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Front Office Chat: 9/15/23
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Anthony Franco
4:00
Hey all, hope you had a great week!
4:01
Few more questions this week than last so I'll move a bit quicker
2024 - NL Only
4:02
Rank the following pitchers for NL value in 2024:  Fried, Burnes, Woodruff and Snell.  Fried seems to be first because he's the only one guaranteed to actually be in the NL.  Brewers won't trade BOTH Burnes and Woodruff and might even keep both.  Yamamoto and Snell could be the two most desired starters by every team in MLB (except for the cheap ones), with Nola a tier below and Julio Urias unlikely to return in 2024.
Anthony Franco
4:04
Yeah I think Snell has to be last because there's a 50-50 chance (or something close to it) that he won't be in the NL. Agree that Fried's the only one who's guaranteed to be in the NL and he's at least a comparable talent to Woodruff/Burnes
I'd probably go Fried, Woodruff, Burnes (feels like he's the likelier of the two to get traded and Woodruff might just be better anyways), Snell
Arms Dealing
4:04
Hi. Steve Adams wrote a piece a little bit ago about the O's dealing from their prospect depth for SP help. I'm curious which arms you expect to be available this off-season and whom you would target. Thanks!
Anthony Franco
4:06
Mentioned the Milwaukee guys. Cleveland could move Bieber or maybe sell low on Cal Quantrill. Paul Blackburn will probably be out there again. Could see a world where the Angels go full scorched earth and move someone like Detmers or Sandoval
4:07
Maybe Miami fields offers on Trevor Rogers or Edward Cabrera for a young hitter in the Joey Ortiz mold, especially given the lack of shortstop alternatives
Paul K
4:07
Given the Jays' performance, which was predictable abd predicted at the beginning of the season, whould Atkins have his job next year?
Gene Mach
4:07
Does John Schneider get fired for this Jays season?
Anthony Franco
4:08
I'd be surprised if they make a change this year. They've been pretty good for four years running. If they miss the playoffs, it'll be marginally (albeit not as close as their near-miss in '21)
4:09
Disappointing season definitely, but not a complete disaster where I think you need a massive organizational overhaul. If they'd gotten anywhere close to the anticipated production from Vlad or Manoah, they probably get in pretty easily. I think they'd run it back
Guest
4:10
If new school (analytics) is better than old school (scouting), why was Chaim Bloom fired this week and Mike Rizzo extended?
Anthony Franco
4:11
I think taking any single exec and making them a proxy for "analytics vs. scouting" is too simplistic. There are different ways to win, but every team uses some combination of scouting and analytics. Where to set that line is up for debate, and ownership groups are going to have different preferences, but there's more than one way to be successful
Chip
4:12
I keep reading the Atlanta Braves are discussing picking up Charlie Morton's option but am I correct in saying that it is the player's option ?? If I am right then Buster Olney has it wrong !!!!
Anthony Franco
4:12
It's a team option, Braves' call
tigersFan
4:12
Will the tigers spend this offseason?
Anthony Franco
4:14
I doubt they're jumping in on Bellinger or Snell just yet but there's no reason not to hit the middle tier of the market more aggressively than they have the last two winters. Cabrera off the books aside from the buyout. If E-Rod opts out, they'll have to bring him back or sign someone else comparable
4:15
It's a tricky spot because I think the biggest question marks at this point are around the infield, where free agency offers no solutions. But they could add a mid-level free agent starter and make someone like Olson or Manning available in a trade for offense. Cabrera's departure could open a few more DH at-bats for Kerry Carpenter if they want to bring in some outfield depth
Davey M
4:15
Hi thanks for the chat -- is Luis Garcia part of a division winning team in the future? He's only 23 but hasn't shown elite skills.  He was even pinch-run for late in a game as the winning run at third?  As a Nats fan, should we be looking elsewhere?
Anthony Franco
4:17
Yeah I don't see it. I know he's still young but we're at 1200 plate appearances now without much of an improvement in the pitch selection and ongoing questions about whether he's a viable defender at second base
4:19
The carrying skill was the really advanced bat-to-ball ability but that seems like it masked a really questionable approach in the minors. Some guys have plus contact skills, so they swing at everything because they can get the bat on it. It's not solid contact though, and they end up as pretty poor offensive players as a result
Cubs Winter
4:19
The Cubs should go all-in this winter like the Rangers, Mets, and Padres have recently. They should keep Bellinger and add Chapman and Yamamoto. Do you agree? How realistic?
Anthony Franco
4:21
Doesn't seem all that realistic. You're talking about three contracts that probably all land above $150MM, maybe 200+. Even the Rangers didn't do that all in the same offseason
Giantsphan
4:21
  • Hi Anthony,  I read your piece about the Giants’ SS production problem.  Your analysis seemed spot on to me.  But wasn’t this predictable?  I realize that Crawford was coming off an amazing walk year….but that two year extension was doomed from the start.  There were many great SS options on the free market then too, but now we’re in a jam.  What is distressing to me in what I read this morning in the MLBTR newsletter, that Farhan will be back in 2024, is that he seems to lack the ability to land any offensively strong players.  How can SF go out and build or buy a competitive offense?  Thank you
Anthony Franco
4:22
I'd say reasonably predictable. Don't know that anyone expected the shortstop class to be this bad, but it was a possibility when the best option in April was Amed Rosario. I thought the Crawford deal was fine at the time they signed it, but it was clear by last offseason he wasn't maintaining the 2021 pace
4:24
I don't think the Zaidi front office is inherently incapable of landing a star position player, though. They've missed so far and it has hurt the team, so it's an entirely fair criticism, but I wouldn't consider it a predictor for how the upcoming offseason will play out. They would've had Correa -- who was the last big hitter on the market by the time he made his decision -- if the physical hadn't been an issue. It left the front office holding the bag, but it's not like they didn't have a star player who was willing to go there
RAGBRAI
4:25
Does Snell resign in SD? Do they have enough young pitchers for a rotation next year or will they need to sign/trade for more pitching?
Anthony Franco
4:25
They'll need to add pitching for sure. Lugo's going to be a free agent too, not out of the question with Wacha
4:27
I'd take the field on Snell since I expect SD to pivot a little from last winter's top-heavy approach and address the roster depth more than they had. Bench needs to be better. They need an upgrade at first base or DH that could allow Cronenworth to move around the infield a bit, probably multiple starting pitchers
Guessing they'll spread the wealth a little more after how badly this year turned out
Guest
4:27
Will Jasson get service time while he recovers since he was on the MLB roster when he went down? Would seem unfortunate for the Yankees because he may not have been on the roster to begin next season
Anthony Franco
4:28
He will for the reason you mentioned. I agree it's pretty bad luck for the Yankees
4:29
There was a decent chance Dominguez played his way onto the Opening Day roster regardless, since they also just don't have many outfield options aside from Judge. But it'd be easier to swallow burning the first service year if he's contributing
4:30
They could always send him back down at a later date once he's healthy again, but the hope is he'll play well enough they won't have to consider that
Dewey
4:30
Can the Sox really continue with Devers at 3rd?  When does he become baseball’s first $300 million DH?
Anthony Franco
4:33
It's a great question. Casas' emergence is great but takes first base off the table. They don't have the infield surplus to think about this yet, but Devers' glove isn't getting any better. Once Nick Yorke and Marcelo Mayer arrive, they'll probably have to use Devers somewhat closely to the plan for Justin Turner's defensive innings this season
TheBeatlesShow
4:33
Do Perry Minasian and Phil Nevin survive into next year?
Anthony Franco
4:33
I'd be surprised
Oscar Gamble
4:33
Who would you guess would be Cleveland’s SS in 2024? I think they’ll keep Gimenez at 2B because of his gold glove defense there.
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