JotCast | Trade Rumors Front Office Chat

Trade Rumors Front Office Chat

Prev Page View Full Chat

Steve Adams

2:41

I'd imagine they'll all stick at shortstop, though I guess I could see Correa ending up at 3B. They're all talented defenders, though, and the very fact that there are five of them hitting free agency means there are five teams that'll be in need of a starting shortstop. You also have the Twins/Blue Jays/Angels all with shortstops on one-year deals. Giants have Crawford coming off the books.

M's future

2:41

Besides the unfortunate situation with their idiot CEO, the M's are really lining up with a possible great core of players coming up and a lot of spending wiggle room. AL West isn't looking dominant at all with the Angels being maybe a darkhorse as money frees up the following seasons as well. I love Perry but with Arte as the GM to the GM, I feel Dipoto may make some great moves to put Seattle at the top in the next couple seasons.

Steve Adams

2:43

I agree with most of this. A wrote a few weeks ago, before Mather opened his stupid mouth, in an email for Front Office subscribers that I think the Mariners are more or less a sleeping giant in that division. I think Dipoto has done a really nice job building the system. There are some interesting young players in the Majors already (Lewis, Sheffield, White, Crawford), more on the way, and the Mariners have a history of spending at decent levels. They look good.

DMN

2:43

Is there any chance the Twins will resign Odorizzi?

Steve Adams

2:43

I think it's likelier he lands elsewhere, but if he decides he'll sign a one-year deal, it's possible.

Guest

2:43

What kind of season do you foresee Teoscar Hernandez having. Is he going to build on last year's performance and continue to increase power production while making better contact?

Steve Adams

2:47

I was driving the Teoscar Train a few years ago and fell in love with his batted-ball profile. I was trumpeting him to people asking for fantasy advice and thought he was going to be a star-level hitter with lesser defense.

I kind of abandoned ship in 2019, and I regret it now. Should've stuck with my convictions, but I didn't really pay him much mind in any fantasy formats last year and wrote it off as a player I probably misjudged.

He's probably somewhere in between those two extremes -- he'll always strike out too much, and the current lack of discipline kneecaps his OBP ceiling. But he is an exit velocity demigod with huge raw power and I think he can settle in as a 120 wRC+ type of guy (20 percent better than league-average) who gets there more with power than with on-base skills.

Jack

2:48

Am I crazy to think the Giants have created enough pitching depth that as long as they hold their own within the NL West they have a path to the 2nd WC? IF there's a path to the post season approaching the trade deadline ownership will let them add as it's something ownership values highly + the cost of talent at the deadline has never been lower. I wouldn't be surprised if Zaidi flexes some of their financial flexibility then to acquire talent beyond 2021 that via arb raises or on contract might seem an over pay.

Steve Adams

2:50

As I alluded to before -- and wrote in an email column earlier this week -- I really like what the Giants have done. That said, I just don't think the collection of arms, as intriguing as it is, will stay healthy enough. Wood, DeSclafani, Sanchez, etc. -- they're all talented and could give some strong performances, but you can't really count on even 100 IP from any of them.

I also think the NL East is so deep that it'll be tough for the Giants to beat out the second-place team in that division, even if they get to beat up on the Rockies 18 times. I think 2022 is likelier for them to get back into the playoff picture. I expect this to be a big year for them, development-wise, and I expect them to spend some significant cash next winter.

john whelan

2:51

Can Houston actually plan to start the season with Miles Straw in Center Field?

Steve Adams

2:54

I am absolutely befuddled with their outfield mix right now. Tim Dierkes and I talked about this quite a bit just yesterday or the day before. I just don't see any good reason that they haven't added a CF -- or ANY other OF, with Tucker moving to center -- unless Jim Crane has just reached his spending limit.

I saw the Ken Rosenthal bit saying they don't want to cross the tax line because doing so would drop any QO-related comp picks they get in 2022 from the late 70s (post-Comp Balance Rd B) to the 130s (post-fourth-round).

Maybe that's the message they want to put out, but it seems like BS to me. They have one clear QO guy (Correa) and one possible guy (McCullers). Greinke has already had a QO, so he can't get a second. Verlander would probably accept if given one.

2:55

To say they're not going to add a CF (JBJ) in 2021 because they don't want 1-2 theoretical 2022 picks to drop 60 spots is insane.

Not saying Ken is insane -- I'm sure that's what has been communicated to him. But the logic behind it (or lack thereof) is insane.

2:56

It also does nothing to explain why they didn't just sign AN outfielder, even if it's Kevin Pillar or something. The only thing that makes sense, to me, is they hit their spending limit and are going to try to piece it together or hope they can pull someone interesting away later in camp as rosters crunch.

Rob

2:57

What are the odds JBJ signs with the Brewers who then trade Cain (hopefully to the Mets)

Steve Adams

3:00

I can see feeling better about JBJ moving forward than about Cain, but I don't think that series of events would come together. The Mets have already added two right-handed-hitting center fielders for not-insignificant money.

And really, if they were willing to pay anything close to the $35MM still owed to Cain, they'd just have signed Bradley themselves by now. That 35, plus Pillar's guarantee and Almora's guarantee, would probably be enough to get JBJ done.

It doesn't really add up. I don't think Bradley goes to Milwaukee unless it becomes a Grandal situation where he'll take a year at a premium AAV. Even then, the Brewers would probably feel like they needed to trade Avi Garcia first, and that's no easy feat.

Nick

3:01

Does Tyler Clippard have the record for being on the most teams since 2014? 15 job changes (some repeats) seems excessive in 8 seasons

Steve Adams

3:02

By my count, both Clippard and Edwin Jackson have been on nine different teams since Opening Day 2015. I get it with E-Jax, but it's kind of crazy to me with Clippard considering that he's a pretty consistently useful reliever. Jackson has been more of a depth guy you bring in to make a few starts when your team is banged up for awhile. He's also apparently so wildly likeable that clubs just want him in the locker room and around their younger guys.

Michael

3:03

Reds send Moose, Aquino , and cash to Nats for Kieboom and prospect? This seems like a deal that would work for both teams! Should I call both GMs and give the details?

Steve Adams

3:04

Moose, Aquino and cash wouldn't even get Kieboom by himself -- let alone with another prospect. The Reds have made it pretty clear they don't think Aquino can be an everyday outfielder by signing Castellanos/Akiyama and moving Senzel to the OF. That Moustakas contract was a major surprise that most around the game saw as an overpay at the time, and it doesn't look better now.

Lilly

3:05

D. Price sat out last year because of Covid.Will he get a WS ring?

Steve Adams

3:06

Hmm. I actually am not sure on that. I would imagine so, as declining to give him one would sort of be punishing him for saying he'd rather prioritize his family's health/safety.

DMN

3:06

Is Mize a #1 starter?

Steve Adams

3:08

He has that upside, for sure, but as with any pitching prospect, that's like a 90th-percentile outcome and there's a broad range of other potential outcomes. I'm still a Mize believer even with some struggles in 2020.

3:09

Alright, I have to wrap this up for the week. Thank you so much for chatting and for supporting MLBTR. I'm on Twitter @Adams_Steve, and Connor will host another subscriber chat next Friday at 2pm CT. In the meantime, Mark will have a free chat this weekend and I'll have a free one on the site this coming Tuesday.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

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