Baseball Bar-B-Cast

Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman break down the National League MVP race after Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani both hit two home runs in the finale of the Chicago Cubs' three-game sweep over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The guys dive deep into PCA’s leap as a hitter—including cutting his chase rate by 7.5%—and contrast his elite center field defense with Ohtani's offensive dominance and 85.2 innings on the mound. They also run through the rest of the MLB awards landscape, including Yordan Alvarez commanding the AL MVP, Dylan Cease battling Cam Schlittler for the AL Cy Young, Jacob Misiorowski facing Cristopher Sanchez for NL Cy Young, and key Rookie of the Year contenders.

Next, the mailbag opens up for a series of wild conspiracy theories and listener emails. The hosts evaluate whether Detroit Tigers owner Chris Ilitch traded Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers to fuel salary cap animosity, debate whether non-Dodgers front offices hold a "loser mentality," address a Washington Nationals fan's frustration over trading core stars, and discuss why Gen Z players keep trolling about whether Babe Ruth was a real person.

Finally, it’s Friday, which means it’s time for "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". Highlights from "The Good" include the Boston Red Sox's wild 13-inning comeback against the Chicago White Sox and Jefry Yan’s leaping strikeout debut for the New York Mets. "The Bad" covers Harrison Bader’s fire truck scooter accident and Kevin Gausman’s daughter roasting the Blue Jays. "The Uggla features Dave Dombrowski defending Alec Bohm using RBI statistics and Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio giving an unprompted rant about former Phillies players.

 

Timestamps:

(00:00) — Introduction & Cubs Sweep the Dodgers

(02:18) — NL MVP Debate: Pete Crow-Armstrong vs. Shohei Ohtani

(20:57) — Award Races: AL MVP, Cy Young & Rookie of the Year

(30:13) — Mailbag: Tarik Skubal Trade & Salary Cap Conspiracy Theories

(39:22) — Mailbag: Front Office Mindsets & Nats Fan Despair

(53:30) — Mailbag: Does Gen Z Believe Babe Ruth Was Real?

(57:44) — The Good: Red Sox 13-Inning Comeback & Jefry Yan's Leaping Debut

(01:06:40) — The Bad: Harrison Bader's Scooter Incident & Gausman's Daughter Roasts Blue Jays

(01:10:09) — The Uggla: Dave Dombrowski Defends Alec Bohm's RBIs & Vic Fangio's Phillies Rant

(01:16:09) — Weekend Series Preview & Outro

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The biggest get of the trade deadline season made his debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night, with hopes that Tarik Skubal could end the mini-skid they had been on. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Dodgers and extended LA's losing streak to five. However, there's no need to panic about the defending back-to-back champs.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman recap Skubal's pretty good debut for his new team and why him landing in Los Angeles ultimately wasn't a shocking outcome. They then dive a little deeper into the actual deal, including the players the Detroit Tigers received in return for Skubal, whether they could've gotten a better deal by waiting until closer to the trade deadline and why there's even more intrigue surrounding the Dodgers this postseason.

Later in the show, Jake and Jordan are joined by Boston Red Sox MassLive beat reporter Chris Cotillo to examine how the Red Sox did at the deadline, including the shocking acquisition of Adley Rutschman, the impressive winning stretch they've been on and what turned Craig Breslow into being a little more aggressive than we've been used to seeing. The guys then close the show by highlighting George Lombard Jr.'s impressive debut for the New York Yankees, the "new" look Philadelphia Phillies post-deadline and Jacob deGrom reportedly blocking a trade to the Atlanta Braves.

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1:14 - The Opener: Skubal's first Dodgers start

20:48 - The return for the Tigers

30:10 - Chris Cotillo joins the show

38:02 - How good are the Red Sox?

49:45 - End of the Marcello Mayer era in Boston

55:51 - We Need To Talk About: Lombard Jr.'s debut

1:06:38 - Around The League

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🖥️ YouTube
📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:
🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ
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⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

The 2026 MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and with teams all looking to load up their rosters for a postseason push, we saw quite a few surprises before the deadline hit 6 p.m. ET. Between the Los Angeles Dodgers, not shockingly, trading for Tarik Skubal and the Boston Red Sox, shockingly, trading for Adley Rutschman, it’s time to look at all the activity from deadline day.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman break down all the deals that went down over the past few days, including the Philadelphia Phillies picking up Luis Arráez despite an already crowded infield, the New York Yankees trading for Luis Garcia Jr. to help their struggling offense and the Tampa Bay Rays adding Freddy Peralta to bolster their rotation.

Later in the show, Jake and Jordan discuss all the moves that didn’t happen, including which teams they’re surprised didn’t make many moves before the clock struck six, which teams may have overpaid in their deals, and which GM had the best trade deadline.

 

1:13 - Where we stand heading into the deadline

18:23 - Foster Griffin gets traded

24:52 - Final deals come in before the deadline

31:26 - Casey Mize to the Padres

40:12 - Notable names not traded

53:53 - Yankees and their deadline

1:00:25 - Arráez and Skubal on the move

1:13:36 - Rutschman gets traded

1:23:49 - Winners and losers of the deadline

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🖥️ YouTube
📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:
🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ
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⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

With the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline rapidly approaching this Monday, we're entering the final stretch as teams try to bolster their rosters and make one last postseason push. Since it's the final episode before the Baseball Bar-B-Cast Trade Deadline live show, we had to welcome ESPN Senior Baseball Reporter Jeff Passan to discuss all the potential deals that might—or might not—go down.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman chat with Jeff about whether Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is likely to be on the move, why he'd love to see him stay in the Motor City and whether anyone can stop the Los Angeles Dodgers from acquiring him. The guys then dive into why the San Diego Padres' asking price for closer Mason Miller is higher than anyone expected, which teams to keep an eye on before Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline and what David Stearns might do with the New York Mets roster as they navigate a disappointing season.

Later in the show, Jake and Jordan make their weekly picks for The Good, The Bad & The Uggla, including the Tigers calling up top prospect Max Clark and San Francisco Giants outfielder Harrison Bader getting into a scooter accident that ended his season. They also talk about the Women's Professional Baseball League kicking off this weekend and Joel Embiid posting about baseball.

 

0:52 - Jeff Passan joins the show!

3:43 - The latest on a Tarik Skubal trade

19:38 - How could the Dodgers not get Skubal?

28:16 - Teams that could go big at the deadline

30:16 - Current asking price for Mason Miller

33:04 - What do the Mets do at the deadline?

39:02 - How Jeff distinguishes "BREAKING NEWS"

47:34 - The Good, The Bad & The Uggla

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🖥️ YouTube
📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:
🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ
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⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

Starting pitcher Tarik Skubal took the mound on Wednesday at Comerica Park with his future very much up in the air. With the trade deadline rapidly approaching this Monday, many in the stands and around the baseball world wondered if this would be the two-time Cy Young Award winner's final start for the Detroit Tigers.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss why this could be the end of the line for Skubal in Detroit, as the Tigers continue to mull whether they will trade their ace despite still being in a postseason push. The guys then determine which team makes the most sense to acquire Skubal and what a potential trade package could look like if the Tigers decide to pull the trigger before Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline.

Later in the show, Jake and Jordan try to identify the one player that the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, and other probable sellers will trade by Monday, and why now could be the perfect time for each club to think about the future. They close the show by taking a look at the current state of the Seattle Mariners following their first win at Dodger Stadium since 2009, Shohei Ohtani's biceps becoming a bit of a concern and an early look at the upcoming 30 for 30 podcast about the Ohtani-Ippei betting scandal.

1:58 – The Opener: Skubal's farewell?

10:48 – Who are the Skubal buyers?

34:02 – We Need To Talk About: Which players are the sellers trading?

53:23 – Around The League: Mariners vibe check

1:03:24 – Shohei Ohtani has a biceps problem

1:07:11 – Ohtani-Ippei 30 for 30 podcast

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🖥️ YouTube
📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:
🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ
📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq
⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_