JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 12/13/21

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Ben Clemens

3:03

I loved buying my own games and hearing about the games my friend had as a kid

Stu

3:03

Who all do you think Oakland actually trades this offseason? Seems like half their roster is up for grabs

Ben Clemens

3:03

I think they'll trade Olson and Chapman, plus one of the pitchers

I hope they don't!

3:04

But that feels most consistent with the rumor mill

Cito's Mustache

3:04

How does the lockout affect charity work players usually do during an offseason? Are players barred from participating in events with organizations that are official team partners?

Ben Clemens

3:04

I'm not 100% certain on this, but call it 90% certain

Players won't do team-sponsored activities, but they can definitely still participate in events with team partners

So long as the partner isn't doing it in conjunction with the team

3:05

Plus, most players doing a lot of charity work these days have their own foundations

And there are several good player-run organizations to work with if not

APODionysus

3:05

oh I almost missed the chat! You mentioned both today and last week you play MTG, Ben. Gotta ask: What Format? Limited? Commander? Modern? Standard?

Ben Clemens

3:05

Largely cube. I hadn't played for many years when I moved to SF, but ran into a group of people who like board games, one of whom had a complete vintage cube

So we've played that a lot, and also draft from time to time

Dan

3:06

Will we ever see someone argue for Trevor Bauer let me pitch on short rest all season plan again?

Ben Clemens

3:06

Someone argue for it? Sure

I don't think teams are very interested in trying it though

Appa Yip Yip

3:06

What's the point of Oakland hanging on the Manaea AND Bassitt? If they're trading away they're not going to be good anyways, and a Manaea extension would be out of their price range.

Ben Clemens

3:06

I don't know, Oakland always seems to be trying to turn SOMETHING around

They've traded Josh Donaldson without blowing everything up around him

This doesn't seem so different

Guest

3:07

Thoughts on Max Kepler fit with the Padres

Ben Clemens

3:07

I.... don't really get it?

He could play outfield for them

3:08

I don't see the Twins as motivated to trade him, or the Padres as motivated to spend resources for a corner outfielder with a middling projection

Mr. Redlegs

3:09

I really appreciated your story on the Endeavor purchase. Would be great to get more 'business of baseball' style stories in the future imo

Ben Clemens

3:09

Thanks!

I'll occasionally dip in when I find something interesting that I feel qualified to report on

3:10

My financial background is absolutely not in private equity or anything of the sort, so this was kind of right at the limit of what I felt qualified to opine on, but it was such an interesting story that I made an exception

Kendall Roy

3:10

Which way would you go SP wise if you were the Mets? How many SP do you think they still need? Eppler suggested 2-3 (before signing Scherzer). Anybody in particular you would target or avoid?

Ben Clemens

3:10

At this point I have to assume they're looking for depth

3:11

Maybe you can't count on Carrasco to give you 150 innings, but he's almost certainly better than whatever you'd plug into the fourth starter spot

3:12

and Megill was kind of good last year!

Check out his Steamer projections, 3.84 ERA

I'd like to see them sign.... Kwang Hyun Kim and Carlos Martinez

3:13

To pick two Cardinals who can pitch in the bullpen or rotation out of thin air

Dan

3:13

If the Dodgers did better due diligence do they not sign Bauer? Does that mean if everyone does due diligence Bauer get punished before the victim reports anything? Sorry if my facts are wrong in this question.

Ben Clemens

3:13

I think it would likely have tilted the risk/reward towards offering him less money

3:14

I don't think it would have stopped them from signing him, I'm not willing to believe teams are that driven by off-field character

Whether they should be or not is a completely different question

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