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Chat With MLBTR's Steve Adams: 2/27/18
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Steve Adams
3:10
I have no witty intro. Let's do this thing.
Dan C
3:11
Will Tim Lincecum settle for a bullpen role or is he deadset on being a starter?
Steve Adams
3:11
I'd imagine he'll want another crack as a starter now that the velocity is (supposedly) back. If he can't hack it there, then maybe 'pen.
Joe
3:11
How good are the Twins? Could they be in play for an ace at the deadline and if so, who?
Steve Adams
3:12
They're good enough to vie for a Wild Card spot again and, depending on if they add any more pitching, could be in the division mix. I'd still call the Indians an easy favorite, but they've closed the gap this offseason. Morrison signing was one of the biggest bargains of the offseason.
Tony
3:13
Which, if any, SP will the Brewers grab in the coming days/weeks?
Steve Adams
3:14
Whichever of Lynn/Cobb/Arrieta takes the lowest price? I'm not expecting them to pay anywhere close to those pitchers' reported expectations, but if they can get Cobb or Lynn in the 3/39 vicinity it's a worthwhile signing.
Robot Umps
3:14
Heard any rumblings of players maybe trying to get a salary floor (like hockey) in the next CBA?
Steve Adams
3:14
Next wave of CBA talks is 3+ years away. I'm sure there are plenty of reactionary things being bandied about right now, but there's no way of knowing what'll actually manifest in those talks.
Jose Bautista
3:14
Where do I eventually end up?
Steve Adams
3:14
My guess would be the Rays
Duff Man
3:15
Is there any good talent left in the Brewers system?
Steve Adams
3:16
Certainly. They've thinned it out, obviously, but they still have 4-5 guys that fall within various top 100 rankings and plenty of interesting guys in the next tier below that.
Bubba
3:16
Twins beat reporter is thinking the Twins will not go after anymore SP's.... Do you think this maybe a smoke screen trying to wait out lower prices?
Steve Adams
3:18
La Velle is as good a beat reporter as there is. The Twins, at this point, have probably made it known to each of those guys how much they're willing to spend. If one of them finally drops to that point, sure, maybe they'll make that add, but I don't think the ol' "media smokescreen" tactic is all that effective/prevalent, nor do I think it'd really have an impact on those free agents' decisions.
Nick S
3:18
Mous to the White Sox now that Burger is hurt?
Steve Adams
3:18
Burger was never going to play in the Majors this year anyway. He's less than a year removed from the draft and finished 2017 in A-ball, which is probably where he'd have opened the year again.
Lincecum
3:19
Couldn't you see Big Tim Timmy Jim being a good sign for the White Sox? See what's there and flip in July?
Steve Adams
3:19
Sure. But you could make that argument for literally any non-contender.
The Freak
3:19
Who would give me a chance to start?  Is that where I sign?
Steve Adams
3:20
Rangers are the easiest team to see among the few reported finalists. I'm not holding out huge expectations either way, but a comeback would be tons of fun even if he's just a solid fourth starter or something.
AA
3:20
Newcomb for Renfroe?
Steve Adams
3:20
Would much prefer to hang onto Newcomb
Luke Gregerson
3:21
Matheny's not REALLY going to make me the closer right?
Steve Adams
3:22
It doesn't really matter who's closing on Opening Day. Half the closers in the league will lose the ninth inning by season's end.

And honestly, if Gregerson getting clean frames in the ninth means Tyler Lyons can pitch in higher-leverage spots in the 7th and 8th, then that's what they should do.
Assuming the 2017 version of Lyons wasn't a mirage.
(I don't think it was)
A Rays Fan
3:22
I need a hug
Steve Adams
3:23
I don't think the Rays' moves have been especially perplexing, personally. Dickerson and Odorizzi are replaceable assets, and the team saved some decent money by moving them. It's not all that clear that replacing Odorizzi with internal options and giving Mallex Smith a full season of plus defense and baserunning would make them a demonstrably worse collective unit.
3:24
Trading Souza, sure, it stings. But they got a near-MLB-ready starter, a decent infield prospect and a pair of reportedly semi-significant PTBNLs in the deal, and they instantly turned around and signed a guy who isn't as good as Souza but can make up 75-80% of his production at a bargain price.
Ace
3:25
Are the Reds contenders sooner than we realize?
Steve Adams
3:25
They're not this year.
Atkins
3:25
Offer to Donaldson: 5 years, $140 M ($30 M per season for first 3, $25 M per season for last 2).  What if I threw in a player option after year 3?  That's fair, right?
Steve Adams
3:26
Might be fair, but I would imagine Donaldson wants more than 140MM, age notwithstanding. (Cue the angst about overpaid aging players)
sad mariners fan
3:26
jerry d has been too quiet, is he smoking the sticky icky to think his rotation is gonna hold up this season?
Steve Adams
3:26
I think they need more rotation help, though he showed last year that he can find creative ways to add that midseason. And there's still a few weeks before the season opens.
Jake Arrieta
3:27
How likely am I to join the Phillies now that spring training has began?
Steve Adams
3:28
Nothing's really changed in their view; every report out of Philadelphia says if he'll take  a three-year deal, maybe four, at a big annual rate, they'd be interested. I know FanRag recently played up the connection again, but I didn't see anything in that report that suggested a step forward in the team's thinking. John Middleton has said it's 100% Matt Klentak's decision, so Boras isn't pitching to the owner in this instance. They're not going to jump and match the Darvish deal for him suddenly.
Austin
3:28
Odds Puk starts the year in Oakland?
Steve Adams
3:29
He's thrown all of 60 innings above A-ball, and the A's, more than most teams, have reason to keep him down to suppress service time and Super Two status. He's probably not ready even if you don't account for those factors, but putting it all together I'd say his chances are ever so slightly north of nonexistent.
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