Dan Szymborski: Hail to whatever you found in the sunlight that surrounds you this Monday morning: The Dan Szymborski FanGraphs Chat.

Roadhog: Braves found the price of Gray “too high.” After Sale is off the board somewhere else, do they bite the bullet?

Dan Szymborski: I suspect no. I don’t think Atlanta’s feeling is that the rebuild is *quite* as far along as they express to the public.

Dan Szymborski: A’s should have traded Gray last winter. Not really a fan of Oakland’s front office these days.

Bork: Has EE priced himself out of a contract? It seems like all his possible suitors are bowing out one by one with cheaper alternatives.

Dan Szymborski: It’s possible that he’s hurt his negotiating position, but there are still teams that are going to want him.

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to Friday baseball chat

Bork: Hello, friend!

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friend

Matthew: Why are so few players throwing palmballs anymore? Are other pitches that much more effective?

Jeff Sullivan: Pretty sure it accomplishes similar things to the changeup and/or splitter

Eno Sarris: do you… dub?

Jake: Should the Jays trade veterans?

Eno Sarris: Not yet. Still a window with Tulo/Donaldson IMO.

Aladdin Sane: Could you see the Cubs prying De Leon away from the Dodgers with a package that fills multiple positional needs lone term? Some combination of Soler, Candelario, Happ, Zagunis, etc.

Eno Sarris: The Cubs seem obsessed with either buying pitching with money or finding undervalued pitchers in trade, so I’d say probably not.

Erik: Looks like a ton of what we thought was going to be in the CBA is not in there (international draft, 26th man). Where did those rumors come from, and why did we believe them? Were they leaks from the negotiations themselves, or just random musings by random writers which somehow got elevated to the level of truth?

Dave Cameron: Happy Wednesday, everyone. Hopefully not the last day with actual baseball news for a while.

Dave Cameron: The CBA expires at the end of the day, so this should be an eventful 12 hours.

Dave Cameron: We can chat about that, or about the off-season, or how fast things cook at altitude — which I may not have correctly accounted for in making Thanksgiving last week.

Brad: Hey Dave, I know you aren’t the prospects guy here, but what’d you think of the Atlanta-Seattle deal for minor leaguers? Is there any hope on Jackson turning it around?

Dave Cameron: He’s, what, 20? There’s always hope with anyone that young. But can anyone think of a successful big leaguer who hit this poorly in A-ball? Anyone?

Dave Cameron: Toss in the reports that his body has gone the wrong way and makeup questions, and I don’t know that I’d be too optimistic.

Paul Swydan:

Paul Swydan:

Paul Swydan: Oh, hi

Paul Swydan: Crap, I spaced on my own chat.

Deez: Whur you is? Yous late holmes!

Paul Swydan: SO LATE!

Dan Szymborski: Sorry guys, a few minutes late!

Dan Szymborski: (Was finishing up an Overwatch piece)

Doug: Giants supposedly feel ok with Nunez at third, and the Dodgers need to cut their debt. If not one of those two, who could emerge as a suitor for Justin Turner?

Dan Szymborski: I acutally wouldn’t put it past the Red Sox to short-circuit the whole Shaw/Sandoval question and just sign Turner.

Dan Szymborski: I still think however that if the Dodgers are going to try to get Turner in somehow.

Dan Szymborski: A lot of the usual suspects have good 3B situations.

Dan Szymborski: MAKE CHAT GO NOW.

Matt: What could Jorge Soler bring back in a trade?

Dan Szymborski: Not all that much these days as even though he’s young, he hasn’t taken a step forward and hasn’t even been all that healthy. It’d be sell low now for sure.

Matt: Would a trade of Soler, Eloy, Candelario, and Cease be enough for Archer?

Dan Szymborski: I think the Rays would actually take that. Soler’s shine is off, but there’s a lot oto like in that trade.

Kiermaier’s Piercing Blue Eyes: What’s your take on the Rays-Mariners trade?

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to Friday baseball chat

LudeBurger: If you’re late again, I swear to all holy heck…

Jeff Sullivan: I’m late literally every week

Bork: Hello, friend! Apologies for my absence last week.

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friend

Eno Sarris: good morning (for me)

John: Jorge Soler for Wade Davis? Who says no first

Eno Sarris: In the past, I would have said the Cubs. But now? Seems like it could happen, particularly if the Royals add another arm, even if it’s an arm that might relieve.

Jake: Thoughts on a Valbuena-Pearce platoon for the Jays?

Eno Sarris: At first-slash-right field with Smoak heading to the bench some? I dunno if Valbuena can play the outfield. I bet the other half of Pearce is an outfielder. Right now it’s Pillar/Carrera/Pompey/Upton and that squad could use an upgrade.

Matt: Opinion on Matt Strahm?

Dave Cameron: Happy Wednesday, everyone.

Dave Cameron: The off-season is upon us, so we should have plenty to talk about. Also, I’ll be revealing my NL Cy Young ballot tonight when the award is announced, so I can’t really answer questions about that this week.

Bret: You’ve been quite down on the Jays signing of Kendrys Morales, and I do get the logic. Dan Szymborski, somewhat in contrast, found that his ZIPs projection defended the move, figuring that Morales would be worth something like 2/1.5/1 WAR in the three seasons in Toronto. That shouldn’t change your take, but do you think the Jays are looking at similar projections that make it defensible on their end?

Dave Cameron: Dan uses the same positional adjustment for 1B and DH, so he’s going to have higher projected values for every DH than we are. But even with that boost, I don’t buy Morales as a +2 WAR player at age-34.

Dave Cameron: You shouldn’t ignore that ZIPS thinks the deal is okay, and you shouldn’t ignore that Steamer thnks it’s atrocious. But when the most optimistic forecast thinks its isn’t awful, that’s not a great signing.

Hans: Odds that the Braves trade for an ace this winter and the name of said ace?