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Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 10/12/18
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Chaseball Bat
9:27
I love baseball chat
Jeff Sullivan
9:27
I do too. Easiest part of the job
And the one part of the job where I can control how long it takes!
Conner from AZ
9:28
What do the Rockies do this offseason?  There are seemingly quite a few pieces on the FA market that could be useful to them (Pollock, McCutchen, Grandal, and even Harper makes a lot of sense payroll concerns aside). But it seems like the FO is pretty content to just sit on their hands and let their pieces develop as is. So ultimately we will just see them re-sign CarGo to another one year deal, right?
Jeff Sullivan
9:28
Right -- there's always the question of what the Rockies will do, versus what the Rockies *should* do. They're not always in alignment
9:30
I wouldn't be shocked if they tried to keep LeMahieu. And, honestly, Ottavino too, since he was so important for their bullpen and they seem to like familiarity
9:31
They'll need an outfielder and I could easily see them placing the high bid on someone like McCutchen. Dahl has earned an everyday job
9:32
As for what they do at catcher, they might just stick with Wolters+. Go the Red Sox route and just completely give up on getting any offense
Shuck Bowalter
9:33
What happens with Domingo Santana? Is he broken, or does he get back to the '16 version of himself?
Jeff Sullivan
9:33
Christian Yelich took all of his power
9:35
Santana, in a lot of ways, was similar to what he was in 2017. He hit the ball just as hard on average, and his launch angle hardly moved. But so much of his contact was either too high or too low on the bat. He didn't square the ball up enough. Was strong in Triple-A, so I don't think he's lost the skill
9:36
It's also worth noting that Santana seemed to make some defensive strides. Not so much of a liability anymore
But my guess for this offseason is that Santana will get dealt somewhere he can be guaranteed a regular job. Milwaukee is just crowded, and someone else would like to roll the dice here
Gai
9:37
Do you see the Yankees signing Harper/Machado? Neither?
Jeff Sullivan
9:37
I figure they'll get one of them
Machado, of course, being the easiest fit for the roster as constructed
I wouldn't say the Yankees' Machado odds are beyond 50% -- the Phillies are out there, too -- but I do have the Yankees as my early favorite
9:38
Andujar's terrible defense creates a ready opening
The Old Buccaneer
9:38
What development will you find more interesting, who wins the WS of the remaining four teams or where Machado and Harper end up?
Jeff Sullivan
9:38
The former
9:39
I think Machado and Harper are going to end up with two of a small number of possible destinations. I doubt there'll be a surprise
But I will be *very* interested in how their contracts are structured. This is going to require a lot of creativity
Shuck Bowalter
9:40
If you're the Yankees, and assuming you are definitely signing one of them, do you make a play for Machado or Harper? One fits better defensively, the better fits better offensively.
Jeff Sullivan
9:40
I'm not even sure Harper is better than Machado offensively
He *probably* is, but it's not definite. And it's close
Chris
9:41
If you're the Astros do you go with Gattis or Straw for the last spot in the ALCS?
Jeff Sullivan
9:41
Straw, I think
Gurriel and White are already right-handed, like Gattis is, and it's not like they're going to be doing a lot of pinch-hitting
Kristen
9:43
Could ATL and TEX swing a trade centered around Mazara and one of Gohara/Fried/Allard?  ATL needs a COF and has a surplus of SP prospects while the converse for TEX.
Jeff Sullivan
9:44
I think that's the kind of trade the Braves should be looking to make, but I'm not certain the Rangers would go for this one -- they need pitching like few other teams, but they also need...everything. Their outfield without Mazara isn't good. So the Braves would have to blow them away, I imagine
All Cats Are Beautiful
9:44
If the Dodgers are found guilty of actual US crimes, won't 28 other teams also be found guilty with any digging? (The Os may have skipped Latin American recruitung for a reason)
Jeff Sullivan
9:44
I can hardly begin to speculate on just how deep this might end up going
9:45
But remember we did see the Red Sox get penalized for something just about everyone does
9:46
And the Orioles do have a fully-rostered Dominican affiliate
For what it's worth, if it's worth anything, when I've asked around the response I've gotten is that the Dodgers are probably covered since they fired their criminals years ago
9:47
This could end up being a blockbuster story, or it could easily fizzle, at least as far as newsworthiness is concerned
BigChief
9:48
What changed that caused the significant drop in Astros WS odds between the last day of the season and the first day of the CS?
Jeff Sullivan
9:48
We updated the depth charts into playoff mode
More usage of the top starters, top relievers, top position players, etc. Less depth
Ao874
9:49
Hey Jeff! What was your impression of the Cubs' second half offensive woes and how much of it Davis should've been responsible for?
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