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Front Office Chat: 8/17/23
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Anthony Franco
1:00
Hey everyone, hope you're all having a great week!
1:01
Sorry about the modified schedule. Have an out-of-town wedding to go to on Saturday and need tomorrow as a travel day. Back to the standard Friday schedule next week
Cards Fan
1:01
Which FA or trade targets would be most likely or reasonable for the Cards for the 2024 rotation?  I'm thinking Sonny Gray, Yammamoto and maybe a SEA starter like Gilbert or Miller, or possibly someone like Edward Cabrera from MIA.
Anthony Franco
1:03
Yamamoto would be a little higher-risk than I'd like for them. He'll probably go well over nine figures, so it'd be their biggest free agent pitching investment in franchise history. Given how badly they need stability, I'd rather pursue Giolito or Nola if I were in their position
1:05
But I generally agree they'll have to top Leake money on one starter, hit the third tier of free agency for another (Seth Lugo, Alex Wood, someone like that), and then probably attack the trade market. Still think Seattle's more likely to move Miller or Woo than Gilbert (or Kirby). Edward Cabrera in a swap for a controllable bat makes sense too, sure
Jorge78
1:05
Hi there!  Darragh had a nice article recently on moving the trade deadline because of the extra playoff teams.  The players union was against expanded playoffs but I don't remember anyone explained why.  Do you know why please?  Thanks so much!
Anthony Franco
1:08
The PA's opposition to playoff expansion was their (I think correct) fear that it'd decrease the motivation for teams to build the best possible roster. There's a decent amount of randomness baked into the playoffs -- we've seen the playoff team with the worst record win the NL pennant in two straight years -- and the union was concerned that clubs would be content to just build an 86-win roster, secure a lower-tier playoff spot, and then get hot at the right time
The union's concern is that could depress the free agent market. Less motivation to build a great team means less desire to spend
Buff
1:09
With the Dodgers' rotation firming up and Buehler returning, where do prospects such as Gavin Stone, Emmet Sheehan, Ryan Pepiot, and Michael Grove fit in next year? Depth options, like this year? Trade bait? Who's at the top of the list?
Anthony Franco
1:12
I think Pepiot will be in the mix for a back-of-the-rotation spot again next spring. Could Sheehan or Stone being part of a larger trade but there's no harm in keeping them in OKC if the right deal doesn't present itself
Grove's not really a huge factor for me. I think he's in the Mitch White range and gets moved to a team with less immediate rotation depth for a modest return
Rick
1:12
Has Luzardo just hit a wall and long-term he still pans out to be a #2 type starter?
Anthony Franco
1:15
Yeah that's a weird one. The stuff still looks good but he's getting hit around a lot, especially by RHH. A lot more fly balls lately for whatever reason
1:16
I'm not really concerned yet. He's probably a lower-end #2 starter but I'm still in. He's already 30 innings above last year's total. If he's feeling some fatigue down the stretch and missing locations within the zone, that's not too surprising
Joey
1:16
Dylan Carlson to the Yankees of Jhony Brito and Randy Vazquez, who says no?
Anthony Franco
1:17
I think St. Louis could do a little better
1:19
If they think Vasquez can stick as a starter, it could have some appeal. Seems like the command is going to push him to relief though
Guest
1:19
Mike Rizzo has accumulated several former first round picks that have failed elsewhere, hoping to revive their status as future stars. For a rebuilding team, there is no harm in this. My question is whether there is any evidence this kind of approach can work?
Anthony Franco
1:20
White Sox are doing something similar too, adding Brent Honeywell, Travis Swaggerty and Deivi García recently
1:21
They're not going to stumble on a core with post-hype prospects, but if one of those guys becomes a decent regular, it's a successful outcome. I'd rather give six weeks of AB's to Blake Rutherford than Corey Dickerson in a lost year
1:22
Just have to go in knowing that most of them aren't going to work and be ready to move on quickly as their actual prospects get closer to big league readiness
Bigg-io
1:22
Cavan Biggio seems to have come around the last little while and is being rewarded with playing time. Do you think he survives the winter and is in the running to start at 2B next year?
Anthony Franco
1:23
I'd guess offseason trade but I would've guessed that last winter and this summer and he's still around
1:24
Could depend on whether they re-sign Whit. He's played well enough I imagine they'll try to sign to a two-year deal for Drury/Segura money (like $16-20MM total)
MikeD
1:24
Regarding accumulating top picks who failed, didn’t the Yankees do that with Didi Gregorious and Aaron Hicks (Hicks was good at the start)?
Anthony Franco
1:25
I'd push back on Didi a little bit. He hadn't hit yet at the time they acquired him but was regarded as an above-average defensive shortstop and was still only 25
1:26
I guess Hicks was better than I remembered his final year in Minnesota but that did still feel like kind of a buy-low situation, I agree
1:27
And yeah, that'd be a really successful outcome. The Hicks extension didn't work, but acquiring Hicks for John Ryan Murphy is a huge win in a trade
Harrison Bader
1:27
Great defensive centerfielder, but he's injury prone and below average offensively. A couple of questions on him: does he get offered a QO and might he take it? If not, is a team going to shell out for a long term deal and what might his earning power look like? 4/60, or does he get more considering the weak position player market, or will he forever be considered a defensive Kevin Kiermaier esque player?
Anthony Franco
1:29
Probably the toughest impending FA case for me. Despite the middling offensive season, I still think he gets a QO. There are just so few plus defensive center fielders who even have a chance to be productive hitters. Bader hasn't been one this year but has shown that ability in the past
1:31
I don't think he'd take it but he's the kind of mid-tier player whose market gets affected by being saddled with draft compensation. I can see 4/60 (that's Avi García/Benintendi territory, which feels about right) if he doesn't get the QO. If he does and declines, I'd probably project him in the two-year deal with an opt-out bucket
Rick
1:32
I know he has had some struggles, but do you think we will see James Wood in Washington by mid-2024?
Anthony Franco
1:33
Yeah. He's striking out a bit but to have 14 homers with an 11% walk rate as a 20-year-old center fielder in Double-A is crazy impressive
In 60 games at Double-A, I mean
Guessing he starts next season in Rochester and is in the majors around June or July, barring injury
JL
1:33
Who starts the most games at SS for the Os next year?
Anthony Franco
1:34
Ha, this is a hell of a question. I think it's Jackson Holliday
1:35
He's tearing through the minors so quickly that it looks like he's going to force his way to the majors without much Triple-A time. Probably pushes Gunnar back to third in that situation
Good time to be an Orioles' fan
OldHack
1:35
Before the trade deadline this year, if you were running an MLB Front Office, would you rather have held the reins for which of these three: Marlins, Padres, White Sox? I'd probably take the White Sox, maybe.
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