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Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 8/17/18
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Jose Urethra
9:55
How about suspending a starting pitcher 5 starts instead of 5 or 10 games for a severe infraction? That has some impact to a team vs a suspension of 5 to 10 games where the pitcher will miss 1 start maybe 2.
Jeff Sullivan
9:56
Suspensions aren't about games missed as much as they're about salary missed. If you suspend Urena five times as long as you'd suspend a position player, that means Urena is forfeiting five times as much salary. How is that fair, from a player perspective?
9:57
Not to mention that the impact a starting pitcher can make in one game is roughly equivalent to the impact a position player can make over four or five games, anyhow
9:58
I'm not arguing the idea of sending a stronger message; I hate things like what Urena did, and I think he should face a more severe penalty. But it's not going to be easy for MLB to establish a new precedent, given that this is how things operate now, and if Manfred came out and suspended Urena for the rest of the year, the union wouldn't be happy about it
Mac Gwire
9:58
What's more likely: Yankees miss the playoffs or Astros lose the division?
Jeff Sullivan
9:58
Astros lose the division
9:59
Yankees are 5.5 games up on the Mariners, and they're the much better team. The Astros are also much better than the A's, but that gap is only 2.0 games instead
squeeze bunt
9:59
What kind of moves do you think the Padres make in the off season?  Trade for a bat or arm?  Do you see any potential fits for a blockbuster type move?
Jeff Sullivan
10:00
I think the Padres will end up involved in like three or four blockbuster trade rumors. One of them will actually happen
10:01
This is just Preller's nature. He's constantly searching for the next big move he can make, and with the Padres moving slowly forward, this could be the winter he decides to make a splash for a starting pitcher
10:02
A Chris Archer-style move would be right up their alley, even if the target isn't Archer anymore
10:03
Maybe they try to get Stroman. Maybe they try to get Bundy. They'll be looking. If Clayton Kershaw opts out, who the hell knows!
Perennial Ballboy Tryout
10:03
Who has been the most surprising breakout player this season? I'm thinking either David Bote, David Fletcher, or Shane Bieber.
Jeff Sullivan
10:04
Slump aside, I think it still has to be Max Muncy
365 plate appearances, 153 wRC+. It's absurd
Bote, Fletcher, and Bieber are fine, but Muncy has basically kept the Dodgers float. Literally Max Muncy
Wild Man
10:06
Hello Mr. Sullivan. You have been selected as the GM of the new Mexico City MLB team! What type of team do you plan on building? High ground ball rate pitchers and low-contact/high exit velocity batters? I've always been intrigued on how one would build an expansion team from the ground up, and Mexico City would give you the chance to build a unique strategy based on the environment.
Jeff Sullivan
10:07
Assuming I don't somehow have a pressurized stadium, I'm going with ground-ball pitchers and contact/defense position players
10:08
You're essentially taking the Coors Field strategy and making it even bigger
10:09
I'd try, early on, to develop some number of Mexican players so that they could hopefully reach the majors with my organization
10:11
And I'd place a particular emphasis on building a roster out of majority Spanish speakers because I wouldn't want my players to feel isolated or uncomfortable. Now, Mexico City is an awfully cosmopolitan place, but it's still far easier to navigate if you can communicate with ease. Might as well lean into that and create a club with specific demographics
10:12
The players would also be better able to communicate with the fans directly, instead of through a translator. That would be good early on, when I'm trying to generate interest and connection
Jason N
10:12
Solutioning for concerns about length of games, do you think MLB has thought about extending beer sales another inning?  So when the reliever parade starts in the 6th/7th innings, having a longer game is just more party.
Jeff Sullivan
10:13
Congratulations! You have put even more drunks on the road than there already are
Ask me again when all our vehicles are driving themselves
Five Finger Freddie
10:14
I know you're getting tons of questions on Acuna, but what do you make of the situation? Should baseball take a harder stance? Would the response have been different if his elbow was shattered and he needed surgery?
Jeff Sullivan
10:15
I think the suspension *would* have been longer if Acuna were more hurt. Not that the outcome should change anything with regard to the process, but the NHL struggles with that very issue
10:16
I think, right now, because of established precedent, Manfred couldn't really suspend Urena much longer than he did. I also think, in the offseason, the league and the union should talk about changing the precedent, because pitchers deserve harsher penalties when they attack someone with a weapon
10:17
If Manfred suspended Urena for a really long time, unilaterally, the MLBPA would probably raise a stink, and rightfully so. This is something that should be talked about before anything further is done. Hopefully the union can get on the same page down the line because events like this should have no place in the game anymore
Dave
10:18
Is this Joe Mauer's last year as a Twin?
Jeff Sullivan
10:18
I don't really know why they'd keep him around, as strange as that sounds to say
Mac Gwire
10:18
Are the Cubs the NL favorite even with their spotty rotation?
Jeff Sullivan
10:19
The Cubs are our current LCS favorite, over the Dodgers, but that's mostly because the Cubs are in first place right now and the Dodgers aren't. I still lean toward LA
Perennial Ballboy Tryout
10:20
Are the Jays trying to manipulate Vlad Jr's service time?
Jeff Sullivan
10:20
I think the injury gave them some cover. If he hadn't missed five weeks, he'd be beating the door down. As is, he's *still* beating the door down in Triple-A, but the Jays get to say he still hasn't gotten enough high-level reps
10:21
Shorter answer: obviously yes
He's ready, and he's been ready for a while, but the Jays know the bad PR they're getting and will continue to get will blow over as soon as Vlad is up and he hits his first dinger
10:22
No one cares anymore about how the Cubs manipulated Kris Bryant's service time. It doesn't get more blatant than that
Bort
10:24
What do the Dodgers do at catcher next year? Grandal's a free agent, they have two stud prospects in the minors, and Austin Barnes has the best framing/receiving metrics in MLB -- and a track record of hitting.
Jeff Sullivan
10:25
My hunch is that they open with Farmer and Barnes, but they might opt to sign Tyler Flowers or someone to gain a little extra cover
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