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Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat with Steve Adams: 4/11/25
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Drew W
3:00
Do you think Tyler Soderstrom's hot start will be enough to hold off Nick Kurtz?  How long should the A's wait to give Kurtz a look in Sacramento?  Thanks for the chat!
Steve Adams
3:02
Soderstrom looks incredible and I am buying the breakout. Obviously I don't think he'll keep THIS pace, but it lets the A's be patient with Kurtz. They're just going to have to put Soderstrom or Rooker in the outfield -- as I assume there's no thought to sticking Soderstrom back behind the plate. Rooker/Soderstrom in LF, Kurtz at 1B, the other at DH. It's not a great defensive alignment, but the bats will offset that.
3:03
For now, Kurtz only has 52 AAA plate appearances, so no need to rush it. But he's done nothing but hit since being drafted last year... I have to think he'll be in line for a call-up midsummer at the latest.
Next Gen Natitude
3:04
Perusing B-R (as one does) I noticed that their standings includes a "Simple Rating System" (SRS) that attempts to determine how much better/worse a team is than average by using a formula that balances run differential against strength of schedule. Much to my astonishment, the #1 team in the NL East (and tied for 5th overall in MLB) is the 5-7 Washington Nationals. That's in part because their opponents (Phillies, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Dodgers) early in the season are all also very highly rated. What do you think of this stat? If it becomes meaningful at some point, how far into the season would that be?
Steve Adams
3:05
I like the SRS stat as kind of a quick barometer, but I don't use it all that much and haven't looked into how predictive it is/when it stabilizes. But it can be a nice confirmation when you're a bit surprised by a team's hot/cold start. Honestly something I've made a mental note to do in the past and have promptly forgotten about, ha, so maybe now I'll remember to dig into a bit more!
JeffyM
3:05
What's more surprising, George Springer leads the league in hitting, or Vlad, Bichette and Santander have 0 homeruns between them?
Steve Adams
3:06
The latter. Weird things like Springer hitting .450 or whatever happen early every year. A trio of hitters that good going homerless for two weeks is a bit more unusual, but nothing I'm alarmed about.
D Hat
3:07
I read in the Detroit papers about a suggestion to send Colt Keith to AAA Toledo for a reset when Gleyber Torres returns. What do you think?
Steve Adams
3:10
I don't know that I find it necessary. He's walked in more than a quarter of his plate appearances. He's recognizing the ball well, seeing pitches, etc. I'd like to see Keith attack more within the strike zone, as he's swinging in the zone less than all but three hitters in MLB despite possessing good contact skills. I'm sure it's a delicate balance, trying to maximize that plate discipline but also be aggressive when the situation dictates. I think if he starts cutting loose a bit more when pitchers are throwing him strikes, the results will be there. And for now, he's still sporting a .383 OBP even though he's hitting under .200, so it's not like he's a zero in the lineup by any means.
Bob
3:10
Assuming Eldridge is untouchable do the Giants have prospects to get in on Alcantrara?
Steve Adams
3:14
Sure. Again, I think the notion that some teams lack the talent to acquire a particular trade target is generally overblown. There are of course instances where it's true that they simply can't match a package being offered by a competitor. That happened with the Giants a few years ago when they wanted Soto but he went to the Padres.

San Francisco doesn't have a great system, but the Marlins would love to get their hands on Kyle Harrison and Carson Whisenhunt, I'm sure, and they could always dangle Josuar De Jesus, to whom they just dedicated a huge chunk of their bonus pool. And, as always, there'll be pop-up prospects in the season's first few months.
Thomas
3:15
Should Boston be considering moving Wilyer Abreu? Could that happen in season or is that an offseason move?
Steve Adams
3:16
No, I don't think so. I said in the offseason I'd be more open to moving Abreu than Duran if I were the Sox, which is still true, but an outfield with Duran, Anthony and Abreu could be elite, and having Rafaela on hand as a super-sub who can slot into any of the three spots and bounce around the infield as well is quite nice.
3:17
If they were to explore an Abreu trade, I imagine it'd be more of an offseason endeavor
Texas Ranger Suarez
3:17
Long-time injured players returning, or have returned soon. Ex: Tyler Mahle, Lance McCullers,.. do you see them (or others) making an impact?
Steve Adams
3:20
Easier for me to see Mahle doing so, just because LMC's layoff has been so long that I have no earthly clue what to expect from him. Hope he makes it all the way back, because he's been grinding through rehab for more than two full years now, but the last time he threw a pitch on a big league mound was Nov. 1, 2022 and he's been hit HARD in his pair of rehab outings. Really tough to expect him to just get back to being an above-average starter.
3:22
Alright, I've got to wrap this up for the week. I'm on X @Adams_Steve and Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social for more questions. My apologies for the ones I couldn't get to! I'll chat with subscribers again on Monday and have a free chat on the site next Tuesday.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!
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