MLBTR Chat Transcript

Mark P

• April’s first edition of the Weekend Chat has been launched! We’ll take a minute to let some questions pile up, then get cooking

Sasaki

• What are your thoughts so far on me

Mark P

• A fine pitcher, plenty of talent, and still something of a project given his age and relative newness to the majors.  Still plenty of ceiling as a starter, but if nothing else, Sasaki showed that he can certainly thrive as a MLB reliever

Orioles

• Panic!?

Baseball fan

• Jays season over?

Mark P

• Let’s start the “the season isn’t even two weeks old” cautionary reminders right now.  For Jays fans in particular, don’t forget that the team was middling at best for two full months in 2025 before things started clicking.

Ang T

• Who gets the callup if the Mets have to place Polanco on the IL? I’m guessing Vidal Brujan.

Mister Met

• With early struggles, is there a chance Benge gets demoted to AAA?  It’s not like he tore it up there last year and seems to be overmatched (announcer stated swing looks longer and rigid I believe).  If yes, what do you do with Soto hurt and unavailable as well?

Mark P

• These situations go hand in hand.  If Soto and Polanco both have to hit the IL, Benge isn’t going anywhere since the Mets need the lineup help.  New York has two open spots on the 40-man roster so Brujan’s contract could be selected without much fuss, but the Mets might prefer Ronny Mauricio since he has an option remaining (and is obviously already on the 40-man).
• In Polanco’s case, giving him a 10-day IL trip to rest up seems like an ideal situation, as having him just at DH is creating some lineup clogging

Money

• It’s early in the season, any idea what Minnesota needs to improve on to make this season a success?

Mark P

• Snarky answer is “a time machine,” since I think the Twins are in for a rough season.  Taj Bradley has looked sharp so far and Josh Bell is on one of his heaters, but that’s more or less it in terms of hot starts.  The unfortunate truth is that there’s no single aspect of the team that’s holding the Twins back — it’s every aspect at once

Thoughts on challenge system

• Most fans seem to enjoy the extra layer of strategy, how about you? Do you think we’ll see it expand to 3-5 challenges a game? Players given more than 2 seconds to decide if they want to challenge?

Mark P

• I’m a big fan of the challenge system and how smoothly it’s become part of baseball lore.  Dunno if any tweaks need to be incorporated just yet.  If anything, I can see it maybe eventually bumped up to three challenges a game, though five seems like too many

Trout Out

• Man, the Trout HBP today looked painful

Mark P

• No kidding….no good way to get hit on the hand by a Major League pitch.  One can only hope he’s okay and Trout has avoided another serious injury

Pirates

• How long can the pirates maintain this short term success?

Mark P

• I was in “I’ll need to see it to believe it” mode before predicting Pittsburgh for a playoff spot.  In part this was due to my own reservations about their roster, and also my belief that they’re still behind at least the Brewers and Cubs in the NL Central, with the Reds possibly also in the mix.

  But, the Pirates certainly look like an improved team. The rotation has performed well, and new guys Lowe and O’Hearn have been on fire.  So far so good in the early going

Walter

• Guardians under the radar again?

Mark P

• They should continue to be in the mix for a wild card berth again, since the Guards often seem to just figure it out and find a way.  It’s comforting that they’re winning even with Ramirez off to a slow start.

Griffin

• Assuming the reporting about Griffin’s extension being basically done is true, is there any reason they’d delay announcing it? Does this mean they’re probably still negotiating?

Mark P

• Since this looks to be the largest contract of its kind (i.e. for a player just entering the big leagues), no surprise that it’ll take a bit to cross the t’s and dot the lowercase j’s.

  Also, don’t forget that it’s a holiday weekend, so that may be a factor in whatever delay is involved

squinky

• I feel for the umps. I’ve seen a bunch of overturned abs calls by  half an inch!

Mark P

• Plenty of 50-50 calls, no doubt, where you can’t blame the ump for making the call (or blame a player to making the challenge)

Lt Data

• Were you surprised the Yankees didn’t add to their bullpen this winter?  Obviously their record so far is strong, but things have been shaky in the late innings, as could’ve been foreseen.  Could’ve used a Diaz-type arm there.

Mark P

• The Yankees feel they bolstered the back end of the pen enough at the deadline, hence the lack of real activity on that front last offseason

John

• The orioles fumbled the entire Coby Mayo situation in my books. Either trade him, or play him. I’ve been in the trade him party for a long time now. Is his value sunk? Playing every other game doesn’t help. They’ve done that with Kjerstad as well. Would they sell low on Mayov

Mark P

• Others have written this before, but the Orioles rebuilding “too quickly” led to a big of a developmental logjam.  Suddenly the team had too many (in a loose way) good infield prospects and not enough room to play everyone on the MLB roster.  One can argue that bringing these guys up to replace bench players raises the talent floor in theory, but the O’s also want their up-and-comers playing regularly, not getting into only a couple of games a week.

  Mayo is all of 24 years old, so I’m not willing the close the door on him (or Kjerstad) as legitimate big leaguers in the future. Mayo isn’t doing much with the opportunity afforded him by these injuries, however, and the fact that the Orioles went out and signed Alonso to lock down first base is perhaps telling

• Mayo still has some legit trade value, as I’ll guess plenty of teams see him as a change-of-scenery candidate.

Zach

• If you could go back to 1 moment in MLB history what would it be?

Mark P

• Bartolo Colon’s home run

Joey E

• With Hunter Brown getting hurt, did the Astros now move Parades for a starter?

Mark P

• Such a trade would be tricky to pull off this early in the season, since it’s not like there’s a long list of teams willing and able to trade viable starting pitchers.

Methats who

• How do you feel about the Red’s starting pitching?

Mark P

• They’ve been able to hold their own with Greene and Lodolo out, but obviously Cincy needs those two back to really kick into gear

Brewerdrunk

• What are the odds the brewers get Made signed to a long term deal?

Mark P

• He has barely played any Double-A ball, so I’d pump the brakes on any extension until next spring at the earliest.  Given what we’ve seen with Chourio’s deal and the aggressive Cooper Pratt extension, it’s fair to guess Milwaukee definitely has an eye to locking Made up as well.
• Another wrinkle in a Made extension….the lockout.  Even if it’s a 2021-22 situation and the regular season still lasts 162 games, the spring will be compressed enough that the Brewers front office may have other things to deal with before really focusing on a contract for Made

Al Kaline Battery

• What can MLB do to reduce pitching injuries? It seems like every week someone else is blowing out their arm. Injuries are a part of all sports but this is becoming an epidemic

Mark P

• There’s no easy answer.  Higher velocity leads to more injuries, but pitchers aren’t going to voluntarily shed velo since that makes them either less effective, or less likely to get signed in the first place.

  Pitching a baseball is an unnatural physical act, and it’s inevitably going to lead to injuries.  The modern focus on velocity and spin isn’t entirely to blame either, as if anything, modern medicine has helped pitchers stay healthier overall.

Philly A’s

• A’s pitching is horrible.  At least their bats are starting to come alive, and then silent, then alive….

Mark P

• Get ready for a whole lot of Sacramento slugfests this year

White Socks

• I’m interested in Sam Antonacci. I’ve been following him in AAA, and I like the way he plays the game–high contact, maybe even a little power?–do you think he could get called up?

Mark P

• Antonacci has basically done nothing but hit since he was drafted in 2024, and he’s off to a great start in the small sample size of the 2026 Triple-A season.  If he keeps posting anything close to these numbers, the White Sox may have no choice but to give him a look in the Show

Ross Atkins

• What is your take on the Patrick Corbin signing?  Seem like Giolito is persona non grata

Mark P

• The Blue Jays wanted a guy to eat innings in the short term, and maybe someone who can transitioned to the bullpen once (or if??) the rotation finally gets healthy.  Corbin being left-handed is particularly intriguing, given the Jays’ big need for southpaw help in the pen

Boston

• How do they fix this roster? Yoshida blocking Either Anthony, Rafaela, Abreu and Duran Isn’t ideal. Playing one of Anthony Rafaela Abreu and Duran at DH hurts their future earning power. Is playing Rafaela at 2nd, Mayer at SS and finding takers or moving on from Yoshida and Story realistic options?

Mark P

• Earning power isn’t really a concern for the team in general, and especially not with Rafaela or Anthony since they’re already signed to long-term extensions.

  Yoshida is so clearly not in Boston’s plans that just releasing him this past winter might’ve just been the move, if for no other reason to cut the cord.  It’s not fun eating his remaining money, but it’s hard to see a scenario where Yoshida can be dealt for any significant savings at all.

Adam

• Do players who accept a QO have the same trade restrictions as free agent signings?

Mark P

• Yes, I think mid-June is the first date when QO accepting players can be dealt
• The players can still be dealt if they approve a trade before that, but accepting a QO gives them six months of no-trade protection

Brewer Fan

• It’s 2 starts i know I know.. but how long until we can victory lap Kyle Harrison? Kids a beast

Mark P

• Who could’ve predicted that the Brewers would fix a once-promising pitching prospect?!

  ….wait, I think everyone called that

Ellis Valentine

• Most fun things you’ve seen so far in this early part of the season?

Mark P

• Hard to top Jo Adell’s three-robbery game.  Even if Adell wasn’t the unofficial avatar of the Weekend Chat, that kind of a special game stands out for a long time.

Mehts

• What do teams gain by signing unproven prospects to long-term contracts?

Armchair GM

• I really don’t understand the motivation for signing Colt Emerson long-term. If he outperforms the contract, it’s likely they modify the terms, if he underwhelms then they’ve wasted almost a decade of money.  He’s supposed to be a sure thing in the sport, but so was Scott Kingery for the Phils and I say there is no such thing as a sure thing in baseball.

Mark P

• It’s a risk on Seattle’s part, but in calculated fashion.  Players like Kingery, Evan White, Jon Singleton, etc. are cautionary tales for sure, but on the flip side, look at Acuna, or Corbin Carroll, or even slightly lesser big-money deals like Brandon Lowe with the Rays.  If the player lives up to expectations it’s a huge bargain for the team.

Tim_in_MN

• I have a suggestion for revamping the MLB 162 game regular season. I’ll use the Cubs as an example, though the same formula would apply to all teams. The Cubs would play each of their four divisional foes 18 times (72 games total). They’d play six games against each NL East team (30 games) and six against each NL West team (30 games). The final 30 games would be played against an AL division on a rotating basis; the AL East one year, AL Central the next, and then the AL West. Advantages to such a schedule? All teams within a division would play the same schedule. More games within a division amplifies rivalries and reduces travel time & costs. Because any given AL team would only come to town every 3rd year, interleague play would again be special. In most years the two World Series opponents would not have faced each other during the regular season. This would add intrigue to the Fall Classic – just like the “old days”. I’ll hang up and listen to your response.

Mark P

• This is pretty close to just the old style of interleague schedule format, and frankly I prefer the current version. Getting a chance to see every team in baseball come to town every year is a plus, and if there’s already interleague play happening, I don’t see why it has to be “made special” by limiting trips to every three years.

  I’m also all for fewer games against division foes. Teams and players are as well, since there was grumbling in the old format that it made things unfair for the wild card race.  13 games is plenty for rivalries, and the odd number is fun for deciding tiebreakers

DocGreedo

• did Toronto loss or did Chicago win?

Mark P

• “Maybe the White Sox just have an elite pitching staff this year,” Mark mused, in an attempt to cope with the Jays’ rough series.

Settle a Debate

• Is Salvy tracking as a HOFer?

Mark P

• I suspect he gets in.  Perez’s statistical shortcomings may be overlooked in favor of his long career and association with a single franchise.

Peter Bendix

• Early success is good, but do you see my Fishes making noise?

Mark P

• They need Stowers back as soon as possible, but so far, so good for Miami.  The Marlins already topped expectations by so much in 2025 that they’re tough to evaluate this year — for all we know, maybe they can make another jump to be legit contenders for a playoff spot

LA4LIFE

• Overreaction or valid: Andy Pages pushes a .290 AVG and 30 home runs by the end of the season, earning himself an extension by the end of the year

Mark P

• Fabian Ardaya wrote last week that the Dodger hadn’t yet had any extension talks with Pages, which isn’t that surprising since he’s already controlled through 2030.

  LA has so many promising outfielders in the pipeline that it’s possible they won’t extend Pages simply because the team wants to see how things play out with all the prospects.  The Dodgers also have the money to sign Pages to a long-term deal at a later date during his arb years — it may cost them more cash down the road, but that’s no concern for this franchise

Mr InBetween

• I try to be good hard-worker-man, but refrigemater so messy, so so messy.

Mark P

• A screen name referencing an awesome TV show and a comment referencing NewsRadio.

  10/10, no notes

Brewer Fan

• Based on your answer, do you agree with me that Harrison has more upside than Durbin? Add how Harriosn has played and that feels like a steal right now. (Again, granted it’s early)

Mark P

• In terms of pure upside, yeah, Harrison was preferable.  That’s not to undermine Durbin’s solid rookie year, or to discount the possibility that Harrison might have only unlocked something with the Brewers specifically given their pitching development magic.  (And, as you noted, it’s early enough that this answer could totally change if Harrison is rocked in his next outing.)
• The Cooper Pratt extension also lends more info to the Durbin trade.  If the Brewers were obviously so high on Pratt that they saw him as a long-term piece, it explains why they were willing to move Durbin already

AA

• My scabbed together pitching staff is looking good! Maybe I should of got a bat lol

Mark P

• The rotation’s issue was health, not a lack of talent.  If Sale/Lopez/Holmes can stay off the IL, they should deliver quality results.  Atlanta’s backup pitchers (Elder and Perez) have also performed well, so there’s some hope the Braves may be able to ride out these pitching injuries

Halo CF

• Not again Mark what do xrays show?

Mark P

• Royals announced x-rays were negative.  Trout may end up on the IL as a precaution, but it looks like the worst was avoided

Jh

• does travis bazzana (currently hitting .200 in triple A) get buried among the other high profile 1st round picks of 2024 who are already making waves in mlb (konnor griffin, nick kurtz, jj wetherholt) or do you still think there is hope that cleveland doesnt regret their first overall choice?

Mark P

• Keep in mind that the 2024 draft was less than two years ago.  Teams are becoming more aggressive in promoting their top prospects (particularly those who are coming from college ball) to the big leagues, but just a few years, it would’ve been unheard of to even think about the Guardians promoting Bazzana to the majors this fast.
• His slow start over like five games also ignores the solid numbers Bazzana posted in the larger sample of 120 PA of Triple-A ball in 2025.

  Far too early to say the Guards make a mistake based on the lack of track record for any of these guys, really.  For all we know, maybe Kurtz has a sophomore slump in store for 2026

Vin

• Masters picks?

Mark P

• Hard to pick against Scottie Scheffler

Kurtz

• True or false: I am a league average bat if you take me out of Sacramento and its park effects. Put me in T-Mobile or Petco and I don’t think I’d be near as good.

Mark P

• Kurtz is surely helped by playing at SHP, but he also had a .967 OPS in away games in 2025.  The guy can hit anywhere.

Reds Nation

• Do the Reds have a closer problem with Pagan? He averaged 1 HR every 5 innings last year which is unacceptable for a closer in my opinion. Your thoughts?

Mark P

• Pagan’s struggles in keeping the ball in the park have been the story of his career, though the rest of his arsenal is good enough that he has been able to avoid damage some seasons (like in 2025).

  It’s always going to be a highwire act to some extent if Pagan is your closer.  But, the Reds felt solid enough in his 2025 performance to sign him to another contract and roll the dice again.  Time will tell if that was the right call, or if they’ll explore a closer change at some point this year

Rob

• What is going on with the San Diego team sale

Mark P

• As of the most recent reports, four groups are bidding, and something could develop before April is over

  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/padres-notes-sale-gores-payroll…

• I haven’t heard back from the Padres about my offer of $100 and a signed photo for the team.  Starting to think I’m out of the running, but I may be willing to up my bid to $110 bucks

Guest

• Umm, Mark. The Guardians won their division last year. The Tigers were the wildcard. In fact, the Guards have won their division last AL Central 3 of the last 4 seasons. They’re not hunting a wildcard playoff spot.

Mark P

• This is a very fair point to make.  While I think Detroit wins the division this year, one can’t rule out Cleveland from topping the ALC again.

Ludwig’s Pop Fly

• After 1+ week, what concerns you most about Atlanta’s offense?

Mark P

• Acuna, Harris, and Riley are off to cold starts. Small sample size, sure, though in the case of Harris/Riley case, there’s extra concern given how their numbers have been on the slide for a couple of years now.

  By and large, however, the Braves’ offense is looking good even with some prominent names in early slumps

White Sox Rookie

• Is the White Sox rookie first baseman eligible to win rookie of the year?  Should MLB make a special category for international rookies?

Mark P

• Murakami is indeed eligible.  Creating a whole new award seems like a reach, but ruling such players from NPB, the KBO, etc. ineligible also doesn’t exactly fair — they’re rookies in MLB, after all.

  It’s an interesting debate point, and the other wrinkle is how the ROY voting impacts Prospect Promotion Incentive players.

Angels Fan

• Besides the obvious answer of Arte… Why haven’t the Angels extended Neto?  At this point, would a 7/160 even be enough?

Mark P

• If you’re Neto, would you necessarily want to sign a long-term extension with the Angels?  An extension secures your financial future, but with $4.15MM in salary this year, three more arb years coming as a Super Two player, and $3.35MM already banked from your draft signing bonus, maybe Neto is willing to just bet on himself until free agency

Robbie Baseball

• I know it’s only 9 games into the season, but I’m worried about the Blue Jays – especially based on the teams they’ve played so far. They were something like 2 for 20 this weekend with runners in scoring position. What can they do to turn things around?

Mark P

• It’s not great when a slow start coincides with my worries about a team — i.e. that the Jays had no lefty bullpen depth, and they were relying a lot of hitters replicating their 2025 breakouts.

  When you have mulitple players who are completely ice cold (Barger, Varsho, Springer, Kirk), it’s hard to score runs or string any kind of rally together.  Not pressing the panic button after nine games or anything, but losing four in a row during this allegedly soft part of the schedule isn’t good.

James

• Do you see the Braves making any significant trades at the deadline?

Mark P

• Anthopoulos is never one to sit out a deadline.  Any exact needs are tough to forecast right now, since so much will depend on how many of Atlanta’s starters are healthy by that point.  But, bullpen reinforcement is always a need, or an extra outfielder.

Guest

• Is Cole Young legit?

Mark P

• Highly regarded prospect, former first rounder…nobody should be surprised if Young has a breakout year

Andrew McCutchen

• What do you think about the Pirates not re-signing me now? I’m off to a hot start and Ozuna is completely washed up with no bat speed at all.

Mark P

• It was handled in a very awkward manner, but I don’t hate the Pirates’ decision to move on from McCutchen as a pure baseball move.  What didn’t make sense was then spending $12MM on Ozuna to clog up the DH spot.
• The idea of Cutch going on a revenge tour and having a big season in Texas would be fun (especially for Rangers fans)

Lower Case j’s

• Excellent Wayne’s World 2 reference!

Mark P

• Haha, someone got my middle-aged reference! Hooray!
• And on that happy note, it’s time to wrap up the chat.  Thanks to everyone who participated, and happy Easter weekend to those who celebrate.
• 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-4-5-26