Good afternoon. Welcome to the Baseball Insiders. I am Adam Winer alongside fans side.
It's MLB Insider, Robert Murray see a lot of you showing up today all looking for the same
information Christmas is around the corner. Everybody's waiting for the man with the bag.
No, not Santa Steve Cohen and the Mets for trying to figure out where you over Yamamoto is
going, whether the bidding is at a fever pitch when to expect a resolution and what to do with
all the teams in the market that have spent zero total dollars in free agency. Of course,
we'll get to your questions in the comments. We'll get to the all-star questions from our
discord. But before we do all that, Robert Murray, welcome back to the show. Hey, it's,
it's good to be back. Um I had my parents in town and I took some time away. So my apologies
to everyone for not doing a show on Thursday. I have plenty of information uh ready for you
guys and it shall be a loaded up show. Um Adam Weinreb uh first of all, how are you doing?
Good, sir. Good to be here with you as always, I am good. Uh Yeah, you didn't miss much not
being here on Thursday as the comment said, once a long time ago, they called me the best
Vamper in the business and I salute you if you think that, but it's been a hell of a lot of
vamping in the baseball space in general. We thought the dam might break after Shohei Otani
signed then shoe. Otani did sign, invented a new kind of contract and we are still sort of
here tap dancing around waiting for the next big signings to go down. So we will open the
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and I that's gonna go down this week uh if you're on that tier. So congratulations. Uh No
better time to join. Uh you're getting in right under the wire. And uh yeah, we uh we
hope to address a lot of your questions today. We're gonna go to some all star questions later
and answer anything that comes in the comments for sure. Uh But I guess we probably have to
start with Yamamoto because there is so much noise, there's the Mets dinner. There's the
idea that they were underdogs but have now made themselves a factor. The Yankees had a
second meeting on Sunday. Does that mean they are towards the top of the pack or was that a
hastily driven decision? Like, oh crap, he's meeting with the Mets. Let's get another
meeting on the books. The Dodgers sent to Tony and Freeman and Bets, but the Phillies are
lurking. The Red Sox thought they were in then . There was some pessimism right before the show
from Red Sox people. I'm deeply confused, but Jeff Passan says the real bidding is starting
now. Uh So what can you tell us on Yamamoto? And, and is the expectation still that
something gets done in the next week before Christmas? I mean, when can we relax here? Yeah,
my guess is he probably signs before Christmas . But the thing is, is like as Jeff passing was
saying, like, the bidding is probably going to really start today. And any report suggesting
that there were already $300 million offers on the table uh was false and that was, that was
not the case, the bidding for him is going to get lucrative. Because if you look at the teams
that are involved, you have, you have the Los Angeles Dodgers, you have the New York Mets,
you have the Yankees and there's a plethora of other teams and those are all big spenders,
especially when you have Steve Cohen's presence and you, every indication are, or is
that the, the Mets are serious in, in this thing and it's that you have Steve Cohen and
David Sterns literally flying to go meet with Yamamoto and then Yamamoto is meeting with uh
with Cohen and having dinner with him. The fact that they've done that twice indicates
they're serious. And if there's one thing we've learned about Steve Cohen is if he wants
a player, he will be willing to spend whatever it takes to sign that player. And there's gonna
be plenty of competition though. Um I think the Dodgers are an absolutely real threat. I'm
seeing there's comments in here wondering about that. I think that's, there's absolutely
a chance he, he goes to the Dodgers, um and the way that it's structured, the way that the
Dodgers structured Otani contract and deferring all that money, um would indicate
that like they have the payroll room to do it and to make it happen. So they should not be
discounted. I think a team that could get, um, if, if they wanted to get another starting
pitcher or at least a high end starting pitcher. That could make sense as the Giants,
uh, obviously they end up doing a six year deal with Lee, uh, the other day. Um, and they
need starting pitching and they've shown interest in Yamamoto as well. So, um it's, it's
just gonna be a very lucrative bidding and I think it'll probably be done by Christmas but,
and I, I will tell you this too. We saw a lot of movement after Otan signed once Yamamoto
goes, especially with the starting pitching mark. The floodgates are going to open and I
know a lot of other players are just waiting for that Yamamoto Domino to fall but he is not
close to going because the pitting is really just starting like right now. Yeah. And I think
there is sort of uh there's all sorts of prisoner of the moment stuff going on with
Yamamoto where people want the domino to fall so badly that they see like, oh, the Dodgers
brought Otani to their meeting. It's over. Wait, he hasn't signed with the Dodgers yet. Uh
oh, or the Dodgers on the outs. Like he's having dinner with the Mets. It's over. Wait,
he went to meet with the Yankees or the Mets out like you're just, everybody's riding the
roller coaster. But as pass and smartly reminded everybody, no, none of the favorites
are out, none of the high bidders are out. The bidding begins now, no one's behind anyone's
offer. Like there, there was a rumor that the Giants and Red Sox had made $300 million plus
offers, which would, it feels like those would set the market. The real bidding begins. Now,
teams are going to learn where they stand over the next several days. It would see. Yeah, and,
and, and I'm, I'm glad you said that because like people have been riding the roller coaster
now for Yamamoto for quite some time. Um The thing is, is like the ride is barely even
started yet and there is no roller coaster ride. Um So it's like let's be
patient. The bidding is going to start today. I'm sure there's going to be leaks. I think
there's probably gonna be more leaks here than there ever was with Otani. Um because that was
just, that was a state of secrecy that I have never, never seen in my life. Um But uh I I
just just get ready um for leaks more reports to happen, just be just try your
best not to ride that roller coaster and make sure you trust who is reporting stuff because a
lot of that stuff about the Red Sox and the Giants came from unverified reporters and
misinformation is, is not fun. I hate it on my end. Um, but just be careful what you trust,
I'll, I'll, I'll leave it at that. People do read what they want to read. If they read
something that confirms their priors, they're like, oh, boy, my now, like, friendship ended
with other guy, you know, this guy is my new best friend because he said something I like.
Um, yeah, it's, it's tough stuff and like you said, the ride hasn't even started yet. So, uh
if you thought the last couple of weeks of roller coasting were tough, get ready for the
next week, pre Christmas because we're gonna get actual and sued, hopefully. Um Yeah, and
actually, so not to cut you off there, there's a question here from Joshua Harris that I want
that I want to answer and yes, Andy Martino is legit. Um I, I'll tell you that but, um, the
angel, he's asking if the Angels are going to get a starter soon. Um I don't know the answer
to that specific question in terms of like a timeline, but I can tell you that the Angels
have to explore the starting p market and that they are like they're exploring every
possible avenue to, to upgrade that part of the roster and I would fully expect them to add
another starting pitcher and I would fully expect them to add at least another reliever or
two. I know they've had, um, they've had conversations with Marcus Stroman's agent. Um
I don't think that has been reported yet. So I'm thinking that's news, um, but that's, the
thing is like nothing's close there. Um, but they've had conversations with Stroman and
they've had conversations with a lot of other agents regarding their starting pitchers. So I
would not read too much into the fact that Stroman is someone that they've talked to, but
they like Stroman and Stroman has a history, uh, with Alex Anthopoulos who, uh
was Perry Man Asian's guy in Atlanta. I don't know if they crossed over um
in other parts, I'm not necessarily sure of that, but surely Anopolis would have given
Perry some insight into um some insight into Stroman there. Um And
there was a report the other day about no meeting with the Angels. That was not, that was
not accurate. That was, that was not the case at all. Yeah. Uh Well, they're not done. They
will certainly uh consider plenty of options. I want to give our red Sox fan friends a bone
to, uh because I know they were at the start of the comment section and they were also a
little bit down because of some perceived pessimism in the Yamamoto chase, which again
hasn't even really started yet. Um There were, there was good red news over the weekend. It
said they're willing to ignore the qualifying offer in their pursuit of starting pitching.
Have you heard the same? Have you heard any more about potential fits in Boston, obviously
they are, they're gonna look pretty far and wide and they know their rotation is not done.
So, wondering if you've heard any connections there? Yeah, I actually did not see that report.
Um, but like as far as the Red Sox are concerned, yeah, I've, I've, I've been pretty
adamant that they're, they're looking at starting pitching. Uh, they're looking at a lot
of, uh, they're evaluating some, some free agent options here for sure. I also wonder too,
with all the rumors about Jesus Lazaro being available, if, if they ended up missing on some
other targets, if that could be somebody that they would pursue. Um, but there's, there's
plenty of other teams that would make sense for a guy like Lazaro. Um, so like, I know
there's been reports suggesting that they've had conversations and, yeah, like that's,
that's accurate. Um, but they're seeking, um, what the Marlins are trying to do this is
they're trying to, if they end up making a trade involving Lizardo or another one of their
players, um, they wanna add some top 100 prospects and it's gonna end up being a pretty
extensive haul if that's indeed the case, which could make a trade pretty, pretty
unlikely. Um, but I would not rule it out and I, I just, I would imagine there's gonna be a
long list of teams, um, that are gonna end up being in the market for, for a guy like that
for Sure, notably, the Red Sox are definitely one of the teams that is being held up by this
log jam. Uh and our All Star questions and a lot of our commenters have brought up the Cubs,
I think now is a good time to mention some of these teams. Uh because Jeff Passan put out a
list yesterday, a reminder to everyone that there are some teams that have been dead silent
in free agency. So far this off season, the Red Sox have spent $1 million. Cooper Criswell,
come on down. The Cubs are notably in that $0 spender category. So are the Blue Jays. So are
the Seattle Mariners and they stand out to me from that group. So are the Yankees and they've
traded for Juan Soto, Trent Grisham and Alex Verdugo. So spending $0 in free agency doesn't
mean you've done nothing. But it is notable that a team like the Cubs makes a council
splash and has spent no money. A team like the Blue Jays gets led on in the Otani chase and
still spent no money. We've got a lot of questions about the Cubs. We always do. We got
a lot of questions about the Jays and Bellinger, um and hibernation Hoarder, of
course, our favorite slash least favorite nickname. We love you all. Um But those teams
have, have objectively been dead silent. So I wonder is there anything you're hearing about
those teams joining the off season? And are they likely to drop real cash for a Bellinger
battle it out for a Bellinger or stick to the trade market? Well, I do have Cubs News. Um,
it's, it's am, it's a minor league deal. So they, uh, they signed, uh, Tom Pone. I
might be mispronouncing that last name to a minor league contract with a spring training
invite. I don't believe that has been reported yet. So, um, that, that did happen. Um, but the
Cubs, they have been, they've had conversations with a lot of different folks and
I think a, a Bellinger reunion would make a whole lot of sense if they end up trying to
pursue a guy like a Rhys Hoskins or someone along those lines. I certainly think that would
make sense as well. Um I also wonder too is we've heard very little buzz about Josh
Hater. Um Council obviously knows him from, um ,
from their time in Milwaukee and like, I, I'm under the impression that council really likes
hater and that hater really likes Council and the Cubs just so happen to need another,
another reliever. Um And why not add one of the best relievers of this generation and like
that contract for me when this is all said and done, I think it will end up exceeding what
Edwin Diaz gets or what he ended up getting uh with his deal with the Mets. Um, and I also
could see a deal that is similar to last year where there's more years on it with, um, to
like to lessen the A AV. Um, so I think that something that could make sense for hater. I
don't know if that's something that they're considering, but, um, it would make sense for
sure. And yes, the hater Dodgers rumor, I am under the impression that is, that is true.
Like the Dodgers have, they do like Josh Hater . I don't know what team does not like Josh
Hater. Um, because he's just really good and you have teams that could really make sense
there. Uh, I thought the Rangers made a whole lot of sense but I don't know if they have the
money that they're gonna be able to, I was going to take the sign him or, um, I thought
the Mets, I thought the Mets might but they have Edwin Diaz and I don't know if they want
to spend possibly 200 plus million dollars on two relievers. Um, but to me, I think,
I think haters getting up getting a big deal but his market as of right now, I don't think
it's, I don't think it's clear yet, so I think it could take some time, but he's getting up
getting absolutely paid and I feel very confident in that, but at least as far as the
Dodgers are concerned, we've talked a lot about what takes them out of other markets and,
and since we last spoke, Tyler glass now committed long term in L A. But it doesn't seem
like the Otani Deal or the Glass now, trade and extension have taken them out of any of
their targets markets. As, as far as you're concerned, they're still in on hater and all of
these connected names. Right. They have yet to be, um, you know, tossed out of a market
because of budgetary constraints. No. Exactly. Exactly. That's, that's spot on. And, um, yeah,
the market really is kind of just, it's, it's in a really weird spot right now in the fact
that a lot of the starting pitchers are just waiting for, like for the Yamoto market to fall.
And then you also look at the position player market. We saw a question about this before, uh
and why that's so inactive. I think that has a lot to do with one, the prices for guys like
Bellinger and Matt Chapman and two just like the lack of like clear cut options. Um, that
the, the precision player market this year is as bad as it's been in some time. And I've
heard a lot of different teams, um, really just, it's there, it's on the back burner for
them. And, um, it, it makes me wonder if teams could also get creative in some of the players
that they ask about trades. Um, like, I, I mean, there's, there's one name that I know, I
can't say it. Um, but it's, there's, there's a lot of different things that teams are
considering and it could result in some, some pretty surprise trades on the position player
market. I'll leave it at that. I'm under the impression nothing as close as far as those
mystery names. But, um, teams being creative would not surprise me. I'll, I'll, I'll say
that much. I too am under the impression nothing is close because I'm being constantly
lulled to sleep by the rumor mill. Um, but no, we uh we, we're gonna have, we're gonna have an
off season folks and we appreciate all your questions. Uh Definitely gonna get to some of
these teams down the stretch. Uh hm. It's not Randy or Rosa Reno. It is not,
it's not Randy, it's not yellow. Thanks for asking. That's what, that's why we love our
comment section because they immediately pop off. Uh drop this fellow named Taylor is uh
please say one player, uh, one player, I'll say it to do you want me to do? You want me to
say it as well? I'll say one. Yeah. No, it's not. It's not Fernando Tatis Junior. Um It is
not jazz chisel home close. Um Oh yeah. Ok. We got to get off this
subject now and we will, we will get immediately off the subject. I'm gonna, I'm
gonna get off the subject by praising the Diamondbacks because the position player market
might not be moving. But hey, guess what? While everybody else is watching uh the big
market teams not strike out but just sit here and wait for Yamamoto or sit here and wait for
Otani Champs, signed Eduardo Rodriguez signed Lourdes Gurriel Junior brought him back over
the weekend on a reasonable deal. Supposedly, they're going to address DH. Supposedly they
like JD Martinez and Justin Turner. Um, the Orioles fans watching this show and listening
to the podcast have to be sick watching the Diamondbacks make the World Series with a young
roster. They called up their prospects. They succeeded in October. They actually took the
next step and then they added pieces and pieces that cost significant money like E Rod
and maybe AJ D Martinez while the Orioles are sort of sitting here, maybe Dylan C, maybe
nothing. It does feel like the Diamondbacks are doing what a team should. Oh, we maybe
arrived a year too early. Great. We don't care . We're adding pieces anyway. And I just want to
give them kudos. Yeah, and I'll, I'll absolutely give the Diamondbacks kudos here.
And what they have done this off season is they were obviously a surprise contender, uh
and made it to the World Series when nobody was really expecting it. They have a very
talented roster but they continue to add and they added E Rod on a deal that I think was
quite like it, it was 20 million years, not team friendly by any means, but I thought it
was gonna end up being more than that and I give the Diamondbacks credit for doing it and I
did not think they were going to be able to retain, uh Lourdes Gori and that was another
really good deal, a good value and they're not done. And that is exactly how teams should be
when you have a good team, uh, continue to invest in that team and make it a great team.
And the job that Mike Hazen Am S day, that entire front office and then also tore Lavella
for the job he's done in, in handling those players. It should be absolutely commended and
I wish more teams operated like that because that's how a team should go. Um But it's, it's,
uh, it's really refreshing and that is going to end up making one heck of a, um, a rivalry
in the NL West with them and the Dodgers and the Dodgers are not done. Diamondbacks are not
done. It's gonna be very fun competitive battle uh in 2024. But as far as the Orioles go
very like they're, they're a team that I thought last year should end, making a big push
in trying to sign some of these high end free agents. And they are, I don't know if they're
gonna do it this year. I, I thought like Dylan CS makes a whole lot of sense for that team and
they have the prospect capital that can get it done and they can really pay more than any
other team. But, um, II, I don't know if they're going to end up doing it and it is,
uh, it's a very unique spot that they're in because there's, I don't think there's been any
team in major League history that has had the prospect depth that they've had. Um, so it's
been quiet for them. It's been quiet for a lot of teams, but I'm starting to become a little
skeptical about that big move is coming from the Orioles. Um And there was even a question
earlier by the way that asking if it was 100% chance that Dylan C is going to be traded. Um
No, there's not 100% chance. I do think in the end he's probably going to be traded, but they
have multiple years of control on them and if they don't get the offer that they want, they
don't have to trade them. And um that's a good spot for them to be in because even if they
traded them at the deadline and you have still more than one year in control, you're getting a
lot of uh a lot in return for them. So it's a, it's a good spot to be in and that's why they
don't have to make move right now. Beautiful. Um I, I get it, I do get it. I, I'm a fan
of what the Baltimore Orioles have put together and I know there's more coming, but I
also know that man, even the, you know, they're, they're still close, they're right on
the verge. They, they gotta add a starting pitcher and give their fans a little something
and maybe do it mid season as well. Um Couple, let's do some comments because uh I'm seeing a
lot of fans who want their teams addressed. I think part of the order deserves a shout out
for. Uh, we have not talked about the ST Louis Cardinals in a long time. And I think as a
function of the market, they have not been very loud and I know they brought in Yuki
Matsui from Japan. I know Cardinals fans are watching Lars New Bar tour the country with uh
Yamamoto and wondering why they may not be in that mix quite so much. Have you heard anything
about the way that the Cardinals are going to attack the rest of this off season after they
loaded up on arms very early? Um and arms that , you know, Sonny Gray, the headliner fans might
not have been so enthused with Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn, but they got the job done early in
the off season now, have gone into as our listeners like to say hibernation mode. Uh but
what's next for the Cardinals? Are they going to, are they done with this roster or are they
gonna keep moving? They're gonna keep moving. And that's something that even John Mozal like
said uh after a lot of these additional is that the off season was only truly beginning
and they can end up, they have flexibility to make other moves. Um I would not rule out
another rotation edition. I think some bullpen help would absolutely make some sense. Um And
their off season was basically going to be pitching, pitching, pitching. And they, the
visit with Matsui, there is a report from Katie Wu of the athletic that there was a visit
from another mystery pitcher. I have not nailed down who that is. Now that I'm back from
vacation can look a lot more further into that . Um But the, the Cardinals are not done,
they're not done making major league additions and I, I did not agree with some of the moves
that they made. Uh I thought like the Lance Lynn deal, I would not have done that Kyle
Gibson. I wouldn't, I don't know if I would have done that either. There's no such thing as
a bad one year deal. So I guess I can not get too, too much, but getting Sonny Gray was
really good. Um And like they, but they delivered on their promise and they, they said
they were going to go pitching, pitching, pitching, pitching, pitching and that's exactly
what they've done and they're not done. Um So I commend them for that. Um There is a comment
from some Pirates fan asking um Martin to the Pirate or Martin Perez to the Pirates can you
confirm is that an actual report? I have not seen that came from uh I, I looked that up
because I saw the comment. It came from our friend mlb scoops, the ice cream MLB logo man
and with 6500 followers. So um what was it, what was it, what did he say in the tweet? The
Pittsburgh pirates are intensifying conversation with Martin Perez. But the tweet
right before that was something about MLB Scoops denying allegations of child sex
trafficking. So I don't know what's going on in that account today. Yeah, let's uh let's
avoid following MLB Scoops because that account sucks. Um Sucky bad account. Don't
follow it. Yeah, that's, yeah, I would just, I would, if I was you guys, I would just block
that account. Um Yeah, that's bad. But no, I, I don't believe that's, that's accurate.
Um I will also like, I know the pirates are, are very, they're very active on the pitching
market. They're trying to get things done there. Uh I would fully expect an Andrew
mccutchen reunion to happen sometime here at this week probably. Um And,
but yeah, the pirates have been active, I think the mid tier market for them makes a
whole lot of sense and possibly even like a number five guy in the rotation. So would not
rule out multiple editions there. Um But that's, yeah, that's just something that, that,
that are very strongly exploring and I would also not rule out some other offensive editions.
And no, uh Henry, uh you're asking if the Tigers are done with Major League signings.
They are not done to my knowledge. I think they're still exploring the market. Speaking of
the Tigers though, like we got to give the Royals a little bit of kudos. I, I think some
of the people we've, you know, we've talked to and, and shared thoughts with are split on, uh
the Royals going for with Waka and Lugo and Renfro and Will Smith and loading up a little
bit. That division is very winnable. Um I'm not saying the Royals have gone from 100 loss
team to a favorite, but I don't disagree with making these two and three year packs with
easy outs. I just don't, I can't argue with these are all people that theoretically these
signings could hit and the Royals could contend for the playoff spot and give their
fans a lot of joy or they could all bomb and then the Royals are right back where they
started but still very minimal financial commitments on the books. You have to pay for
somebody. I don't have an issue with the Royals making these deals, but I don't know how
you feel about that. No, in terms of the Royals making deals and people are mad at
Michael Walka and Seth Lugo. I think that's a totally fine thing to do. So do I, I'll tell
you like having a team on the, like that is probably, I think it's pretty safe to say that
they're, they were, they were not very good last year. It's putting it lightly. Um, but
they're trying to compete, they're trying to improve their roster and they've added some
starting pitching, they've added some, some bullpen help. Um, they sign Will Smith, so
they're basically guaranteed to win the World Series at this point. Um, but there's not many
teams in that position that would end up making that kind of an effort to improve. And
that division is winnable, like there's no clear cut, like awesome team in that division.
Like obviously, like the Guardians have been good and like the, the twins have been good,
but like other than that, like there's been no clear cut, favorite, favorite team there. Um
And I think more teams should like, follow that philosophy. I think that would improve the
for Asia market exponentially. Um And I, I would not be upset if I was, if I was a fan of
the team or a fan of any team about the royal spending because it's, it's good for baseball.
Uh Michael Walker ended up getting a really nice deal. Same with Seth Lugo. Um It was, it
was funny, I'd heard, I had heard rumblings at the winter meetings that uh Lugo was probably
to get a three or four year deal for about 15 million a year and that ended up being spot on.
Um, so, yeah, it's, uh, it was, it was a good deal, fits right in line with a lot of other,
other players. I think the deal that, that kind of surprised most or a lot of folks in
baseball in terms of teams, in terms of the price was the Jack Flaherty deal. I heard, um,
teams were kind of surprised at how high that went on a one year deal. But so that was, that
was good work by Flaherty's team and that's a really good spot for Flaherty, by the way. Um
Considering the SEC there's or the success that the Tigers had last year with Michael
Lorenzen, um They think they can do a very similar thing there with Jack Flare, you know,
and I think they can do or I at least like to see them spending. I like to see all of these A
L central teams taking strides and, and that brings me to the Guardian's questions. Uh You
know, funny man, Luke asking if you heard anything on them other than Bieber rumors
because I know we heard a little bit about class a earlier in the off season, another
comment asking about Bieber destinations. Uh It does feel like once Yamamoto goes, the
Bieber sees even potentially the burns conversations could heat up, but it does that
feel right that when the free agent market heats up? So will the Shane Bieber talks? Yeah,
I'll, I'll tell you this. As soon as Yamamoto signs, the floodgates for the starting pitching
market are gonna open, whether it's the trade or the free agent market, there's gonna be a
lot of dominoes that fall and there's gonna be , there's gonna be other dominoes that fall this
week. I feel, I feel very confident in that. Um But the majority are going to come, I think
after Yamamoto signs because that's when teams are going to have their clear cut platinum,
like know what exactly. Um They're gonna be able to know that they're out on their top
target or that they got their top target and then they're going to be able to um to respond
after that. But uh Taylor, you're asking who the favorite is for Yamamoto, the the bidding
literally started today. Um So uh way, way, way, way too early to tell, but there's a lot
of teams that are very motivated to go get them and I, I tell you what I thought about it
and uh I think I'm gonna join the bidding. I think I'm gonna bid on Yamamoto. Just have him
come hang out in my apartment there. Do Adam Winer is the, is the mystery team. There you go.
I've always been the mystery team. I think the commenters deep down know that I'm the mystery
team, but uh now it's confirmed. So there you go. So am I allowed to tweet that Adam that
you're the mystery team? Yeah, I I give you permission to tweet. You know me, I always give
you permission to tweet. I'm an open book. Oh, what a guy, what a guy we love that. Just let
me know when you sign some other free agents. Speaking of other free agents, um here's a,
here's another minor league signing. This is a name that I had not heard in quite some time.
Chance Adams uh time with the Rockies. Um That is something that I believe happened today. Um
And the Rays made another small move as well. Uh They added Garrett Acton, um who was
formerly with the Oakland A's. Uh they signed him to a minor league deal with a spring
training invite. So there's been a lot of different, a lot of different little minor
league signings. I know not the most exciting things by, by anything in the world, but um at
least we got some movement and I will tell you too, like there's been like I, I told that to
uh our Discord channel earlier today when I found all those stuff out is that, uh some of
these signings, I even gave you a heads up when, uh when the Dodgers were making a trade
last week with the Yankees. I had found that out. Um So yeah, I could not recommend more
joining the Discord because you will get access and that nobody else in baseball has.
You will know information before it's public. You will know you will be the most informed fan
in baseball and I could not recommend more to join because that is a tool unlike anything I
have ever seen on the internet. And that is not just me plugging it. That is me telling you
the honest truth because it is something that is extremely valuable and I would highly
recommend doing that and Joshua be beer. Um The Marlins are exploring Catching editions and
I think Andrew Kisner is, is a name to watch there for sure. And I saw that name float in
the comments earlier too. So that uh kills two birds with one stone there. Keep your eye on
that for sure. Robert's right about the Discord. It's where you can pin our feet to the
fire between shows. It's where we have some of the conversations. Uh Sometimes it's a dress
rehearsal for what we talk about in the podcast. We take a lot of questions from the
Discord, of course, bring them on to the show. Uh So if you haven't joined, we'd love to see
you there multiple levels. And again, the all Star meeting, uh where you get a face time with
Robert and I almost like a private show. Uh You can't leak from it, you can't record it and
distribute it, but you get to join us on a private stream. Uh That will be going down this
week, it will be going down once a month. Uh So we thank everyone who's a Discord member for
hanging out with us. And we see a lot of you here in the comments today. We really
appreciate uh what you've made that community and what you've allowed us to do and build. And
uh if when I do sign Yamamoto, you heard it here on the show first, but a lot of the other
stuff comes from the Discord first. We promise you that. No, that is 100% accurate and yeah,
could not recommend more joining because that community is really awesome. Got a lot of great
people in there. And uh yeah, you'll, you'll know information before anyone else, which I
think is a pretty, pretty awesome tool to say the least. We didn't talk about the glass now
trade by the way on the air with certainty like I like the return that the rays got. And I
know I know the classic joke is like love this trade for the rays. Who do they get and who do
they give up? Like, and it's a great joke. That's my favorite tweet. It's an all time
tweet. But in this case, it's true, I just like five years of pio more than I like one
year of glass now. And that's a little hypocritical because in the past I've pooh
poohed the value of five years of Bryce Miller just because I feel like he's an average, just
slightly above average pitcher. And now people are overvaluing the control, but I like Pio the
pitcher a lot. I like him more than the Seattle guys and I feel like Tyler Glass. Now.
Congrats on the home coming Tommy John, he's already had it. He's gotten it out of the way.
So maybe he'll be healthier moving forward. But with him, you just got to cross your
fingers and hope he's available for October. And if you're trying to get rid of his money
and you're the Rays, it's hard to imagine you doing better than a lot of control of Ryan Pio
and a guy who people say has the best change up in baseball in the minor league system. And
then now suddenly he's got, you get a chance to contribute for an organization that does
pitching, right? I think the Rays made out like bandits in that trade. So do I, I
especially for a guy that's entering a contract here being able to get a guy. Well, he
was entering a contract here. He signed the extension. That's how they were able to get.
But yeah, getting Peppi O was an absolute coop by that, by that race for an office and I gave
him a lot of credit because that was um that was something that um I entering this. I did
not expect the Rays to get that kind of haul. I also didn't expect an extension. But um that
was an important part of this because Glasnow wanted to be with the Dodgers and the Dodgers
clearly wanted Glasnow and getting him, uh signed to that 100 plus million dollar deal was,
I think it was, it was smart, but it also comes with a lot of risk, especially
considering his injury history. Um and the thing about it too is like Glasnow wanted to be
there, Otani wanted to be there and I think the Otani edition is going to make other
players want to go to Los Angeles. And yeah, I would not be surprised if the Doters continue
to make moves. I don't know of anything imminent there by any means, but they are still
looking for another starting pitcher. Um I, the Yamamoto is someone on the radar. I know of
some other guys who are on the radar and, um, yeah, there's just a lot of different
little, um, all, all the things that they're considering and it's gonna end up being a very
good time to be a Dodgers fan and probably not a not so great time to be a fan of the other 29
teams considering the Dodgers are looking, they kind of remind me of the, um, the dynasty
version of the Golden State Warriors at this point. And I mean, they, they still got holes
and, but I fully anticipate them filling them at some point probably here before or after
before the New Year is what I'm guessing. Well , baseball is better. Some people don't agree
but baseball is better with a big bad, like when there is a big bad team like the Warriors,
everybody in the NBA wants to go get them. And when there's a team like the Dodgers, it is
harder to create a villain in major league baseball, even though the Yankees just were
born with it. Uh But when you are a team that can drop all that money on Otani and defer a
lot of it and use that deferral to get glass now and probably get more top tier pieces. And
you have Freddie Freeman and you have Mookie Betts and you play in Hollywood, that's the
most evil team in baseball right now to a lot of people and that's gonna be good for the
sport in general. Although one team hoarding all that wealth is not great for the sport. And
if people want to disagree, I get that too because I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna sit here
and be like, yeah, one team should be super rich and the other one shouldn't be like,
that's, I don't think that's fantastic. Um But it's gonna create great competition. No, 100%
is and I, I'm totally agree. By the way before I forget, I also want to say this. Um I want a
big shout out to, uh, to Brett Taylor, uh who is Bleacher Nation on Twitter, uh for watching
the show. Uh I've always been a huge fan of yours, big supporter. Uh, since I got started.
So, uh I just appreciate him um for, for, for watching the show because he just aggregated
one of the signs that I dropped for the Cubs. Um, but yeah, man, that's, uh, I know there's a
lot of different, um, a lot of different frustrations as far as where the market is so
sorry for cutting you off and going on a different spi here. Adam, I, nothing. I was
just being a nice guy talking to the doctors. Oh, no, no, you, well, Adam win, you're always,
you're always a nice guy. That's why it's one of the many reasons why we love you. Um and uh
but yeah, I, I just stay patient as far as the market goes. I know this has not been the most
exciting off season in the entire world. It's been probably one of the more boring ones. Um
But there's a lot of dominoes who have that have yet to fall and they will fall. Just the
Yamamoto thing is, is kind of just holding things up at this point. Um But
once that happens or once Yamamoto signs, I think the market is just gonna go kind of just
go crazy and just be patient because Yamamoto thing is still going or it's, it's just getting
started, I should say. So it's gonna be a little bit until he's off the board but don't
lose hope. Don't lose patience and I promise you and I cannot stress this enough. Your
general manager is not sleeping. He is, there is no sleeping at the Helms. There is no
hibernation Hoyer. There's no, nothing like that. Um, it's, uh, there's, there's no, all
these, no, none of these G MS are sleeping. I just, I, I cannot stress that enough. I mean,
they will get sleep at night but they're not sleeping throughout the day either. Yeah. Uh,
well, you're here with us. Uh, not sleeping either. I will again, you and I will be
sleeping at some point. But right now we're wide awake if you people in the comments can
rock with us during this off season. That has been objectively pretty boring. Uh We
appreciate you rocking with us during this one . We hope you stick it out for the trade
deadline for next off season and beyond. Uh let you mentioned that Bleacher Nation tweet.
It's so awesome to see people like that who I followed forever. Uh Tweeting on today's, he
said in today's baseball Insiders live stream, Robert Murray says, you know, the Cubs are
signing. Thomas went on. It's just awesome watching people cite us watching people ride
with the baseball Insiders. This has been a very fun year of uh of growth of doing great
shows. I hate saying content but great content . Uh And we're nothing, of course, we're nothing
without Robert and we are nothing without everybody in the discord in the comment section.
Our producer Joanne, of course, a lot of great people go into making a show that I think is
pretty damn good. Um And it's been a big one and uh it's 2024 is just gonna be a big, a
bigger one I feel like and everybody thank you for uh thanks for hanging out. Yeah, I'll tell
you, it is like this community that we have here is genuinely something that I could never
have thought possible. And I just want to say a huge thank you to every single one of you who
have tuned in who have watched us who go in the Discord and they um they, they
communicate, they are always just like so active and ask questions. And um it is just,
it's one of the coolest things that I could have ever dreamed of and just a huge thank you.
And yeah, we will be leading the league in information both on this podcast on my Twitter
feed and in the Discord. So could not recommend more uh doing that and joining that.
Um But Adam Weiner probably see you later this week. And by the way, also, also too is the
All Stars thing. If you join the Discord and go on the All Star things, you will have
exclusive access to both Adam and I for a Zoom call. And that is something that I'm quite
positive no other insider does. So that will also give you some really unlimited access and
I'll probably be able to give you a lot of information um that you, that you really are
gonna want so could not recommend more joining that as well. Yes, I'm excited for that to
start and Robert, of course, I will see you there later this week and I think we are gonna
try to do another show before Christmas to get you guys an update um holiday next Monday,
weird zooming up on us. Um But I appreciate everybody joining today. We'll keep you posted
on details for the next show and we'll of course, keep you posted on when the Yamamoto
Domino could potentially fall and open up the floodgates that we've been waiting for for so
long. Until next time. I'm Adam Weiner for Robert Murray. Thank you so much for joining us
and we will see you again as soon as we can with more information. Thanks everybody. Thank
you, everybody.