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Mark P
8:55
After a two-week hiatus due to some shift rescheduling, the Weekend Chat is back!
Thomas
8:55
Twins need to sell some pieces at the deadline. What would a trade package for Duran look like?
Mark P
8:57
It would be pretty substantial, yet I'm not sure I see Minnesota making that big of a move if they do sell.  Trading Duran would say something about the team's plans for 2026 and beyond, and I think the Twins expect (hope?) to reload for next year if this season ends up going off the rails by the deadline
YamaPhoto
8:58
You predict the Braves to be sellers at the deadline?
Mark P
8:59
Anthopoulos pretty firmly closed the door on the idea of trading Chris Sale or anyone at the deadline, unless the team absolutely cratered.  These statements were made before Sale's IL placement, however, which dealt another big blow to Atlanta's chances.

I don't see the Braves selling (or fully deciding to sell) until close to the deadline, if at all.
Die Hard Rox Fan
9:00
What would a Jake Bird return look like. 2 top 100s?
Mark P
9:01
Bird's having a great season, but that is a very, VERY optimistic hope for a reliever who hasn't shown a whole lot prior to 2025
Andrew Abbott
9:02
Am I firmly in the Cy Young conversation?
Mark P
9:03
Too many NL pitchers having better years, and the advanced metrics hint at some regression coming for Abbott. That doesn't detract from the fact that he's pitched really well this year, and greatly helped Cincinnati's rotation
Natitude
9:04
Shouldn’t the Nats consider a college arm or Hernandez at #1 overall? Seems like the farm system doesn’t have more than 1-2 high end arms on the way in the next few years. Plus, I’ve read varying opinions on the projectability of Holliday in the future.  Doesn’t sound like a slam dunk difference maker.
Mark P
9:05
It seems like this draft class doesn't have any "slam dunk difference makers," as much as those players even really exist in a baseball context.  It all depends on how the Nationals internally feel about Holliday or any of the other top candidates, since in a year without a clear-cut #1, any number of guys might rise or drop in the order
Darthyen
9:05
Will the Blue Jays look to move just their pending free agents (Bichette, Bassitt...) at the deadline or will they be full blown sellers and move pieces with a bit more control (Clement, Gausman, Lukes, Varsho....)?
Mark P
9:06
Right now the Jays are on pace to be a wild card team, so they won't be selling anyone.  It remains to be seen if Toronto can keep it going and stay in the hunt, but they're another team I don't expect to see as "sellers" unless things totally go south in the next month.
Mr Bean
9:07
What might a return for the Mariners J.P. Crawford look like if he were to be moved?
Mark P
9:08
This is a moot point of a question, as why would the contending Mariners move a shortstop who's having a career year?
Boston
9:09
Jaren Duran for who?
Mark P
9:09
With Devers now gone, the Red Sox have opened up the lineup enough that they probably no longer need to move an outfielder.
I don't know's on 3rd
9:10
Where can I find how players hit in each stadium? I
Mark P
9:11
This info is available on a player's "splits" page on Baseball Reference
Adam
9:11
Mets demoted Alvarez. Is there a C out there that they can trade for.
Mark P
9:12
Between Alvarez's demotion and the Rutschman/Handley injuries, I was wondering if McCann might head to one of his old teams, but instead the D'Backs swooped in.

Catching is such a rare commodity that I'm not sure the Mets can find a real upgrade on the open market.  I think their hope is that Alvarez can get it together with some time in the minors, and rejoin the team by the break (if not earlier)
Ken
9:13
Luis Severino has some crazy home/road splits. I think his road ERA is under 1, while he's struggled at the AAA park. If the A's made him available (and chipped in some cash), what kind of return would he fetch?
Mark P
9:16
They'd get a decent return but nothing outlandish, especially if only "some" cash is being chipped in.  Don't forget that the A's may have beaten the market to overpay slightly for Severino and convince him to join a borderline (at best) contender pitching in a minor league park.
As obvious as it is that Severino is really bothered by pitching in Sacramento, he's also obviously not going to keep posting Bob Gibson numbers if he were to get dealt.
Blue 24
9:18
Will the Dodgers make a another move possibly a leftfielder?
Mark P
9:18
The Dodgers' deadline moves will very likely be focused on pitching more than anything with the position player mix.
9:19
Also, simply sitting Conforto and having both Kim and Pages in the lineup on a more regular basis might itself be the simplest solution
Dombrowski
9:19
Every fan thinks that we can trade from our rotation depth but I say no. Too many things can happen, and we will need our only expiring contract (Ranger) in the playoffs for sure. What say you?
Mark P
9:20
Dombrowski's history implies that no prospect is entirely untouchable (though Painter/Crawford are probably extremely close to that level).  I agree that it's more likely that Philly holds onto their MLB-level pitching, since Murphy's Law would dictate that as soon as a starter was dealt at the deadline, another starter would get injured like a week later
Ryan
9:22
What would you do with Harry Ford? Would you promote him and find a way to get him in the lineup or trade him for some major league help? What kind of return would he get at this point?
Mark P
9:25
The outfield experiment with Ford last year seems to have ended, as he has only been a C/DH at Triple-A this season.  Ford has been hitting really well in his first taste of AAA ball and seems ready for the majors, and just calling him up as the backup catcher and part-time DH seems like a reasonable move for a team that still needs hitting.

The x-factor here is Polanco, since having him still at DH so regularly limits what the Mariners can do.  Once Polanco gets back to normal infield duty, calling Ford up as another bat would be a logical move. If that means releasing Garver and eating the money, so be it
BrewCrew27
9:26
How is Otani able to pitch 1 inning yet stay as the DH?
Mark P
9:27
MLB made a rule change to allow Ohtani (or any pitcher, but let's be real, Ohtani) to stay in the game as a P-then-DH back in 2022
ClarkeinEcuador
9:28
Can Cal Raleigh keep this up?
Mark P
9:28
Let's hope he can, just because it's awesome to see a player suddenly go from "this guy is pretty good" to having an all-timer of a season
Ron
9:29
Hoffman really blew the game today despite not giving up an earned run. Is a closer Toronto's biggest need at the deadline? Would Chapman be available if the Sox fall 6 games out at the deadline?
Mark P
9:31
Starting pitching is the Blue Jays' biggest need, but the bullpen isn't far behind, in part because the rotation's struggles have led to a lot of innings for the relief corps.

Hoffman got off to an amazing start, but his performance has sharply swung downwards over the last month.  Bringing in another closer type after already paying Hoffman so much money isn't ideal, and another closing candidate isn't obviously waiting in the wings unless perhaps Rodriguez gets a shot.
9:32
Bullpen help of some kind definitely seems like a deadline priority, but it's probably more likely to be a reliever with some past closing experience, not necessarily "A Closer" like Chapman
Darren
9:34
Would the Jays consider playing the hometown card and trading for Michael Soroka given the Nats would logically be sellers and Soroka is starting to fire on all cylinders (for five innings, at least!)
Mark P
9:35
Soroka's hometown of Calgary isn't exactly near Toronto, but sure, he's the kind of relatively inexpensive SP add I can see the Jays making
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