Front Office Chat: 7/17/26
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat
This chat is available to members only. Please log in to participate.
Hits Like Rays
4:09
What do you think of Ryan Vilade's season so far?  Is he a good long-term fit for the Rays?
Anthony Franco
4:12
I think there's enough bat to be more than a short side platoon player, just don't know about the glove as an everyday corner OF and the Rays can't play him regularly anywhere else
Daniel Gamboa
4:12
Do you think Kemp Alderman will be called up soon, or is he more likely to be used as a trade chip?
Anthony Franco
4:13
He's not going to have a ton of value as a trade chip. I'd just keep him in AAA, assuming Caissie comes back in a week or two, as insurance if Heriberto Hernández cools off
Thinking ahead
4:14
Who is next year’s version of the white Sox? It feels like a lot of this year’s basement dwellers also don’t have strong farm systems
Anthony Franco
4:15
Well I would've dismissed the 2026 White Sox at this time last year too. Liked the lineup core but didn't think they had nearly enough pitching to hang around
4:16
Assuming you'd say the Nationals have already arrived, the A's are probably the closest analogue in that regard. Reds should be better but they're not coming out of an extended rebuild
Not seeing it for the Rockies, Angels or Royals
Giants Fan
4:16
Thanks for the chat! What is a realistic return for Lee? Does trading Ramos make sense along with Lee? Do they trade as a package or individually?
Anthony Franco
4:19
Still think a JHL/Luis Castillo swap could make sense for both teams. I'm not a huge Ramos believer overall and would be glad to move him to Philly or Cleveland for a couple mid-level prospects while he's hitting well
4:20
Individual trades more likely because there aren't going to be many teams that want to pour resources into trading for two players who fit best in the corner outfield
RAGBRAI
4:20
Offensively which rookie in Milwaukee called up this year or yet to be called up this year makes the biggest impact long term for them? Do you see any of them traded for pitching?
Anthony Franco
4:23
Excluding Made as a potential late-season call, I like Lara the best of the group. Neither of them nor Pratt are getting traded. They could move Jeferson Quero and look for a cheap FA replacement for the expected offseason Contreras trade though
Guest
4:23
Hi there, thanks for the chat and I hope your air is safe!  My Mets need a real first baseman.  Ironic, huh?  Is there anyone out there you see as potentially available at the deadline or in the offseason?
Anthony Franco
4:25
Mentioned Tork already. The free agent class there isn't good, might finally be the offseason that the Rays trade Yandy Diaz though. Christian Walker's money doesn't look as bad when there's only one year left on the contract. Brewers could trade Vaughn before his final arb year
Mr KLC
4:26
Yainer Diaz for Wilyer Abreu...who says no.
Anthony Franco
4:27
Don't see Boston doing that even with Abreu's recent offensive drop
The glove is elite and there's clearly offensive ability there despite the slump
Francophile
4:28
Will Atlanta pull out of its tailspin and win the NL east? Will austin Riley find his abilities ?
Anthony Franco
4:30
Yes to the division question. I still think yes on Riley but obviously the confidence in it drops with every month that goes by of him not hitting. I just can't figure out why that's not working anymore
4:32
He's too talented to be this bad and there aren't any real signs of physical decline. He's definitely pressing but I have a hard time believing he can't recognize a breaking ball anymore
4:33
Still feels he just needs a good few weeks to get his confidence back but that's been the case for like 14 months now
Abe
4:34
How do you feel about folks judging players solely on the color of their baseball savant page without going deeper into specific stats? Is it a lazy analysis or good enough for most discussions?
Anthony Franco
4:36
Yeah it's obviously a superficial way of evaluating a player
Dave
4:36
Any rumors on LAD outfield prospects traded for pitching or catching prospects by the August deadline?
Anthony Franco
4:39
Still think it's too early to worry about that with the higher-end talents at AA and below (Quintero, Sirota, De Paula, Hope).Should explore it with James Tibbs, Zach Ehrhard, and Ryan Ward though. Those guys do feel blocked short term and probably going to get jumped by better players coming a level behind them
JR
4:40
Who do you see the O's trying to move other than Rogers and Ward?
Anthony Franco
4:42
Those are the two big ones but I'd look into change of scenery possibilities for Cowser and Mayo (latter might've tanked all value at this point) and see what's out there on the early-30s relievers with a couple years of cheap control (Tyler Wells, Yennier Cano, Rico Garcia)
4:44
Wouldn't trade all three but field offers and probably line up a deal for one of them. If they can get anything for Andrew Kittredge, by all means
AL Central
4:44
There is a chance the AL Central could be competative the next few years.  Cleveland is always good, always has pitching, and even more young players that will be coming up.  The White Sox have a great position player core, need to add pitching (they remind me of the Orioles, but the Orioles had some good young pitching that got hurt).  The Tigers aren't going to fall off a cliff.  None of them may be dominant, but the division should be competative the next 3-5 seasons.
Anthony Franco
4:45
Generally trending up, will probably flip places with the AL West as the worst overall division before much longer
4:46
Alright, we're well over an hour and a half so I'm going to wrap up and see how we're looking on roster news
4:47
Thanks for all the questions, sorry if I couldn't get to yours. Chat volume picks up around the deadline but I'm happy to take anything else on X @affranco10
Steve's always looking for questions in the mailbag as well
Thank you all for continuing to support the site! It's truly much appreciated
4:48
We'll do this again next week. Have a great weekend!
Connecting…