JotCast | MLBTR Live Chat

MLBTR Live Chat

Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page

Scott Boras

8:40

Lots of Jordan Montgomery rumors today, but what about Mike Clevinger? He seems like a more than solid backend rotation guy for any contender and he is willing to take a one year deal. Why the lack of interest?

Mark P

8:42

I was actually looking up some stuff on Clevinger on MLBTR the other day, and was surprised to realize that we've barely posted about him all winter in terms of actual news. He's been mentioned in countless posts discussing the offseason pitching market, but there's been next to nothing in the way of concrete news or rumors about teams involved in his market.

Of course, some teams have naturally reached out to him and it just hasn't been publicized, but the near-total lack of known interest is strange.

Jim

8:43

Are you surprised the Yankees haven't added a starter with Cole out at least for a couple of months?

Mark P

8:44

The Yankees are a team that seems like a good fit for Clevinger, for instance, if they don't want to meet Jordan Montgomery's asking price.

8:45

As much as the Yankees trust in their ability to develop pitchers and like what they see in Luis Gil, there's a risk in not getting someone more established considering the question marks all throughout the rotation

Guardians

8:47

What was your reaction to waiving Straw? Seems like a huge contract for a small market team to give out to send a guy down.

Mark P

8:49

Straw is arguably the worst hitter in baseball, which makes him only so valuable even despite his excellent glove. It's been clear for a while that the Guards viewed that extension as a sunk cost, so it might be best for all parties by just moving on now.

Long Term Extensions

8:50

With the Rockies signing resigning Ezequiel Tovar today, do you see Bill Schmidt locking up other long-term assets like Brenton Doyle, Nolan Jones, and potentially future pieces like Michael Toglia, Jordan Beck, Amadael Ador or Drew Romo?

Mark P

8:51

Any of these players seem like possibilities, given that the Rox are usually pretty aggressive in extending guys they like.

Ohtani

8:52

Let me guess, he is going to say the interpreter stole the money and didn’t know about it but he is not pressing charges because he is his friend. What do you think? Its a big surprise that not many papers are covering it.

Mark P

8:52

Uh, "lack of media coverage" is not how I would describe this story

Guest

8:53

Can a MLB player get a binding promise from the team he signs with that they will not make him a Qualified Offer for the next season?

Mark P

8:53

I'm sure such a clause could be specially negotiated, but I'm not sure why a team would ever agree to it

Joey Bart

8:54

Where am I playing on opening day? What is my return for the Giants?

Mark P

8:55

Bart is quietly having a big spring, and I'm sure the Giants have taken plenty of calls about his services. Since Bart is out of options, however, I wonder if the majority of clubs are just trying to wait out the Giants and seeing if they can steal him on a waiver claim, since SF will be hard pressed to include him on the Opening Day roster

Guest

8:56

Has the ownership of the Orioles officially changed hands or is there an agreement in place that hasn’t yet “closed”. If the latter, Angelos’ family avoids capital gains tax when sale is ultimately concluded, although subject to estate tax either way.

Mark P

8:56

I believe there was specific mention that Rubenstein would take full control of the team on Peter Angelos' passing, so the Angelos family would avoid some kind of extra taxation.

Rangers Trade for Pitching?

8:57

Hi Mark. Hope all is well. Who do you think the Rangers could get pitching-wise if they packaged Taveras, Foscue and maybe a 15-30 prospect? I keep thinking there’s a deal that could be made with the Marlins for Sanchez, Rodgers and someone else.

Mark P

8:57

Miami has lost enough pitchers to injury that I kind of doubt they're in the mood to move any of their arms at the moment. Such a deal with Texas might've been more plausible before the injury bug took such a bite out of the Marlins rotation.

Tiger Fan

8:58

Help me measure my expectations. The pitching staff looks phenomenally deep behind the top5 in Detroit, and all the offensive prospects, both current and former, are intoxicatingly exciting. Is 84-87 wins and a surprise ALC win in the realm of possibility for 2024?

Mark P

8:59

I actually picked Detroit to win the AL Central this season, which should be of great comfort to Tigers fans since I also picked them in (thunder sound) 2022.

While a division title may be a bit of a reach since Minnesota and even Cleveland still provide a challenge, I do think the Tigers will finish above .500

8:59

Who do you think might be the next mlb commissioner? Could it be a former player, like Jeter or Chris young?

Mark P

9:00

I'm hoping they look to hire a MLBTR writer, personally

Seoul

9:00

Hey do you think the overseas games in mid-March are going to continue in future?

Mark P

9:01

Yep. It's a nice bit of publicity for the league, and the international fans love it. There are already reports that the Cubs and Dodgers will start next season with two games in Japan.

David

9:03

Why are the Dodgers opting for an unproven Betts at SS and an average Lux at 2B, instead of a great Mookie at 2B and an unproven Lux at SS?

Mark P

9:04

They seem to have real concerns about Lux's ability to play shortstop, and don't forget that Miguel Rojas is there to provide defensive cover for Betts. This does seem like a situation that L.A. will address with a shortstop pickup at the deadline

Soooooooo

9:04

How many ohtani questions are you not answering today?

Mark P

9:05

I answered one! That counts!

In general, there isn't much to add that isn't already known about this bizarre story.

Mike T

9:06

Braves having buyers regret with Kelenic?

Mark P

9:07

Signing Duvall made sense for Atlanta even before Kelenic started his Spring Training struggles, but you're right that the Braves can't be enthused about how lost Kelenic has looked. It wouldn't be surprising to see Duvall move into more or less of a full-time starting role as the season goes on

TO Baseball

9:09

I am trying to take off my fan hat when thinking about this, but it certainly feels that the Jays consistently trade players at their lowest value. Donaldson, Tellez, Grichuk, Ozuna, Sanchez, Teo, Lourdes, Moreno, Espinal. (Coming soon Pearson, Manoah). Tell me about a good trade the Jays made? I want to stop being bitter about this Team

Mark P

9:10

in the Atkins era, the trades for Teoscar, Ray, Berrios, Stripling, and Matz all jump to mind

Teen spirit

9:11

Does Salas play MLB this season?

Mark P

9:12

He's barely played any Double-A ball and he isn't even 18 years old yet, so probably not. The Padres don't want to rush Salas, and the catching position in particular usually takes a bit more development time due to all the extra factors involved in game-calling, handling a pitching staff, etc.

Math4Ball

9:13

Are t h e Yanks a playoff team as it stands now?

Mark P

9:14

I believe I picked New York to reach the playoffs, but Cole's injury is a big caveat. If he ends up missing more than the current timeline or if able to return but isn't in his usual form, that alone might doom the Yankees

Jet City Woman

9:14

What's on the Playlist tonight?

Mark P

9:14

"Hey Ya" by Outkast

9:15

(Probably didn't need to specify 'by Outkast' there, but still.)

Connecting…