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Trade Rumors Front Office Chat

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Anthony Franco

2:16

Yeah I don't love Boston as a fit for Báez. I'd rather keep the long-term flexibility to try to work out an extension with Bogaerts -- who I just think is significantly better than Báez -- and go with a stopgap option at the other middle infield spot while waiting for one of Nick Yorke or Jeter Downs

2:17

I don't expect them to move Boagerts off short this season, certainly not to first.

Levi

2:17

Crazy anti tanking idea: MLB implements a losers bracket at the end of the year for all the teams that missed the playoffs. They play and the winner gets the first pick in the next draft

Anthony Franco

2:17

Ha, the players on bad teams would absolutely hate this

2:18

They don't care about draft position

I would just change the draft order so that the best non-playoff team (Blue Jays this year) picks first

2:19

Second-best non-playoff team picks second and so on down to the Orioles at 20. Then go with worst playoff team at 21

Sandy G

2:19

Kris Bryant sure seems to be a good fit for the Mets (and several other teams) rather than bringing back Baez. Their price tags would also seem to be similar. He's the first position player I would go after. Do you agree?

Anthony Franco

2:19

Yep, I had the Mets as my pick for Bryant on the Top 50 in fact

2:20

Can fill in the corner outfield as a Conforto replacement or can play third if Eppler doesn't like J.D. Davis' defense and tries to trade him

Bo’s a s’go

2:20

Most likely to happen in 2022: A. Houck joins the rotation, B. Whitlock joins the rotation, C. Both join, D. neither join. I keep hearing both, but I think Whitlock is too good in the pen.

Anthony Franco

2:20

I think the most likely option is just Houck, yeah

2:21

As you said, Whitlock was so good in the 'pen that I'd probably just leave him there. No reason for Chaim Bloom to rule it out entirely publicly, but I think they should look for a reliable mid-rotation starter in free agency or trade and keep Whitlock as a late-game stopper

mmddyyyy

2:21

With all the injuries this year, did more players get service time this year than ever before?

Anthony Franco

2:21

I have no idea how to look this up, but it seems like a plausible hypothesis, sure

2:22

Guys still get service time while they're on the MLB injured list, and the players called up to replace them also get service time. So I'd guess you're probably right

soto shuffle

2:22

The Nats have shown they spend consistently to a budget just below (or even above) the luxury tax threshold. Although they are "re-tooling" why wouldn't they continue to spend to a similar budget?

Anthony Franco

2:22

I don't think they'll spend to that level. Ownership groups don't love throwing money at teams they don't think have a chance to win

2:23

But I think they'll spend more than most people are expecting to try to put some foundational pieces into place for 2023

Bruce

2:23

Is there a realistic scenario under which the Phillies can trade Gregorio's?

Anthony Franco

2:24

Not for value, but I'm sure they'll kick around underwater contract swaps with other teams

2:25

Maybe something involving Didi and Justin Upton? Angels would have to pay down a good portion of the difference. (Upton's making $28MM, Didi a bit under $15M)

But I think Gregorius fits better in Anaheim than he does in Philly, and vice versa for Upton

Bob

2:26

What's up w/ Riley beating TON in the MVP voting? TON put up the same or more WAR in 22 fewer games, had an OPS+ and wRC+ 20-30 points higher, and is an elite defender while Riley

Anthony Franco

2:27

This is Tyler O'Neill we're talking about, I'm guessing?

2:28

I think it's an interesting one. Riley had an extra 100 plate appearances, which matters

2:29

I'd probably lean O'Neill personally, but it's a similar question to the Zack Wheeler/Corbin Burnes Cy Young debate

Would you rather have a ton of volume of great performance or a fairly large volume of incredible performance?

Bob

2:29

Please rank the likelihood that the Cardinals sign the following: Scherzer, Stroman, Matz.

Anthony Franco

2:29

Stroman, Matz, Max

Pin Stripes for Reynolds?

2:29

Sounds like that the Pirates are asking for the moon in return for Bryan Reynolds. Any chance the Yankees offer one of their top prospects for Reynolds? If not, who has the best chance of enticing the Pirates into a deal?

Anthony Franco

2:30

I guess the Yankees would have the best chance if I had to handicap a destination, since they have the biggest combination of high-end young talent and desire to upgrade in center field

But I don't expect Pittsburgh to get close to a Reynolds deal ultimately

2:31

Every time his name came up in rumors at the deadline, we got a Pittsburgh beat reporter kind of shooting it down because the Bucs really see Reynolds as a foundational player

Astros fan

2:31

Should the Astros be looking for the replacement for Yuli in this year’s FA class rather than waiting until next year?

Anthony Franco

2:32

I don't really know who that would be though. They're not signing Freddie Freeman, and Yuli's better than Anthony Rizzo or Luke Voit

2:33

Generally speaking, I think it's a good idea to be forward-thinking and always on the lookout for value even if it doesn't fit a conventional box or current "area of need." I just don't see a great fit for the Astros trying that at first base this winter

Luke

2:33

Do you think Josh Lowe is ready to be the Rays starting centerfielder? Do you think that would prompt the Rays to trade Kevin Kiermaier and/or Manuel Margot?

Anthony Franco

2:34

I wouldn't hand him the reins without a veteran safety net in place. Lowe's a great prospect who performed really well in Triple-A overall, but he did strike out in over 26% of his plate appearances there

Sometimes guys like that come up, their strikeout rate ticks up a few percentage points against big league pitching, and they just strike out too often to be effective

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