JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 1/27/25

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Ben Clemens

2:30

so young, so accomplished at that age

2:30

If you had to hold one trade one from King/Cease what’s your choice?

Ben Clemens

2:30

I think I'd hold King and trade Cease but I don't feel strongly about that

they're both good

2:30

What is your sense of the park factors to expect in Sacramento this season?

Ben Clemens

2:30

I have it a smidge hitter friendly but with wide error bands

they're changing stuff about it and it never played all that offensively relative to the PCL

2:31

but it's WAY more offensively friendly than Oakland, for sure

Kevin

2:31

Right, I think the point is that in MLB because of a variety of factors - owners are incentivized to try less. You don't get national exposure in the NFL if your team sucks unless you're the Cowboys. Fun debate though.

Ben Clemens

2:31

yeah and yet, there are a huge swath of habitually bad NFL teams

also, counterpoint: the Jets are media darlings every year

but I digress

Justin

2:31

What would a salary floor need to be for you to support a salary cap, if at all?

Ben Clemens

2:31

I was thinking like a 150/200 band

that wouldn't affect total salary outlays much

2:32

I honestly think that shortening time to free agency in conjunction wiht that would be very interesting

Bullock's

2:32

If I'm the Orioles, I think I gotta jump on Bradfield as headliner for Cease. Bradfield was exactly who I was thinking of when asking about no-power prospects.

Ben Clemens

2:32

i mean, who the 'ML contributor' in that pitch is is doing a lot of work

would you be into it if it was, i dunno, Mullins? I would be

would you be into it if it were Kjerstad? no way

so I'm not sure

Bosoxforlife

2:32

I hate to see baseball turning into the NBA or NFL where the difference between the haves and cant's or wont's becomes excessive. The debate about a salary cap is going to raise its ugly head in 2027 and I fear it might make 1994 look like a nice friendly chat.

Ben Clemens

2:32

yeah... I think I agree with this sentiment

2:33

I think the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of Bob Nutting

and his ilk

but I totally agree that the expansion of the top end without commensurate expansion of the low spending teams will look ugly as it continues

Phil

2:33

Do FA's still always go to the highest bidder? OR with $$ getting so high do other factors (location, team set up/success) make it so a player may take an offer than is lower, but, a better situation/closer to home?

Ben Clemens

2:33

I think that the "let's use city as a tiebreaker" bands are getting wider

like, I could see someone taking a $10 mil less guarantee for theh right situation

at 140 vs 150

2:34

but you don't do that if it's 15 million vs 10 million

so the money getting bigger increases quality of life/non-monetary meaning, for sure

comish4lif

2:34

While were fixing baseball - I'd like to see some type of "Larry Byrd Rule" in MLB.

Ben Clemens

2:34

like a luxury tax exemption?

I don't quite get it

only a handful of teams pay the tax

Starling Silver

2:34

Will the Mets find a taker for Starling Marte if they pay down a big chunk of his salary? Would be an upgrade for several teams unwilling to spend. Or do the Mets like the idea of a Winker/Marte DH platoon?

Ben Clemens

2:34

I.... don't think they would?

2:35

I'm wondering this question myself b/c I was writing about sudden declines today

like... we're projecting him for 1 WAR/600

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