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Trade Rumors Front Office Chat

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Steve Adams

2:01

Greetings all -- thanks, as always, for joining. Let's get this rolling

Tony

2:01

What’s your best guess for Lindor’s destination?

Steve Adams

2:03

All anyone has right now is guesses, but I think the Mets are in good position between having the money to take on his salary, young shortstops (Andres Gimenez and, to a lesser extent, Amed Rosario) to send back as an immediate replacement in addition to the means to sign Lindor long term.

William

2:03

Would Trammell, Dunn and a throw in be enough for the Mariners to get Snell?

Steve Adams

2:04

I don't think there's any way the Mariners are getting Snell from the Rays without including Jarred Kelenic or Julio Rodriguez as the headliner. And it'd be one of Kelenic/Rodriguez PLUS other pieces (Dunn possibly among them, sure)

Daniel

2:05

Lance Lynn and Rafael Montero for Jhoan Duran and Brent Rooker. Who says no?

Steve Adams

2:06

I doubt the Twins would trade Duran alone for Lynn, and adding Rooker+Montero to balance it out doesn't work.

I know the Twins have at times been linked to reacquiring Lynn, but that'd be a tough sell for the fanbase in Minnesota. I don't like the fit much and don't think they'd pay a significant price to do so. I feel like if Texas trades Lynn to Minnesota, it'll be because the Twins deem the price low enough that it pisses off Rangers fans, ha.

Broadly speaking, I don't think it'll happen.

Larry

2:07

Choose 2 out of 3 for the Mets — Bauer, Realmuto and Springer.

Steve Adams

2:07

Can I choose "only Springer" or "only Bauer"? Because I don't think they'll sign two of the three.

MrRBI

2:08

What will the Astro's outfield look like in 2021? Any chance to bring back Brantley?

Steve Adams

2:09

There's a chance they bring back Brantley, sure, but I wonder whether they'll outbid the field for him knowing they'd have to play him in LF full time. Brantley was healthy for most of his Astros run but has a pretty long injury history and is entering his mid-30s. He seems like a better fit on a club with DH at-bats available, and any offer to him from Houston should be discounted for that reality. I would expect others to bid more heavily.

BDS

2:10

Phillies send Hoskins, Stott, and Morales to Rays for Snell? Does this work for either team or borh?

Steve Adams

2:11

Hoskins is already into his arbitration years and going to earn upwards of $5MM in 2021. If he keeps hitting like he did in 2020, he's barely going to cost less than Snell over these next three years, and if not, then the Rays gave up an ace-level pitcher for a package headlined by underperforming first baseman.

That scenario works for the Phillies, of course, but it doesn't work at all for the Rays.

Ted

2:12

Are you surprised the Royals non-tendered Franco? Gutierrez is frequently hurt and not very good when he isn’t, so they don’t really have anyone to play third base. Do they give Witt, Jr. a crack at it?

Steve Adams

2:14

I was surprised only because after the season, Royals GM Dayton Moore specifically name-checked Franco as a bright spot in 2020 and talked about how pleased he was with the manner in which Franco lengthened the lineup.

I would wager that they talk to him about a lower-priced deal and, if he's not signed, they go outside the organization. There's no way they give Witt the job next year, even late in the season. He's 20 years old, didn't get a minor league season in 2020 and hasn't even played in A-ball yet.

sgrossman

2:15

The Lerner's may be among MLB's wealthiest owners, but their fortune is built on shopping malls and commercial real estate. To say the least, neither had a good year. Any indication whether the team will still be willing to spend up to the soft luxury tax level? If so, with so many needs, where do you think they will make their splash?

Steve Adams

2:18

I think it depends who you ask. You've got some of their beat writers harshly denouncing the notion that they'll spend at all (Britt Ghiroli from The Athletic has suggested very strongly they will not spend) and others a little more open to it.

I know MLB.com keeps connecting the Nats to Realmuto and we mentioned the on-paper fit there, but I don't see it. I probably didn't help matters by listing them as a logical fit for Arenado, but again, that exercise was more to identify potential suitors to eliminate surprises when rumors pop up -- not to say "This is how Nats ownership is thinking at the moment."

In general, with Scherzer off the books post-2021, I think the Nats have some room to creatively spend, but I wouldn't expect them to sign one of the market's top free agents. Could I see them, say, signing a fourth starter at like two years and $16MM, picking up Eddie Rosario for like $7MM and adding a cheap catcher to pair with Gomes (say, Jason Castro)? Sure.

BDS

2:18

Given recent rumor that Mets are focused on McCann rather than Realmuto, is this a sign Mets spending is more limited than NY media and fans hoped?

Steve Adams

2:19

Not really; it's more a sign that they prefer Springer to Realmuto as their big-ticket item but still recognize a need to upgrade behind the dish.

Jeremy

2:19

If you are the Jays, are the Phillies eating part of Seguras salary in order for you take him? Or is the return for him virtually nothing?

Steve Adams

2:20

Both? Segura is a fine player, but when you've got Kolten Wong, Cesar Hernandez, Tommy La Stella and others out there offering comparable value at what should be far less than two years and $29.5MM, there's no sense giving up any meaningful prospects even if the Phils pay Segura down to, say, $10MM per year.

OregonDonor

2:21

Do the Padres re-up either Yates or Rosenthal?

Steve Adams

2:21

I'd say Yates is likelier just because he'll be more affordable. I think Rosenthal could easily be in Trevor May territory or higher for his contract. Yates seems like a one-year guy. And the loss of Clevinger now means the Padres will probably need to be more aggressive on the rotation front than they'd hoped.

Darrell

2:22

Who do you see patrolling the outfield for the Red Sox this year? Benentendi, Verdugo and Springer? Or Rosario?? Thoughts?

Steve Adams

2:25

I don't think the Red Sox will spend to the level it requires to get Springer, and a Benintendi-Verdugo-Rosario outfield sounds like it'd be quite rough from a defensive standpoint. In general, I like the Red Sox spending more on pitching and less on the outfield; Rosario isn't crazy if they can live with that defensive alignment. Adam Duvall or Joc Pederson seem reasonably plausible, too. David Dahl and Hunter Renfroe as well, if they want a potentially controllable piece.

Mike d

2:26

If you were a pitcher struggling to find your form (Kluber, wacha,etc) wouldn’t you be wise to sign with Reds? Johnson and Boddy seem to know how to maximize and retool pitchers.

Steve Adams

2:29

I think they have their failures just like anyone else. Wade Miley didn't pitch well this season before getting hurt. Anthony DeSclafani pitched quite poorly. The bullpen, in general, was lackluster. Even Bauer pitched terribly there in 2019 before righting the ship in 2020. And the Reds just lost a key pitching voice in Caleb Cotham.

I think in general Derek Johnson and Kyle Boddy have good reputations, but not sure they'd be able to demonstrably say "Look how good these guys make everyone."

Taking a step back, I think the notion that any individual pitching coach is solely responsible for turning a pitcher around is very much a thing of the past.

2:30

It was probably always not as true as many made it out to be when heaping praise on the Ray Searages and Don Coopers of the world, but it's exponentially more a group process now in an era where analytics departments are increasingly influential on in-game processes.

Paw Paw

2:30

Why can.t MLB give us an answer on the Dh in the NL?

Steve Adams

2:31

Nothing encapsulates the tension between MLB and the MLBPA better than the fact that they can't even agree to this one thing that both parties want.

They're still negotiating on that front, both trying to use it as a means of getting the other side to concede something else down the road.

Guest

2:31

In MLB-related free agency news, Len Kaspar is switching from the Cubs TV booth to the White Sox Radio booth (of his own free will), taking the slot formerly occupied by the late Ed Farmer. Any bets on who replaces him? (And, anyone else excited to have a very good announcer actually choose Radio over TV? )

Steve Adams

2:31

I have no clue, but Len Kasper's a great addition for ChiSox fans and a big loss for Cubs fans.

Luke

2:32

Have you heard anything about the Rays trying to trade Kevin Kiermaier?

Steve Adams

2:34

No, although it's always a safe bet that they'll at least listen to offers on anyone on the roster who is making actual money. I don't say that as a snarky jab at the Rays -- that's just reality. I'll be surprised if Kiermaier's name isn't being discussed with other teams in some capacity, and I won't at all be surprised if he's traded.

I don't want to characterize it as likely or anything, but the Rays talk about these types of moves every winter. We should all just expect that to be the case each offseason.

A's

2:35

Are teams with generally bad attendance weirdly less impacted right now? Seems like the a's/rays of the world may be more equipped to deal with this market

Steve Adams

2:35

Those teams also lost out on revenue sharing money in 2020, though, because the big-market clubs didn't share revenue during the pandemic season (all 30 owners agreed to this)

And those teams' TV deals are generally far less lucrative.

McCann Dominoe

2:36

Do you see the Mets potential signing of McCann creating a flurry of activity for the teams that miss out going after JT Realmuto? Any other dominoes? JT must be loving that McCann can set a new floor for his discussions. Do you see that as speeding up Realmuto's decision if teams get aggressive after missing out?

Steve Adams

2:36

I don't think anyone's going to say "We missed out on James McCann at like $10MM per year, so we'd better go sign Realmuto for 2.5x that amount and for another year or two longer"

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