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Mark P
8:05
The final Weekend Chat of the regular season is underway!  Lots to discuss as the playoffs near....
Brian Cashman
8:07
Besides resigning Soto, what needs will I need to address this offseason?
Mark P
8:10
Figuring out first base and second base, as Rizzo and Torres probably aren't likely to return.  Chisholm could move over to 2B but if that's the case, you then need to address third base since DJLM is a question mark, and the Yankees might not want to give a larger role to Cabrera or Vivas.

If Weaver hasn't done enough to earn the job, closer is another need since Holmes is a free agent.  And, the bullpen and rotation need to be addressed in some way, even if technically the Yankees have enough arms on hand anyway
Tim
8:10
Who would be a good underdog to surprise everyone in the playoffs? I think Arizona could surprise some people
Mark P
8:11
Would the reigning NL champions count as a real "surprise"?  If anything, the last two years of the expanded playoffs have taught us that nothing is a real surprise.

Maybe this year's version would be one of the struggling AL wild card teams (Orioles, Twins, Royals) suddenly heating up after their September swoon
AL Central
8:12
Just wanted to say thanks for a fun season this year! What a wild month it’s been for the Central. Tigers making a push, do they pull it off?
Mark P
8:12
Speaking of those struggling wild card teams.....heck, Detroit might be the top WC by the time the week is over.  I think they're getting in, at the very least.
HappyFunBall
8:13
Given that he's not really a very good shortstop and the Nats are flush with decent 2Bs, does the CJ Abrams disciplinary action signal to the league that he's available in trade?
Mark P
8:13
Nope
8:15
The public nature of the demotion was pretty surprising, yet I think the Nats view it as a necessary message to be sent, with the hope that Abrams gets the message loud and clear.

Also, consider if you're a team that suddenly gets a call from the Nats about Abrams this winter.  Isn't there some "wait, why are they shopping him? is there something we don't know about?" trepidation at play?
Balk
8:16
I think the Giants need to do everything they can to extend Snell, do they have a shot?
Mark P
8:17
Absolutely. The Chapman extension is an early sign that the Giants are very open to locking up "their guys," and Snell might very well be interested in a fairly early signing in order to escape a repeat of last year.
White Sox
8:17
Worst team of all time since 1900?
Mark P
8:17
While I haven't been around for all of those seasons, yes
Hmm part 2
8:18
Do the Mets chase after big pitchers in free agency?
Mark P
8:20
Given how a big chunk of their rotation is headed for the open market, absolutely.  I don't think it'll be quite the Mets spend-a-thon that we saw before Stearns took over the front office, but the Mets will absolutely be in the market with all of the major available names
Guest
8:21
David Bell survive?  Reds should have played more young outfielders down the stretch to see what they had.  Agreed?
Mark P
8:22
I'm not sure that the Reds' struggles could or should be blamed on Bell, and it's also been just over a year since the team gave him a new contract extension.
8:23
Hindsight being 20-20, it feels like the front office's relatively quiet offseason might have been a signal that they felt the team was maybe a year early, and that it wasn't quite full speed ahead on a return to contention
Os fan
8:24
how many deadline trades have been as bad as immediately as the Trevor Rogers one? Rogers killed the orioles in his few starts and norby would have started for the orioles basically the whole second half.
Mark P
8:25
The trade didn't make much sense on paper, and the short-term impact has obviously been pretty bad.  That said, the trade didn't lead to Westburg breaking his hand literally the day after the deadline, which was just horrible luck and the first bad omen for Baltimore's slide
Dylan
8:25
With a lot of the teams battling each other for the playoff spots are playing each other this week, which team in each league ends up being the odd man out? My guess the Mets and twins lose their ground and miss the playoffs
Mark P
8:26
Who misses the NL playoffs?
Braves (68.1% | 369 votes)
 
Diamondbacks (6.5% | 35 votes)
 
Mets (21.6% | 117 votes)
 
Padres (3.9% | 21 votes)
 
Total Votes: 542
Who misses the AL playoffs?
Orioles (3.1% | 17 votes)
 
Royals (16.6% | 91 votes)
 
Tigers (14.8% | 81 votes)
 
Twins (65.6% | 360 votes)
 
Total Votes: 549
Vladdy
8:26
I say I want to play third base next year.  Do the Jays let me?  Should they?
Mark P
8:27
He won't play there every day, but having Guerrero as even a part-time third baseman gives the Jays a lot more room to seek out another big bat for the first base or DH spot
Dodgers fan
8:28
What's Scherzer's next contract look like?
Mark P
8:28
One year guaranteed, with a vesting option for 2026.  Probably $10MM or so.
Guardians
8:29
Why does everyone underestimate us. Have they not seen what great bullpens can do in October?
Mark P
8:29
Anyone underrating Cleveland's chances is a fool.  The Guardians absolutely have a good chance to win it all.
Playing out the string
8:29
when Your team has been eliminated, are you still rooting for them to win? I know losses mean potentially better draft position, but as a fan I would never pull against my own team
Mark P
8:30
Even with the lottery spicing things up, the baseball draft is such a crapshoot that rooting for a tank isn't really all that feasible.  As the song goes, you root, root root for the home team.
SS fan
8:30
What does the Ahmed promotion say about HS Kim’s chancing to return this year?
Mark P
8:31
Doesn't seem like a great sign.  Kim is still having trouble throwing.
Steve
8:32
Is there a scenario where the Yankees can win the World Series without a closer? Mariano isn't walking through that door.
Mark P
8:32
This is some Luke Weaver erasure right here.  Weaver's been quite strong since more or less taking over the closer job, which is a sign of relief for New York heading into October
Verlander
8:32
Will I play next year or retire?  What would a contract look like?
Mark P
8:33
Probably pretty similar to that Scherzer projection I made earlier.  I do think Verlander will give it another go, as surely he wants to go out on a higher note than this.
Royals
8:34
I think I'd rather see the Royals at 75 wins than choke this last month away.
Mark P
8:36
Since I always love quoting Tennyson in these chats and getting some value out of my English degree, 'tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.  The Royals lost 106 games last year, so it's all gravy, as painful as this month has been
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