MLBTR Chat Transcript

Mark P

• Am I tempting fate by starting a live chat when teams could very easily still be making moves on the eve of the roster expansion?  I sure am! What might be an interrupted edition of the Weekend Chat begins now!

Tigers

• Odds Kevin McGonigle gets called up tomorrow?

Mark P

• Basically zero.  The Tigers’ GM already said it isn’t happening, and calling McGonigle up past Triple-A entirely doesn’t seem realistic.

bmcferren

• Ketel Marte the top target to bat cleanup for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026?

Mark P

• I find it unlikely that Marte will be dealt anywhere, let alone to a Pittsburgh team that will find his contract too pricey

Mike Trout

• Poll: Do I get to 400 HR’s this season?

Mark P

• He only has 20, so Trout surely won’t hit 380 home runs in just a month.  Not even Judge or Jakob Marsee could do that.

  Real answer: Trout has 398 career homers, so despite the major slump he’s currently in, he’ll surely go yard twice more before the year is out.

Padres and Preller

• Padres look to be going with what they have. SS and starting pitching huge holes and no moves when better options available. Has ownership told AJ to go with what he had and no more $ available for roster improvement?

Mark P

• There’s still some time for Preller to add a player (and interrupt my chat) before the 11pm CT deadline, and he could still make adds after today for players who just wouldn’t be playoff-eligible.

  Kiner-Falefa really seemed like the kind of player that would be a good fit in San Diego, however.  Would’ve been an easy fit into shortstop with Bogaerts out.

romorr

• So the Orioles just signed Basallo, and now have a hot Trevor Rogers to consider. What does that contract look like at the end of the year?

Mark P

• Rogers is eligible for free agency after the 2026 season, making him a very interesting extension candidate for Baltimore.  Don’t forget — Rogers pitched poorly and battled injuries from 2022-24, making his impressive numbers this year all the more spectacular.

  This could make Rogers more open to signing a long-term deal and locking in some money now while his value is at its highest.  He might have an eye towards a very lucrative free agent deal next offseason, but the possibility of a lockout could make Rogers prefer getting some security now rather than deal with the added obstacle of labor unrest when he’s a free agent.

• Now that the O’s have finally gotten the ball rolling on contract extensions, it opens up a whole new line of intriguing possibilities for future expenditures.

Giants late run?

• Feels like they have run in them. Only 5 back. Your thoughts?

Mark P

• Interestingly, the Giants only play four more teams for the rest of the season…..two series each against the Dodgers, D’Backs, Rockies, and Cardinals.

  Those extra games against Colorado in particular are a good chance to make up ground, but realistically, the Giants are probably too far out

Drew

• Will the Nats come to regret not trading Gore before the deadline?

Mark P

• Gore could be traded this winter for just as much if not more than he would’ve gotten at the deadline, unless this shoulder problem ends up being something serious (and apparently the MRI was clean).  So I don’t think there was any particular rush for the Nats to make a move last month.

tigertownBob

• With a little better season this year should the Tigers try to move Tork this offseason?

Mark P

• That might a creative sell-high move for Detroit.  As much as Torkelson has hit well for the bulk of the year, it ultimately depends on whether or not the front office sees him as someone who can still reach a higher level, or if this might be a peak.

  Don’t forget that if you trade Tork, then that’s a lot of hitting you need to replace in a lineup that is also losing Torres to free agency.

Natitude

• With news of Susana being pulled from a start today due to the dreaded triceps soreness, (see Travis Sykora) is it fair to say that the Nationals front office should punt on 2026 and focus on being competitive in 2027 and beyond?  Zero pitching depth for this poverty franchise right now and no immediate help on the way.

Mark P

• Regardless of what happens with Susana, it already seemed like the Nats would be treading water next year.  A new PBO/GM will likely take a year to evaluate things and see what the organization has before deciding how to approach a return to contention.

Reds fan

• Stewart being called a bit too late to provide the offensive spark the reds desperately needed over a week ago. Held down for some dumb financial/playing time reason?

Mark P

• The PPI factor was surely on the Reds’ minds to some extent, but don’t forget that Stewart didn’t even make his Triple-A debut until after the All-Star break.  It’s understandable how a team would want to give a good prospect some real run at Triple-A before giving him the extra challenge of the big leagues

Delman

• Buehler will be joining the Phillies rotation after 1 AAA start.  Expectations?

Mark P

• Not much. His ultimate role will be as a bullpen arm, if that

Al Kaline Battery

• Watching the Royal play the Tigers this weekend, they have a pretty good team . What do they need to get to the next level?.The outfield still seems like the week point.

Mark P

• Yaz has been hitting like his grandfather since the trade, so that’s at least one outfield hole that has been filled.  But long-term, the outfield should certainly still be the Royals’ priority this winter.

Bobby Cox

• Philly going to miss wheeler in post season

Mark P

• Absolutely.  I don’t want to say losing Wheeler ends the Phillies’ chances since their team is still so good, but I can’t think of many examples of a club losing their best pitcher a month before the playoffs and still winning it all.

Eric

• Do you think Bill Schmidt and Warren Schaffer are back next year as GM and as manager?  Definitely not the right people for the job in Colorado.

Mark P

• Because it’s the Rockies, my default view is to assume both will return.  Until ownership actually makes a seismic change like bringing someone in from outside the organization, I’ll believe that the Rox will stick with the status quo.

Rangers

• What is best case for Corey Seager? Comes back with 1 week left in season?

Mark P

• It’s tricky since an appendectomy is the kind of thing that doesn’t come with a set timeline.  Seager is probably likely to try and push it to come back sooner than later if the Rangers remain in contention.

Corbin Carroll Fan Club

• Should AZ actually be excited about Blaze Alexander & Ryne Nelson?

Mark P

• Nelson in particular looks like a rotation guy going forward, so yes.  Alexander looks like a good multi-position bench guy, even if presumably Arizona’s infield will still be crowded in the club’s ideal scenario of Lawlar becoming an everyday 3B

JeffyM

• Are you surprised the Rangers didn’t put their bullpen arms on waivers?  Or is there a chance guys were put on waivers and could be claimed before 11 that we don’t know about yet?

Mark P

• It’s possible we don’t know of some moves that might yet happen, but Texas is on a roll right now. They might’ve been more aggressive in trying to cut salary if a wild card spot wasn’t still such a distinct possibility.

White Sox Fan

• Well, looks like we’re still gonna hold the record for most modern day loses

Mark P

• Noted White Sox fan Pope Leo can’t work miracles this quickly

Touch ‘Em All

• Do you think the Jays can hold on to the division, and do you trust their bullpen in the playoffs?

Mark P

• No and no.  I think Boston’s got more going for them right now, including at least one reliever in Chapman who is on the roll of his career.  The Jays’ bullpen is almost en masse in a slump right now, either due to overwork or the league just getting a book on some of these guys.
• It’s the nature of relief pitching that the Jays pen could suddenly snap back to form, but I have my doubts

Beat Em Bucs!!!

• What can you see the Pirates doing this offseason? They need bats and have a surplus of good young pitching. I would like to see them add two bats to their lineup.

Mark P

• As much as “you can never have too much pitching” applies, dealing a young arm for a young up-and-coming bat makes a ton of sense for the Pirates.  I agree that they need multiple hitters to help get things turned around, and if ownership isn’t going to spend in free agency, then the front office has to be more aggressive on the trade front.

Jrmomo1000

• Do you think marmol will be the cardinal manager next year

Mark P

• 2026 is the last guaranteed season of Marmol’s contract, so the Cards would be eating just one year of money in the event of a managerial change.  Allowing Bloom to pick his own manager would make sense with Bloom fully taking over the front office, and Bloom might welcome this flexibility since he basically inherited Alex Cora in Boston.

Still Miller Park

• Does this Brewers team have what it takes to win it all?

Mark P

• Absolutely.  The Brewers are a scary opponent for anyone in October.

Dodgers fan

• The bullpen is scaring me what do you think

Mark P

• It’s certainly a concern, but the Dodgers seem to go into October every year with a patchwork pitching staff but have still made it work with two titles in five years.

Mill Badlock

• Can we now consider Henry Davis a complete 1/1 bust?   I see no hope for improvement at the plate.

Mark P

• For the “what should the Pirates do this winter” question earlier, the answer maybe should’ve been an overhaul of their hitting development strategies.

  Davis has a 57 wRC+ over 610 career PA, or a little more than the equivalent of one full MLB season.  While it’s early to write him off entirely, there haven’t been many or any flashes that Davis is close to breaking out, so that’s a very troubling lack of progress for a player that (as a 1-1 pick) had to be a key building block in a rebuild.

Peter Bendix

• What happen to the Mets this weekend? Are the Marlins that good or the Mets are so bad?

Mark P

• The Mets’ pitching is so inconsistent that they’re always prone to a rough series, or a rough week, or several weeks.  The Mets’ biggest plus right now is that so many other NL teams are kind of treading water, so New York is still in a wild card spot

Nick Flack

• do you think the cardinals should move on from arenado?

Mark P

• They should’ve moved on last winter, and I suspect the front office is still shaking their head of the chain of events that led Arenado to reject that deal to Houston.

  Going forward, it’s hard to see much of a trade market for Arenado at all given his salary and how his offense has completely fallen off the table this season.

Jackson

• Will the Phillies fix their outfield come the offseason and 2026? Bader is an improvement, but he’s a rental. It’s just getting old watching the same lackluster platoons play out year after year

Mark P

• Crawford’s on the horizon, and it would help the Phillies a ton if he’s able to be a productive rookie from the jump.  Kepler obviously isn’t returning and Bader is a BA, and I wonder if the Phils might try to explore any kind of “unwelcome contract swap” for Castellanos
• The trouble is that the Phils have a lot of money invested elsewhere in the roster, so there’s less to spend on a big splashy outfield move.  Now that being said, I won’t rule the Phillies out on Kyle Tucker or someone since that’s just how this team rolls, but to some extent Dombrowski’s hands are a little tied in terms of obvious ways to help the outfield

Bregman

• What are you thinking? 1) He opts out, becomes a free agent and signs elsewhere? 2) He opts in & plays another year under his current deal? 3) He signs an extension?.

Mark P

• My guess is that he signs an extension to remain in Boston, either before free agency opens or just after the market opens.
• There’s no way he opts in, and there seems to be enough mutual admiration between him and the Sox that I suspect both sides want to make a deal happen

Bobby Cox

• Braves will pick up Albies option? I mean numbers are padded by last month but he has 0 range arm but 2nd market is weak.

Mark P

• Albies’ club option for 2026 is worth $7MM, but with a $4MM buyout.  So the difference of just $3MM will almost certainly make Atlanta exercise the option, even if there’s a chance Albies is then traded elsewhere

I don’t know’s on 3rd

• Why don’t the Phillies have to pick up all of Buehlers contract?

Mark P

• When a team releases a player, they are responsible for the rest of any salary owed.  A new team is responsible for just the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary, subtracted from the remaining overall salary left on the contract (in Buehler’s case, $3.4MM or so).

Dave D

• I understand why they reduced the roster size in September, but 28 seems small  Any discussion of may be expanding to maybe 30 at least ?

Mark P

• I’m sure the MLBPA wouldn’t mind having more jobs available for a month.  But, I think having having 30 roster spots still gets into the “competitive advantage or disadvantage during pennant races” territory the league and union looked to eliminate when cutting September rosters down from 40.

Brewers Fan

• At what point does the evaluation of a particular player trait change? Asking re Bruce Turang, whose 40 power grade is looking ridiculous at the moment

Mark P

• I dunno who this Bruce Turang guy is, but Brice Turang has been on an absolute scorcher for the last month.  Don’t be surprised if/when Turang wins NL Player of the Month for August.

different brewer fan

• yeah and can we adjust his fielding grade?

Mark P

• DRS still has him at +9, but even that’s down from +22 last year.  I’m not sure I’ve watched the Brewers enough to make an eye test evaluation, but put it his way, if you’re a Milwaukee supporter…..you’re pretty happily taking this better-hitting version of Turang, right?

Brian

• Do the M’s call up Harry Ford in September? With Raleigh not going anywhere, what do you think of his future in Seattle?

Mark P

• I’m on record as predicting Ford to have been a deadline trade piece, so I was a touch surprised to see him stay put.  Then again, teams were loath to move big prospects in general midseason, so maybe we’ll need to wait until the winter to see Ford dealt, since I still feel he’s now an expendable piece.

Bobby Cox

• Where does Nick Allen rate this season fielding had to be top 5. Can’t hit at all, I would rather Raffy Belliard at plate.

Mark P

• Allen’s defensive metrics are elite.  He should be at the very least a Gold Glove finalist, and probably a winner.

  Having a fantastic defensive shortstop who can’t hit isn’t really an issue if the rest of your lineup can pick up the slack.  Allen’s lack of offense has been magnified the fact that so many other Braves hitters struggled for much of the year, but if the front office improves elsewhere, I can see AA standing pat with Allen as the starter.

Santana

• Is picking up Carlos Santana a difference maker for the Cubs?  Could he help them get to the series?

Mark P

• It’s more of a talent floor raise over Turner

Andy

• It seems like alot more players are getting released than in years past. Is this because teams are trying to save some prorated salary?

Mark P

• Don’t forget that the rules were changed a few years ago concerning August trades.  So since teams can no longer move most players after the deadline, you’re seeing more releases or waiver situations as teams try to clear roster space (and save money)

Halos

• Do you think the Angels will bring back Ron Washington next year, make Ray Montgomery the manager or will they go look elsewhere for a manager?

Mark P

• Wash’s health is the biggest factor, so hopefully is given full clearance from his doctors.  The Angels probably exercise his option year and bring Washington back for at least one more year.

Billington

• Chandler Simpson leads league in SB and also caught SB??

Mark P

• Caballero leads in steals, but Simpson is the leader in CS.  This isn’t that surprising to see Simpson so high in both categories given that he’s such a baserunning specialist with elite speed.

rusty

• With Wheeler’s move to IL is Painter’s call up coming soon?

Mark P

• Painter hasn’t pitched great at Triple-A, so it seems like the Buehler signing was in part the Phillies way of adding a rotation option and lessening the pressure on Painter to even be part of the MLB picture this year
• I’d be surprised if Painter wasn’t called up at all for at least a cup of coffee in the majors, but I don’t see him getting any major role on the roster (or in a playoff roster)

Realignment

• what do you think is more likely, 8 divisions of 4 teams, or 4 divisions of 8?

Mark P

• It depends on how the geography works out with two expansion cities, plus any lingering possibility that the Rays or A’s might be playing elsewhere than Tampa/St. Pete or in Vegas.

  I’d probably prefer four divisions of eight just to add more cache to being a division championship.  Yet the league may prefer more divisions and fewer wild card teams, even if some of the wild card clubs’ records will inevitably top some division winners more often than not

Hungry

• What’s for supper?

Mark P

• I haven’t eaten since lunch, since that flurry of transactions earlier kept me busy on the site.  Post-chat, I might have to hit the fridge for a snack.

Mike DeBartolo

• Why on Earth would I want to trade Mackenzie Gore?

Mark P

• You might not want to, but the next Nationals PBO might be open to the idea.

  If you don’t think Gore (a Scott Boras client) is a long-term candidate to stay in Washington and 2026 is another rebuild year anyway, than there’s some merit to the idea of selling high on Gore in a trade this offseason.

Al Kaline Battery

• I know you guys did a poll this week on regional realignment if the league expands. What are your personal feelings on the subject?

Mark P

• There is so much tradition within the AL/NL that I want to see that preserved, rather than the weirdness of a “West League” and “East League.”  You can rework the geography within the current league alignments and incorporate expansion teams into the mix, but I want to see the AL and NL groupings generally remain intact.

  Then again, as a Jays fan, my main priority in any alignment would be to see the Blue Jays get out of any division with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays.  So if this means the Jays in the NL, bring it on!  🙂

Lou Brown

• Mark, I always ask of you think Trout really has 6 years left in him/will play out his contract…And you never wanna comment..I get that you don’t wanna jinx the man, but come on! Whadaya think??

Mark P

• I doubt Trout would walk away from a year or two of guaranteed money and retire early, but only he knows the state of his body, or how much longer he wants to keep playing.  Since this is shaping up as one of his healthiest seasons in some time, if anything, you’d think Trout might have more confidence in his ability to stay on the field

O Brother Where Cart Now

• Is Carter Jensen is, or is Carter Jensen ain’t, a long term glove option behind the plate versus another 1B/DH bat?

Mark P

• The scouting reports seem to think his glovework is pretty good, so there’s no immediate to reason to think that Jensen can’t stick as a catcher.

  Whether he’s the heir apparent to Salvy remains to be seen, in no small part because Blake Mitchell might ultimately have that role.  It gives the Royals some interesting options for the future once Perez decides to hang it up.

What to do with Marcus Semien

• I know Marcus Semien is a fan favorite for his hustle, defense and durability. However he is clearly in decline and not worth his contract which was definitely a Scotty B special. Do you think the Rangers could get him to agree to a restructuring or pay cut and assuming that’s a no, is it worth eating a chunk of his salary to get a couple of mid to lower level prospects and move on?

Mark P

• A restructure is clearly a no.  Semien is owed $72MM from 2026-28, and other teams are just as aware of Semien’s offensive dropoff, so the Rangers would have to eat a big chunk of that contract in the event of a trade.

  Barring some kind of bad contract swap, all the Rangers can really do with Semien is hope that he rediscovers his old form at the plate.  This seems like an odd suggestion for a player who is still a very good defender, but perhaps some DH days to help keep him fresher might help?  It could be that Semien’s durability is a bit of a hindrance at this point, and a few more breaks might help him re-adjust.

Reds country

• will Sal Stewart be available for the postseason if the reds get their act together and make it?

Mark P

• Yep.  The August 31 rule only applies to players coming into the organization.  Teams can and have called up prospects well after September 1 who have gone to play big roles in the playoffs.
• Time to call it a wrap on tonight’s chat.  Thanks for all of your questions, and the Weekend Chat will re-open in, oh, let’s say six or seven days’ time.
• 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:

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