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2:01
: Welcome to the RosterResource Live Chat! We’ll be here for at least the next hour and will get to as many questions as possible. So ask away …
2:01
: Interested in who of Call, Young, Lile, or Hassell you think would generate the best return? A swap with an OF needy team for a bullpen arm feels like it makes way too much sense
Jon Becker: Toss-up between Hassell and Lile for me, since they both have six-plus years of club control and have been well-regarded (albeit at various points) as prospects. Call and Young are good players but they’re solid bench guys more than anything else, IMO. Remains to be seen if the Nats will actually be in position to buy at the deadline, though.
2:03
Jon Becker: Toss-up between Hassell and Lile for me, since they both have six-plus years of club control and have been well-regarded (albeit at various points) as prospects. Call and Young are good players but they’re solid bench guys more than anything else, IMO. Remains to be seen if the Nats will actually be in position to buy at the deadline, though.
2:03
: With Jobe done, assuming Sawyer Gibson Long is next in line? He’s looked sneakily good. Thinking Cobb may be toast.
Jason Martinez: Correct. At least until Cobb is ready. They didn’t give him $15MM for nothing. He only threw 2 IP in his 3rd rehab start so he”s at least 2 weeks away. But it’s going to be Montero vs Gipson-Long for the final spot once Reese Olson is back or if/when Cobb is back.
2:05
Jason Martinez: Correct. At least until Cobb is ready. They didn’t give him $15MM for nothing. He only threw 2 IP in his 3rd rehab start so he”s at least 2 weeks away. But it’s going to be Montero vs Gipson-Long for the final spot once Reese Olson is back or if/when Cobb is back.
2:05
: Which current closers do you see getting traded before the deadline?
Jon Becker: A few categories here so I’ll bucket them accordingly…
2:08
Jon Becker: A few categories here so I’ll bucket them accordingly…
Rental closers on non-contenders (sub-10% playoff odds): Pagán, Jansen, Finnegan
Non-rental closers on non-contenders: Mason Miller, Bednar, Bautista
Rental closers on fringe contenders (10-30% playoff odds): Chris Martin, Aroldis, Iglesias
Longer-term closers on fringe contenders: Robert Garcia, Megill, Estévez
Would also point out that the Yankees and Cardinals are both looking good but perhaps the Yankees give Williams a change of scenery if he’s still iffy-at-best come the deadline, or the Cardinals slump and end up moving Helsley. Surprised that one didn’t happen in the offseason.
2:10
: Been some chatter that Escarra is at risk when Stanton is ready, but the obvious move is Reyes no? I cannot believe theyd entrust backup C to Rice, and Reyes gives them zero. With Goldy and Stanton both needing to sit against righties some, and Jasson not hitting lefties at all, theyres still plenty of ABs to go around.
Jason Martinez: It doesn’t sound like they plan on Rice being the backup catcher so I’m assuming it would just be an occasional start to keep his bat in the lineup. But Escarra is only starting 1-2 times per week. He’s not a kid but could still be good to get him some regular at-bats in AAA for a few weeks. So if they feel comfortable enough with Rice catching 1-2 times per week, Escarra back to AAA is possible. Reyes doesn’t have much of a role, though, so my guess would be that he’s the odd man.
2:11
Jason Martinez: It doesn’t sound like they plan on Rice being the backup catcher so I’m assuming it would just be an occasional start to keep his bat in the lineup. But Escarra is only starting 1-2 times per week. He’s not a kid but could still be good to get him some regular at-bats in AAA for a few weeks. So if they feel comfortable enough with Rice catching 1-2 times per week, Escarra back to AAA is possible. Reyes doesn’t have much of a role, though, so my guess would be that he’s the odd man.
2:12
: What is the current state of the Braves bullpen. Who gets the saves going forward?
Jon Becker: I would think the plan is to get Iglesias on a good run of scoreless (or at least good) appearances before giving him back the job, because it’s not like they’ve got anyone else super obvious for the job. Pierce Johnson gave up two walk-off losses in a row, Enyel De Los Santos doesn’t really have the track record, Aaron Bummer has been more multi-inning lately… so maybe Dylan Lee if not Iglesias? But Snitker’s going to be situational about it, it sounds like, just not going well so far!
2:14
Jon Becker: I would think the plan is to get Iglesias on a good run of scoreless (or at least good) appearances before giving him back the job, because it’s not like they’ve got anyone else super obvious for the job. Pierce Johnson gave up two walk-off losses in a row, Enyel De Los Santos doesn’t really have the track record, Aaron Bummer has been more multi-inning lately… so maybe Dylan Lee if not Iglesias? But Snitker’s going to be situational about it, it sounds like, just not going well so far!
2:15
: Dominic Canzone got any post-hype juice? Mastrobuoni seems like a very surmountable obstacle to being the big half of a platoon
Jason Martinez: Yes, there should be a small window here until Raley is back from the IL (rehab assignment begins today). He’s having a great season in AAA, which could be fluky but it’s enough to earn him a legit opportunity. Sitting on the bench his first game back with Mastrobuoni starting in RF wasn’t a great sign, but maybe he arrived late to the ballpark or something like that. He did start the next game and we’ll see what happens tomorrow when they face Gavin Williams.
2:17
Jason Martinez: Yes, there should be a small window here until Raley is back from the IL (rehab assignment begins today). He’s having a great season in AAA, which could be fluky but it’s enough to earn him a legit opportunity. Sitting on the bench his first game back with Mastrobuoni starting in RF wasn’t a great sign, but maybe he arrived late to the ballpark or something like that. He did start the next game and we’ll see what happens tomorrow when they face Gavin Williams.
2:17
: Hey — thanks for the chat. It must be tough to line up pitching rotations so consider this a philosophical question. Is Colin Rea really the Cubs’ SP2? I would interpret that as he’s the Cubs second pitcher rather than second up in the order, which seems to be the intent. I’d be curious as to your approach to this question.
Jon Becker: The way we do it is to have the team’s best pitcher first, and then go from there in order of how they actually pitch in rotation. For the Cubs, Boyd has been their best starter who’s currently healthy, and Rea just so happens to pitch after him — we’re not saying Rea is the second-best pitcher. Jason can speak more to the nomenclature there, though!
Jason Martinez: Yep, that’s it. Sorting them based on how their team likely values them is done in the offseason. Once the season begins, none of that matters aside from who is this team’s Ace/No.1.
2:19
Jon Becker: The way we do it is to have the team’s best pitcher first, and then go from there in order of how they actually pitch in rotation. For the Cubs, Boyd has been their best starter who’s currently healthy, and Rea just so happens to pitch after him — we’re not saying Rea is the second-best pitcher. Jason can speak more to the nomenclature there, though!
2:21
Jason Martinez: Yep, that’s it. Sorting them based on how their team likely values them is done in the offseason. Once the season begins, none of that matters aside from who is this team’s Ace/No.1.
2:21
: Anything to Soderstrom’s 1B/OF splits?
Jason Martinez: Kurtz’s injury put the Soderstrom LF experiment on hold for a bit but it does seem necessary if they want to get all the best bats in the lineup. I’m guessing that Soderstrom in LF, Kurtz at 1B, and Rooker at DH is their preference.
2:23
Jason Martinez: Kurtz’s injury put the Soderstrom LF experiment on hold for a bit but it does seem necessary if they want to get all the best bats in the lineup. I’m guessing that Soderstrom in LF, Kurtz at 1B, and Rooker at DH is their preference.
2:23
: Do you see the Orioles acquiring a SP at trade deadline?
Jon Becker: If they’re miraculously contending they’ll absolutely need one, but if they’re on the selling side (as is likely) I don’t think they’d explicitly target pitching as the return. Rather, they’d just try to get the best package available and sort it out later, perhaps by flipping some hitters in the offseason.
2:24
Jon Becker: If they’re miraculously contending they’ll absolutely need one, but if they’re on the selling side (as is likely) I don’t think they’d explicitly target pitching as the return. Rather, they’d just try to get the best package available and sort it out later, perhaps by flipping some hitters in the offseason.
2:24
: What do you think the Cubs do with the rotation when Shota returns in (hopefully) a couple weeks?
Jason Martinez: If they had to make that decision today, I think Brown would go to AAA and Horton would stick around. Brown dominates at times but also has had too many starts where he doesn’t give his team a chance to win. Not the case for Horton, who hasn’t dominated yet but has held his own so far. They should each have a couple more starts before that decision has to be made.
2:26
Jason Martinez: If they had to make that decision today, I think Brown would go to AAA and Horton would stick around. Brown dominates at times but also has had too many starts where he doesn’t give his team a chance to win. Not the case for Horton, who hasn’t dominated yet but has held his own so far. They should each have a couple more starts before that decision has to be made.
2:28
: Goldschmidt going to go into at least a soft platoon role with Rice when Stanton is back? Looks to me like 1B/DH will be split 3.5 ways between the three plus sometimes Judge (assuming all healthy)
Jon Becker: I think that’s the right idea, yeah. Goldschmidt’s been below-average against righties, and that doesn’t mean he’ll sit against all of them, but Stanton should and surely will get the chance to prove he can outperform Goldy there.
2:28
Jon Becker: I think that’s the right idea, yeah. Goldschmidt’s been below-average against righties, and that doesn’t mean he’ll sit against all of them, but Stanton should and surely will get the chance to prove he can outperform Goldy there.
2:29
: Is there anything to explain Keibert Ruiz getting this many innings and ABs? Since signing his extension in 2023 his innings as a catcher rank 4th, 8th, 3rd while posting a 79 wRC+ and being the lowest ranked framer and one of the lowest ranked blockers in MLB.
Jason Martinez: I’m sure the Nats have an explanation. Looks like it’s been a straight platoon with Adams for at least the last week or two so maybe they’re finally easing back on his workload now that he hasn’t been hitting much for a few weeks. Catching is such a difficult position to judge. Most catchers don’t put up good hitting numbers consistently. Some catchers are better at calling games, leading a pitching staff, etc. and some are better at blocking, throwing, etc. I’m sure the long-term contract has something to do with how much they use him because they decided that he’s their guy. But they also don’t really have other better options right now.
2:32
Jason Martinez: I’m sure the Nats have an explanation. Looks like it’s been a straight platoon with Adams for at least the last week or two so maybe they’re finally easing back on his workload now that he hasn’t been hitting much for a few weeks. Catching is such a difficult position to judge. Most catchers don’t put up good hitting numbers consistently. Some catchers are better at calling games, leading a pitching staff, etc. and some are better at blocking, throwing, etc. I’m sure the long-term contract has something to do with how much they use him because they decided that he’s their guy. But they also don’t really have other better options right now.
2:33
: You think Colt Keith can play 3B well enough to keep himself in the lineup? Hard to see how else he gets to play regularly.
Jon Becker: He’s not as good defensively as McKinstry, but I think Keith can hold his own there if the matchups are such that Hinch wants Keith in the lineup (which should still be against just about every righty). You can still hurt your team defensively at third, for sure, but there’s also relatively few opportunities there so as long as he’s not truly bad over there, they’ll make it work.
2:34
Jon Becker: He’s not as good defensively as McKinstry, but I think Keith can hold his own there if the matchups are such that Hinch wants Keith in the lineup (which should still be against just about every righty). You can still hurt your team defensively at third, for sure, but there’s also relatively few opportunities there so as long as he’s not truly bad over there, they’ll make it work.
2:34
: Curious as to why you have Tanner Scott still listed as the dodgers sole closer? Roberts recently said that they didn’t have a set closer and since then Scott has had 2 save opportunities and has pitched the 8th twice.
Jason Martinez: Even when he was struggling, I don’t think I had changed projected roles in that bullpen because there was no obvious choice to replace him and I knew Roberts would’ve used just about anyone depending on the situation. Even guys like Ureña and Stratton, just because Roberts likes to flex that he can do questionable things and it doesn’t matter because they’re gonna run away with the division at some point. Scott has been much better as of late so I believe he’s their primary closer, but I think it’s one of those cases where he could still pitch the 8th inning based on match-ups. I’d need to see more of a trend before deciding who else would be in that mix for saves (probably Vesia, Yates).
2:38
Jason Martinez: Even when he was struggling, I don’t think I had changed projected roles in that bullpen because there was no obvious choice to replace him and I knew Roberts would’ve used just about anyone depending on the situation. Even guys like Ureña and Stratton, just because Roberts likes to flex that he can do questionable things and it doesn’t matter because they’re gonna run away with the division at some point. Scott has been much better as of late so I believe he’s their primary closer, but I think it’s one of those cases where he could still pitch the 8th inning based on match-ups. I’d need to see more of a trend before deciding who else would be in that mix for saves (probably Vesia, Yates).
2:38
: Regarding Soderstrom’s 1B/OF splits. Apologies. I meant his performance so far as a 1B versus OF. Has been much better as a 1B. Just small sample size comfort level?
Jason Martinez: I haven’t seen him play out there and it’s way too small of a sample to get much from the stats. A’s fans would probably have an opinion based on the eye test. He doesn’t have much experience out there so I’m sure it’s not great. He wasn’t very good at 1B or C, either. But he’s a good athlete so there’s hope he can at least become an adequate LF, which is fine since their CF (Denzel Clarke) seems like he can cover the entire OF all by himself.
Jason Martinez: At this point, I think we’re going to have to end the chat since there are technical difficulties on FanGraphs (apparently much of the internet) and readers have not been able to access blog posts for the last 15 minutes. And that means we have no more questions. We’ll plan on making up for it next week and you can also just send us questions on Twitter or BlueSky. Have a great rest of the day!
2:40
Jason Martinez: I haven’t seen him play out there and it’s way too small of a sample to get much from the stats. A’s fans would probably have an opinion based on the eye test. He doesn’t have much experience out there so I’m sure it’s not great. He wasn’t very good at 1B or C, either. But he’s a good athlete so there’s hope he can at least become an adequate LF, which is fine since their CF (Denzel Clarke) seems like he can cover the entire OF all by himself.
2:43
Jason Martinez: At this point, I think we’re going to have to end the chat since there are technical difficulties on FanGraphs (apparently much of the internet) and readers have not been able to access blog posts for the last 15 minutes. And that means we have no more questions. We’ll plan on making up for it next week and you can also just send us questions on Twitter or BlueSky. Have a great rest of the day!
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