WEBVTT 1 00:00:08.599 --> 00:00:12.039 Hello, and welcome to Batflips and Nerds, the Baseball podcast 2 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:14.880 with a British twist. I am your host this evening, 3 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:17.320 Ben Carter, and I'm joined on a very hot evening 4 00:00:17.800 --> 00:00:20.640 by two other baseball luminaries. First of all, Rob Navera, 5 00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:21.559 how are you good? 6 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:24.160 I'm I'm yeah. You may notice, for those of you 7 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:27.120 who are watching on YouTube, I have a different background today. 8 00:00:27.399 --> 00:00:30.320 It is because I am with cats and new cats 9 00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:33.320 have taken over my normal podcasting zone, so I am 10 00:00:33.479 --> 00:00:37.640 standing in my spare bedroom trying to work all this out. 11 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:39.359 So but otherwise good. Yeah, it's been a while since 12 00:00:39.399 --> 00:00:40.880 I've been on the pod. It's good to see you both. 13 00:00:41.240 --> 00:00:42.119 It has been a while going on. 14 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:43.640 They give us a cat's names because you were just 15 00:00:43.640 --> 00:00:46.719 telling us that they are baseball ladies, and if Becky disagrees. 16 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:51.200 Well, so I mean they're called Chicago and Tampa and 17 00:00:51.240 --> 00:00:54.560 they are ladies. Initially I was going to go for 18 00:00:55.320 --> 00:01:01.000 I wanted Carl Clawford and Tyler Glasmiow, but Becky said 19 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:03.880 absolutely not, that's ridiculous. So she suggested, what about places 20 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:07.079 we've been? So I said, Francisco and Diego like really 21 00:01:07.159 --> 00:01:09.280 cool cat names. But i've fortunately it turned out to 22 00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:11.640 be ladies, not offortunately fortunately they're wonderful cats, they turn 23 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:14.239 out to be ladies. So I went with I said, 24 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:16.400 what about Hilda and Ethel? Because I quite like old 25 00:01:16.439 --> 00:01:19.959 lady names for cats. And then she went back to, oh, 26 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:22.760 what about the places we've been? Because she hated Hilda 27 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:27.359 and Ethyl, So we settled on Tampa and Chicago. What 28 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:29.959 Becky doesn't know is that Tampa's middle name is long Ago. 29 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:33.280 But secret Squirrel, I love it. 30 00:01:33.719 --> 00:01:35.000 I'm sure we're going to come back to a lot 31 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:36.599 more catch Out in future. It's a good job John's 32 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:39.239 not here. It would be an entire podcast dedicated to catch. 33 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:39.480 Out, I fear. 34 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:42.159 But joining the two of us is russall Eesam, who 35 00:01:42.200 --> 00:01:44.760 I think is maybe a little bit boozed up after 36 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:47.400 after the pub from from the math work drinks. 37 00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:48.120 How you doing, Russ? 38 00:01:48.280 --> 00:01:51.120 I'm doing good. I'm ready to spit fire. And what 39 00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:53.719 we what we've missed talking on? It's it's been a 40 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:55.680 it's been been a while, and it's been been a 41 00:01:55.680 --> 00:01:58.840 few beers. So I've got some opinions and he's gone. 42 00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:00.640 Takes were too hot for the in net to handle, 43 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:05.239 and so am I, well, a great start to the pot. 44 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:06.120 Can you tell where Russy? 45 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:07.599 We lost Russ for a minute there, but we do, 46 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:10.319 we think have him back now, And yeah, we've got 47 00:02:10.360 --> 00:02:14.639 lots of baseball to chat through. Some pretty exciting news 48 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:16.520 that dropped. I'm trying to remember when it was now, 49 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:19.759 was it Sunday night or Monday night? Of course, the 50 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:22.240 raphaile Devs trade, which I think we're going to get 51 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:23.960 into first and talk about a little bit, and then 52 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:26.280 cover off a few topics at the end, including Bob's 53 00:02:26.280 --> 00:02:28.560 trip that we're going to hear about and any other 54 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:30.919 baseball lated stuff that you guys want to talk through. 55 00:02:30.919 --> 00:02:34.439 But yeah, let's start with the topic du jour, the 56 00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:38.560 rafaile Dev's trade to San Francisco from Boston bombshell. I 57 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:40.919 think we'd he'd been a topic on almost every podcast 58 00:02:40.960 --> 00:02:42.840 we've done this season for one reason or another. 59 00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:46.800 Through his clear sort of fallout. 60 00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:48.639 With a Red Sox front office that was manifesting itself 61 00:02:48.680 --> 00:02:51.199 in various ways in public. But I don't think anyone 62 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:54.800 really saw this coming out of the blue, him being 63 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:58.639 sent to San Francisco for a small cadra of prospects 64 00:02:58.919 --> 00:03:02.080 for players coming back the other way. Including Kyle Harrison, 65 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:04.080 left handed pitcher who was at one time at a 66 00:03:04.120 --> 00:03:06.319 top prospect in Jordan Hicks, who people will know as 67 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:08.599 the guy who throws the ball very very fast but 68 00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:12.719 doesn't really know where it's going. So obviously, I guess, 69 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:16.400 first question, who won the trade? Do you guys have 70 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:19.319 a strong view on whether the Giants have fleeced the 71 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:21.759 Red Sox? The Red Sox have fleeced the Giants? Russall 72 00:03:21.800 --> 00:03:24.719 come to you first? Is there a winner? Or am 73 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:27.080 I stupid for asking that question? Obviously, yes, I guess 74 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:28.319 it's been a week since the trade. 75 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:31.240 Now there's only one winner. It's a San Francisco Giants. Basically, 76 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:34.280 the Red Sox have bungled this beyond belief. This sort 77 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:39.360 of trade never happens like that. There's it's simplistic like 78 00:03:39.719 --> 00:03:42.719 this is as probably one of the single biggest failures 79 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:45.080 that the front office has done in maybe the last 80 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:48.000 twenty years of baseball. But the funniest thing is that 81 00:03:48.120 --> 00:03:51.159 the other biggest bungle probably that's happened in Britain in 82 00:03:51.719 --> 00:03:55.159 America baseball was Mookie Bett's being traded to the to 83 00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:59.199 the Dodgers. Like this Red Sox ownership maybe there have 84 00:03:59.240 --> 00:04:02.280 been different people charge, but Sam Kennedy and John Henry 85 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:06.439 are basically have shown that they are incapable of paying 86 00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:10.680 a franchise player to stay at their team. Maybe Devas 87 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:12.080 was not the right person that they should have given 88 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:14.039 that franchise deal too. Maybe it should have been Bogots, 89 00:04:14.039 --> 00:04:16.279 Maybe it should have been Bets. That's some other parts 90 00:04:16.279 --> 00:04:19.720 to do this, but this is a fundamental failure within 91 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:21.680 the Red Sox system that has allowed a player like 92 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:24.839 Rafael Devers to become available. Everybody who is a San 93 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:28.240 Francisco Giants fan is jumping with joy with this. You 94 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:31.399 do not get players that are going to get four 95 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:35.759 to five war become available in trades for multiple seasons 96 00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:39.399 like this is. It's not a Luka dontig deal to 97 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:41.319 compare it with some other sports, but it's like it 98 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:44.560 is after the unheard of in baseball for this sort 99 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:47.480 of thing to occur, and there is there is nothing 100 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:50.560 but failure on the Red Sox side. Yes, there are 101 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:52.720 potential talking points to whatever should have done or shire 102 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:58.360 not done, but John and I had conversations with Kyle Body, 103 00:04:58.439 --> 00:05:01.720 We had conversations with like Tyler Gill, and we had 104 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:04.439 conversations with others around kind of about how the Red 105 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:11.560 Sox should work, howat how building a culture works, and 106 00:05:11.560 --> 00:05:15.519 that so obviously has failed at the Red Sox, that 107 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:17.759 they had to do this deal, and then they had 108 00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:21.639 to have that press conference where car Breslo and Simon Kennedy, 109 00:05:21.639 --> 00:05:23.759 wh were trying to make it sound like this was 110 00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:26.399 a good think There's no way that this is a 111 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:29.759 good thing. So I don't know if either of you 112 00:05:29.839 --> 00:05:31.959 saw that press conference from the two of them, but 113 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:35.879 it was so bad that I can now understand while 114 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:40.199 Rafiel Devers has had issues communicating with these individuals up 115 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:43.040 to this point because seemingly neither of them really know 116 00:05:43.079 --> 00:05:44.360 how to talk to human beings. 117 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:46.959 Yeah, I mean a timing I think was also bizarre 118 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:49.480 in that the Red Sox had just swept the Yankees. 119 00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:51.759 Devas had just hit a very important home run in 120 00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:54.839 helping him achieve that sweep. Vibes were maybe for the 121 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:56.759 first time or season high in Boston. 122 00:05:57.279 --> 00:05:58.560 Prospects had just been called up. 123 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:01.040 Things seemed to be on the up for them, and 124 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:03.680 then this happens, and we very rarely see superstars get 125 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:05.680 traded full stop, but very very ready to then get 126 00:06:05.720 --> 00:06:08.600 traded mid season, Rob were you as shocked to everyone 127 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:10.680 else when this news happened? What was your instant reaction 128 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:12.759 to it? And now the dust have settled a little bit, 129 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:14.480 what are your thoughts a shock? 130 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:14.959 Yes? 131 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:19.319 Absolutely, now, I would say there was always going to 132 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:21.800 be something that was going to happen here. Clearly people 133 00:06:21.839 --> 00:06:25.160 weren't happy. There had to be a resolution. I think 134 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:28.680 we all probably thought what would eventually happen is Devers 135 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:31.879 is gonna gonna begrudgingly play first base for the Red Sox. 136 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:34.680 I don't think anybody had on their on their bingo 137 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:38.360 card devas happily playing first base for the Giants instead. 138 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:41.959 I mean with the Giants says an element of will 139 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:44.000 take him, We'll take him, you know, like they've been desperate, 140 00:06:44.199 --> 00:06:46.319 desperate for a big, big player for a while. So 141 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:49.279 you know, if you actually think about it, where else 142 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:51.439 would he have landed? Know that this is spot on, 143 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:56.680 This is exactly where he probably should have gone. But yes, 144 00:06:56.720 --> 00:06:59.600 it's a failure. It's a failure in one sense in 145 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:03.319 that that this team should have Raffi Devers for years 146 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:08.160 because he's a fantastic hitter. I think the computer has 147 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:11.519 clearly spit out numbers here, which is saying, we don't 148 00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:13.360 want to pay two hundred and fifty million dollars to 149 00:07:14.360 --> 00:07:17.240 a DH who may not be any good in five 150 00:07:17.279 --> 00:07:21.160 of his nine years remaining. It's a spreadsheet deal, you 151 00:07:21.240 --> 00:07:24.079 can see it. It's it's gone spreadsheet. What they haven't factored, 152 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:26.480 and of course is is the Raffi Devers of it all. 153 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:30.720 And the guy is the guy is a special hitter. 154 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:33.959 You know, he doesn't he doesn't conform to the numbers, 155 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:35.680 you know, he is, He's a bit better than that. 156 00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:40.000 So yeah, shocking, it is. It is shocking. Absolutely. However, 157 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:45.040 this car crash of a communications saga with the Boston 158 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:48.480 Red Sox was always going in tears for either Raffi 159 00:07:48.519 --> 00:07:52.279 Devers or for Craig Breslow or both, you know, And 160 00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:54.879 a little part of me is saying, is this Craig 161 00:07:54.920 --> 00:07:58.279 Breslow balls up? Or is this a Craig Breslow playing 162 00:07:58.279 --> 00:08:00.560 a master plan that he was told to play by 163 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:03.439 John Henry. Piss him off, make him go. You know, 164 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:06.839 I don't doubt he had no trade clauses in his 165 00:08:08.279 --> 00:08:11.839 in his deal, so has he been told to piss 166 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:13.480 him off enough that he needs to go? Was this 167 00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:16.519 Craig Breslow's balls up or was this I'm going full 168 00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:19.800 on conspiracy theorist here, but was this the plan all along? 169 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:23.680 I don't know. Nobody sorry coming though, but there had 170 00:08:23.720 --> 00:08:26.639 to be an out here, and essentially both of these 171 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:28.240 guys weren't going to be with the Red Sox for long. 172 00:08:28.920 --> 00:08:30.720 Breslo may still not be with the Red Sox for long, 173 00:08:30.759 --> 00:08:31.680 but it had to finish. 174 00:08:31.879 --> 00:08:33.960 I think he didn't have a no trade clause, weirdly 175 00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:35.960 because almost all of those contracts do, but I think 176 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:38.120 Devers didn't for whatever reason, so he could have gone 177 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:39.720 anywhere in theory. But yeah, the Giants made the most 178 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:41.240 sense for a lot of reasons. They've been trying to 179 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:45.039 acquire a superstar hitter for several years of free agency 180 00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:48.360 without really imagine to get there, hadn't they So for them, 181 00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:50.440 obviously a huge move and the knife in the back 182 00:08:50.600 --> 00:08:53.080 for the Red Sox. I guess Russ is that in 183 00:08:53.120 --> 00:08:55.600 his very first press conference, Devers comes out and said 184 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:57.759 he's happy to play first base starts taking ground as 185 00:08:57.799 --> 00:09:02.120 their pre game before his first game, clearly exactly that. 186 00:09:02.279 --> 00:09:03.879 You know, it was upset with the Red Sox, not 187 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:05.919 necessarily with the request. But the way they went about it, 188 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:10.120 and what I find slightly puzzling is like for like 189 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:12.720 a spreadsheet guy maybe as you called them, Rober, I'd 190 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:14.960 understand it where someone who wouldn't have that empathy for 191 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:17.519 being a player. Greig Breslow was a player, Like he 192 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:19.279 understands what it's like to be in a clubhouse. He 193 00:09:19.320 --> 00:09:21.960 understands what it's like to be a guy who's involved 194 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:24.360 in these deals and to understand the importance of communication. 195 00:09:25.399 --> 00:09:27.399 How has this happened with him? 196 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:29.559 Like you say, Russ, he just seems robotic in the 197 00:09:29.559 --> 00:09:32.480 way that he communicates, And I can't quite understand how 198 00:09:32.480 --> 00:09:35.799 you would have that view as a former player. But yeah, 199 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:38.200 it doesn't look great for them right now, especially with 200 00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:40.519 the whole Devils now seemingly open to playing first base. 201 00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:42.960 I think what you get at is the fact that 202 00:09:44.200 --> 00:09:49.200 players are very different. Like Breslo was a Yale graduate 203 00:09:49.840 --> 00:09:53.120 before kind of coming into baseball. That is a very 204 00:09:53.159 --> 00:09:58.919 different way of operating mentally and as an individual to 205 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:00.360 get to there before we even kind of by coming 206 00:10:00.360 --> 00:10:05.440 into baseball, he has brought in consultancy firms which have 207 00:10:05.639 --> 00:10:09.679 taken this team from having virtually even number of scouts 208 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:13.200 and analysts to having four x the amount of analysts 209 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:16.000 and they have scouts. Now, I'm going to tell you 210 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:19.480 that analytics is a good way to run baseball, but 211 00:10:19.519 --> 00:10:23.039 you have to have the quality side to what's going on. 212 00:10:23.080 --> 00:10:26.360 There are things that you cannot quantify to work out 213 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:29.919 how things going on. And for baseball deals, like the 214 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:32.320 annoying thing that I've seen a lot of people report 215 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:33.799 is that like, oh, yeah, the back end of this 216 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:37.200 contract is doesn't look good. The back end of every 217 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:40.799 major contract doesn't look good because you're paying for this 218 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:44.039 player to be good now and you deal with the 219 00:10:44.039 --> 00:10:47.159 consequences of them being bad later. Also, there's a certain 220 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:49.320 thing that you don't understand. A lot of them seem 221 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:52.559 to understand. That's called inflation and the fact that basically 222 00:10:52.600 --> 00:10:55.440 this contract will not look that bad in five or 223 00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:57.679 ten years time because guess what will be on one 224 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:00.639 or two further cbas and so see how much you 225 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:03.320 can pay somebody or the salary cap is going to 226 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:06.480 be much larger than it is right now. And just 227 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:08.759 over the last five ten years of baseball, think how 228 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:11.279 those contracts have gone. But brass Harper was getting like 229 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:15.279 three hundred million Ghan Sodo got seven hundred million. Like this, 230 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:18.279 Deva's contract is not going to look bad come the 231 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:21.440 end of the season. It's a fundamental misunderstanding of how 232 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:24.159 this works that really annoys me with how a lot 233 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:27.080 of people have like reporting on this. Yes, I think 234 00:11:27.159 --> 00:11:31.840 that Breslo has shown that either him or Sam Kennedy 235 00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:35.639 have just just decided that basically this wasn't the right 236 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:39.639 way to do this. And after Devas had that first 237 00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:42.759 round of miscommunication about hey, you're not going to play 238 00:11:42.759 --> 00:11:45.679 third base, even though that's basically what hein Bloom and 239 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:48.399 the other people that made that decision, which like Sam 240 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:50.960 would have been one of those people, so we can 241 00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:54.159 say that like, oh yeah, like the president of baseball 242 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:56.559 operations have changed, but the person above him and the 243 00:11:56.559 --> 00:11:59.639 people below him haven't changed, So those promises should have 244 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:02.200 the same. Like it's just because you have like a 245 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:04.919 different person in he's making those decisions. A lot of 246 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:08.480 that should have sayed the same bad communication one. Then 247 00:12:08.600 --> 00:12:12.080 effectively they put him to DH he becomes amazing. They're 248 00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:13.360 then like, hey, mate, do you want to go to 249 00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:14.960 a first base And it's like, well, actually, you just 250 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:17.840 told me I didn't need to defend so I don't know, 251 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:20.159 like there is a part of me that's saying me like, yeah, 252 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:21.799 you should have maybe gone like, yeah, you know what 253 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:24.559 I'm gonna I'm gonna take one for the team here, 254 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:27.919 But maybe that's not who Rapiel devis is. Like I 255 00:12:27.960 --> 00:12:29.679 don't know how you guys feel, but I see like 256 00:12:29.720 --> 00:12:32.240 people like Big Pappy coming out and being like, oh yeah, 257 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:34.480 Like I've measured devas a long time a lot of times, 258 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:36.639 and he didn't didn't respond to me, and we didn't 259 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:38.360 sort it out. I'm like, dude, you don't play for 260 00:12:38.360 --> 00:12:40.919 the Red Sox anymore. You're a freaking media person. You 261 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:43.039 may have been like the face of that franchise anymore, 262 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:45.559 but literally, if I was a player, you can sod 263 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:48.120 off like your opinion matters nothing to what's going on 264 00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:51.120 right now. Like you're just coming out here now with 265 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:54.200 basically a pro Boston view on what's going on, because 266 00:12:54.279 --> 00:12:56.679 that's what you're there to be, Like, you are a 267 00:12:56.720 --> 00:12:59.000 pro Boston guy. You will be a pro Boston guy 268 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:02.919 for your entire media career. That's just the what it is. Like, 269 00:13:03.399 --> 00:13:06.039 there's so much that we do not know what's going on. 270 00:13:06.759 --> 00:13:10.200 Like to me, reading the reports from like June Lee 271 00:13:10.279 --> 00:13:11.759 over the last couple of days that he's put out 272 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:13.799 on your host Sports about just the way that the 273 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:18.720 Red Sox organization works. It sounds like an absolute nightmare 274 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:23.720 to be in. I cannot fathom like parts of what 275 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:26.519 is being talked to us about, like how that organization 276 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:30.120 runs from an analytical perspective. As an analytical person, it 277 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:33.840 would drive mean nuts. And so if it's driving a 278 00:13:33.879 --> 00:13:38.279 person who's not analytical, that's then yeah, like it's just 279 00:13:38.360 --> 00:13:40.720 not a good place. It wasn't the best place for Devas, 280 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:43.200 and Devas is basically just once he's been given the 281 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:46.279 chance to go somewhere else where he's appreciated and he's 282 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:51.000 gone to the pobosi that himself, and so we get 283 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:53.559 the chance to go to an organization which has gone 284 00:13:53.559 --> 00:13:56.159 from hey, we need to be really analytical to like 285 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:59.000 we need to maybe get some feelings into it. And 286 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:03.080 obviously having Bust in charge, he's gone, yeah, you know what, 287 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:05.879 we want to play like this. The only chance we 288 00:14:05.879 --> 00:14:07.639 have to get a player like this is this trade 289 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:11.519 or spending what half a billion dollars on Kyle Tucker 290 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:14.720 next year. There's no player like this that's available. So 291 00:14:14.759 --> 00:14:16.559 they did the best thing that was a possible for 292 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:19.759 this team, got rid of guys that what are going 293 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:25.240 to be maybe back end starters and relievers, and our 294 00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:28.399 prospect that we'll all forget about the next of Jita 295 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:32.440 downs as we say, like, it just makes no sense 296 00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:35.720 from the red possible effective apart from we need to 297 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:39.200 dump the salary, we need to restart. We don't want 298 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:42.159 this guy around our young players, and that really to 299 00:14:42.200 --> 00:14:44.559 me says to that they did not want to Raffield 300 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:47.840 Devas to have any impact on their young prospects that 301 00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:48.519 were coming through. 302 00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:51.360 Well, I personally didn't have Russell Tell's big puppy to 303 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:54.720 sod off of my Bingo Kotha tonight. Con grasps for 304 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:57.799 the listeners that did, I just wish you get off 305 00:14:57.799 --> 00:15:01.399 the fence and she's aside here, I think you're I 306 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:04.600 think you're dead right, and I did enjoy the theory 307 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:06.799 I think tongue in cheek going on social media that 308 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:09.240 Femway Sports Group was shipping the money off the books 309 00:15:09.240 --> 00:15:13.600 to help fund Florian Verts joining Liverpool imminently, which is 310 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:16.720 just a great crossover of UK and US sports and culture. 311 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:19.799 I guess the final point on this that again another 312 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:21.559 knife in the back for the Red Sox. I guess 313 00:15:21.559 --> 00:15:25.639 where they're playing this weekend, San Francisco, so fans will 314 00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:27.240 very quickly get a chance to see there as an 315 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:30.240 action in in the Giants jersey, which should be good fun. 316 00:15:30.279 --> 00:15:32.559 And him in the Giants jersey looked a bit weird. 317 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:34.919 So I did task the guys with maybe coming up 318 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:38.799 with a few other players who looked odd wearing new 319 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:42.039 laundry with different teams, different colored pajamas. Rob, I think 320 00:15:42.039 --> 00:15:43.399 you've got a few that you were going to sort 321 00:15:43.399 --> 00:15:46.480 of start off with. Which guys on new teams did 322 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:47.879 you find most offensive to the eye. 323 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:50.519 I didn't realize you said players didn't just have players. 324 00:15:50.759 --> 00:15:52.639 Oh sorry, yeah, yeah, no, take it in different And 325 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:53.240 I had others. 326 00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:56.320 I'll come back to them, Okay, all right, So I've 327 00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:59.159 got one for Russell to start with. I had Josh 328 00:15:59.240 --> 00:16:03.720 Naylor playing in Arizona Colors. Just looks weird to me, 329 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:06.960 like he's he's got quite a distinctive face, like and 330 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:10.399 it was he was to someone who's not watching the 331 00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:14.559 The The Guardians every day. He kind of was the 332 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:16.399 face of that franchise for the last few years to me. 333 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:19.799 And so, yeah, Josh Naylor playing for the d Backs 334 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:22.960 is a weird look. Did you get that job, Josh, 335 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:24.720 Josh isn't here, Russell. 336 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:27.039 No, definitely, I can get that from some of those things. 337 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:30.159 I think from like a from a Cleveland perspective, like 338 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:32.639 you'd be like, he's he's one of those guys that's 339 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:34.759 come through your system, and you're kind of like, yeah, 340 00:16:34.759 --> 00:16:36.120 he's gonna be one of those guys, and then when 341 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:39.879 you go see them play with somebody else, it does 342 00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:42.480 look look a bit off. I think personally, as someone 343 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:47.360 who quite likes those d Back Cityknect uniforms, it doubly 344 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:50.240 hurts because I'm just like, man, he looks good wearing 345 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:52.399 some of those, like City can X, whereas like our 346 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:54.360 City can X was a pretty freaking boring. 347 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:56.399 Who else has got one? I've got several, but you 348 00:16:56.399 --> 00:16:57.360 know someone else picked one. 349 00:16:57.919 --> 00:16:59.679 I've got a few. Were sort of strowing you out 350 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:03.799 in the group with't me? I think Darius suggested both. 351 00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:08.039 Brandon Crawford when when he joined the Cardinals from the 352 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:10.720 Giants having spent obviusly a long time in San Francisco, 353 00:17:10.759 --> 00:17:13.079 that definitely looked weird. I think you maybe then threw 354 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:15.400 out Brandon Belt who I agree, And no, the guy 355 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:17.119 who left the Giants and didn't look right in his 356 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:20.519 new with his new team with the Blue Jays, that 357 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:23.759 was odd. Andrew mccutchon on the Yankees, I'd like completely 358 00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:25.640 memory hold that. I think John came up with that one. 359 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:26.359 That was weird. 360 00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:30.119 I always think the Yankees have got a whole section 361 00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:31.920 of their owner. A bunch of players on the Yankees 362 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:34.920 that I just don't think looked right. Goldschmidt this year, 363 00:17:34.920 --> 00:17:37.240 I'm still getting used to. Anthony Rizzo never looked right. 364 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:39.839 Each row on the Yankees was weird. Donaldson on the 365 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:40.720 Yankees was weird. 366 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:45.119 Yeah, Garrett Cody Bellinger, that is that is a weird 367 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:49.400 slide like Dodgers. You like, yet absolutely he fit. Then 368 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:51.839 he went to the Cubs and you were like, this 369 00:17:51.880 --> 00:17:55.079 is a bit odd. Now he's hit the Yankees. He's like, no, no, 370 00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:57.839 this this this is not a Cody Bellinger team. 371 00:17:57.960 --> 00:17:59.640 And that definitely was like a facial hair element to 372 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:02.000 it as well, before the new rules instituted of just 373 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:04.319 guys who you always knew is having a beard suddenly being. 374 00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:07.240 Beardless that that's never looked right. But God, give us 375 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:08.079 a fear of your other ones. 376 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:08.279 Rob. 377 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:12.480 Justin Turner. Now it's a strange one, this one again 378 00:18:12.519 --> 00:18:16.680 because like Dodgers, I mean, Orioles is is. Yeah, that 379 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:18.960 was kind of his origin. But like Dodgers is where 380 00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:22.880 we all know Justin Turner from. Somehow he looked okay 381 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:26.240 with the Red Sox, with the Blue Jays, kind of 382 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:28.880 okay with the with the Mariners. But for some reason 383 00:18:28.920 --> 00:18:30.759 as a Cub, it just I don't know if it's 384 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:32.799 a color thing with a ginger beard, but like it's 385 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:35.079 just not working for me. I cannot look at Justin 386 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:38.079 Turner as a Cub. I cannot remember that Justin Turner 387 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:39.519 is with the Cubs. If you had to ask me 388 00:18:39.559 --> 00:18:41.920 before I started flicking through players looking for this, I 389 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:44.079 would have told you he was still a Mariner. So yeah, 390 00:18:44.119 --> 00:18:46.480 I just can't. I can't take Justin Turner as a Cub. 391 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:50.960 Rhys Hoskins like it feels like he's a rental still 392 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:53.880 on the on the Brewers like the guy as a Philly, 393 00:18:53.960 --> 00:18:56.759 so he shouldn't be there. I agree totally with John 394 00:18:57.079 --> 00:18:59.160 he put in that group as well. Kenny Jansen just 395 00:18:59.160 --> 00:19:04.079 just weird. As a Dodger. I thought about Kyle Hendrix, 396 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:06.759 but somehow it just really fits. And I don't know why, 397 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:10.200 but like a thing about that match up, like it 398 00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:14.039 shouldn't work, but it does, I think. And then I 399 00:19:14.039 --> 00:19:16.920 had the last two. I've got I've got Tommy Famm, 400 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:19.799 but only because his his profile photo with the Pirates, 401 00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:22.720