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Johny5Alive
7:53
Are we surprised at all at the gurriel contract? Figured more teams would be looking for a good outfielder. Mets included.
Mark P
7:55
It's less than the four years/$54MM we had predicted for Gurriel, and it's understandable that some teams might've been wary of Gurriel given his decent-but-unspectacular track record.
7:56
The D'Backs obviously were comfortable, based on their pre-existing relationship with Gurriel and first-hand knowledge of what he brings to their lineup and inside the clubhouse.  Seems like a pretty decent result for both sides.
Braves future article?
7:57
Thought of an interesting article for a "where are they now" piece. Could you look back and see how things turned out for the 13 international players lost back in 2017? Any of them turn into a MLB regular?
Mark P
7:58
Baseball America's Kyle Glaser wrote such a piece last year, and to summarize, the Braves seemingly didn't miss out on any future stars

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/braves-paid-high-price-for-lit...
Guardians fan
7:59
Do you believe Straw would be part of any deals the Guardians make?
Mark P
8:00
I'm sure the Guards would love to get Straw's deal off the books, yet doing so would lower the trade value of a Bieber, or a Clase, or anyone else Cleveland might be dangling in trade talks
Bill
8:00
Am I the only one totally dazed and confused with all of the Braves AA trades and deals this off season?
Mark P
8:02
It's been quite the whirlwind, and frankly, I'm not sure the end result has been all that positive?  Individually, the deals all make sense, yet the sum total of all these moves has added a pretty significant sum to Atlanta's payroll and tax number, without a ton of obvious gain on the roster.

Now, if Kelenic or if one of the lesser-known players like Ray Kerr breaks out, this will look like a much wiser move.
Angels
8:02
What do the Angels do now? No Ohtani, Arte surely is panicking to sell seats, who does he bring in?
Mark P
8:04
Great question.  The Angels are in some respects the big wild card of the 2023-24 offseason, since on the one hand you'd think they would look to make a big move to "replace" Ohtani.  That said...are free agents really so eager to join a team with such a lengthy track record of losing?  Maybe only if the Angels overpay, but such a tactic might just add to the team's problems.
Sleuth
8:06
With so many new arms in the KC rotation, does the team finally move on from Singer? If so, what might the return look like?
Mark P
8:07
If anything, this probably makes it less likely the Royals move Singer.  Right now they'd be selling low on a trade, yet the added rotation help now lessens some pressure on Singer going into 2024.  He can settle into the middle or back end of KC's rotation, rather than being seen as the de facto ace
Feeling Blue in Toronto
8:07
After a week of plane chasing and such one thing should be obvious.  If the Jays were indeed competitive (meaning 500-600 million not the Dodgers 700 million) on Ohtani does that mean they have more money to spend than we previously thought.  Is there room to bring in both Bellinger and have a reunion with Teoscar to be the primary DH as well as occassional OF?
Mark P
8:09
It should be said that the Jays were very likely only going to spend Ohtani money on Ohtani himself, given his unique stature as a draw.  This doesn't mean the Blue Jays don't still have room in the budget for a big addition or two, but it doesn't mean they have $700MM or whatever to spend
Hunter
8:09
Does the trade for Glasnow change the value for Bieber? Or, with some clarity on the horizon for the Guards TV deal, would they just keep him to rebuild value?
Guardo Man
8:09
Could you see the guardians making a move now that the TV deal is finally being worked out?
Trade
8:09
Morel for Bieber and Clase?
Mark P
8:11
I could see Morel as being part of a Bieber or Clase deal, but obviously not both guys for just Morel.  Or even Morel as the centerpiece.

The Diamond Sports situation is still more than a little ways off from being "worked out," even if progress is being made.  So until all is settled, expect the Guardians to continue to take things pretty slow.  And Bieber is almost surely being dealt this winter, at some point.
Red Sox / Giants
8:12
Who will have a bigger offseason when it’s all said and done, Boston or San Fran?
Mark P
8:12
The Lee signing already gives the Giants a leg up, but let's put it to a poll....
Who will have a bigger offseason?
Giants (75.9% | 901 votes)
 
Red Sox (24.1% | 286 votes)
 
Total Votes: 1,187
Ben from Baltimore
8:14
Everyone seems to be including the Orioles in a trade this offseason due to their plethora of prospects. What are the odds they keep their prospects and rotation: Bradish, Grayson, Means, Kremer, & Hall/Irvin, and STILL win the division?
Mark P
8:15
I do think the O's will add a pitcher, but your theory isn't far-fetched.  It's a little scary for the rest of baseball to consider that the Orioles are already a team capable of winning 101 games and yet a big chunk of their up-and-coming talent hasn't even hit the majors yet.
CHISOX FAN
8:16
Cease to Arizona for Pfaadt and A. Thomas. Yes or no?
Mark P
8:16
Nope.  The D'Backs have a lot of faith in Pfaadt (or pfaaith?)
Breslow
8:17
Am I really Bloom in a disguise?  I didn't get fired, I just wore a wig and gave out a different name.   Red Sox seem to be content to watch Yamamoto sign elsewhere and they aren't tied to any of the quality starters out there.
Mark P
8:18
Man, tough crowd in Boston.  Breslow has been on the job for less than two months, and he's already getting heat for not having done enough?

However, sources indicate that "Craig Breslow" and "Chaim Bloom" share the same initials, so there might be something to your disguise theory.
Padres fan
8:18
Are we keeping kim and shipping jake?
Mark P
8:20
Cronenworth's contract will be very, very difficult to move, if probably impossible in its entirety.  San Diego very likely needs to eat a bunch of the deal to facilitate any kind of move, which would almost make it pointless.
Pat
8:21
As a Pirates fan, how concerned should I be about their lack of activity so far? I wasn't expecting a 100M signing, but was very optimistic that this is the offseason they step up and spend to fill their holes in the rotation.
Mark P
8:22
Still lots of offseason remaining, and unfortunately for the Bucs, they've also had to deal with unexpected injury problems arising (i.e. Oviedo and Endy)
Question
8:22
It seems insane that Yama might get 300m without ever throwing an MLB pitch? Is this the crazy risk it seems or am I the crazy one?
Mark P
8:24
There's undoubtedly a lot of risk, but there's risk baked into any big contract.  Yamamoto's youth and skillset make him a safer bet than most for such a big deal.  Basically the only real issue evaluators have is whether or not he can hold up physically....nobody is really questioning whether or not his stuff can play against MLB hitters
Who says no?
8:25
Morel, Brown, and Mervis for Pete?
Mark P
8:25
The Mets.  If they shopped Alonso around, they'd want more
Ensenada Juan
8:26
My family are die hard Padre fan and hope they are good this year. The last mlbtr rumor confuses me, are they slashing payroll or at $200 M.
Mark P
8:28
Keep in mind that payroll and luxury tax numbers are two different things.  Roster Resource has the Padres' 2024 payroll at $152.4MM at the moment, but their tax number is $205.3MM.

As per the report from yesterday, the Padres are certainly cutting payroll down, and would ideally like to both stay under $200MM in salaries and under the $237MM tax threshold.  While this represents a very big cut from their 2023 numbers, spending $198MM or so is still a pretty healthy payroll.
So there's room for San Diego to add talent, even if any splashy signings may not be feasible.
Sammy So-so
8:29
I would have thought Moreno for Varsho would have ended your longstanding fandom of top prospect-for-top prospect trades.
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