Front Office Chat: 5/29/26
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Anthony Franco
3:01
Hey all, hope you're well!
3:02
I've been under the weather all week so going to keep this one right at an hour, let's get it going
NL Central
3:02
I suggested in a previous chat that Nolan Arenado and Wilson Contreras would have the same fate as other hitters leaving STL/Busch, and it was met with skepticism. I had been hurt too often before. Nolan Arenado is running a wRC+ higher than all but one of his seasons in STL. Same for Willson. Is it just Busch or is it the dev team, or the hitting coaches? Seems crazy how often this happens.
Anthony Franco
3:03
Contreras had stretches like this with STL. This is a little above his baseline but he's been a well above-average hitter everywhere he's been
3:05
I think you have more of a case with Arenado's rebound but it's mostly coming at home, where Chase Field definitely plays more hitter-friendly than Busch, and probably has more to do with improved health than anything else
3:07
Interesting debate with how little they've gotten from Gorman if they were better off holding Arenado than giving him away. Felt at the time like everyone needed the clean break, especially with where the organization was going, but you're probably looking at a win or two difference at third base in a season where the Cards are more competitive than they thought they'd be
Mike d
3:07
Thoughts on a trade that would center around Matt McClain and top prospect for Duran?  Boston and Cincy players could both use change of scenery.
Anthony Franco
3:08
McLain's not doing anything for me at this point but I wouldn't give up a "top prospect" for Duran so I guess that's the bigger thing
AA
3:08
my braves hit the ground running this year which is rare for my tenure.

who do i trade for at the deadline? righty corner OF? starting pitcher? shortstop? bullpen? all seem like options but im ready for the big move. who is it and what will it cost?
Anthony Franco
3:10
They should at least poke around for a playoff caliber starter. Certainly wouldn't be my pick to land Skubal given the relative farm weakness but no reason not to at least be in the mix. Robbie Ray should be out there, maybe the Rangers put MacKenzie Gore back on the market
3:11
And yeah, I'd like to see them add a RHH outfielder. Covers for Yaz and gives them more flexibility to put Dubón back at SS if Kim can't figure it out
Expansion
3:12
are details up for discussion in this negotiation or is that a separate thing? Seems like both sides are very focused on money distribution over anything else. But expansion seems like it could/would be a whole thing on its own
Anthony Franco
3:13
Nothing stopping them from talking expansion but I imagine they'll iron that out separately after they get a deal in place. Primary concern of the CBA negotiations is revenue split
Rangers sellers? How far would they go?
3:13
If the Rangers were to decide to sell? How far would they go and what could they realistically get? Would we be looking at something as big as either deGrom or Eovaldi moved?
Anthony Franco
3:15
Would need the AL to be more stratified, but if they're 6+ out and you're looking at a team built so heavily around two aces in their late 30s and a mid-rotation guy with a year and a half of club control, everything should be on the table
3:17
Third straight season of "this team can't hit" without much in the way of young offensive contributors to sell this as a quick turnaround
Al
3:17
Hi Anthony, What is Agustin Ramirez’s MLB future career (in any)?  Thank you.
Anthony Franco
3:18
I'd put him at first given what the Marlins have run out there. Probably a low-end regular there given the approach but the power's real
I don't think he's ever going to be a viable MLB catcher
Jagger
3:19
What's your thoughts on the Bryce Miller, Luis Castillo piggy back situation? Both clearly don't seem satisfied with it.
Anthony Franco
3:20
I get their frustration but diminishing returns for them in going to a six-man since most of their top-end guys have been pretty durable
3:21
Hancock has obviously been too good to take out of the rotation and Miller should be on the big league staff. If I knew they'd all stay healthy the rest of the way, I'd throw Miller in the bullpen, but it's understandable to want them all stretched out in case anyone goes down
Toby
3:21
If you were in charge of the Red Sox, what would you do to fix the mess they’ve made?
Anthony Franco
3:22
Oof, take a flier on Royce Lewis to send Durbin to Triple-A? Not sure what else they can do to fix the infield in the short term, but at least they've got Franklin Arias coming by next year
Who the F are they???
3:23
What do you know about Tommy Troy?  I just added him in my fantasy league as an extra outfielder.  Right now I'm dependent on Duran, Nimmo, Walker & DeLauter, Bolt & Bryan Torres.  Where does Troy fit into that lineup?
Anthony Franco
3:25
Haven't seen him in the minors but I was skeptical on him as a regular when he was at Stanford and his Triple-A production hasn't really changed that. Would guess he's a fourth outfielder
Mike
3:25
What do you think is Anthony Volpe’s future position?  My guess is they won’t re-sign Jazz and will turn 2nd over to Volpe or Lombard Jr.  how do you think Volpe would play at 2nd or 3rd?
Anthony Franco
3:26
Yeah I don't see why he couldn't play either position well, especially second. Ideal long-term arrangement probably has him there with Lombard Jr. at SS
Blooper Disbeliever
3:26
Do you think the Braves should've released Bummer? Seemed like a mistake to me
Anthony Franco
3:27
I was surprised initially but the stuff is so down that I think it's the right move
Validated to an extent by the fact that no one else signed him to an MLB deal
Joshua
3:27
Would a trade of OF Daylen Lile to the Padres or Guardians make sense? Both teams are really lacking offense, and although Lile isn't a big time bat, he can easily raise a floor for either team and is also cheap/controllable. The Nats have to trade something to get something and Lile would seem a good possibility to get some decent controllable SP. Thoughts on what a trade could/would look like? Thanks.
Anthony Franco
3:30
Yeah still like the idea of swapping Lile for pitching if it's out there. Don't see a great match with San Diego given their lack of controllable starting pitching, feel like Vásquez has become too valuable for them
Cleveland maybe with Joey Cantillo?
Beano
3:31
Interested in your thoughts in A Alvarez on the NATS - he seems like a guy who should be starting for them regularly
Anthony Franco
3:32
It's not premium stuff so I'm skeptical on him maintaining this but I'm with you that they should give him a shot. They're running Littell and Mikolas out there
Blooper Disbeliever
3:32
Re: Bummer. His statcast page seems to indicate some clear differences in mechanics from previous years. Why wouldn't the Braves DFA him or just try to work out his issues while using him in low leverage (h/t to snitker for doing that while he was good). I'd think other teams would rather fix him in the minors than offer him a majors spot
Anthony Franco
3:33
A DFA basically is a release for a player who has five years of service time. He's going to refuse the minor league assignment and keep the contract
Chris
3:34
If Arte surrendered all control to a competent GM tomorrow, how long would it take to get the Angels back to contention?
Anthony Franco
3:35
At least a three-year process to get the farm system in order to produce enough MLB contributors. I get wanting to avoid a rebuild if possible but they've had no way out of it in the short term at least since the end of the Ohtani era and haven't changed anything about their operating procedure
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