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Mark P
7:17
Welcome to the Weekend Chat! Let's take some questions.....
Rowul
7:18
Is there any universe that the Dodgers sign Yamamoto? Maybe someone like Imanaga is more realistic but I don’t think it’s totally crazy to say they could get both Ohtani and Yamamoto.
Dodgersfan21
7:18
Are the dodgers still in Yamamoto do you think he can sign there?
Mark P
7:19
It seems like Yamamoto will end up with one of the New York teams, though the Dodgers can hardly be ruled out of the running. Ohtani's deferrals were designed for just such a move, to allow LA to make more big additions since Ohtani is technically taking up such a small portion of the payroll
Dave
7:20
Good evening, what do you think about what the royals are doing this off-season? Can they be competitive in the division? Thanks for the great work!
Mark P
7:21
I respect that the Royals aren't taking a 106-loss season on the chin, and are actively looking to make themselves better.  The lineup needs more work, but overall, there's no doubt they're already positioned to be a much more competitive team.
7:22
As to whether or not that translates into winning the ALC or anything, too early to tell.  Still a lot of offseason left, and the Twins/Guardians surely have more up their sleeves.  The Tigers could also still make some moves, and the White Sox....well, I'd at least put KC ahead of the White Sox, if nothing else.
The nightman
7:23
Given the angels’ considerable financial flexibility, could you see them taking on a bad contract to “buy” a prospect or young player or two?
Mark P
7:23
In theory sure, though that's not usually the Angels' style.  If anything, they'll use that payroll space to get a big contract of their own on board
Ross Atkins
7:24
Is Luis Robert truly a viable trade target?
Mark P
7:25
For Toronto, or in general?  Since in general, maybe if another team really offers Chicago something enormous.  Whether the Jays would make such an offer is difficult to say....as much as the team wants or needs to do something big with the roster, trading for Robert would really deplete the farm system.
Andy
7:25
If the Braves miss out on Cease, any chance they pivot and see how serious the Astros are about trading Framber Valdez?
Mark P
7:26
That's the thing, the Astros don't seem to be open to trading Valdez.  If Atlanta made them a blowaway offer, I'm sure Houston listens, yet for anything short of that, why would the Astros be keen on moving such an important pitcher?
Myles
7:26
What do you think the Phillies will do for the rest of the offseason? Dave Dombrowski said that they were looking to “improve around the edges” but they have already met with Yamamoto. We’ve seen them pounce on guys with weak markets in the past (Castellanos) so if Blake Snell’s market isn’t as robust as it originally seemed, could you see them targeting him?
Mark P
7:27
Reports have indicated that Yamamoto is basically an exception to the Phillies' pitching plans.  Re-signing Nola more or less seals their rotation needs, yet Yamamoto is viewed by the team as such a special player that if there's a chance they can sign him, the Phils will keep trying.
7:28
I guess we can't entirely rule Snell out if something unusual happens to the market, yet it is far more likely that if the Phillies did get any non-Yamamoto pitcher, it would be a swingman type
Guest
7:29
Any news at all other than rumors on Mariners more or less than a 54 %chance they make a significant move or two?
Mark P
7:31
Ahhh, I see what you did there!

Hoskins, Soler, and JD Martinez are all reportedly on Seattle's radar, and particularly Hoskins and JDM make sense given that the Mariners are apparently working with a somewhat limited payroll.  Since Dipoto primarily makes trades and not big FA signings, I could see the Mariners land one of those guys, while then turning to the trade market for other roster upgrades.
#FireFarhan
7:32
Do you think the Giants might be too focused on pitching, instead of impact bats?
Mark P
7:33
I'd say that adding Yamamoto, Snell, Imanaga, etc. might be a solid move considering how the Giants' rotation was a patchwork last year.  Plus, signing a pitcher would make it more likely that SF is open to trading one of their young controllable pitchers, and offering one of those youngsters in a deal might be an easier path to an impact bat
Giants
7:34
We keep hearing smoke about the Giants looking to move their young pitching. Who would be a good target for them? Coby Mayo? Christian Encarnacion-Strand?
Mark P
7:36
As a longstanding fan of top prospect-for-top prospect trades, something like Whisenhunt for Mayo straight up would be a delightfully fascinating move.

However, my guess is that the Giants might prefer a slightly more established bat since they want to win immediately.  Landing an established, controllable bat is no easy task, yet a top-100 prospect like Whisenhunt (or, maybe in the absolute right circumstance, Harrison) would be the kind of trade chip required to secure such a deal
John
7:37
How does the potential sale of the Orioles impact the way they handle their roster?
Mark P
7:40
It seems early to call it even a "potential sale" at this point, given that we don't know how far along (if at all) talks might be between the Angelos family and David Rubenstein, or any other suitors.  

But in general, it didn't seem like the O's were prepared to make any truly big expenditures anyway, so I'm not sure a potential sale necessarily changes their plans in any substantive way
Guest
7:40
Are you expecting any big move on the Marlins?
Mark P
7:42
Sure, there are plenty of former Rays that Peter Bendix has yet to acquire!

On a more serious note, it basically all hinges on whether or not the Marlins are open to moving more pitching.  Bendix being the new guy in the organization (and without any deep ties to these in-house pitchers) could make a deal more likely, though only at a high price
Stone Ament
7:42
Do you think that the pitchers waiting on Yamamoto are getting impatient? It seems like for the most part players try and be signed by Christmas, and it’s all speculation, but are agents and players bothered that they can’t do anything until a move is made?
Josh Hader
7:42
When is my market going to pick up?
Mark P
7:44
I put these two questions together since it's something of the same answer.  This has been a strangely step-by-step offseason, as first the market basically had to wait until Ohtani signed, then everyone went into another holding pattern until Yamamoto signs.

Obviously nothing is stopping, say, Jordan Montgomery or someone from taking a deal right now, except there's naturally more logic in waiting until the market is a bit clearer to get a fuller idea of what offers are on the table.  To use an old Scott Boras quote, it doesn't matter what time dinner is when you're the steak.
For Hader in particular, his market might be held up until pitching-needy teams deal with their rotations first, before turning to the bullpen
Gob
7:45
Beads?????
Mark P
7:45
Bees?!
A's fan
7:45
Any thoughts on if the A's might trade for bad contract, to get a prospect?  If the need/ are ordered by MLB to add to payroll, seem like a better way then just spending on D grade free agents like they did list season.
Mark P
7:45
The A's are clearly not going to spend any more money than they absolutely have to, so I doubt they'd be willing to absorb a salary for the sake of additional prospects
MA RK
7:46
I think the Dodgers were brilliant on the Glasnow trade in terms of it being contingent upon him signing an extension. Would that be a good approach for Say the Red Sox to try and get Burnes and Adames together for a package deal but make it contingent upon Burnes signing an extension? They could use both players and they may have the prospect capital to pull it off.
Mark P
7:48
One key difference here...Glasnow is represented by Wasserman, and Burnes by the Boras Corporation.  Boras clients usually test the market so close to free agency, and if they do sign extensions, it's to stick with their current team in a valued environment.  A trade-and-extend scenario would seem pretty unlikely, just based on the history of Boras' advice to clients.
Jon
7:48
Mo isn't really done with the rotation is he? Is he just hedging his bets in a pricy market and waiting to pounce on something like a trade for Luzardo or the like?
Mark P
7:49
This might be another case on waiting on Yamamoto, since I'm not sure the Cards have given up hope of bringing back Jordan Montgomery.
Metropolitan
7:50
With the Mets needing some outfield help and another power type bat, does Solar feel like a good fit batting behind Lindor and Alonso?
Mark P
7:51
Soler is looking for a multi-year deal, which might fit the Mets' plan for 2025 and beyond except it might be more likely that New York signs a one-year stopgap
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