JotCast | MLBTR Chat: 12/8/21

MLBTR Chat: 12/8/21

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Guest

6:19

Favorite MILB team name?

Anthony Franco

6:20

Big fan of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Mike

6:20

Should I expect any moves by the Nationals this year or are they officially in full rebuild mode?

Anthony Franco

6:20

I think they'll be pretty active. Definitely not a full rebuild with Soto having three more years of arbitration control (at least under the last system)

6:21

If they were going full rebuild, I think we'd have heard at least some whispers of Soto being available this summer. There weren't any, which suggests to me that they're going to try to turn it around by 2023 at the latest and make another run while he's still around

6:22

And being more competitive at least can't hurt their chances of signing him to a record extension

Matt

6:23

With the lockout in place who oversees or verifies the legitimacy of minor league deals? How does that process work? Someone could sign Trevor Story to a minor league deal in theory.

Anthony Franco

6:24

I've gotten a couple questions like this. Jeff Passan wrote about this in a column last week at ESPN. Minor league deals come with a max $4MM salary, so there's no chance of any of those loopholes for star players

6:25

My understanding is also that only players who weren't on a 40-man roster at the end of last season are eligible to sign minor league deals during the lockout. Nottingham, Gonsalves, Llovera, etc. had all been outrighted and elected minor league free agency at year's end

Brewers

6:25

Are we still the best in the Central as of today?

Anthony Franco

6:26

Yes, I think so. Wouldn't say the gap between Milwaukee and St. Louis is huge, particularly if one of Burnes/Woodruff/Peralta gets hurt at any point next year

But I'd still consider the Brewers a slight favorite in the NLC at the moment

Sticky McSchnickens

6:26

No one seriously believes 14 playoff teams is a good idea, right?

Anthony Franco

6:27

I'm not a fan, but I also don't stand to receive huge TV revenues that would come from it

Chris Woodward

6:27

Do I have any other talented players heading to the Rangers?

Anthony Franco

6:27

Josh Jung and Sam Huff should be up relatively early into 2022. But if you're talking externally, maybe just Kershaw if he wants to go back to the area?

6:28

They've already done a hell of a lot this offseason. A run at Suzuki would make some sense still, I guess, although that's true of about half the league

rallymonkey

6:28

Could Kim be a fit for the angels at SS? Would the Padres have to attach a prospect(s) or pay some of his salary?

Anthony Franco

6:28

Yeah I don't think anyone's taking the full freight there after Kim's awful rookie season

6:29

I'd rather pursue a little more certainty if I were the Angels, but I do like the possibility of exploring a Kim buy-low for teams that aren't as close to contention in 2022: Pirates, Orioles, etc.

Billie Bean

6:29

If the A’s tear it down, who is most likely to be traded? Olson, Chapman, pitchers?

Anthony Franco

6:30

Olson and the contract-year pitchers (Manaea/Bassitt) feel pretty likely to go

Hofer

6:30

What is the current attendance of this chat?

Anthony Franco

6:30

526

Luc

6:30

Who makes the most sense for giants to finish out the rotation?

Anthony Franco

6:31

They should still have the money for a high-AAV, short-term Rodón deal

6:32

Assuming their medical team signs off on his shoulder, I think it's a great fit. Take a flier on the potential Game 1 caliber starter. If it hits, you've got a pretty formidable playoff rotation

6:32

I've been hearing Kyle Schwarber, but what about Joc Pederson, always wanted to see him in Miami.

Anthony Franco

6:33

That's a pretty big step-down. Joc hasn't been very good over the last two years

TalkingBaseball

6:33

For a moment assume the lockout last into the season. Do we still get minor league baseball?

Anthony Franco

6:33

Yes, minors proceed unaffected

Yankees

6:33

How does the remainder of our offseason go?

Anthony Franco

6:34

I've been surprised by how little they've done to this point, although maybe they're just waiting until they know where the luxury tax thresholds are going to be set

6:35

I could see an all-out run at Freeman if it becomes clear he's not a lock to return to ATL. Wouldn't rule out a trade for a catcher, I'm sure they'll poke around the market for guys like Mullins and Ketel Marte to see if there's a chance at acquiring an impact CF

o's

6:36

Does John Means get traded this offseason? If so , what does the return look like?

Anthony Franco

6:36

Not a great time to move him, I'd say it's unlikely. Tricky player to value coming off shoulder surgery

6:38

If he does get moved, I'd guess it's more likely that the acquiring team feels he's pretty much past the surgery and is willing to center the deal around a prospect at like the back half of most top 100 lists. That feels more likely than the O's selling low, since it's not like they're under any financial or contractual pressure to move him now

John P

6:38

Are jays in on Kris Bryant?

Anthony Franco

6:39

Don't recall seeing that connection specifically this winter. It's a plausible enough fit, though

Reds

6:39

Are we really doing a fire sale and selling off our pitchers? Or are we just putting feelers out to see what we could get?

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