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Front Office Chat: 3/10/23
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Anthony Franco
4:29
I don't think there'll be room for either on the Opening Day roster unless someone gets hurt in Spring Training. Stephen Nogosek's out of options. Robertson, Raley, Díaz, Ottavino are obviously on the roster. Drew Smith and John Curtiss should be and they could keep one of Elieser Hernández, Tylor Megill or David Peterson as a long reliever
4:30
But both Montes de Oca and Coonrod are pretty interesting middle innings types. Spotty control but they both throw really hard. They'll get looks throughout the year, just don't think it's out of the gate
Pumpsie Green
4:30
What happened to Manuel Margot last year, and is there any hope of him ever again hitting in double figures for HRs and SBs?
Anthony Franco
4:32
He missed a couple months with a patellar tendon strain after hurting his knee trying to rob a home run. He'd have topped 10 steals if he'd stayed healthy
4:33
10 homers feels doable too. Nothing really changed in his batted ball profile last year. The ball itself was less lively, which didn't help, but I think his down counting stats were mostly just attributable to the injury
Not like he has huge power but double digit homers isn't much
Guest
4:34
Hi Anthony. Rule 5 pick Sabol for the Giants. Is there any mechanism by which they can get him on the 40man rather than the active roster. Can they hand him back and then trade for him. ie. Effectively hand over someone the Pirates want instead of Sabol.
Anthony Franco
4:34
Has to clear waivers first
4:35
If he goes unclaimed on waivers, they have to offer him back to the Pirates. At that point, they could contact Pittsburgh about swapping in a prospect to trade for Sabol back without the Rule 5 restrictions
Dodger Dave
4:35
Any big deals on the horizon or calm until trading deadline and standing shake down?
Anthony Franco
4:36
This feels like it for now. Maybe a depth starter like Chris Flexen gets moved still but everyone seems mostly content with rosters as they stand. This year's trade market has been really quiet
Tony
4:36
Thanks for doing the chats. I haven't seen it detailed yet (which is probably on me) but when does the pitch count start? If a pitcher backs up a base it can take a little while for him to get back to the mound (and it would vary from park to park). Also, after an out the ball is usually thrown around the infield. I guess we could nitpick when the batboy brings out new baseballs to the ump a delay happens. I just haven't been able to find the interpretation for when the clock starts. Do you know?
Anthony Franco
4:38
There's a 30-second clock between batters, which I believe starts running the second the previous play ends. Still should be enough time to throw the ball around the infield in that span
4:39
There's a built-in provision that allows the umpires discretion to adjust the clock as circumstances warrant, though, so in a situation you mentioned like the need to bring in a new batch of balls, the umpire can just push things back to 30
MeanReen
4:40
Hey, Anthony!  Thanks for the chats.  You get to be the probable deciding factor in how much smack-talking I do this season toward all of my White Sox fan friends.  Whose roster is stronger and should finish with a better record on the season:  Cubs or Sox?
Anthony Franco
4:40
Haha considering the way this question is framed, I don't think you'll love my answer
4:41
I'd have the White Sox a couple games better than the Cubs. Cubs feel like a .500-ish team, White Sox I'd guess around 85 wins
Coach Chad
4:41
  • Most likely FA to sign quickly
  • Under the radar rookie to make a team?
Anthony Franco
4:41
There aren't really any free agents of interest left. Feels like the answer to Question 1 has to be Profar by default
4:44
Question 2: there seems to be increasing talk among the Reds' beat among Christian Encarnacion-Strand playing his way to the third base job either out of camp or early in the year
John B
4:44
Thanks for chatting. Odd question but I'll ask it anyway. Do you see a time in the near future when players will have knee replacement surgery during mid-career?
Anthony Franco
4:45
Can't say I've ever considered this. I don't know why it'd become more prevalent than it is now but I'd be curious to hear your theory behind it
Jorge78
4:46
Any rumblings from the MLBPA on MLB's moves to get Florida and Arizona to legislate taking away minor leaguers pay?
Anthony Franco
4:47
Haven't heard anything from the PA on it. The legislation would exempt minor leaguers from the states' minimum wage protection but those salaries are going to be collectively bargained now (likely for much higher than the minimum wage) since those players agreed to unionize anyways
4:48
Seems like the union wants to keep the minor league CBA negotiations pretty quiet
Jorge78
4:48
Lively ball!  Will it be back?
Anthony Franco
4:50
Not sure if the league itself even knows this -- doesn't seem like they have as much control over it as they should -- but I hope it's livelier than last year's at least. The shift ban alone isn't bringing offense back and a league on-base percentage of .312 is unacceptable
Big Bob
4:50
Your best guess of the starting nine for the Dodgers on opening day?
Anthony Franco
4:51
Smith, Freeman, Vargas, Rojas, Muncy, Taylor, Thompson, Betts, J.D. Martinez
4:52
That's all I've got in the queue but I can stick around until 4:00 if anyone wants to fire anything else
Jorge78
4:53
Out of questions?  Is that normal?
Anthony Franco
4:54
First for me haha
Admittedly there's very little interesting happening from a transactional perspective right now. The chats have predictably been pretty slow the past few weeks
Jorge78
4:55
What's an oblique?
Anthony Franco
4:56
Any of the thin flat muscles forming the middle and outer layers of the lateral walls of the abdomen, says Merriam-Webster
4:57
It's also now the boogeyman for baseball players, I guess
Jorge78
4:57
Us this a worse spring for injuries?
Anthony Franco
4:59
Feels like a lot but it could just be recency bias. Haven't seen any actual data on it. At least Tommy John surgeries seem down a little bit so far but there have been a bunch of soft tissue problems
Katelyn
4:59
What do you put on your hot dog?
Anthony Franco
5:00
Mustard only. Ketchup is a travesty
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