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Kevin Goldstein FanGraphs Chat - 11/29/2021
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Kevin Goldstein
12:00
Hi everyone. Plenty of going on. Let's go!
FCT
12:01
Why do the Cubs hate me?
Kevin Goldstein
12:01
Why did you think they hate you? You didn't think they were going to be players on big free agents, did you?
Guest
12:02
How do you think Gausman's pitch mix will play in the AL East?
Kevin Goldstein
12:02
I think it will play just fine. Obviously he'll face a lot of really tough lineups in the AL East, which could impact performance, but that's on the hitters, not Gausman's stuff.
DRMade
12:02
Yankees???
Kevin Goldstein
12:03
Yankees. Don't see any reason to panic. They just don't leak like other teams.
Greg
12:03
How difficult is it to create a total lack of leaks like seems to be out of the Braves front office? I'm desperate for any rumor possible, but I can't remember them letting anything leak while other organizations have leaks everywhere. Is it a case of having bad, lazy beat writers? Or how tough is it for a team to actually accomplish what Anthopoulos and company have created?
Kevin Goldstein
12:04
Speaking of not leaking . . . it's actually super hard but also creates a culture that frustrates some as circles need to be very small and very tight.
WitOnions
12:04
My friends are Big Time Mad that the White Sox appear to be letting the big FAs go off the board.  Should we really be surprised tho?
Kevin Goldstein
12:04
I mean, there are still plenty of big free agents out there no? Also, make a list of 'teams the won the offseason' or whatever and you'll see it's not a great list.
Guest
12:04
Is the flurry of FA signing activity a surprise and could that indicate that MLB/MLBPA may have some small  parameters agreed upon in the CBA?
Kevin Goldstein
12:05
I think it shows confidence that a 2022 season will be good to go, but expect a lockout and some pain along the way.
G
12:05
With Jacob Stallings supposedly drawing trade interest, am I wrong in thinking his best qualities i.e. defense, handling a pitching staff, leadership to a young team, are more valuable to the pirates than anything they might get in return?
Kevin Goldstein
12:06
Not really. With three years of control remaining, he's not going to be part of a Pirates team that wins...
Eddy
12:06
So I thought the new CBA would be more player friendly and thus lead to a slow early FA signing period as players might've wanted to see what awaited them on the other side. Is everyone that afraid that only doom awaits this winter?
Kevin Goldstein
12:06
Doom awaits this winter, and any CBA agreement would NOT cover this offseason.
Jason
12:06
What the heck is happening in Seattle? A bunch of strikeouts in agency so far. Is the Dipoto and Co the reason or is it just players wanting to play elsewhere?
Kevin Goldstein
12:06
Far more the latter. Seattle can be a tough sell, as players see it as geographically isolated.
Doug
12:07
What should we take from the Morosi tweet describing Angels as a “top suitor” for Ray but also noting that they haven’t had a formal meeting yet? I’m confused.
Kevin Goldstein
12:07
Not really sure. My best guess is that they're just letting Ray and his reps know that they want to be players and believe they can max/exceed any offer...
Justin
12:07
Can teams withdraw an offer during the lockout? Or is all correspondence with players cut off?
Kevin Goldstein
12:08
Teams can withdraw an offer anytime before acceptance, players have the same ability.
Boras skeptical
12:08
You've mentioned you liked to negotiate with Boras Corp , ehoy exactly, beacause they were staightforward or no BS guys or why ? Thanks a lot Kevin
Kevin Goldstein
12:09
Yeah. I feel like you always knew where you stood with them, and that means a lot to me. You might see the asks as unreasonable, but they really don't beat around the bush.
A big dumb idiot
12:09
Does it feel incongruent that we're about to have a work stoppage with so much money being thrown around right before?
Kevin Goldstein
12:09
Not really. Baseball is a very weird and very unique industry.
Why Rockies
12:09
Jon Gray got 56 Mill on free agency... Why was he not offered the QO? Why would Rockies FA do that ?
Kevin Goldstein
12:09
Look, my friend. I've spent nearly 20 years trying to understand the Rockies, and I've made little progress in doing so.
JKD
12:10
Scherzer has said in the past that what he's looking for is a chance to win. He's made a LOT of money already, has small kids, already has a ring and three Cy Youngs and (imo) an open-and-shut HOF case. He's also a senior union rep and there has been over time a sense from the union (it seems to me) that the top guys on the market have an obligation to push the ceiling as high as possible in terms of both AAV and overall dollars, whenever they can. So what do you think the balance of his calculus is?
Kevin Goldstein
12:10
Well, it looks like he's going to the Mets. Makes sense. He wants to spring in FLA, and seems to favor the east coast....
Jay
12:10
If you're a Mets front office guy - what is your opinion of Steve Cohen? Would you rather an owner with an endless pocketbook and an endless love of the spotlight? Or a financially tight owner who just lets the FO do their thing?
Kevin Goldstein
12:11
Yeah, just gimme the big budget. I can deal with the media distractions if you give me a big budget to play with.
Rays fan
12:11
Thoughts on Wander Franco deal ?
Kevin Goldstein
12:11
Nothing super insightful here. Makes sense for both sides.
Pale Hose Time
12:11
What do you think is behind the trend of weaker teams with strong farm systems (i.e. the Rangers and Tigers) spending a ton in free agency without a clear, immediate path to contention?
Kevin Goldstein
12:11
At some point, you have to put your flag down and let the industry understand you are going to be a player.
Interesed guy
12:12
Who decides Internacional signings IS it the International Scout like Oz Ocampo? Or does the GM go to DR and watches them personally?
Kevin Goldstein
12:12
GM/AGM trips to the DR happen, but are quite rare. For some, less than once a year. They are leaning HARD on their international staff.
Derrick
12:12
When negotiating with free agents, are you responsible for only years and money? Who is responsible for "terms"?
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