Spring Swing Stories with Bryan Mcwilliam

Speaker: 00:00:00

Nii Wallace-Bruce: Welcome

into another episode of PSP.

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I am your host, Mr.

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Knee Wallace Bruce.

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guess what?

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Baseball's back.

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Spring training is underway and . As

far as I'm concerned, winter's over.

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Because when baseball's on, winter's done.

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The reality is in Toronto, we

still have a few more weeks.

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But seeing the ball being hit in

the sun down in Florida and Arizona,

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it's a sign of good things to come.

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And opening day is Not far away.

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to take us through that and more, it's

a friend of the show joining us again.

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It's Brian McWilliams from the school.

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brian, how you doing?

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I'm good, Nii.

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How are you?

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I'm excited that baseball's back and

looking forward to this discussion.

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What have you seen in this offseason

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?

Bryan McWilliam: There's been a lot of excitement in baseball, from Juan

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Soto signing a record breaking contract

to a lot of changeover on teams, the

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Soto signing in particular forced

the Yankees, for instance, to go in

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a completely different direction.

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The Dodgers are still the most exciting

team in baseball, in my opinion.

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They did a lot.

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They had a busy winter, re

signing players, bringing in new

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players, doing everything they

can to, keep that momentum going.

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Title reign and maybe go for a dynasty.

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So a lot of excitement this offseason.

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Nii Wallace-Bruce: Absolutely.

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The Dodgers have won a couple of

titles in the last five years.

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But no team has repeated since

the turn of the century, with the

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Yankees winning in 99 and 2000.

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Why is it so hard for teams to

repeat in Major League Baseball

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Bryan McWilliam: The

playoffs are a dice roll.

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So a lot of teams are setting

themselves up to get to the playoffs

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and then just hoping for the best.

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Obviously, if your team is

built well, you can go far.

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look at the Dodgers, last year,

They went into the playoffs with

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an injured starting rotation and

still managed to win a World Series.

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You never know what's gonna happen.

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Two seasons ago, we had the

Texas Rangers and the Arizona

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Diamondbacks in the World Series.

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Nobody could have predicted that.

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So you never know what's gonna happen

once you get to the postseason.

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it's setting yourself up to make

the postseason and be deep enough

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and healthy enough to do well

but you never know what's gonna

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happen over a 162 game season.

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That is one of the, For some people

a struggle, but for some people, the

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excitement of a baseball season is

can a team stay healthy for 162 games?

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How deep is your organization?

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Will you be able to sustain health

and success over such a long period

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it's rare to see a team stay in

first place from beginning to end.

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And you'll see a lot of teams

collapse because of injuries or

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because of improvements of other

teams after the trade deadline.

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it's a long season.

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a grind, but exciting

from beginning to end.

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Nii Wallace-Bruce: 100%.

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one of the names you

mentioned was Juan Soto.

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He signed the biggest contract in sports.

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He's on the Mets.

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joined by Sean Mania, Clay Holmes.

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Peter Lonzo's back.

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The Mets took the Dodgers deep

in the championship series.

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Can you see them being a team

to beat the Dodgers in: 2025

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Bryan McWilliam: They're

capable, for sure.

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They have a lot of stars.

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Juan Soto is a generational hitter.

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Francisco Lindor, gets lost

sometimes considering how valuable

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he was to the Mets last year.

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They're deep, their lineup is deep,

but there's still question marks.

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Like the starting rotation

there's some dice rolls there.

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Frankie Montas was signed to be

a starter and he's already hurt.

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Clay Holmes, he's never been a

full time major league starter.

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Shawn Minaya resurrected his career

last year after dropping his arm slot.

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But hey, it's a new season.

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maybe teams have.

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Watched more video on him maybe he'll

fall back to what he used to be There's

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no way to predict that but the Mets have a

strong team they went to the championship

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series last year I'm a little mystified

about them not bringing back Jose Iglesias

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because From what I heard, he was like,

he was the, he turned everything around

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from them from a cultural standpoint.

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He made the team fun with

his single OMG, Oh My God.

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they vibed with him around and He

signed a minor league deal, it was

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interesting to see them not bring him

back because I feel like that was one

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of those missing pieces that they had,

One of those pieces they were missing

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last year until he was brought up.

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then everything started to click.

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It'll be interesting

culturally to see, how they do.

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they'll be fine, But

they're in a tough division.

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the Braves with Strider and

Acuna are gonna be tough to beat.

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And then the Phillies, even though it's

an aging roster, that's a very good team.

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And they added some pieces with Kepler

and Luzardo, it'll be interesting.

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The NL East is going to be

a fun, fun watch this year.

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And don't forget about the Nationals.

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They have a lot of young stars

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That's one of the teams I'm

most excited to watch this year.

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Nii Wallace-Bruce: Yeah, Dave

Martinez, he's got a lot to work

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with And that division is very

tough, so they get forgotten.

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It's almost like the Arizona

Diamondbacks in the West when you

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consider that you have the Giants,

the Padres, and the Dodgers.

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Some people might forget

there's also the Diamondbacks.

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The National League overall

just seems quite strong.

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Would you agree?

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Bryan McWilliam: Oh, definitely.

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if you look at offseason signings, you

had Soto go from the Yankees to the Mets.

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Corbin Burns go from the

Orioles to the Diamondbacks.

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You had Kyle Tucker go from

the Astros to the Cubs.

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The National League is pretty

stacked, and very competitive.

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I'm not saying the AL isn't but, I

don't see the same tier of players,

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comparing the AL West to the NL West,

or the AL Central to the NL Central.

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The AL East is still a very good division,

but the NL East might be superior.

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The National League is, A very deep

league, which should make the All

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Star game interesting you saw a lot of

transition from players going from the

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American League to the National League.

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it just looks like a

deeper league this year.

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Nii Wallace-Bruce: on the All

Star game, you just mentioned It

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used to count towards home foot

advantage in the World Series.

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Do you miss that aspect, or do you like

that it's more of an exhibition nowadays?

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Bryan McWilliam: I prefer when

players are playing for something.

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I'm not really into flag football events

and, in the NBA, like 160 points being

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scored in a game when that was happening.

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I prefer if they're

competing for something.

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But I understand that extra motivation

takes a toll on players even for one game.

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it does have an effect same

with the home run derby.

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They're going full tilt, swinging at

max effort to win a contest, And you've

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seen so many times where players,

walk out of a mid season contest.

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something's up, something

changes and they go into slumps.

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whether it's the extra effort, travel,

not getting that break to spend time with

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their families, you notice a difference

in some players, not all but some.

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as long as the players go have fun, and

make the event exciting, it's good for

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the fans and it's good for the players

and a lot of players choose not to go

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Whether it's to rest their bodies or they

need that time with their families or

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whatever it is or just a break in general

because like I said 162 game season is

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a grind as long as the players walk out

feeling alright about It doesn't really

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take a toll on their game too much and the

fans are happy I'm happy with the format

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Nii Wallace-Bruce: one of the mainstays

of the home run W over the last few

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seasons has been Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

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of the Toronto Blue Jays.

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You may have heard of him.

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He had a self imposed deadline

for the beginning of string

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training, which has passed.

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He and the Blue Jays were

unable to come to an agreement

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on an extended contract term.

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How do you see that situation and the Blue

Jays: 2025

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Bryan McWilliam: It's not a

good spot for the Blue Jays.

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

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is their franchise player.

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Bo Bichette's there.

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They have pieces in the rotation.

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But Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

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is their franchise player.

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He has been since he came up.

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He's, finished second

in MVP voting in: 2021

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sixth last year.

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He's a very good player.

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a slugger, hits for a high OPS,

hits home runs, drives in runs.

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He also is very popular in

Toronto, and he sells a lot of

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merchandise, and kids love him.

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entering a season with your franchise

player unsigned for beyond this season.

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when he's entering free agency, he'll be

26 when he enters free agency and 29 other

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teams now available to chat with them.

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Your chances are slimmer that you're

going to be able to resign him.

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Whereas they could have, they had

opportunities to extend him and just

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reading, like the tea leaves, reading the

writing on the wall here, it just seemed

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like they weren't valuing him properly.

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They reportedly made him an offer

earlier in the offseason of 340

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million and Guerrero said that wasn't

close to what he was looking for.

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Now, he's probably looking for more than,

many expect because of the Juan Soto deal.

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But you're talking about a 5 plus

win player who's, drives in a

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lot of runs, hits a lot of home

runs, and has won a gold glove.

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he's entering free

agency as a 26 year old.

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And you're gonna see teams

like the Yankees, Paul

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Goldschmidt's on a one year deal.

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Pete Alonso with the Mets, can opt out.

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Who knows what's gonna

happen with his contract.

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There's a lot of interest

in Vladimir Grigoro Jr.

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not being able to lock him up is putting

them in a bit of a tricky situation.

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Because They missed on Ohtani, Juan

Soto, Corbin Burns, and now you're

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not signing your franchise player.

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it's not giving the fan base a lot

of hope in the front office and

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in the future of the franchise.

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Now they did get some nice pieces.

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Anthony Santander, Max Scherzer,

Andres Jimenez, Jeff Hoffman.

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But Are these players franchise players?

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Max Scherzer was when he

was younger, but he's not.

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Andres Jimenez, he's an elite defender,

but hasn't hit well in a couple seasons.

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Anthony Santander is a slugger,

but aging and one dimensional.

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Santander and Jimenez signed

through: 2029

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And then the rotation Gossman,

Bassett, Scherzer, you're not going

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to have those guys in a few years.

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So I'm not sure the direction It looks

like they're putting all their eggs in

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one basket for a run this season and then

trying to figure it out, past this season.

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So it'll be interesting come July to

see where the Blue Jays are because

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if they're not in playoff contention,

I suspect Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

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Bo Bichette will be traded.

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We might see other pieces

like Chris Bassett traded.

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And if they are in contention, will

your is making it to the playoffs

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good enough for Vladi to stick around?

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For Bo to stick around?

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they haven't been able

to win in the playoffs.

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So precarious not being able

to sign Vladimir Grot Jr.

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Is a big miss they still have a chance

obviously to sign him, but they're

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going to have a lot of competition.

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Nii Wallace-Bruce: it is ominous

when you consider Juan Soto was

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on the Yankees for a season.

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They went to the World Series.

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took the judges to five games.

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And he still Went to the Mets after that.

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,

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if I'm not mistaken, is the last

Canadian player on the Blue Jays.

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Is that also an important factor?

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The only Canadian team in the League, they

might be losing one of the best prospects

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and one of the best Canadian prospects?

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Bryan McWilliam: Vladi has said that he

loves Toronto and wants to stay here.

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There is a connection there with

him being born in this country.

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this is the team that signed

him when he was 16 years old.

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This is the only Major League

team that he has known.

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So there is definitely a connection there.

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The front office said that the

negotiations were emotional,

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but Vladdy has a price tag

that he feels that he's worth.

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He has a value that he feels

like he's worth, and that value

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wasn't met by the Blue Jays.

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I don't think the Canadian connection,

per se, is going to be enough to

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keep him around when his value is

not being met, the way that he sees.

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Nii Wallace-Bruce: We'll see

how the season plays out.

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I get some lost dance vibes, given

that Bo and Vlad might be walking out

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the door at the end of the season.

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These were two of the best,

prospects in the last five years.

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What's your thought on that?

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, Could this have been handled better

by the front office, Definitely.

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Bryan McWilliam: I think losing to

Seattle in that dramatic fashion a

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few years back, where They had the big

lead, and ended up losing the series.

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Had a major effect on the

thinking of the front office.

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the team was offensive

laden built around offense.

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It was exciting then the approach changed.

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The approach went into

run prevention, defense.

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They tried something new.

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And I understood.

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Because what they were

doing wasn't working.

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I understood the change in approach,

they valued players like Dalton Varsho,

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tremendously, someone who is an elite

defender, who's gonna help with run

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prevention, that's, they're gonna

have an elite pitching staff, but

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they didn't, they, they stuck to that.

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There were other essential

elements that were needed.

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That weren't really working out.

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You can't win baseball games

if you don't score runs.

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They weren't scoring enough to Benefit

from having the best defense and

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one of the top starting rotations.

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The bullpen was a mess they did a

better job addressing the bullpen

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this season But they let Jordan Romano

Leave, over a small amount of money

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and ended up signing Jeff Hoffman

who has a bit of an injury history.

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So there's just some strange

maneuvering that's been made

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following the change in philosophy.

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But I will, I have to give

credit to the organization.

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They have stuck to the philosophy.

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They're like, they're valuing defense

and run prevention, which is why

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they traded for Andrés Jiménez.

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And that's why they tried

to improve the bullpen.

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That's why they got Max

Scherzer to join the rotation.

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So they're sticking to it and hoping

that Vlad, Vladdy and Bo and Anthony

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Santander and George Springer and

all of these guys do what they're

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capable of doing at the plate.

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And if they do what they're capable

of doing at the plate, combine that

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with the defensive approach, the

good pitching, good health, and an

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improved bullpen, they have a shot.

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They have a shot at that division

and at the postseason, but it's

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there's a lot of challenges.

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The Yankees are better.

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The Orioles are very good.

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The Red Sox are better.

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The Rays are, if they can stay healthy,

they have, their pitching is very good.

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So it's a tough division.

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And there are a lot of teams

contending for playoff spots, even

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if you get there, can you win?

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I just don't know if the approach

that they've taken is an approach

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that wins in the postseason.

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Nii Wallace-Bruce: Watch this space.

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Do you feel like there's

still gaps to be filled?

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Do you feel like the roster is

complete as it stands, as of today?

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Bryan McWilliam: There's always

gaps to be filled from a depth

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perspective, but I don't expect

them to be making any other moves.

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I understand that Nolan Arenado is out

there and available and the Cardinals

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want to move them and the Blue Jays,

I'd say they have a need at third base.

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That's arguable because Ernie

Clement is a very solid defender

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who, has shown flashes with his bat.

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But is he an everyday third baseman?

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looks more like, in my opinion, more

of a utility player, like a strong

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utility player rather than your

starting, opening day third baseman.

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But is Nolan Arenado,

for instance, an upgrade?

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Not so sure.

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He had a really down year last year.

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But he's still a three win

player and an elite defender.

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I think this is the team you're

going to see going into opening day.

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I just don't see any real strong

moves out there for them to make

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that's really going to advance.

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What they have, presently.

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So yeah, I think this is a team that

you're going to see on opening day.

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Maybe there'll be some depth

additions, but nothing significant.

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Nii Wallace-Bruce: You're listening to

PSP with Nii Wallace Bruce, and special

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guest, Brian McWilliam from The Score.

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Check out his work at thescore.

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com.

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Brian, you mentioned Nolan Aronado

as a potential trade candidate.

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Could you see any other names

being moved before opening day?

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Bryan McWilliam: A lot of notable

free agents are already signed, and so

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as far as free agency is concerned, you

might see like Alex Verdugo, he's still

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unsigned, maybe he'll sign somewhere.

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He had a really down year with

the Yankees, so maybe a one

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year deal, a minor league deal.

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free agency, you're not going to

see anything significant because

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there isn't anybody out there.

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From a trade perspective, I mentioned

Arenado, but it just appears like

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he's going to stay with the Cardinals.

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They haven't been able to

find anybody to take him.

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They did, they found,

the Astros were willing.

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: 00:15:47

To, accept a trade and eat, actually, a

lot of Nolan Aranato's salary, but Aranato

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had a full no trade and nixed the deal.

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: 00:15:55

Houston pivoted traded Kyle Tucker, and

got Isak Paredes, after Bregman walked,

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there's a lot of maneuvering in Houston.

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I just don't see Aranato moving.

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: 00:16:03

the Padres have some ownership, changes

after Peter Seidler passed away.

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: 00:16:09

There, there are kind of payrolls

in a little bit of a weird spot.

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And there's been rumors that they

might trade Dylan Cease or Louisa Rise.

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to be honest, I just

don't see them moving.

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: 00:16:20

the Padres have been active lately.

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: 00:16:22

They've been, they haven't done

anything super significant with the

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exception of signing Nick Pivetta.

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: 00:16:27

But that's a really backloaded deal.

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: 00:16:29

I think he's only making a

million dollars this year.

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: 00:16:31

I don't see them trading two

stars, especially, a batting

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champion and a Cy Young contender.

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: 00:16:37

This early on, maybe it's a trade

deadline if they're not in contention.

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: 00:16:41

I don't see those two moving.

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: 00:16:43

And the only other person coming

to mind is Sandy Alcantara with the

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Marlins he's a very good pitcher,

but he's coming off major surgery.

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: 00:16:52

But the Marlins, they're definitely

trying to trade anything they can.

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: 00:16:55

It's been their M.

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: 00:16:55

O.

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: 00:16:55

the past couple of years and

they did trade, Luis Araiz,

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: 00:16:59

I think it was like May.

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: 00:17:00

And, for prospects, just so

they could get a bigger return.

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: 00:17:03

If Alcantara shows he's healthy in spring,

and, starts strong, I could see him

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being dealt prior to the trade deadline.

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: 00:17:10

Even a month or two before.

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: 00:17:12

But yeah, currently I don't see any

big trades or free agents signing.

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: 00:17:16

Fair enough.

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: 00:17:17

Nii Wallace-Bruce: Ryan, you mentioned

the injury to Matt's starting pitcher.

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: 00:17:20

Frankie Monas.

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: 00:17:21

He's out for six to eight weeks it also

reminds me of when Garrett Cole was

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: 00:17:25

injured during spring training last year.

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: 00:17:27

how much of this trend of pitches getting

hurt can be attributed to the pitch clock?

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: 00:17:32

Bryan McWilliam: Personally, I

feel like the league and pitchers

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: 00:17:35

have adapted to the pitch clock.

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: 00:17:37

there are studies that show the amount

of elbow surgeries, such as Tommy

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: 00:17:40

John or internal brace procedures,

haven't increased significantly

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: 00:17:44

because of the pitch clock.

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: 00:17:46

my concern is pitchers are blowing out

their ligaments because of max effort,

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: 00:17:53

They're trying to throw high velocity,

Spin the ball as hard as they can using

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: 00:17:57

max effort deliveries, This is being

taught in major league organizations in

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: 00:18:02

college organizations all the way down

to youth baseball Players athletes are

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: 00:18:07

being asked to throw and spin as hard

as you possibly can and get I don't

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: 00:18:13

want to say get out of your delivery,

but Let's shape your delivery so that

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: 00:18:17

we can get the most out of each pitch.

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: 00:18:20

And that's putting a

large toll on ligaments.

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: 00:18:23

But, pitchers seem okay with it.

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: 00:18:26

Tyler Glasnow from the Dodgers, who, has

a history of arm problems has said it.

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: 00:18:31

He's said it full, like he

said on foul territory, that

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: 00:18:35

he is prioritizing velocity.

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: 00:18:39

over everything.

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: 00:18:41

And he prioritizes velocity because

he ultimately knows that he's going

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: 00:18:46

to get paid better throwing harder

and spinning the ball and going

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: 00:18:51

max effort for five innings than

pitching, nine innings of soft toss.

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: 00:18:56

he says it's worth the risk of

injury because there's no guarantee

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: 00:18:59

that you're going to get injured.

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: 00:19:00

the likelihood of you getting injured

and having You know, Tommy John surgery

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: 00:19:05

are now an internal brace procedure are

higher if you're going max effort So he

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: 00:19:10

is full on said That he prioritized the

velocity to improve his performance so

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: 00:19:15

that he'll ultimately get paid better

and it's worth the risk of injury and

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: 00:19:20

so and You I don't blame him if I was a

professional athlete And I thought, okay,

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: 00:19:27

I'm going to get paid 50 million dollars

if I have these stat lines where I go

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: 00:19:30

max effort and I end up wearing the scar

on my elbow for the rest of my life, or

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: 00:19:34

I get paid 20 million dollars and I soft

toss and I don't end up with this scar

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: 00:19:40

on my arm and teams, don't value me as

much because my canine isn't as high or

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: 00:19:44

my whiff rate isn't as high, et cetera.

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: 00:19:46

I'm 50 million dollar path too.

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: 00:19:50

I don't think a lot of, I think

pitchers athletes teams and fans

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: 00:19:54

have adapted to the pitch clock.

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: 00:19:57

my concern about, elbow

ligaments and surgeries is

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: 00:20:01

going max effort and max spin.

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: 00:20:04

That's where I think the

damage is being done.

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: 00:20:06

Nii Wallace-Bruce: Gleisner is interesting

coming from an organization like the Rays.

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: 00:20:11

Historically doesn't pay big contracts,

and he did, better himself a little

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: 00:20:15

bit, and he was able to get a

lucrative contract with the Dodgers.

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: 00:20:20

Could we ever see a shift back

towards pitchers dotting the frame,

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: 00:20:26

Bryan McWilliam: There

are pitchers who pitch.

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: 00:20:27

Max Freed just got paid a ton of money.

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: 00:20:29

He's a pitcher.

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: 00:20:30

he doesn't throw 100 miles per hour.

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: 00:20:32

He's dotting.

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: 00:20:34

he just signed a lucrative deal.

401

: 00:20:35

There are pitchers that can succeed

do well and have long careers.

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: 00:20:41

But the way things are now,

you need to strike people out.

403

: 00:20:45

Chris Bassett's of the world are terrific.

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: 00:20:48

commanding, really throwing

people's timing off.

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: 00:20:51

I love watching that stuff but is he

making the most money in baseball?

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: 00:20:56

No, Will he make the

most money in baseball?

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: 00:20:59

No.

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: 00:21:00

in baseball, you need

to strike people out.

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: 00:21:03

You need to get people to chase.

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: 00:21:04

You need to get people to whiff.

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: 00:21:06

this is what organizations

are looking for.

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: 00:21:08

high strikeouts.

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: 00:21:10

They don't even care about low

walk rates that much anymore.

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: 00:21:13

Especially from a bullpen perspective.

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: 00:21:15

It's like, how hard can you throw?

416

: 00:21:17

How hard can you spin?

417

: 00:21:19

Can you strike people out?

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: 00:21:20

you're gonna get a chance,

and you're gonna get paid

419

: 00:21:23

Nii Wallace-Bruce: you do well.

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: 00:21:25

another thing in baseball where you get

paid if you do well is fantasy, Brian.

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: 00:21:29

It's fantasy season.

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: 00:21:30

Draft time.

423

: 00:21:31

Give us some nuggets.

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: 00:21:33

Bryan McWilliam: Sure, yeah.

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: 00:21:34

Fantasy baseball.

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: 00:21:34

I love fantasy baseball.

427

: 00:21:35

I head up the coverage at the score.

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: 00:21:38

Our coverage is gonna be out real soon.

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: 00:21:39

Just prepping it all now.

430

: 00:21:40

It's a lot of work.

431

: 00:21:42

I'm curious to see where Paul Skeens

goes in fantasy drafts this year.

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: 00:21:45

We're talking about a generational

starting pitcher who, from a fantasy

433

: 00:21:52

perspective, is just, you drool over

so many strikeouts, potential for a lot

434

: 00:21:58

of wins although he is on the Pirates.

435

: 00:21:59

It's a low ERA, depending on

what the categories are in

436

: 00:22:03

your league, like a low whip.

437

: 00:22:05

So I'm interesting to see where

he goes because he is still only

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: 00:22:08

entering his second full season

you never know if you want to use a

439

: 00:22:12

first round pick on a pitcher because

you tend to shy away from that.

440

: 00:22:17

But Paul Skeens has the tools and

could be the best pitcher available.

441

: 00:22:23

First round, I could see it

happening, I think Bobby Wood Jr.

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: 00:22:26

is a sure thing.

443

: 00:22:28

I have a bias towards him as

a player and fantasy player.

444

: 00:22:31

But I feel like he's a sure bet.

445

: 00:22:32

He's got all the tools.

446

: 00:22:34

In fantasy, he puts up numbers in

every major 5x5, standard league.

447

: 00:22:40

if you're looking for a first

round pick, And he's available.

448

: 00:22:44

He's probably going to go in the top

one through three in most leagues.

449

: 00:22:46

I'm interested to see where Eli De La

Cruz goes he could go as high as, four But

450

: 00:22:53

there's risk There's a lot of strikeouts.

451

: 00:22:55

You're not getting much

of a batting average.

452

: 00:22:57

If your league has OBP, you're

not getting much of an OBP.

453

: 00:23:00

But you're getting a lot of power.

454

: 00:23:03

home runs, RBIs, and I expect

him to steal 60 to 70 bases.

455

: 00:23:07

there's a lot of potential But if

Ellie struggles strikes out a lot,

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: 00:23:12

can't get on base, then he might not

end up being in the major leagues.

457

: 00:23:16

Because he's still young,

maybe they'll send him down.

458

: 00:23:18

you never really know

with a player like that,

459

: 00:23:21

But I expect him to go in first rounds.

460

: 00:23:23

Nii Wallace-Bruce: yeah, great

young players coming through.

461

: 00:23:25

You mentioned Witt, Ellie,

Polsky's on the mound.

462

: 00:23:30

The future's looking bright

for baseball, I've got to say.

463

: 00:23:33

Bryan McWilliam: I definitely agree.

464

: 00:23:35

Those three names are some of the

brightest talent the league has.

465

: 00:23:38

And the league, Major League Baseball,

you're seeing younger stars as well, I

466

: 00:23:43

find the, there's younger stars coming

up, there's a lot more hype around them.

467

: 00:23:48

The hype is terrific

around these young stars.

468

: 00:23:52

You're seeing them like actively

making a difference early on.

469

: 00:23:57

So it's not Mike Trout when he

came up in his rookie season and

470

: 00:24:00

didn't do much and then turned into

a star, you're seeing these people

471

: 00:24:03

becoming difference makers almost

immediately at 20, 21, 22 years old.

472

: 00:24:09

And it's terrific

because they're exciting.

473

: 00:24:11

the prime of a baseball player is

no longer 27 You're seeing 22 year

474

: 00:24:16

old like young men coming up and

making huge difference differences

475

: 00:24:21

on ball clubs and turning them

into contenders almost immediately.

476

: 00:24:24

Bobby Witt turned the Kansas City

Royals into a playoff team last year.

477

: 00:24:27

Yes, Salvador Perez had a good year.

478

: 00:24:29

The pitching was better with Seth Lugo

and Michael Waka and Cole Reagan's.

479

: 00:24:33

But Bobby Witt Jr.

480

: 00:24:36

transform that franchise from a hundred

loss team into a playoff contender.

481

: 00:24:40

It's insane that someone can

do that almost single handedly.

482

: 00:24:44

So it's super exciting.

483

: 00:24:46

I've always been a fan of young

players coming up through systems,

484

: 00:24:49

watching them develop from, either

international players or college

485

: 00:24:52

players into young, like prospects

into star players and the majors.

486

: 00:24:56

And so seeing all this young talent

establish itself and change the

487

: 00:25:00

game is terrific for baseball.

488

: 00:25:01

Super entertaining.

489

: 00:25:03

Nii Wallace-Bruce: we've

got the WBC 12 months away.

490

: 00:25:05

before that, the Tokyo Series.

491

: 00:25:06

spring training.

492

: 00:25:07

so much baseball you'll be covering that.

493

: 00:25:09

We can find your work at theScore.

494

: 00:25:12

com.

495

: 00:25:12

We can also find your

personal account on the X.

496

: 00:25:16

It is at bmcwilliammlb.

497

: 00:25:20

Brian, before we let you go,

give us a bold prediction for

498

: 00:25:23

Bryan McWilliam: 2025.

499

: 00:25:25

The Boston Red Sox are going to

win the American League East.

500

: 00:25:29

There we go.

501

: 00:25:30

That's my

502

: 00:25:30

Nii Wallace-Bruce: bold one.

503

: 00:25:32

And on that note, I've been your

host, Nii Wallace Bruce, and this

504

: 00:25:37

has been another episode of PSP.