MLBTR Chats News & Rumors

Dunk

• I understand the importance of the Cardinals rebuild, but if they remain in contention through the summer I’d be extremely disappointed if the team continues to dump players like Riley O’Brien at the deadline. As a fan, to watch a club fight for the playoffs all summer long, only for the front office to tank those chances for a couple of lottery ticket prospects would feel like a waste of my time. Especially with a lockout looming. I doubt I’m the only one that would find it hard to return as a fan if I spend a summer rooting for a club only to have the FO ruin my fall.

Steve Adams

• I just don’t think the Cardinals have anywhere near the pitching for this to be a consideration in a few months. The rotation’s strikeout rate is around 14.5%, which feels almost impossibly low in today’s game.I feel like if they somehow managed to hang around in contention, the likelier play would be to shop impending free agents but hang onto potentially longer-term pieces like O’Brien (although he’s already 31, so if they sold high, eh … I’d get it)

Braden Shewmake

• Why did the Astros trade for me?

Steve Adams

• They have two shortstops on the injured list and just need a placeholder. I wouldn’t read much into it beyond that.

Angels fan

• Are we really considering trading Soriano

Steve Adams

• They should be open to it this summer, but they almost certainly won’t be. Arte Moreno has never green-lit that sort of future-looking move (hence the near-perennially bottom-of-the-league farm system).

CBA-Braves

• what are the chances we get a salary floor? Chances we get a salary cap? (percentages) – If the owners are fully on board with not moving off salary cap demands then how long with the lockout last? your best guess at least

Steve Adams

• I have consistently said in these, and still firmly believe, there won’t be any games missed, nor will a cap/floor system be implemented.I don’t think ownership would shoot itself in the collective foot with business booming, national streaming/broadcast rights deals up in 2028 and expansion possibly on the horizon now that the A’s stadium situation seems resolved (and perhaps with TB trending in that direction, though I remain skeptical there).

Giants fan

• If you can count out the Cards despite having a winning record in April, can you count out the Giants in April with their losing record?

Steve Adams

• I didn’t pick the Giants to make the playoffs and do not have regrets about doing so
• Poorly worded — haha … no regrets on choosing them to miss the postseason

Guardians of the Galaxy

• Juan Brito has been struggling and his defense has been substandard. Do you see Cleveland bring up Bazzana for a cup of coffee before Arias returns or will they keep him in Columbus until he hits so much that he cannot be held back anymore?

Steve Adams

• I don’t understand why Bazzana isn’t already up. Neither Arias nor Rocchio has ever hit an ounce. (Well, Arias finally did in his 80 PA or so before getting hurt this year, but I’m not buying it as sustainable, given his 59% contact rate)My only assumption is that Cleveland is content to keep him down, make sure they get the seventh year of control, and are willing to punt any possible PPI benefits in pursuit of that goal. That didn’t stop them from carrying DeLauter, but it’s still the only logical explanation I can really see.

Mickey Scales

• Dana Brown was in Atlanta’s front office when they drafted Shewmake, FWIW.

Steve Adams

• I’m aware. Might have played a small role in it, but probably not a major one. He didn’t rush to claim Jared Shuster or anything when the Cards DFA’ed him, haha.

Next CBA

• Can they please remove the DH from both leagues and let the pitchers hit for themselves again? I’d love a return to old school baseball.

Steve Adams

• Won’t happen, and I personally wouldn’t want it to. I have no desire to watch a bunch of dudes hit .140 and probably break their fingers trying to bunt the 98-102mph filth that permeates today’s game.

Brealow

• I should bring back Lucas G huh?

Steve Adams

• I don’t think it’s all that necessary, and I think the ship has to an extent sailed anyhow.Red Sox have Crochet, Suarez, Early and Bello locked into spots right now. Obviously Bello/Crochet have struggled (really just the one start for Crochet), but I don’t have major long-term concerns in either direction. Sonny Gray‘s hamstring thing doesn’t sound all that serious. Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett and Tyler Uberstine are on the 40 in AAA.

  Signing Giolito pushes the Sox more than halfway toward to the third luxury tax tier, and he’d need several weeks to ramp up in the minors anyhow. Gray might be back by that point.

  There are other teams with more concrete needs.

FanBoy

• Much has been made about Lucas Giolito still being available, but are you surprised that Tyler Anderson is still available & hasn’t signed a contract of any kind?

Steve Adams

• 36 years old, averages 89ish on his fastball, doesn’t miss bats. It’s not a profile teams care for these days. He’s also coming off a three-year, $40MM deal and has earned more than $55MM in his career overall. He might not want to sign for $2-3MM when he has a family and already has more money than he’ll probably ever spend.

Aaron

• With all the pitchers the Yankees currently have (high end: Cole, Fried, Rodon – potential: Schlittler, Gil, Weathers, Schmidt, Warren – top prospects: Lagrange, Rodriguez) will the Yankees use it as an excuse not to pursue Tarik Skubal?

Steve Adams

• I’d be surprised if they’re not in on him. They have around $60MM in salary coming off the books just in free agents, before considering any possible non-tenders or eventual trades. Could easily turn and try to condense some of that younger pitching into help elsewhere on the roster, or just preserve all the depth since they know they’ll need a lot of it anyway. I’d expect pretty much every big-market, high-payroll club to be on Skubal to an extent next winter.

Timo

• What do you think happens when dylan crews returns? Does James wood dh full time?

Steve Adams

• They’ll just rotate Wood/Crews/Lile through the corners and DH. If anything, I’d give Daylen Lile more time at DH. He was so, so bad in the outfield last year. Can hit though!

Omaha

• There is no way the Twins can stay a .500 team with the poor defense and bullpen.  Tom Pohlad seems like lip service.  Who all do you see traded between now and the deadline to beef up our up and coming farm system prior to the sale of the Twins (which will happen after the 2027 lock out), and what kind of return do you envision?

Steve Adams

• Joe Ryan, Josh Bell, Ryan Jeffers, Taylor Rogers, Justin Topa, Anthony Banda, Bailey Ober are the most obvious trade candidates, assuming they sell some short-term pieces (which still seems likely).
• Sorry had to answer a phone call quick

Frankie7

• I just saw a report that the dodgers want to trade Dalton Rushing and James Tibbs for mason miller because of the edwin diaz injury. As a padres fan I am torn because dalton rushing is good but campusano has been doing good and also Mason miller is a beast. Doubt this trade will happen though. inter division trade. Thoughts?

Steve Adams

• That “report” is from a parody account on Twitter.

Randy Potemkin

• Are the Padres proving a great bullpen is more valuable than a great rotation?

Steve Adams

• Any team can win in a monthlong sample, and there are lots of paths to doing it. There are countless examples of teams with great bullpens who haven’t contended. In general, absolute statements along those lines tend to lack nuance and ignore context.I’d prefer a dominant rotation to a dominant bullpen, but stacking one while ignoring the other isn’t a recipe for long-term success regardless.

FM

• What’s your take on the Ohtani rule?

Steve Adams

• I find the fact that Craig Counsell whined to the media about the rule far more “bizarre” than the rule itself.

Mets reset

• Is Juan Soto part of the solution to righting the ship or could the Mets deal him before the deadline this year?  What would you do?

Steve Adams

• I would put the chances of a Juan Soto trade somewhere around 0.003%.

Speaking of Giolito

• Speaking of Giolito, doesn’t Houston make sense? They have a million injured guys and need innings badly.

Steve Adams

• Absolutely, but their owner, Jim Crane, tends to be pretty averse to paying the luxury tax and they’re only about $10MM shy of it right now

Everyfan

• Do you think a much more severe luxury tax coupled with a floor gets things done instead of a cap to avoid a lost 2027 season

Steve Adams

• I think they should just enforce the de facto floor they have. Teams are supposedly required to spend a certain portion of their revenue sharing dollars, and yet you’ve got Cleveland running a $60MM payroll, which to me is more of a joke than the Mets/Dodgers trotting out $300MM+ payrolls.

Ron Blomberg

• I agree with “Next CBA.”  Get rid of the DH.  But ehy won’t consider it becuase they think we just want more big musclebound sluggers to hit 40 homers and strike out 400 times.And no amount of evicence witll convince them otherwise.But then, the game’s marketing people insist that you can’t market the game.

Steve Adams

• Ratings are up. Attendance at its highest rate in years. Money coming in hand over first from streaming deals with Netflix, Apple, NBC, etc.You may prefer the no-DH era, but there’s a good bit of evidence to suggest there’s a pretty substantial portion of the fan base that either feels otherwise or doesn’t feel strongly enough about it to turn away.

  I grew up watching AL ball, so I’m admittedly biased to an extent, but pitchers hitting was always boring to me, and I don’t buy the fact that there was “more strategy” in that version of the game. The strategic components are just different now (and better, IMO).

Nico Hoerner

• I seem to be good for 6-7 WAR per year.  That puts me comfortably over 70 WAR for a career (25 war already).  Am I on a sneaky hall of fame career trajectory?

Steve Adams

• He has exactly one six-WAR season in his career and has never reached 7 WAR (per either B-Ref or FanGraphs). He’s only 28, so hey, maybe he stays healthy, piles up 2500+ hits and wins a bunch of Gold Gloves, but I would take “no” side of a Hoerner HOF bet here.

Reds Fan

• Can we keep it up? can’t see the offense being this bad all year and could you imagine louder and burns out of the bullpen when lodolo and green come back

Steve Adams

• I think the offense will improve. Stephenson’s not going to keep running a sub-.200 BABIP. Steer’s chasing more right now, but given where his contact levels are at, I don’t think he’s going to keep punching out at a 30-31% clip. McLain’s a weird one, but I remain semi optimistic. He’s taking tons of walks, not striking out much. He’s not hitting the ball hard whatsoever, but during spring training he averaged 93 mph off the bat with a 57% hard-hit rate in a sample not all that much smaller than his current regular-season one. Hector Rodriguez looking good in AAA.

TxDude

• Do you think any hitters from the old years of baseball (Ruth, etc) could hit today’s pitchers? Velocity and movement is just insane now

Steve Adams

• Depends. Are you magically teleporting peak Babe Ruth to modern day ball? Like he just wakes up in 2026, still playing for the Yankees, and has to go try to hit Tarik Skubal or Mason Miller or Paul Skenes? No chance, in my mind.But if you bring 1920s Babe Ruth to 2026 and give him time to work with trainers, buy into the whole host of new … everything …. about the game, etc., I’m sure there’s innate talent that could be coaxed out and developed.

  But in general, I think the physicality and superior optimism of modern players would bowl over players lifted directly out of a prior era. Even today’s hitters can’t touch Mason Miller!

Victor Scott III

• Will I breakout of my slump or continue my downward spiral

Steve Adams

• I just don’t think Victor Scott is going to hit major league pitching. Fine bench player in a classic speed/defense reserve outfielder, but his bat is just so light.

Carter Stewart

• Am I a 2027 Major Leaguer?

Steve Adams

• Man, that’s a name I haven’t contemplated in a bit.
• Stewart was the 8th overall pick by Atlanta several years ago, didn’t sign, and went to Japan instead
• He’ll be 27 this offseason, doesn’t miss tons of bats or have great command. I could still see someone signing him with a good showing, sure, but he probably hoped the NPB gambit would work out better for him than it has.

MC Kitties

• I really struggle with this. Do you keep Skubal all year for a playoff win or two and just let him walk getting nothing in return or do you trade one of the best starting pitcher for a nice haul and go for it all next year?

Steve Adams

• Keep Skubal. What are the Tigers even doing if they trade him? “We want to win a World Series, but we’d rather have a ‘sustainable’ contention window where we hope we can stumble into having multiple Skubal-esque talents under control for more years?”Go for it now. And then just pay the guy to stay. Everyone acts like it’s a foregone conclusion that he’ll just walk, but my gosh, the Tigers’ only players signed beyond 2027 are Framber Valdez (who’s signed through ’28 but can opt out after ’27), Kevin McGonigle and Colt Keith.
• Even if you subscribe to the belief that the Tigers can’t consistently run a $200MM+ payroll — I do not, but that’s a separate discussion — they have nothing on the long-term books. They can pay Skubal $45MM per year — more than that! — and still build a good team around him.I often think the “Yeah, but the end of that contract will be so bad” argument is justifiable, but Skubal is a Detroit legend already who’s one of the clear best pitchers in baseball (THE best, for me), and you’re buying beginning at age 30. I get it, the final few years will suck, but when you’re talking about the literal best in the business squarely in his prime, and with SO many cheap/good young players to put around him (McGonigle, Clark, Dingler, eventually Rainer and Briceno) … just pay the man.
• But even if you know he’s going to walk, I still keep him and try to win now. Your best chance to win a World Series is the one with Skubal+Framber leading the staff.

AcesLow

• What does SEA do if LCastillio has a 5.00 ERA at the break?  they now have several viable replacements looming but he’s been such a fixture it’s hard to see him getting bumped from rotation this year if healthy…

Steve Adams

• I wouldn’t be too concerned about that. He’s made four starts: one very good, two clunkers, and one fine. Velo’s right in line with last year (sinker’s actually up a bit). Command is still good. Swinging-strike rate down a bit… I doubt he’s getting back to peak strikeout levels, but if Castillo keeps running a 20 K%, 8 BB% and 40 BB% in that park, he’s going to be fine. Maybe he’s more of a 4.00 to 4.25 ERA guy now than the mid-3.00s we’re used to, but that’s fine.

Card fan since 85

• So far so good! Still “rebuilding?!”

Steve Adams

• They have a bottom-five rotation in MLB for me, so yeah, I’m not buying it. Fun start though, and some exciting steps from Walker, Wetherholt, Burleson and others.
• Well maybe not huge steps forward for Burleson, but just doing what he did last year is good!

Johnny U

• Any thoughts on the Reds acquiring an upgrade to their OF….as of now their currently rostered players are combined hitting is abysmal

Steve Adams

• They need a better outfield and needed one in the offseason. They signed JJ Bleday. Which … I mean, fine as a low-cost roll of the dice in a vacuum. But when that’s the only upgrade to the outfield, woof. It’s hard for the front office with ownership not really supporting much in the way of spending, but I’d much rather have spent that Emilio Pagan money on a Ryan O’Hearn or worked out some kind of trade to meaningfully address the group.

Ghost

• Give me some positivity about the White Sox.

Steve Adams

• Murakami is fun! Colson Montgomery is good! I am intrigued by Sam Antonacci.

Jungian

• Can Jung be a 120 wRc+ hitter this year? early signs look promising

Steve Adams

• Contact gains are super encouraging, and I say that as someone who was pretty much just out on Josh Jung before the season started. Obviously would like to see it over a larger sample, but it’s pretty hard to luck your way into significant contact/swing decision gains.I am curious to see how he reacts the first time he runs into a slump. Even his own organization has kind of called him out in the past for pressing too much when things aren’t going well.

  If he’s still making good swing decisions, getting hard contact, etc. but runs into a 3-for-29 due primarily to some crappy luck, is he going to get impatient and start chasing everything and trying to force his way out of it? That sort of thing is unpredictable, but I do think there’s some legitimacy to the early uptick at the plate. Swinging less, making more contact — especially in the zone — etc.

CHISOX FAN

• Noah Schultz???

Steve Adams

• Another fun thing for the Sox! Any 6’10” pitcher, sign me up.

Breakouts

• Which breakouts (pitcher or hitter/fielder) are you buying and which ones are you suspect of?

Steve Adams

• https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/04/6-potential-breakout-arms-to-wa…
• Alright, I’ve got to wrap up for the week. I’m on X @Adams_Steve and Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social.If you want more opinions and analysis from the MLBTR team, plus fantasy baseball advice, weekly subscriber-only chats/mailbags, ad-free viewing, access to our constantly growing suite of tools and databases (contract tracker, agency database, GM tracker, some fun payroll stuff coming down the pipeline), you can check out our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription.

  Thanks for chatting, and have a great week!

Espada/Brown

• How much longer of a leash do Espada/Brown/Miller have? They are 8-15 now, losing 12 of their last fourteen games. I know Crane is really the problem, but when does he lose patience?

Mark P

• In fairness to the Astros’ staff, the team has been hammered by injuries.  Having a rash of firings when the team has 14 guys on the IL seems ill-advised.

Victor

• I think the Rockies should be open for business withe a Vodnik to the Cubs or Phillies trade. Any thoughts?

Mark P

• Presumably the Rockies would have a high asking price on Vodnik or anyone right now, hoping to take advantage of some desperate teams in April.

  If someone is willing to meet that price, more power to the Rox, but I doubt teams will be too eager to give up much for a reliever with such unimpressive secondary metrics

• If Vodnik can get his strikeouts and walks in better form by the trade deadline, then a move is more realistic.

Hook line & sinker

• Trout has us all believing, how about you?

Mark P

• If Trout can stay healthy, no reason why he couldn’t have another vintage year (or more) in the tank

Michael42371

• What about the Mets?   What do they need to do?

Frank the Tank

• Are the Mets incompetent? What’s next for this team?

Mets fan

• What the hell is happening? Does anyone actually think at a true talent level is this bad?

Simply Amazin

• Stearns must be shocked no?

Golfmets

• Is it over or is there time to right the sinking ship?

Mark P

• These are just some of the many “what is wrong with the Mets?!” questions in the queue.  Needless to say, it’s been a nightmare of a start, and even getting Soto back can only solve so many problems.

  Someone can check this out on Stathead, but I’m sure there have been teams who still made the playoffs in a season in where they had an 11-game losing streak.  But, that can’t be a large number of clubs, and the Mets have dug themselves in such a deep hole that it’ll already require a 2024-esque rebound to get on track.

• Not that this is Carlos Mendoza’s fault, but a managerial firing might be coming as a way to shake things up.

  Perhaps the only answer is that it’s a long season, and it’s hard to believe that a roster with this many prominent names can continue to struggle for so long.

Simply Amazin

• If Mets sellers at deadline, who goes?

Mark P

• A 2023 type of deadline selloff has to be considered a possibility at this point.  RosterResource has their tax number at $371.2MM, so trading to the point that they can duck under the $244MM threshold to reset their tax status will take some heavy lifting, and probably more lifting than the Mets want to do since the club surely wants to contend in 2027.

  Any of the impending free agents are obvious trade chips.  That includes Bichette given his player options, but naturally it remains to be seen how much value Bichette might have if he can’t get his bat going.

john

• Is the Nats offense for real?

Positively Half St.

• Might the Nats rise to near mediocre this year? That would be fun.

Mark P

• The offense is basically four guys — Abrams, Wood, Tena, and Wiemer.  The last two seem very unsustainable, and CJA and Wood both tailed off after hot starts in 2025.

  This isn’t to say that the Nats can’t beat expectations….in part because everyone’s expectations were so low.  Even winning something like 74-75 games is a nice step up from last year, and a sign that the new coaching staff and front office are getting things on track.  Beyond the hitting, the larger issue might be trying to keep the patchwork pitching plan going for several months.

Aaron

• Is the American League as a whole worse than usual this year? The Yankees had a terrible stretch, and are back to having the best record in the AL.

Mark P

• Lot of parity so far in the AL, which is good news for the many (virtually every?) team off to a slow start

Ghost of Earl Weaver

• IF, and this is a big IF, if Colby Mayo figures out and starts to hit like a MLB third baseman should, would the Ol’s consider putting Westburg at 2nd upon his return to take the pressure off his arm and peddle Holliday at the deadline for much needed help?

Mark P

• Holliday is maybe the last guy the Orioles would consider trading.

Paul

• After what the new padres owner set a record why won’t the owners agree to spend more

Mark P

• The sale isn’t finalized yet, and I don’t think Feliciano has made any kind of public statement about the process or any of his plans as owner.

  One would imagine that if you’re spending $3.9 billion on a team, you’re willing to keep spending in order to aid the winning the process.

Sabres

• You rooting for the Sabres tonight!!?

Mark P

• You bet.  The Buffalo fans are long overdue for some success, and it would be great seeing the Sabres follow up their dream season with a deep playoff run

Dana Brown

• The Astros have one of the worst farm systems and they’re one of the worst teams. Could we see a major fire sale this summer (Hunter Brown, Yordan, Pena, Paredes)?

Mark P

• As noted, no AL teams are really out of the race just yet.  Don’t forget that the Astros were also hit hard by injuries last year but managed to stay in the wild card race until the very end.

  If things stay bad and Houston’s out of the running by the deadline, they’ll make moves, but hardly a full-on fire sale.  Brown and Alvarez in particular aren’t going anywhere.

• It would be the usual assortment of impending free agents or players with limited control.  Paredes has a club option for 2027 so he could be a potential trade chip in this world.

Brian

• With all the pitching (in the big leagues and prospects) that the Yankees currently have, will that make them not pursue Tarik Skubal in the off-season?

Mark P

• “You can never have too much pitching”

  And, you can especially never have too much elite pitching.  As much as the Yankees have been more cautious than usual in recent years about huge free agent splashes, one imagines they’ll take a legit run at Skubal.

Ghost Buster

• What do you make of Buster Olney’s remark on the Baseball Tonight podcast last month (March 17) that a source told him Oakland could be a frontrunner for expansion?

Mark P

• Oakland deserves another team, but I’d have to imagine several cities are ahead of them in terms of expansion candidates

Royals

• We are off to a not so great start. Can we get back into the playoff race or is this team doomed?  Biggest weakness right now?

Mark P

• The bullpen has been quite bad, but once again, KC’s biggest issue is a lack of hitting.  Even more frustrating is the fact that Jensen and to some extent Caglianone have been productive, but now it’s the cornerstones like Witt, Perez, and Pasquantino who are struggling.

Chris

• Favorite Cure song?

Mark P

• “Just Like Heaven” is on the shortlist of most perfect songs ever written

Brian

• Are the Braves dumb for what they did with Martin Perez? Results are results, but every front office is severely K-brained. Would they have done that with Glavine back in the 90s if they had today’s mindset?

Mark P

• I think Atlanta took the calculated risk that other front offices would be too “K-brained,” as you put it, to claim Perez and his contract off the waiver wire.

  The Perez situation seems like a larger version of what the Braves have done with guys like Jesse Chavez, Luke Williams, and few other roster favorites in recent years — DFA or outright them, with a tacit understanding that they’ll be re-signed once the roster maneuvering is complete.

Blow it up

• Houston

Mark P

• In regards to this question and the earlier question about whether or not the Astros could make some management changes, it can’t be ruled out.  Espada and Brown are both in the final years of their contracts, and there were even whispers last year that they were both on the hot seat.

  Whether or not ownership makes such a move mid-season remains to be seen, but again, the Astros are being ruined by injuries right now.  One can certainly find fault with Brown’s front office moves or Espada’s managerial decisions, yet I’d argue that almost nobody can win with 14 players (including 10 pitchers) on the injured list

Unpopular Opinion

• PCA is beyond atrocious against LHP. No matter how good he is on defense, he needs to sit against lefties.

Mark P

• The Cubs find themselves in a bit of a Catch-22 with PCA, especially now that they’re committed to him on a long-term extension.  He’s not going to get better against left-handed pitchers if he doesn’t face them, but his platoon splits are so glaring that the Cubs are costing themselves at-bats whenever Crow-Armstrong faces a lefty.

  The other issue is that if PCA sits against lefties, there’s no obvious other center field option to take his palce

Rafael Devers

• Is there hope for me or am I headed for a negative WAR season?

Mark P

• While this is a colder start than usual, Devers has a habit of not getting his bat going until later in the season. No reason to hit the panic button just yet

Lance Parish

• Is Dillon Dingler becoming an elite catcher, hits, won a gold glove and owes the ABS challenges

Mark P

• Dingler’s .384 wOBA is still well below his .467 xwOBA.  If anything, he could be producing more than he already is, which is scary for opposing pitchers.  Dingler having a big breakout year would be great news for the Tigers

Mayor West

• So what happens when the Reds start hitting?

Mark P

• They never really started hitting last year and still made the playoffs.  So getting even halfway decent offense puts the team in good position, as long as the pitching holds up and gets healthy.
• One has to wonder how much rope the Reds will continue to give McLain and Hayes in everyday roles.  Stewart’s started to cut into McLain’s time at second base, and while Hayes is a glove-first player, he can’t literally the worst everyday hitter in baseball.

bill

• Will the Braves balloon pop  sooner or later or keep them aloft?

Mark P

• No reason to think Atlanta can’t keep it going and return to playoff contention.  2025 may have just been a Murphy’s Law (not Sean Murphy) type of season, and the ship has now been righted

Ray

• Dana Brown traded for Shewmake because he drafted him in 2019 when with the Braves and he is from Texas ?  What other erason ?

Mark P

• The other reason is that the Astros need all the depth they can get at this point

Brewers Fan

• Should I be worried about this bullpen? Most have a track record to say they should get some leash but man there are few if any I trust in that pen right now.

Mark P

• Megill has had some rough outings, so that’s been the real glaring issue since late-game meltdowns always tend to magnify things. I’d still trust that the Brewers will figure things out, or Megill and company will get on track

Muni

• Is 45 HR’s this season out of the question?

Mark P

• That’s an optimistic number, but at this point, I can’t argue the optimism given how he’s been crushing the ball.

  Trivia time for the group…..what is the single-season White Sox home run record, and who holds it?

Guest

• Haven’t seen a Cardinals post yet, so I just wanted to give them some respect for a good start.

Mark P

• They’ve done well to overcome some very shaky pitching, though I’d be surprised if they keep it up.

  Still, for what’s year #1 of a proper rebuild, it’s always a good sign that the team is still playing competitive baseball.

Jb

• 49 by Albert Belle
• In 1998

Mark P

• JB is correct!  Right now some of you are like
• “oh yeah, Belle played for the White Sox”
• Frank Thomas never got more than 43 in a Chicago uniform, btw.

B

• Should the ChiSox be looking to trade Munetaka at the deadline if the numbers are good? Sell high, before he perhaps loses value if the strikeouts drag him down like Gallo?

Mark P

• While the strikeouts are certainly a concern, Munetaka’s other metrics are all so impressive that the swing-and-miss is the only hole in his game — he’s walking a bunch, and making a ton of hard contact.

  If you’re the White Sox and you’ve got what seems to be a legit MLB hitter in your lineup, immediately flipping him at the deadline might send the wrong message to both future foreign free agents and your fans in general.  Trying to extend Munetaka might be the team’s move before they even consider any trades.

Jack W

• How did you feel on the guardians offseason and only getting a couple of guys

Mark P

• I thought it was a terrible offseason, given the team’s glaring offensive needs.  Now, the Guards have kept winning over the years despite a lackluster lineup and they’re off to a good start now, so maybe (just maybe!) the front office knows more than I do

Desertdan

• What is wrong with the Red Sox. They do not seem to be a cohesive unit at all!

Mark P

• Obligatory “it’s still early” and “the entire AL is struggling” answers

  But in general, you’re correct that most of Boston’s roster is either outright playing poorly, or at least playing below expectations.  Ironically, after all the months or years of trade speculation, Yoshida has been one of the team’s best hitters, and if anything is making a strong case for more playing time.

Mariners All The Way

• Which M’s players slow start is the most concerning?

Mark P

• A few good candidates here, but I guess I’d go with Raleigh?

Kujhawker88

• How long of rope does Matt Q have if the Royals losing streak  continues?

Mark P

• Quatraro signed a contract extension over the winter that runs through at least the 2029 season. So he’s not going anywhere, and I feel he shouldn’t, given how the Royals’ issues seem like much more of a roster construction problem than a manager problem

Happy Padres Fan

• Do you think rather Alex McCoy or Kash Mayfield leap up to AAA or the MLB this year?

Mark P

• Both are at high-A ball, so making it to the majors before 2026 is over seems awfully aggressive.

  Triple-A is my guess between the two options.  It also shouldn’t be ruled out that one or the both are in another organization by the trade deadline.

Angels Fan since 1983

• Please give all of us long suffering Angels fans that now that it looks like they have actually developed a starting pitcher to be their ace that they will sign Jose Soriano to a long term contract.  I still fear Arte will force them to trade him instead of paying him.

Mark P

• Soriano is under team control through 2028, since he only gained arbitration eligibility this past winter. So you very likely have at least three more years to enjoy him.

  While Soriano’s not going to keep posting a sub-1.00 ERA or anything, his secondary numbers (beyond the walk rate) suggest that this breakout is legit. Angels fans deserve some good news, and Soriano looks like the real deal.

George

• What type of trade value does Dalton Rushing have?

Mark P

• A ton.  The Dodgers have the luxury of keeping Rushing as an overqualified backup since why not, but if they did look to shop him to address other needs, there will be plenty of interest

I.M. Worried

• Will Crochet ever be good again? Should the Sox trade him for a 30-HR hitter?

Mark P

• No reason to panic after a pair of bad starts, even if that 11-run outing was a particular nightmare.

Mets infield

• When if ever can we expect to see Baty sent down? He’s been pretty much unplayable; would rather have Mauricio get the rope he gets or trade him for a bounceback relief candidate to an infield-needy team; Polanco also looks completely cooked and the Mets should probably consider just eating that contract outright if his bat speed is this bad with injuries

Mark P

• In Polanco’s case, he’s been playing hurt all year, so he might well look like his old self once he returns from the IL.  (If anything, the Mets probably should’ve put him on the IL earlier rather than let him struggle for a couple of weeks.)

  Baty’s off to a very rough start, and I can’t help but wonder if New York’s attempt to turn him into a super-utility guy is affecting his hitting.  Things only seemed to click for Baty with the bat last year, but now he has a lot more on his plate by prepping to be a fill-in at more positions.

Ryan

• You commented on where blame should be in KC and roster construction. Do you feel the same about Boston? I feel they have too many outfielders and the IKF signing at 6 mill a year forces them into a tough spot….with Mayer, Durbin, Monastario, and Story…..plus IKF……you run into the same problem as the OF….if a guy gets hot you’re pigeon holed! Plus the Sox love the right lefty matchup

Mark P

• The IKF signing didn’t make a ton of sense for a team that already seemed to have a good deal of infield depth.

  Ironically, the Royals and Red Sox were linked to each other for much of the winter as logical trade partners —- KC badly needed outfield and had some extra pitching, whereas Boston had the outfield surplus and needed extra arms.  The Sox instead turned to other trade options and signed Suarez to address the rotation, but still kept the OF logjam in place.

choose

• What change do you enjoy more? Pitch clock or ABS?

Mark P

• I’m a fan of both, but the clock has had a bigger-picture impact on the in-game experience, so that’s my pick.

Disaster 3B

• Brett Baty, Isaac Paredes, Nolan Arenado: bad metrics = cooked or just slow starts

Mark P

• Paredes’ struggles could also be related to his lack of a true everyday spot, if that’s had a mental impact on him.

  Arenado I’m afraid might just be cooked.  His bat has been in steady decline for the last couple of years, and at least in the early going, the move to Arizona didn’t spark a bounce-back

BaxterattheBoB

• Does Jordan Lawler have any trade value?

Mark P

• Speaking of change-of-scenery candidates, yeah, Lawlar has a good deal of trade value.  Small sample size alert here, but his good start at the plate this year indicated he might have turned a corner, so his broken wrist was a real bummer.
• But, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for the D’Backs to trade him

Jeff Greenberg

• Should I try to move Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline no matter what? And if so what teams have the best prospects for the Tigers to stay competitive.

Mark P

• Pedantic note: Greenberg is the Tigers’ GM, but Scott Harris is the president of baseball operations.  So Harris would be making the call on trading Skubal, though for a deal of that magnitude, it would have to be run by ownership

  This is all a moot point, since Detroit is only trading Skubal if they’re absolutely out of the playoff race (which doesn’t seem likely)

Giants

• Which is more likely: Patrick Bailey getting sent to the minors to work on hitting the ball, or him getting DFA’d or traded for another catcher?

Mark P

• If the Giants have actually struck gold here in Susac, the answer is keeping Bailey as the glove-first backup

CHISOX FAN

• How long before Hagen Smith is in the rotation?

Mark P

• Fantastic start in Triple-A, so if he keeps this up, a promotion by the All-Star break seems reasonable

Bailey Ober

• Am I more more likely to get traded or demoted to the bullpen this year?

Mark P

• Assuming Minnesota is out of it at the deadline, Ober is a decent trade candidate, since teams are always looking for rotation depth even if that pitcher is struggling.  The diminished strikeout numbers are a concern for any trade suitor, of course, in addition to the Twins themselves
• We’re over the two-hour mark now, so time to call it a night.  Thanks for all the questions and comments!
• If you’re interested in more baseball Q&A, one of the many benefits of our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription is the exclusive weekly live chats. The more limited field means you’re about 10 times more likely to get a question answered, as opposed to battling for space with hundreds of other questions in today’s chat. For more on our memberships, check out this link:

  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/membership?ref=chat-4-19-26

Steve Adams

• Teams don’t really pay anyone based on counting stats in 2026. The one exception I could see is maybe guys running a bit more on the bases, but no one’s giving someone an extra year or two because they stole a handful of extra bags.I do still wonder if there was some of that at play with, say, Josh Naylor last summer. And then once he gained confidence in his reads and picking his spots, he just went wild with it.In general, I feel like the whole “contract year” narrative is overblown. There are countless examples of guys having huge years before free agency but just as many instances of someone cratering in his walk season.

  Year-to-year performance is volatile.

Astros71

• Should we be concerned about Abreu?

Steve Adams

• It’s concerning that his velo is down a bit, yeah. I can’t help but wonder if he’s tipping pitches in a fashion similar to Ryan Helsley with the Mets last year, though.Bryan Abreu is SO good, and to see him suddenly struggle to this extent is just mind-boggling, even in a small sample.
• He has a 99 mph average exit velo and an 82% hard-hit rate among his opponents. He’s given up three homers in five innings. It’s wild.

Giants Bullpen

• Is there any righting this ship?

Steve Adams

• Build a time machine, go back to November, and actually invest … well, literally anything in the bullpen? They traded two of their best relievers last July, lost their other one in September to Tommy John surgery, and then just did nothing. I have never understood it.

will

• is Kay legit? is Grant Taylor being used correctly fo his future? why trade Sosa? Sox are killin me! thank you

Steve Adams

• Kay’s swinging-strike rate is way below average, as is his 17.2% strikeout rate. His command has been poor. Nothing he’s doing right now makes me think he can sustain a sub-3.00 ERA — or even a passable one. Obviously we’re only looking at three outings, but his spring wasn’t great either and I talked to scouts in the offseason who considered him more of a non-roster invite/minor league deal guy than someone who should command a big league deal. White Sox obviously disagreed. We’ll see how it plays out, but I’m not super optimistic based on early returns.
• I think Sox fans in general value Sosa more highly than the industry. He played regularly last year and hit 22 homers, I get that. But he’s a perennial sub-.300 OBP with one of the worst walk rates in baseball, prominent platoon splits and no real defensive home despite some nominal versatility.He wasn’t a core piece there and probably isn’t going to last the whole season on Toronto’s roster. Darragh and I talked about this trade for a bit on the podcast episode that’s going to drop tomorrow morning.
• I’d let Taylor try to start since this is a transition/building year anyhow, but I think he’s ultimately a reliever, with a decent chance at being a good high-leverage one.

Tigs

• Do you think J Jackson will hold a roster spot after several Baltimore positional players come off IR ?

Steve Adams

• I don’t think Jeremiah Jackson is anywhere near as good a hitter as his results suggest dating back to last year, but he has a bit of versatility and a full slate of minor league options left. So even if he doesn’t stick on the major league roster, he’ll stay around in AAA as a depth piece who’ll be summoned whenever injuries dictate.

Squinky

• Sal Stewart the real deal?

Steve Adams

• Sal can mash
• Fully in on him as a legitimate middle-of-the-order type at first base.

SCR

• Do you see 18-20 saves from a not-so-obvious closer this year ?

Steve Adams

• I suppose Lucas Erceg doesn’t count, but he’s better than Carlos Estevez anyway.Texas situation is pretty up in the air. I don’t think Junis will hold it. Cole Winn is probably my favorite of the arms in that bunch. Griffin Jax in Tampa has been hit hard but is SO talented that I could see him running with the closer role at some point. I am perpetually the “down” guy on Emilio Pagan among the MLBTR staff and I like Graham Ashcraft in the ‘pen, so that’s intriguing to me. But Pagan’s going to have plenty of leash if he’s healthy.

Steve Cohen

• Didier Fuentes is lights out in AAA. Why haven’t the Braves called him up yet?

Steve Adams

• He’s made two starts and has walked or plunked 19% of the hitters he’s faced. I wouldn’t say he’s been lights out, but I don’t think it matters. They’re so stretched for arms that I’d imagine Fuentes gets another look in the very near future. The alternative is … Jose Suarez? JR Ritchie is far more interesting to me, for what it’s worth, though he’s probably dinged a bit by not being on the 40-man roster.

Mets offense

• Without soto, is this getting any better?

Steve Adams

• Yeah, it will. Bo Bichette is too good a hitter to continue on at this rate. He’s chasing a ton, maybe pressing a bit after the big contract and in a new setting, or maybe it’s just a weird small sample blip. He’s still making decent quality contact.Jorge Polanco isn’t hitting the ball as hard as usual, but he’s not striking out and isn’t going to sustain a bottom-of-the-barrel .214 BABIP all season. He’s in for a good bit of positive regression.Same with Francisco Lindor. Carson Benge’s .161 average on balls in play is 8th-worst in MLB. He’s hitting too many grounders, but still, that won’t hold
• Fans generally don’t love to hear “yeah I do think it’s just a lot of small sample noise,” but this time of year that’s often true and I think it’s especially true with what should be a talented Mets offense.Losing Soto hurts, of course, and I didn’t love some of the offseason changes (Nimmo-for-Semien, in particular), but they’re better than this still.

Guardians of the Galaxy

• Do you see Bibee and Cecconi turning things around soon? Seems like their ERA’s are inflated due to poor relief pitching that allows all their runners in base to score. Still Bibee does not seem like a number one. Williams and Messick have been far better.

Steve Adams

• Bibee hasn’t looked like a possible No. 1 starter since 2023-24. I need to dig more deeply into what changes happened with his slider — which Statcast now quantifies as a cutter — since that pitch’s decline has really coincided with his downturn.
• This version of Bibee feels like a homer-prone No. 4 starter, which isn’t bad or anything, but they need him to be more since the org depth isn’t what it once was, nor is the quality atop their staff.
• I do think his ERA will come down, just because he’s not going to keep allowing THIS many homers or running a .380 average on balls in play.Cecconi’s a lesser version of a similar profile, to me. I’d rather see him in the ‘pen, but the Guardians probably need him in the rotation for now.I don’t think Williams has nearly good enough command to be a true top-end starter. Broadly, Cleveland’s rotation just isn’t that great to me.

Pete

• How excited are you for Noah Schultz? What would you say are reasonable expectations for tonight’s contest?

Steve Adams

• 6’10” with a mid-90s heater that flirts with triple digits? Yeah, sign me up. I’ll be watching the Sox tonight haha.Rays haven’t hit lefties well this season and don’t much in the way of RH bats outside Caminero and Yandy (who are obviously both very good), so put me down for a nice debut. (And then yell at me next week when he goes 2.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K)

Lenny

• You stil like the Semien trade a ton even with how Nimmo has been playing?

Steve Adams

• I said I didn’t love that trade. Didn’t get it then, don’t get it now. Would rather have Nimmo. The whole “we need to improve the defense” explanation doesn’t really pass muster when you follow it up by signing Jorge Polanco to play more 1B than any other position and then sign Bichette to move him to 3B

Sec. 315

• Has CJ Abrams’ hot start upped his value to the point where middle infielder needy teams may be ready to bite the bullet on Taboni’s trade ask?  Thoughts on possible suitors?

Steve Adams

• Nothing thus far has really changed my view of him. I touted him as a high-end trade piece all winter and think he was and still is just that. He’s had huge three-month performances to start each of the past two seasons before collapsing. The challenge is getting him to maintain and also finding a new defensive home.Abrams is hitting the ball harder and walking more, if you’re looking for positive indicators, but 60 PAs isn’t enough for me to read much into either, especially when he’s chasing a bit more and his overall contact rate is down considerably.
• I think Abrams should command a very strong return if the Nats move him this summer — multiple top prospects — and he should hold interest to a pretty wide swath of teams. He’d be better suited at 2B or in the OF than shortstop. A team like the Pirates could try him at 3B.Pittsburgh, Toronto, Kansas City, Detroit, Boston … I can see plenty of clubs having real interest.

Guest

• How much of a difference maker can Chandler Simpson be on his speed alone? This past weekend against the Yankees was like, wow.

Steve Adams

• The speed is great but that’s kind of it. He doesn’t walk, has zero power and is probably limited to left field. That’s not to say he can’t be useful. It’s like Luis Arraez levels of contact with an actual second tool to join the package — maybe a third if he can keep playing a plus LF. But the 20-grade power and lack of a premium defensive position cap him as more of a uniquely exciting regular than a true star.

Aaron

• If McMahon doesn’t start to hit soon can you see them making rumored trade going around of Gil for Shaw

Steve Adams

• I hadn’t seen this “rumor” so I searched for it before the chat. It’s really just one speculative “hey this makes sense to me” from a prominent Yankees blogger. There’s no real rumor there, and I’d rather have Luis Gil than Matt Shaw personally, although I’m probably more down on both players than most.

Roddy Z

• I know it’s early, but are the Astros cooked? Their pitching depth was suspect heading into the season, and now their top three starters are on the IL, their  closer is on the IL, and the backup closer looks like he needs to be on the IL. On the position side, their All-Star SS is injured, their starting CF is on the shelf, and there is no OF depth. Any hope for Astros fans?

Steve Adams

• This is another topic Darragh and I discussed at pretty fair length on the podcast episode dropping tomorrow morning, so look out for that.Broad terms, I don’t think they’re cooked or anything yet, no, but they’re also in danger of digging a hole too deep to escape. If this losing streak extends another 3-4 games, you’re looking at a team that’s 8-9 games under .500 with nearly an entire rotation, an elite closer and an elite shortstop on the injured list. Crawling out of that hole would be difficult even for a full-strength team.The immediate challenge is to stop the bleeding, but that’s also hard to do with so many injuries and with Abreu (and Steven Okert) struggling.
• So, no, I don’t think Houston’s season is over or anything, but they’re rapidly approaching 2025 Atlanta/Baltimore levels where it’s May 1 and they’ve already dug such a big hole that it just can’t be escaped by the time critical decisions are due at the trade deadline.

Brian

• Will Cleveland receive draft picks if Chase and Parker stay on the big league team all year?

Steve Adams

• No, they’d need one to win Rookie of the Year or finish top-3 in MVP/Cy Young. But either player could net a draft pick with a top-3 MVP/Cy finish before hitting arbitration, so it’s not exclusive to 2026 alone.

Blue

• If Tigers keep struggling and decide to trade him this season, which team makes most sense?

Steve Adams

• I assume this is referring to Skubal
• I can’t see any scenario where the Tigers trade Skubal. They’d need to be like 10 games out of a postseason berth come deadline season, and in that division, there’s just no way they’re going to be that buried.

baseball fan

• Team that has been playing beyond expectations?  Pittsburgh, Minnesota?

Steve Adams

• Both? Haha
• Pirates’ offense has been far better than I expected. In general, I thought expectations were too high for the group. I still think that’s true, but Oneil Cruz is an MVP-level talent in the batter’s box (not so much on the defensive side, yeesh), so if this is the beginning of a true breakout, then hell yeah they’re going to be exciting.Twins’ start is hilarious and entertaining but seems entirely unsustainable.

Still an A

• Picks for Rookies of the year?

Steve Adams

• I picked DeLauter and Griffin prior to the season.
• Full slate of pre-season picks (made just prior to Opening Day)
• AL East: Blue Jays
  AL Central: Tigers
  AL West: Mariners
  Wild Card: Orioles
  Wild Card: Yankees
  Wild Card: Red Sox
  NL East: Phillies
  NL Central: Cubs
  NL West: Dodgers
  Wild Card: Brewers
  Wild Card: Mets
  Wild Card: Reds
  AL MVP: Gunnar Henderson
  NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
  AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal
  NL Cy Young: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
  AL ROY: Chase DeLauter
  NL ROY: Konnor Griffin
  World Series: Mariners over Dodgers

Guest

• will sevy get traded this year

Steve Adams

• Doubt it. Even if he’s pitching well, the opt-out is such a poison pill. It doesn’t make it impossible or anything, but it’s so much downside for an opposing team to take on — especially for someone who’s more of a midrotation arm than a top-end guy at this point of his career.

Twin bill

• Which of the Twins players do you see having value this summer?

Steve Adams

• Joe Ryan and Ryan Jeffers are the main ones. Josh Bell, Taylor Rogers, Justin Topa, Trevor Larnach, Bailey Ober could all have modest value, but not a ton. Byron Buxton as well, but he has the no-trade clause and has said he wants to spend his whole career in MN, so I assume that won’t happen.

Shaker Moseby

• Thoughts on the Sosa trade for the Jays?   Seeing how he can’t be optioned, do you think it says something about what they’ve seen from Fitzgerald, Kasevich, Jimenez et al?

Steve Adams

• Sosa’s a platoon-y bench guy. They didn’t give up much. It feels like a placeholder move and I doubt he sticks all season on their roster unless the change of scenery brings about a notable overhaul in his approach at the plate.

Chris G

• How long before I DFA Benintendi? 50% K rate and pretty marginal in the field.

Steve Adams

• With two years left on the contract, I doubt anytime soon. Would be another story if the Sox envisioned contending this year.  I imagine they’ll hope he catches fire and hits well enough to convince an OF-needy team to take a few million of the contract in July. I doubt they’ll succeed in that regard, granted.

Dakota

• My hot takes of hot takes… I don’t think the Angels are an elite team, or even close to an elite team. But, with more paths to the postseason these days, I really don’t think they’re THAT far off. If they can flirt with .500 heading into the 2nd half, will they make a big move for an arm, or 10?

Steve Adams

• I think they’re closer to the worst team in the AL than even a Wild Card contender, and even if they hang around .500, the farm is so barren that they’d be hard pressed to add a notable arm — let alone multiple arms.

Austin hedges

• tell me why i shouldn’t be the starting catcher for the guards?

Steve Adams

• Neither Hedges nor Bo Naylor should be a starting catcher in the majors, but man alive does Cleveland love Hedgey

Reds fan

• I’m not a Noelvi Marte fan, but it feels like Francona set him up to fail. Sporadic at-bats, platoon against LHP knowing that Marte hits RHP better. Is this the end of Marte or is he someone who needs to be traded to a new team?

Steve Adams

• I do not understand Cincinnati’s fixation on Will Benson. I’d have had Marte playing every day in right field. I still think he can be a solid corner outfielder, and the current big league group is shaky enough that he can hit his way back into another opportunity if he gets right.I’m curious to see if Rece Hinds can maintain any of the small-sample contact/plate discipline gains he’s made in AAA though. He’s chasing less, making way more contact — especially in the zone. It’s not a lot of data to go off, but it’s encouraging, and there’s never really been any doubting the blend of raw power+speed … it’s just a matter of making enough contact/getting on base enough.

Mets coaching

• Hefner and Chavez seemed to be deservingly canned after years of frustration, but so far the same exact issues keep plaguing the hitting and pitching; too many ground balls from guys like Baty, pitchers throwing uncompetitive pitches and giving up too many baserunners as a result (wasn’t Willard’s whole deal to throw in the zone more?); even the fielding seems to have regressed badly from a supposedly defensively superior team; were the wrong guys removed? Antwon Richardson was an obvious keep, but was Mendoza the problem here? Were the new hires smoke and mirrors?

Steve Adams

• In general, I think fans expect coaching changes to bring about major shifts that aren’t realistic. The days of one individual coach making such a strong impact — a notion that was maybe always overstated — are just so far gone. Every team has multiple hitting/pitching coaches. The players are also working with advance scouts, info from the analytics department, and dozens of other sources of input.Coaching changes feel more symbolic and scapegoat-y than anything else. In some instances, sure a change is necessary, but I just don’t think it has the impact many seem to place on it.

ATX Halo

• Have you ever said anything not negative about the Angels?

Steve Adams

• Zach Neto’s great. Mike Trout has had one of the best careers ever. Shohei ruled there.There’s not a lot great to say about the roster overall, and ownership certainly doesn’t merit praise either.I have nothing against the Angels. They’ve just been really bad for a long time.

matt w

• If Brandon Lowe continues to play well (not 5 RBIs a game well), what kind of contract is he looking at next year?

Steve Adams

• It’s still a 2B-only profile without much in the way of defensive chops, and he’ll be 32 in July (turning 33 year one of the contract).Something like Jorge Polanco’s 2/40 would be my limit probably.

Guest

• Is Taj Bradley’s success so far this year sustainable?

Steve Adams

• Velo’s up a touch, missing way more bats so far both in spring and the regular season. Modest changes to his pitch usage, but nothing major. Bradley bizarrely acknowledged after the trade that with the Rays he never really leaned on scouting reports or advance scouts in his outings, which is crazy to me, and it seems like he’s doing that now.Obviously not buying a sub-2.00 ERA — he’s going to give up a home run eventually, haha — but can I buy him as an above-average starter? Yeah
• Here’s the thing on scouting reports and finally looking into data:
• https://www.twincities.com/2025/08/30/taj-bradley-fantastic-mick-abel-…
• “They give you the numbers. They think it’s the best thing and they are right,” Bradley said. “It’s just me being hard-headed. Me finally getting out of my own way.”
• Rays personnel probably seething to hear him say that a month after being traded last summer, haha
• Alright. I’ve got to call it for the week. I’m on X @Adams_Steve and Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social for more questions.You can get more opinions and analysis from the MLBTR team, exclusive chats, fantasy baseball advice, ad-free viewing and access to our Contract Tracker, GM Tracker, Agency database (and more!) with our Front Office subscription package. Learn more and sign up here.Have a good week, everyone!

Trout Out

• Man, the Trout HBP today looked painful

Mark P

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

Pirates

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

Mark P

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

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

Walter

• Guardians under the radar again?

Mark P

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

Griffin

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

Mark P

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

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

squinky

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

Mark P

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

Lt Data

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

Mark P

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

John

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

Mark P

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

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

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

Zach

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

Mark P

• Bartolo Colon’s home run

Joey E

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

Mark P

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

Methats who

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

Mark P

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

Brewerdrunk

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

Mark P

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

Al Kaline Battery

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

Mark P

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

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

Philly A’s

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

Mark P

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

White Socks

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

Mark P

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

Ross Atkins

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

Mark P

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

Boston

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

Mark P

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

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

Adam

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

Mark P

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

Brewer Fan

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

Mark P

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

  ….wait, I think everyone called that

Ellis Valentine

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

Mark P

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

Mehts

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

Armchair GM

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

Mark P

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

Tim_in_MN

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

Mark P

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

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

DocGreedo

• did Toronto loss or did Chicago win?

Mark P

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

Settle a Debate

• Is Salvy tracking as a HOFer?

Mark P

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

Peter Bendix

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

Mark P

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

LA4LIFE

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

Mark P

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

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

Mr InBetween

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

Mark P

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

  10/10, no notes

Brewer Fan

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

Mark P

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

AA

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

Mark P

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

Halo CF

• Not again Mark what do xrays show?

Mark P

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

Jh

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

Mark P

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

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

Vin

• Masters picks?

Mark P

• Hard to pick against Scottie Scheffler

Kurtz

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

Mark P

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

Reds Nation

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

Mark P

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

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

Rob

• What is going on with the San Diego team sale

Mark P

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

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

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

Guest

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

Mark P

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

Ludwig’s Pop Fly

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

Mark P

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

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

White Sox Rookie

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

Mark P

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

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

Angels Fan

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

Mark P

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

Robbie Baseball

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

Mark P

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

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

James

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

Mark P

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

Guest

• Is Cole Young legit?

Mark P

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

Andrew McCutchen

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

Mark P

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

Lower Case j’s

• Excellent Wayne’s World 2 reference!

Mark P

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