Connor Byrne's NL Central comments

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mikechamp
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Connor Byrne's NL Central comments

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These comments came from a chat with MLB Trade Rumors' Connor Byrne that occurred on September 16. There was a decent amount of NL Central content for it only being an hour chat. I also included one bonus Q&A about the expanded playoffs, since that is a whole other thread and people seem interested in the topic.

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://www.jotcast.com/chat/mlbtr-live ... -8816.html

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I know most of their win streak has been against the Pirates, but do you think they can take this momentum and sneak into the playoffs? It isn't like the wild card teams or even the 2nd team in the NL Central has taken charge.

Connor Byrne
Sure. The NL is wide open & the Reds are pretty talented despite their struggles. I had them as the Central division winners entering the season (oops), so I'm not bailing on them yet.
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Can you see the Twins signing Trevor Bauer this offseason?

Connor Byrne
If Bauer sticks to looking for a high-paying one-year deal, I could see a lot of teams in on him, including the Twins.
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deGrom, Bauer, or Darvish for the NL Cy Young?

Connor Byrne
deGrom's my pick right now, but we'll see how his start tonight goes.
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Does Votto's home run binge including one over 113 MPH exit velo, show he still has life in his bat, or is he still mostly cooked?

Connor Byrne
There's definitely life left in the bat, and you know Votto's going to work extremely hard in the offseason to right himself.
Votto's wOBA: .329. Votto's xwOBA: .374
I'm not burying that guy.
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Have you ever seen a worse offensive outfield than the Cardinals are parading out there? Is it a complete team re-build when you add in Matt Carpenter's continual problems?

Connor Byrne
It's pretty bad, but I'm confident there have been worse. They seem oddly fond of Rangel Ravelo.
Also, no, I don't think it's a complete team rebuild.

Disappointing year so far, but they got ravaged by the coronavirus earlier and are still in the hunt.
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Would Bauer take 3yr/$60M or would he walk for more years?

Connor Byrne
Well, it seems like he wants fewer years, but I don't think 3/60 would get it done either way.
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What return do the Pirates receive for Josh Bell this offseason?

Connor Byrne
A relatively weak one with the season he's having. I'd keep him from the Pirates' standpoint, hope he bounces back, and then re-evaluate.
He's a Boras client, though, so he's not long for Pittsburgh.
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This year it was OK, but expanded playoffs during a 162 game season is an unmitigated disaster, agreed?

Connor Byrne
I've kind of warmed up to the concept of an expanded playoffs going forward, and it shocks me to say that because I've always been vehemently against it. I guess it doesn't hurt to keep more teams in the hunt from start to finish and keep fans interested.

For those who missed it, commissioner Rob Manfred seems to want the expanded playoffs to continue: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/09/ ... -2021.html
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