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RosterResource Chat - 7/3/25
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AvatarJason Martinez
2:03
Welcome to the RosterResource Live Chat! Pretty sure your favorite team (if you have one) has been horrible at some point this season. Sorry if this is happening right now. It could get better. If your team is doing great, there's a good chance they'll be terrible in a week or two. Let's talk baseball ...
1
2:03
Has Nick Martinez saved his spot in the rotation? Or back to the bullpen?
AvatarJon Becker
2:04
For sure, he's on a nice roll and there's nobody knocking down the door to take his spot. Greene just threw a 20-pitch simulated inning yesterday so he won't be back until after the All-Star break, and if Burns continues to have issues with pitch tipping like he did in his last start, he'd be the one losing the spot.
Josh B
2:05
Any chance Lazaro Montes gets the call this year?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:07
Now that he's in Double-A, anything can happen. Especially with the M's having one iffy lineup spot (Canzone currently getting a shot). Julio had about 200 PA in Double-A and then made his MLB debut at age 21. Montes just arrived in Double-A and won't be 21 until October. But if he continues to crush the ball, I wouldn't rule it out in August/September.
Chris
2:07
How do you see it shaking out in Sacramento for Colby Thomas? Seems like they are pretty locked into Kurtz/Soderstrom/Rooker/Butler at 1B/DH/Corner OF.
AvatarJon Becker
2:09
Kotsay was pretty clear when he got called up that he'd primarily come off the bench against lefty relievers, though he then started him against a righty (albeit one with reverse splits, IIRC, in Ryan Pepiot) in his second game in the majors. I think for now it'll be a soft platoon with Soderstrom and a lot of coming in on defense late in games.
Drew
2:09
What if it turns out that Luis Ortiz gets banned for life for betting on games while he was with the Pirates. Can the Guardians file a grievance?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:10
Would be quite the scandal and I think the Pirates would have a legitimate argument. Not sure if MLB would just ask the teams to negotiate some sort of compensation. Would be tricky.
Matthew Knauer
2:11
What do the Yankees do with Ben Rice? Sorta stuck with Stanton and Goldschmidt, but Rice looks like one of the game's best hitters under the hood. Can he catch well enough? But that's also backed up with Wells and Escarra
AvatarJon Becker
2:12
I think he'll continue to play plenty, whether behind the plate, at first, or DHing. Goldschmidt is really slumping and Stanton is going to need load management for the rest of his career, probably, so it's not even that big of a puzzle. Rice has started 8 of the last 10 games against righties and I'd expect that pattern to hold.
Dave
2:13
How do you see the Rays infield shaking out once Kim is activated?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:14
Should be pretty straightforward. Curtis Mead to AAA. Caballero continues in a super-utility role with regular at-bats vs LHP. Walls remains valuable as a backup SS at least until they feel Kim is ready to play just about everyday.
Lord Thunder
2:15
Did Bubba Chandler's (ongoing) wild streak end his chances of being called up this year?
AvatarJon Becker
2:16
No, not at all — there's still a lot of season left. Misiorowski walked six guys in one of his final appearances before being called up, for example. That's not to say that the Pirates will just ignore Chandler's wildness and call him up right now anyway, but there's plenty of runway for him to get back on track.
Hazmat Corntail
2:16
How shaky is Suarez in SD? The recent run has been scary and even yesterday you felt he was a pitch away from blowing the whole thing.
AvatarJason Martinez
2:19
I have him listed as "On The Hot Seat" since Sunday's blown save. Shildt/Preller are super loyal, which can be a good thing over the course of a season. But this is a very average team that will either barely squeak in to the playoffs or could miss out by a couple games. Every game they lose because the bullpen can't hold a close lead or because they have 3-5 guys who can't hit at all will hurt their chances.

Suarez isn't their biggest issue but I think Adam/Morejon/Estrada are fine as a closer committee if they allow Suarez to pitch in lower-leverage games for a bit. The issue is that he kind of is what he is. No breaking ball. Hitters eventually figure him out each season.
Kyle
2:20
What are your thoughts on Tovar going forward? He tore the cover off the ball before he got hurt. Trust him again coming back?
AvatarJon Becker
2:21
He's going to be a starting shortstop for a long time because of his glove, but guys who swing as much as he does and walk as little are going to be inherently streaky. I think if he's truly healthy upon his return I don't really expect anything different from last season, i.e., super talented but very frustrating at times.
1
2:22
If Megill comes back healthy this year do you think he rejoins the rotation?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:24
If he comes back -- elbow sprain is not good -- I think there's at least a chance he finishes as the No. 5 behind ... Manaea, Senga, Peterson, Holmes. But so many options, including Blackburn and Montas, and one of they young guys could emerge (Tidwell, Sproat, McLean).
Slim
2:24
Estury Ruiz anything? How do you think he plays out in LA?
AvatarJon Becker
2:25
He was doing pretty well in the PCL and, as expected, stealing a ton of bases, but I don't think he's getting the call (presumably to replace Muncy) to play much at all. Probably just a PH against lefties and pinch-runner late in games.
Danny T.
2:26
What do the Dodgers do at 3B if Muncy missed extended time with the knee injury?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:29
The fact that they're probably calling up Esteury to replace him means that Kiké, Miguel Rojas, and maybe Edman could fill in at 3B. At least for now, although the Dodgers don't need to have any sense of urgency. They appear to have zero competition in the NL West despite having like 20 pitchers on the IL. If Muncy is out for months, I think Alex Freeland could start playing regularly at 3B in AAA (he's started 10 games there this season so far) and could get the call in a few weeks.
Lowe Distribution System
2:29
Who's next in line for Cleveland's rotation now that Ortiz is going away for presumably a long while?
AvatarJon Becker
2:31
Cantillo is getting the start tonight, but it's unclear if he'd definitely stay in the rotation going forward or if he was just the freshest option for today. But he was solid as a reliever earlier this year and has made four good enough starts at AAA for him to probably get at least a couple chances. Vince Velasquez(!) has actually been their best arm at Columbus.
Isaac Collins
2:31
Think he gets close to everyday at bats for rest of season?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:33
No reason to make a change right now (he's been very good offensively/defensively) and not really any competition, especially with Garrett Mitchell out for the season. We'll see what happens when Blake Perkins returns. They could give Yelich more time in LF to open a spot for another bat (1B or DH) but I don't think that's under consideration. As long as Collins continues to play well, he'll be in LF a lot more often than not.
Closers
2:34
Will either Reid Detmers or Garrett Whitlock become the closer for their respective te4ams next year? Both the Sox and the Angel currently have geriatric (albeit effective) closers right now.
AvatarJon Becker
2:35
Detmers seems likelier than Whitlock to me, since he's been a 3-4 outs guy for months now and has really taken to that role. Whitlock on the other hand is often working multiple innings and they seem to really like him in that role. So I'll say Justin Slaten gets first crack at the job next year if they don't add one in the offseason.
Rocky
2:35
Who closes for the Pirates if Santana and Bednar are traded?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:38
Both are under team control thru 2026 so they don't have to trade either. But, at this point with so few teams likely to be sellers, my guess is that they trade both and Caleb Ferguson. I think the Pirates would like Holderman to regain his pre-injuries form and take hold of the job. But he's been bad this season when healthy (or maybe he's just not been healthy when active). Braxton Ashcraft would probably be next in line for saves. Isaac Mattson has also been very good.
Jackie
2:39
What do you think the asking price for Finnegan is? not to close, but as a fan of a contender I feel like hes still a good piece
AvatarJon Becker
2:40
I don't think he'll cost much at all as a non-elite closer, albeit one who's legitimately been better than he was last year. But he's also 33 and had a great first half last year too before cratering in the second, so teams will probably be wary.
Logan’s run
2:42
L. O’Hoppe may be the streakiest catcher in MLB. Lots of power, few walks… think he’ll ever figure it out?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:45
If he was an elite defender, I think he would be one of those guys that was still super valuable because he can hit 30 HR. But he's not an elite defender. He's struggled behind the plate. And if you were watching every game, the 4% BB rate and 34% K rate stands out much more than the HRs. He's still young enough to think he can improve. But probably needs to be paired with someone throughout his career who can complement him (plate discipline, strong defender) and probably even plays more often.
Will Graham
2:47
Jacob Young hold full time at bats the rest of the season?
AvatarJon Becker
2:48
I don't think he'll have regular playing time when Crews comes back unless he starts hitting a lot better. Call's been very solid all year so I'd expect a Wood-Crews-Call outfield. Maybe Young starts against lefties with Josh Bell out of the lineup and one of the outfielders sliding to DH.
Lowe Distribution System
2:49
Chase DeLauter is beating up AAA but at any moment might have his foot fall off.  Cleveland's has two empty lineup spots.  They should call him up while he's healthy, yes?
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