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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 4/22/25
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Steve Adams
8:33
Good morning! We'll get going at 1pm CT, but feel free to submit a question ahead of time if you'd like.
1:03
Good afternoon! Let's get underway
Trevor Story
1:03
AL comeback player of the year? What does that mean for Mayer? Deadline deal?
Steve Adams
1:05
It's been a great start, but I'm not really buying the Story rebound -- at least not all the way. He has the fourth-highest chase rate on pitches off the plate among 170 qualified hitters and the 16th-worst swinging-strike rate so far. He's also not walking at all. He's making good quality contact when he does put the bat on the ball, but he's not going to keep hitting .425 on balls in play.

Basically, while it's an encouraging start, I'm still expecting some notable regression.
Jays in 43 parks
1:06
Why has no one picked up David Robertson ... The Jays & many other teams could us him. Especially when he probably would sign a 1 year deal.
Steve Adams
1:06
He wanted $10MM+ annually, with some reports suggesting over multiple years.
Cashman
1:06
I am srtill signing Munetaka Murakami right? I know I am at least...\
Steve Adams
1:08
Murakami has pretty huge upside and earning potential, but there have been red flags with mounting strikeouts and struggle against higher-end velocity in recent seasons, and now he's out again with an injury after lasting only 4 plate appearances since his recent injury absence.

If he looks like the 2022 version of himself, when he hit 56 homers and won his second MVP Award in Japan, he's going to be in high demand. But right now, it's a bit murky.

Yankees would be in, sure, but so would plenty of other clubs.
The guy
1:08
How much playing time will nick kurtz get?
Steve Adams
1:09
Everyday at-bats. He's the A's top prospect, one of the top hitting prospects in MLB. GM David Forst is talking to the media about him right now and just said he won't be platooned.
Cards Fan
1:09
It seems to me the current Busch Stadium is a pitcher friendly park.  Should the Cards consider moving the wall in any to boost scoring?
Steve Adams
1:09
Busch is playing neutral this season and has ranked in the top half of parks in terms of hitter-friendliness across the past three seasons, per Statcast.
New Manny?
1:09
Manzardo hit #7 yesterday.... on pace for 51 homers.  Obviously he probably won't hit that many....but do you think if he stays healthy he could hit 35? 40?
Steve Adams
1:13
I don't think he's going to hit 35-40, no. As of right now, he's seen 24% of his fly-balls clear the fence for a homer. Over the past 15 seasons, there have been 98 instances of a player sustaining a HR/FB of 24% or higher. Most of them are 70- or 80-grade power guys: Judge (4x), Ohtani (3x), Schwarber (5x), Stanton (6x), Adam Dunn, etc. There are a few random exceptions (Danny Santana! Ha), but they're rare outliers.

Manzardo doesn't have that kind of power. I suppose now that this start is in the books, he'd "only" need to homer at something like a 28-30 HR pace to get to 35-40 for the remainder of the season, so it's possible -- but I'll take the under.
Sandy Alcantara
1:14
What if the Marlins are too good at the deadline… do I still get traded?
Steve Adams
1:17
Seen a lot of questions like this over the past week. Marlins are 10-12 with a -19 run differential. They've lost 5 of their past 7 and play six of their next 14 games against the Dodgers.

I would love for them to somehow compete with their island-of-misfit-toys roster, but I do not at all think that's feasible and expect that before long they're going to be well south of .500. The question of trading Sandy has always been a "when" and not an "if" to me, even with their better-than-expected start.
Bucco71
1:18
Bloodlust has set in in Pittsburgh. The fans are chanting ‘Sell the team’, and calling for the scalps of Cherington and Shelton.  Nutting won’t spend a dime and the Pirates have developed 0 impactful bats since Starling Marte through their minor league season.  Cruz and Reynolds were trade acquisitions. Will Nutting throw somebody to the wolves and will it make any difference?
Steve Adams
1:21
The Pirates acquired Cruz when he was 18. Reynolds was 22 and hadn't played above A-ball. They may not get credit for signing those two, but they should get credit for developing them into credible big league hitters. That said, they're also deserving of flak for the stalled development of far more big league hitters and their inability to get the most out of elite pitching prospects like Tyler Glasnow and Gerrit Cole (though that pair of examples falls more on the prior regime.... the current group hasn't had much trouble developing talented/successful pitching).
1:23
It's possible to win with owners who refuse to invest in the team (see: Rays, Guardians, A's... sometimes) but the Pirates have had too many development failures on the hitting side and I'm not sure any team in MLB has less supportive ownership. The Bucs haven't given a multi-year deal to a free agent in a decade. They've topped $10MM on a free agent signing ONCE in that time (Aroldis Chapman)
1:24
Nutting might throw someone to the wolves -- I'd assume Shelton before Cherington, as that's just the way other owners tend to operate -- but I'm not convinced it'll matter, no.
Guarded Indian
1:24
McKenzie is an absolute mess right now but there is no reason the Braves don't pick him up with their need for SP suddenly?  Marlins make a lot of sense too to help with rebuilding?
Mike
1:25
Do you think McKenzie is worth a flyer for the Yankees?
Mike
1:25
Triston McKenzie was shocking not so shockingly DFA’d. It would be a pretty easy transition across clubhouses given the series we’re in. Think the Yankees see the opportunity and grab him?
Bottom-Barrell Options
1:25
Are there any dumpster-diving options for teams to try? Specifically I'm think McKenzie with Stromm in Pittsburgh, but are there other arms/bats that might match up well with a new team and coaching staff?
Gabe Paul
1:25
Brett Baty for Tristin McKenzie? Both teams can roll the dice. Maybe they work Baty out in the outfield -DH?
Steve Adams
1:25
A small sampling of the Triston McKenzie questions pouring in, ha, so let's touch on him.
1:29
I do think some team will take a flyer on him because of the prospect pedigree and the 2022 performance. I'm less bullish on that flyer actually paying off. McKenzie had a UCL injury in 2023, wasn't recommended for surgery, and successfully rehabbed it without ever going under the knife.

He came back in 2024 with a fastball that was down 2 mph and zero semblance of command. His velo is higher this year, but mainly because he's working short relief stints, and his command is worse than ever. He's walked 7 of his 30 opponents and thrown three wild pitches.

I don't think a playoff hopeful like the Yankees, Mets, Cubs, O's, etc. would want to plug him in for meaningful innings. If you're the Marlins, Rockies, White Sox, Nats or Pirates -- I'd be more comfortable making a trade and hoping you can unlock something.

I'm not optimistic, based on the velo trends, but the cost won't be egregious and there's clearly a lot of talent there.
Stubby66
1:29
Should Brewers just add Arenaudo?
Steve Adams
1:30
The Brewers had basically zero dollars to spend this winter -- signing Jose Quintana for $4.25MM was their biggest move and registered as a legitimate surprise -- and Arenado plays for an NL Central rival who wouldn't be excited about moving a future Hall of Famer within the division.
Bon
1:31
steve, I can’t for the life of me enjoy Kyle Tucker in a cubs uniform if I know he’ll just be gone with no chance of return. Please give me some hope
Steve Adams
1:33
I wouldn't say no chance of a return, just no chance of an extension. He'll get to free agency, but maybe a huge season and an impassioned push from Hoyer can convince Tom Ricketts to shell out a record deal.

(Admittedly, I am not optimistic, based on Ricketts' public comments over the past five years and the Cubs' general unwillingness to play at the very top of free agency, but you asked for "some" hope, and that's the best I can do, haha. This would hardly be the first time an owner fell in love with a player and said "the hell with it" to re-sign him)
Change of Lane
1:33
Is Lane Thomas worth trading for while his value is low?  Perhaps a change of scenery would benefit him.  I would expect Cleveland to be open.  Perhaps the Angels, Mariners, or Colorado?
Steve Adams
1:34
Cleveland just placed him on the injured list.
1:36
In general, I'm probably not the right guy on the MLBTR staff to ask about Thomas. I think he's a fine role player but miscast as a starter. As a fourth OF who pummels LHP and can fake it in CF, sure sign me up. But the Guardians are paying him to be more than that and playing him in a much larger role.

I don't think there's a ton of trade value right now, and since he's a free agent at season's end, the Rockies in particular wouldn't have any interest.
Guest
1:36
Will Cole Young get the call this summer?
Steve Adams
1:37
I think so, yeah, but not anytime soon. He's hitting .203/.323/.266 in Tacoma.
Jake
1:37
Do hitting coaches get too much blame/credit for the team's offensive success/failure? It seems as though hitters that have earned a place on a major league roster know how to hit a baseball.
Steve Adams
1:40
In general, yes. A pitching coach, bullpen coach, hitting coach etc. is just one voice tasked with positioning players for success. That coach might be the lead voice, but assistant coaches, advance scouts, analytics employees, managers, player development execs, special assistants ... there are so many people working with athletes to try to get the best out of them.

I never subscribe to the idea that any single hitting/pitching coach should get credit when someone turns things around or breaks out under their watch. Derek Johnson, Jeremy Hefner, Matt Blake, Ruben Niebla, Mark Prior, Brent Strom -- whoever the coach is -- they'd all tell you it takes a village.
Jim
1:40
How do you think the Soderstrom in LF experiment will go?
Steve Adams
1:41
Generally, fine. He's already not a good first baseman. If he goes and is a not-great left fielder, it doesn't matter. If he hits like this, he can park a lawn chair in center field, take a nap, and still provide positive value haha
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