JotCast | RosterResource Chat

RosterResource Chat - 4/30/26

This chat is available to members only. Please log in to participate.

Jason Martinez

2:02

Welcome to the RosterResource Chat! Big day today with the release of our new Roster Grid. Great job by Jon, who has re-created an old MLBDepthCharts feature and added some really cool stuff to it. For those of you who have ever wanted to see all 30 teams on one page or download all 30 teams in one click, this is where to go ...

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/instagraphs/the-rosterresource-roster-grid...

Let's chat.

Metsox

2:02

Ben Brown got a shot at closing in Chicago for a while?

Jon Becker

2:04

Not really, but not for any reason that's his fault. Daniel Palencia's lat strain appears to have been extremely mild and they're debating activating him this weekend without a rehab assignment. That'll put Brown back into a multi-inning fireman role and he'll continue to be crucial while there are still a bunch of relievers on the IL and Phil Maton hasn't gotten it going yet. That new sinker has been massive for him.

Marjinwalker

2:04

Any chance at all Morabito gets the call?

Jason Martinez

2:05

Probably not until there is a lane for everyday at-bats. 4th OF/platoon vs LHP is not an easy role and especially not for a 23-year-old rookie. That's why someone like Austin Slater is getting a shot because he's had success at it before and better-suited for that limited role.

Honkus Wagner

2:06

How do you project playing time for Barger when he gets back from his rehab assignment?

Jon Becker

2:07

He wasn't hitting at all before he got hurt, but with Lukes on the IL (right after he got his vertigo symptoms sorted out and started hitting himself), there'll be plenty of playing time for Barger in right field against RHP. My best guess as of now is that Pinango is optioned down for Barger and they go with Sánchez/Schneider in left and Barger/Straw in right.

The Actor for Al Pacino

2:07

39-year-old Luis García has already played for two teams this year with the MN callup, and it's still April. Can he beat his personal record of three teams in one season set last year?

Jason Martinez

2:09

Back when he was with the Padres, he was demoted to the lowest role possible a few times. He'd pitch the 9th with like a 6-run lead and they'd still end up bringing in Josh Hader to clean up the mess and close things out. And the Padres still kept him after a couple of those disastrous outings. And then other teams have still continued to give him an immediate chance. The stuff is still great so I imagine he'll continue to get chances as long as he throws mid-to-high 90s with movement.

Jon Becker

2:09

I'm pretty sure he'll be pitching (somewhere on earth, maybe not MLB) when he's 45.

Doc Estes

2:10

The closer in LAA will eventually be Zeferjahn, Joyce, or neither?

Jon Becker

2:11

I think Joyce. Was at 97-101 in his first rehab outing so there shouldn't be any concern that his velo has tanked coming off shoulder surgery. I get that they aren't exactly teeming with options but I'm surprised that the Angels keep trying Zeferjahn for multiple innings when his stuff is always so much worse in the second inning of work.

Guest

2:11

Nate Lowe has become a dead pull hitter and it's working amazingly so far. If he stays hot - and while not 170 wRC+ level, it seems like he can be back to a 120? - the Reds are going to have to accept some bad D at third instead of keeping Hayes' 6 wRC+ starting, right? he's out with Sal at 3rd today, so I guess that's a hint

Jason Martinez

2:14

He'll play just about every day while Eugenio Suarez is on the IL so there should be plenty of time to establish whether he should remain there once everyone is healthy. And I think Stewart at 3B, however often that happens, will be a chance for them to see how that would look on a more regular basis. Because the only way Suarez and Lowe are in the lineup together is if Suarez or Stewart play 3B.

2:14

Does La Piedra go to the bullpen when Bryce Miller comes back?

Jon Becker

2:16

Castillo to the bullpen has to at least be under consideration with how he's pitched, but I think I'd be pretty surprised to see it happen this early on. So their other options are the straightforward six-man rotation, or maybe experiment with some piggybacking (Castillo and Hancock? Miller and Castillo? Hancock and Miller?). The former's a lot easier to manage around but they'd also want to maximize outings for Gilbert/Woo/Kirby.

Guest

2:16

Cubs finally got Shaw back in vs some RHP, but was that mostly just to get the off days for Swanson and Bregman?

Jason Martinez

2:19

And he was probably in there yesterday because Swanson was had some minor issue from the day before. It's a reminder that it's not always easy to give regular at-bats to someone who isn't a lineup regular. Especially because most of their regulars have a track record of playing on most days. I think Shaw had 2 starts in 9 games prior to starting 3 of 4. You can see here ... https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/player-usage-defensive-lineu...

He's been great so far. They have a deep lineup so they just have to hope he continues to produce regardless of how often he plays. Not easy for a youngster.

Andy

2:19

Is Imai already a change of scenery candidate? Houston doesn’t seem to be a good fit for him.

Schmegs

2:19

I'm just curious about the hypothetical but what if Imai decided he really didn't like MLB and want to go back to Japan? Could Houston trade him back to the NPB? A free agent contract would have to make it more complicated to get him back there than tge releasing from contracts they do with MiLB guys.

Jon Becker

2:22

I'll answer these together since they go together. I know he talked about the struggles of adjusting to MLB, but I would think that that's an incredibly common struggle and I would hope that the Astros are working to increase his comfort level and ability to adjust when he's back from the IL.

As for the second question, no, they couldn't just trade him back to NPB — it's a completely different league and Imai is making something like four times as much the highest-paid NPB player now. If he wanted to go back and simply refused to pitch in MLB ever again then the Astros would presumably be able to void his deal under the overarching "failure to uphold the contract" (paraphrasing) clause, but that would take some time to sort out.

Old Guy

2:22

When do you think the Rays start reducing the number of ABs given to Mullins, whose offense and defense are pretty bad this year? Seems like Fraley and/or Deluca have more upside.

Jason Martinez

2:25

I'm surprised DeLuca hasn't been cutting into Mullins' playing time a bit more. Typically, for a proven veteran, they'll get 4-5 weeks to get back on track if they struggle at the start of the season. Most do get back on track.

Not sure if there is an easy way to do it (I'd like to create something) but if you were to find the worst 75-125 PA samples of a player's career, it would be surprising to see how often they've been as bad as they are during an early-season slump. It just happens later in the season when it's not as noticeable. MLB hitters can be really good or really bad for weeks at a time.

Fin

2:25

Is there a stint in AAA in Brayan Bello’s future, after Sonny Gray is back from the IL?

Jon Becker

2:27

When Crochet is also back (he thinks it'll be a minimum stay on the IL), I think it's got to be under consideration unless Bello turns it around in the next 2-3 starts while he still has a rotation spot. If the Red Sox are going to turn it around they're going to have to put the best performers out there and I have a hard time seeing Bello proving himself as one of their five best starters over the next couple weeks.

Vibe Check

2:27

Conditional probabilities are a mess, but how would you rate the likelihood that at least one of the Mets/Phillies/Red Sox turn their season completely around and make the playoffs? Red Sox seem like by far the best bet since the AL has been abysmal

Jason Martinez

2:30

Wouldn't surprise me if 2 of those 3 did it. No team in the majors looks great right now. Those 3 rosters (NYM/PHI/BOS) are flawed but still good enough to turn things around. Sometimes you just have to unplug something and plug it back in. Unfortunately, that can mean a managerial change. But it can reset things and a team can get back on track. Phillies did it a few years back when they fired Girardi.

Morris Buttermaker

2:30

Will Connor Prielipp stay in the rotation if he continues to pitch well?

Jon Becker

2:32

I'd say "absolutely" if Simeon Woods Richardson wasn't out of options. But even with SWR being one of the worst starters in the league this year, the Twins have to decide if it's worth sticking him in the bullpen as a "break glass in case of emergency guy" instead once Abel is back and they've got six starters. Unfortunately for Prielipp it's not always a meritocracy and optionability/roster flexibility comes into play here.

Guest

2:32

Could you guys see Will Klein working his way into the 7th inning role for the Dodgers?

Jason Martinez

2:34

Yep. He was just about there before his bad outing yesterday. Still an opportunity for him, Edgardo Henriquez, or Kyle Hurt to work their way into that primary right-handed setup man role. Brock Stewart is close to returning, too. He could be that guy if Treinen falters along the way. He's been really good aside from one disastrous outing.

Death of a Swingman

2:34

What seems to be the issue with undervaluations of players like Jakob Junis? Tobias Myers was essentially a throw-in and has been maybe the second-best Mets pitcher this year, Jakob Junis keeps putting up great results in either a starting or bullpen role, and generally so many teams would be able to get much more out of their starters and relievers alike with a classic swingman; what do people smarter than me know that I don't such that this isn't the case?

Jon Becker

2:37

I don't really view Junis and Myers as comparable. Junis hasn't started 2023 (he was an opener for 1-2 innings a few times in 2024), and I'd argue that Myers was much more than a throw-in; it's five years of club control for a guy who was really, really good in 2024. Junis being undervalued is I think because he's not a big stuff guy and is probably on the back nine of his career (he's 33 now), so he doesn't have that much room to get worse, so to speak.

Vaux

2:37

What's Cags got to do to crack the vaunted Royals lineup? Yeah I get platoon stuff but seems like way too early to be committing your very highly ranked 23 year old prospect to platoon duty. Just looked at the lineup for today and they've got Perez at 1B, Jensen at DH, Marte in RF, and Diaz at C...surely Caglianone could wiggle his way in that quartet

Jason Martinez

2:39

Only 2 starts and 28 PA vs LHP thus far so they are clearly being very careful with him. Not sure what the quality of at-bat has been like, but I assume that the priority is to put him in the best possible position to succeed. And starting him against LHP, especially ones who are tough on lefty batters, probably isn't ideal early in the season. So it's more about that and not that there are better options vs LHP.

Guest

2:40

Love the additions to Roster Resource. Is there an easy way to look at upcoming opposing probable starters within RR? Mainly looking for the simplest way to see upcoming L vs R opponents.

Jon Becker

2:42

Yes! We've got the Probables Grid, which gives you the next ten days of probable pitchers and the handedness of the starter. You'll have to bounce around to see opposing (though you can go to the top of each RosterResource page for the next seven days of opposing starters), I can add that to the list of things to add though!

Oaktown Blues

2:42

Surely the A's will make Carlos Cortes an everyday starter soon? Who will lose ABs to him? Butler? Soderstrom? Rooker?

Jason Martinez

2:45

I think he's there now. At least it seems that way with the current roster. Even with Rooker back from the IL, Butler's ability to play CF allows them to start Cortes vs RHP. As long as they're comfortable with Butler in CF, it shouldn't be difficult to get Cortes at-bats until Denzel Clarke returns in a few weeks. And if Cortes has continued to produce at that ime, moving Clarke to a 4th OF/defensive specialist role would be a possibility.

Value of Roster Spots

2:45

Does the CBA allow for a contract like "Player X gets 1 year at $7.5 million, but will be allowed to be sent arbitrarily to AAA as if there were an option available, even if there are none remaining", and if so, why haven't teams started doing this? Seems like an easy way for the Dodgers to flex their financial might even further

Load More Messages

Connecting…

Your current subscriptions

None

E-mail Address	Chat Owner	Status	Remove

Enter your email address to be notified when Jason Martinez hosts a chat