JotCast | Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams 8/4/20

Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams 8/4/20

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Steve Adams

2:06

That said, I like Ben Cherington, and Derek Shelton seems very intelligent -- some rays of optimism there.

Dark

2:06

Cant believe Ruf isnt getting more starts!

Steve Adams

2:07

He will when the Giants face more lefties. Ruf has always destroyed lefties and struggled against righties.

weezy

2:07

Any word on Juan Soto returning today?

Steve Adams

2:07

He's activated but not in the lineup. Available to pinch hit.

mlb1225

2:07

Is this just a pure tank season for the Bucs?

Steve Adams

2:08

Might as well at this point. Not like they were ever trying in the first place, and the 2-8 start isn't helping things.

mmddyyyy

2:08

Do agents make a portion of arbitration money?

Steve Adams

2:09

They do -- whatever the agency's standard commission is. (Five percent in most cases, but some firms vary)

Philly Phan

2:09

Is Matt Klentak a bad GM or has he just been unlucky with decisions that looked good on paper?

Steve Adams

2:10

I thought the Realmuto trade was a good one, and plenty of his signings have been solid even if they haven't worked out. (Doubt anyone expected David Robertson, the most durable reliever in MLB, to immediately go down with a two-year elbow injury, for instance)

2:11

There have been some missteps or questionable moves, sure, but that's true of all GMs. I think he gets more of a bad rap than he deserves among Phils fans -- particularly those who say he should be fired if he doesn't extend JTR. At this point, that's very clearly not his call. Revenue losses are enormous around the game, and he can't give JTR money if Middleton doesn't want to commit to a nine-figure deal.

Little Orange

2:12

Who is most likely to be traded before the deadline Givens, Cobb, or LeBlanc?

Steve Adams

2:12

Givens

Jeff

2:13

How soon before an MLB player gets a billion dollar contract?

Steve Adams

2:13

We haven't even seen someone get $400MM in new money yet.

Joe

2:13

No way Carlos Rodon gets anything but a non-tender this year at this point, right?

Steve Adams

2:14

We'll see how long he's sidelined by this still-vague shoulder injury, but a non-tender seems increasingly plausible, yes.

Matt Harvey

2:14

Could Atlanta be a possibility for me?

Steve Adams

2:14

He signed with the Royals already.

Niko

2:15

Do you think some teams are holding back from promoting their highly ranked minor leaguers until after the super two date? Any idea when that date will land in this shortened season?

Steve Adams

2:16

I don't think teams care about the Super Two cutoff as much as they used to -- well, some of the lower-budget clubs do -- but it'd fall around three weeks into this season based on some really crude math. It's always a bit of a floating target since it's determined relative to a group of players and their service time, but a bit more than three weeks would be a safe estimate.

Curious George

2:17

When are you auditioning for a spot on the Marlins?

Steve Adams

2:18

If anyone on the MLBTR staff would, it'd be Jeff Todd! He actually played competitive ball into his 30s. I washed out early high school and accepted that I am woefully inept as a ballplayer (but was a pretty good runner -- yay track and cross country?)

George Springer

2:18

I look lost at the plate - just cold start or indicative of the amount I relied on "help" in the past.

Steve Adams

2:18

Springer was a first-round pick who hit at every stop in the minors and has hit every season in the big leagues.

2:19

Not saying the trash-can scheme didn't help him -- of course it did -- but 42 plate appearances this year aren't telling us anything about him

2:20

Plus -- even though he's hitting .182, offense throughout the league is so suppressed that his .333 OBP and .364 SLG put his overall output close to league average.

The league-average bat right now is hitting .233/.315/.396.

It's not just Springer, Yelich, etc.

Phil

2:20

Is Jean Segura washed up? He was a hitting machine for a while, but he has been completely unimpressive since arriving in Philly.

Steve Adams

2:22

He was a solid all-around player in '19 but yeah, the bat has tailed off without much explanation. He's another example of a Klentak move that I thought made perfect sense but hasn't panned out as well as could have been reasonably expected.

Rick Vaughn

2:22

Who has the more exciting young core: Blue Jays or White Sox?

Steve Adams

2:22

More exciting young core?

White Sox (53% | 187 votes)

Blue Jays (47% | 166 votes)

Total Votes: 353

Matthew Boyd

2:22

Even with a 16-team playoff the Tigers are not winning anything. Do they move Boyd this season, especially with all of the injuries to starters?

Steve Adams

2:24

Yeah I have a hard time seeing the Tigers really contending, even with a .500 start through 10 games. I think Boyd will be among the more in-demand arms again. Teams will be loath to part with much for rentals, so guys with control beyond 2020 -- especially two more years, like Boyd -- will be very sought after.

Matt

2:26

Idk why everyone is freaking out about the expanded playoffs letting bad teams in. the extra teams last year woulda been:Indians, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Mets, Cubs and Rangers. The only bad team in that list was the Rangers. Every other team in that list was at least +50 in run differential

Steve Adams

2:27

Yeah, I don't mind just expanding the novelty of the 2020 season.

Plus, mediocre teams make the postseason every year. The Cardinals won 83 games in 2006 and won the World Series.

Brian

2:28

Nate Pearson - Here to stay ace or up and down pitcher rest of season?

Steve Adams

2:28

Here to stay