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Craig Edwards FanGraphs Chat--6/25/2020
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Craig Edwards
2:03
Let's get rolling.
Robert
2:03
Does the truncated season hurt contending or rebuilding clubs more?
Craig Edwards
2:05
It hurts rebuilding clubs more. No minor league season hurts a bunch. The calculus was a bit different when the loss of a season was much more likely, but since it looks like there will be a season (fingers crossed), contending teams still get to compete for a World Series.
Cautiously Optimistic
2:06
I am curious and even a little excited to see this hyper regional experiment. It does make me question how viable the leagues really are. I know they make getting to a WS winner easier but does AL vs. NL mean much when half the games are already played against your regional cohort?
Craig Edwards
2:09
It's going to make the playoffs a little weird because you are going to have teams face off in the playoffs who have never played against each other in the regular season, which is more of an AL-NL thing. Interleague play generally  creates the possibility of a repeat matchup but the odds are only like 1 in 3 in a general season and even then it isn't a big part of the season. The regional schedule will create more of an AL-NL feel at the start of the playoffs, but it will still be there in the World Series unless we get an East-East etc. matchup.
2:10
The real test is going to be expansion to see if things get switched back up, but I don't think it is the DH that makes the league different, it's simply the makeup of the group of teams that have traditionally been in each league.
Lorenzo
2:12
Teams will have to decide on a 40 man roster and then a 20 man taxi squad to begin the season.  Around how many total players/prospects are there in camps roughly?   In other words, how many will not be chosen?
Craig Edwards
2:12
If you take a look at Roster Resource's Opening Day Tracker: https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/opening-day-tracker/cardinal...
2:15
there's around 60-70 players we were keeping track of heading into the season in the spring. This will be a bit different given that teams will have two camps relatively close to each other. A lot of the time a team's better prospects get invites to srping training even if they won't make the club and then get sent back to minor league camp fairly early on. This is going to be a mix of that with some of those guys going to camp to get work in for the rest of the year so they don't lose a full year along with all the players who would be the veteran-type Triple-A players who normally get the call when injured players go down.
Ballsandgutters
2:16
Is there anyone beyond Puig who is a FA of interest?
Craig Edwards
2:16
This article from Tony Wolfe might be of interest. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/mlb-is-back-and-someone-should-sign-these-...
Kiermaier's Piercing Green Eyes
2:16
When will we start hearing about players opting out of the season?
Craig Edwards
2:18
Players report on July 1 so I would imagine that it will be pretty close to then for the players in the high-risk category. The other issue is the testing that players have been taking and will continue to take and how that might impact a player's decision. COVID-19 affects everyone differently so there might be some pretty severe cases from the get-go that could give players pause.
TED
2:18
Since the balls will be removed from play after so many touches, does that also mean there will, or should not be ball boys or bat boys risking additional handling of balls, and equipment?... and who's counting?
Craig Edwards
2:19
I don't think there will be ball boy or girls. I would think the umpires would be counting, but don't know for sure.
Dave
2:20
You had an earlier article this month about how much money teams were going to make or lose this year.  With the return to play finalized, have those numbers changed at all?
Craig Edwards
2:21
If some teams have fans, that's going to make a difference. If some teams own or can negotiate different deals with their local RSNs, that could make an impact as well.
Curious
2:22
I read your article about the NL DH a while back, but didn't realize until yesterday that you wrote an entire follow-up about the Mets DH situation- was that in response to Mets fans getting het up in the comments section of the first article? Also, are you the kind of person who is open to the idea that you might be wrong?
Craig Edwards
2:24
I'd like to think I'm open to new evidence or correcting myself if I get something wrong. That said, I noted in the NL DH article https://blogs.fangraphs.com/nl-teams-stand-to-lose-out-if-theres-a-uni...
2:25
that if I substituted Cespedes for Dominic Smith, the Mets would move up to the middle of the pack. The new Mets piece wasn't really admitting that I was wrong, it was more of an explanation of how the situation might work. I mean, I called the article, "https://blogs.fangraphs.com/no-the-mets-do-not-have-a-good-designated-...
Frank
2:26
Any indication on what happens with the draft order for next season?  Just based on this season?  Or wait to see if we even get a full season to begin with?
Craig Edwards
2:26
I imagine it will be based on record this season, just like normal.
TKDC
2:26
Do you think any teams will actually sign free agents to decently large contracts (let’s say over $2 million) for 2020?
Craig Edwards
2:26
No. I don't see that happening.
Bad at math
2:27
Matt Carpenter has a 1100 PA vest for last year and this year for an 18.5M option to kick in. He had 492 last year leaving 608. With this season being 37% long, how many PAs can I root for him not to get this year?
Craig Edwards
2:29
I have some news for you. Carpenter's contract already covers the 2021 season. His vesting option is based on PAs in 2020 and 2021 and is for the 2022 season.
Sam
2:29
How good does it feel to have actual baseball to write about instead of labor issues?
Craig Edwards
2:30
I'm pretty excited about it. I think I've got one more labor thing I'm working on, and there might be some deal for expanded playoffs over the next month, but I'm hopeful that baseball is going to happen and I don't have to worry for a while about disagreements between players and owners.
Overbearing Padre
2:31
What are some of the creative ways to maneuver the roster to win in a sixty-game season? Will it mostly just be managing the team with openers or like it's a playoff game? Will taxi squads be used in a bizarre fashion?
Craig Edwards
2:34
That depends on your strengths as a team. Do you have an ace you can pitch every five days because one or two extra starts from your best pitcher could make a difference? Do you have some young relievers who can go 2-3 innings at a time? A lot will depend on how well starters can get going and how many good relievers you have. Opener-type situations probably can and should be pretty common.
Jon
2:34
Hey Craig. Curious your thoughts on the new extra innings rule. I’m seeing a lot of fan rage, but I mostly think it’s purists or people who don’t understand the point of the rule. I’ve been on the road with teams for three years now and those extras are grueling. Yes, they’re few and far between, but when you need to get on the bus at 6am to go from Maryland to South Carolina, you want to be at the hotel before 1 to get some sleep. I’m not saying it’s a perfect rule, but it works. Players don’t want to be there all night, and I think most fans want to call it a night after 4 or so hours. A bit long winded, sorry. But just curious. The rule to me last year was a godsend
Craig Edwards
2:36
I don't really like the runner on second rule because I worry about starting every inning with a bunt attempt, which isn't exactly enjoyable. If I were going to do it, I would do it for the home team only if they pitched the top of the inning without giving up a run. I also don't really have a problem with ties for this season.
Isolated Thinker
2:36
Will minor league option rules apply for players sent to the taxi squad?  What's stopping a team from sending a SP to the taxi squad while he waits for his next start?
Craig Edwards
2:38
I believe there are still normal roster moves and 40-man roster. You can't just pull players back and forth as you see fit without injury. And a lot of guys, you can't really option to begin with. The difference in pay is huge, plus service time. Players wouldn't really go along with it.
David
2:39
Is the 3 batter rule for relievers still going to be in effect this year? I assume it is but I wondered if it will be killed for pitcher safety resasons
Craig Edwards
2:39
Yes, it still is.
Kershawshank
2:39
How soon do we see the first significant trade once the transaction freeze is lifted
Craig Edwards
2:41
I think it will end up being within a few days of the start of the season. Teams are going to trade for a big player or give up a big prospect if there isn't some certainty that a season will happen and the players involved are healthy.
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