JotCast | Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 10/7/25

Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 10/7/25

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Steve Adams

1:36

They'll give Lee a full year to show whether he can hack it, and if not, they've got Kaelen Culpepper, another former first-rounder and top-100-y guy, coming along relatively quickly

@tayyyburrr

1:36

Lifelong Padre fan here. Does AJ Preller get any credit for at least trying to build a winner? I know "we" haven't won anything, but being an annual "contender" has to count for something, right?!?

Steve Adams

1:36

Gets credit from me. I wish there were more GMs/presidents of baseball ops like Preller, Dipoto, Dombrowski, etc.

1:37

I feel like so many baseball ops leaders today operate with a risk-averse approach, so as not to risk their job security. And that's understandable! These guys are paid enormous seven-figure salaries. But it's also boring. Give me chaos. Always chaos. It's more fun. Preller is pure entertainment. And he's better than his detractors give him credit for.

Craig Breslow

1:38

Would the Royals take Duran straight up for Bubic? Should I?

Steve Adams

1:38

The Royals would. The Red Sox wouldn't.

1:39

Three years of control remaining for Duran to one for Bubic.

BeBopCola

1:39

What was your preseason World Series pick and what is it now?

Steve Adams

1:39

Dodgers over Mariners so now I have to stubbornly stick to it!

GM job

1:40

As an impartial non Rockies fan. who would want their GM job given the terrible state of affairs throughout their organization ? They have almost no chance of making the playoffs for many years in the NL West with LA,SD, AZ and SF. Thanks.

Steve Adams

1:41

There's only 30 of these jobs, first and foremost. So yes, plenty of people would want it. Beyond that, imagine being able to claim your legacy as the person who finally brought winning baseball to Colorado. You'd be a legend.

Any front office leader is hypercompetitive and driven by challenge. Turning the Rockies around is an Everest-ian challenge (to use a terrible mountain-related analogy)

Jim

1:41

What prospects would the A's have to give up in order to get Brady Singer from the Reds?

Steve Adams

1:42

I don't think Singer would cost a ton in trade. He has a little surplus value, probably, but one year of him at $12MM ... it's not like he's some raucous, unmitigated bargain. Couple middle-of-the-pack prospects (40 FV types) probably gets it done. He'd cost less than Springs cost them last winter.

Natitude

1:42

Zac Gallen a fit in Washington?

Steve Adams

1:43

I don't think the Nats will be aiming that high in free agency, but any pitcher who can be reasonably expected to pitch anywhere close to league-average innings is a "fit" in D.C. based on what they have on the depth chart right now.

Still amazed that the Nats (and Rockies, especially) passed on Alek Manoah. Don't get me wrong, he's probably just bad now, but for a bit more than $2MM, why not take the shot? He has minor league options left!

Cards

1:45

Am I the only cardinal fan that still has high hopes for Gorman? Sure he strikes out a ton and has a low average but I still believe there’s a 40 homer slugger around the corner.

Steve Adams

1:47

I think there should be a balance between "having hopes" and "having high hopes."

Hoping for Gorman to turn into a decent strikeout-prone slugger who's a defensive liability but hits righties well enough to be a 2-ish win player, sure. But a 40-homer season from a guy whose power has dropped in consecutive seasons and who's fanned in 34% of his career plate appearances feels ambitious to me.

1:47

You see Bendix aggressively trying to move Sandy this offseason or has he backed off on the prospect?

Steve Adams

1:48

I see him listening to whatever offers are presented and being content to carry Alcantara into the season if he's getting low-balled coming off an uneven season.

Hector Villanueva

1:48

Where are earth so the Cubs play Moises next year. I think he’s ready, but he’s not an MLB catcher, they have Busch at 1st, and Suzuki at DH.

Steve Adams

1:50

They don't need to pencil him in for 600 PAs. They can option him, and injuries will create openings for him. Plus, they could wind up playing Suzuki in the OF more if (when?) Tucker signs elsewhere. Obviously they still have Alcantara, but he didn't exactly set the world on fire in AAA this year.

Even if they were to go with Happ-PCA-Alcantara in the outfield and Suzuki at DH, there's still a path for Ballesteros to get 300+ plate appearances next year with minimal time at catcher. And come 2027, Happ and Suzuki are free agents, which only makes it easier to get Moises into the lineup.

HomerHanky

1:52

Besides a new manager, what do YOU believe are the Twins biggest needs this off-seeason?

Steve Adams

1:52

An entire bullpen

Yates to Rangers?

1:52

Hi Steve. With Kirby Yates having a lousy year with the Dodgers, do you think a reunion to be the Rangers closer is possible?

Steve Adams

1:52

Plausible enough, but no reason to necessarily think it's likely

Melchez

1:52

The Rockies need some talent... 1. Trade Kyle Freeland for prospect(s)... 2. Sign aging free agents looking for a chance to build up value and flip at deadline (1B Carlos Santana, DH Marcel Ozuna, CF Cedric Mullins) and 3. what's stopping them from loading up on rule 5 guys? They have very little on the farm that's close. Rockies have a long road ahead.

Steve Adams

1:54

I don't think Freeland nets them much in a trade.

A 40-year-old Carlos Santana's not getting anything at next year's deadline. Mullins, sure ... adding some closer-to-prime-aged pillow guys like that makes sense, but those guys will have understandable concerns about playing at altitude regularly and what it does to recovery and performing on the road.

Rule 5? Sure, go nuts. They should have several roster spots to work with, and I agree, why not grab two, three -- even four guys if you like them better than what's in your system? Obviously they won't all stick, but might as well take some looks in spring training/early in the season.

Pontiac bandit

1:55

Steve, forgot about Owen Cassie in the Cubs OF next year, higher grade prospect then Alcantara.

Steve Adams

1:55

Ah yeah true, brain fart. Point generally still stands though. Two OF spots open post-2026, and injuries create ample opportunity, especially when the OF/DH is a carousel of 3-4 guys.

1:56

Or rather a carousel of 4-5 guys. Words. Numbers. Hard. Brain no work good.

Roper

1:56

Could the Redbirds and Rangers match up on a Gray-Semien trade?

Steve Adams

1:57

The Cardinals want to create more opportunities for younger players. Bringing Semien aboard when he's signed for three more years doesn't really accomplish that. They'd much prefer to just keep Gray and have him eat innings until the deadline.

I don't know's on 3rd

1:58

This the year the M's acually spend big on a hitter(not like the 2/24 Garv got)??

Steve Adams

1:58

It's just not really Jerry Dipoto's preferred method of team-building, but I could see them at least trying to re-sign either Geno or Naylor (former feels likelier, given the prior connection and the fact that he'll naturally be capped to a shorter term because of the age discrepancy)

Cardinals

1:59

What team do you think would actually take the contract of Sonny Gray? Mets, Giants, Phillies, Braves or Orioles have the money, maybe the Angels or Tigers as outside?

Steve Adams

1:59

I don't think anyone would take the whole contract

2:00

$40MM for one year is too steep for Gray -- particularly for a team like the Mets or Phillies, who are third-time luxury payors in the top tier of penalty. It's a 110% tax for them, meaning Gray costs them $84MM for one year.

Cardinals need to eat $10-12MM or so just to move him for no return. Probably $15MM+ to get any kind of semi-decent prospect.

Twins fan

2:01

Do you think Lewin Diaz will get MLB interest again after his 50 homer season in Korea?

Steve Adams

2:01

I do

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