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Mark P
8:10
The Weekend Chat is here! Lots to discuss about the playoffs, plus the offseason getting underway for the majority of baseball.  To the question queue....
Stl fans
8:13
We all wanna know… who’s our 3B of the future?
Mark P
8:14
They may not be in the organization yet, unless this Rainiel Rodriguez experiment works out.  If Rodriguez is at least passable at third, that makes things very interesting given STL's crowded catching picture.

If Rodriguez remains behind the plate, however, I see this being a spot where the Cardinals can eventually spend some money whenever they decide to start competing.  Maybe one of Saggese/Jordan changes the equation with good numbers in 2027, but time will tell.
8:15
It's a good sign that at this relatively early stage in the rebuild, the Cardinals have relatively few positions that are true question marks
Red Sox fan
8:16
Did the Roman Empire collapse in Boston?
Mark P
8:17
Obligatory mention that Anthony doesn't turn 23 until May.  Far too early to pass judgement on Anthony's career, as while the nagging injuries obviously aren't great, returning healthy next spring might well lead to the full breakout year many expected for 2026
Guest
8:18
Do dodgers bring back Teoscar next season?
Mark P
8:21
Hernandez hit .267/.334/.425 with 16 homers, for a 110 wRC+.  He's been more okay than great since re-signing with LA, and he's owed $14.5MM in 2027, with a $6.5MM buyout on a $15MM club option for 2028

The money isn't an issue for the Dodgers, but I can see the team perhaps being open to offers.  It's not a great market for free agent hitters, so even though Teoscar has been only a little above average, he might carry some value for a team that isn't able to land a needed bat on the open market.  Hernandez's contract isn't "bad" by any means, but some kind of more creative unwelcome contract swap with a smaller-market team might be feasible if money is an issue for a suitor
Such a trade would also assume that the Dodgers are willing to give De Paula (or another OF prospect) a clear look in 2027, which seems likely
Jim C.
8:23
How much do you buy into the WBC being responsible for Skenes' struggles?
Mark P
8:24
I can buy it.  Different players react to a disruption to their routine in different ways.  For Skenes in particular as a player who's still pretty inexperienced, having an abnormal spring might've had a larger impact than the WBC might've had on a veteran player.  Though, to be fair, we've also seen plenty of vets have slow years after playing in the WBC
Ernie Clement's Agent
8:24
Were you surprised to see Ross Atkins strongly imply that Ernie Clement would not be the starting 2B next season? And if so, is he a non tender candidate at $8M or so? Does he have trade value?
Mark P
8:26
Non-tendering Clement would be unlikely, even if his projected $7.6MM and Gimenez's salary adds up to a lot of money for very little production in the middle infielder.  Trading Clement can't be ruled out, but platooning Clement and Gimenez at one MI position and then getting a full-time player at the other spot makes sense
Stro
8:27
Can the Yankees acquire Josh Jung this offseason?
Mark P
8:28
Unlikely.  Texas isn't rebuilding, and even if they do look to move a veteran or two in some kind of baseball move, Jung is just about the last player they'd be dealing
Andrew
8:28
Regarding the Angels ownership, with the changing of the guard from Moreno to Kroenke, how does a team that is changing ownership handle free agency? Disregarding the lockout this offseason, if the Angels want to go after a free agent, is it Kroenke's money or is it Moreno's money?
Mark P
8:29
I noted this in another recent chat, but the timing of the official sale (i.e. whenever the owners approve it) probably means the Angels are in for a pretty quiet winter.  Kroenke probably won't be approved for at least a few months, and by then, the league will be in a lockout anyway.
8:30
2027 figures to be an evaluation year for Mozeliak or whomever is running the front office, and maybe you'll start to see more significant moves come at the trade deadline once things are settled.
Joe
8:32
Do the Mariners have a realistic shot to bring Vogt in as manager? He makes his home in the Seattle area.
Mark P
8:33
Vogt's specific contract terms aren't known, but he signed some kind of extension after the 2024 season.  His initial deal with the Guards covered the 2024-26 seasons, so the extension tacked on probably at least two more years.

In short, the Guardians would want some compensation from the Mariners if Vogt wanted out.  And there's been nothing to suggest that Vogt would even want to leave the Cleve anyway.
The Goat
8:33
Any chance the Yankees go after Randy Arozarena?
Mark P
8:34
It's not a great fit, with Bellinger/Jones/Judge already lined up in the outfield and Rice/Garcia/ostensibly Stanton in the 1B/DH mix.
8:35
The Yankees might check in on Arozarena out of due diligence, but I don't see them making any real push
Brad Hand’s Hand
8:36
Is Mason Miller injured or just overused? He’s lost all control
Mark P
8:37
Ray's short start in Game 1 really started this domino effect for the Padres, as a lot of relievers had to be used and Morejon got two innings.  That left Morejon unavailable today and thus SD tried to get two innings out of Miller, which backfired. I'd point more towards Miller being asked to throw 40 pitches than any sort of injury or overall usage issue
Guest
8:39
Tory gets 2 year extension.  Hazen contract is over at the same time.  Owner Ken Kendrick  is settlin
Mark P
8:41
I'm not sure "settling" is the right word, since it's not like the D'Backs have been a bad team.  But, I can get why fans are frustrated that (apart from 2023) the club keeps falling either just short, or had those disaster year just prior to their WS appearance.
8:42
Hazen's preference was clearly to keep Lovullo, so this new extension now absolutely tethers the duo.  If the D'Backs struggle in 2027, maybe that's when ownership decides to entirely clean house with a new management team
Mark
8:42
Can the White Sox bullpen change the way MLB teams look at the post season and how they use their starting pitching?
Mark P
8:43
Chicago is hardly the first team to try the "out-getter" strategy in the postseason, but so far it's worked wonders for them.
Ceiling Fan - GO CEILING!
8:43
Why does everyone keep saying the "controversial" end to game one?! There is nothing controversial about it, they literally have a video of the umps going over the ground rules before the game.
Mark P
8:44
The controversy is that the rule just seems weird, not that there wasn't a rule in place beforehand.
Preller
8:45
If we don't come back and beat the Brewers, is this the end of the road for me? Five playoff appearances but only one NLDS win.
Mark P
8:45
Preller signed a new extension back in February.  Though this was before the sale was finalized, Preller's track record is strong enough that the new owners are likely cool with him staying put.
Uncle June
8:46
Is the Dodgers age of their position players an actual issue in the playoffs?
Mark P
8:47
Nope.  If anything, it's a plus that the Dodgers have a bunch of guys who have seen it all, and won't get rattled by October pressure.  The Dodger vets definitely have the makings of varsity athletes.
John
8:50
Do the orioles make any drastic changes to their roster? ie trade a guy like Holliday or Mayo?
Mark P
8:52
My colleague Charlie Wright put it best earlier today when he noted the O's "simultaneously have too many guys and multiple holes to fill."  The team's job would be a lot simpler if guys could stay healthy, or if basically any of their ex-top prospects had shown any consistency.

Trading Holliday or Mayo could be the kind of move that backfires badly on the Orioles, if Holliday just needed time to break out or if Mayo's improved power is a sign that he's figuring things out.  Not to say that either is necessarily untouchable if the ideal offer some around, but I'd imagine for Holliday in particular, Baltimore would want a similar young player with years of control
Bryan C
8:53
White Sox and Brewers in the World Series?
Mark P
8:54
Crazier things have happened!  Maybe not many in the case of the White Sox, but sure!  

This would be the wildest possible new incarnation of the long-running Milwaukee/Wisconsin vs. Chicago sports rivalry
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