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Mark P
7:58
The final weekend of the offseason is always loaded with roster moves, so it was too busy last Sunday to launch the Weekend Chat.  But, we're coming back full force tonight, so let's open up the queue!
Rox
8:02
I love Buddy Black and how hard he’s worked to try and make something of these recent Rockies rosters. However, I think it might be time to get a fresh start in the dugout in Denver. What do you think?
Mark P
8:03
Tend to agree, even if I don't think Black is in the top 10 (or 15, or 20?) issues keeping the Rockies from being competitive.
Any manager would struggle to make those rosters competitive
Ryan Yarbrough
8:04
Why didn’t the jays keep me? I could’ve helped as a spot starter/long reliever.
Mark P
8:05
The decision to put Yarbrough has almost immediately backfired on the Jays with Scherzer going down.  I guess they wanted more flexibility in the bullpen in terms of guys they can more freely option or cut, but having a long man like Yarbrough would've been quite helpful.
John
8:06
What kind of starting pitcher could the Orioles get for mountcastle?
Joe
8:06
The Orioles are shopping Ryan Mountcastle. What kind of return do you think he brings?
Mark P
8:09
Less than Texas got for Lowe, who is also a first base-only player with two years of arb control, but with a higher ceiling as a hitter and defender.

I have little doubt Baltimore has been shopping Mountcastle for a while, yet I don't think there's a huge market for his services.  Certainly not to the point that the O's could get any kind of real significant pitching upgrade in return.  Mountcastle is the kind of solid but unspectacular middle-ground player that is helpful to have, but not necessarily the kind of player that a team will go out of its way to acquire
Brew Crew
8:10
What do you think of the Yankees new bats?
Mark P
8:11
To be clear, it's not strictly "their" new bats, as other players on other teams have also been experimenting with these new Torpedo bats as well.  The bats are a fun storyline, but it might've just been a perfect storm of warm weather at a homer-friendly ballpark, the Brewers' pitching being shaky, and Aaron Judge being awesome, moreso than the Yankees unlocking some secret new bat technology
Logan Gilbert
8:14
Do you see the Mariners extending him sometime in the near future and what would a potential contract look like?
Mark P
8:16
The Mariners face an interesting decision on which or how many of their pitchers will be extending, and keeping all four is naturally a big stretch. Gilbert has already done enough to command a nine-figure extension. Of all that group, he's the one I'd prefer to keep, if I could keep just one.
Jim
8:16
Hey Mark, is Tyler O'Neill the greatest Opening Day player ever?
Mark P
8:17
Opening Day position player, yes

Bob Feller threw a no-hitter on Opening Day 1940, so I think Feller still holds the all-time title
Curt
8:17
What's the funnest early overreaction you've seen so far?
Mark P
8:18
After publishing that Snitker post earlier, seems like quite a few Braves fans want him out as manager, despite the fact that the team has done nothing but win during his tenure
Mackenzie Gore
8:19
has he become ace level?
Mark P
8:20
Speaking of overreactions, one start doesn't necessarily make a guy an ace, haha.  

Gore has always been such a highly-touted pitcher that nobody would be surprised if this is really a breakout year.  Being just a solid starter would still count as a big win for him and the Nationals, but obviously making the leap to being a frontline pitcher would be great for all parties.
Extend Now!
8:21
Why don’t more teams in AZ’s position extend their young players? I’m thinking like MIL or CLE.
Mark P
8:22
Not sure you picked the right examples there.  Cleveland has made a habit of locking up young talent for decades, and the Brewers have made plenty of notable extensions over the years.  Most prominently, extending Chourio before he even made the big leagues, or locking up Peralta on what has become a real bargain deal.
Jays fan
8:23
What do you make of Mark Shapiro’s comments that he thinks the jays will sign Vladdy? Seems odd for a guy that likes to reveal very little
Mark P
8:25
It was a positive enough public statement that it got me thinking Guerrero might sign an extension after all, just because you're right in noting that it was a strangely bold move for Shapiro
Blake
8:25
How long until Acuna comes back?
Mark P
8:25
Middle of May is the rough timeline
Jim
8:29
Why do you think the Orioles have struggled to get Holliday, Kjerstad, and Mayo established with the major league team? They were so successful with Henderson, Rutschman, and Westburg.
Mark P
8:32
To be fair, if the Orioles batted .500 on all their top prospects becoming qualify big leaguers, that's still a fantastic result for their rebuild.  

And, it's also far too early to say that any of Holliday/Kjerstad/Mayo won't work out, since they've gotten so little relative playing time.  The O's are in a bit of a tough spot in the sense that they're trying to both develop these youngsters and win at the same time, so they can only give them so much rope at the MLB level unless they have some immediate success.
TxDude
8:32
Devers has looked ROUGH in these first few games. Is just the shoulders still bothering him or is there something else going on?
Mark P
8:34
It's probably both the combination of his shoulder issues and adjusting to DH duty in equal measure, yet maybe the bigger problem is that Devers didn't play much this spring.  Could be that he's still not fully ramped up after his offseason prep work was interrupted by his shoulder rehab.
Ballyhooed Plausibilities
8:35
Is the dh a position that can shift around the lineup? Could a right handed hitter pinch hit for lamonte Wade and stay in at DH while Wilmer flips from dh to first base? Could Patrick Bailey dh for a partial day off but still be an emergency catcher if needed?
Mark P
8:36
If you move a player from DH to another position mid-game, you lose the DH spot for the rest of the game, and the pitcher has to hit in that place in the batting order.
Lars
8:36
Ready for the Cards to continue to surprise everyone this season.
Mark P
8:37
I'll have to walk back a lot of criticisms about the Cardinals' offseason if they just end up being a good team, haha!  Off to a really nice start so far, and in a division without a clear favorite, St. Louis might well have a shot
Shaun U
8:37
Hey Mark, Who do you think is the best base stealer of all time. In my opinion it was Rickey Henderson.
Mark P
8:38
It's Rickey, undisputed
Ejoey
8:38
Why haven't the Tigers made a trade for an outfielder, right Handed that they've needed since the off season
Mark P
8:39
They brought in Margot and Hicklen as depth in the wake of the injuries.  Vierling was supposed to be the right-handed hitting OF complement but unfortunately he ended up on the IL, leaving Detroit in a bit of a lurch once Meadows also went down
Joey
8:41
Hey Mark, when are the Pirates going to give up on David Bednar? I think the "Pittsburgh Kid" love has worn off.
Mark P
8:42
Rough start so far, no doubt, and it hasn't done anything to add to the idea that 2024 was just a one-off down year.  I feel the Bucs have Bednar on a relatively short-ish leash, as much as they might want to showcase him for a trade if all else fails
Jim
8:44
Does Mountcastle to the Pirates make sense? For one of their lesser pitching prospects like Braxton Ashcraft or Hunter Barco?
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