[SPEAKER_01]: All right, welcome back to another episode of the baseball America fantasy podcast.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is your host, Jeff Ponce, alongside me, pinch hitting forward, Dylan White for another week is Ian Kundel.

[SPEAKER_01]: What's going on, Ian?

[SPEAKER_01]: How are you, man?

[SPEAKER_01]: Been saying busy.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm doing good.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, yeah, it's, uh, it's finally baseball season, though.

[SPEAKER_03]: So the, uh,

[SPEAKER_03]: Paul has wrapped up.

[SPEAKER_03]: It's where we're fully on the baseball season.

[SPEAKER_03]: Now, pictures and catchers have reported, which of course has led to the inevitable injury, just whatever is going on, the injuries, which has not been fun to follow.

[SPEAKER_03]: But I'm sure we'll dive into that a little bit.

[SPEAKER_03]: But yeah, excited to be here.

[SPEAKER_03]: Thanks for having me back.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, absolutely, man.

[SPEAKER_01]: Glad to have you back.

[SPEAKER_01]: Be chatting a little bit.

[SPEAKER_01]: Let's kind of jump into, you know what?

[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to talk Red Sox trade first.

[SPEAKER_01]: Then we'll jump into some some of the injury news.

[SPEAKER_01]: There's a whole lot of injury news.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to take up like 20 minutes to the show.

[SPEAKER_01]: It has been, it's been an eventful four or five days, just in terms of trying to avoid landmines as a fantasy manager of any sort, whether it's dynasty teams, whether it's, you know, your redraft team, if you've already done any sort of draft, there's a good chance that you're probably have already kicked yourself for a player that's injured.

[SPEAKER_01]: So we'll see how that goes.

[SPEAKER_01]: But let's talk about this Red Sox trade.

[SPEAKER_01]: comes through earlier this week, we've had some questions about who's playing third base, who's playing second base for the red socks.

[SPEAKER_01]: But they go out, they make a trade, I would say with

[SPEAKER_01]: Caleb Durbin, as well as a couple of other players, but I would describe Anthony Seagler and Andrew Monastero as System Depth.

[SPEAKER_01]: back on a series a little better than that.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, kind of I mean he's like you're he's an up down guy.

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean he's 26.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, yeah, he's a 26 man type of guy up down type of player.

[SPEAKER_01]: Not somebody you want starting games for any long stretch of time and other brewers had to start in a few years back and he hit okay.

[SPEAKER_01]: And they got the comp pickback, which obviously they lose with their Ranger Swaris signing, sending back to the brewers, they send Kyle Harrison, they send old friend David Hamilton former brewer in Shane Drowhand.

[SPEAKER_01]: So they add, they add a couple of pictures that are on the 40 man roster, couple of lefties that could potentially help them.

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I don't want to write off the return here to the brewers, just simply because we have seen time and time again that they can acquire pictures and really get the most out of them.

[SPEAKER_01]: We certainly weren't, you know, pounding the table upset that when priesthood got dealt.

[SPEAKER_01]: Now, our year later, when priesthood is coming off a really good rookie season.

[SPEAKER_01]: So before we jump in a derby, do you see any step forward potentially for Harrison.

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, or for Joe Han, how do you think that all shakes out, um, because they are guys that more than likely, we'll see some big league time with the viewers this year.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, definitely.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I think that for air, I think Carson's actually a big winner in this trade for fantasy because he went from a spot where with the Red Sox, he was probably eighth, ninth on the starting picture, depth chart to look at the res rotation.

[SPEAKER_03]: There was some question marks at the, at the back end of that, especially with Brandon Wood, Woodruff's health

[SPEAKER_03]: Um, I think there's a clear pathway to him, having a chance to make, you know, 15, 20 starts.

[SPEAKER_03]: It's something like that on that team this year.

[SPEAKER_03]: As you talk, Priest, we've seen them elevate picture as time and time again.

[SPEAKER_03]: So Harrison, someone he, he's got the skills.

[SPEAKER_03]: There's a reason so many the brothers are now the 13 to take a chance on him.

[SPEAKER_03]: And if they can, you know, tap into his raw talent, because it is there, like there's a lot to work with, he's got some really good traits that teams like, you know, low relief, likely that's he's one of the, I'm working on something on that right now, but he's one of the lowest release site pitchers, who's been on a top 100 list over the last few years.

[SPEAKER_03]: and other trades that I think the brewers can try to maximize there and turn them into a valuable picture.

[SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, I think there's definitely value here.

[SPEAKER_03]: Trojan, I think is a little over-releaf type.

[SPEAKER_03]: I'm not sure he's as fan as he relevant.

[SPEAKER_03]: I think that though he could be a pretty good reliever.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like is the guy with multiple pitches that can miss bats fast really improved last year when the velocity ticked up as he returned from injury?

[SPEAKER_03]: And if he can carry that over to 2026,

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think that's, it's kind of interesting how this trade could change the surface and some playing time battles for the brewers, a couple of arms obviously that could get starts, could come out of the bullpen, give them a couple of lefties, they were a little light on.

[SPEAKER_01]: Also shakes up the infield a little bit for them as well with Durbin getting traded.

[SPEAKER_01]: The team went out, they acquired Sprote, they acquired Jet Williams.

[SPEAKER_01]: Does this potentially open up a spot for Jet Williams in the short term in that infield?

[SPEAKER_01]: A guy that can play multiple positions obviously has played a lot of short, played a lot of center field, there's played some second base.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'd have to double check how much third base he's played, but I do think maybe they would move more teased at third base and play jet at short.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not sure, but I do think you now look at Jet Williams and say, there's a better chance that this guy could potentially see 350 played appearances in the big leagues this year than there was a week ago.

[SPEAKER_03]: 100% I think you can make the case that him and I think on the periphery rat be the biggest winners of this deal for the brewers.

[SPEAKER_03]: Williams for your questions never played third base in the miners he is no experience there so I think I was going to look at it.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, so if he was open on the roster, I think it would be a short stop because Joe or T's has experienced a third base, a plenty of arm for the position.

[SPEAKER_03]: I don't think they would move Bryce Frank off second base, given how good he's developed into a player there.

[SPEAKER_03]: And, you know, unless they're willing, comfortable going with David Hamilton and a reopening or basement, which I don't, I can't imagine they would be.

[SPEAKER_03]: I think there's even a pathway that Jet Williams could open the season on the roster, because otherwise you look, you look at your infield depth they have.

[SPEAKER_03]: And then after that, it's, there's not a lot there in third base right now.

[SPEAKER_03]: Um, you know, they have some other NRIs there, like, like, as you, as you, uh, Cooper Pratt, Jet Williams, Hasey Smoddy Brockwoke, and like some big names in the prospect world, but there's no real veteran, other unless they're, as again, if they're comfortable with David Hamilton for that spot.

[SPEAKER_03]: So I think there's definitely a pathway to at least one of these young guys coming in and grabbing a spot with a really strong training.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and that's that's my feeling on it too, you know, and I think you sort of look at where Williams is at his 40 man roster decision year is this upcoming year, and you've got I don't think that means that guys are going to break camp, but I think it also puts them a team in a position where like.

[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to be adding this guy into the 40-man roster in the next seven months anyway, at this point seven or eight months, but we're really going to be making that decision.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be something that's probably going to be decided in August or September.

[SPEAKER_01]: Especially with a player like that.

[SPEAKER_01]: I always think jumping that a little bit doesn't necessarily hurt the team, especially if they feel that it provides the most competitive roster.

[SPEAKER_01]: on the field in the short term.

[SPEAKER_01]: All right, let's move it over to the other side.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think the big part of the return other than the comp pick is Durbin.

[SPEAKER_01]: The other two pieces, not something we have to dig into deeply.

[SPEAKER_01]: But is Durbin the starting second baseman is Marcelo Myers staying at third base, you think?

[SPEAKER_01]: Is this sort of what the infield is going to look like for the red socks?

[SPEAKER_01]: And then we could talk a little bit about the fit for Durbin with the park and the lineup, et cetera.

[SPEAKER_03]: I haven't committed either way, they made it, they've, they've, the Red Sox so far Craig was a little NASCAR come out and talks about that they're going to try and out at second base and third base.

[SPEAKER_03]: He's going to be an everyday player.

[SPEAKER_03]: They just don't know what bought it.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I think that makes sense to give themselves some flexibility because Durbin has so far mostly played third base in the majors, even though he played second base primarily in the minors.

[SPEAKER_03]: You want to give him a look at second base during camp and make sure kind of see how that fits.

[SPEAKER_03]: Because I think long term though, that's his best spot.

[SPEAKER_03]: Meyer has a stronger arm.

[SPEAKER_03]: We saw him at third base last season with the Red Sox and they very well there defensively.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I think with Meyer scene is the short stop of the future for the Red Sox, they want to keep him on the last side of the infield.

[SPEAKER_03]: I think two morning him at second base for the next year or two doesn't make a ton of sense.

[SPEAKER_03]: Whereas with third, he's somebody's under team control for I think five more years.

[SPEAKER_03]: He could be second base for,

[SPEAKER_03]: the AV performs well for that entire time.

[SPEAKER_03]: So, you know, just lock it in at seconds, let my air play third, and then once it's time to move to our story offshore, I think is when you make that flip from my air to over to short stop.

[SPEAKER_03]: So, I think during probably ends up as commitment,

[SPEAKER_03]: And I think it's you know an interesting fit offensively I'm curious here thoughts on it because he does something's well, but I do want when he home run like if the home runs might even though he's pulls the ball near town, I'm not sure he has the power to go over the wall in fact way that frequently.

[SPEAKER_01]: No, there's not, I mean, he's a better defender.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think then maybe we thought he would be coming up, particularly at third base.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's a better defender at second base.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's fine there.

[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, the contact hitting is really good.

[SPEAKER_01]: Not a guy that gets a ton of walks, but it's not like it's bad swing decisions.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's the question that I have is,

[SPEAKER_01]: You look at some of the underlying numbers.

[SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't really hit the ball that hard.

[SPEAKER_01]: Doesn't find that many barrels, despite pretty decent angles.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's a 26.9% hard hit rate last year and the majors over 400 and two events.

[SPEAKER_01]: So that's very much standardized.

[SPEAKER_01]: I just, I kind of feel like we're gonna see the slugging numbers maybe tick back a little bit.

[SPEAKER_01]: There's maybe a scenario that doesn't happen because

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, he uses some of the gaps and crevices and stuff in Fenway Park and is able to push up that 25 double number from last year up to like 35 or more, but I would bet the under on 11 home runs for next year.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I would expect it to be more like six to eight with, but there could be like I said there could be 30 plus doubles.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think he could maybe make up some of the slugging percentage that way.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's not a bad hitter.

[SPEAKER_01]: And it's like these conversations I have with my neighbors, of course, living here in Massachusetts who are Red Sox fans and kind of talking to him about Derby.

[SPEAKER_01]: And it's like, you're probably really gonna like him.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's a very good ball player, hard nose guy, you know, shows up for the park and does all the little things every day.

[SPEAKER_01]: not going to make stupid plays or give away at bats.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's not that kind of a player, but not a guy that's going to come in and drive in 75 runs, or steal 30 bases, or hit 20 home runs.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's just, he doesn't have that kind of impact.

[SPEAKER_01]: So a lot of it's going to be contacted and getting on base, being able to run a little bit, score a fair amount of runs, and give them some versatility defensively.

[SPEAKER_01]: Um, especially considering your options at second base before that, we're like, Roman Gonzales and IKF.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and I think the other thing with that father I wonder is how repeatable is his hit by pitch numbers because last year that really boosted his on beat percentage I think he'd let the national lead by pitch or he wasn't here in the top of that.

[SPEAKER_03]: And is that something that's where people year after year I don't know?

[SPEAKER_03]: So I, you know, because you look his walker last year, it was a, it was a, it was a, it was a, it was a, it was a, it was a, it was a, it was a, it was a, it was a, it was a, it was a, it was a, but he had a 3340 BP because he boosted it with, I think it was 24 for hit by pitches or something around that number.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you still know, you know, it's a skill.

[SPEAKER_01]: Can you step into him, kid.

[SPEAKER_01]: There you go.

[SPEAKER_01]: Hard nose ball player.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's what I said.

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, they'll take one for the team.

[SPEAKER_01]: Definitely.

[SPEAKER_01]: All right.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's enough on the Durbin trade.

[SPEAKER_01]: Let's talk a little bit about all these injuries that are going around.

[SPEAKER_01]: The latest one that broke in is.

[SPEAKER_01]: Pretty wild.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

[SPEAKER_01]: Sebastian Walcott is out for the entire 20, 20, 60s and he's having elbow surgery due to a UCL injury.

[SPEAKER_01]: They didn't specify Tommy John.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's tough to say Tommy John nowadays, because some of it is internal brace and it is a slightly different procedure.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's an elbow surgery, but it is slightly different.

[SPEAKER_01]: So don't want to just say Tommy John.

[SPEAKER_01]: I haven't seen that specifically.

[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you have.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's out for the year.

[SPEAKER_01]: One of the big selling points with Walcott is the fact that he was so young and had to play at so many advanced levels.

[SPEAKER_01]: Now that he's gonna miss a year, a lot of guys in that age bracket are kind of gonna be caught up.

[SPEAKER_01]: So it almost makes him less attractive as a prospect.

[SPEAKER_01]: From a fantasy perspective, I was a little bit lower on Walcott.

[SPEAKER_01]: I had him outside of my top 10.

[SPEAKER_01]: I kind of didn't consider him one of those elite short stops.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think he can hit a little.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm questionable about how much impact really is there if he's going to be able to get to all of it.

[SPEAKER_01]: There's a ton of tools.

[SPEAKER_01]: Now you're factoring him missing a year.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's probably gonna move down a lot of lists.

[SPEAKER_01]: It wouldn't shock me if he's outside the top 30 and a lot of fantasy lists that get updated between now and June, you know.

[SPEAKER_03]: I don't think they have an option there because he also is the type of profile where he needs reps.

[SPEAKER_03]: He needs refinement at the plate.

[SPEAKER_03]: You know, you talked about it the biggest issue with him.

[SPEAKER_03]: The wrongs are so tantalizing, but the contactability just is a there yet.

[SPEAKER_03]: The last year in double A, 28% misrate, 20% into with or 90% into with like.

[SPEAKER_03]: Just kind of fringy average at best contact skills.

[SPEAKER_03]: And now he's a guy that he's going to set me back an entire year of development as you said players in his age bracket.

[SPEAKER_03]: He was ahead advanced them.

[SPEAKER_03]: They're probably going to pass him now, you know, he's going to come back.

[SPEAKER_03]: You assume he was back, he's in he's going to be 21 years old because he turns 20 in March.

[SPEAKER_03]: So if he misses the entire season, he's not going to play another game until he's 21.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yes, 21 until I.

[SPEAKER_03]: is still very good, but it's not, you know, it's very different than being a 19-year-old in double-A, which he was last this past season.

[SPEAKER_03]: So, yeah, I think he's discouraging news, obviously, and he's the type of profile of a guy that I just, you kind of don't want missing a full season.

[SPEAKER_03]: Obviously, you don't want anyone missing the full season, but with the volatility with his hit tool and kind of just the need for consistent game reps, missing out on that year of development,

[SPEAKER_01]: 100% agree.

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I think that, like I said, the age was doing so much lifting there.

[SPEAKER_01]: And it's not like the skills were bad.

[SPEAKER_01]: The power wasn't bad.

[SPEAKER_01]: But it wasn't as loud in games as you wanted it to be.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's kind of been a consistent running theme with Walcott that.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's always had a little bit more pedigree, a little bit more hype.

[SPEAKER_01]: than he's actually performed.

[SPEAKER_01]: The tools are there.

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you watched the player, you understand why people want to go Gaga on a guy like this, but missing that year, I think is going to very much sort of change how, you know, he's viewed on a lot of list during the season and off season.

[SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't say that it's a bi-low period yet.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'd say give it about four months that your trade deadline.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to be a really good bi-low because everyone's going to have forgotten about him and he's not going to be that far from returning it.

[SPEAKER_01]: At that point, if you're selling, you're looking toward next year anyway.

[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm just saying, I think there could be some value to, maybe just keep in the watch list updated with him and go on from there.

[SPEAKER_01]: All right, let's move on to the next group of injuries.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is probably the most impactful to fantasy for 2026.

[SPEAKER_01]: We have Hammett injuries galore.

[SPEAKER_01]: A Hammett Armageddon, so to speak.

[SPEAKER_01]: Francesco Lendor with the first, then it was Jackson Holiday, then it was Corbin Carroll.

[SPEAKER_01]: Lindor and Carol, you're talking top two round guys, Jackson Howard, I still get and drafted pretty highly of course, you know, these guys are starting in 12 team leagues.

[SPEAKER_01]: So this is going to impact really all formats.

[SPEAKER_01]: There's not a whole lot you can do, but I think my thing is, I'm going to throw up my conspiracy theory here.

[SPEAKER_01]: I wonder how much the Hamade injuries

[SPEAKER_01]: and the oblique injuries have been caused by batsby training and the amount of max effort swings that guys are taking throughout the year.

[SPEAKER_01]: This could just be nonsense.

[SPEAKER_01]: This could be like old man, screaming at clouds type stuff.

[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like there's been a good connection between heavy batsby training and particularly a lot of oblique injuries, and I think we're seeing more and more

[SPEAKER_03]: I agree and it's I think even Carol I think is the best example is he didn't happen on a hit by picture anything it happened just on a swing where he found the ball off and that's you know It's one thing and I think Lindor got hit either Lindor holiday one of them happened because they got hit on the hand, which is that that's freaky stuff that happens, but the Carol situation happened on norm swing and that that to me is just very interesting when something like that happens, but

[SPEAKER_03]: It's a pretty big downgrade, at least for the first half of the season, I think, for all of these guys, because we've seen time and time again that even when guys return from a handmade injury, it's about six weeks, maybe two month return, which pushes them right up to the start of the season, or maybe the first, you know, some mid-April, but power takes time to come back after a handmade injury.

[SPEAKER_03]: A lot of these guys,

[SPEAKER_03]: probably aren't going to be back right until June 1st, you know, all star break, potential power lies.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I think that's, that's the big question is how do you handle that going forward with your drafts?

[SPEAKER_03]: Because Carol, I think, was the Sharfa Arsram, the door, as you said, was probably on that first, second round line.

[SPEAKER_03]: And now if you're, you know, you look at those gosh projections and if you're taking off a fair share of her home runs from the first half of the season, what does that do to them, it's it's a big question, I think, you know, obviously a very unwell, come one for fantasy managers, heading into representation.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and the I was more inclined to be a little bit less nervous about Lindor because he's a switch header.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, but it would end on which hand it was the right hand where you had the Hammond injury, which is your bottom hand, if you're a lefty, that's where he's taken a majority of his swings where he does.

[SPEAKER_01]: Carol is right handles, um, you know, um, well, Carol's not a switch hit or though, oh, yeah, fair fair, but yeah, you know, I'll be, I less, I'm let, they mean, they mean, they mean, Louis, on hell, a goodness, which you know, you could be Chris Gatsome here,

[SPEAKER_01]: to build your own adventure with switch hitters this spring training.

[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, but like Lindor, I kind of wondered if like, well, maybe there's one swing that'll be a little bit easier, you know, because it's going to be more top hand type of stuff.

[SPEAKER_01]: But, you know, it's not going to be the case.

[SPEAKER_01]: So, yeah, I don't know how much to downgrain, because we have seen guys come back and get to power a little bit quicker off of handmade injuries.

[SPEAKER_01]: We've seen other guys where it's taken them half a year.

[SPEAKER_01]: The one that I always recall, and I'm sure you probably remember this one too,

[SPEAKER_01]: the remember, the term being used, et cetera, and how it sapped the power, was David Ortiz.

[SPEAKER_01]: If right before like his final really good seasons, he had that one year, I want to say maybe 2011, 2012, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: We'd have to look where he had a really bad first half and it was coming off of that handmade entry.

[SPEAKER_01]: So even some of the biggest sluggers in the game, it can sapped some power, you know.

[SPEAKER_01]: fun.

[SPEAKER_01]: That said, all right.

[SPEAKER_01]: So I think we've talked enough about him.

[SPEAKER_01]: Let's move on to some more injuries here.

[SPEAKER_01]: Spencer Schwellenbach is, uh, or just got is Elbowscope, do some bone spurs.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's obviously going to miss some time.

[SPEAKER_01]: It is not as catastrophic as it could have been.

[SPEAKER_01]: Um, but somebody who has a very murky injury track record, I mean, this guy did have Tommy John surgery, essentially at the draft, uh, at the draft, but around the time of the draft.

[SPEAKER_01]: And doesn't have a ton of wear and tear in his arm.

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he was a short stop predominantly, pitched a little bit out of the bullpen at Nebraska, made the jump to his starter, has handled a lot of innings since he's coming off of that surgery.

[SPEAKER_01]: Like he's one guy that I remember looking at the inning jump.

[SPEAKER_01]: It was kind of taken back by it.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'll throw this out there.

[SPEAKER_01]: He was somebody that was on a survey that I took for a scouting job with a team.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I had to pick between him and James Wood.

[SPEAKER_01]: And this is a year ago.

[SPEAKER_01]: And the reason that I ended up going with James Wood was some of the concerns about Schwalembex injury history.

[SPEAKER_01]: And like, would you really want to extend this guy versus extending a young hitter, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: I think from a dynasty perspective, it's the same.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is the kind of guy, like, I traded Hazus Lzardo last year.

[SPEAKER_01]: It had a great second half.

[SPEAKER_01]: Probably hurt my team.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm still not upset that I traded Hazus Lzardo because Hazus Lzardo was a ticking time bomb, and I think Spencer Schwellen back falls into the same category of

[SPEAKER_01]: you are just waiting for the next injury with this guy.

[SPEAKER_01]: And while we talked about the ham aid, some of the freakiest stuff that can happen, how are you going to hit by pitch, that's not indicative of future injury.

[SPEAKER_01]: When it comes to pitchers and elbow injuries and shoulder injuries and back injuries, that is indicative of future injury.

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, because it's not freaky stuff like getting hit with a pit, your, you know, taking a wrong step or something like that, it's doing the same thing that you get paid to do over and over again, that is breaking down your body and tearing up and shredding your ligaments.

[SPEAKER_01]: So he's a guy that honestly, like, I've kind of been a little bit more yellow, like, kind of pumped the brakes on than other folks that I particularly don't don't love swallowing back.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think there's a lot of risk there.

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, even if he comes back fine, I think we should have known this coming into the year.

[SPEAKER_01]: Nothing of the injury.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

[SPEAKER_01]: That.

[SPEAKER_01]: But there's always something there.

[SPEAKER_01]: You know.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, the raw talent is there, you know, he's when he's on the mound, he's

[SPEAKER_03]: you know, one of the better starters in the national league.

[SPEAKER_03]: But you last year, only 110 innings missed time due to injury.

[SPEAKER_03]: Obviously, he has the Tommy John on his ledger.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I think you look at him.

[SPEAKER_03]: And this is a guy who he's six-flon.

[SPEAKER_03]: He's not exactly the most physical player.

[SPEAKER_03]: You know, he's more like an athlete pitching on the mound that, you know, what you see with those kind of those, the guys that you expect to be the innings eater types, that, you know, 180 plus things.

[SPEAKER_03]: So it's 220 is a really thing anymore of pitchers.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I think it does make you have to worry about his long-term viability and whether or not it's just you're just waiting.

[SPEAKER_03]: You know, he might come back, you might get a good rest of the season, but then when it's exiting, so then it kind of happened, when it's the next injury going to happen.

[SPEAKER_03]: And it's unfortunate because he is so talented, but I think he's just he's so risky now and I asked to push him down pretty far on dynasty lists because you just I just don't think you can have any confidence that he's someone.

[SPEAKER_03]: who you'll be able to count on for 150 points and things for the next, you know, for the foreseeable future.

[SPEAKER_01]: I tend to agree, and if we're talking about injured pictures, we got more injured pictures to talk about.

[SPEAKER_01]: This one, I don't think is a huge shock though, Jared Jones got put onto the 60 day IL.

[SPEAKER_01]: He had internal brace surgery in May of last year, it's usually a 12 month, 13 month recovery time on that.

[SPEAKER_01]: So that doesn't change a timeline at all on Jones being back in June.

[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, hopefully the recovery is going well.

[SPEAKER_01]: There wasn't any additional details that were provided in that report that just came out yesterday.

[SPEAKER_01]: So, yeah, I don't think that is any cause for concern because I really didn't expect Jones to be back from Brace Surgery in eight to nine months like Radarol.

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we've seen guys maybe 11 months.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think Nick Frost so came back in 11 months, but Nick Frost also also was a minor league free agent last year.

[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know that that was a good decision for Nick Frothso.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and I think there's video of Jones.

[SPEAKER_03]: He's been throwing off the mound.

[SPEAKER_03]: I think he threw his first bullpen.

[SPEAKER_03]: So I think it seems like it's part of the typical recovery and just they needed the 40 man roster spot early in camp.

[SPEAKER_03]: So there's no difference if they do it now versus on opening day.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I think if anything, it benefits fantasy managers, because if your lead has IL spots and you can already play skies on it, then that creates, you know, you can now use that

[SPEAKER_01]: It's actually an advantage.

[SPEAKER_01]: There you go.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, there's Ian on the podcast making lemonade out of lemons.

[SPEAKER_01]: Um, All right.

[SPEAKER_01]: Let's talk about the next trade.

[SPEAKER_01]: The Westburg oblique.

[SPEAKER_01]: Did you end up making the Westburg trade?

[SPEAKER_01]: No.

[SPEAKER_01]: So he and texted me the other day and he was like, hey, I know about this Westburg deal and it's not the injury and it's not public yet.

[SPEAKER_01]: Should I make this trade?

[SPEAKER_01]: I am, I am a piece of crap.

[SPEAKER_01]: So I told him to, you know, it has morals and ethics and he decided not to do so.

[SPEAKER_01]: Really more of an ethical issue.

[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, I wanted to drop that into here.

[SPEAKER_01]: Um, but, but yeah, Westburg oblique.

[SPEAKER_01]: I never know, like cause these injuries, it's like guys can be back in four weeks, five weeks and be good.

[SPEAKER_01]: There's other times where it lingers on for three months and you kind of lose the first half of the season in terms of production.

[SPEAKER_01]: So it's like...

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, this is, this is a, this is about as much of a question mark recovery time injury as you get even the hand made injuries.

[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like you kind of know what to expect with a bleaks they're all over the place because I'm sure this severity of the, you know, this brain really differs from player to player and their company time and all that sort of thing.

[SPEAKER_01]: How does this change your perspective on Westburg for this season, at least.

[SPEAKER_03]: I think it's a slight death grade, but from everything it sounds like it's they don't consider it serious, but at the same time, like we saw with Roman Anthony last year, hopefully can take time to heal fully, you know, he had injured and he missed the rest of season and the playoffs when it wasn't seen initially that he was going to miss that much time.

[SPEAKER_03]: It sounds like it's been something he's been dealing for the last few weeks and whether it's just going to be, you know, where it's hard to say where he's at now or what's going to be, where he's going to be at in a month.

[SPEAKER_03]: But the Orioles don't, which is encouraging, but at the same time, action, you could say action speak louder than words and then went out and made a trade for another infield there.

[SPEAKER_03]: So if they were concerned and happy, like the need to go out and get place Alexander and this was before even the Jackson holiday injury they went out and got Alexander that to me is a little bit of, you know, peaks my interest to me that they're not maybe not concerned is going to miss the season or any obviously anything like that, but that he might not be ready on opening day, you know, it could be a few weeks in the season before we see Westberg on the diner.

[SPEAKER_01]: And he's missed some time like it's funny because he kind of came into pro ball as like an iron man played 112 as first professional season second professional season plays 138 23 split between AAA and the majors that was over 130 games.

[SPEAKER_01]: And then the last two years, and then this year, obviously with the injury, you know, we had 110 combined between three games in Triple A and then 107 in the majors in 2024, and then last year 11 games in Triple A, which were rehab stance, and 85 games in the majors,

[SPEAKER_01]: He's going the wrong way with the game's played right now, and it looks like that could maybe linger into this season a little bit.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's starting to have a game's played pattern more similar to Marcelo Meyer, and that is not what you want.

[SPEAKER_01]: Going 100 games or under every year is not a great way to go through a major league career.

[SPEAKER_01]: We talked about it.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is a soft tissue injury.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is different than getting hit in a hand, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: This isn't a broken bone, freaky stuff that crop happens.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is a soft tissue injury, and it's also a soft injury.

[SPEAKER_01]: We're seeing more and more go back to my earlier comments.

[SPEAKER_01]: Some bad speed training.

[SPEAKER_01]: How concerned are you about Westburg at 26 years old, heading into his prime years?

[SPEAKER_01]: No longer super young, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: He's actually going to be 27, he turns 27 in the 18th of February.

[SPEAKER_01]: Excuse me.

[SPEAKER_01]: So 27, you're kind of at a point where I don't know if I trust the health enough to invest in this guy for the next three or four years, especially at the prices I've seen on the trade market in my dynasty leagues from Westburg managers.

[SPEAKER_01]: I kind of feel like this is another guy kind of got a red X next to his name of like I don't know if this guy can stay healthy and it's not just freaky weird wearing, you know, bumps and bruises and, you know, the stuff that happens in baseball, it's more like, is there some tissue stuff for cover stuff here that, you know, he's going to be under 130 games every year kind of feels that way.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, the track record, the last few years would seemingly indicate that.

[SPEAKER_03]: And but if you look like the injury history, the 2024 injury was the hit by pitch, you know, that happens, right, right, Fract, that's freaky, but last season, 2025, it was a hamstring strength, so that's a soft tissue injury and then an ankle.

[SPEAKER_03]: So,

[SPEAKER_03]: it's it's it's kind of a mixed history between freaky things and then more soft tissue things but oblique is just you don't like that with hitter and it's yeah I think 2026 is a big season for him that if it comes back and he's fine the rest of the season I think you know it'll dissuade a lot of these concerns if this is something that fingers into the season and then another thing crossed up later then and then I think he definitely would be trying

[SPEAKER_03]: or incident or something that you have to take a new account when you're in a redraft name down to people.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's always tricky with hitters because, you know, you can't have a couple of soft tissue injuries.

[SPEAKER_01]: And like you said, you know, I hit by a pitch or something that's worked in, you know, and hold that against the guy that's not.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's not the fault at the very end.

[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, all right, let's move on to even more pitching injuries now.

[SPEAKER_01]: Zach Wheeler missing beginning of the season or expected to, I don't think that's a huge shock.

[SPEAKER_01]: That was injured in the year where I am honestly wondered if we were ever really going to see Zach Wheeler good again.

[SPEAKER_02]: You know, you know, you had to read that.

[SPEAKER_02]: You had to remember move that he kept it.

[SPEAKER_01]: I did not hear that.

[SPEAKER_03]: It's like, you said he has it as a guard as a house now.

[SPEAKER_03]: Why do you have the river moved?

[SPEAKER_03]: Part of the injury, I think it was what they had to do.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I just, I wondered about the, if they had an explanation for the procedure here, but I'm not, I did, I did read more into it.

[SPEAKER_03]: I was, I was captivated by the idea of having your own rib in a jar at your own rib on a jar.

[SPEAKER_01]: Oh man, I'm just looking at it.

[SPEAKER_01]: Probably got a few, you see our ligaments in there too, some shielding stuff going spurs.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's just got a jar of parts, but we're missing time.

[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think is a huge shock.

[SPEAKER_01]: Shane Bieber now dealing with a forearm.

[SPEAKER_01]: If you don't, if folks don't recall, he came back late in the season.

[SPEAKER_01]: Like, even after the trade deadline, he wasn't like immediately back.

[SPEAKER_01]: He built up a little bit, then came back in the last month and then pitched in the playoffs.

[SPEAKER_01]: now coming off the offseason dealing with some elbow fatigue for on fatigue.

[SPEAKER_01]: That happens.

[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's that's also a little scary, especially from a guy where you were, I think hoping for a full healthy offseason and to see some of that velocity maybe come back.

[SPEAKER_01]: Not, not a ton, but a mile per hour or two would make a big difference.

[SPEAKER_01]: That team has a lot of pitching depth, so that's not a big deal.

[SPEAKER_01]: If you're banking on Beaver to handle more than 100 things this year, I think that might be a full's error.

[SPEAKER_01]: Especially if like we're going into the year and he's already dealing with stuff like this, that's not great.

[SPEAKER_01]: And then another one was Blake Snell, shoulder fatigue.

[SPEAKER_01]: This one seems a little bit more wishy,

[SPEAKER_01]: the first week of the season, you know, I don't fully buy like not ready for opening day quotation marks and we kind of talked about this off air.

[SPEAKER_01]: The Dodgers can kind of slow roll some of these guys because of what their pitching depth is and having to get all these guys innings throughout the year.

[SPEAKER_01]: I almost wonder if there's like pre-scheduled IL

[SPEAKER_01]: kind of feels like they could do some trickery right like that if they really wanted to among these injuries anyone's you wanted to touch on a little bit more I don't know if we have to go into a ton of detail.

[SPEAKER_03]: I just think that the beaver would be the most concerning to me because it's something that it has been lingering I guess since the end of last season and it would explain also why he was why he's up his option or you know versus testing for

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I think with Bieber, that'd be the, these three that I'm the most concerned about.

[SPEAKER_03]: I just don't know.

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, this is a guy who really hasn't pitched a healthy season in what three going on three years now.

[SPEAKER_03]: And yeah, I, I just any time I see that sort of when they're talking about, it'd be season being delayed with, uh, for our TIG, off a guy coming off Tommy John and it's something that lingered the entire off season that that definitely

[SPEAKER_03]: don't like to read that.

[SPEAKER_03]: He would be the one.

[SPEAKER_03]: I think Wheeler's is kind of just he's he's an older pitcher who's coming off an injury.

[SPEAKER_03]: They're going to give him time at being here.

[SPEAKER_03]: I honestly think it might be a good buy by a little value for Wheeler, especially if you're competing team or in a redraft because

[SPEAKER_03]: When he gets back, I, everything we've seen from him feels like he's going to be his long stuff is back, which it seems like it will be, he's still going to be one of the top hitters in baseball.

[SPEAKER_03]: So if you can get that type of value and replace him on the way for the first few weeks, I think that that combination of players could give you really good value with what really is going to be going in drafts.

[SPEAKER_03]: Snell, same thing.

[SPEAKER_03]: I just, I mean, that means a, you know, Dodgers, deep into the postseason, although it's seriously the entire season, a Snell with pitch law last year in October, really stressful innings.

[SPEAKER_03]: We have plenty of pitching depth.

[SPEAKER_03]: There's no need to rush anything.

[SPEAKER_03]: So I think they're very different cases, but yeah, beaters definitely the most concerning to me.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I would agree with that.

[SPEAKER_01]: Here you go.

[SPEAKER_01]: We need to even cover all the entries.

[SPEAKER_01]: Reese Olsen out for the season, which I guess makes sense as to why Justin Ferlander is on his way back to the Tigers.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's going back to where it all began.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm coming home.

[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if he took out like a full page ad and then Detroit free press to say that or not, but there you go.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm coming home.

[SPEAKER_01]: You know what?

[SPEAKER_01]: We get the top 500 prospects out.

[SPEAKER_01]: Go take a look at that.

[SPEAKER_01]: We're not gonna talk about this week.

[SPEAKER_01]: We already went 35, 40 minutes on just straight injuries.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's been a hell of a week Ian.

[SPEAKER_01]: Forever a favorite subject of fantasy.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, exactly.

[SPEAKER_01]: Exactly.

[SPEAKER_01]: But as we're gonna say, for everybody that tuned in, I wanna thank you for tuning in.

[SPEAKER_01]: For Ian, for Jeff, this has been the Baseball America Fantasy podcast.