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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams 8/24/21
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Steve Adams
2:05
Oh hello there world. Shall we chat?
Cleveland 4 Life
2:06
Are the guardians contenders next year with a couple of moves for really nice bats?? Their pitching has really shown a lot with Bieber, Civale, Quantrill, Plesac, McKenzie, and Morgan. I think they have to stuff to compete for the playoffs next season.
Steve Adams
2:09
They could be, yeah, but we don't know how much they'll spend in the offseason. Cutting back payroll was obviously a pretty big goal for them in '21. They spent at a Rays/Pirates/Orioles level this season, and with Ramirez getting a raise via his club option and some decently priced arb raises forthcoming (Bieber, Franmil, Amed Rosario, Nick Wittgren) on the horizon, they'll need to be willing to upgrade the payroll by a good bit.

I'm not entirely sold on Quantrill, but I do think that with Bieber, Civale, McKenzie and Plesac they have a strong top four at least.
Polanco -White Sox
2:10
Are we a match? The Sox need a RF.
Steve Adams
2:10
The White Sox (like every other team) passed on claiming Gregory Polanco. He's staying in Pittsburgh. He can't be traded.
2:11
Besides, Polanco is hitting .197/.275/.338 -- he wouldn't be an upgrade there anyhow.
Drew
2:11
What do the Mets do with Robinson Cano next season?  Can they trade that salary, release him and eat all that money or actually play him?
Steve Adams
2:12
I'd imagine they'll try to trade him this offseason and, failing that, see if he can still produce at the plate next year before simply cutting him.
Oake Jdorizzi
2:12
Will the Twins ever go after high end starting pitching in the offseason or are we as Twins fans doomed to watch them bring up AAA pithcers and fill-in veterans?
Steve Adams
2:13
They offered Yu Darvish and Zack Wheeler both $100MM+. This group has "gone after" big-name starters, it just hasn't succeeded in signing one. I imagine they'll be in on most of the prominent names on the free-agent market this winter and could look to trade for a controllable arm of some note, too.
John
2:13
Orioles offseason include extending Means, Mullins, or Mancini? Trading any?
Steve Adams
2:15
A Means extension seems pretty dicey right now given how he's looked coming back from the injured list. Mullins is already controlled another four seasons after 2021 and isn't arb eligible until the 2022-23 offseason. They have him through his age-30 season as it is. I wouldn't be shocked if they tried to lock in his arb years and buy out a free-agent season or two, but Mancini is the higher priority as a free agent post-2022. I do think they'll make some kind of effort to keep him.
Snakes
2:16
Do you see Verlander finishing his career in Detroit? With a familiar manager in Hinch I think it seems like even more of a fit for a club that has potential to compete next season.
Steve Adams
2:17
I would expect Verlander wants to go to a team that has established itself as a contender, which Detroit hasn't done yet. The Tigers probably have an edge over some other "Hey! We're trying to turn the page on this rebuilding thing now!" clubs because of familiarity with the team, city and of course Hinch.
Al Avila
2:18
If Houston places a qualifying offer on him, is a possible reunion between Detroit & Verlander too pricey for my rebuilding Tigers?
Steve Adams
2:18
I think Houston *should* put the QO on him, and I wouldn't be shocked if Verlander just accepted.
JD
2:19
Is a potential 3 year 60m contract for Starling Marte too steep?
Steve Adams
2:20
No. That's what the Marlins should've offered if they were serious about extending him. I think he can top three years and $60MM though -- four years at a bit lighter AAV should be out there from someone. Marte is 32, but he's still awesome.
The A's
2:20
Marte for Luzardo???? What were we thinking!!!!
Steve Adams
2:21
I imagine their opinion of Luzardo has waned. Also, they probably knew they were going to need a center fielder quickly. I'd imagine Laureano and the team were notified of his forthcoming suspension and he appealed it, which can take some time.
2:22
As for the rest of their thought process, I went into detail on the likely reasons behind it at the time of the trade:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/07/marlins-trade-starling-marte-at...

I do plan to write more about their outlook this week though.
Scioscface
2:22
Disagree with Tim Dietkes take on transactions possibly still taking place after the CBA expires. It is going to be a slow off-season again and will be even slower until a new CBA is agreed to.
Steve Adams
2:23
Tim didn't say "a bunch of transactions are going to happen." He just said the last time this situation came about, they did happen, and there's nothing in place to stop that from happening right now unless MLB or the MLBPA imposes some kind of freeze.
A lot of people seem to think that the expiration of the CBA would inherently bring about a transaction freeze, but that's not the case.
TheGreatCornholio
2:23
Do the giants pick up Posey’s option or decline it and negotiate a new deal?
Steve Adams
2:24
They'll try to work out a new deal and then just pick up the option if they don't agree on an extension. It's a net $19MM decision for them, which looks pretty reasonable after the year he's had.
2:25
If no extension is in place by the time the option decision is due (three or five days after the World Series -- can't recall which off the top of my head), they'll just pick it up. Can still keep negotiating on a new two- or three-year deal even after picking it up.
Bass Bawl
2:25
Active rosters expand to 28 on Sept 1st, right? Are there any restrictions on roster composition (e.g. limits on the number of pitchers) at that point?
Steve Adams
2:26
Yes they expand. The pitcher limit will be capped at 14
Bryant, Seager or Castellanos?
2:27
Do you see the Giants making a play for Corey Seager even with Crawford’s extension and Longoria having a year left on his contract? Or does it make more sense for the Giants to try to extend Bryant or make a play on Castellanos assuming the NL will have the DH and he will opt out?
Steve Adams
2:28
Bryant is a cleaner long-term fit there, but they'll be in on all of the marquee free agents. They have plenty of money to spend and Zaidi/Harris/the rest of the front office are going to explore every creative scenario they can.
Rick Hahn
2:28
What’s my starting rotation in 2022? Kopech, Crochet?
Steve Adams
2:30
Depends whether they re-sign Rodon. Wouldn't be crazy to re-sign Rodon, try to trade Keuchel and then slide Kopech into the rotation. Lynn, Giolito and Cease will all be there, of course.
Rays are playing Nellie Cruz at 1B today. First appearance of his career there!
a1golforr@gmail.com
2:31
Is Rothschild really the problem in San Diego? Seems like he was the scapegoat!
Steve Adams
2:32
It's the second team that's let him go in two years, so he could very well be *part* of the problem. But many coaching/managerial firings are kind of scapegoat-y in nature. That's the nature of things sometimes.
MarinerMike
2:33
The Seattle Mariners... How long can chaos ball continue like this? Should we even look for any batters next year or stick with who we have and who is coming up?
Steve Adams
2:34
I think starting pitching is a greater need there, but they can certainly add an infielder to the mix -- especially if they move on from Seager.
The Reds
2:34
Do you think Nick Castellanos opts out of his contract or does he stay in Cincinnati?
Steve Adams
2:34
Opts out, signs somewhere else for more than $100MM.
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