Giants' offense clicks on road but trade rumors swirl ahead of MLB All-Star break
Cole Kuiper and Alex Pavlovic react to San Francisco's offensive surge vs. Atlanta, providing fans a glimpse of their true potential this season.
Giants' offense clicks on road but trade rumors swirl ahead of MLB All-Star break originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
What's up, Giants fans?
Welcome to another episode of Giants Talk.
I'm Cole Kuiper, here with Giants insider, Alex Pavlich.
The Giants give us two wins in one day versus one of the best teams in the game.
Who could ask for anything more?
Let's break that down and much more on today's episode of Giants Talk.
Before we get started though, Giants Talk is presented by Mancini's Sleepworld.
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All right.
Alex, what a weird last couple of games, last couple of days, with or without games, it has been.
Yeah.
I mean, Giants head to Atlanta not in great shape, and then I hardly recognize this team that's playing out there.
Well, a lot of it was recognizable, so I think including the second game on, on, on Wednesday.
But yeah, you know, they've played good baseball against the Dodgers.
They've played good baseball now against the Braves, although I think the Braves are in a tough spot right now, so it's one of those- Yeah, the scuffling Braves.
scuffling Braves.
That rescheduled game three might be against a very different team.
I think they're very happy to kick that one down the road.
but yeah, what we've seen from them the last six weeks or so is they're pretty good offensively on the road.
And if they can get a reasonable performance from their starting pitcher, and then hold on with their bullpen, and they did have to hold on again a couple times actually in two games.
Yeah.
even though it was 7 to 2 in both games.
I, I think it was 7 to 2 heading into the ninth in both.
It was.
but they, they have a chance on the road because of this offense.
And it's a weird offense that in night games at home is like, looks like every other offense we've seen in the last three, four years from the Giants.
But on the road these guys can like really put the ball to the ballpark pretty consistently.
And- Yeah there was some small ball too before the rain came on, what day was it?
Everything blends together.
Tuesday night.
Whatever night that was.
So, I think it's, especially with Eldridge now, and we'll, we'll get to Eldridge, but it's a pretty deep lineup.
This is kind of what they envisioned.
And I thought really not too big of a surprise for me with them now on the road.
It's like, can the starting pitcher hold on?
And- Yeah they got just enough from those, I mean, not just enough from Robbie Ray.
He was really good.
might have helped them a little bit that they, they, got to go with Robbie Ray instead of continuing that- Yeah first inning did not go well for Adrian Houser.
Game three getting canceled kind of bailed out the complete throwing the pitching rotation out of whack, and got them a little bit back on schedule.
But you're right.
Ray showed up after what seemed like a rough Ray just showed up and shoved.
Yeah.
I think i- in a weird way, everything worked out very well for them too, 'cause they made the smart move of moving Robbie up to, to come out of the bullpen/start that game.
Yeah, the odd bullpen start.
And Carson wasn't there.
Yeah, and just w- with the way the Braves are right now, you know, without Acuna being on the injured list, that we saw they are pretty lefty heavy with Matt Olson and, and Baldwin and, Yastrzemski's in there every day.
Dom Smith is, is a big part of what they do.
So it ended up being a good matchup for the Giants over two days, and they took advantage.
You, you mentioned some of the familiar names, and it still caught me off guard by the end of the series every time the Giants put a ball into the outfield, put a ball over the wall, and the call's like, "Dubn's going back.
Yastrzemski going back."
Dubn mi- we should make this list in the off-season.
He might be like top three former Giants just in terms of what he's doing in the big leagues right now against the- Yeah, what he, he graduated to do.
Yeah, just he really became a pretty solid all-around player.
And you see the diving catch in center, and I, I didn't even, you know, I don't think anyone realized Michael Harris had come out of that game.
and all of a sudden Mauricio Dubn's making diving catches.
He, he nearly hit three homers against the Giants in the second game.
Like, he had We always play the old, ballpark game.
His two fly balls against Wisenhunt, and one was a homer in 20 parks.
The other one was a homer in 19 parks, and then he did get his homer.
So yeah, he, he is, he is not exactly what we saw when, when he was here, and known more for just being the local kid and, and being part of s- you know, that near fight with Paul DeJong.
Yeah, being scrappy, having a good story.
Yeah.
being in the middle of some, controversies.
And who- they dealt him for who?
Papierski?
Oh man.
Why are you Giants fans- are riding high right now and you're just like, "Hey, remember that trade?"
Yeah.
Remember that one?
That is a weird one to look back on, because they had to choose between him and Tyro Estrada.
And for a long time it didn't feel like they made the wrong decision.
Yeah.
And like, and Tyro had some really good runs, and then that ended so fast.
And Mauricio Dubn's still out there, and, you know, is like a utility Gold Glove winner now, and has become a better hitter than we thought.
And yeah, the local would've actually made a lot of sense.
Yeah, I mean, not the, the only local guy we're gonna talk about this year who used to be a Giant and is going to go on to do great things.
they're always gonna sting, but I think this is kind of the same situation where I don't know that I see Dubn blossoming into this guy if he has been a Giant for the last several seasons.
Yeah, I mean, it, it was, it was one that I, I think, you know, you could argue about the return, but they, they just didn't have a whole lot of options with him.
And- Yeah you look at who he was when he was here, and, he's not like a superstar now or anything, but he's just become a, a, a better all-around player.
Yeah.
And a, a nice piece for a, you know, nice piece for a team like that Atlanta team, which, it's almost funny with the way- I know you're not on Twitter anymore, but the way the algorithm works, and like you, you check a couple of rain delay tweets, and all of a sudden you're embraced Twitter for three days.
But they are This is one of those weird ones where they have the, they had the best record in baseball going into it.
And coming out of it just seeing, you know, on my For You tab the last two days, like they are I, I saw one good tweet where someone was like, "We're in the hold onto your butts section of the season."
'Cause they they end up- Yeah and they lost Strider and Acuna, and Michael Harris goes down an inning into this series.
So, they're trying to hold on.
So a good time to see them, but the Giants take advantage.
Yeah.
They absolutely do.
And you wish that that game three that got rained out could have been played now.
That's gonna get plugged in- Yep at the very end of August in the, Pittsburgh, New York trip.
Which makes for a crazy August, September window there, where they're just go, go, go.
Yeah.
When they sneak back into this thing, and then we, we have 23 straight games to, to cover.
Uh- Yep.
Yeah, no.
I- it's, I think this is one of those where I know talking to some people today, the Giants were happy to get the news early so they didn't have to sit around all night again- Mm-hmm like they did on Tuesday.
but I do th- just from a pure wins, losses standpoint, like pretty good shot at getting the sweep today.
And- Yeah you look at what they will likely face.
When they go back there, not only does it add some, some, travel to a, a pretty tough stretch now for them, just in terms of, of rest.
But you assume Acuna will be back.
Like, you don't know, like Chris Sale or Spencer Strider could start that game instead.
So, yeah.
Not This happens every once in a while, but, I think they would've been very happy to play like a morning game in Atlanta today.
And- Yeah and take their chances.
Yeah.
circling back to the actual on the field games we saw in Atlanta.
You mentioned the offense, but I think we just gotta talk a little bit more about what this, I guess, this away offense feels like.
The back to back home runs, the, the getting the clutch hits when they matter, and getting those extra pile on runs towards the end of the game that turns out they need when the bullpen kind of lets things get hairy and interesting.
Yeah.
The Luis Arias hit in the second game ended up being crucial, with what happened there.
But this is Look, this is, we, we say it quite often, especially when they're on the road.
This is, who they were supposed to be.
And the real I think we'll see where this all goes this season, but I think the real disappointment is gonna be they're gonna look up at the end of the year and go, "If this offense had shown up..." You don't even have to say opening day.
Like they, you know, Max Fried and Schwimmer the first two days, fine.
If this offense had shown up on, on, April 1st- Yeah and was there for three or four weeks, like you probably don't make the Patrick Bailey trade.
You're in much better shape overall.
And, and, you know, maybe eke out a few more wins in April, and you're in a position now where you think about adding pitching.
But, this is who they're supposed to be.
I mean, you look at the lineup every day, and as long as they're healthy, and they have generally been very healthy from a position player standpoint this year.
It is a deep lineup.
And the guys who have struggled, and the guys who get talked about a lot, some of them, like Willy Adames, have been a lot better on some of these road trips.
So- Yeah they get away from home, and, and all of a sudden you have these guys like Adames.
And, I think Devers has been really good in some of these road cities.
He seems to really like the hot cities.
Like Atlanta, he's been really good there the last two years for the Giants.
So it, it becomes a, a group that Where like on the home stand you and I were joking about it.
It's like when do Jung Hoo Lee and Bryce Eldridge come back up?
Now it, it is a, a deep lineup.
Yeah.
It's This series or, I keep saying this series.
This one day, one and a fraction day, really came together.
It felt like four days.
Well, yeah.
It really did.
There's a lot going on in the Giants ecosystem right now.
Um- Yeah.
It, it- I also felt like we spent 48 hours watching them move dirt around that infield.
So- Oh, just soggy grass.
Yeah.
Manager's standing out there.
Hope- What are we doing?
Hope they sold some beers.
Hope, hope that, National League East cities m- like we've seen this in Washington too.
So, uh- Yeah.
That's It would be interesting to talk to, to East Coast fans about how much this is just like an accepted part of baseball, 'cause it just doesn't happen out here.
Yeah.
It is funny.
I was, I was hosting with George Kontos, and to have like kinda all the cameras.
And you see the crowd, and then you see the dugouts, and there's nobody in there.
Yeah.
You're like, "Well, I, you know, Ron Washington hung around for a while and then he went back in the clubhouse."
Yeah.
I don't think they're coming back out.
So you guys can stop, stop ordering beers.
But anyway, yeah.
We're, you know, lucky we don't have to deal with that out here.
Yeah, yeah.
But, what I was going to say is this was the kind of great day, day and a half, of baseball where it wasn't just the guys who had been lagging who turned it on offensively.
It was them on top of the guys who have been absolutely performing.
Yeah.
you got your Schmidt action, Lee.
Bryce Eldridge continues to smash.
And then on top of that you have a little from Devers, a little from Adames.
And everything then starts to roll together.
Yep.
It's supposed to be one of the deeper lineups in the National League.
And it, it's, it's been that at times.
I think my favorite quote from the series.
Dave and Javy were, who were fantastic as always.
And- Yep I think, Eldridge came up in the ninth inning.
Maybe eighth or ninth inning of the second game.
And Dave goes, "It's been a relatively quiet day for Bryce Eldridge."
And they go, "He did hit a home run.
He's just one for five."
So, which kind of shows you where he's at right now.
that's a quiet day for him, is the homer to dead center.
But yeah, this is, this is a lineup that should do this regularly.
And I think, you know, one of the things I'm curious as they move forward is- is they look at this group and see some of the guys who have been better at home, and the guys who were You know, Bryce Eldridge has been fine at home.
what can you build so you don't then It just feels like we go through this a lot, and then they go home and score one run.
Yeah.
I'm like, what can you build so it- it's more consistent?
And how can you build it to be more consistent?
And we'll talk about the trade rumors and all that, but does that involve, you know, finding guys who are- are better at home or whatever it is.
Yeah.
But it, it does This really is like a, a Jekyll and Hyde team.
Like, they go on some of these road trips and you're like, "Is that the best offense in the National League?"
Yeah.
Then they get home and it's one run.
One run.
Yeah.
Two runs.
So.
Really showing up for the home crowds who are there.
I know.
Yeah.
It is It's funny too, 'cause everyone's excited I think about the two wins, and they're coming off of a pretty bad home stand.
Yeah.
So.
Yeah.
And then you, you get the day off, and then you get the other kind of half day off, and, two wins in one day and, and it can turn around pretty quickly.
But- I haven't really mentally put together 'Cause it obviously the road versus home seems so glaring, but have we noticed like road warm weather versus road cold weather?
Like, do they just need to start recruiting kids out of Seattle and Northern California and Minnesota- Possibly to get the, like we have cold in our blood anyways?
I'll dig into that.
I think there does really seem to be something about some of these, you know, warm weather trips that they go on.
And when they get indoors sometimes, like they go to- Yeah Milwaukee, you get indoors.
Go to Chicago, it's summer in Chicago.
You know, it's hot.
So, yeah, we know no hitter likes to hit at night at Oracle Park, but- Yeah it- Too bad they didn't get to go to Vegas like the Rockies did.
Oh.
Would've been- like, that Mexico City trip.
Exactly.
So.
Exactly.
Hopefully we never Honestly, hopefully we never have to watch one of those games.
That was, that was borderline not baseball.
It was bizarre being there at the game for that Mexico City game.
All right.
Yeah.
Let's, let's pepper in one early mail bag question from a listener regarding Bryce Eldridge, just 'cause he has continued to be an offensive powerhouse on this team.
Ted asks, "Instead of moving the Devers contract, why don't we just have Devers and Eldridge share first base and DH?
Each guy gets half the games each week.
We still need Devers' threat in there game to game."
I mean, this is kind of what it's supposed to be.
Yeah.
It, it, it's, it ended up It's not like it's five games to two, I feel like, or five to one.
Mm-hmm.
whatever.
So and I think part of that is keeping him comfort- comfortable.
And he has said he, he prefers not to DH, he prefers to play a position.
I think Tony's deferring to him a little bit there.
And, you know, he does have the I- in every way, like aside from the stats, like you look at his history versus Bryce, like if one of them has to do something he doesn't wanna do, it's gonna be the rookie.
Yeah.
So, I think they'll get closer to that over time, but it, it is a, it's a weird thing.
It's like it's alternately great when you have those two going at the same time and you're like, these are two really dangerous left hand, left-handed hitters.
and then you do look at it and go, "Yeah, what's the time share here?"
So- Yeah this is kind of the plan.
again, we'll get to the trade stuff, but this is, this is kind of the long-term plan here.
You could- It, it, it feels like, and I'm sure they'll work their way towards this, but with Eldridge being the young future of the team, being the guy they're building this team around, and eventually with these aging contracts, obviously s- more people will be looking to move to the DH spot.
Feels like you want to get him more reps at first base just to get comfortable there, get- Yeah you know, just slide into that more regular, you know, five-two split going the other direction.
And I think he's looked fine.
Yeah.
Like, he, he's, you know, he's not a Gold Glove winner, but I think he's looked fine.
He has, he's never really looked like a rookie.
The closest I think he's come was the, the ball kind of jumps up on him in the ninth inning, on Tues- on Wednesday.
All these games blend together with- It- with this weird series right now more than ever truly a Tuesday, Wednesday situation.
but that ball jumped up on him in the ninth, and he stayed calm, didn't try to- Mm-hmm I was sitting with George, who made the good point, like a lot of times guys will try to pick it up with their glove.
Just their natural reaction is put the glove down and, he stayed calm and he made the play.
So, I would like to see more of him out there at first base, and I do think that is part of the discussion with Devers and what his future is here, is that you have this other guy who looks like he's gonna be a top five hitter in the National League, and do you, you know And also can play first base.
Like, do you wanna just burn that on DH every night?
Yeah.
So- Yeah that's part of that discussion, not just in the next six weeks, but in the off-season too, I think.
Well, if he starts to blossom into the defensive first baseman, I want to see that 14-foot wing span.
Really seems like it's gonna come in handy.
Yeah.
I think he You know, to give credit to Bryce, like you see the adjustments he's made at the plate, and how he's become a different hitter even since spring training, and where this is going with him.
And it kind of just makes me wonder, like, okay, give him another year with Ron Washington.
Give him some more reps at first base.
Like, what, what's he gonna be like if He's not gonna be J.T.
Snow or probably Brandon Belt, but he should be pretty good out there.
Um- Yeah so that, that's something they do have to decide at some point.
Overall, the bullpen this series continues to be an issue.
game one, see now you got me tripping up about what was game one and what was game one and a half.
It, yeah, it really was like one, one and a half.
Yep.
A lot of dirt.
A lot of- Caleb Kilian got used at the end of game one, backpacking on Robbie Ray and Smith, right?
Yes.
Try to like de-scramble this, this- Yes rain delay Atlanta smoothie that's in my head right now.
And an interesting decision from Tony, 'cause that was- Not as much of a tight spot.
And he did have the full complement there.
I think that was a situation where he looks at this bullpen full of guys who love to walk the first batter they see, and just went, "Nope, not messing around here."
And he did kind of say it on the radio this morning, like, you never know what's gonna happen to Carson Whisenhunt the second game.
I think he kind of was thinking, like, there's a decent chance Whisenhunt had to fly and get right into this game.
Decent chance he gets blown out of the water.
And take the, take the win in game one with Caleb.
but it ends up being hairy in, in game two as well.
And, and Tristan Beck saved him.
But this goes back to, I think this was a series of things that are not really surprises, and things we've talked about quite a bit, that for as much as you can get excited about the offense, it's gonna be hard for them to build momentum.
Because this bullpen Even, you look at the last two road trips, and they went five and five, and now two and oh.
So even in two of those seven wins, like, there was that one Milwaukee game that they came awfully close to giving back.
Yeah.
and they really they tried in game two in Atlanta.
So I, I think their problem is gonna be they're gonna give enough of those back that it's gonna be tough to find momentum.
But they got the two, so.
Yeah.
And Tristan Beck did a nice job.
No, no lead feels safe right now with this bullpen.
but yeah, ballsy.
Ballsy move to use Killian in game one of a double header that you don't need your closer.
But hey, it all worked out.
You can't second guess, a double header where you win both games.
And then also kudos to Robbie Ray.
We already mentioned his faux start, but he looked absolutely incredible out there.
Just feels, feels weird to say this, but continues to pitch well to im- improve that trade value.
We t- we're just trying to be honest about- Yeah the situation the Giants are in.
Um- It sucks.
But it is what it is.
I had two thoughts.
One, if you're the Giants, you love to see that, uh- Yeah for a lot of reasons.
But including, they, they've been a little You know, the conversation I've said w- I've had with Giants people about the deadline, like, there's been some concern about Robbie's recent performances.
Mm-hmm.
And just they, they never really thought, I don't think, that part of the equation if this was where they ended up would be, like, trying to sell people on someone like that.
Like, it- Yeah and we never thought you go into the year, and, some of what we saw early you just kind of think they'll If they have to trade someone, Robbie's an easy one.
Like, and I think- Perfect candidate.
Yeah, I think we've even talked about him here as like, you put him in a playoff rotation for a contender.
But he hasn't- Yeah really pitched that way the last month or so.
so to see him do this was really encouraging.
I'm sure the texts picked up and, you know, maybe a few extra phone calls were made.
That's just the situation they're in right now.
Yeah.
I would also say my other takeaway from this is I'm gonna keep banging this drum, and it might be annoying to some people who hated the previous regime, but I really do think they need to look at openers.
And like, and maybe it's too late for this year, but next year potentially if they're in the same situation with some guys.
And you did see there the advantage of it, of having And not that they would do it with Robbie, but having Robbie come in for a lineup that was not able to be specifically tailored to him.
And- Yeah that's part of the advantage of doing that.
And so I They've talked about it.
I, I just wonder how much they'll take away from, from watching that and going like, "Hey, that worked."
And they've also seen it work against them like three or four times this year.
Yeah.
A- as shaky as some of these relievers have been, it'd be interesting to see if they look and feel different coming in in the first inning when it's an entirely different energy to the game.
Lower pressure.
Yeah.
I'd say try it.
I've harped on the opener as much as anyone over the past five years.
But at this point in the Giants' 2026 season, I don't think there's any wrong things to try.
Yeah.
And I, it's weird too, because some of the guys who you would use openers for, you almost have to Like, Tyler Maile started a rehab assignment.
I'm sure there are some Giants talk listeners who are just going like, "Don't even bring that up."
Yeah.
And- He's, don't need to see him I, I'm gonna tell you right now they need to throw Tyler Maile back in the rotation when he is, when he feels healthy.
He walked five in the rehab assignment.
But when he, when he feels like he's right, they need to throw him back in the rotation, because this is the situation they're in.
And guys like that do get traded at the deadline.
Yeah.
Everyone always needs pitching.
So yes, they need to throw him back in the rotation.
And it's weird, because ordinarily I would say, like, Maile, Houser are candidates to be a little bit more creative with.
But in this exact moment, they kind of just need to throw those guys in the rotation and see where it goes, and see if some interest can be drummed up.
But I would say in the second half, and also I, I just think primarily going into next year, they need to be a little bit more open-minded about, you know, being creative.
As opposed to what we've seen through the first, what, 70 games of this year, where it's just kind of like, "Well, we'll run him out there, and hopefully they get through five this time."
Yeah.
So.
Yeah.
hopefully a lesson, a little bit of lesson was learned by this new staff.
Well, we already started talking about Robbie Ray and potential trade situations.
I think that's a good a time as any to transition to one of the top topics of the week, which has been the reports that the Giants are rumored to be shopping around their three high contract veterans.
Hold on.
Yeah.
We have breaking news.
Let's do it.
It's not emergency pod news, 'cause we're podding already.
Okay.
But old friend Joey Bart has been traded to the Atlanta Braves for right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton.
Wow.
So Joey Bart joins Giants East and does- That is massive, dude.
As- One day too late there is, that is, that blows my mind.
This, the, the Giants East, as you put it.
The, the collection of Giants fan favorites that they have collected- It's in Atlanta just, they keep adding to them You know what I can't wait to do is, like, it's It'll be, like, October 4th, and y- you know the Braves are gonna have, like, the early playoff game 'cause they're on the East Coast.
And, it'll be, like, 10:00 AM, and you and I will just be texting like, "Hey, Mauricio Dubn just drove in Mike Yastrzemski, and Joey Bart's watching from the dugout."
So this is what, this is what we're gonna do.
Joey, by the way, .670 OPS this year in Pittsburgh.
Two home runs.
Hit 259.
So has not You know, that one hasn't necessarily come back to haunt the Giants.
But- No.
No we'll see Joey next week now.
So- All right.
How exciting yeah.
How ex- And we'll see him again in, in late August randomly.
That is w- August 31st.
Joey Bart.
August 31st.
See you there.
See you there.
All right.
Well, the next one.
One little interlude.
Speaking of trades, the stove is apparently hot around the league.
It There we go.
Trade season has started.
Yep.
With, with Joey Bart on the move, trade season is here.
all right, Alex.
Giants are rumored to be shopping around their three high-contract veterans in Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, and Rafael Devers.
in addition to the obvious candidates we've discussed at length on this podcast.
What do we make of this?
Is this, is this k- more of like a, yeah, obviously they are- but it comes along with, other follow-ups like to who?
And- Yeah will the clauses get waived?
Or is there actually some meat to this?
Sometimes I see things get tweeted and I go like, "Cole and I have been talking about that for, like, three weeks."
But mostly 'cause you and I hear things from different people.
Yeah.
you from mostly one person probably.
Dave Fleming.
Yeah.
Dave Fleming.
Me from a lot of peop- So sometimes we, we, we pivot this podcast in that direction of things we're hearing and things that are likely to be the case.
so this didn't surprise either one of us at all because I think we've talked about this, like, at length the last few weeks of- Yeah this is gonna be the situation they're in.
I also You know, I see people, like, quote tweeting everything going like, "Wow."
And I wanted to quote tweet it back and be like, "Wow, they're owed 451 million combined after this season."
And- Yes two of the three have no trade clauses.
And, up until the last two days when they everyone started to bang again, I think two of the three were under league average in terms of WRC+.
So this will be very difficult for the San Francisco Giants.
And I actually don't think anything has changed.
I think they are From what I have heard, Buster is open to just about anything.
Yeah.
I think he is frustrated with the way the season has gone, and he is open to anything.
And I don't think Buster really cares about public op- like, the perception of, like, if someone were to say, "Hey, you just traded for Rafael Devers a year ago, and now you're you traded him away."
I don't think he cares at all.
Yeah.
Like, I think he's, he's trying to get this team back on the right I genuinely think he's, he is trying to get this team back on the right track.
Even though it hasn't worked out that way.
so I think he would do what he thinks is best for the Giants.
And what is best for the Giants is to shed not just some of the salary, but there's also just this, this weird imbalance of the roster.
including at first base, but on the infield as well, where, like, the one guy you would really love to keep is Luis Arias.
And you, you really can't keep him because of the situation you have at, at shortstop with Willy Adames.
And, what's coming through their system and what this has done for Casey Schmitt.
And Elliot Ramos started a rehab assignment.
So it's this really imbalanced roster.
And if they could find a way, I think, to change some of that this year and put themselves in a position with trades and with then free agency to bolster the pitching staff, they should be f- you know, they're not gonna win the West next year probably.
But, you see this lineup and, like, let's say you took one guy out of this group.
Yeah.
And just replace that one guy with whoever.
Like, you I mean, honestly, you're replacing him with Casey probably.
With Schmitt.
Or- Yes.
Yeah.
But you take one guy out and use those resources on pitching for next year.
Your lineup's still gonna be fine because Bryce Eldridge is apparently Aaron Judge 2.0.
And, and you still have all these other guys.
So, um- Well, and with, with those three players we're discussing, as you mentioned, batting below league average.
If they continue with that, it's also just addition by subtraction.
Like, eat some- Yep eat some cost and fill up the s- or open up the space.
Yeah.
You know, if, if they Just hypothetically speaking, if they were to find someone who would take, Willy's deal for instance.
And you move Schmitt to short for the rest of the year and, and Elliot comes back and plays left.
Like, I, I don't think much changes for this team.
So- Yeah yeah.
We'll see where this goes.
I, I still have not talked to anybody within the industry who's thought they're gonna have an easy time with any of this.
I think there's some belief that Matt Chapman is, is a good enough defender and respected enough around the league.
And we have seen the last couple weeks, like, he's been scorching hot.
That maybe the You know, there's not as much money on that one.
It's 100 million after this year.
it's not as underwater necessarily as some of the other ones.
Yeah.
I would also kind of go like, if you told me you're, you get to keep one of those three, I would try to keep Matt Chapman.
Like, that- Also seems like he's not a guy who would be super eager to waive his trade clause because he's been pretty vocal about liking Northern California, the Bay Area.
Yeah.
A lot of experience and history here.
I mean, there's that.
But I, I just For me, every day watching the defense, I'm like the defense is always gonna be f- fine with him.
And I, I think- Yeah you know, I, I don't know that there's an ego thing with Matt.
I, I, I think you could If it gets to the point where you're hitting him seventh every night, like, I don't think he would I don't think that would change the way he approaches what he does.
And, yeah.
And there's less money on it than the other two.
So- That, it's one of those where it's like that to me would be the most attractive from the outside.
But also as, as the Giants, like that to me would be the biggest gut punch of the three for that clubhouse.
Yeah.
He's the guy who speaks after every single game.
Like, he is essentially the team captain.
and you could say they shouldn't care about that in a situation like this, but they do.
I mean, and those things matter a little bit.
So we'll see where this goes.
I have, you know Who would I guess, what would you do if you were It's a little tricky for me, 'cause I'm in the clubhouse, and I, I am a beat writer as well, to say like, "This is my order of who I would trade."
But- I, I mean, I think you're absolutely correct that Chapman will be last.
I hate to say it.
As much as I like him, he's carved out some highlights with this team.
He's become the designated Gatorade dumper.
But it seems like Adames is first on that list if anyone needs that role, followed by Devers, followed by Chapman.
Now, if Devers starts performing even at a fraction of what they hoped they would get out of Rafael Devers, maybe that order shuffles.
But- Yeah but we don't, they're not winning enough games at home to have a designated Gatorade dumper.
Yeah.
It's, that's fair.
I mean, Willie, you know, and the thing about Willie is he's, defensively this year has not been great.
So- Yeah.
And he's one of the guys we've talked about will eventually likely need to move to a DH role.
But he's not hitting even years ahead of that at any clip that would warrant, him playing over Eldridge or Devers down the line.
it's hard to imagine if he doesn't turn something around, like space for him on this team, aside from the fact that he's contractually on this team.
Yeah.
I mean, I think Will- you know, that's why Willie's name is out there.
And then I do think Devers, as much as that was the big deal last year, like it really is a weird com- it, it's just not a clean fit- Yeah with Evan Eldridge.
And it would just be extremely easy if you were able to trade him.
and I do think, look, there's a lot of money left on that deal.
So that's, that's- So, so what do you think they'd have to eat financially for some of these?
A third of it?
Yeah.
I mean, I, maybe less for Chapman, 'cause it's less money.
But, this was discussed on MLB Network today, and Dan O'Dowd, who's a former GM, said, I think he said at least 50 million on the Devers deal.
Yeah.
That's about, it's probably about a quarter of what's left after this year.
which that would hurt obviously.
But- Yeah the Devers one I, I, I'm curious to see.
I think that's where I'm most curious to see where this goes.
Because he's still, you know, I think there are a lot of teams around the league who still would be very interested in the player.
Like it- Yeah it's, there was a lot of shock last year when the Giants got him, because people were like, "We didn't really know he was gettable in June."
Yeah.
He, was, he was on the market?
Yeah.
And there were concerns about the contract.
But I think there were some other teams that probably felt they could, you know, get Boston to pick up some of that deal, and it becomes a better contract.
So I, I do think there are probably gonna be some GMs around the league who would still be like, "What would happen if you threw him in the middle of, of our group right now?
But also we're not gonna pay the full freight for him."
Yeah.
and that one for the Giants I think is really interesting, 'cause it's probably worth having that conversation.
Because it's the easiest thing in the world all of a sudden right now to just say, "Bryce Eldridge, you're playing first base.
And now the DH spot has been opened up."
And, even if you do have to eat a lot of money there, you are also opening up quite a bit of money to spend- Yeah going forward.
So there's a lot to discuss here.
I don't think, I mean, nothing here is anywhere even close to being called close.
Like it is, this is the very beginning of the market in general.
and I, you know, the Giants are I don't think people are burning up the phone lines to you know, they're gonna get a lot of calls on Arias.
But even that has been very slow from what I've heard.
Yeah.
Just because teams are, are very hesitant to part with, with prospects in, in June.
But- Yeah yeah.
It's, they are gonna be I think what we've seen the last few days is they are gonna be front and center.
very likely to be front and center I think at the trade deadline.
Well, these conversations are gonna continue for another month and a half.
We've started them now.
Joey Bart lit the stove.
and, and trade season is upon us.
So I'm sure we'll talk much more about that.
Let's, just 'cause this is a really curious angle, let's get a quick question in from listener Chad.
Chad says, "Is this something that management or front office has to acknowledge with the players?
And I wonder how they feel about it."
I saw an interesting, interview translated from Korean with Jung-hoo Lee where they talked about, like, would you be offended if you weren't included in these trade conversations- Okay just as one of the stars of the team?
What did he say?
Was he like- he said he likes it here in San Francisco.
Yeah.
And he, he would not be offended, but it is cool.
You know, something very non-answer.
But but yeah.
You know, just to add to like the complication of all of this, and I, I don't think any of this is as easy as people make it seem on social media.
Like Jung-hoo Lee as a player right now is the most tradable of that group.
He also is, I think, probably the most popular.
Oh, 1,000%.
So- By a factor of two order.
Yeah.
Those are things that are, are a part of this as well.
So, yeah.
To the question about do you, you know, do you have the discussions?
I don't, I don't think guys ever have to go in there and be like, you know, Buster or Zach don't have to walk into the clubhouse and be like, "Hey, you might've seen a, a tweet."
but I, I think they, they don't give them a heads-up, like, "We're getting, getting calls."
I, I don't think guys necessarily need that even.
Like these guys- Yeah are all on social media themselves.
They all have agents and friends who let them know of things.
a- and these guys have all been around.
In, like in Devers case, he's been traded once already.
in the last year, and Chapman's been around a long time.
Willie's been around a long time.
Willie got traded very early in his career.
So I think they all know the situation.
And, I think Tony said, like, "If anyone needs to talk, I'm here to talk," but I don't think anyone really needs to.
You know, when teams get more concerned is when this actually happened with Joey Bart.
Like, Joey Bart's name was briefly in when the Kris Bryant trade happened.
Uh- I remember.
It was- Remember?
It was reported.
It was reported that Joey was in that deal.
And from what I've heard, there were people in the front office racing around the ballpark trying to find Joey Bart- 'cause they knew he was at the ballpark, and didn't want him to think he got traded.
So- Yeah that was the bigger concern as these things get close of, of, you know, making sure guys don't see a tweet that's erroneous- In someone's house or something like that.
But in terms of the rumors, I, it's not that big a deal.
I mean, all, all these guys are gonna, are gonna find their, their names in one way or the other.
And I mean, w- we've been talking about Arias for a month.
Like, he, he knows it.
So.
Yeah.
Uh- You know, when, when I was a kid, I thought it worked like there was basically a big bulletin board, and here's everyone who's available.
GMs, come take a look.
If, if there is anyone who's not Is there anyone who's not on that bulletin board?
Logan Webb?
You know, that's the other thing I'll say is, like, the teams always You always see those reports like, "So-and-so's not available."
No, every player is available.
Every- Yeah, when the right deal comes along.
Yes.
Like, almost every single player in Major League Baseball is available.
I don't know what the comparison is.
But, like, I, yeah, I don't Pick a, pick a team that needs Logan Webb, and pick, like, the three best prospects they have.
And if they called the San Francisco Giants, like, you think they would just say, like, "No, we're, we're not having any discussions about Logan Webb."
Yeah.
So.
Yeah.
good front offices are open to everything.
And so I, I always cringe when I see things framed that way of like, "So-and-so's not available."
No.
Everyone's available in general.
and especially in a situation like this, like, I don't think there's anything off the table for Buster right now.
Yeah.
I, I think he is open to anything.
Yeah.
All right.
We're gonna talk a lot more about the trade deadline, so let's move on to some All-Star discussion.
to a surprise of no one, the, the very bad and 2026 Giants are not crushing it on the All-Star ballot.
Not even close.
Not even close.
No.
Um- Jung Hoo Lee, probably their player who has the widest national appeal, and has a whole country behind him- Yeah like, among the last on the outfield ballot.
That one surprised me.
I was- Shocking.
Shocking.
And not just where he was compared to outfielders, but his total number compared to some of his teammates.
Yeah.
that one surprised me a little bit.
The only guy who has even the faintest hope is Luis Arias just because second base, it's not, like, there's not someone 800,000 votes ahead of him so far.
Yeah.
but yeah, their Giants are, not gonna have anybody voted into the All-Star Game if you were hoping for it.
And I- Yeah I do think they're, with where they're at, and some of these guys, we- we've had a lot of Casey discussions.
You know, like, he's slowed down a little bit.
So I think they're gonna have a lot of guys who have somewhat similar cases, and it's probably gonna be choose one for the bench.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So.
Well, as they sit here closer to the last place Rockies than to the third place Diamondbacks, I think that's probably what they deserve.
Hey, they're like seven and a half out of the final wild card spot.
Insane, by the way.
They would have to jump the entire National League, but- Yeah.
You know what?
But yeah.
Let's go.
Yeah.
You've, you've banned me from saying the phrase I wanna say, but let's go.
You're close.
I know.
I'm very close.
You're getting close.
What did we say?
single digits- Single digits to 500?
Single digits games under 500, and you can have your fun.
Let's get to some mail bag questions from listeners, Alex.
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Okay, Alex, our first question of the day is another trade related one, this one from Dan.
Dan says, "It seems like free agent players who get traded at deadline almost never go back to the club that traded them.
But it seems like players who like playing there should wanna be traded and then come back, because the act of trading them brings back, hopefully, good prospects, making the club better for when they return as a free agent.
Why doesn't this happen more?"
You know- This is basically what we, we were really hoping would happen with Tyler Rogers.
Yeah.
I think we talked about it quite a bit.
and Giants fans in general just kind of assumed that was, that was g- I think some Giants people assumed that was gonna happen.
You know what happens when you hit the open market is it alm- we always have this conversation.
Like, 98% of it becomes about who's gonna offer you the most money.
Yeah.
And they just They were not close financially on Tyler Rogers, and I, I don't think it matters after that.
So nobody's gonna take, especially someone who hasn't made generational money, is not gonna take any sort of discount to come home.
I, I think this is a good question, because there's a couple guys that come to mind.
One is Luis Arias, who you and I have been adamant that, he needs to be traded for the good of the franchise, even though his at bats are tremendous theater.
Oh, yeah.
Everything about him is tremendous theater.
I Is there a world where they could trade him, and then in the off season they unload one of these big deals, and all of a sudden there's space for him on this roster?
And do you- He loved having him here, and maybe he loved being here, and y- you can be at the front of the line there.
And yeah, that's possible.
but I st- I still think the first step there is trading.
The other guy who comes to mind with is Logan Webb, who, you know, this is home for him.
So- Yeah a little bit different, I think, if they ever did cross that line with Logan and traded him.
probably have a pretty good shot if you did wanna bring him back at some point.
But it's just so rare.
Like, it's guys go somewhere else, guys like it somewhere else, guys, you know, maybe they get a taste of the post season and they go, "I don't..." It There's just so much that goes into it that it is really rare.
I've had this conversation with guys before, the trade deadline before, and you kinda think, "Hey, maybe I'll see you in six months," and you joke about it.
And they're, like, off to the third team in the off season.
So.
Yeah.
As much as it's, as a fan, you're sitting here like, "Oh, that's my team.
I would come back to them.
I would take a sweetheart deal," really is a business decision for these guys.
They're- Almost always they'll go where the number is almost every single time.
Yeah.
I mean, I think short of literally being someone who it's like, "I'll come back home and finish my career there," or something like that.
Yeah.
It's, it's really rare to see.
Yeah.
and I, I'd love if you could set it up, 'cause it makes great sense, like a season like this, to, to It, it's not like in a, the queen is fit.
you know, here's, here's the situation.
If Logan were a free agent at the end of this year- Mm-hmm like, this would be the exact type of situation where you could go, "Hey, best thing for everybody involved is to trade you to a contender."
Yeah.
Get some prospects, come back in the off season.
But- Hang out with your buddies in Atlanta.
Exactly.
Go beat the Dodgers in the post season, and then we'll see you in November.
Yeah.
But again, you're, you're in the situation where what if that happened and it Look, he's not.
He's two years, two and a half years away from free agency.
But just hypothetically, if that happened, say he goes and wins a title.
And then- Exactly that team's like, "Eh, kinda liked having him at the front of our rotation."
Yeah.
So it's just really difficult to actually pull off, even though it sounds great, when you say it in your head.
Yeah.
Yeah.
all right.
Next question is from David.
David says, "My wife and I listen every time it's on.
Why can't teams with all the advanced analytics develop a reliable profile of what to look for as a pitcher starts losing it, where it is either their stuff or batters catching on to what they're throwing?
Certainly a lot of human dynamics at play, but it still seems like accuracy, movement, spin rate, something would be changing."
This is really interesting, 'cause I think David brings up a good point.
This does seem like something trackable, and we even see it just on TV with our non-expert, non-robot eyeballs- Yeah where you can tell two pitches don't hit where the catcher lined up in the fourth or fifth inning.
And you know, you just have that feeling in your gut that things are about to go downhill.
It's a good question, and the answer to it is they do it already.
So- Oh, there we go.
you know, they're, they're I mean, this is like, they have models to figure this stuff out over the course of games.
And I've talked to pitching coaches who like the ballparks, and now the Giants do this, where there's a lot of data on the scoreboard because you don't have to even go to the iPad.
You can just sit there and watch a guy.
Um- Mm-hmm I, I think when Dodger Stadium started doing this, I, I would talk to some Giants people who were like, "You can look up at the scoreboard and see the numbers changing, and not just the velocity dipping a little bit, but everything else changing," and going, "Okay, he's lo- he's losing some of his stuff."
and the other part of this is it's pretty automatic now that, like, most teams do not like guys going through a third time through the order.
So- Yeah yeah, they're, they're doing this already.
Part of it.
It'd be interesting to see Yeah, you know, this is Giants people listening, this is not a request.
Don't actually do this.
But it would be interesting to see on the scoreboard, like, that velocity over the game plotted onto a, a graph, so you can actually, as a fan, see where the drop starts.
Yeah.
I mean, you can do that as you're wa- And I do this in the press box, is you go through.
And you can do it on Baseball Savant and, and see what- Mm-hmm a guy's effectiveness dropping over the course of a game.
But teams are definitely doing that, and this is definitely part of the equation now, when guys come out of games.
It's not so much, you know, the old Bruce Bochy standing there on the top step and just kinda watching, and watching- Yeah and watching.
It's, it's different now.
Mr. Martin says, "Besides Ron Washington, what coach on the team do you think survives this season?
Can Vitello really be back this year?"
Now, we've said on this podcast that the amount of money they are pa- pa- paying for the managerial role right now, and the fact that this would be their third- Third fourth manager if they replaced him in, in a very short time span means, yeah, Tony's coming back.
That being said, you just did say on the trade section that Buster's not afraid to do He's not gonna be embarrassed to do a move that makes headlines.
True, but they're not firing Tony.
No, they're not.
even aside from the, the money aspect of this, he has, he hasn't been a fireable manage.
Like, he- Yeah he, like, the team hasn't been good, but I, I don't think there's been a lot of things where you go like, "That guy doesn't belong here."
So.
Yeah.
it's been fine.
but yeah, I, just to the bigger question, I don't like speculating on coaches.
I, I think even a season like this, I think most of them would be back, 'cause they have- Yeah gotten rid of a lot of coaches the last few years.
And that's- And the offense didn't change when they replaced their hitting coach for the third time?
It's The easiest thing to do is to go online and call for a team to fire the hitting coach.
And I think we've seen like it's a lot of the players.
And by the way, they're pretty good offensively now.
So- Yeah Hunter Pence is totally fine.
Um- Yeah.
No.
I, I think you, you go down the staff, and I, I don't think there's many guys who would- Who would feel uncomfortable going into the off-season.
It's pretty rare after one year to- Yeah to make a change.
Yeah.
next question's from Colin.
Colin says, "With the Giants starting position players poised to be much of the same next year, what can we expect to be different next season?
I can't imagine how this line-up can become more dynamic since this group of players doesn't steal bases.
So will we just be crossing our fingers for more timely hitting, less runners left on in scoring position, and less strikeouts?
On paper I love the line-up, but I said that coming into 2026, which has, for the most part, been brutal in key situations.
If it were as simple as Hunter Pence finding something to tweak and fix this group, wouldn't it have already happened by now?"
They've gotten better.
They have gotten better.
You know, look, the, my, the first thing I think of is 162 of Bryce Aldridge.
So- Yeah.
And let's- that helps let's talk about Jung Hoo Lee, who looks like a completely- Yeah different player this year.
Like, guys can get better year after year.
Yeah.
I, I think it, it's hard to answer this question about, without knowing who's gonna be here.
'Cause if, if it's the same group, then yeah, you are somewhat counting on, you know, this is back to back slow starts for Willie.
And you would be like- Mm-hmm "Okay, what can we do to not have that happen again?"
'Cause it's, it's been a real difficult for the team in, in April and May.
if there are changes, I do think they need to be a little bit more dynamic around the guys who are gonna be here.
'Cause for everything that, like, someone like Bryce does, he's not gonna steal bases.
He's not gonna You know, he might get triple alley a few times.
But- Yeah that's not his game.
we'd, we've just seen that's not Jung Hoo's game.
He's, he's not that type of player either.
So I don't know that we've You know, this is one reason I'd love to see more of Jonah Cox.
Um- Full season of Jonah Cox.
There you go, Colin.
There's your, there's your answer.
But, like, is there something He, he's pretty automatic when he comes in as a pinch runner, and, you know, is there something more that you can find there?
But I think part of this is, is gonna be, yeah, how does this get better next year offensively?
Like, it, it's been fine offensively the last month, but I'm looking at some of the younger guys.
Because I, I don't think they should spend any resources on this line-up in the off season.
It, it should be- Yeah.
That's the thing.
It's very possible the answer is, is it's, it's 2027 is just kind of like a, a in between year where they, they wait for the talent to develop.
They made some moves to free up space on the big league roster, and then kind of hold tight until help comes from the youth.
Yeah.
And there are some guys.
I mean, Bo Davidson's been red hot.
And- Mm-hmm he seems like he's set for a triple A promotion pretty soon.
And that would put him in, in the mix for next year.
I think Parks Harper's gonna be in the mix next year.
he's basically been playing only outfield for the last month.
So you know, the, there are some guys who can, who can change this a little bit.
But for the most part, like, this is their line-up going forward.
Um- Reggie Crawford at DH.
There you go.
But yeah, I think my answer to, like, what's gonna be different next year is honestly, like, not to put pressure on the 21-year-old, but you start the season I don't know the correct answer to, and I don't know that we can ever know the correct answer to, like, would Bryce be doing what he is doing the last three weeks if he had started on opening day?
Like- Yeah did he need 'Cause his spring training was, there were a ton of strikeouts, and he wasn't making this much contact.
did he need a little bit more time?
Did he need to be developed this way?
I don't know the correct answer to that.
But- You don't wanna peek into that universe and see that the Giants are 43 and 31, Alex.
You don't.
But, but I, I think my sol- part of my solution for next year would be that on opening day he's gonna be hitting second or third.
And- Yeah you know, I don't know where this goes for him, but he's, like, basically putting up Shohei Ohtani numbers right now, and offensively, in a small sample.
So there's a decent chance you start with a really good head start next year just 'cause you, you have Bryce in the line-up on opening day.
Yeah.
all right.
Next question is from Chris, and then we'll call it for today's episode.
Chris says, "Can you predict the MLB debut years of Gonzalez and Hernandez?
Any chance we see a debut like Connor Griffin's, under 20?"
This is a great question, and I did a lot of research on this because I was fascinated by this when we got it.
I, I tried to compare those guys more, I think because it's a different path when you come as an international signee than, than a high school guy.
Yeah.
Especially with where high school players are these days.
Like, it's just different for these guys.
So I, I went back and looked.
And, like, the great example would be Juan Soto, who made his debut at 19.
He's also a future Hall of Famer, one of the best hitters of all time.
Yes.
So, he was precocious.
But, he did play rookie ball and A ball when he was 17 and 18.
He had some injuries.
And then what happened with Soto was in 2018 he went A ball, high A, double A, and then to the big leagues.
He played 39 games in the minors that year.
And- Absolutely insane just shot through there.
So, like, that is, like, the- Neckler status Neckler.
Exactly.
Neckler status.
Your boy slowed down, by the way.
So- No.
seen some angry tweets.
but I, I think, so that's, like, the absolutely insane end of this.
Yeah.
Jack Centurio is another good example.
He was in the DSL at, at age 17.
He played A ball, high A, double A at age 18.
Double A and triple A at age 19.
Was in the big leagues at age 20.
I think that's a pretty good path to follow.
Francisco Andor debuted at age 21.
He played a full year of A ball at 18, high A and double A at 19, double A and triple A at 20, and then triple A in Major League Baseball at 21.
And then Ellie De La Cruz, who's also a middle infielder and maybe is comparable to these guys, he debuted at 21. rookie in A ball at 19, high A and double A at the age of 20, and then triple A in Major League Baseball at the age of 21.
So- Mike, just kinda looking at the recent history, you're, you're, even in the best case scenario, we're looking more at, like, age 21- Mm-hmm maybe age 20 for these guys.
Now, the caveat here is that Luis Hernandez is 17, and he's already, like, he's a little bit ahead of this game.
Mm-hmm.
Josh Hor is 18. so I, I think both those guys probably.
We'll see what happens with Josh Hor's injuries, but both those guys probably will reach San Jose this year.
But you're probably looking at similar to what's happened with Johnny Levell, which is a lot of time in San Jose to start this year.
then he's in high A.
And maybe he'll earn a late season promotion to double A.
But you're probably looking at two full years after this one for those two guys.
Mm-hmm.
So, I think 2028's, like, realistically the earliest for him that they could get here.
And Josh Hor was born in, in 2007, and Luis was born in 2008.
So Luis could get here as a teenager technically.
Like, but you, it's like best, best, best case scenario.
And, I think you're probably looking at them getting here closer to when they're 21 and- Well, once they do hit San Jose, it's all gonna feel a lot more real.
You know?
The- Yeah you can go catch a game, see them, just right here in northern California in the Bay Area.
and then, you know, didn't the Mariners just call up a, a single A guy?
I think he's, like, a speedster.
So I don't know.
Yeah, like I also think that was just like a, a weird, "We need a, a warm body," kinda thing.
For a day.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think the other thing that's hard to compare, guys, and this is why I looked at, looked at Del Cruz and Windor, is both these guys are currently middle infielders.
And we'll see where they end up, but there's a little bit more time there.
Like- Yeah it's gonna take a little bit more time.
And I, I think Luis, not just because he's a more advanced hitter, but also, you know, there's a chance as these guys go through it together that they look at it and say, "Gonzalez is the better defender.
That's the guy who's gonna stay at short long term."
Mm-hmm.
So Hernandez needs to move to another position, and maybe that helps speed him up a little bit.
but there's so much ahead of these guys, and, and it, it's so hard to predict.
But just looking at the recent history, like, the Connor Griffin case is, is pretty rare as well.
and Juan Soto's really rare.
But you do see, you know, you see Bryce here at 21.
Um- Yeah y- you do see a fair amount of guys 20, 21 who make that happen.
So it's possible if they're as good as everyone thinks.
But I would also say my main thing would just be like, "Don't screw it up."
Don't.
So make sure they're Exactly.
We've seen some, developmental snafus over the last decade.
Let's, let's do this one right.
It, it would be great if a 19-year-old showed up here.
That's what we were talking about.
But I, I think, you know, let's make sure these guys show up here and they're ready to be, to be stars.
Um- Yeah that'd be the most important thing.
It, the other, the last thing I'll say on this one, I think it is gonna be a little instructive to watch what they do with Johnny Levell, 'cause he's a, he's a little bit ahead of them and a little bit older than them.
But it's a somewhat similar case, and it's the same front office obviously.
So we'll watch what they do with Johnny this year and, and whether they push him to double A or try to push him next year.
but yeah, it's a really interesting one.
And we will continue to watch those guys, because every time a prospect list comes out, it seems like they've jumped a dozen spots, so.
Yes, yes.
We, we'll, we will be keeping a keen eye on them.
Thank you, Chris.
As always, for everyone, if you have a mailbag question for myself or Alex, go ahead and send it wherever you can find either of us on social media.
We'll add it to our bank of questions and address it in an upcoming episode.
all right.
The Giants are heading to Florida to take on the Miami Marlins.
Thank goodness there's a roof in Miami, as I'm pretty sure it is thundering and lightninging in Miami.
Oh.
Alex, who are our probable pitchers?
the probables they sent over today is Landon Roop, who got bumped back, 'cause he got rained out, versus Lake Backer, who's- Okay has a 2.97 ERA, but also has mostly been a reliever this year.
All right.
As far as who starts.
Trevor McDonald versus Max Meyer, who's been excellent.
And then Logan Webb versus TBA on Sunday.
So we've seen Miami already.
Giants took two out of three from them at home.
I think they've had some iffy moments in that ballpark in recent years.
Yeah, think so.
Not, not the kindest place to them.
But, yeah, the Marlins have been, they're still hanging around higher in that, in that wildcard race, so.
Yeah.
you have been to the Miami ballpark.
Any tips for fans, coming through there?
Any must-haves?
Is there a good Cubano at the yard?
There is actually a Cubano at the yard.
But I, I would say if you are somehow in Miami for the series, stay dry.
And, we always go to Versailles for, for, Cuban food before.
All right.
So, yeah.
Get a Presidente.
Have a good time.
So.
Hell yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's a I, I, I think we've talked about this before.
I hate what they did with that ballpark, 'cause it was, it was different.
And then they're like, "Nah, the statue, we'll get rid of it."
The, uh- The statue was, like, in the moment I'm sure I made fun of it on Twitter or something, but just such a, a incredible relic of baseball past.
And the club.
Like, a weird era in ballpark construction- Yeah that doesn't exist anymore.
The club in left field.
Yeah.
Like, that was phenomenal.
Incredible.
So.
It's Miami.
Yeah.
It's honestly, the last time I went there I looked around, I'm just like, "They ruined this place."
'Cause it's- What have they done?
It's sterile now.
And it was, before it was, like, kinda cool in Miami.
Yeah, yeah.
All right.
Well, we'll check in with you guys after the Miami series this weekend.
we'll see if the Giants continue this, this one day of heat and bring it on to a little more of a winning streak.
Until then, thanks for listening to Giant Stock.
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