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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams 6/14/21
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Steve Adams
3:06
Greetings all -- running a chat today as I will be off tomorrow in celebration of the birthdays of Trevor Plouffe and Tim Lincecum.
...And myself, I guess.
Dave D.
3:07
Should I buy or sell?
Steve Adams
3:08
Assuming this is Dave Dombrowski, then I don't see why they won't try for some creative additions to bolster the roster while staying south of the tax line. They're three games back from the division, and John Middleton didn't hire Dombrowski to come in and oversee a rebuild.
Champdo
3:08
Could you see the Tigers extending any of their younger guys this offseason
Steve Adams
3:10
I'd be surprised if they didn't approach Mize and Skubal about the possibility of locking them into some early cash and buying out some free-agent years. Skubal is a Boras guy, which makes that less likely, but Mize seems like a pretty obvious candidate to try to lock up. Then again, he has more financial security than most prospects after going 1-1 in the draft.
Nats
3:10
How does our tear down go? Is trea turner potentially available?
Steve Adams
3:14
We haven't really seen the Nats tear down in the past, so we'll have to see if they actually go that route. It hasn't really been in Mike Rizzo's DNA in the past, it seems like, but they could sell off some shorter-term players and try to build more around Soto for the foreseeable future, as he's controlled three years beyond the current season.

They probably aren't sold on functioning as a seller just yet, despite how poorly the season is gone. The deadline is six weeks out, and they're not really buried in the NL East despite being in last place. 7.5 games isn't insurmountable with a good run.
3:15
Eventually I do think they should at least make all of their one-year guys available: Schwarber, Hand, Hudson, Lester, Gomes, Scherzer, etc.

Turner feels tougher to envision; we just haven't seen Rizzo and the Lerner family trade away star players with remaining control left.
BhamBrave
3:16
If/when MLB expands, do you think they’ll go to 4 divisions per league? If so, would they consider doing away with inter-league play? It wouldn’t be needed with 16 teams per league.
Steve Adams
3:17
The easiest route, at least on paper, would be four divisions of four teams in each league. They could keep interleague for marketing purposes, I suppose, but it wouldn't be as needed as it is right now for scheduling purposes. I've given up trying to make sense of what this commissioner's office will deem feasible, though, and I don't think expansion is going to happen in the near future anyhow.
Gwynning
3:18
Mad Max has a NTC... has he said whether or not he would wave it?
Steve Adams
3:19
Scherzer hasn't commented on the no-trade clause, but I imagine as the deadline gets closer it'll be tough to avoid addressing it (unless the Nats snap like nine or ten straight wins and people stop looking at them as possible sellers).

Generally speaking, he's an elite 37-year-old who's known as a fierce competitor and all that -- you'd think he would want the opportunity to move to a contending club if the Nats aren't in it.
Still a Giants fan
3:20
Best pitcher you've seen in person, and best hitter you've seen in person
Steve Adams
3:22
Probably Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey Jr.? Hard to say definitively though. Peak A-Rod was amazing. Soto and Acuna are great right now. I went to dozens of Johan Santana games during what should've been his run of three consecutive Cy Young wins (had the voters not screwed him because Bartolo won 20 games). I've seen Scherzer many times too. Pedro at his peak as well.
Ric Flair
3:22
Should steroid users get into the Hall?
Steve Adams
3:25
I'm not as strict with what I consider "worthiness" in the Hall. I look at it as a museum of the game's history, and the steroid era was an obvious part of the game's history. Juiced hitters were facing juiced pitchers. There are already some steroid users in the hall. There are countless others who've cheated in other ways. And there will be more cheaters inducted for decades to come, because people are always going to find ways to bend or just completely break the rules when millions of dollars and championship celebrations are on the line.
Nicholas
3:25
Would Adam Frazier be a fit for the White Sox to trade for?
Steve Adams
3:27
Frazier's kind of the perfect guy for the White Sox in my mind. Plug him into 2B while Madrigal is out, and if Madrigal makes it back late this season, you can go ahead and move him into left field and still be confident in his glovework. He's controlled into 2022 as well, so he gives them an LF option in 2022 as well if they're comfortable putting Vaughn or Eloy in right field. They weren't shy about a questionable defensive alignment out there in 2021.
Brad
3:27
Which is more realistic for the future?  2019 Keston Hiura or 2020/2021 Keston Hiura.  May he be a AAAA player?
Steve Adams
3:32
It was pretty obvious that Hiura wasn't going to maintain his 2019 output since it was aided by a .402 average on balls in play and a homer-to-flyball ratio that is in line with the game's elite power hitters.

But I didn't think the fall would be this egregious. If he can get back to "only" whiffing in 30% of his plate appearances, there's room for him to be an above-average hitter with pretty fungible defensive value. But right now he just looks utterly lost.
He's making contact on 59% of his swings at pitches in the strike zone. League average is just shy of 84%
Without cleaning that up, I'm not too optimistic on a rebound.
2022
3:33
Twins - Kiriloff 1b, Arreaz 2b, Donaldson 3b, Larnach LF, Buxton CF, Kepler RF, Garver/Jefffreys C, Sano DH.  Who's playing ss?
Steve Adams
3:35
Someone who isn't currently in the organization. I have my doubts that they'll spend to the necessary level to get a Corey Seager or Carlos Correa, but I could see them signing someone from the "lower" tier. They wanted Marcus Semien this past winter (Jays just offered more).

Polanco will be playing 2B, by the way. I imagine Arraez will continue bouncing around the field utility-style.
Mike Trout
3:35
Excuse me. Griffey Jr?
Steve Adams
3:36
Ha, yeah I've seen Trout live plenty of times too. Griffey though -- there's something about the mystique of seeing someone like that when you're a kid in your formative years. Trout's probably a better hitter, but Ken Griffey Jr. was like a superhero to me as a kid.
Joshua
3:36
Could you create a fair and realistic trade deadline deal for Scherzer? Thanks.
Steve Adams
3:39
I think a Scherzer package is structured around one Top 50ish type of prospect and a few lower-level parts -- similar to Yu Darvish a few years back (Willie Calhoun + AJ Alexy and Brendon Davis -- Calhoun being the get).

Cardinals fans loathe the idea of trading Nolan Gorman for a rental -- or at least they have when I've suggested it in the past -- but that's a pretty clean and easy fit. Gorman is blocked at both infield corners, and they can try him in the OF or mix him in at DH if it's adopted in 2022, but that type of package makes sense to me.
Cardinals
3:39
Zack Thompson and John Torres a good start for a Jose Berrios trade???
Steve Adams
3:40
Speaking of Cardinals rotation trade scenarios!
3:41
No, though, I don't think that's enough to move the needle. For the Twins to move Berrios, I feel they'd have to get a pretty overwhelming offer, and a couple of mid-tier prospects out of St. Louis doesn't get the ball rolling, to me.
birdbat
3:42
Gorman is playing second base at Springfield and killing the ball
Steve Adams
3:43
As was Willie Calhoun when the Dodgers traded him for Darvish. You want an elite SP rental, you give up a high-end prospect. The Cards have Edman, DeJong and many other infield options who'd probably play a better defensive 2B as well. You don't have to like the scenario, but I think that's the price you're talking if you're getting the Nats, a team that historically hasn't traded pieces like Scherzer, to make the move.
Pete Rose
3:43
If you allow the roid users in the Hall then I’d better be in before them. Secondly, with the Royals wanting to be competitive next year, who would they consider trading and what would be a realistic return?
Steve Adams
3:43
Sure, put Pete in too
3:46
(I realize that's sacrilege to many, but so be it)

Royals should be willing to market any of their short-term pieces -- Taylor, Duffy (probably won't do this one, but should listen), Minor, Santana. I think it's more likely, though, that they really only listen on the rental options. They obviously want Minor to anchor the staff and will probably put a high ask on him. They seem to loyal to move a Royals lifer like Duffy, who I could see as an extension candidate (or someone they re-sign). I don't think the Royals will have a super active deadline.
Josh
3:46
Any chance the Twins trade Buxton by the deadline?
Steve Adams
3:47
More likely just the impending free agents, and perhaps Taylor Rogers (controlled through '22, arb price rising).

Buxton's been great when healthy this year, but he's also been injured to the point that moving him feels like selling a little low.
John
3:48
Galvis, Santander, Means, Mancini, Mullins, Fry: who will get traded?
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