MLBTR Live Chat

Brady

• Who will be the Phillies opening day third baseman?

Mark P

• As noted earlier, I think they’ll non-tender Bohm.  Maybe they find a trade partner before the non-tender deadline, but after last winter, I think teams realize the Phillies are ready to move on from Bohm and will just wait until he’s cut.

  As for who might take over, 3B is a less difficult position to fill than catcher, but obviously losing Bohm opens up another hole in the lineup.  Bregman would be a mighty interesting possibility if he doesn’t work out an extension with Boston.  Arenado is probably a no-go due to his decline over the last couple of years.

• On the trade front, I feel I’ll be saying this about a lot of teams, but Brendan Donovan would be a very good fit in Philly

White Sox Fan

• Is there any value in picking up Luis Robert’s option and trying to trade him?

Mark P

• The White Sox are kind of damned if they do, damned if they don’t.  Exercise the option, and they’ll still have difficulty finding a trade.  Decline the option and Robert just walks for nothing, apart from some meaningless payroll savings

World Series Bound

• Chances of a MIL/SEA world series coming soon?

World Series

• Dream matchup of remaining teams? M’s Brewers would be wild given M’s have never been and Brewers have never won.

Mark P

• As a Blue Jays fan, I’m not exactly keen on the Mariners winning the pennant, haha

  But if the Jays had to lose, a Mariners/Brewers WS would indeed be a lot of fun. Off the top of my head, I think 1980 (Phillies/Royals) was the last time there was a World Series between two teams seeking their first ring?

Nancy’s Friend Sluggo

• I keep hearing people suggest the Tigers should trade Skubal this off-season so they don’t lose him for just a QO, but I think they absolutely should keep him and go for the World Series again in 2026. What do you think about the issue?

Mark P

• Skubal (who is a Scott Boras client) would require a gigantic extension offer to keep him off the free agent market.  The Tigers have plenty of open future payroll space, and if you’re going to go overboard to sign anyone, it might as well be for the best pitcher in the game.

  That being said, I doubt Skubal is still a Tiger in 2027.  There’s even a decent chance he isn’t a Tiger in 2026, if another team presents the front office with a knockout offer.  Despite their success over the last two years, it feels like the Tigers are kind of in a weird spot with their fanbase, and dealing Skubal away would undo a lot of the goodwill generated from back to back playoff appearances

Go Pads

• If the padres packaged Cronenworth and Estrada, what kind of return could they expect?

Mark P

• Even with Estrada added, I don’t think you’ll find many (or any) teams willing to take on Cronenworth’s contract.  Cronenworth isn’t even a bad player, but his deal is just that big an overpday.
• In this scenario, San Diego still has to eat money, or take on an unwelcome contract in return

Steve M

• begging Dolan to spend some money. Do you see any realistic players that can help our beleagured offense via free agency?

Mark P

• Acquiring a bat via trade seems more realistic for the Guardians than signing someone notable to a decent-sized FA contract

TC Bear

• How likely is Torii Hunter managing the Twins in 2026? Any other managerial candidates you like for MN?

Mark P

• There haven’t been any public rumblings about the Twins’ managerial search, so the team is keeping things pretty close to the vest.  Hunter may be on the radar, or the club may prefer someone more low-profile as the Twins go through what is likely a rebuild in all but name only

  It is possible one of the younger Pohlads may become manager in a Little Big League type of scenario, but probbbbbably unlikely

GoBias Industries

• Bees?

Mark P

• Beads?!

Yadi Molina

• Am I getting any consideration for one of the manager openings?  Should I get some consideration?

Mark P

• My assumption was that Molina was a bit of a manager-in-waiting in St. Louis, sort of the way that Pujols might’ve been in this same capacity in LA once he was ready and willing to take the job.

  But, the Cards seem content to stick with Marmol in the dugout.  There’s also the question of Bloom perhaps eventually wanting to hire his own manager once the rebuild is through, rather than feel obligated to pick a St. Louis legend

John

• When we look back on Paul Skenes’s career 15 years from now, will he have played in the postseason in a Pirates uniform?

Mark P

• In 15 years, we’ll be like “oh yeah, huh Skenes started with the Pirates, I remember that.”

  For comparison’s sake, it’s been only seven years since Gerrit Cole pitched for Pittsburgh but that feels like either a lifetime ago, or a “wait, Cole was a Pirate?” reaction

Trade

• Taylor Ward for Brady Singer who says no?

Mark P

• This seems like a very good need-for-need type of swap. Ward will be a bit more pricey (as per our arb projections), but that shouldn’t be an obstacle for a Reds team that badly needs offense

Dan S.

• Can the Orioles put together a package for a playoff-caliber starter centered around Coby Mayo, or did Mayo’s 2025 struggles tank his value to the point where they’re better off giving him a shot at the everyday 1B job next year?

Mark P

• Mountcastle is pretty likely to be non-tendered, so if Mayo is also dealt, that leaves 1B for either a new player or maybe Basallo.

  Mayo didn’t do great in his first extended taste of MLB action, but also didn’t do anything that raises serious questions about his overall value.  He’d still get a lot of attention if the O’s shopped him, even if they’re looking for at least a mid-rotation arm

King Tuck

• Do you think there’s any chance Tucker agrees to a short term deal? Like a “prove it deal”. Maybe similar to Bregman or Bellinger?

Mark P

• I have some doubts over Tucker getting $400MM, but also think he can do better than a shorter-term opt-out contract.

John

• do you think the Jays tender Eric Lauer for 2026?

Mark P

• Definitely. He’s a no-brainer to be retained.  With Bassitt and Scherzer both possibly leaving in free agency, Lauer might be penciled in for another starting role

Lou Brown

• Jays went worst to first this year, what team has the best chance to accomplish this in 2026?

Mark P

• Thought about making a poll out of this question, except Baltimore would likely win in a landslide.  Even if you have doubts about the O’s overall, their chances of a turn-around in 2026 seem a lot better than those of the White Sox, Angels, Nationals, Rockies, or Pirates.

Chris

• Who is starting alongside Judge in the Yanks OF on opening day?

Mark P

• Bellinger and Dominguez.  New York isn’t giving up on Dominguez this soon, and my guess is that the Yankees pony up to re-sign Bellinger to a big contract.

Richard

• Mariners need to bring Naylor back! Show him the money!!!! With almost 25 mil coming off the books with both Mitches (Haniger and Garver) leaving what are the odds they resign him?

Mark P

• Naylor has already become such a legend in Seattle that I can see the M’s go above and beyond their usual financial comfort zone to re-sign him.  Dipoto has already been vocal on the subject, and one would imagine ownership could be swayed as they see more and more extra dollars flow in from playoff revenue.

  Plenty of teams will be looking into Naylor’s market, and I can see him waiting for Alonso to leave the market in order to capitalize on some desperate teams.  This might leave the M’s in a waiting game since I don’t see them as bidders for Alonso.

Mark

• J. Duran for Caglione. Who says no?

Mark P

• The Red Sox are likelier to say no, in part because I think the Royals would say yes.  Remember, the Royals are sorely in need for OF help, and Jac might already be without a position on a team with Pasquantino/Perez eating up a lot of the 1B/DH time

Mike Tex

• Was it wise for the Cubs to announce Jed’s extension at the trade deadline?

Mark P

• It’s fair for Chicago fans to point out flaws in the team’s approach, but in the macro sense….the Cubs won 92 games, made the playoffs, won a WC series, and almost squeaked into the NLCS.
• Working out an extension and then just sitting on it for a few months doesn’t really change anything, unless you’re suggesting that the Cubs should’ve moved on from Hoyer entirely

Walter

• What right handed bats could Cleveland pursue in FA or trade? Thinking Hoskins or Willson Contreras.

Mark P

• Hoskins is likelier due to a lesser salary, since I have a hard time seeing the Guards absorbing most or all of Contreras’ deal.

hope in the desert

• what are the chances the diamondbacks get Masanori Murakami, do you think it would be a good fit

Mark P

• Murakami and Pavin Smith are both LHH, but that’s not necessarily a huge obstacle since Murakami could be a DH, or get some 3B/OF time if the Diamondbacks are okay with his glovework.  Arizona isn’t at the top of my list as natural Murakami candidates, but I can sorta see it

Tim

• You see the Angels going after Framber or Suarez?

Mark P

• I’ll repeat my usual line about the Angels and top free agents….barring a huge overpay, why would a star player with choices opt to join a team that hasn’t won anything in a full decade?

  Now, the Pujols aspect adds a wrinkle to this situation.  Maybe it’s slightly easier for the Halos to lure players if they’re excited by the idea of playing with a legend as manager.  But, I wouldn’t suddenly expect free agents to start bumping the Angels up their wishlist just if Pujols is in the dugout.

Carl

• Does the Paul Toboni era begin with a bang or a whimper this offseason? Presumably he didn’t leave a great job in Boston just to re-sign Josh Bell.

Mark P

• So far he’s focused on overhauling a lot of the team’s development staff, which isn’t unexpected given how the Nats have struggled to build their own pipeline
• Overall, the rebuild is still on in DC, so don’t expect any splashy moves

Micky Batt

• Randy Arozarena has one year left of club control for the M’s.   Do they just ride out next year with him and not sign him to a multi-year extension?

Mark P

• Leaning towards riding it out.  With their pitchers getting more expensive and the possibility of more money spent on Naylor or Polanco, Arozarena seems expendable
• Maybe kind of a sneaky trade candidate this winter, but it’s more likely he’s still in Seattle on Opening Day

Royce Lewis

• Do I end up somewhere else this off-season?

Mark P

• He’s still inexpensive, so the Twins are under no financial pressure to move him.  The Twins also surely don’t want to sell low, in case Lewis stays healthy and figures it out elsewhere

Everybody’s doin’ the fish?

• Are Marlins fans the happiest of the NLeast teams going into the offseason? What SHOULD do they do in the offseason to keep the riding the wave?…or maybe I should ask…what are they probably going to do?

Mark P

• Are Marlins fans the happiest of the NL east teams going into the offseason?

  This gets my vote as “whoa….wait…” eye-opening comment of today’s chat session, lol.  I think this is actually correct, even with the caveat that Miami fans may have never been truly pleased with their team.

  As noted in past chats, I don’t think this year’s relative success will suddenly turn the Marlins into free-spenders or spin them directly towards wanting to contend.  They can get a bit more aggressive with the types of talents they seek out, but maybe moreso in trades than in free agency.

Kyle

• Is the fact that the DH is mostly used for either a proven masher or as a carousel for off days for position players that versatile bench options can fill in for preventing the rise of another Ohtani? At least in US baseball development? It feels a bit weird that another team hasn’t tried something with someone, bc even half of Ohtani as a hitter and pitcher is an all star

Mark P

• Ohtani’s emergence probably means that you’ll see a few more guys give it a real go as a two-way player.  But beyond the reasons you mentioned, the biggest obstacle against “another Ohtani” emerging is that is exceptionally hard to be both a big league-caliber hitter AND big league-caliber pitcher, let alone a star in both fields.  Ohtani is an utterly unique talent.

Joe E

• who should the Astros try and acquire?

Mark P

• The best team trainers and medical staff that money can buy

Sam Francisco

• Giants big spenders and traders?

Mark P

• I see the Giants being aggressive this winter.  They have holes to fill, and with a new manager coming in, Posey will want to further put the stamp on the roster being ’his’ team.

  Luring free agents to SF will continue to be a little tricky, and it’ll be interesting if Posey is more active on the trade front.  Maybe not quite to the huge extent of a Devers-type blockbuster, but if FAs aren’t biting for whatever reasons, the Giants could pursue the trade route again

Houston

• Do I win the AL West?

Mark P

• The Rangers may be cutting payroll, the Athletics’ pitching (and ballpark) is still a big issue, and the Angels are the Angels.  So overcoming the Mariners won’t be easy, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Astros rebound to another division title just because the rest of the West is pretty thin.

Slappy Slapster

• As commented earlier, Singer for Ward makes sense. Thoughts on Bubic for Ward?

Mark P

• Also a sensible move, though Bubic at a projected $6M makes him a valuable trade chip for players with a higher ceiling than Ward.

SKUBAL AND CROCHET

• Odds Boston tries to pry Skubal and uses Duran/Abreu + some prospects?

Mark P

• The Sox will absolutely at least check in on Skubal, and can offer enough in return to make Detroit think about it.  Skubal probably isn’t any likelier to sign an extension in Boston than he is in Motown, however, so the Sox will have to gauge how much they want to give up for what’ll very likely be a one-year rental

Skip

• Can Joe Ryan return a top 10 global prospect? What teams are most interested in him?

Mark P

• If the Red Sox did go big on a pitcher trade, Ryan is the likelier candidate than Skubal.  Actually, Pablo Lopez is the likeliest of all since the Twins would welcome saving some money, but sticking with Ryan, the two sides already had some talks at the deadline.

  Ryan is projected to make $5.8MM in 2026 and is arb-controlled through 2027.  That’s an inexpensive price for a frontline pitcher, so he’d fit into any team’s budget.

• With just two years of team control, however, that’s probably not enough to pry a top-10 prospect

Bernie Brewer

• Does Woodruff come back to the Brewers? Won’t his injury situation limit his opportunities elsewhere?

Mark P

• Woodruff looked so good in his limited outings this season that I think he’ll get plenty of attention in free agency.  Not necessarily on a long-term contract, however, which might keep the Brewers in play to some limited extent.  Woodruff is an interesting qualifying offer candidate, in fact, if the Brew Crew wanted to go that route

Ricky

• Would bichette accept playing 2B for the Jays

Mark P

• Bichette’s reps surely have a strategy in mind for explaining their client’s inconsistent-at-best defense, but the easier route would indeed be a willingness to change positions.  An elite shortstop makes more than an elite second baseman, but Bichette’s bat will get him paid anyway, and a position change might even help him if he becomes a plus at 2B.

  As I and many others have pointed out, the Andres Gimenez trade seemed like Toronto’s hedge against a Bichette departure.  So if Bichette was willing to go with 2B, a path can now emerge towards a reunion with the Jays.  I still feel that overall, Bichette will sign elsewhere.

Pumpsie

• Would Rice and Caballero be better next year than McMahon and Goldschmidt was last year? If so, where does McMahon go? Angels?

Mark P

• McMahon’s contract won’t be the easiest to trade.  The question the Yankees should be asking if Caballero over Volpe, not McMahon.

  Rice is pretty much looking like a lock to be the starting 1B (and occasional catcher) next year.  Goldschmidt will likely head elsewhere.

Guest

• Does Colt Emerson start next season with the M’s

Mark P

• If he has a big spring, I can see the Mariners putting him on the Opening Day roster and aiming for the PPI bonus.  Crawford is still the shortstop, but Emerson could be tabbed for a hole at 2B or 3B

Cubs

• Cubs have to re sign Tucker after what they gave up for him right ?

Mark P

• You’d think so, but all signs point to Tucker leaving

Oriole Orange turned Blue

• I don’t understand why teams let their players play through injuries rather than just letting them heal up?  It seems risky to let an already injured player possibly further aggravate the problem further.  Why not just put the injured player on the IL and let the back up play?   Austin Hays used to play injured for the Orioles and it drove me crazy! He’d have an All Star half season bookended by an injured other half.  The same with Colton Cowser now.  Broken finger and then broken ribs, but he plays through it with dismal results.  Kyle Tucker and Gleyber Torres the same thing.

Mark P

• It depends on the player and the injury in some cases.  Like the cliche goes, there’s a difference between playing “hurt” and “being injured,” since over the course of a six-month baseball season, pretty much everyone is varying degrees of banged up.

  You’re not wrong that in many cases, having an obviously struggling player on the field is doing more harm than good, even if a team has no ready-made backup option to use.

  But sometimes, a player is able to play through injury just fine, like Tucker over his first month after the hairline fracture.  Or in Torres’ case, if he gets sports hernia surgery in mid-July when it first arose, then he’s likely gone for the rest of the season.  That’s not a welcome outcome for a player like Torres who is chasing a free agent contract, plus the simple fact that he wanted to keep contributing to a Tigers team that was (at the time) flying high

Twins fan

• Does a trade based around Joe Ryan and Coby Mayo make sense for either team involved?

Mark P

• The Orioles should be burning up the Twins’ phone lines for Ryan or Lopez.

JeffyM

• Do Yesavage and Lauer just slide into the rotation for Scherzer and Bassitt next year, or do you think the Jays are active on a starting pitcher in FA or trade?

Mark P

• Next year’s rotation lines up as Gausman, Yesavage, Berrios, and Lauer, so there’s definitely a need for at least one and probably two more starting pitching additions.

Ebenezer_Batflip

• Any chances for the Reds to trade Hunter Greene for Jarren Duran + other players or prospects? Feels like those two teams are good potential trade partners with each having a surplus of what the other needs.

Mark P

• Greene has a higher ceiling for me than Duran, so if I’m the Reds, I see if I can talk Boston into another starter.

Hits Like Rays

• Your thoughts on the new Rays’ owners being able to really raise the player payroll if Tampa will not spend “one dollar” to help build a stadium?  Or are the Rays now more likely to just blackmail some other city and re-locate?

Mark P

• The new group’s desire to have a new ballpark ready for Opening Day 2029 seems wildly optimistic, so I don’t think Tampa fans should feel entirely safe yet about the Rays staying in the Tampa/St. Pete area

Mac

• You’re NHL Stanley cup finalists for 2025 -26

Mark P

• Continuing the long history of players finding immediate championship success as soon as they leave the Leafs, I’ll pick Mitch Marner’s Golden Knights to hoist the Cup by beating the Panthers in the finals

Jason C

• What do you see the Atl doing this offseason?

Mark P

• Lots of bullpen moves, a new shortstop, maybe a new second baseman as well, plus at least one starting pitcher.  Technically Atlanta could have a rotation surplus between a new arm and their current staff if everyone is healthy, but everyone won’t be healthy.
• That’s it for today’s chat.  Thanks for everyone’s questions, and I hope everyone enjoys Game 1 of the ALCS!  We’ll be back with more chatty goodness next weekend.
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