Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Hammer Territory podcast presented by Fox One.

I'm your host, Brad Rowland, coming to you here on a Sunday evening.

It's episode two eighty five, and I'm joined I'm a good friend Scott Coleman.

Scott's by three weeks.

How are you hello, Brad?

It is good to have you back stateside.

You were dearly missed.

And hey, if you look at the calendar now, third weekend of October, as of people listening, we will either have a World Series set or a Game seven and.

Then a World Series.

We're recording just about as Game six of the ALCS is getting going, just to timestamp this on the chance we would get news, but off season right around the corner.

Of course, it's a very important off season for the Braves, and who knows, maybe by the next time we get together, Brad, maybe the Braves will have a manager or be close to hiring a manager.

Because it feels like it feels like the week ahead could be a busy one, not just for the Braves but across all of baseball.

Certainly, we started to get some news around baseball about other managerial openings, not necessarily being filled but getting closer there.

There's been some some giants reporting in the last couple of days, for example, Braves not so much.

But I think it's certainly we are in the zone where it would no longer be a surprise if we got a Braves managerial announcement in the coming days.

I did record with our colleague Stephen Tolbert a couple of days ago for my first podcast back, but we, uh fastidiously did not talk about the managerial search.

We're trying to take a podcast off from the managerial search in some ways, and I did realize as you and I were talking about this podcast, and by the way, later on we'll get to other things like, for instance, targets and the trade market that we'll talk about a very sexy topic.

I have to say first though, we did.

Really I did realize.

I never talked about Brian Sticker retiring or anything, because it happened the day after I left.

So all these things that I've listened to you guys talk about it.

You and I kind of did a pre a pre Bryan Sticker episode where I shared some thoughts and I stand by those thoughts, but it was interesting to kind of realize I hadn't waited at all in the managerial thing.

Do you have a after all this time?

I'll start with you, Scott, after all this time are you are you leaning in a direction or do you have a favorite?

I know it's it's impossible on the outside to really know.

Like I kind of laugh honestly when people have like very very very strong opinions about the manager, because it's like you guys don't know.

You guys don't know, Like, let's be serious.

But I say all that to say is, Scott, do you have strong thoughts on the manager at this point?

You know, I don't know if I have a super strong conviction with who the Braves hire.

I probably feel stronger about who they shouldn't hire based on some of the reported candidates, Like like if the Braves hire Mark de Rosa, I'm gonna just I'm gonna be beside myself.

I have no interest in Mark Durosa.

I really don't have interest in Walt Weiss.

I mean, I feel like you'd be just kind of running it back.

And if they were going to run it back, I probably would have tried to convince Brian Snitker to do one more year I mean, all things equal, I don't know if it's a hot take, but it probably takes Snit over Weiss.

But for me, the one candidate who I keep coming back to for the Braves is George Lombard.

He checks basically every box.

And I mean, let me throw it to you, Brad.

I mean, I know we've talked about Lombard on the show a little bit, but to me, George he checks every box the Braves are looking for, not only just kind of what makes sense, but what Alex has publicly talked about what he's looking for.

And a manager.

He knows Alex Enthopless from their time together with the Dodgers.

He's been in some good organizations.

Where are you at with with the managerial search?

Yeah, it's funny, you know, as we've made fun of sometimes, I'm a little bit older than you and I'm in the zone where I bibly remember George Lombard as like the second coming prospect, Like he's like the first Braves prospect that I remember that was a big deal.

Oh wow, And I was, And if you're young, you don't remember that at all.

And obviously he didn't become a big deal at all, which makes this he was a failed prospect that I don't I don't say that the negative way.

Obviously he stuck around the game and as an impressive resume in itself.

But like I remember as like a twelve thirteen year old George Lumbard being a big deal, Like he was like this guy's coming and he's going to be there.

So interesting relationship with George Lombard.

He's also a local guy, which I know you're not based here, but like I think he went to love it, like he's a local Atlanta guy, like he grew up here all that, and yeah, I mean heard good things.

I mean, you and I are not doing We're not kid You and I are not Ken Rosenthal or we're gonna break a ton of news.

But we know we know people around the Leak, we know some people in around the Braves, around other organizations, and like it seems like there's some good buzz on George Lombard as a managerial candidate for the Braves or otherwise.

Like I think he's going to be a manager like pretty soon somewhere, whether it's the Braves or not, And it would be a change, Like there is the local tie, the organizational tie, you know, I'm not someone who thinks that they have to hire a Braves Way giant quotes person.

I actually kind of prefer they don't do that, but someone like this is perfect and that if they want a little bit to be able to throw a little bit of a bone to the fan base to say, hey, this is a Braves guy, drafted by the Braves, played for the Braves, local guy, but not a like Diet in the wall, you know, been here for twenty years guy.

So I say all that, like the the intel is great.

None of us know if he's going to be a great manager.

I won't claim to know that.

But if they announced George Lombard as the manager on Monday, I would be happy.

I would feel good about that, acknowledging that we really don't know.

I would feel good about that on the announcement, which is a good test case.

And they're other candidates too, Like I'm intrigued by Ricky Weeks, a former player Brewers especially manager like another kind of you know, younger guy, not necessarily he's not thirty, but like a younger guy who has similar qualifications to Lombard, Like it doesn't have to be George Lombard.

But I would feel good about that, and there's a little bit of steam.

It seems like live the seeds.

Yeah.

So I was curious and I asked around some people in Detroit about Lombard and basically the one consensus is that he is an A plus human being yep, purpose And I think if I took anything away from what Alexanthopolis said at his end of year media availability, he just kept talking about the character and the man beyond the dugout as like the priority for his managerial search.

And everybody around Detroit raves about George Lombard, And funny enough, one source actually said he might almost be too nice, where there might even be like a smidge of hesitancy that when you know, when the poop hits the fan and a manager has to make tough decisions or deal with the media about a tough situation that would be new to him.

Now, I think that's something you can grow into.

But the fact that that was really the one big takeaway from people in Detroit.

He's been the right.

Hand man to aj Hinch, who is a fantastic manager.

The Tigers have gotten the absolute most out of the talent on that roster the last couple of years.

It's a very forward thinking front office that embraces analytics and some of the new methods that teams are using to evaluate players and win baseball games.

And then before then, Lombard was with the Dodgers and that's where Nthopplis knew him.

He was the first base coach during that time.

And you know, Lombard has done basically everything there is to do in baseball other than manage.

It just kind of feels like it might be his time now.

Yeah, That's the one sticking point is we're not breaking the ground here, but I get it, you know, I'm sure in your message, like mine, it's like, well he's ever been a manager before.

It's like, well, yeah, if and look, if that's a qualification for Alex, he probably wouldn't tell us that.

If he's dead set on someone's manage before.

That shrinks the list down.

That's just that's the reality.

And that is a tiny That is a tiny list of candidates.

At one point, Nick Saban had never been a head coach.

At one point, Mike Krzewski had never been a head coach.

At one point, Bobby Cox had never been a manager, Like it's your first time for everything, and and that to me is so far down the totem pole for for prerequisites.

I'm with you one hundred percent.

I just think that, like, unless that's something that he's in his head, like everything else that you see, for one Bard is positive.

You know, he's not again, he's not the younges.

I think he's fifty.

Yeah, he just turned fifty.

Yeah, young younger guy, but not like not a not a spring chicken like not someone's gonna be the same play ages of the players, all the background stuff.

So yeah, I mean, I think it's gonna be soon ish.

But Alex is also not in a rush, like he's not gonna hurry just to hurry.

I think the candidates that we've kind of all thought about in the past are still out there.

You're David Ross's, you know.

John Gibbons is of course the guy that Alex has tied close to from previous stops.

He's an older hand and the keys like the same age snit, which would be interesting.

I'm kind of with you by the way we passed it earlier, but if it was between what Weiss and Brian Sticker for another year, I probably would.

I would have gone with sen it too.

I don't want us to get clipped if they hire Mark Roser what Weiss and I'm gonna have to play this clip for everybody for just to say, hey, Scott hates Scott hates this guy right now.

I'm kidding, but I would I would be active want Weiss.

I would just kind of be like, that's such a boring hire.

But it's probably like a floor play.

And truthfully, Weiss would only be around a couple of years.

I would assume he's you know, he's up there in age a bit.

Yeah, the process there would not be my favorite, just because you know, it's Snit's bench coach, and it's like it's that's it's it's such a brave's way thing to do that.

I don't think that you just need to be in that box and look just to say this out loud.

If what Weiss just blows Alex away in the interview process and he has to hire what Weiss, like, I'm not like going to be angered by that.

When I what I wouldn't know, what I wouldn't like, and what we probably would never know is like the whole time we thought, hey, we're probably gonna hire what weiss like.

I wouldn't like that approach.

If he's a k it and he blows you away, cool, I just, all things equal, would prefer an outside voice, even if it's an outside voice that has some braves ties, like David Ross.

Outside voice has braves ties, I would prefer that.

I prefer Lombard.

Whatever.

We'll see, Scott.

But I mean, I was gone forever, it felt like, and I thought, hey, maybe they maybe they'll hire someone before I get back.

They didn't, and they still have it now, and maybe it'll be another week or two.

But I think it's getting closer to happening if you kind of follow the tea leaves.

The off season basically begins five days after.

The World Series.

Oh yeah, that's the thing, and it begins.

But as we know, there's like no flurry of activity like there is in other professional leagues.

And you love that.

It's your fair thing about baseball.

You always say that every every winter, by the way, your new listener, Scott, Absolutely, it's baseball all teason schedule, this that never ends.

How much how much fun would like a week of just free agency and trade madness be like there is in every other professional American sport.

What are you going to do?

That's an episode?

Maybe that's again, I think it's like a January episode of if we were commissioners of baseball for a day, what rules or what things would we try to change?

But yeah, I mean it's I think within two weeks.

I think we're within the two week time frame.

Now the grades will get a manager in of course.

I mean, I'm sure a manager is always consulted with free agent moves.

But you know, it's a little different than like football, where you have a system that you really have to make sure the coaches and players.

Are aligned on.

At the end of the day, the manager it's about keeping twenty six players together seven months, seeing each other every single day, set the lineup, make smart bullpen decisions.

You know, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes with the manager, and I think that's why Alex is clearly taking his time with this hire.

Yeah.

If there's anything that is clear, it's that the vast majority of what a baseball manager does we do not see and cannot know about.

Yeah, and it makes the heart talk about on the outside, like we will analyze what happens that the stuff that we can say, but there's reason why someone like Brian Snicker, who I think most people agree was not the greatest tactical advantage of the world, was able to garner the respect that he did and marshall that clubhouse the way he did, because that's the bigger part of the job.

It's just that we can't see it, so it's this impossible back and forth.

Anyway, we'll say some of this for later on Scott, But hey, George Lombard, come on down Monday morning announcement will be fine with me.

Just actually, let's say Monday afternoon for podcast purposes.

Monday mornings are hard, but that's usually one of the news breaks, as you know, saying back years and years and years Monday morning, sir.

But it tends to happen.

I would wager that Alex has had some pretty serious conversations with some people.

We don't know if it's Lombard, we don't know if it's gotta be truthfully, Brad, I bet there's going to be a finalist that we have not said that name once on any podcast this offseason.

Well, that would be very Alex right, Like I think he almost prides himself on like we're not leaking out of here.

I mean some of the some of the betting odds lists and things that I've kind of laughed at some of the names on those, and we won't talk about.

Right now, but Yai.

Had fifth best odds it live on the show.

If Yadi or Molina is the next Braves manager, I will give you, Brad Rowland, every single dollar.

On this earth to my name.

Yep, you have my word.

I will not tell your wife that you promised that on a recorded podcast.

She won't be very happy with you, even if it's a lock that you're correct.

All right, Scott, let's get away from the manager in a second, and we'll talk about a couple of potential emphasize potential trade targets are the Braves and much more.

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All right, Welcome back to hammerd Territory presented by Fox one and after discussing managerial candidates.

This does a little bit more fun.

I gotta be honest with you, Scott, like talking about players is just more fun.

It just what oh yeah, and this.

One's an old stall wart.

And I honestly I hadn't seen the reporting.

I'm gonna let you tee it up a little bit.

All I got was a message from you that included the word Sonny Gray.

And I gotta say.

I gotta say, Scott, I had a giant smile my face because of the the players who have never played for the Braves.

Sonny Gray might be number one on the all time list of discussions between you and I on this podcast.

Yep, Like he's not number one, He's definitely in the top five, like comfortably, because I feel like every year we do this and again it kind of makes sense.

So Sonny Gray trade target, we're back.

We talk about him every year because he's good every year, like it is, so just to tee up the segment, MLB Trade Rumors did a pretty lengthy deep dive on trade possibilities for Sonny Gray.

If folks don't know, the Cardinals have new leadership in their front office and they've basically admitted that they are going to finally do a rebuild.

The Cardinals are trying to maybe not do like an absolute tear down to the Studge rebuild, but they have some obvious veterans to sell.

And in that article, they listed a handful of teams who would be potential trade suitors for Sonny Gray, and they listed the Atlanta Braves as number one on their list.

Makes sense to me, I.

Mean, yeah, so let's let's quickly talk about Sonny Gray and just do a quick rundown.

And really the biggest thing with Sonny Gray is that this guy is remarkably durable, and I think that's something the Braves so desperately need in their pitching staff.

The last three seasons, he's made thirty two starts, twenty eight starts, and thirty two starts over the last eight seasons combined, Sonny Gray is twelfth and innings pitched among all starting pitchers in Major League Baseball.

So sure, you can also, you know, other side of the glass.

This guy has a lot of wear and tear on that elbow.

But he's also not like a flamethrower.

He's not humming one hundred.

He's kind of a junk baller if and that that almost has a negative connotation.

But he you know, he is a crafty ariety.

He can still throw a fastball ninety two, ninety three, but this is not somebody who throws one hundred and one in order to get there.

Incredibly durable.

Did have a four point two eight ERA this past season with the Cardinals, but much much much better peripherals had a three point three to nine FIP three point oh seven fip x FIP excuse me, like a three point seven expected ERA.

So basically every metric in the world tells you that Sonny Gray was unlucky this past season, and even then, like a four point two ERA is not you know, it's not the end of the world.

You would hope that if the Braves do trade for him, he would be a little better than that next year, but there's a lot of data to support that.

Even though he's going to turn thirty six next month, they still has a lot in the tank and would obviously be.

A big boost to the Brave's rotation.

Yeah.

Absolutely, And I think you know, elite breaking stuff like ninety seventh percentile and stack gust breaking run value basically just as all speeds.

That's fantastic.

The kind of guy who can age really well.

And he'll be thirty six, So that's not young.

It's also not forty, it's not forty one.

It's not Charlie Morton age.

Just to say that that name out loud, but uh, he got a lot of money.

That's the first thing people are going to say is, oh, thirty five million dollars this year.

Now, that's a lot of money, a lot of money.

With that said, Alex does tend to like even if he has to overpay a little bit on a one year basis, not having to commit a long term contract to a starter, which definitely appeals on the Sunny Gray side of things.

I understand, though, Look every time, even when we talk about twenty plus million, there's a segment of the fan base and really any famous I'm sure that just recoils in horror.

I remember, I remember a conversation we had about Charlie Morton when it was like twenty million dollars for this he's not even an ace.

It's like, well, I understand, and then you look at like the value metrics that Fangrafts has or whatever, like for instance, Sunny Gray had a decent season.

Last year wasn't great, and he was quote unquote worth like twenty nine million dollars last year.

Like, that's what it That's what it costs for guys of this, and the amount of money goes up and up and up it up.

It is what it is.

But the short term nature of this, I know that everybody likes this toppers from Alex.

We're just trying to be practical to say he does it like to give long term contracts at big money to starting pitchers.

And if you want a certain quality of starting pitcher, one way to kind of do both would be to acquire someone on a big contract but also as one who's expiring yeah pretty soon.

This feels to me a lot like Chris Sale two point zero.

Now kind of I'm not saying that if the Braves get Sunny Gray that you should go print your Cy Young twenty twenty six tickets for Sonny Gray, But Chris Sale's upside was always higher than Sunny Gray's upside.

Sure, sure, for sure, But it's funny.

They're almost like polar opposites though, because while Sale has higher upside, Gray absolutely has the durability thing working for him.

I mean, basically his entire career, he has never been seriously hurt.

That is crazy to say for a pitcher.

We know how frequently pitchers get hurt in this game.

So on the money thing, yes, thirty five million dollars is what Sonny Gray is going to early next year.

That is a boatload of money.

However, in that report from MLB Trade Room, the Cardinals are now reportedly open to including money in their trades in order to improve the prospect return, which is exactly what you should do in a rebuild to get more prospects.

I will say, I don't think you want the Cardinals to cover like twenty million dollars, because then you're gonna have to give up a lot more in prospect capital.

But for those kind of recoiling and I'm somewhat one of them at the thirty five million dollar price tag, if Saint Louis threw in five ten, maybe even like twelve to fifteen million, then you would only have more money to go at a closer, to add a short stop, to add another bat, to add more bullpen depth.

Like there's it's a sliding scale, and I think you're trying to find the sweet spot of Okay, we'll give you a pretty good prospect, but you have to throw in X dollars and try to find that sweet spot.

Yeah, and.

Again like it's going to cost.

There is a in fact, we'll talk about a player in a minute on the show who would be a lot cheaper monetary, similar quality of picture, but a lot cheap monetarily, but because of that would cost a lot more you would think in prospect capital.

And there is a balance there, right and expenses.

What else you want to do, It depends on what you're what ownership's spending tolerance is.

You know, the Braves famously this year reset their clocks and taxes and all those things.

And that's okay if you now go back over them now and spend the way that you were spending before TVD on that.

But yeah, there's there's a middle ground here for sure.

With Gray, he has no trade loss as well.

I would imagine the Braves would be an interesting team for him if it got to that point.

I don't want to ever say that a guy is definitely gonna have no track lost until he does, until he says he will.

But given that he's he's a Southern guy, it's a good team on paper.

I know they were a good team last year, but the Braves were projected to be a good team again, a better team than the Cardinals.

And you know, if you're if you're not in love with being in Lewis in the middle of a rebil, which i'd imagine a thirty six year old probably isn't, I would guess the Braves would be an attractive enough team for him to weigh that more.

Not all the time, but some of the time.

Yeah, Sonny is from Nashville, he pitched at Vanderbilt, He's from the region.

And yeah, I mean, you never want to pretend to know what's going yeah in a player's head, but it would there are some guys who were just like, not gonna do it no matter what you reade.

The buyer Buckston reporting early this winter, and maybe he sols on that, but there was like it could not have been more definitive.

It was like, I am not waiting my no trade clause for any reason.

Yeah, and yet there's still race fans.

I'm sure it happens to you every week.

I get a buyer bucks to the question that I mention, it's because people just don't want to believe it because he's from a Georgia and I get that, but like, yeah, some guys are just like, hey, I'm not moving period.

And I get that.

If you have you got kids, you earn that no trade clause.

If you don't, if you want to wield it, wield it.

No beef with me, But I think he probably would be at least a logical candidate to try to extract even with that.

Oh yeah, yeah, absolutely.

I mean, if the Cardinals are tearing it down, I would sure think that Sonny would be open to a trade to the Braves.

And so he's owned thirty five million dollars.

For next season.

He also has kind of a mutual option for twenty twenty seven, which is actually pretty rare nowadays, but you can read up on the exact language of it, but basically I believe it is a team option first and then Gray canvoid is his part of the deal.

After the fact.

There's also a five million dollar buyout, So it seems to me like if a trade were to happen, it would make sense to work out again a Chrissale type of deal where maybe you guarantee two years and then get a club option on the back end again, Kart before the horse and all of that.

But you would think if the Braves are going to give up a prospect of real caliber to get a sunny gray type or anybody, you would certainly want him around for more than just the one year.

Yes, and you know we won't run down the road if far notough to talk about what it would cost.

It would cost something like it.

It's not a giveaway.

They're going to want some prospect capital as notable.

For the degree of that will matter will probably depend on how much money you're spending, how much money he's costing all these things.

But it would cost something.

And look, we don't have to really get this again.

We'll probably do it again a lot this winter.

I believe, and I think you do it from a previous conversation.

We can correct me if you're if I'm wrong, I believe the Braves need a credible like top three in the rotation picture.

Oh yeah, yeah, and well that you said, I know, I.

Know, we agree.

There are people in the fan base that do not.

There are people that believe that they just and they'll start naming the prospects.

I get it, I get it, But just to do the bit one more time.

You need you need seven eights nine started pictures, and I think they need to approven entity and it has to be Senting gree It could be senter grade.

Maybe it doesn't have to be.

But he is the kind of player, the kind of player, kind of picture that would would you factor at all of what Alex does, all of what the team needs, the money side of things, all of it.

I think he's extremely logical.

Doesn't mean it's gonna happen.

In fact, there have been years before this or you and I argue how logical.

He was either a freegency or in Troy Target it didn't happen.

But I think he's again, like, for whatever reason, would it just be weird if he never was a Brave.

I feel like it kind of would be weird they never got it.

Yeah, Oh he's Sonny has felt like a Brave forever.

There was also and then we'll get off this, but there was also a note in the trade rumors report that the Braves were reportedly interested in Sonny Gray.

Of course, there were years ago when when he signed with Saint Louis, he got a fantastic contract from the Cardinals, and he's been worth that money so far.

Again, he's getting a little bit older.

He is not, I guess a one thousand percent certainty.

But you think about this.

Rotation Brad Sale, Schwellenbach, Strider Gray.

That gives you some versatility with someone like Rinaldo Lopez if you want to shift him to the bullpen or Grant Holmes to the bullpen.

Like there's adding a good starter.

Not only helps your rotation a ton, but it could free up another arm for the bullpen, and frankly, the Braves you're probably gonna need some bullpen help as well.

Yes they are.

Jury says we're in favor of a pursuit.

I would say, not to speak for you, Scott, I'm gonna reap between the lines and say word a favorite pursuit.

We'll see if anything comes to this, but all the makings are there for us to circle back to this.

Yeah, later on I did tease earlier another name in a similar well although a little bit different vein of starting pitcher who's proven, et cetera.

We'll get to that picture and a little bit of deep out on him, no quest probably and more after a word from our partners.

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Okay, Scott, welcome back to Hammer Territory presented by Fox One.

And if you're talking about Sunny Gray, Freddy Peralta has come up now less of a direct tied to the Braves right now than with Sunny Gray, say that out the top.

But I had someone that's a listener.

I won't say who, because they didn't want me to say send me the link right away to this, and I'd seen it too.

Amy McCullough of The Athletic wrote a piece in which he highlighted Peralta as a player that the Brewers are quote expected to at least field offers on this winter.

And unlike Sunny Gray, Freddy Peralta is cheap.

Freddy Peralta makes eight million dollars in twenty twenty six.

And actually it's a club option the Brewers have now that's going to be picked up without without without a question.

But eight million dollars is a fixed cost.

And if the Braves were trying to be a little bit more cost conscious, he would be a fantastic target.

With that said, and I alluded to this already, I would imagine it was going and that will cost a pretty penny as far as prospects are concerned, because the Brewers are trying to win.

The Brewers are not a rebuilding team.

They're trying to win, so they're trading him, treading it because they don't think they they could resign him.

Pretty much like if Freddy Perulta has a good year this year, he's gonna get a lot of money next year, which is part of this.

But if you were the Braves and you're trying to like maybe it would probably probably be a rental or maybe you find one of your Alex Magic extensions, but probably probably a rentzel.

But hey, a really good eight million dollars rental and a player who was a two tome All Star twenty nine years old who's been like not an ace probably but like a top I don't know, thirty forty guy in the league.

And that's a really really good.

Pitcher at least.

Yeah, Freddy Peralta is really good.

He's been really good for a while now.

And what's interesting, and you said this a moment ago, is Milwaukee's obviously trying to win, like they just led Baseball in regular season wins, and you know they're probably looking for like either big league ready talent or guys in Triple A who are knocking on the door.

The Braves do have some of that in Gwinnett, especially on the pitching side.

Maybe those pitchures would be of interest.

The concern with Paralta is you give up a lot in prospect capital and then you have to go and pay two hundred million.

Dollars or or or you or you do it knowing it's a one year rental, which I don't think is the most Braves thing to do.

Like, if you're paying what it's probably gonna cost, it's it's really hard to swallow and say, all right, we got one year with Breddy Peralta, especially when you're coming off of what the Braves just did last year.

And I think everyone in baseball under well mush centerstance projects the Braves to be better than that.

But man, it's a tough sell.

So that's why he that's why he's second on this.

That's why we talked about Sunny Gray for longer.

I think Gray is so much more likely than per Alta.

But when a player like par Aalta like gets reported out there from a good reporter to say, hey, the Brewiser gonna take offers, you know it's.

A name to put on the list it is, and you know it's again we we don't know what kind of financial situation this team is going to be in this winter, so it just becomes a numbers game.

So let's high pathetically, Brad, say the Brave signed Hassan Kim at seventeen or eighteen million dollars and then for easy math, let's say they trade for Sonny Gray and the Cardinals kick in thirteen millions.

So say you pay twenty two million to Sonny Gray and you're paying eighteen million to Hassan Kim.

That's forty million.

Dollars, and you still need to add a closer, You still need to probably add another bullpen arm, you could probably use another bat like.

There's there'd still be things to do.

Now.

If Alex and Thopolas has forty five million dollars to work with this offseason, then trading for like a Sonny Gray is gonna probably be pretty tough because then you it's just the math doesn't work out very well.

So maybe then he could be forced to trading for a Peralta or a cheaper starting pitcher in order to kind of check off everything on his list.

Yeah, and again I want to Michelle, I don't forget to say this one more time.

They don't have to trade Peralta.

No, Like, if this is if this is a rebuilding team, like it was Garrett Crochet a year ago, right where it was like, hey, they're gonna trade this guy, and he's gonna get traded and they're going he's gonna sign a big extention somewhere.

That's what happened, right.

The Braves were kind of in that for a half a second and then they work, right.

Yeah, didn't want to give up Drake Baldon, which I don't blame.

Them as did.

Yeah, that makes total sense.

But with Paralta, like the Brews could just say, you know what, we're gonna do one last ride with him.

He's gonna leave in the winter, but we're within we're World Series team.

They could credibly send it with a straight face.

Right.

Yeah, if he was uh, let's just say, if he was on the I won't use the Marlins if he was on the pick a bad team in the American rates or that too.

Pirates is five pirates, Pirates works, and it would be like guys, they got to trade for a Paralta and it's like almost like he's just on the block right at that point in time, Bruce, don't have to do that, So I want to make sure we mentioned him.

There's but again been no direct link to the Braves.

Unlike unlike with Gray, where there was a report not neces of interest, but like a very very logical, Brave centric viewpoint.

Parlta doesn't have that.

But he is a guy that like got reported to be potentially available, and a guy who's twenty nine who over the last seven hundred plus endings has a three point three ra like he's a very very good pitcher.

So yeah, make a call, Alex, and nothing else you got you got to call any will Alex calls it everybody, He'll he'll make a call.

But yeah, I'm gonna say, if Prault is actually available, I mean, Milwaukee's gonna have their choice of about fifteen teams who.

Are going to make a phone call.

As it should, I mean when you're when the guy with the million dollars, Like, everybody can be calling.

Even the chief teams could call, Like even even the you know teams like the Rays who like don't do that, could could they could reasonably call on Frey Pralton when he wakes eight million dollars.

So yeah, anyway, uh one more than Scott before we get out of here.

And it kind of came out of our of Stephen and I talking on Friday, which people, if you've missed that conversation, listen to that one.

We appreciate it.

We subscribe to Hamier Territory anywhere you get your podcasts.

A question came out of that actually that I want to have.

I want to ask you because I kind of waited until a little bit with Stephen, but we talked about five players who were raising from like likely to potentially gone from the roster, and at the very end of that, at that podcast, we discussed like, hey, if it's a trade, who would the guys be that might get traded?

And the question goes from Caleb who says, who is the player most likely to be traded on the Brands roster?

So Caleb asked us, now I'm asking you Scott, Do you have a projection on who the most likely player is to be traded on the roster?

And you can't.

It can't be.

You can't say Nick Allen.

You can't say one of the guys who mixed the minimum.

That's a cop out.

Give me a real answer on player most likely to be traded on the roster.

Yeah, or somebody who's going to get squeezed off the forty man in a couple of weeks.

The briefs like Vadal Rahan is not the answer.

I'm sorry, Vidal, tough but fair, all right.

So I'm gonna say I have a pitcher and I have a position player in mind.

Here on the picture side, I would say Aaron Bummer.

Now, I don't know what if there would even be much of a market for Bummer coming off an injury that cost him the rest of the season, and Bummer is oh nine and a half million dollars next year, fully guaranteed.

I think Aaron Bummer is a totally fine lefty reliever.

He's not great, but he's also not just absolutely awful like I think some people in the fan base think he is.

It was also always very weird that Brian Snicker refused to give Bummer any kind of leverage in big spots, But I do think nine and a half million dollars for what Aaron Bummer will give you next year, if the Braves have an opportunity to get off that contract, I would be fine with it because I think you could probably replicate that kind of left handed production for less than effectively ten million dollars in an offseason where you have some big time items on your checklist.

Yeah, and it's funny if people heard the show like we immediately went to Bummer as well, like as probably the most likely player to be traded, only you know, relievers get traded a lot.

That's that's one reason the price tag.

Stephn did make the point, and I actually didn't think about this until he said it, Like we've always thought it's a podcast.

He was being under you by Brian Sticker.

But Brian Sticker's not gonna be there anymore.

So if Alex agrees with us, which we don't know, but Alex might agree with us on that topic, and if he says, you know what, he might have more value now that we have a different manager that might not hate him for whatever reason.

I'm kidding slightly about that, but no, I think objectively, you know, we might be wrong.

I think it almost has to be Aaron Bummer as the most likely point it.

But this means it's gonna be traded.

But like if you do the math on like his contract, it's a one year deal, easy to move reliever Lefty, everybody wants left these and the rest of the team who's under contract, it kind of has to be Aaron Bummer.

Like, I don't know, but I okay, you said you had a hitter as well.

I have a feeling I know who it is, but I'll ask you who it is, So the hitter.

Would be Sean Murphy.

To be clear, I am not necessarily campaigning to trade Murphy.

I also think the fact that he had a pretty serious hip problem that he needed for a month and a half ago is going to be a deterrent for teams wanting to trade for him because you just don't know how he's going to recover.

That.

Being said, Ketcher is interesting because you have a really really good one and Drake Baldwin, who is cheap, and you want Baldwin to be out there basically every day, whether it's Ketcher or a DH and Murphy is one of the non prospects who has value and Catcher is a wasteland.

There are good teams.

Who have absolutely dire situations at Ketcher and Murphy even though he is a very maddingly he is maddening to watch offensively because of how streaky he is.

Has a ton of power, But if he's not running into a Homer, he doesn't do a ton ouse for you offensively.

That's just who he is.

That being said, we know the Braves value.

Too Catchers, So unless there's a creative deal that the Braves could work like, I'm not actively trying to give Murphy away, but if there was an opportunity to improve the big league club while using Murphy as the key piece that you're sending out instead of having to deplete the farm system or having to overpay for a player in free agency or trade for a big contract, I would not be shocked if if Murphy got traded some point in the next four months.

No, I agree wholeheartedly, and you know, no one should be shocked.

I think that we as a podcast, and probably even me more than most of our co hosts, I am higher on Murphy than most people and like I wouldn't have a problem with them trading Sean Murphy.

Yeah, in a vacuum, Like if they didn't if they didn't have Drake Baldwin or Drake Balwin had a bad rookie season, it wasn't Drake Balwin in capital letters right now, then I'd be like, what are you talking about?

No, you can't trade on Murphy.

But like, when you have Drake Balwin, obviously have to at least look at potentially trading your fifteen million dollars a year older catcher.

Yeah, even with what you said being one hundred percent right about Alex really really really value having two real starting, starting catchers, and he does.

That's not a myth, Like if you can look at it.

He wants that you have to at least think about trading Sean Murphy.

You have to.

Now what I would stop and you just did the same thing, is that there are fans that would drive Sea Murphy to the airport for nothing, and that I find out to be insane.

I think that's that's a silly, silly viewpoint.

That's and I get it's it's fandom.

People are irrational, and that's part of that.

That's part of the deal and part of the fun at sports, right, I get that, But Sean Murphy has value to your point, like, I don't think you trade Sea Murphy for like a Ronald acunea level package, But like he would, teams would want to trade for Sean Murphy.

I'm confident in that as long as it proves to be healthy and all that with the physicals and things.

But yeah, I think that they could trade Sean Murphy.

I wouldn't be surprised.

I might be fine with it, but what the return is.

But I also think that's way less likely than Aaron Bummer just because of the logistics involved.

You just need to get a return like Aaron Bummer.

Part of the thing is again I like Aaron Mumber too, But part of the thing with Aaron Bummer is you could argue for Aaron bum or just to be traded for nothing if you can, if aeryon members money, it wouldn't be it wouldn't be crazy to just go ahead and do that right now.

Whereas if you, for me, if you trade Sean Murphy for salar relief only, I.

Wouldn't like that.

Yeah, I agree, you would know that's the best the piece of nuance for me.

Yeah, you would get something from Murphy.

And again maybe the Braves have to get creative and they could trade Murphy to Picotine that does not have a great catcher situation, but has maybe a reliever who makes a little bit of money who would be great for the bullpen.

Then you trade Murph, you clear up ten million dollars, and you add a potential late inning you know, closer option or middle relief option.

You kind of check off two items on your box.

Then of course you probably have to go get a real backup catcher.

So that's you know, it's it's a it's a lengthy process that would come with it.

But yes, Sean Murphy has trade value, unless the medicals are just absolutely cooked, he has some kind of trade value.

You're not going to get a fortune for him.

You're not going to get an impact regular and like a one for one deal, but it I'd be interested to know if Murphy's name gets brought up in conversations in the next couple of months, because again, man, we are so spoiled as Braves fans because we have had good catchers for our entire drivers.

Basically, yeah, yeah.

Literally, our entire lives the Braves have had good to elite catcher situations.

That is not the case for a lot of teams and a lot of teams who are contending who would love to have Murphy as their everyday catcher.

Yeah, that's what people don't quite understand when we do the bit we do it less lately about how catcher is such a wasteland because it is around baseball one more funded on Sho Murphy ISoP gonna be so mad at that I bring this up.

Murphy, of course, had two different injuries last year.

He had the one early in the one lay right.

He played ninety four games total, way less than a starting catcher would Norman to play playing with Drake Balwin.

All of that, According to Fangrafts, Sean Murphy in a really bad and all these all these worst people use about Sean Murphy was worth drum roll please, sixteen one million dollars.

Sea Murphy's good.

Yeah, I know, I know, he's madden is the right word.

Like, I'm not telling you Sean Urvy's like the most fun hitter to watch.

He's not, but sometimes you have to throw that out at your hit.

I had a week and in fact, in our YouTube comments.

The other day, there was an extensive back and forth I was trying to try to get out of about Marcelo zun know, and I found myself like defending marcelo' zuna, which is actually strange because there was the thought.

But he was just like completely awful as a hitter all year long, and it's like that's not really what happened.

He just wasn't great, but he was a decent hitter this season.

He just it is what it is.

Scott, that's a show on a Sunday evening.

Nice to be back.

Nice to have you, Yeah you can.

I guess you're having me.

I have.

I haven't been here, Brad.

I was hosting shows, I was doing, I.

Was listening listen.

I once again, I have not said where I was.

I was a long way away from here.

One of the hilarious things was wherever I was, no ads were filling in any podcasts, so like it was just like I pressed the button and I would just have just shown Coleman gloriously in my years.

Just instantly on the button.

I was like, oh, Scott, Scott's hosting, Sean's hostin.

Never Stephen though, We're gonna have to Stephen host the podcast one day.

Just take the control, take the wheel, Tolbert style deep side at beginning of the podcast, dive right in.

We love Steven's that's right.

Got a good squad here, and uh yeah, you know, let's hope next couple of weeks we get some activity.

I will say, I mean Alexanthopolis one.

The one constant of Alexanthopolis is that he likes to work early in the off season.

October.

Honestly, like, remember like that there were Morton There's a there was Morton deals.

There was the run on a Lopez six restructure that was like right around this time.

Bummers, Yeah, Bummer's deal was restructured.

So this is generally, No, he's not going to just make a move, but generally you see moves October, late October, November.

He's not someone who is historically waited until February to do all of his work.

Again, we don't know what the financial situation is going to be, and that could be kind of a a wrinkle in those plans.

But you know, let's hope the next month or so we get a manager.

Let's get some you know, some clarity on this roster, and hopefully get on our way to having a really good, fruitful off season for the Braves.

It would be fun to have some news as we started this podcast, we'll end it as well managerial candidates.

The most likely news that we'll get, probably as soon, is that that will be an emergency podcast whatever happens, and we'll talk about it on this show.

But if you are a new listener, thank you for joining us here on the Hambit Territory Podcast presented by Fox One.

We appreciate you being here.

Please subscribe to our show anywhere you find podcasts, Apple, Spotify, YouTube, et cetera, ratings, reviews, likes, comments, Please tag Scott and all of your comments.

He loves waiting through comments, in particular in public facing places.

Listen, I waited this long.

It's Sunday.

How about your Indianaples?

Could uh come on?

Dix and One, Brad The Indian Apple, the Indianapis cults being s and One, probably the best story of the NFL season so far.

It's been a lot of fun for ever for the universe, Brad.

But it's been a lot of.

Fun and the last couple of years for me, the NFL seasons have been very, very unfun so I'm I'm enjoying it.

Maybe it's I think Steven tweeted a while ago that this was the sports universe throwing me a bone after a just absolutely brutal, brave season.

That yeah, basically the best cold start in fifteen years.

I could.

I really needed it, Brad.

Since Peyton Manning was walking through that door, it was the last time the Colts were this fun.

So that's right.

Yeah, good for you, my friend.

I cannot genuinely wait for the first podcast with Stephen and Sean post Bamba Tennessee.

That is going to be quite a ride.

Stay tuned for that at some point, maybe this week, maybe next week, whenever it's going to be those guys.

Sean was ducking Steven this all the things.

So that's a that's a fun namic.

My team is just kind of what it is.

In fact, the fuck is playing right now we're talking.

So with that, with that out of the way, let's get out of here.

Let's go watch the Falcons.

Your guy, John Robinson, Drick London, et cetera.

Thank you for being here, everybody.

We definitely appreciate it.

Check us out, subscribe, tell your friends, and we'll see you all.

Next time,