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Trade Rumors Front Office MLB Chat With Steve Adams
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Steve Adams
2:36
Could add Oscar Colas in there too, but his agency (assuming that's where the nonsense started) did him a disservice with the outrageous "Cuban Ohtani" moniker based on a guy who pitched three professional innings in Japan. Expectations for him were so high that I feel like it put pressure on the Sox to rush him, even though there were obvious glaring plate discipline/approach concerns in his profile.
CHIP
2:37
Have you ever seen so many terrible balls and strike calls as we  have seen in the first few games to start the season ? Something has to be done to hold these umpires accountable.
Steve Adams
2:38
The games I've caught so far haven't been egregious. I don't know that there's any data to show the calls have been worse this year than early in the '23 season, but the ball/strike calls are a constant source of frustration anyway.

With MLB experimenting with various alternatives in the minors, I think we'll eventually see a challenge system -- if not a full-on automated system at some point.
Dave
2:38
Do you see LAD making any moves prior to trade deadline?
Steve Adams
2:39
Would be surprising if they didn't, but predicting it this far out is kind of a fool's errand... it's going to be so dependent on injuries that we have no way of forecasting right now. But they have the farm system to get just about anyone, and an aggressive front office that isn't afraid to make big moves.
2:41
I think the Will Smith extension is also interesting in that it opens up the possibility of moving a catching prospect like Dalton Rushing or Diego Cartaya. The latter's stock is down, but he still has trade value -- and Rushing could headline a trade for a pretty notable player.

Maybe the Dodgers will just come up with an arrangement where Smith and Rushing split time, but with Ohtani locked in at DH and Freeman at 1B, there's nowhere else to really put them other than behind the plate. Dealing Cartaya and/or Rushing at some point in the next few years seems pretty realistic.
Scrubs
2:41
Both Richie Palacios (TB) and Nick Loftin (KC) were supposed to get somewhat regular playing time off the bench. I realize the season is young, but will either be with their teams come July?
Steve Adams
2:44
Again, it's just so dependent on health. I wouldn't fret over the allocation of playing time through less than a week's worth of games, but they're both in decently crowded spots. I think Loftin has a tougher path to regular playing time with Massey on the mend and with Adam Frazier in the mix at second base as well.

Palacios has more of an avenue to playing time with his experience at all three OF slots, to say nothing of Tampa Bay's penchant for off-the-wall lineups and defensive arrangements.
Rodon Right On!
2:44
So the Yanks et al. are scouting the next big Japanese thing Roki Sasaki.  Now, if he comes over before he is 25, he is limited in what clubs can initially pay him as a minor league contract with international bonus pool limits.  Right?  But can a club sign him to an extension early on if he is killing it like clubs do with other young players once he's actually been on a MLB roster for a year or two?  TY.
Steve Adams
2:46
Darragh and I talked about this on the podcast yesterday, so give that a listen.

But in general, the undefined rule is that the teams can't brazenly circumvent the international system in that regard. Signing Sasaki for a $4.4MM bonus or whatever in December and extending him for 10 years and $300MM in March won't pass the sniff test. I think any team would probably need to wait a couple years before making that type of move if they want to avoid the ire of the commissioner's office.
2:47
There was a lot of talk about this after the Angels originally signed Shohei Ohtani
He also came over before he was old enough to be deemed a "professional" under MLB terms and thus had to sign for "only" a minor league deal with a small signing bonus.
Here's what Tim Dierkes wrote on a possible Ohtani extension at the time:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/11/shohei-ohtani-contract.html
2:48
Sasaki will be his own situation, but the broad strokes generally still ring true
riegs
2:48
Do you think the Giants did enough this offseason to be taken seriously as a wild card team?
Steve Adams
2:51
I was pretty critical of the Giants in early March. They've since signed Chapman and Snell, which gives their offseason a much different tenor. I think they're on the cusp, but the rotation is still just so shaky looking after Webb and Snell. Great as that one-two punch may be, and high as Kyle Harrison's ceiling is, they need a lot to go right.

They've gotten some breaks already, with Alex Cobb ahead of schedule in his return from hip surgery. But they've also had some injuries pop up, and the Giants' depth just isn't up to par, I don't think. I'm confounded by a team with such a clear innings shortage signing one of the game's most dynamic but injury-prone relievers and trying to stretch him out to 120-plus innings when he's never even thrown 80 in a season. I love Jordan Hicks' arm, but that move is the kind of move I think San Francisco should've made if they had a locked-in top four and ample depth to step in if the Hicks thing blew up in their face.
Instead, he's a focal part of the rotation, which has serious potential to blow up in their face.
2:52
I think they can challenge for a wild card spot if they have really good fortune in terms of health, but they're the No. 3 or 4 team in that division for me. Might be enough to get them into the postseason still.
PTBNL
2:52
Steve! Have some fun: predict the player to be named later in the JT Brubaker trade!
Steve Adams
2:53
Ha, I have no earthly idea. The Pirates and Yankees don't even know who it'll be. Take a random prospect from the low levels of the system who's not on the 40-man roster (PTBNLs can't be on the 40-man). Let's say ... Jerson Alejandro. Haha
RAGBRAI
2:54
Does Lipscomb stay up with the Cats and is part of their future? I wonder if he gets the at bats when Senzel returns, though both may need to prove their worth.
Steve Adams
2:56
I didn't like the Senzel signing for them in the first place. If Lipscomb shows much of anything in this initial run, you don't replace him with Senzel. Keep him in  the lineup.

It's also possible though, that Luis Garcia continues to flounder at second base, and Lipscomb slides over there, with Senzel taking over at third base once he's healthy. Garcia has never hit, had a mediocre spring, is out to a slow start, and hasn't graded out as a good defender at second base. He's out of minor league options. He's also got to be running out of chances in D.C.

This is Garcia's fifth season with MLB action and to this point he's basically been a replacement-level player.
letsplaytwo
2:56
in 30 roster 5x5 Roto, when do you worry about the innings max, for the 162 games max per position, I'm guessing at this point, just play everyone who is playing, and worry about innings/games max later in the season? my first time playing daily roto
Steve Adams
2:59
30 rosters as in 30 teams? That's way deeper than I've ever played! I'm not the best source of advice there most likely.

In general, when I've played with innings and games played maximums, I pay them little mind early in the season. Injuries can pop up and leave you scrambling, and if you end up looking back at the early season where you were making moves like "I'm going to bench Joe Musgrove against a tough opponent" or something, you often just end up regretting it.

I've also tried in the past to go absolutely wild on starting pitching when my lineup hasn't come together as I've hoped. Just get on pace to go way, way over the limit and then closer to midseason start trading pitchers for offensive help. I've had one year of great success with that and another where it absolutely blew up in my face, ha, so take that for what it's worth.
3:00
In general I'd say the deeper the roster/league, the less you should get cute with the innings and games played caps.

Also, get someone who's in the lineup regularly but has catcher eligibility if you can. It's really, really easy to leave a lot of catcher games on the table
3:01
The Mitch Garvers of the world are your friends. (Garver will be the regular DH for Seattle this year but still has C eligibility)
Bravenewworld
3:01
Should Atlanta move on Joey Bart or  ?  after Murphy’s injury?
Steve Adams
3:01
Obviously this came in before Bart went to the Pirates last night, but in general, I don't think it behooves them to make a trade for a guy who'll be expendable for them again in a month or so.
3:02
The Braves signed Sandy Leon to give them some extra catching depth, and that's about the extent of what I'd expect them to do
Travis d'Arnaud is a pretty overqualified backup... they're in a good spot having him to step in for Murphy
Paul K
3:03
OK .. I don't know whta is going on. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is making $14MM p.a. for the next three years.

KK is one year at $10MM

Varsho, who the Jays own, (at the moment he is un-tradeable except for a bag of balls), would be a high quality defensive CF

So, from a Jays perspective, do you like Gurriel/Varsho/ Springer or Gurriel/Varsho/Springer.

I see pros and cons in both and have my perspective. Would like, however, to hear yours.
Steve Adams
3:04
I assume this is supposed to ask whether I prefer Varsho / Kiermaier / Springer or a Jays alignment with Gurriel back and one of Varsho/KK in center?
I'm a bit confused on the specifics of what's being asked here, so I'll just give my thoughts on each
3:07
I know Jays fans are really down on Varsho, but he's such a good defender that I still think he's a valuable guy. And he had a bizarre downturn in HR/FB last year despite no real appreciable change in his quality of contact. He got under some more balls last year, if you look at the change in his launch angle, but that seems correctable and also didn't lead to a total power outage.

Varsho isn't going to be the quintessential thumping corner outfielder, but he's a plus-plus defender with 20-homer power, some baserunning value and probably more power than he showed in '24.
To some extent, I think he'll have a rebound, but I don't think he's ever going to be a premium hitter. That's also not why the Jays acquired him though.
3:08
I love the Kiermaier deal for the Jays but I am admittedly a sucker for a plus defensive center fielder. I grew up in Minnesota watching Kirby Puckett, then Torii Hunter, then Carlos Gomez/Denard Span, etc. -- I'll be 39 soon, and my hometown team has pretty much always had that plus glove in the outfield. Perhaps that's shaped my perception of an elite outfield defender's value, ha, but I think Kiermaier is wildly underrated, and to get him for only a $1.5MM raise over his 2023 salary after the season he had is an objectively nice deal, even if much of the Jays' other offseason moves were puzzling.
3:10
Gurriel's contract isn't one that I love. He's hit well so far this year and made some strides in LF, but he doesn't walk enough to prop up his OBP if he loses any bat speed as he ages into his 30s. He's a passable  but not great defender. I don't think he's a bad player, but he has a skill set that's not the type I, as a very fictional general manager/president of baseball ops, would be excited about committing to on a reasonably expensive multi-year deal.
Joe R
3:10
Hi Steve! Don't have a question but just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for being such a great writer. I am a writer myself and know that it doesn't always come easy but your style is informed, substantive and has a dash of humor or playfulness that is absolutely engaging as a reader. Plus your love of baseball is very apparent as well. Kudos to you and the staff at Trade Rumors!
Steve Adams
3:13
I really appreciate comments like this. We do our best to be timely and well-written to the extent possible. The nature of how we operate our site is inherently going to lead to occasional typos, poorly constructed sentences, etc. We don't have much of an editorial process because we trust our staff to get things up in a timely manner and to edit themselves. Like anyone else on staff, I'm prone to slips.

But I also do try to focus on grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc. and avoid being too repetitive (which is hard when I'm cranking out 8-10 posts on transactions, rumors, etc. per day). I try to mix in some levity here and there, but I've gotten called out for being a bit too heavy-handed with that in the past as well.

I don't take sharp, cruel criticisms too harshly, but it's always nice to have the opposite sentiment presented!
3:14
I'm proud of the team we have and think that, in general, our group can break down about any transaction pretty quickly and accurately explain the why and the how behind it, along with roster and payroll ramifications, etc. Appreciate the kind words and appreciate you reading!
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