You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Front Office Chat: 12/5/25
powered byJotCast
Anthony Franco
3:01
Good afternoon everyone, hope you're well!
There's a lot already queued up so apologies in advance for anything I can't cover. Let's get rolling
Black and Gold Bleeder
3:01
Do the Pirates have a reasonable shot at either Suarez or Okamoto?? They need power from the third base position before anything else.
Anthony Franco
3:04
Yeah it seems like either of those should be viable with their current spending posture, especially if Geno ends up at two years. Not sure how a low-OBP righty bat would play at PNC but agree that third base is a need and they should be after offense wherever they can get it
Giants fan
3:04
As a giants fan im confused on the direction they should go. Signing a pitchers to longterm contracts doesn't seem to be the giants course. The giants have money to spend a knowledgeable fan base too. 10 outfielders on the roster not enough infield depth. The giants as mentioned in your trade rumors comments today lists a solid core of young pitchers but lacking experience. Trades are possible. Please give your thoughts.
Anthony Franco
3:05
Well I think they should sign Kyle Tucker but that's an ownership question more than a front office one. If they're limited to the Gallen/King tier in free agency (I'd prefer the latter for any team), then they're probably leveraging some of those upper level starters for an outfielder
3:06
Nootbaar's available and Cardinals are targeting high level starters. I wouldn't give up Roupp for Noot but if STL likes Whisenhunt or McDonald, maybe that gets the ball rolling
3:07
Similar logic with Ketel (Roupp/Birdsong should be on the table there), but I have a tough time seeing Arizona moving him at all -- much less in division
Mariners
3:07
What/who do you think makes the first major move at the meetings? What team/free agent? Is it a trade or a signing?
Anthony Franco
3:08
Based on my annual last place finishes in the Top 50 contest, I recommend ignoring any of my predictions
But give me Framber to Baltimore
David
3:09
Stearns says he wants to prioritize defense this off-season which he proved with the Semien trade.  However there is  always talk of moving Vientos to first which would probably be a drop from Alonso since he’s never played there.  What do you think the Mets will do at 1B if they don’t resign Pete to bolster the defense
Anthony Franco
3:10
Disagree a little with the premise, not like Pete's an elite defender there either. I think having Vientos log any meaningful time at 3B would cut against the infield defense priority, so the question is whether they think he'll bounce back enough at the plate to warrant 1B/DH time or whether it's time to move on entirely
3:12
If the goal is solely to upgrade the defense, they'd probably be best off signing Bregman and moving Baty to first. I think that's too far in the other direction and still expect them to get something done with Alonso personally
Gonzo for Gonzo
3:12
Thoughts on the Pirates-Red Sox deal? Losing the best nickname in baseball and a RH OF plus having to dump Criswell seems like a steep price for the Sox, they must believe they can unlock something with Oviedo. Makes lots of sense for Pirates if the Password can hit at the MLB level.
Anthony Franco
3:13
Yeah I like it more for Pittsburgh but I'm not super enamored with either player, so I get the logic on both sides
3:14
Oviedo's probably the seventh-best starter that Pittsburgh had. They ran out Tommy Pham and Alexander Canario in LF for most of last season. I'm concerned about Garcia's approach and still think they should be in the outfield market, but he has minor league options and enough promise (power, youth, upper minors track record) that he's a guy they should absolutely be willing to roll the dice on
3:16
Wasn't going to have the opportunity for everyday reps that he'd need to develop the approach, so I'm fine with Boston moving on. Would've expected them to do better than Oviedo, but Tim Dierkes's immediate response was "not sure why Garcia is considered a Top 100 prospect, but I'll leave that to the experts" and I tend to agree
3:17
I don't think Oviedo's more than a five-and-dive starter unless the Sox can teach him a splitter or something, but he'd be more interesting to me out of the bullpen so maybe he becomes a surprise relief weapon in the playoffs
Matt
3:17
How about Brandon Lowe for one of Roupp/Birdsong?
Anthony Franco
3:17
More than I'd give up for one year of Lowe
Like the player and fit in SF though
DodgerFan
3:18
Seeing the initial reports that Teoscar Hernández was being discussed on the trade market didn’t sit well with me, but after thinking it over, I can understand why the Dodgers might explore it. Two-part question:
  1. What kind of return could the Dodgers realistically get for Teo, and would they be able to move his full contract?
  2. Do you view Bader as a legitimate fit for an everyday center-field role, or is it more likely they fill that spot internally (Edman, Kim, Pages)?
Anthony Franco
3:19
I think the contract's underwater. Low OBP and the defense is terrible. He should be a full-time DH, which obviously isn't happening in L.A.
3:21
Tough for me to see a trade coming together for that reason though. The Dodgers don't need the savings, and he's still a useful if flawed player who has been a big part of consecutive World Series runs. Even if they trade for Kwan, Nootbaar, etc., they could plug that acquisition into LF and at least wait until the deadline to see if Teoscar's defense is such a problem that they need to upgrade in right as well
3:22
On Bader, I assume someone's signing him as an everyday CF. I don't think he's enough of an upgrade over Edman and Pages to warrant it personally, but if they have concerns about the overall defense with Edman coming off the ankle injury, I can see the logic
Chris
3:22
You think that maybe this’ll be the year Dale Murphy gets in? Also, any idea why Lou Whitaker isn’t in the HOF yet?
Anthony Franco
3:23
I never have any clue what the veterans committees are going to do. Feels almost entirely random depending on the makeup of any given year's committee
3:24
Whitaker seems an obvious yes, no idea why he keeps getting snubbed. I'd be happy with Murphy as well, though I get the logic there because it's basically all about peak with him
Scott S
3:24
Thanks for the chat. Do you believe there is a market for Jose Berrios without the Jays taking back a bad contract?
Anthony Franco
3:25
I'd say 3/66 is a little under water but not dramatically so. They could eat a couple million without taking back a terrible deal
3:26
I also don't know why they'd feel the need to do that unless it's a follow-up to signing Tucker or Bichette, though. They're going to need more than five starters and Berríos is a fine source of innings even if the extension has been a bit of a disappointment
3:27
I think Steve's more bearish on that one than I am for what it's worth. Steve generally hates the idea of trading for anyone whose deal has an opt-out clause haha
Hope?
3:27
I'm a Nats fan, and am looking for a reason for optimism in a team that lost 96 games in 2025 and now is taking calls on trading two of their three best players. 2019 seems like a different time. What can we hold onto going forward? And how is the industry reacting to the changes that Toboni is making to the organization?
Anthony Franco
3:29
Yeah I don't have much for you unfortunately. Obviously have a few key pieces that you can hope to build around (Wood, Crews, Willits, Cavalli, maybe Abrams though the control window gets tight) but the general hope is that the front office modernizes and improves a development pipeline that hasn't been good enough over the past couple years
Gavin Cordes
3:29
does it make sense for the Padres to sign Imai for 6/120 and then trade pivetta?    salaries would be about the same, Imai would be controllable for longer and Pads could use more pitching and a bat or two.
Anthony Franco
3:30
If Imai takes 6/120, I'd agree with that, but I'd take the over on him getting $20MM annually
Tony
3:30
Thanks for the chats! Would Donovan and Romero bring back a #2 or #3 starter? My assumption is that Donovan alone wouldn't do it. Assuming Arenado would detract from the return in this trade proposal. Thank you and Happy Holidays.
Anthony Franco
3:31
Likewise! Romero's not moving the needle much. One year of a good but not elite reliever gets a mid-level prospect or two
Donovan's not going to pull a proven #2/3 starter like Bryan Woo, no, but he should net a pitching prospect who has that within the range of outcomes
Load More Messages
Connecting…