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Front Office Chat: 10/20/23
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Anthony Franco
3:56
Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well!
We'll get started a couple minutes early
Hits Like Rays
3:56
Can the Rays trade Brandon Lowe plus a mid-level prospect for the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh? Or is that just wishful thinking???
Anthony Franco
3:58
Can't see Seattle doing it. Raleigh has the extra control year, is going to be a little cheaper, and it's harder to find an above-average #1 catcher than it is at second base
Juan Soto
3:58
Juan Soto to the Yankees makes too much sense to happen. They’ve got a bunch of pitching prospects they could send back and they could afford the extension it’ll take to make it worthwhile. Or am I wrong?
Yankees
3:58
what do they do in LF?
Anthony Franco
3:59
Yankees fit if the Padres move Soto. I'm skeptical that'll happen this offseason, though. Even if SD is targeting the $200MM range on payroll, they can get there without dealing Soto
4:01
Lourdes Gurriel works there. Eddie Rosario's not a super inspiring player but they could plug him in for one year if Atlanta declines his club option. Could see Alex Verdugo getting traded to a team that needs corner OF help, although it'd be surprising if the Red Sox are going to the Yankees for a trade of much significance
Guest
4:02
Once the WS is over....which teams are most likely to act quickly and what will be the most sought-after positions in the early going? Do you expect it to be mostly free-agent signings at first and then trades will come later?
Anthony Franco
4:02
Seems like it'll be another slow trade market generally. Last winter was quiet on that front because the few rebuilding teams had moved most players of consequence. That generally remains the case this year
4:03
Ohtani should hold the top of the hitting market. The teams that can be in on Ohtani are going to want resolution on that before they pivot to Bellinger, Chapman or Teoscar
4:05
Teams like St. Louis, the Mets, the Dodgers (even with money hopefully set aside for Ohtani), and Boston could all strike early on a starting pitcher though. Detroit could get in that mix as well
4:06
Of our top 15 free agents, I'd guess one of Montgomery, Nola or Gray is the first off the board
Big Bob
4:06
Good pitching usually stops good hitting as once again seen in the playoffs. For the Dodgers to go deeper into the playoffs they'll need a couple of top pitching additions. Who will/should they pay for?
Anthony Franco
4:07
Any of that trio just mentioned makes sense. They've got enough short-term payroll room that they could add a high-end starter and still take a swing at Ohtani. Nola would be my preferred target of the group
4:08
That's in general but also applies to a Dodger team that has some upside plays but not enough guys who are sources of bankable, above-average innings
steve
4:08
Seems to me baseball players are accustomed to playing almost every day. The playoffs should eliminate the travel days and play a 5 game series in 5 days. Philadelphia to Phoenix is a long trip but the others, no. Teams would be forced to use their 3, 4, and maybe even 5 pitchers and possibly the backup catcher so depth would be more important. I'd say the fans win.
Anthony Franco
4:10
I agree it'd more accurately reflect the regular season. Not sure it'd be more entertaining, though. A matchup of teams' #5 starters in a deciding Division Series game or with a CS tied at 2-2 is a tougher sell than Jordan Montgomery vs. Justin Verlander
4:11
Depends on the kind of roster you prefer, so it's mostly an aesthetic question. But I think it's easier to market stars to the more casual fans, to say nothing of the idea that MLB just wants to stagger these games for TV purposes
Alexander Canario
4:11
Do I have any options left for 2024? FanGraphs says no but I thought I did… Assuming I don’t, am I about as likely of a trade candidate as there is this off-season?
Anthony Franco
4:13
This gets into the weeds of roster minutiae but I actually don't know the answer to this. He was added to the 40-man roster during the 2020-21 offseason. He has spent parts of the last three seasons in the minors. For most players, that means they're out of options
4:15
The wrinkle is that teams can get a fourth option on players who have spent less than five full seasons in the minors (defined as 90+ days on an active roster). Derrick Goold recently reported that 2020 doesn't count as one of those years for Iván Herrera because the minors were canceled. If that applies universally, I think Canario would have one more option, but I haven't seen anything on him specifically
There's more about it w/r/t to Herrera here. Hopefully we'll be able to get a list of every applicable player at some point this offseason
Bob T
4:16
Anthony, thanks for these chats, they are really informative. After watching these postseason games it is apparent to me that there is a need for the robo umpires. The strike zones have been all over the place. There have been called balls that were clearly strikes and vice-versa. Some off these calls have directly impacted the outcome.
Do you see an expedited move to an automated strike zone?
Anthony Franco
4:16
MLB seems determined to make the modified challenge system a thing before the full automatic strike zone. I'd be surprised if the challenges weren't in place within two or three years
4:18
Not my preferred outcome. I'd rather just go to the ABS completely rather than land the middle ground. Some tennis tournaments use a challenge system where the line calls are still by humans but players can try to get a call overruled by Hawkeye. It preserves the human element but also just feels kind of silly when the technology could call it all
4:19
If the player doesn't challenge what turned out to be an incorrect call, there's still controversy. It's simpler to just let the machine call everything
AHume92
4:19
The Astros are back to looking like a juggernaut. Have the Rangers simply run out of pitching?
Anthony Franco
4:19
Rangers can run Monty and Eovaldi back out there over the next two games
4:20
I don't think Games 3 and 4 really say much about the Rangers' pitching staff. Heaney's a good #4 starter. Always a risk with Scherzer after the layoff, but the lopsided results are more a credit to Houston than a poor reflection on Texas for me
Hits Like Rays
4:20
Can Junior Caminero play SS at the major league level? Is it concerning that they only played him at DH in the majors so far?
Anthony Franco
4:22
I've never seen him play shortstop but the fact that he played far more third base in the minors makes me think he's probably not more than a fill-in shortstop at the MLB level
4:23
If a team thinks their best offensive prospect has a realistic chance to play shortstop, they let him play there in the minors (even if's a suboptimal defensive alignment for the Double-A team)
Darrell
4:23
Greeting Anthony, thanks for the chat. With the Braves in their window and payroll increasing year over year, will they take the leap and get into payroll over 300 million to address their needs? The farm system is barren. Free agency has to be the way to go, right? A Snell/Yamamoto type, Hader, and a right handed reliever or two. Matsek coming back but you can't depend on him to start where he left off. Strider is a Stud pitcher. I just don't know if Fried is a "playoff" TOR pitcher. For some reason, he has struggled. Move Grisson to left and sign players of this ilk? What say you? Thanks!
Anthony Franco
4:24
Certainly don't think they're going to run a $300MM payroll. They narrowly topped $200MM this year and that was a franchise record. These things tend to be incremental unless you have an impatient owner who goes rogue
Liberty Media isn't that
4:25
Adding a starter and right-handed relief help makes sense. I don't expect it to be Snell or Yamamoto. Grissom getting playing time in left field should happen if they don't trade him as part of a deal for starting pitching
Guest
4:25
Watching Ranger baseball all year the players are always looking into their hats or card in their pocket for alignment keys.
I never see other teams doing this.
Is this just a Ranger deal?
Anthony Franco
4:26
I believe every team does this. It's the vast majority at least
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