Did Greg Bird have a shot to stick at catcher prior to his earlier injuries, or was he always destined for DH/1B?

How far away are we from teams having only pitchers who pitch 2-3 innings each?

Why do you always lose site of the big picture by focusing 99% of your energy on the presidential election? How exactly are the Democrats going to retake the House and hold the Senate with a terrible president like Clinton? I'm assuming Dems have 50+ seats this time. Obama won in 2008 with House and Senate but lost House in 2010 and Senate in 2014. If I want the Republicans out then why wouldn't I hope Trump wins and turns out to be a disaster, thus losing the House in 2018 and leads to an easy Elizabeth Warren victory in 2020?

I'm going to a Saturday Night Live themed Halloween party. My character will be Gene the Anal Retentive Chef. What would your character/costume choice be?

I'm slow on the uptake sometimes. I read your Joe Black/Matt Moore tweet yesterday and didn't get it. I was trying to figure out if Death Incarnate is better than a guy and worse than A GUY or better than A GUY. About an hour later, in the middle of yoga, I started laughing because I finally got it.

You've just been appointed as the blue Jays GM today, congrats!!! Now what do you do this offseason?

Have you seen anything in Heyward's swing that has made him completely impotent this year and do you think it is fixable in the offseason?

What are your thoughts on Carson Kelly...is he the catcher of the future for the Cardinals or is destined to be a career back-up?

Coppy might have been born at night, but it wasn't last night. Why do people think Folty for McCann is reasonable? Folty's value should be fairly high, I'd think.....

I'm a depressed Padre fan. When can I start having hope for a contending team?

Did you notice anything that could explain Harper's lack of power this year? Do you expect more seasons that look like 2015 or 2016 for him in the future?

Francona's bullpen usage this postseason should be required study for every postseason manager, right? Even if you don't have an Andrew Miller I believe you need to be more aggressive with your best relievers than most managers are in the postseason.

Do you think, at this point, Trump is even trying to win the election? In the last two debates he seemed to be signaling to extreme right conspiracy theorists as much as looking like a viable President. As a left-leaning person who thinks we need honest debate on serious issues to remain a healthy political system, the last two months has been terrifying, whatever you think of the candidates.

Where are you on A.J. Cole? He seems a candidate for a multi-inning RP with some upside to me more than an SP at this point. Thanks.

Regarding the intentional walk in NLCS game 1 which brought up Chapman's spot in the order: do you feel like that was a worthwhile risk to force him out of the game?

What do you expect from Willson Contreras as a hitter in the future? He looks like he has the tools to be a strong defensive catcher with more experience. Do you see him as a future plus defender at catcher?

Jean Segura had a remarkable turn around at the plate this year, his power numbers in particular. Was this season at the plate an anomaly or do you expect him to continue to be strong at the plate?

Keith, if I am Rick Hahn, am I way off base for asking for Benintendi, Devers, Swihart, and Eduardo Rodriguez for Sale?

Of the Padres J2 players you've witnessed, who has been the most impressive. Who has the highest ceiling?

In Hunter Renfroe's big league call up, his defense seemed... Fine? What is his value for sped and defense and will it be enough to keep him in a lineup if he doesn't make a lot of contact?

KLaw -- Debating with Dodger fans about pitching Jensen in the 9th in Game Three, after Dodgers expanded lead to 6 - 0. While last night's blow out made it moot, your thoughts?

Fernando Tatis Jr seems to be getting solid reviews since being traded to the Padres. Is he a sleeper prospect for the 2017 season?

If Yanks had the choice of either Torres or Jimenez in the Chapman deal, did they make the correct one?

So far you've been correct on Luis Severino and Steven Matz. Severino hasnt shown he ca effectively start and Matz is never healthy. What do you feel is Severinos eventual role?

So what is the point of replay if they still get the call wrong?

I trust Joe Maddon a lot but I am perplexed that Heyward is starting so much against lefties. Do you think his strong defense makes starting him worthwhile? I guess the lineup alternatives (Coghlan, Ross, Montero, Almora, Soler) don't make it a no-brainer to sit Heyward but a platoon with Soler sounds very reasonable to me.

Who has the higher ceiling of Julio Urias or Anderson Espinoza? thanks for doing these chats

Mike Matuella is throwing again. Is he someone to watch heading into 2017, or a total wildcard at this point?

I think you are one of the few starting the year that thought Frankin Barreto could make it as a major league short stop. Do you still think that?

I agreed with everything in your article on Tebow especially the parts about the Mets/MLB counting cash. It is an embarrassment and he clearly did not belong on the field. But do you see a little of the point of the other side that it may have gone a little past Tebow's baseball skills and was somewhat personal? At first read to me it did seem a little harsh on Tebow the person. Which I am not even saying you shouldn't have done but I can at least see some people's arguments of that being over the top. Especially the "washed-up Quarterback" line. Not the lunatics trying to bring Religion into it of course. That was just insane.

On Dillon Tate, one of the NY papers published an article saying he was a good guy, but with a somewhat limited future since he was "too stubborn." Have you heard anything like that and what does that even mean? Thanks.

I think you envisioned Sean Manaea topping out as #3?starter. Now the season have you heard any scouting updates that might up your ceiling.

How is Bob Dylan winning the Nobel Prize in Literature any different from a poet winning the award? That has happened many times before and his output is prodigious.

My guess is that next years St Lucie rotation will include Marcos Molina, Thomas Szapucki and Justin Dunn. How would you rank them in terms of upside? Gotta beone of the most exciting possible rotations in the lower minors, right?

UPDATE - I asked my HR manager what would happen if I ever called a female employee a "nasty woman." He said without hesitation, "I'd fire you."

Keith, huge fan! Is it just me or do you not post about food very much anymore? Don’t think you posted once about where you ate while back in AZ… No food blog either from your trip? Was really hoping you would hit up Bianco’s new place Tratto! Also what are your thoughts on the trovulla guy I’ve heard rumored as a managerial candidate for AZ because of Hazen?

Are you a Christian?

The solution you bring for baseball's FO diversity problem does in fact seem to be the long view that is needed (hiring more diversity candidates for lower level jobs who can move their way into prominent positions). However, I don't really see how it can be fixed at the current momemt even if baseball wants to. At the end of the day there arent enough diversity candidates in the pipeline or in top spots and it's not like teams are egregiously hiring incompetent losers instead of good ones. If guys like Hazen are indeed the right hires, and there arent many diversity candidates in the wings, is there anything baseball can do other than take the appropriate long view?

Rumors that a trade involving Z. Cozart would have landed Luis Gohara ? Seems like a good trade for the Reds. What can you tell us about Gohara ?

Jose Peraza playing a lot of SS for Reds at end of year. You've mentioned only way you see him as average regular is a move to SS. What reports do you have regarding his defense ? Also, do you see him being able to maintain his OBP around .340? Thanks

Do you think there's any chance Andrew Miller could return to starting?

KLaw I know you are just counting down the minutes to your first Tebow question, but this isn't one. In regard to Gonsalves, do you think that his height presents the opportunity any more projectability in regard to fastball velocity? As a Twins fan I just keep hoping one of our young pitchers ends up becoming a #1 level pitcher, but it sounds like he won't be one.

How do you evaluate guys with big first half/second half splits? I'm specifically thinking of Ian Desmond and how his second half will affect his free agency.

IF the Rockies can't get Arenado signed this offseason, any chance he can be dealt, much like Donaldson was 2 years ago?

KLaw what is your personal opinion on the cause of the "3rd time through the roster" phenomenon? Is it pitcher fatigue (my personal belief), batters getting a better "feel" for the pitcher, something else?

Election Question - for those in Utah, do you believe it is a wasted vote if the vote is for McMullin? He has a good chance to win the state.

What are your thoughts on the international draft? I get that the current signing situation is terrible, but will this fix anything or just exacerbate the problem?

Every April you get questions from readers overreacting to hot starts/SSS (Chris Shelton is for real, yo!!). However, I think it's worse in the postseason (at least it has been so far this year). CLE goes up 3-0 (Toronto's toast!). Tor wins game 4 - look at the pitching matchups - CLE could be in series trouble!! Cubs win game one 8-3 - Cubs gonna steamroll!! Cubs get shut out next two games (against great pitchers) Cubs bats are dead - they are in trouble!! Cubs win game 4, score ten runs - bats are back!! Dodgers in trouble!! Pretty funny to see all the hot takes and overreactions.

If you are Bobby Evans and Brian Sabean, do you let Mac Williamson play himself out of the left field job and focus on adding bullpen pieces this winter. Or should finding a left fielder be a priority for the Giants?

So I mentioned Greg Maddux on Twitter yesterday when referencing Merritt's performance and I wasn't trying to jump the gun with comparison to a HOFer. To follow-up, though 1) What is Merritt's upside in the MLB and 2) Was it just me or did the CLE bullpen attack TOR's hitters differently after Merritt exited? Appeared to use fastballs much more than they did in previous games.