JotCast | Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 5/23/23

Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 5/23/23

Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page

Steve Adams

1:33

I'm sure they won't go into a full-on rebuild -- the farm is already so good, Ramirez is locked up long-term along with Clase and Gimenez (who I like despite his rough start). I can see them shopping some pitching for controllable bats, and that includes Shane Bieber -- but they'd need to be a ways out of it. If Amed Rosario were hitting at all, he'd make sense as a trade candidate, but they might've missed the boat on that one

Bryan Woo

1:33

Is there much trade value in Flexen or Marco Gonzales??

Steve Adams

1:33

Nope

John

1:34

Thoughts on the Orioles city connect? They’ve all been pretty bad. Upsetting since nhl reverse retro and the nba ones have all been sweet for the most part

Steve Adams

1:34

O's City Connects aren't my cup of tea, but I saw quite a few fans who liked them on social media as well.

rocco rox

1:35

will the Rockies finally wise up & realize the players arent their friends and trade at the deadline unlike letting Gray, Estevez and others just walk

Steve Adams

1:35

Dick Monfort is like three months removed from calling this a .500 team. I guess that's an improvement from him "interpolating" 94 wins a couple years back, but in general, no I don't think the Rockies are going to change much anytime soon.

1:36

I know there's alot of speculation that O'neill might be moved but would I be better off moving Carlson? It would be a bit of a sell low but with his extra years of control he should be able to bring me a pitcher with multiple years of control. There should be several teams interested in him for a SP. Guardians and Marlins for sure.

Steve Adams

1:38

It depends on the definition of "better off." Moving Carlson probably gets them a bigger return, but that's because he's also the more valuable asset, even with this year's struggles. And the greater club control gives him more runway to catch on elsewhere, break out, and make the Cards regret the trade even longer. At least with O'Neill they could say "Well he was going to be a free agent after '24 anyhow."

It all depends on what someone's willing to give up, but if you're looking for controllable rotation help, Carlson probably grants you access to that much more so than O'Neill. Guards and Marlins, as you said, are two logical partners there.

NIck

1:39

Is there any- any- reason why you'd keep Josh Donaldson on the Yankees' roster?

Steve Adams

1:41

I wouldn't have traded for him in the first place, at least not for the financial arrangement the Yankees agreed upon with the Twins.

Objectively, however, he was a decent player in 2022 when you factor in his glovework. If they want to give him 100 PAs once he's healthy to see what the bat looks like, it's defensible, albeit unpopular.

Matt Brash

1:41

Do you think my results will improve? There's a huge disparity between my 4.50 ERA and 1.99 FIP, all fueled by a .524(!) BABIP.

Steve Adams

1:41

I love Matt Brash

1:42

Yeah, I think the ERA will come down in a big way. Command hiccups are going to continue to get him here and there, but a 41% strikeout rate and 49% ground-ball rate can help paper over a lot of those free passes.

John

1:42

If the Pirates continue to fall off, is it possible that Reynolds still gets traded, or is that out of the question at this point?

Steve Adams

1:43

They're not trading Reynolds after he signed a seven-year extension. No team would do that. The optics are terrible. It's a slap in the face to fans, and it'd be on the mind of every player they ever negotiated with in the future.

Orbit

1:43

How long do you think the Astros stick with Abreu?

Steve Adams

1:43

They signed him for three years and $58.5MM. They're not cutting bait anytime soon.

Paul

1:44

Good afternoon Steve, With Garrett Whitlock due back soon is Kluber in danger of being DFA’d?

Steve Adams

1:44

Pretty telling that Alex Cora committed to Kluber getting a start on Sunday and said they'll stick with a six-man rotation for this week but nothing beyond that. He's got to be on thin ice there, yes.

rocco rox

1:45

must be nice to be the Yankees and eat Hicks & possibly Donaldson's contracts

Steve Adams

1:46

Hey the Rockies paid roughly the same amount to make Arenado go away (sorry) and then turned around and signed Bryant. They're not going to be running up $300MM payrolls anytime soon, but Monfort will at least throw some cash around

Farhan Zaidi

1:47

Given the dearth of SP among contenders, any chance I swindle somebody into taking one of my FA whiffs, Sean Manaea or Ross Stripling, in a trade at the deadline? I got somebody to take Mark Melancon in 2019, it can be done!

Steve Adams

1:47

Melancon was at least pitching well at the time!

1:48

Stripling is hurt and Manaea has been disastrous. Plus, with the player options on those deals, any acquiring team knows that if the pitcher has a big turnaround, he might just decline the option and go back to free agency. And if he gets hurt or pitches terribly, they're just on the hook for that $12.5MM in 2024.

More concisely: No, I don't see it,

If Manaea snaps off like 7 of 8 good starts over the next several weeks, we can revisit, but as of right now, no

Motor City

1:49

Lange trade bait?

Steve Adams

1:50

If the Tigers were completely out of it, sure. But they're playing decently right now and Lange is controllable for four years beyond the current season. He also has a 27-to-7 K/BB over 16 2/3 scoreless innings right now, so he's a huge part of the reason as to WHY they're winning.

I can guarantee you that just about every team in baseball would line up if he were available, but it'd take a hell of an offer with the way this season's played out.

John

1:51

Orioles more likely to sign Ohtani or trade for him as a rental? Even if it’s less than a 1% chance

Steve Adams

1:51

I don't think he's traded at all, and even if he were, I don't think the Orioles would gut the farm for two months of him. So, I guess I'll say likelier to sign him, but I don't think it'll be either (sorry O's fans!)

Wally green monster

1:51

Fast x sucks do u agree?

Steve Adams

1:52

True statement: I have never seen a Fast & Furious movie all the way throughh

The franchise holds no appeal to me, ha.

Jimmy

1:53

Every offseason the expectation in Pittsburgh is that the team will trade away guys on one year deals and solid players with two or three years of control left that can bring back bigger returns. With the Reynolds extension and still being tied for first in the NL Central do you think the Pirates are buyers at the deadline this year?

Steve Adams

1:55

I think it's absolutely realistic that they add some pieces this year. That could come in the form of low-cost rentals who are only requiring them to part with low-level lotto tickets, or it could come in the form of players with multiple years of club control remaining.

I don't think they're going to dive headlong into the highest-end rentals who'll cost more pieces from the top of their farm system. The sweet spot would be getting big league-ready pieces they can control beyond the 2024 season. That's obviously difficult to do, but we see players like that moved every deadline season.

Hawaiian ice skate

1:55

Pace of play, or are you old school

Steve Adams

1:55

I've liked the pitch clock so far

City Connect

1:56

What is the point?

Steve Adams

1:56

Realistically? To make more money.