On Thursday night, the inevitable took place when Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani were both named MVPs of their respective leagues for the 2024 MLB season. While neither result was shocking, the unanimous vote for both further proved how historic and impressive their campaigns were.

Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the decision from the BBWAA to name Ohtani and Judge the best in their leagues, why there truly should’ve never been a doubt that both would win in unanimous fashion and then go through the rest of the ballot to see some of the more unique votes for MVP that you might not have expected.

Also on this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, the guys are joined by New York Yankees infielder Caleb Durbin to discuss his placement on the Yankees’ 40-man roster, how adjusting his swing helped make him a better power hitter, the FOMO he felt watching this recent postseason run and his time at Washington University. Then, Jake and Jordan give the latest update on when Roki Sasaki may sign, before giving their picks for The Good, The Bad, and The Uggla this week.

(2:01) - The Opener: Judge & Ohtani named MVP

(7:07) - Reviewing the rest of the MVP ballot

(22:19) - Quick notes on the Cy Young award

(25:43) - Caleb Durbin joins the show

(38:32) - Adjusting Caleb’s swing for power

(42:36) - Caleb’s relationship with Yankees players

(50:42) - Caleb’s first interaction with Jake

(54:39) - Latest on Roki Sasaki

(1:02:05) - The Good, The Bad & The Uggla

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

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3Ij2sgR

🎧 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/42Lo4fa

📢Yahoo Sports podcast network: https://apple.co/3zEuTQj

And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:

🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://twitter.com/CespedesBBQ

📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq

⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://twitter.com/Jake_Mintz

🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://twitter.com/j_shusterman_

One of the more highly debated subjects of the baseball offseason is when the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot gets released. This year, however, there will be no debate about if Ichiro Suzuki will be elected, but rather if he will become only the second player ever to be voted into Cooperstown unanimously, joining Mariano Rivera.

Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the case for Ichiro possibly collecting 100% of the votes and the reasons why there might be a handful of voters who don’t vote for him, despite his over 3,000 career hits and debuting in the majors at age 27. They also discuss the other potential first-ballot Hall of Famer in CC Sabathia, as well as take a look at the rest of the newest nominees to the ballot.

Also on this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, the guys discuss Paul Skenes running away with the NL Rookie of the Year award, Luis Gil winning the AL honors despite it being a much closer race than expected and why the Manager of the Year award is a little silly. Jake & Jordan then examine who might receive some MVP votes before talking about a new team added to the Juan Soto sweepstakes.

(1:57) - The Opener: 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot
(13:01) - Interesting first-time nominees
(29:12) - Rookie of the Year results
(34:40) - Manager of the Year results
(43:27) - Cy Young Award preview
(45:41) - A look at the MVP nominees
(59:05) - Turbo Mode: A new Juan Soto suitor

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

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3Ij2sgR

🎧 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/42Lo4fa

📢Yahoo Sports podcast network: https://apple.co/3zEuTQj

And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:

🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://twitter.com/CespedesBBQ

📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq

⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://twitter.com/Jake_Mintz

🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://twitter.com/j_shusterman_

The biggest fish on the free-agent market continues to be Juan Soto and teams are already doing their best to try to lure him in. That all starts with making a good first (or second) impression on the future Hall of Famer. With the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox already reportedly making a good impression on Soto during their meetings, the New York Yankees will take their shot this week with the 26-year-old outfielder, hoping to bring him back to the Bronx next season.

Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman dive into the meetings with Soto and try to figure out how important these interactions are for the outfielder, whether they actually matter as long as a team shells out the most money for his services and why this process is so different from what we saw with Shohei Ohtani’s free agency last offseason.

Also on this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, the guys take a look at the trade market, which has already starting to heat up with the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds eyeing a deal. They also discuss why Garrett Crochet will more than likely be the hottest trade target for teams looking for a front-line pitcher and whether we might see a fire sale of closers this winter. Jake & Jordan then close the show talking about the Baltimore Orioles saying goodbye to “Wall-timore” as Camden Yards changes its dimensions again, and this time for the better.

(1:27) - Juan Soto is getting around

(13:11) - A look at the deadline calendar

(26:09) - It’s trade season!

(36:26) - Closers potentially on the move

(39:58) - The end of “Wall-timore”

(47:30) - Jake almost ruins a wedding ceremony

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

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3Ij2sgR

🎧 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/42Lo4fa

📢Yahoo Sports podcast network: https://apple.co/3zEuTQj

And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:

🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://twitter.com/CespedesBBQ

📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq

⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://twitter.com/Jake_Mintz

🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://twitter.com/j_shusterman_