{"id":100279,"date":"2025-08-27T07:25:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T07:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/100279\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T07:25:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T07:25:08","slug":"mlbtr-chat-transcript-mlb-trade-rumors-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/100279\/","title":{"rendered":"MLBTR Chat Transcript – MLB Trade Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Steve Adams<\/a> | August 26, 2025 at 12:46pm CDT <\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

Good morning! I need to get the chat wrapped up a bit before 2pm today, so moving the start time up ever so slightly, from the usual 1pm CT to 12:45pm. As always, feel free to ask questions in advance if you prefer.
\nGreetings! Let\u2019s get rolling<\/p>\n

Cincinnati kid.<\/p>\n

If the reds fail to make the playoffs I see McLain and Stephenson as trade bait. Would you consider dealing DeLaCruz to someone like the Yankees or dodgers since management will never give him the contract he\u2019s expecting to get<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

Stephenson for sure, if not a non-tender candidate. The Reds extended Trevino and have Alfredo Duno climbing the minor league ladder. Stephenson is controlled only one more year and due a raise that\u2019ll take him north of $6MM in a season where he\u2019s taken huge steps back at the plate and spent significant time on the IL. I don\u2019t think there\u2019d be a ton of surplus value, but I do think he\u2019s a viable change-of-scenery candidate.As for McLain, it\u2019s hard for me to imagine them selling so low on him, but I suppose if they could move him for a genuine upgrade in the outfield (with much lesser team control), maybe you entertain that thought.I generally don\u2019t think it\u2019s wise to just staunchly say any individual player is off limits \u2014 always listen \u2014 but it\u2019d be hard to move Elly, who\u2019s still controlled four more years.<\/p>\n

Guest<\/p>\n

Is Kyle Tucker still the biggest Free Agent this winter ?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

Yeah. If anything, I think the previously hush-hush fracture in his finger kind of quells some concern about why he\u2019d struggled so much. Of course his numbers are going to take a hit. But he\u2019s still a 29-year-old with plus power who at his best walks more than he strikes out and plays a fine right field. No one on the market can match his earning power.<\/p>\n

FP<\/p>\n

Will we see Jonah Tong in MLB this season?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

I think there\u2019s enough smoke there that we should expect it, yeah.<\/p>\n

Tigers<\/p>\n

Tigers should trade skubal this offseason #1 to get as much value as possible and #2 because a 10 yr+ deal could kill you in the later years<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

Not the first Tigers fan I\u2019ve seen suggest this, but I couldn\u2019t disagree more with trading Skubal. This is their window to win a World Series. If he walks and you \u201conly\u201d 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 \u2026 I don\u2019t see it. At least not for the Tigers. If you\u2019re the Rays or Brewers and know you\u2019re never going to get anything close to even a league-average payroll from ownership, perhaps that\u2019s another story, but that\u2019s not the case for Detroit.<\/p>\n

Baltimore Fan<\/p>\n

What is Adley\u2019s future? Could he be traded this offseason? To where?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think it\u2019s completely off the table, but I also don\u2019t think they\u2019ll shop him or anything. With Basallo up\/extended and Adley down to two years of club control, there\u2019ll be teams calling, however, and Elias is going to listen since that\u2019s his job.Padres, Guardians, Rays, Rangers, Astros, Cubs, Reds, Phillies all make varying degrees of sense as teams that could look into the possibility<\/p>\n

\u201cCracker\u201d Ray Schalk<\/p>\n

Chisox catcher in 2026 will be\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

I imagine they\u2019ll 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\u2019ll be out of options, but they could also just trade him to a team looking for a cheap option behind the plate.<\/p>\n

Chris<\/p>\n

What do you think Ben Rice\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

I\u2019d say it\u2019s likelier that Rice\u2019s role hinges on what other opportunities present themselves this winter than it is that they have a set role for Rice that\u2019ll drive their offseason pursuits. Ultimately, he\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n

Tommy<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t see how they can just run it back with this group. They\u2019ve been pretty timid in adding to the rotation under Elias, with the exception of the Corbin Burnes acquisition \u2014 and even that was just for one year.They\u2019ll have major questions on the workloads for Bradish, Rodriguez and Wells. Povich\/Young haven\u2019t 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\u2019t carry that group into 2026 and hope for better results, and this past offseason\u2019s barrage of low-upside one-year deals proved to be a notable misstep that played a big role in sinking their season.<\/p>\n

Carlos Mendoza<\/p>\n

Am I in over my head? Will I be back next season?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

He\u2019s signed through next year with a 2027 option. I don\u2019t 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\u2026 I saw his quote and thought, \u201cWell\u2026 yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Free Agency<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s giving up a draft pick to sign Gallen, Cease, King, Woodruff, Mahle?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t 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\u2019s on a nice run right now and I think he\u2019ll get the two-year\/opt-out treatment at least.<\/p>\n

RookTaker23<\/p>\n

How much do home\/road splits impact FA offers? Cody Bellinger (predictably) has some extreme ones.<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

I doubt Bellinger\u2019s home\/road splits are going to be a prominent factor in his free agency. Most players hit better at home, even if they don\u2019t necessarily play in a hitters\u2019 paradise. Bellinger\u2019s career-long home\/road splits skew heavily toward his home performance, for instance, and he\u2019s only spent four-plus months with Yankee Stadium\u2019s short porch.<\/p>\n

Cool Mama Bell<\/p>\n

What does a long-term extension of Winn look like? 10 years, $300M?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

Rick Camp<\/p>\n

Think Volpe might be available next season and if so would the Braves be interested?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Richard<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

I think that\u2019s steep, despite the strong rebound. I like Bichette and all, but him being a year younger than Willy Adames doesn\u2019t justify him shattering Adames\u2019 $182MM by $68MM. I have him somewhere around $175-200MM. We\u2019ll see how he finishes.<\/p>\n

Reds GM<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

The Reds have several of those guys (McLain, Elly, Abbott, Brandon Williamson). But it seems like there\u2019s 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\u2019ll 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.
\nFor what it\u2019s worth, EDLC and Abbott will probably be right around the bubble.
\nMcLain and Williamson are locks, though Williamson isn\u2019t going to get a salary of note after missing the season due to injury. Probably like $800K. If he\u2019s tendered.<\/p>\n

Champdo<\/p>\n

Does Riley Greene\u2019s rising k rate and plummeting walk rate limit the amount of money he\u2019ll get in an extension or in FA<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think it matters a ton just yet. He\u2019s traded out some extra K\u2019s for the best power output of his career, both in terms of volume and on a rate basis.I wouldn\u2019t want to see the strikeouts climb any higher, though, and I\u2019d already like to see some of the walks creep back in. He\u2019s 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.
\nWhatever concerns the less-exciting plate discipline profile create would also be offset by him inching closer to free agency (and topping 30 homers). He\u2019d probably clear $100MM on an extension if they pursue it.<\/p>\n

Free Agency<\/p>\n

How robust is Gleyber Torres\u2019 market going to be? I\u2019m a little surprised not see him on the monthly power rankings of impending free agents, given his youth and performance<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

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\u2019t pay pure second basemen. Marcus Semien is the only one who\u2019s 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\u2019s been a more good than great hitter with minimal defensive\/baserunning value. To me, he feels like someone who\u2019ll come in comfortably under $100MM, age notwithstanding.<\/p>\n

Gashouse Gorilla<\/p>\n

I\u2019m 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.\u00a0\u00a0Nationals have a reason other than (some) money?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

They\u2019d 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\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n

Charleston Chew<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

King Tuck<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

Way under on the percentage the Cubs re-sign him, and no way he\u2019s taking a three- or four-year deal.<\/p>\n

$ for a question?<\/p>\n

Only way a question can be fielded is if I pay a subscription?\u2026\u2026..poor people like baseball too!<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

anxious jays fan<\/p>\n

whats our plan if bichette walks? start clement full time? kick gimenez over?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

Gimenez to shortstop and go outside the organization at 2B, I would think.But I thought the Guardians should\u2019ve 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\u2019s not a foregone conclusion that he leaves.<\/p>\n

Pete<\/p>\n

Now that a little more time has passed, does the White Sox handling of the Louis Robert situation make any more sense to you?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

Robert could stay healthy and hit .300\/.375\/.530 from the deadline on, and I would still say it was a risk I wouldn\u2019t have taken, even if it pans out perfectly like that.
\nI understood the risk they were taking, I just didn\u2019t agree with it and still don\u2019t. But teams and players take risks all the time where I say \u201cWoof, I don\u2019t like that at all\u201d and it still works out. Part of the game\/business.<\/p>\n

BTinVT<\/p>\n

Can you see Gorman turning into Muncy? Thank you<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

Gorman doesn\u2019t walk like Muncy, and Muncy has never struck out as much as Gorman. I guess he could be a poor man\u2019s version of Muncy, but I don\u2019t think he has that same sort of offensive ceiling as Muncy<\/p>\n

PhilsPhansince1965<\/p>\n

Should we unload either Castellanos or Taijuan over the winter to save some $$?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

Far easier said than done. No one\u2019s going to take much (any?) of Castellanos\u2019 contract. I guess maybe you could pay Walker down to like $5-8MM and dump him for little to no return.<\/p>\n

Even year<\/p>\n

What will need to happen for the Giants to contend in 26?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

If they add one more legitimate bat, get Devers healthy, and bring in some rotation support for Webb\/Ray, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s far-fetched that they contend. I\u2019d like to see two bats (one in RF, one at 2B), but you can\u2019t just expect them to go sign Tucker, Gleyber, Cease and a couple relievers, so trying to traffic somewhat in reality here.<\/p>\n

rusty<\/p>\n

Will Jakob Marsee go 20\/20 in \u201926?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

At this rate he might do it in 2025!
\nKidding, obviously. I think it\u2019s a pretty easy yes on the steals. Bit more skeptical on the power, but it\u2019s not outside the realm of plausibility.<\/p>\n

Guest<\/p>\n

Do you see any big ticket free agents heading to San Francisco in the near future?<\/p>\n

Steve Adams<\/p>\n

They\u2019re among the more obvious suitors for Kyle Tucker and Gleyber Torres, sure. I imagine Bichette is going to state early on that he\u2019ll 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\u2019t surprise me.
\nOk, I\u2019ve got to wrap up for the week.I\u2019m on X @Adams_Steve or Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social if you have more questions. If you want more opinions from the MLBTR team,\u00a0you can learn about our Front Office subscription package and sign up here<\/a>. In addition to ad-free viewing on the site and in the app, you\u2019ll 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,\u00a0access to our Contract Tracker<\/a>, our\u00a0GM Tracker<\/a>\u00a0and our\u00a0Agency Database<\/a>, and more.Have a great week, everyone!<\/p>\n

MLBTR Chats<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Steve Adams | August 26, 2025 at 12:46pm CDT Steve Adams Good morning! I need to get…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58014,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[49,48,462,82],"class_list":["post-100279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100279\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}