JotCast | MLBTR Live Chat with Steve Adams -- 9/1/16

MLBTR Live Chat with Steve Adams -- 9/1/16

Steve Adams

2:58

Hello Thursday chat people. Welcome to a Thursday chat with Steve Adams, who is not your usual Thursday host but did not serve as Tuesday chat host in this week's Tuesday chat, thus necessitating the switch to make Jeff Todd the Tuesday chat host (in the Tuesday chat) and myself, Steve Adams, this week's Thursday chat host (in the Thursday chat).

Got it? Swell. I shall start shortly.

3:00

(Full disclosure: Only after typing that inane opening statement did I check to ascertain that today is, indeed, Thursday. Should be a delightful chat!)

Joe Jimenez

3:01

Should the Tigers call up joe Jimenez

Steve Adams

3:02

I don't really know what else he has to prove in the Minors, and they're a contending team, where deeper bullpens always matter. I don't see any reason not to and would be fairly surprised if they didn't, unless there's some form of injury that we're not privy to.

NY Fan

3:02

Thoughts on the Gamel trade?

Steve Adams

3:04

Fine with the Yankees' decision to trade him -- they're stacked in terms of outfielders. I don't know that I love the pair of arms they got for him, but I'm solely basing that off reports I've read on them as opposed to having watched them or spoken to scouts about them as of yet, so that's admittedly not a very fair statement! I like Gamel, though, and he totally fits the Dipoto athleticism/OBP mold. I think he's a good fit for their system, and getting someone who can help immediately (or close to it) is always nice, as the M's did with Gamel and with Vogelbach.

Allirow

3:04

Over/Under on 5 years/$100 million for Edwin Encarnacion?

Steve Adams

3:05

I'll take the under right now, but I think he can top V-Mart's 4/76, and if I'm into the 4/80 or 4/84 range or something, it'd be silly to completely rule out $100MM. Is it a cop-out to say I don't think he gets there but I can still see it happening? Maybe, but that's my sizzling hot take.

Friars Fan

3:05

Do you think clubs intentionally/unintentionally "tank" to improve draft pick slots? Kinda hard to watch my beloved Padres right now, more like tryouts for 2018 and beyond & taking flyers on ex-top prospects to try and build stock for more farm system depth (ETA 2018 depth)

Steve Adams

3:06

Of course they do. They'd be silly not to. Look at where the Astros and Cubs got by playing terribly for a few years, and look at where the Rockies (and, actually, your Padres) are after not having committed to a rebuild and instead trying to patch together contending teams with cores that didn't appear to be the core of a genuine contender.

Tank for three years and receive new life or toil in perpetual mediocrity -- If I were running a team I'd take the short-term loss as well.

Roger

3:07

What major changes would you like to see in the next CBA?

Steve Adams

3:07

If I could pick one? Trading draft picks.

Kyle

3:07

Who gets largest contract this winter?

Steve Adams

3:08

Cespedes, and I don't think it'll be especially close. He's the best free agent on the market by a landslide, and there's no way he opts into the remaining two years on his deal. He should clear $125MM this time around, if not $150MM.

Erik Threets

3:08

Do you think the QO will be in the next CBA?

Steve Adams

3:08

I'm sure there will be some modified version of it or some other ill-fated attempt at tying free agency to draft compensation that, like the qualifying offer and the Elias system before it, will quickly prove to have loopholes that defeat the original intention of the idea.

Adge

3:09

Ivan Nova, next J.A. Happ?

Steve Adams

3:10

Happ's numbers with the Bucs looked more believable to me, as he made a distinct change to begin throwing up in the zone/above the zone more often and bettered his strikeout rate for it. Nova's been great, but his success is predicated on having walked one guy in 31 innings. He's improved since joining the Pirates -- likely due to an increased willingness to throw strikes -- but he's not the second coming of Greg Maddux suddenly, so I'm betting on some regression.

3:11

I do think he'll end up landing a three-year deal, if he continues his success through September though, which would've seemed like a fairly laughable thought not that long ago.

BRothbart

3:11

Can the Nats sign Ramos for 4 years $60 million or is it too late? If so, who do they get to fill that hole?

Steve Adams

3:11

I think he's getting McCann/Martin money, which would mean $75-85MM over five years.

bird

3:12

who do you think would be a good buy low free agent in the offseason that can "turn it around" ?

Steve Adams

3:14

Depending on how the remainder of his season plays out, Josh Reddick. Even with a bad September I'd still be high on him. Pitching-wise? Blegh... Charlie Morton's extreme ground-ball rate would make him a decent target, and he underwent a non-arm operation that ended his season, so that's encouraging as well.

Michael

3:14

Ready for playoff baseball?

Steve Adams

3:14

I'm ready for playoff baseball the moment playoff baseball ends.

Not Rick Hahn

3:14

Am I trading Quintana or Sale or both in the off season?

Steve Adams

3:15

I'd be surprised if either one went, honestly.

Nostradamus

3:15

How is your fantasy team doing?

Steve Adams

3:15

That depends entirely on which league you're referencing! I'm winning the MLBTR League and going for a back-to-back crown. Thus concludes my not-so-humble brag.

Sam

3:16

Will any current player ever reach 300 wins as a pitcher? It seems almost impossible with 5 and sometimes 6 man rotations now-a-days

Steve Adams

3:17

I can't really see it happening -- not with five-man rotations (some six, as you said), specialized bullpens and the increased pitcher injuries. Wins aren't a stat that teams place any value on anymore, and eventually I'd imagine that players will stop caring about them all that much as well. That might take another decade or two, but I think we're eventually going to see teams move away from a traditional rotation. Someone's going to try limiting pitchers to two times through the lineup and relying more heavily on a large group of pitchers that can throw 3-4 innings at a time.

Twingo

3:18

Puig a fit for the Ms?

Steve Adams

3:19

The Mariners weren't one of the handful of teams to put a claim in on him, per the Seattle Times' Ryan Divish, so I'd bet against them pursuing him this winter.

Frank

3:19

Why are Mets players dropping like flies?

Steve Adams

3:19

If I knew that the Mets would've called me to offer me a job by now!

(Spoiler alert: they haven't)

Super joe

3:19

does Brian mcann get traded

Steve Adams

3:19