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9:25

After considering the injury history, does Luis Robert have anything to offer the Mets?

Mark P

9:26

Assuming he stays healthy, Robert is (at minimum) a good defensive center fielder who hits left-handed pitching well. That's a useful player to have on the roster, even if it remains to be seen if he can recapture any of his past stardom

MoonBeamMcSwine

9:26

Can you provide a comment regarding "the Big Rig", Gavin Williams.. could he challenge for league ace status & Cy votes during the 2026 season?

Mark P

9:27

Some back-end Cy votes certainly seem possible. Williams had a nice breakout last year and might be the latest frontline arm from the Cleveland pitching factory.

9:28

Shouldn't I have sold them off instead adding Gore to the aging and injury prone DeGrom and Eovaldi?

Mark P

9:29

DeGrom and Eovaldi both have no-trade clauses, so they'd have to approve any deal anyway. And, their ages and salaries and injuries are also obstacles to finding an acceptable return in a trade, though either would've certainly drawn interest if the Rangers had really shopped them

9:30

The bottom line here is that the Rangers are still trying to compete in 2026, albeit within payroll restrictions. Trying to thread the needle by moving DeGrom or Eovaldi for salary relief and some win-now return and then still (either in the same transaction or in others) filling those new holes at the top of the rotation is mighty difficult.

Kurtz on 1st

9:31

Who’s closing games for my A’s?

Mark P

9:32

It'll apparently be a committee, though plans can change if one guy really stands out in a closing role. Hogan Harris is probably (big if) the top closer choice at the moment, if the A's do give one member of the committee a larger share of the save chances.

Pablo Lopez

9:34

Now that my season is over, what do the Twins do about the rotation? I’m not sure that Giolito or Littell move the needle much…

Mark P

9:35

Littell is probably the better fit since he'll be less expensive. Since I was pessimistic about Minnesota's chances even with Lopez healthy, losing him for the season seems like it should already get the front office thinking about another deadline selloff

AJ Preller

9:37

Are the Padres done dealing ?

Mark P

9:37

Based purely on vibes, I feel like Prelller has one more notable addition still to come before Opening Day.

Dark 🐎

9:39

Which team has been the most surprising to go on a run that wasn't on anyone's radar throughout the season? Maybe 2006 Cards?

Mark P

9:39

Exactly nobody thought the 2023 World Series was going to wind up as Rangers vs. Diamondbacks, and yet...

Dark 🐎

9:41

Best under the radar off-season signing?

Mark P

9:42

Since I hyped him for months as a great darkhorse signing, Luis Rengifo going to the Brewers gives me a lot of hope that he's in for a very good year. Milwaukee excels are under-the-radar adds, so the fact that they're in on Rengifo says something.

Ian

9:43

Who wins the AL West this year?

Mark P

9:44

Seattle is the clear favorite. Astros/Rangers/A's should all be competitive, with the A's a tier below the Texas clubs since I don't trust the Athletics' rotation.

As for the Angels, well....uh, it's an affordable experience at your ballpark?

9:46

Anecdote about the Anaheim ballpark experience!

My parents were vacationing in California years ago (maybe around 2011?), and on a night when their tour group was doing something they weren't interested in, my folks decided to randomly just take in an Angels game. They remembered nothing about the game itself, but said the ballpark was nice, and there was a pregame promotion where two Angels players squared off in a cow-milking contest.

Rick Rude

9:46

Was the Twins FO delusional to think they could be competitive this season (at least before Lopez injury)? Do you think Buxton may eventually agree to a trade?

Mark P

9:48

Buxton's irritated comments the other day were perhaps some indication that he is rethinking his decision to stick it out in Minnesota. That said, I'd still put a Buxton trade at at least 95% unlikely.

Ebenezer_Batflip

9:49

2013 red sox had no business being that good

Surprise

9:50

The 2019 World Champion Washington Nationals.

Mark P

9:50

If we're looking even more recently, the Blue Jays were terrible in 2024 before winning the pennant last year.

Don Zimmer

9:51

Have the Cubs done enough? Asking for a friend.

Mark P

9:52

Chicago should reach the postseason at the very least. Given how the Brewers took a step back on paper, winning the NL Central is certainly within the Cubs' reach.

Tom

9:54

I thought JoJo Romero would have been traded by now?

Mark P

9:54

Same here. Could easily still happen before Spring Training is over.

9:54

Is there any chance Murakami traded this year or next year?

Mark P

9:55

Unlikely. It probably wouldn't be great for the White Sox reputation-wise if they branched out for this notable international signing, Murakami plays well, and the Sox immediately dealt him as part of the rebuild.

Brian

9:56

Will the Phillies decline this year after losing Ranger and the star players getting another year older?

Mark P

10:00

As per that survey from earlier, roughly 60% of Weekend Chat participants feel Philadelphia will still be better than the Mets, fwiw

What's interesting about Philly is that technically, they keep getting better. They've increased their win total in each of the last full (not counting 2020) MLB seasons. The success just hasn't paid off with a championship yet, and the playoff results have stalled out since their pennant in 2022.

Phils fans could care less about regular-season wins, of course, since it's title or bust. There is some fear of the Phillies regressing due to the roster's overall age, but the idea is that Crawford can give the lineup a jolt in the arm. It also seems like not having Castellanos will help the team both on and off the field, so Adolis' contributions will be welcomed.

Dan

10:00

Brewers didnt take a step back. This is right where all the beat writers had them last year toom.

Mark P

10:01

Ah, that's why I said "on paper"
Milwaukee just keeps figuring out ways to win, no matter how many stars they trade

Nick2112

10:03

What do you think of the job bloom is doing in the Lou ?

Mark P

10:05

Too early to tell, naturally. Felt like Bloom has been going for quantity of prospects over quality, with the Cards also eating a good deal of money to ensure that they have gotten some quality in return.

It'll be years before we can gauge Bloom's work properly, since so much of it depends on how the team drafts and develops, as well as future bigger-ticket moves like trades or signings.

Zakis

10:06

You spoke of Buxton having irritated comments earlier. What exactly are you talking about?

Mark P

10:06

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-twins-byron-buxton-spring-traini...

ROYALS

10:07

If think people are really underestimating just how much of an upgrade the Royals OF will be this year. They were SOOOOOOOOOO bad last year. You could put a swarm of bees out there and it'd be an upgrade.

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