MLBTR Chat Transcript

Mark P

• One of the final Weekend Chats of the regular season is now underway. Let’s take a minute for some questions to pile up, and then launch….

Noah

• Do you think we see any FO/Coaching changes in Tampa next year? Two meh years in a row and a lot of guys at all levels took a step back this year…

Mark P

• A new ownership group means nothing is guaranteed, but reports have already indicated that no big changes are coming.  And, I feel, rightly so.  2025 could easily be viewed as an aberration due to the oddity of the ballpark situation, and the Rays’ track record is pretty stellar

Jason

• How in the world are the Guardians still in the wild card picture, and seem destined to finish above .500 regardless?  On paper this team looks…not very good.

Mark P

• The struggles of many other AL teams have opened the door for the Guardians, and it has helped that Cleveland has been feasting on some lighter competition
• Cleveland/Texas in the final series of the regular season, and that would be a lot of fun if that’s a de factor play-in series for a wild card slot

Slider33

• Time for the Reds to pack it up?

Mark P

• Speaking of teams that had a door open for them, the Reds have been struggling badly over the last four weeks.  Cincinnati only had to play decent ball in that stretch, and they’d be well in front of the Mets at this point

A frustrated Angels Fan

• I don’t get it, this season should have been better. I’m not saying they were supposed to make the playoffs but to not trade outgoing free agents for prospects and then absolutely screw up the number 2 pick in this years draft. I would think the front office and manager /coaches would be changed. What do you think?

Mark P

• Ron Washington’s health situation probably means he’ll return for a proper full season as manager in 2026.  Perry Minasian just signed an extension about a year ago, through 2026 is the last guaranteed year of that extension.

  The bigger problem is still at the ownership level, as the Angels simply lack much direction.  This isn’t at all to say that Minasian is blameless for the state of the roster, but to some extent his hands are tied by Arte Moreno’s wishes.

Guest

• If the Rangers DO make it, is Eovaldi able to be back in time?

Mark P

• Nope. When he went on the IL, there was no “well, if they make it deep enough into October…” qualifier on his status.

Herman

• Hey Angels fan, the Braves did the same dumb stuff not trading Iglesias or Ozuna. Please tell me they don’t go wild and offer Ozuna a contract for 2026?

Mark P

• Ozuna is almost certainly gone.  Much more likely that Atlanta opens up the DH space and payroll space by letting him walk.

Guest

• Can SDP resign King given their other payroll commitments?

Mark P

• Given all of the time King has missed this year, it might’ve helped keep him in the Padres’ price range.  Chances are King is looking at either a one-year contract or a 2-3 year deal with multiple opt-outs, so he can (in theory) re-enter free agency next winter after a full and healthy season to land a bigger long-term deal.
• It’s not entirely out of the question that King accepts a qualifying offer from San Diego, for such a short-term pact.  Or, maybe the Padres work out an opt-out laden new contract themselves.

What? Good News for the Nats? Unpossible!

• No real question, just sharing my real enjoyment of the rookie season that Daylen Lile is having. .288/.339/.457/.796. With 14 doubles, NINE triples, and five HRs in 79 games. Nats 2021 draft is actually looking kinda OK. Which is a refreshing novelty for the team.

Mark P

• He’s looked really good, so that’s at least one silver lining in a grim Nationals season.  At the very least, Lile has put himself in the running for an everyday job next year, even amidst a fairly crowded OF picture

Hud

• Who’s your MVP pick, Judge or Raleigh?

Mark P

• Who would get your vote as AL MVP?

  ---

  Judge (30.1% | 195 votes)

  Raleigh (69.8% | 452 votes)

  ---

  Total Votes: 647

Baseball fan

• How do you think Yesavage does tomorrow? What do you think his role will ultimately be down the stretch and into the postseason, and would you have made the move as Tor?

Mark P

• He’ll ultimately be a reliever, since the Jays have too many other proven veterans as rotation options.  To that extent I’m a little surprised he’s debuting as a starter at all.
• As to whether or not I’d have done it, I guess it can’t hurt?  The Jays’ bullpen has been shaky enough (despite some better results in the last week) that Yesavage might provide some spark, and an unknown quantity for opposing batters

Giants Collapse

• arw the Giants of the last month closer to what they are than that mid-summer run? And how much do they need to do in the offseason to truly compete all of next season? Pitching moves only with the offense they have and Eldridge on the way?

Mark P

• It can be reasonably assumed that Devers and Adames will hit more their usual selves (as they have in the last month or so) in 2026 than they did for much of 2025.  While rotation help is certainly a need, the Giants need to address the outfield, and second base.

UGA 44 Vols 41

• Do you see the Braves having a real chance at Kyle Schwarber and do the Braves trade Sean Murphy this offseason?

Mark P

• Murphy is owed $45MM over the next three years, and he’ll spend the offseason rehabbing from hip surgery.  His trade value is pretty minimal right now, so the Braves’ plan is probably just to keep Murphy/Baldwin as the catcher/DH combo.

  Schwarber would be a great fit basically anywhere, but a particularly great fit in Atlanta.  That said, I find it hard to believe that the Phillies won’t break the bank to re-sign him.

Kris Bubic

• Do I sign an extension this offseason, or bet on myself to deliver a full season of all star stuff and get PAID

Mark P

• As good as Bubic looked this year, missing two months with a rotator cuff strain will throw a wrench into his asking price for any extension talks.

  Given how the Royals have made a point to lock up starting pitchers, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they also talked with Bubic about a long-term deal.  Or, on the flip side, they may be less open to extending Bubic since so much has been invested elsewhere in the rotation.

  Keep in mind that Bubic has already had a lot of ups and downs in his career, plus injury issues.  He might welcome the chance to lock in some life-changing money right now, even if that means he leaves some on the table in foregoing free agency.

Ethan

• Do you see the Guardians non-tendering Nolan Jones next year?

Mark P

• He will be arb-eligible for the first time this winter, and is controlled through 2028.  So that’s enough control at a cheap enough price tag that the Guardians might give him one more chance….but yeah, I’d lean towards a non-tender

RJ

• Do the Angels go after Cody Belinger this offseason? Seems to be a good fit

Mark P

• I’m sorry to keep giving the same answer to Angels fans year after year when they ask about big-ticket free agent pursuits…..but if you’re a star player with options, why choose the Angels over a team with a much more clear-cut chance of winning?  LAA would have to drastically overpay to get onto Bellinger’s radar.

Race of the Century

• Willie Mays Hayes vs Adult Benny the Jet Rodriguez. Who wins?

Mark P

• Outstanding question. My pick is Hayes, because we saw more of him as an adult than we did of Benny the Jet.

Playing Nats GM

• Who is a realistic target for the Nationals this offseason assuming they moderately spend with new front office hire(s)? They can’t go another offseason with some ridiculously low $50M budget again.

Mark P

• I think another lower payroll is very likely, barring a real change of direction from the Lerner family.  It may depend on who the next PBO/GM actually is, but in all likelihood, the Nationals will continue in low-spending rebuild mode, adding just some veterans on one-year deals.

The Shortstop Andres Gimenez

• Are the Blue Jays telegraphing something in subtly moving Gimenez over to SS in Bo’s absence?  I’ve always thought the trade with Cleveland last winter made very little sense if Gimenez wasn’t being seen as the opening day SS in 2026

Sneaky Pete

• Can the Giants front office convince Bo Bichette to take $225mil to play 2nd base?

Mark P

• 2025’s success notwithstanding, I think it’s still likely that Bichette is playing elsewhere next year.  The Gimenez trade was indeed probably a hedge for the Jays, in part because at the time of the deal, Bichette was still a question mark coming off his rough 2024 performance.

  Bichette being open to a 2B position change would also help his overall free agent case, in addition to being the more logical move overall in the long run for him on the field.  Teams that may be hesitant about Bichette’s shortstop glovework, or simply don’t have a shortstop spot open (i.e. the Giants) would be much more willing to engage in his market for Bichette the second baseman

Veteran Righthander

• An also-ran team you think might be a sleeper for next year, based on later-season call-ups and better performances by starters?

Mark P

• This doesn’t really fit your criteria, but the Royals started playing a lot better once they started getting even a modest amount of production from their outfield.  Bolstering the outfield and adding more hitting in general could get KC back into contention next year, since they’ve got the arms.

Dave Dombrowski

• Given Aaron Nola’s decline and Zack Wheeler’s postoperative uncertainty, what are the chances I re-sign Ranger Suarez? Alvarado’s money is a start…

Mark P

• The 2026 rotation looks like Sanchez, Walker, Nola, hopefully Wheeler, and presumably Painter.  Rather than spend a lot of money on reuniting with Suarez, I can see the Phillies adding more of a depth starter type, since on paper, they might have a rotation surplus if all goes well.

  That said, when does it ever go well?  Since unexpected injuries (i.e. Wheeler) or sudden struggles (i.e. Nola) can happen at any time, more pitching is always a need.  Once we get more of a sense of Wheeler’s status, it’ll be easier to predict Philly’s next move

Garrett

• Does Frankie Frisch letting a bunch of his pals into the Hall in the 70s still have an effect today?

Mark P

• It led to an overhaul of how the HOF approaches the veterans committee, though those committees have been altered many times over the years.  Beyond that, I’m not sure it has much impact outside of “who is the worst Hall of Famer?” arguments

Andrew R.

• So Luzardo isn’t in the Phillies rotation plans next year?

Mark P

• Whoops, forgot to add Luzardo to that list!  Yes, he’s obviously part of the 2026 rotation.

Ken

• Jacob Wilson’s defensive metrics at SS leave something to be desired. Should the A’s shift him to 3B and have Darell Hernaiz handle SS until Leo DeVries arrives?

Mark P

• Wilson’s got a good arm, but it’s just a matter of whether or not his range is so limited that 3B would also be a problem.

DT

• Is there a market for Brent Rooker with the emergence of Kurtz and Soderstrom/could he potentially bring back a mid rotation starter type in a deal?

Mark P

• Not that the A’s care a ton of about PB, but they just signed Rooker to a long-term deal last spring.  Trading him less than a year after that signing doesn’t seem too likely.

Guest

• What would a Naylor contract look like with him only being 28? 4 years 90ish

Mark P

• My feeling is he’ll get less than $90MM, though his younger age is a plus.  It’s possibly Naylor might even explore an opt-out in his contract in order to maybe re-enter free agency when he’s still young, but being a 1B-only player might mitigate that flexibility.

Dave

• Walker Buehler a possibility for 2926 Phillies?

Mark P

• Wow, that’s one long career.  Not even Jamie Moyer pitched for 900 years.

  Typo jokes aside, Buehler might get himself into the Phillies’ plans with a good showing in September (or October….), but odds are, Buehler will want a chance at a clear rotation job on his next team.

Richard

• Is Bochy manager of the Rangers in 2026?

Mark P

• There have been some conflicting reports on Bochy for much of the season, so it’s all up to his personal decision.  If he wants to manage another year, it seems the Rangers will happily take him back.  If a new deal is reached, it’s probably likely to be a rolling year-to-year type of pact that gives Bochy flexibility if he decides to retire.

Marlins

• who’s a FA we can sign? We have the SP, and now with Marsee and Stowers we are in wild card conversation with one more legit bat

Mark P

• This will be an interesting offseason in Miami.  The most probable outcome is that the Marlins will continue to play it safe and sign (at most) a couple of veterans to one-year contracts, since the team needs a lot more than just “one more legit bat” to patch up all the holes in the lineup.

Tiger Town

• If Skubal misses any time or his injury lingers, Detroit is cooked, right?

Mark P

• It doesn’t look like Skubal’s injury is all that serious, so the Tigers caught a major break.  But yeah, if he’d been hurt, that alone would’ve almost certainly scorched Detroit’s chances.

Midwest

• What does a Salvy extension look like? Who are most likely targets for the Royals to get them into the post season? Also, is Salvy a first ballot HoF or an eventual famer?

Mark P

• It’s been such a rough year offensively and defensively for Perez that if it was anyone else, it would be an easy call for the Royals to decline his option.  But, since he’s a franchise icon, he’ll be back for $13.5MM (really it’s an $11.5MM decision for the team due to the $2MM buyout).

  The Fermin trade at the deadline basically cemented Perez as returning for at least 2026. An extension isn’t out of the question, but the Royals have enough young catchers in the pipeline that committing too many more years to Perez doesn’t seem feasible.

Verlander

• Is he cooked?

Mark P

• He has a 2.44 ERA over his last 10 starts.  Verlander has quickly gone from “cooked” to “on fire,” and he’s been a big part of the Giants’ surge.

AndthenIsaid

• Will shutting Winn down early hurt his chances at a GG?

Mark P

• Nick Allen has the better overall slate of public metrics, as both DRS and OAA love his work.  Winn is only getting the love from OAA, and Mookie Betts is the inverse, getting great DRS grades but only good OAAA grades.

  If anything, Winn being such a good defender despite playing hurt all year might be a point in his favor with voters

Preller Jr

• Has Laureano played his way out of SD with his well he has done since the trade? He seems to be a great fit in LF and a backup in CF.

Mark P

• That’s a question the Padres won’t have to answer for a while.  They hold a $6.5M club option on his services for 2026, and that’s a lock to be exercised the way Laureano is playing.

Bernie Brewer

• Do the Brewers and Brandon Woodruff exercise the mutual option for next season ?

Mark P

• Given the long history between the two sides and the circumstances, this might be the rare example of a mutual option has a tiny chance of being mutually exercised.

  But, the much more likely scenario is that Woodruff is a free agent.

Aaron

• Do you keep Volpe out for the rest of the season

Mark P

• At this point, yes.  Caballero looks like the better option, and Volpe is just simply not healthy.
• It begs the question of why he wasn’t put on the IL months ago.

Chris Getz

• Do the White Sox pursue anything this offseason? They seem to have the infield and catcher covered, and if Benintendi and Tauchman come back, maybe they’ll need a starter or two to hold down the rotation until some arms start coming back mid-season. Maybe a power hitting 1B? Josh Naylor?

Mark P

• The White Sox aren’t remotely in the position to start signing prominent free agents like Naylor.

DBacks 40-man

• To what degree should I be concerned about the Snakes needing to add 9(!) players back from the 60-day IL at the end of the season? Never mind protecting guys from the R5

Mark P

• A few spots will be opened by non-tenders and free agents, but you’re right, it’s a large number.  Arizona might be a team to watch when it comes to early-offseason trades.

Alpa Chino

• Bees?

Mark P

• Beads?!

Moyor City Beach Bum

• What are your thoughts about Tigers signing Schwarber to DH in Detroit? Move Carp into the OF which is what he wants. Would that be the ideal big bat they need to anchor that lineup for the next 4-5:years?

Mark P

• As noted earlier, Schwarber would help most every team in baseball.  The Tigers included, for the very reasons you mention.  It does add yet another lefty bat to the lineup, but for the sake of adding Schwarber’s power, it’s fine (plus Detroit could then trade another LHH elsewhere).
• Not to sound like a broken record, however, but chances are he’ll stay in Philadelphia.  And, I hesitate to put the Tigers as suitors for any big-ticket free agent until they actually land one, though in fairness they did push for Bregman

Ray

• Besides Tucker, which of the Cubs’ other OFs/DHs figures to be gone next season? I’d like to see Ballesteros stay.

Mark P

• Suzuki and Happ are both free agents after 2026, but they also both have no-trade clauses.  That doesn’t necessarily rule out a trade if either player is open to a move, except it makes things much trickier in finding a deal acceptable to all sides.

Package for the Reds

• What would be a good package for Matt McLain, dudes a hard worker and decent producer but he has fallen off a bit this year

Mark P

• He’s fallen off more than “a bit,” so a trade fit might be another player in McLain’s same situation — a former top prospect who might’ve had some early MLB success but has since struggled.  Basically, the Reds would want someone else that might benefit from a change of scenery.

  The other factor with McLain is that teams might be concerned that his downturn is due to his injuries, or even that his 2023 rookie success was mostly based on BABIP.

My Name Here

• Is Lawrence Butler the new Terrence Long; 6 good weeks a long time ago somehow keeps him on the roster for years.

Mark P

• The big increase in strikeouts and the home/away splits are certainly concerns, but Butler is still a pretty useful player overall.  Perhaps ultimately his optimal usage will be part of a platoon.

Bobby Cox

• Aa made a good move at ss. Does ha take the option

Mark P

• Kim has barely played this year, so it seems likely that he’ll pick up his option and lock in that $16MM

Randy

• What is PB?

Mark P

• Passed balls?  Peanut butter?

  If you mean the PBO acronym I used earlier, it’s “president of baseball operations”

Cat_Herder

• Struggling Tigers fan. This team seems to be so streaky, especially offensively. Can you offer some hope for October?

Mark P

• Skubal appears to be ok, which is the best news Detroit could’ve possibly received.  The trick with a streaky team is that if their next hot streak happens to take place in October, the Tigers will be really hard to stop.

Zakis

• Your prediction for Walker Jenkins next year?

Mark P

• He’ll make his MLB debut sometime in 2026 and (to provide Twins fans with some optimism) be in the running for Rookie of the Year honors.
• After two hours of chatting, it’s time to wrap things up. Thanks to everyone who sent in a question, it’s always great to hear from the readership!
• If you’re interested in more baseball Q&A, one of the many benefits of our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription is the exclusive weekly live chats. The more limited field means you’re about 10 times more likely to get a question answered, as opposed to battling for space with hundreds of other questions in today’s chat. For more on our memberships, check out this link:

  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/membership?ref=chat-9-14-25