You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Front Office Chat: 1/30/26
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page
Alexei Anthopoloussi
3:40
What's my final move to round out my paper thin rotation? The farm has a few promising guys like Caminiti and Didier, but there's likely not enough there to make a high-impact trade without just emptying the whole thing. Any FA that you like? Any under the radar trades? I can't watch another season where my entire rotation is on the DL for months at a time.
Anthony Franco
3:41
Braves should be on Bassitt or Giolito. Need a legitimate mid-rotation guy there
Noam
3:41
Do you buy the criticism that Matt Arnold tends to sell low on impending free agents?  If so, what do you attribute this to?  Does the front office simply attach a time value to a quick resolution
Anthony Franco
3:43
Not really. I just think the days of teams giving up a top 25 overall prospect for a rental are over unless we're talking an Ohtani, Skubal, Soto level of superstar
3:44
The Hader package (pretty sure that was still a Stearns move but Arnold was there obviously) was a good one and indirectly netted them Contreras. Thought they did well on Burnes at the time, and while it looks worse now because Ortiz is coming off a terrible year, he's a year removed from being an above-average player
3:46
I didn't like their end of the Devin Williams move but Durbin's better than I gave him credit for. Would they have been hanging onto Peralta for a year and a pick than cashing him and Myers in for Jett/Sproat? Defensible to make that case but this is about what I expected they'd get if they did move him and they're just not re-signing those guys
Joshua
3:46
Orioles send Ryan Mountcastle to the Nats for Jacob Young, who says no?
Anthony Franco
3:46
Not seeing the point for the Nats
TigersFan
3:46
Am I wrong in think Scott Harris should be fired? Torres, Jansen, Finnegan , and Jack are the only pieces of major league talent he's brought it, he had a bad deadline and offseason, has only extended Keith and is alienating the best pitcher in the game.
Sparky Anderson
3:46
How do the Tigers explain one signing ( K. Jansen) and nothing new on offense and expect to be better this year after their second half collapse last year?
Mickey Lolich
3:47
Could be argued that even if Mr. I opens the vault to sign Skubal, it would still be a disappointing offseason.  Signing Skubal provides no improvement to the current roster…..
Anthony Franco
3:49
Not going to opine on Harris' job security but I share your frustration with the offseason. Still think there's a rotation move coming but if this was all they were going to do to improve, the Gleyber QO is even more inexplicable than it was in November
3:50
I'm alright with the offense, at least waiting until McGonigle arrives and evaluating at the deadline, but that was conditional on them doing something much better than a Drew Anderson flier in the rotation. Just a bizarre lack of urgency going back to the deadline
3:51
It's great to have a strong farm system but not pushing the chips in at any point when you should be the clear favorites in the division and have the best pitcher on the planet is such a letdown
And Goldy Goes To
3:51
Where will Goldy end up signing? He’s not done, is he? Eventual HOFer?
Anthony Franco
3:53
D-Backs reunion has long made the most sense to me -- less so for the nostalgia and just the actual roster need of a RHH first baseman with Locklear hurt and maybe not very good. I think the MVP in St. Louis tipped him over into future HOF, yeah
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
3:53
Is there a way the M's could fit Araez into their lineup? They need the contact bat but don't have a clear position available. They really need to replace Polo's bat somehow. Maybe not with power but some sort of production.
Anthony Franco
3:54
Yeah it could work, primary DH with sporadic starts at second or third base. Depends on how you feel about Canzone, I guess
3:57
The numbers last year were really good and he does hit the ball hard, but the plate discipline metrics are rough and every time I've watched him hit, it just feels to me that he's not very good.

That's more of a vibes thing though, and most of the projection systems have him and Arraez as slightly above-average hitters next year
Lockout
3:58
I Know the issue that always comes up regarding the potential lockout is a salary cap/floor.  What are the chances they may work out something where the contracts are lower (or at least just shorter) while shortening the length of club control?  I personally would like that so young players are paid what their worth and teams don’t get stuck with expensive bench pieces
Anthony Franco
3:59
Doubt the Players Association would see much of a practical distinction between a team salary cap and a limit on contract length. They're both massive hindrances on players at the top of the market
JL
3:59
Are the Os better off going with their pitching staff plus a Giolito or CB to get them to the trade deadline where they can find reinforcement's
Anthony Franco
4:00
I'd be on Framber and if that doesn't happen, hold until the deadline and see what shakes out
4:02
Bassitt, Giolito, Verlander are all solid -- better than Kremer, who still has an option -- but they're kind of more of the same of what Baltimore already has. If the budget is in a spot that they don't want to pay Valdez, I'd worry that signing one of the mid-tier guys limits their flexibility too much for midseason trades
Bill Metsiac
4:03
How do stats of Japanese players compare with AAA numbers here? Is a .300 hitter there expected to be better than one with that BA in the IL or PCL?
Ditto for ERAs?
Anthony Franco
4:06
NPB is a better league than Triple-A overall but it's extremely lower scoring. The ball doesn't jump as much and a lot of their hitting instruction is still geared toward ground-ball contact at lower exit velocities (despite Murakami being like the most extreme three true outcomes guy on the planet)
4:08
The respective NPB league stats are available here. ERAs were 2.97 and 3.04. Batting averages not too dissimilar to MLB but lower OBP and much less slug
4:09
By contrast, the average PCL pitcher had a 5.45 ERA and the average batter hit .271 with an .803 OPS
JoeS7
4:10
What do you think the market is for Patrick Corbin and could he be the Pirates left handed starter pick up?  What do you think it would take?
Anthony Franco
4:10
Yeah Corbin seems very Pirates. Marlins could fit with similar logic
4:11
One-year deal, probably $3-5M
RoxTalks
4:11
The Rockies, more than any other team, should be prioritizing contact over power, at least for now. They have the largest outfield in baseball and the (old) front office/coaching staff have proven that they cannot prepare players for hitting away from Coors Field, making the Julien addition a bit odd in my view. He'll probably have something close to a 35% strikeout rate this season (he's already at 31.7% for his career). If you're the front office in Denver, what's the appeal for fringe roster additions like him and McCarthy, at the expense of giving up pitching depth that they don't have, other than these are simply dart throws to see what might stick?
Anthony Franco
4:13
Don't disagree that they're low probability dart throws but that's all they're all positioned to do right now. Not a huge fan of the McCarthy one -- would rather have given Yanquiel one more shot -- but someone has to play first base and Julien has enough to like about him that I don't mind it
4:15
Also kind of like Pierson Ohl in a vacuum, although the below-average velocity with 70 command isn't the most appealing profile at Coors. Unlikely either of the two pitchers they gave up ever reach the majors
Alan
4:16
Kenley Jansen is 24 saves short of 500 for his career and has 1278 strikeouts and a career 2.57 ERA. Does he get into the Hall of Fame?  I say yes
Anthony Franco
4:19
Yeah I think he's in. I'm ambivalent on any non-Mariano relievers as Hall of Famers but voters like the huge save guys and I'd take Jansen's consistency of the trio with Aroldis and Kimbrel
Connecting…