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Mark P
12:41
First off, the Guards think they can be competitive this season.  I have some doubts given the near-total lack of spending and the fact that their lineup still has a lot of question marks, but a team with the Guards' ability to generate pitching always has a chance, in my view.

Ramirez is the one who stayed.  He is the rare player who not only signed an early-career extension, but the secondary extension at a hometown discount just because he liked the city and the organization so much.  This is a dream scenario for any team, but especially so for a lower-payroll club like the Guardians, since 99 times out of 100, they couldn't have afforded to retain a player of his ability
Harry
12:43
Will Farhan get extension
Mark P
12:43
He already got an extension, he's signed through 2026
left overs
12:45
Du Vall vs Pham debate is a close one. Where does Du Vall end up in your opinion ?
Mark P
12:46
The Padres make so much sense from a need standpoint, and they'd be able to offer the regular playing time that Duvall would want.  Other than money, this seems like a perfect fit
Jim
12:46
When will the A's know where they're playing in 2025?
Mark P
12:47
Great question.  It has to be quite soon, for simple logistical reasons.  I guess 2020 let us know how quickly a baseball season can be rearranged on the fly, but obviously that was a special circumstance beyond just "a team made a hasty deal to move the franchise years too early."
Gordon
12:47
Reports say the Giants would be on the hook for prorated salary for JD Davis if he clears waivers and is released. Will this be revisited by the players in the next CBA? Seems like losing out on most of $6.9M will make him a poster boy. Can’t imagine he’s too pleased with his advisors for not taking a lower guaranteed number by avoiding arb given the state of FA market.
Mark P
12:49
The key phrase in the CBA is that the prorated salary applies for players cut "for failure to exhibit sufficient skill or competitive ability."  Davis and his reps can justifiably argue that he had a good season in 2023 and he's been hitting great in Spring Training, so this is certainly more about salary than it is about Davis not performing.  

This might be a moot point if another team just claims Davis on waivers, but if the Giants do try to avoid paying the bulk of his salary, this might be grounds for a grievance from Davis' camp.
Dan
12:50
What will the Orioles do with their infield over the course of the season? Will the long term picture be clear after the trade deadline?
Mark P
12:51
Possibly, or maybe the other obvious factors of injuries or under-performance.  There's no guarantee that, say, Jackson Holliday (as great a prospect as he is) will immediately hit the ground running as a big leaguer.
Big P
12:52
Are Snell and Montgomery even going to be ready for opening day if they signed right now?  Hard to believe whatever workouts they’ve been doing could replace a full spring training ramp up.
Mark P
12:53
Boras' agency apparently invests heavily in training and workout facilities that replicate the Spring Training experience as closely as possible, for just such situations.  However, you're probably right that even this break from a normal ST routine might impact the readiness of either pitcher.
Jeff
12:55
I know the MLBPA says they’ll never agree to a salary cap, but wouldn’t trading a salary cap for earlier free agency and a salary floor make sense for players and owners?
Mark P
12:56
The owners might be more dead set against earlier free agency than the MLBPA is against a cap, so that is probably a non-starter
Tim
1:02
You think with MLB adding the pitch clock to shorten the game and speed up the pace, has encouraged more fans to stay engaged and watch baseball? Has MLB increased it's overall popularity against the other pro sports watched like the NFL, NBA, by doing this?
Mark P
1:03
The pitch clock seems to have been a hit all around
1:04
Oops, posted too soon.  The pitch clock won't instantly put baseball ahead of the NFL or anything, but it was a notable change to the sport that addressed a long-term concern but also didn't (overtly, at least) change how the game was played on the field.
Guest
1:04
Why did The Astros not doing anything in the off-season?
Mark P
1:04
Signing Josh Hader counts as a pretty big something.  Also, keep in mind that Houston already had a very good team, so they had fewer needs to address than most clubs.
Guest
1:06
what would it take to delete the zombie runner from the regular season again? Fan sentiment on that rule has been overwhelmingly negative basically the whole time and the excuse of COVID is long past
Mark P
1:07
I think the rule is here to stay, since it adheres to the league's overall goal of reducing game times and cutting down on extra-inning marathons.  What I'd prefer is a staggered system where the ghost runner starts on first base for the 10th inning, then at second for any further innings.
Mark
1:08
How often do Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham play?
Mark P
1:09
Probably pretty regularly, given that LF is open and accounting for injuries.
Kcbrett5
1:10
What do think will happen with Crews and Woods in the Nats OF?
Mark P
1:11
Neither have played any Triple-A ball and Crews has barely played at Double-A.  Both will probably be making their major league debuts before the season is over, but the Nationals have no need to rush them
1:14
That's it for today, thanks for all the questions!  The Weekend Chat will be on a hiatus next weekend, but stay tuned for the glorious return in two weeks' time!
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