You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat with Steve Adams: 1/27/25
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat
Padres/O’s trade
4:06
They seem to matchup well on paper for a Cease trade. Do you think Preller asks for a package built around Mayo and settles for one built around Kjerstad? Does Cease bring back more or less than Burnes did last year?
Steve Adams
4:07
I think Cease brings back a bit less, despite the lower price tag (financially, that is). I doubt the O's would give up Mayo but do think something around Kjerstad is plausible
Guest
4:08
The Giants cannot be serious having washed Wilmer Flores platoon at 1B with Lamonte Wade. They should sign Alonso (who cares about the draft picks) and switch him to DH when Bryce Eldridge is ready. More of a comment than a question...what do you think?
Steve Adams
4:09
I'm not sure Flores is "washed," as he tried playing through a pretty notable knee injury last year. But Giants signing Alonso? Absolutely. Sign him, play him/Wade between 1B and DH, while Flores slots in at first/DH against lefties. You're probably pushing Brett Wisely or Jerar Encarnacion off the roster, which seems fine. (Wisely has minor league options left)
Or rather, one minor league option year
Scotty
4:10
Does Michael Kopech get another chance at SP in 2026 if he pitches lights out in his final year under contract in LA?
Steve Adams
4:12
That'll depend on personal preference. Can't rule it out. We'll know more when he gets there.

For instance, I thought Michael Soroka would get paid handsomely (well, like two years and $16MM -- handsomely by us normal folks' standards and kind of mid-tier by MLB standards) to pitch as a reliever since he was an absolute monster out of the White Sox' bullpen. He took a year and $9MM from the Nats even though other clubs were willing to top that to pay him as a reliever. He wanted to start. Can't fault him. Find the role you want and the best fit and go with it.

We'll see what Kopech says when free agency rolls around. I like him better as a reliever, but if he wants to start, some team might think they can unlock a bargain relative to high-priced free agent starters.
Astros fan
4:12
1. Caratini and Meyers for Michael King - who says no?
Steve Adams
4:13
Nonstarter for San Diego. Caratini is a backup/fringe starter who's a free agent in nine months. Meyers is probably underrated, but he's a glove-first CF who's already into arb.
Thank you for the chat!
4:13
Can you explain Robert's trade value? CHW can't really afford to miss on the return. It seems like there is real downside risk if he gets injured again. Waiting 2-3 months into the season doesn't really change the profile so much as creates an opportunity for a desperate buyer. Isn't now the most balanced time risk wise to make a trade?
Steve Adams
4:15
I don't think Robert has a ton of value at the moment. Like, someone would probably pay him $15MM or close to the full sum of his 2025 salary but not give up much in return. He's someone whose value would skyrocket with a healthy spring and a good showing for a month or two in the regular season, since the upside is an MVP-caliber, five-tool CF.

I generally dislike the idea of holding players into the season -- I don't get what on earth the Cardinals are doing with Fedde and Helsley -- but Robert's value is low enough right now, relative to his upside, that I think it's the smart play.
Or, at the very least, hold him through spring training, as maybe he looks so good in Arizona that teams start inquiring
Bryan
4:15
If the Blue Jays are able to land Alonso they have an offense that can compete in the AL East. How are feeling about their starting rotation?  Specifically, Bowden Francis. He was great the last few months of 2024 but is it stainable?
Steve Adams
4:17
Francis has an average strikeout rate, average velocity and below-average swinging-strike rate. He had a .211 average on balls in play, nearly 100 points shy of league average, and isn't likely to sustain a 79% strand rate (league average is closer to 72). I don't think he's a useless pitcher or anything, but he looks more like a back-of-the-rotation arm than what he flashed in 2024.

As a fourth/fifth starter, that seems fine, but I still think the Jays need some more depth on the starting staff.
4:19
Alright, I've got to wrap this up for the week. Thanks so much for chatting, everyone. I'm on X @Adams_Steve and on Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social and am always happy to take more questions (though I am sometimes slow since I don't open either app a ton, ha).

Thanks so much for subscribing. I hope the second weekly chats are proving useful. It's impossible to get to every question asked in these as we still get 100+ questions each time, but I'll always try to get to as many as I can.

I'll have a free chat on the main site tomorrow, and Anthony will do another subscriber chat on Friday. Enjoy your week, everyone!
Connecting…