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Front Office Chat: 5/24/24
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Anthony Franco
3:54
Hey everyone, hope you've all had a good week!
3:55
Steve's off today and I'm taking over news coverage from Darragh at 4:00 Central, so I'll probably have to wrap this up right around then. Let's get rolling
Danny Jansen
3:55
What does my next contract look like?  Will it be with the Jays?
Anthony Franco
3:56
I'd have him somewhere between Vásquez and McCann right now -- like the 3/36 range. He's younger than Garver and a better defender, but we saw the injury history hurt Mitch as a free agent and Jansen's got similar concerns
3:57
I think there's a legitimate path to four years in the $60MM range if he stays healthy all season, though. He's really good
3:59
Guessing Toronto probably doesn't match that with the escalating arb prices for Vlad/Bo and the various other needs on the roster. Would be nice if Kirk starts to play like a potential #1 catcher again
RAGBRAI
3:59
Twine and tape seem to be keeping the Brewers rotation together. Can the keep this up? Is there an upgrade at the deadline that is feasible.
Anthony Franco
4:01
Yeah they'll add. The Fedde/Blackburn type -- cheap starter who looks like a fairly safe #4 arm -- make sense. I think they'll hold it together ok until then, though. I'm in on Gasser as a back-end guy right away, Junis could step back in at some point
Wayne
4:01
I have to believe that the Phillies are receiving inquiries about Edmundo Sosa from clubs needing a starting SS.  Almost immediately after getting him in a trade from the Cardinals two years ago, two AL East clubs tried to trade for him.  I'm not sure the Phillies will consider trading him unless he's part of a bigger package that brings back something meaningful, as they have no reason to move him, otherwise.  But it will be something to monitor at the deadline.  Thoughts?
Anthony Franco
4:03
Agree they'll get calls but trading him would be too cute. They've got maybe the best team in baseball right now, no reason to subtract a quality backup middle IF from that
4:05
He's probably a low-end regular on talent -- somewhere between 20th and 30th in terms of MLB shortstops -- but the swing-and-miss is still enough of a concern that I don't see another team offering top-tier prospect talent for him. And at that point, there's no reason for Philly to do anything
LOST SEASON
4:05
Any chance Colson Montgomery gets called up before September?
Anthony Franco
4:06
Guessing they'll want to preserve his rookie eligibility so they have the potential to get the bonus pick if he wins ROY in '25
The cutoff for that is mid-August. I could see them calling him up around then as long as he has the strikeouts somewhat in check in Triple-A
4:07
Basically approach it the way the Cardinals did with Masyn Winn last year
Duke of Flatbush
4:07
Hey Anthony! Thanks for the chat. Perplexed about the Dodgers constantly moving Relief and Starting pitchers around. The organization has moved a minimum of ten pitchers in and out of the major league club. They lost a few to DFA, free agency and the like. Other teams are not this extreme. The “fresh arm” excuse is wearing thin. They do have some on the IL but so do all the teams. What gives?
Anthony Franco
4:08
They've got more guys than most teams on the IL and presumably don't really care if they lose the Crismatt/Salazar replacement level types
They've also got six current relievers who can't be optioned, which makes it hard to move guys back and forth. Elieser and Yohan Ramírez probably aren't long for the roster either
buffy, the umpire slayer
4:09
When Abreu returns in Houston, will he be the man or part of a platoon with Singleton?
Anthony Franco
4:10
Guessing they'll give Abreu another shot at more or less everyday playing time. Singleton has drawn a bunch of walks against RHP to prop up the batting line but he's not a guy they need to force into the lineup
I'd give Abreu another month and if it's still not happening, they need to make a deadline move and probably DFA Abreu
Pete Rose's betting slip
4:11
See any shake up with Reds lineup (trade wise)? since everyone seems to have regressed this year except for the SS
Anthony Franco
4:12
Not a ton beyond adding a corner outfielder/first baseman and potentially offloading India. Touched on this in the article earlier this week, but it's mostly about hoping for better from Candelario and Steer and awaiting the returns from Friedl, McLain and (to a lesser extent) Marte
RAGBRAI
4:12
What’s a bigger surprise Phillies lead in the East or AZ fourth place in the West? Any other surprises in the NL or AL?
Anthony Franco
4:14
Guess I'd say Philadelphia -- certainly didn't expect they'd start this well and picked Atlanta to win the East -- but I'm not shocked by them leading the East or Arizona being fourth in the West. Probably would've predicted the latter honestly, though you can order any of the 2-4 teams defensibly
4:15
Guardians and Royals are the biggest positive surprises for me. Rangers, Astros and Reds probably the biggest disappointments, though I'm not completely out on any of that trio yet
Guest
4:15
Unless they convert one of the outfield prospects to 1st base, the Nationals have no one in the pipeline who projects as a above average major league player. Who might be available this winter to play first base (other than Alonso)? Is there a larger pool the next winter?
Anthony Franco
4:16
Christian Walker's an impending FA. Rhys Hoskins could opt out. Goldy's a free agent, Yankees have an option on Rizzo
4:17
Guess you could put Bellinger in that category if he opts out, although he's probably a better fit for a team that'll play him in the outfield more regularly than the Nats would. It's a solid first base class overall
Hits Like Rays
4:17
Is it pretty pointless to try to extend Josh Lowe since he is already 27 years old and the Rays already control his contract through age 31?  Should the Rays instead look at signing Isaac Paredes, Richie Palacios, Jonny Deluca, Ryan Pepiot, and Junior Caminero to long-term deals?
Do the Rays need to wait for a resolution to the Wander Franco disaster before they are able to sign more players to long-term contracts?
Anthony Franco
4:18
Wander shouldn't affect it, especially if they're able to recoup the money if/when he's eventually released. Not sure how likely that is, but I have to imagine they'd try
4:19
Can't let that dissuade you from trusting young players. Wander was the perfect player to invest in, just (seemingly) the wrong person
4:20
Agree that I'd ride it out with Lowe given his age and the injury history. Paredes and especially Caminero are good candidates for an extension. Need more of a track record on Palacios and DeLuca. I'd at least gauge the price on Pepiot
Coop
4:20
I know this may seem silly but after such an amazing run, with his injury history s there any concern over Madon Miller giving up 5 runs yesterday?
Anthony Franco
4:20
Not concerned about the performance at all
4:21
The injury history's always going to be in the background, but one bad game doesn't change how I feel about him as a player. Stuff happens
BoSox worries
4:21
Do you believe the Red Sox starting staff can keep up their pace or will their new pitching philosophy catch up to them in the 2nd half
Anthony Franco
4:23
I wouldn't expect them to have the best rotation in baseball all season. Pivetta and Bello are the only ones who have any kind of track record working as starters for a full season, and it looks like Whitlock could be out of the picture. Not so much afraid of teams catching on to their philosophy of throwing more secondary stuff as being a little worried about fatigue as a factor for Houck and Crawford
4:25
I do think they're an above-average rotation, though, maybe top 10. Wouldn't have predicted that coming into the year. Still not sure they have a true ace, but I like Pivetta, Houck (who I've come around on because the offspeed stuff is playing better against LHH), Bello and Crawford as #2/3 types
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