MLBTR Chats

guest

• how series are the red sox in their pursuit of Bichette and Marte?

Mark P

• Marte seems more likely just because there have been rumblings that the Sox are being wary about spending.  Y’know, since the BOSTON RED SOX might not turn a profit if player payroll is too high.

  Now that I’m done scoffing, this doesn’t mean Marte is a likely add, but just that he’s perhaps “more” likely than Bichette.  The Red Sox now have built up some rotation depth and might be more open to moving pitching for Marte

Giants Fan

• Do you see the Giants really signing Kyle Shwarber and trading Bryce Eldridge?

Mark P

• No to the first, maybe to the second

Nolan

• Hello, if you were Scott Harris, would you deal Skubal this offseason? I worry our fanbase would be calling for him to be fired, even though I think he has done a good job so far for the Tigers.

Mark P

• I’d keep him, since it’s a lot easier to win the World Series when you’ve got a star ace at the front of your pitching staff.

RoyalsCenter2024

• With the news of royals wanting to sign Adam Frazier and Yaz is it understandable for fans to worry that might be all they do for the outfield? Or should the Royals not be worried?

Mark P

• I find it hard to believe that KC would consider Yaz/Frazier to be a suitable answer to their outfield problems.  Bringing back one to address one OF slot and then obtaining a bigger everyday type for another OF slot would be far more helpful.

Hagen

• Do you think the dodgers could work a trade for Ketel Marte? Why or why not? What would be a ideal trade?

Mark P

• If Marte is dealt at all, it sure won’t be to the Dodgers, of all teams.

RocktheRed

• Now that Harry Ford is a Nat, what happens to Kilbert Ruiz?

Mark P

• Ruiz’s trade value is pretty low right now, given his contract and his lack of production.  What I could see the Nats doing is shopping him as part of an unwelcome contract swap, or perhaps as salary offset as part of a larger trade.  Like, a catcher-needy team sends a big contract or two to the Washington along with some prospect depth, and the Nats move Ruiz out as part of the return to help even out the money.

Walter

• is there a world where the Jays sign Tucker AND Bo Bichette?

Mark P

• That seems a bridge too far, even considering how aggressive the Jays have been about spending.  They’d have to figure out some way to unload at least one other big contract (i.e. Santander, Berrios) to make that feasible.

Matt S

• Would you have voted for Jeff Kent for the Hall of Fame?  I’m disappointed Murphy and Mattingly didn’t make it.

Mark P

• Kent, Delgado, Bonds, and Clemens were the four of the eight candidates that clear the HOF bar in my book.

  In terms of actual votes, it’s more of a “read the room” situation.  Remember, each member of this committee can only vote for as many as three candidates.  So if I’m at the meeting and hear like eight or nine people openly say they’re not voting for Bonds/Clemens, then I’m probably not going to bother putting both on my list, since neither are getting elected.  At most I’d vote for one, then spend two votes on Kent and Delgado.

Sox Fan

• Would Mayer straight up be enough to get Joe Ryan?

Mark P

• The Twins might want a couple of low-level lottery ticket guys included just so the pressure isn’t entirely on Mayer, but if he’s the centerpiece, I think Minnesota leans towards saying yes

mcg

• Will we have more Breaking News tonight besides Kent going into Hallmto.

Mark P

• From past experience, the first night of the Winter Meetings is usually not very busy news-wise, as everyone is getting there and settling into the hotel.  Not wanting to step on the HOF announcement is also a factor, possibly.

  Now, as I write this, watch some big blockbuster trade happen, lol.  Good thing Charlie Wright and I are both on MLBTR duty tonight, giving me some flexibility to run this chat!

Bill B

• What can the Phillies reasonably expect to receive for trading Castelanos and Bohm

Mark P

• Barring a bad contract swap, I think the Phils will end up just releasing Castellanos and eating the money.  Bohm could bring back a decent but unspectacular return, like a reliever or something.

Dana Brown 4 Advice

• Can I get a catcher in the Rule 5?

Mark P

• Taking a catcher in the R5 is an added risk because since you can’t send him down to the minors, you’re putting a lot of faith in an unproven player if your starter ends up getting hurt.

  Yainer is a pretty good starting option already, so the Astros are much more likely to play it safe and just sign a veteran backup

Guardians fan

• Chances Guards sign Alonso or Bellinger with how little they have committed in payroll?

Mark P

• As much as this makes sense, the Guardians simply aren’t willing to make those financial splashes in free agency.  It would take a real market collapse for either of those guys to get into Cleveland’s price range.

Dr. socks

• No clue why pirates bothered to offer schwarbs a contract.  Maybe to make it look like they are actually trying

Mark P

• To be fair, you can’t criticize the Pirates for not trying to spend on bigger free agents and then turn around and roll your eyes when they do make the attempt.  It doesn’t seem likely that Schwarber will end up in Pittsburgh, but it costs the Bucs nothing to ask, or make an offer.

fascinating

• Are teams allowed to negotiate with players on other teams prior to making a trade agreement? I seem to remember the Dodgers conditional agreement to trade for Glasnow was dependent on whether or not he would sign an extension. Is this permitted? Thinking about my Giants trading Eldridge for someone on a one year deal like Peralta but only making the move of Freddy agrees to an extension first.

Mark P

• This is allowed, under certain circumstances like the one you mentioned.

Paxton

• Does Mitch Keller to the D-Backs for Ketel Marte makes sense for both team?

Mark P

• Keller is a perfectly decent starter, but the D’Backs would want way more than “perfectly decent” back in exchange for Marte

Boras

• Do you think Alonso will hold out until near or spring training this year like he did last year? It sounded like larger offers kept disappearing that were below what his expectations were as the offseason went on and had to settle for the mets deal which was lower than what was originally offered earlier in the offseason.

Mark P

• Knowing Boras, he’s got a new game plan in place given how last offseason went, and he has more of an idea about how the market as a whole evaluates Alonso.  And, that market may have changed since Alonso is no longer tied to a qualifying offer, and because he’s coming off a much better platform year.

Troy

• is Otto Lopez a trade option for the Braves at SS? They could even pursue Sandy in a package deal. Thoughts?

Mark P

• The Marlins probably aren’t trading Alcantara at all, and if they did, it definitely won’t be to a division rival.

  Secondly, this is the first time I’ve heard Alcantara described as an add-on in The Otto Lopez Trade, lol

Tiger Lover

• Do you think the Tigers will make any moves at the meetings, or, is it all smoke we are hearing?

Mark P

• This is true of the Tigers and every other team, but if they don’t do anything major (or at all) over the next four days, their offseason isn’t a bust.  There are still months to make transactions.

  Undoubtedly the Tigers will explore some things at the Meetings, but if they don’t close on a notable move, it isn’t the end of the world.

TheHurricaneBen

• Do you think the Cardinals will make a trade this week? Lot of smoke around Donovan and KC

Mark P

• Derrick Goold made the interesting point in a recent piece that the Cards, Rays, and D’Backs are all shopping second basemen to some extent, leaving the market a little clogged.

  Now, that doesn’t mean St. Louis wouldn’t or couldn’t be the first to make a trade here, since there’s so much interest in Donovan that the Cards have probably already received a few interesting offers….it’s just a question of whether any of these offers are deemed enough, or if Chaim Blooms thinks more than be found in a counter-offer, or from another team entirely.

Cashman

• am I finally going to make a real move this offseason

Mark P

• Fried, Bellinger, Devin Williams, and the umpteen other huge moves Cashman has made over his long career aren’t “real moves”?

Pete

• Are the Giants really not interested in committing big money to top free agent SPs or is just a bargaining strategy

Mark P

• Every team would prefer to not sign pitchers to long-term deals, since the majority of them turn out to be poor investments.  That said, just enough of them turn out great that several teams still feel willing to take the plunge.

  I don’t doubt that the Giants would so big on a starting pitcher if they’re really particularly keen on a guy, but maybe nobody in this year’s market strikes their fancy.

buhlake

• Would it make sense for the Rangers to try and bring back Garcia for much less if they can’t find another outfielder?

Mark P

• I think the ship has sailed on Garcia in Texas.

IM

• I keep seeing suggestions on MacKenzie Gore to the Orioles trades…are the Nats and O’s likely to hook up on any trade, much less for someone like Gore?

Mark P

• Highly unlikely.  Even after the ownership change, there’s way too much bad blood between the two organizations.

Mariners

• Why do you think that Harry ford’s value was so comparatively low? He was traded, along with someone else, for a young, intriguing but unproven reliever, and not even to be a closer. Do you think the could have gotten more for ford?

Mark P

• It was a fascinating trade, since I agree with you that it seemed like the M’s would be able to get a lot more back for Ford.  That said, perhaps it’s a sign of just how much the market value controllable relievers with Ferrer’s stuff.  Plus, the Mariners are certainly in “last piece of the puzzle” mode.  A LH reliever was a clear need for them, so perhaps they felt giving up Ford was worth it to land a pitcher like Ferrer they so clearly coveted

Dbacks Fan

• Since Ketel is an MVP level player and on a defeated team friendly deal for only a few more years, is any return good enough to actually trade him? I know the Snakes need pitching but can the return include a controllable mlb established arm and a quality bat at the corner infield?

Mark P

• It feels like that unless there’s a lot of smoke behind those reports of clubhouse discontent, there’s no reason for Arizona to move a star player like Marte.  And like I said earlier, I doubt they send him anywhere unless they receive an absurd trade offer.

  It costs the D’Backs nothing to at least listen to trade offers, even if they aren’t actually shopping Marte themselves.

CT

• Ruiz for Cronenworth?

Mark P

• San Diego did some to mind when I was floating that Ruiz scenario earlier.  But, Cronenworth is still a useful player, if overpaid within SD’s payroll limitations.  Ruiz can’t be relied on as a starting catcher, so he wouldn’t be much of an answer to the Padres’ search

Pete

• Super bowl predictions?

Mark P

• Rams over Broncos

Mr. Red

• Is there a player who, when signed, would be the first “domino” and other signings would quickly follow? How about the same for a traded player? Or does it even work like that?

Mark P

• This is pretty common in many offseasons.  This year, Schwarber leaving the market will get a lot of teams turning their attention more fully to other hitters.

Kyle

• Coulda package of Donovan and Arenado make sense for Boston, assuming STL takes on enough of the money? Donovan and Mayer have both had their injury issues, and Arenado wouldn’t be the worst backup option. Would STL even consider moving both in the same deal?

Mark P

• There’s no way the Cards are diminishing the return on Donovan by linking him to Arenado.  If they were in the same deal, the Cardinals also aren’t eating any of Arenado’s salary….but by the same token, STL isn’t moving Donovan just to unload Arenado’s money

Marky Mark

• Mark, you’ve been ignoring me buddy! Weekend Chat Nation want to know – what’s on your playlist?

Mark P

• (Fast) Slow Disco, by St. Vincent

Cubs Fan

• What are the chances of Imai to the Cubs?

Mark P

• Seems like a distinct possibility.  The Cubs have a good history of signing Japanese players, and Imai’s price tag is expected to fall within the range Chicago is comfortable paying

Ivy Walls

• Any idea how much of the Cubs rumored interest is legitimate and how much is agents and media trying to generate interest?

Mark P

• No reason to doubt the Cubs aren’t making calls or checking in on a wide range of players.  Only the front office knows which players are highest on their target list, and which are being contacted out of due diligence.

J

• Will the Rays sign a big name free agent or at least extend caminero?

Mark P

• 1. No way
  2. They hadn’t any talks with Caminero as of last August, as per his agent Rafa Nieves.  Certainly you’d think Tampa would have interest in locking Junior up, but as Nieves pointed out, the triple factors of the team sale/the ballpark mess/Wander Franco’s contract may have kept the Rays from delving into extension talks

Dallas

• How often does a team make a move that even the MLBTR writers can’t understand or endorse?

Mark P

• Happens every once in a while.  As someone who couldn’t fathom for about a year why the Orioles made that Trevor Rogers trade, we’ll often find ourselves eating our words!

Guest

• Any substance to trade talks involving Barger, or is it pure speculation on the media’s part?

Mark P

• Between Barger’s breakout at the plate and his roster value in being able to capably play both 3B and RF, I would be very surprised if the Blue Jays moved him
• I don’t doubt that tons of teams are asking the Jays about Barger, but expect him in Toronto on Opening Day

Guest

• What was the reasoning behind optioning Yariel given that the 40 man wasn’t full?

Mark P

• I think the Jays have a few things percolating and may need multiple 40-man roster spots soon.  That’s what makes the timing of the Yariel outright so intriguing.

Nick Krall

• Should I send Brady Singer packing for a middle of the order hitter if I can’t sign Schwarber?

Mark P

• Not sure if Singer can bring back such a quality bat, but yeah, he’d probably the most expendable member of the Reds staff

Gavin Cordes

• could the padres get a return on Conenworth or is it just a salary dump if they trade him?

Mark P

• It wouldn’t be a salary dump, since as mentioned earlier, Cronenworth is a decent player.  (He had an under-the-radar 117 wRC+ last year.). I think Preller is creative enough to work out some kind of undesirable contract swap that addresses another team’s needs while perhaps bringing back some pitching to San Diego

Billings

• Did Delgado’s performance in this year’s HOF voting bode well for him getting in eventually?

Mark P

• I wonder how many people looked at Delgado’s numbers and went “man, he was really good!  Who knew?!”  It seemed like Delgado was overshadowed because he played in the steroid era, yet he might now be getting his day in the sun via these Era Committee votes.  Hard to imagine he won’t be included on the next ballot in 2028 after getting nine votes this time.

Angels Fan

• Can Okamoto realistically play 3B long term for us?

Mark P

• Okamoto isn’t considered to be Scott Rolen or anything, but it seems like the majority of scouts feel he’s at least a decent third baseman.  So in terms of fielding, the Angels shouldn’t have any huge concerns.

George

• What free agent do you think is worth Atlanta giving up the PPI pick?

Mark P

• Of the nine QO free agents, Cease is already signed, and we can safely rule out Tucker, Schwarber, and Diaz.

  That leaves Suarez, Valdez, King, Gallen, and Bichette.  Any of the pitchers would help stabilize Atlanta’s rotation, and obviously Bichette fills the shortstop hole in a big way if the Braves are okay with his shaky defense. From a pure need standpoint, Bichette seems like the best fit, but frankly, I doubt the Braves are going to be splurging for any of these guys.  Maybe Gallen or King since their markets could be more limited.

JustanotherAstrosfan

• Do you see the Astros at least throwing a “good faith” offer at Framber like we did with Bregman and Correa before they left? Like 5/175? That would be the largest contract Jim Crane ever handed out and if so, chances he takes it?

Mark P

• We only had Valdez at five years/$150MM on our top 50 list, so if the Astros made that offer, I suspect he’d happily take it.

  But, it seems like there just hasn’t been any real buzz linking Valdez back with Houston.  It seems like when the Astros want to keep a guy, they lock him up earlier, not let him hit the open market.

Miles Smiles

• Best Hitchcock film:  Vertigo, Psycho, the Birds, North by Northwest, or Rear Window?

Mark P

• I’m not a huge Hitchcock guy, but Rear Window is one of the best movies ever made

Byron Buxton

• How likely do you think it is, really, that I am in Minnesota next year?

Mark P

• I think it’s very likely.  The Twins seem to be holding off on moving Buxton, Ryan, and Lopez, plus Buxton had reservations anyway about waiving his no-trade clause

Jayvion

• Why is Lou Whitaker not a hall of famer already? Why was he left off the ballot entirely?

Mark P

• Great question.  It’s inexplicable to me that Whitaker isn’t already in.

  Alan Trammell was one of the members of this year’s Era Committee, and it’s funny to imagine him loudly complaining about Whitaker whenever every candidate is mentioned.

  “Jeff Kent, great second baseman, eh?  Hey, you know who’s also a great second baseman?!”
  “Bonds and Clemens, eh?  Hey, you know who’s a great player that didn’t take PEDs?”
  “Murphy and Mattingly, great stars of the 80’s, eh?  Hey, you know who was also a great star in the 80’s and who actually won a World Series?”

Richard

• why does it seem like the ms do not want to start Cole Young? Just because he is young? He was a top prospect and still full of potential. This is what good teams do draft and bring up prospects ……. What am i missing?

Mark P

• The Mariners think they can win the World Series next year.  Having Polanco or a more established 2B in the lineup gives the M’s a better chance at that goal than rolling the dice on Young as a reliable everyday player.

  And, who’s to say Young won’t end up being a big part of Seattle’s 2026 plans?  It’s still early.

Arte Moreno

• Do you think with Ryne Sandberg and now Jeff Kent getting into the HOF that it paves the path for Bobby Grich and Lou Whitaker? Both have higher WAR and JAWS rankings

Mark P

• Grich is another guy who is overdue for Cooperstown.  Hopefully he shows up on the next “Classic Baseball” ballot.

  Also, man, it makes me feel old that everything before 1980 is considered “Classic Baseball”

Brew Crew

• Did Woodruff accepting the QO throw a curve ball to the Brewers offseason plans?

Mark P

• Teams don’t issue a QO unless they’re prepared for a scenario where the player could accept.  Especially if you’re a team like the Brewers who are operating with a limited budget.  They know Woodruff better than anyone and they must’ve thought there was a real chance he would accept.

Mr Red Leg

• When I first saw that the Reds were interested in Schwarber, admittedly I just rolled my eyes. I’ve been a Reds fan for a long time, and they aren’t likely to spend that kind of money. However, after thinking about it, I actually think that they have a legitimate chance of pulling it off. If there was ever a time that ownership would sign off on extra spending, I think it would be for Shwarber.  This is their time to strike.  He seems to want to go there,  considering that he is from the area. They wouldn’t have to outbid other teams to get him to sign. I think that if their offer was competitive, he would accept. Also, they have some ways that they could shed some payroll by trading Singer, Lux, Trevino, etc.  They could even defer some money, as they have done before.  I think attendance would get a big boost and the  image of the ownership group would get a boost as well. Am I crazy for thinking that this is feasible?

Mark P

• They will have to outbid other teams, namely one specific team in the Phillies.  If the Phils are willing to top basically any offer Schwarber receives, the Reds are out of luck.

  It does seem like Schwarber is a special case for the Reds due to his hometown ties.  Unfortunately for them, Schwarber probably isn’t likely to take a hometown discount since he also loved his time in Philly

Guest

• Do you think it’s a possibility the Orioles use Jordan Westburg to acquire a center fielder or a starting pitcher?

Mark P

• Feels like Westburg is someone Baltimore sees as a building block, not a trade chip
• Time to wrap things up for the evening.  Thanks so much for all of your questions, and let’s all strap in for what might be a very fun and newsworthy Winter Meetings!
• 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-12-7-25

Steve Adams

• As in Nasim Nunez? I would disagree with you there. He’s a good fielder but that’s about it. I don’t think he’s a big leaguer unless he’s just an all-glove utility man.But that doesn’t hold much bearing on Abrams anyhow. The Nats aren’t going to be good in 2026. It doesn’t matter if they have have an heir-apparent waiting to step in for Abrams.

  Abrams is a bat-first middle infielder who might improve defensively with a move to second base or center field. He’s miscast as a shortstop, but he’s a good enough hitter/runner that it hasn’t mattered.

  I don’t like putting “odds” on these things, since it disingenuously suggests there’s some level of precision when it’s all dependent on what the market bears. But the Nats will listen on Abrams, and yeah, there’s a chance someone offers enough to make them pull the trigger. He has three cheap years left, so it’d need to be a pretty significant return, though.

Sad Buc

• Would the Pirates and Braves make good partners for a Murphy for pitcher trade?

Steve Adams

• Atlanta would be selling low on Murphy coming off the surgery. He’s expected to be ready for spring training, but we’ll obviously see how he looks and how the rehab goes.I also don’t think there’s so much surplus value on his deal that he’s going to command a controllable young starter. I suppose maybe you could add some pieces to either side and put together a “baseball trade” with Mitch Keller going to ATL and Sean Murphy going to PIT, but in general I think there are better fits for Murphy, who I’m not at all convinced will be traded. I think it’s likelier the Braves just go with Baldwin/Murphy sharing a lot of DH/C time.

  For the Pirates, PNC park is where RH power goes to die, so adding a power-over-hit catcher who derives a lot of value from his defense but is now coming off hip surgery … I’d be wary there, much as I do like Murphy as a player overall.

Jay dream believer

• Does Berrios’ opt out possibility after 2026 make trading him impossible or just really complicated?

Steve Adams

• More the latter, but Berrios’ contract is underwater at this point. He’s a fourth/fifth starter who’s owed $66MM over the next three seasons but can opt out next winter if he manages to bounce back to something closer to his 2018-21 peak. So the acquiring team either gets the rebound performance and waves goodbye when he opts out, or he stays the course/declines/gets injured and isn’t worth the current deal.He’s not completely untradeable, but there are enough complicating factors that the chances are minuscule. I wouldn’t spend much time pondering the possibility.

Pat H

• Could the Braves get more than normal for Murphy in a trade this offseason? Catching options are slim. Perhaps a 2 or 3 starter.

Steve Adams

• No, I don’t think he’d fetch that.

Sabo’s goggles

• Brady Singer and Gavin Lux for Heliot Ramos?

Steve Adams

• I’d rather have Singer than Ramos at this point, even just the one year. Ramos was a slightly above-average bat who gave most of that value back on defense. Maybe he pops 30 homers as a DH and part-time OF with the move to GABP, but he’s not a guy I’m trading an established mid-rotation starter for — even a short-term one like Singer.

Guest

• Better value? Yoan moncada at 1/$2,000,000? Or trading for Nolan Arenado

Steve Adams

• Moncada got $5MM coming off a season where he tallied 45 PAs. He took 289 plate appearances with the Angels last year and was well above-average at the plate in that time. Yeah, he’s going to be hurt and miss time, but there’s no reason he should be taking a pay cut. I expect him to top last year’s $5MM.I’d rather have Moncada than Arenado, though I guess if Moncada is going to cost you $8.5MM and the Cardinals pay Arenado down to like $2MM per year, you could sell me on preferring Nolan.

  I’m mostly just out on Arenado at this point, though. The bat has declined in consecutive seasons. He was a genuinely bad hitter last year. The defense is still good, but not Platinum Glove-level good anymore.

Conrad

• Would you have given Devin Williams the QO? 1/22 would seem like decent value on him if he got 3/51 but perhaps the Yankees didn’t want to risk both him and Grisham accepting and immediately locking up $44MM on the budget

Steve Adams

• I think the Yankees just felt like the fit didn’t work and they were ready to move on. Probably some reluctance, as you said, to the idea of giving two QOs that might be accepted, as well. Then you’re spending $44.05MM on day one of the offseason. I have wondered whether he’d have gotten the QO if the Yankees didn’t have another borderline-accept candidate. I lean yes. I don’t care about Williams’ one-year ERA (really, his three-month ERA to begin the season). Clearly teams don’t, either.

Williams Contract

• So what’s the “real” AAV for the purposes of calculating the luxury tax? With the deferrals I’ve seen a bunch of conflicting sources and the exact details still seem a bit unclear; how close is $14M/year?

Steve Adams

• Jon Becker specializes in this type of contract nerdhood — said with genuine affection and appreciation, haha, Jon rules and is great at it — and he had the true AAV (for CBT purposes) at $14.792MM:
  https://x.com/jonbecker_/status/1995683385843614061

Tigs

• If Tigers offered Bregman the same yearly money with one less year, do you think that would be enough to sign him ?

Steve Adams

• No. I think they’ll need to offer him pretty close to the same level of guarantee ($172MM-ish) they did last winter. Probably without so many deferrals.Feels likely that they’re going to try to top $160MM so they can say he cleared $200MM for his free-agent years.

Earl

• When discussing a trade or potential free agent signing with another team or agent is it all done at the GM level? Or is it started at an Assistant GM level and work it’s way up at things get more serious?

Steve Adams

• Varies from case to case, but there are lots of negotiations — trade and free agent — spearheaded by assistant GMs. The sheer volume of offseason negotiations, both trade and free agent-wise, is just too large for it to be handled solely by the person atop the baseball ops hierarchy.

Jack

• What would the Reds need to get in an ideal trade package for Hunter Greene? Maybe a team with some specific prospects/players

Steve Adams

• A comical haul that would upset the fan base acquiring Greene. I don’t think there’s even like a 2% chance he’s traded this winter. Lodolo? Sure. Singer? Sure. Abbott? Ehhh…. I can see it a little bit. Greene? Basically no chance.I get it. Reds president of baseball ops didn’t expressly say “no way I’m trading Hunter Greene,” but he’s a small-market bb ops leader…. of course he’s going to keep the “we always listen” approach.

  If you want to throw out wild scenarios like the A’s offering Nick Kurtz, or the Tigers offering both Kevin McGonigle AND Max Clark (plus others), sure I suppose we can talk about it, but Greene is so good and on such a reasonable contract, that it’s pretty much a pipe dream as far as I’m concerned.

  I’ll eat those words if I’m wrong — always happy to. But I just cannot fathom trading Greene when he’s owed a $41MM over the next three years with a club option to make it $60MM over four.

Headfirstslide

• Who gets saves for the Cubs if Palencia fails to establish himself fully as a closer?

Steve Adams

• Maton’s going to be in that mix, but I imagine there are further bullpen additions coming.

Titled

• Other than title, what’s the difference between a President of Baseball Operations, a Chief Baseball Officer, and a General Manager?

Steve Adams

• They’re all just various terms for a player leading bb ops. With regard to the GM or CBO title, though, it’s easier for someone to hire them away by offering the promotion/title inflation to president of baseball operations (which, presumably, includes a pay bump as well)

Wilson Contreras

• Read your new post on Contreras. He had the best arm of any 1B and drastically improved his framing before getting hurt while usually being above average at throwing out runners. Do you think a team offered him a C/DH type role he would be more open to waving his NTC?

Steve Adams

• No good way to know the man’s personal preferences. He’s been asked about those preferences and hasn’t divulged. Maybe he’s happy at 1B and doesn’t want to go back to the more demanding position. Perhaps he misses catching and would welcome the chance if the Rangers or Padres or some catching-needy team was open to it.I assume as a player who’s about to turn 34, heading to a contender is the top priority. Beyond that, he isn’t sharing what he’s looking for, so we can only speculate.

kurt the hurt

• How about a Greene for Greene trade Hunter for Riley ? Riley knocks in 100 but strikes out at high rate. And Tigers needs starters when they lose Skubal and Mise and Flaherty next off season ?

Steve Adams

• Riley isn’t enough for Hunter
• But I’m sure the Reds have interest in Riley and would love to get their hands on him. He’s the sort of corner bat they’d like to add to the middle of the lineup.

Brian

• Is Santander tradeable at this point, maybe in a bad deal for bad deal scenario?   Feels like he doesnt really fit the Jays good defence/high contact team at this point

Steve Adams

• Hard to imagine them lining up on a deal like that. Think you just have to hope that he bounces back with a hopefully healthier shoulder in 2026.

Ike Melias

• Can the Orioles land a TOR pitcher this off-season? Rodgers and Bradish seem promising but another elite arm would be ideal.

Steve Adams

• I’ll be surprised if they don’t add one legitimate playoff-caliber starter.

BMORE

• Ragans for Cowser, Bradfield, and Povich?

Steve Adams

• I’m down on Cowser and Povich in general. Not moving Ragans for that group.

Answer me

• Berrios for McNeil who says no

Steve Adams

• Berrios is more expensive and isn’t a notable upgrade over incumbent options.
• (i.e. the Mets don’t want that deal, even if they probably do prefer to move McNeil)

Prove it

• Wouldn’t it be smart for the Pirates to make a trade early? Bring in a player that shows they want to contend. This will send a better message to free agents, I believe.

Steve Adams

• Sure, I can buy that. Takes two teams to make a deal though. I’m sure they’ve been working on it. They could also just “prove it” to the free agent in question by winning the bidding.I do think they’ll add two bats, probably one via trade and another via free agency.

Panda

• Donovan for Max Clark and Jayden Hamm.  Who says no?

Steve Adams

• I love Brendan Donovan but they’re not getting Max Clark straight up for him — let alone Clark + another prospect of some note.

Josh E

• How many MLBTR folks are going to the winter meetings this year?

Steve Adams

• None! Tim and I went last year. I don’t think we’ve ever sent more than three in a single year. But schedule didn’t work out great and I won’t shed a tear not going to the Orlando venue, which … ugh. (Sorry to any Orlando residents in the chat! ha)

Jeff

• Do you prioritize questions submitted before the chat starts?

Steve Adams

• Nah I try to take a mix of both — just like to open it for early questions because I know not everyone’s able to participate live.

Giants fan

• Why wont the Giants spend on pitching? It seems to me with Ray coming off the books after 26 that they could add a top of the rotation pitcher?

Steve Adams

• I assume it’s because they’re wary of adding another long-term commitment when they already have Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Jung Hoo Lee all signed through at least 2029 (the first three through at least 2030). Logan Webb through ’28, too.But whatever, they’re the Giants. This is the spot they’re in. If acquiring Devers was going to prevent them from going long-term on any offseason additions, then they shouldn’t have acquired Devers.

  The farm isn’t great. There are holes on the staff and in the lineup. Shutting yourself off to a notable portion of the available pool of talent doesn’t feel like a winning mentality in this context.

NCBaseball

• Think the Brewers might deal Vaughn? He was good down the stretch but is still a risk at 7mm for a tightening budget. What could he fetch?

Steve Adams

• I’d like the idea more if they had a clear alternative at 1B. Vaughn is found money for them and will handily outproduce his salary if he hits anywhere close to his 2025 Milwaukee levels.If they’re worried about the salary, could always sign him for two years — buying out his final two arb seasons — and backload it a bit. But in general, I don’t think the Brewers are likely to move on from Vaughn.

Little Stevie

• Have you spoken to front office types about how much they use your website? I’d think they’re on it constantly… Do they fan-girl you when they meet you guys?

Steve Adams

• Ha, no one is fanning out when they meet us, but yeah, basically every front office person we’ve spoken to over the years is complimentary of MLBTR and tells us they frequent the site. Always nice to hear.

David

• Re:GM and Trades. Mariners Front Office is known to have Dipoto and Hollander work with different teams just due to the relationships they have built. Hollander manages the Arizona relationship and worked the Suarez/Naylor deals.

Steve Adams

• Yeah, a lot of it boils down to who has a good relationship with the party or parties on the other end of negotiations.

Guest

• What are the odds the Mets cave and give Diaz 5 years?

Steve Adams

• Don’t think they’ll go five. Don’t think he’ll re-sign there.
• Obviously not saying there’s a 0% chance of it or anything, but I don’t think the Mets are going to be the ones to ultimately make the biggest/longest offer.

Exhausted Monk

• If you played Padres GM for the offseason, what are you doing to clear payroll space and who do you go after?

Steve Adams

• Probably wouldn’t have tendered a contract to Jason Adam, first and foremost. Great pitcher, but $7MMish on a guy coming off a tendon rupture who might not be ready for Opening Day feels like a lot when resources are already limited. Could still look to trade him, though.Beyond that, try to find ways to dump Wandy Peralta and Yuki Matsui. Shop Cronenworth and a portion of his contract.

Ms Fan

• Donovan for Hancock… who says no? Mariners or Cardinals?

Steve Adams

• Cardinals

Bret V.

• Will 5 years and 150 mil get Schwarber back in Philly?

Steve Adams

• I would be shocked if it did not

Fred Nethyl

• Some players opted out of their contract and received a buyout for doing so.  You’re leaving?  Here, have some money Why in the world would anyone structure a deal that way?  What am I missing?

Steve Adams

• The buyout is just part of the price of the guarantee. Take Cody Bellinger’s three-year, $80MM deal. They could’ve just structured it as $30MM, $30MM and $20MM salary-wise, but they broke it down as $27.5MM, $27.5MM and $25MM, with a buyout on that final player option year. It just kicks some of the money down the road a bit. It’s a mini form of deferrals, in some ways.Also, this same thing exists going the other way. Why would a player agree to a club option when it’s only getting picked up if he proves himself to be worth far more than that option.

  It’s part of negotiation and part of getting a deal done.

Ted Williams

• Can Bohm and Kemp get us Duran if Bregman doesn’t return to Beantown?

Steve Adams

• It cannot

Eric Davis

• If you were the Reds GM and you don’t sign Schwaber what would you do to get a bat you desperately need in Cincy?

Steve Adams

• I’d have non-tendered Lux, Moll and Benson, for starters. And I just don’t think the contract Pete Alonso will ultimately command is going to be too far beyond the pale for the Reds. Unless he trounces our $110-120MM expectations here at MLBTR, I’d be all over that if I were the Reds
• Ok. I’ve got to call it for the week.Tim’s mailbag will run tomorrow (I think), and Anthony will have a subscriber chat on Friday. I’m on X @Adams_Steve and Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social.

  If you want more opinions from the MLBTR team, you can learn about our Front Office subscription package and sign up here. In addition to ad-free viewing on the site and in the app, you’ll get weekly analysis/opinion columns from Anthony Franco and myself, a weekly mailbag column from Tim Dierkes, weekly fantasy baseball chats and columns with Nicklaus Gaut (during the season), weekly subscriber-only chats with Anthony and with me (where your odds of getting a question answered are much higher), extra insight from Darragh McDonald, access to our Contract Tracker (a vital offseason resource) our Agency Database, our GM Tracker, our Offseason Outlook series and more.

  Have a good week, everyone!

Jerry Dipoto

• Could we re-sign Polanco and Geno? Which of the 2 is more likely

Mark P

• Polanco seems a lot more likely, as a fit for what the Mariners want to achieve

Ms Fan

• I read the MLBTR piece on internal infield options for the Mariners. Other than potentially reuniting with Suarez or Polanco, what realistic external options exist for the team?

Mark P

• Interesting question, since haven’t heard much of anything about Seattle’s offseason targets apart from their own guys (i.e. Naylor and Polanco).  Obviously Dipoto and his staff haven’t been idle in checking around for other options, but chances are Polanco is the top priority, and other infield adds won’t be explored more deeply until Polanco is off the board

Jeremy

• Could the orioles extend Dylan beavers or Trevor Rogers?

Mark P

• Beavers is probably the likelier candidate for an extension, since Rogers is close enough to free agency that he’d probably want to check out the open market.  If he duplicates his 2025 numbers, he’ll be in for a big payday next winter

Brewers Fan

• Was very surprised that a Miz extension would even be mentioned, what do you think an extension like that would look like? Seems a little risky for the Brewers no?

Mark P

• Locking up a young potential ace is a very logical tactic for a lower-payroll team.  If the Brewers feel as strongly about the Miz’s future as they did Chourio, they could explore another long-term deal that extends the team’s control over the hurler

fprex

• What is the market for the Braves’ Sean Murphy? I’d imagine SD would be interested and Texas should be as well. Could the Braves get Seager to waive his no-trade clause and work a deal around Murphy?

Mark P

• Despite Murphy’s recent numbers, he would get interest if Atlanta shopped him, just because the catching market is so thin.  But having Murphy as any kind of a centerpiece of a potential Seager trade is a real reach.

Redbeard

• Pirates actually gonna spend money or all bluster?

Mark P

• I’ll believe it when I see it, but there has been enough smoke about the Pirates spending that I feel they’ll do something out of character.  Not sign Schwarber anything, but they’ll sign a position player to a fairly pricey (for them) multi-year contract.  Skenes has established himself as such a star that it seems like the Bucs really want to win something while he’s still in the organization.

Getz

• Does the same agent representing multiple players impact the timing of signings? Like does an agent prioritize the “big fish” first and slow play negotiations for the secondary free agents they represent that play the same position?

Mark P

• It makes for a fascinating question, but I doubt any agent would really go on the record about how they operate in any given offseason.  No agent wants to even slightly give the impression that one client is more value than another.

  Since each player is different, an agent has flexibility in how they deal with each situation, even in the bigger-picture context of an offseason where an agency has multiple clients.

Jorge Soler

• Do the pirates make sense as a team considering they need to increase payroll?

Mark P

• In theory, but I’d think (hope?) the Pirates would be aiming higher than an aging hitter coming off a subpar year

Guest

• Why does mlb free agency take much longer for players than other major sports

Mark P

• Other leagues have salary caps, and rigid caps in the case of the NFL and NHL.  With only a certain amount of flexibility, players and teams want to get everything done quickly in order to move onto other business, which is why the first day of free agency in other sports is just an avalanche of moves

Phils Phan

• Would it make any sense for the Phillies to say goodbye to Schwarber and Realmuto and to trade Casty for a bag of beans but eat half his salary? This way they could get younger. Target younger free agents. I’m I crazy or is thus feasible?

Mark P

• If Realmuto leaves, that’s a big hole to fill at catcher.  It is highly unlikely the Phillies find someone willing to take a quarter (let alone half) of Castellanos’ salary.  Schwarber is replaceable in the sense that you can get another big bat at another position and it opens up the DH spot, but that’s a big loss to the clubhouse.

  Your take that the Phillies should get younger isn’t inaccurate, but sticking with known quantities is the safer move for a team that wants to win now.  Who knows, maybe Dombrowski will swing some clever trade for a catcher and Realmuto isn’t brought back, but that’s a less likely scenario.

Casey

• What do you think of Buster Olney’s report that the Giants won’t spend on a top of the rotation arm and are really looking for value middle of the rotation guys? Giants seem to have money and a significant need for pitching.

Mark P

• Robbie Ray is a free agent after next season, too.  So signing another pitcher to a longer-term deal to pair with Webb atop the post-Ray rotation seems sound.

  But, even though Farhan Zaidi is gone, the Giants are sticking with their reluctance to give any kind of significantly lengthy deal to a pitcher.  Their logic isn’t unsound, yet sometimes if you need a pitcher, you have to throw caution to the wind

Alex

• Diamondbacks need at LEAST three starters right? Do we think they make a splash? Or go mid range?

Mark P

• Mid-range.  They already made their big splash with the Burnes signing

JT

• The rumor is that Miami is trying to take on more salary to gain more favor in revenue sharing. As a Red Sox fan, I would selfishly love them to take on the Yoshida deal and maybe add Florida’s own Triston Casas to sweeten the deal. What other contracts do you see as potential fits if they struggle to attract free agents or their own?

Mark P

• Since the A’s were in this same situation last winter, we can use them as something of a model for what Miami might do.

  The A’s signed Severino, gave Leclerc $10MM, and extended Rooker and Butler to significant long-term deals.  What they didn’t do (and I don’t think the Marlins will do) is become a way station for other teams’ unwanted contracts.

  Your Red Sox hypothetical is also flawed on Boston’s end, since I think the Sox would want a lot more in a Casas trade than to just use him as salary relief.

HOF Hater

• If Donny Baseball gets into the Hall, it would open the door for so many players with goodish careers. Look at Josh Donaldson’s numbers basically the same if not better then Mattingly. Would you support a Donaldson for the HOF push?

Mark P

• Nope, nor would I vote for Mattingly if I had a spot on this year’s veterans committee.  Mattingly had a fine career but his prime was so short that he doesn’t reach my personal HOF threshold.

  Hey wait, is it too late for me to be part of the veterans committee?  Who do I need to speak to at Cooperstown to make this happen?!

Blue Jays fan

• Max Schrezer and Chris Bassitt both sounded like they wanted to come back to Toronto and try to win the World Series next year. Does the Cease signing close the door on this?

Mark P

• Right now Toronto’s rotation is Gausman, Cease, Bieber, Yesavage, and Berrios.  So technically there’s no room, unless perhaps Berrios is dealt or if Bassitt or Scherzer is willing to transition into a relief/swingman role.  (Conceivably, Berrios might also take on such a role.)
• While the door isn’t entirely closed, it makes it a lot less likely

Zane

• Do you see CJ Abrams as a trade piece this offseason?

Mark P

• Anthony Franco recently did a nice breakdown of a possible CJA trade market, so here’s the link to that post: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/looking-for-a-match-in-a-cj-abr…
• I think Abrams is ultimately still in DC on Opening Day, but the Nationals won’t be married to the idea of keeping him if a good offer comes along

Rod

• Could the Yankees possibly try and trade for the Twins Joe Ryan?

Mark P

• Sure, that definitely seems like something the Yankees could or should attempt.  Ryan is a good add for any team in baseball, but to that end, the Twins will require a ton before dealing him.

Guest

• Would a Blue Jays’ package of Ernie Clement, King, and Tiedemann get a Marte deal done?

Mark P

• Diamondbacks would want more.  Plus, I doubt the Jays move Clement given his infield value and what he showed at the plate last year.

  My friend Melanie is also hoping for a Clement jersey for Christmas, so if a trade does happen, hopefully it takes place before Mel’s partner plunks down a big chunk of change on suddenly outdated merch

confused

• If the catcher market is thin, could you see the Brewers moving Contreras and his approx $11mill salary?  What kind or return could he possibly bring?

Mark P

• Same logic as the Phillies and Realmuto earlier….if you get a starting catcher go, what’s your plan to replace him?  Trading Contreras is even less likely for the Brewers since he’s affordable for them even for that salary, since it’s still a bargain price for such a productive catcher
• You’ll start to hear more trade buzz about Contreras next winter when he’s a year away from free agency.  It will be interesting to see if Milwaukee is sold enough on Quero to trade Contreras, or if they’ll hang onto him to try and win in 2027, then let him walk in free agency

Al Kaline Battery

• Verlander to the Tigers. Unfinished business and added motivation. Is it plausible?

Mark P

• It’s certainly plausible.  The Tigers don’t want to stretch payroll too much, but bringing back Verlander on a one-year deal would be both popular with the fanbase, and a logical baseball move given how JV was still a solid pitcher in 2025

Chaim Bloom

• Should I bring in Scherzer on a one year deal?

Mark P

• Scherzer wants to pitch for a contender, not a rebuilding team
• Unless his market is completely barren, I don’t see Scherzer going to St. Louis

Mark P’s Long Lost Brother

• Who’s an underrated free agent right now more people should be talking about?

Mark P

• He’s not “underrated,” and maybe this is just because I’m higher on him than most.  But there’s been a lack of public buzz about Ranger Suarez to date, which I find curious.

Oz

• Are the Braves seriously shopping Sean Murphy or is this a case of just listening in case someone bowls them over with an offer?  a

Mark P

• There have been trade rumblings about Murphy basically since Drake Baldwin starting breaking out, but it’s more speculative than based on any concrete info.  Of course, the Braves run such a tight ship that not much leaks from their front office anyway, but generally, the Murphy buzz is more speculative from Atlanta fans thinking of ways to free up payroll space and move a (possibly) redundant player

Adley Rutschman

• Cal Raleigh signed a 6/$105MM prior to his 2025 MVP-runner-up season and now the deal suddenly looks like a bargain. What kind of extension should I accept, if offered?

Mark P

• Rutschman isn’t an extension candidate, in my view.  From his perspective, a contract he signs now will be too low, since Adley obviously feels he can top his 2024-25 numbers.  From the Orioles’ perspective, why rush to extend a catcher whose numbers for the last season and a half have been so underwhelming?  Especially when Baltimore already locked up Basallo?

fascinating

• I don’t buy Olney’s report of the Giants not spending on big free agent pitchers. What is the logic in trading for Devers and then making a huge managerial change only to be tight with money? Is the looming CBA fight have any relevance?

Mark P

• The Giants’ stance is that they’re reluctant to invest in long-term deals with pitchers.  With position players, it’s a different story, as we’ve seen with Adames, Chapman, and the Devers trade

O’s Fan

• Are you a Coby Mayo believer? I can’t figure out why the heck Baltimore tendered Mountcastle a contract.

Mark P

• I was also surprised, but tendering Mountcastle was perhaps a middle ground between a) entrusting Mayo with the everyday 1B job, or b) going big on acquiring another starting first baseman.

Walter

• Last year before the Josh Naylor trade, the Guardians were interested  in Paul Goldschimdt before he decided on the Yankees.  Since the Guardians still need a right hand bat would they consider him this off season.

Mark P

• It’s a possible fit, but it’s also very possible Cleveland’s interest has cooled after Goldschmidt’s average season

Mike

• Could you see the Marlins/Pirates making a trade purely to up the payroll, if they aren’t able to actually sign anyone they want and don’t want the grievance? Like take on Castellanos’ salary and get a prospect for it, then just DFA Castellanos? Neither org is well thought of so isn’t it possible that they can’t sign anybody and end up in a really bad spot payroll-wise and have to make a move?

Mark P

• If the Marlins/Pirates offer enough money, they can definitely get people to sign.  The price was right for Severino to join the A’s last year, as much as he might regret that decision in hindsight.

  And, who’s to say a free agent wouldn’t have interest in either team.  The Marlins were a decent team last year that seems to be on the way up, and they play in Florida.  The Pirates have Skenes and a bunch of good pitchers, so a prominent free agent might be intrigued by the challenge of bringing winning baseball back to Pittsburgh

nick krall

• could i potentially sign marcell ozuna as a cheaper alternative to kyle schwarber? and or ryan ohearn could work for this question too.

Mark P

• O’Hearn would be my preference, as Ozuna is basically a DH-only guy but O’Hearn has defensive utility.  Plus, a lefty bat is better fit for Cincy’s lineup.

Ca$hman

• what do you think about a franchise player designation in the next cba that either discounts that players lux tax hit by a certain percentage for high spending teams, or the lux tax going to pay a certain percentage of a franchise players salary for revenue sharing recipients?

Mark P

• Creative answers like this seem way more feasible to me than the idea of the players ever agreeing to a salary cap.  The NBA version of your idea is somewhat akin to the “Larry Bird rule,” which allows a team to go over the cap in order to retain its own free agent.

Blue

• How do you like Imai wanted to take down the Dodgers? I dont think he will be popular in Japan now.

Mark P

• I don’t see his comments making too much of a stir.  Seems like a perfectly logical thing a competitive person would say

WBC

• Thoughts on the World Baseball Classic?

Mark P

• Of all the hundreds of baseball games I’ve attended in person, the 2009 WBC tilt in Toronto remains one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had.

Oppo nacho

• What’s the most plausible bat the reds sign or trade for

Mark P

• The previous commenter’s suggestion of O’Hearn is pretty plausible, actually.  I imagine ROH will get a lot of looks from teams in the medium payroll range who can’t afford the likes of a Schwarber or an Alonso

Funnyball

• Any insight into what DePosesta may do to turn the Rockies around? What do you think of them taking on a bad contract in order to add a little talent to the org.  Say Yoshida or Contreras plus prospects?

Mark P

• Neither Contreras is a bad contract, but in general, your point makes sense.  The Rockies are basically starting from scratch here and don’t really have anything on the books besides Tovar and Bryant.  Who knows if ownership would sign off or not, but taking on Yoshida/Castellanos/etc. just to obtain much-needed prospects is a decent strategy for a team with a sparse farm system

MCM

• Lots of new managers coming. Anyone you’re particularly excited about?

Mark P

• Obvious answer here is Tony Vitello, just because he’s such a unique hire.  It’ll be fascinating to see how his work at Tennessee can translate to working with big leaguers.

Joe

• Do you think there’s more to the Ryan Helsley deal than what’s been reported? 2/28M with an opt out seems higher than expected; maybe because there’s a club option for 2028 if he opts in or it’s backloaded a bit?

Mark P

• No reports yet on how the $28MM is allotted over the two seasons.  No club option was reported so that’s not part of things.

  I don’t think $28MM is too outlandish for Helsley.  He had a brutal run with the Mets, but if that really was just due to tipping pitches, that’s a fixable problem.

kurt the hurt

• How do you like the new Ball/Strike challange system coming next season ?

Mark P

• I think it only benefits the game to have a backup against correctable mistakes.  In the same way that replays and challenges have improved games, getting to fix a few ball/strike calls per game sounds like a good thing to me

Kyle

• Do you think Gray ends up being Boston’s only SP addition this offseason, and if so how do you think they address the outfield surplus?

Mark P

• I suspect they’re not done in the rotation.

Who Hangs Up?

• Skenes to the Yankees for… The Martian, Austin Wells, Schlitter, Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr.

Mark P

• If the Yankees actually offered all that for Skenes, I think Pittsburgh says yes

John Son

• Are the Reds going to have a competition for the 3b job, or have they already given it to Hayes? Where does Sal Stewart fit if Hayes is the 3b and Steer at 1b? Stewart just the DH?

Mark P

• Hayes is an incredible defensive 3B, so he isn’t going anywhere.  As recently noted in an Athletic piece, Stewart/Steer have enough positional flexibility that it allows the Reds to be open to several possibilities as they weigh new additions

  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/reds-notes-lineup-free-agent-pu…

Chris Young

• Do you think I sign one of the big name free agents?

Mark P

• The Rangers seem to be cutting payroll, and not getting into position to make any splashy new signings

Guardians of the Galaxy

• Who is going to play 2B for Cleveland in 2026? Do you think Bazzana can break camp with the team?

Mark P

• Though Bazzana made it to Triple-A last year, I suspect the Guardians want to see more from him on the batting average and power fronts before giving him a look in the Show.

  That being said, I’d be very surprised if Bazzana doesn’t get the call before 2026 is out.  This might also be a situation where Bazzana is on the Opening Day roster if the Guardians can sign him to a pre-career extension

Robbie Baseball

• Do you think Addison Barger is somewhat “untouchable” at this point (outside of something major)?

Mark P

• Tend to agree.  It would be a big surprise if Barger is dealt in the wake of his breakout year

Drew

• Do you expect that Breslow and Toboni will line up on some trades?

Mark P

• Boston fans started thinking of Gore trades the minute Toboni got hired.  It’s certainly possible the Sox and Nats make some trades given Toboni’s knowledge of the Boston farm system, but not necessarily any big blockbuster-ish moves

Cubs

• Tatsuya Imai and Cubs a good fit?

Mark P

• Sure.  Raises the ceiling of Chicago’s rotation, and provides long-term rotation help since Imanaga/Taillon/Boyd are all free agents after 2026

mark

• Could cards balance a trade with M,s featuring Donovan & Sloan as principals

Mark P

• If Polanco departs, trading for Donovan would be a very nice pivot for Seattle.  Dealing Sloan for two years of Donovan is a risk, yet the M’s farm system is deep enough that Dipoto might be willing to take the plunge.

Mariners Fan

• Do you think there is a market for Luis Castillo? Does it make sense to trade him? It would free up money, but create a hole in the pitching staff.

Mark P

• There’s certainly a market for him. Ownership seems to be a little more willing to spend given how close the team came in 2025, so the idea of moving Castillo just to open up payroll space might not be as critical as it once seemed.  And you’re right, trading Castillo does mean the M’s now need another starter to either step up from the minors, or they could acquire a low-cost vet.

Dana Brown 4 Advice

• Should I sign Merrill Kelly?

Mark P

• The “Dana Brown 4 Advice” poster sent in like a dozen questions all about various players, so I feel compelled to answer at least one.  I chose an option that seemed most realistic, as Kelly fits within the Astros’ budget and he’d be a nice help for the rotation.

  btw, I have my suspicions that the poster isn’t the actual Dana Brown

secret souse

• Will White Sox convince OHearn with some money doing the talking? I could see him being unpopular with MLB analytic departments and maybe his price is 1y/15m plus buyout on a second year. He doesn’t have the long track record, though he’s ok with the bat data

Mark P

• We had two years, $26MM for O’Hearn in the top 50 list. As noted earlier, he’ll get enough interest that ROH will probably find an acceptable offer with a team that has better chance of winning in 2026 than the White Sox

fascinating

• favorite movie of 2025?

Mark P

• “Sinners” is the best I’ve seen this year.  Fantastic film!

Cards Fan

• When will the 2026 mlb draft order be determined? Where will the cards pick??

Mark P

• The lottery takes place on December 9

Guest

• With this possibly being the last year for Skubal and Torres for the Tigers, do you see a chance the Tigers going all in this  year and signing combination of Framber Valdéz or Ranger Suarez and either Bregman or Bichette.  Skubal and Torres would come off the books the following year and they would already have their replacements on the team.

Mark P

• This seems bolder than the Tigers are willing to be, even though I absolutely agree they should be making the most of Skubal’s (probable) last season in Detroit.  Making at least one big-time signing seems more than reasonable for a team that has been in contention for two straight years now, but is still a few pieces away
• We’re over two hours now, so time to wrap up the chat.  Thanks for all your questions tonight, and next week, the Weekend Chat will probably be taking place during the day on Saturday.  Sunday evening will likely be busy with the HOF veterans committee announcement and the start of the Winter Meetings, so Saturday it is.
• 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-11-30-25

Ben

• Are the stories about the Piratss being aggressive legit or pr?

Steve Adams

• Fully expect them to spend some money this winter. I’ll be stunned if they actually sign Schwarber, but I do think they’ll add an actual bat or two.

Braves fan

• I can see the braves signing bichette, use him as SS until our minor options are ready or albies declines even more then expected, is there any other options viable to be our SS if we dont kim?

Steve Adams

• I’d be shocked if the Braves deviated from their typical MO and spent that heavily on a free agent, but the fit works. I imagine Dubon gets the nod at SS if they can’t bring Kim back or find an outside-the-box option on the trade market. Beyond Kim and Bichette, there’s just not much for shortstop help.

C. Morel

• Am I going to have to accept a minor league deal, or will I get a 1 year prove it?

Steve Adams

• He’s a minor league deal guy for me (not that like, a year and $2.5MM would stun me or anything… but I’m not putting him on my nonexistent 40-man roster haha)

BrewerFan

• If the Cardinals were offering to eat all but say 5mm of Arenado’s deal, what would the Brewers have to surrender to get him?

Steve Adams

• They’d just have to take the remaining $5MM. Maybe give up a low-level prospect you’ve never heard of and would never hear of again after the trade.I’m not convinced every team would even put Arenado on the 40-man roster right now, even with the Cardinals eating the whole contract. He was so bad at the plate last year, and his glove is more good than elite at this point.

Cincinnati kid.

• How about reds trading Nick Lodolo to Boston for Jarren Duran and Garrett Whitlock. Fair for both sides

Steve Adams

• I wouldn’t give up Duran alone for Lodolo, let alone Duran + Whitlock.I like Lodolo, but he has less remaining club control than Duran and has all of one healthy season on his résumé.

Cardinals

• This a good trade for them? Why are your grades for each side?

Steve Adams

• I think it’s silly to definitively grade a trade that’ll take years to play out mere minutes after it happened. I do prefer the Cardinals’ side of things, but I get why the Red Sox made the move and it could easily work out great for them if Fitts is like a garden-variety fourth/fifth starter and Clarke never develops any semblance of command.

Mrs. Met

• Bichette at 3B?

Steve Adams

• I wouldn’t want that arm at third base, personally, but I can see some teams being open to the idea.

Chris Young

• What am I up to next? Do you think I should trade Seager?

Steve Adams

• There’s no indication that the Rangers have any plans to trade Seager. I see there’s been plenty of blogs speculating on the matter since the Semien trade, but Seager is a 32-year-old with six years and $186MM left on his contract. I don’t think there’d be a long line of teams unless the Rangers were paying down the contract, and I don’t think it makes sense for a team that’s trying to win now to trade its best offensive player.Brandon Nimmo said right after the trade to Texas that he only agreed to waive his no-trade provision after talking to Chris Young and making sure the Rangers weren’t going into any kind of rebuild. I don’t think the Rangers dumping Semien’s ages 35-37 seasons means they’re shopping a 31-year-old Seager (32 in April, but still)

Joseph

• Do you think the Giants are loading up on Outfield options on the fringes in preparation for potentially moving Helloit Ramos and Luis Matos?

Steve Adams

• I don’t think either of those guys has much value — certainly not Matos at this point. Claiming Justin Dean and acquiring Joey Wiemer for cash just seems like adding a couple of role players to vie for at-bats in spring training, and not much more.

Picking Sterns Brain

• Percent chance the Mets sign Tucker now? I don’t personally love Beli’s home/away splits last year and really hope we are not the team to finally give him that long term deal.

Steve Adams

• Have to consider them a viable landing spot, but there are several of those. I don’t know … 10%? Any hard percentage is just a made up number right now, ha. I think it’s realistic, but hardly a given.

Cherington

• Who plays SS for Pirates next year? A stopgap until Griffin is ready?

Steve Adams

• We’ll see how aggressive they are this winter in adding other bats. If they add a couple real hitters to the lineup — I know, I know — then I don’t think it’s crazy to suggest Griffin could hit his way onto the opening day roster with a big spring showing.If not that, they could always just play Nick Gonzales there or sign a Jorge Mateo type to keep the seat warm for a couple months, yeah.

AJ Preller

• Am I going to be allowed to spend while the Siedler brothers figure out what’s going on with the team? Is my window closed to win a championship?

Steve Adams

• San Diego Union-Tribune reported at the time the sale exploration was announced that the 2026 payroll would be about the same as in 2025, which gives Preller a whole lot of nothing to work with.
• They’re about $10MM or so shy of last year’s payroll. I was surprised the tendered Jason Adam with payroll concerns, a deep bullpen and him coming off that ruptured tendon

John

• Nationals make sense for geno Suarez?

Steve Adams

• Nats aren’t going to sign a notable veteran like that to a multi-year deal, no. They’ll give Brady House another look and maybe add some utility types or minor league deals who can also factor in if House looks overmatched again

Sparky

• I know the Reds are not going after the big contracts…but would they go after any of Geno Suarez (not the smallest contract), Adolis Garcia, JJ Bleday, Miguel Anduja for a power bat or bats?  Any chance of Devin Williams in the bullpen, or Pagan back?…very frustrating with the Reds and their ownership.

Steve Adams

• I think the Reds absolutely have the capacity to add one major contract this offseason, even if it’s an Alonso or Schwarber type. Not saying they will win the bidding, but they should be involved in the markets for both. They’re $20-25MM under last year’s payroll and could always further reduce current projections by trading Brady Singer, Tyler Stephenson, Gavin Lux, etc.Still surprised they tendered contracts to Will Benson and Sam Moll, though the latter signed for only like $100K north of the minimum, so meh.
• As for the names you suggested, none of them will be expensive outside of Devin Williams, so yeah, Reds can be involved for any of the bunch

Matthew

• If J.T. Realmuto signs elsewhere, what are some realistic options for the Phillies at catcher?

Steve Adams

• Trade for Ryan Jeffers. Sign Victor Caratini. Try to pry one of the Cardinals guys free (Jimmy Crooks, Ivan Herrera). See if the Reds will listen on Stephenson.

CHISOX FAN

• Are we going to trade Quero? That would be stupid. Every team needs  two catchers. What’s wrong with having two good ones?

Steve Adams

• I don’t think the White Sox getting interest in both is any sort of sign that they’re planning to trade one of the two, but there’s no sense in not listening.Also, I’m not entirely sure Quero is a “good catcher” — at least not yet. The glove needs a lot of work, and his offense was pedestrian. He’s young and there’s plenty of development time left for him, of course, but I feel like the White Sox currently have one good catcher (Kyle Teel) and a possible second one.

Angels OF

• Can Bleday, Tauchman or Yaz fit LF for halos. If halos pay 8 mill of Soler contract would there be any takers maybe KC or Cleveland.

Steve Adams

• Soler is a 34-year-old DH coming off a below-average offensive season and his highest strikeout rate since 2020. I don’t think paying down to $5MM is enough. He might not get a big league deal if he were a free agent.Bleday/Tauchman/Yaz for the Angels in LF seems fine, sure, but they should be looking more at center fielders than corner guys. You can’t play Adell in CF after how bad he looked there in 2025.

AstrosFAN

• Do you think Jesus Sanchez could go to Kansas City in Astros shop him?

Steve Adams

• He’s another guy that I thought was a very strong candidate to get non-tendered. I know Houston needs some LH balance in that lineup and traded for him this past July, but I thought they’d cut their losses given how bad he was there.Royals, Guardians, Pirates, Reds all make varying degrees of sense, but the return is going to be negligible. I think they should’ve just moved on, saved the $6-7MM and looked for alternative solutions. Especially with Jim Crane once again reluctant to cross the CBT threshold.

Adam

• Does the Sonny gray return up the value of other starting pitchers on the trading block?

Steve Adams

• Modern front offices don’t really subscribe to the “If he cost this, then this guy is going to cost even MORE” mentality. They’ve got their models for how they value players and aren’t going to deviate much, if at all, from them because of how another team valued a completely separate asset.

Joe Ryan

• Am I still a fit in Boston after the Gray trade?

Steve Adams

• Still have two rotation spots up for grabs, but I think Red Sox fans have disproportionately hinged their hopes on Ryan, specifically, since they were interested in him at the deadline. (Rob Bradford — who is great! Hi Rob! — frequently hyping him probably helps fan the flames a bit, too)
• But sure, you could acquire Ryan, and go with a Crochet-Ryan-Gray-Bello front four and leave the fifth spot up to a Tolle/Early/Sandoval/Crawford competition. Guys are going to get hurt, so you’ll need all those other arms at some point anyhow. (Plus, Early or Tolle might be part of the ask to get two years of Ryan)

Rally Monkey

• Combining questions: How about a change of scenery framework of Soler for Arenado? Money coming from STL would have to be involved (all but 5 MM in 2027 perhaps). Cards could get out from next year’s commitment and save a bit of money while Angels get a slightly above average defensive 3rd basemen and rebound candidate.

Steve Adams

• There’s no reason for the Cardinals to take on Soler. They’re not going to want him on the roster. They could eat some of his contract and just release him, but that’s no different from just agreeing to pay down more of Arenado’s contract.I don’t see any way the Halos get out of the Soler deal short of simply releasing him.

Veteran Righthander

• On Marlins suggesting they will bid on some players, perhaps even spend–about how much would they need to show the league/other owners that they were attempting to be competitive?

Steve Adams

• They’d try to push their luxury tax/CBT number up into the same 105 range the A’s targeted last year. For Miami, that’d mean adding another $35MM or so in AAV — but 40-45 might be safer to make sure they avoid any kind of grievance that’d come up in CBA talks.

Ben

• The obvious move for the Orioles is to spend on at least one (ideally more) arm that can slot into the rotation alongside Rogers, Bradish, and the pupu platter… is the Ward acquisition the end of looking for bats? While it’s reasonable to expect bounce backs from a number of guys (Adley, Gunnar’s power, Cowser, etc), I don’t feel confident in JUST Ward bolstering that lineup… maybe a mid-tier bat such as a reunion with O’Hearn or Yastrzemski or even a guy like Willi Castro?

Steve Adams

• The Athletic was out here writing the day after the Ward trade that Baltimore hasn’t even ruled out a run at Kyle Tucker. I don’t think they’re done shopping for bats at all, although echoing a common refrain here, I was surprised they tendered a contract to Ryan Mountcastle.

Buster Posey

• Is trading Bryce Eldridge a viable option this offseason, with Devers looking to take 100-110+ games at 1B next year? Packaging Bryce and some other MLB-ready arms, plus some mid-level prospects, possibly attract an offer from Scott Harris of the Tigers for Skubal?

Steve Adams

• I still see almost 0% chance that the Tigers trade Skubal.But separately, yes the Giants can and probably will at least consider the idea of trading Eldridge. Have to think he could be an important part of a trade if the Twins shop Joe Ryan or Pablo Lopez, or if the Marlins are listening on Edward Cabrera, or when the Nats shop MacKenzie Gore, etc.

Kyle

• Would any of the dodgers pitching prospects or a guy like Wrobleski get Cowser from the Orioles? Fits need for need

Steve Adams

• I’m pretty down on Cowser overall. I wouldn’t trade Wrobleski for him. But yeah, that would (or should!) get Baltimore’s attention

Murakami

• In your top 50 FA rankings, you had Murakami ranked 4th. I see a lot of negativity around him (defense, inability to hit fast balls). How big of a variance was there in these rankings (i.e., how much farther down the list could you see him to have been reasonably ranked)?

Steve Adams

• We base them on earning power. I can definitely see us being high on Murakami — potentially very high — but I can also see us being low on him. Murakami and Imai are the two far and away highest-variance players on our list.That said, I’d be pretty shocked if Murakami came in south of $90MM, so for me there was never any way he was going to be lower than No. 12 or so. (We had Josh Naylor 12th with a five-year, $90MM prediction)

Byron Buxton

• Who do you see covering the outfield with me in Minnesota next year (I will still be in Minnesota next year, right?)

Steve Adams

• Unless the Pohlad family orders further payroll reduction and the Twins trade Joe Ryan/Pablo Lopez — at which point I believe Buxton would ask for a trade — then he’ll be back, yeah.Alan Roden and Matt Wallner probably open the season in the corners, but by the summer they’ll be talking about potential promotions for top prospects like Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez (health permitting)

John

• this is a dumb question, but if it’s looking like a 2027 lockout, why don’t they try to ramp up cba talks now?

Steve Adams

• They had some preliminary talks during the GM Meetings last week

Addy Barg

• I’m a rare Blue Jays fan that doesn’t want the team to resign Bichette. I just don’t see him aging well on a 7-8 year contract, especially with how poor the defense is. I would rather they spend elsewhere. Thoughts?

Steve Adams

• I think the bat is going to age as well as you can reasonably expect. I get the defensive concerns, but I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum from you. I’d be pushing hard to keep him around for the next eight years or so. He’s such a good hitter, fans love him, clubhouse loves him, etc

Dale

• Would you agree that the Twins have a high-variance crop of players? As in, a lot of young — but with big league experience — guys, who if they all somehow took steps in the right direction, could end the rebuild before it even starts?

Steve Adams

• I do agree with that. The farm is deep, and that doesn’t even include guys like Keaschall, Roden, Lee, Lewis and Taj Bradley — any of whom could be an above-average regular next season.I have a hard time seeing that many things go right for them and would like their chances far more if ownership actually let the front office spend. ….But I don’t expect them to do that, either.

Walter

• Gavin Williams and Steven Kwan for Hunter Greene and Spencer Steer. Would free some payroll for the Reds to get Schwarber.

Steve Adams

• Trading Hunter Greene — even for Williams/Kwan — would be antithetical to signing Schwarber, which is a win-now move. Greene is the best player in that package you laid out.And the Reds don’t need to shed payroll to sign Schwarber. Or at least they shouldn’t. You can backload the deal a bit to make 2026’s salary more manageable, and they’ll have Singer/Stephenson/Lux off the books next winter, with no truly exorbitant arb raises due

David

• Did any of the non-tenders surprise you?

Steve Adams

• No one who was non-tendered surprised me — just surprised by how many middling players were tendered contracts. Teams this year almost exclusively non-tendered guys with five-plus years of service. Are the Pirates, Guards, etc. going to run the Jack Suwinskis and Will Bensons of the world through waivers, knowing they’ll go unclaimed and can be stashed in AAA as depth since they won’t reject the outright? It was just weird.

Jeff Torborg

• Do Vientos/Tong/Mauricio get Buxton and Pablo Lopez to Queens??

Steve Adams

• Nope

John

• Best starting pitcher available for trade? Available with more than a 30% chance to get traded

Steve Adams

• MacKenzie Gore, Edward Cabrera, Joe Ryan, Mitch Keller … I think like half our Top 40 Trade Candidate list for the offseason was starting pitchers, ha:https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/mlb-rumors-top-trade-candidates…

Guarded Indian

• Where is the tracking for the prediction contest?  I think I have a couple correct already.  I love this contest!

Steve Adams

• Not sure. I can check with Tim when the leaderboard is going up. But there will be one sooner than later.

Christopher Morel

• I’d be a perfect fit for the Royals bench and as an insurance policy for Caglianone.  What’s the chances I sign a one year deal in Kansas City?

Steve Adams

• Disagree and think the Royals already have enough low-OBP guys who can’t really hit. That’s sort of their problem every year, especially in the outfield.

Buc Stops Here

• Adolis Garcia seems like a great sign for the Pirates as a bounce-back candidate. Can 3/$45m get it done?

Steve Adams

• If the Pirates (or anyone) thought Garcia was worth that, he wouldn’t have been non-tendered
• The Rangers couldn’t find a trade partner at one year and around $12MM. He’ll probably sign for a year and $7-10MM plus incentives.

BRADY

• RATE SONNY GRAY TRADE  THANKS

Steve Adams

• READ EARLIER IN CHAT THANKS
• 🙂

It’s Richard Fitts!

• If CY can somehow sign Luis Arráez, Devin Williams and find this years Patrick Corbin (John Means?) can we make a playoff run in 26?

Steve Adams

• Rangers fans really want Luis Arraez, it seems (at least based on these chats). I … would not, haha.I do think there’s enough talent in the Texas core to make a run with some more additions, and there’s still room to add while keeping the payroll a good ways south of last year.
• Ok. I’ve got to call it for the week.Tim’s mailbag will run tomorrow (I think), and Anthony will have a subscriber chat on Friday. I’m on X @Adams_Steve and Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social.If you want more opinions from the MLBTR team, you can learn about our Front Office subscription package and sign up here. In addition to ad-free viewing on the site and in the app, you’ll get weekly analysis/opinion columns from Anthony Franco and myself, a weekly mailbag column from Tim Dierkes, weekly fantasy baseball chats and columns with Nicklaus Gaut (during the season), weekly subscriber-only chats with Anthony and with me (where your odds of getting a question answered are much higher), extra insight from Darragh McDonald, access to our Contract Tracker (a vital offseason resource) our Agency Database, our GM Tracker, our Offseason Outlook series and more.

  Thanks everyone, and have a great week! Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Troy

• Thoughts on the Brewers this offseason? Giving Woodruff the QO was not on my bingo card. Will Attanasio finally spend and go get a bat?

Mark P

• Trading a starter for a hitter might be the likelier scenario, given how the Brewers are still working with a limited payroll.  Having Woodruff back is a nice bonus for the team, and it makes it perhaps slightly likelier they’ll now be open to moving Peralta, but it’ll naturally still take a huge offer

TennesseeMG

• What kind of deal do you expect Imai to get and who ponies up for it?

Mark P

• The top 50 list had him going for six years and $150MM, and I agree with that general projection.  This is a rare instance where I don’t think the Dodgers will land him, since on paper, L.A. already has a ton of money invested in its rotation.  While it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Imai did just sign with the Dodgers, I can see the Giants or Red Sox swooping in there

Bobby Cox

• You see the Braves getting Diaz would help pen alot but with giving 16 mill to inglesias I thinking no

Mark P

• Iglesias’ return definitely shuts the door on any talk of Diaz to Atlanta.
• The Braves probably keep it relatively inexpensive with the rest of their relief acquisitions. Maybe trading for a reliever is a likelier scenario than a prominent signing.

Guest

• Ryan Helsley becoming a starter? Good idea?

Mark P

• I don’t really get the logic.  Helsley has never been a starter in the majors and he hasn’t started at any level since 2019.  If I’m the Tigers or any other team thinking about Helsley as a starter, I’d just play it safer and acquire an actual starter

Natitude

• Any chance the Nats make a run at Pete Alonso?  Similar to the Werth signing of years ago, the Nats may need to overpay in the market to lure a proven veteran commodity to join the youth movement in DC for the future.

Mark P

• That seems like a bolder move than I’d expect from the Nationals at this stage.  If anything, it seems like the organization is taking a step back to retrench after the disappointment of 2025, and to let Toboni have some time to remodel the front office to his liking.

Reds country

• If the A’s were willing to move soderstrom, what would a fair package from the reds look like?

Mark P

• I’ve written this before, but the ship has almost certainly sailed on the idea of the A’s trading Soderstrom.  He was a very strong defensive left fielder, so now there aren’t any questions about how he’ll fit into the Athletics lineup

Corbin’s Elbow

• Diamondbacks and Pirate lining up for a trade involving Lawlar and young pitching?

Mark P

• That would make a lot of sense for both parties.

Anonymous guy

• brewers sign Jona heim?

Mark P

• Heim should be able to find at least a timeshare with another team, just because the catching market is so thin.  Chances are he won’t have to settle for a backup job in Milwaukee or in any other spot with a set #1 catcher

MLBTR

• Was Iglesias really the best the Braves could do with $16m? Don’t they need more and even with potential spending it seems a misstep??

Mark P

• I disagree.  The signing made sense for the team, since Iglesias was still quite solid last season.  The shorter term also allows Atlanta to pivot next winter if Iglesias does start to decline.

JQ

• How much do you expect it will take for the Royals to bring back Yastrzemski

Mark P

• Not a ton?  Yaz is 35, so probably a one-year deal at most.  I’m not sure how busy his market will necessarily be since probably a lot of teams view Yaz as a fallback option.  The Royals are likely in that group too, but might have an edge due to their past relationship.

  If I’m KC, I aim to land a true upgrade for one outfield spot, and then aim a little lower for a decent semi-everyday type like Yastrzemski for another outfield spot.

Green Monstah

• Are you surprised the Red Sox didn’t non-tender Connor Wong?

Mark P

• Wong looked like a breakout just a year ago, so I’m not that surprised Boston wanted to hang onto him for a while longer.  As noted, catcher isn’t a position of great depth league-wide, so why not just bring back Wong in at least a backup role and see if he can rebound.

Concerned fan

• Woodruff called the Brewers bluff, and now the payroll is more than maxed out. What move can the Brewers make to improve the offense without spending money or reducing payroll from current levels?

Mark P

• If the Brewers were really concerned that Woodruff’s QO was going to throw their payroll out of whack, they wouldn’t have made the offer in the first place.  Given how Woodruff pitched in 2025, I think the team is pleased with the idea of having that kind of ace-level upside in the rotation, if (big if) Woodruff can stay healthy.
• As mentioned earlier, trading from their rotation depth could be one way for the Brew to add a bat without breaking the bank

MarioSoto

• I know the odds or the Reds signing Schwarber are low but let’s say they did. Would he and some bullpen additions be enough to put the Reds as front runners in the division?

Mark P

• “Frontrunners” may be a stretch since by this point, I’m just assuming the Brewers will always figure out a way to win the NL Central.

  But obviously sure, having Schwarber alone would put the Reds in very good position to at least back to the postseason.

Buster Posey

• Colton Cowser or Chandler Simpson to the Giants? Which one would move the needle?

Mark P

• Cowser has done more at the MLB level and he was a more highly-touted prospect. If I’m the Giants trying to upgrade the outfield, he’s the one I’d target.

  With Ward now in the mix and Baltimore’s outfield more crowded, there might be a better chance Cowser is available, but naturally the Orioles would still be asking for a lot

Padres

• Jake Cronenworth to Toronto for Lauer and a prospect.

Mark P

• Cronenworth doesn’t bring anything to the table that the Toronto lineup doesn’t already have, plus he’s expensive.  Lauer might end up being a valuable piece for the Jays again in a swingman role.

Detroit.

• Who do you think is detroit first priority in the relief market?

Mark P

• Adding pitchers who can miss some bats.  Frankly, Helsley would make way more sense for the Tigers’ bullpen than he would their rotation.

Guest

• Nathan Lukes trade for relief pitcher?  Maximize his value?

Mark P

• Lukes did a lot for the Jays last year, but he seems like the most expendable trade chip for the team to go out and get some pitching help

Guest

• Thoughts on what else Braves might do this offseason to fill needs, specifically the rotation as well lineup if they stick with Dubon as starting SS?

Mark P

• Dubon is probably the backup plan for the shortstop position.  He’ll do if the Braves can’t find anyone else, but I think the Braves are indeed still on the hunt.

Andy Asks About Mariners

• Who’d net the most in a trade, Bryce Miller or George Kirby? I think Gilbert and Woo are untouchable while Castillo would not net much.

Mark P

• Kirby’s the much more valuable trade asset.  Miller’s extra year of control doesn’t outweigh Kirby’s better track record.

Big John

• thoughts on why players sign so early in the offseason (ala Naylor).  do they leave money on the table for not letting teams really get into a bidding war?

Mark P

• For one, most players generally don’t sign early, as they take their time to gauge the market and enjoy (if that’s the right word) getting the opportunity to be a free agent.

  In Naylor’s case, it was a perfect storm of the team really wanting him back, Naylor having Seattle as his preferred choice, and the M’s immediately coming up with an offer that Naylor’s camp found acceptable.  If Naylor ultimately just wanted to stay in Seattle all along, why bother dragging things out for a few more weeks just to the test the market, since then he runs the risk of the M’s pivoting to someone else.

Pirates

• Which are we more likely to do…. Sign Schwarber, Extend Griffin, Extend Skenes

Mark P

• Extending Griffin is far and away the likeliest of those three scenarios

Mike

• Why doesn’t the league expand?

Mark P

• Rob Manfred has long stated that the league wanted to get the A’s and Rays’ ballpark situations figured out before looking more fully at expansion

O’sFanDan

• Could you see a trade centering around Cowser and Bubic?

Mark P

• Bubic is only under control through 2026, so probably not.  I realize that the Orioles just dealt a controllable younger player in Gray-Rod for a one-year player in Ward, but Cowser doesn’t have Rodriguez’s larger injury history

HOF

• Who’s getting in this year? Beltran and that’s it?

Mark P

• Beltran likely gets over the 75% line, and Andruw Jones might sneak in as well.  I can see the veterans committee electing someone (not Bonds or Clemens, though)

Nolan

• Are the Bucs REALLY in on Schwarber?

Mark P

• I’ve got no reason to believe they haven’t been in touch with his agent, or asked what kind of contract Schwarber is looking for.  How realistic their chances are remains to be seen, but I can believe Cherington is doing his due diligence.

My name

• Is there any way the Guards sign Alonso?

Mark P

• Find it hard to believe the Guardians spend that much, or that Alonso’s market would slump to the point that Cleveland would get involved

Kevin

• What does Jim Edmonds have to do to be elected to the HOF? His stats are very good

Mark P

• Edmonds absolutely needs to land on a veterans committee ballot someday, since I think he has a better case than half the guys on the current ballot.

  Still can’t figure out why Lou Whitaker isn’t on the ballot either.

MARCUS

• will the REDS actually trade HUNTER  GREEN

Mark P

• Doubt it.

Jorge Polanco

• Now that they have Semien, what would the Mets be looking for in a Jeff McNeil trade?

Mark P

• I’d think pitching, or perhaps a center fielder if one can be obtained.

Tiny Tigs

• It’s this a make or break year as fall as figuring out what kind of owner Ilitch junior really is? A lot of people thought the Tigers would spend last off season. Now, coming off a near complete collapse and another 2nd round exit, will the Tigers actually spend? Or is Mike’s son just not as committed to trying to win a world series as he was.

Mark P

• While I agree that the Tigers should be more willing to spend more and adopt more of a win-now attitude, your take is a bit of a “glass half-empty” perspective of the last two seasons.  Another way of looking at it is “hey, this team made the second round two years in a row, they seem to be on the right track.”

Jonny Venters

• What do you think it would take for the Angels to land Lars Nootbar?

Mark P

• Nootbaar is a question mark for Opening Day, so if I’m the Angels, I aim for an outfielder without as many health concerns.
  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/10/lars-nootbaar-may-start-2026-se…

Your name

• Who will the Phillies sign????

Mark P

• Chalk answer, but I think the Phils re-sign both Schwarber and Realmuto.  Beyond that, bringing in a reliever or two seems feasible, but Schwarber/JT might be in terms of big-ticket free agents

Sentimentally

• I’d love to see Yastrzemski land in Boston.

Mark P

• If the Red Sox didn’t already have 15 left-handed hitting outfielders, it would be a fun story

DePodesta

• Do I begin the rebuild this offseason, at the deadline, next off season or wait until a new CBA

Mark P

• As soon as humanly possible.

Trent Girsham

• The Yankees didn’t expect me to take the QO, did they?  Am I blocking Dominguez and Jones?

Mark P

• Like with the Brewers/Woodruff answer earlier, the Yankees wouldn’t have made the QO to Grisham if they weren’t prepared for the possibility that he’d accept.

  If Grisham is penciled into center field again, that leaves LF for Dominguez and Jones if the Yankees were intent on seeing what either or both can do with steady big league playing time.

MVBees

• Can anyone beat Judge and Ohtani next year? Who has the best shot in each league?

Mark P

• If Ohtani is going to be pairing his usual offensive numbers with (health permitting) strong pitching numbers going forward, I don’t think anyone’s beating him in the MVP race for the rest of the decade.

  For Judge, Raleigh came within a hair of beating him in this year’s vote.  It did take a truly special season for Raleigh, of course, and who knows if he (or anyone) can get to that level in the future.  In theory Judge might slow down since he’s entering his age-34 season, but I’m not holding my breath.

I’m a player

• Chris Young has moved salary with the trade and non tenders, is he now a player in the free agent market? Alonso, Bellinger, Tucker, which one is the best fit?

Mark P

• None of those players seem like fits for the Rangers’ limited payroll.  Between Semien’s contract and the non-tender savings, that still saves only a little bit of money since Nimmo has a hefty contract in his own right

Kevin McGonigle

• Please convince me that I will be on the opening day roster. Gleyber’s return makes me doubt that it’ll happen

Mark P

• The Tigers’ GM has already all but officially said McGongile is starting the season in Triple-A

ivylander

• Hard to imagine the O’s carrying both Mountcastle and Mayo on their opening day roster. Which one is more likely to help bring in a starting pitcher?

Mark P

• Mayo has way more trade value.
• I’m a little surprised that the O’s tendered Mountcastle a contract, if anything

Your name

• Would the Athletics make sense as an Arenado suitor

Mark P

• In theory yes, since the A’s are so thin at third base.  But I have a hard time seeing Arenado waiving his no-trade clause to play in a minor league ballpark for a team that isn’t yet a contender.

Murakami and Okamoto

• I’ve seen mixed reports on whether these guys will stick at third in the majors or not. What say you?

Mark P

• Having not seen them play, I’m also going by scouting reports.  The feeling is that Okamoto is the likelier of the two to at least competently play 3B, as some teams might just put Murakami at 1B right away and not even experiment.

Willy Mays fan

• Will the giants make a change at 2nd base. Plus 10 guys on the 40 man who play the outfield isn’t sustainable especially with a few of them out of options. Plus the need pitchers. Your thoughts please.

Mark P

• Casey Schmitt isn’t a bad option at 2B, if the rest of the Giants lineup was more loaded.  But in general, Schmitt seems more to me like a good “first guy off the bench” than someone I’d rely on as a regular starter.

Coach L

• Could you see the Orioles trading Rutschman to the Pirates for pitching?

Mark P

• The O’s value Rutschman highly enough that I don’t see them moving him for anyone Pittsburgh has, unless it was somehow part of a package for Skenes

Giants

• Theres been a lot of talk about the Giants trading Eldridge, but does that really make sense? They’ve struggled to produce a position player prospect with Star potential tools, finally pull it off, and now people are talking about them trading him? Is trading Eldridge really the only way the Giants could make meaningful upgrades?

Mark P

• SF has about $168MM committed to next year’s payroll, and their tax number is $54MM under the threshold.  They can add to their roster in a ton of ways just be spending some money, rather than trading Eldridge

Braves Fan

• How valuable is that PPI draft pick. Is it better to use in a trade or keep?

Mark P

• PPI picks can’t be traded.  The only draft picks eligible to be traded are the Competitive Balance Round selections

Guest

• When will owners wise-up and figure out that these long term contracts that pay players past the age of 34/35 never work  out?

Mark P

• Enough of them do work out that teams will always keep making these signings as the price of doing business.

Sparky

• I know the Reds won’t be alone, but will they make a push in the Garcia/Bleday/Lowe/Morel market…plus maybe Geno Suarez, or is Geno too much and they go after a couple of the first group?

Mark P

• The past history makes me wonder if Suarez and the Reds could be a fit.  He’d be more of a clear-cut upgrade for Cincinnati than anyone from the non-tender crew.

My Name

• Albert Pujols was a hot candidate to manage a team. Now he isn’t. What happened?

Mark P

• It’s not uncommon for guys to be interviewed for several managerial openings over several years before finally landing a job.  Pujols draws more attention because he’s a huge game, naturally, but perhaps thinks just didn’t click for him in this hiring cycle.

  Managing in the WBC might raise his profile and make him more of a hotter candidate for next offseason’s round of managerial hirings

Kyle

• If the Rays and Mariners go back to the trading well. What do you think that trade looks like?

Mark P

• These two are such frequent trade partners that I’m somewhat surprised Harry Ford isn’t a Ray already.  I’ve got to believe Ford’s name has been floated in multiple talks between the two.

Joe

• Would the Angels be willing to take McMahon and Grishom from the Yankees

Mark P

• Grisham can’t be moved until May 15, so no.  As for McMahon, I’d prefer a better-hitting 3B if I was the Halos

A’s

• Does McNeil make sense for the A’s?

Mark P

• I can see that, with some money heading to the A’s to cover some salary.  McNeil fits right in at second base for the A’s, and he can chip in as a center fielder too

Buster

• Do you think this is the year Bonds and Clemens finally make it into the HOF?

Mark P

• Nope.  I guess it depends on who makes up the committee panel, but I have a difficult time seeing the “hard no” they received last time suddenly swing into 12 of 16 votes

Phillies

• Do we have time to let Justin Crawford show what he can do or should we move him now for a professional upgrade?

Mark P

• Let Crawford play.  Crawford coming at least a cromulent big leaguer on a minimum salary for a few years would be an enormous help to a Phillies team with their payroll commitments
• We’re just about to hit two hours, so let’s call it for the evening.  Thanks to everyone who submitted a question!
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