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Front Office Chat: 9/5/25
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Anthony Franco
3:59
Hey everyone, hope you've enjoyed your week!
Darragh's off today so I'll have to wrap this up right around 4:00 Central to move to news coverage. Let's get going
RAGBRAI
3:59
How do you see Brewers SP lining up in a five game series?
4:00
Does MeGill make it back to Milwaukee next week?
Anthony Franco
4:02
On the rotation: Peralta, Woodruff, Priester, Q with Misiorwoski available in relief (especially on Quintana's start when they'll have a really quick hook)
4:03
Pat Murphy said that Megill threw a bullpen yesterday. Believe Adam McCalvy reported that they're targeting the 16th (beginning of the Angels series) for his return
RoxTalks
4:03
Thoughts on the Valdez-Salazar situation?
Anthony Franco
4:04
I'm skeptical that Framber deliberately crossed up his own catcher so he could nail him in the chest, but not showing any level of concern after it happened because you're pissed you just gave up a grand slam is a bad look
4:06
Salazar did his best postgame to downplay it, as did Joe Espada. I don't think it matters much for the Astros' season but it doesn't reflect well on Valdez even if it is a one-off situation and I imagine he'll have to answer questions about it from some teams when he gets to free agency
?
4:06
How/why is Roki Sasaki so bad? I know he's hurt but he has been equally as awful in OKC
Anthony Franco
4:09
The command is not good and I think most people (myself included) under appreciated how much of a problem his fastball shape -- very low spin that leads it to play below its velocity at the top of the strike zone -- would be an issue. That's easier to get away with when he's pumping 98-101 as he was for most of his time in Japan than it is at 95-96
4:12
He's still talented and I think there's a chance he can succeed the way Hurston Waldrep is for Atlanta by leaning so heavily on the split, but he's more of a project than I expected. Obviously doesn't help that he's been working with diminished stuff while fighting shoulder problems the whole time
Safeco Field Redux
4:12
I'm curious: How often do you think game announcers err when thy call a pitch; that is, is what they identify as a slider actually a sweeper or even a curve? And while I'm here, does a knuckle curve act differently than a standard curve?
Anthony Franco
4:14
Yeah I think this happens all the time. Backup sliders can look like changeups, breaking pitches blend together so much that it's very difficult to differentiate slider vs. sweeper or curve unless the pitcher's throwing them at a 4-5 MPH velocity differential
4:16
A lot of times a pitcher will call a breaking ball something different than the pitch classification systems will. "Sweeper" vs. slider wasn't even really in the lexicon until a couple years ago when Statcast tried to get more granular in splitting the deGrom slider from the 81 MPH pitch that you'll get from a low-slot lefty specialist
4:17
I don't think there's much difference in practice between a knuckle-curve and a standard curveball. The grip's a little different and maybe you'd expect slightly more 12-6 action on a curveball but it's marginal at this point. Most pitchers are trying to keep the curveball pretty vertical
The Knuder
4:17
What will Luis Arraez's market look like? Aside from his number of hits, which was fifth in the league the last time I heard Mike Shildt cite it, Arraez has been complete average at the plate. 99 wRC+ last I checked. What is a fair contract for him?
Anthony Franco
4:20
Man I have very little confidence in this one. He's going to be up there for our toughest players to value. I'm guessing most teams won't value him super highly and will see him as a slightly above-average bat who should be first base/DH. Maybe a slight boost for the rarity of the skillset and durability
4:21
I think I'd have him close to where Gleyber Torres was last offseason. One-year deal for 12-14, maybe two in the low 20s with an opt-out
AA
4:21
In a scale of 1 to 10 how likely is Kim to opt in his 16MM player option for 2026? The SS options after Bichette are very weak so if he has a decent september he may be tempted to test free agency.
Anthony Franco
4:23
I think he'll take the option but wouldn't consider it a lock. Agree that a big September would make it interesting. Not getting to nine figures or anything, but he could head back out for two with an opt-out again instead of 1/16
On a 1-10 scale, I guess 3.5
4:24
Sorry, 3.5 to opt out. Misread the question
Jack
4:24
Am I in the minority who think the LA Angels are almost surely working towards Reid Detmers to be their closer in 2026? Jansen will be a FA (not that he wouldn’t be resigned), but Detmers has very rarely pitched more than one inning almost the entire season, so he’s not being groomed to rejoin the rotation, unless they start stretching him out very soon, which doesn’t look likely. Incidentally, he has pitched expertly in relief. Your opinion?
Anthony Franco
4:26
I'd try to bring back Jansen rather than locking Detmers into the ninth. Agree he'd be a good closer but they'll need to bring in a few relievers and I'd at least stretch Detmers back to two-inning stints and use him as their best leverage arm in the middle innings
4:27
I don't really buy him as a starter but think there's a little more juice they can get if they build him from a straight one-inning guy next spring
Lefty Blues
4:27
How big a mistake did the Blue Jays make not making one of the relievers they acquired at the deadline a southpaw?  Brandon Little, Mason Fluharty and Ryan Borucki are not suitable options for a contending team
Anthony Franco
4:31
It feels a little flimsy but they'll have Lauer in the playoff bullpen too. Little's command is all over the place but he's got enough stuff that he could work in the middle innings. I don't love the group but I get why they didn't view it as a top priority. Not like I'd feel any better if they got Jalen Beeks or Caleb Ferguson
Ben Cherrington
4:31
My team is hot right now! Just swept the Dodgers coming off the series win in Boston!  12 of the last 16! I need a power hitting 3B. Best for me to trade some of this pitching for a young 3B. Who am I trading and who am I getting?
Anthony Franco
4:35
Feels like a pretty good Josh Jung change of scenery fit. If the Rangers would swap him for Tom Harrington, Pittsburgh should jump on that. Hunter Barco would be a tougher call but I could see an argument for it
Brad
4:35
For next year - the Rays with new ownership that, from reports, will get closer to mid-range or 20thish in payroll over next few years vs where they are now - could they be in market for Kyle Tucker since he is a Tampa native?  For me - it is sign long term extension for Junior Caminero and fix OF.  If not Tucker, what possible FA or trade targets could be OF fits for TB?
Anthony Franco
4:37
That'd be one way for Zalupski to announce his arrival. Can't see them going to that extreme, even a Caminero extension feels pretty unlikely. It's usually more of a mid-tier splash when you get a change in small-market ownership
Trent Grisham maybe. You could talk me into them as a dark horse on Bellinger
Jayson Kent
4:37
Could you see Nolan Gorman for Ryan Weathers as a plausible trade scenario?
Anthony Franco
4:38
I'd rather take my shot on Weathers staying healthy. Pretty much out on Gorman at this point
Chris
4:38
what do you think of the Mets calling up three starting pitchers in the last three weeks to get them to the playoffs?
Anthony Franco
4:40
Hard to argue when the first two guys they called up are probably among their top three starters in October
4:41
It's not ideal obviously. They'd have preferred Holmes not wearing down and Senga/Manaea pitching like they did before the injuries. But they're at least being adaptable and it's a credit to their pitching development that they've got this kind of upper minors rotation talent (especially with Scott already out) to call upon
Sam
4:42
For some reason I'm not getting front office emails, like the mailbag. How do I fix that? I replied to the last one I got (about 3 weeks ago) to ask for assistance but didn't hear back. Pretty sure that they're not getting filtered.
Anthony Franco
4:42
I don't know what's up there, but if you drop your email address in here (won't publish it), I'll send Tim a note as soon as I'm done with this
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