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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 4/16/24
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Steve Adams
8:50
Good morning all! I've got a dentist appointment in the afternoon, so running today's chat a bit earlier than usual. We'll get going at 11am CT. Feel free to submit questions ahead of time, as always. Looking forward to it!
11:02
Greetings!
11:03
Sorry to start a couple minutes late -- lots of news this morning. RIP to Whitey Herzog, who passed away at 92 :(

Anthony will be getting a story on that up on the site shortly for those who want to share some memories.
Mini Minoso
11:04
Colton Cowser. Real thing or April flash?
more impressed
11:04
Colton Cowser or Anthony Volpe?
Steve Adams
11:06
More impressed with Volpe between the two of them. Both great starts, but Volpe has halved his strikeout rate and made huge gains in quality of contact.

I think Cowser has a good future, but this start is something of a mirage. He can't sustain a .500 BABIP and won't keep seeing (literally) 50% of his fly-balls clear the fences for homers. And he's struck out at an ugly 31% clip.

Barring some major strides in his plate discipline, there's likely regression coming sooner for him than for Volpe (who's also due for some, as that .426 BABIP isn't holding up either).
11:07
Nothing against Cowser overall, but what he's done so far just looks less sustainable.
Dave
11:07
I think many people are underestimating how much the Braves will miss Spencer Strider. Still a very good team, but I’m not convinced their pitching is good enough to win in the playoffs. What say you?
Steve Adams
11:09
Agree with this, though there's plenty of time to add to the rotation or to see some big strides from someone like Smith-Shawver. But the rotation outlook is more dicey without Strider, as one would expect ... he's one of the best pitchers on the planet.

It's particularly worrying given that Chris Sale hasn't been healthy in years and that Max Fried missed half the '23 season with a forearm strain.

Not saying the Braves should be in panic mode or anything, but I fully expect them to be involved in the trade market for starting pitching help this summer, which didn't necessarily feel like a lock with a healthy Strider at the front of the group.
Aidan
11:09
How does this Twins offense get better? It's horrific to watch
Giants fan
11:09
When do the Giants either bench or cut Yaz and Slater and bring up Matos? This lineup stinks.
Matt
11:09
The white sox got shut out for the 6th time this season last night. Is there any hope for this offense?
Gm
11:09
How worried should Mariners fans be? Team can't really hit to start the season and pitching has been below expectations as well.
Steve Adams
11:13
Friendly reminder that a lot of teams struggle badly early in the season. That's not to say some of these teams don't have genuine concerns. The White Sox just don't have a talented lineup, period, and they lost their best hitter (Luis Robert Jr.) and another talented, if inconsistent bat (Yoan Moncada).

The Twins have three of their middle-of-the-order hitters (Royce Lewis, Max Kepler, Carlos Correa) on the injured list.

Luis Matos isn't even hitting well in AAA for the Giants right now. Slater's barely played and has a .100 average on balls in play. Yaz won't be the hitter he was a few years ago, but he beat up righties pretty handily in 2023 and has all of 38 PAs on the season.
11:15
I'm least concerned about the Mariners among that bunch; between Julio, Polanco, Haniger, France and Garver they have a lot of talented hitters, some out to pretty fluky bad starts
JP Crawford in that bunch as well
Sad Reds Fan
11:16
Reason for concern yet with Montas? First start looked great; next two were meh and last night was a bonafide train wreck into a dumpster fire
Steve Adams
11:18
The general dip in velo and swinging-strikes is concerning, but last night was the first time he looked truly bad. I was watching that game while getting some work done and he looked lost out there. Credit to Haniger for spiling a bunch of pretty nicely located pitches in his first at-bat to work that third walk of the inning, but the command was atrocious in general last night.

Montas was my favorite of the injury reclamation guys this offseason and I thought it was a good deal for the Reds. I won't throw dirt on his grave after four starts, but it is definitely concerning that he came out of the gate pumping 96 mph on his heater and has since seen his average fastball plummet by 3 mph.
11:19
So... some concern, yes, and worth keeping an eye on his velo and command in subsequent starts. They're both trending the wrong way in a hurry.
Andoru
11:20
What’s wrong with Nolan Schanuel?
Steve Adams
11:21
I don't know if anything is "wrong" with him. He's 22 and the Angels panic-promoted him last summer after fewer than 100 minor league plate appearances. He could probably benefit from some more time in Triple-A
Dental appointment, eh?
11:22
Speaking of Wisdom--the player, not the tooth--is there any reason the Cubs shouldn't trade him for pitching depth?
Steve Adams
11:24
I just don't think he has much trade value. He can bludgeon lefties. He's not great against righties. He's going to strike out 35-40% of the time. He's not a very good defender. I was surprised the Cubs tendered him a contract. I don't think he'd net them much in the way of meaningful pitching depth.
Rox
11:25
Most notable SP on the move at the deadline?
Steve Adams
11:29
Jesus Luzardo jumps to mind. Luis Severino if he can stay healthy (he's looked good so far). Paul Blackburn, Adrian Houser... there'll be plenty of names that pop up as the season wears on. Curious to see if Garrett Crochet can maintain his start and if the Sox would cash in on him. He (already) only has two years of control remaining beyond the current season
Cards
11:30
If we fall out of it, could one of Goldschmidt or Arenado be on the move?
Steve Adams
11:30
Both have full no-trade clauses. Arenado has been outspoken about staying in STL before. Goldy's a free agent at season's end and thus easier to see moving in that scenario.... if he wants to, of course.
dodgerblue22
11:31
What are the dodgers options now that Pages has been called up. Are Taylor's days numbered on the roster.
Steve Adams
11:31
I assume his promotion will come at the expense of Taylor Trammell or perhaps be accompanied by an IL placement for either Hernandez of Taylor
Chris Taylor, that is.
Peter Bendix
11:33
What's the logic to not selling off right now? Pitching is super volatile, and I have healthy arms I could trade today... And our season is over...
Steve Adams
11:37
One of the recent pieces I wrote for our subscribers was basically saying that the Marlins are dead in the water (terrible pun not intended as I was typing it, but I'm leaving it now) and should just buck conventional baseball trends and open up for business earlier than we ever see.

It's hard to sell at this point of the season, because a lot of clubs aren't motivated to aggressively add until closer to the deadline when they:

A) Are more confident in their playoff outlook
B) Have had several months to get a better read on their prospects
C) Have more options from which to choose
D) Aren't as wary of overpaying for one of the only players truly on the market

But some of those concerns can be mitigated if you're adding a pitcher with multiple years of control, like ... say, Jesus Luzardo. And even if you're adding a rental, there's more value in getting five months of Tanner Scott than 2-3.
In short, yeah the Marlins are probably cooked and they have plenty of arms who'd appeal to other clubs, particularly given the slate of injuries to high-end pitchers.
11:38
The Marlins don't seem like they're even trying this year, so may as well blow it all to kingdom come.
Angels Fan
11:38
What is your take on the AL West standings (I know it is early in the season), and do you still see a division win for Houston?
Steve Adams
11:38
I picked the Mariners to win the AL West
MLB Trade Rumors Question
11:39
Who came up with the idea for MLB trade rumors and how many people work for you guys?
Steve Adams
11:40
We have an About section linked right on the homepage!

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/01/about-mlbtrad-1.html

And a page with bios for our writers:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/03/meet-the-mlbtr-writing-team.htm...
Rangers13
11:41
If Leiter looks good in his debut Thursday, who is the most likely current starting pitcher to move to the Bullpen?
Steve Adams
11:42
Wrote in the post on his promotion, but my assumption is they go Eovaldi-Gray-Lorenzen-Dunning-Leiter, with Heaney dropping into the 'pen.
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