Giants Talk: Logan Webb, Luis Arraez earn San Francisco's only All-Star selections

Mon, Jul 6, 2026

"Giants Talk" hosts Cole Kuiper and Alex Pavlovic react to San Francisco's All-Star selections after a brutal series loss in Denver.

Giants Talk: Logan Webb, Luis Arraez earn San Francisco's only All-Star selections originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Video Transcript

Hey, what's up Giants fans?

Welcome to another episode of Giants Talk.

I'm Cole Kuiper here with Giants insider Alex Pavlovic.

The 2026 All Stars have been announced, and the Giants will be sending a pair of players to Philadelphia.

We'll break down who made the cut, plus another ugly series versus the Rockies, roster moves, and more.

Before we get started, Giants Talk is presented by Mancini's Sleepworld.

Mancini's is now the official sleep partner of the San Francisco Giants.

You can save up to $1,200 on cooling mattresses at the Mancini's Sleepworld 4th of July sale.

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Stop by or visit online to see what's currently available.

All right, Alex, really ugly series in Colorado, and because of that, I'm voting we start with All Star talk.

works for me.

I, I think we're We remain really far away from you being able to say Giants are back.

I still- So even with the schedule turning in their direction.

Yep, further away than ever it feels like.

currently tied for the lowest number of wins in the National League.

We'll, we'll get to that.

We'll get to that.

Hey, two players in the All Star Game.

How exciting.

Yeah, that's like middle of the pack.

Really.

You know, that, that type of team.

So, initial reaction I guess, not at all surprised by Arias.

He It was like him, Schmidt, and Jung-hoo Lee for a few weeks.

It seemed like that was the conversation- Mm-hmm between Giants fans.

And I know even internally, like, or not internally, at, you know, when Tony would talk to the media, a lot of times those were the guys being asked about.

And we kind of brought up Logan recently as somebody that, you know, seemed like he made sense, and lo and behold, he gets it on the player ballot.

Uh- Yeah those ballots went in before he pitched at Coors Field on Friday, which is helpful.

Um- Or he didn't go in the player ballot.

Actually it was MLB Arias went on the player ballot, but Logan was an MLB choice.

So, I think those things are pretty much set in stone before Friday night at whatever time.

Yeah.

7:00 PM or whatever.

Yeah.

Um- It was funny though that the announcements came out, like, right as that game- Yeah was fresh in everyone's minds.

Yeah.

But, ultimately I think, you know, he's The cool thing for Logan I think is he's now name recognition guy.

Mm-hmm.

Like, you've gotten to the point where you, you get the benefit of the doubt a little bit.

Two years ago, Logan Webb with these current numbers, and this is not to knock him, just I think doesn't get in.

I But I think now Logan's known as one of the best pitchers in baseball.

He was on Team USA this spring.

he's been an All Star twice before.

So you kind of get the benefit of the doubt over some of the other guys.

And, and when Major League Baseball wants to put this team together, you are one of the guys they wanna highlight.

So I think that's cool for him.

ultimately I guess for the Giants too, you will take.

Like, that's- Well, that's good more than most people thought for most of this first half.

You thought they'd get the token one All Star.

Yes.

And I, I have to say, I know we had floated the Logan Webb idea here on Giants Talk, but it even caught me off guard, probably because of the proximity to- Yeah the game in Colorado.

That was still fresh for me.

but when you break it down, yeah, he has had a solid year.

And like you said, the guy is just thought of as an All Star around the league.

He's a Giants ace.

He, he was at Team USA.

he's just one of those dudes now.

And it's cool that the Giants have one of those guys- Yeah who gets that extra juice when it comes to kind of the, the MLB options.

Yeah, he was, Logan was one of, four pitchers selected by, by Major League Baseball to round out the National League staff.

Arias, he won the NL player vote and seemed like he won it pretty easily.

Yeah.

so he had the respect of his peers, which is also cool.

not that Logan doesn't, but I, I think it's That is my main takeaway from that, is he pitched very, very well in June.

He was National League pitcher of the month in June.

did what he had to do to get in the mix, and then now you're kind of in that group with like, you know, the Paul Skenes of the world and um- Mm-hmm I think like Mizyrowski every year is gonna get the benefit of the doubt.

And, there are other guys, including his close friend Kyle Harrison, who probably look at this and go- I think one network- " might have you."

Um- But he's, he's now Logan Webb.

He's a, he's a three-time All Star.

and he's in that mix.

He's one of the guys in Major League Baseball now.

So- Yeah to your point, like the Giants don't, haven't had a lot of that recently.

Um- No.

You know, I think Brandon Crawford had the reputation nationally.

Buster Posey did.

But they've not had a lot of that in recent years.

You look at their All Stars and it's guys who, it's like they burst on the scene in the first half- Mm-hmm or had a huge first half.

But ultimately too, they will You know, that's a win for the Giants.

And, you know, I, I think the one guy I feel bad for a little bit is Casey.

I just think he's been tremendous and- Yes what he has done as a utility guy and just to be like, "Okay, I'll play left field.

I'll, I'll order a glove on Amazon and just go play left field for a few weeks."

And we'll get to Casey's play this weekend at Denver, but, I thought there was a really strong case for him just as a utility guy on that bench, but ultimately doesn't make it.

Yeah.

You, you hope he puts together more seasons in his career we can he- where he can be part of this discussion come late June.

I We've seen a lot from him.

He has carried the team through a lot of rough patches this year alone.

Yep.

So hopefully this is not a flash in the pan and, and he's in the conversation again and eventually gets to tack that on to his, his repertoire, his accolades as a Major League Baseball player.

But bummer for him.

Bummer for Jung-hoo Lee.

you know, I'd been really pulling for him, thinking this was the year maybe he had figured it out enough to go be able to represent the team.

Keeping an eye on that for next year, but at the end of the day, just as, as rough as our podcasting has been here this year, the fact that it's two players, we cannot complain Yeah, and just to put a footnote on this, Luis Urias' fourth different team he has been an All-Star for, which is, I believe, one away from the record.

Um- Wow.

So he, he might get the record next year.

He So he, he, he's o- he's on a pretty interesting path.

And then Logan Webb, he joins a pretty small club of San Francisco Giants starters- Mm-hmm who have been in three straight All-Star games.

It's him, Lincecum, Marichal, and Bumgarner.

he tied Matt Cain, and he tied Casey Or not Casey.

He tied Jason Schmidt in terms of, overall appearances.

So that, we got that mailbag question, I think it was last week, about where he stands.

Mm-hmm.

And I think we put him kind of above Schmidt, and, like, right below this other trio.

Yes.

With, with Matt Cain probably the guy he's closest to in terms- Yeah of those three.

So seems like historically he fits in pretty well now when you look at the accolades.

Yes.

And we, we still, like we said, we just need him to get that cherry on top.

We need those sprinkles of some sort of no-hitter, a trophy, Cy Young.

I don't know.

Something that kind of get bumps him up to that next echelon with the Cains, the Lincecums- Yeah the Bumgarners.

Yeah.

So- I looked around the rosters.

No prolific, other former Giants stood out, other than our, our almost-weres that we tend to see at the All-Star Game every year.

Aaron Judge.

Shohei Ohtani.

you know.

You know the our, our old friends.

Do we count Soto?

I don't know if, I don't know if we do on this pod.

Well, Soto talk never really got off the ground.

Here's one.

Otto Lopez, former Giant.

Okay.

Here we go.

Fire it out.

Count it.

Giant for all of a week.

Count it.

It's one of those Giants.

Our favorite kind of former Giant.

Yeah.

Okay.

I think the guy I'm shocked by is, I think every time we've had a Kyle Harrison conversation on this podcast- Yes the last few months, which we've had a few of, it seemed like he was headed for the All-Star Game.

Mm-hmm.

ultimately gets left out.

I would assume Kyle will be there because I think Ohtani's pitching that Sunday.

So he's It sounds like there's a- already multiple guys who are ineligible.

Yeah.

'Cause they're, they're pitching.

And, you know, guys always, guys always back out as well.

So the, the easiest thing to do, and I actually thought this might be the path for Logan, was, I thought he might just be a replacement as they- Mm-hmm start to fill out the pitching staff.

Seems like there's always, like, three or four guys pretty quickly who, who, you know, are not gonna pitch in the All-Star Game.

But you look at Harrison's numbers.

2.82 ERA overall.

And we've joked about this, but that Las Vegas week when it was, like, Mexico City ball.

Oh, yeah.

Like, and maybe even worse.

he pitched in one of those games.

he gave up eight earned runs in one of those games in two and a third.

And if you take that out, he has an ERA under two.

So I You know, that's not how statistics work necessarily in Major League Baseball.

But I do think he's been so good, and has a pretty strong case, of like, "Hey, I pitched in this joke of a ballpark."

Yeah.

You guys- "It ruined my season."

So.

You guys forced me to do this.

Yeah.

And we're, we're joking how Logan Webb got saddled with Coors Field.

Kyle Harrison got saddled with a minor league baseball stadium.

Yeah.

Did you see the Mizejewski error, by the way?

No.

Oh.

Yeah.

There was a pretty rough call that, like, took four earned runs off his.

So he's those two guys are in the same clubhouse.

Kyle, Kyle's probably like, "What's going on here?

We're a lot closer than people actually think."

Yeah.

But- What the heck, guys?

Yeah.

I hope he, I hope he's an injury replacement, 'cause I think he's earned it.

Mm-hmm.

and also him and Logan are still close, so they could be, you know, same clubhouse.

Yeah.

Catching up.

Yeah.

Seeing how they're doing.

It's, it, it'll be cool.

Luis Urias, it's awesome that he's there.

tip of the cap to him.

Logan Webb, kind of like it's expected for you, man.

This is great.

I'm glad you're there.

so we got the All-Star Game a few weeks away in Philadelphia.

We'll be podcasting around that game as we get closer to that.

But I think that takes us to actual games that matter.

In the meantime, Alex, the Giants leave Coors Field after an ugly series in Colorado.

I don't know that there's really any other type of series that goes on in Colorado.

But the Giants drop the series again against the lowly, lowly, lowly Colorado Rockies.

putting them at what?

37 and 52 against their, the 37 and 54 Rockies?

I don't think you can put that many lowlies on them when the Giants are- Oh one game ahead of them.

Alex, I'm gonna put that many lowlies on the Giants as well.

On the Giants?

Yeah.

I, I, I was thinking about this.

We have your rule, that you can't say the Giants are back until they're single digit games under 500, which is not a high bar.

But- It's not a high bar at all it seems like a high bar for them.

my rule for myself is gonna be I can no longer talk about the schedule.

Okay.

'Cause in We do this a lot.

We'll look at the schedule and go, if there's ever a time for the Giants to win like 8 out of 10, right now is like- It's soft coming up Arizona, Colorado, Toronto, Colorado.

you even look at after the break, Seattle, Kansas City.

Like, pretty soft for them right now, and we can no longer have those conversations.

Yeah.

It's just they're right there with Colorado.

And it's, I guarantee you Rockies talk is not having conversations about if there's ever a time for the Rockies to win 8 out of 10.

I think we're, we're done.

Yeah.

If they ever win 8 out of 10, they can come and surprise us.

But Or whatever.

Whatever run they wanna go on.

But we look at these road trips and go, like, this should be a road trip where you can maybe make up some gr- you're not making up ground on the division or anything.

But like- No.

Just making up ground on not looking as bad- Yeah number wise.

On, like, historical win-loss totals.

Yes, exactly.

And not, like, they're the worst team ever, but just w- where they end up at the end of this year.

we can't have those conversations anymore, 'cause this was a road trip that was set up for them and- Mm-hmm did not happen.

Yeah.

I think that's a fair compromise.

I'm sitting here, what, five, a 5-0 streak away from being able to talk about the Giants being back.

That seems absolutely insurmountable.

they can't put together a series win against the Rockies, so yeah, I need to, I need to saddle you with something here as well.

Do you think they'll have a five-game winning streak this year?

I think that- They have to, right?

Yes.

Yes, they will.

Absolutely they will.

It, it, it- it's rough that it took me so many beats to have to confidently say that.

Because I've been saying for a year now, "They can't be this bad.

They're gonna get better.

They gotta regress to the mean."

Yeah.

I can't, I'm not Why would I stop saying it now?

It, it seems impossible that they haven't yet, but- No that's the season we're discussing, so.

Yeah.

A season of, of a lot of firsts, a lot of historics, um- Yeah very few in a good way.

So let's talk Giants at Coors.

really I, I feel like there's so many negatives to, to fixate on.

Should we at the very least start with some highlights?

I mean, Casey Schmitt was making highlight reels all over the place, kind of showing why you keep harping on the fact that third base is his natural position.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think to the negative thing, like, there's really no What, what are we gonna podcast about Giants pitchers giving up runs at Coors Field?

Like- you know, everyone does it.

So it's, everyone will- Matt Bolton's shaky.

Coors Field gets to some pitchers.

Yeah.

yeah.

Yeah.

Casey, this is I, I was watching when he, when Arias went down and there was that night where he made that really nice feed to second base, and the first thing that popped in my head, and I think I said it here, was just like, they have to do whatever they can to get him back on the dirt.

Yeah.

'Cause he'd turned into a really good hitter, like an all-star caliber hitter.

And whatever, he handled with He did, he did great.

He, he They put him out there.

He handled it.

He didn't look like he couldn't do it.

and yet it does make you wonder, like, what's the utility role for him?

Then you watch him when he fills in at second base for Arias without playing second base for a month before, and you watch him fill in at third for Matt Chapman this weekend.

It's just a reminder if they would ever give this guy just one position, and especially, who knows how many more years Wash is here.

But especially now when we've seen what he's been able to do with Arias, and we saw Arias' words when he made the all-star team and, and how complimentary he continues to be.

It's just like, get Casey Schmitt back on the dirt.

And there's only really one way to do it this year, which is play him at second base.

But- Yeah it's just a shame for his career, because he's one of their best players and he's playing better than most of the veterans, throughout the year.

And he's been the guy who's had to move around for the good of the team.

And you kind of watch him and just go like, what if they just let him focus on one position, let him have a normal off-season focused on one position?

he's His glove was his calling card coming through- Yeah the minors.

And it's great that he's turned into this type of hitter and this type of threat at the plate.

but I, I just really hope they find a spot for him, and I, I would imagine it'll be second base over the next month.

we're within a month of the trade deadline now, and I'd imagine it would be second base, and that carries over into next season.

But you do see the talent there.

And the other thought I had was it's a really weird roster build, and we talk about this all the time, but their two most exciting young players are blocked at their best positions.

Yep.

And, you know, they can play Casey at second, then you see him at third and realize, like he- He's a monster like, is he the second-best defensive third baseman in the National League behind the guy who's ahead of him?

Like I- Yeah I don't know the answer there.

I don't know what a full season would look like.

But he was supposed to be a Gold Glove candidate if he got to the big leagues as a third baseman.

Like, that was what scouts had been saying for years and telling me for years, and you see what he did there.

the play he made where he touched third and made that throw, like, I think Dave Fleming's call was, I don't one of the best plays I've ever seen.

Like, I don't know that I've seen that exact play before, so.

It was so just effortless looking that- Yeah when you saw it live, it didn't even really trigger what had happened.

It was like- Yeah "Oh, wow, cool.

He got the out.

He got two outs.

Great."

And then upon the slow motion replay, you just saw how technically just perfectly executed it was.

And again, a guy who's been playing outfield for most of the last month.

Exactly.

And I, I On their pregame, like, he's doing his work, but he's not going through Matt Chapman's drills every single day at third base.

So- Mm-hmm I don't think the answer for him is gonna be third unless, you know, 'cause Chapman's here and he has four years after this one.

But I'd, I'd love to see what he can do with a real runway at second base.

And, you know, Bryce Eldridge I think continues to look pretty solid at first too.

So just a very strange way this roster is currently, currently fixed up.

Like it, it's these two guys who you're like, you could very easily in an alternate universe where, you know, contracts are not You know, if contracts were expiring or certain guys weren't here, it'd be like, you have these two young cornerstones at the corners, like- Build around it just let.

Yeah.

But they, neither one can really play that spot.

Yeah.

It's, it's very unfortunate that this is how it's come together.

They're obviously gonna deal with it however they're able to figure out.

Whether that involves trying to trade anyone, I don't think that's gonna be likely to, to execute for- Yeah all the variety of reasons we've delved into on this podcast over the past month.

or just working around them.

And we got young talent climbing the ranks.

and hopefully a new dawn will be here before we know it in the next couple of years of looking at a really young, really talented roster that's not boxed in.

Yeah, I think we're, you know, next week, you mentioned the All-Star break.

I think we'll do some first half recap stuff and maybe give out some awards.

And for me, I mean, Casey's a runaway winner for, like, almost anything positive.

It's just been- Yeah it's been such an incredible story.

And, you know, for him to continue to do this and continue to hit home runs and continue to field defensively, like, it is the main positive of, of this first half.

Yeah.

other notes from Coors Field.

Obviously, any time you're at Coors, the home runs are going to be part of the story.

But we saw some absolutely monster shots from Giants players, including Bryce Eldridge and Rafael Devers.

ball just flying off of the bat in a series that they couldn't bring home the win.

The, the, oh, the series win, but brought home some, some big home runs.

Yeah.

Devers had a good road trip.

three homers at Coors, four on the trip.

He's, you know, heating up, picking it up, so.

Yeah.

seems to really have responded to, Deversgate, whatever you wanna call it, two weeks ago.

So he's, he's playing good baseball.

And then Eldridge, I, I, I think this is the most obvious point in the world, and I think everyone made it, but it's gonna be really fun to watch him at Coors Field- Mm-hmm for his whole care- like, what, however long he's a Giant and gets to play there six, six, seven games a year.

So, the number at the top is, is, 480.

That's Alex Dickerson and- Legend I think he can do it.

Yeah.

It, it really just brings me back to what we've talked about for the Rockies for so long, is why aren't they the guys getting Rafael Devers?

Do they- Like, just- Make the trade stack your team with these guys who, whose one skill is hitting bombs.

They tried with, with Chris Bryant, and- Oh, that's true, and that's not their fault.

You know, actually, when you see the way Jake McCarthy's playing for them, I actually think they need, like, nine Jake McCarthys.

That You would say that.

Yeah, he's he was the same way in Arizona.

So- Yeah I, I'm still waiting for the right person to get that job and, and do something- It's very- really interesting there.

Yeah.

So.

Get real creative with the Coors build.

I think it would be much more annoying to have nine Jake McCarthys than nine guys, like, swinging for, for 480.

Yeah.

What kills you at Coors is those innings where you're like, "Did six guys in a row just reach base and four of them hit doubles and one hit a triple?"

Yeah.

It's not the home- the homers, they come and go.

It- But I've heard a lot about, you know, the Rockies, perpetual underdogs, but, you know, good on their fans, still showing up.

Still, still getting out there, supporting their team.

I have to say, for this being 4th of July weekend, and I know there were some weather concerns, including delays, but pretty, pretty empty looking yard.

Yeah, I think they did a good fireworks show, but- Okay it, it's, it's hit and miss there.

I, I also can't blame, you know, they're halfway into the season going, "Okay, this again?"

So.

Yeah.

And I guess it's not like it was the Dodgers coming through, it was the lowly, lowly, lowly- Yeah San Francisco Giants.

I would also imagine, and I've never lived there, although I've been there a whole lot, that Denver, when you live there, there are tremendous 4th of July options.

Like- That's true.

You're gonna miss- You're going to the lake.

Yeah.

You're going hiking.

You're- Yeah you know.

Yeah.

Great point.

I bet you're not staying in town.

Yeah.

speaking of, condolences to all the San Franciscans who went out for fireworks viewings.

It was most predictable thing of all time.

Fogged in baby Carls there.

Most predictable thing of all time.

Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah.

So we love it.

any other takeaways?

Do we wanna talk about Logan Webb's outing?

Do we wanna talk about the bullpen?

I mean, it's there.

It's sitting there.

I don't know that there's a ton to discuss, but just to talk.

You know what?

I think it's Yeah, I think those are things that happen when you go to Coors and you expect them to happen, and- Mm-hmm you expect a day like today, like, what was it?

Double hit by pitch home run.

Like, that happens almost every game at Coors- Yeah at some point in that game.

So, those I don't Yeah, I, if it happens at Oracle on Monday, we'll, we'll talk about it.

But, Coors, I just kind of shake it off.

All the pitches- It is wild all the pitches are tough to shake off.

It is a wild that MLB just has this ballpark that's like, "Hey, nonsense happens here."

You know?

Yeah.

It just, you're gonna deal with some really weird stuff, and, when you get to that part of the podcast, shake it off, 'cause there's noth- nothing I can do about it.

That is- Right insane in maj- in Major League professional sports.

And, I mean, is Vegas gonna be that different?

Vegas is pretty high up, right?

I think Vegas is Yeah, I, I don't know what the ballpark itself I mean, the Vegas AAA ballpark is a joke, but- Yeah we'll see what happens with the A's.

There seems to be a lot going on there.

We'll see what happens with their actual ballpark, but.

Okay.

Yeah, it's, it's similar to, like I think we've said this here before, but, like, they, they took away Brandon Crawford's StatCast numbers from the Mexico City's ga- Mexico City game, 'cause they're, they're, like, that was, yeah, that was kind of a joke of a ballpark.

Yeah.

So.

Well, then don't make guys play there.

That was the whole point.

Yeah.

Well, it's, it's weird that a team plays in somewhat, something somewhat similar- Mm-hmm year round.

But they've had some successful seasons there.

Yeah.

I, I do kind of like the, the whole MLB thing where you're like, "All right, that's on the schedule."

Yep.

Every ballpark's different.

Get your free- In shape.

Get your free home run.

Need that.

Yeah.

Especially for the guys who had big weekends, like, get your numbers, 'cause you know you're about to go play a bunch of night games at, at Oracle the next week.

Yep.

And we've talked about how there will be an era.

We, we might not look like this, it could be 20 years from now, but there will be an era where the Rockies are a force, and we'll think back on this stint of professional baseball with, with, with fond memories.

I'm curious to see what that looks like in- We have a real race now for fourth place in the National League West, so.

The number one thing we're following right now.

Yeah.

all right.

Let's talk roster moves.

Matt Gage went to the IL with a left elbow strain, and that brought Spencer Bivens up to the big league team, a move I've been calling for for quite a while.

Yeah, I think the key part about this, and we'll see where this goes for Matt.

he'll have testing and didn't sound great.

I do think like, we, we went pretty hard on the Keaton Win stuff and I think for good reason, and looks like Keaton ultimately is gonna be okay and- Mm-hmm is on his way back and could be back this week.

But this is twice now where I think in the moment you kind of go And I was texting people watching Gage.

I'm like, "What's he still doing out there?"

Yeah.

Like this.

So this is twice now where in the moment you kind of shake your head and this isn't, you know, Monday Morning Quarterback.

This is literally in the moment you can watch this with Keaton and go, "Why is he out there a third straight day?"

Yeah.

And, and with Matt Gage, you, you kind of look and you go, "This doesn't look right," and why is he throwing Why is Matt Gage throwing 51 pitches?

So, he goes on the IL.

I'll just You know, we're putting this in the file that this is twice now, and you hope he's okay.

You hope he gets positive news, 'cause it, it's been, it's been a hell of a journey for him to get to this point.

And more than that, I just kind of put this in our file of this is twice now, and, you hope it doesn't happen a third time.

'Cause y- you start to wonder about like there had to be other way to cov- other ways to cover some of these innings.

And I just think organizationally too, I You know, you mentioned we haven't seen Bivens yet.

Like this is Every organization should be shuffling.

Like Bivens and Beck, you could have shuffled them back and forth the entire first half.

Yeah.

And, and been like, "Who's fresh?

Who can give you..." Spencer Bivens can give you 51 pitches no problem, and that's, that's what he's built to do.

So, they haven't been doing that and I, I think that's a mistake.

Yeah.

All right.

He's here now.

We'll ch- keep our eye on Matt Gage and the fallout of that and how he heals from that.

But just another, another question mark, another thing that makes you think in a normal season wouldn't stand out so much, but throw it on the pile for a yel- year like this.

We'll throw it on our list of just like, "Huh, that, that doesn't feel right."

Yeah.

So.

Yeah.

All right.

We've got mailbag questions from listeners, and of course we're previewing Giants versus Blue Jays.

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All right, Alex, we've got a set of mailbag questions from listeners here.

As always, if you're listening to Giants Talk and would like to submit a question to myself or Alex, go ahead and find us wherever you can on social media.

Send us a DM or a comment and we'll add this to our list.

Yeah.

we'll get to it during a relevant episode.

We'll start out with Joey's question.

Joey says, "If Chapman has been feeling this injury since April, why did he play nearly every day since then?

They always have had young players on the bench who could have benefited from more playing time, and Schmidt is a fantastic defensive third baseman.

This feels like a major oversight or miscommunication within the organization."

this is a, a really great question, and we have talked so much, like we just did, about two up and coming stars being boxed in.

Guys needing to play every day when they're not.

And if we're in a situation where Chapman should have been or could have been taking days off to heal, what, what gives?

It is a good question.

I, I, I don't put this on our list of, like, things that make you raise your eyebrows.

Because I There's an old saying in baseball that the only day everyone feels great or something like that is the first day of spring training.

Yeah.

And, people would be kind of surprised.

You know, Matt Gage was pitching through some things.

But people would be surprised to find just exactly what every guy is playing through.

And I, I think there are certain guys who are, I kind of put into a different bucket as well.

I mean, Brandon Crawford played through so many different types of injuries and almost never went on the injured list, and was constantly getting treatment, was constantly, you know, thinking about his shoulder or his elbow or his back or his hamstring or his quad, whatever.

but he wanted to be out there.

Yeah.

And he felt the team was better with him out there.

And I think Matt Chapman has always reminded me quite a bit of, of Crawford, just covering him, and he wants to play.

And I, I know it's been a, a down season for him, but, like, he's not the worst hitter in baseball.

Like, he's been basically a league average hitter and has been a very good defensive third baseman.

So I think there's that part of it, like he wants to play and he doesn't feel, like, too compromised.

and the, the other thing is this was a, seemed like a bit of a weird injury.

That it wasn't, like, a straight, like, "Hey, your hamstring hurts.

you know, shut it down for 10 days."

Or, you know, "You got a concussion," or you, you have like last year when he had the hand thing where it's just like, "No, you can't, you can't play."

it seemed like this is one that he could manage quite a bit and then one play it just went out, and, he could manage it no longer.

But I, I think, you know, we, we could tell that he wasn't playing his best baseball, but he never looked hurt.

Yeah.

and I think people when they talked about him, you know, you talk about some of the pitches he's swinging through and you, you assume it's because of age and just a guy who's getting up there and a little bit older and deeper into his career.

So this one, is pretty standard.

I remember writing a story one year when Crawford made the All-Star team late in his career.

and talking to Dave Gresh and literally listed like almost every body part that they- he had worked on at some point that season.

Uh- It's like that sketch of the body and every- Yes little component.

Like what, what doesn't hurt?

Uh- there were springs where he wouldn't throw for, you know, long stretches to kind of preserve his elbow.

So, this one I think is pretty standard.

I think there's a lot of guys around there who, you know, Devers, I don't think the hamstring thing's ever gone away for him.

Mm-hmm.

And he wants to be out there.

So this is pretty standard.

and I, I get from the outside you look and say you have Casey there, but, it's just kind of not how these guys are wired.

Yeah.

I- is this at all a situation where as if this were anyone else but it is Matt Chapman, clubhouse leader, longtime Major League veteran.

Yeah.

He also gets a little bit more pull here.

Yeah.

You know, if he says, "I'm good to play," yes, sir.

Yeah, I think Chapman, Ademas, and Devers are three guys who, if they wanna play, they're out there.

Yeah.

And I think some of them have talked their way in the lineup at, at points this year.

Um- Yeah so it's, that's just kind of the way it is.

Like the- those guys wanna be out there 162.

Yeah.

Yep.

next question is from Mark.

Mark says, "As you have pointed out on several occasions, Tony Vitello's decision-making has been questionable at times this season.

Vitello has never managed in the big leagues, and some m- mistakes have to be expected as he navigates the complexities of a new, more challenging position.

Have the Giants implemented any sort of process to help him learn from mistakes, grow in the job, and become a better, more successful manager?

He has two former Major League managers on his coaching staff, and presumably has access to Bruce Bochy, Dusty Baker, and Ron Wotus.

This brain trust could help Vitello improve by reviewing in-game decisions and raising appropriate questions when mistakes happen.

Does this on-the-job feedback or training occur, or are the Giants just letting Vitello sink or swim on his own?

If not, should the Giants be faulted for failing to implement a process for input to help make Vitello become successful at the big league level?"

It's a good question.

It's an important question, I think, as we, you know, think about where this is all headed for Tony.

He does, you know, from what I've gathered, he, he's mentioned a couple times, like things that he specifically has called Bochy on.

I, I know when Dusty's around, sometimes they, I, you see them talking in the dugout.

he, he was the one who asked Ron Wotus to be in the dugout with him.

Mm-hmm.

And, and, it was kind of, yeah, I mean, it was right before the season.

And he's like, "I want you there."

So, he, he does have guys he can listen to.

At the same time, I, you know, I, it's, he's n- I don't think he's calling these guys too often, whether he just doesn't wanna bug them or whether it's just not realistic.

Like, you're not gonna call Bruce Bochy the next morning and be like, "Let's go through the seventh through ninth innings last night."

Like I, I think- That's exactly what I'm thinking.

Yeah, like Bruce Bochy's not interested probably in 162 meeting, post-game meetings.

Yeah.

Some, I think there's been He said one time a few weeks ago, it was like, "There's one very specific thing I needed to call Boch about."

And, so he does have those guys around him, but I also think he's done this for a long time, and he wants to manage a certain way.

And I think we've seen there's definitely a style that he manages with and that he goes about, you know, he goes about his day with.

I also think he's someone who's pretty quick to move on from moments where we would maybe sit there and from the outside go like, "Hey, you gotta call Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker and sit with Ron Wotus and Ron Washington and say, 'What do you do about this Devers thing?'"

And he just goes, "We talked on the plane.

We're over it."

Yeah.

And just like, love that guy.

Drops a town reference, and he's, he moves on.

Yeah.

So, I don't think there's, I don't think anyone's asking him to sink or swim.

I, I do think he's My sense is he is doing this, largely his way.

Yeah.

which is, look, they brought him in here to, to do things his way, so.

That's exactly it for me.

He, they, they hired him to do his job.

It's not like they picked a guy off the street who they were like, "We have to mold him-" Yeah " to be super manager."

They said, "We like this guy.

We trust him.

We think he can make the, the tough decisions.

We think he has the, the baseball knowledge to get it done.

Now let's give him the reins."

he has these options.

He's mentioned, as you said, that he uses these options, but I don't think it's fair to expect him or the, the cadre around him in Dusty, Bochy, Wotus to pick up the slack there and essentially tutor him on being- Yeah a successful manager.

Yeah, I think they brought him in here to do the, the Tony Vitello way.

Exactly.

And, you know, we will, and we have, we will grade him appropriately.

We'll grade him on that.

But, yeah, I don't I think he wants to do things his way.

Yeah.

And, these guys are around.

He talks to them sometimes.

I don't think it's that often.

And, it wasn't necessarily why, you know, these It's really easy, and I think we, we even make the connection here.

Like, it's really easy to go like, "Oh, look at all the special assistants around him.

Look at all the, the talent around him.

Look at the Hall of Fame, managers around him."

But in practice, it's actually not like what hap Yeah, I'll go back and it's not that, it's not what's happening, that he's calling guys every morning and going- Yeah "What do you think about that move in the eighth inning last night?"

Exactly.

So.

Casey asks, "Hoping you guys should s- shed some light on how a likely work stoppage next year will impact this year's trade deadline.

Do you expect teams to be more aggressive as a result, and does this benefit the Giants?"

this is pretty interesting.

We've talked a lot about the, the 2027 very likely work stoppage due to new bargaining agreement.

and this is the, the final trade deadline before that.

And we don't know what the future of baseball contracts, bonuses, deferrals, all kinds of, of real nitty-gritty things like that are going to be after this.

And this is your last chance to, to move guys before that.

Yeah.

This is a, a question that everyone around the league is asking.

And, you know, I've seen a lot on like Dodgers Twitter of people saying like, "Do whatever it takes to go get Schoopel," 'cause you, you don't know what the next, bargaining agreement's gonna look like.

And you don't know what that's gonna mean for a team like the Dodgers.

It's probably- Yeah going to hinder them a little bit.

So go and, and I've seen this from Dodgers fans that I kind of Sorry to agree with them.

Like- Yeah yeah, go and try to get your third straight because they might bring the hammer down on you.

and you m- you might not be able to do this again.

So we'll see if they do that or if they go about it their own way.

I, I think the first thing that pops into my head is I would think some of these older teams, I think specifically of like the Phillies, who've kind of been in win now mode for a while and have not like lived up to expectations.

And some of those guys, Harper, Schwarber, Turner, like that's an older team.

their rotation's older as well.

Like Zach Wheeler's been around a long time.

He was traded by the Giants 15 years ago.

So I would think those teams would be a little bit aggressive just knowing that there's gonna be uncertainty next year.

And also- Yeah if you're under the assumption it's gonna be a shortened season, that also is a bit of a wild card in itself that Like remember the Phillies got off to a horrible start this year.

So- Mm-hmm you do that in a season that, let's say it's been shortened to 132 games, you don't have as much.

And they made it up in like a month, but generally you don't have a chance to do that.

So, I think that would play into it.

I From a Giants perspective, they'd love to take advantage.

What they really need to do most likely is they have the knowledge that we do not have.

And by they, I mean like the Johnsons and Buster and Larry Baer, and specifically those people who have a better sense of where this is all going, and what this is gonna look like when the dust settles.

And if they feel like this is their last chance to trade some of these guys because it'll be more difficult afterwards, then- Yeah that plays into it.

I think we've talked, we've gotten multiple questions from this about like if there's a floor, do you have an easier opportunity to trade Adevers?

If they feel like that's coming, that probably plays into it as well of like, hey, you don't need to be as You know, maybe you don't have to take on as much money this year because it'll be easier when teams have to hit a floor.

So there's a lot that goes into it.

I would guess it's gonna be pretty close to business as usual just because we- Yeah you know, it's so hard to predict what's gonna happen and, and when it's gonna happen.

And I think teams are gonna go for it like they usually do.

Yeah.

You can't let this intervene too much.

And I think you said it best when it's like, yes, these conversations are happening, but no, we unfortunately aren't privy to what the, the likely impact is yet.

but I'm sure the powers that be with, with their inside knowledge are, are making moves accordingly.

Yeah.

Um- I'm really curious, and, and we'll talk about this w- after it happens.

Like obviously we'll break down all the Giants stuff.

But I am really curious to see what the Dodgers do.

And, you know, you put like the Padres in that boat of an older team as well.

So- Yeah I'm curious to see what other teams do, 'cause it will give you a little bit of a hint of what they think is gonna happen in December.

I mean, my Dodgers fan friends are already talking as if Schoopel is wearing the blue and white.

Yeah.

I, I swear they're making guys up who end up on top 100 lists.

We're gonna trade three of them.

Yeah.

It's insane.

But hey- Yep we, we wish it could be us.

Yeah.

Next question is from Sandra.

Sandra asks, "I'm curious about Tony Vitello's thought process behind the constantly changing batting order."

You know, it's the same guys for the most part.

That's true.

So very much so the same guys.

Does that almost make it more of a question though?

No, I, I think this is For me, this is one of those things that And I, I always laugh when I see some of the lineup responses every day when it's posted.

Like I think it's one of the most overrated things, that we talk about.

And, you know, occasionally there's a thing where like Jung Hu being fifth as opposed to top three might cost him in a bat when he's red hot, things like that.

But generally I, I think it's, you know, gets discussed more than it's probably worth.

in this specific case I think when you're talking about Tony and you're talking about the thought process, we're still learning him, right?

But the one thing that stands out is he does really seem to be, day to day.

I don't mean day to day as like a goes about this day to day, but I, I think his focus is really day to day in- Mm-hmm trying to win that day's game.

And I don't know if it would be this way anyway, but especially with where they're at.

Like he We've seen him like desperately trying to turn this around at times.

And so I, I do think that sometimes where you see like, hey, this guy looked good for the last four days, let's ride Let's see if we can ride this for the next four days, as opposed to like, this guy's been down here and, let's stick him there.

So I, I think that's a lot of the moving guys around is, is just trying to really ride who's hot.

Yeah.

we've certainly seen that on the pitching side.

So that would be my main thing with Tony is I don't think he's really thinking about like four days from now as much.

And, and that's not a criticism, I just, I think that's how When you see the lineup moves, I think that's a lot of that.

I would be, I would be so fascinated to be hearing the daily breakdown of what the thoughts are there.

You know?

So-and-so's hot, so-and-so looked really good in the cage.

So-and-so pairs up nicely with the pitcher.

Because on surface level, to fans like Sandra or even myself sometimes, it does feel like names out of a hat.

Yeah.

I mean, they are doing all the You know, when we actually ask the questions in the afternoon, there is a lot of like this, we like this matchup.

Mm-hmm.

This guy splits.

This and that.

I, I haven't really My quibble with, with him in terms of lineup hasn't really been- There aren't a lot of days where I look at it and look into the splits, and I kind of go like, "That doesn't make sense."

I think- Yeah for me, my main thing has just been like I think he ha- he ha- hasn't utilized his bench enough.

But, you know, and there was a stretch where, like, Barracodo didn't play for two weeks, and it's like, well, what are you here for?

So, and I think, like, Jonah Cox is going through that now.

Mm-hmm.

So, that would be mine, but I That's not, like, lineup construction necessarily, like, one through nine.

Yeah.

All right.

Let's jump ahead to some draft talk.

With how much trade discussions we've had, we haven't touched on the draft much.

Joshua says, "The draft is coming up.

Any chance you could go in depth on possible Giants picks and how they're gonna use that additional first round pick they received with the Bailey trade?"

Giants are in that, that kind of area it feels like where they're gonna get- Mm-hmm with their first pick whichever of those top dogs is still available.

Yeah.

it They're, they have the fourth pick.

There's a group of very, very, very talented young ballplayers, and I've seen so many mock drafts tying them to different guys that I'm very curious to, to hear what your take is.

Yeah.

I mean, we talked at the beginning of the year, and I think in the off-season as well when they moved up to four about I think we joked about, like, doing more draft stuff.

And the, the reality is with the Major League Baseball draft, it's hard to do too much beforehand because it, it's such a crapshoot.

Mm-hmm.

so much of it is tied to, like, pool money and how you wanna move that around and what you wanna do.

I think what's really interesting about the, the draft, and this will happen in the Giants case, is how you move that money around and, like, what do you do with the Bailey pick, which is worth like 3.27 million and- Yeah I From what I've heard.

And, and again, it's such, like, a niche thing.

Like, you hear names and it's also like it's like that's a high school guy.

Like, it's not This isn't like, that guy played quarterback at Alabama.

Like, what's- Mm-hmm he's being discussed everywhere.

He's in mock drafts everywhere.

So from what I've heard, I think they're doing a lot of work to try to take advantage of that 29th pick.

And I think there's some specific guys, and I'm curious to see if it'll end up this way, but there's specific guys that I think they've, targeted pretty hard and are hoping that they're there and they can take advantage or, you know, even I think it's 55 their next pick after that.

So, you know, and, and do the Kyle Harrison thing all over again, which worked out very well for them.

As far as number four, they mostly have been connected to Lombard who's the high school shortstop.

Jacob Lombard, he's from Go Over Prep in Miami.

That's the one you've seen over and over again.

I don't know what to make of that because I This is not a front office that leaks, so it's interesting to me that they keep being connected to the same guy.

Yeah.

Your point, there's a pretty good structure at the top, and it does seem like there's kind of a big three.

And, um- And which is a bummer that the Giants have- Yeah the fourth when there is a very tight three.

But yeah, you, you were gonna start going down the list of them.

Well, I, it's I mean, it's Rock, it's Lackey, and it's Grady Emerson, who's also a high school shortstop.

And i- the other thing about the baseball draft is this.

We just saw an NBA draft where everyone's like, "We know who the top four are gonna be.

we know especially who the top three are gonna be.

Don't we pretty much know who's gonna go one?

We think we know who's gonna go..." You know?

Like, it's- Mm-hmm this is different.

Like, it I think whatever happens with Rock at one is gonna shake up that whole top four, and I still believe the Giants are hanging around the backboard and waiting and seeing if, if he drops.

And- Yeah I, I think there's a greater chance than maybe has been discussed of him drop- dropping.

Lackey would make a ton of sense.

If he drops to four, I think that's automatic.

and then after that it's a bunch of high school shortstop.

Emerson is in the mix for number one as well.

So, it's a weird thing, 'cause you can't really predict.

And I, I know even talking to Giants people, like, it's really hard to even figure out what other baseball front offices are thinking, where in other sports you look at it and go like, you know they're taking a quarterback number one, and you know they're taking- Mm-hmm a quarterback number two, and, you know the team number three needs a wide receiver or needs defensive help or whatever.

This is, this is best player available in every spot near the top of the draft.

Yeah.

And it's a matter of who that specific team thinks is the best player.

I know this means absolutely nothing to the Giants, but to me as a fan, the fact that in the top four as listed there are two kids who have said they're, they grew up Giants fans and neither of them are who we said they're likely to pick in, Lombard bums me out.

You know?

Rock, Giants fan.

Yeah.

And then Jackson Flora out of UC Santa Barbara, Giants fan.

come on.

Give me one of them.

We don't even pretend to be unbiased here with f- I mean, two UCSB guys, both said Giants We're pro Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara.

Let's go Gauchos.

And he's I don't know if you saw him with Dallas Braden.

Like, he's, he, he's just- One of the funniest clips- Yeah last thing on social media all week.

He's basically s- "Hello, guys.

I'm right here."

What's that?

"And, oh, by the way, I would right away be your top pitching prospect and your best hope to be Logan Webb's co-ace sometime in his prime."

So, I've been, I've been surpri- you know.

We'll see where this goes.

And again, the Giants as a front office are very good about not getting, letting stuff get out.

I'm very curious on Saturday and then in the aftermath when maybe they're a little bit more forthcoming, to hear how they, how they feel or felt about Flora.

Because on paper, and not just because he's a Gaucho, just on paper he seems to check a lot of boxes.

Every box.

And you don't see them You don't see him at four in a lot of mock drafts.

Yeah.

All right, so we'll be keeping our eye on that.

Giants talk here has said their piece on who they think.

But, yeah, baseball draft's a crapshoot.

That runway through the minor leagues is so long, you're not filling any specific needs with a player you're drafting.

So like you said, Alex, best player available, and every team's evaluating that a little bit differently in that top four.

Yeah.

I think their next two picks are actually to me almost as I mean, four is gonna be franchise altering, but the next two picks are almost as important in, in what they're able to do.

And I, you know, they have some ideas of what they can do, but it- it's also like you're Even at like 29 you're like y- you're waiting on a lot of teams there.

Um- Yeah so yeah.

We will, we will have a full breakdown next on Monday, after they make their pick.

But- Yeah again, that's Saturday and, and we'll see where they go.

All right Alex, I have two more mailbag questions before we get to Giants Blue Jays.

Cynthia says, "Chances of playoffs are pretty much zero, right?

So at this point, who should Giants fans be rooting for other than this team?"

We've talked a lot.

I mean, I think it was a lot easier when I was young and you had AL and NL with very little overlap.

Interleague wasn't as big.

Yeah.

So you had your AL team as well.

now it's a little different.

You see everyone.

But I know a lot of people do have their like their backup team, their non-Giants team.

Maybe that's a team with a lot of Giants, former Giants players on it.

Maybe it's just a really likable team.

Maybe it's a team that's best equipped to beat the Dodgers.

But what do you think?

What, what's your pitch for, for who Giants fans should, should be rooting for to, to make the playoffs, to succeed in the playoffs, et cetera?

I'm gonna do the B writer thing and say we root for quick games and good stories.

So you, you are the fan where- Ah you get to choose the, you get to choose the team.

I think it's the Braves and the Blue Jays.

Um- Giants East.

Yeah.

Giants East just because of those faces.

You go over there, you saw Mike Strasinski.

Yeah.

You saw everyone that, that Just the smiles, the standing ovations they got here at O- Oracle Park.

And then the Blue Jays just putting up such a grudge match in the World Series last year, having the Dodgers on the ropes and fumbling it.

I would love to get, see them get another shot at that.

Yeah.

I always think of this in terms of like you're sitting there on a Tuesday in October and you're watching a random like playoff game that started at noon on the West Coast.

Mm-hmm.

And you're like, "That guy.

That's-" Exactly "that guy.

That guy."

Yeah.

So- Mauricio Dubn.

Yeah.

So that's I, I think that's a good way to put it.

Yeah.

All right, one more question from Travis.

Travis says, "Checking in from overseas.

I know Dodgers hats have become commonplace all around the world, but where's the furthest place away you've spotted a Giants hat in the wild?"

this is a fun one.

I'm always looking out for this.

I also I don't know if you do this when you watch TV shows or documentaries, but I'm always looking for Giants hats in the crowd or like photos of- of When the new pope was, was elected, there was like a Giants jersey in the audience in some of the AP photos.

I'm always keeping an eye out for that kind of thing.

I have not seen a lot of that other than Caught Stealing, which was a Giants movie.

Um- Yeah, that doesn't count.

It doesn't count.

I The furthest I think I've been personally is like, I don't know, distance-wise probably Thailand.

Okay.

I don't remember.

I did that like 14 years ago, so I don't specifically remember.

But I know our last real vacation, me and my wife, was Italy, and I saw multiple Giants hats there.

So- There we go that's my answer.

I met a Giants talk listener in Italy.

So- Oh he was just like, "Hey, listen to the pod."

I'm like, "Oh, okay."

That's great.

"All right, we're in Rome."

So that's my answer to that.

Double points for that.

Yeah.

I mean, I Travis is right.

Dodgers hats, whether it's Italy or Thailand, are everywhere.

I, I didn't see any Giants hats in Chiang Mai when I was in Thailand last.

I didn't see any in Italy.

I did see a Giants hat in Vietnam on a, on a local- Oh which got me pretty hyped.

but they, they are out there.

and it as disheartening as it is to, to see the number of Dodgers hats everywhere, I When I see someone in a Giants hat, I assume it's more because they're a fan than they're just wearing it as a fashion statement.

Yeah, definitely.

Yeah.

also Travis checking in from overseas.

As we talk about Giants hats around the world, shout out to all our listeners who are from overseas.

I know one listener, Kyle in particular, is getting married in Sweden coming up.

Go Kyle.

So shout out Kyle in Sweden.

UCSB Gaucho.

All right.

let's talk Giants versus Blue Jays.

As I just called them out as one of my favorite teams to keep an eye on, now we're going straight into heading against them head-to-head.

Alex, who do we have pitching in this match up?

for Cole's Blue Jays it'll be Kevin Gausman- TVA and Dylan Cee's.

And for the Giants it's Wander Rope, Trevor McDonald and Logan Webb.

The Blue Jays are 42 and 48.

They're doing the World Series hangover thing, which we've seen is real here.

Mm-hmm.

they're also in the American League, so they're only three games out of wild cards.

So about- Love to see it good for them.

Yeah.

Good, good for them.

and they are a team with a handful of old friends of ours.

Maybe not the number that the, that the Braves have, but if you were to put together a list of guys I wish were- Yeah still Giants, I think the top two are on this Blue Jays team.

It might be the top three actually.

Oh.

But it is definitely top two.

Kevin Gausman, 4.19 ERA, 3.80 FIP.

This is year five of that five-year deal that he signed when the Giants low-balled him and he wanted to come back and went and found his money in Toronto and we have for years talked about him as the one that got away.

And this, when you add it up, it's fascinating that it's year five because he has been healthy the entire time.

He's made 143 starts with a 3.57 ERA and 3.22 FIP, and has been exactly what you would want from a five-year, $110 million deal.

Oh.

And just, it looked In the moment we thought it was a bad decision, and you look back on it and just go, like, he would've been exactly what they needed.

So.

Even beyond the numbers, you know, just checked all the boxes in terms of- Yep the fans loved him.

He embraced the city of San Francisco.

Logan Webb and him hit it off and were- Yep so tight.

I wish so much Kevin Gausman was, was on year five here instead of year five there.

And when we talk about these contracts and the fact the Giants don't like them, I think we always give them a little bit of the benefit of the doubt because generally these deals, like a guy will miss a year or miss- Mm-hmm you know, 18 starts in one of the years.

Gausman's made it all the way through basically.

So.

Yeah.

You know, maybe something happens this year, but he has given them everything they, they thought they were getting and more.

Yeah.

And they've been to the postseason three times with him.

Gosh.

Yep.

And then right behind him on the list, Tyler Rogers.

speaking of whoops, like here we go again.

Tyler Rogers.

Three-year, $37 million deal in the off season.

When you look at where the Giants ended up with certain guys, would not have been too hard to get to 37 million you would think.

No.

And we Where would this bullpen be with him pitching the eighth inning every night?

In pretty good shape.

So.

Yeah, yeah.

and he's doing it again.

1.77 ERA, up near the league lead in appearances.

He has six more appearances than any current Giants reliever.

So, he is taking over the mantle from Gausman as Blue Jay who is guy that got away.

Blue Jay that got away.

Now, obviously the trade that happened got the Giants some, some pieces that they actively use.

Drew Gilbert- Yeah we've seen a ton of.

Blade Tidwell still shows promise.

but he was right there to sign after that trade had happened and the off season was there.

We just had a mail bag question recently about why don't trades and then re-signs happen more often, 'cause it seems like the best of both worlds.

That was the one to do it for.

And again, not Monday morning quarterback.

Everyone externally at the time was like, "This feels like it makes a ton of sense."

Yep.

and the Giants went the way they did.

Yes.

So.

That they did.

They did.

All right.

And you said potentially top three.

Yeah.

The You know, when people see Spencer Miles this series, a fair amount I think will be made of this.

He was a Giants draft pick, a fourth round pick a few years ago.

2022 I believe.

Okay.

he only pitched 14 and two-thirds innings for them in the, in the minors.

He was hurt quite a bit, and then he kind of popped up in the Ariz- Arizona Fall League last year.

Blue Jays took him in the Rule 5 draft.

Giants did not protect him, and he has been very good.

2.83 ERA.

Sticking in their bullpen.

Looks like exactly the type of arm the Giants need.

this is not as cut and dry as the other ones I think.

Yeah.

And this, you know, it's generally I, I would, I'd be quick to hammer a, a bad Rule 5 decision, except he, he basically didn't pitch after getting drafted by them.

Mm-hmm.

So, you know, it's, it's not, it's not exactly the same as like the Reggie Crawford situation, because Reggie was actively coming back from an injury during the Rule 5 draft.

But somewhat similar in terms of guys who have, have not pitched in the minors just because of, of injuries and, you know, Reggie's still here.

Like nobody was gonna take the flyer there.

Good for the Blue Jays, they figured it out.

I think it's a, you know, looks bad for the Giants currently.

I think he, it's a good lesson.

You have to be careful with, with pitchers in the Rule 5 especially, 'cause And especially guys whose velocity pop up.

Um- Yeah.

But they also have done okay in that draft, 'cause they got Suzak out of it and, and he's been, you know- Overall over a year.

Pretty, a, a pretty positive move there.

Yeah.

So.

Yeah.

All right.

Well, we'll be keeping our eyes on Miles, Rogers, and Gausman during this Giants/Blue Jays series.

in the meantime, don't forget to subscribe to Giants Talk wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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Buy Alex's book.

And we've got a show coming out about the greatest home run hitter of all time, Barry Bonds.

Not you and I personally, but- No.

NBC Sports Bay Area.

I think it's Tuesday.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

Tuesday at 5:30 there's a look back at, him hitting 73 homers.

Which- Yeah obviously this year's an anniversary of.

So.

Yeah.

Yes.

Set your DVRs.