But also it's like could anybody have done a better job? I, I don't, I mean, some of these trades I think were very stupid, but in general, if that's what's gonna happen, I don't think anybody can, can fix this.

Yeah, look, it's obviously, like we said, a lot of crazy things happened, but like Freddy Peralta was, uh, the epitome of consistency throughout his career.

You couldn't have convinced me...

Like, all right, if you told me he wasn't gonna post a 2.70 ERA like he did last year and he'd be much more in his career norm of like a mid threes, maybe upper threes, like you, okay, you could tell me that's a, an outcome.

But being a guy that posts an ERA over five before he leaves, that wasn't in, in my mind the range of outcomes.

Uh, you certainly can look back and say that they took maybe too much risk when it came to getting both Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr.

And I'm the Luis Robert Jr. guy.

Wow

Mm.

Like pitching, pitching was something he did on the side.

Like he, he would, he would just come in occasionally out of relief, but he was a center fielder, hitter, athlete.

He goes to Duke, has some injury things, and they kind of scrap the hitting, and he moves into just being a pitcher.

And in this, in the reality here, he's like in his second or third full year of his life as a pitcher.

So it's still new to him in a sense, and you could see in his delivery, like he even told me, like, "My delivery kind of looks in a way like I'm throwing the ball from the outfield." Like, that's the kind of feel that he gives.

But it's a great athlete on the mound, which is something the Mets have targeted over the last few years, and, and it's proven some dividends with guys like Noah McLean and Christian Scott.

Right

Uh, what kind of just stands out about this grouping of guys that all made your top 20 here?

Well, I, I'll tell you this, Carson Wiggins is...

I, I, I was surprised that the pick happened, not because I didn't think there was a chance he could go that high.

When I was talking to people throughout baseball leading into the draft, I was just looking into different guys, and Wiggins kind of stood out to me because I'm seeing, "Oh, that's, that's a big fastball.

That's a big slider.

Where's he ranked? 80, what? 100 and what?" I go...

So I start texting some scouts throughout baseball.

Uh, what do you think about Mitch Voigt, and also, what do you think about Mitch Voigt at shortstop? 'Cause I did not expect him to become a primary shortstop this season.

So what, what are you seeing here with Stafora that maybe some are missing?

I think it's also the price of doing business with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

And if you wanna trade with the Pirates, they're, they're not taking that money.

And if you think about this deadline, there really wasn't a lot of, like, big money exchanged hands.

Like, Tarik Skubal was the biggest contract that changed hands and, uh, you know, that's basically what Luke Weaver's owed over, uh, uh, pretty close to the over next two years.

So the Mets, if they wanna deal with Pittsburgh and Sammy Stafora, to my understanding, this whole process leading up to the trade deadline, if they were making a deal with Luke Weaver, Sammy Stafora was the top prospect that amongst the teams that they talked to that they wanted to get their hands on.

And the reason that I rank him so high is, yes, I, I'm not gonna deny that there is swing and miss and there's things that he needs to work on from an approach standpoint.

But what made you finally kinda pull that trigger and name Jonathan Santucci as the best pitching prospect in the Mets organization?

So what, what is your thoughts on Sammy Stefora and that deal?

I, yeah, I, I'm with you, Sal.

I, I think that's exactly what it was.

I think the Mets had their eye on Stefora throughout this process as someone that they knew Pittsburgh was in on Weaver and Stefora was the player that they wanted from that system.

And when it comes to the eating of money, um, I heard you guys dis- discuss it on BNY obviously, but someti- I, with the Pittsburgh Pirates, that's, that's the price of doing business.

Uh, there's ownership there that are not very flexible with payroll dollars, and I think...

I, I don't have all the details of course, but I think there was some ownership involvement there that it was kind of like, "Hey, if you want to make a deal, you have to eat some money." And I think the Mets talked to s- the Mets talked amongst themselves and said, "Do we really want Sammy Stefora?" And I believe the answer, it was a consensus yes, and they were like, "Let's, let's try to eat the money if, if Steve Cohen will approve." And as you mentioned, if there's one thing Steve Cohen wants to do, and what he's willing to do, is invest financially in this roster.

Okay

But is there anybody that jumped out at you where you're like, man, I don't know, that could have been better value or whatever the case may be?

very much follow the college game, the high school game.

I just ask people.

So that's great.

I don't have, I don't have, I can watch highlights and like, I have a, a novice level of like pitching and hitting mechanics understanding.

So I could watch video and like say that makes sense or that doesn't.

Uh, but largely I lean on people for, for especially high school, but college is just so readily available.

I just, I want you to tell our viewers and listeners the Joe DiMeo stance on the absurdity of trading Francisco Lindor.