You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Front Office Chat: 8/29/25
powered byJotCast
View Full Chat Next Page
Anthony Franco
3:01
Hey everyone, hope you've enjoyed your week! Looking forward to another of these, let's get going
Dave Dombrowski
3:01
How much has Kyle Schwarber raised his salary now? Does 4/140 keep him in Philly and away from FA? Does the uncertainty regarding Wheeler push me to make a strong offer to Ranger Suarez? And will there be enough left to resign JTR, the real rock of the pitching staff? Do you think that John Middleton will back a payroll approaching $400M?
Anthony Franco
3:04
Yeah I have to imagine 4/140 would get it done before he hits the market. Still don't see Philly going to 35M annually especially at their luxury tax status, but I do think he's got a shot at five years that could approach that guarantee
3:06
DH who is soon to be 33 is a profile the market hates but Schwarber's pretty clearly in a different tier from the Santander/Teoscar group. You could point to Alonso's quiet market last year as a counterargument, but Schwarber's walk year is so much better than Alonso's 2024
3:07
I don't think the Wheeler injury dramatically changes things on Ranger. Never seemed all that likely to me that they'd re-sign him for nine figures, even after trading Abel. I think they're just more likely to be in on an Adrian Houser type who can serve as a fifth starter or long man once Painter is in the rotation
Slick
3:07
Are the Nationals looking at another five years of rebuilding?  From top to bottom this team appears to be in disarray.
Anthony Franco
3:08
I'm not as pessimistic on a core with Wood, Abrams, Gore, etc. but based on Steve's forthcoming Front Office post this week, I think he's more in your camp
3:09
He's about to drop like 2000 words on this topic
Mariners
3:09
What are your thoughts on the Robles suspension? Fair? Too long? Too short?
Anthony Franco
3:10
Start at 10, drop to seven seems fine. I feel like Contreras should have been at that level as well though, so I guess you could argue it's inconsistent
Chris
3:10
More likely to rebound in 2026: Braves or Orioles?
Anthony Franco
3:12
Tough one. I think I'd take Baltimore. Atlanta's got more high-end talent coming back, especially on the pitching staff, but they're probably going to put a lot on Sale, Schwellenbach and López to stay healthy in a way that concerns me
The O's have a lot of heavy lifting to do this offseason, especially in the bullpen, but I think they're a little more well equipped to navigate 162 with in-house depth
JeffyM82
3:12
Bo Bichette 2025 total hits over/under Bo Bichette total free agent contract (millions).  Where are you putting your money? Bo Currently has 169 hits with 28 games remaining.
Anthony Franco
3:13
Ha yeah I'll take the hits. I like this one though, reasonable argument either way
Josh
3:14
Do you think the Red Sox would consider moving Wilyer Abreyu in the offseason rather than Jarren Duran? I suspect they are close to each other in terms of trade value.
Anthony Franco
3:16
Don't doubt they'll listen on both. Still think Duran's the likelier of the two to actually move. He's a few years older, more expensive, and a season closer to free agency. Agree the trade value is pretty comparable. Could see some teams viewing Wilyer more as a platoon guy whereas Duran gets more trust to play every day, even if he can't really hit LHP either
HMM
3:17
I keep hearing the Yankees won't give a qualifying offer to Trent Grisham. After the year he is having I think it's a good gamble. If he takes it you have him for another year.If he leaves at least you get A draft pick after the 4th round ,I believe Also is Bellinger eligible for a QO if he opts out?
Anthony Franco
3:18
Bellinger's not eligible because he received one from the Cubs two years ago. I still lean no on Grisham but we've seen crazier QO decisions than that over the years. I think there's a better argument for the Yankees to QO him than there was for the Reds to tag Nick Martinez last offseason, for instance
3:20
Pretty good chance he'd accept based on the limited track record. That's a fine price if you think this is just his new level, but it'd also tie up an outfield spot and a decent chunk of money early in the winter. Bellinger isn't going to sign within the first 15 days of the offseason, and I imagine the Yanks will at least want to keep their options open with Kyle Tucker
3:21
I'd rather let Grisham explore the market for a month and stay in touch with his camp while keeping my options open to see how everything else develops. The actual compensation you get back if he walks -- a pick after round 4, as you mentioned -- doesn't have much value. Pretty good chance that whomever they'd take with that pick never reaches the majors
David Stearns
3:21
Is there any chance any of the waiver wire candidates on the rangers were to pass through to me and would i definitely take them?
Anthony Franco
3:22
(Mets obviously)
3:23
I doubt Kelly would get there but I'm sure some of the relievers would. There are only a couple teams in front of them (Cincinnati and K.C., maybe Seattle depending on whether those teams win tonight since they're currently tied) that are in the mix
3:25
And teams don't know if they're winning the claim until it processes. So if the Rangers decided to waive each of Shawn Armstrong, Danny Coulombe, Phil Maton and Hoby Milner and Cincinnati claimed all of them, the Reds would need to cut four relievers on Saturday to make room. They'd probably only claim one or two to avoid that
3:26
All that said, I lean against Texas doing it at this point. They did win their last two against the Angels, which felt like a must, and they've got the A's this weekend. They're 4.5 back right now and probably feel they can cut it at least one game by the start of September. Even with all the injuries, I assume they'll hold and make a run for it
thebeatlesshow
3:26
Hey, Anthony.  Thanks again.  With Sept 1 coming and rosters expanding, what do you think the roster limit should be?  Forty may be too many...rendering games for non-contenders to be a second Spring Training...but, if you like strategy, it's heaven.
Anthony Franco
3:27
Whoops, just saw you submitted an updated version of this question further down. I see your point though
3:28
I like 28. Forty was way too much, and whatever benefit you kind of get in strategy felt dramatically outweighed by those games becoming bullpen slogs with a bunch of commercial breaks for mid-inning pitching changes
3:30
It also just never made sense to me that we played the final month of the season so differently than the first 85%. To my knowledge, no other sports do this, and I'd think it's pretty stupid if the NHL implemented a new rule allowing teams to jump from 20 players to 28 in April. Feels like MLB stuck with it for the longest time out of inertia more than anything
Noelvi Marte
3:30
Would you try to sign Marte and if so what would you offer?
Anthony Franco
3:32
I get the argument for it but I'd lean towards waiting it out one more year. They've got five seasons of control already and don't have a ton of clarity on where he's settling in defensively. Feels like it's right field, which he should be athletic enough to handle, but I'd like to see him do it before locking him up in case he ends up at first base or DH
Red Smith
3:32
Tim Dierkes emailed myself and others a questionnaire due August 15 at midnight for the part time opening. Has a decision been made yet and when would we expect to hear back?
Anthony Franco
3:33
I don't know the timeline but we haven't made any decision, no
Guarded Indian
3:33
Do you think Messick is ace material or settles in as a 3 or 4?  Seems to be legit so far.
Anthony Franco
3:35
Doesn't feel like ace-caliber stuff but I think he'll be a good #3 for a while and that's really valuable, great outcome for a second-round pick
Rick
3:35
Luis Matos has been playing well (not last two games though) in brief time since being called back up. Appears to have an opportunity to be a primary starting outfielder for rest of season. He was a top prospect and is only 23. Odds he is a starting OF in 2026?
Anthony Franco
3:37
I don't really buy it. Super aggressive approach, plus contact skills with some power but it's going to be tough to keep the OBP up. That's a profile you can live with if he could play center field, but he's not good out there
Feels like a tweener fourth/fifth OF to me
Kevin in Tx
3:37
Do you see an offensive reshuffle in Texas this winter.
Connecting…