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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 6/1/22
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Steve Adams
2:11
Greetings! Sorry to do this a day late. Holiday weekend kind of messed everything up scheduling-wise. We'll go till a bit after 3pm today
Cal
2:11
Who do you think debuts first: Oneil Cruz or Riley Greene?
Steve Adams
2:12
Cruz is finally coming along at the plate, but he got off to a terrible start and at this point the Bucs will probably go cheap and try to keep him down long enough to avoid Super Two status. Greene would've been on the Opening Day roster if he hadn't broken his foot. Greene.
Bernie Franks
2:12
What do u think the Cubs will get for Contreas? He is on fire now!!!
Steve Adams
2:14
It's still about a 2-month rental. I get this question basically every week, and every time I point to last year's returns for Baez, Bryant, Rizzo ... they're not going to get a franchise-altering return for Contreras. They'll get one solid prospect who's probably ranked lower than most of the guys you're eyeing up in rival teams' systems, plus a secondary piece or two.
JB
2:14
What should the Mets go after at the deadline? C, Big bat, Starter, Reliever?
Steve Adams
2:17
They should try to be active sooner than that, if a team is willing to sell. I'd look into catching help (Contreras, Sean Murphy perhaps). Rotation depth is a need now, but if Max is healed up on schedule they're already looking better. No clue what to expect out of deGrom at this point, recovery-wise.

They're aggressive under Cohen, so I expect they'll look into all three areas.
Brandon
2:17
Do you think a Vinnie Pasquantino call up is imminent?
Steve Adams
2:19
Should've happened a couple weeks ago. I don't know what the Royals are doing continuing to play Santana, aside from maybe feebly holding out hope that he hits well enough to trade to a team who'll eat a million or two of his salary. There's no justification for playing him at this point. I don't understand for the life of me why he and O'Hearn are on the roster over Pasquantino and Nick Pratto.
Natitude
2:19
ETA on Brady House arriving in Washington?
Steve Adams
2:20
He's 18 and has what? 50-60 total pro games under his belt? I wouldn't expect him before '24 at the earliest, with '25-'26 being more realistic.
Deadline
2:20
How many teams will be sellers? I'm assuming the Rockies won't be one of them.
Steve Adams
2:22
The Rockies are convinced this group can win. I do not in any way agree, but you're correct that they probably won't be major sellers. That said, if they're in last place in mid-to-late July, they could sell some impending free agents. jose Iglesias, Alex Colome, Chad Kuhl, Daniel Bard, etc.

Returns won't be great, but probably better than letting them walk for nothing.
2:23
Other sellers: Nationals, A's, Reds, Pirates, Orioles, Royals, Tigers perhaps. Interested to see how the Red Sox and Phillies play in the next month-plus.
Orioles
2:25
Rodriguez and Hall in the new dimensions at Camden Yards plus Rustchmans game calling abilities... We gonna have a top 10 rotation next year?
Steve Adams
2:27
You're assuming both stay healthy and pitch well immediately, while also ignoring the other three spots. Tyler Wells isn't going to keep skating by with a 15% strikeout rate. Means will be out until the second half most likely. They'd need to sign three starting pitchers to have a top-10 rotation, and I don't think that's happening.

The Orioles will be better in 2022, but I don't think they'll be a contending team. And, to the couple who've asked if they'll make a splash in free agency this winter .... I doubt it. I think they should have this past offseason and think they should spend heavily this coming winter, but 2023-24 offseason feels likelier.
2:28
They still haven't signed anyone for more than the $7MM they gave to Jordan Lyles since Mike Elias became the GM, which ... oof. It's been a long few years in Baltimore.
Al Avila
2:28
Does Keuchel make sense given our pitching woes or is he done?
Steve Adams
2:30
Keuchel hasn't had a scoreless MLB appearance since June 15 last year and has an ERA over 7.00 in 115 innings during that time. I hate saying a guy is "done" because who the hell ever knows? Rich Hill came back at like 36 and is still going in his early 40s.

Right now, I don't think Keuchel is an improvement for most MLB clubs, but the Tigers' rotation is decimated, and there's no real harm in seeing if the change of scenery helps him. I think the Cardinals should sign him for the ground-ball rate, though. The defense helped make Happ and Lester useful in the second half last year.
Guy
2:31
Martin Perez Cy Young?
Steve Adams
2:31
Martin Perez's "wtf" season has been fun so far, but he's not going to strand 77% of his baserunners and make it the whole season without allowing a home run.
JCL
2:32
Are there any valuable free agents that a playoff contender may want to sign?
Steve Adams
2:34
There's not much out there in free agency. Cole Hamels hasn't signed but we don't know when he'll be cleared to throw, and we saw how that worked out for the Dodgers last year anyway. Tyler Clippard and Blake Parker have opt-outs in their minor league deals today. Parker was throwing well before he got jumped for 7 runs over his past 3 outings. Clippard was the inverse; terrible start and dominant over his past five weeks or so.
2:35
I guess maybe Conforto makes it back late in the season? Maybe Trevor Rosenthal post-TOS surgery? There's no one I can think of off the top of my head who's just sitting there, ready to go, who's going to be contributing on a big league roster in the next week or two.
Rizzo Assistant
2:36
How long can my boss continue to deny the inevitable of having to trade Soto?
Steve Adams
2:38
I never put any stock into the speculation on Soto in the first place -- we didn't cover it here because it seemed so implausible -- and Rizzo's comments today all but ensure that, at least for this season.

If the Nats whiff on a Soto extension again this winter, and they're terrible again in 2023, then maybe the chances at the '23 deadline start to improve. I still think it's unlikely before the 2023-24 offseason at the earliest.
California Dreamin'
2:38
Will the Angels and Taylor Ward engage in extension talks next off-season?
Steve Adams
2:38
Ward will turn 29 in December and the Angels already control him through age-32. I doubt a long-term deal is a huge priority for them.
Evan
2:39
Will the Jays get an impact left handed bat? Josh Bell .. they DH their catchers
Steve Adams
2:42
Yeah, they need some left-handed help to balance things out, especially with Biggio being awful at the plate so far. Bell's a pretty easy fit they can plug in at designated hitter for the rest of the season. Still surprised they didn't do more to add some lefty help this winter.

That said, the biggest thing they need to do is just get their own hitters on track. The Jays are currently only a league-average team (well, slightly above) even against left-handed pitching. Gurriel, Teoscar and (somehow) Vlad have been atrocious against lefties.
Szymchak
2:43
How much do you feel that Patrick Wisdom has increased his value, as a trade chip before this upcoming deadline?
Steve Adams
2:44
He's still a 31-year-old journeyman who's punching out in nearly 40% of his plate appearances. He can crush left-handed pitching, but even against southpaws he's still whiffing at a 36% clip.
Mozman
2:44
Have we seen the best of Yelich 🥲🥲🥲
Steve Adams
2:47
Even without the regression, the MVP year was always going to be his best. I don't think he's getting back to that level, but I also think people tend to forget or just not weigh heavily enough that he had a major injury at the end of '19 when he fractured his kneecap. I think there's still room for him to settle in between where he is now and where he was then, but I don't think anyone expects him to get back to his outrageous .327/.415/.631 from 2018-19.
Tommy Pham
2:47
Have I mentioned that I really can't stand Mike Trout or Joc Pederson ?   Who is going to have the better year at QB this year, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen or somebody else ?
Steve Adams
2:48
The whole Pham storyline is so surreal. It just immediately jumped the shark and cannonballed into the theater of the absurd.
Sammy So-so
2:49
Do you think Scott Kingery was very overrated or just very poorly developed and handled by the Phillies? Thank you.
Steve Adams
2:50
I'd answer "probably some of both" but weight the latter more heavily. I hadn't looked to see how he was doing at AAA in 2022 until just now... yikes.
Don’t call me al
2:50
The Reds have to trade Castillo at the deadline right?
Steve Adams
2:52
If the Reds were going to tear apart their roster in the name of payroll mandates from ownership -- which is exactly what they did -- they should've just moved Castillo in the offseason. Maybe his shoulder was already balky and they didn't feel they'd get full value. Barring that, I don't understand the decision not to.

At any rate, they should trade him this summer if ownership isn't planning to spend to put together a competitive roster in the near future. And it seems like they're trending that way.
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