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Mark P

8:09

If the Mookie Betts experiment works on even a part-time basis, the Dodgers might not feel the need to deal for Anderson or any kind of full-time shortstop.

And by this point, the Pirates trading Reynolds would be such a gut punch to the fans (and the clubhouse) after all the goodwill built up after this strong start....I doubt Pittsburgh are moving him any time soon.

John

8:10

Would it be assumed any team that trades for Ohtani would also extend him? How does that work when the team is in contact? Is it agreed upon before a trazev

Mark P

8:11

Ohtani is so close to free agency that I strongly doubt he's enter into extension talks prior to a trade.....why limit yourself to contract talks with one team when you're a few months away from being able to negotiate with the entire league?

The Angels would naturally have to approve such negotiations, which would just add another complication if they did try to actually move Ohtani. If he does get traded, it'll be as a pure rental

Mark P

8:12

Could you imagine a team having Matt Olsen, Marcus Semien, Matt Chapman, and Sean Murphy..

Mark P

8:12

That's quite a lineup, but your hypothetical team could use a good starter like, say, Chris Bassitt

M’s World Series

8:13

Mariners are massively struggling with 2B and DH production at this point. If you’re DiPoto and co at this point, do you hold out hope for a Wong turnaround or look around at potential early upgrades?

Mark P

8:14

A Moore/Haggerty platoon at 2B is a possibility if Moore can get healthy, but you're probably right in guessing that second base is on the front office's radar. Plenty of time for Wong to turn it around, but he has struggled to such a big extent that it has to be a red flag

Steve

8:15

The white Sox start a fluke or do you think this just isn’t a very good team?

Mark P

8:15

I was pretty down on the White Sox heading into the season, and this might be one of the rare times one of my preseason predictions was correct.

Jill

8:16

Who else can Cleveland sign to long term extensions?

Mark P

8:17

The Gimenez trade really raises the bar on what the Guardians might be able to do extension-wise, though naturally the Guards aren't suddenly going to start tossing money around. Players like Kwan, Karinchak, or maybe Naylor (his big slump notwithstanding) could all be on the radar for extensions. McKenzie too, when healthy.

Yanks Fan

8:18

What are the chances that once Bader comes back, Yanks trade/release Hicks?

What are the chances that the Yankees just release Donaldson? Can’t imagine any team wanting to part with even a fringe prospect for him.

Mark P

8:19

Donaldson might be the likelier release candidate of the two, since the Yankees are deeper in the infield and because they might want to keep more OF depth on hand given Stanton's omnipresent injury risk

Al Kaline Battery

8:20

Now that the A's see set to move, when do they start spending money and actually try t build a competitive roster? I don't think the want to start out in Vegas with a terrible team and lose fan interest right away

Mark P

8:22

This is the other x-factor in the move....will a new city and ballpark actually change how ownership approaches payroll and roster-building? I can see the A's kicking the can down the road and not "really" going for it until 2027 when their new park opens.

There's also the fact that it might take until 2027 to get this team really turned around anyway, given the present dire straits of the roster

MLB fan

8:23

I've asked a number of times in these forums and never got a reply and now I see it's a hot topic --> where do you forsee the next expansion locations to be and what year do you foresee this happening?

Mark P

8:24

It won't happen before the end of the CBA, which expires after the conclusion of the 2026 season. Like I said earlier, cities like Nashville, Montreal, Portland, are all in the mix, and I'd lean towards Nashville probably as the top choice --- they already have some semblance of ownership infrastructure in place

JDP

8:25

Ohtani being a 2 way star is nothing we’ve seen since Ruth, and he never dealt with free agency. So there’s no road map for this. But, even Ruth never stayed as a 2 way star. Is there a time table you think where Ohtani has to pick one or the other? And could that ultimately affect his contract talks, because a team will view him more as only a pitcher or only a hitter?

Mark P

8:26

I don't think this will be a factor by this winter when Ohtani is on the open market. If down the road he does turn to being a full-time pitcher or hitter, so be it, but he isn't remotely close to dropping off at either position to date

8:26

In a nutshell, which are the key inefficiencies that the Rays of 2023 exploit to be as successful as they are?

Mark P

8:28

I think I've written about this before in one of these chats, but one of the baseball articles that has really stuck with me over the years was a Fangraphs piece about how the Orioles were so good from 2012-16. In essence, Baltimore succeeded not by necessarily having stars, but by having no weak links.....they raised the talent floor, rather than raised the talent ceiling.

The Rays represent this strategy to the extreme. Everyone on their roster is good at something, either in a platoon or everyday capacity. Their pitching is extraordinarily deep at both the MLB and minor league level, as the front office keeps drafting and developing arm after quality arm.

Jim C

8:29

Does expansion necessarily need to address there being no other teams close to Seattle?

Mark P

8:30

While the extra travel is a pain for the Mariners, they probably don't mind having the entire Pacific Northwest as "their" market. (On the US side of the border, that is, since the Canadian corner of the Pacific NW has plenty of Blue Jays fans.)

8:31

Is Mark Vientos getting called up?

Mark P

8:32

As hot as Vientos has been at Triple-A, where do you give him everyday at-bats in the majors? The Mets probably don't want to cut Escobar entirely, Baty also needs regular playing time, and Vogelbach is hitting decently well

8:33

With all this talk about releasing Ozuna, wouldn't releasing Rosario be an easier sell?

Mark P

8:34

It would be less money for the Braves to eat, but a lot of the fan discord towards Ozuna is also (understandably) related to his off-the-field issues

Pitching teams

8:35

If you had to rate teams in terms of developing pitching would dodgers, Astros, guardians, and rays be at the top? Some teams like the Braves develop great pen arms. Are there any others you consider to see the best with developing pitchers ?

Mark P

8:35

The Yankees are underrated in this regard, since they've gotten great results out of teaching the sweeper to a lot of their pitching prospects (and some more established pitchers)

John

8:37

Orioles got something cooking down in birdland, no? How big do they go at the deadline?

Mark P

8:39

If the O's are contending again, I'd have to believe the front office would take a more aggressive approach to the deadline than they did last season.

On paper, the Orioles have the prospect depth to land a longer-term trade asset. If such a player they like is available, I can see them making such a big move as part of their longer-term vision. But, it's hard to see them move significant prospect capital for a rental.

Bud

8:40

If Jack Flaherty's season continues as is, is he more likely to enter free agency or extend in STL?

Mark P

8:41

This is just speculative on my part, but I've always felt that Flaherty wasn't a long-term fit in St. Louis dating back to their disputes over his contract renewals. I would be quite surprised to see him suddenly sign an extension when he can land a nice payday and a fresh start elsewhere

8:42

And, I guess it also depends on what you mean by "continues as is." If that means a 2.95 ERA but with troubling peripherals, that'll impact Flaherty's market, and the Cards' willingness to lock him up on an extension

Angels

8:43

We should just make Ohtani catch. He’d probably be the best at that too

Mark P

8:43

Legit LOL

David S

8:44

Gotta love the Jays rotation as of late. Is this for real or Memorex?

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