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Bobby Cox
5:28
I get why Braves won’t go 6 yrs with Freddie. But I think we have to cave in and give it. Is Ozuna our Dh next season?
Mark P
5:30
Ozuna will probably split time between DH and the outfield, Atlanta likely doesn't want to monopolize the DH spot with just one player.

I get the hesitation about committing six years to a 32-year-old, but....it's also Freddie Freeman.  There's really no evidence yet that he's slowing down, so I highly doubt a sudden decline is coming in 2022 or even 2023.
P Mark
5:31
(P Diddy's younger brother from a different mother lol). Do you feel the dodgers almost must sign Trea Turner to an extension? Otherwise, they'll have nothing to show from giving up their top 2 prospects last year.
Mark P
5:32
"Puffy" could work as a nickname for me, since I look something like a human version of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man

Anyway, I suspect the Dodgers had a Turner extension planned from the moment they made that trade.  Takes two to tango on a deal, however, but I'd be shocked if they didn't already have some preliminary talks with Turner's reps.  However, Turner naturally will want to see how all the big shortstop contracts play out this winter before agreeing to anything
White Sox
5:34
If the Yankees sign Freeman, might they let us take either Gleyber or DJ off their hands?
Mark P
5:36
I can't see Gleyer being dealt, since the Yankees probably want to give him a full year at 2B now that they've finally changed his position.  LeMahieu has  full no-trade protection for 2022, so while he might be open to a move to another contender, it would be a tricky deal to negotiate.  (Plus, if you're the White Sox, do you want a DJLM coming off such a mediocre year?)
Cap
5:37
If baseball had a cap like football and basketball,  do you think teams would be more competitive?
Mark P
5:39
My hot take is that baseball isn't really suffering from a "competition" problem.  Pretty much every team has made the postseason at least once in the last five years.  Small-market teams like the Rays, Guardians, A's are consistent contenders.  Plenty of teams spend tons of money but can't get into the World Series.
Shoeless Toe
5:40
If the start of the season is significantly delayed, will players on the verge of retirement (say, Grienke) be more likely to pack it in, or come back for a season that won’t be as long and grueling?
Mark P
5:41
Maybe not Greinke specifically, but I can see guys who'd be borderline calls just to get MLB contracts (rather than minor league deals) perhaps deciding to just hang it up
Lies, Damn Lies, And Statistics
5:41
I know metrics cannot quantify this, but how much value do you feel teams place on a player's clubhouse leadership/chemistry when making a deal? Not much at all, or only certain clubs?
Mark P
5:42
Every club does this to some extent, and this is an X-factor that makes any trade interesting.  One clubhouse's leader can suddenly become an issue in another clubhouse and around another group of teammates.
Dtown78
5:43
Could you possibly see the Tigers going after 1 more large FA, be it SP or otherwise? We definitely have the room financially to do so?
Mark P
5:44
It's possible, though I suspect Baez and E-Rod will represent Detroit's biggest splurges of the winter.  Doesn't mean the Tigers couldn't add someone else at a still-significant price tag.
Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name
5:45
Mark, thanks for the chat! Team X offers one top 100 prospect plus one or two other lesser ones for Olsen and Manaea. Is that enough for the A's to bite?
Mark P
5:46
The A's aren't taking that offer for BOTH guys.  Depends on who the top-100 guy is, obviously, but I could see them accepting a trade like that for Manaea, and maybe for Olsen if the top prospect is a blue-chipper
No decline in 2022 or 2023 for Freddie?
5:48
If there is no sudden decline coming for 2022 or 2023 for Freddie Freeman, shouldn't the Braves only sign him through 2023? I think the fact that he is likely to decline in 2024 but wants wants to be paid for 3 years beyond that is the problem. The Braves roster makes it look like they don't agree with the idea of paying players for their decline years.
Mark P
5:50
I should note, my earlier comment wasn't meant to imply that I think Freeman will fall apart in 2024.  But a six-year contract for big money is only truly a "disaster" for a team if the player immediately falls apart right out of the gate.
If Freeman had two more huge seasons and then started to decline, I think Atlanta fans would still feel generally okay with that contract.  If the Braves happened to win another title in 2022 or 2023, they'd feel more than okay.
Ryan
5:51
What number of teams do you think will play a postseason game/series in 2022 and beyond?
Mark P
5:51
I think we're getting a 12-team playoff field this season, and for the rest of the current CBA
Clever Name
5:51
Could Trevor Story be the White Sox answer at 2B? His arm seems like too big a question mark for a team to count on him as their long-term SS.
Mark P
5:52
Story would have to be open for such a move, and the White Sox would have to be comfortable making another major salary on their already record-high payroll.  But on paper, it is an interesting fit.
Squints: “FOR-EV-ER”
5:53
What all goes into each CBA proposal submitted by either side? Why does it take so long to counter? Isn’t there urgency to get back to business?
Mark P
5:54
The CBA is an incredible complex document, so I can understand each side giving their lawyers time to fully analyze a proposal and then make a counter.

I do agree that the lack of urgency in these talks has been galling
Armchair GM
5:56
A lot of the MLBTR writers have predicted the Astros to be the favorite to sign Trevor Story.  If one of the Astros'  top prospect, SS Pena, is the future, why would they offer a big multi-year deal to Story?  Also, Diaz and Siri can spot start at SS. You would think they would want to see if Pena is the future.  If he doesn't show promise, then Turner, Bogaerts and Swanson are all FAs in the 2022-2023 season.
Mark P
5:56
This is a fair observation, and since I think I was one of the ones who picked Story to Houston, my logic was that Pena could then be shopped as a very interesting trade chip.
Sox fan
5:58
What’s stopping us from going after Correa? seems like a left side of Correa and devers for the next decade would be elite, plus the defensive improvement at SS would help the pitching, love boegarts but he’s getting older and needs to move off the spot anyways
Mark P
5:59
This makes some sense, though that supposes that Devers will be a long-term 3B, which may not be the case.
Jim S
6:00
I disagree that baseball does not have a competition problem.  Pirates have three short postseasons since 1992, and only four seasons above.500 in that time.  The old CBA did not insure competitive balance and I doubt the new one will either.
Mark P
6:01
But that's less an overall competitive problem than it is a "the Pirates have been generally mismanaged" problem.
chunkyshark
6:01
Where do you think the luxury tax actually ends up in '22? If it exists at all, I guess.
Mark P
6:02
I think the tax remains in some form, and it'll be bumped up to maybe $225-$230MM.
Mark Shapiro
6:02
Have you (or Tim, et al)  ever found out, through back channels for example, that a real player or exec actually asked a question on a chat?
Mark P
6:03
Given all the MLB players and personnel who visit the site, it seems a given that at least some have asked questions in these chats, just to be cheeky if nothing else.
Jo Adell: No, seriously, am I being dealt??
Sandy KnowFacts
6:04
Which of the Padres potential starting pitching candidates (what is it, 8 or 9?) are the mostly likely to be traded, and what kind of return would you expect for whomever they are?
Mark P
6:05
Steve Adams recently explored this topic in a post
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/01/padres-trade-rumors-starting-pi...
6:06
In general, however, I tend to lean more towards the idea of San Diego keeping everyone for the first few months of the season to see who's healthy and effective.  There are so many injury-related question marks that Preller might be hesitant to sell low on a pitcher only to see him blossom on another team now that he's healthy.
Baez
6:08
Chances I could get moved to second base and the Tigers shock the baseball world and sign Correa. It would one of the best infields in baseball for sure, offensively as well as defensively.
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