JotCast | MLBTR Chat With Mark Polishuk

Mark P

9:01

Hi everyone, welcome to the Sunday chat! Warning: there may be more polls this week

Will Mark go overboard with the polls?

Yes (34.7% | 180 votes)

Absolutely (24.1% | 125 votes)

Positively (10.8% | 56 votes)

No Doubt (30.4% | 158 votes)

Total Votes: 519

Nick

9:02

Cubs still looking for defensive minded catcher?

Mark P

9:02

I'd imagine so, and they'll be active once teams start making their end-of-camp cuts

1015elvis

9:03

Will Chris Davis Rebound this year?

Mark P

9:05

His days of 40+ homers are long gone, and by this point, the Orioles would happily take even a repeat of his subpar 2017 numbers. It's rare to see a guy completely fall off the table as Davis did, so you figure maybe some kind of correction is in order....but he was so terrible last year that you can't count on much

Doug

9:05

At this point, I do not see a team that should or would logically consider signing Kimberl or Kuechel, and I don’t see them dropping their prices either. What do you think will happen?

Mark P

9:07

Their prices have already "dropped," in the sense that they're obviously not getting those pie-in-the-sky contracts of five or six years that they were looking for at the start of the offseason.

It's just a question at this point as to how far their prices have dropped. I think a lot of teams would move on Keuchel/Kimbrel at three years.

Dave Roberts

9:08

what would YOUR walk up song be?

Mark P

9:08

Fireworks, by the Tragically Hip

ATL

9:09

Acuna is raking this spring, he looks locked in.. i know its spring training, but think he could be a legit MVP candidate this season?

Mark P

9:09

I wouldn't doubt it. Acuna seems like a special kind of a player. He'll seems like he'll be in the MVP conversation for the next decade.

9:10

How will Jake bauers be in the outfield?

Mark P

9:10

Passable-to-decent. Cleveland has enough outfielders that they can remove Bauers for defensive purposes late in games, and maybe move Bauers to first base or something.

Mike Elias

9:12

Who do we take 1/1 overall?

Mark P

9:12

Bobby Witt Jr. and Adley Rutschman are getting a lot of buzz right now, but lots of things could still change before the draft. Whomever the Orioles take, I'd suggest they make sure that their pick isn't preparing to, say, play quarterback for Oklahoma or something.

(Mike Elias is the Orioles' GM, btw)

FieldAndDream

9:13

At what date does the comp pick for the Astros drop off of Keuchel? Isn’t it in May?

Mark P

9:13

It'll happen after the draft, which takes place on June 3-5

AngelsInTheTroutfield

9:15

Which is the more sensible move, punt a 2nd rounder and INTL $$ (+ $$ on contract) for Keuchel or trade the equivalent second round and INTL prospects for an arm like Stroman or Fulmer?

Mark P

9:15

If I'm the Angels, I sign Keuchel. Lot of question marks surrounding Stroman, and especially surrounding Fulmer right now

Cardinals

9:16

The Cardinals 4 outfielders are all hitting under .200 with 11 days till the season. The catcher and short stop also. When is it time for Cardinal fans to start worrying?

Mark P

9:16

When it happens during games that actually matter.

Senor Cashman

9:17

Judge looks better than ever. Not just HR's but contact. Kind of afraid he'll start the season without a HR for a few weeks. Spring stats worry me, they usually never transfer over. Please calm me down!

Mark P

9:17

[Cher voice] SNAP OUT OF IT! [/Cher voice]

Astrosfan

9:17

What are the chances that the Astros get Keuchel? Do you think they offer reasonable extension contracts to Verlander and Cole?

Mark P

9:18

If I had to guess on Keuchel's next team, I'd pick Houston based on nothing more than a gut feeling. He returns on a one-year deal, returns to a familiar situation and a winning team, and tries against in free agency next year without the QO weighing him down

9:20

As for Verlander and Cole, they'll certainly offer something. Verlander's age is a concern, though he certainly doesn't seem to be slowing down much.

Snow country

9:20

Other than the PR boost was there actually a point to the Jays upping the milb salaries right now?

Mark P

9:21

Sounds like the Jays simply had a desire to do better by their minor leaguers. It's a small gesture but an important one.

artiepviking

9:23

How does Patrick Corbin do in Washington this year under or over 15 wins????

Mark P

9:23

I'd say over, though with the caveat that wins aren't a good way to evaluate how good a pitcher is

Jerry Dipoto

9:24

It's looking like Jay Bruce could be moved sooner rather than later. How would you grade the Cano Diaz trade as of right for both teams??

Mark P

9:25

(Dipoto is Seattle's GM)

I thought the deal was a big win for the Mariners. You get some good prospects and get the bulk of Cano's deal off the books before he even declines. Diaz had a great year, no doubt, though relievers are fungible enough that he might not be a huge loss

9:26

And with that said, just because it's a big win for the Mariners doesn't mean it's a loss for the Mets. Diaz should still be good-to-very good, and Cano obviously seems to still have something left in the tank.

Troy H

9:26

What should the Mariners do with King Felix?

Mark P

9:27

It would be a very unfortunate way to end Felix's tenure, but I wouldn't be shocked to see the Mariners release him in May or June if he can't get back on track.

Leo D

9:27

Twins are going to surprise everyone and win the division...am I playing with a full deck?

Mark P

9:28

It's a reasonable prediction. Cleveland still has to be considered the favorite based on their pitching depth, though their lineup certainly didn't get better and might well have gotten worse. Lindor's health situation is key

Von Purple Hayes

9:29

What do you think of Jeff Samardzija's "no extra-innings" idea? Sort of switching baseball to a point system like the NHL, but without OT or shootouts.

Mark P

9:30

The closer comparison is with soccer. Shark's proposal was that rather than go to extra innings, tied games end after nine innings, and both teams would receive a point. A team that wins a game normally would get three points.

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