You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
MLBTR Chat With Mark Polishuk
powered byJotCast
Mark P
9:33
Good evening!  We're less than 10 days away from the trade deadline, and it's still strangely quiet on the dealing front.
brewmann
9:33
with today injury to Woodruff will it now force Stearns to make a Trade.
Mark P
9:34
I'm not sure about "force," but there's definitely more pressure on the Brewers to make a move now.  I'd say they're now more inclined to pursue a SP instead of a reliever, though if they get a good price on a good reliever, they won't say no.
Braves
9:35
Whats the market like for Ender Inciarte?
Mark P
9:36
I don't want to say it's totally non-existent, but....it's pretty close.  His bat has completely fallen off, and while Inciarte is still a strong defenders and baserunners, teams can find those skills for a much lower price than the $17MM+ Inciarte is owed over the next two years.  

The Braves would have to eat a good chunk of that contract to make an Inciarte deal happen, or take on another bad contract in exchange
Bill Doutrieve
9:37
Surly the Cardinals front office was jesting about trading Tyler O’Neill.
Mark P
9:38
Technically, they were only open to the idea of moving O'Neill, not outright shopping him.  I'd suggest front offices should be open to the idea of trading virtually anyone, even if obviously some guys are way more untouchable than others.  No harm in keeping an open mind in case there's one team out there who loves O'Neill and is prepared to make an absurd offer
Aroldis chapman
9:39
Do I opt out or in this off season?
Mark P
9:42
It's a fascinating question.  Chapman can opt out, or remain with the Yankees for two more seasons (and $15MM per year).

Can Chapman top two years/$30MM in free agency?  I'd say almost certainly yes, if he's only looking to modestly top it.  Finding three years and $45MM seems reasonable, for instance.

But then again, the Craig Kimbrel situation undoubtedly looms large over Chapman's mind, especially since Chapman would also have a qualifying offer hanging over him.  He might prefer to just stick with his guaranteed payday in NY and keep playing for a contending team.  Or, it could be a Justin Upton situation, and Chapman could negotiate an extra year onto his deal in exchange for not opting out
Derek Falvey
9:43
Am I waiting to amass enough cash from selling DFAs to make a bigger deal?
Mark P
9:45
(Falvey is the Twins' front office head, of course)

As many pointed out, the Twins' decisions to part ways with Matt Magill and Mike Morin opened up some 40-man roster space.  The Twins have only 36 spots filled on their 40-man now, which seems to hint at clearing room for some new arrivals.  Stay tuned.
Jordan
9:45
Coin Flip...AA makes big deadline acquisition for the Braves. Heads-Yes. Tails-No.
Mark P
9:46
Wait, how binding is this coin flip decision?  Is AA like Harvey Dent or Anton Chigurh, so if the coin lands tails, he'll just shrug his shoulders and stand pat at the deadline?

The Braves are absolutely going to pick up someone before the deadline.  Whether it's a "big" acquisition or not is TBA, but my hunch would be that it's a pretty notable pickup
Roll Tribe 1948
9:48
Reyes or Renfroe plus Urias for Bauer does that seem reasonable for both sides
Mark P
9:48
No way in the world would San Diego make that deal
Z
9:49
Can't one argue that a healthy ender makes the braves better?
Mark P
9:50
He does, in the sense that he's a very good fourth outfielder.  Can play all three OF spots well, good baserunner, etc.  He's also an actual outfielder, whereas the other guys like Riley, Camargo, Culberson are all playing somewhat out of position.
So since they likely aren't going to be able to deal him anyway, it doesn't hurt Atlanta to keep Inciarte and see if he can turn things around
Mark
9:51
Gut feeling, Zack Wheeler traded or getting qualifying offer after season
Mark P
9:52
I'll be cautious and say QO.  

Wheeler will have to avoid any IL setbacks, and make at least one decent and healthy start for a trade to happen, in my view.  And even then, the Mets might still not take anything less than a big offer.
Cubbies fan
9:53
Do you see the cubbies going after Castellanos? And do you see them adding a bat soon ?
Mark P
9:54
I do see them adding a hitter, though it might be more of a utility type (basically a Zobrist replacement) rather than an everyday player like Castellanos
Shawn
9:55
What would a team have to give up to get Raisel Iglesias from the Reds. How bad a hit has his value took this year? Would Reds be better off waiting till offseason to see if he rebounds?
Mark P
9:55
Cincinnati would be selling low on Iglesias if they moved him now, I agree.
Joseph
9:56
Hello Mark, If the Dodgers call up Will Smith and he continues to impress, is there a good chance he is the starting catcher in October? Huge upgrade over Barnes & Martin.
Mark P
9:56
"Huge upgrade" may be a bit of a stretch since Smith is ultimately still an unproven MLB player.  If he's hot in August or September, he might cool off by October once teams get some tape on him and can make adjustments
9:57
But if he does play well in an extended look, I agree, the Dodgers will give him a shot.  The team has been happy to go with the hot hand in the past, even in big games
Jeff
9:58
Any reason why the Jays don’t play the 7pm ET on sundays?
Mark P
9:58
As in, why aren't they on the ESPN Sunday Night game?  ESPN usually sticks with contending teams in bigger U.S. markets for those games.
Luke Voit
9:59
How bad is that trade from the Cardinals side on a scale of 0-10, with 10 being absolutely abhorrent?
Mark P
10:00
Maybe only a 5 or a 6?  It's a deal St. Louis would definitely take back if they had a time machine.  But that said, it hasn't been a total disaster since Giovanny Gallegos has been quietly tremendous all year.
KW
10:00
At this point, do you  see Jose Abreu getting the qualifying offer this offseason?
Mark P
10:01
I feel Abreu and the Sox would probably work out an extension before free agency officially opens, so it's a moot point.  Or, the White Sox extend the QO and Abreu accepts it, then they work on an extension in the spring.
Reid
10:03
Any word on the Padres moving Wil Myers? He’s not even playing anymore, like benched behind Margot and they owe him a ton of money!
Mark P
10:03
That very ton of money is the reason why he is very unlikely to be moved, unless the Padres eat a bunch of it or make a bad-contract trade
AZ Ranger
10:04
My team is out so who gets moved out of the following: Minor, Lynn, Chris Martin, Pence, Cabrera, Forsythe?
Mark P
10:06
Of that group, Minor is probably the likeliest just because there's so much interest in him.  I can also see the Rangers seeing if Pence is cool with a trade to a contender, to give him another shot at a ring.
Jordan
10:07
Do the Rangers get a top 50 prospect back for anyone?
Mark P
10:07
A top-50 prospect for Minor seems quite reasonable
Inspector Brosseau
10:08
Am I the only one surprised there isn't much public interest in Greinke? If reports are true and AZ would pay 10M/year of his contract, you're getting an established ace for far less than he would make as a FA, right? Would love to see the Twins grab him instead of the more flawed but cheaper $ wise guys
Load More Messages
Connecting…