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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 2/18/19
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Steve Adams
3:00
Greetings all! Tim Dierkes has a conflict today, so I'm chatting in his slot, and he'll chat tomorrow afternoon at 2pm CT in my usual time slot.
Kevin
3:02
Goldy signs with Cardinals by end of July for 5 years 150 million!  Odds?
Steve Adams
3:02
He'd take 5/150, I would think. I don't think the Cards would offer it.
Enrique Martinez
3:02
Will the dbacks contend this year? And give me your NL and AL wild card teams at the end of the season.
Steve Adams
3:03
Nah I don't think they have a realistic shot at the postseason. I'd like to see where Harper, Machado, Keuchel and Kimbrel end up before making Wild Card and postseason picks,
Reds Fan
3:04
With the Dietrich signing.... do you think an OF could be traded? Maybe Scooter?
Steve Adams
3:05
I don't think the Dietrich signing has an impact on Gennett's future. He's not even guaranteed a roster spot.
Chris
3:05
Do you believe the Minnesota Twins are done adding any notable free agents?
Steve Adams
3:05
Yeah I don't think they're going to add anyone significant at this point
Mark
3:05
What is keeping Keuchel from signing?
Steve Adams
3:07
I'm sure they entered the offseason looking for $100MM+, which never seemed likely to happen. That was one thing, and then there's also the fact that some clubs are probably waiting to see where Harper and Machado fall. If the Phillies were to somehow miss on Harper and Machado both, for instance, I have to think they'd be much more inclined to pursue Keuchel.
There are those who call me Tim
3:08
I read that the Brewers will be trying Moose at 2nd in spring. Do you think it will be moose or shaw at 2nd primarily?
Steve Adams
3:09
Depends on how Moose looks at 2B during Spring Training. If he can even fake it there, that's probably their best defensive alignment. Shaw is a plus defender at third and below-average at 2B. Moose, at his best, has been slightly above-average at 3B.

Would be better to have the one plus defender as long as Moustakas isn't an utter disaster at second base.
DeGrom
3:09
If the Mets offered me a 5 yr, $125 million extension that begins in 2020, shouldn't I accept it?
Steve Adams
3:10
I answered something like this last week in my chat, but that's basically them offering something like 4/100 (probably more like $96-98MM) for his first four free-agent years.

He's already going to make $25MMish in 2020 after his final trip through arbitration. They'd need to offer more, I think.
Mike
3:11
Are Braves fans justified in criticizing management for being too cheap this off season?
Steve Adams
3:13
If I'm a Braves fans, I absolutely consider this offseason a let-down. There's still tons to be excited about moving forward, particularly with Acuna, but I think they've missed an opportunity to do more. Even something like adding Brantley or McCutchen rather than a lower-upside move like retaining Markakis would've been nice. And they've passed on some reasonable opportunities to add to the pitching staff -- specifically the bullpen -- so far.
Pat
3:13
Shouldn't the Astros be the team chasing Keuchel? The backend of that rotation is less than ideal.
Steve Adams
3:14
I'm a little surprised they haven't been more connected.
Thad Levine
3:14
Should I quit my job cause I don’t know how to develop talent or sign free agents
Steve Adams
3:15
Thad Levine isn't even the Twins' top baseball operations person; Derek Falvey is. And while I don't think they've had a good offseason, that's also a bit reactionary. Plus, the Nelson Cruz signing was quite nice, and a lot of the one-year adds they made late last Spring, even though they didn't pan out, were still perfectly worthwhile chances to take.
W O W
3:16
Buster Olney was very critical of the padres pursuit of machado in a recent ESPN article, I don’t really get why the padres wouldn’t go for a 26 year old star, who fits a long term positional need, with prospects right on the cusp of the bigs?
Steve Adams
3:17
Yeah, I didn't fully agree with his stance. You don't get many chances to add someone of Machado's caliber, particularly at this age. They probably still wouldn't contend in 2019, but 2020 isn't outlandish.

That said, part of Buster's point was "If you're going to sign Machado, you should sign some pitching, too," and I can't disagree with that. If they add Machado, might as well keep their foot on the gas and go after Keuchel.
Zach Greinke
3:18
My contract isn't that bad.  Won't somebody trade for me in spring or July?
Steve Adams
3:19
I think you're underselling the manner in which teams perceive that $34.4MM annual salary. I mean, teams are barely even pursuing middle-tier free agents right now; a 35-year-old making nearly $35MM annually over the next three seasons isn't going to be palatable in this baseball climate, even if Greinke has been quite good over the past two years.
What's that you say?
3:20
Shouldn't the whitesox be chasing Keuchel? The back-end,  front-end and middle of that rotation look less than ideal
Steve Adams
3:20
The White Sox' rotation -- or lack thereof -- is among the chief reasons I don't buy them as contenders even if they do land Machado. That rotation looks awful right now.
Domino
3:21
Any updates on where Marwin goes ?  I’m hearing Twins which would be huge for them.
Steve Adams
3:22
I haven't seen anything connecting Gonzalez to the Twins other than one RIchard Justice column at MLB.com where he just listed them as a good fit. I don't think they'll sign him, no.
Kevin
3:22
Is no one at all interested in Clay Bucholz and his 2.01 ERA / 3.47 WHIP from last year? Seems like a smart play for the Marlins, someone cheap who might wind up becoming a trade commodity in July.
Steve Adams
3:23
The flexor strain that ended his season is concerning, but yeah, I don't see why a rebuilding club wouldn't be willing to throw $2-4MM at him. Then again, you have a healthier, younger Drew Pomeranz signing for 1.5, so Buchholz may have to settle for a nonguaranteed deal.
Tom Ricketts
3:24
The Cubs don't have any money to spend. Perhaps you could pass the hat for me and my team?
Steve Adams
3:25
Yeah, I legitimately laughed at Ricketts' comment today. Asked why his team hasn't spent more money this winter the Cubs' owner said: "Pretty easy. We don’t have any more.''

Yeah.... not buying that one.
Shirtless Bartolo on a Darkhorse
3:26
What do you think G Cole gets as a FA? 7/245?
Steve Adams
3:27
A year or two ago, yeah, that'd have been my pick, but I don't know that I wanna pick seven years for any free agent following these past two offseasons.

Something like 6/210 would give Cole the record AAV (35MM) over a shorter term. Need to see what kind of year he has first, of course.
Dealing Dave
3:27
what would a Sale extension look like?
Steve Adams
3:30
Same thing I just mentioned about Cole applies here, too. Maybe the Sox make an exception for Sale and are OK going to seven years, but I do wonder if they'd try to push a higher (record) value and a shorter length. Something in that same range as what I listed for Cole would seemingly make sense, and Sale's recent comments about helping to set the bar for the next generation seem to indicate that he'd factor some type of record into the equation.
Kevin
3:31
Are the White Sox going to extend Abreu or do you think they'll cash him in for prospects before July?
Steve Adams
3:34
I'm not sure it's either, to be honest. Abreu was more good than great last season, and I don't think anyone's going to give up a huge prospect bounty for him (nor are the Sox looking to ship off short-term assets right now). Maybe they'll extend him if he's willing to do something relatively affordable, but I can't imagine the ChiSox are anxious to sign him too long when he'll already be 33 in 2020.

If he's willing to take like 2/24 beyond his current contract, maybe then, but it's not like first basemen and designated hitters have been extraordinarily hard to find in the past few years. The Mariners basically can't give Encarnacion away right now.
Bo Sox
3:34
Red Sox opening day closer?
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