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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 1/14/25
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nats enjoyer
1:21
give me some hope has a nationals fan
Steve Adams
1:22
Crews, Wood, House, Abrams, Garcia, Gore, Parker, Lowe ... lots of good young talent on that club. Will be fun to see which of the kids can take a step forward this year. Crews/Wood is a particularly fun outfield pairing.
Matt M
1:23
Arenado for Taijuan Walker, Alec Bohm, and Moises Chace
Steve Adams
1:23
The Cardinals want to trade Arenado in large part to reduce payroll and to open third base ABs for Nolan Gorman. That trade does neither.
Mike Hazen
1:24
Who's closing for us?
Steve Adams
1:24
I will make the not-so-bold prediction that the D-backs' closer is not yet on the roster.
Though I think AJ Puk is a monster in relief and could easily do it.
The Ghost of Willie Stargell
1:25
Will the Pirates acquire a corner OF before spring training?
Steve Adams
1:26
I imagine they'll sign someone from the Grichuk/Verdugo/Canha/Winker/Laureano bucket on a one-year deal
Rafa
1:27
What might the  price be for Drury or DeJong?  My Brewers could use either and while they are not "the answer", they seem to be decent stopgaps.
Steve Adams
1:27
Doubt either gets more than $3-4MM for one year.
Drew
1:27
Do you see anything that suggests that Bregman could wind up in DC?
Steve Adams
1:28
Nothing the Nats have done this season aligns with signing a 31-year-old 3B long term. I imagine that spot is earmarked for Brady House.
ace frehley
1:28
do you see the white sox trading Robert this offseason?
Steve Adams
1:28
Likelier in season. His value's so down after that injury-wrecked 2024. There's not much more space for it to dwindle, but even one healthy month could send it soaring.
Desertdawg
1:29
What are the chances that the D'backs go after the A's closer Mason Miller?
Steve Adams
1:29
They can try, but the A's had no inclination to trade him in July and haven't been interested in parting with him this winter.
The Guda
1:29
I've read a lot of analysts talking about how the Reds have their hands tied financially due to Martinez accepting his qualifying offer.  Santander would be a perfect fit for them and looks to be available for a short term deal.  If the Reds put Martinez on the block so they could transfer that money to a Santander contract...how hot would the Martinez market be?
john
1:29
Do you suspect the Reds regret offering Nick Martinez a QO?  Did they not see his acceptance as a likely outcome?
Steve Adams
1:30
1) The Reds can't put Martinez on the block. He can't be traded prior to June 15 without his consent.
That's true of all free agents who sign major league contracts, and a player accepting a QO is treated the same as a free agent signing.
1:31
2) I do think there's probably some regret. Their budget was so tight that it has to either be a case of incorrectly reading Martinez's decision or having ownership give the baseball ops team a tighter budget than expected after that decision was already made.

The latter seems unlikely but far from impossible. Either way, I doubt the Reds love Martinez taking up $21.05MM when they're looking at a payroll in the $105-115MM range.
Andy from Blaine
1:31
Steve, what do you think Cal Raleigh would command on the open market if he were a free agent today?
Steve Adams
1:34
He'd be a 28-year-old free agent catcher with elite defense, consecutive 30-homer seasons and plus power from both sides of the plate (albeit with plenty off K's and a low average). He'd be an easy nine-figure contract and would have a clear case to move well beyond J.T. Realmuto's $115.5MM guarantee. Buster Posey ($159MM) and Joe Mauer ($184MM) have the largest deals ever for catchers, and I'd suspect Raleigh and Scott Boras would want to take aim there.
Cards Fan
1:35
Feeling kinda anxious.  I get it.  A rebuild.  But if they are serious they should be dealing Fedde and Helsley for prospects since they are on the last year of contract control.  What am I missing?
Steve Adams
1:36
I almost wrote about this topic for our subscribers last week but chose a different topic. Anthony Franco then independently, without talking to me, chose to write about it this week. It'll hit the site soon. But clearly, yes, we at MLBTR agree with you. They should be shopping both Helsley and Fedde. Their refusal to do so is weird, and if either player incurs a significant injury it is going to be such, such a bad look.
Big Red
1:37
Why don't other teams have to hit the $105M payroll threshold that the A's do?  I count at least a half dozen teams that were below that number last year.  Some that also get revenue sharing.
Steve Adams
1:37
The A's would be on like ... year four? ... of sitting between 60-85MM for their CBT ledger.
Last time they had a CBT number close to that high was 2021 ($103MM)
Paul from the Braves
1:38
What's the logjam in the FA market?  Once Sasaki signs does the dam break on signings?
Steve Adams
1:38
I don't think there's a huge logjam. I just think MLB free agency is inherently slow and probably always will be. Which I like. Gives you something to be interested in all winter. But I get the frustration from fans just wanting their teams to do something.
Justice for GMs!
1:40
From your perspective, outside of the Dodgers are there fans of any team that actually think their front office is doing a good job?
Steve Adams
1:41
Heh. Most fans generally are of the mind that their team's front office and coaching staff are incompetent and that they (the fan) could do better. Then again, that's just the angry and vocal portion of the fan base. But, yes, a lot of fans really hate a good portion of the organization they cheer for -- outside of a few players and the name on the jersey.
Mike a
1:42
I wonder if the M's would be better off using the 10-12 million they have left to spend on adding top level bullpen talent?   They don't require long term contracts, which fits the M's profile.   Adding Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates to a bullpen that already has Munuz, Santos, Brash, etc... along with their starting pitching would give them a shot at the AL West.    It seems unlikely any significant upgrade to the offense will not be coming via free agency, so it is feelng like they are hoping that a full year of Arozarena and Robles, plus a better year from Julio Rodriquez gives them enough offense.   Then they see where they are at the end of June?
Steve Adams
1:43
Scot would very much require a long-term contract -- likely four years. But on the whole, given the lack of compelling infield options that are plainly available, I do think there's some merit to the idea, yes. At the end of the day, getting better is getting better. They'd enter the offseason with suboptimal options at 3B/2B, but there are prospect (Cole Young) who could impact that mix, and there's always the chance of in-season addition(s) as well.
Ross Atkins
1:43
Should I offer 5/100 for Santander?
Steve Adams
1:43
I very much would not.
Astros Fan
1:43
Santander to the Astros on a short term deal with optouts. what do you think?
Steve Adams
1:45
Doesn't seem like the Astros are all that keen on a second year north of the CBT. If you're going to sign Santander, I'd have just hung onto Tucker and added some cheaper INF/SP depth.
Matthew I.
1:45
As a Giants fan, I'm disappointed that Roki Sasaki isn't coming to San Francisco, but we shouldn't be surprised at this point. I do believe that there's at least one more significant transaction to be had. I could envision them getting another starting pitcher (i.e. Jack Flaherty) for insurance coverage for our other starters and to lessen the pressure/workload for our young pitching prospects. I could also see them landing an impact bat (i.e. Pete Alonso or Anthony Santander). Which way do you think the Giants are more likely to go and which player(s) do you think they would target?
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