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Front Office Chat: 7/26/24
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Anthony Franco
3:00
Hey everyone, happy deadline season!
3:01
A lot going on this week obviously so I'll need to keep this to an hour. Apologies in advance for the stuff I won't be able to get to, have a ton of questions in here today
Joey
3:01
Did the Mariners underpay for Arozarena? I read an article in the Athletic suggesting that the PTBNL may be notable (i.e another prospect well within the Mariners top 30) do you agree?
Trades
3:01
The arozarena and Puk trade returns felt light to me. What were your initial takeaways?
Anthony Franco
3:02
Got eight questions on Randy, just taking the first one in the queue
3:03
I think the Rays did alright. Smith seems really interesting and has the potential to be a Top 100 type by next offseason or the '25 deadline. Less bullish on Hopkins given the strike-throwing but I think it's a decent package, especially if the PTBNL is another mid-tier prospect
3:04
Found the Puk return pretty underwhelming though. Seems like the consensus -- both among fans and prospect people -- is higher on it than I am. The De Los Santos profile (massive power but likely limited to 1B and super aggressive approach) is such a difficult one to pull
Pull off*
Seattle
3:04
What's happening over there? I know RA has been hot recently, but he doesn't seem to fix any of their issues.
Anthony Franco
3:05
He's not going to solve it all but he's one of the two or three best hitters who'll get moved this summer and the Mariners are desperate for offense
Matt
3:05
Have you thought about doing additional podcast episodes for subscribers only? You could dive deeper into certain topics or talk about the additional articles you write for subscribers
Timbo
3:05
How come you don’t have guests on the podcast anymore?
Anthony Franco
3:07
The sub-only podcast hasn't come up and I wonder if Tim will consider it a bridge too far, but I'll throw it out there to see what he thinks. The interviews with beat reporters could be tricky to arrange. They work so much and the ones who came on just did so as a favor to us. We felt it better to focus on our own stuff with a consistent recording schedule
Bernie Franks
3:07
Thank you for the Chat. Whom do you think the Cubs will trade before the deadline?
Anthony Franco
3:08
Enough smoke around Taillon that I expect they'll offload most of his deal. Mark Leiter probably goes. I don't really expect a ton beyond that
3:09
Doubt anyone wants to take Neris and risk his option vesting. Happ and Hoerner probably a bridge too far for the front office. Maybe someone else likes Morel and the Cubs are just ready to move on, but I don't see a ton of appeal there personally
Cat Herder
3:09
Moving on from this year, what does Detroit's SS position look like?  Zach McKinstry is playing as much SS as Baez.  Any logic there?  What the chance Baez is released?  Yes, that'll hurt the payroll, but goodness.  He's painful to watch and there are kids in Toledo who can at least look like they want to improve.
Anthony Franco
3:10
Yeah there's just not a ton to work with in the short term. Hoping for McGonigle down the road but the free agent classes for stopgap shortstops has been awful. Maybe try to swing a trade for José Caballero or Taylor Walls next offseason?
Rangers13
3:11
Since Rangers are now more likely buyers than sellers who makes the most sense for them. I am thinking Tanner Scott and Brent Rooker would be nice additions to MLB roster and perhaps acquire Quinn Priester or Sixto Sánchez as depth options. What do you think the acquisition cost for each of them be for the Rangers? A soft sell from SP and RP might also occur with some SP returning soon. Who do you see as soft sale options?
Anthony Franco
3:12
I like the Scott fit. Doubt they'll meet the price on Rooker, especially if the A's want more to move him in division. Think they're probably looking at more of a stopgap bat in the Canha/Pham mold and making a late-game reliever their biggest acquisition
Finnegan could work
Lefty
3:12
Despite the Giants mediocre MLB results, if finally feels like there are building blocks in place with Birdsong, Harrison, Ramos, Bailey, Fitzgerald, Lee and hopefully Luciano soon (and Whisenhunt next year). If they do the correct thing and sell could some combo of Snell, Wade, Chapman, Cobb, Conforto, Estrada, Yaz bring them back a young major league bat or two?
Anthony Franco
3:13
Eh most of those guys are on underwater contracts and/or not performing well. Wade's the best bet for snagging an actual prospect of note but he's also one of their most productive hitters right now
3:14
I'm still skeptical on them finding a taker for Snell despite last night's reporting. Conforto could go but he's not bringing anything of note back. Chapman's tough to deal with the opt-out. Yaz is fine and could get a mid-level prospect, I guess
Tony
3:15
Thanks for your efforts. Cardinals fan here. The Cardinals seem to stockpile a lot of tweeners and then hold on to them until they have no value. Is there enough minor league talent to acquire a #2 or #3 starter from a non-contender? They could package Herrera and a couple of AAA starters for Webb, Irvin or Eovaldi to help the rotation? Thanks
Cards Fan
3:15
Tough buyer's market...for the Cards, which SP seems most likely for them to acquire:  Fedde, Flaherty, Eflin, Eovaldi, or someone else?
Anthony Franco
3:16
Texas is right there in the AL West. I don't see them trading Eovaldi. Assuming Tony means Jake Irvin, the Nats have him under control forever and have no motivation to move him. Logan Webb's not going anywhere
3:17
Fedde and Eflin both make a lot of sense there with the extra year under contract. Cards have enough '25 payroll flexibility to accommodate Eflin so I guess I'd lean with him over Fedde (who seems like a better fit on a lower-payroll team like Milwaukee or Cleveland)
KY Bucs Fan
3:18
Not a big fan of Chaz but he’s an upgrade in CF for the Pirates. Surely he wouldn’t cost an organizational top 5 prospect, right?
Anthony Franco
3:20
Not sure if you mean Chas McCormick or Jazz Chisholm. Houston would probably move McCormick and he definitely wouldn't net an org top 5 guy. Miscast in CF though. Doubt Chisholm would either, package probably looks more like the Arozarena one
Thomas
3:20
I want the Royals to get a bat but I think they’re unlikely to overpay for one. Outfield help doesn’t feel as immediate of a need as it did in May but production from the leadoff spot seems to be an issue. I would be going after Rengifo but in true Angels fashion it looks like they want too much. Any chance the price comes down on him? If not him who (if anyone) out there that we could put at the top of the lineup everyday? Corner outfield or 3rd base preferably
Anthony Franco
3:22
I expect the Angels to eventually budge and move Rengifo. Still probably requires someone from the top 5 in the K.C. system though since the prospect group there is so weak
3:23
No one else really jumps out as a potential top-of-the-lineup guy at third base. Guess your mileage may vary on Kiner-Falefa?
3:24
Jays are focusing on rentals and he's under contract for '25, so there's no guarantee he goes, but he's also not the kind of player they're just going to refuse to listen on
Bluejays 85
3:24
At the end of June George Springer was arguably the worst hitter in the league among regular players. Over the last 4 weeks he has been one of the best. If the Blue Jays kick in some $  do you see a market for him that could possibly net a decent return? The front office stance has been they will trade only pending free agents but this seems like an opportunity to get out of some of his contract  and get something in return.  Your thoughts? Thanks!
Anthony Franco
3:25
He's been great lately but that contract's still way underwater. Jays would probably need to pay down like 2/3 of it just to get anyone to consider taking him without surrendering much prospect talent
Guest
3:25
Is there any way to understand one team "owning" another? For example, the Braves have dominated the Nats for years, but not this year. In turn, the Nats have always done okay against the Mets, but this year they are killling us. It doesn't feel random, but maybe it is?
Anthony Franco
3:27
Yeah I think this kind of thing is random variance. Good teams should consistently beat bad ones. Beyond that, I wouldn't read much into it. Feels like something that'd be more applicable in other sports -- football especially -- that are more matchup oriented than baseball is
QuestionMark
3:27
There are reports that Oakland closer Miller hurt his non-pitching hand by banging on a table out of frustration.  Then there were follow-ups saying that the information was wrong.  He hurt his hand by accident while working out.  Is there an official report about this?
Anthony Franco
3:27
Mark Kotsay essentially confirmed Gallegos' initial report that Miller hit the table out of frustration. Seems like the intervening claim that he stumbled while working out was put out by Miller's reps as damage control
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