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Front Office Chat: 5/12/23
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Colt 45's
3:32
Yainer Diaz, the kid from the Astros, seems to hit when he plays, and he just played his first game at first base. But is he toast when Brantley returns? It seems a waste to play this #2 prospect just once a week. Does Houston have a plan for him?
Anthony Franco
3:33
I think I'd option him and let him get continued catching reps in Sugar Land. Don't see a path to first base/DH reps on a roster with Brantley (if/when he comes back), Abreu and Yordan. They're committed to Maldonado as a steadying defensive presence as their top catcher
3:34
I'd rather bring back Korey Lee -- who's a backup for me anyways -- as the #2 and get Diaz more consistent playing time in the minors
Rick
3:34
I appreciate these chats and your takes. I am looking at four first basemen in dynasty league where I can probably keep two or three.  Tellez, N. Lowe, Kirilloff and Manzardo. Do any stand heads and shoulders above or below?
Anthony Franco
3:34
Tellez feels like the clear #4. I'd probably go Manzardo, Lowe and Kirilloff for my top three
3:35
Manzardo feels like a must-keep with how well he's hitting in the minors
The Plum
3:35
Will Brennan (Cle) is supposed to hit. Not only is he not hitting, he's not playing. Whjy won't Cleveland send him down to get some reps?
Anthony Franco
3:36
They don't want Brennan playing against LHP and they've hit a stretch of lefty starters recently. Seems like he's still the strong side of a right field platoon with Gabriel Arias
3:37
None of their outfielders are hitting (aside from Kwan, who's been ok) and I'd keep Brennan up before I recalled Oscar Gonzalez. Agree that Brennan's been really disappointing so far, though. I was all in on him as a breakout player this year, hasn't happened
Big Bob
3:37
Will the Dodgers get a SS at the trade deadline or tough it out?
Anthony Franco
3:37
I think they'll add one in July
Bob Loblaw
3:37
Mark Feisand had an interesting article on potential sellers. If the Cardinals decide to sell, they have plenty of pieces, but would any of them or a combo even return a top 100 prospect or a better-than-mediocre starter who would be controllable in '24?? Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty, Chris Stratton, Drew VerHagen, Jordan Hicks, Tyler O’Neill/Dylan Carlson, or Paul DeJong
Anthony Franco
3:38
Montgomery feels like the most desirable trade chip they have (among guys I could reasonably see them dealing, they're not trading someone like Jordan Walker). I do think he could fetch a prospect at the back of the top 100 as maybe the best rental starter on the market
3:39
If they sell, obviously. Like I said earlier in the chat, I still think this team's too good not to play their way back into the mix
Warren
3:39
Who are some players who are doing well this season that you wouldn't have expected?
Anthony Franco
3:40
Brent Rooker, Cody Bellinger, Jorge Mateo on the position player side. Most of the good pitchers were pretty foreseeable. Didn't think Mitch Keller had this in him though
3:41
I guess Yusei Kikuchi's been better than I anticipated from an ERA perspective, although the peripherals are still pretty bland
Jorge78
3:41
You couldn't get to this question the other day maybe now?  Darragh said in an earlier article Jorge Mateo was out of options.   What?  He hadn't played in the majors at all at that point.  How is this possible?  Thanks!
Anthony Franco
3:41
Speaking of Mateo...
3:43
He is out of options, yeah. Those start counting after a player is added to the 40-man roster. He would've been eligible for the Rule 5 draft going into 2017, so the Yankees put him on their 40-man. At that time, he was a highly-regarded prospect but hadn't advanced past High-A
3:44
So the Yankees (and the A's after them) kept him on the 40-man but continued sending him back to the minors as he moved very slowly up the ladder, burning options along the way. By 2020, he'd exhausted all three without having yet made his MLB debut
3:45
That's pretty rare -- essentially requires a highly-regarded prospect who takes like eight seasons to get to the majors -- but it's possible. Cristian Pache isn't quite so extreme since he's played in the majors a little bit, but he was in a somewhat similar boat this year
Bobob
3:45
I know it’s too early to throw in the towel on the Mets but are just not built for sustainable success.  Should they do something resembling a small rebuild?
Anthony Franco
3:46
I wouldn't. They've got so much money invested and it's an older roster that's built for immediate success. Hope to hang around and push further in at the deadline
3:47
I don't think you want to take a step back in 2024 when you just signed 40-year-old Justin Verlander to a two-year deal
9.99 are you out of your mind
3:47
If Ohtani goes for 700 million you could get Julio Urias, Aaron Nola and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the same amount three number 1-2 starters.  Other than marketing, seems three number one starters are worth more than one Ohtani.
Anthony Franco
3:47
Ha, well $700MM feels pretty bullish on Ohtani. I don't think anyone expects that
3:48
I'm more in the $525-550MM range personally
That'd get you two of those other players but not all three, which feels more reasonable
Eddie
3:49
Very quietly, ARI SP Kyle Nelson is having a breakout year.  Along the lines of Mark Leiter.  Why isn't he getting any love?
Anthony Franco
3:49
Kyle Nelson's a reliever. Ryne Nelson is a starter for Arizona, but he's struggling so far
3:50
Definitely a good first six weeks for Kyle Nelson though. 50% grounder rate, striking out almost 30% of opponents swinging strikes are up a couple points from last year. He's pitched really well
3:51
This just happens with relievers sometimes though. He's only thrown 14 2/3 innings and he doesn't have eye-popping stuff. Looks like a really nice find -- they got him off waivers from Cleveland a couple years ago -- but he's not the kind of player who's going to be on many highlight reels
Rick
3:51
Buxton has only been a DH this year, but apparently there is some talk about him playing some outfield. Do you think he will in fact play some center field and if so enough games to qualify for next year? Also, he really hasn't hit much this year except for some homeruns so I'm wondering if he isn't much better than average even when healthy. Your thoughts? Thanks
Anthony Franco
3:52
Yeah I can't imagine they keep him out of CF all season. It's such a huge portion of his value. They're trying to keep him healthy early on, which is understandable, but at some point down the stretch they'll have to plug him back out there
3:53
On the offense, yeah, I think is mostly who Buxton is. OBP around league average, a fair amount of strikeouts, but 30-homer power if he stays healthy for a full season
3:54
From a pure DH, that's a good player but not a star. From the best defensive outfielder on the planet, he's a down ballot MVP type. His current usage just isn't tapping into the ceiling he has, which is why I expect he'll be back in the outfield at some point
TheBeatlesShow
3:54
Doesn't really look like either the pitching or the line up are significantly over their skis so far, so, do you see any flaws in the Rays that might point to them leveling off as the season progresses?
Anthony Franco
3:56
I think they're the best team in the American League. Nobody sustains a 125-win pace, so they'll slow down to some extent, but I mostly buy it. They've got good players everywhere, elite talent at the top of the rotation, and a quality coaching staff
3:57
Guess my biggest concern would be the starting pitching depth. Their already down Springs, Glasnow and Eflin aren't typically the paragons of health. They're very good at plugging and playing as injuries necessitate but if they lose two of Glasnow, Eflin, McClanahan or Rasmussen for an extended stretch, they'd be in some trouble
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