You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams 6/1/20
powered byJotCast
Steve Adams
3:02
Greetings all! Apologies on the lack of chats lately. Let's remedy that today! We'll go for about an hour.
3:03
Also, I'm trying a direct embed on the site and seeing how that renders in the app, so bear with me for a minute if I need to make some technical adjustments!
3:05
Ok -- seems like the embed in the app is working. At least on iOS. If there are issues on the Android front, please let me know!
(or issues on the iOS front, for that matter)
Guest
3:05
So, what your thoughts on the latest MLBPA proposal? Can a agreed mid-point be had so we can get back to baseball?
Steve Adams
3:07
I'm not surprised that the union countered with something the league considers a nonstarter. I don't think we'll get baseball by the hoped-for early July date, but I remain of the mind that the two sides are motivated enough that they'll eventually work something out. I'm still skeptical we'll get a full season out of this, although that's largely because I've yet to see a plan that sufficiently addresses what will happen in the event of a wide-ranging virus outbreak.
Joe
3:08
Thanks for embedding this in the page!  It's a fantastic addition.
Steve Adams
3:08
Positive feedback so far -- good! Again -- let me know if there are issues on any particular device.
Tim
3:08
What prospects benefit the most from a shorter season/DH rule?
Steve Adams
3:10
Kevin Cron isn't really a "prospect," but I would love to see a full season of him as the D-backs' DH after he homered 45 times in 460 plate appearances between Triple-A and the Majors last year.

I think the short season is generally a positive for any near-MLB-ready top prospects. Guys like Nate Pearson, Casey Mize, Alec Bohm, Nick Madrigal who would've likely debuted this year anyhow now stand an even greater chance of making their debuts and getting a decent look.
Tech Support
3:10
On the mobile app, every time I click into an article it autoredirects me to a surveymonkey page. Others have mentioned this in the comments section on articles.
Steve Adams
3:11
Yeah we've been working to eliminate this. If there are any redirect issues with this chat embed, that's the sort of thing I'm curious about
Zach
3:11
Howdy! So, in your mind, we won't have baseball to celebrate July 4th?! 😢
Steve Adams
3:11
I don't think it's impossible, but I am immensely skeptical.
Angels Fan
3:11
I’d love to see MLB players mic’d up if they play this year. At least a few on each team. I think it’d bring an extra level of intrigue to watching the games on TV (since we likely won’t be able to attend in person). Thoughts?
Steve Adams
3:12
I'd love to see them mic'd up even with fans in the stands. It adds an element of fun and makes guys more marketable by showing off their personalities, senses of humor, etc.
X
3:12
Are the red sox a better or worse team is there is a universal DH  this year?
Steve Adams
3:13
They'll still have the best or one of the best DHs in the game (JD Martinez), and he'll get extra ABs in NL parks now.
Andy Friedman
3:13
Should I offer Mookie 8/240?
Steve Adams
3:14
Extension talks are "prohibited" right now -- I don't see how they can genuinely enforce that -- but sure go ahead. He'll say no, but maybe it starts a dialogue.
Privateer
3:15
If the Bucs put Ke'Bryan Hayes at third and move Josh Bell to DH, how much will that improve the Pirates' defense (and pitching)?
Steve Adams
3:16
Anything that improves upon Colin Moran at 3B and Josh Bell at 1B will be a pretty notable upgrade. Moran was worse at 3B than Bell at 1B last year. I imagine you'd get something like Hayes at 3B everyday, Moran at DH/Bell at 1B versus righties and Bell at DH/Jose Osuna at 1B vs. lefties.
RMR
3:16
Assuming we end up getting about a half season's worth of games this year, how do you see Senzel's PT shaking out (assuming DH in NL)?  What about Kyle Tucker?
Steve Adams
3:17
Seems like they want to get Senzel as many ABs in CF as possible, so that's my expectation. Tucker is in a tougher spot since the Astros have Brantley-Springer-Reddick-Alvarez around the OF and at DH, but I have to think he'll still be worked in semi-regularly since he's such a big part of their future. And obviously if an OF gets hurt he'd be in an everyday role.
Iguanas on Ice
3:18
In a short season, what team that was unlikely to make the playoffs normally do you see possibly getting into a hot streak which would be enough to get them there in a short season?
Steve Adams
3:19
I don't see the short season impacting that as much as I do the expanded playoff field. But generally the middle-of-the-road teams and slightly above-.500 clubs are probably helped by the short season -- especially if they're in a weak division. White Sox are a good example. Padres. I can't see any scenario where a team like the Tigers or Orioles lucks into a playoff berth, though.
John
3:20
Thoughts on the Giants next steps in their rebuild? Seems like their farm system is improving and they have some intriguing guys but otherwise they seem stuck riding out their big contracts.
Steve Adams
3:21
The no-trade protection that so many of their veterans have really hamstrings them -- at least in trying to jettison some money and open up playing time for younger kids. They also just don't have that many appealing trade chips, and their unexpected Wild Card surge last July prevented them from cashing in on some bigger names. The draft picks are nice, but they'd have gotten more for Bumgarner or Smith at the deadline.
Clyde
3:22
Is your mock expansion draft just for fun or are you trying to get us ready for a real one soon?
Steve Adams
3:22
It's just for fun. So many other sites are doing simulated seasons, and we wanted to do a simulation that was more interactive for our readers and more in line with the type of stuff we'd typically cover.
Grayson
3:23
Although there’s no defense for teams not continuing to pay the stipends to minor leaguers, baseball is still a business for the owners and it doesn’t make sense for them to lose half a million dollars a game and pay full salaries, no matter how rich they are
Steve Adams
3:24
The players' whole point is that the owners won't prove to them how much they're losing. They're just saying "We're going to lose this much -- trust us" despite decades of pent up tension stemming from ownership habitually proving untrustworthy. I'm not surprised they won't open their books, but I can see why the players are skeptical.
3:25
They'll also argue that the owners are leaning on them to subsidize losses despite the fact that they didn't get a piece of record revenue or the big $50MM BAMTech payout that each team got.

The whole thing was so avoidable, though. The nebulous language in the initial March agreement is just a catastrophic failing on both sides.
Draft
3:25
How do you think they will decide the draft order in 2021 if there is no season this year?
Steve Adams
3:26
I think they'd just have to repeat the order unless they wanted to go to a one-time lottery system for the bottom 10 teams or something.
James
3:26
What the players response to expanded rosters & taxi squads
Steve Adams
3:27
It's more jobs for guys, more service time, more playing time for fringe-y guys. Helps keep players (pitchers in particular) healthy by bolstering depth.
Eddie
3:28
With MLB teams releasing MiLB players in large numbers, is this a path to a reduction in minor leagues a year early, and will have some MiLB cities already have had their teams final games ever, played in 2018?
Steve Adams
3:29
Many of the releases are happening in anticipation of a canceled minor league season in 2020 and then contraction thereafter.
Some are also the standard end-of-spring cuts that were put on hold as those guys collected $400 weekly stipends through March. It's also common for players to release guys prior to the draft -- although the circumstances that usually drive those releases are obviously different in 2020 (shortened draft, no minor league games)
Load More Messages
Connecting…