Mark P
- It’s the first Weekend Chat of the 2026 regular season! Plenty to discuss after a wild first few days of baseball, so let’s get down to business…
- …um, after I first put the actual chat link into the post. Whoops!
Guest
- When do you see the Pirates calling up Konnor Griffin?
Mark P
- Assuming he’s raking at Triple-A, probably around the first week or two of May?
As much as one has to factor in finances when discussing the Pirates, from a pure baseball perspective, I agree with the decision to keep Griffin in the minors. He hasn’t played much Triple-A ball, and his work in Spring Training still showed some holes in his game
Squints
- As a Brewer and White Sox fan, it was an interesting weekend. My question is do the Sox have any pitching to at least flirt with 70 wins?
Mark P
- Unlikely, though Murakami hitting (checks notes) 162 home runs should be a lot of fun!
Josh
- If the Diamondbacks start like 2-14 would they consider trading Ketel Marte before he gets his 10/5 rights in mid April?
Mark P
Dave
- Looks like the Phillies are not hitting again. When is it going to be time to make some trades? Or sign some hitters?
D. Dombroski
- Should I trade Bohm by the deadline?
Ryan M.
- What are the chances the Phillies fire Rob Thompson this year early on? Like what happened to Girardi.
Mark P
Blotto
- New owners tend to cut back expenses. How will the Padres new owners do that?
Mark P
- We’ll have to learn who the new owners will be, before starting the speculation about trimming payroll. The Padres have already cut back on spending over the last couple of years, plus there’s this unusual situation with Darvish’s contract and possibly retirement that could represent some unexpected savings for the team.
- There’s also the next CBA to determine how baseball’s financial structure may or may not change, which also factors into how the Padres and the other 29 teams will approach future spending
Big Sal
- I’m looking better than advertised. What kind of extension do I receive this year? And do you see one of my teammates in Elly and Matt getting extended as well?
Mark P
- The Reds probably don’t have interest in extending McLain until they know what they actually have in him. McLain, for his part, wouldn’t want to take a lowball deal from the Reds since he surely feels he has better baseball in him.
Elly is a Boras client, so the chances of an extension are basically zero. He already turned down a big offer from the Reds in the 2024-25 offseason:
- As for Stewart, an early-career extension could still be possible, if the Reds are truly confident in him as a cornerstone. Again, one big opening series shouldn’t automatically lock Stewart as a superstar.
Weatherholt
- Is JJ Wetherholt a legit Rookie of the Year Canidate also how hyped should St Louis be about him?
Mark P
- He’s a consensus top-10 prospect, and it wouldn’t at all be a surprise if he was the NLROY. The Cardinals and their fans may not have a ton to root for this year, but watching Wetherholt develop should be a big plus
Steve
- Being out of options can be a career death sentence. Do some GM’s manage options better than others? That is, they avoid using up a player’s option years to the point where they’re DFA’d at 24. Obviously it has to do with performance but there has to be some method to it
Mark P
- It’s certainly a tricky web to weave, considering how a PBO/GM has to be looking at the status of dozens upon dozens of players in the organization. As we just saw on Opening Day, a lot of roster decisions were made with an eye towards option status, rather than a pure “who are the best 26 guys?” call.
The bottom line is that for most GMs who aren’t in clear rebuild mode, the focus is winning games right now. They won’t hesitate to bring a player up if that player is a better fit to fill a direct and immediate need, even if that might burn their last option. Some execs are former players and know all too well how being out-of-options can impact a player’s career, but at the end of the day, it’s a tough business.
Dread Pirate Roberts
- What is the biggest issue with trade proposals from chatters?
Mark P
- A lot of them tend to be “my team lands a star for two non-prospects and some roster dead weight. Who says no?”
Ken
- Biggest surprise from the first series of games?
Mark P
- Not a “surprise,” but the Marlins needs to go back to the teal jerseys full-time. They look amazing.
Disgrunted A’s fan
- What are the odds that Forst, Kotsay, Aldrete, etc. will finally get fired?
Mark P
- Again, it’s just one series. And if anything, the A’s staff has done a good job in trying circumstances over the last few years of rebuilding this team back into a possible contender.
Paul
- Would holding the wbc in mid season work. Maybe eliminate the all star game that year and you could get more players
Mark P
- As others have pointed out, a midseason WBC means that every international league also has to pause in July. It’d be such a huge undertaking that I’m not sure it’s entirely feasible, since even mid-year, you would never get a true “best possible roster” for every nation due to injuries or injury concerns
Drew
- Bonds had 575 plate appearances against Hall of Fame pitchers; he hit .292 with only 7 strikeouts.
Mark P
- Hot take: Barry Bonds was a great hitter
KMG
- This is the dawning of the Age of McGonigle, the Age of McGonigle
Mark P
- Move over Barry Bonds, here comes McGonigle!
Blackout Gatling
- biggest overaction after the first weekend that you actually think is legit?
Mark P
- The Blue Jays should’ve improved the left-handed side of their relief corps
Al east fan
- Who wins the division this year
Mark P
Red sox
- Alex Cora’s recent quotes about the outfield logjam seem frustrated. They have to make a trade sooner than later, no?
Mark P
Scott boras
- Have I ever let a client take a big money extension before hitting the open market
Mark P
- Sure, plenty of times
- “Plenty” is perhaps the wrong word choice since Boras has had tons of clients over the years, and the large, large majority have tested free agency. There have been just enough extensions that it isn’t a total guarantee, but by and large, you can count on “Boras guys” to become free agents
- Had to pause the chat for a few minutes to update the Leo Jimenez post, as the deal is now official with Garrett Acton being DFA’ed
Ken
- Should the A’s keep batting Kurtz in the leadoff spot? Does it just not matter (not in an existential sense)?
Mark P
- I don’t think it really matters. You want one of your best hitters going up top, and Kurtz certainly qualifies.
RobertM
- Over/under on Murakami being traded at the July deadline?
Mark P
- Highly unlikely. If he’s playing well, the White Sox are more likely to explore an extension than a trade. I’m not sure it’d be a great look for Chicago’s future recruitment of Japanese talents if Murakami was signed and then quickly dealt.
ChiTownMusicGuy
- What tunes are you playing today?
Mark P
- At the moment, my playlist has “Song of the Future” from U2’s new EP
Cleveland
- Are you aboard the Delauter train? He looks like Cleveland’s best hitting prospect since Sizemore.
Mark P
- What a start, eh? Again, it’s only one series, so things could quickly turn once pitchers and coaches get more looks at him.
- But if any team could really use one of their position-player prospects to finally stick in a big way, it’s the Guardians
Am i wrong?
- I’m a Yankees fan. I didn’t put the Mets in the top ten of my power rankings because of their question marks and also put the Yankees at two because of their high upside if everyone stays healthy. All of my friends are calling me “biased” and “crazy”. Am I wrong?
Mark P
- Neither of those takes are outlandish at all
Quisenberry
- Everyone says the royals have pitching depth, I disagree. Injured often or old..noah Cameron, the exception, or AAAA. Agree?
Mark P
- KC may agree, which is why they didn’t budge on moving any of their top arms or even a depth arm in exchange for hitting help.
I’m higher on the Royals’ rotation than you, just because even someone like Cameron just has to be a decent fifth starter at the MLB level. They’re not asking him to do more than that if everyone’s healthy.
Cardinals
- Are we capable of a playoff push with this roster? What is a big area of need?
Mark P
- Starting pitching, consistent hitting throughout the lineup, high-leverage bullpen help, and for at least two other NL Central teams to totally fall apart.
If you’re thinking these are pretty big “areas of need,” you’re right! The Cardinals would need a ton to go right to actually contend. The aim should be getting close to .500 and establishing some players as clear-cut building blocks.
Cubs
- Thoughts on the latest extensions
Mark P
- Like both moves in a vacuum. I think I wrote in a chat a few weeks ago that Nico was the likeliest of the trio of him, Suzuki, and Happ to be extended, even if I ultimately thought all three would probably leave. Uh, do I get partial credit for being right?!
- The PCA extension, in particular, could be a steal if he develops into a more consistent hitter.
Zach
- With all the extensions going on lately do you see a Langford extension happening soon? If so how long would it be?
Mark P
- Langford becomes arb-eligible next winter, and a free agent after 2029, when he’s entering his age-28 season. Texas would surely want an extension that covers at least 3-4 of those free agent years, but for Langford, he might want to go whole hog with a decade-long “face of the franchise” type of contract.
Maybe some opt-outs could also be part of the mix, but overall, I’d expect at least a six-year extension at minimum. Who knows if a deal may or may not be reached, and the next CBA could be a factor. Langford might prefer to lock in some money and security now before free agency or payroll structure is perhaps altered in some form.
Royals
- Did anyone claim Luis Matos?
Mark P
Zach
- Are we seeing the Trout comeback? (Even though it is early)
Mark P
- I think I speak for all fans* in saying that it’d be great for Trout to have more full and healthy seasons, in order to see if he has some more HOF-level years left in the tank
= maybe not Astros, Mariners, Rangers, or A’s fans
Chaim Bloom
- When do I start to get and consider offers on jojo Romero? Blue Jays…..
Luke
- Do the Blue Jays just go out and get JoJo Romero? What would it take?
Mark P
- Romero still being a Cardinal is one of the big surprises of the 2025-26 offseason. Plenty of teams were linked to him in trade speculation, though the Jays weren’t one of them.
Romero isn’t a perfect pitcher by any means, as he has had control issues and has allowed more than his share of homers. It could be that the Cards were simply asking for more than other clubs were willing to give up for a good (but not great) reliever
The Big Q
- You’ve linked a lot of other MLBTR posts here, is it ever difficult to find them on the spot?
Mark P
- Not with our handy-dandy search bar, located above the ‘top stories’ menu!
Ryan S
- Seems like Estevez has something wrong. Who’s closing for you? Lange or Erceg? I know the OF has been a subject since seems like 1901, but they didn’t do enough. Can they fix it?
Mark P
- Estevez’s ankle contusion doesn’t seem super-serious, but if he did need an IL stint, Erceg would be the next man up.
- As for the outfield, maybe something shakes loose on the trade front well before the deadline, since waiting until the end of July might be too late. Or, maybe I’ll be surprised and Lane Thomas has a bounce-back year to prove me and many others wrong.
JR
- What do you make of Baz extension?
Mark P
- It was an awfully bold move, and one that I probably wouldn’t have made if I was the Orioles. Waiting for Baz to pitch well and stay healthy over the 2026 season would’ve upped the price tag on any extension talks, but also given the O’s more security that they were making the right call in locking Baz up.
That said, the O’s have signed so few extensions that it says something that they were willing to go the extra mile for Baz so soon after the trade. They clearly love what they’ve seen, and think the big healthy breakout year is coming right away.
Doritos Locos Tacos
- Does Jackson Jobe pitch in August/September this year?
Mark P
- That’s the plan for August, as Scott Harris said today. Jobe had his TJ surgery last June, so that 14-month rebab timeline fits.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
- Beginning rant. If MLB wants to increase viewership why are they making it so difficult to watch games? I have had to sign up for two new apps just to watch M’s games. Games are on Netflix, Peacock, Apple and I’m sure at some point ESPN and Fox will be in the mix. Out of market games now cost even more to watch on MzlB. Hard to bring in new fans when it’s this difficult to watch. Hard to keep us old fans engaged with all these hoops to jump through. End rant.
Mark P
- The flip side of this is that if you’re a casual fan who randomly decides one night “hey, let’s check out a ballgame,” you’ll probably be able to find one even if your viewing habits are limited to just one app.
It’s surely annoying that one can’t watch literally all of their teams’ games, yet MLB is also seemingly accounting for the fact that it’s pretty rare for someone to follow literally every one of the 162-game schedule.
Tim
- What is the difference between selecting a contract and being called up?
Mark P
- Selecting a contract means a player is being added to the 40-man roster, as well as usually the active roster. Being called up is when a player is already on the 40-man man.
Tim
- Lou Whitaker, Bobby grich HOF?
Mark P
Tigers
- If the Tigers are contending, as expected, come the break, where do you see them trying to improve?
Mark P
- Obviously any number of injuries and under-performance might skew these needs, but as it stands, I’d say bullpen and outfield depth
Nate
- Think the Phillies ever play Harper in the OF again? I never got why they kept him at 1B once he got healthy again
Mark P
- The thinking seems to be that keeping Harper at first base will keep him healthier. Harper has offered to go back to the outfield if necessary, though the Phils seem resistant
Cubbies
- I know I know, it’s one series and I’m not actually worried. But just out of curiosity, we miss the playoffs. Craig has to be on the hit seat no?
Mark P
- Firing Counsell means that the Cubs have to eat the last two years and $16MM of his contract. Which I guess can’t be ruled out if the team has a truly disappointing year, since expectations are high.
- If it’s a winning record and a near-miss, Counsell likely stays
Brewer Fan
- It’s the white Sox I know, but by that same logic it’s also the Nats so… Brewers just going to ho hum their way to exceeding expectations again eh?
Mark P
- Nobody should be counting out the Brewers. They’re still a playoff team in my view.
Rangers44
- I feel like the Rangers are not getting enough love for the rotation. DeGrom, Eovaldi, Leiter, Gore is a pretty great top four and they were arguably baseballs best rotation by the numbers last year. Yet I have seen almost no lists with them in the top 6 or 7 even. Gore was a sneaky good add
Mark P
- It’s a very strong rotation on paper, yet the obvious issues are the health of JDG/Eovaldi, and Leiter’s lack of an established track record
Bobby Cox
- Dom Smith big knock. Although with Murphy and Kim back in May any shot he stays on roster? Also we adding Lucas G if rehabs dont go as planned?
Mark P
- Murphy replaces Heim and Kim replaces one of Farmer or Smith, most likely. Smith and Farmer are both playing for their jobs for now, and Smith has an edge since he’ll get more at-bats in the DH role.
Canada
- Bigger fan of The Hip or Rush?
Mark P
David
- How long a leash does Roki have in the rotation?
Mark P
- “Once everyone is healthy” seems like more of a theoretical state than a reality for the Dodgers, but assuming Snell returns soon, Sasaki/Sheehan will be the odd man out.
I also wouldn’t rule out some modified six-man rotation for most of the season, in order to keep everyone fresh, accommodate Ohtani, and line everything up for October
Rangers Rotation
- Gore also has a lack of established track record and I saw them 6th in Fangraphs WAR ranking
Mark P
- Gore is weirdly the pitcher I’m most sure about in the Texas rotation. His floor is the type of season he posted in Washington, and I think he can pitch better in a new environment and on a team trying to win.
Natitude
- What’s the industry buzz on the disappointing progress of Dylan Crews?
Mark P
- Since Joey Wiemer is apparently going to win the MVP this year, the Nats had to send Crews down to make way for their new superstar!
Serious answer….figuring out what they have in Crews is surely one of the chief priorities of Washington’s new front office and development staff. Simply getting some extended Triple-A time to play and post big numbers might help Crews regain some confidence, and allow him to make a smoother adjustment when he’s inevitably called up at some point in 2026
- It’s possible some rival teams see Crews as a bust already, but there are surely way more teams that would jump at the chance to acquire him if the Nats somehow made him available
Rick
- Who has more saves at the end of the year Sands or Rogers
Mark P
Chris
- interesting you even mentioned u2, are they recording, touring, wtaf its been a decade
Mark P
- U2 are my favorite band, so don’t get me started, since I can talk about them as much as I can talk baseball. The plan seems to be a new full album this fall, and a tour next year.
Guest
- With the extensions what’s next. Trade Shaw and/or Alcantara,? It’s seems Shaw has to go.
Mark P
- Using Shaw as an outfielder might be his ticket to staying in Wrigleyville, since I still expect Suzuki and Happ to be gone next winter.
- Conversely, the Cubs could try to trade Shaw for an established veteran outfielder
Giants Fan
- Another miserable season?
Mark P
- “Only one series, no reason to panic”
Lou Albino
- What can we expect out of Zack Wheeler this year?
Mark P
- Wheeler is already making rehab starts, and a return before the end of April seems to be in the cards if all goes well.
It’s a great sign that he’ll be back this relatively quickly, so perhaps that augers well for Wheeler pitching close to his old self upon his return. Even if he’s not all the way there, like 70% of Wheeler is still better than a lot of other pitchers, so the Phillies will happily take it
Balloon Man Dan
- A solid first half give Javy Baez any trade value at the ASB?
Mark P
Ebenezer_Batflip
- Mets fans booing Bichette is bad even for new yorkers, right?
Mark P
- Maybe they just misread his name on the scoreboard?
Bendix
- Are the Cubs going to regret trading Owen Caissie?
Mark P