JotCast | Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 7/8/25

Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 7/8/25

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Steve Adams

8:25

Good morning! I'll get started at the usual 1pm CT time, but feel free to send in questions ahead of time.

1:04

Greetings! Sorry for the slight delay. Let's get going

Yankees

1:04

-3.5 on the Blue Jays, 9-16 over the last 25. Time to panic?

Steve Adams

1:06

Panic? No. Time to go upgrade both the lineup and the rotation? Yeah. Losing Clarke Schmidt really hurts that staff. There'll be several options to discuss with regard to third base. Yankees fans seem to really want Suarez, but Ryan McMahon fits them really nicely also and would be a manageable CBT hit for the next few seasons.

s45d64

1:06

Who are the sure bets to be moved in Pittsburgh?

Steve Adams

1:07

I'll be surprised if all of Andrew Heaney, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and David Bednar aren't traded. Dennis Santana only slightly less so.

Caleb Ferguson will go, too.

Steve Cohen

1:07

Shouldn’t the Marlins call up Deyvison De Los Santos to play first base? Ramirez has worked out very nicely.

Steve Adams

1:10

He's not really hitting well overall this season, and his best work came earlier in the year. He's at .199/.287/.365 over the past two months.

I like that De Los Santos is chasing a lot less and walking a little bit more, but his contact rate is still in the gutter. I'm more bullish on Ramirez in general.

Johnny Mo

1:10

Surely the Cards are sellers now?

Steve Adams

1:11

Losing 5 of 6, including a sweep at the hands of the Pirates, can't feel good ... but they're five over .500 and 1.5 back of a Wild Card spot. That's not a team that's going to sell aggressively. If they spiral out of control from here and are suddenly 3-4 under .500 and 5+ games back of a Wild Card spot in 2-3 weeks, then sure.

Austin Jackon's Catch In Boston

1:12

Do guys like Santana, Thomas, and Sewald have any trade value? It's looking like a lost season in Cleveland

Steve Adams

1:16

Santana is still hitting at an average-ish level and is generally beloved in clubhouses. He's overpaid, but if Cleveland eats some of the money left on his contract, I can see him netting a modest prospect return.

I thought the Guards should've non-tendered Thomas -- said to underscore my low expectations, not pat myself on the back or anything -- and even I'm stunned by how far he's fallen this year. He's a DFA/release candidate more than a trade candidate.

Sewald's ERA is ugly, but the K%, BB% and SwStr% are all good and we're talking a small sample of innings. They won't get a ton, but yeah, he's tradeable.

Chris

1:16

Baltimore should be all in on Ranger Suarez or Framber Valdez right?

Steve Adams

1:17

I assume this is in reference to free agency this winter? And in that case, yeah, they should be in on that pair and other notable starting pitchers.

1:19

Valdez probably fits them particularly well, since at 32 he's not going to command more than a five-year deal. (He'd only be the third SP 32 or older to get 6 years in the past decade. Even with a really premium AAV, you're looking under $200MM. And since the O's seem to prefer to avoid long-term risk with pitchers (or just ... well, anyone), maybe that artificial cap on his contract length is a little more their speed.

Spud

1:20

The Brewers have a surplus of starting pitching (no, really). What type of return would you expect to receive from Nester Cortez?

Steve Adams

1:20

Pretty negligible at this point, given how much time he's missed. Could still see them listening on Cortes or Quintana, though.

Royal Blue

1:21

Do the royals move one of their starting pitchers for a bat and a possible prospect or does depend on how this week goes whether they are buyers or sellers?

Steve Adams

1:23

I doubt any of the Royals, D-backs, Reds, Twins or Cardinals make a clear decision on their direction until like ... July 27-28. (Barring a situation where they go on winning or losing streaks of like 10 games starting right now)

Bucco71

1:23

Will Cherington be motivated to make a splash deal to save his job? Perhaps moving Keller?

Steve Adams

1:24

I don't really see how trading Mitch Keller helps save his job. They're six years into his tenure now. They were supposed to be better than this by now. Trading a homegrown starter who you were able to sign long-term -- even if it's for a nice return -- isn't something that should've been on the docket by now.

Jill

1:24

Would Cleveland consider trading Kwan or Clase at the deadline?

Steve Adams

1:27

I'd be more surprised by Kwan, just given the perennial need for outfield help. Clase is signed longer-term, but Cleveland churns out good relievers with such frequency that at a certain point it has to become tempting. His command is also a bit worse this year, although it's still far better than average and his 16% swinging-strike rate is his best since 2022 so I don't think too many folks are going to be worried that the stuff/location is maybe marginally less sharp than in 2024.

I would still bet against a Clase trade, but teams will be trying and his name is going to bounce around the rumor circuit.

Cubbie Blue

1:28

Offense is super strong. Pitching staff is suspect. Should we gamble on a Sandy Alcantara deal, or throw the kitchen sink at Pit for Skenes?

Steve Adams

1:29

Can throw whatever you want at the Pirates. I will livestream a video of myself eating a pair of my socks if Pittsburgh trades Paul Skenes to the Cubs. (In general, I see less than a 1% chance of Skenes being traded)

Wondering

1:30

I think Detroit needs a high leverage LH reliever for October. Who other than Chapman might be a possibility?

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