The hot stove season is heating up. Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings start Monday in Dallas, and MLB Network has you covered. The network will broadcast over 20 hours of programming running through Thursday. There are likely to be numerous trades, signings, and breaking news.
MLB Network’s Sean Casey will be part of the coverage. Casey, a former 12-year first baseman and three-time All-Star, works as an analyst and has a podcast called The Mayor’s Office with Sean Casey. He is also familiar with the anxiety that comes during this time of year. He was traded during the Winter Meetings in 2005. We recently caught up with Casey to discuss the many storylines that will define these Winter Meetings.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Awful Announcing: What intrigues you about this year’s Winter Meetings?
Sean Casey: “There are some big-time free agents, premiere guys that could be game changers for teams, starting with Juan Soto. When you’re coming into the Winter Meetings, having a guy like that out there, I think he’s going to set the market. It intrigues me to see where he goes and where the dominoes fall after that as far as the next tier guys of Alex Bregman, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Pete Alonso, guys that could be big parts of any organization out there. I think there’s a lot of intrigue out there.”
What does Soto bring to a team?
“Juan Soto instantly makes your lineup better. He makes everybody better, as we saw with the Yankees last year, how he elevated pretty much everybody’s game around him. I think the biggest thing with Juan Soto is sometimes the best ability is availability. This guy wants to play 162 games. You know he’s going to be in the lineup. He gives the best at-bat in the big leagues. He walks more than he strikes out. This guy gives you such a tough at-bat. When you watch Juan Soto, you might see the pitcher’s whole arsenal in his first at-bat. That helps everybody out.”
As a player, how nervous were you during the Winter Meetings?
“You’re really nervous. I got traded at the Winter Meetings in 2005. I remember getting a call from a reporter telling me he heard I was getting traded from the Reds to the Pittsburgh Pirates. I was so uneasy all day long. I didn’t get a call from the GM until about eight hours later. I remember being like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this is happening.’ it’s an uneasy process just because you’re going to upend your life.”
How will Terry Francona do with the Reds?
“I think that’s one of the biggest signings of the offseason. I got a chance to play for Tito in 2008 with the Red Sox. This guy is one of the best in the business. Those players are going to love him. He’s a player’s manager. He wants to win and there’s no way Tito was coming out of retirement if he didn’t think the Reds could win now. With Elly De La Cruz and the star power he has, that rotation that they have, Matt McLain coming back healthy. Terry Francona could be the missing piece for the Reds to go to another level.”
How does Blake Snell fit in with a Dodgers team that just won the World Series?
“I think one thing the Dodgers realized this year is you can never have enough elite starting pitching, especially with trying to navigate 162 games with health and all that stuff. For them adding another premier arm like Blake Snell, I mean, geez, they just got that much better at the end of the day. I think that’s the biggest thing I see with them. Fortunately for the Dodgers, they have the money to get a guy like Snell.”
What are your thoughts on MLB considering adding a golden at-bat?
“There are pros and cons for everything. Having ideas out there is a good thing for any industry. If you’re in any business, if you’re one of the people who always say ‘This is how we’ve always done it,’ you’re going to get left behind. (With) the NBA, the three-point shot, it’s changed the game. With the golden at-bat, it’s just an idea now. But wouldn’t it be cool if you’re at the game with your kids and the one thing you’re talking about is that golden at-bat? What situation is it going to be? Are they going to use it here in the fourth with the bases loaded? Are they going to use it late in the game? Who are they going to pick on each team to do it? I think for a person that’s not a big baseball fan, it would bring a lot more intrigue to the game, a lot more fans to the game.”
What is the downside to the golden at-bat?
“The other side of it is thinking about the record books. If you give Aaron Judge another 70, 80, maybe 100 at-bats, and he’s having an incredible home-run year. Does the home-run record get shattered because he’s getting that many more at-bats? You’re always thinking about stuff like that, too, as far as the records go.”
What are you looking forward to this week?
“If you’re a baseball fan, there’s nowhere else to go but MLB Network for the Winter Meetings. I think we do a great job going next level. The Winter Meetings is one of our prized possessions as far as coverage. For me, I’m just excited to get out there. When the deals, the free-agent signings, or the trades start to happen, there’s no better place to be than on air. So, I’m looking forward to that.”
Why should someone check out The Mayor’s Office?
“It’s a true baseball podcast. It’s a ton of fun. We have guests that come on usually weekly. I feel like it’s one of the best podcasts out there as far as humor goes, as far as current events. My producer Rich Ciancimino, does a great job, too. We have a great rapport, and we’ve been doing it for almost four years. It’s a great place if you want to have some fun and listen to some good baseball talk.
How insanely jealous are you of the podcast numbers posted by New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce?
“You know what, man? They’re doing it right. Jason and Travis are great personalities. They bring such good brotherly love and humor to that show. So, yeah, we’re striving to get Kelce numbers.”
Have you ever met them?
“I’ve run into Travis at the All-Star Game, I believe, in Cleveland (in 2019). That’s the only relationship I have with them. They were born in Cleveland. I came up with the Guardians. They both played at Cincinnati, where I spent most of my career. So, I’m hoping to get on their show soon.”
