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Mark P

6:41

Related to the earlier question, I guess the Royals would count as a "surprise" division winner? But though I consider Detroit the favorite in the ALC, I wouldn't actually be surprised if KC or the Guardians won the crown.

The Royals' hitting is the big question for me. If one or two more players start producing quality offense, that might be enough if the pitching stays healthy

Mr KLC

6:41

Is Jake Meyers still looking like a possible trade candidate for outfielder needy teams?

Mark P

6:42

Probably not, given how the Astros' outfield is such a big question mark even in its current state.

Rays

6:42

Can Chandler Simpson be a viable starter caliber player without any power?

Mark P

6:44

If he can get on base, absolutely. Anything that gets him on the basepaths and allows him to run wild with steal attempts.

Benny The Jet

6:44

Sandlot or Major League?

Mark P

6:44

Sandlot, but it's close

SoxWIn2027

6:46

Good evening Mark,
Reading a lot about the White Sox infielders of the future. How do they work in Carlson, Bonemer, Antanucci, Lodise and soon to be #1 draft pick Kochlowski? Vargas, Montgomery, Sosa/Meidroth seem to be locked in at 3rd, SS and 2nd base.

Mark P

6:47

None of Sosa, Vargas, or Meidroth are locks for Chicago's future plans. If any of them break out and firmly establish themselves in 2026, that's great for the Sox. As it currently stands, the White Sox should have no worries finding room for their up-and-coming infielders down the road.

There's also the strong likelihood that not all of the infield prospects pan out as big leaguers.

6:48

This comment maybe sounded a little more negative than intended, haha. The Sox are in good shape overall in terms of their infield's future, but it's way too soon to say they have any sort of real surplus.

mlbfan

6:49

in a span of 24 hours, jackson holliday, lindor and corbin carroll broke their hamate bones. all had surgery around same time. yet corbin + lindor are back in ST and seem ready for opening day. why was holliday ruled out? different type of break? different type of surgery? or just the org made the decision to hold him out longer?

Mark P

6:52

I think a little of all three scenarios. It might well be that Lindor and Carroll are making a mistake by trying to push for Opening Day, but every player responds to hamate injuries (and surgeries) in a different way.

The O's don't want to rush Holliday since he's had less development time as a pro anyway, so missing a full Spring Training at this point in his career is more detrimental than it is to Lindor or even Carroll.

Zach

6:52

Are the A's capable of finishing at .500?

Mark P

6:53

Yes. Their pitching is a big question mark, but the A's have enough bats to slug their way to a winning record.

fan

6:55

World series predictions

Mark P

6:56

Gather round, one and all! It is time for Mark's official preseason World Series prediction, which I believe has never been correct in the six years I've been doing these chats.

Mariners vs. Dodgers is my call for 2026, so apologies in advance to the Seattle/LA fans for jinxing at least one of your clubs.

Mike

6:57

who takes mound tuesday if usa makes it to finals?

Mark P

6:58

Nolan McLean will start, which is a heck of a spot for a young pitcher (albeit a talented one). It will be close to an all-hands-on-deck situation as the format allows, of course.

Jake Jortles

6:59

Are you surprised that there hasn't been any announcements about Schneider and Atkins signing extensions?

Mark P

7:00

Not really. Extension announcements (for players or execs) are usually saved for closer to Opening Day.

Gaurds.

7:01

Are you on the Delauter train? Or are you drinking the armbar injury prone haterade?

Mark P

7:03

I don't think it's being a hater to point out that DeLauter simply hasn't played all that much as a pro. As talented as he is, counting on him to immediately be good in 2026 is a risk. Even if he stays healthy, CDL might struggle just like a lot of rookies struggle in their first extended taste of the majors.

Change for a Buc

7:05

Are the additions of O'Hearn, Lowe, Mangum, and Ozuna just a random mishmash of hitters and the Bucs will be lucky to be .500, or is this a brilliant overhaul possibly resulting in a playoff berth?

Mark P

7:05

O'Hearn and Lowe alone should make the lineup better. Ozuna and Mangum are more fliers, but given how bad Pittsburgh's lineup was in 2025, in a sense there's nowhere to go but up.

Astros

7:06

I get it on paper they seem weaker but the Astros have surprised before. I see them winning the west

Mark P

7:07

The Mariners seem deeper and at least have few question marks, but you're right....you can't count the Astros out. They usually seem to just figure things out, except for last year when most of their team was hurt (and still almost made the playoffs)

Aaron

7:08

Gil didn't look so good today could he be sent down or moved to bullpen if he doesn't get off to a good start

Mark P

7:09

It's possible, though the Yankees figure to give Gil plenty of time to get on track

Tom

7:09

Do teams typically do cuts on any set schedule during spring training?

Mark P

7:10

Mostly depends on injuries, availability for filling out rosters in games, plus the most obvious reason of teams just trimming the players they absolutely know won't be in the picture for Opening Day.

BRUTE

7:11

Beware the ides of March.......

Mark P

7:12

As a pure precaution, I didn't order from Little Caesars today

kurt the hurt

7:12

Skubal looks great, Valdez is looking great, Mize was an all star and had a good first half last season. If Flaherty can regain his 2025 form and Verlander solves his giving up homer problem then Detroit should run away from the division right ?

Mark P

7:14

The Tigers clearly have the best roster on paper in the AL Central. They were cruising last year until suddenly everything went south at once down the stretch, plus Cleveland got hot enough to overtake them.

You didn't mention the lineup, which I think is the larger concern for the Tigers than the pitching staff. On paper, again, they "should" have enough offense....but I would've liked to have seen them pick up another bat this winter

Beware The Ides of March

7:16

What do you make of Suzuki's injury in the WBC last night? Think he'll be back in the Cub's line-up soon?

Mark P

7:17

No word yet on any testing, as Suzuki likely just got back into the Cubs' camp today. Too early to tell at this point, so Cubs fans will have to keep holding their breaths for at least another day

Bud Black

7:18

Does Condon get called up to the big leagues this year?

Mark P

7:20

Condon played 55 Double-A games in 2025, and the expectation is that he'll start this season in Triple-A. Assuming he keeps up the production, he'll be in Denver at some point in 2026.

Giants

7:21

Eldridge should start in the minors, don't you think? He just hasn't had enough seasoning

Mark P

7:23

Eldridge has 74 career games of Triple-A ball, with a .250/.324/486 slash line and 18 homers to show for 321 plate appearances.

It's good production but not great, especially in the Pacific Coast League. He's been hitting pretty well this spring, which should probably be enough to get him onto the Opening Day roster. If the Giants believed enough in Eldridge to give him a cup of coffee late last year, that should continue with a starting role this year

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