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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 3/31/26
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Steve Adams
12:58
Good afternoon! I'll get toing in a couple minutes, but feel free to begin sending questions in now
Get going*, even
Brewers fan
1:02
Thoughts on the Pratt extension?
Steve Adams
1:04
We talked about this at length and all the other recent extensions on the episode of the podcast we recorded this morning. That'll drop tomorrow, so check that out in the morning.

In general, I'm surprised for a few reasons. Pratt seems to have a lower ceiling than some of their other infield prospects, and the Brewers in general are deep there. Beyond Pratt, there's Jett Williams, Jesus Made, Luis Pena, Andrew Fischer. Turang is controlled four more years (though I'm sure they'll trade him at some point closer to free agency)

Pratt is also more glove-and-speed oriented, which isn't going to pay as well in arbitration. And he's repped by Scott Boras, which is a different brand of surprising.
1:05
I don't think it's some catastrophically bad deal or anything, but I question why there was such urgency to get Pratt in particular signed. Maybe he's just the only one of their young infield guys who was amenable to signing in a price range deemed acceptable by ownership
Mr.Plow
1:05
Do you like the new ABS system?
Steve Adams
1:06
I've really enjoyed the rollout. I love the crowds getting into it. And broadly, I just love not having to roll my eyes or groan at as many missed calls.
1:07
I think maybe going to three challenges would be would be preferable for me, but I also understand being wary of creating a system where teams are challenging too frequently.
Guest
1:07
Two eligible players available. Jake Burger and Sal Stewart which is the better pickup
Steve Adams
1:07
For fantasy? Stewart all day, every day. Not close.
Ben
1:07
Are you buying Gore and Leiter's strong starts?
Steve Adams
1:10
I mean, it's one start for both, unless you're including spring training. But Leiter was my AL ROY pick last year, and while he didn't get there obviously, I thought he had a pretty encouraging season overall. He's continued that into 2026.

If you've followed any prior chats, I'm very bullish on Gore in general. So I don't really care much about his one start with Texas so far, but I think he has ace-caliber stuff and spent about half of last season pitching like a true No. 1. I'd prefer Gore between the two, but I think both will have strong seasons in the middle of a good Texas rotation.
Bailey Ober
1:10
Do they need to stick a fork in me?
Steve Adams
1:12
Average fastball being sub-90 doesn't feel good, especially after the hip injury last year really dogged him. I was optimistic for a rebound, since Ober really has only had that one truly awful stretch last June, but when the Twins beat was tracking the number of pitches that cracked 89 mph during spring training, my optimism waned.
Red Sux
1:12
Pretty much every new addition to the Red Sox had an atrocious weekend, which one should we be most worried about?
Steve Adams
1:12
None of them? It's four games.
Nick
1:13
Any idea when AJ Switch Shawver may be ready to return?
Steve Adams
1:14
He didn't have surgery until mid-June last year. I would be surprised if he returned before the trade deadline.Mid to late August seems like a reasonable target.
Gregg
1:15
The Nats are looking good with a good bullpen and some breakout stars like Joey Wiemer and Daylen Lile, making them have their great 3-1 start. Do you think that the Nats could have a sneaky good season?
Steve Adams
1:17
I don't. The pitching depth and quality are poor. Lile can hit but is a surprisingly poor defender. The lineup has far too many holes. Good for Wiemer for his hot start to the season, but we're talking 13 plate appearances. We have 38x as many from the preceding few seasons telling us this isn't going to hold. He can hit lefties though!
Sad White Sox Fan
1:17
What's going on with Korey Lee? Had a great spring, yet the White Sox DFA'd him and picked up Reese McGuire instead
Steve Adams
1:20
He's 27, has never hit much, was out of minor league options and doesn't grade well in terms of blocking balls in the dirt or framing. He always looked like a long shot to stick around, 47 solid spring plate appearances notwithstanding. McGuire has a comparable or better track record at the plate and plays better defense.

I doubt another club is going to claim Lee and plug him right onto its 40-man roster, so he might stay in the org via outright anyhow.
Don Zimmer
1:21
What team is the odds-on early favorite to trade for Matt Shaw at the deadline?
Steve Adams
1:23
I don't think it's really a foregone conclusion -- at least not this summer. He's going to play five or six positions, with all four infield spots and the outfield corners probably in play. People are going to get hurt. He'll get his ABs.

Long-term, I think a trade makes perfectly good sense, but since quality depth is going to be hard to come by following the deadline, I'd assume the Cubs just hang onto him for the utility role this year.
Guest
1:23
Overreactions; who are your picks for MVP, Cy Young and RoY
Steve Adams
1:25
We send our staff predictions out to Trade Rumors subscribers every year! (Cheap plug)

My very wrong picks, as set in place on March 24:

AL East: Blue Jays
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Mariners
Wild Card: Orioles
Wild Card: Yankees
Wild Card: Red Sox

NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
Wild Card: Brewers
Wild Card: Mets
Wild Card: Reds

AL MVP: Gunnar Henderson
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani

AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal
NL Cy Young: Yoshinobu Yamamoto

AL ROY: Chase DeLauter
NL ROY: Konnor Griffin

World Series: Mariners over Dodgers
It's early
1:26
How come no one ever asks your picks for Manager of the Year?
Steve Adams
1:27
"Manager of the Year" is basically just the award that goes to the manager of whichever playoff team is the biggest surprise, haha. Actually quantifying what makes a manager good or bad is impossible, since 90% of that happens behind closed doors in the clubhouse.
Yankeespitching
1:27
Will Konnor be up by Memorial Day?
Steve Adams
1:28
I still think there's a decent chance he's up before April 9, since he could still get a full year of service then and still be PPI eligible for the next few seasons.
Moreno
1:29
How can the Angels continuously be so bad? They have learned nothing over the 10 year pitfall
Steve Adams
1:31
They have an owner who has no interest in rebuilding and no interest in winning. Kind of impressive, really.

They seem to prioritize drafting fast-moving players over higher-ceiling but longer-term development projects. Not sure if that's because their player development system hasn't been productive and they'd thus rather take products who are closer to finished, or because Moreno is impatient, or because they feel the need to plug gaps on the roster (which are borne out of poor/infrequent spending and those player development failures)
There are self-fulfilling prophecy vibes there; but Arte Moreno has been the constant throughout it all.
It's early
1:32
Yea, but how come NO ONE ever asks your picks? And while we're there, what are they?
Steve Adams
1:33
I have given zero thought to manager of the year, haha. I don't know. Terry Francona and Craig Albernaz. Sure?
Mike
1:33
When will Emerson be called up?  Today, tomorrow, end of the month?
Steve Adams
1:35
I'm surprised it's not immediate, but seems like they wanted to get the deal done but plan to let him keep getting regular reps in AAA for the time being. can't really remember an instance of signing someone long-term and then just saying "Ok, now back to AAA with you," but I get it. Emerson is 20 and had all of six games in Triple-A to his credit prior to the current season
1:36
I don't think the Mariners even know that answer; probably depends on health for the rest of the roster. But now that Emerson will go on the 40-man, I'm sure there'll be no hesitation to bring him up if a need arises.
Bozz
1:36
if the Astros and Braves are seeking a lefty outfielder-they should-would they take Reynolds from the Pirates or is his contract too big?
Steve Adams
1:37
No one's taking on the entirety of that contract. Pirates are trying to win right now anyway, and since they'd get no return, dumping one of their better bats wouldn't be prudent anyhow.
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