You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Trade Rumors Front Office Chat With Anthony Franco
powered byJotCast
View Full Chat Next Page
Anthony Franco
1:59
Hey everyone, hope you all had a good week!
2:00
We've got a lot in the queue, so let's get into it
Arise, Sir Loin of Beef
2:00
Is there a problem with the balls like Chris Bassitt claims, or is it the lack of emphasis on pitching over velocity?
Anthony Franco
2:02
I don't think these are mutually exclusive. I'm sure pitchers would have an easier time controlling the ball if they went back to de-emphasizing stuff, but that's not going to happen. The league has paid lip-service to having a pre-tacked ball and other leagues have done that, so I think that's a necessity
Giants fan
2:02
Who says no? Mike Yastrzemski to the Blue Jays for Nate Pearson
Anthony Franco
2:03
Hmm, this is actually kind of fascinating. My initial reaction was that the Jays wouldn't do this, but I'm kind of coming around on it being a decent deal for both sides
2:04
I guess a lot depends on how you feel about Pearson. If you think he's still got a chance to be a top-of-the-rotation arm, he's probably too much to give up for Yaz. If you feel the injuries and inconsistent control mean he's a reliever (which is looking more and more likely in my view), then you'd probably prefer Yastrzemski
EddieB
2:04
Who would you rather roster...MJ Melendez or Corbin Carroll?
Anthony Franco
2:05
Carroll, pretty easily
Otahni
2:05
I am in a hitting slump. What do you think
Anthony Franco
2:06
Unconcerned. Pitchers are coming at him in the zone a little bit more, which I think is mostly attributable to the combination of the ball being deader and the cold weather
2:07
It'll be harder to do that once the weather heats up and he starts hitting some missiles. Once they start working out the zone again, his walks should mount and the OBP will come back up. I think he's fine
I love baseball
2:07
I hate the ghost runner in extra innings games and hope the shift is not eliminated
Anthony Franco
2:07
I'm with you but think you're going to be ultimately disappointed with both come 2023
Trevor bauer
2:07
I know you don’t like to talk about me but can I force myself back with the dodgers and really challenge the admistrative   Leave
Anthony Franco
2:08
I don't take the Bauer questions because I really have no idea what the league will do, or if he'd have a strong case on appeal. I don't think there's any value in speculating when I have no more information than anyone else
Angels fan
2:08
We are off to a good start. Do we need to add anything new
Anthony Franco
2:09
I've said a few times I think they'll need middle infield help, still feel that way. They could probably use another middle innings arm, but it'd be closer to the deadline
Definitely off to a good start though
baby shark do-do-do
2:10
The Cardinals are in first place, carried by their starting pitching and the offensive prowess of Kizner, Pujols, Edman and Nolan.  April baseball is FUN
Anthony Franco
2:10
Technically the Brewers are in first place, but I see your point
2:11
The Cardinals are good top-to-bottom though, I think they'll stick with Milwaukee in a pretty tight race all year
Brewers
2:11
Could you see a trade between the Brewers and Yankees centered on Lorenzo Cain for Joey Gallo?
Anthony Franco
2:11
No, I don't think the Yankees have soured on Gallo to that extent
2:12
For as bad as Gallo has been this year, Cain's been much worse. He's also more expensive and less upside
Duffy
2:12
Is Cavan Biggio’s time running out in Toronto?
SteveM
2:12
Santiago Espinal has really impressed  at 2b this season. The loss of Marcus Seimien is hardly noticeable. His fielding has been flawless, really he's made tough plays and throws. Batting wise, while the average isn't impressive his exit velocity when he does get a hit exit velocity can be 106 mph, 50 percent of his hits are hard hits and he gets the barrel of the bat over 10% of the time. Is this guy for real, an aberration or has he made himself into a sustainable above average 2b? He sure is fun to watch, though.
Anthony Franco
2:13
So yeah, I think Espinal has passed Biggio. I don't think they'll move Biggio in-season, but if Espinal keeps the job all year, a Biggio trade next winter makes a lot of sense
2:14
Can Espinal keep it up? I don't buy him being this good. He's hitting the crap out of the ball right now but he's never really done that before. I need another month or so to buy that he's actually got above-average power now
2:15
But even if that regresses, he can defend and he's got excellent bat-to-ball skills. I think he's a soft regular even if he's not this good
RG
2:15
Anthony, if you are the 3-18 Reds, do you hope to recover this year, with Castillo due back soon, or, even with two more years of control over Mahle and Castillo, do you re-load and secure supporting pieces and build around India, Stephenson, Lodolo, and Greene for next season and beyond?
Anthony Franco
2:16
They're not going to blow it up in April or anything, but I think the 2022 Reds are done. At that point, at least one and arguably both of Castillo and Mahle should go at the deadline. Doesn't have to be a rebuild, can do what last year's Twins did and try to quickly reload, but it'd be a waste to burn another half season of control
2:18
I don't think the Reds are anywhere near as bad as they've played and they've been destroyed by injuries, but it's probably already too late. To get to 85 wins this year (which may or may not be enough for a Wild Card), they'd have to win 57.3% of their games from here on out. That's basically a 93-win pace
2:19
I still like the core but this isn't a 93-win roster. They didn't give themselves much margin for error with injuries or immediate struggles for Greene and Lodolo with their past couple offseasons, and that stuff tanked their season almost immediately
Jack
2:19
I guess I'll get flack for this, but I love the ghost runner rule (but want it to start in 12th inning), and I am in favor of eliminating the shift. Basically, I feel baseball does need to change some rules to retain/gain popularity, and these, among others, are changes that are needed. (And I have been a fan for over 60 years, so "tradition", to me, is not sacred.)
Anthony Franco
2:20
I'm cool with the ghost runner in 12 idea. I'd prefer it not at all, but if it goes 12, I think it's fine. Significantly better than 10 IMO
2:21
I'm not wedded to the shift for tradition's sake. I agree with you that the league should be willing to experiment with rules to respond to changes in the way the game is played. It's an entertainment product, and it's the league's job (not the teams') to keep stuff in check when the game's aesthetics are threatened by team behaivor
2:22
I just think banning the shift will have the opposite effect of encouraging more all-or-nothing sluggers who work deep counts and strike out a ton as opposed to getting guys emphasizing contact again. We'll see, I hope I'm wrong
Rick Ankiel’s pants
2:22
What player or team has surprised you the most? (Good or bad)
Anthony Franco
2:23
I think it's too early to answer this for players. It's obviously been disappointing to see the Reds drop this quickly. Expected the White Sox to be better but it's only a month, they've still got plenty of time to turn things around
Connecting…