Boardroom asks stars like Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Gerrit Cole about what they’d do to improve the game, favorite away cities, the other athletes they love to watch, and more.
Before baseball’s best and brightest took the field at Dodger Stadium for the MLB All-Star game on Tuesday, they put on their finest clothes and walked the red carpet at LA Live outside of Crypto.com Arena.
In the broiling morning Los Angeles sun, Boardroom spoke with superstar sluggers like Home Run Derby champ Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Julio Rodriguez to aces like Gerrit Cole about what they’d do if they were in charge, key investments, their fashion choices, and more.
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If you were MLB commissioner for a day, what’s the first thing you’d change?
San Diego Padres 3B Manny Machado: “Off day every Monday.”
Los Angeles Dodgers SS Trea Turner: “If a position player comes in to pitch, the game’s over.”
Boston Red Sox OF/DH J.D. Martinez: “Home plate umpire is not allowed to call check swings. It has to go to first base. If the pitchers ask for it, they get it. But if the hitter asks for it, we don’t get it.”
New York Yankees SP Nestor Cortes: “More off days.”
New York Yankees SP Gerrit Cole: “I don’t know. I think we’re in a pretty good spot.”
Miami Marlins 2B Jazz Chisholm: “Put back in the good baseballs.”
What’s the best investment you made over the last year?
New York Mets 1B Pete Alonso: “My wedding, because I married the woman of my dreams. Best money I ever spent.”
Manny Machado: “My house.”
JD Martinez: “Oh, shit, sorry. Probably myself.”
Nestor Cortes: “Real estate. I’ve got a couple of houses down in Miami.”
Gerrit Cole: “A little bit more time with the family.”
Trea Turner: “I like the partnerships I have with baseball and Adidas has always been great to me. Jimmy V for charity work is big for me and my family as well.”
What are you wearing?
Jazz Chisholm: “Honestly, this is a custom suit by my tailor. He made it himself, but it’s my secret tailor so I’m gonna keep it a secret for right now.”
Washington Nationals OF Juan Soto: “I’m wearing this Giorgio Armani. He helped me out with everything, with a little bit of help from my stylist.”
Trea Turner: “Stitched.”
JD Martinez: “What am I wearing? A suit [laughs].”
Manny Machado: “It’s the one time that we get to dress up and show people what we like to dress [in].”
Nestor Cortes: “Gentleman’s Playbook did me a solid, and my chain is Lazaro Acosta from Hialeah. YC Jewelry down in New York hooked me up with this one [watch].”
Jazz Chisholm: “I’ll tell you my jewelry, AJ’s Jewelry.”
Manny Machado: “I went comfy this year, I went comfy. So I got a little Armani piece with a comfort shirt and comfort joggers.”
What’s your favorite road city?
JD Martinez: “Favorite road city? I like coming out here to play the Angels, honestly. Weather’s nice.”
Trea Turner: “New York”
Jazz Chisholm: “LA or Atlanta”
Nestor Cortes: “Miami”
Manny Machado: “Road city, oof. I like Chicago.”
Gerrit Cole: “Chicago.”
Seattle Mariners OF Julio Rodriguez: “On the road? It’s probably Chicago, honestly. It was a really cool city. I loved it over there.
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What would you do if you weren’t a baseball player?
Manny Machado: “If it wasn’t for baseball? I have no idea.”
Jazz Chisholm: “Ooh, I’d be playing football, basketball or running track and field, probably.”
Trea Turner: “Maybe an engineer.”
Juan Soto: “I don’t know. I’d probably be doing whatever you’re doing, reporting.”
Nestor Cortes: “Probably school, doing something for myself and my family.”
Gerrit Cole: “Cooking, maybe?”
Julio Rodriguez: “I don’t know, man. I honestly don’t know if I wasn’t doing this.”
Who’s your favorite athlete to watch in another sport?
Manny Machado: “I’m a Kyrie [Irving] guy. I like watching Kyrie.”
Juan Soto: “I mean, it’s gotta be basketball. Those guys and what they’re doing, Ja Morant, Luka Doncic. I love those guys.”
Trea Turner: “Tom Brady. And I want to see Tiger Woods come back and win a couple of more tournaments.”
JD Martinez: “Tom Brady”
Nestor Cortes: “Obviously, LeBron James and Tiger Woods. I think they’ve done it for a long time. It shows what kinds of athletes they are.”
Gerrit Cole: “Tom Brady.”
Julio Rodriguez: “I love watching basketball. I like guys like LeBron James, Kyrie, KD, [Stephen] Curry, too.”
Which player would you most love to hit a home run off of or strike out?
JD Martinez: “[Jordan] Montgomery from the Yankees, because he’s just dominated me for the last two years.”
Nestor Cortes: “I haven’t struck him out yet, but I would like to strike out Shohei Ohtani.”
Manny Machado: “Probably Shohei because he’s so good.”
Julio Rodriguez: “Anybody, honestly. Who’s the best pitcher right now? [Max] Scherzer? I definitely want to homer off of Scherzer for sure. He got me the last time I faced him.”
Trea Turner: “Max Scherzer.”
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