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Trade Rumors Front Office Chat

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Steve Adams

2:05

Yikes! Lost track of the time. Sorry to get a little bit of a late start!

Ryan

2:05

Please tell me that St. Louis will be serious about getting a pitcher. Liberatore isn't ready and I hope they don't push him. But their pitching had been a disaster.

Steve Adams

2:06

I don't see how they can afford not to get someone. They need multiple arms, really. Their rotation has been an abject disaster thus far.

Beyond that, though, they're also thin on options beyond the 2021 season

2:07

Wainwright and Kim are free agents. Mikolas' health is a question mark. Hudson will be coming back from Tommy John surgery

I think the Cardinals need to (and will) look hard at pitchers who are controlled beyond the 2021 season. Kyle Gibson, Matthew Boyd, etc.

Al Avila

2:08

With Hasse doing so well, and Rogers backing him up, what do I do with Ramos and Greiner when they come off the IL in the next few days?

Steve Adams

2:09

Haase will mix in at left field and first base as well. AJ Hinch said as much on MLB Network Radio the other day. They're going to keep his bat in the lineup as long as he's hitting. Ramos is probably best deployed as a primary DH at this point; his defense has been a liability for years and has plummeted to new lows in 2021. Greiner has options.

2:10

I wouldn't actually be all that surprised if the Tigers just designated Ramos for assignment when his rehab is up (or in the near future after his DFA). He hit a bunch of homers early, but his bat went ice cold in the run-up to the injury. He has a .238 OBP.

Hits Like Rays

2:11

How much longer are the Rays going to tolerate Yandy Diaz's total lack of power? What are their options?

Steve Adams

2:12

I'm sure the Rays hoped his consistent hard contact would translate into more power eventually, but his offense isn't the problem it's framed as in this question. Diaz has the 8th-best OBP in baseball among qualified hitters, at .397, and he walks more than he strikes out.

2:13

Some more home runs would be nice, but a guy getting on base at a 40% clip probably isn't something Tampa Bay is looking to improve over.

Al Avila

2:13

But is Ramos is DH, do I play Miggy at 1B full-time?

Steve Adams

2:14

Yeah there are obvious problems fitting Ramos onto the Tigers' roster if he's not going to catch regularly. Again, I wouldn't be surprised if he's DFA'ed with Rogers and Haase hitting

hitting well*

Randall Gilmore

2:14

What does it take for the Reds to get Trevor Story? Would Santillian and Aquino be enough to entice the Rockies?

Steve Adams

2:15

If the Reds wanted Trevor Story, they should've gotten him in the offseason -- or gotten any shortstop. I can't see them acquiring Story because I don't think owner Bob Castellini would approve the move from a financial standpoint.

Tony Santillan + Aristides Aquino feels light to me, even for a rental, but then again so did an Austin Gomber-headlined package for Arenado.

2:16

It's hard to see the Reds as clear buyers when their bullpen has been so awful and they basically passed on doing anything to upgrade the team this winter.

Adam

2:16

Short and long term, what do you think of the Twins starting pitching?

Steve Adams

2:19

Developing pitching has been a constant struggle for the Twins for two decades at this point. Berrios is a nice pitcher, but the only competent starters they've actually developed themselves besides him in recent years are Kyle Gibson and ... Scott Baker?

I thought the pitching would be good enough to compete for the division this year, but Maeda obviously hasn't been healthy. Maeda-Berrios-Pineda-Happ was a competent enough top four on paper, but Shoemaker should've been DFA'ed by now (and likely would have been, assuming better health)

2:20

Maeda/Berrios give them a pair of arms they can lean on into 2022 -- I don't think they'll trade Berrios, even if they sell -- and ideally one of Jhoan Duran or Jordan Balazovic will reach the big leagues this summer and nail down a spot.

But the Twins are going to need to sign or trade for at least one arm this winter, and quite likely multiple arms.

Marc

2:21

The Cubs need an impact starter. (Imagine what Darvish would mean for them..) If they're still in contention in 6 weeks, do you think Ricketts lets Hoyer make a move for Scherzer?

Steve Adams

2:23

Yeah, the Cubs had the exact starter they needed. They just traded him away for crappy return. They're so far south of the luxury barrier right now, though, that even Scherzer wouldn't bring them close to it. I do think if they're vying for first place, ownership will green-light taking on some more salary.

But it's going to look real stupid when the Cubs give up more to acquire rotation help this summer than they received in return for Darvish.

tedbruccoleri@gmail.comwould

2:24

could/would the Nationals have purchased a health/disability policy on Strasburg as a hedge against either ongoing missing seasons or an actual career ending injury?

Steve Adams

2:25

Teams have insurance policies on a large number of those free-agent mega deals. I don't know about the Nats and Strasburg in particular, but you'd think given his injury history that they'd have gone that route.

Tony

2:26

What's your expectations for Cleveland's Bobby Bradley?

Steve Adams

2:28

Not very high, honestly. The 2021 season was his third go-around in Triple-A and he was still striking out in a third of his plate appearances there. The power is obvious, but I don't think he's going to hit enough to get to it. If he does, it'll be in a sort of Chris Carter/Mark Reynolds mold where the K's and lack of defensive aptitude really mute the majority of the value.

Sandy

2:29

Are you surprised at the level of play by Billy McKinney? Thus far he seems like a major leaguer and a guy who the Mets might want to hold onto.

Steve Adams

2:32

I'm a bit surprised, but it's also like 44 plate appearances, so it's best not to get your hopes up too much. He had a big start in Milwaukee, too, before fading and being designated for assignment.

Still, he's a former first-rounder and Top 100 guy with a strong Triple-A track record -- and he's only 26. It wouldn't be the craziest thing in the world if he finally figured out MLB pitching. Not ready to declare that based on 44 PAs, but K-BB numbers look fine, he's not riding some goofy .400+ BABIP, etc.

At the very least he's forcing his way into a longer look from them.

Josh

2:32

Does the Ozuna situation make a Freeman extension more or less likely? I think his mega slump is mental bc the Braves let it get this far.

Steve Adams

2:35

I don't think it really has much of an impact. If the Braves were worried that signing Ozuna for four years would hurt their ability to extend Freeman, they just wouldn't have signed Ozuna.

I think "mega slump" is a pretty unfair way to characterize his season, too. The average is down, but he's still drawing tons of walks and hitting for power. .228/.350/.447 may not be the prettiest batting line, but it's 15 percent better than an average hitter, by measure of wRC+.

2:36

He's also making just as strong of contact as in years past (average exit velo 91.9 mph, 50.3 percent hard-hit rate). I know a lot of people hate this view when guys are slumping, but he's honestly just had some crappy luck. He's batting .558 on line drives, which sounds good but is actually awful

2:37

League average is currently .681 on liners.

Astro Fan

2:38

If a trade includes cash considerations, how is the money involved treated in terms of the CBT?

Steve Adams

2:39

If the Astros wanted to acquire someone at a position they bizarrely ignored (cough center field cough), the trade partner could include cash to pay down salary and absolve the 'Stros of some luxury tax concerns.

The Astros should already be figuring out how to acquire Starling Marte from Miami.

Rick Hahn

2:39

Another week another injury to my lineup, what all do I need to address at the deadline to make sure my team is a title contender

Steve Adams

2:41

The White Sox have been hit hard. Not many clubs can withstand three everyday players basically being lost for the season.

Marte would be great in Chicago as well -- he'd be great for anyone who needs an outfielder at any of the three spots -- but I also feel like Adam Frazier is kind of the perfect fit for them. Good defender at 2B or in LF. Can play second while Madrigal is down, move to a corner OF spot if Madrigal is somehow able to make it back. Controlled into 2022. Left-handed bat for a right-heavy ChiSox lineup.

2:42

Plus Frazier is just flat-out raking. He's always been an average or better hitter, too, with the exception of last season. So even if he regresses some, they're still getting a solid bat.

Lilly

2:42

Who you like for the College World Series?

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