Anthony Franco
- Hey everyone, hope you've enjoyed your week! Looking forward to another of these, let's get going
Dave Dombrowski
- How much has Kyle Schwarber raised his salary now? Does 4/140 keep him in Philly and away from FA? Does the uncertainty regarding Wheeler push me to make a strong offer to Ranger Suarez? And will there be enough left to resign JTR, the real rock of the pitching staff? Do you think that John Middleton will back a payroll approaching $400M?
Anthony Franco
- Yeah I have to imagine 4/140 would get it done before he hits the market. Still don't see Philly going to 35M annually especially at their luxury tax status, but I do think he's got a shot at five years that could approach that guarantee
- DH who is soon to be 33 is a profile the market hates but Schwarber's pretty clearly in a different tier from the Santander/Teoscar group. You could point to Alonso's quiet market last year as a counterargument, but Schwarber's walk year is so much better than Alonso's 2024
- I don't think the Wheeler injury dramatically changes things on Ranger. Never seemed all that likely to me that they'd re-sign him for nine figures, even after trading Abel. I think they're just more likely to be in on an Adrian Houser type who can serve as a fifth starter or long man once Painter is in the rotation
Slick
- Are the Nationals looking at another five years of rebuilding? From top to bottom this team appears to be in disarray.
Anthony Franco
- I'm not as pessimistic on a core with Wood, Abrams, Gore, etc. but based on Steve's forthcoming Front Office post this week, I think he's more in your camp
- He's about to drop like 2000 words on this topic
Mariners
- What are your thoughts on the Robles suspension? Fair? Too long? Too short?
Anthony Franco
- Start at 10, drop to seven seems fine. I feel like Contreras should have been at that level as well though, so I guess you could argue it's inconsistent
Chris
- More likely to rebound in 2026: Braves or Orioles?
Anthony Franco
- Tough one. I think I'd take Baltimore. Atlanta's got more high-end talent coming back, especially on the pitching staff, but they're probably going to put a lot on Sale, Schwellenbach and López to stay healthy in a way that concerns me
- The O's have a lot of heavy lifting to do this offseason, especially in the bullpen, but I think they're a little more well equipped to navigate 162 with in-house depth
JeffyM82
- Bo Bichette 2025 total hits over/under Bo Bichette total free agent contract (millions). Where are you putting your money? Bo Currently has 169 hits with 28 games remaining.
Anthony Franco
- Ha yeah I'll take the hits. I like this one though, reasonable argument either way
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The idea that the Sox would consider including Tolle as part of a package for Joe Ryan is absurd.
Tolle is exactly what Sox are. They are redefining talent procurement.
I think Ranger Suárez is more critical to Philly than stated because the likelihood of Wheeler coming back 100% is not realistic and pitchers of his acumen are not available. JT is a must re-sign because catching depth is abysmal in free agency and their catching corps is suspect to a degree in measure against his behind the plate knowledge. That leaves the money for the mostly DH in question… who may not just be a mostly DH elsewhere.. who might get a 5 or 6 year offer with an American League team like the Sox or the Jays who are not at the penalty tier Philly is and won’t be at the “but we are winners so you should want to take less” position. what was it was coming out of this front office that he didn’t just sign in the Spring when the opportunity first presented itself? The comment nobody wants to see a bunch of 40 year olds playing baseball that he said himself may have been white flag that it ain’t happening here folks. Even the daycare is turning 30. How many of them are they keeping?