Front Office Chat: 5/11/26
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page
This chat is available to members only. Please log in to participate.
Anthony Franco
3:40
Yeah pretty big climb back to even .500 at this point. I thought the offense would be better though, had more concern about the bullpen than anything entering the year
3:41
Issue with the way they've built the roster is that they have very few levers they can pull if guys underperform. You're not benching Devers, Chapman, Adames, etc.
3:42
So their alternatives to inject offense are a (rushed, in my opinion) Bryce Eldridge call-up and a Patrick Bailey trade in hope of catching lighting in a bottle between Jesus Rodriguez and eventually Daniel Susac behind the plate
TheBeatlesShow
3:42
Hey, Anthony.  Thanks, too.  Is Matt Olson beginning to make a path towards Cooperstown?
Anthony Franco
3:44
Peak feels too light unless he really staves off decline deep into his 30s
3:45
He has a shot but I'd put the odds below 50%. This is "only" shaping up as his third truly elite offensive season
D Hat
3:46
How much longer can the Tigers hang in there before they have to pack it in and start a sell off?
Anthony Franco
3:46
They're a game and a half back in the division
The start has sucked but I still fully expect them to be in position to buy
Uncle Charlie
3:46
Dombrowski loves to trade prospects for vets - if the Phillies are back in it come trade deadline, could you see him moving Aidan Miller? For what level of player in return?
Anthony Franco
3:47
Nah I imagine they'll view Miller the same way they did Andrew Painter
He's probably their Opening Day third baseman in 2027 and could push Turner off shortstop at some point
Burgher Time
3:48
Is Termarr Johnson and Thomas Harrington enough to get Chapman from Boston to Pittsburgh? If not then who?
Anthony Franco
3:51
Neither of those guys excites me much if I'm Boston. Doubt the Pirates are giving up Barco to pay Chapman $13M next year but I'd really try that if I'm the Sox or look for a lower-level flier like Darell Morel
Knowitalllad
3:52
When Jared Jones returns would you move Moljinski (I can’t spell it!) to closer with Soto? He’s got stuff that shines in 1st trip through a line up. And the bullpen is at defcon 3 right now!
Anthony Franco
3:53
Yep. I know Mlodzinski's very public about wanting to start but agree that he's a better fit in the bullpen (and a good reliever)
Matt Waldron
3:53
Looks like I am about to be DFA'd with Giolito being added to the roster. Will Preller be able to trade me, will a team claim me off waivers, or will I stay in the Padre organization as non-roster depth?
Anthony Franco
3:55
Probably gets claimed by some team that has a bunch of rotation injuries and bounces around on waivers a few times
ABS challenge
3:55
I understand the Dodgers want Ohtani to compete for the Cy Young, but if prepping for 200 innings on the mound relegate him to an average hitter, is the tradeoff worth it?
Anthony Franco
3:56
Definitely wouldn't be worth it but I don't think the premise is true. He had multiple seasons with the Angels where he was one of the best hitters in MLB while pitching
Fountain Hills Cub Fan
3:57
Are the Cubbies really this good?  Or just really lucky (three come-from-behind games vs the Reds last week)?  Seems like the Cubs really need another starter...or two...to World Series contend.
Anthony Franco
3:58
Third-best team in MLB feels over their head but somewhere in the 5-10 range, sure. Need to deal for a playoff caliber starter and probably a back-end reliever in July
Guest
3:58
Could you please explain why Foster Griffin is a free-agent at the end of the year since he will have less service time than James Wood, who will not be a free agent for some time to come. Thanks!😊
Anthony Franco
3:59
A lot of guys who come over from the KBO or NPB (either as Japan/Korea natives or former big leaguers returning to U.S.) can get a clause built into their contract allowing them to become free agents regardless of service time
4:01
It's a big factor in encouraging guys to go to those leagues in the first place. Long-term earning power is higher if you make substantive changes over there rather than going through multiple years of bouncing on and off the active roster and not getting first significant earnings here until arbitration
4:02
Forrest Whitley (former top pitching prospect who hasn't panned out in MLB) made that move last offseason and if he clicks in NPB, he'll make a lot more money here than he would've as the last reliever in the Rays' bullpen
Guardindian
4:02
Kwan's never hit the ball hard but he made enough contact to spray the ball around and get hits.  Now his bat speed is down massively and he hits weak grounders and pop ups.  I don't see it getting better.  He should be hitting in the bottom third of the order with Bazzana leading off.  

Also what are your thoughts on Angel Martinez?  Chases and doesn't walk but hits the ball fairly hard.
Anthony Franco
4:05
With you on Kwan, time to drop him down. I like Martinez more as a high-end utility type than a true regular because of the approach issues you mentioned but the tools are real and seems like the kind of high-energy guy who you want off the bench
4:06
Definitely a guy I want on my team but if he's playing almost every day in a corner outfield spot, it's a weakness
Bloomer
4:06
O’Brien is cheap . Why not hold onto him ?
Anthony Franco
4:07
Just a recognition of reliever volatility and the Cardinals still not being quite there yet as a contender
Costas
4:07
Which team is the bigger disappointment, Mets or Red Sox?
Anthony Franco
4:07
Mets
Sophomore Slump
4:07
It seems obvious that Jacob Marsee is having a tough time during his first full season.  Do you see him bouncing back to how he was playing last summer/fall or will he be relegated to "has-been" status soon?
Anthony Franco
4:11
Still like the player. Contact profile and plate discipline are intact, good defender in CF. He's hitting too many fly balls for a guy who doesn't have much raw power but there aren't any dramatic changes to the swing path as far as I can tell
M's
4:11
Of the Mariners' top drafted-or-or-traded for hitting prospects, three have been outright failures (Dustin Ackley, Jarred Kelenic, Jésus Montero) and only two (A-Rod and Junior) lived up to expectations. Is the M's experience typical of other teams, or do the M's simply have bad vibes?
Anthony Franco
4:12
You cherry picked a few busts over a 15-year span. Every team can do that
4:13
Julio, Raleigh and basically the entire rotation have been development success stories. Crawford wasn't homegrown obviously but had seemed like he might plateau in Philly and has gone on to have an excellent career
Jhoan Jhoan Duran Duran
4:13
Besides injury, is there another possible explanation for why so many established players who had not been showing decline have suddenly lost so much bat speed?
Anthony Franco
4:15
Will be curious to see if this picks up over the course of the season. Still very early in having that bat tracking data publicly available so I don't know if/how it intersects with weather, a hitter's general comfort at the plate, etc.
Connecting…