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Front Office Chat: 10/21/22
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Anthony Franco
3:21
The Astros don't seem as optimistic as I am. They've tried to acquire a better center fielder, given chances to Jake Meyers and José Siri (worse players IMO). But if they give him the opportunity, I do think McCormick can be an above-average everyday CF
JBD
3:21
If the Dodgers offer Bellinger a 20% pay cut and he goes to arbitration, can the Dodgers release him in spring training and be free and clear of the arb amount?
Anthony Franco
3:23
I'm actually not sure where this ended up, should look into it. I know they changed the CBA to entitle arb-eligible players to a full season of termination pay if released in Spring Training (previously was only 30-45 days), but I believe that's only the case for guys who settled rather than go to a hearing
Good question, I'll try to figure this out
Bob T
3:23
Anthony, thanks for these chats.
Is it possible for the Angels to deal Ohtani to the Padres with Tatis Jr as the centerpiece? This is basically a hypothetical question because I know Arte would prefer to keep Ohtani for 2023. I think the Padres have been embarrassed by the offseason antics of Tatis Jr and may be more amenable to trading him.  This would give the Angels their SS for the next ten years. The Padres would be their face for the next several seasons. Of course it would require the Padres to have a window to negotiate an extension.
Anthony Franco
3:24
Nah this kind of thing never happens and I can't see the Angels taking on a massive Tatis deal after what happened this season
Joey
3:24
Everyone praises the Braves for locking up their young stars early. I generally agree with this praise. However. It seems to me like the Strider deal is actually pretty player friendly and that they didn't get him on much of a discount. Seems to me like more of a standard buy out the arb years deal than a true "wow they locked down a young star for cheap" deal. Do you agree?
Anthony Franco
3:25
Yep I think you're on it. More than double the previous record for an extension in his service window, Strider really came out well there
Not saying I dislike the move for the Braves. They're ultra-committed to this core for the next decade regardless, and Strider looks really god. I totally get why they did it
3:26
But yeah, this is not "Acuna, Albies, now Strider. Braves did it again." He got paid
Giantsphan
3:26
Hey Anthony, thanks for the chat!  As a Giants fan, I watch a lot of Dodgers games and I find them rather fun to watch.  I wish my team beat them more often but the rivalry is great!  That said, I am fascinated by their relatively poor post-season success over the past ten years.  Why do you think they seem to “choke” so often in the post?  I believe a lot of has to do with how Doc manages his pitching staff year after year.  His 5 and done with his starters seemed odd to me this year, last year he used Scherzer in a weird way (spot relief = dead arm) etc.  Your take?  Thank you!
Anthony Franco
3:27
Goes back to what I was saying earlier, but I don't think there's some fundamental flaw with the Dodgers that prevents them from having playoff success. Even the best teams have like a 20% of winning the World Series going into the playoffs
And the Dodgers won two years ago. It's not like there's no proof of concept here. Say what you want about the weirdness of the season, but that playoff was as hard as any for a favorite to come through
3:28
No home-field advantage, a three-game series for everybody to start it off. Dodgers pulled through there
Kirt
3:28
Does oneil Cruz become a star?
Anthony Franco
3:29
Skeptical. Think the combination of the strikeouts and lack of defensive value (expect he'll eventually end up in the corner outfield) keep him short of that
I think he'll be a good player who has stretches where he looks like a star, sort of Gallo-ish. I don't think he'll ever be a top 30 player in baseball
Young bucks
3:30
It might work if they then spend the money on deGrom, Rodin and Kershaw to go with Urias and Gonsolin, there are worse lineups than Betts, Lux, Freeman, Smith, Muncy, JT as DH,Taylor, Vargas, Busch
Anthony Franco
3:30
Sure, if you go sign the top two starting pitchers on the market, they become elite again
Dave Mc
3:30
I’m an Orioles fan. What should I hope for this winter for them?
Anthony Franco
3:31
A couple starting pitcher additions, one via trade probably. Could see them adding an infielder, maybe Jean Segura falls into their price range
3:32
They've got a lot of upper minors infield talent but there's enough question marks with Mateo and the younger guys hitting the ground running right away I think they should add some veteran stability
Someone much better than Rougned Odor
Bubba
3:32
Bubba Thompson, the speedy Texas outfielder, doesn't get a lot of respect given that he never walks and he K's one-third of the time. But can Texas really ignore that he hit .301 in AAA and .265 in his first shot in majors? Does Texas really consider him a placeholder, with his future on the bench? Will Texas trade him?
Anthony Franco
3:34
Yeah I don't think he's a regular. The Triple-A performance was the first time he'd hit over .300 at any minor league stop and still came with a fair number of strikeouts. Even if he beats out a bunch of singles, hitting like .265 with no walks or power doesn't do a whole lot for you offensively
He's a great baserunner and can cover all three outfield spots. He's a big leaguer, but I'd prefer him as a 4th/5th outfield type on a team that's trying to contend
Two Josés
3:34
The two Josés—Altuve and Ramírez—are now in their early 30s. Both had good years, although down significantly from their peak in their 20s. I look at Ramírez' body type (that's not muscle jiggling in his belly) and don't understand how he's going to keep up his performance (not to mention his upcoming hand surgery). And sometimes, Altuve just looked old. I'd appreciate your comments on them as we head into 2023.
Anthony Franco
3:36
Altuve did kind of look like he was on a decline but he bounced back with an awesome year. I'm not worried about Ramírez at all. He has freakish bat-to-ball skills and strike zone coverage, and the hand injury is a perfectly reasonable explanation for his meh second half
3:37
Both those guys, broadly, are more skill over huge physical tools. They each have incredible hand-eye coordination but they're not prototypical big league builds. If anything, I think they'll age better than most because of their strike zone awareness
A's Fan
3:37
Zach Eflin has missed a lot of time with knee injuries, has he earned a multi-year contract or will he look for a pillow contract to show he can hold up over a full season? And is his market better as a SP or RP?
Anthony Franco
3:37
Yeah he's interesting. I think he could've gotten four years if not for the recurring knee issues
3:38
I have him in the 2/25 range right now. That's where Alex Wood ended up as another "good when healthy, but has persistent injury troubles that seem almost chronic" type. Could see somebody going like 3/36 though
He'll get another chance to start
Ryan
3:38
Do you see Seattle trading Jesse Winker and Marco Gonzalez?
Could you see Trea Turner at 2nd base over SS in Seattle? What do you think that deal would look like?
Anthony Franco
3:39
Winker's a tough sell after this year. Expect he'll be back. Marco could move, sure
3:40
I wouldn't pick the Mariners as the favorite on Trea but they're a viable enough landing spot. Still have long-term payroll flexibility, know they'll at least explore the market on the shortstops if they're willing to move to second
We have Turner at eight years in the 260-280 range
Who closes for Dodgers
3:41
Dustin May, Phillips, Miller, free agent?
Personally I like free agent Robert Suarez from their new rival
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