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Front Office Chat: 4/18/25
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Anthony Franco
3:49
Not going to happen four starts into a $15MM deal, especially with the velocity still sitting in the 94-95 range. Maybe if he's still getting bombed in June
3:51
The Astros more or less did this with Verlander at the end of last season. They left him off the Wild Card series roster and I doubt he'd have gotten back on had they made a deeper run (certainly not as a starter). Maybe that was easier to rationalize because he'd been coming off injury, but Verlander also realized he just wasn't productive enough to warrant that spot
Matt
3:52
How much are you buying the Jonathan Aranda breakout? Do you think he can put up a 130 OPS+ or better over a full year?
Anthony Franco
3:53
Yeah I buy it. Plus exit velos, good strike zone awareness, long history of mashing in the minors. I'm not sure it's even a breakout so much as the Rays finally giving him a real opportunity
3:54
They had a tough time fitting him into an infield with Paredes and Yandy because of Aranda's defensive limitations, but he had multiple seasons of destroying Triple-A pitching
The Athletic?
3:54
Belong to several (4?) paywall sites, including Front Office (best value!) and thinking of adding another. What do you think of The Athletic? Good and not so good? Thank you. If you prefer not to say, let me know so I don't try again.
Anthony Franco
3:56
I've had an Athletic sub since before I started at MLBTR and always thought it was worthwhile for Rosnethal's reporting (especially around the deadline and Winter Meetings) and Eno Sarris' pitching stuff. They've also got a few of the top beat reporters in the game (e.g. Will Sammon, Katie Woo, Dan Hayes)
3:59
It really depends on what you're using it for though. They don't cover every team, so if you want something for updates on the Marlins or Rockies, that's not it. I read some of their hockey content -- playoff previews, player rankings, etc. -- but they don't have a Hurricanes beat reporter, so I wouldn't get much value of it if I wanted their hockey content for the one team that I care about
SonofanSFGiantsinvestor
3:59
Will the Giants experiment with Jordan Hicks fail to make him into a starting pitcher? I would replace him in the rotation with Birdsong and move him to bulk innings relief or as a spot closer if Ryan Walker isn't performing or is injured. His stuff is electric but it seems like he regularly cannot last until the 6th or the 7th without damage, like in yesterday's start vs the Phillies.
Anthony Franco
4:01
Yep, totally with you. Would have had Birdsong in the rotation over Hicks to begin the season. I like Hicks well enough as a reliever but I share your skepticism about him turning a lineup over multiple times or simply holding his stuff over a full season's rotation workload
Philly A's
4:01
Who would have thought that Walker has a better stat line than Nola.  Aaron's velocity is down and just looks lost.. time will tell?
Anthony Franco
4:04
His fastball velocity was down in April last season too and he found it by late spring. He usually builds it within the season
4:05
I'm not super worried yet but it's kind of wait-and-see mode because the gap between 92.5 and a flat 91 is pretty substantial. That's especially when it comes to home run suppression, which has been his biggest question for the past couple seasons
Dylan Cease
4:05
I have a 6.64 ERA through four starts, and my WHIP is 1.52, .45 above last year's. How poorly would I have to pitch to need to settle for a pillow contract, what is a realistic comp for the contract, and would this open the door for the Padres to retain me?
Anthony Franco
4:07
Nowhere close to that. That's mostly one bad start against the A's in a park that looks like a bandbox. The stuff's the same, he'll be fine
The Joc's On You
4:07
Whoa, Joc is 3 for 57. Can we still pencil him in for 20-25 dingers or is it going to be a lost season?
Anthony Franco
4:08
Going to defer to the track record of him mashing RHP for multiple seasons and assume he'll figure it out
Devin Holmes
4:08
Devin Williams is Clay Holmes 2.0. Will the Yanks be as stubborn with Williams as they were with Holmes?
Anthony Franco
4:10
Shaky start but Williams was consistently awesome for five years in Milwaukee. He's going to have a long leash, yes
Alan V
4:10
Will you guys ever do an article ranking the best managers, Pitching coaches and hitting coaches?
Anthony Franco
4:11
That's just not a thing we feel we could evaluate with accuracy from the outside. So much of what coaches is behind the scenes and about the ways in which they relate to players
Johnny
4:11
Worst owner in baseball is in Colorado, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Pittsburgh or Anaheim?
Anthony Franco
4:12
There'd be a lot of people in Oakland who'd add a name to your list. Tough to argue
4:13
Strictly from a "damaging to the team's chances to win" perspective, I'd probably go with Arte Moreno since the Angels have squandered the most high-end talent in recent years. Pretty similar operating procedure to Reinsdorf and Monfort though
Jesse
4:14
The Mets bullpen has been really good so far. Is it a BABIP/LOB% driven mirage or could the pen be a legit asset for the Mets?
Anthony Franco
4:15
I think they're just very good. Ironic that Díaz has become the guy that I'm least confident in at the back end
4:16
But I'm in on a setup/middle relief group with Minter, Garrett, Buttó and Stanek
davealden53
4:16
I find the NBA play-in games to be both compelling and an appropriate challenge for teams that fail to achieve the top six spots.  While I don't want to borrow from another sport, might it be a fit for baseball?  My tentative thought: Top two division champs are in the play-offs.  The third division champ is the #1 seed in the play-in games with the top three also-rans filling out #2 through #4.  The NBA format would then be followed, with all games on the homefield of the higher seeds, except it would be two-out-of-three series in place of the NBA single games.  Thoughts?
Anthony Franco
4:18
I think it'd just take too long. There'd be a three-game series between the 5/6 teams, a three-game series between the 3/4 team, and another three-game series between the winner of Series A and the loser of Series B?
4:21
Unless you're jamming in doubleheaders, you'd need to set aside six days to get through those, plus a potential travel day. The top two seeds in each league are probably sitting out 7-8 days while they wait for their Division Series opponent. There's already some concern that waiting a few days tips the balance from rest to rust for some of those top teams, and it probably loses some of the momentum from a fan interest perspective
Robert
4:21
Any chance Pete Alonso could do better on the market this winter when/if he opts out?  He would be a year older but wondering how likely it might be that he would land a better contract.
Anthony Franco
4:22
Oh yeah, he should opt out and beat last winter's deal. No qualifying offer and the potential for a much better platform year (hell of a start in that regard)
Buff
4:22
How likely is Logan Henderson to secure a spot in the Brewers’ rotation this year?
Anthony Franco
4:26
Yeah I could see him sticking around as a back-end guy. Tougher to post huge strikeout rates as a fastball-changeup guy in the big leagues, but I'd take him over Chad Patrick
Dano
4:26
Can this burst from Matt Mervis continue despite a >40% K rate?
Anthony Franco
4:27
He has real juice but it's basically impossible to sustain above-average offense with a 40% strikeout rate. He's not going to keep homering on half his batted balls
4:28
I think there's a chance he gets the strikeouts manageable enough to be a low-end regular at first base though
RAGBRAI
4:28
How do you see Durbin performing at third for the Brewers.  Is he there answer for this year and go forward or more of just the latest attempt to find someone/anyone to fill a hole? Expected numbers?
Ewitkows
4:29
Not sure Durbin is the answer at 3b specially defensively. Is there a 3b to be had in the trade market for the Crew?
Anthony Franco
4:30
Yeah I'm more intrigued by Durbin than optimistic. There's a spark plug feel to the minor league numbers but most scouting reports on pretty bearish on him as a regular
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