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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 2/25/25
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Steve Adams
8:29
Good morning! We'll get started at 1pm CT, but feel free to send in some questions ahead of time.
12:59
Good afternoon!
Let's get started
yogi
12:59
Are the salaries of dl players included in the computation of mlb tax levels?
Steve Adams
12:59
They are!
Kai
1:00
Does Eddie Rosario make the dodgers big league club on opening day
Steve Adams
1:01
I'd be surprised if Rosario cracked the Dodgers' roster, but they do have a pretty right-handed bench -- and injuries happen. I still wouldn't expect it, not only because of their depth but also because Rosario has been pretty consistently below-average for four years now
MinTwinsFan
1:01
Do the Twins trade Willi Castro before the season starts?
Steve Adams
1:02
At this point I don't expect the Twins to trade anyone of note prior to Opening Day, which is not a sentence I'd have expected to write four months ago.
Guarded Indian
1:02
What does and extension for Kwan look like?  He is clearly deserving of one.
Steve Adams
1:05
Kwan is making $4.125MM this season and has two more years of arb eligibility. Rough/ballpark estimates of his subsequent arb salaries, assuming he remains comparably productive, probably put him in the low $20MMs for his arb years -- we'll call it $22MM.

He's tracking to be a free agent ahead of his age-30 season. He's not going to command the $25MM+ AAVs we see premium free agent outfielders with more power land, but I don't see any reason he'd come in under the $15MM AAV Benintendi got on his five-year deal. He should be a good bit higher than that.

If we say $22MM for the arb years, I'd probably drop him into the $75MM range over six years (2025 included) or $90MM over seven (again, 2025 included). Maybe his camp disagrees. If he gets to free agency and doesn't miss a step along the way, he's a nine-figure guy, but any time a player signs an extension three years out from the market, they're giving up some level of earning potential.
Brian
1:06
Why hasn't David Robertson signed yet?  Could he sign with the Yankees again?
Craig Breslow
1:06
Does David Robertson end up with the Red Sox.
Steve Adams
1:09
About 20 "why hasn't D-Rob signed yet" questions. I don't think anyone can offer a good explanation of that other than Robertson himself. He's self-represented.

He's 40 in April. He made $11.5MM last year and had a great season. I would wager he doesn't feel he should have to take a cut, and that type of money at this juncture on the offseason calendar is hard to come by.

Robertson can be as choosy as he wants. Maybe he's waiting to see if a closer is injured somewhere. Maybe he's not committed to pitching at all. There's no good, truly insightful answer that I or anyone other than Robertson himself can give, as he hasn't spoken about it publicly.
John Henry's Tight Wallet
1:09
What do you think of a Devers for Vladdy trade (contingent on the Sox signing him to an extention)?
Steve Adams
1:10
Not happening. The Jays aren't trading Vlad, and the notion that Devers might be traded because he's unhappy about possibly moving from 3B and responded pensively when asked on the spot about a trade request seems largely overblown to me.
Lance
1:10
There are a number of notable non-roster invitees this spring. Are there any you have your eyes on because you think they could surprise some people with a stellar season or someone you hope is able to turn their performance around in a big way?
Steve Adams
1:11
I don't know that signing an NRI means it's a huge shock if you play well. Andrew Chafin, Mark Canha, Nick Anderson, Colin Poche ... there are lots of pretty solid guys on NRIs this spring. I think any of the four I listed there can be reasonably expected to contribute in 2025 -- more so than your standard  NRI
Ellis
1:12
How do the White Sox handle Robert Jr? If he tears it up the first couple months, is it worth the risk to wait til the deadline to maximize value and demand? What happens if he gets injured before getting traded -- nothing?
Steve Adams
1:12
I'd have him on the market as soon as he looks healthy and productive (if we get there) -- be it spring training or April/May
Steve Cohen
1:12
Who do you see as the biggest possible competition to Roki Sasaki walking away with the NL ROY award?
Steve Adams
1:14
Dylan Crews, Matt Shaw, Rhett Lowder, pick your random very-good Pirates SP prospect (Thomas Harrington, Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft).

Deeper cut: Seth Halvorsen in Colorado. Easy path to winning the closer's role and the velo/stuff is filthy. I don't think he's likely to win it or anything, of course, but just trying to come up with someone other than a universal top-100 prospect off the cuff. Halvorsen could be a lot of fun. Looked great in his short MLB debut last year.
Guest
1:15
Sean Wright on Twitter is saying Brewers are having preliminary talks with Colorado for McMahon.  He was right about some big nba traded a day in advance.  Have you heard anything?
Steve Adams
1:15
I have been asked about this like 10 times here, so.....
1:16
1) I have no idea who Sean Wright is. He does not seem to have a track record or affiliation.
2) The Rockies have little to no desire to trade McMahon. They're fiercely loyal to the guys they develop. Owner Dick Monfort loves McMahon.
3) The Brewers have virtually no room to add anything to the payroll. McMahon is on a six-year, $70MM contract with three years and $44MM yet to be paid out.
1:17
Can I buy that Milwaukee at some point asked Colorado about McMahon? Of course. I don't at all believe the two parties are engaged in any kind of meaningful trade conversations.
Sam
1:18
How many Girl Scout cookies were you able to sell with the price of $50 million per box? Closer to owning to Twins?
Steve Adams
1:18
Mark was exaggerating. I only asked $40 million per box
Cardinals
1:18
Should we trade Fedde now or should we wait until either the a few months into the season or the deadline
Steve Adams
1:18
The Cardinals should've traded Fedde and Helsley like three months ago.
Natsman
1:19
Why don't the Nats re-sign Finnegan?  He'd really solidify the bullpen.
Steve Adams
1:21
GM Mike Rizzo was on MLB Network Radio this week basically saying they have a standing offer to him (or, more specifically, that they've been in ongoing talks but Finnegan hasn't wanted to say yes yet -- something to that effect).

The simple reason: they haven't offered him the type of money he's seeking. The Nats' bullpen signings have topped out at $3MM. Not sure what they're offering Finnegan, but he was projected for nearly $9MM in arb and earned $5.1MM last year. Even offering that same salary would probably feel like a slap to him.

I'm sure he's hoping for a small raise and incentives to get him close to what he might've earned without being non-tendered.
Jose Igelias
1:22
Will I sign a minor league deal now getting late?
Steve Adams
1:22
At this point, I think Iglesias will either sign a minor league deal or take a big league deal with a base salary in the $1.5MM range (plus incentives)
Guest
1:22
Do you have a preseason power rankings top 10?
Steve Adams
1:23
For teams? No.

We'll do the first installment of our Free Agent Power Rankings for the upcoming class in April, though.
Suarez
1:24
Any more rumors on Robert Suarez being traded?  Seems to have gone quiet.
Steve Adams
1:25
In general, the Padres seem less urgent to move money. Suarez was always a tough trade candidate. I've said as much in the past. Any player with an opt-out is. Acquiring team is basically hoping he pitches well and leaves after earning $10MM for one year. If he picks up his two-year, $16MM player option it's going to be because he doesn't think the open market will afford him that (which likely means he was injured and/or pitched poorly in 2025).
1:26
We just rarely, rarely see meaningful trades of players with looming opt-outs/player options. It's all downside for the acquiring club -- even more so than it was for the team when originally signing that deal.
Free agents
1:26
Who do you have as your best remaining free agent other than Robertson, do you think they will get a big-league deal?
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