BaseballBiz On Deck

This is one of our favorite BaseballBiz interviews. 
Bruce Voge, host of the Just Barely Sports, podcast visited us in September 2020 and we took a look at the state of Minor League baseball and the upcoming minor league contractions and the projected impact on players and communities. 
Thanks again to Bruce Voge.

• Bruce to the game and became the welcoming PA voice for the Hagerstown Suns. Love, commitment and a 65 mile drive to the ballpark.
• Generosity of Major League Players to the Minors - Rick Ankiel brought the bats
• MLB Contracts the Minor League teams losing 42 teams – MLB teams should pick 4 teams that they want to keep and drop the rest
• West Virginia had potential to lose 4 minor league teams
• Baseball is the Nation’s pastime and yet several small communities would lose their teams
• Minor League Team 's Marketing and their Logos
• 2016 Save America's Pastime act meant no Overtime for minor leaguers. Initially supported by both Democrats & Republicans in hopes to keep teams
• MLB's direction to contraction and the negotiations with MiLB on a new PBA.
• 3 Options for the minor league contracted teams
  • 1.  Unaffiliated baseball
  • 2.  College Wood-Bat
  • 3.  Fold & Close
• MiLB – Pat O’Connor is gone and MiLB disappears
• Baseball brings everyone together in a community 
• Minor League Normalizes and celebrates their communities with special events from Drag Queen night to Faith nights at the game 
• Covid killed the Minor League season and the economics of hot dogs and ketchup
• Communities used empty fields for serving food to the community in pandemic
• A Look at Minor League Logo Marketing, Louisville Bats & Lakeland Flying Tigers

Music by XTakeRuX  -  Moving Forward
Special Thanks to Bruce Voge - @brucecothinks - @minorleaguegeek - @partygamecast

Sara Sanchez, baseball writer & podcaster share her analysis of what's happening with the MLB lockout, CBA options & most importantly the Chicago Cubs

·         Manfred & MLB Lockout Player negotiations

·         Past Changes in Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) leaning to Owners

·         MLBPA – socking away licensing fees in case of prolonged lockout

·         Looking for equity of Revenue Sharing 

·          Is a Salary Floor of $100 million reasonable

·         Wander Franco contract – change in direction on smaller market spending

·         Will we see contracts trending to long term or short term contracts with players

·         The Hot Stove blowout before lockout is now cold

·         When players achieve Free Agency and Arbitration are keys to moving CBA forward

·         Calendar and potential lost games may dictate when lockout ends

·         Impact of lockouts including players’ health and rehab

·         Brandon proposes NHL model would make sense for Manfred

·         Sara’s coffee run and psychic vibes about Marcus Stroman signing with Cubs

·         2022 projections on Cubs pitching rotation – may include Marcus Stroman, 
         Kyle Hendiricks, Wade Miley, Adbert Alzolay, Justin Keele & Keegan Thompson

·         Correa as Shortstop could address Cubs Weak Contract vs. Strike Outs

·         Clint Frazier now wears blue pinstrips as a Cub.

·         Fans anger with front office decisions in July resulted in empty stadium seats. 
            How would the front office respond?

·         Spring Training at Sloan Park on February 26th?

·         The Defensive Dark Arts of Harry Potter and Cubs Hitting Coaches

·         Greatest Cubs Rivalries – Cardinals or White Sox with North Side & South Side fans?

·         John Cusack, Can you be both a Cubs & White Sox fan? 

·         Rivalries with Cardinals and White Sox

·         Which park has better beer & food – Wrigley Field or White Sox field

·         Camden Yard blends traditional and new appeal

·         Cubs Spring Training Feb 26 at Sloan Park?

·         Look for Sara’s 12 days of Cubmas on Bleed Cubbie Blue & Cuppa Cubbie Blue 

 Look for more from Sara Sanchez on Twitter
 @BCB_Sara at @BleedCubbieBlue & @CuppaCubbieBlue
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/ 

 BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Spotify, Apple & Google podcasts 
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod 

Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

Apologies to Bobby Bones Show & Eddie for the bologna

• Kevin Cash's final remarks from the 2021 postseason on a remarkable team
• Baseball America awards the Tampa Bay Rays the "Organization of the Year" award
• First Base will never be the same as Ozzie Timmons takes a job with the Milwaukee Brewers
• Ozzie talks about meeting up again with Willy Adames
• Matt Quatraro eyes on Oakland A's & NY Mets Manager positions
• Former Rays coaches that moved onto managers
• Manager of the Year award floats like a magnet to former Rays coaches
• Rocco Baldelli - Minnesota Twins
• Charlie Montoyo - Toronto Blue Jays
• Joey Wendle moves to Miami to join up with Kim Ng and the Marlins
• Acts of Kindness
• Rays Community with Week of Giving
• Ji-Man Choi aids those in need during the winter in Korea with Heating
• Nelson Cruz, Roberto Clemente Award winner has given so much to the people of he Dominican Republic
• Neil Solondz continues to take on the fight against Panceratic Cancer with the Purple Stride initiative

BaseballBiz wishes blessings upon you all and hopes that you may all find peace in sharing your time and your gifts. Merry Christmas.

Special Thanks to Scott Holmes for the music "Stomps and Claps"
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod
No MLBPA Player images were used during the recording of this audio podcast.
BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Spotify, Apple & Google podcasts 

• Tim Kurkjian – BBWAA – Award of Excellence
• Manfred closes the MLB door on negotiations with MLBPA with a lockout
• Rob When the only tool that you have is a Hammer  . . .
• Does anybody, any media or anyone really care about the CBA agreement
• How will International League signing be impacted
• Albert Pujols in Dominican Winter League
• Ji-Man Choi pitching in Korean League
• Seiya Suzuki in Nippon League – plays variety of positions – may not choose MLB
• Masahiro Tanaka left Yankees to return to Japan & play for the Golden Eagles 
• 2 stellar international pitchers who could want to come to the US. Lockout and deadlines may stop them coming to the states
  • Kodai Senga of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
  • Tomoyuki Sugano  of Yomiuri Giants 
• Will Albert Pujols end his career in the Dominican Republic
• What the MLB & MLBPA are proposing
• Revenue Sharing with smaller market teams are they pocketing the profits? 
• Reserve Clause by 6 years of service or 29 years of age. 
• Mets picked up Max Scherzer & lost Javy Baez
• Detroit Tigers breakfast did not snag Carlos Correa
• Toronto losses – Marcus Semien & Robbie Ray 
• Atlanta fixture Freddie Freeman, Mr. Braves?
• Kris Bryant could be a good fit for the Mariners or Yankees? 
• Others still out there – Kyle Schwarber, Anthony Rizzo, Raisel Iglesias, Jorge Soler
• Where and why did Hunter Renfroe go? – Milwaukee Brewers
• Eric Cartman, Rob Manfred & the Grinch 

Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod
Apologies to Tim Kurkjian @Kurkjian_ESPN
No MLBPA Player images were used during the recording of this audio podcast.
BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple & Google podcasts 

Phil Terrano, VP of Development of Baseball Development for Agency1SportsGroup 

• Finding new talent
• Short moments between training and being on the field to meet players.
• How Covid changed time with his client / players
• Pandemic gave Phil more time with clients to understand what they need
• How Phil works with players and the Asian baseball market
• Korean and Nippon baseball leagues
• Getting up early in the morning and watching KBO games
• Day may start at 6 AM and work to 3 AM
• New opportunities for classic Twilight players who still want to play the game
• Working with changes form 40 round draft to a 5 round draft during pandemic
• Missing draft and going directly to free agent and minor league signing
• Finding the right opportunity and good fit for the players
• Talent that rises up like Wander Franco
• 5 tools players  are rare. Recognizing your players strengths
• "Trouble With The Curve" discovering and representing talent
• Note to young players "You're Gonna get Found"
• Keys that Phil looks for in a player, Heart, Passion and Hard Work 
• Recent merger with PrimeTime Sports Group &  Agency1SportsGroup
• Success comes by treating clients with respect and finding good hearted and hard working clients 

BostonSportsTok visits BaseballBiz to talk Boston Red Sox and the sprint to close player contracts before the lockout begins

• Chaim Bloom and the short year contract strategy
• Lockout – how will it impact free agents
• Eduardo Rodriguez – How will the Red Sox replace E-Rod?
• Carlos Correa long breakfast lunch with Detroit, AJ Hinch
• Javy Baez joins the Tiger den with a 6 year, $140 million deal
• Former Rays pitcher Nate Eovaldi brings the fire with 5 pitches
• When will 3rd baseman Rafael Devers get an extension contract
• Tampa Bay Rays veteran positions, leadership in the dugout, now includes Corey Kluber
• Hunter Renfroe with Red Sox  “His bat was on fire. He would hit huge home runs, and make bazooka throws gunning guys down at third and home.”
• Renfro remarks about MLB directions on Covid. What happened to this story 
• Michael Wacha 
  • Signs a $7 million contract with the Red Sox 
  • will he fill a hole in the Red Sox rotation?
  • Wacha & Tanner Houck combo           
• Buy or Trade – What is the Roster building philosophy as the CBA deadline approaches
• Red Sox 2021 in review, Swept by the Orioles at the beginning of the season. 
• Additions of Kike Hernandez, Nick Pivetta and others made a difference\
• 2022 AL East  projections
  • Blue Jays with Kevin Gausman may bring them to the top
  • 4th place finish for the Yankees
  • It will be a very competitive year
  • Chester makes a special guest appearance
• Remaining Free Agent Countdown includes: Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman, Anthony Rizzo, Marcus Stroman, Kyle Schwarber & The incredible Jorge Soler what will he get 

Special Thanks to Nat Gordon. You can find him on Twitter: @BostonSportTok @NatGordon and on  tiktok: @bostonsportstok and thanks to Chester

Also thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

 You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod

•  MLB Baseball Hot Stove
  • Jeff Passan – ESPN contract extension
  • Heaney & E-Rod, Syndergaard & Berrios
  • D-backs update - Jesse Friedman – @JesseNFriedman  @PHNX_Dbacks Dbacks podcaster
• MLB Appetizers
  • ROY – Randy Arozarena & Jonathan India
  • MOY – Kevin Cash & Gabe Kapler
  • Cy Young nominees 
• Goofy Gobbler Awards
  • Dry Turkey of the Year award
  • Awards, Druncle Award, Leaky Gas Stove Award, TurDucken
  • Grandpa Politics award
• Turkey of the Year award 
• Judge & Contributors - 
  • Sara Sanchez @BCB_Sara  @BleedCubbieBlue – Cubs podcaster remarks
  • Nick Murawski  - @Nick_GGTB @GoodGuysTB Good Guys Talk Back  – White Sox podcaster 
  • And the Winner is
• Saving Grace Thanksgiving Award 
• Special Thanks to Sara, Nick & Jesse for their contributions to the Goofy Gobbler Thanksgiving dinner
• Also thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"
•  You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod
•  BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple & Google podcasts 
• No Turkeys were harmed in the creation of this podcast
• Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Goofy Gobbler Day

Tommy & Jimmy-  baseball jobs lost, offered & pizza

1:45  - Germain gives us a deep dive into the Tampa Bay Rays farm system & who is coming up

2:50 – MiLBy awards – Rays Winners, Taj Bradley –
 
3:22 Taj Bradley has strong mound presence
 Bradley reminds Mat of Shane Baz
 xFIP explained - (Fielding Independent Pitching)

5:25 – Colby White ascends the Rays farm ladder through 4 levels in 2021. Could make a strong difference with the Rays pitching in next year.

6:04 – Depth of the Farm system reduces dependence on paying top dollar to experienced players.

6:45 – Most teams need a plethora of pitchers. Rays were strong with their pitcher depth compared to other teams. Not overtaxing the arms. 

8:22 – Shane McClanahan – big ask to perform again so quickly in postseason

9:20 – Durham Bulls – MiLB Team of the Year. Mat takes on Baseball America staff on value of the Durham Bulls.

10:40 – Braves, their GM was courageous

11:00 – Arizona Fall League (AFL) – Scorpions – great games but not available to be seen. Why not?“  . . . a 6 team All-Star League”

12:00 - Curtis Mead, very close to being a major league hitter. Will the Rays trade him?

13:00 – Matt Dyer & Rich Hill trades with the Mets.

13:30 – TB Rays, Carlos Garcia – made AFL All-Star game 

14:15 – How to break into the Rays Pen

14:45 – Joey Wendle – will the Rays keep this high quality and versatile player?
 Other options – Keep Taylor Walls & possibly trade Vidal Brujan.
 Joey Wendle brings the work ethic and commitment to the job.
 Kevin Kiermaier, shouldn’t he be awarded thee Golden Glove award this year. Was something slowing him down early last season.

18:00 – CBA status – Collective Bargaining Agreement expires soon. How is this impacting team ownership on their decisions to sign, extend or trade this week. What are the Rays doing to the exterior of the Trop.

18:35 – Rays have taken down the images of the Rays on the outside of Tropicana Field. Dark dirge being played early?  Let’s avoid the 1994 & 1995

20:00 – Truly – “Who’s on First?”
 Where is First Base Coach Ozzie Timmons?
 Third Base Coach Rodney Linaires is managing a Dominican League team that has Pujols as a team player.

22:00 – Rays need a seasoned veteran player leader with the team like Nelson Cruz, Albert Pujols, Rich Hill. 

24:45 – Tampa Bay Rays Free Agents who should the front office bring back? Collin McHugh, Michael Wacha.
 Loss of Charlie Morton cost the Rays money, wins and leadership for young arms.
 Shane McClanahan – “I’m a Rookie”  - sounded like a need for help.

28:30 – Stu’s tight purse strings restricted Erik Neander from building a stronger team

29:50 – Mat’s Favorite GM’s – Alex Anthopoulos & Erik Neander – courage to change the face of the franchise to empower your team.

32:00 – Mark’s Rays team – who he wants back. Nate Eovaldi, Charlie Morton, Hunter Renfroe, d’Arnaud

34:25 – Mike Zunino – Rays rather smartly re-signed Zunino. He is the forgotten man when it comes to catchers across MLB. “Zunino behind the plate  . . he calls a great game” Will the Rays bring up Pinto this year to study under Zunino.

38:30 – Rookie of the Year, Randy Arozarena and Wander Franco are nominees. Franco is the best switch hitter since Chipper Jones.

Thanks to Mat Germain for visiting us on BaseballBiz
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter
BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, spotify, apple & google podcasts
@TheBaseballBiz on Twitter
Max is @Mat_Germain_ on Twitter.
#RaysUp

World Series – Strategy, Trades, Alex Anthopoulos

• Congratulations to the Atlanta Braves on their 2021 World Series Championship
• How to build a Great Team – Atlanta Braves
• Tampa Bay Rays model – Erik Neander & Chaim Bloom with Boston Red Sox
• Top spenders for players – Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Houston Astros, Phillies
• Low Spenders – Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays 
• How to build a Great Team – Atlanta Braves
• Tampa Bay Rays model – Erik Neander & Chaim Bloom with Boston Red Sox
• Top spenders for players – Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Houston Astros, Phillies
• Low Spenders – Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays
• Dollars don’t always equal post season
• Alex Anthopoulos – Atlanta GM, a brief history
• Braves Trade Deadline shopping list
• Look back to a bright future with Adam Duvall at Miami Marlins
• Jorge Solero – Kansas Royals
• Joc Pederson from the Cubs
• 45 year passion and loyalty with Brian Snitker
• Freddie Freeman – Atlanta Braves, Why haven’t you given him a contract or an extension
• Pedro Martinez asks the big direct question – 
•  ‘Will you continue to be an Atlanta Brave as you are now a Free Agent’
• Freddie – “I don’t want to go anywhere else  . . . . Everyone knows where my heart is”
• Charlie Morton has already re-signed
• Atlanta Braves who will be Free Agents this year – 
• SS Ehire Adrianza, RHP Jesse Chavez, OF Adam Duvall (mutual option), 1B Freddie Freeman, RHP Chris Martin, OF Joc Pederson (mutual option), RHP Tanner Roark, OF Eddie Rosario, OF Jorge Soler, LHP Drew Smyly, RHP Josh Tomlin (club option), C Stephen Vogt
• 2022 Braves may look completely different – Acuna Jr will return
• Who would you pick or drop on next years roster

Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter
BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, spotify, apple & google podcasts

Coach Cobb talks World Series & Adam Duvall plus Silver Sluggers

• Tommy & Jimmy prep for the game
• World Series games when and where they are being broadcast
• Silver Slugger award nominees – strong showing with Toronto Blue Jays, Houston & Atlanta
• 7:40 Time Stamp for Coach Cobb interview
  Coach Cobb visits and we talk about game 1 and the World Series
• The Braves are loose as a goose in game 1
• Jorge Soler returns from Covid with first AB Home Run on the 3rd pitch of the game
• Minute Maid turns silent
• Adam Duvall hits a rocket home run
• What happened to Framber Valdez
• Pundits continue to discount the Braves and sing praises of Astros
• Braves .800 winning average in last 25 games
• Ozzie Albies – stealing bases while Altuve and Albies making major league plays
• Charlie Morton and d’Arnaud combination
• Gurriel hit bounces off Charlie Morton’s league and continues to pitch striking out 
• Playing with injuries legends, bloody socks, Curt Schilling 
• Astros, Jake Odorizzi – impressive outing
• Friday will be rocking night in Atlanta
• Freeman brings a friendly nature to first base
• Braves are on a roll and destined to win 
• 2022 season – will there be one will there be DH across both leagues
• Who will be sitting out without a DH

Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"
Always a pleasure to speak with Coach Cobb
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter