Local Hour: The Marlins Park Heist

Summary

Summary of "Local Hour: The Marlins Park Heist"
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Release Date: December 11, 2024

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Introduction

In the December 11, 2024 episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, titled "Local Hour: The Marlins Park Heist," hosts Dan Le Batard and Stugotz delve deep into the intricate world of Major League Baseball, focusing on the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees. The episode seamlessly blends sharp sports analysis with the hosts' characteristic humor and candid conversations, offering listeners a comprehensive look into team management decisions, financial strategies, and intriguing narratives surrounding Marlins Park.

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1. Opening Banter and Production Insights [01:12 – 12:00]

The episode kicks off with Stugotz and Roy engaging in light-hearted banter about missing Roy's presence after a week's absence. Stugotz expresses genuine sentiment, stating, "I've been filled with longing. And today you're in the big chair and I was happy to see you" ([02:04]). This segment underscores the camaraderie among the hosts and sets a relaxed tone for the discussion ahead.

Amidst the banter, the conversation shifts to the production team's quirky eating habits. Stugotz humorously critiques Roy's unconventional eating style: "It's walking around with a piece of bacon in your hand and no plate and no napkin" ([10:44]). These anecdotes provide listeners with an entertaining glimpse into the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the show.

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2. Evaluating the Yankees' Financial Strategies [12:00 – 25:00]

The discussion intensifies as the hosts critique the New York Yankees' recent financial maneuvers, particularly their hefty investment in pitcher Max Fried. Stugotz challenges the wisdom of such a move, questioning its necessity: "Now it's just the Yankees spending $200 million for PR, even though it's a broken arm" ([06:31]). Roy echoes these concerns, pointing out the potential risks: "They can afford to be reckless" ([21:23]).

David Sampson, a guest and esteemed MLB insider, weighs in on the matter, advocating for the implementation of a salary cap to maintain competitive balance within the league: "I can only tell you that we need a cap" ([34:41]). This segment sparks a robust debate among the hosts about the sustainability of high-value contracts and their long-term impact on team performance.

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3. Marlins Management and Rebuilding Challenges [25:00 – 35:00]

Shifting focus to the Miami Marlins, the hosts dissect recent management decisions, including player trades and draft pick strategies. Billy provides a detailed analysis of the Marlins' current predicament: "They send him away and they got three prospects and now we'll see what happens" ([30:17]). This highlights the ongoing challenges the Marlins face in building a competitive roster amidst financial constraints.

Stugotz and Roy further explore the implications of these decisions, questioning the Marlins' ability to transition from a once-successful organization to a rebuilding phase: "It's not trying. It's not enough money to compete in this atmosphere combined with some incompetence" ([32:55]). The conversation underscores the delicate balance teams must maintain between financial prudence and competitive ambition.

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4. Insider Revelations and The Heist Narrative [35:00 – 43:00]

The episode takes an intriguing turn as David Sampson divulges startling revelations about his tenure with the Marlins. He hints at undisclosed valuables and missing collectibles from Marlins Park: "I have five of them. And I meant to take Them as Jeter was walking into Marlin's park and I was walking out" ([37:22]). This admission sets the stage for the titular "heist" narrative, blending factual sports discourse with a fictionalized account of insider intrigue.

Stugotz and Roy engage in speculative discussions about the possibility of a heist, fueled by Sampson's revelations. Dan Le Batard adds to the narrative's suspense by proposing a playful heist scenario: "I would need a suitcase like an Ocean's Eleven" ([41:27]). This segment masterfully intertwines humor with suspense, keeping listeners captivated.

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5. Confrontation and Climax [43:00 – 45:00]

As the episode progresses, tensions rise when Stugotz confronts Sampson about the missing valuables and potential insider misconduct: "How can that just happen to top baseball CBS insider David Sampson?" ([26:32]). Sampson responds with a mix of defensiveness and resignation, providing deeper insights into the Marlins' internal struggles and his personal entanglements: "Knowing that I can spend my time with you guys at Metal Arc. It's like a dream come true" ([41:27]).

The confrontation culminates in Sampson's admission of leaving behind vital documents and collectibles, intensifying the "heist" narrative and blurring the lines between satire and serious commentary.

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Notable Quotes

• Stugotz: "I'm not going to do this with you. I don't have a cap and so therefore more money for everybody." ([20:10])
• Roy: "They can afford to be reckless." ([21:23])
• David Sampson: "I have more meaningful interactions now, which I appreciate, Dan." ([42:55])
• Dan Le Batard: "I would need a suitcase like an Ocean's Eleven." ([41:27])

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Conclusion

"Local Hour: The Marlins Park Heist" offers a compelling blend of insightful sports analysis and engaging storytelling. Through dynamic conversations, sharp critiques of team financial strategies, and an enthralling heist narrative, Dan Le Batard and Stugotz deliver an episode that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. Whether dissecting the Yankees' high-stakes investments or unraveling the mysteries surrounding Marlins Park, the hosts provide listeners with a rich, multifaceted exploration of the current MLB landscape. This episode stands out as a testament to the show's ability to intertwine humor, analysis, and narrative intrigue, making it a must-listen for sports enthusiasts and casual fans alike.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

You're listening to DraftKings Network.

[PNC Bank Advertisement]

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[Dan Le Batard]

This.

[Jessica]

Episode is brought to you by Amazon Prime. There's nothing sweeter than baking cookies during the holidays. With Prime, I get all my ingredients delivered right to my door, fast and free. No last minute store trips needed. And of course, I blast my favorite holiday playlist on Amazon Music. It's the ultimate soundtrack for creating unforgettable memories. From streaming to shopping. It's on Prime. Visit Amazon.comprime to get more out of whatever you're into.

[Stugatz]

Shadow Show.

[David Sampson]

Shadow Show.

[Stugatz]

Shadow Show.

[Roy]

Shadow Show.

[Stugatz]

Shadow Show.

[Roy]

Shadow Show.

[Stugatz]

Shadow Show.

[David Sampson]

Shadowing it.

[Stugatz]

I don't exactly speak the same language as Roy. So when I see him today in the big seat and he's had seven days off and I say, happy to see you. I've missed you.

[Roy]

Mm.

[Stugatz]

He doesn't believe me.

[Roy]

Well, he has good reason.

[Stugatz]

What do you mean he's got good reason?

[Roy]

I mean, he's on the schedule. I mean, once every seven days or.

[Stugatz]

So, he was on vacation. He wasn't. He wasn't off the schedule. He's vacationing. And I missed him. And we missed him, and I said that I missed him and he didn't believe me.

[Jeremy]

No, I don't.

[Stugatz]

Is that not a classic Roy? I mean, is that not a communication problem?

[Jeremy]

No, I mean, you said it. You said it in English. I understood you. But no, I didn't. I didn't believe you.

[Roy]

Sorry.

[Stugatz]

Okay, well. But I meant it. You've known me to be insincere in this regard. No, I've showered you with compliments when I knew exactly how many days you'd been gone. And I've. And I've missed you. I've been filled with longing. And today you're in the big chair and I was happy to see you. You bring me. You know this for a long time in that seat. You brought me comfort for 20 years. You know this. So I've. So I've missed you. Why would you not believe that?

[Jeremy]

I believe that you are very sincere, but I'm not very used to getting compliments around here.

[Stugatz]

So, yeah, this is not a good complimentary place. This place is very bad for compliments.

[Roy]

I would say he just missed you, Roy. That's what he's trying. We all have our questions, but, you know, Dan is a sincere guy, and he said he missed you, so I believe him.

[Stugatz]

Roy, why is your. Why is Billy's thumb down behind you? What just happened with you?

[Jeremy]

Because he probably doesn't believe you.

[Billy]

No, the TV was asking if someone was sitting next to me. Thumbs up or thumbs down? I said thumbs down.

[Stugatz]

Oh. So Billy and Jessica got the entirety of the back row. No encumberments. No. Mike Ryan has been banned for another day. So the college football's all going to come from over there.

[Roy]

Do you miss him?

[Stugatz]

The college football? No, no, no. But Jessica's coming. But Jessica hasn't had time to talk about this except for one segment with us in the last two days, so I imagine she's coming hot, too. And I think the problem, Jessica, is that people are tired of hearing us talk, like, four days overdue on. On the 12th or 13th. Best team in college football. We really broke out into a sports radio show around college football.

[Dan Le Batard]

So wait, the problem is that I wasn't on the schedule Monday, but I was on the show Monday, but you could have put me on the schedule Monday, and then we would have just done it on Monday. But we don't have to do it today. We could just move on. I'm fine with that.

[Roy]

Yeah. I missed you, Jess.

[Dan Le Batard]

I missed you.

[Roy]

Thank you.

[Stugatz]

All right, we've got Genesis. Is she here yet today?

[Dan Le Batard]

God, I hope so.

[Roy]

I miss her.

[Stugatz]

Okay. All right, we got to see if Jessica. We've got to see if Genesis is ready to go, because I've got some tension here with Stugott. I want Stugotts to do Genesis. He doesn't want to do Genesis. We'll see if I can talk him into it. Historically, I am not able to talk Stugots into much of anything.

[Billy]

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stuttgarts podcast.

[Mike]

Today's episode is sponsored by DraftKings. Stay tuned, because you'll hear more about DraftKings and all it has to offer throughout the show. DraftKings, the Crown is yours.

[Stugatz]

All right, this isn't the way to do this for poor Roy getting into the chair after seven days off, when I've missed him, he gets in the chair, and they're counting me in. Nine, eight. And Roy is like, none of my shit works.

[Jeremy]

Yep. My My regular headsets for executive producer has died on me.

[Stugatz]

All right, all right. So that's a good thing to learn from Robert. Nine seconds before going live. Nothing can go wrong there when you're in charge.

[Roy]

Awesome.

[Stugatz]

It's great to Robert scurry in and out of the room. Get total confidence when I look up and see that we're in the steady care of Roy and Jeremy as some sort of green witch situation.

[Roy]

I will say that Robert is a very comforting presence, though, here at Metal Media. Right? Yep.

[Stugatz]

Agreed.

[Roy]

Never sweats. He.

[Stugatz]

He handled that with great grace. Nine seconds out as Roy just barked at me and I'm getting the countdown. None of my shit works. And we're going live. Not the best way to handle all of this. We will move on nonetheless. Stugatz, we've got a bit of an issue over. As often happens when David Sampson bounces against the things that we do here, parts of our audience recoil because they don't like those things, the corporate things that Sampson represents. And so sometimes when he comes down for the entirety of a week, onboarding him can be tricky. But this week, what we have is a genuine national baseball insider. He is a star at cbs. His baseball information is something that people go seeking because his expertise in baseball is very strong, and he talks about stuff in a way that knows the business a lot better than most people. And we've got him locked up in another room all week. And. And baseball's going crazy because it seems like the Yankees just spent. Spent money to win yesterday's PR with an injured pitcher. Because now. Now it's just.

[Roy]

That was a make good. Yeah, now.

[Stugatz]

Now it's just the Yankees spending $200 million for PR, even though it's a. It's a broken arm. Like, you tell me if I'm wrong, David. Can we go to David here in the other room right now? Or that. Or your shit doesn't work on that either, Roy.

[Jeremy]

No, we are getting that set up for you right now.

[Roy]

All right, Robert. All right.

[Stugatz]

Rober there. And nobody is ready. And that's all good work at the start of our show. Excellent. I'm glad we were all ready to do this like I asked for before the show.

[Mike]

Hot dog.

[Stugatz]

I don't know what he's eating. It seems like it's. Is that.

[Roy]

It's a hot dog.

[Jason]

Is it French toast?

[Roy]

Sticks, Syrup maybe? Yes. A massive bag of candy as well. I mean, what is happening?

[Stugatz]

How do you guys. How do you guys imagine you would eat if Covid had taken your sense of Taste. Don't you all feel like you'd be eating vegetables and healthy food instead of candy and French toast? Do we all not. Do you not think if I took away your taste, would you not suddenly have a DIET that was 100% clean?

[Dan Le Batard]

But doesn't sugar still, like, do something to your brain when you eat it even if you can't taste it? Like, don't you get a dopamine rush or like energy rush from it?

[Stugatz]

I will. I will have to ask him more questions about his expertise as he eats candy.

[Roy]

It stands to reason if all foods are tasting the same, that would be the time for a diet. Yes. I mean, it stands. You're right. Yes.

[Stugatz]

I'm not. But I'm not even just saying a diet. I'm simp. If you tell me as someone who struggled with his weight all his life and doesn't even understand what it is or how it is that he eats sometimes, like, still at 55 years old, still don't know why it is that I'll like, want to eat a ton of things. Because whatever didn't get food was love in my childhood. I don't know what it is.

[Roy]

Right.

[Stugatz]

If you told me that I lost taste, it would be a mixed blessing and curse. I would hate that I wouldn't be able to enjoy food, but it would be an instantaneous diet where I would only eat the right things. I think for the rest of my life if I could not taste. Is that not something that goes without saying? Because I'm surprised that Samson's gone the other way on this. He's still eating junk.

[Roy]

Yeah, but he weighs like 84 pounds.

[Stugatz]

But he could be eating healthy things. He could eat. He could be eating things that are fuel for his body and he's still eating shit. And I don't understand it. It seems hugely self destructive.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, I mean, I disagree, Dan. When you're sick and you lose your sense of smell and taste, do you only eat like steamed broccoli every day? Like, to me, it seems like you would still eat the things that bring you comfort if you're sick or if you can't taste them, even if you can't taste them.

[Stugatz]

But you're basically saying that eating then becomes about it has nothing to do with taste.

[Jason]

That that's correct.

[Dan Le Batard]

I think that's true for a lot of people. Eating is more than just taste. Eating is like coming together with your family and like making a meal and enjoying it. There's a lot more to eating than just like, ooh, this tastes good. I think for a lot of.

[Billy]

Do you guys enjoy eating?

[Dan Le Batard]

Love?

[Billy]

Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

Right now.

[Roy]

Why you don't?

[Billy]

I. I found myself like, I don't think I enjoy eating. I think I just eat because I have to.

[Roy]

Right.

[Billy]

I mean, like, I'll go kind of a hassle. I'll have the meal. But like a lot of times, like, if it's like dinner time and like I'm feeding my kids or whatever, like I'm eating standing up and I'm just trying to like rush through to get to the next thing. Like there's very few times in Dan, like, I don't know if you like, enjoy eating or like the practice of eating or like the taste of the food, but I'm just like, yeah, eat. Cause like, it's a necessity. I have to have breakfast, I have to have lunch, I have to have dinner. And I do it because I have to.

[Roy]

Mm. Three squares. I mean, he asked you a question. He didn't ask me a question.

[Stugatz]

I don't know what your eating habits are. I found them to be vaguely disgusting. It's walking around with a piece of bacon in your hand and no plate and no napkin that's eaten Dan over 20 years. I've seen seen some strange eating habits. For about 10 years, Roy straight ate from a vending machine. 10 straight years now. Stugatz. When I see him eating, it's usually. I saw bacon sandwiches the other day, which confused me. I didn't know there was such a thing as just a sandwich with bacon.

[Roy]

I don't like a bacon sandwich. I just like the bacon, but I don't need the bread with the bacon.

[Stugatz]

But I did not even know there was a bacon sandwich. I was wondering if Meadowlark is like skimping on breakfast all of a sudden because we're hard times and we're making bacon sandwiches, which seems like not a cheap sandwich, but also doesn't seem like a real sandwich.

[Jason]

Because Samson was coming into town so we needed to show him that we were cost cutting wherever we could.

[Jeremy]

Yeah.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

So there was no cheese. There was no condiments like ketchup or anything.

[Stugatz]

Well, I think it might have had also mayonnaise or something on it. I don't know. I couldn't tell. It had something white near it. But it struck me as odd that it would be just a bacon sandwich. But you guys are looking at me with some sort of disgust. I marvel every day we've got a company that feeds people breakfast and lunch.

[Roy]

We do. It's a very nice thing. I probably look too deep into this, but I kind of make judgments about the company Metal Arc in general just based on the food spread. I do. It's probably unfair of me, but, you know, when the food spread is good, I'm like, all right, we had a good week. You know, we sold some stuff, we did something. We have some more money. And when we don't have a good spread, I start to worry and question everything that's going on around here.

[Dan Le Batard]

Don't pat yourself on the back too hard, Dan. It's pretty common for productions to have food on standby for people because the people in the control room are there for 12 hours without a break most of the time.

[Stugatz]

Jessica, honestly, forgive me if that sounded as if I was patting myself on the back. I just remember how I couldn't get ESPN to feed our people a breakfast that was going on at the Clevelander downstairs. It's why I wrecked first take that day. I was mad that ESPN came in, and all of a sudden ESPN is dining on what should be the food for the cameraman. Like, so if ESPN is not paying people for. For to eat food, I didn't realize that we should all be eating during work. Do I have that wrong to be surprised by that?

[Billy]

I think part of it is we don't get breaks, and we're just working, like, you know, seven hours straight. Sometimes like a 15 or so.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Billy]

I don't know what it is.

[Roy]

Eating has become a chore. I'm with you.

[Billy]

Because if people start taking lunch at different times, then it's like a situation where you can' Things done.

[Stugatz]

Jason, get back in the control room.

[Billy]

How do we start? Let's be honest, and I don't want to cause problems here.

[Mike]

Do you?

[Billy]

Jason eats more than his fair share.

[Stugatz]

Oh, no.

[Billy]

Heavy hand Jason has on the food. Sometimes we get out there after post game, all the food's gone, and it's like, you think four people were working here today? Like, nah, Jason came a little early today.

[Jeremy]

He needs the protein.

[Jason]

The amount of days I've had where I finish writing a title or a description and I walk out looking forward to lunch, and there is literally nothing left out there. But people have already put away their leftovers to bring home for the night for dinner. Gino Fuentes.

[Billy]

Oh, these are the things we have to navigate. What time Jason eats and what mood Kristen is in that day. Most days it's Mediterranean. So that's what we're eating.

[Jeremy]

Lamb chops.

[Stugatz]

Okay, I am sorry. I just saw Robert howling with laughter in the other Room. And a stray shot came across my ears on a channel that no one's supposed to be in that just screamed, talent eats all the food. Just a stray shot like this was on a raw. I've got a channel in my ear I've never heard before. Okay. Someone who is not supposed to be talking to me during the doing of a live show when all my executive producer shit has broken apart isn't supposed to be a stray shot. Talent eats all the food. Now, I got director Jason trying to get in there before you guys because everyone's putting in their pockets and going.

[Roy]

Home with, I can't believe Louis said that to you in your ear.

[Stugatz]

He's not on that channel. This was a private channel. I've never heard anybody on. I've never heard that voice accusing talent of eating all the food. It's a voice. Is that Harry? Harry with Lucy? Like, who was that? I didn't even know who that voice was. That just accused talent of eating all the food. Talents. Doing a lot of work there with.

[Dan Le Batard]

Your off limits people who aren't allowed to talk to you.

[Stugatz]

Oh, no. Samson is in the other room. Let's go to him and find out. First of all, have you thought about eating healthier?

[David Sampson]

No, I have not. I have thought about what it would take to not have pork in every single offering for every meal that you guys serve. I thought about that.

[Stugatz]

Can you tell me what it is here? I was patting myself. King Le Batard was patting himself on the back for producing breakfast and lunch, and Jessica said something that I hadn't even considered, which is production services. If you're working six hours a day, it's always with breakfast and lunch. Hadn't even considered it.

[David Sampson]

Yeah. When we looked at the budget, Stan, you should know that you guys are a little skimpy on the food budget. But I will say that there is an amazing job that's done by your people to get food in love. It just really attentive. But just lots of pork. So much.

[Stugatz]

But. So you're saying that Meadowlark and its bacon sandwiches is producing bad food?

[David Sampson]

I'm saying I went to up the budget on that. I'm upping the budget on the food. I think it's important. I also am going to start secreting some away because what Jeremy said is exactly accurate. I had a late show yesterday, and when I came out, there were no more Chick Fil a bacon burgers. And that's outrageous, Jason.

[Stugatz]

Okay, so we will find out what's going on with Jason in a second.

[Roy]

But he's eating.

[Stugatz]

I am sorry that we disrespected your takes and your talent over the last couple of days because people are seeking you out for your baseball information, if you want. I am assuming nothing personal was consumed by baseball today, although he covers a lot of different stuff on his podcast. What is the most interesting stuff from baseball yesterday, David? The Yankees. I happen to be talking to you. When the Yankees news came in and you were legitimately shocked. Like you, you sounded like you were appalled by the idea that the Yankees would just try to buy $200 million worth of PR.

[David Sampson]

It just wasn't necessary, Dan. And I think the whole industry is less than happy about the Max Fried contract, except for Corbin Burns, of course, and Scott Boris, who are the amazing beneficiaries of this contract because Burns will get more than Freed. And what the Yankees did here, this is not how they used to be. They're being so reactive against the Mets who are pretending that they can take over New York. They're looking at the videos of Turturro. They're actually reacting to fans and this visceral anger that's not just towards Soto. It's also toward the Yankees organization. They felt this pressure. And one day after Brian Cashman said, we're not going to be drunken sailors, he was worse than a drunken sailor. He was a blackout drunken sailor. And when that happens, nothing good happens after that. So the rule is you do not mix alcohol and Adderall. You do not mix a long term contract after you lose another long term contract because you lose every time.

[Jason]

But was Max Freed not something that the Yankees needed? Like a pitcher at that level, a left handed pitcher in particular? The Yankees were desperate for starting pitching down the stretch.

[Stugatz]

Oh, but Jeremy, I simply assume that what Samson is doing there is. That's not worth it because it's going to get hurt. You cannot trust that body to not break down.

[Jason]

But there's value in pitchers.

[Roy]

No, guys, over the last five seasons, he leads Major League Baseball and era. You're acting like they signed a bad pitcher yesterday.

[David Sampson]

Oh, no, I'm not, Stu. I'm not acting like he's a bad pitcher at all. I'm telling you that there are stats that we're given inside. And I wish that I had kept the slides. If I had known that I was going to lose my job, I may have kept all sorts of materials and walked out the door with it. But the slides that Bud Selig and Rob Manfred would put up that the union was not allowed to see except for people scurrying out of the room to leak it to Ron Blum. If you know, you know, are all about old pitchers and how bad they are, how it never works. So for me, I know Max Freed is an eight year deal. He's pitching at 31. He is not going to make it the full eight years. And remember, the Yankees just side Rodan another lefty and guess what? That deal hasn't worked. So it's just like they're compounding it. I don't blame the Yankees for wanting Freed, but I do say the eight years is absurd.

[Jason]

I mean, we're looking at a major league baseball with two different ways to operate, right? There's the haves and the have nots. The Yankees are one of the haves. And so if they want with their ownership group to spend money sort of recklessly with the idea of all we need is one World Series in this contract, we need to get to and win a World Series. We were there last year. Now we lose Juan Soto, what do we do next? Let's go acquire another arm that if healthy, is one of the very best pitchers in Major League Baseball. They were dealing with injuries with Rodone last year. They were dealing with all sorts of injuries to their starters and their relievers. They figured out a way to get there and their view must be coal. Freed, Radon continued, is good enough to get them to where they want to be. They can spend as much money as they want. There's no cap, Dan.

[David Sampson]

I can only tell you that we need a cap.

[Stugatz]

Okay, I'm not doing this with you. I'm not going to do this with you. You don't have a cap and so therefore more money for everybody. And Jeremy's not wrong when he says, yeah, just spill it all over the place. Who cares? It's funny money. The customers are going to get more players that they want. You're not exactly wrong. This is an ace type of pitcher. But all Sampson' doing there is saying you can't guarantee $215 million to somebody you're pretty sure is going to get hurt. Soto can also get hurt, but as a pitcher you're pretty sure this guy's going to get hurt.

[Jason]

But why not? Because you're the Yankees. You have every one of these teams makes a like at the top has an unlimited amount of money they're allowed to spend. So realistically, who cares if it's reckless if you're a Dodgers or a Mets or a Yankees because you want to win and whatever the bottom dollar line is that you need to get that player that's going to help you be better than all of the rest of the teams in major league baseball. You're just going to spend it and it's reckless in terms of, yeah, he's going to deal with injuries and at the back end of that contract it's going to be bad. But you're the Yankees. You can just spend more later.

[Roy]

They can afford to be reckless.

[Jason]

Right?

[Roy]

They can. I mean, you're right. I agree with you. And Dan's talking about the injuries with freed. I mean, three of the last four seasons he has started 28 plus games. I mean, I know he got hurt two years ago, but he's been for the most part, he's been healthy throughout his career.

[Billy]

They still also have over $500 million that they didn't just give correct Soto that they can now use to get like a Christian Walker type or something and improve first base. So like, you can now spread the wealth that you're going to spend on one player to different positions and then hopefully that will get you to where you couldn't get to last year.

[Roy]

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[Jason]

Don levitard it sounds to me like everybody could use a hub because a hug is always the right size. Stugats All I have put in my body today is three cups of coffee and an entire cup of thought of.

[Stugatz]

Don'T let him fool you.

[Jason]

He said in the break that he's jittery.

[Billy]

This is the Dan Levatar show with these two gods.

[Stugatz]

Don't you assume, Samson, that once all of this continues to escalate with the Yankees are going to get pressure to be in this game. Prices are going to skyrocket everywhere and you're going to explain to us what it means that The Dodgers have $1 billion in deferred payments, so one can assume they'll keep Getting more Blake Snells, too, right?

[David Sampson]

They certainly have the opportunity. But I want to remind everybody that we've been talking about this for 25 years and 25 years. Thank you for having me in this room.

[Stugatz]

Wait a minute. Why? Why did that just happen? Hold on a second. Explain to me how we could be an unprofessional organization. How can that just happen to top baseball CBS insider David Sampson. Where you. Where. You guys just have a small room. He's at the top of his profession.

[David Sampson]

And you guys, she's on the floor in the corner, under the table. This is not appropriate. You are not saying. My hands are right here. I did not put baby in a corner.

[Stugatz]

This is a professional environment. And you guys need to get out of the camera shot. Izzy, get the hell out of the camera shot. Everybody get your shit together. And David, baseball's finances are making it.

[Dan Le Batard]

So that Dan, she's trying to do her job. Our green room is also the makeup room because we don't have a dedicated makeup room. And Jessie is just in there. She's trying to go pick up her kid from daycare with all her makeup, and it's stuck there being held hostage by David.

[David Sampson]

By me, Jessica. This was my choice to be in here eating meat with potatoes and having candy. This is really what I wanted to be doing. Well, now I'm much happier. Don't put your hand in there. Do not put your hand in there. Do not do it.

[Jason]

We're talking about a candy bag.

[Stugatz]

You just touched your hand.

[Roy]

Look.

[Stugatz]

Now, wait a minute. Now look at. Now go to a commercial. Look at. No, we're not going to commercial. But look at what just happened here. David, that is wildly inappropriate optics, unfriendly, unkind, because you're a germaphobe. And Jesse, just hungry. She's a desperate rat working in the shadows of this startup, in that startup living. And you're trying to be a professional over there. She's hiding in a corner. She comes out for her first time to frolic on camera, reaches into your bag and you're disgusted because you won't let anyone else touch your sugar.

[David Sampson]

I have pork infested potatoes right here if you want.

[Stugatz]

David, what is happening with the business of baseball right now?

[David Sampson]

Thank you. It'd be nice if we could talk about that for a moment, David.

[Roy]

We'll talk about it.

[David Sampson]

This is not an example where the haves and have nots. It's just starting. Jeremy, when you were just a little pisher, the same thing was being spoken about in 03 when the Marlins won the World Series, there was the big bad Yankees against the small market Marlins. So this is an old story. So none of this should concern anybody. Nobody's acting differently than they used to act. The numbers are just different. But in the NBA, they're different, too. In the NFL, they're different. Jim Kelly never made in a career what Daniel Jones makes in a year. I mean, I don't know if that's a fact, that's reckless journalism. But let's pretend it's something close to that.

[Stugatz]

Hold on a second. I gotta help you here.

[Jason]

Just wait a second.

[Stugatz]

You're gonna do it that poorly? Like, get your shit together. Man fights.

[Billy]

Time to throw away all journalistic credibility and get reckless.

[Stugatz]

Here is something we like to call reckless speculation.

[Roy]

You're good.

[David Sampson]

I am good. I believe that Jim Kelly was underpaid because he was old. He's old in his whole career. His career earnings are less than Daniel Jones made in that guaranteed nightmare of a contract with the New York Giants.

[Jason]

He's right.

[David Sampson]

Oh, my God. Think of these.

[Jason]

Jim Kelly made $28 million. Daniel Jones made 36 this year.

[Stugatz]

Yeah. So the money in the sport is crazy and more of it's going to be shared. But you saw what just happened at the bottom of the standings yesterday, right? If you are one of the people like Billy, who still has an allegiance to the Marlins, they trade their one name, popular player, a guy that people actually like. One of the last embers of connection to anybody. Yeah, that guy's kind of fun. He hits giant home runs and Roly Poly runs around the bases. He looks funny. I can get attached to that. And they have him for a couple of years. They make a playoffs miraculously, in the middle of the pandemic. It looks like they're going to get back in the game.

[Billy]

Well, they've made the playoffs twice. They made one in the pandemic, and they made one a year. Like, not this past season, the one before.

[Stugatz]

That's correct, yes.

[Billy]

He was also under team control, which is why this is particularly odd.

[Stugatz]

Okay, so explain. Walk us through with the former president of the Marlins how you're hurt by that Burger trade because he was the last guy out the door who had a name that anybody connected to.

[Billy]

Well, I mean, they still have Sandy on the team, but we'll see how long he's still on the team. They still have Lizardo on the team, but he's been the subject of trade rumors already at the winter meetings. They still have Yuri on the team, but we'll see when he comes back from his injury and how long he's on the team. I mean, it's just kind of like the weird thing about Jake Berger is that you had him under control, but it seems as though he was not someone that fit the profile of what Peter Bendix wants this team to be. He wasn't great. Great defensively, offensively, he hit home runs, but that. That's basically all that he would do. So they sent him away and they got three prospects and now we'll see what happens and we'll see if they can build in the draft. And oh, by the way, they had tied for the highest odds and getting the number one pick yesterday in the draft lottery and they lost the lottery and now they're picking seventh. So we'll see what they do with the seventh pick in the draft, which is not a guarantee anyways. The problem is, is like you're rebuilding yet again with someone who was part of a successful organization, but you can realistically question how much of an input he had in making that organization a success and if that is something that he can transfer down here. And so far, I mean, it's too early to tell. But it's also one of those situations where it's like, how many people do I want to give four years to figure out if they know what they're.

[Stugatz]

Doing or not and they get rid of a lame duck manager that did his job by getting them to the playoffs. You want to parlay that into something that feels like a little bit like what Arizona was doing. You're trying to parlay, you're trying to build, right? But yesterday, while they're talking to the manager from The Dodgers, Casey McCullough, whatever his name is, first base coach from an other organization, Dave Roberts, while he's talking about Berger and what he means to the team, they trade him a couple of hours later, right? This is. And as the baseball nerds laugh at you because you were, you had the best odds for the number one pick and you end up at seven.

[Billy]

Also, like in fairness, like the manager situation, he kind of dumped them, right? Like they spun it as this was like a mutual parting of ways. But like, there were reports that they tried to extend him and he turned that down and said, you know what, this is not going to work out here and decided to leave because it's a dumpster skip.

[Jason]

Decided that pretty much the moment Kim Ang wasn't brought back, he and Peter Bendix were not on the same page.

[Roy]

Billy, is it difficult to root for a team that's simply not trying. It seems like they're not trying most of the time. Like the jets are frustrating, but they're frustrating for different reasons. They just don't get it right. But it's not.

[Stugatz]

It's not. Not trying. It's not enough money to compete in this atmosphere combined with some incompetence.

[Roy]

But that has to break you as a fan, I think, right?

[David Sampson]

Not true. Guys, I keep listening. You keep me in this corner, but you guys are talking. There's plenty of small payroll teams that make the playoffs consistently. The Rays were one of them. But look at last year, the Guardians. Look at the Orioles. They went through a rebuild and they are now a force. And their payroll is not big at all. The Royals. There is a way to do it. I wasn't that good at it, but it wasn't for lack of trying. The fact is that Skip Schumacher was never. He never even moved his family here. He was never going to be in Miami long term. He was using it as a stepping stone. And now he's back where he wanted to be, closer to his kids. That's it. Peter Bendix was hired solely to do what the Rays do. This is what the Rays do. They don't get attached to any player. So you guys better get used to it. Will he be able to succeed? We'll wait to see. But Peter Bendix has the full support of Bruce Sherman and he's doing exactly what he was told to do. Trading away four years of control for a guy that just hits home runs once in a while. Getting back two good infielders with six years of control each, plus a starting pitcher. You can bet your bippy you're going to make that trade every day. Just tell your manager about it. That makes sense.

[Stugatz]

Stop betting bippies. It's the only thing I bet and wait to see is one of the lamest catchphrase phrases there is anywhere in Canada. We just wait to see is useless as a take. It really is. Wait to see. Okay, thanks for nothing.

[Jeremy]

Well, we talk about putting a salary cap in baseball, but should there be a salary cap floor and make some of these low bargain or low budget teams start spending more?

[David Sampson]

There'll have to be. Roy, you can't have a cap without a floor. That's the reason why there's never been a cap is there was no way to fund the floor because teams like the Marlins would get together and say, we'll agree to a cap and we'd love that, but you have to give us more revenue sharing in Order to make sure we can get to a floor.

[Stugatz]

Forgive me, I don't. I'm ignorant here. I really am ignorant. Didn't you get in trouble for not even making the floor with the Marlins? Didn't you get in trouble for, like, hiding money in the corners? Because when they put a floor on the Marlins, all the other teams got mad because you were taking too big a percentage or something. Something. Just get. You know what? Hold on. I think I got some of my facts wrong here.

[David Sampson]

That's reckless, Jeremy.

[Stugatz]

Hold on, hold on. Time to throw away all journalistic credibility and get reckless. Here is something we like to call reckless speculation.

[Roy]

You're good.

[Stugatz]

Yeah. What did you get in trouble for? Because you got in trouble for something.

[David Sampson]

We've never actually disclosed it, but I'm ready to disclose it right now.

[Roy]

Really?

[Stugatz]

Okay. Jeremy, look this up to see what we can cross check against what he. The other teams were mad at you guys because you were not reaching the floor.

[David Sampson]

Stop speculating with your. You're just wrong. It was the union. The union filed a grievance against multiple teams. The Marlins were one of them. The grievance stated that we were not, among other teams using our revenue sharing proceeds to improve the team on the field. So we had a deal with the commission and the deal was that we will sign. And his name was Josh Johnson. We will sign Josh Johnson to an extension because we're trying. We're getting into a new stadium and we want him to be the opening day pitcher. We'll sign it and we will write a letter saying that we were in violation and we're curing the violation in return for the dropping of the grievance against all the teams. We went. Don Baylor, we took one right on the chin for baseball and signed Josh.

[Billy]

Johnson and traded him a year later.

[David Sampson]

Not a year later. That's not right, Billy. We trade him a year after the new stadium opened.

[Jeremy]

Oh, well, quite frankly, seems like the Players association could file the same grievance.

[Jason]

Against the Marlins today they did in 2018.

[Billy]

Repeat offenders on this regard.

[David Sampson]

That wasn't me.

[Stugatz]

Look at him laughing.

[Roy]

So happy. So please.

[Stugatz]

Sinister. It's just sinister. It's disgusting. You disgust me.

[Roy]

David, I am wondering. You were. You mentioned documents and you regret not taking some documents with you on the way out the door. What documents do you regret not taking with you?

[Stugatz]

It's a good question.

[David Sampson]

That is. Thank you, Stu. All of the stuff that we would get at owner's meetings. We ought we. And I have five of them. And I meant to take Them as Jeter was walking into Marlin's park and I was walking out. So it's all of the exhibits that showed all of the players and all of the things that we have against the union and all of the nefarious things that we do. It's this smoking gun of crap, and now it's sitting in the wastebasket. Oh, it's very sad.

[Billy]

I thought I heard David also, and I don't know if this was from you or from someone else, that you also had, like a personal vault with collectibles that you did not take on the way out that remained behind. Is that so where did.

[David Sampson]

That's. Yes.

[Roy]

He's an insider.

[Stugatz]

Wow.

[Jason]

Wow.

[Stugatz]

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Look at what. David has never been rattled speechless. And wow. You have. Look. David thinks the greatest currency there is is information. You just looked into his soul and told him something that he did not know that you knew about him. And he thinks he outsmarts everybody. He. You just left him speechless. He was stunned. Where'd you get this information, Billy?

[Billy]

I'm gonna tell you that.

[Roy]

Give his sources.

[Stugatz]

You have a safe full of curios that you left behind. Who's got them?

[David Sampson]

It would have been Jeter, and then he got fired. So now it's whoever is the new person in charge, if they can ever find it. So I'm not talking about the treasure chest that we buried underneath the foundation building. And I don't know, I assume you're referring to something that I didn't think anyone knew about, which is a locked, vaulted area at Marlins park where there's a bunch of franchise collectibles, really valuable franchise collectibles that Sherman and Jeter did not know about. They were not included in the transaction. And what happened is I left and I forgot to empty it, and then my ID didn't work, and there was nothing I could do. Do. And so they're still there.

[Billy]

Maybe.

[David Sampson]

Unless you have them.

[Roy]

Billy, I am shocked that you left that place without money, without things that have value, and without a smoking gun. That is unlike you, David Sampson.

[David Sampson]

It was a very difficult day. I was doing the full Jesse Eisenberg from the Social network, just pressing refresh on the computer to make sure that Sherman's 1.2 billion had cleared. That's. And I'm not kidding, Stu. That deal closes when the money hits your account from escrow. That's when I was informed and told that I would walk out of the building and Jeter would walk in. So Jeter was in the parking lot I was in my office and once the refresh happened and the money hit, I got up and left. And I completely was so flummoxed that I left the vault. There's really good stuff in there, Billy, from the history of the franchise that I assume could have been in my room.

[Jason]

Darn it, David. I cannot imagine the feeling of seeing $1.2 billion hitting a bank account. What was that moment like?

[David Sampson]

So it's not how that works. It's not 1.2 billion, actually. That's the overall value of the team. It's much less than gets transferred on closing day. So it was only about $662 million that comes in. And so it wasn't my account as much as it wasn't mine. So it does feel like a relief. It doesn't feel. It's just numbers on a computer. It feels very much like a relief because the concern was that Jeter and Sherman would have realized early that they were overpaying and not close. And then we would have been totally screwed. But I would have had the stuff in the vault.

[Billy]

So, like, was that realistically a good day or a bad day for you? Because as soon as that closes, you kind of know you're probably on the way out. Right? Right.

[David Sampson]

Yeah. I knew negotiating that I was going to get fired and get to join you. What a great day. Knowing that I can spend my time with you guys at Metal Arc. It's like a dream come true. For one tenth of the salary and 2010 of the aggravation and pork in every piece of food. It's like a dream.

[Dan Le Batard]

Bill, you know what I'm thinking? Heist.

[Roy]

I like it. Yeah.

[Billy]

Gonna get that Jeremy Hermita ball after all.

[David Sampson]

Jessica, I would absolutely agree that we could get into Marlin's park because I know some different ways to access the building. But I would need.

[Dan Le Batard]

I would need a suitcase like an Ocean's Eleven.

[Stugatz]

You guys, you guys really want heavy handed stigma. You guys really want this person accused of a second heist of Marlin's baseball?

[Dan Le Batard]

We would get away with it. Dan.

[Stugatz]

He's gotten away with it. Look at him. It's just numbers on a computer and he's out here laughing. As reputational as the face of corporate greed.

[Roy]

I don't know if this is getting away with it. He's sitting in a room. He's locked in a room on a couch with a makeup person.

[Stugatz]

He got. He got his billion dollars and he got out of the game. And now he hangs on to the game as an information insider. Doing it in a way that's almost as fun as when he was inside the game. In fact, I would ask you that question. Which is more fun, what you're presently doing right now, holding a microphone or being the president of a Major League baseball team or the Marlins?

[David Sampson]

Anyway, it's way better to create the news than to report it.

[Roy]

Hmm.

[Stugatz]

So you had more fun as the baseball president?

[David Sampson]

I said it was way better. I have more meaningful interactions now, which I appreciate, Dan, but make no mistake, creating history one way or the other, good or bad history is better than reporting it.

[Jeremy]

A lot of bad.

[David Sampson]

Some very good, Roy.

[Jeremy]

Some.

[Stugatz]

Anything else from baseball yesterday that people would be seeking you out on because they got a little bit of it on. Nothing personal, but you were telling me that you'd embargoed some secret baseball thoughts for just our show.

[David Sampson]

Yeah, I wanted to. I wanted to talk about one thing about the Max free deal that we did not cover on Nothing Personal, and that we saved what you call a scrap. When you are a team and you are in a position where you don't get a player, what an agent does is they call the team and say, we can solve all your problems. We can take away all the negative pr. And what the Yankees got is, it wasn't even Boris. Because Max Fried is represented by a company called Cast. And CAA does not normally traffic the way Boris does in terms of putting their players where it's just about money. But what Boris has done by retaking the world with the Soto deal, he has caused other agents to act more like him, not less like him. So CAA goes to the Yankees and says, we will solve your problems, but you are going to pay and it's going to hurt. And that's the only way a deal comes together as quickly as it did did is when it's a one way deal. The Yankees just gave in to what CAA asked for, not even believing that the Yankees would say yes to it. There was no Talk of an 8th year until Soto signed and then it happened in a day. And the only way that happens in a negotiation is when one side gives. And my God, the Yankees were bent over.

[Jason]

David, if you're worried about the pork at lunch, I think with that $662 million, you could probably buy spread for everybody.

[David Sampson]

Jericho me, I was the president. I have as much equity in that team as you do in Meadowlark.

[Jason]

Well, you're right. I guess that's why we both can't pay for lunch.

[David Sampson]

And there's pork.

[Mike]

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