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Chat with MLBTR's Steve Adams 9/8/21
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Steve Adams
2:01
Let us commence another joyous chat.
2:02
Running to fill up my water quick and we'll get going in one min.
don17048
2:03
Slim or no chance of Phillies in Po?
Steve Adams
2:04
I assume "po" = "playoffs"?

They're 2.5 back in the East and 2 back in the Wild Card with nearly four weeks to play. It'd be ridiculous to say they have no chance. They have better than a slim chance, too, though they're not a favorite of course.
Chad Bradford
2:04
Odds that the A's front office just blows it up this offseason given all the pending arb raises and free agents?
Steve Adams
2:05
The A's never seem to tear it all down. I think they'll move some popular players and piss off some fans, but Oakland fans have to be used to that by now. This is only speculative, but it's hard for me to see them keeping all four of Olson, Chapman, Manaea and Bassitt when they could cost a combined $40-45MM.
Crash
2:05
Do the jays have any realistic chance of re-signing Ray and Semien?
Steve Adams
2:07
If we're saying whether or not it is strictly possible, sure they have the long-term payroll space to sign both. I doubt they do, though. They still want to sign Bichette and Vlad long-term, and they need to retain some year-to-year flexibility. Semien is probably the safer to extend of the two, but it's probably going to cost well north of $100MM.
TNBravesFan82
2:07
Looking at Braves offseason with Acuna injury in mind, which would you re-sign of Duvall, Joc, Soler, Rosario? My thought is to keep Duvall and Pederson, let Pache/Waters fight for third OF spot while Acuna rehabs his knee.
Steve Adams
2:09
I'd let them all walk. Most have hit well with the Braves, yeah, but that quartet's general lack of consistency is why they were so readily available and affordable.

Duvall makes the most sense to keep, if you're going to keep one of them though. He knows the club well, likes it there, has a longer-term connection with the fans and the clubhouse and is the best defender of the bunch. He's a limited player in terms of offensive skill set, but he's a perfectly solid bench option/reserve outfielder.
Lunar verLander
2:10
Which recently-traded player do you think will come back to haunt the Astros more: Abraham Toro or Myles Straw?
Steve Adams
2:11
I loved the Toro trade from the Mariners' vantage point the moment it was announced. I've been a Toro believer for awhile, and getting five years of him for a couple months of Graveman was just a no-brainer.

I've come around on the fact that Straw is a better player than I gave him credit for heading into the season, but I think Toro has more of a chance to settle in as an above-average regular. Straw's complete dearth of power limits him.
Tim
2:12
Does Degrom pitch again this season?
Steve Adams
2:12
If he does, it sounds like it'll just be a few innings late in the year to see how his elbow responds.
Cm1000
2:12
What will waino sign for next yr and were.
Steve Adams
2:13
I can't see him anywhere but St. Louis. A year and $10-12MM? He probably deserves more, but that's a raise on his current salary and he's into his 40s now.
Joshua
2:13
In an exchange of bad contracts, who says No......Yankees send Aaron Hicks to the Nats for Patrick Corbin? Thanks.
Steve Adams
2:15
Corbin is still owed more money than the entire guarantee on Hicks' contract, which will already be in year three next season. Yankees aren't taking on that money for this version of Corbin, no matter how much they liked him as a free agent.
Guest
2:15
Scherzer’s next contract - 3 years $80MM?  More or less?
Steve Adams
2:16
Scherzer is one of the best pitchers on the planet, and the best pitchers on the planet are valued at more than $26.66MM on the open market. Verlander took a $33MM annual value on an extension at the same age as Scherzer, and that was without the open market.

Scherzer is $105-110MM over three years for me.
Justin
2:17
Cruz back to Minnesota in the off-season?
Steve Adams
2:18
He'll take his time waiting to see about the NL DH again. If there's no DH in the NL, I could see it, but he'll have more competition this time. Mariners and Rangers could well be in the mix. Red Sox, too, if/when JDM declines his player option
fascinating
2:19
regardless of outcome, are Dodgers on the hook for the remainder of Bauer's salary? Pretty rough to have to pay a guy $40mil or whatever next year when you don't even want him.
Steve Adams
2:19
He won't be paid during a theoretical suspension, so it wouldn't be the full amount.
Maine
2:19
Do you think the Red Sox will trade JD Martinez in the off season?
Steve Adams
2:20
Martinez has a $19.75MM player option that he'll likely decline and go back into free agency.
Sandy Alderson
2:20
Most likely traded by me this offseason (in order): Dom Smith, Jeff McNeil, JD Davis?
Steve Adams
2:21
I wouldn't assume Alderson is in charge of baseball operations this offseason -- they're going to reshape that front office and make some new hires -- but Davis is the likeliest of that trio to be moved, for me.
Javy Baez
2:21
What kind of contract am I looking at ? 5/80? 6/100? Who are my top 3 pursuers ?
Steve Adams
2:23
I just don't think that kind of money is there for Baez with the way his 2020-21 has gone. He's hot as of late, sure, but you're talking someone with a 34% strikeout rate and .278 OBP over his past 700 MLB plate appearances.
2:24
2018 is looking more and more like an outlier, and I wonder if he won't ultimately sign for one year somewhere and try to rebuild value. Maybe a team likes the defensive skill set, bat speed, power, etc. -- but $100MM seemed like a lock once and no longer does whatsoever.
Zach
2:24
Should the Rangers sign Cruz-DH, Chris Taylor-Super Utility and Story-SS/3B? They have a ton of money to spend literally. Good solid core of SP now making their way to the MLB and a handful of position players prospects about ready. This is a deep free agent class as well. Seems like the best time.
Steve Adams
2:25
Sure, that's a nice trio of players to add and they'd be better for it. And yes, they have tons of cash to spend this winter. But they also need to convince those guys to sign with a team that was one of the worst in baseball this year when they'll have interest on sizable offers from contending clubs. It's not as simple as just snapping their fingers and saying "We want these guys so we're going to get them."
2:26
Woof, Phillies announce knee surgery for Zach Eflin. He'll be out six to eight months.
Going to get a quick headline up on the site about that announcement. One minute.
Twins fan
2:29
Josh Donaldson for Patrick Corbin?
Steve Adams
2:30
Josh Donaldson is cheaper and better than Patrick Corbin. I know the Twins need starting pitching, but I'm not sure how that'd be viewed as beneficial to Minnesota.
Guest
2:31
I like the idea of an age based free agent eligibility rather than service time.  This makes the game much younger and guarantees the best players make the team.  Would the MLBPA ever go for this?
Steve Adams
2:32
Not if it's set at 29.5 years like MLB proposed. That actively hurts the game's best young players' earning potential and doesn't really move the needle for guys who are already reaching the market in the 30-31 range, which is pretty typical.
2:33
Jeez. Tigers announce Jake Rogers Tommy John surgery now, too.
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