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Mark P

7:20

And Story still in the fold

TIGER!!

7:20

Do we replace Torkleson?

Mark P

7:23

He hit decently well after the recall, then struggled in the playoffs. We're still dealing with pretty small sample sizes here, but Detroit's unexpected success this year might've changed their thinking on Torkelson and how patient they'll be with him.

Remember, it was just last season that Torkelson hit 31 homers and seemed to be coming along nicely as a big league hitter. So the Tigers don't want to give him on him too quickly and then see him break out elsewhere. That said, if the Tigers get an interesting enough trade offer, I don't think Torkelson is by any means on their untouchable list

Brandon

7:24

How many years does it take to sign Goldschmidt? I'd love to see the Giants grab him to keep 1B warm until Eldridge is ready.

Mark P

7:24

Almost surely it'll be just a one-year deal for Goldschmidt. Track record notwithstanding, he just turned 37 and he's coming off a subpar season.

Sam and Dave

7:25

What would Castellanos be worth on the open market this winter if he was a free agent?

Mark P

7:27

Questions like this are a pretty good gauge when thinking about a player's trade value. Castellanos is owed $20MM in each of the next two seasons, and he certainly wouldn't land two/$40MM if he was entering the market now.

Entering his age-33 season, more or less a DH-only player, and with modest hitting numbers over the last two years? A one-year deal worth $10MM, perhaps?

Athos

7:28

If Trout comes back next season and hits 50 dingers, steals 30 bases, has a 10 WAR season, and wins another MVP, is anyone TRULY shocked?

Mark P

7:28

This is getting into the weeds on terminology here, but I'd be shocked, yet not TRULY shocked.

7:29

not TRULY shocked since Trout is a great player and has that kind of potential greatness in him. But Trout lasting an entire season to post those types of numbers would be a big surprise at this point.

The nightman

7:30

Is Kim a realistic target for the angels? Does 68/4 seem fair for both sides?

Mark P

7:31

That kind of money to a player coming off shoulder surgery sounds like a risk. Kim is a question mark for me this winter, since it'll all depends on how teams view his medicals and are willing to take the risk.

7:33

I could see him not signing until later in the offseason, which was probably happening anyway since he's a Scott Boras client (rimshot). But, the extra time gives teams more chance to evaluate his recovery and whether or not his planned target date of April-May is feasible.

Also, I don't see the Angels as a big contender for him

Fast Relief

7:33

Yoshida for Montgomery?

Mark P

7:33

Don't see the Diamondbacks doing that

Jeff

7:34

With all the holes the Jays have to fill could you see them trading a starter? Maybe Bassitt? What would his trade value look like?

Mark P

7:35

Toronto's got very little rotation depth. If Bassitt is moved, then suddenly the team is either getting another starter or relying even more heavily on Rodriguez, Bloss, and a bunch of guys with no MLB experience to fill two rotation spots instead of one

7:36

A better case can probably be made that the Jays need to add a starter, not trade one

Nick

7:36

Any guess on how much longer Manfred is likely to be sticking around?

Mark P

7:37

He said he is retiring after his current contract is up, following the 2028 season

January 2029 is his end date, to be specific

Chris

7:38

Odds that Arizona trades Montgomery this offseason?

Mark P

7:39

Montgomery was openly disappointed in his own performance, so he probably wouldn't even disagree that his 2024 season was rough, even if Kendrick's wording was a little harsh.

It could be that one phone call between Kendrick and Montgomery can settle whatever hard feelings may or may not exist, and Montgomery will come back and pitch well next season after getting a normal offseason and Spring Training with the Diamondbacks.

Chris

7:41

What do you see the Yanks doing at 1B? Bigger for Walker, smaller for Goldy, or stick with a Rice/DJ platoon? How about second or third (with Jazz at the other) - maybe a trade since the FA mkt at those spots is terrible.

Mark P

7:42

If Soto isn't re-signed, Walker or even Alonso would be a strong backup plan to help the lineup.

Dipoto

7:43

Sign Alonso, trade for Abrams, trade for Bohm. Is that enough for the M's to make a run at the WS?

Mark P

7:44

Washington isn't trading Abrams. Bohm cooled off a lot after his hot start, and may not provide the hitting upgrade Seattle needs. The Mariners have rarely spent big in free agency under Dipoto, and likely wouldn't make a splurge on Alonso.

While they do need hitting, none of these avenues seem realistic or helpful.

mobygrape1

7:46

Do you take Breslow and Kennedy at their word that they'll work hard to improve the roster? Or is that a Charlie Brown with the football scenario?

Mark P

7:47

It's an open question as to how much payroll flexibility they have to operate with, but I no doubt they'll put in the effort.

Angels Fan

7:48

Moreno has come out recently, as he has at the end of every season in the past decade, that the Angels intend to compete next season. He has hinted at an increase in payroll. What path to contention do you see for the Angels in 2025 if it's at all possible with their current situation?

Mark P

7:50

To be frank, I don't think it's realistic. The Angels have some interesting young players but they'd need basically all of them to really break out at higher levels, plus Trout would need to get healthy and get back to prime form, plus Rendon would have to return to his Nationals form, plus they'd need to score on some new acquisitions....

It's a lot of ifs for a team with too many holes.

DavidCNYC

7:51

How seriously do you take the Casas trade talk?

Mark P

7:52

The Red Sox won't hang up the phone on any calls, but it'd take something really big to prompt a trade. Shouldn't be overlooked that Casas' trade value took a hit after he missed such a big piece of the season, so rival teams may be less willing to pay the premium that the Sox will naturally demand

Montgomery

7:52

Where am I going to land if I DO get traded?

Mark P

7:54

No shortage of teams that would be willing to take a plunge on one year of Montgomery, with the idea that he's a big bounce-back candidate.

7:55

The salary makes it a little trickier, but at $22.5MM, it's not TOO tricky. Like, if Montgomery was a free agent now and coming off this same performance, he'd still land one year and around $10MM.

Ohtani money

7:55

You think we’ll ever see a contract like Ohtani’s again? With so much deferred cash.

Mark P

7:56

Probably not, given Ohtani's very unique circumstances

Bill

7:57

Has anyone heard anything about MadBum?

Mark P

7:58

Bumgarner was pretty non-committal about things in an interview last August
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/giants/article/2014-reunion-bumgarn...