Front Office Chat: 7/9/26
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Anthony Franco
3:02
Good afternoon, hope all is well! Sorry about the schedule change, Steve and I both had conflicts tomorrow afternoon
Let's get rolling
walterj23
3:02
Will there Twins be shopping Ryan and if so what would it cost the Cubs in a trade?
Anthony Franco
3:03
Still think they should shop Joe Ryan but can't imagine they will. That was equally true last offseason, Minnesota ownership thought they could contend, and they basically are
3:05
They're not a good team but close enough to average to hang around in the American League. Feels like they'd need a plug and play starter who's not as good as Ryan but comes with an extended window of club control to make them think about it. Cubs don't really have that
3:06
Ben Brown might've worked but he's hurt again and doesn't seem likely he'll be back before the deadline
Gavin
3:06
I know Preller hoards relief pitchers like dragon do gold….  But could the padres spin Estrada for someone like Lodolo?
Anthony Franco
3:08
Yeah I think this is reasonable. Reds could use a controllable reliever, Padres desperately need competent starters. If Estrada had been healthy all year, I wouldn't give him up for Lodolo but the injury history and slight velocity dip is enough that I could see this fitting for both teams
Trout Phishin'
3:08
Phillies need RHH outfielder and back end starter.  Who's available?
Anthony Franco
3:09
Leo went into a lot more detail on this in their deadline outlook this week and did an excellent job:
3:10
Heliot Ramos works. Still think they make the most sense on Jung Hoo Lee despite the handedness, big-market team who needs a plug and play above-average RF
3:11
Guessing the rotation add will be more modest, an Eric Lauer type fifth starter. Ideally they'd aim higher to bump Nola from a potential playoff rotation but I get that it's complicated by his track record
Not the worst thing in the world if he starts a Game 4, just have to be ready to get him out early if he gives up an early HR or two
ScottHarris
3:11
With so many .500ish, at best teams in the AL, is it worth it to try for what may be a short playoff run when selling can bring significant prospect capital and/or controllable players for next year?  The track record of teams with 85 or fewer wins in the postseason isn't good, but is it ever worth it to pass up a legitimate shot at the postseason?
Anthony Franco
3:12
Tigers question, just to clarify
3:14
I'm generally of the opinion that just getting in matters but that's been a little less true in recent years, especially in the AL. The AL Central teams have generally been overmatched, the small sample playoff volatility thing hasn't really shown up for them
Still think if there's a path to 85 for the Tigers, they go for it and hope that the starting pitching carries them through. Also not like anyone else in the AL this year is a behemoth
3:15
All that said, it'd take a really strong July for me to see the path to 85. You're talking about a 100-win pace the rest of the way given the hole they've dug
matt arnold
3:16
Are there any realistic names that the Brewers might look to sell off at the deadline? Or has the Hader trade and subsequent fallout had an effect on the front office to the point where they're reluctant to sell off pieces in winning seasons? I expect Contreras to go this offseason, but is there any chance they're at least shopping him around with less than two seasons of control?
Anthony Franco
3:18
A midseason Contreras trade would shock me, far more than the Hader one did at the time. Still think the Hader was both good process and good result (led to Contreras via Esteury Ruiz and Robert Gasser's a decent piece) but the front office was pretty candid about underestimating what kind of morale impact that had on the 2022 clubhouse
And they were motivated to get the Burnes and Peralta trades done before the season as a result
3:20
I don't really see them selling anyone off. They'd probably discuss one of Bauers or Vaughn since the other can just play 1B every day, but another team isn't likely to offer what it'd take where it makes sense for Milwaukee to do that in a year where they're running away with the division again
Phillio
3:20
Since the Orioles can’t seem to get it together, I was wondering what kind of return might they get for the following players:
Taylor Ward, Trevor Rogers, Yennier Cano and Andrew Kitteredge..  Thank you.
Anthony Franco
3:21
A handful of 40/45 FV prospects (mid-level organizational types) for the first three, basically nothing for Kittredge
3:23
A Ward trade probably looks like the Mariners/D-Backs Josh Naylor deal from last summer. Arizona got a decent bullpen prospect on the doorstep of the majors and a good, not great, starting pitching prospect (#14 prospect in their system according to Baseball America) in A-ball
3:24
Rogers and Cano a little above that given the scarcity of starting pitching and Cano's affordability and extra couple years of team control, respectively
Jeremy Zoll
3:24
If I hold onto Jeffers and Ryan, and trade from my surplus of LHH outfielders and/or quality prospects to add 3 good relievers, we can win this crappy division, can't we?
Anthony Franco
3:25
Still think they're the fourth-best team in it but tough to say they can't win when they're two games back through 60% of the season
Ghost of Bobby Evans
3:25
I recently read an article on Raffy Devers being a trade target for the Padres.  As a Giants fan, I really don't see this happening because of the money involved.  In a vacuum, yes, Devers would be a good Padre and I don't see the Giants asking for a lot or being worried about trading him inside the division.  But does this really seem like a move Preller would make at the deadline?
Anthony Franco
3:26
Yeah I don't see that fit at all. Padres already have way too many hitters underperforming big contracts
The Ghost of Joey Gathright
3:26
Do you think the Rays ever sign Caminero to a longterm deal? If not, when do they trade him?
Anthony Franco
3:27
Eh I wouldn't completely rule it out, feels like it'd need to happen next offseason though. Long-term books wide open, new ownership and presumably some kind of stadium deal coming
3:29
Obviously you're talking franchise record money at this point (above Wander's $182M) but this wouldn't be that dissimilar from the Royals extending Witt a few years ago. It does happen occasionally
Mariners
3:29
What should we DO?! Prospects to spend, but most all our weakest spots are filled by guys who should be better and really can't be benched...just add relievers? Find a multi-position guy (in... addition to the someday-returning Donovan)?
Anthony Franco
3:30
Yeah I do think they have many clear needs necessarily (other than a better RHH OF than Robles/Refsynder)
3:31
So with that kind of farm system and the path in the American League -- this should be one of the two best teams in the AL even if they're not playing like it -- can afford to go big game hunting on the pitching side even if they don't need to come away with anyone
3:32
Darragh and I discussed Joe Ryan on the mailbag pod this week, that makes sense to me and the M's could dangle a controllable MLB starter (Hancock) to make a compelling offer. Skubal tie makes sense independent of geography, could take a swing at Adrian Morejon if San Diego sells
Ewitkows
3:33
Now that 2 of the Brewers opening day starters are done for the season, do you think they will go after another SP? They have lots of arms but most of them haven't thrown over 100 innings in a season and I'm worried they are all going to breakdown in August/sept
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