JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 2/2/2026

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Ben Clemens

3:10

no, um, it's not great, but I don't think it's THAT bad

I'd be worried about either of those guys at short, but I think I could live with it? at least briefly

3:12

I think they could probably grab a waiver dude to cover it if it was gonna be a 15-day stint. Maybe Griff O'Ferrall could get a cup of coffee, put up a 65 wRC+, and play average defense?

I don't mind Cowser in center but I know I'm in the minority here

Potato

3:12

Speaking of books, have you read any of the Brandon Sanderson Cosmere? It’s officially being adapted for Apple TV now

Ben Clemens

3:12

Yeah, I'm VERY excited for the stormlight archive

just heard about this yesterday, really excited about it

The Person who asks the lunch question

3:13

Thank you for acknowledging me in my absence last week <3 What's for lunch?

Ben Clemens

3:13

a pasta salad from the deli at my local grocery store

my wife was gone for the last week so I was doing a lot of cooking for one, I'm tired of it

Alex

3:13

Junior Caminero has five more years of team control. The Rays play in the AL East, which is probably the toughest division in baseball. Would they trade Caminero's next five years for five years of getting to play in the AL Central instead (say, they swap with the Royals)?

Ben Clemens

3:13

I don't think so, because you still have to beat those teams in teh playoffs, but it's a good question

3:14

like, if we just made a rule that the Rockies got a 100-game head start in the divisional standings, it wouldn't bump their odds of winning the World Seires as much as you think

b/c like, they suck!

so moving divisions is not negligibly valuable. But I don't think it's more valuable than making your team a lot better, like employing Caminero does

529

3:15

In the NFL, any team can sign anyone. In MLB, half the league is practically locked out of the exciting free agents. Do you view this as a problem?

Ben Clemens

3:15

I mean, do I think it's bad that these teams are choosing not to sign good players, telling themselves they're totally out of it? absolutely

like look at the contract the Royals signed Bobby Witt to

3:16

if you're referring to only the top 5 free agents or something, then maybe sure fine. but like.... anybody has enough moneyt o pay Bregman 30 mil a year for five years

any team that is poor enough for their fans to think they can't afford it is getting that much in revenue sharing, for starters

3:17

I do think that it's a bummer that the way the salary structure in the game is set up, you're really incentivized to chase the artificially-depressed-compensation years

the early-career low salary scale does two things: it makes free agents get paid a ton more, and it means that teams that are cost-constrained have an obvious place they NEED to work in

3:18

I don't want to change the total compensation paid to the players in baseball. I'd need to do more math on this, but I believe it's pretty close to the revenue split in major north american sports overall

But I do think that the way things are done - that you get SO much value over 6+ years - is leading to behavior that is not fun for us fans

like, higher minimums, earlier free agency, you'll see the premium for free agency decline quickly

3:19

even stipulating that this comes with some way to keep the total outlay the same, the issue for me is lock-in, not free agency

when you give teams SUCH an attractive option for cost-controlled players, what can they do but respond to incentives?

Hopeful Rose

3:19

Been reports of Jordan Walker unlocking some power at driveline. Do you think that can cure what ails him? Or is the swing just too long?

Ben Clemens

3:19

I mean, never say never

but I will say he's a funny Driveline candidate

3:20

they're open about believing that for most hitters, adding bat speed is the fastest way to success

LOVED the ESPN article about Edgar Quero's time there, for instance

so what will they do with a bat speed god who can't hit anyway

bosoxforlife

3:21

The temperature hasn't reached 25 since the 19" of snow that fell a week ago and it hasn't melted one bit, but it is only 18 days until the first ST game. Can I last that long?

Ben Clemens

3:21

grim. but yes! and then baseball will heat up faster htan normal this year because of the WBC, what a treat

JEWELS

3:21

so how come the Dodgers don't get a villain nickname like the Yankees did when they were spending more $$ than any other team?

Ben Clemens

3:21

i mean, it doesn't change the fact that they're the villains

even my casual sports fan friends know it

we're a little too far from Star Wars being culturally relevant, and you can't use Evil Empire again

3:22