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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 1/30/24
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Steve Adams
9:28
Morning everyone! Some actual free agent and trade activity over the past week, and still plenty more to come. Lots to talk about... we'll get started at 1:00 CT, but feel free to ask questions early, as always. Looking forward to it!
1:00
Greetings! Let's get underway
Cody Bellinger
1:00
Should I sign a Correa-like short term deal with the Cubbies?
Steve Adams
1:01
I'm sure the Cubs would love that and be amenable to it. But if Bellinger is willing to go short-term -- three years with multiple opt-outs -- then a bunch of other teams would jump into the mix, too. Even teams with already crowded outfield mixes would get it on that.
KC Frazier
1:02
Help me make sense of this. The Royals already have a 2B in Massey with a similar profile. What gives, and how does this make them better?
Steve Adams
1:03
The Royals have given Massey almost 700 plate appearances and he's a .223/.284/.379 hitter in that time. Frazier's a cheap alternative who can be cut loose if he struggles (thus opening the door for another look at Massey), but even in his down seasons he's been better than Massey has so far.
Falvey
1:03
Does the Polanco return seem like it’s setting the stage for another move?
Steve Adams
1:05
Twins president of baseball ops Derek Falvey flatly said last night that the cash savings will be put back into the roster and that they'll look specifically on the position-player side for additions. I thought Justin Turner would've been a good and reasonably priced pickup for the Twins. I can see them looking into pretty much every RH bat on the market: Soler, JDM, Duvall, Garrett Cooper, Randal Grichuk, a reunion with Donovan Solano, etc.
hi hey
1:06
If Kyle Hendricks pitches 150 innings of slightly above league average ball would the Cubs offer him the QO?
Steve Adams
1:07
Probably? If they feel they can get 150+ innings of upper-3.00s ERA from him and keep him short-term I'm sure they'd be open to that. Hendricks clearly likes Chicago and wants to stay, so maybe something in that 1/20 range would work out for both parties.
Henry
1:07
Thoughts on Justin Turner to jays?
Steve Adams
1:08
Good price, good hitter, deepens the lineup. Solid pickup all around. I vastly prefer JT at that price to Joc at the same price point, even if Joc would've given the Jays a lefty
Joe
1:08
Did the Mariners overpay for 1 year of Polanco? Seems like a lot.
Steve Adams
1:08
They have him for two years
MLBTR’s No. 4 fan
1:08
Moises Gomez looked like the next Adolis Garcia… have the cardinals done it again?
Cards fan
1:08
Does Gomez make it through waivers or will he go on to become the next Arozarena/Garcia?
Steve Adams
1:10
I don't agree with that characterization at all. Adolis Garcia was a plus-plus runner and above-average defender with huge power and a suspect hit tool when the Cardinals moved on. Gomez doesn't have the speed or glove, and his hit tool is far worse. Garcia's highest K% in the minors was 30.1%. Gomez's 31.7% in AAA from this past season was his "best" since A-ball
1:11
I think there's a chance someone will claim him just for the power, but I'm not bullish on him putting things together in the Majors when he's fanned in more than a third of his plate appearances between AA and AAA
Fantasy Team Owner
1:12
What is the market for Soler now?
Steve Adams
1:14
Shrinking a bit with the D-backs adding Joc, Mariners signing Garver, Jays adding Turner. I still think there's a fit with the Angels, Giants, Twins and probably a few others if I actually sat down and took more than 15 seconds to drum up off-the-cuff answers.
RedTurn2
1:15
Isn’t Justin Turner’s bat a bit right hand redundant in Toronto’s lineup? Toronto was seems like an odd fit compared to NYM, AZ, LAA and a few other teams
Steve Adams
1:16
Yeah, I touched on that in my writeup of the signing this morning. But Turner also hits righties as well as lefties (actually a slight bit better). It's not ideal for facing super-premium RHP who are just death to RHH, but Turner hits everyone
AJ Prellz
1:17
Michael A. Taylor and Padres a match made in heaven?
Steve Adams
1:18
He'd be a fine fit with the Padres, sure. But also the Pirates, Twins, Reds, Marlins, plenty of other clubs. He won't be expensive, he's a plus defender and runner with some power. There are notable OBP and strikeout concerns, but he's a useful guy who won't break the bank. I wouldn't limit it to one team being some kind of perfect fit for him
Ray
1:18
Twins can make a run at Whit Merrifield to replace Polanco. I believe he can be had at a reasonable price.
Steve Adams
1:21
They could, but they're going to play Edouard Julien at second base. That was a huge part of the reasoning behind trading Polanco. And sure Whit can play the OF, but there's no immediate starting role for him there. I thought Whit would be a good fit for the Mariners, but Polanco going there kind of wipes that out. He's a nice fit for some other clubs still.. Pirates, Brewers (depending on how they view Turang) -- but the Mariners were the cleanest and easiest landing spot for me, and that's no longer very feasible.
RadHippo
1:22
Angels…. WTF ARE THEY DOING???
Steve Adams
1:23
A whole lot of nothing. Minasian's "aggressive" comments early in the winter have fallen flat so far, but there's still time for them to sign a Bellinger/Snell/Montgomery and make those look a lot more legitimate.
John
1:23
Have the Orioles done enough to better their bullpen? They were not as dominant in the second half and obviously won’t have Bautista. They’ll get Tate back and hopefully DL hall can develop more, but I don’t think adding kimbrel makes this bullpen elite. Is Angelos really unable to pay 10-15 for a year or 2 and get another solid arm? Is that too much to ask for?
Steve Adams
1:24
The Orioles just haven't done enough, period. Tough offseason for their fans so far, but again, still time left and still meaningful upgrades in free agency (unlikely) and on the trade market
Guest
1:24
Why Would The Tigers lock down Colt Keith to 6 years before locking up Riley Greene or Tork ?
Steve Adams
1:27
Because it takes two parties to get a deal done. Tork is represented by Boras, and the types of players who are amenable to these early-career extensions don't tend to sign with him. Those who prefer to bet on themselves do. Greene's not, but he (like Tork) is a top 5 pick.

Greene got a $6.18MM bonus out of the draft. Tork got $8.39MM. Keith was a fifth-rounder who signed for $500K. He has a lot less financial security and was clearly willing to cash in some long-term earning potential in a way that Greene and Torkelson almost certainly were not (likely in part because of those huge draft bonuses).
anonymous
1:27
Can a player released from a contract before its end sign for a higher value or is he limited to the original contract. Example Arron Hicks was released with $9.8M for 2024 and 2025 - could he sign for $11M or limited to the terms of the original contract.
Steve Adams
1:27
His salaries are set until the guaranteed portion of the contract is up
MIlwaukee
1:27
Does the addition of Hoskins (along with holding on to Burnes, Adames, and Williams) make the Brewers the favorite in the NL Central?
Steve Adams
1:27
They were already my favorite to win the division even before signing Hoskins
Ronny’s Smoldering Toupee
1:28
Why not give Morel some runway at 3b, given the bat and arm? His mechanics impossible to fix?
Steve Adams
1:28
If the Cubs thought Morel could play a passable 3B, he'd have played there last year and would be penciled in as their everyday guy there in 2024.
StlMade
1:29
Derrick Goold reports Cardinals are still in the FA BP market, who would be a sensibile target?
Steve Adams
1:30
Maton, Brasier, Wandy Peralta, Jarlin Garcia, Ryne Stanek ... at the prices the remaining guys will command, it's pretty easy to justify any of them for a contending team
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