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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 3/26/24
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Steve Adams
8:11
Happy Opening Day Eve Eve! Looking forward to another chat. We'll get going at 1pm CT, but feel free to ask questions in advance. Talk soon!
1:01
Greetings! Sorry for the slight delay. Was getting that Ureña post updated a bit and getting Darragh up to speed on a couple things. Let's get underway!
timothy
1:02
What happens with Joey Gallo? Do the Nationals just hope he starts hitting?
Steve Adams
1:03
They don't really have much choice. They're not going to cut him based on spring performance after guaranteeing him $5MM, but it's pretty rough. Gallo has had like two or three good months since being traded from Texas to New York back in 2021. I wasn't a big fan of the signing.
D. Lemanczyk
1:03
How surprised are you that Brandon Belt isn't signed yet?
Steve Adams
1:04
Fairly. Belt did Belt things last year -- namely pummeling right-handed pitching. I'd rather have seen the Nats pay double what they gave Gallo to plug Belt in at first base.

Seemed awhile back like Belt thought he was close to landing somewhere, but my guess is that team went another direction:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/02/brandon-belt-plans-to-play-in-2...
Argo
1:05
Does Victor Scott II do enough to stay up once Cards outfield gets healthy?
Steve Adams
1:06
He has 300 PAs above A-ball. It's possible, but my expectation is he'll provide good defense and tons of speed but look overmatched at the plate and eventually head back to Triple-A for more development.
Michael Siani
1:06
Did I just lose the starting job to someone that’s never played above AA??
Steve Adams
1:07
If the immediate move to replace Carlson is Victor Scott, did Siani ever really "have" the CF job to lose? Cards want him in a fourth OF role, which seems fair based on his glove and track record.
Guardo Man
1:07
Is the guardians rotation enough to get them to a postseason spot?
Steve Adams
1:09
The rotation is probably good enough if it stays healthy. The lineup isn't. I don't get spending the minimal resources they had on a marginal upgrade from De Los Santos to Barlow and giving Hedges $4MM. Cleveland's lineup is going to be rough this season.
Dave
1:09
Are there any utility infielders (releases or trades) that could make sense for the Yanks to pickup?
Steve Adams
1:11
Any of Matt Duffy, Elvis Andrus, Eduardo Escobar-- all released within the past five days -- make some degree of sense. Andrus maybe more than the others given the longer track record at SS.

Late-spring DFA carousel always produces a few names they can look into acquiring via a minor trade as well.
The Real Steve Adams
1:11
Any chance Miles Straw signs back with the Astros as a 5th outfielder/ pinch runner?
Steve Adams
1:12
He didn't get released. The Guardians passed him through waivers and sent him outright to Triple-A. He's still in the Cleveland organization.

He could've rejected the outright assignment, but doing so would've meant forfeiting the remaining $19MM on his contract, and no chance he was doing that.
MLP
1:12
Thought there was supposed to be an update on Matt McLain yesterday?  If there was, I missed it.
Steve Adams
1:12
David Bell said the Reds would get more info on McLain after he had an afternoon appointment/opinion on his shoulder. That doesn't necessarily mean the team will publicly disclose those findings immediately. I'd expect something today or certainly by tomorrow.
Papa jon
1:13
Which is more likely 1 Braves sign Montgomery or 2 Braves resign max fried?
Steve Adams
1:16
Neither? Signing Montgomery would thrust them into the top luxury tier, which doesn't seem like somewhere they want to go. And Fried not only would have a larger per-year asking price than the Braves have given on extensions, he'd also be signing into his late-30s, which the Braves have avoided on long-term deals for the most part. They've been comfortable paying Morton in his late 30s, but that's been on a year-to-year basis.

I think if Fried were going to sign, it'd have happened. I've said this before, but I assume he'll follow the Freddie/Dansby track and just play out his Braves years before taking a market deal elsewhere -- the type the Braves don't want to pay.
Fluffy Bunnie
1:16
The Mets being mentioned for Montgomery has me perplexed. It is not my money but if they sign him for $30MM it is really $65MM plus correct? Thought the Mets were gonna let the kids play and see what they had. (Megill, Butto)
Steve Adams
1:17
I don't think Monty would command a $30MM AAV, even on a short-term deal, but yeah it's a 110% tax regardless. So, $25MM AAV = $27.5MM of taxes.
Rocktember
1:17
Toglia gets starting job over Bouchard. Weirdly he strikes out at a rate around league average at AAA but in the majors he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn
Steve Adams
1:18
He had a 22% strikeout rate in AAA last year but was closer to 30% in his pro career up to that point. I don't buy the dip in K% in AAA last year as something he'll sustain. I find Bouchard more interesting in general, but hard to say Toglia didn't earn the job this spring. He outplayed Bouchard across the board and it's understandable that the Rox are rewarding him for that.
Alabama Worley
1:19
What on earth are the Orioles doing signing Tony Kemp when they have all those MLB-ready prospects, plus Mateo and Urias to backstop them?  I just don't understand.
Steve Adams
1:19
You and me both.
The Orioles love them a token veteran infielder though, for whatever reason.
Jose Iglesias, Adam Frazier, Rougned Odor, Kolten Wong (for most of spring anyway). Now Kemp.
Angry White Sox Fan
1:20
True or False, the White Sox should sign Montgomery to a 1/25 deal and flip him in July.
Steve Adams
1:20
Sure, but if Monty were willing to take 1/25 he'd probably have signed with someone by now.
Joshua
1:20
Who says no......Connor Norby and a lower level prospect to the Nats for Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey? Thanks.
Steve Adams
1:20
I'm not giving up Norby for Finnegan/Harvey.
AL Central Casting
1:21
What are the rules for placing players on IL at the beginning of the season? How far can they be backdated from Opening Day?
Steve Adams
1:21
Three days
Enter Your Name Here
1:21
There are pitching rich and position rich farms.  They very rarely swap prospects.  What is the barrier?
Steve Adams
1:22
Prospect-for-prospect trades are rare in general. Teams love and overvalue their own prospects, and no GM/president of baseball ops wants to be the guy who traded a superstar for a busted prospect no one's ever heard of.
Buckley
1:22
Do you think Hicks can pitch all year as a starter in SF? He looks good but it's a small sample size. Hit my lunchbox with your thoughts.
Steve Adams
1:25
Hicks has never pitched more than 77 innings in a big league season, and that was his rookie year in 2018. The 2023 season was the first year time since '18 that he's even gotten through a full season as a reliever without an IL trip. I don't see any way he holds up through a starter's workload.

I don't hate the price they paid him, but that's about the contract we thought he'd get as a reliever. Putting him in the rotation is just weird, particularly since they seemed prepared to just go with that group until Snell's price dropped enough that he fell into their laps.
Patrick
1:26
Donny Sands to TB? Is their catching situation so dire they might benefit from a guy who only has 4 MLB PA?
Steve Adams
1:27
Sands, Casali, Sandy Leon, Joey Bart (trade) ... the Rays should do something about their catching situation. I don't understand the idea that Alex Jackson is going to be healthy and a viable big league catching option behind Rene Pinto, who also has minimal MLB experience and minimal offensive upside.

The Rays do weird stuff all the time, but their catching situation, in particular, seems to regularly be in flux.
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