Klawchat 1/24/20.

Keith Law: It can’t all be wedding cake. Klawchat.

Krontz: Taylor Trammell ever hit enough for a Jacoby Ellsbury comp to be reasonable?
Keith Law: I don’t see them as similar players, really. I believe Trammell will hit, though.

Keith: Clay Davenport’s preseason win projections really like the Mets (96 wins) in the National league behind only the Dodgers (102). What have they done this offseason to improve so significantly, and do you buy into it?
Keith Law: I would bet the under on both win totals there.

Keith: Who do you project as the White Sox starting rotation in July 2020?
Keith Law: Giolito, Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez, Cease, Kopech. I wouldn’t rule out seeing Stiever in the majors before the season ends. Obviously I’m putting Lopez in the bullpen, which I’ve always thought was his ideal role.

addoeh: With Terry Jones’s passing, what was your favorite Python sketch?  Upper Class Twit of the Year has to be mine.
Keith Law: That’s a contender. Argument Clinic. The Piranha brothers. And the entire show built around the Michael Ellis gag is probably my favorite thing they did, although that’s a series of sketches. It’s hilarious and also wonderfully paranoid.

Keith: Hey Keith, thanks for the chat. Does Dylan Carlson’s breakout last year fit is profile? His BA was 50 points higher than his career average and his slg perctange was .150 points higher. He did do part of this at AAA in his age 20 season. Thanks and good luck at the Athletic.
Keith Law: Not sure about your question but I’ll say I think the breakout was real.

Dee Arby: Klaw, I really enjoy how you speak up regarding domestic violence.  My question is, how do you deal with the issue that because these athletes are so rich, their accusers can have ulterior motives? For example, how would you have done with the Brian Banks issue? He was the USC linebacker who spent six years in prision because he was falsely accused? Genuinely curious, not being snarky.
Keith Law: The “ulterior motives” thing is kind of bullshit. Most abuse/assault victims don’t report. Of those who do, nearly all are telling the truth. There’s a substantial social and often financial cost to coming forward. Just because every once in a blue moon there’s a case of a false accusation – which gets over-reported, of course – doesn’t mean we can or should generalize and think that many more accusers are lying. They’re not. The data say so, and ignoring that is classic base-rate neglect.

Lyle: In BA’s 2023 Opening Day Lineups for the Mariners, they had Tom Murphy at catcher. (I know, I know, not your list.) Can you come up with any legitimate reason other than a trade as to why Cal Raleigh would not be the starting catcher by then (especially wrt Murphy)?
Keith Law: No, I’d put Raleigh there.

bartleby: Keith, your comments on the Clemens/McReady relationship were interesting- what do you think of Woody Allen?
Keith Law: He’s canceled, appropriately. (I only saw … three of his films, I think, the last being Midnight in Paris whenever that came out.)

Michael: Your thoughts on the Metz Hiring Louis Rojas?
Keith Law: I wasn’t really kidding with my tweet the other day – the process ended up with them hiring a highly qualified manager, one with ~1000 games of managing experience, a bilingual guy who’s considered forward-thinking, comfortable with data, and good with players. Their second choice was the better candidate.

Buckner 86: Is Balazovic‘s upside a top 25 SP?
Keith Law: That might be aggressive but I’m a big fan.

Mike: You may have covered it in a previous chat, but are you going to be doing any podcasts with the Athletic or elsewhere?
Keith Law: Yes, with the Athletic, starting later this spring.

Tyler: Congrats on the move to The Athletic. Will you still be holding chats here regularly or moving to a different platform (presumably theirs)?
Keith Law: Klawchats will continue here for the foreseeable future.

Del, Venice CA: Whenever anyone talks about the Mets the consensus seems to be that Dom Smith is the odd man out and he should be traded. Since JD Davis’ value could never be higher after his 2019 season AND he fields multiple positions like a DH shouldn’t he be the one of the two to be shopped?
Keith Law: The assumption built into those statements is that Smith would have a higher trade value because he’s younger and a plus defender at 1b.

John Olerud: Full disclosure, I have posed this question to other baseball writers I respect, as I am truly interested to see if there are different perspectives on this subject. Based on the numbers, I’m surprised there hasn’t been much discussion (at least none that I’ve seen) about how Larry Walker’s career is truly a lot closer statistically to Jeter’s than impressions would imply. Indeed, Jeter has the milestone numbers that are important with HOF voters. And he was especially good when it ‘mattered’, but that has a lot to do with who and what teams he was lucky enough to play with and for. Indeed, this is not so much to disparage Jeter, but more a reflection of the “fame” element inherent to the HOF. Whatevever the reasons, do you personally find it at all strange that there seems to be this prevailing feeling that somhow Walker doesn’t breathe the same air as Jeter? Or maybe you disagree entirely with this premise? Thanks.
Keith Law: Jeter is a clear HoFer, but benefited from playing for the team that gets on national TV most often, and from having great teammates that helped him appear in the playoffs almost every year and in six World Series, and from announcers falling all over themselves to praise him even for things he did poorly (coughdefensecough). He was a great player and I voted for him. I just don’t understand why we have to inflate his accomplishments rather than respecting him for exactly who and what he really was.

Moe Mentum: I know you favor board games that involve strategy and puzzles (e.g. Carcassone), but do you ever play more mainstream “party” games that reward creativity with words? I think it would be fun to play games like Balderdash or Wise & Otherwise with a man with your wit and flair for language.
Keith Law: Wise & Otherwise is cool. I like Taboo as well, and there’s a game from about two years ago called Trapwords that works similarly but where the opposing team picks the words you can’t say. When I’m in a group setting and we want a party game I’ll usually suggest One Night Ultimate Werewolf (since it requires almost no instruction to play) or Codenames.

Craig: The only way I can make sense of the Brewers offseason is that they want a bunch of interchangable parts at 1B, SS and 3B in the hopes that with platoon splits and pinch hitting, they can be league averagish at those positions and have Yelich/Huira carry the team offensively. Is this accurate?
Keith Law: I don’t like assuming any team is done at this point in the offseason. Still some decent FA out there and a lot of trade chatter.

The Sloth: KLaw, are you attending any Phish concerts on the summer tour?
Keith Law: My girlfriend pulled up the schedule last night … decent chance we’ll go to one of the two mid-Atlantic venues in August.

The Sloth: What are your thoughts on the upside and most likely outcome for Brennan Davis?
Keith Law: That’s a question I’ll answer in the top 100, which will run the week of February 24th on the Athletic.

Joe: How does the Beltran news affect his HOF candidacy?
Keith Law: My guess is not at all.

Sammy So-So: If you’re a GM trading for a player like Nolan Arenado who has an opt-out after two years, are you offering assets in return to the other team just for those two years if a new arrangement with the player can’t be reached before the deal is done?
Keith Law: I’m valuing my return as two years of Arenado and assuming he’s opting out. I wouldn’t pay in prospects on the assumption he’s staying.
Keith Law: If he doesn’t opt out, something has gone wrong.

Christian (Raleigh, NC): Keith, which Braves pitching prospect has the best chance of making a big jump this year and helping out at the major league level? Anderson, Wright, Toussaint, Muller, etc.  P.S. — I hope things work out and you are able to come to the Raleigh/Cary area for a book signing. I would love to come out and meet you.
Keith Law: Anderson is the best, but Touki has the biggest potential to make a jump. Such a great athlete and a loose, quick arm.

Kevin: What are the chances that Anthopolous opts not to resign Freeman to a worthy extension?
Keith Law: Freeman will be 32 when his current deal ends. I’m not sure what a “worthy” extension means but I’m not rushing to extend him into his mid-30s.

Joe: Orioles are going in on BA for leaving Mountcastle off their top 100.  Seems like it would be odd for a guy who doesn’t walk or offer defensive value to actually make a top 100, no?
Keith Law: He’s not a top 100 candidate for me at all.

Matt: What board game do you think is underrated? What do you like about this game?
Keith Law: New Bedford – a worker placement game with a lot of fun elements (including the whaling aspect) that plays well under an hour. Glen More – a medium-weight game of tile-laying where one of the main goals is to convert wheat into whiskey. I’ve been playing La Isla a bit more lately, and I really like the way it forces you to plan ahead a few turns but also prevents you from having to plan ahead more than that, so it doesn’t become too heavy a game.

Tony: I’m not sure how to phrase this as a question, but the thing that I’ve never been able to make peace with about Andruw Jones’ Hall of Fame candidacy is that while he was truly one of the best defenders at his position in history for a decade, he then spent the last five years of his career being so bad defensively that not only was he moved off of center field, he was pretty much moved off the field entirely.
Keith Law: Because of his knees. He was so elite a defender that he’s become the modern standard for CF defense.

Bighen: Mets are going to make a bad Marte trade because Wilpons and Bvw know this is basically their last shot. No real question here but a little frustrating
Keith Law: Maybe. The Padres seem motivated to make a deal, and they have the prospects to acquire anyone, so there’s some chance they make a bad trade too.
Keith Law: (FTR, I wouldn’t deal Gore for any of these 1- or 2-year players.)

Professor Woland: I’m worried that the narrative now with regards to Altuve is going to be that he owes his success to the sign stealing stuff instead of natural talent, which would have a negative impact on future players of a similar size. Do you think that will be the case?
Keith Law: I have had that thought too. I hope it’s not the case; it’ll help if Altuve has a typical Altuve year in 2020.

Jerry: What kind of peak slash could you see for Kelenic? Is .300/.400/.500 in the realm of possibilities? Is he an MVP-caliber type of prospect (all things considered of course)?
Keith Law: MVP caliber prospect. He was in my midseason top 10 in July.

Casey: Is Zach Thompson a guy who could contribute sometime late this season or would it be wiser to get him through a full minor league season healthy and let him compete for a spot next year?
Keith Law: Seems aggressive especially since he had the Kentucky Forearm flu just two years ago.

Logan: Should the contracts of Acuna and Ozzie allow the Braves to go bigger in other areas? Seems like Alex is not interested in any kind of long term type additions..
Keith Law: Other than 3b, where would he really upgrade? I feel like they’re set at so many spots.
Keith Law: I guess if you could convert the pitching prospects into a top-end starter, sure, but I don’t know of any one that’s available.

Dan on Oahu: Keith- congrats on your move to the Athletic, I had been on the fence about subscribing but jumped on the bandwagon as soon as I saw the move and it’s well worth the price of admission. What would be a reasonable return to the Cubs for Bryant from either the Braves or Dodgers? Same question for Arrenado?
Keith Law: I heard from one exec that the Cubs weren’t really talking Bryant with suitors. This was a club that, in theory, would be in his market.

Nathan: I have a 7 year old daughter who loves all things Disney. With Disney+ available she is wanting to watch some of the “classic” movies. How would you handle some of the blatantly racist movies of the past? I’m thinking specifically Dumbo (the crows) and Peter Pan (native Americans). Do I not let her watch those? Let her watch those but explain why they’re bad portrayals of these groups of people?
Keith Law: I had forgotten how racist Peter Pan was until I re-watched it with my daughter. She saw it once and that’s it; we didn’t let her watch it again. I don’t think she’s seen the animated Dumbo.

Hank: Why haven’t the Angels received much heat for sacrificing their 1st rounder Wil Wilson just to shed Cozarts salary? DBacks caught hell for the same type deal Arroyo/Touki..
Keith Law: The Angels used that money to sign Rendon. The Dbacks did it because they’d screwed up elsewhere.

Doug: Do you see Dansby Swanson ever being more with bat? Seems like his EV and Hard Hits improved, hopefully better results are coming. Maybe a Brandon Crawford type late bloom with the bat?
Keith Law: Yes, I think there’s more there.

Nick: Re: Daulton Varsho, does the bat play if they move him down the defensive spectrum?  And do you think he can contribute for AZ this year?
Keith Law: Yes, it does. No, probably not.

Larry: Who is the college pitcher and hitter you think will make the biggest jump this spring?
Keith Law: I’m still figuring out when it’ll run but I will have something on the draft up at the Athletic within the next month. I really liked Cole Wilcox in HS, but scouts I’ve asked have him more back of the first; I feel like he could end up in the top ten if he does what I think he can do all spring.

Doug: Lucius Fox and Anderson Tejeda – do they both stay at SS?  Who has the better future?
Keith Law: Fox for sure does. I think he’s the better prospect but I also haven’t done as much work on Texas for my top 100 yet.

Kevin W: What do you think of 3 batter tule and september rosters down from 40-28
Keith Law: I preferred a 2-batter rule but I’ll take this. September roster reduction I think addresses a real problem in a way that hurts players.

Steve : Seems like the Mets have taken a lot of unnecessary abuse for this Beltran saga.  It feels to me that they did the right thing firing him and Rojas was the right choice with his experience managing (and maybe should have been hired in the first place.)  You agree?
Keith Law: Their mistake was hiring Beltran in the first place, because he has no experience whatsoever. They have since done all the right things. (Also, if I were Beltran, I’d offer myself to any interested club as a manager in the minors this year. Go get a year of experience and odds are you’ll get interviewed for every opening next October.)

Kevin W: What is longest home run you have ever seen in person?
Keith Law: I’m not sure about in-game but I saw Barry Bonds take BP in Toronto in 2003 and hit one off the restaurant in CF that is the hardest-hit ball I think I’ve ever seen. Gallo at the Futures Game might be the longest HR in a game.

Dusty: I appreciate the candidness in your newsletter about the difficult moral judgments involved in voting for the Hall of Fame.  I just wanted to say that I appreciate having you as a voter and I hope you will continue to vote, as I feel like you give a voice to those of us who read you regularly and there need to be more voices like yours and not less.  Either way, I respect your decision and the thoughtfulness and openness with which you wrestle with it.
Keith Law: I feel like voting is a privilege and a responsibility. If I can’t fulfill the duties of a voter to my own standards, I won’t vote.

Beau: Chris Murphy (BOS) have any chance of remaining a starter? Didn’t seem to walk as many as expected in his prob debut.
Keith Law: Yes, definitely.

Kevin W: Do you think the best movies today are better than the best movies of 70’s and before?
Keith Law: Yes, but the gap between the best movies and the most commercially successful ones has widened.

James: My first Klawchat since you joined the Athletic so want to start off saying congrats. I’m seemingly one of the few who have no issue including Francisco Alvarez in a deal for Starling Marte. In brief, him being 3-4 years off at best, the overall “failure rate” (for lack of a better term) of catching prospects, and Marte’s no doubt talent and fit on the win-now Mets roster are all reasons why I see his inclusion as a headliner as a no-brainer. Am I crazy?
Keith Law: Crazy, no. But I don’t think I’d do it.
Keith Law: Not saying I wouldn’t trade Alvarez, just that I wouldn’t do it for a year of Marte (EDIT: Two years of Marte, including the team option). Plus, you just traded Kelenic in a deal that was an abject disaster … don’t further gut the system for more short-term help.

Kevin W: Do you think cora gets a lifetime ban?  And should altuve and bregman (and whoever else) be punished if they are caught cheating?
Keith Law: I hope not (for Cora). The players got immunity; we can’t change that now.

Matt: I watched American Factory last night. What a dystopian movie. And it’s REAL! How on earth can those workers justify not having an union when they went from making $30 to $14? I just don’t get how people fall for this garbage.
Keith Law: People falling for propaganda and voting against their own interests has been going on in the U.S. for over a century. It’s particularly stark now because, at least in my opinion, better information is available, and it’s easy to see how corporate money pushes its messages more strongly than, say, the pro-union forces were able to.
Keith Law: (Also, no idea how that movie didn’t immediately result in NLRB investigations into Fuyao. Its executives violated federal labor laws on camera!)

Steve: My wife is due for our first kid in two weeks. Any advice on fatherhood?
Keith Law: Get The Happiest Baby on the Block. And help your wife get as much sleep as she can.

Vincent Adultman: Has Josh Breaux passed Anthony Siegler (even if neither look like starting catchers) and does Antonio Gomez have a higher ceiling than both?
Keith Law: No.

Vincent Adultman: BA’s recent mock draft had Pete Crow-Armstrong falling to the Yankees at the bottom of the round- leaving the team pairing aside, has he “fallen” this much in the eyes of evaluators (or is it that deep of a draft) and if he fell that far, would you expect him to go to college?
Keith Law: He’s not a top half of the draft guy right now; I’m not sure he’d make my top 30 if I wrote one today.

Joe: Please explain how Sammy Sosa is not a HOF ?
Keith Law: 58.6 career WAR with a short peak is actually on the low side for Hall of Famers.

Roger: What do you make of Coors field splits? Arenado’s BA and OPS are pretty staggering such that I’d be very cautious in a trade, no?
Keith Law: Plenty of evidence that Rockies who leave Coors outperform their road stats from when they were with Colorado.

Alex: I 100% agree that a discussion needs to be had regarding DV and the HOF.  As a family law lawyer, though, I struggle with the suspensions that leagues hand out to players that involve withholding their pay.  In a lot of these cases, the victim is awarded a percentage of the abusers earnings as spousal support, child support, etc.  By docking an abuser’s pay, you are taking money out of the victim’s pocket.  That isn’t ideal.  Of course, a domestic abuser getting to appear on the national stage isn’t ideal, either.  What’s the answer?  The suspension holds but equalizing payments are made to the victim directly from the team withholding salary?
Keith Law: I appreciate the insight & sentiment in your proposal, but in the cases we’ve had so far, many of the victims have stayed with the suspended players, so I’m not sure how you could pay a player’s wife while he was suspended without pay.

lucas: If Amed Rosario struggles again at SS this year (acknowledging he improved in the 2nd half), would you move on, knowing Gimenez and Mauricio are knocking on the door?
Keith Law: He was much better in the second half. I’m not giving up on him.

Jason: What is  the ceiling for Luis Urias?
Keith Law: Above average regular. Curious to see how Milwaukee gets him 500 AB this year, which he needs.

Brandon: Related to my Fire Bridich question–Bridich said, regarding Arenado’s opt-out, that it was Bridich’s suggestion.  Two questions: (a) if that is true, is there any rational justification for the team to suggest a player opt-out unless needed to make the deal; (b) if not true, is there any good PR reason for the team to assert that the opt-out was the team’s idea.  Thanks.
Keith Law: I have no inside knowledge on this but I would be shocked if Arenado would have signed an extension without an opt-out.

Kevin: To the people who think Scott Rolen is not a HOFer, but vote in Omar Vizquel….what is wrong with you
Keith Law: A great question.

Joe: Disney+ will preface these movies now acknowledging they’re from another era.
Keith Law: Yes, and I’m not sure if that’s the right approach, or if they should do what they did with Song of the South, which is bury the movie below a million copies of the E.T. video game.

Oscar: All of the brouhaha regarding Jeter not getting 100% of votes has allowed me to realize just how much I don’t care about the HOF.
Keith Law: It’s so dumb. You get the same plaque with 75.00001% and with 100%.

Gary C: How good of a prospect is Neovli Marte for Seattle? What is his scouting report?
Keith Law: Another one for the top 100/org rankings next month.

Mark: EXTREMELY HAPPY to hear you’re going to be doing a podcast in the near future. Any chance we can get regular segments with Karabell? There’s still a Baseball Today-sized hole in my heart. #FreeBiasCat
Keith Law: I don’t know if ESPN would allow that, but of course I’d love to get the band back together.

Lee: I read a report that Triston Casas grew an inch and gained 10 pounds this offseason.  His bat seems legit but any chance he could stick at 3B?
Keith Law: For me, no. 1b only.

Sammy Sosa: Have you ever played Secret Hitler? Curious how the gaming community feels about it.
Keith Law: I hate the name and theme.
Keith Law: It’s just not funny.

Ben: If healthy, and that’s a big if, could Daulton Jeffries be a #4 starter?
Keith Law: TBH, I have no idea what he’ll look like when healthy. He was very good for a hot minute in college and then got hurt.

Chris: Has Julio Rodriguez passed kellenic as the mariners best prospect in your opinion?
Keith Law: Come on.

Matt W: The Mets wouldn’t have taken so much flack if they were quick and decisive with the move. They waited what, 3 days before making any comment at all, said there was gonna be a statement and then never gave one. Then, there was the ridiculous “I’m just here to talk about Mike Piazza Way” press gaggle the next day, followed by the news dropping a couple hours later. Even that wasn’t straightforward, did Beltran step down? Was it a mutual parting of ways? For all the things the Wilpons are terrible at, and they are numerous, PR/Comms is possibly the worst. So many self-inflicted wounds, even if they ultimately come to the correct decision.
Keith Law: Yes, they are PR-unsavvy, but in the end they got it right. I’m good with that. I’ll still mock the Wilpons for their incompetence, though.

Robert: True or false: the luxury tax penalties are toothless enough that it should never be a priority for the Cubs (or Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers) to get under the threshold if they have any realistic chance at the postseason.
Keith Law: True.

TP: Excited for your work on labor issues with The Athletic.  Apologies if this is too personal, but are you currently or have you been in a union? How might your experiences help shape your coverage?
Keith Law: I’m not now and have never been in one – never worked in a union shop. My parents didn’t either.

Joe: Do you have any favorite board game apps?
Keith Law: I ranked the top 25 for Vulture last year, and then ranked the 8 best new apps of 2019 for Ars Technica. Bear in mind the Carcassonne iOS app, #1 on the first list, is going away on March 1st as the developers’ license is expiring, so buy it now if you want it.

K: Just how good is Kumar Rocker? Strasburg/Harper tier or less?
Keith Law: Way less. That is some rarefied air there.

Nick: Over/Under 25 homers for Evan White in 2020?
Keith Law: I’ll take the under.

Luke: Why We Sleep is fascinating, thanks for the recommendation. In what ways, if any, has the book altered your sleep habits?
Keith Law: I try to be more rigorous about getting to bed on time and giving myself a sleep window of 8 hours. (I am not always successful.) I also am less likely to have a single drink on a weeknight, and I put room-darkening shades in my bedroom.

Aureliano Buendia: Keith, are you planning to watch Jojo Rabbit? I did it recently and it was so much better than expected considering the subject. I’m not saying it should win Best Picture but I think it is worthy of the nomination
Keith Law: Yes, maybe this weekend.

Dave: When do you play boardgames– evening, weekend afternoon, other?
Keith Law: Yes. I play online too – I played one of you this week, in fact. (Good game, reader person whose name I don’t know!)

Gunther Centralperk: Do you see any mechanical issues with Kershaw regarding his lack of a change-up? I really wish he’d work on it and get back to being close to his old self.
Keith Law: I’m missing something here. He’s never really used a changeup – Fangraphs has his highest rate at 5.5% in his first year – and there’s no mechanical issue here. He’s lost his fastball. His average velocity has dropped to a career low for two straight years. That’s his problem.

Robert: No real question…just wanted to point out how mind-blowing it is that the Ricketts family has used up every ounce of good will from the World Series win in just three years. They should’ve been heroes for life, but they’re already disliked as much as the Tribune company was.
Keith Law: It is rather astonishing. All they really had to do was keep the status quo. But I don’t think they care one iota about good will. They care about making more money.

Sean: Will the padres be able to find 500 ABs for trent grisham this year?
Keith Law: As the roster currently stands, yes.

Mike: I know many people ask for parenting advice.  A must have book for parents with children who are challenging, are easily frustrated, and exhibit temper issues is The Explosive Child.  Key theme from the book is thqt children behave well when they can, not when they want to.   Really helps parents better understand what our job is
Keith Law: Thank you. I’d be interested in that myself.

Matt W: What are the chances the one non-Jeter ballot was a blank ballot?
Keith Law: I suppose it’s possible but we had no blank ballots last year.

KF: Do you think the Twins will trade for an impact starter before the season starts, or wait until the trade deadline? What are some names to keep an eye on?
Keith Law: I don’t see any impact starters available in trade.

X-man: Mr. Keith Law, The latest Betts rumor seems ludicrous. “Major prospect haul” but not including any of their top 5?  Is their next group good enough for any combination to be worth it to Boston, even before the supposed poison pill of including Myers (even if including Myers also meant that Price was in the deal but just left out of the stories)?
Keith Law: If the Padres are taking the whole salary, sure – and while I probably wouldn’t do this, you could put together a good package of prospects from outside of the Padres’ top five. Morejon, Weathers, Miller, Baez, Arias – these are all really good prospects but not top five in that system.

Pat D: If Andujar is healthy enough, should he DH and Stanton play in left?  Or is Stanton best to just DH all the time anymore?  This isn’t really a major problem though, is it?
Keith Law: Depends on Stanton’s health, no?

Mat Ji: Did you ever explain to us why you maliciously changed this website so that some of us couldn’t access it via our phones?  For the record, that was probably the most hilarious criticism of you I have ever heard.
Keith Law: For folks who missed it, someone commented and accused me of blocking mobile users from seeing the site. There is an issue here, from something Hostgator did, that I’m trying to unravel, but the idea I would block an entire swath of the audience from the site is WTF.

DJ: Were you aware of any shenanigans going on with the center field restaurant “spying” rumors in toronto and would a gm be aware of it like in the case of houston
Keith Law: None of that was while I was there.

Chris: Favorite homemade condiment? I’m contemplating trying the XO sauce recipe from Serious Eats, and am struggling to make a decision.
Keith Law: I pickle onions regularly (also a Serious Eats recipe, I think). Homemade mayonnaise is the best. I haven’t made chimichurri in a while but it’s great and keeps a while with all the acid.

Matt W: Speaking of outdated disney+ offerings, my wife and I watched Davey Crockett the other night when we were babysitting after the kids went to sleep. I loved that movie as a kid but wow
Keith Law: Fortunately (?) I’ve never seen that.

Jason: Does Michel Baez have a future as a starter (I don’t mean to take any thunder from your prospect package)
Keith Law: Nonzero chance.

pakkap: the in-division hiccup is a problem, but assuming arenado is truly pushing his way out of coors after their baffling handling of him, is keibert ruiz/gonsolin/pederson not a totally equitable (even a bit too much given the opt out) package?
Keith Law: Seems like good value, if the Rockies believe Gonsolin fits their environment.

EG: Through listening to Chvrches and Broods (thanks to reading you), I came across Meg Myers. Have you listened to any of her stuff?
Keith Law: Her name seems familiar but as I look on Spotify none of this rings a bell.

Bill: Who in your opinion is the most underrated actor/actress out there? In my view, it’s Toni Collette, who can do just about any accent and is pretty adept at both comedy and drama. She’s been nominated only once for an Oscar.
Keith Law: Just sticking with Knives Out, I’d say Michael Shannon.

John: What do you think of the most recent Vampire Weekend or Bon Iver album?
Keith Law: I hate VW. Bon Iver doesn’t do much for me.

Stuckeyville: Re the Carcassone app, are the expansions worth it? Thanks
Keith Law: Some are. Traders/Builders and Inns/Cathedrals are my favorite in the physical game.

Dave: Would you buy a baseball team if you had the money to do so?
Keith Law: Sure, they’re great investments. But I’d hire baseball ops people and let them do their jobs.

Robert: Re: Vizquel/non-Rolen voters—I feel the same way about Vizquel/non-Andruw Jones voters. I’m not sure Jones is a HOFer…but if Vizquel is, then Jones is way over the line.
Keith Law: This is also true. There’s this weird bit of revisionism over Vizquel that bothers me because of what it says about our society – he was never viewed as an elite player while he played (he got ONE MVP vote in his entire career), and all objective data say he wasn’t close to Hall of Famer caliber. His supporters simply want to ignore the facts and rewrite history to suit their whims. That’s reprehensible.

Riveryanks: Didn’t notice if you put up a review of Lathe of Heaven. Curious on your thoughts.
Keith Law: Not her best.

Dave: Haven’t been to one of your book events previously, but hoping to make the DC one this spring. What’s the vibe? KLawchat live?
Keith Law: I think that’s a better question for folks who’ve been to one, but I do take a lot of questions and try to crack jokes and generally have a good time. No singing, though.
Keith Law: That’s all for this week – thank you as always for all of your questions. You can pre-order my next book, The Inside Game, now via Harper Collins’ site or anywhere fine books are sold. I’ll try to keep the chats going the next few weeks but as I get busy writing the prospect rankings I might have to skip a week here or there. Enjoy your weekends!