JotCast | MLBTR Live Chat With Jason Martinez: February 22, 2017

MLBTR Live Chat With Jason Martinez: February 22, 2017

Jason Martinez

4:31

Wieters signed! Good thing we have plenty more to discuss. Remaining free agents. Trade possibilities. Position battles. Player projections. Etc. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Cookie Monster

4:32

Who wins the Giants 5th starter position

Jason Martinez

4:33

That's all Matt Cain, but he'll have a short leash. Only question is who gets the first shot to replace him if he loses the job/gets hurt again. Blach, Blackburn are next in line. Maybe Beede makes a case by mid-season.

Dan

4:33

Who wins the 25th roster spot on the Cubs Szczur or La Stella?

Jason Martinez

4:34

If it comes down to those 2 and Baez/Almora are in, I'd have to think that La Stella gives them more value as a lefty bat off the bench. Plus, this La Stella guy doesn't take a demotion well.

4:35

Giants lefty Will Smith shut down with a tender elbow. Should Giants coax Jeremy Affelt or Javier Lopez out of retirement?

Jason Martinez

4:36

I think they'd be fine with Okert and Osich.

Bill

4:37

What should I expect from Austin Hedges this season?

Jason Martinez

4:38

Gold Glove finalist. Low BA and OBP, but I think he'll show some power (25+ doubles; 12-15 HR).

Nationals

4:39

Ok why did we sign Winters? Are we really thinking we can trade Norris for a closer?

Jason Martinez

4:40

Nothing to do with Norris. They just felt like getting Wieters at that price was too good to pass up. They'll figure out what to do with Norris/Lobaton before the start of the season. I think Lobaton will have plenty of interest from teams looking for a good backup.

ForLoveoftheGame

4:41

Is Mikie Mahtook just a throwaway, or do you think he could be a competent CF for the Tigers? (I personally love his grit and athleticism.)

Jason Martinez

4:41

Never had a chance to play regularly, so we'll see. Most likely ends up in a platoon with Tyler Collins, but I think he has a legitimate chance at winning the job.

NOT Mickey Koke

4:43

Any early predictions (AL/NL Rookie of the year)?

Jason Martinez

4:43

Benintendi might be an easy choice in the AL. NL could be a closer race with Swanson, Margot, Renfroe, Josh Bell in the mix.

Andrew

4:44

What's your projection for Yu this year? Thinking monster year too?

Jason Martinez

4:45

This is what I have for Darvish ... 16-9, 3.11 ERA, 201 IP, 252 K, 3.0 BB/9, 11.3 K/9. So yeah, I'm expecting a monster year.

Connor

4:46

Jason. Just wanted to say I am very glad you joined MLBTR! Roster Resource is awesome and you do a great job with the chats. Thank you!

Jason Martinez

4:46

Thanks! I'm glad to be a part of this team. Our content is going to work perfectly together.

Hank

4:47

Does Tyler O'Neil have a chance to enter the position battle in RF this year. Is he really no threat to the opening day roster?

Jason Martinez

4:48

I think he'll get a look, but there's almost no reason to give a prospect with no MLB service time an Opening Day roster spot. If the Cubs were able to wait 2 weeks for Kris Bryant, any team can wait for any player. Best example of why is Jason Heyward hitting free agency a full year earlier because the Braves wanted him on their roster on Opening Day 2010 instead of a couple weeks later.

4:51

Cubs 5th starter, Anderson or Montgomery?

Jason Martinez

4:52

If healthy, it's Brett Anderson. That's why they're giving him $3.5MM on an MLB deal. But that's about as big an "if" as I can give any player. One of the most oft-injured this decade.

Haley

4:54

Does Eduardo Rodriguez start the season in the rotation? If so, what kind of season do you see him having?

Jason Martinez

4:54

If you just looked at how he finished the 2016 season, you wonder how could he not. But if Wright and Pomeranz, both 2016 All-Stars, are healthy, I think the plan is to give them the 4 and 5 spots. These things have a way of working themselves out, though, and it's usually because a starting pitcher will eventually get hurt.

Monty

4:55

What do you see Trevor Rosenthal's role in 2017? The talk of him taking an "Andrew Miller" role has me most intrigued.

Jason Martinez

4:56

I'm interested to see how he does if they stretch him out as a starter this spring. Their rotation depth is thin with the Reyes injury. Even if he ends up back in the bullpen, he'll be able to handle multiple innings on occasion.

M.J.

4:57

Hey Jason. I'm looking forward to watching Christian Bethancourt with the Padres this year. I want to see him add pitching to his catching and occasional outfield duties. He could be this generation's version of Brooks Kieschnick, who I remember playing OF, 1B, P, DH, and served as a pinch hitter. What are your thoughts?

Jason Martinez

4:59

If he wasn't out of options, I'd be taking it more seriously. Yes, he does have a great arm. And as a catcher, he probably has a good idea of how to pitch. But I can't see him having much success unless he spends time in the minors working on his craft. The Padres just can't do that without trying to get him through waivers.

5:00

Would a fair Lobaton comparison be the Cervelli trade from the yankees to Pirates?

Jason Martinez

5:02

No, I don't think they'd get a good lefty reliever (Justin Wilson) for Lobaton. Cervelli still had at least 2 years left of club control and had some good offensive numbers the previous season. He was also a few years younger than Lobaton, who is just a backup with 1 year of club control.

Fezzik

5:03

Early pick for comeback player(s) of the year? AL & NL

Jason Martinez

5:04

Darvish and Pollock are the favorites, in my opinion. So many options, though. Lots of injured players returning. Also many guys like Dee Gordon, Puig, Shelby Miller and Jordan Zimmermann, who are coming off of bad seasons.

Jon Daniels

5:05

Why do I have rotation issues every year?

Jason Martinez

5:06

You gave Andrew Cashner $10MM. That will be my answer if you ask me this after the season.

Poppy

5:07

Which of Hand, Buchter, Capps and Maurer do you expect to be in a Padres uniform next spring training?

Jason Martinez

5:09

Buchter, since he's under control for longer. But, in reality, Buchter, Maurer and Hand could have a ton of trade value if they pitch as they did last season. And Capps could be a huge trade chip at the deadline if he returns to pre-injury form. It wouldn't surprise me if Preller traded all 4. I don't think they plan on contending until 2019 so holding on to relievers with high trade value isn't likely.

Ryan D.

5:10

Odds my favorite player of all time, Chris Denorfia, makes the Rockies Opening Day roster?

Jason Martinez

5:11

Also a fan of Denorfia. Not sure why he hasn't been on an MLB roster the past couple of seasons.. If they decide to go with a 5-man bench (unlikely since a Rockies team really needs a 13-man pitching staff), I'd think he'd have a very good chance.

Rick Renteria

5:12

Does James Shields have anything left? Will he stay on the roster longer than John Danks or Matt Latos?

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