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Mark P
1:38
Ho ho ho, Santa has brought the Weekend Chat to Christmas Day itself.  In this sweet spot between gift-opening and dinner, what better time to launch a baseball chat?
Guest
1:39
Is there any news about teoscar Hernandez?
Mark P
1:39
The Angels and Red Sox have interest, as per the latest reports.  And the Dodgers are still in the mix.
dumper
1:40
The mariners just signed garver. How many more moves before their lineup is set?
Mark P
1:42
They'll definitely add another outfielder, or "1.5" outfielders as Jerry Dipoto put it, with a nod to platooning with Seattle's in-house outfielders.  Rojas and Urias strike me as a duo that would work well platooning at either 2B or 3B, not covering both positions as the primary everyday option.
So, I'd personally be looking for more infield help if I was the Mariners.  Upgrading on Ty France is also a possibility
Ryan Woody
1:43
Any clue which direction the Brewers are leaning given their recent moves? Keeping  Burnes and looking to compete or waiting to line up the best trade?
Mark P
1:44
Going by the Houser/Taylor trade with the Mets, my suspicion at this time is that Milwaukee is planning to keep Burnes/Adames and take one more run at it in 2024.  The Mets trade was made to cut some payroll and some OF excess to perhaps make it easier for the club to keep Burnes and Adames around.

Of course, this plan might change if another team steps forward with a knockout offer for either Burnes or Adames.
Ross Atkins
1:44
When will I make a significant move?
Mark P
1:45
The Jays tend to wait a little later in the offseason to make their moves, so this year's Ohtani-induced delay isn't really all that unusual.  There's no question Toronto will be active, and things could really start breaking at any time now that Ohtani and Yamamoto are both gone
MP
1:45
Will the blue jays be better or worse than last year?
Mark P
1:46
Will the Blue Jays be better or worse than in 2023? (89 wins)
Better (23% | 279 votes)
 
Worse (58.5% | 708 votes)
 
Exactly 89 wins again (18.5% | 224 votes)
 
Total Votes: 1,211
1:48
Like I said, there are obviously a lot of moves for the front office still to make.  But I can't shake the fact that the Jays might've already missed whatever window they had to be real contenders.  Even if it's unlikely that the entire team has a club-wide hitting slump like last year, the fact that that happened at all is a very concerning sign that Toronto's core is either aging quick (i.e. Springer) or simply wasn't as good as the team thought (i.e. Guerrero, Kirk, Varsho).
1:49
There's also the strong likelihood that the rotation won't be as effective as last year, just because consecutive years of almost perfect health is very rare
Michael Eddy
1:49
Is Boras trying to leverage everyone with Hoskins, Chapman, and Bellinger? Cubs are connected with all three and no deal is done
Mark P
1:50
The Cubs are another team whose business was delayed by the Ohtani pursuit, and Boras clients traditionally sign later in the offseason than most free agents.  It's worth noting that there are a lot of Boras guys still available, leaving the agent with plenty of leverage to negotiate
L Dub
1:52
Mark: Good Afternoon. Do you think it likely that the Marlins package Avisail Garcia with say Max Meyer to get things going?
Mark P
1:53
Zero chance the Marlins downgrade Meyer's trade value by attaching him to Garcia's contract.  Two years and $29MM remaining for Avisail isn't a hugely onerous sum, even for a lower-spending team like Miami
John
1:53
Is it Orioles or Reds for Cease?
Mark P
1:54
I noted this in the post about Cease and the Reds yesterday, but if the White Sox are specifically going after pitching for Cease, neither Cincy or Baltimore might be great fits.  Both teams are heavy on position player prospects and a bit thinner on pitching prospects.  

If the Reds or O's are going to make a "clean the farm out" type of major trade, they're going only to do so from their area of surplus, not by moving young arms that they naturally want to retain themselves.
1:55
Of course, it does seem entirely possible that the White Sox will lower their asking price on Cease to more reasonable levels as the winter develops.
Guest
1:55
Are boras clients unlikely to sign extensions because boras is telling them not to, or because players are choosing him as their agent when they don’t plan on signing an extension in the first place?
Mark P
1:56
The latter.  As I've noted before, Boras works for his clients, not the other way around.  A player who hires the Boras Corporation is probably more likely to be targeting a big payday in free agency.
Alex Anthopoulos
1:57
Does the news that Chicago is looking for pitching for Cease improve Atlanta’s odds as a suitor? Only two top 100 prospects in our farm but they’re both SPs.
Mark P
1:58
It's possible, and I would think that the Braves might make some inquiries about whether or not Cease (a Georgia native) would become the latest local product to sign an extension soon after joining the team.  Locking up Cease for more than just his remaining two years of arb control would surely make Atlanta feel better about dealing from its relatively limited prospect depth
guest
1:59
Did the M's overpay for Garver as he seems to be injured a fair amount?
Mark P
2:01
The deal is actually less than the three years/$39MM we predicted for Garver, and I think it's a pretty reasonable deal for Seattle.  Obviously health is a factor, but Garver has shown that he is a very good hitter than he's on the field, and staying at mostly DH should help keep him off the injured list
BC
2:02
What do you think the pirates chances of landing Yariel Rodriguez?
Mark P
2:02
Y-Rod is such an unknown quantity that it's hard to evaluate his market, whether it's his eventual contract size or how many teams might view him as a starter or as a reliever.  Obviously you'd think Rodriguez is going to prioritize teams that want him as a starter, and Pittsburgh would fit the bill given its rotation needs
2:03
That said, it would be a pretty out of character signing for the Pirates.  Maybe they get more open about spending on Rodriguez if they particularly like him, or because their other mid-tier pitching options are drying up
Zac
2:04
Grampa Todd and Billy Wagner seem locks for the HoF. Anyone else to add from your list?
Mark P
2:05
Beltre is obviously sailing in on the first ballot.  I can see Helton squeaking over the line, but the early returns on Wagner haven't been great so far, so he might need to wait one more year
Jose Abreu
2:06
Were you asleep when you wrote about the Astros addressing biggest weakness? Abreu was added last season...
Mark P
2:07
I know, that was the point of the paragraph?  The Astros won't be "addressing" first base since they already have Abreu, and are just hoping he gets on track
John
2:07
White Sox probably won't deal Robert, but *should* they? They're unlikely to compete before his contract is up and his return could be Soto-esque.
Mark P
2:08
I think the White Sox are in such a deep hole talent-wise that they should be open to anything, including a Robert trade. If they actually want some big trade package of multiple young pitchers and position players, they're more likely to land such a haul by offering Robert, not Cease.
2:09
"We're in the AL Central" rings pretty hollow when it comes to Chicago's chance of making a quick return to contention, since I think the other four teams have more going for them than the White Sox
Guest
2:10
Seems like LAD have the minor league arms for Cease, do they get him ?
Mark P
2:11
With Yamamoto and Glasnow now on board, the Dodgers might not make another splashy SP add, though we probably can't rule anything out in this very aggressive LAD offseason.
Luc
2:12
Imanaga and Chapman to the Giants?
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