You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 4/15/25
powered byJotCast
Steve Adams
8:56
Good morning! Feel free to start submitting questions in advance, if you prefer. I'll get going at 1pm CT!
Amen!
1:00
Will Quinn Priester live up to his #1 draft pick status with the Brewers?
Steve Adams
1:03
Well, he was a first-round pick but not the "No. 1" pick. He went 18th overall to Pittsburgh in 2019.

And it depends what you expected in the first place. I think a lot of fans equate "first-round pick" with "he's supposed to be a star," which isn't really true. If Priester becomes a serviceable No. 4 starter, I would say he's more than justified the pick. If you told teams there was a 100% chance Player A would be a league-average starting pitcher in the majors but never anything more... that player would go in the first round. Easily.
M Elias
1:03
If the Twins fail to find their footing, could you see them putting Pablo Lopez on the block? He won't be a true rental, and is probably too expensive now for the cost-cutting Minnesotans.
Steve Adams
1:05
If he were too expensive, they'd have traded him in the offseason. He's making $21.75MM. Even for a midlevel payroll club, that's fine.

I'm sure the Twins would listen, just as they did in the offseason. I don't think they'd outright shop him. He's signed through 2027 at that same annual salary
Peter Bendix
1:05
What should I do? trade Sandy? Extend him?
Steve Adams
1:06
Barring an injury, I'd be shocked if Alcantara isn't traded this summer.
Still an A
1:06
Brent Rooker played right field the other day. Are the A's getting ready to call up Kick Kurtz soon?
Steve Adams
1:07
Noticed that. They don't really have a choice but to play Rooker or Soderstrom in the outfield. Kurtz is 6'5", 250 pounds -- and a 30- or 40-grade runner. He's going to be at 1B/DH, so one of Rooker/Soderstrom has to play on the grass. If they're all hitting, it's a good "problem" to have.
Pale Hoes
1:08
What are the White Sox waiting for in Kyle Teels eventual graduation to the big leagues?  Omar Narvaez and Matt Thaiss are not going to cut it, and having both Teel and Quero ready in the wings, makes no sense as a fan of this team.
Steve Adams
1:09
Teel has struck out 19 times in 62 plate appearances (30.6%) and is hitting .192/.323/.385. It's not like he's obliterating AAA pitching and they're stubbornly leaving him there. Teel and/or Quero will be up later this season.
AA
1:10
If Bichette doesn’t resign with the Blue Jays soon, do you see them trying to trade him?
Steve Adams
1:11
It's entirely dependent on how they play. The Jays extended Vlad, and there's a lot of pressure on that front office to compete after their pretty lackluster run of results. Both Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins are nearing the ends of their contracts. The only way I see them trading Bichette is if they're like 8+ games back from even being a Wild Card contender.
Mark
1:11
Matt Mclain back tonight?
Steve Adams
1:11
Reds announced he's been activated from the IL about 10 minutes ago
Jays
1:12
Is Myles Straw's strong start slightly sustainable. Even if he hits 230/320/350 He would be valuable
Steve Adams
1:14
It's bottom-of-the-barrel quality of contact with a .400+ average on balls in play. I don't see how he can possibly sustain it, but I think the fact that he still has a 100% contact rate on swings at pitches in the strike zone is one of my favorite silly April stats in awhile. He's the only player of 346 big leaguers (min. 20 PAs) who hasn't swung and missed within the zone.
1:15
It's also 29 plate appearances, so let's not get overly excited. Anyone can look good for what amounts to less than a week of at-bats.
Brandon Marsh
1:15
Chances I can become an average offensive player
Steve Adams
1:16
He's been a better-than-average offensive player in more than 1700 career plate appearances. I'm not sweating 45 bad ones to start the season. You could probably find similar stretches of struggles in other seasons -- they're just masked because they happen in-season. When a guy hits .140 for two weeks in mid-August, it's a lot harder to notice than it is in April.
Ronnie Woo Woo
1:17
Should the Cubs look to pick up a SP with Steele out for the year?
Steve Adams
1:18
There's not really anyone to pick up right now. This summer, I'm sure they'll be looking around. For now, Javier Assad is a few weeks out from returning and they have a bunch of off-days that prevent them from needing a fifth starter for a bit. So they'll go Imanaga, Taillon, Brown, Boyd and probably Rea as a fifth starter/bulk pitcher on the day(s) of a bullpen game
1:19
Assad jumps back in sooner than later, and then they reassess this summer. There's just not a difference-maker to be had right now, though I suppose you could try to sign Spencer Turnbull on the cheap to get another arm in the pipeline. But he'd take a month or so to sign, build up, etc. -- so even that's not a feasible short-term move.
Matt
1:20
How sustainable is the Royals' Stars and Scrubs approach? They were a playoff team last year, but that took career seasons from Ragans, Lugo, and Wacha, as well as a 10 win campaign for Witt.
Steve Adams
1:22
They're among the most top-heavy teams in the sport, particularly the offense. It's why I didn't pick them for the playoffs. If you could guarantee me they all stay healthy, that's one thing. But they're like one Bobby Witt Jr. injury away from a lineup composed of Sal Perez and a bunch of below-average hitters (and even Salvy is off to a slow start).
Asking for a friend
1:23
What is Alonso's contract looking like this off season if he has a prime year this year, say 5 WAR?
Steve Adams
1:24
I still don't see him getting any kind of mega-deal. A nice rebound campaign could put him in the $120-130MM range over five, I suppose, but I think a lot of teams just prefer to go very short-term with his specific skill set because the decline tends to be steep and abrupt.
Andy
1:25
Do you think there is any chance the Padres lock up Michael King long term during the season? Staff is thin now, thinner next season. Few options in minors and not many tradeable assets for front line pitching.
Steve Adams
1:26
This close to free agency, I always assume that if the player didn't sign in spring training, he's just not signing. There are rare exceptions -- Vlad, for instance -- where it feels far more feasible, but with King, he's five healthy months from hitting a $100MM+ payday. I don't think the Padres are going to give out that kind of contract right now.
Uncle Ben's Rice
1:26
What do you make of Ben Rice's hot start? Do you think the Yankees will find a way to keep him in the lineup when Stanton comes back?
Steve Adams
1:30
He's mashing but he's also being almost passive with a swing rate around 39%. I'd like to see a bit more aggression, but hey, he's walked at a 17% clip so the approach is working.

I don't think he can sustain a .300 average, but I can buy Rice as a long-term piece of that lineup. When Stanton comes back, there'll probably be other injuries of note, or they'll just have to find a way to get both into the lineup. (Occasional OF days for Stanton; regular rest for him; some 1B time for Rice against tough RHPs to give Goldschmidt a breather)
Kyle
1:30
Is Tyler Soderstrom legit? Statcast looks good, surprised by how good it looked last year too. BABIP isn’t inflated and SO numbers are down. Obviously need more of a sample size, but it seems like a potential real breakout?
Steve Adams
1:31
Not buying the .310 average or whatever he's currently at, but buying him as a legitimate big leaguer who can hit 30+ homers, yeah.
naked
1:32
King's an interesting FA profile. Great production with a short track record, but on the flipside, very low mileage on the arm.    O/U 7/190?
Steve Adams
1:33
I'll take the way under on 7/190 but do think he can clear $100MM. Probably 120ish? Anthony's more bullish on me, but not to that 190 extent still.
1:34
There have been six contracts of seven-plus years for a free agent SP in the past decade. I don't think King is adding his name to the list.
It's really only five, too, since one of them is Ohtani and he's his own entity.
roger
1:35
Are the Tigers ever going to stop platooning Kerry Carpenter?  Already hit 2 HRs off of lefties.  Entering his prime. Are they really content at stunting his development?.
Steve Adams
1:38
I guess I don't really see it as stunting his development. He doesn't have a massive track record against LHP in the minors, either, and if they thought he was an above-average hitter against them he'd probably be out there more. Scott Harris said in recent MLB Network appearance that Kerry would occasionally get some reps against LHP, but to me there's less value in running Carpenter out there in hopes he can be average versus LHP than there is in taking that opportunity to get a genuine plus hitter versus LHP (e.g. Andy Ibanez) into the lineup on a given day, thus leaving Carpenter in the wings as a game-changing bat off the bench
1:41
Fans love everyday players, and I get it. You want to see your favorite guys out there, want them to succeed, all that. But Kerry Carpenter versus Max Fried is a worse matchup for the Tigers than Andy Ibanez versus Max Fried, and the platoons leave open late-game maneuverability while also keeping players fresh.

I can understand the frustration and a desire for things to play more like they did 25 years ago, but "everyday" players are going to continue to wane as teams emphasize athleticism and versatility on the bench and emphasize getting the best matchups possible, regardless of the timing within a given game.
Load More Messages
Connecting…