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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 9/15/22
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Steve Adams
2:03
Greetings all -- we'll go for about an hour today
Jeffrey
2:04
World Series prediction?
Steve Adams
2:04
Is it too late to change my preseason "Blue Jays over Brewers" pick?
Orioles
2:04
What should we do with shortstop next year? Mateo? Henderson? Big FA?
Steve Adams
2:06
The defensive ratings on Mateo are great, and he has speed to offer of course, but I can't get past the .270 OBP. He's not an everyday player for me. If they want to keep him as a utility option, that's fine, but O's fans should be disappointed if the plan is for him to get 500+ PAs next season.

I think they make tons of sense for a Correa or Swanson or whoever, but I don't think they'll spend to that extent.
Slim Brady
2:07
What would your starting three in a playoff rotation look like for ATL? Fried, Morton, Strider? Or does Wright get the nod? He's looked pretty fatigued as of late.
Steve Adams
2:08
In a vacuum, that's my preferred top three (Strider/Fried/Morton), but these things don't exist in a vacuum. It'll depend on the health of each, their usage leading up to the postseason, and the opponent they're facing.
John
2:09
What teams do you think could be most heavily involved for Koudai Senga? Feels like a sleeper team (Rangers, Twins, Cardinals) could be a fit while big markets go after Verlander / DeGrom
Steve Adams
2:10
Pursuing Verlander/deGrom and pursuing Senga don't have to be mutually exclusive. The Dodgers, Yankees, etc. will be in on Senga, as will the three teams you mentioned, and probably the Mariners, Giants, Blue Jays, etc. -- most hopeful contenders will be involved to an extent.
B Bonds
2:10
What are you hearing about press/media acknowledging Judge passing Maris when/if it happens? I know he’s said 73 is the record but… us purists think differently
Steve Adams
2:11
Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs in a season. It's just an objective fact. Yes, he was on steroids. So were most of the pitchers he was facing. People have cheated in baseball since its inception. The record is 73 home runs.

Kudos to Judge if/when he breaks the AL record, the Yankees record, etc. But it's not the all-time home run record.
Minorkle
2:12
Trea Turner keeps mentioning his preference for the East Coast. As a Dodger fan, should I worry?
Steve Adams
2:14
Trea Turner does not keep mentioning that. He literally said yesterday that he's open to playing anywhere, and the "east coast preference" thing originated when he said that, behind the scenes, while trying to control where he might get traded in-season.

I have never once seen Trea Turner say, on record, "I want to sign on the East Coast" -- let alone say it multiple times. There's a large difference between reports/speculation and an on-record quote. And even if Turner said it at some point, the most recent quote from him is "I'm open to everything" and "L.A.'s been good to me."
Which is the stance every free agent should take, at least publicly.
2:15
Why undercut your market by proclaiming you'll only sign with a certain set of teams?
Redwood13
2:15
Verlander loves Houston sweet-heart deal for 2 or 3 years for 30 Million per year?
Steve Adams
2:15
$30MM annually isn't getting Verlander unless he really, really doesn't care about maxing out his earnings.
2:16
Verlander could very well beat Scherzer's AAV record and/or his total contract this winter.
Bobby Dernier
2:16
A healthy Drew Smyly is actually pretty damn useful.
Steve Adams
2:17
This is true. Smyly's good and quite talented. He's rarely healthy.
Steroid Steve
2:17
Thank you for showing your true colors. Glad you don't have a HOF vote.
Steve Adams
2:18
It's not like it's a secret I've hidden. I don't give a crap about steroid guys going into the Hall. Everyone was on steroids, and cheating in baseball spans more than a century. Should we ban guys who doctored the ball? Players in the 70s who were hopped up on amphetamines?
2:19
The Hall of Fame's a museum. The steroid era is part of baseball history. The commissioner turned a blind eye to it and the situation got out of control. It is what it is. Shrug.
Home Rune Record
2:20
So will the HR record ever be broken by a clean player?
Steve Adams
2:21
Who know? Pitchers are all cheating now. Spin rates are back to pre-Spider Tack levels, so they've probably just developed something new. I don't think it should be held against current pitchers when their names pop up on the Hall of Fame ballot.
Manny
2:22
Speculation..Pujols ends the season at 699. Does he return next year?
Steve Adams
2:22
He's said it's his last season. I don't think he'd go back on it. Hopefully he gets to 700 and it's not an issue. It'll be a fun milestone to see.
a fan
2:23
Given how more teams are moving to matching up their best relievers to the lineup instead of saving them for an inning, is the era of 9th inning guy over?  Will 300 saves become as rare as 300 wins?
Steve Adams
2:23
I don't think so. There are still teams with a clear preference for a set ninth-inning option. Plus, saves are far easier to come by than wins. It's a lot easier to see someone piling up 10 seasons of 30 saves than 15 seasons of 20 wins.
2:24
400-500 saves will be tougher, but those are rare numbers in the first place.
Bebo
2:24
You familiar with all the Pro Wrestlers who have passed because of roids?
Steve Adams
2:25
I am. I'm well aware of the negative impacts chronic steroid use can have. I'm not advocating for people to use them. I'm saying that steroid use during the late 90s/early 2000s wasn't regulated by MLB, and I don't care if those guys get elected into the Hall of Fame.
shortstop available
2:25
Why aren't any of the shortshop shoppers looking at Kevin Newman of the Pirates. The guy plays Gold Glove defense and hits above average. Just because he was "beaten out" by Oneil Cruz doesn't diminish his capabilities.
Steve Adams
2:28
I would not call Newman an above-average hitter and don't think most MLB front offices would, either. His batting average is better than league-average, but his OBP and power numbers are way, way shy of average. It's an empty .270 with a glove that doesn't rate as well as it did in '21.

He's a decent bench player, but the fact that there was never a huge trade market for him is quite likely reflective of how he's viewed throughout the game. It's not as though the Pirates would've considered him off limits.
Rawlings
2:28
Changing the ball every season effects stats more than steroids.
Steve Adams
2:28
The annual guessing game of "What will this year's ball be like?" is among the silliest things about MLB.
Jeff from Accounting
2:29
Do the Marlins try to sign any free agents to boost their offense in 2023 and beyond?
Steve Adams
2:30
I expect them to, but as we saw last year, they're going to be limited by ownership's willingness to spend and by the fact that many of the most desirable free agents are probably going to prioritize signing with contenders.

Miami has tons of pitching, though, and they can use that to bolster the offense. They line up quite nicely with the D-backs, who have tons of outfielders.
Blue Hawaii
2:31
Pitchers are checked throughout the game by umps...are the umps turning a blind eye, if you are suggesting that pitchers are "suspect" again???
Steve Adams
2:31
I'm just saying that it's an objective fact that spin rates have gone through the roof again. Eno Sarris just wrote a really good piece on it at The Athletic.
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