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Mark P

8:31

Has to be the Reds from a pure surprise standpoint. If you told me before the season that the Reds would be struggling, I would've assumed it was because their pitching wasn't holding up, not because of an near-total lack of offense

Mike T

8:33

What is the status of the A's new stadium in LV? Does it happen or what?

Mark P

8:34

The LV Review-Journal had an update the other day, still a lot of details (and important details) need to be figured out before shovels go into the ground

https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/athletics/exact-as-ballpark-locat...

8:35

Put it this way...if the A's are still playing in Sacramento by 2029, I wouldn't be shocked

Dave

8:36

Given how well the Arráez trade has worked out for SD, could making big trades in May be a new strategy for contenders? Why settle for two months of, say, Trevor Williams when you can get five?

Mark P

8:37

Maybe in specific cases for a player like Arraez who has a proven track record, but swinging that trade early also came at a heavier prospect cost for San Diego. Not that that was necessarily a chief concern for the Padres, as they prefer that cost rather than having to pay Arraez's salary themselves

8:38

Teams are always hesitant to overpay in any form in trades, and usually want to wait until the last minute to both gain information and to see if they can capitalize on a desperate seller

Old Pros

8:38

Of these 3 signings or lack thereof, which do you find most surprising: Joey Votto, Brandon Crawford, or Brandon Belt?

Mark P

8:39

Belt going unsigned entirely is by far the biggest surprise of those three

romorr

8:40

Mayo for Miller seems steep. I don't see Elias trading a prospect like that for a reliever, especially since we only really need a closer for this year. I know the control, but I see him shopping for a rental or at most, 1.5 years of control. Not that we wouldn't trade Mayo, but with Burnes / Means FAs, Mayo for a starter with control makes more sense.

Mark P

8:41

Miller isn't necessarily a career reliever already, even if his health history might indicate extra risk if he starts. So the Orioles could view such a trade as an acquisition of a future starter, who has the nice fallback of also looking like a heck of a closer.

And in terms of only needing a closer for one year, that assumes Bautista will be healthy and effective when he returns.

8:42

If not Mayo specifically, the O's still have a lot of other interesting parts that could be moved if they did want to take the plunge on Miller

Dodgers acquisition

8:44

What players might the Dodgers be targeting via trade or do you think they'll stay in house if Taylor and Out man continue to struggle?

Mark P

8:45

Pages looks like he's earned a good chunk of playing time, so if the Dodgers looked elsewhere, it'd probably for a right-handed hitter to better fit as a complement with Outman in CF. Heyward getting back might also help things, but it does seem like the outfield will be a target area for Los Angeles

Phillies

8:47

Are the best team in the league. No articles, nothing in your podcast, nothing in this chat, nada. Yet you’ll discuss the Dodgers, Anaheim, Toronto, etc ad infitinum. Your site’s bias is remarkable.

Mark P

8:49

An anti-Phillies bias is news to me.

The Phillies are obviously an excellent team, and we've written/talked about them a ton over the years. If there's less Phillies chatter than usual as of late, it's because the team has basically performed as expected. The other good teams have a flaw or two (the Dodgers' struggling outfield and pitching injuries, Strider getting hurt for the Braves and some of their struggling hitters, etc.) that sparks a lot of conversation, but the Phils are pretty stable

Mgomrjsurf

8:50

White Sox to Nashville?

Mark P

8:51

Nashville will get an expansion team of their own, not a team moving there. And especially not the White Sox, since I have a hard time believing that MLB would partially leave a huge market like Chicago

Jaxon

8:53

Mark, could the Cards get Norby and Povich for Helsley?

Mark P

8:53

The Orioles aren't giving up that much for a year and two months of Helsley

Cards

8:53

If they sell is Burleson one of the names on the trade block?

Mark P

8:55

I guess? He has a lot of team control remaining, but he has long seemed like something of an afterthought on the roster. Plus he isn't hitting well, so the Cards probably wouldn't get much back in return

MiTurn

8:56

Should the Mariners trade France...or be patient?

Mark P

8:56

France's metrics indicate he should be hitting better than he actually is....but not a whole lot better. First base seems like a pretty clear target area for Seattle to get another big bat in town

I Love Baseball

8:57

Does Alex Bregman's slow start maybe open him to playing it safe and signing an in-season extension with the Astros?

Mark P

8:59

Not a long-term deal by any means, but accepting a qualifying offer might be a consideration if Bregman can't fully get on track.

To be clear, Bregman is hitting so poorly right now that Houston could be wary about even issuing a QO, as wild as that scenario would've sounded before the season. But, if Bregman at least kind of rebounds for at least league-average offense, a QO becomes more of a palatable option for either side

PrettyRicky

9:00

Bohm is a machine. Big for the Phillies early 30s core to get controllable hitter in the middle of the lineup. Really important development, no?

Mark P

9:01

Absolutely. People (myself included!) were wondering if Bohm might be a player the Phillies traded last winter for more of a third base upgrade, but clearly they made the right call in sticking with him.

Rox

9:02

Read the Kris Bryant article today. Any chance he revives his career in CO, or is he done? Has rarely been healthy here, but when he is healthy, there’s no power in his swing. And he hasn’t endeared himself to CO fans with his comments earlier this year

Mark P

9:04

At least in Bryant's first season with the Rockies, he played well during the brief times when he was healthy. But, now that seems to have taken a downturn to an unfortunate point where Bryant is either hurt or unproductive.

It would be great to see Bryant get healthy enough to show some of his old form, but the red flags are pretty glaring by now

Miami/LA Trade

9:05

Diego Cartaya for a Miami pitcher make sense?

Mark P

9:05

Cartaya has dropped off so sharply since the start of 2023 that he no longer seems like any kind of centerpiece in a notable trade package

Astros fan

9:06

Do you think the Astros should sell and restart the rebuilding process???

Mark P

9:09

I'll keep banging the drum about expecting the Astros to turn things around, though it would be nice if they backed up my belief with a string of wins or something.

A couple of other commenters have noted that the Astros are in a deep enough hole now that they not only have to start winning, but win at a very high level to be viable playoff candidates.

9:10

So with this in mind, some level of selloff could potentially happen by the deadline if the Astros realize the hill is too big to be climbed. I don't think they'll head into a big rebuild or something since Altuve, Javier, Alvarez, Hader are all locked up on long-term deals, but a retool might very well be in order

In short, the Astros aren't going to blow it up. At worst, they'll look to reload for 2025.

Vladito

9:11

At what point can you send Vlad to the minors?

Mark P

9:11

Guerrero has actually been hitting really well for the last couple of weeks, so he is no longer the problem in Toronto's lineup

Adam

9:12

Bang the drum for the Twins! They did put a string together

Mark P

9:12