Anthony Franco | March 13, 2026, 2:00 PM CDT
Anthony Franco
- Good afternoon. I hope you all had a great week!
- Less than two weeks left until opening day! Let’s roll
fake luggage
- I think the Yankees should start the season with Carlos Lagrange in the bullpen. Why waste those bullets in the minor leagues? Is there any reason not to?
Anthony Franco
- I think they’ll start him in Triple-A to keep open the long-term possibility of him becoming a starter, but considering how far the control has to go, I’d be tempted to throw him in an MLB bullpen as well.
- Some of it depends on what you think of Cade Winquest. It’s hard to play these two in a low-level role, at least to start the season. Apparently Winquest is in St. Petersburg. If Louis doesn’t grab him, he’ll have to be offered again. Lagrange, on the other hand, could open in the minors without earning a 40-man spot, giving him a little more time for a Rule 5 decision.
resol
- Do you think Casas will be productive in the socks in 2026? Or do you think Contreras will trade him?
Anthony Franco
- I think deadline deals are ideal for everyone. You have to be healthy first before it’s really an option. The National Pit is easy with the Toboni connection, but it’s also the most reasonable connection since there’s nothing at first base and lots of runway.
ben cherington
- I am fortunate that Tim was able to prove my innocence in my case. incompetence In this week’s mailbag, I decided not to trade with 3B!
Anthony Franco
- Haha, there’s a much longer team analysis of Pittsburgh’s third base situation that this question is referring to.
- https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/mlb-mailbag-pirates-shortstops-…
- I completely disagree with him. I think the Abrams is a very solid upgrade over the Triolo, for example. But I’m also generally okay with Triolo as a low-end regular for a while, considering how many different moves they’ve made offensively.
- If Donovan’s cost was something like Barco, Termarr, and Triolo (which Tim floated as a loosely included component of the package he brought in from Seattle, not saying St. Louis would have definitely done that), I would say I would have easily jumped on that if I were the Bucs.
black and gold
- For Pirates Starting 4, it’s pretty much set to clay. (Skenes, Kellar, Chandler, Ashcraft) Who is the likely runner for 5th place?
Anthony Franco
- Urquidy should be on an MLB roster, so I think he’s pretty well locked in there for at least a few starts.
- If he’s posting a 7.00 ERA with multiple home runs in mid-May, they could pull the plug and go for Barco or Harrington.
Stupid Faelson
- Are we likely to see a breakout from Masyn Wynn this year? He has a few games under his belt and has a 60 hit tool projection.
Anthony Franco
- If you look at his hitting tools as throwing the ball in play and hitting for average, he’s not far from 60. The bigger problem is that it’s not very valuable (at least offensively) when it comes with minimal walk or power.
- I think there’s a little more to it than he showed. He should hit double-digit home runs every year with 30 doubles. The approach is good enough for me to inherit his career 6.5% walk rate. I can see his 2024 numbers being in the mid-20s, which is really good when you’re a top-three defensive shortstop.
- Also consider that some of the long hits may come from him being more aggressive once he’s fully past his knee issue. He didn’t hit any triples last year, which is likely due to playing through a meniscus injury, which is characteristic of the player. Swapping a few doubles for triples during the season can add a few more slugs without making any changes to your plate appearances.
customer
- Is it my imagination or is Detroit hiding a shortstop? Starting with McGonigle, six of the top 30 players are shortstops. I understand that if you play short, you’re probably athletic enough to play somewhere else. Are you trading some for pitches because you can’t play them short?
Still A
- Will Kevin McGonigle be on the Tigers’ Opening Day roster?
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