Hey everyone, welcome back to Crypto Dugout! I’m Katie Randall, and I’m here with Crypto-Joe and Crypto-Dan. We’ve got a packed show today—trade deadline drama, college baseball stars on the rise, and, of course, some wild moves in the crypto world. But let’s start with the diamond. The NCAA season’s wrapped, but if you think baseball’s on pause, you’re way off. Summer leagues are where the real grind happens for prospects, right?Absolutely, Katie. I mean, you look at guys like Jac Caglianone from Florida, JJ Wetherholt at West Virginia, and Chase Burns over at Wake Forest—these dudes are out there in the Cape Cod League, Northwoods, USA Baseball, just building their draft stock. It’s like, the season ends, but the hustle doesn’t. I always say, summer ball is where you separate the grinders from the hype.Yeah, and you know, LSU’s always got a few in the mix. I’m still riding high from Tommy White going early in the draft. But it’s not just about the draft, right? These powerhouse schools—LSU, Georgia, Tennessee—they’re already reloading for next year. Coaches are out there, like, shuffling lineups, working the portal, trying to get that edge for 2025. It’s a chess match, not checkers.And then you throw in the MLB trade deadline—man, it was chaos. Dodgers picking up Garrett Crochet from the White Sox, that’s a huge move for their rotation. Rays grabbing Paul DeJong, too, to shore up the infield. But the Astros? They just stood pat, betting on Yordan Alvarez getting healthy. That’s a bold call.Yeah, and don’t forget the injuries. Aaron Judge is day-to-day with that wrist, and Acuña’s still working his way back from the ACL. I mean, as a former athlete, I know how tough that is—rehab’s a grind, and the mental side is brutal. But Tatis Jr.? He’s just raking for the Padres. That’s gotta give them hope for the Wild Card.You know, the trade deadline always brings back memories for me. I remember being in the locker room, just waiting to see if your name pops up in a rumor. It’s stressful, not just for the big leaguers, but for everyone in the system. You’re packing bags, not knowing if you’re headed across the country. It’s a lot to handle, especially for the younger guys.And the playoff picture’s getting spicy. Orioles, Mariners, Guardians leading the AL, and in the NL, Dodgers, Brewers, Phillies look strong. But don’t sleep on the Cubs or Marlins—they’re making a push. It’s gonna be a wild finish, y’all.Yeah, and it’s funny, because every year we talk about how unpredictable it is, but this year feels extra wide open. I mean, the Wild Card races are just stacked. It’s like, you blink and the standings flip.Alright, let’s shift gears—crypto’s been just as wild as the trade deadline. But first, here's a little public service announcement. When we discuss cryptocurrency, we are not providing financial advice. We are not financial advisors; therefore, please conduct your research before investing in any product or service. I hope that we made that clear. So, let's get into it! Bitcoin’s bouncing between $117K and $119K, and Ethereum’s hanging around $3,800. But the real buzz is around that BlackRock Ethereum ETF filing. Dan, you’ve been watching this, right?Oh, for sure. The ETF chatter is giving ETH some serious tailwind. And it’s not just the majors—Solana’s was up 8% this last week, mostly on DePIN protocol hype and dev activity. Chainlink’s rallying too, thanks to new partnerships with TradFi for tokenized asset oracles. It’s like, every week there’s a new altcoin story.And don’t forget the stablecoin news. The U.S. Stablecoin Framework is moving through Congress, and the GENIUS Act is a big deal. They’re setting up this Stablecoin Certification Review Committee—sounds fancy, but it’s got real teeth. Treasury Secretary’s the chair, plus the Fed and FDIC. They can approve non-bank companies to issue stablecoins, even foreign ones, if they all agree. That’s a lotta power for three folks in a room.Yeah, and they’re putting caps on how much state and federal banks can issue—$10 billion for state, $50 billion for federal. Plus, annual recertification. It’s a whole new level of oversight. Joe, you mentioned before how stablecoins are changing the game for sports payments. You wanna share that story?Oh, man, yeah. First time I used USDC was for a fantasy league pot—just a bunch of us trying to avoid Venmo fees, honestly. But it was instant, no waiting for banks. If these new rules make stablecoins more mainstream, I could see teams, leagues, even players using ‘em for bonuses or merch. But, you know, there’s always that privacy tradeoff—these issuers gotta share data with law enforcement if asked. So, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.And it’s not just the U.S. Binance is pulling back in Europe but expanding in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Regulatory tides are shifting everywhere. Plus, you got projects like Worldcoin getting grilled by privacy regulators in Brazil and India, even as they expand in Africa and LATAM. It’s a global chessboard, not just a U.S. thing.And meanwhile, PayPal’s PYUSD is getting picked up by more wallets and platforms, inching closer to DeFi compatibility. It’s like, every week, stablecoins are finding new ways to go mainstream.Speaking of stablecoins, have y’all seen what Clearpool’s doing? They just launched cpUSD, a yield-bearing stablecoin tied to real-world payment flows, not just DeFi cycles. It’s all about bridging those fiat settlement gaps for fintechs—short-term credit, one to seven days, and it’s already moving serious volume. Over $800 million in stablecoin credit originated. That’s not small potatoes.Yeah, and it shows how stablecoins are becoming the backbone for cross-border payments, especially in places where banks are slow or expensive. I mean, you look at what’s happening in emerging markets—stablecoins are the rails now. And with stuff like cpUSD, you’re seeing real-world demand drive yield, not just speculation. That’s a big shift.And the numbers back it up. Crypto treasury holdings just crossed $100 billion, with Ether treasuries over $4 billion. What’s wild is that corporate Ether buying is actually outpacing Bitcoin in some cases. Dan, you’ve been tracking this—what’s the play here for institutions?Yeah, so, corporate treasuries are piling into ETH, not just BTC. Ether ETFs have had 19 straight days of net inflows, and some analysts think ETH could hit $4,000 soon, maybe even $16000 this cycle if the stars align. The big thing is, these companies aren’t just holding—they’re staking, leveraging, integrating ETH into their treasury strategies. It’s not retail mania, it’s long-term, methodical accumulation. And that’s catching the eye of sports franchises and NFT projects, too. They want that yield, that programmable collateral. It’s like, the whole ecosystem’s leveling up.And you know, we’ve talked about this before—sports teams are always looking for an edge, whether it’s on the field or in the front office. If you can get yield on your treasury, or use stablecoins for global fan engagement, why wouldn’t you? It’s just smart business.Totally. And with DeFi credit tools like cpUSD, plus the rise in corporate and institutional adoption, it feels like we’re just scratching the surface. Alright, that’s gonna do it for today’s episode. Thanks for hanging out with us—Joe, Dan, always a pleasure. We’ll be back soon with more from the world of baseball and crypto. Until then, keep your eye on the ball and your wallet on the blockchain. See ya, guys!Take care, y’all. Don’t forget to check those playoff standings—and your crypto wallets!Later, everyone. Stay sharp, and we’ll catch you next time on Crypto Dugout.

Episodes

Trade Deadlines and Corporate Crypto Moves