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Kevin Goldstein FanGraphs Chat - 2/14/2022
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Kevin Goldstein
12:00
Hi everyone, it's me, you're favorite chatter! Ok, maybe not, but you're stuck with me for the next 90 minutes. Let's go.
JB
12:00
Am I insane for not being all that concerned about the lockout still? Feels like it'll be a lot of each side giving an inch every few days...
Kevin Goldstein
12:01
Hard to say without knowing what your baseline level of concern is. I still think we are going to play the majority of a season, but my over/under on games played has probably slipped from 154 to more in the 144 range.
Dave
12:01
What's for lunch?
Kevin Goldstein
12:01
Leftover Cincinati chili that I made last night.
Datt Mamon
12:01
Does Kiriloff get regular playing time and make the most of this season?
Kevin Goldstein
12:02
I hope so, and I think he could be good.
RW
12:02
KG - how far would the owners have to go for either the players opting to create their own league from scratch, or some sort of baseball-redux of the ABA or the WHA?
Kevin Goldstein
12:03
It's just an impossibility. They could play, but the infrastructure and the stadiums and the TV contracts and all of that stuff would take years (multiple) to get in place. It's just not a feasible thing.
Season start
12:03
What are the chances the season starts before May 1, in your opinion?

I honestly would have zero interest in watching a substantially shortened season.
Kevin Goldstein
12:03
52.4839%
Bill
12:04
Could you please outline the process that takes place when Team #1 is negotiating with multiple free agents while at the same time pursuing a trade with Team #2, all with a view of filling a specific positional need? How does a team avoid getting shutout or sb
Kevin Goldstein
12:04
In that world, you make it clear to the free agent(s) that you have lots of balls in the air, and if you get something done elsewhere, you might be forced to rescind your current offer.
Kevin
12:04
Should spring training be shorter?
Kevin Goldstein
12:05
It SHOULD be, but it's not going to happen. Realistically players need about four weeks, but the stadium contracts and tax incentives and all that business stuff mandate a certain number of home spring training games, so even if MLB and the players agreed to shorten it, there are legalities that prevent it.
Mitch
12:06
What is the sense among front office personnel about 'clutch' in baseball? Do teams try to make any quantifiable estimate on a player's clutch factor? Are there times where teams don't even look at clutch stats when acquiring a player?
Kevin Goldstein
12:07
I think the biggest issue here is the misunderstanding of what clutch is or can be. Clutch is not about being BETTER in whatever you define as clutch situations. It's about not being worse due to all of the external pressures.
Kyle B
12:07
Best guess: over/under 10.5 regular season games missed due to the lockout
Kevin Goldstein
12:07
Over.
Logan
12:07
In your opinion, which team(s) are being hurt the most by the lockout? Oakland who wants to move players? Cleveland who has lots of prospects on the 40 man who can't participate in MiLB spring training? Seattle who is probably looking to add players? Someone else?
Kevin Goldstein
12:08
It's was pretty even until we reached this point, where things are not going to start on time. Now, like you say, it's the teams with the most . . . . off-season left let's call it, that are going to be in the worst positions.
TJ
12:08
What level of involvement do most GMs have on minor transactions? For example if a team signs an international free agent for 20k, does the GM have to sign off on it? Or do they just let the international director handle those things?
Kevin Goldstein
12:08
Unlikely they need sign off, they'll just be notified.
Tepid Soup
12:08
Sitting here at work after my Bengals lost has me wondering what the mood in a front office is like after a playoff exit. Mopey like the fans are or just back to business?
Kevin Goldstein
12:09
Little bit of both. Take a day or two to mope but also reflect on a great season and then get back to work.
Guest
12:09
Is there something to the White Sox’s connection to Cuba? Or is it mostly a media creation?
Kevin Goldstein
12:09
They're well connected in that area, much like the Astros are. It's a distinct advantage until the international draft is implemented.
SalisburySteak
12:10
On paper, KC has too many interesting young infielders and 1b/DH types to find playing time for all of them, even after you cut Santana, which should happen asap. If you were in charge, would you just 1. wait and see what happens, or 2. look to move one of the young players (Lopez or Pratto or Melendez or Pasquantino, perhaps) for a position of greater need, like an outfielder. People on the blogs talk about moving Melendez because he's blocked by Perez, which seems like a huge mistake to me, but I'm kind of a dope, so who knows. Similarly, Pasquantino is 1b/DH only and currently blocked by Pratto and Perez/Melendez at those positions.
Kevin Goldstein
12:11
ALWAYS wait ans see what happens. You can never have too many good players. It will sort itself out. Don't make a move based on a future assumption and end up with big regrets.
Tepid Soup
12:11
ps thank you for respecting cincinnati chili and not making lazy critiques because it's questionably named and isn't exactly visually stunning
Kevin Goldstein
12:11
It's quite delicious.
RH
12:11
What's the strangest way a baseball game that you were at has been interrupted?
Kevin Goldstein
12:11
I was at a game in Corpus Christi that got delayed by a swarm of bees that congregated in the home dugout.
Braves Fan
12:12
Freddy Tarnok has the look of a development project that is starting to generate results for the Braves, is he a potential future rotation piece?
Kevin Goldstein
12:12
Potentially? Yes. That's not a guarantee it will happen, but I do like him as a semi-sleeper in that system.
Krontz
12:13
Do some MLB parks have hot/cold radar guns? This used to be an issue years ago, not sure if more recently league has normalized use across the league.
Kevin Goldstein
12:14
Lots of teams are just relaying data from hawkeye, and those are super accurate. Some have guns for TV and those are often not calibrated or not aimed right or have a funny angle and are just wrong. There was a time like a decade ago where the gun on Royals broadcasts was insanely hot.
I remember an early-career game in KC where Chris Sale came on and Twitter was going nuts about him throwing 103 and I was just sitting there saying of course he's not.
Dexter
12:15
Any chance the players try to sue to overturn the antitrust exemption? Would love to see  the owners have to testify
Kevin Goldstein
12:15
No.
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