JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 7/18/22

Ben Clemens

2:00

Hey everyone, welcome to the chat

2:01

As a heads up, I was on vacation until last Wednesday (Kauai, lovely), and am hermetically sealed in a container of Meg's design that only lets me look at trade value questions for the next week

Also there's no baseball going on

So if you've ever wanted to ask me off-topic questions, now's a great time, but let's also talk some Juan Soto to start off

2:02

I'm gonna need a few minutes to deal with a quick dog thing, but when I come back, we'll be answering a million variations of this:

x2R

2:02

Soto? In what team do you wanna see him if something happens? For some reason I'm interested in the Giants for the idea of that staff working with him.

Ben Clemens

2:05

Okay I'm back!

My two favorite options (excluding the Cardinals) would be the Giants (I live here so that would be awesome) and the Rays (b/c amazing)

2:06

Mets could be fun too, particularly if he goes back to DC and torches the Nats

Guest

2:06

Tatis for Soto. Who says no?

Ben Clemens

2:06

Padres, but also Nats

Billy

2:06

not really their MO (no pun intended) but what would a cardinals trade package for Soto look like?

Ben Clemens

2:06

It would start with Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman, or maybe Walker and Winn and Liberatore, or something that prospect huggers will hate

Sharps

2:06

Losing Soto from an on-field perspective would be bad, but players acquired in return would help reduce the sting. Once he's gone, though...who do the Nats market? Who does commercials and who do my kids look up to? That loss is way bigger than the on-field performance.

Ben Clemens

2:07

What, you don't like Maikel Franco?

Realistically, it's Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray, and yeah, that's not a lot of star power

Appa Yip Yip

2:08

Who fetches a bigger return, Soto or Ohtani?

Ben Clemens

2:08

Soto, in my opinion

Ohtani has one fewer year remaining before free agency, which is a huge deal

I'm really struggling with where to slot Ohtani in the trade value series

like, Ohtani or Jeremy Pena, who you got?

2:09

Is there a Soto to STL deal that doesn't include Walker or Gorman? I assume it would take at least O'Neil or Carlson, Gorman, plus... (plus plus plus)?

Ben Clemens

2:09

The nats aren't gonna be looking for O'Neill esque players, and they shouldn't be

if you're burning it down like they are, guys whose major league clocks have started are just not super useful

jas

2:09

Who do you see as realistic suitors for Soto? Or is there really one? Hard to see any FO giving up the pieces it would take.

Ben Clemens

2:10

I'd put realistic suitors as: Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Padres, Mariners, Cards (tier 2), Rangers (tier 2), Giants (tier 3), Rays (tier 3)

Sharps

2:10

You get the money to start a twitch channel playing board games. You have to have another sportswriter, a current player, and one other baseball person of your choice. Who's on it, and what game are you playing?

Ben Clemens

2:10

Love this question

2:11

I think I'd want Keith Law as the sportswriter, because I love his board game reviews and also would love to pick his brain on the prospecting side of the game. Current player would have to be Ohtani, to see if he really is good at everything. And then, one other baseball person? Hunter Pence, because he's hilarious and also a big gaming nerd

2:12

I think we'd play Six Nimmt, and also maybe Seven Wonders

jas

2:12

Are there any arms available that can solve the Cardinals pitching problems? I think they'll be wary of Montas after an injury

Ben Clemens

2:12

Yeah, Luis Castillo maybe? Totally agree on Montas

Malcolm Nunez

2:12

Which team acquiring Soto would be the most fun? I'm going with the Twins.

Ben Clemens

2:12

Oh yeah, that would definitely be fun

Sentimentalist

2:13

What kind of dog do you have??

Ben Clemens

2:13

a rescue dog of indeterminate origin. We are dumb and sentimental so we did one of those dog DNA tests, which pegged her as 50% American Bully (weird subset of Staffordshire terriers, basically a pit mix) and 50% golden retriever

2:14

She's just a 75 pound goofball with enormous separation anxiety issues (:()