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Craig Goldstein is the editor-in-chief of Baseball Prospectus.
Craig Goldstein: I'm going to file a grievance against all of you unless you're nice. Let's chat.
Paulo (Phoenix): Thoughts on the Dbacks trade for Marte?
Craig Goldstein: I actually liked it for both sides. There's a lot of risk going on in acquiring guys as far away as Peguero and Malone, but those are high-upside plays that could pay off substantially. For the D'Backs I think it makes a ton of sense. They needed another bat (and still need one more, imo), and I think Marte's offense is going to play well in the alleys in Arizona. Lengthens their lineup, moves Ketel back to 2B which is good for their overall defense. Lots of positive knock-on benefits for 'Zona.
bob (philly): Hi Craig,
I have the first pick in our NL only rookie draft and these are the best "available" players in our league: Carlson,Abrams,Luciano,S.Howard,Patino, Pache,Waters,Varsho,K.Robinson,B.Marquez Hoerner and J.Downs----Who would be your Top 3 choices from that group? Thx.
Craig Goldstein: Carlson, Robinson, Luciano for me.
definitely not a BP writer (Maryland): Craig which team essay in the BP Annual is the best one? Or more diplomatically, which essay would you encourage someone to read first? I'd ask which you will read first but I assume you've read them all.
Craig Goldstein: My personal favorite was Clarissa Young's Oakland essay, though Adam Sobsey on the Rays is brilliant, Justin Klugh's Marlins essay was inspired, and David Roth is...Rothian. There are so many good ones though. It's so worth your time.
Chino5 (Moe's Tavern): Keston Hiura vs. Gavin Lux: If you were starting a team from scratch and could have only one, who would you take?
Bonus question: Same scenario as above, would you take Pedro Guerrero Jr. or Juan Soto?
Double bonus question: Should Liverpool sell Mo Salah this summer?
Craig Goldstein: I'd probably take Lux given his defensive value (he could play short). I will assume you mean Vlad Jr. but I'd still take Soto. No way on selling Salah.
one of those new, awful new era hats (Montana): Which one of these teams is closest to (or in your opinion, within) the top five in the NL: The Diamondbacks or the Phillies
Craig Goldstein: Give me the DBacks. I really like what they've done in terms of depth. The Phillies have a lot of upside but it relies on their topline guys staying healthy. I think people are underestimating what Arizona has now at the upper levels. Their flashy guys are further off, but they have a bunch of multipositional types to cover injury and their starting pitching depth is really impressive. Corbin Martin will be healthy at some point, Alex Young was really good last year in limited time, Duplantier, Widener...it's a lot of guys to cycle through (and help the bullpen if needed).
Craig (Chicago ): Do you expect Jared Olivia to get a chance in PIT now that Marte is gone?
Craig Goldstein: Got a couple Olivia questions, so I'll use this to answer both: I'm not super optimistic, it sounds like Pittbsurgh is looking to add a CF (Pillar?) after dealing away Marte.
MK (Houston): Amed Rosario vs Cavan Biggio. Who has the more valuable roto outlook over the next three years?
Craig Goldstein: I think I'd still take Rosario? My big concern with Biggio is that I'm not sure how sustainable the walk rate he had last year is, and if he's going to be that passive, I think the league will adapt.
Louie (Akron): Josh Rojas- someone to get excited about or move along?
Craig Goldstein: In between? I like him but I'm not expecting a star. Definitely a guy you're happy to have in the org though.
Tino (NC): Peguero, Chisholm, Perdomo- rank 'em (please?)
Craig Goldstein: Perdomo, Peguero, Chisholm for me, but I'm probably a bit more worried about Jazz's swing and miss than others. (Our 101 had a different order, for example).
Brandon (MO ): Dustin May is a top 40 SP this year given 150-160 innings?
Craig Goldstein: Yeah I think so.
Felix (Mexico): Seems like all outlets agree that Reds 3B prospect Tyler Callihan is a worse defender than a garbage can leaving his position unknown. However, it also seems like all outlets agree that the bat could be special. If defense were not a factor, how close is Callihan's bat to the other elite guys in the 2019 draft? (Bleday, Greene, Jung, Baty, etc)
Craig Goldstein: I think this is overplaying how bad he is at 3B and how good the bat might be. He's short of those guys in terms of the bat.
Bizarro Craig (I have good opinions) (New York): Do you think teams like the Diamondbacks and Reds have done a good job, or attempt at least, keeping themselves relevant during rebuilds? Or are they just failing to push through to the final stage?
Craig Goldstein: Diamondbacks yes (they've stayed above .500 for a while now) and Reds not so much. I liked what they did last year but it wasn't really indicative of their performance before 2019. In terms of whether I like both *right now*, yes. I appreciate that they're both making a push and trying to be competitive. I don't fully know what Arizona could do to put them on par with the Dodgers heading into the season (which isn't to say they can't beat them during it), but I suppose I'd like to see Cincy try to address shortstop more meaningfully than Freddy Galvis or "we'll put one of our outfielders there."
Not Yuri (Over here): I have several empty pillow cases and several full bars of soap. I just need 4-5 volunteers and I can shut Yuri up once and for all. Oh yea what do you expect out of Miguel Andujar this year?
Craig Goldstein: This is dedication. Bad defense, solid offense? I was never as high on the bat as others (and was wrong about that) but I suppose I still harbor those concerns plus the injury effects. Shoulders can be tricky to come back from for hitters, and often take a few years to return to full form.
Phred (Indianapolis): Proud owner of every BP except 1996. Do you know if the '96 in book form is available anywhere?
Craig Goldstein: Someone wanna help Phred out? I'd honestly assume you'd have to go through eBay or something like that to track it down.
L-Train (NYC): Give: Darvish
Get: Leclerc, G. Perdomo
League: 12 team dynasty, no salaries, 20 240 minor leaguers rostered.
Need saves, have SP depth.
Too light of a return? Would be betting big on Perdomo to blossom. Thank you.
Craig Goldstein: I don't mind betting on Perdomo to blossom but if you're building that into the acquisition cost, you're importing the risk. I'd say too light.
Donnymo (Davis): Alright,
the elephant in the room:
will Jo Adell make the 2020 Opening Day roster for the Angels?
Craig Goldstein: No. I'd guess May-ish if I had to.
Roxie (Paducah): Sam Hilliard - nice power speed but fair amount of strikeouts . Nice end game play in a 10 team nl only?
Craig Goldstein: Absolutely.
ab257 (CT): Who do you like better, Tarik Skubal or Spencer Howard?
Craig Goldstein: Howard. I am intrigued by Skubal but the injury concerns are present in a long term sense. The stuff is really fun, though.
Robert Nutting (Pittsburgh, PA): First time, long time, I've got a ton of financial flexibility for the next decade. What would you recommend to pivot that flexibility into wins? Do you think I can win without losing surplus value? I'll hang up and listen.
Craig Goldstein: Everyone knows you don't pivot flexibility, Bobby. You just keep saying it while lowering payroll and taking better vacations.
Craig (Chicago): Thoughts on Tommy Pham as he heads into new league/team?
Craig Goldstein: The context doesn't change much for me. I expect him to be a solid, high-OBP guy and show some power/speed. I like the fit for the Padres, for sure.
jwise224 (PDX): Old friend here. I'm loving all of the D-backs chatter. Here's my Q: it looks like maybe only the Brewers will be both consider an N.L. playoff contender AND run a lower payroll than Arizona. If Mike Hazen had another $30 million to play with, where could this team be?
Craig Goldstein: I'd expect another $30 million to get sunk into first base and the relief corps. As I mentioned, the depth is all there, so at that point I think you're going for impact. Maybe you believe in Christian Walker or Jake Lamb (or a platoon), but $30 million can give you the luxury of finding someone better and not just "believing."
Buddy (Peoria, IL): Despite the ruling (finally), I still don't see the Cubs dealing Bryant. However, Contreras for a SP makes good sense to me. Your thoughts?
Craig Goldstein: Yeah I'm not sure they deal him either. I do think that makes a solid amount of sense but I'm not sure why they couldn't have done that up to this point, either.
spotted cow (Rockford ): The Cubs placed 4 prospects in your 101 and kris Bryant's on the team through 21, would you expect them to trade him and just try and get more top 101 prospects or go 3/4ths of the way in like last year for the next two?
Craig Goldstein: As mentioned in the last question, I don't think they end up dealing him because of this, though maybe a team steps up now that they know they have two years. I still think Atlanta makes SO much sense, even with Ozuna for a year. They have a bunch of outfielders and arms and the Cubs could use both.
Craig (Chicago): How many SFG position players this year are long term keepers for them in your mind? Dubon a potential breakout player for them?
Craig Goldstein: Three? Four? Probably less than five. Potential? I suppose, but I think he's more of a second-division starter than breakout star type.
Jefferson Airplane (Boston): Disappointed that you weren't part of the BP drinking game again this year. Any chance of you and/or Ben being back for next years edition?
Craig Goldstein: Yeah, probably? I edited a third of the comments and read more on backreads and also I just couldn't get my schedule to much up. Hopefully next year it works. Always fun to listen and play along though.
Craig (Chicago): What is the expected timeline for Spencer Howard to get a call up? What is a reasonable expectation for performance upon call up?
Craig Goldstein: Mid-June? I'm guessing there, I don't have a great sense if Philly would turn to him if someone is out for a bit or if they'd try to spot start like, Enyel De Los Santos for a little. I'd expect him to miss bats and miss the zone, not the type to dominate immediately.
Dan (NY): I saw a report that the Mets balked at Pirates as for Marte because deal would have to include top prospects, a Brandon NImmo type, or a *Dom Smith type*...
Isn't Dom exactly the kind of player the Mets should be looking to trade for Marte.
I've struggled with trying to assess his value--what do you think, in prospect terms, is Dom Smith value? (ex. one back-end top 100 type, a top 150 type and a top 200 type, etc)
Thank you!!
Craig Goldstein: If I'm the Mets, yes I'm looking to trade Dom. He was better than I expected offensively but I really don't get the value of trotting him out in the outfield and as a pinch hitter. They're pretty set in the OF corners and McNeil gives them a ton of flexibility if they need to move guys around. I'd say probably a 150-200 type but I've never been super high on Smith, and there's a lot of fluidity/subjectivity on who falls in the 150-200 range compared to say the 100-150 range.
Vic (Baltimore): In a 15 team 5 x 5 with 2 catchers, I plan on waiting until the very end for the 2nd catcher. Which catchers, ranked 25-40, do you expect to get 300+ ABs and bat .250+?
Craig Goldstein: I don't have a sense of ranked catchers 25-40. Our tiered rankings only went to 30 and our dynasty rankings mixed in a bunch of prospects. I'd rec referencing our -Only league writeups on catchers if you're looking for deep league analysis: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/fantasy/article/56441/the-only-league-landscape-2020-catchers/
All our Luises are belong to us (Seattle): Luis Gil or Luis Medina?
Craig Goldstein: I think I'd go Medina.
Vic (Baltimore): In a 15 team 5 x 5 keeper league with about 100 players being kept, I can keep Barreto and Teoscar with a round 23 pick. Should I keep neither, one or them, or both? I would lose a 22nd if I keep both.
Also, what about M Andujar with a 12th rounder?
Craig Goldstein: I'd probably keep Teoscar but it is a boom/bust situation. Still, at that round, there's likely some surplus. Andujar is a tough one. I'd probably keep him and hope for the best? Just not expecting a ton of value in the 12th round and he could hit well.
Craig (Chicago): Will Harold Ramirez get a chance in MIA this season for real playing time? Does he need Brinson to start slow to get a shot?
Craig Goldstein: Yeah, I don't see why they wouldn't give him time, he played a ton for them last year. I guess Joyce and Dickerson crowd him out but Dickerson gets hurt frequently, Brinson and Sierra haven't proven they can hit. Ramirez was merely adequate last year but that's better than a lot of Marlins options.
Craig Goldstein: Alright everyone, thanks for the questions. Got to 30 of 'em in 45 minutes. Will work on my efficiency for next week's chat! Jesse Roche will be chatting Friday and answering all your fantasy questions!
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