Jay Jaffe: Good afternoon folks, and welcome to the last August edition of my chat for 2023!

Jay Jaffe: I’m a bit giddy because as of 20 minutes ago, we have accepted offers on our current and future homes in Brooklyn

Jay Jaffe: it’s been a journey, folks

Jay Jaffe: anyway, yesterday I ran a piece on Félix Bautista’s UCL injury https://blogs.fangraphs.com/a-great-summer-ends-with-a-bummer-as-the-o…. Still no word on the severity of it, but I wouldn’t really read into that as good news. The Orioles aren’t the most transparent bunch when it comes to injuries or… other matters

Jay Jaffe: I’ve got a piece on Bryce Harper’s resurgence that’s about to go live

Jay Jaffe: Anyway, let’s get to this one…

Dan Szymborski: And we are LIVE

Dan’s Mom: Daniel, I am still waiting for my DeadLinesmas present.  Should I just come over and pick it up?

Dan Szymborski: No, they’re supposed to be presents for people who know what the trade deadline is.

BlueJayMatt: Which13 Jays players? I hit return and the question got sent early, sorry Dan

BlueJayMatt: In your excellent article this morning you talk about Toronto saying “Blue Jays have an absurd 13″…”offensive players under contract who project at 1.5 WAR or more in 2024”.

Dan Szymborski: You don’t expect me to give *all* the secrets away do ya?

Jay Jaffe: Hey folks, welcome to my Tuesday chat. I’m back from California and will dive in here in a few minutes after I add a brief addition to today’s forthcoming piece about the Giants’ offensive struggles. Stand by for a few…

Jay Jaffe: OK, that’s done. Had to stop the presses on a piece about the Giants’ offense falling off a cliff because of this earth-shaking news https://twitter.com/extrabaggs/status/1694045181362753778?s=20

Jay Jaffe: that piece will be out shortly.

Matt VW: Mookie Betts is on pace for 44 homers. Can you think of anyone else his size who’s hit 40? Campanella’s listed at the same (alleged) height, but had a really different build…

Jay Jaffe: With the caveat that listed heights don’t always match up with reality, there have been three seasons in which a player 5’9″ (Mookie’s listed height) or shorter have hit 40 homers, none of them recent: Mel Ott 42 in 1929, Hack Wilson (who was 5’6″ but barrel-chested) 56 in 1930, and Campanella 41 in 1953.

Jay Jaffe: José Ramírez, listed at 5’9″ and considerably more Mookie-shaped, hit 39 in 2018

Dan Szymborski: It’s a chat!

Jose Abreu: My back hurts, should I be afraid on Jon Singleton taking over?

Dan Szymborski: Probably not in serious jeopardy. ZiPS projections for Singleton aren’t great, either

the guy who asks the lunch question: what’s for lunch?

Dan Szymborski: some unsalted peanuts I happen to have here

seth: that lorenzen high school no hitters stat is pretty bonkers, huh?

Jay Jaffe: Good afternoon, folks! Welcome to the first post-trade deadline edition of my Tuesday chats. I just published a piece on the Padres’ loss of Joe Musgrove and their missed opportunities during their series with the Dodgers https://blogs.fangraphs.com/padres-lose-musgrove-and-let-slip-a-golden…

Jay Jaffe: Yesterday I published a piece on the Diamondbacks’ 7-22 slide (!) out of the playoff picture https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-diamondbacks-have-wilted-in-the-heat-o…

Jay Jaffe: And now, on with the show…

Phil: Can you explain this Orioles broadcaster controversy? Don’t they have a PR person to tell them they’re going to be hammered over this? And an HR person to observe that Brown was just literally doing his job? They used to be bad and now they’re good–it’s not like that’s some sort of company secret. I’m not just grumbling (though I am)–I really don’t understand what they expected to happen.

Jay Jaffe: The Orioles have an idiot man-baby for an owner. Brown was reading a stat from the notes that the team prepared for that day’s broadcast – they didn’t need vetting from a PR person because no sane person would have thought such a tidbit about the team’s improvement would have inflamed even the most idiotic man-baby.

Jay Jaffe: Sadly, this is par for the course during the John Angelos era,. Check Britt Ghiroli’s piece at The Athletic for more https://theathletic.com/4757354/2023/08/07/ghiroli-orioles-announcer-k…

Dan Szymborski: Sorry I was slightly late, was finishing up my yearly trade dictator piece.

Kyle: Hey Dan! With Manfred staying on as commissioner thru another round of CBA negotiations, do you think we are headed toward another lockout? Missed games in 2027?

Dan Szymborski: I suspect we always were headed towards a less than smooth CBA after this one expires, but way too soon to tell if it results in missed games.

Dan Szymborski: On a fundamental level, the things that players are really unhappy about really haven’t changed all that much.

Dan Szymborski: Luxury tax threshold still grow slower than inflation and slower than MLB’s revenue growth.

Takao: Bryce Miller for Jonathan India – which team says no?