JotCast | Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 8/29/17

Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 8/29/17

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Steve Adams

3:02

Another joyous chat. It commences.

5$ footlong

3:03

What are Anthony Rendons odds of winning the MVP?

Steve Adams

3:04

He certainly has a chance -- he technically leads the NL in fWAR by an ever-so-slight margin, for instance -- but I think it's going to go to Stanton right now. So much of Rendon's WAR value is derived from defense, and that's fairly subjective. Stanton's ridiculous counting stats and similarly excellent overall WAR totals would win out if the season ended today, methinks.

3:05

That said, there's still a month of games to play, so Rendon can certainly enhance his standing, and Stanton can fall off.Or Corey Seager can go on a tear. Or Joey Votto. Or Nolan Arenado. Or Charlie Blackmon. Hooray baseball.

Ben F

3:05

Gee back to the bullpin call up a starter?

Steve Adams

3:05

I think Stephen Gonsalves will be starting games for the Twins within the next 10 days.

ryeandi

3:06

Why is the waiver status of some players known while others remain a mystery? Who leaks the info? Example: Cozart clear, claimed and pulled back?

Steve Adams

3:07

Agents, team execs, union officials -- it's like any other info in baseball. Some of it is leaked to reporters for whatever reason (traded for other info, drum up interest in a player, etc.) but most of it is kept close to the vest. It's the same reason we hear some trades/free-agent signings rumored for months in advance while others are just announced out of the blue by the teams.

arthroscopic andy

3:08

Is Citi Field built on an Native American burial ground?

Steve Adams

3:08

Could be. Maybe Terry Collins just sleeps on a bed of broken mirrors. That is positioned under a ladder. That is surrounded by black cats.

3:09

I do also wonder if there are some genuine issues to address in their training/medical staffs and processes. But certain things -- Conforto's freak injury chief among them -- seem entirely unavoidable.

But, the Angels, Blue Jays... there are lots of teams that've been slammed by injuries this year.

Mark

3:09

Verlander, stay or go.

Steve Adams

3:10

Stay at least until the offseason. I've been saying that since June and am not changing at the last hour.

Trade Grades

3:10

Is the Tyler O'neill for Marco Gonzalez the worst trade so far this year? I get we still havent seen O'Neill yet, but Gonzalez has given up 17 ER in 22 2/3's

Steve Adams

3:11

I mean, Tyler O'Neill has a .280 OBP and a 29% K rate in AAA with the Cardinals. At least Gonzales has performed well enough in AAA to get the chance to suck in the Majors.

Torin

3:12

Are the O's some of the worst talent evaluators in the league? Stephen Brault, Parker Bridwell, Josh Hader, now Christian Walker basically all given away

Steve Adams

3:14

Bridwell's success doesn't look remotely sustainable given his dearth of K's and enormous strand rate. Walker is 26 and in the PCL. He *should* be destroying that league. Brault was traded in a deal to get Travis Snider coming off a nice season in Pittsburgh, and I'd imagine many teams had interest in him.

Hader was extremely young, has elevated his stock considerably, and still has control issues.

Every team misses on evaluating players, and the O's have had their shares of wins as well. Tim Beckham certainly looks like a shrewd add, even if he's bound for some regression with his .450-ish BABIP

His K rate is still halved in Baltimore, or thereabouts.

3:15

That said, the Orioles' aversion to international free agency and their constant insistence on signing lumbering corner bats with negative defensive value then playing them in the OF is so weird to me

Torin

3:15

Thanks :) I know how much you hate the O's so wanted to bait you into saying something positive. Success!

Steve Adams

3:16

I don't hate the O's. I find them confusing and think they often overachieve.

Guest

3:16

Bold prediction for cardinals offseason?

Steve Adams

3:16

They'll spend more money than I'd be comfortable giving to someone like Justin Upton or J.D. Martinez. Maybe that's not all that bold, but there you have it!

James Franco

3:17

Re: Danny Duffy. Why don't these millionaire ballplayers pay someone to drive them if they want to drink?

Steve Adams

3:18

What does Duffy's status as a millionaire have to do with anything? If he were making $40K a year working an assembly line or something, he should still be able to afford Uber or Lyft. If you can afford to drink, you can afford to get a ride somewhere.

People make bad decisions all the time. It is what it is. Shrug.

For the Ladies

3:19

What's Steve Adams' relationship status?!?!

Steve Adams

3:19

I mean, 4 weeks in a row of asking this multiple times, fine, ha. That's also very weird, by the way.

I am very happily taken by a swell girl. She's great. Her cat is not as great, but it works. Back to baseball!

3:20

(Nothing against cats in general, but I'm more of a dog person.)

No Trade Luhnow

3:20

Can Astros rotation hold up & bullpen be salvaged when Harris comes back to make deep playoff run?

Steve Adams

3:22

The Astros have had Correa, Keuchel and McCullers mostly MIA for the better part of two months and still have a 13 game division lead. I think the "need" to make some drastic move was severely overstated and said as much at the time. Astros fans were up in arms about not getting Britton, who hasn't been any good when healthy in 2017 and hasn't been very healthy all year.

More than anything, they need Keuchel and McCuller to be healthy.

Tony Horton

3:23

Do you think Cleveland has a better team this year than in 2016?

Steve Adams

3:23

I think Encarnacion is better than Napoli, and obviously Jose Ramirez in 2017 is better than he was in 2016, so yeah. Having Salazar, Carrasco and Miller all healthy would make that an even more runaway "yes"

Slint

3:24

I read the Nick Castellanos cleared waivers. Why wouldn't a team at least put a claim in to see what happens?

Steve Adams

3:24

My assumption is that they just assumed it's a procedural move and didn't waste time going through the motions. But there are also lots of teams that are set at third base, and Castellanos' defense isn't pretty, so maybe some clubs just genuinely don't have interest.

Daniel

3:25

Worst current contract in MLB?

Steve Adams

3:25

Miguel Cabrera will earn $32MM in 2023 plus an $8MM buyout of a 2024 option.

3:26

Miguel Cabrera is owed $40MM in 2023. Saying that just sounds nutty.

Popcorn

3:26

Anyone getting Moved before Sept 1

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