Baseball Isn’t Boring

The stars have officially emerged in the postseason, with what is happening in Philadelphia serving as the perfect example. The Phillies - who won Game 1 of the National League Championship Series over the Diamondbacks - are being powered by their stars. Players like Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler and Kyle Schwarber are dominating, which is fitting considering that group make up just more than 70 percent of Philly's 2023 payroll. The man who helped build this concoction? Dave Dombrowski. Bradfo sits down with Phillies owner John Middleton to talk about how Dombrowski landed in Philadelphia and. how he views his chief decision-maker.

The Phillies own the best postseason winning percentage of all-time. So does that mean it is the best postseason baseball crowd of all-time? Bradfo catches up with the Phillies Garrett Stubbs and Matt Strahm to get their unique perspectives, with a few stories along the way.

The Red Sox search for their next head of baseball operations is getting interesting, with another potential candidate - now former Marlins GM Kim Ng - seemingly entering the conversation. Bradfo discusses the case for Ng, while also surfacing the report that Twins GM Thad Levine is emerging as a highly thought of option. Who doesn't like a nice midday front office search update?

The last time Diamondbacks President of Baseball Operations Mike Hazen joined the podcast, it was in spring training leading into the 2023 season. Keep in mind, it was just two years earlier his club had lost 110 games. Flash forward to now and Hazen is back talking with Bradfo, this time reflecting on the journey he and Arizona has taken to land in the National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park. Hazen reveals quite a bit in his conversation with Bradfo, including his Trade Deadline goals, when the Diamondbacks actually started believing and some intriguing laundry habits in October. It's a perfect way to start your week.

When Justin Verlander was acquired by the Astros from the Tigers, he was already well on his way to the MLB Hall Of Fame, but with the Astros, he has managed to prolong his greatness for much longer than even he could've expected... thanks in large part to the Astros analytics department

In this episode of STAT (Saturday's Think About This), Liam Skiffington sits down with WBC correspondent Shawn Spradling to discuss international sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto's future. After collecting three consecutive Sawamura Awards, the NPB's equivalent to the Cy Young Award, Yamamoto is set to become an MLB free agent this offseason. Liam and Shawn speculate on the perfect landing spot for the budding superstar, Rintaro Sasaki's unprecedented decision to forgo the NPB Draft in order to play collegiate baseball in the states, the potential implications for an International Draft, and more.

Who is going to win the American League Championship Series? Who will take the National League? Who will win MVP of the World Series? You can win free money, and then some more free money on top of that if you go to Fanduel.com/boring. And if you need help, you should listen to list where former big leaguer - and Baseball Isn't Boring postseason correspondent - Nick Punto makes his picks for the upcoming ALCS, NLCS and World Series.

Nick Punto knows what's what when it comes to life as a Philadelphia Phillie. He also knows what it's like to go on a World Series run. That's why the former big leaguer is once again the perfect guy for Bradfo to catch up with as we head into the League Championship Series. There are stories. There is perspective (including a back-and-forth on the media in the clubhouse.) And there is a plea for Phillies owner John Middleton to take up one of Punto's traditions.

While we wait for the wave of conversation and content that is to come involving the MLB Championship Series, we pause for a moment to appreciate the story of the Savannah Bananas. The unique brand of baseball has entertained, amazed and caught the attention of the sports world in a way that has everyone who has an inkling of baseball blood in them stand up and take notice. It's you should listen to Zack Frongillo, the Director of Entertainment for the Bananas, who sits down with Bradfo to give the inside story behind how the Bananas will finding themselves at places like Fenway Park next season.

It's a great time to hear from Diamondbacks President of Baseball Operations Mike Hazen, so that's exactly what we're allowing you to do. Bradfo catches up with Hazen for a preseason conversation that goes into deep into how this Arizona team was built and the approach he took in locking up young start Corbin Carroll to an eight-year extension before he even played a full season in the big leagues.