JotCast | Trade Rumors Front Office Chat

Trade Rumors Front Office Chat

Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page

Dallas

2:34

Brad Hand is a Met by the end of the day?

Steve Adams

2:34

Doesn't sound like it. Even Rosenthal walked back his initial report and said things are going to drag out a bit longer. Pretty rare slip by him, but so it goes.

RV1

2:35

No DH in the NL this season!

Steve Adams

2:36

I still think it'll happen, and I believe teams and agents do as well. That's why Cruz hasn't signed, why the market for Ozuna has been crickets. Heck, it's probably a part of why the Mets gave Jose Martinez a 40-man spot and maybe even the Nats' acquisition of Josh Bell.

Ted

2:37

The NL Central is discouraging. Ultra-wealthy owners either purging salaries (Cubs and Reds) or avoiding relatively small expenditures to make their teams better (Cardinals and Brewers). Their fans are some of the most loyal sports, but it appears to be a race to the bottom.

Steve Adams

2:39

Yeah, I wrote about this in an email newsletter thing a couple weeks back. I feel a combination of angry and just exhausted looking at the NL Central. As a baseball fan -- which I somehow still am, despite staring at baseball for like 60-80 hours per week for nearly a decade now, ha -- it just sucks to see the extent to which teams have been disincentivized from getting better.

2:41

One of my favorite suggestions to combat that came from an agent a couple years ago; he proposed that at least for the first round, the draft order start with the No. 1 non-playoff team and descend to the league-worst team (for picks 1-20). Then the playoff teams are added in at 21-30.

We need to start giving owners a reason to actually make an effort. Tanking serves no one but the owners. Teams no longer value marginal wins -- going from 74 to 78 wins is viewed as useless and perhaps even counter-productive, which is ridiculous.

Dallas

2:41

Have you ever shot down a trade idea in a chat only to see it come true later?

Steve Adams

2:41

I am 100% sure I have. I think at some point this winter, in fact, I said the Cubs wouldn't simply straight up salary-dump Yu Darvish. Whoops.

Joe

2:42

Give us a good surprise FA signing.

Steve Adams

2:42

As in one that I think WILL happen? One that SHOULD? One that I/we at MLBTR have previously predicted? ...Let's go all three!

2:45

Surprise signing I think *will* happen: The Twins will add one of the prominent FA shortstops (Semien, Didi, Andrelton)

One that SHOULD happen: The Mariners sign Trevor Bauer. (They're closer than people think, the long-term payroll is immaculate; this won't happen, but it'd be fun and sensible)

Something we've predicted: Jeff Todd was adamant last year that he wanted to put the Twins as our pick for Donaldson. Pretty sure I picked Machado to the Padres in our FA prediction contest -- although I might've just been strongly pushing it during our internal planning chats for our Top 50 rankings.

Whizzer

2:46

Why are there not more players willing to take a francise friendly deal like DJ if it helps the team be more competitive and fits their needs also

Steve Adams

2:47

Most players -- rightly, in my view -- feel that during their best (aka youngest) years, they're paid only a fraction of their open-market value. If you've been underpaid for six to seven years in the Majors (usually seven, because service manipulation), plus another 3-4 years making under $30K in the minors, wouldn't you finally want to get max value on the open market? I would.

2:48

That says, it does happen. Bryce Harper absolutely did it with the Phillies.

2:48

Cain for Familia and Betances? It’s cash neutral for 2021 but Cain has an extra year left on his contract.

Steve Adams

2:49

I saw that suggestion on Twitter yesterday -- can't remember which reporter floated it -- but I don't really think it works for the Brewers. Sure they probably don't want the final year of Cain's deal, but they're not actively trying to make the club worse in 2021, either. If they were trading Hader, Woodruff and others and going full rebuild, then sure, take that deal, but I think Cain will be better than Familia+Betances in '21.

Van Wagenen: Resurrection

2:50

What would it take for the Mets to acquire Byron Buxton?

Steve Adams

2:50

I cannot see a scenario where the Twins trade him.

2:51

At least not a realistic one. I mean, sure, if the Mets said "Hey guys deGrom and Dom Smith for Buck -- we cool?" the Twins would probably think "Uh.. yes?" But in terms of grounded-in-reality scenarios, I don't think Minnesota would move him.

Braves in SC

2:51

I've always been curious exactly how contracts with insurance work. Could you provide some details of this, more in depth? A situation like Hamels in Atlanta in 2020. Would Atlanta get any money back from that contract bc he was limited to 1 start?

Steve Adams

2:52

It varies on a contract-to-contract basis. I don't know what type of insurance, if any, the Braves purchased on that because it was only a one-year deal.

Generally speaking, insurance policies on contracts involve paying the insurer a premium and then being reimbursed if player spends X days on the injured list. The Mets, for instance, got like 75% of David Wright's salary back the final few seasons since he was on the IL for so long.

2:54

But that's just one policy with that specific company. There's no set formula that I know of.

For what it's worth, players take out insurance policies, too. I've had pitchers' agents tell me in the past that it's stupid to sign an extension; the better alternative is to insure the pitcher's arm against a major elbow or shoulder injury/surgery and then go year-to-year hoping to cash in big in free agency.

Atkins Plan B diet

2:54

Now that DJ is off the table (thank God 6 years is too long) is Kris Bryant back to being a viable option? Maybe a surplus midlevel catching and infielder prospect to rent Bryant until Groshens and Martin are ready

Steve Adams

2:56

I don't think the six-year term is all that negative -- not for the Yankees anyway. The Jays were offering much more on a shorter-term deal, but the AAV wasn't far off. The six years is a luxury-tax mechanism, plain and simple. The Yankees got a decent deal there.

To your point, though -- yeah Bryant seems plenty viable for the Jays, assuming the cost of acquisition is rather fungible, as you say. A mid-tier catcher who they don't have high hopes for would work, sure.

Broadly speaking, I think the Jays are looking for longer-term help, but one year of Bryant and a potential QO could dovetail nicely with something like a George Springer or Trevor Bauer signing, sure.

Guest

2:57

what do you see as the biggest Red Sox transaction this offseason?

Steve Adams

2:58

Signing a mid-rotation starter, trading Benintendi and signing/acquiring a mid-tier outfielder. They'll add some bullpen help, too.

Daniel

2:58

Do the Rangers sign another starter, and if so, who?

Steve Adams

3:00

I could see them adding a veteran on a cheap one-year deal or on a non-roster invite to Spring Training. Wouldn't be anyone sexy -- maybe a JA Happ or Mike Fiers or Brett Anderson. Just someone to give them some average-ish innings.

Atkins

3:00

who is a better defender at their position: Wong or JBJ?

Steve Adams

3:01

Wong is broadly considered the best defensive second baseman in the game. The same isn't true of JBJ in center, though he's up there.

3:02

Take this with the requisite grain of salt, but Wong has 40 Defensive Runs Saved in 4000 innings at 2B over the past five years. Bradley has 31 in nearly 5500 innings in CF.

Dallas

3:02

I like how the arbitration deadline was 1PM EST today but it was like a red light - only a suggestion

Steve Adams

3:03

It was the deadline to exchange figures. Nothing stops the teams from continuing to negotiate. Plus, a lot of the deals filtering through right now were agreed upon just minutes prior to the deadline, but the paperwork needed to be processed, agents/teams didn't leak them out right away, etc.

Jeremy

3:03

Jeff Passan, sandwich settle at $6.95.... Is this the biggest offseason move in the history of the MLB?

Steve Adams

3:04

Ab-so-lute-ly

Chief

3:04

Hats off to the the very few teams that are trying to improve this off season. Padres, White Sox, Mets, even the Royals are taking action to make their teams more competitive. Other than the Mets, these owners sustained the same losses last year as the billionaires who are crying poor (Ricketts especially).

Steve Adams

3:05

Not all losses are created equal. Some clubs have larger expenses than others -- beyond pure payroll. Every team's television revenue is different. Some clubs can withstand the loss of revenue sharing better than others, etc.

3:06

But yes, to your general point, Tom Ricketts crying poor makes me want to throw up in my mouth. Good on the teams that remind us all that the goal should be to win games, not turn a slightly better profit

Rangers29

3:06

Your favorite sleeper team right now? Royals?

Connecting…

Message History

On Off

Your current subscriptions

None

E-mail Address	Chat Owner	Status	Remove

Enter your email address to be notified when Steve Adams hosts a chat