Like, what is your expectation for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. going into 2027 now that this is on the table?

You have to hope and pray this was an aberration.

You have to say, well, there are superstar players that can have an off year, and the totality of his career is he's been an excellent ball player, and he'll return to that.

And you have to hope this goes terrible, but that he was just hurt.

Like, ultimately, like, well, you know what? He was battling a terrible back injury, and he hoped a couple days off of the All-Star Week would have helped him.

And here and there it took a day, but ultimately it was a really serious injury.

Once you get six months off, it'll be fine.

Like, how good a story is that? in in chicago if they make the playoffs if they hold on and they're still alive to to win the horrible central as well

But that John Schneider isn't even in the mix after this season is a little bit head-scratching.

Yeah, I think what ends up happening, Ben, as you said, is they just see the overall record.

You're a 500 team.

How could you be manager of the year if you could potentially have more losses than wins? But you have to look, as you said, at what the narrative was and how many injuries they've overcome.

Venable's going to win it.

There's no doubt about it.

Nobody expects the White Sox to even be in this position, although what a precarious spot right now.

But is Brett Bateman starting to break through to the general baseball fan how good he has been for the Blue Jays atop this lineup?

But, yeah, yeah, this is – this cannot stand, it feels like.

No, you're completely right, Ben, and you're absolutely right to point out that it's because it's involving Americans.

I mean, if it was, you know, Iga Świątek there for Poland, they wouldn't be caring that much, right? If it was one of these other players that were lesser names or lesser countries – You know what happens, it's part of the charm.

I will say, the late-night tennis, kind of like to your point with the Aussie Open, as you know, I woke up at 3.40 in the morning to watch Federer beat Nadal in that incredible Aussie Open 2017.

There is a magic to that.

You know, it's like an overtime hockey, right? The Keith Primo, Flyers, Penguins.

Like, oh, somebody said, oh, I was there 1.50 in the morning in quadruple overtime.

Like, is anyone afraid of the Astros or the White Sox? Or maybe it's the Guardians that win the Central?

And I promised them that we won't do that.

It's that constant balance, Stu.

Our old boss, the great Scott Shapiro at ESPN would tell me, you got to play the hitch.

You know, every hour, talk LeBron, talk NFL.

What I want to talk about, like, I just want to talk about Roger Federer.

And as you had said to me, as you predicted to me, if you meet Federer, that 20 seconds is going to end up being 20 minutes of content.

It's one of those situations where people have said to me, so what was it like? And I go, listen, you're going to get one of two versions, either the full version or no version.

Was Adnan happy because he doesn't want Djokovic to tack on any more majors here?

And I have promised them that we won't do that.

It's that constant balance, Stu.

Our old boss, the great Scott Shapiro at ESPN would tell me, you got to play the hitch.

You know, every hour, talk LeBron, talk NFL.

What I want to talk about, like, I just want to talk about Roger Federer.

And as you had said to me, as you predicted to me, if you meet Federer, that 20 seconds is going to end up being 20 minutes of content.

It's one of those situations where people have said to me, so what was it like? And I go, listen, you're going to get one of two versions, either the full version or no version.

Right.

You and I want to talk tennis for an hour, and I have promised them that we won't do that today.

It's that constant balance, Stu.

Our old boss, the great Scott Shapiro at ESPN would tell me, you got to play the hitch.

You know, every hour, talk LeBron, talk NFL.

I said, well, what do I want to talk about? Like, I just want to talk about Roger Federer.

And as you had said to me, as you predicted to me, if you meet Federer, that 20 seconds is going to end up being 20 minutes of content.

It's one of those situations where people have said to me, so what was it like? And I go, listen, you're going to get one of two versions, either the full version or no version.

Right.

Was Adnan happy because he doesn't want Djokovic to tack on any more majors here?

Was I happy? The ultimate rhetorical question.

I was delirious with joy.

And the only thing that would have made me happiest to God is if I actually stepped to watch the entire match.

When Novak won the third set, I say he's up 2-1.

It's 11 o'clock here on the East Coast.

I'm going to go ahead and go to bed.

Adnan, before you answer that, okay, he said earlier in the week that he would not trade Cam straight up for Paul Skeens, okay?

I mean, Jesus.

What a wonderful moment to see Roger there in a singles match.

Now we go to Newport.

Three-hour, 20-minute drive there.

No problem.

Pick up the credential.

That's my first thing.

Yes.

Was Adnan happy because he doesn't want Djokovic to tack on any more majors here?

Was I happy? The ultimate rhetorical question.

I was delirious with joy.

And the only thing that would have made me happiest to God is if I actually stepped to watch the entire match.

When Novak won the third set, I say he's up 2-1.

It's 11 o'clock here on the East Coast.

I'm going to go ahead and go to bed.

How would you feel if one of your kids said, hey, dad, favorite tennis player of all time is someone other than Roger Federer?

Why are there snores? As Djokovic was throwing up all over the court and losing to a guy who qualified to get into the Open, the snoring's annoying me, was Adnan happy because he doesn't want Djokovic to tack on any more majors here?

Was I happy? The ultimate rhetorical question.

I was delirious with joy.

And the only thing that would have made me happiest to God is if I actually stepped to watch the entire match.

When Novak won the third set, I say he's up 2-1.

It's 11 o'clock here on the East Coast.

I'm going to go ahead and go to bed.

How would you feel if one of your kids said, hey, dad, favorite tennis player of all time is someone other than Roger Federer?

Was Adnan happy because he doesn't want Djokovic to tack on any more majors here?

Was I happy? The ultimate rhetorical question.

I was delirious with joy.

And the only thing that would have made me happiest to God is if I actually stepped to watch the entire match.

When Novak won the third set, I say he's up 2-1.

It's 11 o'clock here on the East Coast.

I'm going to go ahead and go to bed.

How would you feel if one of your kids said, hey, dad, favorite tennis player of all time is someone other than Roger Federer?

But if I was a Mariners fan, I think the Blue Jays jersey might make me physically ill.

Yeah, it's well said.

Ryan Roland Smith, who's a friend and colleague from MLB Network, is on the Mariners broadcast.

And I texted him last night.

I said, I hope you're enjoying my home and native land.

The Jays are back.

The Mariners stink.

If he comes back, Adnan, does it feel like that would make the Yankees the favorites in the American League?

It's the Cleveland Guardians that are actually sitting in that final wildcard spot and I, I wanna know from you, Adnan, what is it that makes the Guardians best equipped to potentially grab that final playoff spot?

So first off, Jeremy, always good to be with you.

I'm nothing if not competitive, so I have to listen to episodes which I'm not a part of, 'cause it's not that I wanna necessarily listen to your excellent analysis of the great game of baseball, but just to make sure what the intros are like with everybody else.

So Danny's great, but yet let's not get it twisted, I am the most frequent guest here.

Um, Cleveland I think right now is the team to beat.

Now, that's funny to say because there's seven teams vying for that final wildcard spot.

But the reason why I like Cleveland, Jeremy, is I think they've got excellent starting pitching.

But Adnan, which of these two teams would you be like least surprised if I told you when we got to the World Series, "Hey, this is the team representing the American League"?

How much has this season changed the way you think about him as a whole? When you're building out, you know, you're doing your homework this off-season, do you just pencil in the Vlad that's been here the whole time? Does it make you change your feeling? Did you need to go get a bat anyway, so it doesn't really change much? Like, how, how do you think this changes the Blue Jays' plan in terms of, you know, building out the offense year over year?

Probably the last thing you said, Brent.

Like, you need to get a go- get a bat anyways, so that's probably the approach I would have.

But for Vlad specifically, I would say, "All right, I thought he was my franchise cornerstone player, but I have to accept the fact that 2021's not gonna happen again." Like, he's just never gonna be a huge home run hitter.

And, uh, it's so odd, 'cause you think of last year, the 23 home runs, you're going, "Well, it's a down year, but overall, we'll take it." And now you're going, "23 home runs.

Are you kidding me?" Like, you'd sell your soul for 23 home runs from Vlad.

Like, if he, if he could just consistently be a 25 home run guy, you'd take it, rather than be the 300, 30, and 100 that you thought he'd be.

Where are you at with Kansas City heading into this one?

Uh, Pete Crow-Armstrong, who do you go with in terms of NL MVPs? Is it Ohtani or Pete Crow-Armstrong? I think he's a favorite now.

It's a fascinating race, Stu.

So last week they were both, uh, the same odds, minus 110.

I'm talking to the great Jake Peavy, former Cy Young Award winner, two-time World Series champion.

I said, "Jake, these guys are pretty much comparable offensively.

Their OPS numbers are virtually identical.

PCA plays better defense than anybody in the world.

[laughs]

And then I saw a stat yesterday that PCA got more war from that game yesterday than Kyle Tucker has all season.

Ricardo.

This is a fascinating story.

I've never seen a manager.

put a guy on blast in the way that Dave Roberts did, meaning I had no idea.

I follow this sport day in, day out.

I'm such a nerd like our buddy Kirchen.

How concerned should Yankee fans be? Should you be?

I don't know what to make of it, but do you think there's any, do you think there's some real buyer's remorse here when it comes to the Dodgers and Kyle Tucker, given what he's done? And we're talking about a guy that's, you know, on a four-year deal making $60 million a season.

Oh, massive buyers for Morris Daniela.

There's no question about it.

I mean, I looked at the numbers yesterday and it was illuminating to me.

So his OPS on the road this season is 840, which is in line with his career, which is 846.

At home, it's 556.

I mean, that is atrocious.

Where are you at on the AO wildcard after the Jays' hot little run of seven wins in the last ten here?

Yes.

Clearly you're a hockey guy.

You wanna talk a little Panthers conversation.

Great to see you all.

I know we're gonna have some movie talk, so let's get this out of the way right now.

This is supposed to be the summer of Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey, but Mike and I will back me up, this is the summer of Olivia Wilde.

Directed The Invite, which is a fabulous movie, one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time, and also starring in I Want Your Sex, new film with Cooper Hoffman, the son of Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Uh, are the Dodgers, is there anything to be worried about there after this huge skid that they recently snapped out of?

Do you think the Red Sox were that or are they worse than they are? Like, where, where's the true, like, uh, break-even level for the Red Sox? Like, where's the true talent level for this Red Sox team?

Yeah, I think it's a great question, Ben, because as you said, they were so good for so long, it's not entirely sustainable, and yet at the same time, they can't possibly as bad as they were earlier.

And clearly, even if you have a, a bit of a rut now, lose a couple games, the A's lose to Jays, you're still a good team.

So my thought on it is they're the third-best team in the American League.

I think ultimately, if I have to do, you know, a ranking right now, I think it's still the Rays are the team to beat in the American League.

I think the Yankees are still second, and the Red Sox are third.

But as it stands right now, and I think it's gonna be September 29th wild card series, we're gonna get Red Sox-Yankees again.

But when everything's just been going perfectly, adding in a piece that is arguably the most consequential to the day in, day out operation of your baseball team and your starting catcher, does not that not feel a little bit like upsetting the apple cart of what's been such a kind of magic, special pixie dust ride the Red Sox have been on here?

But maybe the best way to get the most money this year is to sign before we knew, we know what the new landscape looks like.

Yeah, it's a great point, Brant, which is why I wasn't surprised so many young-ish players were signing, right? Weatherholt could be a Rookie of the Year.

He signs a long-term contract.

McGonagal's probably the Rookie of the Year in the American League.

He signed a long-term contract.

PCA, who I love, he's one of my favorite players, I now regret the fact he signed that long-term deal because he'd be getting Vlad money.

Like, this guy's gonna be the MVP of the National League if not for Shohei Ohtani.

But who most needs to make a move in terms of the teams that are kind of true blue contenders this year?

What are the major headlines that we are reacting to?

We're saying, oh my God, you know, the Rays in the past allegedly offered Junior Caminero for Shohei Ohtani.

The Angels turned them down 'cause they kept Ohtani, which was referred to later as managerial malpractice by my friend Steve Phillips.

And this time the headline's gonna be, wow, the Rays got Tarik Skubal, and don't worry, they didn't have to give up Junior Caminero.

They gave up a bunch of other prospects, maybe Ryan Velaz, a really good hitter for them, but they're gonna get Skubal.

The Rays are the most aggressive right now to go get him.

If it's not the Rays, it's gonna be the Brewers.

Yes.Adnan, can the Nationals actually do this? It was a team heading clearly for a rebuild, and they're gonna make the playoffs.

Yes

... and they've ripped off this unbelievable winning streak.

They've won 22 of 26 games, and now they could be buyers.

They could be one of the best teams in the American League.

So I think they're definitely buyers now, to go out and get a bat and supplement their offense, but the pitching has been lights out.

So you're right, Boston should be buying.

You look at a team like Minnesota, and you say, "Well, they're probably not very good.

Play better and I won't need to trade anyone." You know? How about that?

Feels like that's what everybody thinks about him, right? It feels like that's just Bryce is a loud mouth and maybe they, you know, his mouth outweighs his performance.

Yeah, I met Bryce Harper at Spring Training for the first time last year.

And in the course of the interview, he was very nice.

And we have a kinship, both Flyers fans, obviously.

His son is a big Flyers fan.

We're talking, connecting, blah, blah, blah.

And then we do the interview.

It threw me off, and that's where fundamentals came out.

But barring that, like, how much intrigue will there be in Dylan Cease, will he win the Cy Young Award or not?

Well, I think it's notable, Ben, and I, I really remember it going back to last off-season and thinking, "Who's the best free agent pitcher available?" And making a strong case for Framber Valdez versus Dylan Cease.

And I kept trying to tell myself, well, a lefty is always more valuable than a righty, and Framber's got that great bowling ball sinker.

He's been so great in the playoffs.

I'm like, he's probably the top guy and then Cease is second.

And then right away, the Blue Jays signed Cease to go, uh, I guess he's the guy.

$210 million over six years, and Framber would wait forever, and he got three for 115.

[laughs]

And for some reason, for obvious reasons, just makes me scratch my head and question things.

Yeah.

A hundred percent, Izzy.

Like, as it happened, like, I looked at the roster when they had the, you know, the full screen of all the names, and I go, okay, yeah, Maxie, Edgecombe, great young players, and beat former MVP.

Gets hurt a lot.

Okay, Jalen Brown had a phenomenal season.

Top five, top ten player of the NBA.

catcher.