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00:00But when we speak specifically about the position player group, we recognize that in order to
00:05upgrade there, it was going to take an elite talent and that drove our pursuit.
00:13But now we've had a chance to kind of regroup and we recognize that teams that win in the
00:19postseason, they pitch and the ability to build out both quality and depth in our rotation
00:27is something that's going to serve us well over the season.
00:29I think we saw what happened last year when, later in the season, our bullpen got tired.
00:34We had a couple unfortunate injuries with our rotation.
00:38We didn't quite have the depth built up to step in and replace them.
00:41So that's the focus of ours.
00:43We'll continue to be aggressive in pursuing start in pitching, but we'll also start to
00:47shift our focus toward continuing to address the bullpen.
00:50We obviously lost some really important innings at the back end of games down there.
00:56That was Craig Breslau on MLB Network Radio.
01:00That was from earlier today.
01:02If you zoned out in the middle of that, I don't blame you.
01:04It is Craig Breslau after all.
01:06However, he is talking about pitching, starting pitching, and how that's something they're
01:09continuing to look at.
01:12Kind of poo-pooed the idea of really upgrading much in terms of position players, which I
01:15was surprised by.
01:16I didn't expect to hear him say that.
01:18I didn't expect to hear him say anything.
01:20He talked too much about selling me on all the good things with the returning roster.
01:26That felt like, we're not going to get Teoscar Hernandez or Bregman or whoever, so I'm going
01:31to start selling people on how good everything that we already have is.
01:34And there's some good players on the roster who are returning, but you know who's not
01:36returning?
01:37Your best right-handed hitter.
01:38He's gone.
01:39He's a Baltimore Oriole right now, and you need to replace him.
01:4231 bombs.
01:43That's not really negotiable.
01:44You have to do something about that.
01:45You do have a good returning lineup, but it's all lefties, and the righties are Trevor Story
01:50and those guys.
01:51We don't know.
01:52We don't know what they're going to be or how they're going to look or what's going
01:53to happen.
01:54Yeah, you need to replace Tyler O'Neal, and you need to do it yesterday.
01:58And ESPN has their free agent predictions, which are out right now.
02:01They did nail the Juan Soto to the Mets thing, which again, I mean, listen, a lot of people
02:06thought that, but here's what they're saying about the remaining free agents who have not
02:10signed yet.
02:11Number one, or I guess number five, but he's number one on this list, is Alex Bregman.
02:15The projected contract, six years, $187 million.
02:20That's 30 and change, I guess, right?
02:23The best bets to sign Bregman are the Yankees, the Mets, the Tigers, the Phillies, the Astros,
02:30the Nationals, and the Boston Red Sox.
02:33How many best bets do you get?
02:34A lot of best bets.
02:35That really narrows it down.
02:36Jesus.
02:37A whole lot of best bets.
02:38That's a quarter of the freaking league.
02:39Here is what they say about the Red Sox.
02:41The Red Sox don't need a third baseman.
02:43Great.
02:44Well, then next.
02:45With Bregman though, they would have to move Rafael Devers to first base or DH if they
02:48don't trade Tristan Casas.
02:49They undoubtedly find this stat hard to ignore.
02:51Among players with at least 95 regular season plate appearances at Fenway, Bregman has the
02:55highest OPS.
02:56How about that?
02:58Higher than Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, and David Ortiz.
03:01He has hit 375, 490, 750 in 21 games at Fenway.
03:06Did you read that sentence right?
03:07It's higher than those guys?
03:08It's higher than those guys.
03:09Oh, I thought those were the only guys that were higher.
03:11No, no, no, no, no.
03:12He has the highest of all time.
03:14In 95 regular season plate appearances, he has the highest OPS ever at Fenway Park.
03:1895.
03:20All sample size.
03:21Kike Hernandez during like a 95 at bats fan was the best hitter in the history of the
03:24world.
03:25It's true.
03:26Bregman's dead-pull approach perfectly suited for the Green Monster.
03:28You love hearing that, right?
03:29Oh, he's got a great swing for Fenway.
03:31Oh, the Green Monster.
03:32I'm off Bregman.
03:33Well, their prediction is that he goes to the Red Sox.
03:37Oh, come on now.
03:38That's what they're predicting.
03:39I don't really want him.
03:40You don't want him at all?
03:41Um, no.
03:42Because I feel like it's going to hinder future things that I want.
03:46Like?
03:47I don't know yet.
03:48That contract being on the books for the next six years at $30 million a year is going to
03:51become a reason they can't do X, Y, and Z.
03:53I am happy to move Devers over to first base and or DH.
03:56I'm happy to have a third baseman who can hit at Fenway or wherever.
03:59I mean, he's not on the upswing of his career, but he's still a pretty good right-handed
04:04hitter in the league.
04:05And he does have a good swing for Fenway or whatever, even though I hate that.
04:08He's pretty good on the downswing and you're giving him six years at $30 million a year.
04:11Yeah.
04:12I don't like that.
04:13I don't love math.
04:14I don't love it.
04:15You do have to replace, uh, you do have to replace that right-handed bat.
04:19Well, Teoscar, uh, not on the best bets, uh, for Pete Alonzo, Christian Walker, Anthony
04:26Santander, and Teoscar Hernandez, and also a Sasaki, the pitcher.
04:30Red Sox were not listed as best bets for any of them.
04:33Boo.
04:34Uh, Corbin Burns, right-handed pitcher, projected contract seven years, 225 million best bets.
04:40The Giants, the Blue Jays, the Mets, the Orioles, and the Red Sox.
04:46Yeah!
04:47Uh, they write, the Red Sox are the fascinating team here.
04:49Even after trading for Garrett Crochet, their payroll sits at $150 million.
04:52According to Roster Resource, uh, with a luxury tax payroll of about $183 million, still well
04:57below the $241 million first-level threshold.
05:00They could sign Bregman and Burns at $30 million per season and still be right around the threshold,
05:04although they still need a closer as well.
05:06Bregman, Burns, and a closer, maybe that's a stretch, but keep in mind the Red Sox made
05:10a big offer to Soto, and they might be willing to ramp up that payroll well past the tax
05:14threshold after sitting well under it in recent seasons.
05:16Who wrote that?
05:17Me?
05:18Uh, yeah, right.
05:19That sounds like Lil Gullible Andy.
05:20It certainly does.
05:21Yeah, we're getting another starting pitcher, and then we're getting a hit, and we're getting
05:23a closer.
05:24However.
05:25They've done nothing.
05:26Uh, their prediction is that he goes to the Giants, to the San Francisco Giants.
05:29Very sad.
05:30He is a West Coast guy.
05:31He is.
05:32That does make sense.
05:33Uh, people have said that.
05:34I've read that, that he wants to go out and, uh, play on the West Coast.
05:35Red Sox were also listed as possibilities for Sean Mania and Jack Flaherty, either one
05:39of those to, uh, set your toes a-tappin' there, Andy Hurd?
05:42Not really.
05:43No.
05:44I want Burns and Hernandez.
05:45I'd rather, I'd like those guys.
05:46That, that's the top of my wish list.
05:48If it's-
05:49And Mason Miller, if we're doing the trifecta.
05:50If it's Burns, if it's Burns and Bregman, I'll take that, though.
05:51I'll take Burns and Bregman.
05:53I think, I think Bregman is gonna be an albatross.
05:56I think it's gonna be something that is net negative over the totality of that contract
06:01to this team.
06:02Six years, if the first three of them are decent?
06:04What is decent?
06:05I'm okay with that.
06:06Like, the five years ago decent, when he could hit you 30, 40 home runs, or the more recent
06:09decent.
06:10If he gives you between 20 and 25 home runs for those three years, so he's worse than
06:13Tyler O'Neal.
06:14Uh, yeah, I'm expecting-
06:15Only played 113 games and hit 31 home runs.
06:18Right.
06:19I mean, I don't think he's gonna be better than Tyler O'Neal, or the same as Tyler O'Neal.
06:21I think it'd be worse than him, but it'll still be-
06:23And we're spending $180 million on him?
06:25Yeah, but that's not gonna mean much in the last three years of the contract.
06:28In the last three years of the contract, that's just gonna be a run-of-the-mill, you know,
06:32sort of whatever contract.
06:33To this team?
06:34To any team.
06:35That's just the way the market's gonna be.
06:36They think $20 million's a lot.
06:37Okay.
06:39And have you not seen the direction that these contracts are going in right now?
06:42It's not necessarily-
06:43Elsewhere.
06:44Well, yeah, they're going very high.
06:45Elsewhere.
06:46Elsewhere.
06:47They don't look at baseball-
06:48Around the major leagues.
06:49Finance the same way that the rest of baseball looks at finance.
06:51They still think $20 million is a big deal, like it's 2004.
06:55It's true.
06:56They look at it differently.
06:57So I worry that, while you're right, I think contracts are exploding, I think that Tucker
07:00trade was a part of that, because people see, oh my God, Soto got what?
07:05The contracts are going through the roof.
07:06I think the Red Sox will look at a $30 million deal as a massive contract.
07:10Probably.
07:11For a long period of time.
07:12Probably.
07:13Longer than they should.
07:14Longer than the rest of the world should.
07:15They probably still think eggs are like three bucks a carton.
07:18It's one banana, Michael.
07:19What could it possibly cost?
07:21$7?
07:22That is an Arrested Development reference.
07:23You probably didn't get it.
07:24Yeah, I didn't get it.
07:25And a good one.