JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 1/6/24

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 1/6/24

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Ben Clemens

2:59

I'd be worried about health

but, I think I'd rather have him than a lot of ALE 1B

3:00

all of them except Vlad, basically

AJ Preller

3:00

Do you see SD moving Arraez or Cease before the season starts?

Ben Clemens

3:00

I think Cease is 50%+ likely

Arraez? no

3:01

I think that Arraez doesn't have a ton of value in trade. Not that he's a bad player, to be clear, just, a 115 wRC+ positionless hitter is not exactly going to fetch a king's ransom

Spring Training

3:02

Isn’t it often smarter for teams to wait for spring training and 60 day IL placements before trading away players?

Ben Clemens

3:02

yes

that'll happen this year too, there will be another wave of trades after roster squeezes come down somehwat

Henry Dodger

3:02

I could see Roki going to the Dodgers, sure, but I don't believe in the handshake agreement or anything. He seems like an idiosyncratic guy who's weighing everything. Do you think it's been a sincere process?

Ben Clemens

3:02

I do

3:03

and I think that he's a lot more likely than your average NPB superstar to spurn the big coastal city markets

RAH

3:03

To be clear, I'm not asking about Eugenio's season ending numbers. Those seem to be within reasonable range of career norms. But 2024 saw him go off and perform as one of the best hitters in baseball for about 3 months straight. Without looking it up, i assume that's the longest stretch with that kind of production since his 49 HR season with the fun ball of 2019.

Ben Clemens

3:03

Oh yeah, I mean, I just think of him as very streaky

I don't think he'll continue that production. and probably, there'll be a month where you're like 'we cannot afford to keep playing this guy'

and then a month where no one can get him out

6 man rotation

3:03

Will more teams adopt a 6 man rotations?

Ben Clemens

3:04

yeah. I think that this is a long-term trend (6-man reg season, 4-man playoffs) that will continue to accelerate

Bosoxforlife

3:04

If I am correct in hoping the Red Sox OF in 2025 is Duran in CF with Anthony and Abreu manning the corners then I don't see a spot for Rafaela, who I think is actually Miles Straw in disguise.

Ben Clemens

3:04

I am undecided on Rafaela soon

I think I'd prefer four guys for three spots b/c it leaves room for one of them to bust

but if they're really resource-constrained and could get a great infielder for Rafaela, I say do it

3:05

to me, though, their easiest path forward is to just not do anything

outfield-wise

alright, on that note, I'm gonna head out and make some lunch

let's chat again soon, by which I mean on regularly scheduled Mondays

and have a wonderful week, everyone

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