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Chat With MLBTR's Steve Adams: 3/13/18
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Steve Adams
3:01
I have an iced coffee, a random Phillies/Rays Spring Training game on TV and a plethora of lukewarm takes. Let's have ourselves a chat.
Jake Arrieta
3:02
How surprised are you that I ended up with the Phillies, and what do you think of my contract?
Steve Adams
3:03
Not all that surprised -- market for him hasn't been especially aggressive, and they've been tied to him at a three-year term for quite some time. Phillies seemed poised to add a big arm even back in November. We predicted they'd sign Tanaka before he surprised everyone by deciding not to opt out. (Which, in retrospect, may have been an outstanding move for him)
Baseball Fan
3:03
Where do you think Alex Cobb will end up?
Steve Adams
3:03
Brewers, Orioles or Nats -- timing depends on when he finally decides to take a 1- or 2-year deal probably.
Kevin
3:04
Do u think the braves will make a trade before the season starts
Steve Adams
3:04
Not a major one, but they're a team that can easily clear some 40-man room to make a minor swap for a reliever that gets DFAed or an out of options guy.
Rbase
3:05
Where is Greg Holland going to end up? There are no 'serious' rumors whatsoever.
Steve Adams
3:06
There haven't been, no. But the Boras guys have kind of been steadily coming off the board every two three days or so. Figure he'll land somewhere this week.

Angels, Cards, Nats all make some sense. Phillies, too, for that matter, although Klentak downplayed another addition pretty heavily today in the wake of the Arrieta deal
Ohtani
3:07
Will i hit over or under 7 home runs this year?
Steve Adams
3:07
I'll take the over, but I don't think he's going to be a great DH or anything. My expectation is he'll eventually settle in on pitching, though that may be a couple years down the line.
Jose Bautista
3:08
Any truth to rumors I may retire?
Steve Adams
3:08
He came out and said, on record, that he isn't planning to retire. So, no, I wouldn't put much faith in the idea that he's planning on hanging them up.
Jeffrey Adams
3:09
Any teams that stand out to you as having missed out on some good opportunities in FA?
Steve Adams
3:12
The Mets' decision to give Adrian Gonzalez an inexplicable Major League deal was bizarre at the time and looks downright indefensible now that guys like LoMo, Duda, etc. are signing for under $7MM. Going to 3/39 on Bruce when the corner OF market was pretty clearly stagnating looks bad, too.

Orioles letting Jon Jay go to the Royals when he's exactly what they've been seeking all offseason seems really strange, too. And Giants going 2/6 on AJax when Jay signed for half that six weeks later hurts.

Things like Jay/AJax are always easy to point out with the benefit of hindsight, of course. But I really don't see how the O's didn't bring in Jay when they still don't have a definite alternative on the 40-man.
Neil walker
3:12
Diminutive mlbtr commenters say signing me is a huge mistake for blocking the unproven kids. Can you explain why this is such a backwards thought?
Steve Adams
3:13
Walker signing is one of my favorites of the winter. Perennially above-average regular paid like a backup and can shift into a utility role when either Andujar or Torres -- both of whom have 50ish games in AAA or fewer -- force their way onto the MLB roster.

Great pickup for the Yankees. (Liked the Drury trade as well)
Barbados_slim
3:14
Will matt kemp actually win a starting job in LA?
Steve Adams
3:14
Nope
Ben F
3:14
Twins are having a good off-season. I think aybar has been a good minor league deal. Think he could beat out Adriana?
Steve Adams
3:15
I don't think hitting a handful of singles in limited time is going to convince the Twins to make the defensive downgrade from Adrianza to Aybar
Al Avila
3:15
Should I pick up Jake Cave?
Steve Adams
3:16
Makes sense to me. Tigers' OF depth is pretty terrible, generally speaking, and Cave is at least somewhat interesting and more or less on the cusp of the Majors. That he was DFA'ed at all is a testament to the strength of the Yankees' system.

May not make it to waivers though; could see some team trade a low-level guy or at least some cash for him.
A curious Orioles fan
3:16
Is Manny gone before July 31st?
Steve Adams
3:18
I don't think the O's are going to contend, and I think they should trade him this summer when they fall out of contention. But I cannot predict what Peter Angelos will and won't green-light. He loves Machado and may not sign off on a deal. He reportedly was against trading Britton last July.
Klenny
3:18
Predict my rotation
Steve Adams
3:20
Arrieta-Nola-Eickhoff-Velasquez and...... Drew Hutchison. But that last one is more of a fun guess than anything and it could easily be someone like Pivetta
Vlad Jr.
3:20
What are the chances I see MLB at bats this year and if so when?
Steve Adams
3:21
Think you're more of a 2019 timeline. Sorry Impaler Jr.  (Just realized that "Baby Impaler" is not a good nickname for him. Yikes.)
Anthony
3:22
Which somewhat notable player is, in your estimation, most likely to get moved between now and Opening Day?
Steve Adams
3:23
Blake Swihart, jesus Aguilar -- some pretty decent out of options guys that don't have a clear path to playing time on their respective rosters.
I’m hungry
3:23
Should I go with Taco Bell today or go with a sammich instead......None of my employees will help me decide
Steve Adams
3:24
Go get yourself a Baja Blast.
Melky
3:24
Am I any sort of fit for Baltimore?
Steve Adams
3:25
Fits the offensive profile they've been seeking but doesn't bring anything to the table defensively over the guys they already have in there.

Melky, at this point, is more or less a league-average bat that is best suited for DH duties. That's not the most exciting asset for big league teams.
Cory
3:26
After the Lance Lynn signing, how close are the Twins to the Indians and do you see them having a chance to win the division?
Steve Adams
3:27
There's still a decent gap there, but it'll depend on how long Cleveland is without Danny Salazar, too. The drop-off from a healthy Salazar to a Clevinger/Merritt/Tomlin is pretty substantial.

They have a chance, but they'll need some things to go their way. I think they're a Wild Card contender at worst, though.
Todd, Jeff
3:28
How soon do the cardinals realize Mikolas needs replaced? What do they do about him?
Steve Adams
3:29
Judging any player off of a few spring training starts is generally a great way to make a lot of poor assessments. STL gave him $15MM. He's going to get plenty of starts this season, and they'll probably go a whole lot better than his spring outings have.
AL Central
3:29
Moustakas said he didn't receive any offers during the off-season.  How does this change the qualifying offers and forfeiting draft picks in the future ?
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