ESPN's prospects expert Keith Law held a chat with readers on Thursday afternoon and here are a few excerpts:
John (San Francisco)
Just read your top 50 FA piece. Do you think Fielder will command an 8 year deal? Especially without the Red Sox and Yankees engaged in bidding?
Klaw
(1:06 PM)I'm guessing seven years on the top two guys, and no one else in the market gets more than five. (Darvish is a wild card, but I imagine he'll want one of those sub-six-year deals with a no-arbitration clause for early free agency.)
I can see Fielder getting a 7 year contract, and Albert Pujols getting at least an 8 year contract, and wonder if Pujols signs with the team that gives him the 8 year deal. Pujols to the Cardinals is probably the easy answer to where he is going, but Pujols to the Rangers makes plenty of sense as well.
Greg (NYC)
Keith- Does the fact that the sale of the Dodgers has to go through bankruptcy court change the process of approval at all? Would that make it easier for Cuban- or anyone else MLB isn't totally sold on- to buy a team?
Klaw
(1:18 PM)I brought this up on the podcast yesterday - I think it's good for Dodger fans but not good for MLB/Selig, who like to handpick their owners but may not be able to do so here.
That would be tremendous. If Selig and MLB can't handpick who the new owner of the Dodgers will be, there is a slight chance Mark Cuban could buy the team.
More excerpts after the jump, including Law's thoughts on Albert Pujols:
Joseph (St. Louis)
How likely to you think it is that Pujols actually is older than his listed age? 10% chance? 20%? And how likely is it that this slight uncertainty will impact the contract he gets?
Klaw
(1:21 PM)I'm not sure how to handicap it, but the subject keeps coming up when I'm talking to front office people. If some GMs will shy away, or offer fewer years, because in the backs of their minds they're worried he's a year or two older than his listed age, isn't that relevant to this discussion here?
Baseball Nation's Rob Neyer has questioned Pujols age a few times in the past, and this might be the first time I have seen Law question his age. Will be interesting to see the terms of Pujols next contract in a few months.
Keith (KC)
Speaking of strong AFL seasons, Wil Myers. He had a bad season marred by injuries, have you seen him much in the AFL and what are your thoughts?
Klaw
(1:27 PM)There's something tangible there to change the report - he's moving better, favoring the knee less, driving the ball more. This is the player I ranked in the top 10 coming into the year.
Myers went 5-5 in the AFL yesterday and will be playing in the Rising Stars game tonight at 8:00 EST on the MLB Network.
Scott (Lincolnshire)
Josh Vitters doesn't fit Theo-Hoyer's model, even if he were still a top prospect. Bad defense, doesn't see enough pitches, etc. What in the heck do you do with someone like him? Doesn't have a lot of trade value, so do you promote him and see what you go, or just move on and eat your losses?
Klaw
(1:30 PM)Just let him play and see if he figures something out. You can't make him playable in the field but maybe you can get him to work the count enough to become an extra guy.
Wow, an EXTRA guy? His stock has fallen in a big way over the past year or two.
Mick (Chicago)
I'm looking for the next really exciting shortstop prospect in the mold of Jose Reyes. Is he breathing here on earth?
Klaw
(1:48 PM)Profar comes to mind.
I wrote about Rangers shortstop prospect Jurickson Profar here in late October. I think he has much more power than Reyes and does not have the speed of Reyes.
Ryan (South Bend)
I can't believe you like Robbie Grossman. Happy, but shocked. Is Fat Pedro done? Will Cutch eventually be a 30-30 guy? Do you like Dippin' Dots?
Klaw
(2:00 PM)Why shocked? Good player. Pedro: No, but uphill battle. McCutchen: I could see that. Dippin' Dots: Never had them.
Andrew McCutchen going 30-30? Law is the second writer I have read that has said he could be a 30-30 hitter.