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Trade Rumors Front Office Chat With Anthony Franco
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Anthony Franco
6:09
I don't know why Tony Watson hasn't been signed yet
6:10
He's almost 37. Maybe he doesn't want to keep playing. But if he does, he should land on his feet
Ragbrai
6:10
How do you seeing Atl OF playing before and after Acura’s return? Is he still on for a mid May return?
Anthony Franco
6:10
Seems like he's on track to be back as a DH by the end of April, late May for an outfield return
6:11
They're just going to roll with Adam Duvall in center field until then, with Heredia on hand for defensive purposes. Not great but should be serviceable
Giants fan
6:11
Can a player be placed on the injured list before opening day (Longoria, LaMonte Wade) and this have less than 15 days to go when opening day comes? Similarly, if a player is recovering from an injury, and playing some games but not ramped up, can they be placed on the IL?
Anthony Franco
6:11
Teams can put a guy on the IL before Opening Day but the clock doesn't start until Opening Day
So for guys like Longoria or Wade, there's no real point
6:12
It's only helpful if you know a guy's going to be out for two-plus months and need a 40-man roster spot. You can toss the injured player on the 60-day
Bill
6:12
When was the last time we saw two Opening Day lineups in the same league as bad as Orioles’ and A’s?
Anthony Franco
6:13
Were last year's Orioles/Pirates any better?
Bill
6:13
Anthony Rizzo now on a rather steep decline or do we toss out ‘20 as aberrational due to shortness of season and ‘21 due to his bout with COVID?
Anthony Franco
6:14
I think he's on the decline but could see a resurgence in 2023 if they ban the shift. He's gotten pretty pull-heavy the last couple years, which is a big reason he has one of the worst BABIPs in the game
What a Relief
6:14
Most of the extra 2 roster spots in April are going to go to pitchers, right?  So 13 position players and 15 pitchers for most teams until May 1st?
Anthony Franco
6:14
Yeah, so much bullpenning. Get excited
Casey
6:14
Most writers were heavily pro player during the lockout. With the new ROY rules allowing a player to potentially earn a full year of service time could writers "punish" Nutting during these awards and make sure Oneil Cruz (r whomever) wins the award? Caveat: not saying this in the event he struggles. More in terms of he gets called up in June and this ends up being what a writer uses as a tiebreaker. Sorry for the poorly worded question.
Anthony Franco
6:16
Yeah, I actually think there'll be some segment of the BBWAA who does this kind of thing. As you said, not if Cruz hits .125 in 30 games. But if he's a viable Rookie of the Year and they're between him and a guy who would get a full year of service either way, I could see that being a tiebreaker for some people
6:17
That's overstepping their authority, in my opinion, and I'm not convinced there'll be a sizable enough percentage of the electorate to actually sway the result. But giving writers the authority to control player service time in the first place is asinine and not something the BBWAA ever asked for
Tigers
6:17
Do you think they use Greene’s injury as an excuse to start him in the minors?
Anthony Franco
6:18
I do not. If he's actually hurt, they'll start him on the minor league IL and get the extra year of service, sure
6:19
But if it's between phantom IL for a service year or playing a healthy Greene on the active roster, I think they'd choose the latter course of action
I take Avila at his word when he says he wants to compete but knows they're not good enough to believe they can coast to a division title while also playing service games with Tork and Greene
Arise, Sir Loin of Beef
6:19
If deGrom is out for an extended periiod, do they use Megill/Peterson or go shopping for a more established option like Manaea?
Anthony Franco
6:20
I think they'll make a renewed push for Manaea, at the very least
Wes
6:20
The future currently looks pretty good for my Rangers, huh?
Anthony Franco
6:20
Yeah trending upwards for sure. Still not going to be very good in 2022, but it's hard not to be excited about the long-term outlook
6:21
Going to need some of the young pitching to continue to development, but between Leiter, Cole Winn and Owen White, it wouldn't surprise me if they get two mid-rotation starters
Bill
6:21
How would your”quantify “ or describe Pollock’s propensity to get injured?
Anthony Franco
6:22
I'm sure teams have medical models to try to project this stuff, but I can't come close to quantifying it personally and mostly don't try
6:24
I think it's easy for fans or media to overrate their ability to project injuries. My inclination is to just bet on talent and treat injuries as mostly random. The truth is somewhere in the middle, and teams themselves should have a more rigorous process than I do, but I have zero confidence in my ability to determine "is this the year Byron Buxton stays healthy"
Shohei
6:24
How would I hit against myself?
Anthony Franco
6:25
Worse than he normally does because he's an excellent pitcher, but he'd still be a really good hitter. Going to strike out a lot but he'd draw a ton of walks and hit for power
6:26
Pitcher Ohtani doesn't have crazy platoon splits because the splitter is such an equalizer, but the hitter version would have a slight platoon edge as well
What a Relief
6:26
Can AJ Pollock play a solid RF?  Is his arm a concern?
Anthony Franco
6:27
I think it's a little light for RF ideally but that arm strength is also not a huge deal for outfielders
6:28
Range is more important, and Pollock should be fine in that department. He's probably a "best" fit for left at this point in his career, but I wouldn't worry about it. He's a better overall player than Adam Engel, which is what really matters
John
6:28
Anthony,  will unvaccinated players be allowed to play in Toronto this year?
Anthony Franco
6:29
Not to start the season, at least. I have no idea if the Canadian government plans to lift that requirement at some point
What a Relief
6:29
One note re IL stints, IIRC for April of this year 10-day ILs will be allowed.  After May 1st, they will be 15 days, but they are allowing a little more leeway for the first few weeks.
Anthony Franco
6:30
Yeah for position players, it stays at 10 all season
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