Today on Bleav in San Diego Baseball, Alex Miniak and three-time All-Star Heath Bell open up a pack of nostalgia and free agency insight. Heath takes listeners behind the curtain of his own 2011 offseason — when he left San Diego for Miami — revealing what it’s really like to weigh offers, choose between fit and money, and navigate the stress of the open market.

From there, the guys turn their focus to Cooperstown and the Contemporary Baseball Era Player Ballot, featuring legends like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, and former Padres Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela. The duo debates who truly belongs in the Hall of Fame and why baseball’s “steroid era” deserves to be part of the game’s story.

To close things out, they crack open a few vintage Fleer and Score packs for the latest Padres Junk Wax Gem, finding memories far more valuable than the cards themselves. Alex’s pick of the week — a 1990 Score Bruce Hurst — may only fetch a buck, but it’s rich in stories and sentiment.

Chapters:

00:00 - Welcome to Bleav In San Diego Baseball; 01:22 - It's Free Agent SZN; 02:17 - What Was Heath Bell's Free Agent Experience Like?; 07:37 - Would Heath Have Made a Different Decision Today?; 10:41 - Mo' Money, Mo' Problems; 11:26 - Baseball Hall of Fame's "Contemporary Baseball Era Player" Ballot; 13:31 - Heath Names His Choices for the Hall; 16:40 - Alex's Picks for the Hall of Fame; 18:50 - Padres Junk Wax Gem: Bruce Hurst 1991 Score; 20:36 - Heath Rips a Vintage Pack of 1991 Fleer

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