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Mark P
5:14
Just before Game 1 gets underway, let's open the floor to the Weekend Chat. The chatter will begin in a minute or two....
Guards Fan
5:17
Give me the Guardians path to getting past the Rays.
Mark P
5:19
Some key hits in big moments, more hitting in general since the lineup as a whole didn't produce much against Chicago, and Cleveland's own solid pitching staff is able to keep the Rays' bats in check.
Tampa Bay has to be considered the favorite, but nobody should be surprised if the Guards pull the upset there.  Anything is possible in a playoff series.
Webby
5:20
With Logan Webb shutting it down late in the year and the Giants looking like they're still a few pieces away from truly threatening in the NL West, is there any universe where trading Webb for a massive haul of top prospects actually makes sense, or is he completely off-limits no matter what?
Mark P
5:22
Webb seemed to be one of the few players San Francisco wasn't at all open to moving at the deadline, so I highly doubt they'll move him this winter.

But beyond the "would" and looking just at the "should," I'd also lean towards keeping him.  Webb had a down year by his standards, but he's still a frontline arm on a team that desperately needs to add to the rotation, not subtract.  Moving Webb is the type of move the Giants would make if they were taking a step back into a semi-rebuild, which they aren't planning to do
Guest
5:23
Any news on the A’s GM hunt
Mark P
5:24
Well, we know it won't be Sam Fuld or Rob Cerfolio.  That leaves a bunch of other known candidates still potentially in the running, though maybe in a slightly awkward sense if Fold was the top choice.

Reports suggested the A's were getting relatively close to hiring someone, but it remains to be seen if moving onto a backup choice on their list after Fuld might delay things a bit longer
Losing faith…
5:24
Are the Yankees going to run it back and prove the definition of insanity again? Or are major changes coming? What do you think they will do?
Mark P
5:27
Bednar and Blackburn are both free agents, so "running it back" isn't really feasible since at minimum, New York will have to figure out what to do at the back of the bullpen.  Plus with Jazz also a FA, that's a hole to fill at second base if the answer isn't just to have Volpe or Garcia at the keystone.

A case can be made that having a healthy Aaron Judge would've changed the Yankees' fortunes, but that kind of logic seems half-hearted given how NYY has been repeatedly coming up short.  I doubt Boone is fired no matter how much of the fanbase seemingly wants it, and so many other big players are locked into contracts that any kind of giant roster overhaul isn't feasible or likely.
5:28
But, beyond "major changes," upgrading at 2B/3B/maybe catcher makes the lineup more dangerous, both from an offensive and defensive standpoint
Mike E.
5:29
I'm sure Seiya Suzuki will draw quite a bit of interest in free agency as a right-handed bat with power and solid OBP skills. But at 32, how many years can he realistically get? Will clubs buy the defensive improvement enough to offer 4-5 years? Will he get 9 figures?
Mark P
5:30
Nine figures is a reach, but replicating his previous contract in terms of AAV is feasible in a thin hitting market.  It's way more likely Suzuki gets a four-year deal than a five.
Oriole Bird (fired)
5:31
Any chance the O’s promote Mike Shildt to manager prior to the season/if O’s get off to slow start? He seems to be a teaching/ fundamentals guy and the Orioles lacked that big time in 2026
Mark P
5:32
Being a big league manager really seemed to burn Shildt out, so he likely just prefers his current role.  Albernaz probably isn't on such a hot seat that a slow start gets him fired, but if the O's don't play well in 2027 as a whole, a managerial change at season's end is more realistic
Angels in the outfield
5:33
Nice to see Jo Adell getting his due, don't you think?
Mark P
5:33
Given how Jo Adell trade speculation has long been a running gag of the Weekend Chat, it would delight me to no end if the team that finally traded for Adell immediately won the World Series
Oscar
5:34
Is a salary cap and floor a certainty for next year?
Mark P
5:34
Not whatsoever
Guest
5:34
What would you put the odds of there actually being a salary cap at? Fingers crossed there isn't one
Mark P
5:35
The MLBPA has been firm in their stance against any sort of hard cap.  At this stage of labor talks and probably overall, I see no reason why they'd waiver.
Squints
5:36
What a realistic to what the White Sox rotation looks like next (fingers crossed) season?
Mark P
5:38
The Sox face an interesting decision about how much they'll "go for it" this winter, and history suggests that they won't go overboard.  Acquiring one solid veteran arm seems like a good idea, to give more leeway for the youngsters and because Luis Castillo (who was supposed be that solid veteran arm) looked really shaky post-trade.
BrewCrew27
5:38
Who wins tonight?
Mark P
5:39
Is it wrong to consider Game 1 to be a must-win game?  Because if the Brewers lose Misiorowski's start and then Yamamoto looms in Game 2, the "not again..." feeling is going to suddenly creep into Milwaukee's fanbase (and maybe into their clubhouse)
Guest
5:40
Give us a look inside Alex Cora's thought process. He has turned down the Phillies twice. Is the uncertainty of the 2027 playing a role or is being paid to sit at home is goal?
MS
5:40
What the heck is going on with the Phillies manager situation? Feels like if it were Mattingly, that would have been announced by now. It's crickets.
Mark P
5:42
On the surface, there's no reason to doubt the stated reasons for why Cora declined Philadelphia's offers.  After so many years as a player, coach, and manager, Cora might simply be liking the time away from the grind, and spending more time with his family.  It's not like he won't still be a managerial candidate in a year's time, plus he's still getting paid a hefty salary by the Red Sox.
5:43
It is also possible that the Phillies are more keen on Cora than he is on them.  Relationship with Dombrowski notwithstanding, perhaps Cora has some reservations about joining a veteran team that may have missed its window.
5:45
From the Phillies' perspective, going back to Mattingly seems a little awkward after management was all but engraving Cora's name onto the office door.  Maybe Mattingly is fine with the situation and again being a placeholder through 2027.
Cardinals
5:45
Do you see nolan gorman in the 2027 picture for the cardinals? Maybe as a guy who comes off the bench at least
Mark P
5:46
I listed Gorman as a non-tender candidate in the STL offseason outlook a few days ago.  I suspect 2026 was his last-chance season and the Cardinals are probably ready to move on
D'backs Fan
5:47
Who's on first next year, if any?  Could Alex Burleson be of interest?  Bats left handed and can play first, or is to
to expensive.
Mark P
5:49
Burleson isn't expensive in terms of money, as he is projected to earn $8.3MM in 2027. With similar numbers next season, he'll earn something in the ballpark of $11.5MM for 2028, which will be his final year of arbitration eligibility.  

Any team would happily sign up Burleson's production for two years and less than $20MM.  But, that makes him more valuable to the Cardinals if they did decide to shop him, so the D'Backs would have to come up with a particularly impressive offer of younger talent.
FireCashman
5:54
Should lagrange been promoted this season? Whether reg or post season? Also, will Will Warren be pushed out of the staff with lagrange, beck, and rodriguez on the fringe of the show?
Mark P
5:56
Lagrange hurt his shoulder and appeared in only one minor league game in the last three months.  Wouldn't have made much sense for the Yankees to call him up for the playoffs, and he only had so-so numbers in Triple-A before his injury
Warren is the most expendable member of New York's projected rotation, but he's also a pitcher the Yankees are happy to keep rolling with in order to give the younger guys more seasoning.
Jays fan
5:58
How do the jays fix their offensive shortcomings without overpaying for a free agent and repeating the mistake they made on Anthony Santander
Mark P
6:00
Trades are difficult since the Jays don't have much in the minor league pipeline, so free agency remains the more logical way for the team to bring in quality talent.  "Overpaying" is sometimes part and parcel with bringing in a free agent, and the Blue Jays can only hope that their next acquisitions provide more of a return.  

And hey, maybe Santander is finally healthy and can get back to his old self in 2027
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