You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Front Office Chat: 10/31/25
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat
Anthony Franco
3:59
Yeah I'd still opt out. Think that first two weeks if they make the QO is pivotal for him to see what's out there
4:01
I felt the same way about Pivetta. He did eventually fare better than he would've had he taken the QO, but it took all offseason and a backloaded contract so that he made a hell of a lot less money in 2025 than he would've had he just taken $21.05M from Boston
4:02
Would he have broken out the same way if he'd stayed with the Red Sox? I don't know. Flaherty returned to Detroit last offseason, so he clearly liked it there, but sometimes a change of scenery can unlock something when you feel like you've stagnated a bit
Ginancraysfan
4:02
Hi, what do you see the Rays doing to improve the offense as they move back into the Trop for a season or three?
Anthony Franco
4:03
Outfield needs to get better. Tough to predict what the new ownership group is willing to do but they should have the room to make a run at Grisham (especially once they trade Fairbanks)
4:04
Lars Nootbaar trade would work, though he's expected to start the season on the IL. Brendan Donovan too, but basically every team should want Donovan
Mr Met
4:04
Nolen McLean. Real deal or flash in the pan? If real deal, can he be #1 starter?
Anthony Franco
4:06
More like a #2 starter for me unless the command takes another jump but yeah, he's really good
Chief
4:06
Why isn't Don Mattingly in the Hall of Fame? One of the very best players of the 1980s, .307 lifetime batting average, .830 OPS, 10 Gold Gloves, 42.4 lifetime WAR. Seems like a mistake to me.
Anthony Franco
4:08
42 WAR is pretty light for a Hall of Famer, as are the 2153 hits and 222 homers. It's basically a longevity thing, presumably related to the back injury
4:10
I still there's a pretty good case for him getting in. Had a HOF caliber peak, and I've never been fully sold on WAR's positional adjustment hitting first basemen as hard as it does. I'd have Keith Hernandez above Mattingly though, and he's not in either
Dave
4:11
Should Dodgers sign Cody Bellinger for 5 years $160m or Kyle Tucker for 10 years $400m
Anthony Franco
4:11
I'd rather have Tucker at those respective prices
The Mayor
4:11
Give me one good reason why the Tigers should not trade for Taylor Ward? The Tigers need a right handed power bat and Ward seems like a good fit.
Anthony Franco
4:13
Arm would be pretty weak if you put him back in RF but I think it's a fine fit. Pitching seems like the bigger priority there but he's better than Wendell Perez, sure
4:14
I know his name is Wenceel but my laptop does not haha
4:15
Tougher part is probably getting the Angels to give up Ward for something other than MLB starting pitching, which the Tigers don't have a ton to offer
Justin
4:15
Any thoughts on Philly signing Gallen? Or what about something out of the box such as Arizona spending on a bat and adding Bellinger?
Anthony Franco
4:17
I'd rather just bring back Suárez but I'm pretty down on Gallen. I don't think the Diamondbacks are signing Bellinger but he'd obviously be a massive upgrade in LF and I didn't expect Ken Kendrick to sign Jordan Montgomery or Corbin Burnes either
Guest
4:17
Do you think the Dodgers end up using Ohtani in a pitching role the rest of the series? Might take that to survive
Anthony Franco
4:18
Can't see it happening tonight. Out of the bullpen in Game 7 perhaps, but the problem is they lose him as a hitter if they use him in relief unless he plays the outfield (which I cannot see them doing in Game 7 of the World Series)
4:19
It only really works if they burn Roki earlier in the game in a leverage spot and need Ohtani to protect a one-run lead in the ninth or something
Me
4:20
which nope..nope you did not know butera or nope you were not stunned?
Anthony Franco
4:20
I'd never heard of him
Joshua
4:20
I'm really struggling to figure out the trade value of CJ Abrams. It seems he would be an amazing fit as a 2B for the Pirates or Reds, two teams desperate for young, controllable offense that is already an established All Star-ish caliber player. What would a Reds type team have to give up for him? Seems he would be a good candidate for a team like that to slightly "overpay" for. Thoughts?
Anthony Franco
4:23
Nats would get a legitimate headlining prospect and two or three mid-level secondary pieces. Agree on Pittsburgh, Cincinnati's a little tougher fit for me. Abrams and EDLC as a middle infield pairing has dynamic physical tools but there are going to be a lot of errors
Gavin cordes
4:23
Could the padres resign King and add another mid starter
Anthony Franco
4:25
I think it'd be King and a boring back-end guy like Quintana
walterj23
4:25
It would be my preference  for the Cubs to extend Hoerner ,but Hoyer might have other ideas . If  Hoyer were to shop Hoerner what would be a reasonable return for him ?
Anthony Franco
4:28
Shopping Hoerner would be crazy to me but yeah, he'd have a lot of value at 1/12. Not going to get three years of a #3 starter or anything, but they could get land a younger pitcher who had some prospect hype and is controllable for multiple seasons
4:29
Not Hayden Wesneski himself since he's hurt now, but someone similar to where Wesneski was last year seems reasonable as a headliner for one year of Hoerner
4:31
Acquiring team gets a compensatory pick next offseason when he rejects a QO, which mitigates some of the prospect cost. Braves or Padres would be all over this if he were available, but I also think the Cubs should be happy to just play out the final year of his contract and make the QO themselves
Alright, extended this one about as far as I can push it
Joshua
4:33
I'd like for you to play mock GM for a moment. You get tons of questions in the vain of "Player X for Player Y, who says no?" What would be a trade you would like to see that you think makes perfect sense for both teams involved? Thanks.
Anthony Franco
4:33
I'll grab this one quickly on the way out: Jo Adell for Mike Burrows
4:34
Thanks for all the questions this week and for continuing to support the site! Really do enjoy these
4:35
I'm happy to take anything else on X @affranco10, as always. I'm traveling next Friday so I won't be handling the chat. We haven't finalized plans for that but I imagine Darragh will be able to step in
4:36
Enjoy the final game(s) of the season and the hectic first couple days of the offseason! Should be plenty to discuss two weeks from now. Have a good weekend!
Connecting…