JotCast | MLBTR Live Chat

MLBTR Live Chat

Mark P

7:09

Am I tempting fate by starting a chat with so much club option/contractual news up in the air that could break at any moment? Sure! It's the first Weekend Chat of the offseason!

Horace Shellhammer

7:10

Should the Giants trade for Josh Naylor to bridge the gap until Eldridge is ready and perhaps trade him at the deadline to recoup draft picks?

Mark P

7:11

The Giants are surely hoping to contend this year and thus won't be wanting to move Naylor, but in general, this plan makes some sense.

7:12

This could mean that Wade is dealt or perhaps limited to DH, but the Giants certainly need some extra pop

J.R.

7:12

What have the rumblings been about the market for Ha-Seong Kim? Haven’t heard much about him in the past few weeks.

Mark P

7:13

Kim's shoulder surgery is certainly the X-factor here, and I'm sure plenty of teams are waiting until there's more of a solid timeline in place about his recovery.

7:14

Broadly speaking, Kim will still get a lot of attention from a wide range of teams, and I suspect he'll get a relatively short-term deal with an opt-out after the first season. This allows him to potentially re-enter the market when he proves he's fully healthy.

Bugg

7:15

Could the Tigers make a realistic run at Soto?

Mark P

7:16

On paper, sure, since they have so little in terms of long-term payroll commitments. Seeing Detroit suddenly make such a giant bid for a superstar would be a surprise, however, so I don't think they'll go quite that big with their offseason shopping.

I do think the Tigers will aim to land at least one prominent name, whether on the free agent or trade markets. Their strong finish should get the front office thinking more aggressively about how to build this roster while Skubal is still there.

Aoe

7:17

Do you see other players taking on deferred contracts, (like Ohtani), so its easier to build a better team around them?

Mark P

7:18

We've seen deferred contracts used for other players before Ohtani, so it isn't exactly a new strategy. And nobody is going to go to Ohtani's extremes in deferring virtually their entire contract, since nobody else has Ohtani's extra revenue stream of huge endorsement money.

Baseball fan

7:18

Where do you think Bregman ends up? I think Jays may go all out for him

Mark P

7:20

Speaking of the Tigers, I can see them making a run at Bregman, perhaps with the AJ Hinch factor acting as a tiebreaker.

Toronto makes sense, but you wonder how much they'll really have to spend, or whether ownership would okay another big expenditure for a front office that might be on a real hot seat. And, if you're Bregman, do you consider the Jays' shaky situation as more attractive than, say, a team like Detroit?

Jon

7:22

Surprised to see Colin Rea get waived instead of picking up the option and seeing if anyone wants to trade for him later in the offseason (or in Spring Training with injuries)? $5.5M is super cheap for even a back-end/swingman guy

Master Blaster

7:22

So should we consider Devin Williams as good as gone from Milwaukee? What do you make of their moves from this weekend? I get the feeling the TV deal loss may be affecting them heavily.

Mark P

7:25

I'll post these questions together since they're cut from the same cloth. Williams is inexpensive enough that I could see the Brewers keeping him, and letting him go in free agency a la Adames. That said, if an enticing enough trade offer comes up, the front office will surely be very open to moving Williams and relying on the in-house relievers.

The Rea move surprised me as well. You wonder if money might've been a real factor there, since on paper, you're right that just keeping Rea and trading him shouldn't have been all that difficult.

Kirk

7:25

What's one move you'd make this offseason if you were in charge of the Nationals?

Mark P

7:25

Offer Juan Soto $600MM

Astros fan

7:27

If Astros lose Bregman, do you see them making a big signing either to replace him or add a bat at first? If so, who do you think they are most likely to target?

Mark P

7:28

Keep in mind that the Astros might have to get "creative" with their spending, as per Dan Brown's words
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/10/astros-rumors-payroll-concerns-...

7:29

Er, Dana Brown's words. Though I suppose piecing together a contending roster is its own type of Da Vinci Code.

In any case, bringing in a first baseman seems like a must, and that's a position where you can get a good return on your investment without necessarily splurging on an Alonso or a Walker.

Best Mascot - Phanatic

7:30

Does Crawford and Miller make Bohm, Rojas, Marsh, and/or Stott expendable? How do they get rid of Walker?

Mark P

7:32

While Crawford/Miller should both be up sometime in 2025, I don't think that necessarily makes the Phillies comfortable enough to rely on them to fill roster holes immediately. Packaging two of the four players you mentioned, maybe, in order to land a single impact player might be more feasible.

Walker is another player that might be moved in some kind of creative trade (or a bad contract swap), but with pitching depth always a must, the Phils might hang onto him just as an extra arm in the event of injuries.

Brew Crew

7:33

Did we just cause a big issue with the MLBPA with the handling of Devin Williams contract?

Mark P

7:35

Nope. The logic behind the contract was that exercising the option might've saved the Brewers a few bucks if Williams' arb number had kept escalating. If he's fully healthy this season, for instance, he might've gotten himself in line in range for a $10.5MM salary anyway.

Danny from Wisconsin

7:36

Could Milwaukee and St. Louis match up on a Fedde deal or do you feel STL will be opposed to dealing within the division?

Mark P

7:37

All things being equal, the Cards will likely look to move their key trade chips outside the NL Central.

Trivia time...what was the last Brewers/Cardinals trade? Hint, it happened in 2015 at the trade deadline.

jimmyinrichmond

7:38

Are Gold Glove announcements tonight?

Mark P

7:38

Yep, happening in less than an hour

Guest

7:38

If Yankees don’t extend Cole, is that an indicator they’re all in on Soto?

John

7:38

Is Cole staying in the Bronx?

Mark P

7:39

I think Cole is staying, perhaps on a restructured contract where he still gets his money, but perhaps spread out over a longer period so he gets an extra year or two and the Yankees lessen their tax number a bit.

7:40

Letting Cole walk entirely would be a fascinating move, and perhaps unlikely just because the Yankees would then have to pivot to fill a big hole in the rotation (on top of bidding on Soto, finding a first baseman, etc.)

Marty

7:41

How long before tito wins with the reds

Mark P

7:42

I did pick the Reds to make the playoffs in 2024, so perhaps I'm higher on their talent core than most. But if this season could just be written off as a season from hell/group sophomore slump/2023 was perhaps a slight mirage/etc., then it seems entirely possible things could really click for Cincinnati quite quickly.

7:43

Not to say that their struggles last year were entirely due to David Bell or anything, but Francona's track record is so strong that it has to be considered an upgrade

Master Blaster

7:44

Jonathan Broxton to the Cards for a minor leaguer. Yes, I had to look it up, but I didn't want to leave you hanging.

Mark P

7:44

Winner winner chicken dinner!

Lieutenant Dan(sby)

7:45

When do the top 50 free agent predictions drop?

Mark P

7:45

I believe the plan is for the top 50 list to be released by Tuesday at the latest