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RosterResource Chat - 2/21/25

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Late bloomer

12:40

Gage Workman has long been recognized as a premium defender anywhere on the left side of the infield and got his most damning offensive weakness under control as a 24 year old at AA, dropping more than 10% in his K rate. The glove should be enough to stick as a bench piece if he can be close to league average with the bat. Any optimism that this rule 5 pick will stick?

Jason Martinez

12:42

It's early and I try not to overreact after 1 spring at-bat (that HR swing was pretty). I still have him as odd man out after the Alexander Canario DFA . Vidal Brujan can play CF, which gives him the edge, in my opinion. Matt Shaw struggling in Spring Training and/or Nico Hoerner starting the season on the IL will help Workman's chances greatly.

Dadbauer

12:42

Are the brewers really gonna open the season without adding a single infielder?

Jon Becker

12:43

I'd be pretty surprised if they added an infielder at this point, yeah. Like Jason said earlier they've got an interesting competition with Black, Dunn, and Durbin, and it doesn't appear as if they'd have the money to add Iglesias, the only potential upgrade, anyway.

Pads Fan

12:44

How fair is a Suarez for Torkelson trade? Feels like neither have much value...

Jason Martinez

12:47

Makes sense for the Padres if the goal is to cut some salary after the Pivetta signing. And Torkelson fits on their roster as 1B/DH. Not sure it's a great fit for the Tigers, even if you consider that Suarez would improve their projected bullpen. They already added Kahnle and Brebbia to a strong group. They expect Lange to bounce back when healthy (June-ish) and they have so much SP depth.1-2 of those guys who don't pitch in the rotation could also help out in the 'pen. I don't see them taking on Suarez for potentially 3 yr, $26MM.

Joe

12:48

Alex Verdugo last OF musical chair...will he start an Opening Day game for one of the 30 clubs?

Jon Becker

12:48

I lean yes, though there aren't a lot of teams who are (a) clearly trying to win and (b) would view Verdugo as a definite upgrade over what they've got. Maybe Pittsburgh (platoon with Pham) or Kansas City (platoon with Renfroe)?

Carson

12:49

Mining The News suggested Heliot Ramos could short side platoon with LaMonte Wade once Eldridge was called up, and that feels silly given pedigree and results from last year. Am I wrong? DH feels like the place for Wade.

Jason Martinez

12:51

I think we're probably looking at a few months down the road with Eldridge and this potential scenario. He's 20 years old and has a combined 75 PA between AAA/AA. Doesn't mean he can't force his way onto the roster but I don't think the Giants are counting on that.

They'll want to see if Heliot can build off of his breakout season. If he continues to struggle against RHP (he was very bad against them), then maybe he's only a platoon guy by 2nd half when Eldridge enters the picture.

Fant'sy Feast

12:52

Of the following, which, if any, do you expect to add 1B eligibility this season (the league I'm asking about is 5G starting or 10G playing at a position): Bryan Reynolds, Gavin Lux, Kyle Schwarber, Heston Kjerstad (none would be my primary 1B, but hoping to have depth in my daily lineups league so I don't have to carry a 2nd 1B-only)

Jon Becker

12:52

That's a pretty low bar to clear, but even so the only name I see particularly likely there is Kjerstad. They're going to need to find playing time for him and 1B might be a little easier than OF, with how many OF they've already got.

diadem

12:53

If Suarez and Perdomo stay healthy all season what would project would be Lawler;s ab total?

Jason Martinez

12:57

I currently have him beginning the season in AAA and 259 PA in the majors. It would probably take an injury to one of their infielders to open up everyday at-bats. Or if Pavin Smith doesn't hit, they can shuffle guys between the DH spot. So it's possible he ends up in the mix for 400-500 PA. But my guess is that Lawlar will be the starting 3B in 2026.

Dirk

12:57

Once Arenado goes, can we assume Saggese gets everyday 2B job, Gorman to 3B and Donovan superutility?

Jon Becker

12:58

Sounds right to me, but this isn't going to happen anytime soon, maybe not even this year. Arenado isn't budging off his five-team trade list, none of whom want/need him anymore, so he'll be a Cardinal on Opening Day unless he expands the list. Maybe he has a change of heart at the deadline if the Cardinals are struggling and he has a better idea of which teams are the strongest WS contenders.

Bullock

12:58

When you're setting batting order in the pre-season, how much are you going by "this is what makes sense" vs "this is what I saw the manager do last year"?

Jason Martinez

1:01

During the offseason, there is some combination of how things ended, trends during the season, what makes most sense, etc. During Spring Training, I'm looking at lineups that have several projected regulars and deciding if the manager is tipping his hand. It doesn't happen often, though.

Oscar Gamble

1:01

Who would you start the season with at 2B for the Guardians if you were making the call?

Jon Becker

1:02

I agree with our pick of Brito, since switch-hitters are useful and his minors BB:K has been so good that he feels like a safe bet to be at least semi-productive. But Arias, Angel Martínez, and Tyler Freeman are all contending.

J Mac

1:03

Do you see Jordan Westburg sticking at 3B long term while maintaining 2B elig (10-20 appearances or so)? I'm torn on where he's more valuable, especially if he has a bigger breakout this coming season, health, fences moved in, etc.

Jason Martinez

1:05

I think he's done enough to be locked in as a lineup regular. Would probably take a big drop in production for Coby Mayo to take his job. As far as 2B, he should be there vs LHP. My assumption is that they'll sit Holliday against most lefties, at least early in the season, and play Ramon Urias at 3B with Westburg shifting to 2B.

Justin

1:05

I remember this weird story a few months ago about teams being interested in signing Lance Lynn as a closer . Do you think that was real, or his agent trying to drum up some interest

Jon Becker

1:06

I think it's real, Lynn went pretty in-depth about it in the interview with Ken Rosenthal and I would assume Ken got confirmation from team-side people too. Remains to be seen what role he actually signs for, but it would be fun to see him close.

Alex

1:06

The Braves are clearly hoping that Orlando Arcia can bounce back – even if just a dead cat bounce. How realistic are those hopes? Nacho Alvarez seems about as much of a defensive shortstop as Vaughn Grissom. Are there likely to be any reasonably priced shortstops available at the deadline?

Jason Martinez

1:08

If the Jays and Rays aren't contending, Bo Bichette and Ha-Seong Kim will be two of the biggest names on the trade block. Not sure if the cost would be reasonable, but I guess it would depend on how badly Arcia is doing.

drplantwrench

1:08

whats the likelihood we see Christian Moore as the Angels opening day 2B?

Jon Becker

1:09

Just a shot in the dark here but maybe 20%? Would have to be Rengifo over Adell in center, or an injury, and Moore himself has to prove he's ready this Spring. So it wouldn't surprise me but not likely, I think.

Jack

1:09

Can you talk about the changes to the Phillies projected lineup that you linked at the beginning of the chat?

Jason Martinez

1:12

Lots of recent talk of Trea Turner moving to the leadoff spot and how that would be best for him. I've seen it from at least 2 of their beat reporters and so I finally made the change. In order to split up the two lefties, I moved Harper to 2nd, Bohm 3rd, and Schwarber 4th. Looks good to me. We'll see if we get any hints in their first few lineups this spring.

DBacks

1:12

Mike and Torey have made many mentions of focusing on getting consistent rest for regulars to minimize the chance for injury; to what extent can we expect that to impact the PA workloads on the AZ active roster?

Jon Becker

1:14

Broadly speaking, lots of teams are going in this direction — it's really only the Braves who have super solidified starters now, and a lot of teams really blur the lines, play matchups, give maintenance days, etc. For the Diamondbacks specifically I think we could see a lot of different DHes, working Alek Thomas in more if he makes the team since he's not a guy you want just sitting on the bench, etc. Could also make it easier to work Lawlar in down the line if everyone's already used to frequent shuffling.

Deepest AAA rotation?

1:14

The White Sox might have the least imposing major league rotations. You have 11 guys listed at AAA that have or had some cache as a future starter, including a few with MLB experience. Who do you think has the best opportunity this spring to force their way into the rotation early this season?

Jason Martinez

1:16

It's clearly a season where guys will be auditioning for 2026. So getting a better look at guys like Nick Nastini, Jake Eder, Jairo Iriarte, and Mason Adams will likely be a priority before their best prospects (Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith) are called up for good.

Lord Thunder

1:17

Luis Robert Jr. bounces back this season. Yes or no?

Jon Becker

1:17

I'm not saying he'll hit 38 homers this year, but I do think he'll be closer to his 2023 than his 2024 if he's healthy and gets into enough games, which is a massive "if" and probably part of why they signed Michael A. Taylor.

Caleb

1:17

With it looking increasingly likely Altuve sees most his time in LF this year, how does that affect the Astros' depth chart/projections? How do you handle a player moving to a position he's never played before? How long do you wait before moving him off 2B?

Jason Martinez

1:20

Little by little in a situation like this one. It's a possibility that become more likely as we see him working in the OF and then when they sign someone like Brendan Rodgers. The current projected platoon assumes Rodgers plays 2B vs LHP and Altuve would play LF. And I think I have Altuve over 20% in LF in the playing time projections. By end of spring (or maybe sooner), it could be over 50%.

Hermie

1:21

Where do you see Canario ending up and is it a full time role?

Jon Becker

1:21

I think he won't get far down the waiver list (worst to first based on 2024 record) but not sure about an everyday job. Going from DFA immediately to starting role is tough.

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