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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 5/8/24
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Steve Adams
8:28
Good morning all! Sorry to delay the Tuesday chat by a day. Had some family issues pop up that pulled me away from the site for pretty much the entire day yesterday. We'll get going at the usual 1pm CT time today. Feel free to send in some questions in advance!
12:58
Let's begin!
Who's Fabio?
12:58
Hey Steve, if the Jays don't get the bats going can do not compete this season do you see them moving someone from the rotation?  Kikuchi maybe but they could resign him.
Steve Adams
1:00
They could move Kikuchi even if they hope to re-sign him. I'd throw Bassitt in there as well. He hasn't been great overall, but most of the damage inflating his ERA this season came in one awful start against the Dodgers. He's 35 this season, signed through next year. Moving his age-36 season and $21MM salary next year probably doesn't sound too bad to the Jays if they do end up in sell mode.
For the Double-A
1:00
Assuming that the Marlins are about to embark a fire sale, is there anyone on the current roster who is untouchable?
Steve Adams
1:01
I can't imagine they'd sell low on Eury Perez (and even if he were healthy, they'd still say no). Max Meyer very likely isn't going anywhere. Beyond that ... probably not?
Catching a Bird
1:01
What do the Cardinals do for catching with Contreras out?
Steve Adams
1:02
Finally give Ivan Herrera the everyday opportunity his minor league play has begged for in each of the past 2-3 years.
John
1:03
Why do the orioles play so bad in their city connect jerseys? Those things are awful, as most of them are.
Steve Adams
1:04
I don't think there's any real correlation there, ha. Also, I like the Orioles' city connects -- and most of the city connect uniforms, really. They're a nice chance of pace. Tigers' new ones with the tire treads are fun, though the hat is pretty dull.
Jorge78
1:04
When Will Smith signed his extension I don't remember seeing any blowback on the low AAV ($14 million.)  Do you think he could have done better in the free market?
Steve Adams
1:06
I'm sure he could have. Darragh and I talked about this on the podcast at the time. If you subtract his current salary and what he'd likely have earned in his final arb season, the "free agent" portion of the deal checks in only a million or two north of what Realmuto got from the Phillies.

I doubt that's coincidence. He was probably set on topping that total. The Dodgers were amenable and likely said "Sure, we'll do this, but can we spread it out over a longer term for CBT purposes".

In many of these long-term deal cases, you're really just negotiating how much the remainder of the player's career is worth. Agree on the number, then figure out the years and how to spread it out.
Natsman
1:06
When is Kyle Finnegan going to be recognized as one of the best closers in baseball today?
Steve Adams
1:08
He has a 12.5% walk rate right now. Finnegan's a fine reliever, but he has a .121 average on balls in play.

A lot's gone right for the Nats this season -- Abrams looks great, Mason Thompson has been a great story -- but Finnegan isn't even the best reliever in his own bullpen for me (Hunter Harvey)
1:09
Also, Mason Thompson? Steve?
Mitchell Parker
haha
Not sure what happened with my brain there
James
1:10
Where are  the Profar apologies? lol
Steve Adams
1:10
He's been great! I still don't think he's anywhere close to this good though and am fully expecting him to come crashing back down.
Thirstypig
1:11
is Andy Pages the real deal or a flash in the pan?
Steve Adams
1:12
Both? Ha. All he's done anywhere is hit, and I think he's going to be a good-hitting outfielder for a good while. But he's morphed into this insane, Eddie Rosario/Javy Baez-esque free swinger in the big leagues who is allergic to walks. It's less than 100 PAs, so I'm not super concerned, but this is a guy who walked in nearly 13% of his minor league plate appearances and he has ONE in 82 MLB plate appearances. That's weird and kind of concerning, and if he doesn't get back to a more disciplined approach, it'll get ugly.
1:13
Based on the track record, tools, etc. -- I think he'll be fine. But it's a weird start to his career.
DavidCNYC
1:13
How surprised are you by the Red Sox pitching turnaround?
Steve Adams
1:17
I've always been pretty intrigued by Houck, but the type of command he's showing now is crazy. I had minimal expectations for Kutter Crawford, but he's been a monster. I hate his short-arm delivery and worry that his arm is going to explode every time he delivers, haha, but there's a lot of Lucas Giolito in that delivery and he was one of the most durable arms in MLB for years before the recent injury.

I don't think Crawford or Houck is THIS good, but the Red Sox deserve huge credit for coaxing this level of performance out of them. I still have my doubts about the staff holding up. It's already broken down somewhat, and Houck in particular is going to be skyrocketing past his recent innings totals if he starts all year, but yeah... I think if you say you're NOT surprised by the way the staff is performing, you're not being fully truthful. Good for the Sox, and good for their fans.
Angels
1:19
Taylor Ward, Rengifo and Tyler Anderson top trade candidates for halos?
Steve Adams
1:21
Rengifo, yeah. Ward is less urgent since he has two years of affordable control remaining beyond the current season. Maybe they could move Anderson if they eat a good chunk of the salary, but he cleared waivers last August and no front office is going to buy his current sub-3.00 ERA when he's walking 10% of his opponents and only has an eight-point gap between his K% and BB%.

I'd say Rengifo and a bunch of the short-term relievers ... Carlos Estevez, Matt Moore, Adam Cimber, Luis Garcia, etc.

Darragh wrote about this last week:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/05/who-could-the-angels-trade-this...
John
1:22
Is there even the slightest chance Josh Hader is traded this summer?
Steve Adams
1:22
Three months into a five-year deal that's the second-largest ever signed by a reliever? I'd be stunned.
Cards
1:23
Sonny Gray have a chance for Cy Young?
Steve Adams
1:23
Sure. He finished second in the AL last year
1:24
I don't think he'll win it, but he's out to a great start and is obviously an immensely talented pitcher, so it's definitely within the realm of realistic possibilities.
Reds
1:24
Doesn't the release of Mike Ford and re-signing within a week proof that Reds management are operating by the seat of their pants and have no real plan?
Steve Adams
1:25
Teams make this sort of move pretty frequently. It's not that strange.

I think there are plenty of questionable decisions this Reds front office has made over the years and in this past offseason. The Mike Ford situation is not one that has any real influence on how I view them.
Paul Skenes
1:25
Chances of Jared Jones winning the NL ROY?  Bucs haven’t let me get started yet!
Steve Adams
1:26
Jones was my preseason pick! He's in the mix, for sure. It'd be Imanaga if the season ended today, but lots of time left on the calendar.
Tom
1:27
Which of the slow starts of the Braves big 3 of Acuna Riley and Olsen is the most concerning long term?
Steve Adams
1:28
I'm not really concerned about any of them long term. I guess, if you're saying "You have to choose one!", then put me down for Olson just because he's the oldest. But in general, you're talking 140-150 PAs for each of them. No one's whiffing at a 40% clip or anything. I think they'll all be fine.
1:30
Even great hitters have stretches like these over the course of a long season; they're just magnified when they happen to begin a season -- and particularly when one team has multiple high-profile bats underperforming.

Well.. underperforming relative to their own standards. Neither Riley nor Acuna has been "bad" relative to the league as a whole this year.
Kyle
1:30
Best NL Roy pitching field in recent memory? Yamamoto still has a huge shot at it too
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