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Mark P

7:04

Pretty much, yeah. For the White Sox to even flirt with .500 two years after losing 121 games is a massive turn-around. And, given the state of the AL and the AL Central in particular, we can't even rule Chicago out as the most unlikely of out-of-nowhere contenders

Jordan Walker

7:04

MVP candidate?

Zach

7:04

I think people sleep on Turang, he could be a top 5 or even top 3 MVP player.

Mark P

7:06

Not that fWAR is the singular quality of an MVP candidate, but right now Walker and Turang rank third and fourth in fWAR among NL players. (Elly de la Cruz and Corbin "Mr. Triples" Carroll have the top two spots.)

I also submit that if Ohtani keeps pitching like this, he'll win both the MVP and Cy Young in a walk.

Cooper Ingle

7:08

Why won't I get called up

Mark P

7:10

Ingle spent a couple of weeks on the minor league IL, and he has only 59 Triple-A games played over two seasons. Given how the Guardians prioritize catcher defense, that's probably the part of his game that the club wants to see as polished as possible before giving him the call.

Offense-wise, Ingle has been crushing the ball, so it doesn't seem like he has much left to prove in that regard

Jaxon

7:11

Mautz got called up by the Cards for a spot start but it got rained out. If he is sent back down does he get a day of service on the MLB club?

Mark P

7:12

Yes, since it still counts a day on the overall season calendar. He's just now in the unfortunate "ghost player" zone of being a player on the 26-man roster who is technically not an actual big leaguer just yet

Guest

7:14

Would Boston do a Duran for Torkelson trade?

Mark P

7:15

Not really a fit for Boston's needs, since Torkelson would just be a part-time DH with Contreras holding down first base.

Crown Royal

7:16

What's going on with "the Pasquatch?"

Mark P

7:17

A huge dropoff in his bat speed and hard-hit ball numbers. As with Soderstrom, luck is a factor since Pasquantino has only a .221 BABIP, but Vinnie P's problems seem deeper than Soderstrom's

Gold Fish

7:18

why didn’t Atlanta use their magic and lock up Baldwin this past offseason?

Mark P

7:20

Anthony Franco explored a Baldwin extension in a post for MLBTR Front Office subscribers last month....
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/04/will-braves-add-drake-baldwin-t...

Beyond Anthony's points, there's also the fact that Atlanta is still paying Murphy a lot of money, so adding another contract to the catching position isn't something the Braves are too keen to do. Unfortunately, Murphy's been hurt so much that his trade value has continued to tank.

Zach

7:21

Why do we value rings so much in not just baseball but all sports? Sometimes I see people saying players are the greatest because they have 5 or 6 rings when that has more to do with the teams success.

Mark P

7:23

This is much more of a debate when one is arguing basketball players (when one star player has an outsized impact in the game) or NFL quarterbacks.

I don't think I've ever been in a baseball GOAT debate when someone was like "well, Willie Mays only won one World Series, so how good was he REALLY?"

Spee

7:23

What are the top trade candidates this year at the deadline. Will skubal be traded. Could munetaka be traded. Katel marte. Yoshida

Mark P

7:25

Yoshida being included in this group reminds of the old "one of these things just doesn't belong here" song from Sesame Street.

If the Tigers can't get on track quickly, Skubal is suddenly a major trade chip if he's healthy. The Diamondbacks expect to be competitive so Marte isn't going anywhere. If the ChiSox are still in the hunt, I'd doubt they move Munetaka, both due to their own playoff push and because he has become such a fan favorite in such a short period of time.

RedsFan

7:26

Of course ohtani will win whatever; he’s a dodger it’s how the baseball world works.

Mark P

7:27

He has an 0.73 ERA and (in what is considered a down year by his standards) an .875 OPS. Doesn't matter who he's playing for.

Avian Chef

7:28

You spent the entire winter and spring slamming the Guardians for not signing big money free agent hitters. They now have an average to good offense and are division leaders solely on the strength of the bats that would have been crowded out by those signings (and could be much better if Kwan, Manzardo and Ramirez return to average). Are you ready to admit that the Guards front office knows what they’re doing?

Mark P

7:31

In fairness, I will point out that the Guards are winning the Central also in part because it's a bad division.  Cleveland's +23 run differential isn't the mark of a world-beater.

And, in a rare double "in fairness" hedge, I'll also note that I still felt the Guardians would be competitive this year since that's just how they roll.

These two caveats aside, haha, I will now take that slice of humble pie.  No doubt that Cleveland's front office has a successful formula that has led to a long stretch of competitive baseball over the years.  Yet, you know, if they spent more money to sign someone more productive than Rhys Hoskins...

Dana is a lame duck

7:31

Who wants Jeremy Pena?

Mark P

7:32

Tons of teams would jump at the chance to obtain Pena if the Astros were willing to move him. If Houston is truly out of contention by the deadline, I can see Pena moved early, rather than perhaps moved during the coming offseason.

Kai Wei Teng

7:34

Am I one of the biggest steals of the offseason?

Mark P

7:35

Teng's peripherals (and his .236 BABIP) suggest some regression is inevitable. But, since the Astros gave up virtually nothing to get him from SF, it's already been a big win for Houston

Ascended Rangers Fan

7:37

What is with the Rangers offense? Is Chris Young just incapable of building a proper lineup?

Mark P

7:39

It may surprise you to learn that Texas has the fourth-highest away wRC+ of any team in baseball, while its home rRC+ is fourth-worst in baseball.

So the issue isn't as much Young's lineup construction as it may be with how Globe Life Field was constructed. To hear club officials talk, they're as surprised as anyone that the Globe has become such an extreme pitchers' park, so this might be an argument for moving fences in or changing dimensions.

Cygnus God of Balance

7:40

How cool was it seeing Bryan Torres get a hit and homer in his debut after 11 years in the minors/independent League

Mark P

7:41

An awesome moment. I particularly love it whenever the TV broadcasts show the family of a debuting player going nuts whenever he gets a hit in his first game.

Ebenezer_Batflip

7:43

Masataka just hit a double and a homerun today. I know its easy to dunk on him because he is overpaid, but he still is a *good* hitter and teams who need a good hitter *should* get desperate enough to pony up for a guy who won't cost a lot of prospect capital to just take on the last 1.5 years of money, right????

Mark P

7:44

If Yoshida had a more modest salary, his trade value is still limited by the fact that can't hit LH pitching, and he is a so-so defensive outfielder at best.

So that already creates an awkward roster fit, and a 107 wRC+ (as of today) isn't impressive enough to move the needle for teams looking for offense.

Hmm

7:45

Can we say Spencer Jones 1st foray into major league baseball wasn't enough to judge him?

Mark P

7:45

12 strikeouts in 27 PA is a red flag, but in general you're right, it's naturally way too small of a sample size.

Angels

7:47

Thoughts on 22 yr old Walbert Urena? Him and Soriano looking good this year

Mark P

7:48

Too many walks and not enough strikeouts, so Urena's ERA is a bit of a mirage. But overall, he has shown promise, and he's doing a great job of inducing soft contract. Urena is a definite bright spot in what is looking like another grim Angels season

Cosmo Kramer

7:49

Sorry, saying Yoshida can't hit LH Pitching is not an accurate statement.

Mark P

7:49

298 PA isn't the biggest of sample sizes, but Yoshida has a .651 OPS in that many trips to the plate against big league southpaws.

Dodgers fan

7:50

What is the status of Edwin diaz

Mark P

7:51

Nothing much has changed with his status. Diaz is still expected to be out until after the All-Star break