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Front Office Chat: September 19th, 2025
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Darragh McDonald
12:26
The Cubs should have a decent amount of money this winter. RosterResource has their current payroll at $199MM but then just $124MM next year. Picking up the Imanaga, Kittredge and Rea options adds $30MM. The arb class isn't huge. It's mostly just Steele, who will add 7 or 8 million.
12:29
I'm not sure starting pitching will be the top priority. They'll have Shota, Boyd, Horton, Taillon, Assad going into next year. Rea as well if they pick up the option. Steele will be hopefully coming back midseason. Jaxon Wiggins is in Triple-A now.
They could add to that group but it's not bad on paper right now.
12:31
I guess there's actually a path to bringing back Tucker, though they would have to shatter organizational precedent. Maybe taking another run at Bregman is more likely, depending on how they feel about Shaw's uneven season.
12:32
Bullpen has a number of impending free agents, so that could certainly be a priority.
Ryan Ward
12:32
why did LAD avoid me when looking for production out of LF?  Trade him to someone.  Counting stats say he should get the call
Darragh McDonald
12:33
Ward's numbers this year are great but he's a 27-year-old in his third year at Triple-A. Prospect evaluators say he's a bad defender and he doesn't really show up on the rankings. FanGraphs said two years ago that he'd be a star in Japan someday.
this little piggyback
12:33
Hey Darragh, what do think of Mets using Holmes/Manaea as a tandem? Why don't more teams do this? Does MLB have to change the pitcher win rule to get buy-in?
Darragh McDonald
12:34
I have a feeling this could be the next analytical trend that works well but annoys people.
12:35
I think I said this on the pod a few weeks ago, but I think some team, most likely the Rays, is going to never have any pitcher go through the order more than twice.
Instead of having starters and relievers, the whole staff will be guys who go about three to four innings at a time.
The Tigers kinda did this last year and it worked great.
12:36
I think the only reason it doesn't happen more often is that pitchers want to start, so it's probably tough to get a whole staff to buy in.
But the third-time-through-the-order penalty is legit and teams know it.
RAGBRAI
12:36
Do you think Peralta will be pitching all of '26 for the Brewers?
Darragh McDonald
12:39
I could see it either way. The traded Burnes when he had one year left, so it's not without precedent. They seem to have some kind of 3D printer that allows them to just make good starting pitchers appear out of nowhere, so they could cobble a good rotation together without him. On the other hand, he's the most straightforward dude they have.
12:40
I hope he stays though. He's only about 80 strikeouts away from being the franchise leader, which is pretty crazy.
this little piggyback
12:40
I've been thinking about options like tandem and 3x3 innings for many years. Mostly as a result of playing Strat-o-Matic!
Darragh McDonald
12:40
Nice!
Chris
12:40
Do you think MLB overmarkets Ohtani? The other day, he was the headline of a game the Dodgers lost.
Darragh McDonald
12:41
It was fun to see him do a Tungsten Arm O'Doyle with the Dodgers.
I get what you're saying but I assume you're talking about the game where he pitched five no-hit innings and then hit a home run later?
12:42
That's remarkable stuff and I don't think we should get numb to how awesome it is, even if he does it regularly.
Someday, he'll be gone and we'll just be thinking back fondly about how crazy and rare his entire career was. I try to appreciate it in the moment.
Superman drinking buddy
12:43
Do the Yankees make a qualifying offer to Grisham and will he accept, giving him one more year in pinstripes to try and repeat this season and get a better contract in 2027?
Darragh McDonald
12:44
I think they probably should make him a QO because I think he'll turn it down.
12:45
His situation is somewhat analogous to Profar, who parlayed an out-of-nowhere season into 3/42MM.
12:46
Grisham is three years younger and is a better defender, even though his metrics have backed up this year.
Joe Urquidy
12:47
MLBTR said he consented to the option but the Tigers said he was DFA and taken off the 40 man for 1 day. Can you explain
Darragh McDonald
12:47
Oh, boy. This is so niche!
I had to ask Steve Adams to explain this to me yesterday because even I was confused.
12:48
Guys with at least five years of service can't be optioned without their consent. When they do consent, there are apparently weird and unnecessary complicated rules.
12:49
They have to technically be DFA'd and then placed on optional waivers. Once they clear, they go back on the 40-man roster.
I asked Steve what would happen if someone claimed him and he said he believes optional waivers are revocable. He wasn't 100% sure about that, but if he's right, that means there's no point in any other club claiming him.
12:50
If you understood all that, explain it back to me because I'm still not sure I fully get it.
Bo nose
12:50
Manager-of-the-Year? Too close to call in the AL still imo but I'm leaning toward Schneider. Money's on Murphy in the NL
Ned Colletti’s Toupee
12:50
I have to think after years of having supernatural luck and hiding his deficiencies as a manger, Dave Roberts is being exposed a fraud. Isn’t it time for the Blue to give him the Ned Colletti treatment and kick jim
Is it time to move Dav Roberts to a position where his failures as an in game manager can be removed?  I just think the Dodgers
Cora Can't Manage
12:50
Why did he burn Peyton Tolle last night instead of having his turn in the rotation come through? And why was Cora allowed to use all available pitchers except Birdsong two games ago? He needs to be fired for always doing stupid stuff like this
Darragh McDonald
12:51
My answers on managerial things are usually the same.
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