RaysUp - New Team Owners on the Horizon - What will it mean?

New ownership of the Tampa Bay Rays on the horizon

Florida Developer, Patrick Zalupski – Jacksonville Real Estate Developer, 
Dream Finders Homes 

 Ken Babby  - Founder & CEO, Fast Forward Sports Group &
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp – Triple A team for the Miami Marlins & the
Akron RubberDucks – Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians

an informed and experienced mind to the ownership & front office

2 business guys from New York invested in 2 teams years ago

Jeffrey Loria purchased Marlins for $160 million funded in part by selling the Expos for $120 million to MLB Loria built a Marlins stadium and later sells the team for $1.2 billion

Stu Sternberg bought the Rays for $200 million did not build a stadium & is now selling the Rays for $1.7 billion. 

Stu’s deal will be more profitable than what Loria got for the Marlins

Tampa Mayor, Jane Castor supportive of Rays in Tampa

Could City of Tampa aid new owners with reduced rates for services & lighter taxes

Naming rights of the new stadium could cover many of the costs

$1.7 billion a smidge more than the Orioles purchase price

2 Expansion teams on the horizon with a $2 billion price tag per team

Will Stu become part of the Montreal Ownership Group 

Mat’s "tip of the hat" to Stu 

Stu’s Rays won the fifth most games in MLB during his tenure while building 1.5 billion in equity

What will the front office look like without Stu at the helm

Reflect on Anthopoulos after new ownership with the Toronto Blue Jays

Will Erik Neander still govern the team with new ownership

Will the new owners work with St. Pete on the Trop lease

Is Ybor Rays stadium possible see - Developer Darryl Shaw, Tampa Bay Sun unveil Ybor Harbor soccer stadium plan https://bit.ly/40fUn5F

Rangers & Royals new owners have been willing to spend money, how will the new owners spend with the Rays

Part of the Rays value is a strong group of young players in the farm system

How do you transfer Wander Franco’s contract to the new owners with this sale

Junior Caminero - will the new Rays owners develop a strong contract with him.

Will Grit & Glow go to be replaced with Ybor Cigars & Cuban Sandwiches

March to the World Series with new music “Stomps & Claps”

Rays have been strong over the last 25 games

All-Star candidates for the Rays, Jonathan Aranda & Brandon Lowe

will the new owners offer an extended contraction Jonathan Aranda 

Rafael Devers traded to the Giants – what does it mean – where is the value

Boston still has Alex Bregman

Red Sox fans on Blue Sky are upset with the Devers move

Boston fans need to reflect on how this trade increases their pitching depth with the 2 new prospects. 

Shane Baz & Tyler Glasnow trade example

Devers & Adames teaming up together with the Giants

Rafael Devers trade – Big Papi’s take

How did Alex Cora work with Devers prior to this trade

Coming back, Shane McClanahan, Richie Palacios, Ha-Seong Kim & Nate Lavender

Rob Manfred need Rays deal to go through to start building an MLB expansion

All Rays minor league affiliates are above 500

If you enjoyed this show, go ahead like and subscribe to BaseballBiz On Deck. Also you can find Mat at M-A-T-G-E-R-M-A-I-N dot B Sky social. That's Mat at M-A-T-G-E-R-M-A-I-N dot B, Sky social or Mark at  Baseball Biz on Deck dot B Sky Social. You may also find BaseballBiz on Deck, at iHeart Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and at www.baseballbizOnDeck.com

 Special Thanks to Scott Holmes for the music Stomps & Claps & to Helen Glennon for her shared news discovery with the show

Transcript

Tampa Bay Rays - RaysUp BaseballBiz 299 - Rays for Sale $1.7 million

[00:00:00] Mark Corbett: Welcome to Baseball Biz On Deck, I, uh, Mark Corbett. And with me of course, is Mr. Mat Germain And we are here to unravel what's happening in the wild world of the Tampa Bay Rays because, I don't know, it's one big twisted ball of multicolored yarn.

[00:00:18] And I am telling you right now, every time I think I understand what's going on with this team, I find out I am wrong. Hey, Mat , how you doing brother? 

[00:00:27] Mat Germain: I'm good. I'm wearing my auctioneers hat and, and oddly enough, there's only one person at the auction apparently. Like, uh, do you have to go through the whole field?

[00:00:36] Do you have to talk fast or you just keep amping up the price of the same person? How does that work when you're trying to get the best deal? Like, I, I don't get it. 

[00:00:45] Mark Corbett: I don't know, brother, but evidently there was one, one serious buyer. For the Rays, right. Anybody who's been following anything with the Rays has already probably heard this news and it came out today.

[00:00:58] Like so many things, it just seems [00:01:00] to emerge from nowhere. I mean, okay. Preparing for today's show, Mat. I'm looking, oh, we, we can talk about Devers. Well, I was thinking that we, we can talk about the Allstar game. We, I'm talking about that and talking, talking, talking, talking. There are so many different things, brother.

[00:01:17] And then this pops up. I was snoozing. The Mrs picks up the phone, calls me and says, Hey, something's, something's buzzing about the Ray. You might wanna check the news on this. 

[00:01:28] Mat Germain: That's a good wife right there. 

[00:01:29] Mark Corbett: She's a great wife, Karen. So Karen gives me the Rays alert. It didn't, it isn't a little notification of the phone.

[00:01:36] It's, it's a ring from the Mrs. And lo and behold, I am, I'm not stunned by anything anymore, Mat , but still, so there, let's kind of give a, a brief explanation. There is a businessman in Jacksonville. Real estate investor, we'll call him that. And then he has some other [00:02:00] folks up there as well, and supposedly some Tampa business people who are working together, who are in communication with the Rays about purchasing the team.

[00:02:09] Now this is something I actually, that the Rays put out in a press release as much as anything else. It was across MLB also. It is interesting because a couple things, you know, I'm thinking, okay, Jacksonville, would they move the team? That's one thing I was wondering about. Two say, okay, who are some of these other folks that are with him?

[00:02:31] And let's see if I can bring that up here real quick.

[00:02:37] All. Florida developer, Patrick Zalupski . Uh, sorry Patrick, I'm sure I'll get it wrong a couple more times. Florida developer Patrick Zalupski , uh, a Jacksonville real estate developer and his organization is Dream Finder Homes. I. By the way that, that, that connected my head. I keep thinking, what was it? Oh, the Orlando Dreamers, you know, [00:03:00] but, so there's a couple of dreams going on out there.

[00:03:02] Let's hopefully, maybe this one we can wake up and there's something nice waiting for us besides just a hot cocoa cup at the end of it. Um, but what really did intrigue me was one of the other folks that, part of his group that they mentioned, a gentleman by the name of Ken Babby. He's founder and CEO of Fast Forward Sports Group.

[00:03:23] Now, I dunno if you had a chance to look at this yet or not, but he, he's involved in the game. He now, as part of that sports group, he has two teams that he's also the CEO of the Jacksonville Jumbo shrimp. Which is a AAA team for the Marlins, and he's also the CEO for the Akron Rubber Ducks, which is AA affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians.

[00:03:47] So we have somebody who's worked with teams, you know, even at AAA level as an owner and who understands some of the game. I like that part [00:04:00] already. Not knowing enough about the primary person. They're talking about Mr. Zalupski , Zalupski . We'll figure it out by the end of the show and the that, that gives me some hope that this will actually happen and it will be done in a way that the Rays stays strong.

[00:04:20] Mat Germain: And, and really like, that's where my main focus is in this entire fiasco. I'm like, okay, like I had some sympathy for, for Stu Sternberg because he has done a good job in terms of managing the front office and in terms of putting a good product on the field. Right. Generally. So, so that is, is what I. Uh, grew to love about the Rays through the time that I've monitored them very closely.

[00:04:43] The thing that's been missing is the final link with the fans by making a firm commitment in terms of the stadium, in terms of sorting that out, and there was so much, what, what probably should have happened behind closed doors, dealings being done out, open in the [00:05:00] public to put pressure on certain political aspects, and probably was done the wrong way.

[00:05:03] And it's a lot of the same thing that another New Yorker did down in southern Florida in, you know, in terms of Jeffrey Loria and, and I'd like to start there, really, mark is, is to say, okay, we have two business guys from New York, right? One of them I. Got a, uh, $160 million loan interest free from a major league baseball to purchase the Miami Mar of Marlins.

[00:05:28] At the time, I think it was the Florida Marlins, right? He gets the, the city to build a, a stadium. Right, and then he sells them for $1.2 billion. That's a heck of a deal. After you've been paying on an interest free loan for I don't know how many years. And each year, just like Stu Sternberg, he was pocketing tens of millions of dollars in revenues that were going to that franchise because they were a quote unquote poverty franchise.

[00:05:54] So. We have the other one was just Stu Sternberg. He pays 200 million for the Rays [00:06:00] and, and he, you know, I don't know what the financing was on it. He ends up not building them a stadium and he still gets $1.7 billion for that franchise regardless. You know, so even though Loria. Is is made a lot of people angry and there's a lot of people who really, truly hate him, including myself because I saw what he did to the expos.

[00:06:23] Yeah. And, and the way that that happened was just atrocious. And, and, and it still burns me. And Major League Baseball was involved in all that. And so it's not just on him, it's the whole ownership group of Major League baseball that's involved in that. But all that to say that I think there's more,

[00:06:42] there's more, , I understand why Stu decided to accept, basically, is what I'm saying, because he's getting an even better deal than what Jeffrey Loria got after he got them the stadium deal. ? So it'll be really interesting to see if they do pay that 1.7 billion, we'll never know how that's, spread out over how many [00:07:00] years and how it's financed and all that.

[00:07:02] Yeah, craziness. But it'll be interesting to see how, how much they're then able to get out of Tampa politicians. Mm-hmm. In terms of, you know, because so long the vaults have been closed. So are the vaults now creaking open? It's like the price is right. You've got those three numbers right. The vault cranks open and, and next thing you know, there's millions of dollars sitting there, uh, ready to be taken by, uh, Mr.

[00:07:26] Patrick. 

[00:07:28] Mark Corbett: Well, you know, you, you talked about the saying, the connection with the, uh, the city and the development around there. It was interesting how some of these stories. Fell out. I think last week you were talking about how Jane Castor had said some comments. What can I find it here? The Tampa Bay Rays are part of this community, and we want them to stay right here in Tampa Bay said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.

[00:07:52] A statement provided by spokesperson. We're optimistic that any new ownership will recognize the passion of our fans [00:08:00] and the value of keeping the team rooted where they've been supported from the start.

[00:08:06] Well, that sounds great, but when is she going to find herself in a similar situation as the mayor of St.

[00:08:14] Petersburg where they're saying, Hey, we'd like to build a stadium here, and we'd like you to. Pony up a lot for it. And by the way, we would like not just the stadium territory there with, you know, of course of Darryl Shaw as part of it, you know, it's, we want to go ahead and have business development around there that we wanna make sure that the city helps us with.

[00:08:35] So I, I, I don't know, we'll, we'll see how that plays out, but I verbally, and she seems to be pretty good about whatever she says around here. I gotta tell you, I like her. Mm-hmm. But I, I think that, uh, that's, that's sort of an endorsement of the whole thing. So we'll see what comes from that. 

[00:08:51] Mat Germain: The more counselors and the more you know people you get on your side, the easier that all becomes.

[00:08:55] And there's other ways, like I know when things were going on in Montreal, there was [00:09:00] other ways you can help. Right? And by making taxes lower on the stadium itself, on making businesses that operate within the, the stadium a different taxation, you know, scheme by having, uh, different sources of, uh, transportation available.

[00:09:15] For free or at reduced rates, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. There's a whole, you know, gamut of ways you can actually have monetary input, which without, without actually putting any money in. You know what I mean? And then there's also the naming rights. So let's say they do get it in Hillsborough and they have the naming rights, you're gonna get way more money for that than they would've had in St.

[00:09:35] Pete. Uh, I know Stu is all about that 'cause I'm pretty sure you can finance almost all your yearly payments just from the naming rights themselves. So, um, it, it, it's one of those interesting things. I think Hillsborough and, and, and the whole Ybor, you know, scheme coming back is, is, is great. Uh, I'll be interested to see what kind of, uh, architectural schematics they come out with and if they have them handy already.

[00:09:57] The thing is, mark, I don't think you do [00:10:00] this unless you already have those other ducks. Pretty much in a row. Yeah, right. You don't just hand an owner $1.7 billion. Like we said, I think it's just a smidgen under what the Orioles were sold for. Um, and, and I think, you know, that's a heck of a commitment to make if you're an ownership group.

[00:10:20] I know that the, the, um. The expansion teams are gonna go for more than that. I think. Uh, that's the rumor. They're, they're supposed to be somewhere around $2 billion and that's before you build a stadium. And that's what, that's the other thing I, that I kept thinking of is, okay, now is Stu gonna go north?

[00:10:37] To where his political, , affiliations and ways of thinkings are a better match and rekindle a relationship with the Montreal Ownership Group and put in a, a bid for an expansion team in Montreal where the stadium is getting a brand new $900 million roof. You know, that that's, that, that's another key component in this.

[00:10:57] He can take a portion, doesn't have to own the [00:11:00] majority, and just be part of that group instead. And I think that would have a lot of merit as well 

[00:11:07] Mark Corbett: I gotta point out earlier today you did give a tip of the hat to Stu Sternberg. It's so easy to poke at him, but you actually, I'm gonna read your, uh, post here on Blue Sky. Let's see. Love him or hate him. Rays' Owner Stu Sternberg empowered his front office and built front offices that were the envy of MLB.

[00:11:31] They lifted every rock. or rule to gain an edge, and he wound up with a team that won the fifth most games in MLB over his tenure while building 1.5 billion in equity. Woof. You know, I, I don't think a lot of people realize he'd won the fifth most games in MLB over his tenure. 

[00:11:55] Mat Germain: It's insane to think, to consider that and, and know, like.

[00:11:59] We're talking [00:12:00] about a very competitive group of teams. They're not, and like you're talking about storied franchises, , the Cardinals, , the Red Sox, , the Braves, the, all these franchises that have been around for a very, very, very long time and have a core, of learning that's been inherited over decades, and then they have all the allure to go with it and all the, uh, old greats hanging around and rubbing shoulders and trying to spread their wisdom.

[00:12:26] The Rays didn't really have that, and so for when he took it on, not only did he have his. Stadium that everybody hummed and haw about and all the headaches that went along with it. But, I have to imagine that it was hard for him to attract top talent at the beginning. 

[00:12:39] Mark Corbett: Oh yeah. 

[00:12:40] Mat Germain: And, and the fact that he was able to do it by going with the young people and identifying the right ones that were going to hold.

[00:12:49] Like honestly, you look at the long line of people he brought in with the Rays, he's built that entire, piece of the puzzle that a lot of [00:13:00] teams probably overlook, right? George Steinbrenner is probably going, yeah, maybe I did some things wrong over my tenure, because he probably could have hired some different people and had different ways of thinking than he did.

[00:13:11] That probably would've paid off because the Rays found a way. To empower the front office like nobody had ever done before. And I still say they are the standard in doing it, even though Andrew Freeman's doing a great job in, in Los Angeles. And, uh, Alex AnthAnthopoulos is doing great in in Atlanta. Uh, I do think the Rays are still the standard that most teams look up to because they can do so much with so little.

[00:13:35] Oh yeah. And they can spin on a dime if something goes wrong. They know how to address it. They've already got a plan in place. They already have another piece going. And that's something that not a lot of other franchises had, and the Jays are still trying to learn that the hard way. So yeah, I, I had to tip my cap to 'em because to me it's been fun to watch and I don't know that the next group is going to be as successful.

[00:13:55] I, I'll wait and see. Um, but we'll see how long everybody [00:14:00] sticks around and, and we will know, we'll know if things are going astRay, if Kyle Snyder ends up leaving the team. Ooh, right. Yeah, 

[00:14:09] Mark Corbett: yeah, yeah. I, I, I can't, you know, if you're bringing in somebody with, with baseball experience, as we were talking about Babi a moment ago, I gotta wonder if that front office, what it will look like.

[00:14:21] You know, will Eric Ne er still be seen, seen there? Will he be retiring from that? Will he have set aside enough cash? Maybe he's looking at, at getting a partnership into another team, you know, with expansion. I don't know. I, I feel like if I look at. Eric Neander is a key piece, one of, if not the key piece of the Rayss organization and.

[00:14:43] I, I guess that's, I wanna say a point of concern, a more curiosity of, of what would evolve, uh, with the new ownership and when, especially when you reflect on what, uh, what Stu did and, you know, and those first years were hard, man. You know, I, I can only wonder, I. [00:15:00] But the very, very limited amount that they were willing to spend and not having had a farm system in place to build up players.

[00:15:07] And those first few years were hard, and it wasn't until, I guess, the Pinellas years when he was managing that I. Was starting to crack open, but even then, they didn't give him any budget to work with. But it was getting, I think he forced the situation, if you will, for them to, to spend more and to look at doing more.

[00:15:28] So when Madden came in, finally there was a groundwork. Well, I guess what I'm looking at here, Mat , is we've already got a groundwork now. Well, the new guys wanna come in and establish their own, you know, uh, once they buy the Rays. 

[00:15:44] Mat Germain: That's my fear. That's my fear. And that's what happened with Alex Anthopoulos in Toronto when the new ownership group came in or the new front office staff, which is was the case at the time.

[00:15:54] Shapiro came in as president and he wanted, you know, somebody from his side to have control [00:16:00] and, and he wanted some control over transactions and everything else. And, and Anthopoulos said, no, I'm not having that. Like I've earned the right to have. You know, the final say on these moves and these transactions, he, you know, he, he got the attendance up by 2 million fans a year, and, and so he felt like he had proven himself, and I feel like Eric Neander more than proven himself.

[00:16:23] Mark Corbett: Oh, yeah. And 

[00:16:23] Mat Germain: so if they start trying to take away some of that power or some of that transactional 'cause right now, the, just as a, as a. What if scenario The Rays don't have a GM, they have a president and they have four A system, GMs, but they don't have a GM. So what happens if the new ownership group comes in and says, oh, we want to put in a GM and he is gonna get final say.

[00:16:45] You know, what does Eric meander think of that and what do the four assistant GMs think of that, you know, like that that puts a big wrinkle in the thing. So all I'm saying is that it, it may not be all roses and, and you know, there's gonna be some [00:17:00] ruffled feathers in the front office when they start to put in their personnel that they believe are the right.

[00:17:05] People for the jobs, for whatever reasons. So, I don't know. Hey, I've enjoyed the years, uh, with, , the staff being built the way it is. There's always gonna be change in baseball regardless. Yeah. , But I think my, my personal immediate thing is to say, okay, where are they playing next year? I don't even know that.

[00:17:25] , What, how are they going to handle the Trop lease? And, and that conversation with St. Pete now are, is that group able to lean differently on them because of their political might? You know, like there's, there's a lot of things in play here that we may not be, privy to. So, they may be able to close the books on St.

[00:17:46] Pete Once and for all because like I said, they probably have some ducks in a row that they want to play, uh, in Tampa. 

[00:17:53] Mark Corbett: Yeah, I wondered, , with new ownership you say, well, I hear some places they say they [00:18:00] won't honor contracts. Where somebody has a new administration comes in and says, we won't. I don't know that you can do that in real world.

[00:18:07] I know they do it politically sometimes around here, but, uh, can you imagine though, seriously if new ownership. Tried to negotiate something with St. Pete to break that 2028 deal, right? That would allow St. Pete to say, oh good, I don't have to do anything with the Trop. Right? So is that gonna happen? I mean, I think that's what you were alluding to a moment ago, right?

[00:18:32] Uh, so I, I don't know. I hope that's the case because I, the trap. I just think anything to do to sustain that property is a mistake. And you know, how many other buildings have we Raysd to the ground and built something new that made sense? It is time to do that with that area. Whatever else you wanna build there.

[00:18:51] Uh, I, I don't think it has to be another baseball stadium, but it is interesting to me the people who felt like that there [00:19:00] may still be a possibility for the Rays in Ybor because. It just, the timing seems so weird, Mat . I mean, when it was yesterday that it comes out about Darryl Shaw saying, yes, here's the stadium and here's where we're gonna put it for the women's, you know, soccer league.

[00:19:18] And looked so great and so strong. And then a councilman who was on another radio station day was saying, well, I talked with Darryl Shaw two weeks ago and he said that, uh, maybe. Maybe we put the Rays their instead. I don't think that's gonna happen now after Shaw went ahead and, and rolled this whole piece out.

[00:19:34] So we will see my friend. 

[00:19:37] Mat Germain: The other question I have for you, mark, is Okay, we have two scenarios, or actually I'll say three. So we have the rangers and the royals who were sold or bought recently and, and both of them went on spending sprees. Okay, so to speak. I know the Royals was to a lesser degree, but for them it was a spending spree, 

[00:19:56] Mark Corbett: right?

[00:19:57] Mat Germain: And then the Orioles were sold and [00:20:00] did absolutely nothing. So where are the Rays going to be, you know, between those two values? Like, well, what would you bank on? Like reading the tea leaves of what the ownership group actually looks like 

[00:20:16] Mark Corbett: if we have a whole new ownership group. I think they'll spend money.

[00:20:21] I think they will come in and they will spend money. I really do. Because you want to get outta the gate and you wanna get out strong. I don't think we're gonna be Steve Cohen strong. What the guy who owns the Mets and put it out. Who's paying 220 million a year? We're paying less than 90, I think. I can't remember the exact number, but, um, I, I do think that they'll find a way to spend money, especially if Neander is gone, but.

[00:20:48] The strength they have to understand the value of what they already have in that farm system, in the, the ability to build up. I'm looking right now, I'm thinking who, who, who's down. Okay. Chandler Simpson's been, is down right now, Tre' [00:21:00] Morgan, who's been injured. You know, we're gonna see him coming up, I believe, and some other ones as well.

[00:21:05] And that has to be part of that 1.7 billion value of a team that somebody who's buying, hopefully they're recognizing that value, but I still think they'll spend money for, uh, for other players. 

[00:21:18] Mat Germain: I think you know, the uptick in value you see between the Marylands and what the Rays are being sold for. I think it has a lot to do with gambling.

[00:21:25] It has a lot to do with the way revenues are going in terms of, uh, the mlb.com or tv, uh, packages that they're leaning towards going to full. You know, full tilt basically in the near future. Um, it has a lot to do with the merchandising that they have now and, and the different, you know, revenue streams that they have compared to what it used to be.

[00:21:48] But I, I do think it, it's intriguing to think, you know, if even if they could lift the Rays into the middle of the pack, you know how those years that the raids have been in the playoffs, what would that have meant [00:22:00] for the final. Push, right. Uh, of being able to make some of those deals that ended up being turned down because of money.

[00:22:07] So, uh, yeah, it'll be interesting. And also, I don't know how you transfer Wander Franco's contract from the old owner to the new owner to be complicated. Uh, and then. Do you, do you extend Junior Caminero do you, do you make a big splash like they did with water, with junior now? And, and make that one of your first moves at the, as a new ownership group just to put a staple on things and say, yep, we're gonna keep our stars around.

[00:22:32] You can buy a jersey, you can buy a hat, you can do whatever you want to do. And um, are they gonna keep the grit and glow in Tampa? Or are they gonna change that up? So now it's gonna be like a, a jersey with a Cuban cigar and, and a, and a Cuban sandwich on it somewhere. Like what is gonna be the big thing for Ybor?

[00:22:53] Uh, so it'll be interesting to see what, what kind of shakeup they do to, to the team in general. 

[00:22:59] Mark Corbett: [00:23:00] Wow. Well, you know, Mat , I started out this show with new music. 

[00:23:07] Mat Germain: Mm-hmm. 

[00:23:07] Mark Corbett: And stomps and claps. And I didn't think, again, I, I didn't see this coming. You know, I didn't see, I don't know if anybody saw this coming.

[00:23:18] There's always rumblings about somebody interested the Rays and the razor, you know, saying, no, no, no, it's not gonna happen. But this changed everything. The reason I was picked, picking this new music at the beginning, it's forceful, it's powerful, and I'm looking at it as a march to this year's World Series.

[00:23:37] And certainly to getting into the postseason. So it was so easy to, I think a lot of people were raided right off the Rays, even like a, a few weeks ago. But what was it this before last night's game, we were 19 and six for 25 games. Mm-hmm. And then. Last night we took a hit on Baltimore, and right now it's not looking [00:24:00] good.

[00:24:00] It's top of the third and it's eight to zip Baltimore. But this team still is, is strong. We're seeing it looking really great. They had been scoring, I think the average was like six and a half runs a game before last night. Hopefully they'll make some amends here and, and not get completely killed tonight, but, uh, look like Taj must have had a tough beginning.

[00:24:22] I didn't see the. Of it. I, I'm looking forward to this year, man. We are, we're together sports, uh, let's see. We got to all star voting going on and looks like two of our guys are right up there at the top. Mr. Aranda, well not the top, but are right in the top contenders. We say top four or five. And it's Aranda and, uh, Brandon Lau.

[00:24:43] So first and second base. 

[00:24:46] Mat Germain: Yeah. I put out a, a, a post today about Aronda just because I, uh, I think. You know, sometimes it's fun to look at at the players and say, okay, what kind of value are we getting for some of these guys? Because you kinda, you know, you [00:25:00] take it for granted sometimes that some of these guys are making league minimum.

[00:25:03] Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

[00:25:03] Mat Germain: So Corbin Carroll, uh ha, and Rafael Devers both have the same exact value this year, offensively as Jonathan Aranda. Right. Corbin Carroll has an eight year, $111 million deal. Uh, Rafael Devers has a 10 year, $313 million deal. And, and Jonathan Aranda is making 767,000. Right? Yeah. So when you talk about how the Rays do it mm-hmm.

[00:25:33] This is how they do it. It's not going to be the mega stars coming over and doing the work for them. They're going to find their own and develop them and, and try to piece things together. And sometimes you have pleasant surprises like this. So I don't know if they'll ever do an extension with Jonathan.

[00:25:49] I think they'll approach him about it. And if he's willing to take a team friendly deal, probably he, they'll get it done. But he's making, he's making life a little bit harder on them because he is. I think he starts [00:26:00] arbitration in 2027, so he is got two years. If he does this for two years, he's gonna get paid.

[00:26:04] Like he's, then, he's probably not extendable because he will price himself out as a first baseman. So it'll be interesting to see how they handle it. My hunch is they'll probably go year to year and just play it as is. Um. If they have enough first baseman coming up that they don't have to overstretch themselves in, in the budget on that position.

[00:26:24] But if he can ever pick up second base again mm-hmm. And become that, you know, piece that can handle that in that way. Um, and, and Brandon Lowe moves on, then all bets are off. Maybe they'll, they'll look in at an extension. What did you think of the Rafael Devers uh, transaction? 

[00:26:43] Mark Corbett: Oh, all I can think of is how happy JomBoy and all the Yankees fans must have been when they heard this.

[00:26:50] It must have just a, a layer them beyond belief. I, I think that, , Devers he was clear about how he felt about things in, uh, [00:27:00] Boston, and they said, guess what? You, you work for us. There's a contract and you can either go or we tell you or you can, or we'll just send you somewhere else. 

[00:27:08] Mat Germain: I'm having a firefight right now in Blue Sky about it with the Red Sox fans.

[00:27:13] They're, they're all in an uproar, and I'm like, what are you talking about? Like, if I had a cancerous player on my team, and I understand, I'm not saying he's a bad guy. He's, I would love him on my team. No, no problem. As long as you're on a team that communicates well with them and lets them know what's what.

[00:27:30] But this whole thing about having a chip on your shoulder and not being willing to move positions is bs. Yeah. You're getting paid hundreds of millions of dollars to play a game. If the team tells you that the best thing for the team is to move to that position, you move to that position, you say, yes, sir.

[00:27:46] Thank you very much for paying me obscene amounts of money to play a game. And you move on. And the fact that the Red Sox fans don't understand that, especially when they have Alex BreGMan who's gonna take his spot at third [00:28:00] base. I mean, come on, look at the young core that you have coming up. And all the young players, Roman Anthony's gonna get those at bats.

[00:28:06] That's a bad thing. That's gonna make you worse. Really. No, it's not. And then. They've completely overlooked all of the prospects in the deal. They, everybody's focused on devs. Okay, when, what bat are we getting back? They're getting two arms. Do you know how hard it is to find two MLB ready arms that are going to push your pitching staff to the next level?

[00:28:27] Like that's extremely hard. Both of them are controllable for years. That saves you how much money in terms of signing pictures that are gonna. Fall off the map like Lucas g Alito has done for them, you know, for a year and a bit after they signed them. So, you know, you're saving yourself that headache.

[00:28:45] You're deepening your pool of talent and pitching, which is what you need. To help your young core of of players. So I think the Red Sox did a the right thing because I still don't think they ever wanted to extend devs at that obscene amount of [00:29:00] money because they knew eventually he would be a dh. And the only reason they did it is because they felt so bad for the fans about Bogarts and bets, and they decided, okay, this time we'll bite the bullet.

[00:29:10] Yep. And they really regretted it. The fact that they could get away from it is a boon to them. And I love the two prospects they got, which nobody talks about. Yeah. Like they don't talk to the about them. Haven't they learned by watching the Rays that sometimes the prospects are the biggest piece. You know, nobody remembers Shane Baz being the player to be named later in the entire glass Now deal.

[00:29:34] He just focused on glass now. I was like, no, Boz is the guy, he's the piece. Anyways, and, and that's, that's what I, what I feel about the devils trade. I think when you're looking at it three years from now. Sure the giants may do well with devs. I'm not discounting that at all. And he's gonna take their lineup to a new level, and it's great for them.

[00:29:53] He's willing to play per first, apparently. And it'll be well in a, in a, in a team with Willis. [00:30:00] I think they would love playing together. I think they're both kind of, uh, personalities that are gonna mesh together. So, so all the power to them, and they needed a 30 home run bat. Um. For the Red Sox, I think it makes them a more formidable adv adversary.

[00:30:15] Mm-hmm. Um, I just don't know if it's gonna be right away. There's gonna be a period of adjustment. There's young players there that need to learn, you know, some, some things. And, and honestly, mark, I don't think I understood how bad Trevor's story's defense was until I saw him play a bunch of series against the raids.

[00:30:31] It's atrocious. How is he at shortstop? I, they, they need to move him to. Second asap. Like that's the, the worst second, or shortstop in the ales by far. 

[00:30:43] Mark Corbett: Yeah, that, that whole situation with Dev blew my mind and. He's, you know, you're employee, I'm sorry, you, you're a very well paid employee. And the whole idea of it too, I was reading something that, uh, big Poppy, you know, [00:31:00] Poppy's part of the organization in the front, but he, if anybody has a sense of possibly endeavors, is going through him, you know, becoming a DH for one thing and not being able to do other things out there because of it.

[00:31:13] And he, Big Papi would went so far as to say. Somewhat that, I guess you could say dancing around. Not really, but he said that there was things on both sides that could have been better. Yes, but, but guess what He says, you have to understand this is the team that you're working for. And along exactly what you said a moment ago.

[00:31:38] Yes. Guess what? This is the direction they point you in for all that. Man, big amount of money that you're kidding for. Smile and say thank you and play your heart out to the game that you truly love. Even if it isn't exactly the way that you would wanna manage it and coach it because you're still a player.

[00:31:56] I. 

[00:31:57] Mat Germain: What do you think it, it speaks about in terms of [00:32:00] Alex Cora? 'cause I remember we sat here with the person we talked about the Red Sox with before the season started. Yep. And we mentioned the fact that we didn't think this was gonna play out this way. We thought that Alex Cora would calm the situation down and have the respect that Alex uh, Rafael Devers would go.

[00:32:16] Okay. I'll move positions or Alex Bregman would, I knew everybody would kind of accepted it. What does it speak about his leadership skills and his communication skills that it didn't really get communicated? Because I have to believe at some point Alex knew before Rafael did, and he just didn't pass the information on.

[00:32:34] Did he think that something was gonna happen and stop it from happening? Did he think ownership wasn't gonna follow through and force his hand? Is it him who took the decisions the entire time and didn't communicate? Like what role did Alex Cora have in all this? Nobody seems to be focused on that.

[00:32:50] They're all about the ownership and the contract, and Rafael. Nobody's talking about Alex, and I think that's a big, I can't see [00:33:00] Kevin Cash, not like, I think Kevin Cash would've flown to wherever that player was and had the conversation with him and said, you know what? You know, this is what we're looking at for next year.

[00:33:10] We need you to do this, this, this. Consider this. We're just letting you know in advance. You know, he would've done that Same thing as Kyle Schneider. He does it all the time with the pitchers. He goes and has one-on-one conversations letting him know where things stand like, and that's how you're supposed to do it.

[00:33:26] Uh, you know, these are your assets. These are people that you're investing a lot of time and money and effort into, and you want them to be part of the team. Right. It's a team mark. It's a team. 

[00:33:38] Mark Corbett: Yeah. Right, right. There's, there's no, yeah. No, I In team. Is that what it's, there isn't 

[00:33:42] Mat Germain: a kip. It's a French game.

[00:33:47] Mark Corbett: Oh, love it. I love it. Love it. Oh my gosh, my friend. I tell you what, that it is insane when you think about that. Uh. Uh, about Cora. Geez, man. I had the sense that [00:34:00] he was more of, of, of a friend than a coach, sometimes with devs. And I think that may have made it difficult for him to be blunt, if you will, about this is how it's gonna be.

[00:34:13] I. You know, because let's face it, the managers get some marching orders from the front office too. And sometimes they've gotta deliver the news. They don't wanna deliver. They've gotta go in a direction that they're may, they may not be crazy about. And I'm not saying that's the way it should be, but that's the way it is.

[00:34:31] And Cora needed to be able to harness the energy with um. Devers. I, I guess I'm trying to say he, he needed to find a way where he's, he's more than a friend. He's that he's a coach. That he's an administrator, if you will, an administrator of a team. And I don't think that happened from little, I could see, I mean, I might as well be writing fiction on this 'cause I know so little about what goes on between the, their [00:35:00] interplay.

[00:35:01] I don't know 

[00:35:01] Mat Germain: brother, but I will say that, you know. Looking at the AL East overall, like the oil Orioles are starting to pick up steam again. 

[00:35:10] Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

[00:35:10] Mat Germain: The Yankees are having closed door team meetings again. Uh, the Blue Jays, what does it mean? Sorry. Every year it seems we're talking about that. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

[00:35:21] Continue. 

[00:35:21] Mark Corbett: Yeah, 

[00:35:23] Mat Germain: it happens every year. Mark. I, I don't know, it, it's like last year, I think it was in July, I can't remember. But, um, yeah. And the Blue Jays are just, uh, you know, they're, they're up and down. They're a little bit like a rollercoaster this year. So the Al East is interesting. They, there's lots of things in play.

[00:35:39] Everybody's like squeezing back into that range. Of, of being competitive against one another. And that's always fun, especially with the trade deadline coming up. It'll be like, who believes more in their team? And like you said, if the Rays do open up the vault a little bit and decide to make a splash of the deadline to, to push, you know, some chips in and they get seeing Shane McClanahan hand [00:36:00] back.

[00:36:00] Mm-hmm. There's, they, uh, I think Richie Palacios, Ha-Seong Kim are very close to being ready. Nate Lavender should be coming back. He's one of those other arms that they got back from the Mets. Um, and they'll be forced. He doesn't have any options remaining, I think. So once his, uh, rehab starts and, and he ends up being on the way, I think the clock begins, basically where they have to decide what to do with him on a 40 man.

[00:36:25] Right. And he was an intriguing arm as well. So they have reinforcements coming on top of the guys in, in, in triple A, uh, triple A, like, uh, Gibson and, and Boyle and everybody else, but. It's really interesting to look at Major League Baseball as a whole and, and see, you know, the, a's they're in Sacramento, but they're gonna get their Vegas thing now.

[00:36:46] The Rays seemed to be finalized, so is expansion around the corner, that's gonna be the next, you know, maybe by the All-Star game to decide to make some sort of announcement. 

[00:36:57] Mark Corbett: Well, I gotta believe that Manfred will be pleased [00:37:00] as punch once Pen is put to paper and it is signed with a new ownership of the Rays because that means I think he will be able to focus more on expansion and that's his baby.

[00:37:10] I think he, he has to get that done for his legacy as, as he has his little checklist and I'm sure that's on it. 

[00:37:17] Mat Germain: Yeah, absolutely. 

[00:37:20] Mark Corbett: You were talking about the, the, uh, the Orioles doing a little better. Boy, I tell you what, I don't mind if they get better, just not on our time. And

[00:37:32] last night they beat us and uh, right now I think it's eight to one. It's like what? The fourth inning, I believe. Geez, Pete. 

[00:37:38] Mat Germain: If it's any comfort, mark, we're, we're facing the Tigers and Orioles after this, and then we get to see the same guys over again against the Orioles. Their matchups are exactly the same.

[00:37:53] Mark Corbett: You gotta do over. Yeah. Well, there you go. Can't wait. Oh, geez. There's something going [00:38:00] on. I, I'll find out. May, I'll bring it up next week. There's something about some changes to Camden Yards and Really, yeah. Yeah. You know, which. To me it is, it's almost like, see Yeah, we're gonna, we're gonna put an annex gift shop at the Vatican.

[00:38:14] Okay. So, you know, over Yeah. Move, move, move some of that Michel stuff over there. Yeah. Okay, good. I, I don't know. I mean, to me, cam Yards is one of those things that just has such a great feel about it. So I'm not sure what all they're gonna do, but the new owner, you know, he put his, his bobble head out there.

[00:38:36] I, I, I felt like it was kind of a, a strange vibe and then Brandon Hyde being let go. It, it's a weird year for the, the Orioles, but it looks like they're, like you said, they're catching their juice now. 

[00:38:49] Mat Germain: Yeah. They, what they could do in, in Baltimore, really, I love Camden. I wouldn't change much about it at all, but the area around it, I could see them building up, you know, some, some things that are [00:39:00] more, uh.

[00:39:01] Uh, hanging out shopper friendly. Like you do have to go out a little bit of a ways to, to get to bear areas and, and to, uh, more happening spots. There's the ones that get busy right before, right after the game. Mm-hmm. But other than that, they're, they're not really, you know, things that would maintain your interest long term, basically.

[00:39:20] Um, so yeah, I, I think there's, there's opportunities there for him to grab onto for that. But, uh, Camden itself, I, I loved, I spent the whole weekend there and, and it's great. It is beautiful. It's beautiful. 

[00:39:33] Mark Corbett: Well, let's hope our boys can take 'em down the night. I, I mean, they're, the great thing about the Rays is they do play aggressively and it's, it's Wednesday right now, but Tuesday night watching the game, we were making some aggressive base stealing that just didn't work out.

[00:39:48] And that was, I felt like that was a big part of where we, we failed last night. But it's, um. 

[00:39:55] Mat Germain: They're chipping away here. They, they're up to eight three now, and they, they had, [00:40:00] but the, the inning before, they had the bases loaded and yandy popped out. So, uh, they had the opportunity to actually chip in even more.

[00:40:08] So I, I wouldn't let up on the Rays yet for this one. It seems like the Orioles pitching is, uh, just as faulty as the Ray pitching. 

[00:40:17] Mark Corbett: Well, let's hope they bring it back. I, I have full confidence that they can. So we'll do that. Any other news or anything you wanna cover my friend? 

[00:40:25] Mat Germain: I, I will say, like you mentioned before, there's some guys coming back on the minor league side that are going to be ramping up things.

[00:40:32] So remember we had the, the talk with Kevin, , about, , Yoniel Curet , the young guy that I said may have the best stuff in, in the Raysd minors, he's on a rehab assignment now, so he's with the SCL, he is back on track. Uh, there's, uh, another couple of guys that are in the same boat, so Alex Kool and, um.

[00:40:49] Anyways, so all that to say that the, the system is getting healthier and healthier. They're getting further and further up above 500, and all four teams now are above 500. So the Charleston [00:41:00] RiverDogs after their zero and seven start, I can't remember exactly how bad it was, have chipped away and climbed back into it, and they're now, I think, one game out of the division lead.

[00:41:10] Geez. So, uh, the Rays just keep winning. And like Kevin said, that's their motto is to just get all those teams in the playoffs. Get them as many wins as possible and get the players used to winning. So it's great to see. 

[00:41:21] Mark Corbett: Alright 

[00:41:22] Mat Germain: brother. 

[00:41:23] Mark Corbett: It's fun times. Well, we wanna thank you all again for joining Mat and I here today and another fun time talking about the Rays with something that didn't expect this morning.

[00:41:33] But thank you Karen, for waking me up.

[00:41:39] No guys. Oh, well, thank y'all again for joining us this week. And Mat , I'll, I'll catch up with you soon and we will have more fun next week. So thanks again everybody, and we'll talk with you again real soon. 

 &Just a reminder, if you enjoyed this show, go ahead like and subscribe to BaseballBiz On Deck. Also you can find Mat at M-A-T-G-E-R-M-A-I-N dot B Sky social. That's Mat at M-A-T-G-E-R-M-A-I-N dot B, Sky social or Mark at  Baseball Biz on Deck dot B Sky Social. You may also find Baseball Biz on Deck, at iHeart Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and at baseball biz on deck dot com

Special Thanks to Scott Holmes for the music Stomps & Claps & to Helen Glennon for her shared news discovery with the show