MMO Exclusive: MLB Host Chris Rose Talks New Show and Lindor Extension

Following a two month hiatus, longtime MLB host Chris Rose is thrilled to be back talking baseball on his brand new show The Chris Rose Rotation, which recently premiered on the Jomboy Media network.

After spending 11 years co-hosting MLB Network’s popular show Intentional Talk with former big leaguer Kevin Millar, Rose was told they would not be renewing his contract last December.

“We were very transparent over the last five-or-six weeks of Intentional Talk,” Rose told Metsmerized in a zoom interview. “Neither of us were happy with the decision. Kevin’s still doing a show, but it was a show built around the two of us.”

Luckily, he would not be out of the game for too long signing with the up-and-coming baseball outlet Jomboy media a few months later.

Intentional Talk was the first time, in my opinion, where baseball players were interviewed, and you really saw their personalities. We wanted to show people that the players aren’t boring. So, I kind of brought that over to Jomboy media, because Jimmy (O’Brien) and Jake (Storiale) have set a standard that it’s about entertainment and that’s what we are doing here. People have an expectation that when they go to the Jomboy Media Baseball channel or download a podcast, that they are going to be entertained,” said Rose.

When asked about adding Rose to their vast growing network, co-founders’ Jimmy O’Brien aka Jomboy and his partner Jake Storiale said it was just a pipe dream until receiving $1 million in funding from investors this offseason, which allowed them to go out and get their man.

The Chris Rose Rotation has a unique rotating guest list of current MLB players: Archie Bradley, Steven Brault, Lucas Giolito, Tyler Glasnow, Miguel Rojas and Mets’ new relief pitcher Trevor May.

“The first time through the rotation I want these guys to kind of star on their own. I want the fans to get to know them. It’s really important for them to find a connection,” said Rose.

Given the show will run weekly during the season with each player co-hosting every three weeks, whether they are performing well or not, they’ve agreed to make their scheduled appearance regardless of the situation.

“One guy asked me, what happens if we are doing a show the day after I don’t pitch well. And I said, could I push the show back? Probably, but we don’t know how you deal with failure as baseball fans. How do you deal with being crappy one day and then four days you have to fester with it, we want to learn that. These guys understand that we as fans don’t understand, so they want to teach us,” said Rose.

May was first up on Rose’s list co-hosting the debut episode that dropped on March 1. Rose and May dove into a number of topics including the allegations regarding owners’ suppressing player salaries — which according to Rose, could not be talked about on television.

Due to his new co-hosting gig and video game/streaming hobbies off the field, the Mets’ newly signed setup man Trevor May acknowledged that he will take a lot of heat if/when he struggles this season, which he told Rose he is ready for.

“Trevor said it as much. He knows people are going to come after him if he’s not pitching well for his off the field activities and he welcomes that,” said Rose.

Rose, a longtime MLB and NFL broadcaster, is also a native of Shaker Heights, Ohio and is a notorious die-hard Cleveland Indians fan.

Back in January, the Indians pulled the trigger sending Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the Mets in exchange for shortstops’ Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario, along with prospects’ Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene.

Although the trade hurt him from a fan’s perspective, Rose had high praise for his favorite team’s now former shortstop in Lindor.

“He’s the best player I’ve seen wear an Indians’ uniform. Not only because of what he does offensively and defensively, but because of the aura, the smile, the leadership and the marketability. Everything about him was perfect,” said Rose.

“From the minute they called him up and he got his first hit in 2015, you could watch the sand run through the hourglass because you knew the Indians weren’t going to flip it over when it ran out. was just a matter of when they were going to trade him, and they waited a year too long in my opinion. In part because they got burnt by the Covid situation. If they had known there was going to be a pandemic, they would’ve traded him last offseason. They tried to make one more run and they would’ve traded him prior to the deadline in 2020.”

While the Mets are reportedly begun talks with Lindor about a contract extension heading into the final year of his deal, Rose believes they will sign him before the season starts.

“You have to look at Lindor as a trade and a free agent. They are going to sign him before the season starts and if they do, then you have to look at it as a signing. If not, it’s just one-year of Francisco Lindor and that’s just not going to happen. If I were a Mets fan, that’s how I’d look at it,” said Rose.

Rose has high hopes for the Mets this year, who he believes will battle it out with the Atlanta Braves for the NL East crown. He also feels that whoever pulls the trigger on a big trade before the deadline will ultimately put themselves over the top in order to snatch the division title.

Check out Chris Rose, Trevor May and the rest of the players previously listed on The Chris Rose Rotation all season long on Jomboy Media‘s new YouTube channel: Jomboy Media Baseball.