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00:00John, we have somebody who's kind of in the news, right?
00:03Dana Brown, the GM of the Astros, was fired.
00:07Joe Espada, whose contract is up at the end of the year as the manager, was not.
00:11And he's got a first-place team.
00:13So what's going on with Joe Espada?
00:16Yeah, I mean, it's great that you got him.
00:19We love Joe.
00:20He was a Yankee coach.
00:21He's been with the Astros for a few years.
00:24He's doing a great job.
00:25He's in first place.
00:27I'm advocating now that they keep him.
00:29I hope so, but he's, you know, a lame duck, a team in first place with an owner who expects
00:36to apparently win the World Series every year.
00:39I don't know.
00:39We'll see.
00:40But Joe's a great guest, and we hope he continues as a guest next year, no matter what.
00:48Yeah.
00:49Wasn't Joe Girardi manager of the year in firing?
00:52Maybe that's, is it possible we have that again?
00:54I mean, with all the pitching problems.
00:56Anyway, we'll ask Joe about those pitching problems.
00:58We'll ask him about your Don Alvarez's bid for a triple crown and more.
01:03John and I will ask a bunch of questions to each other at the top and answer them.
01:07We'll play hit and error at the end.
01:09If you stick with us on the show with Joel Simon and John.
01:18John, we had come up with a shtick for this A block, as we call it in the biz, of
01:23asking
01:24a couple of questions that we thought would be big picture.
01:27And then Aaron Judge came along and he's going to play on Tuesday night for the Yankees after
01:33not being in a game since May 31st after fracturing a rib.
01:39Obviously, that's a big news story with the in New York baseball, the Yankees, but really
01:43maybe baseball in general.
01:45And we're still going to do questions and we might as well just begin it with a judge
01:49question, which is the obvious one.
01:51Obviously, he's coming back.
01:53The Yankees are better.
01:54Better to what extent?
01:56Can they win the AL East?
01:57Can they win the AL pennant?
01:58Can they win the World Series?
02:00Because Aaron Judge is back.
02:02John, you have the floor.
02:03I'll follow you.
02:04First of all, I love that you picked four questions.
02:06I haven't done the four questions since 1977, so I appreciate that it's four questions.
02:11I don't know how many people will understand what I'm talking about.
02:14But anyway, you know, this is big news.
02:18Obviously, for the Yankees, the best hitter, at least in the American League, probably in baseball.
02:22But this is like spring training for him, right?
02:24I mean, he's basically hasn't played since the end of May.
02:28That's a long time.
02:29I mean, more than half the season of games that have been played, he's missed.
02:34And I give the Yankees credit.
02:35They're six games over 500 without him, which is amazing, particularly because they didn't
02:42hit for months in that period.
02:44They pitched very well, and that's what enabled them to be six games over.
02:49But it is huge for the Yankees.
02:51I don't expect him to be as great as he normally is at the beginning.
02:55But he's got, what, close to 20 games now to get right for the playoffs.
03:00And really, that's what counts in my mind.
03:03And if he can get right for the playoffs, and he was great last year in the playoffs.
03:07And I know some people will say, well, he hasn't been very good in the playoffs overall.
03:11I think he figured it out last year.
03:13And I think this is huge for the Yankees.
03:15Yeah, John, can I offer that I think there's the most important thing that Aaron Judge does,
03:21he's one of the greatest hitters who's ever lived, is bat five times a day.
03:25But I do think there's two important fringe benefits that Judge brings.
03:29I think he takes the weight off of others.
03:32I do think especially Ben Rice began to feel it.
03:35And I think, you know, like it's just human nature.
03:38You could say, oh, we're not trying to compensate for Judge.
03:41Of course you are.
03:42There's no Aaron Judge.
03:42You're trying desperately to score runs when you're not scoring runs.
03:46I thought it had an impact.
03:47I think when a weightlifter like him comes back, it makes it easier on everybody else to just be them.
03:53The other thing is, I think if he is going to go to, we'll see what the plan is.
03:59DH, outfield, how much outfield, how many innings in the outfield for every game.
04:03But once he goes back as a full-time right fielder, it improves their defense.
04:08The left field, right field of Bellinger and Judge is exceptional.
04:11It makes life easier for anyone in center.
04:14And the fact that the center fielder is usually going to be a rookie in Spencer Jones, I think that
04:19that helps.
04:20And, John, I do think, though, that it's a – I agree with you.
04:24Hitting major league pitching if you're playing every day is tough.
04:28Not doing it since May 31st.
04:29And yet the Red Sox haven't gotten the memo that they're just supposed to at least concede second place to
04:35the Yankees.
04:36So the Yankees have some business to do, even if it's not specifically catching the Rays.
04:40So they really need Judge right now, and they need him to be good.
04:43And they like the balance, too, right?
04:46I mean, everybody's looking for right-handed bats.
04:48This is certainly the best right-handed bat in baseball, I would say, that's by far, right?
04:53The other guys in competition for best hitter, whether it be Soto, Alvarez, Otani, PCA at the moment,
05:01you know, they're all left-handed.
05:02So, I mean, he is the best right-handed hitter in the game.
05:05And you saw how valuable right-handed bats are.
05:07I mean, the Yankees jumped on Elliott Ramos like he was, you know, the next coming, right?
05:12So Joe Adele became a star of the trade deadline.
05:17It is huge, particularly with the Red Sox, with all that left-handed pitching.
05:21Other than Sonny Gray, they're going to throw all lefties at the Yankees.
05:25So, you know, the fact that he's right-handed, another bonus, it is certainly big.
05:31And, yeah, the Red Sox are not going away.
05:32I know the Yankees have the tiebreaker, which is big, but a two-game lead is not big.
05:37So they better win the games against Colorado, and they better do okay against the Mets,
05:42who, you know, I'm down here in Miami, watched the Mets yesterday.
05:45They're 19-12 since they waved the white towel or threw in the orange and blue towel,
05:54whatever you want to say.
05:56They've been pretty good.
05:57So that's not a gimme at this moment.
06:01Yeah, and look, there's a lot of emotion this weekend because it's the 9-11 game on Friday
06:05and Subway Series.
06:06I mean, I hate to use something as trite as you could throw away the records.
06:10We know these games are played in a different way.
06:12And it's, John, thank you.
06:13You made life setting up these questions easier.
06:16Let's do a Met question right here.
06:18I threw one out there is we're going to have to answer the bigger question of who's the NL
06:23Rookie of the Year in a year where there's a lot of interesting NL rookies, right?
06:28J.J.
06:28Weatherholt, Sal Stewart, T.J.
06:30Rumpfeld.
06:31I think Didier Fuentes, even though we gave up the homer yesterday to Schwarber, has had
06:36a really, really good, important year.
06:38But who's the Rookie of the Year on the Mets?
06:41Carson Ben, Nolan McClain.
06:42As we think about where to put them on a ballot for the National League itself, who would
06:47you?
06:47Yeah, it's basically a dead heat, but I'm going to break that tie by saying that the
06:52Mets kind of rigged it last year.
06:54I think they purposely gave McClain one or two innings and one or two days short of so
07:01he could be the Rookie of the Year.
07:03He was already basically proven.
07:05He was so proven that he was one of our main pitchers and the signing game pitcher of the
07:11WBC.
07:12I know it's probably not fair.
07:14We certainly count all the players who come over from overseas.
07:18We should count somebody who pitched almost as much as it would take to disqualify you.
07:24But I mean, Benj is a true rookie.
07:27You know, made the team out of spring training.
07:29That arm from right field, amazing.
07:32I mean, he has an arm like McClain, you know, that I can't spin it like McClain.
07:38But Benj has been really, really superb with a lot of pressure on him as the rookie starting
07:43with, you know, with two superstars on the team, a difficult situation.
07:49So I'm going to break a tie in my mind with the two and give that to Benj.
07:54I do, and I'll show here how old and old school I am.
07:58Maybe.
07:59I don't know.
07:59I kind of think Sal Stewart's probably the MVP with 100 plus RB.
08:04I'm sorry, Rookie of the Year.
08:07With 100 plus RBIs on a poor team.
08:10You know, J.J.
08:11Weatherholt has got the big lead in war.
08:13But we'll see how much the new school people are going to say, well, it's war.
08:18That shows you how good you are.
08:20And that's it.
08:21And he's the guy.
08:22So I don't know.
08:24I'm with Stewart.
08:25I don't know where you are.
08:26No, I'm with Stewart.
08:27You know, look, how good can your defense be at second base?
08:32I mean, I'm old school.
08:34But like, literally, there's three guys who have 100 RBIs right now.
08:37Bizarrely, it's Stewart and two guys from the Cardinals, right?
08:41Like, that's who has 100 RBIs.
08:44So, like, they're hard to get.
08:45They're homers.
08:47It's a legitimately strong year.
08:49I think I would go with McLean.
08:52And just so we're different, also.
08:55Look, one of the things I like about both McLean and Benj is neither started the season well.
09:01And I liked that they both, like, if you're thinking about the Mets moving forward and as well as they've
09:06played,
09:06obviously everything is about 2027.
09:08And afterwards, hopefully we'll have some baseball in 2027.
09:11And the fact that both guys overcame poor starts says something.
09:16I think Benj might have a very interesting triple-double this year.
09:19He's got 16 homers, 21 steals, and nine outfield assists.
09:23He's one outfield assist away from the 10.
09:25Obviously, it's an interesting triple-double.
09:26I like everything about his season.
09:29You know why I'm going to take McLean, and I hear what you're saying that they kind of rigged the
09:33system,
09:34is McLean hasn't just been – I mean, you could probably make a case for McLean getting some down-ballot
09:38Cy Young votes.
09:41Most impressive, he's eighth in the National League in innings.
09:44Like, the Mets haven't really pulled back on him heavily.
09:47He's got over 160 innings.
09:48He's going to qualify for the ERA title.
09:50He's seventh in ERA in the National League, seventh in strikeouts, and third in batting average against.
09:55He's just been playing one of the better pitchers in the league.
09:58And it would give me a little bit on that.
10:02Let me talk about another rookie, John, with question three.
10:05It's how much do you trust Spencer Jones in center field and playing every day for the Yankees?
10:12Like, if Grisham doesn't come back, I guess it's conceivable.
10:17And the fact that the Red Sox will throw a lot of lefties in the division series,
10:23so that you're going to really put Elio Ramos in the big left field at Yankee Stadium.
10:28He's the worst defender than Dominguez.
10:30And play Bellinger in center and judge in right.
10:33I wonder about that.
10:35So Jones is going to play big games.
10:36He's not the stretch.
10:37What have you thought, and what do you think?
10:40Well, trust is a big word.
10:42I do like Spencer Jones.
10:44I like him in center as much as Grisham.
10:46Grisham, I think, has been below average this year.
10:49I don't love the way Grisham plays center.
10:52It seems like he's styling all the time.
10:54I mean, that's just me.
10:55I guess I'm showing I'm old school again.
10:58But to style, I think you better be at least above average.
11:01I do like Spencer Jones very much.
11:04Certainly going to be a lot of pressure on the kid.
11:07You know, a couple of scouts who I trust very much really were really dubious about his potential
11:14because of that unusual setup and swing that he has.
11:18And I think he is proving them wrong right now.
11:20Now, there may be more peaks and valleys.
11:23There usually are.
11:24He's going to have to probably make adjustments, do something different at different times.
11:28But he has been outstanding.
11:31Since Judge went out, his OPS is over 800.
11:35That's pretty good.
11:37767 overall.
11:39That's good as well.
11:41He has outperformed Grisham to this point.
11:44So I'm good with him.
11:46I mean, trust me is a big word.
11:48I mean, you know, there's no guarantee.
11:51He's a rookie who's played two-thirds of a season at this point.
11:54You know, John, first of all, I'm with you on Grisham.
11:56I have no problems if you're going to cruise and be smooth.
12:00The two greatest centerfielders I ever saw are Devon White, Devon White, and Andrew Jones
12:05certainly were cruising and smooth.
12:07The thing is, they caught all the balls, you know, while doing that.
12:12They certainly had style.
12:13They certainly did not look hurried.
12:15But somehow they were standing underneath the ball all the time when it landed.
12:19If you're going to do it, you can't do what Trent Grisham is doing and coolly have the ball
12:23bat off your glove and go to the outfield wall and then lob it in and lose bases.
12:28So I'm there.
12:29So I feel like even though Spencer Jones hasn't played really well in the field, it's still
12:33better to me than Grisham.
12:36And really, I think that you have to take Spencer Jones returned on July 22nd.
12:42You know, he went down twice.
12:44It feels a little bit.
12:45And again, the comparison is so problematic because it's a judge.
12:49But like, you know, again, lasted to late in the round, size, Yankees took him because
12:54they love the size and potential and the athleticism that came with it.
12:58And people could forget that Judge had a 2016 cameo where he struck out over 40% of the time.
13:04I think it was 44% of the time.
13:06And I would say that was Jones' first two times up.
13:09It's 32.6 since July 22nd.
13:12It's kind of in line with where like Kyle Schwarber is.
13:15And then like, what do you do in exchange for 32% strikeouts?
13:19Well, he's hit for some power.
13:20He's hit lefties.
13:21He's stolen bases.
13:23He has over an 800 OPS since he returned in July.
13:26He's gotten a bunch of big hits.
13:28A lot of them left on left hits.
13:30I think it's been impressive this time around.
13:34And I certainly, if you're telling me, even if Grisham got healthy, who am I playing?
13:39I don't know there.
13:40I think I'm getting more out of Jones.
13:43John, let's finish up the segment.
13:44We're going to do the last of the four questions.
13:46And I did get your thing about 1977.
13:49Well, I figured you'd get it.
13:51I'm just wondering if the viewers are listening.
13:53Well, you have to understand that I haven't asked those four questions in even longer than you.
13:56But my question is, should the playoffs be reseeded?
14:02You know, like either to begin one through six or at least after the first round where it's, you know,
14:10like whatever.
14:11Because it's going to be a big deal this year, right?
14:13Like, John, if I could just jump in.
14:14Like, my problem this year is the one that highlights it is you could finish fourth in the AL East.
14:19If the Blue Jays get in and have an easier road to the ALCS than the three teams in front
14:25of you.
14:26Because the Yankees, the Rays, Yankees, and Red Sox are in the same bracket.
14:30Only one of them can make it to the ALCS.
14:33Right.
14:33To me, it should be the Rays, if they finish with the best record, play the team with the worst
14:38record who survives that opening round.
14:42What do you think?
14:42I'll say this.
14:44They all have an easy road in the American League, right?
14:47I mean, we're not going to change that.
14:48The biggest difference is the National League versus the American League.
14:51It's not playing the White Sox versus playing the Red Sox.
14:55You know, they're both good teams, but neither one is great.
14:58I'm not too worried about it.
15:00I kind of like the quirkiness of it.
15:02It doesn't bother me.
15:04Particularly since, you know, I would say, you know, the Yankees, as things stand now, would be the second seed
15:13if you re-seeded them.
15:15And to me, you know, they're a big market.
15:18So I think we're giving a little bit extra advantage to the White Sox.
15:22I guess they're not that small market, but they are a small revenue team.
15:26And all those other teams in that central are small revenue.
15:29And so I'm okay with it.
15:31I'm okay that, you know, the big market Blue Jays and the big market Yankees and the big market Red
15:38Sox get a little bit of a disadvantage there.
15:41It's certainly more than balanced out by the fact that they're in the American League and have the incredible break
15:46of not having to play the Dodgers, the Phillies, the Cubs, the Brewers, and the Braves.
15:52Ooh, you know, they may have the best five teams in the National League anyway.
15:56So I'm okay with it.
15:57I get your point.
15:59I see the other side, but, you know, if there's a little disadvantage, there's a couple of big market teams
16:05who are lucky enough to be in the American League.
16:07I'm going to live with that.
16:08But one of those big market teams, the Blue Jays, is going to get a real advantage because they play
16:12in the other side and they play the White Sox or the Astros in this.
16:18Like, remember, it's Red Sox versus Yankees.
16:20Winner gets praise.
16:21Only one of those teams.
16:22I don't think the Red Sox and the Yankees have distinguished themselves that much.
16:26They're so much better.
16:29None of those teams are 600 percentage teams.
16:31None of them are going to win 100 games.
16:33They are better, you know.
16:35But the Rays, again, the small market Rays, instead of facing one of the weaker teams, has to play the
16:40Yankees.
16:41The Rays have had a bad break the whole through, and they've overcome it by doing a great job.
16:47I mean, yeah, I don't think they're a small market, by the way.
16:50I don't consider Tampa small markets.
16:52I don't consider San Diego small market.
16:54Tampa is an above-average market in terms of market size.
16:58They're just a very low-revenue team, kind of like the White Sox.
17:02But they've had the unfortunate happenstance of being in the division with the Red Sox and the Yankees.
17:10And through their, I would say, brilliance at this point, they've overcome it to this point.
17:15So they've overcome bigger problems than having to play other teams in the American League, which isn't good this year.
17:22Yeah, the Rays and the Yankees have been 1-2 with the two best records in the American League since
17:27April 22nd on every day except for May 23rd.
17:30I think they've really distinguished themselves from everybody else and that they should be the top two seeds.
17:36But I hear you.
17:37You know, if you want to create, like, almost the salary cap here where it's like, let's give disadvantages to
17:42the bigger market teams, fine.
17:44If you want to re-seed the whole thing, the top six seeds would be the Brewers, the Dodgers, the
17:52Braves.
17:53Yeah, let's just do it like the NCAA tournament.
17:55If you like that, that would be fairer, right?
17:58Yes, I'm with you.
17:59You know, the teams in the National League who are 4-5 are, you know, they're all better than everybody
18:05in the American League probably.
18:07And, you know, debatably, I guess, you've got to give the Rays credit.
18:11The record is fantastic.
18:13Is it possible the five teams in the – now, the Orioles have really fallen.
18:18Is it possible the five teams in the ALEs are the five best teams in the American League?
18:23Well, not by record now with the way the Orioles have fallen.
18:25Not by record.
18:26But, like, would you – like, if the Orioles played the White Sox –
18:29The Orioles aren't very good.
18:30The Orioles aren't very good.
18:32I don't know.
18:33I mean, they may have the four best teams.
18:36They may have four playoff teams, which I – that has not happened, I don't think.
18:39So that's pretty amazing.
18:42But they are big market teams other than Tampa and Baltimore.
18:46They're three very big market teams.
18:49So it's not shocking, but it is surprising.
18:54You know, I think some of the teams in the American League are, you know, maybe better than they've performed.
19:02Seattle should have been good, right?
19:04Detroit should have been good.
19:05Seattle, Detroit should have been good.
19:07To me, they – I know – I saw your listing of disappointing teams.
19:10I think Seattle has overtaken the Mets, and they're the most disappointing team at this point.
19:15Yeah.
19:16With second – with another week of thinking about it and some second thoughts, I think you might be right.
19:21You know, that's a team that's never even made it to the World Series.
19:25A team in their division that's actually leading the division and in playoff position is the Houston Astros.
19:32Their manager, Joe Espada, joins us next on the show.
19:40We're joined today by Joe Espada, third year as the manager of the Astros.
19:46He's dealt with a lot of stuff this year, injuries.
19:50His general manager was just recently let go at the end of August, and yet 73-71, leading the AL
19:59West by two games, really three games over Texas because they've already won the season series over the Rangers.
20:04Joe Espada, thank you so much for joining us on the show.
20:07Yeah, thank you for having me, guys.
20:09Joe, I'm wondering if we could just talk about the situation a little bit.
20:12But, you know, the general manager whose contract is running out at the end of the year, Dana Brown, was
20:18dismissed at the end of August.
20:21Your contract is up at the end of the year.
20:25Jim Crane, the owner, came out and said, you're safe.
20:27Well, you're safe until the end of the year.
20:29You still don't have a contract beyond that, and you are, again, leading a winning team as you have the
20:35past two years and a team in first place.
20:37How does this all feel for you?
20:39You know what?
20:40I just go about it the same way I've gone, you know, the last two years.
20:44I focus on my players, on our team, on our mission, on our goal.
20:50Don't really think about my contract at the end of the year.
20:54We can take care of that at the end of the season.
20:56But right now, it's just trying to win this division.
20:59We have gone through a lot, and I'm proud of our players, man.
21:03We have stayed together.
21:05We have found ways to win games through injuries.
21:10And, you know, we find ourselves with 18 games left of the regular season in a position to win this
21:15division.
21:15So I'm really excited where we are playing meaningful games in September.
21:18That's what you want to do when you're in this job.
21:21You want to be playing meaningful games in September.
21:23You have gone through a lot, as you mentioned it.
21:26So I want to ask you, how have you, and they've done it, I'm shocked that you are winning that
21:33division.
21:33I think everybody was looking at Seattle.
21:36And then, you know, obviously, you guys try to win every year.
21:39You did stuff in the winter.
21:41It's kind of been mixed at best, what went on.
21:45There have been a number of injuries.
21:47How are you in first place?
21:49Yeah, well, you know, I think it goes down on the character of our team.
21:52These guys, they stay together, that we have a core player, veteran players, who's been here for a long time.
21:59They know what winning looks like.
22:00They know what to ask from the rest of the group in that clubhouse.
22:05They lead by example.
22:07And I lean on that heavily.
22:09You know, I believe that we have a winning culture.
22:11And we've done a really nice job protecting that, how we prepare ourselves, how we take the feel, our commitment
22:17to winning.
22:18And that has really paid off.
22:20And, again, we've had players who come up.
22:23I've done some contributions.
22:25And they know that once you go in there, there's only one mission, one goal, is to win our division.
22:30And we find our team in that spot.
22:33And I'm just happy that we continue to push forward.
22:38And we have a pretty busy week here.
22:41We're in Philly and Tampa.
22:43So, looking forward to playing good baseball here in the next couple of weeks.
22:46Joe, appreciating that John and I actually are so old.
22:50We covered George Steinbrenner when he was George Steinbrenner.
22:54We're used to things that don't look quite as weird as the George days.
22:58I've got to say from a distance that once Dana Brown is gone, you know, the owner says, yeah, I'm
23:05going to be involved in decision-making the rest of the way.
23:07Jeff Bagwell, who kind of feels like the off-camera whisperer of the team, is involved.
23:17And then three assistant GMs are involved.
23:19It feels like a lot of chefs in the thing.
23:23It feels chaotic from 1,000 miles away.
23:27How is it for you?
23:28Well, it's not chaotic here in Houston.
23:31I have a good relationship with the AGMs, like you mentioned, and Jeff Bagwell and Jim.
23:37We have a processing place where, you know, it hasn't altered at all how we communicate.
23:44And my goal, you know, my mission continues to be the same.
23:47You know, if I need something, you know, from when it comes to a player perspective or transition or transaction,
23:54the AGMs are there to communicate and we get our work done.
23:58But just to, you know, it's not as chaos as it looks to you guys.
24:04I've been here for nine years and I always find I have a really good relationship with Jim and his
24:10staff.
24:11So, you know, as you guys can see, we continue to move forward and not really, you know,
24:18concerned about things that might be perceived or anything like that,
24:22because that's not the case here in how we operate.
24:25You know, I actually admire the fact that Jim Crane tries to win every year and does spend to win
24:33and does expect to win.
24:36But expecting a win is nice.
24:38But are expectations too high when you think you're going to win a division every year?
24:44I mean, everybody else thought Seattle was going to win this division.
24:47I mean, are these expectations, are they fair?
24:50Yeah, I think they are.
24:51I think you want to go to the ballpark and want to win.
24:55If not, why are we doing this?
24:58I think that we have the team to win it.
25:02And I truly believe that Jim, every year he puts all the resources in play for us to put a
25:10winning team on the field.
25:11And we're doing that.
25:13And we got to continue to move forward.
25:15And we have three more weeks to go to win this division.
25:19But I think the expectations I've been here, that's the way it's been since I've been here.
25:24I don't know any other way.
25:25And I am not going to change the way I feel about our team and our purpose and commitment to
25:33winning.
25:34We're going to do everything in our power to do that.
25:36You know, you guys were 20 and 31 in late May.
25:40It's 11 under 500.
25:43And somebody close to this podcast, me, started wondering, should you break this hole up?
25:50I got a text message from the manager of the Houston Astros who suggested they shouldn't.
25:55That would be you.
25:56It was the second time in three years we had this conversation with each other.
26:00I didn't believe it last year.
26:01I thought you should have gone for it last year.
26:03But two years ago when you were struggling and this year, I kind of was like, shouldn't the Astros think,
26:08like, this has been the greatest 10-year period in the history of the Astros.
26:11Two championships, lots of playoffs, other World Series appearances, really renewed the brand of fan base, everything.
26:20But you have a whole bunch of guys coming up on free agency this year, next year, the year after.
26:24Is this the moment to regenerate?
26:26And think about trading Alvarez or Pena or Paredes or Walker or Hayter.
26:33Really good – by the way, all outstanding players.
26:35That's what I'm saying.
26:36I think that those are really good players.
26:39There's a winning player.
26:40There's a championship players.
26:42I don't want to – that's why I didn't agree with you because we have the talent to win the
26:48division.
26:48Now, you know, those conversations are for, you know, people in the front office and how they view and how
26:55they plan, you know, for the present and the future.
26:58But as a manager of this team, I want those players on my team.
27:00I want to continue to win.
27:02And I need that – not only their talent but their leadership to win and the next generation of younger
27:08players that are coming up to continue to teach these guys how to win at the major leagues.
27:13So that's why I think that this window continues to be open.
27:17And as long as we continue to have the type of players that we have, I think we have a
27:23really good chance of winning.
27:24You were right.
27:25You know, it was a good idea to disagree with Joel on that one.
27:29It almost always is, by the way.
27:31I didn't want to say that.
27:32You told me in my last question that you're used to the high expectations and you wouldn't have it any
27:39other way.
27:39But is this fair to you to be a lame duck from our perspective?
27:44And maybe we're biased and we're not your employer, obviously.
27:47We think you've done a great job.
27:49You're a candidate for a manager of the year with the job that you've done.
27:54Should you be a lame duck at this point?
27:56You know what, fellas, I love coming to work every day.
28:03That will take care of itself.
28:05I don't really honestly think about it.
28:08I really want to help these players win.
28:11I love this team.
28:12I love my players.
28:13I respect every individual that is in that clubhouse with me.
28:17We have been through a lot for nine seasons.
28:20And there is nothing more that I enjoy as being the manager of the Houston Astros.
28:26Every single day, my family, we love the city.
28:28We love our fans.
28:30And that's what drives me.
28:31That's what motivates me.
28:33So if we continue to win, I truly believe that that will be taking care of itself.
28:40My status, my contract will take care of itself.
28:42But right now, fellas, I'm just trying to win some games.
28:46You know, that's all I care.
28:48And I owe that to my players.
28:50Yeah, you know, just on John's point is, you know, Kevin Cash, Will Venable,
28:55I'm sure Chad Tracy, the job he's done as the interim in Boston,
28:59it's all going to be cited.
29:00Who knows?
29:00Maybe people even will like Aaron Boone playing most of this year without Aaron Judge
29:06and Garrett Cole and Carlos Radon.
29:08But you're certainly there considering the devastating devastation of your pitching staff,
29:12you know, who you haven't had.
29:13And, like, in the last, like, month, really, limited offense,
29:17and yet you're still there.
29:20It just leads to one bigger question.
29:22You mentioned you love being the manager of the Houston Astros.
29:25You want to – I just want to be clear.
29:26You want to continue to do this with the Astros moving forward.
29:30And even bigger picture, you want to continue – do you want to continue managing no matter what?
29:35Yes, I love what I do.
29:38I, you know, I love putting the Astros uniform on.
29:42I, man, with that city, the way we have been embraced in that city, you know,
29:48my family and how much we love the connection that we have created with a city.
29:56Of course, of course.
29:58You know, we have a group of young prospects that are being developed right now in the Mono Leagues,
30:05and I would love to be part of that of the future.
30:08There's no doubt about it.
30:10But, again, it's one day at a time.
30:12I stay, you know, I stay in the present.
30:15The present is today, you know, here in Philly and managing this team and help them win some games.
30:20But I do love my time here, and there's nothing more that I would like to do
30:25than just continue to be the manager for the Houston Astros.
30:27And I'm sure that, you know, we'll have, we'll take care there at the end of the season.
30:32But, again, I, you know, it's tonight all that I'm concerned about.
30:36And you should continue to be the manager of the Houston Astros.
30:40But we will stop badgering you with questions about you for a second.
30:45You're Don Alvarez.
30:46I mean, what more could he do?
30:48I mean, it's been amazing, right?
30:50Yeah.
30:50Yeah, no, I, you know, I, man, I've had the greatest front row seat to one of the greatest
31:00offensive seasons of any player.
31:04You know, I've seen Hanley Ramirez have incredible seasons in Miami when I started my career.
31:09I saw Aaron Judge in 17 have that incredible season.
31:15But what Jordan is doing is, is, it's phenomenal.
31:21Just how he uses the whole entire field, how he's a hitter above, how he's a hitter first
31:28and then a power hitter, how he's been able to play every single day and, and put the numbers
31:35that he has put, surround himself with, you know, you know, how he shares information and
31:41how he makes everyone better.
31:43I, I'm really pulling for him.
31:46I, you know, I'm not so much on the individual stats, but I'm really praying that he gets an
31:51opportunity to finish his up because he's been incredible how hard he's worked.
31:56So, um, really the whole entire team is behind him and, and, you know, he's, he's for me
32:01the best, the best hitter in the American league.
32:03Yeah.
32:04You know, just to put a final point on it, uh, you know, triple crown, uh, he's hitting
32:07three 14, he's leading Chandler Simpson by six points.
32:10He's tied with junior Camonero, uh, with, uh, 38 homers and he's tied with Pete Alonzo with
32:1695 RBIs.
32:17So he's either leading or tied, uh, in 2020, look, I like the triple crown categories cause you
32:23could follow them.
32:23Am I, I don't know, like I could, Hey, if he steals a base and makes a good defensive
32:27play, can he lead in war this year?
32:29Like, like we are actually tracking some, does it still matter?
32:33You think you, does it matter?
32:34Do you think to your Don, the triple crown, does it matter to you?
32:37And should it matter to go after it?
32:39Cause he's currently the MVP runner at this point.
32:42Sure.
32:42Sure.
32:42All those things matter.
32:43Um, we, we, you know, we are trying, if you ask your Don, your Don, all he cares about
32:48is helping the team win.
32:48And, and, and I have respect that or your Don, but listen, I'm the first one with, with
32:53pom poms cheering for him in that dugout to get that hit, to get the home run.
32:56I am, you know, I'm checking the box score to see Camonero hit a Homer or Bryce, you know,
33:01if he like, I am, I am really pulling for him because this is really difficult to do.
33:07And if there's someone that can do it is your Don Alvarez, um, because he's got the ability
33:13to, you know, get hits and walk, to keep his average up.
33:18Uh, he's got this sweet swing, um, that he can hit the home run.
33:22Um, you know, he's got players around where he could get the RBIs and he knows, he just
33:28knows how to hit.
33:29Um, but he's a very difficult accomplishment just based on how tough they're pitching
33:34him right now, I think teams are aware that he is in the race for a triple crown.
33:39Um, you know, we playing teams right now that they're, you know, in a position to make the
33:43post season.
33:44So there, so there's all this elements that I planning to, can he get there or not?
33:50I, I really truly believe that he's got the ability to do it.
33:53Um, but time will tell, um, it's going to be fun to watch the last few weeks.
33:57Yeah.
33:57I want to ask my final questions on two, uh, other long time Astros superstars, uh, Altuve,
34:04and Correa, uh, Altuve looks like he's finally, I think he's a hall of famer, but it looks
34:09like he's slowing down a bit.
34:11What, what's his contribution?
34:12Uh, still, uh, still, uh, pretty scary in the box, I think.
34:17Um, and, and Correa, what are we, are we going to see him at some point soon?
34:21Yeah.
34:22Well, let's start with Carlos.
34:23Yeah.
34:23Carlos is in West Palm.
34:25Um, he is going through his, uh, through his progression.
34:28Uh, I, I truly believe that if there's no issues, we'll see him towards the end of the
34:34season, the regular season.
34:35I think we'll see him, um, but he's doing really well.
34:37We have him running the basis.
34:39He's taking BP on the field.
34:40Uh, we're going to start adding some, um, some sliding and trying to really test that
34:46ankle and try to put him through game game like situation.
34:50Uh, so he's progressing very well when it comes to Altuve, he's still a threat.
34:53Um, when, when game is on the line, you know, Altuve has a way to, you know, scare the opponent
34:59pitcher and, and, and, and make you wonder if, you know, should we pitch him around now?
35:04He's still, he's still a threat.
35:06Um, you know, so I still have a lot of confidence, you know, Saltuve that, uh, in big moments,
35:11big games, he still has a way to race up to, to, uh, to the moment and, and get big
35:16hits
35:16for us.
35:17Um, so we continue to lean on him.
35:19He's the leader of our clubhouse.
35:20Um, you know, if he's not, if he's not doing it on the field, he's doing it inside the
35:24clubhouse, having conversation with players.
35:26So he brings incredible value to our organization.
35:29Let's, uh, give some credit here to Correa also.
35:31When this injury struck and he needed ankle surgery in May, it was described as season
35:36ending.
35:36Yes.
35:37Uh, search the fact that he's coming, he's potentially in play for you coming back probably
35:42says something about the player, the man, uh, as well about wanting to get back on the
35:47field.
35:47And as a way to end it, can I do anything more than put you on the spot again?
35:51Uh, if, if, and when he comes back, I just watched you play a lot of games.
35:56You were in New York for a week.
35:57And, uh, you know, after Alvarez, I mean, Paredes, when he comes to the plate really looks
36:02hitterish for a word, like, like he's, he's your third baseman.
36:07Obviously Christian Walker is your first baseman.
36:09Alvarez is your DH, uh, where's Carlos Correa going to, how are you going to work?
36:15Uh, and let's make a little news today.
36:18Yeah, no, you know, and, and I'll be holding it, you know, because I really want to give
36:21Carlos time to heal and, and, you know, but going into the season, you know, I, I was
36:27very open about, you know, there, there's opportunity for these guys, you know, we're
36:31going to be towards the end of the season.
36:32And Jordan has, you know, we're going to be, you know, there's Seattle, we've got, we've
36:37got some, some games at home.
36:38If he's able to get back when we come home, um, there's places where Jordan can play some
36:42outfield.
36:43Um, there is, there is, you know, some of these guys are going to need potentially DH
36:48with towards the end of the season.
36:49I can, I can DH somebody else and move some of these guys around and, and, and give them
36:55a little blow, um, towards the end.
36:58So there's opportunity is a good problem to have.
37:01I just don't want to commit to anyone.
37:02Cause I really want to give Carlos the opportunity to be healthy and come back.
37:08And then once we get there, I'll sit down with the, you know, with all the infielders
37:13and we'll, we'll come up with a, with a plan and a strategy to make sure that we all are
37:17in a position to win.
37:18And we all on the same page to accomplish our goal.
37:22Uh, Joe, look, uh, we always appreciate having you on the show, uh, because, uh, but we understand
37:30this is a tricky time for Joe Espada, considering what's going on with your contract, what happened
37:34with Dana, where your team is in the standing.
37:37So we're particularly appreciative that you took the time, uh, and offered us the insight
37:42you did, uh, joining us on the show today.
37:44Thank you so much for doing that.
37:45Appreciate you guys.
37:46Always a pleasure, man.
37:47Thanks, Joe.
37:54We, of course, thank, uh, Joe Espada for joining us on the show, John hit or error.
37:59I'm going to give a hit to the Mets.
38:01Uh, you know, I went and saw them yesterday and, uh, you know, they're looking pretty good,
38:04but I got to give them credit for putting Luis Robert on, uh, waivers, uh, and, and four
38:10teams.
38:10I hear four teams actually put in the claim for Luis Robert.
38:14Uh, I don't think they were expecting that they thought they'd give it a shot and, uh,
38:18maybe one team would do it as soon as the Orioles got him.
38:21He is a talented player to get injured.
38:25Gamble did not pay off for the Orioles, but we know the Padres did and two other teams that
38:30are in contention, uh, tried for Luis Robert.
38:33So that was a good move by the Mets that saved them the 5 million bucks plus the, uh, tax,
38:39which is 110% this year, presumably will be 110% or more next year.
38:43We'll see what the CBA comes to at this point next year, but they have to pay, uh, it was,
38:49uh, it is a $2 million buyout as well.
38:52So, uh, good job by the Mets to, uh, unload, uh, Luis Robert.
38:57And they've done a lot of things, right?
38:58I mean, to be 19 and 12, since you traded your whole, basically your whole bullpen and
39:04other pieces, including Tyrone Taylor, who's been the third best player on a great Cubs
39:08team.
39:09Uh, they've done well.
39:10They really have done well in the second half.
39:12I know people are going to look at this as a very negative season and I agree.
39:16I get it, but it's been a good second half.
39:19Yeah.
39:19What Luis Robert is best at doing is not playing baseball.
39:22Uh, the, uh, I'm going to give a, I'm going to give an error, uh, to, uh, let's see if
39:30I can make this.
39:31I'll get in trouble for this, but who gives a crap?
39:33Uh, an error to everyone who ever hits at me, paywall question mark.
39:40Like why should I pay for something?
39:42You, um, doing this because Mike Puma, our friend and colleague who covers the Mets put
39:46up a picture yesterday of you and him at the ballpark in Miami and wrote post reporters
39:54to everyone else.
39:56Unfortunately.
39:56Unfortunately, and I think I'm not happy that it was two, nothing, even though it was
40:01two, nothing for us, for our paper.
40:03It's a terrible time.
40:05Obviously part of this reflects that the Mets are non-contenders in September, but it means
40:10that no other institution in New York sent a reporter to Miami.
40:15So when somebody does the, why should I pay for this paywall?
40:19Go screw yourself or whatever.
40:21What I would say is the Gutenberg press came along in 1450.
40:26So from 1450 to 30 years ago, if you wanted news, you paid for it.
40:32You bought a newspaper and you supported the ability to be able to send people out and do
40:40original reporting, unbiased original reporting from all these things.
40:45The New York post still does this to the point where we had two people on a, if you're a
40:51Met
40:51fan, we had two people on a losing team yesterday in Miami, John, who's one of the best baseball
40:58writers there's ever been.
41:00And Mike Puma, who's one of the best beat reporters that we have working in this country
41:05right now to veteran people who are being paid as veteran people.
41:09That's what the post still believes in.
41:11So if you want original reporting, you want original insight from talented veteran people,
41:20then if not the post, other institutions, that's why the paywall, because you should
41:28pay for it.
41:29And for 500 freaking years, you did pay for it.
41:33And the only reason you stopped paying for it is idiots in my business decided to put the
41:37stuff up online free and give it to you.
41:40And we taught a couple of generations of people that they should get this for free.
41:44You can't walk into a deli, get a sandwich and walk out.
41:47You got to pay for the freaking sandwich.
41:50So you got to pay for the freaking sandwich of journalism.
41:53Thankfully, we still have people like John and Mike who travel and are willing to do the
41:57hard work.
41:58If you want that to continue, you want hard questions asked of the teams that are covered
42:03and insight, then pay for it.
42:07Hear, hear.
42:09Excellent point.
42:10Very good.
42:10I appreciate that.
42:12Thank you for the kind words.
42:13Yeah, I'll add a hit for the post for having two people there.
42:17And right, right.
42:18I mean, it's not like we were there for free, right?
42:21Mike's in a hotel.
42:22I mean, obviously, I'm not in a hotel, but there's travel expenses.
42:26You know, it's not free, right?
42:29Do they expect a business to take a loss to, you know, it's a business.
42:35So good for the post that we actually have two people there.
42:37And every other business decided.
42:39Yeah.
42:40And every other business.
42:42Newsday, the paper of Long Island and Queens, not there.
42:45And they do it pretty good.
42:47I would say Newsday and The Athletic do good jobs covering the team.
42:50You know, they're normally very, very good about covering the team, but they just get
42:55quit on the team, you know, and the team has not quit.
42:58And you aggregate a prick who just steal John and Mike's stuff.
43:02Remember, you need two people there.
43:04So you aggregators could barnacle the hell out of your life as well.
43:08Very good.
43:09I'm with you 100%.
43:11All right.
43:12My rant is over.
43:14My compliments begin now.
43:15It starts with Tommy Hogan, our great producer, Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen to the podcast,
43:21please rate and review us.
43:22I wonder what the rate and review will be after that rant.
43:26The New York Post YouTube sports page.
43:30Please give us a view and continue to stick with us on the show with Joel Sherman and John
43:34Heyman.
43:39You