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Live Chat With Tim Dierkes
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Rob
2:47
Do you think many AL teams are regretting not trading for Jose Martinez over the winter when the Cards were shopping him?
Tim Dierkes
2:48
I think most teams understand he's a legit 120 wRC+ type of guy, or even better, but my guess is that the Cardinals were asking for too much for a bat-only guy.
Uh, maybe???
2:48
After all that hubub--Cubs have fewest losses in baseball, best run differential--only the Astros have played fewer home games.  Is it fair to at least have a hunch that they can exceed PECOTA's 79 wins?
Tim Dierkes
2:50
I feel like PECOTA was a bit of an outlier on that one.  FanGraphs had them at about 61% to make the playoffs before the season began, winning 87 games.
Jaxon
2:50
Over under 2.5 years on a Keuchel deal after the draft?
Tim Dierkes
2:50
I'll go under, I think he's taking a one-year deal.
Glaring Issues?
2:50
If the Cubs have "glaring issues" up and down that staff, what are the other 29 teams thinking?  They have three or four pitchers that can and have been in the pen......and please don't say they NEED a closer----Kirby Yates leads the majors in saves.  Even with Darvish's struggles, they have a deeper staff than at least 25 other teams.
Tim Dierkes
2:52
I don't think it's a bullpen that you'd expect to anchor them for a deep playoff run.  These things are fickle, but it does not seem reliable or deep to me.
Comment Official
2:52
Hey Tim why do so many people  say things like "slow news day" on a baseball rumor website? I'm calling a 15 yard personal foul penalty on these guys
Tim Dierkes
2:53
I dunno...when I used to cover the site every day I always enjoyed May, because I could stretch my wings a little bit and write more original stuff.  My sense is that that is not the primary reason people come to MLBTR though, they want news things to happen even though certain months have minimal hot stove action.
Andy
2:53
For good reason, it seems like a lot of these chats focus on teams that require help at X position. Which teams (if any) do you think are in the driver's seat on the road to the playoffs? Astros are really the only ones that come to mind
Tim Dierkes
2:55
The Astros seem to have the AL West locked down.  I think the Dodgers are a lot better than the D'Backs but obviously they are not breathing easy at this moment.
Buck Farmer
2:56
No Spring Training makes total sense. I drive my car to work every day so I should be able to win a NASCAR event.
Twins dan
2:56
I'm mostly a pro-analytics guy, but is there any concern that these measurements are making it too confusing for casual fans to absorb? Should MLB come up with a way to help non-diehards understand it all and have more of a buying interest in the game?
Tim Dierkes
2:57
In my experience, fans who don't want advanced stats can enjoy the game in total ignorance of them.  If something like WAR or wRC+ makes a broadcast, it's pretty rare, and if you can't be bothered with such things, the nerd talk will be over soon.
2:58
It'd be nice if we all got a consensus on which advanced stats have value, and then worked super hard to explain those to people.  For example, OPS has kind of caught on, but the concept is so dumb, that it doesn't hold up.  I can reasonably explain what OBP and SLG are to a layman, but I can't justify adding them together.
Mr. W
2:58
Cubs will finish 10 games out of the race for the central
Tim Dierkes
2:59
Somehow I don't think Mr. W is taking bets on this stance
MLBTR Consultant
2:59
I think you should add links to coupons for free Arby's roast beef sandwiches -- now, where's my check?
King Jeffrey
3:00
So you’re proud to spoil games and shows? Now I remember why I only read these chats when Jeffrey the other two so called analysts use this like twitter and only debate what they want to. That’s tuff!
Tim Dierkes
3:01
I'm glad you like Jeff's chats, but the very nature of these chats is us seeing a bunch of questions coming in and picking the ones we want to answer.
Red Sox, Cardinals, Mets, Braves
3:01
You copied that straight from MLB.com!
Tim Dierkes
3:01
Haha...no.  We would never do that.
N
3:01
The Cubs definitely need somebody to anchor the bullpen, but are Alex Colome, Ken Giles, Shane Greene, etc really viable options to be that guy?  Is Shane Greene really a World Series closer?
Tim Dierkes
3:02
No, they're not that much more reliable than the guys the Cubs have.  I don't have answers for the Cubs, and trading for relievers is trying to catch lightning in a bottle anyway.  I'm just mentioning where I personally pump the brakes on the Cubs, the bullpen.
OPS is KING
3:03
That's all I need for a hitter, really............I mean, sure you can analyze it to death, but what's the point, really? See the ball, hit the ball.....as hard as possible. Those are the guys who RAKE
Tim Dierkes
3:03
OPS is a junk stat.  It just bothers me.  And I'm not like a massive numbers guy but adding two percentages together is just painful.  No reason to use it ever.
3:04
Alright gotta run, thanks for chatting.  And if you're truly annoyed with the GoT spoiler, I apologize.  It was just a dumb joke.  I guess more people watch on Monday than I realized.
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