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Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 11/15/21

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Ben Clemens

3:49

I think Correa is right on the cusp, I'm leaning over at the moment

I think Seager will come up a bit short, but exceed $200 million comfortably

RAGBRAI

3:50

Would the Padres Kim be a good change of scenery player for the Brewers?

Ben Clemens

3:51

Eh, I think they're comfortable with their infield at the moment. Someone should try to trade for Kim, though. The Padres seem to have completely abandoned him in the same year they signed him. That's fine if it's for Cronenworth and Tatis, but I'm less into it when it's for Adam Frazier and Eric Hosmer

I assume he could be had for cheap, unless he was somehow Jayce Tingler's mortal enemy and that's why he never played

3:52

That seems quite unlikely, though. More likely, they've just decided they don't want him as a starter, and so yeah, some team should see if they can buy low

Ben

3:52

The Phillies have a gaping hole in CF. Do you think they should sign Marte or trade for Buxton or, if he costs too much, for Kiermaier?

Ben Clemens

3:52

I just wrote up offseason targets for the NL East:

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/offseason-shopping-lists-al-and-nl-east/

3:53

I had outfield and shortstop as their biggest action spots

In a market that had options other than Marte at the top of the outfield market, I'd be more into that

I think trading for Kiermaier would make sense if they and the Rays match up on someone for SURE

3:54

That would also let them participate in the shortstop market if they wanted to

I don't have a great sense for their spending tolerance, and maybe they're just going to run Didi out there no matter what because of his contract, but I would be looking shortstop if I wanted to spend a big chunk if I were them

Joon

3:55

I’ve heard Dodgers have discussion with Reds about Castillo and Gray, how close is it? And as Reds give up Miley and Barnhart, does they want to be contender next year or rebuilding?

Ben Clemens

3:56

Oh, the Reds are rebuilding

They're not trying to compete next year

They publicly said they are "realigning their payroll with their resources"

Maybe they'd like to compete, but mainly they'd like to shed salary

Bmore Fan

3:57

What kind of realistic moves can you see the Orioles make this offseason that bring them closer to contention?

Ben Clemens

3:57

I don't think they're at the point yet where they're going to try to find a free agent cornerstone to bring in

3:58

So I'd like to see them find some pitchers they are interested in, maybe a few position players that fall through the cracks, and try to get some value either in trade, or in 2023 improvements, out of them

Bill

3:59

If you're Chaim Bloom, what's your #1 priority? An impact bat at a key position like Semien (who might be able to shift to SS) or helping the rotation?

Ben Clemens

3:59

AL East is in this article too

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/offseason-shopping-lists-al-and-nl-east/

I had Semien and a pitcher as co-#1's

Joon

4:00

Which 3B would be suitable for Blue Jays, Matt Chapman or Eugenio Suarez or Eduardo Escobar?

Ben Clemens

4:00

If it's not Chapman (or Kris Bryant), I'm not that interested

How much of an upgrade is Suarez over Espinal? I don't think it's all that much

It's not like Espinal is a zero. He's fine as a stopgap, so I'd want a star there if I'm upgrading

Multiphasic

4:00

One more question that's not about GBBO but I will slip a GBBO observation in anyway: if the Giants do not act like the traditional big-market FA bidders everyone expects them to be, and instead recreate last year's strategy (quad-As and journeypeople with standout situational skills plus short-contract bounceback arms), does that speak to the owners being cheapos or to the fact that that system works better than traditional FA bidding?

And in a perfect world, Crystelle will have sparked a universal over Paul's weenie palate, so that every time the recipe calls for chiles, they just fry the bastard.

Ben Clemens

4:01

I do think that chutney was pretty hot. Even Crystelle thought it was hot when she tasted it

But uh, assuming they're spending a roughly similar amount of money, I think it points to the latter

4:02

That's one of the big problems with the current system -- with the exception of a few really good free agents, the compensation structure means that you should extend internally and use free agency to hunt for bargains

The Giants aren't a small market team, they ran a pretty big payroll last year

They just did it with home-grown extensions and lottery ticket signings

Bmore Fan

4:02

But like you said, there won't be a SS FA group like this in the coming years, so doesn't it make some sense for the Orioles to grab one now and build around them with Adley and GrayRod among others?

Ben Clemens

4:02

Don't forget Mullins!

4:03

That's what I'd do, but I've heard no indication that that's what they are thinking. The Astros didn't really behave that way either. If I were running the team, I'd basically be doing a ton of research on the marquee free agents for this year and next, figuring out the one I wanted, and going and getting him

Whoever that may be

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