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Mark P
7:00
2022 is the last guaranteed year of Baldelli's contract, but the Twins have at least two club options on his services.  So it would be a relatively easy parting if the Twins did decide a change was necessary, but as you said, it isn't Baldelli's fault that the team was crushed by injuries all year.

It could also be argued that the lack of pitching depth and/or the unwillingness to let starters go deep into games is on the front office, not on Baldelli.
Marky Mark
7:02
Every year the pundits list the Cubs as a major player and this year is no exception. But given thre presence of Nico at short, do you sign a SS and move him to 2B, or do you keep him at short with Madrigal at second and go try and sing one of the Big 4 shortstops this winter?
Mark P
7:03
If the Cubs did sign a big-name shortstop, their move is probably to keep Madrigal at 2B and try Hoerner in the outfield.  Or, if they wanted to get really aggressive, they could put Hoerner at 2B and perhaps shop Madrigal as a trade chip.
7:04
Basically, the Cubs have some flexibility, though it remains to be seen if they'll actually break the bank on a major signing (of a shortstop or another position)
Jimmy
7:04
Thank you for the chats Mark. Do you really think Nimmo is a possibility for the Cardinals considering that they have Carlson, O'Neil and Nootbar?They all play a decent CF? The Cards also have Alec Burelson, Moises Gomez and Jordon Walker all competing for a Corner outfield position next year.
Mark P
7:05
Cards are pretty far down the list of Nimmo suitors, admittedly, but I could also see STL packaging a couple of those prospects together as part of a bigger trade.  That might free up some outfield room.
Ken
7:05
How concerned are the powers that be that Judge's chase of 61 and Pujols' chase of 700 is generating little interest outside of hardcore baseball fans?
Mark P
7:07
I think there's a fair amount of general sports fan interest in Judge and Pujols, if for no other reason than baseball is pretty much the only sport where "chasing records" is still a major storyline.  Baseball is also the only sport where fans (both casual and harder-core) actually know a lot of the major records and milestone numbers off the top of their heads.
Die Hard White Sox Fan
7:09
Assuming Tony LaRussa doesnt return next season, does Joe Maddon make sense for the White Sox since he wants a team with both good young youth and veterans? Thanks
Lobo
7:09
Mark: Good Evening. Are you in favor of the Fish bringing in Joe Maddon to replace Mattingly?
Mark P
7:09
I'd probably think Chicago is the more attractive of those two jobs to Maddon, since the Sox are closer to being competitive.
7:11
Maddon has been pretty vocal about wanting more of an old-school "let the manager manage" approach, though still with communication with his front office.  This could be a fit in Chicago considering that La Russa is also a nod to the old-school managerial style
Jeff
7:11
Would you be surprised if the Tigers spent again this winter?
Mark P
7:13
If they had another big splurge like this past offseason, yes.  But I do think Detroit will do some notable spending, since they basically have to --- just too many roster holes on that team.  

It could be more of a 2013 Red Sox approach, where the front office spends modestly on a number of different needs rather than funnelling a lot of money towards one or two players
7:14
btw, I have yet to hear back from Tigers ownership about my application for the GM job.  Probably just a matter of time --- I used a orange (Tigers orange!) font for my name on the resume, to really stand out
Cubs
7:16
Will Ross get canned as soon as they are a contender? Bring in an experienced manager when the time comes
Mark P
7:16
Given the past history with Rick Renteria, this is a distinct possibility.
Derek
7:16
A team like the White Sox and Twins have been decimated by injuries all year, is this the fault of the players or does the blame fall on the training staffs?
Mark P
7:18
There is a lot of variance to injuries on a year-to-year basis.  If a team has tons of injuries every season, it's fair to say there might be something wrong with the training staff, or with how a team is prepping its players.

But, for just a one-year bite of the injury bug, it might just be bad luck
Also, keep in mind that given the weird offseason, 2022 was bound to have more injuries than normal, as players were thrown off their usual training routines due to the lockout
Angry Dan Duquette
7:19
Do I get an interview for the Mets Head of Operations job
Mark P
7:19
The Mets are known to be looking for business-centric president candidates thus far, so that would seem to rule out people like Duquette
7:20
That said, if David Stearns became available, one suspects the Mets would drop everything and hire him
Murphy
7:21
Do I bring back a similar return to what the Phillies gave for Realmuto or is that just wishful thinking on the A’s part?
Mark P
7:24
It'll be pretty close.  Murphy has an extra year of control, which helps close the gap since Realmuto was a more established star player.  The A's can definitely ask for two top-100 types and probably more
Marky Mark
7:24
In a recent chat, Anthony speculated that it might take 2 top 100 type prospects plus 1 or 2 lesser ones to get Murphy from the A's. Do you concur or have other ideas?
Mark P
7:25
Concur!
Ms
7:25
Our offense is below average. No Suarez for a bit and Julio with a sore back. Is there any panic?
Mark P
7:26
Still a four-game cushion over Baltimore, but yeah, the Mariners should absolutely not be resting easy at all.  Seattle does have the advantage of a pretty easy schedule, though
Pirate Fan
7:26
If you were the Pirates GM, are the Pirates close enough to keep Reynolds or do you think they should entertain trades?  Bonus question - how significantly has his value dropped this year?
Mark P
7:29
His value has dropped a bit just by dint of the fact that an acquiring team would now have him for one less season, not to mention that Reynolds' numbers declined from 2021.  But, even with the decline, he was still a solidly above-average player.  

The Pirates will probably lower their asking price slightly from "the sun, moon, and stars" to probably just the sun and stars.  But it'll still take a lot for another team to acquire Reynolds, and if I'm Ben Cherington, I'm only moving Reynolds if I get that huge offer.  Pittsburgh doesn't look like they'll be ready to make the turn in 2023, but if a couple more of the youngsters start to pop next season, 2024 might be the time to start contending
Bader for Montgomery
7:29
I’m still perplexed. Can you explain what the Yankees were thinking one more time. Also, when is Bader gonna play?
Mark P
7:30
Bader may be ready as early as Tuesday.  The team's thinking was that they had a big enough lead that they could afford to wait for Bader to be healthy, and they had enough pitching depth that Montgomery was expendable.  

Now, this ended up being a risky strategy given, you know, everything that's happened since the deadline, but if Bader is healthy and looks like old self in CF, it'll suddenly look like a much more palatable trade to New York fans
Dave
7:32
On a scale of 1-10, what’s the level of long term concern with Torkelson?
Mark P
7:33
Maybe a 3/10?  Hardly the first highly-touted player to struggle in a rookie season
Angles Rotation
7:35
In 2023 with Ohtani, Detmers, Sandoval and Suarez a decent four?
Mark P
7:35
The rotation ended being pretty much the least of Anaheim's problems this year.  That's a pretty decent quartet heading into next season, assuming Ohtani isn't dealt.
Gogo gadget
7:36
Do you believe Ohtani would make Cleveland a serious contender?  Espino, Valera, Plesac or any other combo not involving young everyday starters should be enough.  Biebs and Ohtani is a nice 1-2 and Oh would supply plenty of protection for Jose.
Mark P
7:37
That would be a fun deal, and the Guardians have enough young depth to get the Angels' attention in a trade.  However, that kind of a splashy win-now move (for a player who is only controlled through 2023) runs very much counter to how the Guards have traditionally done business, so it is very unlikely to happen
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