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Trade Rumors Front Office Chat

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Steve Adams

2:04

Greetings all!

Chuck

2:05

Does the surplus of quality infielders for the Rays mean a trade for a pitcher is in the works? What could they got for Joey Wendell, Walls, or Diaz?

Steve Adams

2:07

I think the Rays and Reds line up perfectly for a trade. Cincinnati needs a shortstop in a bad way, but their owner wasn't willing to spend at all this winter. A guy like Taylor Walls would be perfect for them, and the Rays happen to need starting pitching, which the Reds have a good bit of. Maybe Tampa Bay likes Walls too much to part with him for, say Tyler Mahle, but I think something like that would work for both parties.

Mahle is controllable two years beyond this season and making $2.2MM in his first arb year, so he wouldn't be too expensive -- even for Tampa

Longfoot

2:08

The Royals road to recovery has hit another detour. Lots of pitching prospects, but very few pitchers. Matheny burned out the bullpen by June, just like he traditionally did in Saint Louis. Mondesi (again) can’t stay on the field. Soler and Dozier we’ll below the Mendoza Line over half way through the season. Very limited system for position player prospects. Are they on the right track, or do we again wait 30 years for a championship team?

Steve Adams

2:11

They're definitely a pitching-heavy system -- not that that's necessarily a bad thing. I think once the pitching foundation has been established and Witt has made his way to the big leagues, they'll be in decent shape. The Royals will throw around some money on mid-tier free agents to fill out roster needs.

I know they were trying to win this year, but the roster never really had the makings of a legitimate contender in my view. There's only $46MM on next year's books (plus some arb cases, most notably Benintendi), so they'll be able to take another shot.

With all the arms they have coming up, I think they're in a pretty OK position. Can always deal some of that pitching depth for bats, too.

2:12

I also don't know that it's fair to say Matheny burned out the 'pen. I'm not a big Matheny fan and didn't love the hire, but it's not like he was given a ton to work with. Barlow, Staumont and Zimmer have all looked good though

Old_Chief

2:13

So, my Braves are sellers huh?

Steve Adams

2:16

I don't think anyone in the NL East is a definitive seller -- not even the Marlins. (Miami will trade some names, I'm sure, but the fact that they're trying to extend Marte at least suggests they're not conducting an all-out fire sale.)

The Braves' pitching is nowhere near what they'd hoped it would be, but they're still only 4.5 games out of first place. I don't see a big sale unless they just crater here, and even then, the core is so good that it'd be more cosmetic than anything else. Trade some impending free agents -- that sort of thing.

Atlanta is also the type of team I could see acquiring longer-term players even if they do fall further back in the standings. They're going to try to contend again in 2022.

2:17

Broadly speaking, I think we'll see more of that this year than in seasons past.

T-Mobile

2:17

Suppose Kelenic comes back up and hits like he's supposed to. And Marco returns to form as a reliable (though not ace) starter. What moves would Seattle need to make to have a legitimate chance at the playoffs?

Steve Adams

2:19

Even with Gonzales pitching well, they'd still need rotation help. I love them as a possible fit for Nelson Cruz if they're comfortable dealing away a little depth for a rental.

If the Rockies weren't being so stubborn, I would say Seattle is one of the best fits for German Marquez or, less exciting, Kyle Freeland. Still think they should look into making that type of move, though the number of teams that would trade controllable young pitching like that is pretty limited.

2:21

With all the contenders who could use an immediate plug-in center fielder, it's too bad that the Mariners' outfielders haven't played as hoped this year. If they had a healthy/productive version of Kelenic, Lewis and Trammell, they'd be able to move someone (Trammell?) to nab an interesting young starter. I still think somewhere down the road, a deal like that could make sense if the prospects begin to pan out.

Nick Plummer

2:22

What should the cardinals do? They're clearly not buyers, but they don't have anyone they can really sell other than KK. Trading him would bring back organizational depth at best at create another rotation hole that would be plugged with a youngster who probably would be better served by remaining in AAA.

Steve Adams

2:25

I wouldn't say they have "no one" to sell. It'd be tough for them to move a Giovanny Gallegos, for instance, but he'd command a huge return. There'd be interest in some of the outfielders -- O'Neill, Bader, Carlson -- but I'm sure the front office is understandably reluctant to make any of those moves.

The Cardinals aren't really the only team in this type of spot though. The Braves have a similar feel. The Twins. It's why I alluded before to the fact that we might see more controllable parts being moved around that directly help MLB rosters -- as opposed to the more conventional "Seller gives up veteran, buyer sends prospects" type of swap.

J J

2:25

Any chance Carlos Beltran gets another shot at managing? If Hinch and Cora are managing, Beltran deserves a second chance.

Steve Adams

2:27

I imagine he will at some point, yes. I don't really like the equivalency game of saying Beltran "deserves" the chance simply because the other two were hired back, but he was obviously highly thought of enough to get one managerial job and interview for others. Some team will give him a look down the road.

Michael

2:27

How is it that professional MLB players still run into each other out in the field? Seems like the order-of-operations of who calls off who / priority / and yelling "I got it!" should be engrained as a fundamental at this level.

Steve Adams

2:28

I'm sure it is, but I also don't doubt that you can get lost in the moment when adrenaline has taken over and there's 20,000 or 40,000 fans or whatever making noise that drowns out a teammate calling for the ball.

Marc

2:29

Well, it looks like the Cubs were a house of cards after all. 2 questions- Have you ever seen a drop like they've had in the space of 2-3 weeks before? And barring some kind of huge turnaround, is there any reason to believe Hoyer won't sell at the deadline?

Steve Adams

2:31

It is one of the more aggressive collective faceplants I can remember seeing from a roster. Trying to remember how quickly the Tigers crumbled in 2015 when Dombrowski went the fire-sale route. I don't think it was as swift as the Cubs' 11-game cannonball into the deep end of the deadline-sellers pool, though.

Not sure if you dropped this question before yesterday's comments from Hoyer, but he's made pretty clear it's selling time. As I've said before, I think he's probably relieved to have an excuse, and I could see the Cubs making some early deals before the roster plays its way back onto the periphery of the postseason chase.

2:32

I would expect Kimbrel, Davies and Bryant to go. Less sure on Baez and Rizzo, but I think most of the roster is fair game.

All Star Game

2:32

DeGrom, Altuve, and Correa are all skipping the festivities this year. Any particular reason? I don't remember a year where multiple guys who would either start or be key backups skipped out (in MLB anyway - happens all the time in other sports). Is this something I just haven't noticed before, part of a new trend, or just a few one-offs?

Steve Adams

2:34

Correa said his wife is pregnant with their first child, and he wants to go with her to her ultrasounds and such next week. Altuve's leg is banged up and he wants to rest it to minimize the chances of an IL trip. I saw plenty of people saying they didn't want to deal with the boos being rained down on them from the ASG crowd, and that could partly be true as well, but they both gave seemingly legitimate reasons (Correa especially).

Not sure on deGrom, but he's had some injury scares this year so it's not crazy to take the rest afforded by the break.

daddydeerist

2:35

Aaron Hicks is not the answer for NYY nor is an aging Gardner. Shouldn't the Yanks be in on any CF capable OF? What was wrong with Dee Strange-Gordon on a minor league deal?

Steve Adams

2:38

Gordon was awful, defensively, in the outfield and has since moved back to the infield. He also hasn't hit in years. I'd imagine the Yankees just didn't consider him an upgrade over in-house options.

To your broader point, yeah, they should be looking for center fielders. They went and got Tim Locastro, but they could use a more solid option, for sure.

They're in a tough spot, because I'd normally say if they're willing to move a Deivi Garcia or Clarke Schmidt type for a controllable outfielder, I think there'd be interest from others (Mariners, Cardinals). But Garcia has been terrible and Schmidt has been hurt all season.

Mike Trout

2:39

Is this the year I finally win a playoff game?

Steve Adams

2:41

I thought it was heading into the season! Now, not so much. I suppose let's see what happens at the deadline, but it's pretty remarkable that with all the talent they've had on that roster, they've still never been able to break through at the same time.

Bill

2:42

With draft day approaching, how many teams employ the "cheap" strategy of paying high draft picks under slot in order to pay lower draft choices over slot? Has it been successful? Seems really stupid to me, but what do I know?

Steve Adams

2:43

Like any draft strategy, it has its successes and has its failures. The Royals went "cheap" on Hunter Dozier at No. 8 so they could sign Sean Manaea in the 30s. They traded Manaea for Zobrist the year they won a World Series, and Dozier has had his success despite this year's troubles. I'd say that worked out.

2:44

I imagine we'll see a few teams go that route again. I can't say which with any certainty. Baltimore did it last year with Heston Kjerstad, to an extent.

Patrick Mahomes (part-owner)

2:45

I have Whit Merrifield on my Roto (5x5) AL-only team; it is a keeper league, and Whit is in the last year of his contract.. Because of him, I have a 34% lead (78 v. next best 58) in stolen bases, and other owners are approaching me for trades. One person is offering Schoop and Renfroe; I am worried about Schoop going to the NL at the deadline, and I have Duran on my reserve team, so Renfroe doesn't excite me. All else being equal (and I know nothing is), what is a "reasonable trade"? Y. Alvarez for Merrifield, straight up? Austin Meadows and Jarred Kelenic for Merrifield? Some other sort of combination? BTW, I am in third place, easily within striking distance of first.

Steve Adams

2:47

As someone who just traded Carlos Correa and a first-round pick for Yordan and an 8th (keeper league, no limits to length of control for keepers), I would certainly endorse going out and getting Yordan. He's an absolute monster. Depends how much the loss of steals will hurt you, and how you're doing in the power categories, I suppose, but I'm about as bullish on Alvarez as I am on any young hitter in MLB.

2:48

Alvarez's next game will be the 162nd of his career, and he's a .308/.394/.603 hitter with 44 home runs. He's 90th percentile or better in hard-hit rate, average exit velo, barrel rate,xSLG, xwOBA:
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/yordan-alvarez-670541?sta...

We don't talk enough about just HOW good he is.

John P

2:48

l think the RedSox need another starting pitcher (even if Chris Sale is available). Garrett Richards has been shaken by the sticky changes. Thoughts on a potential replacement?

Steve Adams

2:51

They'll need to get someone really cheap -- probably a pre-arb guy -- if they're going to stay south of the luxury tax. Which is silly and they should just pay it -- but that's another debate, ha.

I agree they need another starter, even if it's not a high-end guy. Someone like JT Brubaker in Pittsburgh ought to be available, even though he has four more years of control, and he wouldn't put them in the tax penalty box.

One other thing they could try to do is see if there's a team out there who'll take the rest of that Richards deal if they attach a prospect to it. Richards has been awful post-crackdown and has vocally complained about it every chance he's gotten. He's obviously not the same pitcher.

2:52

If you're the Cardinals or Twins or one of these teams hoping to contend in 2022 but clearly not going far in 2021, I can think of sillier notions than basically eating the remainder of Richards' contract to buy a prospect of some note, then hoping you can get Richards right with a new gameplan in the final two months (so you can then pick up his option)

2:53

Red Sox don't really have the luxury of tinkering with him, crossing their fingers and hoping.

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