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MLBTR Chat: 3/22/23
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Anthony Franco
6:28
Votto, yeah. If Mookie randomly retired right now, I'd say no. The offensive counting stats just aren't there yet
6:29
But he's going to play another decade and is still elite so I have no doubt he'll get there
Brewer Fan
6:29
Everybody expects Huira to not make the team out of spring training. He's played so poorly last couple years (n spring training), so u think he makes it through waivers or is there a team that would scoop him up??
Anthony Franco
6:30
I think someone would take a shot. The strikeouts are huge but he's a 26-year-old former top prospect who hit 14 homers in 80 MLB games last season
6:32
That's not necessarily tenable for a win-now team like Milwaukee, particularly one that could roster a similar player in Luke Voit. But for a non-competitive club like Washington or Oakland, it's worth a shot. He's controllable for three more years and only making $2.2MM this season. The A's gave Jesús Aguilar $3MM this winter; the Nats signed Dom Smith for $2MM. I'd rather have Hiura than either of them
Randall
6:33
Thoughts on Strahm taking Ranger Suarez’s spot in Phillies rotation to start season? Are there any marginal SP available who might be worth them taking a flyer on (Archer, Bundy, etc)?
Anthony Franco
6:34
They'd probably cap Strahm to around four innings and lean heavily on the bullpen in his starts, at least early on. I think he'd be fine to get through a lineup twice
6:36
No harm in bringing in one of the guys you mentioned for depth but I doubt they'd just throw a Chris Archer into an MLB game within two weeks of signing him. Would probably still have to go with Strahm or Michael Plassmeyer in the early going
Joe
6:36
I can’t help feeling like Bellinger will have a nice rebound in performance but not to MVP level, and the Cubs will be on the outer fringes of the playoffs at best. If he’s dangled at the break off of just few months of above average production, what do you think a package would look like?
Anthony Franco
6:39
That's a big caveat but if he gets back to something like a 120 wRC+ with Gold Glove defense in center field, he'd draw a lot of attention even as a semi-expensive rental. Maybe something like they got back for Bryant a couple years ago? Alexander Canario wasn't far off top 100 consideration at the time, Caleb Kilian was a nice upside flier
Gruber_mullet
6:39
Does Houston look outside the organization for a replacement for Altuve for the first couple months?
Anthony Franco
6:40
I think David Hensley is as good or better than anyone they'll find at this stage of the offseason
Gruber_mullet
6:40
Who has the best rotation coming into the season into the AL East? My totally non biased opinion is the Blue Jays, what say you?
Anthony Franco
6:42
I think I'd take Tampa Bay's but I can see the argument for Toronto or the Yankees too
Edward Rosario
6:42
If I have a decent year will my option be picked up for 2024?
Anthony Franco
6:44
It's only $9MM so yeah, there's a path to him playing well enough to make it worthwhile. I don't expect him to but a season like he had between 2017-20 makes it a consideration
Stoopid
6:44
Do MLB front offices ever exploit MLB Trade Rumors to spread rumors that will help themselves? For example, would the Cardinals play up a competition between backup catchers in order to drum up some interest in the trade value of the catchers?
Anthony Franco
6:46
We're mostly aggregating reports rather than getting anything from teams directly. But yeah, there can be an incentive for teams to put stuff out through the media they hope will give them a competitive advantage. There have been some times where a player was reportedly drawing trade interest and then goes unclaimed on waivers like a week later, which suggests that interest wasn't as prevalent as it was made out to be
6:47
Speaking generally there to be clear. I have no insight into the Cardinals stuff specifically. The St. Louis beat is really good though, so I doubt that's the case for this example
Ohtani
6:47
Did my price for 2024 just go up? If I want to be on a winner, where do I play in 2024?
Anthony Franco
6:49
I don't know if the WBC changes anything about Ohtani's market. Everyone knows how good the guy is and what he's capable of doing. He's already testing the limit of what a team is going to be willing to pay for a single player at this point if he stays healthy this year
Dodger Dude
6:49
I have learned over the years to never trust spring training stats, good or bad, but it sure looks like James Outman has outplayed his competition for an OF spot with the Dodgers. But because he is the only one with options the talk is the other four (Thompson, Peralta, Hayward, and Taylor) will be on the 26 man. If you were GM what would be your call?
Anthony Franco
6:51
Taylor's on the roster obviously. I'd rather have Outman and Thompson platooning in center than making sure I find a spot for Heyward but it does seem like they're getting him on there
If they're comfortable enough with Taylor as a depth infielder, could carry them all and option Yonny Hernandez to start the year
Mr. Bloom
6:51
Hi Anthony! Thanks for the chats. Red Sox have some decent looking prospects coming in the system but I sure would like to have a young Big arm to go through the season. Any chance we could pry Edward Cabrera from the Marlins sooner than later and if so what might it cost in prospect capital? Thanks!
Anthony Franco
6:52
Not a guy I'd expect to move. Still controllable for six years, at least looks like a potential mid-rotation starter. No urgency for Miami to do it
6:54
There was at least some talk about them potentially dealing Cabrera in a deal that netted Brendan Rodgers, who's a good young position player with three years of control (before his shoulder injury obviously). That was before they traded Pablo López to Minnesota though
6:55
If Boston put Triston Casas on the table, maybe they could work from there. But I doubt that's happening and I don't think anyone else on the Sox's MLB roster is starting that conversation
Guest
6:55
Michael Massey has done nothing but hit. And yet he gets zero love from the gurus. The KC Effect? Thoughts?
Anthony Franco
6:56
I like him. Capable second baseman, has more pull-side power than expected. I think he's a solid everyday player
Random
6:57
Most underrated player in the last 15 years? Mine is Ben Zobrist and I'm an Orioles fan.
Anthony Franco
6:57
I'd have to think about this more but peak AJ Pollock jumps to mind. He was so good in 2014-15
6:59
Obviously had some really good years in L.A. too later in his career but more as a bat-first matchup guy. When he was in his mid-20s, it was elite center field defense with contact skills, power and excellent baserunning. Injuries just took away a bunch of his prime
bob
7:00
If the Orioles would offer Gunnar the Corbin Carrol contract with a slight bump of about 5 or 10 million dollars, how much less likely would he be to accept based on being a Boras client? I can't figure out why this hasn't gotten done. Seems clear what the market value for Gunnar is.
Anthony Franco
7:03
I don't know about the agency factor -- it's not like Boras clients never sign extensions -- but I agree that Carroll represents a pretty good comp for Henderson. Gunnar's a year younger too, so a deal that buys out three free agent seasons could still get him to free agency by 31
7:04
Alright that's all I have time for tonight, have to take site coverage now
Thanks for all the questions. As always, sorry about the stuff I couldn't get to
7:05
I'll do another chat on Friday afternoon exclusive to Front Office subscribers. Run those every week and get to the vast majority of questions with much smaller queues
Our memberships also come with weekly analysis posts from Steve and myself. We're doing one breakout candidate per team (AL for me, NL for Steve) this week
7:06
If that's of any interest, you can find more about our memberships here
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