You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
MLBTR Live Chat
powered byJotCast
Mark P
2:01
The Weekend Chat is here!  Am I tempting fate by running a chat when news might break at any moment on a Sunday afternoon?  Should I have started the chat two hours earlier, since it's been a slow day?  All these questions and more will be answered....now
Cubs
2:02
Does the Busch trade mean Wisdom or Madrigal get moved? Are they worth anything in trade?
Mark P
2:03
Not unless the Cubs get a third base upgrade, but since I believe they will, then yeah. Both are useful players but a little limited in terms of major trade value, so I wouldn't expect a big return if the Cubs moved either
Smells Like Jose Valentin Spirit
2:03
Is it likely Baltimore knows they have the Cease high offer and just are sitting waiting for them to basically say yes? It seems each other suitor falls by the wayside as the rumors progress.
Mark P
2:05
Keep in mind, the White Sox are under no obligation to move Cease at the moment, so they can keep going in a staring contest if they wish.  The seemingly diminishing number of suitors does reduce Chicago's leverage a bit, but they don't "have" to trade him this winter
Sad angels fan
2:06
With the holding pattern rumors surrounding the Angels, what's their plan? They can't run it back with the same team minus Ohtani and depth
Mark P
2:07
They're going to add some players, though as I've written before, I question how much appeal the Angels have to players who have options.  If a contending team is offering comparable money, I'd guess a player is more likely to join a winning team than a club with such a tough recent history.
Brian Cashman
2:07
Which pitchers make sense for me?
Mark P
2:08
I can see the Yankees perhaps being done now that Stroman has been signed.  If they're confident Cortes and Rodon can get back to something close to their 2022 form, that rotation suddenly goes from a question mark to a big strength
Padres
2:09
Likelihood one or both of Kim and Cronenworth are traded before the season?
Mark P
2:11
Cronenworth no, since I can't imagine who would take on that contract.  It would have to be a really creative deal on SD's part, or they'd have to take on a bad contract in return.

As for Kim, I agree with Dennis Lin that Kim is probably staying put barring a knockout of an offer.  The Padres didn't mind hanging onto Snell and Hader through their walk year, so if need be, they'll retain Kim as well in an effort to contend in 2024
Marshall
2:11
It was a bit in cheek, but on MLB radio Kevin Frandsen talked about Boras clients still being available and how a potential mystery team could be Washington because of their past dealings. I don't really buy into that right now with Ted Lerner gone, but a Bellinger or Snell COULD help when the team is winning again. Right?
Mark P
2:13
In theory, but is Washington a year away? Two years away? A lot hinges on how good guys like Crews or Wood are right away, and if they take a season or two to really click at the MLB level, that just extends the Nats' clock even further.  That's a lot to ask for a top free agent who wants to contend ASAP
Teagz
2:13
Spurred by his recent extension, if you were starting a team from scratch is there anyone you would pick to run it over AA?
Mark P
2:14
If I'm building "from scratch" I'd pick Mike Elias, since he has done just that with Baltimore.
AA has done a great job in Atlanta, but a lot of the Braves' core pieces were already in the organization or in the majors before he arrived.
Tigers Fan
2:15
What’s the point in going to arb over $25K? Why would the team risk pissing the guy off rather than giving him the extra quarter?
Mark P
2:17
You'd think common sense might prevail with some of these very slim arbitration standoffs, yet teams (due to some pressure from the league) tend to just stand firm in their pricings.  

Someone made a quip online that all of the prep work and manpower put in by some Tigers front office staffers in advance of the hearing will probably cost the team more than $25K
Dave
2:17
Opinion on Rosenthal's rumor that the Dodgers might have explored a 3 team trade that would have flipped Cease elsewhere after landing with LA (to O's, he thought) that would have involved prospects going to the Dodgers and Sox.
Mark P
2:18
I would've loved to know how that would've worked, since my first thought was why couldn't the Sox just deal with that third team directly?  

Can't fault teams for coming up with wild trade ideas, however.
Tyler
2:18
Do the Pirates sign or trade for a pitcher of significance?
Mark P
2:19
Yes. They reportedly had a competitive bid for Imanaga, so it seems like the Bucs are willing to spend a few more....uh, bucks than usual
Will
2:19
Go Pack Go!
Mark P
2:19
/fingers crossed
Big Dombrowski
2:20
If Padres do seriously entertain a Kim trade, wouldn’t this be an obvious upgrade for the Phillies?
Mark P
2:21
I guess in this scenario, Bohm gets flipped in the trade package back to San Diego? Then he plays 3B until Machado is fully healthy, and then moves to 1B with Cronenworth taking over 2B?

Obviously it would take more than just Bohm to get the Padres' attention for such a trade, but I could see that as a fit for Philly.
Al Kaline Battery
2:21
How much is the Diamond,Sports bankruptcy affecting free agency? Obviously it didn't affect the big spenders but some teams aren't spending anything despite needs.
Mark P
2:23
A lot of the big spenders have their own in-house cable networks, so the Diamond Sports situation isn't on their radar....unless it leads to a push from MLB to pool all local broadcast revenues.

But in general, yeah, it feels like at least a third of the league is still waiting for at least more clarity on the matter before deciding how much (or whether or not) to spend in any significant way.
Shota Imanaga
2:24
Last week you said you be surprised if I signed for less than $100M, even it was slightly below. Surprised?!?!
Mark P
2:26
Quite.  I do suspect that option year gets picked up unless things really go south for Imanaga, so that makes it a five-year/$80MM deal that fits with earlier offseason projections.
But yeah, it's interesting that there seemed to be some hesitation from suitors to commit too much for Imanaga
.
2:27
I haven’t heard about yariel Rodriguez in awhile what’s the latest on him
Mark P
2:28
Good question.  It seemed like there was a lot of steam building up for a Rodriguez signing a couple of weeks ago, but it's been quiet ever since.  Could be that he's still deciding, or perhaps final details and a physical are being hammered out, or perhaps a mystery team has swooped into the mix
Blue Flu
2:30
The Blue Jays have underperformed this winter. Let's say they added two more bats one through free agency and one through trade. Could you see Luis Rengifo being a potential option from versatility standpoint and the fact he is a switch hitter?
Mark P
2:31
Apart from the switch-hitting, I'm not sure Rengifo offers much that the Jays don't already have in their mix of infield candidates.  He might not be a real offensive upgrade since his metrics indicate some good fortune over the last two years
Why does he never Boras?
2:32
Is Boras running out of options for his wealth of left-obers? The Cubs are likely suitors for 3-4 of his guys, but they are about to be out on some if not all of them. How does it work when an agent is dealing with a team like this with his own clients being  oberlapping talent? I see his guys taking shorter deals or bargain deals at this point as the market seems to be shrinking by the moment. Maybe Boras has outwarn his welcome...it appears GM's would rather deal with anyone else.
Mark P
2:34
"It seems like Scott Boras has finally overplayed his hand" feels like something that has been written for about the last 15 offseasons, just before he has like three clients sign for big nine-figure contracts.

It is a fair question how an agency handles multiple clients who play the same position, or want to be on the same team, etc.
AF
2:36
What do the Dodgers have to package in order to wrestle Bo Bichette away from the Blue Jays?
Mark P
2:36
Why would the Jays trade Bichette when they're trying to win in 2024?
Cardinals
2:37
Any chance we make a trade for Blackburn?
Load More Messages
Connecting…