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Trade Rumors Front Office Chat: 10/29/20
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Steve Adams
2:55
I'm not convinced teams will buy him as a viable option at catcher anymore, and he doesn't hit enough to be a regular DH/1B. Maybe someone will bring him on as a backup, but not even convinced he gets a big league deal in this market.
2:56
Terrible framing/blocking ratings, has never been a good receiver, throwing numbers have plummeted recently.
I thought I'd made an error yesterday when I was looking up SB numbers allowed by catchers
Ramos has allowed ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO steals since Opening Day 2019. That is astonishing.
2:57
Yasmani Grandal is next at 80 -- but he's at least caught 29.3% of attempts, which is above the league average. Ramos was something like 14%
Some of that might be Mets pitchers, but if I got anyone with a modicum of speed on first against Ramos, I'd give them the green light and tell them to run at will.
Travis
2:57
Snap call: will the NL have a DH in 2021?
Steve Adams
2:58
I don't see how they can do it if they don't agree to it in the very, very near future. That's going to influence whether some guys' club options are picked up and is going to influence market rates for a lot of players -- Nelson Cruz most prominently, of course, but others like Ozuna, any of the first basemen, some of the older corner outfielders (Brantley)
2:59
I lean no right now just because there's no indication they're working on an agreement. Teams probably don't want any extra incentive to have to pay a Cruz, Brantley, Ozuna, Moreland, etc. etc.
Griffin
2:59
Do the Yankees give Tanaka a qualifying offer? If so, does he accept?
Steve Adams
3:00
I think they should make it with the expectation that he'll accept but also with the anticipation of trying to work it into a two- or three-year extension at a lesser rate.
Make the QO, let him talk to other clubs, and then come back to him to try to hammer out something like 3/39.
3:01
I'm not sure they actually DO make it -- it's a coinflip in my mind -- but I think they SHOULD.
BDS
3:01
So if 2021 is played with 25% fans, which means little additional revenue for teams whether they win or lose, does it make sense for an owner to just sign no one, cut back on spending, and then roll any extra money forward to 2022 with all the great possible free agents?
Steve Adams
3:02
I think many clubs would operate in that exact manner, yes. Most owners would see 25% attendance for the duration of 2021 as only a slight step above disaster scenario.
Daric Barton
3:02
Do the A's trade Canha to lower their payroll and if so which teams would be interested?
Steve Adams
3:06
They might just non-tender him, but I do think they should try to trade him before that. He's a solid player capable of rotating throughout the 3 OF spots, 1B, DH -- has become a really nice hitter.

Possible suitors, you'd need to look at contending clubs (no reason for non-contenders to take on the cash or give up talent).

Some that come to mind: White Sox (Mazara non-tender, Encarnacion free agent), Astros (Springer, Brantley, Reddick all FAs), Dodgers (though they have so much depth as is), Phillies (not an ideal CF fit but affordable and pairs well with Haseley), Cardinals, Nationals.
Twins if Cruz walks
Doom of Bloom
3:07
If you're the Sox, who are some Rule 5 players / international signings you're looking at this off-season?
Steve Adams
3:07
Can't really make that call on Rule 5 guys until we see who is protected.
Doom of Bloom
3:07
Also how long till I have to re-sign Cora? Or will Cash get fired and I bring him along? Can we bring back Grady Little? What does the rest of the coaching staff look like?
Steve Adams
3:07
Postseason is over. Cora's suspension is up.
Twins Guy
3:07
With revenues down and the COVID uncertainty for next year, will teams make more trades instead of looking to free agent market, or will the free agent contracts be lower thereby encouraging teams to lock in favorable contracts for the long term?
Steve Adams
3:08
I would imagine that acquiring pre-arbitration players will be more desirable than ever before and that the asking price on them in trades will rise as a result.
As I've referenced throughout the chat, free-agent prices outside the top tiers should be negatively impacted, and I think there will even be some negative impact on the top guys.
3:09
For instance, I think Mookie Betts would have gotten a bigger contract were it not for the pandemic.
allphilly
3:09
Do you have ideas on who could take over for Bryan Price?
Steve Adams
3:10
In all honesty, it is not something I have looked into, read about or thought about much. We've got so much offseason planning, writing Offseason Outlooks, etc. ... coaching stuff like that is pretty far down the list for me at the moment.
Not a great answer, but I'd rather give you an honest one than just ignore the question, ha. Sorry.
Old Chief
3:10
Do the Braves release Inciarte this winter?
Steve Adams
3:11
I think they'd do whatever they could to trade him first. He's still a strong defender who can add value on the bases, and he's only a season removed from being a respectable hitter.
3:12
I mean, if you were a team that wanted a CF and was looking at signing Jackie Bradley Jr. -- but the Braves called and said "Hey you can have Inciarte for next year. He's owed $8MM with a $1.025MM buyout on a $9MM option for 2022"
3:13
You take the Inciarte thing. Might even get the Sox to kick in a couple mill while sending them a pretty negligible return.
TR Sullivan
3:13
What team has young offensive power they can trade for Lance Lynn.... corner bat at 1B or LF?
Steve Adams
3:16
Most of them? Feels like every club has a couple upper-level 1B/LF-only types who'd fit that bill. I think the Rangers would be more inclined to look for higher upside as opposed to a plug-in 1B option.

It's not "easy" to find a long-term answer at 1B who you can control for his pre-arb and arb years. But it's not hard to find a passable 1B/LF on the free agent market every year if you want to go that route.

If you're moving Lynn, I'd focus on higher-ceiling pieces than trying to get an immediate 1B that a club deems expendable for a year of Lynn.
3:17
Rockies outrighted Joe Harvey off the 40-man roster, they announced just now
Twinsfan
3:17
Breakout candidates for 2021?
Steve Adams
3:19
On the Twins or just in general? I think Yusei Kikuchi is way better than his numbers in MLB to date show. Keegan Akin intrigued me in Baltimore.

I don't know if there's a Twins-centric breakout pick that comes to mind. I mean, Alex Kirilloff but everyone expects him to be awesome so that's not going out on a limb, haha.
Old Chief
3:19
Did the Rockies wait too long to move Arenado?
Steve Adams
3:20
The Rockies have been pretty obviously bad for awhile, but their owner, Dick Monfort, is in denial. They've missed a lot of opportunities to get better over trhe long-term and probably stunted the growth of a lot of promising players by signing boring, superfluous veterans to play rather than give the kids a look.
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