JotCast | Chat With MLBTR's Steve Adams: 3/26/19

Chat With MLBTR's Steve Adams: 3/26/19

Steve Adams

4:37

48 hours from having actual baseball to discuss -- it's a good time of the year

4:38

Sorry for the late start today -- busy time with spring rosters getting finalized and every player under the sun rushing to sign an extension

Faithless Friar

4:38

The Pads went after frontline starters like Kluber and Syndergaard this offseason. Do all these extensions make it all the more important that they spend big on, say, Gerritt Cole?

Steve Adams

4:40

I have a hard time seeing them signing Cole after adding Hosmer and Machado the past two seasons. At a certain point, they're still a reasonably small market team who probably doesn't want $70MM+ tied up in three players. They'll look into it, I'm sure, as Preller & Co. look into everyone, but I'd expect them to rely on whichever arms break out alongside Lucchesi this season and maybe to pull off a trade for a controllable starter of note this deadline or next winter.

Greg

4:41

Does Hicks get yo close in St Louis

Steve Adams

4:41

I expect that if he doesn't open the year as closer, he'll still finish the season with a good amount of saves

Jon

4:42

The Twins bullpen is full of question marks, add in Addison Reed really struggling in Spring training (and coming off a relatively poor season last year) and the question is should the Twins be making a push for Kimbrel?

Steve Adams

4:42

I've said for like 2-3 months they should be doing that.

Ryne

4:43

What do you think about the Degrom extension?

Steve Adams

4:45

It's in line with -- a bit lighter but not much -- what I've been saying I expect will be needed to get it done. I think the opt-out adds a bit of value as well, though it's pretty late in the deal so he may not be considering it by that point. Contractually, I think it's fine.

I'm still, however, utterly freaking baffled that the league is just cool with deGrom's former agent negotiating his extension as the Mets' GM. That's such a staggering, overwhelming conflict of interest ... I still just have a hard time believing MLB ever even allowed Van Wagenen to be seriously considered -- let alone hired.

Dylan

4:45

Prediction of Chris Paddack?

Steve Adams

4:46

Good number of K's, minimal walks and probably a low innings total in '19 because he only got to 90 frames in his first post-TJ year last season. Exciting for Padres fans that he made the club, though, and I'll for sure be watching him early on.

Anthony

4:46

Kyle Hendricks extension - possibly one of the biggest bargains so far?

Steve Adams

4:47

Hard to knock it much for the Cubs -- getting him for $13MM less than Eovaldi and MIkolas is nice. I do perennially have some concerns about Hendricks in that I wonder if he's 1-2 mph away from a Doug Fister-style faceplant, but he'd be worth much of that contract even with some regression baked in.

Joey

4:48

Main Cause for all the extensions ?

Steve Adams

4:48

No one wants to go to free agency

That's overly simplistic, of course, ha

4:49

I thought Kiley McDaniel from Fangraphs had kind of an interesting point too; it seems like some teams are pointing to extensions to say, "See? Look! We did TOO spend this winter!" I wouldn't be surprised if there was some of that going on.

I think we'll see a few more. There are definitely tons of other players discussing deals still.

Big tiger 547

4:50

Do you think that Miguel Cabrera will keep hitting the way he has in spring training? And have a pretty good year?

Steve Adams

4:50

I don't doubt Cabrera's talent so much as his durability at this point. He can play 120 games and still have a productive season, though.

ryno

4:51

will the indians truly run away with the divison once again simply due to their pitching? their offense is looking horrendous and id take the twins over them tbh

Steve Adams

4:52

I think Minnesota has a legitimate chance. I also think they blew some chances to really make the division interesting. Spending $4MM on Martin Perez didn't seem very inspired when they already had 8 in-house options for the five spot. Could've signed Keuchel or Kimbrel to really bolster the staff. I guess they still could, but that doesn't seem likely.

Craig K

4:52

Where am i going really??

Steve Adams

4:53

We, along with every other baseball writer, reporter, blogger, etc. etc. are continually asked this about Kimbrel and Keuchel, and the answer continues to be that even those two have no idea where they're signing. The team that's going to sign Kimbrel probably doesn't know it's going to sign KImbrel right now.

Casey

4:53

How bout that catching depth in San Francisco?

Steve Adams

4:54

Yeah, it struck me as odd to acquire Murphy right after Kratz. My assumption is that they'd put in a claim on Murphy but didn't know whether they'd win it until Monday. Brewers, meanwhile, probably had an interested party or two on Kratz. San Fran didn't want to be left empty-handed to they made the Kratz deal, then ended up with both.

Assistant to the General Manager

4:55

Any chance you see Bumgarner signing an extension with the Giants in the near future? Everyone else is doing it!

Steve Adams

4:56

I don't think the Giants feel they're in position to be signing extensions to aging players. I also just wouldn't want to offer Bumgarner close to what he'd ask in an extension. He's been more good than great the past two seasons, and his camp is surely still pitching him as an elite arm.

carlos

4:57

should orioles just trade trumbo at this point? always hurt and when hes healthy he takes away playing time from younger players like austin hays, Rickard, Mancini, Ruiz, Smith, Mullins, etc

Steve Adams

4:57

If Baltimore could've traded Trumbo this winter, he'd be gone. No one wants any part of that deal. Now he's on the 60-day injured list, as well. He's more of a release candidate than a trade candidate.

E-6

4:58

Not that Straily is Bob Gibson but wasn't he considered a tradable asset during the firesale? What is Jeter doing? Besides learning on the job.

Steve Adams

5:00

He's an extreme fly-ball guy who doesn't throw especially hard and has shaky control, so I get why teams weren't falling over themselves to get him this winter. But the Marlins had legitimate interest in him the summer after they acquired him and they held onto him anyway for ... I don't know why. I have to imagine that at some point in the past 12 months, they've had a legitimate opportunity to trade him and missed the boat.

He'll latch on somewhere as a back-end starter, I think, but probably for less than his $5MM salary and possibly on a minor league deal at this point.

#1 Reds Fan

5:00

Any chance we have a shot at the division? Cubs pitching isn't great. Bryant/Rizzo didn't hit last year. I think we could sneak in!

Steve Adams

5:01

Cubs pitching isn't great but it's better than the Reds' from where I sit. They're greatly improved but not a legitimate division contender. I like the Brewers in the NL Central.

manuel

5:01

was signing jon jay and yonder alonso pointless for the white sox now that machado didnt sign with them? i mean machado was the reason the signed those 2 guys

Steve Adams

5:02

They should've just taken that extra $13MM and tacked it onto their Machado bid (along with the money they're paying Ivan Nova, Alex Colome and other short-term, incremental upgrades in what'll clearly be a losing season)

Count Rostov

5:02

Do you think Castellanos gets extended or traded in July?

Steve Adams

5:03

Traded, not extended.

Kevin

5:03

Braves are looking for a lefty hitting 4th OF. Joc Pederson??

Steve Adams

5:03

Matt Joyce is making their Opening Day roster.