Baseball Isn’t Boring

Meeting with the media in the Cubs' first game back from the All-Star break, President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer explained how he is viewing his approach to the end-of-the-month Trade Deadline. Bradfo was there.

With the Trade Deadline inching closer by the day and Rangers GM Chris Young already pulling the trigger on the biggest move so far by acquiring Hard-Throwing Reliever Aroldis Chapman from the Royals, the Rangers will most definitely be a team that fans, players, and GMs across the league keep an eye on. Therefore, we felt as though it was as good a time as ever to catch up with Rangers Starting Pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and Second Baseman Marcus Semien to gauge their temperature on what it's like to playing for a buying team and how a big acquisition this year could give them the boost they need to catapult them over the top.

The Who Says No crew has never been needed more than this time of year, with just a couple of weeks to go before the MLB Trade Deadline. It's why this podcast with Bradfo, Coop, Gordo, Sammy and Pat is a must-listen, with the guys offering some of the best trade proposals in the business. This time around there are deals that gives the Yankees a subtle yet important piece, the return of an old friend to the Orioles, and a very logical and sensible deal involving Shohei Ohtani. So, who says no?

Bradfo joined Dukes & Bell on 92.9 The Game in Atlanta to give a what's what when it comes the Major League Baseball landscape heading into the second half. Can anyone beat the Braves? Which of the surprise teams are in it for the long haul? Ronald Acuna Jr. is the best in baseball, agreed?

He threw just three pitches at the All-Star Game - striking out Lourdes Gurriel Jr. - but Kenley Jansen's impact at the All-Star festivities were notable. For starters, he managed to make sure A's first-time All-Star Brent Rooker got to Seattle after some travel mishaps, and then Jansen put on his recruiting hat in getting to know Shohei Ohtani a little bit better.

It's a perfect time for Producer Evan to come back with another round of MLB Power Rankings, rating the Top 10 teams in baseball. With the All-Star Game in the rearview mirror, and the Trade Deadline just more than two weeks away, the contenders are separating themselves from the pretenders. Some teams are making their return to the Top 10 after a long hiatus (the Red Sox), while others continue to cement themselves as the best of the best (Braves, Orioles, Rays). Spoiler: The only team that didn't bring a mascot the All-Star festivities, the A's, didn't make the cut.

Friend of the program and Pirates Pitcher Rich Hill told us before the season that Luis Arraez was the best hitter that he had ever seen. At that time, we simply took it as a personal opinion and moved on, but now, Rich Hill looks wiser and wiser by the day as Luis Arraez, the reigning AL batting champion, is hitting .383 on the season and just went 2-for-2 in the MLB All Star Game. So it was only right if we pulled Luis Arraez aside and posed that same question, Who Is The Best Hitter You've Ever Seen?... And this was his answer...

With the All-Star Game - and all those Seattle Shohei Ohtani chants - in the rearview mirror, it's time to zero in on the what's what when it comes to the end-of-month Trade Deadline. Bradfo gets perspective on the Major League Baseball fork in the road from those who have lived the life. Kenley Jansen. Raul Ibanez. Marcus Semien. Nathan Eovaldi. Sonny Gray. Sean Murphy. Josh Hader. Whit Merrifield. J.D. Martinez. They all weigh in on their unique perspectives when it comes to the MLB Trade Deadline. It's the best way to launch baseball fans into the most anticipated part of the regular season.

Bradfo asks the simple question of a collection of All-Stars: When did you realize you were famous? J.D. Martinez, Mookie Betts, David Bednar, Josiah Gray, Austin Hays, Marcus Semien, Devin Williams and Jordan Romano. They all give their examples, offering insight into that moment big league players' lives take a turn in the road.

It was quite a day of talking baseball Monday in Seattle, with Bradfo catching up with a flurry of All-Stars to ask them a very important question: When did they realize they were famous. There was also a pretty memorable Home Run Derby, which Bradfo gives a fairly complimentary grade for. And, of course, the day was thick with great stories of how these players landed as All-Stars, with J.D. Martinez describing his very up and down journey over the past year on the podcast.