Let's start with buyers, right?
Let's start with a buyer. Okay. Well,
hang on. Let me let me let me do my job
and then I'll let you you do yours.
Okay. Otherwise, there's no reason for
me to be here. I have to cash a check
somehow, right? So, uh each of you
selected a buyer and a seller. Let's
start with the buyers.
Jim Duket, is it okay if JB goes first
since apparently he's going to wet his
pants if he doesn't? Okay. Who's first
in the run? Who is the buyer that you
selected?
So, I selected the Chicago Cubs. Um, and
I selected the Cubs because, first of
all, for whatever reason, the Cubs
haven't extended Jed Hoyer yet. And I
I'm really not sure I understand why
because he really has done a tremendous
job in building this team, in hiring
Craig Council, in building up the farm
system. He's put this organization in a
really good spot. And if I were the own,
I would have taken care of them. But
they haven't. And by the way, there's
other jobs out there. the Nationals job
is going to be available. So, if they
don't want Jed, he'll he'll land on his
feet in 10 minutes. Um, but I also think
that when you make the Tucker trade,
right, you're going for it and and now
now there's no, you know, you have to
just pedal the metal now, right? Because
you gave up a long-term Cam Smith to do
it. So, yeah, you have to do it. So,
what has been intriguing to me is how
involved they've been on all of the best
starting pitchers that are available on
this market. And that's why I kind of
picked them because they've had a lot of
conversations with Mike Debardalo, the
interim GM of the Washington Nationals,
who look the Nationals were expected to
trade Cal Finnegan and Mike Sroa, right?
Those are the two guys that they were
expecting. Um, however, at the end of
the day, Mike Darlo has made it very
clear to teams that he will listen on
McKenzie Gore. Now, I want you to think
about Darlo's position. It's an interim
GM. There has been word in the industry
that they're going to hire a president
of baseball ops. That doesn't mean Darlo
couldn't keep this job as the full-time
GM under the president of baseball ops,
right? You know, so if they go out there
and get, say, Eric Nean or from Tampa to
be the president, he could keep Darlo in
that position. In order to keep it, what
does he need to do at the deadline? I
think he needs to make a splash. I think
he needs to show the world that he can
make that big deal. Like, you know, you
trade Sroa, you save you trade Finnegan,
you get a couple of prospects. That's
not going to move the needle. You trade
Gore, it's going to move the needle.
Well, Jed Hor's had a lot of
conversations with him and the there's a
good matchup between the Cubs and the
Nationals in a Gore trade. And look, the
Learner family is not going to do
another long-term deal here with Boris
on Gore. They got burned on Corbin. They
got burned on Strawber. They got they're
still paying Max Jersey to pitch for
Toronto. They're just not going to do
it. So if they're not going to sign
Gore, then at some point you trade them.
So here's a chance for the Marlins. So I
think that's interesting. The other
thing is the Cubs continue to stay
engaged with the Miami Marlins about
both Sandy Alcantra and Ed Cber. So I
find that kind of fascinating as well
because if I was sitting there, you
know, in the shoes of Peter Bendex who's
done a great job so far in building this
team up, um that's a good team to to
want to chase Alcantra. So, I I guess
Duke when when I'm looking at the Cubs
and the reason I wanted to talk to them
that it just seems they really want to
go big at at this trade deadline and
although Suarez has been mentioned,
everything that I've heard over the
weekend was they're chasing the best
starting pitcher they can get. Mitch
Keller, another name of Pittsburgh,
they're trying to get him for one of
those minor league outfielders. So, I
don't know. I just kind of feel like
they are primed for a Thursday splash.
Marlins keep their name keeps popping up
for them, right? Either Alcantara or
Cabrera, Kelly and Gallon, like all
these names. I I don't think Joe Ryan's
going to be moved, but Ryan's name does
get mentioned. I think Cubs are in on
one of those guys for sure. There's, you
know, a couple other teams are in on
them, but Cubs uh 100%. They seem like
they're and really that's their biggest
need. I I think you could see them
potentially as a third base, but it
doesn't seem likely uh at this point.
Shaw's been playing better um overall.
So, I think um yeah, I I like I can't
wait to see what the move turns out to
be, right, for the Cubs. They are acting
like that they're all in and you know,
they've sounds like they've gotten
ownership to to jump all in too from an
ownership from a from a financial side
of things. though we'll see.