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Mark P
6:48
After a couple of weeks off due to scheduling changes and a heavy dose of transactions to write about, the Weekend Chat has returned!  There could be a couple of extra beads/bees posts to make up for lost time, but let's take some questions....
Jeremy
6:49
Should the Brewers be concerned about the Cubs?
Mark P
6:50
Milwaukee still has a nine-game lead, so the Brewers would need to really collapse or the Cubs would have to go all 2007 Rockies for Chicago to win the division
Jays Fan
6:50
Do you expect and changes to the current division winners by the end of season?
Mark P
6:50
The O's are still neck-and-neck with the Yankees, the AL Central is up in the air, and I could see San Diego or Arizona catching up to the Dodgers if LA keeps losing pitchers.
Guardo Man
6:51
Jose Ramirez has a real shot at a 40-40 season. Do you believe this locks him into the HOF if he somehow completed it?
Mark P
6:53
I don't think Ramirez necessarily needs the extra oomph of a 40-40 season on his resume, since it seems like everyone is pretty aware of his great career.  Staying with one team (presumably) for his entire career will also give him some extra credit with some voters.
Varitek
6:54
After this weekend, the Red Sox are basically done for, right?
Mark P
6:55
I think I tagged Boston as my dark horse playoff contender back around deadline time, but then the Sox went 13-15 in August.  They're still close enough in the race to make some noise, but the Sox just haven't really been to play much consistent baseball over an extended period of time.
fascinating
6:56
If the standings hold, the Padres and Dbacks end the season against each other in a meaningless series before immediately facing each other in the WC. How would this final series go down? Rest players and set up the rotation? Will be quite bizarre.
Mark P
6:57
No offense to SD or Arizona fans, but I kind of hope the standings tighten so that final series can turn into a "winner gets in, loser goes home" situation.  Basically a playoff series in advance of the actual playoffs.
Sad giants fan
6:58
What went wrong for the giants this season?
Farhan Zaidi
6:58
The Giants are playing nearly all playoff teams in September.  It seems very likely that it will be another non-playoff, non winning season (5 of 6). Even though I am under contract through 2026, am I on the hot seat?   If not, do I non tender Mike Yastrzemski (ops+ 109), likely arbitration raise to $ 9-10M for 2025?
Mark P
7:01
Starting with the first question, the Giants are simply a pretty average team in all facets of the game.  Not any truly glaring weaknesses but also not really any elite strengths, aside from Snell pitching like 1963 Sandy Koufax over the last several weeks.

Zaidi's extension was a sign of ownership's confidence in him, so even despite the lack of success this year, he'll get at least one more season to turn things around.  Maybe this is the winter SF lands a top-tier free agent, and I'd say their odds of re-signing Snell or (especially) re-signing Chapman seem pretty good.
7:02
As for Yaz, the contract decision might hinge on what else the Giants are able to do with their offseason moves.  Lee and Ramos are penciled into two of the outfield slots for 2025 and beyond, and while Yaz is a helpful player to have around, the Giants might prefer to devote his salary elsewhere.

Doesn't necessarily mean a non-tender, per se, but a trade in advance of the tender deadline is plausible.
Theo's Sweater Vest
7:04
Are Pete Crow-Armstrong and Miguel Amaya for real?  They have bene hot lately, but I'm not convinced it is sustainable.  Thoughts?
Mark P
7:06
Continuing at a superstar level isn't sustainable given the healthy dose of BABIP luck both players have had in the last month, but it isn't that surprising that either could be productive over the rest of September.

Frankly, the Cubs might've been due to have something so right for them at the plate, given how they were surprisingly underwhelming hitting-wise for so much of the year.  And now the pendulum has swung the other way and most of the lineup is currently red hot.
André René Roussimoff
7:08
Surprised that the Yankees are going to keep hitting their heads on a wall by continuing to run Alex Verdugo out there rather than giving Jasson Dominguez a shot?
Eric
7:08
How horrible a decision was it for Cashman to not call up Jasson Dominguez today?
The Martian
7:08
Are teh Yankees manipulating my service time for teh potnatial extra draft pick?
Mark P
7:11
Just because Dominguez didn't get called up today specifically doesn't mean he won't be in the Bronx at some point in September.  I'd be shocked if he wasn't called up, frankly, and he'll surely get a good chunk of the left field at-bats (if not subsume the job from Verdugo entirely).

This all to be said, it is very understandable why fans are confused by the amount of rope Verdugo is getting.  He has quietly been one of the least-productive regulars in baseball for three months now
7:12
Preserving Dominguez's rookie status is quite possibly a factor, and it could be that the Yankees feel okay just getting into the playoffs, not necessarily winning the division.  Not an optimal strategy in my view, but again Dominguez will be called up at some point, and provide reinforcements for October.
Seaver41
7:12
Brett Baty for Jordan Walker.  Who says no?
Mark P
7:12
St. Louis
G
7:13
What are the odds that the Mets let Alonso walk, shift Vientos across the diamond and commit resources to landing Soto?
Mark P
7:14
Alonso could be viewed as a backup plan by several teams in the Soto market, and I wouldn't expect Alonso to sign until after Soto has already landed somewhere.

Vientos' emergence gives the Mets some flexibility in how they want to approach their winter plans, since you're correct that he might just be their Plan B at first base (with Baty getting another shot at 3B).
TxDude
7:15
Chris Young (Rangers GM) has been on local radio stations giving some not so cryptic answers about being handcuffed by ownership this season. Could the team be looking at a front office overhaul or is this just overreaction based on a frustrating season?
Mark P
7:17
There's no doubt the Rangers' concerns over broadcast revenue put a big halt on their spending, and it is worth noting that Young doesn't yet have a contract for 2025.  

If he feels ownership is going to keep limiting what the front office is able to do, Young would be quite an intriguing hire for other teams if he chose to leave Texas.  Young was already viewed as an up-and-coming executive even before he won a championship, so he'd get a ton of interest as a free agent PBO/GM.
Brew Boo
7:22
What are the Brewers' chances of signing Adames?  I usually agree with their unwillingness to hand out big contracts, but I think Willy's contributions include many intangibles that give the team a boost.
Mark P
7:23
Pretty slim.  Obviously the Brewers know his importance, but it probably doesn't make financial sense for the team to make another big contractual splurge to lock him back up.
ChiSoxFan
7:24
Is there a particular standout in next years draft that the Sox are trying their hardest to land by losing every game?
Mark P
7:24
Ethan Holliday is considered a real blue-chipper just like his brother, but the draft lottery is a roadblock to the concept of tanking your way to the 1-1 pick
Kevin
7:25
Which way will the Cards go this off season? Strip down more or beef up with more signings?
Mark P
7:28
STL is still close enough that they might be able to squeak in the playoffs with a big September, but it looks like it'll another year without postseason baseball for the Cards.  And, it is far from assured that they'll even finish with a .500 record.

This makes the Cardinals a particularly fascinating team to watch this winter, especially since their lackluster play is translating to a lot of empty seats at the ballpark.  That's the kind of thing ownership will pay particular attention to, and it puts even more pressure on Mozeliak and company to turn things around.  Whether or not Mozeliak's own job could be in trouble is also an open question, since his contract only runs through 2025.
Ken
7:30
I believe the White Sox can't pick higher than 10th in next year's draft.
Mark P
7:30
Good catch, I overlooked that.  Because they're considered a big-market team, the White Sox can't be in the lottery in consecutive season, and they were already in last year's draft lottery.
Leisurefriar
7:31
NL Rookie of the Year - Jackson Merrill or Paul Skenes
Mark P
7:32
Merrill.  His success over the full season is the biggest factor for me.
Frank Wren
7:34
Do you think the Braves enter next year with an OF of Acuna, Harris, and Soler? If so, what do they do with Kelinek and Laureano?
Mark P
7:37
Laureano has looked really good since coming to Atlanta but he is probably viewed as a stopgap.  The Braves might try to trade him this winter.

Things still aren't really clicking for Kelenic in the majors, but it might be too soon for the Braves to give up on him just yet.  As a part-time option, he has value, and a breakout might still come.

The other X-factor is naturally how long it'll take Acuna to recover from his torn ACL, so the Braves will need some extra outfield depth anyway while Acuna gets back to full health.  As much as the Braves value their strategy of playing their regulars almost literally every day, this year's injury woes might make them reconsider the value of having a deeper bench.
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