[SPEAKER_00]: The Boston Red Sox with some fireworks on July fourth is they take the series open or versus the Washington Nationals by a score of eleven to two.
[SPEAKER_00]: The offense shows a big for a G-Lito jam.
[SPEAKER_00]: Excuse me, that's what I get for doing an early morning read.
[SPEAKER_00]: to raise their record within striking distance of five hundred once more.
[SPEAKER_00]: As the dust clears, they stand at forty four winds and forty five losses.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm Nick the voice joined today by Terry Kushman Jr.
[SPEAKER_00]: and we are the bastards of Boston.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you want more, you can go to bastards of Boston Baseball.com for great written articles posted just about every day.
[SPEAKER_00]: Terry, where are we starting today?
[SPEAKER_00]: This was a beautiful game with a lot to talk about.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I remember looking at the pitching matchups, and I'm thinking, well, Seroca's their best guy, so this is their most winnable game.
[SPEAKER_01]: And now, how many times does Gielito have to go out there and just completely shove before we're finally like, this is an automatic win for the Red Sox.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, shame on me for thinking it was a winnable game.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, this guy, Gileeto, you pointed out pretty early on that if you took those three bad starts and got rid of them, Gileeto was pretty great.
[SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of people sort of clowned for that take and said, Oh, well, if you take out anyone's bad starts, of course, they're going to be good.
[SPEAKER_00]: But since that third bad start, he's on what five or six really tremendous starts.
[SPEAKER_00]: He changed his mechanics from what I heard, changed his arm slot, and since then, I mean, whatever he's doing, it's been working.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was kind of out on this guy relatively early, and he's completely proving me wrong, and I love it.
[SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, a more increased emphasis on the fastball, too, has certainly been a factor, but
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you go, I'm doing it on the fly right now.
[SPEAKER_01]: So in, let's see, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and six of his last eight starts.
[SPEAKER_01]: Two earned runs or less.
[SPEAKER_01]: And the red socks have won six of those last eight starts.
[SPEAKER_01]: So he's a guy that's just really put it together.
[SPEAKER_01]: I posted on social media earlier, you know, the White Talks gave up on him, sold him for bottom of the barrel.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't even know what they got back from the angels in that trade, but, you know, they gave him away for nothing, basically.
[SPEAKER_01]: Then the angels flipped him to the Guardians after about a month or so.
[SPEAKER_01]: uh... jelito had six to eight starts there and uh... the guardians especially have had a great pitching program for the last i don't know fifteen or sixteen years their pitching program has kept them relevant because they've never been an offensively robust team even that twenty sixteen team that nearly won the world series it wasn't a it wasn't a hugely offensive team so
[SPEAKER_01]: If you want to get fixed and address whatever's telling you as a picture, the guardians would have been that team to help him out.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it was a short sample size.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I mean, it shouldn't be a shocker that they couldn't fix them.
[SPEAKER_01]: But the fact that they had no interest in bringing him back the next season, which would have been, you know, pennies on the dollar probably.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, they're, they're just was no interest in the red socks ended up picking him up.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think the red socks might have overpaid for him.
[SPEAKER_01]: He said there was very little interest in him.
[SPEAKER_01]: He said that in his press conference.
[SPEAKER_01]: It might have been a zoom call actually.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's how they do it these days, which I hate.
[SPEAKER_01]: I miss the old school press conferences with the flashy cameras.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I'm with you.
[SPEAKER_01]: The eighties and nineties are so great, but
[SPEAKER_01]: but yeah he said it was nice to be wanted and there wasn't a ton of interest there so this was a guy very few teams in the league had confidence in and I don't think we had confidence in him either really I mean there wasn't I didn't hate the the signing but I mean it wasn't an automatic slam dunk and then you lost him for the first year to the Tommy John
[SPEAKER_01]: And he had the bracing procedure and he's come back and the dudes been an absolute horse and I think so many teams might be looking at it now thinking man, you know, the pedigree was there and they didn't make a play like the Red Sox did.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, absolutely.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's, it's just nice to see.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's giving to a point where I'm starting to think, well, hey, maybe that fourteen million dollar team option for next year.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe that's actually something worth picking up.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think a lot of us had him written off his cluber part two.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's looking to be extremely unfair.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you look at the numbers, go back a month ago.
[SPEAKER_00]: June fourth, he has that terrible blow up against the angels.
[SPEAKER_00]: One point two innings pitched, seven earned runs allowed.
[SPEAKER_00]: Absolute catastrophe, his ERA on the season is six point four two.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here we are, five starts and one month later.
[SPEAKER_00]: He has just pitched his longest game of the year, one hundred eight pitches, seven point two innings pitched, only one earned run allowed for his ERA on the season to drop down to three point six, six, three points nearly lower, absolutely incredible the dominance that he's been displaying.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and you know, Breslo is going to get calls on him, you know, as the deadline gets near and the fact that he's essentially not a rental, he, he's not going to reach a hundred and forty innings.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he missed a chunk of the season and then those abbreviated
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, blowouts that he had.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's been three of them.
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, those certainly didn't help his innings count.
[SPEAKER_01]: And he's probably at just doing the math on my fly about sixty six innings right now.
[SPEAKER_01]: So what does he have to pitch here in the last few months?
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, let's see probably what once, no excuse me, seventy four innings.
[SPEAKER_01]: Wow, maybe that's not.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you're right to reach that.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a hundred forty four is the option to just say it somewhere around there.
[SPEAKER_01]: I thought it was one forty.
[SPEAKER_01]: I can look it up here in a minute, but yeah, I wonder.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's interesting because if he if he reaches it.
[SPEAKER_01]: The red socks loose so much leverage here.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, that's that's the painful thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: And because what I'm thinking here is my mindset before realizing maybe it's not all that many innings to go.
[SPEAKER_01]: My mindset was well.
[SPEAKER_01]: You're going to pick up the option and I mean, that's a steal at this point because he's pitching right now to the level of probably a.
[SPEAKER_01]: twenty two to twenty six million dollar a year pitcher so for you to get them next year for fourteen that's an absolute steel and if you didn't pick it up.
[SPEAKER_01]: You're probably taking a huge chance on someone that's not proven.
[SPEAKER_01]: And not also not proven in a market like Boston not everybody can pitch in Boston so.
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's a steel but you could also leverage that.
[SPEAKER_01]: into an extension, you know, maybe I don't know what an extension would be probably a five year deal, five years, hundred and twenty five, I don't know, I'm just spitting, but but you could you could hold him over a barrel and be like, well, we can just give you the extension now and you'll you'll make a lot more money than fourteen million.
[SPEAKER_00]: Definitely.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you're absolutely right.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is a hundred forty innings pitched.
[SPEAKER_00]: He is at sixty six point one right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: That means he only needs I mean less than seventy four innings on the rest of the season.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you figure that what he'll get five more starts in August five more starts in September.
[SPEAKER_00]: Four more starts maybe this month.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean he would really just need to average about I think five point two to six.
[SPEAKER_00]: to actually reach that point, which is very realistic at this point.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think you're right.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's strange how the leverage so quickly can shift from everything being on Boston.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, there's no way that Lucas Gielito's going to hit that benchmark to suddenly, oh, wow, you know what, yeah, he is probably going to get the chance to opt out.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he's only thirty years old right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's looking pretty legit.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what I got to say.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't necessarily want to buy into it completely.
[SPEAKER_00]: God knows he's had good years in the past, but you're right about not everyone being able to play in Boston and Lucas Gielito not only appears to be able to, but appears to thrive while he's here.
[SPEAKER_00]: I heard a quote on the air today that he says he loves this organization.
[SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't want to be traded and that he feels like we stood by him when no one else did, which is sort of similar to what Paxton said back when we stood by him.
[SPEAKER_01]: Another thing that another guy he kind of reminds me of and not not so much from a personality standpoint.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's important that I prefer that because I would get roasted.
[SPEAKER_01]: But he's almost got a John Lackey type presence on the mound out there.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, Lackey would give you three really good starts.
[SPEAKER_01]: Then the fourth one, he'd get tuned up for four to six at least.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then he'd settle in for the next three.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you took that.
[SPEAKER_01]: That was fine.
[SPEAKER_01]: And he was a good postseason pitcher throughout his career.
[SPEAKER_01]: Great postseason numbers.
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's kind of how I see Gielito out there.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's not really the number one at this point in his career.
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe he does ascend to that.
[SPEAKER_01]: But
[SPEAKER_01]: That's just, that's just who he reminds me of from a performance standpoint.
[SPEAKER_01]: And Lackey wasn't really that great until twenty thirteen, which ironically was his first year back from Tommy John.
[SPEAKER_00]: that is very interesting how that sort of works out.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, not too long ago, I said that for this team to really take the next step.
[SPEAKER_00]: If we do want to be serious about a playoff, about being a playoff team, we needed a guy like Gillito or a guy like Bayo to step up and both of them have been doing that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would still think that we probably could go out and get another frontline starter, but as it stands, if the gelito and beo resurgence is legitimate, that top three in the rotation feels pretty good.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when Dobbins comes back, if fits shapes up, this is looking pretty strong even despite people are the only problem with that is that of course everyone needs to stay healthy.
[SPEAKER_00]: But right now, the rotation is fixing itself, which is such a relief because the rotation was a big reason we were sinking, so we're early in the season.
[SPEAKER_01]: I agree with that and I haven't really been that worried about the rotation.
[SPEAKER_01]: I know there are some people out there in the media and on social media like obsessed with the Red Sox getting another frontline starter and that wouldn't hurt but I don't think it's the pitching that's going to keep you out of it at this point.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's the lineup and
[SPEAKER_01]: Dave O'Brien made a good point today and I hate to give him credit for that because I hate him and I still hope he gets fired at the end of the year, but he did make a good point by saying you don't have a buffer in this line of outside of I guess a brave, but yeah, apparently he's not an everyday guy so you have to go get that diverse like presence back in the lineup and
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you can't wait until the deadline, you got to do it fast.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I don't know, but but getting back to the rotation, you mentioned, you mentioned Crochet, Bayo, and Gilito.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a great one through three.
[SPEAKER_01]: If Kyle Harrison can just come back, if he develops that pitch, I forget which one they're having to focus on, it might be a sinker, or maybe that's what Halks focusing on.
[SPEAKER_00]: A sticker or a cutter I heard with Harrison.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it seems like the cutter has been the go-to for games.
[SPEAKER_01]: In the last few years, like, give them a cutter, you know, and it ends up being an effective pitch and is transformed a few different pitchers across the league.
[SPEAKER_01]: But if Kyle Harrison comes back and he can pitch to the level of simply giving you a chance to win every time out, that's a pretty good rotation.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I'm just boldly going to assume that viewer dobbins are fits.
[SPEAKER_01]: One of them will emerge.
[SPEAKER_01]: And or even how.
[SPEAKER_01]: I still want, I prefer how can the bullpen at this point anyway, just because, you know, another arm in there can't hurt.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I just think we're okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think we're going to miss the postseason because of our rotation.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we're going to miss it because of the lineup.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think that's a fair assessment.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, what is interesting about this lineup?
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of weird because you're right.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are lacking power in a lot of ways, but it's kind of frisky right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some games will look like we can't hit to save our lives, but I'm noticing maybe an uptick in patience.
[SPEAKER_00]: It seems like even guys like Toro and Rafael are walking more.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're willing to take that fall outside, not trying to play hero ball so much.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the third series in a row now.
[SPEAKER_00]: that specifically, it's big to point out since the diverse terrain, that the socks have dropped double digit scores in a single game.
[SPEAKER_00]: We had that fifteen to one win versus the blue jays, that thirteen to six win versus the reds, now in eleven to two win versus the nationals.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of interesting because, again, I heard on the broadcast today, they were talking about how this lineup isn't necessarily top heavy
[SPEAKER_00]: but it's not necessarily bottom shallow either.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, really one through eight are giving you pretty consistent quality at bats of similar quality.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have derand hitting the ball better Anthony getting going.
[SPEAKER_00]: Toro, who I thought, you know, he had a bit of a stumble there for a bit.
[SPEAKER_00]: I sit up here at comms here is where the regression comes and sense that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let me just pull this up.
[SPEAKER_00]: I believe he's hitting yeah, three, thirty three in the last seven games.
[SPEAKER_00]: So he's completely back after that little stutter step.
[SPEAKER_00]: Narvai is a brave, stories, or surgeons.
[SPEAKER_00]: Myor putting up good at that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Raphael, being one of the best hitters on the team, really the one black hole, only black hole.
[SPEAKER_00]: Real weak spot in this lineup is second base, David Hamilton, who continues.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm in the guy can't hit.
[SPEAKER_00]: The guy can't play defense.
[SPEAKER_00]: Somehow his defense is disappointing me more this season than it's offense.
[SPEAKER_00]: I tweeted that out.
[SPEAKER_00]: But once Braggman comes back and you have Meyer and story shift over and maybe Campbell takes that step forward and he gets called up back on the team and maybe who knows, eaten.
[SPEAKER_00]: can be a guy who sort of takes a step forward.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's been okay so far.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, once we get David Hamilton out of this lineup, if we add a legitimate first basement, just as an option, because let's assume that Toro does regress at some point.
[SPEAKER_00]: He has a bad month.
[SPEAKER_00]: If we go out, we get a guy like Ryan or her and a regi like Josh Nailer.
[SPEAKER_00]: This could be a very interesting, fun offense.
[SPEAKER_00]: It seems like the guys are just playing good baseball and enjoying it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But to counter that point, as much as the double digit scores have been great, we've had some real stakers of offensive performances too since the Devers game.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, one run, two run type of performances, sometimes even being shut out, that simply is unacceptable.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, it's interesting.
[SPEAKER_01]: And in the last week,
[SPEAKER_01]: It got reported that the red socks had changed their pregame approach when it came to meetings and strategizing to where FATC and the assistant hitting coaches are now meeting with players more one-on-one for a more individualized.
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, you know, approach to that night start based on whoever's pitching and probably, you know, based on what those hitters strengths and weaknesses are so.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, that's nice to hear and and perhaps that's been a factor in in us turning it around.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've never been a fan of a one size fits all program because you just can't, you know?
[SPEAKER_01]: These guys all ascended to this level based on their own unique skill sets.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, and so many times this season, even earlier in the year when the pitching wasn't going well, and it felt like Andrew Bailey was on the hot seat, that line from money ball just keeps ringing in the back of my mind
[SPEAKER_01]: when he says, nobody reinvents baseball.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, and so many teams are trying to do it.
[SPEAKER_01]: And why?
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, the pitching lab has been blowing out elbows, drive line apparently.
[SPEAKER_01]: We don't talk about it much here.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not an expert on it, but
[SPEAKER_01]: Apparently, Christian Campbell was a big drive line guy and look at him.
[SPEAKER_01]: A trusting cost us another guy was a big drive line guy.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I just get back to just an old school mindset.
[SPEAKER_01]: I really believe that's what's going to win in the end.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, the whole spin rate thing from, you know, twenty seventeen through twenty twenty one until they banned the spider tack.
[SPEAKER_01]: That was a thing and teams did have to kind of adapt to that.
[SPEAKER_01]: But now that's gone and I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I just think the switching mindsets and having these guys be worked with individually is probably what's helped them take a step in the right direction.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because you're right.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, there's not one guy you're really
[SPEAKER_01]: super down on.
[SPEAKER_01]: And when David Hamilton comes back, I don't think he's going to be in the lineup that much.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you're going to have Braggman's story, Meyer, and then your first baseball tune.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's mostly going to be your everyday guys.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't know how you even sit in Meyer for for Hamilton.
[SPEAKER_01]: You can't run it lefty.
[SPEAKER_01]: They're both lefty.
[SPEAKER_01]: So it just doesn't, it doesn't work.
[SPEAKER_01]: But
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to pivot to one other thing because I mentioned it in either the last show or the one before that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I put the clip on TikTok today, which, you know, if you're on TikTok, go ahead and give that a follow.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm super bad when it comes to putting the ticker on, so I'll do that now.
[SPEAKER_01]: But Trevor's story, I just, when pregnant comes back,
[SPEAKER_01]: And perhaps this is only viable if we're at or under five hundred as we approach July thirty first.
[SPEAKER_01]: to dump him.
[SPEAKER_01]: You have to, if a team wants to do it, you have to get rid of that contract.
[SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, we were kind on the fence, not in terms of wanting to do it, but in terms of how viable it was a couple nights ago.
[SPEAKER_01]: And, and perhaps perhaps it is a pipe dream.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think it's at least gotten to the point where it's a valid question.
[SPEAKER_01]: If a team does approach you, should you do it?
[SPEAKER_01]: And his stock is rising.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he drove in what?
[SPEAKER_01]: At least three today.
[SPEAKER_01]: He had a two-run homeer.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he might have drove in as many as four, actually.
[SPEAKER_01]: And just really swinging the bat really well.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, if you're in it,
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, it's a harder case to to make as far as trading him because he is a righty bat.
[SPEAKER_01]: You're weak on that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'd be curious to see if there's calls made.
[SPEAKER_00]: It will be interesting to see.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ultimately, this is a guy who's coming off a June where he slugged five hundred.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is in a league where slugging is down.
[SPEAKER_00]: On base is down.
[SPEAKER_00]: The offensive numbers, if you guys look up the league average player right now, it's a bad slash line.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's something that a few years ago, you'd think you wouldn't even want to start.
[SPEAKER_00]: So far in July, eight hits, one of them being a home run to doubles, the guy is on fire.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to be interesting because well, when the dust settles, we'll say very clearly, who Trevor story is, I think by the end of the contract, by the end of the year, by really the end of this month, I think the further we get into it, we're going to see more and more.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, my question for you is how much money
[SPEAKER_00]: do you think would be worth eating?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I don't see a team necessarily taking on all, I think it would be fifty five million.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right now he has two more years as age thirty three and thirty four season are guaranteed twenty five million a year.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then his age thirty five season and twenty twenty eight is a team option twenty five million dollars with a five million dollar buy-up.
[SPEAKER_00]: So fifty five million dollars guaranteed.
[SPEAKER_00]: If we did trade Trevor story and let's say we get good guys back, maybe, you know, sort of triple a level pitcher that's maybe ready to take a jump next year.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's say, how much money would you be willing to eat off of that do you think?
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, if we're going to get legitimate prospects back, even if it's only one, I probably eat maybe a quarter of the money right now.
[SPEAKER_01]: If a team was willing to take on the full ride, I would probably take a much lower package just to free that up and get that money off the books.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm still operating under the mindset that we're not gonna make the playoffs and we probably will have to sell.
[SPEAKER_01]: And if you can get that money off the books,
[SPEAKER_01]: The job is just going to be that much more attractive to the incoming executive, because he's got a much cleaner slate.
[SPEAKER_01]: At that point, you're only albatross of a deal.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's Masataki Oshida who will only be under contract for two more years.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think his bat is better than Trevor stories.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know stories been hot, but over a full year, Masa is going to walk quite a bit.
[SPEAKER_01]: it probably a similar number of home runs.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm okay if there's going to be an albatross of a deal on the books.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm okay that it's masa.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and you know, moss talk of your sheet of he's a good on base guy.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's really what he's all about.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's the type of guy who's going to touch three hundred average, you know, get on base maybe three fifty something like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think story has been displaying maybe more power than Yoshida has.
[SPEAKER_00]: We haven't seen Yoshida take that jump.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think what was the most home runs he hit?
[SPEAKER_00]: Was it higher than I'm remembering?
[SPEAKER_01]: Eighteen or twenty.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not bad actually.
[SPEAKER_01]: That and that was before the shoulder surgery.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's see.
[SPEAKER_00]: Looks like fifteen home runs in twenty twenty three and a hundred forty games and ten home runs last year.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was only in a hundred eight games.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean he slugs over four hundred which again in this league right now is is pretty decent.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, Masa there's something there and I feel like if you do pair him with a guy like ref Snyder if you look at Moss talk you she does numbers versus righties in particular.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's very very good.
[SPEAKER_00]: That sort of similar to story in the sense how story sort of has his numbers elevated versus lefties, but obviously two thirds of the league about is right handed pitching.
[SPEAKER_00]: So so you see that eighteen million dollars a year for sort of a slapping D eight.
[SPEAKER_00]: We can survive that and honestly, if a GM came in and really said, you know what?
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think Yoshida is worth that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's the type of money you could probably eat, you know, retain ninety to one hundred percent of it, send it off to a team that could use a guy like that, and you know, take like a lottery ticket on a guy in high A, you know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think that's impossible.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, someone's going to have to go unfortunately, to ran a breo and Yoshida.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have these guys who prefer to hit right-handed pitching, who, you know, in theory, rotate between that outfield DH position.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just hard to have three guys like that on the same team.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, you're she does not really going to get you much of a return compared to a Brayu and Duran.
[SPEAKER_00]: I hate to see either Duran or a Brayu go.
[SPEAKER_00]: I agree that if we do become sellers, we're going to have some very interesting guys to get returns on.
[SPEAKER_00]: Gielito Chapman, uh, story potentially.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's such a shame because I'm at a point where I'm like, God, why can't this team be good?
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to see these guys go if we can help it.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're coming off that Blue J series.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to go back to that series two series ago where we took that one big game from them, but dropped the series and we all felt pretty down.
[SPEAKER_00]: We said, man, this was winnable.
[SPEAKER_00]: Man, we really shouldn't have gotten shut up, nine, nothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: We really should have had that five-three game that was so, so close on June, twenty-nine.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ah, the Red Sox.
[SPEAKER_00]: How could we do this?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, the Blue Jays took that momentum and went into a four-game sweep of the New York Yankees, knocking them out of first place.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's starting to seem like maybe that Blue Jays series was not so much a reflection on us as it was a reflection on who the Blue Jays had become.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now you take a series versus the reds, you start out strong against the nationals.
[SPEAKER_00]: You wonder, can we carry out a sweep here?
[SPEAKER_00]: Can we carry that into that home series versus the Rockies?
[SPEAKER_00]: Can we get above five hundred in time for Alex pregnant to come back, aside from the blue jays, the Yankees, the rays who are battling it out, and we do have another series against the rays coming up.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we're better than four out of five teams in the American League Central.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have the juggernaut tigers and you have everyone else sort of bashing their heads together.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know, finally, enough that division started very weak.
[SPEAKER_00]: Got extremely strong right in the middle.
[SPEAKER_00]: And now it's kind of weak again.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the tigers and everyone else.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have the Astros resurgence coinciding with the Mariners decline.
[SPEAKER_00]: The angels trying to be scrappy, trying to fight for wild card as the Rangers and the Athletics start to lose hope as the series goes out.
[SPEAKER_00]: So you're finding the Red Sox in a really weird position strategically where, and I brought this up previously, I just want to see decisiveness.
[SPEAKER_00]: as much as selling will hurt, as much as buying could bite us in the long run if we don't make the playoffs.
[SPEAKER_00]: We fall short.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just want to see us commit.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to see any of this soft buy sell crap.
[SPEAKER_00]: I really don't.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I agree with that.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm fine with if nothing happens up until July, twenty eight or twenty nine.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm assuming the deadline is on the very first.
[SPEAKER_01]: I would assume I think almost always it's it's in July.
[SPEAKER_01]: I know for a fact because there there were a couple years where it was August first or second, but
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't care what they do up until then, but I mean, if we want to win, we need to act sooner, like that's what should happen.
[SPEAKER_01]: But if we get to July, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, that's when you make your hard move.
[SPEAKER_01]: You're either going to buy or you're going to sell.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm going to say this, and maybe it'll sound a little bit contradictory, but
[SPEAKER_01]: If it looks like Gilito is gonna make it to a hundred and forty.
[SPEAKER_01]: You need to try to get an extension in before the trade deadline.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I would extend him.
[SPEAKER_01]: I would make a hard effort at that, you know, of a deal worth three to five years.
[SPEAKER_01]: I would do that because you're just gonna be looking for that guy next year and you've got him now and he looks like he can do it.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I would go hard to do that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I really don't want to trade him.
[SPEAKER_01]: And the one thing that would give me optimism that he will sign the extension is, if you type his name in the Google, you're going to get fifteen articles of him saying, I want to stay in Boston.
[SPEAKER_01]: Please don't trade me.
[SPEAKER_01]: I like it here.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's your bat signal.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's your bat signal to swoop in with the contract and get it done.
[SPEAKER_01]: I really don't want to trade him.
[SPEAKER_01]: I would trade one of a Brayu and Doran if we do go hard in that direction to be sellers.
[SPEAKER_01]: I would trade anyone on a one year deal basically.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I would definitely try to try to trade story as well.
[SPEAKER_01]: The fragment thing is interesting.
[SPEAKER_01]: We've gotten into that quite a bit.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think you could get a hall for him.
[SPEAKER_01]: We said last night, it was me and Chris.
[SPEAKER_01]: We had a really good hot take show.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I haven't followed up on Monsi.
[SPEAKER_01]: Do you know if he's out for a while?
[SPEAKER_01]: Have you seen anything?
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I would imagine he must be.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was a really nasty looking injury that took.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we have a diagnosis right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: Only six weeks.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: MR. I came back clean.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank God.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I don't know if the Dodgers would definitely be in on Braggman because Monty did play third.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what he was playing at the time of the injury.
[SPEAKER_01]: The Tigers have Zach McHenstree at first.
[SPEAKER_01]: Excuse me, third as well.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's having a great year.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if that's who he is or, you know, if it's just lightning and a ball type thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: But both of those teams do have a need for Alex Braggman.
[SPEAKER_01]: And the Tigers especially have to be looking at the Dodgers thinking, that's probably going to be our world series opponent if we make it that far.
[SPEAKER_01]: And if it's like an arms race type thing, I don't think he can truly beat the Dodgers in it.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, your roster on paper is never going to look as good as theirs on paper.
[SPEAKER_01]: But if you add an Alex Bregman to the Tigers, that's an impact move for a plus, plus player with a championship pedigree.
[SPEAKER_01]: Being reunited with the manager that took him to one of those championships.
[SPEAKER_01]: So what I'm getting at here is if you can draw the Dodgers and the Tigers into a Bending War, you could get an insane trade package.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think for Alex Breggman.
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's something that should be looked at.
[SPEAKER_01]: The one thing as I said last night that gives me pause about that is see I'm thinking the Red Sox have all the leverage here with Breggman and.
[SPEAKER_01]: I shouldn't say all the leverage at this point, perhaps they have more leverage, but the thing in the back of my mind is, well, you traded Devers.
[SPEAKER_01]: Are you going to lose Bregman too, like optics wise?
[SPEAKER_01]: How does that look to start twenty twenty six with neither one of them on the roster?
[SPEAKER_01]: So perhaps there could be some urgency there to retain a guy like Bregman, but I'd hate to see him.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd hate to see it happen, you know, where he finally gets that stupid contract after signing him to such a smart contract.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, JD Martinez, four out of his five seasons here, he made the all star team.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think a couple of those he did fade in the second half.
[SPEAKER_01]: One of those was twenty twenty two, which was his final year, but every year we just, it seemed like most of the fan base had an expectation that JD would opt out.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think Boris,
[SPEAKER_01]: tried hard.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, they have a ten or fifteen day window in the season ends to where they have to decide on whether they will or will not opt out.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Boris went hard to try to find a deal for him to that would make sense for him to opt out, but that deal never materialized.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I don't know what kind of a deal is going to be waiting for Alex Breigman coming off of an injury coming into his age thirty two season.
[SPEAKER_01]: If I'm the Red Sox, I'd almost be like, you know what, go ahead, opt out.
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll talk to you in February when you're still sitting there and maybe we'll we'll come to a deal that makes sense.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just, this is a fascinating, uh, probably one of the more fascinating July's in recent memory since at least twenty twenty one.
[SPEAKER_00]: I agree.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot to think about and you made a great point about the whole idea of a tiger's dodgers sort of bidding war where both of those teams
[SPEAKER_00]: want Breigman.
[SPEAKER_00]: We know that.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Tigers tried to court him last off season.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Dodgers have pretty much been writing it in big, bolded letters that they plan on pursuing him next off season.
[SPEAKER_00]: He would be a great fit.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, on most teams, really, the thing that I think held JD back that Breigman doesn't need to worry about is if you look at the bulk of JD's playing time, it was as an exclusive DH in a major league where only half the league had the DH.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that if the nationally adopted the D.H.
[SPEAKER_00]: earlier, maybe JD would have opted out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe he would have had more suitors.
[SPEAKER_00]: There would have been more competition.
[SPEAKER_00]: With Bragman, you have a guy who's not only a great hitter, but a great fielder to at third base.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I do think that there would be maybe more demand for him.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would just feel awful.
[SPEAKER_00]: If like you said, we do lose divers.
[SPEAKER_00]: If we lose Bragman, we could
[SPEAKER_00]: have a conversation with Breigman, and he could assure us, oh, no, I'm opting out for sure.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to test free agency.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to do this and we trade them on the back of that, but we sort of did something similar with mokey bats.
[SPEAKER_00]: And obviously, you know, the whole thing happened with the twenty twenty season where it got shortened and, you know, maybe that lead mokey bats to say, you know, what I'll take the security now rather than risking it next year.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it would just suck to see Breigman do the same thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the question becomes, well, who's our third basement?
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it on grissum because the organization doesn't appear to have a lot of faith in him?
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it toro?
[SPEAKER_00]: I certainly hope not.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it really does become a bit scary to think about what this team looks like without a third base option.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I mean, you're hopefully when you clear this money off the books, you're hopefully going to have some free agent targets in the winter and perhaps that's how you do it.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, my or could do it.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if that really fixes anything because who's going to be the shortstop.
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess story still could be if we keep him.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then second base is kind of up in the air.
[SPEAKER_01]: But you're going to need this needs to be a big winter for us with Devers off the books.
[SPEAKER_01]: Excuse me, potentially, Breggman off the books.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't know if any other bigger money comes off.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, Mueller's going to come off.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's eighteen million Chapman is ten million, but you would figure we're probably going to have to be active in the relief market anyway.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's why it's fascinating.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's why I keep pivoting back to how fascinating of July.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is going to be it does make me kind of nervous that
[SPEAKER_01]: Brazil is still the guy and I mean.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's one some trades.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I think he just kind of got lucky with the Narvaya's one.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think, and even his, wow, this imaginations, he was gonna get this type of production out of Narvaya's.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think his expectation was Wong is our guy, and he's gonna start most of the games there, but yeah, so I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: They just have to decide whether to be, whether or not they're gonna be buyers or sellers,
[SPEAKER_01]: I just, I still question whether or not pregnant, uh, pregnant, breast low is the guy.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's really going to figure that stuff out.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like if I'm breast low right now, I'm on the phone with a diamond back.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm like, Josh Nailer, what's going to take, you know, I think this might be as walkier.
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's a rental type situation.
[SPEAKER_01]: So what's it going to take, you know, and
[SPEAKER_01]: theoretically it shouldn't take much but but that's that's one thing I'm looking at I don't know what's out there for second baseman but that in theory won't matter actually because you're
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're going for your probably keeping story and when fragment comes back, Myers your second basement.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let me say this, just to get on the story thing, I might play him at second.
[SPEAKER_01]: Just show other teams like, you know, this is what's possible.
[SPEAKER_01]: And Myers gonna be there anyway.
[SPEAKER_01]: In fact, over the winter, I'm probably making that change.
[SPEAKER_01]: Myers, my, my short stop next year, and story is my second basement.
[SPEAKER_01]: If he's still on the books.
[SPEAKER_00]: Without question, I mean, Meyer came up as a short stop.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was heralded as the short stop of the future.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I mean, that arm plays so well on the left side of the infield.
[SPEAKER_00]: He looks so comfortable.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think you want him to be the short stop story is proven.
[SPEAKER_00]: He can play second pace in the past.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it would only make sense for him to do it again.
[SPEAKER_00]: This year his defense hasn't been stellar at shortstop.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's had his moments of good, but he's also had his moments of bad.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I really would like us to see a shift story over.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I think that that would give us the strongest possible team defensively.
[SPEAKER_00]: And God knows defense is necessary for this team.
[SPEAKER_01]: I would do it tomorrow, honestly.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't see what the harm is and just simply doing it tomorrow.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, actually, maybe not tomorrow, but day one when Braggman comes back, then I'm doing it.
[SPEAKER_01]: And they're teasing that he could be back on the next home stand, which I think is right after this series, actually.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, it is.
[SPEAKER_00]: I believe you're right.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let me double check that.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are here, and then yes, we are going home on July seventh, we will be hosting the Rockies and then the rays before heading out towards Chicago.
[SPEAKER_00]: So speaking of the Rockies and what's upcoming, let's look at what's upcoming versus the rest of the nationals.
[SPEAKER_00]: Take a look at probable pitching.
[SPEAKER_00]: We do have a Bueller Day tomorrow, unfortunately.
[SPEAKER_00]: He will be pitching against Mitchell Parker that has been announced at four, oh five p.m.
[SPEAKER_00]: The next day, it is a crochet day starting a one, thirty five PM start.
[SPEAKER_00]: No determined picture for the nationals, but a couple names we might see.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I had them pulled up, aren't guys that I know too too much about right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know that they're just coming off a double header of their own and that kind of messed with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just searched this up here.
[SPEAKER_00]: How are you feeling about the Bueller match up tomorrow though?
[SPEAKER_01]: Was that tomorrow?
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: That was Sunday.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, not good.
[SPEAKER_01]: I just, you know, someone pointed out on social media.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, Gito can turn it around, then then so can Bueller.
[SPEAKER_01]: But the difference is, as Bueller's fastball was getting crushed in late last year, I think it was a slider that is what changed things.
[SPEAKER_01]: And with Gito, it was the opposite.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, he was mostly off speed and then he pivoted back to the fastball.
[SPEAKER_01]: So,
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's kind of an apples and oranges type comparison.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he's the same exact age as Julito.
[SPEAKER_01]: So you would think there should be something left in the tank.
[SPEAKER_01]: But they haven't figured it out.
[SPEAKER_01]: And at this point, even after a couple of good starts, I don't know if he's even going to be movable at the deadline if you wanted to try to do that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: It'd be bad, you know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Bueller versus Parker.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Parker's not a good pitcher.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the nice thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm pulling up his numbers right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: You'll look onto the hood.
[SPEAKER_00]: Only sixty two strikeouts in ninety one point one innings is a terrible rate.
[SPEAKER_00]: His hard hit percentage is wow, apparently in the fourth percentile.
[SPEAKER_00]: Am I reading this right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Forty nine point seven percent hard hit, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Apparently.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's really, really bad.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you look at his expected ERA, five point four one, his actual ERA, not much better, four point six three.
[SPEAKER_00]: He last pitched on June twenty ninth had an okay start.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, his last three starts had been better, but I mean, even his last start three earned runs off of six hits and three walks and five endings.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not what you want to see certainly.
[SPEAKER_00]: If the red socks are going to get Bueller win,
[SPEAKER_00]: Tomorrow was a pretty safe match up for that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would say I'm not necessarily predicting it to happen.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I mean, this nationals offense is not good.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, they have Abrams.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have wood.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're very fun players.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know Alex call.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think his name is can be.
[SPEAKER_00]: kind of a frisky player kind of fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you'll look at sort of that five through nine very week, maybe even four through nine.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have a low who isn't exactly living up to expectations.
[SPEAKER_00]: Bell who's not good.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, what's the kids name Brady House?
[SPEAKER_00]: I think has not taken a step forward.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think like they've wanted them to.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, if there's a candidate for a team to bounce back against.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're getting this national line up could be one of those.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then for crochet, I have two probable pitchers that that's haven't decided yet, but you're looking at Kyle Hendrix, who last pitched on June, twenty-eight.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jack, I'm going to butcher this last name.
[SPEAKER_00]: Coconut wits, something like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, he last hit.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, exactly.
[SPEAKER_00]: He last pitched on to the twenty-nine.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would imagine they probably go with Hendrix kind of Hendrix despite not looking great over the course of the season right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's had a very good June.
[SPEAKER_00]: A three point two one ERA last month in five starts.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's see here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Looks like twenty one strikeouts and twenty eight innings, so not a big strikeout guy, but, you know, limiting damage certainly.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whereas poor jack over here, I mean, a six point three one ERA in June.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, I would imagine Hendrix would probably be the preferred regardless you got to feel good about a crochet start, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, I know he got touched for what four or five in the last one, but he had immense run support.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that was the game where the
[SPEAKER_01]: the rookie was tipping his pitches there.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I, this is a much different lineup from what the Reds were trying out.
[SPEAKER_00]: How are you feeling about these next two?
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you think we can get a sweep or just a series win or do you think we're in for a hardbreaker?
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I think you're certainly going to get a series when I just, if, if Bueller can suck consider, but less than that Parker kid, then perhaps perhaps a sweep will materialize, but I'm not going to bet the farm on it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think that's smart too because I mean, you'll look at Bueller in his last seven starts is a nine point two nine ERA.
[SPEAKER_00]: It has not been good.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll say I'm cautiously optimistic.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm willing to sort of wave the flag and say, woo, let's sweep them in above five hundred.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would not at all be surprised if tomorrow is blown out against us.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and it's not just Mueller versus the nationals, it's Mueller versus himself in the nationals, you know, he's in his own head pretty bad.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so that's that's what gives me considerable pause when trying to make a case for him winning.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's going to be tough to see.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, if he can materialize, just some nice, you know, mechanics, try to figure out what Gileeto's doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I heard that Gileeto likes to load up MLB the show, the night before a star and go through the opposing teams lineup to get a feel for them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Finally enough, maybe viewers should camp out in his room the night and, you know, go through it together and see what the match does look like in the game.
[SPEAKER_01]: Play Madden instead.
[SPEAKER_01]: Just turn your brain off.
[SPEAKER_01]: Just use a different party of brain.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, thank you so much for joining us.
[SPEAKER_00]: This has been a fun day, a fun episode.
[SPEAKER_00]: Definitely reason to celebrate on July fourth.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've been Nick joined by Terry and we have been the bastards of Boston.
[SPEAKER_00]: Take care, everyone.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_00]: And farewell.