Episode 996

We bring you a trio of AL East-flavored interviews this week as we find ourselves in the middle of the divisional playoff round.

• At the top of the show, David Laurila welcomes Eve Rosenbaum, assistant general manager for the Baltimore Orioles. The former director of baseball development, Rosenbaum shares how her responsibilities have changed in her new role as she puts much more focus on the major league club. We also hear about the Orioles’ player development machine, the details of how waiver wires and DFAs work, how the team is making pitchers better after acquiring them, what they saw in Jorge Mateo, and insight as to why they made so many transactions during this encouraging season. [5:30 ]


• After that, Jay Jaffe welcomes David Cone in his return to the podcast. The pair were both in attendance at Yankees-Guardians Game 1 on Tuesday night, and they discuss Gerrit Cole’s impressive performance and playoff legacy. Cole recently said being the ace of the Yankees is “the hardest job in the league,” and Cone offers his insight, adding that it can also be the most rewarding. The pair also discuss Cone’s own career (and Hall of Fame chances), and how things like pitch counts have changed the game over time. [31:24 ]


• Finally, David Laurila returns in the third act with Julian McWilliams, reporter for The Boston Globe. We get the story behind McWilliams’ Baseball-Reference page and short indy ball career, including how long it took him to realize he was joining a team in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The duo also talk about Xander Bogaerts‘ importance to Boston, the comparison between Rafael Devers and Matt Olson, making a comparison between Olson and Triston Casas, being in awe of Yordan Alvarez, and the difference in consistency versus championship success between the Yankees and Red Sox in recent years. [56:51 ]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 78-minute play time.)

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