JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 7/14/25

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Sam

3:20

I wanna see the Big Dumper win it, but I think Matt Olson will pressure for it. At home, biggest stage.

Ben Clemens

3:20

Olson is a good dark horse pick

I feel like his relatively simple swing helps too? I'm not really sure how to handicap this

Yeah Well Hiura Towel

3:20

Eury has been killing it for 3 starts in a row. How much can I depend on him rest of season on my fantasy team?

Ben Clemens

3:21

I'm one of the captains of the Irrational Eury Exuberance fan club

so, yes

Bosoxforlife

3:21

It was fun to be transported back to the 80's and actually see the Red Sox throw 2 complete games in one week.

Ben Clemens

3:22

if the Red Sox end up being carried by their starting rotation with Giolito being a key part of it, that would be an absolutely delightful turn from last year when it was all randos throwing 90% secondaries. the Red Sox have some magical ability to be the most interesting team in baseball even when they aren't the best

Mark

3:22

How many current members of the White Sox do you think will be on their next playoff team?

Ben Clemens

3:22

this has 'blow it up and then blow it up again' written all over it to me

Guest

3:22

If you took the average fangraph reader all the advanced metrics available today (launch angle ,exit velo, spin rates, yada yada) what would be the most recent year they would be the best GM in the league? Would they be better an 2000s Theo / Billy Beane

Ben Clemens

3:23

so I actually get that data? and other people don't have it?

I mean I''d still go way before 2000, to be honest

3:24

I get that having better tools is good, but I don't think it replaces all the baseball knowledge those old GM's had that I/a reader wouldn't

now, could the average reader be an incredibly valuable consultant? definitely yes

white sox

3:24

i am fairly certain neither will be a column spoiler: higher trade value, grant taylor or luis robert

Ben Clemens

3:24

i mean honestly, Grant Taylor?

Stromile Swift

3:24

Apologies if this has been asked - how do you go about valuing Robert in a trade? Based on the last year and a half of results/salary/injury questions I'm not sure he has positive value, but the prospect of him clicking in new surroundings and going nuclear for a month or two could completely flip a season for someone like Philly, LA, San Fran, etc.

Ben Clemens

3:24

Yeah, let's link these

3:25

and this'll be my last answer for the day b/c I gotta go eat lunch

it's so hard!

3:26

I think that teams looking at trading for Robert would have to treat him as a rental, with the two club options years being treated as unlikely kickers

3:27

it's $18 million for 2026 (post buyout), that seems pretty hard to square with who he is right now but it's clear that he COULD hit those highs again

3:28

I'd just say this: you can't really trade for him planning on upgrading your lineup by doing so

he's hitting .190/.275/.325 and striking out a third of the time

and this is his second straight year of not hitting

so I just have a hard time imagining more than nominal trade value. like, it's not negative, I don't think, because he just has club options, you can cut bait

3:29

but I think it's lottery ticket plus throw ins territory, for me

it's super difficult, though. Like, he really does have the juice to be your team's best player, or one of the best few

alright, on that note, I'm gonna head out

thank you for all the wonderful questions

no Monday chat next week, doing a big Friday trade value chat instead

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