Front Office Chat: 6/5/26
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Anthony Franco
3:01
Good afternoon, hope all is well!
3:02
Looking forward to another of these, let's get going
NL West
3:02
How many playoff teams will the division have? SD looks like they are crashing down to earth and Arizona just lost the only rotation help they could afford this season.
Anthony Franco
3:03
Yeah I'll stick with two even though I don't know that I'd pick either Arizona or San Diego to make it individually. Still think their combined playoff chances are above 50% though
The Knuder
3:04
Are the Padres cooked? And, if so, what are they gonna sell at the deadline?
Anthony Franco
3:04
Obviously went into this more here:
3:05
I expect Machado and Merrill to bounce back enough that they'll hang around and won't need to sell, but they clearly need multiple bats and at least one starter no matter what happens with Musgrove and Pivetta
3:06
Don't really see the path to doing all that unless they dangle a reliever -- Estrada or Bradgley make the most sense but you could sell me on Morejon -- in more of a baseball trade
Cat_Herder
3:06
Tigers sweep the Rays and haven't lost in June.  Is this is a fluke or are they turning a corner with Torres, Carp, etc. back in the lineup?
Anthony Franco
3:08
I've stubbornly maintained that I think this is a pretty good roster if healthy. There's no reason the offense should've been as bad as they have
3:09
They're probably coming around to an extent but needing to build back from 16 games under .500 with Skubal and Mize still out?
3:10
Feels like a bridge too far at this point even with the AL's general mediocrity keeping everyone kind of in it
Chris
3:10
Say Lindor, Polanco, and Alvarez are all back on July 1 and Mets are within 6-8 GB of a WC spot.  Should they buy and try to make the playoffs?
Anthony Franco
3:11
Not trying to dodge the question but that really depends on what they do in July right? If they're still 6-8 out on August 1, I don't see them buying
3:13
Problem is they don't have much to sell. Holmes will likely still be hurt by then. Who knows on Robert? Even if he's back at that point, he's expensive and had another extended IL stint so the prospect return isn't going to be great. Bichette's contract looks untenable, David Peterson has been awful
So beyond dealing Freddy Peralta and a mediocre lefty reliever or two, there's not a ton to strip down
3:14
Mediocre's harsh, Brooks Raley's good. He's not going to net a huge return though
Far from Fenway, Alaska
3:14
It’s been reported that the Redsox are willing to take on salary for an impact RHH bat. Fernando Tatís for Jarren Duran, Tyler Uberstine, and Allan Castro. Who says no? Tatis will play 2B & the OF logjam is relieved.
Anthony Franco
3:17
That is a hell of a lot of salary. Sox would need to really be sold on this just being a power blip for Tatis. I think it's too risky
Too much of a good thing
3:17
The Mariners are in the enviable position of having too much starting pitching, especially with Anderson and Sloan seemingly ready for debuts in 2027 & 2028.  Castillo has no trade value so Logan Gilbert is the one who has to be traded, right?  Doesn't seem to want to sign an extension with the M's and hitting free agency in 2027.  What could the M's expect if they trade him in July?
Anthony Franco
3:18
Just disagree with the premise that they need to trade him at peak value. They have one of the two best rosters in the American League, try to win a World Series
3:20
It'd be a huge return obviously, something like what they gave up to get Castillo from Cincinnati. But that's a bridge too far for me. If he walks after '27 and all you get is a compensation pick, so be it. They're legitimate World Series contenders for those two years
Bradke Hrbek
3:20
How much longer are Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner going to be in the doghouse? They are hitting an awful lot of HRs at AAA...
Anthony Franco
3:22
Would be surprised if they're not both back up in 2-3 weeks. They're trying to build some defensive versatility. Wallner beating the hell out of Triple-A pitching doesn't say much -- it was kind of inevitable that he was going to do that -- but optioning him in the first place felt like they just needed to get some confidence back
3:24
He's going to strike out a ton as soon as he comes back up but he'll offer LH power off the bench that they don't have right now. James Outman and Orlando Arcia aren't MLB-caliber players
3:25
Arcia's redundant when they're also carrying Ryan Kreidler. Outman at least can play CF so maybe they keep him around while they're mixing in DH time for Buxton
Andrew Chafin
3:25
What's going on? Seems like there are a lot of RP-hungry teams out there who could use me, especially the way I lit up AAA earlier this year. Any insight?
Anthony Franco
3:26
He's about to turn 36 and the fastball is down to 87-88 mph
buhlake
3:27
Do the Rangers sell at the deadline if they continue the mediocrity?
Anthony Franco
3:28
Imagine they'd have to be firmly out of playoff position to think about really blowing it up. There's probably too much talent for them to get buried in this AL playoff picture
King Kelly
3:28
Is it time for the A's to option Butler or wait until others return from the IL?
Anthony Franco
3:30
I'd keep him up. The performance merits it but he only has one option year so if you send him down for three weeks this summer, you've taken that possibility away in '27 and beyond
3:31
Bolte should be in the lineup over him right now (and has been) but it's not like they've got a ton of upper minors position player depth forcing their way onto the roster
3:32
If anything, I'd look into some kind of phantom IL stint. Obviously I have no direct insight into how Butler's feeling but wouldn't be difficult to sell that he's dealing with some effects of the knee surgery given how much the performance has dropped off
3:33
IL him for a couple weeks, then you can run a 20-day rehab assignment without burning the option that hopefully gets him going
Guest
3:33
Gallen+ for Soderstrom, is there anything there?
Anthony Franco
3:34
Nah Gallen's cooked unfortunately
Aroldis
3:34
I'm a Hall of Famer, right?
Anthony Franco
3:35
Yeah I think so. Probably would've said no before this run of dominance in Boston
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