You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Front Office Chat: 9/22/23
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat
Anthony Franco
4:31
Is it possible Franco doesn't come back at all? Sure. I don't have any insight on that. But I don't think Caminero's promotion says anything about Wander's status for 2024
Tony
4:31
Thanks for doing these chats! Cardinals fan here, I heard an interesting fact that since the start of the 2011 season the Cardinals had only played 3 games out of contention for a playoff spot (this year will add 11). I think Mo deserves kudos for that achievement given the budget constraints a small market team works with. (I still think he is one of the top 3 GMs in baseball but reasonable minds can differ). To get back to post season play, the team has zeroed in on pitching but at least as big a concern to me is the total run per game on both offense and defense are middling to poor. On scoring runs per game the team is ~18 and on runs allowed per game they are 25th. Adding pitchers is not the panacea necessarily but agree that it is the top issue. What do you expect them to do with the outfield and position players?
Anthony Franco
4:34
I still like the lineup. It has tailed off down the stretch but that's partially because they're giving more playing time to Masyn Winn and Andrew Knizner and shut down Brendan Donovan for the season. They were eighth in OBP and slugging in the first half. If the run prevention had held up, they'd probably have kept Winn in the minors and Donovan would still be at DH
4:35
The team has just been mailing it in for a while, but there's still a lot of offensive talent there
4:36
The defense falling off a cliff is a real issue though. Agree it's an underrated part of why they were so bad at preventing runs. The rotation was horrible, but they'd also covered for its deficiencies a lot more in prior seasons than they had this year
4:37
I don't know there's a lot to be done about it. Could trade away Burleson and bring in a more defensive-minded outfielder to push Jordan Walker to DH. That pushes Donovan back towards second base but they can move Edman around to mitigate for it a little more when they have a heavy ground-ball pitcher on the mound
Buff
4:37
How would you rate the Pirates at developing pitchers? And among the Bucs' young starters in the high minors -- Priester, Contreras, Jones, Burrow -- who would you say has the best chance to break out at the major league level next year? (Don't consider Skenes, in a whole different category.)
Anthony Franco
4:40
Probably a little below expectations. Keller has developed into a pretty good mid-rotation piece, but it took a while and he still has stretches (like the last couple months) where it isn't what you're hoping for
4:41
Johan Oviedo and JT Brubaker were low acquisition cost guys who became 4/5 starters. That's a decent outcome but not going to change the franchise. Contreras has been disappointing
4:43
Of the guys you mentioned, I still think Priester has the best shot at being a mid-rotation or better guy. His breaking ball is the single best pitch any of those guys have. Mike Burrows is probably the likeliest of the group to just be a solid rotation piece
Adam
4:43
Will the Twins win a postseason game?
Anthony Franco
4:44
I'd take them to beat Toronto, would pick any of the other Wild Card teams to beat them
4:45
Although probably in three, so I guess I think they'll snap the drought
Cards Fan
4:45
Thanks for the chat!  All that us Cards' fans have to look forward to is 2024 at this point, other than maybe seeing Waino get an AB or two before the season ends.  Please tell me we have a chance at one or more of these starting pitchers through FA or a trade (I'm trying to be realistic):  Sonny Gray, Aaron Nola, Shota Imanaga, Logan Gilbert, Tarik Skubal, Tyler Glasnow, Braxton Garrett, or Edward Cabrera.
Anthony Franco
4:46
I could see any of the free agents you mentioned. Gray and Nola would require the largest FA contract they've ever given to a starting pitcher, but I expect they'll do that this year for someone
4:47
Could see either of the Marlins guys getting traded for a controllable position player. Garrett feels more of a Cardinals type than Cabrera but probably costs more at this point. Gilbert's a long shot. I don't expect Skubal or Glasnow to move
Mike
4:47
Any chance the Marlins get a wildcard spot?
Anthony Franco
4:50
They're about to be half a game back of the last spot with 10 days to go. They've definitely got a shot. Toughest series of the three teams in contention (Cubs and Reds) this weekend but the series against the Mets and Pirates -- even on the road -- are winnable
Guest
4:50
My Nats have spent the last dozen years filling the pitching staff through free agency and trades, which has given me little perspective about pitcher development. How many successful MLB pitchers spent multiple years in the minors and didn't make it until they were 25 or 26? Is it customary for young pitchers to rapidly bounce between excellent and terrible starts for their first couple of years in the majors? Other considerations?
Anthony Franco
4:52
Pitching can come out of nowhere more than hitting. A guy adds a couple ticks of velocity or stumbles upon a new breaking pitch while playing catch, and suddenly the entire profile looks different
4:53
That's not likely for any given pitcher -- most guys who aren't established by their mid-20s are never going to get there -- but it happens more often than, say, a hitter figuring out how to cut five percentage points off his strikeout rate or how to hit the ball three MPH harder on average
4:55
Justin Steele, Logan Webb, Joe Ryan all come to mind as guys who are really good now who weren't MLB caliber pitchers until they were in their mid-20s. Doesn't inherently mean it'll happen for Josiah Gray or MacKenzie Gore, but I've got more optimism for them than I do for Carter Kieboom or Luis Garcia
James Ward Nats Fan 2023 Hope Alive
4:55
Which free agents could Nats look into for 2024 and beyond
Anthony Franco
4:57
Another quiet winter. Take a shot on a non-tender or two like they did with Candelario, maybe throw $8MM at Hunter Renfroe and try to flip him
Paw Paw
4:57
NL MVP close who you got?
Anthony Franco
4:59
Slight edge to Acuna based on the higher playing time total than Mookie, but I wouldn't argue if you had Betts first because he played the middle infield for a while
5:00
I could see a case for Freddie or Olson as well, but it'd be Acuna or Betts for me
James Ward Nats Fan 2023 Hope Alive
5:00
Who should Reds add to boost starting pitching?
Anthony Franco
5:01
They should have the money to go hit the third tier of free agency. Seth Lugo, Wacha if he opts out, maybe Clevinger. Someone in that range
James Ward Nats Fan 2023 Hope Alive
5:01
What are your most likely 2023-24 offseason trades?
Anthony Franco
5:04
Haven't given this a ton of thought yet. Baltimore could match up on a trade for Bieber or one of the Milwaukee starters. I could see the Angels selling off Drury and someone like Patrick Sandoval if they lose Ohtani and decide to reset
Always a chance the Rays deal someone who's not a prototypical trade candidate: Paredes, Brandon Lowe, someone like that
Alright that's all I've got time for today
5:05
Thanks as always for the questions and for your support of the site!
5:06
Feel free to throw stuff at me on Twitter throughout the week, and we'll do this again next Friday. Have a great weekend!
Connecting…