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Front Office Chat: 6/13/25
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Anthony Franco
3:01
Hey everyone, hope you're doing well!
3:03
Looking forward to another of these, let's get it going
Tony
3:03
What moved do you see the cards making at the deadline? They seem to think hesley will form down a QO but I think fedde would take it.  I would trade fedde and some mix of Gorman, Burleson and Scott/Siani
Gadzooks
3:03
There are 3 NL Central teams between 2.5 and 4 games of the last Wild Card spot; Milwaukee, St Louis, and Cincinnati. Who's most likely to be a seller come the Deadline?
Anthony Franco
3:05
Cards have hit the skids here a little bit, which makes sense since it felt they were playing above their level in May. I still lean towards them as soft sellers and think they should move the rentals
3:06
Definitely wouldn't QO Fedde (that'd be an easy accept) and probably wouldn't do it for Helsley either. Decent chance he'd accept and a $21M+ salary for a very good but not top-tier reliever is rich, especially for a team that pulled back spending over the winter
3:09
As for the broader division picture, I think Milwaukee will try to straddle the line (shop Hoskins while acquiring MLB talent elsewhere), though Civale was the most obvious candidate for that even before he asked out. Cincinnati doesn't have a ton of short-term pieces beyond Nick Martinez, who is good but expensive since he's playing on a QO salary. I think they'll be soft buyers as long as they're within five or six games of a Wild Card spot
Wandering Chief
3:09
Heyman suggests that the Braves are studying the shortstop and outfield markets. I can see a couple of outfield options - I love Durran - but I don't think there's an outfield market to study. What say you?
Sam
3:09
Let's say that you're Alex Anthopoulos and Braves ownership has told you that you must buy at the trade deadline and attempt to compete this year. What steps would you take to improve the Braves' roster?
Anthony Franco
3:13
Outfield has a little more than shortstop. I'd be really surprised if the Braves made a massive push for Duran when they're this far out of it. Taylor Ward might be available, Ryan O'Hearn could play some outfield (though there'll be a lot of completion for him). Maybe someone takes a flier on Chas McCormick when he comes back from an oblique injury
3:14
Braves need bullpen help too. I don't really agree that they should buy unless they really turn things on over the next six weeks, but they're a potential Bednar fit to stabilize the ninth
Bo Knows Deadlines
3:15
Obviously with the Blue Jays now leading the wild card chase in the AL Bichette isn't likely going anywhere but if the unthinkable happens and the Jays drop out of the running between now and the deadline what would a package for a Bo rental look like given the nice bounce back season he's current enjoying?
Anthony Franco
3:16
I think they could pull a 50 FV prospect (a back of the top 100 type) and a mid-level guy for a Bichette rental -- especially given the lack of alternatives at shortstop. They'd need to absolutely tank over the next month to do it though
Matt
3:16
Do you think Taylor Walls will be DFA’d when Kim gets activated? On a related note, how good of a defender do you have to be in order for teams to overlook the fact that you can’t hit? I’m flummoxed that he’s kept his roster spot for this long.
Anthony Franco
3:19
He'd feel redundant with Kim and Caballero. Still has options so it doesn't necessarily need to be a DFA. They could demote Mead instead, I guess. Not like either of them (or Morel for that matter) have done much
3:20
Plus glove at shortstop gets you a decent leash as long as you're not making any money and have options. Teams like that profile a lot less when you don't have any roster flexibility
RAGBRAI
3:20
Are the Brewers gambling a bit by letting Civali go? Or is the depth good enough to withstand an injury loss?
GBS42
3:21
Do you think the Brewers sending Civale to the White Sox was simply a matter of doing their best for the team and player while fulfilling his request, or was there some, "Well fine, enjoy your time with the hapless Southsiders!" Reminds me of the Cardinals spitefully trading Rolen to the Blue Jays, the last place he wanted to go. (It could have been worse for Civale, they could have seen him to the Rockies.)
Anthony Franco
3:22
Eh he asked his way out and I just don't think he's all that good to begin with. I was surprised they tendered him a contract for $8M in all honesty
3:23
Low-90s velocity with declining whiff rates, inconsistent durability history, escalating home run issues. I like him more as a swingman than as a fourth or fifth starter
3:25
As for the trade itself, definitely wouldn't have predicted it but I guess I get it. Vaughn wasn't getting another chance in Chicago. Sox can give Civale six or seven starts and try to get a 40 FV prospect for him at the deadline, which was less likely with Vaughn. I don't see a whole lot in it for the Brewers but it felt like they just wanted to get this over with before it became a distraction and maybe there's a 5-10% chance that a change of scenery gets something out of Vaughn
Rhys Hoskins
3:25
Can I find myself back in Philly? I would boost the offense, let Harper DH a bit if Schwarber plays some LF, and bring good vibes to friends and teammates alike.
Anthony Franco
3:26
Tough for me to see that one with the number of bat-first players they've got already
3:27
I kind of get the vision but you're putting a lot on Schwarber's plate defensively and more or less pulling the plug on Kepler, who hasn't been productive but is a guy they signed for $10M over the winter
Chris
3:27
Can you see Schwarber getting more than 90M this offseason?
Anthony Franco
3:29
90 is right about where I'd set the O/U. Four years for a DH at that age is tough but I could see a team stretching it to push him close to nine figures while lowering the CBT a bit
Chris
3:29
More likely to make the playoffs this year? Atlanta or Baltimore.
Anthony Franco
3:29
I'd take the Braves
Jesse
3:29
Could someone like Caleb Ferguson help shore up the left side of the Mets bullpen? Would the Pirates move him now if the Mets made an offer?
Anthony Franco
3:31
Reasonable enough fit. Can't see why the Pirates wouldn't trade him whenever, not like he's a long-term piece
3:32
He technically has no-trade rights until Sunday as an MLB free agent signee but whatever. Trade him next week, I guess
Let's Make A Deal
3:32
Miguel Vargas for Logan Henderson and the Sox stock the Brewers soda machine for three years.
Anthony Franco
3:33
Now this would be a lot more fun than a Civale/Vaughn swap. I'd rather have Vargas but I would get the rationale for both teams if this happened (which it won't since this kind of trade never does)
Hits Like Rays
3:34
Why did the "opener" and "headliner" pitching idea that the Rays started in 2018 never take off?  The competitive advantages seem obvious and relievers tend to cost a lot less than effective "starting pitchers."
Anthony Franco
3:36
Teams still use this a lot. It just doesn't get talked about as much because it's not novel anymore. Probably not worthwhile doing in front of your top starter or two -- some guys might feel it disrupts their routine, and it only makes sense in front of a good starter if you're using one of your better relievers -- but there's a lot of mix and match at the back end
3:37
This was basically the Tigers' entire pitching plan on non-Skubal days after the deadline last year and Hinch played it brilliantly
Red Sox rotation
3:37
Tanner Houak and Cutter Crawford were anchors for the rotation last year.  What’s going on with these guys?  Any word on when they’re coming back?
Red Sox
3:37
Don’t look now but the Sox have won two series in a row.  I still think they’re legitimate contenders. Are you buying it?
Anthony Franco
3:40
They have the talent for it. Certainly not buried, it's just a cluttered picture in the AL. Crawford has battled a recurring knee issue and had wrist soreness a couple weeks ago, doesn't seem like he's close. Houck is throwing and hasn't been shut down for as long, so he's the likelier of the two to make it back in the next few weeks
Obviously real risk of setbacks whenever you've got a pitcher building back from what starts as a fairly minor forearm injury, though
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