MLBTR Chat Transcript

• The Weekend Chat is back from a scheduling hiatus, as last Sunday night’s draft and the unexpected Nationals front office clearance led to a pair of postponements in everyone’s favorite discussion of beads, bees, and baseball.

  But, on with the questions!

Squints

• You’re Matt Arnold, congrats! What are you going for at the deadline?

Mark P

• I think my first priority is to figure out how to change this Freaky Friday scenario, but if that can’t be fixed by July 31, I’d look to add lineup depth.  Even with Hoskins not out for too long, I’d consider bolstering first base anyway, or at least try to get a versatile player that can help all over the infield
• I feel like “Willi Castro would be a great fit here” applies to like 20 teams, but he’d be a great fit in Milwaukee if the Twins decided to sell

Angels fan

• Arte is going to buy again isn’t he? The Angels are not a playoff team but I just know he will be delusional again and trade away prospects to make sure people keep coming to the stadium

Mark P

• Right now the Angels are a game under .500 and four back of a wild card.  I agree with you that I doubt they’re getting into the playoffs, but given how starved the Angels and their fans are for winning, I won’t blame the club for trying to make some moves and stay competitive

Cashman

• is Lagrange and schlittler untouchables along side Lombard?

Mark P

• Lombard feels like the only prospect the Yankees absolutely wouldn’t part with.

Mark

• The Rangers trade deadline plans are?

Mark P

• They might not entirely know themselves, given that they’re a .500 team that might yet turn to selling.  Their needs are obvious — Hitting with a capital H (particularly in the corner infield slots) and in the bullpen.

Guard

• What would Emmanuel Clase or Cade Smith bring back in a trade

Mark P

• Smith would bring back a ton.  But, even if Cleveland did move one, I’d expect it would be Clase due to salary, and because it’s more of a fit for the Guardians to move Smith into the closer spot than to keep Clase and deal away his cheaper heir apparent.
• Heyman’s report downplayed the idea of a trade actually taking place, and I agree that the Guardians only move either pitcher if they get a huge offer.

  Moving either while the team is in the race could have a Josh Hader effect on the clubhouse, too

Frank Burns

• Any way the Cubs trade Caissie for anyone who is just a 2 month rental?

Mark P

• Highly unlikely.  They have other prospects they can offer before putting Caissie up for grabs.  Chicago surely only moves Caissie (if at all) for a controllable asset.

Trader Jerry

• If I go all out at the trade deadline, do I have any untouchable prospects or should I put all on the table and go all in?

Mark P

• Emerson or Montes very likely aren’t going anywhere.  I hesitate to call anyone entirely “untouchable” depending on what another team might offer in return, plus the M’s are deep enough in prospects that they afford to perhaps lose one or two of them and still have a very good future system.

Mookie Betts

• So glad I am the new Andrelton Simmons. No more hitting and slugging for me. Just defense.

Mark P

• What a bizarre and unexpected turn of events for Betts.  As good as he has played at shortstop, I feel like the move for the Dodgers here is to perhaps just put him back in right field, or perhaps at second base?  As jarring as the change would be, it might get Betts’ bat moving again.

Small Sample South Side

• Gallen, Kelly, Suarez… what are the Diamondbacks’ priorities if they sell at the deadline? To me, they’ve got the most to gain as far as dealing rentals

Mark P

• Adding starting pitching is the obvious one.  Bullpen help as well.

  The key for the D’Backs is that they’ll be prioritizing big league-ready help, since they want to get back into contention in 2026.

Guest

• Yankees need to go all in with Judge in his prime at some point??

Mark P

• A $288MM payroll doesn’t count as “going all in”??

The Dodgers

• Are they going to hope everyone comes back healthy or will they make a big trade? What player do you think they are targeting?

Mark P

• LA’s largest problem at the moment isn’t even the injuries or the pitching.  It’s Betts, Freeman, and (since his return to pitching) Ohtani all going cold at the same time.  Muncy being out also now highlights the surprising lack of production from the superstars.

  Am I really concerned that the Dodgers will fall apart or something?  No, nor do I think it’ll drastically change any deadline plans.

Taker55

• Given the 4 starting OFs plus Stanton and then Jones ready, is it crazy to think the Yanks would deal Grisham or Dominguez for help elsewhere?

Mark P

• I feel that might be playing with fire to consider Stanton truly OF-capable, or to count on Jones heavily in his first taste of big league action.  For instance, if you trade Grisham and then Bellinger gets hurt, you get the inopportune situation of Judge back in CF

Kevin

• Why does MLB not allow draft picks to be traded? Might that change in a future CBA, and if so,  what would be the biggest effects?

Mark P

• I agree that it would be a great idea, and the players seem for it, and Rob Manfred seemed at least open to it when asked a year ago.  While negotiating anything into a CBA is like pulling teeth, this seems like one of the relatively benign “who is actually hurt by this?” changes that all parties could find some common ground on

Ang T

• How often do teams sign someone to say, a minor league contract, in anticipation they’ll need the depth after a big league player is traded?

Mark P

• Teams are signing guys to minors contracts basically all the time, so it’s usually not as clear-cut a sign as one might think.  Like, the “you can never have too much pitching” mantra always applies whenever a club adds a depth arm, for instance.

Walter

• Phillies trade Ranger Suarez and Aiden Miller to the Red Sox for Jarren Duran. Who says no? Phils have plenty of SP and Red Sox have plenty of OF. Surplus for surplus.

Mark P

• Philadelphia says no.  If they’re moving Suarez and Miller in the same deal, they’re going to want back way more than just Duran.

  Also, why would a Phillies team trying to win now deal a pitcher who is a lock to start a playoff game for them?

Tom

• Does the Bohm injury change the Phillies plans?

Mark P

• They were probably looking for infield help already, so perhaps not?  But if Bohm’s timeline ends up being over a month or something, I can definitely see them getting more aggressive in a pursuit of specifically a third baseman
• The likelier move is that the Phillies could get a second baseman and rely on the in-house group to handle 3B, since there would be nowhere else to play Bohm when he returned

Chris

• honest question, but how does Betts playing SS affect his hitting? Like how would moving back to the OF actually help him hit again?

Mark P

• My theory is simply that it’s a mental thing, in that Betts has been so focused on excelling at defense that it has caused his hitting to suffer.  We probably also shouldn’t underrate that brutal illness Betts had back in March, which could very well have set him back a lot more than we realize

Ross Atkins

• What to do with Adison Barger? Ideally he is my everyday third baseman but due to injuries in the outfield and my potent bat we keep penciling him into RF. Ernie Clement and now Wil Wagner are doing a capable job handling third base and we do have a plethora of left handed hitting OFers starting to show promise. So where should I play him or is he super trade bait?

Mark P

• Barger might be just about the last guy Toronto trades right now.  His ability to play both 3B and corner OF is so valuable, not to mention his obvious hitting breakout.  Obviously teams will ask about Barger first before lowering expectations and getting around to Lukes, or maybe Loperfido, Clase, Wagner, etc., but Barger has played himself into being a building block

Nick

• Over/under on years until the Rays open a new stadium, now that they have a new owner?  Maybe 3.5?

Mark P

• If the current new ballpark plan has been abandoned by this point, it’ll take more than 3.5 years for the new owner to settle negotiations and get everything up and rolling construction-wise.

  First step should be figuring out if the Trop can be playable by 2026, and then perhaps tacking an extra year or two onto the lease to give all sides some leeway.

Rayban

• what kind of return would Taj Bradley and Zack Littell bring the rays?what kind of return would Taj Bradley and Zack Littell bring the rays?what kind of return would Taj Bradley and Zack Littell bring the rays?

Mark P

• …Jack Torrance?

  Littell’s return would be limited since he’s just a rental, and because his peripherals are all pretty dicey apart from his incredble walk rate.  Bradley would bring back a lot more due to the added control, and the upside he possesses as a former top prospect from just a couple of years ago

Bendix

• Are the Marlins buyers? We’ve been on the best teams in baseball since June.

Mark P

• I’m going to post this comment just so people can look up the Marlins’ record and do a double take.

  While I don’t think they’re going to be buying, Miami’s rebuild seems to be quietly moving along pretty nicely

Bustin Aarnes

• So what’s up with Dalton Rushing? The dodgers DFA’s franchise legend Austin Barnes just to give him 75 not good plate appearances over two months?

Mark P

• The idea seems tied to Rushing’s development, in that having him in the catchers’ room working on game plans alongside Smith, the coaches, and the pitching staff will help him evolve behind the plate.

  Frankly, I suspect Rushing might be on another team after July 31, and this promotion might’ve been something of an extended showcase.  While Rushing hasn’t exactly been tearing it up, that won’t stop teams from being very interested in him as a trade chip.

The Old New School

• How much has the use of analytics really changed the nature of scouting? I know it can help find diamonds in the rough, but those diamonds in the rough would still stack up well to the eye test, right?

Mark P

• Analytics can tell you stuff like “this pitcher has a really good slider, he should use it more.”  Whereas scouting can tell you why a pitcher isn’t already using his slider more — it could be because he just isn’t comfortable throwing it, or it hurts his arm, or he’s stubborn, etc.

  Teams will always, always need scouts to access the actual human element, since players aren’t numbers and metrics.

John

• What’s your take on Adley?

Mark P

• As much as teams draft by “best available,” it was a little eye-opening to see Baltimore take catchers on back-to-back picks with such high selections.

  Evaluators aren’t super-high on Irish or Basallo remaining at catcher, so that might factor into future plans.  But just by perception alone, common sense would seem to say the O’s either are losing a little faith in Rutschman, or perhaps simply aren’t confident in their ability to lock him up for the long term.

• I’d posted about this before, but it stands out as odd to me that despite all these top prospects and building blocks, the Orioles have yet to sign any of them to an extension.

Jake

• Royals should trade Estevez; what might they be able to get for him?

Mark P

• The Royals just traded for Adam Frazier, so they’re not in sell mode yet.  Estevez would draw a ton of interest if he was shopped, but since he’s also under contract for 2026, moving him would set KC back for next year, in addition to throwing in the towel on 2025

Reddy

• Chances there will be a “bombshell” trade at the deadline a la Doncic in the NBA? And if that does happen, what team and/or player do you see involved?

Mark P

• The Doncic trade was so singularly shocking that it’s hard to imagine what the MLB version of that would even be.  The Devers trade was already pretty big on the “wait, what??” scale, yet it wasn’t a complete shocker given the bad blood that was clearly present between Devers and Red Sox management.

Aroni

• Does Ben Rice have any trade value?

Mark P

• Tons, but chances are the Yankees move one of their catchers

Curt

• Could you see the Brewers going for Naylor or O’Hearn?

Mark P

• Both would be good additions.  I like Naylor’s bat better, but O’Hearn is probably a better pure fit since he can play the outfield if necessary once Hoskins is back.  Since Naylor is 1B-only and Yelich is primarily the DH, that would create a logjam with Hoskins.

  ….unless the Brewers and D’Backs got creative and sent Hoskins back to Arizona, with Milwaukee taking on some salary offset (Montgomery?) from the Snakes?

• Haha, that came to me in two seconds with zero research, so it probably isn’t that feasible

Stowers

• If Marlins decide to sell, would they part with Stowers in a trade and what would he cost?

Mark P

• Miami is on a roll, in large part because Stowers is looking like a cornerstone of the rebuild.  No way is he being dealt.

Guardians fan

• What type of move if any do you Cleveland doing?

Mark P

• I’m not sure if I explicitly wrote this in the Guardians deadline preview, but the Guards rarely do that big in terms of buying or selling at midseason.  They tend to save their major moves for the winter, apart from dealing rental free agents.

  So with the assumption that the Guards will take advantage of their easy schedule and be over .500 by the deadline, I think they’ll pick up a middle infielder and an outfielder.  Not necessarily a full-time starter in either position, but at least a platoon bat that can provide some offensive spark.

Appa Yip Yip

• Jake Bloss for Eugenio Suarez?

Mark P

• Arizona would want way more than just Bloss for Suarez

Nats

• Do I have any one of value to trade for a somewhat decent return outside of a long shot Gore? I have this suspicion someone might just offer a haul for him that the Nats just couldn’t refuse.

Mark P

• DeBartolo basically closed the door on the idea of Gore being traded today, even if the interim GM left a sliver.  This is another type of trade that, if it happens, is likelier to happen in the offseason and at the purview of whomever the next full-time Washington GM/PBO ends up being

Eric A

• Schwarber has to be a priority extend for the Phils, right? I know the age thing but after watching him blast a homer to win the ASG from one knee, think you have to do it, right?

Mark P

• I agree.  It’s an imperfect roster fit, but Schwarber has been so good for them that a new contract seems like a semi-must.

Justin Verlander

• Are my days with the Giants numbered? Will I be traded at deadline to a contending team who needs post season pitching experience ?

Mark P

• Unless it’s the Astros, I’m not sure what contender would jump at the chance to get a 42-year-old who looks like he might’ve finally hit the wall.

NMK

• Should the Mets acquire a mid-rotation arm (potentially longer-term) with the goal of moving Clay Holmes back to the pen? Assume that wouldn’t preclude a trade for another reliever as well.

Mark P

• In theory, Manaea’s return gives the rotation a shot in the arm, but you’re right in that Holmes is already into uncharted territory innings-wise.  Moving him back into the pen might work as an obvious answer, yet I’m not certain if moving Holmes back to relief and then rebuilding his arm strength back up next winter is necessarily something the Mets want to do

Ben Cherington

• What does a successful deadline look like for me in Pittsburgh? Please help, I need ideas.

Mark P

• Bring in some quality hitters who start producing immediately.

Adam

• The Phillies’ window is closing. They have Wheeler for two more years and who knows what’ll happen with 2027. I say go all-in and trade two out of Miller, Painter and Crawford. Agree?

Mark P

• The thing is, the Phillies see those three prospects as key elements in keeping the window open beyond just Wheeler’s time in the organization.  That isn’t to say none of them will be dealt, but just going all in and purely sacrificing the future also isn’t wise.

  Besides, who’s to say Crawford or Painter can’t help the Phillies this very season?

Trip

• Would you say reliever is going to be the #1 trade deadline “run” position? Don’t see enough relievers out there for all the teams looking for one (or two)…

Mark P

• Reliever is always the “run” position since basically every contender always needs bullpen help

J-Law

• I want to believe in Lawlar.. but he is often injured and looked overmatched earlier this year. How does he fit into the DBacks plans?

Mark P

• He’ll be their starting third baseman next year once Suarez moves on.  That seems more or less settled.  Lawlar has indeed not looked good at the MLB level, but over a sample size of 56 PA, that’s nothing.
• There are certainly concerns over his injury history and whether or not he’s a true piece of Arizona’s future, but the D’Backs won’t know until they give him an extended chance to play

Florida Cards Fan

• Cards just got kicked by DBacks!! And will likely get swept tomorrow with Mikolas starting. Do you think there’s any hope Bloom will influence their trade deadline decisions so the so called “team reset” actually starts?

Mark P

• It’s not like Bloom’s texts are being returned by Mozeliak with the Wayne Knight-in-Jurassic Park “ah ah ah” finger-waving GIF.  Bloom surely has a big voice in the Cardinals’ direction already, and will be working in concert with whatever they’re doing at the deadline.

M

• Who is the best player the mariners can get for Harry Ford as a headliner? Someone controllable for several years. Junior Caminero?

Mark P

• Caminero is maybe the last guy the Rays would trade, but in general, Ford has plenty of value.  Seattle would be justified in asking for Caminero back in a Ford trade offer, even if the Rays wouldn’t go for it.

  Beyond Tampa, I have to believe the Padres have reached out about Ford multiple times, given their dire catching situation and the fact that Ford seems to be ready for the majors right now.  On paper, the Mariners and Padres don’t match up great in terms of roster needs

Pirates Fan

• If you are the new Pirates GM would you rebuild or retool? How would you go about it?

Mark P

• This is all far easier said than done, but I would overhaul whatever the organization is doing in preparing and developing young hitters for the big leagues.  I wouldn’t rebuild since the Pirates have so much good young pitching that it’s a true asset, and a major step towards finally competitive.

Paul

• Is it probable that the Pirates sell low on the likes of Keller, Hayes, Bernard, and possibly even Reynolds to shed payroll at this year’s deadline? Or is it possible that if any of them are traded at all?

Mark P

• I’m assuming that was an auto-correct from Bednar, since a team so close to Scranton can’t move noted office manager Andy Bernard!

  Feels like Bednar is being dealt, and I wouldn’t be shocked if Keller goes too.  Reynolds is less likely since he isn’t hitting and his value is in sell-low mode now, and Hayes I have trouble seeing moved at all given his injury history and lack of offense.

Cleve

• How do the Guardians fix the outfield’s total lack of production?

Mark P

• Technically it isn’t “total” because of Kwan, but I see your point.

  They’ve put a lot of undue pressure on DeLauter, but calling him might help out if he can play well as a rookie.  But I’d get a proper center fielder if one can be found, or a veteran utility type that can play RF to spell DeLauter a bit or move into the middle infield to help that situation out

Justin

• Is Tyler Heineman the best catcher in baseball?

Mark P

• Come on, Cal Raleigh is clearly the best.

  So, Heineman is merely the second-best in baseball, no doubt.

• (In all seriousness, having Heineman inexplicably emerge as an ultra-productive backup catcher has been an underrated element to the Jays’ season.)

DeBartolo and Co.

• Thought experiment: Cade Cavalli hasn’t looked entirely great, but he’s had flashes of the prospect/first round pick he used to be. What are the odds a team can see him as a change of scenery candidate with, say, Nathaniel Lowe and we can get a couple decent prospects back?

Mark P

• If you’re a Nats team that is still in clear rebuild mode, is that a risk you want to take?  I’m sure plenty of teams would have interest in Cavalli, yet if you’re DC and have invested all this time and effort in Cavalli’s rehab and development, having him break out in another organization before you’ve given him any kind of chance in the majors would be a real setback

StuckIn LF

• Any thoughts on whether Vaughn Grissom has any future value? He was bypassed by the star kids in Boston but seemed to display some skills.

Mark P

• He’s absolutely a change of scenery candidate.  The Red Sox have plenty of other infield candidates far more entrenched on the depth chart.

Guest

• What do you see the Tigers doing at the deadline

Mark P

• It’ll be interesting to see how Scott Harris approaches his first “go for it” deadline, and how aggressive he may or may not get.  Detroit could clearly use another RH bat and bullpen help, and one could make the case they have the young pitching depth that makes a Suarez trade feasible
• Lots of teams will be in on Suarez if the Diamondbacks make him available, obviously, but the Tigers have the chips to get Arizona’s interest

Brewers

• Agree with your idea to bolster 1st base.  What would it take to get O’Hearn from the Orioles?  One of the young pitchers do it (Myers or Patrick)?

Mark P

• The O’s would happily take either for a rental player who, in the long run, was an absolute found money asset for them.  The question might be if Milwaukee is comfortable moving a controllable pitcher for a rental 1B, but the Brewers might have enough rotation depth that they’d consider it worth it.

At what point…

• How long do teams wait after the ASB to determine if they have what it takes to make a run for the postseason and be buyers? For example, the Cardinals just dropped their first two games in dramatic fashion. How would that affect the managers thoughts on selling/buying?

Mark P

• St. Louis is still three games over .500 and within three games of a wild card.  Two losses won’t move the needle into sell mode or cause the front office to over-react.

  Given how so many teams tend to wait until the last minute anyway, the Cards would stand pat until July 28 or something before really settling on a direction (if any)

Iowa

• Mitch Keller team next week?

Mark P

• Since the deadline isn’t until the 31st, the Pirates

Guest

• Is there a reason the Mariners and Orioles haven’t lined up on trade?

Mark P

• What are you talking about, the Orioles got Luis Castillo from Seattle just back in May
• /doublechecks Baseball Reference

  ….oh, THAT Luis Castillo. Never mind!

preller Jr

• Would Ryan Ohearn cost much for Preller in a trade? He’d easily slide in as a DH/1B platoon with Arraez.

Mark P

• O’Hearn would also be a great fit for the Padres.
• He doesn’t “cost much” in the macro sense of being a rental player, yet there will be enough teams looking for a bat that the Orioles should be able to get a decent return back

Tim

• Looks like Paredes just had a significant hamstring injury for the Astros. Does this put them in the Suarez race or should they start selling with all the injuries? Framber would get a good haul back

Mark P

• This is one of several questions in the last few minutes that have rushed to toss dirt on the Astros’ chances.  We’ll have to wait and see on Paredes’ injury but yeah, that has IL stint written all over it.

  Houston is winning the AL West by four games.  They’re not going to suddenly fold the tent over one injury, even to a key bat like Paredes.

Trade

• Kevin Alcantara for Merrill Kelly?

Mark P

• the D’Backs would definitely do it, and the Cubs would have more hesitation. As obvious as this statement is, it depends on how they value Kelly, since some teams wouldn’t have much interest in a pitcher whose peripherals are so generally so-so
• We’re two hours deep into the conversation, so it’s time to hang it up.  Thanks so much for all the questions, and (barring any pre-deadline madness) the Weekend Chat should be back next weekend

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