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Front Office Chat: 2/7/25
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Anthony Franco
3:01
Hey all, hope you've had a good week!
Glad to be back after Darragh stepped in for me last week. Let's get rolling
Extensions
3:01
Free Agent contracts and QO acceptance get a player trade security through a few months of that first season right? Does an extension do the same? I can't imagine why a team would extend a player and then trade them, but would it be possible? Could AZ/MIL have looked to trade Carroll/Chourio during Spring of the year they inked their big deals?
Anthony Franco
3:03
The automatic June 15 no-trade right only applies to MLB free agents who signed a major league deal (which includes the QO). It's not applicable to extensions, so you could do this, though I also don't see any point to doing so
Deferrals
3:03
Just for fun, because sometimes it's fun to poke the bear.... Say LAD offered the QO to a guy who accepted it. Could they in theory defer part of that deal? Like $10M deferred until 2030 or something?
Anthony Franco
3:03
Cannot defer the QO salary
For Love of the Game
3:03
Can the Tigers keep Mason Englert by waiting the requisite five days, pulling him back from DFA and since Spring Training would have begun, placing an injured player on the 60-day IL to free up a 40-man spot for Englert?  How does that work?
Anthony Franco
3:04
No, once the DFA process starts, they'll need to trade or waive him
3:06
Gipson-Long is their only borderline 60-day IL candidate, but it's possible they didn't want to shelve him through May right off the bat since he'd be 13 months removed from the internal brace by that point
Sean F
3:06
Will Pivetta regret turning down the QO?   Where are his most likely landing spots?
Anthony Franco
3:08
Bizarrely quiet, reaching the point where I wouldn't be surprised if he ends at two years with an opt-out after year one that's below the QO price. It was probably worthwhile for him to decline it at the start of the offseason given how robust the early rotation market was
3:11
Angels or Giants would benefit from another starter and have room below the CBT to make this work. Angels probably shouldn't be punting draft picks, but SF already gave up their second and fifth highest picks for Adames, so they'd have a lighter penalty on Pivetta
Cubs Fan
3:11
In your opinion, Will Matt Shaw make the Opening Day Roster for the Cubs?
Anthony Franco
3:12
Unless Bregman falls into their laps on a short-term deal (seems very unlikely), Shaw's in line for the first crack at the third base job
3:13
I liked the Berti pickup as insurance both for Shaw and the Hoerner injury, but he's a high-end utility guy rather than an everyday third baseman on a team that expects to win its division
Mets Fan
3:13
In case of an unsuccessful Dylan Cease trade talk (which extremely likely), who else could the NY Mets trade for to remarkably improve their rotation this season?
Anthony Franco
3:14
Steve is working on this as a topic for his next subscriber post, so he'll probably examine this in a lot more detail either today or early next week
3:16
As far as pre-Opening Day trade goes, kinda feels like it's one of the Padres guys (Cease/King) or no one. They've got enough depth that I don't see the point of taking a Jordan Montgomery type. Should be a top-of-the-rotation guy or wait until the deadline
3:18
Clearer picture at that point as to what teams are in contention. Gallen and Framber Valdez are rentals who aren't going to move before the season starts, but if those teams underperform, they'd be huge deadline chips. Maybe you get a Walker Buehler or Germán Márquez rebound, Woodruff could come available if Milwaukee struggles
Jesse
3:19
Long way to go, but based on teams that look to be non-competitive, who do you foresee being the biggest names to be traded at the deadline?
Anthony Franco
3:20
Didn't see this question before the one I just answered, but this is really tough to answer until the season gets going. Rockies, Marlins and White Sox are the only teams that really feel they've got no chance, but they also don't have much to offer at this point (beyond potential rebounds from Sandy Alcantara and Luis Robert)
3:21
Vlad Jr.'s a huge possibility depending on how extension talks and whether the Jays compete. San Diego would probably end up moving both Cease and King if they're out of it
3:22
Could be a really strong deadline but we've got 27-28 teams (depending on whatever Colorado's always doing) that are going into the season without operating as real sellers
Smalls
3:22
My (highly) bold prediction for the Rockies is that Kris Bryant plays over 110 games, hits over .280, over 30 HRs if not close to it, and shows some semblance of his MVP form. What is yours?
Anthony Franco
3:25
Ha yes, that's very bold. I don't share the Bryant optimism. Hopeful that Márquez stays healthy and pitches like a #2 guy again even if they end up limiting the innings a bit. I think Seth Halvorsen will be the closer (their best one since Bard's early-season run in 2022) before long
GBS42
3:25
Lots of fans, including about 2/3 at this site based on the recent poll, are in favor of a salary cap. I don't understand why the players should be the one fix owners' disparities. How about increased revenue sharing instead?
Anthony Franco
3:27
I just think a lot of people see that issue as "cap/floor = greater parity and a better chance for traditionally small-market franchises to keep their players," which is what a lot of fans care about more so than viewing it through a labor/management lens
3:29
I'm skeptical that it'd really achieve either goal, especially parity, and agree that most of MLB's focus on it is about limiting players' overall earning power
Baseball Fan
3:29
Can you do a poll of where Alex Bregman will sign?
Anthony Franco
3:29
Sure
3:30
Bregman Destination?
Astros (29.5% | 26 votes)
 
Blue Jays (18.2% | 16 votes)
 
Red Sox (5.7% | 5 votes)
 
Tigers (31.8% | 28 votes)
 
Cubs (9.1% | 8 votes)
 
Other (5.7% | 5 votes)
 
Total Votes: 88
3:31
I'd stick with Houston until proven otherwise, I guess
Astros 2B
3:31
Is Altuve in left and Dubon at 2nd, the Astros best lineup?  If the Srtos do that, how many games with that defensive alignment do you think we'll see?
Anthony Franco
3:33
I think so, assuming Bregman isn't back. Dubón's just better than the Gamel/Dezenzo platoon that it seems like they'd have in left. Between injuries and rest days, they'll need Dubón to bounce around a lot though
3:34
Guess I'd put the O/U on that around 40 games. They could find a corner outfield bat around the deadline and move Altuve back to second full-time for the stretch run
Etch
3:34
The Mariners seem to have a black hole at several infield positions. Would Mountcastle, Urias and an Orioles top ten prospect (Fabian/Beavers) be enough for Castillo? Mountcastle and Urias aren’t stars but they are good, well liked players that would raise the floor of Seattle’s offense and defense
Anthony Franco
3:35
I think that's light, especially at this point of the offseason. Not a ton of upside for Seattle in shedding the Castillo money anymore now that all the good free agents are gone
Gavin
3:35
what are the chances Preller decides to keep everyone and not trade Cease, Suarez, Arraez or King?    he's gotta trade someone right?
Anthony Franco
3:36
25%? Just don't see how they're making the rotation work based on where their budget clearly is if they don't move one of those guys
3:38
Hoeing could probably be a fine fifth/sixth starter. They've got Waldron and Vásquez kicking around, Groome comes back from the gambling suspension in early June
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