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Klawchat 5/28/20
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Keith Law
12:01
I don't come here for the exclusivity; I just come here for the view. Klawchat.
Guest
12:02
Every mock seems to connect the White Sox to Patrick Bailey. Is this well known throughout the industry or is everyone putting a round peg in a round hole?
Keith Law
12:02
I actually think it's more the latter this time - he'd be the best college player on the board, they like him, catching is a weakness in the system anyway.
Dave
12:02
If an MLB owner is so cash strapped that he can't pay his minor leaguers $400/week, it's hard to make the argument that he has enough cash flow to remain an owner...
Keith Law
12:05
Right? Look who just furloughed scouts (ahead of the draft, FFS): the Angels, owned by Arte Moreno, net worth about $3 billion; and the A's, majority owner John Fisher, net worth about $2 billion. Paying scouts an average of $40,000 for the half-year they might miss while furloughed would cost no more than $1 million; if these teams furloughed every employee making under $100K, we'd still be looking at under $10 million, total. That's a rounding error to these owners. I don't think any liberal Democrat could make a better argument for a wealth tax on billionaires than watching these owners squeeze blood from stones to protect the tenth digit in their personal fortunes.
Steve
12:05
As a hitter, how does Zac Veen compare to Riley Greene?
Keith Law
12:06
He doesn't. Greene was far more bat-first, Veen is more all-around athlete with a very different swing.
Paul
12:06
To Sherzer's point about owner's opening up their books - he's right isn't he? No one really knows how much teams are making despite all the numbers we see floating around out there.
Keith Law
12:06
He's absolutely right. And owners will *never* open their books short of a court order.
Mark
12:06
Do you use tomato paste when making tomato sauce? Is there an advantage to this?I have found that when adding this ingredient , it is a bit overpowering, although I recently read that paste needs to be caramelized at the beginning.Curious as to your thoughts.
Keith Law
12:07
Never. That's not necessary for any Italian tomato-based sauce I know. It is useful in many other dishes, though.
Mike
12:07
Keith, thanks for being a voice of sanity in an era where science is under attack and facts can be disregarded by literally tens of millions of "adults." Did you happen to read Doug Glanville's piece on your former employer's site today? If so, I'm interested in your take.
Keith Law
12:07
I have not, sorry.
Darren
12:07
Hi Keith. Who is your guilty pleasure band or artist? The one that doesn't have meaningful articulate lyrics or impressive instrumentals, just something in the music that hits you in the feels.
Keith Law
12:08
It's more a genre - '80s music, whether it's earlier new wave or later hair metal, hits me right in the nostalgia.
Jon
12:08
Keith, a friend of mine who is undergoing chemo for cancer did yoga in the park with forty people, no masks, in North Carolina this weekend. Are we just asking for a second round sooner than later?
Keith Law
12:08
Yes. It's inevitable - but it won't always happen the same way, and some areas will get lucky and avoid a second surge, which will lead more truthers to say the lockdowns didn't help.
Trey
12:08
Moving to Philly area for work soon (the job is based in center city philly), and wondering your take on buying a house in NJ, PA, or DE? Any recommendations? I only know the NJ suburb area (haddonfield). Married w/ 18 month toddler. Thanks!
Keith Law
12:09
Delaware offers by far the lowest cost of living, especially in taxes (no sales tax, much lower property taxes esp. than NJ), but our public schools here don't measure up to those even right over the state line in Garnet Valley, PA. I do think Delaware is a great place to live, but many parents here choose charter or private schools because of the lower funding for public education.
Darren
12:10
Hi Keith. We are trying to debate when is the right time to have parents over for dinner and a hug. Older people clearly having more risk, but if both parties have been home with the exception of food shopping, are we near the time we can have dinner? Ignoring the Wisconsin bar patrons and Southern beach goers, of those trying to stay safe, are you ready to go see a family member for dinner without masks and a big hug? Thanks for all you do. stay safe.
Keith Law
12:10
I wouldn't just yet - my parents and my partner's parents are all old enough to be high-risk, and I think the virus itself is too prevalent in our county here for me to safely assume I'm not going to carry it.
Ben
12:11
When Smart Baseball came out I was working for a state court judge. I lent him a copy and he subsequently lent it to about 50% of the judges on the bench in our district (he lent it to so many judges that he lost track of where it was and I never got it back). I don't work for him any more, but I gifted him a copy of the Inside Game and he plans to send it around the bench again. Just thought you should know of your outsized influence on the judicial branch of Minnesota.
Keith Law
12:11
Thank you. I suppose no sleazy ADA will be able to convict anyone on the basis of RBIs in Minnesota now.
Mark W
12:11
Hey Keith, given that the public is regularly informed about specific players salaries, wouldn't it be fair for the print media to prinkle in owners' salaries?
Keith Law
12:12
It's not their salaries that matter but their actual profitability - and I don't mean on an income statement that can be manipulated with transfer pricing or other accounting tomfoolery. Show me the cash flow and we can talk.
Ed Howard’s shoulder
12:12
Am i a concern or have my medical been shared?
Keith Law
12:13
Howard had a shoulder issue last summer, but obviously didn't play this spring so we don't really know if he's still affected. I won't share medical info on players even if I have it, unless MLB itself has made such information public. e
Deke
12:13
What’s the “social media executive order” gonna look like?
Keith Law
12:13
Don't talk bad words about the Dear Leader?
Greg
12:13
Are there still worries over Hancock's medicals that could cause him to fall beyond the top 4-5 picks? I'd read somewhere that he was supposed to be providing info to teams, but doesn't that seem like a scary idea (giving teams medical info that could hurt your draft stock)?
Keith Law
12:15
I haven't heard those worries at all, and also you're more or less required to provide those medicals now. If you don't submit to the MLB MRI program, for one example, the team that drafts you can simply walk away after your physical without even having to offer you the 40% minimum. The Rays did that two years ago with Drew Rasmussen when his post-draft physical revealed that he needed a second Tommy John (which I'm sure had nothing to do with Pat Casey running him out there for long starts just 12-13 months off the first operation).
Benchy
12:15
Ever think MLB and MLPA will agree to trading draft picks? Think this could inject some life into a mostly dull television event?
Keith Law
12:15
Yes, but we need an impetus of some sort - neither side has a strong incentive to push for it.
John
12:15
Have you broken quarantine?
Keith Law
12:16
We aren't quarantined in Delaware - we've been asked to stay home and self-isolate except for essential tasks like getting food or medications. I haven't left the house for any destination without a mask, and I haven't gone anywhere I wasn't supposed to go. I do think we have had a few too many stores open, and we're reopening too soon, but I've obeyed the Governor's orders.
Canada
12:17
Naive Canadian here. Trump “seems” like an immoral, unethical choice. It seems common sense not to vote for him but that was proved wrong in 2016. Do you think a lot of the supporters are people who turned a blind eye to his personality traits, unethical standards and arrogance for the sake of “economic” promise?
Keith Law
12:17
Or for the sake of conservative judges who might help end reproductive rights in this country. I think that remains a major, maybe the major, issue driving single-issue voters.
Tom
12:17
I see why you've done so, but Doesn't completely disassociating with Trump supporters only widen the gap in our country? My strategy is to find any kind of common ground with them, even if we disagree on most issues
Keith Law
12:18
Hannah Gadsby's rant on anti-vaxxers in Douglas also captures my feelings on nearly anyone who'd still vote for Trump this year: You can't change a closed mind.
Mark
12:18
Toronto has around $8M in slot between their first two picks combined (pick 5 and 42), given the uncertainty of this year's draft, do you see a scenario where it would make sense to try and get two top 20 ranked players at $4M each (pushing someone down the draft to pick 42), versus one player at $6.2M and one at $1.8M? Basically spreading out the risk with two higher end players. Or is the top end of the draft no doubt enough that the smart thing is take the best available at 5 and then see who you get at 42? I guess the downside would be the risk on missing out on the player you try and push down to pick 42. Thoughts?
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