JotCast | Trade Rumors Front Office Chat With Anthony Franco

Trade Rumors Front Office Chat With Anthony Franco

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Anthony Franco

2:00

Hey everyone, looking forward to another chat!

Hope you're all doing well, let's get into it

Reynold

2:00

If I ran the Rangers, I would not trade ikf, but if they sign a 3B and decided to trade him, who would be the most obvious trade partner(s) and what kind of return could they expect?

Anthony Franco

2:01

I don't know that it's about signing a third baseman so much as projecting Josh Jung to take third base soon

They certainly don't have to move IKF, but I understand why they'd be open to it

2:02

Jays (3B), White Sox (2B), Twins/Yankees (SS) stand out as the best fits to me

Adam

2:02

What are the chances the Twins trade Donaldson either before the season or at the trade deadline?

Anthony Franco

2:02

I'd be really surprised if they move him before the start of the season. Not going to have much time to try that, and they're still hoping to compete

If he's hitting but the team stinks again, he becomes a plausible midseason trade chip though

Haywood Sullivan

2:03

Are you encouraged by the report that there will be multiple bargaining sessions next week, starting early next week? Do you think both players and owners are seeing that the window is closing for the season starting on time and they just really want to avoid that?

Anthony Franco

2:03

I was more encouraged by the ancillary stuff that came with that report -- MLB saying they're open to moving on the CBT, the players saying that the deal probably has to get done in time for a full regular season if they're going to sign off on expanded playoffs this year

2:04

That leads to some cautious optimism they might finally get the ball rolling, but I'm not truly excited about that possibility until we see some actual movement in the proposals

2:05

They can meet every day next week but if neither side is willing to budge on their offers, they might as well just be sitting in their hotels. The content of the proposals they make matters far more than the frequency with which they sit down

George D Madison WI

2:05

Two questions:If the Cardinals were to trade Paul DeJong who might be interested and what might be a reasonable return to expect

Anthony Franco

2:06

It doesn't seem like they want to trade DeJong. Derrick Goold keeps reporting they believe he's going to bounceback and be a quality everyday shortstop

If they did, the Yankees, Angels and Twins would all make a lot of sense, but I think it's greater than 90% that DeJong's just the starting shortstop in STL to open the year

Bob T

2:06

Anthony, now that the Eric Kay trial has ended how will Manfred handle the Angels organization? Will they lose draft choices, what kind of fine should they have to pay? I feel like the Angels’ hierarchy should shoulder a lot of the blame for a lack of institutional control. I have never been a fan of the “billboard salesmen running a baseball team. What say you?

Anthony Franco

2:07

I truly have no idea and don't want to speculate too much because so much of it's going to come down to MLB's internal investigation. Who knew what Kay was doing and when, stuff nobody knows from the outside

2:08

It's an awful situation, and I'd be surprised if the Angels weren't disciplined in some capacity, but we're just going to need more details before we start talking about stripping the org of draft choices and people losing their jobs

Kevin J.

2:09

Does Texas need to trade its glut of infielders for MLB ready pitching or for outfielder help and if so for who ?

Anthony Franco

2:09

Similar question with IKF. Certainly don't think they need to make a deal from the infield. Some of the prospects in the Josh Smith, Justin Fescue, Ezequiel Duran group aren't going to pan out

Other will but can probably get kicked into the corner outfield

George D Madison WI

2:09

Question 2 This time for sure. Is there any discussion of allowing teams to trade draft picks? I think it would enhance player movement

Anthony Franco

2:10

I doubt we get that. I'd like to see it and I don't think there's a compelling reason not to make picks tradable

2:11

But it's a super contentious negotiation between two parties that have much more pressing goals. I doubt the idea of draft pick trading will even really come up, since I can't see either MLB or the MLBPA caring enough about it to advocate for it

Guest

2:11

Does Ha-Seong Kim or Ahmed Rosario make sense for the yankees if they don't want to spend a ton? What would they cost?

Anthony Franco

2:13

Rosario's more valuable. I could see Cleveland moving him, but I think they'd want MLB-ready outfield help and the Yankees don't really match up well there

Moving Gallo for Rosario feels like a sell-low on the Yankees part, but I doubt someone like Estevan Florial moves the needle enough for Cleveland

2:14

Kim would probably just require assuming the majority of the contract. I think he's worth a flier for somebody if the Padres are ready to move on, but it makes more sense for someone like the Orioles or D-Backs (who probably aren't competing this year anyways) than for the Yankees

2:15

Kim was terrible offensively last year. If he's their stopgap, they might still be looking for help at the trade deadline

Brian Cashman

2:15

What would it cost me to get Tyler Mahle or do you think the reds won't trade him

Anthony Franco

2:16

I think the Reds are less likely to move Mahle than either of Castillo or Gray, but I doubt he's completely off the table or anything like that

2:17

But it's going to take a lot. Two affordable seasons of club control via arb. Mahle's got two straight years of #2/3 starter type performance

2:18

The Blue Jays gave up Austin Martin and Simeon Woods-Richardson for a year and a half of José Berríos last year. I think you could make a solid case that Mahle's as good or better, even if he probably doesn't have the same kind of name recognition

From the Yankees perspective, I'd guess Volpe

Sorry, typo

2:19

I'd guess Volpe's off the table*

But anyone else in the system as a headliner -- Oswald Peraza, Jasson Dominguez, etc. -- feels like a reasonable starting point

Joey

2:19

Day 79 of the lockout... I'm running out of baseball questions to ask

Anthony Franco

2:20

Haha coming up with continued original content gets tougher by the week

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