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Front Office Chat: 5/17/24
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strangerinastrangeland
4:14
The Braves seem to be lacking cohesion,Acuna picked off 3x in a row,watching 3 strikes in a row,low clutch hitting,does the loss of Ron Washington,Eric Young and a veeeeeery laid back manager figure in  at all?
Anthony Franco
4:16
They'll be alright. Definitely sloppy plays in there, especially on the basepaths, but they haven't hit top gear yet and they've still got the second-best record in the NL
4:18
Not worried about the coaching staff or the clubhouse culture, any of that stuff. It's a long season and they're probably in for a really tight division race that should sharpen their focus when the stretch run arrives
Michael B
4:18
Fantasy.  12-team keeper (6 keepers) league.  Kept Adley, Freeman, Ohtani, Judge, Arozarena, Strider. Picked up Devers, Jackson Holliday, and Christian Scott. Question. Do I drop Strider now and keep one of these three, or keep him till next year?  Your thoughts?
Anthony Franco
4:20
Guess it depends how desperate you are for the roster spot but I'd rather keep my options open. There's some chance you'll want to keep Strider and one of the three you mentioned over Randy if he doesn't turn it around
Ryan Red Leg
4:20
Let's play some over/ under for Elly De La Cruz.                                  80 Steals                                           30 Homers                                      900 OPS                                            5 WAR
Anthony Franco
4:21
Slight under on 80 steals, over on 30 homers, under on OPS (think the OBP comes down enough to keep the OPS below .900), over on 5 wins
Upsides
4:21
He's only 23, but what's the future upside of Simeon Woods Richgardson?
Upsides 2
4:21
And the upside for the A's Joey Estes?
Anthony Franco
4:23
SWR's a 4/5 starter for me. He'd need to take a step forward with one of the offspeed pitches to have enough swing-and-miss to profile above that, but he's got alright stuff with good command
4:24
I think Estes is a back of the 40-man guy. Someone you'd be alright with as the #7 starter on a depth chart who can take the ball a couple times throughout the year, but not a guy you'd want in your Opening Day starting five
Rick
4:25
MJ Melendez has been very disappointing so far. Do you see anything that makes you think he will pick it up and be a long term starter?
Anthony Franco
4:27
Not really. There's power but so much swing-and-miss. If he'd developed as a catcher the way I thought he would as a prospect, that kind of offensive profile can work. It doesn't play in left field
STL Rebuild
4:27
Mo and the crew never will commit to what the franchise needs, but what on the team could actually net real value in July 2024? Goldy won't even net a lottery ticket. Arenado isn't much more valuable either. Could Gray be moved? Would any of the young bats actually get real value back? Or are we stuck suffering for decades of contention with a bunch of guys who aren't any good and no one wants to pay for?
Anthony Franco
4:29
Helsley would get a ton of attention assuming he's healthy. Nootbaar and Donovan would still net a strong return, but it'd be a bit of a sell-low and would probably require more of a roster reset than the Cardinals want to do
4:30
If Edman comes back healthy, they could get some mid-level prospects for him. I'd be really surprised if they trade Gray in year one
Kodai Chrome
4:30
Do you think Senga pitches this year?
Anthony Franco
4:31
Yeah, no reason to think his season is in jeopardy right now
Mlbfan
4:31
Is Reese Olson an all star?
Anthony Franco
4:33
Probably should be. There are a lot of strong pitching performances so far but Olson's been among the best in the AL thus far. Doesn't have huge swing-and-miss numbers and eventually he'll give up a couple homers that push the ERA up from the low-2.00s, but he's really good
4:34
He's behind Skubal on his own team, though, and eventually this kind of thing becomes a numbers game to make sure every roster is represented
Rangers13
4:35
With the Rangers needing a healthy starter and a BP bridge to LeClerc, Robertson and Yates I think a trade with the Nats for T.Williams and Hunter Harvey would accomplish both objectives. In your opinion what would the Rangers side of that trade look like.
Anthony Franco
4:38
Harvey's more valuable than Williams but his injury history should keep the Nats from getting a Top 100 type. It'd be a couple mid-level guys from the system, probably pitchers
4:39
A Mitch Bratt or Jose Corniell type as a headliner maybe
Orioles In The Outfield
4:39
Do you think the O's will actually need to trade for an outfielder or will they just hope Mullins and Hays figure things out? The league has figured out Cowser and they seem unwilling to let Kjerstad or Stowers play.
Cedric The Imitator
4:39
What has happened to Cedric Mullins?
Anthony Franco
4:42
They're already eating into Mullins' and Hays' playing time. Cowser has definitely tailed off. Agree that it feels like they should give Kjerstad actual run to see if this is something they'll have to address at the deadline
Mr. Cub
4:43
i think Kyle Hendricks is done being a starter. I don’t know what his problem is but he can only pitch three innings maybe they should put him in the pre for the rest of the year. His contract is up at end of the season. What’s your opinion?
Anthony Franco
4:44
Yeah I don't see any reason for optimism there. He's meant so much to the organization that they've understandably given him a leash, but they've gotta pull the plug on him as a starter. They're a fringe playoff team that can't afford to punt games every fifth day
Arise, Sir Loin of Beef
4:45
Are the Mets in more need of another bat or another arm?
Anthony Franco
4:45
My first instinct was to say pitching because that's been my question on them going back to the offseason, but I actually think it's probably a bat
4:47
Baty hasn't taken the step forward they were hoping, McNeil's not producing. Alvarez out for a while without a viable replacement. Nimmo, Alonso JDM, Lindor is a good core but the back half of the lineup is probably the bigger issue right now
4:49
Scott looks good, still think Megill's a viable back-end starter. Severino has been alright. They'd benefit from more starting pitching, but I feel a little better about it than I did at the start of the season
George
4:49
Hi there, thanks for this Friday afternoon chat!

I know that the Rays are worried about Randy & Siri's struggles this year, but have signaled optimism for the future. I'm more curious at this point about the middle and back of the rotation, especially Civale and Alexander. There doesn't seem to be a lot of depth in the minors. They're still somehow playing .500 ball. Will they be aggressive for pitching at the break? I had hopes that the Rays magic had rubbed off on Civale, but it's been almost a year now and he hasn't done well.
Anthony Franco
4:52
Yeah I agree with everything you said. They need some offensive improvements but the pitching depth is the bigger issue. Mediocre starts from Civale and Alexander paired with a shakier bullpen than they're used to. It's tough to work around that back of the rotation when Fairbanks, Maton, etc. aren't locking things down in the late innings
4:54
This felt to me like the worst Rays team in a few years coming into the season. It's pretty crazy that they're above .500 the way they've played so far -- bottom five run differential in the AL -- but they're hanging around enough that they'll probably add a couple arms at the deadline
Stros Before Bros
4:55
Houston will win the AL West.
Anthony Franco
4:55
I'll stick with Texas but I don't think you're crazy
4:56
Houston's pitching depth scares me but the offense is great and neither Texas nor Seattle pulled away when the Astros were floundering
MLBTR Fan Stan
4:57
I asked a question this winter about Joey Wendle being a wild signing and now he still stinks and the Mets paid $4.2 million for 2 months of play. Do teams not understand value creation? One would think David Stearns would know that he can find that Joey Wendle production in his minor leagues that comes with 6 years of control and alot cheaper contract.
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