Hour 1: Ryan McMahon

Summary

Podcast Title: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg
Host/Authors: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Episode: Hour 1: Ryan McMahon
Release Date: July 25, 2025

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Introduction to the Trade: Ryan McMahon Joins the Yankees

Don La Greca opens the discussion amidst the sweltering summer heat, setting the stage for a day packed with trades, football insights, and sports analysis. The primary focus quickly shifts to the New York Yankees' recent acquisition of Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies.

Key Points:

• Contract Details: Ryan McMahon joins the Yankees on a contract worth slightly over $11 million through 2027, which the hosts describe as "not an obnoxious contract by any stretch" ([02:44]).
• Performance Metrics: McMahon has hit 16 home runs, with 11 of them in Colorado, and is recognized for his defensive prowess at third base. Despite a low batting average, his offensive contributions are deemed a significant improvement over the previous third baseman, Jazz Chisholm II.

Notable Quote:

Don La Greca (02:44): "Ryan McMahon, third baseman, 16 home runs... he's a real good defender. So you don't lose anything defensively from going from him to Paraza Praza."

Comparative Analysis: McMahon vs. Potential Alternatives

Peter Rosenberg delves into why McMahon is a smarter acquisition compared to other potential trades, such as acquiring Suarez. The discussion highlights several factors:

• Defensive Improvement: McMahon offers enhanced defense without compromising much on offense. In contrast, acquiring Suarez would have necessitated giving up more valuable prospects and might not have addressed the Yankees' defensive shortcomings.
• Strikeout Concerns: While McMahon excels defensively, his tendency to strike out frequently is a point of concern, although his overall defensive upgrade is seen as outweighing this drawback.

Notable Quote:

Peter Rosenberg (03:09): "So listen, it is an upgrade. Even Ryan McMahon at his worst hitting wise is an upgrade, a significant upgrade. 100 point average upgrade."

Impact on the Yankees’ Roster and Future Moves

The conversation shifts to the broader implications of McMahon's acquisition on the Yankees' roster:

• Bullpen Enhancements: The Yankees have also made moves to bolster their bullpen, signing Gregory Soto, a seasoned left-handed pitcher with postseason experience. While Soto's ERA and strikeout-to-walk ratio are discussed, the consensus is that adding depth to the bullpen is a positive step.

• Championship Prospects: Both hosts express cautious optimism about the Yankees' chances of contending for the World Series. They acknowledge the team's improvements but also recognize lingering issues, especially in defense and offensive consistency.

Notable Quote:

Don La Greca (04:16): "And I think it's a solid move that upgrades a position that they desperately needed to upgrade."

Comparing Yankees and Mets: Organizational Strategies and Fan Expectations

Don and Peter explore the differing strategies and organizational decisions between the Yankees and the Mets:

• Yankees' Offensive vs. Defensive Balance: The Yankees have historically focused on strong offense, but recent moves like acquiring McMahon indicate a renewed emphasis on defense.

• Mets' Bullpen Management: The Mets are similarly active in the trade market, aiming to strengthen their bullpen. However, concerns remain about the reliability of their new acquisitions in high-leverage situations.

Notable Quote:

Peter Rosenberg (06:14): "It's a little bit more extension of that... it's a little bit more extension of that."

Listener Engagement: Analyzing Fan Perspectives

Throughout the episode, Don and Peter interact with listener calls, offering varied viewpoints on the Yankees' and Mets' recent moves:

• Defense Over Offense: A caller highlights the importance of defense, comparing McMahon to Scott Brocius, and emphasizing the need for consistent fielding to regain team confidence ([26:07]).

• Managerial Accountability: Another listener questions the role of Yankees' manager Aaron Boone in addressing player mistakes and maintaining team discipline, drawing parallels with past managerial decisions under Joe Girardi ([38:00]).

Notable Quote:

Don La Greca (30:40): "Well, from B. Dilly who says I'm not saying the Yankees or Mets are winning the World Series. Both are flawed."

Odds and Championship Realism

The hosts discuss the current betting odds and realistic championship prospects for Major League Baseball teams:

• Yankees' Standing: Despite recent improvements, the Yankees are positioned with odds at +325, behind the Blue Jays at +500 and the Astros at +375. This positioning reflects both their potential and the stiff competition within the American League.

• Blue Jays and Tigers: The Blue Jays are highlighted as formidable opponents, while the Tigers' fluctuating performance keeps the Central Division open but not necessarily threatening to the Yankees' aspirations.

Notable Quote:

Peter Rosenberg (20:14): "So Toronto, which is what, four games up on the Yankees is +500."

Conclusion: Evaluating the Yankees’ Strategic Moves

As the episode draws to a close, Don and Peter reflect on the Yankees' strategic acquisitions and their implications for the team's future:

• Strategic Acquisitions: McMahon represents a key addition that addresses critical defensive needs without demanding excessive future commitments.

• Future Moves: The discussion hints at potential further acquisitions, such as Louis Heal and Max Freed, which could solidify the bullpen and provide additional depth.

Notable Quote:

Don La Greca (22:36): "Ryan McMahon is your third baseman. Barring injury going into the postseason, that's your guy."

Final Thoughts: Balancing Expectations and Reality

The hosts emphasize the delicate balance between fan expectations and the realistic assessment of the team's strengths and weaknesses. While the Yankees have made significant strides, the path to the World Series remains challenging, contingent on both offensive performance and defensive reliability.

Notable Quote:

Don La Greca (32:43): "And the answer right now is no."

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Conclusion:
In this episode of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg, the hosts provide an in-depth analysis of the New York Yankees' acquisition of Ryan McMahon. Through a blend of statistical evaluation, comparative analysis, and listener engagement, they explore the potential impacts of this trade on the team's defensive capabilities and overall championship aspirations. While acknowledging the positive strides made, they maintain a cautious outlook on the Yankees' path to securing a World Series title, highlighting the ongoing challenges and strategic decisions that lie ahead.

Transcript

[Don La Greca]

Gatorade is the number one proven electrolyte blend designed to hydrate better than water.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you can lose more sweat and raise your game. Gatorade, is it in you, Don?

[Don La Greca]

I'll be licking the television screen. Licking it like it's ice cream.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, the type of music I listen to would make you cry. And Rosenberg, I expect to be called ball coach.

[Don La Greca]

This isn't North Dakota, this is New York.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is Don Hun at Rosenberg on 880 ESPN and the ESPN New York app.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, Dolly, it's hot today. It's like 100. It's supposed to be like 108. We're like on the surface of the sun. But I'm not complaining because I get to work with my buddy Jordan Ronan. And it's Friday and we've got trades and we've got football and we got sports and we got fraud alert Friday and we got another ENN with Jacob Perry. How's everybody doing today?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Doing all right, Don. You know. Wait a minute. What?

[Don La Greca]

Wait a minute.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What?

[Don La Greca]

Did you not hear that open?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I did.

[Don La Greca]

Did you not hear the excitement in my voice?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, you need my excitement. I was, I was just about to tell you. I was just about to tell you about the two hours I spent in that heat collecting back sweat in the, in the 95 degree heat at the Giants camp. So I'm, I'm, I'm trying to rejuvenate here, but I'm ready. I'm ready to go. Yankees got me excited.

[Don La Greca]

This is the life that we have chosen there, sir.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know. Tough life. I had a watch. I had to watch football in the heat.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. And there were probably fans there too, not getting paid to do it, sweating, watching. And at least you weren't, you know, out there working out like the Giants were. But you know what? They deserve it. The last couple of seasons, that should be, should be hotter for him and the jets too. Good news. After everybody was in a panic that Justin Fields died yesterday, that he's back on back at practice, everything's good, Everything's fine. With his dislocated toe, he's in good shape. But like you said, we got trades. I mean, how you feeling? Yankee fans. Ryan McMahon, third baseman, 16 home runs, 11 of them have come in Colorado, but a little pop in the bat, not much of a batting average, but certainly better offensively than everything you've had outside of Jazz at third. And he's a real good defender. So you don't lose anything defensively from going from him to Paraza Praza. To him. But you do get a little bit more pop and he's a lefty bat and he's under control for the next couple of years. You know, pretty, pretty decent money, but nothing too obnoxious.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And you can get a base hit once in a while. So he get a base hit once in a while. He can knock in a run once in a while. He could bat more than. And the Yankees average a third base don since they moved Jazz Chisholm the second? 128 now how many home runs they have?

[Don La Greca]

None.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Zero. You know how many RBIs they produced since then?

[Don La Greca]

Probably what like four.

[Peter Rosenberg]

One.

[Don La Greca]

One not good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

One.

[Don La Greca]

Not good, Bob.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So listen, it is an upgrade. I mean Even, even Ryan McMahon at his worst hitting wise is an upgrade, a significant upgrade. 100 point average upgrade.

[Don La Greca]

It's also not Suarez, but there's goods that come with McMahon that is better than Suarez. Suarez was going to cost you a lot more than your 8th and 21st ranked prospects, right? It was going to cost you more than that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

For a rental.

[Don La Greca]

For a rental. And like I said, if McMahon works out and he does what he's supposed to do, he. You got him at like a little over $11 million the next couple of years through 27. So again, not an obnoxious contract by any stretch. And he's a better defender. And for Suarez you'd have a lot more pop, not as good defense, and probably have to give up more than what you gave up for McMahon. So is it the needle mover Suarez would have been? You know, probably not in the now, but I think overall it's, it's not a bad deal and we'll see how Yankee fans feel about it. But I think, I think it's a solid move that upgrades a position that they desperately needed to upgrade.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We talked about it yesterday, Dom. Right. The Yankees, they're built, they're constructed terribly. Suarez would have just added to it, right? Not the best fielder, not as good as a fielder as McMahon. Certainly. McMahon is four outs above above average. That's tied for fourth and third among third baseman this year. Suarez is significantly further down. Now granted, McMahon strikes out a lot, but a lot. But Suarez just kind of adds to everything they already have. We sat here yesterday and complained about how they botched the ball around the field in the final game in Toronto. Right. So this at least improves their defense and think about how that's important. They needed to make sure they couldn't add another below average defender. Then you're gonna have a low below Average defender at third base at shortstop, with the way Volpe's playing in left field at first base when it, when it's not Goldschmidt. I mean, how many below average fielders can you house on one team, Don?

[Don La Greca]

Well, because I was thinking about this because everybody collectively has said that if they went out and traded for Suarez, he was not coming back. He would be a rental because he kind of doesn't fit the analytic world that the Yankees want from a player. So why are you going after him for the last half of the season then? Like, if he's not what you want, then don't get, don't give it at a premium to boot to bring him in here again. It's not sexy. It's not a huge deal that Suarez would have been. But if you're not keeping him, then why give up the better prospects? There was no way, there was no world. They were giving up Jones anyway. But it probably would have been higher than the 8th prospect and the 21st prospect in your organization probably would have cost more than that. For a guy that's going to be gone, McMahon fits in. He could be your third baseman for the next couple of years. And if not, it's not like it's an odorous contract that you can't, you'll move around if you absolutely had to. Leads the league in strikeouts. You're right about that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That is a little troubling for your Yankee fan. That kind of adds to the mix. Like, okay, everyone's just going to strike out, not move, you know, not move.

[Don La Greca]

Runners over.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's, it's a little bit more extension of that.

[Don La Greca]

Well, we were not asking the Yankees overnight to completely change their way of thinking. So he has 16 home runs, albeit 11 of them in Colorado, five on the road. Historically, he's had 140 home runs in his career. 88 of those, 140 have come in Colorado, so. But he's a left hander with a short porch, so he can hit a lot of home runs at Yankee Stadium. That's what they want from their offensive guys. But at least it's a move, Jordan, that they're at least acknowledging that, yeah, you can play defense and, and maybe adding a little defense to this team isn't a bad thing. So we'll see ultimately how it works out. But I thought a real solid move for the Yankees as they get ready to start their series this weekend after, you know, having the day off against the Philadelphia Phillies and wonder where they're coming from.

[Peter Rosenberg]

When, when, when's Ryan McMahon going to be there?

[Don La Greca]

I was, I was just checking to see that. We'll see if he's going to be available tonight. If not tonight, then I'm sure by tomorrow he'll be able to be in the lineup. We'll probably find that out in a little bit when they, the lineup should be coming out pretty soon. It's already after three. And then the Mets make a deal. Again, not ultra sexy. Gregory Soto. So they add another Soto, but he's a left handed pitcher. Strikeout to walk is around, you know, for career two to one. You'd like to be higher than that, a little bit higher than that this season. So walk a little bit. But he's a lefty. He's got experience. He's 30 years old. He's got postseason experience as well. So didn't see what the Mets gave up, but I'm sure it's, you know, pretty negligible. But they needed to bring an arm in and they brought it. So again, add an arm to the mix.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Never hurts in the bullpen. It just kept throwing arms at him.

[Don La Greca]

Just not, not an ultra sexy again move that everybody's going to flip out about. But when I look at relievers, Jordan, you don't know it until you have it. Like no reliever you're going to bring in outside of like a lights out closer is going to move the needle. But you bring the guy in and he's in high leverage situations and he helps you win a championship and then you'll know what you had when you have it. So I don't expect anybody to get excited, but it was an arm they needed. Love lefties coming out of the pen and we'll see how he works itself out. They had to do something. I mean this bullpen's been a mess. Their starters don't give them any length. You know, I wanted some another live arm to come out of that bullpen and it looks like they got it today. So I think both teams made necessary moves and we'll see what else happens between now and the 31st.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The question is, is Gregory Soto someone you want to throw in there and high leverage late situations in the game, situations in the playoffs? Is he somebody you fully trust now? You could throw him in that mix and maybe he is, but I mean you're talking about a guy who has been up and down his career four to four era, you know, not overly inspiring as someone you really want to be that late inning guy. Can he be a guy you could use at other times, you know, Six, seventh inning or.

[Don La Greca]

Sure.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I don't know if he's, he's ultimately like they're, in my, my opinion, they still need more like they're, they need, they need more bullpen arms than just Gregory Soto.

[Don La Greca]

Well, what, what, what can I look at as far as, can I put him in high leverage situations? Well, his, his experience in the postseason is six games, five with Philly in 23, and then last year with Baltimore. So in six appearances in the postseason, three and two thirds innings, five hits, two runs, both of them earned, four strikeouts, three walks, 3.51 or excuse me, his earn run average. I'll look for it here. Again, not, not, not great. But again, it's 4.91 in the postseason. So to answer your question, in the minimal amount. No, not, not nothing other than he has experience in the postseason. Nothing to get crazy about. Do I know obviously the situation. It's a fair sample size. I don't know the circumstances in which he was called in. You know, Baltimore was out quickly last year. He made just a, you know, 2/3 of an inning. He walked one, but didn't allow anything else in that one appearance. And in 2023, obviously Philadelphia thought highly enough of him for it appear in five playoff games. But it's a little bit of experience, but we'll see. They had to bring in somebody and they did.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's proven he's a pedestrian guy over seven years, a pedestrian reliever. Maybe you could trust him at times and, you know, but that's the thing with relievers. You just hope that, especially with their pitching lab, that the Mets can take him. They probably, I'm sure they probably sure saw underlying elements of the spin rate and all this other stuff that they like that they say, well, hey, we can get the most out of this guy. And to be fair, the Mets have done a really good job getting the most out of guys. And that's the thing with Soto for the Mets, right? Say, okay, we could get more out of this guy, maybe. I'm sure they're thinking that. And for the Yankees it's like, hey, maybe we can get a rejuvenation from Ryan McMahon because he's playing for the Colorado Rockies and the Colorado Rockies, we have to be frank about it. They stink, they think as a team, they stink as an organization. And he has to go in there every day and play for the worst team in baseball. It'll be a boost to be in a playoff race in New York with the yankees for Ryan McMahon. Hopefully. I'm sure to some degree, that's what the Yankees are hoping they get in that regard.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, I don't, you know, again, I don't know what to expect because what, what, as you said, he's been playing for a lousy baseball team and now he's going to be playing for a team that is going to be trying to compete for a World Series. So that's certainly a big jump for him how he's going to be able to, how all these guys are going to be able to handle it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We've seen it work both ways to be fair. Like some guys thrive, some guys, you know, wilt. That's just, you know, we've seen it before, you know, with certain guys, you know, especially, you know, with the Yankees and the Mets over the years, you.

[Don La Greca]

Just got to wait and see. But these guys, you hope they did the work. He did make an appearance in the postseason with the Colorado Rockies in 2018 at Fort Bats. So, you know, there's really no experience. Right. So very, very small sample size. But you know, he's a 30 year old guy, so he's experienced. But you know, he's been in Colorado his entire career and now he goes to play for the New York Yankees.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don, bigger picture, I think this is what Yankee fans are saying. Do we, do we really want them to go all in right now? Are they, are they Suarez away?

[Don La Greca]

Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Are they Suarez away from, from winning, Winning it all or really, you know.

[Don La Greca]

It'S a great, great question. We talked about it during our meeting today is that there are going to be Yankee fans and I would think a majority of them who always want to be all in, they always want to go for it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You think it's the majority because you think it's the majority right? Now they watch that team in Toronto.

[Don La Greca]

This, you know why? Because they went to the World Series last year, right? So they don't want to take a step back. They want to move forward. They finally appeared in the World Series for the first time under Aaron Boone and now they want to take the next step. So they're probably looking at it. No, you want to go for it. The American League's wide open is no different than what the Knicks are going through in the NBA, right? The Eastern Conference is wide open. We want to strike while the iron's hot. We want to go for it. The American League, you know, the Detroit Tigers were the best team in baseball. They can't win right now. And the Yankees aren't even guaranteed to win their division because they lost another half game Last night when the Blue Jays bludgeoned the Tigers. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The More, by the way, Blue Jays don't lose anymore.

[Don La Greca]

They don't. So. So. But you got to win the division, you would think, to try to get your best path to be able to go to the World Series. So, yeah, Yankee fans are thinking, we went to the World Series last year. I don't want to hear about the future. I want to hear about taking the next step and winning that elusive championship now. But there. But I can understand what you're saying is, well, are they a player away from doing that? You know, McMahon McMahon changes the narrative as far as defense is concerned. I don't all of a sudden look at the. The Yankees and say, well, now that's it. They're going to win their championship. So there's still a lot more to be done. But you could look at it and say, ah, they're not going to win the championship anyway, so why am I going to be giving up a ton of prospects? That's not how most Yankee fans are thinking. They're thinking, why aren't we going to win the championship? We almost did last year. Yeah, but why aren't we improving?

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Tribe realistic about it. They lost Juan Soto since then, right?

[Don La Greca]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They've tried to replace him. Obviously, you're not replacing Juan Soto's back completely. Okay. Right. They signed Cody Bellinger, really good player. I've come to like him more and more as you watch him play, the way he plays the game. And Goldschmidt at first base. Right. They're not as good a hitting team. They don't have Garrett Cole either. Right. He's their best pitcher. And I love Max Freed. He's still probably not Garrett Cole. So, like, it's. I don't think it's. I don't think you could sit. If you're a Yankee fan, you want to be realistic about it. And I get it. They made other additions. They're not as good a team as they were last year. And the rest of the league is probably better.

[Don La Greca]

Well, the Blue Jays certainly are.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're thinking about that. You're not. You're not sold on the league.

[Don La Greca]

I'm going to say the Blue Jays certainly are.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, the Tigers are still good. I know you're done with the Tigers because they're in a slump.

[Don La Greca]

No. I'm going to tell you something. All right. I wanted, I believe the Central was worthless at the beginning of the season. And then I, you know, the Guardians are playing well. The Tigers get out of the box. Best record in baseball. I started thinking, maybe the Central Division is different. Maybe it's different than it is in years past. And now I look at it and I go, you know what? Maybe the Central Division is everything it's always been, and that's a team that's going to produce. They're going to. Somebody's going to be going to the playoffs out of there, but there'll be no real threat. Tigers have been terrible since before the All Star break, so they're starting to show warts now. They had that amazing start, but are they really the threat you thought they were, you know, two, three weeks ago, a month ago? You know, the Blue Jays right now have to be the concern because you want to win this division, you're four and a half back, which is really like five and a half back because you lost a tiebreaker to them. So I understand what you're saying, that they are not right now the best team in the American League, but from a fan's perspective, they want to see this team get back there. They went to the World Series last year. They're not going to tolerate getting worse. Everybody loved the pivot from Soto to Bellinger and Goldschmidt. So, yeah, they're maybe not as good an offensive team. A Bellinger's been good. Goldschmidt started the year well. Leave a lot to be desired lately, but still, the fans love the pivot. And you brought in Max Freed, which kind of balanced out the loss of Cole. And they were the odds on favorite at the beginning of the season to come out of the American League. I'd like to see what the odds are now with the Tigers falling apart, but they're right up there again to come out of the American League. We'll see if the Blue Jays can handle being this good. Recent history has shown they can't. So I hear what you're saying right now, as presently constituted, the Yankees do not look like a championship team. But that doesn't mean the fan base is going to accept that and not want them to be all in to try to change that at the deadline.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Trading your top prospects, though, at this point would be. I don't know. I think. I think the majority would actually be against that majority of Yankee fans. You tell. You tell us, but because I just. They're not at that point where you're just totally sold on the same. Okay, we need a few little minor tweaks to get them over the top. No, they almost need, like, a new identity. And it's like that you can't do that at the trade deadline.

[Don La Greca]

No, but we're talking about two different things here. I agree. They're not trading Jones. All right. And there's nobody to trade Jones for. All right. They've already made the McMahon deal. Suarez I don't think would have been a smart move considering what you would have to give up for a rental and a guy that it doesn't improve your defense, which is the biggest problem.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's what I'm talking about. So it would have been more expensive to go get guy like that. Like if that's what you want, then it seems contradictory to where the Yankees are right now.

[Don La Greca]

That's all.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's all I'm saying. It just doesn't seem to make this move makes the most sense for me for the Yankees at the moment. Like they at least it improves them at offensively and it possibly improves them defensively at worst. Doesn't make them, you know, they're the same because Perazz actually was a high level defensive player. And at the same time you didn't have to give up a ton. So you got better. But you didn't have to mortgage anything moving forward. And I think that's a realistic expectation for this Yankee team right now where they're not then hurting their future.

[Don La Greca]

And I just, I think we're saying the same thing. It's just that the idea of you don't want them to be all in. All right, we're not going to trade Jones. That makes sense. Not going to trade Lombard Jr. I get that. But I still think the Yankee fans want to see more to be done. And if it means giving up a little bit to hurt. Not those two guys. But you gave up the 8th and the 21st overall prospects in your organization to bring him at math. All right, so you have other prospects you can give up that aren't Jones or Lombard Jr. And I still think the Yankee fan out there is going to want to see more to be.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Done and I think there will be more to be done now. Don't you? Don't. You don't think they will. Their Yankees are going to make other moves.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They're just not. Yeah, they're just not going to be huge top shelf, you know, players which I don't even know if those guys exist this year. Right. Like who are the huge. Suarez is the huge top shelf player. No.

[Don La Greca]

Well then that's off the table now because they got McMahon again.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean like what's available? You want them to get an ace they're already invested in Max Freed. No, no, like bro Don Cole, like how many aces you want to invest in. Everyone in the league is getting away from investing in aces. You want them to get a high level starter.

[Don La Greca]

I'm looking at right now the ESPN bet odds to come out of the American League.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You want me to guess?

[Don La Greca]

You want to guess?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'll guess.

[Don La Greca]

Tigers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Tigers are the favorites right now.

[Don La Greca]

They're still the favorites because they are at least winning their. They're leading their division. They're at plus 325.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay. Plus 325. Plus 500 is still. It's close between the Yankees and the Astros. Still is too. I said the astros are like plus 500.

[Don La Greca]

No, the Astros are third at plus 375.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Really?

[Don La Greca]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So somebody.

[Don La Greca]

And again they, they're going to be high because they're leading the West.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you're going to be telling me the Yankees are still ahead of the Blue Jays.

[Don La Greca]

Yes, significant.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Yankees are second and the Blue Jays are what, five, six plus five or six hundred.

[Don La Greca]

Now the Yankees are plus 350. Second best odds.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Right.

[Don La Greca]

They're Toronto's plus 500.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. So plus 500. Wow. So Toronto, which is what, four games up on the Yankees is plus 500. And the Yankees are plus three hundred and twenty five.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. So when you talk about. I don't think they're good enough and I don't think they're good enough either. But yet you're, you're getting great. You're getting odds that the second best odds coming out of the American League. And I think that's going to change the, the more that the Tigers are in free fall.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So important to remember that betting odds are really just. They're just setting odds on what they think people will bet on.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. And that's true too.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And the public perception and name Yankees holds a lot of cl. People think oh then the Yankees will be able to turn it on.

[Don La Greca]

And then they still a lot of.

[Peter Rosenberg]

People who don't watch the Yankees every day say that and put them.

[Don La Greca]

But there's money on there's right now Toronto is a better team. There's no question. And when you have a four and a half game lead and it looks like they will have a lead going into August, you know they probably odds on favor that they can win this division. They have the tiebreaker and. But the Yankees just improved at third base. Here's the difference between the Mets and the Yankees. And we'll get your calls at 1-800-9193776 Yankees are done at third. Like all right, they've now solved, at least in their eyes, solved their third base problem. So now they're going to move on to do you add another starter? Do you get another guy out of the bullpen? How they handle that? The Mets, they went and got a bullpen arm. They could still get another. That doesn't stop them.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't think Gregory Soto is the bi.

[Don La Greca]

They might add more. They still might add a starter and move homes to the bullpen. They still might go out and get a bat to play center field. So I don't I'm not saying the Yankees are done, but their big thing was how are they going to improve at third base. They did that today. That's done. That box is now checked. Ryan McMahon is your third baseman. Barring injury going into the postseason, that's your guy. Rest of the regular season, postseason, that's your guy. And now where else do they go? Mets. They improve the bullpen, I believe, but they still have a lot more work to do in the pen and still I think have a lot more trades to make. But the Yankees big need was filled today, Don.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Their biggest addition and I know Yankee fans aren't going to want to hear this, their biggest addition is coming up in this trade deadline time period is going to be Louis Heal. That's their, that's their biggest me their biggest addition. Like they're not going anywhere unless they get stuff out of him. And Max Freed is also good with his finger. Like that's going to be their big move. Telling you they're going to sell that as that that's, that's the they're basically their free agent. Big free agent edition is Luis, he's coming back and then they're going to cross their fingers and hope they get a repeat of what he was early last year.

[Don La Greca]

And that's a lot to ask.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I agree, I agree. But this isn't a team that's going to mortgage anything or make any major. They haven't done that that very recently. You know, I get it. They traded for Jazz Chisholm last year, but they haven't been willing to make that sacrifice. Like some fans are going to want to go, you know, quote unquote, all in. That's not their approach.

[Don La Greca]

The last update we got on heel, he might make one more rehab start. So he's going to be back.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think he's making his AAA start right coming up and then he should be back after that. So like we're talking within the next 10 days.

[Don La Greca]

You got to hope that his rookie year wasn't some fluke 100% and that he came back from this injury having not pitched since last year. So, you know, now he's going to make his debut late July and then you're hoping that he can become, you know, something special here. So some things were addressed. We'll see how much more is going to come on the horizon. But you're starting to see this now around sports with the NBA and the NHL as well, that a lot of things happen before the deadline because by the time you get to the deadline, there almost is nothing left to do. I mean, it's the 25th, the deadline still six days away and yet we're already seeing deals. So might not have to wait till the 31st because these games were already getting under 60 games left and teams want to get something done here. We already saw Naylor get traded to Seattle by Arizona. So Arizona selling off here. So by the time we get to the 31st, everything might be done. So they're getting to work here. After a quiet day in baseball last night, everybody back to work. Yankees home for Philadelphia. Metzar in San Francisco to take on the Giants. 1-800-919-3776 Big Show 4:30 Fraud alert Friday. First time Jordan gets to experience this in studio. Looking forward to that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, for sure.

[Don La Greca]

And if you got one Jordan, throw it out there. We're we we take on all comers on that segment. 6 o' clock, we've got enn we're going to take you right through to 7 o' clock full frontal show because the Mets are not until a 9:45 pregame.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, it's all that's we're showing everything today. Yeah. And you need to, too, because who wants to be clothed in this? I, I had a lunch today and it was an early we met at like 11:30 and it was hot.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you're telling me you sat outside? No, I was like, no, no. That's a psychopathic move if it's the route you in.

[Don La Greca]

But it was a pretty extended, it was a business lunch. It was like two hours. So we leave there like 1:40 and it's like you open the door, it's like, oh, it just, it hit you like a ton of bricks. So be safe out there, man. This is Jordan had a ton of traffic trying to get home. Like the Jersey.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sure.

[Don La Greca]

Like this is going to be a tough, tough day to get to the beaches on Long island in New Jersey because that's where everybody's running and then, you know, possibility, some storms and all that a little bit later on. We'll give you a weather update in a few minutes as well, but I want to hear from you. 1-800-919-3776 is both the Yankees and the Mets make deals. Let's start it off with Chris in la. You get things going here on Don Hannah, Rosenberg. What's up, man?

[C]

Hey, man. How's it going?

[Don La Greca]

Good.

[C]

I just wanted to kind of point.

[Don La Greca]

Out there that I really think that this McMahon deal is kind of like reminds me of Scott Brocius a little bit.

[C]

Scott Broci' a horrible batting average and. But his defense was great. So that's what I'm hoping kind of.

[Don La Greca]

Running into this, is that they can do that and kind of, you know.

[C]

Kind of worry about some other areas that, you know, they might need a.

[Don La Greca]

Starting pitcher or whatnot.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, God, I hope so. Scott Broach is a good player. He knew how to put together good at bats and was a terrific fielder. Right. But the strikeouts, I don't know. The strikeouts do worry me a little bit with McMahon kind of just like, hey, join the party here. You know, when we need a big hit but nobody strike it out left and right.

[Don La Greca]

I remember that in 19. Was that, I guess, going in. It was at the deadline in 98 when they go out and got him from Oakland. I was like, who's this guy? You know, he doesn't. That's not flashy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. You didn't know anything about him.

[Don La Greca]

He was the MVP of the World Series that year. And he's just. He was the man defensively coming up with big hits. We'll see. He's never had the opportunity to show what he can do in Colorado because Colorado has pretty much always stunk. He's had four at bats in the postseason. Now he's going to where it's on for real. And will he wilt or will we see the best of him? And let's. Let's see find out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think it's fair to at least hope that there'd be some rejuvenation by going to a better team. Just so you're not just so bored playing. I mean, you're playing in like an empty ballpark for a team that is losing every single day. Nobody cares. Right. You're basically just going through the motions. It's hard to like, we talk about guys getting motivating for NFL games, 162 Major League Baseball games when you know your team is going to lose? What are they going to lose? 1 close to 130.

[Don La Greca]

They might lose that many.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, come on.

[Don La Greca]

No, it's, it's. But, you know, again, is he going to be able to handle that or is is he going to be rejuvenated? You would think in any walk of life that when you're doing something that nobody's paying attention to and all of a sudden you're doing something the world's paying attention to, that you're going to feel rejuvenated. So I like what the last caller said. Scott Brocius would be the home run for the Yankees. 1-800-919-3776 ton of phone calls to get to. We're having fun on a hot Friday on Don Han and Rosenberg on ESPN New York. This is an ad by BetterHelp. Workplace stress is now one of the top causes of declining mental health, with 61% of the global workforce experiencing higher than normal levels of stress. To battle stress, most of us can't wave goodbye to work. But we can start small with a focus on well. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. And it works with an App store rating of 4.9 out of 5 based on over 1.7 million client reviews. It's convenient, too. You can join a session with a therapist at the click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life. Plus switch therapists at any time. As largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. Unwind from work with BetterHelp, our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com timeout. That's betterhelp.com timeout. Sally from Finance loves fly fishing. She used to spend her weekend surrounded by receipts. Then she switched her company to Ramp. Now spend is all under control, all in one place. Her team submits their expenses with a text and she can close the books without all the busy work. So Sally's weekends are all her own, surrounded by fish, not receipts. Switch your business to ramp.com and love.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Don La Greca]

Clunking sound from your dryer is. With thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You just have to hire one.

[Don La Greca]

You can Hire top rated pros, see.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Price estimates and read reviews all on the Thumbtack app. Download today. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don La Greca]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Don La Greca]

Got a tweet here Jordan, as I punch it up here on my phone.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay. Is it good or is it bad? Don?

[Don La Greca]

Well, well, from B. Dilly who says I'm not saying the Yankees or Mets are winning the World Series. Both are flawed. I kind of feel like the contender talk is more based on the historical concept of what a real contender is than 2025 reality. Every MLB playoff team is within seven games with Milwaukee having the best record at 61 and 41 and they go away down the Boston 55 and 49 just seven games back. So like theoretically from a math standpoint, well, I guess all those teams are contenders. If the best team in baseball only has a seven game cushion on the worst playoff team in baseball, then how are we to say that the Mets and the Yankees who are right there can't be considered a World Series caliber team because the Yankees right now of those contenders they are five back of Milwaukee and the Mets are two and a half back in Milwaukee? Well, what I would say is yes, you're right by that basis that everybody that makes the playoffs can make a run and be in it. What I think Jordan and I are saying, and even Allen because he agrees that the Mets and Yankees right now don't feel like actual World Series contenders, is what's it going to look like in the playoffs? Like how you expect to win a championship, Jordan, when you can't field now over 162 games the Yankees will bash their way to wins and there's enough bad teams in baseball they'll get into the playoffs. But if you're kicking the ball around in the postseason, if you're not hitting with runners in scoring position in the postseason, you're probably not going to win. And the same with the Mets, you can't go in as like the third worst team in baseball hitting with runners in scoring position and expect that switch to flip and all of a sudden you're getting big hit after big hit in the postseason like so. That's why we say we don't believe they're contenders. Not on the record or where they're in the standing. Just looking at the day in day out of the team. Do they do the things well, Jordan, to make you believe they can Navigate through the postseason, win a championship.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Exactly.

[Don La Greca]

And the answer right now is no.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's what I was going to say is your, your eyes tell you that the Yankees specifically can't be a world, you know, a World Series winner. Like, they don't do the things you need to do in big spots and in playoff games to have ultimate success. Now, the Mets, I think the runners in scoring position is definitely a concern, but there's also, Juan Soto was maybe, I think, the best in baseball last year with runners in scoring position. Now he's had a tough year with runners. Like, I think that can even out a little bit. Like, I don't, I don't look at that team and say that, you know, they've historically, traditionally with those players, struggled with runners and scoring positions. So I'm not as concerned about that with the Mets. But the Yankees, you're talking about fielding, baserunning, you know, boneheaded mistakes. Like, why after multiple years of seeing that, am I going to think that that's going to change?

[Don La Greca]

Sure.

[Peter Rosenberg]

In a perfect world, I could see a scenario where, you know, a bunch of things go right for the Yankees and they make a miracle run. But you're hoping for, like the 1 percenter, right at that point. I'm not saying The Yankees are 1%, but I'm saying you're hoping for the perfect, the perfect storm in order for that to happen.

[Don La Greca]

And last year you got it in the sense that. And again, I don't want to take anything away from them. They deserve to go to the World Series. But you took on, you took on teams out of the Central Division that you were able to easily take care of because the Central's not good. And then you go to the World Series against the Dodgers team that was much better and you lost in five games and you handed a lot of it to them because that's the problem. And that doesn't look like it improved. So on the one hand, you could say, well, you went to the World Series, so of course we're a contender. We were only literally three games away from winning a championship. But when you look deeper, that happens all the time. Jordan, look at the Rangers. 2022, 2024. They're in the Final Four. They weren't close to a championship. Those Jet teams that went to the championship games back to back years. 09, 2010. Yeah, close, technically, because they were one of only four teams left in the NFL, but they weren't close to winning that game or the super bowl to win a championship. Like, were the Knicks close to a championship last year. The conference final says yes, but how they played against the Pacers and probably having no chance against Oklahoma City, they weren't that close to a championship. So that what we're saying. Yeah, I guess.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Geography, even the points in 2022, they, they, they, their last couple of years failure is in part because they overestimated what they were in 20, 2022. And Joe Shane's admitted that.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, no, exactly.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So be honest about what you are.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. Sometimes you make it to the finish line, but it's not really telling the story that you deserve to be as close as you actually were. 1-800-919-3776 Back to the phones. Let's go to Greg and Wayne. You're on ESPN New York.

[C]

What's going on, guys? Thanks so much for taking my call. Love the show.

[Don La Greca]

How's everyone, man?

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's up, Greg?

[C]

I had a comment on the, on the McMahon signing. I think great move. I loved it way more than a, I think the, the narrative around his defense is not really being stated enough. Right. Like coming off of a terrible series in Toronto. Everyone's talking about the defense and it's a, it's a momentum killer, truthfully. And it can be a season killer. And I think bringing over what you have in a consistent glove, yes, he's going to strike out, but I also think that a consistent glove at third and maybe, maybe that helps Anthony Volpe, you know, get back his confidence because it's so mental and maybe having a new partner over there, especially going into a, you know, what is going to be a competitive series against Philly, loud series with a lot of crossover fan base. I just think that you need the defense, you need the glove to stop the bleeding and then you can make up, you can make it up with, with some clutch hitting. But I, I love the signing. Thanks for taking my call, fellas.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don, what he said about Anthony Volpe, I look at it actually differently, a little bit, but the same effect. Maybe it can help the Yankees in that if Anthony Volpe is struggling with the glove as well, and we've seen that. Right. What have we been saying about Anthony Volpe for the last few weeks? You know, who else are they going to put in there? Right?

[Don La Greca]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What else do they have at shortstop? Now at least you have Peraza as an option. If Volpe is not at least fielding well and you know, his fielding is still a liability, then at least you could have him play some games there. You couldn't have, you know, Vivas and Peraza in the lineup at the same time, then you're, like, basically giving up two spots in the lineup every single day, right? So now, at least if the fielding remains a problem for Bobby, it gives you Peraza as an option for a day or two here or there. And maybe it gives him rest, maybe gives him, you know, maybe you need to give him two days off to get his head right. Like, Peraza can handle it for those two days. Now, you couldn't really afford that prior.

[Don La Greca]

Right. And now you've nailed Jazz to second, which is exactly where he should be in the first place. There'd be no temptation of moving him anywhere else. Let's go to Peter in Brooklyn. You're on espn, New York.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, Peter.

[C]

Do you think. Do you think.

[Don La Greca]

What's up, Peter?

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's going on? You there?

[C]

Yeah, I'm still here. I'm still here. Yeah. No, I was here since 2017. Hello?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, we hear you.

[C]

Oh, yeah, yeah. No, I was saying, since 2017, the. We went ALCS, game seven. At that point, we're like, all right, the next step is World Series. He just made it to the World Series seven years later. And that. That just doesn't work like that. You know, we're supposed to be the Yankees. I know the. The goal post has moved, but I don't know. I can't. I can't really get behind what Aaron Boone has been doing and not holding the players accountable, which is, you know, another big part of it as well.

[Don La Greca]

Well, it doesn't seem like anybody is.

[C]

Ever held the base running errors, the base running, like it's stuff like the little things like that. That's Little League stuff. Your manager got to keep that under wraps, you know?

[Don La Greca]

But it's interesting you say that, Peter, because you like. That's Little League stuff. Don't you think by the time they get to Aaron Boone, they should know how to do all that stuff? I mean, isn't that an organizational problem that a guy gets called up from the minor leagues, highly touted. All right, Comes to Major League Baseball after spending. Spending all that time within your organization, playing in Somerset, playing in Scranton, gets called up to play shortstop for the New York Yankees, and he can't throw the ball to first base, and they don't have an alternative. What do you want Boone to do about that? Shouldn't these players be fundamentally sound by the time they get called up to the Bronx?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, I'll play devil's advocate against that. Don't. At some point, though, and it's really the gleybertoris stuff over the years that kind of got to me. Like he finally, you know, at one point disciplined laboratories, but it was so late in the process. If you just let these things keep festering and you don't address it correctly and I don't care what he says they're doing, maybe they're doing it behind the scenes. Whatever they're doing behind the scenes is not working. Jorge Vivas is coming up. When you have a culture where everyone comes in and they know you have to work hard and you can't slack and you can't make those mistakes and you don't have Jorge, however you pronounce his first name, was it Jorbi Vivas walking to third base and not sliding when he should be. So to me, they've at least allowed the culture to, and I'm not disagreeing with you that they should be done at the lower level, but they've allowed this culture to fester at the major league level for so long that guys who come up and who should be busting their hump every step of the way are they really, they feel comfortable enough where they can walk to third base?

[Don La Greca]

I'm going to answer that when we come back. It's Don Hahn and Rosenberg hanging out with the little 7 o'.

[C]

Clock.

[Don La Greca]

We've got Fraud Friday coming up at 4, 30, enn at 6, all here on ESPN New York.

[C]

Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now I was looking for fun ways.

[Peter Rosenberg]

To tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back.

[Don La Greca]

So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it.

[C]

Turns out that's very illegal.

[Don La Greca]

So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment of $45 for a three month plan equivalent to $15 per month. Required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy. Taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com this episode is brought to you by State Farm. Sports are all about teamwork and so is insurance. Whether you need an in person or digital assist, State Farm is there to help you choose the right coverage for your home, car and more. Get a game plan that helps fit your life and talk to State Farm today.

[Peter Rosenberg]

State Farm with the assist.

[Don La Greca]

Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability and eligibility vary by state. Hey guys, it's Ceedee Lamb, wide receiver.

[Peter Rosenberg]

For the Dallas Cowboys. I'm partnering with Abercrombie this season to tell you all about their viral denim. All you need to know is denim should fit like this. My jeans need to check a lot of boxes fit first, trend second. They need to go with whatever I'm feeling and Abercrombie Denim has it down whether I'm throwing on a tee or.

[Don La Greca]

Putting the whole fit together.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Shop Abercrombie Denim in the app, online and in store. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don La Greca]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you can get your podcasts.

[Don La Greca]

Aaron Boone apologist But how did it go when Joe Girardi tried to correct all of Sanchez's problems? Joe Gerardi was a former catcher, Gary Sanchez a catcher. The future organization was backing everything behind him. And Gerardi, you could see, was was frustrated with him not busting down the line and not doing the things necessary to become the player they thought he could be. And you would see during games him talking to Gary and he would sometimes in post game press conferences be critical of Gary Sanchez. Jordan how did that work out for Joe?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not good. He's old. Gary Sanchez didn't like him and he got fired.

[Don La Greca]

Right? And then Gary Sanchez ended up not even sticking around here. So my point is, is that Boone's flawed and I get frustrated with Boone being overly positive and all that. But please understand where that comes from. It comes from the organization. Good organizations make sure that throughout all a ball aaa that you learn all of what the organization's about. You play the way they want you to play so that when you get called up to the big leagues, you are a product that they were able to develop. Maybe not a complete product because you're still young, but when Anthony Volpe makes it to the major leagues and they make him the starting shortstop of the New York Yankees three years ago, they believe he is ready. And three years in, if he's having these problems, I just wonder, is this an organizational problem? And with a manager that doesn't seem to be allowed to call these guys out or bench them or give you any kind of an indication of who's in charge like Girardi did, it tells you that this is what the organization wants.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So if he's not responsible for getting guys to, you know, stop making silly mistakes and playing hard, what can we hold Aaron Boone accountable for? Don, are you at the point where it's basically nothing?

[Don La Greca]

I have said it a million times. The reason it's so frustrating to do this show analyzing the manager and the analytic world is there isn't much to analyze because if I can't criticize him, if every decision is an organizational decision, so I can't kill him for not bunting, I can't kill him for moving somebody from third to fourth, or I can't kill him for the decision to move Jazz from second to third and then back to second and Dominguez to be in left field, then I shouldn't be able to compliment him when the team wins. And that's the frustrating thing is, is if we're going to take away all the negative with a manager, then I can't give any positive either that they're game managers, effectively that it's all done before the game starts. And his job is to make sure all the players are happy. He's got the players back, does what the organization wants at the post game press conference, and that's what it really comes down to. So when I defend Boone Jordan, it's half because I like him and because I think he's a good manager, but the other half, and maybe the 51% of it is, I don't want to get into the day and day analyzing these managers because I'm not sure they have that much to do. I don't. They don't. They're not asked to do a lot anymore. They can't make in games.

[Peter Rosenberg]

His job is to manage personalities.

[Don La Greca]

That's it. So.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And that's part of that, is getting guys to work hard like that has to be under the manager's purview. Like, I can't get past the point where I'm not going to hold him accountable for that. It's got. There's got to be something.

[Don La Greca]

But the organization.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He does a good job with the bullpen. I'll give him credit. Like, that's one thing. He does a great job, he does.

[Don La Greca]

A good job with that. But if he, if he calls out Volpe for the way he's playing or he benches Volpe like the fans want him to do, we get calls from fan, they should send Volpe down. You think he has the ability to do any of that without clearing it with everybody else first?

[Peter Rosenberg]

So then take care of it behind the scenes. But the bottom line is none of this stuff gets taken care of behind the scenes. So what. How exactly are you handling it?

[Don La Greca]

And that's why I'm not going to completely absolve him of blame. But when do we start calling the organization out to make sure that when these guys get called up that they aren't somewhat of a finished product, that this thing isn't cleaned up in Somerset or Scranton. Make your mistakes there. Nobody cares if you win or lose. Get it straight and then by the time you come to the Yankees, you're not making these mistakes. When I work with Marco as a seven and a half year old, I'm teaching in the game of baseball, hoping that by as he goes up each level, I have to teach him less and less and less to the point where now he is a finished product.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Labor Torres, though, didn't even come up in the Yankees organization. Grew up basically in the Cubs organization.

[Don La Greca]

True.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And it made still like. So I don't think it's. I think it's more of today's players. And the manager's job is to manage these personalities and get the most out of the player. And if you're not doing that as Aaron Boone, you're not doing your job to the most of your ability. Like, sure, he may be handcuffed, but he has to make the most of it with what he has at his disposal.

[Don La Greca]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And whatever that may be. Right. Because maybe you can't call him out, maybe you can't send them down to the minors. Those aren't options that he's been given. Well, he has to find an alternative. He has to find out how to push the right buttons with certain players and everybody. You have to handle differently. I see it in football all the time, like that's the coach's job to handle those.

[Don La Greca]

Right. It's the manager's job. But when you see what happened when Joe Girardi tried to do that, it kind of tells you that it's an organizational problem that I agree with you that Aaron is a ultimate part of because he is the manager of the team. But I don't think he. There's a lot of other issues beyond him. This is. When we talk about the problems defensively, it's because they don't address defense. They don't seem to prioritize it at least until this deal today where it looked like they have addressed the defensive issues at third base. But it's all about offense and bats and hitting over the shift and hitting home runs and. And all that. I mean, that that goes to the organization and how things are run beyond Boone. I wish it was just as simple as, well, fire Boone, bring in somebody else. But I'm trying to tell you that I think that the problems that fans complain about go deeper than Aaron Boone. And that's fundamentally where they've Got to be able to find a way to be able to correct all of that. Let's go to Griffin in Connecticut. Always good to talk to him. What's up, Griffin?

[C]

Hey, guys.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's up, Griffin?

[C]

Hey. I feel like around. This is around. Before I get to McMahon, this is around baseball in general with the, the way people can't run the bases. At times, though, I saw, I was watching the Red Sox at a cup, one of the people for the Red Sox was off the base looking like he was going to go to third and then he has to go all the way back to second because it's hit right to the center fielder and they get doubled. I just feel like around baseball nowadays we, they just don't know how to run the bases at times.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, but look at some of the managers, Griffin, like you look at the Angels. The Angels are the worst defensive team in baseball, but they got a manager that's won a World Series, like so.

[C]

Yep.

[Don La Greca]

How much does the manager control that and how much of it is the organization is just not giving him enough to work with? It works hand in hand, doesn't it, Jordan? Where it's the same in football. We can analyze coaches and all that, but he can only do with what's given to him by the organization.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, there's obviously a fine line between, between that and with the heat fielding part of the Yankees. That definitely comes into the equation. Then again, like Aaron Judge shouldn't be dropping a fly ball in the World Series. Anthony Volpe once upon a time was a good fielder. I don't know what happened there. You know, like, like we get it. Jason Dominguez makes errors. We get, we understand Jason Dominguez is playing out of position. Jasperson was making errors. When he's playing third place, he's playing out of position. But like, how do we make sense of Anthony Volpe just becoming a defensive liability now? It's kind of wild.

[Don La Greca]

That's the conundrum. It's not an easy thing to figure out. 1-800-919-3776 fraud alert. Friday at 4:30, ENN at 6. Continuing your calls on the Mets and Yankees, give you an update from the camps as well. With the Giants and Jets, it's Don Hahn and Rosenberg. Jordan Ronan hanging out till 7 o' clock here on ESPN New York. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. I just want to know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 880 ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.