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Jay Jaffe FanGraphs Chat – 12/23/25
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Happy Festivus!
1:22
My friends and I have long since grown out of Feats of Strength, but you can bet we're going to air a ton of grievances to each other today
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:23
Happy Festivus. Consider the Kershaw mention above my contribution to the grievances.
Guest
1:23
Question on the Ferrell brothers. Which do you consider the bigger mistake, Rick's inclusion in the HOF, or Wes' exclusion? Or do you think neither is a mistake?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:27
I think they have exactly the wrong one in. Wes ranks 41st among starters in S-JAWS, below the standard but above guys like Palmer, Drysdale, Marichal, and Feller whom nobody would consider bad choices for election. Rick ranks 46th among catchers, just below a lot of very good backstops one would never consider Hall caliber such as  Mickey Tettleton, Tom Haller, Del Crandall, and Sherm Lollar.
Scoob
1:27
Why are people even entertaining the idea of trading Skubal? When was the last time a player got traded immediately after winning two CYs or MVPs in a row? I don’t even think it’s ever happened? And I swear to god if the Tigers trade with the Dodgers and their overrated paper tiger prospects I’m never watching baseball again. I’m gonna defect to Cricket.
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:31
I think it's based on the recognition that he's a Boras client and the presumption that he will bolt Detroit for a bigger-payroll team when he reaches free agency, which itself rests on the presumption that unlike his father, Chris Ilich isn't going to pay market rate (or higher) to retain his superstars. And that may be true.
Grandpaboy
1:31
If Mark Buehrle had racked up 200 wins, 60WAR, 2 no-hitters (inc. a perfect game) and a World Championship as a Yankee, would he be in the HoF already?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:32
swap the two no-hitters for four more World Series rings and you've described Andy Pettitte. So, no.
Phils Phan
1:33
Jay, I was wondering who you rank as your highest candidates from the 1990s-2000s for subsequent Veteran's committee elections now that Jeff Kent has cleared the bar. To me, I think Kenny Lofton, Lance Berkman, and Curt Schilling come to mind (yes, you've made it clear you're not a fan, but he had a HOF-worthy career and if we start judging players by post-career behavior then a lot of current HOFers, including Steve Carlton, would be in question). . . Who are your top 3 deserving of enshrinement?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:35
off the top of my head, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Gary Sheffield, followed by Lou Whitaker, Bobby Grich, and Kenny Lofton.
Kyle
1:36
Jay I’ll take that Kershaw photo if you don’t want it. I’ll pay for the shipping.
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:38
it's actually more than just a photo, it's also got a voice chip recording (see https://web.archive.org/web/20130418010801/https://www.egraphs.com/182). I'll part with it for $300, if you're serious. Otherwise it stays in the box until my mood or his views improve.
Phillies Phan
1:38
It seems that JT Realmuto’s return to the Phillies isn’t the lock that most fans had assumed. Do you think it makes sense for the Phils to try a season with Marchan and pivot to Bichette or Bellinger?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:41
I wonder if Bichette can play third? Or Stott third with Bichette at second? I think you might be onto something in terms of pivoting away from Realmuto but I still think they need to get a more established catcher.
Look At This Sotograph
1:42
How many of Tucker, Framber, Bregman, and Bellinger will the Mets sign with all that available $$$?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:43
I think they land one of the two outfielders. Bregman ain't happening because they still have a glut of infielders.
Mike
1:43
Thanks to you and everyone there for another great year. Enjoy some vacation.
War2D2
1:43
One last thing, I just wanted to say that I appreciated your work this year, as I do every year, and thank you for both your posts and these chats. You make life a little better with each thing you write.
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:44
Thank you all for the kind words and for reading and supporting FanGraphs! Best to you during this holiday season — here's hoping you can spend time with loved ones, and that our 2026 is brighter than this dark year.
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