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Mark P
7:59
Just because he's entering his age-40 season, nobody should be shocked if Verlander starts to decline in 2023.  Father Time is undefeated, as the saying goes.

Also, Verlander went from basically not pitching in 2020-21 to throwing 195 innings in 2022 (between the regular season and postseason).  We've seen even younger pitchers be slower to bounce back after an extended season and less time to prep or recover, and it certainly stands to reason that Verlander might be the same.

Of course, the counter to this is that Verlander is a one-in-a-million talent who has already continually defied the odds
Go Guards
8:00
Do you see the Guardians extending any players this spring?
Mark P
8:03
I'd be surprised if they haven't already been talking to Gimenez or McKenzie, though the Guards' best opportunity for a bargain extension with either of those two might have already passed.

Aside from the obvious picks, maybe either of the Naylor brothers, or possibly Karinchak?  Keep in mind that Straw wasn't exactly an obvious extension candidate, so the Guards may have different players on their radar as long-term fits
MWFan
8:03
The team with the fewest wins this year will be...
Mark P
8:03
In a Bizarro version of the 1990 World Series, seems like a battle between the Reds and A's
Jays fan
8:05
Are the jays going to keep Merrifield, Biggio, and Espinal on their roster or do they trade one of them for a 4th outfielder?
Mark P
8:05
Merrifield can be a fourth outfielder as well, don't forget.  I suspect the Jays keep all three players
Mo
8:06
Why have I been sitting on my hands since signing Contreras?  Sticker shock?
Mark P
8:07
In a sense, yes.  Mozeliak addressed this a few weeks ago, saying that while the Cardinals entered the offseason prepared to spend, asking prices quickly were elevated beyond their comfort zone.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/john-mozeliak-discusses-contrac...
John
8:08
Is first base in the plans ever for Adley?
Mark P
8:08
Maybe far down the road, but part of his appeal is that he's an excellent defensive catcher.
Arlo
8:09
What's your personal Star Wars movies rankings?
Mark P
8:10
The Good: the original, Empire, Rogue One, Force Awakens

The Bad: Solo, Phantom Menace, Revenge of the Sith, Return of the Jedi, Last Jedi

The Ugly: Rise Of Skywalker, Attack of the Clones
Stros
8:11
Kyle Tucker has to be in line for an extension, right? What's keeping the Stros from starting these talks?
Mark P
8:12
They tried to extend him in the past but couldn't work out a deal, and I'd be very surprised if those talks weren't restarted again this spring (you know, now that the club actually has a GM in place).
Falvey
8:13
How secure is my job? What about Rocco?
Mark P
8:14
Falvey and Levine are both signed through 2024, while Baldelli is controlled in the future only via club options.  In short, if the Twins have another rough year, I could certainly see at least Baldelli let go.
It might take a total collapse for ownership to consider a full front office change
Arlo
8:15
Who wins a title next, the Jays or the Leafs?
Mark P
8:16
I groaned in pain upon reading this question, btw

The answer is the Jays, since they're not cursed
Guest
8:16
The Nationals and Royals seem like similar teams to me in some ways (and I'm going on a road trip to see them play each other this season). Over the next 5 years, which would you take - the current Nats roster + farm system, or the Royals?
Mark P
8:17
The Royals seem a lot closer to contention than the Nationals, plus KC doesn't have all the ownership uncertainty clouding everything
Nick
8:19
Any chance that the Dodgers look for an upgrade in left field?Or will they be starting they start the season with Outman, Taylor and some combo of Zimmer/Heyward?
Mark P
8:20
Seems like the Dodgers are curious to see what they have with the kids, so Outman will get his share of opportunities.  Taylor (and at least one of the veteran minor league signings) are there to provide more support, and if Taylor ends up bouncing back from his rough 2022, the Dodgers would also just happily give him the bulk of LF playing time
Paul
8:21
Do you think any of Adames, Burnes, and Woodruff get extended?
Mark P
8:22
The pessimist in me says none, but realistically, it'll be one of them at the most.  With Yelich eating up such a big chunk of a limited payroll, it's hard to see the Brewers making another big commitment to two members of this trio.
Astros fan
8:23
I know the Astros farm system is widely considered to be thin by all ratings, but I can't reconcile how they have such a paltry stock of minor league players, but keep coming up with these guys that are good!
Mark P
8:24
Keep in mind that the farm is thin because the Astros have graduated so many guys to the big leagues, and because they've been short on the obvious blue chip types (i.e. first rounders) because they lost picks as punishment for the signing scandal, and because they've been picking at the back of the first round for a while now.
The Astros have also been extremely good at finding and developing unheralded players and turning them into stars (i.e. basically their whole rotation)
Joshy
8:26
Day two of asking if and how a jo adell, jarred kelenic, bobby dalbec 3 team trade would work
Mark P
8:26
It would need to be a pretty complex multi-part swap, since first of all, Dalbec has less value than either Kelenic or Adell
Ed
8:28
1st manager fired?
Mark P
8:29
Purely speculative on my part, but if the Angels get off to a slow start, Nevin might not be long for the job.  He was a fill-in hire in the first place, and if it hadn't been for the ownership question mark, Nevin might not have gotten the one-year extension at all
Miguel Sano
8:29
Do most teams send scouts to individual player "showcases" or are they sporadically attended?
Mark P
8:30
Depends on the player, but a lot of teams generally have scouts attend any sort of higher-profile showcase just out of due diligence
btw, "showcase" is one of the underrated funny terms in baseball.  It's like Bob Barker or Drew Carey are standing on the field to introduce the player.
Osfan
8:31
We still paying Chris Davis's contract right even though he's retired after that mega extension we signed him too?
Mark P
8:32
Yep.  His remaining money was spread out in deferred payments that don't end until 2037
Vroom
8:32
Mark, are you watching NASCAR right now? Do you think there’s more overlap between mlb and nascar fans or nfl and nascar fans?
Mark P
8:33
Never been interested in any kind of auto racing, save for Mario Kart
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