MLBTR Chat Transcript

Mark P

• After just one Weekend Chat session in all of July, consider this a bonus entry as a follow-up to yesterday’s chat.

Jason

• Are the brewers for real???

Mark P

• They’ve been “for real” for the better part of the decade.  Whether this is the Brewers team that breaks through to make some serious noise in October remains to be seen, but is is remarkable how this team keeps reinventing itself and remaining competitive.

Guest

• While many teams went shopping for a dress to the party at the high end stores, the Royals found some gems at thrift store pricing.

Mark P

• I also liked a lot of KC’s moves. It might be too little too late, but they addressed some needs in a pretty low-cost manner.

John

• Is resigning Cedric Mullins a real possibility for the Orioles?

Mark P

• If I’m the Orioles at this point, I go with the youth movement.  No more timeshares, no more splitting at-bats with veterans….let the kids play and see what they can do with everyday at-bats.
• If you are adding a veteran, aim higher than Mullins for a real difference-maker in the regular lineup

Greg

• Can the Mariners win world series?

Safeco Field Redux

• So: How good are the M’s? Legitimate World Series contender?

Mark P

• Absolutely.  Seattle might be the best overall team in baseball right now, give or take the Brewers.  So many other contenders have a clear weakness or two, but not the M’s (on paper)

AA

• Which is more likely a Acuna extension or signing Bo?

Mark P

• Acuna’s current deal keeps him under team control through 2028, as the Braves have club options (worth $17MM each) for both 2027-28.  Call me crazy, but I think the Braves will be picking those up. 🙂

  As such, the team doesn’t really need to prioritize an extension this offseason.  Obviously the Braves have been as proactive as anyone in locking players up, but there isn’t any immediate urgency with Acuna.  Plus, Atlanta might want to wait until Acuna has a fully healthy season before considering a second extension.

• So I guess by default, this makes Bichette slightly more likely, even if Anthopoulos traditionally doesn’t aim for those kind of pricey free agent deals.

White Sox Fan

• How many years away are we from competing? Cam we compete every year instead of every so often?

Mark P

• I haven’t loved everything the Sox have done in their rebuild, but they’ve gotten a decent amount of young talent in the fold.  The AL Central’s inconsistency could help the White Sox contend perhaps slightly sooner than expected, but I wouldn’t expect much from the next 2-3 seasons.

Judge

• Is my future at first like Harper?

Mark P

• Judge’s solid defense is the most underrated part of his game.  He is a plus right fielder, and while he didn’t do much defensively in center field last year, the fact that he could do it regularly was alone impressive (and helpful to New York’s overall lineup construction).
• Barring injury concerns, I think the Yankees are fine with Judge in right field for the foreseeable future.  Especially if they’re keeping 1B earmarked for Ben Rice.

Nancy’s Friend Sluggo

• Do you think if a miracle occurred and the Pirates offered Paul Skenes a market value contract that he would sign with them despite their annual second-division status?

Mark P

• Only Skenes knows the answer to this for sure.  He’s made a solid amount of money in his career already via signing bonus and endorsements, so he could choose to bet on himself if he has doubts about Pittsburgh’s ability to compete.

  However, betting on yourself and turning down a $200MM (or probably more) extension offer are two different things.  If the Pirates actually did go all in on making Skenes their guy and offering him a mega-deal, I would lean towards him taking it, just to lock in some generational wealth for himself.

Jack

• Theres an issue with the Orioles about bringing up Beavers and Basallo. Some fans believe the Orioles are holding them back to preserve their rookie status. Question I have is about the 45 day rule. Does time spent on the roster in September count?

Mark P

• Yep, all time spent on the MLB roster counts.

Josh

• What are your early impressions of Luke Keaschall?

Mark P

• He is apparently (checks notes) the greatest player in baseball history
• In all seriousness, he’s been a fun story for the Twins and a real shot in the arm for a fanbase that was understandably miserable on this team after the deadline.  You can’t help but wonder how different 2025 might’ve been for Minnesota if Keaschall hadn’t gotten hurt.

Kwan

• Any chance I get traded in the offseason? Maybe a hometown reunion with the Giants?

Mark P

• Based on past precedent, I’d expect the Guardians to move Kwan during the 2027-28 season, when he is a year away from free agency.

Mrs Stowers

• Have you or your fellow MLBTR Marlins haters changed your opinion about the team yet?  Better than you thought, right?

Mark P

• None of us are Marlins haters.  We (and the rest of the baseball world) thought they weren’t going to be any good this year, but they’ve been proving a lot of people wrong over the last couple of months.  There’s now some hope for a full rebound as early as 2026, depending on how the offseason develops or if the front office feels the roster is ready to contend.

Chef J

• Over easy eggs or scrambled eggs? Who ya got Mark?!

Mark P

• Scrambled eggs all day every day

Gavin’s mom

• Gavin Williams was soooo close to that no-no

Mark P

• I looked this up in the wake of Williams’ near-miss. 2005 was the last MLB season without at least one no-hitter, so we’re overdue for a pitcher (or pitchers, in combined fashion) to have a day of days.
• Tough break for Williams, but if you’re going to lose a no-hitter, giving up a homer to Juan Soto is a pretty respectable way to lose it

RP

• What kind of contract does Devin Williams get given he was the best closer in baseball for years and has been terrible this year?

Mark P

• I expect Williams to pursue one-year contracts, with the idea that he’ll rebound in 2026 and line himself up for a bigger multi-year deal during the 26-27 offseason.

  For something like a one-year, $10MM deal, lots of teams will be willing to sign Williams.  He has major change of scenery potential, and most of his peripheral numbers (save for his barrel rate) are still quite good

flags

• if the twins aren’t sold before the offseason do you see them slashing more payroll with trades of lopez, ryan, ober, jeffers, etc?

Mark P

• Lopez is the only one that would actually represent big cash savings, since the others are still pretty inexpensive as arb-eligible players.  Ryan in particular is a big bargain, earning only $3MM in 2025 and controlled for two more years.

  With this in mind, Lopez may be the likeliest of the group to be dealt, with Jeffers next just because he’s only controlled through 2026.  But even with Jeffers, he could be retained just because Vazquez is also a free agent this year and is certainly not being re-signed.

Yankees Hot Take

• Volpe’s future is at second base due to his lack of arm strength and Lombard knocking on the door, right?

Mark P

• A move to 2B could indeed stop Volpe’s downward slide defensively.  But, if he continues to scuffle at the plate, he’ll need to be a premium defender (wherever he plays) to retain his spot in the everyday lineup.

M. Betts

• Will I be back in the OF next season?

Mark P

• Betts has been very good defensively at shortstop, so I’d guess he stays put.  Whether or not his lack of hitting is directly tied to the position change is unclear.  Betts and the Dodgers probably want to run it back and see what happens in a year when Betts isn’t waylaid by a brutal illness during the spring.

Zach

• Will this be the season that costs Aaron Boone his job?

Mark P

• Boone’s next contract extension hasn’t actually kicked in yet, as it was signed in February and covers the 2026-27 seasons.

  If the Yankees fully collapsed and missed the playoffs entirely, that might be enough to force ownership to make some kind of major move like a managerial change.  For as much loyalty as Boone has received, it might be that a culture change is needed in the clubhouse

Steve

• Can you explain how trades that involve a “player to be named later” work? It there a timeline in which MLB requires the trades like that to be finalized? Could a team theoretically finalize a trade like that during the season but after the trade deadline or does it have to be finalized in the offseason? I’d love to hear about any known behind the scene stories of these trades.

Mark P

• Usually a team provides the other club with a list of a few players to choose from as the PTBNL.  I believe the other team has to decide on its choice within six months of the trade.  This timeframe allows for players drafted that year to be eligible, since clubs cannot trade a player until at least six months after their draft date.

NY Mess

• Stearns and Mendoza both seem really good at their jobs, but this team is pretty bad. Do these guys keep their jobs or is a shakeup coming in the offseason? There could be several hard years in front of this team given payroll, age, and lack of quality.

Mark P

• It always felt like the Mets’ halfway approach to their pitching staff would catch up to them, but the biggest question mark has been the surprising lack of offense.  Lindor hasn’t looked right for a couple of months and may be playing hurt, Vientos’ production fell off sharply, and overall the lineup just hasn’t been the sum of its parts.
• I don’t think either Stearns or Mendoza are going anywhere, but a change in hitting coaches seems very plausible.

Jeff

• Why don’t we see more (or any) teams using openers? It seems like it worked wonders for teams like the Tigers and Rays in recent years. Does the data show otherwise?

Mark P

• Deploying an opener/bulk pitcher for a regular turn in the rotation makes things harder on a pitching staff’s depth.  Over a short period or even a couple of months it can work fine, or even work wonders.  Over a full season, however, it has some drawbacks.

JeffyM

• Where do you think Barger eventually ends up?  Is he a 3B or a RF long term?

Mark P

• I’d install him at third base since that’s a tougher position to fill. There’s no harm in toggling Barger between both 3B and RF as circumstances dictate, for now.

NL playoffs

• Which teams do you have making the postseason?  Any surprise team that could sneak in?

Mark P

• Even with the Mets in freefall and the Cubs being shaky recently, the Reds are the only team that is in decent position right now to break into the playoff picture.  Cincinnati is the only non-playoff NL team with a winning record, since the Giants and Cardinals are both exactly .500

  The way the Mets look right now, I’m hard-pressed to think much of their chances down the stretch.  Meanwhile, the Reds get Hunter Greene back this week.

Colson Montgomery

• Colson make a run at top 3 rookie of the year with the way he is playing?  Who wins the award?

Mark P

• Kurtz is walking away with the AL ROY.  Jacob Wilson will still get plenty of votes despite his injury, plus you’ve got Roman Anthony surging and Noah Cameron continuing to pitch well.  Montgomery is probably out of luck.

Verlander

• Do I have anything left or is the inability of my teammates to put runs on the board. Today was a bad day for the lack of offense.

Mark P

• The Giants’ lack of run support has certainly been an issue, but Verlander hasn’t helped himself with some shaky performances.  I dove into his under-the-hood numbers a bit during that post earlier tonight, and they’re not particularly impressive.

  Whether or not he has anything left in the tank remains to be seen, as there’s probably some change of scenery potential there as well heading into 2026.  Verlander is such a name and has such a history of defying time in the past that some team will definitely be willing to give him another one-year deal.

Marky Mark

• Whats on the Sunday Night Chat Playlist,?

Mark P

• “Bad,” by U2

Nick

• Who will land the biggest free agent deal this coming off-season?

Mark P

• Tucker, by a comfortable margin

Grimace

• Would my appearance rejuvenate the Mets or expose the transient limitations of my powers?

Mark P

• I feel like this is a stand-up comedy bit from the 80’s, but…..why is that character called “Grimace,” anyway?  That’s a pretty weird name for a friendly mascot, isn’t it?

Nolan A

• I should’ve moved on. And you told me to stay…. Ugh

Mark P

• Arenado probably wasn’t checking in on the Weekend Chat when weighing his decisions about accepting a trade or not.

  In all likelihood, Arenado probably has some regrets about not just accepting that trade to Houston.  That’s a real sliding doors moment that would’ve completely changed 2025 for both organizations.

Josh Naylor

• Do you think the Mariners have a legitimate chance to sign Naylor before he hits free agency? What will it take?

Mark P

• He’s a more viable option than Suarez to get re-signed, and if the M’s are willing to stretch the budget, I can see it happening.

  Naylor turned 28 last June, he’s posted four above-average offensive years in a row, and he is on pace to break Rickey Henderson’s steals record.  The downside is that Naylor is a 1B-only player, his numbers have been more solid than elite, and he might want extra in order to stay in a pitcher-friendly environment like Seattle.

Dealer

• If Cubs/SD end tied for WC seeds 4/5who gets home field since season seres went 3-3

Mark P

• The next tiebreaker is inter-division record.

Rafael

• Thoughts on the Phillies since Duran arrival have there chances gotten better to be a favorite to win the World Series

Mark P

• Duran was one of my favourite deadline pickups for any team, and he’s a huge help to Philly’s chances.

Jet2Holiday

• youre the GM of the Braves..do you hire from within or look outside the organization? If so who?
• Are the Braves hiring their next manager from within or outside

Mark P

• I think there’s a non-zero chance it’ll be John Gibbons, based on Anthopoulos’ long history with him.  But, who knows, any number of internal candidates could be on the radar, or other candidates on other teams could emerge

Friars

• Was trading for all these starting pitchers necessary? (Including Miller) I get that we may have King and cease leave in free agency but it seems like a little much considering musgrove is coming back next year

Mark P

• All together now…..you can never have too much pitching!
• There’s also no guarantee that Musgrove returns as a frontline pitcher after his long layoff.

Chris

• Is it crazy to think the Yanks offer Grisham a QO to see if he can do it again?

Mark P

• Grisham’s not getting a QO, even if he has started hitting again.

Bobby Cox

• Do you see the Braves trading Murphy since Drake will be ROY?

Mark P

• Murphy is owed $45MM over the 2026-28 seasons, and there’s another $15MM club option attached for 2029.  He’s been good this year even with Baldwin understandably eating into the catching playing time.

  Given how catching is in short supply around baseball, I don’t think Atlanta would have a ton of trouble finding interest in Murphy on the trade market.

• Moving Murphy does put some extra pressure on Baldwin to keep it going, and retaining both catchers through 2026 also makes some sense.  This would guard against a sophomore slump for Baldwin, for instance

Nothin but Nats

• Nathaniel Lowe… DFA candidate? Huge disappointment for the nats

Mark P

• He’s certainly looking like a non-tender after the year, so an early DFA just to see if another team will eat some of his contract is very possible

Dalton Rushing

• I’m gonna end up being a 3rd string jobber if I can’t learn to hit in the show, correct?

Mark P

• Sure.  But I’ll need to see (way) more than 100 PA in the majors before making a call on Rushing

Carrie Halas

• Way way back when they started the Mcdonald land ads he was the heavy and his full name was evil grimace

Mark P

• This is the kind of delightful tidbit that I love finding in these chats.

Tim

• odds of cards signing Helsley in the offseason

Mark P

• Most players say they like playing for their old club, but Helsley was so particular about it that I think there’s a decent chance of a reunion.  Only Helsley or his agents know if Helsley’s interest extends to the point of perhaps being willing to give the Cardinals a minor hometown discount, but we’ll see how his market plays out

Chris A

• Do you think there is a deal in place for the sale of the Twins? It would make sense to wait for the offseason to announce it. I am super worried without a new owner, the Twins will go into full rebuild

Mark P

• There hasn’t much new news on the ownership front, but who knows what’s happening behind the scenes.  It could be that the Twins’ deadline moves were made just as a harbinger for a sale being announced sooner rather than later.  Or, perhaps the league wants to get the Rays’ sale finalized first before moving onto the Twins.

Tim

• Which player of all time do you wish you could see play in person?

Mark P

• Babe Ruth is the obvious answer.  Plus all of the great Negro League legends that most fans even of that era didn’t get a chance to see play.

Guest

• I think Drake Baldwin is not a lock for ROY at all, Isaac Collins has had a lot to say about that the last two months. Nearly all stats favor Collins.

Mark P

• Forgot to put this as an addendum to that previous post, but you’re right, I think Collins will win NL ROY.  He’s gotten himself in line for an everyday role with a Brewers team that is conquering baseball.

Desertdan

• Is PCA’s post ASG slump a normal second half regression, or something worse?

Mark P

• His strikeout and walk rates were both really rough even when he was crushing the ball in the first half, so some regression was inevitable.

Chris A

• Wasn’t the bad guy the hamburgler?

Mark P

• Yes, I just looked this up on Wikipedia.  As I understand it, Grimace seemed to be more of a main villain before his face turn, whereas the Hamburglar was more of a lower-level nuisance.  That probably made it easier to keep the Hambluglar (tm Vic Michaelis) a bad guy, since obviously McDonald’s can’t endorse the concept of stealing their food.

Cleveland

• Your take on Bazzana? He was the 1.1, but so far seems like the weakest guy taken of the top picks.

Mark P

• The Guardians just promoted him to Triple-A today, which makes sense since he’s been ripping up minor league pitching.

  Obviously it is way WAY too early to pass judgement on anyone from the 2024 draft.  If Kurtz wasn’t breaking out so early and skewing the curve for everyone, Bazzana’s numbers (as a “normal” prospect) would look great.

Check your tiebreaker answer

• Mark, second tiebreaker after head to head is NOT inter-division record—it is INTRA division record..

Mark P

• You’re correct, that was a typo on my part

Rockies

• Do we have a pathway to success in the future, or do we need to pick up more prospects?

Mark P

• I don’t think the Rockies will get truly on track unless they modernize their operation and bring in a bunch of new front office voices from outside the organization.

Galcian

• Do the Cardinals sign any one this Winter or do they stand pact?

Mark P

• A blockbuster signing is doubtful, but I’m sure Bloom will bring in some talent in his first offseason in change
• Time to wrap things up for the evening, now that we got a few more baseball questions in after our deep dive into McDonald’s character lore.  Thanks to everyone who submitted a question, and we’ll be back with more chatting next weekend.
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