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Front Office Chat - November 28th, 2025
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Darragh McDonald
9:14
Hello, everyone.
9:15
If you are American, I hope you're feeling okay today.
If you're not American, I also hope you're feeling okay today, on this unremarkable Friday.
9:16
Anthony is off for the holidays, so I'm filling in. As always, sorry for the downgrade.
I will be back at noon but feel free to drop questions ahead of time.
1:00
Okay, hello!
Already lots of questions in the queue, so let's dive in.
walterj23
1:00
Which is the most likely going to happen to Cubs 2b Nico Hoerner before the season starts , trade him for other pieces , extend him before the season starts , or simply let him play out his final year of his contract and tag him with a qualifying offer next winter ?
Darragh McDonald
1:01
I would guess the Cubs just let 2026 play out and see where they're at. A lot could change between now and then. Happ and Suzuki are impending free agents, in addition to Hoerner. What do they have in Matt Shaw? What about Jefferson Rojas? What about Caissie and Alcantara?
1:02
They can then decide where to put their resources, which could mean re-signing Hoerner or one of the outfielders or something else.
Uke
1:02
How does upcoming labor stuff affect signings?  Are players more or less likely to sign long term deals?  Are teams more or less likely to sign long term deals?  Or does no one know what it all means?
Darragh McDonald
1:02
This is a great question.
A few weeks ago, I would have guessed that players would not want to be free agents in the 2026-27 offseason. But that doesn't seem to be the case.
1:03
Bieber and Flaherty both triggered one-year player options when they probably could have got multi-year deals. Four guys accepted the QO. I expected Gleyber but not Shota, Woodruff or Grisham.
1:04
That's five guys who probably could have got solid multi-year deals and avoided the lockout. Maybe that's small sample noise but it doesn't seem players are scared about being out there next winter.
Bobby Higginson
1:04
Any chance the Tigers get involved in the top tier of closers?
Darragh McDonald
1:05
Sure. The Tigers could do a lot. They don't really have much on the books. They're down to just two years on the Baez deal. Keith is signed for a while but at a low AAV.
However, the Harris-led front office has been fairly conservative so far, so I guess I'm in "believe it when I see it" mode.
Texas two stepping
1:06
Is Sebastian Walcott ready to come to the show
Darragh McDonald
1:07
He has no Triple-A experience yet but 129 Double-A games. Teams will sometimes skip guys over Triple-A, so it can't be ruled out.
1:08
He's still only 19, so I don't want to set unrealistic expectations. But with Semien gone and Jung struggling, I think there's some non-zero chance he cracks the Opening Day roster. With the PPI rules now, this kind of thing is becoming more possible than in the not-too-distant past.
Chris
1:10
How similar / different are the Canadian and U.S. Thanksgivings?
Darragh McDonald
1:10
I've never been in The States for Thanksgiving, so I can only guess based on what I've seen in movies and TV shows and whatnot.
1:11
I think the top notes are the same, in that people get together for a big turkey meal. But the American version seems to be bigger.
1:12
Every Canadian Thanksgiving I've been to has featured about 10ish people. It seems like many Americans end up eating with 30, 40, 50 people because every uncle, aunt, third cousin has to show up.
Though again, that's just my sense from watching movies and whatever.
pinstripe9
1:12
would, you rather have Cease or Imai
Darragh McDonald
1:13
Well, Imai is a mystery box right now. No one knows if his stuff is going to play in the majors. Cease is a far safer bet.
Love Breslo, But
1:13
Please tell me Sonny Gray isn't the best rotation upgrade the Sox are going to get.  I like the addition but feel we still need a true number two.
Darragh McDonald
1:14
I would guess he's the biggest rotation upgrade of the winter. Sorry.
Wtf mate?
1:14
Athletic reporting that the Cardinals won’t move Burleson unless they’re blown away by the offer? Does anyone need a young and controllable LH bat to make such an offer?
Darragh McDonald
1:14
Just about every contender should want Donovan since he can play so many positions. I imagine the Cards should have about 20ish suitors.
Jaysfansince1977
1:15
Not a downgrade at all Darragh, So after the Cease signing, i am getting a bit greedy, do you see any chance of the Jays now adding: Diaz, Tucker and Bo??? I know it is a big order but what the hay, no ask, no get, right!!!
Darragh McDonald
1:16
I can't really rule it out. The Rogers corporation has unlimited funds. If they want to go nuts and build a super team, they could. Especially after getting so close to that trophy.
I also wouldn't predict such a specific scenario.
1:17
The Jays jumping to set the market by getting Cease probably bodes well, but who knows? Maybe they'll hang back now after landing one big addition.
Moe Larry Curly
1:18
What's the industry view regarding the Phillies' Andrew Painter? Is he still considered an elite pitching prospect? I know the Phillies are very unlikely to move him, but is his market value still that of a future TOR starter?
Darragh McDonald
1:19
The 2025 season wasn't ideal but I think his reputation is still strong. Baseball America still has him ranked 13th overall. He's still not even 23 years old. I think there's a sense he'll find a new gear as he moves further away from his surgery.
Will
1:21
How can people live up to buy a MLB team,  but reports and current owners cry that they lose money? What am I missing?
Darragh McDonald
1:21
When owners say they are losing money, this is a lie.
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