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Chat With MLBTR's Steve Adams: 2/2619
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Steve Adams
2:51
Happy extension season! Starting the chat a bit early today.
Jose
2:53
With the Arenado extension, what more would the Red Sox have to tack on to make Mookie say "yeah, let's do that."
Steve Adams
2:55
Mookie is 18 months younger and a full extra year removed from free agency. I'd imagine his camp will want any extension to at least value the free-agent years on the deal at a higher rate than Arenado's $32.5MM. Because of his age, they might be close enough to $300MM that they just set that as the bar to clear.

Again, though, any extension for Mookie is going to basically come with a 75 percent dollar-for-dollar tax over its AAV in 2019, because they're only like $4.7MM south of the top luxury penalty
Goldy
2:56
Am I next?
Steve Adams
2:56
If the Cardinals are willing to top $30MM per season over at least four years, I can see that getting done.
Father Hustle
2:56
The Dodgers liked Arenado ... are they more agressive for Harper now that he's off the table
Steve Adams
2:57
It might be a nominal factor in their pursuit, but I think this winter has proven that the idea of Team A refusing to spend money because Player B is a free agent next winter doesn't really carry that much merit. Where are all the teams who wouldn't spend last winter because they were saving for a run at Bryce or Manny? Who did that truly apply to? MAYBE the Giants?
J.H.
2:58
Why is Harper being so difficult?
Steve Adams
2:59
Why does the blame fall on Bryce? He has at least two teams still scheduling meetings with him, trying to woo him, etc. I don't blame him for hearing their pitches and playing them against one another. Sure I'd like it to be over already, but I don't think anyone in his situation would just shrug and say "Whatever I choose [team]" when bidding was still ongoing.
Anthony Rendon
2:59
I just became much more expensive
Steve Adams
3:01
I think he's always been more expensive than most people realize. I did a spit-take a couple months ago when I saw a report (I believe from the Washington Post, but apologies WaPo if it was elsewhere) that the Nats didn't think extending Rendon would come with a huge luxury hit because his price on an extension wouldn't be THAT different than his arbitration price.

Boras was never taking under $200MM for Rendon in my mind.
ZEROsince88
3:01
Padres should sign Gio Gonzalez
Steve Adams
3:01
I think they should aim higher and sign Keuchel.
Strike Fourtnite
3:02
Chances Keuchel and Kimbrell sign before Harper?
Steve Adams
3:02
I don't think either will. Phillies would quite likely be in on both, hard, if they missed on Bryce, for instance.
Santa Claus
3:03
To answer the question about Bryce being so difficult, why would he want to go to Philly? - DUDE THEY BOOED ME THERE!
Steve Adams
3:03
I can think of more than 300 million reasons he'd want to go there. Just sayin'
Derek Falvey
3:03
I'm still trying to figure out why we signed Marwin Gonzalez when we could use pitching help more?
Steve Adams
3:03
Because Marwin Gonzalez makes the Twins a better team, and getting better is getting better.
3:04
If there's not a value they deem to be a good one on the market, pitching-wise, that's no reason to simply shrug and not add a good value to the lineup. And I think they got a really nice deal on Marwin
Luke Maile's Weird Eyebrow
3:04
Is it just me or did the Cards jump the gun on the Mikolas extension?
Steve Adams
3:06
I'm a Mikolas believer, and they probably felt it's now or never to sign him. I was surprised he got as much as Eovaldi without the benefit of an open-market setting, particularly when his deal begins at age 30 unlike Eovaldi. That said, if you'd told me Mikolas signed for, say, $56-60MM, I don't think I'd have been too shocked, so the extra 8-10MM doesn't seem crazy to me.

Side note -- good for that dude. Two years ago he was gearing up for his final season in Japan, and now he's banked more than $80MM in the states.
Mets pitching depth
3:07
Can you see them checking in on Keuchel?  They could use a legit 4th/5th guy.  Matz and Vargas dont inspire alot of confidence and there's not a lot of choices behind them if and when they do falter....
Steve Adams
3:07
I'd be stunned if the Mets made an addition of that magnitude right now.
CirclemeBert
3:08
Who does Marwin take the most AB's away from?
Steve Adams
3:10
Probably Ehire Adrianza because I don't really see how he makes the team at this point, but I'm sure you're referencing starters more than anything. I imagine the Twins will rotate him around pretty evenly throughout the infield and outfield corners. Cron and Schoop seem likelier to lose ABs than Polanco or Sano given that the latter two are long-term pieces in the org.
Travis
3:10
Mikolas sure cashed in on one good year. Overreaction by the Cards, or do you think this is repeatable performance?
Steve Adams
3:11
They've been watching him pitch at this level for four years now -- clearly they were bullish on his improvements in Japan, and they're just doubling down on that now. Nothing about him, statistically, makes me think he's a fluke. And he doesn't need to replicate his 2018 results to be worth $17MM.
Hat
3:11
7 years for Hicks? Seems a tad much.
Steve Adams
3:12
I'm with Tim Dierkes -- I think Hicks sold himself a bit short on that deal. The length there matters less to the Yankees than the annual value; he can give them $70MM of value in the first three seasons of that deal if he's healthy.
biscuit1395.jdk@gmail.com
3:13
With the inability to close games y don't the Cubs go for a top end closer
Steve Adams
3:13
Because their owner is, literally, claiming they "don't have any more" money to spend.
I laughed out loud when I saw that.

Fun note: in the week since Tom Ricketts said that, the Padres and Rockies have spent a combined half-billion dollars on two players.

Sure thing, Tom.
Kole Calhoun
3:14
Is this my last year with halos do not think they will pick up my 14 team option. Especially with so many players signing minor league deals. Could I be trade at deadline?
Steve Adams
3:15
Sure, but only if he's playing well. There was a short while that I considered Calhoun among the game's most underrated players, but he's gone backward over the past couple seasons.
pumpsie
3:16
If the Blue Jays aren't going to try, why even bring up Vladito this year? He's still younger than the average DRAFTEE this year, and would be one of the very youngest major-leaguers. Can't see how it'll be good for him to suffer all that negativity just to turn a 110-loss team into a 105-loss team.
Steve Adams
3:17
They had a hard enough time making up some BS reasons to keep him down until early April. There'd be grievances filed by the MLBPA and at a certain point fans would just loathe the team. Right now, they're just another team that is gaming the system as every team before them has done. Keeping Vlad in the minors all season would be a wildly different level of egregious service time manipulation and assuredly wouldn't fly.
Ben
3:17
I am wondering if gio Gonzalez or clay buchholtz would still be a possibility for the reds. They seem to be trade happy still need starting pitchings and have a top 10 farm system of prospects to trade away.
Steve Adams
3:18
Both of those guys are free agents, so I'm not sure what the trade element has to do with anything. I don't think the Reds are signing either after adding three arms. Doing so would push one of Castillo or DeSclafani to the side, and they don't want to do that.
Bumgarner
3:18
Why doesnt a contendor in need of a sp deal for him now instead of at the deadline. Either way it will cost top prospects and at least having him all year would mean recouping a draft pick after the season.
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