:44:28,080 --> 00:44:30,200
Speaker 1: with the Rockies and there's still.

839
00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:31,879
Speaker 2: We're gonna have a lock It doesn't matter a lot, Like.

840
00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:33,800
Speaker 1: It does not matter that he signed with the Dodgers,

841
00:44:33,840 --> 00:44:36,440
Speaker 1: like he could have signed with the Rockies, the Reds,

842
00:44:36,520 --> 00:44:39,759
Speaker 1: the Rays, whoever insert team here. There was going to

843
00:44:39,800 --> 00:44:40,320
Speaker 1: be a lockout.

844
00:44:40,440 --> 00:44:44,080
Speaker 2: Like and all you people whinding about there needs to

845
00:44:44,120 --> 00:44:47,719
Speaker 2: be a salary cap. Pick a side you want to

846
00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:50,959
Speaker 2: be on the player's side in in this scenario, quit

847
00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:57,439
Speaker 2: quit giving rob Manfred Moore ammo to add a salary cap.

848
00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:01,080
Speaker 2: I mean, it's probably gonna happen, but don't be cheering

849
00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:01,520
Speaker 2: for it.

850
00:45:01,640 --> 00:45:03,719
Speaker 1: You know, I don't think it's going to happen. I

851
00:45:03,760 --> 00:45:06,080
Speaker 1: have the one thing that the players will not budge on.

852
00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:09,320
Speaker 1: But yeah, I don't really have a ton of interest

853
00:45:09,360 --> 00:45:14,799
Speaker 1: in like litigating the Dodgers' financial realm versus everyone. I

854
00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:18,640
Speaker 1: don't really have the quite frankly, the desire to talk

855
00:45:18,640 --> 00:45:19,000
Speaker 1: about that.

856
00:45:19,080 --> 00:45:22,120
Speaker 2: I will say this from a Lance mccullor's just shut

857
00:45:22,160 --> 00:45:25,239
Speaker 2: them down last year. That was fun. Anybody can do

858
00:45:25,320 --> 00:45:26,400
Speaker 2: it can't be that hard.

859
00:45:26,920 --> 00:45:30,560
Speaker 1: I will say this from strictly like a baseball clubhouse perspective.

860
00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:33,759
Speaker 1: The Dodgers are perfect for Kyle Tucker. He can go there.

861
00:45:34,040 --> 00:45:36,600
Speaker 1: He will be the eighth most important person on the team.

862
00:45:36,920 --> 00:45:39,600
Speaker 1: He will not have to talk much. He will not

863
00:45:39,719 --> 00:45:42,120
Speaker 1: have to be out and be the front face of anything.

864
00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:46,560
Speaker 1: If the Dodgers win the World Series or if they

865
00:45:46,680 --> 00:45:49,640
Speaker 1: get swept in the wild card round, Kyle Tucker will

866
00:45:49,680 --> 00:45:52,360
Speaker 1: be like on number seven on the list of reasons

867
00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:56,480
Speaker 1: why those things happened. By now, I mean we've alluded

868
00:45:56,520 --> 00:45:59,400
Speaker 1: to it here a little bit, and I think if

869
00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:02,000
Speaker 1: you've read any of the reporting that's gone on nationally

870
00:46:02,440 --> 00:46:05,799
Speaker 1: this offseason, Kyle Tucker is not a guy that really

871
00:46:05,880 --> 00:46:09,680
Speaker 1: enjoys the spotlight. He doesn't enjoy being the face of anything.

872
00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:10,239
Speaker 2: He is.

873
00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:14,080
Speaker 1: He's very funny. He's a funny dude. But it's just

874
00:46:14,239 --> 00:46:17,200
Speaker 1: that it's not his thing. He's just not a front

875
00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:21,520
Speaker 1: facing guy. He is not someone that's going to He'll

876
00:46:21,520 --> 00:46:24,080
Speaker 1: give you time and if you ask for an interview,

877
00:46:24,160 --> 00:46:26,560
Speaker 1: he will. He will give you some time, but none

878
00:46:26,600 --> 00:46:28,319
Speaker 1: of it is going to be revealing, none of it

879
00:46:28,360 --> 00:46:31,359
Speaker 1: is going to really help you in any meaningful way.

880
00:46:31,440 --> 00:46:35,560
Speaker 1: But again, it's perfect for him. He can blend in there.

881
00:46:35,680 --> 00:46:39,200
Speaker 1: He can just go go to the field, do his work,

882
00:46:39,480 --> 00:46:41,879
Speaker 1: play in the game, go home, and if he hits

883
00:46:41,880 --> 00:46:44,840
Speaker 1: a couple of Homers, he'll have to talk, but that's fine,

884
00:46:45,520 --> 00:46:47,440
Speaker 1: it's perfect. It's a perfect setup for him, and then

885
00:46:47,480 --> 00:46:49,480
Speaker 1: he can opt out in two years and get back

886
00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:52,319
Speaker 1: onto the free agent market and see where that goes

887
00:46:52,360 --> 00:46:55,200
Speaker 1: for him. But the one interesting thing, you know, Tucker

888
00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:58,080
Speaker 1: got the four year deal and then Bobashett got three

889
00:46:58,280 --> 00:47:00,960
Speaker 1: was it three for one twenty six from the met there?

890
00:47:01,640 --> 00:47:02,760
Speaker 2: What was it with the phillyouts?

891
00:47:02,960 --> 00:47:05,600
Speaker 1: There's opt outs after the first two, after the first

892
00:47:05,600 --> 00:47:06,080
Speaker 1: two years.

893
00:47:06,239 --> 00:47:10,120
Speaker 2: What would they had agreed? What was that story? Didn't

894
00:47:10,120 --> 00:47:11,960
Speaker 2: he have something with the Phillies.

895
00:47:11,520 --> 00:47:14,480
Speaker 1: That the whole world thought the Phillies were gonna sign them?

896
00:47:14,480 --> 00:47:16,799
Speaker 1: And then when the Mets lost out on Tucker, they

897
00:47:16,920 --> 00:47:18,640
Speaker 1: swooped them because they have.

898
00:47:18,960 --> 00:47:22,520
Speaker 2: Got all this money. We've already taken it out of

899
00:47:22,520 --> 00:47:23,759
Speaker 2: the bank. We got to spend it.

900
00:47:24,080 --> 00:47:26,399
Speaker 1: I do think this is probably a topic for another pod,

901
00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:28,040
Speaker 1: just because we're already running a long but like I

902
00:47:28,080 --> 00:47:31,759
Speaker 1: do think it's interesting, like if this framework, if this

903
00:47:32,520 --> 00:47:38,000
Speaker 1: trend continues in free agency of short shorter term higher

904
00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:41,400
Speaker 1: aa V deals with opt outs, pillow deals like shorter

905
00:47:41,480 --> 00:47:44,680
Speaker 1: term deals, like I think that would benefit the astros

906
00:47:44,719 --> 00:47:47,200
Speaker 1: greatly because the one thing Jim Crane doesn't like is.

907
00:47:47,239 --> 00:47:49,880
Speaker 1: He doesn't like the years involved. He doesn't like the

908
00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:52,680
Speaker 1: albatross of like having the back end of an Albert

909
00:47:52,719 --> 00:47:57,600
Speaker 1: Pooholes contract or insert ten year deal that went awry here.

910
00:47:58,719 --> 00:48:01,319
Speaker 1: He's always been willing to do short term high AV

911
00:48:01,520 --> 00:48:05,160
Speaker 1: Will he ever pay someone sixty million dollars like Kyle

912
00:48:05,200 --> 00:48:07,640
Speaker 1: Tucker is getting paicked sixty million like? Probably not. But

913
00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:11,000
Speaker 1: if this trend continues and we see more of these

914
00:48:11,040 --> 00:48:15,560
Speaker 1: big name free agents take the short term, big AAV deals,

915
00:48:15,680 --> 00:48:19,439
Speaker 1: I think that if you're an Astros fan, that should

916
00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:23,320
Speaker 1: at least give you some reassurance and maybe some positively

917
00:48:23,480 --> 00:48:26,920
Speaker 1: going forward that they may start to play in those waters.

918
00:48:26,960 --> 00:48:31,000
Speaker 1: Because Jim's never had any issue doing shorter term deals

919
00:48:31,040 --> 00:48:34,239
Speaker 1: and that he included opt outs and the Tatsuya Emi deal.

920
00:48:34,920 --> 00:48:37,960
Speaker 1: You know, I'm I'm I'm not saying that they're gonna be,

921
00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:40,440
Speaker 1: you know, at the top of the bidding war for

922
00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:42,080
Speaker 1: all these guys, and they're gonna be bidding with the

923
00:48:42,120 --> 00:48:45,920
Speaker 1: Dodgers and the Mets, but it's certainly more conducive to

924
00:48:45,920 --> 00:48:48,040
Speaker 1: what Jim Crane likes to do these sort of deals.

925
00:48:48,280 --> 00:48:50,919
Speaker 2: Yeah, it would have been really nice, like ten years ago,

926
00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:54,319
Speaker 2: when you have a just core of all stars that

927
00:48:54,400 --> 00:48:57,360
Speaker 2: you're not having to pay anything. That's that's the problem

928
00:48:57,400 --> 00:49:00,640
Speaker 2: with it is, you know right now they are having

929
00:49:00,640 --> 00:49:03,960
Speaker 2: to again, they're having to pay Jesus Sanchez seven million dollars.

930
00:49:04,040 --> 00:49:07,160
Speaker 2: You know. It's it's those types of things where, yeah,

931
00:49:07,200 --> 00:49:11,919
Speaker 2: if you've got four just uber prospects that are coming

932
00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:14,000
Speaker 2: up and you know you have them under team control

933
00:49:14,080 --> 00:49:17,719
Speaker 2: for the next seven years, that's when you can go

934
00:49:17,760 --> 00:49:20,520
Speaker 2: out and sign a guy like this for three years

935
00:49:20,560 --> 00:49:24,439
Speaker 2: and you know, put it all together. But right now,

936
00:49:24,480 --> 00:49:27,160
Speaker 2: the Ashers are in a mode where they are constantly

937
00:49:27,200 --> 00:49:30,799
Speaker 2: needing to improve pretty much all aspects of the team.

938
00:49:31,080 --> 00:49:33,880
Speaker 2: They're they're not locked in with any you know again,

939
00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:37,719
Speaker 2: they they don't have a even Jeremy Panea, they're young superstar.

940
00:49:38,160 --> 00:49:40,360
Speaker 2: You're already starting to think, well, what are they going

941
00:49:40,440 --> 00:49:44,040
Speaker 2: to do when when his contract is you know, like,

942
00:49:44,080 --> 00:49:46,960
Speaker 2: you don't have anybody that is debuting. You hope that

943
00:49:46,960 --> 00:49:51,080
Speaker 2: that's what cam Smith turns into. But to to really

944
00:49:52,239 --> 00:49:55,320
Speaker 2: play in those waters, you need like five Cam Smith's

945
00:49:55,560 --> 00:49:58,480
Speaker 2: where you've got all of these guys, and the Ashers

946
00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:01,839
Speaker 2: just don't and they're not going They're just not going

947
00:50:01,840 --> 00:50:04,360
Speaker 2: to be in a position where they can draft that

948
00:50:04,600 --> 00:50:08,719
Speaker 2: high and and just wait on a guy you know

949
00:50:08,840 --> 00:50:13,160
Speaker 2: to to come. They don't have the the Luno death

950
00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:15,920
Speaker 2: Star tweet of just like here comes the next wave

951
00:50:16,040 --> 00:50:19,120
Speaker 2: of these monsters come. I mean, they got Alex Bragman

952
00:50:19,160 --> 00:50:23,359
Speaker 2: and Kyle Tucker in the same draft. That's insane. Those

953
00:50:23,360 --> 00:50:26,120
Speaker 2: guys are gonna make a billion dollars in their career,

954
00:50:26,760 --> 00:50:29,040
Speaker 2: and they got them in the same draft and had

955
00:50:29,080 --> 00:50:33,279
Speaker 2: them for peanuts for six seasons. Like that, You're just

956
00:50:33,320 --> 00:50:34,360
Speaker 2: not gonna get that again.

957
00:50:34,840 --> 00:50:38,759
Speaker 1: No, before we get out of here, a quick salute

958
00:50:39,040 --> 00:50:45,759
Speaker 1: to Ryan Presley, who announced his retirement on Saturday via

959
00:50:45,800 --> 00:50:48,600
Speaker 1: a statement to a friend of the pod, Ken Rosenthal.

960
00:50:49,320 --> 00:50:51,920
Speaker 1: If you're on YouTube, and if you're watching on YouTube,

961
00:50:52,320 --> 00:50:55,000
Speaker 1: we have the statement up and it's very long, so

962
00:50:55,000 --> 00:50:57,600
Speaker 1: I'm not going to read it verbatim, but I think

963
00:50:57,640 --> 00:51:01,160
Speaker 1: the one part that is pertinent to this podcast, the

964
00:51:01,719 --> 00:51:05,400
Speaker 1: fourth paragraph, says being traded to the Houston Astros felt

965
00:51:05,400 --> 00:51:08,600
Speaker 1: like a homecoming. Hoisting that World Series Trophy in twenty

966
00:51:08,760 --> 00:51:11,680
Speaker 1: twenty two and closing for Team USA in the twenty

967
00:51:11,719 --> 00:51:14,960
Speaker 1: twenty three WBC those are things I always dreamed of

968
00:51:15,120 --> 00:51:18,520
Speaker 1: I'll carry that joy forever. Houston. You've got our hearts.

969
00:51:18,600 --> 00:51:24,320
Speaker 1: It's our forever home now. Thank you for my money, Tyler.

970
00:51:25,200 --> 00:51:28,560
Speaker 1: One of the most underappreciated pieces of the Astros golden era.

971
00:51:29,920 --> 00:51:33,200
Speaker 1: I don't think the Astro's golden era happens without Ryan Presley.

972
00:51:33,800 --> 00:51:35,160
Speaker 1: Was he the most important part of it?

973
00:51:35,280 --> 00:51:35,799
Speaker 2: No, he was not.

974
00:51:36,840 --> 00:51:39,080
Speaker 1: Was he a figurehead of it? Yes he was, And

975
00:51:39,520 --> 00:51:42,640
Speaker 1: Jeff Luno did some really really good things as Astro's

976
00:51:42,680 --> 00:51:47,240
Speaker 1: general manager. One of the shrewdest was acquiring Ryan Presley

977
00:51:47,239 --> 00:51:48,680
Speaker 1: at the twenty eighteen trade deadline.

978
00:51:48,840 --> 00:51:53,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, Astro's legend, no no qualms about it. That is

979
00:51:53,640 --> 00:51:57,560
Speaker 2: one of the best relievers in Astra's history. And you

980
00:51:57,640 --> 00:52:03,560
Speaker 2: can't tell the story of those championships without him. Him

981
00:52:02,719 --> 00:52:06,600
Speaker 2: great trade and it was it was so fun. If

982
00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:09,160
Speaker 2: you were around the internet at the time. It was

983
00:52:09,160 --> 00:52:13,960
Speaker 2: in this this mode of the Astros are smarter than everybody.

984
00:52:14,560 --> 00:52:18,200
Speaker 2: And as soon as the trade happened, it was like

985
00:52:18,440 --> 00:52:22,160
Speaker 2: within minutes, everybody was like, oh, they they figured something out.

986
00:52:22,200 --> 00:52:24,680
Speaker 2: Because he's not that good for the you know, he's okay.

987
00:52:24,800 --> 00:52:28,520
Speaker 2: He wasn't like he wasn't Ryan Presley yet for the Twins,

988
00:52:28,880 --> 00:52:31,120
Speaker 2: but literally as soon as the trade happened, it was like,

989
00:52:31,239 --> 00:52:34,120
Speaker 2: uh oh, the Astros are gonna figure something out, and

990
00:52:34,160 --> 00:52:37,120
Speaker 2: they did. He was awesome for the you know, for

991
00:52:37,160 --> 00:52:40,839
Speaker 2: the majority of the time that he was here. Yeah,

992
00:52:40,880 --> 00:52:43,400
Speaker 2: absolutely an Astro's legend.

993
00:52:44,120 --> 00:52:47,640
Speaker 1: Salute to him. One of four relievers in Astro's history

994
00:52:47,680 --> 00:52:50,000
Speaker 1: with at least one hundred saves. The other three are

995
00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:53,280
Speaker 1: brad Lydge, Dave Smith, and Hall of Famer Billy Wagner.

996
00:52:54,320 --> 00:52:56,920
Speaker 1: He had that twenty two and a third inning streak

997
00:52:56,960 --> 00:52:58,959
Speaker 1: in the postseason where he didn't allow and earned run.

998
00:53:00,120 --> 00:53:02,560
Speaker 1: My hot take is that this is no disrespect to

999
00:53:02,640 --> 00:53:05,279
Speaker 1: Jeremy Penia, but Ryan Presley should have probably been the

1000
00:53:05,360 --> 00:53:08,000
Speaker 1: MVP of the twenty twenty two World Series. I understand

1001
00:53:08,040 --> 00:53:10,640
Speaker 1: why they gave it to Jeremy Pania because he's got

1002
00:53:10,640 --> 00:53:14,040
Speaker 1: a great smile and he plays a premium position, and

1003
00:53:14,080 --> 00:53:16,160
Speaker 1: it's not sexy when you give a closer an MVP.

1004
00:53:16,880 --> 00:53:20,680
Speaker 1: But he was as important, if not more important, in

1005
00:53:20,760 --> 00:53:23,640
Speaker 1: that in that World Series than Jeremy Payne. Was no.

1006
00:53:23,640 --> 00:53:28,040
Speaker 1: No at the zero disrespected Jeremy Payne, but Ryan Presley.

1007
00:53:28,160 --> 00:53:30,439
Speaker 2: There are very few times as a baseball fan where

1008
00:53:30,480 --> 00:53:33,359
Speaker 2: you feel like the game is over in the eighth

1009
00:53:33,360 --> 00:53:36,200
Speaker 2: inning with the lead. That just and the Ashers have

1010
00:53:36,200 --> 00:53:38,280
Speaker 2: been lucky with it too. I mean, you just mentioned,

1011
00:53:38,320 --> 00:53:42,360
Speaker 2: like I know everybody, all the young ends around here,

1012
00:53:42,360 --> 00:53:44,879
Speaker 2: only no brad Lidge from the Poohls Homer, but there

1013
00:53:45,040 --> 00:53:47,120
Speaker 2: there was a four year stretch where that guy was

1014
00:53:47,320 --> 00:53:50,640
Speaker 2: unhittable and he was after the Pools Homer. That was

1015
00:53:50,760 --> 00:53:52,800
Speaker 2: just that happened to be that They also had Billy

1016
00:53:52,840 --> 00:53:58,719
Speaker 2: Wagner forever, like the Ashers have had some great great closers,

1017
00:53:58,719 --> 00:54:01,960
Speaker 2: and Ryan Presley has won up the Ken Giles too,

1018
00:54:03,000 --> 00:54:05,759
Speaker 2: who was also great for a couple of years. I mean,

1019
00:54:05,840 --> 00:54:09,640
Speaker 2: and then he you know, punched that out of himself.

1020
00:54:10,200 --> 00:54:11,839
Speaker 2: But you know we've all been there.

1021
00:54:12,360 --> 00:54:17,920
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know. Fan Fest is this Saturday. If you're

1022
00:54:17,960 --> 00:54:21,240
Speaker 1: still listening to this fifty four minutes in. First, thank you. Second,

1023
00:54:21,239 --> 00:54:23,439
Speaker 1: if you're going to fan Fest on Saturday, I'm going

1024
00:54:23,480 --> 00:54:26,160
Speaker 1: to implore you wear as many layers as you can.

1025
00:54:26,719 --> 00:54:29,439
Speaker 1: It is already going to be cold outside. Uh dyke

1026
00:54:29,480 --> 00:54:32,319
Speaker 1: in Park. They're named after an HVAC company, but they

1027
00:54:32,320 --> 00:54:34,920
Speaker 1: have no heat inside. So if you're going to the ballpark,

1028
00:54:35,719 --> 00:54:37,879
Speaker 1: dress as if you are going outside. It is going

1029
00:54:37,920 --> 00:54:41,520
Speaker 1: to be frigid in there should be a good time.

1030
00:54:41,760 --> 00:54:43,960
Speaker 1: If you see me, say hello, I'll be up on

1031
00:54:44,000 --> 00:54:47,239
Speaker 1: the concourse because they funnel players in and out for

1032
00:54:47,320 --> 00:54:47,920
Speaker 1: us to talk to.

1033
00:54:48,120 --> 00:54:51,680
Speaker 2: So don't don't let Chandler's face fool you. He's a

1034
00:54:51,800 --> 00:54:54,360
Speaker 2: softie and he wants you to come up and say hi,

1035
00:54:54,440 --> 00:54:56,600
Speaker 2: and he will be happy about it. It's just it's

1036
00:54:56,680 --> 00:54:58,600
Speaker 2: just his face. He's not actually angry.

1037
00:54:59,239 --> 00:55:01,520
Speaker 1: Yeah, And so we'll get to talk to players. We

1038
00:55:01,520 --> 00:55:03,520
Speaker 1: don't know who's going. They haven't sent us a full

1039
00:55:03,600 --> 00:55:05,719
Speaker 1: roster yet of who is going, but usually Al two

1040
00:55:05,800 --> 00:55:08,480
Speaker 1: Vego's usually yourd on go. Usually it's the guys that

1041
00:55:08,560 --> 00:55:11,200
Speaker 1: live in Houston, and some of them get paid a

1042
00:55:11,200 --> 00:55:13,719
Speaker 1: little bit to fly in from wherever they're at in

1043
00:55:13,760 --> 00:55:15,760
Speaker 1: their home base to come to Houston for a weekend.

1044
00:55:15,880 --> 00:55:18,480
Speaker 1: All of Joe's spot his staff will be there, so

1045
00:55:18,520 --> 00:55:20,560
Speaker 1: we'll get the moral of the stories. We'll get to

1046
00:55:20,560 --> 00:55:22,600
Speaker 1: talk to a lot of guys Saturday. So on Sunday

1047
00:55:23,040 --> 00:55:25,839
Speaker 1: we'll get to do an episode that's hopefully full of

1048
00:55:25,960 --> 00:55:28,600
Speaker 1: new nuggets because Dana Brown will talk, Joe Spottle will talk,

1049
00:55:28,640 --> 00:55:31,000
Speaker 1: the players will talk, so we'll have more to talk

1050
00:55:31,000 --> 00:55:33,520
Speaker 1: about on Sunday after FanFest. But if you're at FanFest

1051
00:55:33,560 --> 00:55:35,800
Speaker 1: you want to say hello, I'll be on the concourse

1052
00:55:35,840 --> 00:55:38,400
Speaker 1: somewhere where they stick the media to freeze while we

1053
00:55:38,440 --> 00:55:40,640
Speaker 1: wait on all the players to come talk to us.

1054
00:55:40,680 --> 00:55:42,440
Speaker 2: But can you can you do me a favor for

1055
00:55:42,480 --> 00:55:45,880
Speaker 2: al Tuove? Can you ask what position does he play?

1056
00:55:47,160 --> 00:55:49,800
Speaker 2: Just just throw that out there and see what happens.

1057
00:55:50,200 --> 00:55:51,759
Speaker 2: I want to hear what that answer is.

1058
00:55:52,080 --> 00:55:55,799
Speaker 1: I can only imagine. I will do that and we

1059
00:55:55,880 --> 00:55:58,080
Speaker 1: will talk about that on Sunday. But until then, you

1060
00:55:58,080 --> 00:56:00,360
Speaker 1: can follow me on x at channeler Underscore Room. You

1061
00:56:00,400 --> 00:56:03,000
Speaker 1: can follow Tyler at Tyler C. Stafford. Please rate and

1062
00:56:03,080 --> 00:56:06,560
Speaker 1: review us on Apple and Spotify. Please like the video

1063
00:56:06,680 --> 00:56:09,000
Speaker 1: on YouTube and also subscribe to the YouTube channel. It

1064
00:56:09,040 --> 00:56:11,200
Speaker 1: really helps us out. Like I said, guys, we'll be

1065
00:56:11,280 --> 00:56:14,400
Speaker 1: back on Sunday to talk everything that happens at FanFest,

1066
00:56:14,480 --> 00:56:16,719
Speaker 1: the best things we hear from players, and who knows,

1067
00:56:16,719 --> 00:56:18,840
Speaker 1: if the astros do make a trade between now and Sunday,

1068
00:56:18,880 --> 00:56:21,640
Speaker 1: we'll be back with an emergency pod. But unless that happens,

1069
00:56:21,680 --> 00:56:24,160
Speaker 1: we will see you guys on Sunday, and until then,

1070
00:56:24,480 --> 00:56:25,240
Speaker 1: thanks for listening.

1071
00:56:25,800 --> 00:56:51,280
Speaker 2: Bye,