You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Front Office Chat: 9/9/22
powered byJotCast
Anthony Franco
1:51
Hey everyone, hope you're all having a great week!
1:52
I have to run at 2:00 today, which is why I moved it up an hour, so I'll start taking some of the early questions to get through as many as possible
Danny Ozark
1:52
Phils probably need to move on from Rhys Hoskins this off season. Would there be any interest? SD if Bell walks? Detroit?  What kind of return would he bring?
Anthony Franco
1:53
Yeah he's a viable trade candidate. Getting more expensive, could probably plug in Darick Hall there or even one of Castellanos or Schwarber seeing some more action on the infield if Hall struggles
1:54
There'd be interest. One year of a first baseman making more than $10MM isn't going to bring a monumental return, but Hoskins is a good hitter who another team should give up a couple mid-tier prospects for
1:55
SD makes sense, Giants, Yankees if Rizzo walks, Brewers perhaps although the salary could be a little much for their liking
1:56
Detroit's going to be in for another rough season. Don't think Hoskins aligns with that timetable, I'd just give Torkelson another season of at-bats to see if he can be relied upon for 2024
Madag
1:56
Assuming Verlander is healthy, how would you configure the Astros pitching staff for the post season? Thanks for doing such a good job answering our questions.
Anthony Franco
1:58
JV, Framber, McCullers comprise the top three in the rotation. Could kind of piggyback Urquidy and Javier for a fourth game -- give them each a turn or two through a lineup and pull them after 3-4 innings. I'd have Garcia in the bullpen given his struggles lately
1:59
It's obviously a great collection of pitching depth even before you get into Hunter Brown as a possible multi-inning weapon with Abreu, Neris and Montero in the bullpen
Duffy Scliff
1:59
Is Craig Counsel’s job in jeopardy if the Brewers don’t make the playoffs?
Anthony Franco
2:00
I can't see it. They've done such a great job developing pitching, routinely outperform what one would expect from a team with a mid-tier payroll
2:01
I know there's been a lot of talk about the clubhouse not responding well to the deadline moves, particularly the Hader trade. Maybe that's true, but it's not a decision Counsell made and Hader hasn't exactly lit the world on fire in SD. By and large, he (and Stearns) have done a really good job there. One disappointing season doesn't change that
Nomahhh
2:01
If you could pick one rookie from this year’s class to build a team around, who would it be?
Anthony Franco
2:01
Really tough question but I have to go Adley
2:03
He's basically been the best player on the field since he was at least a college freshman. Broadly viewed as the #1 prospect coming into the year, has been maybe the best catcher in the sport from day one
Julio, Strider, Harris, Witt, etc. should all be great players, but I'll take the slam-dunk franchise catcher
Snoozy
2:04
Thank you for the chats this season.  I think the Orioles surge this season has been a mirage and there will be unrealistic expectations from their fans for 2023.  Even given the spending increase promised by Elias there is still a shortage of talent.  How do you see things?
Anthony Franco
2:04
I think they're a little where Seattle was last year. A lot of burgeoning talent but with some holes on the roster that have been kind of patched over because the bullpen has been unexpectedly fantastic
2:05
So it sort of depends how the offseason goes for me, as it did with Seattle last year. If the Mariners had run back the same roster, they'd have come nowhere close to 90 wins again and fans would've been underwhelmed
2:06
They knew that, went out and got Ray, Winker (and Suárez, who's been surprisingly awesome) and eventually Castillo while continuing to break in more of their top prospects
2:07
I think there's a path for Baltimore to do the same sort of thing, but it depends how aggressive they want to be. Can't expect to have a top five bullpen again next season -- relievers just usually aren't that predictable -- so the holes at the back of the rotation, #2 catcher, some of the infield spots become more noticeable
2:09
But those aren't impossible fixes if they're willing to add a couple starting pitchers and fill in the depth areas. The position player core is already competitive aside from second base (at least until Jordan Westburg's ready)
Don
2:09
The Braves have a little bit of a challenge, albeit a good one, coming. Ideally Albies and Grissom could platoon between 2B and DH. However Acuna is occupying the DH. How do you think my Braves will handle this situation.
Anthony Franco
2:11
Yeah I think you have to put Albies back in at second base, so that basically leaves you to decide whether you want Grissom as a bench bat or trying to learn the outfield on the fly. I lean the latter and might even send him to Gwinnett for two weeks to try to get more comfortable out there before the playoffs start
2:12
If Grissom can play even a competent left field, he should be in the lineup over Ozuna. He's never done it before, but he seems athletic enough that it's not out of the question
Rangers13
2:12
Is Christian Yellich's contract overpriced for current production?
Anthony Franco
2:12
Pretty significantly, yeah
2:14
There's not a huge difference between current Yelich and like Andrew Benintendi. Benintendi's not coming anywhere near 6/156 this offseason, which is how much is left on Yelich's deal
thughes9302@msn.com
2:14
Off season plans for the Cardinals: do you expect them to go after Verlander or Detroit? Not their M.O. (pun) but shorter term and no prospect trades fits their plans
Anthony Franco
2:16
I don't really expect a pursuit of a top-tier free agent starter. Like you mentioned, just hasn't been the way the Mozeliak/Girsch front office likes to operate. They've preferred to stockpile pitching depth and prioritize position players if they're going to make a run at a star
Rangers13
2:17
Is Rizzo enough of a defensive upgrade over Lowe that Rangers should consider him a target after signing pitching help this off-season, if so what would that contract look like
Anthony Franco
2:18
Not crazy but then you're kind of pigeon-holing Lowe in at DH and losing some flexibility to rotate other guys through there. I see the argument for it but they wouldn't be my first choice on Rizzo
As for the contract, I expect him to opt out (and then receive and reject a qualifying offer, which is another consideration for a signing team). Probably looking at another two-year deal with an AAV in the $18-20MM range
Kevin J
2:19
will Texas sign some big names pitching
Anthony Franco
2:19
Yeah I'd be really surprised if their 2023 Opening Day starter is already on the roster
They're going to add multiple pitchers, and they should come away with one true top-of-the-rotation guy
Guest
2:20
Do the Brewers have anyone at AAA to help them catch the Phillies?
Anthony Franco
2:21
Seems like Garrett Mitchell was the guy they're hoping can do that. I've never been super bullish on him and think Sal Frelick has a better shot at being an above-average center fielder right away, but Frelick doesn't have to go on the 40-man for a couple more years
Seems like they don't want to rush him up this season
Load More Messages
Connecting…