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Mark P
11:33
Almost seven and a half months after the Dodgers and Cubs squared off in Tokyo, the 2025 MLB season will officially end today.*  But, almost as importantly as Game 7, it's also time for the final Weekend Chat of the 2025 season!

*= I guess it could technically end on November 2 if Game 7 goes past midnight, but what are the chances the Dodgers and Blue Jays play some crazy extra-inn.....oh wait
World Series Prediction
11:33
Who you got?  Blue Jays win 4-3 or Dodgers steal the show?
Mark P
11:33
Who wins Game 7?
Blue Jays (65.4% | 548 votes)
 
Dodgers (34.6% | 290 votes)
 
Total Votes: 838
AA
11:34
Do I sign cease or king this offseason?
Mark P
11:36
Leaning towards no, since the Braves under Anthopoulos haven't pursued longer-term pitching contracts.  Cease is also a Boras client, and AA generally doesn't do business with Boras on a free agent level.

King is an interesting option for a somewhat shorter-term contract with opt-outs involved.  It depends on how his market shapes up since there's still a very good chance he lands a big multi-year deal anyway, but if he doesn't want to fully commit himself after a shortened 2025 season, he and his reps might be open to more creative contracts.  This might open the door to a team like Atlanta to get involved.
Hang over
11:36
So will the first day of free agency be crazy after the World Series is completed?  Which teams do you see making the most waves?
Mark P
11:37
Free agency doesn't begin until five days after the final game of the WS.  The offseason in general starts immediately, however, so I'd expect a lot of news on options being exercised/declined, maybe a couple of trades, maybe the Padres/Rockies/Braves announce their new manager or GM, etc.
Dean
11:38
Who's the splashiest surprise (ala Eflin, HSK) FA signing you could see the Rays making?  Realmuto?
Mark P
11:40
It's hard to see the Rays outbidding Philly for Realmuto.  I can also assume that Realmuto probably feels the Phillies are closer to winning in 2026 than the Rays are, so that's not likely to be an option for him.

Projecting free agent moves for Tampa is difficult since when they do strike, it tends to be somewhat out of nowhere.  Nobody saw them as suitors for Kim, for instance.  Bringing in an Eflin type of innings-eater might be a good move this winter due to the injury uncertainties in their rotation.
BrianM
11:41
Does Pete resign with the Mets?
Mark P
11:42
Leaning towards no.  I think it took a particular set of circumstances to reunite Alonso and the Mets last winter, and it feels like the Mets only have a certain price point for Alonso in mind.  Coming off a much better platform season, Alonso likely isn't in the mood to take any kind of shorter-term pact this time around.
Nido
11:43
Could Nido have earned a one year MLB contract rather than sign with the Tigers for triple A?  Seems like a good player
Mark P
11:45
Nido is a career backup at best.  He clearly seems ok with his situation in Detroit even if it's being the third man on the depth chart.  Taking an early contract now and giving himself peace of mind over the offseason might also be preferable to having to grind out months of waiting and seeing before finally landing another minors deal months later
IMissHelton
11:46
Do the Rockies keep dragging their feet through the offseason? Most other teams have hired their GM/manager tandem for the future while the Rox are still “mulling their options”
Mark P
11:48
Remember, this is seemingly the first time Dick Monfort has ever had a real GM search, after just promoting from within for the other two hires of his ownership tenure.  Makes sense that it might take a bit longer than usual, though given how much the new GM will have to do with overhauling the Rockies, every offseason day is critical.
Wisconsin O’s
11:49
Any chance the O’s sign a big rh bat > Bo B? Please please say yes.
Mark P
11:50
Bichette isn't a fit on a team already loaded in the infield, and I don't expect the Orioles to spend at the highest ends of the free agent market.  But, they should be adding some kind of righty balance to the lineup.
Mike B
11:51
Since the trade deadline, I have had this idea of the Phillies trading Nick Castellanos (plus a mid-level prospect) to the Pirates for Bryan Reynolds (the advanced metrics seem to suggest Reynolds down season was just some bad luck, as he was still in line with his career numbers for Barrel Rate, XBA, XSLG, and XWOBA - among others). Essentially, I am banking on Pittsburgh wanting to be as cheap as possible (not a bad bet with that ownership group) and saving them $50ish million in the long term. Can you please just tell me I'm crazy so I can stop considering this as a possibility?
Mark P
11:52
While I don't doubt that the Pirates might deal Reynolds under the right circumstance, this particular move doesn't make any sense for them.  Pittsburgh should be trying to add hitting, not take on a limited player like Castellanos who seems to be on the downswing.
Chaim Bloom
11:53
Where do you see me trading donovan to?
Mark P
11:54
I covered all things Donovan in a "looking for a trade match" post earlier this week.  Long story short, he is a reasonable fit on at least half the league, so it's hard to pick a particular top suitor out of a very large field at this point

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/10/looking-for-a-match-in-a-brenda...
Padres
11:55
If they hire Puljols will Niebla leave?
Mark P
11:57
Only Niebla would know the answer to this question, though he is under contract for 2026.  I doubt that the Padres would want to lose him as pitching coach, and one would imagine Pujols/Hundley/whoever would also want to keep Niebla in the fold.

I noted this in a post the other day, but it kind of works against Niebla's candidacy that the Padres might just prefer him as the pitching coach.  Since if he's elevated to manager, then the team suddenly has another big hole to fill on the coaching staff.
Now, being manager obviously doesn't mean that Niebla can't still speak with the pitchers or give advice.  But the Padres might prefer the "if it ain't broke..." approach
B Han
11:58
Seems like one of the most logical trades this offseason will be Castellanos for Arenado, with maybe a few minor prospects switching teams. Your thoughts?
Mark P
11:59
While Arenado would be more helpful to the Phillies than Castellanos, the 2026 version of Nolan Arenado doesn't seem to be too likely of a boost for a team with World Series aspirations.
Natitude
11:59
What are your thoughts on the Nationals going so young in their hires for the front office and head coach?
Mark P
12:00
It made me feel old, haha

Washington's clearly looking for some fresh perspectives, perhaps with the idea that Rizzo/Martinez were too old-school in their approaches.  Time will tell if the changes work out, since Toboni has a lot to do to get the Nats on track.
Mike Maddux
12:01
Do you know any extra details on why he chose an organization like the Angels? This team is in total dysfunction so I'm curious why he would leave a situation like Texas that doesn't seem to have any dysfunction.
Mark P
12:02
Your guess is as good as mine.  It's strange to think that Maddux might immediately have more job security than Kurt Suzuki in Anaheim, given Suzuki's unusual one-year contract.
deGrom
12:04
Do the Rangers try to move deGrom this winter? How much of the contract would they have to eat? Who might bite?
Mark P
12:05
DeGrom is owed $38MM in 2026 and $37MM in 2027, plus there's a club option for 2028 on a value TBD.  That works out to a $37.5MM tax number for DeGrom, since remember that a traded contract has a tax value based on the AAV remaining on the deal (not the original total value of the deal).
12:08
That's a high enough tax figure to scare some teams off, to say nothing of DeGrom's injury history and age.  The counter, of course, is that DeGrom is still a frontline ace if healthy, so it'll be interesting to see how negotiations could work out or if Texas would be willing to eat anything of the contract.

There's also deGrom's no-trade clause, so this might be a moot point entirely if he doesn't want to leave Arlington.  The Rangers are trying to both balance the budget and still win in 2026, so while there's some payroll logic in trading deGrom and selling high, it does leave another hole in their rotation
Im a Werewolf Baby
12:09
Progressive field benefits lefties, but Cleveland’s system is ALL lefties. How have they not balanced out their system? Delauter, Bazzana, Ralphy, Manzardo, Bo, Kwan, Valera, Ingle, etc. Half your games are away and you can’t beat elite lefties in the playoffs with a lineup of all lefties. Has this been a systemic failure of hitting development/approach?
Mark P
12:10
Teams draft for best talent available, without much or any regard to handedness.  In theory, the Guardians can always trade from this list or obtain a RHH elsewhere to get more balance in the big league lineup
Masataka
12:11
Where am I opening day ‘26?
Mark P
12:12
Boston.  More seemingly "untradable" contracts than Yoshida's have been moved over the years, but barring a total salary dump, why would a team make a move to acquire him?
Chris
12:13
Do the Dbacks sign one or two starters this offseason.  Thoughts on who?
Mark P
12:14
Arizona's got enough invested in its rotation that someone like Merrill Kelly might be about as high as they're willing to go in rotation spending.  Acquiring another SP via trade is also a possibility.
Cactusflair
12:15
Do you see the Cardinals potentially non-tendering Lars Nootbaar after his recent double heel surgery
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