MLB Trade Rumors

Dipoto

• How available are the elite 2B targets like Marte and Jazz?  Is it just smoke?

Mark P

• Seems like Marte is more available, albeit at a much higher price tag.  I’m not sure Chisholm is really “available” outside of the broad way in which teams are usually open to hearing offers about impending free agents.

Stevil

• It seems likely to me that acquiring Ketel Marte might mean taking Gurriel with him. What do you think?

Mark P

• Gurriel is owed $13MM in 2026, and there’s a $5MM buyout of his $14MM club option for 2027.

  Maybe the argument can be made that Marte is enough of a relative bargain that adding another $18MM to the tally still works out in another team’s favor, and maybe the math works if that other team isn’t terribly deep in prospects.  And, if the D’Backs really are doing something like trying to move Marte in order to sign Bregman, maybe they’d just like to clear as much payroll as possible.

  But, overall, teams don’t want to water down the value of a price trade asset (like Marte) by attaching an undesirable contract to the package.  Gurriel’s salary isn’t so onerous that Arizona can’t just eat it for one year left.

CardfaninIL

• What is the best return we can get for JoJo? And can put a top15 kid with Nolan to get a better return? Thx

Mark P

• Likewise, a rebuilding team like the Cardinals isn’t likely to move any kind of notable prospect along with Arenado just to help a trade go through.  The Cards have shown they’ll just eat some salary to accommodate these deals in order to help improve the returns.

grunt

• what would it cost to get santander from bluejays  for the reds

Mark P

• Hard to see a trade match there.  If you’re the Reds and you’re in need of offensive help, surely you’d want someone who a) isn’t so expensive, and b) isn’t coming off essentially a non-starter of a 2025 season.

GOATcloserEstabanYan

• How likely is it that Rays trade Yandy, Rasmussen, etc. and just go all in on a full blown rebuild?

Mark P

• The Rays don’t ever fully rebuild.  There’s enough talent on the roster that they still think they can contend in 2026, and never count out the Rays from suddenly swinging another trade to bring in a good talent, or someone else suddenly emerges from their minor league ranks as a regular

Alan Smithee

• Are Yankees is on Tucker at all and is Tucker objectively the better player than Bellinger or not?

Mark P

• Reports indicate that Tucker is a backup plan if Bellinger can’t be re-signed.  That’s kind of interesting framing that the far more expensive player is the “plan B” since in theory, Tucker is more difficult to sign.  But, the Yankees seem to have correctly gauged Tucker’s market as limited to just a few teams, so they have the ability to wait and see on both him and Bellinger.

  Objectively, Tucker is certainly the more consistent and better player than Bellinger, as evidenced by their numbers over the last few seasons.  Whether that’s worth, say, an extra $200MM gap or more in salary remains to be seen, in terms of the Yankees and other teams are evaluating the two

Luc

• Any chance Giants are back in on Imai?

Mark P

• They are, as per reports.  The Giants’ apparently unwillingness to commit to a long contract is an obstacle, yet if Imai’s market isn’t developing to the point that he’s getting truly larger offers, maybe SF thinks they can sneak in there with three or four years.

Kuiper

• Happy New Year! When will my Guards get a right handed bat if ever?

Mark P

• They were keen on Lane Thomas, is that something?

  Miguel Andujar would be a perfect fit for Cleveland….except his two best positions are also J-Ram and Kwan’s two positions.  Still, the Guardians could use him in RF or at 1B, or as a DH, or just any way to get Andujar into the lineup against lefty pitching

Stearns

• Are you in favor of seeing more trades like the Nimmo/Baty trades? It was especially surprising since Mets fans love Nimmo (and presumably Ranger fams too with Semien), but it’s kind of exciting to see veterans join a new team at the same time.

Mark P

• It was an interesting deal on many fronts.  As the writer who was on MLBTR duty when that trade broke, there were so many facets to address that my word count for that post ended up being pretty high, haha.

Jake

• Chances of Okamoto going to the Pirates?

Mark P

• Probably seems unlikely.  While the Bucs have been busy in adding offense (and willing to spend some money), Okamoto’s probably not going to Pittsburgh unless his market really collapses.

Dirt

• Thanks for the chat, Mark. What are your thoughts on Chris Bassitt to the Braves? Quality, durable arm, innings eater, no QO, veteran leadership, reportedly good in clubhouse. Seems like he would be a perfect fit at an affordable price?

Mark P

• Agreed.  Bassitt is a good fit on a few teams for that very reason, and we probably can’t even entirely rule out a return to Toronto yet.  But, you’re right that he’d check a lot of boxes for a Braves team that is in the weird spot of technically having “enough” pitching but also absolutely need another reliable arm.

Tatsayu Imai

• Who is favored to sign Imai? Do the Cubs have a legit chance?  There’s only a week left for him to sign.

Mark P

• There doesn’t appear to be a clear favorite for Imai, but the Cubs have been linked to him and would appear to have as much of a shot as anyone in the field.  The Cubs have a history of landing top-level Japanese talent, and Imai might fall within the Cubs’ “spend pretty big but not TOO big” price range

Joe Hardy

• Didn’t see Michael King coming back to San Diego and signing Song was interesting. What do you think happens with Chronenworth?

Mark P

• I actually felt there was a decent chance King would just accept the qualifying offer and stay in San Diego that way. But, in example #7903 of why I’d make a lousy player agent, King ended up testing the market and walked away with a much bigger payday while still ending up in his preferred spot.

Phanatic

• I keep wondering why the Phillies don’t just decide to walk away from JT. Combine the 16m or so you’ve got earmarked for him with the 10m for Bohm and you’re close to Bichette or Bregman.

Mark P

• First they’d need to find a trade partner to absorb all of Bohm’s salary.  Then they’d need to actually sign Bichette/Bregman.  Then they’d need to go out and find someone else to play catcher, since counting on Marchan and company is a big risk.

Guest

• I feel like the Tigers are done for the winter other than depth, do you think that too?

Mark P

• As conservative as Scott Harris has been with his transactions, I feel like Detroit’s got one bigger move in them this offseason.  Relatively standing pat would seem like a real mistake, given how this team still has some holes keeping it from being a real contender

White Sox Fan

• What kind of pitching return are the Sox looking for in a Luis Robert trade with the Reds? Chase Petty?

Mark P

• Chris Getz would sign off on that deal right now if Cincinnati offered Petty for Robert, but that’s not going to happen.  As rough as Petty’s 2025 season was, he is still highly regarded as a prospect, and not someone the Reds would be too willing to dangle for a player with as many question marks as Robert (and at his price tag).

Scott

• Do the Braves add another starter? Framber? Ranger?

Mark P

• Someone like Bassitt seems a lot more realistic spending-wise than one of the top FA arms

Pumpsie

• What’s your year-end feeling on the Jays? Happy that they played meaningful, memorable games into the November (!) spotlight after so many years in the wilderness, or totally bummed they didn’t win it all? I’m far more of the former!

Mark P

• I feel like I’ve had the same “man, that Game 7, argh!” conversation with about 50 people in the last two months, which then stretches into a 10-minute discussion over all the near-misses from that game (and Game 6, or even Game 3) and what the Blue Jays might do next.

  Objectively, you’re correct. The Jays exceeded expectations to such an absurd degree that it seems silly to not look back at 2025 as anything but a high point.  It’s just that ending things with such a crushing loss still leaves me needing time to process things, personally.

FedPav

• Would Tucker accept a short-term, high AAV deal to join a contender?

Mark P

• Hey look, it’s Andrew Friedman’s burner account!  :)

  If Tucker’s market really doesn’t develop as expected, a shorter-term deal is a possibility.  But it’s not so late in the offseason that his camp needs to be panicking yet, and I suspect Tucker still lands a lengthy mega-deal.

SeaPilots

• Is there another move after Refsnyder?

Mark P

• Certainly.  Refsnyder is a good part-time bat, but landing an everyday second baseman seems like a need.

Doug

• I love McMahon defense at 3B, but how can the Yankees go through 2 more seasons with him and a platoon partner?  I mean he will still get the majority of starts.

Mark P

• Having a no-hit/all-glove guy in your lineup isn’t a bad thing, since McMahon’s defense is just that great.  Especially if you can work around it with hitting in the rest of the lineup, and a good RHH bat as a platoon partner.
• Is this necessarily how I would’ve addressed the 3B position if I was Cashman last summer?  No, but I can see the logic in bringing McMahon aboard.

Bob Veale

• How do u feel about what the Pirates done so far

Mark P

• I’ve been impressed.  The Buccos brought in a couple of proven veteran hitters, a very intriguing MLB-ready player in Garcia, and a bit of a lottery ticket with upside in Mangum.  And, they’ve done this while not dipping too deeply into their rotation mix.

Girl fan

• Big Christmas to the Padres?

Mark P

• Eh, maybe?  A flier of a waiver claim couldn’t hurt if San Diego wants to take a look at him in Spring Training.  But, Noel is a limited player, and the Padres can probably aim higher.

Matt Arnold

• FO is high on Jefferson Quero. If the Brewers were to trade Contreras would that be a complete shock – 2 years before free agency – and what chance you give that happening?

Mark P

• It would be a real surprise if it happened now.  The trade whispers about Contreras will get a lot louder by this time next year, but there’s very little chance the Brewers will deal an All-Star catcher now and roll with Quero + stopgap veteran catcher when they’re trying to win a World Series.

Joey walnuts

• who are the redsox waiting to trade Casas for

Mark P

• Between Casas’ lost 2025 season and Contreras now in Boston, rival teams have quite a bit of leverage on the Sox in trade talks.  The Red Sox don’t want to sell low on Casas and they don’t necessarily have to since they use him in the 1B/DH mix next year.  But, if you’re another team in talks about Casas, surely you have to ask “hey, if this guy is so good, why have you been shopping him for the better part of two years now?”

Hits Like Rays

• Should the Rays sign Luis Rengifo or Brendan Rodgers to play 2B this year and then see how their prospects develop?

Mark P

• Rengifo is one of my favourite bounce-back candidates of the entire free agent market.  IMO, he’s absolutely the kind of player the Rays (or a lot of teams) should be looking at.

Lars Nootbar

• I’m not going anywhere until the deadline, if at all, correct?

Mark P

• Probably not

Motor City Beach Bum

• With Keith playing good ball at 3B last year would it make sense for Detroit to sign Bellinger instead of a 3B target?

Mark P

• The Tigers are already so loaded with LH bats that I actually don’t love Bellinger as an ideal fit for them, even though in a vacuum he obviously makes the lineup better.

  It is fair to guess that Keith isn’t exactly going to be Brooks Robinson if he gets any extended time at third base.  Detroit may not want to take that kind of defensive risk with Keith in an everyday role, but there are enough moving parts and platoon holes on the roster for Hinch to mix and match things.

A for effort

• Are the A’s becoming a more desirable destination for free agents given their glut of young position player talent? Or in other words, do they still need to throw over-market money at players like Severino to get them to play in Sacramento, or do you think players will be more receptive this time around?

Mark P

• They’re still in “significant overpay” territory.  While I don’t doubt that players are taking note of what the A’s are doing from a competitive perspective, it is highly unlikely that any player with options elsewhere is going to sign to play in a minor league park for two (or more?) years

Tempy2DHall

• When a player is out for the year (think Darvish), is his salary still figured in team spending? Certainly, there must be insurance against that type of IL.

Mark P

• Most contracts are ensured in some way, so the clubs receive some financial compensation.  But, Darvish naturally still counts against the luxury tax and whatnot.

Chicago Sox Fan

• What do you see the White Sox doing with their soon to be LONG list of future SS?  They have Montgomery playing now, and Billy Carlson in the minors, plus they should be taking Cholowski with the #1 pick.

Mark P

• You can never have enough shortstop depth, especially since who knows how many of them will pan out.  Plus, most players drafted as shortstops have the skills to pretty easily transition to another position if a surplus actually does develop

who’s on 1st

• IF the Gardians and others are so cheap as to not spend big; find players that do some things real well. Like; the M’s did with Refsnyder

Mark P

• The Guardians have had enough consistent success that it’s hard to argue that their method doesn’t work.  And yet, splurging for even one proven bat would have helped this team immensely in recent years, and may even proved to be the difference in a playoff series or two.

Muarakami Market

• Why did Murakami not get the contract he wanted? What happened to his market?

Mark P

• It seems like the offers just weren’t there, or teams were too worried about Murakami’s strikeout rate to really push too hard on courting the slugger.  Jeff Passan reported that some teams did offer longer-term contracts but for relatively little AAV, so Murakami instead chose to bet on himself with the Chicago deal.
• Don’t forget, Murakami isn’t even 26 yet.  He can re-enter free agency heading into his age-28 season, and potentially score a much bigger contract if he has two years of solid MLB results behind him.

Me

• What is the knock on Comerica or the city of Detroit that they arent up for a near future ASG?

Mark P

• Comerica hosted back in 2005, so it isn’t “due” (if you look at All-Star nods in a broad 30-city way) for another decade or so.

JL

• What would a return for riley greene look like? Several years of control left, plus defense in LF, plus power. Would a team like the mets be interested?

Mark P

• The Mets and a ton of teams would obviously be in on Greene, who’s controlled through 2028.  But the natural response to your question is….why would the Tigers trade such a player?  If anything, I’d think there’s a better chance Detroit extends Greene.

Guest

• Do you think the Royals likely trade for an outfielder? or likely stick with their current roster?

Mark P

• I liked the Collins trade, but if I’m the Royals, I’m still looking for a better second outfielder than Lane Thomas.  There’s no proof yet that Caglianone can hit MLB pitching, and Isbel can’t hit (though Isbel is another “his glove is so good that a lack of offense is tolerable”) player

Joe

• Did the O’s make a mistake giving Mountcastle a contract, or does he still have enough value to get a low level prospect along with his salary?

Mark P

• If I was the O’s, I would’ve non-tendered Mountcastle and either gone with Mayo or gotten another 1B (like Alonso, or even a lower-level move like re-signing O’Hearn).

  I get that keeping Mountcastle gave the O’s some flexibility in not necessarily “having” to make a 1B move, yet it seemed pretty obvious that it was a position in need of a boost.  As noted earlier about the Red Sox and their lack of leverage with Casas, the Orioles now have even less bargaining power in finding to find a trade partner for Mountcastle.

On-The-Way-Out A’s Fan?

• Do you think anymore extensions will be coming for the A’s or do they focus their remaining, unknown resources towards pitching?

Mark P

• Wouldn’t be shocked if Jacob Wilson or even Kurtz is inked to a long-term deal.
• I’d be surprised if the A’s hadn’t at least had some talks with that duo.

  Langeliers is a Boras client, so he’s less likely of an extension candidate.

Dave

• Would Bello, Mayer, and Casas get the job done for Marte?

Mark P

• That’s an interesting offer that probably at least gets Arizona’s attention, since it (theoretically) checks off three boxes for them and frees up some salary.

thunderwriter

• Is Baz that good or did the Orioles get so many players for him because they accepted players who are so far from MLB ready?

Mark P

• Baz is less “good” in the sense of being a proven MLB starter than he is controllable with lots of upside.  Injuries have obviously impacted his career, but this still a pitcher who isn’t far removed from being a top-flight prospect, and he’s had some success in his big league career.
• Baltimore’s minor league depth helps them in a trade like this, since while they didn’t move any of their true blue-chippers, they were able to unload several pretty good prospects, plus the draft pick.

  From Tampa Bay’s perspective, if even one of those players or the draft pick turns into a productive big leaguer, the trade is at least a wash and maybe a big win.

Chris Getz

• I have so much payroll space can I please sign some actual talent? We’re on the verge of being half way descent

Mark P

• The White Sox are at least two years away from starting to really build towards being a competitive team.  And in terms of true bigger spending, that might not happen until Ishbia becomes the majority owner
• We’ve been going for about two hours, so it’s time to wrap things up like a gift under the tree.  Thanks for all the questions, and I hope everyone is having a very nice holiday season!
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