MLBTR Chat Transcript

Mark P

• The Weekend Chat is back in its regularly-scheduled timeslot of (/Daniel Craig voice) the weekend.  Let’s let a few questions pile up in the queue, and then get cooking….

L’Chaim

• Has there ever been an offseason where two teams linked up on three separate trades?

Mark P

• While I don’t have an obvious answer off the top of my head, this isn’t too uncommon.  Just last winter, for instance, the Guardians and Blue Jays lined up on two trades.  The Rays, Mariners, and Padres used to have a pretty steady pipeline of trades going between each other.

Guest

• If the Cubs sign Bregman do they move Shaw? Will the Cubs sign Bregman?

Mark P

• The Cubs’ focus seems to be on starting pitching, so if they have a particularly big move in them this winter, it’ll probably be in the rotation.

  Their interest in Bregman might be limited to seeing if he’s willing to take a shorter-term deal, or if a longer-term deal isn’t out there

Matt

• Is everyone waiting on Okomoto and Imai?

Mark P

• Things are usually fairly slow during the holiday season anyway, but yeah, these notable names having set deadlines might well have caused some delay in the broader market.  Probably Imai moreso than Okamoto.

Fake and Real

• Will there ever be another Ohtani? He seems to be the best overall player that there ever was.

Mark P

• Ohtani is definitely a one-in-one for now, but the fascinating next step of his legacy will be his influence on the next generation of players (in both Japan and all over the world).  Maybe a few more players will take the leap of trying to be real two-way players, and we’ll see a “new Ohtani” emerge….though then that player will have to be not just a two-way guy, but elite in both areas

JJ Piccolo

• Any chance KC is in the Ketel Marte market?

Mark P

• This isn’t a bad fit, except for the Royals’ decision to tender Jonathan India a contract.  KC could try to move India elsewhere or flip him back to the D’Backs as part of the trade package and as salary offset, but a limited-payroll team like the Royals can’t so easily just eat $8MM (India’s salary for 2026).

  The Royals do have some interesting young arms that would seemingly be of interest to Arizona.

Greg

• Pirates agreed to O’Hearn deal on the 23rd. It’s the 28th now and still not official and no corresponding 40 man move. Is this abnormal?

Mark P

• Not over the holidays, when a lot of front offices are more or less shut down

Buster Posey

• Please make some sense of the Giants offseason. We buy real estate and movie theatres but refuse to spend money on the team. I don’t get it.

Mark P

• “What am I, chopped liver?” — Adrian Houser

  Don’t forget, last year’s offseason was also rather quiet apart from the Adames signing.  So it could be that Posey and company have one big move like that in mind, and the rest with be comparatively smaller additions like Houser

Tarik Skubal

• At this point, there’s 0% I get traded this offseason, right?

Mark P

• It’s not zero, but it’s quite unlikely

Joec

• Are you surprised that there isn’t much sandy alcantara trade rumors?

Mark P

• Not really.  The Marlins have been pretty open about their desire to keep him, even if the team isn’t hanging up the phone if someone happens to call with an offer.  Given how shaky Alcantara was last year, the offers aren’t going to be what Miami wants, and the Fish are now quietly turning from rebuild/cost-cutting mode into trying to contend

Mark

• would a Bello and Casas swap for Gore and Abram’s be a reasonable trade for both teams? Who would say no?

Mark P

• Washington says no.  Casas is a realistic trade chip if Gore or Abrams was dealt to Boston, but given that the Nats seem to be treading water or re-evaluating their rebuild, Bello probably isn’t a fit.

  If Gore or Abrams are actually moved, the Nats will be looking for younger and more controllable players

Guest

• Are the Pirates building around Paul Skenes? Does the Lowe trade and the O’Hearn signing signal that?

Mark P

• Most definitely. The Bucs realize they have something special in Skenes, and are being more aggressive than usual in trying to make a win-now push

Luis Arraez

• Where am I going? Will I ever play 2B again?

Mark P

• Probably not, given his defensive shortcomings.  It’s really tricky to predict a landing spot for Arraez since he has such a unique skillset, and most teams will be looking for more power from the 1B or DH positions.
• We’re going to pause the chat for a while, as we’ve got a bit of breaking news with the Orioles re-signing Zach Eflin. Keep submitting your questions, and the chat will resume later this evening.

  Ah, the risks of running a live chat during the offseason!  So much for a “quiet” Sunday evening…

• There we go, now back to the chat after that interruption (an Eflin-terruption, if you will?)

Ron

• which available starter is most likely to sign with the O’s?

Mark P

• Zach Eflin!  🙂

Tom

• What are the chances the Orioles are the team to land Framber Valdez?

Mark P

• Perhaps slightly less now that Eflin has filled another rotation hole, but he doesn’t solve the Orioles’ on-paper need for a clearcut ace.

  It’s true that between Bradish, Rogers, Baz, and now Eflin, that’s four starters the O’s might feel comfortable rolling out there in a playoff series, but you’d think the team would want to have lots of depth available

90 Reds

• Mark, please tell me the Reds have something bigger planned than JJ Bleday and Dane Myers.  As a fan, I am so disappointed.

Mark P

• This certainly won’t be it for the Reds, or at least one would certainly think not.  It’s a pair of depth acquisitions with upside, and maybe a sign that Cincinnati could be looking to move out of its incumbent outfield options

LA Knight

• Let me talk to ya, Wheres Bellinger signing and when?

Mark P

• YEAH

  The Yankees are probably still the favorites, but the Mets stand out as more and more of an intriguing alternative given how many veterans they’ve now cleared off the roster.  Signing Bellinger would both fill a big hole in the outfield, and give Polanco some cover if the 1B transition doesn’t go smoothly

King Felix

• Am I a Hall of Famer in your book?

Mark P

• He’s borderline for me, which I guess maybe makes me lean towards no since I’m generally a bit more of a small-Hall type

Astros

• Is Paredes trade inevitable

Mark P

• Hopefully not, since that would seem like something of a short-sighted move from Houston.  Apart from a healthy Yordan Alvarez, I think Paredes can be the most productive hitter in the Astros’ lineup next season.  Trading him to address this infield pileup would be a rough decision, even though he’s the most easily movable of the group

Joe Ryan

• I’m not getting traded this winter, am I?

Mark P

• Doesn’t seem likely.  The Twins have no real financial motivation to do so since Ryan is pretty inexpensive over his remaining arb years.  Obviously a rival team could step up with a gigantic offer, but barring such a scenario, Minnesota is probably keeping Ryan since the Twins think they can contend in 2026

MarioSoto

• Are you as disappointed in the Reds as I am this winter?

Mark P

• I haven’t been wowed by their moves or anything, but obligatory “it’s only late December” caveat

Casas

• I don’t understand why the Red Sox have seemingly given up on Casas. Yes, he’s gotten several season ending injuries the last few years. But, he’s a controllable young player with good power and good upside when healthy. Is Contreras a stopgap for Casas or is Tristan on the trade block?

Mark P

• The Red Sox would surely prefer to move Yoshida over Casas, but Casas (injuries notwithstanding) is a much easier player to trade.  Contreras is under contract through 2027, so he isn’t really a stopgap.

Joe Hardy

• Can the Athletics keep Langelier’s long term…they’re building a nice core and he’d be a nice piece to keep.

Mark P

• Since Langeliers is repped by Scott Boras, an extension seems highly unlikely.  But, Shea is arb-controlled through 2028, so the A’s don’t really have to worry about his future for some time yet

Bryan

• Arizona is not going to trade Martel. This is fan hype. I repeat Arizona is not going to trade Martel. Do you agree?

Mark P

• I wasn’t aware that 80’s-90’s wrestling star Rick “The Model” Martel even played for the Diamondbacks

Philthy Rotten

• If Realmuto does not re-sign, what would you think the Phillies plan B is?

Mark P

• Victor Caratini stands out as the obvious choice in free agency, but the pickings would be very slim for the Phillies.
• Which underlines the importance of Realmuto to the Phils in particular

Musical Chairs

• It seems like there is so much overlap of interest in Tucker / Bichette / Bregman / Bellinger that one signing really impacts the next. Which of those dominoes do you see falling first?

Mark P

• In theory Okamoto might technically be the first domino, just because he has his posting window up on January 4.  But, if Okamoto signs with Pittsburgh or San Diego or some other team that isn’t in on the bigger names you mentioned, it won’t exactly shake up the market.

  If I had to pick one, it might be Bichette back with Toronto.  There’s some obvious history there, and the Sox are the only other team really linked to Bo this winter.  And, if the Red Sox are really this reluctant about inking players to longer-term deals, that leaves the Jays as the best fit for Bichette’s contract demands

Bendix

• Does Ketel Marte make sense for Marlins? They have what D-Backs need most in pitching.

Mark P

• This would be a fascinating pivot for Miami, but I don’t think they’re quite there yet in terms of a big-swing trade like this

AstrosFAN

• Issac Paredes for Connelly Early straight up who says no?

Mark P

• Probably Boston

Hits Like Rays

• Is it just me, or do the Rays seem to be targeting strong defense and baserunning instead of power hitting in most of the position players they have acquired in this winter’s trades?  Is this a significant trend for them?

Mark P

• This isn’t at all a new thing for Tampa.  Defense and baserunning come cheaper than power, but run prevention and stealing runs on the basepaths can play just a big of a role in winning games

Kevin

• When will the Cards deal Brendan?  It is getting old hearing rumors and not trading him. I cannot imagine being his family!

Mark P

• Plenty of players have spoken about the difficulty of constantly being included in trade rumors, whether it’s in-season or during the offseason.  For Donovan, this is at least nothing new, since teams have been showing interest in him for years

Ken

• Barring a Kurtz or Wilson extension, is the A’s offseason done?

Mark P

• Not by a long shot.  Their rotation still needs work, and Severino is likely being traded

Chet Lemon

• With the Zombro promotion, do you think the Cubs can recreate the success with their veteran bullpen like they did last year? Seems like the Cubs are gambling that they’ll get the same position player production that they got last year. I like Ballesteros and Caissie but I’m not sure they can replace Tucker’s stats/threat in the lineup.

Mark P

• I like all of the Cubs’ bullpen moves, actually.  As much as Hoyer takes heat for not spending bigger in the bullpen specifically, he isn’t wrong about the year-to-year volatility of relief pitching.  He has stretched his pen budget a bit more than usual, but the end result is a good group of veterans with upside.

Kevin L

• The Yankees have been oddly quiet this offseason. Do you think it’s a result of the big names waiting to sign? Or do you believe they are content with their team as is?

Mark P

• They shouldn’t be standing pat with a team that wasn’t good enough to get it done in 2025.  I can see the Yankees also taking the approach of seeing if they can wait out the market for some of the bigger-name players, then seeing if they swoop in with a pricey (but relative “bargain”) of an offer

Mike Myers

• Is Jonathan India a potential trade target for Boston? Cheaper than Marte…

Mark P

• Cheaper, yeah, and also significantly less productive.  Hard to imagine India is on Boston’s radar.
• Time to wrap things up tonight, as this ended up being something of an abbreviated version of the chat.  Thanks to everyone who submitted a question, and we’ll roll the dice in seeing if more of a normal-sized chat can take place next weekend.
• 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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