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Mark P
4:46
Put those Sunday dinner plans on hold, since the Weekend Chat has been launched!  Let's take a minute to amass some questions, and then get rolling....
Medic Mike
4:48
Ok , who is closing for the Cubs?
Craig
4:48
What new CL do Cubs land?
Mark P
4:49
I suspect this Pressly trade gets finalized at some point, with Pressly agreeing to give up his no-trade clause for some benefit (perhaps a one-year contract extension)
Rick
4:49
Altuve in left field seems so crazy it just might work. The problem with that is Paredes is more of a 3rd baseman than 2nd. Is there a world that Bregman moves to second for the Astros?
Mark P
4:52
Paredes hasn't been too impressive anywhere he's played on the diamond, but in theory, second base is an easier position than 3B.  I doubt Houston wants to upset the apple cart too much by having Bregman suddenly shift over to 2B.

Also, going by social media response, it's amusing how apparently nobody has looked at Altuve's defensive metrics before news broke about that possible position change.
Guest
4:52
Alonzo still end up a NYM?
Mark P
4:54
I'd lean towards no at this point.  My suspicion is that other teams have offered Alonso more money and are more willing to meet his demands in terms of contract structure, but his top choice is still to return to New York.  If the Mets return to the table and bump up their last offer, that might be enough for Alonso to accept, even if he leaves some money on the table
Jack Flaherty
4:55
What is going on with me? Seems like nothing
Mark P
4:55
Flaherty basically said as much in a recent podcast appearance.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/jack-flaherty-discusses-free-ag...
JC
4:55
What are the odds Pressly is traded during this chat…?
Mark P
4:56
Nothing more annoying than when major news breaks during my chat, haha. Now I've jinxed it.
Guest
4:56
Bailey Falter have value to any club as an affordable 5th starter? Pirates have been a left handing starting pitcher reclamation factory over the years with Quintana and Tyler Anderson amongst others  - -  time to cash out on Falter?
Mark P
4:58
He'd certainly garner interest on the market, but I'd caution against a big trade return.  Falter had a good but unspectacular season, and teams will always be wary about anyone who isn't a big strikeout pitcher.  Pittsburgh does have enough young pitching depth to afford moving Falter, but the Bucs probably don't want to shed too much from the rotation after also dealing Ortiz
Krewers
4:59
Do the Brewers really have little to no money to spend, as has been reported on this site?  They gained money in the Devin Williams trade, and went back to Ballys (FanDuel) as their network this year to generate more revenue.  How can they really have nothing to spend?  I want to see the books!
Mark P
5:01
Mark Attanasio's accountant will be faxing you shortly!

The Brewers were never going to be big spenders, and I'd argue that they might have room for one more semi-notable expenditure.  What's probably likelier to happen is the Crew saving whatever payroll space exists for in-season deadline pickups
S. Harris
5:02
Chances tigers sign both Bregman and Flaherty?
Mark P
5:03
One at most, not both.  Doesn't seem like the Tigers have the appetite for two big splurges yet
AF
5:04
I keep reading Bregman/Cubs rumors. It would seem the only way that could happen is if Hoerner is traded. That was a popular storyline a couple of months ago. Anything left of those Mariners rumors?
Mark P
5:04
Cubs could add Bregman and then trade Shaw in some kind of notable deal, perhaps for starting pitching.
Brewers
5:05
Next Chourio for the Brewers is...
Mark P
5:05
You say that like Chourio-caliber players are so easy to find.  Milwaukee doesn't have anyone in their system of his caliber, even though their system is pretty decently rated by evaluators.
bregman's next team
5:06
is bregman re-signing? i did the math and the red sox have to give like a semien-type contract to outbid, tigers have no confidence in him opting out in a couple of years like baez and e-rod and are hamstrung with baez's contract
where does bregman go?
Mark P
5:08
These latest rumblings about Bregman and the Astros have got me wondering if they might just end up working out a new deal after all.  That would be quite an unexpected development to this whole situation, but it can't be ruled out at this point if Bregman just isn't liking the offers he's getting from other clubs.

It also occurs to me that if Bregman does re-sign, the Astros could address their outfield situation by trading Paredes for an outfielder.  That would be another twist in a crazy offseason for Paredes, but stranger things have happened
Pool boy
5:09
When a team trades away international pool space, is it giving up any actual money? Or is it just giving away cap space - so that the acquiring team can spend more of its own money on bonuses to international signees?
Mark P
5:10
No actual money is changing hands.  It's just that the team acquiring "the money" is now allowed to spend that amount on top of its pre-existing pool
Doug
5:10
If Bregman back to the Astros becomes true, what do you think of Parades to the Mariners for a package built around Luke Raley? They’ll need to go OF, and they just lost a pretty good lefty OF. Raley wouldn’t be bad with their righty reserves. Maybe add a cheaper reliever in the case Pressly goes too. I know they’re division rivals, but it’s not the biggest of pieces going back and forth, so…
Mark P
5:34
Ha, I have my bright idea about the possibility of a Paredes trade, only to scroll down the chat window and see someone else suggesting the same thing.  I doubt Houston would move Paredes in the division, however
5:35
As you might've noticed, folks, we had to put the chat on pause since Pressly did indeed get dealt to the Cubs.  (The early chat curse continues!)  Keep submitting questions, and we'll resume things later tonight.
6:25
We now return to our regularly-scheduled chat!  Man, couldn't Pressly have waited another hour or so to give up that no-trade protection?  :)
Hal
6:26
Are the dodgers the new evil empire? What did I do wrong that the Yankees are not the preferred destination? Why can’t I get players to defer money?
Mark P
6:29
Nothing is stopping the Yankees or any other team from offering deferrals, and several other teams besides the Dodgers in fact do.

This is just speculative on my part, but the Dodgers' willingness to offer extensions to their players is a significant departure from how the Yankees do business.  The Yankees have re-signed several prominent players (i.e. Judge, LeMahieu, etc.) once they hit free agency, but they rarely ever do contract extensions as a matter of principle.  This can't help but perhaps make for a bit of a mercenary approach, and perhaps a difference in how players view Los Angeles and the Bronx
Tricia
6:30
Why aren't the Mets bringing back Iglesias?
Mark P
6:32
Iglesias hasn't received much buzz at all in free agency, which could mean that most teams view his 2024 performance as something of a one-off.  It wouldn't be surprising to see him return to the Mets on a relatively low-cost deal deeper into the offseason, as the Mets probably feel they have the edge over whatever market exists for his services
Jc in Orlando
6:33
What's your opinion on Cohen's comments on Alonso? More gamesmanship or actual frustration?
Mark P
6:34
Bit of both, maybe leaning towards just frustration because you rarely hear team owners address free agent pursuits in such a direct way.  I can totally buy Cohen's stance on things, as with Soto, it was simply a case where the Mets just had to outbid everyone else.  With Alonso, the Mets must feel like they're bidding against themselves to some degree, and don't feel too motivated to boost their offers closer to Alonso's demands
DaleMo
6:36
Is Dombroski done making moves? An outfielder of Kepler, Marsh/Rojas and Castellanos isn't very exciting
Mark P
6:37
I too find it a little hard to believe that the Phillies are standing pat with their current roster.  While a talented group, I'm not sure it's necessarily any better than their 2024 roster, and one can make a case that it's just not as good.
atleastwetried
6:37
Brewers need to rename AmFam for Bob Uecker in some way. Uecker Field at American Family Ballpark, something like that.
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