Eric A Longenhagen: Good noon from chilly Philadelphia, I’m coming to you from a hotel room awaiting the arrival of a bunch of my hometown buds for a wedding.

Eric A Longenhagen: You might already know the Cubs list went live today, please enjoy.

Eric A Longenhagen: Let’s get it.

Matt: When might we expect to see the 2025 MLB Draft class to be put on The Board?

Eric A Longenhagen: Probably prospect week. Travis and I have a huge ranking lurking in the background but he wrote a bunch of the reports and is about to be hired by a team. They may want to sequester his opinions and I certainly won’t pass his work off as my own, so a lot of the college class’ reports have to be rewritten (which is fine, it’s for a great reason).

Guest: when are you going to be throwing the J15 prospects on the board

Jay Jaffe: Good afternoon! And welcome to (finally) my first FanGraphs chat of December 2024. It has once again been too long, and as evidence for how rusty I am, I promoted this on the socials for being at 2 pm (ye olde slotte) instead of noon. So, thank you to those who figured it out without my help.

Jay Jaffe: I had a great time with my FG colleagues at the Winter Meetings last week. After illness and other issues cut into our group last year, we had a very full lineup, and we ate well and had a lot of laughs.

Jay Jaffe: I’m deep into my Hall of Fame series. The King Félix piece went up yesterday https://blogs.fangraphs.com/jaws-and-the-2025-hall-of-fame-ballot-feli…

Jay Jaffe: The Russell Martin one is planned for tomorrow.

Rich Allen and the Ebonistics: Finally!

Jay Jaffe: Dick Allen’s election was so overdue that I felt more relief than joy. It’s a bittersweet moment — he’s gotten the recognition he deserves, but isn’t around to enjoy it. In retrospect, the Phillies’ move to retire his number in September 2020, just a few months before his death, looms large as he did at least get that moment in the sun. And for whatever my perturbances are when it comes to squaring Dave Parker’s lackluster JAWS with his election, I’m glad he’s around to accept the honor because these post-death elections are really not the best way to do it.

Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning from sunny Tempe. I returned from Dallas yesterday evening, had a great time with the whole FG crew and other baseball pals, redeemed the city after ASB.

Eric A Longenhagen: I’m gonna preempt a lot of questions by posting a few links to get started…

Eric A Longenhagen: Lots of folks asking about the Crochet return. My thoughts went live a few minutes ago. Kyle Teel Headlines Solid Return Package for White Sox in Garrett Crochet Trade | FanGraphs Baseball

Eric A Longenhagen: In short: Much better than any of the deals they made last year.

Eric A Longenhagen: I also wrote up the Guardians return for Spencer Horwitz…

Eric A Longenhagen: Guardians Get Pitching Prospects Piñata for Andrés Giménez | FanGraphs Baseball

Dan Szymborski: What time is it? CHAT TIME

Gilbrough@yahoo.com: If the Mariners do get Sasaki does trading Castillo for Triston Casas makes sense.  Do you think they can make a 1 for 1 trade or will they need to add someone like Tyler Locklear to even this out.

Dan Szymborski: If I were the Mariners, I’d be extremely underwhelmed by Casas as the return for Castillo

Jon G: Is a Paredes + prospects package for Tucker really worth it for the Cubs considering their lack of proven 3B options and Tucker being unlikely to agree to an extension?

Dan Szymborski: I think it could be. Though it depends on the prospects.

Dan Szymborski: I would imagine there’d be more moves going along with this one

Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning from Tempe. COVID wrecked your boy’s thanksgiving but I’m good to go to winter meetings. My cat came home with dilated pupils last night and the other one couldn’t stop smelling him. I have no other life updates.

Mortons: Quick scouting report on Cobb Hightower? Do you think he’s a top 5 Padres prospect?

Eric A Longenhagen: Hightower was an $850k or so HS signee from North Carolina. Good hitting hands, can really time and swuare a fasball, on time enough to pull, athletic build, didn’t get a thorough look at him playing defense because he wasn’t on the showcase circuit much and I didn’t see SD instructs….

Eric A Longenhagen: Top 5? Maybe. I’d definitely take Salas, De Vries, Mayfield, Cruz ahead of him but I can’t think of anyone off the very top of my head. Pena is good, I’d probably take him, too.

Kate: Assuming he comes back looking the same post-surgery, what are the odds Farmelo vaults up the Top 100 into elite territory?

Eric A Longenhagen: Uhh I’d guess of any of the guys like him and Alfredo Duno where the tools are so nutty bu there’s risk for whatever reason that the “hit it big” rate is like 25%. For every Elly or Oneil or Walcott I feel like there are three Bleises.