JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 1/13/25

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Ben Clemens

2:21

I think that flipping Cease seems quite likely if they don't hit on Sasaki

I'm really interested in teh Sasaki deal for the record

jaygray007

2:22

Are there any "projected-to-be-cheap" FA's out there who you think could be pretty good if you squint a bit? A few of my picks are Grichuk (his career 93 wrc+ vs rhp isnt total dog excrement, and had a small sample of RHP success last yr. obviously mashes lefties. non-terrible defense) and Jose Iglesias (if he can physically still play short, which i assume he can).

Ben Clemens

2:23

I'm skeptical that Iglesias could handle a whole season at short, but he's an okay option

JD Martinez and see if he's not cooked/ Mark Canha is just quietly solid

2:24

Jesse Winker if you only want a lefty

Nervous Flyball Pitcher

2:24

If a QO'd player signs for a deal that could exceed >$50M depending on options/opt outs, does the player's former team get a comp A or comp B pick? Jason Martinez wasn't sure but thought it could depend on if it's a player option (comp A) or club option (comp B).

Ben Clemens

2:24

my read agrees with Jason's but I can't find exact documentation anywhere

Guest

2:24

What are the OOPSY projections? Sorry if I missed an explanation somewhere

Ben Clemens

2:24

An explainer will come up soon

Nervous Flyball Pitcher

2:24

I know it's been taken as a given (and probably reported on), but are the Padres trading Cease? He's no longer cheap in arb 3 but still way below market value, and they're down one Joe Musgrove.

Ben Clemens

2:25

I think they only will if they look at 2025 and find they don't expect to compete

drplantwrench

2:25

fascinating that you use Python! I do python every day, do you have any projects on github for amateur baseball comp sci guys to use?

Ben Clemens

2:25

I have a small database on GitHub, bclemens6

That said, there are some good resources on twitter and bluesky for folliwing people who do this more rigidly than me

2:26

Nick Wan of the Reds does some cool coding bootcamp for baseball things

rigorous, not rigid, for the record

JJP

2:26

How toast is Kris Bryant? Is he at all fantasy relevant, even in Only leagues?

Ben Clemens

2:26

I might still go for a yo on him, particularly in NL only

but like, late round in draft or cheap in aucdtion

the most likely outcome is that he's unplayable

Brian

2:26

I have a favorite team (not the Reds) but also follow MLB generally. Am I wrong or do the Reds always have too many or not enough infielders at all times?

Ben Clemens

2:26

I feel that way too

sometimes it's at the same time

Miguel

2:28

Do you feel that all the criticism of Mike Elias this offseason is warranted? It sounds like Burnes was always going to sign with a west coast team close to his family, and Baltimore seems very likely to trade for a front end starter at some point.

Ben Clemens

2:28

I guess I'd say that if you're criticizing Elias for specifically this offseason, that feels off-base

if you're criticizing him for a general pattern, well

the general pattern is not great

2:29

Like the O's have gone up payroll a lot this offseason

they're clearly willing to spend

but it's for: Tyler O'Neill, Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Andrew Kittredge

oh and Gary Sanchez

2:30

it just feels to me like a weird way to manage a team that is getting its best-value years out of two incredible prospects right now

and it's somewhat of a pattern - Elias is a big fan of small moves and accumulating

2:31

he's very good at running a baseball team. but c'mon, aren't O's fans a little bit worried that he only has one move and isn't willing to make a big, franchise-altering swing at a pitcher to pair with the generational hitting talent they've accumulated

Alec

2:31

How do you feel about the Tigers offseason? Given the current roster construction and the finish to last season, do you think it's best to be more patient and make smaller depth additions, or do you think they should be making a bigger splash to try and bump up a tier from where they currently rank in the division/AL?

Ben Clemens

2:32

I'm actually okay with what they're doing. I don't think that they HAVE to break the bank this year, and they got a free agent who I think was extremely undervalued in Gleyber Torres

if there's someone they see as a core piece, they should absolutely go get that person

but I don't think they're a team in a 'you must spend regardless of who's available' situation

2:33

like, even if the Jays are down on Jeff Hoffman, I don't think they had a lot of choice in the matter

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