MLB Trade Deadline dust settles - Who's New - Tampa Bay Rays

• Griffin Jax comes on Taj Bradley traded 
• Twins are Kryptonite to Rays during Trade Deadlines
• Fans should be ecstatic - keeping Brandon Lowe, Pete Fairbanks & Yandy Diaz
• Rays gave up 3 pieces for a catcher 
• Expected Tristan Gray was going to be called up 
• Dealing Jose Cabaellero to the Yankees not happy to see his speed moving to New York
• Love for the Yankees not magnified
• games with Yankees lost 3 in 4 game series
• 4 players pulled from the game 3 from injuries & one sent to Yankees dugout
• Who's On First - Aranda, Brandon Lowe,  Matt Thaiss - what will it look like when Ha-Seong Kim returns
• Does Matt Thaiss stay with the team 
• Ben Rortvedt value for trade
• Brent Rucker was given a shot wiith the A's
• No big guns coming up from the minors
• Hunter Feduccia will bring more strength and power to the  team
• Kyle Snyder & Chad Mottola 
• Duncan David has amped up his velocity and location
• What does the future hold with Adrian Hauser
• Rasmussen & Hauser sub 3.0 ERA could be the post-season game pitchers
• Andrew Kittredge moves 
• Carlos Correa - $200 million dollar man returns to Houston Astros
• Jesus Sanchez , another X-Ray moves to Astros
• SerAnthony Dominguez Orioles to Blue Jays
• And you though Danny Jansen felt bad 
• Jose  Caballero moved mid game to Yankees dugout
• x-Rays - Charlie Morton leaves Orioles for  his old Astros coach AJ Hinch. Charlie brings veteran leadership and confidence to the dugout that will instill  energy for the team
• What's happening with the Red Sox  at the Trade deadline this year
• What will Alex Cora do with the Red Sox
• Blue Jays were a flat performance in trades exception is  Domínguez
• SerAnthony Dominguez will strengthen the Red Sox team
• Andrew Kittredge moves from O's to Cubs
• Caballero will improve the Yankees
• Ha-Seong Kim will be returning soon
• Yoniel Curet & Duncan David could be moving up
• Twins are the kryptonite for Rays during trade deadlines
• Jax has the chance to be a closer as an elite pitcher
• Fans should be ecstatic as Rays are keeping Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz & Pete Fairbanks for close to a decade with each player

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

Transcript

308 BaseballBiz Tampa Bay Rays – Who is Knew – post MLB Trade Deadline

[00:00:00] Mark Corbett: Welcome to BaseballBiz on Deck. And here we are. It is the day after the trade deadlines are done with Major League Baseball. And many teams may feel, or some fans may feel a little done, but Mat and I will talk about that today. Hey Mat.

[00:00:14] How you doing, buddy? I'm, uh, 

[00:00:16] Mat Germain: like you. I could barely get much good sleep last night because there were so many changes made to so many different rosters. Uh, my head was still spinning by the time I hit the pillow. 

[00:00:27] Mark Corbett: I 

[00:00:27] Mat Germain: tell you, 

[00:00:27] Mark Corbett: it's just completely insane. You know, we had our forecast with the Ray and Neander and friends decided to, to completely blow that even much, much larger than anything we, we'd conceive.

[00:00:42] I've been listening to some radio and some folks who were complaining and know all upset about losing certain players. And remember folks, this is baseball. This is part of it. I mean, are you, are you still concerned about David Price? Are you still concerned about Kevin Remar? Are you and [00:01:00] Evan Longoria come on?

[00:01:01] This team has been great. It'll be continue to be great. And a lot of that comes from the decisions made in the front office. 

[00:01:09] Mat Germain: Yeah, I think the one that I heard the most gripes about, and it is funny, mark, because. You know, we watch his starts and I was his biggest fan through all his starts. I believe in this guy.

[00:01:19] I think that he is going to be a really good starter down the road. It just has to tweak some things that the raise just never could solidify. But when Taj Bradley was dealt, everybody lost their minds. It was like, what is this? How does this happen? But, uh, you know, just prior to that, they sent him to AAA and everybody was good.

[00:01:38] He needs more time. He can't handle the MLB, you know, he is not refined. So it, it's one of those things where you gotta give up something to get something. I did note it on Blue Sky, though. That I think the twins are dec kryptonite when it comes to the rays, making trades at the deadline because from Nelson Cruz, for Joe Ryan and this one, you know, a reliever like Jack's, it's great [00:02:00] swinging this guy, but a reliever for a starter, you don't see that very often.

[00:02:05] Mark Corbett: No. And I think we gave, do we have more than Taj in that deal as well? Was there more than just him? 

[00:02:10] Mat Germain: Uh, that deal? Uh, hang on, I'm trying to think. No, it was just one for one. 

[00:02:16] Mark Corbett: Okay. And. Guy we're getting, how much, uh, control time do we have with him? 

[00:02:22] Mat Germain: We do have some control time, so I think there's two more years after this one so that, you know, if the raids were ever to move on from Pete Fairbanks, or if they're looking for a swing and Ms.

[00:02:32] Guy in the playoffs this year, even, let's say they make it. You know, Jax has the chance to be a closer. He was blocked in Minnesota by Duran and, and a lot of people felt he was actually the better option between the two. Wow. So it tells you a lot about Jax, like he is elite in terms of getting the S swing and miss, which the res need more of from the right side.

[00:02:52] They got it for a while from Eric ORs, but he's struggling right now. They had it from Manuel Rodriguez who might be out for the year, [00:03:00] so they went out and got it. If, if anything, in my opinion, when you look at that and hanging on to Pete, Brandon, and Yandy Yep. It speaks to fans should be ecstatic because their front office said, you know what?

[00:03:13] We believe in this group and we're going for it. And that doesn't happen very often for the race. Um, their biggest weakness was catching and I believe firmly that they've resolved it. Like I really, really, really believe they've resolved it between Nick Fortis and I mean. Mark the rays gave up three pieces for a catcher, three pieces, right?

[00:03:37] For a guy that was blocked in Los Angeles and wasn't getting the, the credit he was due, right? And, and so that is filling like a gaping hole in the Rays organization and saying, you know what? We don't have to rush Dom Keegan this year. We can call on this more mature bat who can also play first base.

[00:03:56] And what happened last night. Mark, Jonathan, and Ronda. [00:04:00] I play at first base, right? It was, 

[00:04:01] Mark Corbett: it was happened in Costello, brother. Okay, who's on first? 

[00:04:07] Mat Germain: And, and so now you're looking at it and you're like, you know what? Hunter Fiducia can play first base. He can step in and be that left-handed bat at first base.

[00:04:15] And so the Ray have really added some intriguing options here where. Originally, I would've thought Tristan Gray would be the call up because I think when they dealt for him, they knew they were moving on from cavi. I firmly believe that, that they were, they were gonna look for a move and that something was gonna happen and that they wanted a more lefty oriented bench.

[00:04:36] For that role. Right. So they brought in Tristan Gray. I think they'll probably bring him back today before the game. But dealing Caballero to a, a divisional rival. Mm-hmm. And one that so desperately needed more speed on their bench. I don't know about that one, mark. Yeah, that's a, that's a tough one to kind of swallow, but I am a fan of Everson Ferreira.

[00:04:56] I, I know he is a lot like Christopher Morell in a lot of ways, and people will. [00:05:00] You know, gravitate to actually matching the two up and, and all peripherals point to them being very similar. The difference is that in my opinion, Pereira is more willing to go the opposite field and take what he's given, whereas B Morell tries to pull everything that he's handed.

[00:05:16] So I think in this case, because of where the rays are playing and where they play in general, in the Yale East, um, I think Pereira is a better fit and he's younger, he's more controllable. Um, I think he's hungry. To get plane time. And whereas Morell has shown the continued decline since he had that big year with the Cubs, so you know what, it's, I can add pressure on, on Morell to perform and if not, they'll replace 'em and, and switch 'em up.

[00:05:43] So I, I like the ads. 

[00:05:46] Mark Corbett: Yeah. Yeah. I, I, I gotta tell you, I, I, looking back, I, I was surprised about a lot of what's happened. And Morell, I'll tell you right now. My hope for him is nowhere near what I would've had with Cow Harold. It probably, it's not fair [00:06:00] to compare the two though either now. I got what, a couple days ago.

[00:06:05] Here we are sitting and we're saying, you know, if there's gonna be any more trades. As you pointed out, we were looking at Pete, we were looking at Brandon Low, we were looking at Diaz and saying, well, will we push all the pork poker chips in? Uh, and they kept those, but I did not anticipate the rest of those changes.

[00:06:23] And, and let's, if you don't mind, let's take a moment and look back at the game from yesterday. Gosh, a good gravy, man. I'm sitting there and I'm looking at this team and we have pulled four players from the game, you know, three with injuries and one we send over into the other dugout. And I, I'm completely insane with this and I was kidding.

[00:06:46] Semi interrupting you on the who's on first deal because let's, let's take a look at it. How did that work out? Yesterday? We had start out with a Rhonda there, correct. And then he, he got injured. What maybe mentioned something about that. 'cause that's, [00:07:00] that just worries me to no end for him and for the team.

[00:07:03] And then, you know, once he has to go out for injury and we got Brandon coming over to first then let's see what else happened. Oh, that's right wasn't it? Was it junior? Junior? Got injured after that? Uh, 

[00:07:17] Mat Germain: I saw Diaz. 

[00:07:19] Mark Corbett: Oh, Diaz, that's right. Diaz got injured and he, uh. Let's see. I'll come back to that. Anyway, it goes, we saw a lot of movement around and the funny thing was, we were talking a couple of days ago with Danny Jansen sitting in the dugout and saying, wouldn't it been funny if Taylor Walls had to wind up catching?

[00:07:38] But what we actually wound up with was a catcher actually working first base last night with, uh, Mr. Thi over there. So, strange game my friend, and again, it did not magnify my love for the Yankees at all. 

[00:07:53] Mat Germain: No, but you know what, like the rays have options and, and this is the, the part where I'm trying to wrap my head around it [00:08:00] is, is now that we know Rhonda might be out four to six weeks 

[00:08:04] Mark Corbett: mm-hmm.

[00:08:05] Mat Germain: Ish, right? With that wrist issue, um, hopefully it's not as severe and he can get the power back right away when he does return. So it's not the end of the world. He would still have more than a month before the playoffs. He can get back on track and, and be ready. The, the question is. You look at the the minors and you say, do they bring in Trey Morgan?

[00:08:24] Now, Morgan's not rule five eligible until 26. I think they're gonna be very patient with them. They're gonna keep him in AAA as long as possible. But I could be wrong because they're looking at. Pushing their chips and like we've been saying, yeah. So they're gonna look for that best option. So Tristan Gray has a lot of time at first base.

[00:08:40] Brandon Laus had taste at first base and in my opinion, that's the key right there, is Brandon Lau and Yondi Diaz share time at first base and dh and they sort of swap back and forth between the two. That seems to be the, the most, uh, legitimate. So then it what becomes important. Is that Hassan [00:09:00] Kim returns?

[00:09:01] He's been on the DL now for our, I, I I say dl. Oh, that's old school. Mark Il. For, 

[00:09:09] Mark Corbett: for shame. For shame. 

[00:09:10] Mat Germain: So, so he could return today. Uh, if you, they want, um, I don't know what his back is like, but if he returns and, and fills in that second base, then suddenly you're okay. Or if Taylor Walls moves to second, et cetera.

[00:09:23] So. Um, the, the rest of the roster source of sort of plays around that. Um, what, what I, I think might be a little bit disappointed at is that they didn't amp up the EL field right away. Like with an an MLB piece, Pereira, they could call on, he is on the 40 man roster, so he can fill in if needed. Um, and he might, at some point they might say, you know what?

[00:09:46] Uh, Jake Mangu can go down. He can come up, let's say they're facing a lot of lefties, uh, in a row, and they wanna give him a taste and see what he's got. You know, they may, they may tap into that at some point, but when you look at the roster makeup, I think the immediate [00:10:00] decisions that we're, I'm, I'm waiting to hear is, does Matie stay with the team or does the guy who.

[00:10:07] They traded three pieces for, and let's review that trade for a second because these are not just willy-nilly, you know, tiny little pieces. You're talking about Paul Avai, who is a six foot, what is he, eight, six foot 10 guy that they brought in from the Mets and they really liked, and I, I also like him. I think he's got a lot of potential as a reliever and even potentially as a starter if, or maybe more multi innings reliever, but then they traded also, um.

[00:10:35] Ben Rove, who doesn't really Mater, but the guy that they got in the Reds trade, um, you know, and, and he's, he's one of those pieces that you can kind of, um, envision dream on. He's a prospect, uh, he's a pitching prospect, but he was the 10th best Red's prospect. Um, so when you're looking at that deal, you know, for, for a catcher, [00:11:00] you're saying, okay, well, um, you know.

[00:11:03] The rays are usually pretty conservative with their pitching, uh, talents if they're top 10 worthy. Right. Um, so I think that opened up a lot of eyes and, and a lot of people were down on saying, okay, well. Uh, Hunter's been blocked and, and hasn't come up to MLB. Well, why? I mean, that must mean he's not very good.

[00:11:23] And I was like, wait, wait, wait a minute. Does that mean that Brent Rucker shouldn't have been given a shot with the, a's like, you know, if you're gonna play that game, you gotta play for everyone. And, and that's not very. You know, conducive to making the best out of all your decisions. The rays are going after this guy because he is a left-handed bat.

[00:11:41] He is a guy that will give you professional at bats every single time he's out there. The only weakness he has as a catcher that I know of, I don't know how he calls games, but is the, uh, the, the throwing tool. So he's not gonna throw out a lot of base runners with the raise, pitching, being what it is.

[00:11:59] You know, [00:12:00] do you really need that? Have they ever had that really a gun behind the plate since Mike Zino? No. Nick Fores is about as close as they're gonna get to, to that in the foreseeable future. And even Dom Keegan and, uh, Kenny, uh, Piper, and all the guys down the minors, they're not guns either. Like there's no guns coming.

[00:12:19] So if that's what you're waiting on, you're gonna be waiting for quite a while. Uh, you know, the guys they just drafted in this draft might be the first ones to arrive that have a big gun at the behind the plate. So I like the Hunter Edition because when we're talking about all these issues, Rhonda being on il, whoever else being gone, Caballero, you know, reducing some of the options off the bench.

[00:12:40] Well, if you're bats. Uh, are willing to pro, are able to produce in some of the traditionally weaker spots in the raised lineup, which has always been, let's say you have Taylor Walls and Nick Forte in the same lineup. Well, that's like having two pitchers in your lineup or close to it. So, so when, when all [00:13:00] of a sudden you've got Hunter that's back there, instead that amps up your lineup to the point where it, it really, uh, takes the load off of Brandon Lau having to carry your offense so much.

[00:13:11] Yeah. I think hi, the, the Hunter Edition, Nick Forte as well, improving the framing. Both of those guys are much better framers and both of them are very good at the lower parts of the plate. They're, they're in that, uh, I can't remember, I think it's zones 16 to 18 or, or 16 to 19. They're very, very, very good at those framing.

[00:13:34] And so I think the pitching is gonna be amped up in August and September, and that's gonna help the raise pitching really. Get some better calls and key situations and frustrate the other teams. So I, those are the two things that I think the raise maximized in this trade deadline. And I really like the fact that all of them, except for Adrian Hauser, have three plus years of control, right.[00:14:00] 

[00:14:00] Mark Corbett: Right. So you and the thing, you think about all the pitching changes and all I can think is Kyle Snyder has to make that in the new catchers, make those batteries work, you know, and one, they've gotta gel, they've gotta build some communication there. And I, I'm obviously, I feel like Kyle has continuously done well with that.

[00:14:20] But this is a challenge, brother. You're a coach and something you got at least. And, and Chad mate, totally. He's gotta learn. Or maybe unlearn some of what these people are doing. The ones that are coming in, it's like, how much room do you give somebody? If they've already been successful, it's, it's not a, a problem.

[00:14:36] Maybe you give them a little more room. I, I don't know. I don't envy any managers who sees this much activity. And then if we're gonna talk a little further, how about Curtis Mead? You know where there's a loss there? 

[00:14:50] Mat Germain: Yeah, Curtis Meade. I, I'm, I'm happy for him. I'm, I'm glad he is gonna go get the playing time he deserves.

[00:14:56] Um, you know, he's worked so hard on his defensive [00:15:00] capabilities, so whether it's at first, second, or third, he'll ha he will get a shot with the White Sox, and I think they're gonna benefit from that. The raise just couldn't lean on that many right-handed bats who were so vulnerable against right-handed pitching.

[00:15:14] And so. It, you know, between him and Johnny DeLuca and Caballero. And so they're doing exactly what I said that they should have been doing a long time ago, which is going more left. He heavy. And, and that's going to help them really compete four days out of five against the pitching in this league. And they need that.

[00:15:33] Um, so Curtis Mead is, is. He's worked so hard and it'll be great to watch him as an x-ray and I will cheer him on, him on over the fence, but also they got in that deal, uh, mark, um, Duncan David, which I'm a big fan of as well. Remember we talked, uh, uh, with the AA manager and, and I highlighted him as one of the guys who, and he said he's amped up his velocity.

[00:15:58] He's amped up his location. [00:16:00] He's really, you know, put himself up as a, uh, attractive piece. And you can tell now because the White Sox targeted him that he really did, uh, put himself on the map in that front. So he's gonna get a shot more than likely in the show, if not this year, next year for sure. But he'll be protected in the Rule five.

[00:16:16] For them. So that, that's a huge thing for him and Ben Peoples who is, uh, he was a good starter in 24. Uh, I think they moved him to the pen late in 24, and then he's been in the pen ever since. Uh, he moved up really fast after that. A little bit of a smaller picture, but he's got. The stuff to really, you know, become a key cog in the middle of somebody's pen.

[00:16:39] So the White Sox did really well on this trade, you know, maximizing a rental, really. But what I wanna know, mark, in this case, the raises invested a lot, like a lot of years of control on Curtis Meade. A lot of years of control on Duncan David. They solved two rule five decisions by dealing those guys and opened up another space with need, but.[00:17:00] 

[00:17:01] What does it mean for them in the future with Hauser? Do they sign him to an extension of one, two, or three years? You know, what? How much value do they see in having that veteran presence? Who's really found his best game now? You know, will they put dollar amounts to it? 

[00:17:20] Mark Corbett: I don't know, brother. I mean, I, I, I've seen the value in veterans.

[00:17:24] I mean, whether it be Nelson Cruz, whether it be Charlie Morton, even going to Denar span to some degree. You know, you, you look at those guys and they give a, a sense of, of, um, mentoring, if you will, for the guys who were in the clubhouse. And hopefully we'll see that with him, the new guy as well. But 

[00:17:43] Mat Germain: another key with that though, mark, just before you move on, if the rays do make the playoffs.

[00:17:48] Rasmussen and Hauser as a one, two. They're both sub three ERA guys. And so that, you know, if McClannahan has issues and he's not able to return healthy, now you've got those two key [00:18:00] cogs that get you through that wild card round. Yeah. And onto the next one, right? Like that, I think is why they made that move.

[00:18:07] And that's why they were so into, heavily invested into Adrian Hauser. And he may have tried Zach Galland, but just couldn't get there with the same package with the DBAs. Uh, and maybe they just trust Hauser more this year because these outperformed, uh, gall. But they, the playoff angle is significant here, where if they think they have a chance and they're gonna push for it, Hauser as one of your top three pitchers, it works.

[00:18:33] Mark Corbett: Folks take note. 'cause I, that's very important. I mean, what you talk about as far as bringing Hauser in and, uh, drew being very impactful and if we get to the playoffs Yeah, I, I'm will be curious. I think those guys will follow the meaning The rays will follow your same mindset on that 'cause. We need some strength if we're gonna get to that point, or I should say when we get to that point.

[00:18:56] Wow. Looking across, um, I [00:19:00] mentioned Charlie Morton as a mentor, now he's seen some movement too. Another x-ray. I mean, he was with the Astros and then he was moving on with us and he was moving here and there, and finally he was wound up. I mean, he was with the Braves and then the Oreos and, and now he gets to be with his old coach, you know?

[00:19:16] Not with the Astros, but the old Astros coach, a j Hinch with Detroit. So I'm looking forward to seeing him roll with this team that's doing so well. All in all, he's, he's gonna be something else. There's great, great, uh, player, you know, and I'm, I'm pulling for him. What can I tell you? Then the other thing was, well, what do you do with that hole with.

[00:19:38] Uncle Charlie, you bring in a closer another x-ray and the Orioles have brought on. Who else? Andrew Kittridge. It is a fun time, man. I mean, you looking across all this, Mat, and it's just where are we seeing all the pieces play? Uh, not array, but. [00:20:00] People you do your own research on this one, Carlos Correa, one of 11 pieces that moved out of the Minnesota Twins.

[00:20:09] You know, this is a guy who's gone back to the Astros and not even holding his own position, but this guy, what he has like about a $200 million plus, uh, contract with, with the twins. I can only wonder how that transfers over to Astros, but it's, it's gonna be fun. It's gonna be a fun season. 

[00:20:27] Mat Germain: That deal had everything to do with the new owners, you know, the coming in in Minnesota and not having to deal with that, you know, atrocious contract really.

[00:20:39] Um, so that, that's a boon for the, the twins who will now get the spin on a dime. They've got strong pitching, you know, the starting pitching that they have, they can build on very quickly. So if they make a few key. Improvements on their, their lineup and their roster, you know, next year they could be back on track to kind of compete a little bit better.

[00:20:58] But yeah, they made some [00:21:00] really crazy amounts of moves. I've never seen the team basically, you know, I, I am an ex expos fan, so I've seen this from that angle, but, but that, that whole, you know. Yard sale, put the sign out, take whatever you can get thing. Um, you know, they probably would've traded Buxton if he allowed it, but he said, no, I'm sticking around.

[00:21:22] So, yeah. But along with Korea, the. The Astros also added another x-ray, Jesus Sanchez. Oh. The Rays had picked up, uh, as an international free agent for 400 k way back when, and then they ended up moving him to the, uh, Marlins when they picked up Nick Anderson. So, you know, he, he goes over to the Astros and, and could really improve their production in the Yelp field and give 'em a little bit more athleticism.

[00:21:49] But, uh. I thought I, they should have added a little bit of a bigger piece in the EL field, to be honest than Jesus. 'cause Jesus tends to be a, a free swinger. And in the playoffs, that doesn't [00:22:00] usually turn out to be a great thing to have. Really like the tigers moves that you were talking about. You know, you're bringing in somebody like Charlie Morton.

[00:22:08] It honestly doesn't even Mater how he performs on the mound, his presence. In that room, on that bench, his calmness, his his demeanor, everything that he has leadership wise will just pour through that room and improve the tiger's chances of making it far honestly. It was one of the best moves of the deadline.

[00:22:31] I think it was just one of those like, okay, it's not necessarily like they're adding an ace, but they're adding an ingredient to a playoff team. You know, sort of like when you bring in that gritty guy or that big bad that can like hold your Jorge sale or something like that, that can actually. You know, pound the baseball when needed.

[00:22:49] Well, Charlie Morton's gonna really help calm all those young guys. Req, Scobel is gonna be all over him, like white on rice, and he's just gonna be, you know, uh, [00:23:00] able to, to, to right the ship if everything's get a little bit out of hand. I, I do want to talk to an in inactive team though, mark. Yes. They're head of the res in the, in the standings, but the Red Sox.

[00:23:11] Mm-hmm. What were they doing? Did somebody put Craig Breslow in a little safe down, uh, at the pier in Boston and and say, don't open until after the Dr. Trade deadline. Is that like for a fan base that lost Raphael endeavors this year and, and are outperforming expectations since you would've thought that they would add to that and, and kind of say, you know what, we're able to, to throw some more money at this and see where it lands.

[00:23:41] No, they, they sat on their hands and they just basically said, you know what? We, we got what we got, and Alex will figure it out and, uh, and then we'll, we'll, we'll look at what's going on next year. But they're, they, honestly, if you're the raise, you're much more encouraged as a player than the Red Sox players are right now, because your, your team, [00:24:00] your front office.

[00:24:02] Fixed a few of your cracks and had it showed that they had faith in your players, whereas the Red Sox just, I, I don't understand, mark. I really don't get it. 

[00:24:15] Mark Corbett: I can't, pardon me, I can't imagine to be Alex Cora. What's that like right now? And you say, I have to have the tools, I've gotta have the tools to build a winning season.

[00:24:26] You know, right now we're, we're a couple of game, the raised couple of games shy of a. Flat season. But, um, no, I, I don't know what they're gonna do with their future like that, to be quite honest with you, Mat, it's, uh, it's kinda scary. This, this whole season's gone crazy for me. I would've put the Orioles much higher.

[00:24:43] I would've put the Blue Jays much lower and see, I didn't Do you got anything on the Blue Jays with what they've done with the trades? 'cause it's, 

[00:24:51] Mat Germain: yeah. The, the js 

[00:24:53] Mark Corbett: yeah. 

[00:24:54] Mat Germain: They, they sort of did, you know, a what, what you would call a flat. [00:25:00] Performance. The only one that I think is really notable is Sir Anthony Dominguez.

[00:25:03] Mm-hmm. I think he's the one piece that really, you know, helps. Improve their chances overall. They added Thai France, which is like a bench piece, and I, I don't, I don't think he moves the needle at all. If anything, he makes the roster more right-handed and, and goes against the grain on when everything that I've been preaching.

[00:25:22] So I'm like, okay, well maybe you should have went out and got a left-handed bat to replace the, you know, I think on their entire roster they have three guys, three. Who hit left-handed and they have a switch hitter. So you've got four guys that can, you know, out of 13, that can actually, so that means, that means your game plan, if you're the other team is very, very, very easy to, to come up with and, and, and attack hitters sims, you know, in similar ways for the most part.

[00:25:52] But, um, yeah, I, I don't like their moves. I think. Uh, like the Red Sox, they have the money to go after bigger [00:26:00] Yeah. Pieces. I think both of them probably did try for Joe Ryan or bigger pitching pieces, but fell flat for whatever reason. The only reason I give the the, the Red Sox a pass is because I know their ownership gets in the way, but.

[00:26:18] The Blue Jays, I can't see the ownership saying no, after they invested so heavily in, in Vlad Guerrero, right? Like, that's telling me, okay, well they're, they're in, right? Like, they're not just gonna do that and then sit on their hands. So really it falls on Shapiro and, uh, and his group to, to explain after the season if it goes badly again, um, why they didn't do more at the deadline.

[00:26:44] Mark Corbett: Well, let's go back to the raise. Let's take a quick look at who's coming, who's gone. Okay. So Zach Lettel is out and let's see, we brought in Adrian Houser. Um, 

[00:26:54] Mat Germain: that's an improvement. Yes. 

[00:26:56] Mark Corbett: Taj Bradley's out and Griffin Jackson is coming on. 

[00:26:59] Mat Germain: That's [00:27:00] another improvement. 

[00:27:00] Mark Corbett: Yep. And let's see who else, uh, Eros coming in.

[00:27:05] I forgot who, who we're getting a catcher. Who's, who are we getting from the Yankees here? 

[00:27:09] Mat Germain: Herrera's an outfielder. So you've improved your outfield right-handed bat power, but you've reduced your speed. 

[00:27:15] Mark Corbett: And Danny Jansen's gone. And let's see, 

[00:27:19] Mat Germain: best trade of the Fortes is in. Oh yeah. So they went from a top, or sorry, a bottom five framer in all of major league baseball, maybe historically.

[00:27:30] Um, and, and they added the top five in, uh, in Nick Fortes. So 

[00:27:36] Mark Corbett: I'm looking forward to this new team, man. I mean, a lot of us, 'cause we get familiarity and we love certain players. We see 'em out there doing certain things and I'm, you know, personally, yes, I will miss seeing Caballero out there with a raised uniform on.

[00:27:49] And even, even Danny Jansen's been fun to watch, but. I'm looking forward to this new team. I know the rays, they, whatever we may think as fans, they're building something good. And [00:28:00] even if we don't see all of it this year, I think we'll see a better year than we had had anticipated a week ago, 

[00:28:06] Mat Germain: so. Right. And I just want to, to talk on Caballero quickly, just quickly Please.

[00:28:11] They, the Rays got him for Luke Rayley right? Way back when. 

[00:28:14] Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

[00:28:15] Mat Germain: And he ended up filling that hole that Wonder Franco created through his. Atrocities. Right. 

[00:28:21] Mark Corbett: Thank 

[00:28:21] Mat Germain: you. Um, so that was great. That's great. And he's provided the raise with a utility player, the likes of which they may not have had for a long time.

[00:28:30] I think probably since Zobrist that can move around so freely all the way around. But when you look at just his offensive side of things. Okay, mark, this is a guy that hit 2 25 and, and every year, uh, since he came into Major League baseball, he hit 2 21 with the Mariners. 2 27 with the raise the first year and 2 26 this year.

[00:28:52] So he's a two 20 hitter that, that's his, you know, offensive ability. Basically. He's maxed out and [00:29:00] he is 28. Right. So. The, the Rays can't have so many of those guys. If you've got Taylor Walls and Jose Caballero on the same team, well, you know, you're at some point you're wanting to up the game on that front and actually improve that.

[00:29:14] So this is the point where you say, okay, Hassan Kim coming in and being that guy instead of Caballero. That's a huge improvement because he's going to be in the two sixties and the two seventies, uh, you know, he's got that ability to add, you know, 50 points on that and that's going to help the raise lineup significantly.

[00:29:31] Um, and, and, uh, Caballero has never been a two war player. He's been 1.9 all the way through. So you look at Pereira and you're like, is he ever gonna be a two or three war player? Maybe, maybe not. I, I can't say, but I do know the rays couldn't carry so many of these guys that, that are at, that, you know.

[00:29:50] Hovering near the Mendoza line, basically. So, uh, I wish him all the best. I do like cavi a lot. I love the war paint and, uh, and I think he'll do well for the [00:30:00] Yankees, especially as a, a speed guy off the bench. I, the, the Yankees had a very good, uh, trade deadline for what they had. I don't think they could throw other chips in, but I want to tip my cap to them because they, they spread the improvements around the roster in areas they need it and, and.

[00:30:17] I don't think it'll make 'em World Series contenders, but I think it'll make them harder to play against for sure. 

[00:30:22] Mark Corbett: There you go. Well, I'll tell you what, we had the episode that went up a couple days ago and we, we pretty much dashed that whether we were looking at Fairbanks, whether we looking at Brandon Lau, whether we were looking at Diaz, and just so many surprises.

[00:30:38] It, it's part of what baseball's about right. Even into the 11th inning. Oh, but no bad. It hurt. Go ahead. It hurt. It did. And it hurt so much. Oh. Oh gosh. Well, just for Rin Giggles, I renamed the last episode, uh, [00:31:00] P-T-B-N-L. Clear to be, yeah, to be named later. 'cause let's face it, everything changed. And this one's called.

[00:31:07] Who's new or who's new or, or who knew? Maybe that'll be it. Anyway, enough to be going on and on. Uh, Mat, thanks for coming in here. You know, it's Friday Mo right around lunch, lunchtime, and we wanted to get this out, folks, 'cause couldn't wait till next week to, to put to a valuation of, uh, this fund, fund close to the MLB trade deadline this year.

[00:31:32] Any, uh, parting words? Mat, any insights more you wanna share? 

[00:31:36] Mat Germain: Uh, I watched Johnelle Cort, uh, pitch last night and I really love what he showed. Again, I think that he could be on his way up to AAA very shortly, and if not him, Ty Johnson has been just as impressive. He's the guy they got from the Rees deal and, and I think both of those guys now have opportunities to move up because of Ben Peoples and, uh, Duncan David being moved.

[00:31:57] So you've gotta look at the upward. [00:32:00] You know, movement of some of these guys now that they've made some trades. Um, I think that the decisions for the rule five have become a little bit easier to manage. So you're looking at, uh, Dom Keegan and, um, Carson Williams as being automatic basically. But, uh, some of the other choices that they would've had to make, including David and peoples are made for them.

[00:32:19] So. You know, the, the rays are in a good place now, and, and I, I'm hoping they're going to la after they meet the Dodgers at home, like the craziest schedule mark, like, and then, but at least then they go, they stay on the west coast. So what I will say is that they're facing the a's at the right time, because they dealt Mason mailer.

[00:32:38] They don't have to contend with him. And sometimes your timing with some of these series is optimal. So the other thing that happened there is that when they brought in Adrian Hauser. It bumped Joe Boyle to the Angels Series instead of the Dodgers series. I think the rays have a much better chance now with against the Dodgers to do some damage.

[00:32:59] So [00:33:00] hopefully Adrian Hauser looks better than Brian Baker in a, in a raise uniform and we get to, uh, enjoy the revamped rays and, and go on a run here in August and, and really, you know, show them that the Ray made the right choice and sticking with some of their veterans. The last point I'll make. Is Brandon Lau is now in his eighth year with the raise.

[00:33:22] Looks like he probably started his ninth with the raise almost a decade. And Yandy Diaz and Pete Fairbanks are in their seventh year with the raise. Looks like they might start next year with the raise as well. So anybody that speaks continuity with the rays and gripes about it, please leave those comments at home now because we've got three guys that can actually prove, once again, like KK and like Longo who spent a decade with the team, that when they're the right pieces, the rays will stick with them and, and keep 'em around for fans to enjoy.

[00:33:52] That's all I got. 

[00:33:54] Mark Corbett: That's fantastic Mat. Thank you again and that is a good reminder. Also, I wanna thank you [00:34:00] because you keep top of mind for some of us who say, ha, I came. Oh, that's right. He's with us. You know, or, or talking about some of the guys that prospects are coming up and sometimes we forget that we still have, you know, some really good guys who aren't out there just.

[00:34:14] So fun times ahead. Thanks Mat. Uh, enjoy the rest of your day folks. I hope you enjoyed all this, popped up at the very end of the trade deadlines as much as we did. So thank you again for joining. Mat and I here on Baseball Biz On Deck. All right, man. Well, that's it.