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Mark P
7:19
The Weekend Chat is here!  Let's take a minute for the questions to roll in, and we'll begin....
Guards Nation
7:21
AL Central prediction with 19 games left??
Mark P
7:22
Cleveland probably hangs on, and it helps that they have a series with the White Sox coming up.

However, the key stat of the year in the ALC is that the Guardians are only 5-5 against the White Sox. Whereas Detroit is 9-1, and the Twins and Royals are both 12-1
Mets
7:23
Enough in the tank to finish this off and make the playoffs in light of such a difficult remaining schedule?
wild card
7:23
Doesn't it look possible now that either SD or AZ miss a wild card as they seem to have lost momentum and their leads are down to very little ?
Mark P
7:25
It should be a really exciting finish in the wild card race, since the Mets are red hot and putting a lot of the pressure on the SD/Arizona/Atlanta trio.  Any of that quartet could miss out, which would be devastating considering the expectations for all three teams.  It's weird to say that the team with the $335MM payroll had the lowest expectations, but the Mets have (somewhat) quietly been rolling for months now
Eye of the tiger
7:25
Does Skubal have the Cy Young locked down?
Mark P
7:26
Probably.  Clase is garnering some buzz and deservedly so, but a great year from a starter probably tops a great year from a closer
Guest
7:27
Is Luis Campusano good enough to cover until Salas arrives, assuming Ethan picks up his production at the plate?
Mark P
7:29
Salas is still only 18 and hasn't been great this year at high-A ball.  As exciting of a prospect as he might be, I wouldn't just pencil him in just yet as a surefire "catcher of the future" since he's still so early on in his development.
Texas revival
7:30
With Texas behind so many teams for an AL wild card, how can De Grom and Scherzer save them at this late date ?  (I even doubt both can finish Sept without going on IL again)
Mark P
7:31
It's probably too late for the Rangers, though they've been playing better as of late.  The goal here for deGrom is just to get some innings under his belt and provide some peace of mind for 2025.  Scherzer as well would love to get back to the mound and end his rough year on some kind of high note heading into free agency.
Old Guy fan
7:31
Has Rich Hill thrown his last pitch in majors?
Mark P
7:31
I hope not.  I need at least one guy in the majors who's still older than me.
Jocko Johansson
7:33
Blackmon retires?
Mark P
7:34
He's hinted at retirement in recent years, and it's certainly conceivable that he might hang it up at age 38 and after 14 seasons.  It also wouldn't shock me if the Rockies offered him another one-year, eight-figure deal out of pure loyalty, even if realistically Colorado should be giving that playing time to a younger player
Kevin
7:34
Where does Kris Bryant play next year if he plays?
Mark P
7:34
The Rockies, naturally.  They're not releasing him, and surely no team is trading for him.
7:35
This is the first time in a long time I've had back-to-back Rockies questions in a chat, wow
Hmmm
7:35
As a Yankees fan I am not sure that Soto will sign with them. I don't think the front office did enough at the deadline to impress him or me. Would you do a poll of where people think Soto will sign
Mark P
7:35
Will Juan Soto re-sign with the Yankees?
Yes (46.9% | 325 votes)
 
No (53.1% | 368 votes)
 
Total Votes: 693
Don
7:37
Tigers making the wild card?
Mark P
7:39
With the AL Central teams struggling, it's left the door open for the Tigers to stick around in the race.  Detroit's pulled even with two other inconsistent clubs in Boston and Seattle,   

Tigers have a big series with the Royals next week, plus a season-ending series against the woeful White Sox.  In short, don't count the Tigers out.
Cards fan
7:40
There has to be major changes on the horizon right?  Our director of player development “retired” suddenly.
Mark P
7:41
I think the bigger overhaul might happen after next season, as Mozeliak has indicated he'll step back in his role once his deal is up at the end of 2025.  It wouldn't be a shock, really, if Mozeliak "steps back" (or whatever a polite term for "not fired, but..." is) in the coming weeks, allowing for possibly Chaim Bloom or a new executive entirely to take over in St. Louis
Big Shortstop Guy
7:43
Who are the early favorites for Adames, and what does his contract now look like?
Mark P
7:45
Six years and $140-$150MM feels doable.  The Dodgers stand out as a logical suitor and they always have money to spend, and maybe the Braves, Tigers or Giants could get involved.
squinky
7:46
When will the mariners stop hoarding prospects and use them to get some major league bats?
Mark P
7:48
Dipoto can hardly be accused of a lack of aggression on the trade front, but the Mariners' hitting woes are so pronounced that something more extreme might have to be done.  The concern for Dipoto would be that if he dealt a promising young pitcher for a hitter and then that hitter also scuffled while the pitcher blossomed elsewhere, it only adds to the heat on the front office.
Also, Seattle's payroll constraints shouldn't be overlooked.  That makes prospects of any kind more important for the M's if they have to watch the spending.
Andy
7:50
If Cole decides to opt out of his contract can you see a scenario where the Yankees let him walk and sign two pitchers for what it would cost to have Cole on the payroll?
Mark P
7:53
Anthony Franco recently explored this topic in a piece for MLBTR Front Office subscribers.  My guess is that Cole still opts out and the Yankees retain him, because the rest of their rotation has enough questions that Cole still brings stability.  The team could well take the view that Cole's early-season injury resulted in his "relatively" disappointing season, and even the B+ version of Cole is still pretty good.
7:55
The other wrinkle here is that Cole and Soto are both represented by Scott Boras, so who knows what kind of machinations might be at play.  Would Soto be offended if the opt-out was triggered and the Yankees just let Cole walk?
Halifax
7:56
Has Martinez fallen down the Jays depth chart with the progress some of the other players (Horwitz, Jimenez, Barger, even Clement) have made in the 2nd half?
Mark P
7:57
Martinez arguably has a higher ceiling than any of that group, so if he hits well next year in the minors, people will forget pretty quickly about the PED suspension.
Seaver41
7:59
What is has Brett Baty's trade value sunk to?
Mark P
8:00
He drew a lot of interest at the trade deadline, so his value is still quite high.  Keep in mind that Baty is only 24 and has played the equivalent of around one full MLB season....still plenty of time for a breakout to happen, and such a breakout could be hastened by a change of scenery
Off-Season Outlooker
8:02
Does Kim Ng get a job this off-season, provided that she's looking to get back into the game?
Mark P
8:04
The Blue Jays, Cardinals, Mariners, Cubs, Padres (if they miss the playoffs), Rangers (if Chris Young isn't retained), and Twins (if Falvey/Levine aren't retained) are all teams that could conceivably make changes in the front office, though some seem more realistic than others.
8:05
I could be a world where none of these vacancies open up, leaving Ng and other executives having to wait a bit longer for another opportunity
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