JotCast | MLBTR Live Chat with Steve Adams -- 4/18/17

MLBTR Live Chat with Steve Adams -- 4/18/17

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Steve Adams

3:10

I'll get this fired up in a minute, feel free to start shooting questions my way anytime though.

I wonder what ever we will discuss this week. If only there were some significant news

Erich

3:12

Think Austin Meadows gets the call up now that Marte is out

Steve Adams

3:12

I doubt it. He's hitting .162/.220/.270 through his first 41 PAs in AAA and the Pirates are almost always deliberate about preventing their guys from reaching Super Two status.

3:13

This could be an extreme circumstance, if Meadows were performing, but he didn't hit in AAA last season either.

Very Upset Pirates Fan

3:13

Can I just put it on record I'm pissed off at Starling Marte

Steve Adams

3:13

You may!

3:14

I can see Adam Frazier just getting a larger role in the short term, by the way. Maybe they'll circle back to Angel Pagan and try to get him up to the bigs after a week or two to get going in the minors and/or extended Spring Training?

Harper

3:14

Am I good again?

Steve Adams

3:15

There was never a time you weren't.

Frenchie

3:15

Can we talk about the Giants ? With Jarett Parker injury, can we expect a trade ? Maybe JD Martinez...

Steve Adams

3:16

No way the Tigers are moving JDM now until at least the trade deadline. They didn't tear it down like many expected this winter, and they're going to try to contend in the AL Central. Dealing Martinez -- who is still on the DL, by the way -- isn't in the cards

Grayson

3:16

Let me guess, just like colabello and mejia, Marte has no idea how the roids got into his body?

Steve Adams

3:16

He went with "neglect and lack of knowledge."

3:17

Except, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo and several others have said, Nandrolone is almost always taken via injection, soooo...

Ben

3:17

Is there going to be a similar closer market to last season? Could guys like Robertson and Herrera greatly accelerate their teams rebuilds?

Steve Adams

3:20

Generally speaking, neither of those two are as good as Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman, so I wouldn't expect a similar return. Herrera is quite affordable and has another year of control beyond 2017, though, so he'd still fetch a nice price. And Robertson will fetch some real talent as well, but don't expect to see the Clint Fraziers and Gleyber Torres-es of the world in those deals.

They should each return more than Melancon, though, and Melancon netted the Pirates a really nice MLB-ready/controllable reliever in Felipe Rivero, plus a useful pitching prospect.

Drew

3:20

Are the Jays done?

Steve Adams

3:21

No, but they've obviously put themselves in an awful position. Still, there's enough talent on the club -- even with Happ and Sanchez sidelined (hopefully) briefly -- that it wouldn't be a huge shock to see them rattle off 6 wins in a row or something and at least put some of this disaster behind them.

That said, I'm not overly optimistic about them either -- just saying it's still a bit early to pronounce them dead.

Judgement

3:22

Hey Steve is Aaron Judge forreal? He looks like he's timing better and not chasing pitches.

Steve Adams

3:23

I'm still expecting there to be a pretty rough, prolonged slump where there's an inordinate amount of strikeouts, but he's looked much better to start the season than I imagined he would. I think he'll hit .240 or lower, as opposed to the .275 or .280 or whatever he's currently sporting, when all is said and done.

Joe Dirt

3:23

How will Marte's suspension impact the Pirates possibly trading McCutchen?

Steve Adams

3:24

It'll make them a worse team, and I've always assumed that if they're not contending come July, a Cutch trade is possible. So it has to at least slightly increase the chances.

3:25

Could the Jays be a player for Ryan Braun?

Steve Adams

3:25

They're on his no-trade list and already have a pretty loaded payroll plus a so-so farm system. I don't consider it especially likely.

Jim

3:25

With Avi Garcia avoiding arbitration last year. Where does he stand from a controllability standpoint?

Steve Adams

3:26

They control him through 2019

And for the record, his ridiculous start seems like largely smoke and mirrors, though the decreased strikeout rate through a small sample is encouraging.

Jeff

3:27

Are the Yankees still a year or two away from a legitimate postseason run?

Steve Adams

3:27

I don't think they have the pitching to get it done in 2017

12 to 6

3:28

Does the MLBPA include banned substances in their spring training rounds? Do they educate the players about this stuff? Seems inexcusable as a professional athlete to be ignorant/ feign ignorance

Steve Adams

3:29

It is inexcusable. If Marte wanted to take any form of new supplement, it'd be easy for him to run it by someone and make sure it was OK to put into his body. Claiming ignorance is not an excuse.

3:30

Reds website says they optioned Sal Romano and called up Lisavlerto Bonilla. How did you all miss that?

Steve Adams

3:31

We don't cover every single player that is optioned to the minors and recalled. Typically, we only make mention if it's a Top 50-100 prospect being promoted or if it requires a 40-man roster move. Bonilla was already on the 40-man.

B-Boy

3:31

Buy or sell Eric Thames? Obviously he can't keep up this torrid pace.

Steve Adams

3:32

Obviously no one's buying this pace, but I can buy that he's a changed player and is now an above-average slugger that'll make that 3/16 contract look like a bargain.

Jack

3:32

Are you surprised by Mookie Betts no strike out record?

Steve Adams

3:32

Mookie has gone 123 plate appearances without a K. That's utterly ridiculous.

3:33

Jays announce Happ to DL. Ty Kelly called up from Buffalo.

John

3:33

Does Tanaka opt out at the end of the year?

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