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Front Office Chat: 5/9/25
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Anthony Franco
4:18
Didn't like the Jays' end of the trade because of how Giménez's bat has trended, but he's not this bad of a hitter. There's little to no power -- his week one homer barrage was weird -- but he makes enough contact that he should be able to keep his OBP above .300
Not a good hitter, but not quite in "can't steal first" territory either
Life On Mars
4:18
Early returns on Dominguez? His numbers aren't horrible but not much slug.
Anthony Franco
4:21
Yeah there's more juice in there than he's shown so far. Would like to see the strikeout rate come down a bit obviously. Not a horrendous start but not really an encouraging one either, especially since the glove might be a problem
Ben
4:21
So the obvious answer for the Sox is to move Cambell to 1b - he has the body for it and already plays defense like one - and then call up Mayer (or Anthony with Rafaela playing 2b), right?
Anthony Franco
4:22
It's tough to put a young guy at first and then ask him to move back up the defensive spectrum. I don't think they'll do that with Campbell at age 22
Brewer Fan
4:23
At what point in their development should a team consider extending a prospect? A lot of Brewers fans are already saying it for Made but this has to be too early right?
Anthony Franco
4:26
We've never seen a team do it -- all the pre-debut extension guys had some level of upper minors success -- but eventually someone's going to extend an A-ball kid. It'd be rough optics for the front office if the player never even reaches the majors, but if you've got a top prospect in the low minors who's willing to give up two or three free agent years for like a $20M guarantee, I wouldn't shut the door entirely
4:29
It won't happen often, but when it does, it'd probably be a Made or Leo De Vries type: a tooled-up international signee who has shown advanced plate discipline in A-ball. It's the face-of-the-franchise starter kit, and while there's ample risk that the approach won't translate against higher level pitching, the payoff you get if that guy becomes the next Chourio is massive
4:30
(Only using Chourio as an example because they're in the same org, not equating them as players)
Rox
4:30
Was Kyle Freeland's tearful plea to Rockies fans after giving up 20 runs in 2 games a perfect representation of just how far this organization has fallen?
Anthony Franco
4:32
Not ideal to have to plead fans to keep believing in the team. It's unfortunate given the success Freeland had earlier in his career
Dave Dombrowski
4:33
If Andrew Painter is as good as advertised, Ranger Suarez goes to the bullpen in July, right? He has the experience and would likely be the most beneficial in the playoffs.
Anthony Franco
4:36
Ranger's a good starter and has already had postseason success out of the rotation. I'd be more inclined to use Painter in relief in the playoffs if everyone's healthy. Keeps his innings in check and allows Thomson a little more flexibility to use him in lower-pressure situations if need be
4:38
Obviously if Painter rips off a 2.50 ERA with a 30% strikeout rate over his first 12 starts or something, then you can't move him, but I'm broadly in favor of competitive teams breaking in their top pitching prospects (especially ones coming back from injury) into the majors in relief -- essentially what the Tigers did with Jobe late last year
Arthur Dent
4:38
The Marinrs… is it sustainable?  Despite the injuries, I’m starting to buy in.  Picking up Taveras this early seems like a pretty shrewd move under the circumstances. What’s your take on what’s going on in the Emerald City?
Anthony Franco
4:40
Agree on the Leody pickup. I know Steve was surprised anyone claimed him given how bad the start of the season has been, but I like the glove and think he's viable (though not good) against RHP. It's tough to find outfield help and he's still a viable fourth outfielder/low-end regular for me
4:43
Is it sustainable? There are some guys who are going to come down to earth (Polanco, Moore, Crawford to a lesser extent), but there's more talent in the lineup than the past couple seasons had shown. A core of Julio, Raleigh, Arozarena with supporting performances from Polanco, Raley, Crawford and Moore seems totally viable
4:46
They haven't matched last year's impeccable rotation health, which was to be expected, and the depth beyond the top five is still pretty weak, but they've weathered the Kirby injury so far. A lot depends on whether Kirby and Gilbert return without any setbacks obviously, but if they do, this roster is up there with anyone in the AL
Big Bob
4:46
The Dodgers will need a third baseman and probably a center fielder. Your opinion of who/when?
Anthony Franco
4:49
The third base market is rough. Might just need to give Alex Freeland a look at some point. Not sure center field is really a need. Pages can hit and they can kick Edman out there for defensive purposes if they're not comfortable with him late in games
4:50
They gave Conforto $17M so he'll get a pretty long leash in left
Dano
4:50
Jackson Merrill, is the sky the limit (assuming he stays healthy)?
Anthony Franco
4:53
Yeah he's incredible. Among guys 25 and under, I'd take Witt and Gunnar over him and that might be it. Carroll vs. Merrill is a really tough one
JCCinDC
4:53
Is it possible that Alex Call is a legit late bloomer who has made himself into a solid 4th OF/borderline starter? His production at the plate continues his work last season before he got injured. While it’s only 55 games his statcast has a lot of red (xwOBA, xBA, plate discipline). He lacks the power to be a Jayson Werth, but it’s hard not to root for guys like Call.
Anthony Franco
4:56
More so solid fourth OF than borderline starter. The plate discipline is real and he has systematically improved, but "corner outfielder with minimal power" is a tough one to pull off
Dano
4:56
On the other end of the spectrum, Joey Ortiz.  What has happened to him?  His EV is down almost 4 points, not barreling the ball.  But he's actually improved his K rate and his launch angle has improved.  Maybe he's making adjustments and just not seeing results yet?
Anthony Franco
5:01
I think the current launch angle is a little too high. The pop-up rate has doubled, hitting too many weak fly balls. Launch doesn't do you much good when you're averaging 83 MPH on the balls you hit in the air. Those are just outs
5:03
He's never had overwhelming raw power, and while the contact rate is up this year, that's mostly concentrated on pitches outside the strike zone. It's tough to hit those with any kind of authority unless you're an elite power guy
No real reason for me to believe it's much than a slump though
5:04
Alright we've hit the two-hour mark so I need to wrap this one up
5:05
Sorry if I didn't get to your question. Probably busier than any one since the offseason. Feel free to throw stuff at me on X @affranco10 and I'll get back to you by the weekend
5:06
Thanks for hanging out and for continuing to support the site! It's truly much appreciated and these remain a blast. Have a great weekend!
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