Front Office Chat: 9/21/26
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Anthony Franco
4:01
Good afternoon, hope all is well!
4:02
Swapping with Steve this week since I'm off on Friday. He'll run that chat. Let's get rolling
Quart Lowe
4:02
I think big market teams will offer Lowe 3/$60-65m and the Pirates will offer 2/$36m. He says he likes Pittsburgh but I can’t see him passing on a better deal elsewhere. Thoughts?
Anthony Franco
4:03
Yeah I imagine he'll be priced out of Pittsburgh on something like what you suggested. Can't see him accepting 2/36 if they offered that, he'd really need to love it there
E6
4:03
The starting SS for the Yankees in the playoffs will be...
Anthony Franco
4:05
Still think it has to be Lombard, at least in the beginning. I'd rather have Volpe on the roster than Rosario if it comes down to one bench spot though
D Hat
4:05
Who’s going to play second base for the Tigers next year, Hao-Yu Lee or Max Anderson? What is Torkelson's trade value?
Anthony Franco
4:07
Anderson has to go on the 40-man this offseason and doesn't have anything left to prove in AAA so he'll be in the mix. Enough intrigue between him and Lee that they can bring in a LHH utility type and mix and match from there
4:09
Still think Tork has modest surplus value given the scarcity of RHH power bats available but he'll be up in the $7MM arbitration range and has never really broken out so if they're looking for MLB help, it'd probably be a cheap middle reliever with some swing-and-miss ability
Nats Fan
4:09
What is a realistic expectation for an off-season plan for the Nats? 2 SP, a starting SS to replace CJ who is now at 2B, and lots of bullpen help? Any targets for players to fill the holes?
Anthony Franco
4:11
Don't know that anyone available at shortstop is markedly better than giving Seaver King an audition. Willits is moving quickly enough that he might be an option by '28 so if King's going to get a real look from them, it probably has to be next season
4:12
Would probably bring in a corner bat late in the offseason in case Crews and/or the internal first base options don't cut it
4:14
But otherwise, just prioritizing pitching. Entire bullpen needs to be overhauled and they should bring in a Jack Flaherty type to eat some innings with another swing-and-miss arm behind Cavalli
Success?
4:15
What do you deem success from your fandoms? Arizona "Twitter" is acting as if a winning season with meaningful baseball in the final week for half a decade is somehow a failure. Do you think not making the playoffs automatically makes a season a failure? I can't decide. I just want to watch my teams win more than lose, but right now it's hard to feel like a success was had. That said, it doesn't really feel like change at GM or Manager helps at all either. Why do we sport? This is sucky.
Anthony Franco
4:17
Well, I hate the idea that any season's ever truly championship or bust -- even, say, for this year's Dodgers. If you're operating on the assumption that any season has at least an 80% chance (usually much higher) of "failure," then sports fandom is masochistic and I don't see the point
4:18
Beyond that, it has to be a case by case thing relative to expectations. I'd have a tough time considering this year's Diamondbacks (assuming they miss the playoffs) or Pirates successes because they went into the season with playoff expectations
4:19
But I think it's fair to say they're pretty good teams who got unlucky that they play in the much tougher league. If the Dodgers had gone 85-77 and missed the postseason, yeah, that's an abject failure
4:20
But the 2026 Nationals finishing 75-87 with steps forward from Abrams, Wood and Cavalli? I think that's a successful year for them that should raise the bar for what they'd consider a success in 2027
Jagger
4:20
Do you think Alex Vesia can get a 2-3 year deal in free agency?
Anthony Franco
4:22
I'd be surprised if he didn't get two based on the track record and ability to miss bats with the fastball up in the zone despite the velocity. Entered the season with a real shot at three years but I think that's a stretch now given the walk rate
Kwan
4:23
What do you think is the likelihood of the Guardians making Steven Kwan available for trade?  Does doing so fit their normal mode of operation?  What is a fair return and, specifically to the Mariners, can an attractive enough package be put together without using anyone in their top 8 prospects per MLB?  Thank you.
Anthony Franco
4:24
Yeah I think he's getting moved, agree he'd be a fine Seattle target (hopefully the park's less of an issue for that profile since he's never hit the ball hard anyway), and they could probably make it happen without any of their top eight prospects. Not that far removed from Kwan looking like a potential NT
4:27
Something like Carlos Vargas and a mid-level starting pitching prospect or two (e.g. Mason Peters) for one year of Kwan seems reasonable to me
walterj23
4:27
Where do you think the Cubs will end up ? 4th , 5th , or 6th seed ?
Anthony Franco
4:29
I think they'll hang onto 4th. Should win the Miami series and Boston will probably be in "save the pitching staff" mode for the final weekend so it's an easier slate than San Diego or Philly will get
Red Sox
4:29
Should Tolle start game 1 against the Yankees?
Anthony Franco
4:31
Yeah I think I'd run him Game 1 against such a heavily left-handed NYY lineup. Doesn't really matter which way you order the first two (him and Gray for me in some order) with Ranger in reserve for Game 3
Cruz Missile
4:32
What does a Cruz extension look like for Piisburgh? 6/$100m?
Anthony Franco
4:35
Feels light two years away from FA with those kinds of tools. Anything under 150 to buy out four FA years doesn't seem all that compelling if I'm the player
Bird Droppings
4:35
Are the Orioles headed for another rebuild? I can't imagine Elias would be allowed to be the architect.
Anthony Franco
4:37
They're not going to rip it all down and trade Henderson, Alonso, Basallo etc. but it's fair to say they've stagnated over the last couple years. I'd have Cowser out there and hear teams out on Holliday while looking to stockpile upper level pitching
Josh
4:37
If the Reds offered a 2 year $22 million dollar contract to T. Stephenson, do you think he would accept it?
Anthony Franco
4:39
Fair offer but he's a month from hitting free agency for the first time so he'd probably like to see what's out there. I could see something like this on November 20 though
4:40
Should the Reds do that given their needs on the pitching staff and in the outfield? Different story
Grateful Follower
4:40
What would be your own starting lineup made up solely of 2026 rookies who are unlikely to receive any 1st, 2nd or 3rd place votes in the actual 2026 ROY voting.  Howzabout 1 lineup covering both leagues including 1 RH-SP, 1 LH-SP and 1 RP.
Anthony Franco
4:42
Hmm this is a tough one off the cuff, especially with the "no third place votes" descriptor. Carter Jensen's not winning ROY and would be the obvious choice at catcher but he'll probably get a few 3rd place votes behind McGonigle and Messick
I'll give it a shot though. Here goes:
4:46
C- Joe Mack
1B - TJ Rumfield (might get a few actual votes)
2B - Travis Bazzana
3B - Assuming Okamoto's not available, yikes. Denzer Guzman?
SS - Konnor Griffin
LF - Sam Antonacci
CF - AJ Ewing (assuming Peters gets a few votes)
RF - Victor Mesa Jr.

SP - Walbert Ureña
RP - Didier Fuentes
Old School Stirrups
4:46
braves! How far do they make it assuming they play Philly first round?
Anthony Franco
4:47
Still think they're a Division Series team. Bold for the #3 seed, I know
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