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Front Office Chat: September 19th, 2025
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Darragh McDonald
12:52
There's a huge chunk of every fan base that hates their manager.
12:53
If you want to, you can always find some game, some decision, whatever and point out how it didn't work out and say that so-and-so is an idiot and needs to go.
Every team has those though, so I don't find them terribly convincing.
A lot of what actually makes a manager good or bad is behind the scenes stuff, whether the players like them and listen to them, etc.
12:54
On the awards, they usually go to whichever team outperformed expectations. Schneider and Murphy are probably good candidates, based on that logic.
Chris
12:54
Does Gallen get a long-term deal this winter with his great finish or do you still think he takes 2-year / high AAV deal with an opt out after 2026?
Darragh's Mindset
12:54
Let's say you are a pitcher very similar to Zac Gallen in 2025. You are offered a QO. Would you as Darragh take it and run it back one more time as the legit "ace" of a fringe contender's staff or seek a pillow contract with opt outs to say you signed for $XX when you're basically still going to make the same money?
Darragh McDonald
12:56
On the QO question, this is a bit of a cop-out but it depends what kind of offers he's getting. Players have about two weeks from getting the QO until they have to make a decision. They can talk to other teams in that span, to inform the decision.
12:59
As for his general market, I still lean short-term pillow deal. His second half has been better but mostly at the surface level. His first half ERA of 5.40 is obviously way worse than his 3.56 second half ERA. But his strikeout rate actually dropped from 22.2% in the first half to 20% in the second. His walk rate did improve, going from 9.1% to 6%, but it's not like he's suddenly reverted to ace status.
Chris
12:59
Re: Manager Question - IMO, I think fans don't realize that a manager can make the right decision, but still not have it work out. Sometimes the player(s) on the other team simply execute.
Darragh McDonald
12:59
Yeah, I think this is a great point. A baseball game often features two managers making smart moves, but they can't both win.
1:00
That's especially true with pitching decisions. No pitcher has an ERA of 0.00, so it happens all the time that a manager will bring a guy in and he allows a run, or multiple runs.
1:02
Lots of fans hate the manager and also hate relievers, even pretty good ones. I think it's an emotional reaction to the pain of losing a lead, but it happens to every team and it's not necessarily a reflection of poor managing or poor pitching. It certainly could be bad pitching or bad managing, but the consistency of fan rage in these areas suggests that a certain segment of people will just always channel their frustrations in this way.
Cora Can't Manage 2.0
1:03
Okay well he consistently underperforms their Pythagorean Record based on their run differential which only happens when the bullpen underperforms or is mis-used. He could have communicated better instead of being part of the camp that ran Devers out of town
Darragh McDonald
1:04
The Devers thing is certainly very interested. That gets to what I was saying earlier about managerial stuff happening behind the scenes. If Cora played a role in running a star player out of town, then that's a very legitimate complaint.
1:06
Just checked in with Steve and he's handling the news okay, so I'll try to get a few more here.
RAGBRAI
1:07
With a possible work stoppage in the near future, do you see players seeking out extensions in the coming year, rather than trying to negotiate a contract will a work stoppage looming?
Oye Como Va 1B
1:07
How much will the likelihood of labor trouble in ‘27 affect short-term contracts this off-season?
Darragh McDonald
1:08
I think it's possible that the coming lockout leads to certain guys being more willing to sign extensions, sure.
1:09
I also think it's possible that certain players/agents try to reduce the amount of money owed in 2027, since that season's salary would be reduced if games are lost.
1:10
To use a ridiculous example to illustrate the point, let's say Kyle Tucker is looking for a two-year, $100MM deal for 2026 and 2027. Instead of splitting that up 50/50, he might ask for 90MM in the first year and 10MM in the second. That way, if a lockout wipes out half the year, he would stand to lose far less.
Guys could also look to get bigger signing bonuses up front, with a lower salary in 2027.
1:11
Teams would have to agree to these things, though, so it would probably only be the top free agents who have the leverage to ask for such special treatment.
1:12
But it has become fairly common for some extreme examples recently. Snell just got a $52MM signing bonus from the Dodgers, for instance.
That helps him avoid taxes, while the Dodgers asked for salary deferrals to even it out a bit.
Homeless Squatter
1:13
Whomst among y'all on staff is closest to believing that entirely too much effort is put into Catcher defense if you're running out a .500 OPS every night? I think that a lot of catchers failing to out-hit some pitchers (Ohtani notwithstanding) is the biggest obstacle to winning for any team trying to improve
Darragh McDonald
1:13
Hmm. I would guess Steve Adams is the answer.
He has often expressed bewilderment at guys like Martin Maldonado and Austin Hedges continually getting signed.
1:14
But hey, Hedges has been on a lot of good teams, so maybe the bad offense is worth it.
Not Rizzo
1:15
Gore for Rutschman and a 10-15 pitching prospect. who says no?
Darragh McDonald
1:15
I don't think that makes a lot of sense for the Nats.
1:16
The reason Gore makes sense as a trade candidate is because he's controlled for two more years and they might not get good again in that time frame. Rutschman is also controlled for two more years.
Ridiculous stat
1:16
The win/Loss stat for pitchers is ridiculous. Considering a pitcher can go out and give you seven scoreless innings be relieved,reliever blows the lead completes The inning,team recovers the lead win the game, and that pitcher who blew a lead becomes the pitcher on record for the win. I don’t get it?
Darragh McDonald
1:16
No arguments here.
Bo nose
1:17
Thoughts on Twins approach to '26? With all of the recent cost-cutting measures, do they commit to a largely AAAA team next season or is there enough organizational talent to exceed that expectation?
Darragh McDonald
1:18
Yeah, I'm a bit confused by this one. In their deadline trades, they seemed to target guys who are already MLB-ready. They got Outman, Abel, Bradley and Roden. That seems to suggest they still want to field a capable big league club next year.
1:19
But with the penny pinching, it's not crazy to think Lopez will be traded this winter.
They do have one of the best farm systems in the league, so perhaps the plan is to scale back but still compete with a lower budget. Hard to do but that might be the plan? I don't know. Tough to gauge right now.
Also a Ridiculous Stat
1:21
WAR is ridiculous. A DH is automatically dinged -2.0 for not playing defense when the guy is in the lineup specifically to hit. It also overinflates the value of a defensively sound CF/SS/C. Andrelton Simmons was the 2015 MVP? Please
Darragh McDonald
1:21
WAR has its flaws and is not above criticism. That's for sure. But for now, it's the best way to boil a player's value down to a single number.
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