Episode 12

full
Published on:

5th Mar 2025

Frankly Forecasting Fantasy Fever with Frank Ammirante

In this episode of PSP, host Nii Wallace-Bruce discusses the beginnings of spring training, anticipated player departures, and fantasy insights for the 2025 baseball season with guest Frank Ammirante. They delve into the likelihood of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leaving the Blue Jays [0:52], the potential impact of this on Bo Bichette's future with the team[11:33], and explore various fantasy baseball prospects and strategies [16:07].

The conversation includes detailed player analyses for each position, highlights potential breakout candidates, and assesses future MLB trades and bets. Frank also shares updates on MLB pitching prospects [28:50] and potential future bets for the upcoming season [32:27].

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Frank Ammirante:

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Check out our website

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Leave a review and let us know what you thought!

Opening and closing music courtesy of Jeremiah Alves - "Evermore".

Transcript
PSP:

Hello and welcome to another episode of PSP.

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I am your host, Mr.

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Neimor Spruce.

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And that means that spring

training is well underway.

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Winter is almost over.

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It's good times in Arizona and

Florida, we've already had injuries.

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We've had guys going down, we've

had people getting upset about the

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new rules because there's always

rules being experimented with.

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Therein lies opportunity.

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So to talk about some fantasy

insights for the:

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It's Friend of the Shore returning.

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You may have heard him on

Sportsnet 590, the fan.

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You may have seen his work

previously at the, the game day.

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none other than Frank Amirante.

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He's joining us to talk

about baseball and more.

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Frank, how you doing?

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FAmmiranteTFJ: Pleasure to be on the show.

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Love talking baseball Spring

training is in the air.

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sport we love is here but coming in

with the shadow as Blue Jays fans,

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you and I have Vladimir Guerrero

Junior's impending departure which

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just seems inevitable at this point.

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Okay.

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PSP: He hit free agency, and the

Yankees seemed confident that

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they were going to re sign him.

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So, they let him hit free agency.

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And he came back on a 300 million

deal, one of the highest at the time.

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the next off season, we had

Shoei Otani with the Angels.

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The Angels chose to try and make a

run while he was still on the roster.

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And he then got injured.

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He got injured.

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Not too long after the deadline.

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So it was a sad ending to a great start

for a unique player who can pitch and bat

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FAmmiranteTFJ: All right.

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I'm going to close this out,

see you in the next video.

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Bye.

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PSP: that was wild.

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He went across town to the Mets.

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Got a huge contract, 765 million dollars.

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Where do you see the Blue

Jays going with this, Frank?

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FAmmiranteTFJ: Yeah, with with how

Vlad Jr laid out his deadline and

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that right in the beginning of spring

training and the Blue Jays not meeting

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Vlad's demands at that point, I think

I just have any optimism I had about

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Vlad staying in Toronto is now gone.

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you mentioned Aaron judge, how the Yankees

let him get to free agency and then still

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were able to bring Aaron judge back.

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But that's like, that's feels

like something that's quite rare.

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And the Yankees are more, you

know, throw history of MLB.

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They've made splashes.

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They've kept players, the blue Jays.

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It's it just feels like something that

is consistent even throughout Toronto

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sports a star ending up leaving the team

and it just seems inevitable at this

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point as for a baseball from a baseball

perspective from fantasy baseball.

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Vlad junior will have another monster

year playing for that new contract.

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You see the videos he continues

to be getting in better shape.

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Obviously gives you a lead average

with power, it's rare to have a

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300 hitter close to 40 home runs.

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he plays every single day

161 160 156 159 games.

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He's always in the lineup So just a ton

of upside from a fantasy perspective,

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especially with the added motivation

if the jays Fall out of the race.

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There could be pressure to trade vlad jr.

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So they don't risk letting him

walk without getting assets back.

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Problem for me as a fan is if the

Blue Jays miss the playoffs, Ross

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Atkins is gone, there's a new front

office why would you want Atkins

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to kickstart the rebuild by trading

their best player when he's leaving?

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Wouldn't you want the new front

office to take care of that?

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So that is , where I wonder,

will they actually trade Vlad Jr.

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if they're out of it?

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worth noting Toronto starts

the year with a tough schedule.

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from March 27th to May

4th, they play 35 games.

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Seven against the Orioles,

seven against the Red Sox.

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3 vs.

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the Yankees, Braves, 3 vs.

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the Mets, 3 vs.

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the Astros, 3 vs.

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the Guardians, 3 vs.

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the Mariners.

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So 32 of their first 35 games are against

World Series or playoff contenders.

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They only have 3 games

against the Nationals.

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they could put themselves in a

hole quickly if they're not careful

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PSP: And the nationals they're a team

that could go off to Vlad in free

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FAmmiranteTFJ: Yeah.

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PSP: they have space for

a young up and coming.

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like Vlad.

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watch that space.

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you mentioned the front office.

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missed the deadline to sign Vladi.

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For our audience not from Toronto

or not following the Blue Jays as

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closely as we do, I feel like there

are a couple of points where the Blue

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Jays could have got this done early.

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FAmmiranteTFJ: Yes.

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PSP: I think about after that

Buffalo season where Vlad was,

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FAmmiranteTFJ: So now I'm going

to go into these very much.

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PSP: Perhaps his perception of his

professional outlook as a player, but

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that would have been a good opportunity

to get him to sign as a discount.

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it's contrarian, but still

it's an opportunity there.

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FAmmiranteTFJ: You're

gonna look, I'm gonna look.

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You never have time That's fine.

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You can stay.

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It's all right.

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I'll use it.

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Yeah, there's a lot of time for you.

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Thanks, good night.

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you hit the nail on the head this

front office really, messed up they

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could have done it in different ways.

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They could have done, like, Alex

Anthopoulos in Atlanta route,

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where they tried to sign Vlad Jr.

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to a long term deal when he got called up

like The Braves did with Ronald Acuna Jr.

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with Ozzy Albies, they

locked them up early.

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they could have done that with

Vlad, maybe after year one.

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The Buffalo season, where Vlad Jr.

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set a career high in home runs,

could have been the moment.

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also heading into last

season would have been good.

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The longer you wait, the less likely

you're able to keep a stud like this.

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I like what you said about how

the Jays should have traded.

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I wouldn't want to trade Vlad Jr.,

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but if you're pessimistic about his

chances of staying trading vlad last

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year would have been better because

more years of control now the return

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will be less like it's going to be tough

but if i had to pick a time i would

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say If I was the GM, I'd be working

hardest to get that extension before the

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breakout season so after year one, even.

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I'd be confident in the player

profile, this player mashed in the

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minors, showed elite plate discipline.

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his dad being Vlad Sr.

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helps been around the game his whole life.

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So I would have been confident without

even seeing a breakout yet that

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eventually it would happen I would be

pushing to sign him, you know, either

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during or after his first season.

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PSP: Yeah, you mentioned

Anthopolis and Atlanta.

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We also signed Spencer Strider to

an early and lucrative contract.

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So.

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Anthopolis, who did draft Vlag Jr.

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as a Blue Jay general manager, he

definitely doesn't muck around when

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it comes to seeing talent and wanting

to tie them up for long term deals.

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Hey, Frenk, guess where the

All Star game is this year?

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FAmmiranteTFJ: it's in atlanta

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PSP: I feel like this front office

has Alex Anthopoulos in their heads.

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they sometimes need to do things

differently to what AA did.

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Whatever AA did, they

gotta do it differently.

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If he did A, we're doing B.

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Frank, could you see a situation where

The Blue Jays and Atlantic agreed to a

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deal before the deadline this season.

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FAmmiranteTFJ: Well, I

honestly don't see the fit.

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I know with Anthopolis being a former

Jays GM, obviously there's a fit in,

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in trading with his former employer,

but You look at the Braves, you

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know, Matt Olsen locked up long term.

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slugger, great bat.

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Austin Riley at third another

stud, locked up long term.

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The Braves lineup is already stacked.

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Vlad Jr.

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probably wouldn't want

to Be a full time DH.

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stars don't like that.

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look at Raphael Devers in Boston.

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He doesn't want to move off third

these players know that once they need

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to get paid, if they're just a full

time DH, they're not as desirable.

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So I don't see a fit

with the Braves, but hey.

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We know how aggressive AA could be

you need that in a GM, in my opinion,

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just willing to push the team over

the edge with a trade that may have

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repercussions down the line but may be

enough to get you to a championship.

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PSP: this league doesn't

have a true salary cap.

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there are balance taxes and rules to

prevent Steve Cohen doing whatever he

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liked, but you still have deferred money.

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So there's still ways to get around it.

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I've always wondered about the

front office in Toronto because

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Toronto is a big market, a big city.

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Yet, there are two players who have

received contracts longer than three years

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in the last seasons of Ross Atkins tenure

as GM, Jose Barrios and Randall Grichuk.

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That's the list.

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FAmmiranteTFJ: Yeah,

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PSP: right?

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FAmmiranteTFJ: It feels like Ross

Atkins throughout his 10 years tried

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too hard to make the prudent decision

where it doesn't look reckless.

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It looks calculated and they don't

want to take on added risk, but

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sometimes taking on risk is what you

need, especially to sway a free agent.

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we've seen the Jays strike

out on free agents often.

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Pete Alonzo, Roki Sasaki.

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Shoai Ohtani, sometimes to sign a

free agent, you need to be willing to

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give that extra year as the sweetener

to get them to commit to your team.

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Ross Atkins, it seems they're

very stringent, stubborn,

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unwilling to budge on.

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terms and salary it's frustrating they've

made good moves, which we'll get into

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and talk about In a bit, but yeah overall

i've been consistently disappointed by

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this front office it's time for a change

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PSP: eight, nine years is a long time,

especially when there haven't been any

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playoff wins in, with a team that has

been by Atkinson, president Mach pyro.

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That's, that's a long time to

go without post season success.

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You can make excuses for it,

but at the end of the day.

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An open market is a free market so you

can have all the internal valuations

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that you want to but of the day, if

someone's paying a room to pay more,

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you either match it or you will be

forever second or third in the running.

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And that we've seen that

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I respect the commitment to

internal processes, but valuations

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don't win championships.

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FAmmiranteTFJ: we see that commitment

to internal processes even going back

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to when they preemptively decided

to take Jose Barrios out of that

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playoff game against the Twins.

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Even though Barrios was pitching terrific,

one of the best in his MLB career.

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we see that trickle over to free

agency, where, they're unwilling to

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budge on terms, they had a game plan,

and were unwilling to adapt, even

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though Berrios, looked phenomenal.

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it's a common theme, during

the Ross Atkins tenure.

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Silence.

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PSP: middle infield, because We

know that Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

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will not be signing a new contract with

the Blue Jays until at least November.

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another young prospect that has come

up through the system in Toronto.

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is Boba Shett, shortstop.

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could say the Blue Jays have a pivot

option with Andres Jimenez on the roster.

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He could play shortstop if

they moved on from Bichette.

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Where do you see Bichette's

future with the Blue Jays

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during this season and beyond?

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FAmmiranteTFJ: in terms of Bichette's

future with the Jays, I feel like

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Bichette would only re sign if Vlad Jr.

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stays If Vlad Jr.

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's gone, Bichette's gone.

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given that it's likely Vlad Jr.

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's on a new team, I feel like

Bichette We'll move on, going back

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to what you suggested about maybe

the Braves looking at Vlad Jr.

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It feels like Bo Bichette would

be a fit with the Braves because

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you look at Atlanta's shortstop

situation, they got Orlando Arcea.

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Who's more known for his glove, but if

they wanted a boost in bad, if Bichette's

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looking good in his contract year,

looking back to his former self, there's

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a natural fit in Atlanta I think Bo

Bichette will have a bounce back season.

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You know, there's enough

of a track record.

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He's young enough to, to be

confident in that obviously is

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motivated for a new contract.

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Reading reports, I saw today from Keegan

Matheson, Blue Jays reporter for MLB.

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com.

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This is his tweet, quote, Boveshet

has been the most impressive player

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in Blue Jays camp It's February,

yes, but it's all loud contact,

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games, backfields, everything.

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you always want to take spring

training with a grain of salt.

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but for a player who has struggled with

injury and performance, it's nice to hear.

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I'm high.

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on a Bulbasaur bounce back but low on

his chances of returning to the Jays.

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PSP: Interesting.

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So, let's run with that idea.

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Al Thopliss picks up the phone to

Atkinson Toronto and says, Bichette.

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Looks like you guys aren't gonna keep

him around and he, quite frankly,

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wanted to leave during last season.

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So what could one get back for

someone like Will Bichette?

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Are you willing to give us a hypothetical

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FAmmiranteTFJ: if a team's willing

to trade for Bo Bichette at the

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deadline, it means Bichette's at

least having a bounce back season.

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Maybe not to the exact level that

it used to be, but, but as a quality

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shortstop who can make contact.

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Even though he's free

swinging, he's got some power.

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Maybe you start to see Bobichette

run again, because, I've, I know from

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the athletic, you know, Saris has

often said that players in contract

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years, as they're playing for that

big deal, they, they run more.

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we saw it with Willie Adamas last

year of the Brewers, stole 20 bases.

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Which was like, which like

doubled his previous career high.

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So in the situation with the Braves,

if they were to trade Bichette,

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the Jays would have to be out of

contention, like 6, 8 games back.

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Bichette maybe is hitting

well, recouped some value.

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Perhaps you can squeeze out One of those

pitchers from the Braves, I feel like

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the Braves, I was going to say Grant

Holmes, who is the Braves fifth starter.

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And he showed some promise last year.

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But, Atlanta's probably

going to be contending.

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If they're making a trade deadline

deal, they're likely not giving up

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anything off their Major League roster.

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They're looking to flip some prospects.

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they have a catcher by the name

of Drake Baldwin that I know some

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fantasy players who play in deep

leagues have been interested in.

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Drake Baldwin is, 24 years old.

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Last year, he put up a 119 WRC

Plus in the minors at AA and AAA.

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And, you know, I like Alejandro Kirk,

but maybe looking, at a catcher like

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Baldwin to, to add to the system would

make sense in a deal with Bo Bichette.

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he's one of their top prospects,

so they may need to add.

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He's not elite but he's, pretty.

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that could be an option,

to trade Bo Bichette.

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But obviously, Bichette would

have to be bouncing back.

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But maybe one of their other arms like,

Ian Anderson he's been quite disappointing

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I feel like it would have to be a

prospect and I know some of the prospects.

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I'm not as in tune.

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Maybe like, you know, A.

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J.

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Smith Shavver.

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He's 22 years old.

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He's a pitcher.

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He's been up with the big leagues in 2023

and:

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29 innings, but he hasn't shown much.

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So maybe the shine has worn

off from Smith Shavver.

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Bottom line if the Blue Jays

traded to the Braves, it would be.

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Someone not on their big league roster.

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PSP: Oh, yeah.

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that was a fun exercise.

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FAmmiranteTFJ: Yeah.

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PSP: brain on the trades.

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One thing that comes before trades

though is a draft and we are in fantasy

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baseball drafting season So we're going

to get that into that a little bit later

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on but frank I want to get your final

thoughts on spring training What else

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should we be looking out for before

the end of the spring training season?

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FAmmiranteTFJ: when it comes

to the blue Jays, it's good to

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see, Max Scherzer looking sharp.

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I'm hopeful about Scherzer giving

them quality innings, doing better

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than Scherzer did last year because

he, he did say that he's healthier

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than he was going into last season.

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Also, , Monitoring Jeff Hoffman

because Hoffman failed two physicals

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with the Orioles and with the Braves

before signing with the Jays we

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want to make sure his health is good

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I feel like the failed physicals with

Baltimore and Atlanta Perhaps those

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teams had the idea to move Hoffman

to the rotation because there was

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talk of that earlier in the offseason

maybe those teams didn't feel His

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arm would hold up with more innings.

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Whereas maybe the Blue Jays always

intended to use Hoffman as the closer with

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no interest in moving him to the rotation.

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So they're like, you know

what, let's just sign him.

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He should be fine with less innings.

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Having said that, it would be good to

see, Hoffman continue to look sharp.

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in terms of MLB overall, I'm always

interested in seeing the young players.

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Junior Caminero of the Rays.

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Following up a red hot Dominican

winter league with homering and spring,

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you know, I want to see Matt McClain

returning from injury with the Reds.

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He homered.

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We also have to remember, we don't

want to go overboard in microanalyzing

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spring stats for example, last year, the

Pirates had Henry Davis, young player.

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A lot of people were excited about him

because he was homering a lot in spring.

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he ended up not doing much

and getting sent down.

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you don't want to go overboard.

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the best place to look for spring

training, you know, analysis is

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focusing on pitchers, how's their

velocity, how's the spin rate.

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There's great accounts on

Twitter to look at on X.

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Thomas Nestico's posting, player

cards about how the player's done.

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That's at TJStats, he does great work.

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you want to see if there's a new

pitch in a pitcher's arsenal.

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These things are good, but don't

go overboard with spring training.

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PSP: Wise words.

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spring training is essentially a

bridge you just don't want to get hurt.

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Spring training is about get

reps in and don't get hurt.

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And the only news you want to hear

from some training is No news, we won't

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read too much into that, but we will

read a lot into your fantasy analysis.

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You're listening to PSP with myself,

Wallace, Bruce, and guest, Frank Amirante.

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check him out at F Amirante TFJ

Frank, are you on Blue Sky yet?

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FAmmiranteTFJ: Oh no, I gotta join that.

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How is it?

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I haven't joined.

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I know a lot of people have.

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PSP: folks are there, Meaning Times.

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Jeff Passon's on there, so

you can get Passon bombs.

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I don't think the fantasy community is

gravitated as much as the newsmakers,

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There could be an opportunity for you.

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You're always dropping

fancy nuggets and, bets.

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I did win a Dynasty League

because of your advice.

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So, hat tip to Frank for that.

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You can definitely trust his advice.

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And hopefully you'll have

some baseball advice for us.

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FAmmiranteTFJ: Oh yeah, definitely.

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I could go through some targets

of mine and fantasy baseball.

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We'll start, I could give

you one at each position.

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PSP: form a lineup.

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FAmmiranteTFJ: we'll start

With Adley Retchman of the

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Orioles, he's only 27 years old.

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Former top prospect.

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There feels like more untapped upside

with Retchman, we forget he was in

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the home run derby two years ago.

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there's more power.

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He could approach 30 home runs,

especially at Camden Yards.

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They, they move the fences

in and what we call Waltamore

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or that, that, in left field.

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It kind of made it into more of a

pitcher's park and suppressed power to

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some degree and Richman is a switch hitter

So from the right side, that could help

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him I feel like Richmond wore down a bit

last year Maybe played a bit injured that

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affected his overall numbers because you

know Richmond had a really bad second half

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he feels like a good target at catcher

most play in one catcher leagues You

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don't want to go overboard paying for him.

365

:

But what's great about Richmond is,

last year is the consensus top catcher

366

:

in fantasy, but now you could get

him like fourth catcher fifth catcher

367

:

off the board sometimes making him,

you know, a good value, good target.

368

:

PSP: Who else have you got for

369

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: Yeah.

370

:

first base.

371

:

Pete Alonzo as a target.

372

:

Pete Alonzo staying with the Mets,

that's good for him, even though

373

:

it's still a pitcher's park.

374

:

Just cause, number one, before

getting into Juan Soto, Soto's

375

:

consistently over 400 OBP, which

is great, but getting to my point.

376

:

Alonzo RBI and 695 plate

appearances last season.

377

:

That's pretty much like a total fluke.

378

:

His previous two seasons

for Alonzo, 118 and 131.

379

:

Now he's got Juan Soto, like I

said, 400 plus OBP consistently

380

:

hitting above Alonzo.

381

:

You got to think he's going to

get at least 105, 110, maybe

382

:

even get to 120, 130 again, RBI.

383

:

The power is still there for Alonzo.

384

:

Mets lineup is stacked.

385

:

in previous seasons, he'd

go second or third round.

386

:

Now you could get him

fourth, maybe fifth round.

387

:

He's behind Vlad Jr Bryce Harper,

Freddie Freeman, and Matt Olson.

388

:

So he's the fifth first

baseman off the board.

389

:

more palatable cost and better value.

390

:

first base is a thin position.

391

:

So getting 40 homer

power in a great lineup.

392

:

Is a good move.

393

:

PSP: He signed a two year

deal, which effectively has.

394

:

A year of free agency if he wants

it, he can opt out at the end of

395

:

the season, if he blows up, which is

on the cards as you've touched on.

396

:

Would he be a good pivot point

for the Blue Jays if they

397

:

miss out on Vlad Guerrero Jr.

398

:

in free agency?

399

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: Definitely.

400

:

Pete Alonso could Age well as as he

continues to get older, you know that

401

:

just an elite power bad He doesn't really

strike out to the same level as other

402

:

hitters with that type of power So I

would say yes, the Jays should definitely

403

:

be on in on Alonzo if they lose Vlad jr.

404

:

Which is likely but You know, we'll

have to see, because they might want

405

:

to go in a rebuilding direction.

406

:

It should be interesting.

407

:

PSP: Sure, yeah, watch that space.

408

:

What else are you seeing in fantasy?

409

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: Alright, let's go on to

second base, a blue jay who goes late.

410

:

Andres Jimenez.

411

:

Good thing about Jimenez is he's got

an elite glove that will consistently

412

:

keep his bat in the lineup.

413

:

So you get that volume.

414

:

So even though Jimenez isn't good

against lefties, because he's such

415

:

a good defensive player, teams don't

really They're not going to like platoon

416

:

him because that glove is so good, so

they're willing to keep him lined up.

417

:

That helps with, you know,

runs, RBI, counting stats.

418

:

You know, the former Guardian has

30 steals and nine plus homers

419

:

in each of the last two seasons.

420

:

if you wait on second base, or if you

need a boost in stolen base and speed,

421

:

because maybe you targeted power, maybe

you beefed up your pitching stuff.

422

:

Getting Jimenez is nice because

you could bank 25 to 30 steals.

423

:

we all know George Springer is on the

decline and we've seen clamoring for

424

:

John Schneider to not hit him lead off.

425

:

There's an outside chance that

against right handed pitching, Andres

426

:

Jimenez can lead off for the Jays.

427

:

And we've actually started to

see it in spring like he led off

428

:

today and springer hit fourth.

429

:

Yeah, because I had to check because

they did a bunch of subs, but yeah, so

430

:

If jimenez leads off first verse righties

for the jays That's huge because of

431

:

course hitting in front of blade jr.

432

:

Anthony santander.

433

:

There'll be opportunity for runs and

That'd be great for his fantasy value.

434

:

Andres Jimenez looks like

a prime second base target.

435

:

PSP: Yeah, second base

has, his defense is dynamo.

436

:

He can play a bit of shortstop as well.

437

:

Is that important, Frank, having someone

who can multiple positions in fantasy?

438

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: Oh, yeah, that's helpful

as well you know the the thing is like

439

:

I feel like Jimenez would only play

shorts up this year if if Boba Shett

440

:

missed time, but if he did have that

eligibility, it'd be good just because

441

:

You know, if you're, especially if you're

in a deeper league dealing with injuries,

442

:

you can move Jimenez, across your lineup.

443

:

being a great defensive player

is good because you want

444

:

your hitters in the lineup.

445

:

Jimenez will be in the lineup virtually

every day just because that glove.

446

:

PSP: Yeah, that's what you want.

447

:

Availability is going to be

one of the best abilities.

448

:

of junior who we keep bringing his

name up, but he, quite durable.

449

:

He plays a lot of baseball.

450

:

is someone else in the infield

that you'd recommend in fantasy?

451

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: So we'll go to third base.

452

:

We're gonna pick, a player known as the

most injury prone hitter in baseball.

453

:

aside from Byron Buxton and Mike

Trout, and that's Royce Lewis.

454

:

So, it really feels like drafters

are sick and tired of dealing with

455

:

Royce Lewis injuries, which have

happened the last two seasons.

456

:

And that injury fatigue has allowed

Royce Lewis to crash in drafts.

457

:

I've seen, in his average draft position

in a lot of leagues I've played in,

458

:

it's outside the top 115 and he'll fall

to pick 140 sometimes given the fact

459

:

that third base is a thin position,

given Royce Lewis's Elite power upside.

460

:

I'm willing to take that injury risk

just because of the thump in that bat.

461

:

Like if he could get to 500

plate appearances, maybe you get

462

:

30 homers, six, seven steals.

463

:

He's already homered in spring.

464

:

We saw Lewis do it in the playoffs

A lot of power there and at a thin

465

:

position, and a reduced costs I'm in.

466

:

PSP: I love a value transaction.

467

:

I'm a big fan of guys on the

comeback I hope he has a good season.

468

:

He's one of the.

469

:

that you like to see when he,

when he's coming up to the plate.

470

:

He's a someone that you keep TV on for

and yeah, he's had a bit of bad luck,

471

:

but it's a new season, new opportunities.

472

:

Hopefully he gets through spring training.

473

:

And we see him out there We'll

see what he's got in the infield

474

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: I'll go with the

first rounder Gunnar Henderson

475

:

he's an absolute superstar

putting up a 155 WRC plus is nuts.

476

:

You know, he was almost 4020 last year.

477

:

Started to tail off in the second half,

but he showed flashes of brilliance

478

:

For me, Henderson is more stable

than someone like Elie de la Cruz,

479

:

because Elie de la Cruz still has

a really high strikeout rate and

480

:

still struggles versus lefties.

481

:

I know Elie's more flashy and he can

steal a lot more bases, but Gunnar

482

:

Henderson feels safer in a better lineup,

he's more polished as a hitter I was

483

:

really impressed with Henderson's season

that elite production at such a young

484

:

age, makes him a safe pick in fantasy.

485

:

I have him ranked higher Henderson

goes as late as 7th overall.

486

:

I'd take him as high as,

4th I'm really in on Gunner.

487

:

PSP: Hey, he's on the cover of MLB The

Show, so using the Vlad Guerrero Jr.

488

:

corollary, he's due for a great season.

489

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: Yeah, exactly.

490

:

We can move on to the outfield.

491

:

PSP: let's do it.

492

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: the outfield player

similar to Royce Lewis in that this

493

:

player has a reduced cost in drafts

because of injury issues, but also

494

:

this player had a really down year

last year and that's Luis Robert.

495

:

Playing for the dreadful White Sox, I

know, but He's only one year removed

496

:

from hitting 38 homers and 20 steals.

497

:

projections on fan graphs, which if you

click a player's player page, it, you

498

:

could find projections from like great

systems, like the bat, steamer, and so on.

499

:

They all love Luis Robert

to get back on track.

500

:

And I put a lot of stock in those.

501

:

There's a lot of, you know,

data points, inputs that.

502

:

The creators of those projections put

in, so it's good to look at those as

503

:

a baseline to guide you the fact that

the projections like him, the fact

504

:

that Elite Production is so recently

removed, it's only been a year ago.

505

:

I also like Robert because it

feels inevitable that the White

506

:

Sox are going to trade him.

507

:

I offseason, they're clearly rebuilding.

508

:

Their window of contention is

a ways away, so you might as

509

:

well cash your chips on Robert.

510

:

if Robert gets traded, you're likely going

to see him join a much better offense.

511

:

maybe a really good one.

512

:

for example, what if the

Astros traded for Robert?

513

:

Look at the Astros outfield right now.

514

:

it's Myers in center field, Chas

McCormick, Jose Altuve, career

515

:

second baseman, moving to left field.

516

:

They got issues there.

517

:

Luis Robert would make a ton of sense.

518

:

We saw the Reds pursuing Robert Imagine

Robert in that band box of a park where

519

:

it's the best place for home runs.

520

:

you can get Robert in the 6th 7th,

maybe even 8th round in drafts,

521

:

I love that price and I'm in.

522

:

PSP: I am surprised he's

still on the White Sox.

523

:

I figured he would have been traded.

524

:

I thought maybe even the

525

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: Yeah,

526

:

PSP: have come in for him,

527

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: it will be interesting.

528

:

moving on to Pitcher, I'll dig deeper

last year, you know, we saw Luis Gil

529

:

for the Yankees, you know, exceed

expectations and give them a great

530

:

option at the back end of the rotation.

531

:

I think they're gonna get

another one in that regard, and

532

:

that's gonna be Clark Schmidt.

533

:

Clark Schmidt last year put up a 3.

534

:

77 Sierra.

535

:

For those who don't know, that's

like a more advanced metric because

536

:

some pitchers, if their defense is

really bad, their ERA could go worse.

537

:

But this kind of makes it

independent of fielding, more

538

:

Indicative of a pitcher's skills.

539

:

3.

540

:

7 Sierra, quite good.

541

:

12.

542

:

2 percent swings straight, so he can

miss bats, last year, Clark Schmidt had a

543

:

sub 3 ERA, you know, he had a mid season

injury which robbed us of a breakout year.

544

:

he has three pitches with

over a 29 percent whiff rate.

545

:

a diverse set of weaponry playing

for a World Series contender

546

:

like the Yankees gives Clark

Schmidt upside to rack up wins.

547

:

And, you know, Clark Schmidt goes

quite late in drafts, perfect to

548

:

bolster your fantasy baseball rotation.

549

:

PSP: he's, one that's come up

in the last couple of seasons.

550

:

He's going from good to great.

551

:

Who else have you got, from the

pitching side of things in fantasy?

552

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: let's give

you another starting pitcher

553

:

before I get into the closers.

554

:

I like Hunter Brown, the Astros.

555

:

It really seemed like hunter

brown figured it out last year

556

:

from may 11th onward He had a 3.

557

:

49 sierra with an 18.

558

:

8 Strike out to walk percentage his

era you look at projections there's

559

:

one called oopsie, which is jordan,

rosenblum and enos eris from athletic

560

:

they incorporate Stuff Plus, which

really analyzes a pitcher spin rate and

561

:

you know, really goes into the in depth

on their ex and their type of pitches.

562

:

They got Hunter Brown projected for a 4.9

563

:

ERA, and the Astros, need Brown to

ascend and become the ace of the staff.

564

:

And let's not forget, hunter Brown

was a heavily touted prospect.

565

:

Lot of hype around him.

566

:

I think he carries over what he did

from May 11th onward into this season.

567

:

PSP: Yeah, that's another guy sometimes

when you see certain guys coming off

568

:

the mound, you just got to stop and

watch and just appreciate their craft,

569

:

That's one reason why I'm looking forward

to seeing Matt Scherzer in Toronto,

570

:

Do you have any other

pictures for us, Frank?

571

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: another one I like

is a pitcher more high profile.

572

:

you could get him in the second round.

573

:

It's Corbin Burns.

574

:

Blue Jays struck out on him.

575

:

One of their many free agents

they pursued and didn't get.

576

:

But Corbin Burns still has elite stuff

plus, so the strikeout rate could

577

:

bounce back to previous career norms.

578

:

You look at Corbin Burns at the

end of last year started to get a

579

:

better feel for his cutter eight plus

strikeouts in his final three starts,

580

:

interesting note on Corbin Burns.

581

:

I did see in an interview, he was

saying that the year in Baltimore

582

:

was a little bit tough because his

wife gave birth to twins and he

583

:

didn't see them often as he'd like.

584

:

And, you know, this is like an

underrated thing,, the psychological

585

:

impact, you know, he's not able to

play it, you know, with his family.

586

:

He's not feeling all.

587

:

You know, it's a little bit

of a distraction so but now

588

:

He's back home in Arizona.

589

:

That's where they live.

590

:

So he's going to be a

lot more comfortable.

591

:

He's got a new deal.

592

:

I think he's going to have a big

season, get his strikeout rate up again.

593

:

even if the strikeout rate doesn't bounce

back, he still eats innings like crazy.

594

:

He's going to get close to 200

innings and he helps with your

595

:

ratios and the D backs are good.

596

:

So there'll be win opportunities.

597

:

Corbin Burns looks like a great target.

598

:

PSP: There we go.

599

:

We love a winner.

600

:

And we're always down for

winning opportunities.

601

:

Frank, do you have any future

bets for us for this MLB season?

602

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: Let's go with the

red socks to win the world series.

603

:

I believe it.

604

:

PSP: heard that

605

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: I love what the

Red Sox have done this offseason.

606

:

They brought in Garrett Crochet,

who is a legitimate ace.

607

:

He's the next Chris Sale.

608

:

He, I think, is likely to

be a favorite to win A.

609

:

L.

610

:

Cy Young.

611

:

They bring in Walker Buehler, who I know

he struggled mightily last year, but he

612

:

started to look good in the playoffs as

they get further removed from injury.

613

:

You know from the return these pitchers

start to get a feel for themselves

614

:

again And bounce back I think walker

buehler really could bounce back here,

615

:

especially, you know The red socks

pitching development is quite good.

616

:

Now.

617

:

Look at last season tanner

hulk really made strides cutter

618

:

Crawford had some moments.

619

:

So did brian bale?

620

:

i'm confident in this rotation

even lucas gelato he's coming back.

621

:

Then you look at the bullpen, our oldest

Chapman, they added at the back end.

622

:

Chapman really tore it up in

the second half last year.

623

:

He trimmed his walk rate,

his ERA was sub two.

624

:

He was just really locked in and,

then Liam Hendricks, who I read

625

:

today, has been hitting 96 miles per

hour, looking like himself again.

626

:

That's in a bolster, the Red Sox bullpen.

627

:

Also Garrett Whitlock's

coming back from injury.

628

:

He's going to the bullpen.

629

:

They have Justin Sladen, a really

good higher leverage reliever.

630

:

So I've mentioned to the

rotation and bullpen being good.

631

:

I didn't even get to the lineup yet.

632

:

Rafi Devers is great.

633

:

Bringing in Alex Bregman,

who's a perfect fit at Fenway.

634

:

Jaron Duran became a star last year.

635

:

Tristan Casas has upside.

636

:

they got the best farm system in baseball.

637

:

They got two elite prospects

who could be coming up, likely

638

:

will be coming up this year.

639

:

An outfielder, Roman Anthony,

second baseman Christian Campbell.

640

:

They even have shortstop Marcelo Mayer.

641

:

Other thing with that is, if the Red Sox

are, in the mix to win the AL East, it's

642

:

a trade deadline like they're gonna go

for it like anyone could win any year

643

:

and especially if you're in contention

and if your record's good enough and

644

:

They're not gonna be like let's not

make a move because we have prospects.

645

:

I think they'll play it aggressively their

farm system is so stacked, they could

646

:

make a splash, to bolster their roster.

647

:

You could get Boston at 25 to 1,

taking a long shot like this gives

648

:

opportunities to hedge, if the Red

Sox get to the ALCS, maybe you're not

649

:

confident they'll beat the Yankees Orioles

or Rangers, you can bet on the other

650

:

side and, and, Even it out that way.

651

:

Or maybe the Red Sox get to the World

Series, but they play the Dodgers.

652

:

You could still hedge and get

yourself profit either way.

653

:

With that said, I really like Boston.

654

:

I think they're gonna win the AL East

and they're a legit World Series threat.

655

:

PSP: I can't disagree they've made

great moves this offseason after Keeping

656

:

their cards close They're making moves

again, so we'll have a look at that

657

:

one quick question on that, though.

658

:

there a world where Raphael Devers

is traded for Vlad Guerrero Jr.

659

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: that's interesting if He's

disgruntled Maybe they force him off third

660

:

base let's say Christian Campbell, their

top second base prospect, is mashing, and

661

:

so is Roman Anthony, So they put Bregman

at third, Campbell at second, Anthony

662

:

in the outfield, and Devers has to DH.

663

:

he gets upset with that.

664

:

a pure one for one baseball

move like that, feels unlikely,

665

:

but it would be fun to see.

666

:

PSP: sure there'll be other players

and maybe cash considerations

667

:

on one side added in maybe some.

668

:

International money.

669

:

But just as the headline items,

just wanted to throw that out there.

670

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: Yeah.

671

:

PSP: we, appreciate your time today.

672

:

You've covered all the

bases, fantasy, Blue Jays.

673

:

anything else you wanted to

share before we let you go?

674

:

FAmmiranteTFJ: look

out for my future work.

675

:

I'll be writing on different

sites like Rotoballer.

676

:

I just put an article out

of, twelve sleeper players.

677

:

It includes A bunch of

targets outside the top 300.

678

:

to help bolster your roster.

679

:

PSP: We'd love that.

680

:

Gems, diamonds in the rough,

value, diamondbacks even.

681

:

We're here for all of it at PSP and we'll

be checking out more of Fram's work.

682

:

check him out on x slash

twitter at F Amirante TFJ.

683

:

In the meantime, I've been your

host, New Wallace Bruce, and this

684

:

has been another episode of PSP.

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About the Podcast

Pro Sports Podcasters
No Sport Left Behind
The Pro Sports Podcasters is hosted by Nii Wallace-Bruce, and Justen Williams. On this podcast there is no sport too big, or too small for us to cover. You'll learn something every episode!

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Our guests include the top athletes in their sport, coaches, sports broadcasters, sports agents, league administrators, and dedicated fans. We cover every sport from every angle, and provide perspectives that other podcasts ignore. Each host has expert knowledge in a number of sports. So when the opportunity arises to educate our audience, we take every opportunity.

Our hosts Nii Wallace-Bruce, and Justen Williams have all spent time in front of the camera as well. Having appeared in commercials, dramatic roles, music videos, public events, and Live performances. The Pro Sports Podcasters are more than the voices you have come to recognize hearing twice a week.

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