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Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat with Steve Adams: 7/21/25
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Steve Adams
2:01
Good afternoon! Sorry to not get the queue up for advance questions a bit sooner. I'll get going at 3pm, but feel free to ask a question ahead of time if you prefer.
2:55
Greetings! Let's get underway
Dodger Fan 1750
2:56
Do you see a big trade splash happening soon with the Dodgers? Do you think Mason or Clause is possible for CP? If not pitching, what other trade do you see happening?
Steve Adams
2:57
Everything deadline-wise, for every team, has to happen "soon" -- we're ten days out!

But yeah, I think the Dodgers are going to add a reliever of note. I don't think Miller moves. Clase, I can see, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. If the Dodgers come away with Bednar or Helsley, that's still a notable upgrade. And I think both guys end up changing hands.
Coach
2:57
Sandy Leon called up to ATL. Smoke = trade fire?
Steve Adams
2:57
Leon just kind of reinforces the idea that Ozuna's not going to play a ton. His promotion in and of itself isn't a meaningful development so much as just one more piece of evidence to support what already felt inevitable: Ozuna will be traded.
Crusty Old Os Fan
2:57
If a player has an option, and exercises it, is his current team allowed to submit a QO in order to recoup a draft pick?
Steve Adams
2:58
I assume this is supposed to say "opt-out" and not "option"? Yes, a team can make a qualifying offer to a player if he triggers an opt-out in his contract and becomes a free agent
Well -- as long as he hasn't received a QO in the past and spent the entire season on that club's major league roster/injured list.
Unqualified Reds Armchair GM
2:59
Reds started Marte in right field yesterday. He seemed to handle it fine. Do they go bring back Eugenio to man 3b?
Steve Adams
3:00
I'm not 100% convinced Suarez moves, and if he does, I think a more concrete World Series contender will be compelled to win the bidding war for him. Would be fun to see him back in Cincy though.

As for Noelvi in RF, it sounds like that was more just about making the roster a bit more versatile, not a permanent switch for him.
Alan53
3:00
Who's your pick to win the NL Central, as of right now?
Steve Adams
3:01
If you said neither club could improve its roster, I might take the Brewers because of the pitching depth. But I expect the Cubs to be more aggressive in upgrading the club, so I lean their direction.

If Chicago winds up inexplicably having a dud of a deadline, or if the Brewers shock everyone with some major acquisitions, that might change.
Brewers Fan
3:01
I cannot stand that batters cannot appeal to the base umps on called check swings. It doesn't make any sense to me that they can't. Do you have any pet peeve rules like that?
Steve Adams
3:02
Home plate umps calling check-swings without checking down the line with a first base/third base ump is about the most obnoxious thing in the game, to me.
Cat_Herder
3:02
Thanks for the chat Steve.  You're Scott Harris.  Are you looking for a 3rd/4th starter?  Or bullpen help?  Or, after the last week of being unable to score runs, should you be looking for a bat or two?
Steve Adams
3:03
All of the above? They don't have to limit it to one of the three. I would focus more on the pitching because I think the core of the lineup is strong with Greene, Torkelson, Gleyber, Keith, Carpenter when healthy ... getting another couple of arms feels like a higher priority to me.
The Natural
3:04
Would you agree that the Cub front office made a MASSIVE blunder last season by just barely exceeding the 1st luxury tax threshold making exceeding it this year when they REALLY  need to a very painful decision due to exceeding it in consecutive seasons?
Steve Adams
3:06
Not really. The increased penalty for going over a second time really isn't really all that great, especially since they're probably not even going to go into the second tier. The base rate of their tax jumps from 20% to 30%. That's it. Maybe it'll sting a little more if they pay the tax a third time next year and the base jumps to 50%, but it really only hurts if you push into the top tier of CBT penalty, and the Ricketts family has never shown that they're willing to push to that level.
3:07
If they'd barely exceeded the tax and had a free agent they were going to QO -- like the Red Sox did when Bogaerts and Eovaldi were free agents -- that's a huge blunder, since that drops the comp pick from after the first round to after the fourth.

Last year's slight overage just makes their slap on the wrist the smallest bit harder.
Beano
3:07
I haven't heard much about N Lowe - is he a guy the Nats are looking to move?
Steve Adams
3:10
There hasn't been much talk about him because he's not having a good season. He's hitting .229/.293/.396 in 415 plate appearances. That's about 7% worse than league-average, and he has a career-worst 27.5 K%. For someone who doesn't really bring defensive value to the table -- and someone who is being paid $10.3MM -- that doesn't really play.

I'm sure they'd love to move him, because right now he looks like a non-tender candidate. If they can pay down most of what he's owed, someone probably takes a bit of the contract and gives up a token minor league flier, but there's not any real trade value there with how he's performed this season.
MoTork City
3:10
Why are we showing some interest in Ke’Bryan Hayes? That’s not a move that would help us. With only 1.5 years guaranteed of Skubal, shouldn’t we go bigger?
Steve Adams
3:13
I'm sure the Tigers have checked in on most 3B options and most RH bats. I haven't seen anything to suggest that the Tigers -- or anyone else -- is viewing Hayes as though he's their primary target and a Suarez-esque silver bullet to fix the lineup.

But he's an elite defender with better-than-average contact skills who hits the ball hard a lot. He just makes too much of that hard contact on the ground. If the Pirates were going to pay down a decent chunk of the contract, and/or if Hayes was the final piece on top of a more impactful starter and bullpen arm, then it's not necessarily a bad thing. They're going to ascertain the price of everyone who's even a semi-plausible fit.
John
3:13
How about a Braves shakeup sending Austin Riley to NYY or Boston? What could they get in return given his downtrend over the past few years but still relatively reasonable contract?
Steve Adams
3:14
Braves president Alex Anthopoulos has adamantly (and publicly) rejected the idea of trading players who are signed long-term. Riley's not going to be traded.
Mitch Keller and/or Bednar to Rangers?
3:15
Hi Steve. If the Rangers offered Adolis, cash, Justin Foscue and Dustin Harris, who else would it take to pry Keller and Bednar away?
Steve Adams
3:16
Garcia's not going to appeal to the Pirates at all. He's expensive and only has one season of club control left. Foscue and Harris have both had their stock drop quite a bit in recent years. I don't think that's the foundation of a package for Bednar or Keller individually -- let alone both.
Mike
3:16
Assuming Suarez is not available at the deadline, rank these alternative 3B pickups for the Yankees: Ryan McMahon, Nolan Gorman, Ke'Bryan Hayes
Steve Adams
3:16
For me, you have them in the right order.
Guest
3:17
Where does O’Hearn go, and do any other Orioles get moved?
Steve Adams
3:19
Even Mike Elias doesn't know where Ryan O'Hearn is going right now, but I'll pick the Mariners.

I would expect Gregory Soto, Seranthony Dominguez, Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton all to be traded. Cedric Mullins has a good chance too, but the others are less entrenched there and feel more certain to go.
Ken
3:19
Of the A's three starters, who are the most to least likely to be moved at the deadline: Severino, Sears, and Springs?
Steve Adams
3:19
Springs then Sears then Severino. I really can't see anyone being eager to take on the Sevvy contract.

Springs is the only one I'd put the odds at greater than 50% though. (I do think he's traded)
Go Tribe!!!!
3:20
What do you think Cleveland could get from the Dodgers for Clase?
Steve Adams
3:25
Given his contract, I think the Guards are well within their rights to ask for a pair of 50-FV prospects, which means you're talking in the Zyhir Hope, Alex Freeland, Jackson Ferris, Josue De Paula tier as a headliner. Could take one of those guys and add a MLB-ready young arm instead, be it a Wrobleski or River Ryan. Just depends on the Guardians' preferences. And there'll be some additional pieces from lower down the system. Getting 3+ years of Clase, at his current contract, should net multiple impact young players and probably another couple lower-tier prospects with upside.

It's hard to say with much certainty, because we don't really see relievers of this caliber and with this type of affordable contract traded, so there's not much precedent. Dodgers fans would recoil at the notion of like ... Freeland + Hope + Wrobleski, but this type of arm really isn't available at this rate ... pretty much ever.
Pudge
3:25
Any chance Cam Smith gets a few reps at 3rd?
Steve Adams
3:26
Astros GM Dana Brown said publicly that he's thought Smith should be an outfielder since he scouted him in college. I'm sure they wouldn't rule out an odd start here or there while Paredes is out, but I don't think they want to have him over there on a regular basis.
Ghost of Rick Hahn
3:26
Any White Sox besides Tauchman or Houser being moved? Robert would have to keep hitting to even secure a minor leaguer
Steve Adams
3:27
Robert is hitting .267/.353/.507 over his past 86 plate appearances. Even before this surge, he was still hitting lefties well, running well and playing good defense, so I think he'd have been moved regardless.

If he can keep swinging it for another 7-10 days, the Sox maybe don't have to eat as much as they would've previously, but I think it'd always have gotten to the point where they just ate all the money to get something back since the alternative was paying him that cash anyhow and then letting him walk for nothing.
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