Mark P
- It’s a somewhat late-night edition of the MLBTR chat, at least in my time zone. Still, it’s never too late to talk some baseball! Let’s open up the question box….
Padres
- German Marquez? Really? Are they really that cash strapped to dive this deep into the dumpster?
Mark P
Sean
- Lars Nootbaar makes too much sense for at least a half dozen competitors. Is a May trade a legit possibility once health is proven?
Mark P
- Probably closer to the trade deadline, just so the Cards have more time to gauge offers. An earlier trade wouldn’t be out of the question since Nootbaar has had some suitors in the past, so STL might have some idea of what certain teams are willing to give up in return
Tim L
- Given there’s some questions on the back end of the Giants rotation and Scherzer is there waiting for an opportunity, is that a situation where there needs to be an injury first or he signs regardless?
Mark P
- Scherzer and Vitello’s close friendship has made the Giants a popular speculative choice as Mad Max’s next team, yet there haven’t really been any actual reports linking the two. It could be that Scherzer would prefer to play for a more clear-cut contender, i.e. a return to Toronto.
Scherzer has said he’s willing to wait until after Opening Day to sign. That might give him more time to access his options, and perhaps wait and see if an injury or two creates more of a market for him.
Keith
- AA absolutely has to do something now with the Waldrep injury right……right
Mark P
- For instance, one might wonder if Scherzer could be an option for the Braves now that Waldrep and Schwellenbach are both out.
Sox Fan
- Do the White Sox have under 100 losses this season?
Mark P
-
Will the White Sox lose fewer than 100 games in 2026?
Yes (73.4% | 701 votes)
No (26.5% | 253 votes)
Total Votes: 954
Oops all RH 1Bs
- Given the reporting earlier, is there an actual market for Os 1Bs Mountcastle or Mayo?
Mark P
- The Marlins and Rangers stand out as a couple of teams that could use help at either CI position, though who knows if they’ve had any real talks about either Baltimore player. Mountcastle’s market is pretty limited but there is likely still a good deal of interest in Mayo
Rossy Atkinz
- Is running 162 games with a middle infield of Gimenez and Clement a mistake?
Mark P
Ryan mountcastle
- How am I still on the team?
Mark P
- Feels like the O’s were caught between a rock and a hard place. They felt Mountcastle was too good to just non-tender (given how injuries might’ve been the key factor in his 2025 slump), yet he is also not good enough to trade for what they’d deem to be a decent return
- Keeping Mountcastle also gave the Orioles some cover in case they didn’t make a big move at first base, but once Alonso signed, Mounty became even more expendable
Brad
- How many more seasons without the Phillies winning a World Series until trading Bryce Harper suddenly makes sense for both sides?
Mark P
Matt D
- Much like TB, the Brewers tend to win most of their trades. What needs to happen in order for Milwaukee to ‘win’ the Durbin trade? I was very surprised to see Milwaukee give up on Durbin so soon for unproven prospects and a utility IF.
Mark P
- The deal also struck me as surprising, but it could be that the Brewers see Hamilton (and new signing Luis Rengifo) as being able to replicate much of what Durbin brought to the table
Long time first time
- Currently sat in the hospital appreciating the fact I’ve got a chat to read. So thank you and all the guys who do these weekly. Very enjoyable.
Mark P
- Our pleasure. Get well soon!
Piratus maximus
- Are Suarez and Lowe enough offensive upgrade for the reds to win the Central?
Mark P
- Kinda confused by this question since Suarez signed with Cincinnati and Lowe was dealt to Pittsburgh.
I still favor the Cubs and Brewers over either CIN/PIT in the NL Central race, but the other two should at least be in wild card contention, and will make things interesting in the division
Chris
- Is Griffin Canning a sneaky good move from the padres?
Mark P
- I think so. The Padres generally do a good job at helping pitchers find new levels of performance, so I wouldn’t be shocked if Canning has a solid season (if healthy)
Eric G.
- I assume the Reds question was about Nathaniel Lowe – which is odd considering he’s just on a minors deal at the moment.
Mark P
Mike
- Do you see Atlanta adding to it’s rotation.
Mark P
- It may depend on what happens with Waldrep’s visit to Dr. Meister, but I thought the Braves should’ve gotten another starter even before the Waldrep news broke. Feels like they could use another back-end starter type to soak up innings.
Cool Mama Bell
Mark P
Cleveland
- Thoughts on Chase Delauter?
Mark P
- Very promising young player, but if I’m the Guardians, I go out and get a veteran OF rather than putting extra pressure on DeLauter to be good right away
- DeLauter doesn’t have a ton of Triple-A experience, and while he has hit well in the minors, some more seasoning might be needed before he’s ready for the Show
jeff
- I can’t see MLB getting a salary cap but do you think that they can eliminate deferred contracts in the next agreement?
Mark P
- Some kind of limit on deferred money seems reasonable. The MLBPA will resist since they (rightly) will view it as a way of curbing spending, but in lieu of an actual salary cap, addressing deferrals could be seen as a bit of compromise.
Chaim Bloomin’ Onion
- If there’s one thing I’ve never understood, it’s the way new GMs will put certain players lower on their charts because he’s not “his guy”, he was the previous regime’s guy. You understand what I mean? The Granillo thing felt like that, he wasn’t “Chaim’s guy” so maybe he was more expendable to him than Mo. We’ve seen Bendix do it a few times too. I’m sure there’s tons of behind the scenes to it, but from a fans perspective I’ve always thought that was odd.
Mark P
- Any two executives (even within the same organization) will have differing views on their prospect base. So if isn’t surprising that a new exec entering a team will look to get rid of the guys that his old team never valued, unless that exec learns some behind-the-scenes intel that changes his mind
carpathian florist
- Can you explain why the giants are so set on sticking to their current pitching staff? Pretty unanimously, people seem to believe they need another starter and the bullpen doesn’t inspire any confidence either
Mark P
- The Giants may well still be (and probably are) scouring the market for other pitching options, since teams are forever looking to add more pitching whenever possible. Still plenty of time for some more arms to be brought in, on the rotation or bullpen side
- The pen in particular feels like it needs more work than the rotation at this point
Mlbfan
- Will there be baseball in 2027?
Mark P
CY
- Should the Rangers go after TB Cleavinger ?
Mark P
- I think pretty much any team should be in on Cleavinger, but I highly doubt the Rays will trade him
J.R.
- Who do you see as the most disappointing offseason? For me it’s Cleveland. Even with Clase off the books they’ve practically spent nothing.
Mark P
- This is probably my answer as well, just because the Guardians’ needs (at least one quality RH bat) are so glaring, yet they have done almost literally nothing this winter. Again, there’s still time before Opening Day, but it feels like the Guards will basically stand pat in a division that is open for the taking.
dale
- Did the Yankees overcorrect by building an elite bullpen (Bednar, Doval, Cruz) at the expense of rotation depth?
Mark P
- Having a team that can play a proverbial six-inning game is a huge plus, even though I’d hesitate before considering the Yankees’ trio a truly “elite” set of leverage arms.
Bryce Harper
- What do you think the chances of me playing for the LAS VEGAS Athletics in 2028 would be?
Mark P
jeff
- Centerfielder for that Angels? They can’t seriously think Adelle can play CF. He can’t really play RF.
Mark P
- Even with Teodosio being liberally used as a late-game sub, I agree that the Angels’ OF defense looks dire. Lowe’s not much of a right fielder, Soler can’t play LF, and Trout may not be able to physically hold up if he gets much time in the outfield.
- The answer would’ve been to acquire someone besides Lowe, but the market (in both trades and free agency) was very thin on good CF options this winter
Mariner fan
- The mariners are really high Kade Anderson. They have even mentioned publicly that they could possibly see him in a major league uniform this year. With that in mind, do you think the Mariners would be interested in trading a current starter to get another solid bat?
Mark P
Bob
- what’s with the Bees and Beads every chat? I don’t get that at all.
Mark P
- It is a longrunning joke based on an obscure old Arrested Development gag. It has been going for so long in these chats that I forget how it even started.
Overconfident yankees fan
- can we see breakout seasons from Volpe, McMahon, rice, Grisham, Gil, and weathers?
Mark P
- At least you described yourself as overconfident! A couple of these guys have already had breakout seasons, but overall, it doesn’t seem likely that all six will be productive. Some or even most, sure, but not all six.
NOT MARK P
- The Brewers added and subtracted this offseason. I can’t tell if they got worse or are about the same. What do you think about their offseason?
Mark P
- On the one hand they signed my offseason dark horse free agent darling Luis Rengifo, so I have no choice but to predict Milwaukee will now win the World Series.
On a more serious note, the Brewers had the kind of offseason I’d be worried about if they weren’t the Brewers. Their track record implies that they’ll figure things out and still be contenders for another NL Central title, but on paper, I don’t love their moves this winter.
- It also doesn’t help that the Cubs, Reds, and Pirates have all theoretically gotten better
Blue
- Nationals feel like they could use Ramon Urias & Rhys Hoskins to balance out 1B & 2B
Mark P
- Seems like the types of low-level signings the Nats will probably have coming, since no major additions are on the way
Gregg
- The Nationals have been in a rebuilding phase for a while and should be on the rise by now. Any idea on what’s holding them back?
Mark P
- Many of the players the Nats felt would be big pieces of their rebuild (Wood, Gore, Abrams) have delivered. The problem was that nobody else in the organization did much of anything, especially a lot of the Nats’ homegrown prospects. Obviously the jury is still out on guys like Crews, but the utter lack of help in the minor league pipeline really stalled out the rebuild.
Barney Coolio
- Aren’t Nick Castellanos and Miguel Andujar incredibly redundant and not useful for the Padres?
Mark P
- Andujar brings a lot more to the table than Castellanos in my view. But, Castellanos at the price of virtually nothing is worth a flier, and the Padres can always just release him if he isn’t hitting.
William Murdoch
- Why do you think the AL Central is open for the taking? The Tigers are heavy favorites, unless you think Skubal will be traded?
Mark P
- Signing Valdez and Verlander reinforced the Tigers as favorites, but their roster still has some flaws. The gap would be a lot closer if the Guardians had done anything with their lineup besides re-sign Austin Hedges
Jim Thorpe
- Which current MLB player would be the best winter Olympian, and at what event?
Mark P
- Eddy Alvarez played in MLB as recently as 2024, and he literally won a silver medal as a speed skater in the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Alan Bundy
- Are the Royals ever going to get a star outfielder or even a more than serviceable outfielder?
Mark P
- The Royals are another team that didn’t wow me this offseason. Collins is a good get for the outfield, but Lane Thomas is a roll of the dice. Their pitching is strong enough that only a decent amount of extra offense could’ve put KC in there as real contenders, but I’m not sure Collins/Thomas/more of Jonathan India counts
Mike Trout
- How will I be remembered once my career is over? Will people remember me as one of the best ever in my prime?
Mark P
- Trout is a first-ballot HOFer, and he’ll rightly be remembered as an all-time great.
Unfortunately, every discussion of Trout will inevitably include mention of his near-total lack of playoff exposure. He’s this generation’s Ernie Banks, the superstar who never got a chance to shine in the playoffs
Chester Cheetah
- Mark, how do you prefer your burgers? Plain? The works? Mushrooms and cheese? What is your jam?
Mark P
- Ketchup, mustard, tomatoes, pickles, and (depending on the restaurant) relish. This is the standard Mark Burger.
Watts
- Will Bryce Harper and the Phillies relationship improve or not?
Mark P
- I’m not sure it’s actually that bad. Harper was surely annoyed at the phrasing of Dombrowski’s comments, and his most recent remarks indicate that he was more irritated that Dombrowski made the “not elite” statement publicly, rather than DD saying it at all. Harper is the first to admit that the 2025 season wasn’t his best, but obviously he has every confidence that he’ll get back into “elite” territory in 2026
- As we saw with the Castellanos stories this week, seems like the Phillies had a lot more actual clubhouse issues to worry about last season than Harper or Dombrowski
Zach
- Which team that did not make the 2025 playoffs would you pick as a surprise playoff team for 2026?
Mark P
- Not sure how “surprising” either of these choices are, but I see Baltimore and Arizona returning to the postseason in 2026
The Dude
- Have you given up on Jac???
Mark P
- Nope. But, Jac did so little at the plate that I can’t count on him for anything in 2026, or view him as a real win-now piece.
Scott H at the Copa
- Has my spending been related to the Jobe and Olsen injuries or am I really trying to improve by spending? I desperately need a right handed bat in the middle of the order to balance my lineup. What should I do?
Mark P
- On the offensive side, the Tigers seem to be willing to go into the season with their current roster, and see how things pan out with Keith at 3B, Vierling healthy, Baez given another shot, Jung maybe at 1B, etc. It feels a little “house of cards”-ish, and ultimately I do feel Detroit will target a proven right-handed hitter prior to the trade deadline.
Hamate Bone
- Are you in quarantine to protect yourself from Hamate2026? Stay say out there
Mark P
- I’m wearing protective wrist sheathes as we speak, though it’s really hard to type
Guest
- Please help me to believe that the Red Sox did enough to improve on last year’s Wild Card club.
Mark P
- The pitching is way better, Willson Contereras is a good hitter, and you get a full season of Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. The Red Sox should be in good shape to contend again.
Naylor Sailor
- Now that Donovan is onboard, it feels like it’ll be either Cole Young or Colt Emerson making the OD roster, not both (barring injuries). Do you agree, and if so, who’s your pick?
Mark P
- Young. Emerson’s played barely any Triple-A ball, so Seattle will want to give him some more time in Tacoma before calling him up
Desert Blossom
- Am I just so desensitized that I automatically identify the DBacks Bullpen as awful, or is there actually anything there to start the season? It looks rough
Mark P
- It’s not great, but Gallen’s return also helps the pen for depth purposes. Assuming (big if) everyone in the rotation is healthy, Soroka can be moved into a relief role, or swingman role.
Ben
- Twins seem loaded with veteran outfield lefties with poor defense. Any thoughts on maybe moving Larnach for a solidified bullpen arm or a right handed bat?
Mark P