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Front Office Chat: 6/27/25
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Anthony Franco
3:02
Hey everyone, hope you've had a good week!
Tony
3:03
Thanks for the chat! My question is Cardinal related. It appears that their biggest needs are bullpen and right handed hitting outfield. If they packaged Fedde and Gorman (change of scenery) and a minor league catcher (or Pages from the MLB team) what kind of returns would you expect? Any impact players?
Anthony Franco
3:07
Not getting any impact talent with those guys. I think they each have slightly positive trade value but that's a quantity over quality package at this point. You'd probably need a team that really likes Pages' glove and thinks he's a low-end #1 catcher to get anything of note back
Sandy
3:08
All of the mock trades for me have been wild. If seen mocks that include both Leo De Vries & Ethan Salas is crazy. What type of package do the Marlins get for me
Anthony Franco
3:08
I have no idea what you're referring to on the mock specifics but yeah, they wouldn't get either De Vries or Salas
3:10
I do think they can pull a 50-FV type headliner though, someone who'd fall into the back half of the top 100 range. The velocity's still there, the command has been better lately, and he's making fourth/fifth starter money
Grateful Follower
3:10
Do you think any team (Tampa?) might attempt to acquire Soderstrom from the A’s with an eye towards possibly returning him to Catcher (even if the switchback was to wait until next year)?  Or has that ship sailed?
Anthony Franco
3:13
That'd be a really interesting one. I can see the logic, especially if they pull a controllable MLB starter. Doesn't even necessarily need to be a catcher conversion -- that'd be really tough to do midseason especially -- but just finding a team that can put him back at first base makes some sense
Utah Fan
3:13
Who would be targets for the TWINS if they are buyers at the deadline?
Anthony Franco
3:16
Man, any kind of functional pitching. Aside from Ryan, the staff has totally collapsed after the López and Matthews injuries. Feels like they need multiple relievers and at least one new starter if they're going to try to make it work this year
Knock-Knock
3:16
If Garver is your backup catcher you’re doing great at the position. He was brought in to DH for the M's, but that didn’t work out. He is overqualified for his current job, but I’d rather have him sit in the dugout 4 days in a row than bring up Ford to sit. With Cal as the forever catcher, Ford is tradeable. Why bring him up and run the risk of diminishing his value or to play once a week when he can add to his value playing every day in the minors?
Anthony Franco
3:17
This one seems like it's conditional on a Garver IL stint but at some point, Ford just has nothing left to show them in Triple-A
3:19
Cal's not going away anytime soon. They're just going to have to do the Drake Baldwin/Dalton Rushing thing of using him infrequently as a backup with the potential for occasional DH starts and letting him get his feet wet against big league pitching
Gimenez
3:19
Whatever happened to Andres Gimenez? Did he peak at age 23? It's one thing being a .250 hitter, but he's been below the Mendoza line for most of the season.
Anthony Franco
3:21
Agree that he's probably not sub-Mendoza line bad but we're on year four of an offensive decline after one great season that was driven by a .353 BABIP from a guy who doesn't hit the ball hard
3:22
I think something like last year's offense is closer to the baseline than what he's done this season, but it's still not good and why I was shocked that the Jays took the entire contract
Alex
3:22
What does the TDL pitching market look like if Miami decides to hold onto Alcantara, and AZ hangs around enough that they don't really move anyone (pitchers, at least). The Cubs are in a great position to make the playoffs, but it seems clear they need a TOR starter to pair with Imanaga in a playoff series. Boyd and Taillon are good pitchers, but the kinds of guys you want going in a game-3 or -4. Will there be anything else out there to fill that void?
Anthony Franco
3:25
The Royals still want to buy but they're fading fast and might need to bite the bullet on a Lugo trade since he's going to opt out. We'll see what happens with Mahle's health but he could be out there
Alex Anthopoulus
3:25
Is there any hope fod Michael Harris? The high chase rate has always been part of his game, but men he's to the point that he should be getting reps at AAA? Do you think the Braves do that when Profar returns?
Anthony Franco
3:27
I don't think it's directly related to Profar -- certainly wouldn't want Verdugo as my everyday center fielder -- but we're at the point where I'd really consider sending him down, yeah
3:28
Ultimately they're going to need him to get right. The plate discipline has gone in the wrong direction throughout the season and if it takes a couple weeks beating up on Triple-A pitching to get him in a good spot again, so be it
Brewer Fan
3:28
Saw on the Rockies trade preview piece that with McMahon's resurgence the Brewers could be in on him. What do you think the best prospect the Brewers would have to give up to get him? Or would the Rox prefer a bunch of lottery ticket types?
Anthony Franco
3:31
Can't see Milwaukee giving up anyone from Pratt on up for RyMac. Probably not Quero either, though I guess you could argue that he should be available for MLB help given Contreras' presence
3:32
Maybe that leaves Henderson as the guy to strike the balance?
Gc
3:32
With Spencer Jone’s recent hot streak and promotion to AAA. Is his stock back up enough to headline a bigger deal for someone like Alacantra
Anthony Franco
3:33
Interesting secondary piece but I think Miami will do better as a headliner
3:35
Jones is having a monster year but he's a 24-year-old who was repeating Double-A and struck out in more than a third of his plate appearances. Still have the same questions about him as we've had since he was drafted
The tools are huge, patient hitter, but a strikeout rate in the 37-40% range (which is possible once he gets to MLB) isn't viable
Michael Andolini
3:35
How available is Brendan Donovan? Does a Jarren Duran/Donovan swap make sense for everyone?
Anthony Franco
3:38
Duran's got the extra season of control and probably the higher ceiling, but Donovan's dramatically outplaying him this year. I'd probably rather have Donovan given the versatility and the lack of offense around the league second base, but you can certainly make the argument that Duran's closer to a foundational piece
3:40
I don't know that either team would actually make that trade. Cards have a pretty cluttered corner OF mix already. Sox would have the optics of trading another star player so soon after Devers and they might need to move Story over to second once Bregman comes back
jayfisher
3:40
Looks like my Halos MIGHT be buyers? Given that Arte is such a cheap so and so, who would they consider?
Anthony Franco
3:43
I'd remain reluctant to invest much into a team that I do not believe is any good but they're hanging in it right now and the drought has gone on long enough that I'd be fine with them acquiring a couple relievers (ideally not rentals). Maybe a Kiner-Falefa type so they can stop running Rengifo out there or counting on Moncada to get healthy
Tiger fan
3:43
Any chance Tigers could land MacKenzie Gore for super prospects Max Clark & Kevin McGonigle, plus throw in Beau Briske.
Anthony Franco
3:46
Man, yeah, that'd get their attention. The Nats already lean so heavily to young hitting that this would be really tough for them to pull the trigger, but two top 20 prospects is the kind of offer that forces them to really consider it
3:48
I agree that Detroit would need to put them both on the table to make it happen. Two and a half seasons of Gore is so valuable, but every pitcher is one bad pitch away from it all tanking at any time
Skubby snacks
3:48
Skubal is clearly running the AL Cy Young conversation this year, and Garret Crochet is probably slightly higher than Max Fried for the #2 spot. Fried has been excellent, but a SO/9 below 9.0 doesn't seem consistent with a Cy Young winner, even if he's doing just about everything else at an elite level. With strikeouts growing at the MLB level, do you think a pitcher can reasonably win the Cy Young award in the modern era if they don't post elite strikeout numbers? None in recent years come to mind...
Anthony Franco
3:49
Guess it depends on where you draw the "elite" cutoff. Skenes might win it this year with a strikeout rate in the 27% range, somewhere between 9-10 per nine
3:51
Lugo was runner-up last year with an average strikeout rate. It's doable but it requires elite durability, a low ERA, and a year where no one else dominates in a Skubal-like way
One Bee
3:52
Freddie Freeman, Matt Olson, Paul Goldschmidt, Nathaniel Lowe, Christian Walker. Who's your favorite old school first baseman (elite defense, elite OBP, solid hitter, iron man durability)?
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