MLBTR Chat Transcript

Mark P

• It occurs to me that I could’ve been called myself “Moderator Mark” for the last six years of these chats.  While I wince at the missed opportunity, let’s take some of your questions and address some admittedly more relevant baseball topics!

Ca$hman

• Does Trent Grisham get a qualifying offer? Does he accept it if offered?

Mark P

• The Yankees will very likely extend the QO, and Grisham will surely turn it down.  Coming off such a big platform year, Grisham is looking for a pricey multi-year deal, not a one-year payday.

Optimistic Giants Fan

• What’s the crummiest bullpen thats ever won the World Series in your opinion?

Mark P

• Just from recent memory, the 2019 Nationals and 2023 Rangers didn’t exactly have great pens, though they had just enough relievers get it together for just long enough in October.

Braves Fan

• What will the Braves do at SS if Kim walks? Do we see Profar or Murphy traded to help fill that hole?

Mark P

• The likelier scenario is that the Braves trade from their farm system or perhaps move a pitcher to land another shortstop.  Murphy doesn’t have a ton of trade value at this point, plus Atlanta might want to keep depth at catcher in case Baldwin has a sophomore slump.  Also, the Braves have to be thinking Murphy has a rebound in him, and THEN the club might be more inclined to deal him if Baldwin is firmly established as the top catcher.Profar’s PED suspension probably cooled a lot of teams on his services.  Plus, if the Braves dealt Profar, then that’s another hole to be addressed for left field.

Brady

• Do you think the Tigers should go all in this offseason?

Mark P

• Scott Harris has kept things pretty low-risk during his time in charge of the front office, so an all-in push in Skubal’s last year of control doesn’t seem likely.  Same with Tigers ownership, who seem content to keep spending in check.Granted, the team has made it to the ALDS in each of the last two seasons, so it’s not like things are going poorly in Motown.  But the ceiling for this team definitely seems higher, especially with an ace like Skubal in the rotation

Mark

• Will A. Garcia be a Rangers next year or trade bait?

Mark P

• Trade bait or probably even a non-tender.

Craig Breslow

• can you see me making a package deal with the Cardinals for Gray, Contreras and Wynn

Mark P

• Cardinals aren’t going to move all their trade chips in one deal, and moving Winn doesn’t seem likely at all.

Cal

• Is Cal Raleigh the MVP?    Only 6 players have hit 60 homers.  And I am a catcher with a platinum glove. Who play 159 games

Mark P

• He’d be my pick, if I had a vote.  Judge’s numbers are overall better, but the degree of difficulty for a catcher hitting 60 home runs in that home ballpark is wild

Ryan

• What bats do the Pirates sign or trade for this offseason?

Mark P

• Spencer Horwitz-type players, in all likelihood.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing since Horwitz had a good year, and obtaining controllable young hitters is something the Pirates should absolutely be doing.Of course, what they also “should” be doing is being willing to spend more on hitting.  Until they do so, however, I’ll continue to assume they’ll keep looking for cost-effective bats rather than more proven talent

Arte Moreno

• Could you see Bo Bichette shifting to 3B or 2B this off-season?

Mark P

• Bichette’s arm isn’t great, so 2B seems to be the more likelier option if he is open to a position change.From both a financial and common-sense standpoint, it would make sense for Bichette to move off shortstop.  Being willing to play 2B opens the door for more potential suitors, plus it solves concerns about his glovework at short.

TameImp

• After a really rough postseason  – what is Luke Weaver looking at in FA? Less than what Holmes got last year?

Mark P

• Holmes isn’t an ideal comp since he signed as a starting pitcher.  Weaver said in September that he is open to considering a move back to rotation work, though it depends how many teams share a belief that he can return to his early-career starting form.Chances are Weaver remains a reliever, and still lands a multi-year deal.  A one-year “prove it” sort of pact is possible, and Weaver might even prefer such a contract since it would allow him to re-enter the market next winter on the heels of a better platform year

Freddy

• Any chance that Buxton changes his stance on his no trade clause?

Mark P

• Only Buxton knows this for sure, and he was adamant even after the deadline fire sale that he wants to remain in Minnesota.

o-birds

• Is Albert Pujols an actual candidate to manage the O’s? l just don’t see it and what are our chances of signing Valdez or Gallen?

Mark P

• He’s supposed to interview for the job, so I assume Pujols isn’t being called in just to talk about his three-homer game in the 2011 Series.Valdez/Gallen would represent a new frontier for the O’s in terms of free agent spending.  Even before the Mike Elias era, the Angelos ownership was famously wary of committing big money to pitchers.  The catch here is that I wonder how much Gallen will earn in the wake of his so-so 2025 numbers, and if that could drop him into Baltimore’s price rang
• range

Mark

• Do you think The Pirates will make Jared Jones and/or Oviedo available this off season? When is Jones expected to be ready and what do you think it would cost the Red Sox to trade for either of these pitchers?

Mark P

• Jones is expected back by May, as he underwent a brace surgery rather than a Tommy John surgery.  He could conceivably return before then, to boot.While everything seems okay with his recovery to date, there’s still enough rehab to come that I can see teams shying away from a pitcher coming off major UCL surgery.  Or at least, Jones might draw less attention than some of the other arms Pittsburgh has on offer.

  Oviedo only logged 40 1/3 innings in his own comeback year, as he was sidelined by a lat injury in the wake of his Tommy John rehab.  I’m not sure he was viewed as a prime trade chip even before all these injury woes, so his value is pretty low at the moment

• As it relates to the Red Sox, Boston is probably going to be aiming higher with their pitching search

Guest

• I was thinking after the regular season that Judge was the MVP, but Raleigh is seriously carrying the Mariners throughout the postseason. Will this sway any voters?

Mark P

• Awards voting is done after the regular season, before the playoffs begin.

Starting Pitchers

• Who has more value relative to expected prospect cost in a trade? Peralta or Skubal?

Mark P

• Peralta will earn $8MM next year, and Skubal will cost roughly $17.8MM (as per Matt Swartz’s arb projection).  Even with that big gap in price tag, Skubal should net a bit more in a trade return because he is arguably the best pitcher in baseball.  Peralta is a very good pitcher in his own right, but maybe more of an ideal No. 2 starter on a contender

Robbie Baseball

• Honest question, how is George Springer not a candidate for the MLBPA Comeback Player of the Year award?

Mark P

• The award usually goes to players returning from injury, not players coming back from a bad season.  DeGrom has to be the top choice for the AL honors.

Guest

• what is you take on ontani thowing 6 shut out innings ant hitting 3 home runs been a 55 year old baseball fan and thats simpiy amazing

Mark P

• You can’t make this stuff up.  Ohtani is delivering iconic performances on a regular basis, and even he outdid himself last night.  Maybe literally the best game anyone has ever played, and in a playoff game to boot.

Trade

• Jose Soriano for Brett Baty who says no?

Mark P

• Not sure either side would see that as a total fit.  The Mets obviously need starting pitching, but Soriano is maybe too grounder-dependent for what they’re looking for

Kevin in Pa

• Bloom mentioned the Cards would be in the market for pitching. Does this mean Quintana or more like Cease? Thanks

Mark P

• The Cards are in rebuild mode, so Cease doesn’t fit.  Veteran innings-eaters like Quintana are more likely, but the priority will be giving rotation spots to the younger arms

Brian S

• Do you think Bubic and Isbel could have value as a trade package for an upgrade in CF for the Royals. If so, who’s a team needing SP who could trade a young CF with offensive potential?

Mark P

• Bubic is only controlled through 2026, and Isbel is a fantastic fielder who can’t hit.  I’m not sure that’s enough to land “a young CF with offensive potential” since those types of players are generally kept by their teams.Moving Bubic for a corner OF might be the smoother fit for Kansas City.  As much as the Royals need outfield help, Isbel’s glove is at least a big plus, so they’re probably fine staying with him as the primary center fielder as long as they get some pop for the corners.

Bats or Arms

• Bigger priority for Breslow: resign Bregman or find an actual #2 to slot behind Crochet?

Mark P

• Finding another quality pitcher.  If Bregman leaves, the Red Sox can arguably fill that 3B hole with Marcelo Mayer, even if that’s putting a lot of pressure on a youngster.

Dick Monfort

• What’s a realistic timeline for the Rockies to get back to contention? The whole organization is a dumpster fire. 5-7 years?

Mark P

• Depends on who the GM hire is, but that sounds about right.  In theory, a new GM/PBO will be given the freedom to overhaul basically everything about how the organization operates, which will take a lot of time.

Guest

• Not sure I’ve seen it mentioned anywhere, but if the Reds want more offense, maybe they could swing a trade for Benintendi with the White Sox eating much of the financial cost.  Obviously Benny hasn’t exactly been an offensive powerhouse the past few years, but if you look at expected homers by ballpark, the Reds’ ballpark should be one of the most beneficial ones for him, and LF/DH is enough of a question mark for them where the fit actually isn’t that bad.

Mark P

• I see your logic, but if the Reds are looking for a true upgrade, they can do a lot better than Benintendi

MLB Owners

• Saw an ESPN article before the NLCS saying it could impact CBA negotiations. You buy that? Seems like the cap crowd could make a pretty good case based on that blowout of a series. The Brewers just weren’t in the class of the Dodgers.

Mark P

• So, “blowout.”  Let me be clear, the Dodgers were definitely a lot better than the Brewers in that series and were the clear winners.  But, LA also scored only 15 runs over the four games, and only because they had an all-time performance from their rotation.And, if the Brewers get a big hit in the ninth in Game 1 and win, does everyone’s perceptions of the NLCS change if the Dodgers win in five games rather than a sweep?

  Right now MLB is having its cake and eating it too, in regards to the Dodgers and the upcoming CBA talks.  The Dodgers are a convenient boogeyman to present as an example why the league “must” have a salary cap, yet having a team like the Dodgers is an enormous boost to revenues across the board in terms of TV ratings, fan interest, merch, etc.

H-Town O’s

• Could you see the rangers trading Garcia for Mountcastle?

Mark P

• That’s an interesting concept of basically one non-tender for another.  Yet for either team, I feel like they’d want to explore the market to aim higher for their needs.

White Sox

• Are the White Sox going to loosen the purse strings and actually sign someone worthwhile? Or will it be another penny-ante off-season?

Mark P

• The Sox are still at least two more years away from contention.  In the bigger picture, they might not really start spending to the degree that fans expect until after Justin Ishbia fully buys the team

Kyle

• Arenado for Yoshida, who says no?

Mark P

• Yoshida has no value to a rebuilding team like St. Louis.

Brian

• Phillies would be wise to use money in other areas over giving Schwarber 5yrs at 30+AAV for a guy with 1 +tool. The OF needs work?  What do u think?

Mark P

• This does make logical sense, except Schwarber is such a premium bat and such a leader in that clubhouse that losing him would be a real blow to morale (in addition to the lineup).

Pat

• Do teams startthinking about lockout when offering new contracts?

Mark P

• The upcoming CBA talks and the likelihood of a lockout are definitely on teams’ minds.  It’ll also be on free agents’ minds when considering their options this winter.

Desiree

• What, if anything, would prompt the Pirates to make Paul Skeens available?

Mark P

• If Skenes demanded a trade, that might prompt some movement, but he doesn’t have much leverage to force the team to do anything.It is certainly possible another team calls Cherington this winter and says “look, I know Skenes isn’t available, but we’ll give you [absurd Godfather offer] for him.”  Skenes is as close to untouchable as anyone in baseball, but if the Pirates are realistic about their inability to retain him long-term, they should at least consider a deal if another team offers the absolute moon and stars

Tim

• Let’s get this one out of way, you’re going to get ask alot this offseason. Jo Adell finally gets traded this winter?

Mark P

• I’m not sure why the Angels would move Adell after he’s had the best season of his career.  The Angels’ outfield alignment is imperfect to say the least, yet trading Ward or even Soler in a salary dump seems more plausible than moving Adell

Arenado Fever?

• Why do so many people want Arenado on their favorite team?

Mark P

• Some fans are just that dissatisfied with their own third basemen that even the diminished version of Arenado seems like an upgrade.  Or, they think he’ll bounce back with a change of scenery.  Or, some fans might just not realize how much Arenado fell off in 2025.

Kyle

• If the Brewers do move Peralta what kind of return would they be looking for? A prospect package, or major league talent in an area of need?

Mark P

• I can see it looking pretty similar to the Burnes trade package.  Peralta doesn’t have quite the Cy Young ceiling of Burnes, but he’d be available at roughly half the cost.  At the very least, the Brewers would want one MLB-ready young player, and one slightly more longer-term prospect (or a CBR pick).

romorr

• “”look, I know Skenes isn’t available, but we’ll give you [absurd Godfather offer] for him” So Spencer Jones and Volpe should get the deal done, right? Maybe throw in Will Warren if the Pirates ask for more.

Mark P

• That would be the Godfather 3 of trade offers

Albert Pujols

• Can a manager also be a player ? Player/manager?

Mark P

• Player/managers used to be relatively common back in the day.  I think the most recent player/manager was Pete Rose with the Reds in the 1980’s, and, uh, that didn’t work out great for many reasons.That should be the next challenge for Ohtani, becoming a hitter/pitcher/manager if Dave Roberts were to retire.

Craig Breslow

• Did Masataka Yoshida do enough for me to trade him this off season?

Mark P

• An 88 wRC+ in 205 plate appearances, so nope

Baseball Fan

• Admittedly, I’m not a Tigers fan, so I hadn’t watched them this season until Skubal’s start the other night against the Mariners. Does the rumored contract extension numbers make sense for him or is that a steep overpay?

Mark P

• The Tigers’ initial extension offer seemed absurdly low, both in terms of money and the idea that Skubal would take such a relatively short-term deal.So yeah, Skubal and Boras aiming for a record-setting pitching contract is certainly within reason for them, given how well Skubal has performed.  Anything Detroit offers has to be $300MM, at least, since that’s where Boras wants to move the market.
• We’re cutting things a little short on the chat today since some pretty fascinating news on the Giants’ managerial search is breaking.  Thanks to everyone for all the questions!
• 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-10-18-25