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Travis Sawchik FanGraphs Chat
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Rocco
12:30
If the current ownership construct remains in tact, it seems the Mets either have to burn the team to the ground and trade all chips OR significantly increase their budget -- correct?   Any other move would be a half measure
Travis Sawchik
12:30
Yeah, I think the Mets are at a fork in the road and they have to choose one of those paths
Raymond
12:31
WAR/600: Lindor - 7.2, Trout - 9.25, Ramirez - 9.31, Betts - 10.65. I know WAR/PA isn't something typically analyzed in the MVP race, but considering that Betts is also very close in total WAR as well, I think it should be considered.
Travis Sawchik
12:32
Per plate appearances, Betts has been the best hitter/player in the AL, for sure. But in an MVP race, staying on the field matters, too
Rockie Dangerfield
12:32
According to the Denver Post, Trevor Story sought out his high school hitting coach to fix his swing last winter.  Which begs the question, why haven't the Rockies fired their useless hitting coach yet?
Travis Sawchik
12:34
I don't know enough about Rockies' hitting instruction to comment on the efficacy of the approach and teaching ... But I do know, more and more ML hitting coaches are seeing their hitters work with outside voices
Could the overall level of ML coaching be better? Yeah, I think so. But it's also unfair to expect one coach to be the perfect voice and instructor for every player on a roster
12:35
So teams need to be open-minded about this
If Justin Turner only listened to coaches employed by his ML clubs, for instance, he never becomes Justin Turner the Star
LegalEagle
12:35
Why are the Nationals still part of the conversation about playoff contenders? Not to be a Negative Nancy, but they have a mountain to climb to get into the playoffs...
Travis Sawchik
12:36
They are in real trouble, yes. But I think the climb is doable, though perhaps not likely
Curious Minds
12:37
What topic/player do you get asked about most incessantly - so for the last 30 day?  Machado trade?  Soto?  Vlad?  Something else?  Or is it always Mike Trout?
Travis Sawchik
12:38
Probably Machado and Trout if I was searched for most common names
What about Scooter Gennett folks? 138 wRC+ ... 3.3 WAR. Scooter is legit and under control through 2019
Brett
12:40
Who cares about the M's or A's?  The A's have played very well against Boston, New York, and Cleveland this season.  And they just took 3 of 4 from the Astros in Houston.  They wouldn't be favored, but the A's could definitely beat Sale or Severino.
Travis Sawchik
12:41
It's tough to get too excited about a team's October hopes when facing a one game play-in just to get in ... but the Yankees did almost get to the WS last year through the Play-In so it can happen
Bo
12:43
What will hurt Bryce Harper's offseason contract discussions more, his poor 2018 or his consistent inability to stay healthy?
Travis Sawchik
12:43
We know what peak Harper looks like, but, yeah, there's more and more reason not to guarantee him $400 million plus
12:44
That's going to be fascinating negotiation if he doesn't have a big second half
Josh
12:44
Just FYI, I have read that hitters are totally fine with the pine tar because they don't want the pitchers unable to control 98 mph pitches on a regular basis
Travis Sawchik
12:44
Some hitters do believe that. That answer is to just make it legal
Bo
12:44
Forget about the Nats' road ahead, is there reason to believe they're going to be any better in the second half? Maybe Harper will improve, but they've gotten what they need out of their pitching staff.
Travis Sawchik
12:45
Harper regression to the mean, Strasburg returns, Murphy regains timing .... I think the Nats are going to be better in second half but they have a hole to climb out of
All Cats Are Beautiful
12:45
Which Fangraphs writer (yourself excluded) is objectively the handsomest?
Travis Sawchik
12:46
Jeff Sullivan without a doubt
Moltar
12:46
Yeah, I was dismayed to come home sunday afternoon and find out I had missed nearly all of the Futures game. Why not have it on one of the two baseball-free days after the ASG?
Travis Sawchik
12:46
Yeah, it's a cool event and it deserves a primetime weekday time slot
Honestly, I'd rather watch the Futures Game than the ASG
Jason N
12:47
Do you think AJ Preller’s reputation/behavior affects his ability to sell of Ross, Hand, Yates, etc. this month?  This is the 2nd year in the row with reports about the Red Sox needing a back-of-the-bullpen guy but almost zero buzz about Brad Hand.  Is this because of the Pomerantz thing?  Have you heard any buzz about other clubs that don’t want to work with Preller?
Travis Sawchik
12:48
I don't think it has much or any impact. I think the issue last year was Preller wouldn't budge on his high ask for Hand. And this year, he has more relief assets to sell  in Yates and Cimber in addition to Hand
Mac
12:49
Where do you see deGrom playing after the trade deadline?
Travis Sawchik
12:49
Mets
Luke
12:50
In addition to your response on the story question about hitting coaches, I'd imagine this is a tough aspect to evaluate. There's so much that goes into hitting. I think the best approach for teams would be to be more open with players and hitting coaches at different levels
Travis Sawchik
12:50
I agree that more openness is better and there can no longer be one-size-fits-all team hitting philosophies or approaches
Moltar
12:51
Is there any sense that the Mets would be willing to hire a true President of Operations to oversee the team? Somebody like a Dombrowski or Friedman. While ownership in Queens has been poor, the biggest problem seems to be the judgement of their current COO, Jeff Wilpon. The organization needs accountability from the top down.
Travis Sawchik
12:52
Good question, I have no idea if that's on the table
Ichiro for CEO
12:52
If you were Bryce Harper, given the down year he's having, would you be willing to take a 1+1 deal with a player option to give yourself a chance at another "contract year"? Or does Boras not settle for less than a long-term deal?
Travis Sawchik
12:52
Trevor Bauer has publicly said he's going to bet on himself on one-year deals. It makes even more sense for a position playe r
12:53
If Harper wants to maximize potential earnings he ought to go to shorter-term contracts
April
12:54
Why don't teams play 5-6 game series during the regular season instead of 3-4? It would dramatically reduce travel, and let teams see each SP for the other team in a series.
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