Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat — 8/12/16
9:12 |
: Hello friends
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9:12 |
: Welcome to baseball chat
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9:12 |
: delayed by ESPN stuff. everybody has wonderful timing!
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9:12 |
: Hello, friend!
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9:12 |
: Hello friend
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9:12 |
: Andrew McCutchen HOF odds: over/under 50%?
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9:14 |
: At this point I’d say under. He’s had some absolutely fantastic seasons but I’m concerned by what’s taken place in 2016. If he gets himself back on track, then he’s looking good — he’s already a hair north of 40 WAR. But to refer to the old-timey baselines, he’s not even at 200 homers or 1,500 hits. Long, long way to go
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9:15 |
: You’re the manager. Before the game, you can guarantee your starter as many strikeouts as you want, but each strikeout will be an eight pitch at bat. How many do you sign up for?
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9:15 |
: How’s my bullpen?
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9:16 |
: I’ll give him…12 or 13 strikeouts
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9:16 |
: And if I further get to choose, I’ll space those 12 strikeouts evenly over six innings, getting the first two batters in each inning out
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9:17 |
: Is Girardi missing the forest for the trees?
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9:19 |
: I have to figure there’s some stuff we don’t know, but I lean toward yes. I sort of get the we-want-to-win perspective, but Alex Rodriguez is one of the greatest players in baseball history, and the game is about more than each day’s result.
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9:20 |
: Would Vogelbach be as good as Lind if he were called up now?
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9:21 |
: I’m actually not convinced, but the two would be very close. Lind still projects for a 101 wRC+, whereas Vogelbach comes in at 97. Lind has been an adequate hitter since the end of April
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9:21 |
: Help settle a debate for me. Who was a better hitter, A-Rod or Manny Ramirez? My initial reaction was A-Rod by a mile, but the numbers suggest otherwise.
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9:22 |
: At their respective peaks, Ramirez was a little bit of a better hitter. Rodriguez canceled most if not all of that out by being superior on the bases
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9:22 |
: And then, of course, there was everything else
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9:23 |
: Who else here forgot that Ramirez made his last big-league appearance with the Rays?
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9:23 |
: And the White Sox! Totally forgot about the White Sox.
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9:24 |
: If the Mariners make a playoff series – and have the flexibility to arrange things in their favor – what *should* their rotation look like?
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9:24 |
: Felix, Paxton, Iwakuma, water main break, Felix, Paxton
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9:24 |
: Obligatory question on your thoughts of how the Yanks FO is handling the A-Rod situation.
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9:25 |
: To follow up on earlier, I’ve tried not to get too invested. I don’t *really* care and I’m glad he’s at least getting his sendoff tonight. I also recognize that the way I feel about Rodriguez isn’t the way everyone else necessarily feels about Rodriguez so who am I to project my opinion on others?
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9:26 |
: More than anything I’m grateful for Rodriguez giving the game so much color. Did it for two decades. Wasn’t always good! Was always entertainment. There’s a reason people get sucked into tabloids and soap operas, and Rodriguez lent the game some of that character
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9:27 |
: Jeff, does your dad like baseball? If so, what are his stances on typical the hotbutton issues for dads. The DH, interleague play and world series games being played at night. Does he have an affinity for white players wearing stirrups/high socks?
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9:27 |
: My dad died in a plane crash in 1991!
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9:27 |
: Thanks a lot, JTT!
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9:27 |
: (awkward silence)
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9:28 |
: To my knowledge my dad didn’t know anything about baseball. I think he did play tennis. But maybe that was just because of a hat he wore.
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9:28 |
: What would be the easiest 2 pitch arsenal to master? Fastball changeup?
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9:29 |
: Based on both theory and practice I think we have to say two-seamer/slider
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9:30 |
: Those pitchers are everywhere. Changeups are super hard to pick up. Maybe that’s just my own personal experience since I don’t have big giant fingers, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that so many pitchers end up in the bullpen because they can’t develop a reliable offspeed weapon
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9:30 |
: A four-seamer is even easier to throw than a two-seamer but my sense is that a two-seamer is more forgiving
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9:30 |
: Who would win a game of aquatic baseball, Team Crabs or Team Octopi?
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9:31 |
: Team Octopi
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9:31 |
: Are you wearing your bright salmon shirt
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9:31 |
: too god damn hot already 🙁
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9:31 |
: Can you clear something up for me. What’s the difference in Bumgarner and Sale’s WAR. Bumgarner has more innings and a lower FIP, yet the same WAR. Is FIP not park/league adjusted? If not what similar stats are?
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9:33 |
: Raw FIP is not park-adjusted, which is why I always love looking at FIP- (which is). Bumgarner pitches in a very pitcher-friendly environment. Sale pitches in the bed of a pickup truck. So while Bumgarner has the better FIP by 36 points, Sale has the better FIP-, by two points
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9:34 |
: I forget… are you for or against volcano based human sacrifice?
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9:34 |
: I am against any form of human sacrifice, but I am for people being drawn to volcanoes
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9:35 |
: A big problem you’d encounter: at any given moment there are only like four or five active lava lakes. So you might send a person to the top of a volcano, but that person might just die of exposure after a while, unless he or she just got bored and came back down
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9:35 |
: DEVON TRAVIS? DEVON TRAVIS!
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9:36 |
: Of some note: when I checked the other day, Travis has one of baseball’s biggest increases in average launch angle. Gone from about 6 to about 13 degrees above horizontal. Putting more balls in the air
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9:37 |
: Also way up on that list: Justin Smoak and Ryan Goins and Josh Donaldson. Interesting!
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9:37 |
: I like Travis a lot. Was underrated when he was dealt. He’s even better than I expected him to be
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9:37 |
: Are these Mariners for real or is this just a hot 2 weeks?
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9:38 |
: It can be both. Getting Felix back was important, even if he’s sort of struggled. Paxton is putting it together and Iwakuma has found a groove so finally there is some starting pitching holding up its end of the bargain. Diaz provides something Cishek couldn’t, and early indications suggest that even Zunino is better
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9:39 |
: The Mariners are 11th in winning percentage and 10th in BaseRuns winning percentage. They’re 11th in projected winning percentage. Pretty good club
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9:39 |
: I’m about to lose my mind. Beer league softball playoffs this weekend. We have a good squad! We have two HR hitters that my co-coach wants to split up at 4 and 7 in the lineup so we can “maximize home runs’. How do I convince him this idea is very fallible.
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9:40 |
: Tell him if he wants to maximize home runs, the first step should be maximizing exposure, which means maximizing plate appearances. Who gets the most plate appearances? The first hitters!
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9:40 |
: You can negotiate from there
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9:41 |
: Good morning Jeff! Do you have any thoughts about the AL Cy Young race? I feel like it’s wide open this year.
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9:41 |
: If it weren’t for the innings I’d just say the favorite is Danny Duffy
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9:42 |
: I think you look at Kluber and Sale and potentially Sanchez depending on how he finishes up. There’s no clear runaway No. 1. Even Britton could have a legitimate case — I haven’t decided on that matter yet
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9:43 |
: I’m not opposed to the idea of a reliever winning the Cy Young and Britton has been absurd. Still probably not sufficiently absurd
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9:43 |
: Is Taijuan Walker destined for the bullpen? His secondary pitches are not very good and doesn’t seem to be making a lot of progress.
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9:44 |
: He was dealing with a foot problem for a while and he sucked. I think it’s still kind of there and more than anything he needs offseason rest. What he did earlier in the year when he was healthy was too encouraging for the team to shove him into relief.
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9:44 |
: As fun as it is to rag on guys like Francouer, do you remember when Mark Kotsay got a guaranteed major league deal for like 8 seasons in a row despite not being good since 2004?
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9:45 |
: Last three-digit wRC+: 2004. Last season played: 2013!
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9:45 |
: That *was* weird. From 2006 on, Kotsay batted 2,368 times, and he posted a -4.6 WAR.
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9:46 |
: He’s a coach now, implying as a player he was a good clubhouse presence. Very Francoeur-y.
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9:47 |
: Who goes down as the greater player, Trout or Kershaw?
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9:47 |
: aw geez
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9:47 |
: I have to say Trout but this question is unfair
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9:47 |
: So which Jays pitcher is winning the cy young?
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9:47 |
: All of them will split it
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9:48 |
: dammit, my answer should’ve been Kevin Pillar
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9:48 |
: can I go back in time?
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9:49 |
: What’s your impression of Gary Sanchez in the few games he’s been up?
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9:49 |
: It’s too early to form one, so I’m mostly telling myself over and over to stop seeing him as another Jesus Montero
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9:50 |
: We’ve already seen him clobber a ball or two, but that wasn’t unexpected.
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9:51 |
: For the Mariners squeak in the playoffs what do you think they have to go record wise the rest of the way?
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9:52 |
: Right now the Orioles are projected to finish about 88-74. So to just tie them, the Mariners would need to go 28-21 (.571; 93-win pace)
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9:55 |
: The worst AL playoff teams the last four years: 86, 88, 92, 93 wins. So realistically the Mariners might need to go something more like 30-19
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9:55 |
: Let me take that back — in 2012, the Tigers made it at 88-74. But they won their division, and I was looking at wild cards
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9:56 |
: How much money has Bautista lost this year with all the injuries / poor performance when healthy?
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9:57 |
: I don’t think he was ever going to quite break the bank, not at his age, but I could see him losing about $20-25 million in guarantees. This should all make him easier to negotiate with because his own expectations for himself should be somewhat reduced
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9:57 |
: or at least he should feel a little humbled
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9:58 |
: How much of being a manager is in-game decisions and how much is the psychological/emotional/clubhouse aspect of things? For as long as these managers have been in the game, many of them make what appear to be objectively (or mathematically) boneheaded decisions with relative frequency.
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9:58 |
: It’s almost all about being a leader of people. And more than ever a lot of those decisions are all but taken out of their hands. They still have to make their strategic calls but very clearly baseball hasn’t been selective for the most forward-thinking managers, at least in sabermetric terms. That’s not an accident
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9:59 |
: Dusty Baker seems like a good manager because he is a terrific leader. Not so numbers-y. Now, he has gotten sharper as he’s evolved, but he’s still more of a leader than an academic
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9:59 |
: What are the odds that Bryce Harper has already had his best season?
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10:00 |
: At 9.5 WAR? I’d say 80-90%
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10:00 |
: would any team sign Tebow for anything other than publicity?
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10:00 |
: Not much to gain from the publicity. He’s never making the majors
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10:01 |
: Typical AAA hitter in MLB: 75 wRC+, AA: 50, A: 25, pitcher -10, average person -40. Would you agree?
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10:01 |
: I wouldn’t disagree strongly with anything in here. Maybe A-ball hitters are more like 40-50 wRC+ types, I don’t know. And as for the average person, what’s the wRC+ minimum? They’d be whatever that is.
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10:02 |
: Jeff please make me feel better about my decision to ‘buy low’ on Cutch in a dynasty league
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10:02 |
: You should draw validation from yourself, and not from others
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10:04 |
: will any good mlb players be in the olympics?
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10:06 |
: I assume not. MLB is too much of a business. If I had to guess, the American team will consist of minor leaguers and maybe some collegiates. There might be a foreign big-leaguer or two who desperately wants to represent his own country. So you might see one or two exceptions made, depending on circumstances
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10:09 |
: Two interesting articles on Kepler last week in Fangraphs seeming to point different directions for him. Could Kepler’s pitch recognition ability account for any of his unexpected power, or does the batted ball/expected power profile, mean that despite advanced pitch recognition he is still not making the type of contact that would lead you to expect more than 15 or so homers in a season. Where do you see his power/average falling
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10:09 |
: Here’s the problem I have with the pitch-recognition idea: this year, 288 hitters have batted at least 200 times. Kepler ranks sixth-lowest in Z-Swing% – O-Swing%
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10:11 |
: Now that doesn’t prove anything. Joe Mauer is even lower! But it suggests some imprecise decision-making. And in terms of exit velocity on balls hit in the air, Kepler’s average ranks 266th out of 336. He’s right by Darwin Barney and Cesar Hernandez
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10:12 |
: I think Kepler is an interesting hitter, and the Twins are desperate for players with upside. I’m not convinced yet he’ll become more than a third outfielder. That’s a starter, of course, but not a star
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10:12 |
: Is it fair to call Danny Duffy an ace at this point?
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10:12 |
: Well it’s definitely fair to call him the ace of the Royals
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10:13 | : Let’s review some offseason polling: |
10:13 |
: After last year, 41% of the community thought that Noah Syndergaard was an ace. Based on that example, I’d say that Duffy is close but he’s not quite there yet, because he doesn’t have enough of a track record
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10:15 |
: If he stays healthy, I think he’ll earn the label. He’s getting deeper and deeper into games. And after next year he’s a free agent. Big things coming
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10:15 |
: In June, August wrote an article on the Cubs historic BABIP suppression. At the time, the Cubs were running a .250 BABIP allowed and an 85 BABIP-. Today, it is .255 BABIP allowed and an 86 BABIP-, which would be the lowest ever. 2014-2015 Royals, who?
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10:16 |
: One difference: I’m pretty sure the Cubs’ pitchers deserve a lot of the credit. The Royals had the better defense; the Cubs have the better run prevention
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10:17 |
: Cubs pitchers this year have baseball’s second-best hard-hit rate. Between 2014-2015, Royals pitchers ranked 19th. It’s a blunt tool but it’s something
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10:17 |
: what % you give the Mariners to get in the playoffs?
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10:18 |
: 35% feels about right
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10:18 |
: I like the roster, but the complicating factor is I like a lot of the competing rosters, too
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10:19 |
: Severino sent back to AAA……do you think he’ll figure out his changeup and eventually become a #2-3?
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10:19 |
: Actually I think it’s the slider that’s abandoned him
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10:19 |
: I still like him enough. He’s a lot better than his ERA
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10:22 |
: With Schwarber and Soler coming back next yr and sharing LF for Cubs, that means less time in LF for Bryant and Zobrist, which really cuts into Baez infield PT. Even if Soler is traded that still leaves Schwaber getting 75-80% of OF PT. So do you think Cubs look to sell on Baez in offseason?
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10:22 |
: I could see them either transitioning Baez to CF, or exchanging him for a CF
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10:22 |
: He should be athletic enough to make the move but maybe they’d feel more comfortable with experience
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10:23 |
: How much of Zunino’s success is SSS and how much is him actually showing a fundamental change in approach/ability? If it’s the latter, does that reflect well on the developmental capacity of the new regime or is it more the case of a very talented player getting much-needed time in the minors?
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10:24 |
: He still has a lot of swing and miss in his game, and he probably always will. He definitely does seem better at laying off pitches out of the zone low, and that’s important. I think it’s beyond obvious that he was rushed, and he got a lot of different advice along the way from different people. I think his improvement reflects well on the front office’s ability to be patient. Mostly I suspect this was Zunino figuring things out for himself — remember that, as a rookie, his approach wasn’t bad. But the organization would’ve had to work hard to get him into a good headspace
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10:25 |
: I’m a Yankees fan……tell me something bad about Benintendi?
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10:25 |
: He’s not nearly as good as Mookie Betts
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10:25 |
: Aaron Nola had a horrible ERA-FIP differential. Does he have any signs of being the type of pitcher for whom that’s a recurring theme, or is he a surefire positive ERA regression candidate?
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10:25 |
: He’s going to be fine. Really good, even, when he’s healthy
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10:27 |
: Way too early ROY Candidates for 2017? As well, who would be some dark horses?
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10:28 |
: It looks like Benintendi is probably going to exceed the at-bat threshold this year, so he’s out
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10:28 |
: Alex Reyes or JP Crawford would be excellent NL candidates
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10:30 |
: It’s relatively dry in the AL, looks like, but depending on how much he pitches this year I could see Joe Musgrove having a strong opportunity
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10:31 |
: What do you think Bautista’s next contract will look like?
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10:32 |
: Let’s say…three guaranteed years, maybe a fourth-year vesting option
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10:34 |
: Alex Gordon wound up at $18 million per year over four, and he took what was perceived as a discount. Also, he was more of an all-around type, while Bautista still has the bat. So figure Bautista gets at *least* $20 million a year, and probably a bit more
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10:35 |
: So I’ll go with 3/$65m with an option that could push it to 4/$80m
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10:35 |
: What Olympic event would the average MLB Player be best at? What about some of the superstars?
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10:35 |
: I don’t know anything about handball but maybe handball
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10:36 |
: Or, beginning in 2020, baseball
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10:36 |
: They’d be really good at baseball
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10:38 |
: After the season ends, Granderson is owed 15 mil for the last year of his deal. Do you think the mets will move him this offseason? How difficult would it be for them to move grandy and his 1/15- would they have to eat any money?
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10:39 |
: I could see him ending up somewhere like with the Orioles or White Sox
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10:39 |
: I don’t think he’d draw much of a return, but at the same time in that case I don’t think they’d have to eat too much
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10:40 |
: Follow up, what Olympian would be best in the MLB?
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10:40 |
: If you gave him enough training I bet Phelps would achieve some pretty good perceived velocity
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10:41 |
: At this point in the year, what team to you has been the biggest disappointment? And why?
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10:41 |
: It’s the Mets, and it’s bad luck and health. Pitchers get hurt and that’s just a part of it, but the lineup has been horrible with runners in scoring position and it’s cost them ballgames
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10:43 |
: What it going on with the Mets? Were they playing above their potential or are they really this bad?
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10:43 |
: Injured pitchers. That’s bad. Injured Duda. That’s bad. Injured Wright. That’s bad. Injured Cespedes. That’s bad. You talk about the last time that needed a guy like Conforto to fall apart…
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10:44 |
: *team
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10:45 |
: I know that every team struggles with injuries and it’s not a complete excuse, but the Mets have been hit awfully hard. You mix in the poor offensive timing and you get a mediocre result
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10:45 |
: So you drop a bomb like Harper isn’t as good as we thought and then don’t do your normal chat time so we can squirm for a week?
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10:45 |
: I did hop on the EW podcast last week to chat about this!
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10:45 |
: Madson for Puig looking more likely?
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10:45 |
: Something for Puig. Anything for Puig. I don’t know where he’ll go, but he’ll go somewhere.
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10:46 |
: What type of deal will Danny Duffy get in FA? Do the Royals have any chance of keeping him at this point?
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10:46 |
: No way to know what he’ll get yet. He still has another 7.5 months of regular-season pitching. Next year will determine whether he gets $30 million or $150 million
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10:47 |
: Two relatively equal teams, one with an extremely top heavy lineup and the other with a balanced 1-9, which do you choose for just this year?
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10:47 |
: I’ll take balance
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10:47 |
: Felix Odds to get in the hof?
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10:47 |
: 40%. Like with McCutchen, the odds were much greater before this year
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10:48 |
: If Mike Trout wasn’t Mike Trout, would the Angels be the worst team in baseball right now?
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10:48 |
: Very very close
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10:48 |
: What team(s) do you get the most/least questions about?
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10:49 |
: Most about the Mariners and Blue Jays, probably. I’d say fewest about the…Rockies?
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10:49 |
: Devon Travis is pacing a >6 WAR for his first 162 games as a big leaguer. Presuming health, what’s his ceiling?
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10:49 |
: This
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10:49 |
: does A-Rod’s shabby treatment this week increase the odds he ends up playing somewhere else? this question is almost entirely wishful
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10:49 |
: I don’t know why anyone would want him
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10:50 |
: You can’t rule out the Marlins just because whatever, but he doesn’t provide value
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10:50 |
: Brad posted that max-effort swingers like Carlos Gomez get old faster… is there anything to that? Is Cutch on that rocketship ballistic descent?
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10:50 |
: Max-effort swingers probably get old faster when they have alleged hip problems
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10:50 |
: Is Tyler O’Neill going to become an impact bat in the majors?
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10:51 |
: Probably not, but he’s got a way better chance now than he did before
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10:51 |
: Are the Mets toast? Or just starting to turn golden-brown?
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10:51 |
: On the outside looking in. They’re not toast, but on the other hand, I really like toast
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10:52 |
: Hello Jeff – in a fictitious world, the Blue Jays sign Tim Tebow and make him a starting outfielder tonight. Can you hilariously predict what might happen?
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10:52 |
: He strikes out once on three pitches and then tries to bunt a lot
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10:52 |
: Anthony Rendon: April .242/.310/.286. Since: .275/.363/.489 (basically his 2014 line of .287/.351/.473). Fair to say he’s basically back to being the player he was? (also – very underappreciated source of production in Nats’ lineup during Harper’s post-April slump)
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10:53 |
: Yeah, Rendon is basically back to being a 5-win player. He’ll never get recognized for it on a roster with that many higher-profile names, but he’s excellent and 26
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10:53 |
: Astros just called up OF Teoscar Hernandez. How will this affect Bregman’s PT once Gurriel is called up?
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10:53 |
: That’ll depend on how Bregman hits, but this could be worse news for Marisnick and Rasmus
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10:54 |
: What would a Bryce extension look like now?? Not looking like the blank-check-write-your-own-salary type player he was last year, but he’s going to be a 26 year old free agent with an impressive track record
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10:55 |
: You start with the Heyward terms and then you bump up to account for more offensive value than defensive value.
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10:55 |
: Youve probably done some hiking in brand new hiking boots. Ever get a blister that lasted over a month?
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10:55 |
: No, that sounds terrible
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10:55 |
: Moleskin, man
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10:55 |
: How good is Freddie Freeman? He was so bad early, but now his wRC+ and wOBA are right in line with past seasons.
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10:55 |
: Very good
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10:57 |
: Looks like Leonys Martin has been about replacement level since he got hurt. Do you think this is more a matter of regression or coming back before having fully recovered?
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10:57 |
: I think he did come back too fast in June. He looked mostly healthy and acceptable in July, but now he’s in a presumably unrelated slump. I think he’s probably a true talent 90-100 wRC+ bat with quality defense when right
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10:57 |
: Is there hope for Jason Heyward long-term? Or did the Cubs just set $180 mil on fire?
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10:58 |
: Still hope. The physical skills haven’t left and Heyward has had deep ruts before. But this is very troubling
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10:58 |
: Is a fair comp for Zunino a better receiving Iannetta? Similar 3TO hitters
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10:58 |
: Iannetta’s way better at swinging at strikes instead of balls
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10:58 |
: Zunino’s way better at hitting baseball hard
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10:59 |
: Had this discussion with a friend recently — probability of HOF for Kinsler and Beltre?
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10:59 |
: I think that Beltre is basically in at this point. I’d be surprised if he didn’t make it pretty fast
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11:00 |
: Kinsler has a much, much tougher road. He got kind of a late start and he’s never been dominant. He’ll need to age with considerable grace
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11:00 |
: To what do you attribute the power surge this year in baseball?
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11:00 |
: I have to think the baseball
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11:01 |
: What about a Soler/Puig needs-a-change-of-scenery trade?
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11:01 |
: Actually I don’t think either team would really want to do that
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11:03 |
: should the Tigers exercise the 9M option on Maybin? Or go back to Austin Jackson for a discount?
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11:04 |
: There’s no point in starting Austin Jackson. I’d be willing to pick up Maybin’s option even though it wouldn’t excite me to do so
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11:04 |
: Would be a little interesting to see if the Tigers gave Carlos Gomez a pillow contract
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11:04 |
: Great run for the Mets as kings of NY baseball, huh?
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11:05 |
: At least they could have their pitchers back and healthy in 2017. Maybe this is a blip!
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11:05 |
: How much of dick is Joe Girardi?
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11:05 |
: This week be damned, I think Girardi deserves more credit for the long-term way he’s handled the Alex Rodriguez situation
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11:05 |
: Last year, Maddon batted the pitcher 8th alot. This year, mostly 9th, but I’ve noticed many other teams are now batting the pitcher 8th. What’s better, statistically? Does it really matter much?
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11:06 |
: Doesn’t matter nearly as much as you’d think based on the volume of articles written about it
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11:07 |
: Jayson Werth: best megacontract of the last decade?
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11:07 |
: The first A-Rod deal was pretty awesome
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11:07 |
: So was the first Miguel Cabrera deal
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11:07 |
: How is it that we could have stats to manage every possible defensive metric yet have no rudimentary way of quantitatively measuring managers?
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11:07 |
: Managers don’t perform on the field
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11:08 |
: Even if you wanted to do something like compare player performance to projected player performance, you still have to keep in mind the potential influence of the manager on projections for incumbents. It’s so difficult!
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11:09 |
: if you were a mlb coach would you play arod all week and 3rd base for his last game
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11:09 |
: I’d ask him what he wants and go from there
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11:09 |
: Should the Mariners look to trade Cruz this offseason? How do Cruz and Vogelbach fit comfortably in a lineup together, given they should both not be in the field?
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11:09 |
: You’re not going to get killed by first-base defense
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11:10 |
: Odor is the second best non-Altuve second baseman going forward… right?
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11:10 |
: I don’t think so. Hard to give that to a .301 OBP
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11:11 |
: What team do you LEAST want to face in a playoff series right now, and why?
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11:11 |
: The Cubs, because they’re the best baseball team
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11:11 |
: Is the .500ish deadline team having a “yard sale” (ie Mariners, Yankees) and continuing to be competitive the new thing?
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11:11 |
: Pretty big difference between selling Mike Montgomery and Wade Miley, and selling Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman, and Carlos Beltran
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11:11 |
: Holliday likely out for the season. Should Cardinals go hard for Gomez? Or just see if their young guys can figure it out?
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11:11 |
: I don’t think Gomez is worth it
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11:12 |
: would have arod gotten a farewell tour like ortiz or jeter?
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11:12 |
: No
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11:12 |
: What’s the most thought-provoking question you’ve gotten in a chat? Or, if not the most, one you can remember thinking about much later
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11:12 |
: Probably this one
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11:12 |
: Do the Dodgers have the highest upside in regards to pitching staff next year? Kershaw, Urias, Hill, Maeda, De Leon; with Jansen as closer and Wood, McCarthy in Pen. Yadier Alvarez looking like a legit arm as well and could help in pen next year.
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11:12 |
: Well, Hill is a free agent
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11:12 |
: Mets still have crazy upside
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11:13 |
https://twitter.com/DragonsBaseball/status/763898972557631488 if you havent seen it yet
: |
11:14 |
: Question on the Prince Fielder, roster-space thing. I get that they may have to keep him on the roster to meet the obligations of the insurance policy, but couldn’t they reach a settlement all around to avoid that? The insurance company and Prince don’t care about the roster spot, I bet they can get paid a little more to settle and make the problem go away.
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11:14 |
: I don’t know nearly enough about the ins and outs of this stuff but there is a wonderful opportunity here to maybe get some insight into how teams financially value a single 40-man roster spot
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11:16 |
: When this sort of thing happened with Albert Belle, the Orioles didn’t negotiate, and they wound up keeping him on the 40-man roster to keep getting the insurance money. Maybe times have changed
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11:16 |
: Is Kyle Seager still underappreciated or if you sign a contract for one hundred million dollars is that impossible
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11:16 |
: Not underappreciated in Seattle, but definitely underappreciated outside of Seattle
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11:18 |
: All right, I need to get rolling
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11:18 |
: So thank you everybody for hanging out, and I’m sorry for what I didn’t or couldn’t address. We’ll do it again next week at the same time, and until then, be well and have great days
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Jeff made Lookout Landing a thing, but he does not still write there about the Mariners. He does write here, sometimes about the Mariners, but usually not.
Felix at 40% to get in the HoF. I’ve lost all perspective on reality.
* and, no, this is not a criticism of Jeff Sullivan, but a recognition that maybe I think Felix has been better for longer than I thought —> to the Felix stats page… nanananana….