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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 8/30/22
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Steve Adams
10:55
Greetings all! I've been having some odd issues with my connection this morning but just reset the router, so hopefully we're clear. Advanced apologies on any related delays that apply, though.
We'll get going in a couple minutes, but feel free to start asking questions now
Hoyer
10:57
What would a realistic trade look like for Ohtani? More than Soto?
Steve Adams
10:58
It'd have to be less than Soto, at least in my view. I'd rather have Ohtani in 2023 than Soto in 2023, but the Padres were trading for two full seasons of Soto, plus three postseason pushes with him. The value of those extra years is immense.
Eggs Benedict
10:58
How do you see the market for Dansby if the Braves don't re-sign?
Steve Adams
11:00
Phillies (sorry), Twins, Red Sox, Angels, Cubs all come to mind as teams with money to spend and potential needs at SS. Sox could of course just slide Story over from 2B, but he's been elite there defensively.
Doug
11:00
Is Hader pitching his way to a non tender candidate?
Steve Adams
11:01
It's a pretty brutal stretch, but I feel like the Padres will tender him regardless, given that they surrendered Ruiz and Gasser and it's just a one-year deal with immense upside. Struggles are probably deflating the cost of that one-year deal, too.
Tommy dreamer
11:02
If the Yankees lose judge could they realistically acquire ohtani?
Steve Adams
11:03
Absolutely. They'd probably have to change their stance on being unwilling to part with Anthony Volpe though, and that's seemingly been a dealbreaker for them in all trade talks.

(Also, sincerely hope this is the real Tommy Dreamer, ha; someone pointed out to me that he follows MLBTR on Twitter awhile ago, and the teenage ECW fan in me was beaming ear to ear, ha.)
RedFraggle
11:04
I've asked this a bazillion times, but nobody seems to have the answer: How do AAA players get matched up with KBO/Japanese teams? Are the foreign teams actively seeking out AAAA players or are the agents looking for the teams?
Steve Adams
11:06
It can go both ways, but it's common for veterans who ink minor league deals (and that includes minor league vets) to have foreign opportunity clauses bargained into their contracts. KBO and NPB teams are just like big league teams in the sense that they're pro clubs with GMs who are scouring the globe for talent. They're definitely keeping tabs on some lower-tier big leaguers and upper-level minor leaguers.
Twins
11:06
Why is Pagan still in the Twins bullpen. Can he be sent to minors?
Steve Adams
11:08
Part of the reason he's still in there is because, no, he cannot be optioned without his consent. (Players with more than five years of service earn the right to refuse/approve any assignment to AAA)

Pagan's stuff is awesome, and I know for a fact other teams beyond the Twins are enamored of it. If he were a free agent at season's end, he'd probably have been cut loose by now, but I imagine they're hopeful of still getting him sorted out and him being a piece of the puzzle next year.

That said, as good as the pure raw stuff may be, Pagan is immensely homer-prone, and I'm pretty surprised Minnesota hasn't just cut bait. He's been killing them.
Andres Munoz
11:09
You see me pitch? Holy moly
Steve Adams
11:09
Sure have. Love Munoz. Might be the best reliever in the American League.
Amir
11:09
Trea resigns with the Dodgers, 8/$300M. Deal?
Steve Adams
11:09
If they offer that, I'd be shocked to see him pass.
Braves fan
11:10
What’s a bad contract comparable to ozuna that Braves might be able to trade for
Steve Adams
11:11
I don't think anyone's going near Ozuna just to shed a similarly sized contract. Maybe the Nationals would take him if it meant the Braves picked up the tab on the rest of the Patrick Corbin deal or something -- Corbin is owed $22MM more over the same time period -- but at that point the Braves are better off just releasing him.
Irate Nate
11:12
Will Cincinnati get this rebuild right and at least have a couple of competitive seasons before doing this all again?
Steve Adams
11:13
I thought they did well in the trades of Mahle and Castillo. Getting nothing in return for Raisel was a pretty glaring misstep though, and the success of any rebuilding effort is somewhat dependent on how much ownership will spend to supplement the young core once it reaches the Majors.

I'll say this: It's off to a better start than the last one, when they waited too long across the board to move Chapman, Frazier, Cueto, Leake, etc.
Phil
11:13
With a bunch of young infielders (Peraza, Cabrera, Volpe) potentially earning a big league roster spots in spring next year, do you think the Yanks will move one or more of Donaldson/Torres/IKF?
Steve Adams
11:15
IKF was always just a placeholder until Volpe or Peraza was ready, but I don't think it's a guarantee he's traded. Could just keep him as a utility guy.

Donaldson is going to be hard to move at this point. Torres seems plausible, but likely only if they get an immediate big league piece back.
Guest
11:16
Can you endorse Grissom as a bonafide star? Or are we attributing this hot start to pitchers going right at him before they make a big adjustment? I am wondering what to do with him on my fantasy team. Can’t keep him out of the lineup but I’m not confident in his ability to keep up this production; and I fear that he could be a candidate to tank in September as pitchers around the NL catch up to his bat speed
Steve Adams
11:18
I think we can recognize that he's a premium talent while still also attributing much of the early surge to small sample noise. Grissom was sitting on a BABIP just shy of .500 for his first couple weeks, and no one's going to sustain that. He's hitting .256/.275/.359 with one walk and eight strikeouts over his past 10 games.

I think he still very much has the potential to be a regular with the Braves, but the approach probably needs some work and the shine can wear off any young call-up quickly, just as is the case with the random hot starts we see every April.
Pitching Factory
11:19
Did the Dodgers fix Heaney or is his resurgence because they baby him and limit his innings?
Steve Adams
11:20
He's throwing harder than ever and has completely revamped his pitch arsenal, including throwing a brand new slider 34% of the time.
Tigers Fan
11:21
Can you clarify something.  Keep reading that Nolan Arenado has an opt out of his contract after this season.  Does he?  No mention of any opt out on Baseball-reference and he is not included on MLBTR's list of pending free agents, where guys with opt outs and options are routinely listed.
Steve Adams
11:22
Arenado does have an opt-out and should be on our free agent list. We've been including him in our Free Agent Power Rankings series. Not sure how he got removed from the FA List, but I'll fix that. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Admiral obvious
11:22
Zaidis failure to correctly identify Rodon market value may have a 2 year effect on Giants entire progress
Steve Adams
11:24
As in, to identify a trade market?

I think it's much more a case that no one wants to trade for a pending free agent with a player option. Teams had to value Rodon as a pure rental, but if he breaks down over the final couple months -- which is exactly what he did in 2021 -- he's going to opt into that second year at a premium salary.

There's a ton of downside, so even as good as Rodon is, it's understandable to me that teams were reluctant to trade a ton for him
11:25
And if he'd taken the best offer for Rodon, which was surely quite light, the same fans angry that he held would be angry that he took an underwhelming return. It was a no-win situation.

I think the Giants made some questionable moves when it comes to constructing their roster -- particularly in the 'pen and on the position-player side of things -- but the lack of a Rodon deal doesn't shock me.
Justin
11:26
Why on earth would the jays pickup Zimmer again? Seems like they have more than enough outfielders.
Steve Adams
11:27
They clearly love the glove and baserunning -- and rosters are set to expand in two days (albeit only by two spots). Still, I get the frustration from Jays fans... I'm pretty amazed he's made it this far into a season with a consistent spot on Major League rosters, given the extent of his struggles.
11:29
I also feel like it's an impossible situation for Zimmer, though. He's never been a good hitter, granted, but the Jays give him like two or three plate appearances per week. I believe he had 14 PAs in the SIX WEEKS leading up to his last DFA. I doubt there are many guys who would produce with such a dearth of meaningful reps.
Captain America
11:29
Contract offer for Edwin Diaz?
Steve Adams
11:30
First ever nine-figure deal for a reliever, but probably not over 100 by all that much.
John Mozeliak
11:31
Nolan Arenado is not going anywhere. Just saying.
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