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Front Office Chat: 2/23/24
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Anthony Franco
2:42
Hey everyone, hope you've all had a great week!
2:43
While I won't be able to stay on much past 3:00 Central, I've got some time now so I'll start taking some of the early questions. Let's get rolling
Mike
2:43
What is going on with Julio Urias?  I understand he is on administrative leave, assuming teams are restricted from signing him until the league makes its ruling?
Anthony Franco
2:44
No, I don't believe that's the case. The administrative leave takes a player off the 40-man during the season but isn't applicable over the offseason, which is why Wander counts against the Rays roster again
2:45
I think anyone could sign him at any point but everyone's waiting on the criminal proceedings and a potential suspension before determining whether they want to consider a player who could be the first to be suspended twice for domestic violence
Minnesota lakes
2:45
Various analysts report that Alex Kirilloff 1) will be platooned, 2)  won't be platooned, 3)  be traded, 4) will play the outfield and first, 5) will be only a DH.

Who's the real Alex Kirilloff?
Anthony Franco
2:47
Yeah, I think they'll limit his exposure to LHP early on as they try to keep the workload in check. He'll get some opportunity to prove he's an everyday player but they should build in a decent chunk of rest time for him because of the injury history anyways. Might as well do it when Santana might be better option
I think Kirilloff has the ability to be an everyday first baseman but hasn't shown that he can reliably stay healthy for a full season
The B boys
2:48
Brayan Bello and Bryce Miller are both sophomores with high expectations and issues. (Brayan: no third pitch; Bryce: home runs). Who's going to have the better year and better career?
Anthony Franco
2:50
This is a good question. Miller's pretty fastball-dominant himself. Doesn't really have a great answer for left-handed hitters. The home park should mitigate some of the HR issues but he's going to have a really hard time against lefties without finding some kind of changeup/splitter he trusts
2:53
Bello has the better changeup but the fastball shape is an issue and still left him with pretty worrisome platoon splits. Should get a few more ground-balls though
2:54
I like them both as volatile mid-rotation types but slightly prefer Miller, who I think has a little better command
Peter
2:54
What do you make of the “Boras Four”/the remaining free agents?  Are front offices/owners just getting smarter?  Are the players overplaying their hands?  Whats your take?
Russ
2:55
Hi Anthony thanks for the chat. Do you expect the Cubs to sign any of the Borris four ? Or do you think they will pick at the scrap piles?
Ken
2:55
It’s obvious that the asking price for the Boras big 4 clients has been higher than any teams are willing to go this winter, so what would be a guess at reasonable asking prices for them that might get a team to go for?
Anthony Franco
2:56
Unsurprisingly got a few of these. I don't want to tip my hand too much on this because we have a subscriber thing coming either tonight or Monday afternoon where each of Tim, Steve, Darragh and I put in new picks for team/contract for each of those guys
2:58
We deliberately did that independently. There's some overlap and we're all generally lower on them than we were at the beginning of the offseason, but I'm at least more optimistic on their markets than Tim and Darragh seem to be at this point
Haven't seen Steve's picks yet
But anyways, keep an eye out for that in the next couple days
JL
2:58
Prediction for the best player who is traded this season that no one is talking about as a trade possibility?
Anthony Franco
2:59
Generally this is a player with a dwindling control window on a team that expected to compete but fell flat early
3:00
Goldy could fit. The Yankees don't seem to want anything to do with keeping Gleyber long-term. If they stumble, he probably gets moved at the deadline. I think there's a slim but non-zero chance that the D-Backs dangle Zac Gallen this summer if they're out  of it
3:02
They have Gallen under control through '25 but an extension feels unlikely and they could get a ton for a top-end starter with a year and a half of control. Obviously they won't do it if they're as competitive as they expect to be, but it's possible
Chuck
3:02
How does Boras avoid conflict of interest when what's good for one of his clients is bad for another in this seemingly limited market?
Anthony Franco
3:04
I think you're correct in saying that any of these guys signing makes things worse for the others, but that's just the nature of signing on with a massive agency. There are a finite number of agents and everyone understands that they're trying to place guys who'll sometimes have overlapping markets
3:05
If any of the players felt Boras couldn't balance that effectively, they could leave at any time. From his perspective, it's just about treating them as individual cases. Find the best deal for each as they come and let the chips fall where they may if that takes a team out of the bidding for one of the others
Infielders
3:05
The Reds signed Tony Kemp and Mike Ford today - bringing their total number of infielders to about 150. What’s the over/under on the number of additional infielders they’ll sign between now and Opening Day?
Anthony Franco
3:06
Ha yeah, I don't get it. No harm done for the Reds but I'm a little surprised Kemp and Ford didn't find a minor league deal with someone else who has a clearer path to a job
Guessing they'll both wind up opting at the end of ST and signing a minor league deal somewhere else in April
Rodon Right On?
3:07
The Yankees have 6 Gold Glove winners and a two- time finalist.  Which are the best fielding teams this year and how much of an advantage does it give them I run prevention vs an average team. TY.
Anthony Franco
3:09
Good question. Yankees have a solid group but I wouldn't put it at the top. Soto being a Gold Glove finalist was kind of a joke and guys like LeMahieu and Rizzo aren't the caliber of defenders they were five years ago. Defense peaks early
3:11
Milwaukee should be really good defensively, particularly on the infield. Cubs have a strong group (that'd only improve if they signed Bellinger or Chapman). Guardians should have a really good defensive outfield that can't hit at all
3:13
It's really impactful. The gap on team BABIP last year ranged from .267 (Milwaukee) to .320 (St. Louis). Cardinals gave up 331 more hits than the Brewers did
3:14
Obviously that's not all about defense. There's luck involved, quality of contact that the pitchers give up matters. The ballpark has an effect -- more ground to cover in Coors Field than in Yankee Stadium -- but that stuff adds up. It's a big reason that Milwaukee, Tampa and Cleveland have had success over the years without a ton of star offensive talent
Dave
3:14
Do you think the Dodgers will be in on Alex Bregman next off season if Astros do not resign him?
Anthony Franco
3:15
Sure I could see that. Miguel Vargas hasn't established himself and Muncy's a short-term option who they could trade or use as a multi-positional guy for a year
brian cashman
3:16
i’ve told hal steinbrenner that in order to sign Juan Soto after this season we should be planning on 15 years, $750 million. Hal disagrees. who is correct?
Anthony Franco
3:17
He should fly past 500 but I do not think he's getting close to 750
3:18
Unreal hitter and obviously very young but there are going to be some questions about how long he's a viable defensive outfielder. I'd set the O/U at like $575MM
Cardsfan
3:18
Would Montgomery at 5/115 with an option work for both the Cards and Montgomery? Cards really need another top 2/3 arm!
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