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00:00I'll hit you with another Harris quote.
00:02Payroll questions again.
00:04He kind of scoffs at the idea that we'd ask about payroll.
00:07So then I have every right to read into this and say I'm concerned.
00:11That doesn't mean I'm judging the whole offseason today on November 13th.
00:14I'm just reading the quotes from the man himself and the reporting.
00:18He's also said that when the time is right, the money will be there.
00:22Now, if the time's not right now, then I start to question his acumen
00:27as to when will it actually be right.
00:29Does everything have to be on a tee for you to go out there
00:33and actually spend some money?
00:35All this right now, I just believe this offseason is going to be
00:39a better version of last year's offseason, meaning they're going to add
00:44actually something that's a little bit more quality.
00:46I actually thought the hidden gem in Petzold's article was Jake Berger,
00:51and he's with the Marlins.
00:53Mark Hanna?
00:54No.
00:55Oh, okay.
00:56He's better.
00:57It's your word.
00:58Marginally better.
00:59Positive war player throughout his career.
01:00Better war when he was with the White Sox with a better team.
01:03I mean, the Marlins were god awful.
01:05They were the White Sox of the National League last year.
01:08He plays both first and third base.
01:10Versatility provides flexibility for Hork to potentially still play first base
01:16but can easily go over there, and then you put in Vierling at third.
01:21I think he's under team control through 2028.
01:25I think there's some substance to throwing that name in that article
01:30as a potential target.
01:31It fits what they want to do.
01:33It's a total penny-pinching small market move.
01:37He's a .5 war player last season.
01:3925-plus homers.
01:40Okay, I'm just telling you.
01:42Pop right-handed bat.
01:43If you want to settle, settle.
01:44I don't want to settle.
01:45So I wanted to ask you guys, what if the offseason looked like this?
01:48The two biggest moves were trading for Jake Berger
01:52and signing Sean Manea.
02:00But I can see something like that playing out.
02:03I really can.
02:04Now, I'm simply proposing something here.
02:07Do I agree with this?
02:08No.
02:09I think you should swing for the fences and go get Alonzo,
02:12and you should give up on Tork.
02:13That's what I believe.
02:16But I could see them doing something like this
02:18and see that working.
02:20I really could, because it fits the timeline
02:23of the young guys coming up.
02:25Well, it's funny you mention timeline,
02:26because I think that was actually a key passage in Petzl's article.
02:31He points out that the Tigers' offer, from what he's heard,
02:34was not competitive to Scouble.
02:36And he cites an AL executive who points out,
02:38well, Scouble does kind of set the timeline.
02:40If they're not going to extend him, but they are a playoff team,
02:44you've got to spend right now to win while you have Tarek Scouble.
02:47So it really becomes this key.
02:49Fine, you don't want to overpay for Tarek Scouble.
02:51Then you better pay somebody to help win
02:53while you have Tarek Scouble.
02:55Exactly.
02:56So what if that offseason, trade for Berger, sign Manea,
02:59and Scouble's extended?
03:03Getting you thinking a little bit.
03:05Well, it would be a commitment to somebody
03:06who could be here for a while, a star player.
03:08The best player on the team.
03:09Yeah, a guy who was instrumental in the push late in the season.
03:12He pitched his ass off.
03:14Let's get to the phones.
03:15Let's go to Jake.
03:16You're on 97.1.
03:18Good morning, guys.
03:19How are you?
03:20Good.
03:21The three big names that are on my board are Bregman, Alonzo,
03:26and Christian Walker, which is on the big boards of a lot of people.
03:30But I just don't understand Scott Harris' comments of blocking the young guys
03:34because those are the two positions that you have nobody coming.
03:37You have a young catcher and a kid from L.A., yes.
03:39You have an outfield that I think is set for the foreseeable future.
03:43If you want to say you've got to have a weak position somewhere,
03:45Trey Sweeney was more than serviceable at shortstop last year.
03:48But you have no prospects at first and third base coming up.
03:51So, where are you getting this mentality?
03:53You have young guys coming up.
03:55So, how about this?
03:58Throw this out there to you.
03:59Another guy like Jake Berger that can possibly play third
04:02but more of a first baseman.
04:03How about Vladdy?
04:04Use Twerk as a headline piece.
04:06Go get Vladdy.
04:07I'm not even the biggest fan of his, but that would surely show an effort
04:10to get better now, which is what we need with a team like this
04:13that made the playoffs last year and is looking to build on that
04:16and have some success going forward.
04:18They're a game away from the ALCS.
04:19Vladdy is a 25, 26-year-old slugger.
04:22He's got pop in the bat.
04:24You'd have to trade prospects and extend him.
04:27It would be the level of investment that we've been waiting for
04:30is really a go-for-it move.
04:32Because there's always a cost when you trade.
04:35Yeah.
04:36The cost isn't going to be just Twerk, right?
04:38We're going to give you our not-great player for your great player?
04:42You will have to give up one of your top prospects or more.
04:45But you've got to let Domino's fall here
04:47because the Blue Jays are in the Soto sweepstakes.
04:50John Heyman wrote about it yesterday.
04:52Other than the Yankees and Mets, they're coming hard.
04:55They went hard after Otani.
04:56They offered Otani over $700 million.
04:59So this is why you've got to have – it is November,
05:02and you do need to have a little bit of patience here
05:05to let the Domino's start falling
05:07and also test Scott Boris here a little bit.
05:09People have fired him.
05:11Oh, yeah.
05:12Because he has gotten too far into free agency
05:14and burned some of his clients recently.
05:16And now he's coming out big braggadocious
05:18in the Scooble stuff, $35 million to $40 million.
05:21And Soto's going to get more in Otani.
05:23And okay, let's see it, Scott.
05:25So there's a test going on here.
05:27And Scott, last year, Scott Boris was the agent for Matt Chapman, right?
05:32I believe.
05:33And there was Cody Bellinger.
05:35These guys who waited and waited and waited
05:37and did not get the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
05:39So there is a little bit of Scott Harris is under the gun.
05:42Not Scott Harris, Scott Boris, a lot of Scots.
05:44Scott Boris is under the gun this offseason too.
05:46I think it's a pivotal offseason for Boris
05:48in terms of how he's viewed by his clients and around the league.
05:50And maybe Scott doesn't want to be his huckleberry
05:52and race out to overpay someone.
05:54I can respect it.
05:55But it is a big offseason for Scott Harris as well.
05:57It feels like this offseason is going to be an offseason
06:00that we reference for years, for good or bad, John, right?
06:04If you're coming off a playoff appearance,
06:06if you're coming off of a season
06:08where you have the manager of the year,
06:10a young roster, and you fail to support and add to it,
06:15and you miss the playoffs,
06:16we will cite this offseason for years to come.
06:19The opposite is also true.
06:21If they add the right bat,
06:22they identify a player via trade or free agency
06:25to bring into this organization who makes a difference,
06:28it will be hailed as the Tigers understood.
06:31They read the room.
06:33They saw what the crowds looked like.
06:35They see what the city desires.
06:36And they made the team better accordingly.
06:38This is a stupidly pivotal offseason
06:40for Scott Harris and his baseball team.
06:43I think it is.
06:44And that's where, yes, we want to at least know
06:47that there's a sense of urgency.
06:49I think that's what we're lacking right now
06:51is that we feel like there's no sense of urgency
06:54to a team that outperformed and did make the playoffs.
06:58Why can't you do it?
06:59Why can't that be the first of many years?
07:02But to make that a possibility,
07:04you're going to have to add,
07:05if you enter next year as constructed last year,
07:10does the same magic happen?
07:11Sure, there's always that chance,
07:13but does lightning strike twice?
07:14We had Benetton on who's great,
07:15and he pointed out at the end of the year
07:16it's like they were hitting 21 repeatedly.
07:19That's not a way to go to a casino
07:20and go, I got to hit blackjack eight times in a row.
07:22I mean, I'm just telling you,
07:23that's not a winning formula.
07:25Would it kill Scott Harris to offer some urgency publicly?
07:28I don't want him to overpromise.
07:31But I feel like he's either misread the room
07:33or he's been incredibly honest with us
07:35and it's going to be a disappointing offseason.
07:38We'll see.
07:39Just offer a little urgency.
07:40He goes, hey guys, I know this fan base is excited
07:42and we're going to do everything in our power
07:43to upgrade this baseball team.
07:44That doesn't box him into a corner,
07:46but it's not we can't block guys
07:47and we don't have any glaring holes
07:49and oh, the payroll question again.
07:51Gee, Scott, I wonder why people think this of you.
07:53They're using your words.
07:55Give people better reassurances.
07:57They want to believe in you.
07:58They want to believe in this baseball team.