Full Transcript for Episode 18

desperate enough to make a splash after losing Pete Alonzo that they paid him$40,$40 million a year to play third base. 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:56.800 Um, you know, I I don't understand it. 00:02:56.879 --> 00:03:01.039 I mean, Pete Alonzo was a proven New York commodity, a star player. 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:04.879 But, you know, as Forrest Gupp says, stupid is as stupid does. 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:10.159 Uh but I do think the Jays made a sound fiscal decision. 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:11.199 So did Bo. 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:14.960 I mean, the Mets are offering 40 million, take it. 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:16.800 I mean, he's not a good defender. 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:25.039 Uh and honestly, in my opinion, top-tier contracts should be reserved for the marquee guys that play on both sides of the ball. 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:28.000 Uh they should be reserved for franchise players. 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:30.159 Bo's not a franchise player. 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:33.680 Uh he can hit, but he doesn't care about his defense. 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:34.639 That's clear. 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:37.039 Uh he's there to do one thing, swing the bat. 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:42.960 He's a poor base runner, and it shows up at key moments, and Blue Jays fans know it. 00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:47.759 Um you can you can see why the Jays did what they did. 00:03:47.919 --> 00:03:56.479 And, you know, there's a lot of other things that go on behind the scenes, uh, but you know, you you don't know about them yet, but you're gonna find out about them now. 00:03:56.639 --> 00:04:04.879 Um, you know, the whole teary-eyed interview, uh, you know I I gave it everything I had. 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:10.159 Um, you know, let's just let's just get back to it. 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:12.719 The whole production wasn't for Bo. 00:04:13.360 --> 00:04:25.680 Um, you know, my sources inside the organization, they told me before the season started in 2025 that he was as good as gone when the Jays were officially out of it. 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:29.360 As long as he was swinging the bat, they were going to trade him for what they could get for him. 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:32.000 They already knew they didn't want him to play shortstop. 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:42.800 Um and then they went on a stupid run after Canada Day, and they were stuck, they were painted into a corner. 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:46.720 I mean, can you imagine what would have happened if the Jays had won it all? 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:58.560 They'd be sucking on a multiple-year$40 million AAV uh with a subpar defender and a subpar base runner and a subpar teammate, in my opinion. 00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:00.079 Like, come on. 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:02.720 Like, that that would have been colossal. 00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:05.759 I mean, obviously be careful what you wish for. 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:08.399 I mean, a World Series title would have been great. 00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:11.040 It'd still be riding the wave. 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:14.240 But at the end of the day, they dodged a bullet there. 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:24.399 Um, now, the whole part about Bo giving it everything he had, does that include taking days off on your teammate for your so-called mental health? 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:32.879 Um, again, my sources inside the organization complained to me about how soft the guy was and how it came off as selfish. 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:34.000 You think? 00:05:34.399 --> 00:05:35.279 Selfish? 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:38.480 Um, I know mental health's a you know a big topic now. 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:40.480 I mean, everybody talks about it, you know. 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:41.920 Uh, but let's get it out. 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:42.879 Let's get to it. 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:52.879 Professional athletes, physically superior in many ways, not always, but physically superior in many ways to the average Joe walking the streets. 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:57.040 That's why players play and the fans watch. 00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:04.959 The hand-eye coordination is better, they're stronger, faster, more readily equipped to handle stress and constant change. 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:18.319 The kind of pressure and turmoil that would put regular folks in the fetal position is what professional athletes, professional baseball players especially, eat for breakfast. 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:32.879 So when I hear that my guy in the middle, the default anchor of the defense, is taking days off, when he's physically able to go out there, uh it it screams selfish to me. 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:40.079 It's basically saying that he thinks he's more important than the team or the outcome on the field. 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:58.720 Now, I had teammates go out there with torn Achilles tendons, so hobbled they could barely walk, but their presence in the lineup, maybe one swing of the bat, a step and a dive to either direction, was worth more to our ball club than 100% of a lesser player. 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:08.720 I mean, my I myself risked life and limb, life and limb to stay on the field for my teammates because I truly thought I was our best chance to win. 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:20.800 And there were times when I was the only option because a guy like Miguel Batista with his stuff, you know, 95 plus, you know, curving and cutting and darting all over the place, uh, nobody else could catch it. 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:22.399 So I had to go out there. 00:07:22.480 --> 00:07:26.639 And I'm shooting, you know, Novicane into my neck just to be able to turn my head. 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:27.199 Why? 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:32.959 Because I love my teammates, because I knew it was the best option for the ball club, because I care about the outcome on the field. 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:35.120 I'm digging myself. 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:38.639 But that's that's what that's what good teammates do. 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:42.079 I don't understand what Bo's crying about. 00:07:42.399 -->

00:07:44.639 You guys are making$40 million a year. 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:45.519 You know? 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:50.319 Uh New York's a tough place to play when you're all squared away mentally. 00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:54.879 Um but it and it takes a special person to endure that kind of pressure. 00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:57.600 You're either blithely above it or you just built different. 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:02.639 And Bo Bouchette, according to sources, in my personal assessment, not equipped and he knows it. 00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:06.160 Um this was nothing more than I'm getting paid$40 million. 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:08.639 I hope I rake and I hope the fans love me. 00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:14.480 But I think what what really caused the tears was he realized grass isn't greener. 00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:18.639 Um he left a cushy, no pressure environment to go to Queens. 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:28.800 He left an organization that cared about him, that drafted him, um, to go to a fan base that only cares about what they've seen from you lately. 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:34.639 Uh and I'm all forgetting what you can in this game while you can, because our careers are short-lived. 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:38.960 But if the Jays were offering 25 to 30, he should have taken that. 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:54.480 Because playing out the rest of your days in this ballpark, uh, in this environment in Toronto, with your teammates, with your so-called best friend, you know, Vladdy Jr., the one that you took mental health days off on, um, okay. 00:08:54.639 --> 00:09:03.279 That's probably where I would have parked myself instead of going and submitting myself to New York, because that's a tough place to be. 00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:10.399 Um and don't get me wrong, I think the Jays made a great financial decision, but do they miss his bat in the lineup? 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:11.039 Yeah, they do. 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:15.600 That kid could hit, and he could definitely drive in some runs. 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:24.159 Um the thing about the the interview that struck a chord with me is him telling us that he gave it all he had. 00:09:24.320 --> 00:09:30.000 Well, he was a substandard defender when he got to Toronto, and he never got better. 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:32.480 He never worked on it the way he did his hitting. 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:35.120 The fielding percentage was below average on turf. 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:36.320 On turf. 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:40.080 It's like fielding a ground ball on your living room carpet. 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:41.840 You don't get bad bounces. 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:47.919 Um then we get into all the metrics that the stat geeks love, you know, that factor in range and run saved. 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:52.240 And he was underwater in every single category every single year of his career. 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:54.080 He gave it all for the boys? 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:55.279 Come on, really? 00:09:55.759 --> 00:09:59.200 Uh that

would have involved you going out and getting help. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:03.120 Uh, remember when a guy like Roberto Alamar used to be hanging around? 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:06.559 Uh, guys that could have helped uh the kid get better. 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:19.120 It requires a few less swings in a cage and a few more reps out there doing the tough thing, uh, you know, when nobody's looking, uh learning how to field your position properly and become a great defender. 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:24.639 Um so uh I call BS on the whole I gave it all I had for the boys. 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:26.639 Uh that's that's evident. 00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:33.360 You know, I actions speak louder than words, and and the fielding never got any better. 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:37.440 All that was was a production for the sake of production. 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:45.840 Um and all it did was take people's minds off a potentially season-crushing six-game skid. 00:10:46.720 --> 00:10:51.759 Um where the Jays got absolutely schooled by the Rangers. 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:56.960 They got swept at home, uh, making you wonder, are they sellers now? 00:10:57.440 --> 00:10:59.360 Uh I don't think so. 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:02.080 They'd be stupid to shoot themselves in the foot. 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:04.240 Uh they're still drawing huge crowds. 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:06.480 It's not even the all-star break yet. 00:11:06.639 --> 00:11:09.360 The American League, pretty much up for grabs, minus the East. 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:12.399 I think the East is going to come down to Yankees and Rays. 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:18.320 The other one's going to be obviously a top uh wildcard pick. 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:22.159 Um, and the Domino's are gonna fall where they fall in the American League. 00:11:22.240 --> 00:11:27.279 The Jays are 10 plus games back in the East, at least two and a half out of the wild card. 00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:29.840 And in my opinion, there's five teams ahead of them. 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:36.159 There's the three teams that already have a wild card spot, and the two teams that are ahead of them in the standings for the wild card. 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:37.840 Uh that's a lot of leapfrogging. 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:45.840 You got to expect a couple of those teams that are wild card right now, if the season ends today, they're gonna come back to the pack a little bit. 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:47.840 Maybe somebody's gonna take off. 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:52.480 Um but right now, in my mind, the Jays are sellers. 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:54.559 Well, who do they got to sell? 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:55.279 Not much. 00:11:55.519 --> 00:11:56.960 Gosman, that's about it. 00:11:57.200 --> 00:12:02.080 Corbyn, maybe once upon a time, might have been interesting, but he's at the skids. 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:04.559 Bieber, if he's healthy, maybe. 00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:14.320 Uh don't have much in the way of veteran help as far as other teams are concerned, so I don't see the Jays getting a whole lot better at the trade deadline. 00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:16.320 Uh who are you gonna trade? 00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:21.840 I mean, really, who are you gonna trade that's gonna get you anything back in return? 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:29.600 Uh saw something really interesting with the Simeon Woods Richardson uh demotion DFA. 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:30.879 That's a total joke. 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:31.759 I mean, really? 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:38.000 The kids 1-0 with 10 scoreless innings out of the pen, a pen that's been overworked and overexposed. 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:46.720 Your starting rotation, pretty much the reason for the six-game skid, had the Jays behind in almost every single game, if not every one. 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:57.279 Uh clearly, there had to be somebody, somebody else on the roster that you could have gotten rid of to clear a spot. 00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:02.639 Because you traded for Simeon Woods Richardson, a reputable stuffed guy. 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:06.879 He gives you 10 scoreless innings, and then you DFA him. 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:13.039 Now, do you think you got it going that good with Corbin struggling the way he is? 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:15.919 I mean, Cease can't even get out of the fifth. 00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:23.200 Um, and they're protecting him, they're making sure he doesn't stay in long enough to give up that big swing of the bat that would blow up his ERA. 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:28.960 Can't even believe people are talking about him as a potential Cy Young candidate for this season. 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:31.919 Um, like, honestly, how's it gonna look? 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:37.360 I mean, Simeon Woods Richardson, he's a stuffed guy. 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:52.639 Wouldn't it be cool to find out whether this guy's gonna be like a diamond in the rough, a gem that you could throw at the back end of your rotation next year and maybe find something really great, you know, a potential star. 00:13:53.440 --> 00:13:56.720 Names like Bautista and Carnacion come to mind. 00:13:56.799 --> 00:14:05.440 I know they're positioned players, but guys who got a shot in Toronto after kind of spinning their wheels elsewhere, um, hey, you never know. 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:06.879 Pitching's valuable. 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:12.639 I mean, I don't know if it's gonna happen, but it would suck if they lose the guy because that's a pretty good arm. 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:14.799 And I'm told it's pretty good stuff. 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:21.759 Corbin's been, you know, 0-3 or worse over his last five starts, 8-6-9 ERA. 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:23.360 Uh to me, that was the move. 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:24.480 That was the move. 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:26.639 Uh, you're not married to that contract. 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:28.159 Why would you be? 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:38.399 Um, you know, maybe the Jason Pete Walker can unlock something in Simeon Woods Rip Richardson, but you know, who knows

whether they're gonna lose them or not. 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:40.639 Uh starters have been bad lately. 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:44.240 Um, you know, gotta get back to that. 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:48.720 Uh these are guys that, you know, you they're gonna go up and down. 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:54.960 They're gonna have stretches, maybe a two, maybe even a three-start stretch where they just aren't great. 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:56.639 And that's what the bullpen's for. 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:02.320 But when the bullpen's cover in four innings every night, you can't expect them to do much. 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:04.799 They're overexposed and they're overworked. 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:08.639 Um you don't expect all of the starters to go bad at once. 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:11.440 Uh, when that happens, you're you're gonna lose six in a row. 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:13.919 Uh, your savage has been pretty solid. 00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:17.200 Um, you know, Cease is still Cease, you know. 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:21.919 26 innings of work over five starts, you throw 500 pitches. 00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:23.360 Still mind-boggling. 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:32.399 I'm I'm I I really want to start talking about this guy as a potential 30-game winner and see some some real reason to think that it's gonna happen. 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:35.200 The stuff's there, but I'm just confused. 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:40.240 Is he afraid to let balls get hit into play, or is he just enamored with the strikeout? 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:41.279 Which one is it? 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:47.360 I mean, the ex the exit velocity average on balls put in play against Cease is 88 miles an hour. 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:50.159 It's exactly the same as the rest of the league. 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:54.720 Um there's way more than one way uh to skin a cat. 00:15:54.879 --> 00:16:00.720 The lowest exit velocity average in the big leagues is Ryan Yarbrough over the last few years. 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:13.600 Uh he doesn't throw hard, he doesn't strike anybody out, he mixes speeds, he puts gets people to put the ball and play weekly early, and his stuff isn't even in the same stratosphere as the Dylan C's. 00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:24.720 I mean, I don't understand why we're not just fastball slider change up, occasional change up to righties, fastball curveball change up to lefties, spot the heater, read bats, go dominate. 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:25.919 I don't I don't understand. 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:28.799 It's not that hard of a formula when your stuff's that good. 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:31.360 But it does come down to fastball command. 00:16:31.600 --> 00:16:38.480 Um but on average, hitters are seeing one extra pitch per at bat with a guy like C's. 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:39.679 That's meaningful. 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:54.320 One extra pitch, it's the difference between in the game past the sixth or out of the game, yeah, he's only given up a couple of earn runs, two, three runs, but it's the trickle-down effect of how much pressure he puts on the bullpen. 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:56.960 Put on the bullpen. 00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:02.480 Um 110 pitches for five innings, come on. 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:05.599 96 miles an hour is still 96 miles an hour. 00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:09.680 Let's let's put that in the put that in the outside lane and let it eat. 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:11.759 Read the bats, go to work. 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:14.640 Work faster, keep the defense on his toes. 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:16.400 That's your formula. 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:22.400 I mean, it doesn't take a genius to understand how to get it done. 00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:28.079 And I'm I'm pretty sure that that idea has been conveyed. 00:17:28.319 --> 00:17:33.680 I mean, I look at Cease, as I said, a 30-game winner if he figures it out. 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:40.559 Short of that, he looks like a closer to me because I don't want baseballs put in play after the seventh inning. 00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:49.519 And if you're gonna be a guy that strikes everybody out, have the highest strikeout record uh numbers in the game, well then you're a one-inning guy. 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:54.319 But I mean, I know that's a ridiculous statement, but where's the adjustments? 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:55.920 We have to make adjustments. 00:17:56.160 --> 00:18:04.559 I mean, the guys led the league in starts for multiple times, but you cannot continue to throw 110 over five innings. 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:13.119 Those are all that means that those pitches have to be stressful because that means that there's walks, there's a few hits here and there, it's just deep counts every time. 00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:23.920 Everybody's getting a good look, and it's going to manifest itself in ways that we don't want to see happen. 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:27.440 So hopefully Bieber can get it going. 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:32.559 Uh, not sure if Scherzer's health is ever going to come back, but there's not a whole lot of help. 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:44.400 This is what it is, and that's one of the other reasons why the whole Simeon Woods Richardson DFA is puzzling to me, because they don't have starting pitcher depth in the organization anymore. 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:45.599 They don't. 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:48.720 Uh and the guys aren't pitching all that well. 00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:52.880 So, buckle up, it's gonna get interesting. 00:18:53.119 --> 00:19:04.960 Uh, Canada Day has come and gone, and as I said at the top of the program, let's hope for the Jays' sake that they get just absolutely red hot down the stretch. 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:14.319 Get those bats going, get the pitchers getting deeper into the games with less pitches thrown, and hopefully the boys can get on a roll. 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:29.680 When we come back on Walk Off Slams, we'll get into some MLB news, talk about what's going on with the collective bargaining agreement, and uh see where the talks are at with the

Players Association. 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:32.880 All that and more when we come back on Walk Off Slams. 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:38.319 You're listening to Walk Off Slams with Greg Zahn on AM 1150. 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:41.599 Welcome back to Walkoff Slams. 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:50.799 Again, I'm your host, Greg Zahn, coming to you from beautiful Kelowna, British Columbia on AM 1150. 00:19:51.200 --> 00:20:01.759 The topic de jour is the latest round fired across the bow by Major League Baseball with regards to collective bargaining. 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:08.799 As many of you know, the the potential for work stoppage lockout is extremely high. 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:15.920 Uh the Players Association pretty well understands that they're in a position of weakness at this point. 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:36.799 They're gonna have to stand up and show some backbone, especially given the uh concessions they made in the last go-round, because, in my opinion, they're soft and they need to have comfort and squishy shoes and pajamas and massage therapists, all things that they can afford on their own. 00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:40.720 They wanted it all paid for by Major League Baseball. 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:51.680 Uh just the ridiculous things that are not core financial issues, that are the backbone of the foundation of the union itself, no salary cap. 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:57.759 Uh nothing that impedes the progress of player salaries. 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:00.480 Um that's why the union was formed. 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:02.799 Give people an opportunity to have a say. 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:08.640 They caved on a bunch of issues for creature comforts last go round, and now they're gonna suffer. 00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:12.319 They're gonna get the owners trying to ram things down their throats. 00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:17.680 Uh, you have the Tony Clark scandal, and so I say you're in a position of weakness. 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:23.599 But as we get into it, um you have what you have in society. 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:27.519 Baseball is an amazing mirror of society. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:34.640 So in baseball, you have the have nots, the low small market clubs, the losing teams. 00:21:34.880 --> 00:21:42.559 They want a complete overhaul of the financial structure to account for so-called disparity. 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:43.839 It's because they're liberals. 00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:45.039 It's that's what it is. 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:50.640 They're they're liberals and they want the government to fix their problems and pay for everything. 00:21:50.880 --> 00:22:06.480 Well, here's an idea hire real baseball player people to do real baseball jobs, get better at scouting development, build the Top-tier player development system that year over year sends top talent to the big leagues. 00:22:06.559 --> 00:22:13.839 While you're sucking, you're gonna get access to the top 10 picks every single year of the draft until you win at the big league level. 00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:15.519 So where's the excuse? 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:19.920 Player development's way cheaper than paying free agents in the big leagues. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:25.119 It's cheaper to develop prospects than it is to pay top-level major league players. 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:28.720 So why don't you focus your attention there? 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:32.079 Everybody's got an opportunity to draft players. 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:47.039 Everybody has an opportunity to develop players, but when you hire no names who have no pro experience to coach your players, what are they being taught? 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:59.759 Why do you think your organization sucks when you hire absolute rubbish, inexperienced rubbish to be in charge of raising your kids? 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:01.599 It's not good. 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:18.480 I mean, there's also an idea that maybe you could take some of that profit sharing money from socialist Major League Baseball, again, liberal ideas, uh, and spend it on the players instead of lining your own pockets. 00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:20.319 You're already getting charity. 00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:22.000 How much more do you want? 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:36.240 Um, you know, the formula for having a solid organization, you know, the it's what everybody quotes when they're in the rebuilding process, even though very few actually rebuild. 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:39.119 It's always the same teams that are crap. 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:49.440 You draft well, you develop well, learn how to win at the minor league level, and repeat it year over year at the minor league level. 00:23:49.599 --> 00:24:01.440 It's uncanny how teams that win at the minor league level usually have pretty good teams at the big league level because in yeah, you need to teach the kids how to walk and chew gum at the same time. 00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:06.720 You know, you got to teach them how not to eat their boogers, but you also have to teach them how to win. 00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:25.440 They need to learn how to play catch, hit the ball, run the bases, throw the ball properly, learn the game, incorporate difficult signs so the other team can't pick them, and you don't need uh electronic devices strapped to your kneecaps and your and your pitching gloves. 00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:26.799 Like, give me a break. 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:32.160 It's just so watered down and so bad, you know. 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:42.160 But it's it's something that you look at with with regards to these teams and how they fall short. 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:52.400 I'm not saying that the lower team should be having access to the same free free agents, they can't afford it. 00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:56.000 But if you want them to be able to afford it more, here's an idea. 00:24:56.240 --> 00:25:00.160 How about you collectively pool all the TV money in baseball? 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:06.400 The Yankees will never let it happen because their TV deal approaches a billion

dollars a year. 00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:21.599 But let's say that they they would agree for a moment because of the concept that if nobody shows up in the other dugout, the Yankees don't have a team to play, there's no game to broadcast, and that could negatively impact their TV contract if there's nobody to play the Yankees. 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:24.559 Same with the Dodgers, same with all the other big league market clubs. 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:30.880 So if there's a way, if there's a place for socialism in baseball, it's the TV TV contracts. 00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:39.680 Um pool that money, give it out, you know, give it out to the clubs in a more equitable fashion. 00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:58.160 I'm not actually maybe not necessarily equitable where everybody gets the same loot, but split it up a little differently instead of the big teams taking home all the money, because they after all, they still need 162 opponents over the course of a year. 00:25:58.319 --> 00:26:02.160 So share the TV money, and maybe that'll help. 00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:08.480 Um but these people all want access to things that they haven't earned. 00:26:08.799 --> 00:26:15.039 Um they haven't earned the fan base, they haven't earned the TV contracts. 00:26:15.119 --> 00:26:16.160 You know how you earn it? 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:16.960 Win. 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:18.640 Develop well, win. 00:26:18.799 --> 00:26:20.880 Draft well, develop well, win. 00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:23.599 Raw, wash, rinse, repeat. 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:25.759 I mean, the draft is what it is. 00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:29.200 I mean, it's it's fairly affordable for everyone. 00:26:29.359 --> 00:26:33.759 You know, they all they all have access to the same players. 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:36.240 It's who makes better picks? 00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:40.400 And once they have the better picks, who develops better? 00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:44.720 You know, we keep coming back to the notion, hire better coaches. 00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:45.440 You know what? 00:26:45.599 --> 00:27:04.319 Develop a surplus of good players, trade them for big league talent, get better into big leagues, be able to trade for a marquee player at the trade deadline and still have guys left over in the tank because the notion of going all in and swinging and missing is what decimates organizations. 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:09.680 It's what makes general managers gun shy on trading away the farm. 00:27:09.839 --> 00:27:22.880 Well, if your farm's not deep enough to be able to afford a free agent, you know, like a Terek Scuble, you don't belong in the conversation because you didn't do the work. 00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:34.400 Again, we keep coming back to people who haven't done the work, haven't earned the life that they want, haven't earned the BMW or the cell phone or the vacation. 00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:44.720 And they want they want the powers that be, big brother, government, major league baseball teams that are good at their job, they

want them to pay for it. 00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:47.119 It's asinide, it's ridiculous. 00:27:47.200 --> 00:27:49.680 I don't even know why we're having this conversation. 00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:57.039 Um but it's just a bunch of entitled crybabies on welfare, a lot like society. 00:27:57.200 --> 00:27:58.319 It's unbelievable. 00:27:58.480 --> 00:28:00.559 Baseball does it every single year. 00:28:00.720 --> 00:28:03.519 You know, the society goes woke, baseball goes woke. 00:28:03.680 --> 00:28:04.400 Knee jerk. 00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:07.839 They're trend followers, they're not trend setters. 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:08.960 You know? 00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:13.839 Uh and that's the frustrating thing about it, is like Crimea River. 00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:25.759 You you suck at your job, and yet somebody wrote you a check for$25 million at the end of the year as a competitive balance supplemental. 00:28:25.920 --> 00:28:39.680 You know, they tax the rich who are good at their jobs, who generate wealth, who make money, who can afford nicer things, and because they're better at their job, they're going to get penalized. 00:28:39.759 --> 00:28:43.599 And that's what the competitive balance tax does in Major League Baseball. 00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:47.440 You know, like I said, get better at your job. 00:28:47.599 --> 00:28:54.559 You know, and it comes back down to for the 1,000th time, uh, player development scouting. 00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:58.880 Everybody wants to win, but very few people, they're willing to do what it takes. 00:28:58.960 --> 00:29:01.680 And here's the key part, ladies and gentlemen, pay attention. 00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:08.000 They're not willing to do it for as long as it takes to be repeatable, sustainable, and good at it. 00:29:08.240 --> 00:29:13.279 They think that they've done it once the right way, that that somehow makes them good. 00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:15.599 No, it made you good for a moment. 00:29:15.759 --> 00:29:18.400 It doesn't mean that you're a good organization. 00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:22.000 It means that you were good for a second, a blip. 00:29:22.400 --> 00:29:24.480 You know, look at the Tampa Bay Rays. 00:29:24.640 --> 00:29:28.000 They had the first pick in the draft for the better part of a decade. 00:29:29.039 --> 00:29:35.200 And they and they they went to the World Series once, fell short, and haven't been back since. 00:29:35.359 --> 00:29:39.599 You know, they're supposed to be geniuses over there with all that analytic stuff going on. 00:29:39.920 --> 00:29:41.680 But they keep coming up short. 00:29:41.839 --> 00:29:42.480 And why? 00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:44.079 Because they don't have any money. 00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:46.400 They won't spend it even if they do. 00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:49.839 Real good players cost real big money. 00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:52.559 Sorry to tell you, that's gonna happen. 00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:54.559 I mean, let's look at the draft picks. 00:29:54.799 --> 00:30:06.319 Guys like Paul Wilder, Jason Standridge, Josh Hamilton, Rehab, Rocco Baldelli, a pretty good player, Dewan Brazzelton, eh, meh. 00:30:06.559 --> 00:30:10.079 BJ Upton, solid Major League player, but not a superstar. 00:30:10.319 --> 00:30:12.240 Delman Young, not a superstar. 00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:16.319 Jeff Neiman, barely, barely had a career. 00:30:16.640 --> 00:30:18.799 I mean, the answer is crystal clear. 00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:20.799 The answer is crystal clear. 00:30:21.039 --> 00:30:26.240 These teams aren't as good as the other teams at their jobs, and you gotta stop penalizing them for it. 00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:29.039 I mean, the con the conversation's obscene. 00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:30.000 It really is. 00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:32.720 It's just absolutely obscene. 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:36.880 So, moving on, we get to the Major League Baseball power rankings. 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:38.160 Dodgers still at the top. 00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:40.000 Mookie Betts has gotten hot. 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:45.839 Uh and Andy Pahez, swinging a bat good, uh, getting off base, stealing bases. 00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:50.000 Um 15 ribs in one series. 00:30:50.240 --> 00:30:53.839 Pete Crow Armstrong, 10 bags in seven days, huge. 00:30:54.079 --> 00:30:56.880 Cardinals aren't rolling over, they're not going anywhere. 00:30:57.039 --> 00:31:05.039 Uh Cincy, absolutely, completely falling off a cliff. 00:31:05.200 --> 00:31:11.680 Things are only going to get worse for them in the Mets, who face the strongest strength of schedule in Major League Baseball. 00:31:11.839 --> 00:31:20.480 Uh, on the other side of the coin, you've got the Chicago White Sox who face the weakest schedule in Major League Baseball, and they're in first place. 00:31:20.640 --> 00:31:23.200 Look out, Chicago, the South Side is back, I think. 00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:24.720 They're playing some good ball. 00:31:25.039 --> 00:31:30.319 Um didn't think anybody could be worse than the Rockies, but Oakland proved me wrong. 00:31:30.960 --> 00:31:35.200 Even though they've got Nick Kurtz, player of the month, he's uh they're still not doing well. 00:31:35.359 --> 00:31:38.559 The Nationals are you know holding tryouts. 00:31:38.799 --> 00:31:42.079 Please tell me they're not gonna trade CJ Abrams and James Woods. 00:31:42.160 --> 00:31:43.279 They've gone with the youth. 00:31:43.599 --> 00:31:48.880 Pirates are still a ball club from Pittsburgh with a really good pitcher named Paul Skeens. 00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:51.920 The Angels finally fired Perry Manassian. 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:53.440 So who's next, everybody? 00:31:53.599 --> 00:31:55.119 I want to know who's next. 00:31:55.359 --> 00:31:59.440 Um be stopping there. 00:31:59.680 --> 00:32:01.119 When are they gonna trade trout? 00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:03.039 Is he gonna let them trade him? 00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:04.480 That's a million-dollar question. 00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:05.920 Phillies are looking pretty good. 00:32:06.000 -->

00:32:07.359 That's his hometown club. 00:32:07.440 --> 00:32:18.079 They're still in it, but they better get busy trying to trade him now if they want to get trout in a uniform in Philadelphia where it can absolutely change the course of their season. 00:32:18.240 --> 00:32:20.720 Uh the Giants are still a joke. 00:32:20.880 --> 00:32:28.480 You know you're a joke when people are focused on Bible verses on rainbow hats instead of the kind of baseball you're playing. 00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:31.759 Uh Scoobel's pitching a lot better these days. 00:32:31.839 --> 00:32:32.799 Uh he's back. 00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:34.480 Do the Tigers trade him. 00:32:34.880 --> 00:32:38.319 Well, all indications are pointing towards that. 00:32:38.640 --> 00:32:41.759 But the American League is still really, really soft. 00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:42.799 They need hitting. 00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:44.000 They really need hitting. 00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:45.519 They need to overhaul their approach. 00:32:45.680 --> 00:32:54.319 They might need a new hitting coach, somebody with a legitimate voice that can get these guys to stop swinging for the fences because they don't have anybody with legit power. 00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:58.480 And you play in a ballpark like Camerica where you need legit power. 00:32:58.720 --> 00:33:09.440 Uh, so maybe you should be focused on line drives, on base percentage, passing the baton, instead of swinging for you know the fences, trying to trying to hit the ball at the ballpark. 00:33:09.599 --> 00:33:19.759 Um, but either way, Terek Scuble could bring a pretty nice haul if they if they if they find it. 00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:22.319 And I'm not sure what's going to happen. 00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:25.759 Could be good if they can get some players for Terek Scuble. 00:33:26.319 --> 00:33:35.839 Moving on to other trade deadline targets, you have the interesting one to me, which is a roll this chapman. 00:33:36.079 --> 00:33:42.640 This guy, if you look at his numbers over the last few years, he's actually been the best closer in baseball. 00:33:42.960 --> 00:33:52.559 And it's kind of been under the radar because he hasn't been on a winning team in a while, or a team that's gone to the World Series. 00:33:52.880 --> 00:33:59.519 But that guy is a game changer for a championship caliber team. 00:33:59.680 --> 00:34:01.359 Is he the closer? 00:34:01.519 --> 00:34:02.079 I don't know. 00:34:02.160 --> 00:34:05.759 It's a great backup, especially if you get into a seven-game series. 00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:10.800 You could have him pitch the eighth uh or have him as your backup closer. 00:34:10.960 --> 00:34:13.519 But that dude is still lights out. 00:34:13.760 --> 00:34:24.880 Um and uh I think that people should and would give up a couple of nice prospects for a guy like a roles chapman. 00:34:25.119 --> 00:34:27.280 Freddie Peralta, I I don't trust it. 00:34:27.440 --> 00:34:35.519 I mean, a guy's been great in the past, but he's really been struggling with his command. 00:34:36.559 --> 00:34:47.039 They're saying that he's the best option other than Terek Scubel, but I would I would put Kevin Gossman in that conversation as you know, second tier. 00:34:47.280 --> 00:34:48.960 Uh he's still pretty damn good. 00:34:49.119 --> 00:34:52.159 He's a veteran, he's still throwing the ball good. 00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:56.559 Uh, but you know, I don't know if I trust Freddie. 00:34:56.719 --> 00:34:59.039 Uh they're talking about CJ Abrams. 00:34:59.199 --> 00:35:03.840 Please tell me that the Washington Nationals are not gonna trade CJ Abrams. 00:35:03.920 --> 00:35:05.440 I mean, what are you trading him for? 00:35:05.679 --> 00:35:12.079 He's got a controllable contract, he's the kind of guy you build an organization around, he and James Woods. 00:35:12.239 --> 00:35:18.960 Um veteran presence in you know that lineup, and there's just I don't see it. 00:35:19.039 --> 00:35:21.840 I don't understand why you'd even allow that to happen. 00:35:21.920 --> 00:35:22.960 Uh what are you gonna do? 00:35:23.119 --> 00:35:24.000 Go younger? 00:35:24.159 --> 00:35:26.960 You gotta have at least a couple of decent veteran players. 00:35:27.199 --> 00:35:31.440 So if I'm the national, CJ Abrams isn't going anywhere. 00:35:31.599 --> 00:35:34.880 Uh Byron Buxton, what a specimen. 00:35:35.039 --> 00:35:36.559 This guy is such a great athlete. 00:35:36.639 --> 00:35:48.239 If he could have just stayed healthy his whole career, uh, we'd be looking at record record book type stuff, and we may still see it from him, but he would be huge for somebody looking for a premier outfielder. 00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:51.920 Um Phillies are definitely looking for him. 00:35:52.719 --> 00:35:56.639 Phillies fans, would you rather have Byron Buxton or Mike Trout? 00:35:56.800 --> 00:36:06.880 Because I know Mike Trout is from Philly, uh and that would be an amazing acquisition for the Phillies, but so would Byron Buxton. 00:36:07.440 --> 00:36:13.360 Um Taylor Ward of the Orioles, high-on base guy with you know big slug. 00:36:13.920 --> 00:36:16.639 Um, yeah, he he fits. 00:36:16.800 --> 00:36:20.800 He fits with uh some of the other clubs that are gonna be looking for help. 00:36:20.960 --> 00:36:27.440 But it looks to me like the outfielders are gonna be a plenty out there. 00:36:28.239 --> 00:36:32.719 Pitching, as always, gonna be tough to come by, and it's gonna garner a premium price. 00:36:32.960 --> 00:36:34.559 So look out. 00:36:34.639 --> 00:36:36.559 Uh, and obviously things can change. 00:36:36.639 --> 00:36:38.480 There's a lot of time between now and the deadline. 00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:39.840 Somebody could get hot. 00:36:40.480 --> 00:36:51.920 Um, you know, there's been some talk uh about you know certain guys uh that are just kind of wait and see type of situations. 00:36:52.079 --> 00:36:54.000 So the big one's Terek Scuble. 00:36:54.159 --> 00:36:54.960 He's the big domino. 00:36:55.039 -->

00:36:55.840 Who's gonna get him? 00:36:56.000 --> 00:36:58.320 When's that when's that domino gonna fall? 00:36:58.400 --> 00:37:01.599 And how is it gonna affect the rate, the rest of the trade deadline? 00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:10.800 I could actually see him going sooner than later, and I think that would be the smart play for the Tigers because you want to figure out what you're getting in return. 00:37:11.039 --> 00:37:16.400 When we come back on Walk Off Slams, we got everyone's favorite, the roast. 00:37:16.559 --> 00:37:27.119 We're gonna be talking about the collective bargaining agreement and what's new in the negotiations with the Major League Baseball Players Association. 00:37:28.480 --> 00:37:31.760 And now the Sunday Roast with Greg's on. 00:37:33.360 --> 00:37:46.320 I don't know why anyone would be shocked at Major League Baseball's proposal to the Players Association that shrinks the draft lottery, slashes rounds, slashes signing bonuses, and offers owners the ability to trade draft picks. 00:37:46.480 --> 00:37:50.239 It's all about saving money for the already rich ownership groups. 00:37:50.480 --> 00:37:53.599 Let's unpack it one Trojan horse at a time, shall we? 00:37:53.840 --> 00:37:58.559 First of all, Major League Baseball is a group, they're trend followers, not trend setters. 00:37:58.719 --> 00:38:01.360 The draft lottery in baseball is an absolute joke. 00:38:01.519 --> 00:38:02.800 This isn't basketball. 00:38:02.960 --> 00:38:09.199 There are too many games and too many variables to even discuss the idea of tanking multiple games in order to win picks. 00:38:09.440 --> 00:38:13.679 The draft was built so that the worst clubs get first crack at draft picks. 00:38:13.840 --> 00:38:15.840 Notice how I didn't say best players. 00:38:16.000 --> 00:38:23.920 Clearly there have been some huge swings and misses with regards to draft picks, making it all about the quality of the scouting and player development in the end. 00:38:24.159 --> 00:38:30.400 There's no argument that can be made for 18 teams under the current system being eligible to receive the first pick. 00:38:30.559 --> 00:38:33.519 Only the worst team in baseball should have that shot. 00:38:33.679 --> 00:38:42.480 It's all about preserving the spirit of the draft and giving bad teams a shot at rebirth if Babe Ruth or Cy Young ever decide to be reincarnated. 00:38:42.800 --> 00:38:47.519 MLB wants to cap the number of years you can be eligible for the top picks at three. 00:38:47.679 --> 00:38:57.039 Well, I'd say not a bad idea given the fact that we've seen teams like the Devil Rays squander almost a decade of number ones and do very little with them. 00:38:57.360 --> 00:39:00.000 Comes back to scouting and player development, doesn't it? 00:39:00.239 --> 00:39:02.719 They also want to raise the draft age to 20. 00:39:02.880 --> 00:39:09.599 This one, terrible idea, because it involves college programs being the nannies of baseball and raising the kids. 00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:12.400 Most college programs don't teach squat. 00:39:12.559 --> 00:39:16.480 The coaches are doing very little out there but trying to preserve their livelihoods. 00:39:16.639 --> 00:39:18.159 They aren't teaching the games. 00:39:18.320 --> 00:39:25.440 The assistant are predominantly guys who have no real coaching experience anywhere, even at the college level. 00:39:25.679 --> 00:39:27.760 They are the proverbial secretaries. 00:39:27.920 --> 00:39:30.880 They're wandering around with a clipboard keeping stats. 00:39:31.039 --> 00:39:33.119 I see it every day where I coach. 00:39:33.199 --> 00:39:40.800 The college kids who come to me are not even close to prepared for professional baseball and not getting there any faster by staying in school. 00:39:41.039 --> 00:39:49.679 Professional baseball has always been the best path for kids who are physically and mentally mature enough to withstand the rigors of professional baseball at a young age. 00:39:49.920 --> 00:39:53.039 College ball has always been their best route for the late bloomers. 00:39:53.199 --> 00:39:59.840 Major college programs used to develop kids while they were there, but now that the portal exists, that model is moot. 00:40:00.079 --> 00:40:04.800 Coaches don't care about anything but themselves and keeping their jobs, and I don't blame them. 00:40:04.960 --> 00:40:06.960 Their kids gotta eat too, don't they? 00:40:07.119 --> 00:40:11.440 And there simply isn't enough time with the kids bouncing from school to school in the portal. 00:40:11.760 --> 00:40:14.960 MLB wants to slash the number of rounds and signing bonuses. 00:40:15.280 --> 00:40:22.800 Well, the signing bonuses I get, they're ridiculous and quite frankly, a slap in the face to every major league player on a 40-man roster. 00:40:23.039 --> 00:40:32.400 There should be no world that exists where some kid can scribble his name on a piece of paper and get more money for it than the average major league player makes in a year. 00:40:32.639 --> 00:40:41.519 Their entire body of work has been against amateurs, 99% of whom will never be the best player on the local men's league team, let alone see a pro diamond. 00:40:41.679 --> 00:40:43.840 I mean, seriously, get a grip, baseball. 00:40:44.159 --> 00:40:46.400 It comes back to owners having egos. 00:40:46.559 --> 00:40:56.079 It used to be the Steinbrenners, the Illiches, and the O'Malley's of the worlds, owned, you know, teams owned by individuals, not corporations, that drove the market with their giant egos. 00:40:56.239 --> 00:41:04.559 They got into manhood measuring contests with the owners and themselves, and it created a market where players could get what the market would bear. 00:41:04.719 --> 00:41:08.159 They cough up massive signing bonuses for a kid and for what? 00:41:08.239 --> 00:41:10.320 He hasn't done squat at the pro level. 00:41:10.559 --> 00:41:17.360 This isn't anything more than them wanting the Major League Baseball Players Association to help them control themselves. 00:41:17.519 --> 00:41:28.159 Here's an idea: find a number everyone can live with, one that gives a kid a shot at going to college if his pro career stalls, add a million dollars to it, and there's the first pick in the draft for you. 00:41:28.320 --> 00:41:33.920 Slot everyone under that at incrementally lower numbers based on draft order and call it a day. 00:41:34.079 --> 00:41:37.280 Make the draft picks property of the ball club for three years. 00:41:37.519 --> 00:41:47.599 Make the picks tradable in case one team cannot sign the player, but make sure the number can never eclipse the slot value and it lowers by a percentage each year he doesn't sign. 00:41:47.760 --> 00:41:54.320 At the end of the three years, the draft pick becomes a free agent and the team gets a supplemental pick somewhere after the third round. 00:41:54.480 --> 00:41:58.480 Just say no to ridiculous, disrespectful signing bonuses, I say. 00:41:58.719 --> 00:41:59.360 Grow up. 00:41:59.519 --> 00:42:02.639 Take accountability for your spending and raise your own kids. 00:42:02.880 --> 00:42:08.719 Since Major League Baseball contracted 40 minor league teams to save money, the game has suffered immensely. 00:42:08.880 --> 00:42:10.480 The quality of play has suffered. 00:42:10.639 --> 00:42:14.320 Major League Baseball needs to hire more reputable coaches, not less. 00:42:14.480 --> 00:42:17.599 They need to have more minor league affiliates, not less. 00:42:17.760 --> 00:42:24.960 If you want to save money, create a system that helps you maintain ownership of your picks and develop them through tried and true methods. 00:42:25.199 --> 00:42:28.800 Good coaching, reps at the minor league level, and more reps. 00:42:28.960 --> 00:42:33.519 Major League Baseball's proposal has some nuggets in it, but it lacks overall common sense. 00:42:33.679 --> 00:42:35.440 It's also another cry for help. 00:42:35.599 --> 00:42:40.239 They're begging the players to help them control themselves while taking money out of the players' pockets. 00:42:40.400 --> 00:42:45.519 They're asking the players to help them be better at their jobs when it's supposed to be the other way around. 00:42:45.760 --> 00:42:48.400 Teams are supposed to help the players get better. 00:42:48.559 --> 00:42:50.239 You see how that works? 00:42:50.480 --> 00:42:51.679 It's Sunday. 00:42:51.920 --> 00:42:53.280 Can you smell that roast?