You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Front Office Chat: 7/19/24
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page
Anthony Franco
3:25
Eligible to be traded at the start of the following offseason
Tommy
3:25
Seems like the Brewers should use their OF surplus to trade for a starter. Maybe frelick or mitchell for one of the Mariners young starters? Any other team a fit for that kind of trade? Brewers would still have one of those 2 left w Chourio Yelich Perkins and Wiemer and Brewer Hicklen.in AAA
Anthony Franco
3:28
Frelick or Mitchell isn't enough to pull one of the Mariners guys IMO. Maybe one of those guys works for Fedde? I wouldn't give up Frelick for him but if the Sox like Mitchell, that could be a good fit for Milwaukee
Bill
3:29
Aside from a resurgence of the offensive production of the lost boys Murphy,Olson and Arcia what can the Braves hope for or trade for ?
OtisPDriftwood
3:29
Here's a very general question - we know that some teams have glaring needs. They are going to go get someone. It seems there's  always a delay - I realize no one wants to upstage the All Star Game, but why haven't teams in need worked out deals already? Are they prevented from chatting about it? For example, why haven't the Braves just grabbed J Winker? He is exactly what they need.
I may be a wee bit slow on the uptake, but I always expect a slew of trade announcements right after the ASG and, instead, they seem to trickle in.
Anthony Franco
3:30
Tying Otis' question here because I like the Winker suggestion he throws out there. Agree that a LHH outfielder is the big thing for them. They'll poke around the market for controllable starting pitching too, but that's more of an uphill battle since everyone wants those guys
Sadface
3:30
Why no ASB trades?
Anthony Franco
3:31
As to Otis' general point and this question, this happens every year. We get a handful of noteworthy trades by the middle of July but the vast majority of activity takes place in the four or five days leading up to the deadline
3:33
Even if a team knows it's selling at this point, there are enough bubble teams that could still go either way that it doesn't behoove the seller to deal players until they have a clearer picture of who else could be in the bidding
3:34
So buyers generally have to pay a bit of a premium to get deals done two or three weeks before the deadline
Anybody But Clay
3:34
This isn't just based on Sunday's meltdown.....but Clay Holmes cannot be the closer if the Yankees make the playoffs. He couldn't throw a strike if his life depended on it.
Anthony Franco
3:35
I still like Holmes more than most Yankee fans seem to, but he's been shaky enough lately that I get the argument for looking elsewhere in the ninth
3:36
Obviously Miller would be the prize but the asking price would be crazy. Tanner Scott's probably wilder than Holmes is. I'm a big Carlos Estévez fan though. If the Yankees landed him and pushed Holmes into the seventh or eighth inning, I'd be on board
Tommy
3:37
Despite a desperate need for production at 2B and 3B the Dodgers have only given Vargas at bats in a short side platoon in LF. Plenty of teams are looking for 3Bman (seemingly his best pos) both for now and the future. With nothing left to prove in AAA do you see him moving this month? Maybe to the Cubs as part of a package for Hoerner?
Anthony Franco
3:38
Probably not for Hoerner, who the Cubs have signed through '26 and seem to love, but I wouldn't be shocked if the Dodgers packaged Vargas somewhere
3:40
Value's down from where it was 12-16 months obviously but he'd be an intriguing secondary piece in a deal. No idea how the Tigers feel about Vargas at this point, but given their need for upper level bats for '25 and beyond, maybe there's a fit in a Flaherty trade?
Fraser406
3:40
As a Mariners fan, what is the most realistic option(s) they have to improve their inept offense? Does Jerry Dipoto roll the dice on trading high-end prospects to get something done? Thanks!
Anthony Franco
3:41
Still feels to me like the Rays are the best partner there. Even if they don't want to move Paredes, they could market Arozarena or Brandon Lowe
3:43
Mariners have the farm system to pull off basically any deal they want. They should be able to accommodate a salary in the $10MM range, and those front offices seem to have a good rapport given the number of trades they've made over the years
Gadzooks
3:43
With the market leaning heavily towards sellers, wouldn't it make more sense for teams like the Reds and Cubbies to join the sellers?
Anthony Franco
3:44
I don't think so. Both those teams are one good week away from occupying a Wild Card spot. If they come out of the Break with a 2-6 record, that changes things, but I wouldn't expect either to sell right now
3:46
Might feel differently if either of them were loaded with high-value rentals, but beyond maybe Frankie Montas, there's not much on either roster. Both teams are going to try to compete in '25 even if they miss the playoffs this year. At that point, it's probably best to hang on -- similar to the Rangers situation from earlier
Dave
3:47
Any intel why Kyle Hurt has not been recalled by Dodgers? He is a lot better than many of bullpen arms used by the team in July.  Thanks
Anthony Franco
3:47
Fabian Ardaya reported a few weeks that Hurt was shut down in Triple-A with an elbow issue
Guest
3:47
A recent article described the Nats-Padres Soto trade as the biggest (in fame? in impact?) trade in MLB history. That seems like a conclusion colored by how recent it was....but is there a case to be made that it was indeed the biggest?
Anthony Franco
3:49
I can't go that far. Even if you want to exclude the Babe Ruth deal as a sale rather than a trade because the Red Sox didn't get a player back, I'd have a hard time putting the first Soto deal above something like the Frank Robinson trade
3:52
It's certainly the biggest trade since I've been at MLBTR. Pretty sure Tim considered it the biggest move of the MLBTR era at the time, so I could see it being the most significant trade of the past 20 or 30 years, but I can't get to all time
Will in Westport
3:52
Good afternoon, Anthony, and thanks for doing this.  Do you expect that Jacob Wilson's minor league performance will translate well in the big league?  The DP combo of Wilson and Gelof, if they mesh well, could be really productive for the A's akin to Trammell and Whitaker (with the Tigers) … you think there is any chance?
Anthony Franco
3:53
Pretty easy argument that Trammell and Whitaker should both be Hall of Famers. Certainly not going that far on Wilson and Gelof
3:54
I like both the A's guys though. I know there's some trepidation about Wilson's exit velos but as long as he's not hitting the ball like Nick Madrigal or Nicky Lopez, the bat-to-ball and defense should make him a solid regular
MLB life
3:55
The trade deadline was more exciting before playoff expansion. Do you think adding more teams to the field will bring back some sellers?
Anthony Franco
3:56
As in expanding to 32 teams but keeping a 12-team playoff? Shrinking the percentage or teams that make the postseason is going to lead to more sellers, but I also expect MLB to continue to push a larger playoff field in CBA negotiations alongside overall league expansion
Pip
3:56
if the Rangers are going to remain in the chase, isn’t it more a question of them getting themselves healthy rather than actually buying? If they are buying what is their most depressing need?
Anthony Franco
3:58
Partially health but the biggest thing is just getting better production out of guys who they know are capable: Adolis, Heim, Semien (who has started to come along), Leody
3:59
I don't love the bullpen, so I'd be on board with an acquisition there. Maybe a role player in the outfield to push Grossman off the roster. Beyond that, they just need their good players to play better
TheMan3
3:59
why don’t my questions ever show up to fight having a subscription to this site?
Anthony Franco
4:02
To cancel your membership? Pretty sure you can do this by going to "My subscription" on your site profile
Guest
4:02
Apart from a few high-performance months from Josh Bell, the Nationals have not had a legitimate offensive-contributing first-baseman since Ryan Zimmerman played 1st base in 2019. Is there any chance that Juan Yepez is an answer, versus being another AAAA ballplayer having a good run like Joey Meneses did two years ago?
Anthony Franco
4:04
He's always had a pretty aggressive offensive approach that limits the OBP upside. Clearly has power but I don't think it's enough to profile as a regular at first base
New Rule Change
4:05
Will you join my petition to allow batters to appeal to the base ump on a check swing call (just like catchers) rather than home plate umpires making that decision? Seems like the most obvious and simplest rule change in the history of sports.
Connecting…