JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 1/26/26

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 1/26/26

powered by

Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page

Klubot3000

2:10

Ben, can you please write some more about how awful the cap is. My casual fan friends love the idea and I'm not doing a good job articulating why it's a bad thing for players and for fans.

Ben Clemens

2:11

I wish I could write this article. I do not feel that I could please all constituencies with it and I think it would be poorly received and used against me no matter how I wrote it

2:12

anyway I'm busy with deals

ask me more about deals

Oaktown Blues

2:12

Will the A's add more pitching before the season starts, and if so, any predictions as to who they add? Bassitt? Littel? Gallen?

Ben Clemens

2:12

Gallen actually makes a lot of sense to me

and Bassitt and Littel are fine as 1b options

I think that any of those guys will probably go for a 'bargain' kind of price

2:13

I expect that the A's are involved in at least a few

Nate

2:13

Are we going to see KC bring in another outfielder? Their moves so far have been......fine, but it feels like another solid move would bump them toward the top of the division. Feels like a deal for Duran is probably off the table at this point after the Suarez signing, and the fit for a Donovan trade feels a bit awkward.

Ben Clemens

2:13

Yeah.... I think they're not going to, even though I agree with you that they should. I just don't see a fit

Ben

2:13

Is the Nats recent FA spending explainable in a way beyond extreme owner reticence? Is there a plan? i'm worried that we're on the way to being the pirates right now

Ben Clemens

2:14

I am not privy to the internal finances of the Nats, but it's at least possible that they are pouring a ton of money into modernizing the minor league system

2:15

It's not like there were obvious free agency moves to make in recent years. I'm a bit confused that they're continuing to do nothing and leaning into it more but I think it's probably too soon to say. Also, like, they do NOT have the benefit of the doubt from me yet, I think you have to assume that the Nats are operating without a plan until you see a bit more evidence of a well-reasoned one

I expect to see that evidence. I just haven't yet.

For The Birds

2:16

Think the Os net Valdez or Gallen? Who do you prefer at projected cost?

Ben Clemens

2:16

I don't really know what their projected cost is anymore

but probably Valdez. I think Gallen is the guy you sign if you don't really need a top starter, or can't afford one, and want to bet on variance a little

that would be weirdly out of step with the way the O's are operating in general, to me at least

2:17

I'm writing up a Mets evaluation, as I mentioned, and I'm evaluating the offseason on three axes: coherence of strategy, liquidity/optionality, and championship probability maximization

I think that signing Gallen woudl be not great on the first and third axes, basically

Broken Bat

2:17

Ben, I think with Robo ump walks go up, strikeouts go down OBP + runs are + as are runs scored. Games back up in time tipo average 2:45 or so. Defense is back… thoughts?

Ben Clemens

2:17

no clue

excited to find out

haven't had time to research it

Guards!

2:17

I know JRam is easily a top 5 guy in team history, and if I was a Guardians fan I’d be happy, but it’s still kinda weird how they’ll pay 100 million for his late 30s but won’t sign actual free agents. Like what are they doing?

Ben Clemens

2:18

well, I think that the team heard 'spend money, it's embarrassing how thrifty we are' and realized that the best money they've spent in the past decade has all gone to JRam

McLean fan

2:18

Has anything about the off-season deal signaled “baseball is going to see an overhaul of the financial system in the next cba” to you? Its all seemed pretty standard

Ben Clemens

2:18

nah, not to me

I'm honestly tired of all the apocalyptic reporting that gets down

done*

ooh, an ownership source is willing to say anonymously that the owners really mean it this time?

i'm sorry, but that does not hit my bar of newsworthiness

2:19

oh, the owners are motivated to push for a salary cap? Great, publish it in the 1984 New York Times sports section

it's not new news

Sedes

2:19

Alonso, Bellinger, Bregman, and Schwarber got similar money. Whose signing team got the best deal?

Ben Clemens

2:19

I'd prefer Bregman of the group

I had him as my second-ranked free agent, and I'm interested in which players I'd want most, not 'bargains' or anything

so given that he got the same amount as some free agents I had in my top 10 but further down, I'd prefer him

Bog

2:20

Is there a reason teams include mutual options in a contract? Tex purposes or something?

Connecting…

Register

Message History

On Off

On Off

On Off

On Off

Your current subscriptions

None

Register now to continue managing your subscriptions

E-mail Address	Chat Owner	Status	Remove

Enter your email address to be notified when Ben Clemens hosts a chat