You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Chat With MLBTR's Steve Adams: 3/30/18
powered byJotCast
Steve Adams
1:56
Greetings! After missing the past two Tuesdays while on vacation, I figured I'd do an impromptu chat on a slow Friday afternoon
Hopefully I'm not as rusty as Ivan Nova looks in this start against the TIgers
Time will tell
Matt
1:57
Is there any players/contracts you think a team should just cut bait on?
Steve Adams
1:57
I figure that's the ultimate outcome for Yasmany Tomas. Kemp too, eventually.
Curious Georgie
1:57
Closing situation in Baltimore?
Steve Adams
1:58
Brach will get a decent leash, though he'll probably share time with O'Day to an extent. I wouldn't overreact to yesterday's blown save. They have three good late-inning options in Brach, O'Day and Givens; I'd expect them all to get save opps in that order.
Padres
1:58
Why is Chase Headley still on this team?!
Steve Adams
1:59
He posted a .440 OBP in Spring Training and was by no means useless last year. He's not necessarily a $13MM player, but it's not like he's devoid of value.
Michael
1:59
You don’t think the Blue Jays will eventually cut their losses with Morales? I think rolling with a Teoscar in LF and DH’ing Pearce/Grandy would make them much better.
Steve Adams
2:00
They could, though that commitment isn't as onerous, and I'd be more inclined to believe that Morales bounces back to some extent. Obviously, Kemp/Tomas wasn't a comprehensive list of dead-money deals so much as just an off-the-cuff reaction.
Gabe Kapler
2:00
I should have left Nola in. What say you
Steve Adams
2:01
Yeah. I appreciate Kapler's adherence to analytics to an extent, but pulling Nola for a lefty-lefty matchup involving your 5th- or 6th-best reliever is silly -- especially if he knew Neshek was going to be unavailable.

At a certain point, you have to pick your spots to manage bullpen workload. I know it's Opening Day, so everyone's fresh, but they unnecessarily burned through some 'pen arms yesterday.
Trevor
2:02
Is it just me, or does Zimmermann look like old Zim in his brief 3 innings so far?
Steve Adams
2:02
It's been more background noise for me thus far than something I've been focusing in on heavily. I found myself watching more closely when Nova was weirdly unable to throw strikes.
David
2:03
Any rumors about billy Hamilton being moved?
Steve Adams
2:04
There were plenty all offseason, and it sounded like owner Bob Castellini wasn't keen on the idea. That doesn't bode too well for his chances of getting moved, though perhaps it changes a bit when he's 1.5 years from FA and the Reds are again out of it this July. (Sorry Reds fans, but I can't fathom them contending with the Cubs, Brewers and Cardinals)
Jay
2:04
Rays to eventually sign Bautista?
Steve Adams
2:05
Doesn't sound like they're thinking that way -- though I suppose an injury or two could always change things. Not betting on Bautista to TB though
Michael
2:05
Any guesses on how long Holland will need before game action?
Steve Adams
2:06
Derrick Goold tweeted that the deal isn't expected to be finalized today, so we're looking at Saturday or Sunday before it's even official. From there, have to imagine he needs another 2-3 weeks to ramp up and get into the Cards' bullpen. They'll want him to be able to go consecutive days before activating him, I think.
Stros fan
2:07
Springer have it in him to be a sneaky MVP candidate?
Steve Adams
2:07
He's coming off back-to-back 5 rWAR and 4.5 fWAR seasons. I wouldn't call him an especially sneaky candidate.
Sammy
2:07
Matt Davidson is obviously better than Stanton
Steve Adams
2:07
This much is now unequivocally true.
Penny
2:08
Do the Dodgers move Grandal if he performers well considering their catcher depth?
Steve Adams
2:09
If he's performing well, I'd imagine they just ride out the year with him as the starter, enjoy the production, and then turn things over to Barnes in 2019.
Dave Stearns
2:09
Brewers pick up a starter or two at the deadline don't they?

And is it me, or do the Pirates look like a .500 team sleeper contender to you too?
Steve Adams
2:11
At this point, need to see how Nelson progresses, how Woodruff performs, etc. They're OK with the group they have right now, so it's entirely possible that the need ends up being overstated. I think they'll be in that market, but it's early to say so with any real certainty.

As for the Pirates, I think fans wildly overreacted to the McCutchen and especially Cole trades. Comments suggesting they'll be among the bottom few teams in the game are crazy to me. If they're a sleeper team, it's because people are already dramatically underselling them when they, in reality, traded away more name value than actual on-field value.
Arnie
2:12
With Hicks on the D/L who replaces him in the OF??
Steve Adams
2:13
Gardner to CF, Judge/Stanton in the corners (as, ahem, was laid out in the post on his injury).

McKinney will bounce around the OF until one of Hicks, Ellsbury or Frazier is healthy.
Big Money
2:14
Who's the number one pick in the draft this year? Who should the tigers select?
Steve Adams
2:15
The Tigers themselves don't know who they'll take right now. The spring high school and college seasons will radically impact that decision for all teams.
Wiffle ball star
2:15
You think Miggy will bounce back and have a decent year?
Steve Adams
2:17
Batted-ball profile last season was still excellent. Great hard-contact and exit velocities... believe he led the Majors in xBABIP-BABIP. My concern with him isn't so much about his ability to produce when healthy as it is about his ability to simply stay healthy in the first place.
The King of all Questioners
2:18
Would you ever see the league start to limit the number of times a team could shift, or distance from position, or whatnot? We're on the verge of a 3-true-outcome game.
Steve Adams
2:19
I don't see the point of it. There's no reason that players should be forced to stick to the conventional "positions." Those positions were only ever defined by teams taking more general guesses at determining where a batted ball would go. Now that there's better data at their disposal, why not use it?

And it's not like shifting is new; it's just gotten better. But we all grew up with playing the infield in, the no-doubles defense in the outfield -- shifting an extra infielder to the second base side of the bag for a pull-happy lefty is hardly new, either.
Garret
2:21
Chris Davis batting leadoff should is about the worst leadoff hitter ever right?
Steve Adams
2:21
It would not be my first choice. Worst ever? I'm sure some people out there can share some more amusing hitters they recall hitting leadoff
Randall
2:21
Reds, Pirates, or a surprise as the last place team in the NL Central?
Load More Messages
Connecting…