Dave Cameron: Happy Wednesday, everyone. This is my final chat of 2016, as I’m traveling back east for Christmas, so let’s have a fun send off to a pretty lousy year.

Dave Cameron: But a lousy year that gave us a fun postseason, at least.

Brendon: How do player options work? Can a minor league player only be sent up and down so many times?

Dave Cameron: They really should just call them option years. A player can be optioned within a season as many times as the team wants, but they can only be optioned to the minors, without their consent, in three different years. There’s an exception that can get you a fourth option year, but it’s fairly rare.

Erik: What is the point of giving up any assets at all for Clay Bucholz? Does this indicate the Phillies don’t trust Thompson/Eflin/Appel? For a team at their stage of a rebuild, shouldn’t they be giving innings to prospects on the cusp on the big leagues, even if those prospects struggle?

Dave Cameron: MLB has mad it more difficult to turn current dollars into future value, so now large revenue teams like PHI can do that by taking on contracts that other teams don’t want, then hoping their value goes up and trading them for prospects later. If Buchholz has a decent half season in Philly, he’ll be traded to a contender in July, and the team will either have spent $7 million to acquire whatever prospects they can get for Buchholz then, or they can pay down the remainder of his contract and buy even better prospects for $10 million or whatever.

Paul Swydan:

Paul Swydan: Hi everybody!

Paul Swydan: Not sure if Jeff will be here or not. I forgot to talk to him today.

Paul Swydan: In any case, welcome to the last FanGraphs After Dark chat of 2016. It’s been a journey.

Josh: What options are there for LHH 4th Outfielders?

Paul Swydan: Perusing the list, I see Angel Pagan, Rajai Davis (though he’s better from the right side), Michael Saunders, Brandon Moss, Nori Aoki, Michael Bourn. http://www.fangraphs.com/freeagents.aspx?sign=all&pos=OF&nteam=all&oteam=all

Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning from Tempe, hope you’re all well. ICYMI, the Royals prospect list went up yesterday and I’m finishing up Detroit today before moving on to the NL Central. Let’s begin…

Roadhog: Any thoughts on Paul Blackburn?

Eric A Longenhagen: Teams typically need 10 starters to get through a season and Blackburn projects as one of those 10, an up and down depth arm.

Bill: I miss Josh Tobias and wish him the best. Thoughts on him?

Eric A Longenhagen: Good feel for the barrel, good approach, scouts don’t like the defense at 2B and he doesn’t have the power to profile anywhere else so it’s a bench bat profile. He’ll need to diversify his defensive portfolio moving forward.

John: Which level of the Padres minor league system will be the one to watch?

Chaps: Jon Morosi recently tweeted that the Yankees are interested in Quintana. How crazy could the bidding war between the Yankees and the Astros get?

Dan Szymborski: Oh, I forgot the hello part.

Dan Szymborski: So, yeah, hello and stuff. You guys know how greetings work.

Dan Szymborski:

Otis Redding: How do you feel about Max Kepler’s .AVG going forward, can he hit average along with his power?

Dan Szymborski: Long-term, I think he’ll be a pretty good average guy. He didn’t have a lot of time in AAA so I expect improvement wiht more time

Jeff Sullivan: Welp okay

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends and welcome to delayed Friday baseball chat

Bork: Hello, friend!

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friend

Sandy Kazmir: Where’s my burrito? Where’s my burrito? Where’s my burrito?

Jeff Sullivan: at the store

Eno Sarris: I can’t do this to you. I’ll keep chatting. It’s too much fun.

Kyle: Eric Hosmer or Greg Bird for strictly an offensive standpoint for the next few years?

Eno Sarris: Bird. Hosmer too married to his BABIP.

Kyle: Austin Hedges or Blake Swihart from a pure offensive standpoint for the next few years?

Eno Sarris: Swihart.

bob: the mets should add who this offseason?

Dave Cameron: Happy Wednesday, everyone.

Dave Cameron: Today’s chat might be a little interesting, as I’m also in charge of keeping my son alive until my wife gets back from a work thing she had to do this morning.

Dave Cameron: So we’ll see how this goes…

Ronnie: Musgrave and Hernandez for Duffy? Who says no?

Dave Cameron: Well, considering it would be six years of Musgrove for one year of Duffy, and it’s not entirely clear that Duffy is even significantly better for 2017, that would be a disaster for the Astros.

Astrid: VV’s future is as a starter or reliever?

Paul Swydan:

Paul Swydan: Hi everybody!

Paul Swydan: What’s good?

Jeff Zimmerman: Beer

Jeff Zimmerman: Pizza

Paul Swydan: I am familiar with these items.

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to a somewhat abbreviated Friday baseball chat

Bork: Hello, friend!

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friend

CamdenWarehouse: I’m not the only one who like the Eaton trade for the Nationals, am I?

Jeff Sullivan: Not at all. It doesn’t take a lot to get pushed over the edge. If you believe in WAR and also believe Giolito is kind of overrated, you like the deal. If you think Eaton is just an average hitter and Giolito is about to break out as an ace or a No. 2, you don’t like the deal

Eno Sarris: home healthy and feeling kinda funky

Everything’s On Sale!: White Sox have a top 5 system after all this? Top 3?

Eno Sarris: I *loved* the Boston return. I’m down on Giolito and Lopez, though. Mediocre spin and movement. Flat velocity and hope.

Jake: If you’re the Yankees, why sign Chapman? They’re a couple years away from being very good. And,if they get there, 1) Chapman will have declined and 2) If Chapman is great, he’ll opt out after year 3. The Yankees are assuming a lot of risk for minimal reward.

Eno Sarris: I dunno, Bird and Sanchez are going to hit the ground running. They could be good as soon as this year.

Erik: So the Eaton trade seems like an overpay unless one of two things are true: 1) Teams have stopped undervaluing defense. (Heyward’s contract last year would support that.) 2) Giolito never had the value he was perceived to have by fans. Which of those (or both) do you think it is?