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MLBTR Chat: 3/15/23
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Anthony Franco
5:55
Good evening again! Hope you're all doing well
Looking forward to another one of these, let's get rolling
Adam
5:55
Now that spring is wrapping up and Opening Day is getting closer and closer, who do you think are going to be the top names available between now and the Trade Deadline? I’d imagine Ohtani is top of that list, unless the Angels go all ‘86 Mets on us
Anthony Franco
5:56
I don't know about '86 Mets but I do think the Angels will be competitive enough to stick around the playoff picture until the deadline. I've really liked their offseason, think this is the best team they've had in a while
5:57
But yeah, if they disappoint again, Ohtani would obviously be the big deadline name. He wouldn't bring back as much as Soto did last year as a rental, but it'd arguably be an even higher-profile blockbuster
5:58
Bryan Reynolds will be back in talks for 94th consecutive year if there's no extension in place. The White Sox and Brewers feel like teams who could be nearing an inflection point. If they're both struggling midseason, then guys like Giolito, Tim Anderson, Willy Adames, Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff could all be available
John
5:59
Who says no? Diego Cartaya for Shane Bieber?
Anthony Franco
6:00
Guardians obviously aren't trading Bieber before Opening Day and they'd need more than Cartaya if they were. Perfectly reasonable headline piece but guys of that caliber go for multiple-prospect packages
Guest
6:00
Any idea what you think the Phillies rotation will look like if Painter is in the minors till the All Star break? Possibly add a 5th starter?
Anthony Franco
6:01
Yeah it's tough, especially with Cristopher Sánchez banged up now too. It'll probably be Nola, Wheeler, Suarez, Walker, Falter to start with but they're down to someone like Michael Plassmeyer as the next man up
6:02
Don't think they're making a trade before Opening Day but it's something they could look into midseason depending on Painter's progress and potential injuries ahead of them on the depth chart
Trades
6:02
Who do you think makes the largest pre opening day trade?
Anthony Franco
6:03
Boring answer but I don't think we're getting anything interesting at this point. The trade market has completely dried up -- Will Benson and the Put/Bleday swaps were the only non-DFA trades since February 1, I believe -- and there just aren't teams doing the spring sell-off like Oakland was last year
6:04
Maybe you get a Chris Flexen or IKF trade but I doubt we're seeing anything more than role players like that moving before June
B Snit’s Bongos
6:04
Which team has the best chance of earning a compensatory pick for having a top 100 prospect on their Opening Day roster?
Anthony Franco
6:06
Corbin Carroll, Gunnar Henderson and Miguel Vargas jump out as guys who are going to break camp and could win the Rookie of the Year this season
Jill
6:07
If Cleveland is in contention at the trade deadline should they trade some of their high ranking prospects for a big name?
If Cleveland is out of contention by the trade deadline who is likely to be traded and what could the return look like?
Anthony Franco
6:09
Two-parter here:

1) The consolidation trade just doesn't feel like Cleveland's operating procedure really. They're part of the smaller-market group like Tampa Bay and Milwaukee that aims at (and is generally very good at) perpetual contention by not really treating any specific stretch of time as a window. They don't tend to package prospects together for impact talent. I thought Sean Murphy might be an exception this winter given his affordability and they signed Zunino and 100 minor league free agent catchers instead
6:11
2) If they fall out, no real reason not to trade Amed Rosario this summer. Maybe one of Plesac or Civale becomes available given the club's younger pitching pipeline. Bieber would have to be on the table at that point given the year and a half of remaining control but it's not an absolute must that they move him
Mark
6:12
What is going on with Profar?
Anthony Franco
6:13
The Athletic's Brendan Kuty recently suggested he'd been looking for multiple years at a $10MM+ AAV this offseason. If that's like 2/20, then sure, but if he were seeking four years or something like that, he probably just overplayed the market
6:14
Now there aren't many teams that need left field upgrades and the ones that could like the Yankees or Braves seem to be up against the budget and/or have a rotating cast of left fielders who could combine for similar production as Profar
B Snit’s Bongos
6:15
Which Spring injury is the most concerning for a contender’s 2023 outlook?
Anthony Franco
6:15
I think it's Lux
6:16
I don't expect the Dodgers to miss the playoffs but it's a tough blow for a team that looks pretty tightly contested with San Diego at the top of the division
Skipjack
6:16
Why do all the rule changes benefit the offense? That also happened after Denny McClain won 30 games. The next year they lowered the mound, again favoring the offense. Your thoughts?
Anthony Franco
6:18
I think when the rules are left unchecked, the game tends to skew in favor of run prevention. Pitchers control the ball, which makes it easier for them to improve via strength training or pitch design. Hitters can and do improve, obviously, but it's generally tougher to prepare for a skill that's inherently reactive
6:19
So strikeouts have gone up steadily throughout league history, and they've particularly accelerated in the past decade and a half. Finding ways to get more balls in play makes sense to try to reestablish some balance
6:20
It also just seems generally true that sports leagues prefer to make changes that increase offense rather than diminish it. It's just an easier thing to sell as an entertainment product
Mariners
6:20
Will jarrod kelenic win starting of spot?
Anthony Franco
6:21
More or less. Pollock will get the lion's share of at-bats against LHP in left field, but Kelenic gets the strong side of the platoon to start with and has a chance to play his way into more reps against lefties over time
Connor⚾️
6:21
Surprised Ian Anderson was optioned what happened to him?⚾️
Anthony Franco
6:22
Surprised they optioned both Anderson and Bryce Elder, at least. Certainly seemed like one of those guys would get the fifth starter job that now looks like it'll go Jared Shuster or Dylan Dodd
6:25
It's not a huge deal. They can recall either player a couple weeks into the season if they want. Anderson has had a hard time finding a breaking ball he's comfortable with. Got hit hard by right-handed hitters last year in part because he didn't have a great pitch to move away from them. He's tinkered with a new slider this spring but the team clearly doesn't think he's ready to use it at the MLB level
End of the world
6:25
It’s game 7 bases loaded and 2 outs. The world ends tomorrow. Who do you want pitching? Hitting?
Anthony Franco
6:26
Edwin Díaz and I think, for this situation, José Ramírez
6:27
I wouldn't consider Ramírez the best overall hitter in baseball. But if we're assuming there are two outs and the tying/winning runs are in scoring position already, I'm willing to sacrifice some of the power you'd get from Judge or Ohtani to increase the odds of a ball in play
6:28
Juan Soto would be really close too
Josh
6:28
The Blue Jays are deeper than maybe ever before and Yankees are already facing multiple injuries and depth concerns. Should the Jays make one more trade to really go for the division (maybe a proper 4th OF lefty masher with some pop?)
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