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The Mechanical Manan
11:40
How do you see the AL Central? Have the Tigers done enough to overtake the Twins or is KC the big sur;rise this year?
Mark P
11:41
My concern in picking Detroit to win the division is that I also picked them in 2022, and well....

Perhaps I'm being too optimistic again in the Tigers' chances, but I like just about all of their offseason moves.  If they get breakouts from a couple of their younger guys and (most importantly) avoid getting hammered by injuries again, I see the Tigers being quite competitive
11:42
Whether that's enough to overtake Minnesota remains to be seen, since the Twins obviously still have a lot going for them as well
11:43
As for the Royals, just playing closer to .500 would be a massive step forward considering how bad the team was in 2023.  That seems more realistic than thinking KC is going to from worst to challenging for first
Spring Disasters
11:43
Are there any spring performances so far that make you concerned?
Mark P
11:44
As a Blue Jays fan, Alek Manoah's return to the mound was not exactly stellar
SF
11:44
Three year averages:
.255/.332/.445 20 HR 60 R 60 RBI
.227/.323/.423 24 HR 65 R 65 RBI
One of those is Matt Chapman (bottom), and the other is Wilmer Flores. Sorry, but a slight defensive upgrade isn't worth 20 million imo
Mark P
11:45
"Slight" defensive upgrade?
11:46
While questions can certainly be asked about Chapman's bat, let's not underrate how much a Gold Glove third baseman can help a team that is otherwise shaky-to-poor on defense
Prospect lover
11:47
Piggybacking on the Orioles extension question.... The Braves model of signing the young guys to long term deals needs to be the protocol for the Orioles as well, correct? If they sign 4 or 5 of these guys to long term deals, that is the blueprint for winning the AL East.
Mark P
11:48
That's easier said than done, obviously, but the Orioles should absolutely be exploring the possibility of retaining as much of this core as possible.
11:50
I've noted this before in these chats, but keep in mind that the Orioles themselves probably don't know who their true cornerstones are since so many of their prospects have yet to get any real MLB playing time (or haven't made the majors at all).  It's easier for the Brewers to extend Chourio, for instance, since he's clearly their top prospect.  But beyond the Adley/Holliday/Henderson trio, the Orioles are still weighing who among their large pool of youngster are for real
Stay the course
11:51
Even if the Angels sign Snell, they are not a playoff team. As an Angels fan, the team has more questions than answers right now. I’d rather the team see what the have with the young players, than overpay for someone who isn’t going to make that big of an impact
Mark P
11:52
Realistically, the Angels should probably blow it up and start a rebuild, except that doesn't appear to be an option.  So at least sticking with the young guys would be something of a step in that direction, even if a total rebuild isn't happening.
Jim
11:53
Darell Hernaiz is on the cusp of reaching the majors, but there are questions about whether he could handle SS or 3B. Zack Gelof is firmly entrenched at 2B, but should the A's consider moving him to left field and having Hernaiz become the starting second baseman?
Mark P
11:54
Hernaiz is getting some work as a third baseman this spring, so the A's will at least test him out at the hot corner before making decisions about his (or Gelof's) longer-term position.  Really, the A's have plenty of time and opportunity to experiment.
Hugh Sezno
11:56
Surprised teams don't do more salary clearing deals attaching prospects so they can add free agents. New York having say $20 million on payroll is so much more costly than the same amount for the Nats. What say you? Thanks for the chat.
Mark P
11:58
These types of deals are fun to speculate about, though in moving a prospect, a team also has to factor in that player's overall value beyond just salary.

For instance, a decent prospect has surplus value since they can (perhaps) provide MLB-level production at a bargain price through their pre-arb or arbitration years.  So if you're attaching that player along with a player on a big contract, you're trading some additional "value" just to get money off the books.  Some front offices don't see that as a good tradeoff.
Orange, Blue,
11:58
Are the Blue Jays hoping for bounce back seasons from everyone, because this offseason did not inspire confidence in me.  I am amazed that PECOTA puts the Jays so high in their predictions at 88 games
Mark P
12:00
I naturally hope I'm wrong about this, but I'm pessimistic about the Blue Jays' chances this year.  Beyond just their "window" to true contention being closed, it is distressingly possible to see a world where the Jays aren't even a good team.  One or two injuries could take this roster apart like a house of cards.
Jurf
12:03
I'm in interested in your pick of the Reds for the postseason. They had a good year in '23 but vastly outperformed their Pythagorean record of 77-85. Their off-season moves are nice, but feel more.like floor-raising.
Mark P
12:04
As noted earlier, the NL is very competitive, so I'm taking an optimistic view in picking the Reds.  Your scenario of a step-back year is absolutely valid since so much is being expected of a lot of young and inexperienced players.
Dickson
12:05
Over/under 88.5 games for Mike Trout this season
Mark P
12:05
Over.  I want to root for greatness
Jays Fan 9293
12:05
Why the morning chat?
Mark P
12:06
I'm on the morning/day shift today, rather than the usual Sunday night slot.
Katie c
12:06
do the  giants trade Joey bart and Jd Davis for a starting pitcher in return would be nice
Mark P
12:08
Not sure there's a team with a decent surplus starter who would be willing to trade that pitcher for Bart and Davis.
Dave Dombrowski
12:08
Do we have enough to return to the World Series or do I make another move before the season begins?
Mark P
12:11
The Phillies have enough to reach the playoffs and then all bets are off, so it's possible the roster in its current form can win a championship.  Naturally a couple of other moves are likely to happen at the deadline, and injures need to be avoided, but Philadelphia is in pretty good shape as it stands
Jake
12:12
Do the Red Sox regret the Sale/Grissom swap with the latter's mercurial-at-best performance and the premium on pitching in this market? I feel like they could have gotten a much better return by waiting a bit, and with Grissom's recent injury the deal looms large as a mistake IMO
Mark P
12:14
Between Sale's injury history and salary, his trade market was slim to none.  The Red Sox getting a young, controllable, MLB-ready player in exchange for Sale is a great return, and Grissom's injuries don't seem like anything to be concerned about in the long term.
If anything, I have more doubts about Atlanta's faith in Sale, though Anthopoulos knows a thing or do about making canny moves
SouthsideIrish
12:15
havent read any Cease rumors in awhile. Is he the starting pitcher in Chicago on opening day?
Mark P
12:16
Things can change with a phone call, but at this point Cease is probably on the White Sox Opening Day roster.  Barring an injury, I don't see a team suddenly budging and agreeing to Chicago's big asking price
Zach
12:18
Are the pirates finally gonna add another arm to the rotation like Lorenzen? The back end of this rotation is a potential nightmare.
Mark P
12:19
Signing Lorenzen even for a pretty modest sum might've been beyond the Pirates' always-limited budget.  But, I'd rather have Lorenzen and his question marks in the rotation rather than even more uncertain veterans like Perez or Gonzales
Oz
12:19
With Ronald Acuña’s knee soreness causing the Braves to shut him down temporarily, is it time for Alex Anthopoulos to sign one of the veteran free agent outfielders (Adam Duvall, Tommy Pham, Eddie Rosario) as an insurance policy?
Mark P
12:20
Acuna's knee issue apparently isn't all that serious, though as soon as that news broke, literally everyone made the "so when are they acquiring Rosario and Duvall" joke.
Really, Duvall still makes a ton of sense for the Braves
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