MLBTR Chat Transcript

Mark P

• It’s the first official Weekend Chat of the 2025-26 offseason! Let’s take a minute for some questions to roll in, and then get….uh, rolling

John

• Has the window to trade Coby Mayo closed?

Mark P

• It’ll take a lot more than 340 plate appearances before the Orioles (or other teams) decide that the Mayo has gone bad.  Mayo started to hit a lot better in September, indicating perhaps that he was starting to figure it out against MLB pitching.
• If the O’s did want to move Mayo for a more proven talent, there would be plenty of takers

Guest

• Do the Jays sign any of their FAs?

Mark P

• They already kinda have, if you count Bieber as a free agent.  And I think we all did, since nobody had Bieber passing on the opt-out on our bingo cards.

  Bringing back one of Scherzer or Bassitt is a possibility.  IKF/France/Dominguez are all likely gone, with Dominguez maybe the only one who’d draw some interest for a reunion since the Jays still need relief help.  Of course Bichette is the big question, and his choice will determine the rest of Toronto’s offseason

Armand

• what happens first a big free agent signing or a big trade?

Mark P

• Trade.  I guess it’s a matter of what you’d consider a “big” signing or trade, but most of the top free agents will wait a while to gauge their offers.  A larger trade could technically happen at any time.

Oz

• What is your opinion of the Braves decision to not pick up the options on Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley?

Mark P

• Pretty surprised, since when I wrote the Atlanta offseason outlook, I saw it as basically a foregone conclusion that both would be retained.
• The Braves could pursue a reunion at a lower price tag with either pitcher, but seemingly just in the name of saving some money, declining both options left the Braves with even more to address in their pen

Guest

• Chris Sale extension for ATL?

Mark P

• Possible, but the Braves might’ve already been learned their lesson about committing extra money to a pitcher with Sale’s injury history.

Bart G.

• You said “Mayo has gone bad” on purpose! I saw you!

Mark P

• I swear I’m not trying to steal Jacob Wysocki’s thunder as Mr. Mayo

HARRIS

• Without a doubt my staff is thin. how much grace and goodwill would I recover after last summers debacle would I achieve if I sign J.V. for the back end of the rotation. we can certainly afford the 10-11 mill I believe. I mean I gave Cobb 15 and got nothing. Smart move for the club and the fan base?

Mark P

• (The name refers to Tigers PBO Scott Harris, btw)

  A Verlander reunion would make a lot of sense for both the Tigers and presumably JV himself if he wants to pitch for a clear-cut contender.  It’d be such a fun storyline to see Verlander try and complete some unfinished business in winning Detroit a ring

Sox Fan

• Follow up to my original question:  With the Sox finally having a shot at the #1 pick this draft, can they trade it?

Mark P

• The only draft picks that can be traded are the Competitive Balance Round selections.

Dub

• Mark: Good evening. Are you bullish on the Marlins being a tad proactive on free agent spending?

Mark P

• They’ll spend a bit more than usual, but “a tad” is about the right description

Danny boy

• Would Tucker or bellinger be a bigger priority for the Yankees?

Mark P

• I actually think Bellinger’s a better fit for the Yankees’ particular needs since he can play 1B and CF. Plus, he’s less expensive than Tucker will be, and the Yankees already know Bellinger can handle playing in the Bronx

Dr. Mustard

• What noise do you see the A’s making this offseason? Not a total game changer but a bold move they could make.

Justin credible

• if your the GM of the A’s  how do you address the pitching staff?

Mark P

• Pitching is definitely the top need, and it’ll more than likely have to come through the trade market.  After the Severino fiasco, there will be several pitchers that simply won’t even consider the A’s as a free destination.

  btw, Severino being traded is another way for the A’s to fill another need, maybe to get a 2B/3B

Cubbies

• Any chance the Cubs go after Murakami to play 3rd?

Mark P

• Sure, I think there’s a possible fit there.

Smokin Joe

• Will the cards trade Donavan?

Wtf mate?

• Could Brendan Donovan bring back a mid-rotation pre-arb starter or MLB-ready mid rotation

Mark P

• Donovan appeals to so many teams that I think his price tag will be a bit higher than some expect.  He’s under team control for two years, so the Cardinals can hold out to see if they can land a more controllable type of pitcher.

  They could wait until the deadline if the right offers aren’t there this winter, but there’s no reason for a rebuilding team to hang onto Donovan too much longer

Guest

• How about the Giants trading for Brendon Donovan and Sonny Gray? They could take on all of the Gray’s contract and give up less prospects for Donovan. They need pitching and second base!

Mark P

• Gray’s tax number is so outsized that the Cardinals probably can’t close the door on a scenario like this.  But, moving one of their better trade chips just to save money isn’t a great look for a team that surely wants to bring in all the young talent they can

Guards4Life

• After today’s news, on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being worst, how screwed is the guardians offseason now?

Mark P

• 1 or a 2 at most?  I don’t think the Guardians were counting on Clase or Ortiz playing any role in their 2026 plans (or beyond)

Dodger Dave

• Mark, can you explain how Tony Gonsolim was DFA’d as opposed to non-tendered by LA? He would’ve been under team control through 2026. Why wouldn’t they have just non-tendered him?

Mark P

• You can’t non-tender a player until the actual non-tender deadline on November 21.  Before then, if you want to get rid of the player, you have to release him entirely or DFA him first.  I suspect the Dodgers went the DFA route to give them a little more time to find any potential trade partners.

Guest

• A serious question.  Why do managers wear watches in the dugout?

Mark P

• So they can theatrically toss the watch on the ground, then yell “hey ump, even a broken clock is right twice a day, and that’s still better than you!”

  Real answer: I dunno, they just like wearing watches?

68 Tigers

• Are the Tigers even in the Bichette, Bregman or Suarez sweepstakes?  They need to sign one of the top free agents to show the fan base a continued commitment to winning.  What are your thoughts??

Mark P

• They made a real push for Bregman last winter, so it’s not like the Tigers have shied away entirely from bigger contracts.  Any of that trio would fit very nicely on a Tigers team that badly needs right-handed hitting, and hitting in general

Thompson

• Do you see any teams interested in trading for Jonah Heim and/or Adolis Garcia before the tender deadline? If so, who are the fits for each?

Mark P

• Plenty of teams need catching, so Heim should have a market despite his struggles of the last couple of years.  Garcia might be the same but just because outfielders are more readily available, rival clubs might wait for Texas to non-tender him and take their chances on the free agent bidding

Guest

• Who says no Kurtz for burns

Mark P

• Athletics

Willy

• Are you ready for another year of speaking about the Angels trading Adell?

Mark P

• The tradition continues!

Bailey

• What does it mean that it was mentioned that I was mentioned to be talked about at the deadline last season? Clearly posey was looking at all options, but do they have bigger plans at the catching position?

Mark P

• Shayna Rubin used the words “briefly considered,” rather than even just “considered” or “discussed” or whatever team you want to use for a team thinking about a potential trade.

  In general, front offices are constantly thinking about probably 90 percent of the players on their roster as some degree of available in trade talks.  Bailey isn’t so untouchable that the Giants wouldn’t have had some internal talks about what a catching upgrade might require

Mr KLC

• Is there a chance Jeremy Pena could be on the trading block while his value is high, similar to what the Astros did with Kyle Tucker?

Mark P

• Pena is arb-controlled through 2027.  So if the Astros do eventually consider trading him, it wouldn’t be until next winter at the earliest.  (Assuming that the team is in contention at the deadline.)

Goodman | Tovar

• If DePodesta makes them available in trade discussions at the meetings… Who calls? What type of returns could they fetch?

Mark P

• Goodman is controlled for four years, and is coming off an All-Star season at the thin catching position.  He’d get a ton in return, and for a Rockies team that needs all the help it can get, a Goodman trade can’t be entirely ruled out.  Very unlikely, it “can’t be ruled out.”

  Tovar is owed $56.5MM, hasn’t shown that he can hit at the big league level, and his excellent glovework took a step backwards in 2025.  He’s another player Colorado isn’t going to trade, in part because if they did, they’d be selling low

Big Red Machine

• The Reds, a budding young team with a ton of potential in a very winnable division, are, again, playing it conservative on payroll (flat to last year). How much do you think the potential lock out in 2027 is going to play into contract signings this offseason?

Mark P

• It’ll be a big factor, no doubt.  Not that the Reds were too likely to break the bank on a big signing anyway, but some teams will surely be holding back on the spending in the hope that the next CBA will change the rules to some extent

Dugout Yoda

• Anyone getting in the Hall out of this group of eight?

Mark P

• It’ll ultimately depend on who is on the committee, since if it happens to be a lot of players/writers/execs sympathetic to a particular player, their chances will be greatly boosted.  For instance, if there’s an Atlanta-centric focus to the panel, Dale Murphy’s chances look a lot better.

  I find it hard to believe that Bonds and Clemens will draw enough support for induction since their last appearance on the ballot fell so flat.  Maybe I’m a little biased as a Blue Jays fan, but perhaps Delgado’s candidacy will be helped by how his stats measure so favorably against most of the other candidates.

Yankees

• They had the best offense in baseball despite a poor year from Volpe. I know Grisham is probably gone , but if they resign Bellinger and McMahon can be a 100 wRC+ hitter, aren’t they still projected to be a Top 5 offense?

Mark P

• That’s a big if on McMahon, who has never hit the 100 wRC+ mark in his entire career.  The Yankees’ offense hinges heavily on Rice continuing to hit, Stanton staying healthy and productive, Jazz being Jazz, Dominguez and Wells improving, and (most important of all) Judge continuing to be a generational hitter.  If Judge takes a step back to being just “very good,” that alone is a big hit to New York’s lineup.

Richard

• Bees??

Mark P

• Beads?!

Rob

• could you explain the bees beads thing please

Mark P

• It’s an old joke from the Arrested Development TV show.  I forget how it even got started a joke in these chats, and it has been a running bit for years now.

Ang T

• Rumors has it that the Mets don’t want to resign Pete unless he takes a hometown discount. Any truth to this?

Mark P

• I can see this, especially since it’s basically their same stance as last winter.

Richard

• do you really see the Ms making a run at Skubal? What would it take for the Ms to get him?

Mark P

• Seattle has enough pitching that Skubal wouldn’t seem to be a big priority.
• Also, if Detroit trades Skubal at all (which I kinda doubt), they’re probably not moving him to another top AL contender.

Skip

• Semien was not his best and still had a 3.3 WAR I could see a team wanting him from Texas.

Mark P

• He’s owed $72MM over the next three seasons, his bat has badly tailed off over the last two years to the point of being a below-average hitter in 2025, and he’s entering his age-35 season.

  Semien isn’t getting dealt unless Texas eats a major chunk of that contract, or takes on another big contract in return to balance out the money.

Billy Beane

• So 10 years from now will be watching “Moneyball 2: Peter Brand Returns” after his tenure in Colorado?

Mark P

• Jonah Hill still wants that Oscar, baby!

Adam

• Which teams should I be checking prospects for crazy trade ideas for Pablo and Joe? Twins fan

Mark P

• It’ll take a lot to get Ryan, so look for teams like particularly loaded farm systems.  Mets, Rays, Red Sox, and yes, the Dodgers could all be fits.  A team like Milwaukee could try something creative like trading for Ryan and then moving Peralta elsewhere.

  Lopez’s salary makes him a slightly tougher fit, but the Twins may have more urgency to move him in order to cut payroll.

Dodgerfan

• Will the dodgers bring back Miggy Ro, one of our postseason heroes?

Mark P

• Don’t see why the Dodgers wouldn’t be open to bringing back Rojas and Enrique Hernandez as reliable bench/clubhouse leaders.

Tyler

• Could the Pirates make trade like last year Ortiz/horwitz to acquire a hitter

Mark P

• They should make at least two trades like this to give their offense a proper shot in the arm

Guardians Fan

• They haven’t historically been connected with international free agents (or free agents other than Austin Hedges), but any chance the Guardians might be a fit for Okamoto with some payroll space this offseason?

Mark P

• He’s probably outside Cleveland’s price range. Okamoto also isn’t a great positional fit — Ramirez is obviously locked at 3B, and the Guardians probably want to see what they have in Manzardo/Kayfus

Ace of Braves

• What does a Corey Seager to the Braves trade look like?

Mark P

• Seager is owed $186MM through the 2031 season.  If he was a free agent this winter, I don’t see the Braves spending at that level to obtain him, in addition to what the Rangers would want in terms of prospects.

  Seager also has a partial no-trade clause, though it isn’t known what teams are on his no-go list (or how many teams are included)

Frog

• What could KC get in a trade for Mitchell?. He’s their number 2 prospect and a MLB top 100 at a premium position

Mark P

• These are excellent reasons why Mitchell won’t be traded, and why KC likely sees him as Salvy Perez’s successor

Chris Young

• Any idea to when I should announce my team’s full coaching staff?

Mark P

• Most teams don’t officially announce their coaching staffs until well into December, or even into January.  There was so much managerial tumult this offseason (including in Texas) that it might take even longer than usual for a lot of staffs to get finalized.  The Rockies don’t even have a manager yet.

Cards Fan

• Is KC making the same mistake the Cards did with Yadi giving Salvy legacy contracts in his declining years!

Mark P

• “Mistake” is a bit of a stretch.  Perez is still hitting lots of homers and is a major clubhouse voice, even if his overall offense is inconsistent and his defensive metrics have plummeted.  If they let Perez go, the Royals would then be putting more pressure on Mitchell and Jensen to step into a regular catching role right now.
• I don’t think it hurts KC to retain a guy who’s still a useful player and a franchise icon.  The two-year length of the contract probably acts as the unofficial end date of Perez’s career, too.

Sad Reds Fan

• If they actually trade Hunter Greene I rage quit forever

Mark P

• I kinda doubt they’ll move him, of all pitchers, since Greene has shown he can be a frontline guy.

Motor City Beach Bum

• If the Mets mak a crazy offer for Skubal, like MacLean, Tong, Jett and Baty should the Tigers do it?

Mark P

• Sure, that’s the kind of Godfather offer the Tigers would require to actually move Skubal.  But that’s also not something New York would offer for one year of a pitcher who seems very likely to test free agency next winter.

Kyle

• Could you see the Royals moving either Bubic or Ragans to address their offensive needs?

Mark P

• Yeah, Bubic in particular seems like a strong trade candidate

Nationals Fan

• To be honest, these rumors of the Nats possibly trading Gore or even Abrams is making me sick. How likely do you think this is?

Mark P

• Gore is arb-controlled through 2027, and Abrams through 2028.  The question Toboni has to be asking is “do I think Washington can be a contender within the next 2-3 years?”  Since I think the answer to that is probably a no, that makes both players into trade candidates.

Sell Arte Sell

• What was the thinking behind the 1 year contract that the Angels gave Kurt Suzuki to manage the team?  I’ve never seen that for any new manager before.

Mark P

• The thinking is that Moreno doesn’t want to be paying a manager through a 2027 season that may be reduced (or canceled??) by a lockout.  Not only is this very pessimistic, it’s incredibly short-sighted and a little insulting to Suzuki.  It’s quite possible there’s a handshake deal in place to extend Suzuki after the year or after the lockout, yet what if the Angels actually have a good season?  If you’re Suzuki, maybe you then take your chances with another team in need of a skipper, that’s in a better position to truly contend in 2027?

Guest

• Wonder where rob Brantly will end up. Alwys finds a team

Mark P

• Pretty sure this is the first Rob Brantly question I’ve gotten in all the years I’ve been running these chats.
• Brantly has been in six of the last seven MLB seasons, yet with 15 games total in that span.
• https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brantro01.shtml

Woody

• Should I take the QO from the Brewers?

Mark P

• If I’m Woodruff’s agent, I advise him to reject, since he can comfortably top one year/$22.025MM on the open market.

  But that ignores the possible emotional attachment between Woodruff and the Brewers.  Not to mention that there’s enough injury uncertainty around Woodruff that while he’d top the QO price, it might not be that all that much.  Chances are he rejects it, but I wouldn’t be totally shocked to see Woodruff accept

Dodgers fan

• Sorry about Game 7. How are you holding up?

Mark P

• I wrote in last week’s chat (prior to Game 7) that it was going to be either the best night or worst night of my baseball fandom.  And unfortunately….

  I’m probably going to think about Game 7 for a few minutes of every day until the Blue Jays win their next championship.  It absolutely stinks to lose when a title is just two outs away, but that’s baseball.  Life goes on.  Pitchers and catchers report in just a few months!

Tiger Town

• Is there a market for Riley Greene or Spencer Torkleson that could entice the Tigers to move one of them? Their hitting was so terrible during the last half of the season and postseason it seems like a shakeup is in order.

Mark P

• Since Tork is limited to 1B, he’s the player I think Detroit is more willing to trade if the opposing offer is right.
• Greene has a higher ceiling

Preller Jr

• With the many holes on padres roster will AJ finally use Campusano as a backup C/DH or trade him and get something finally? I’ll never understand their reluctance to use him or trade him by now.

Mark P

• Feels like he should’ve been dealt months ago, since the Padres clearly don’t have him in their plans.

Kelly Leak

• Does Jose Ramirez or Acuna get traded this winter?

Mark P

• Nope and nope

Mr KLC

• If I’m the Astros looking for starting pitching in free agency shouldn’t great injury history be near the top of the list?

Mark P

• That’s at the top of every team’s list, really.  But sure, for Houston in particular you want durability

Anthony

• I might be just dreaming, but do you see any potential interest/package the RedSox can offer for Nick Kurtz?

Mark P

• The A’s would want Roman Anthony straight up.

Astros fan

• Isaac Parades would bring back a better return than Christian Walker but is younger and cheaper. If you are the Astros, who do you tab at first and who do you trade?

Mark P

• If the Astros can find someone to take Walker at like 80 cents on the dollar, they should do it. It might be a case of moving Walker just before a real decline starts.

Franklin

• Do you see Toronto as a potential landing spot for Tucker, especially if Bichette departs, or do you think they focus their resources on other areas?

Mark P

• If Tucker is signed and Bichette leaves, that makes the OF Tucker/Varsho/Santander or Springer on an everyday basis (with Straw occasionally spelling Varsho against some lefties).  That also makes Gimenez/Barger/Clement/Schneider toggling between the three non-1B infield spots, and Lukes becomes a full-time backup.
• So it kinda still works, but if Bichette did leave, Toronto might prefer to bring in another starting infielder to leave themselves more outfield flexibility
• We’re two hours in, so I think we can wrap things up for the evening.  Thanks for all the questions, and hopefully we’re all ramped up for what should be a wild offseason!