JotCast | Trade Rumors Front Office Chat: 8/6/20

Trade Rumors Front Office Chat: 8/6/20

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Steve Adams

12:41

But he's signed David Robertson, Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter. Traded for James Pazos and Jose Alvarez. I'm sure there are more I'm blanking on, but this off the top of my head here.

12:42

He's put considerable resources into the 'pen ... I don't think club has seen its bullpen decimated by injury like Philadelphia, though. At one point last year they had what would've been a very good Major League bullpen on the injured list at the same time.

As for who is or will be out there..

12:44

Rental options like Jesse Chavez, Keone Kela (if he returns healthy), Brandon Kintzler, Hector Rondon... any of Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree or Matt Barnes in Boston. Joe Jimenez and Buck Farmer in Detroit.

12:45

Greg Holland, Trevor Rosenthal, Ian Kennedy in KC

And we see every year that there are several relievers on the move that we didn't expect.

Ted

12:45

Looks like the Cubs need to be on the lookout for relief pitching. Is there hot start because they are good or playing bad teams?

Steve Adams

12:48

Agreed -- touched on their bullpen above. As for the hot start -- it can be both, can't it? Their lineup's K% is up, but their overall slash stats are pretty much in line with their output from 2019. Normally the status quo isn't a good thing, but they've been able to maintain their productivity at a time when offense throughout the league has plummeted. Some of that is bad pitching they're facing, sure, but the lineup is also quite good and very deep.

12:49

Cubs hit .252/.331/.452 as a team in 2019, which was a 102 wRC+
They're at .241/.336/.441 in 2020 and that's a whopping 120 wRC+ as a team. It pays to be one of the only clubs whose hitters aren't just completely lost at the plate.

Daniel plainview

12:49

Where do you see Shohei Ohtani in five years? Is he still impacting both sides of the ball?

Steve Adams

12:50

I hope so, but the realistic answer is that even the Angels don't know that. I have to imagine they'll try everything to keep him a two-way player. Maybe if he has one more major arm injury, they look at putting him in a high-leverage relief role? A left fielder/closer would still be pretty damn fun.

The talent on the mound is obviously there, but his arm just hasn't held up.

Mr. Bean

12:51

Would Garcia, Florial, Frazier and another piece or 2 get the yankees Berrios ( I really like that kid)

Steve Adams

12:52

I can't see any scenario where the Twins trade Berrios. I mean ... OK, if the Rays throw Wander Franco and an MLB-ready rotation replacement at them or the Angels say "Hey we're sick of Trout ... give him to you for Berrios straight up" -- then sure, ha. But in terms of scenarios grounded in reality, the Twins aren't moving their most consistent starter when they've finally established themselves as perennial contenders again

12:53

(Thanks in large part to Berrios)

Matt

12:53

How do you think teams will handle being in the playoff picture due to expanded playoffs? Will there be less movement at the deadline as there is less bottom teams?

Steve Adams

12:56

I think trades will be diminished a bit just because of the concern regarding a scenario where you trade a prospect or two in exchange for a proven star, and then the season or playoffs are canceled. That fear will exist, which is why players controlled beyond 2020 will be so much more coveted.

As for expanded playoff field, be it now or in the future, I think it'll just change the nature of trades we see. We've moved away from the strict "you're either a buyer or seller" categorization in recent years anyway. There'd just be more mid-range teams creatively looking to shift expiring assets for those with a bit more control -- that sort of thing.

Mariner Fan Wayne

12:56

Do you see the Mariners being competitive at all in 2021? I'm thinking 2022/23.

Steve Adams

12:58

It'll depend on how some of their pitchers look this season. If they get steps forward out of Kikuchi, Sheffield and/or Dunn (maybe Swanson, too?) -- I'll like their chances a lot more. They have lots of intriguing young bats already in the Majors or not far off (Kelenic, Rodriguez most notably). The pitching needs to come through.

I think next year is possible if they get two arms to join Gonzales as reliable pieces and see a couple of relievers step up. And I'd say it's a disappointment and possibly a regime change if they're not competitive by 2022.

A’s fan

12:58

Is Khris Davis tradeable? For a similar over-priced vet, like Shin-Soo Cho?

Steve Adams

1:01

Not with the way he's playing. Choo was productive in 2019 and has at least drawn walks and hit for some power so far in 2020. Plus his contract is up at season's end. The Rangers would only be saving a small amount of money in 2020 with Davis' prorated salary over Choo, and they'd be on the hook for another $16.5MM in 2021 to Davis. They're taking on money for the less-productive player there.

Sean Manaea = Jamie Moyer

1:01

Manaea barely scratches 90-mph this year. Is his Shoulder permanently damaged goods?

Steve Adams

1:02

Manaea averaged 90.5 mph on his fastball in 2018 when he had 160 2/3 IP of 3.59 ERA ball and is averaging 89.9 mph right now. The velocity isn't a problem.

A .375 BABIP and a 33% strand rate, though, are major problems.

1:04

But with a 12-to-1 K/BB ratio and a 50% ground-ball rate, I think Manaea is fine. He's had three bad starts, but that happens. In terms of FIP, xFIP, SIERA, etc. -- he's right in line with where he was last year ... just on the opposite end of the luck pendulum. He's not as good as he was last September and not as bad as he's been in 2020.

Céspedes little brother

1:05

Any status updates on Yoelquis or Oscar Luis Colas ? Are they eligible to Sign now or have to wait until January ?

Steve Adams

1:08

I have not seen that Colas has been formally released in Japan, but I haven't been checking for updates. I'll look into him.

Yoelkis Cespedes was eligible to sign back in March, but he was subject to the standing 2019-20 bonus pools at that point. Most clubs had already spent all (or nearly all) of their allotments at that point. As far as I know, that's still the situation he's in, since the 2020-21 international class kickoff was pushed to January.

He probably wouldn't get many developmental reps at this point anyway -- if any at all -- so it seems like it's in his best interest to just wait until January when he can get a larger bonus, head to Spring Training with a team, and begin the year on a more conventional minor league assignment.

Obviously that's a hopeful outlook that we'll be back to more normalcy by next spring.

Matt

1:09

Do you think JD Martinez will opt in or Sox trade him?

Steve Adams

1:10

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Sox market him. I think there's a real good chance he opts out this winter anyway. He "only" has two years and $39.75MM on the contract after this year. The DH will almost certainly be in the NL next year. He can top that heading into his age-33 season.

1:12

Ok. I have to wrap this up for the week. We might be rotating Jeff, me, Connor and even Tim through some of these subscriber chats, so not sure it'll be me next week. If not, I'm looking forward to the next one! Thanks for all the questions, and thanks of course for supporting Trade Rumors. We really, truly appreciate it. You can always send me other questions on Twitter: @Adams_Steve.

Take care and have a great weekend, everyone.

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