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Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 4/8/25

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Mr. Fister

3:21

Snell

Ben Clemens

3:22

yeah same deal

or well... it's a bit different in that for Snell, the reason it's less impactful is b/c he's on the Dodgers

Ben

3:22

Brewers fired Ned Yost at the end of the season they made the playoffs.

I think there was 10 games left

Ben Clemens

3:23

ah, the Ben Cinematic Universe delivers again

Tyle Kucker

3:23

Do you think superstar players should sign extensions this year, with the economy looking really bad? Like Mookie during Covid

Ben Clemens

3:23

eh, I think it's probably not meaningful unless we actually have a bib recession

big*

a bib recession would be rough for baby clothing manufacturers but I think MLB would survive

3:24

Like, the stock market is down 4% from last year's levels

GDP is gross this year so far, but eh, ask me again in six months

I don't see this affecting baseball contracts unless things go really sideways

Dave

3:24

Higher inflation and interest rates certainly make the longer term deals more attractive to ownership

Ben Clemens

3:25

what higher interest rates, though? 10y yield is around 4, around 4.25 lats year

again, like, things could change meaningfully from here

3:26

but the real economic impacts so far would not merit 'no one can sign a long-term deal in baseball'

you can be upset about what's going on in the economy without thinking that everything has already crashed beyond fixing, you know?

3:26

What are the Rangers doing trotting out Patrick Corbin tonight? (And similarly, why is Carlos Carrasco making regular starts for the Yankees?) I know good pitching is hard to come by, but are these really reasonable options for a contender?

Ben Clemens

3:26

well..... if they pitch, say, 100 innings

then no

3:27

but if it's putting in these guys for spot starts, and hoping it's at least acceptable? I think it's fine

if Corbin is cooked, he won't last long

Dwight Howard's Boyfriend

3:27

Will Trout still make the HOF? Please say he will

Ben Clemens

3:27

oh yeah, I don't even think it's close

he's been worth 86 WAR!

his career batting line is .298/.410/.580 and he's played plus centerfield for most of that time

Kyle

3:28

Worried about Corbin Burnes?

Ben Clemens

3:28

as much as I was before the season, basically

he was one of my 'big questions for the year'

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/five-big-questions-about-the-2025-season/

not taking much out of his first two starts, though

Nats fan

3:29

Dejong looked like a real good Ss yesterday. Will CJ be moved to 3rd in the near future?

Ben Clemens

3:29

Oh, I forgot to answer an Abrams question earlier about whether he could be part of hte next core. I'd love to see this change, or to try him in center, or SOMETHING

like, this man cannot play shortstop. That's okay. There are plenty of good major league players who do not play shortstop

3:30

what you really want him for is the bat, anyway. Try him out somewhere else

Jesse

3:30

Is Walker Buehler cooked?

Ben Clemens

3:30

magic 8 ball says ask again when he's not giving up homers on 30% of his fly balls

Bencle Mens

3:30

With the caveat that I have not look into this at all, but reading that Clase has a high infield hit rate, would pitchers of his ilk be more susceptible than others? Defense reads a big swing but it generates softer contact than expected so they aren't prepared to charge, etc

Ben Clemens

3:32

I mean, that sounds believable? But over his career he has a 7.8% infield hit rate

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