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Mark P
5:41
It's the first Weekend Chat of the offseason!  Let's see what the comment queue has for us....
Aj
5:42
Do you think the padres will spend big with new ownership? And who are some names you think they should target
Mark P
5:44
The thinking is that the Padres will at least maintain their current spending levels.  Between keeping the club in the top-10 or so payroll range plus Preller's usual creativity, San Diego should be competitive again in 2027.  

Reuniting with Michael King is a great idea, and really the Padres should be (to some level) in on pretty much every free agent starter south of Skubal.
Randy moving to Houston
5:44
Was there no pathway for me to advance in the St. Louis front office?
Mark P
5:45
With Bloom set as the PBO, apparently not.  A promotion to the GM job would've made Flores still the second-in-command, whereas in Houston he gets to run the show.  Well, run the show apart from Jim Crane and Jeff Bagwell, but still.
Good Vibes
5:46
do the Cardinals and Astros line up for a trade before the lock out?
Mark P
5:48
It's usually pretty common for a new GM to at least explore deals with his past organization, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Astros and Cards swung maybe a lower-level type of move.  Perhaps Houston could obtain an outfielder, though the Cards are in need of some level of outfield help as well.

Fwiw, these two teams haven't made a trade since 2012, likely in no small part due to the hacking scandal.  That said, they would've swung a Nolan Arenado deal two offseasons ago if Arenado hadn't vetoed the trade via his no-movement clause.
5:49
All of this to say, relations between the two teams seem to have thawed, if Crane is hiring a GM out of the Cards organization
Bernie
5:49
Is there any case for keeping Trevor Megill in Milwaukee rather than trading him?
Mark P
5:52
The case is that he's a good pitcher who makes the bullpen better.  It's possible that, emboldened by a championship, the Brewers decide to bring the band back together to go for the double.

However, Megill just seems expendable given the talent Milwaukee already has in its bullpen, and the club's ability to turn any number of random or struggling pitchers into effective relievers.  Megill is probably pitching elsewhere in 2027.
Spaghetti Marinera
5:53
Is it weird that the Mariners hired a hitting coach before hiring a manager? Wouldn’t a manager prefer to work with people he knows and is philosophically aligned with? Would this make the Seattle job less attractive to a manager candidate, particularly one with MLB experience, if he’s hired just to be a conduit through which front-office policy and directives flow as opposed to one with freedom to run the on-field product as he sees fit?
Mark P
5:55
The Mariners have a few other coaching positions available, so the new manager might be given some leeway to make hires in those departments.  It's not uncommon for teams to have coaches carry over from one manager to the next, so in that sense, hiring Gillman before having a new skipper in place isn't that weird a move.
Dombrowski
5:55
Will the Phillies be the team to land Teruaki Sato before the lockout?
Mark P
5:55
He'd be an interesting fit on paper, plus the Phillies have been trying for a while to make a real impact signing in the Japanese market.  Getting it done before December 1 is the real question mark.
Mlbfan
5:58
Kinda surprised padres declined pivetta’s option
Mark P
5:59
Declining frees up some money from their books, and it doesn't erase the possibility that Pivetta is just re-signed on a new deal.
Given his injury uncertainty, it seems like a logically cautious move on San Diego's part
Cards Fan
6:00
This offseason, the Cardinals won’t really entertain trade offers for Burleson, would they?
Mark P
6:01
Can't hurt to listen, just in case a rival team comes forward with a very tempting offer. I'd say it's more likely than not that Burleson is back in STL next year, but with two years of arb control remaining, he's a very interesting trade chip the Cards can dangle
o-birds
6:03
Are the Orioles going to actually go out and get some front line pitching or continue to sign lower tier pitchers? The first thing they need to do is bring back Trevor Rodgers
Mark P
6:05
We've seen that ownership is willing to spend in the free agent market, so between that and Baltimore's need for starting help, re-signing Rogers (or someone of Rogers' caliber) certainly seems possible.  If not a signing, a trade for a controllable starter also might work

Bottom line, it's hard to see the Orioles getting back to contention without a significantly better pitching staff
A Giants' fan
6:07
The Giants have a lot of moves coming up tomorrow, with 10 players looking to be cut. Who do you think they will jettison and will they make room for new players such as Lalane, Geir and Whitman as well?
Mark P
6:10
Walker, Butto, probably Rowan Wick will all be DFAed/traded/released, as early non-tenders. Tidwell will miss all of next year recovering from UCL surgery, so he's probably gone too.

I won't lie....I had some reservations about even starting a chat tonight due to the number of roster moves still pending before tomorrow, haha.  I'm on pins and needles here hoping the Giants or other teams suddenly don't announce a ton of moves and I have to pause the chat!
Tim
6:11
Is it worth considering Braves consider a minor rebuild? In two years time the only money they will have left on the books is Olson, Riley and Harris.
Mark P
6:12
Atlanta is a team that can feasibly win the World Series next year.  Some roster needs certainly have to be addressed, but the Braves are in much better shape than a lot of teams.  No need to rebuild, retool, etc.
Zakis
6:12
Will the Twins make the WS before 2429?
Mark P
6:13
I'll be even bolder in saying that the Twins will win a pennant before 2129!
So Long Seager
6:15
Could you see the Rangers doing another Semien-Nimmo type trade with Seager this winter?
Mark P
6:17
Off the top of my head, I'm not sure what kind of similar "unfavorable contract swap" is out there that would make feasible sense for the Rangers and a hypothetical second team.  Something like Austin Riley for Seager, for instance, doesn't really help either team a ton.  There's also the complication of Seager's no-trade protection, so even if Texas can line something up, Seager needs to approve it.
anthony R
6:17
does anybody sign me after my contract with the angels ended ?
Mark P
6:17
Safe to assume that Rendon will retire
Jays fan
6:17
Any guesses on who the jays try to sign this offseason? Or are they more likely to seek help in the trade market?
Mark P
6:18
They don't have a ton to offer in trades, so I suspect Toronto primarily leans on free agency again.  Any of the big FA outfielders could be in play.
White Sox fan since 1963
6:20
Hi Mark, thanks for taking time out of your day to give fans "hope".  Quick question, if you were the GM of the White Sox, what would you try to do this offseason (using current young players on the team, and the highly ranked middle infield prospects) to trade for and lock up at least 3 SP's who we can count on for at least 5-6-7 innings for the next 3-4 seasons?  We know the White Sox will not be looking at Skubal, and chances are not spending a lot of money.
Mark P
6:22
If Getz can land three controllable starters, that is an incredible offseason.  More realistically, the White Sox could perhaps sign someone and swing a trade for a second starter, and it won't necessarily be the case that both of those would be longer-term acquisitions.

For instance, I wonder if the White Sox are comfortable enough in their infield depth to talk with the Rays about Rasmussen, since Tampa is thin in the middle infield.  Adding one year of Rasmussen is a bold move for a team that may not exactly be one piece away from truly contending, but the ChiSox would always explore an extension.
Yankees
6:24
Will the Yankees eat money on McMahon and/or Stanton for roster improvement?
Mark P
6:24
At least one of them, certainly.  McMahon is probably the likelier of the two to be cut loose this winter.
M
6:25
Do you think the Mariners are checking out managerial candidates from the Brewers and/or Rays and that's why they haven't announced a hire yet?
Mark P
6:25
That's a possibility, though deep playoff runs haven't stopped coaches from past World Series teams in also taking some interviews while their clubs are still playing.
Bryan C
6:34
Is money the reason that MB plays with 2 different set of rules?  In season then changes rules, in the playoffs and World Series? example ghost runner
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