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Front Office Chat: 8/25/23
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Anthony Franco
4:28
Haven't read that piece but my initial reaction to that finding is it's probably about the decline of the David Ortiz-style DH
4:29
Which I think is what you're alluding to in the question
4:30
So in that sense, maybe teams are going overboard on resting guys. But if they're all coming to the conclusion it's better to rotate players through DH because of the trickle-down effects it has on the rest of the roster, I think that suggests the positional penalty that WAR assigns to a DH might need to be rounded down to account for the changing way teams are using that spot
Illini Bill
4:31
Look at his record in the 3rd largest city, is Jerry Reinsdorf one of the worst owners ever. This is from a die hard fan of over 65 years hoping he will sell soon to someone who wants to be the best😡
Anthony Franco
4:32
The results have been awful. The payroll is fine but not outstanding, particularly for the media market. They've been very reluctant to make leadership changes and been pretty insular in the hiring moves they do make. I agree that all reflects pretty poorly on ownership
4:34
It feels similar (albeit not quite as extreme) as the issues the Rockies have, which are also a top-down problem. I don't doubt that Reinsdorf/Dick Monfort care about winning and are at least reasonably willing to spend, but they don't seem to have great feel for what winning organizations around the league are doing better than they are
Guest
4:34
What to make of the Nats since the end of June?  Much of the future is still on the farm while some of the heroics are from players who aren’t in the long-term (2025) plans.
Anthony Franco
4:37
They've been better than I expected but it doesn't change my opinion of the long-term outlook much. Nice to see Keibert Ruiz putting together the best stretch of his MLB career, Abrams has looked pretty good of late. Still concerned about the rotation picture and agree the most impactful players (particularly Crews/Wood) aren't at the big league level yet
Jed and Ross
4:37
Who should we start on Sunday? Jordan Wicks or Shane Greene?
Anthony Franco
4:37
I hope they give Wicks a look
JL
4:37
Which current O’s are the most likely to be traded this off-season?
Anthony Franco
4:38
Mateo's the obvious one given their infield depth. Maybe they cut bait on Cole Irvin while he still has some value
4:40
Santander's going into his final arb year, so I wouldn't be shocked if they flipped him for immediate rotation help. But there's not going to be a ton of trade value there and he's a solid regular, so there's no harm in keeping him
TheBeatlesShow
4:40
Back in the mid-70's, there was a stat called something like 'clutch RBI's'...Those were RBI's that either gave your team the lead, tied the game or brought your team within a run of the lead.  Seemed like a pretty valuable stat to determine who was a clutch performer.  Is something like this still around today??
Anthony Franco
4:42
The game-winning RBI isn't tracked anymore as far as I'm aware. I don't think it was great at what it tries to accomplish. Hitting a two-run homer to give your team a 3-1 lead in the top of the second inning doesn't strike me as clutch, but you'll get credit for it if your team holds on to win that game 3-2
If I were specifically isolating for clutch performance, I'd probably use the FanGraphs filter for "high-leverage plate appearances" and look at who's performing best there
Ohtani, Freeman and Riley -- pretty good top three
Rick
4:44
JD Martinez is only signed for 2023. If Busch proves himself while JD is out, do you think Busch will be a full time starter in 2024? Think he can play a passable LF or 2B or is he DH only?
Anthony Franco
4:45
I've never loved him as an infielder but they seem committed to making that a thing, even if it's just in the Muncy role of being vaguely passable at both second and third base
4:46
Agree he's deserving of a regular look, although the leash will probably be pretty short given the Dodgers' consistent competitive picture. Think he'll get the first crack somewhere to start next season like Miguel Vargas did this year. Whether he seized on it better than Vargas did, who knows?
Bigg-io
4:46
What do you have for Jays fans who are deep in despair?
Anthony Franco
4:47
They're a game and a half out of a playoff spot and Bichette's back
Dew
4:47
Brandon Williamson’s been on a nice little streak recently.  Does he look like a permanent rotation piece to you?
Anthony Franco
4:48
He's been better than I expected given the Triple-A production and the tough start to his MLB career. Cautiously optimistic but I want to see him maintain this level of strike-throwing for longer before buying him as more than a depth starter or future reliever
Bobby's valentine
4:49
With bloated contracts, an old and injury-prone team, and not much space in tax room, how do the Yankees turn it around next year?
Anthony Franco
4:51
Breaking in Peraza/Pereira's a start. Going to need to go outside the organization for another outfielder, which they didn't do last winter. I know the Bellinger thing gets overplayed sometimes because his father played there, but a plus center fielder with left-handed power would fit really well there
4:53
They'll be able to spend. They'll pay the CBT. Donaldson coming off the books (aside from the buyout). Montas, Severino, IKF out. Could trade Gleyber for rotation help
George
4:53
Thanks for the chat, Anthony. The Nats' rebuild seems to be proceeding well. Do you expect to see any of their young AA hitters in DC in September? I'm most interested in Brady House now that's he moved to 3B, but Woods or Crews would be great too. There are depth guys with negative fWAR after 100-200 who would seem to be relatively expendable.
Anthony Franco
4:54
I don't think they'll be motivated to get any of those guys up this season. None have gotten to Triple-A yet, no real urgency for the MLB team because they're not making the playoffs regardless. Any of them getting the call at some point in '24 feels viable though
tigersFan
4:55
Why no love for Tyler holton in the rookie of the year conversation? He's having a pretty good year
Anthony Franco
4:56
Really impressive season but I don't see a case for putting him above everyday players like Jung or Henderson or starters like Bibee, Brown or France
Tough to drum up award consideration as a non-closing reliever
Jeff
4:57
What sort of deal is Amed Rosario looking at in the weak FA class this year?
Anthony Franco
4:58
He's in the Segura/Escobar/Drury range for me. Two years at like $8-10MM per, maybe with an opt-out after year one since he's super young
4:59
Shortstop class was wide open. I thought he could play his way to the $75MM range at the start of the season, but he's had a terrible platform year
Mike
4:59
Any chance the Marlins make the postseason?
Anthony Franco
4:59
Sure, they're still only two back
John
5:00
Which franchise do you feel is more stable for sustainable success for the next several years, the Dodgers or the Braves?
Anthony Franco
5:01
I don't think either of them are slowing down anytime soon but I'd lean Braves based on the number of key players they've already extended
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