Rays Closing, Biscuits Rising & a "Clean Slate" - RaysUp

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24d ago 51:05

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Rays Season Wrap-Up RaysUp

Rays fall out of playoff contention but improve draft position
Phillies clinch NL East; Brewers, Dodgers, Blue Jays all in tight division races
Glass-half-full outlook as younger players gain valuable experience under pressure
Spotlight on Montgomery Biscuits in the Southern League playoffs
Homer Bush Jr., Ledbetter, Brody Hopkins, Will Simpson, and TJ Nichols
Rays and Brewers’ player development approaches
Rays’ history of sending prospects to Australia’s Perth Heat
New Perth Heat manager Perry Roth, formerly with the River Dogs & Hot Rods
Rays who benefited from ABL: Kiermaier, Caminero, Brosseau
Electric Puerto Rican Heritage Night atmosphere
Surrounded by Blue Jays fans behind Visitors’ dugout
Ease of parking and access t
Spotting Kevin Kiermaier
Rays co-presidents, Auld & Silverman moving into advisory roles
Rob Manfred’s “clean slate” for the stadium hunt
Evaluating Erik Neander’s tenure and future
Erik could lead the Rays to their first World Series
Yandy Díaz’s consistent excellence
Balancing young talent - Trey Morgan, Jonathan Aranda & others in the lineup
Need to find power bats & maintaining defensive standards
Trade for controllable players vs risky free-agent signings
Ryan Pepiot’s recent struggles with control and late-season fatigue. Comparing his development path to Chris Archer’s early years
Why Mat still sees Cy Young potential and a future Rays rotation core with Shane Baz and Drew Rasmussen
Upcoming Guests - authors Lou Schiff and Jane Leavy
- CBA negotiations - baseball’s financial landscape is rapidly changing
- Reflecting on the Mets’ late-season collapse
- Blake Snell Trade Tree - Rays add Cole Wilcox to the 40-man roster
- o How Wilcox's shift from starter to reliever revived his career
- o What his AAA stats suggest about his future bullpen role
- o The winding path of Isiah Kiner-Falefa
- o Chandler Simpson’s wall-robbing catch and his underrated offensive growth
- o Finalized trade sending Jose Caballero to Yankees for Marshall Toole
- o Outfield depth rising: Brailer Guerrero, Theo Gillen, Brenner Summerhill, Colton Ledbetter, Homer Bush Jr.
- Tropicana Field & Stadium - Roof repairs progressing; turf replacement next
- o Q&A on 2007 Hillsborough County survey on stadium location and funding
- o Retractable roof debate and evolving fan expectations
- Bright Spots & Looking Ahead
- o Rays pitching pipeline: Ian Seymour, Joe Boyle, and more
- o Nick Fortes behind the plate as a key addition
- o A system stacked with talent as new ownership arrives
- Stadium & Tropicana Field Updates
- Roof repairs underway; new turf installation planned for spring training.
- 2007 Hillsborough County survey results on stadium location and funding revealed.
- League & Ownership Landscape
- Mat hints at changing financial structure and upcoming CBA negotiations
- Rays’ $1.7B sale despite uncertain stadium future shows franchise value growth.
- Fan interference stories from recent games.
- Will Bill & Ted and/or Jimmy Kimmel be future guests or are we just “Waiting for Godot”

You can find Mat at @matgermain.bsky.social or reach Mark at [email protected] BaseballBiz on Deck, at iHeart Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and at www.baseballbizOnDeck.com
Special Thanks to Scott Holmes for the music Stomps & Claps

311 episodes