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Mark P
5:21
The Weekend Chat is upon us!  We'll wait a minute for the questions to start piling up, then get cracking....
Guest
5:23
Reds trading front of line pitcher this off-season?
Mark P
5:25
If by "front of the line" you mean Greene, Abbott, or Lodolo, probably not.  Petty and Burns likely aren't going anywhere either, so Singer might be the most realistic starter Cincinnati would deal to obtain some real hitting help
Angela
5:26
Want do you see the phillies  doing this off-season
Mark P
5:26
Well, my outlook on the Phillies offseason could be summed up as....
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/10/offseason-outlook-philadelphia-...
5:27
The TL;DR version is that my guess is that the Phils re-sign Schwarber and Realmuto, Suarez departs, Bohm is non-tendered or traded, and the team brings in a significant everyday outfielder to replace Castellanos (who will probably be released, in lieu of a salary-dump trade)
5:28
Now, whether or not this "significant everyday outfielder" is more of a stopgap or, say, Kyle Tucker or someone more eye-opening remains to be seen
Guest
5:29
Does Luis Arraez make more or less than 12 million AAV in free agency?
Mark P
5:29
Less.  I admit that Arraez is a tricky player to evaluate, but most modern front offices will look at his lack of defensive utility and lack of overall offensive production rather than just his batting averages
Jonny Venters
5:30
You're the GM of the Pirates, and Bob Nutting has told you he intends to raise the payroll as high as $210 million in 2026(don't laugh!).  What moves do you make this offseason to put PIT in contention?
Mark P
5:31
First I get up off the ground, since that news would've caused me to faint.

Then, heck, sign Tucker, sign Schwarber, go all out on bats.
Dan
5:32
Who do you believe is the favorite to be the next Braves manager?
Mark P
5:33
The Braves are purposely keeping news quiet, but Mark Bowman of MLB.com had an interesting report the other day pointing towards Danny Lehmann as a name under increasingly serious consideration.

Hard to call Lehmann the "favorite," per se, but given the lack of other names, I guess it's maybe him by default?  Just as notably, Bowman reported that guys like Ross, DeRosa, and Gibbons weren't being considered
Doug
5:34
Should the Mets be engaging the Rays in trade talks this offseason? The Rays can offer short-term bullpen help (Fairbanks), as well as offense at 2B (Lowe) and/or 1B (Yandy Diaz) that wouldn't require Stearns to go long-term on any of those players (and likely not impact the top of the farm system prospects). What would be a framework of a potential deal between the Mets and Rays?
Mark P
5:36
The Rays tend to want at least one MLB-ready player in such a notable trade, so they'd ask for one of the Mets' young starters.  This might not necessarily work for a NYM team that needs rotation depth anyway, but to your point, Tampa combining two of their trade chips into a single deal might be intriguing on this front.
Guest
5:36
What routes do you see the Red Sox taking? I feel there are a million different ways they could go. I feel signing Tucker then trading both Duran and Abreu in two different trades for pitching is the way to go.
Mark P
5:37
This seems a touch complicated when the Sox could just trade one OF for a pitcher, and then perhaps sign another arm.  Tucker probably won't be on Boston's radar when the Sox already have so much in the outfield pipeline.
C-Daddy
5:38
Stress level out of 10 with your beloved Blue Jays in the playoffs.
Mark P
5:40
Oh man, I've been a borderline nervous wreck all October, lol.  Playoff baseball is both the best and kinda the worst!

My stress level is somewhat mitigated by my amazement that the Blue Jays actually won the pennant and are battling it out in the WS.  Obviously it would be disappointing to get this close and then fall short, but this whole season has been such an unexpected joy that it's all gravy at this point.
Mark
5:40
Do you think that Mike Trout is going to be traded?
Mark P
5:40
No
Chaim Bloom
5:41
Who should I go after in free agency, but also remain in rebuild territory?
Mark P
5:42
The Cardinals' free agent targets will probably be veterans on one-year deals, with the idea being that St. Louis could then potentially flip them at the deadline.  They don't want to block any of their young players to any great extent, but signing a starting pitcher to eat innings and act as an experienced leader for the kids makes sense, especially if Gray is moved
Allen
5:43
Seattle needs a bat for 2B/3B and are said to be shopping Castillo. Who are the top targets? Might they pay some salary?
Mark P
5:45
The M's might still be open to moving Castillo to free up some payroll space, yet don't forget that Colt Emerson will be making his MLB next year.  It's probably safe to pencil him in at 2B or 3B, leaving the Mariners looking at just the other position.  It could be as simply as re-signing Polanco, if they think he'll be able to return to regular second base action
Guest
5:48
A lot of Giants fans want them to pursue Skubal in light of trade rumors that he’ll be made available. But I say wait til he’s FA and take a run at him then, otherwise you spend all your trade capital on someone who will walk at the end of 2026 cause he’s a Boras guy and Boras discourages extensions.
Mark P
5:50
This makes sense, though having Skubal on the roster for a year and (in theory) winning him over with the organizational atmosphere and the Giants' intent to win will help them in a bidding war next winter.  Not that Skubal would necessarily be taking a hometown discount or anything, maybe he'd be more open to staying in a known environment if the money is pretty equal all around
Ang T
5:50
IF Harper made available for trade by PHI, which teams would be the top suitors?
Dave Dombrowski
5:50
What CF could I get for Bryce Harper on the trade market after my idiotic comments about him after the season?
Mark P
5:53
"Idiotic" is the wrong word.  I'll bet Dombrowski wishes he'd phrased his answer differently in that press conference, but Dombrowski said nothing incorrect about Harper's 2025 season.  I can also understand why a competitive guy like Harper would be upset by the comments, plus the fact that Dombrowski didn't mention the obvious caveat that Harper was dealing with a wrist problem for a decent chunk of the year.

This seems like much ado about nothing, ultimately, in part because Harper has a no-trade clause and doesn't want to go anywhere.  If Dombrowsk was playing 4-D chess and Harper now has extra motivation to have another MVP-level season, everyone wins.
Ghost
5:54
What would a reasonable offseason look like for the White Sox to try to progress towards respectability?
Mark P
5:55
Getting a good return in a Luis Robert trade. Picking up a couple of other veterans that turn into good deadline trade chips.  If the White Sox were ever willing to spend money, I'd suggest taking on a bad contract or two in order to try and obtain some better prospects from teams.
Natitude Dude
5:56
Alec Bohm to the Nats to play 1B/3B? Thoughts.
Mark P
5:57
Bohm is a free agent next winter, so I don't think he's much of a fit on a Nationals team that likely isn't trying to win in 2026.
Rays Days
5:58
If there is a 2027 work stoppage or lockout
Would it behoove the rays to just pick up Lowe’s and  Diaz’s options for next year and then wait and see what 2027 brings
Mark P
6:00
Lowe has a club option for 2026, whereas Diaz is under contract next year (with a club option for 2027).

Sure, it's possible the Rays might just stand pat with both guys.  Fairbanks is the most obvious trade candidate of the three, so he's the only one I'd be truly surprised to see still in a Rays uniform on Opening Day.  The Rays might want to keep Lowe and Yandy around to help a lineup that needs more pop anyway.
Tennessee fan
6:01
Does the Vitello hiring make the Giants a more desirable destination seeing that Vitello’s recruiting skills have reportedly been outstanding?
Mark P
6:04
This is an interesting aspect of Vitello's hiring that I haven't seen addressed in much depth.  The Giants' issues in luring (most) top free agents to San Francisco have been well-documented, yet keep in mind, there's a world of difference between talking a top high schooler or college player into coming to Tennessee and talking a top free agent into signing with your team.
Ultimately it'll come down to what the Giants are offering financially, of course, but if they're offering comparable money, maybe a great pitch from Vitello could be a tie-breaker in some cases.
John Stanton
6:05
Everyone in Seattle loves Naylor. Should I just give him want he wants to stay and play for us or is this just the Naylor charm talking and my money could be better spent elsewhere?
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