Steve Adams' NL Central comments

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mikechamp
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Steve Adams' NL Central comments

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These comments came from a chat with MLB Trade Rumors' Steve Adams that occurred on September 27. (If you like him, you can find him on Twitter @Adams_Steve.)

He talked about every team but the Reds this time. No bonus Q&As.

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://www.jotcast.com/chat/chat-with- ... 14028.html

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Where will Wilson Contreras be playing in 2023? Could he get a QO?

Steve Adams
It's not a matter of "could" he get a QO. He'll get one, and he'll reject it. The question of where he'll go is tougher. It seems like the ship has sailed on a long-term deal with the Cubs by now... the Angels, Rockies, Guardians, Tigers, Twins and Marlins are among the teams that could use help behind the plate.
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Just in case in the event that NYY are not able to convince Judge to resign, who would be your top pick for his new club?

Steve Adams
The Giants are the popular pick because Judge is a Northern California native, the Giants pursued Harper in free agency, they have the money and the 2022 season was pretty disappointing.

I can see plenty of sense there, but I also think (cue the eye rolls) that AJ Preller's quest to pursue every marquee name that hits free agency or the trade market would make things interesting. For all the big moves, the Padres "only" have about $127MM on the books next year. Signing Judge would for sure make them three-time luxury offenders, but their farm is pretty stripped down after the Soto trade... so if they want to add another big-ticket item, free agency is the way to go. Soto and Judge in the corners would be something.

That's just speculative, of course, and you can bet there'll be interest from a wide number of teams. Rangers, Giants, Padres, Mets, Dodgers, Cubs... there'll be dark-horse teams on the periphery, too. Judge's free agency is going to be bonkers and going to be fun.
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Do you think Miguel Andujar fits into the Pirates plans in 2023?

Steve Adams
Their roster is still fairly wide open, and Andujar can play a combination of 1B/3B/LF/DH for them. Pretty easy to fit him into the mix. Hope they just give him 500+ PAs and see if he can justify the everyday (or near everyday) role. Andujar was a good player in his rookie season, and I understand the circumstances that led to him getting squeezed out with the Yankees, but I've always been curious how he'd do with another chance at a prominent role. I was surprised the Nationals, of all teams, opted not to claim him.
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Which pitcher would bring back a bigger haul if traded this winter, Bieber or Burnes?

Steve Adams
Burnes, pretty comfortably. No knock on Bieber, who's a damn good pitcher in his own right, but he's had some velocity loss and doesn't have the raw power arsenal of Burnes. Bieber has the better ERA, and Burnes has faltered down the stretch in Milwaukee, but he's still more in demand this winter I think (assuming both are healthy).
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Keller, Contreras, Ortiz, Burrows, Priester… If the Pirates add a FA SP, do they have the talent and SP depth (Oviedo, Brubaker, Bolton) to sneak up on the Cards and Brewers next year?

Steve Adams
No, I don't think so. I'm big on Keller since he added the sinker, I like Contreras, and Ortiz is one of the most quietly interesting arms in MLB right now. But the Pirates can't bank on all those arms to stay healthy, and some will probably regress/stall in development, too. They also need more bullpen help and don't have anything immediate at catcher or really in the outfield corners.

Once 2024 rolls around, maybe, but I think their best-case scenario in '23 is an 2022 Orioles-esque run, and they'd need SO much to break right for even that to play out.
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Can 2022 end with a better fairy tale conclusion than Pujols 700, he and Yadi retire, Goldschmidt wins MVP, and Cards win WS? I think not.

Steve Adams
Wainwright could announce he's coming back for one more year? Arenado could publicly declare he'll forgo the opt-out right after your hypothetical World Series win? Lars Nootbar could sign a 12-year, $12MM extension? Haha.

I think the scenario you laid out is about as good as it could get for Cardinals fans, and it's not impossible!
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Is Adam Wainwright a Hall of Famer?

Steve Adams
I think he should be, but he's probably a borderline case for more than a few voters.
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Should the Cubs go with FA/trades to find their next 1B, or do they give Magic Mervis a shot?

Steve Adams
It can be both. Matt Mervis has had a huge year between A+, AA and AAA for the Cubs, and while he's never really ranked as a prospect of note, it's hard to ignore .310/.380/.610 and 36 homers.

The Cubs don't have much at 1B or DH -- you can non-tender Franmil -- so there's room to give Mervis an earnest shot at one of those spots while also bringing in a free agent or trade acquisition.
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Why have the Pirates retained their manager in spite of the teams worsening record each year?

Steve Adams
They're not even trying to win right now, so Shelton's not going to be judged based on the team's record.
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