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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams: 6/28/22
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Steve Adams
12:59
Greetings all! Happy Tuesday. I'll take a minute to let questions start flowing in and we'll get underway shortly.
Guards Fan 3.0
1:01
Is cleveland a team that should be looking for controllable starting pitching at the deadline??
Steve Adams
1:03
If I were them, I'd be considering selling some controllable pitching -- not because they should be looking to tear the roster down but because of the depth they have and because it could fetch them needed MLB help elsewhere. They've got Bieber, Civale, McKenzie, Plesac and Quantrill all in the big leagues now, a decent fifth/sixth option in Pilkington. Daniel Espino might be the top pitching prospect in baseball and isn't far off. Gavin Williams, Peyton Battenfield, Tobias Myers... they're just really deep.

I think they'll be buyers, if only to create some 40-man flexibility after protecting 11 prospects from the Rule 5-that-never-was, but they could also pair some of those guys with a Plesac or Quantrill, whom other clubs might love to get their hands on and whom Cleveland could replace with relative ease.
Dylan
1:03
Are the royals close to trading anyone else?
Steve Adams
1:05
They're probably one of the few clubs in MLB right now that's willing to deal right now. They've done this in the past, too (e.g. trading Kelvin Herrera weeks before the deadline).

I don't know that they're especially close on another deal, but Benintendi is all but gone at some point in the next four weeks.
Adrian
1:06
Could the Jays take on the full Blackmon deal to get a free Daniel Bard? Assuming the Rockies know they are bad and feel bad
Steve Adams
1:07
No way you're taking on the remainder of Blackmon's contract just to get a couple months of Bard, who's still walking way too many guys and probably isn't going to sustain that sub-2.00 ERA anyhow.
Dansby
1:07
Is he the real darkhorse of the available shortstops this winter?
Steve Adams
1:08
I don't think he's a darkhorse at all. We talked about including him in the No. 9 or No. 10 spot on our recent Free Agent Power Rankings, and all three of myself, Anthony Franco and Tim Dierkes agreed that with a big finish, $100MM+ isn't out of the question for him. He's mashed since we had that talk, and he'll almost certainly be on the next installment of the Power Rankings (likely higher than the 9-10 spots we were mulling before)
pbr300
1:08
Do the Tigers end up moving anyone?
Steve Adams
1:10
Michael Fulmer might be the biggest slam-dunk candidate to be moved I can think of. Also have to at least consider the other pending free agents (Grossman, Pineda, Peralta, Barnhart). Chafin isn't technically a pending free agent, but he has a player option at season's end and has been awesome, so he's not taking that player option barring an injury or cataclysmic collapse. I'd look to move him, too.
Voomo
1:11
Nathaniel Lowe is hitting.  Has his launch angle changed? Part of what seemed to be holding him back was too many ground balls.
Steve Adams
1:12
He's cut his ground-ball rate from nearly 55% last year to 46.5% this year. Launch angle up from 5.0 to 8.8. I'd still like to see Lowe hit more fly-balls, but he is, generally speaking, an underrated hitter
padresfan
1:13
laurenano for RH3 ? who says no
Steve Adams
1:13
I can't imagine the Padres giving up Hassell for Laureano
And I like Ramon Laureano. But still.
Ben
1:13
Josh Bell to the Red Sox?
Steve Adams
1:14
Josh Bell to basically any team in need of a lineup upgrade makes sense. Red Sox are ranked among there, sure,  but they're among the weaker fits -- to me, anyway -- since they'd have to play Bell in the field, which isn't especially pretty.
Szymchak
1:15
Do you feel that Joe Musgrave is a legit target for the Cubs, this offseason?
Steve Adams
1:16
I feel the Cubs will be involved in more of the top-end free agents this winter than they were last (I never bought them as a Correa landing spot whatsoever) -- so sure, I can see them poking around there. Musgrove is going to be the top pitcher on the market, at least in terms of earning power, though. Several years ago, I wouldn't have blinked at the idea of the Cubs spending $150MM+ on a free agent, but it's been a long time since they've played in those waters.
Mike
1:17
When does Dipoto get shown the door?  It's a never ending rebuild
Steve Adams
1:19
The Mariners started their rebuild after the Orioles and Tigers, and they moved back to win-now mode (with a deep farm system and clean payroll) before either of those clubs. Their rebuild has definitively not been "neverending."

This year is frustrating of them, of course, but the body of work to turn over the roster, clean the payroll, build the farm and position them for long-term success is impressive. Plus he and Servais signed extensions a year ago. I don't think he's in major jeopardy.
MostlyToasty
1:20
What will/should the Cards do with DeJong? Gorman seems to be holding his own decently enough but DeJong has also shown life in AAA. I think due to service time he's "out" of options if he gets called back up. Is there any trade value there?
Steve Adams
1:22
He's not out of options, or else he wouldn't have been able to be sent down. That said, he was a few weeks shy of reaching five years of service time when he was sent down, and that's effectively the same thing... players with 5+ years have to consent to being optioned.

DeJong has hit some homers in Memphis, but he still has a .274 OBP there -- and his bat has actually cooled off after a better start.
1:24
I liked DeJong as a buy-low candidate this winter, but it's hard to continue to hold that belief in light of this year's struggles. His offensive game has just backed up so much, and he's still owed around $15MM through the end of 2023.

The best bet at this point is to try to flip him for another bad contract, but I don't think his performance in AAA is going to convince anyone to take on a notable portion of his contract.
LP
1:24
What moves do you see the Twins potentially making? Any good closers/late inning relievers that may be a good fit for them?
Steve Adams
1:27
They should add at least one starter and probably multiple relievers. It'll be driven by asking price rather than "We specifically need this exact pitcher." There will be plenty of decent late-inning arms available. David Robertson, Mychal Givens, Jorge Lopez, Joe Mantiply, Michael Fulmer, Matt Moore, Tanner Rainey off the top of my head.
Steve “Not” Adam son
1:27
just tell me how the Yankees can get rid of Gallo? I’d rather have one of our pitchers hit.
Steve Adams
1:27
They could DFA him? At this point, I don't see anyone really wanting to take on a meaningful portion of the contract.
1:29
He's a free agent in three months. Maybe there's an overpriced reliever out there they could swap... I'm trying to think of one off the top of my head and not getting much. It's just not working for Gallo, though.
Jeff from Accounting
1:29
Will the O's be buyers at the 2023 deadline?
Steve Adams
1:30
I don't think the O's will be aggressive in anything until after the 2023 season. There's so much work to do on the pitching staff still -- especially with Grayson Rodriguez sidelined for much of the 2022 season.
Billy Beane
1:30
What is a realistic return I can expect for Montas?
Steve Adams
1:31
Something within the vicinity of the Twins' Berrios return a year ago, though I think Berrios was more appealing given the lengthier track record and durability.
You're kidding me
1:32
What, nobody has claimed Jonathon Villar yet?
Steve Adams
1:33
No one's going to claim Villar with more than $3MM remaining on his contract. He'll either be traded (with cash) or released.

I'm sure the Cubs are looking around for trade partners. He'll have to be placed on waivers tomorrow if they can't find a deal, as that'll be five days out from his DFA (and the waiver process itself takes 48 hours).
Orbit
1:35
Who gets more in return- Montas or Castilo?
Steve Adams
1:36
Both controlled through the end of the 2023 season. Both making comparable salaries (Castillo a bit more) on likely sellers. Let's start with this...
Who nets a bigger return in a trade?
Luis Castillo (53.6% | 194 votes)
 
Frankie Montas (46.4% | 168 votes)
 
Total Votes: 362
1:38
In a vacuum, I would expect Castillo to command a larger return ... but I also think the Reds are likelier than the A's to attach some bad money to Castillo in order to shed future payroll, which would tip the scales in favor of Montas.

If we're saying both players are going as the lone player from their team, to an interested buyer, with no cash being kicked in .... I think Castillo is the better option.

I don't think you'd get a consensus agreement on who's more valuable if you asked all 30 clubs, though.
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