MLBTR Chat Transcript

Mark P

• The Weekend Chat is never late, nor is it early….regardless of daylight savings. We’ll take a minute for some questions to file in (or for you to remember to adjust your clocks) before we get underway.

Pirates guy

• Where do you see the pirates rotation falling in the NL Central? Is it the best

Mark P

• A good chunk of the Pirates’ rotation is still operating on potential more than proven MLB results, so I think I’ll still put the Cubs slightly ahead overall.

Terry Pendeldon

• I am crazy or can the marlins finish 2nd in the east (who knows who finish first) braves are cursed again, mets relying on a lot of young guys, phils 1 big injury. marlins have the bonus of zero pressure

Mark P

• While Miami did finish third in 2025, even matching that this year will be a quality feat.  The Braves and Mets both had Murphy’s Law years, and even then, New York will finished ahead of the Fish.
• Not to say that the Marlins couldn’t have another solid season, but their lineup has a lot more question marks than any of their big three NL East rivals

Silky Johnson

• Did the Mets overpay for Peralta or did the Orioles underpay for Burnes? Seems like there’s a pretty big disparity in the prospect return

Mark P

• Peralta is earning only $8MM in 2026, while Burnes was earning over $15MM in his final year of team control.  Peralta’s salary meant he had a wider field of possible suitors, since he could’ve fit into any team’s payroll.  An argument can be made that Burnes also could’ve easily fit into payroll for just a one-year commitment, but still, the Brewers probably had a slightly tougher time finding trade partners

Tito

• I have the best rotation in the central and it’s not close

Mark P

• Hunter Greene’s elbow issue gives me pause about crowning the Reds’ rotation.  But, it’s a testament to their depth that even if they did lose Greene for any extended amount of time, their rotation wouldn’t be devastated.

Atl

• What move can the Braves make if any now that Profar has been suspended?

Mark P

• Yastrzemski is already there, so the Braves have another quality everyday-ish type of outfielder who can take over left field.  White or Mateo can spell Yaz against left-handed pitching if need be.

  Gamel, Azocar, and Dominic Smith are all in camp on minors deals, so the Braves probably feel they have enough position-player depth for now to fairly account for Profar’s absence.  (Now that I’ve jinxed it, watch AA swing a trade in the next ten minutes.)  But since Atlanta now has a good chunk of payroll freed up by Profar’s suspension, investing that money into rotation depth might not be a bad idea

Krally

• Should the Reds have traded Greene in the offseason?

Mark P

• This question might have some 20-20 hindsight attached given what happens with Greene’s elbow, but I agree with the Reds’ decision to hang onto him.

  Obviously we don’t know what exact offers might’ve been on the table for Greene, but it would’ve had to have a major return (or even a clear overpay) for the Reds to move a guy who has looked like a frontline starter when healthy.  Having rotation depth is one thing, but purposely dipping into that depth to account for trading away your #1 is another thing altogether

Garrett

• Zack Littell to the Nationals makes sense for both sides and I’m surprised it didn’t happen earlier.

Mark P

• The Nationals have clearly not wanted to spend much money this winter, and were willing to wait out the market to see if they could land a relative bargain.  No word yet on what Littell is making in his new contract, but it’s probably not a ton.

Little Texas

• Relief pitcher Alexis Diaz as an example, how much should the Rangers play him in spring training games before knowing if he’s making the cut, 15 innings?

Mark P

• This question varies from pitcher to pitcher and from team to team.  Basically it comes down to any club’s roster needs, who else is in camp, what pitchers have or don’t have minor league options, what pitchers does a team feel confident they can sneak through waivers, what veterans with outs in their contracts are content to stay put, etc.

  In Diaz’s case, he signed a guaranteed contract this winter, so he’s basically a lock for the Opening Day roster barring injury.

A Royal signing

• Starling Marte is the best hitting OF on KC now.  I understand he will likely mostly DH when Perez is catching, but do you envision him getting played in the OF more often if he is hitting well?

Mark P

• Marte’s health is the biggest factor in his outfield time, not how well he’s hitting.  If he’s doing well at the plate, obviously KC will want to figure out ways to keep him in the lineup, but that also means not over-extending him and perhaps causing an injury.

Art Rock

• Talking Heads or DEVO?

Mark P

• Talking Heads are one of my favorite bands, so they’re the easy pick here.  No disrespect to Devo, or even to Devon White

Ed

• Is Stearns the right GM for the Mets? When you have Steve Cohen money to play with and a mandate to win while Juan Soto is in his prime, who cares if you’re comfortable giving Peralta 7 or 8 years? Just do it. It’s not the Brewers. Even if the signing doesn’t work out, it’ll hardly cripple the franchise.

Mark P

• Cohen pursued Stearns for years before hiring him, so I doubt Cohen is suddenly shocked by how Stearns approaches transactions, or isn’t willing to give his PBO carte blanche in making decisions.

  The Mets are no different than any other front office in that they’d “prefer” to not make any long-term signings.  It’s not an absolute rule for the Mets (as we’ve seen with situations like the Juan Soto deal) so if Stearns is willing to go longer-term for a pitcher he knows well, a longer deal might happen.

• It’s also worth noting that Peralta may just be aiming high with a 7-8 year ask.  A year away from free agency, he might want a deal like that to keep him off the market.

Royals

• Jac Caglianone is ths best hitting OF in KC

Mark P

• He is a fine prospect, but there is so far zero evidence he can be productive at the MLB level.  Can’t anoint him the best without any results.

That guy

• Do you see Skubal signing before or after the CBA deadline?

Mark P

• My hunch is slightly before.  Only a limited number of teams will be able to meet his sky-high asking price, and those teams preparing to bid on Skubal will make him their chief priority.

Red Sox

• Any chance Masataka Yoshida can boost his trade value at the WBC? He doesn’t fit on the Red Sox bench

Mark P

• A big showing in the WBC won’t make teams forget Yoshida’s first few big league seasons, nor will it reduce his remaining salary

Sodo Mojo

• Wouldn’t AZ have gotten a bigger return for Marte if the dealt him this winter instead of (maybe) at the deadline?

Mark P

• Marte’s contract runs through 2031, so it probably wouldn’t have made a ton of difference in his market.  If the D’Backs are thoroughly out of the race at the deadline and start selling, they’ll consider Marte offers, but a trade is probably still unlikely unless they can get something that helps them quickly reload for 2027.

Ross Detweiler

• Please give me hope that the Guardians won’t have a bottom 3 offense again this year

Mark P

• If even one of the younger guys break out, that one bat and J-Ram’s usual work might be enough for Cleveland to escape the bottom three?

  Seems like the umpteenth time I’ve written this, but it still amazes me that the Guardians didn’t get any kind of offensive help

King Felix

• I know my later years hurt my HOF chances. But without them, they’d say I didn’t play long enough. I have 8 more tries. What are my odds?

Mark P

• Hernandez is almost surely getting in.  His vote total already jumped from 20 percent to over 46% in his first two years on the ballot, so it’s easy project more support growing to get him above the 75% threshold

RAGBRAI

• Does Crews get optioned? He is having a terrible ST!

Mark P

• This would be a bold move for the Nats, though sending Crews down to Triple-A at some point might be necessary if he can’t get on track.  It’s worth noting that Crews doesn’t have a lot of upper-minors seasoning (71 games at Double-A, 62 at Triple-A) and he had only okay numbers at both levels, not dominant numbers.
• Since the Nats are in rebuild mode anyway, just keeping Crews in Washington to let him adjust to big league pitching makes sense.  But, his development won’t be helped by continual struggles, so a brief demotion just for confidence or tune-up purposes isn’t out of the question

Romaine Lettuce

• Can I get irrationally excited about Dustin May’s first Grapefruit League outing?

Mark P

• If you were really irrational, you would’ve spelled your screen name RoMayne Lettuce

Colt Emerson

• JP has as locked down this year for SEA. Am I blocked until his contract runs out?

Mark P

• There’s always 2B depending on how Young performs, or 3B if Donovan is moved over to second base (again, hinging on Young’s adjustment to the majors).

  Since this is Crawford’s last year under contract and Emerson has only six games of Triple-A experience, the timeline seems to be matching up cleanly enough that Emerson won’t be “blocked” for too long

Tampa Bay Rays GM

• Are we deep enough and competitive enough to hold onto Junior Caminero for a long time, or should we sell high and get a ton of prospects in return to rebuild for our “new” ballpark?

Mark P

• Caminero isn’t even arb-eligible until after the 2027 season, so he’ll remain a major bargain for the Rays for quite a while.  While the Rays are always broadly open to trading virtually anyone, moving Caminero any time before 2028 (assuming he keeps hitting like this) would be surprising.

Mets Fan

• So it looks like Mark Vientos is the odd man out. Who’s in need of a third baseman?  Mets play Benge in right field, and have Brett Batty back him up there, back up 3rd for Bichette, back up first for Polanco, and 2nd for Semien. That allows Brett to fill in for all those guys and allow them to have some DH time as well.  We don’t need Vientos.

Mark P

• The issue might be that other teams don’t view Vientos as a viable third baseman, given his defensive metrics.  So if they view him as a first baseman going forward, that lowers his trade value, plus his shaky 2025 production is another issue.

Kicker Roo

• Is it crazy to think that T.O. could be O’s MVO?

Mark P

• Terrell Owens plays baseball?

  A big season from O’Neill would be huge for the Orioles, but I’d suggest that if 2026 ends with him as their top bat, something’s gone amiss.

Giolito

• Compared to not playing this season, what are the chances I sign a minor league offer at this point?

Mark P

• Giolito will still end up with a guaranteed contract, but a one-year deal, and on a much lower price than he was expecting.

Bo knows….

• Speaking of the NFL, what’s your take on the surprising rumbling about Kyler Murray returning to baseball?  No way he gives up that NFL money right?

Mark P

• Agreed.  Murray isn’t starting from scratch as an A’s minor leaguer when he still has several years of eight-figure paychecks still available to him even as an NFL backup
• Could be that getting out of Arizona even leads to a Darnold-esque career revival

Bobby Cox

• Braves make a move for a 5th starter? Lucas G? I thought Bassett would have been the fit but 18 million alot

Mark P

• Atlanta seems like a decent fit for Giolito, but this has been true for months, even before all the spring injuries.  The Braves might simply their internal options to signing Giolito specifically.

Kerry Wood’s Slurve

• Who has the nastiest pitch in baseball today?

Mark P

• as per Statcast’s “run value” metric, Tarik Skubal’s changeup (with a +25 RV) was the most effective pitch in baseball in 2025.

  Tied for second with +23 RV is Chris Sale’s slider and Ryne Nelson’s four-seamer

Stein

• Thanks for your time Mark. What does Seattle do with all their OFs? Way too many and they need a starter.

Mark P

• It’s “too many” in terms of bodies, but not necessarily in terms of quality.  Robles and Raley are coming off rough seasons, and Canzone’s bat could well come back to earth.

  In terms of the depth outfielders the Mariners would be willing to trade, I doubt any would bring back a decent “sixth starter” type

Cards

• Was the Burleson to the Astros thing Rosenthal said an actual rumor or just him speculating?

Mark P

• It was speculation on Ken’s part, just because the Cards are open to business on a lot of their roster and the Astros need a LHH outfielder.  Even then, it was a reach because Rosenthal noted a third team would need to be involved in a trade (with that team getting one of Houston’s infielders).
• Rosenthal’s piece was also written before Pena fractured his finger, temporarily relieving the Astros’ infield surplus

Killingmesmalls

• Is the MLB trade rumors team, making  plans in case of a lockout for stuff to write about?

Mark P

• Between the 2020 pandemic shutdown and the 2021-22 lockout, we (unfortunately) have some experience in how to operate when there’s literally nothing happening in the baseball world.

Brewers Fan

• Kyle Harrison, gave up some runs but 8 Ks in 3 innings todayHe definitely is the player with the most upside in that trade right?

Mark P

• Given how the Crew develop pitching, it would surprise nobody if Harrison figured it out in Milwaukee

JD

• does Benge make opening day or we roll with Tauchman for a bit?

Mark P

• Benge is not exactly knocking down the door in terms of securing himself an Opening Day roster spot.  Tauchman was a very wise signing for the Mets, and I’m still surprised he had to settle for a minor league deal.

Zach

• Do you think the World Series would have gone any different if the Mariners held on to win the ALCS and went?

Mark P

• L.A. probably still wins, but who knows what might’ve happened in a short series.

  As a Jays fan, I seriously might’ve preferred the Jays just losing Game 7 of the ALCS to the soul-crushing near-miss that was Game 7 of the World Series

Nats Rebuild

• This has taken too long!

Mark P

• Hence the reason Mike Rizzo is out of a job.

  We had a question in the chat last week about whether you’d prefer your team to have ten years of competitiveness with no titles, or one title within a decade of failure.  Unfortunately, Nats fans seems to be going through that second option.

John W

• Who are the 5 best pitching labs in baseball?

Mark P

• Brewers, Dodgers, Yankees, Astros I’d put in the top four.  Padres, Guardians, Rays, maybe the Pirates all deserve attention for the fifth slot

Mayor West

• Who should the Reds attempt to extend now that Elly has rejected them?

Mark P

• Abbott makes some sense.  The Reds are in the awkward position about not knowing yet what they really have in so much of their roster, so among the younger guys, Abbott is perhaps the most reasonable choice as a legit extension candidate

Phillies fan

• Are the Phillies to old, are we going to sign a big free agent to spark some youth,and will Crawford,Painter, and MILLER going to be good

Mark P

• Just by the nature of when players hit the market, adding a free agent isn’t the way to make a roster younger.

  As to the in-house youth movement, that’s the biggest question hanging over the Phillies organization.  They strongly need at least one of the three guys you mentioned to break out and become an above-average big leaguer, in order to help keep the Phils’ contention window open

Dozed and Confuzed

• How far out do the Tigers need to be in order to trade Skub? If they go the whole year and don’t win, they get NOTHING out of losing him. Right?

Mark P

• They’d get a draft pick back via Skubal rejecting the qualifying offer, and that pick falls after the first round since the Tigers are revenue-sharing recipients.  So that’s not nothing, but yeah, still not a lot for a superstar ace.

  Detroit would have to be decidedly out of the playoff picture for Skubal to be moved at the deadline.  Like, 10-15 games under .500 and totally cooked.

Optimistic Venable

• In a recent chat you said last place isn’t out of the question for Minnesota. I’m sure most of that is on how much the Twins have declined, but how much do you think the White Sox are improved?

Mark P

• In general, I think the positive buzz on the White Sox is a little much, since that roster is still full of holes.  But the Twins seem like they’re heading squarely towards 95 losses, in my view.

Kevin

• Have the Cards become a team who will perennially look primarily and perhaps only to improvements from within à la Rays and other poorer teams with that model?

Mark P

• To be fair, this is how St. Louis operated for decades.  The Cards have never really been huge spenders in free agency…they make the occasional splash (i.e. Contreras, Matt Holliday, etc.) on the open market, but most of their biggest spends have been on extensions for players developed in-house.

Ketel

• He gets 10 and 5 rights in April. He’s not
• moving at this point

Mark P

• There’s also that factor.  Marte might well be open to accepting a trade, but we don’t know if he wants a change of scenery or what he’s feeling about staying in Arizona over the long term.

Buxton

• He gets 10 and 5 rights in April. He’s not
• moving either at this point.

Mark P

• Buxton already has a full no-trade clause in his contract through the 2026 season anyway

Guards

• Looking like it’s going to be a tough season. How much of the inaction was due to loss of TV revenue

Mark P

• The Guards were one of the teams who had MLB handle their broadcasts in 2025, not one of the teams who got out of their Main Street Sports contracts this offseason.

  While I have no doubt the reduction of TV revenue was a factor, the near-total lack of spending seems absurd for a team that is a) won a division title, b) got three extra home games’ worth of revenue in the playoffs, and c) had such clear needs in the lineup

• And while nobody expects Cleveland to splurge in free agency….why not a creative trade or two?

Bill James

• Do you think baseball would have been better if I never invented sabermetrics and algorithms, and Moneyball never happened? A lot of fans like looking at the back of a baseball card.

Mark P

• Bill James didn’t “invent” statistical analysis in baseball, but was just the first writer to start writing at length about such concepts.

Austin Hedges

• I get 10 rights in April, but not 5 yet. I’m not moving from the bench in 2026, am I?

Mark P

• Doesn’t matter, since Hedges will sign one-year, $4MM contracts with Cleveland until the end of recorded time

yankee fan

• what’s your take on the yankee’s outfield situation? I am severely irritated that they decided to give the QO to Grisham. I seriously don’t think he’s going to have another good season, I think he’ll regress heavily. I don’t care about the excuse of injuries. Yes, I’ve seen the news on Bellinger’s back, Aaron Judge keeps aging, and don’t get me started on Stanton’s health, but the Yankees have so many depth options and I really would like to see Dominguez at least get a full season. Spencer Jones is going off crazy in Spring and he’s also already turning 25! The Yankees really have an issue when it comes with giving their prospects an actual full season. (Besides Volpe of course, and it didn’t even work out well with him anyways)

Mark P

• Grisham would’ve been a very interesting free agent case if the Yankees hadn’t issued him a QO.  It’s not out of the question that he still could’ve been on the market today, if teams similarly had a tough time evaluating his 2025 power breakout.

  When the QOs were being issued last November, the Yankees at that point didn’t know if Bellinger would be returning.  So securing Grisham filled one hole on the roster, and the Yankees wouldn’t have issued the QO if they weren’t comfortable with the idea of Grisham possibly accepting it.

  As you alluded, and as we’ve written about countless teams in the past, one injury can suddenly turn a surplus into a deficit.  If Stanton gets hurt again, suddenly the DH spot is open any there’s plenty of room for one of Dominguez/Jones to get playing time.  If two injuries occur, suddenly New York’s bench situation may look a little thin.

Optimistic Venable

• So even if you’re not high on the White Sox for this season, are you buying into their prospects like the Montgomerys, Schultz, the probable No. 1 pick? Is the arrow truly headed up?

Mark P

• Oh, I think Chicago is definitely showing some potential.  It’s just that their big step forward isn’t happening until at least 2027.

Zach

• If Josh Jung repeats 2025 will he get traded and where?

Mark P

• Forget a trade, the Rangers might just non-tender him

Statement that’s not a question

• Cleveland will 3-peat-the Tigers and their fans think they won the division they haven’t won in 12 years. Underestimate away!

Mark P

• “Scoreboard” is indeed a fair counterpoint to criticisms of how the Guardians operate.  But, improving the offense helps Cleveland get a step closer to being plausible World Series contenders, not just candidates to reach the playoffs and maybe win a round

Brewers Fan

• As a fan of the Brewers who have had about a decade of competitiveness and the Bucks who got the ring but about to fall off a cliff.. give me the ring all day.

Mark P

• As a fan of Toronto sports, ditto with the last decade of TFC/the Raptors over the last decade of Leafs hockey
• That’s two hours for this chat, so it’s time to wrap things up.  Thanks to everyone who submitted a question, and more chattin’ will be had 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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