Orioles find a good deal for both sides with Basallo

Is the “risk” real in the case of Samuel Basallo signing an 8-year contract less than eight days into his MLB career? Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the Baltimore Orioles’ first long-term deal of the David Rubenstein era and the philosophy on both sides for future signings.

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the Baltimore Orioles’ recent contract extension with Samuel Basallo, a 21-year-old catcher. The deal, worth $67 million over eight years, was praised by Jones as smart business despite the risks involved. Aparicio expressed skepticism, viewing it as a PR move to appease fans amidst the team’s struggles. They debated the long-term potential of Basallo, comparing him to other young players like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson. Jones highlighted the importance of the deal for the Orioles’ international scouting efforts and future player development.

Samuel Basallo Contract Extension Announcement

• Nestor Aparicio discusses the upcoming Labor Day week, including real football and Maryland crab cakes.
• Nestor mentions the 27th anniversary of his show and the 40th anniversary of Coco’s restaurant.
• Nestor talks about the recent visit to Pizza John’s and the various guests he met there, including David Marks and JB Jennings.
• Nestor and Luke Jones discuss the Samuel Basallo contract extension and its implications for the Orioles.

Debate on Contract Extension for Samuel Basallo

• Nestor expresses skepticism about the contract extension, questioning its necessity and long-term value.
• Luke Jones defends the extension, arguing it is smart business despite the risks involved.
• Nestor and Luke debate the potential outcomes of the contract, including the possibility of Basallo becoming a star or a bust.
• Luke highlights the importance of projecting future performance and the potential benefits of long-term control over young talent.

Comparison to Other Contracts and Player Development

• Nestor compares the Basallo contract to other recent extensions and signings, questioning their value.
• Luke argues that the Basallo deal is different due to his unique circumstances and the potential for long-term success.
• They discuss the challenges faced by Latin American players and the impact of financial incentives on their performance.
• Nestor shares personal anecdotes about the struggles of young athletes and the influence of money on their careers.

Impact on Team Dynamics and Future Signings

• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential impact of the Basallo extension on the Orioles’ young core and future signings.
• Luke emphasizes the importance of setting a precedent for long-term investments in homegrown talent.
• Nestor expresses concern about the team’s ability to attract and retain top players without significant financial commitments.
• They discuss the potential for future extensions and the importance of maintaining a competitive payroll.

Historical Context and Previous Contracts

• Nestor and Luke reflect on the history of contract extensions for Orioles players, noting the lack of recent examples.
• They discuss the significance of the Basallo deal in the context of the team’s past decisions and current strategies.
• Luke highlights the importance of the international signing market and the potential for future success in this area.
• Nestor and Luke agree on the need for the Orioles to make smart financial decisions to build a sustainable future.

Optimism and Realism About Basallo’s Future

• Nestor and Luke express optimism about Basallo’s potential, while acknowledging the risks involved.
• They discuss the importance of Basallo’s performance and the impact on the team’s overall success.
• Nestor shares his skepticism about the long-term value of the contract, while Luke remains hopeful.
• They agree on the need for the Orioles to continue investing in young talent and making strategic decisions to improve the team.

Impact on Fan Perception and Team Morale

• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential impact of the Basallo extension on fan perception and team morale.
• They highlight the importance of providing fans with positive news and maintaining momentum during a challenging season.
• Nestor expresses concern about the team’s ability to attract and retain fans without significant improvements on the field.
• Luke argues that the extension can help boost morale and provide a positive narrative for the team.

Future Plans and Team Strategy

• Nestor and Luke discuss the team’s future plans, including potential roster moves and strategic decisions.
• They emphasize the importance of addressing the team’s pitching needs and improving the bullpen.
• Nestor highlights the potential for significant improvements if key players like Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodricks perform well.
• Luke argues that the Basallo extension is part of a broader strategy to build a competitive team and attract top talent.

Final Thoughts and Reflections

• Nestor and Luke reflect on the broader implications of the Basallo extension for the Orioles and the future of the team.
• They discuss the importance of making smart financial decisions and investing in young talent.
• Nestor expresses skepticism about the long-term value of the contract, while Luke remains hopeful.
• They agree on the need for the Orioles to continue making strategic decisions to build a sustainable future and improve the team’s performance.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Samuel Basallo, contract extension, Orioles future, Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Nelson Cruz, international signing, cost control, Dominican prospects, baseball strategy, player development, team investment, PR move, Baltimore sports, baseball contracts.

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SPEAKERS

Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T am 1570 task of Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive, positively into a Labor Day week, getting ready for real football around here. No more fake football and baseball, and also real Maryland crab cakes. We’re going to be at the Costas and Timonium on Monday. We’re going to be down at cilantro having some delicious gumbo on Tuesday because it is our 27th anniversary. Luke, I changed the logo. You can see it right here, our 27th anniversary. Uh, 27 of my favorite things to eat, and they’re going to be coming fast and furious in the coming weeks, especially out on social media as well. We put some pictures, up some food, up some places for you to go, but one last week of summer. We got here before I get to the Raven scratch. I got the Lucky Seven stubborn as well as the fresher Lux. I’ll be giving these out this week at Coco’s on Wednesday. That is our final Maryland crab cake tour stop. And I saw Marcela and her mom and her family over Coco’s their 40th anniversary. 27 I mean, you know, I mean, I’ve got gray hair coming in here, but 40 years at Coco’s, uh, they’ve even given me a beautiful glass to replace the pizza John’s glass that I broke a couple weeks ago my hand with an Orange Crush. I was at Pizza John’s on Friday. Great conversations there. Ray Bachman made a cameo and just was in Essex eating pizza. So, you know, serendipity is alive and well around here, Wendy Bron fine from curio stop by, as well as two Republican elected, David Marks Councilman Baltimore County as well as JB, Jennings state senator. Everybody in Harford County knows JB, he’s bought everybody a beer and a crab cake, I think at some point. So I bought him some pizza. So actually, I got him a cheese steak because cheese steak was on the list. Luke Jones is here, um, I did not know that contracts for young players were on the list. And this Messiah thing, like, I haven’t said a word about it. On the end, what can I say the guys hit the ball in the minor league so did Kobe mayo, Senator Cassidy Kurtz, I go through all the list of all of the Jim Fullers and drungo Hays woods and Ken gerarts and Adley rutschmanns And Matt Wieters and other guys that were supposed to go to the Hall of Johnny Bench and wound up in the, you know, Hall of Dave Duncan or something like that. I listen. I these are desperate people, this Rubenstein guy showing up at press conference now in the middle of football games, like they don’t know what they’re doing down there at all. And like, I’ve gone around town now the last two days, and I’ve had a couple people come up to me who love baseball, somebody, somebody Saturday, said to me, they don’t know what they’re doing, do they? And I’m like, no, they’re just trying to win the popularity contest because Katie’s got to keep her job and date, and Eli’s got to keep his job. I don’t know. Dude giving a dude $70 million when he said 10 at bats. I don’t, I don’t know. I it may wind up that he’s Johnny Bench, and he’s the real one and and they and they got it right, but if they do, he’s going to want to hold out in year six or seven, if he winds up being Mike Trout, you know, they’re going to have to pay him more money at some point anyway. I guess that’s the way they see it. But this is really curious and weird to me. And I think to myself, when I got the text from you and I saw everything happening, I thought, well, you know, he’s the the young person at the party who this is a lot of money for, and he has a different kind of agent, and he’s attainable for them, and they can bring him back and say, we did something, even if he only hits 240 the next five years.

Luke Jones  03:33

Yeah. I mean, first of all, I’m going to completely disagree from the standpoint of, this is great news for the Orioles. This is, this is very smart business, and that’s with acknowledging that yes, there’s risk involved, as there is when you’re going to give any player an eight or a 10 or a 15 million or a 15 year contract, right? I mean that absolutely there’s risk involved with this, but this is also what people have been clamoring for now,

Nestor Aparicio  04:00

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but if they had given ruchman this deal, would it smell good? Now, if they gave Jonathan scope the deal that I won, when you give

04:06

like I just but then you don’t

Nestor Aparicio  04:07

give anyone an extension, I understand that, and I’m not saying it’s irresponsible. I think it’s a great debate. This is a fair, bipartisan down the middle debate between you and I as to whether this is good business or just a pelt to put on the wall to make, to be able to say we did something, because I don’t know that he can play yet. I mean, I don’t, nobody

Luke Jones  04:28

knows. I understand that, but you also, you have to project, right? I mean, if they gave this to Kobe mayo, but you could say the same thing about taking Jackson holiday first overall. You can say the same thing about money. So, I mean, there’s, but I’m just saying that there’s, there’s always going to be some of that. I mean, when the Nationals took Bryce Harper first overall, I mean, we had heard about Bryce Harper for two or three years at that point. Remember, he was in on Sports Illustrated cover when he was still in high school, right? There’s always risk. I mean, you can’t, you can’t have, you can’t make a move. That’s going to pay dividends without some risk. I mean, there’s no looking into a crystal ball. Well, look

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Nestor Aparicio  05:04

at what the rays did. They gave that money to that idiot that was down, you know, pedophile, you know, literally, right?

Luke Jones  05:10

The shortstop, yeah, sure. Um, but, but. But you look at the year, year by year breakdown, and this was reported, what late Friday, I think it was when it first came out, it’s $1 million next year. It’s $1 million the following year. Okay, so this is still sounding like pre arbitration, right? I mean, not exactly, but you understand my point. It’s $1 million in 2028 All right, we’re so we’re still talking his first three years, pre arbitration, $4 million dollars in 2029 Okay, first year of arbitration. Even if he’s just a decent ball player, he’s going to get that, you know, even if he’s just okay, he’s going to get that easily. And that’s not knowing what the new CBA is going to look like and all of that. I mean, we’re projecting out a lot here. But $7 million in 2030 All right, 2031 a $11 million and then this is what this deal is really about, right? The first six years of Team control, you have that, whether you want to use it or not, you have that. But this is a 21

Nestor Aparicio  06:14

year old kid. They put $7 million in front of he took it,

Luke Jones  06:17

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right? But you’re talking about 2032 and 2033 $15 million a piece. Now, if Samuel basio doesn’t work out at all, yeah, that $30 million is kind of flushed down the drain. But if he’s good and again, we’re talking seven years from now with inflation and salaries and not knowing what new TV will look like and all that, if he’s good to really good, or an absolute stud, you’re doing cartwheels over those two

Nestor Aparicio  06:50

deals or those two years. I think it’s a fine deal for both of them. It sets it out for life. But here’s whether he can play or not, and they’re billionaires and don’t care, right? And also, I mean, it’s, I guess, in that way, but it doesn’t make it doesn’t necessarily make the team better tomorrow morning in any way to me, he’s able

Luke Jones  07:10

to play. See, I disagree with that, because you can’t have multiple extensions, and you can’t talk about signing players to multi year deals until you do it the first time, right? So, and let me be clear,

07:22

make sure they can play.

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Luke Jones  07:28

I think this tells you what they think about him, though, right? Okay, and let me be clear, they

Nestor Aparicio  07:33

love them all, though you love all your children. You too. The day Elias brought Adley up, he would have loved to have had but Nestor,

Luke Jones  07:39

your argument is just to let everyone play out, and

Nestor Aparicio  07:43

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if they had given this deal to five other guys that they’ve had in their pipeline.

Luke Jones  07:47

But here’s the difference, most of those other guys aren’t taking this correct. That’s the difference. Thank you, but that’s not but that’s not a knock on them. That’s the reality of When Jackson holiday is someone who grew up the son of a major league outfielder, who was a multi time all star and grew up extremely wealthy and and not that, not that all their other players. And, you know, I don’t want to make this, you know, sound that I’m being negative towards Latin American ballplayers. No, not at all, but also recognizing the reality of how Latin America ball players are scouted and signed, and many of them come from very modest means.

Nestor Aparicio  08:27

You realize the only reason I have a radio station and a show and we’re here is because of a Latin ball player who got screwed coming over to America in the 50s and 60s, who was one of the greatest players, was never paid, right, like in any of that and actually wound up in Baltimore because he wasn’t being paid, right, and he was a malcontent in Chicago. So like, getting what you’re worth when you come from a different kind of background, that’s the same story for any African American in a really tough circumstance in this country, playing football or baseball with all this n i l money floating around. I mean, it’s a tough circumstance. If you’re a kid who can afford to send your kid to Roland Park, if somebody’s waving $70 million around, it’s a lot of money. You know, no question, yeah, Brian Billick had a lot of money, but when his daughter married a basketball player who was signing a five year deal with the Detroit Pistons for $70 million a lot of money. It’s just a lot of money. It’s a lot of money that people who have a lot of money. So I’m not pissing on it, and I’m not, I’m not pissing on Boris telling his guys, sure, stay in, stay in, stay in, in the way that Joe Flacco stayed in 10 years ago, Joe Flacco grew up in a row as like Parkville. You know, Joe’s family didn’t have anything. So it really is circumstantial to where your risk and your reward is. It’s kind of like, I think about this a lot because, you know, I’m a music guy, right? And this is probably the greatest example I can use. I’ve got a lot of washed up rock star buddies who know a lot more in their 50s than they did in their 20s. And when you’re in your 20s and you’re in a band and you got long hair and a record company, Mr. Big comes. What? Whatever the contract is, you sign it because you’re just like, sure. Gotta get on a label. You gotta get on a label. You take the first deal, and it winds up that every musician ever got screwed right by the man. And baseball worked that way forever. Couldn’t work that way anymore. I mean, like to be a Latin player who can play a little bit, and you’ve been called up four days, and you’re 21 years old, you’ve been busting your ass since you were 15 years old, and they waved 8070, $80 million in front you. Take it. I don’t think there’s any doubt about it, like this was a good circumstance for for both sides question. I just don’t when I see it, it feels a little bit desperate on the Oriole side to get a pelt to say we’ve got something here that we’re building, because times are tough here. It’s kind of like Trump looking around trying to hide the Epstein files, like anything smells like better news. And I don’t know if this is good news or not. It ain’t my money. And I to the point of belief in the kid, sure, but they could have given him $70,000,000.60 days from now, too, and seeing if he could play a little bit the first month and a half, and he still would have taken the money. In my in my opinion, it was, it was a PR move by the baseball team, and, and, and it doesn’t cost him any money right now. To your point, that cost him. This guy ain’t even own a team in 3031, 30, he’s gonna be 82 years old. He didn’t even like baseball, so he’s not even his money. It’s just that. It’s a note on a sheet of paper for the baseball team, and it’s from the fans perspective. We don’t have to say, When are they going to sign that’s now no longer in our arsenal anymore. We can’t ask if they’re going to spend some money, because Uncle David threw money at pasayo, and that’s, it’s no longer a topic. We can’t take phone calls on that anymore.

Luke Jones  11:44

Fair enough. I mean, I reject the notion that it’s just a PR move. I mean, I just do because, I mean, there are lots of things they could have done, if that’s their concern, right? I mean, going back to last couple years, right? And in terms of free agents, they could have signed all of that. I I think this, I

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Nestor Aparicio  12:02

hope two years from now, we’re sitting here and he’s hitting 298, with 18 home runs, and he’s just like, I’m just the argument guy, it’s the greatest deal ever. And I’m not disagreeing with you in the same way that signing Adam Jones and Marquez. You do realize that all got in on those guys was a good thing for the organization.

Luke Jones  12:19

But you do realize that all these deals that we see other teams signing around the league that we’ve been talking about, hey, the Orioles need to keep their own. They need to keep their own. In most these cases, you have to sign them early where there is still going to be unknown. San Diego with that team, that’s Atlanta, right? I mean, you get three or four years into it, then they’re only two years away from free agency. So then at that point, you’re not really signing them as one of your own. You’re signing them more so as a

Nestor Aparicio  12:44

free agent, right? This kid can also just put his head down and work now he’s set for life and but,

Luke Jones  12:49

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and I still think there’s something to be said that it does send a message to the rest of their young core, no, not that they’re going to sign eight year $67 million contracts, but I think it does send a message that, hey, they did sign someone long term. Hey, this is someone that they didn’t draft, but they signed for 1,000,003 when he was 16 years old or 17 years old, and they’ve invested now in him, and they’ve shown belief in him, and I think it’s something that isn’t going to help you sign gunner Henderson right now, but if you’re willing to give gunner Henderson $400 million in a couple years to keep him, then he might be listen a little more eager to listen, compared to if you hadn’t done that, and you still hadn’t extended anybody

Nestor Aparicio  13:37

team, when they look down and see Bisaya was a $15 million number 3031 32 that that becomes more palatable in a $250 million payroll, which they better damn well have by then, or there’s not going to be a franchise here. So, I mean, because they’re going to lose so much that they’re not, nobody’s going to come so and players aren’t going to want to be here. So I they’re really as much as we’re going to take a little nap on them. We’re going to go to go to Buffalo next week, and it’s going to be all football, football, football, and all that they’re they’re really in a pivotal soft, cushy spot here the next six months to try to figure out that money back says they have so much money, and they’re going to go buy pitching, and they still have all of this potential with the young players that they they could win 105 games next year if they spent, If they spent, if they spend their money wisely in the offseason, I’m not betting against that. I don’t think Elias is too dumb to do it. I don’t think the Rubenstein doesn’t have the money to do it. I don’t know where the players are and the good fortune that is going to turn this around. But part of that is Bradish coming back. Part of that is Rogers looking like a Cy Young candidate. So all of a sudden, if Bradish comes back and Rogers looks like this. They at least start next year, if we can get Kramer and beside you to get along with, you know, three guys in the rotation that you wake up on Christmas morning, Thanksgiving morning, and say, All right, you know, Rogers held his own. He’s going to be an opening day kind of starter. Bradish is going to be there for us. Now let’s. Get to Work October 15 on making this team better by February 15, right? I mean, besides, was going to be on the team either way. Now, whether he’s going to be good at this or not, or whether he’s going to hit 185 and piss off pitchers every night with you know, from behind the plate. I didn’t like the body language of any of that. I thought that was weird the other night, but nonetheless, I mean, their last place baseball team, they made some good this is good news. It’s great. I don’t know if it’s it’s gonna work out or not. That’s

Luke Jones  15:31

all. And look, I mean, we also have to understand, in the same way we talk about the ravens, who draft as well, if not better than anybody. They’re still going to have draft picks, right? I mean, you still draft some guys that don’t amount to much, right? So let me be clear, and you

Nestor Aparicio  15:49

think over the next four years, O’Neill or bisayo, who’s going to be more productive? How much money they better be better be Samuel beside Oh, right. So they piss money away, left and right. They really do. I mean, they give $8 million to relief pitchers who can’t pay, you know, they, I mean, I saw Kimball show back up here this weekend, not for the crab cakes. You know, he’s, he’s still got 16, 18 million of their money from last year. So it, you know, the money, I don’t know. It’s funny money to you and I, when we talk about it, to Peter Angelus, it never was, because he earned his money to them. It’s a payroll to Rubenstein at this point in his life. It’s, it’s a ledger sheet. And he comes in and does his little papal going in style, wave or whatever, and takes a picture with Gunner Henderson and shows off for Kyle goon, whoever was in the room. But I don’t, I don’t know. I need to know he can play. That’s the most important thing to me have them under contract to

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Luke Jones  16:42

manage. You know that, though that like, it’s too late to sign most of these guys then, I mean, that’s my point. You have to take risk. I mean, it’s this is no different than investments, like your investment portfolio, you’re going to have some stuff certainly that is safer investments. But, and obviously, I’m talking about someone that would be in a much higher tax bracket than you or me. You’re also going to have things that aren’t going to work out, and you have some investments that, oh, that was kind of a dud, and all that didn’t work. I mean, it’s the same thing. I

Nestor Aparicio  17:12

mean, Jackson holidays, people and and ad, least people, even at this moment, at least people would look at this deal and call it a shit deal, like it’s not a good deal. It’s, you know what? I mean, like, Westberg wouldn’t take this deal. Oh, sure. And this is where we were, because they’re able to establish now and they’re gonna, they think they’re gonna make 200

Luke Jones  17:31

million. I mean, in the case of gunner Henderson and Jordan Westberg, when you hire Scott Boris to be your representative, that’s because you don’t even want to talk. You don’t even want to talk about a deal like this, right? And in the case of now, could the Orioles have given this to Heston kerstad A year ago or something like that? Sure. And then you’d be saying, oh my gosh, that So to be clear, if you had asked me six months ago, or, you know, two years ago, let’s say, because visayo was starting to really get on the radar at that point in time. I mean, you were seeing what this 1920 year old was doing in the miners. If you would ask me, two years ago, to rank the Orioles young core, the projected young core over the next five years, in order of likelihood to be able to sign them to an extension. Messiah would have been at the top of the list because he is an international signing. And you know, a 1.4 $1.3 million signing bonus is a lot different than being Jackson holiday or Adley rut, who got a huge signing bonus as a one one pick. And you know, you’re older, probably grew up not, not that all these guys grew up wealthy, but probably different circumstances in visa living and growing up in the Dominican Republic. And again, these are generalities. You know, we’re not saying that every situation is going to be exactly like that, but he was always going to be the one that you had a better chance of doing this. However, until you’ve extended any of them, the question is, When are you going to extend somebody? Is this something you’re trying to do? What’s going on here? Are you just going to be like the Tampa Bay Rays, and this is just going to be a roster turn, and you’re just going to trade these guys once they all get a year away from free agency, or two years away from free agency. So when you do this with one of them, and look, they clearly told us they think the the world of Samuel basayo, because Mike Elias, we’ve seen him be very risk averse, right, in most cases, until, I guess, until they signed Tyler O’Neill to a three year deal, right? Which, you know, that was kind of a choice, if you’re talking about,

Nestor Aparicio  19:44

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yeah, risk adverse. And then the ball to Jimenez shows up. So, mean, oh and Chris Davis, I mean that, you know, they’ve done some previous regimes, though, I mean, but like, Adam Jones was a good signing, and Mark Angus was a good well, I’m just thinking from a historical perspective, in the modern era. This is the first, we haven’t had much of this. This is the

Luke Jones  20:03

first time they have extended a young homegrown Oriole since Mark Marquez. And I think Brian Roberts got another extension, I think a month after Marquez. I mean, this was, what, January of 2009 I mean, that’s how long you’re talking. I mean, Adam Jones belongs in that category. You know, similar, but he wasn’t homegrown, right? I mean, we know Jones was acquired from Seattle very early in his major league career, but

Nestor Aparicio  20:28

they still had to keep him and pay him, although it was like he was in there no question, no question about it.

Luke Jones  20:33

And, you know, I mean, Chris Davis, kind of, sort of, you know, Chris Davis was 25 when the Orioles or 24 or 25 when the Orioles acquired him, right? I mean, he was still young and wasn’t established, so

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Nestor Aparicio  20:43

he was very much in the Ryan O’Hearn school, but he wasn’t, but he wasn’t as old,

Luke Jones  20:48

though, right? I mean, o’hern, you know, on the wrong side of 30 at this point, Chris Davis had not failed one, even if, even if we count Chris Davis, though that even that was nine years ago at this point in time. So it’s been a minute. We’re going to see how this works out. I think it was a slam dunk, no brainer to do it. What’s

Nestor Aparicio  21:07

nothing to even talk about if he’s not getting $15 million for five more years anyway. And the thing is, it’s not even a payroll drag.

Luke Jones  21:13

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And I will, I, I would reject the notion that an eight year, $67 million contract, especially when you consider how back loaded it is. That’s not a that’s not going to be a crippling deal to a franchise. Well, it’ll hurt. It’ll sting. Don’t get me wrong. If, if aliens abduct

Nestor Aparicio  21:35

his father in the Dominican, he has to take the deal right but, but also, he may live to regret that if he is a great baseball player, because he left some money on the table. But that being said, and especially as a catcher, because that’s kind of wonky. At 2829 trying to walk out and say, I’m a catcher, he’ll be a d h by then. And you know what? He’s set for life at 21 I mean, I sit here talk about lottery tickets, and I did a whole segment with Seth Elkin the other day on what we would do today if we hit the lottery. Well, I mean, 72 million as a 21 year old. Now, all I’ve got to do is just go play baseball and be as good as I can be, which is all I’ve been doing anyway. I It’s good peace of mind for him. It’s good. I’m not saying it’s bad business. Oh, I just don’t know if he can play. And I’ll go back to that and say, What difference does it make when the rich guys put the money out anyway, whether he turns into Luis Matos or not? I don’t know. I’ve just seen so much failure. It’s baseball dude. I mean, you and I’ve been through this 20 years together. How many of these guys have gone? I mean, I always bring up Jonathan scope because he wasn’t a maybe or a mighter. He’s up a week, dude. He was doing it and then couldn’t anymore quickly. And I don’t even know what the hell happened with him. Maybe the money for some of these guys, I don’t know that. Maybe the first 15 million they get really just changes them. And they drink too much, eat too much, don’t care enough. They more into their family, more into God, more into their toys, you know, all the toys that come with having money. Like, I don’t know what happens to have a baseball player be able to do it at 26 and a 28 they look like they can’t do it. Cedric Mullins is another like he was a trajectory guy. And now 3030, and, you know, he’s a backup outfielder, all of a sudden, instead of a guy making $20 million a year being Curtis Granderson, or, you know, or I think of these comparable players, I don’t know where to put a 21 year old catcher who ain’t a very good catcher, according to Dean Kramer the other night. And might not even be a catcher, but you’re an amber with the bat. Elias is enamored with the bat. I’m enamored with the fact that it’s not costing Mr. Rubenstein, if I own the team, anything for years and years and years. And I do come back to the beginning, which was good. PR move. It’s a headline. They keep him around. Let’s hope he can play. We’ll talk about it three years. So now, if he can play and say, Man, that was the hell of a thing. Or, yeah, oh, man, pissed away a little bit of money with differences that make you pissed away on Craig Kimbrel, at least this guy had potential. And I thought that about Jonathan scope and other people, so I would have wasted a lot of money around here. I don’t think I’m the smartest guy in the room. I’m probably much more conservative in all of this, because I’ve just seen so much failure of so many guys like Samuel bisayo, that’s all, yeah, including Adley rochman And Matt weiners, who weren’t failures, but I don’t, you know, you would have been happy giving leaders this kind of a deal. Boris wouldn’t have been, but he wasn’t worth much more than this in the end.

Luke Jones  24:31

Yeah, I mean, I guess, I mean, I just think the argument you’re making in that regard is an argument against signing anyone to an extension. I mean, I, you know, I’ll just continue to come back to that. I

Nestor Aparicio  24:40

feel like it’s early in the game. That’s all a week into his career. I mean, I just but that’s what you’re saying. That’s in business,

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Luke Jones  24:45

but that’s how you have to do this. I mean, okay, I’ll hear your argument. If you wanted to wait two months, sure it, then I don’t think very much of your evaluation process as an organization. If you. You’re so so unknown and so risk averse that you need to see 100 at bats from them

Nestor Aparicio  25:05

in the major dudes. Right this time last week, it was Kobe mayo. Week before that. It was holiday a week before that. Like for all of these guys, are one once krstad goes through all of these guys, they’re all right. They were all projected to be really good big league ball players that an eight year, $67 million deal wouldn’t be, would be something that you’d love for them to take. Circumstances dictated that he take it. So I don’t think it’s any great tip of the cap to anyone. I think it’s good business for both of them. Now let’s see if he can play. And that’s just down the middle.

Luke Jones  25:36

That’s fine. You know? I just, whatever they are. I just, I just think it’s, look there are. We’ve taken plenty we’ve criticized them about plenty of things. Like, I would criticize the fact that, why did they wait till Sunday or Saturday afternoon in the middle of a Ravens preseason game and one of the last summer Saturdays period when people were out having you know, instead of doing the press conference at four o’clock on Friday when there was more oxygen for it at that point in time. I think they botched that part of it. But in terms of just calling it a PR move, I think that’s a little unfair, because the guy’s really highly talented. They fans have been clamoring and media have been clamoring for I think they helped their PR How about that? I don’t think it’s a PR move. He’s a gifted young ball player. I mean, you don’t just give six and you know, it’s semantic sense. And created a little headline for themselves over the weekend to get a little like, we did something that’s fine, but I don’t, in a sea of doing nothing right now, like I don’t, but I don’t, I don’t think that they did it with that in mind. I think that’s a byproduct. And look, they can use that. I said it. I mean, I’ve written the last week at Baltimore positive.com that they’ve made some good news here recently, and they’ve needed to because of how bad things have been on the field and how many of their, you know, their their one a most loyal followers, you know, Birdland membership, people that they’ve ticked off and alienated. They needed some good news. Well, they

Nestor Aparicio  27:03

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got the Palmer jerseys out, and it’s five nothing before Palmer can even get into the picture.

Luke Jones  27:07

And let me, since you brought it up, look, I mean the Dean Kramer thing. Let me put it this way. I think Dean Kramer is very particular about the way he likes things. And I’m guessing there were some hiccups with that. But I also know Dean Kramer also said, look, I mean, there’s going to be a learning curve. He just got here. We’ve never worked together. But he also said, I can’t leave pitches in the middle of the plate like I did. That’s on me. So I do think, I think it was a bad look, just the optics of it. If that continues, then that’s a way different,

Nestor Aparicio  27:43

struggling last place team. This kid just got $70 million and Dean Kramer’s got eight or whatever, you know, I mean, so, like, there, there is a point where, like, all the kids showed up at the press conference for him. I don’t know what that’s even I mean, like, I don’t know. I’m not around it anymore. I smell it from the outside. It smells like an empty room that I should be in. He’s asking tougher questions than what people are asking. But what do I know?

Luke Jones  28:05

I mean, I I think, and look, I can’t say what the current group that’s been in the majors at least a couple years would say about him, specifically, everyone who knows this, this kid, this young man, they’re impressed. They’re also, they’re also investing in the human being. And you know, one of the comments that he made, he was asked, and this is when Kevin Brown and Masson had their quote exclusive on Friday in the pregame show, which, again, was not a cool move from from the organization period, as far as keeping them away from the rest of the media. But the question was asked who he’s looked up to, and who and his family as kind of, you know, who have they pointed to, as far as Dominican players, or just players in general, to emulate and kind of look at and kind of view as a role model, a guy that he brought up, Nelson Cruz. We know what Nelson Cruz meant to Manny Machado and Jonathan scope, the one year he was in Baltimore. We know what Nelson Cruz who, it’s funny, and you think about him, he had a P had a PED suspension. You know what two years before, two or three years before, he

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Nestor Aparicio  29:16

came here with a tainted it was in that way. But you look at

Luke Jones  29:19

someone who, universally is beloved and respected around the league, not just because of the player he was, but also just the human being he was. I love Nelson Cruz. I don’t even have a press pass so so I think so the idea that, I think the idea that he mentioned him, and as much as they’ve just talked about from the moment they signed this kid, back in 2021 he’s just gone to work, and everything about his analytical profile as a as a offensive player, screams that he should be a really, really good player. I mean the bat speed. I mean Mark DeRosa did A a full segment, and Mark DeRosa is someone that you. You know, I respect from a baseball mind perspective. He two got two days into this guy’s major league career, he was doing a little video feature of what the bat looks like and what they think this kid’s going to be now. He’s 21 he just turned 21 that’s not to say that he’s going to hit 40 bombs next year right off the bat, but everything about it screams he should be at least a real, a good to really good hitter, and he might be better than that. There’s still questions about where he’s going to wind up long term, as far as whether he’s going to be a full time catcher, or does this become more of a victor Martinez kind of scenario where go look, he caught, and was kind of a part time, part time to mostly a catcher his first four years in the big leagues, and then transition to first base, D, H, or it might end up being like Carlos Delgado, who people forget, started out as a catcher and very quickly transitioned to first base. I mean, he could be that, but you’re at least going to explore that, especially now, you know, ruts on the IL with another oblique. So he’s going to get some

Nestor Aparicio  31:07

runway in an organization that two years ago, when he’s a 19 year old kid, and we had Adley rutchman Here, the one one, there was no room for bisail Anyway, right? And like, the whole thought was going to be like if Adley rushman was going to the Hall of Fame as a catcher, was going to catch 120 catcher, was going to catch 125 games a year and hit 280 and be an all star and be Buster Posey, that there wouldn’t be space for beside you in that way, that that would have forced him in a different place. I don’t know if he can catch a little bit the next three years that you’re trading Adley rutschman in the off season. I mean, I don’t, I don’t know, but whatever feels unorthodox here, I would play into that a little bit, beginning with Bradish coming back, and what they’re going to have to do with their pitching and what they’re going to have to compromise financially or deal wise or player wise to be able to augment their pitching In the next six months, which is mandatory if they’re gonna win,

Luke Jones  32:03

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they need to. But as I’ve also said, especially when it comes to their now the bullpen. I mean, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to the bullpen. Good news is those moves can be made, right? I mean, it’s not as though the best bullpens in baseball have eight homegrown guys in it, right? Like it? It rarely looks like that, but they’re gonna have to go out and get a couple high leverage guys, there’s no question about that, and then some middle relief type guys. But I think you just kind of said it, though, even if Adley rutschman Were the star that everyone expected and wanted him to be, he’s still only catching 125 games a year. So there’s always, and this is, you know, some people have asked, What does this mean for Adley rutschman? I don’t think it means anything for Adley rutchman, but because it’s still TBD whether Samuel basayo is going to be any kind of a full time or primary catch

Nestor Aparicio  32:55

Adley rutschman Six years older than him, right? Sure. I mean, he’s, I mean, if Adley rutschman’s healthy, Adley rutschman should be running circles around this kid. Adley rutschman should be in the lineup. He is managing, pitching behind home plate, doing all the things that we expect the one one to do in route to his $400 million deal or two $80 million deal or whatever, because we fully expected him to be that kind of player. And I don’t know what happened. I think it’s nice having besides, oh, it’s certainly cushy. But I don’t know who’s going to be the catcher at the All Star game next year. At this point, I don’t think they’re

Luke Jones  33:31

going to trade Richmond this offseason. I think, I think that might be more of a next year kind of thing.

Nestor Aparicio  33:38

Well, values low on him. I don’t know. You know who’s gonna bet

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Luke Jones  33:41

Well, and that’s the thing. I mean, someone, plenty of teams, would still take him because, and this is where I want to be fair to the entire body of work, his defense has been much better this year than last year. Offensively, it hasn’t been as poor as it was the second half of last year, which was extremely poor, but it clearly hasn’t gone in the right direction for the better part of 14 months now and now, maybe the biggest concern is he’s starting to break down, right? I mean, has another oblique

Nestor Aparicio  34:08

interest the next, the next 36 months, who’s going to be the better ball player, or ruchman?

Luke Jones  34:13

Well, this would, this would also be where I point out their first two picks in this year’s draft were college catchers. Now Ike Irish probably profiles to kind of be like Messiah, where it’s like, is he going to stick as a catcher, or are they going to, you know, he’s, he’s played right field, you know, they haven’t given up, abandoned him being a catcher. You

Nestor Aparicio  34:31

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draft these guys for their bat,

Luke Jones  34:33

sure, but my what? But that said the second pick, the other catcher, he’s much more of a day like him, his defensive profile, and they think will hit, but not like he’s he’s not like the Bisio potential with the bat. He’s much more of a, you know, solid hitter, but really good backstop. That to me, those two moves probably, in my mind, more telling and more pivotal to Adley Rutsch. Future than the presence of Samuel basayo. And now, besides having this extension because, because you still look over the next two years, Adley rutschman catches 110 games, Samuel basayo catches 40 or 45 he plays first base 50 games, and he dH is the rest of the time, right? I mean, it’s easy to project out that kind of a plan. And obviously an injury changes everything, as it just did with ruchman Going on the IL but you always need two catchers. The Orioles are in a position now on paper, if we’re talking about an Adley rutchman Renaissance next year, and we’d all love to see it, is it going to happen? Well, it’s, to me, it’s up to Adley rutschman At this point in time, and part of this is you might need to get in better shape. You know you’re breaking down with with oblique injuries. You know that, I don’t mean he’s out of shape, but he might need to get in better shape than he is right now, in the same way that anyone when they go from their early to mid 20s to now, when he’s gonna be 28 next year, he’s gonna be in his late 20s, right entering his late 20s, you got to take better care of yourself. And again, this isn’t me saying he doesn’t take care of himself, but you might need to be a little more vigilant, a little more rigorous in what you do. And and that same that applies to everyone. Lamar Jackson’s entering that territory at age 28 compared to when Lamar was 21 not to mention Derek Henry pulling the chains up the hill Dallas. It’s the same way that you and I when we were in our 20s, you could stay out all night and have a few adult beverages and you feel fine the next day when you do that. When you’re in your 40s or your 50s, that’s a way different. Last Thursday, I went to bed at eight o’clock Exactly. So silent was not I want to be clear in how I’m saying this. It’s not to attack Adley rutschman, but it’s also like, hey, like, this is your career, and things aren’t going well compared to where you were a couple years ago, where, you know, you were an all star catcher and a fringe guy on the fringe getting a few down MVP votes, right down ballot votes. So you know, if this serves as a message to him in some way, and I, I don’t really think it does,

37:04

just got more money than any of them, sure,

Luke Jones  37:07

sure, but, but at the same time, this is also where I’d go back and say to a man, any of these guys would probably laugh at that total amount. But that said, this also, hopefully is evidence that the Orioles have attempted with some of these guys. And you need two sides to want to make a deal, right? And when Scott Boris, who doesn’t represent rotchman, but he represents Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westberg, when he’s your representation, you know, you hire that guy to not sign a deal like this, right? So, and I would say the other thing that I want to at least mention here, because I think it’s relevant to the conversation and the long term health of the organization we we mentioned how this is a good move for both sides. From the standpoint of Samuel basayo, gets generational wealth for for himself and his family, no matter what happens with his career, he’s now guaranteed $67 million over the next eight years, including a $5 million signing bonus that is life changing for his

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Nestor Aparicio  38:08

entire family, winning a lottery, hitting the Powerball. And say, I only won 80 million in Powerball. I didn’t get the 750 million. Sure, sure. And feeling bad about that and thinking, no, no, I’m not going to feel bad about exactly No.

Luke Jones  38:20

And the Orioles get cost control here. They bought out the first three years of his free agency. If he ends up being anything close to what they think he can be, that’ll be good business, especially eight years into the future. And here’s the other factor here. Here’s representation. You know how the international signing atmosphere is. I mean, the Orioles didn’t even try for for decades, right? They didn’t even try. So this has been something that has been years in the making. They signed visayo when they did, and you’ve now signed a Dominican player who was a teenager, developed him, gotten him to the major leagues, and his representation has gotten him a long term contract less than a week into his major league career. They now can go to 16 and seven, you know, probably younger than that, if we’re being really being honest, Dominican prospects in and say, hey, look what the Orioles did. Look what we did for Samuel basayo, this ends up being good business for them. This helps the Orioles relationships continuing in the Dominican and you hope that this will pay dividends, that in the same way that Samuel basayo mentioned Nelson Cruz, you’re hoping, over the next five or six years that they’re going to be other Dominican prospects who are going to say, I love Samuel basayo. The Orioles signed him a week into his major league career, and that’s worked out great, and his agent wants to sign me. You’re hoping this will pay dividends in that way. So okay, you know, I hear your PR, you know the PR element of this, and I’m not going to dispute it, I just don’t think it was driven by that. But yeah, there are tentacles to this that you. Hope are going to continue to pay off for the organization. Because you’re hoping this is just the beginning, not not some culmination. As far as your investment in the international market, your investment in the Dominican, you’re hoping that Samuel biso is the first of many over the next 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, because we know how many special players come from that part of the world, and the Orioles sat that out for decades, right? So this is a great thing in that way as well. And yeah, the agents benefit here too, because, again, they can look at this and say, yeah, see what we did with Sam. Well, we can do the same thing with you, even though you’re 15 years old right now, you’re a couple years away from signing but you know, this is how this works. So there’s that element as well that I think the organization does deserve some credit for, in terms of finally making an investment in Latin America, and more specifically here, the Dominican and looking like it’s about to pay some dividends, and they’ve made some real investment.

Nestor Aparicio  41:01

So, well, the Astros won a World Series with my cheating Venezuelan brothers. So, you know, you got to get down there and get some of my people if you want to make the place better.

Luke Jones  41:08

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Yeah. I mean, you have to right in the same I mean, we talked about this. I mean, the idea for years and years that they just cut them, deliberately cut themselves off at the knees by by not playing that part of well, the owner was a xenophobe, but that’s another story altogether. So but, but I’m just saying now to have invested there over the last six years and to have something work out to this point, and again, your point is, well, taken. Samuel pasayo has to perform in the major league level. But it’s it’s, it’s good thing, and it’s a good thing for all parties. And to your point, he’s got security now. He’s signed, he’s locked up. The Orioles have locked up a young ball player, Sam, go play, right? I mean, it’s that simple. Go play, you know. And figure out, you know, I still think, you know, my, my long term vision for him is probably still more first base, D, H, long term, but with Adley rut out of the lineup entirely right now. Yeah, put him behind the plate and catch him four times a week and and let’s see what this looks like. And yeah, it there was some growing pains with the dean Kramer look the other night. But he’s got a good arm. And again, they love his work ethic. They love what this how much this kid wants to be great. So we’re going to see how that plays out. But to me, there this was nothing, but really good news for the Orioles on Friday. And now it’s a matter of, hey, go play. Go be free. You know you’re going to be here for the next eight years. Go show everyone what kind of player we think you’re going to be. I

Nestor Aparicio  42:39

think it’s good news if you can play. So I’m just leave it at that. And I think it’s a good PR and a last place here. And, you know, gives us another story that we don’t have anymore, which is, they don’t sign their players. They signed one, they signed the one they could’ve signed. We said that they were never going to sign ruchman, they were never going to sign Henderson at this point, because of and westburg, because of representation. So they did what they could do, which I go back to the beginning of that. By the way, Kyle Bradish is going to be doing what he can do. Luke will be at the ballpark. We’ll be monitoring all that. The ravens are doing nothing this week, everything next week. So well, we’re going to be around for that. I’m going to be eating a bunch of food this week. The tastiness tour, our 27th anniversary. I got my 27th logo up. I’m so proud of myself. It’s all good. And my thanks to Jessica Vallis for making that happen as well. We’re gonna be at Coco’s on Wednesday. Come by and see us. We’re six going to be there. Also, Ryan Dorsey, Councilman, Ryan Dorsey never had him on the program, having a lot of first time politicals on the program, including a guy who’s been a pal of mine, JB Jennings, Republican senator from Harford County, from Joppa farmer, he was at on the program at Pizza Johns on Friday. So people listening in for that, Luke and I got you covered with sports and baseball. If you’re on the wnst tech service, you know, you get breaking news first all of it brought to you by coal roofing and Gordian energy. And Bill Cole did an hour with me last week about Ocean City and networking and good stuff going on in the state. I am Nestor. He is Luke. We are W, N, S, T. Am 1570 Towson, Baltimore, and we never stop talking Baltimore positive. You.