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Kevin Goldstein Chat 2/8/21
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Kevin Goldstein
1:14
I love talking prospects! I don't play and therefore understand the nuances of fantasy baseball so I'll leave that to the crew here. Happy to answer baseball questions, but I'll leave the translation to fantasy to you.
ryan
1:15
we hear a lot, especially this offseason, about "ownership imposed" financial limitations....not necessarily saying that was the case in Houston during your tenure, but do you have any insight into how true that explanation for cost-cutting is? are baseball ops departments really hamstrung by ownership to a significant extent?
Kevin Goldstein
1:15
Yes.
Rodney
1:15
What is it about someone like Jose Urquidy that stays under the radar early in their pro and amateur careers? Publicly, he seemed kind of unheralded until his breakout. Were the building blocks always there?
Kevin Goldstein
1:16
Lack of hype. He was signed out of Mexico, didn't really get attention and also had a TJ, so the hype train never got moving. Personal opinion, but lots of guys end up on prospect lists for too long based solely on signing bonus hype when it's pretty clear they're not going to live up to expectations.
Dante
1:16
Was the decision to remove Tal's hill an analytical one based on the Astros offensive tendencies?
Kevin Goldstein
1:17
No. Was driven be the ability to re-do that area of the stadium for fans and restaurants and bars and stuff.
count123
1:17
Big Jays fan. Lots of trade activity over past few seasons between Astro's & Jays. Were you actively involved in all those trades or just some? Do Astro's feel they did well on those deals?
Kevin Goldstein
1:18
Actively involved in any trade from September 2012 to July 2019. Like all trades, we won some and we lost some. Biggest miss in terms of baseball talent was probably Teoscar.
Pumpsie Green
1:19
What is your general feeling about the Hall of Fame, and does it enter in conversations among active players? My thoughts run toward admiration for a business that sustains a high public profile without spending on advertising. It's just a business, after all, owned by one family! I do recognize most people see it more as a hallowed institution, though.
Kevin Goldstein
1:20
I'm just super glad Jay Jaffe is here to cover it in the amazing way he does. It's not my cup of tee and I think it needs some big changes, but hey, you do you.
Michael
1:20
Kevin - I'm loving all of the content you're brining to fangraphs. Very interesting stuff.
Kevin Goldstein
1:20
Thanks so much for this. I appreciate how much the FanGraphs community has welcomed me to the fold and it just reinforces that I made the right decision in coming here.
George
1:21
When looking at defensive skill, do we generally overrate range? I'd think that with good positioning, a guy with great hands and a good arm and bad range could be a good defender on a smart team.
Kevin Goldstein
1:21
It's becoming less important as teams get better at defensive positioning, but it's still essential.
GSon
1:21
Your first car.. and would you buy one (completely restored) if the opportunity arose?
Kevin Goldstein
1:22
Dodge Dart, I want to say 1981? And absolutely not.
Robert
1:22
Yordan Alvarez had no MiLB experience at the time he was traded - what did the Astros see in him?
Kevin Goldstein
1:22
We saw him in workouts leading up to his signing with the Dodgers and absolutely adored him.
Todd Boss
1:23
Do you perceive there will be a work stoppage after 2021, and  how bad do you think it will be?
Kevin Goldstein
1:23
I feel very strongly that this CBA will end without a new deal in place. Obviously there are months between that and a potential work stoppage. I would bet 60/40 on a stoppage?
Pumpsie Green
1:24
How many more straight MLB deals to be signed this year? Over or under 10? Outside of Bradley, Turner and a couple of starters, are there any more multi-year deals to be had?
Kevin Goldstein
1:24
I'll take the over. Lots of $1-3 million deals coming around the bend.
Guest
1:26
Almora to the Mets probably won't warrant an article, but do you think it's a decent sign, as a depth piece? Some potential upside left, since he's young? If you're the Mets and you don't know if there's a DH, does it make sense to plan to have Nimmo take a lot of the snaps in CF to maximize his and Smith's offensive value?
Kevin Goldstein
1:26
It does warrant an article, and it's coming soon (not by me). I think he's a fourth outfielder. Fine with the signing, but shouldn't be seen as an every day guy.
Mike
1:27
Would you be in favor of decoupling the draft order from losing the most games?  Seems like a lot of problems with the current game stem from teams not being incentivized to be good, so perhaps a lottery, slightly weighted towards the teams that just miss the playoffs, would be more helpful than burning it to the ground for multiple years
Kevin Goldstein
1:27
I'm not sure about your model for it, but some kind of de-coupling would be good for the game.
GSon
1:27
Was your first reaction to being presented with a trade, what's wrong with the guy being offered?.. or What don't we see with our guy that they are seeing?
Kevin Goldstein
1:27
Both!
Overrated
1:27
Can you explain why there is such a premium on lefthanded starters? I never understood why they would be valued more highly than righties since the majority of batters are righty.
Kevin Goldstein
1:28
I totally agree.
Lost in LA
1:28
Best guess - do the Dodgers still resign Seager and Kershaw after the Bauer deal?
Kevin Goldstein
1:28
I would bet Kershaw is a Dodgers for life with a late-career than resembles that of Wainwright in St. Louis. Seager no guarantee to stay.
Bob Loblaw
1:30
When evaluating a player, how much value do you put in the "he's in the best shape of his life" angle?
Kevin Goldstein
1:30
As much as any of you should. None.
Nick
1:31
At this point in their careers, do any of Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron, or Jake Rogers have at least a 50/50 chance of being a major league regular?
Kevin Goldstein
1:32
If Perez can stay healthy (an enormous IF), he has a chance to be really good. I think Daz and Jake are big leaguers, but more of the reserve variety.
Scott Reed
1:32
Any plans for a podcast in the near future? Miss your dulcet tones dearly
Kevin Goldstein
1:32
In the works.
Zirinsky
1:32
How often did you share info with friends/colleagues on other teams?  Did you keep everything pretty close to the vest, or would you occasionally pulse other front office members about things?
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