Klawchat, 12/3/20.

I have two new posts for subscribers to the Athletic, one on the impact of this week’s announcements of minor league realignment and contraction, and the other on six non-tendered players who are worth another look. I also posted my ranking of the top 100 board games, updated for 2020, here on Wednesday.

Keith Law: Don’t waste your words I don’t need anything from you. Klawchat.

Ross: Biggest surprises among non-tendered players?
Keith Law: David Dahl for sure. I’m going to write a short post on 3-4 of those guys who would have otherwise made my top 40 free agents had they been non-tendered in early November.

Eric: Do you see Steve Cohen/Sandy Alderson putting the right pieces (front office, scouting & of course players) in place to be a perrenial contender?
Keith Law: Yes, but I don’t think my opinion there means anything at all. It’s based mostly on trust in Sandy’s intelligence and track record, although even he has had his mistakes.

Guest: Is it concerning that the Mets haven’t been able to find anyone for the front office hires? Or is it a combination of timing and they’re just being overly particular?
Keith Law: I do not believe for a second they’ve been unable to find anyone. Reports that everyone is turning them down are probably just bullshit.

Steven Matz: Wow,how am I making 5.2 million dollars?!
Keith Law: Good for him. Few players have worked harder to come back from injuries that could have ended a career than Matz has.

Scott of Lincolnshire: Is the idea of Kyle Schwarber greater than the results of Kyle Schwarber?  $8 mil doesn’t seem like a ton of money for .800 OPS
Keith Law: That OPS masks trouble vs LHP and doesn’t consider lack of positional or defensive value.

Guest: Do the White Sox survive La Russa?
Keith Law: Yes. They might even succeed under him. But they have ceded the chance to be better under a more capable and progressive manager.

MLB: Now that we have crushed minor league baseball, what else can we do to have fans be less interested in our game from all over the country?!
Keith Law: More commercial breaks, probably.

Ryan: If owners refuse to open their books, why do all of them crying poor all the time get taken seriously. When will we decide that these are clearly arguments being made in bad faith? If Bill DeWitt Jr. believes that “the industry isn’t very profitable” then why has he owned a team for 25 years?!
Keith Law: Any reporter who accepts these lies wholesale – like the fink Bill Madden, who got laughed off the internet last week when he printed that the Phillies lost nearly $2 billion, just like the nonsense story he printed about Mike Elias and the pension fund a few weeks earlier, yet more proof Madden’s Spink Award should be revoked – no longer deserves your attention or clicks.

Alex: If you were a GM with a limited budget (cough, Orioles, cough) with glaring holes in pitching and SS (and 3B)– who would you be talking to right now (while keeping in mind the restraints listed above)?
Keith Law: I mean, they had Iglesias, a good value at shortstop whose defense would help any pitchers they’re trying to develop, and traded him for very little.

Ed: Not a question, but looking at your Top 100 list, I can’t recommend Castles of Tuscany more.  Looking forward to your eventual review!
Keith Law: I haven’t gotten that one yet but thank you. I have mixed feelings on Feld games … he gets way too enamored of complicated scoring rules sometimes, like in Merlin.

Matt: Do you buy organic food? If so, which categories (i.e., produce, meat, etc.)?
Keith Law: Yes. Dairy and eggs first, because I think there are tangible differences (organic eggs, in my experience, have harder shells and more defined yolks, although if you have a local farm with fresh eggs you can get the same whether or not they’re organic) and I want to support antibiotic-free husbandry. I don’t think there’s a difference to the consumer between organic and conventional produce, but you may choose that for ethical reasons.

Ben (MN): I may be in the minority among other lifelong baseball fans (in my early 30s), but I would support 7 inning double-headers even in a post-pandemic league. In fact, I would support 7 innings for all games. I will always watch the Twins, and I used to watch any game that was on tv. But i now find that other MLB games, including the playoffs, are so long that I find them unwatchable if I don’t have a rooting interest. Do you think MLB would ever be willing to shorten the games?
Keith Law: Dear God I hope not. This isn’t high school baseball.

Hadley: Let’s stipulate for the sake of argument that MLB is unable to spend any more total $ on MiLB than what it’s going to spend next year.  Given that budget, are the overall changes to MiLB going to be a net positive?  Is it fair to think of as a tradeoff of better QOL for minor leaguers vs. fewer total number of jobs for players and others in MiLB?
Keith Law: Let’s see that money actually go to the remaining minor leaguers before considering that possibility. MLB has hinted at it, but it’s just that until they do something about it I am reserving judgment.

BE: I know prospect for prospect trades are rare but what did you think of Bowden’s Addell for Manning proposal? Angel’s fans hated it but as a Tiger’s fan losing Manning’s upside is scary.
Keith Law: LOLOLOLOLOL

JJ: Julian McWilliams, the Boston Globe beat writer who covers the Red Sox, voted Alex Verdugo for 5th place on his MVP ballot and Xander Bogaerts for 10th place (the only votes either man received).  Isn’t it a bad look for the BBWAA that they allow McWilliams, an employee of the John Henry owned Boston Globe, to vote for anything involving the John Henry owned Red Sox?  Maybe McWilliams saw something that every other writer (and Red Sox fan) missed in 2020, but it certainly seems like a conflict of interest.
Keith Law: MLB.com writers are now BBWAA members too, so there’s a lot of potential for those conflicts. I do think employees of team-owned publications should recuse themselves from voting. It’s the appearance of conflict that matters. Just voting for players on the team you cover isn’t unethical or uncommon – hell, Tom Gage (another Spink winner) stuffed Tigers on his ballots all the time, and nobody but me seemed to give a shit.
Keith Law: (Also, end the Spink Award. The BBWAA is going to change the award’s name, but it’s the pinnacle of self-congratulation. Just get rid of it.)

MK26: Thank you for being blunt about media both-sidesism in your Stick to Baseball posts. I think the media (outside right-wing batshit outlets) did a pretty good job calling lies lies post-election. But you rightfully point to NYT as one of the worse culprits of prioritizing balance over truth. I half-expect their World Series coverage to run an article “Rays Claim First World Series Title Without Citing Evidence, Opponents Disagree”.
Keith Law: The Times is home to some of the best journalism in the country … and some of the most regrettable stuff too, from headlines to news articles to the opinion pages. I’m glad Bennet and Weiss, both integral parts of the problem there, are gone, but Bret Stephens’ continued employment there is a bigger symptom. Climate change denial is not an opinion. It is a delusion.

Todd Boss: Do we really think that these new wood bat leagues that the short-A/rookie league teams are turning into will be successful?  You could easily argue there’s already way too many such leagues now (there’s dozens and dozens of wood bat leagues all over the country).
Keith Law: These will have MLB’s imprimatur and may push some of the less-known wood bat summer leagues into oblivion.

JohnC: Love the chats. Have you read Andrew Yang’s War on Normal People book. Good read and he makes a very compelling case for UBI. Thoughts on UBI?
Keith Law: I haven’t read it and don’t plan to. I’ve read some economic research on UBI and think it has parts worth using, but implementing it in the US is a pipe dream and I’d rather work towards goals we might achieve in our lifetime, like expanding child care and preschool options that allow more parents to work, and increasing the minimum wage.
Keith Law: Getting right-wing voters to agree to “pay people to do nothing” is a non-starter. Paying people more to work, regardless of where that money comes from, is viable, and also just generally good for people.

Arnold: I recently finished reading The Inside Game–fantastic BTW–and have a question regarding the poor odds of drafting high school pitchers early in the draft.  For the few high-drafted high school pitchers (Bum, Kershaw, etc.) who succeed in the majors, are there any commonalities that might be predictors, such as more mature bodies, less wear and tear on the arms, or the types of pitches they throw?  I assume someone has tried to study the exceptions to the rule.  I ask as the much older brother of a pretty good, but still young high school pitcher.
Keith Law: I don’t know of any common factors other than that those guys stayed healthy.

Andrew: How will the new wood bat league set up by MLB affect the Cape Cod League?
Keith Law: Probably not at all. The new league is supposed to include mostly players eligible for that year’s draft. The Cape’s strength has always been underclassmen for the following two drafts.

Todd: How far away for the Yankees are the likes of Medina and Gil?
Keith Law: Two years. Both more likely relievers than starters.

Jason S: Hi Keith, what are your thoughts on the Knebel deal? Here is my thinking– with Jimmy Nelson I understood cutting him loose because he was just not right.  With Corey, he is just 1 year removed from TJ and we all know it takes 12-24 mos to come back. Is this a harbinger of cheapness to come for the brewers? Or were they right to cut bait?
Keith Law: He had one good year, in 2017. I have no problem with the Brewers cutting bait on him.

Alec: A couple weeks ago you mentioned Abrams could stick to SS, as opposed to 2B or CF.   Where would FTJ go in that scenario?
Keith Law: Tatis Jr. is a shortstop long-term. They don’t have to both be on the same team.

Salty M’s Fan: What would it take for the Ms to get the Rays to consider moving Snell? Would Gilbert plus be enough or would it have to start with Kelenic / Jrod?
Keith Law: There’s no way I do a deal with the Mariners that doesn’t include one of those two outfielders.

Zihuatenejo: I thoroughly enjoyed your board game rankings.  What would you rank as the top 10 (or 5, or whatever, it’s your chat) most *influential* board games of all time?
Keith Law: Monopoly, Scrabble (ugh), Catan … do we count go and chess? They are board games, just unbranded.

Sean: How are you primarily scouting this season? Like, how are you deciding which prospects are rising/falling in the ranks?
Keith Law: The default option will be to leave a player’s ranking and evaluation alone in the absence of good, new information. Teams did hold instructional league, and most allowed scouts in, so I will gather information from those scouts and incorporate it. But I expect fewer changes than in any previous year, and I will probably keep the org reports much shorter rather than just re-writing the same thing for player after player.

Peter: Which teams are doing the best job of prospect development during COVID? What methods seem to have worked? Is this even something anyone has visibility on?
Keith Law: We won’t know anything on that until we have games again.

Murph: With a potential return to normalcy by summer, is there any chance that the minor league baseball schedule is shifted back a month to May-October so that there can be more games with fans in the stands? Seems like this may be possible with no longer having a 40-man September MLB roster.
Keith Law: This was the rumor a few weeks ago – a staggered spring training where minor leaguers arrive when the MLB roster leaves.

Paul: My wife and I did Thanksgiving alone this year – and it was a great opportunity for me to try my hand at cooking a turkey. I went the spatchcock route and it came out great.
Keith Law: Best and easiest way to cook a turkey. Works great for whole chickens too.

Paul: However, all the drippings in either burnt over evaporated. Do you have this issue?
Keith Law: Pour 1 cup of water into the sheet pan before you put it in the oven.

CR: Thanks for the chat, Keith. No question but just wanted to say my wife, two kids, and I are all sick with COVID at the moment and baseball discussion of any kind is good medicine right now. My wife is a nurse who got covid after working a month straight with no days off at 12-16 hours a day. Despite our best efforts, she passed it to our 9 year old then to our 11 year old then to me. We’re hanging in there but it sucks. Everyone stay home. Everyone wear masks.
Keith Law: Get well soon. And please give our gratitude to your wife. The idiocy of the multitude put her at needless risk.

Paul: As someone who lives on Staten Island the one good thing we had was the SI Yankee Stadium. Thanks MLB!
Keith Law: They never drew that well, though, did they? It was easier to get there from Jersey than from the city. I did like going there.

commish: I name you MLB commish for a year. What on-field changes (if any) would you try to push through? Does the current suffocation of strikeouts and home runs poison the game for you, or do you instead prefer to focus on how talented the players are? Obviously stronger, faster, etc.
Keith Law: Raise the bottom of the strike zone. Limit warmup pitches for any reliever coming in for a non-injury reason. Cap pitchers on each roster at 12.

That Guy in Detroit: Keith, thanks for the chat.  Does the republican party ever put the brakes on this, or is this just who they are now?
Keith Law: I reviewed the documentary The Donut King on the site this morning, and one thing that stood out to us as we watched was the compassion in the policies of President Gerald Ford (a Republican) toward refugees from Cambodia (a war we helped create, of course), which led to a large, multi-year and multi-Administration effort to help them settle and assimilate into the United States. I can not imagine the Republican Party of 2020 doing such a thing. They’ve had chances, with Syrian refugees, and have done nothing but obstruct any efforts to help them.

Dean: Keith, have you heard anything to the rumor that MLB is ultimately is working towards two levels of full season minor league ball: a Junior Circuit (A/A+) and Senior Circuit (AA/AAA) over the next 10-20 years?
Keith Law: No.

books: Murakami fan? Favorite Murakami?
Keith Law: Yes. I loved Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore. I haven’t loved anything else by him out of at least a half-dozen other books.

Bighenz: I like springer but don’t think he’s long for Cf if at all.  As a Mets fan I think I’d prefer signing Bauer and Odorozzi and go all in on pitching and a solid lineup while sacrificing the Cf d (again). Especially if they can sign a decent enough C.   Bad plan?
Keith Law: I’d always prefer the elite position player over the elite pitcher in free agency or when the deal is long-term. And if Springer moves to RF, he’ll probably be plus there.

Kevin: How worried should we be about the Campusano weed charges?
Keith Law: I’m cynical enough to think that a pro athlete gets different treatment than a typical citizen of color would, and MLB will find a way to get him back on the field. Also, decriminalize marijuana everywhere already. The Puritans have been gone for 300 years already. (Well, most of them.)

Joe: Would you please explain the concept of “partner leagues” and how this changes my city’s Pioneer League team and fan experience?
Keith Law: Means basically nothing. They’re an independent league.

Guest: Miguel Yajure got a very small taste in the bigs this season (7 IPs). Do you think he’s an option in the last third of 2021 for the Yankees?
Keith Law: Yes.

JD: Are you finally ready to acknowledge that Joe Biden is the president-elect?
Keith Law: Don’t rush me.

addoeh: Owners cry foul because enough media members and fans like it.  Most fans know how much the best player on their favorite team makes.  But fewer fans know how much their principle owner is worth.  The net worth of the best player is in most cases not even 1/10th of the owners net worth.  Many fans have difficulty seeing the difference between a few million and a few billion.
Keith Law: And we see in every election that there are plenty of ordinary Americans below the top tax bracket who are happy to support the interests of millionaires and billionaires.

Sean: Subscribed to the athletic during the recent sale, is there some evergreen content you’ve produced there you’d plug for me to check out?
Keith Law: The most relevant piece right now is probably my ranking of the top 40 free agents, which I’ll update today or tomorrow with a companion piece on some non-tendered guys of note. Thank you for subscribing.

John: With the CBA expiring in 363 days, should we expect a work stoppage?
Keith Law: I think it will be very contentious.

Crash: If you had a choice to live in any country in the world outside of the US where would you go? Canada, Australia and New Zealand seem like popular choices.
Keith Law: Italy. I have family there, and they have the best attitude on work/life balance (work just enough to have the best possible life, and nap every day).

Chamaco: There has been a proliferation of websites that rank prospects in recent years.  While I understand you tend not to use other sites’ coverage when making your evaluations, if someone wanted to read more about prospects in addition to what is available at The Athletic, where would you direct them? Thanks for all your great work!
Keith Law: Quantity does not equal quality. I do think Eric at Fangraphs, the guys at MLB.com, and Kiley at ESPN all do great work on the pro side. Baseball America remains a must on the draft side.

Eric: Fill in the team you predict:                                   George Springer:                                                  JT Realmuto:                                                       Trevor Bauer                                                        DJ:
Keith Law: Don’t know, don’t really feel like making random guesses. I’ll evaluate them when they sign.

Roger: Will the MLB/NFL/NBA/Select NCAA Conferences (SEC, Big Ten) get the vaccine first similar to how they get daily testing?
Keith Law: It doesn’t sound like it. The tests came from many different vendors and the federal government completely abdicated any responsibility on a national testing regime. The new Administration is not going to whiff on the vaccine.

Adam: Cavan Biggio or Jake Cronenworth?
Keith Law: Cronenworth.

JP: Hey KL, what’s the best way for a piss ant like myself, evaluate prospect bat speed? I obviously do not have the eye for it. Are there certain metrics you can evaluate? Thanks in advance!
Keith Law: Not that I know of. I evaluate by watching.

TomBruno23: Ryan Tepera getting an mvp vote from spink award winner The Commish Rick Hummel when he meant to click on Trea Turner is a sign that it is time stop caring about this nonsense. At least for me it is.
Keith Law: Remember the year three voters gave Edinson Volquez ROY votes when he wasn’t eligible (by a lot)? They lost their right to vote going forward. Funny how the same doesn’t apply when a Spink winner makes a similar mistake.

scott: I thought your comment in your newsletter about Space Age Love Song being the best Flock of Seagulls song was spot on. Do you think it’s fair to say that they don’t get enough credit for it because of the perception that they are a “one hit wonder” (I Ran)?
Keith Law: I think that’s exactly it. Pretty sure “I Ran” did better on the charts at the time.

Rob: What is your favorite metal album from this year?
Keith Law: Probably Pallbearer’s Forgotten Days.

Todd: Still have faith in Clarke Schmidt, Devi Garcia and the young Yankees arms?
Keith Law: Yes. Don’t bail on Schmidt after the rough debut.

Louis: What would be a good board game for a seven year old that is not too difficult to pick up? He is starting to learn how to strategize with simpler card games. Bonus points for games with a math component.
Keith Law: Splendor.

JP: name 3 things you miss about Cambridge, MA
Keith Law: I haven’t lived in Cambridge since 1994 and it’s so different now. I do miss being able to walk to so many places from my dorm. Pinocchio’s, Bartley’s (back when I ate beef), Newbury Comics, In Your Ear, etc.

TD: Thoughts on MiLB shakeup? App league?
Keith Law: The Appy League was just not a good circuit. Bad facilities, poor attendance, close to nothing else. I also never liked the idea of sending players who just came from the D.R. or Venezuela or elsewhere in Latin America to that part of the country, where nothing would be familiar and the only people of color in the stadium would be on the field.

Dallas: Thoughts on lockdowns to prevent COVID spread? Anti-lockdown point to economic impact. Pro-lockdown point to longer term ramifications of the continued pandemic. Do the benefits outweigh the harm?
Keith Law: They clearly do. We’ve never truly locked down here, though, and the moment states lifted restrictions (often way too soon) enough people resumed their normal lives that cases surged.

Bryan: Very specific request for a gift idea, if you care to field it: 4-person board/card-games, easy to travel with, not too complicated; they played The Mind and enjoyed it (also like word games).

[not sure if you ever played Hanabi, but it fits these criteria and is an easy one to pick up and quite fun, though maybe out of print?]
Keith Law: I can’t stand Hanabi. No idea why that won the Spiel. Silver & Gold would work.

Santaspirt: I know it was a relatively minor move but not much was said about the Phillies non-tendering Cesar Hernandez. While he wasn’t a world beater, he was a capable player. Good defense at 2b and could hover around or sometimes above average at the plate. That has value but they just let him go and the Indians grabbed him, and in the shortened season, was 24th in WAR for position players. Not sure if I have a question here. Am I making too much of this move?
Keith Law: Kingery’s presence made that move more logical. Also I know several teams’ internal metrics indicated that Hernandez isn’t the plus defender public metrics say he is (or was).

clabbers: I’m curious why you don’t like Scrabble. The tournament scene is dominated by math people and problem solvers, and the game involves a lot of nuanced thinking. You’re entitled to like whatever you like, but I think at its highest levels it has a lot of appeal to smart people like yourself.
Keith Law: To play Scrabble well, you have to memorize word lists. That’s work. It’s no longer a game if I have to spend time preparing to play.

Tony: With Schwarber getting nontendered last night, I feel like that really highlights how silly it is for a fringe contender to play these service time games. As a Phillies fan, I can’t help but wonder if Bohm had been with team from Opening Day, if that would have been enough for them to make the expanded playoffs last season
Keith Law: I agree that playing service time games, especially around free agency, makes a pretty large assumption that you know 1) what a player will be in six years 2) where your team will be in the standings in six years and 3) what the economic environment will be like in six years. Maybe you don’t need to consider the odds of a pandemic, but maybe having that player for 2-3 more weeks gets you an extra win in April, or speeds his development a bit more so that he’s better in October?

Mike Trout: How do I tell family members (who have always been pro-vaccine) that the COVID vaccines are safe even though they came out fast and Big Pharma is scary?
Keith Law: I’d listen to the experts. Dr. Peter Hotez (whose book Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism is a great read) has been very vocal already about his faith in the approvcal process.

Jason: If they don’t move Abrams or Tatis, at what point should the Padres move Abrams off SS (assuming they want to keep Tatis there)?  When he gets to AAA?  After spending some time in AAA?  On-the-job in the majors?  I remember you thought Atlanta moved Peraza off SS too early (though he didn’t end up hitting enough for it matter, anyway)
Keith Law: Not until it’s necessary. Moving a player too soon just reduces your possible options. What if Tatis gets hurt or has to move for some other reason? What if a team has a player you think you have to get, but they want Abrams as a SS? Fans thinking that you have to move a player now to fit the roster 2-3-4 years down the road are being way too optimistic.

Zach: Clearly by your blogs you’re a big Top Chef fan, can’t wait for the new season. What are some of your other favorite food/cooking tv shows?
Keith Law: Haven’t watched Top Chef in years. We did just finish this year’s season of GBBO, which I enjoyed quite a bit, although the elimination in the semifinals was rather disappointing.

Guest: Anthony Siegler has been really knicked up in his first couple pro seasons but what are the reports about his defense when he’s actually played? Is the most realistic outcome (if he stays healthy) average-ish offense and strong defense?
Keith Law: Supposed to be an above-average defender and good with pitchers, but who can say for sure when he’s barely played?

Alex: Now that you updated your top board games list, it’s time to update your list of top novels!  Just kidding…I know it’s a bunch of work to do, but I’ve also benefited a lot from your reviews and they’ve guided my reading choices the past few years.  Thanks for writing all those reviews!
Keith Law: I’ve wanted to do that for a year now but other projects always come first.

Thad bosley: Now that you are free from ESPN, any guest appearances coming up on MLB Now?  The last time when your first book came out was tremendous.
Keith Law: Funny you ask. Tomorrow, via Zoom, if we’re not pre-empted.

Tyler: Klaw – even when society return to normal, do you plan on adjusting your future social behaviors re: shaking someone’s hand, posing for pictures, etc? I’d imagine you get approached often enough that you should consider stuff like that.
Keith Law: I’ve been thinking about whether I’ll continue to wear a mask in crowds … I think I will, because if it also reduces my odds of getting the flu or transmitting it, that’s a good move for me and for those around me. (Granted, I get the flu shot every year, so the last time I got the actual flu I was over it in 36 hours.)

Justin: Last year you noted some conflict about voting for the HOF and that whether or not you vote in the future was up in the air. Where do your thoughts lie currently?
Keith Law: It was an internal conflict, and I don’t think I’ve resolved it so much as accepted that there isn’t a good solution unless I wish to stop voting, which I don’t. I am voting this year, and my ballot will not be full.

Michael: The US really isn’t the greatest country in the world. I get that might not be popular to say like “Defund the police” but from Covid deaths, to the attacks on democracy, lack of health care, lack of free education, life span, etc. shouldn’t we acknowledge a lot is f’d up about this country?
Keith Law: That’s the difference between patriotism and jingoism. I’m afraid the distinction has been blurred in recent years.

Neal: Should SS needy teams be targeting Andrelton Simmons? How do you like his value going forward the next 3-5 years?
Keith Law: I think he’ll be better in 2021 with the time off to heal. He wasn’t healthy at all in 2020.

Lou G: Please tell me this far-right obsession will keep Schilling out of the Hall of Fame.
Keith Law: I predict he gets in this year. Look at the Hall electorate. I bet there are many voters who quietly agree with his views.

JR: Could corporate America somewhat force anti-vaxxers to get the covid vaccine? Imagine if airlines, restaurants, sports stadiums, theaters, cruise ships, amusement parks, etc. all instituted policies that said you can’t come visit us/use our services if you don’t have the vaccine? Is that possible?
Keith Law: Didn’t Qantas say they’ll do so? I sure hope others do the same.

Justin: I’m a huge fan of your board game lists. How much time goes into revising them each year? Seems like it must be a lot. Thanks for all you’ve invested in it.
Keith Law: I think about them all year long, really. Any time I play something new, I think about where it might fit on the list, and I talk to my daughter and now my partner about it too. My daughter’s played a slew of games with me over the last decade and she has her own quite strong opinions on games. Sometimes she surprises me – she likes Bora Bora, a somewhat heavy point-salad game from Feld, more than I do, even though I’d say in general she likes slightly lighter games.

Paul: Just saw the Mets are talking to James McCann about a 4 year deal. Assuming money is no object for the Mets – do you like McCann for 4 years?
Keith Law: No. I do not buy the overnight change in his bat, which didn’t even last for all of 2019.

Steve: Arozarena’s upside?
Keith Law: I’m not going to anoint him a superstar just yet. I think he’s a high-variance guy whose upside is an above-average regular who hits for power with a modest to low OBP.

Tim: Do we know who qualified for Super Two status yet? Noticed the Reds non-tendered Kyle Farmer then signed him – thought he wasn’t even arb-eligible yet.
Keith Law: You can non-tender a player who isn’t arb eligible, which gets him off your 40-man, and then sign him to a minor league deal.

Heather: If we’re looking to ban Curt Schilling from the HOF because of his political views, then let’s not be half-assed about it.  Let’s grab some pitchforks, and head out to Steve Carlton’s cabin, because he’s a right winger that must be destroyed, too.  And let’s dig up Ty Cobb, and burn his bones, too, because he did things I didn’t like.
Keith Law: To be clear, nobody is trying to “ban” Schilling, and the objections to him are not based on “political views.” Mariano Rivera is an open Trump supporter with some political and religious views I find irrational, and even odious, yet I voted for him, and would vote for him again if asked.

JP: we’ve reached the level of Capitalism where a $900B ‘relief’ package can be passed without a single dollar being sent directly to taxpayers. but socialism is the problem.
Keith Law: When someone on the right says “socialism,” any reporter – or voter – in the room should demand that the person define socialism in a sentence. Socialism has a pretty clear definition, and it certainly is not how the right is using the term right now.

Jay: With regard to what you said about Scrabble, I’ve thought about chess in similar way. It’s a hard game, and the best players are very smart – but it seems like it requires a bunch of memorizing moves and responses at a certain level
Keith Law: The Queen’s Gambit did a solid job of showing that part of competitive chess. If you like that, great! Go for it. I don’t find that enjoyable at all. I have other hobbies and would rather devote time to them than to memorizing word lists or famous chess matches.

Matt: Re Climate Change. Even if it was a myth, we still need to address the fact we have a finite supply of oil and that we will run out in less than 100 years.
Keith Law: And what exactly is the downside to reducing air and water pollution? It might lower some oil companies’ stock prices … and?

Neal: Not saying we need all major free agents signed in 24-48 hours like the NBA and the NFL, but how can MLB create a more exciting signing period? Is this just the byproduct of not being in a salary cap league?
Keith Law: That’s one factor. There isn’t a good solution here that doesn’t involve screwing the players, though. An artificial deadline wouldn’t help matters. A salary cap just enriches owners at the players’ expense. Sure, I wish more players would sign already, if only so I have more to write about now before I work on prospect rankings. But I’m not interested in any answer that takes money away from the players who are the actual product.

Josh: Hi Keith, I know you have touted Metamucil in the past for really helping your stomach issues… i am thinking of trying it out, but curious how much you take. The recommended dosage per day seems like a lot.
Keith Law: I take the recommended dose. That’s what a gastroenterologist suggested to me in 1999 and I’ve done it ever since. It’s been a life-changer.

Jim: Its a lot easier to support a lockdown when you are able to do your job from home
Keith Law: You assume that nobody close to me has a job outside the home. I support a lockdown because it is justified by evidence, not because of my feelings.

Tom: Is MLB going to decide on the universal DH soon? I’d be kinda pissed if I’m a bat only FA and find out after I sign that my market could have been twice as big.
Keith Law: I don’t know, but this should be something both sides can agree on quickly – the union benefits financially, GMs mostly will prefer it, and the product on the field would be better in the end.
Keith Law: That’s all for this week – thank you all for reading and for your questions. Look for that non-tender writeup in the next 24 hours or so. A reminder as you all do your holiday shopping that my books The Inside Game and Smart Baseball are both out now and available at independent bookstores or via bookshop.org. Stay safe everyone and please wear your masks.