MLBTR Chat Transcript

Steve Adams

• Good afternoon! We’ll get going at the top of the hour, but feel free to start sending in questions right now if you’re so inclined.
• Sorry about that! Phone call. Let’s begin

Guards

• Did the guards miss their chance to capatalize on Kwan’s value in a trade?

Steve Adams

• I don’t know if it’s fair to say they missed their chance. They made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, and Kwan had a big hand in that.His trade value is at its all-time low point right now, with him controlled only one more year beyond the current season and out to a terrible start. But if they’d traded Kwan ahead of the 2025 season, for instance, they might not have made the playoffs at all. They only squeaked in by one game.

  So, sure, the window has passed to get max value. But the trade-off is playoff appearances in each of the past two seasons. I’d take that.

Don Don Don

• Is it inevitable that Alex Cora is the Phillies manager in 2027

Steve Adams

• Inevitable? No. Possible, sure. They reportedly offered him the job before moving onto Mattingly. There’s clearly interest. Dombrowski previously had Cora as his manager in Boston, obviously.

RoxTalks

• Could the Phillies look to offload some (not all) of their pricey veterans at the deadline as a pseudo reload? Obviously they probably wouldn’t get any notable prospects, but at least getting rid of some of their payroll constraints.

Steve Adams

• I don’t think that’s happening. If they don’t turn this season around, they’ll surely listen on rentals and maybe even guys signed/controlled through 2027.But they have Schwarber, Turner and Harper signed into the 2030s. They just extended Luzardo and Sanchez. Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter are up and contributing (well … the latter has been pretty inconsistent in his small sample). Aidan Miller’s probably not far off.

  There’s too much money tied up long term and too many notable young pieces reaching the roster in the short term. If anything, they’d kind of walk the line on a middle ground.

LazerRamón

• What kind of contract do you see for Ramón Laureano and do you see him resigning or trying out FA again?

Steve Adams

• Our Contract Tracker is pretty good for drumming up comps based on players’ position, age, etc.
  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/contracttrackerLaureano’s going to be 32 in year one of a FA contract, which will cap the length at three years, probably. He probably falls in line somewhere with the $42MM for Profar/Haniger — maybe up to the $50MM received by Tyler O’Neill.

  So I’ll hedge and say something like 3/45, assuming his production holds.

Ingle

• Travis up now, I can’t be long after I get back from the injury list. Cleveland bar for catchers hitting is so low, Ingle will look like Johnny bench back there

Steve Adams

• The Guardians don’t seem to care if their catchers hit or not. They keep re-signing Austin Hedges, after all, and he might be the worst hitter in baseball.Ingle also went on the injured list a few days ago with a hip issue. I wouldn’t expect a call-up to be imminent, even though I’d probably already have had him on the roster over Naylor/Hedges.

The Skipper

• It’s not safe being a manager.

Steve Adams

• Pretty much every manager takes the job knowing it’s going to end with their firing

Billy

• What do the Royals need to do to get back in the playoff hunt?

Steve Adams

• I just don’t see that happening with this group. I didn’t pick them to make the playoffs before the season started, and now they’re in an 11-17 hole. I suppose the entire AL Central is weak enough that maybe they could get there, but the bullpen has been so bad and the lineup remains so top-heavy. This wasn’t a team that could afford a step back offensively from any of its top bats, but Vinnie and Sal Perez have been terrible thus far, while Witt and Garcia have had lesser seasons.I think Pasquantino will be fine eventually, but I also think some of the guys who are currently hitting (e.g. Kyle Isbel) are due for a huge crash that’ll offset some of that.

  Carter Jensen looks awesome though!

Lefty Shellhammer

• Devers is going to snap out of this horrendous start soon right?

Steve Adams

• I’m just not convinced he’s healthy. He had the disk injury in his lower back last summer and seemingly never did anything to have it corrected. Exit velo is way down. Contact rate, especially in the strike zone, is down. He’s chasing a ton more. Bat speed’s down noticeably from 2024.

Reds fan 14

• As of right now who’s your pick for ROY  in national League

Steve Adams

• Coinflip between Nolan McLean and Sal Stewart
• Probably slight lean toward Stewart, but it’s pretty early and I doubt things will be so close (one way or another) by season’s end.

Men Behaving Adley

• Has Colton Cowser cemented his future as “Kevin Keirmeier Lite”? More power but less glove and never going to hit enough?

Steve Adams

• I don’t like the Kiermaier comp. KK was one of the best defensive CFs in recent memory. Cowser is at best adequate there but probably below-average and better suited in a corner. He’s also consistently running strikeout rates north of 30%, which Kiermaier never did.I think Kiermaier’s just … better? At least right now. I’m honestly not all that high on Cowser in general and am not convinced he’s a regular.

Bobby Cox

• I know you liked the Yaz signing but he can’t hit at all. Terrible especially bs LH. You think we are good with Dubon in LF once Kim comes back or do we get a bat. Dubon trade of the yr.

Steve Adams

• I did not like the Yaz signing, haha. Perhaps thinking of Anthony Franco or Mark Polishuk? They gave Yaz probably 3x what I’d have paid him.That said, Yastrzemski’s hitting the ball decently hard with no results to show for it. He’s a good defender in the OF corners. Dubon is making Esteury Ruiz levels of hard contact (i.e. poor) and skating by with a .333 average on balls in play (and the highest strikeout rate he’s run since 2021).

  I think their numbers are bound to begin trending closer to one another before long, and I’d probably pick Yaz if asked to choose who’ll end up more productive on the season overall. (Still didn’t really like the signing though, haha)

Pads Fan

• I would love your thoughts on the Giolito signing?

Steve Adams

• Surprised how light the commitment was. I’m sure he had larger offers — or interest at larger numbers, if we’re being technical — earlier in the offseason. But even now, how do the Astros not beat that number? Or the Jays? Or any of the other teams in dire need of pitching?I’m not huge on Giolito in general, but there’s nothing to dislike about it from the Padres’ vantage point.

Believ—Land

• Do you think Bazzana is ready? I was kind of thinking he was just hitting his stride in AAA, and should remain there?

Steve Adams

• I’d probably have had him on the Opening Day roster over Arias.

Sophia

• Two managers down, 28 to go. Who gets the boot next?

Steve Adams

• Hard not to watch Houston and Queens carefully in the next week

David

• Why does there always seem such a desire to relegate Hyeseong Kim to the bench or minors when he’s hitting .300, plays good defense, and is speedy?

Steve Adams

• Kim does run and defend well, but the offense is tied up entirely in a .400 BABIP to this point in his career, which comes in spite of bottom-of-the-scale exit velos, hard-hit rates, etc.I don’t think he’s an impact hitter, and I imagine that’ll bear out before long over a larger sample. I doubt the Dodgers think he’s an everyday bat either.

Cosmo Kramer

• How about Trevor Story to the Braves… I think the Sox wouldn’t ask for much of a return, just take the Salary or least 60% of it.

Steve Adams

• I don’t see why Atlanta would want to do that.

ultramod2

• Seems like it would be pretty tough on Espada to can him when literally all his best pitchers are injured. But I guess baseball is a pretty tough business.

Steve Adams

• Jim Crane basically shoved James Click out the door as GM after he won a World Series. He chose not to extend either Espada or GM Dana Brown prior to the season, even though both are entering the final year of their contract.
• I don’t think “yeah but everyone’s hurt” is going to keep Espada safe if Crane gets frustrated and wants to make a change.

Bullpen Fever

• Miller is unhittable.  Morejon is throwing 101.  How good is this Padres bullpen?

Steve Adams

• The best in baseball. Said it before the season. Opinion hasn’t changed.

Think about this…

• Will Cora get another managing job somewhere? Would the cardinals make sense given his connection to Chaim bloom?

Steve Adams

• Based on reporting surrounding Bloom’s exit from Boston, I think Cora returning to Boston might be likelier than Cora going to St. Louis, haha

Savannah Bazzanas

• Expectations for Bazzana?  Who loses the most playing time with his arrival?

Steve Adams

• Tons of walks and extra-base hits near the top of the Cleveland lineup for a good while.Probably Gabriel Arias. I don’t understand the organization’s fascination with him in general.

Pasquale

• Kevin McGonigle ROY? Are Tigers saving Clark til late in season to protect his possible ROY for next season?

Steve Adams

• He’s in the running. Obviously way too soon to tell. So many great rookies in the AL … McGonigle, Murakami, Messick, Jensen, DeLauter (my preseason pick), Early, etc.
• I think Clark will be up this summer.

JeffyM82

• Do the Jays DFA Eloy and/or Sosa when Barger and Lukes are healthy?  Do you think either would clear waivers?

Steve Adams

• Eloy would. I’m sure he’s just a placeholder while everyone mends.Sosa, they at least gave up a low-level lotto ticket for, so maybe they want to hold him … but I don’t know, I thought he was trending toward a DFA in Chicago anyhow and was surprised Toronto gave anything up to get him.

Moneyball

• Thoughts on Carlos Cortes? I have always thought the A’s have or are going to have a position player logjam – is he good enough for them to start using some of that depth to make a play for some better pitching?

Steve Adams

• I have no clue what to make of Cortes. Honestly. Ha. He just stopped chasing, stopped whiffing … seemingly by will. It’s only 67 PAs, but it’s hard to fake that level of hit tool/plate discipline even in a sample that small.I don’t think he’s going to push them to a trade or anything, though. They’re not getting anything out of Butler and Rooker so far in ’26. Soderstrom has been fine but nowhere near 2025 levels.

  If the outfield were stacked with guys who were producing so well it was hard to see where Cortes could fit, it’d be one thing. Right now, that’s not the case.

  Fwiw, some of that better pitching is going to come internally. Jamie Arnold and Gage Jump aren’t far off.

Wasteful Rocktimism

• Anything major to be gleaned from Rockies turnaround of Senzi and Dollander in the early going?

Steve Adams

• Both look awesome. Senzatela is going to have genuine trade value this summer, which is something I never thought I’d say.Rockies fans will hunt me down and threaten my family, but screw it, I’d put Dollander out there this summer, too. The farm is terrible, they need tons of help, and the return would be absurd. Won’t happen, but as an enjoyer of baseball chaos, I am rooting for it.

  From a bigger-picture perspective, it seems like the new leadership is already better at incorporating data and improving players than the prior ever was.

Bryce Eldridge

• At what date do the Giants gain an extra year of eligibility? And will he get called up that same week? His K rate is high, but he surely doesn’t have much else to prove in AAA. He is who he is at this point…

Steve Adams

• Enough time has already passed that he can’t get a full year of service in 2026.
• Eldridge is running a 68% contact rate against Triple-A pitching. The average major league hitter’s contact rate is 76.7%. It’s not just a “high” strikeout rate. I think they’re right to worry that he’d be among the worst in MLB in terms of contact% and strikeout%, and I don’t blame them for wanting to see him improve those trends.

Think about this…

• Bazzana, Wetherholt, and McGonigle all profile very similarly. How would you rank them in order of who you’d rather have on your team.

Steve Adams

• They’ll all be good but I’m taking McGonigle pretty comfortably

Brewers fan

• Juan brito trade to the brewers for Luis matos who says no

Steve Adams

• Matos might clear waivers. No one’s giving up anything other than cash for him. Certainly not Brito

White Sox starting bats bats

• Is Everson Pereira going to be one of them for the rest of the year?

Steve Adams

• No, I’m not buying the hot start. It’s 69 PAs and he’s K’ing at a 30% clip with poor contact numbers, a massive chase rate and low-end batted ball quality.
• Good for him for finally getting some real MLB work and having a bit of success, but I’m not at all bullish on his chances of keeping it up.

matt

• Should the Phillies market Jhoan Duran? its a hard decision because they havent had a tough closer, but if they could get a potential everyday pre-arb bat from him, it could do wonders for the long term

Steve Adams

• If they’re not in contention this summer, I’d be listening on guys signed/controlled through ’27, which includes Duran, Brad Keller, Marsh, Stott

Dave Dombrowski

• Austin Hedges the worst hitter in MLB? Alec Bohm says hello.

Steve Adams

• This year, sure. But Hedges has been near or at the bottom of the league for several seasons. He has a 36 wRC+ dating back to 2023 (worst in MLB among players with 400+ PAs)

Dodger fan Jeff

• Since you think Kim isn’t loved by the Dodgers, do you think he has any trade value?  His contract is reasonable and has several years left.

Steve Adams

• I think they like Kim just fine. I just they probably don’t view him as an everyday bat. He’s being paid like a bench guy, and he’s a fine bench guy there who can play multiple spots, run a little bit, etc.

Tim Jones

• Is Michael Busch okay?  He’s looked awful so far this season.  Will we start seeing Matt Shaw play more first base even against righties if this continues?

Steve Adams

• I’m not super concerned about Busch. He’s hitting .281/.349/.421 over his past 2+ weeks (63 PAs). The batted-ball quality is shockingly low, but I wonder if some of that is just attributable to chasing more balls out of frustration. His contact numbers, walk rate, strikeout rate, etc. are all right in line with last year

Don Zimmer

• Injuries aside, will the Cubs ever pay for a real Bullpen?

Steve Adams

• Seems pretty clear they don’t like the idea of paying multiple years for relievers in most cases — Maton deal notwithstanding

Bucco Basement

• I am not seeing much hope for the Red Sox to come back and compete. If they have a poor May, do you think it’s possible they move Chapman and/or Duran and, if so, how can the Pirates get one or both of them (I’m much more interested in Chapman but Duran would be a great add, too)?

Steve Adams

• Chapman yeah. Duran would be hard to sell low on, unless he turns things around. Kiner-Falefa, Coulombe, Sonny Gray would all be names to watch, too

Smells Like Team Spirit

• Who gets (or should get) called up first?  Charlie Condon or Ryan Waldschmidt?

Steve Adams

• Waldschmidt’s hitting better and playing for the org (D-backs) that’s trying to win right now. I think Colorado will call Condon up at some point, but there’s no rush and I half wonder whether they’ll keep him down to try for 2027 PPI considerations.

Bird

• Why extend baz before rogers

Steve Adams

• Presumably because Baz — three years from free agency — was open to it and Rogers — six months from free agency — was not.
• At least not in a price range the O’s felt was reasonable.
• Alright. I’m on X @Adams_Steve and Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social. Always open to more questions there. Considering there were a couple people repeatedly bombarding me with the same question and then eventual insults, haha, it probably bears repeating that we get hundreds and often more than 1000 people in these chats, so I’m never going to get to all of the questions. Apologies for that.If you want more opinions and analysis from the MLBTR team, you can look into our Front Office subscription package, which gets you ad-free viewing, exclusive weekly articles, two weekly chats for subscribers only, fantasy baseball advice, access to all of our tools/databases (contract tracker, GM tracker, agency database, forthcoming team-by-team payroll info) and more.

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  Thanks all. Have a great week!