Baseball Bar-B-Cast

When the New York Yankees decided, in essence, to run back a very familiar team they had at the end of last season, there was some unease from their passionate fanbase. After all, this was a team that was eliminated by division rival, the Toronto Blue Jays, in the ALDS and didn’t look particularly threatening. Fast forward to this season, and those same fans might be thankful for the strategy, as it has the Bronx Bombers holding the best record in the American League.

On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman take a look at what has made the Yankees so successful this year—outside of another stellar start from Aaron Judge—and why the emergence of Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler has been key to their success. They also wonder if a new strategy is being adopted by the front office following Anthony Volpe’s minor league demotion and whether it could signal a shift in how they’re approaching this season. The guys also discuss the passing of legendary broadcaster John Sterling and what he meant to the team, as well as to baseball.

Later, Jake and Jordan recap the rest of the weekend’s action, including watching the Chicago Cubs from their famous bleachers at Wrigley Field, the Atlanta Braves getting off to their best start since 1892 and which pitcher has been irreplaceable for the Seattle Mariners. They then highlight a few other notable stories from the weekend, including the Miami Marlins calling up an important prospect and the New York Mets getting a much-needed series win in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels.

0:57 - Remembering John Sterling

7:41 - The Opener: Yankees standing out

29:48 - How Sweep It Is: Cubs and their home cooking

40:24 - Braves continue their strong play

54:10 - Turbo Mode: Who else won this weekend?

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
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🎧 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_

After a little over a month’s worth of baseball games, we’re slowly seeing how the season could potentially shape up based on those who are on top and those disappointing in their respective divisions. While there are some teams leading the way that aren’t entirely shocking—looking at you, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers—there are quite a few surprises as well.

On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman play their annual standings golf draft and try to determine how much stock they’re putting into the current standings. With surprising teams like the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox at the bottom of their divisions, will they actually stay there for the whole season or will things shake up as they normally do over the 162-game grind?

Later, Jake and Jordan talk about the St. Louis Cardinals becoming the first team to get a mop on the road this year, as well as the Philadelphia Phillies sweeping their doubleheader against the struggling San Francisco Giants. The guys then take a look at the mess that was the month of April for the New York Mets, highlight an incredible achievement by Nick Kurtz and make their picks for this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad & The Uggla.

2:21 - The Opener: Division standings draft

37:57 - Around The League: Cardinals doing some mopping

44:41 - Miserable month for Mets

52:43 - Nick Kurtz knows how to walk

54:44 - The Good

1:00:28 - The Bad

1:07:22 - 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
📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq
⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

The Philadelphia Phillies became the second team in the first month of the 2026 season to make a change at the manager position, following the Boston Red Sox making that decision over the weekend. Rob Thomson was relieved of his duties after the Phillies got off to a disappointing 9–19 start to the season, with the hope that a change will be able to jumpstart what has been a sluggish campaign.

On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the Phillies’ decision to fire Topper and name Don Mattingly the interim manager, what the vibe was like at Citizens Bank Park yesterday following the firing and the interesting dynamic now between the manager and GM. They also highlight the rather surprising journey that found Thomson at the helm of the Phillies and what could be next for him.

Later, Jake and Jordan discuss the debut of Cleveland Guardians’ top prospect Travis Bazzana, the impact he’ll have on baseball in Australia and whether the draft class he came out of will be one of the best of all time. The guys close the show by discussing Shohei Ohtani not hitting—at least for now—when he pitches and why this is different from what he was doing when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.

1:07 - The Opener: Phillies fire Thomson

15:12 - What to expect from Mattingly

29:45 - Field Report: Travis Bazzana joins the show

39:40 - 2024 MLB Draft class all-timer

48:29 - Kind of a Big Deal: Ohtani not hitting

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_

Over the weekend, the Boston Red Sox made the shocking decision to fire Alex Cora, along with five other members of the coaching staff, in hopes of jump-starting the club after a rough start to the season. Cora, who was in his eighth season managing in Boston, found himself as the fall guy for the Red Sox—but was his firing fully justified?

On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman examine the difficult position Red Sox ownership created by making a change at this point in the season rather than sticking with the manager who delivered a title to Boston in 2018. Should the team’s Chief Baseball Officer, Craig Breslow, receive more blame, since this is the roster he constructed? Or is there a larger issue that needs to be addressed when it comes to payroll limits set by principal owner John Henry?

Later, Jake and Jordan take a look at the situation with the New York Mets after being swept by the Colorado Rockies following the end of their losing streak. If the Mets begin to slide after this weekend, is there a real chance Carlos Mendoza could find himself, like Alex Cora, out of a job? They also discuss Shohei Ohtani’s current odds of capturing his first Cy Young Award, the New York Yankees calling up Jasson Domínguez and preview the latest MLB power rankings.

0:43 - The Opener: Red Sox fire Alex Cora

37:01 - How Sweep It Is: Mendoza on the hot seat

45:53 - Other sweeps around MLB

51:13 - Around the League: Ohtani Cy Young watch

56:30 - Yankees call up Jasson Domínguez

59:34 - Turbo Mode: Everything else from the weekend

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_

When the Chicago Cubs made some big moves this past offseason, the hope was to get the club back to its winning ways after a few disappointing seasons. Bringing in veteran Alex Bregman and star pitcher Edward Cabrera were just a few signs of that commitment, and so far this season, it’s paying off for fans in the Windy City.

On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about what the Cubs are doing so well during their nine-game winning streak, which has them sitting atop the NL Central and ready for a big matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Even though their pitching staff has been depleted due to injuries, the Cubbies are ready to make some noise in the National League and make a statement in Los Angeles this weekend.

Later, Jake and Jordan discuss the Atlanta Braves impressing this season in all facets of the game with their MLB-best 18–8 record, and how manager Walter Weiss set the tone early for this team to fight until the end of every game. They then get into the San Diego Padres signing Lucas Giolito, the New York Mets finally snapping their 12-game losing streak and make their picks for this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad & The Uggla.

1:11 - The Opener: Cubs stay hot

19:00 - Field Report: Braves success in 2026

29:30 - Around the League: Padres sign Giolito

37:36 - Mets snap losing streak

44:35 - The Good

51:50 - The Bad

58:22 - 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
📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq
⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_