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Anthony Franco

2:00

Hey, hope everyone had a good week!

2:01

Looking forward to another chat

RAGBRAI

2:01

Does Washington really start the season with Kieboom at third? Is that because there is no better internal options, they really think his bat is still going to come around, or they have bigger needs elsewhere?

Anthony Franco

2:01

I'd guess yes, partially for all three reasons you mentioned

2:03

The farm system's really thin, they're not going to go full rebuild but they can't plug every hole (third, second, first if they non-tender Bell and a good chunk of the pitching staff) this offseason

I think they give Kieboom one last shot next year. If he fails again, you know that he's just not an answer and you prioritize third base help the following offseason

Mariners Fan

2:03

Hi Anthony, thanks for doing these chats. Who do you like to be the second WC in the AL?

Anthony Franco

2:04

Always enjoy the chats!

2:06

I think the Yankees are pretty safe at this point with the first spot. Toronto's a game behind Boston/Seattle so it's an uphill battle there. I guess I still lean slightly towards Boston to actually get it, even though I'd find the Mariners more entertaining so I'm kind of hoping they pull it off

RAGBRAI

2:06

Do the Cards need outfield help? Seems like Carlson and Bader carrying the load just isn’t enough. Other than rotation, that is where they need the most help it seems.

Anthony Franco

2:08

Honestly, I think the outfield's fine. Carlson should continue to get better, and Bader's flawed but not bad as a hitter and a great enough defender I buy him as an everyday center fielder

I think it's a strong collection of position players generally and agree the rotation's the biggest area to target this winter. If I had to pick a spot on the diamond to upgrade, I'd probably lean shortstop

2:09

DeJong has just stopped hitting and I'm still a little skeptical Sosa can continue to be as good as he's been this year

2:10

Not a huge weakness or anything, but I'd at least keep an eye out there while feeling pretty good about an O'Neill-Bader-Carlson outfield

RAGBRAI

2:10

What is the chance of Reynolds getting traded this off-season? Seems like he would net a nice return and not sure Reynolds will still be around when Pirates are ready to contend for a playoff spot.

Anthony Franco

2:10

Doesn't seem likely. Reports indicated they basically made him off limits at the deadline, and at some point, they do need to pick core players to build around

2:11

I feel like a Reynolds extension is more likely than a trade this winter

Lilly

2:11

AA in conversation for GM of the year?

Anthony Franco

2:12

Sure, he'll get some justifiable love. Anthopoulos is a good executive who's done a great job the past couple years

2:13

But ultimately, I think it's Farhan Zaidi's award to lose. Hard to find many people who expected the Giants to even be good, much less a 105-win team. A lot of that team predated him in SF, but guys like Gausman, DeSclafani, Wood, Yastrezmski, Ruf were all fairly recent buy-low pickups by his front office paying huge dividends

Paw Paw

2:13

Harper still MVP after Braves shut him down the last few days?

Anthony Franco

2:14

I'd still consider him the favorite, but I definitely don't think it's any sort of lock. Soto and Tatís should get plenty of love, you've got a few great pitchers in that mix

2:15

I don't know who I'd go with yet, but I might actually pull for Trea Turner? I don't think he'll win because of the midseason trade, but he'd be on the short list at least for me

M's fan

2:15

Looking at the MLB power poll, I continue to be surprised that the Mariners, who now have a better record than Atlanta and Toronto, continue to be ranked lower. All of us on the West Coast believe in the "East Coast bias," but when a team like the Mariners continue to win, win, win, why do you think it is that they appear to be ignored?

Anthony Franco

2:16

Generally speaking, I wouldn't pay much attention to power rankings

2:17

But to answer your actual question, it's because there's more to evaluating teams than just record. I'm sure you're sick of hearing about the run differential, but that kind of thing matters when you're talking about who the "best" teams are

2:18

Now it doesn't matter for the standings ultimately, and we're deep enough into the season that the Mariners absolutely could make the playoffs when teams like Boston and Toronto would not. It's a super fun team, and the fact that they win all their games by one run shouldn't take away from the enjoyment of watching them

2:19

But if you were asking me which of Seattle, Atlanta and Toronto is truly the "best," I'd still have the M's last on that list, both because of things like the run differential and because when you go position-by-position throughout the roster, those other teams are still more talented IMO

sgrossman

2:20

For those of us without play-off teams to follow...its time to start thinking about the hot-stove league. Every GM will have different needs to fill, but all of them face the uncertainty of the CBA. What are some smart strategies to get the players you want without undue risk?

Anthony Franco

2:21

A few days ago, Passan suggested there could be some early extensions for impending free agents. Teams lock up their own guys, players get to avoid the market uncertainty - stuff like the Michael A. Taylor with the Royals

2:22

I could see some of that, but mostly, I'd approach it like a normal offseason. The players themselves don't change. If you think Carlos Correa's the top shortstop on the market and you're in position to spend at that level, then try to get Carlos Correa. I wouldn't let the CBA deter me from that perspective

Guest

2:22

Will the one-game Wild Card be one of the subjects in the upcoming contract negotiations? It seems ridiculous that the reward for a 100-win season is a one and done game.

Anthony Franco

2:23

I do think this is it for the Wild Card game, although not for fairness reasons. MLB seems to really want playoff expansion for the extra games to sell to TV broadcasters, and bumping to 12 or 14 team playoffs would probably kill the Wild Card game

I'd be sad to see it go, personally. I get why you don't like it, but I think the playoffs are mostly about fun rather than settling on a "fair" champion

2:25

The Wild Card games are fun, and I like that its inherent randomness means that the Dodgers and Giants still have to play their asses off every night to try to win the division. If they were both guaranteed a spot in the Division Series, I don't think the NL West battle would be nearly as exciting as it has been

Leroy

2:25

What do you expect Sarling Marte to get on the open market, and what do you foresee the A's doing with all their arbitration eligible players? Who's more likely to be moved Chapman or Olsen, or Mannea or Bassit?

Anthony Franco

2:26

I think Marte's getting the four years he wanted from the Marlins. I'd guess something in the 4/$60MM range? He's older, but otherwise it's hard to really nitpick with the season he's having

2:28

I think the huge arb class pushes the A's to trade a couple of the guys you mentioned. I'd probably guess one of each of Chapman/Olson and Bassitt/Manaea? Olson feels likelier than Chapman to go for me

As for the pitchers, I don't really have a strong feeling either way but ultimately, I'll say they keep Bassitt and trade Manaea

Devin Williams >:(

2:29

Not an actual Brewers fan but I am very frustrated by Devin Williams decision on a logistical scale for the team. Milwaukee isn't exactly a highly offensive team. In terms of runs scored for the top NL postseason teams, they're 4th just about the Cardinals. But they are far closer to St. Louis then they are the Braves, the team above them. That said, do you feel this will be a huge factor if the BrewCrew don't go deep in the playoffs? Having the Hader/Williams two punch combo seems so necessary to secure wins especially since the team can't exactly depend on their offense to produce big results (only about 5 guys on the team with an OPS+ over 100).

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