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Klawchat 10/5/17
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ML
2:02
Should MN trade Gordon or Sano for a proven starter this off-season?  Both being mentioned as options in MSP.
Keith Law
2:02
I would not. Both look like potential core players.
Jerry
2:02
Which White Sox prospects will reach the majors in 2018? Is Kopech, Collins, Hansen and Eloy a decent guess?
Keith Law
2:03
Kopech very likely. The others are all less so. Collins in particular is going to have to show more ability to hit (despite the big hitch in his swing).
JP
2:03
would a perfect postseason for you be all series going to Game 7's (Game 5's in DS)?
Keith Law
2:03
Yes - and it's the perfect outcome for MLB, too. Ratings go up when series go to the limit.
Cool Hand Luke
2:03
If you were Sandy Alderson, who would you target as the next Mets manager?
Keith Law
2:03
I've recommended my former ESPN colleague Alex Cora a few times now. I believe I dropped some other names in chat last week.
Drew
2:03
There's no validity to the concern that a team like the Nats clenched too early and haven't played meaningful games in a month, is there? They looked a bit flat towards the end of the season, but it seems bogus to think that'll carry over to the postseason.
Keith Law
2:04
There's no evidence that this supposed effect - it's momentum, really - is true. There are plenty of counterexamples of teams who all but backed into the postseason and still advanced or even won it all.
Ben
2:05
Hey Keith, not sure how much you pay attention to portions coaching staffs outside of manager, but did it surprise you STL is parting ways with Lilliquist? Have seen nothing but positive words about him over the years. It eems to me that pitching, itself, has not been as big a problem for the Cardinals since Matheny has taken over, as much as, oh I don't know... Matheny has been?
Keith Law
2:06
It did surprise me, but I also don't know the inner workings there. Was more surprised to see the Rays let Jim Hickey go.
Tom
2:06
If it were entirely up to you....how would you fit the MLB draft and international signings highly visible problems?
Keith Law
2:10
The more MLB tries to prevent teams, which are absolutely flush with cash, from spending money to acquire talent, the more avenues MLB opens for rule bending and rule breaking.  It's analogous to corruption in developing countries, especially non-democratic ones: You can't get rid of corruption by outlawing it. You have to address the incentives that enable or even encourage it. In baseball's case, that's going to mean going in the opposite direction from recent CBAs, allowing teams to spend more on international talent rather than less.
Pace of Play
2:10
Dumb question, maybe, but why do pitchers coming out of the pen need more than, say, three warmup pitches from the mound? Isn't warming up what the bullpen's for? Or do they get all those warmups to fill commercial breaks?
Keith Law
2:10
I think warmups extend to fill the time allotted by commercials.
Ben
2:10
Randomly saw you recommending Ballplayer: Pelotero on twitter.  I went ahead and watched it last night; I always figured that world would be sort of slimy...
Keith Law
2:10
It's worse than you think it is.
Mac
2:11
When evaluating a hitter what is the most important thing you look for?
Keith Law
2:11
It depends entirely on his age and level. For a younger hitter, it's more about tools, physical ability, swing mechanics. Older hitter, I care more about approach, ability to adjust, frequency and quality of contact.
CB
2:12
Scioscia is going into the last year of his contract. Is there any argument at all in favor of extending him?
Keith Law
2:13
I think it's best for the Angels to move on from him - to let Eppler hire his own manager, and ensure that the team doesn't fall any farther behind the curve in terms of managerial use of analytics. It's a handicap right now, and that's only going to get worse going forward.
Jon
2:13
Stupid hypothetical: do you think Votto wins NL MVP if Cincy wins 85 games? Despite being the worst baserunner in the history of MLB, he was unbelievable this year.
Keith Law
2:14
If they'd made the playoffs, maybe. Otherwise, I don't think so. He did have a tremendous year.
Josef
2:14
Only 22% of Americans own guns and many NRA members are not opposed to banning high capacity weapons or requiring licensing or training.  Will we ever have common sense laws on guns?
Keith Law
2:17
Not until money stops talking.
2:18
That's all for this week. Thank you all for reading and for all of your questions. If you're in Arizona, I'll be at Changing Hands in Phoenix on October 14th at 2 pm to talk and sign copies of Smart Baseball. Hope to see you many of you there!
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