RaysUp - 2025 Drew Rasmussen, Carson Williams, Xavier Isaac plus Tito & the Reds

270 BaseballBiz RaysUp – spring training in the air 

Welcome to BaseballBiz On Deck. I am Mark Corbett and with me today, of course, is Mr. Mat Germain. How are you doing, buddy? 

[00:00:12] Mat Germain: I'm good for a guy. That's a quarter into this century. 

[00:00:17] Mark Corbett: A quarter into this century, you old, old man. Oh my gosh I want to say thank you to all the people who were involved in rescues.

[00:00:28] Mark Corbett: And I've said this before to you and the other Canadians who came down here during the hurricanes. , whether it'd been power or other forms of rescue in Florida. And now of course, everything that we're seeing, the Canadians being able to help the people out in California and those wildfire fires.

[00:00:45] Mark Corbett: So I wanted to say thank you to you, Mat , and all the great people who are coming to our aid. 

[00:00:50] Mat Germain: Yeah, whenever, you know, we're neighbors. So whenever we can help each other out, by all means, it's, uh, it's what we're supposed to do. 

[00:00:56] Mark Corbett: All right. Well, thank you all anyway, getting to some of the day to day, what's happening with baseball, Mat , you know, it's, I finally started looking at calendar 2025 is here, as you said, looking at a quarter of a century already into this thing that I thought you were telling me you were 25 years old, but it's, 

[00:01:18] Mat Germain: Oh, Mark.

[00:01:19] Mat Germain: Don't get me going on that. That's I had to think back to when I was 25. Oh, I had so much more hair. 

[00:01:29] Mark Corbett: No, but, but it is interesting. This, I mean, this year starting and of course, baseball, we've, we've been anticipating it for some time and still it's yet to come, but there's a few dates I'd like to mention.

[00:01:43] Mark Corbett: One is about 34 days. Before catchers and pitchers report to spring training. That's going to be on February 12th. So if that'll be here soon, uh, see, Oh, here's one. I hadn't thought about Mat truck day. Have you ever heard truck day before? 

[00:01:59] Mat Germain: I love it. 

[00:02:03] Mark Corbett: So that's when a team moves everything like in case with the Boston Red Sox, for instance, they pick up all the equipment and everything.

[00:02:11] Mark Corbett: They move it from a Fenway park to their spring training facility down in Fort Myers. And that day is on February 3rd. So that's going to be here before we know it. Oh, truck day and they, they get out there and they celebrate it, I think they have some small parade around it as the, with all of the different mascots at the time.

[00:02:31] Mark Corbett: Uh, it's, it's anyway, it's insane. And I'm looking forward to all of these folks lighting here, 15 of those teams down here in Florida. It's going to be exciting times with spring training.

[00:02:42] Mat Germain: Absolutely. No, I'm looking forward to it. The heat is coming. We just don't know exactly when it'll arrive. 

[00:02:48] Mark Corbett: Oh, brother.

[00:02:49] Mark Corbett: We'll see a swing of 40 degrees right now in Tampa Bay. Any day, as far as temperature goes, uh, we're not having any snow. And, but yeah, yeah, not here, but, uh, uh, where I was in Louisville. We could go this, they've got like, I don't know. I don't know if it's two feet yet or not. When I spoke to somebody the other day, they said, yeah, we got about 12 inches of snow and then at least another inch and a half of ice.

[00:03:17] Mark Corbett: So anyway, we don't have that here. Uh, getting back to what's coming up, which said the spring training days, collegiate opening day. Division one will be on February 14th and division two is going to be on January 31st. What are there any other days that think we'll give that a risk? There's, there's a lot more, but we'll, we'll give that to rest.

[00:03:37] Mark Corbett: But the thing I do want to talk about Mat , and that is some of what you were covering on blue sky. And that is the prospects MLB prospects and specifically somewhat of the Rays. But can we, we, can we address who has stepped away or should say is no longer, um, on the prospect list. And who's coming up?

[00:04:04] Mat Germain: Yeah. So you got junior Caminero graduated last year. The Rays brought him up early enough that he was able to get enough service time to no longer be considered a rookie. , and it also means that he, he's not going to be in contention for some of the prizes that the MLB has got for teams that actually use a rookie from the beginning onwards, , for next year.

[00:04:24] Mat Germain: You could make a solid argument that they could have some of their top prospects begin the season in MLB if they really wanted to push the envelope. , and one of the reasons I say that is because Two of them that they have in the minors right now, have the tools to play at the MLB level, , when it comes to defensive play or speed.

[00:04:46] Mat Germain: So one of them that got rated extremely high and will be, you know, more than likely the top of the list of most people's rankings of the Rays prospects is Carson Williams. And MLB, , com did an executive poll basically, where they went around and they asked them, MLB executives, you know, , who would your, , best defensive prospects be in the minors based on what you've seen and what evaluators are telling you.

[00:05:11] Mat Germain: And, and over 40 percent of them chose Carson Williams as that. And he's the top defensive player in all of minor league baseball. So that tells you something about his profile. And when you consider the fact that he has a lot of power to go with that and make up that's off the charts, you know, you get to see this solid leader coming through the system that, you know, has that.

[00:05:36] Mat Germain: That pedigree to kind of, you know, be able to take on the pressures that come with, you know, playing in the show. So I'm not sure if the Rays would be willing to have him skip, , AAA and come up to the show. They did it with Wanda Franco, but there was a pandemic issue at the time. 

[00:05:52] Mark Corbett: Yeah 

[00:05:53] Mat Germain: know, there was other factors.

[00:05:55] Mat Germain: And, and I think. you always had the hit tool with Wander not being an issue whatsoever. They had faith in that, and I'm not sure the faith is as high with Carson, although he made significant headway on that last year. The other guy is Chandler Simpson, who was also the runaway winner of the fastest prospect in the Minors are the best base stealer as well.

[00:06:17] Mat Germain: And then that, , he stole 104 bases last year. Nobody's going to question that. And he does have the hit tool, , unlike, Carson Williams. So, you know, those are two guys that you can envision to Rays, you know, if they are eyeing that top rookie prize that MLB gives out, which is an extra pick, and the Orioles earned that, uh, recently, I think not last year, but a year before, , and that's, that's a significant pick in the top 35 overall.

[00:06:43] Mat Germain: , that you get to play with, , and, get six, seven years out of a prospect or trade it away if you want to, so the Rays have that. And they also, just as another note, they had, , one of them show up in the power profile. Which was Xavier Isaac got some votes. I think he had was 4%, , of the top votes.

[00:07:02] Mat Germain: Um, so, you know, he got some, some love on that front as well. So the Rays are well covered. They have power, speed defense, , coming up the line and there's some of the best in MLB. 

[00:07:13] Mark Corbett: Wow. It's, it's exciting to see all those people. I remember over the last couple of years, you're talking both about junior and Carson.

[00:07:20] Mark Corbett: And to see them evolve and seeing them coming up, I'm glad to see they're getting the attention and I'm glad we could see them play. 

[00:07:31] Mat Germain: Yeah, well, you know that it, what I, what's most exciting about it is you can make an argument that Chandler Simpson will wind up in center field, Carson Williams at shortstop.

[00:07:42] Mat Germain: And they're saying that, uh, Xavier Isaac might become the left fielder of the future for the Rays. So when you look at those three positions, and you look at what else the Rays already have on board, that's exactly where they need that talent for this year. So the second half of 2025 is going to be a very intriguing time, uh, to watch the Rays, because they should, in theory, , get a lot of support and a lot, and from what we're hearing, Mm hmm.

[00:08:08] Mat Germain: You can always trust it with a grain of salt, but they're saying they're not going to trade Brandon Lowe and Yandy Diaz. So the right side of the infield should be very solid. And so when you add those players that you mentioned, including junior on the left side, you know, that's, that's a lot of youth, it's a lot of talent and it's a lot of promise in what they could actually achieve.

[00:08:30] Mark Corbett: Well, I would be, I'd say almost surprised if they didn't trade either Brandon or Yandy. You know, I, I, I like them both and I hope they stay, but I don't know. We'll see. I, I am not surprised to see the talent that we've got coming up because we all know that the Rays have done a fantastic job over the years with finding young players or bringing them up to the farm system.

[00:08:56] Mark Corbett: And you know, what you're saying actually exhibits all of that. It makes it very clear. That's a big part of what's happening right now. 

[00:09:05] Mat Germain: It is. The only thing that's questionable right now is what speed. How far do they want to push the pedal to the metal? And how much pressure are they going to put on those prospects to perform right away?

[00:09:16] Mat Germain: So, by trading Jose Siri, they've opened the door for somebody in center field. By trading, a lot of the players they made trades with, at the deadline, they've opened the doors for some of those young players to come up. So that's encouraging. It's a, it's actually a really good thing. And I don't think they're done.

[00:09:33] Mat Germain: I honestly believe that there's at least one more trade coming, uh, more than likely with pen piece, maybe a bench role kind of player, um, that can also handle shortstop we'll see, but, uh, I don't think they're done by any means. And, and it's, it's just fun to see them building towards something that, you know.

[00:09:53] Mat Germain: Should be more long lasting, even than the last one, because the system is just overflowing with talent, like with the trades they made at the deadline. Every level has a lot of promise. And especially for me, what, what I think that they've been missing the most is elite outfielders. And when I look down the line of the Rays, I don't think I've ever been as excited about their outfield prospects as I am right now, ever like in, in your entire history.

[00:10:23] Mat Germain: There is some significant outfield talent, and it has all the tools, power, speed, like off the charts power, off the charts speed, and, and, and really, the last time we had that, I think it was in 2008, uh, maybe 2007, right, when you had the Carl Crawfords and all those guys coming through, and I think, um, I think that's really exciting because the Rays know how to treat their infielders.

[00:10:49] Mat Germain: They know how to develop them well. So what they've always been weak at is the outfield and the behind the plate work. So Danny Jansen being added there is also going to be a huge boost. 

[00:11:02] Mark Corbett: It's going to be interesting to see, because I'm, I'm looking at the team and quite honestly, I haven't been, you know, as far as like 2008, I wasn't tied into the Rays at the time, but I'm looking, I thought, well, we got Siri.

[00:11:16] Mark Corbett: We had him, we had Randy, you know, we, we had Kiermaier. Uh, you could even say, I thought Josh Lowe. I thought all those guys did fairly well out there. Decent at the plate, but I guess you held them, you hold a higher standard. 

[00:11:33] Mat Germain: Well, you know, cause I'm not looking at just the defensive aspect. I want like, when, when, let's say you're talking about the Yankees, right?

[00:11:41] Mat Germain: You want to be the Yankees. You want to beat the Yankees. So, when you look at their outfielders, and you're looking at an Aaron Judge, where is the Rays version of Aaron Judge? It doesn't exist. I'm saying that when I look in the system right now, I could see an Aaron Judge. Style like that elite level player now in the Rays case It would more than likely be a more five tool ish kind of player than somebody that's gonna hit 60 home runs But you can't put that past Xavier Isaac. Xavier Isaac has the power that he could develop into that kind of masher and eye at the plate That's what I'm saying.

[00:12:20] Mat Germain: Is that the Rays have that elite over the top You Potential in the system like they've never had before. 

[00:12:30] Mark Corbett: Well, I am looking forward to see that happen. I mean, the thing of it is to this year, you know, we were talking about before the show about how that, uh, some places we see a six man rotation perhaps this year.

[00:12:42] Mark Corbett: We can talk a little more about that, but the whole idea is the strength of this team. McClanahan finally coming back. Yeah. Then we had a guy sign yesterday was a two year extension, a guy with two Tommy John surgeries and something, uh, inserted into this joint of his elbow. Uh, what a, a fellow who had two Tommy John surgeries while he was in college.

[00:13:08] Mark Corbett: I believe in Oregon. Drew Drew Rasmussen. I'm so, so glad to have him back, man. 

[00:13:14] Mat Germain: Yeah. I he's consistent when he is on the mound. Like honestly, if you look at his ERA, through his, his career, right, since 2021, his era RA is, uh. 2. 84, 2. 84, 2. 62, and 2. 83. Like, as consistent as you get. And the same thing with his whip, his whip I think goes from 108 to 104, and it stays there for all four years.

[00:13:40] Mat Germain: You know what you're going to get when Drew's on the mound. You're going to get an elite, hard to hit, hard to square up guy. The knock has been the innings pitched. He's only exceeded 76 innings pitched in a year once. And that was in 2022, and he pitched 146 innings. So, I think the extension reflects that.

[00:14:00] Mat Germain: It says, okay, we know you're pretty much a reliever next, this year coming up. Uh, maybe you get to extend your innings pitch count to 80, maybe 90 if you're lucky. And then the year after that, maybe we'll get you back up to 120 if you're in the rotation enough. And, you know, your arm stays on and it doesn't fall off.

[00:14:23] Mat Germain: And then, and then the year after that, if you're looking strong, and we want to put you back into rotation, then your salary based on because the way they broke down the option that the Rays can pick up is he can either get a as low as 8, 000, 000 or as low as 8, 000, 000. If they pick it up, that's his bare minimum to all the way to 20 million with all the incentives they added in.

[00:14:44] Mat Germain: That's a lot. That's a wide range, Mark. That tells me that they either think he's going to be just a reliever at that point, which they're going to be on the hook for 8 million if they pick it up, or he's going to be, you know, one of the innings eaters and get 20 million. So I'm really curious to see if they pick up that option and what role he'll be filling if they do.

[00:15:04] Mat Germain: I don't think they're going to pay 20 million for a. For a, uh, reliever, but if they're good enough and he is elite enough of a reliever, that's pretty much the market that we're seeing with Tanner Scott. So you can't really put them past it. I just think that, you know, the Rays historically, uh, a reliever over 5 million is pretty rare.

[00:15:26] Mark Corbett: Yeah. With, with Drew, I thought this was reasonable. I mean just because of what you said as far as his health and ability to do it. It's it's a measured payment system so that if you're able to deliver Uh, guess what? We're going to be able to reward you at that level as well 

[00:15:43] Mat Germain: Yeah, and I have to say like i'm happy that he has a bare minimum of 7.

[00:15:48] Mat Germain: 5 million. I would take it But you know these guys put their bodies on the line. They put their arms on the line He's had a lot of injuries and he suffered through a lot And he's given everything that he has when he's on the mound So i'm glad He has a floor now same as Shane McClanahan they did A similar kind of extension with him, , it gives them, the, the hopes and dreams of a bigger payday down the line, but also some security in, in terms of knowing that they're not going to be, uh, you know, if they, if the Rays had kept both of them arbitration, , each year, year after year, then they're always, , able to walk away if there's a major injury, a third one for both of them.

[00:16:24] Mat Germain: Yeah. 

[00:16:25] Mark Corbett: Yeah, as much as we like to, you know, go ahead and give front offices a lot of grief, I feel like that is more than fair to, to give them some reward for, and I think a lot of those are rewards for what they've done in the past, because we know they weren't getting paid as much as you might think they're worth as early years into Major League Baseball.

[00:16:48] Mark Corbett: I'm glad to hear that. So again, we got Drew, we got Shane, we got, uh, McClanahan, we got Baz, we got, uh, who else? Right. Right. I can't think of them all off top of my head. Oh yeah. Pepiot. My gosh, it's going to be a good year. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll tell you that much. 

[00:17:04] Mat Germain: Yeah. What I'm, I'm really curious to see if the Rays start making some of the changes that I'm hoping they make with some of the personnel, like for example, just to throw one out there as a, as a.

[00:17:16] Mat Germain: What to look for is Taj Bradley starting to get more seasoned. He has a better feel for some of his pitches. It's time for them to add a pitch. , in terms of the pictures, when you think about it on the mound, and you think of starters, how many of them don't have a slider? You know, why doesn't Todd Bradley have a slider?

[00:17:38] Mat Germain: Like, where, where is the slider? So that's just one example, right, of, of How he can improve, he can add deception in that way. He can add some more positive endings without getting touched as much in terms of home runs. So I, that's the thing that I'm, I broke down basically with each starter was like, okay, what could they do with Pepiot?

[00:17:59] Mat Germain: Well, they could, you know, increase the workload of the curve. They can do this. So the Rays have such a. A great young staff that now they're starting to know more about, and they've, they've taught them some basics. And now it's time, I think, to push the envelope a little bit with each of them. 

[00:18:17] Mark Corbett: Are you ready for a Rays opening day?

[00:18:19] Mark Corbett: 2025, uh, over here in, uh, Steinbrenner stadium or over by the Bucs. It's going to be interesting. 

[00:18:27] Mat Germain: Are they allowed to change the name of the stadium for a year? Cause I don't know if I can deal with you hearing Steinbrenner Field, Steinbrenner Field, Steinbrenner Field. They should have a naming rights competition just for the one year and add it.

[00:18:40] Mat Germain: I don't know. I really don't want to have to deal with it, Mark. I don't It just sours every time I watch the Rays. 

[00:18:48] Mark Corbett: I know brother, I can't even begin to imagine what it's going to be like when they play the Yankees there. It's, Oh Lord. I mean the open, open, uh, stadium, and they're going to be playing several, most of their games in the first part of the season.

[00:19:05] Mark Corbett: In that stadium, a good portion of them anyway, because that's when it's not as hot and not as rainy and, uh, playing without a dome in Florida is just crazy. So that's what they're going to have to do though. And if you think about it, that's what the, the minor leagues do around here during the rest of the year.

[00:19:25] Mark Corbett: But, uh, 

[00:19:26] Mat Germain: what are your thoughts on the Trop being fixed now, the Rays being fully on board with the repairs and changing your tune on that? What are your thoughts on that one? 

[00:19:36] Mark Corbett: I think fixing the Trop is a waste. I think that being at Steinbrenner for three years is beyond what anybody wants to do. So I'm, I'm at odds with myself on this, to be honest with you.

[00:19:48] Mark Corbett: If they fix the Trop, where are they going to be? Are they going to be in there for one year? It seems like a waste to me to put in even 1 into that place. 

[00:19:56] Mat Germain: Of course it is, Mark, but you know what it's about. It's about the Rays looking for St. Pete to offer up money to not play there, if you catch my drift.

[00:20:08] Mark Corbett: Yes, I do. 

[00:20:09] Mat Germain: Yeah, the Rays were all up in an uproar about the longer delay on the building the new stadium. So I think this is going to grow into St. Petersburg having to decide and really the county decide, okay, well, do we want to fix it or do we want to offer to the Rays? That we can, you know, take, I don't know, 90 percent of the money it would cost, give it to them and save ourselves 10 percent to save ourselves 20%, whatever it is, they decide instead of rebuilding the Trop.

[00:20:41] Mat Germain: Cause I don't think you're right. Nobody wants to rebuild the Trop. Nobody wants to have to rebuild the Trop. You're just going to tear it down again, two, three years later. And you don't even know if what you're building is going to last or work because there could be another storm that tears it right off again.

[00:20:55] Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

[00:20:56] Mat Germain: , I honestly believe that all it has to do with is, is the transfer of money from one project to the Rays pocket. That's 

[00:21:05] Mark Corbett: basically, well, well, okay. Well, let's take it a step further. Everything's been approved. There, you know, all that. The city's approved things. The county's approved approved things.

[00:21:16] Mark Corbett: The Rays continued to be in pain over it all because the extensions have crippled us with all this extra debt beyond all that. , it felt like the mechanism is in place that they almost wanted the county not to agree to go ahead and give that money so they could walk away. I don't think the commissioner was ready for the Rays to walk away from Tampa Bay, but I think Stu was ready to walk away.

[00:21:45] Mat Germain: Well, he's been looking for a way out for a long time, it seems, in a way. I think he's played both sides very much. 

[00:21:52] Mark Corbett: Oh yeah. And, and, and let's face it. Cause if, if they, if they backed out, meaning the county, then Stu would have still had all the business development area, , underneath his wing. But that was basically saying, Hey, they walked away, but we already had this other contract for the business development area over here.

[00:22:12] Mark Corbett: So it's it's been a mess. It continues to be a mess and like I said I'm not going to believe anything until the girders are in the ground and they've got the gas and the hard hats and the cranes building trop two 

[00:22:26] Mat Germain: How why is it that the closer we get? To that final date when the stadium is supposed to be built, the more far away it seems, you know, like you still don't have any certainty.

[00:22:39] Mat Germain: What's I don't recall any deal being like this, like just because we've been living in for so long, but, um, yeah, I, I, I have to tip my hat to any business person that deals with these long winded, uh, you know, uh, Whatever you want to call them, , offers, projects, , takeovers, all the, , the long lasting ones, because it does get under your skin after a long time.

[00:23:06] Mat Germain: Oh, you're just thinking, you know, like this is time something has to give and we need to move on. But yeah. Yeah, I just wanted to bring it up because I know it was in the news and the Tropicana Field rebuild saga is going to be one that we'll, I guess we'll have to watch for. I think come April 1st, they should have made a decision on that fully because I think the work would have to begin by then.

[00:23:30] Mat Germain: And I think the Rays also have to commit across certain thresholds by then to get the, uh, the new stadium build going. If I'm not mistaken, 

[00:23:41] Mark Corbett: you know, you're, you're on the money because I had March 30th or 31st, whatever is in my mind as the last date for everything to something's they had to fall in place to say, Oh yes, we are the Rays.

[00:23:51] Mark Corbett: And yes, we have taken some steps toward this. So I don't have all that list in front of me at the moment, but I do know there was enough banter back and forth between the Rays and the Pinellas County commissioners on that particular topic. So we will see what comes my friend, but it is, it does.

[00:24:08] Mark Corbett: Like you're saying, though, I feel like we're in some sort of temporal optical warp of trying to see what's going on around us when he comes to the Rays stadium and like I said, I'm ready to put a shovel in it or on it right now. And, uh, 

[00:24:22] Mat Germain: I know I can always tell when we talk stadium marks, marks, uh, tolerance level drops.

[00:24:30] Mark Corbett: You Think? 

[00:24:30] Mat Germain: You. I think you you've, you've mentioned the, that. You know, saga too many times and you're just wanting the it to end basically. And I get it, it's 100 percent accurate. 

[00:24:42] Mark Corbett: Yeah, it's like having bedspins after a long, hard night. But anyway, it's enough of my, my aggravation. Oh my gosh. So we've talked a bit about what's going on with the Rays' prospects.

[00:24:58] Mark Corbett: We talked a little bit about where the hell they're going to be over the next few years, what stadiums and such. And. Looking also across MLB, there's other things as well. Is there anything specifically on the Rays you want to make sure we cover? 

[00:25:14] Mat Germain: Um, no, I think, you know, the, the only other thing I would mention is that a few x Rays have, uh, have signed.

[00:25:24] Mat Germain: And one of them I had hoped would return to the Rays, but I'm fine with where he landed, uh, basically Charlie Morton signing with the Orioles. , I think that's a really great landing spot for him, and it's a great replacement for them for Corbin Burnes. , I think he's going to teach a lot of their young pitchers a lot, especially Grayson Rodriguez.

[00:25:44] Mat Germain: Uh, I mean, there's not a better guy to really sit down with him and get him to mature, uh, you know, to be the best version of himself. Uh, and I also think, you know, the, the signing of Nathaniel Lowe with the Nationals was a good one. Because I think, or it wasn't a sign. It was a trade. Pardon me. Uh, 

[00:26:06] Mark Corbett: yeah.

[00:26:07] Mat Germain: Yeah. And I think he'll do very well there because they need us, you know, he's not exactly, I don't know. I don't know what goes on in the clubhouses and all that kind of stuff, but, um, they need a little bit more maturity and somebody that's been around a little bit and, and with the nationals, that's all I'm hearing.

[00:26:25] Mat Germain: Um, so. I think they needed to bring some of that in, and he's got, you know, a decent enough bat that he can help the prospects that they have there, which are really, really, really high standard, especially in the outfield and, in the left side of the infield. So he'll anchor the rest of it like that fairly well.

[00:26:44] Mat Germain: I think it was a solid move on their part. 

[00:26:47] Mark Corbett: You know, you're talking about the nationals, what Ahmed Rosario, he just, uh, signed as a free agent with them too. Hey, 

[00:26:54] Mat Germain: it's another x ray. 

[00:26:55] Mark Corbett: Yeah. Yeah. So there, and who else they had, uh, uh, oh, Josh Bell. Didn't he used to be with them, with the nationals? I think, I think he's, he signed with him as well, but getting back to Charlie, man.

[00:27:08] Mark Corbett: Yes. I would love to see Charlie here, but I see Charlie at his age and what he's doing, like you're talking about kind of a leader. I could almost the old Odin days when you had a pitcher coach, you know, I could see him along those lines and, and so many still young people on that team. He will certainly be able to make an impact on them.

[00:27:27] Mark Corbett: So good luck, Orioles. Uh, wish you well with him, but you know, of course, we'll We'd like to come out above in the AL East, a little, a little disappointing last year. You know, at the beginning of the year, last year, I'm just talking with you and, uh, the hopes and dreams, of course, us winning and then going to the big game, but looking at really didn't think the Yankees are going to be quite as great as they were, but I thought the Orioles were going to be.

[00:27:53] Mark Corbett: Yeah. A little stronger. And I didn't think that Red Sox were going to be as strong as they wound up being by the end of the year. So it was, it was an interesting year, 2024, but, uh, let's see, looking at some of the other folks from X Rays, you've got, well, Blake, Blake Snell's moving again, see where he'd go.

[00:28:13] Mark Corbett: He, is it, he was with the giants and now he's the Dodgers. 

[00:28:17] Mat Germain: He's with the Dodgers and the Dodgers also, they keep adding and adding and adding, they brought in, uh, the, uh, I don't know how to say his name, Hyeseong Kim. 

[00:28:28] Mark Corbett: Yep. 

[00:28:28] Mat Germain: And then they traded Gavin Lux to, uh, the Reds, , after they acquired him.

[00:28:33] Mat Germain: So they're, they keep adding, I think the last thing that you'll see them add and they do it every year is, is a backend relief pitcher at some point. So I wouldn't even be surprised if they come knocking to the Rays front. Pete Fairbanks or somebody like that, um, I think that they, they always add a second guy that they can fit in that closer because no, like everybody else, you know, uh, a pen is so volatile that you need, that two or three closer potential guys in the pen 

[00:29:03] Mark Corbett: Rays Southwest.

[00:29:04] Mark Corbett: I'll tell you. Yep. Oh, goodness. See, oh, you know, you were mentioning Gavin Lux and it was interesting because him going to Cincinnati, I saw an interview with him today. 

[00:29:15] Mark Corbett: Anyway, the thing is by him going to, , Cincinnati. He's going to be there with Tito, Tony Francona. So I guess Tony, he got through his health check. I don't think I do a health check or not to sign on as manager, but I'm glad to see him still in the game. I know he enjoys doing it or he wouldn't be there.

[00:29:36] Mat Germain: So the Tito effect is real and, and you know, the, you ask anybody on the guardians, the, the legacy that he's left behind there, um, It's a huge thing. And it's, I would equate it to, you know, when Joe Maddon left the Rays, like the impact that it had, you know, on everybody after he left, it was still evident, they still had a little bit of his swagger that he left behind.

[00:29:59] Mat Germain: And it'll be the same thing when Kevin Cash leaves. He'll still leave behind that kind of, uh, They have a certain energy, Tito and Kevin Cash, where it's hard to not get along with them, just because of the type of people that they are. , and I think a lot of the young players that they have there in Cincinnati, including an x ray that I always liked, Jake Fraley.

[00:30:22] Mat Germain: I always loved the way he played. I saw him in the ABL as well. And he just has a certain, Steady as it goes demeanor, but you can do a little bit of everything on the field Uh, and so gavin lux is another lefty and that's what you'll notice if you look at the the reds lineup Their entire bench was right handed and they needed to add a improve their infield while adding some left handed guy because they They're just not as good as they should have been against right handed pitching.

[00:30:50] Mat Germain: Yeah, so I think Tito is going to get them on track. He's going to be a great guide. And I think people forget they added Brady singer as well. Like they're, they're young pitchers are strong him and Hunter green at the front of the line. Like they've got a strong pen. They've got Emilio Pagan, another x ray.

[00:31:10] Mat Germain: , Tito Francona can run a pen like nobody's business. So I'm saying don't overlook the Reds as a surprise team in 2025. If I haven't really done an in depth look and what they have in the minors and look that far yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are one of the NL teams that I pick as being a potential surprise next season.

[00:31:32] Mark Corbett: It was exciting to watch the Reds when I did last year and the name I couldn't conjure a moment ago was Elly De LaCruz. And watching that young man steal bases was fun. 

[00:31:43] Mat Germain: It really is. And I mean, he's electric. Like if he ever met, like, I don't know, you remember, yes, he helped. I think a little Cruz has a little bit of that kind of swag to him.

[00:31:55] Mat Germain: And that kind of like, you look at the tools and you're just like drooling because you're like, he can really do, you just crushed the baseball. He can run like the wind. He can. And so you're drooling about the potential. I just don't know if we'll ever put it all together, but with Tito there, I would not be shocked if he becomes the Jose Ramirez.

[00:32:15] Mat Germain: , version in Cincinnati, um, I would, I would say that he has, uh, another. Really strong prospect that I own on a lot of my prospect teams or fantasy teams, which is Edwin Arroyo. And I think you'll hear his name a lot next year where he's, uh, he's one of those guys that's also electric and can, you know, get the crowds on their feet, both with the bat and the speed.

[00:32:39] Mat Germain: So they've got, like I said, they've got an intriguing team, like they, they're starting to build something that you're actually paying attention to. And that's great to see. 

[00:32:49] Mark Corbett: what you were saying with Tito and the history that he's had, uh, with Cash as well and the impact that they both make. I am, I was thinking when you were talking about some of that, I was thinking also about how Maddon came before Cash. I think a lot of people at the beginning many years ago were thinking, well, who's going to come in after Maddon?

[00:33:06] Mark Corbett: He's got so much energy. He's got such, but it was a different kind of energy. And the energy that Kevin has sometimes seems subdued by comparison, but I felt like there's such a caring leadership model. With Kevin that it's, it captures the young men and they want to do, they want to work for him.

[00:33:25] Mat Germain: Right. I think you can always measure a manager by, , how the team is able to do all the little things, right. And how they stay together through the worst parts of the season. Like, do they turn on each other or are they all still fairly cohesive and actually, get the job done? 

[00:33:46] Mark Corbett: So we no longer have Siri or her, Randy Arozarena on the team.

[00:33:52] Mat Germain: You're, you're getting there before I can even say it. 

[00:33:54] Mark Corbett: I'm sorry, brother. 

[00:33:57] Mat Germain: It's all good, but you're right. So when you're seeing , the team shape the roster based on, , the ones that are maybe causing the most, that just don't get it basically. And that, that are pushing those limits with managers that.

[00:34:11] Mat Germain: I think I don't want to say it's obvious because every manager has faults and there could be things going on that we don't see or things that are misunderstood. Uh, but I think, you know, you, you get a certain consensus from talking to the players, from hearing the players talk, from the executives, from the, The faith that they've shown in Kevin, you, you don't see very many teams handing out five year contracts back to back. Right. And so that tells you a lot about the faith and the, the commitment. The Rays are very lucky to have Kevin Cash and hopefully the Reds will feel the same about Tito by the time he's done there. And he has at least a handful of years, uh, there to, to kind of lead them to wherever it is that they're headed.

[00:34:55] Mark Corbett: Tommy Pham. I'm trying 

[00:34:57] Mat Germain: to find where is he now, man, he's popped up and down all over the place. I mean, 

[00:35:01] Mat Germain: I think he's in Vegas at the craps table. be on dog racing? I don't know. 

[00:35:07] Mark Corbett: Oh, no, no. Him and Mike Vic. Yeah. No, I don't. Oh gosh. Uh, no. Ami what? He was with the Cardinals. Royals White Sox. He's Tommy. I, I hope you're.

[00:35:19] Mark Corbett: Hope you're doing well, Tommy. It's always like watching him. I always felt like he held himself to a high standard and he damn well expected it of everybody else as well. 

[00:35:27] Mat Germain: Like when, when the team is headed towards the playoffs, they always seem to call Tommy Pham, right? They want that kind of edge, uh, going into the playoffs, but honestly, in my, in my heart, what I want to see is Tommy fan play for the Savannah bananas.

[00:35:39] Mat Germain: I want to see him as the only guy not dancing, you know, everybody else's in formation going through the moves. And he's not, he's like, no, I'm not playing this game. 

[00:35:51] Mark Corbett: An abomination. 

[00:35:55] Mat Germain: Yeah. They, they, they put the mic in front of his face and there's nothing that comes out, you 

[00:36:00] Mark Corbett: know? Oh my gosh. So you were mentioning earlier.

[00:36:08] Mark Corbett: Verlander's still out there. He just, what did he just sign with? Let's see. 

[00:36:12] Mat Germain: Signed with the giants. 

[00:36:13] Mark Corbett: Yeah. And that was, what was he like? 42 years old. So I think it was rather limited contract. Let me, a year or so. Let's see what the news is on that one. Uh, yeah, I 

[00:36:25] Mat Germain: thought that he was going to sign maybe in, in mid season, just because I didn't know whether or not he was going to try to do the kind of thing that Roger Clemens used to do.

[00:36:37] Mat Germain: So, uh, you know, 15 million is still a good amount of money, but I'm surprised that, um, That Corbin Burnes didn't end up in San Francisco. And I think once he went to Arizona, which I love that deal for them, to be honest, Mark, I think that, you know, you're talking about the front two, they might have the best front two pitchers in the NL West.

[00:36:59] Mat Germain: And that says a lot. You're talking about the Dodgers being the second there. Um, so you, you know, you match them up and you're like, well, Health Certainty, Zac Gallen and Corbin Burnes, you can't get much better than that. Like it's a back to back duo, so, I don't know, like, Justin Verlander, I, I honestly haven't dove into the numbers in terms of his velocity and pitch use, but I think he's reinvented himself fairly well, and like Charlie Morton, they just know how to pitch.

[00:37:30] Mat Germain: , they know, they have The confidence, they're not afraid to pitch it anywhere they need to. , yeah, so it's good to see him go to a place where, the stadium will help keep it in the park a little bit more. 

[00:37:44] Mark Corbett: So Mat , what are you looking at? What do you, what do you get cooking for the next week?

[00:37:48] Mark Corbett: What are you going to be doing as far as evaluating the different teams or the Rays? What's what's on your schedule? 

[00:37:55] Mat Germain: I want to see them make a trade. I really think that right now, when I look at the relievers that they have coming in, it's just, it's overwhelming, Mark. They've got about 14 guys you can make a strong case , , in the pen, and they're really live arms.

[00:38:09] Mat Germain: , they're high octane, high, uh, and they don't have that many guys that, that have options and are able to go down. So you're seeing guys like, Projected to be in in the minors. That shouldn't be like Kevin Kelly's a good example. He's been very strong for 2 years. Now deserves a spot in the pen or in in an MLB pen somewhere.

[00:38:32] Mat Germain: Um, same thing with Hunter Biggie and, , a lot of the guys that they've brought in Joe Boyle. I think is going to be 1 guy that, you know, it could start could relief. You're just. You're starting to do the math in terms of the roster spots in AAA, and the Rays are going to have to move some pitching. , I just don't know who it's going to be, and for what.

[00:38:51] Mat Germain: Um, so I'm hoping that they find some, a big right handed bat somewhere that they can fit in the outfield, that's maybe versatile, can also go in the infield. So I'm looking at that, and I'm also doing the top 50 list like you said. So I, when I look through the entire Rays system, Um, hey. The amount of brain battles you do over pitchers, it starts to get really crazy.

[00:39:17] Mat Germain: It's just so like, you know, you could make a good argument for a group of 20 to 30 guys and then you're like, man, how do I separate these guys? And, and, It's one of those fun things when you're falling into raids. You know, you're always going to have a lot of intrigue in the minors, a lot of fun to kind of dissect them.

[00:39:36] Mat Germain: And that's all I really bring it out about. Like I'm not, , a scout and I'm not, , somebody that, that has, , you know, a PhD , in scouting. , I think it's a lot of fun to bring light. To the fans about the players that are coming up and about what you know is coming up the pipeline that they should be excited about and why Um, and I think that's why I do it more than anything is to kind of say, okay Well, these are the guys that you know May you might want to keep an eye on as they come up because you're going to hear their names again , they're the guys that you should be watching on mlb. com just to try to see Uh what they have to offer to Rays in the future 

[00:40:18] Mark Corbett: Looking forward to seeing what you post with that on BlueSky. And folks, if you haven't been on there, that's really kind of the social media place to go. The other ones tend to be a little bit more trash and, and what I'm not going to get in the politics of it.

[00:40:32] Mark Corbett: If, if you're on any of the other ones, you kind of get a sense of what is and isn't there. And I'll put Mat 's in my, uh, uh, handle on BlueSky for you at the end of the show and also the notes as well, but anyway, let's see. Go ahead. 

[00:40:50] Mat Germain: No, I appreciate that. 

[00:40:51] Mark Corbett: Yeah, you know, we're looking at this, uh, see a couple little last things I want to mention.

[00:40:56] Mark Corbett: One, you were talking about the pitching and trying to figure out some things coming up. We got, uh, Jeffrey Springs traded for three guys. He sent him to the A's. And the one thing that I continue to watch and I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen something done with yet. Pete Alonso, I really had thought that we would see him on a team.

[00:41:17] Mark Corbett: And I don't know if Scott Boris is doing anything great with him or not. I hear him throwing out the Boris organization saying things like, Oh, yeah, we've got these eight different teams looking at Pete. And I don't know if they're just trying to force Steve Cohen, the owner of the messes hand to keep Pete or what for a certain price.

[00:41:37] Mark Corbett: I don't know, but I hope that Pete Alonso finds a good place this year is, , local boy. We love him. 

[00:41:45] Mat Germain: Yeah, the sad truth is that, yeah, I don't know if you remember, but when Logan Morrison hit 30 home runs for the Rays, they let him go to the next year. First base is, uh, is already expected to be a, a high power position.

[00:42:00] Mat Germain: They put a little bit more emphasis on defense now than they ever have. So that hurts Pete a little bit. He's about to cross a 30 year old threshold, which, uh, notoriously, you know, starts to be wavering when it comes to first baseman, I mean, talk to Carlos Santana about how hard it is to get long term deals for a first baseman.

[00:42:20] Mat Germain: Like it's just. Endless for one year, two year deals for him, uh, even though he's proven his craft for year after year after year. But I think, , at some point Pete Alonso has to stare at himself in the mirror and decide what he wants to bet on. And unless he figures out a way to hold a higher average and on base percentage, he's not going to get a long term deal.

[00:42:43] Mat Germain: So either he takes the steps to get that. And, and Mark, I'm telling you right now, if you want to higher up. You're, you're on base percentage, you're average, and hit more home runs, you go to a minor league park. So, I would not be shocked if the polar bear decides to sweat it out in, in Steinbrenner Field.

[00:43:05] Mat Germain: And the Rays have said they were open to a large one year deal with, with a free agent. Uh, where they would be betting on themselves and maybe they have an option with them, you know, with a bonus if they don't, uh, stick around that kind of stuff. So I have heard some people start to whisper the whole three year with two option thing with the Rays.

[00:43:25] Mat Germain: I think the Rays would even be willing to go four years and that kind of thing, as long as he's realistic about potentially being DH only, because I do think with the Rays with what they have coming, that's essentially the role he would have for the majority of that deal beyond 2025. 

[00:43:40] Mark Corbett: Right. 

[00:43:41] Mat Germain: Because Trey Morgan is not going to move off first base.

[00:43:44] Mat Germain: I really don't see it. So yeah. I love the fact that it's still possible. Uh, I don't expect it to be the Rays. I think, you know, there's a lot of financial burdens that they're having to deal with. Um, but yeah. There's something that I've been saying it for a long time. You've heard me say it.

[00:44:02] Mat Germain: Where I just feel like his eyes lit up enough. That I think if it's not going to be the New York Mets or the New York Yankees, I think he would be open to going to Tampa and open the new stadium when it arrives. I even think it would be that far into it that he would be willing to do if he could. So we'll see.

[00:44:23] Mark Corbett: Good times. Good times, my friend. Okay. Well, I'm going to go ahead and see if I could get my spring training tickets here or there. Maybe go out and see a couple of the games. And, uh, funny thing is I have to go all the way down to Port Charlotte to see spring training, but if I want to, if I want to see him play in an open stadium, I'll be able to do it right here in Tampa in a, in a month or so.

[00:44:46] Mark Corbett: So only like 34 days left, man. And it's going to be catchers and pitchers report. Mm. 

[00:44:54] Mat Germain: Your sunscreen ready. 

[00:44:56] Mark Corbett: Oh, wait, that true. They should be able to sell gallons of that over there with a Steinbrenner. So we'll see how that goes. Well, Mat , I can't thank you again enough for all you're doing here, brother.

[00:45:08] Mark Corbett: And like I said, everybody keep an eye out for what he's doing with those top Rays prospects there on blue sky. And, , otherwise I want to thank you, Mat , for being here again with us today as always,

[00:45:20] Mat Germain: always a pleasure, Mark. Always a pleasure. 

[00:45:23] Mark Corbett: All right, brother. Well, thank you again for joining us here today.

[00:45:26] Mark Corbett: And we look forward to talking with you again real soon.

 Just a reminder you can find Mat at  M-A-T-G-E-R-M-A-I-N dot bsky social. That’s @matgermain.bsky.social  or Mark at @baseballbizondeck.bsky.social You may also find BaseballBiz On Deck on iheart, apple, spotify, amazon music & at www.baseballbizondeck.com

Special thanks to X Take R U X for the music - Rocking Forward!