MLBTR Chats News & Rumors

Steve Adams

• Zero chance they move him if they’re four back. I’d say the odds are slim even if they’re 10 or 12 back, but it’d have to be something enormous like that before they even consider it.

TxDude

• Why is the AL so bad this season? I feel like it’s gonna be pretty awkward if a below .500 team makes the playoffs

Steve Adams

• I’m as surprised by everyone else with the generally weak level of competition in the AL, but I don’t see why it’ll be awkward if a .500ish team makes the playoffs. The ’06 Cardinals won 83 games in the regular season before winning the World Series. Baseball’s weird. Weird things happen.

Zach

• Who is more likely traded, Trout or Alvarez?

Steve Adams

• Neither?
• I suppose Trout could say he’s finally had enough and ask for a trade, but if he hasn’t by now, I’m not sure anything’s going to push him there.

Mlb fan

• What starting pitchers do you see being available at the deadline?

Steve Adams

• Joe Ryan, Tarik Skubal, Sandy Alcantara, Max Meyer, Casey Mize, Dustin May, Tyler Mahle, Robbie Ray, Adrian Houser, Jack Flaherty, Kris Bubic, Bailey Ober, Dustin May, Brady Singer, Zack Littell
• Skubal only if Detroit is completely buried, which I’m still not convinced will be the case, but at this point you’ve got to acknowledge the possibility of it.

Alex

• Do you see the Cubs doing a little buying AND selling at the deadline? Maybe making moves that could technically help the team down the stretch, but would be with an eye more for 2027 (i.e. controllable pitching)?

Steve Adams

• Most contending clubs are open to these sorts of scenarios. Cubs won’t be an exception. They should absolutely be eyeing controllable starting pitching, as their 2027 rotation right now is Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown and the shrug emoji guy. You hope Justin Steele’s in there, but he’s already run into some setbacks in the UCL rehab. Boyd, Imanaga and Taillon are free agents. Horton won’t be ready until several months into the season. Rea has a club option but TBD if it’s picked up

Frank

• Will the Giants move off of Matt c, adames, or devers at deadline?

Steve Adams

• Can’t see another club taking on those contracts. They could always include some cash to pay down part of them, but Adames and Chapman also have full no-trade clauses.

Dustin May

• You named me twice in the “available at the deadline?” question.  Do you see me being traded twice, should I not unpack my bags after the first trade?

Steve Adams

• Yes he will be traded no fewer than six times this summer
• (Sorry, going off the cuff there haha)

Frank

• What type of contract do u see mize getting in free agency?

Steve Adams

• Depends how quickly he returns from the IL, how he finishes, whether he’s traded (and thus whether he’s eligible for a QO, which he’ll likely receive if he stays in Detroit), but generally something in the $68-90MM range over four years?

Chris Getz

• Brayden Montgomery rookie of the year candidate?

Steve Adams

• Probably not even the leading ROY candidate on his own team (Mune!), and he’s got a lot of work to do to chase down McGonigle, who already has nearly 300 PAs. I don’t see it

Cory

• Any chance the brewers sign Castellanos?

Steve Adams

• I was surprised the Padres signed him and gave him as much leash as they did. I don’t see why anyone would look at what Castellanos has done in recent years, but especially in ’26, and think he’s going to help improve their club.

Guest

• No one is going to trade for Skubal unless the price is very low, which it wont be, or if they can agree on an extension at time of trade. Which i believe is a long shot as well.

Steve Adams

• Disagree on all of that, with the exception of an extension being a long shot … which I guess I also technically disagree with, since I’d put the chances of a Skubal extension at 0

Natitude

• What do the Nats do with Foster Griffin? Trade fodder at the deadline or offer him a multiyear extension?  He’s been pretty solid as a middle of the rotation arm.

Steve Adams

• Yeah he’s been a solid add. He’s also turning 31 soon and has a 91 mph fastball, so I imagine they’re looking at him more as a short-term trade chip than a long-term building block. Should’ve had him on my list of available arms at the deadline, but like I said, I was going off the cuff.

Zach

• Do teams get a period of time to get below a salary cap if its added and already exceed it?

Steve Adams

• I’m sure it’d be gradually implemented, yes, but I’ll be the broken record guy again here and say I don’t think there’ll be a cap/floor or games lost next year (offseason lockout/transaction freeze, absolutely though)

Freddy Peralta

• This feels like a “meh” platform year. Still not working deep into games, strikeout rate slightly down, and walk rate up. More likely to get SP2 than “ace” money this offseason?

Steve Adams

• I think probably closer to No. 2 money than “ace” money, yeah, but that could still mean $135MMish.

Matt

• White Sox need starting pitching. Do you think they make a splash and trade for a top dog? Peralta?

Steve Adams

• I doubt they’ll be giving up notable talent for rentals. They’re just (hopefully) opening their window, so it stands to reason they’ll either add rentals with minimal cost of acquisition or prioritize guys with at least one more year of control (ideally more than that).

anonymous

• No because they have yelich but castellanos would be a good dh

Steve Adams

• Castellanos has lost two miles per hour of bat speed in the past two years and has batted .240/.280/.390 over his past 711 plate appearances in the majors.
• He was just released by a team whose collective offense has posted worse rate stats over the past month than Zack Greinke did as a hitter in his career.
• The fascination with Castellanos — and it’s not just in this chat, it dates back to last deadline/last offseason — is genuinely perplexing to me. He hasn’t even been below-average, he’s just been a bad hitter for closing in on three years now.

Luis Lara

• What do you think of my contract extension? Give it a grade.

Steve Adams

• They paid a top prospect the same amount it’d cost to sign a 30-something fourth starter in free agency. In doing so, they secured control over three would-be free agent seasons and cost security over his arb years. Seems fine to me.

Blindreid

• Sign Arraez to an extension?

Steve Adams

• Feels likelier that they trade him. The Giants had zero interest in handing out any additional long-term contracts this past winter.

Posey

• Why didn’t I invest in a bullpen?

Steve Adams

• One of the top questions I’d have to ask for any team regarding their 2025-26 offseason

John

• What if Lara doesn’t hit MLB pitching?

Steve Adams

• Then the Brewers are basically out the same as if they’d signed Matt Boyd and he blew out his UCL a month into the first season of the deal.

Matthew

• Can you please explain the Braves/Carlos Carrasco situation.  Why do they keep designating him for assignment just to turn around and resign him (multiple times this season)?  What purpose does this serve?  Thanks Steve.

Steve Adams

• I explain it in the post every time it happens! Haha.He can’t be optioned. He’s content with riding the AAA/MLB carousel. Select him to the majors, get a fresh arm/length for the ‘pen, DFA him the next time they need a spot. Repeat.
• He’s the 41st man on their 40-man roster.

White Sox

• Sandy Alcantara seems to be a good trade target for the Sox? He also shouldn’t cost them any of their top prospects

Steve Adams

• I suppose he’s not costing them Bonemer or Montgomery, but the ask would still be relatively significant, and I imagine the Marlins would at least start out asking about Hagen Smith, Tanner McDougal, Billy Carlson, etc.

SDP

• Jason Adam and Will Wagner to Houston for Christian Walker and Ullola, who says no

Steve Adams

• I don’t think that makes Houston better in the aggregate, and at least as of this moment, I’m skeptical they’ll do anything to make the team worse.

Boston GM

• Red Sox looking for a right handed bat wouldn’t a trade for Royce Lewis work for them.

Steve Adams

• Doubt the Twins are anxious to sell low on him, and no harm seeing if he can play a passable 1B/2B and get some of his form back at the plate. He decimated AAA pitching after he was sent down.

Lovable losers

• Can the Cubs really afford to move on from value like Shaw, Ramirez, or Wiggins at the trade deadline for? Or do they stay mid tier and move Alcantara, Long or Triantos for a blah move?

Steve Adams

• I’m not super high on Shaw in general, as I’ve said in the past, but I don’t think there’s any reason they can’t move on from one of Shaw or Ramirez. The infield is set long-term with Bregman, Swanson, Hoerner and Busch — for better or worse. (Left side looking a bit shaky at the moment, but it’s a five-week skid for Dansby and Bregman has been serviceable at least).Moving one of those guys to a team with more infield needs and then using the other as a superutility and/or corner outfield piece would be fine.

  I can understand being reluctant to move Wiggins, given the lack of pitching in place beyond ’26. Personally, I hope they do it just so I don’t briefly conflate Jaxon Wiggins and Jordan Wicks, which I inexplicably do for about 1.5 seconds every time either one of them is mentioned, haha.

Trade

• Robbie Ray becomes an actual Ray for Brody Hopkins and a lower prospect. Thanks

Steve Adams

• I’m not giving up Hopkins for Ray even if the Giants pay the whole salary

Angels Fan

• Who would bring back a better return for the Angels, Neto or Soriano?

Steve Adams

• Who gets the bigger return?

  ---

  Zach Neto (controlled thru 2029) (60.1% | 127 votes)

  Jose Soriano (controlled thru 2028) (39.8% | 84 votes)

  ---

  Total Votes: 211
• I like watching this oscillate in realtime, because that’s basically what I did mentally, ha. I will give the nod to Soriano though, as the need for SP is always larger.
• I don’t think the Angels will trade either, though, since they’re content to just live in their own state of denial about the status of the organization.

Max

• Do you really think the Marlins will trade me? The way you think they will perpetually be a AAA club since anyone whois good or decent you expect them to trade for someone unproven and if thats the case they will never contend/

Steve Adams

• If someone makes a compelling offer, there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t. He’s only controlled for two more seasons after this one — same amount of control they had over Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers, both of whom they traded.I get the frustration of perpetually trading so many arbitration-level players, but that’s just their reality.

  I don’t think it’s any sort of foregone conclusion that Meyer is dealt, but they will 100% be asked about him, and they’ll entertain the idea if someone makes a significant offer.

Chupco

• chances angel blow up team and star rebuild this off season

Steve Adams

• 0.4%? They should, but we’ve seen this routine from Arte Moreno enough to know that doesn’t feel like anything but the longest of long shots.

Team Kaptain

• What could the Reds do at the trade deadline? Feels like nothing

Steve Adams

• No need for them to make that decision seven weeks out. They’ll hopefully be getting Greene back by then, which helps. Elly, too.Obviously a frustrating team, but there’s a decent core in place there and if they’re within arm’s reach they’ll try to contend, even if it’s just with more small-scale bullpen/bench acquisitions.

D

• If/when the White Sox draft chose a SS with the #1 pick in this year’s draft, what do we do with the SS surplus?

Steve Adams

• I don’t believe there’s any such thing as a true surplus in a sport where injuries and prospect stall-outs are this common, and that’s especially true when you’re talking about shortstops who haven’t even been drafted yet. Even if they take Cholowsky and he’s a true franchise shortstop by late 2027/early 2028, then you just make it work. Montgomery plays some 3B, Vargas and Mune rotate at 1B/DH (with Vargas still mixing in some occasional 3B reps). You’ve got Bonemer and Carlson in there, too, of course, but they can be moved around as well.Half the regulars you see around the league were drafted as shortstops but have since moved to other INF positions or the outfield.
• (“Half” is hyperbole, but it’s extremely common, and shortstops tend to be the best athletes on the field, so moving them to other positions tends to be easier than relocating someone who’s further down the defensive spectrum)
• You also can’t assume they’ll all hit and stay healthy. Someone in the group will bust. We’re less than 10 years removed from “wow Eloy, Moncada, Anderson, Robert, etc. — this team is going to be unstoppable for years.”Prospects get hurt and bust. A lot.

CHISOX FAN

• The old adage ” You never have enough pitching” has been misinterpreted by Chris Getz to read “you never have enough Shortstops.”

Steve Adams

• Generally agree with both those sentiments.
• Too many starters/shortstops is not a bad thing, and there’s no such thing as a surplus of either.

Nate

• If the Pirates are in contention late, would you bring up Seth Hernandez to the pen. Ala Rays & David Price?

Steve Adams

• Price was drafted 1-1 as a college ace and had already dominated AAA when he was called up shortly after his 23rd birthday. Hernandez was a high school draftee who’s 19 and hasn’t pitched above A-ball yet.

Chris

• Twins will move Buxton yay or nay?

Steve Adams

• I don’t think so, no

Mets

• Will sterns be gm on opening day 2027?

Steve Adams

• Can I be pedantic and say no, because he’s the president of baseball operations and not the GM? :)I don’t envision Cohen moving on, no. I’d be surprised if Stearns were ousted.

Boegarts

• Get him to drop the no trade clause would anyone want him and who could we get?

Steve Adams

• No one is touching that contract

redrum

• who’s better: miz or chase burns?

Steve Adams

• I love Chase Burns, but there aren’t many I’d take over Misiorowski. Might not be any. Hmm.

balti more catchers than one needs

• Say Orioles still playing like this at the deadline, 3 to 4 games under and a few games back from wild card. Could you see rutschman being traded for some good controllable pitching given basallo breakout and extension, and adley’s deal expiring after 2027?

Steve Adams

• Feels like it’d be more of an offseason thing, as trading Rutschman negates much of the value you’d be bringing in via trade. It’s also generally rare for starting catchers to be traded midseason. A lot of work goes into learning a staff, building a rapport with the group, etc.

Nats

• Is the offense for real and sustainable?

Steve Adams

• James Wood is an absolute monster. CJ Abrams is great. I am cautiously optimistic about the random Curtis Mead breakthrough, but it’ll take more than 180ish PA for me to fully buy in. Rest of the group, meh. I think Lile is a better hitter than he’s been on the whole this season but not as good as he was last year. Luis Garcia is an average-ish hitter who’ll probably be moved.In general, the Nationals’ success in terms of scoring runs seems largely tied up in timely hitting with runners on base. I don’t think they’re as good as their overall run total suggests.

  But James Wood and CJ Abrams are great.

Smoke and mirrors

• What is happening in Stl?  Starters are bad, bullpen only has like 4 guys you can trust and are just ok, lineup is real bad outside top 4 (5 with Noot).  This can’t be sustainable.  Right?

Steve Adams

• I probably like the bats a bit more than you do — Walker, JJ, Burleson, Winn, Herrera, Noot are all just good or better — but the pitching on this team is going to cost them. Almost everyone in the rotation is a major regression candidate

Johnny5

• Who gets the better contract this winter: Jake Bauers or Andrew Vaughn?

Steve Adams

• Vaughn’s not a free agent! So … Bauers. Haha
• Alright I’ve got to call it for the week. I’m on X @adams_steve and bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social.If you want more opinions and analysis from the MLBTR team, you can check out our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription package. In addition to ad-free viewing, you get two subscriber-only chats per a week, a weekly mailbag from Tim, fantasy advice from Nicklaus Gaut, exclusive articles from Anthony and myself, and access to our Contract Tracker, agency database, GM tracker and the new payroll pages we’re launching in the next couple weeks. Subscribers will also get access to our team-by-team Trade Deadline Outlook series.

  You can learn more and sign up here.

  Thanks for chatting everyone!

Angels GM

• Who says no? Jo Adell to the Guards for  Genao, Ingle and Stephan?

Steve Adams

• Vastly overestimating the trade value Adell has here. He wouldn’t fetch a prospect of either Genao or Ingle’s caliber in a one-for-one swap, let alone that kind of package.

Meow

• For a long time now, FIP has been the go-to start for an at-a-glance assessment about sustainability of pitching results. As we know, it does this by ignoring results where the batter put the ball in play. While the general correlation to future ERA is undeniable, I’ve always thought FIP failed to capture the relative talents of contact-oriented pitching. Now that Statcast has been collecting more detailed swing data, do you think we should expect to see better/more comprehensive “fielding independent” pitching stats coming along?

Steve Adams

• I’ve like SIERA over FIP for … well, ever. FIP doesn’t normalize homer-to-flyball rate, despite the fact that HR/FB year after year tends to stabilize around 12%. SIERA (and xFIP) do account for that. I feel they’re far better metrics.There are plenty of other ERA estimators/alternatives already out there. xERA (Statcast), DRA, DRA- … FIP is more useful than ERA, but it’s got its own flaws

Crafty Lefty

• Now that the new CBA negotiations are “joined” can you see a settlement that includes some sort of cap, but materially improves the salary structure for younger players?

Steve Adams

• I don’t think the union will ever consent to a cap, and I think they’d be more willing to lose games than ownership would if it came down to it.
• I also wouldn’t call either of the initial proposals any kind of beginning to negotiations
• They were PR stunts. Both wildly unrealistic and total nonstarters for the other party. I don’t even understand the point in putting those out there. It’s nonsense — entirely for show.

Bucs Fan

• Hi. Do you think Mlodzinski lost any respect from his teammates after his reaction to being sent to the bullpen?

Black and Gold

• Has Cartmen Mlodzinski damaged his trade value by his perceived attitude problem?

Steve Adams

• Obviously can’t speak to how he’s perceived among his teammates with any real firsthand knowledge, as they’ll keep that behind closed doors, but just logically speaking, how could he not have pissed off some guys in the clubhouse? He hung the team out to dry, forced them to call up Cam Sanders and then send him back down … his fourth option of the year. They can only option him one more time now.I get it, he wants to start, but good clubhouses have everyone rowing in the same direction, and that sure doesn’t feel like something that’s happening here.

  As for his trade value, I don’t know that it was sky-high to begin with. He’s a back-end, five-inning starter whose numbers the second and especially third time through the order are glaring.

• I can still imagine some clubs being less interested, though. If you trade for the guy and he struggles for his first 5-6 starts, what do you do? Put him in the bullpen and hope he doesn’t make a big deal of it this time? It’s just a bad look.

MarkTrain

• DeGrom a Hall of Famer?

Steve Adams

• He should be, especially considering he has a few years left. Though frankly, if he retired today and got voted in, I’d say that’s fine. But I’m a bigger hall guy than most. I also neither have nor want a Hall of Fame vote (or any vote), so my opinion doesn’t matter much haha

Josh

• Think Buxton will waive his no-trade at the deadline for a team like the Braves?

Steve Adams

• I lean no. He was pretty adamant last year about staying in MN. Obviously he backed down on that stance a slight bit after the fire sale and with all the ownership tumult, but the Twins have (somehow) been moderately competitive. Lot of interesting young pitching, lots of high-end prospects near the majors.Maybe if the front office/ownership tells him “Hey we’re going to drag this rebuild out a few years,” he’d concede, but I don’t know that that’s even necessary. They have some interesting young arms already with several top-100 type bats in AAA (Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper, Emmanuel Rodriguez). They’re not all healthy, but they’re close, and the system will only get better if they trade Joe Ryan, Ryan Jeffers, and a few other shorter-term pieces. No money on the books next year, so even if they’re going to reside in this $110MM payroll range, they could still sign some meaningful free agents.

Spider

• Whatvdo you think the phillies can get for nola

Steve Adams

• No one is taking that contract with the way he’s pitched since 2025.

JD

• If the Astros trade Yordan, would they be able to get more than the Nats received for Soto?

Steve Adams

• I think it’d be comparable, perhaps a bit less. Same amount of club control. Alvarez has more cost certainty because of the contract, but he’s older with some injuries of note on the track record. Soto wasn’t a particularly great OF at the time of the deal, but he was at least an everyday OF. Alvarez is more part-time out there.The trade package would have to be absurd, though.

Brian

• 3 years 60 mil look about right for Randy Arozarena’s next contract? Do the Ms sign that contract?

Steve Adams

• I’d probably take the slight over, but three years at $20-25MM seems reasonable, depending how he finishes.

Cap

• What will cap be at with new contract? I’m thinking around 295 but floor will be hard for many teams to reach at 177.

Steve Adams

• I don’t think there will be one.

Ebenezer_Batflip

• Randy is gonna be one of the best hitters in free agency, i think he can do better than 3/60

Steve Adams

• He’s a 32-year-old (well, he will be) corner-only outfielder. Teams don’t really up their bids on players and overpay because the market has few options anymore. They just work the trade market or spend to reinforce other areas of strength.A quick look in our Contract Tracker shows that the only outfielder age 32 or older to sign for more than three years in the past half decade is Starling Marte (4/78 with the Mets)

  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/contracttracker?name=&team=0&position=O…

• I guess you’ve got Schwarber at 5/150, but he’s a complete outlier and doesn’t impact Arozarena at all in my mind.

Zach

• Who’s the NL Cy Young if the season ended today?

Steve Adams

• Flip a coin? Haha
• I’d probably go Cristopher Sanchez, just because he has eight more innings. It’s that close. But I like Miz’s chances of continuing to dominate at absurd levels a bit more than Sanchez’s, so Miz would be my pick now to win at season’s end.
• My preseason Yamamoto pick does not feel like it’s going to hold up, ha

Cash

• How much cash is typically involved when players are traded for cash?

Steve Adams

• It varies. Can be as low as a dollar or could be $50K+ … it’s never a very significant amount. Teams aren’t buying guys who were DFA for $2.5MM or anything.

Guest

• What is going on with Framber Valdez? Is the pressure of Detroit getting to him? complacency of being the #2? His walk rate and HR rate have been outrageous and his groundball rate has seemingly decreased.

Steve Adams

• Valdez had an 8.5% walk rate in 2025 and has an 8.5% walk rate in 2026.
• Grounders are down, as are the strikeouts. I haven’t taken a deep dive into him or anything, but his pitch selection and velo are right in line with prior seasons. He’s been mostly fine outside two awful starts, but fair to say the Tigers were obviously hoping for more than this.Certainly doesn’t help his cause that Detroit has been one of the two or three worst defensive clubs in baseball, but that doesn’t explain the dip in whiffs

Guest

• does Robbie Ray get traded by the deadline ?  Do the Giants have to include a prospect to make such a deal ?

Steve Adams

• I do think he’ll be traded. Can’t imagine they’ll attach a prospect of note. He’s a FA at season’s end anyhow. If no one will take him, even with some cash paid down, they can just keep him.How much cash — if any — they need to include will hinge on how he pitches for the next two months. I’m not extremely bullish, so I’ll say they trade him for a marginal return and eat half the money he’s still owed

Mike

• Yoshida and $10mm for Bryan Abreu & Yainer Diaz?

Steve Adams

• Broken record time: Yoshida does not have trade value, and adding $10MM isn’t enough to change that.
• I wouldn’t trade Abreu+Diaz for Yoshida if the Red Sox ate his entire contract.

CBA

• So the Marlins etc get about $15M+ a year from competitive balance tax and yet still only have $80M payroll so you’re telling me they only make enough money to pay $65M on their own? That seems suspect

Steve Adams

• They get more than that from revenue sharing. And as of 2022, every team was getting $65MM apiece from national broadcast and streaming deals. Those contracts increase incrementally every year.The Marlins just aren’t spending the revenue sharing money they get

Zach

• Could Will Venable win manager of the year?

Steve Adams

• Manager of the Year is basically just “manager of the team that exceeded preseason expectations the most,” so sure. He’s probably the front-runner in the AL right now

AA

• Should I be looking to trade Kim for either LF or RP help. Then let Dubon and Mateo take over SS.

Steve Adams

• Kim’s not bringing back major league help right now with the way he’s playing.He also still can’t be traded without his consent for another 13 days, but that’s beside the point.

RedsFan

• So Steve, you love this sport. Without a cap, what is a reasonable solution for the millions of us that are sick of the dodgers/Mets/yanks spending gazillions and th brewers and reds spending 25 cents?

Steve Adams

• Drastically more significant penalties for exceeding the luxury tax — draft picks, much steeper percentages of taxation, probably.I don’t even inherently hate the idea of a cap. If it comes, fine, but I don’t think the players will ever concede to it, and on the snowball’s chance they actually cave, I think it’d take about 1-2 years before everyone realized, “Hey the Brewers, Reds, Marlins, etc. still aren’t spending on free agents, they’re just absorbing the final year of the Dodgers’ and Mets’ unwanted contracts to buy a prospect and hit the salary floor”

  While the owners all toast to their substantially greater franchise values.

• I don’t think there is ever going to be a way to get a crappy owner to spend money at the levels most of said team’s fans would prefer.

B-Wild

• What kind of value does Sandy Alcantara have? He’s been a horse, but not an ace horse. The return to form hasn’t quite happened.

Steve Adams

• Yeah, better than last year but not to where the Marlins hoped. I still imagine there are some teams that think they could get him back to form and would pay a nice price for it. And even if he’s “just” the current version of himself, that still has value.At this point, I don’t see how they’re getting multiple 50-FV (i.e top-100) types for him. If you can get one 50 as a headliner with 2-3 other lesser young pieces, that’s probably a decent framework.

Bobby Cox

• Ozzie is a free agent at year’s end. Do the Braves make him an offer with Southesine waiting in the wings?

Steve Adams

• He’s not a free agent. They have a $7MM club option that they’ll exercise. It’s a bargain for Albies.Could always look to trade him, but Tate Southisene is 19 years old and still playing in A-ball. He’s not going to be an Opening Day consideration next year anyhow. Picking up Albies’ option works pretty well with Southisene’s timeline, really. He could be a major league option by ’28 … maybe late ’27 if he’s a quick mover, but ’28 or even ’29 seems more realistic.

Coppy’s Ghost

• What would a trade for Jo Adell from the Angels or Noelvi Marte from the Reds look like from the Braves perspective and would either player be a beneficial platoon partner in left field for Mike  Yastrzemski?

Steve Adams

• Adell is a monster against LHP. Would be a great fit in that role. I don’t know why the Reds aren’t giving Marte another look, but I’d just start him over Yaz if they got him. In a platoon setting, I don’t love that fit, since Marte’s career numbers are much better in right-on-right matchups. Not sure that continues to be the case long term, but I also just think Marte can hit and he should be given a chance to on a regular basis.Marte has far more control and would (or should … but again, the Reds seem nonplused with him for whatever reason) cost substantially more.

  Adell shouldn’t cost much in the way of prospects. Even last year when he hit 37 homers, he did it with a .290ish OBP and poor defense. He’s pretty one-dimensional. I don’t mind the idea of tossing a couple guys ranked between 15th and 30th in the system to the Angels for him.

Benton man

• Do you see Nolan Gorman getting  traded this summer ?

Steve Adams

• I don’t think he’d fetch anything of note, but it wouldn’t surprise me, no. He’s trending toward a non-tender, so if another club wants to give up even a modicum of value to try to fix him, the Cards would probably shrug and say sure.

T Robertson

• When Cabrera and Boyd comes back, do the Cubs go to a 6-man rotation, or do they send Taillon or Rea back to Triple A/Bullpen?

Steve Adams

• Can’t send either of those guys to AAA
• You’re assuming everyone is healthy at the same time, which feels optimistic for any team — but especially the Cubs, given how this season’s going.
• If they did somehow get everyone healthy, it’d be Rea back to a swing role in the ‘pen. Boyd, Shota, Taillon, Cabrera, Brown in the rotation probably, then play it by ear whenever Steele’s back. Could always ‘pen Brown again. He’s been great, but you can’t option any of the more veteran guys

Marlins Fan

• Why do the Marlins keep Morel when they can just bring Ramirez back up

Steve Adams

• Never understood the Morel signing, and don’t understand the leash they’ve given him.

Cincy Fan

• So you don’t see Ohtani winning CY?

Steve Adams

• He’s 25ish innings behind Sanchez right now, and he’s not missing bats like Miz or limiting walks like Sanchez. He’s great, obviously, but not sure he’ll have the innings and don’t think he (or anyone) can sustain the sub-1.00 ERA.

Mile High

• Are you surprised with how Mickey Moniak has performed this season & should the Rockies absolutely be moving him this deadline?

Steve Adams

• Yeah. I’ve been down on Moniak forever. When Angels fans got excited about his half season there, I was the debbie downer pointing to his .400 BABIP and 35 K%. Even last year in Colorado, I didn’t think he had much value because of the poor OBP and defense.This year he’s just exploded. Walking a bit more, keeping the K’s manageable, hitting for way more power. Bat speed’s up a touch. More contact both in the zone and off the plate.

  He still swings WAY too much — take a walk, Mickey! — and can’t hit lefties, but he looks like a really nice guy to plug into the big half of a corner/DH platoon at an affordable salary. Rockies should absolutely trade him.

Arraez-A-Roni

• Since Arraez is producing better than *checks notes* ANYONE thought at 2B, who would be a good trade fit at the deadline? Yankees? the Surprising A’s? Pirates?  And would he net SFG a prospect in the teams 5-10 range plus another in the 10-15 range?

Steve Adams

• Rays? Haven’t gotten much from 2B this year and Lux isn’t coming back anytime soon.Red Sox, Phillies, Royals and Reds have gotten little to nothing from 2B this year, but it’s not clear they’ll all be buyers. Royals sure seem like they’re headed the other direction.

  Any team with ABs available at 2B, 1B or DH makes sense though. I’m generally of the “Arraez is fairly overrated as a one-dimensional/one-trick guy”, but that one trick is working a lot better than it has in awhile and he’s played a solid 2B while walking a slight bit more (although his overall swing rate is actually up, so that probably won’t last)

Davis Martin

• Where an I right now in the AL CYA voting?

Steve Adams

• Probably behind Schlittler but near the top. And kudos to Martin. I waved him off early on as an April fluke because he wasn’t really missing bats or doing much different in the past — and since I kind of shrugged off his start he’s struck out 31% of his opponents over a stretch of 36 innings. He’s had two starts against the Angels in there, and I’m pretty sure there are people in this chat who could pick up five strikeouts in a start against the Halos, but still, he’s missing bats against everyone now.He’s throwing his slider and curve more often and throwing both pitches harder. Swinging-strike rate is up to 13.1%, which is quite good, and the command has always been pretty good (though it’s even better now).

  He increasingly looks like a genuine breakout — which would be a huge success story for the Sox’ player development. Martin looked like a garden variety fifth starter from 2023-25.

Bouncy

• Why do we get ao many players who are DFAd, choose free agency, then wind up siging a minor-league contract with the same organization teh y just left?  Why not just accept the outright assignment in teh first place?

Steve Adams

• Renegotiating a new minor league deal lets you negotiate new opt-out dates or upward mobility clauses that weren’t in the original deal. Can also angle for slight increases in minor league and/or major league salary.

Cris E

• I don’t think you need a cap if there’s a TON of revenue sharing and a serious floor. Take enough of LAD money and they can’t afford to spend like they have been.

Steve Adams

• People also love to focus on the Dodgers ruining baseball without acknowledging that the Mets spend nearly as much and have been terrible. Or that Kyle Tucker has been worth about 10% of what they’re paying him this season.

My name?

• JJW has to be ROY as of right now, right? And his skill set isn’t really prone to dramatic swings, and if anything his xwOBA is 20 pts higher than his wOBA

Steve Adams

• As of now, sure, he’d probably win, but there’s a whole lot of season left and Nolan McLean’s not going to keep working to a 4-something ERA. Sal Stewart’s going to heat up again at some point.And Griffin’s on the IL now, but he was hitting .317/.370/.488 over 135 PAs beforehand.
• Alright I’ve got to call it for the week. I’m on X @Adams_Steve and Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social.If you want more opinions and analysis from the MLBTR team, you can sign up for our Front Office subscription package, which gives you ad-free viewing, two weekly subscriber-only chats, exclusive articles (including Tim’s weekly mailbag), and access to our suite of tools (Contract Tracker, Agency Database, GM Database, forthcoming payroll outlook pages), fantasy advice from expert Nicklaus Gaut, and more. You can learn more and sign up here.

  Have a good week everyone!

Yo Yo Mlb

• Under the current CBA, a team can only option a player up to 5 times a season, without exposing him to waivers. Might two teams agree to swap relievers midseason, just to reset with a fresh set of 5 options?

Mark P

• A player has only five options per year no matter how many teams he plays for

Awards

• Should MLB announce season awards during the playoffs like the NBA does? I feel like people lose attention by the time they announce them after everything is over.

Mark P

• I think the NBA has just the opposite problem, where the awards are buried in the headlines under everything going on in the playoffs.

Bucky McBimm

• More likely to get traded, Alvarez or Trout?

Mark P

• I guess Alvarez, just because the Angels aren’t at all moving Trout.

Barry

• With Detroit having nearly the worst record in the league. Are we know in the Skubal MORE likely to be traded side

Mark P

• After another dismal week, it’s looking increasingly likely that the Tigers won’t be able to dig themselves out of this hole.  Still plenty of time before the deadline, of course, but right now it certainly more likely than not that Skubal will be moved, assuming he’s healthy

Padres

• Is it possible that the new ownership shows Preller the door after this season?

Mark P

• Preller just signed a new extension back in February, so the new owners would be eating some money if they wanted to make a move.  Not out of the question, of course, since some owners want their own hires in charge regardless of the incumbents’ past track record.
• But, Preller has a pretty good argument to keep his job, given how well the Padres have performed on his watch

Rays Erik Neander

• How active should I be to before the trade deadline?

Mark P

• The Rays look like legit World Series contenders, so on paper, I’d suggest they should be aggressive in adding a power bat or two, plus some help to what has been a pretty middling bullpen by Tampa standards
• fwiw, the Rays are pretty much always “active” at every deadline, even if that means also trading some higher salaries in a split buyer/seller approach.  It’ll be interesting to see how their new owner may alter this approach, or if a payroll spike may be available for a title push

JeffyM

• Can the Jays trade Hoffman to Baltimore for that 12 year old kid with an apparent rocket arm?

Mark P

• If that kid is named Rowngartner….

Nick

• Gotta love what the new coaching staff is doing in DC, right?  Butera is doing miracles

Mark P

• This Nationals/White Sox World Series is going to be epic!Seriously, Washington’s pitching is so poor that I don’t see this lasting for the Nats.  That still doesn’t erase your point that the front office/dugout changes have really turned things in a positive direction.

Mike

• Why don’t the reds send mclain and friedl to the minors?

Mark P

• That question may have to be put on hold if Elly is going to the IL

FJF

• Considering how many pitching issues the A’s always seem to have, do you think Emerson will get fired soon?

Mark P

• It’s not Emerson’s fault that his team is playing in such a hitter-friendly ballpark

A Riley

• With my big contract and poor results, am I at risk of the Braves trading me?

The Life Of Riley

• Braves long commitment to Austin Riley looked great at one time but now??? And Kim  is dismal so far offensively and defensively.Thoughts?

Mark P

• Teams aren’t exactly going to be lining up to acquire Riley given his struggles and his salary.  It would be one thing if Riley was just hitting poorly this year so you could maybe write it off as an extended slump, but he’s quietly been in decline for a few years now.
• As for Kim, he’s off to a rough start, but still in a small sample size.  The good news for Atlanta is that the team is on such a roll that they can afford to be patient with Kim (and Riley to some extent), plus Dubon and the hot-hitting Mateo provide some depth at shortstop if Kim can’t get it together
• One does wonder if shortstop may be a target area for the Braves at the deadline…..

Zach

• Who could the Rangers get at the deadline if buying?

Mark P

• It has to be a bat, yet where exactly that bat would play is an interesting question.  Texas isn’t going to just bench Seager, Carter, or Langford, even if they’re struggling.  Maybe the move is to get a veteran outfielder who’s a free agent after the year, since such a hypothetical player can provide short-term help while not blocking Langford or Carter in the future.Of course, getting Langford and Seager back from the IL in good form changes this equation quite a bit.  Bullpen help will also be a need for the Rangers regardless of how the offense is doing.

Brian

• What role will Senzatela be signed in over the offseason? Will he stay in the bullpen or get put back in the rotation? If the bullpen, short relief or long relief?

Mark P

• The wisest path forward for Senzatela would be to market himself as a reliever.  A higher-leverage role may be available depending on what happens the rest of the way with the Rockies, or how his next team (since he’s a prime deadline trade candidate) deploys him

Mets

• Do you think they might actually make the playoffs? Still a lot of season left.

Mark P

• New York is currently 5.5 games back of the last NL wild card slot.  They’re still only 26-33 so the hill is still pretty large, but it’s also just May 31.  Grimace may yet make an appearance in Queens.

Outlaw

• After seeing the players and owners proposals I fear games missed in 2027 is definitely possible and would be the worst outcome for owners and players alike. Thoughts

Mark P

• Agreed that it would be devastating to baseball, and a case of cutting off the nose to spite the face.  My guess is still that the two sides reach an early-March agreement a la 2022 and we still get the full 162 games played, since hopefully some common sense will prevail in the labor talks

Zach

• CJ Abrams is a Brave after the deadline?

Mark P

• That would be just about the biggest plausible move Atlanta could make.  The fact that the Nats and Braves are division rivals could complicate things to some extent, and Abrams’ habit of second-half fades may make trade suitors cautious about meeting Washington’s huge asking price

Jim C

• So if there were a cap, how would that work for teams that are already over? Would they have to fire-sale players for less than full value just to get rid of money? Kyle Tucker for a bag of peanuts to be named later?

Mark P

• I would imagine some kind of grace period would be granted, rather than the Dodgers, Mets, etc. having to immediately slice tens of millions from the payroll within like a week or two

Steals

• Who in your opinion is the best base stealer in baseball?  Do you think there will ever be another player to steal 100 bases in a season?

Mark P

• Chandler Simpson is probably my pick as the best pure runner, though the issue is that he doesn’t get on base enough.I don’t think 100 steals is entirely beyond the realm of the current game.

Kevin

• How many years and money do Walker and Wetherholt get?  Thank you!

Mark P

• JJW and the Cards reportedly had some extension talks in the spring but nothing came of it.  So in that sense, the Cardinals may have missed a window for a relative bargain since Wetherholt has now amassed a solid MLB record in his first season.  His agents have a case for something in the realm of Jackson Merrill‘s extension, depending on how the rest of the season proceeds.Walker is an interesting case altogether.
• Oops, posted too soon!Walker is interesting since he’s only breaking out now, right in time to nicely boost his first arbitration payday.  Assuming Walker keeps this up over the full season, the Cardinals may feel comfortable enough to put forward a notable extension, or they may want to play “wait and see” a bit deeper into 2027 before considering a long-term deal

Joe Judge

• Who would be your AL MVP and NL MVP right now?

Mark P

• Ohtani in the NL, and AL is a tougher call.  Yordan Alvarez?

Sad Tiger

• Things are rather dire right now. Should the Tigers clean house except for McGonigle, Dingler, and a few young starting pitchers (Jobe, Melton, etc.)?

Guest

• Who else would Tigers move if they be one sellers.

Mark P

• Skubal, Verlander, Mize, Torres, Flaherty, Jensen, and Drew Anderson are all either free agents this winter, or free agents if a club option is declined. Any of these players can and still be on the table as trade candidates if Detroit goes try to sell.Blowing things up entirely doesn’t seem plausible, if your idea extends to trading the likes of Greene or Colt Keith.  One might also think that if the Tigers did pursue such a direction, it might be under a new PBO.  We don’t know the terms of Scott Harris’ contract, but since he was hired in September 2022, a hypothetical five-year deal would have one year remaining (and a four-year deal would be about to end)

You can’t spell Ballesteros without

• Bees?

Mark P

• Beads?!

Dave

• Expectations for Jonah Cox? As much as I love the idea of a 25 year-old who isn’t even among the Giants’ top 30 prospects coming up and destroying major league pitching, this seems like it has the potential to be ugly.

Mark P

• Cox seems MLB-ready based on speed and defense alone, which isn’t a bad recipe for a fourth outfielder and pinch-running specialist.  If he can even hit enough to be a decent platoon bat, that’s a formula for a nice career in the majors.That said, it’s a little surprising that the Giants called him up without even a cursory stop in Triple-A.  Maybe it’s a case where they think having him hit in the PCL isn’t a valid gauge of his offense, or having Cox hit in such a hitter-friendly league might screw up his mechanics

Tim

• Can the Tigers get anything for Jake Rogers and his .143 batting average (career .198)…. Every year he gets worse but maybe a change of scenery.

Mark P

• The fact that I left Rogers out of the list of Tigers trade candidates says a lot, as Rogers is also an impending free agent.  His trade value is pretty close to nil.

Chris

• I wonder if the league would also institute an NBA 2011 era amnesty program, wherein each team could remove one contract from their cap (while still paying the player)

Mark P

• This seems like a possible compromise, but then some smaller-market teams might prefer to have a player with a big AAV on their books to help them reach a hypothetical salary floor

redrum

• what would it take for Reds to acquire Aroldis Chapman?

Mark P

• Chapman is working on a $12MM salary for 2026, and he has a mutual/vesting option for 2027 that triggers a $13MM guaranteed payday if he pitches at least 40 innings this year and is healthy at season’s end.  So Chapman is in pretty good shape to hit that 40-inning threshold, and I’d think that may make him a little too pricey for the Reds’ liking

Guest

• what releivers do the Pirates have their sights on?

Mark P

• Too early for any specific names to be thrown around.  Probably like most contenders, the Pirates will be vaguely “in on everyone” when it comes to relievers, though Pittsburgh will be operating at a lower price point.If the Bucs can remain in the race, it’ll be fun to watch them operate at the deadline since it’s been so long since they and Cherington have been buyers

John

• Can I ever have nice things? I just want the Orioles to lock up Gunnar and Adley

Mark P

• Henderson is a Boras client, and Basallo has already gotten the big extension in the catching corps.  My apologies, but I’d guess that neither Henderson or Rutschman is long for Baltimore.

Rights

• Will Jose Ramirez ever get it going?

Mark P

• Ramirez has a .235 BABIP and great peripherals.  It’s just a matter of time before his luck turns, and it’s impressive that the Guardians are playing this well while their star is off to a relatively slow start

Squinky

• Tampa bay has consistently put a competitive team on the field, yet they’re near the bottom in attendance year after year. Why?

Mark P

• Tropicana Field is in a very poor location travel-wise, which is why the Rays are trying to get their new ballpark built in Tampa proper.

Guest

• Is Eldridge breaking out? Or just Coors magic? Though his expected stats have always been good

Mark P

• Regular playing time may simply be the answer, as some injuries have opened the door for Eldridge to finally get mostly everyday at-bats
• Sorry for the delay, had to reset my router

Yaz67

• Wrigley or Fenway ?

Mark P

• Wrigley is one of my very favourite ballparks, so it gets the nod

Guest

• Angela are foolish to hold on to Trout. They are going nowhere and have gone nowhere with him. They owe him a ton of money and although he is still a great player when he is not hurt some team like the Phillies who was his favorite team as a youth near his New Jersey home would be glad to acquire him, Trouts loyalty to the Angels is admirable but if they talked to him that a trade would help the team in the future he might agree to a trade especially to the Phillies.

Mark P

• The word on Trout is that he likes keeping some separation between his professional life and private life, so a trade to the Phillies in particular might not be something he embraces, though I have no doubt Trout wants to win.If Trout did eventually ask for a trade, it’s anyone’s guess as to how Moreno might react.  Moving Trout seems counter to Moreno’s (outlandish) belief that the Angels are just a few breaks away from contention, yet maybe a trade demand from the face of the franchise might be a needed reality check.
• The other issue is that Trout’s age and salary are still obstacles in any trade talks, his 2026 resurgence notwithstanding

Nate Colbert

• What’s with Bregman?  Is he having growing pains adjusting to the NL  Is Wrigley just a bad park for him?

Mark P

• Bregman’s road splits are better than his home splits, if still below his regular standard.  There isn’t much difference metric-wise between Bregman in 2025 and 2026, but he’s hitting the ball with a lot less authority and thus generating less power

Archie

• Realistically, what can the Cubs do to add 2 starters?

Mark P

• Cabrera and Boyd won’t be out for much longer, and Justin Steele is still expected to be back in late August, even if there’s still a lot of uncertainty about his statushttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/05/latest-on-justin-steele.html
• So in theory, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel of pitching injuries here, which will impact how hard Chicago goes for rotation help at the deadline.  One can certainly argue the Cubs could use two more arms even with Boyd/Cabrera joining the mix, but the Cubs might feel they have enough pure depth to go for more mid-rotation type than someone like Skubal
• The question the Cubs must be asking themselves is whether they’re fine with Imanaga, Boyd, and Cabrera being their top three starters in a playoff series.  I’d argue they should aim higher to at least test the Skubal waters

Scott in Mongolia

• Do you think the new CBA will address anything like rule changes which might limit all the pitching injuries?

Mark P

• There’s no simple rule that will stop pitchers from getting hurt.  There may be an adjustment to the 13-13 roster setup, but having a 14th pitcher available isn’t going to save anyone’s arm.

Do You Really Wanna Jump

• I feel like the Mets will be an interesting almost exciting team when Polanco, Lindor, and Alvarez return. Please talk me off optimism’s ledge.

Mark P

• Wait, you want me to make you more pessimistic?  Hope springs eternal.  Plus, like I said in an earlier post, it’s still only May 31.  Crazier things have happened than a team in the Mets’ position making a playoff run.

Mike

• Thank you for the chat. Sanchez breaking Hershiser’s record?

Mark P

• Sanchez is at 44.2 innings, so he’s within two games of Hershiser’s record of 59.  He probably caught a break in missing facing the Dodgers this weekend, so his next start will come against the struggling Padres lineup.It’s very cool that there’s a viable chance of this record being broken, and I’m rooting for Sanchez to get it done.
• It occurs to me that if Sanchez gets through the San Diego start, he might be lined up to break the record in Toronto next week.  I might have to get a ticket to check that one out in person.

Nick

• When does acuna’s 8/100 deal end and: 1. What does contract number 2 look like and 2. Will Atlanta pony up the funds to resign him?

Mark P

• Braves hold $17MM club options on Acuna for 2027 and 2028.  So there’s still a ways to go before the team has to make this decision one way or the other, and their decision may also be impacted by whatever the new CBA looks like.Harris, Riley (uh oh), and Olson (in his final guaranteed year) are the only Braves under contract beyond 2028, plus Atlanta has club options on Strider and Murphy.  So there’s plenty of available payroll space in the future if they did want to explore locking Acuna up, but I wouldn’t expect any extension talks to really ramp up for at least another year
• That’s two hours in the books, so time to wrap things up on this week’s chat.  Thanks to everyone who submitted a comment!
• If you’re interested in more baseball Q&A, one of the many benefits of our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription is the exclusive weekly live chats. The more limited field means you’re about 10 times more likely to get a question answered, as opposed to battling for space with hundreds of other questions in today’s chat. For more on our memberships, check out this link:https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/membership?ref=chat-5-31-26

Bill

• Do you see Breslow making a trade within the next week? Things are getting late fast over there

Mark P

• Very likely.  Probably not a blockbuster type of deal just yet, but getting a RHH depth player seems plausible.

Ken

• What’s wrong with Tyler Soderstrom?

Mark P

• The chief issue seems to be that Soderstrom is putting the ball in the air a lot more than in 2025, except those balls are translating into infield flies rather than dangerous blasts into the outfield.Some of it is just bad luck, as Soderstrom has a .225 BABIP.  He is also making less hard contact than last season, but he’s still in the 65th percentile in terms of hard-hit ball rate, which is pretty decent.

  In theory, his numbers will pick up once his luck improve, but there’s enough awry here that the A’s should have some concern.  Two months is more than just a slump.

Astros71

• Any chance for an Astros comeback, or is a teardown the case?

Mark P

• Time for the obligatory “the AL is terrible” comment, as I note that Houston is still only 3.5 games out of a wild card spot, and four games out of first place in the AL West.  While it feels like the Astros are in rough shape, they’re still not in that deep of a hole in relation to most of their rivals.

Lovable losers

• It feels like more top prospects are getting called up than usual. Is it just because more media covers prospects? Or is roster construction shifting?

Mark P

• The PPI gives teams more reason to want their best prospects in the majors sooner.  You’d think “wanting to put the best team on the field” would’ve been reason enough pre-PPI, but….There also seems to be a bit more of a trend for front offices to push top prospects (especially college players) to the Show a bit sooner.  An argument can be made that modern scouting and preparation tactics make these players more prepped for the jump to the majors than ever before, though obviously there’s no substitute for actual game action.

Biggest White Sox Fan

• With so many injuries happening this season, can you see US making a shot at the WC?  If so, do you see the Sox using some of their strong prospects, to give them a shot at a title?
• It appears as if you answered my question by responding to the Cardinals fan.  Your answer I think applies to the White Sox as well.

Mark P

• Pretty much, yeah.  For the White Sox to even flirt with .500 two years after losing 121 games is a massive turn-around.  And, given the state of the AL and the AL Central in particular, we can’t even rule Chicago out as the most unlikely of out-of-nowhere contenders

Jordan Walker

• MVP candidate?

Zach

• I think people sleep on Turang, he could be a top 5 or even top 3 MVP player.

Mark P

• Not that fWAR is the singular quality of an MVP candidate, but right now Walker and Turang rank third and fourth in fWAR among NL players. (Elly de la Cruz and Corbin “Mr. Triples” Carroll have the top two spots.)I also submit that if Ohtani keeps pitching like this, he’ll win both the MVP and Cy Young in a walk.

Cooper Ingle

• Why won’t I get called up

Mark P

• Ingle spent a couple of weeks on the minor league IL, and he has only 59 Triple-A games played over two seasons. Given how the Guardians prioritize catcher defense, that’s probably the part of his game that the club wants to see as polished as possible before giving him the call.Offense-wise, Ingle has been crushing the ball, so it doesn’t seem like he has much left to prove in that regard

Jaxon

• Mautz got called up by the Cards for a spot start but it got rained out. If he is sent back down does he get a day of service on the MLB club?

Mark P

• Yes, since it still counts a day on the overall season calendar.  He’s just now in the unfortunate “ghost player” zone of being a player on the 26-man roster who is technically not an actual big leaguer just yet

Guest

• Would Boston do a Duran for Torkelson trade?

Mark P

• Not really a fit for Boston’s needs, since Torkelson would just be a part-time DH with Contreras holding down first base.

Crown Royal

• What’s going on with “the Pasquatch?”

Mark P

• A huge dropoff in his bat speed and hard-hit ball numbers.  As with Soderstrom, luck is a factor since Pasquantino has only a .221 BABIP, but Vinnie P’s problems seem deeper than Soderstrom’s

Gold Fish

• why didn’t Atlanta use their magic and lock up Baldwin this past offseason?

Mark P

• Anthony Franco explored a Baldwin extension in a post for MLBTR Front Office subscribers last month….
  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/04/will-braves-add-drake-baldwin-t…Beyond Anthony’s points, there’s also the fact that Atlanta is still paying Murphy a lot of money, so adding another contract to the catching position isn’t something the Braves are too keen to do.  Unfortunately, Murphy’s been hurt so much that his trade value has continued to tank.

Zach

• Why do we value rings so much in not just baseball but all sports? Sometimes I see people saying players are the greatest because they have 5 or 6 rings when that has more to do with the teams success.

Mark P

• This is much more of a debate when one is arguing basketball players (when one star player has an outsized impact in the game) or NFL quarterbacks.I don’t think I’ve ever been in a baseball GOAT debate when someone was like “well, Willie Mays only won one World Series, so how good was he REALLY?”

Spee

• What are the top trade candidates this year at the deadline. Will skubal be traded. Could munetaka be traded. Katel marte. Yoshida

Mark P

• Yoshida being included in this group reminds of the old “one of these things just doesn’t belong here” song from Sesame Street.If the Tigers can’t get on track quickly, Skubal is suddenly a major trade chip if he’s healthy.  The Diamondbacks expect to be competitive so Marte isn’t going anywhere.  If the ChiSox are still in the hunt, I’d doubt they move Munetaka, both due to their own playoff push and because he has become such a fan favorite in such a short period of time.

RedsFan

• Of course ohtani will win whatever; he’s a dodger it’s how the baseball world works.

Mark P

• He has an 0.73 ERA and (in what is considered a down year by his standards) an .875 OPS.  Doesn’t matter who he’s playing for.

Avian Chef

• You spent the entire winter and spring slamming the Guardians for not signing big money free agent hitters.  They now have an average to good offense and are division leaders solely on the strength of the bats that would have been crowded out by those signings (and could be much better if Kwan, Manzardo and Ramirez return to average).  Are you ready to admit that the Guards front office knows what they’re doing?

Mark P

• In fairness, I will point out that the Guards are winning the Central also in part because it’s a bad division.  Cleveland’s +23 run differential isn’t the mark of a world-beater.And, in a rare double “in fairness” hedge, I’ll also note that I still felt the Guardians would be competitive this year since that’s just how they roll.

  These two caveats aside, haha, I will now take that slice of humble pie.  No doubt that Cleveland’s front office has a successful formula that has led to a long stretch of competitive baseball over the years.  Yet, you know, if they spent more money to sign someone more productive than Rhys Hoskins…

Dana is a lame duck

• Who wants Jeremy Pena?

Mark P

• Tons of teams would jump at the chance to obtain Pena if the Astros were willing to move him.  If Houston is truly out of contention by the deadline, I can see Pena moved early, rather than perhaps moved during the coming offseason.

Kai Wei Teng

• Am I one of the biggest steals of the offseason?

Mark P

• Teng’s peripherals (and his .236 BABIP) suggest some regression is inevitable. But, since the Astros gave up virtually nothing to get him from SF, it’s already been a big win for Houston

Ascended Rangers Fan

• What is with the Rangers offense? Is Chris Young just incapable of building a proper lineup?

Mark P

• It may surprise you to learn that Texas has the fourth-highest away wRC+ of any team in baseball, while its home rRC+ is fourth-worst in baseball.So the issue isn’t as much Young’s lineup construction as it may be with how Globe Life Field was constructed.  To hear club officials talk, they’re as surprised as anyone that the Globe has become such an extreme pitchers’ park, so this might be an argument for moving fences in or changing dimensions.

Cygnus God of Balance

• How cool was it seeing Bryan Torres get a hit and homer in his debut after 11 years in the minors/independent League

Mark P

• An awesome moment.  I particularly love it whenever the TV broadcasts show the family of a debuting player going nuts whenever he gets a hit in his first game.

Ebenezer_Batflip

• Masataka just hit a double and a homerun today. I know its easy to dunk on him because he is overpaid, but he still is a *good* hitter and teams who need a good hitter *should* get desperate enough to pony up for a guy who won’t cost a lot of prospect capital to just take on the last 1.5 years of money, right????

Mark P

• If Yoshida had a more modest salary, his trade value is still limited by the fact that can’t hit LH pitching, and he is a so-so defensive outfielder at best.So that already creates an awkward roster fit, and a 107 wRC+ (as of today) isn’t impressive enough to move the needle for teams looking for offense.

Hmm

• Can we say Spencer Jones 1st foray into major league baseball wasn’t enough to judge him?

Mark P

• 12 strikeouts in 27 PA is a red flag, but in general you’re right, it’s naturally way too small of a sample size.

Angels

• Thoughts on 22 yr old Walbert Urena? Him and Soriano looking good this year

Mark P

• Too many walks and not enough strikeouts, so Urena’s ERA is a bit of a mirage.  But overall, he has shown promise, and he’s doing a great job of inducing soft contract.  Urena is a definite bright spot in what is looking like another grim Angels season

Cosmo Kramer

• Sorry, saying Yoshida can’t hit LH Pitching is not an accurate statement.

Mark P

• 298 PA isn’t the biggest of sample sizes, but Yoshida has a .651 OPS in that many trips to the plate against big league southpaws.

Dodgers fan

• What is the status of Edwin diaz

Mark P

• Nothing much has changed with his status.  Diaz is still expected to be out until after the All-Star break

Mehts

• Can the Mets get more at the deadline for Freddy P than they gave up to get him?

Mark P

• Unlikely, just because of the shorter window.  Teams might have more desperation at the deadline, but it’ll be unlikely to find someone willing to give up the equivalent of Sproat/Jett for two months of Peralta.  Plus, Peralta isn’t pitching as well as he did in 2025.

Nate Colbert

• Will Tatis hit a homer this year and, if so, when?  He’s having one of the weirdest seasons I’ve ever seen.  Should we expect more of the same ROS?

Mark P

• If you told me on Opening Day that Tatis would have zero homers on May 24, I’d assume some kind of devastating injury had occurred.It’s been such a bizarre two-month stretch that the Padres have to have some concern about what to expect going forward.  Obviously Tatis will homer again at some point, but this is more than just a slump

Derek

• Is James Shields for Tatis one of the worse trades ever?

Mark P

• Yep!

Midwest

• Should Royals fan expect a complete tear down from Piccolo on down, a medium size (Quattro on down) or a roster overhaul? Very few things have gone right for them this season?

Mark P

• Quatraro just signed a new extension in January, and JJP’s contract runs through 2030.  So I doubt the Royals are making any changes in that regard, despite how disappointing this season has been.It bears mentioning again, the AL has been so bad that no team (well, the Angels) is really out of it at this point.  Royals are four games back of a wild card spot, so one good week can immediately change the narrative in KC.
• This being said, the Royals absolutely didn’t do enough to improve their offense last winter, and their bullpen is markedly worse.

“Nat”-itude

• Is it realistic to be excited about Cade Cavalli?

Mark P

• Absolutely, there’s been a lot to like about Cavalli now that he’s finally healthy.If you’re a Nationals fan, this season has been very positive in general, considering that this club looked all the world like a 100-game loser

John

• Any chance the Angels move on from Kurt Suzuki this season to give someone else a shot? If this bad baseball keeps up, a change feels necessary.

Mark P

• I don’t think Suzuki is in the top ten reasons for the Angels’ failures.  The one-year contract (which itself was bizarre) probably means he’ll be a one-and-done, and the Halos will turn to yet another manager next year

Louie DePalma

• Yankees in need of bullpen help

Mark P

• It’s a weak link right now, and will definitely be a point of interest at the deadline.  Beyond just going out and getting a closer or set-up man, I wonder if NYY might also give Headrick a higher-leverage assignment, even to the point of closing games

Canaryville Mike

• Whitesox have a robust of good young shortstops on the rise Colaton Montgomery, Roch Cholowsy, Caleb Bonemer, Billy Carlson and etc. Any chance the Sox trade Vargas this trade deadline, and then move Montgomery to 3d this trade deadline?

Mark P

• They haven’t actually drafted Roch yet, lol.  It might look like he’s the easy call at 1-1, but no reason to count those chickens before they’ve hatched.They’re no such thing as “too many” shortstops given that they’re all good enough athletes to be moved to other positions.  If this entire group ends up being good (which itself unlikely), the Sox can shift people around to make room on the diamond, rather than necessarily move someone like Vargas.  There’s a sell-high argument to be made on Vargas, true, but the White Sox also might see him as found money.

Sport

• Predictions for NBA Champion and NHL Champion as of right now?

Mark P

• Thunder will probably repeat.  The Stanley Cup is anyone’s game, but as a Leafs fan, I stand by my preseason belief that Mitch Marner would very soon win a Cup upon leaving Toronto

bmcferren

• Will the pirates jump at an opportunity to dump Bryan Reynolds’ contract?

Mark P

• He’s owed roughly $71.3MM through the 2030 season, so yeah, based on money alone for a lower-payroll team.  Reynolds is hitting markedly better than he did last year, but still like a relative underachiever in regard to his importance within Pittsburgh’s lineup

Fenwick

• Any reason the Marlins don’t DFA Morel (who is hitting around.140) and recall Augustin Ramirez to DH?

Mark P

• Ramirez may not really be the answer either at DH, and Morel has only 60-ish PA under his belt.  But, Morel has shown next to nothing at the plate, so the Marlins may not have ton of patience

Guest

• I wonder if in some future agreement,  a player would be allowed to sign a ” journeyman” contract that would allow a veteran to be sent to AAA without being in DFA limbo constantly.   I imagine a few might be tempted

Mark P

• As someone who has written umpteen “player X is designated for assignment again” posts over the years, I am all in favor of such a rule!

Jays Fan

• Will a break (not literally) with a sore arm help Vlad to get a mental break from his power-less hitting? Yeah, his OBP is good but 3 homers for a $500 million contract doesn’t cut it.

Mark P

• If you told me on Opening Day that Tatis and Guerrero would have three combined homers on May 24, I would’ve assumed two catastrophic injuries had happened.I believe it was Arden Zwelling (apologies if this was someone else and I’m miscrediting it) who wrote a piece a few weeks ago detailing how Vlad’s lack of homer wasn’t unusual.  As in, he tended to have one or two fairly lengthy stretches per year when he wasn’t hitting the ball out of the park, or hitting too many hard-hit grounders.

  The trouble is, however, it’s now a few weeks later, and Guerrero had since gone through a bigger slump that saw him not hitting anything for a while.  His overall metrics are still so good that I believe he’ll get on track eventually, and it could be something mental as well — perhaps Guerrero is pressing too much trying to carry a struggling team

• We’ve hit two hours, so it’s time to wrap things up.  Thanks for all the submissions!
• fyi, if you’re interested in more baseball Q&A, one of the many benefits of our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription is the exclusive weekly live chats. The more limited field means you’re about 10 times more likely to get a question answered, as opposed to battling for space with hundreds of other questions in today’s chat. For more on our memberships, check out this link:https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/membership?ref=chat-5-24-26