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Trade Rumors Front Office Chat With Anthony Franco
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Bill
11:44
If Nelson Cruz keeps cruising leading up to the trade deadline, what kind of return do the Nats get for him if they are out of contention at that point?
Anthony Franco
11:46
Twins got two interesting, high minors pitching prospects from Tampa Bay last summer. Joe Ryan's a back-end Top 100 prospect now. I don't think the Nats would get as much -- Cruz is a year older now and the Rays had a pitching surplus that freed them up to "overpay" -- but something a tier below that feels reasonable
Rangers13
11:46
Who do you believe first starting pitcher for Rangers to lose job will be and who will they be replaced by?
Anthony Franco
11:46
I think Hearn's just going to end back in the bullpen at some point
Bill
11:47
Wouldn’t it make sense for Cleveland to deal Rosario soon and let the plethora of their middle infield prospects just get some major league experience right away?  They are stacked in the upper levels .
Anthony Franco
11:47
Depends on the demand. If they get a strong offer, I'm sure they'd take it. But he's cheap and ok, and they're not trying to punt on 2022. Don't need to force a deal just for the sake of trading
Robert Palma
11:47
Anthony, do you see anyone seeing Michael Conforto before June ?
Anthony Franco
11:47
Yeah I still think he signs before June
11:48
Expect it in the next couple weeks, although I'm surprised it's lasted this long already
Jeremy
11:48
No extentions for Judge, Devers, Boegarts. What does this mean for their futures with their teams after this season?
Anthony Franco
11:48
Devers is around through 2023, and I'm sure Boston will try again next winter
11:49
Judge and Bogaerts will be free agents (Bogaerts is an opt-out lock barring injury or some ridiculous bad season). I'd still take the Yankees over the field on Judge, I think Bogaerts is gone after this season
Matty A
11:49
With David Robertson garnering the first save, how do you see the 9th-inning usage playing out for the Cubs this year?
Anthony Franco
11:49
Robertson and Wick probably splitting opportunities, at least as long as they're both pitching well
Dylan
11:50
How much does an experienced manager improve a team? I.e Melvin over Tingler in San Diego. Masson didn’t really move the needle in Anaheim
Anthony Franco
11:51
I really have no idea. It's a great question but no one seems to have any idea how to quantify it. I think it's meaningful to have a good manager (not necessarily an experienced one) but not as impactful as it is in NFL, NHL or NBA where you're drawing up specific plays
11:52
My guess -- and that's all it is -- is that having a good manager just raises the floor, keeps guys from spiraling as they go through slumps, surrounds them with coaches who are adept at making small tweaks to make guys better
11:53
But how much credit deserves to go to a pitching coach who suggested a repertoire alteration that turns a 4.00 ERA pitcher into a 3.25 guy? The manager hired the pitching coach, the pitcher had to execute the adjustment. It's impossible to parse out since it's all interconnected
Not sure if that's a satisfying answer, sorry
SteveM
11:53
Oakland to Las Vegas seems like a lock, no matter what the city of Oakland proposes. I think the ATHLETICS are planning to move no matter what. The fire sale will alienate the fans, bring down attendance, lower the income so then ownership can have a stronger case to get out of Oakland. Vegas needs it, Oakland wants it.
Anthony Franco
11:53
I have no idea what'll happen there, but I hope they stay. The exodus of the major franchises from Oakland sucks
Deep State
11:54
With some folks predicting another season with more injuries than normal (due to the lockout/shortened Spring Training), which contenders to you think are most vulnerable to having their chances hurt by injuries and which teams are better built to survive losing major pieces of their starting lineups/pitching staffs?
Anthony Franco
11:54
White Sox, Angels (if you count them as a contender), Yankees, Mets all seem like they're a little star-dependent and don't have as much organizational depth
11:55
Brewers in that bucket too
11:56
Rays, Dodgers, Cardinals, Giants feel like teams that'd be more capable of withstanding injuries. Dodgers because they're incredible, the other teams because they spread the production around a little bit
Braves as well
Robert Palma
11:58
Who do you think will win Rookie Of The Year in both leagues ?
Anthony Franco
11:58
Also in the broader preview email. Torkelson and Suzuki, for me
Bill
11:58
Seems like Cleveland is straddling the “win now” and “let’s rebuild” strategies.  Shouldn’t they just do one or the other? What they are doing now is a recipe for long-term mediocrity.  If Bieber gets hurt again, Plesac is bad again, Civale’s #s produce the mediocre results that they actually project, etc., etc., don’t you think they will regret not taking a more directed approach one way or another?
Anthony Franco
11:59
I would've said yes before they got Ramírez to sign another team-friendly extension. That changes the whole calculus for me
12:00
Now you've got an in-prime superstar on an affordable deal for the next few seasons. I don't think you need to take a step back. Should they be more aggressive in free agency? Yeah, but the front office can only do so much if ownership's capping them at $55MM payrolls
So in that case, just kind of do what they've done. Develop and acquire talented young guys to put around Ramírez, build an ok roster and hope everything clicks and you make it into the playoffs
Bones
12:01
Did the Reds find a closer in Santillan?
Anthony Franco
12:01
It's that kind of stuff. I'm still a little wary of the control, but I think the potential's in there for an elite late-game weapon at least
SteveM
12:02
I can't see any weaknesses in the BLUE JAYS roster. No matter what New York or Boston do the Jays are far superior...on paper. Given the closeness the players got last year, moving around and playing outside of Rogers, these young playful JAYS feel like a 100 win team. I have no predictions on the TB because they are always some weird anomaly that works somehow.
Anthony Franco
12:03
They're good but not flawless. It's a mid-tier bullpen, the rotation depth isn't great. I don't think there's as much untapped upside with Kikuchi as they seem to, Stripling and Pearson have question marks
12:04
Those are nitpicks obviously. The position player group is the best in the American League. But I think any of the top four teams in the AL East (the Rays and Yankees, in particular) could give Toronto a real run
In fact, I think the Rays are better actually. Just have more confidence in the arms
Arthur Dent
12:05
Not really a question for Anthony… For what it’s worth, I checked my email account (inbox, junk folder, trash, etc.) and do not believe I received the email with staff predictions as mentioned a couple of times in this chat thread.  Based on some of the other questions, I’m assuming others might be in the same situation.
Anthony Franco
12:05
Hmm, I'll let Tim know. If you drop me your email in here, I'll forward it to you
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