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KamKid
8:42
There are only a small handful of outfielders in their age 33 or later seasons over the last several years to post 2 WAR or better seasons. Three of the Blue Jays top four outfielders are in this age bracket with not a lot of depth beyond them. Should they add an outfielder, or are they comfortable with just throwing some infielders like Barger and Lopez out there if needed?
Mark P
8:44
I've long been riding the "give Otto Lopez more of a chance" train, and the Jays also have players like Lukes or Biggio who can get some action in the OF.  My guess is that they'll stick with the current mix for now, and then pivot to make a trade or signing if things aren't working out (or if someone gets a major injury)
The big Yo
8:44
A’s fan but I genuinely think they’ve done very well this off season. Everyone is focused on the returns from trades but they’ve done so well outside of that. Capel, Diaz and Garcia alone are plus plus and the pen is nasty. 81-81
Mark P
8:45
I believe Steve Adams made this point in a recent chat, and I'll parrot his point since it was so well put....the A's have some interesting talent on the roster, but they need to hit on at least 6-7 players all at once to have a chance of being competitive this season.
Chris
8:46
If a player is traded after the figure exchange deadline, can the new team file with a different figure or do they go to arbitration with the former team's offer locked in?
Mark P
8:46
They go with the older figure, assuming the player and the new team don't reach an arbitration-avoiding deal in the interim.
Ohtani
8:47
Does Manny extending have an effect on my decision/free agency earning power?
Mark P
8:47
Not to any great extent, since Ohtani was going to make a fortune with or without Machado also on the FA market
The Unknown Sleeper
8:48
Who do you think has the best chance of coming out of nowhere this year?  Oscar Colas (CHW) looks like he is getting first shot at RF.  Hunter Brown (HOU) looks like he will benefit from the McCullers injury, Garrett Mitchell (MIL) due to opportunity though Sam Fralick is coming or do you have another candidate?
Mark P
8:49
These guys are all pretty well-known, so they might not fit a true 'sleeper' description.
8:50
I think of a sleeper as a player more like, say, Oscar Gonzalez suddenly becoming a regular in Cleveland, or Oswaldo Cabrera jumping in front of a few more heralded prospects in New York
Eury Perez
8:51
Does he debut this year?
Mark P
8:52
Maybe a late-season cameo at most, but the Marlins theoretically won't "need" pitching help.  Of course, if Perez is tearing it up at Triple-A, they might just call him up to give him an early test against big league batters as an audition for 2024
Guest
8:53
I know there is a limit to how many times a pitcher can throw to first but is there a limit to how many times that a catcher can try to pick off a runner?
Mark P
8:54
Nope.  This might be seen as a stall tactic, however, since I believe the pitch clock then doesn't restart until the infielder gets the ball back to the pitcher.  Given MLB's crackdown on timings, I suspect umpires would have discretion to tell a catcher to knock it off if they're making two pickoff throws for every batter, or something unusual
All Kaline Battery
8:54
Are you surprised Josh Donaldson is still a Yankee?
Mark P
8:54
Not really, since it's not like he had a ton of trade value.
Bob from Bowie
8:55
Better record this year Yankees or Mets?
Mark P
8:55
Better record in 2023?
Mets (62.6% | 386 votes)
 
Yankees (37.4% | 231 votes)
 
Total Votes: 617
Duke of Flatbush
8:56
Hi Mark, thanks for the chat. I know Anthony has said he feels the Dodgers are still the team to beat, in the NL West. What say you?
Mark P
8:57
There was a big enough gap last season between the Dodgers and Padres that I tend to agree with Anthony....until the Padres show they're better over the 162, I have to keep considering LA as the favorite
8:59
Better record in 2023?
Cubs (34.6% | 189 votes)
 
White Sox (65.4% | 358 votes)
 
Total Votes: 547
Illini Bill
8:59
Better record, White Sox or Cubs 🤔
Mark P
8:59
Normally I post the poll after the question that inspired it, but uh, pobody's nerfect!
Mark P
9:01
Do you see fellow Mark P (Mark Prior) getting a manager position any time soon?
Mark P
9:02
Prior hasn't been linked to any managerial vacancies yet, and teams generally don't hire pitching coaches as managers, perhaps because pitching is a bit more specialized.  There's also the question as to whether or not Prior would have any interest in being a manager, or if he's happy doing what he's doing.
Cards fan
9:03
What if MLB went to a soccer league format with a "premier" league and another league, with promotion and demotion between them so the Big Spenders could compete against each other, and same with the little guys, and fans can dream of their team someday making it to the big league?
Mark P
9:04
There isn't a chance that MLB would adopt a format that would make half of its teams into a perceived "second tier."  No way would the owners go for that.
John
9:04
if the tigers make progress with current roster.. will they open up the pocket book next offseason? Who could be the targets?
Mark P
9:06
If the Tigers did have a more normal season and flirt with .500, it'll be interesting to see what Scott Harris does as the next step.  Not to say that he and Farhan Zaidi have the exact same philosophy, but Harris is coming from a Giants front office that has tended to focus on shorter-term contracts for free agents (Correa notwithstanding).
Even if Harris only pursued three- or four-year deals, however, that could still net Detroit some quality veteran talent if they think the team can push to contend in 2024.
Jim
9:08
Assume that Jordan Walker earns a starting role by the deadline and the Cardinals want to clear an everyday spot for him in the OF. Further assume that Carlson, Noot, and TON are for the most part healthy and produce as they’re generally expected to. At the deadline the Cards decide to trade one of those three. Who do they trade and what sort of return do they get?
Mark P
9:09
There's a lot of hypotheticals in this situation, and if everyone is playing well, I doubt the Cardinals would be compelled to make a trade so soon.  Maybe in the offseason, sure, but at the deadline, they might still be in "nice problem to have" territory.  To find at-bats for everyone, there's always the DH spot.
Joe
9:10
Nobody is talking Profar! Is he up for middle infield jobs or is he exclusively an OF only option? Thought it was stange Solano went before him
Mark P
9:11
Profar played only in the outfield last season and has traditionally shaky defensive metrics elsewhere.  While a team might see him as a third-tier depth option at second base, he probably isn't being viewed as someone who can take a regular share of infield time
Walter
9:12
Is Zach Plesac in trouble of not making  opening day roster?
Mark P
9:12
It'd be very surprising if he wasn't included
9:13
Not to say that one of the Guardians' many good young arms might push Plesac for innings later in the year, but Plesac certainly seems like a safe bet to begin the season on the active roster
Go Pads
9:14
Manny, Manny, Manny! I have been a life long Padres fan.  I love Peter Seidler. Anything is possible with them now. Your thoughts?
Mark P
9:15
It's been fun to see the Padres go all-in like this, and it's funny that they've done so in such a big-spending manner.  If you told me a few years ago that San Diego was a World Series contender in 2023, my assumption would've been that their many good prospects were all breaking out at once
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