Mark P<\/p>\n
The Weekend Chat has returned! We\u2019ll take a minute to get some questions build up, and then get into it\u2026<\/p>\n
Guards ball<\/p>\n
Do you think the guardians have a legit shot to still when the Al central considering the hot start we are on since the all star break?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Detroit\u2019s lead is down to six games over Cleveland, which is still pretty substantial.\u00a0\u00a0It would take a combo of the Guards both staying hot, and the Tigers continuing their so-so play over the last month for the Guardians to have a legitimate chance.<\/p>\n
It would be pretty ironic if, a year after their big late-season surge, the Tigers were caught by another team going on a surprise late run<\/p>\n
Rangers Fan<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve seen conflicting reports on the Rangers CBT situation after the trade deadline additions. The local beat writers are acting as if the Rangers will definitively end the season over the CBT threshold. But other sources, like Spotrac and Cot\u2019s, make it seem like the Rangers can and will end up below the CBT threshold. Obviously, bonuses and incentives complicate things, but if you take the incentives that are \u201cvery likely\u201d to hit, it appears the Rangers will stay under with a little room for additional bonuses. Do you have any clarity on this?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
A team\u2019s final luxury tax number isn\u2019t officially known until the league releases numbers in December.\u00a0\u00a0Sites like Cot\u2019s, Spotrac, RosterResource, etc. do a great job in providing projections and estimates, but they\u2019re the first to tell you that they\u2019re working with incomplete information.\u00a0\u00a0Many other factors like roster bonuses or other expenses are known sometimes only to the teams themselves, and those the x-factor numbers audited by the league at year\u2019s end
\nMy guess right now would be that Texas is just barely under the line, given how Cot\u2019s\/RR\/Spotrac all have them slightly under the $241MM tax line.<\/p>\n
Jeff<\/p>\n
Who wins the AL West, Astros or Mariners?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Who wins the AL West?<\/p>\n
Astros (43.2% | 272 votes)<\/p>\n
Mariners (51.6% | 325 votes)<\/p>\n
Rangers (5.0% | 32 votes)<\/p>\n
Total Votes: 629<\/p>\n
I expanded your question to add the Rangers, since they\u2019re certainly still in the picture at this juncture.<\/p>\n
Armchair GM<\/p>\n
With the addition of Catlos Correa, where does Isaac Paredes play if he were to come back before the playoffs?\u00a0\u00a0Is Paredes trade bait in the offseason?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Paredes would be used at 1B or DH, depending on Alvarez\u2019s status.\u00a0\u00a0You could maybe see him at 2B if Altuve then plays left field.\u00a0\u00a0Needless to say, Houston would find a way to get Paredes in there.<\/p>\n
Guest<\/p>\n
Is Boston legit, or is this another fluke start to the 2nd half?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
They\u2019re definitely legit. Now that the pitching has started to come around, the Sox don\u2019t have many weaknesses<\/p>\n
Don<\/p>\n
Watching every Tiger game it\u2019s easy to see how and why they\u2019ve been inconsistent lately. Mark I\u2019m wondering how a non fan sees it from the outside looking in. Thanks<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Not to press the panic button too much for Detroit fans, but there are some similarities right now between the 2024 Orioles and the 2025 Tigers \u2014 a team that had basically everything go right for three months, and then reality started to sink in.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s still plenty of time for the Tigers to stabilize things.\u00a0\u00a0As mentioned earlier, their six-game lead is still substantial.\u00a0\u00a0(If you asked Tigers fans before the season if they would\u2019ve been happy with a six-game division lead on August 9, that would\u2019ve been a unanimous yes.)<\/p>\n
I find it hard to believe, for one, that Riley Greene\u2019s slump will last the rest of the year<\/p>\n
Chris<\/p>\n
I know The Athletic mentioned it, do you think its possible the Yanks cut their losses with Williams once some relief guys come off the IL?<\/p>\n
Yankeeman<\/p>\n
Is Devin Williams really a September release candidate<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Like I said in that Yankees notes post, the fact that this is even floated as semi-realistic possibility is wild, considering Williams\u2019 reputation.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019d say it\u2019s still unlikely given that it was just a few weeks ago that Williams seemed like his old self heading into the All-Star break.<\/p>\n
Brewer Fan<\/p>\n
Not anquestiin but I just want to say, the team with the best record right now has a starting outfield of Issac Collins, Blake Perkins, and Sal Frelick.. this team is absolutely wild.<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Credit to those outfielders for all playing well, and to the Brewers organization in general for (once again) figuring out a way to remain contenders.<\/p>\n
Redsfan<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
The Reds have an opening here with the Mets struggling and the Cubs to some extent just treading water over the last few weeks.\u00a0\u00a0Cincinnati\u2019s trade deadline moves were pretty interesting, and I think the team still had it in them to make a run down the stretch<\/p>\n
Guest<\/p>\n
should Luis Robert Jr. keep his bags packed in the off season? If not, do the Sox sign a big bat to pair with Robert and who might that bat be?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Chicago\u2019s certainly not going to make a big signing since they\u2019re still in the depths of the rebuild.\u00a0\u00a0It will be fascinating to watch the Robert trade talks this winter and see what kind of deal (if any) can get finalized.\u00a0\u00a0Even picking up that club option is an interesting risk for the Sox, since it they end up having to eat money to complete a deal, it\u2019ll look pretty strange.<\/p>\n
Al Pacino<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Detroit<\/p>\n
I\u2019m talking building a dynastic team, not trying to eek in by selling the top prospects.
\nFirst place caused the GM to drop the team building plan? They were a rebuilding team and had pending Free Agents, an opt out player and blocked prospects not likely to make the Detroit roster.<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
These were two different comments by the same poster, for the record.<\/p>\n
Scott Harris made statements something along these lines post-deadline, saying that other teams were making such big asks for Detroit\u2019s top prospects that Harris didn\u2019t want to blow up the future just to make a run in 2025.\u00a0\u00a0That\u2019s all logical and, as I\u2019ve noted in the past, having a deep farm system can sometimes made trade talks difficult, since every other club will naturally aim high at first for just the top minor leaguers.<\/p>\n
I do think digging a bit deeper into the prospect pile, however, might\u2019ve been a shot in the arm for a flagging Tigers team.\u00a0\u00a0Obtaining a player with multiple years of control, for instance, might\u2019ve been worth the cost of giving away someone in the top 10 prospects (if obviously not Clark, McGonigle, etc.)<\/p>\n
Prellers Death Wish<\/p>\n
What was your favorite deadline move?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
I really liked the Phillies getting Duran.\u00a0\u00a0They paid a big cost, but having a star closer immediately solves a big roster problem.<\/p>\n
Blue Jays<\/p>\n
If the jays make the playoffs, what\u2019s their starting rotation look like?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Easiest call is probably just Gausman, Berrios, Bassitt, with Scherzer as the fourth. Lauer probably deserves a start but he can also be more easily shifted down into bullpen duty.\u00a0\u00a0Bieber (and Manoah) are x-factors as well, but we\u2019ll cross that bridge once we see either in action.<\/p>\n
Braves Fan<\/p>\n
Great job with the deadline coverage!<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Thanks!\u00a0\u00a0As you might expect, deadline day is easily MLBTR\u2019s busiest day of the year, so the whole staff was on call to cover the tons of breaking stories all day long.<\/p>\n
JN<\/p>\n
What does the Dodgers playoff rotation look like with everyone healthy? Would Kershaw potentially be left out? Have a hard time trusting Sasaki with no postseason experience<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Big if, but IF everyone is healthy, Kershaw will still get starts.\u00a0\u00a0It is possible you could see a Kershaw\/Ohtani hybrid \u201cstarter\u201d in a piggyback capacity depending on where Ohtani is at health-wise come October.<\/p>\n
Ranger Danger<\/p>\n
Mistake by the phils not trading me?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Paint(er) by numbers<\/p>\n
I get that I\u2019m good, but I have already had tj. Shouldn\u2019t the phils have traded an unproven quantity in me for a known quantity in Kwan? Would have solved immediate and long term OF questions.<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Two questions kind of fold into one here, as Painter will probably be stepping right into the rotation spot left open when Suarez (likely) departs in free agency.\u00a0\u00a0The Phillies instead opted to move Abel to address another need in bringing Duran in to close.<\/p>\n
marlins<\/p>\n
Cody B would look good for us in RF, low strike outs good d some pop, all we need is offense<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going out on a limb by saying that the Marlins won\u2019t be signing Cody Bellinger this winter.\u00a0\u00a0Or anyone to any kind of pricey, longer-term contract.\u00a0\u00a0Miami\u2019s rebuild has shown some really good progress but it\u2019ll be a long time (if ever) that the organization moves into that kind of a player acquisition phase.<\/p>\n
Brett<\/p>\n
Are the Braves closer to contending or a rebuild?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
There\u2019s still so much talent on the roster that I feel 2025 might just be a Murphy\u2019s Law season.\u00a0\u00a0Having basically the entire rotation get hurt is enough to crush any team, but the bigger long-term issue might be that so many of the hitters didn\u2019t produce.<\/p>\n
With healthier pitching, Acuna, Olson, the Baldwin\/Murphy combo, and Riley, that\u2019s a good core right there.\u00a0\u00a0At least one of Harris\/Profar\/Albies needs to rebound, and I feel it\u2019s possible Atlanta could trade Albies this winter to upgrade at 2B.<\/p>\n
Cashman<\/p>\n
I know Devin Williams has been awful, especially recently. He does have a great track record, any chance he gets a qualifying offer in the offseason? Does he accept it?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Williams would absolutely accept a qualifying offer, but the Yankees just as absolutely aren\u2019t going to offer one given his struggles<\/p>\n
Fat Guy<\/p>\n
For Duran, i personally would have preferred Ford and Sloan or Cijntje over Tait and Abel, simply because the Twins would have a more near ready catcher and could trade Jeffers in the off-season. What say you?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
That also would\u2019ve been a pretty good trade package, except we don\u2019t know if the Mariners actually had that offer on the table.<\/p>\n
Lars<\/p>\n
Are the Cardinals a better team without Arenado?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Since Arenado isn\u2019t offering much at this point beyond good defense, probably yes.<\/p>\n
Is it Football Season?<\/p>\n
What will it take for the Reds to truly acquire a player that helps them offensively this winter\/offseason?\u00a0\u00a0And when will the media begin calling out their ownership\/front office?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
In my view, the Cincinnati beat writers have been plenty critical of the team\u2019s moves, or lack thereof.<\/p>\n
The Reds have a lot of money coming off the books this winter, so even with arb raises cutting into that figure to some extent, there\u2019s room for the team to make at least one pricey addition.\u00a0\u00a0If such a move is made, it simply has to be for a productive player (i.e. not the Jeimer Candelario signing), given the team\u2019s budget limitations.\u00a0\u00a0Adding one proper full-time outfielder rather than relying on the platoons would also be a good way to solidify matters.<\/p>\n
Mark<\/p>\n
Do you think Trevor Story will opt out at the end of the season given his performance this season?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Story is entering his age-33 season, and would be leaving a guaranteed $55MM on the table by opting out of the last two seasons on his deal.\u00a0\u00a0I find it hard to believe he\u2019d pass on that money coming off a season in which he\u2019d stayed healthy, but still only has slightly above-average offense
\nIt seems far likelier that Story remains in his contract and sticks around to play for a Red Sox team that looks like they\u2019re entering a promising era<\/p>\n
A\u2019s tanked 2025 trading Erceg<\/p>\n
Why don\u2019t the Oakland A\u2019s leave a good bullpen in place without tinkering with it? Do you think the A\u2019s would have gone 1\u201320 this year, if they had not traded Lucas Erceg to the Royals? (Will Klein is already gone, like Joe Boyle; in recent trades, it seems that the A\u2019s have acquired a lot of players who are soon gone from the franchise: out of options, etc.? I don\u2019t know the right term for it, but this seems to be a recent phenomenon.) Trade Mason Miller and JP Sears to the Padres for four this year; you\u2019re gambling that Leo de Vries turns out to be something more than Yoan Moncada, and you\u2019re gambling that you can trade one reliever after one or two good years for another minor league prospect or two who throws 100mph. What is your school of thought on trading relievers having good years with years of team control for minor league starters? It seems like the A\u2019s haven\u2019t brought up starters like Hudson Mulder Zito in a long time\u2026<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Relief pitching is inherently unreliable.\u00a0\u00a0I don\u2019t blame the A\u2019s for selling high on Miller or even Erceg, especially when another team is willing to offer a blue-chipper like DeVries<\/p>\n
Skenes<\/p>\n
As a diehard Pirates fan (I will take your pity please), is it wrong for me to want to trade Skenes now? I want him in Pittsburgh forever but the reality is that isn\u2019t going to happen and I don\u2019t want to see his career ruined by the inept organization. Plus the haul back is the best bet to land 3 future major league bats in the lineup.<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an unfortunate state of affairs that fans are so resigned to having a generational talent on their team seem like an inevitable departure.\u00a0\u00a0I wonder how many Pirates fans share this poster\u2019s view, in the sense that the Bucs might as well sell high on him now rather than delaying the inevitable.<\/p>\n
Armchair GM<\/p>\n
What type of\u00a0\u00a0extensions ($ and years) would\u00a0\u00a0the Astros have to offer Hunter Brown and Jeremy Pena in the offseason, to keep them in Houston beyond their arbitration years?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Rippin dingers<\/p>\n
Why isn\u2019t Lawlar playing everyday in the bigs?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
He\u2019s been recovering from a hamstring strain.\u00a0\u00a0Once healthy, he\u2019ll certainly get called back to the Diamondbacks.<\/p>\n
Baseball fan<\/p>\n
Jays look like contenders but Brendon Little has been bad recently and Fluharty\/Bruihl aren\u2019t leverage guys. Do you think Little bounces back and how will jays pen fare going forward?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Dominguez and Varland were good additions, but I would\u2019ve liked to have seen Toronto get one more reliever into the mix.\u00a0\u00a0You mentioned a few of the inexperienced or unproven names the Blue Jays have been relying on for much of the year, and the doors may already be coming off a couple of these relievers.
\nDepending on the state of the rotation, it seems possible the Jays could do something like move Manoah or even Lauer into the bullpen in September to add depth and quality.<\/p>\n
Charlesco<\/p>\n
When will Skubal be a free agent? Should they have gone all in?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
He is set to hit free agency following the 2026 season.
\nSkubal is another Boras client, so with an extension unlikely, I would\u2019ve viewed this situation as another reason the Tigers could\u2019ve or should\u2019ve pushed harder to win now<\/p>\n
who\u2019s on 1st<\/p>\n
Altho Altuve has been a team player by moving off 2b, give the guy some respect by leaving him at 2b- with all his accomplishments over the years.<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
The other factor behind the position change was that Altuve has been a subpar defender (in the view of most metrics) at second base for some time now.\u00a0\u00a0He hasn\u2019t done much better as a left fielder either, leaving the Astros in a bit of a quandary about where exactly to play him going forward.<\/p>\n
Ken<\/p>\n
What would a Nick Kurtz extension look like?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Since Kurtz is limited to first base, he probably couldn\u2019t command something quite in the Anthony\/Carroll tier of extensions for players with less than a year of service time.\u00a0\u00a0But, asking for at least a $10MM average annual value seems like the absolute floor.<\/p>\n
Barney Coolio<\/p>\n
Will anyone ever steal 500 bases again?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
At this rate, Josh Naylor will be there before the season is out.<\/p>\n
Phillies<\/p>\n
The Phillies have managed to make it through another year with just one major pitching injury, and that wasn\u2019t even an arm injury!\u00a0\u00a0How have they managed to stay so (relatively) healthy while the rest of the league seemingly has to cycle through 10 starters just to get through a season?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Feels like you\u2019re tempting fate just by asking this question!\u00a0\u00a0Part of it is just pure luck, part can be owed to the Phillies investing in the right pitchers, and credit should be given to the team\u2019s medical and training staff for their part in keeping these guys healthy.<\/p>\n
taylor ward<\/p>\n
would the reds trade hector rodriguez for ward this offseason?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Ward is the kind of everyday player that would be a nice fit in Cincy, except I\u2019m not sure Rodriguez would be the ideal trade piece.\u00a0\u00a0H-Rod himself could be part of the answer in the Reds\u2019 outfield as early as next season.<\/p>\n
Barney Coolio<\/p>\n
Seriously, will anyone ever steal 500 bases again?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
That was a serious answer!\u00a0\u00a0Who are you to doubt the Mississauga Speed Demon?!<\/p>\n
Actual response: only 39 players in MLB history have ever reached the 500-steal plateau, so it\u2019s not like it\u2019s a common milestone.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019d say that yes, someone will get there again eventually, but it\u2019ll take a special kind of player.\u00a0\u00a0Maybe a Chandler Simpson if he keeps consistently hitting.<\/p>\n
Sorry for the delay there, had a brief internet outage but it seems like everything\u2019s up and running again<\/p>\n
IM<\/p>\n
What do you make of the O\u2019s quantity over quality approach to the deadline?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
There was only so much the Orioles were going to get for rental players, so in that sense, the club did well in amassing a lot of lottery tickets and more for their various trade chips.<\/p>\n
CardinalRed<\/p>\n
Would it make any sense for the Cards to sign DJ? Yankees are paying him through next year and he could help JJ at 2B, plus the Arenado friendship. Arenado needs to stay in the StL and enter the HoF with a Cards cap<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
For a Cardinals team that\u2019s prioritizing playing time for younger talent, signing LeMahieu wouldn\u2019t make any sense<\/p>\n
Starryl Drawberry<\/p>\n
Agree or disagree: Buying at the trade deadline is a trap for most teams. Deadline trades usually don\u2019t move the needle much and are more likely to harm than hurt; for every Yoenis Cespedes that comes in and saves a season, there are five Pete Crow-Armstrongs.<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
Curt Blefary<\/p>\n
The Scherzer\/Kershaw match up, last night, was only the third time in the the last 35 years that two pitchers with 3,000+ strikeouts faced one another.\u00a0\u00a0It happened 20 times in the \u201980\u2019s!\u00a0\u00a0i find this amazing!\u00a0\u00a0The fact that starting pitchers don\u2019t go as deep in games seems to be the biggest reason for this phenomena.\u00a0\u00a0What, in your opinion, are some others?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
The reason it happened so relatively often in the 80\u2019s is because Nolan Ryan was around to face everyone, but you\u2019re right, it\u2019s a pretty cool feat.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s fun that the Jays and Dodgers seemed to go a bit out of their way to make sure things lined up for Scherzer and Kershaw to face each other one (last?) time<\/p>\n
Kelly Leak<\/p>\n
Are the O\u2019s a cautionary tale for all the good young Teams out there? This time last year the O\u2019s were expected to dominate for the next 10 seasons.<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
This is perhaps another reason why the Tigers could\u2019ve or should\u2019ve been more aggressive at the deadline\u2026.<\/p>\n
\u2026.and yet, the Kyle Stowers trade is perhaps a counter-example of why trading prospects doesn\u2019t always work out.\u00a0\u00a0In fairness, Rogers has looked very good for Baltimore this year, so that trade no longer seems as inexplicable as it did at the time.<\/p>\n
Friar Faithful<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your opinion on the idea that the Padres may try to turn Mason Miller into a starter next year?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
I guess there\u2019s no harm in stretching him out for a look in Spring Training, though Miller\u2019s injury history makes me think he\u2019s just better off as a reliever<\/p>\n
Jays Fan<\/p>\n
Is it wrong that I refuse to give Aikins any credit for this 1st place Team. It just seems that my uncle Joe could have stumbled into a quality Team after 10 years and a $240 millions payroll.<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
If your uncle Joe can develop four (going on five?) playoff teams in 10 years, the Nationals might want his contact info.<\/p>\n
Oz<\/p>\n
What is Alex Anthopoulos\u2019 approach this off-season?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n
I wonder if the Braves might not be a relatively quiet team, if they\u2019re chalking 2025 up to extremely bad injury luck.\u00a0\u00a0AA will always make some moves, but in terms of true blockbusters, I\u2019m not sure if any are on the horizon other than perhaps a reorg in the middle infield.<\/p>\n
Royals<\/p>\n
Do they make the postseason or miss out?<\/p>\n
Mark P<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mark P The Weekend Chat has returned! We\u2019ll take a minute to get some questions build up, and…\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-58013","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\/58013","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=58013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58013\/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=58013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}