Welcome to the Baseball Insiders. Happy Wednesday. I'm Adam Weiner joined as always by
fansite. It's MLB insider Robert Murray. The wild card round is underway. Are any of these
best 2 out of 3 is gonna make it to 3? Uh, we've got plenty to talk about that is not on
field action though, because a lot of teams under cover of postseason opening have decided
to dismiss their managers and their GM. Down front office shakeups. Paul Debone announced in
Washington all sorts of off-field info, changes of roles, drama, and managers hitting
the open market to talk about and that is our bread and butter. The offseason has come early,
and here to break down the new openings, recent hirings and firings, and a few
extensions is Robert Murray. Robert, how you doing, dude? I am doing great. Happy hump day.
We got some news as far as managerial firings and And stuff going on around the league in
terms of front office stuff and oh yeah, like this thing called the postseason is also
happening as well. So we have plenty to talk about my notebook has some good stuff in it, so
I am excited to dive into it. I'm I'm ready to dive into all these openings, also provide some
insight and some thoughts on some other organizations around the league. So we shall
have a good time. Adam Weiner, how are we doing? I know you're very excited about your
New York Giants, not so excited about your New York Yankees right now, but now how are we
doing? We're doing all right. Yeah, tonight's the night that their season could end, and
we'll know pretty quickly, I think, whether that is going to happen. We'll break it down a
little bit. I'm sure. Um, it's gonna be an extra long show. I think I'll probably take 8
minutes to go on a personal screed about the decisions made last night. But we've got plenty
of, uh, managerial shuffles to talk about, and I think the insight you're able to provide
there is gonna be really interesting before we get into some of our game preview stuff. If
anybody has any questions about people we don't address, rumors, what have you, pop. In
the comments, let us know. You can also join us in the Discord. Robert Murray is going to be
doing a private Q&A there tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern, and I'm sure there'll be
more information and rumors that are swirling even by then that we can't touch on today
because it's moving so fast, faster than I thought it would. But we thank everyone for
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the big leagues with humor, insight and behind the scenes info. So join us there. Welcome to
October. October 1st, goodbye to several MLB managers. Uh, everyone apparently is getting
asked to transition into a front office role too. That's what's going on. The elder
statesmen in the game are leaving the dugout and their teams are putting out press releases
saying we would welcome them as head chief officer of innovation, and by and large, those
people are saying, uh, no, I don't want to do that. Um, but today, a couple of shuffles,
things that have changed that we, we, you know , when we mocked up this. hadn't even happened
yet. Brian Snicker is now official. He will not be the manager of the Atlanta Braves moving
forward. They appear to be treating him kindly on the way out. They're inducting him into the
Braves Hall of Fame, and he is going to just graduate into an advisory role, it seems. I
doubt he's going to be pursuing, uh, any additional managerial opportunities, but
thoughts on Snicker, is this the right time for his tenure to end and what direction do you
anticipate the Braves going now? Yeah, the, the snicker news came as zero surprise here.
This is something that I've been hearing for like the last year plus that he was probably
going to end up being gone at the end of this season. And lo and behold, that was correct.
And and he's retiring, he's stepping down. He's moving into an advisory role at the front
office there, and it was not necessarily a storybook ending for him in Atlanta,
considering the last two seasons were just a real struggle overall and the team just was not
able to stay healthy at all. Um, but he is as respected as a manager that Atlanta or just
any organization has had in recent memory. Like people in Atlanta love him, and the
pairing between Anthopolis and Snicker was a very good marriage, and we even saw
Anthopolis get emotional. We saw Snicker get emotional talking about it. Um, whoever
replaces Snickers is going to end up having some pretty big shoes to fill. And who exactly
Atlanta ends up targeting for this job. It is going to be interesting. Like the names that I
think make sense there would be like a guy like Walt Weiss. Um, I could see, I wonder if
like a guy like Mark DeRosa who has some ties to the organization, um, could make some sense
there. Uh, one thing I do know as a fact is it's going to be pretty secretive. I mean,
that's just how the Atlanta Braves operate, and I would not be surprised if That job or if
that job has ended up announced over a press release on Twitter, that's just the way it goes
with that organization, but that is an extremely attractive job. You have a team that
invests in the roster, you have a really strong front office, you have a really talented
roster overall with Ronald Aunno, Austin Riley , I mean, pitching as well. I mean, overall,
it's a, it's a very attractive job, and they should be better going forward. I feel like
we've said that for at least like the last year plus, but there's every reason to believe
that they're going to be in a good spot to compete, and they should be able to land a very
attractive option there. You would have to imagine, and again, like you said, no surprise,
but good to get the confirmation. Snicker a couple of times on the way out. Things that
waffled a bit about the team's direction for the future made you wonder, oh, does he
actually have an intention of just one more year? But a Bobby Cox disciple, a longtime
manager and a World Series champion, like you said, doesn't go out in the strongest of lights,
but I don't think anyone's gonna judge him wholly by this past season. Another adjustment
based on today's news, Bill Schmidt stepping down as the Rockies GM and I'm sure a lot of
people watching are like, you guys never talk Rocky, you're talking Rockies today. Um, I
wanna bring your attention to a Jared Diamond tweet too that I did find very interesting here.
Quote tweets the Rocky statement with, I need you all to understand how many very all caps
smart people in baseball view running the Rockies as a dream job. It's the ultimate
challenge, trying to figure out how to build a winner in that environment. Smart executives
are tantalized by it. They want to prove they can do it. So I'll pause it to you. Do you see
this vacancy being filled by a smart executive , a, a young go-getter who wants to do the
impossible. And win in Colorado. It's a great sports scene. Denver has the NBA and
NHL champions. Uh, the Denver Broncos are a storied NFL franchise. It's a beautiful climate,
passionate fans, really high air and really hard, hard to win baseball games there.
So do you expect like a, a Peter Brand from Moneyball walking in there, or what, what does
the line of succession look like in Colorado? That is a hell of a question, and what Jared
Diamond said is spot on, and that is a very attractive job, and I, I've had people around
the game ask me for intel on that job. I had someone who I really respect say that he wants
the job. Um, I mean, that's, there, there's people that are definitely looking here and
The names that I think would make a lot of sense here would be Scott Sharp of the Kansas
City Royals, um, Thad Levine, who was previously with Minnesota. He's now doing stuff
for MLB Network, I believe. Um, Matt Klein with the Milwaukee Brewers would make a lot of
sense. We've talked. talked about him on the show before. Uh, I think he's very good. I've
spent a good amount of time around him, and from my time covering the Brewers and he is as
sharp, as respected as any executive, I think, in ball at this point. It's only a matter of
time before he's a GM. Um, so those are the three names that I'm watching. I'm sure there's
going to be others on that list there as well. Um, but that job for as bad as that team has
been, is definitely viewed as attractive. And, uh, I think the only question that That people
can really have about it is how much Dick Mumford is going to end up spending or I mean,
I guess the other question is, how much is he going to end up meddling and we saw it with the
Chris Bryant contract, we've seen it with other stuff as well. Um, he can be involved,
but if he hires the right people, then he doesn't have to. And I'm telling you, he will
have no shortage of options looking for that job. That is a very good shot by Jared Diamond.
If anyone wants to email Dick Montfort, you can get in on that, get in on that action. Ask
him yourself. I'm sure he'll let you know what he's thinking in a couple of words. Uh, OK,
snicker again, that's a graduation, that's, uh , you know, the vitamin C song, you know, they,
Sarah McLachlin, I will remember you. There are plenty more. Changes that border on
dismissals, if not outright dismissals that I think we can break down today. And I'm going to
move the angels to the top of the show just because it seems like the Sharks are circling
there on a replacement a little more than maybe the other openings. Uh, we're gonna go
down the line and talk about the openings in a couple of extensions, and I do see Ethan
Fisher's comment on the Pirates coaching shuffle and the White Sox coaching. There's
just so many shuffles. We will absolutely get to them. But, uh, hey, uh, Ron Washington threw
his hat in the ring to come back. Angel said no thank you. Ray Montgomery also gone in
Anaheim, uh, and a little uncertainty around Perry at this point, as GM. It's, it's unclear
what direction they're going in and there hasn't been much communication. What we do know
is that the reported front runner for the managerial job is none other. Then Albert, uh,
according to the athletics reporting, Katie Wu , Ken Rosenthal, so any insight there and maybe
what we could even expect in terms of how quickly this process could be completed if
you're hearing the same thing about the direction the Angels are going and what a weird
blow that might be to St. Louis and Haim Bloom , who are going to run it back with Ollie Marmol,
but maybe we're hoping for a shot at pools in a year. Yeah, that this, this one has caught me
off guard in a lot of different ways. Um, I had someone who has ties to the team
think that he, or he said he believes that it's gonna end up coming down to pools or Tory
Hunter, um, whether or not that Um, is ultimately the case. I don't know. It
comes down to Arti Moreno, but. My guess is they've already had it his way, it would be
Albert Pool's and Yeah, I, I had a pretty good inclination yesterday that if Pools was hired,
it was going to be an Arie Moreno decision. I feel even stronger about that today. And even
then, like if he's hired, like what does it mean for Perry? Because this, this part of the
athletic story really stood out to me that the status of Perry remains unclear. While he has
one year remaining on his contract, he is not expected to be the lead decision maker in the
hiring of the next manager. If the general manager is not hiring the manager or not
responsible for hiring the manager having the final word, um, like, why, why have them? And
that part to me is, is strange. It makes me kind of ask questions of, of what exactly his
status is going to be. Um, my, my feel has been that he was probably going to return, but
this stuff kind of makes me question exactly what his future might be with the Angels, but
Um, overall, I mean it's, it is an attractive job. There, it's, it's one of 30, but
considering Arie Morenos' presence, uh, considering, like just, I mean they have town
on the roster, but they're not close to being a World Series contender by any means. I don't
think that's going to be the most attractive job. So if they're able to get pools or if
they're able to get Tory Hunter. Um, I don't think that's necessarily like a bad thing, but
it would suggest to me that Arie Moreno's meddling, and that's kind of a scary thing. But
again, like pools could be a great manager. He's done very good stuff as a coach before. Um,
I believe he did at the World Baseball Classic , if I remember correctly, um, and he showed
some good things there, but yeah, that's, it's a projection to say the least. It's
symbolically pretty funny too that like when we think of Albert Pools, you think of him as a
cardinal, and you think of his Angels era as kind of being the downfall of Albert Pools and
for his first managerial opportunity to be in the Angels dugout instead of the Cardinals
dugout, I think you can't help but associate. You know, seeing him in that hat with the
twilight years of his career. And then, of course, he was reborn, uh, in LA and going back
to St. Louis for a little bit. Uh, but yeah, he might very well be a good manager. I, I
totally agree with you and I'm aligned with you that it does feel like meddling to advance
his case so quickly, so soon, and Chaim Bloom. Again, choosing to run it back with Ollie
Marmol, you can't help but think about, OK, let's see what this one year is like. And then
is Albert Pools managing in LA while Yadier Molina is managing in St. Louis? Like, can we
just, can we just sim to that? I think I'm good on the last Ali Marmol season, to be
honest with you. Yeah, it's there's a lot of different questions about that one and and Ali
Marmol like he he hasn't done a bad job. He's been dealt a really tough hand with St. Louis
and Um, the fact that Chaim Bloom has wanted to keep him in place, especially considering,
like, typically front office guys want to have their own people in place as a manager. So that
would seem to suggest that they have a good relationship, that there's belief that Ali
Marmol can end up being the guy there. Um, but if he struggles this year, then Yadier Molina
chants or the cries are going to be very, very , very loud. Um, but again, I'm, the Angels' job
is, is totally fascinating to me. We'll see if it ultimately ends up coming down to pools or
Tori Hunter, um. But we'll see, but a lot of people around the league are watching that one
and what what Arie Moreno ultimately decides cause As, as I've said many times, it's
anyone's guess when it comes to Arty. I'm glad it wasn't done by the time the show started, of
course, everybody check back, uh, you know, hang out in the baseball insiders Discord. I'm
sure we'll be talking about that plenty as that gets closer to decision time. George Corey
in the comments about realistic choices for the Giants job, and I'm glad he is because we
are certainly gonna go there now. Uh, there were some ominous comments from Bob Melvin that
made his departure feel not only possible but probable. Lo and behold, they do make that
decision. Uh, and Buster Posey comes out today and throws a little bit of water on the idea
that, hey, Bruce Bochy is a ready-made replacement. Let's run it back. Let's head back
to the early 2010s. He's saying not so much. Uh, so, thoughts on Buster
getting to choose his guy. Now and what direction he might go in for a San Francisco
Giants team that I think everyone would agree, disappointing season, familiar season, and yet
still alive in the wild card race with under 2 weeks to go and surgeon, briefly evening things
up with the Mets before falling off and ceding that spot to the Reds. Yeah, that this job is
going to be an attractive, and I mean they have a lot of talent on that team. Um,
obviously they still need to do more out of maybe another bat or two. Um, and always
reinforce the pitch and that's always a priority there with the Giants. Um, but Buster
Posey is viewed as a very good leader, someone that you want to work for, and to me there
should be no shortage of interest and And Boys , as soon as he was let go by the Rangers or
they mutually agreed to part ways or however they phrased it. My mom went to Bochi in San
Francisco, but with Posey throwing cold water on that, um, we can safely rule that option out.
Um, the, the name that to me has stood out, and this is my own speculation and just we'll
see, is Nick Hunley, and he's got experience playing for the Giants. He's got familiarity
with Buster Posey, uh, no coaching experience. He's currently with the Rangers, his front
office and everything. So, um, like pools, this would end up being Um, kind of a
projection as far as what he can be, but he's not that far removed from the game as a player,
and former catchers and backup catchers are usually very good managers. We've seen that
with Stephen Vogt. We've seen that a bunch of other places as well. So to me his candidacy
would be a really good thing. Um. So we'll, we'll see. The other, like, this is not
necessarily Giants connected, um, but the other option I think would be good for the
Giants or just any other team would be Ricky Weeks at the Brewers. He's their associate
manager, I believe, and I'm not exactly sure what that title ultimately entails, or it's,
it's a new one, but um, he is probably going to be a manager before too long and considering
the Brewers' success, teams always want to try to replicate that. And we, we don't know if
Posey is going to prioritize having a former player leading, leading the ship in the
clubhouse, but um I think he'd be a pretty good name. I have never felt older in my life
than hearing that suggestion right now. Um, the, the rookies I collected, uh, their, you
know, first year autograph cards when I was like 13 are now officially Major League
managerial candidates and aren't terribly young to be doing that job either. So, uh, yeah,
egg on my face, I, I guess Clint Everts and Dallas McPherson and, and Jeff Francis might be
next in line. But for now, it's it's Ricky Weeks and uh yeah, the rest of those uh 2002
guys. Uh, we'll, we'll have to see that. That's an interesting shot. I had not thought
of Ricky Weeks yet. I again, I already felt old enough when like Alex Cora and Boone were
taking over and now we're getting, moving on to the next generation, it would seem. And that
includes the likely heir apparent in Texas. again, maybe I'm just taking a step too far
and declaring this person to be the likely manager, but Bruce Bochy. From the dugout,
I was conflicted. I thought this might be a Brian Snitker situation where Boy would
peacefully transition to a front office role and wouldn't be seeking to get back in the
dugout, but then the Giants' job opened up. I pivoted, I changed my take, and then Buster
Posey changed my take back. Now I'm not sure if he ends up anywhere other than an elevated
role in Texas just sort of letting his Hall of Fame clock begin. Uh, prior to his eventual
inevitable election to the hall, the manager in waiting there, he's been brought up in the
comments here has been Skip Schumacher, uh, for kind of a while, ever since he inexplicably
was, you know, weaned out of his Marlins gig. I know Cardinals fans probably want to get a
crack at him as well, but this does feel like a natural succession plan in Texas, unless you
think they could throw a wrench in things. Yeah, the, the, the, the Rangers, it felt like
as soon as they ended up hiring Skip Schumacher to like a front office role, he was
the manager in waiting in Texas, and that's going to end up being my belief. It seems like
their list is pretty short there in Texas, and , um, I'd imagine he's top of it and the fact
that he's gotten to see what it's like working in that organization and what Chris Young is
like as a leader. Um, to me it would be a really good thing for him and, and gives him
that insight that he wouldn't have for, for other jobs. And, and Young is a really like
smart executive. He's a good executive, and from all accounts, he's, he's good to work with.
So, um, to me, the favorite there in Texas would be Skip Schumacher. I would imagine all
these other teams that have openings are going to be calling about Skip and like, yeah, I'd
mention him with the Giants. I'd mention him with all these other teams like he's the top
candidate available and He's going to get a lot of interest. So I think it would behoove
the Rangers to go out and get this thing done quicker or more, more quickly than the typical
process, but I don't think they're going to rush it. I could see Nick Conley being another
option here, um. So we'll see, but I think it's going to be ski. I think it's going to be
a skip when it's all said and done. Yeah, I can't get that out of my head. And again, top
candidate everywhere, you know, there's, there's going to be competition undoubtedly,
but the Rangers were, I believe, the first to make this move. The Giants might have beaten
them to it with Bob Mellon, but I feel like the Rangers were quick to give Boy his flowers
and walking papers in one bundle so that they could get an early jump. On making sure that
Skip Schumacher's transition was as comfortable as possible. Not sure, but that's
the vibe I got. Uh, I wasn't surprised by either of those or what happened around
Washington, Ray Montgomery. I was genuinely surprised by Rocco Baldeli in Minnesota, even
though they are in the worst shape of any of these teams. Had a monstrous mid-season
sell-off. Uh, Baldeli obviously did not have a good or fun year, but You know, he's a manager
of the year finalists, although that seems to be a cursed role at this point in time. I never
watched this team and thought, oh, they're not competing for Rocco, or, oh, he's getting
outmatched, he's falling behind. And yet, I guess when you're cleaning house, you just take
no prisoners and everybody is, is an option to be jettisoned, including, you know, every
player on the roster outside of apparently the very loyal Byron Buxton. What are your
expectations for Minnesota's next manager and what about the rest of their offseason, where
it feels like Joe Ryan is probably in exile Island at this point, like, does anybody stay
there? This is the job that I have the least amount of insider thoughts on because it's,
it's a tough job. They have a team that does not really invest much into the roster. They're
coming off of an epic sell-off of the deadline . Like they have a good front office to work
with. Like Derek Falvey is, is, is very good. He's very smart. Um, and I think he did a
tremendous job at the deadline considering every circumstance there. But, but Baldelli was
dealt a pretty, pretty tough hand, and I don't know how many people who really survived that
job or maximize that job or even compete with that roster. Um, so he will get interest. And
the other point that I wanted to make with the Rangers job is, yes, like it's a different
front office, but Belli was, it was an option there in Texas before the end of going with Boy,
so. Um, I mean, we'll see, uh, or maybe, maybe it wasn't Bo, maybe it was before Boy. I can't,
I can't remember the exact timeline, but I know he was at one point, um, how he thought of
there in Texas. So, um, so we'll see, but, um, but yeah, I, I don't have a good read on that
job at all. It's that, that might be, uh, it's not gonna be a tough job to fill because as I
said before, the Angels, it's one of 30 and like people want that job, but, um, it, it's
If Skip had a choice between the Rangers and the Twins, my guess is if you would probably go
to the Rangers. I don't even think you'd have to think twice about it. Yeah, and the Twins
have done themselves no favors here entering the market, needing a manager who doesn't know
who half of his roster will be when opening day arrives. Before we get to the run it backs,
a couple of comments I want to get to as well. Q R S T A B V. I'm definitely not going to try
to pronounce that, but I will read the letters . Uh, asked us about Tony Manalino and the
Orioles, as well as David Ross being a potential fit there. Mandaino closed strong.
That was a good half year for him, a lot of similarities to what happened in Pittsburgh. Uh,
but, uh, I guess non-committal, we're still waiting and, uh, not a phenomenal job in the
final two series against the Yankees where the Orioles could have really sunk the Yankees
battleship and instead went 1 and 6 against them. So. Good steps forward. Kobe Mayo looked
like the player he was thought to be in September. Samuel Bassao had flashes. That
series against the Dodgers, who was an all-timer. Um, and they ultimately finished as
a 500 club after starting well below that underwater. Uh, do you think he gets a genuine
crack at the job, at least an interview? And if not, what is Michaellias looking for in
Baltimore? Yeah, my, my guess is he'll end up getting a chance to, to have that job full time,
but considering the overall state of the Orioles and like, yeah, they've been really
disappointing the last couple of years. But the talent on that team is undeniable, and to
me there's going to be a lot of interest in that job. So it would be really smart for Elias
to open it up and look externally, and we can mention all the names that we've, we've talked
about previously on this show as possible options there with Baltimore. Um, and they also
want to hire a GM there as well, but there's no real timetable for that as well. So this is
a very important offseason for the Orioles. They have to get The GM hire right, they really
have to get the managerial higher right. Uh, but they also got to bolster that pitching
staff because that was the real detriment of that team. And if they're able to accomplish
all three in the same offseason, then we could be talking about the Orioles possibly, um,
getting to a spot where they can get back to the postseason, they can get back to competing.
Um, but it's, there's no, there's no denying or doubting that this is a crucial offseason
for them. And one other note that I have on Baltimore is, yeah, I've seen all the a the
rutman trade smoke, um. I don't think they're going to be in a position where they sell low.
My guess is they hold on to him. They try to get him back to that, that spot where he once
was. Um, yeah, I know they ended up extending Samuel Basayo before, um, and gave him a
long-term contract, but, but he's a, uh, he's a more bat first option. He can DH, he can
play maybe first base, like we'll see there, uh, but Rutman should be their, their long-term
guy. Um, at least that's what they hope for internally, and this next year is going to be
crucial for them, and I don't see them selling well. No, that makes all the sense. So Rutman
barely played in the second half, so there was a regression there, but you have to ask
yourself how much of that was injury related, and I think if you're being honest with
yourself, your answer is a good deal of it. Uh , so you have to give him some time to
re-establish his value. Remember how intrinsic he was to the Orioles' success when they
brought him up too. He changed that culture overnight. So I don't think he's the kind of
player who you want to be, like you said, selling low on, get him out of here when there
are alternatives for Basayo as a DH, as a first baseman. Uh, Rutman was the cog
in 2022, 2023, and, and for most of 24. So he was the number one overall pick. Like this
isn't a Henry Davis situation. This is Ay Rutman. He's showing it at the big league level.
You don't give up on a guy like that. It's at least not yet, but if there was ever a team
that could go out and And try to entice the Orioles. I, I wonder if it's AJ Praler and the
Padres because boy do they need a catcher, and they were exploring some different names to the
deadline and Um, Roman would be, would seem like a prime target, but again, I don't, I
don't see that happening. And we know they don't go small at any position unless they
absolutely have to. So yeah, I would imagine the Padres would be in here and they would be
in on Stephen Kwon pending the outcome of this Cleveland Guardians, the Tiger series and run.
Uh, shout out to some of the other names being mentioned in the comments, Andrew Bailey as a
Yankees target. I like it. We'll talk about the Yankees in a little bit. If you're trying
to get that rivalry ratcheted back up, maybe swipe someone. Internal in Boston, you know, to
try to, try to get, get some guys switching sides in the other direction for once instead
of just handing them Garrett Whitlock and Rois Chapman and Richard Fitz and, uh, oh, like Greg
Weisser and Rob Refsnyder and then all those dudes who are, uh, doing pretty well over there.
Uh, Caleb Cottom also a good shout, um, and Jason Varitek, interesting and an interesting
note too from the Red Sox folks in the comments that he's been passed over by Boston a
few times. So I'm not sure what that means and if he wants to go into managing or if he's just
comfortable, uh, you know, being in his old dugout as they enter a new and, and pretty
successful era. But, uh, I've got my eyes on that and I'll definitely do Yankees thoughts
when we talk about the postseason series. I want to get to a very early question though,
from Ethan Fisher, who wanted to ask about, uh , Oscar Marin and, and Brent Strom saying no go
in, in Pittsburgh, because the Pittsburgh Pirates were in the news this week as well.
Firing their pitching coach, I think everyone who watched the Pirates this year knows that
their pitching was a massive issue. So really good move there. No, that's all they have is
good pitching. Uh, then Don Kelly, who did a good representative job, and the Pirates were
really good at home this year, an odd season for them by many measures, will be returning.
Ben Charrington also coming back and his contract reportedly runs through 2027. Can Don
Kelly be success in Pittsburgh with Ben Charrington calling the shots and, and also
what is going on with the pitching coach situation? Ethan Katz dismissed from Chicago,
big time White Sox shake-up. Does he become a candidate immediately? Yeah, Ethan, I'm, I'm
really glad you asked this, and I've had thoughts on the Pirates here for quite a while.
Um, I'm going to start with Don Kelly. Um, when Derek Shel was there, um, they, it wasn't
like a pretty product. But as soon as Don Kelly ended up changing or he ended up becoming
the guy there, um, people on the league noticed a difference in the team. They were
more playing for more fundamentally sound. Um, they were playing better. Um, they looked like
a better coached team. And that earned him the job of full-time manager, and we
even saw Bob Nutting say it when he became the interim guy during the season. Like there's
nobody that loves Pittsburgh or represents Pittsburgh baseball more than Don Kelly. So, um,
does not become, it was not a surprise that he was named the guy there. As far as the pitching
coach goes. I don't know. Um, that one kind of caught me off guard. Maybe they have somebody
else in mind. I'm not exactly sure, but that was not something that was necessarily on my
radar. Or, but maybe it was just a case of the new manager Don Kelly, wanting his own people
in place. So, um, that's entirely possible, but I don't have a definitive answer there yet.
Um, as far as the Ben Sherrington thing goes, I know I've been critical of him, um. And I'm
not the only one there, but I think some of the stuff that I said after the trade deadline
was probably, actually, not probably, it was way too strong that I said it was his last year
in Pittsburgh, that it, it was the beginning of the end of his time with the Pirates, and,
and that was inaccurate. And after further digging on their their deadline, Um, like,
I realized that the market for Mitch Keller did not develop. The market for Andrew Heaney,
for Tommy Pham, uh, for other guys was just not there. And if they would have traded those
guys, it would have been for pennies on the dollar, and that's not something that any team
should do. And I give Ben Sherrington credit for not doing so and still facing the public
backlash that he got, especially from me. So, um, is he a perfect general manager? Like no.
um. I don't think there's any GM who claims to be perfect, but I wanted to correct that about
Ben Sherrington and just publicly apologize for that because my criticism was way too
strong. He's a good executive and he earned the right to be in Pittsburgh for another year
and Um, again, like, it's a tough job, and Bob Nutting has not really given him much to work
with. So, um, I think if he had a different owner in place that spent more, things would
look differently there, but he can only do what's with, he can only do his best with what
he's got, and Bob Ntting is not really giving him that much to work with. So, um, yeah,
that's been on my mind for a while. So, Ben Sherrington, if you're watching this, I
apologize. Um, but that is my, that is my actual honest take on Pirates. Yeah, and they
are going to have a shot to prove that this regime can build what they've been looking to
build. You look at the Cleveland Guardian's lineup in a postseason game right now, the
Pirates maybe are not as far away as some fans believe, but it is going to require a little
bit of additional spending and some veteran bats who can supplement these kids who are
coming up and a miss like Henry Davis only. It's worse, like you brought up because of
their unwillingness to spend, we're in a position where maybe they can translate their
home success onto the road next year. Maybe a full year of Don Kelly does make a difference.
It will be Ben Charrington controlling the reins from this point forward. Um, any
additional, and before we have some playoff talk, thoughts on the White Sox coaching exodus
and what they might be targeting, we had a question from Baseball tossed as well. Yeah,
I've, I've honestly got nothing on that. That's a good question, but I, I genuinely
don't have a feel for, for what they're doing right now. I mean, we'll see. I'll, I'll send
some texts because I, I actually want to find that out and uh we'll, we'll see what we
ultimately get back. Yeah, we thank you for your question though, and, and happy to bring
that up as well. Uh, always keep bringing your questions. We are happy to touch on things that
we miss on the show because there's a lot of baseball going on. All right, let's get to the
wildcard series. Uh, the Tigers and Guardians still in progress, so can't make any declared
statements there. Surprise, surprise. It's been a tight game with very little offense
today. Chase Delater making his Major League debut, dropping the first fly ball that comes
his way. Uh, and then drawing a crucial walk later and making a ridiculous throw to third,
take a run off the board, kind of a mixed bag. Uh, but Tarek Skuble is Tarek Skuble yesterday.
Uh, he has shaken off those playoff ghosts in case he thought he had them, uh, in case he
thought he was going to be defined by the weird backwards hike through his leg throw to
first base. It does not seem that that is the case. He has given the Tigers an advantage at
the very least. You know, if they lose today, they've got a game 3 because of how dominant he
was. Uh, the Cubs take game one from, I think we both picked the Padres. Uh, the Red Sox take
game 1 from the Yankees, not at all surprised. The Yankees did what they do when they play AL
East rivals in big games and playoff games yesterday and have another one tonight. Uh, and
the Dodgers, they got to a weird portion of their bullpen yesterday, but by and large they
ran over the Cincinnati Reds. Sco and whatever happened in the Yankees game feel like the main
storylines to me, but who'd you come away most impressed with from that opening slate? Yeah, I
came away impressed with the starting pitching and it starts with and then it really extended
to that with the Red Sox and the Yankees with Max Freed and Gary Crochet. Um, aces in, in the
postseason are supreme. They are exactly what, um, teams need. Um, I mean, obviously you need
a lot of different things, but having an ace gives you just such a huge advantage, um, and
just the ability of these guys perform that and school, he shut down the guardians, and he
had a great play where it was a chopper over his head with runners, I believe on 1st and 2nd.
And it was a funny play. He fielded it and turned around and threw a guy out at home. Um,
and I mean, it saved the Tigers. It got them, uh, with a 1-0 lead here going to
game 2 for the against the Guardians. And if they can end up beating the Guardians in this
series and advancing, then it's going to quiet all those concerns about, um, their, their
drastic fall that they had, um, throughout the second half of the season. Um. The other one,
and I give Mark Powell credit for this one, our editor at the athletic, or not at the
athletic, but uh at fancied. I was, I was looking at the athletic before and it was in my
head, but our editor here at Fansited, um, he mentioned yesterday how crochet stayed in a
game while the Yankees pulled Max free with a similar pitch count. Um, it ultimately ended up
working out for for Boston, and Crochet ended up pitching pretty deep into the game. I think
he had what, 117, 117 and the last one was like 100 miles an hour. Yeah, I mean, he was
throwing absolute gas and that was a big deciding factor in the game and I had a, I had
a very bad feeling it was going to get worse when Devin Williams went into the game,
especially when he issued a 4 pitch walk to start, I believe it was the 8th inning. Um, got
through it, but still, um, yeah, there's a. That was a pretty telling, that was a pretty
interesting moment there, but the starting pitching really stood out to me. I'll I'll ask
you, Adam, what are, what stood out to you yesterday specifically with your Yankees? Yeah,
so I'm not, I'm not happy, but I think I'm going to counteract some of these takes and
maybe some people with where I land. I think Aaron Boone made a lot of mistakes last night.
I think not going batter to batter with Max Freed was a mistake in the 7th inning, but I do
think that people who are just unilaterally acting like, oh my God, you can't pull him
there. That's ridiculous. I don't think that's the take either, like, Uh, Max Freed was losing
steam. Max Freed and Aaron Boone in a conversation in the dugout saying, we're gonna
give you this, but we want you to get Jaaron Duran, right? And then we're gonna entertain
taking you out. He enters the inning in 99 pitches, gets Duran on 3, but they're all
breaking balls. So he's very clearly a little bit, I mean, I don't think it's fair to compare
Max Freed and Gary Crochet, two aces, but two different species of people. I mean, Gary
Crochet was pumping 100. On the 117th pitch of his outing. And he was a little bit skittish at
the end. He lost the plate a little bit to Austin Wells before finding it and refocusing,
but Gary Grote is a horse. Max Freed is a finesse artist who finds the corners and was
dominant last night and did his job, but with, with Duran as his final batter, comes in and
throws him breaking ball, breaking ball, breaking ball. It it might have been a cutter,
uh, but either way, change of pace, he's not going. With the 9697 mile an hour heater. And
the reason is he had lost that velocity at that point in time. So I don't think it's fair
to say Gary Crochet, an all-time big-bodied freak of a human, and Max Freed should be
treated under the same circumstances. That said, the Yankees bullpen is a disaster, has
been a disaster all year. Not surprising it, it was their undoing last night. And if it's
their ultimate undoing, you know, look, here's my shocked face, not shocked at all. I would
have let Fried face Adan Rafaela. If he gives up a game-tying home run, then so be it.
Obviously, what happened after that was worse than a game tying home run, so. I don't think
Aaron Boone's getting criticized if he leaves Fried in one batter too long and the home run
is surrendered, given what is in this bullpen. But I don't think it was a total disaster to
pull him fading at 102. I think Luke Weaver's performance was much worse. You're asking him
to get the bottom of the lineup. 02 to Rafaela and somehow that back was 11 pitches, a guy who
never. Was, walks against you, because the balls were non-competitive. Uh, Nickogar hits
197 against Rightys and a pretty big hit there , right? So, I, I'm gonna pin that on the
bullpen more than I'm gonna pin it on not going batter to batter with Fareed. I would
have tried Fried until he put somebody on base , but I don't think that's the most ridiculous
decision ever made. Here's where I stand with Aaron Boone, uh, in terms of handling things
wrong. Jazz Chish and Ben Rice sit, uh, OBP of 193 for lefties against
crochet. So if you want to sit Ben Rice, who does not hit lefties well and certainly does
not hit Garrett Crochet well because Garrett Crochet is a freak, I can get down with that.
It doesn't feel good, but, but I get it. If Jazz Chisholm is healthy, he was hit on the
forearm by a pitch on Saturday, but if he's healthy enough to play, He has to start. That
that's a, that's a human decision. You're not taking into account jazz Chisol's mood, right?
Um, you know, if you're, if you're just unilaterally taking your lefties out. And one
of them is a 30-30 guy in Jazz Chisholm who wants to win above all else, extremely
competitive, but is one of your clear assets in this game. I think if you want to go with
Ahmed Rosario for the platoon, you can play Rosario at third, play jazz at 2nd, you. Not
need to start both Jose Caballero and Ahmed Rosario. And then even sillier than texting
Jazz he wasn't starting, and even sillier than benching him in this game was bringing him in
as a defensive replacement in the 8th inning, all but ensuring it was the Rosario was the
last out of the 7th, then they put Jazz in. So you're pretty much guaranteeing Jazz doesn't
come up in the 8th, which might be Garrett Whitlock. You're all but guaranteeing he faces
Aroldis Chapman. Ahmed Rosario is 3 for 7 with two home runs against Aroldis Chapman. If you
wanted to protect Jazz from crochet, you should want to protect him from Chapman as well.
And Aaron Boone was asked today about that decision, uh, by the Yankee beat by Max Goodman,
I believe, uh, asked specifically about that move, Aaron Boone said, quote, it was a very
fair question to ask. Why that happened, and Boone said it's the one decision that he
regrets. I would say it's the silliest decision he made. Uh, it's not the reason they
lost Weaver's performances, uh, and Giancarlo Stan in big spots, although I can't really lame
Giancarlos Stan did come up small in two big spots. Uh, I, I'm gonna put some onus on Aaron
Boone's shoulders, of course. You know, he got out managed by Alex Cora in a big game, but I
don't think pulling Max Freed was nearly as egregious as what he pulled with Jazz Chisholm.
Yeah, you got to live and die by your stars in the postseason. Like there's no other way of
operating here and like they, you have to start Jazz Chisholm, and he's going to be in
the lineup for game 2, so they're writing that wrong, but for the Yankees' sake, I hope it's
not too late for them because that, um, I mean , who, like it didn't cost them, but it, it hurt.
And, but also what what hurt them was having bases loaded, no outs in the 9th
inning, and you have 3 base hits in the 1st 5 pitches. And then Jin Carlo stand strikes out
and like, to be fair, like the splitter that Eis Chapman threw him was dirty. But after that
you couldn't the second batter put up was a fly ball to right and what was it?
OK, I'm actually curious what you think about this one too, Adam, because they had Paul
Goldman at third base in that scenario, right? Did the thought of pinch running ever Did that
ever like cross your mind or what do you think ? Yeah, that was, I think the booth let him get
away with that one too. I would have pinch it. I wouldn't have pinched run for Goldschmidt on
2nd, but as soon as he's on 3rd with nobody out and a sack flag and bring him in, I would
have brought Jason Dominguez in there. They left Jason Dominguez and Ryan McMahon on the
bench in this game, pretty curious. If you don't start Jose Caballero, you can also Bring
Jose Caballero in there to be a threat. And I think a lot of times people get too obsessed
with saying, well, you know, it wasn't the run that really mattered, right? It wasn't the
tying run, so who cares? Hey, that run scores on the jazz fly ball. The, the pressure is on
with two outs, or, or maybe, I guess if you pinch run early, he could have even scored on
the single in the gap. But I do think that was too close to being a flyout. I think he got a
stick by. Second, I understand going station to station. That second run, just cause it's
not the tying run, it is important. And, and I think it's pretty silly they didn't play for it.
So, uh, yeah, you got to count on your stars to be stars. Giancarlo Stanton can't whiff
there, but credit to your oldest Chapman, he's throwing 95, 96, and he's getting tattooed, and
then all of a sudden with the bases loaded nobody out. 100101, disgusting splitter right
on the corner. Yeah, no, that's, that's why they gave him the extension during the season.
He's been phenomenal, and he gave up more hits yesterday in the 9th inning than he did in the
entire month of August. So I mean that, uh, it was an impressive performance by the Yankees
doing that, but not so impressive with how they finished the game, but Um, yeah, I'm, I'm
curious to see exactly how it plays out here for game, game two. but the rest of baseball is,
we're, we're going to be in for a very fun month of ball, and I, I actually fly out to
Milwaukee on Friday. So stay tuned for coverage there. Um, shall be a very good time
and hopefully we can break some news while I'm there. Um, and also stay tuned for me being on
TikTok as well. That is going to become a thing. So follow me on TikTok at by Robert
Murray and you will see maybe some exclusive stuff there. Adam, I'm toss it over to you. I
highly recommend that follow, and we're going to have as much content as possible throughout
the postseason. So follow the both of us, follow the baseball insiders, come and.
Subscribe here, uh, or sign up, uh, you know, follow it on your favorite podcast platforms
too. We're gonna be doing some additional shows as we get into the offseason for October.
Uh, we're sticking it out Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern. Hopefully some very fun
action this week and some updates from the ground in Milwaukee for Robert Murray, I'm Adam
Weiner and we will see you next week.