You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 7/24/18
powered byJotCast
View Full Chat Next Page
Jeff Sullivan
9:03
Hello friends
Welcome to Tuesday baseball chat
This is a temporary arrangement -- I'll be out of town this Friday and next, so I've swapped days so as to not miss a chat
9:04
Swapped places with Meg this week, and it looks like the odds are I'll do the same next week. Then back to normal!
botchatheny
9:05
when you look into poncedeleon what do you see?
Jeff Sullivan
9:07
Swing-and-miss fastball he's become increasingly comfortable using up in the zone. Secondary pitches are behind and control isn't perfect, but when you have a good heater as a primary pitch, you can be successful for several innings at a time
9:08
Not entirely convinced he's a long-term starter, but he deserves the opportunity
adam
9:08
Does the loss of Suter increase or decrease the Brewers pursuit of a high end starter ala DeGrom?
Jeff Sullivan
9:08
Increases the odds the Brewers land some kind of starter, but it's almost impossible for me to imagine the Mets trading deGrom this week with their front-office arrangement
9:09
You have to be so careful and thorough when trading a player like that. The Mets are in no position to execute that sufficiently well
(One might argue that's been true for years)
Rockies Dude
9:10
What do the Rockies do at the deadline? I'm guessing just a BP arm, maybe a UTIL bench player as well.
Jeff Sullivan
9:12
I think your instincts are correct. They're too good to leave things as they are, but they're not good enough to make a major push. Extremely unlikely to catch the Dodgers, and there's a lot of wild-card competition. Even the Pirates are back in the mix
Bo
9:13
Very SSS alert, but Ronald Acuna is crushing it batting leadoff. Is there reason to believe he is better fit hitting first than lower in the order?
Jeff Sullivan
9:15
July Acuna is basically May Acuna with a way higher BABIP. He's batted just 17 times at leadoff, almost all over the past three days. Some guys do respond differently to different spots in the order, and it's not like Acuna is going to hurt the Braves up there, but I think the expectation should always be that it won't make a difference, until or unless proven otherwise
Anthony
9:15
Would Zach Britton lose trade value if he didn't pitch for a week or so? With the Orioles buried and moving toward a trade, why play him at all and risk him blowing something out in the interim?
Jeff Sullivan
9:16
Teams all want to see evidence that Britton is back. Can't show evidence if he's not pitching. That would only increase concern
9:17
This is a time when small samples become important samples, rightly or not. It doesn't help the Orioles that Britton has issued a walk in each of his last three appearances
9:18
15.2 innings, 10 walks, 13 strikeouts. Britton can survive a little wildness, but the Orioles would really love to see him strike out the side or something
Dave
9:18
Which team is more likely to torpedo a deGrom-to-the-Yankees deal: The Mets, and their reluctance to help their crosstown rivals? Or the Yankees, who have picked a weird time to become a team that hoards prospects?
Jeff Sullivan
9:18
Based on some of the information becoming public, I don't think the Mets would even so much as entertain the idea of trading deGrom to the Yankees
9:19
Mets more likely to torpedo it from the start; Yankees more likely to torpedo it if it moved forward
2-D
9:20
To ever near a sense of completion on a manager's rating would you find it essential to see how they operate in the playoffs?
Jeff Sullivan
9:20
I don't think so. Most of what you need to do in the playoffs can be taught. It's not that difficult -- lean on your best players. I think you could assume playoff performance based on regular-season performance, as managers go
Johnny Coconuts
9:21
Do the Red Sox have what it takes to acquire someone like Asdrubal Cabrera or Ian Kinsler? And what are the odds it happens?
Jeff Sullivan
9:21
Neither player would be very expensive. The Red Sox could definitely afford one or the other
9:22
Not at all clear it's necessary. Might as well just beef up the bullpen even more instead
Rivervillian
9:23
will justin smoak be on the move this season or will toronto extend him into the foreseeable future?
Jeff Sullivan
9:23
No market out there for him right now. Plus he has a cheap club option for 2019. He'll stay put, almost certainly
9:24
The Mariners would make some sense, I guess, but they'll be playing Cano at first down the stretch, and Vogelbach deserves a look if and when they give up on Healy
Isaac
9:24
Jeff, the Mets world is up in arms about DeGrom not receiving enough run support, time and time again, to qualify for a win. Does this really matter? The Mets aren’t competing for anything. Wins shouldn’t be that important for a pitcher’s resume, but does this have anything to do with DeGrom’s future earnings potential?
Jeff Sullivan
9:25
Not really. Everybody understands that deGrom is great. Meaningful negotiations no longer come down to wins and losses. deGrom will get paid what he's worth, and for now, this is just something to talk about because it's representative of how frustrating the Mets have become, that they can't win games where their best starter pitches his ass off
Tom
9:27
Hi Jeff- thanks for the chat. It's starting to feel more and more like the Cardinals should sell. Who do you see being on the market for them- Norris? Others? Anybody who you can see fetching a decent return?
Jeff Sullivan
9:28
Don't think there's a lot for them to do. They're still on the periphery of the hunt right now, and they'd project to be in a similar position next year. They could move a reliever or two but it's already a crowded market so a huge return would be unlikely. Jose Martinez could get dealt, but he also has major limitations. The other Martinez hasn't done his stock any favors lately
AKA22
9:29
Will the AL second wildcard have the lowest odds to make the world series in MLB playoff history? Either way, should that impact their willingness to spend to win that 5th seed?
Jeff Sullivan
9:30
Let's see. Right now, the Mariners and A's combine for a 4.5% chance of reaching the World Series
Last season, at the end, we gave the Twins a 2.9% chance of reaching the World Series
9:31
That team was similarly screwed. So it will be again. Which, on the plus side, comes with significant Cinderella potential!
The Mariners are driven by a desperate need to just play a damn playoff game. The A's won't overspend for anyone but they already got a good reliever for cheap
Chipper
9:33
Matt Carpenter is now the NL leader in wRC+ and is leading all NL hitters in WAR. On May 1st, Matt Carpenter was hitting .155/.305/.274
Connecting…