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Travis Sawchik
12:00
Happy Monday
12:01
All three AL division leaders now have 92.5% or better division odds
Let's get started, shall we?
Kiermaierkegaard
12:01
Hey Travis! Are there any broader trends we can forecast from what the Brewers are doing defensively? "Positionless" infields etc...? What Stearns and Counsell are doing seems to be working, and it's fascinating to me.
Travis Sawchik
12:02
I suspect the Brewers are concerned with cramming as much power into their infield as possible and taking advantage of a strikeout environment that has eroded defensive changes by 20% over the last decade. It is interesting!
ZZ Bottom
12:02
AL wildcard race the most compelling story rest of season?
Travis Sawchik
12:03
In the AL, sure. But the NL has three pretty good division races going on. The NL should give us plenty of September drama
bobby
12:05
People are discussing the "unfairness to the yankees" with the wild card. Why not discuss it regarding a team with a near same record in a much better division-oakland a's?
Travis Sawchik
12:05
Noise is proportional to market size
The playoff structure is not a pure meritocracy, for sure
And just think, we're likely headed for a future of four divisions
Gadi
12:06
Kipnis is getting hard to watch...I'm surprised the Indians havent been platooning Erik Gonzalez with him.  I find it hard to believe Yandy cant help this team either as a 3rd baseman or 1st base platoon.
Travis Sawchik
12:06
#FreeYandy
12:07
Yandy is going to be 27 next month. I'd like to see what he can do down the stretch and how much of that .413 OBP in Triple-A translates. Indians can afford to experiment.
Mike M
12:07
Javy Baez - MVP contender?
Travis Sawchik
12:08
He's having a great year and in the mix in what is kind of a weak NL MVP chase. Top five fWAR leaders are all in the AL
Justin
12:08
If the Pirates find a taker for Nova this offseason (which shouldnt be THAT hard), they'd have something like $20-30 million in payroll space to add to the team.  Can you think of any FAs that would seem like an especially good use of that money?  Not a lot of holes on the team but i keep coming back to Donaldson...
Travis Sawchik
12:08
Would the Pirates actually use the cap space they created?
NYY fan
12:08
Tell me it gets better???
Travis Sawchik
12:09
Yankees are still in really good shape ... they're just in the wrong division
Abraham Nunez
12:09
Any chance the backlash from this offseason impacted the decision making around the Archer trade from Pittsburgh's side some? It is odd to me that they never made this aggressive of a move in the past when they had some REALLY good teams but chose to do so now.
Travis Sawchik
12:09
Pirates were in on David Price in 2014 and thought they had made a better offer to Tampa
12:10
It was an interesting trade, for sure. Pirates' playoff odds suggest this was kind of an unusual team to bet on, though Archer is under control.
12:11
I understand the deal more from Tampa's perspective, though if Pirates can get more out of Archer it can be a very good mid-range deal for them in an NL that doesn't have a super team at this very moment
Aaron
12:11
After a mediocre start by Chris Archer and a couple losses putting the Pirates below 10% playoff odds, I wonder what you think will have to happen to make the Pirates NOT regret that trade?
Travis Sawchik
12:12
Pirates have to get Archer back on track. Like the Astros did with Gerrit Cole, to a degree. It's certainly possible.
Kiermaier's Piercing Green Eyes
12:13
Baseball is very popular with a relatively older audience and is concerned about its popularity with children. This is why it makes sense for its most important games to end well after midnight eastern. Because if people on the west coast can't see the top of the second, the sport will die. It is fine if people on the east coast wake up to find out that stuff happened after that Chapman homer in the World Series. *Shakes well-rested fist*
Travis Sawchik
12:15
Sheryl Ring had a good piece on baseball's age problem last week. MLB is aware of it. That's why Rob Manfred has been so interest in raising participation among kids. Kids that play the sport are more likely to become paying customers. I think pace and game times are an issue, too, but smaller ones in the grand scheme of things. The NYY-BOS game time last night is a problem. I don't think old people stay up for that either.
Dbacks
12:16
What is your thoughts on Shane Bieber? Do you feel like he is at his peak or just at the tip of the iceberg regarding his potential?
Travis Sawchik
12:16
I think there's more there. Starting with potential 80-grade command is a good starting point. He can sharpen or add another breaking ball ... He's a mid-rotation guy for me
Pip
12:17
Over/Under on Bryce Harper's total contract being worth $300 Million?
Travis Sawchik
12:17
Over
12:18
He's still going to be entering his Age 26 season probably coming off a 'down' 4-win season. You don't see that every day.
Adam
12:18
Chances of a waiver deal for Harper?
Travis Sawchik
12:18
Probably unlikely ... but there's a chance. Depends on what Nats do here in the near term
Bravesy McBravesface
12:19
Shouldn't the Yankees just bullpen the wild card game?  If they do choose to use one of their starters for an extended outing, it seems like more of a gamble.  If they bullpen the game, they'd save one of their starters for the division series, likely wouldn't surrender many runs, and could take advantage of matchups more easily.  It's not an infallible strategy, but the way their rotation has pitched lately, it feels like less of a gamble.
Travis Sawchik
Yes!
Bernie
12:19
Will Fangraphs ever have weekly staff power rankings? Fans are obsessed with lists, especially those of the power sort, and I feel like you guys could do it right.
Travis Sawchik
12:20
It's been discussed. I believe it has been done before at FG. People do love lists.
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