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The Bret Boone Podcast

[FULL EPISODE] Evaluating The MLB Trade Deadline w/ Former GM Jim Bowden

Bret Boone is joined by his former GM and current CBS Insider Jim Bowden to chat about all things MLB Trade Deadline. What he's heard from current GMs, who he expects to be active ahead of the looming deadline, who are the winners so far, and more!

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Duration:
37m
Broadcast on:
29 Jul 2024
Audio Format:
mp3

Bret Boone is joined by his former GM and current CBS Insider Jim Bowden to chat about all things MLB Trade Deadline. What he's heard from current GMs, who he expects to be active ahead of the looming deadline, who are the winners so far, and more!

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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You can also research topics, explore interests, and so much more. It's the most advanced AI at your fingertips. Expand your world with MetaAI. Now on Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger. Welcome, welcome to the Brett Boone podcast. Explore the mind of M.O.B. All-Star, Silver Slugger, and Gold Club winner Brett Boone. As he sits down with his friends, from the world of professional sports, now up to bed, Brett Boone. Welcome to the present. I am Brett Boone, and today on the program, I'm joined by a friend of the podcast. He's my former general manager. He's a columnist for the Athletic. He works with CBS, sports. He knows everything about this trade deadline, and I'm happy to have him back on the program. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. Jim Bowden. Jimmy. Thanks for coming on. Hey, Brett. Great to be back with you. I remember trading for you. It was one of my first trades ever as a GM, and I remember trading you with the advice of your dad who was one of my assistants. So always fun to be with you at the trade deadline, just because, you know what, you experienced both ways being traded for and then being traded by people that love you. That's right. And you know what, Jimmy, I never took a personal. I always had the approach was, this is a business, it happens. When you leave one team, you're going to a new team, they watch it. In your case, well, you just mentioned it happened both ways for me and you. I came to Cincinnati after being in Seattle for a while, and I thought, well, the Reds really want me. Then I went in the trade. I went to Atlanta. You got Denny Nagle for me, and you know what, I had to talk to myself. I had to mentally prepare, and I said, hey, they got a number one starter for me. So that's good. I got a chance to go to a World Series. So yeah, it's interesting how this world works, but we've definitely been through a lot together. It's good to have you on. It's trading deadline. This is your time. You're rocking a roll. I'm watching these trades with one eye open, but buyers are sellers market. Well, there's no doubt, this is a lot of fun for me, Brett, this time of year. And I love a lot of the moves that have already been made. And your brother and the Yankees, I thought did a really good job in landing jazz chism from Miami. And you know, it made me think of you and your brother, Aaron, because if you remember when I had both of you in Cincinnati, there was a big discussion, should Brett play third and Aaron play second or should Brett play third and Tony Fernandez play second or should Fernandez play third and Brett play second. Well, now with the Yankees in this trade, Brett, your brother's got a big decision to make. You know, jazz has never played third, but that's your whole. Now, do you put in it third or do you put in it second and move labor to third, right? Or do you just put it in center field and not worry about it. So I really want to get your take as a former major league infielder, how you would line up jazz chism and where you would play them because I'm fascinated about how this is going to play out. It's interesting because you did you're right. We did have that scenario with the Tony Fernandez situation. I believe it was 1994. He came over from Toronto. We had Barry Larkin in short. Who was going to play short? Well, obviously Barry was the shortstop and Cincinnati and Tony was pretty reluctant to move the third base. Jimmy, I think when you play the middle, and especially in today's game, it's different than when I came up. You know, when I came up pretty much from day one, I went to second base. I didn't play anywhere other than that, my entire career. Today's kids are different. They're taught. They come up in a way where they play second, they play third, they play short. So they're a little more well-versed than we were also with the with the pivoted second base and it really not be in a factor anymore. By the way, one of the rules they changed that I really don't like because it's the way I like to separate myself defensively from the field. How do you become an elite defender? Well, you got to have you got to have somebody barreling in on you and trying to knock you in the left field. Those are the true signs of who are the great second base. Now the peanut lady can turn too, Jimmy, you know, so I don't think the pivot becomes a problem anymore. So you can kind of interchange parts, I think Aaron's biggest challenge and it's always the biggest challenge for me on a 26-man roster is who can I get, who can handle it? Who can handle the mix up being out of position and a little bit uncomfortable but has the mentality to push forward and not let it affect the team? I think that's going to be threading the needle. That's the part of being a great manager is I have to, I've got four different pieces and I can use them anywhere I want but this guy over here, if I put him at third, he's going to pout and it's going to be a problem. This guy, he'll do anything I ask him to do. So I think it's one of those for Aaron is who's going to fit just right and mentally be all right once that game starts to give them the best chance to win. That makes sense. Yeah. And I guess the question I'd ask back though is when you require jazz chism and you ask him to change positions as well as change leagues and go from one of the smallest, quietest markets to the biggest, loudest market, is that asking him to do too much from an adjustment perspective as a player? I think so. I think someone like Glabr is going to be a little well more suited to go over there. I think, Chad, he's got a lot going on right now, he's coming to the big city of New York. You know, it looks like he's adjusted the way he came to the ballpark. He looked like he'd been there for a long time. But a lot of times, you don't know what's going on underneath. He just wants to get there. He wants to fit in and he just wants to go play baseball and he got that first hit out of the way. His last bat beat out that ground ball, the infield. So I think he's got a lot going on right now, a lot that he's processing. It's exciting. He's been a young player, not that he's that young of a player. He's been around for a bit, but coming to the big Apple Bronx pennant race, I never got to witness it. I always wanted to. I never got that opportunity late in my career to play in New York, but he's got a lot going on right now. I'm sure he's going to do whatever is asked of him. But the smaller amounts you put on his plate, I think the better for that team long term. I agree completely. Let's see, the 12 games, or I'm sorry, the 12 teams in the postseason, the most teams that have ever made it in the history of our game makes for more exciting moving the timeline, the trade deadline a month farther away. I think it's great. The fan in me says, now there's some strategy. You got two months out and you've got a ton of teams in the race. It's not clear cut like in the old days, maybe at this point. There were seven or eight teams that were in it. Now, there's 18 teams that have a chance and are sitting there going, are we buyers? Are we sellers? To me, that makes the market, it widows the market down. So the inventory isn't quite there. Tell me your take on it. When you were a general manager versus today's game, what are the challenges everybody's going through right now? Well, a lot changed over the last couple of years, Brett, and we're sitting in this situation, we legitimately only have six sellers as we speak. Now, there's a few teams that are buying and selling at the seats, like the Chicago Cubs and the Tampa Bay Rays and the San Francisco Giants that are willing to go both ways, but it really has changed the dynamic of the trade deadline. The other factor is when you keep the trade deadline at July 30th or 31st, this year it's the 30th, and you don't allow for waiver trades in August. What happens when you lose two or three guys to a legal list? Then you're dependent on whatever you have a triple A to replace them. You can't go make that trade that you would normally make. And I think as we're going through this over the last couple of years, we also have to keep in mind what's changed in the postseason, right? If you're the best team of the postseason, you're moving 100 games. You have to sit five days before you get to call a playoff game. So last year, three of the four teams in the best record got eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. So you really have two seasons. And one thing we learned last year is the two wildcard teams or two of the wildcard teams, they were in the World Series. Team that won the World Series absolutely was a wildcard team. So you're sitting there as a GM and an owner, and you're saying, "Hey, if I just get in, I got a chance." Baseball has become like NHL, get a good hot goaltender, and you can absolutely run the table. So that has completely changed everything in terms of how GMs operate. So my suggestion would be going forward, and I think this is really important. I don't want to move the trade deadline to August 31, because I don't think that gives teams enough time, but I do think we should move it back to August 15. I think that's a really good compromise. The way the playoffs has changed, the elimination of waiver trades, I think if we move the deadline to August 15, it makes sense. And one last layer to that, because the All-Star Week has become all about the draft that was moved from June to July, GMs only care about the draft, and they don't even really get into trades at a significant level until that time is over. So that's another factor on why I think the trade deadline in the future should be moved August 15. Well, that's an interesting point. You talk about preparing for this deadline. When do scouts start preparing for this? You say the draft is the imperative, is the most important thing. But how many, I mean, because scouts are set out to a lot of minor-loop facilities. If I'm going to make a trade with X, Y, or Z, I want to find their best players. When does that start? When does that start, and as a general manager, when is your drop deadline where am I a buyer, am I a seller? Is there a time, or is it just a feeling? Could it be that last week where, hey, if we have a good week here, we're buyers, if we have a bad week, we're sellers. Yeah, good question. So let me take you through the blueprint, generally how GMs look at it. The first two months of the season, you assess what you have. And by the time you get the Memorial Day, you have a pretty good idea of what you have and how good you can be. You spend the next two months trying to get better. Now what happens when you get to June 1st in this climate is a lot of teams don't know if they're going to be buyers or sellers, so you prepare for both. You prepare to buy and you prepare to sit, and you spend those two months. Now the draft is put in the middle of it, which takes some of your top evaluators, including yourself, away at times, but it doesn't stop you from scouting everybody. It doesn't stop you from being prepared to go both ways. It doesn't stop you from communicating with all the GMs to letting them know in the month of June heading into July, "Hey, these are our strengths. Here's our weaknesses. This is where we think we need to improve." Now whether you're a buyer or seller is really fascinating because you have some GMs that will look at the one-loss record and make a decision based on that. You have some GMs who will look at gains behind and make a judgment on that. Let me give you a couple of examples. Take your business further with a smart and flexible American Express business gold card. You can earn four times points on your top two eligible spending categories every month, like transit, U.S. restaurants, and gas stations. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Four times points on up to $150,000 in purchases per year, terms apply. Learn more at americanexpress.com/businessgoldcard. The last thing you want to hear when you need your auto insurance most is… Thank you for calling. Please listen to your list of 46 possible service options. 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But I had a conversation on that Sunday with Eric Niand, or the president of the Rays. And I was talking to him about it, he's going to buy because he's close enough at a wild car. Birthday's going to sell. His response back to me was, and at the time, there are 500 teeth. He said, look, we think it's going to take 89 to 90 wins in the American League to make the playoffs. We're a 500 team. And I'm not sure if anything's going to change in the next week. And without saying it, he clearly told me he was going to sell because he viewed his team not only because the record was 500, he viewed the team as a 500 team. Not overachieving, not underachieving. It's what they are. And he's like, that's not good enough. I need to rebuild for the future. And he's been the best seller of anyone at this trade deadline. And we'll get a straight A for me when I grade every team. They've done a phenomenal job at the sellers market. They took advantage of it. Now, on the flip side, you had two National League teams, the Giants and the Cubs. The Giants this morning only three and a half out in the wildcard because they've won four in a row. But last Sunday, the head of the Giants baseball ops, Farhan Zaidi said, hey, look, I don't know if we're going to make it. We've got to jump over five teams. I'm going to start shopping Blake Snell and see what I can get. OK, but now they've won four in a row and he wakes up this morning three and a half games out. And now he's got to make the call. Am I going to really tell my clubhouse three and a half games out with Blake Snell pitching like a Cy Young Award winner with Robbie Ray just activated with Alex Cobb coming back? Am I going to really walk into that room and sell? Like so all of a sudden he may have to pivot. Now the Chicago Cubs president, Jed Hoyer, came out and he told everybody, I'm going to build for 25 and beyond. And yet they've stayed within striking distance, but he's made two trades, right? Picked up Nate Pearson to help the bullpen and then made a huge trade to get his sock paraded from Tampa Bay. Now both of those deals may or may not help them for this year. But they really believe it'll help them in 25 and beyond. So they're kind of in between. Now they could still trade Jameson Tyone in the next 24 hours. They might trade one of their relievers like Mark Leiter Jr. in the next 25 hours. But they're looking to build for next year and beyond. You can tell they don't believe in the team this year even though they're within striking distance. And you remember Brett about 15 years ago or 20 years ago, Kenny Williams was right in the middle of a pennant race and he traded the whole team and did a fire sale because he said I don't believe in the team. My answer to you back is as a GM, you should never get emotional and make a decision based on the way your team plays the last 10 days heading to the deadline. This mistake the Angels made last year and I was on your podcast and we talked about it. And I told them they better trade Otani. They better trade them now or they're going to set their organization back seven years. I told you that on this show. They didn't listen to me, right? They held on to them. They didn't look at the schedule in August. They all of a sudden got emotional because they beat really bad teams in July. And then they held on to them and they lost them. They got nothing for them. And now they're seven or eight years away from contending again. Don't get emotional when you get to this point. Be steady, slow heartbeat, make the right decision. At this point, you better know what your team is. Don't worry about the record or games behind. Look at your team and ask yourself, can I make the playoffs? Because if I can, I got a shot. And if you think you can, then you should be buyers, my opinion. Isn't it interesting how things have changed? You know, I was talking to somebody yesterday, I was getting questioned about the World Series and winning the World Series. And we all know how tough that is. But in our day, you felt when you were a general manager, I was still playing. You felt if you won that division, man, if you got to the postseason, if you got to see that, you had a good chance win the World Series. Today is a different ball game. It is the easiest it's ever been to reach that postseason. So Jimmy, I was laughing because I'm analyzing teams and I'm saying, oh, the Phillies are great. And then I'm laughing at myself going, I've got no clue once the tournament starts. I've got no clue who's going to be there. If you say a year ago you predicted the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Diamondbacks are two games away from being a World Series champion, I'd say you're crazy. But that's what we had. And I think the parody is unbelievable as a baseball fan. I love it because it's all baseball all the time in the news. As a player, I don't know that I like it. I think it, to me, I kind of like, man, that marathon was really worth it. It's just a different ball game now, it's 2024, it's, you know, the game is progressing. We're into a different, but it's bad for the fan in me. It's really entertaining, but the player in me, I really liked that grind and that marathon because at the end, if you were, if you were still standing, it's like, hey, we're one of the best teams in baseball. But I think that's the way the sports is going in general. You talk about Tampa Bay, what they're doing at the deadline. I'll never question Tampa Bay. What I've seen out of that ball club consistently going to the postseason with limited budget, they do about as good a job as anybody. And the flip, on the flip side, you were talking about the San Francisco Giants, I look at a Blake Snellie, punched out 15 a couple of days ago. You mentioned the web, you mentioned a Robbie Ray that nobody's really been talking about came back after that, Tommy John, he could be a big factor. And I look at that West with the exception of the Dodgers. They're every bit in this hunt right now. You bring on Bob Melvin coming back to the Bay area, are you going to go down and tell him you're, you're quitting all the season? That's really interesting and winning the four in a row put you in that predicament as a general manager that you were talking about, like, wait a minute, do I go down and I'm in that clubhouse and tell those guys, right now we're selling, that would be interesting. I know as a player, we were always kind of looking over our shoulder that last week, that last 10 days, either we've got to prove to our general manager that we're worthy to go get that big guy at the trade deadline. And if we don't, are they going to do nothing? I've been on both sides of the ledger. The teams that bought in and went out, we got to David Wells when I was with you and Cincinnati, the amount of adrenaline that pumps into a clubhouse. I can't tell you, only those 26 guys on the ground know what that feels like. I've also been on the other side of the ledger. We're playing good and I know we need one part and management stands pat and man, it's almost like you look at each other in that clubhouse and just say, hey guys, we're on work. We're on our own. So it's interesting, the mentality of the psychological games that are played at this time of the season, guys coming and going. It's really an interesting time, but I love it. It's what makes the game the game. Yeah, it certainly is. And my experience, and I was a GM for 16 years, my experience is that last week before the deadline, the GM is just as important as a star player. It's the only week of the year, right? We play 52 weeks, only one week is the GM that important, that's the week because you'll make the difference. And the trade deadline you're referring to, I traded for David Wells, Mark Portugal, Dave Berb and Darren Lewis within eight days. And we were a game and I have had a Houston and then we just blew the doors out and ended up in the NLCS against Atlanta who went on to win the World Series. But we were right there, right there with a chance to win. And the one thing that is very clear to me is that if you have a chance to win, the front office better do something for the players because they feel it and they appreciate it. If you sit there and do nothing, it's disappointing for them. And it's a letdown, it is without a doubt. And so I feel like you have to, I mean, I think when the Seattle Mariners, President Jerry DiPoto traded for Randy Rose Arena, it totally changed the feel in that clubhouse. Now he made the trade on the off day, right, last Thursday. What happened the next day? Randy wasn't there yet, but what happened? Seattle had its best offensive day of the year. Jorge Palanco went off, who'd been slumping all year because just the feeling and the vibe that the front office they're helping us. The fact that we got a guy that we know will perform on the biggest stage and the biggest moments because we've seen him do it in the playoffs in the World Series. The fact that we know the owner and the president and the GM are there for us, they're trying for us. Boom, then they get Jimmy Garcia from the Blue Jays, who's been one of the best relievers in the American League. Boom. They absolutely took a Seattle team that quite frankly was heading to third place, right? Quickly. And all of a sudden, now they're back in the conversation with the Astros and Rangers and what will be an epic, epic pendant race in the AOS. Yeah, I agree with you. And a Rose Arena, when you're talking about the Seattle Mariners, you're a Rose Arena, his personality, his demeanor, it's flamboyant. I think it's going to catch the attention of a Julio Rodriguez who's been really under performing this year, the young superstar for the Seattle Mariners. So you don't, you know, without factoring that in, that's another thing that a Rose Arena brings to the table. And I think it's going to be interesting to watch. You're right. They got the best start in pitching, my opinion, one through five, interchangeable number one. It's the best pitching in baseball. But with that offense, as dismal as it's been, they needed something and the Mariners were one of those teams. Really quick, take me inside the general manager suite. Two different scenarios. I want to talk about when you're, when you're a buyer or a seller or when you have to go to your owner and say, you know, it isn't in the cards we got to sell this year, we're not going to make the postseason. Is there instant accountability there? And I also want to know what it's like. How does the process work? You pick up the call, do you, do you, if you're a buyer or a seller, do you pick up the, the phone, do you email, do you text, is it a personal phone call? How do you get that business started on wanting to make a deal, whether you're, you're buying or selling? Okay. So I'll start with the ownership question that you had there. You always have to be honest upfront and accountable with ownership and always be transparent to where the team is, where your farm system is, how good you are, what your needs are, whether you're buyers or sellers and always remember that it's the owner's team, it's not yours. And you're like the agent for the owner trying to help the owner win. That's what your job is. It's not your team. It's the owner's team. So the communication between the owner and the front office is everything, everything always. Now, in terms of the communication, there are no more emails between GMs and trade talks. So my experience has been, and as you know, I stay in touch with all 30 general managers and presidents on a regular basis, almost on a weekly basis. And what they tell me is I find that the best GMs do most of the trade discussions directly on the phone with conversations. And then there's text added in, but they try to get, they try to do it on the phone because you can learn more on the phone than you can't detect. You can ask follow up questions that you wouldn't be able to do if you were just texting back and forth. You can really find out more information of what players they like, telling them what players you like. It's much easier to find a fit if you're having a conversation. So most of the best ones do that. I will say there are several, and I'm not going to name them, that have told me that 90% of everything they do is text, and that that's how they handle it. It's not a coincidence that a lot of those guys are not independent rates, to be honest. But everything is done by phone or text, and I would say with the good GMs, we're talking a 70/30 split, 70%, phone conversations, 30% text at this point. But the texts are more follow ups or new ideas you're throwing at the person you're negotiating with. Every deal starts with a phone call, almost every deal is closed by a phone call. Let's take the nationally first, Phillies, Cubs, Padres, Diamondbacks, and Mets have been active so far. Do you like the moves that are made so far? Who's winning at this National League? Now you'll know this, Brett, obviously, because you've been around baseball your whole life and I've always said you have an 80 baseball IQ on a scale of 20 to 80, so you'll understand this. And Philadelphia Phillies have done an incredible job. They haven't acquired any stars, but they've acquired what they needed to win. There's small deals that you're not going to sit there and move the needle, and people aren't going to talk about it on Sports Center. But their trade for Austin Hayes, and their trade for Carlos Estebes, is what that team needed. Now the Phillies have the best team in baseball. The best team wins the World Series. The Phillies are going to win the World Series. Best team usually doesn't win it, by the way, but if they do, it's going to be them. But they had a knee. Now, last year they remember when they lost to Arizona, it was because the Diamondbacks bullpen was better than theirs, as simple as that. So they go get Estebes who has had a great year with the Angels. He's a striped thrower, he pitches ahead, he's the kind of pitcher you want in the postseason. He's not going to walk, guys. He's going to go right at you. And you put him with Hoffman and Strong, who are both all-stars and Jose Alvarado, and all of a sudden, your back end is better. Now with Austin Hayes, they really needed someone to hit left-handed pitching, in particular, an outfielder. Hayes does that, right? He said over 300 this year against lefties. Now, you can either platoon him or Brandon Marsh in left, if you're able to trade for a center fielder in the next 24 hours, if they can get a Lewis Robert or a better center fielder, then Hayes and Marsh can platoon him left. If they can't get another center fielder, they just move Marsh to center and Hayes and left. Now Hayes isn't a star, but keep in mind Brett, 16 homers each of the last two years, right? 60 RBIs, that's all he is. But that's an average Major League player, which is an upgrade over what they're getting from Rojas, who can't hit, he can feel, but he can't hit. So I like the fact that Dave Dombrowski, and by the way, Dave Dombrowski is a future Hall of Fame executive, right? He's taken four teams to the World Series and won two World Championships. And this team has a chance to get back there again. So I absolutely love what they've done. To me, it really stands out because they got the exact need that they have. I know they're also in talks with Lewis Robert. I'm not sure if they're going to be able to pull that off, but they paid a big price. Don't get me wrong for Estebes. I mean, I thought that trade, they give up two really good young starting pitchers that may come back and burn them someday. But when you have the rotation they have, which I think is second best to Seattle one to five, you can afford to make that deal. This episode is brought to you by Experian. Are you paying for subscriptions you don't use, but can't find the timer energy to cancel them? Experian could cancel unwanted subscriptions for you, saving you an average of $270 per year and plenty of time. Download the Experian app. Results will vary. Not all subscriptions are eligible. Savings are not guaranteed. Paid membership with connected payment account required. Hey, it's Kaylee Cuoco for Priceline. Ready to go to your happy place for a happy price? Well, why didn't you say so? Just download the Priceline app right now and save up to 60% on hotels. So, whether it's Cousin Kevin's Kazoo concert in Kansas City, go Kevin or Becky's Bachelorette Bash in Bermuda, you never have to miss a trip ever again. So, download the Priceline app today. Your savings are waiting. Go to your happy place for a happy price, go to your happy price, Priceline. Yeah, I agree with you and people don't always, you look at the Phillies, they didn't need much tweaking. You're right. So, you get an Austin hay, an Estebas to bolster that bullpen. You've already got horses on both sides of the ledger that start rotation is, I agree with you. But then Seattle, one through five, Phillies as good as to get and offensively, obviously they're much superior in the Seattle ball club. As we got closer and maybe you were doing this too, you were, all right, who were going to be the buyers, who were going to be the sellers? I went back and forth on the Mets, all of a sudden the Mets are in. Toronto's been the one team for me. Talk to me about Toronto, we had to talk off air. I'm not going to reveal. I want you to give the tidbits. But I thought they were just going to fire sale. They've got starting pitchers who haven't lived up to it. I'm very surprised that Toronto's, I think they're the biggest underachieving ball club in the game with Gossman and Barrios and Bassett and Kukuchi. I thought, and with that offense, there was young stars, I thought, wow, this is going to be here. They could win that division. We're not even close. They're in last. Is there a fire sale that's going to happen in Toronto and take me through that American league, what you've seen so far, the Yankees, Mariners, Orioles and Red Sox have been active. Thus far, what's to come? Well, the Blue Jays are going to pull what the Angels did last year. They're making the biggest mistake here at the deadline. This is not a good baseball team, Brett. I do like the starting pitching like you do, even though they've all regressed this year outside of Barrios, but with their lineup, they have Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. and Boba Beshette who's injured, those are the only two everyday players that they run out there. Everybody else is a platoon player, a fourth outfielder, a fifth infielder. It's not a competitive team. And while the Tampa Bay Rays are quickly rebuilding and making their future better, Toronto's not and they're going to pay a price. It's going to be ugly. Now both Guerrero and Beshette are free agents after 2025. They only control them for one more year after this. They haven't extended either one. And I'm told they're not even close to extending either one. So what are you doing? You're a last place team. You're not contending. What are you doing? You could sit there and be trading Guerrero and Beshette in a market where there's no hitters outside of Lewis Robert. You could be trading Chris Bassett, you say Kukuchi and Kevin Gosman in a market where the top three starting pitchers probably aren't getting traded now. So you could jump into this marketplace and trade for 10 or 12 prospects in about 48 hours and make your future bright. But they're not going to do it. Now part of the reason is the president, Mark Schapiro is GM Ross Atkins, their contracts are up after 25 with Guerrero and Beshette and maybe they all leave then. But to sit there and they've taken the position of we're just going to retool the off season and run it back. You've got to really run it back. Have you not seen how good the Orioles are? Have you not seen how good the Yankees are and how much money they have to spend? Are you not seeing the up and coming red Sox? Are you not watching the Rays quickly rebuild in front of your face? Like I'm not sure I get what they're doing. And if they think they're going to walk out there and play checkbook baseball and free agency, who's going to go to Toronto? If you have a choice between Baltimore and Toronto, where are you going as a player? You're going to Baltimore. I'm going to the Yankees. I'm going to the Dodgers. I'm going to the Phillies. I'm not going over there. You have to overpay me and you're not going to do that because you never have. So I don't like what they're doing now. They are selling some. I do expect you say Kakuchi to be traded in the next 24 hours. I think there could be another reliever traded by Toronto. They're trying to trade their expiring contracts and that's it. I don't like the strategy. When it comes to the contenders, National League and American League, who do you see? We're coming up on 24 hours to the to the trade deadline. Who do you who does Jim Bowdoin crystal ball? Who's going to make the biggest move? Who needs to make the biggest moves? Yeah, let me tell you this, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been extremely quiet, haven't they, Brett? Yes. I talked to the GM, Brandon Gomes yesterday, I said, what are you looking for at the deadline? Is it a starter, reliever, an outfielder? He responded back, impact. No last time the Dodgers told me they're looking for impact, they signed some player named Showe Otani and I should know by Yamamoto and traded for Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. That's what they call impact. Now the other thing that's interesting is they've been the most quiet buyer out there. Who's been the most quiet seller out there? The Chicago White Sox. Who of Garret Crochet and Lewis Robert and Eric Fettie and Tommy Fan and Michael Copac. All about to be traded. Why are they so quiet and the Dodgers so quiet? Could there be a marriage between the White Sox and the Dodgers in a deal that would send Crochet and Robert to L.A. wouldn't surprise me one bit if something like that played out because they're the one team that could handle Garret Crochet's curve ball that said I'm not pitching in October unless I get a long-term contract from the team that acquires me which eliminates a lot of teams but I don't think it eliminates the Dodgers who have unlimited money so if I had to look at who I think is going to be the most active buyer in the next 24 hours I'm going to go Dodgers if you want to ask me who the most active seller is going to be in the next 24 hours I'm going to go Chicago White Sox. Wow there's a lot to go it's going to be interesting I got it I got you know I got personal reads I got a little one eye open looking at Aaron Boone's Yankees I always keep a special eye on the Seattle Mariners with that pitching staff and a lot to go Jimmy I appreciate you coming on I appreciate you being a part of the Boone podcast on a regular basis it's going to be an interesting 24 hours for those of you watching the Brett Boone podcast on YouTube we now have our own channel I appreciate you tuning in for those of you listening on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcast till next time keep it here thanks Jim thanks for watching all start closer Ken Lee Janssen we have a question what's the best podcast of all time this boys and boy and baby I'm Rob Bradford and every single day I'm sitting down with the biggest names to show you this great game is the greatest game it's my podcast it's my passion is a cause I started more than two years ago and is now the most prolific national daily baseball pod there is another fact so jump aboard the BIB Express follow and listen to baseball isn't boring presented by Wasabi hot cloud storage on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts