Front Office Chat: 7/3/26
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Anthony Franco
3:01
Good afternoon, hope all is well!
Looking forward to another of these, let's get it going
Joe schlabotnik
3:02
Gunnar is looking at only2.5-3 WAR this season but he would still bring a hefty return, and the Orioles are going nowhere so they should get rid of him correct?
Anthony Franco
3:03
Henderson still has 2.5 years of club control after this and they just signed Alonso to their largest contract in a decade, which isn't a move you make if a bad first half in year one is pushing you into a full rebuild. I can't see it
3:04
If they're still not good at the '27 deadline, then it should be on the table
Cat_Herder
3:04
Month before the deadline, what are your thoughts on the Tigers?  They can't seem to string wins together enough to rise up the standings.
Anthony Franco
3:07
Yeah I just think the hole's too deep to avoid a sell-off of the rentals at this point. They're already at 50 losses. How many more could they afford to lose to snag even the final Wild Card spot in the AL? It's probably 30 at most
3:08
Which means they have to play at a 96-win pace the rest of the way for the chance to maybe sneak in at 82-80. As you said, they just never managed to get off the ground
AC
3:08
Braves have been sliding for last month. Think they make a move soon or closer to deadline? Who do you see them targeting with the holes in SP, LF and SS?
Anthony Franco
3:11
I still don't really see the outfield as a huge need. Acuña will be back, Yaz is better than this. Could go get a RHH platoon type like Dane Myers to round it out.

Rotation would remain the focus for me, they're the best fit for Sonny Gray but any of the rental starters (Mize, May, etc.) work
3:12
Think they're kind of stuck at shortstop and should just use Dubón there. Don't see anyone clearly better who's likely to move
Freddy Peralta
3:12
Best guess where I am pitching to end the year? Tampa? Arizona? Southside Chicago? Mets aren’t stupid enough to keep me in a Rockies-like season are they?!
Anthony Franco
3:12
Nah, definitely getting traded. I'll take the Cubs
Brian V
3:12
Guardians seem primed to make a big splash if they wanted to - plenty of prospect ammo + some odd fits/underperformers (Naylor, Arias, Hoskins, Kwan). Best guess where they look to add a bat? OF or DH/1B?
Anthony Franco
3:14
Outfield still the priority for me. Hopefully Ingle plays well enough to solidify DH, could just move on from Hoskins at that point. Could go for a Spencer Steer type who has some multi-position flexibility, mostly corner OF but could grab some 1B reps from Manzardo against LHP
John
3:14
why dont teams who are hopelessly out of contention just trade their chips sooner?  They'd obsentsibly get more value rather than waiting until the deadline.
Anthony Franco
3:16
The extra month of games doesn't change the value all that much. The buyers feel more pressure to do something once they're staring a deadline in the face, easier for them to kind of wait it out right now
3:17
There are also a lot of fringe contenders that don't really know how aggressively they're going to buy (e.g. Arizona, Pittsburgh, Miami) who'll be more willing to part with prospect capital if they're still in the mix a month from now
MLP
3:17
Reds aren't quite out of it, but they aren't at all well.  If they sell, who goes?
Anthony Franco
3:19
Yeah they've dropped like a rock. I expect Brady Singer, Nathaniel Lowe and Tyler Stephenson all to go, decent chance on Steer and Nick Lodolo as well
HaloGarry
3:19
Happy 4th to Everyone. As a long time Angels fan. It is my opinion that the Angels should not be sellers come the deadline. They have a 4 Good Solid SP.'s  They need a good hitting 3B and good arms in the BP including a closer. They are not as bad as their record indicates.Agree or Disagree?
Anaheim
3:19
Is changing Gms a sign that they will see the writing on the wall and actually sell for once? Or is it a sign Arte has found a new Yes Man willing to indulge his delusions of competence?
Anthony Franco
3:21
I don't agree, worst team in the American League in my opinion. The bullpen's bad, back half of the lineup is terrible. There's talent, especially in the rotation, but the lack of roster depth gets exposed every year
3:22
I don't expect them to buy but also don't see any reason to believe it'll be the kind of overhaul that Moreno annually refuses. Mozeliak has more or less said that he took the job without any real input from Moreno on the organization's direction, seems like he basically just hashed it out with team president Molly Jolly
Guest
3:23
What should White Sox do with Jacob Gonzalez once Murakami returns? Would he be able to get enough play backing up all four infield spots, with almost a platoon at 2B? Or should he go back to Charlotte to keep playing every day? Maybe part of a trade for SP?
Anthony Franco
3:24
Yeah I think he goes back down, just no real path to playing time in the infield. Meidroth's too good a player to leave in a short side second base platoon role
3:26
Could see Gonzalez as part of a move for a starter, sure. He's had such a good year that he's back to legitimate prospect territory, swinging a lot harder without sacrificing contact to do it
Beano
3:26
Happy 4th of July! Have the Nats found a good thing with A Alvarez?
Anthony Franco
3:29
Likewise! Yeah, I think he's pretty good. This year's numbers are inflated by the role -- they never let him see a lineup for a third time -- but he's got good breaking stuff and advanced command
3:30
Going to give up more homers moving forward, as most pitchers with a low-90s fastball do, but he's a useful piece of a pitching staff
Weary Bucs Fan
3:31
How legit do you think Esmerlyn Valdez is?
Anthony Franco
3:32
Buy him as a regular. Obviously immense power and huge bat speed, selective approach. The strikeouts are going to be an issue but he should be a solid everyday three-true-outcomes corner OF
Gavin
3:32
I know Preller is insane but will he trade mason miller for a haul?   Who has the prospects to pull that off?  Yankees?  Brewers?
Anthony Franco
3:35
Milwaukee could do this, yeah, but that's so far outside their operating procedure. Feel like SD would need a Leo De Vries type headliner themselves but most front offices are so much more risk averse than they are to put that caliber of prospect on the table
Jose Cruùuuuz
3:35
AJ Blubaugh for Trevor Larnach.  Who says no?
Anthony Franco
3:36
I'd rather have Blubaugh but I understand the logic on this one. Twins should jump on it if Houston's willing to put him on the table
In Memory of Peter Magown
3:37
How do the Giants get out of this pickle? Given that Adames and Devers are immovable, don't the Gigantes have to work extra hard to get Chapman off the books, even if they have to eat $50 million? I mean, they need better players and they need somewhere for them to play? As bad as they are, wouldn't a normal club(non-Arte Moreno/Dick Monfort category) move Logan Webb and start over??
Anthony Franco
3:40
Should be more willing to listen on Webb than they seem to be but don't know that most teams would do it. Aces with two and a half years of club control don't move very often, and it's basically an admission that they're going full teardown within a year of throwing around a bunch of nine-figure contracts
3:41
They're stuck with Adames/Devers. Agree they should be willing to eat half the Chapman money, at least open 3B for Schmitt and get some kind of short-term roster reset
Obviously all a moot point if Chapman just doesn't want to move
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