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Trade Rumors Front Office Chat

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Steve Adams

1:59

Hey everyone -- I'm going to get going in a couple minutes. Just need to finish sending an email. Feel free to start asking questions if you like!

Reginald

2:02

Tyler Anderson seems like a really good fit for the Mets. What kind of return would we be looking at for him. JT Ginn, maybe?

Steve Adams

2:05

I agree that Anderson would be a good fit with the Mets -- or with a lot of teams, he's pitched rather well -- but Ginn feels steep. You're talking a 2020 first-rounder for two months of a fourth/fifth starter who was available on a one-year, $2.5MM deal late in the winter.

I think Anderson brings back lesser-regarded prospects than that -- maybe a couple teenage kids at the low levels or a more limited, middle-of-the-road prospect from the middle tiers of their farm.

I'd be surprised if the Pirates pulled a prospect like Ginn for Anderson.

Dallas

2:06

Hypothetically, in a crazy world, if deGrom were to get traded to an AL team and continue to be himself - would he win both Cy Youngs?

Steve Adams

2:07

Ha, I love the outside-the-box thinking, but he's be looking at something similar to his current workload in the AL -- 90-some innings. If anything it might hurt his chances of getting either Cy. You'd have guys in both leagues with double his innings and still-elite ratios.

Kirt

2:07

When are Tyler Glasnow and Nick Anderson expected back, please?

Steve Adams

2:09

Glasnow only recently started "lightly" throwing. There's no set timetable because they need to see how the ligament reacts to a throwing program. I don't think he's out of the woods in terms of a possible surgery just yet. Last update I saw on Anderson was sometime in August -- likely closer to the middle or end of the month than the beginning.

2021>2020

2:09

Do high school draftees with college commitments that sign with teams get something in their contract that covers their college education if they end up needing to go back to school (as would be the case with the majority of them)? Or are they left to negotiate their bonus high enough and then be responsible and save some of it for later need?

Steve Adams

2:13

I don't know that this is true of every single high school signee, but I know a very large number of them have scholarship clauses and built into their contracts that are in addition to bonuses. So if they had a full ride to Clemson or Florida or whatever, the team will basically agree to replace that value if the player eventually ends up going back to school.

Several years ago I had an agent call me trying to get me to hype what an amazing deal he got for his first-round high school client for getting him full slot and this scholarship money and I remember sitting there thinking "Dude ... this is not unique to you." (He knew this, but hey, kudos to him for trying to get his guy some great publicity I guess. I treated that signing the same way we do with any draft signing on the site, haha. A for effort, anyway.)

Benny

2:14

Any team jump out at you as having particularly good or bad drafts?

Steve Adams

2:16

I'm not really any kind of draft expert. I'm not a scout, haven't been in the past, don't watch these kids play. I'll hear things here and there about draft prospects, but it's often from the guys representing the kids, so I take a lot of it with a grain of salt.

Eric at FanGraphs, Kiley at ESPN, Keith at The Athletic, all the guys at Baseball America, Jon Mayo and Jim Callis at MLB.com -- they're all dialed into this stuff and are better resources for opinions on specific draft classes. The Bucs seemed to do well to get a whole handful of Top 50-ish players (well, four) with enough money to sign them.

Thought the Tigers got a nice grab with Ty Madden at 32, but they went ultra-risky with the No. 3 pick despite a potential 1-1 guy in Marcelo Mayer staring them in the face unexpectedly.

Guest

2:17

Will the Giants be able to acquire an impact starter (notice I didn’t say elite starter) or quality bullpen help at the deadline without trading away any of their, say, top five or six ranked prospects?

Steve Adams

2:18

Sure, although "quality bullpen help" is a pretty vague term. I would say Ian Kennedy is absolutely quality bullpen help, for instance, and he's certainly not going to cost them a top 5-6 guy. Same with someone like Michael Pineda; a definite, solid mid-rotation type who won't require someone from the very top of the farm.

I don't think there's necessarily an "elite" starter out there. If you're thinking more along the lines of someone like Jose Berrios or something, though, then yeah it's going to cost them that top 5-6 guy. Maybe a couple of them.

Hits Like Rays

2:19

Your thoughts on the Rays getting Charlie Morton? The Braves might sell with Acuna out for the year, and Morton is only making about $7m the rest of the year....

Steve Adams

2:22

I thought of that in the aftermath of the Acuna injury. We know the Rays like him, it's close to home for Morton so he'd welcome the trade there.

That's one thing I wonder, if they do sell Morton. He was extremely geographically limited in his free agency; the Twins supposedly made him a comparable offer to the Braves and he basically dismissed it out of hand because he was set on being close to home. There isn't a no-trade clause in his deal, but I wonder if there's some sort of handshake agreement where the Braves said "Hey, we're not going to trade you to Seattle or Milwaukee or something if we fall out of the race."

That's totally speculative, but I wonder whether the Braves would try to get him back to somewhere like Tampa Bay or at least to an East Coast team to sort of honor that preference.

2:23

Maybe for a two-month rental, Morton won't care though and would say "It's two to three months, screw it, trade me somewhere I can get another ring."

For now it's a moot point because Atlanta is trying to remain competitive (hence the Joc deal), but if they start slipping out of the race further, that's something I'd probably look into.

Bob

2:23

The rumors in Toronto are that the Jays are trying to extend Semien but if this is not successful and they made Marcus available what kind of return could the Jays expect?.

Steve Adams

2:24

There is a zero percent chance the Jays would trade Semien. I'm sure they'd love to extend him, but I expect it'd take more than $100MM, and the Jays probably want to have some long-term payroll capacity earmarked for Bo and Vlad.

Joe

2:24

Does the White Sox draft (far more high school heavy at the top than in the past) suggest they're planning the next rebuild now (ie, drafting players that will be good in 2028, not in 2023)? Or is this strategy more of a "get players who will have more trade value"?

Steve Adams

2:25

I think it just says they thought those high school kids were the best gets at the time it was their turn to pick. Especially at the top of the draft, teams are either taking the best player available or taking someone they love and can get slightly below slot so they can take best-available players who fall down the board a bit due to signability reasons.

2:28

The Angels taking 20 pitchers with their 20 picks was probably philosophical, of course, but in the vast majority of draft scenarios, I think a lot of people spend time trying to read between the lines for strategies that weren't really there. It's natural, of course, and I'm not saying that as a slight on you by any means. It's just a reality -- it's more fun to wonder whether there's some big plan in motion than to just shrug and say "Oh, they liked a lot of the high school dudes this year," but I do believe that's the case in this instance.

I am Steve Adams and I...

2:28

would like to see what trade happen this deadline and why?

Steve Adams

2:31

I don't know that I have any trades I'm specifically pining for. It'd be fun to see the Mariners buy a little bit and go for it, just to end the 20-year playoff drought. Nelson Cruz returning to anchor the postseason lineup he thought he was signing up for in 2015 would be fun.

I do just generally enjoy chaotic, blockbuster trades that no one saw coming and we spend tons of time drilling into. Like, would the Padres trade Blake Snell after a disappointing first half? Another club (Cleveland, Minnesota, Seattle, etc.) would love to have him for future seasons and would give up win-now parts for him.

I'd love to see the Rockies completely go back on their word and trade Marquez, just for the sheer backlash it'd bring about. I don't hate the Rockies or anything, but hey, I love me some good baseball drama. Don't we all?

Guest

2:32

Is there any information available on Byron Buxton's recovery and potential return date?

Steve Adams

2:34

He was projected to miss four to six weeks when he broke his hand. I can offer this! I had the exact same fracture in 2019 and my hand was immobilized -- well, the ring and pinkie fingers -- for eight weeks. I wasn't working with professional trainers on rehab, though, and I am sadly not the genetic freak athlete that Buxton is. I'd imagine he beats my recovery timeline, ha.

Will

2:34

In a 5x5, AL-only Roto league, how does one compare / rank order Y. Petit, G. Whitlock, J. Feyereisen, and J. Staumont? One has to go (2 are active and two are on reserves) because I am working a (different) trade that will land me L. Hendriks.

Steve Adams

2:37

It depends on the roster structure a bit. Do you have SP/RP spots or is it just all general P spots? Whitlock is nice in leagues that distinguish SP/RP, because he has SP eligibility on most sites and is a reliever you can plug into an SP spot every day. (There's always one of your starters who's out)

I'd put Feyereisen at the top of the list, followed by Whitlock in a SP/RP format. If not, I'd go Staumont over him, and Petit at the bottom.

I love Petit, and in real baseball, I'd trust him more than some of these alternatives. But his K's are way down in 2021, which makes me question his ability to sustain the 3.09 ERA. I'm also a habitual K chaser in fantasy.

2:38

SP/RP format: Feyereisen, Whitlock, Staumont (love the K's, command scares me), Petit

Otherwise I might flip Staumont and Whitlock

Joe

2:38

Moving to the Bay Area. Mostly an AL/White Sox fan, but enjoy good baseball, and somewhat rooting for the Padres (Tatis). Where should the first game I see be? SDP@SF or CHW@OAK?

Steve Adams

2:40

I have not been to the Coliseum to see a game. Oracle -- I still have such a hard time not saying AT&T -- is one of my favorite parks I've watched a game at, though. Sit upper tank, as far down the RF line as you can. My then-girlfriend and now-wife and I did that many years ago; we had the last two seats in the row, closest to the bay, upper deck down the first base line. It's a cool feeling to be sitting right on top of the ocean and also watching the game.

Jed Hoyer

2:40

What do I do?

Steve Adams

2:41

I think the Cubs will trade Bryant, Kimbrel, Davis and Chafin. Less convinced Rizzo and Baez will go. Javy seems likelier of the two to move, just because I think there'd be more demand and his contract is lighter.

Yanks fan since 66

2:41

Gleybor Torres, Luis Cessa, and Chris Gittens to Rockies for Trevor Story. Who says, no thanks?

Steve Adams

2:42

I know Yankees fans are frustrated with Torres, but I just can't see giving up Gleyber (plus more!) for a two-month Story rental. That'd also put the Yankees over the tax line, which Steinbrenner is so bizarrely against.

Dallas

2:42

Whats one rumor you've heard that you would be shocked if they are actually traded this deadline

Steve Adams

2:44

I was surprised to see Rosenthal say he feels a Buxton deal is "likely" in the absence of an extension (whether this month or in the offseason). To me, trading Buxton is basically the Twins saying they don't think they can be serious contenders in 2022, which is what they should be striving for. Royals and Tigers aren't quite there yet. Cleveland is fading. Sox are monsters, true, but they could lose Lynn and Rodon this winter.

Twins' staff needs a lot of work, but if they keep Berrios and Maeda, that's a decent foundation for the rotation with a couple of offseason additions that are more exciting than Happ and Shoemaker. And they have the money to spend pretty heavily this winter if they choose.

2:46

Cruz will (or should) be traded, and maybe he leaves with the universal DH coming in 2022, but the lineup could still have Buxton, Donaldson, Kirilloff, Larnach, Polanco, Kepler -- it's not a bad-looking group, and you can replace Cruz or Simmons with a decent free agent, add one impact starter and have a pretty good looking club.

Will

2:47

All are Ps, no SP/RP split

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