JotCast | Trade Rumors Front Office Chat

Trade Rumors Front Office Chat

Anthony Franco

2:01

Hey everyone, hope you all had a good week!

Let's get into it

ewitkows

2:01

Reds,Cards or Pads, who do you have?

Zack

2:01

Do the Phillies have the necessary pieces to make a playoff push? I'm having trouble seeing them snag a wild card spot with the current injuries however they have been playing very well. If we miss the playoffs, is there any possibility of moving on from Joe Girardi? He has made some pretty boneheaded decisions and I don't trust him especially with his bullpen decisions.

Anthony Franco

2:02

So yeah, the Phillies have to be in that mix too. I'll stick with the Reds at this point

2:03

If the Phils miss the playoffs, I think there's a real chance they move on from Girardi, yeah. He was hired before Dombrowski and I believe he'd be going into the final guaranteed year of his deal in 2022

2:04

Not that it's all his fault, because that bullpen doesn't give him a ton of reliable options, but I've also been puzzled by some of those decisions. It feels like they've had a few starts where they've left Wheeler in far too long, in particular

2:05

Of course, in-game tactical stuff is a super small part of a manger's overall job. But it's also the most visible and I can't speak to how well we gets along with players and things like that

Bernie

2:05

I do not know what deals were close but did not get done but do you think the Giants and Dodgers both not adding a high leverage bullpen arm at the deadline will be a factor in September and Post Season.

Anthony Franco

2:06

I'm sure they'd both have liked to grab another great reliever. The Dodgers were rumored to be in on Kimbrel late, for instance

2:07

But at the same time, they both did get a lot better in other areas at the deadline, and both teams already among the best bullpens in the game

2:08

That's not to say doing more wouldn't have helped. The great thing about adding relief pitching is it's pretty easy to slide everybody else down a notch in the pecking order and make the whole unit better. But I'm not sure I'd say it was a glaring need for either of them

Brian

2:08

Potential Red Sox/Yankees matchup shot at record TV numbers for a play-in game?

Anthony Franco

2:09

I actually have no idea what the record is. I don't pay much attention to TV ratings generally, since I just don't find it all that interesting

2:10

But yeah, I'm sure having NYY - BOS would be a dream come true for ESPN

Larry

2:10

September call-ups. Teams permitted only 2. What happens to those coming off IL or Covid? With AAA seasons extending into October will teams yo-yo players back and forth?

Anthony Franco

2:11

Yep, it'll pretty much be the same as it has been for the first few months of the year. You still have to work within the confines of the 40-man and everything, so teams will just have to option players at the back of the bench and in middle relief when necessary

Ross Atkins

2:11

Even after trading Austin Martin I still have several highly rated IF prospects and not so many pitching prospects, therefore resigning Robbie Ray over Marcus Senien has to be my number one priority this winter doesn't it?

Anthony Franco

2:12

I wouldn't really think about it like that

2:13

Like I love Jordan Groshans, but there's room to re-sign Semien at second and bump Biggio to the bench or trade him. They could try one of those guys in the corner outfield or just stockpile depth for when injuries inevitably arise

2:14

Same thing with Orelvis Martinez too, to be clear. Just using Groshans as the example because he's closer to the majors

So while it sounds simplistic, I think they should prioritize whichever of Semien or Ray they think will be the better player over the next five years, because that'd be a massive investment no matter which direction they go in

2:16

I'd focus on Semien personally. I'm still a little wary about Ray's career-long inconsistency, particularly as a strike thrower. He's been incredible this year and is typically good, but he's also been really high-variance from a control perspective and I'd still be nervous about going nine figures there

Dick Vitale

2:16

Shohei is winning the AL MVP! It's a lock, baby!

Anthony Franco

2:18

Yeah I think that's basically a lock. Vlad's been unreal too but the ability to perform in as many ways as Ohtani's shown is truly incredible. He's the biggest individual story in baseball for a reason

Hits Like Rays

2:18

Has Kevin Kiermaier rebuilt enough value to be traded this winter?

Anthony Franco

2:19

I don't think he's untradeable. They could kick in a couple million or take back a player making a little bit of money as part of a deal

2:20

But I don't think he has positive trade value, no. He's guaranteed $14.5MM next year (including the 2023 buyout) and has still been well below-average at the plate, although probably average overall when accounting for the defense. That's more than I think he'd get on the open market

daddydeerist

2:21

It would seem to me that NYM owner Steve Cohen would be justified in having a full blown temper tantrum and firing everyone but the bat boy. Management has been inept and of low character, bad contracts abound and now an extremely overpaid "superstar" has turned the fans against him. This is much more than the usual Mets disappointment. Thoughts about changes?

Anthony Franco

2:22

I expect there to be a front office shakeup. They were probably going to bring somebody in alongside Scott even before the DWI charges, and that arrest obviously leads to some uncertainty about his future there moving forward.

2:23

I'd ballpark it 50-50 that Rojas goes as manager. But I don't expect a full blow-up of the roster. It's still a win-now team with plenty of talent. I think they'll be aggressive in free agency this offseason and try to win with these guys again next year

Levi

2:23

What would an offseason Josh Hader trade to the Blue Jays look like?

Anthony Franco

2:24

So Hader's probably the best reliever in baseball. He's got two more years of arbitration control, which'll be expensive but still a bargain

2:25

He's more valuable than Kimbrel was this deadline, and Kimbrel brought back a controllable big league second baseman and a power reliever

2:27

It's tough to really ballpark it because I can't remember the last time a reliever of Hader's caliber and control was actually traded, and I don't think the Brewers will feel motivated to move him regardless of the salary

But I think they'd be justified in pushing for a young big league position player or top 50 prospect as a centerpiece

2:29

Jays specifically are tough to match. They're not getting Vlad or Bichette, of course. Maybe something built around one of Moreno/Pearson and another of Groshans/Martinez? It'd be a lot

ewitkows

2:29

NL Cy Young race, does having 3 pitchers on the same team hurt Woodruff, Peralta and Burnes?

Anthony Franco

2:31

I think it could have a small effect with a voter or two who gets lazy and lumps all three guys together, but most voters are smart enough at to evaluate each guy on their own merits, I think

CBA =(

2:31

You recently reported that the MLBPA was very displeased by the MLB's strange FA proposal. All this being preliminary jocking from both sides, do you think a restructuring of the arbitration years will come to fruition? I'd love seeing players head to FA earlier than later.

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