JotCast | Chat With MLBTR's Steve Adams: 4/22/19

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BoSoxs

3:40

Any word on deGrom

Steve Adams

3:41

He threw off a mound like 20 minutes ago. Guessing the Mets will have an update in the not-too-distant future but I'm sure they're talking with him right now to see how things went

Mykaela G

3:41

Are there any teams that Gio wouldn’t be a fit on?

Steve Adams

3:42

I doubt many rebuilding clubs are itching to have him block a younger option for the rest of the year, but most teams that are even sort of contending make some sense. I guess you could say the Yankees aren't a fit, since they just cut him.

Xyrak

3:43

Someone should to talk to Shoemaker about smashing mirrors while holding black cats under ladders. But more seriously - are his early results mean anything for him in future since this isn't an arm injury (although ACLs can be tough too ...)

Steve Adams

3:46

Yeah, I feel awful for Shoemaker. One freak thing after another with the poor guy. His attitude about all of it is great, though, if you watch interviews with him after the fact.

As far as his results are concerned -- I don't think he changed a whole lot in his repertoire. More splitters but nothing huge; it was 20-something innings and he had a .180 BABIP despite giving up a pretty large amount of hard contact. I wouldn't have expected him to maintain anything close to that output. But he's basically always been a mid-to-upper 3.00s ERA guy and I don't see any reason he couldn't have been that if healthy.

Connor

3:47

When does the first mlb Trade happen this year?⚾️ Thanks!!!

Steve Adams

3:47

The Jays already traded Kendrys Morales and Kevin Pillar!

Vogelbomb

3:47

How good of a hitter can I be?

Steve Adams

3:48

His power's going to come back down to earth, and he's not going to walk in 20% of his plate appearances, but if you told me he was going to be something like 15-20 percent better than a league-average hitter from this point forth, I wouldn't fight you on it.

HOLY BAT POO!

3:49

How about the Rangers signing Gio? They are rebuilding, but those reclamation arms have been horrifying and Rangers have budget to spare.

Steve Adams

3:50

Again -- if you're Gio, signing with a noncontending team doesn't seem like the most alluring route to take.

(Nor does pitching at that launching pad as the weather warms up)

Greg

3:50

Who signs first Keuchel, Gio or Kimbrel?

Steve Adams

3:50

Probably Gio. He's stretched out and ready to go; wouldn't be surprised if he signed a new deal within a couple days.

Ed McWilliams

3:51

What is your favorite baseball memory ?

Steve Adams

3:53

I have pretty vivid memories of watching Jack Morris' 10-inning, Game 7 shutout to clinch the World Series in 1991. Tough to top that one.

I also was pretty excited when my dad and uncle took me to a Cubs game at Wrigley as a kid, I informed them I wanted to see a grand slam, and Orlando Merced hit one (my first live grand slam, I believe).

3:54

July 4, 1991 -- Just had to dig up the box score to check the date, ha ... never realized that was the 4th of July. I probably got fireworks out of it, too!

Mush

3:54

Everyone talking about gio like he is Max sherzers clone. Did I miss something?

Steve Adams

3:55

Ha, yeah -- it's a bit funny, but at the same time, there aren't too many instances of a pitcher that established being available mid-April when teams are all figuring out how to handle their early-season injuries and such

Sean Keller

3:56

Is Derek JETER the worst GM of all time?

Steve Adams

3:56

Derek Jeter isn't a GM, so... no.

He's not even the president of baseball operations!

Dean

3:57

Are the Pirates really a contender?

Steve Adams

3:59

I said for awhile that they're better than most Pirates fans were expecting; that's been generally true for each of the past couple seasons. They never add big names (well, almost never) so there's a lot of gloom and doom surrounding them among the fan base, which I get, but Huntington seems to generally do a decent job with the minimal amount of resources he's afforded by Nutting.

That said, I have a hard time seeing them in the hunt for the NL Central title all season. I think they can be a .500ish team, but I don't buy them as a 90+ win division contender.

Jon

4:00

Jose Martinez is a really good hitter. Is his defense reallllllly so bad that he can't be starting every day?

Steve Adams

4:02

-16 Defensive Runs Saved and -16 Outs Above Average in 716 career OF innings is pretty dang ugly

Ace

4:03

Any early predictions on who wins the NL central?

Steve Adams

4:04

Who'll win the NL Central? (Listed in current order of standings)

Pirates (3.9% | 16 votes)

Cardinals (26.5% | 109 votes)

Brewers (50.4% | 207 votes)

Cubs (12.7% | 52 votes)

Reds (6.6% | 27 votes)

Total Votes: 411

BSUM

4:05

Do the Blue Jays go into full rebuild mode? Braves could use Stroman at top of their rotation and have young MLB ready pitchers aplenty

Steve Adams

4:05

I think the Jays will be listening on Stroman, Sanchez, Smoak, Tepera, Galvis -- most of their veterans -- this summer

The Fonz

4:06

The counterargument to Jose Martinez is that we are playing in an era when defense has never been less important. How many chances per game does a corner OF even get these days? I'm guessing the average is something like 1.5 per game, but that's only a guess.

Steve Adams

4:10

I don't think that's true. I understand what you're saying, with reference to the lack of balls being put into play. But, given that home runs are also up more than ever, baserunners are costlier. And, given the increased emphasis on launch angle and hitting the ball in the air, fielding a competent trio of outfielders also is quite important.

It's not something I've looked into, to be clear, but the general assessment that OF defense just doesn't matter enough to keep Jose Martinez out of the OF isn't one I'd agree with. I mean, if he were JD Martinez with the bat or something, OK, but Jose was more "very good" than elite last year (and is worse so far in a real tiny sample).

Trade value

4:10

Do players like Trevor Bauer who refuse to sign long term deals and choose to go year by year have less value to teams, given the rash of extensions? Or do the extensions bring market value down enough to where this is less of an issue in the future?

Steve Adams

4:10

In terms of trade value, yeah, Bauer is going to have less of it because teams know they're never going to get him long term.

4:11

In terms of open-market value, I think people will be fairly shocked to see what he gets in terms of dollars on a one-year deal.

4:12

Generally, that's true of any player. I think under the right circumstances there are teams that'd pay $60-70MM for a single year of Mike Trout, for instance. It'd never happen, because free agents always seem to prioritize long-term security. I wish there were more players like Bauer -- it'll be such a unique and interesting case study when he does reach free agency (assuming he holds firm to his "I'll never sign a multi-year contract" stance)

Glass half full

4:13

Speaking of the jays do they trade Lourdes gurriel

Steve Adams

4:13

No real reason to with how cheaply he's controlled.

Lebron James Franco

4:13

Cash has lost Rays games by taking out Snell and Glasnow at around 75/80 pitches (and bullpen immediately blows lead). Is his overreliance on matchups going to cost them the playoffs?

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