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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 11/15/23
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Steve Adams
1:27
Gray. There's nothing that says the Braves CAN'T sign Aaron Nola. They can certainly afford either pitcher. But a six-year free agent deal (or a contract that long for any veteran pitcher) hasn't been in Anthopoulos' playbook since he took the reins there. Again, everyone deviates from their norms at some point, but Gray feels far likelier based on the Braves' previous patterns.
Frankly, I think they'll look for an even shorter-term rotation add than that on the FA market, or just trade for someone.
Darragh and I touched on this topic on this week's podcast:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/11/mlbtr-podcast-top-trade-candida...
Sam
1:28
Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler, and Austin Martin for George Kirby. Who says no?
Steve Adams
1:28
Mariners
Guest
1:28
With Quantrill DFA'd this pretty much means Guardians have to hold on to Bieber next season right? They can't really field a proper rotation without him.
Steve Adams
1:30
Quantrill wasn't even in the rotation picture, so I don't agree with this. Bibee, Allen, Williams, McKenzie ... I think they very much can field a rotation without either Bieber or Quantrill. I actually fully expect that to be just what they'll do. Cleveland hasn't hung onto a starter and let him get to free agency since....... I don't even know when? They've traded basically every top starter they have for young talent within 1-2 years of him reaching the market
One of the perks of being able to develop good starters in your sleep
This Space For Rent
1:30
Does having Counsell in the dugout make the Cubs a more attractive landing spot for Hader or is he just gonna go where the most dollars are?
Steve Adams
1:31
If the Cubs and another team are tied with identical top offers or something, I'm sure that's a nice tiebreaker, but generally speaking just assume the best offer wins the day on the vast majority of free agents.
That's particularly true with Hader, who's probably looking to set a new reliever contract record (and likely will, in my view)
Zack
1:32
What player do you believe will be “overpaid” this offseason?
Steve Adams
1:33
Most free agents are overpaid. The very nature of free agency is saying "we're willing to pay you more than anyone else."

Particular landmines to me: Snell, Bellinger, Gurriel... but someone's still going to pay them.
Twins/Mariners Trade
1:34
Is Polanco for Miller or Woo a workable framework? Who needs to add?
MostlyToasty1
1:34
Bryan Woo and Josh Rojas for Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco, who says no?
Steve Adams
1:35
Lots of questions of this nature
1:36
Generally speaking, the young SP with 6 years of club control is going to have a good bit more value than two years of a 2B-only like Polanco -- even if he's a good one. Adding Kepler doesn't move the needle much in terms of long-term value. There's maybe a framework there, but I think the Twins would need to add some controllable talent beyond just Polanco to get the M's to part with a quality young SP who's had some success in the Majors already
Johnny Moz
1:36
Who makes more sense for the Bucs....Sean Manaea or Michael Wacha?
Steve Adams
1:37
In general I like Manaea better as a pitcher, but flip a coin -- either fits the Pirates in terms of need and potentially realistic price range
Adam Stevens
1:38
With the weak infield FA market, could the Mets get a front line starter for Jeff Mcneil?
Steve Adams
1:39
McNeil is turning 32 in April and was league-average at the plate last year. He has $50MM remaining over four years on his deal.

It's not a "bad" contract, but there's not a ton of surplus value -- certainly not enough to net the Mets a playoff-caliber starter.
Rangers
1:40
I'm developing unrealistic hopes for getting Ohtani... Please tepid my expectations, so i'm not disappointed when he goes elsewhere.
Steve Adams
1:41
I think they're one of the 3-4 most viable spots. I picked the Rangers in our FA contest, haha. Sorry!
Or not sorry? I don't know. It's possible Enjoy the excitement!
Aaron Nola
1:42
Maybe I should prioritize signing with a team with a great defense, so we can put some of this high ERA talk to bed, no?
Steve Adams
1:43
A crappy defense didn't cause Nola's K% to drop by five points, nor did it cause his home run rate to spike. But in general, yeah he could benefit from getting away from the Phillies' defense, which is not good. I think the ERA will bounce back next season whether in Philly or elsewhere. The K-BB profile is still excellent, and he's not giving up gobs and gobs of hard contact or anything
Carl Pavano
1:43
What are your thoughts on Stanton-gate?  Was Wolfe overreacting to Cash's poor choice of words?  Will this affect the Yankees ability to sign FAs?
Steve Adams
1:45
More or less a nothingburger, but we felt obligated to at least cover it to some extent because A) It's rare for a GM to be so candid B) It's even rarer for an agent (especially this agent) to push back like that C) It's still news, even if it probably won't have tangible results and D) Readers asked us about it.

Cashman probably could've chosen his words more carefully, but nothing he said was incorrect or overly disrespectful. Wolfe got to defend his player and put a little extra public-facing pressure on Cashman to sign Yamamoto (since now fans will be furious and point to those comments if Yamamoto signs somewhere else)
1:46
The first comment an MLBTR reader had on that post from us was "Both Cashman and Wolfe are correct, honestly."

And I kind just nodded. Yup.
kind of*
Tigers fan
1:46
Manning for McClain?
Steve Adams
1:46
Not if you're the Reds
Sam
1:46
Any chance the Twins attempt to move Vazquez after Jeffers’ breakout season?
Steve Adams
1:47
Yeah I think that's only natural. And the money on it isn't egregious or anything, given Vazquez's defensive excellence. Maybe the Twins have to eat a little. Maybe they just take a reliever or backup OF on a guaranteed deal back in return. But it's not the best use of $10MM for him, and the catching market is so bleak that they might be able to find some interest.
Guest
1:48
Any insight/predictions towards whether fedde or plutko will be successful after returning to the mlb? I can’t think of any ex-mlb kbo products returning stateside to succeed except merrill kelly.
Steve Adams
1:49
Fedde seems likelier given better velocity, age and more tangible changes to his pitch selection. Plutko is 32 and doesn't have amazing K/BB numbers overseas. And if he'd had a big velo spike or something, Heyman surely would've mentioned it in his initial report on him coming back. I haven't looked into Plutko's time over there much, but at first glance it seems just like someone benefiting from facing weaker competition. I could see Fedde actually commanding a decent two-year deal. I think if Plutko did come back, I'd expect something in the Drew Rucinski range of a year and $3MM or so
1:50
And there's a chance he just stays in KBO and keeps collecting his seven figure salaries -- probably on a good team. I imagine the LG Twins would love him back
Ben
1:50
Are you buying Cole Ragans' second half?
Steve Adams
1:50
Yes and no. I can buy that he's a genuine MLB starter, perhaps even an above-average one! I don't buy THAT level of dominance. Good trade for all parties right now though
JP
1:51
Do you think Stroman made the right choice opting out?
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