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Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat with Steve Adams: 8/8/24
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Brian
2:35
How do you know which players will become minor league free agents in the upcoming off-season? Using the Cubs FanGraphs page as an example, I know that Owen Caissie needs to be added to the 40-man roster this off-season to be protected from the Rule 5 draft, but when would he hypothetically become a minor league free agent? Chase Strumpf is an example of a guy who was already eligible for the Rule 5 draft last year. Will he be a minor league free agent this year?
Steve Adams
2:36
Generally speaking, six full seasons in the minors. Can always be released sooner, and any big leaguer with 3+ years of service who is outrighted from a 40-man roster and not added back to the 40-man prior to season's end is also technically a minor league free agent
With regard to Strumpf specifically, he would not qualify.
Wild Cards
2:37
Under the expanded playoff picture, the NL has only sent the lowest seed to the World Series. Do you think this is telling or is the constant away play some sort of edge? Obviously it hasn't helped against the AL, but it's weird in the NL bracket.
Steve Adams
2:38
Just speaks to the random nature of short postseason series and the fact that being the best team constructed to win a 162-game marathon does not necessarily mean you're best constructed to win a shorter series with built-in off days that afford natural rest to your best high-leverage relievers
Giants
2:39
Do you think we give Farhan an extension soon? I feel like he’s earned it
Steve Adams
2:39
They extended Zaidi through 2026 less than a year ago!
David
2:40
Hey, Steve-My first Front Office Chat. Thrilled with the content so far! Cubs added Paredes in that giant hole at third. With PCA in center, Happ/Seiya no trades, and Bellinger unlikely to walk away from $30m next year, the outfield and DH are basically set. Parades, Busch, and Dansy’s contract are set. That leaves Nico at 2nd and the catching position as the only real places to add offense and the slugger they need. Free Agents at those positions are very slim, so who’s out there in a trade? Or stick with Nico, add Danny Jansen, and an ace like Max or Corbin and run it back? Thanks!
Steve Adams
2:46
Yeah there's just not going to be a lot out there in terms of impact catching available on the trade market. Could try to get another deal for a Dodgers prospect and target Dalton Rushing, since he's generally blocked at C/1B/DH by Smith/Freeman/Ohtani. But adding an impact offensive catcher is going to be hard, and I think Danny Jansen gives the best bet at securing that type of player.

They certainly could try to move Hoerner, but I don't think you're going to find a demonstrably better 2B bat that's readily available, either.

Third base was the spot to add the bat, and they kind of did it proactively with Paredes -- at a price I generally liked. The Cubs should deepen the bench (Bethancourt, Bote, Wisdom, Tauchman isn't it) and could add some power there. If they want to commit to PCA as the CF, you could pencil Bellinger in at 1B and use Busch and Paredes both in jack-of-all-trades utility roles in an effort to slot a bat in at DH, because injuries are always going to have someone on the sidelines
2:48
But there's no immediately clear, obvious path to just plug Slugger XYZ into the lineup, I agree. You could always try to talk to Happ/Suzuki about finding incentives to waive those NTCs, but subtracting either only weakens the lineup anyhow. What they really need is just for Swanson and Bellinger to bounce back to the power threats they should be.
Big fan
2:48
Do you think mlb will force catchers to back up? Catchers are just going to keep getting hit so they can frame closer to the plate.
Steve Adams
2:49
I think at some point it's feasible that they implement some kind of line the catcher has to set up behind, sure. Not sure it's a big enough hot-button issue yet, but the frequency of interference is way up and we obviously had a notable injury as a result this season (Contreras)
JDGoat
2:50
How many of Shapiro/Atkins/Schneider do you see returning next year?
Steve Adams
2:51
I'd be shocked if all three are back. I'd rank them Schneider, Atkins ..... Shapiro in order of likelihood to be ousted, but that's just speculative. I do expect there are changes of some magnitude coming there though.
Cat Herder
2:51
Carpenter, Mize, and Greene look to be on their way back soon.  And there are some of callups, Malloy and Perez, who'll probably stick.  What does Detroit do with the roster?  Do we see some guys being let go around Labor Day?  Seems like the kids need to play and get a sense of what 2025 will look like.
Steve Adams
2:54
They've kind of already been doing that this season. Greene, Keith, Malloy and Perez have all gotten plenty of playing time.

That said, if the Tigers put Gio Urshela on waivers later this month, I feel like there's a decent chance he'd be claimed, which could pave the way for Jace Jung to come up and get ABs down the stretch.
Acuna
2:55
he’s going to lead the team in steals in like only 50 games played. pretty impressive on ron and depressing for atlanta
Steve Adams
2:58
For all the strengths, the Braves are not a team that's built to run much. With a healthy Albies and Harris, you'd probably have three guys at 20+ steals (Acuna and those two), but outside Kelenic there's not a ton of speed among the remaining regulars.

That doesn't inherently hamper their run-scoring, though. The Braves, Yankees, Twins and Giants are four of the five bottom teams in steals this season. (Tigers are the other.) That's three high-probability playoff teams (ATL, NYY, MIN) and another that's at least on the periphery of the Wild Card mix (SF)
Trout Fishing
2:58
It will still come down to him asking for a trade and management being ok raising the biggest white flag imaginable... But is it time to start talking about Trout playing somewhere other than Anaheim?  6/$222MM is a lot of money/commitment, but the talent is still there to easily make a market.  Odds he finishes the deal in Anaheim, and if not, when do they start fishing for offers?
Steve Adams
3:02
I don't think you'd find a willing taker for Trout at 6/222, honestly. It'd be an interesting question to pose to GMs around the league, but Trout's reached 100 games once since 2019 and that's a huge number for most teams. For the teams that are less inclined to balk at the raw price in a vacuum, many are dealing with luxury-tax issues. $222MM over six years might not be backbreaking for the Mets, Yankees, etc. -- but both of them (along with the Dodgers) are third-time luxury payors in the final tier of penalty, meaning they're paying a 110% tax.

Also, while talking about trading Trout has been justifiable for some time, that's a call that's going to come down to owner Arte Moreno, and he's been staunchly against any rebuilding and even modest midseason sell-offs for the most part.

Moreno wouldn't trade Tyler Anderson and Taylor Ward this year. I don't foresee Trout being moved anytime soon, even if I agree it's something they should be looking at more closely and more seriously.
tigersfan
3:02
Jon morosi mentioned Chris fetter as a possibility for white sox manager next year. He wouldn't actually leave Detroit to go to that mess would he?
Steve Adams
3:04
If he has managerial aspirations, I assume the answer is: "of course he would." There's only 30 managerial gigs and the one in Detroit's not opening up anytime soon. I get that it's not appealing to manage a team that'll be projected to lose probably 110 games next year, but getting the foot in the door as a big league manager is valuable, and he'd probably look at the stock of young arms they now have and at least find a way to be cautiously optimistic.

That said, national reporters throw like 40 names around every time a manager is cut loose and the immediate "this guy's the favorite/a real candidate" speculation rarely gets the nod.
Doug E.
3:05
I’m a Dodger fan and was at the game last night just to see the Phillies win again.  They won 5 of the 6 games against the Dodgers.  I’m getting nervous the Dodgers won’t win their division and interested in your thoughts.  The players coming back especially pitchers haven’t faired well.  We only have a 3 game lead.  Thanks.
Steve Adams
3:08
It's a tough spot when you lose Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and really just an entire rotation's worth of arms like the Dodgers have. And then to have Freeman very, very understandably step away as he did last week with that family crisis ... it's a lot for the team to take.

I still think with Yamamoto, Betts and others coming back (Edman... you'd hope Muncy, eventually) -- there's better days ahead. And if it's any consolation, nine of the team's last 12 games are against the Marlins and Rockies, which doesn't hurt. (The other three are against the Padres, which helps control their own fate.)

The NL West is closer than I'd have expected, by I do still think the Dodgers can hang on there.
Keep the A’s in the Bay
3:08
Sports illustrated said it’s shameful the way MLB has handled the A’s move. Do you think major league players will sign free agent deals to play at AAA, literally.
Steve Adams
3:10
A lot of people (myself included) have said it's embarrassing how the team and MLB have handled it. I don't think the A's are going to be the top choice for many guys, but that was true even when they were playing in the Coliseum the past two years and clearly making zero effort to win/focusing all their efforts on the move. They still got some players to sign. (Alex Wood, Aledmys Diaz, Jace Peterson, etc.)

If you've got a bunch of minor league offers or one-year offers and the A's came in with the big league deal or two-year deal you've been seeking (which happened with Diaz/Peterson), they can still win the bidding.

But are they going to sign like... Max Fried or some big-name, highly coveted free agent? No.
Eric
3:11
Chourio for rookie of the year?
Steve Adams
3:13
Making it interesting but still a gap to close. Skenes, Imanaga, Winn, Merrill are all up there. Jared Jones would've been too, but his layoff is starting to add up. I'd pick Skenes as the favorite. He's been the NL's best pitcher since he debuted, and he's going to finish with 130+ innings.
mlbfan
3:14
Does skubal win the triple crown?
Steve Adams
3:15
Legit possibility, though Cole Ragans will be a thorn in his side with the K totals, and his own offense/bullpen could conspire to cost him some W's.
Cookie Bitts
3:16
I’d like to see MLB add 4 expansion teams at once and make the trade deadline more interesting. There’s not enough sellers every July
Steve Adams
3:17
Doubt we're getting expansion even in the next CBA. So early 2030s is probably your best bet. Even then, I think we're looking at two teams, not four.

I don't think the addition of new clubs would necessarily make it more interesting, either. A lot of teams are just going to wait until the last minute to make the majority of their decisions, and modern owners/front offices are more reluctant than ever to trade prospects.
3:18
A new team's going to hire someone from that same school of thought, in all likelihood. We don't have many Dave Dombrowksi/AJ Preller types among the new school of GMs. Dana Brown maybe. But most are risk-averse with prospects and sometimes fatally overconfident in their ability to develop solutions in house.
Trade Rumor fan
3:18
Great job on the chat, what fan base do you think wants their manager fired the most? Or is impossible to tell a leader in fan vitriol?
Steve Adams
3:20
I think every fanbase hates their own manager and thinks he is the sole reason the club isn't in playoff shape/doesn't advance deep in the postseason. It seems like, at best, a deep playoff run or World Series win buys a manager one year of good will from the fans
And every fanbase is wholly convinced its manager doesn't know how to use a bullpen effectively.
Genuinely, I can't think of one team that seems to universally love its skipper. It's a thankless job, ha.
3:22
In the past two chats alone -- this one and the free one Tuesday -- I've been asked about Dave Roberts, Brian Snitker, John Schneider, Rocco Baldelli and Scott Servais being fired, off the top of my head
Billy James
3:22
I disagree with every thought you’ve ever expressed, with that said. I love the podcast, you guys do a great job on it.
Steve Adams
3:23
Ha, I'll take it!
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