If the Orioles plan to be serious buyers at the trading deadline, Luke Jones and Nestor consider the possibilities of adding the greatest baseball they’ve ever seen in his prime and what it would take and mean for the Angelos family and Mike Elias.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
orioles, prospects, yankees, team, talking, year, deal, great, baseball, dodgers, player, place, good, trade deadline, tampa, give, angels, play, series, sign
SPEAKERS
Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome back, WN S T tassa. Baltimore. Baltimore positive we’re positively into the summer crabcake and a peach cake season there’s a rumor, they’re gonna be bringing the peach cake on August 3 for our 25th anniversary owl over at Fenwick bakery, which is my favorite peach cake establishment over in Harford road is going to be bringing it over on the third of August right around two o’clock. But we’ve got guests lined up top piers for classic five is going to join us at 11am. We have all sorts of guests stopping by got surprises, I got some calls out, we’re going to be constantly on the third. We’re going to be a drug city in the heart of Dundalk on the fourth it’s Radio Free Dundalk. After 25 years of owning this joint here. I am 1570. And all these memories in that we’re going to be sharing out online, we have a new sponsor for our 25th anniversary, I’ll be telling you about next week as well. It’s legal now so I can tell you all about it. We’re gonna be there on the third fourth and this week, of course, we’re gonna be at the Beaumont with Gina shock Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. And the one thing that’s not going to change in the time that I’m with Gina on Thursday, Luke is that the Baltimore Orioles are in first place in the American League East. They are the best team in the American League. And they are headed to play a I mean, I don’t know what to say about this series this weekend. And I’m doing the show and I’m going down to doing a party with Tommy calm. Well, on Sunday, I’m home most of the weekend. This is the biggest series of baseball. I don’t I don’t know what to compare it to. Like when it comes to a July series with a pennant race. Now if it was a winning in if it was just the American League, east and west and because more teams get in now. So it’s not as crucial mathematically but spiritually and where the unbalanced schedule has now gone away. And you don’t see Tampa New York, Boston too much. Boy, this is as big as it gets for July series for them. And the momentum is weird with Mullins out. And they almost got swept but they didn’t in their first place. But here we are. And but one thing for sure, dude, they’re good. They’re really, really good.
8
Luke Jones 02:05
Yeah, I mean, and we’ve been we’ve been saying that for a while now. But I think you know how they come out of the break. And look, we talked about it early on Wednesday, you know, the feelings of how Kramer’s first inning when you’re down to nothing, and you’re just thinking, here we go again, the Dodgers are gonna beat him again, they’re gonna decimate the bullpen, they’re gonna make more roster moves going down to St Petersburg. And yet they just they came right back, they came right back in the first inning, and they got the job done. And they salvage the game. And it helps that, hey, the rays are struggling. And they’ve been struggling for a while now. And it helps that, you know, you look at the rest of the division. And, you know, I mean, it’s your Toronto has played better of late. But you’ve got Boston and the Yankees who they’re not terrible in a vacuum, but it’s weird to see them at the bottom of the division. And you just look at the Orioles best team in the American League coming out of play on Wednesday, even at a series where they lost two out of three. And it’s exciting. But you just said it. I mean this. First of all, this is the first time since August of 2016, that they’ve been in first place at this juncture in a season not talking the first week of the season, anything like that. So that right there tells you how exciting it is how how long it’s been, I mean, seven years, since we’ve even been talking about being in this kind of position, but going down to the trop against the race team that has really, you know, really struggled in particular swinging the bats, you know, and we saw that in the series that they really had their issues against the Rangers. So you’re hoping to keep the the bats cold, but it’s huge, a four game series. And, look, it’s still July, you know, the outcome of this series is not going to decide anything one way or the other. But you take three out of four, dare I say if you did the unspeakable and got an had a sweep and suddenly have a four game lead. I mean, my goodness, we’d be talking in in even different terms. But, you know, realistically speaking, go down there and hold your own. If you can at least get a split, then you come out of it still tied for first place. So I mean, it’s just, it’s big. It really is. And it’ll be interesting. Knowing that at the trop, you’re not going to have a playoff atmosphere, because you’re not going to have a crowd that big, like you said, probably will be a decent number of Orioles fans there which should help but it’s definitely one of those venues where you need to bring your own energy. So that’s going to add a little a little more intrigued what isn’t really important series. I mean, it’s just what more can you ask for at this point, and you know, there was optimism going into the season. There was lots of talk that the Orioles could be in the playoffs. They could make a wild you know one of the three wildcard spots but you’re looking at this thing now and you’re saying well, you’re in first place and late July. Why can’t you be in first place come September so a lot of work to do a lot of challenges ahead and certainly it doesn’t help and you lose Cedric Molins to the i l again, even if you know the hope is that it’s not going to be quite as long of a stint as before, but you know that there are challenges at any corner and you know, around any corner and we saw this right before the all star break when they lost six or seven and the sky is falling. And then they found their footing again and reeled off another winning streak. So, you know, I think, what Brandon Hyde and what this club has done so well, and this goes back to last year, you know, the second half of last year, regardless of what happened at the at the trade deadline, regardless of how much anyone really believed it. They weren’t a playoff race, you know, they were in the wildcard race until the final week of the season. So I think that was such good experience for them. But I think what this team does so well, and this is what the Bucs show, the best Buck show will alter teams did well that I that I was around and had the chance to cover. You never feel like it’s a big series when you’re around them prior to the game, you know that? They know they’re playing a tough team. And yeah, they did that with the Dodgers. They knew the Marlins were good last weekend. But you never get the sense that it’s too big for them. And look, they lose series, you know, they haven’t played perfectly all year. Yeah, they haven’t been swept all year, which is amazing, as they avoided another one on Wednesday. But I think Brandon Hyde, despite the fact that, you know, he’s still relatively inexperienced manager and all he had known as a manager was losing. But keep in mind, this guy coached for a World Series team in Chicago, he was a coach, he was on the staff for Joe Maddon and some really good teams. He, I think he has a, he sets a good tone of really treating, getting these guys to treat it like it’s any other game. And deep down, you know, it’s more important. They know that there’s a lot riding on this series, even in July of this weekend, but you don’t get the sense that they’re going to treat it any differently, that they’re going to approach it any differently. They’re going to have their other get to the ballpark, they’ll have their advanced meetings, they’ll prepare, they’ll get their data, we’ll go through scouting reports, pitchers, their meetings, the hitters, they’ll have their meetings, and then they’ll go out and play. And that’s what they’ve done all year. And, and we talked about this a lot and may remember how much of a bear that may schedule look like on paper, that winning month, you know, at some point in time, this is just who they are, you know, people can continue to be surprised, because they’ve exceeded expectations or projections. And guys like me, who thought they’d have a record similar to last year because I thought last year, they did play over their head. And I thought they’d be better this year. But it wouldn’t necessarily show up dramatically win loss wise because of the division that they’re in. And they’ve just they’ve gone out from April on and they played really, really good baseball. So,
Nestor Aparicio 07:43
you know,
Luke Jones 07:45
what’s that going to mean? Come September in October? How long are they playing into October? Who knows? You know, it really is still a crapshoot, to talk to the Dodgers who, for all the talk of how great they have been the last seven or eight years, they have won World Series championship in the weird pandemic here at shot, it shows just how difficult it is to win in October. So but you have to get there in order to answer that question. And the Orioles are putting themselves in such an excellent position at this point where if they’re not playing in October, something has gone very wrong.
Nestor Aparicio 08:16
8I was gonna say I mean, this is really like you mentioned sweet Tampa, this that, boy, if they fell apart at this point, I mean, or if he came storming back or if the Red Sox came storming back into this in some way. And that’s why I wanted to talk to you not just about the trading deadline, and we could talk about Mullins and, you know, pulling Aaron Hicks out of a hat and you know, her you know, these guys that they’ve that they’ve hit on whether it’s Yanni or Cano, they’ve hit on a lot of these guys. And you know, I don’t know. But Gibson is seen as just some other things that they’re like, maybe you could have done something differently. But your first place, you’re the best team in American League East. I’m not going to nitpick here on this, but I would say this with a deadline up and their absolute depth of their organization that nobody would question. And Ken Rosenthal who used to live here locally, writing about Shohei, Otani being like, the best player that’s going to get dealt the next wall days if he’s going to get dealt with so question that that you can rent him and if you’re gonna rent the greatest player in the history of the game for eight weeks while he is currently the great he’s not you know, he’s it is not a might be I mean, he changes things for you if you get him. He changed things you have to compete with him if you had to play the Yankees and the Red Sox 13 times in August and September but you don’t. So your thoughts about the other teams for to fine. You know what I mean? Like, it won’t be Tampa I mean spending money and doing things it’s never the Orioles. It’s never the Angelo’s family spending money. Maybe it would be but somebody’s going to deal for Otani. I guess if he’s gonna get dealt I would think the angels aren’t gonna sign and why wouldn’t it take three prospects? Why would they want some teams, Colton Couser or Brian Now can whatever they would want whatever they can get and people like the Roosevelt they want we get one from tier a current player one from tier b can’t miss prospect and one from trc a guy or to an arm whatever and I think to myself well if that’s what the Orioles if that’s the value and the Orioles can offer the most out of their system because the Yankees were doing this for years you know trading deadline good teams do this. The Astros did this when they were the Astros right when these guys were part of that. And then when they were part of the Cardinals, they did it right. That you look at this and say who’s the best available player? What can we afford to give up? And will that player make a difference in us winning a championship in October and you and I know blowing the dice roll the dice crapshoot. Otani to me is not a crapshoot. You go get him and you you don’t win the World Series. You can stay we we got Otani. And then I don’t know whether there’s any realistic thought of signing him or whatever. But the Rosenthal thinks interesting, but my thought is I work it backwards. I’m gonna go Nautilus on you with this and say, well, somebody else is gonna get him. So you’re gonna have to play him in the World Series then? Or, like, if you’re thinking that way, and your thinking alike of the available guys that are gonna move in the next two weeks? How can how can we make sure the Yankees and the Red Sox don’t get something that changes their their mojo? And they start playing seven under ball for six weeks? Because thereby possible?
Luke Jones 11:27
Yeah, yeah. I mean, and that’s, that’s part of the game, right? I mean, I can recall I mean, it feels like ancient history, because it was nine years ago at this point, but part of the Orioles motivation of going out and getting it getting Andrew Miller was they didn’t want other contenders in the AFL to get them. You know, they thought that that’s okay. You know, and remember that they were trying to get John Lester at the time, you know, there was talk about that, and, you know, they didn’t want to part with Dylan Bundy at the time, which Dylan Bundy was an amazing prospect at that point in time. And so you have some of that. But yeah, there is always kind of that. All right. We’d like to have them but we’d also like to keep them away from that team. So I think probably at the end of the day that too much is made of that, but that That certainly applies and that certainly is part of it. You know, I guess for me, it’s just tough and to really put it in the context of if I’m going to try to sit here and seriously think about the Orioles if they would ever have a shot at someone like Shohei Otani, you know, again, what’s the angels asking price going to be? It is a rental all teams not just the Orioles not just rebuilding cheap teams. But the most expensive high payroll teams value their prospects more than ever, you know, Jackson holiday is gold.
Nestor Aparicio 12:44
Oh, there’s no reason to think nobody’s gonna give up gold. So if you give him two bags of silver dole, whoever’s the best deal is the deal they’ll make that’s what I’m trying right now.
Luke Jones 12:55
No, I hear you. And, look, I’m just going to throw out three names here. If you told me right now that I could get Shohei Ohtani. If I give up and these were names, excuse me, these were names that were cited in the article. And again, how much of this was really reporting compared to conjecture? I think it was much more conjecture and maybe a little bit of industry chatter as far as how much the angels realistically can get for Otani knowing as great as he is, it is still just a two month rental when you’re talking about an unbelievably historic financial commitment. Whoever signs him is going
8Nestor Aparicio 13:32
to stop you right now. We’re gonna go football season. Okay. Lamar Jackson, one of one available last year that criminal was available and everybody bid on him. And this year, Lamar couldn’t get on a plane. Lamar couldn’t. couldn’t get anybody to sniff him beyond Owings Mills. I don’t know. I mean, Otani. I don’t know. Everybody should pick up the phone. He’s the greatest player we’ve ever seen in our lifetime. Right. And everybody should be on the phone. But But to your point, who’s gonna give up what who’s gonna play the game? And who’s stealing from the deepest deck? The Orioles have the deepest deck right now. Right? They do. They do.
Luke Jones 14:11
But there’s also that deck is also meant to empower and maintain what they do for the next 5678 years. So there’s that but to bring it back to that. I saw the name Ryan mountcastle was in there which I think Ryan mountcastle is value has never been lower than it is right now. So I don’t really think that’s getting you much of anything. At this point in time. Heston curse, dad’s name was in there. I I’m trying to think of the other names. I don’t have the article in front of me, DL halls name was in there who his value is not very high right now because of some of the physical issues he’s had. You know, Cade Povich, his name was mentioned I mentioned him and he was the kind of the big piece in the Jorge Lopez deal even though again, you know, ended up being a big piece too. So, you know, if you’re telling me that I can train And they’re not spare parts because you know, you’re still talking about guys like a Conor Norby or a joey or tease, you know, guys that have been either top 100 prospects or are on the cusp of being a top 100 prospect. If you’re talking to, you know, a couple guys like that, and they’re not, you know, they’re not insisting that I give them Jackson holiday, you know, for example, then, you know, I’d have a tough time not considering that, right? I mean, I’m, I’m not saying I don’t want Shohei Otani. I’m saying that I’m certainly not giving them Jackson holiday. I’m not giving them grace and Rodriguez for him, you know, but because I still am that big of a believer in him. So if it’s kind of my, you know, a second tier prospect of mine, and a couple of third
Nestor Aparicio 15:46
year or 330 also has given up their holiday either to your point, right, so then you make your best deal. That’s why I’m saying too bad. That’s right. I’m not trying to sell it because Rosenthal sold it. Yeah, I’m trying to sell it because he’s the greatest player in the history of the game. And he’s going to play for someone else, probably not named the ad. Why wouldn’t you be in that bidding? Yes. And if he doesn’t get delta, that means nobody said there Jackson holiday. And that means that mountcastle and curse that and a bag of baseballs didn’t get him.
Luke Jones 16:15
8Right, right. I mean, it’s just I don’t know, I, I guess I’m just I’m struggling with the exercise because the Orioles weren’t even willing to go out and sign like Nathan eovaldi In the offseason, you know, someone that they could have signed for, you know, I mean, he got real money, but it wasn’t like, he didn’t get 100 You know, it wasn’t $125 million. You know, I think he got a two year $34 million contract. I think it probably had a vesting option or something like that with it. You know, they weren’t even in that market for a starting pitcher. And and look, I know Otani is a hitter and a starting pitcher, let’s be clear, but I guess it’s just tough for me to, to even wrap my head around the possibility when they weren’t even in that world in the offseason. And they signed Kyle Gibson, which they
Nestor Aparicio 16:59
weren’t first, especially in the American League than either. I,
Luke Jones 17:03
I understand that I you know, I guess for me, it’s just, I have a tough time believing that they’ll even be in that conversation. And maybe I’m completely wrong. And maybe two, two and a half weeks from now we’re talking about che Shohei Ohtani. Being a Baltimore oriole, I’ll be at probably for only two and a half months because if they didn’t sign Nathan eovaldi of the offseason then I sure as heck don’t think they’re gonna recite Shohei Otani if they even if they would acquire it as a rental. If you want to commit
Nestor Aparicio 17:29
to being the best team in baseball and sell it and go to the governor and hold him up. We had to try it. I reached the treasurer by the way this week about the lease situation. Like if you want like I not being a dick, I’m just saying like, Why? Why are we allowed to have the best toys? Because then it’s gonna come back? If you don’t want to pay rutschman If he turns out to be the best player ever, or any of these guys, curse that Rodriguez turns out to be, you know, the Strasburg whatever, right? That that’s the game you play. And that’s why it’s good to see people down there spending money and place filled up a little bit against the Dodgers this week, and you’re trying to sell tickets and give tickets away and it’s $10 and it’s $60 for the club plan for the month of odd like whatever they need to do. They need to do it now. This is the time to build the organization and the franchise said that they can afford nice toys. So I don’t have to hear well. We’re not allowed to have the best players. We have to have we have to eat. Oh there I use the Andy MacPhail reference the late great Mike Flanagan gave me this one. You know what, why feed him steak when the lead hamburger will clearly Otani is not steak. He’s, he’s Kobe beef. You know what I mean? He’s the best of the best that there’s ever been. And he’s available. I think it’s worth talking about. Do you want to win? Why wouldn’t you want to talk about that?
8Luke Jones 18:47
I don’t disagree. But what is the cost going to be in terms of prospects and knowing that we both agree that even if the Orioles ponied up the prospects that they’re never going to sign him? I mean, would we agree, like let’s not live in Fantasyland. They’re not going to sign Shohei Otani even if they would rent him, so I guess my question is, can you afford as an organization from a the health of your farm system to acquire him and then knowing that whatever you’re giving up is going to be gone? Depends
Nestor Aparicio 19:22
on what you pay, right? It does. It really does.
Luke Jones 19:25
And right. And look, I’m not trying to I’m not trying to be a stick in the body here. I’m just, I just feel like, it’s tough for me to even talk about for
Nestor Aparicio 19:33
8this city. We’re dealing to go to the World Series. Let’s start at the top and then we could talk about them picking up some guy from Oakland for a bag of baseballs of Japan and they’re trying to fix them. And I mean, if that’s what they’re they’re futzing around, you know, in the middle of July, when they’re the best team in baseball, then they’re futzing around and like, don’t be surprised to hear footsteps in the Yankees of the Red Sox, who would not have any problem in dealing for Otani. If, if that’s what they felt like they wanted to do. Sure, and the Yankees would probably think would rock their franchise, you know, in regards to interest in them being the Yankees, and we’re bringing him in and we’re gonna make a charge for it, we’re gonna be a wildcard and we’re gonna split ourselves in and we’re gonna get one game playoff and he’s gonna bet yet and like work, you know, all of that. The visions of sugar plums they dream like that they’re so if they dream like that there you better dream that you’re gonna have to go face them on the hill and then have to pitch to them in playoffs to because it’s possible.
Luke Jones 20:29
Sure, sure. Possible. And, you know, if he’s dealt to a contender, likely, you know, we’d only be
Nestor Aparicio 20:36
dealt with contender.
Luke Jones 20:38
Well, I guess I’m a national imagine, you know what I mean? Right. Right. Again, certainly nationally, sorry, just, you’re throwing a lot at me here. But, um, these are good problems
8Nestor Aparicio 20:50
to have,
Luke Jones 20:51
right. And I think one thing that you do need to recognize here, and again, this is a very analytic driven organization. Analytics will tell you most of these debt, trade deadline moves do not pay off. Now, that said, SigmaTel. Michael is coming from Houston, as you mentioned, can’t remember if it was in this segment or a previous segment. They went and got Justin Verlander at the deadline. And that made a huge difference for them, you know, and winning a championship. So it’s not unprecedented. However, that Astros team was, at least a couple years further along in terms of where their competitive window was. So I don’t know. I mean, we’ll see again, that so much of this just comes back to where Where in the heck are the angels in this process? Because I’m still not convinced that ownership wants to trade him. I’m still not convinced that they’re going to be remotely realistic enough in what they asked for that a team will pull the trigger. So you know that those are still really big questions here. You know, if the question is, I can get Shohei Otani. But will you Trey Jackson holiday to get them on? It’s absolutely not. I’m just I’m not trading, arguably the best prospect in baseball for a guy that I don’t think I have any pressure to resign. And I don’t know if Shohei Otani would even want to play in Baltimore. I mean, you know, so it could be a case where he wants to be on the west coast or
Nestor Aparicio 22:16
any team that gives up prospects, they’re, you know, they’re even if they’re thinking, well, we’ll get him for 380 million. Yeah, bargain that, you know, who knows what the market is going to be from in the end? It’s going to be an open market. I mean, it’s not going to be signing a deal.
Luke Jones 22:31
8It’s not. Right, exactly. I mean, that’s, that’s where it’s just, and a team like the Orioles who don’t have an unlimited payroll, even if they certainly can spend much more than they have been in recent years. And I’m not going to say that they you know, that they can’t spend a whole lot more, but you’re talking about dealing prospects to get them. And if you lose them, then you don’t get those prospects back. And you’ve now hurt yourself for the future. I’m just again, it’s real simple to just say, I want show, hey, Otani, I don’t give a crap about 2024 and beyond let’s win a World Series this year. And look for the right deal. Go get them sure if they don’t want to take your very best prospects and they’re willing to take some good prospects but not your top of the line guys, then, by all means, do it. Believe me, I’d love to cover Shohei Otani and Baltimore even for two and a half months. But I’m also looking at this how Mike Elias has approached this thing and how the Orioles have gotten to this point. And it has been very methodical. They have not been aggressive in free agency last winter or the winter before that when I would have honestly been starting to pick my spots at that point in time because I didn’t want to waste the first couple years of Adley rutschman. So hey, these guys know more than I did, because they’re still already had
Nestor Aparicio 23:52
the best point if we’re having a real conversation, if they have a bunch of money to throw around. They better be thrown in and Henderson rutschman Right now, right?
Luke Jones 23:58
Well, I mean, sure. Yeah. I mean, I even if you want to tell me that you’re not going to, you know your if Adley rutschman wants a 10 year deal. For example, I don’t know if I’m given a catcher a 10 year deal. He’s 25 already. But Gunther Henderson’s 22 And he’s gonna be a shortstop and more more likely a third baseman longterm once Jackson Holliday is probably here midway through next year, the way he’s going. That that’ll hold up a 10 year deal. He probably holds up very nicely. So yeah, yeah. And we’ve talked about that. I’ve talked about that, going back to last year that I’d like to see a long term financial commitment made to get back
Nestor Aparicio 24:36
on what could have been there with the money they gave to Davis, if it just would have been smart people and smart money, then, you know, they wouldn’t never have had Adley rutschman. They wouldn’t have been that bad. Right? You know, there’s a whole different pathway you go on, but they went down the path of darkness of being awful to get to this point. Now that they’re at this point. We’re all saying you got 12 days on a trading deadline. on here and you know, what’s going to happen the fortify the team. And are they good enough? And these are through this a great conversation and we haven’t talked about Tampa, going down to Tampa. I mean, we know them. Well. This is certainly getting them in an interesting time, right? Like, you wonder well how to help the ORS get in the first place. They’re losing games. Well, Tampa has been backing up for quite some time. And you can play 29 games over 500 Forever, man.
8Luke Jones 25:23
Yeah, yeah. I mean, a Tampa over the last few weeks, they’ve been kind of mediocre. Now that they were, we were talking about them in terms of being the 84 Tigers early in the season. And, you know, they did that for, you know, into June, let’s say. And, you know, the last few weeks, it’s, it’s been a struggle for them. And they’ve really struggled to swing the bats recently. So I think it’s a great opportunity for the Orioles. And you look at it, that we’re going to continue to talk about the trade deadline for the next, you know, under two weeks now, but you know, 10 days, whatever it is, and in the meantime, the Orioles have a chance here against Tampa Bay, and they’re gonna go to Philadelphia, the Phillies have played good baseball for the most part since early June, you know, kind of a similar timeline to what we saw with them last year, and then they go to, or then they come home play the Yankees, they go to Toronto, I mean, there’s really no let up until you get past the trade deadline. And I guess you’d say the Mets are because they’ve been such a disaster this year. So no, it’s not an easy schedule. So I mean, the trade deadline is going to be talked about so much. And, again, I’m not trying to want to be clear, I’m not trying to poopoo the idea of if you can go get Shohei Otani and the angels asking prices not outrageous. Yeah, random for two and a half months, I’ll say this much. It improves our chances to win the World Series, but also understand it doesn’t guarantee guarantee that they’re gonna win the World Series either. So, you know, there’s
Nestor Aparicio 26:53
a hell of a lot more fun.
Luke Jones 26:55
Oh, well, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. Now, it would be amazing. From from an attention standpoint, I mean, the national media, you know, just just imagine, we, I’ve seen it for years, you know, that the Japanese media that follows around either Otani each row for years. I mean, the press box would just be packed every single night with the contingency that follows him around. And I mean, he’s a rock star. Yeah, he really is. So it’d be fun. But, you know, there are a lot of other good players out there too. And if I’m gonna sit here, and you’re gonna ask what my professional anticipation prediction would be. I think you’re gonna see them make a couple moves. But I think they’re going to be the modest variety. I think it’s going to be and I’m not even talking, you know what they did? On Wednesday? I’m not talking a nation.
Nestor Aparicio 27:46
8Uvalde be a modest addition getting a real starter $70 million year starter?
Luke Jones 27:51
Yeah. I mean, he’s not I mean, obviously, he’s not going to be available, but like someone of that ilk, like, you know, you know, where there’s been a lot of talk about the White Sox starters. You know, I mean, Blake Snell has been thrown out there. You know, if it’s a rental, you know, you’re talking about a rental starter that would, is it that ace that’s necessarily going to strike fear into an opponent, but would be the Orioles? Ace? You know, they could certainly go out and get that, you know, I’d love I’ll continue to be very clear that I still want to see them at some bullpen help. I still think that can be just as beneficial for them as adding another starting pitcher. You know, we’ll see what happens with Grayson Rodriguez here. I wasn’t as down on his first start back, as some people were it was a lousy ending to. But again, there were some circumstances there that defense didn’t help them, for example, and Brian Baker certainly didn’t help them leaving him in that inning. But yeah, I think if you can add a starter, that would be huge for them. There’s no question about that. I love what I saw from Kyle Bradish. His first time out after the all star break. Tyler Wales por estar aside has been good. But you know, are these guys that are going to match up with another team’s ace? Gerrit Cole kind of aces? No, they’re not. But that doesn’t mean you can’t beat them. Because ultimately, it’s your lineup going up against them. So. So it’s going to be it’s going to be fascinating, because it’s not like last year where they were kind of in this ambiguous in between where it’s like, all right, mathematically, they’re in it. Realistically, Michael is flat out said he didn’t think that they really had a great chance of do have that at the time and ruffled some feathers in that clubhouse that he had to do a little control damage, even if he was being just being honest with how he felt at the time. But there’s no ambiguity at this point. Now. I mean, my goodness, you’re one of the best teams in baseball record wise, and mathematically, it’d be an upset if you don’t get into the postseason at this point. So you know, you have pieces. I think there are pieces that you can identify that maybe aren’t as crucial to their future given Some of the log jam that they have, whether you’re talking about the infield, for example, you know, we’ve already seen this with Joey Ortiz, for example. You know, Joey Ortiz is a top 100 prospect in baseball, but it’s really not a place for him on the roster. You know, they’re certainly not looking like there’s going to be a place for him to start. So can you use some of that perception, you know, some of that juice that he has as a prospect around baseball, and package him with a couple others of that ilk, and go get yourself a starting pitcher, it’s not probably not going to be Shohei Otani, but you can go out and get someone that can really help you. So I’d be disappointed if I don’t see a move of that ilk made just because of the great opportunity they have for themselves here. But and this is why I’m a little surprised, because I feel like even just a week or so ago, you were kind of the mind of know, you were fine if they didn’t really do much at the trade deadline. So sort
Nestor Aparicio 30:58
of thinking about where he’s going to be. And then you’d have to go compete with him and other players, and letting this time pass them to say, to your point when we get back there again. Well, thanks, Morgan. I mean, Mullins gets hurt. things could happen. You know, rutschman gets hurt early next year. It changes things. And I’ve seen that with Lamar, wherever year in October, we think we’re a winner. And a December we’re, we’re not right. So it happens quickly. And first place in the elite, the best team in America. It’s all heavy, on you know, July 28, when you’re heading to Tampa, but there aren’t gonna be a whole lot of July 20s, when you’re going to be a first place in the Yankees are going to be in last. I mean one thing about this year that really benefits them. And it’s I think back to 14 as well. The other teams weren’t loaded, you know, not the, it takes a year when the Yankees and the Red Sox aren’t as good. And that is balanced or unbalanced, in my opinion, you know, that that the Yankees are even scuffling? That’s an unusual thing. It’s the first time they’ve been in last place. It’s 9090. Like so, you know, you are in that division where it’s rarefied air to be in first place July 19. And you can’t think well, we’ll just be there again, three out of the next five years. I don’t know,
Luke Jones 32:17
I hear you on that. At the same time. First of all, the Yankees being in last place in this division. That’s not the same as 1990. And let’s at least be genuine. And look, you know, they’re not 20 games under 500. It’s a really tough division. But that that is part of the challenge here. And part of what the point that you’re making, you know, the Red Sox are not in a great place organizationally, they’re just not I mean, there are guys that have walked out the door there, I mean, fan base, the temperature for the front office, and everything that they’ve done, and players that are, you know, losing, trading away bets and bow guards and everything. So, you know, I mean, Red Sox, I’m, you know, I’m much higher on Tampa Bay and Toronto than the Red Sox at this point. But, I mean, I hear what you’re saying I do. And it just for me, it just keeps coming back to you can’t be all in for this year, in the sense of you’re going to you don’t want to jeopardize the next five years and trade away the farm for show hit two months of Shohei Ohtani. But if it’s a little bit more of a modest collection of prospects, and the angels are being realistic, and you’re not getting in to this crazy bidding war with two or three other teams, then sure, absolutely. So you know, I
8Nestor Aparicio 33:35
exist and it does if you know if that’s if that’s the price to get in and that’s the price to get in then you stay we’re not in me. But if it’s a REIT, if it’s if the price is reasonable against the grain of baseball. Sure, then why not? I mean, so that so my tune is changed to that degree because he’s the greatest player that I’ve ever seen. And we’ll do a whole segment next week on whether the pitching of his improvement or the hitting, improves the Orioles more theoretically,
Luke Jones 34:06
buddy. I mean, he’s the best player in baseball. I mean, he would give them their first. First unequivocal, bonafide ASINs Mike Mussina. I mean, I’m not talking about like Erik Bedard was great for half a year or, you know, Chris Tillman was rock solid for three years or, you know, it’d be there. The from a pure talent standpoint, easily the best ace they’ve had since Mike Mussina and, you know, with apologies that Mike Mussina Otani still might have a little more upside, you know, even as a pitcher although, you know, Moose was great, you know, he’s a Hall of Famer, but yeah, and oh, yeah, he is an unbelievable power hitter who would take aim at the warehouse? I mean, we yeah, we Chris Davis for a minute. We talked about that, you know, as far as potentially at the warehouse, but Otani so, I mean, believe me Not everyone listening right now say, oh, Luke, he’s being negative. Now he doesn’t want shohet
Nestor Aparicio 35:07
healing for Paul Bunyan?
Luke Jones 35:10
8Sure, sure, I guess I guess. I just don’t want to see them ruin what they have in a farm system to go chase a World Series.
Nestor Aparicio 35:17
This is a Herschel Walker. I don’t think it is a giveaway. Yeah, I mean, it’s and that’s it. But that’s still
Luke Jones 35:23
where I struggle with this from an angel standpoint and knowing where that ownership ownership is, you know, the kind of money they’ve spent, even if they haven’t spent it wisely, knowing what the fan base is going to be there knowing already the fears of Otani leaving and going to sign with the Dodgers or the mariners. It’s it’s such a weird in between where I feel like, yeah, they don’t want to lose them and have them walk for nothing. At the same time. They don’t want to come back with their tail between their legs with, you know, kind of a return, you know what I mean? So like, it’s such a, and look, we talked about this with Machado back in 18. When the Orioles were going into that season, right. I mean, they’d signed Alex Cobb, they were hoping to be a wildcard contender again that year. And we talked about it in April, before they got off to the awful start, and then it was all over and then you knew they were going to be sellers. And you knew Machado was going to be gone come July, but we talked about it in April. It’s like okay, well, what do they do if they’re, what do you do with on July 10? Are there seven games over 500? And okay, they’re a game and a half out of the second wild card, but they don’t feel like a World Series contender. So are you just going to trade Machado, then it and then it’s like, if you did that? Why didn’t you? Why didn’t you do this a year ago. So so I feel like what the angels there’s still that that sense? And look, they’ve they’ve struggled so much with Dean Kramer pitch this week. So there’s still pieces of that right. That deal. Right. So that piece, right? Yeah, yeah. Use the LD as is back with the Dodgers organization, interestingly enough for him. And I think he’s still in double way. So you know, has it has it progressed last I checked, but you know that that’s where I think it’s just soak so interesting with Otani with the angels here. And, you know, are they gonna stop the part
Nestor Aparicio 37:15
where the general manager knew he was leaving the organization and was, was left to liquidate? Oh,
8Luke Jones 37:21
I thought about the angel. Yeah.
Nestor Aparicio 37:23
No, no, I just kept going back to like, yeah, how do we how did we get fleeced? And that’s you sent us deals, Diaz, and I’m thinking, how do we get fleeced? Oh, that’s right, it to get didn’t care.
Luke Jones 37:36
Diaz it just hit what, two homeruns in the futures game, and he was actually considered a pop up prospect. But here’s a little secret, the Dodgers, they spend a hell of a lot of money. And they also are brilliant. And they also have a great farm system. So they knew that they probably knew that using the LDS, even if they’d said, Hey, talented player, they probably knew his work ethic wasn’t great, which that was kind of part of the knock of him. And that’s one that one of the reasons he kept getting hurt and didn’t necessarily take great care of himself. But, you know, again, the point is, with the angels, you know, it doesn’t look like they’re gonna sign them doesn’t look like he wants to resign there. So do you trade them? If you do trade them? How much do you ask for? How much can you realistically get? As I said, even these teams that are still stinking, filthy rich, that will go out and try to sign show, hey, in the offseason? Are they going to give up the kind of package that the angels are asking for? You know, do they are they able to create the kind of bidding war that they really want in terms of prospects that might cause some team to go give up their Jackson holiday? You know, Orioles? Or whoever it is, you know, that’s what the angels want? So, you know, how does it play out? And it’s, you know, we mentioned Machado, and make no mistake, no disrespect to Manny Machado who just hit his 300th career home run, you know, he’s still in his early 30s. He’s got a good chance to be a Hall of Famer. Not at this point if he stays healthy and does it for at least several more years. But he’s not Shohei Otani. I mean, you’re this is such I mean, I’m trying to think of elite of the elite, absolute bonafide superstars being dealt at the trade deadline, I think back to when the mariners dealt Randy Johnson to the Astros and what was that 9898 99 whatever that was, you know, there been some others here and there. But gosh, that’s just that’s so unique, you know, that territory is so unique for that kind of a player. So it’ll be fascinating. And all of this in a climate in which teams are more stingy holding on to their prospects than ever so
Nestor Aparicio 39:42
8well, the more reason to think it might not be and it might not and look and to be clear.
Luke Jones 39:50
I’m not even saying that, that the Orioles would have to give up Jackson holiday to get him but, you know, at the same time, you might have to give up three of Europe. There are five best prospects to get him. Do you want to do that knowing that there’s probably not a snowball’s chance in heck that you’re going to resign him. And then your farm system has taken a pretty big dent there. Now, you want a World Series, I’m guessing people won’t mind as much. But if you get knocked down the divisional round, because hey, the Dodgers are a great example. The best team doesn’t always win. In fact, quite often the best team doesn’t win. So
Nestor Aparicio 40:25
knocked out in October because Shohei Ohtani pitch like crap and game one and game four, then it’ll hurt. You know, I
Luke Jones 40:32
hear you but boy, that that’ll sting, especially when, you know, those prospects aren’t aren’t in your system anymore. So, hey,
8Nestor Aparicio 40:41
and the Yankees get them anyway. Right? It’s
Luke Jones 40:42
fine. It’s fun to talk about it’s and again, if there is a realistic deal to be made, that you don’t have to completely decimate your farm system to go get them, by all means. Go get them. I don’t want people to say Oh, Luke’s being so negative and doesn’t want show Hey, Otani. I just think
Nestor Aparicio 40:59
I’m gonna say that on the internet. I’m gonna say Luke’s being negative and doesn’t want show him.
Luke Jones 41:03
8You know? Um, yeah, I’m a hater. It’s fine.
Nestor Aparicio 41:07
To transcripts right there. You can find Luke Baltimore, Luke, on the interwebs. He’ll be monitoring all things. Orioles baseball from the blimp down in St. Petersburg where I need to get back down there. Got a lot of friends in St. Petersburg. This weekend. We’re gonna be at. We wrecked Coco’s last week. We had $100 winner on our mayor lottery scratch offs. We have a handful of these left. We’re going to be at the Beaumont and Catonsville this week and then gearing up August 3 where cost is for our 25th anniversary, giving away everything that is not nailed down. I mean like getting nasty shirts free. The bird shirts, sign stuff, swag, bringing it all to cost. It’s on the third I’m not bringing it the drug sitting on the floor because it’s tighter there. But it’ll all be a costume. The third stop I will be drunk city on the fourth 11 to four great guests on August 3 and fourth. It’s 25 years of this mayhem. It’s still no show Hey, Otani. I’m Nestor we are wn St. am 1570, Towson Baltimore. And we never stopped talking. First place and the Baltimore Orioles. Stay with us on Baltimore positive you
