00:00:12
Speaker 1: It's time to raise the roof for our latest Raiders season episode and the third episode of this week's podcast bonanza podcast party. I don't even know what we want to call it, but five podcasts in five days released for you guys. This podcast was filmed in early July inside the Visitors Clubhouse at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. when the Nationals were playing the Pittsburgh Pirates. I got the chance to get up there and had a couple interviews with a couple former Rays players. If you guys remember the trade, rather seismic trade in the offseason that sent second baseman Brandon Lau, outfielder Jake Mangum, and left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-team deal that also saw the Rays acquire outfield prospect Jacob Melton and right-handed pitcher pitching prospect Anderson Brito from the Houston Astros. It was, I mean, at the time, it was a massive trade. All of you guys remember the trade. It was a statement made from the Rays that even though Lau had been there for seven, eight years at that point, and even though they had exercised his contract to come back for the 2026 season, he would be He's going to be a free agent after this season regardless. But the Rays decided to move in a different direction. Now, of course, as we've seen this year, the second base position hasn't necessarily mattered that much when it comes to offense. Brandon has had a significantly better year defensively for the Pirates, which would have been great on the Rays' side of things over the last eight years or so to see him have that kind of success. But, you know, it's awesome to see him having any kind of defensive success regardless. The Rays have been able to more than make do at second base. Between the likes of Ben Williamson, Richie Palacios, Ryan Valade, and others, the Rays have been able to make do and then some at second base to position themselves well for the playoffs right now. The Rays just won their 92nd game of the season tonight, securing a series win against the Athletics of the Rays with one more game, their 16th sweep of the season tonight.
00:02:36
Speaker 2: Against the Athletics.
00:02:37
Speaker 1: But this episode will focus on those three players and that trade because, again, in terms of trades and race history, I mean, that's one of the bigger trades. Lau is a franchise legend, regardless of how many games he played or whatever it is. Finished his career top five in home runs, top 10 in RBI, had... two top 10 MVP finishes, a two-time All-Star. I mean, one of the best Rays players ever. So, I mean, that's a big, big name that the Rays moved on from. And, yeah, I was able to chat with all three of them, get their thoughts as to just life after the Rays and how things were like early in the season. Because, as you guys know, not only do the Pirates have spring training basically right up the road. I don't want to say right up the road, but have their spring training in Bradenton. The Rays have theirs in Port Charlotte. They played each other multiple times during spring training. The Rays also played the Pirates in Pittsburgh in one of the first series of the season at PNC Park.
00:03:47
Speaker 2: Back in April.
00:03:48
Speaker 1: So the Rays were able to see all those guys really, really early on. I'm sure it made for some interesting and weird vibes. But yeah, in order, it will be Jake Mangum, Mason Montgomery, and then Bilal finishing it off. So we're going to take a quick break. And we'll be right back on this latest episode of Razor Roof. All right, raise the roof here with multi-time reoccurring guest now, Pirate's Outfitter, Jake Mangum.
00:04:23
Speaker 2: Jake, first off, welcome back. How you been?
00:04:25
Speaker 3: I know it's been a bit.
00:04:27
Speaker 4: Doing well, man. Thanks for having me back. It's been a few times.
00:04:30
Speaker 2: I know, it's pretty wild.
00:04:33
Speaker 1: So I wanted to ask you everything in regards to the trade, because I know the trade happened in the off-season in July now.
00:04:38
Speaker 3: But when it, I mean, can you.
00:04:41
Speaker 1: Go back to December and kind of recount the moments in and around the trade when you found out and all that stuff?
00:04:45
Speaker 2: I had no idea about it.
00:04:46
Speaker 4: I woke up to a text of B. Lau and Mason Montgomery in a group text, and they said, and Brandon texted, is Bucko's question mark?
00:04:54
Speaker 3: So that was kind of, I started.
00:04:56
Speaker 4: Freaking out, and at that point the rumor had picked up, and then I got a call from the Rays, and so the rumor kind of got out, and the Rays called, and it officially got put out.
00:05:07
Speaker 1: So, like, on your end, I mean, you've been with a number of teams.
00:05:10
Speaker 2: So, you know, getting jetted, I'm sure, isn't anything crazy.
00:05:12
Speaker 1: But, like, how weird was it, especially with the Rays being the first team that you got your big league break at, you know, to get dealt?
00:05:20
Speaker 4: I'll say that, you know, being with the Rays, you kind of quickly wonder. They are very active in the trade department. So you can't be too shocked when you're involved in the Rays trade.
00:05:31
Speaker 3: Um, like I enjoyed my time with the Rays.
00:05:33
Speaker 4: It was a special, uh, you know, playing my full rookie year with them. Um, uh, so everything good with them. Um, you know, getting traded is weird.
00:05:41
Speaker 2: It is what it is.
00:05:44
Speaker 3: It's part of the game.
00:05:45
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:05:45
Speaker 1: So on your end, um, the, the fact that it was the off season, he said the fact that it was.
00:05:50
Speaker 2: The off season made it a little bit easier.
00:05:52
Speaker 3: No doubt.
00:05:53
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:05:53
Speaker 4: I've never been traded in season. So, I don't know what that's like, but off-season trades make.
00:05:58
Speaker 3: It a little bit easier.
00:05:59
Speaker 4: But coming with Brandon and Mason, wherever he is, really helped a lot. It made the transition a little bit easier for sure.
00:06:07
Speaker 1: Got it. So the group chat that you mentioned, did you guys kind of keep that going and figure it out like that?
00:06:11
Speaker 2: For a little bit, yeah.
00:06:12
Speaker 3: Where are we living? What are we doing? What's the situation here?
00:06:15
Speaker 4: All that good stuff. Yeah.
00:06:18
Speaker 1: In the months since that point, how easy has it been to get acquainted to this team, to get adjusted to this team, the organization?
00:06:28
Speaker 2: Has it been easy?
00:06:29
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's been relatively really easy. Early on, I'd say there's some things when you're trying to prove yourself on a new team, there's some obstacles being a new guy. But overall, everyone's been great. Love the staff, love the clubhouse. Really enjoying my time here.
00:06:45
Speaker 1: And then for spring training, I mean, you're going from Port Charlotte, you know, 45 minutes up to Bradenton. Was it a little bit weird going back and, you know, playing against the guys, seeing the guys, just because of the fact that you guys were as close as you were?
00:06:58
Speaker 2: A little bit, yeah.
00:06:59
Speaker 4: Yeah, seeing everybody's always weird, switching clubhouses. You know, you get so used to being with everybody every day. So it was a little weird, but, you know, it's part of it. You just keep rolling.
00:07:07
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:07:08
Speaker 1: How has life been like so far this season with the Pirates? I know I was told you're getting a lot more playing time now. You're, you know, a lot more of a regular.
00:07:14
Speaker 2: In the lineup. How have you felt like this first year in Pittsburgh has gone?
00:07:19
Speaker 4: You know, we're 500 right now. We still haven't played our best baseball, but we think that's ahead of us. I think we've got a good team, man.
00:07:26
Speaker 2: I've enjoyed it here.
00:07:27
Speaker 4: Just trying to help win ballgames. Whenever my name's called, be ready to go. Whenever I'm needed somewhere, I'll do it to the best of my ability and proceed forward.
00:07:35
Speaker 1: And then the last thing I had is I know that, again, your time with the Rays was relatively short, but how do you look back on that time and, you know, the memories that you had, especially, you know, big league debut, first home.
00:07:46
Speaker 2: Run, first hit, all that.
00:07:47
Speaker 4: The Rays were the first team to give me a major league opportunity.
00:07:49
Speaker 3: So all love. Loved my time in Tampa.
00:07:52
Speaker 4: Met a lot of really great people. Just big fans of how they do things and I was super.
00:07:58
Speaker 2: Thankful for them.
00:07:59
Speaker 1: And then, I mean, from your end, like, I mean, how much are you keeping up with them, you.
00:08:03
Speaker 4: Know, Yeah, they're having a lot of success this year, man.
00:08:06
Speaker 3: I'm happy for them.
00:08:06
Speaker 4: But as baseball players, we're pretty busy every day, so keeping up with other teams is difficult.
00:08:13
Speaker 2: But I see what I can.
00:08:15
Speaker 4: I know that they're winning. I know they're like 15 or so games over 500. I'm happy for them. Like I said, a lot of great people over there that work really, really hard at their craft.
00:08:25
Speaker 2: Appreciate it, Jake. Thanks so much, man.
00:08:32
Speaker 1: Razor Roof here with former Rays left-handed pitcher Mason Montgomery.
00:08:36
Speaker 2: Mason, first off, how you doing?
00:08:37
Speaker 1: Good.
00:08:38
Speaker 2: Doing well, man.
00:08:38
Speaker 5: Doing well.
00:08:39
Speaker 1: How is the transition? I mean, I don't really know what a transition looks like, especially for you in your rookie season to go from one team to another, but how has the transition been like so far for Pittsburgh?
00:08:49
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's been good, man. Pretty smooth overall.
00:08:52
Speaker 6: I think a big part of that was that the trade happened in the offseason, so I had time to have some phone calls with new guys and get housing and all that stuff set up.
00:09:02
Speaker 3: But, yeah, it's been good, man. It's been smooth. I like all the staff. I like the guys. It's great.
00:09:08
Speaker 1: On your end, to be someone who had just finished up their rookie season and then immediately, boom, you're getting traded, you're going into a place, how long did it kind of take you, if any time, to kind of materialize the thought of, hey, I need to go move, I need to.
00:09:22
Speaker 2: Go to a new place?
00:09:23
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:09:24
Speaker 6: I mean, it was probably like a very slow burn. You know, I think it was like after I just took it day by day.
00:09:31
Speaker 2: Right.
00:09:31
Speaker 3: Like it happened, I think, December.
00:09:33
Speaker 6: So I think I realized, OK, hey, now the next thing to check off is getting a spring training house, getting that set up.
00:09:40
Speaker 3: And then, you know, one thing led to another and then I ended up.
00:09:44
Speaker 6: Getting all the logistics for living in Pittsburgh and all that. But, yeah, I mean, it was really not, like, super hectic, which I was thankful for.
00:09:52
Speaker 1: Okay, were you expecting it to be more hectic than, I guess, going into it?
00:09:56
Speaker 2: Because I don't, I mean, this is, I would assume, the first trade that you've had at any point in your career, right?
00:10:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I wasn't really expecting anything. To be fair, I wasn't expecting to trade it, but I don't know if anyone ever is.
00:10:05
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's true.
00:10:08
Speaker 6: I think I was fortunate that the first one, the first trade that I've been a part of, because.
00:10:13
Speaker 3: I would imagine they'll be probably more throughout my career.
00:10:16
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah.
00:10:16
Speaker 6: Anyway, I would imagine that it's going to be way more hectic getting traded in the middle of the season. Yeah, yeah. So I was lucky enough to have the off-season and a month or two months to figure out logistics. So it really wasn't that crazy for me.
00:10:31
Speaker 2: Got it.
00:10:33
Speaker 1: Going into spring training and your first couple times seeing the Rays in spring training, because of the fact that both you guys are in the great free league, you're what, maybe like 30 minutes to an hour from each other between Bradenton and Port Charlotte.
00:10:45
Speaker 2: Was that kind of weird? I mean, a little bit.
00:10:47
Speaker 3: You know, I think it was good to catch up with some of the guys.
00:10:50
Speaker 6: Even during the season when the Rays came up to PNC, it was good to see, you know, some of my old teammates. But, yeah, it was just different being in a different clubhouse, right? You know, but, man, it's been great on the other side of things. You know, it hasn't felt foreign, which I'm thankful for.
00:11:08
Speaker 3: You know, I feel like I fit in and everyone's super helpful.
00:11:12
Speaker 2: And, yeah.
00:11:14
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, on that side of things, now with the Pirates, how easily were you able to kind of assimilate yourself and integrate yourself within the pitching staff and.
00:11:22
Speaker 2: The rest of the club?
00:11:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, very easily.
00:11:25
Speaker 6: I think the staff did a great job of welcoming me as a new guy, making sure.
00:11:31
Speaker 3: Over the offseason I had everything I needed.
00:11:33
Speaker 6: If I needed help finding housing, just working with the pitching coaches and talking to the other players.
00:11:39
Speaker 3: It was a pretty quick transition.
00:11:40
Speaker 6: And I would say, you know, within a week or two, I was, like, very comfortable. And it's like, hey, I'm just in the same thing, just different place.
00:11:49
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:11:50
Speaker 1: It did make it a little bit easier with two other guys that you played with last season coming over with you. So, like, whatever, you know, oddities that might have occurred here going on your own, not as much with Bilal and, you know, Jake.
00:12:04
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, I would say definitely. I think... Had I been the only part of.
00:12:11
Speaker 6: The trade, then it probably would have been a little bit harder to kind of get in, you know, getting comfortable.
00:12:18
Speaker 3: But it's nice to know, you.
00:12:20
Speaker 6: Know, a guy or two, and it just makes it easier because, you know, you're not the only one trying to figure things out for the first time.
00:12:27
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:12:28
Speaker 1: The last thing I have is, again, I know that you were, you know, in the system for a couple years. Is there anything that you miss most? um if i mean because i know obviously you're trying to focus on the now and focus on you know this team um but anything that you miss most about you know being part of the franchise um.
00:12:46
Speaker 6: I mean just you know just some of the guys i think everyone that i met over there were just good people um teammates even the staff you know i think had a lot of good relationships and um yeah i mean the players i think uh I think that's probably the biggest thing.
00:13:01
Speaker 3: But, you know, it's part of it.
00:13:03
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:13:03
Speaker 3: And, you know, I'll keep in contact with some of those guys.
00:13:06
Speaker 2: Full steam ahead for the rest of the year?
00:13:08
Speaker 5: That's right.
00:13:09
Speaker 1: There we go.
00:13:09
Speaker 2: Appreciate it, man. Thanks so much.
00:13:17
Speaker 1: Raise the Roof here with former Ray's second baseman, Brandon Lau, now current second baseman of the Pittsburgh Pies.
00:13:23
Speaker 2: Brandon, first off, how you been? How's everything going on your end?
00:13:25
Speaker 3: Everything's been good.
00:13:26
Speaker 5: I'm enjoying my time over here and, you know, the ball club here so we're having a good.
00:13:32
Speaker 1: Time going back to the trade in december can you recount kind of the initial moments of what happened because i know jake was telling me that you guys had a group chat you were the first one you know that said you know hey pirates what's going on here um so what was it like when you first found out.
00:13:46
Speaker 5: About it yeah i mean hats off to to eric and in tampa they kind of kept us in the loop pretty good uh with everything that was going on and i've been around the organization long enough i understood kind of the the business side of things and how it was all going. I was like, it just makes sense for a trade to happen. And he kind of gave us a little bit of a heads up. He was like, hey, things are getting pretty serious with X teams and kind of listed down some teams. And I think maybe a day or two before it, he was like, hey, there's a really good chance. We think it's going to happen, you know, barring anything else that happened. And then I was just kind of waiting by the phone to get the– the final call that hey it's gone through and you know get a call from from sharrington and those guys on the other side of things and as soon as you went through i kind of got a idea of who the trade was and stuff like that so i just sent a text down to monty and mang and like hey guys so where.
00:14:46
Speaker 1: Are we going to live in pittsburgh you know just getting adjusted to it all yeah um on your I mean the fact that you had two other guys come with you did that make the trade a little bit easier at least early on just knowing I mean how long that you've been with the Rays to have at least two guys that you had played with last year I mean how I mean did that.
00:15:03
Speaker 5: Soften the blow at all or yeah I mean it made the transition at least a little bit easier you know you have guys that you know and guys you're comfortable with going into a new clubhouse it definitely made it you know a little bit easier to you know get in and just kind of be yourself meet people and get more comfortable with everybody around.
00:15:20
Speaker 1: You yeah so i guess in the months after that point what was it like preparing for this new environment and i mean on the spring training side of things you're going from port charlotte to bradenton what that's like an hour drive or so so not much of a difference there but what was it like um i guess the first kind of months getting adjusted to the new environment.
00:15:37
Speaker 5: Yeah i mean it's just kind of a big difference when you know you have no idea where to live in bradenton versus you know i've It's been 10 years in Port Charlotte. I knew the ins and outs of everything down there. So, you know, finding a place to live was a bit difficult. And then, honestly, everything just happened fast. You're there for 8 to.
00:15:58
Speaker 3: 10 hours a day.
00:15:58
Speaker 5: You get to know the guys pretty closely and pretty quickly. And, you know, as you're going through it, you just talk and communicate and get to know guys. So, I mean, it was a pretty seamless transition, honestly. You know, I'd seen it happen so many times in Tampa, being the guy that, kind of welcomed people in. So being on the flip side of things, I know.
00:16:19
Speaker 3: What they're thinking.
00:16:20
Speaker 2: I've been in their shoes.
00:16:21
Speaker 5: So it's just, you know, introduce yourself, get talking, and build that relationship.
00:16:27
Speaker 1: Was it weird the first couple times that you saw them in spring training, just knowing that you had been with that organization as long.
00:16:32
Speaker 2: As you had?
00:16:33
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, honestly, both times we faced them in spring, the first time, obviously, Getting to face him for the first.
00:16:39
Speaker 3: Time was definitely weird.
00:16:42
Speaker 5: But then the second time I faced him, I faced Shane, who, you know, I was there since his debut and everything else. So that was definitely a bit strange. And then facing him in the regular season, I got to face Ras. So that was kind of a tough one just to keep a straight face going up to the plate.
00:17:01
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:17:01
Speaker 1: Now on the Pirates side of things, how much did the guys welcome you in? How did you feel about, you know, the new organization, because again, you're finding out all this stuff on the fly and I'm sure that you've at least seen them from the outside looking in, but how is it like from the pirate side of things of them welcoming you in and you actually getting adjusted to this new team with, you know, all these new signings and trade that they're all making in the off season, basically all at once.
00:17:25
Speaker 2: Yeah. It's been great.
00:17:27
Speaker 5: It's been super easy. I knew Brian from, from Tennessee. I knew O'Hearn from playing against him from a good bit and, And some of the guys that I didn't know, they reached out. When I got traded, they found my number and, you know, made contact. So it was easy to get to talk to them in that way. And then, you know, as soon as you get into the clubhouse, it's, you know, you spend hours every single day.
00:17:51
Speaker 2: You know, you're in training rooms on the field, tubs, whatnot.
00:17:55
Speaker 5: So you're with them all the time every single hour of the day.
00:17:58
Speaker 2: So you tend to get close pretty quickly. Yeah.
00:18:01
Speaker 1: This season, I mean, it's gone great for you. We're in July now. How do you feel like... Just from your perspective, how do you feel like all has gone so far in 26?
00:18:08
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, it's gone fairly well. There are definitely certain areas that I haven't had.
00:18:14
Speaker 6: You know, I haven't.
00:18:17
Speaker 5: Felt as, like, hot as I've been in past years, but I think as a whole I've been much more, you know, controlled, less volatile.
00:18:26
Speaker 2: Which is always a good thing, but, you know, I'm ready for... ready for a hot streak.
00:18:31
Speaker 1: And then the last thing, looking back on your time in Tampa, because I mean, if you're here next year, you're going to be going there. So it'll be your first experience with the drop as an opposing team member. But how do you look back on that time with the Rays? Because again, I mean, that's the only organization that you've known before everything that's happened this year.
00:18:49
Speaker 5: Yeah, I look back on it with nothing but love.
00:18:51
Speaker 3: Honestly, I loved every.
00:18:53
Speaker 5: Minute that I spent there, whether it was the minors or you know, when I called the big leagues, and they took a 20-year-old Brandon, and, you know, I spent 10 years there growing, I became a father, a husband, and, you know, I went from being a kid to being a real grown-up, and did it all in the same place, so, you know, extremely thankful for that organization, but you know, going there is going to, playing a game in the trial, being a visitor, it'll be a little, a little strange.
00:19:26
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, it's a lot brighter now, so it'll be a little bit stranger.
00:19:29
Speaker 5: I've heard that, you know, they did a great job with the renovations and that it's a lot easier to see, a lot.
00:19:34
Speaker 2: Easier to hit. So we'll see. Hopefully some home runs anyway, right? Yeah.
00:19:45
Speaker 1: That is going to do things on this latest episode of the podcast. We appreciate you guys as always. for your support if you guys want to follow everything that we have going on here at raise the roof it is raise the roof tb on social media twitter slash x instagram and our tiktok account which we will we're posting a lot more on same thing with our youtube channel it is raise the roof find that everywhere be sure to subscribe to the account and and turn those turn on this post notification so you guys know when new uploads are happening if you guys want to follow the podcast we are raise the roof pretty much anywhere podcasts are found as i mentioned we're going to be doing five podcasts during this work week we've already done this is the third of five so stay tuned for a couple more both from the series last month in baltimore to kind of wrap up the regular season we'll have one or two more before the playoffs but those to expect interviews from plenty of Rays players and also plenty of Rays media and baseball personalities. But yeah, if you guys want to follow the podcast and subscribe to the podcast, as I mentioned, we're at Raise the Roof. Be sure to leave us a review, hopefully a five-star review, and share this with your family or friends. And you want to know who's a Rays fan or a baseball fan that wants to add a podcast into their podcast feed, we would love to be part of it. And remember, we are on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, all that good jazz. A shout-out to our sponsors, SeatGeek, JKS Prints, Homage, and Lids. Those last two, we have those affiliate links for you guys to be able to use them to get yourself some MLB-licensed Rays merch. And then, and hats as well. And then the other two, code RAYS, the roof, R-A-Y-S, the roof, in all caps to check out to save yourself some money. Post-season tickets are officially on sale for the Rays. So if you guys can get your first crack at them, Through the team website, you can go on SeatGeek and use our code to save yourself some money. If you guys want to go to USF football games, I know USF men's and women's basketball is coming up. Bucks games, Rowdies games, Tampa Bay Sun games, I don't even know if those would be on there. I'm sure they would. And then Boltz Games coming up. You can find all at concerts and anything else under the sun. You can find those at Seageek. And then if you guys want to get yourself some mini-trops, Troptober is here. Troptober is a couple weeks away, I should say. But if you want to get yourself some mini-trops, be sure to use.
00:22:03
Speaker 2: That code at checkout over at JKSPrints.
00:22:07
Speaker 1: With all that being said, thanks so much for listening.
00:22:09
Speaker 2: And as always, raise up.
Speaker 1: It's time to raise the roof for our latest Raiders season episode and the third episode of this week's podcast bonanza podcast party. I don't even know what we want to call it, but five podcasts in five days released for you guys. This podcast was filmed in early July inside the Visitors Clubhouse at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. when the Nationals were playing the Pittsburgh Pirates. I got the chance to get up there and had a couple interviews with a couple former Rays players. If you guys remember the trade, rather seismic trade in the offseason that sent second baseman Brandon Lau, outfielder Jake Mangum, and left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-team deal that also saw the Rays acquire outfield prospect Jacob Melton and right-handed pitcher pitching prospect Anderson Brito from the Houston Astros. It was, I mean, at the time, it was a massive trade. All of you guys remember the trade. It was a statement made from the Rays that even though Lau had been there for seven, eight years at that point, and even though they had exercised his contract to come back for the 2026 season, he would be He's going to be a free agent after this season regardless. But the Rays decided to move in a different direction. Now, of course, as we've seen this year, the second base position hasn't necessarily mattered that much when it comes to offense. Brandon has had a significantly better year defensively for the Pirates, which would have been great on the Rays' side of things over the last eight years or so to see him have that kind of success. But, you know, it's awesome to see him having any kind of defensive success regardless. The Rays have been able to more than make do at second base. Between the likes of Ben Williamson, Richie Palacios, Ryan Valade, and others, the Rays have been able to make do and then some at second base to position themselves well for the playoffs right now. The Rays just won their 92nd game of the season tonight, securing a series win against the Athletics of the Rays with one more game, their 16th sweep of the season tonight.
00:02:36
Speaker 2: Against the Athletics.
00:02:37
Speaker 1: But this episode will focus on those three players and that trade because, again, in terms of trades and race history, I mean, that's one of the bigger trades. Lau is a franchise legend, regardless of how many games he played or whatever it is. Finished his career top five in home runs, top 10 in RBI, had... two top 10 MVP finishes, a two-time All-Star. I mean, one of the best Rays players ever. So, I mean, that's a big, big name that the Rays moved on from. And, yeah, I was able to chat with all three of them, get their thoughts as to just life after the Rays and how things were like early in the season. Because, as you guys know, not only do the Pirates have spring training basically right up the road. I don't want to say right up the road, but have their spring training in Bradenton. The Rays have theirs in Port Charlotte. They played each other multiple times during spring training. The Rays also played the Pirates in Pittsburgh in one of the first series of the season at PNC Park.
00:03:47
Speaker 2: Back in April.
00:03:48
Speaker 1: So the Rays were able to see all those guys really, really early on. I'm sure it made for some interesting and weird vibes. But yeah, in order, it will be Jake Mangum, Mason Montgomery, and then Bilal finishing it off. So we're going to take a quick break. And we'll be right back on this latest episode of Razor Roof. All right, raise the roof here with multi-time reoccurring guest now, Pirate's Outfitter, Jake Mangum.
00:04:23
Speaker 2: Jake, first off, welcome back. How you been?
00:04:25
Speaker 3: I know it's been a bit.
00:04:27
Speaker 4: Doing well, man. Thanks for having me back. It's been a few times.
00:04:30
Speaker 2: I know, it's pretty wild.
00:04:33
Speaker 1: So I wanted to ask you everything in regards to the trade, because I know the trade happened in the off-season in July now.
00:04:38
Speaker 3: But when it, I mean, can you.
00:04:41
Speaker 1: Go back to December and kind of recount the moments in and around the trade when you found out and all that stuff?
00:04:45
Speaker 2: I had no idea about it.
00:04:46
Speaker 4: I woke up to a text of B. Lau and Mason Montgomery in a group text, and they said, and Brandon texted, is Bucko's question mark?
00:04:54
Speaker 3: So that was kind of, I started.
00:04:56
Speaker 4: Freaking out, and at that point the rumor had picked up, and then I got a call from the Rays, and so the rumor kind of got out, and the Rays called, and it officially got put out.
00:05:07
Speaker 1: So, like, on your end, I mean, you've been with a number of teams.
00:05:10
Speaker 2: So, you know, getting jetted, I'm sure, isn't anything crazy.
00:05:12
Speaker 1: But, like, how weird was it, especially with the Rays being the first team that you got your big league break at, you know, to get dealt?
00:05:20
Speaker 4: I'll say that, you know, being with the Rays, you kind of quickly wonder. They are very active in the trade department. So you can't be too shocked when you're involved in the Rays trade.
00:05:31
Speaker 3: Um, like I enjoyed my time with the Rays.
00:05:33
Speaker 4: It was a special, uh, you know, playing my full rookie year with them. Um, uh, so everything good with them. Um, you know, getting traded is weird.
00:05:41
Speaker 2: It is what it is.
00:05:44
Speaker 3: It's part of the game.
00:05:45
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:05:45
Speaker 1: So on your end, um, the, the fact that it was the off season, he said the fact that it was.
00:05:50
Speaker 2: The off season made it a little bit easier.
00:05:52
Speaker 3: No doubt.
00:05:53
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:05:53
Speaker 4: I've never been traded in season. So, I don't know what that's like, but off-season trades make.
00:05:58
Speaker 3: It a little bit easier.
00:05:59
Speaker 4: But coming with Brandon and Mason, wherever he is, really helped a lot. It made the transition a little bit easier for sure.
00:06:07
Speaker 1: Got it. So the group chat that you mentioned, did you guys kind of keep that going and figure it out like that?
00:06:11
Speaker 2: For a little bit, yeah.
00:06:12
Speaker 3: Where are we living? What are we doing? What's the situation here?
00:06:15
Speaker 4: All that good stuff. Yeah.
00:06:18
Speaker 1: In the months since that point, how easy has it been to get acquainted to this team, to get adjusted to this team, the organization?
00:06:28
Speaker 2: Has it been easy?
00:06:29
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's been relatively really easy. Early on, I'd say there's some things when you're trying to prove yourself on a new team, there's some obstacles being a new guy. But overall, everyone's been great. Love the staff, love the clubhouse. Really enjoying my time here.
00:06:45
Speaker 1: And then for spring training, I mean, you're going from Port Charlotte, you know, 45 minutes up to Bradenton. Was it a little bit weird going back and, you know, playing against the guys, seeing the guys, just because of the fact that you guys were as close as you were?
00:06:58
Speaker 2: A little bit, yeah.
00:06:59
Speaker 4: Yeah, seeing everybody's always weird, switching clubhouses. You know, you get so used to being with everybody every day. So it was a little weird, but, you know, it's part of it. You just keep rolling.
00:07:07
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:07:08
Speaker 1: How has life been like so far this season with the Pirates? I know I was told you're getting a lot more playing time now. You're, you know, a lot more of a regular.
00:07:14
Speaker 2: In the lineup. How have you felt like this first year in Pittsburgh has gone?
00:07:19
Speaker 4: You know, we're 500 right now. We still haven't played our best baseball, but we think that's ahead of us. I think we've got a good team, man.
00:07:26
Speaker 2: I've enjoyed it here.
00:07:27
Speaker 4: Just trying to help win ballgames. Whenever my name's called, be ready to go. Whenever I'm needed somewhere, I'll do it to the best of my ability and proceed forward.
00:07:35
Speaker 1: And then the last thing I had is I know that, again, your time with the Rays was relatively short, but how do you look back on that time and, you know, the memories that you had, especially, you know, big league debut, first home.
00:07:46
Speaker 2: Run, first hit, all that.
00:07:47
Speaker 4: The Rays were the first team to give me a major league opportunity.
00:07:49
Speaker 3: So all love. Loved my time in Tampa.
00:07:52
Speaker 4: Met a lot of really great people. Just big fans of how they do things and I was super.
00:07:58
Speaker 2: Thankful for them.
00:07:59
Speaker 1: And then, I mean, from your end, like, I mean, how much are you keeping up with them, you.
00:08:03
Speaker 4: Know, Yeah, they're having a lot of success this year, man.
00:08:06
Speaker 3: I'm happy for them.
00:08:06
Speaker 4: But as baseball players, we're pretty busy every day, so keeping up with other teams is difficult.
00:08:13
Speaker 2: But I see what I can.
00:08:15
Speaker 4: I know that they're winning. I know they're like 15 or so games over 500. I'm happy for them. Like I said, a lot of great people over there that work really, really hard at their craft.
00:08:25
Speaker 2: Appreciate it, Jake. Thanks so much, man.
00:08:32
Speaker 1: Razor Roof here with former Rays left-handed pitcher Mason Montgomery.
00:08:36
Speaker 2: Mason, first off, how you doing?
00:08:37
Speaker 1: Good.
00:08:38
Speaker 2: Doing well, man.
00:08:38
Speaker 5: Doing well.
00:08:39
Speaker 1: How is the transition? I mean, I don't really know what a transition looks like, especially for you in your rookie season to go from one team to another, but how has the transition been like so far for Pittsburgh?
00:08:49
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's been good, man. Pretty smooth overall.
00:08:52
Speaker 6: I think a big part of that was that the trade happened in the offseason, so I had time to have some phone calls with new guys and get housing and all that stuff set up.
00:09:02
Speaker 3: But, yeah, it's been good, man. It's been smooth. I like all the staff. I like the guys. It's great.
00:09:08
Speaker 1: On your end, to be someone who had just finished up their rookie season and then immediately, boom, you're getting traded, you're going into a place, how long did it kind of take you, if any time, to kind of materialize the thought of, hey, I need to go move, I need to.
00:09:22
Speaker 2: Go to a new place?
00:09:23
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:09:24
Speaker 6: I mean, it was probably like a very slow burn. You know, I think it was like after I just took it day by day.
00:09:31
Speaker 2: Right.
00:09:31
Speaker 3: Like it happened, I think, December.
00:09:33
Speaker 6: So I think I realized, OK, hey, now the next thing to check off is getting a spring training house, getting that set up.
00:09:40
Speaker 3: And then, you know, one thing led to another and then I ended up.
00:09:44
Speaker 6: Getting all the logistics for living in Pittsburgh and all that. But, yeah, I mean, it was really not, like, super hectic, which I was thankful for.
00:09:52
Speaker 1: Okay, were you expecting it to be more hectic than, I guess, going into it?
00:09:56
Speaker 2: Because I don't, I mean, this is, I would assume, the first trade that you've had at any point in your career, right?
00:10:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I wasn't really expecting anything. To be fair, I wasn't expecting to trade it, but I don't know if anyone ever is.
00:10:05
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's true.
00:10:08
Speaker 6: I think I was fortunate that the first one, the first trade that I've been a part of, because.
00:10:13
Speaker 3: I would imagine they'll be probably more throughout my career.
00:10:16
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah.
00:10:16
Speaker 6: Anyway, I would imagine that it's going to be way more hectic getting traded in the middle of the season. Yeah, yeah. So I was lucky enough to have the off-season and a month or two months to figure out logistics. So it really wasn't that crazy for me.
00:10:31
Speaker 2: Got it.
00:10:33
Speaker 1: Going into spring training and your first couple times seeing the Rays in spring training, because of the fact that both you guys are in the great free league, you're what, maybe like 30 minutes to an hour from each other between Bradenton and Port Charlotte.
00:10:45
Speaker 2: Was that kind of weird? I mean, a little bit.
00:10:47
Speaker 3: You know, I think it was good to catch up with some of the guys.
00:10:50
Speaker 6: Even during the season when the Rays came up to PNC, it was good to see, you know, some of my old teammates. But, yeah, it was just different being in a different clubhouse, right? You know, but, man, it's been great on the other side of things. You know, it hasn't felt foreign, which I'm thankful for.
00:11:08
Speaker 3: You know, I feel like I fit in and everyone's super helpful.
00:11:12
Speaker 2: And, yeah.
00:11:14
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, on that side of things, now with the Pirates, how easily were you able to kind of assimilate yourself and integrate yourself within the pitching staff and.
00:11:22
Speaker 2: The rest of the club?
00:11:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, very easily.
00:11:25
Speaker 6: I think the staff did a great job of welcoming me as a new guy, making sure.
00:11:31
Speaker 3: Over the offseason I had everything I needed.
00:11:33
Speaker 6: If I needed help finding housing, just working with the pitching coaches and talking to the other players.
00:11:39
Speaker 3: It was a pretty quick transition.
00:11:40
Speaker 6: And I would say, you know, within a week or two, I was, like, very comfortable. And it's like, hey, I'm just in the same thing, just different place.
00:11:49
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:11:50
Speaker 1: It did make it a little bit easier with two other guys that you played with last season coming over with you. So, like, whatever, you know, oddities that might have occurred here going on your own, not as much with Bilal and, you know, Jake.
00:12:04
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, I would say definitely. I think... Had I been the only part of.
00:12:11
Speaker 6: The trade, then it probably would have been a little bit harder to kind of get in, you know, getting comfortable.
00:12:18
Speaker 3: But it's nice to know, you.
00:12:20
Speaker 6: Know, a guy or two, and it just makes it easier because, you know, you're not the only one trying to figure things out for the first time.
00:12:27
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:12:28
Speaker 1: The last thing I have is, again, I know that you were, you know, in the system for a couple years. Is there anything that you miss most? um if i mean because i know obviously you're trying to focus on the now and focus on you know this team um but anything that you miss most about you know being part of the franchise um.
00:12:46
Speaker 6: I mean just you know just some of the guys i think everyone that i met over there were just good people um teammates even the staff you know i think had a lot of good relationships and um yeah i mean the players i think uh I think that's probably the biggest thing.
00:13:01
Speaker 3: But, you know, it's part of it.
00:13:03
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:13:03
Speaker 3: And, you know, I'll keep in contact with some of those guys.
00:13:06
Speaker 2: Full steam ahead for the rest of the year?
00:13:08
Speaker 5: That's right.
00:13:09
Speaker 1: There we go.
00:13:09
Speaker 2: Appreciate it, man. Thanks so much.
00:13:17
Speaker 1: Raise the Roof here with former Ray's second baseman, Brandon Lau, now current second baseman of the Pittsburgh Pies.
00:13:23
Speaker 2: Brandon, first off, how you been? How's everything going on your end?
00:13:25
Speaker 3: Everything's been good.
00:13:26
Speaker 5: I'm enjoying my time over here and, you know, the ball club here so we're having a good.
00:13:32
Speaker 1: Time going back to the trade in december can you recount kind of the initial moments of what happened because i know jake was telling me that you guys had a group chat you were the first one you know that said you know hey pirates what's going on here um so what was it like when you first found out.
00:13:46
Speaker 5: About it yeah i mean hats off to to eric and in tampa they kind of kept us in the loop pretty good uh with everything that was going on and i've been around the organization long enough i understood kind of the the business side of things and how it was all going. I was like, it just makes sense for a trade to happen. And he kind of gave us a little bit of a heads up. He was like, hey, things are getting pretty serious with X teams and kind of listed down some teams. And I think maybe a day or two before it, he was like, hey, there's a really good chance. We think it's going to happen, you know, barring anything else that happened. And then I was just kind of waiting by the phone to get the– the final call that hey it's gone through and you know get a call from from sharrington and those guys on the other side of things and as soon as you went through i kind of got a idea of who the trade was and stuff like that so i just sent a text down to monty and mang and like hey guys so where.
00:14:46
Speaker 1: Are we going to live in pittsburgh you know just getting adjusted to it all yeah um on your I mean the fact that you had two other guys come with you did that make the trade a little bit easier at least early on just knowing I mean how long that you've been with the Rays to have at least two guys that you had played with last year I mean how I mean did that.
00:15:03
Speaker 5: Soften the blow at all or yeah I mean it made the transition at least a little bit easier you know you have guys that you know and guys you're comfortable with going into a new clubhouse it definitely made it you know a little bit easier to you know get in and just kind of be yourself meet people and get more comfortable with everybody around.
00:15:20
Speaker 1: You yeah so i guess in the months after that point what was it like preparing for this new environment and i mean on the spring training side of things you're going from port charlotte to bradenton what that's like an hour drive or so so not much of a difference there but what was it like um i guess the first kind of months getting adjusted to the new environment.
00:15:37
Speaker 5: Yeah i mean it's just kind of a big difference when you know you have no idea where to live in bradenton versus you know i've It's been 10 years in Port Charlotte. I knew the ins and outs of everything down there. So, you know, finding a place to live was a bit difficult. And then, honestly, everything just happened fast. You're there for 8 to.
00:15:58
Speaker 3: 10 hours a day.
00:15:58
Speaker 5: You get to know the guys pretty closely and pretty quickly. And, you know, as you're going through it, you just talk and communicate and get to know guys. So, I mean, it was a pretty seamless transition, honestly. You know, I'd seen it happen so many times in Tampa, being the guy that, kind of welcomed people in. So being on the flip side of things, I know.
00:16:19
Speaker 3: What they're thinking.
00:16:20
Speaker 2: I've been in their shoes.
00:16:21
Speaker 5: So it's just, you know, introduce yourself, get talking, and build that relationship.
00:16:27
Speaker 1: Was it weird the first couple times that you saw them in spring training, just knowing that you had been with that organization as long.
00:16:32
Speaker 2: As you had?
00:16:33
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, honestly, both times we faced them in spring, the first time, obviously, Getting to face him for the first.
00:16:39
Speaker 3: Time was definitely weird.
00:16:42
Speaker 5: But then the second time I faced him, I faced Shane, who, you know, I was there since his debut and everything else. So that was definitely a bit strange. And then facing him in the regular season, I got to face Ras. So that was kind of a tough one just to keep a straight face going up to the plate.
00:17:01
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:17:01
Speaker 1: Now on the Pirates side of things, how much did the guys welcome you in? How did you feel about, you know, the new organization, because again, you're finding out all this stuff on the fly and I'm sure that you've at least seen them from the outside looking in, but how is it like from the pirate side of things of them welcoming you in and you actually getting adjusted to this new team with, you know, all these new signings and trade that they're all making in the off season, basically all at once.
00:17:25
Speaker 2: Yeah. It's been great.
00:17:27
Speaker 5: It's been super easy. I knew Brian from, from Tennessee. I knew O'Hearn from playing against him from a good bit and, And some of the guys that I didn't know, they reached out. When I got traded, they found my number and, you know, made contact. So it was easy to get to talk to them in that way. And then, you know, as soon as you get into the clubhouse, it's, you know, you spend hours every single day.
00:17:51
Speaker 2: You know, you're in training rooms on the field, tubs, whatnot.
00:17:55
Speaker 5: So you're with them all the time every single hour of the day.
00:17:58
Speaker 2: So you tend to get close pretty quickly. Yeah.
00:18:01
Speaker 1: This season, I mean, it's gone great for you. We're in July now. How do you feel like... Just from your perspective, how do you feel like all has gone so far in 26?
00:18:08
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, it's gone fairly well. There are definitely certain areas that I haven't had.
00:18:14
Speaker 6: You know, I haven't.
00:18:17
Speaker 5: Felt as, like, hot as I've been in past years, but I think as a whole I've been much more, you know, controlled, less volatile.
00:18:26
Speaker 2: Which is always a good thing, but, you know, I'm ready for... ready for a hot streak.
00:18:31
Speaker 1: And then the last thing, looking back on your time in Tampa, because I mean, if you're here next year, you're going to be going there. So it'll be your first experience with the drop as an opposing team member. But how do you look back on that time with the Rays? Because again, I mean, that's the only organization that you've known before everything that's happened this year.
00:18:49
Speaker 5: Yeah, I look back on it with nothing but love.
00:18:51
Speaker 3: Honestly, I loved every.
00:18:53
Speaker 5: Minute that I spent there, whether it was the minors or you know, when I called the big leagues, and they took a 20-year-old Brandon, and, you know, I spent 10 years there growing, I became a father, a husband, and, you know, I went from being a kid to being a real grown-up, and did it all in the same place, so, you know, extremely thankful for that organization, but you know, going there is going to, playing a game in the trial, being a visitor, it'll be a little, a little strange.
00:19:26
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, it's a lot brighter now, so it'll be a little bit stranger.
00:19:29
Speaker 5: I've heard that, you know, they did a great job with the renovations and that it's a lot easier to see, a lot.
00:19:34
Speaker 2: Easier to hit. So we'll see. Hopefully some home runs anyway, right? Yeah.
00:19:45
Speaker 1: That is going to do things on this latest episode of the podcast. We appreciate you guys as always. for your support if you guys want to follow everything that we have going on here at raise the roof it is raise the roof tb on social media twitter slash x instagram and our tiktok account which we will we're posting a lot more on same thing with our youtube channel it is raise the roof find that everywhere be sure to subscribe to the account and and turn those turn on this post notification so you guys know when new uploads are happening if you guys want to follow the podcast we are raise the roof pretty much anywhere podcasts are found as i mentioned we're going to be doing five podcasts during this work week we've already done this is the third of five so stay tuned for a couple more both from the series last month in baltimore to kind of wrap up the regular season we'll have one or two more before the playoffs but those to expect interviews from plenty of Rays players and also plenty of Rays media and baseball personalities. But yeah, if you guys want to follow the podcast and subscribe to the podcast, as I mentioned, we're at Raise the Roof. Be sure to leave us a review, hopefully a five-star review, and share this with your family or friends. And you want to know who's a Rays fan or a baseball fan that wants to add a podcast into their podcast feed, we would love to be part of it. And remember, we are on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, all that good jazz. A shout-out to our sponsors, SeatGeek, JKS Prints, Homage, and Lids. Those last two, we have those affiliate links for you guys to be able to use them to get yourself some MLB-licensed Rays merch. And then, and hats as well. And then the other two, code RAYS, the roof, R-A-Y-S, the roof, in all caps to check out to save yourself some money. Post-season tickets are officially on sale for the Rays. So if you guys can get your first crack at them, Through the team website, you can go on SeatGeek and use our code to save yourself some money. If you guys want to go to USF football games, I know USF men's and women's basketball is coming up. Bucks games, Rowdies games, Tampa Bay Sun games, I don't even know if those would be on there. I'm sure they would. And then Boltz Games coming up. You can find all at concerts and anything else under the sun. You can find those at Seageek. And then if you guys want to get yourself some mini-trops, Troptober is here. Troptober is a couple weeks away, I should say. But if you want to get yourself some mini-trops, be sure to use.
00:22:03
Speaker 2: That code at checkout over at JKSPrints.
00:22:07
Speaker 1: With all that being said, thanks so much for listening.
00:22:09
Speaker 2: And as always, raise up.
