RosterResource Chat – 7/17/25

Jason Martinez: Welcome to the RosterResource Live Chat!

Here we go …

Ben: What do you expect the Brewers to do with their rotation as Nestor Cortes is close to being back?  Do they trade him/Quintana for lottery tickets?  Or trade someone like Myers/Patrick for immediate help?

Jon Becker: So Peralta, Misiorowski, and Woodruff certainly have three spots locked down, and then it’s a matter of what to do with Cortes, Quintana, Priester, Myers, plus Patrick and Henderson down in AAA. I wouldn’t put it past them to pull a shocking Hader-esque trade of one of the more interesting pitchers but the simplest move would just be to cull from the lower-upside depth, so probably just Quintana or Cortes (if he has enough time to show he’s healthy and stretched out), I’d guess. Neither of those two would be in a playoff rotation anyway, whereas Patrick has the upside to be.

Kristian: Any word on Andrew Painter? Sounded like the Phillies had planned on promoting him sometime in the 2nd half but probably hasn’t pitched well enough.

Jason Martinez: Considering he looked just about MLB-ready at age 19, I think it was a strong assumption that Painter would be ready at age 22 and two years removed from TJ surgery. But it’s a reminder that we really have no idea how long it takes (or even if) a pitcher can return to form after that surgery. Still time for him to get on track and make an impact this season but there’s a better chance that Nola gets healthy and they don’t really need Painter until 2026.

Opifijikl: The Royals wanted more veteran presence and more OBP to help their offense out this year. It looks like their OBP has stayed about the same as last year and their team is still pretty young minus Perez and Maile. Any thoughts? Think they’ll stick to that plan at the trade deadline and try to get a high-obp outfielder? Laureano or Refsnyder?

Jon Becker: I know they just traded for Adam Frazier, but I don’t think the best course of action for them is to buy a rental at the deadline, if I’m being honest. Not sure they’ll sell either, but to me they don’t particularly look like a team that’s just a Laureano/Refsnyder away from contending. What I could see them do is acquire a player who’s controllable beyond this season, so even if time runs out on them contending this season, they can do so next year. I saw they were interested in Bryan Reynolds, for example.

RetireNutting: Do you agree that it’s already a bit too late to build a “Paul Skenes Window” in Pittsburgh and that Cherington has totally missed the boat? Even a league average team by wRC+ would be competing for the NLC with that pitching staff but to have a bottom 2 offense trotting out Tommy Pham and the HodgePodge of Nothingness night after night is criminal, right?

Jason Martinez: No, but I think it’s very likely he’s on the trade block next July or the 2026-27 offseason if they’re not playoff contenders next year. With Skenes, Chandler, Keller, Barco, Jones, Falter, etc., they’re just a league-average offense away from being a good team. Will be a very important offseason and (hopefully) a sense of urgency to add a few impact bats. That would, of course, be a much different strategy from last offseason.

Opifijikl: It’s been said in the prospect lists and elsewhere that the Rays take incomplete players with one or two skills and work them into their roster better than nearly any other team. I’m curious how they do that. Any team can have incomplete players, but how do the Rays make it work? Is there an example?

Jon Becker: Depth, which the Rays seem to always have, allows teams to not overexpose players and put them in positions to succeed. For example, maybe some other teams would feel compelled to play Curtis Mead every day, but the Rays can shield him from righties almost entirely because of all their other options, limiting him to using his best skill: hitting lefties. I think with pitching it’s more about maximizing those skills rather than trying to turn players into something they’re not. For the Rays and pitching coach Kyle Snyder that involves a lot of preaching about throwing strike one and trusting you stuff, and from there you can dispatch hitters more quickly, which requires fewer pitch types.

Elija: Is there any chance of adding a sortable column in transaction tracker for the number of times a player was optioned (to track guys who are reaching the 5 options within a season cap)?

Jason Martinez: We’d like to make improvements to a lot of the features at some point so we’ll keep that in mind. For now, you can filter team/transaction type (DEMOTION) to see a list and then you can page search the player’s name …

https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/transaction-tracker/padres?t…

Hank: Is the correct assumption that Skenes doesn’t throw another 100 pitch outing for the rest of the year? He mentioned prepping for volume but it was all ambiguous.

Jon Becker: I think saying he’ll never hit 100 pitches again is awfully limiting. He’s going to start their 4th or 5th game after the break so he’ll have extra rest baked in to begin with and might end up with one fewer start at the end of the year. I don’t think he’ll get anywhere crazy in pitch count but I would guess there’ll be times he goes back out for another inning with 90ish pitches and ends up over 100.

Nervous Flyball Pitcher: Like many others, I’m trying to get a read on what the Orioles could get back for their pure rentals of any value (Mullins, O’Hearn, Morton, Kittredge, Dominguez, G. Soto). Am I wrong to think, for each of these guys, we’re looking at something like a fair of 40/40+ FV guys or else one 45?

Jason Martinez: Pretty much. They’re all rentals so it’s going to be lower ceiling guys who are closer to the big leagues. O’Hearn could be an exception since he’s a legit middle-of-the-order impact bat. He could get the highest return, possibly a Low-A/Rookie Level prospect with Top 100 potential.

Ceddanne: Am I crazy to say that backup catcher is the most urgent need pre-deadline for the Sox ahead of a starter/RHB? Can’t keep putting out a guy with 1 RBI and 0 XBH and also need to make sure Narvaez isn’t run down at the end of his first full season behind the plate.

Jon Becker: It’s certainly a need for them but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that upgrading on a spot that plays twice a week is the single biggest need for them. Acquiring a catcher at the deadline is also fairly uncommon (but certainly possible!) since they have to learn a whole new pitching staff on the fly.

Chad: What would Padres have to trade to get Ryan O’Hearn from O’s?

Jason Martinez: They’re not trading De Vries (probably untouchable) or Ethan Salas for a rental. But I wouldn’t rule out anyone from their next tier, even in a 1-for-1 deal. Miguel Mendez is probably their fastest rising prospect. Braden Nett and Henry Baez have dominated in AA are close to the big leagues. Kash Mayfield, Boston Bateman, and Humberto Cruz are all potential Top 100 guys who are currently in Low-A. I might even put reliever Tyson Neighbors in that tier since he’s a close-to-MLB reliever with closer ability.

Bucs: Pirates bullpen post trade deadline- Lawrence? Braxton Ashcraft even?

Jon Becker: Dennis Santana being traded as a sell-high feels likely but I’ll believe Bednar is traded when I see it, since Nutting reportedly stepped in to stop Bednar trades in the past. But if he’s traded I think Lawrence (if healthy) is their best option to close, he looked great before getting hurt. Isaac Mattson has also been very good.

Jeff Nold: Inaction in San Diego: Is Preller aiming so high that he’s missing the cheaper incremental improvements at {LF or DH} and C that would mean a great deal given how bad those spots have been?

Jason Martinez: That is my assessment. Maybe the catching situation is different because it’s possible that Shildt just really trusts the old guys (Dusty Baker felt the same way about Maldy in Houston) and doesn’t think a potential offensive upgrade is worth it. But there’s no excuse to not just keep trying different guys in that LF/DH spot and hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. It’s cost them at least a few games, in my opinion, and it would be a bummer if they missed the playoffs by a few games.

Yeah Well Hiura Towel: Have y’all heard any potential innings limitations this year for Eury or Will Warren?

Jon Becker: Can’t find anything on Warren; worth knowing his career-high in innings is just under 130 and he’s 38 away from that, so no reason to think he can’t go 150+, which wouldn’t require much limiting if any. Eury has one, but the Marlins are being coy on what exactly the limit is, so no idea when it’ll come into play. I’m guessing that for players on innings limits we’re going to see a lot more teams doing the Crochet program of keeping a guy on schedule but only 2-3 inning starts instead of shutting him down entirely.

Guest: who gives up more to upgrade 3B, NYY or CHC

Jason Martinez: I’m assuming they’re both targeting the same player — let’s say Eugenio Suarez — as are a few other teams. So, in that case, you’re asking who is more desperate for a 3B. I’d say the Yankees would be more willing to overpay for Suarez. But I also think the Yankees are open to adding a player with more years of control (i.e. Ryan McMahon) since they don’t have a long-term solution and the Cubs are probably fine with Matt Shaw in 2026.

Mr. Burrito: Should I stop stashing Bubba Chandler? I’m stubborn, but this is starting to feel stupid. He’s not pitching that well and, pedigree notwithstanding, I’m have to really squint hard to see the upside.

Jon Becker: Chandler had a hiccup of a start a few turns ago but has now rattled off back-to-back six-inning shutout starts to lower his ERA as a 22-year-old in AAA to 2.82 with a 3.23 FIP… the upside seems pretty clear to me! The frustrating part is that he’s still not in the majors!

Dave M: Only 2 more years of team control for MacKenzie Gore and the Nats still suck. Any chance he’s on the trade block?

Jason Martinez: It wouldn’t surprise me, especially because a new GM should get a reset and less pressure to turn things around despite 6 consecutive terrible seasons. But it might be too big of a decision to make during this interim period. Offseason would be more likely unless they decided to go all in and aggressively add to the core of Wood, Abrams, Gore.

Tyler: When Miguel Amaya is ready to come off the IL (starting a rehab stint post-ASB it sounds like), do you think the Cubs consider DFA’ing Justin Turner and carrying three catchers (Kelly, Amaya and McGuire)? Sending McGuire leaves no left-handed bats, and both Berti/Brujan at least give some defensive depth. Turner appears to really have fallen off the cliff at 40+ years of age.

Jon Becker: I think they’ll strongly consider three catchers, but I’m not sure how strongly they consider a Turner DFA. He’s certainly not worth a spot based on performance and how little he’s used, but they absolutely love having him around as a glue guy and extra coach of sorts. They use the bench so little anyway that I could see them cutting Bruján to make room for Amaya and keeping still Turner around if/when they acquire a 3B at the deadline to displace Shaw.

Mikey: Some of the best teams are desperate for a high-leverage reliever. Can you rank those who could be on the trade block?

Jason Martinez: Too many to rank here. 8 teams are at least 7.5 games out of the WC spot so let’s consider that group as the “sellers”. Orioles could shop Felix Bautista. He would probably be No. 1 on the list. Raisel Iglesias has much been better lately. Braves would likely have to eat some $ but I think he’ll be a popular name. Ronny Henriquez has 5 more years of team control but the Marlins could try to sell high. Dominguez (BAL), Soto (BAL), Bender (MIA), Bednar (PIT), Santana (PIT), Finnegan (WSN) are all likely to be traded to a contender. Padres might have enough depth to trade Robert Suarez and stay competitive so I think his name will be out there in rumors. But I also don’t think Shildt trusts anyone outside of his “4 Horsemen” so they could be more likely to add another reliever who Shildt would actually use in high leverage.

DezoPenguin: Why does Freddy Peralta’s name keep coming up in trade deadline articles and discussions? I can possibly work my brain around the idea of the Nationals trading Gore, but why would a team that’s in the playoffs and a half-game out of first trade their staff ace, who’s also under team control for dirt cheap next year?

Jon Becker: I think it’s people understandably trying to draw parallels with Peralta and their trades of Hader and Williams, since they have SP depth just as they had RP depth when they traded those guys. But a really good SP isn’t as replaceable as a really good closer (even with Chad Patrick and his 2 WAR in AAA) so that would be a shocking trade, especially midseason.

Keith P.: Thanks guys. Any thoughts on why the Athletics haven’t tried Jack Perkins in the rotation?

Jason Martinez: They optioned Mitch Spence before the break so they are going to have fill his rotation spot no later than Tuesday. And they have Ginn, Bido, and Perkins on the roster (all currently in the bullpen). My assumption is that it is Perkins’ turn to get a look since they’ve already seen a lot of the other two. But we’ll see if that’s now or later in the season.

Mike (Toronto): Other than Nimmala and Yeasavage (likely untouchable), which players would other teams covet/be happy with from Toronto in a trade for a rental?

Jon Becker: I’m guessing Tiedemann, Khal Stephen, Roden, Loperfido (though technically not a prospect anymore) aren’t going to be acquirable just for a rental either… maybe the Jays are willing to roll the dice on trading Bloss since he just underwent UCL surgery? Orelvis has had an atrocious year in AAA and doesn’t really have a position so he might be more of a secondary piece at this point, but he’d be an intriguing get.

Ghost of Chaim: Feels pretty unlikely the Sox will be able to get Joe Ryan. Would a Jarren Duran package for both Jax and Duran be an option?

Jason Martinez: Twins are still close enough to a WC spot so they’re not trading their top 2 relievers unless they fall back far enough in 2 weeks (6+ game back, sub-.500 record). I also think the Twins want to give guys like Keaschall and Emmanuel Rodriguez regular at-bats in 2026 so not sure someone like Jarren Duran is a priority.

Arno: Most likely to least likely to be a full-timer by the end of August: Josh Lowe, Chandler Simpson, Dominic Canzone

Jon Becker: If we’re describing full-timer as “playing very often” then assuming health they should all still be strong-side platoon guys. If we’re describing it as “who’s likeliest to break out of platoons and get time vs. lefties too?” I’d say Simpson, Lowe, Canzone. Lowe is the most all-around-talented player but historically has been worse against lefties, this year’s smaller sample notwithstanding. Simpson’s skillset could actually benefit a little more from facing lefties, since they fall off to the third base side which makes dragging bunts or beating out choppers to first a little likelier. The M’s love platooning so I don’t see their usage with Canzone changing.

Tyler: What are the Cardinals doing? Running out Fedde+Mikolas while McGreevy twiddles his thumbs at AAA. Roby’s also on the 40-man. Seems like one/both those guys deserve the rest of this year to get some run if they aren’t serious about competing.

Jason Martinez: Seems like they’re in a holding pattern for the next 10-12 days as the team’s performance will dictate which direction they go. As bad as the rotation seems, McGreevy is not going to be the savior. And Roby is hurt again and Quinn Mathews has lost the strike zone this season. If they’re going to stay competitive, they just need Mikolas and/or Fedde to turn things around. Or they need them to have 1-2 good starts out of the gate so they can possibly garner some trade interest.

Jason Martinez: That will do it for today. Baseball is back tomorrow! Enjoy the weekend and we’ll be back to talk rosters again next Thursday.