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Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 5/5/25

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Ben Clemens

2:11

Robert hasn't been that good on defense in a while

but I think he's still considered elite there

Bosoxforlife

2:11

Is Casas's injury, and nobody wants to see a player injured, actually going to help the Red Sox going forward - and how are they going to keep Anthony an, or, Mayer or both down after this happened?

Ben Clemens

2:11

Dan's writing about this

at the very least, the Red Sox were well-equipped to handle an unfortunate injury, they hvae more players they want to give PT than spots

Justin

2:11

Lets say we give Ben Clemens the Pirates GM job after firing Ben Cherington in a week. What are some of the first things that Ben Clemens does? Do we see you try to build for 2028 or do we see you try to eek together something for 2026? Something else?

Ben Clemens

2:12

I'm trying to aim for 2026

I mean, I'd be trying to aim for 2025 except it's too late

if you have Paul Skenes, what are you doing

I'm not saying I'd succeed at it

but that would be my goal

RAGBRAI

2:12

If we can reopen Alcatraz can we reopen the Polo Grounds too?

Ben Clemens

2:12

now that's a political platform I could get behind

Gronch

2:13

Not really a gambling question (ick) but I saw some odds that had Logan Webb as the 5th best odds at NL CY. That seems light given his track record and start to the season--who other than Yamamoto and Skenes are you more confident in than Webb?

Ben Clemens

2:13

yeah, I'm with you. I think he would have been in my top 5 before the year, and now we've learned that he has strikeout stuff against lefties

2:14

combine that with Wheeler being off to a slow start and no one really exploding to the forefront, and this seems like a weird line to me

tree

2:14

is there any reason why u cant have relievers pitch a few innings and then have a starter take over and pitch 5 or 6 innings

Ben Clemens

2:14

you've just invented the opener!

but yeah, it works

Greg

2:14

My Question is - if you're the next GM what do you do with this team? Half your budget is in mediocre extensions of Hayes/Reynolds/Keller, you have possibly the best young starting pitching core in baseball, and there are holes all over the diamond and no hitting prospects to fill them and no budget to address them. It is bleak in Pittsburgh

Ben Clemens

2:16

so, I'm definitely trading from my prospect haul. I'm shopping everyone who isn't currently in my starting nine. I don't think the Hayes contract is bad, it's $7 million, that's below rate even if he didn't turn into a star, for the record

2:17

it's not hard to find competent hitters at non-challenging defensive positions. Mark Canha was available for 0 this year

the Tommy Pham deal not working out, so what? that was a smart move, I'd try to make more of those and I'd try to trade with teams for their guys too

why isn't Nathaniel Lowe on the Pirates?

David

2:18

Why would anyone give Patrick Corbin a contract?

Ben Clemens

2:18

because he can eat innings, and because sometimes pitchers get good again out of nowhere

2:19

the guy has provided valuable innings to the Rangers this year!

he's been better than Jack Leiter

will he keep being? I dunno

but it's not like what he has done so far is worthless

if you told me this is how Corbin's first five starts would go, I think I would have been MORE likely to sign him

Bosoxforlife

2:20

What kind of screening do the other owners do before allowing someone to purchase a franchise? It damages the game when people like Manfort and Nutting make no attempt to win.

Ben Clemens

2:20

I hate to say it, but this is Dick Monfort slander

the Rockies actually do make an attempt to win, which makes this all the crazier

Hello

2:20

What should the Giants do about their first base situation?

Ben Clemens

2:21

I think they should be looking to the trade market aggressively

2:22

like, with their current team construction, I like what they're doing

but.... you can't give LaMonte that much more rope

the team's success is papering over how bad he's been but you have to be cognizant that sometimes guys decline

2:23

I don't think the replacement is in the franchise, unless it's acquiring a different DH and moving Flores, but even that is kinda unexciting. Again, Nathaniel Lowe?

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