Steve Adams' NL Central comments

[mikechamp]

These comments came from a chat with MLB Trade Rumors' writer Steve Adams that occurred on March 31. (If you like him, you can find him on Twitter @Adams_Steve and Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social.)

A lot fewer questions this week, so I included 3 bonus Q&As: one about the ABS system, one about Manager of the Year, and one about options. Enjoy!

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/ ... t-118.html
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Thoughts on the Pratt extension?

Steve Adams
We talked about this at length and all the other recent extensions on the episode of the podcast we recorded this morning. That’ll drop tomorrow, so check that out in the morning.In general, I’m surprised for a few reasons. Pratt seems to have a lower ceiling than some of their other infield prospects, and the Brewers in general are deep there. Beyond Pratt, there’s Jett Williams, Jesus Made, Luis Pena, Andrew Fischer. Turang is controlled four more years (though I’m sure they’ll trade him at some point closer to free agency)

Pratt is also more glove-and-speed oriented, which isn’t going to pay as well in arbitration. And he’s repped by Scott Boras, which is a different brand of surprising.

I don’t think it’s some catastrophically bad deal or anything, but I question why there was such urgency to get Pratt in particular signed. Maybe he’s just the only one of their young infield guys who was amenable to signing in a price range deemed acceptable by ownership.
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Two eligible players available: Jake Burger and Sal Stewart. Which is the better pickup?

Steve Adams
For fantasy? Stewart all day, every day. Not close.
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What team is the odds-on early favorite to trade for Matt Shaw at the deadline?

Steve Adams
I don’t think it’s really a foregone conclusion — at least not this summer. He’s going to play five or six positions, with all four infield spots and the outfield corners probably in play. People are going to get hurt. He’ll get his ABs.Long-term, I think a trade makes perfectly good sense, but since quality depth is going to be hard to come by following the deadline, I’d assume the Cubs just hang onto him for the utility role this year.
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Who are your picks for MVP, Cy Young and RoY?

Steve Adams
We send our staff predictions out to Trade Rumors subscribers every year! (Cheap plug)My very wrong picks, as set in place on March 24:

AL East: Blue Jays
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Mariners
Wild Card: Orioles
Wild Card: Yankees
Wild Card: Red Sox

NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
Wild Card: Brewers
Wild Card: Mets
Wild Card: Reds

AL MVP: Gunnar Henderson
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani

AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal
NL Cy Young: Yoshinobu Yamamoto

AL ROY: Chase DeLauter
NL ROY: Konnor Griffin

World Series: Mariners over Dodgers
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Will Konnor be up by Memorial Day?

Steve Adams
I still think there’s a decent chance he’s up before April 9, since he could still get a full year of service then and still be PPI eligible for the next few seasons.
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If the Astros and Braves are seeking a lefty outfielder, they should-would they take Reynolds from the Pirates or is his contract too big?

Steve Adams
No one’s taking on the entirety of that contract. Pirates are trying to win right now anyway, and since they’d get no return, dumping one of their better bats wouldn’t be prudent anyhow.
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Sproat got railed his first appearance with MIL. What do you see the rotation looking like in September? 1. Woodruff 2. Priester 3. Harrison 4. Henderson 5. Patrick? Or some other young guys going to break thru?

Steve Adams
Sproat getting hit hard in one start doesn’t really mean anything; the September rotation will come down to health. Nothing’s set beyond Woodruff and Misiorowski. If you’re asking who I think their next-best options are, then I’d say Priester and probably Henderson, with Harrison/Patrick/Sproat/Gasser all vying for innings. But the Brewers are going to have 8+ guys make ten or more starts this season, and the performance/development of everyone beyond Woody/Miz will dictate who’s getting those crucial September innings.
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Gorman a potential trade candidate if he’s hitting at the deadline?

Steve Adams
I’d imagine so, but at this point I have doubts that Gorman will ever really hit. He’s never posted even a 70% contact rate in the majors. League average is around 77%. There’s just so much chase and swing-and-miss in his offensive approach.
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Is Sal Stewart for real?

Steve Adams
I mean, no one is a “for real” .700 hitter, but yeah, Stewart can hit. He’s hit at pretty much every level, including with the Reds in his late call-up last season.
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Would you rather give Pratt $50 million or Emerson $95? Which fanbase should feel better about the deal their team gave out?

Steve Adams
Emerson
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If Seth Hernandez is “lights out” and the Pirates are relevant, could he get the call?

Steve Adams
He’s 19 and hasn’t even pitched a minor league game yet. I’d be shocked if Hernandez was a consideration this year.
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How does Emerson's extension potentially impact a Griffin deal?

Steve Adams
I don’t really think it does. Griffin’s the better prospect and was already reported to be discussing a larger deal than the one Emerson signed.
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Cruz is a worse fielder in CF. I say move him back to SS and play Mangum in CF everyday. Better yet: get KG in Pitt for the home opener and DH Cruz!!!

Steve Adams
Can’t really DH Cruz when they paid Ozuna $12MM, but I agree that CF feels untenable. Could move Cruz to a corner, with Mangum in CF, but then you’ve got to figure out how to work in both O’Hearn and Reynolds, neither of whom should even sniff center field.Cruz is one of the most tantaliziing sets of tools I’ve ever seen, but the lack of a defensive home, coupled with the Pirates having to bring in a bunch of guys with minimal defensive value to fill out their offense, makes it tough to figure out what to do with him this season.
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Do you like the new ABS system?

Steve Adams
I’ve really enjoyed the rollout. I love the crowds getting into it. And broadly, I just love not having to roll my eyes or groan at as many missed calls.
I think maybe going to three challenges would be would be preferable for me, but I also understand being wary of creating a system where teams are challenging too frequently.
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How come no one ever asks your picks for Manager of the Year?

Steve Adams
“Manager of the Year” is basically just the award that goes to the manager of whichever playoff team is the biggest surprise, haha. Actually quantifying what makes a manager good or bad is impossible, since 90% of that happens behind closed doors in the clubhouse.
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Can you explain the option system?

Steve Adams
As soon as a player is added to his team’s 40-man roster, they get three option years over him. Players can be optioned to the minors at any point. Being optioned and staying down for 20 days burns an option year. A player who is optioned cannot be recalled for at least 10 days unless he is directly replacing an injured player.

Players can be optioned five times within a given season/option year (which is new to the most recent CBA; there was previously no cap). But being optioned multiple times in a season only burns one option year.
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