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Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 10/30/18
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Meg Rowley
2:00
Hello and welcome to the offseason chat! Boy oh boy, it sure is the offseason.
Nick
2:00
What do you see the Cubs doing with Addison Russell? What do *you* think they should do?
Meg Rowley
2:01
I think they'll probably cut and I think that makes good sense.
I was never that hype on him as a player, and now I'm even less in on the guy as a person.
I'm sure he'll resurface somewhere, but I don't expect him to play another game for the Cubs.
Tom in SD
2:01
Any chance the Yankees trade Stanton to the Dodgers and sign Harper?
Meg Rowley
2:02
That seems unlikely to me.
2-D
2:02
To add to your specs conversation, Yuli Gurriel wears glasses in the field but not while hitting.
Meg Rowley
2:03
Oh interesting! I am sure there is an obvious answer to the rationale here, but I find it very interesting that you would do one and not the other. Likely has as much to do with the player's specific vision issue as anything else.
As a non-glasses/contacts person, this might also just be a Meg fascination.
Hendrik
2:03
Just to balance the Machado hate, I have to say I enjoy his "hustling ain't for me" attitude. His production speaks for itself and he's open about it (instead of hauling ass in his walk year and then mailing it in). The lower effort, lower reward attitude is one that I can very much identify with. (Now if he just stopped trying to break 1st basemen's feet)
Meg Rowley
2:05
Machado is such an interesting case. "Hustle" is often code for gross racial stuff. He's also admitted he doesn't dial it up to 11 getting down the line. We also know that doesn't matter most of the time, and he seems to have a good sense of when it does. I think we can take exception to him stepping on a guy or grabbing the second basemen on a slide, while also acknowledging that he probably gets more grief for that than he might if he were a white player.
I still don't think it will have a material impact on his contract.
Machado is a super star. He'll get paid like one.
2:06
And yes, I think that even having seen the Yankees quotes. Do they think we don't know an attempt at market softening when we see one?
Ariel Cohen
2:06
Bryce Harper to the Phillies, and then the Phills push to sign Machado and some good RPs.  Thoughts?
Meg Rowley
2:06
That's a good expensive team!
I wonder if they wait for Arenado though.
bb
2:07
Thoughts on John Smoltz's performance over the past few weeks?
Meg Rowley
2:08
I think it is fine to have an aesthetic preference for the game as it was. That isn't my preference, and I think it misses all the great things baseball is, but if that's what Smoltz likes, that's fine. All of us having to listen to that preference antagonize modern baseball? Less fine!
2:09
I think it is a mistake for him to call postseason games, especially at a time when we're so sensitive to making the game appealing.
There are plenty of players who can provide insight into what it is like to play the game, while striking a better tone.
And we don't have to have player analysts to have a good broadcast.
2:10
The good news is, there are a lot of great options to improve things. The bad news is, I don't trust Fox to use any of them.
Guest
2:10
I don't like the Red Sox :(
Meg Rowley
2:10
Sorry, buddy. They're really not going anywhere.
Ryan
2:10
Chris Taylor, Keibert Ruiz, and Julio Urias for Jacob DeGrom.  The Dodgers deal from positions of strength (Major-League infield depth and Minor-League catching depth),  while also acquiring an immediate and substantial upgrade for their rotation in the next two years.  The Mets, meanwhile, fill one of their  infield holes and acquire two potentially impactful players whose extra years of control compared to DeGrom are better aligned with their likely competitive window.   Reasonable?
Meg Rowley
2:12
Feels light to me. Taylor is certainly good, but I doubt that feels like a slam dunk, Urias is building back up to being a starter.
2:13
The Mets could be alright if you squint and most of that will be the pitching being good and healthy.
Pat's Bat
2:13
Here's a not implausible scenario:  the 2019 Phillies make the playoffs.  Rhys Hoskins is one of several NL hitters with a legitimate MVP case, but he plays left field "defense" like he did in 2018.  Does it hurt his MVP candidacy or do voters give him some credit for playing out of his natural position?
Meg Rowley
2:14
Depends on how good a hitter he is relative to others (duh) but I think you probably don't want to give voters tiebreakers vs. other players, and I'm not sure the credit he receives for the Phillies defensive indifference outweighs that.
CamdenWarehouse
2:15
Could I humbly request that any of the big offseason pieces like the top free agents be linked in the Essential Articles section of the home page? I find myself going back to them all winter. Thanks!
Meg Rowley
2:15
I'll ask!
Trent
2:15
The Dodgers remained under the CBT threshold this year presumably to spend heavily in free agency, but which targets are good fits for their roster?  They are crowded in both the infield and the outfield, thus making Harper and Machado awkward fits; and even without Ryu or Kershaw, they would have Hill, Wood, Maeda, Urias, and Stripling as SP options.  Do they end up spending heavily on FA relievers to address their bullpen's playoff struggles?
Meg Rowley
2:15
I imagine it'll be starting pitching, with some relievers thrown in. That market sure doesn't look like it once did, huh?
Matt
2:15
How significant of an overhaul does the Cubs lineup require? Outside of Bryce , are there any obvious fits?
Meg Rowley
2:16
They need some pitching imo.
Marz
2:16
Thoughts on Fox running ads in between pitches during the World Series? Possibly related sub-question: is everything horrible now, or is it just that I'm getting old and the world is leaving me behind?
Meg Rowley
2:17
So, if it shortened commercial breaks, I don't mind them putting a Duracell ad over a warm up toss, but I doubt the one replaces the other.
Oden
2:17
Hi Meg, saw your tweet--I don't think that Machado will make a lot this offseason, as he doesn't even have a job.   But could you speculate much you think he'll make over the course of his next contract?  Thanks!
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