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MLBTR Chat: 05/06/2023
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Simon Hampton
10:00
Good morning, making a cup of coffee and then we'll get going. Feel free to submit your questions.
10:01
Also - if you've been listening I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the MLB Trade Rumors podcast we re-launched a few weeks ago. If not - subscribe on Spotify or Apple. Thanks!
MLB fan
10:06
Are the Orioles legit?
Simon Hampton
10:08
Legit in the sense that, yes, they're a competitive team. I struggle to see them going at a .688 win rate the rest of the way though - the lineup has a lot to like but the rotation looks far too thin to me.
Cardinals
10:10
Are we really this bad?
Simon Hampton
10:13
Have a hard time believing Arenado continues to hit this poorly, and while Montgomery has been excellent I see some bounceback from Mikolas and/or Matz and Flaherty. Wainwright back today as well.

Those are all positives, but is that enough to overturn a 10-23 start? I kind of view in a similar boat to the White Sox at this point, a far better team than their record suggests but maybe not a good enough team to overcome this deficit
Would love to be proved wrong though
10:14
On St Louis, Katie Woo reporting they're calling up catcher Tres Barrera
Pirates
10:16
With Velasquez injury, should we trade for a starting pitcher? What would it take to get someone like Gioliyo?
Simon Hampton
10:17
The Pirates won't be in the market for a rental starter. Velasquez was enjoying a solid start to the season, but they'll keep things internal I suspect - good opportunity to give Luis Ortiz a crack in the rotation, he's off to a fantastic start at Triple-A
a
10:18
Who wins the Cy Young Award?
Simon Hampton
10:20
Verrrry early for this but Cole is obviously off to a fantastic start. I'm picking Luis Castillo though.
Baseball fan
10:22
What will be the Rays record at the end of the season? Will they take the AL East?
Simon Hampton
10:25
I'm on board with 95+ at this stage. They look really good. 68-61 the rest of the way gets them to 95 - very much in play. To fall back to 85 wins (which is what I expected before the season) - they'd go 58-71. I can't see them being that bad. Never write off the Rays is my lesson here
Mickey
10:25
Who are some viable pickups for the Yanks at the trade deadline?
Simon Hampton
10:30
Is it that certain the Yankees will be buying? This might be a chance for a 2016-style retool. They're 10 games back of the Rays already and still have another month without Stanton, and Severino, and probably at least two months without Rodon.

There's not really any needle-moving trades they can make until things open up on the trade market in July. It's too early to say either way what they do and there's time and talent to turn things around, but they don't look good at the moment
Gwynnyrd Skynyrd
10:31
Who wins the West?  D-Backs would seem to be on the verge of being "real", the Dodgers look uninspired, the Pads are shuffling, the Giants can surprise... but the Rox are (unfortunately) pretty terrible.
Simon Hampton
10:32
Still think the Padres get it done
Guest
10:32
Are you just not in the mood to chat today?
Simon Hampton
10:32
Takes time to wade through uninspiring questions like this one
Rick Mahler’s stache
10:33
If Kyle Wright’s injury keeps him out for a lengthy time do the Braves look at a trade in July?
Simon Hampton
10:34
Think that might depend on the market. Wouldn't rule it out but with Fried, Morton and Strider pretty established and Elder performing well I think they've got enough talent to hold the fort down - but I think if there's a good deal to be made to really elevate that group I think they'd be open to it. An impact bat to take ABs off Rosario and Ozuna might be a bigger priority though
Rangers
10:36
The Rangers are off to a good start, considering they don't have Seager. Could be even better if the bullpen haven't blown so many leads. Surely, they're going to make some relief additions, right?
Simon Hampton
10:37
Rangers have surprised me this year with how good they've been, and a 1-4 record in one-run games speaks to your point. Relief pitching is the most obvious area for most teams to upgrade at the deadline so yes, I think that'll be a focus for them, maybe an outfielder as well
rolafaive
10:38
Are the Brewers preparing for a fire sale?
Simon Hampton
10:39
I know they've lost five in a row, but it's May 6 and they're 18-14 and in second place, with only the surprisingly good Pirates ahead of them by 1.5 games. The Brewers are still trying to compete
Astrogirl
10:40
With Garcia needing season ending surgery what trades do you see as being realistic for the Astro’s?  Side note—hate seeing all these pitching injuries this year!
Simon Hampton
10:41
The Astros have assembled a deep stable of arms, but certainly could see them being in the market for arms at the deadline - Giolito and Montgomery are two options that jump to mind right now as potentially being available
ERod
10:42
Whats been the difference with ERod that's so  different from last year.
Simon Hampton
10:43
A .205 BABIP and an 88% strand rate is definitely helping out, but the key difference is he's walking about half as many batters this year to last.
Allen
10:44
Big debate in the chats about whether or not the pitch clock is influencing pitcher injuries. What’s your hot take?
Simon Hampton
10:45
Alex Coffey wrote about it's affected Aaron Nola as one example. I can't conclusively say how it's affecting pitcher injuries, but it's gotta have something to with things right? These guys are creatures of habit and it is a significant disruption to that habit
10:46
That's not an argument to abandon the pitch clock, by the way. I love it and think it's been fantastic for the game
Mike
10:47
If the Yanks have a repeat of 2016 and make some big trades, what can we expect to see in regards to who will be traded?
Simon Hampton
10:48
Severino, Bader, Peralta, Holmes and Torres would be the five that jump out to me. Doubt they'd trade any guys controlled longer than that (unless it was someone like Hicks obviously)
SS Mariner
10:50
whats The biggest issue with the mariners hitters right now? Outside of Kelenic no one’s hitting very well.
Simon Hampton
10:52
I think you've nailed it there! Rodriguez, Suarez, Hernandez, Wong etc all not hitting at the level they need. Bullpen and rotation have been fine, if the bats get going they'll be absolutely fine
Aaron
10:55
You said the Rangers might want to add an outfielder. Do you think their top prospect Evan Carter gets called up?
Simon Hampton
10:56
He's mashing at Double-A so surely isn't far off a trip to Triple-A. He'd have to be in the picture later in the year, but if the Rangers are still leading the West at the deadline they may want to add a proven MLB outfielder as well as having White factor into their plans for the rest of the season.
Halo
10:57
Why would a team like the Angels and Rangers who desperately need relief pitchers wait until the deadline? They are both throwing away so many wins in a tight division / wildcard race!
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