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Front Office Chat: 3/13/26
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walterj23
3:40
Do the Cubs have a good enough team to hold off the Brewers and Reds ?
Anthony Franco
3:41
I'd go Milwaukee, Chicago, Cincinnati but wouldn't be all that surprised if any team other than St. Louis took the Central
Don't think there's a massive gap between the top four
Still an A
3:41
Does Sandy Alcantara bounce back this season?
Anthony Franco
3:42
Yeah he was already turning it around down the stretch, just didn't have enough time to get the season numbers respectable given how bad the start was
3:44
He's not winning another Cy Young but I'm in on him as a #2 starter
Chichi
3:44
Would a deal of Paredes plus a prospect for Domínguez make sense for both the Astros and the Yankees?
Anthony Franco
3:45
Can't see the Yankees doing this
Giants fan
3:45
Tony, you seem to have a grudge against the Giants.  Whether it's because you're a Dodger fan or whatever, it's clear to me you don't like SF;  bit disturbing you got the Offseason in Review but I know you're a NL West aficionado.   Here's my question:  Why should a team, like the Giants, try and spend through the nose to "compete" with a behemoth like the Dodgers when the Giants are struggling to produce homegrown players who can supplement the high paying stars they already have?  Bonus, why should they have traded away Ray this offseason when they have some foundational players to make a run at a wild card?   Also, I think the 2026 Giants are better overall then the 2021 team on paper entering the season (sorry Buster!)
Anthony Franco
3:46
Man, I'm always too high on the Giants! I probably picked them as a playoff team every year under Farhan other than the one season they actually were good
3:47
If you thought I was down on their offseason, be grateful Steve didn't write that one
3:49
To answer your actual question, I'd have looked to move Ray to clear the salary for a run at someone like Framber or King who I just think is a better #2 starter. I don't think they should rebuild or anything, just kind of out on Ray's command inconsistency
3:50
Maybe they tried and no one wanted to offer them anything halfway decent at $25M. I'm fine with Mahle/Houser as depth pickups but not super enthused about it, just feels kind of lower ceiling across the board after Webb
3:51
My main hang-up is that they did nothing with the bullpen, which probably means they need multiple depth starters (McDonald, Birdsong, etc.) to step up there
Obviously Birdsong might be out now, who knows?
Manny Power Trillo
3:51
You seem to have a grudge against the Phillies. Whether it's because you're a Dodger fan or whatever, it's clear to me you don't like Philly.

...but seriously, they can't be serious about having Garrett Stubbs as the last man on the roster, can they?
Anthony Franco
3:52
Haha I think he's getting squeezed. Might clear waivers anyway though
ZacharyA
3:52
Who is the most interesting out-of-options player who won't make his current team's Opening Day roster?
Anthony Franco
3:53
Looked at a bunch of possibilities for this a couple weeks ago
3:54
I do think the Giants will find room for Matos but he'd be my pick if he gets squeezed. Have a tough time seeing how Leo Jimenez fits in Toronto but he deserves a look somewhere
Chichi
3:54
Assuming the Astros don’t trade Paredes before Opening Day, do you think Cole will end up getting more playing time than Cam Smith? I still like Cam, and I’m a little concerned about Cole’s strikeout rate.
Anthony Franco
3:55
I expect Cole to get more playing time early on but also think the strikeouts will be untenable there so I'd take Smith to get more ABs over the course of the season
LeagueWide
3:56
Given the Maxx Crosby stunner in the NFL this week, can you recall a time where an MLB team backed out of a similarly high-profile trade at the last second?
Anthony Franco
3:57
Hmm, can't think of a trade situation quite like that. There are recent examples of teams backing out of agreements after medicals (Cubs/Luzardo last offseason; Yankees/Flaherty at the '24 trade deadline)
But those came out after the fact and the player had been traded elsewhere
3:58
Only recent example that jumps to mind and matches the Crosby level of significance is the Giants pulling out of the Correa signing after the physical. They had the introductory presser scheduled and everything
3:59
Obviously the Mets also backed out for the same reason, but it's less shocking the second time a team looks at the medical and is like "nope"
Hits Like Rays
3:59
If the Rays tank in the first half, do they put Yandy Diaz, Shane McClanahan, and Drew Rasmussen on the trade block?
Anthony Franco
4:01
I imagine all three would be out there, yeah. Not sure how motivated they'd be on McClanahan since teams would price in the uncertainty of how deep into the season he can hold up after missing 2024-25
4:02
With Yandy's age and Rasmussen's injury history, they should probably both be moved if they're performing and the team isn't good even with the club options on both
Ben Cherrington
4:02
Pirates and Red Sox had a whole snafu in the early Aughts when a player failed a physical.  I should know.  I worked for both teams.  Just not all that high profile.  Had to be restructured very quickly because of the trade deadline.  The restructure was actually a trade in which the damaged player was returned.  Whish I remembered who was involved.
Anthony Franco
4:03
Not sure about this one but it did remind me of that weird Padres/Marlins Colin Rea one where they actually made the trade and then invalidated it after Rea got hurt in his first start for Miami
4:04
Colin Rea trade isn't exactly a blockbuster but it did cost the Padres a prospect version of Luis Castillo so it turned out to be pretty important
Cleveland Rocks!!’n
4:04
When do you think Travis Bazzana will be for Cleveland this year?
Anthony Franco
4:06
Should be Opening Day, would be surprised if he's not up before the end of April at the latest
Rocchio, Arias and Schneemann aren't cutting it again
Guest
4:06
Most likely starting pitcher to be a Brave on Opening Day who isn't there already not called Giolito? They clearly don't want him
Anthony Franco
4:08
Yeah I don't expect them to do anything at this point. Probably swap in Martin Perez for Jose Suarez as a swing guy and go with Ritchie as the fifth starter
4:10
Could trade for Jake Irvin or Mitchell Parker, I guess. They're not good but they at least have options and have been durable, which matters when they're relying on Reynaldo Lopez to stay healthy
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