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Travis Sawchik FanGraphs Chat
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Jake
12:33
Justin Turner legit MVP candidate this year? Or will he be hard pressed to be out Harper, Goldie, and his teammate Seager?
Travis Sawchik
12:33
He's having a remarkable season but it's getting a bit lost amid all the other incredible seasons ..... I think he'll have a hard time contending for it
Dylan T
12:33
Rage rage against the dying of the light
Travis Sawchik
12:34
Yes. Always!
Joe Douglas
12:34
Happy Monday. Bellinger tonight, I hope :)
Travis Sawchik
12:34
Happy Monday, Joe. Bellinger has my favorite swing in the derby ... and RF is a little more favorable at Marlins Park (I think)
gonny jomes
12:35
what value do we place on clubhouse chemistry? How many runs?
Travis Sawchik
12:35
ML teams would love to know. What is the value of a guy like Daniel Murphy helping Zimmerman get to a new performance level? Pretty valuable
graveswright
12:36
Addison Reed get you a top 50-75 prospect?
Travis Sawchik
12:37
I wouldn't ....but I love protecting prospects. If a team is at the right place on the win curve and needs some bullpen help, I suppose you could justify it. I don't love FB pitchers in my bullpen
Unless they are striking out the world
Jason
12:38
With the way this season has gone, and with his impending free agency, would the Cubs ever consider trading Arrieta?  What kind of return would that bring?
Travis Sawchik
12:39
I think Arrieta is most valuable to Cubs if he can discover his 2014-15 form .... And I think most people still think the Cubs are good and more likely to be buyers than sellers
another bad dynasty manager
12:39
Travis: are you surprised there haven't been any major deals struck yet by buyers and sellers?
Travis Sawchik
12:40
A little bit ... but I think some teams are still deciding whether they believe in themselves ...
Abaseballnut
12:41
About how much is work ethic worth when trading and for players
Travis Sawchik
12:41
Makeup is always important ... I'd want to see it more in a younger player, personally, who still has development and projection ahead
Moltar
12:42
The problem with "chemistry" is the chicken-and-egg debate: Does chemistry breed winning, or does winning breed chemistry? I'd argue for the latter, but I would also argue that the egg came first because dinosaurs were born from eggs for millions of years before chickens existed :)
Travis Sawchik
12:43
Winning is fun, losing is not so fun ..... There have been a number of good teams throughout history that have had players that did not like each other. But this is a frontier teams are attempting to better understand
But I'm OK with some mystery remaining in the sport
Jay
12:44
I dont think the Indians have any glaring holes either, but would it make sense for them to add another postseason trustworthy reliever to possible shorten games if they still have some rotation questions (with Bauer/Salazar/Clevinger going 4IP then going to new trustworthy reliever to bridge gap to Logan/Shaw/Miller/Allen?)
Travis Sawchik
12:45
Yeah, every team expect maybe the Astros is hunting another dominant reliever ... I'd be curious to see what Salazar could do in a relief role. I think Bauer and Clevinger have made enough games that the club doesn't have to look at a Salazar as a starter in 2017
Plus, he really only has two pitches he trusts ... so his profile is kind of bullpen-y
Joe Douglas
12:46
For all the talk of Cutch having an amazing June and appearing back to career levels, I think we could still be looking at a situation where he has not improved his trade value relative to the offseason. Reason being is that currently there is very little market for position players with most competing teams being set there, and needing pitching. Thoughts? Certainly in a vacuum he has helped his value, but the collective need for positions players is relatively little, and many are available.
Travis Sawchik
12:47
Yeah, it does not appear to be a great market for position players .... Perhaps his value could be higher in the offseason. And perhaps his value is still greater to the Pirates in 2018 than what return is possible.
AMQP
12:47
Schwarber, Heyward, Baez, Russell, Contreras, and Zobrist have a combined OPS+ under 90. This is the worst case scenario for the Cubs, right?
Travis Sawchik
12:48
Everything went right for the Cubs in 2016. Very little is going right this year ... but Cubs kind of look like a buy low stock, too
DTH
12:48
apparently Wade Davis chatted up Brian Duensing about his mechanics, and Duensing has a 2.79 ERA and is striking out 11 per 9. Brian Duensing! clubhouse dynamics are fun.
Travis Sawchik
12:49
Maybe instead of "chemistry" being thought of as guys getting along, it should really be looked at as guys learning from each other, sharing, and adding value ... They don't have to be BFFs, but can they make each other better? Are they open and passionate about the game?
Jason
12:50
If you got to play, how many homers would you hit in the Celebrity Softball game that's played after the HR Derby tonight?
Travis Sawchik
12:50
How deep is the fence?
I'm more of a high OBP, low power guy ....not great for the event. More of a gamer
Travis
12:51
How bout that Freddie Freeman?
Billy
12:51
After Freddie Freeman's move to 3rd, who else could move up the defensive spectrum
Brent
12:51
Early thought on 3b prospect Freddie Freeman's performance so far?
Travis Sawchik
12:52
This guy is an amazing athlete, right? I haven't watch him play much but it looks like he's been OK ...
UZR/150 isn't pretty but it's a small sample
12:53
Carlos Santana is a guy who is going to be a free agent and volunteered to play some third base when the Indians were in a pinch a few years ago .... I'd be curious to see what he could do at third with extended reps
Matty P
12:53
Pirates are playing well with Starling Marte coming back soon. Cubs are mediocre with the Brewers playing (slightly) over their heads. I don't think they should sell Cole or Cutch. Thoughts?
Travis Sawchik
12:54
I wrote a couple weeks ago that I though the Pirates should be "soft sellers" and keep Cole and Cutch. Unless they are blown away, I think I'm sticking to that stance. Move Nicasio, see if there's a market for Watson, but the division is shaping up to be a real toss-up ...so I could see a 'Hold' position, too
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