MLBTR Chats

Trader Jerry

• Montes, Ford + 1 FOR Naylor & Suarez + $  WHO SAYS NO?

Steve Adams

• Can’t see the Mariners giving up that much for a pair of rentals.

Kevin Gregg

• Suarez + Gallen for Caisie?

Steve Adams

• Same here … Caissie is a steep ask for two rentals. Gallen isn’t even pitching well.

Optimistic Ms Guy

• If u had to pick between o’hearn or naylor…. Who’s the better fit for us?

Steve Adams

• O’Hearn is the bigger upgrade to the lineup, but he’ll cost more, too. That’s not a knock on Naylor, who’s also quite good and would be a pronounced upgrade in Seattle — ROH is just having himself a moment in 2025.

Ray

• Is Casey Schmidt the best fit at 2B for the Giants once Matt Chapman is back at 3B, especially with Tyler Fitzgerald losing his spot, or will they look to add further before the deadline?

Steve Adams

• I think they’ll be open to further additions at 2B. Doesn’t necessarily have to be long-term since I’m sure they still hope Fitzgerald can be that (and because the offseason will have ample options to peruse at 2B, as always). Brandon Lowe, Willi Castro perhaps, Luis Urias — there’ll be some names, not all of them sexy, who could be had as a 2B alternative.

Dr. Mantis Tobogan

• Which CBT-never-payor (AZ, BAL, CIN, CLE, COL, KC, MIL, A’s, PIT, STL, TBR, MIA) will be the next one to pay it for the first time?

Steve Adams

• Ohh, that’s fun. The D-backs ran their payroll up to $200MM+ this year, so I’d probably go with them. None of the others seem likely to at any point anytime soon, but the Cardinals have at least pushed to the $175MM range, so I would take them — certainly over the Reds, Guards, Royals, Brewers, A’s, Pirates, Marlins.
• Twins are up for sale, too, so who knows if they end up with an owner with deep enough pockets. Hard to imagine and wouldn’t be anytime soon, but I don’t think it’ll happen anytime soon for any of these teams.

Jeimer Candalario

• Do I get another chance in the majors and with who? I wasn’t expecting DFA.

Steve Adams

• Oh yeah, someone will pick him up once he clears release waivers and is a free agent.
• Yankees, Tigers, Brewers, Twins could all use some other options in the infield. Back to the Cubs to see if he can recapture something there again doesn’t seem completely outlandish.

Paul

• Roki Sasaki for MacKenzie Gore: who says no? Seems like this could truly be a win-win for both teams.

Steve Adams

• It’s a fun question. I may be in the minority here, but I wouldn’t trade Gore for Sasaki. Touted as he is, Sasaki is almost completely untested against MLB lineups and is currently on the 60-day IL. He also had a notable injury history in Japan. MacKenzie Gore is among the best young pitchers in the league right now and has 2.5 years of club control remaining. At least in a straight-up swap, the Nats would have to ask for more.

NotBob

• Could Failter bring back a top 100 prospect?

Steve Adams

• No, Bailey Falter isn’t going to get that kind of return

John

• Do you believe the Rays will trade a starting pitcher for more offense with Boyle most likely ready to step into a starting role with the big league team

Steve Adams

• Both Joe Boyle and Ian Seymour are shoving in Triple-A. I think Zack Littell stands as one of the likelier trade candidates in the game, but he’s not having a great year and probably won’t bring much in return. Would be far, far more interesting if Tampa Bay sold high on Drew Rasmussen, whose contract is hugely valuable and could thus probably net them a pretty major return.Rasmussen is great, but workload and health are always going to be concerns and the Rays have the pitching to absorb that loss (especially since there’d probably be some kind of pitching prospect of note coming back in the deal).

Dana Brown

• I have Yordon coming back soon do I go get another left handed bat or a starting pitcher?

Prospect Hunter

• Rank the following prospects based on their next 3 years:  Chase Burns, Bubba Chandler, Andrew Painter, Travis Sykora

Steve Adams

• Oops, didn’t mean to double-publish there, but I’ll do both (in order)
• Brown said two days ago that a LH bat is his “big issue” and that he’s exploring various avenues:
  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/06/astros-trade-rumors-left-handed…That’s the big one. The rotation question is contingent on the rehab processes of guys like Spencer Arrighetti, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers, J.P. France, etc. — as Chandler Rome suggested in his recent Mailbag piece:
  https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6446390/2025/06/24/astros-trade-deadl…

  I think SP is on the back-burner with so many arms on the mend, but further injuries between now and July 31 could impact that.

  Also have to consider payroll. Houston is about $5.5MM from the CBT threshold and, again, Crane doesn’t want to pay the tax.

• On the prospects, I would go Chandler, Burns, Painter, Sykora — but I am not someone who is paid to specialize in evaluating prospects, so take that with a grain of salt.A lot of people might say Painter has the highest ceiling, but with a notable injury like this already under his belt, I’d dip him beneath Bubba and Burns.

  You can promote Bubba anytime now, Pirates.

SoCal Southsiders

• What would a Zach Neto extension look like?

Steve Adams

• https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/05/mlb-mailbag-neto-nationals-trad…

Perry

• What would it take to get German Marquez? I know it’s not a sexy pick up. But he could help the back end of of the rotation.

Steve Adams

• Yeah, I don’t think the asking price could be all that high — couple of 40-FV (future value) type prospects. Typically those guys fall in the 10 to 20 range of a team’s farm rankings, depending on depth of the system of course.

Nats Guy

• What would a James Wood or MacKenzie Gore extension look like?

Steve Adams

• They’re both young superstars repped by Scott Boras. Gore is already only 2.5 years from free agency. I don’t see either being extended, but the price on both is well into nine figures. Gore would probably be eyeing Crochet’s $170MM extension and looking to top it. Wood is good, I don’t even know. $200MM+? He’s an absolute monster.
• Phone call, one second
• Ok

Pirate Maximus

• What happened to candelario?  A low average slugger to dfa?  Age, injury or other?

Steve Adams

• He was injured for a lot of his time in Cincinnati. I’m surprised he fell off so sharply, but it sounds like he played through a fair bit of pain, at least in year one. I liked the deal for them at the time. Well above-average hitter in three of the four seasons prior to signing, with the exception being a 2022 season wrecked by shoulder problems.

Cubbie

• Would the Cubs consider making a move for Gore?   What would it cost prospect wise?

Steve Adams

• Any team that needs pitching would love to. Cubs included. The cost would be obscene, though. Like Horton, Shaw and then some? You’re talking 2.5 years of someone who increasingly looks like a genuine No. 1 starter and who has the prospect pedigree that’s always suggested that outcome is in there.You’re not getting him without multiple 50-FV types and/or young big leaguers. Plus, the Nationals are going to want to contend sooner than later. They’re four seasons into this rebuild. It would need to be a massive return. Gore has the second-highest K% of any qualified starter. Even if you include all qualified relievers, he’s 18th in K% — and he’s doing it with a plus walk rate. He’s up there with Skubal and Wheeler in terms of K-BB% and trailing only Skubal and Cease in swinging-strike rate.

Not Mark P

• Quick and easy one. Geno back to Seattle. Maybe?

Steve Adams

• “Maybe,” sure. But as I said before re: Jeimer, lots of teams could use some 3B help. Yankees, Brewers, Tigers, etc. etc.

James Wood Money

• I think I’m worth more like Vlad G money right?  500 million extension or more.

Steve Adams

• Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the sort of deal Boras was eyeing long-term. If you told me right now the price was over $300MM, I wouldn’t even blink. James Wood is a superstar.

Ken

• Do you see the A’s regretting the Joe Boyle-Jeffrey Springs trade?

Steve Adams

• There’ll be all kinds of tentacles to it, namely because I think they’ll trade Springs in the next 38 days and then we’ll have to sit here saying, “Well the A’s gave up Boyle, but then they got XYZ for Springs………”
• Side note, if the Rays have managed to fix Joe Boyle’s like … 30 (??) grade command, I just throw my hands up and wonder what they can’t do, pitching-wise.
• (Besides, apparently, get good production out of Aaron Civale, which still seems weird)

Clint Eastwood

• Do you think WAR is an overrated stat? Especially since it combines hitting, defense and baserunning equally. Being sub-par in one area can hide your skill in another when I’d honestly rather have a good hitter than a good defender.

Steve Adams

• I don’t think it needs to appeal to everyone. You’re finishing your question with an opinion — “I prefer good hitting to good defense” — when WAR exists to try to function in place of such subjective measures. It boils things down to runs created (whether on offense, defense, baserunning), assigns run values and tries to empirically place a value on a player’s entire skill set.It’s of course not flawless, but it’s not intended to be used as a be-all, end-all measure of value. MVP voters aren’t sitting down thinking, “Oh — got to fill out my ballot … let me just sort B-Ref or FanGraphs by WAR, and there we go, there’s my list. Copy and submit!”
• I think, like any stat, it’s useful within its lane and also has fundamental aspects that it can never capture

Cory

• How would you fix whatever mojo the Twins don’t have right now?

Steve Adams

• They still have that now 16-month-old rally sausage floating around somewhere?

Tj Friedl

• Should it be me, EDC, or Abbott representing the reds in the ASG?

Steve Adams

• Any of the three are defensible. Could be multiple. Elly should be there for sure.

Last Marlins Fan

• Who’s the better prospect? Heriberto Hernandez or Victor Mesa….

Steve Adams

• Mesa, but I don’t think either of them is a big league regular.

Ben Fried Rice

• With Senga down, has the Mets pitching been exposed after being shockingly good to start?

Steve Adams

• It’s just being tested. They’re more talented than they’ve been recently, but it takes a toll when you lose your ace, get some short starts from the other guys and then have to ask the bullpen to take on a bigger load. Leads to long mop-up stints for guys who shouldn’t be in the game anymore but need to save the rest of the group. It gets and looks ugly in a hurry.The Twins have had basically the exact same thing happen over in the AL. Lost two starters back-to-back, got some short starts from the remaining guys and it all snowballs quickly.

  Both teams were among the best all-around staffs in baseball from mid-April through mid-June, and both are better than they’ve been during the recent slide.

I Miss Vin Scully

• Is Alex Feeland the centerpiece of a trade next month or do you believe the Dodgers keep him?

Steve Adams

• I think they’ll be open to listening but aren’t going to shop him or anything. Generally how the Dodgers are with their very top prospects. I haven’t heard or read anything to suggest that they expressly won’t part with Freeland. They did more or less take that stance with Rushing (although for the right player, pretty much anyone is available)

AJ Preller

• Does having to watch James Wood go nuclear so soon after the Soto deal change my wheeling and dealing ways? Or am I still going for broke and sending our (now lacking) top prospects away for a short term fix?

Steve Adams

• AJ Preller trades so much that he’s bound to ship out a star. Hasn’t stopped him before. Trea Turner immediately broke out in Washington after that trade and Preller shrugged and went right back to working the market.It stings to see someone blossom into a star like that, but I believe it’s also a genuine strength for a GM/president to be able to have the courage to trade those guys anyway. Some execs clearly get paralysis when it comes to trading top-tier talent and frequently watch those prospects slowly bleed value until they’re devoid of real value.

  Preller has traded away so many “he should be untouchable” types, and more of them have gone the way of Luis Urias than James Wood.

  Plus, he indirectly has Cease and Michael King by way of trading Soto, and that’ll only create further value both in terms of contending seasons in ’24-’25 and potential draft picks if/when they reject QOs

Guest

• thoughts on the Miguel Vargas trade now?

Steve Adams

• I’m on record at the time — and even into the offseason — as saying people are too quick to dump on guys like Vargas, who exhaust their prospect/rookie status and don’t immediately hit the ground running.
• People were aghast that Fedde/Kopech didn’t net a “top 100 prospect” and “only” got Vargas and two others, while ignoring that Vargas was less than a year from being like the No. 40 prospect in baseball and had never gotten a true everyday look in L.A.I’m wrong about plenty of trades — PLENTY — but that was one where I thought the return was far better than a lot of people were giving it credit for.

Dean

• What are the chances the Rays flip HSK if he has a few weeks to show his arm is back?  More or less likely than trading Brandon Lowe?

Steve Adams

• Trading Lowe is way likelier. Kim has the opt-out on his contract that’ll make it very difficult to move him. I won’t go full broken record, but I say every week how opt-out guys are overwhelmingly difficult to trade.
• I think Lowe has a very good chance to be moved.

ORIOLES SCOUTING CUBS PROSPECTS

• That is the rumor going around.  Who might the CUBS want from Baltimore and why??  What would be a prospective package going back to the Orioles??

Steve Adams

• Every team scouts every other team. I don’t put tons of stock in “this team sent an extra scout to watch this team.” There are probably 10 teams that would like to trade for one or more of Zach Eflin, Cedric Mullins, Ryan O’Hearn, Andrew Kittredge, etc. etc.Orioles haven’t made that call yet, but it behooves them to be as informed as possible if they get there.

Marlins

• Houston wants a LHH, would Jesus Sanchez get Brice Matthews?

Steve Adams

• No, I don’t think Sanchez has that kind of value. I also think whichever LHH they get would be better off being able to play both infield and outfield.

Still an A

• Ryan McMahon was a big trade target last year and the Rockies screwed that up by holding onto him. Does he have any value going into the deadline this year and does he get moved?

Steve Adams

• I gave my colleague Anthony Franco a hard time last week since he wrote back on May 1 how the Rox missed the boat by not trading McMahon when interest was high in 2024. He had been terrible for nearly a calendar year at that point, with a ton of ugly trends (K’s up, hard contact down, walks down, all kinds of red flags)
• McMahon homered that night and has been on a TEAR since.
• All arrows pointing up … lower K%, more walks, better contact, all of it.
• Anthony saved the man’s career.
• To your point, yes, McMahon should have considerable value and the Rockies should 100% trade him.I am … 15%  sure they do.
• McMahon is hitting .268/.362/.518 since Anthony wrote that piece, ha (which, to be clear, I agreed with in full at the time)

Padres getting old

• Oh boy. So when Cease and King leave we get a few draft picks and Randy Vasquez from the Soto dominos.

Steve Adams

• Well, that and a deep NLCS run last year and a possible playoff run this season. And those picks will be in the top 40 of the draft, so they could immediately turn into high-end prospects (who, with Preller at the helm, are possible bait to acquire even more star-caliber players).The circle of life!

Chris Gimenez

• Should the Guards trade one of Manzardo or Santana??

Steve Adams

• I’d be open to trading Santana, who’s on a pricey one-year deal, regardless of contention status. Manzardo can move to 1B full-time. I don’t think the return would be great, though, so if it gets to the point where you’re potentially pissing off the clubhouse to add some Low-A relief prospect with a 3-5% chance of developing into a big leaguer, then it’s probably not worth it.But if Santana goes on a tear here and rebuilds some trade value, you’ve got to at least be open to it.

Senator Blutarsky

• If not traded, would Ohearn and or Mullins get a QO?

Steve Adams

• Both should.

Minister of Silly Walks

• Even if the Cards are contending, could you see them try to move Nolan Gorman. He’s a power hitting lefty but the Cards are already pretty good on the infield (Nado, Wynn, Donny, Willi with Saggese already up and JJ looking ready for AAA)

Steve Adams

• Gorman increasingly feels like a change-of-scenery guy to me, yeah

MostlyToasty1

• Who is a player not being talked about much that you think is very likely to be moved prior to the TDL?

Steve Adams

• Trying to think of a few off the cuff here. I already mentioned Jeffrey Springs. Mike Tauchman isn’t a big name or talked about much (despite playing on a clear seller) and is having a nice year. Edward Cabrera in Miami isn’t “very” likely but is plausible. Feels like the Astros will want to find a taker to buy low on Chas McCormick.Adolis Garcia?

D Hat

• How do you rate questions worthy enough to be asked in your chat?

Steve Adams

• There are 784 people actively in here at the moment, plus people coming and going the whole time. I just try to grab one I can answer quickly, usually. And obviously if I see a bunch of readers with different IP addresses (not usernames, haha … I think many don’t realize we can tell when you’re just changing your name) asking about the same topic, I’ll try to get that since it’s on a lot of peoples’ minds.

Steve Cohen

• Now that Chase Burns is making his debut tonight isn’t it overdue for  Bubba Chandler to make his MLB Debut?

Steve Adams

• Bubba has been overdue for about 2-3 months, but the Pirates clearly want to make sure he doesn’t get a full year of service in 2025.

TREVOR ROGERS

• If Rogers manages to pitch 4 more starts like the one from yesterday, could the Orioles be BOLD enough to attempt to FLIP him to recoup some players ( since Mike Elias sacrificed Stowers & Norby for this guy )?????

Steve Adams

• I don’t think it’s out of the question. If it makes you feel better, I’m not at all sold on Stowers being a legitimate building block in Miami. I liked Norby a lot coming into the season but it’s been a rough year.

Mike Rizzo

• If you’re shopping for a back end starter at this deadline, would you rather go for Soroka or Trevor Williams

Steve Adams

• Personally, I wouldn’t target either. Although I’d be happy to take Soroka and put him in the bullpen.

Mets

• What can the Mets receive for Blackburn?  Not enamored with his ability and would love to see him get moved.

Steve Adams

• I don’t think they’ll trade him at this point with Senga and Megill down
• Side note
• Twins president of baseball ops Derek Falvey said this to the Minneapolis Star Tribune yesterday:”Even when we had a couple injuries, there was a team that felt like they had some pitching depth and we had a brief trade conversation, ‘Hey, could we pick off some?’ And they were open to it. Within 72 hours, there were two different pitching injuries on that team that ultimately peeled them back from the market.”
• Gee, I wonder which team he could be talking about. Ha.
• Doesn’t mean a deal was close, but sure seems like the Twins were looking into Blackburn to backfill the fifth spot in the rotation with Lopez/Matthews out and Woods Richardson/Festa struggling.
• Alrighty, I’ve got to call it this week. I’m on X @Adams_Steve and Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social if you have more questions.If you want more opinions from the MLBTR team, you can learn about our Front Office subscription package and sign up here. In addition to ad-free viewing on the site and in the app, you’ll get weekly analysis/opinion columns from Anthony Franco and myself, a weekly mailbag column from Tim Dierkes, weekly fantasy baseball chats and columns with Nicklaus Gaut, two weekly subscriber-only chats (one with me, one with Anthony) where your odds of getting a question answered are much better, direct Q&A opps with Darragh McDonald, access to our new Trade Deadline Outlook series, access to our Contract Tracker, GM Tracker and our Agency Database, and more. It all starts at $2.99/month.

  Have a great week everyone!

Natitude

• Shouldn’t the Nats consider a college arm or Hernandez at #1 overall? Seems like the farm system doesn’t have more than 1-2 high end arms on the way in the next few years. Plus, I’ve read varying opinions on the projectability of Holliday in the future.  Doesn’t sound like a slam dunk difference maker.

Mark P

• It seems like this draft class doesn’t have any “slam dunk difference makers,” as much as those players even really exist in a baseball context.  It all depends on how the Nationals internally feel about Holliday or any of the other top candidates, since in a year without a clear-cut #1, any number of guys might rise or drop in the order

Darthyen

• Will the Blue Jays look to move just their pending free agents (Bichette, Bassitt…) at the deadline or will they be full blown sellers and move pieces with a bit more control (Clement, Gausman, Lukes, Varsho….)?

Mark P

• Right now the Jays are on pace to be a wild card team, so they won’t be selling anyone.  It remains to be seen if Toronto can keep it going and stay in the hunt, but they’re another team I don’t expect to see as “sellers” unless things totally go south in the next month.

Mr Bean

• What might a return for the Mariners J.P. Crawford look like if he were to be moved?

Mark P

• This is a moot point of a question, as why would the contending Mariners move a shortstop who’s having a career year?

Boston

• Jaren Duran for who?

Mark P

• With Devers now gone, the Red Sox have opened up the lineup enough that they probably no longer need to move an outfielder.

I don’t know’s on 3rd

• Where can I find how players hit in each stadium? I

Mark P

• This info is available on a player’s “splits” page on Baseball Reference

Adam

• Mets demoted Alvarez. Is there a C out there that they can trade for.

Mark P

• Between Alvarez’s demotion and the Rutschman/Handley injuries, I was wondering if McCann might head to one of his old teams, but instead the D’Backs swooped in.Catching is such a rare commodity that I’m not sure the Mets can find a real upgrade on the open market.  I think their hope is that Alvarez can get it together with some time in the minors, and rejoin the team by the break (if not earlier)

Ken

• Luis Severino has some crazy home/road splits. I think his road ERA is under 1, while he’s struggled at the AAA park. If the A’s made him available (and chipped in some cash), what kind of return would he fetch?

Mark P

• They’d get a decent return but nothing outlandish, especially if only “some” cash is being chipped in.  Don’t forget that the A’s may have beaten the market to overpay slightly for Severino and convince him to join a borderline (at best) contender pitching in a minor league park.
• As obvious as it is that Severino is really bothered by pitching in Sacramento, he’s also obviously not going to keep posting Bob Gibson numbers if he were to get dealt.

Blue 24

• Will the Dodgers make a another move possibly a leftfielder?

Mark P

• The Dodgers’ deadline moves will very likely be focused on pitching more than anything with the position player mix.
• Also, simply sitting Conforto and having both Kim and Pages in the lineup on a more regular basis might itself be the simplest solution

Dombrowski

• Every fan thinks that we can trade from our rotation depth but I say no. Too many things can happen, and we will need our only expiring contract (Ranger) in the playoffs for sure. What say you?

Mark P

• Dombrowski’s history implies that no prospect is entirely untouchable (though Painter/Crawford are probably extremely close to that level).  I agree that it’s more likely that Philly holds onto their MLB-level pitching, since Murphy’s Law would dictate that as soon as a starter was dealt at the deadline, another starter would get injured like a week later

Ryan

• What would you do with Harry Ford? Would you promote him and find a way to get him in the lineup or trade him for some major league help? What kind of return would he get at this point?

Mark P

• The outfield experiment with Ford last year seems to have ended, as he has only been a C/DH at Triple-A this season.  Ford has been hitting really well in his first taste of AAA ball and seems ready for the majors, and just calling him up as the backup catcher and part-time DH seems like a reasonable move for a team that still needs hitting.The x-factor here is Polanco, since having him still at DH so regularly limits what the Mariners can do.  Once Polanco gets back to normal infield duty, calling Ford up as another bat would be a logical move. If that means releasing Garver and eating the money, so be it

BrewCrew27

• How is Otani able to pitch 1 inning yet stay as the DH?

Mark P

• MLB made a rule change to allow Ohtani (or any pitcher, but let’s be real, Ohtani) to stay in the game as a P-then-DH back in 2022

ClarkeinEcuador

• Can Cal Raleigh keep this up?

Mark P

• Let’s hope he can, just because it’s awesome to see a player suddenly go from “this guy is pretty good” to having an all-timer of a season

Ron

• Hoffman really blew the game today despite not giving up an earned run. Is a closer Toronto’s biggest need at the deadline? Would Chapman be available if the Sox fall 6 games out at the deadline?

Mark P

• Starting pitching is the Blue Jays’ biggest need, but the bullpen isn’t far behind, in part because the rotation’s struggles have led to a lot of innings for the relief corps.Hoffman got off to an amazing start, but his performance has sharply swung downwards over the last month.  Bringing in another closer type after already paying Hoffman so much money isn’t ideal, and another closing candidate isn’t obviously waiting in the wings unless perhaps Rodriguez gets a shot.
• Bullpen help of some kind definitely seems like a deadline priority, but it’s probably more likely to be a reliever with some past closing experience, not necessarily “A Closer” like Chapman

Darren

• Would the Jays consider playing the hometown card and trading for Michael Soroka given the Nats would logically be sellers and Soroka is starting to fire on all cylinders (for five innings, at least!)

Mark P

• Soroka’s hometown of Calgary isn’t exactly near Toronto, but sure, he’s the kind of relatively inexpensive SP add I can see the Jays making

Steinway

• Would you have moved Devers? It’s tough to justify the move from a fan standpoint but it is all about being a team.

Mark P

• Not working last Sunday night meant that I missed out on covering the Devers trade, so here is my week-old hot take!I think the trade perhaps had to be made, if things had soured so quickly between Devers and Red Sox management.  The fact that things went from 0 to 100 so quickly doesn’t reflect well on either party, as it seems like simply keeping Devers more in the loop about Bregman/Arenado/any 3B plans last offseason might have been an easy solution.  One wonders what might’ve happened if Casas (often mentioned as a trade candidate) had actually been dealt, as perhaps then the Sox would’ve approached Devers about 1B much sooner.
• My other note here is that it puts even more pressure on the “big three” prospects to contribute immediately, since how Boston’s lineup is missing its best hitter.  Anthony, Mayer, and Campbell were already facing an extra spotlight based on the Boston media market and all of the hype, but if they (as most rookies do) need time to adjust, it adds more drama to what has already been a soap opera of a season.  We’ve already seen Campbell hit his first obstacle, for instance.

Seeing Reds

• Thoughts  on Burns call up?

Mark P

• As much as Burns as dominated pro ball so far, he still has only 66 innings to his name.  There’s nothing that says the Reds are obligated to keep him in the majors for an extended period, of course, so Burns might get sent back down pretty quickly if he struggles.

MoonbeamMcSwine

• Not working???..  what does that mean to you?.. fishing?.. boating?.. becoming a couch potato?.. how about some details?

Mark P

• Haha, last Sunday I was on MLBTR during the morning/day shift, rather than my standard Sunday night shift.  No time on the lake for me!

FamousMortimer

• Re: the Nats question, you never draft for need, right?

Mark P

• Correct.  What a team needs in 2025 may be vastly different from what a team needs in the (usual) couple of years’ time before a top draft pick is ready for the big legues
• leagues

RaysUp

• You buying Rays to win the AL east. Also, do they buy or sell or both at the deadline?

Mark P

• I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Tampa caught the Yankees for first place.  As usual, the Rays have overachieved and adjusted well to their unusual ballpark situation
• Most of the Rays’ deadline moves should be focused towards adding, but moving a salary in a semi-sell type of move wouldn’t at all be surprise

Angels

• Schanuel doubters should be apologizing now right??? Or does he have more to prove?

Mark P

• You’d ideally want to see more power, but Schanuel developing into a solid overall hitter is a perfectly fine outcome.  With almost half the season in the books, his play can’t be entirely written off as a fluke or anything.

bmcferren

• is Dylan Crews an outfielder that the Pirates have the goods to acquire this summer?

Mark P

• Pittsburgh has enough top-flight young pitching that they can make an offer that would at least get the Nationals’ attention, even if it’s highly unlikely that Crews would be moved.  To repeat a common refrain, lots of future stars struggled in their first season or two in the majors, so the Nats have far from given up on Crews in any way

Guards

• Why is Delauter still in AAA?

Dropout

• Any idea why cleveland is calling up delaughter yet?

Mark P

• “Chase The Laughter” actually sounds like the title of a Game Changer episode, but I digress.DeLauter has all of 124 pro games played over two-plus seasons.  As much as he’s going to get a shot in the Show at some point in 2025, I don’t blame the Guardians for wanting to give him a good chunk of game action just for the sake of getting him back into a rhythm.  Better to do that in a lower-key Triple-A environment than in the majors, especially with the added pressure of DeLauter being seen as a saviour for the Guards’ outfield woes

Angels

• If the Angels are in the same spot a month from now. Do they stand pat, at the deadline? To see how it plays out? Rather than sell the few pieces they have.

Mark P

• If LAA is still only a couple of games out of a wild card spot by the deadline, they’ll definitely buy to some extent.  Arte Moreno absolutely wants to break the playoff drought.

Dana Brown

• I said today, on pregame radio that a left handed bat is our top need at the deadline! Wouldn’t Willi Castro be a spectator option? A rental, especially with a weak farm in HOU…a switch hitter who can play 2B or OF.

Mark P

• It would be a great fit, though if the Twins do decide to sell, Castro will be one of the most underrated trade chips in the league.  The Astros would likely have to outbid a lot of teams to land him.

Curious A’s Fan

• Philly is calling, they want Mason Miller. Who is your Must Have to do the deal?

Mark P

• Figuring a trade for a reliever is tricky, even one with Miller’s years of control (through 2029) and ceiling. From the Athletics’ perspective, why not ask for one of Painter/Crawford/Miller/Abel — both to see if the Phillies bite, and because asking for a top-100 prospect is a justifiable ask for a high-leverage reliever who has shown star potential.

Ken

• Nick Kurtz is establishing himself at 1B and Brent Rooker is entrenched at DH. Is the Tyler Soderstrom as left fielder experiment working, or do you think a trade is in the offing?

Mark P

• Soderstrom’s got a -3 DRS and -2 OAA through 316 innings as a left fielder.  He’s likely not going to be a Gold Glover out there, but if he can remain at this level of “below average but passable,” his bat will play

Buster Posey

• Am I done dealing?

Mark P

• Doubtful, as SF can still probably use at least one more bat even with Devers now in the fold.

Weekend at Bernies

• How impressed are you by the debut of Jacob misiorowski? And is there a better pitchers duel on paper than him vs Paul skenes this Wednesday?

Mark P

• He’s looked terrific, and already he’s grabbed some notoriety with the career-opening no-hit streak.  I’ll definitely be tuning in Wednesday to see the action.

Cards Fan

• Arenado made a mistake by not accepting Houston trade?

Mark P

• The Cardinals have also been playing some pretty good ball, so I don’t think Arenado is having too many regrets (if any).  Perhaps his own numbers might have ticked upwards with a change of scenery, but who knows.

Will Smith

• Steve Adams said last chat that The Big Dumper was unequivocally the best catcher in The Show. Do you concur, Mark?

Mark P

• No doubt about it.  Raleigh is on pace for the best season a catcher has ever had.

Cashman

• Do I end up trading a bat to clear up playing time?

Mark P

• The report about the Yankees looking at IKF indicates they might be looking to add.  Either a complementary piece like Kiner-Falefa, or they might take a big swing with an everyday 2B/3B.
• Trading a player away simply to make room could be possible, but given how Stanton and other prominent Yankees have injury histories, the team probably want to keep depth around

Will P

• When do you think Sam Basallo finally gets the call?

Mark P

• Hitting-wise, he doesn’t seem to have much left to prove at Triple-A.  But, he hasn’t actually been a catcher much this year since injuries limited him to either DH work or kept him out of action entirely.The O’s aren’t going to rush Basallo even given their need for catching on the active roster, even if that does leave them scrambling now if Handley is also hurt

Non-mathematical analysts?

• Much has been said about how Kyle Harrison won’t be able to develop a good secondary pitch because of his arm angle. Were any writers saying this when he as a prospect? Are there any scouting-oriented writers you know of that are capable of making these types of observations?

Mark P

• Just from glancing at Baseball America’s page on Harrison, all of their annual scouting reports mention his arm angle in some context or another.  From 2022, for instance, “His arm is loose and whippy and easily produces velocity and deception from a low slot and cross-body finish, but he doesn’t repeat it well enough yet to throw strikes consistently.”
• Keep in mind, Harrison was a third-round pick, and not really a blue chipper until after he started to gain notice following his first pro season.  It’s not like his potential flaws weren’t already known, as (like with most pitchers) it was just a matter of how or if Harrison would overcome or adjust

Timothy

• Why does josh bell get so much playing time with  a batting average under .200?

Mark P

• At this point the Nats are hoping Bell goes on one of his patented ice cold-to-red hot sudden turns, in order to build his value for the trade deadline

Buzz Aldrin Bavasi

• With the D’backs starting pitching injuries and soon-to-be free agents, is the org looking at a quick rebuild this year and in 2026?

Mark P

• It’s tough for the D’Backs since their lineup is still so excellent.  I don’t think they’ll sell unless things get really dire by the deadline, since their offense is so good that the front office will hope they can simply slug their way to a postseason berth.

Joshua

• What would it take for Cincy to get Luis Garcia from the Nats?

Mark P

• Garcia is controlled through 2027 as a Super Two player, and he has been really heating up after a slow start.  The Nationals therefore likely aren’t going to move him without a significant return, like perhaps one of the Reds’ better young pitchers.I felt the Nats were going to be a lot more competitive than they’ve been, but in terms of the team’s overall outlook, one figures they still want to/hope to be in contention for 2026.  Moving Garcia might not be something the Nationals want to do unless they plan to kick the can down the road another year

Phanatic

• Is Dave going to blow up the farm system to fix the bullpen and maybe an outfielder? Would you trade Painter, Miller, Crawford, or Tait in a blockbuster?

Mark P

• One or even two of them, sure, if it’s for an ideal fit of a player.  Cleaning out the farm doesn’t seem optimal, even as much as the Phillies are in win-now mode

Playoff expansion

• Are you a fan of shortening the regular season to like 144 games and expanding the postseason to 16 total teams getting in?

Mark P

• Nah, I’m not a fan of expanded playoffs.  Baseball is such an unpredictable sport that letting more teams into the bracket opens the door for more upsets and random champions, which isn’t really a true reflection of the full season.

Guards Nation

• Do the Guards have legit rotation arms in Luis Ortiz and Slade Cecconi?

Mark P

• Both have looked pretty decent, which probably isn’t surprising since the Guardians have been so good at developing pitchers.  Makes sense that they’d also be good helping pitchers they’ve acquired take the next step.
• The only issue is that the rotation as a whole has looked “pretty decent” at best, which translates to a middle-of-the-pack starting five.  It’s not really Cleveland’s style to make such a move at the deadline, but the Guards are a team that could really use an ace.

Christian

• It’s too hot in the Midwest. Give me your coldest take of the 2025 season so far

Mark P

• Aaron Judge is going to have a great 2025 season

Yankee fan

• Does Freddie Freeman sign an extension with LAD?

Mark P

• Not that he’s slowing down at all, but Freeman will be 38 when his contract is up after the 2027 season.  Retirement might well be in the cards, but if he’s still performing like this in 2026, the Dodgers will surely have interest in seeing if he’s willing to stick around for another year or two

Marcus Semien

• Could the Rangers get anything for me this summer and is it time to move on?

Mark P

• Semien is owed over $85MM through the 2028 season, and is currently in the midst of his second straight year of decline at the plate.  The Rangers aren’t going to be able to move him unless they eat a lot of money, or take on another undesirable contract in return.
• Time to wrap things up for this week’s chat.  Thanks to everyone for the questions, and barring any further shift changes, we should be back with more answers next Sunday evening
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