RaysUp! Mat Germain, Primo Tampa Bay Rays analyst looks at the Red Sox & AL East Artwork

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RaysUp! Mat Germain, Primo Tampa Bay Rays analyst looks at the Red Sox & AL East

June 07, 2023 • @TheBaseballBiz with Mat Germain & Mark Corbett • Episode 195

Mat & Mark dig into the Fenway experience and the potential for Boston to come back hard when Adam Duval & Trevor Story return.

The Fires in Canada and the impact on people
Rays play in Cold, Wet & Rain at Fenway
Eflin, Glasnow, McClanahan & Bradley – top tier pitching talent
Manuel Margot takes a hard hit against the scoreboard
Rays gel together as players & family & RedSox needs of team meetings
Trevor Story & Adam Duval will be returning soon & becoming more of a threat in AL East
Red Sox were 29 – 23 outside of games with the Rays
Toronto Blue Jays – a hair away from Tanking
What’s up with Alek Manoah – Not a Roy Halladay, Can Manoah come back strong
Fenway Fans – need some of their top players back. They are not happy with Duran and cannot wait for Duval to return.
Boston Red Sox – Keystone Kops defense gave Yandy Diaz a “little league home run” Everything may change when Trevor Story returns to Shortstop and Kike Hernández
Ron Washington of the Atlanta Braves has reset the team defensively. Red Sox need that kind of coach
To build a stronger Red Sox team they need to bring up Marcelo Mayer at Shortstop, Kike in Centerfield, Trevor Story at second base and Devers at third.
Orioles still need to make investments into pitching
Reds exciting times ahead with Ely De La Cruz
The Rays are Marvelous – Rays, Yankees & Orioles are leading both the American and National Leagues
Rays upcoming schedule & upcoming return of Andrew Kittredge will make the future bright
Will Quebec get an MLB team? Government is supportive of the idea of attracting an MLB team. But what will Bronfman and ownership group offer to build a stadium.
Costs could include other costs of $2.5 billion to make this happen
Other cities most likely to get a MLB team - Vegas, Utah, Portland, Charlotte or Nashville
Nevada government has ended session without a guarantee of financial support for a new stadium. Ownership needs to take on the responsibility of buying and building a stadium
Rays still have not established their new stadium and location has not been finalized.
The Fenway Park experience – reasonable Ball Park Food Prices and Fan passion
Bucket List parks – Wrigley Field & Petco
Rays Minor Leagues – Evan McKendry, Pitcher of the Month
Vidal Brujan
Mat & Mark’s projections for Tampa Bay Rays for total season wins for the Rays
Rays players potential trades to come

Special Thanks to Mat Germain. Mat can be found on Twitter @Mat_Germain_
BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple,Spotify & Google podcasts & @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter and of course on https://www.baseballbizondeck.com

Please like, follow and comment. Let us know your thoughts about the show. DM Mark on Twitter @TheBaseballBiz

Thanks to Tampa Baseball Museum for their continuous support.

Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

BaseballBiz On Deck - RaysUP 195

[00:00:00] Mark Corbett: Welcome to BaseballBiz On Deck. I am Mark Corbett, your host, and with me today is Mr. RaysUp himself, Mat, Germain, and Mat constantly gives us the insight of what's happening with the team and with the rays and with baseball overall. Welcome Mat. How you doing today, buddy? I'm doing

[00:00:16] Mat Germain: pretty good holding up well after the fire is up here in Canada and I think we've got enough rain now that we have things on hold in my area anyway.

[00:00:25] Mat Germain: So things are looking up.

[00:00:28] Mark Corbett: I'm glad to hear that. I know you've been sharing on Twitter some of the view of some of the disasters up there, quite honestly. And it's, it is numbing. It's mind numbing. I'm glad to hear it sounds like you're gonna be some respite up there.

[00:00:41] Mark Corbett: The magnitude of that just blew my mind when I saw the images that you posted on Twitter for the fires, and they're just, jeez, completely mind blowing. And the devastation that's occurred from that and the fallout from the ash and smoke and the sky, I can't [00:01:00] begin to think of how that seemed to be measured over time.

[00:01:03] Mat Germain: Yeah. And it, it hits home, especially like we knew people in certain areas that had to clear out and some of them that lost their homes. And it's when your kids come to you and start putting away a packing up their favorite things because they know that we might have to evacuate the house.

[00:01:22] Mat Germain: That's when it really sets in oh yeah it's not a joke anymore. . It's for real. Out of it in good at working order by the time they're done. Some people never emotionally get over that scar. Hopefully they, the help that they're getting from everybody around them.

[00:01:39] Mat Germain: Hopefully that's a good reminder that there's a lot of good coming up.

[00:01:45] Mark Corbett: I'm glad to hear that. There's, as far as the actions from others helping one another. And taking about helping one another in a less serious manner. But one we enjoy nonetheless is in baseball, is [00:02:00] watching what the Rays have been doing for one another here in a last week.

[00:02:04] Mark Corbett: Mat and I have gotta say I am completely stupefied. Wow. I had the good fortune to go up to Fenway this week and watch a few games with the rays. And I was really curious to see how things were going to play out. I'd hope to see Chris sale while I was up here, but he's injured. And to got to see Taj Bradley pitch in Glasnow, and I remotely watched McClanahan and man, we took took three outta four.

[00:02:37] Mark Corbett: Exciting.

[00:02:39] Mat Germain: Yeah. The interesting thing is when you're cheering for the Rays, you know that. Sometimes the cold climate isn't when you're gonna see the best of the Rays. And this, that's exactly what we have. We had cold and rain on top of it, so it wasn't really like the guys were in their element.

[00:02:56] Mat Germain: They're dome guys. They're warm weather guys. They're not really[00:03:00] I. The kind that you imagine in your mind when you say, okay, that's a rough and tumble cold weather team. Normally those come out of Chicago or New York, or people that are in an outdoor stadium, the coldest months.

[00:03:16] Mat Germain: It was great to see the guys show up. Like I know the bats didn't really explode per se. They had some home runs stolen from them which hurt the bottom line. But overall, they all performed well and especially the pitching. I think you can attest to that when you start dreaming about a playoff.

[00:03:37] Mat Germain: Run and having a good strong foursome that you're looking at now with Eflin Glasnow McClanahan and Bradley, I don't think, especially with deGrom going on, Tommy John I don't think there's any teams out there that can measure up. Maybe the Mariners, if they get into the playoffs they have a strong four, but there aren't many [00:04:00] others out there in, in the American League anyway, that I would match up with the rays.

[00:04:04] Mark Corbett: And when we talk about the pitchy and the rays, And you mentioned McClanahan and you said deGrom, cause I, I was looking at him like last year. I thought of both of those guys as being the premier pitchers across. All of baseball, both of them. And I don't have the ERA in front of me right now, but both of them were just lights out.

[00:04:23] Mark Corbett: And McClanahan has maintained that watching him, I'm just, again, I was at Fenway this weekend, and by the way, it was cold brother. Oh it was raining. I got underneath the grandstand. My wife and I. But it was wet. It was cold. The wind was whipping through there. See wind chill of 44 degrees folks in June.

[00:04:44] Mark Corbett: What's that about? But it was, I said, yeah, we're not gonna see Pete Fairbanks out there, even if he's healthy be because that's cold. Nobody could har hardly hold that ball, but they did a great job with it. And I, I wanna say a global statement here at [00:05:00] watching the Rays play in that element.

[00:05:03] Mark Corbett: You really got a sense of them as a team. How they supported one another. You may have seen some of the stories about like when Margot out was out in center field and was running for this ball, and I can't remember if it's Verdugo, whoever hit it Margot ran all the way out, bang up against the scoreboard, felled to the ground, and the teammates were there immediately around him.

[00:05:26] Mark Corbett: Josh was helping him up after a couple minutes and helped brushing him off and some of the other players. And you get this sense. Of togetherness with them. Yeah. One other, one other thing I'll say is a comparison to the Red Sox, Mat, and that is, I heard they had a team meeting the other day, and that, that tells me there's a team that's not ge If you have a team meeting a team must not be gelling. But the Rays are I feel like above and beyond all of that,

[00:05:59] Mat Germain: [00:06:00] When was the Rays? Had a moment a few years ago when they had a team meeting? Or was it last year? It might have even been last year. And it was because of the the slide that they were going through. And I'm not sure if it was one with the coaches then, or just the players.

[00:06:18] Mat Germain: I don't think it was just the players. But the teams like the, you can have it. Happen in teams that are very cohesive, but usually it's because things are not being details are not being paid attention to and it's driving people nuts, whether that be the players or whether that be the coaches or managers, right?

[00:06:41] Mat Germain: So usually that's why, and they want to focus people in and get them back on track. Because in, in a room with that many guys it's hard to keep them all focused. It's like herding cats, right? Like they're usually, there's usually a couple of stray ones that are going through things or busy thinking [00:07:00] about other things and mistakes end up being made.

[00:07:02] Mat Germain: So I get the whole team meeting thing. But it's interesting when you look at the Red Sox, I wanna say that they are very, a dangerous team. They need that one extra starter. So if they were to go and get Lucas Gito or Dylan Seas from the White Sox, I would put them ahead of the Yankees and Blue Jays.

[00:07:23] Mat Germain: In terms of teams, I do not want to play in the playoffs. Because they're getting Trevor's story back. They're getting Mr. Adam Duvall back who was always clutch and producing it, and then you saw the plays that Kiki's making. All of a sudden you put those elements in with Yoshida and the bat that he's got endeavors.

[00:07:43] Mat Germain: Then they become dangerous. They've already got Ken Kenley, Janssen, and the rest of 'em. What I saw in this series was the potential, especially with Bellow, I love Bellow, but the potential of the Red Sox is real, and I think they're more of a threat than people give 'em credit for. If [00:08:00] Marcelo Meyer can come in next year and make them a real contender, like for a World Series run or a deeper playoff run, whatever you want to call going for it.

[00:08:09] Mat Germain: But I could see them being that. Whereas I don't see it with the Js, I see the JS as a hair away from tanking. I see the Yankees, the rotation, falling apart, and it in a way and the depth just not being there to hold it. So they're gonna have to make moves as well. But even then, when you look at their triple A and AA teams, they're extremely weak.

[00:08:34] Mat Germain: So what I would say is the Red Sox showed me this through the Rays series. That they're close and they're dealing with injuries. They're not paying attention to details, and that's what's driving 'em nuts is that they're so close, but they just can't push over that hump to get through and win more of those games.

[00:08:56] Mat Germain: And I'll finish up with this, like against non Raysd teams. [00:09:00] The Red Sox are 29 and 23, and that's not

[00:09:03] Mark Corbett: too bad. No, not. Not at all. Not at all. Yeah, 29 and 23, I think it's, that would be great. So if they just take, what is it? What is it? They're one in seven with the Rays.

[00:09:16] Mat Germain: Yeah, exactly. Jeez,

[00:09:19] Mark Corbett: Pete, you mentioned the Blue Jays and I'm thinking, Good Lord.

[00:09:24] Mark Corbett: What's happened to, to Manoah Alec Manoah the man has resulted to blowing on balls going down the foul line because his game seems to be so sharp on his pitching. I don't know what to expect else from, I'm looking at the Blue Jays. The, so Alec Manoah is an interesting thing and I'd lived through the whole Roy Holiday thing with the Js and I, back then I covered the js and so I, I saw him go through that entire ordeal.

[00:09:51] Mat Germain: And it made him so much stronger, but he had the state of mind. As a very calm, intrinsic [00:10:00] person to go through that, take his lumps and come out of it on top. When I see Alec Manoah, I'm not sure he's exactly there. He might get there, he might mature some through this process, but when I saw him on the bench he was shooing people away.

[00:10:16] Mat Germain: He was trying to fight through it on his own and not really. He wasn't in sync with the coaches and the manager and everything else, so I don't know how he's going to react to this demotion, but I do think that the blue Jays now that they've ripped off the bandaid and said, okay, we're gonna, we're gonna go through whatever we need to get you right.

[00:10:37] Mat Germain: That is the right step. It is. It should come with an mri. Because you don't know if something is going on, and you can believe the picture if you want, but chances are somebody that's stubborn and that wanting to be the leader guy that goes on and performs, there's a chance he's hiding something as well.

[00:10:57] Mat Germain: And so just to clear it up and [00:11:00] to know where we stand physically after you pushed him 90 innings higher than ever before the year prior, then Take a look, see what's going on, make sure there's nothing wrong. And if not, then rebuild the techniques and go from there. But he could come back but it doesn't take long.

[00:11:17] Mat Germain: Let's say six weeks, seven weeks. I can't remember how long Roy was down for. I think it might have been a month and a half. But in that amount of time, you can refine somebody's mechanics, get them believing in themselves again. And then they have plenty of time to still earn a playoff spot.

[00:11:34] Mat Germain: If he comes back strong.

[00:11:38] Mark Corbett: It's gonna be interesting. Like you were saying with the Red Sox, if they get Trevor's story back, if they get DeVol back and they got Christian Royal back just the other day so then they've got some things there. I can tell you, when I was at Fenway, I did hear Fan Fenway saying, I.

[00:11:55] Mark Corbett: I don't like Duran and I don't want him here. It's like [00:12:00] they're very honest about the, how they feel about their team and the different players. Some are criticizing Kiki he has no business being at chart stop. He's looking pretty good out there as an outfielder. That's not fault.

[00:12:13] Mat Germain: He didn't ask to be a shortstop.

[00:12:15] Mat Germain: He's into it, right?

[00:12:17] Mark Corbett: Yeah. Yeah. He just got slopped in there. But again, looking at it as Rays series, he was, it I think it was yesterday, Monday, that both he and Verdugo stole two home runs from the Rays. And it was interesting the same talent that it took to steal those home RA runs that were just about ready to creep out of the field.

[00:12:40] Mark Corbett: There were players who looked like the Keystone cops when Yk hit a ball the other day and had what a lot of 'em referred to as a little league home run because the ball was being passed back and forth, thrown into home to get another, to try to get rid of one of his R b s. Oh my gosh. Now it's gonna be thrown [00:13:00] back in the second, or Oh, the shark stop.

[00:13:01] Mark Corbett: Oh my gosh. And the next thing you know, Yi's, he's made it From that initial hit that should have maybe got him a double at best to a home run as everybody's going skittering looking for that ball. It was sad watching a major league baseball team play that little game of hide the ball.

[00:13:23] Mat Germain: I don't know, there's certain teams that you hear about and you'll hear who the coaches are that are working on defense with the players, and refining all those finer points you would hope at the major league level. You don't have to go through every single kind of scenario, but I think if, when you look at the brazen Ron Washington as an example, right?

[00:13:43] Mat Germain: He'll go through. Everything a hundred times over and over again with all the players to improve their defense so that it becomes a natural movement. And I think the Rays, for whatever reason, have that ability as well. And they don't know who does [00:14:00] that coaching for the Rays specifically, but they all seem to have those natural throws that last year they were a bit rushed walls and a couple of others seem to be trying to force the issue.

[00:14:12] Mat Germain: This year is a little bit more smooth, I don't the Red Sox need that kind of guy that, that Ron Washington kind of guy that'll go in there and reset the team defensively. Now, if you put Trevor's story at shortstop, honestly you should be fine. There's, there, there's no real pressing issue.

[00:14:29] Mat Germain: Devs is fine at third, so then it just becomes about second base. And I think if key case's playing second, he's a strong second basement. But I'd rather for the Red Sox, have him in center field. So yeah. That's why I think Marcel Meyer's gonna be such a big game changer for them cuz you put him in at shortstop, you move story to second all of a sudden.

[00:14:52] Mat Germain: Marcel Meyer is the same as what in the Rays system would be. Carson Williams, like that de defensibility is [00:15:00] elite. It's Taylor Wallish close. So the red, that's why I say the Red Sox are only going to get stronger because their infield D is going to elevate. It's not hard to plug in the guys in the corners of the outfield and they have Verdugo and usda.

[00:15:17] Mat Germain: So then you're just talking about center field and catching position, and I know they can sort that out. So that's why I'm saying that in personally, I'm more confident that the Red Sox will continue being a threat to the Rays going forward than the other teams. Yeah, I think, go ahead, editorials. Of course.

[00:15:37] Mat Germain: Sorry.

[00:15:38] Mat Germain: No. The only

[00:15:39] Mark Corbett: older definitely. Yeah. The Orioles have been amazing and they prove, I believe when you're looking at a lot of the players, they're young. You're looking, I think in some ways at a Rays equation of bringing up young, talented players and that seems to be their strength and seems to be [00:16:00] working for them this year.

[00:16:02] Mark Corbett: The one, like

[00:16:03] Mat Germain: I was asked today about comparing the Reds and what they're bringing up. Cause they're bringing up Ellie De La Cruz. Oh my God. That guy is just insane. Elite. And then the. The difference between the Reds and the Orioles is the reds have more depth in pitching and elite pitching that is coming up and that's going to set them apart from the Orioles.

[00:16:23] Mat Germain: The Orioles still need to make investments in pitching. I don't know who that's gonna be. I don't know when it's gonna be. I know they have ownership and rights issues and a whole bunch of things, but they don't have, and then we saw with Grayson Rodriguez, who was putting a bunch of pressure on himself, like there's no guaranteed guys in her system.

[00:16:44] Mat Germain: They don't have the top tier guys you would want in the playoffs on their team. So they essentially need three guys. They need three guys to elevate their pitching to become a Rays esque for this year, or world [00:17:00] Series contender, previous years. So when you saw the Phillies make their run what led them the way, all the way there, it was their three top pitchers.

[00:17:08] Mat Germain: They led them all the way through. They were consistent. Bang win, win, win all the way through. And if you have a Zack Wheeler kind of guy with the Orioles, they become very dangerous at that point. Indeed. And that's looking across all of baseball right now, the rays.

[00:17:29] Mark Corbett: As a team are the most dangerous out there. I, we all saw the strength they had early on. Heck, they were hitting 800 excuse me, they were winning at 800 percentage early on down to 700, and I think they're down to whatever, let's see, 6 94, just under 700. But what does that equate to?

[00:17:48] Mark Corbett: That equates to. 43 wins and 19 losses at home. They're 26 and six away. They're 17 and 13, and they've just been [00:18:00] marvelous. There's really nobody that can catch up, it seems but obviously they can't cuz it's way too early in the year. The next highest team up I think has 35 wins.

[00:18:10] Mark Corbett: If you're looking at, oh no in National League there's nobody that has more than 35 wins. American League. Yes. The Orioles are there with 37, Yankees with 36. So those three teams, as far as total number of wins, seem to be above all of the other three divisions in the American League.

[00:18:32] Mark Corbett: The National League, pardon me, getting a little twisted here. It's. This 43 19. My gosh, Mat, you and I both said, yeah, they're gonna, they're gonna have good, they're gonna have good times of grand, bad times, but we've done pretty well thus far. And see who are we facing upcoming right now? We got facing the twins and then the Rangers.

[00:18:54] Mark Corbett: Yep. And then we have the

[00:18:55] Mat Germain: ass after that. And a couple of other series that [00:19:00] it. The rays have one of the easiest schedules from here on out, like from here to the end of the season. They do have a rough September, but they have a lot of days off. They have some time to breathe. July, I think they have seven days off in July.

[00:19:13] Mat Germain: So it. They're gonna get a chance to heal, which is good because they've been using a lot of the same guys over and over again. They still have a couple more coming back from injury and the minors that could help them out eventually. And they have guys like Andrew Kittridge and a couple of other ones that would work well into the.

[00:19:32] Mat Germain: Into the pen, but I think the key for the Rays from here on out is to keep everybody healthy. Listen to the guys, force them to be honest about how their bodies are feeling and trying to get them the rest they need so they can be as, as in embedded. That's the shape as possible at the end of the year.

[00:19:51] Mat Germain: I lost you. Not been shy about doing that. [00:20:00] Tip of the hat to them for doing that. I, pardon me. I wanna ask you about something else entirely different. Quebec. Now are we looking at a major league baseball team gonna become to Quebec any, anytime soon?

[00:20:20] Mat Germain: I don't know. And I say this Bec as somebody that's very well in in, on that file and when everything fell through the Sister City concept, and I know these people, I don't want to call them actors, but they have an agenda that they're trying to push through.

[00:20:39] Mat Germain: Here's what I know. The ownership group there has invested money in getting M l b the right information to have a franchise. So they've gone through all the process, they've gotten the designs done for the stadium. They've gotten all the canvassing of information from the population, from all three levels of government, what [00:21:00] they'd be able to give them how the parking and everything else, the size of stadium, everything is, all the checks in the boxes are there.

[00:21:08] Mat Germain: And I think that's what the Sister City concept was about. I don't for one second believe they were ever gonna go through with it. I think it was about getting Montreal vetted as a potential m l b City how M L B feels about that after the fact. I have no idea. What I can tell you is that the gov levels of government there are very supportive of giving money to have a team come back to Montreal.

[00:21:36] Mat Germain: They're okay with that. It's way more than most cities would be. They've done it for the arena. They built an n h L arena with nothing but taxpayer money and Quebec or money. And there's not even an NHL team to go in there, and they were still willing to do it just so that it would eventually attract an N H L team.

[00:21:54] Mat Germain: So I'm not worried about that. What I'm worried about is when you ask Steven [00:22:00] Bronfman and his group. Are you willing to spend 4 billion on a Major League baseball franchise? The answer is heck no. In no way, shape or form, are they going to go there Now, is there a route to get there? Absolutely. Can they?

[00:22:19] Mat Germain: Get zero interest loans from M L B this, that, the other thing, naming rights, paying towards it because it's payments, right? You're just making the payments. Oh, yeah. So there's ways to contort things so that it's less out of pocket. But I say this because to me, them moving the As to Montreal, that makes sense because they can buy the As for a billion dollars.

[00:22:45] Mat Germain: The same as what the royals were sold for, and then they have everything already built. The scouting department, the affiliates the whole machinery of the team is already there. They don't have to start everything from scratch, which is all a cost. [00:23:00] If they go for a franchise for a new, and they're betting against others, first of all, the bidding's gonna drive that cost up for the franchise, probably towards the 2.5 to 3 billion.

[00:23:11] Mat Germain: And then you still have to pay for the stadium, and you still have to build all those affiliate relations and scouting departments and everything else from scratch. I don't see that happening in Montreal at all, like ever. So either they. Move a team there, whatever team that ends up being and who knows, like it's not just the, a's there are other teams that are having certain issues.

[00:23:35] Mat Germain: So I that, my feeling is that we'll see a team in Vegas, we'll see a team in Utah or Portland, one or the other, and we'll see a team in either Charlotte or Nashville. And my hunch is, The other avenue that I've worked out that is a possibility if they did do the expansion route would be if they [00:24:00] did a Sister City concept with Nashville.

[00:24:01] Mat Germain: But I think it would be just as unpopular with Nashville as it was with Raysd fans. They either won a full team or they don't. So that's the one way I could see the Montreal ownership group being, okay, we can do the Sister City concept like we said before, but with an expansion team where they don't know any better, where they're just happy to get half a team.

[00:24:20] Mat Germain: You know what I mean? And then maybe that's more easily taken in. Yeah,

[00:24:25] Mark Corbett: I could see that with with Nashville that that might be a bit more acceptable. Like just cause what you're saying, they don't have anything to base it on. Oh yeah. We, to have any team at all might be just perfect for them.

[00:24:39] Mark Corbett: It was interesting though, and you were talking about Las Vegas cuz I was looking at some news just in the last couple of days and it sounded like. What some of the sessions had passed from the government and were closing down without any commitment of dollars to bring a team to Vegas. There was nobody saying, okay, let's go ahead and build a fund for, with taxes to [00:25:00] put up a new stadium.

[00:25:01] Mark Corbett: And it was kinda like, that was not part of any conversation from what I was able to see in Nevada. And it's so the a's may really be struggling to find a place.

[00:25:13] Mat Germain: I guarantee you that if Fisher says tomorrow I will sell to an ownership group in Vegas, it would happen like that. But because he's an outsider going in and begging for money it's a completely different ballgame.

[00:25:29] Mat Germain: Ah, and I still think that Major League Baseball needs to stop this nonsense of just begging for public funds to build new stadiums. It's just, It's unseemingly like you don't, you didn't see certain wealthy ownership groups asking for money. Like the Dallas Cowboys did not ask for money.

[00:25:50] Mat Germain: They built their stadium and what do they get? Nine ga, nine games a year or maybe 10 with the preseason like, And they still got it built [00:26:00] grow up, built your own stadiums and go where you want to go instead of begging and pleading and making this whole like, tantrum like a kid basically saying, I'm taking my ball and I'm going home because you're not giving me what I want.

[00:26:15] Mat Germain: It's a little bit infantile and I think, M l b would benefit in so many ways of having a team in Vegas, just like hockey has. The Vegas Knight are about to win a Stanley Cup possibly and they're, the N H L is all over the TV and they're growing and their revenues are higher than ever before.

[00:26:35] Mat Germain: And there's no aside from that coyotes which have been a debacle in terms of arenas for ages that team should go to Quebec City if anything, but I think it's about time that, that MLB moves on with these things and helps those teams establish themselves or find new ownership and force them out like they did in LA [00:27:00] with the Dodgers and Frank McCort had to sell the team basically because things were just getting outta hand.

[00:27:06] Mat Germain: And that's where it's getting right now with the a's and the rays, to be frank, like that the rays need to, I know they still have. A timeline, right? They still have the time until the chop these ends, but it's now like it's, this is the year they need to announce what they're gonna do.

[00:27:26] Mark Corbett: Man I'll tell you sons worked out at the Tampa Baseball Museum and time again, I probably said it here before, is pe. One of the few questions I get over and over is have you guys got a stadium net or are they Ray staying here? And I just still put my hands up and say, I don't know because there's just too much going on with this back and forth, and then there's that also little noise coming over from Orlando about wanting to get a major league baseball team. So Florida is gonna get cramped with a lot or nothing. [00:28:00] I'm not sure which is gonna be here a few years, but we will see.

[00:28:05] Mat Germain: That's right. I think the important thing is that things seem to be positive right now.

[00:28:12] Mat Germain: Overall options are plenty. As long as you hear, there's always a lot of options. Usually that means that something is, can get worked out. When it starts getting to be that rhetoric of either or, like this or this and then we're out, like happening with the as, then you're in the world of hurt.

[00:28:30] Mark Corbett: We'll see what they can pull together, brother.

[00:28:32] Mark Corbett: Cuz it's been interesting. I've, again, when I was at Fenway, people come up and say you've got the trop. He said, but you got, you have, it's terrible there, isn't it? I said, I'm sorry, there are no rainouts. We're sitting here at 44 degree weather wet and. I would be at home in 72 degree weather with no rain on me.

[00:28:53] Mark Corbett: Enjoying a game. Yes. I'm sorry. The trap's terrible. I love it.

[00:28:59] Mat Germain: Every [00:29:00] stadium should have an umbrella.

[00:29:01] Mark Corbett: Oh, I agree with you. Yeah I'll buy a ticket in the grandstand at Fenway before I get up any closer with it. What the weather they had. But it was a lot of fun. We had a great time, Mary, wife and I, when we went and got to go up and climb up the monster.

[00:29:15] Mark Corbett: We went on a tour and the excitement I haven't been to, I guess it's been a while since I've been to another major league baseball field, and I think Fenway was a good one to start with. A place that has a lot of history, a lot of excitement. The fans. The fans are fantastic. I was a little concerned to should I wear my Raysd gear here?

[00:29:35] Mark Corbett: But everybody was pretty well accepting. I ran into a couple of Yankee spans there that they were in Cognito, they were wearing their children's their children's gear. They had a little league day there, and they were wearing their kids hats and jerseys. But it's if you've never gone there, man I, maybe you had, I forgot if you've been or met or not, but it's, it is something, it is really

[00:29:57] Mat Germain: exciting.

[00:29:59] Mat Germain: I've been to a few [00:30:00] dozen games in Fenway, and I've loved every single minute of it. I think the, first of all, the food and drinks are at a good price. They're not gouging like they are at Yankee Stadium and other places. The, like you said, the fans are very knowledgeable and respectful as long as you're respectful to them.

[00:30:16] Mat Germain: You might get the stray guy here, there, yell something obscenity or whatever, but it's not anything serious. And most times he gets hushed out by the other fans. I really love the on top of the game feeling you have at Fenway. Yeah. And how you hear all the ooze and the ahs and the people are into the game.

[00:30:35] Mat Germain: They're watching the game, they're talking. Yes. But they're also involved in the game. And so the passion there for baseball is real. And you feel it for sure.

[00:30:45] Mark Corbett: I had a great respect for the fans there. One, because you're saying about how they behave, but mostly because that they're willing to stay in that weather and watch their team all the way through it and the passion at which, how they either cheer on or cheer on their [00:31:00] players for their performance.

[00:31:01] Mark Corbett: But it's exciting and I can't wait to get out to a few more. Man. You got any any baseball parks that you want to get to that's, that are on your list?

[00:31:11] Mat Germain: Yeah, Wrigley is one for sure, and I know they've modernized it now a little bit, so I'm sad that I didn't see it prior to that. That's one that I definitely want to get to.

[00:31:22] Mat Germain: And I also wanna go to Petco. Ooh, I haven't been out there and I'm going probably within the next two years to do a whole Vegas, grand Canyon, San Diego sort of trip. That's gonna be a part of it for sure. Wow.

[00:31:37] Mark Corbett: That sounds great, man. Yeah. And one of these days I wanted to go out and plan a California trip and hit most of those together, including Petco and good things, brother.

[00:31:47] Mark Corbett: Good, good things. Hey, right now it is Tuesday while Mat here and I are talking, and it's 7 0 4 Eastern time, looking at the bottom of the second when the Rays are back home and they're playing the twins. And it is [00:32:00] zip two, zip one out. So we will see how this goes. Got a great expectations for them this week while they're back.

[00:32:07] Mark Corbett: But great times my friend. Yes, it is.

[00:32:12] Mat Germain: And in the minors games, you also have some interesting arms throwing today. Evan McKendry won the pitcher of the month for the minors, and he's pitching tonight for Durham. And he's become a really intriguing depth piece with So many of the Raysd guys struggling.

[00:32:29] Mat Germain: I know Cooper Criswell is probably gonna get the start tomorrow, but him and Chonos have failed to grab onto that fist spot. If McKendry can continue doing what he's doing and building on that he could be a threat to, to take that role and Patino is now in the pens, so you need that extra piece aside from Bradley, that'll come up and give them depth if needed.

[00:32:51] Mat Germain: So it'll be interesting to see if they add 'em to the 40 man in the next few

[00:32:55] Mark Corbett: months. Yeah I'm interested too, cuz the [00:33:00] one thing that I look at with this, Mat, is. That farm system. We've talked about this before. I hate to see Willie go, I hate to see some of these other people's go, but the best thing is to Ray or continually working with new talent to see teller walls come up Franco obviously and some of these other folks.

[00:33:20] Mark Corbett: It's just amazing. And then I'm looking at what do we do when poor Brandon Lao he's having back trouble right now. What, what happens? We even, what brought a Fidel Bruja for a game or so?

[00:33:36] Mat Germain: Yeah the rays have depth so much despair that there's so many guys you want to see from the minors because you're hoping for that. Brandon La, or sorry, Josh Lowe or Luke Rayley's sort of performance when they come up and have a huge impact. But the reality is everybody has growing pains.

[00:33:57] Mat Germain: If it all, bruh, Han's, a guy that I've wanted to [00:34:00] see. After he's gotten all the seasoning can he be more consistent, especially at the late, because if he can be he's a real player, he is the perfect utility player for a team. He can move all over the place and give you quality everywhere he goes.

[00:34:15] Mat Germain: I'm glad that he's getting an opportunity to show what he can

[00:34:18] Mark Corbett: do again.

[00:34:22] Mark Corbett: Man, I'll tell you what, man, that's, I think that's about all I got. Is there anything in particular you wanted to cover, bump beyond what we have thus far? Nope. Nope. I'm good. All right, brother. Man, it's always Mat. It's always a joy talking with you, brother. And I tell you what, it's gonna be interesting to see how the rest of the season continues.

[00:34:40] Mark Corbett: And I said I just. I'm still dumbfounded. I'm stupid fired. That to see the greatest performance I've seen with these rays and cash has done a great job of man maneuvering the team and players, whether it be days off or quickly responding with somebody who has an injury. [00:35:00] And I don't know, I just have a great deal of.

[00:35:03] Mark Corbett: Of a I can't even think of what I wanna say. I have a great deal of respect. Yeah. Really, I have a great deal of respect for what he's done with that team and the coaches as well. Wish everybody. What are you predicting for a win total based on we've seen 62 games now. We have a hundred to go.

[00:35:24] Mat Germain: What are you predicting for a win

[00:35:25] Mark Corbett: total? Oh, geez, brother. I would've. Early on, I would've said one 10. I'm gonna say 1 0 2. 1 0 2. What about

[00:35:34] Mat Germain: you? 1 0 7. Ooh, I like yours better. It's a window division number for sure. But yeah I feel like when I look at the next hundred, I think they can take 64 of them.

[00:35:49] Mat Germain: It's essentially where I'm going. So I having looked at the schedule and the strength of it, I think that's about, I think there'll be somewhere between 1 0 1 and 1 0 [00:36:00] 7. It'll be a franchise record either way. Hopefully they continue on like that.

[00:36:06] Mark Corbett: All right I'm looking forward to that number.

[00:36:09] Mark Corbett: I'm looking forward to watching these guys go all the way to post season and take the World Series. Come on, as soon as the next step I know they're gonna make a big trade between now and the trade deadline. So when it happens, whenever you want to get me young, we'll talk about it. All right,

[00:36:23] Mark Corbett: brother.

[00:36:24] Mark Corbett: Thanks again man. It's always fun having you here on Baseball Biz on Deck. And brother again, where can they find you on Twitter?

[00:36:31] Mat Germain: It's at m a t underscore, g e r m a i n underscore.

[00:36:38] Mark Corbett: Yeah. And guys, I gotta tell you, if you wanna keep up with the Rays, not just at the minor system, Mat does a great job of that.

[00:36:44] Mark Corbett: There's, I get so much more insight from all the details he's able to share about the different players and what they're achieving and some great insight on what to expect for the future with the rays. So again, Mat, thanks again for joining us here today, buddy. I look forward to talking to you again real soon.

[00:36:58] Mark Corbett: My pleasure. And meeting time. [00:37:00] All right. Take care. Have a good one. All righty.

Thanks to Tampa Baseball Museum for their continuous support.

Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

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