Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00our baseball insider Bob Nightingale, the legend from USA Today, back on C2C.
00:06Bob, I want to start with this. The Chapman deal. We were just talking, you and I, off air about
00:14Snell. He threw 43 pitches today and then never came out for the second inning. You almost think
00:21it's because of what? And then do you think Chapman's deal, well obviously it's a good deal
00:28for Chapman, getting $150 million. Do you think he's worth that kind of money in six years?
00:35Yeah, I think it may be. He plays great defense. He showed Clovell's leadership,
00:40steady guy, 22 home runs. So yeah, if someone had offered that to him last winter, he would have
00:47signed. I think the Blue Jays were around 110, 120 at one point and never got what he wanted.
00:54So yeah, great deal for him. And I think he knew that, hey, he wasn't going to do any better in
00:59the free agent market and the Giants at least can get that solved without worrying about third
01:05baseman because there are not too many third basemen out there. Alex Bregman is about it.
01:10So that's like a market valued type of deal? I don't think he's spectacular or anything.
01:17I don't think he's bad. Is that just market price?
01:21I think so. $25 million a year is market price. It means Alex Bregman from the Astros
01:28will get over that. At one point, I think he was thinking $300 million. That's not going to happen.
01:33But I think it kind of paves the way for him to get around the $200 million mark
01:39from somebody because there's still about four or five teams out there that need third baseman.
01:43You don't think people want Snell in the East Coast? Why is that? And they're finished.
01:50They're eight and a half games out of the wildcard. They're finished.
01:55I think you just worry about him. I mean, when he went to San Diego, he said
01:59there's a lot of pressure leaving Tampa. And let's face it. I mean, San Diego is still a
02:03small market team and not much pressure. We saw what happened in the first half of this year.
02:10Kind of felt the pressure. I know he missed spring training. So I just think teams worry about
02:15how is the guy going to react? I mean, it's a different animal, particularly in
02:19Boston and Philly. So you've got to be a special guy to be able to handle that. And we've seen so
02:26many guys can't handle that pressure in Philly, Boston, New York. And I think the jury's out on
02:32him whether he can do so. Obviously, he's had a lot of bad first halves. You're paying the same
02:38kind of money. And, you know, if you don't perform first half, your team can be out of the race
02:43the second half. And there's no pressure at all right now on what's going on with the Giants
02:47because they're out of the race. So you talk about San Diego and you're obviously in Phoenix and the
02:54Diamondbacks, I think, have been unbelievable. You know, Texas is toast. They went to the World
03:00Series. They won it all against Arizona. But here's Arizona again. They're in that second slot
03:07and San Diego has as many wins as the vaunted Yankees who, let's face facts,
03:16we've been running clips of Aaron Boone for months saying where we want to go. We're not where we
03:21need to be to be where we need to go. He's got more one liners than a comedian, this guy. And
03:27they never get it done at all, ever. And the Padres have as many wins as they do.
03:33Yeah, I tell you what, Mike Schilder's done a great job there. I mean, they're actually a better
03:39team without Soto than they were with them. But yeah, no Soto, you know, no Josh Hader,
03:44the all-star closer, no Blake Snell, no Seth Lugo, no Michael Waka. And man, they come back
03:51all the time. I read what they already have 13 more comeback wins already this year than they
03:57had all last year. Last year, they were down two runs. They quit. This team comes back. You know,
04:02we saw last night, big five run comeback. Now they got a great bullpen. The Dodgers say the
04:09team they kind of fear, not say fear, but worry about the most is Arizona Diamondbacks. It's a
04:15loaded team, best offense in baseball right now. Phillies are very streaky. Diamondbacks can play
04:22with anybody. So they're the team to watch, I think, in the National League playoffs.
04:27So I want to, before I leave Arizona, I want to ask you, you go out there a lot. You went to those
04:34pirate games. You told me, how often do you like to go watch them play baseball? Like,
04:40you go everywhere being the national beat guy that you are, the best in the business.
04:46But how often when you're home, do you like go to those games regularly?
04:50Yeah, if I'm in town, I'll go to, you know, just about every game and see what's out there. You
04:55know, when they're talking missing team or the Diamondbacks, makes it more fun with the balanced
05:00schedule. But yeah, they're a good team. You remember now, they were winning without three
05:04top guys. They're still without Quetel Marte, who was their, you know, MVP candidate for a long,
05:10long time. Still without the catcher in Marino and just got back Christian Walker, who, you know,
05:17you know, one of the best all-around first baseman in the game. If the Mets don't bring
05:21back Alonzo, I could certainly see Christian Walker playing for the Mets.
05:26Walker kills the Dodgers. He's got, like, all those home runs against LA. He owns them. I think
05:32they play him again four games. I could be wrong, but that could be significant here at the end of
05:37the season. Let me go back to one thing with San Diego really quick, and it's the Merrill
05:42chase with Skeens for that rookie of the year. Now, I don't even want to guess that you're going
05:50to tell me Merrill deserves it, because I'm going to reach through that TV and grab you by the ear,
05:55pull your earlobe off, because I like what Skeens has captivated baseball this year,
06:01the entire year, and the All-Star weekend was about him. The All-Star game was about him,
06:09and he did a great job, and then everybody said he was going to get shut down and everything else,
06:14and yet the only time that team ever wins is when he's pitching, and then the next night out,
06:18they get no hit. I mean, do you think that the kid playing seven days a week Merrill is better
06:25than him? I still think that Skeens is a bigger story, because I don't think anybody... Now,
06:30I love San Diego. You know that. My kid goes to San Diego State, but no one gives a rat's ass
06:35about San Diego anywhere else. Maybe I'll pull my own ear so you don't have to pull them.
06:41I agree with you. Skeens is a much bigger story. Love the whole Air Force connection,
06:46living in the Air Force Academy for four years. You know, love what it's all about,
06:51the Academy of Life. Certainly the best story in baseball. Rookie of the year. It's going to be a
06:56runaway. It is going to be Jackson Merrill. This kid has never played outfield in his life.
07:02They told him in spring training, we don't have room for you at shortstop. Go try centerfield.
07:08He's probably the MVP of that team. He may get some lower MVP votes. I think he's going to run
07:14away with the MVP. Remember now, he's doing this every single day. Skeens has had, what,
07:1918 starts, 19 starts. This kid played... He's going to play over 145, 150 games,
07:25and Ben lights out. They would not be in the playoff position without him. So, you know,
07:31it's not Skeens' fault he plays for a team that's losing, but you got to give this kid credit for
07:38helping the team get in the playoffs. I will never forget the game that they were up 10-3,
07:43and I had them on the run line, laying a run and a half, and they gave up, what was it, like,
07:49six runs in the ninth inning or something, and they lost 14-10 to the Cubs. I wanted to vomit.
07:55All right, let me ask you really quick, respectfully, I got a minute. The Mets have
07:59been on fire, and do you think they're gonna get the last wild card, or will it be the Braves?
08:09I'm going to Atlanta again. I know they're hot, but you know what? Look at that schedule. They
08:15still got, what, three or four games against Atlanta in Atlanta. I want to say they got
08:19seven more games against the Phillies. Atlanta knows how to win down the stretch. The Mets don't.
08:26We all remember the Mets coughed it up a couple years ago. Atlanta came back,
08:29won the division, so I'll take Atlanta, and they are dangerous. I mean, Chris Hill, what a gift.
08:35People talk about Babe Ruth being the worst grade in the Red Sox history. It might be
08:39Chris Hill right behind him going to Atlanta.