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Mark P
8:05
The Weekend Chat is back after another a hiatus, as last weekend was overloaded with pre-deadline rumors.  But, let's get back into it and take some questions....
Sammy So-so
8:06
Do you think the Tigers can realistically compete in a mediocre AL Central next season, or do they need a second rebuild?
Mark P
8:07
If everyone can stay healthy and they work out an extension with E-Rod, I wouldn't be entirely shocked if Detroit made a run next year.  Obviously they need to add some pieces and make the lineup better, but I don't see KC or Chicago being good next year, so that leaves only two teams to beat.

That said, 2025 seems like the more probable date for a real return to contention
Guest
8:08
How close were the WhiteSox from trading RHP Dylan Cease? Were the Orioles or Dodgers close?
Mark P
8:08
It isn't known if any offer got the White Sox seriously considering a trade, as they might've just been gauging the market to see if another team was willing to vastly overpay.
8:10
Going into the offseason, Cease will be an interesting name to watch.  If the Sox do decide to take a step back and reload/rebuild/etc., they could still trade Cease for a lot in return.  Plus, waiting until the offseason theoretically opens his trade market to a ton of teams, not just contenders
Steve
8:10
After a lackluster sell off for the cardinals, where (or who) do you think they look to for starting pitchers?
Cal
8:10
How do the Cards fix their rotation for 2024? Do you see them being in on the top free agents like Nola, Snell and Urias?
Mark P
8:11
It could be that 2023's struggles force the front office or ownership to change their tactics, but the Cardinals have traditionally avoided a big-money deal for a free agent starter.

A second-tier signing seems more likely, as is a trade of (at least) one of the outfielders for a more controllable pitcher
Cards fan
8:11
top move youre surprised didnt happen?
Mark P
8:13
I guess it has to be E-Rod, since that whole situation seems confusing.  Even if the Tigers felt he would okay the deal, I'm not sure they didn't at least have some kind of backup plan in place with one of the teams that wasn't on Rodriguez's 10-team no-trade list.
Jill
8:13
What was Cleveland’s front office  thinking?
Mark P
8:15
The realization that even if they did win the Central, the odds were high against a deep playoff run.  It's one of those decisions that makes sense in the bigger picture, but obviously it's also very understandable why Cleveland fans (and players) weren't happy.

Speaking of teams maybe changing their usual tactics, perhaps the Guardians will be inspired to be more aggressive in the offseason in the wake of 2023's disappointment.  Then again, the Bell/Zunino signing backfired to such an extent that they might be even more wary in free agency
Deadline Employee
8:15
What were the employees responsible for during the last day or two of the deadline?   How was everything divided up and how do you get the news of rumors.
Mark P
8:16
We basically had at least two writers on the site for the last 48 hours or so before the deadline, at least three writers for Tuesday morning, and then all of us were on hand for the few hours before and after the deadline.

It was a crazy day as ever, but I'm so proud of the MLBTR crew for the great work
Adam
8:18
Is Davis Schneider the man or what?
Mark P
8:18
The Jays are inducting Jose Bautista into their "level of excellence" next weekend, but the ceremony probably has time to put Schneider up there too
Gwynning
8:19
Hey Mark!  Just a quick column suggestion- reflecting (and grading) on older trades? Elapsed time can give us ultimate insight into who "won" the trade, what happened to all players involved, etc. Thanks!!
Mark P
8:19
We write some "trade retrospective" types of posts from time to time, usually when things are a bit slower.  Now that the deadline has passed, you might a few more stand-alone pieces like that on MLBTR's pages
Mookie Betts
8:20
do you think that the dodgers will win the division this season?
Mark P
8:20
Yes.  When in doubt, it's always pretty safe to pick LA anyway, but they have fewer question marks than the other NL West contenders at this point
NYM fan
8:21
Hi Mark, do you believe the Mets will trade Alonso?  What kind of a package could the Mets expect to receive?  Thank you very much
Mark P
8:23
Alonso is a free agent after the 2024 season, and he'll be making something in the range of $17.5 to $18MM on an arbitration raise.

But, even one year of a premium power hitter should bring the Mets a nice return, if Alonso was shopped.  Given their deadline tactics, I could see the Mets offering to eat most/all of Alonso's salary if it means getting a particularly good prospect or two back in return.
Noob Fan
8:24
Greatest 2nd Baseman of all time?
Mark P
8:24
Joe Morgan is my pick
Dudley Do Right
8:24
Bees?
Mark P
8:24
Beads?!
CentralCC
8:24
What is Vladimir Guerrero jr at this point?
Mark P
8:26
He is a solid first baseman, yet not a superstar.  This has to count as a concern for the Jays, since relying on Vlad as a star was a key plank of their strategy for this window of contention or for the rest of the decade.  

Between his ok offensive numbers and his regression on defense, it may surprise readers to know that Guerrero has barely a replacement player-level of production this year, with only 0.4 fWAR.
8:27
It's wild to think that Guerrero isn't even 25 years old yet, so it's not like he's even in his prime years.  But after his huge 2021, Guerrero has gotten worse instead of better, and that's a red flag for the Jays
DodgerDan
8:28
With Josh Jung possibly out for the rest of the regular season  do you see the Rangers bringing up Evan Carter? His bat seems ready for the  show.
Mark P
8:29
The Rangers appear to be calling up Jonathan Ornelas, a good prospect but not a star-level type like Carter.  Ornelas is an infielder, which was probably their primary concern in adding depth.

Also, Carter has yet to even play in Triple-A yet, so it's quite a jump to bring him right to the majors and into a key role for a team that wants to win a World Series
Buffy the Umpire Slayer
8:30
Your thoughts on Fight Night in Cleveland. Waiting for the suspensions to come down.
Mark P
8:32
One of the wildest and most memorable baseball brawls of all time.  Ramirez and Anderson actually squaring up for a proper fistfight like Lane and Pete on Mad Men was an unreal moment
Jays
8:32
Didn't Jays need to do more at the deadline to have a good chance to secure a wild card spot   ?
Mark P
8:33
Bichette's injury threw a big last-minute wrench into Toronto's plans.  While getting DeJong is a good idea anyway to improve the bench, suddenly having to pivot to pick up a starting-capable shortstop undoubtedly took up a lot of the front office's time
All Kaline Battery
8:33
Thought s on the Mets completely changing course after less than one season after opening the vault and signing everyone they could?
Mark P
8:35
I kind of admire the boldness of admitting that their strategy wasn't working, rather than continuing to throw money at the problem in the hopes of a quick fix in 2024.

Realistically, reloading with young talent is probably something the team should've done as soon as Cohen took over, yet he wanted to see if he could win immediately.
A’s fan
8:35
what would you do if you were an A’s fan — continue your fandom into the Vegas years? look for a new team to root for?
Mark P
8:36
I can't speak to the issue since I've never had one of my favorite teams change cities.  But who could blame Oakland fans for never rooting for the A's ever again
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