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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 10/20/20
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Steve Adams
2:01
Greetings all -- sorry for the lack of chats lately. We've been doing tons of offseason planning and projection meetings, and it has cut into my schedule quite a bit. We'll talk all things World Series and offseason for the next hour, though!
Al Avila
2:02
Need a bit of help here.  The 2021 manager of the Detroit Tigers is ______.
Steve Adams
2:03
I could just blurt a name out, but this doesn't seem like one of those situations where there's a predetermined manager and the interview process is just a charade. The Tigers don't even yet have a clear idea who it'll be.
Your Name
2:04
If the rays lose in the WS, is it finally time for them to try to sign a star?
Steve Adams
2:07
The Rays signed Charlie Morton off an All-Star season and watched him dominate for them immediately thereafter. He's part of the reason they're in the World Series.

To your broader point, "signing a star" isn't going to be directly correlated to this team getting over that World Series hump. They have enough talent, right now, to win a World Series. And a team like this generally develops stars rather than pays for them, as investing so many of the limited resources ownership provides the front office in one asset just means they'd need to sell others sooner in the arbitration process or avoid some marginal free-agent signings that tend to serve them well.
You can lament that ownership should up payroll, but that's a separate issue.

If the Rays lose the World Series, they'll still be World Series contenders again next year in all likelihood.
jack
2:08
Will the Cardinals let Wong walk?
Steve Adams
2:09
They tend to be loyal -- Pujols mega-deal serving as an outlier for obvious reasons -- in this type of situation. Derrick Goold is as good as they get when it comes to team beat writers, and he reported a week or so ago that he expects the team to try to work out a new deal; I could see them ripping up the option and keeping him on a lower-AAV two- or three-year deal.
Scherzers blue eye
2:09
Speculation on where George Springer signs?
Steve Adams
2:09
White Sox are my current pick for him, but it's just that -- speculation.
Adam
2:10
If you owned a MLB franchise and could hire anyone to run tour baseball ops, who would you hire?
Steve Adams
2:11
If I owned the team? I'd probably just pool some friends and run it myself, haha. It's my team after all! Fans would surely not like me, ha.
A.A
2:12
If you were me would you fire Snitker and go after a younger manager like Rick Renteria or Barry Larkin or stay with him?
Steve Adams
2:14
Rick Renteria isn't much younger. Barry Larkin has zero experience. Not sure why it has to be one of those two.

I know it's regularly perceived as the "manager's fault" when a team is bounced from the playoffs, but I don't really buy that. If Snit works well with the front office, controls the clubhouse, keeps his guys accountable, etc. -- that's good by me.

Most of the stuff that a manager SHOULD be evaluated on happens primarily behind closed doors and out of the public eye.
BNN
2:15
What do you think is a realistic contract for $$$/years for DJLM?
Steve Adams
2:15
Four years at $20MM+ annually.
Steve E
2:15
Who are realistic free agents the Giants may try for?
Steve Adams
2:16
I think they'll pursue a new deal with Gausman and find him more expensive than they're willing to pay. A new deal with Smyly -- maybe a small two-year pact -- seems plausible, and I like them on some other upside-y guys who'd be targeted more for stuff than track record (say, a Garrett Richards type)
WhiteSoxFan33
2:17
Does hiring Hinch give us a better shot at signing Springer but hurt our chances at signing Bauer?
Steve Adams
2:18
Interesting question that I haven't pondered much, honestly. I do like Springer in Chicago, as I said, and I haven't had them at the front of my Bauer candidates, though they have the cash. (He wants an analytical team with a strong data practice; that's not the Sox ... also wants the chance to perhaps pitch every fourth day, and they have too many young arms to accommodate)

I would think, to your general premise, the answer is yes on both counts.
Gilbert Gottfried
2:18
Whit Merrifield to Miami for Jesus Sanchez and Nasim Nunez?
Steve Adams
2:19
I did all I could in my Royals Offseason Outlook to emphasize that I don't think the Royals have any plans to trade Merrifield
Jess
2:20
What’s more likely Braves resign ozuna or sign Bauer
Steve Adams
2:21
More likely they sign Bauer if he goes one year. I don't think the Braves will sign Ozuna to a multi-year, top-of-the-market deal. That hasn't been Alex Anthopoulos' MO since he got there. Maybe Ozuna is viewed as an exception, but his track record with the Braves is one that is averse to long-term risk.
Yankees
2:22
If yanks fire boone who do they hire
Steve Adams
2:22
They're not going to fire Boone.
Peanut Butter
2:22
Crunch or Creamy?
Steve Adams
2:23
Cream
y
GSon
2:23
Wow.. DJLm 4@$20MM.. wouldn't  the NYY's be more inclined to acquire Francisco Lindor for slightly more  AAV than that (assumes an extension before a deal is made)?
Steve Adams
2:24
I'd bet LeMahieu's AAV is more like 22-24MM, for what it's worth. $20MM was just illustrative.

And if you think that AAV is high, Lindor's will be larger.
Seattle Bullpen
2:24
Trevor May to Seattle? Grew up in the area and is a big Mariners fan, plus Seattle desperately needs bullpen help.
Steve Adams
2:26
I can see the fit, but I wonder if they'll beat the market for him -- which they'd have to do, since they won't be as close to contending as some of his other suitors.

I have May as the #3 reliever this winter behind Hendriks and Rosenthal, and it's debatable that he could be #2. (We'll see what happens with Britton, of course.)

I think he's going to get paid pretty darn well as one of the "buzz" relievers of the class, and a team like the Dodgers, Phillies, etc. could offer a bigger deal and a more clear declaration that they're going for it in 2021.
Bryan
2:27
Why did the Cardinals never think Randy Arozarena was a big time prospect? He hit over .300 at every level with power and speed.
Steve Adams
2:29
Arozarena never hit over .300 except in 2019, not that that matters when teams are evaluating players anyhow. It wasn't just the Cardinals, either. Arozarena was a relatively high-profile signing out of Cuba, but he never made a Top 100 list at MLB.com, Baseball America, etc. -- and those lists are informed by conversations with scouting personnel as well as in-person looks from the authors.
2:30
The Rays deserve credit for both identifying him as a breakout candidate and for putting the finishing touches on his development.
Similarly, it's fair to pan the Cardinals, who have now traded away Arozarena and Pham for pennies on the dollar while giving up Marco Gonzales to get Tyler O'Neill, whom they've yet to develop into a reliable option.
Yankees
2:31
Sanchez to CHW for pitching?
Steve Adams
2:31
What pitching are the White Sox giving up for Sanchez? Especially when they already have Grandal? I don't think Sanchez is teeming with value in the first place, but the ChiSox are a particularly poor fit.
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