Front Office Chat: 10/2/26
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Anthony Franco
3:00
Good afternoon, hope you're all doing well!
Looking forward to another of these, let's get rolling
Isabella
3:00
It feels like each of the lower seeds has a shot at an upset this postseason with the Yankees most likely, then White Sox, Braves, and Padres being least likely (but even then an upset of the Brewers feels realistic).
Anthony Franco
3:02
Not going to be surprised by an upset in any of these cases. Think I'd go White Sox, Yankees, Padres and Braves as likeliest to do it but even LAD-ATL is no more than 60-40 for me
3:03
Gonna be tough for the Braves to steal Game 1 without Sale against Skubal, but anything can happen in one game and they'd immediately become the favorites in that series if they manage to win it
Roman Anthony Reactionary
3:03
For the second year in a row, Roman Anthony has been a non-factor for a big chunk of the season + the Wildcard series. Is there a world in which the Sox cut bait on him and trade him for a haul to restock the farm system?
Anthony Franco
3:04
Nah he's way too talented for that. Seems like he was never fully healthy this year, hopefully an offseason cleans that up
Craig Breslow's Secret Identity
3:04
Given the Cardinals semi-rebuild phase, would Bloom seriously listen on Burleson or would it have to be a "blow me away" offer?
Anthony Franco
3:07
Going to be down to two years of arbitration control and they've got both the catcher/DH logjam and questions about whether Jordan Walker is athletic enough to stick in right field. Wouldn't force a Burleson trade if it's not there but I'd seriously listen
If you get something like the Donovan package, makes sense to have that as the final big MLB piece they move as part of the retool
What's Going On?
3:08
From early baseball I've always had it drilled into me that, if your team is down by multiple runs late in the game, you take a strike to see whether the pitcher can find a plate. It's the "baserunners, by any means necessary" situation. And yet even in the playoffs I see batters hacking away early, even chasing pitches out of the zone. Even if you square one up there's a decent chance that it turns into an out, and outs are what your team can't afford to give away. It drives me crazy, but I wonder ... am I the crazy one? Am I (and my baseball mentors) missing something?
Anthony Franco
3:10
I lean more towards your end of this and trying to work more deep counts. Something like Alec Bohm's AB yesterday where he made a first-pitch out with two runners on in a 5-0 game in the sixth inning -- yeah, I'd rather see him be a little more patient
3:11
I do understand the counterpoint though and don't think it's just selfishness that explains why a hitter would still want to be aggressive. If you give away literally every first pitch, most good pitchers are going to be able to hit the zone (as Suarez did in the Bohm AB) and now you're working from behind against a talented arm
3:13
So I wouldn't have such a rigid approach that I'm just giving guys the take sign if we're trailing, but I'm generally a proponent of hitters swinging less often than they do (if I'm trying to win, not worried about entertainment value for fans) -- especially with the tighter zone in the ABS era
Sam
3:13
Hey, Anthony. Happy Friday! Tom Pohlad tells Twins fans he wants to invest more in the team this offseason. What do you think he and the Twins' front office should do to address the team's needs after a late-season slide?
Anthony Franco
3:17
Trade Larnach and move on from Bell, decent argument for bringing Arraez back and having Clemens in a multi-position role

Wait out the middle of the rotation market to see if someone like Mize falls through and ends up taking a cheaper two-year deal with an opt-out. Bring in multiple leverage arms (could just sign Bryan Abreu at this point) to join Gómez and Hoffman at the back end
3:18
I feel better about the Twins' outlook now than I did six months ago. Always felt like Pohlad was trying to gaslight the fanbase by hyping the '26 team as a playoff threat but that should be a realistic goal in 2027
Michael
3:19
Given that virtually all of the members of the Cubs end-of-season rotation are free agents -- and the huge uncertainty about Horton, Steele, Cabrera and Brown next year -- if you are Jed Hoyer, do you really push all in for Skubal and try to pair him with peak PCA and give the Cubs the ace they haven't had for a decade (if not now, when?), or spread it around more?
Anthony Franco
3:19
Whether to push in 400+ for Skubal is much more a Tom Ricketts decision than a Jed Hoyer one. Cubs just don't tend to spend at that level
3:21
If I truly had a choice, yeah give me Skubal and then trade for a couple Bailey Ober types to worry about the depth. They need more high-end talent and it's tough to expect that out of Steele and Horton right away
Sonny Gray
3:22
Over/under 2/$65m?
Anthony Franco
3:23
A little under. Think he's at two years and would go slightly below that on AAV
Wild Card Series
3:23
Since the new playoff format took effect, the team that wins Game 1 of the WC Series has won 19 / 20 times (95%).  Of those 19 times, 14 of them were sweeps.  Probably still a small sample size issue, but it feels like there should have been more Game 3 / Series winners who lost Game 1.
Anthony Franco
3:23
Yeah 95% is too high, that'll level off over time
3:25
Most of those games aren't too far off 50-50. They usually involve two good but not elite teams. If they're all pretty close to coin flips, then the odds are closer to 75-80% for teams that win Game 1
Sandy at 90
3:25
Do you think Reds or Royals would be interested in dealing Whitt or Del La Cruz to Dodgers for prospect package?
Anthony Franco
3:25
No I'd be stunned if either of those players gets traded this winter
Blake
3:25
Does Joc Pederson get as much as he did this year? Or does he get a massive pay cut even after a good year.
Anthony Franco
3:27
Pay cut but mostly because the Rangers way overpaid him to begin with. Nothing against his 2026 season, did exactly what he was supposed to. Closer to Mike Yastrzemski money for me
Chad Tracy
3:27
Is this my fault?  Did I pull my starters too early?
Anthony Franco
3:29
I wasn't watching Game 1 live so it'd be purely hindsight for me to weigh in on the Tolle pull. I didn't like lifting Gray for Miller in Game 2 and do think Boone out managed Tracy in that series
Does that mean it's his fault? No. The Yankees smoked Boston in every area
3:30
Sox couldn't hit, their good relievers (aside from a useless Chapman inning) got shelled. Got outmanaged and thoroughly outplayed and there's basically no way to overcome the latter
Billy Beane
3:30
There doesn’t appear to be a lot of good First Base options for the Mets – the free agent market is limited, Young is part of a platoon, Polanco and Vientos are … Polanco and Vientos. Suggestion - Soto to First Base? (I know, I know – “It's not that hard, Scott. Tell him Wash.” “It's incredibly hard.”) But, less running, more involved as part of the Infield. Excellent in house tutor available in Keith Hernandez. Possibly easier to find Left Field candidates, both internal and external (Arozarena?) Thoughts?
Anthony Franco
3:32
A little too early to make Soto a full-time 1B for me. Agree this FA corner outfield class is stronger but that doesn't preclude a trade for a Burleson or Andrew Vaughn
Kirt
3:32
What are your thoughts on Victor Mesa, Jr?   Scouts weren’t high on him, but the Rays appear to be.
Anthony Franco
3:33
Approach scares me enough that I'd project him closer to a league average hitter over a full season
He's a great corner outfield defender though and even average offense makes him a solid 2-3 WAR regular
3:34
Great get by Tampa and fair to say the Marlins just whiffed on their evaluation
Manny
3:34
Do you think Luis Garcia sees more lefties next season, or is he a platoon guy again?
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