You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Chat With MLBTR's Steve Adams: 4/8/19
powered byJotCast
Steve Adams
3:01
Greetings all -- I'm chatting in Tim's spot today since he's watching a live game of Major League Baseball that is taking place in Chicago, Illinois.
3:02
Having some kind of technical hangup or something -- not seeing the questions coming in. Give me one second to sort this out. Going to refresh or may log in/logout
Heyyyy there we go. Hooray technology.
BrewCrew
3:02
Does the Crew add any bullpen or rotation help before the deadline?
Steve Adams
3:04
I generally think they're OK in both areas, but virtually every contender has space to upgrade its bullpen and seeks the opportunity to do so come July. Corbin Burnes has whiffed almost 40% of the hitters he's faced so far -- he's going to be fun to watch
Hey!
3:04
Bellinger, what are is final numbers? No way he keeps this up but can he hit 40 Hrs and hit close to 300?
Steve Adams
3:05
Sure. He hit 39 as a rookie. I'd expect him to be a bit shy of .300 -- more in the .270 to .280 range -- but it's certainly possible.
Bravos
3:06
Can the Braves convert any Pitching prospect in a Closer?
Steve Adams
3:09
Vizcaino should be fine in that role again; with the Braves I worry more about the rest of their 'pen. I love Minter, but there's so little definition beyond him. They have a zillion arms in the upper minors, and some of those guys will end up in the 'pen ... but it's still really odd that they didn't address their pitching staff at all this winter despite having obvious playoff aspirations.
Joe
3:09
How many of the Tigers do you see turning into credible trade candidates before the deadline?
Steve Adams
3:10
Greene, Castellanos, Ross ... maybe one of Harrison/Mercer, though teams weren't really falling over themselves to get those guys this winter.

Boyd's a possibility, but they'd put a high ask on him with 3 years of control beyond 2019.
Joe W
3:11
Do you think the Mets are legitimately interested in Keuchel or Kimbrel? Or is that just noise?
Steve Adams
3:13
I'm sure they're interested at a low price; Rosenthal said over the weekend he's looking for either a year at north of $17.9MM or a multi-year deal at a lower (but I'm sure still a strong) rate -- that seems beyond what the Mets would have interest in spending. But the longer he's out there the more he might be willing to give in.

I don't blame a team for not wanting Keuchel at the insane $125-150MM he reportedly entered the winter seeking, but it's pretty unbelievable to me that some team hasn't been trying to lure him in for $50-60MM over three years.
Red Sox Fan
3:13
Im not worried..... but should I be at least a bit worried?
Steve Adams
3:14
I'd have been worried about the bullpen before Opening Day, and Sale's early velocity readings should definitely be concerning.
Though to be fair, Cole Hamels was throwing 88 mph or something in April last season and then jumped that several mph over the course of the season
Tyler Austin
3:15
Should I move my family to San Francisco?
Steve Adams
3:15
Seems like he'll have more staying power than Connor Joe or Michael Reed but is far from a lock to stick on that roster. I wouldn't treat it like a permanent move, no
M. Trout
3:16
I'm being underpaid, aren't I?
Steve Adams
3:17
Yeah, the Trout deal was a hilarious bargain for the Angels. Again.
PICK ME PICK ME
3:17
I know its only April 8, but is it fair to say that Charlie Montoyo's seat is getting warm? Or at least the Jays hitting coach? This team is a complete disaster, even more than i thought they would.  The K rate is almost unprecedented and no adjustments are being made at the plate.  At some point you have to make a move if this alarming trend continues.  Thoughts?
Steve Adams
3:18
It is not fair to say that, no. There is zero chance of that.
Stewart
3:18
Is Christian Stewart a legit MLB hitter?
Steve Adams
3:20
Christin*

And yeah, I think his power is certainly legitimate. He'll have to hit a fair amount because he's limited to the OF corners and he's not especially good there, but I think he can be an above-average hitting left fielder for them
Nats just announced they've activated Michael A. Taylor from the injured list
crybaby
3:21
With teams continue making extensions deeper into the season, should we expect a more boring 2019-20 offseason?
Steve Adams
3:21
Yeah next year's crop of free agents looks more boring each week, and we saw how boring this offseason was even with two 26-year-old superstars
3:22
Wuh oh Cubs
Jon Lester was just checked by a trainer on the mound, stayed in for one more batter (allowed a single) and then left
Kevin
3:23
Should the Dodgers sign Kimbrel and split closing duties? That bullpen is not looking great.
Steve Adams
3:26
My answer to whether virtually any contender or psuedo-contender SHOULD sign Kimbrel is yes, since he'd make them better.

But the bigger issue with Kimbrel is his own asking price, and it doesn't sound like he's dropped it substantially anytime recently. We guessed 4/70 for him at the onset of free agency, and even that was more than I'd have personally felt he "should" get from a value standpoint.

So... "should" the Dodgers sign him if he's willing to take like 3/45 or something? Absolutely. But there's no real evidence that he's walked his asking price back to a point that's probably more reasonable.
Gritty
3:26
Will Chris Davis ever get a hit??
Steve Adams
3:28
Man, I hope so. Hopefully a nice little hitting streak here even. It's painful to watch someone struggle so much, and you can hear in interviews with his teammates that it's killing them, too. It seems like everyone there genuinely likes him and wants him to break out.

He'll never be the hitter he was again, but I hope he can even just be an average-ish hitter for a year or two. Cynical fans will say you can never feel bad for someone making that much money; I disagree. I feel awful for the guy.
Who Wants Teixeira Dessert?
3:29
Can Michael A. pitch?
Steve Adams
3:29
I only published this because I laughed at the user name. Ha.
Jerome
3:29
Is CarGo going to fix the Indians offensive woes?
Steve Adams
3:30
He hasn't been a particularly good hitter over the past couple of seasons and only has two above-average years in the past five ... I wouldn't hold my breath on that.
Farhan Zaidi
3:31
What am I trying to do by picking up castoffs and then cutting them a week later. Am I trying just to look smart?
Steve Adams
3:32
(Giants president of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi)

He's doing the same thing the Dodgers have done for years; acquiring viable depth options on waivers and then trying to pass them back through waivers or flip them for incremental upgrades at the lower levels of their farm system ... it's not glamorous, but it's also part of the reason the Dodgers have great depth in their system at present.
Dustin
3:33
Aside from Kimbrel, do the Nats have other options to turn to for their bullpen woes?  Are there any possible trade partners this early in the season?
Load More Messages
Connecting…