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FO Chat July 5 2024
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Darragh McDonald
11:58
Hello, folks.
As the Americans put the fireworks on the grill or whatever, a Canadian steps in to get the job done.
11:59
Sorry for anyone thrown off by the different time, but it should be back to normal next week.
12:00
Let's get into it.
Joey
12:00
Is Rodon washed?
Darragh McDonald
12:00
I'm gonna say no. The past four starts have been bad but he had a 2.93 ERA before those.
Tom Fonthill
12:00
If the Jays do in fact sell  --  what would the Mariners have to give up to get Vladdy --
Darragh McDonald
12:01
Well, even if the Jays do sell, my guess would be they only trade the impending free agents. They probably want to take one more shot with the Vlad/Bo combo in 2025 before they hit free agency.
But for hypothetical purposes, you can probably look to the Soto or the Arraez deals.
12:02
And by Soto, I mean the recent one to the Yankees. Forgot for a second there that he's been traded twice. Crazy.
Soto has a stronger track record than Vladdy but the Yanks were just getting one year. Vlad would theoretically be available for a full year and the playoff push this year.
12:03
And Arraez has also been traded twice, so I guess I should also specify I meant the recent one, to the Padres.
He's also a free agent after 2025, like Vlad.
12:05
Those trades each had three notable prospects and some throw-in pieces as well.
Kirt
12:05
When is Jeffrey Springs going to pitch for the Tampa Bay team?  What roster change do they make?
Darragh McDonald
12:06
Springs has been rehabbing for over a month now. He got up to four innings in his most recent outing, which was on Wednesday. So, he could be reinstated at any time, really.
12:07
I would guess the Rays make another trade of a starter, like they did with Civale to make room for Baz. Eflin or Littell would be the most likely to go since both are free agents after 2025. Eflin also has a huge salary next year.
Guest
12:08
The Nats have three unheralded and unexpected pitchers in their rotation—-Irvin, Parker, and Herz. At what point can you say: here to stay, they are a building block of the rebuild, pencil them in for future years? Can Gore become the ace they will still need?
Darragh McDonald
12:09
I don't know if you can ever really be sure. You look at someone like Jack Flaherty. He seemed like one of the best pitchers in the world in 2019. Had a few rough years and now he's dominating again. It doesn't always go in a straight line.
12:11
With those three, I'll remain skeptical of Herz for a while. He's always had huge walk rates in the minors, usually in the 13-20% range. He's suddenly down to 5.8% through six major league starts. It would be stunning if he just suddenly figured that out magically in the big leagues, so I would expect regression.
12:12
Parker's been succeeding despite a tepid strikeout rate so far, but he always got Ks in the minors. Maybe those will come but there's still logic to being skeptical there as well.
12:13
Irvin has a .254 BABIP, so bit of a grain of salt needed there as well.
Sean F
12:15
It seems everyone is looking for pitching EXCEPT the Mariners.   They can’t continue to give up great games from this staff. As other teams prioritize arms can they use this to their advantage? Who do you think their main target is?
Darragh McDonald
12:15
Seems like they want to get another bat or two, as well as some bullpen reinforcements.
12:16
The fact that they aren't really looking for starting pitching makes things a bit easier, but getting a bat will still be challenging. There aren't a ton available and there will be lots of competition.
For Love of the Game
12:17
Why do the Tigers continue to trot out a subpar lineup when Parker Meadows and Dillon Dingler are hitting well in AAA?  Some of it is positional, but Meadows should be an improvement over Akil Baddoo's .132/.242/.340 slash, and Dingler needs some big-league time before Carson Kelly presumably departs in the offseason.  It just seems like other clubs are more aggressive when it comes to demotions and promotions.
Darragh McDonald
12:18
I imagine they'll both be up at some point. If not now, then definitely after the deadline. Kelly will probably be traded in the next few weeks.
12:19
Canha as well. Maybe Urshela. There will be playing time to go around.
Rob
12:19
Not really a question but if I was a manager, I would have a knuckleballer just to face Ohtani, Judge and such.  It seems to me that this might be the best way to get them off their game a little.  Do you agree or disagree?
Darragh McDonald
12:20
I like the idea, but deploying a knuckleball can be complicated. You need a catch who can receive it somewhat competently or it can turn into a circus.
There's also the risk you just end up walking them or perhaps leaving a floater right over the plate.
GBS42
12:21
Any guess on how long of a leash Juan Yepez will get as the Nationals' first baseman? Meneses was demoted, Gallon is hurt, and Yepez has hit well in Triple-A. Does Washington have any other choice than to let him try to prove himself?
Darragh McDonald
12:21
If he's half decent, he probably gets the rest of the year. But if he's terrible, Meneses is still there and can be recalled.
12:23
There's a decent chance they trade Winker and/or Lane Thomas in the next few weeks. So they should have lots of at-bats for Yepez.
Rich
12:24
It's been over 2 months since Xfinity/Comcast no longer carry Bally Sports.  Is there any negotiations currently happening?  If teams like the Cardinals currently hold the streaming rights, will they, this season, find a streaming partner?
Darragh McDonald
12:24
I'm not an expert on this kind of stuff but it's in bankruptcy court.
I believe the company is trying to argue that they have a viable plan to keep operating, whereas MLB is arguing that they don't.
12:25
At this point, it's still not clear if Diamond will exist by the end of the year, so it's all kind of up in the air.
Dave
12:26
Do the Dodgers have the best mix of   prospect capital and/or controlled MLB players to match up with White Sox for Crochet and Robert, Jr?  Do you see Friedman pulling the trigger on this type of blockbuster? Thanks for the chat! Dave
Darragh McDonald
12:27
I'll be very interested to see how both the Crochet and Robert situations play out. The Sox probably want a massive package for either, and there's kind of a case there for both.
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