You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Front Office Chat: 6/2/23
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page
SteveM
4:38
2 things...has Mitch Keller turned the corner and possibly why? AND are the Pirates for real as far as maybe a .500 record at season's end?
Anthony Franco
4:42
Don't think Keller's quite this good but as a #2 caliber starter, I'm in. Control has systematically improved over time. He's deepened the arsenal by leaning more heavily on his cutter/slider. I don't know that he can keep missing this many bats with his fastball and expect a little regression but I'm not anticipating any kind of complete collapse
4:43
Pirates playing .500 ball feels doable, sure. Pitching staff is solid and the weak division helps
Donniebaseball
4:43
Is it time to give Florial a real shot, or at least a last shot, he seems like he has earned it
Anthony Franco
4:44
He's still striking out 32% of the time in Triple-A. If you want to argue he's better (or at least more interesting) than Greg Allen or Franchy Cordero, sure, but I don't think he's had a major breakthrough
Ron
4:44
Good afternoon Anthony,  how long will the Dodgers be able to hold off the rest of the NL West without help in the outfield, infield and mound?  I'm talking lack of offence with the fielders,  Enjoy these chats!
Anthony Franco
4:46
Worst Dodgers team in a while but still the class of the NL West for me. More star talent than Arizona or San Francisco without the depth questions at the bottom of the lineup that San Diego has
4:47
They'll add in the areas you mentioned this summer. Could use a better right-handed bat than Thompson for the outfield, especially if they want to upgrade shortstop by playing Mookie there more frequently at Rojas' expense. The rotation depth has gotten exposed a bit by the Urías/May injuries
4:48
But having Betts, Freeman, Smith, Kershaw, Gonsolin and Muncy papers over a lot of flaws, especially when you continue to graduate immediate MLB contributors like Outman and Vargas
Kirt
4:48
Which player that made his MLB debut in 2023, will be the best long term?
Anthony Franco
4:51
Hmm I'd probably go Jordan Walker but Tanner Bibee's close
4:52
Masataka Yoshida is in his own class as an NPB signee but if we're just talking next three years or so, I think there's a reasonable argument there
Robert
4:52
If you were the Rangers, would you trade from the farm for bullpen help at the deadline?
Anthony Franco
4:53
For sure. This team's real and the bullpen's the main concern. There's a ton of farm depth and it's time to leverage it. There's no available reliever I wouldn't expect them to be in on
They've said for two years they were putting everything in place for 2023. They've executed on it really well
Cards Fan
4:53
What would the Cardinals have to give up to get one of the Mariners' young starting pitchers (Kirby, Gilbert, or Miller)?
Anthony Franco
4:55
Man, I just don't think there's any way they pry those guys from Seattle (Kirby and Gilbert especially). If they put Walker on the table, then the M's are probably listening but otherwise, it's hard for me to see it
me
4:55
Think Jeff Todd will ever do a cameo chat?
Anthony Franco
4:56
Ha, this requires us locating him in the Virginia country first
SteveM
4:56
Can you rate the TWINS rotation? The bullpen seems to be a bit better than last year.
Anthony Franco
4:57
Rotation's really good even without Mahle. Ryan/López/Gray is a strong top three. Ober, Varland and Woods Richardson should be effective depth. Could still get something from Paddack and/or Maeda but don't need to count on it
4:59
Still iffy on the bullpen. Griffin Jax's peripherals are fine but the results have gone backwards. Tough to trust Brock Stewart given the track record. Jorge López hasn't found it yet. Pagán as a medium to high leverage guy isn't ideal
I don't think it's an awful bullpen but it's not one I'm all that confident in either, more a mid-tier group aside from Duran
Eddie
5:01
For Dynasty Leagues...in what order would you rate these players?  Jordan Walker, Corbin Carroll, J Chourio, Elly De La Cruz, J Caminero and Wood?  Thank you!
Anthony Franco
5:01
Off the cuff: Carroll, Walker, De La Cruz, Chourio, Wood, Caminero
They're all really interesting obviously
bill
5:02
Why does Ozuna hit  catchers so often with his back swing?  What’s a solution? Will Matt Olson ever cut down on his K rate?
Anthony Franco
5:03
Not sure there's a solution on the Ozuna thing. He's not incentivized to change his swing in any meaningful way. Catchers just have to angrily move back like Will Smith did, I guess
5:04
Olson's been a high swing-and-miss guy forever. You're buying the plate discipline and power, don't think that changes at this point
Also don't think it has to. He's really good as is
Mr. Cub
5:04
How do the Cubs get the pitchers to stop getting hammered?  The relief pitchers aren’t a whole lot better. Is it the manager or is it President Jed Hoyer? Very disappointed with the season thought they would be better
Anthony Franco
5:05
Feels more like a roster construction thing than a coaching staff issue. It's just not a very imposing pitching staff, especially in the bullpen
5:07
They've deliberately avoided long-term investments in the bullpen for a few years. They prefer to wait the market out and sign one-year guys who fall through the cracks. It worked with Chris Martin and David Robertson last year. Didn't pan out with Boxberger and Fulmer this season. Not an easy strategy to execute year in and year out
ex-Mariner
5:07
So at age 30, has Yusei Kikuchi found true religion? He's having a decent year. Will it last?
Anthony Franco
5:08
Ha, I feel like I drag Kikuchi every time I'm asked about him, but I don't think he's any different. Home runs are out of control, still getting hit around by right-handed hitters
Lefty
5:09
Schmitt and Bailey have Giants fans buzzing with their defense and bats so far. SP Harrison and CF Matos on pace for Summer call ups. Is the optimism delusional because prior regime left farm system in shambles and we’re finally getting a youth infusion? Or is the hype real?
Anthony Franco
5:10
It's fair to be optimistic. They have more top-end talent than they've had for a few seasons and they're getting closer to major league readiness
5:11
It's not a unique situation though. Most teams have a handful of high-quality prospects. The Giants' farm system is middle-of-the-pack overall
A Rockie start to season
5:11
What's going on with CJ Cron?  Is he ready to start a minor league rehab assignment?  Any new trade rumors?
Anthony Franco
5:12
Nothing new. Bud Black said a few days ago they're frustrated with the healing process
Connecting…