MLBTR Chats

A frustrated Angels Fan

• I don’t get it, this season should have been better. I’m not saying they were supposed to make the playoffs but to not trade outgoing free agents for prospects and then absolutely screw up the number 2 pick in this years draft. I would think the front office and manager /coaches would be changed. What do you think?

Mark P

• Ron Washington’s health situation probably means he’ll return for a proper full season as manager in 2026.  Perry Minasian just signed an extension about a year ago, through 2026 is the last guaranteed year of that extension.

  The bigger problem is still at the ownership level, as the Angels simply lack much direction.  This isn’t at all to say that Minasian is blameless for the state of the roster, but to some extent his hands are tied by Arte Moreno’s wishes.

Guest

• If the Rangers DO make it, is Eovaldi able to be back in time?

Mark P

• Nope. When he went on the IL, there was no “well, if they make it deep enough into October…” qualifier on his status.

Herman

• Hey Angels fan, the Braves did the same dumb stuff not trading Iglesias or Ozuna. Please tell me they don’t go wild and offer Ozuna a contract for 2026?

Mark P

• Ozuna is almost certainly gone.  Much more likely that Atlanta opens up the DH space and payroll space by letting him walk.

Guest

• Can SDP resign King given their other payroll commitments?

Mark P

• Given all of the time King has missed this year, it might’ve helped keep him in the Padres’ price range.  Chances are King is looking at either a one-year contract or a 2-3 year deal with multiple opt-outs, so he can (in theory) re-enter free agency next winter after a full and healthy season to land a bigger long-term deal.
• It’s not entirely out of the question that King accepts a qualifying offer from San Diego, for such a short-term pact.  Or, maybe the Padres work out an opt-out laden new contract themselves.

What? Good News for the Nats? Unpossible!

• No real question, just sharing my real enjoyment of the rookie season that Daylen Lile is having. .288/.339/.457/.796. With 14 doubles, NINE triples, and five HRs in 79 games. Nats 2021 draft is actually looking kinda OK. Which is a refreshing novelty for the team.

Mark P

• He’s looked really good, so that’s at least one silver lining in a grim Nationals season.  At the very least, Lile has put himself in the running for an everyday job next year, even amidst a fairly crowded OF picture

Hud

• Who’s your MVP pick, Judge or Raleigh?

Mark P

• Who would get your vote as AL MVP?

  ---

  Judge (30.1% | 195 votes)

  Raleigh (69.8% | 452 votes)

  ---

  Total Votes: 647

Baseball fan

• How do you think Yesavage does tomorrow? What do you think his role will ultimately be down the stretch and into the postseason, and would you have made the move as Tor?

Mark P

• He’ll ultimately be a reliever, since the Jays have too many other proven veterans as rotation options.  To that extent I’m a little surprised he’s debuting as a starter at all.
• As to whether or not I’d have done it, I guess it can’t hurt?  The Jays’ bullpen has been shaky enough (despite some better results in the last week) that Yesavage might provide some spark, and an unknown quantity for opposing batters

Giants Collapse

• arw the Giants of the last month closer to what they are than that mid-summer run? And how much do they need to do in the offseason to truly compete all of next season? Pitching moves only with the offense they have and Eldridge on the way?

Mark P

• It can be reasonably assumed that Devers and Adames will hit more their usual selves (as they have in the last month or so) in 2026 than they did for much of 2025.  While rotation help is certainly a need, the Giants need to address the outfield, and second base.

UGA 44 Vols 41

• Do you see the Braves having a real chance at Kyle Schwarber and do the Braves trade Sean Murphy this offseason?

Mark P

• Murphy is owed $45MM over the next three years, and he’ll spend the offseason rehabbing from hip surgery.  His trade value is pretty minimal right now, so the Braves’ plan is probably just to keep Murphy/Baldwin as the catcher/DH combo.

  Schwarber would be a great fit basically anywhere, but a particularly great fit in Atlanta.  That said, I find it hard to believe that the Phillies won’t break the bank to re-sign him.

Kris Bubic

• Do I sign an extension this offseason, or bet on myself to deliver a full season of all star stuff and get PAID

Mark P

• As good as Bubic looked this year, missing two months with a rotator cuff strain will throw a wrench into his asking price for any extension talks.

  Given how the Royals have made a point to lock up starting pitchers, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they also talked with Bubic about a long-term deal.  Or, on the flip side, they may be less open to extending Bubic since so much has been invested elsewhere in the rotation.

  Keep in mind that Bubic has already had a lot of ups and downs in his career, plus injury issues.  He might welcome the chance to lock in some life-changing money right now, even if that means he leaves some on the table in foregoing free agency.

Ethan

• Do you see the Guardians non-tendering Nolan Jones next year?

Mark P

• He will be arb-eligible for the first time this winter, and is controlled through 2028.  So that’s enough control at a cheap enough price tag that the Guardians might give him one more chance….but yeah, I’d lean towards a non-tender

RJ

• Do the Angels go after Cody Belinger this offseason? Seems to be a good fit

Mark P

• I’m sorry to keep giving the same answer to Angels fans year after year when they ask about big-ticket free agent pursuits…..but if you’re a star player with options, why choose the Angels over a team with a much more clear-cut chance of winning?  LAA would have to drastically overpay to get onto Bellinger’s radar.

Race of the Century

• Willie Mays Hayes vs Adult Benny the Jet Rodriguez. Who wins?

Mark P

• Outstanding question. My pick is Hayes, because we saw more of him as an adult than we did of Benny the Jet.

Playing Nats GM

• Who is a realistic target for the Nationals this offseason assuming they moderately spend with new front office hire(s)? They can’t go another offseason with some ridiculously low $50M budget again.

Mark P

• I think another lower payroll is very likely, barring a real change of direction from the Lerner family.  It may depend on who the next PBO/GM actually is, but in all likelihood, the Nationals will continue in low-spending rebuild mode, adding just some veterans on one-year deals.

The Shortstop Andres Gimenez

• Are the Blue Jays telegraphing something in subtly moving Gimenez over to SS in Bo’s absence?  I’ve always thought the trade with Cleveland last winter made very little sense if Gimenez wasn’t being seen as the opening day SS in 2026

Sneaky Pete

• Can the Giants front office convince Bo Bichette to take $225mil to play 2nd base?

Mark P

• 2025’s success notwithstanding, I think it’s still likely that Bichette is playing elsewhere next year.  The Gimenez trade was indeed probably a hedge for the Jays, in part because at the time of the deal, Bichette was still a question mark coming off his rough 2024 performance.

  Bichette being open to a 2B position change would also help his overall free agent case, in addition to being the more logical move overall in the long run for him on the field.  Teams that may be hesitant about Bichette’s shortstop glovework, or simply don’t have a shortstop spot open (i.e. the Giants) would be much more willing to engage in his market for Bichette the second baseman

Veteran Righthander

• An also-ran team you think might be a sleeper for next year, based on later-season call-ups and better performances by starters?

Mark P

• This doesn’t really fit your criteria, but the Royals started playing a lot better once they started getting even a modest amount of production from their outfield.  Bolstering the outfield and adding more hitting in general could get KC back into contention next year, since they’ve got the arms.

Dave Dombrowski

• Given Aaron Nola’s decline and Zack Wheeler’s postoperative uncertainty, what are the chances I re-sign Ranger Suarez? Alvarado’s money is a start…

Mark P

• The 2026 rotation looks like Sanchez, Walker, Nola, hopefully Wheeler, and presumably Painter.  Rather than spend a lot of money on reuniting with Suarez, I can see the Phillies adding more of a depth starter type, since on paper, they might have a rotation surplus if all goes well.

  That said, when does it ever go well?  Since unexpected injuries (i.e. Wheeler) or sudden struggles (i.e. Nola) can happen at any time, more pitching is always a need.  Once we get more of a sense of Wheeler’s status, it’ll be easier to predict Philly’s next move

Garrett

• Does Frankie Frisch letting a bunch of his pals into the Hall in the 70s still have an effect today?

Mark P

• It led to an overhaul of how the HOF approaches the veterans committee, though those committees have been altered many times over the years.  Beyond that, I’m not sure it has much impact outside of “who is the worst Hall of Famer?” arguments

Andrew R.

• So Luzardo isn’t in the Phillies rotation plans next year?

Mark P

• Whoops, forgot to add Luzardo to that list!  Yes, he’s obviously part of the 2026 rotation.

Ken

• Jacob Wilson’s defensive metrics at SS leave something to be desired. Should the A’s shift him to 3B and have Darell Hernaiz handle SS until Leo DeVries arrives?

Mark P

• Wilson’s got a good arm, but it’s just a matter of whether or not his range is so limited that 3B would also be a problem.

DT

• Is there a market for Brent Rooker with the emergence of Kurtz and Soderstrom/could he potentially bring back a mid rotation starter type in a deal?

Mark P

• Not that the A’s care a ton of about PB, but they just signed Rooker to a long-term deal last spring.  Trading him less than a year after that signing doesn’t seem too likely.

Guest

• What would a Naylor contract look like with him only being 28? 4 years 90ish

Mark P

• My feeling is he’ll get less than $90MM, though his younger age is a plus.  It’s possibly Naylor might even explore an opt-out in his contract in order to maybe re-enter free agency when he’s still young, but being a 1B-only player might mitigate that flexibility.

Dave

• Walker Buehler a possibility for 2926 Phillies?

Mark P

• Wow, that’s one long career.  Not even Jamie Moyer pitched for 900 years.

  Typo jokes aside, Buehler might get himself into the Phillies’ plans with a good showing in September (or October….), but odds are, Buehler will want a chance at a clear rotation job on his next team.

Richard

• Is Bochy manager of the Rangers in 2026?

Mark P

• There have been some conflicting reports on Bochy for much of the season, so it’s all up to his personal decision.  If he wants to manage another year, it seems the Rangers will happily take him back.  If a new deal is reached, it’s probably likely to be a rolling year-to-year type of pact that gives Bochy flexibility if he decides to retire.

Marlins

• who’s a FA we can sign? We have the SP, and now with Marsee and Stowers we are in wild card conversation with one more legit bat

Mark P

• This will be an interesting offseason in Miami.  The most probable outcome is that the Marlins will continue to play it safe and sign (at most) a couple of veterans to one-year contracts, since the team needs a lot more than just “one more legit bat” to patch up all the holes in the lineup.

Tiger Town

• If Skubal misses any time or his injury lingers, Detroit is cooked, right?

Mark P

• It doesn’t look like Skubal’s injury is all that serious, so the Tigers caught a major break.  But yeah, if he’d been hurt, that alone would’ve almost certainly scorched Detroit’s chances.

Midwest

• What does a Salvy extension look like? Who are most likely targets for the Royals to get them into the post season? Also, is Salvy a first ballot HoF or an eventual famer?

Mark P

• It’s been such a rough year offensively and defensively for Perez that if it was anyone else, it would be an easy call for the Royals to decline his option.  But, since he’s a franchise icon, he’ll be back for $13.5MM (really it’s an $11.5MM decision for the team due to the $2MM buyout).

  The Fermin trade at the deadline basically cemented Perez as returning for at least 2026. An extension isn’t out of the question, but the Royals have enough young catchers in the pipeline that committing too many more years to Perez doesn’t seem feasible.

Verlander

• Is he cooked?

Mark P

• He has a 2.44 ERA over his last 10 starts.  Verlander has quickly gone from “cooked” to “on fire,” and he’s been a big part of the Giants’ surge.

AndthenIsaid

• Will shutting Winn down early hurt his chances at a GG?

Mark P

• Nick Allen has the better overall slate of public metrics, as both DRS and OAA love his work.  Winn is only getting the love from OAA, and Mookie Betts is the inverse, getting great DRS grades but only good OAAA grades.

  If anything, Winn being such a good defender despite playing hurt all year might be a point in his favor with voters

Preller Jr

• Has Laureano played his way out of SD with his well he has done since the trade? He seems to be a great fit in LF and a backup in CF.

Mark P

• That’s a question the Padres won’t have to answer for a while.  They hold a $6.5M club option on his services for 2026, and that’s a lock to be exercised the way Laureano is playing.

Bernie Brewer

• Do the Brewers and Brandon Woodruff exercise the mutual option for next season ?

Mark P

• Given the long history between the two sides and the circumstances, this might be the rare example of a mutual option has a tiny chance of being mutually exercised.

  But, the much more likely scenario is that Woodruff is a free agent.

Aaron

• Do you keep Volpe out for the rest of the season

Mark P

• At this point, yes.  Caballero looks like the better option, and Volpe is just simply not healthy.
• It begs the question of why he wasn’t put on the IL months ago.

Chris Getz

• Do the White Sox pursue anything this offseason? They seem to have the infield and catcher covered, and if Benintendi and Tauchman come back, maybe they’ll need a starter or two to hold down the rotation until some arms start coming back mid-season. Maybe a power hitting 1B? Josh Naylor?

Mark P

• The White Sox aren’t remotely in the position to start signing prominent free agents like Naylor.

DBacks 40-man

• To what degree should I be concerned about the Snakes needing to add 9(!) players back from the 60-day IL at the end of the season? Never mind protecting guys from the R5

Mark P

• A few spots will be opened by non-tenders and free agents, but you’re right, it’s a large number.  Arizona might be a team to watch when it comes to early-offseason trades.

Alpa Chino

• Bees?

Mark P

• Beads?!

Moyor City Beach Bum

• What are your thoughts about Tigers signing Schwarber to DH in Detroit? Move Carp into the OF which is what he wants. Would that be the ideal big bat they need to anchor that lineup for the next 4-5:years?

Mark P

• As noted earlier, Schwarber would help most every team in baseball.  The Tigers included, for the very reasons you mention.  It does add yet another lefty bat to the lineup, but for the sake of adding Schwarber’s power, it’s fine (plus Detroit could then trade another LHH elsewhere).
• Not to sound like a broken record, however, but chances are he’ll stay in Philadelphia.  And, I hesitate to put the Tigers as suitors for any big-ticket free agent until they actually land one, though in fairness they did push for Bregman

Ray

• Besides Tucker, which of the Cubs’ other OFs/DHs figures to be gone next season? I’d like to see Ballesteros stay.

Mark P

• Suzuki and Happ are both free agents after 2026, but they also both have no-trade clauses.  That doesn’t necessarily rule out a trade if either player is open to a move, except it makes things much trickier in finding a deal acceptable to all sides.

Package for the Reds

• What would be a good package for Matt McLain, dudes a hard worker and decent producer but he has fallen off a bit this year

Mark P

• He’s fallen off more than “a bit,” so a trade fit might be another player in McLain’s same situation — a former top prospect who might’ve had some early MLB success but has since struggled.  Basically, the Reds would want someone else that might benefit from a change of scenery.

  The other factor with McLain is that teams might be concerned that his downturn is due to his injuries, or even that his 2023 rookie success was mostly based on BABIP.

My Name Here

• Is Lawrence Butler the new Terrence Long; 6 good weeks a long time ago somehow keeps him on the roster for years.

Mark P

• The big increase in strikeouts and the home/away splits are certainly concerns, but Butler is still a pretty useful player overall.  Perhaps ultimately his optimal usage will be part of a platoon.

Bobby Cox

• Aa made a good move at ss. Does ha take the option

Mark P

• Kim has barely played this year, so it seems likely that he’ll pick up his option and lock in that $16MM

Randy

• What is PB?

Mark P

• Passed balls?  Peanut butter?

  If you mean the PBO acronym I used earlier, it’s “president of baseball operations”

Cat_Herder

• Struggling Tigers fan. This team seems to be so streaky, especially offensively. Can you offer some hope for October?

Mark P

• Skubal appears to be ok, which is the best news Detroit could’ve possibly received.  The trick with a streaky team is that if their next hot streak happens to take place in October, the Tigers will be really hard to stop.

Zakis

• Your prediction for Walker Jenkins next year?

Mark P

• He’ll make his MLB debut sometime in 2026 and (to provide Twins fans with some optimism) be in the running for Rookie of the Year honors.
• After two hours of chatting, it’s time to wrap things up. Thanks to everyone who sent in a question, it’s always great to hear from the readership!
• 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-9-14-25

Steve Adams

• I don’t see any reason he comes in under Eduardo Rodriguez’s four-year, $80MM deal, and I think he has a good case to push into the Kevin Gausman/Robbie Ray range of $22-23MM annually over five years.

O’s close

• Every time Ryan Helsley gets shelled with the Mets, his prospects for a big free agent contract fade. Looking like a 1-year pillow contract for a team desperate for a closer, like the Orioles, right?

Steve Adams

• His stock was already down after a good-not-great run in St. Louis this year (still don’t know why they didn’t trade him in the winter). It comes down to a matter of preference for him, probably. I’m sure plenty of teams would love to “buy low” on a weighty one-year deal (still worth $10MM+). Helsley could go that route, try to rebound, and look for the big long-term deal next winter. But he’s already 31 (32 next July), and if he takes another step back, his chances of a lucrative long-term deal are shot.There are probably teams still willing to bet on the stuff and track record to put forth two- and three-year deals with more modest AAVs than he’d have gotten with a typical Helsley season. Does he want to go like 1/15 and try again, or would he take 2/26 or 3/30 and max out right now?Those are the scenarios I expect he’ll have to weigh.

Don Kelly

• Is there any chance the Pirates DON’T bring me back next year? If so what would be there reason not to. I’ve managed the team to a 0.491 win % as opposed to Shelty’s 0.316%

Steve Adams

• At this point, I’d be surprised if he’s not back. Your mileage may vary on whether that’s a good or bad thing, but I’m kind of in the “it doesn’t matter all that much as long as Nutting owns this team,” honestly.At the very least, I don’t think Kelly has done anything to hurt his chances of keeping the job for a few years beyond the current season.

Merrill Kelly

• How do you like my chances of a three-year deal?

Steve Adams

• You can see in our handy Contract Tracker (cheap plug!) that he’d be just the third SP in the past decade to get three guaranteed years in a deal that starts with his age-37 season or later
  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/contracttracker?name=&team=0&position=S…
• I think two is far likelier
• (Scherzer and Rich Hill were the others … long live Mad Max and Dick Mountain)

Billy Heywood

• Bregman will surely opt out, does he stay or go? What does his next contract look like?

Steve Adams

• Yeah I don’t see any way he passes on the opt-out, barring some awful injury here in the final few weeks.Red Sox will be in the mix to keep him. Cubs, Tigers, Jays, Phillies all seem like viable alternatives. (I’d say Mariners, but they just don’t spend at this level on free agents under Dipoto)A five-year deal in the $160-170MM range feels safe/conservative, but I wouldn’t entirely rule out six years and $30MM+ annually.

Guest

• As a long-time Mets fan, it seems clear that a miss of the playoffs is looming over us 🙂  But should we make it, I know that Tong and McLean are eligible, but will Sproat be eligible for a playoff roster? Otherwise, this may be the most disastrous pitching staff the Mets assembled since the late 1970s.

Steve Adams

• Sproat is eligible, yes. You just need to be in the organization. (I wrote as much in his promotion post the other week) We’ve seen prospects who weren’t on the 40-man roster make their MLB debuts in the playoffs (Alex Kirilloff, Shane McClanahan, Adalberto Mondesi)He’d need to be an injury replacement, technically speaking, but they have no shortage of IL guys whose postseason roster spot he could effectively take over.

Matt M

• Could the Padres look to dump Bogey? Say put him with Salas and J Estrada?

Steve Adams

• He’s still owed eight years and $200MM, beginning in his age-33 season, and has posted basically league-average offensive numbers, Even if they paired him with Salas and Estrada and told another team “He’s all yours if you take the contract,” I highly doubt they’d find a taker at that rate.They can try to dump him, but it’s among the least tradeable contracts in the game.

Brian

• What does Schwarber next deal look like?  33 next year, with one + trait …

Steve Adams

• It’s not one plus trait — it’s one 80-grade trait (power) with plus plate discipline and probably a better hit tool than he gets credit for (not that it’s elite or anything). Every clubhouse he’s ever been in has absolutely raved about the leadership he brings and the benefit of having him around young players.Entering the season, I was squarely at like three years and $80-90MM since players of his age with his limited defensive ability just don’t get paid.I’ve completely thrown that out the window now and think he’s getting $30MM+ per season, probably over four years. If you told me 5/140, I’m not even sure I’d say it’s impossible.

  Some team is going to fall in love with him — in the Phillies case, a big-payroll club is already actively in love with him — and do something crazy.

Ryan

• Would Donovan and Nootbaar be enough for Woo from the Mariners this offseason? Or is more likely Donovan and a prospect?

Steve Adams

• Donovan/Noot isn’t even in the ballpark. And unless that unnamed prospect is like … JJ Wetherholt, I don’t think “Donovan + prospect” gets it done either. Four cheap years of a proven playoff-caliber starter like Woo is going to be priced exorbitantly on the trade market, even if you think he’s more like a very strong No. 2 than a true No. 1/ace (which is where I’m at).

Beachcomber

• Odds on Braves retained Boros client HSK?

Steve Adams

• I think he’ll just pick up the $16MM player option, but sure, there’s a chance they say “yeah this year was bad, but the SS market is terrible and we’re going to try to go get a frontloaded 3/39 with another opt-out,” I suppose. (Or another 2/30ish with an out)

woodruff

• Will I receive and reject a qualifying offer?

Steve Adams

• Yeah

BTinVT

• Bergert got lit up last night. Was going well. Thoughts? Thank you.

Steve Adams

• Lit up last night but otherwise quite good for both KC and SD. My colleague Anthony Franco and I were genuinely surprised the Royals pulled Bergert for Fermin at the deadline — and that was before we knew Kolek was in there too.I get the trade for the Padres but really like it for the Royals and think Bergert has a good chance to just be a solid No. 4 starter for them for the next several years.

Guest

• How does AA redo next season? Pitching or offense or both? They’ve got the money

Steve Adams

• Alex Anthopoulos got a headstart on the Braves’ offseason by claiming Kim. I think the bigger focus will be on deepening the rotation, just given all the injuries they’ve had, but the bench needs a lot of help too. Someone in the Willi Castro mold who can capably handle multiple infield and outfield positions would be prudent (though a lot of teams are going to have interest in Castro)

Justin

• Does Devin Williams end up on the Angels next year?

Steve Adams

• Angels love them some high-profile short-term guys like that

Guest

• OK now that we know Volpe isn’t the answer do we trade him in the office season

Steve Adams

• It wouldn’t shock me. I’d have said the Braves are a good fit before they claimed Kim, but they would be if Kim decides to opt out and test the market. Tigers, Marlins, Nats, Pirates… there are plenty of young clubs that I think  would be pretty intrigued with a buy-low scenario there, and he’s still young enough that he’d net a real return.Side note: remember all the “The Yankees can’t trade either Peraza or Volpe” talk a few years ago? Teams should be more willing to trade prospects than they are (and that extends well beyond the Bronx)

Make MLB Draft Like NFL Draft

• Hi Steve. What do you think of the idea of MLB allowing the trading of draft picks during the draft like in the NFL? I think it could make an added dimension to the July trading deadline and make the draft more exciting?

Steve Adams

• I think it’s nonsensical that MLB teams can’t trade standard draft picks (only the handful of Competitive Balance ones that are awarded every year … and that those can only be traded once)

I wish Mark Reynolds had hit 2 more career HRs

• Travis Bazzana looks like he’s living up to his draft stock now at AAA

Steve Adams

• Guardians’ Opening Day second baseman!

OZ

• Is the turn-around in the performance of Bryce Elder for real?  In a dismal season, his re-emergence and the arrival of Hurston Waldrep have offered a glimmer of hope.  What moves do you envision Alex Anthopoulos making this Winter?

Steve Adams

• Elder has had 4-5 really good starts, but he’s had a sub-.200 BABIP in there and stranded about 82% of his runners. He looks like the same guy to me … not as good as his random All-Star year but not nearly as bad as 2024 or even earlier this season. Modest stuff, decent command, passable but volatile fifth starter.Waldrep looks better, but he’s also getting by with a crazy-low BABIP, crazy-high strand rate and a minuscule homer-to-flyball rate — all of which looks unsustainable. Still more bullish on him long-term, but I wouldn’t expect him to be close to this good

DelightfulDon

• Two Questions: Daylen Lile vs Dylen Crews – They both offer a different perspective and increasing potential. How do you see the Nats utilizing these players in 2026?  My second question is about STL closers.  JoJo and O’Brian have pitched well this year. Historically, between the two O’Brian would be the pick as JoJo is a lefty.  In 2026, how do you foresee the Cards managing their closers?

Steve Adams

• Crews will get every opportunity to be a cornerstone outfielder. Lile feels more like a guy who you’re fine with as your starting LF while he’s cheap but who has a much more limited long-term ceiling.I would imagine that with one year of control remaining, JoJo Romero is getting traded this offseason. Riley O’Brien will be in the ’pen next year, but I would imagine a good bit of roster turnover in St. Louis this winter, so I expect the late-inning relief corps to look pretty different

Dave R.

• Robbie Snelling has a 1.27 ERA in his last 12 minor league starts. Do the Marlins just hate him? I know he’s not on the 40-man, but there are plenty of guys who are that shouldn’t be.

Steve Adams

• Could easily justify calling him up. My assumption is they don’t want to right now since they don’t need to add him to the 40-man this winter to protect him from the Rule 5. Keeping him in AAA effectively buys them an extra roster spot all winter, and they can just select him in camp next year or early in the season.

Early

• Could Lodolo be on the move this coming offseason with two years of control?

Steve Adams

• I could see the Reds listening, for sure. I don’t think they’ll necessarily shop him outright, but with Greene, Burns, Abbott, Lowder, Singer and Petty all around, plus Aguiar and Williamson still in the org and mending from injury, there’s decent pitching depth.Moving Singer is the safer bet, since he only has one pricey year of control left, but Lodolo would net a better return

Turang Test

• Why does the Giants bullpen hate Justin Verlander?  Would his return to SF in ‘26 be contingent on pen upgrades?

Steve Adams

• Yeah, he’s pitched decently but can’t seem to buy a win more often than not. I don’t think that in a vacuum, the bullpen would dissuade him from returning there. But in general, there are a lot of questions about San Francisco’s ability to contend next year, and I could see Verlander simply preferring to sign as a fifth starter for a more clear-cut contender.We’ll see what the Giants do early in the offseason, of course. If they come out and sign Kyle Tucker, Gleyber Torres and Edwin Diaz or something nutty like that, then Verlander obviously thinks differently about their chances of competing than he would at the outset of free agency.Bottom line: Verlander is going to be capped at one year, probably in the $10-15MM range again. A lot of teams will be interested.

Tom Kelly’s blues

• If the Twins move Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan this off season are they writing off 2026 and 2027?

Steve Adams

• Yeah, if they move that pair, they’re basically waving the white flag and committing to a mini-rebuild. If they do go that route, the farm is already stacked — and will be further so due to those returns — and the long-term payroll outlook is nearly blank.I don’t think they’d need a yearslong rebuild, but that’s also an argument against them moving Ryan/Lopez at all. You could easily see them investing in the ’pen, a couple bats and leaning on their farm to quickly turn things around in a so-so division.But based on how the Pohlads have operated in recent years, I have a hard time keeping a straight face while talking about them jumping right back into free agency and win-now mode.

Doug

• Has Cease pitched himself into a 2/3 year deal with opt outs and an AAV in the low to mid $20s?

Steve Adams

• As with Helsley before, he’ll have various scenarios to consider. I do think a two-year deal worth, say, $45MM with an opt-out is one such scenario. Given the durability and the quality of his stuff, I have to imagine there are teams that would still put down a Gausman/Ray-esque five years and $110-120MM on him, thinking that it’s a bargain rate for someone with No. 1 upside and a relatively high floor.My assumption is that between those two options, Cease would go the short-term route and bet on himself, a la Blake Snell a couple winters ago.

Guest

• What happens to Buehler next year?

Steve Adams

• He signs a cheaper one-year deal than the one he did this past winter and takes another shot at bouncing back

Gaurdiansjoe

• With clase facing a ban and Espino to injury prone to be a starter, will we be seeing him head to the bullpen (if he ever gets off the IR)?

Steve Adams

• Espino has pitched like 18 innings since the end of the 2021 season. You can’t bank on ever getting anything from him, but if he ends up quasi-healthy in the next year or so, yeah I would say a move to short relief is in his best interest.

Guest

• Where will the Cardinals stand next year with Jordan Walker, Thomas Saggese, and their pitching prospects

Steve Adams

• As I alluded to earlier, I think there’ll be plenty of changes to the roster this winter. Walker, Gorman, Saggese, Graceffo, Nootbaar, Herrera … a lot of the formerly young core seems like it’ll be very much available. The Cards have gotten tons of looks at this group over the years, and while it’s hard to sell low on some formerly well-regarded prospects, it’s easier when the guy making the trades isn’t the one who drafted/acquired them. I think Chaim Bloom will have a pretty active winter.

Strident’sTrident

• Do you think Josh Naylor signs with Seattle Mariners this off season. What’s your prediction on his contract?

Steve Adams

• He’s one of our tougher ones to predict, because the market doesn’t really turn out for 1B-only guys, but he’s one of the steadiest and most consistent bats available and doesn’t turn 29 until June, so age is on his side.I still question whether someone would go 5+ years on him, but four years and $15-17MM per year doesn’t feel outrageous to me.Mitch Garver is the only free agent hitter the Mariners have signed for multiple years under Jerry Dipoto since he took over baseball operations in Seattle a decade ago, so I lean against them re-signing him.

Terry

• Keep hearing Kyle Tucker to Dodgers next year? Your thoughts?

Steve Adams

• I think it’s natural that a lot of people would predict the top free agent to sign with the biggest-spending team, but outside of players in very unique circumstances (Ohtani, Yamamoto), the Dodgers haven’t spent like this in free agency. They usually offer shorter-term deals with higher annual rates.They’re also pretty deep in OF, with Pages, Teoscar, Edman, Zyhir Hope, Josue De Paula. Could always try to dump the final couple years of Teoscar, but the Dodgers don’t stand as the best or most logical Tucker pick to me.
• I’ve got to call it for the week. Anthony will have a chat with Front Office subscribers tomorrow. 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, weekly subscriber-only chats with Anthony and with me (where your odds of getting a question answered are much, much higher), extra insight from Darragh McDonald, access to our Contract Tracker (a vital offseason resource) our Agency Database, our GM Tracker and more.Thanks everyone, and enjoy your week!

Giants late run?

• Feels like they have run in them. Only 5 back. Your thoughts?

Mark P

• Interestingly, the Giants only play four more teams for the rest of the season…..two series each against the Dodgers, D’Backs, Rockies, and Cardinals.

  Those extra games against Colorado in particular are a good chance to make up ground, but realistically, the Giants are probably too far out

Drew

• Will the Nats come to regret not trading Gore before the deadline?

Mark P

• Gore could be traded this winter for just as much if not more than he would’ve gotten at the deadline, unless this shoulder problem ends up being something serious (and apparently the MRI was clean).  So I don’t think there was any particular rush for the Nats to make a move last month.

tigertownBob

• With a little better season this year should the Tigers try to move Tork this offseason?

Mark P

• That might a creative sell-high move for Detroit.  As much as Torkelson has hit well for the bulk of the year, it ultimately depends on whether or not the front office sees him as someone who can still reach a higher level, or if this might be a peak.

  Don’t forget that if you trade Tork, then that’s a lot of hitting you need to replace in a lineup that is also losing Torres to free agency.

Natitude

• With news of Susana being pulled from a start today due to the dreaded triceps soreness, (see Travis Sykora) is it fair to say that the Nationals front office should punt on 2026 and focus on being competitive in 2027 and beyond?  Zero pitching depth for this poverty franchise right now and no immediate help on the way.

Mark P

• Regardless of what happens with Susana, it already seemed like the Nats would be treading water next year.  A new PBO/GM will likely take a year to evaluate things and see what the organization has before deciding how to approach a return to contention.

Reds fan

• Stewart being called a bit too late to provide the offensive spark the reds desperately needed over a week ago. Held down for some dumb financial/playing time reason?

Mark P

• The PPI factor was surely on the Reds’ minds to some extent, but don’t forget that Stewart didn’t even make his Triple-A debut until after the All-Star break.  It’s understandable how a team would want to give a good prospect some real run at Triple-A before giving him the extra challenge of the big leagues

Delman

• Buehler will be joining the Phillies rotation after 1 AAA start.  Expectations?

Mark P

• Not much. His ultimate role will be as a bullpen arm, if that

Al Kaline Battery

• Watching the Royal play the Tigers this weekend, they have a pretty good team . What do they need to get to the next level?.The outfield still seems like the week point.

Mark P

• Yaz has been hitting like his grandfather since the trade, so that’s at least one outfield hole that has been filled.  But long-term, the outfield should certainly still be the Royals’ priority this winter.

Bobby Cox

• Philly going to miss wheeler in post season

Mark P

• Absolutely.  I don’t want to say losing Wheeler ends the Phillies’ chances since their team is still so good, but I can’t think of many examples of a club losing their best pitcher a month before the playoffs and still winning it all.

Eric

• Do you think Bill Schmidt and Warren Schaffer are back next year as GM and as manager?  Definitely not the right people for the job in Colorado.

Mark P

• Because it’s the Rockies, my default view is to assume both will return.  Until ownership actually makes a seismic change like bringing someone in from outside the organization, I’ll believe that the Rox will stick with the status quo.

Rangers

• What is best case for Corey Seager? Comes back with 1 week left in season?

Mark P

• It’s tricky since an appendectomy is the kind of thing that doesn’t come with a set timeline.  Seager is probably likely to try and push it to come back sooner than later if the Rangers remain in contention.

Corbin Carroll Fan Club

• Should AZ actually be excited about Blaze Alexander & Ryne Nelson?

Mark P

• Nelson in particular looks like a rotation guy going forward, so yes.  Alexander looks like a good multi-position bench guy, even if presumably Arizona’s infield will still be crowded in the club’s ideal scenario of Lawlar becoming an everyday 3B

JeffyM

• Are you surprised the Rangers didn’t put their bullpen arms on waivers?  Or is there a chance guys were put on waivers and could be claimed before 11 that we don’t know about yet?

Mark P

• It’s possible we don’t know of some moves that might yet happen, but Texas is on a roll right now. They might’ve been more aggressive in trying to cut salary if a wild card spot wasn’t still such a distinct possibility.

White Sox Fan

• Well, looks like we’re still gonna hold the record for most modern day loses

Mark P

• Noted White Sox fan Pope Leo can’t work miracles this quickly

Touch ‘Em All

• Do you think the Jays can hold on to the division, and do you trust their bullpen in the playoffs?

Mark P

• No and no.  I think Boston’s got more going for them right now, including at least one reliever in Chapman who is on the roll of his career.  The Jays’ bullpen is almost en masse in a slump right now, either due to overwork or the league just getting a book on some of these guys.
• It’s the nature of relief pitching that the Jays pen could suddenly snap back to form, but I have my doubts

Beat Em Bucs!!!

• What can you see the Pirates doing this offseason? They need bats and have a surplus of good young pitching. I would like to see them add two bats to their lineup.

Mark P

• As much as “you can never have too much pitching” applies, dealing a young arm for a young up-and-coming bat makes a ton of sense for the Pirates.  I agree that they need multiple hitters to help get things turned around, and if ownership isn’t going to spend in free agency, then the front office has to be more aggressive on the trade front.

Jrmomo1000

• Do you think marmol will be the cardinal manager next year

Mark P

• 2026 is the last guaranteed season of Marmol’s contract, so the Cards would be eating just one year of money in the event of a managerial change.  Allowing Bloom to pick his own manager would make sense with Bloom fully taking over the front office, and Bloom might welcome this flexibility since he basically inherited Alex Cora in Boston.

Still Miller Park

• Does this Brewers team have what it takes to win it all?

Mark P

• Absolutely.  The Brewers are a scary opponent for anyone in October.

Dodgers fan

• The bullpen is scaring me what do you think

Mark P

• It’s certainly a concern, but the Dodgers seem to go into October every year with a patchwork pitching staff but have still made it work with two titles in five years.

Mill Badlock

• Can we now consider Henry Davis a complete 1/1 bust?   I see no hope for improvement at the plate.

Mark P

• For the “what should the Pirates do this winter” question earlier, the answer maybe should’ve been an overhaul of their hitting development strategies.

  Davis has a 57 wRC+ over 610 career PA, or a little more than the equivalent of one full MLB season.  While it’s early to write him off entirely, there haven’t been many or any flashes that Davis is close to breaking out, so that’s a very troubling lack of progress for a player that (as a 1-1 pick) had to be a key building block in a rebuild.

Peter Bendix

• What happen to the Mets this weekend? Are the Marlins that good or the Mets are so bad?

Mark P

• The Mets’ pitching is so inconsistent that they’re always prone to a rough series, or a rough week, or several weeks.  The Mets’ biggest plus right now is that so many other NL teams are kind of treading water, so New York is still in a wild card spot

Nick Flack

• do you think the cardinals should move on from arenado?

Mark P

• They should’ve moved on last winter, and I suspect the front office is still shaking their head of the chain of events that led Arenado to reject that deal to Houston.

  Going forward, it’s hard to see much of a trade market for Arenado at all given his salary and how his offense has completely fallen off the table this season.

Jackson

• Will the Phillies fix their outfield come the offseason and 2026? Bader is an improvement, but he’s a rental. It’s just getting old watching the same lackluster platoons play out year after year

Mark P

• Crawford’s on the horizon, and it would help the Phillies a ton if he’s able to be a productive rookie from the jump.  Kepler obviously isn’t returning and Bader is a BA, and I wonder if the Phils might try to explore any kind of “unwelcome contract swap” for Castellanos
• The trouble is that the Phils have a lot of money invested elsewhere in the roster, so there’s less to spend on a big splashy outfield move.  Now that being said, I won’t rule the Phillies out on Kyle Tucker or someone since that’s just how this team rolls, but to some extent Dombrowski’s hands are a little tied in terms of obvious ways to help the outfield

Bregman

• What are you thinking? 1) He opts out, becomes a free agent and signs elsewhere? 2) He opts in & plays another year under his current deal? 3) He signs an extension?.

Mark P

• My guess is that he signs an extension to remain in Boston, either before free agency opens or just after the market opens.
• There’s no way he opts in, and there seems to be enough mutual admiration between him and the Sox that I suspect both sides want to make a deal happen

Bobby Cox

• Braves will pick up Albies option? I mean numbers are padded by last month but he has 0 range arm but 2nd market is weak.

Mark P

• Albies’ club option for 2026 is worth $7MM, but with a $4MM buyout.  So the difference of just $3MM will almost certainly make Atlanta exercise the option, even if there’s a chance Albies is then traded elsewhere

I don’t know’s on 3rd

• Why don’t the Phillies have to pick up all of Buehlers contract?

Mark P

• When a team releases a player, they are responsible for the rest of any salary owed.  A new team is responsible for just the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary, subtracted from the remaining overall salary left on the contract (in Buehler’s case, $3.4MM or so).

Dave D

• I understand why they reduced the roster size in September, but 28 seems small  Any discussion of may be expanding to maybe 30 at least ?

Mark P

• I’m sure the MLBPA wouldn’t mind having more jobs available for a month.  But, I think having having 30 roster spots still gets into the “competitive advantage or disadvantage during pennant races” territory the league and union looked to eliminate when cutting September rosters down from 40.

Brewers Fan

• At what point does the evaluation of a particular player trait change? Asking re Bruce Turang, whose 40 power grade is looking ridiculous at the moment

Mark P

• I dunno who this Bruce Turang guy is, but Brice Turang has been on an absolute scorcher for the last month.  Don’t be surprised if/when Turang wins NL Player of the Month for August.

different brewer fan

• yeah and can we adjust his fielding grade?

Mark P

• DRS still has him at +9, but even that’s down from +22 last year.  I’m not sure I’ve watched the Brewers enough to make an eye test evaluation, but put it his way, if you’re a Milwaukee supporter…..you’re pretty happily taking this better-hitting version of Turang, right?

Brian

• Do the M’s call up Harry Ford in September? With Raleigh not going anywhere, what do you think of his future in Seattle?

Mark P

• I’m on record as predicting Ford to have been a deadline trade piece, so I was a touch surprised to see him stay put.  Then again, teams were loath to move big prospects in general midseason, so maybe we’ll need to wait until the winter to see Ford dealt, since I still feel he’s now an expendable piece.

Bobby Cox

• Where does Nick Allen rate this season fielding had to be top 5. Can’t hit at all, I would rather Raffy Belliard at plate.

Mark P

• Allen’s defensive metrics are elite.  He should be at the very least a Gold Glove finalist, and probably a winner.

  Having a fantastic defensive shortstop who can’t hit isn’t really an issue if the rest of your lineup can pick up the slack.  Allen’s lack of offense has been magnified the fact that so many other Braves hitters struggled for much of the year, but if the front office improves elsewhere, I can see AA standing pat with Allen as the starter.

Santana

• Is picking up Carlos Santana a difference maker for the Cubs?  Could he help them get to the series?

Mark P

• It’s more of a talent floor raise over Turner

Andy

• It seems like alot more players are getting released than in years past. Is this because teams are trying to save some prorated salary?

Mark P

• Don’t forget that the rules were changed a few years ago concerning August trades.  So since teams can no longer move most players after the deadline, you’re seeing more releases or waiver situations as teams try to clear roster space (and save money)

Halos

• Do you think the Angels will bring back Ron Washington next year, make Ray Montgomery the manager or will they go look elsewhere for a manager?

Mark P

• Wash’s health is the biggest factor, so hopefully is given full clearance from his doctors.  The Angels probably exercise his option year and bring Washington back for at least one more year.

Billington

• Chandler Simpson leads league in SB and also caught SB??

Mark P

• Caballero leads in steals, but Simpson is the leader in CS.  This isn’t that surprising to see Simpson so high in both categories given that he’s such a baserunning specialist with elite speed.

rusty

• With Wheeler’s move to IL is Painter’s call up coming soon?

Mark P

• Painter hasn’t pitched great at Triple-A, so it seems like the Buehler signing was in part the Phillies way of adding a rotation option and lessening the pressure on Painter to even be part of the MLB picture this year
• I’d be surprised if Painter wasn’t called up at all for at least a cup of coffee in the majors, but I don’t see him getting any major role on the roster (or in a playoff roster)

Realignment

• what do you think is more likely, 8 divisions of 4 teams, or 4 divisions of 8?

Mark P

• It depends on how the geography works out with two expansion cities, plus any lingering possibility that the Rays or A’s might be playing elsewhere than Tampa/St. Pete or in Vegas.

  I’d probably prefer four divisions of eight just to add more cache to being a division championship.  Yet the league may prefer more divisions and fewer wild card teams, even if some of the wild card clubs’ records will inevitably top some division winners more often than not

Hungry

• What’s for supper?

Mark P

• I haven’t eaten since lunch, since that flurry of transactions earlier kept me busy on the site.  Post-chat, I might have to hit the fridge for a snack.

Mike DeBartolo

• Why on Earth would I want to trade Mackenzie Gore?

Mark P

• You might not want to, but the next Nationals PBO might be open to the idea.

  If you don’t think Gore (a Scott Boras client) is a long-term candidate to stay in Washington and 2026 is another rebuild year anyway, than there’s some merit to the idea of selling high on Gore in a trade this offseason.

Al Kaline Battery

• I know you guys did a poll this week on regional realignment if the league expands. What are your personal feelings on the subject?

Mark P

• There is so much tradition within the AL/NL that I want to see that preserved, rather than the weirdness of a “West League” and “East League.”  You can rework the geography within the current league alignments and incorporate expansion teams into the mix, but I want to see the AL and NL groupings generally remain intact.

  Then again, as a Jays fan, my main priority in any alignment would be to see the Blue Jays get out of any division with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays.  So if this means the Jays in the NL, bring it on!  🙂

Lou Brown

• Mark, I always ask of you think Trout really has 6 years left in him/will play out his contract…And you never wanna comment..I get that you don’t wanna jinx the man, but come on! Whadaya think??

Mark P

• I doubt Trout would walk away from a year or two of guaranteed money and retire early, but only he knows the state of his body, or how much longer he wants to keep playing.  Since this is shaping up as one of his healthiest seasons in some time, if anything, you’d think Trout might have more confidence in his ability to stay on the field

O Brother Where Cart Now

• Is Carter Jensen is, or is Carter Jensen ain’t, a long term glove option behind the plate versus another 1B/DH bat?

Mark P

• The scouting reports seem to think his glovework is pretty good, so there’s no immediate to reason to think that Jensen can’t stick as a catcher.

  Whether he’s the heir apparent to Salvy remains to be seen, in no small part because Blake Mitchell might ultimately have that role.  It gives the Royals some interesting options for the future once Perez decides to hang it up.

What to do with Marcus Semien

• I know Marcus Semien is a fan favorite for his hustle, defense and durability. However he is clearly in decline and not worth his contract which was definitely a Scotty B special. Do you think the Rangers could get him to agree to a restructuring or pay cut and assuming that’s a no, is it worth eating a chunk of his salary to get a couple of mid to lower level prospects and move on?

Mark P

• A restructure is clearly a no.  Semien is owed $72MM from 2026-28, and other teams are just as aware of Semien’s offensive dropoff, so the Rangers would have to eat a big chunk of that contract in the event of a trade.

  Barring some kind of bad contract swap, all the Rangers can really do with Semien is hope that he rediscovers his old form at the plate.  This seems like an odd suggestion for a player who is still a very good defender, but perhaps some DH days to help keep him fresher might help?  It could be that Semien’s durability is a bit of a hindrance at this point, and a few more breaks might help him re-adjust.

Reds country

• will Sal Stewart be available for the postseason if the reds get their act together and make it?

Mark P

• Yep.  The August 31 rule only applies to players coming into the organization.  Teams can and have called up prospects well after September 1 who have gone to play big roles in the playoffs.
• Time to call it a wrap on tonight’s chat.  Thanks for all of your questions, and the Weekend Chat will re-open in, oh, let’s say six or seven days’ time.
• 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-8-31-25

Steve Adams

• Not the first Tigers fan I’ve seen suggest this, but I couldn’t disagree more with trading Skubal. This is their window to win a World Series. If he walks and you “only” get a draft pick next winter, so be it, but Skubal is one of the two best pitchers in the game. Trading him in the midst of a win-now window because you want to make sure the 2028 team is better for it … I don’t see it. At least not for the Tigers. If you’re the Rays or Brewers and know you’re never going to get anything close to even a league-average payroll from ownership, perhaps that’s another story, but that’s not the case for Detroit.

Baltimore Fan

• What is Adley’s future? Could he be traded this offseason? To where?

Steve Adams

• I don’t think it’s completely off the table, but I also don’t think they’ll shop him or anything. With Basallo up/extended and Adley down to two years of club control, there’ll be teams calling, however, and Elias is going to listen since that’s his job.Padres, Guardians, Rays, Rangers, Astros, Cubs, Reds, Phillies all make varying degrees of sense as teams that could look into the possibility

“Cracker” Ray Schalk

• Chisox catcher in 2026 will be…………

Steve Adams

• I imagine they’ll just split reps between Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero, probably mixing in some DH and 1B work at times. Korey Lee could factor in as a third catcher since he’ll be out of options, but they could also just trade him to a team looking for a cheap option behind the plate.

Chris

• What do you think Ben Rice’s role is next year? 1B only, lead C, backup C? Its tricky bc he needs a righty caddy and their other primary C is a lefty too.

Steve Adams

• I’d say it’s likelier that Rice’s role hinges on what other opportunities present themselves this winter than it is that they have a set role for Rice that’ll drive their offseason pursuits. Ultimately, he’ll probably see time at both spots and mix in at DH, since you pretty much have to bake in some downtime for Stanton to any expectations/projections.

Tommy

• What do you think the Orioles need to do for the rotation in the offseason? I could see Elias talking himself into a staring group of Bradish, Rogers, GRod, Kremer, Wells with Povich/Saurez/Young behind them. But there’s injury concerns galore. Does an ace complete the work or do they need multiple additions? Who do you think is reasonably available to improve them?

Steve Adams

• I don’t see how they can just run it back with this group. They’ve been pretty timid in adding to the rotation under Elias, with the exception of the Corbin Burnes acquisition — and even that was just for one year.They’ll have major questions on the workloads for Bradish, Rodriguez and Wells. Povich/Young haven’t proven anything. Rogers is a free agent after 2026. Kremer after 2027.They should be looking to add multiple arms, at least one of whom can be controlled multiple seasons. Could be via trade or free agency, but you can’t carry that group into 2026 and hope for better results, and this past offseason’s barrage of low-upside one-year deals proved to be a notable misstep that played a big role in sinking their season.

Carlos Mendoza

• Am I in over my head? Will I be back next season?

Steve Adams

• He’s signed through next year with a 2027 option. I don’t really think this is a question, but I guess Mets fans have been frustrated enough that David Stearns felt it necessary to publicly state this morning that Mendoza will be back… I saw his quote and thought, “Well… yeah.”

Free Agency

• Who’s giving up a draft pick to sign Gallen, Cease, King, Woodruff, Mahle?

Steve Adams

• I don’t think Mahle gets a QO, and if he does, I would imagine he accepts it. The others are all pretty clear cases to reject QOs, for me. I suppose maybe Gallen would consider it, but he’s on a nice run right now and I think he’ll get the two-year/opt-out treatment at least.

RookTaker23

• How much do home/road splits impact FA offers? Cody Bellinger (predictably) has some extreme ones.

Steve Adams

• I doubt Bellinger’s home/road splits are going to be a prominent factor in his free agency. Most players hit better at home, even if they don’t necessarily play in a hitters’ paradise. Bellinger’s career-long home/road splits skew heavily toward his home performance, for instance, and he’s only spent four-plus months with Yankee Stadium’s short porch.

Cool Mama Bell

• What does a long-term extension of Winn look like? 10 years, $300M?

Steve Adams

• Nowhere close to that. He still has one pre-arb year where he’ll make basically the league minimum. Even if you project him to make $30MM in arbitration (just using an arbitrary round number), you’d be talking six free agent years at around $270MM, or $45MM per year. No way he’s getting that.Fernando Tatis Jr. is the only position player in this service bracket to ever clear $300MM, and he did it over 14 years (and with a much better offensive profile than Winn has put together). I doubt Winn would get even $150MM, which isn’t to disrespect him as a player, but here are the top three extensions for 2+ years of service position players:Tatis: 14 years, $340MM
  Witt Jr.: 11 years, $288.7MM
  Yordan Alvarez: 6 years, $115MM

  (All of which you can quickly look up in our handy Contract Tracker)

Rick Camp

• Think Volpe might be available next season and if so would the Braves be interested?

Steve Adams

• I do think there will be some talk about the Yankees looking for a better option at shortstop, and I have wondered whether Volpe is someone the Braves would look into, yeah.

Richard

• Would 250 over 7 with a player opt out after 3 years be about right for Bichette? Adds a lot of risk for the team but gives him a chance to hit the market one last time in his career.

Steve Adams

• I think that’s steep, despite the strong rebound. I like Bichette and all, but him being a year younger than Willy Adames doesn’t justify him shattering Adames’ $182MM by $68MM. I have him somewhere around $175-200MM. We’ll see how he finishes.

Reds GM

• It seems this year that there are a lot more players who may qualify for Super 2 and reach arbitration a year early. Does everyone who reaches the cutoff and has 86 days of service time qualify? Or is there a limit on how many players can qualify for Super 2 every year?

Steve Adams

• The Reds have several of those guys (McLain, Elly, Abbott, Brandon Williamson). But it seems like there’s some fundamental misunderstanding of what the cutoff is. Super Two status is given to the top 22% of players (in terms of total service time) between two and three years of MLB service. By definition, only 22% of all players between two and three years of service can be Super 2 newcomers.The number could vary year to year, simply because the volume of players between 2 and 3 years of service changes somewhat each season, but on a rate basis, it’ll always be the same proportion of the service class.Cincinnati just happens to have quite a few guys in that boat this year, so perhaps it seems to you like there are more.
• For what it’s worth, EDLC and Abbott will probably be right around the bubble.
• McLain and Williamson are locks, though Williamson isn’t going to get a salary of note after missing the season due to injury. Probably like $800K. If he’s tendered.

Champdo

• Does Riley Greene’s rising k rate and plummeting walk rate limit the amount of money he’ll get in an extension or in FA

Steve Adams

• I don’t think it matters a ton just yet. He’s traded out some extra K’s for the best power output of his career, both in terms of volume and on a rate basis.I wouldn’t want to see the strikeouts climb any higher, though, and I’d already like to see some of the walks creep back in. He’s clearly working with a bit of a different approach this year, swinging far more often than at any point in the past. If he can maintain some of the power gains and restore a bit of his former selectivity, there could be a sweet spot where he really dials in.
• Whatever concerns the less-exciting plate discipline profile create would also be offset by him inching closer to free agency (and topping 30 homers). He’d probably clear $100MM on an extension if they pursue it.

Free Agency

• How robust is Gleyber Torres’ market going to be? I’m a little surprised not see him on the monthly power rankings of impending free agents, given his youth and performance

Steve Adams

• I had him 14th and wrote him up on the Power Rankings follow-up (Nos. 11-15) we did for subscribers.Broadly speaking, the market doesn’t pay pure second basemen. Marcus Semien is the only one who’s gotten the huge payday, and he did it coming off a 6-WAR, 45-homer season with plus defense and baserunning (and from a Rangers team that was willing to splash around some silly money).Torres has had a nice year, but he’s been a more good than great hitter with minimal defensive/baserunning value. To me, he feels like someone who’ll come in comfortably under $100MM, age notwithstanding.

Gashouse Gorilla

• I’m interesting in the decision on Nathaniel Lowe. I realize he was having a poor year, but it seems strange with his past history he was just let go.  Nationals have a reason other than (some) money?

Steve Adams

• They’d have non-tendered him in the offseason. No one was going to give up a prospect of any value to acquire one year of Lowe when he’d have gotten a raise north of $12MM. They cut him loose to open at-bats for younger players and probably held out a small bit of hope that maybe someone would claim the contract, which they unsurprisingly did not.

Charleston Chew

• Will Cal be MVP?

Steve Adams

• 76% of our readers now think so!
  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/american-league-mvp-cal-raleigh…
• I tend to agree, though it’s hardly a sure thing just yet.

King Tuck

• O/U 75% chance the Cubs re-sign Tucker? If they do would a Cody Bellinger contract be possible? 3-4 years with an opt out after 2 and 3 years. 150mil over 4 years. 37.5 mil aav is a hefty pay raise from this year.

Steve Adams

• Way under on the percentage the Cubs re-sign him, and no way he’s taking a three- or four-year deal.

$ for a question?

• Only way a question can be fielded is if I pay a subscription?……..poor people like baseball too!

Steve Adams

• This chat is hosted on third-party software. I have no idea who in here is a subscriber or not. But there are 448 people participating/asking questions, and that constitutes a (very) lightly attended chat. Which is par for the course this time of year, as opposed to the deadline or offseason.

anxious jays fan

• whats our plan if bichette walks? start clement full time? kick gimenez over?

Steve Adams

• Gimenez to shortstop and go outside the organization at 2B, I would think.But I thought the Guardians should’ve moved Gimenez to SS years ago and they chose not to. So we shall see. I think the Jays will make a genuine effort to re-sign Bichette, too, so it’s not a foregone conclusion that he leaves.

Pete

• Now that a little more time has passed, does the White Sox handling of the Louis Robert situation make any more sense to you?

Steve Adams

• Robert could stay healthy and hit .300/.375/.530 from the deadline on, and I would still say it was a risk I wouldn’t have taken, even if it pans out perfectly like that.
• I understood the risk they were taking, I just didn’t agree with it and still don’t. But teams and players take risks all the time where I say “Woof, I don’t like that at all” and it still works out. Part of the game/business.

BTinVT

• Can you see Gorman turning into Muncy? Thank you

Steve Adams

• Gorman doesn’t walk like Muncy, and Muncy has never struck out as much as Gorman. I guess he could be a poor man’s version of Muncy, but I don’t think he has that same sort of offensive ceiling as Muncy

PhilsPhansince1965

• Should we unload either Castellanos or Taijuan over the winter to save some $$?

Steve Adams

• Far easier said than done. No one’s going to take much (any?) of Castellanos’ contract. I guess maybe you could pay Walker down to like $5-8MM and dump him for little to no return.

Even year

• What will need to happen for the Giants to contend in 26?

Steve Adams

• If they add one more legitimate bat, get Devers healthy, and bring in some rotation support for Webb/Ray, I don’t think it’s far-fetched that they contend. I’d like to see two bats (one in RF, one at 2B), but you can’t just expect them to go sign Tucker, Gleyber, Cease and a couple relievers, so trying to traffic somewhat in reality here.

rusty

• Will Jakob Marsee go 20/20 in ’26?

Steve Adams

• At this rate he might do it in 2025!
• Kidding, obviously. I think it’s a pretty easy yes on the steals. Bit more skeptical on the power, but it’s not outside the realm of plausibility.

Guest

• Do you see any big ticket free agents heading to San Francisco in the near future?

Steve Adams

• They’re among the more obvious suitors for Kyle Tucker and Gleyber Torres, sure. I imagine Bichette is going to state early on that he’ll play any position (a la Story and Adames) to increase his market viability as well, even if he wants to stay at shortstop. Giants pursuing him as a 2B option wouldn’t surprise me.
• Ok, I’ve got to wrap up for the week.I’m on X @Adams_Steve or Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social if you have more questions. 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, two weekly subscriber-only chats (one with me, one with Anthony) where your odds of getting a question answered are much higher, direct Q&A opportunities with Darragh McDonald, access to our Contract Tracker, our GM Tracker and our Agency Database, and more.Have a great week, everyone!