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Klawchat 1/30/20
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Keith Law
1:00
Wait in silence while planning your attack. Klawchat.
Bruce
1:00
Sam Hilliard played well last year though it was a small sample size. I was impressed the way he hung in there against Hader in a late season game and took him deep the other way. Does he have the chance to be a solid regular or maybe more?
Keith Law
1:00
Definitely has the tools to be no worse than a solid regular, but I do think the swing and miss, esp on breaking stuff, will be an issue in him getting there.
Bryan
1:00
Over/Unders on Oscar Mercado this season. 345 OBP, 18 HR, 26 SB.
Keith Law
1:01
I'm a big Mercado fan but I would go under, over, under, although HR totals for 2020 are impossible to predict until we see what the ball is like.
Justin
1:01
Know you've been a fan in the past, are we beyond the point of Gregory Polanco being productive? Would a good half-season net some trade value at the deadline for PIT?
Keith Law
1:01
Let's see if him getting fully healthy this year gets him back on track.
Laurel
1:01
Does Jon Gray need a new home?
Keith Law
1:01
I think he would benefit from one, but "need" is too strong.
addoeh
1:01
Did you compare Skyline Chili to Olive Garden or something?  Reds fans have their torches and pitchforks out because you offered a measured opinion on their offseason.
Keith Law
1:03
It was kind of embarrassing to see how those fans conducted themselves over a piece that I don't think was harsh at all. I got a similar reaction 13 months ago when I said the Wood/Puig deal was awful.
Mike
1:03
Can Justus Sheffield still turn into a mid-rotation piece? What are your expectations for him this season?
Keith Law
1:03
If his velocity is back to at least the low 90s, touching 94-95, in spring training, I'd say yes.
Paul
1:03
With spring training a little over a week away, how does not having a manager impact the Red Sox? How big a role does the manager play in developing the ST plans and practice schedule?
Keith Law
1:03
Not a big issue yet. I don't think it matters at all till the games start.
Andy
1:03
Would Verdugo, Ruiz, and a couple non top 100 prospects get Betts? I'd rather the Dodgers hold on to Gonsolin for a 1 year rental.
Keith Law
1:04
No. You're trying to trade the prospects you don't like as much, instead of looking at it from Boston's perspective, where they are fielding offers from other clubs too.
Jon
1:05
When is the correct time to trade Josh Bell? Boras guy, they're obviously not going to re-sign him. With the DH coming to the NL, does it make sense to hold him until next offseason when more teams could have a use for him? Does he fetch two top-100 guys?
Keith Law
1:06
Still three years to FA, right? So I'd say there isn't any urgency yet. See when the market emerges - 1b/dh types haven't been valued that highly recently so they really need a contender with prospects to have a sudden need at that position.
Seth
1:06
Excited for Jesus Sanchez this season? Does the change in development team positively or negatively impact his future?
Keith Law
1:06
Neither.
Nick
1:06
Lost season for Urias already with the hamate surgery? He'll certainly be able to play after his recovery but won't that sap any true power reads until '21?
Keith Law
1:06
Power was the least important aspect of his game, so as long as he plays, I don't think so.
Andy
1:06
In the Betts to LA scenarios, I see people putting Bellinger in CF. Who do you think is a better CF, Betts or Bellinger?
Keith Law
1:06
Bellinger.
Arnold
1:06
Hey Keith, what are your thoughts on the Bryant grievance ruling? Seemed like a foregone conclusion since the rules were set up in a way teams could exploit it. Can the union do something in the next negotiation to address the issue and does the Cubs handling of the situation increase the odds of Bryant leaving in free agency and/or the Cubs trading him before them figuring Bryant won't come back voluntarily?
Keith Law
1:08
I agree it was a foregone conclusion. It's a hard issue to regulate, because proving service time manipulation is hard (even though we all see it), and if you try to move the thresholds teams will just alter how they manipulate the time. My suggestion at the time they did this to KB was to allow for a one-year right of first refusal option when a player was at 6.000 on the dot, so that at least teams would lose some disincentive to call up players to debut on Opening Day. That doesn't solve the problem, but I think it's a bit more fair to players, and gets the Kris Bryants of the world into the majors two weeks sooner.
Bruce
1:08
Will Dustin May be in the Dodgers rotation by the All Star break?
Keith Law
1:08
He'll be on the staff by then.
Leo
1:08
Adam Frazier's name popped up a lot as a possible trade candidate during the Winter Meetings. Was there any substance to that and should he return some value? Maybe a handful of 10-20 guys in an org?
Keith Law
1:09
No idea about substance but sure, a non-top ten prospect or two would make sense.
Kevin
1:09
Planning on watching the Super Bowl this weekend? It's more of a social activity than a football game anyway. Anything interesting on the menu??
Keith Law
1:09
Probably not; we might go see a movie instead.
Jon
1:09
Keith, why do so many people in chats, both in yours and others around the web, suggest ridiculous one-sided trade proposals? And why respond to them?
Keith Law
1:10
My guess: most of these people don't think their proposals are ridiculous. It's not easy to value players when you don't work inside the sport, and they are basing their opinions off the opinions of others (who may, in turn, be basing their opinions on those of others).
I respond to a tiny fraction of the proposals that come my way.
Luke
1:10
Matt Carpenter going to return to relevancy this season? Not sure what went wrong with him.
Keith Law
1:11
He got old. Time is a motherfucker.
Adam
1:11
I'm asking this specifically about Jasson Dominguez, but it applies to any prospect his age. How do teams balance focusing on his development as a player -- i.e., better technique in the outfield -- with cultural and general maturity that also has to go on at that age? It seems like an enormous task that would require a lot of cash and effort.
Keith Law
1:12
It is an enormous task and not every team does it well. Some teams prefer to target players who might be more mature, or speak English already, or have more education. Some have more extensive development programs for such players, and are doing things like building dorms at their spring training sites (e.g., Cleveland) to give players housing and feed them and just generally keep an eye on them.
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