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Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 2/3/2021
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Meg Rowley
4:01
Hi everyone and welcome to the chat!
Guest
4:01
Thoughts on why teams wait so long to sign players in the off season?  It seems that there would be an advantage to get players in your system to become comfortable with coaches, analytics, and teammates earlier.  Also allows you to plan better for any early spring training injuries.
Meg Rowley
4:05
I think there are a couple of things going on, some of which are specific to our pandemic times and some of which are reflect broader economic trends in the sport. Generally, teams are better able to wait out free agents than free agents are to wait out teams - clubs hope that the delay will exert downward pressure on contract demands because the closer to opening day a player is without a contract, the more likely he is to sign any deal, just to secure a spot.
4:06
I think that phenom also tends to affect those teams that do want to get guys rostered earlier because the player might want to develop a better sense of his market before signing.
More specifically this year, I think the uncertainty about how long of a season we're going to have in 2021 and whether the NL will have the DH introduced a dynamic that also contributed to the delay.
4:07
Plus, there's a CBA negotiation coming up, which probably has at least some effect on new deals as teams are conscious that they might have a different labor and salary landscape in 2022.
Cardinals
4:07
How in the world did we not find a trade partner for Kolten Wong given the his announced contract?
Meg Rowley
4:09
On the one hand, this is a very good question! On the other hand, maybe the universe was storing up all its mystical forces to smooth the way for your Nolan Arenado deal? Makes you think.
Inaccessible Rail
4:09
Is there a place on Roster Resources that ranks all teams by payroll? I see that I can see each team individually, but I don't see anywhere where I can see a ranking of the total sums. Am I just missing it?
Meg Rowley
4:09
Yes!
We plan to make some changes to how this is presented, and what we display here, but for now, hope it helps.
Rob
4:11
I really didn't think the Wilpons could look worse after selling the team, but, boy. Also, how gross is Callaway pleading total innocence??
Meg Rowley
4:11
Pretty gross! We've all seen the screenshots!
Jeff
4:12
Are fans calling for a delay until seating is available being as greedy and selfish as many imagine the players to be?
Meg Rowley
4:15
I don't think that's how I'd characterize it - I'm not sure I grant the premise that many people think that of the players for wanting to play a full season, though I'm sure there are folks who do. I think the desire for safe, in-person baseball is understandable, and while my fate and the fate of the site is uncomfortably tied to there being something resembling a full season, wishing that baseball would take a pause until we're sufficiently vaccinated doesn't strike me as selfish.
Todd
4:16
I know the Mariners say they are still in the final year of a rebuild, but are you surprised they haven’t done more via FA or trade market? Seems like Wong would have been a good fit, and they’re close enough to contention to where standing pat seems odd, especially for DiPoto.
Meg Rowley
4:18
It seems to be a fairly clear ownership directive. Not one I agree with, and it doesn't account for the relative dearth of trade activity, but I think they're reticent to spend a year early given the uncertainty surrounding fans in the stands.
Jose
4:18
You seem to get on broadcasters like Smoltz for being too negative about today's game, yet the EW podcast has turned into a pure hose of negativity from everything ranging about gameplay to off-field matters. It's not fun to listen to anymore.
Meg Rowley
4:23
I don't think the characterization of it as purely negative is accurate. And to be clear, my issue with Smoltz is his failure to meet the modern game where it is and see the aspects of it that are fun and engaging and compelling. I think there's a difference between using a playoff broadcast, when you're likely to have a significant audience and a larger look-in audience than a regular season game, saying everything about it is worse than when you played, and being a podcast that covers baseball three times a week and thus has to talk about the realities of say, trading away Francisco Lindor or the way ownership views payroll.
I would love to have more of our episodes focused on whimsy and silliness, and look forward to the baseball news of the day allowing for more of that.
K. Hiura
4:24
Does the Wong signing mean I'm moving to 1B??
Meg Rowley
4:24
I haven't seen a team source say that, but it seems like the most logical move given their other pieces.
Myfanwy N.
4:25
Hi Meg! With Kolten Wong signing in Milwaukee, who would you have playing 2B in St. Louis this year? Carpenter? Edman? God forbid the Cards spend money on a free agent??
Meg Rowley
4:25
Edman I'd expect.
4:26
Also, why spend when you can get Colorado to give you Nolan Arenado for literally no bucks in 2021? I mean by all means still spend, but goodness.
4:27
I will never get over this trade, it will haunt me forever like a weary detective nearing retirement who wishes she could close out that last case.
Joe
4:28
What is Eric's timeline to finish the team lists?
Meg Rowley
4:29
Opening Day, really truly. I know that doesn't vibe well for some fantasy players, but never fear, we'll have cool, great fantasy stuff courtesy of Paul Sporer for Prospect Week, which kicks off on the 15th.
Benny
4:29
Hello Meg.  Which of next year's fab 5 shortstops (Lindor, Seagar, Correa, Baez, Story) signs an extension before free agency?
Meg Rowley
4:34
Lindor seems extremely likely, given what the Mets have indicated and their payroll resources. Báez and Story strike me as fairly unlikely, given what I imagine the Cubs' offer would be after what they've publicly claimed about their finances, and the recent Nolan Arenado of it all in Colorado.
Joel
4:34
Meg - This Mariners season will (realistically) be a success if:
Meg Rowley
4:35
The prospects they call up perform well and they see meaningful developmental strides from the guys still in the minors.
Sad Rockies Fan
4:35
It's pretty clear the prospect return for Arenado was pretty subpar, and Rockies management is horribly inept. If some of these prospects become similarly disgruntled with their new team, and decide to express this displeasure with the Rockies' owner in a physical manner, would you say they are slapdick slap-Dick prospects?
Meg Rowley
4:35
Good god.
Guest
4:35
Does the Twins signing of Cruz indicate the universal DH is DOA for the 2021 season?
Meg Rowley
4:37
I think the recent back and forth between the PA and the league is a more reliable signal there, but it doesn't make an NL DH more likely. That said, Cruz returning to Minnesota always struck me as the most likely outcome, and while he's an ageless wonder and still very productive, he does still have an age, which was always going to put a ceiling on the dollars and years.
appa yip yip
4:38
Also, what are the Rockies doing? Just in general. What in the world is happening there.
Meg Rowley
4:38
When you find out, will you please let them and me know?
Guest
4:39
Can I get advice for my fantasy league? I am in a 30 team dynasty startup. It's 5X5 categories, H2H, and it's an OBP league. My question: we are towards the end of the 6th round. I don't have a
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