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Chat With MLBTR's Steve Adams: 4/20/21
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2:45
Who is your favorite pitcher(s) (Can be current or retired)?
Steve Adams
2:47
There are too many to list. Randy Johnson, Johan Santana, Max Scherzer, Jose Fernandez (RIP), Greg Maddux ... I don't know, it's hard to even spout them off. I'm a sucker for a great pitchers' duel so I could probably rattle off 100 names and still miss plenty of guys I currently love watching and loved to watch growing up in the 90s
Freddy Peralta
2:47
am I for real?
Steve Adams
2:49
I'm a big Freddy Peralta fan. He's not as good as Woodruff or Burnes, but that's a pretty lofty comparison. I think Woodruff/Burnes/Peralta is among the best 1-2-3 options in the game.
Twins
2:49
Did we pass the date in which teams can gain another year of club control on players? Kelenic...
Steve Adams
2:49
Yup. At this point -- at least for players who don't have any big league service -- they can be called up at any point. You need 172 days for a year of service time. There's 186 days on the schedule, so after the 14-day mark those teams were in the clear.
Braves fan
2:50
Whats the chances drew smyly, bryce wilson, or kyle wright end up in the bullpen when the rotation gets a little healthier
Steve Adams
2:51
I think Smyly will be starting so long as he's healthy, but Wilson/Wright are both plausible bullpen pieces if all of Soroka/Fried/Morton/Anderson/Smyly are healthy
Mike H
2:52
Can you see a scenario where the Giants extend the likes of Posey, Crawford, Belt if they sustain a winning team ?
Steve Adams
2:54
I look at the 2021 season as more of a farewell tour for that group. Could maybe see another year being tacked onto Posey if Bart flounders this year, but they're all holdovers from the prior front-office regime, the Giants have high-end prospects advancing at catcher and shortstop, and they'll have money to spend on younger, better options in free agency next year.
Montreal Expos
2:55
When can we expect MLB to add expansion teams?
Steve Adams
2:55
Not until stadium issues for the A's and Rays are resolved, and I don't know that either of those is a major priority right now with so much on the table with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire in December.
Giants Baseball
2:56
How concerned should I be with Yastrzemski‘s struggles thus far?
Steve Adams
2:58
Mildly? 4 out of 10? As I said with Trout, we're only looking at 60ish plate appearances, so the uptick in strikeouts isn't necessarily a killer. That's especially true with Yaz, as his contact rate is pretty comparable to 2020 and his swinging-strike rate isn't too far out of whack. Spike in grounders, drop in launch angle, loss of some hard contact are all red flags, though.
2:59
It's the sort of thing he could correct in a week's time, though ... early season numbers are always full of noise. I'd keep an eye on the batted-ball profile and contact profile more so than worrying too much about the bottom-line results. Yaz was a legitimately excellent hitter from 2019-20.
Appa Yip Yip
3:01
Is Kyle Seager a Mariner by year's end?
Steve Adams
3:01
He'll have no-trade rights come June, and any trade of him converts his $15MM club option into a player option. He'll be in Seattle.
Plug & Play Braves
3:03
Anibal, Bedrosian, Gott, Lucroy - Any or all are better than Jesse Chavez and Alex Jackson, right?
Steve Adams
3:04
Chavez isn't on the big league roster, so I don't think it really matters if the others are upgrades over him. Lucroy would seem like an improvement over Jackson, yes.
Chris Davis
3:04
Have I officially turned into the worst contract extension in MLB history?
Steve Adams
3:05
Depends whether you consider it an extension or a free-agent signing. He did hit the market, he just re-signed.

I'd argue that the Cabrera extension was worse, because it's a year longer and more expensive. And free-agent-wise, it's up there but not the absolute worst

To your point, though, it's among the more regrettable contracts we've seen, yes.
SoCalBrave
3:06
With the emergence of Heredia, should the Braves send Pache to the minors when he's off the IL?
Steve Adams
3:07
Heredia has had 15 plate appearances, and while the two homers are nice, you also have more than 1100 prior plate appearances in which he hit .239/.316/.344. He's not displacing Pache -- or at least he shouldn't -- and he's extremely unlikely to keep this up. I wouldn't call this an "emergence"
Wearer of many hats
3:08
Is it ok to like 2 baseball teams? Say, the hometeam, Braves, and a team from out of town, The White Sox? I enjoy watching their players and I want to get to the windy city for a game soon.
Steve Adams
3:09
I don't really care who anyone cheers for. You can root for both the White Sox and Cubs, both the Cubs/Cardinals or both the Yankees/Mets as far as I'm concerned. Especially, as you said, if you're rooting for individual players. Enjoy the game how you like.
Tinman
3:10
Is Mark Canha not a sneaky Top 10 or 15 Free Agent this offseason? Does the fact he plays in Oakland keep him under the radar? Quietly an elite hitter, an on base god past 3 years plus the start he's off to this season. Solid, not epic defense, but above average defense and can play all three outfield spots plus a solid DH. Where is the love?
Steve Adams
3:12
Didn't I just say how much I love Mark Canha last Tuesday? Maybe that was in my Friday chat with subscribers. Regardless, yeah, Canha is awesome. He rakes at the plate, has somehow turned himself into a decent center fielder and even ranks in the 85th percentile in sprint speed. He's one of the most underrated players in MLB.

I don't think he'll be a Top 10-15 free agent on our list, though. We rank by earning power, and next year's class is historically deep -- plus Canha turns 33 next February
3:13
He should get a strong two- or three-year deal, though, and he could be a bargain at that length.
Snake eyes
3:13
What are the chances D’Backs move Ketel Marte at trade deadline?
Steve Adams
3:14
He's controlled all the way through 2024. It'd have to be a pretty overwhelming offer, because a guy controlled that long won't really see his trade value go down in the offseason or even at the 2022 deadline.
Rocco
3:14
any truth to the rumor Todd Helton would be the next Rockies mgr? i don't believe it for a second
Steve Adams
3:15
I haven't seen said rumor, but it wouldn't surprise me at all for Dick Monfort to do something insane that makes everyone go "...Really?"
Real Deal
3:16
Which surprise team is most likely to maintain its success? Mariners, Red Sox, Royals, or Reds?
Steve Adams
3:17
Probably the Reds for me. The division isn't especially strong, and their pitching without Bauer is better than I gave it credit for
3:18
Ok, I have to wrap this up for the week. I'm on Twitter @Adams_Steve. I'll have a chat with our Front Office subscribers Friday at 2pm -- we'll email out an invite link in the next day or two -- and we'll do another one on the site this time next week. Thanks for chatting, and enjoy your week!
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