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Front Office Chat: 2/2/24
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Anthony Franco
2:58
Hey everyone, hope you've all enjoyed your week!
2:59
Looking forward to another chat, let's get rolling
Question Mark
3:00
Do you think E. Julien now becomes a much better play that he takes over 2nd base full-time?  Or does his poor showing vs lefties still hinder his offensive numbers?
Anthony Franco
3:01
Doesn't really change the profile for me. Leaves open the possibility that he improves a little bit defensively but you're probably always going to have live with a below-average glove there
3:02
I think the strikeouts and the track record against LHP that you mentioned will keep him from being an elite offensive player but the walks and power give him a pretty solid floor in that regard
WHOA!
3:02
Ricky Tiedman and Adam Macko for for Wyatt Langford... who says no?
Anthony Franco
3:02
Texas
Spirited
3:02
Who plays SS for the Rays on opening day?
Anthony Franco
3:03
I expect Taylor Walls to be the nominal starting shortstop but he might not be ready for Opening Day as he works back from hip surgery. I'd guess José Caballero holds the position early in the year
Dynasty Player
3:03
I just don't get these bad teams giving out one year deals. What is the upside? pay Alex Wood $8 million and potentially get a flier prospect at the deadline. I am not against them spending money it just seems like you'd want to try and build value and assets that can be apart of the next A's playoff team.
Anthony Franco
3:05
It's not franchise changing but at some point, they do need someone who can take a few innings. Relying too much on the internal options -- almost none of whom have had real MLB success -- is going to put a lot of stress on those guys and have a trickle-down impact on the bullpen
3:07
I also think there's value in targeting veterans like Wood and Stripling who have spent a decade in the majors that can have some amount of intangible benefit for the younger guys they have in the clubhouse
AirYordan
3:07
Well now with the Burnes acquisition, who is the team to beat in the AL.
Dano
3:07
So does the Burnes trade make the Orioles the favorites in the AL?  And is it just me, or did the Orioles seem to get him really cheap?
Anthony Franco
3:08
Saying the Orioles are the favorites feels a little reactionary but I think they cemented themselves atop the East. They’re clearly better than anyone in the Central and I think I’d take them slightly above Houston and Texas. So yeah, give me Baltimore
Confused Fan
3:08
Not to knock Ortiz, but the Milwaukee portion of the Burnes trade feels pretty light... They basically got a controllable but not top-end infielder, a failed starter and a lottery ticket draft pick for the only legit ace caliber pitcher available. With Burnes the NL Central was basically locked up, even if they traded him at the deadline. Without him, will there even be a .500 team in that division this year?
Dynasty Player
3:08
Thoughts on Burnes return? I thought it was light but I guess it depends on if Hall is a starter or pen guy
Anthony Franco
3:09
On the acquisition cost itself, it's about what I would've expected for Milwaukee. Teams are loath to part with their absolute top prospects for a rental no matter how good that player is
3:10
I'm not a huge fan of Hall's but Milwaukee has a pretty strong pitching development program. Ortiz should be a solid regular for a while
3:11
No brainer from Baltimore's perspective given the other talent they have in the infield
3:12
You can make a fair argument that Milwaukee should've just kept Burnes and made another run at the NL Central, but they clearly didn't want to do something like this midseason again after the Hader trade irritated the clubhouse and I don't think they could've done better than this if they fell out of contention and traded Burnes at the deadline
Astros Fan
3:13
I'm kind of confused how you put the Orioles over the Astros, when I compare rosters to me it looks like overall the Astros have the better team (could be I'm just being bios), your thoughts?
Anthony Franco
3:15
It's really close. I expect Holliday to immediately step in as an above-average player. Adley and Gunnar could be down-ballot MVP guys. Mullins should bounce back. I like Baltimore's position player depth a little more overall
3:16
Houston should have a better bullpen. I slightly favor Baltimore's rotation at this point given the way that Hunter Brown and J.P. France finished last season. O's have more farm depth to leverage if they need to make another move midseason
Dana Brown
3:16
Trey Cabbage has some really interesting AAA numbers with power and speed.  Does look like he strikes out a ton.  Don't know much about him, but what role could he push with the Astros?
Anthony Franco
3:17
Just a depth guy for me. He’s almost 27 and has never shown anything close to the base level of contact skills needed to stick in the majors.
Eric
3:17
Brewers freed up $15m do they use it on a FA or lock up some of their younger guys?
Mr. Burnes
3:17
The $15M that the Brewers save on Burnes's salary could also be meaningful.  Assuming at least some of that money is spent on other acquisitions, you could consider those acquisitions to be part of the trade return.
Anthony Franco
3:18
Arnold sort of downplayed the idea of reallocating all the money from the Burnes in his post-trade media session yesterday, but I expect they’ll throw a couple million at one of the veteran starters still out there.
I know they’ll work in Hall, Gasser, Misiorowski etc. throughout the season, but at some point, you need more than just Peralta and Miley who can be counted on for any sort of stability.
Cherington
3:18
Who do you see the Pirates adding to their starting rotation via free agency or trade?
Anthony Franco
3:19
I don’t think they’re pushing in for anything huge in trade. A Hyun Jin Ryu signing maybe?
mmddyyyy
3:19
Did they change the trade deadline again this year?
Anthony Franco
3:19
July 30 this year
mmddyyyy
3:19
How good would a DH have to be to put up 10 WAR?
Anthony Franco
3:21
Something a little better than what Judge did in 2022, I think. It's essentially impossible
AJ Preller
3:21
I need help, BIG help. I have 4 spots on my 40 man, $21M in cash left, and happy to pull one big trade. Find me 2 OFs, one SP, and a DH ...
Erik
3:21
Do the Padres keep adding to the pen or do they finally address other roster holes (outfield, SP)?
Anthony Franco
3:22
Haha Preller’s task is easier said than done. Michael A. Taylor for CF, a Harold Ramirez trade to split time between LF and DH, and signing Jake Junis.
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