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Front Office Chat: 1/27/23
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Anthony Franco
4:21
I imagine they'll open talks with both, although Urías in particular might just not want to do it given how close he is to free agency. He has a chance to really push the boundaries for what a FA starting pitcher can get in free agency since we basically never see pitchers that young get there
4:22
Cartaya hasn't played above High-A yet. No need to reshuffle things for him this year
That's top catching prospect Diego Cartaya, for those unfamiliar
charlie window
4:22
Thanks for the chat, Anthony.  As Yogi Berra would say, it's getting late early...in terms of the remaining free agents finding homes.  Where do you thing Gary Sanchez and Elvis Andrus (and any others you have opinions on) land?
Anthony Franco
4:23
Darragh's recent post on Andrus raised Arizona as a speculative fit, and I like that one
4:24
Sánchez, I have no idea. Tigers could do this I guess. Rockies probably should but seem content to run it back with Elias Díaz for some reason
Dan-o
4:24
We can see a completely overhauled and improved rotation, but who do you see getting the bulk of saves for the Rangers? Please say my $1 investment in Leclerc was a wise one…
Anthony Franco
4:24
He'd be my pick for the first crack at it, yeah
4:25
Joe Barlow probably the next one up. Jonathan Hernández has the repertoire for it but has to throw more strikes than he did last year first
Back to Back
4:25
I don't know much about front office individuals, but the Dana Brown hire seems to be getting rave reviews.  Can you share your thoughts on him/it?
Anthony Franco
4:26
Yeah I never have a ton to add on those. I don't know any of the high-ranking front office people personally and can't offer any insight on how impactful he was for the Braves
4:27
Obviously, Atlanta has an excellent recent draft track record. Anthopoulos has brought Brown in at multiple stops, so I assume he played a significant role in those processes. Seems like a perfectly solid hire from what I can infer from the outside
cdub53
4:27
Which Rangers minor league prospects might make it to Arlington this year?
Anthony Franco
4:28
Foscue's the one I'm most excited for. Would be cool to see Owen White earn a late-season look
Obviously Josh Jung if you're still including him in that group
Outfielders
4:28
Which uniforms are Max Kepler, Bryan Reynolds, and Alek Thomas wearing on Opening Day?
Anthony Franco
4:29
I don't expect the latter two to get traded
Kepler's pretty tricky, although I'd guess he does get moved. Milwaukee or Seattle kind of fit
AHume92
4:29
Are you surprised the Blue Jays haven't shored up 2B at all? None of the options are elite defenders and it doesn't seem too reasonable to bank on Merrifield based on two months of decent play.
Anthony Franco
4:31
Not really. I expect Merrifield will get the job and just runs with it. Disagree with you in saying they'd be trusting him based on just his last two months. Merrifield was a really good player for years in Kansas City whose tenure there ended with a couple bad months
AHume92
4:31
Do you think the Jays overpaid for Varsho? It seems like a lot of his value came from his being very good in CF.  He's probably ticketed for left, which seems like a waste.
Anthony Franco
4:33
Maybe a little bit, although everyone knew they were likely to trade one of the catchers at some point and Varsho's a good player who's controllable for a while at below-market rates. Gold Glove defense in left while manning center if Kiermaier gets injured should still be pretty valuable
4:34
I'd be a little more concerned about regression from a power perspective. I think he's more of a 20-homer type than a guy who pushes 30 every year
So I like it a little more from Arizona's perspective but totally get why both teams made the move
Jorge78
4:34
Speaking of front offices, has any MLB team ever tried to hire you or Steve or Tim or anyone on staff and would you go?
Anthony Franco
4:36
I don't know about Tim or Steve. I had a couple interviews for low-level front office positions before getting hired full-time at MLBTR and never got especially far in the process. I don't have the tech skills that'd make me especially appealing to a team
4:37
Would I go? I'd have to give it some thought if a team reached out but I'm not actively seeking out those opportunities anymore so I'm not holding my breath haha
A's Fan
4:37
I get trading Cole Irvin. I don't get trading Irvin +1 to land a MI prospect that's barely played above High-A and can't even crack Oakland's Top 15 (per MLB.com). Have the A's wrecked their rebuild?
Anthony Franco
4:38
Just feels like another situation of the A's having a very different opinion on a prospect than public consensus. They've marched to the beat of their own drum on those for years (Semien, Kevin Smith, Esteury Ruiz, etc.)
4:39
Lot to like about Hernaiz. Good athlete, contact skills, up-the-middle defensive home. I buy that the A's disagree with public boards and think he's a top 10-15 player in a great Baltimore system
If they truly felt he was the O's #34 prospect or whatever, then they wouldn't have made the deal
Stormy
4:40
Why did the marlins include their number 5 prospect in the Lopez deal?  That baffled me
Anthony Franco
4:40
Arraez had an extra year of club control over Pablo, basically
4:41
You're certainly not the only one who thinks that Miami overpaid by including Salas though. I don't mind it but have seen a number of people (Steve included) argue that it didn't make much sense for them
Stormy
4:41
Ohtani contract over 500m?  I think so possibly by quite a bit.
Anthony Franco
4:41
That's where I'd set the O/U and I also lean over for now (albeit probably without the same confidence as you)
4:42
Need another year of complete health and typical Ohtani production to find out. Fingers crossed that happens, he'd be a fascinating case
Guest
4:42
Do you think Ruiz will be in the minors or get to play for the A's at the start of the season?
Anthony Franco
4:42
Don't think he has anything else to prove in Triple-A, should be in the big leagues
4:43
The only think kind of working against him is that Cristian Pache is out of options and needs everyday reps to see if he'll ever hit enough to be even a fourth outfielder
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