JotCast | MLBTR Live Chat With Jason Martinez: February 7. 2018

MLBTR Live Chat With Jason Martinez: February 7. 2018

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Jason Martinez

5:26

No, they're in good shape now with Granderson in LF and Grichuk in RF. Pearce will get his ABs, mostly against LHP. Teoscar and Alford are waiting in the wings. They'll have to force themselves into the picture in '18. Teoscar is close, but 6 BB/36 K in his late-season stint is a sign that he's not quite there yet.

Baseball Fan

5:27

I've seen every theory in the world about why nobody is signing free agents, mostly having to do with greed(greedy owners, greedy players, greedy agents), but isn't the lack of signings simply the anticipation of the most loaded free agent class in history in 2019?

Jason Martinez

5:29

Combination of a lot of things. This year's top free agents all come with concerns and those guys are asking for long-term, big-money contracts. Teams aren't going to be shy about spending big $ on Machado and Harper, though.

5:31

Is Greg Holland gonna get a 3 year deal at this point?

Jason Martinez

5:31

I really can't see it. Who is bidding on him at this point? Cardinals are the obvious team in need of a closer and they're acting like they're not interested.

jamesess

5:31

So Machado to Cleveland and who loses their position... Ramirez or Lindor? If Machado is now a SS does Lindor move to 2nd? Manny is great and I don't worry about his down year but I think you leave the Indians alone at SS and 3B. Don't mess with what works.

Jason Martinez

5:33

In that case, I think the Indians would move Ramirez to 2B, play Machado at 3B and trade Kipnis or just turn him into a super-utilityman. I don't know how serious the Indians are about that, but I imagine that would be their plan if they did acquire him.

Johnny

5:33

What are your thoughts on the Pirates roster? Was Nava a depth piece in disguise & do we start the season w/ Harrison?

Jason Martinez

5:35

I have Harrison penciled in as the starting 2B and Nava as the starting LF vs RHP ... https://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-pittsburgh-pirates

5:36

There are better free agent options than Nava, but the Pirates might just want someone to keep the spot warm until Austin Meadows is ready.

5:37

I don't hate their roster, but they need a lot of things to go right (Marte and Polanco bounce back; Moran breakout; 2-3 young pitchers take a step forward) for them to be a .500 or better team.

Angels 2018

5:38

You mentioned that the Angels should prioritize finding a starter over adding Watson. Which available starter do you think would fit best?

Jason Martinez

5:39

Any of the top 4 would be great. Just don't know how much they're willing to spend. If there are budget limitations, I like Cashner or Vargas. Maybe they'll bring John Lackey back.

Little Jerry

5:42

White Sox, Phillies, Marlins, Tigers, Padres, A’s, and the Braves. In terms of rebuilding, which year(s) would you expect these clubs to return to playoff contention?

Jason Martinez

5:42

I'd guess Phillies and A's in '19, White Sox and Padres in '20. Tigers and Marlins in '21. If a lot of things go right for a particular team, you can push that up by a year.

Girardi

5:43

Why would KC want Hosmer, they have a hot-hitting Schwindel in the minors and Pratto down the road. They don't have that great a farm system, I just don't get it.

Jason Martinez

5:44

Schwindel was passed over in the Rule 5 draft. I'm guessing there are some holes in his game. Pratto is only 19 and, as a 1B prospect, he needs to rake at every level to remain a legitimate prospect.

Papi

5:46

Are Hunter Dozier and Bubba Starling busts yet?

Jason Martinez

5:47

Dozier had really good numbers in '16 between AAA/AA and was hurt most of '17. He should have a really good chance to earn some regular playing time in KC in '18. Bubba probably has one last chance to prove himself.

Jose Martinez

5:48

Why don't the cardinals just turn first base over to me? I've hit everytime I've been given the chance

Jason Martinez

5:49

I'm a believer in the bat. But I have no idea how the 1B defense is coming along and it also doesn't sound like the Cardinals are all that interested in moving Carpenter back to 3B full-time.

Jays

5:49

Are the Jays going to sign a 5th stater or another bullpen arm? I don’t see how they can afford both.

Jason Martinez

5:50

I think they'll get both and I think at least one will be at a very affordable rate.

DrKhay

5:52

With MLB teams seeming to be stingy this offseason, are foreign teams (Japan, Korea) trying to recruit any of the free agents?

Jason Martinez

5:55

They're not competing for MLB free agents. They usually can entice veterans who aren't guaranteed MLB jobs. A guy who might make $550K (or part of that) if he can make it to the Majors would rather take a guaranteed $1MM-2MM by going overseas for a year or two.

Matheny

5:56

If my team does not sign a closer, would it be a good idea to use Alex Reyes as my closer to keep innings low. I mean his stuff would be electric as a closer

Jason Martinez

5:58

Once he's healthy, he could be a dominant closer. But they can't rely on that happening. No telling how many setbacks he'll have during his recovery or how effective he'll be once he returns. He's about 12 months removed from TJ surgery. Very unpredictable what happens between 12-18 month mark.

Cincy Guy

5:59

Scooter was pretty consistently good last year when given the chance to play regularly. Do you see much of a dropoff in his stat line for 2018?

Jason Martinez

6:02

That breakout season came out of nowhere. But he was only in his age-27 season and pretty consistent throughout the year. If I had to guess, I'd say he's closer to what he was in the 2nd half (.797 OPS; 12 HR) than 1st half (.966 OPS; 15 HR), but that's still pretty good.

Taylor Made

6:03

I think Taylor is a up-and-coming player. He could easily be 25/20 next year. Why is everyone in Washington trying to find a replacement for him?

Jason Martinez

6:05

Agreed that he'd put up some big numbers across the board if they gave him 600+ PAs. Maybe 35 2B, 25 HR, 25 SB I think the frustration stems from the 2-3 prolonged slumps he has during that full season.

6:06

If he's hitting at the bottom of the order and the offense is scoring plenty of runs and the team is winning, I think the Nats can live with the slumps.

Rox

6:06

Does Parra get a full time outfield gig? Or do Tapia/Dahl get more starts?

Jason Martinez

6:08

At this point, he's the starting RF. Dahl and Tapia will have to force their way into the picture. Dahl missed most of last season so he'll have to prove he's back to his '16 form. And he probably won't have enough time to do that in Spring Training.

Ryan

6:08

Will we ever see a world where people don't judge pitchers based on wins and losses?

Jason Martinez

6:11

I think we're pretty close now. It's crazy to look back 10 or more years and see how focused the coverage was on a pitcher's W-L record and a hitter's batting average. That's not the case anymore. At least not from what I can tell.

Jimmy and Millie's Candlestick

6:13

Could Eduaurdo Nunez be in play to man 3b for the Braves or will they roll with Johan Camargo?

Jason Martinez

6:13

Sounds like the Braves love Camargo. But it might not stop them from adding a 3B. Camargo could play SS over Dansby.

Doug

6:13

The Padres have to start thinking about pulling their Hosmer offer right? At least as a courtesy to Myers so he knows where he’s going to play.

Jason Martinez

6:16

I doubt the Padres are going to spend that $ elsewhere so no need to pull the offer. They just see Hosmer as a good value (at least at the amount they offered) and I doubt Myers is too worried about it. He'd be happy to move to the OF if they added Hosmer.

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