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Front Office Chat: 2/3/23
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Mel O'Drama
4:25
I live in the San Antonio area.  Last season I wanted to watch an Angels/Twins game from Minnesota, but MLBN blacked it out in "my area".   How, and in what universe, does that make sense?
Anthony Franco
4:25
I have no idea but I share your frustration. I can't watch Guardians or Pirates games in Buffalo, regardless of where those teams are playing
4:26
I assume they're trying to get you to subscribe to the RSN's for teams that are 3-4 hours away. It's stupid
Tom Kelly's Blues
4:26
Will someone take a 1/5 flyer on Sano?
Anthony Franco
4:26
Think he gets a big league deal but I'd go under $5MM for the guarantee
Tom Kelly's Blues
4:26
Gallo/Kirlikoff(1B) Polanco (2B) Correa (SS) Miranda (3B) Gallo/Larnach (LF) Buxton/Taylor (CF) Kepler (RF) Vazquez (C) Buxton/Gallo (DH).  Ryan, Gray, Mahle, P. Lopez, Ober.  Duran, Jax, Theilbar, Moran, J. Lopez, Maeda, Alcala, Winder should equal 88 to 90 wins?
Anthony Franco
4:27
Yeah that feels about right to me. I've been overly optimistic on Minnesota two consecutive years but I'm back on the bandwagon
Bob Loblaw's Law Blog
4:27
Hi -- What're your predictions for the AL East? Do the O's make the playoffs? Are they going to regret not offering Rodon whatever it takes?
Anthony Franco
4:27
I'd probably order it Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Orioles
4:28
Don't think any of those teams are bad -- whoever finishes last in the AL East winds up being the "best" last place team in the league -- but yeah, I don't think Baltimore's starting pitching can hold up to the extent they did last year
Robert
4:29
Aside from the whole Correa saga, which free agent signing this offseason was the most surprising or head-scratching?
Anthony Franco
4:30
I've mentioned a few times that I just don't see it in Taijuan Walker that got him where he landed. Never crossed my mind that Bogaerts might get 11 years. I scoffed at Boras' idea that Michael Conforto was getting two guaranteed years with the opt-out, and he did that pretty easily
4:32
On the other side, I'm a little surprised at how quiet things were for Sean Manaea considering the robust market for other mid-tier starters. Remain disappointed that Carlos Estévez didn't get to three years as I'd pushed for the entire top 50 process
Tom Kelly's Blues
4:32
Head scratching?  Gallo at 1/11
Anthony Franco
4:32
I don't think the money itself was all that surprising. He got traded for a good pitching prospect at last summer's deadline, the league clearly hasn't given up on him
I think the specific fit with Minnesota was kind of weird considering their surplus of LHH outfielders
Stormy
4:33
I know this is a difficult question to quantify and answe but I will try anyway.  In terms of grading scale 50 arm 55 hitting etc.. what do you think rynolds is worth now and a year from now in a return?  Not asking what Pittsburgh wants which is 12 80 value ha
Anthony Franco
4:34
That's tough to use because different prospect outlets have different thresholds for where they draw that 50/55/60 FV line. Some use it as a catch-all number to encapsulate value, others differentiate between "Player X has a 60-grade ceiling but significant risk, so Player Y with a 50-grade ceiling but more safety is actually the better prospect"
4:35
So I don't want to use that specific framework, but generally, I think two roughly top 100 talents (probably headlined by a guy in the 25-50 range) and two additional mid-level types is about right for Reynolds
Bruce
4:35
I know there is a lot of disagreement on impact of limited shifting.  However, to me just as big is that infielders now have to stay on the dirt, as so many lh pull hitters have been stymied by a 2b playing 30 ft into the outfield.  Thoughts?
Anthony Franco
4:36
I agree, that's the significantly bigger change. That right field rover took away more hits from LHH than a shortstop playing like three feet to the right of second base
4:37
I've seen other people make the point that the shift restrictions don't have any limits on outfielders though.  Maybe teams work around that "infielders on the dirt" restriction by putting their left fielder in shallow RF when facing a left-handed pull hitter
4:38
Obviously you're taking on greater risk of an extra-base hit if the batter can go the other way, but that was true to some extent of the regular overshifts and teams chanced it all the time. Will be curious to see if they do the same with an outfielder now
Rangers13
4:38
Which of the NR relief pitchers, Littel, Funkhouser, Kennedy, Barnes, and Reyes-Moronta do you see as the best chance of making the team out of spring training?
Anthony Franco
4:39
I like Littell the most of the group
Kodiak
4:39
Best guess for AL ROY and NL ROY?
Anthony Franco
4:40
We'll make more specific awards picks closer to the start of the season, so I reserve the right to change this
But right now, I'd go Gunnar Henderson and Miguel Vargas
Stormy
4:40
Do you think Bogarts would have accepted Story money last year?  Or maybe 20m more?
Anthony Franco
4:40
If Boston offered Bogaerts 6/162 -- the offer they reportedly made this winter -- last spring, he'd have had to seriously consider it
4:42
I've never had any issue with Boston not matching San Diego's offer on Bogaerts -- I also wouldn't have come close to that -- but I remain perplexed at their course of action during extension talks. Even if you're determined to invest in Devers instead and think you can only choose one, why approach Xander with a 1/$30MM offer no one ever thought he'd consider?
Big Bob
4:42
As it appears the Dodger will exceed the luxury tax as a result of having to include Bauer's salary, do you see them pursuing any additional quality players via trade or free agency? If so who and/or what position? I can't believe Friedman is done.
Friedman's cool Aunt
4:42
What do you think about the Dodger's trading a team 10-15 prospect to move Treinan's contract and get under the luxury tax.  I know in your article yesterday Friedman said no way, but c'mon, it would make it so much easier to spend 80 million (in average annual salaries) next year on Ohtani and Machado.  Alternatively, if the Dodgers do not intend to duck under the luxury tax threshold, shouldn't the Dodgers sign Wacha as insurance for May and Thor?  Stone, Miller and Peiot all have promise but none are likely ready as starters before September 2023.
Anthony Franco
4:43
It would be pretty weird for Friedman to be that definitive about not making a trade like that and then doing it anyways. If that was what they were considering, I don't think they'd have done a kind of luxury buy for Miguel Rojas
4:44
The general point that both of you raise that there's little reason for the Dodgers to stop a couple million over the threshold is correct though. Either dip below it and reset or push back in
4:45
They could try to augment the rotation at the deadline or check in on Wacha now, sure. I think they're a viable fit for Jurickson Profar as well given Chris Taylor's struggles last year
steve
4:45
Correa never got the original $350 million guaranteed but considerably less.  If I was a GM looking for a shortstop, should I be irritated that I was basically forced to compete with an inflated contract that never materialized? Without that $350 target, wouldn't the other 3 top shortstops likely have been happy to get maybe 10 - 20% less than what they got?
Anthony Franco
4:46
I might buy this if Turner and Bogaerts hadn't agreed to deals before Correa
4:47
But considering they each signed first (and Dansby got fine but not eye-popping money), I don't think Correa really pushed it up. The overall market for stars just exploded
Edd
4:47
Is there a site where I can access player's averages for winter baseball? I use to be able to find all the Brewer's players who played winter ball at the MLB site.
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