Holiday Wishless Time.

Yes, it's Eric Kratz and Kevin Plaar, Santa's favorite helpers and Krats.

Since you have the exact hat on that we were looking for and KP's is a little more bad, Santa, we are going to let you set the table here.

It's a very simple game.

It's a wish list three teams, one item per team that you would like to see done this holiday season, which at this point will likely occur in January.

Hopefully because we're not unwrapping any of these gifts yet.

Although we could do a little show if the Yankees signed tatsuy L My here before Christmas before New Year's but I'll come back on for that because I think there is no larger move in the American League East than that the Yankees are not going to have two of their horses to start the season.

And if the Yankees want to keep up with the Blue Jays, the Orioles who are doing things the Red Sox, well, they haven't traded or haven't signed a big league free agent.

They've traded for everybody that they've gotten and keep up in this division.

To me, I think it's Tatsuyo My or nobody on the pitching front.

I'm not saying they're not going to go after the other guys at Gallon, I think he'd pitch great in New York, all that stuff, But I just think Tatsuyo my is the guy that is a scary look in ealth.

It might be a bad Elf, but if you remember the movie Elf, you know, an angry Elf.

That's what that looks like.

But katel Marte for Seattle is my second thing on the wish list.

We talked about it earlier, but for everybody just listening to just this, katel Marte will make the Mariners the best team in the American League.

In my opinion, they will be a better team than the Blue Jays because of what that how that shapes their team because they have the pitch advantage over the Jays, and that would add something to their lineup that now takes a little bit more pressure off of Julio.

I think anything that takes pressure off of Julio from being the man, he becomes more of the man.

So I think that would be the top on the Christmas wish list and the wish list for Boston Alex Bregman.

They've already done their work.

They have their first baseman and Wilson Contreres, who's going to add a lot of value, way more value than their first baseman's added last year, and he's actually played a good first base.

Alex Bregman, all the young guys on the team are definitely coming back.

Everybody knows that.

The biggest thing is you can't let him go to another American League team, and so that's one of the reasons you sign them.

But also these young guys, each year is a different step in your development.

And if you can bring Alex Bregman back, that gives these guys another year.

Talking to Alex, hey remember this making this connection and it's probably gonna be five to six years, and all these young guys are going to be here for five to six more years.

And you know, Roman Anthony he has his extension, Marcel Meyer doesn't, Sedey and Rafaela he's he's going to be locked in with this team.

So it's like Alex, we're going to do this together.

He can be the unk for all these guys.

He can continue to help them when they make it farther into playoffs.

Hey, I know you guys weren't here last year.

But this round of the playoffs is exactly the same.

So to me, I think he is maybe the most needed player needed position player for a team, and I think Tatsuyo Mai is the most needed pitcher for a team in the America of the three teams, of any of the teams that are out there yet looking for help.

Do you think that the starting pitching market is held up due to the fact that Dylan Ceeese got a very healthy and it might have elevated what the ask or what the thought process was for reps for the other top tier starters available, and they're not going to get that might not be the best example.

I do think he is going to end up with close to that level money.

But then there's that Ran Bervaldes Ranger Suarez group.

I don't know.

I mean, I haven't seen the movement there.

Usually you see the one move KP and then it's like, okay, here we go.

Things were set, but Dylan C's got the bag from the Blue Jays and then everything is just kind of halted since then for the free agent starting pitching market, And if anything, we've seen some trades on that front that have been created for teams that are like, I'm not playing in those waters.

You know, I'm not playing one point eight for this starter, for that starter.

I'm going to trade some prospect capital and fill the gap that way, And that's smart.

If they feel that way.

We might look back and the Dylan C's move to Toronto might be a great deal.

It might be a lower deal, a discounted deal, you know, so good for Dylan Cees for I always think when you were a free agent of that caliber and you're gonna get kind of in that ballpark, you know at that point as an extra twenty million dollars that significant for someone.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, But at least Dylan SE's got to choose the team he wanted to go to.

He was the first one to come out sign his deal.

And I definitely think it's affecting the market for a lot of these guys.

I think that's the high end.

I think it's ceasin ami, and then I think the rest of the group's going to place below that.

And how much below that is the question.

I think right now that you've got back and forth with teams and agents, but we'll see what do you have?

What's your list?

Looking like my Christmas list.

Okay, you know, you know I'm going to start with the Blue Jays, and I'm going to kind of piggyback on what Kratzy was saying about, you know, bringing Alex Bregman back and just kind of being in this together and building something together.

I think the number one thing the Blue Jays need to do is bring back Bobashett.

I know there's a lot of talk about Kyle Tucker, and maybe Kyle Tucker is a better player than Boba Schett, but Bobashett is a homegrown player.

He's one of vladig Mar Guerrero's best friend.

They've done this together.

I think the only thing kind of going against them bringing back Bobaschett is they showed that they could kind of do it without him down the stretch.

I don't think they're in that position without Bobaschhett, you know, playing ninety percent of the season.

And I also think just Bobaschett fits better in their lineup because I do love Ernie Clement, I do love Addison Barger.

If you go out and sign a Kyle Tucker, you know, one of those guys are out of a position.

So I do like Bobashett if he's willing to play second base for the Cleveland Guardians.

They all I see on MLB trade rumors and on x and all these social platforms is their need for a right handed hitting outfielder.

Nick Castianos needs a new home.

He no longer has a home in Philadelphia.

Can they get him pennies on the dollar, which Cleveland loves to do.

And I know Cleveland probably has some prospect capital they could, you know, return for a guy like Nick Castiano's.

But you talk about someone who plays the game almost angry at the field, who comes from a winning culture and environment, and also maybe going from an environment in Philly where it's a little bit more I don't want to say lacks of days ago, but maybe a little bit less structured, and it feels like Cleveland with a guy like Jose Ramirez at the head of it, Stephen Vote at the head of it, maybe they could find the best version at Nick Castiano's.

And lastly, for the Detroit Tigers, I think they need to go out and sign Zach Gallen.

They already have the best picture in the world.

Zach Callen has shown the ability to be an ace.

He would be a great h you know, guy writing shotgun for Trek Scubele and allow the Tigers to maybe finish what they had started, knowing that Trek Scooble is a free agent at the end of the year and maybe he becomes the replacement of Trek Scuoble ends up, you know, walking at the end of the year.

I love Zach Gallen and what he's able to potentially do.

Much different ballpark pitching in Detroit than it is, you know, in the America or the National League West.

That entire division is a little bit more pitcher friendly.

So I think Zach Gallon has a lot in the tank, and you know, maybe he can learn a little bit from Trek Scuobell and the other guys around him, and they already have a pretty good rotation.

But I think this could be, you know, number two that you're looking for in that rotation.

Creative.

I like it.

Remember they did something similar with Jack Flaherty.

You give him some money, you give him the opt out possibility.

Jack didn't take it.

I think that's what it's going to take for Zach Gallen.

Michael King ends up with three years, seventy five million.

The first year of that deal is I think about twenty two million, and then ideally for him, he shoves this year and he opts out and he gets much more for the padres.

If he shoves, great, that worked out probably as a year that where he was worth double right if he ends up being the guy that he is for Zach Gallen, if he looks more like the last two months of the season, Zach Gallen, probably the same thing.

So I think Detroit could craft something KP that makes sense for both sides.

It puts Gallon in a spot where he gets a little bit of the added security, maybe it's an extra year or two, and then he still gets the twenty some odd million dollars to pitch next year and go back into free agency.

Yeah.

When I thought of it, I thought exactly of the Jack Flarity deal.

Like, you know, you know, he he he didn't have the best year going into free agency, but you know, let's give him a good amount of money with the opt out.

If he performs great, you know, he'll walk.

If he doesn't.

You know, Jack Flarity, I forget what he's making.

He's probably making what somewhere around twenty million dollars the next couple of years.

I believe he has the ability to bounce back and be the Jack Flarity that we saw two years ago.

So it's just a great signing, and I feel like Detroit's been able to do that with a guy like Flarity.

Go and do it with Zach Gallen.

Yeah, opted back in for twenty mil.

By the way, Kratz, yes for Flarity.

My question to you the Bobashette one, I'm not saying that Blue Jays shouldn't bring him back.

I'm saying you said, have him play second base.

Do you think if you bring back your shortstop on shortstop money, they'd be okay playing him at second base because he's been the blue Jays shortstop or do they just have to steer clear of that because they don't see him as a shortstop anymore because Andre Samenez is a big league shortstop.

They brought him in.

I think partially the reason you took on his large contract from the Guardians was because you know he can play shortstop in the big leagues and Bo was leaving.

So if you bring Bo back, do you think the Blue Jays have enough khones to say thanks for playing shortstop for us for the last six years go to second base.

I mean, I think money talks.

I think if they pay him like a shortstop and they play him at second base, I think, if they if there's ever an organization, you know, in my opinion, being there being around him, if they could present a case through whatever sort of data that they have that is going to get the best version of Bobishet playing second base, whether it's the health on his legs or his ability to play longer and make more money, however they want to sell him on it.

I get your point, though, it is very difficult.

If I was in a situation like that where I was a team's everyday center fielder and I thought of myself as a center fielder, and I'm just thinking out loud as I'm looking behind you.

They did it with Brandon Nimo.

They signed him as a center fielder shortly after they moved into left field, and I know that's in the Marcus Simeon kind of the same thing.

They signed him as a short step playing him at second base.

I know those guys have kind of flipped off, But I think, ultimately, if you sign him as a shortstop to play second base, in terms of shortstop money, I don't think there's a big deal with it.

This is going to sound so annoying, but I'm going to explain how this gets calculated By at least half the front offices in baseball, if not more, they have either win's above replacement or a version of that to calculate value for a player and projections.

Right, we talk about this pretty frequently, Kratz.

It's thisten anti numbers.

It's actually just explaining how things are looked at the way that Let's use say, Fangrafts values war per one hundred and sixty two games at shortstop versus second base.

It's about five run difference, and ten runs equals one win, so that's about a half of a win difference.

Let's say, and again teams value this differently too, a win is worth what crats ten million bucks.

It's not exactly like that, because obviously if a player is a five win player, it's fifty.

But on the pre agent market, yeah, let's just say that, right, it gets used as a guide.

They're essentially saying that they should dock five million dollars per year over the length of the contract.

In terms of the value of Bobashet.

Now that's not the way a free market works, but that is the way that most teams come up with the same numbers for the same players.

How did I do with explaining that.

Spot on and you said a free market, how about a market with collusion, because everybody knows the number and formula you just put in, and that's how they're looking at him.

And that is unfair to Boba Schett.

Yes he said it.

He said, I will play second base, but you know what else he said.

It's like that kid who's like, yeah, I'm not lying, and they pulls his fingers out, like yeah you could.

I'll play second base, but you're paying me as a shortstop, Like don't, don't, don't look at me as a second baseman.

But I'm willing to do whatever.

It's just like Josh Hater said, I'm a closer.

I'm gonna throw one inning.

You sign me, Huston Ashros, I'll throw two or three innings, whatever you want, because I'm signed.

Same thing with Boba Schett.

Sign me for what I've done because that's the only thing that you can do.

You don't know what my f is gonna be.

And if you want to play me in left field, I'll figure it out.

Like I don't think Boba Schet's going My legacy is as a shortstop.

No, his legacy is the fact that he made it to a place where only ten percent of big league players ever make it to, and that's free agency to get a large, long term deal.

So he played shortstop his entire time.

You want him to play second base, and you think his bat and his hundred RBIs that he's gonna bring you in close to three hundred batting average are enough, you're gonna have to pay him as a shortstop.

Sorry, that's the that's just the reality of life.

Yeah, his real legacy is in the batter's box.

So yeah, that's what you're paying for your painting out to go go to.

You're playing him to step up to home plate six hundred times a year.

You can pencil him in for three hundred you know, close to two hundred hits.

He's gonna drive in one hundred runs.

You know whether you want to play him at short step, second base, left field, right field.

And I love your point.

We as an industry always want you and I know you have to do it.

When you're paying players' money, you're trying to predict what the player is going to do out, but no one knows what the future holds.

Really, you're paying for someone for what they had done in the past, and what he had done in the past is play shortstop, So you have to pay him as a shortstop, which if the Blue G's are willing to do and move him to second base, they'll do it.

Let me present the other side.

Why am I paying you shortstop money?

If you're going to be a second baseman, either moving forward or for the majority of the deal.

That's your choice.

That's your choice because now you're starting to get in.

That's a team's choice to do that.

And if that's the case, then you don't want him.

You don't want his hundred RBIs and two hundred hits.

I do.

I do want him.

I want him at second base because I think that he can be an above average defender at second base where he is a below average defender at shortstop, and I think that will make my team best.

And then the call also includes a little is there any other team that is signing you as a shortstop?

Maybe there isn't.

Let me ask you this question.

So we're talking years in money, what's the difference between Bobashet as a graded out bad defender at shortstop or a plus defender at second base?

Like, what does that formula look like?

Right?

It's big.

I'm gonna go.

I'm gonna go, like, just physically standing at shortstop and being a bad defender at shortstop as opposed to being a plus defender at second base is gonna cost him that much?

I mean, you're talking about the difference in I know it's an age and I just got this real quick, but the difference in Marcus Simeon's contract and Corey Seger's son contract.

Cory Seger got more years, but Marcus Simeon gets one hundred and seventy five million and Cory Seger gets three hundred plus.

So the industry rates it like that.

The industry rates like that.

I don't think they're comparable players.

I think Corey Seeger is much.

You know, they're not, you know, but I'm just trying to figure out what, you know, if I'm a team and I'm like, Okay, yeah, I could pay him X amount to play shortstop, but it's not He's not going to be a great defender at short throughout the bat, the base running all the other things, but he can be plus at second base, which in a short time during the postseason he showed his ability to play a great second base.

I'm just trying to figure that out because I don't know if there's really been a comparable.

I mean, Marcus Simeon is probably the most obvious comparable going from shortstop to second But if Marcus Simons stayed at shortstop, who was not a great shortstop in terms of his metrics, I don't think he's getting Corey Seger money because I don't think they're comparable players.

I think the easiest way to look at it is if Bobasheed is signing with a big market team, they are likely trying to sign him for an extended period of time, so that lowers the luxury tax number.

Right, So if he's what twenty seven, then he does end up signing it ten year deal, even though the end of the deal could look ugly, as it could for Trey Turner and so many of these other guys that signed deals that were maybe a couple of years longer than the market says, but it extends the luxury tax number to keep them from paying basically bills to the Marlins pirates a's et cetera for them to pocket.

Right, that's how that game works.

So let's say he signs a ten year contract just to play.

Simple math of one win ten mili.

Half of that is five difference between second and short five million dollars over a ten year period is fifty mil.

So if you're on a conversation and he's talking to say five teams, they might all say, hey, Boe in the past at short is valued at two twenty five.

We've got him at one seventy five because we want him to play second base.

I do think whether they express that super publicly and not as basic or not, that is how teams try and calculate this nowadays.

So well, when you were talking, I thought about a fair comparison.

Maybe is Xander Bogarts to him played shortstop, but then when the emergence of Hasak Kim, he moved over to second base.

I know he's back at shortstop, but maybe that's a scenario where you're talking about money differential.

If Bogarts would as signed it as a second basement, what would he have gotten as opposed to be in shortstop.

Yeah, so he signed for eleven to eighty, right, so it's the same concept.

Maybe then he's valued at eleven two thirty.

And I've heard and read from good insiders that Bogarts deal is not a good comparison for almost anything, because there was an owner essentially on his deathbed unfortunately, who really wanted to win and said, fuck it, just spend way more than everyone else to get some guys and let's see if we can make a quick run.

So the rest of the market might have had Xander Bogarts as a two hundred and twenty ish million dollar player, two hundred million dollar player, whatever it is, and the Padres just threw a massive number out there, and I think Bogarts was like, my god, that's not what we had pegged for this offseason.

It's a it's a good idea, but I think that's how this is being valued right now, because you're right, KP.

Boguards played Churts up for a while.

They were there always those question marks like he's definitely gonna have to move off the position.

It's just a matter of when not if you can say that by namebody.

Everybody's got to move off the position.

KP.

Did you play house how soon?

No?

And and and there was a point in my career and you know, EGO got involved a little bit too.

You you always think you're the best man for the job.

But I started getting around players that you know, could play the position better than me, and then I had to go to the corner, you know.

And you know, doesn't mean I couldn't play centerfield even to my last year.

You know, I started opening day last year in centerfield for a team.

Was are the same caliber centerfield er I was maybe four or five years ago?

Probably not, But you know, I would hope knowing Bo, hopefully he would be able to read the room and understand like and and being around the team last year, watching what Jim Andez was able to do it shortstop and being like, you know what, I'm here to win.

I'm making a ton of money.

I love being in Toronto, and I'm making the assumption these are things that he wants.

But I would hope that he loves the city.

He was drafted developed by that team.

You know, he came up with Vladdie.

He sees Vlatty's security.

He's going to get his security.

It's just the best fit for him moving forward.

And you know, you talk about legacy.

If he wants to have a legacy not only in Toronto, in the game or in the game, it's going to be what he does at home plate.

You know, could he be a three thousand hit guy, could he eventually be a Hall of Famer.

I mean, his legacy is not going to be determined by what position he plays, but what he does in the batter's box.

Yeah.

And for the record, I love Boba Schett.

I mean I love the bat.

I think he'll be at least in above average scheck and basement.

Yeah, from what we saw un limited time, he might even be an elite second basement for a chunk of time right now coming up.

No, I mean that's fine.

I mean you have the you have the best.

You have the best second basement in the game defensively playing shortstop.

So when you talk about the most elite second basement right now, defensively, that's a that's a big that's a big, big pair of shoes to fill.

Let's put it that way.

What a great guy to learn from.

I mean, if he's in the organization, you're talking about a guy who you know made, Yeah, made the transition from second to short short to second you know, like those guys working together in Tanem could be something special.

But I also understand in the Blue Jays situation, if they don't bring him back, they have a pretty darn good player in Ernie Clement, who isn't the caliber player as Boba Schett.

He is an elite defender, that is one thing he does.

And you know, a guy just set the record in the postseason for most hits in the postseason.

You know, obviously, the clutch factor, the swagger, the super utility ability.

You know, so these are all factors that potent actually could be working against Bobishad and the position change and also having internal candidates.

But you know, when I think about the Blue Jays, I think about Bloody and Bo doing it together, finishing the job.

Ernie Clement was insane in the playoffs, and I'm excited to see full season of the extra swag and confidence that he got from just abusing pitching all across October, right just they could figure him out the best pitching, they could not figure out how to get him off, you know, how to get him out.

I mean it's on basic half the freaking postseason.

Just an incredible performance from Ernie Clement, so I'm with you there.

Yeah, they've got good problems right now.

The Blue Jays