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Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat with Steve Adams: 2/10/25
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Steve Adams
12:20
Greetings! Thanks for joining, as always! I'll get going around 3pm CT, but feel free to ask questions in advance if you are so inclined. Looking forward to it!
2:58
Greetings! Lots of questions already piling in, so let's get underway
Josh Elliott
2:58
Reading about the Padres asking alot for Cease.  Chances of him starting the season on the Padres roster?  I get the feeling that some team will get nervous and pay what the Padres are asking....At least come close.  What are your thoughts?
Steve Adams
3:00
I don't blame them for at least gauging the Orioles' willingness on Basallo, Mayo, etc. (nor the Twins' on Joe Ryan, which I think Dan Hayes of the Athletic reported awhile back).

The Padres don't necessarily want to trade Cease, and now that they've shrugged and gone with the cheap LF platoon, there's probably less urgency to do so, especially if they can add a decent option for the back half of the rotation in another way. (As opposed to trading Cease for a young arm and then using his $13.75MM in savings to add a second SP).

I found a Cease trade a lot likelier even one week ago than I presently do.
3:01
Dodgers brought Farhan Zaidi back as a special advisor, Fabian Ardaya from the Athletic is reporting
Exhausted with Boras
3:01
What the heck is Alex Bregman thinking?  He knows full well what the current offers are, and Boras has "exhausted" his stable of mystery bidders.  Is he just trying to hold the Cardinals and Arenado hostage by continuing to draw this out?
Steve Adams
3:04
Firstly, I don't really feel the need to be exhausted by players waiting things out and finding a situation they like. If I were in their spot, I'd do the same probably.

Secondly, the exhaustion should lie with Bregman more than Boras. Bregman is the one who doesn't want to take a short-term deal. If he'd been willing to do that, like Flaherty/Snell/Chapman/Alonso and so many others have in recent years, he'd be signed in Boston or Detroit by now in all likelihood. I'm sure it's been conveyed to Bregman that the needle isn't likely to move in Houston/Detroit/Boston much at this point, but it's his right to wait.

And, with camps opening now, perhaps a spring injury or some increased urgency from the Cardinals to move Arenado helps shake some things loose.
Kevin C
3:04
I it standard for clubs to come to handshake agreements with players that will be made official once players can be put on the 60-day IL? I hope so, given that the Nationals always start Spring Training a couple of days later than many other clubs. I hope that they are ready to sign one of the remaining relievers when the 40-man roster spots open, but don't want them to lose out to clubs whose spots open a few days before.
Steve Adams
3:05
They can just agree to the deal now and wait until camp opens to finalize it. That happens frequently. A lot of those deals leak ahead of time. I'm sure Kike Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw have been waiting for just that all offseason to put pen to paper with the Dodgers.
Leonard
3:06
I’m not sure I believe the Arenado to the Dodgers speculation but if there is something to that, wouldn’t sending Chris Taylor’s expiring contract to the Cardinals to partially offset Arenado’s cost plus something else (e.g., pitching, maybe also James Outman?) make sense? Muncy could move to 2B and Kim would be a utility infilelder, which would make sense (unless he starts in the minors).
Steve Adams
3:07
I don't think there's much to the LAD/Arenado stuff. Sending Taylor back does nothing for the Cardinals. They'd just release him, I assume. So whether it's sending him back or just persuading the Cardinals to cover $15MM+, I don't think it matters.

But, as I said, I don't think Arenado is going to Los Angeles and don't think that's under serious consideration
rutabega12
3:07
Why do you think the Braves, despite having plenty of money, refuse to try keeping star players when they reach free agency? They have unemotionally said good bye to Dansby Swanson, Freddy Freeman and Max Fried. All "good guys" well liked in the clubhouse.

I don't get it.

Thad Mumau
Fayetteville, NC
Steve Adams
3:09
I think they tried to lock each of those guys up prior to them reaching the market and couldn't find a middle ground. The Braves, under Alex Anthopoulos, have a pretty clear vision/philosophy with the long-term payroll and the type of flexibility they want to foster. That generally doesn't seem to include paying market rates for guys as they age into their late 30s, I suppose with the semi-exception of Austin Riley, who signed a 10-year deal. But I think even that contract "only" runs through age 35.
Vladdddd
3:09
if the jays can't sign Vlad, who would be the first to try and trade for him and who would have the best offer?
Steve Adams
3:10
Even if they can't extend him, they're not trading him this spring. They'll ride it out until the deadline and reassess. There's no telling who'll be the most aggressive bidder at that point. It'll depend on the context of the standings, injuries around the league, etc.
Ben Cherrington
3:10
Is my starting right fielder currently on the roster?
Steve Adams
3:11
I feel like the Pirates will go with a combination of Pham/Suwinski/Palacios at this point, which is pretty depressing for Pirates fans.
Gavin
3:11
Padres trade Suarez for a back end starter with control.   then sign Robertson and a starter?  good plan
Steve Adams
3:11
I don't think Suarez would net a particularly exciting controllable SP option, and I think Robertson would cost pretty much all of the money that had been earmarked for Suarez, if not more.
Goofy
3:12
Should the Astros get more credit for developing pitchers? They rejuvenated the careers of Verlander, Morton, and Kikuchi. They got the best out of Cole. And they crank out serviceable middle and bottom of the rotation starters.
Steve Adams
3:13
Yeah, though I always think of them when I think of teams that excel in this area already. I suppose they don't get the same love the Rays, Dodgers, and some other clubs do. But yeah, they've looked like their rotation was going to run out of options numerous times and they've just churned out Luis Garcia,, Ronel Blanco, Cristian Javier, etc. None of those guys were top prospects. Neither was Framber. Spencer Arrighetti's second-half surge was great. They're good at it.
Brodie
3:14
Thoughts on the available Free Agent 1B market? Turner, Rizzo, Tellez, France, Canha? Who of the bunch will get an MLB deal? Thoughts on teams or timeline? Seems like a good group with some Pop still out there.
Steve Adams
3:15
I feel like Turner and Rizzo will probably still get cheap MLB deals. Rowdy and France feel more like MiLB guys. Canha could go either way. I'd like him on a cheap one-year deal more than either Tellez or France though
Hotlanta
3:15
Atlanta seems content with present pitching options do you agree?
Steve Adams
3:16
Generally, yeah, though health can change that in a hurry. I think there are free agents who make sense there, but they seem to really want to give Holmes a chance. And he and Ian Anderson are out of options, which complicates things obviously.
Texas Outlaw
3:16
What are you picks for each division  winner, wc, world series and the major awards.
Steve Adams
3:17
We'll send out predictions from our entire staff to subscribers once the offseason is more firmly wrapped up.
Twins Fan
3:18
Is there any time limit a team has to follow between when they come to a contract agreement with a player and when it is officially announced? Theoretically, what is stopping a team from agreeing to a contract with a player in December and waiting to make it official until the 60-day IL opens at the start of spring training to save the 40-man spot?
Steve Adams
3:20
I don't know if there's a set limit, but Thairo Estrada agreed to a deal with the Rockies on Dec. 10 and it wasn't formally announced for a month. I got the Rockies' press release that morning in January and went, "Wait... what the hell?" Didn't even realize it hadn't been announced, ha. But that's the longest instance I can recall.

I think long waits generally aren't great for either party. Player wants the security of knowing it's done. Team wants to be able to make any roster moves it needs, wants to officially know the payroll ramifications, etc.
Phillip
3:20
In the calculus of deciding how to fit a Bregman signing under the 1st level CBT threshold, people mention the possibility of trading Nico Hoerner. Why not consider trading Taillon, who makes more than Hoerner, given the depth of potential starting pitchers in Chicago?
Steve Adams
3:22
I think it's nonsensical that Tom Ricketts even cares about the luxury tax, given the outrageous revenue streams available to the Cubs. But to answer the question more directly, haha, there'd just be more interest in Hoerner. Taillon's remaining two years and $36MM feels close to market value, if not more than what he' get in free agency as a 33-year-old coming off a career-low K% and career-worst fastball velo. The ERA was nice, but the underlying numbers weren't as rosy. I doubt many teams would be eager to pick up that contract, especially at this point in the offseason calendar.
Captain Carl
3:23
Devers famously said "everyone knows what we need" but now everyone knows they need him off of 3B to get Arenado and improve the defense (and just dump Yoshi, they have the financial muscle to eat a lot of that deal), right?
Steve Adams
3:24
I don't know that I buy needing to add Arenado coming off two years of average offense and very-good-but-no-longer-best-in-MLB defense.
Fan
3:24
It's the trade deadline. Who are the top 5 players most likely available
Steve Adams
3:26
Sandy Alcantara, Luis Robert Jr. (if he's healthy ... major if), Ryan Helsley, Erick Fedde and ............ Vlad?
Arthur Dent
3:27
JustinTurner… any guesses?
Steve Adams
3:28
Twins, Padres, Red Sox, Rangers? He's probably going to cost like $3-4MM at this point so he can fit a lot of places.
Jerry Dipoto
3:28
Why don’t I go get Arraez? if no one can hit home runs in that thick sea layer, wind tunnel and many also strike out from the batting eye. Arraez’ high contact profile seems like a perfect fit. Play him at 1B/DH, and at 2B if it’s an emergency from injuries.
Steve Adams
3:29
Because Mariners ownership would have to approve of him spending that money, and they do not.
Bleed Cubbie Blue
3:29
Cubs win the division this year by 6 games. Agree?
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