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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams 4/28/21
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Steve Adams
2:06
Greetings all! My sincere apologies on the lack of the usual Tuesday chat this week. If I'm being 100% transparent I ... absolutely lost what day it was and spent most of yesterday afternoon thinking it was Monday, ha. So -- bonus makeup chat!
Ya boi
2:07
Interestingly enough, I spent most of yesterday thinking it was Wednesday
Steve Adams
2:08
Hooray for being all kinds of screwed up with our calendars
Dc
2:08
is vladdys hot start a sign of things to come or just another hot streak that will fizzle
Steve Adams
2:10
I don't think it's a fluky hot streak or anything. I mean he's not a .365 hitter who's going to stay on pace for 50-60 home runs every year, but his BB% is way up, he's striking out and chasing less than ever before. His exit velo, launch angle, barrel rate, hard-hit rate are all through the roof. His contact rate is up. Everything about him is better in 2021.
The expectations for him were so high and so immediate that people were almost eager to say "Eh, he's overrated. Move on" after he didn't set the world on fire as a 20-year-old.
Vlad is going to be a monster in this league, and we're seeing the beginning of the breakout.
Ben
2:11
Will you take college baseball questions?
Steve Adams
2:11
I'll take this one to tell you that I am not the person you want to ask about college baseball, haha
Samuel
2:11
Do you think Gary Sanchez could be traded due to his lack of production?
Steve Adams
2:12
The basic premise there doesn't work that well. "This guy is playing terrible -- let's trade him!" doesn't work because you need an interested party.

Yankees would find a taker if they were going to eat some of his salary or maybe take on a crappy contract in return, but Sanchez's value is at an all-time low.
Put Me Coach
2:13
What trade options do the Phillies have to bring a CF in the next month or so that would give them production?
Steve Adams
2:16
There aren't going to be any difference-making options available this early in the year. They could tinker with some waiver claims, but for now it seems like they'll just give Moniak and Herrera some chances to catch fire.

Later this summer, if the Marlins are out of it I would expect Starling Marte to be available. Tigers will have JaCoby Jones on the market probably, and while he's inconsistent he's also quite talented and will rattle off some impressive stretches.

If the Giants want to do something now I guess they could try to roll the dice on someone who's maybe been leap-frogged on his own depth chart. Steven Duggar with the Giants comes to mind.
Guest
2:16
Is Seager going to be the next 300 million dollar man?
Steve Adams
2:17
I won't say "next" because we don't know when he'll sign next winter -- could be late in the offseason -- and we might see some mega-extensions or other huge FA deals, but I do think he's got the best shot at a $300MM+ contract, yes.
(Corey, that is)
TC
2:17
Any chance the phils dump those 2 scrub pitchers, moore and Anderson and let howard and anyone to start instead
Steve Adams
2:18
Anderson has been fine outside his last start. As for Spencer Howard moving into the rotation...
Wes
2:19
Do the braves need to redo Acunas contract? It’s so team friendly. Similar players are getting huge deals. Wouldn’t this help the braves FO credibility?
Steve Adams
2:20
The Acuna deal and Albies deal were almost comically favorable for the Braves at the time they were signed. I don't think they're redoing those deals anytime soon. That doesn't generally happen, outside the Salvador Perez situation where he somehow signed a five-year, $7MM extension with three cheap options after a year in the big leagues. Even then, the Royals didn't really "redo" it. They basically just picked up a couple options in advance and tacked on a few free-agent years at close to market value.
Wiamondbacks
2:20
is Zach Plesac going to stick as a good rotation arm? I see a lot of people saying he’s going to regress hard.
Steve Adams
2:23
He's not overpowering, doesn't miss TONS of bats and won't sustain the 2.8% walk rate he has going back to 2020.

There's room for both of those things to be true, though. He can regress from last year's 2.28 ERA -- he's sure to -- and still stick as a decent arm. I think he's a fine fourth starter, and the Indians always seem to find ways to get more out of those types than most other teams.
Matt
2:23
Will we ever see a DH in NL loved see it last yr
Steve Adams
2:23
I'll be surprised if it's not in place permanently starting in 2022
Guest
2:24
I understand Tauchman's glow had faded, but what will the Yankees do for a solid backup OF if Judge and/or Hicks get injured again this season, like they have in the past?  If so, the Yanks' 5th OF would become their 4th or even 3rd OF.
Steve Adams
2:27
I think Yankee fans are still expecting the 2019 Tauchman to be in there, and I just don't really believe that's the case. They'll give Gardner more looks, maybe call up Florial or look to the waiver wire or minor trade market. Hard to see them giving Andujar too much run in LF, but that's an option, too.
2:28
They plucked Tauchman himself out of nowhere, and decent fourth outfielders aren't exactly impossible to come by.
Guest
2:29
Does mlb need to do something about teams that tank? As a Tigers fan, it’s laughable what they put out there.
Steve Adams
2:29
I hope that's part of the next CBA, yeah. It's a tired strategy and one that most teams frankly don't execute that well anyway. It makes for top-heavy leagues, a lack of competition and is generally just crappy for those fan bases.
HittingWoes
2:30
I know it's early, but in general, offense seems to be struggling in both leagues. There are a few exceptions of course, but I'm curious to hear you're thinking on this. Why are so many teams struggling offensively right now?
Steve Adams
2:30
Because pitching is better than ever right now, shifts are more accurate and advanced than ever, and the cold weather generally favors pitchers every year
Tim
2:31
With Bader coming off IL, any chance Cards cut the rope on Carpenter as a bench piece? I see hard contact rate but he just isn’t helping the club. Thoughts?
Steve Adams
2:32
Doubt it. Maybe he'll need a convenient IL stint himself to get a mental reset or something, but I don't think they're going to straight up cut him, no.
David
2:33
Surprised Oliver Perez got DFA’d?  Speaks volumes about the Tribe bullpen?
Steve Adams
2:33
I am a bit surprised, yeah. He's been good the entire time with Cleveland, he's cheap and he holds his own against righties these days, so the three-batter minimum isn't exactly a killer with regard to him.
2:34
I saw Jon Morosi tweet that it makes him eligible for Mexico's Olympic team; maybe that's a bucket-list thing for Ollie that he just can't pass up? I don't want to speculate on anything like that too much, as I don't know what's going on inside a player's head or heart. But if he wants to keep pitching in the bigs, I would imagine another team would happily take him at a $1.25MM base.
C Young
2:35
Adolis Garcia, Nick Solak or Nate Lowe more likely to continue early season success in your opinion?
Steve Adams
2:37
Solak and Lowe are legitimate big league hitters for me. Garcia is sitting on a .270ish OBP and has barreled up a few balls with a generally poor approach at the plate. Below-average contact rate, chases out of the zone at like 37% .... it's not sustainable unless he gets more selective in a hurry.
AA
2:37
If/when Heredia starts to fade, what would it take to get Joey Gallo at the deadline?
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