Paul Swydan: Hi everybody!

Paul Swydan: Jeff will be by in a couple of minutes.

Ed in Iowa: I have to teach two classes tonight. Gonna miss most or all of the chat for the second week in a row. My IQAR (Insightful Questions Above Replacement) is plummeting!

Paul Swydan: Oh, Ed. Ed, Ed, Ed. You promised you’d be here this week.

Paul Swydan: I forgot to send Jeff his chat invite. Whoops!

Medias Rojas: Why do I get the feeling I’m going to be seeing a lot of Travis Shaw this year? The only question is, primarily at third or first?

august fagerstrom: chat time!

august fagerstrom: soundtrack: The Foreign Exchange – Connected

august fagerstrom: Gonna put on a FRESH POT and we’ll get started at noon

The Dude of NY: And people say A’s fans have nothing to look forward to in 2016!

august fagerstrom: A’s baseball: come for the gnomes, stay for the gnomes

daneyko: Steven Matz should be able to pitch 190 IP this season. Are you agree with manager Collins ?

Q-Ball: How does one pronounce “Szymborski”? zim-BOAR-ski?

Dan Szymborski: Hey guys! Starting a bit early because I have to go strictly at 1 for an ESPN fantasy chat.

Dan Szymborski: Err fantasy mock draft

Dan Szymborski: there is no chat.

Bork: Any spring training performances catch your eye yet? Bad or good.

Dan Szymborski: Giolito curveball broke my laptop.

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to live Friday baseball chat

Jeff Sullivan: Brought to you this time from a friend’s house where I’m observing someone while he recovers from surgery. Hopefully he doesn’t clot while I’m talking about Pedro Alvarez or something

Jeff Sullivan: If I disappear for a little while it’s probably because of a medical emergency!

Tony G.: Hey Jeff. Hope all is well. Who do you expect to be the Astros’ Opening Day 1B?

Jeff Sullivan: Singleton, still. I don’t expect that to last more than a month or two

Eno Sarris: I’ll be here shortly so just chill

Eno Sarris: I have no pants on.

John: Who wins the Indians’ CF job out of Spring Training? Is this individual worthy of a spot in mixed leagues? AL-only? Nothing?

Eno Sarris: You know who I think is going to win the job? Tyler Naquin, that’s who.

Eno Sarris: As for his value… I think he could maybe .260/.320/.380 with some steals, which is AL-only type value.

Mike: Should I take Scherzer over Betts and Abreu in the second round of my fantasy draft? Also, would you take Arenado over Correa and Rizzo?

Paul Swydan: Hi everybody!

Paul Swydan:

Paul Swydan: We always have the sexy results, because THIS chat happens after dark.

Paul Swydan: OK, I’ll stop wasting time now.

Broak: Thoughts on a possible Josh Reddick extension? Seems like both sides are pretty serious.

Paul Swydan: I guess I’m pretty bearish on Reddick. He’s only played full seasons in 2 of the 4 years he’s been in Oakland.

august fagerstrom: hey y’all! apologies for my tardiness, lost track of time cleaning my apartment. get those questions in and we’ll start shortly!

august fagerstrom: I would link to Kendrick Lamar’s “untitled 07” as today’s song/album chat soundtrack, but nothing is up on YouTube yet, so let’s go with the other record I listened to on yesterday’s bike ride, Ty Segall – Melted

august fagerstrom: But seriously, listen to that Kendrick. Dude is making the most powerful music out right now

The Dude of NY:

august fagerstrom: seems like a good place to start

The Dude of NY: WHY CARTER CAPPS? WHY?

Dan Szymborski: There’s a chat for us. Somewhere a chat for us.

Dan Szymborski: Loud and crude and open air, wait for us, somewhere.

Dan Szymborski: Noontime in U.S. FanGraphs a time for us. Time together with time to spare, time to yell, time to glare. Today!

daneyko: Carlos Rodon is ready to become an All-Star ?

Dan Szymborski: Maybe not this year, but I’d be surprised if he never had an All-Star type season.

Zonk: Unless your first name happens to be “Avisail”, it’s hard not to like the A-Jax signing for the White Sox. What say you?

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to Friday baseball chat! There’s baseball happening!

Daniel: Your thoughts on the Jays this year? Seems like their PECOTA projections were a little conservative…84 wins seemed low even if it would give them a WC.

Jeff Sullivan: PECOTA puts them at 86-76 and Steamer/ZiPS puts them at 84-78. I like them more around 88-74; I don’t think they’re a particularly deep team, but they’re a strong team, and in a weird way I kind of like their underwhelming starting rotation

Jeff Sullivan: I obviously love Stroman, I’m on board with Happ, and I should hope they don’t give many starting opportunities to Sanchez because I think he’s a dynamite relieer

daneyko: do you like Ian Kennedy with the Royals. Better ERA in 2016 ?

Eno Sarris: be here shortly. If you’ve seen the ads on MLBN, you’ve heard this song, but it’s great, and the video even better:

Eno Sarris:

Jack Black: Please rank for 2016: Eovaldi, R. Hill, Berrios, Snell

Eno Sarris: You got it, but I could see moving Berrios ahead of Hill. Hill only has two pitches…

enos brain:

Tom: Would you be so kind as to name three prospects you would love to roster at this weekend’s AL-LABR?