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Jeffrey Todd
2:21
Hi all, thanks for joining. Hit me with your best questions. I'll begin answering them in a few minutes ...
Jared
2:27
Do you see the Cubs getting a guy like Whit Merrifield to lead off?
Jeffrey Todd
2:28
The Royals are going to put a huge price on Whit. And there'll be loads of competition if he's seriously marketed. I'm not sure that CHC is going to be the most competitive team to acquire him.
Larry
2:28
What one player do you see the Braves acquiring at the deadline?
Jeffrey Todd
2:29
I'll predict they strike a deal with the Giants for multiple relievers.
2:30
Which ones? Shrug. Dyson is controllable and has been a closer ... Reyes is cheap and controllable ... obviously the lefty rentals (Smith and Watson) could make sense.
Jonathon b
2:30
Is shane greene getting traded
Jeffrey Todd
2:31
He's not going to be valued as a lockdown closer, but IMO they kind of have to get whatever they can while his value is peaking.
Lunar verLander
2:31
Do you think Corbin Martin's injury pushes Luhnow to focus on more long-term pitchers this trade deadline, or will he stay the course with whatever his plan may be?
Jeffrey Todd
2:32
Any plan has to adjust to realities. Martin is out this year and next. (Even if there's some slight chance he's back in Sept of 2020, they can't rely on that.) So that takes out a key contender for one of the rotation spots that needs to be filled. And it should increase their valuation on 2020-beyond control rights to an extent - not that they wouldn't have valued that already.
Howie Balzich
2:33
Why do stats guys think RBI is not an important stat?  Is it because most never played the game past T-Ball and don’t know it’s harder to hit under pressure?
Jeffrey Todd
2:33
You nailed it.
2:34
Fact is, everyone in baseball values situational awareness and the skill that enables a player to adjust their approach to suit the situation. Trouble is, it is very hard to capture a skill like "hitting with runners in scoring position" statistically. The RBI is a crude and quite often misleading attempt to do that. It has rightly been rejected as a measuring tool, standing alone, of baseball ability.
Jaxon
2:35
Is Jesus Luzardo morphing into Alex Reyes? Full of potential but can’t stay healthy?
Jeffrey Todd
2:37
The fear has to be that he's sort of compensating for one thing in a way that jeopardizes other core areas of the body needed to throw the ball. But it might also just be an unfortunate string of injuries. Fortunately, nothing of yet that has the look of a career-crippling malady.
George S
2:37
Will the Yanks get Max? What would it take?
Jeffrey Todd
2:38
I guess that people are still talking about this because some media members prematurely began discussing it a few weeks ago. As of now ... the Nats are in wild card position and are hardly out of the division race. Even if they weren't, it'd be questionable whether they'd deal Scherzer for anything other than an outlandish price.
I really don't see a Scherzer trade coming together this summer.
Guest
2:39
Is Shelby Miller done?
Jeffrey Todd
2:41
Velo is still there and he's not even 29. Maybe it'll take some reexamination and reworking of his arsenal, but there'll surely be teams that would love the chance to dedicate some resources to unlocking value.
Creeping Dweep
2:41
Are you a positivist in all aspects of life? Or just as it pertains to baseball? Do you think numbers tell the whole story when reviewing a players' skill set?
Jeffrey Todd
2:42
I am generally inclined toward science and reason, but doubt I could be characterized as a hard-line positivist in baseball evaluation or life in general.
2:44
If this is in reference to my above statement re RBI ... that's not how I'd understand my own words. What I was doing is pointing out the irony that some people that hate newfangled stats like to rely upon the old, poorly conceived (or at least improperly utilized) stat of runs batted in. To the extent we do rely upon stats, we should seek good ones and only rely upon them to the extent they tell us something meaningful.
Tim
2:44
You see Angels as buyers or sellers? Who you see is most likely to be moved?
Jeffrey Todd
2:45
Well first of all, RIP Tyler Skaggs. Just terrible.
2:46
This team really isn't set up to do a whole lot of dealing at the deadline, I wouldn't expect. It's really hard to imagine they'll be in position to shift assets from future to present. I'm sure they'll explore deals on the other side, but they aren't going to be moving their core players and don't have many appealing rentals. I'd say Kole Calhoun is their likeliest single trade candidate.
Seth r
2:47
Happy 4th! Would the Reds be logical landing place for Will Smith?
Jeffrey Todd
2:48
He could honestly make sense for just about any contender. Real question on Cincinnati pursuing him is whether they'll be in position to out-bid every other pursuer for a pure rental.
I am actually trying to write something on how the unique NL Central dynamic might impact the trade deadline. We'll see if I can come up with a supportable thesis.
White Sox
2:50
Are the White Sox sellers or small-time buyers?
Jeffrey Todd
2:51
I'm not sure why they'd be buying. I'm sure they'll be involved with any controllable players they like, but they don't appear likely to be in position to chase rentals.
2:52
I'd be more inclined to characterize the Indians, say, as light buyers, in that they will likely be looking for cost-efficient means of improving now with a reasonable expectation of taking a Wild Card and not unrealistic chance at winning the division. The White Sox are probably in more of an opportunistic position in which they'll listen on some of their veterans and see if something interesting materializes otherwise.
Quick timeout ... brb ...
Migs
2:53
Madbum, Tony Watson, Sam Dyson, Will Smith. Do all 4 get moved? Who brings back the most return?
Jeffrey Todd
2:53
Will Giants deal ALL of Bumgarner, Watson, Dyson, Smith?
Yes (55.1% | 293 votes)
 
No (44.9% | 239 votes)
 
Total Votes: 532
2:56
Sorry!
Had to get that news item on the site ... Tigers have extended Avila.
TwinsFan1989
2:57
Any impending Twins trades you've heard of since they opened a spot on their 40-man roster yesterday without a corresponding move?
Jeffrey Todd
2:58
That doesn't necessarily mean a significant trade is forthcoming. Sometimes teams know they'll need a spot soon and look for an opportune moment to put a guy through waivers. Or they may just have designs on a few short-term roster moves to get an edge in or out of the All-Star break.
Jonathon b
3:00
Are there any under the radar trades coming
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