You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Front Office Chat: 7/28/23
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page
Anthony Franco
4:15
So if you've got a shot in '23, push like hell for it and see what happens. If Ohtani walks, they'd probably have to kick off some kind of retool/rebuild next winter regardless
Mike
4:15
Any chance the Marlins make the postseason?
Anthony Franco
4:16
Sure, I'd probably take them as a Wild Card team right now
4:17
Still like the Giants getting in, think Miami could beat out two of Cincinnati/Philadelphia/Arizona
Dave
4:17
What kind of impact do you see for the remainder of the season for Nick Lodolo?
Anthony Franco
4:18
Not a significant one. The timeline for his injury has gotten pushed back pretty consistently since he first went down. Seems like he'll only get a few weeks at this point
Doug E.
4:18
Can’t see a way for the Dodgers to trade for pitching without giving up their existing triple A pitchers.  Uriah will be a free agent,  Kershaw is year to year, May and Buehler coming back from major injuries.  Doesn’t make sense to give up pitching for a rental.  What am I missing?
Anthony Franco
4:19
Doug asked this question at 11:00 am. Guessing you're not a fan of Nastrini for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly then?
New subscriber
4:19
Hi Anthony.  What do you see as the second biggest need for the Red Sox after a starting pitcher (or 2), and what is logical target to fill that need?
Anthony Franco
4:21
It's tough, because in a vacuum I'd say second base and catcher are the position player question marks there. But the trade market at both those spots is pretty bleak. Don't know that getting like Tom Murphy and  Nicky Lopez moves the needle
4:22
So I'd probably end up leaning harder into pitching. They definitely need one starter, real case for two as you mentioned. Think they should be in on the top relievers available (Hicks, Stratton, Scott Barlow, etc.) even though the bullpen isn't really a "need"
4:23
It's where the market's strongest, and you can partially compensate for the questions at the back of the lineup by making the run prevention group better
Dave
4:24
Any chance that Jackson Chourio gets called up this season?
Anthony Franco
4:25
I wouldn't be stunned but it feels unlikely. He's a young 19. Playing well at Double-A (exceptionally if you account for his age) but no Triple-A experience. They've already got a young outfield group aside from Yelich in Frelick and Wiemer
4:26
If they get to a point where they're relying on Chourio to hit the ground running this summer, the front office probably hasn't done its job building veteran outfield depth before the deadline
steven
4:26
do think bart and larnach will get traded? both are good changes of scenery types
Anthony Franco
4:26
Bart, yes. Larnach is plausible but I wouldn't peg it over 50% or anything. They could just keep him St. Paul
Josn B
4:27
Call me crazy, but I want to see the Cubs stick with this team and be buyers. Don't go crazy and mortgage the future, but get a couple of pieces and make a run for the division. Bellinger loves playing at Wrigley. Work on an extension or at least prove that they want him there long term. I'm tired of the "If you have no chance of winning the World Series right now, sell it all" mentality.
Bernie Franks
4:27
Thank you for chatting today Anthony  In your opinion are the Cubs going to buy, sell, or do nothing? They have won 6 in a row but they are just god awful teams Cardinals and White Sox I haven’t heard any rumors about trades or trying to buy. My personal opinion is unload Stroman and Belanger DFA wisdom he is just terrible!
Anthony Franco
4:27
Addressed the Cubs a bit above but I think these diverging opinions on what they should do is pretty illustrative of the spot they're in
4:28
I'm more in the Josn camp of "moderate buy" at this point, as mentioned, but it's a fascinating call
First time caller
4:28
I think Cohen will go all out to sign Ohtani.  Even if he doesn’t get him, the bidding war will drive his contract to around 12yrs $55 million/yr.  Thoughts?
Anthony Franco
4:29
I'd go under $660MM. I'm sure the Mets (and a bunch of other teams) will be all-in, but breaking the guarantee record by $300MM would just be so jaw-dropping
4:30
Ohtani's obviously going to shatter the record, and deservedly so, but there's still some level of injury risk teams will have to price in. Either 12 years or a $55MM AAV seem viable to me. I'd be really surprised if he got both
Bill G.
4:30
Pirates called up 2 young catchers -- Endy and Davis.  Davis is in RF, Endy catches.  Both had limited experience at positions other than catcher.  What is the difference between the 2 at home plate and do you agree with their placement?
Anthony Franco
4:32
General opinion among prospect evaluators is that Rodriguez is the better defender. Seems like Endy's a little more athletic, better at the receiving/ball-blocking than Davis is
4:33
Their MLB bodies of work are still too small for me to have any other opinion on that. As you mentioned, it certainly seems like the Pirates think Rodriguez is the better defender based on how they're deploying them
TCBASICS
4:33
Anthony thanks for the chat. A couple of Thoughts. Does Cashman stays pat or does a slight overhall? LF ? any thoughts of whom would fit the bill Like a Andrew Benintendi, would Cody Bellinger cost too much for an option year? soon to be FA? What do you think?  Yes, i believe The Yankees need a jolt and a spark similar to what Bader gave the team last year when he finally arrived.
Anthony Franco
4:35
Seems like modest buy, probably in the corner outfield. I don't think they'd want to top the market for a Bellinger rental (he's declining the mutual option) even if the Cubs did move him
Doubt they're getting a Bader-level player, generally speaking. Feels more like a Ramón Laureano type
Josn B
4:35
Does Verlander or Scherzer get moved by Tuesday?
Anthony Franco
4:36
I doubt it
steven
4:36
.why wont the angels play michael stefanic. Will they trade him if not?
Anthony Franco
4:37
Eh, he's 27 and has never really gotten any prospect attention or MLB run despite excellent Triple-A numbers. Limited defense/athleticism without power, whole profile is built on high-OBP offense at second base. The market just generally doesn't like that kind of player
4:38
I think he'd get claimed if they put him on waivers but he wouldn't bring back much in a trade
First Chair Piccolo
4:38
Grateful FO subscribers would like some inside baseball (pun absolutely intended) on how much MLBTR's staff coverage ramps up this time of year to cover breaking news. Are there least a few hours Tim can let the entire staff study the backs of their eyelids, or is that wishful thinking? If so, what does that look like: blackout from midnight PT to 6a ET (only three hours of real time)? In a separate but related question, how many hours a day does a staff member stay connected monitoring news or working on postings?
Anthony Franco
4:40
Generally, we've got someone covering Twitter for 18 hours on weekdays and 16 hours on weekends. We'll usually push that to about 18-19 hours per day the week before the deadline, ideally with two people on during the afternoons/evenings when most of the work happens
4:41
By Monday, we'll basically have 2-3 people manning the site from 7:00 am EST until like 3:00 Tuesday morning. Steve jumps back on around 7:00 am and it'll pretty much be all hands on deck through the deadline
4:42
I don't think any of us will work more than 10-11 hours consecutively at any given point. It's more so just about making sure everyone's available during these few days. Tim helps out with coverage during the deadline too, which he only does at the busiest times of the year now
Dave
4:42
What's up with Correa?  I don't think anyone's expecting a return to the levels of 2021 but he's not even close to his '22 performance.  Is this the new normal for him?
Connecting…