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Trade Rumors Front Office Chat With Anthony Franco
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Anthony Franco
11:00
Hey everyone!
Glad to have baseball back. Have some fun stuff to talk about
I'll be back in two minutes and we'll get going
11:02
Apologies on the slight delay
11:03
Let's get into it
Hahn Ricketts
11:03
I still feel the white Sox have a lot of question marks, especially on the pitching side.  Do they have what it takes to go deeper into the playoffs this year?
Anthony Franco
11:04
Yeah I think they're right there with the top AL contenders. The back of the rotation isn't great, to your point, but that's also not as big a concern in the playoffs where teams leverage their top arms more heavily
Losing Crochet hurts but a Hendriks, Bummer, Graveman trio at the back end should still be one of the best in the league
11:05
Will they get past the ALDS? Who knows, anyone can beat anyone in a five-game series. But I think they're a better team this year than they were last season and one of the clearest division favorites around the league
EddieB
11:05
How do you see Dinelson Lamet used this year?
Anthony Franco
11:05
Multi-inning relief weapon. Two to three frames in high-leverage bursts
Rangers13
11:06
What do you think the over and under is for the Rangers record this year? I am predicting 75-87.
Anthony Franco
11:06
I'd take a slight under on 75 wins. The lineup's much improved but it's still a bottom five pitching staff in my view
Bottom ten, at least
EWitkows
11:07
Caratini and Jackson feel like stop gaps until closer to the trade deadline. Given that Severino is banned from the post season what catchers might be available mid season for the crew to pick up?
Anthony Franco
11:07
I disagree with the premise and think Caratini actually is the #2 guy for the postseason
11:09
But as to your broader point, there should be some decent catchers available midseason. Willson Contreras jumps out, Pirates would trade Roberto Pérez if he's hitting at all. There are a few impending free agents on hopeful contenders (Gary Sánchez, Mike Zunino, Christian Vázquez)
All those teams are making an earnest run but if they disappoint this year, no reason not to listen on those guys. Some chance the D-Backs move Carson Kelly if they're bad again and decide a multi-year reset is necessary too
SteveM
11:10
Hey Anthony, thanks for the chat. It feels like the TWINS won that trade with the PADRES. Seems like Pagan is ready to use in the late innings. Baldelli was going to use closer by committee anyway. (a RAYS thing). Rogers is coming off an injury but if he performs like he has the past few years he is exactly what San Diego needed. Maybe Wes Johnson can do some magic with Paddack or maybe a fresh start in a division that isn't full of Dodgers and Giants. Minnesota's pitching staff and bullpen have under gone a massive re-tooling. Thoughts and some metrics to this trade?
Anthony Franco
11:11
I prefer the Twins side of it as well, although it was pretty clear that the Padres had just soured on Paddack and preemptively bumped him from the rotation
11:12
I really think it comes down to how you feel about him. It's three years of affordable control, and if you think he's a capable back or mid-rotation arm, it's much more valuable than one year of Taylor Rogers and a flier on Brent Rooker. But if you think he's truly a 5.00 ERA guy now because his curveball stinks and he gives up a bunch of homers, that control isn't particularly valuable
11:13
I lean more towards the former group and like the move for Minnesota (although, as I said, I don't hate it for SD because they got a good reliever and some corner outfield depth for a guy they'd bumped out of the rotation), but I get why Paddack's a divisive player and a bunch of Padres fans just think he's bad
Judge
11:13
Does he sign an extension?
Anthony Franco
11:14
Ha, now this one I feel I can really answer with confidence
(Question was submitted at 9:00 am)
I'll use it to give my opinion on the offer the Yankees made though
11:15
I think it's a perfectly solid offer, assuming Cashman was being earnest about 7/213 and there's no deferrals (which would reduce its present value). That's well above Marcus Semien money, but it's a bit under Anthony Rendon at 7/245
11:16
Rendon's first two seasons with the Angels have been disappointing and I think Judge is the better bet now. But at the time, I'd have taken a post-2019 Rendon over current Judge. Better defensive profile as a third baseman, comparatively valuable hitters (albeit much different stylistically) and he really hadn't missed much time over his final three years in Washington
11:18
Judge has already made a lot of money and is perfectly within his right to bet on himself, but I think the Yankees made a good offer and would guess it's more likely his free agent deal ends up below 213 than above it
Bill
11:18
Be honest, how many of the relievers now on the A’s roster had you never heard of before this week?
Anthony Franco
11:19
Ha, let me look up who's in their season-opening bullpen
Lou Trivino, Domingo Acevedo, A.J. Puk, Dany Jimenez, Kirby Snead, Justin Grimm, Sam Moll, Zach Jackson, Jacob Lemoine and Adam Oller
11:21
Jackson and Lemoine -- the two guys they selected yesterday to make their big league debuts -- I'd never heard of. I knew of the rest of them (although Oller not before the Chris Bassitt trade) but couldn't tell you much about any of them except Trivino, Grimm and Puk
Arthur Dent
11:21
Based on the post lock out moves and what we saw in spring training, what teams are you currently picking to make it to the post season?
Anthony Franco
11:21
We sent out staff predictions with all the postseason teams/awards stuff yesterday. It should be in your inbox
11:22
So I'd check that for more detail, but I've got TB, CWS, HOU, TOR, NYY, MIN, ATL, MIL, LAD, STL, PHI, SF
Really going out on a limb there
sgrossman
11:22
How do fans stay enthusiastic when their team is in the midst of a long and uncertain rebuild? In DC, we had such years after the team moved from Montreal and then a glorious (sometimes frustrating) decade of relevance and a WS win. We are all hoping for a short rebuild, but it certainly would help to understand how other fanbases do it when their team  isn't good.
Anthony Franco
11:24
Honestly, I don't know how Orioles or Pirates fans can put up with what they have the past couple seasons. I'm sure it's exciting once the top prospects start matriculating and following the minor leagues probably becomes more fun, but I'd hate to watch 150 O's games this year
11:25
I'm a Raiders and Hurricanes fan in other sports. Both those teams were bad for a long time, but the Raiders never intended to be so I could enter each season with a glimmer of hope they quickly dashed. I just checked out on the Canes for like 8 years until they got good again
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