Special Guest Alex Pavlovic joins our ruffians to discuss the Harrison Bader signing, the Kai Wei Teng trade, and the otherwise underwhelming off season for the San Francisco Giants.

On the cocktail side of things, today Ben is drinking an Astral Plane while Matthew is drinking El Primo. Recipes below. Alex is eschewing a cocktail this time around, but his recipe from his last time on the show is also listed below.

1. 2 oz Gin
2. 1/2 oz Elderflower liqueur
3. 1/2 oz Creme de Violette
4. 3/4 oz Lemon juice
5. 1 tsp Edible glitter bitters
6. Combine gin, elderflower liqueur, creme de violette and glitter bitters in a shaker with ice. Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass.

1. 2 oz Blanco Tequila
2. 1/4 oz Absinthe
3. 1 oz Lime Juice
4. 1 oz Spiced Agave Syrup
5. 1 Dash Orange Bitters
6. To make the syrup: Add 4 parts Agave Nectar to 3 parts water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer while stirring to combine. Remove from heat and add two cinnamon sticks, 5 cloves and 1 star anise. Let steep until cool. Remove spices and store in an airtight container.
7. To make the cocktail: Shake all ingredients with ice until well-chilled. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wheel or cinnamon stick.

1. 2 oz bourbon
2. 1/4 oz Curacao
3. 1/4 oz banana liqueur
4. 2 dashes Angostura bitters
5. Smoke (for finishing)
6. Combine bourbon, banana liqueur, and bitters in a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 30 seconds until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Smoke the cocktail with your cocktail smoking method of choice.

Ben once again published the wrong file yesterday. Matthew & Bob are having an emergency meeting to discuss. In the meantime here's the actual episode we recorded!

It's like they don't like what we have or something. The brothers ponder the lack of trades and the news that it's not for a lack of trying. Then Matthew gives a quiz and accuses Ben of failing it. For the record here is Ben's recollection of how he did on the quiz:

#1: Correct, because even though I said the wrong answer I knew what the right answer was but didn't want to say it. I also get credit for getting question 1-B right. So at this point I had a score of 200%

#2: Wrong, but because I was at 200%, I'm still at %100.

#3: Correct. %150

#4: Correct. I'm not sure what the percentage is now, but I'm still acing this test.

#5: Wrong. No one gets this one right. Stupid question.

#6: Correct. I'm killing it.

#7: Correct. I'm a stud.

#8: Wrong. I don't want the listeners to feel bad, so I answer another incorrectly. Also, I didn't know the answer.

#9: Correct. We cheated on this one because Matthew thought I was doing poorly, because he doesn't listen.

#10: Correct.

#11: Correct.

#12: Wrong. Enrique Pequeno should have been the answer.

#13: Correct.

#14: Wrong.

On the cocktail side of things Matthew is drinking a Final Ward while Ben is drinking a Tribute. Recipes below.

1. 3/4 oz Rye Whiskey
2. 3/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
3. 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
4. 3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
5. Shake all ingredients until well-chilled. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

1. 1/2 oz Cognac
2. 1 tsp Creme de Violette
3. 3 1/2 oz Brut champagne/sparkling wine
4. Spray or rinse a chilled flute glass with the creme de violette. Stir the congac with ice and strain into the flute. Top with the sparkling wine.

The 2026 Rotation is set. Our curmudgeons discuss the signing of Tyler Mahle, the non-signing of Tatsuya Imai, and whether the Giants have enough pitching to succeed in 2026. They also discuss if the Giants are blowing their opportunity to take advantage of the solid core of players they've already assembled.

On the cocktail side of things, Ben is drinking Candlekeep Team while Matthew is drinking an Espresso Martini. Recipes below.

1. 1 1/2 cups Gin
2. 1/2 cup Orange Liqueur
3. 1/2 cup sweet vermouth
4. 1/2 ounce bitters
5. 12 ounces water
6. 2 orange wheels
7. 4 cloves
8. 1 cinnamon stick
9. 2 tea bags Earl Gray Tea
10. 1/4 cup sugar
11. Bring the water to a boil and remove from heat. Add the sugar, cloves, cinnamon stick, oranges wheels and tea bags and allow to steep for at least 6 minutes. A longer steep will result in stronger flavors. Combine the gin, orange liqueur, vermouth, and bitters in a large heat proof pitcher. Strain the tea mixture through a fine strainer into the pitcher. Stir gently to combine. (Note that final result will be luke warm, you can heat gently on the stove in a large vessel or enjoy as is. Do not add ice as it will overly dilute the cocktail.)

1. 2 oz Vodka
2. 1 oz Mr. Black’s Coffee Liqueur
3. 1 oz Espresso (warm or room temp)
4. 1/4 oz Spiced Demerara Syrup
5. 1 Dash Aztec Chocolate Bitters
6. Shake all ingredients with ice. Shake it hard. For about 20 seconds. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with three espresso beans - one for each World Series Championship.