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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 2/28/23
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Steve Adams
8:43
Greetings all! I'll be back at 1pm CT for my weekly chat about all things throughout the league. If you're a Tigers fan, an AL Central fan, or just a general offseason/Hot Stove junkie like me, you can also check out Darragh McDonald's Tigers-centric chat a few hours earlier in the day. He's going at 10am CT, and you can submit a question for his chat here:
https://live.jotcast.com/chat/tigers-offseason-in-review-chat-15168.ht...

Looking forward to this, as always!
2:07
Augh! I sincerely apologize on goofing the times in my brain. I set an alarm for 2pm CT and had that on my mind for chatting. Just a total mental lapse on my end -- sorry everyone.
We'll get this underway for the next hour or so. Very sincere apologies to those who showed up at 1pm thinking "Um... hello?"
Altuve’s Buzzer
2:07
Should the Dodgers sign Iglesias, Didi or Simba now that Lux is down? Thx man.
Steve Adams
2:10
Iglesias on a minor league deal or maybe for $1-2MM might make sense, but I'm not sure they really need to even do that. They already acquired Miguel Rojas last month, and he was going to be an overqualified utilityman.

He won't hit much, but bat him ninth and let him play the hell out of shortstop.

They have so many other versatile pieces up and down the roster (Chris Taylor, Miguel Vargas, etc.) that it feels like more of a luxury than a necessity, but I'll admit having Iglesias stashed on the bench or, more ideally, in AAA doesn't hurt.
Angels1961
2:10
Steve, do you feel pitch clock will favor pitchers or hitters? I was against pitch clock at first but it seems to really pick up pace of game.
Steve Adams
2:12
I think it'll eventually favor everyone, including the fans. Virtually any player who's played with it in the minors or in the Atlantic League or wherever is in favor of it.

It's going to lead to some annoying calls early in the season and it'll feel disruptive early on. But it won't be long before it just weaves into the fabric of the game, and we don't notice it ... outside of the shorter game times and the increased pace of play.

I don't like a lot of the new rules in the sport -- the extra-inning runner is awful -- but this one seems like a good long-term win for all parties.
Danny
2:12
Does Luke Voit have a realistic shot at breaking camp with Milwaukee? Reverse metrics vs lefties aren't in his favor, Tellez is coming off a 30+ HR season, and he provides 0 position versatility.
Steve Adams
2:13
Feels more like someone who'll spend some time in camp with the Brewers but end up elsewhere, to me (unless he's fine opening the year in AAA). I agree that there's not a great fit on the roster unless there's an injury. It's redundant to have him, Hiura, Tellez, Brosseau .
Jorge78
2:14
Hi Steve!  The chat with Billy Sample was incredible!  I watched him as a teenager.  Thanks so much for doing these!  Sorry, no questions, just praise!
Steve Adams
2:15
Billy chatted for like 4+ hours yesterday. He was awesome.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/02/live-chat-with-former-mlb-outfi...

Not sure any of the future guests we have are going to top that mark, haha, but we have some good ones lined up, including some recent retirees and active players.
Nate
2:15
Do you think Brandon Pfaadt will be called up this season?
Steve Adams
2:15
Yeah I think he'll make his big league debut with the D-backs at some point in '23, though probably not to begin the season.
Billy Shears
2:15
Is Ryan Pepiot and Jose Ramos enough to get Jordan Westburg or Matt McLain? Dodgers could use another middle infielder with Lux going down.
Trade Coming?
2:15
With Lux going down and FA picked over, are there any trade targets that might make sense for the Dodgers to find an answer at SS?
Dodger Hubs
2:15
Lux injury feel really bad for him and where do Dodgers find a SS?
Steve Adams
2:17
I have about 50 of these question already, and my answer remains the same as above: I just don't think the Dodgers really need to go get a shortstop when they already have Rojas on the roster and several versatile utility options. They certainly don't need to trade Pepiot or any other well-regarded prospects, in my view.
Padres future meltdown
2:18
No way the Padres organization can manage these huge and expensive contracts, right? Plus, how bad would team chemistry be when all these overpaid "stars" are over the hill in five years?
Steve Adams
2:20
They're just not THAT expensive. Xander Bogaerts is getting the same AAV that A-Rod got more than 20 years ago, and by the time the contract is drawing to a close, it'll be 30 years removed from A-Rod. A $25MM AAV already isn't nearly as impactful as it was then, and a decade down the line that'll be more the case.

I'm sure the Padres don't relish the idea of paying three players -- Tatis, Bogaerts, Machado -- around $100MM all the way out in 2033, but that number won't seem as large then as it does now (and it doesn't even seem ALL that large right now)
PJ
2:20
Daily Profar check! What's the grapevine saying?
Steve Adams
2:20
He's playing for Team Netherlands in the WBC?
Nameless Fiend
2:21
Most surprising guy not to have a contract? Gary Sanchez? Profar? Other?
Steve Adams
2:23
For me, I guess one of the remaining lefty relievers: Britton, Smith, Hand.

Based on the numbers being thrown around with regard to Profar early in the offseason, I'm not really shocked he's still out there. He was always a landmine for me; I didn't even like him at the two years and $20MM we put down on the Top 50, and we were way lighter on him than a lot of predictions.
Honus
2:23
If the Pirates are shopping Bryan Reynolds, why signal that you might not want him in CF?
Steve Adams
2:23
The Pirates aren't shopping Bryan Reynolds. Besides, it's not really a secret that he didn't grade out super well in CF last year.
Jake
2:24
Could you see Profar end up with the Orioles?
Steve Adams
2:24
I'd rather play Hays-Mullins-Santander in the outfield, with Kyle Stowers maybe working his way in eventually. And Profar's not an infielder anymore.
The Ghost of Nuke LaLoosh
2:25
I'm not upset in any way, as I love the player chats (and these, too). Just curious why you don't publicize them more in advance.
Steve Adams
2:27
Sometimes it's just because nailing down an exact time with the player (or scout, coach, whoever) can be a little difficult. We try to tease them in The "Opener" posts we run every morning, but even then, sometimes we get late confirmation or a late request to change the time so we end up not advertising it in advance.

That's also not a complaint. These guys are taking their time to chat with our readers, and we're more than happy to accommodate them. But a lot of them are very busy and have to rearrange some things on the fly.
oblique angle
2:27
With Glasnow out 6-8 weeks, can we expect about the same for Suzuki since he also has similar grade 2 strain?
Steve Adams
2:27
The Cubs, at least as far as I've seen, have not put a grade on Suzuki's strain.
2:28
They called it a "moderate" strain and have been deliberately vague about the injury.
Even then, I wouldn't necessarily speculate. Not all Grade 2 strains are created equal -- they're all a range/spectrum -- and the recovery for an outfielder/hitter is going to differ from that of a pitcher.
2:29
Generally speaking, even Grade 1 strains can sideline a hitter for a month; if Suzuki does have a Grade 2, I'd bet he's out well over a month, but we'll see what the latest updates from the Cubs provide in the next couple of days.
James
2:30
Is Sandy a Marlin by this in time 2024?
Steve Adams
2:30
I don't think the Marlins are trading Alcantara within the next year
MPrck
2:31
Baseball needs to rethink this clock, extend the time to 25 and 20, it feels too rushed even as a fan viewing it on tv.  What say you ?
Steve Adams
2:31
As I said before, I like the clock. I think it'll appear less rushed as players settle in and stop getting dinged for violations.
Snake BLell
2:31
Is it just me or do the dbacks have multiple pathways to success this year? Obvious one is if Carroll is immediately a superstar but a step forward from McCarthy, Moreno, some of the young arms, etc makes me feel like we could see them at least in the race late in the year. Am I too optimistic?
Steve Adams
2:33
They need a lot to go right, but I'm pretty bullish on the D-backs in general over the next few seasons. If I were listing "sleeper" teams in 2023, I think I'd have them among the ranks.

I wrote about this a couple weeks ago for our Front Office subscribers, but I don't really understand why the disparity in terms of love for the Orioles' future and the D-backs' future. I'm not diminishing the Orioles -- the future is quite bright -- but the D-backs are more or less their NL equivalent (despite never tearing down or going into a full-scale rebuild, which is impressive in and of itself). They've just drafted and developed really well.
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