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Front Office Chat: 8/17/23
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Anthony Franco
1:36
Hmm, I think I'd take Miami. Give me a shot at competing this year
1:37
White Sox at least had a clearer direction than the Padres, so I'd take them next. But trading away good players in a season you entered expecting to be competitive can't be fun, even if you're excited about the talent coming back
Tony
1:38
Thanks for doing the chat. Do you think the balanced schedule will increase pressure for revenue sharing? As I recall, the original structure was to 'protect' the lower revenue teams by putting them together in the Central. When teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers rake in hundreds of millions in revenue it does create a competitive imbalance. The Mets can eat over a hundred million by trading Scherzer and Verhagen but if a team like Cleveland or Milwaukee put those kind of chips on the table they would really be hamstrung for years. My pet theory is that the Pirates demise began in the Kendall/Young era with the 'big' contracts given those players. Good players but never produced at the 'hoped' for levels. My point is that the big revenue teams can run $300M contracts because they have so much revenue. Player development can only do so much.
Anthony Franco
1:40
That's an interesting point, one I'd never considered. My initial reaction is skepticism it'll have any actual effect on revenue sharing. Balanced schedule or not, those smaller-market franchises (a lot of which are clustered in the Centrals) were already incentivized to max out what they could on revenue sharing. The larger-market franchises aren't going to be any more eager to relinquish those funds than they would've been a couple seasons ago, which puts the commissioner in a tough spot
1:41
I think you can make a decent case that the even schedule should lead to more revenue distribution to avoid such large gaps in roster quality between the Central and coastal teams. I'd be surprised if it played out that way though
A's Fan
1:42
Did Blackburn just nail his audition for the Cardinals' 2024 rotation? Who could the A's get in return?
Anthony Franco
1:43
Yeah he fits for any team that needs rotation help, STL obviously included. Probably doesn't have the huge velo/whiff rates to bring back a major return even with two affordable arb seasons remaining. Guessing it's a couple prospects in the 10-20 range of a farm system
Jung-hoo lee
1:44
What might his contract look like? Is he a surefire centerfielder? Who might be in the running?
Anthony Franco
1:46
Haven't had a chance to really dig into his profile and talk to people who have seen him in South Korea yet. Between the relative down season and the ankle surgery, I'd be surprised if he's more appealing a free agent than Ha-Seong Kim was a couple seasons ago
1:47
But Kim has also dramatically outplayed his four-year, $28MM deal, so perhaps that helps Lee a bit
I'd tentatively take the under on Kim money for now but now with any kind of confidence until we do more work on him before the Top 50 comes out in a couple months
Dodger Dave
1:48
Anthony I know we just got by the mid season trade deadline but it is never too late to propose an off season deal. Who says no —Arenado to the Dodgers for Stone Sheehan Busch and Muncy(LA picks up $10 million option for 24)
Anthony Franco
1:50
I think that's pretty good value for St. Louis in a vacuum but don't expect them to seriously consider Arenado trades this offseason
Ben
1:50
Cleveland's front office seems difficult to get a read on at times. That being said, what moves do you anticipate they will make this offseason? The division is presumably up for grabs, so I imagine they'll be going for it. Do we maybe see a starting pitcher dealt for an outfield help?
Anthony Franco
1:51
Yeah I think Bieber probably goes for a short-term offensive upgrade, likely an outfielder. Could bring in a stopgap first base/DH type to reduce the pressure on Manzardo to hit the ground running
1:53
They'll likely swap out Gallagher for a better catcher too. Doesn't have to be a clear-cut starter but there are a few veteran catchers who could be had for Zunino money (would be hard to have worse than Zunino results) and offer a veteran complement to Bo Naylor in case he doesn't find his stride offensively
MikeD
1:54
Care to guess what the Yankees are doing (and not doing) with Peraza and why?
Anthony Franco
1:55
Just clinging to faint playoff hopes right now, I guess. IKF has outplayed Peraza in their big league time thus far, he's probably a marginally better MLB third baseman at the moment
1:57
I'd give Peraza a look though. It's not happening this year, would be nice to get an extra seven weeks of data to factor in whether he should be in consideration for an everyday role in '24. Even if they bring back IKF in free agency -- which I doubt they will -- we already know exactly what he brings to the table
Vlad Jr
1:57
My Statcast stats still look really amazing. Elite.  Deep in the red. So.... why can't I hit?  Why aren't I Matt S
Anthony Franco
2:00
He gives back some of the impact of that hard contact by hitting the ball on the ground a lot. A 110 MPH grounder isn't nearly as valuable as one in the air obviously
2:01
But that was also true in 2021 when he was an MVP-caliber player. He's a little more aggressive now than he was two years, so he's giving back a few walks. I think there's a decent amount of bad luck baked into the power production
2:02
He's still barreling balls up quite a bit but they're going more frequently to center field (where it's obviously tougher to get the ball out) than to the pull side. Not sure if the timing's marginally off but that feels correctable, especially for someone so obviously gifted as he is
A's Fan
2:02
Is Seth Brown more likely to get nontendered or traded this offseason?
Anthony Franco
2:03
Trade for me. Not going to be a huge return but he's still a useful platoon bat
Cory
2:04
Which starter should the Orioles use their prospect surplus for this off-season?
Anthony Franco
2:04
Cease would be the big get but I'm skeptical he moves. If the Sox were going to deal him, why not do it at the deadline?
2:05
Either of Corbin Burnes or Brandon Woodruff could go and would make a ton of sense for Baltimore
Ryan S
2:05
Everyone's wanting Carlson traded. I think that's a bad idea. But if they do, what kind of starter is he netting? There's not room for all the position players in St Louis, and you have to give to get. What would a package of Edman and Carlson get? I'm not trading Gorman for anyone either if I'm the FO
Anthony Franco
2:07
Not going to get an established mid-rotation guy for Carlson. Someone who has that kind of potential but hasn't found that level yet probably. Believe the first question in the chat asked about Edward Cabrera, who fits the mold I'd expect on Carlson
Josh B
2:07
Assuming Marcus Stroman doesn't pitch again this season, it seems like a no brainer that he would exercise his 2024 players option, right? His value has taken a hit in the second half so I don't see him getting better than $21m next season.
Anthony Franco
2:09
I'm not as convinced on it as you are but I think he'd take the option, yeah. Agree he wouldn't beat $21MM annually in that case. He'd be able to beat that in total guarantee over two or three years but could prefer to just bet on himself at that point, especially since he seems to love Chicago
john
2:09
Can you comment on the Wander Franco situation?  It sounds serious.
Anthony Franco
2:10
Not a whole lot to add. If there's merit to the allegations, I'd be shocked if he ever plays another MLB game. I have no insight into the status of the investigation or how long they'll take to announce their findings
Bernie Franks
2:11
To the Cubs win the division? Or do they fall out of it and go home in October?
Anthony Franco
2:12
I've doubted the Cubs all season so why waffle now? I'll stick with Milwaukee
Woo and Miller
2:12
If the Mariners do end up shopping Woo or Miller for a controllable hitter, what kind of return should they expect?
Anthony Franco
2:13
It'd be huge. Very rare to see a starting pitcher with MLB success and six years of club control traded. The best comp for that is probably the Gallen deal, which got Miami a top 50 position player prospect (Jazz Chisholm) in the upper minors with a small but non-zero chance of becoming a superstar
JL
2:13
Love the subscriber chats and def recommend subscribing to people
Anthony Franco
2:14
Thanks! Really enjoy doing these every week, always appreciate the questions
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