JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 1/11/21

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Ben Clemens

2:12

I'm not sure, to be honest. The owners are acting like they have leverage, but I'm not convinced they do

If they're so dang starved for money, and they've all taken out debt, then engaging in a standoff about the season is not going to EASE their cashflow problems

2:13

And given that it really does seem to be about cash flow, they badly need TV revenue

I'm not saying it's impossible, but i don't think that the shoe is as firmly on their foot as people have been speculating

Tino

2:13

Are ready to face the wrath of a certain team's fanbase today?

Ben Clemens

2:13

Super curious which fanbase this is!

Curtis

2:14

Bauer, Bieber, Clevenger, Kluber, Carrasco would make a decent rotation....

Ben Clemens

2:14

Yeah, but good luck assembling that on a $40 million payroll

Captain Moonlight

2:14

yo Ben! What are some of your favorite 2-person cooperative board games?

Ben Clemens

2:14

I really like Aeon's End, and they have a legacy version of it as well

2:15

I also like Codenames Duet quite a bit

Those are probably the two my wife and I play most often

Honorable mention to Fuse, which only lasts 10 minutes but packs a lot of fun

Doug

2:15

Does Paxton to the Padres on a one-year incentive laden deal seem like a win-win? He needs to re-establish his value while the Padres could use another starter especially with uncertainty around Lamet.

Ben Clemens

2:16

I'm skeptical that he'd want to go to a team that's so stacked already. He'd be in danger of falling out of the rotation there, which is really not something that would help his long-term value

If I were him, I'd rather do something like what Schwarber did. Go to a team where you're likely to have a big role even if you struggle

The Ghost of Wade Boggs

2:16

I'm gonna go the Pat Venditte route on the "average but interesting reliever" question

Ben Clemens

2:16

Another reasonable option!

Mike Rizzo

2:16

Do you see the Nats as playoff contenders?

Ben Clemens

2:17

For sure! The NL East is stacked, but with pitching health, I think they're easily in contention for a Wild Card spot, and could win the division with a little luck

Herb Kirkstreet

2:18

Do you think Cano's salary should count toward the CBT this year? The Mets benefit greatly by Cano getting suspended, that's 24 million they get to take off the books for a year.

Ben Clemens

2:18

Eh, gonna have a hard time agreein with this take

The CBT is soooooo weak

It's a tiiiiiiny tax

Pales in comparison to the fact that they aren't paying Cano this year

Gutbuster

2:19

Is Kris Bryant going to be dealt, and is the return going to be incredibly mediocre?

Ben Clemens

2:19

I actually don't think he'll be dealt, in the end.

2:20

If he is, the return is going to be three shiny pennies, a dull nickel, and maybe a lottery ticket pitcher

Guest

2:20

Mets infield - if they care about defense, would they be better off signing Wong, moving McNeil to 3rd and using JD off the bench (or to trade for depth) or just sticking with the McNeil at 2nd, Davis at third, and signing a utility type (Profar, Hernandez) that you can play almost every day at multiple positions. I guess is the upgrade in defense of Wong enough to compensate for the loss in offense potential from Davis?

Ben Clemens

2:22

Personally, I'd sign Wong. Davis would still get his AB's as a backup in many places, particularly if there's a DH next year. I also think that the Mets should deal one of Alonso, Smith, or Davis, though, so take this whole take with a grain of salt given that

Isolated Thinker

2:22

Is it likely that Taijuan Walker resigns with Toronto or another contender and gets a lucrative contract? I'm surprised there isn't more buzz about him. A 28 year old coming off a solid short season should have many suitors I would think, and he seems to have recovered well from his TJ surgery. The only rumor I heard was that the Tigers were interested. How do you view him compared to the other notable FA starters?

Ben Clemens

2:23

I'm not super high on Walker, but I dono't think he's bad or anything

I'd just say t his

He was back-of-rotation caliber in 2020, despite the shiny ERA

2:24

He doesn't miss a lot of bats or draw a ton of bad swings even

That said, he has acceptable control, and every team needs pitching

2:25

I don't think he's getting huge money, but I'm fine with the fans' (and Craig's) projections, which are something like 20 million dollars over two years

2:26

I have him in the Smyly/Minor tier, which is about what that money would imply

Richard

2:26

After that terrible season, does Javier Báez have any trade value?

Ben Clemens

2:26

I think he still does

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