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Mark P
8:26
Their third-signing selection on draft day itself.  That's why the phrasing is specifically "their third-highest selection" and not "their second-round pick" or something.
Eagles11
8:26
What's on the playlist tonight?
Mark P
8:26
"Fast Cars" by U2
Doc
8:27
Should Red Sox fans be worried that no significant signings or trades have yet to occur?
Mark P
8:28
It's only December 1, and only a few teams have made really significant* acquisitions to date.  Again, Soto's market is holding things up for most free agents.

  • significant at the moment, of course, since who knows what moves will end up having the biggest impact on the 2025 season and beyond
Guest
8:28
Oakland has a ballpark the Ray's could borrow next year 2026.
Mark P
8:28
MLB isn't likely to do this because of the baggage that exists with the league and the city, but there's some real irony in the fact that Oakland would be a really logical temporary home for the Rays
Mr. Met
8:29
Why does it seem like the top free agents shun the Mets?
Mark P
8:30
This might come as a surprise to Senga, Scherzer, Verlander, Nimmo, Diaz, etc.
Your Name
8:31
Who gets in next week from the committee?
Mark P
8:32
I'd certainly hope this is finally Dick Allen's year, and it's a shame that he couldn't have been inducted when he was alive.

Allen, Vic Harris, and Luis Tiant would get my votes.  I'd have to think harder on Parker or Tommy John.
Donald
8:33
Do you think Santander would a good fit for the braves?
Mark P
8:34
Sure, he'd instantly make that outfield better.  Not sure if it'll happen because the Braves usually don't pursue longer-term free agents, but four years/$80MM (our projection for Santander) isn't too onerous
Desertdawg
8:35
Do you see the D'Backs using Gurriel in any trade deals??
Mark P
8:36
Unlikely.  Their multi-year commitment to him last winter seemed to cement Arizona's interest in what Gurriel brings on and off the field
saul goodman
8:37
Re: Oakland being a temp home for the Rays.  You don’t think having a team on the west coast is extremely problematic schedule-wise for an eEaster
Mark P
8:38
The league would have a year to figure out how this could be managed, or whether it means a two-year divisional reshuffle.  I grant you that the "Oakland Rays" isn't ideal, but there aren't many ideal situations all around if the Rays actually do need to move for at least two full seasons
Homeless Ray
8:39
I understand Jose Siri isn't exactly an All-Star, but he CAN play a premium position. Wasn't the return for him a bit light?
Mark P
8:39
The market is fairly limited for glove-first outfielders who can't really hit.
Guardians of the Galaxy
8:40
Boyd looked like a solid addition to the Guardian staff and I’m sure they would love to have Bieber back. Both have said they would like to return. As both are free agents, do you think Cleveland will pony up what it takes to sign one or both? If not who do they target via trade or FA?
Mark P
8:42
Re-signing one is far more likely than re-signing both.  It's interesting trying to project what the Guardians might do here since it's so rare for the team to actually need starting pitching.  Usually the "just call someone up from the minors and they're immediately solid" tactic works well for them, or they go off the radar for someone like Ben Lively and that works out too.
Boston
8:43
Rumblings that the Yankees are most worried about us as Soto competition - is that likely the rivalry/perception of fans seeing them lose him to Boston, or actual money on the table?
Mark P
8:44
By all accounts the Red Sox are making a legit push for Soto, so the Yankees should rightly be concerned.

The NY media and fanbase will be upset with the Yankees if Soto goes anywhere, and a PR hit is especially inevitable if they lose him to the other New York team in the Mets, a division rival like Toronto, or the arch-rival Red Sox
Expansion
8:45
Any chance the league tests out an expansion site like Nashville in 2026 if the Rays can’t figure out the stadium?
Mark P
8:46
The Brewers would have to sign off on that, since their Triple-A team plays in Nashville at presumably the ballpark that would be used to house the Rays.
Marc
8:46
What exactly is the purpose of mutual options if they are almost never exercised by both sides? Only the buyout, if any, is guaranteed and, therefore, included when calculating CBT salary for the contract. So, there is no CBT manipulation as there is with a contract that has a low player option that is unlikely to be exercised and only serves to lower CBT salary.
Mark P
8:49
Most teams in baseball have the "file and trial" approach for arbitration-eligible players, which means that teams will always* go to hearings once the figures are filed on both sides.  This is meant to put pressure on the players to agree to more team-friendly figures, if the players are worried about how they'll fare in front of an arbiter.  

The asterisk is that teams "allow themselves" to work out arb-avoiding contracts if they're multi-year deals.  So in recent years, mutual options have been the loophole for teams to work out what is basically just a one-year contract with a player, but that mutual option technically makes it more than a one-year pact.

If you think this is kind of a silly and pointless endeavor that is observed solely because teams are fully committed to keeping arbitration salaries as low as possible, you're correct!
Brew crew
8:50
Could the Brewers get Mayo in a Devin Williams trade?
Mark P
8:50
No way do the Orioles trade Mayo for one year of a relief pitcher.
Armchair GM
8:51
If the Phillies offered Painter and Crawford for Kyle Tucker, If you were the Astros, would you take the trade in a heartbeat?
Mark P
8:51
Yeah, but no way would Philly offer that
Curious George
8:53
What do you think of all the fights in college football? And favorite baseball fight?
Mark P
8:53
Not a college football fan.  And Nolan Ryan vs. Robin Ventura, hands down
DH
8:54
Is positional flexibility more important than banger DHs? It seems like a lot of teams prefer flexibility and sacrifice the DH upside
Mark P
8:54
This is generally true, unless your DH is such an elite bat that it's fine just plugging him into the lineup every day
Guest
8:56
With Raleigh separating from Boras is a signing with the M’s coming this off season? Also with Harry Ford could Cal move to 1st to solve part of the infield problem?
Mark P
8:57
Raleigh is such a good defensive catcher that moving him to first base would seem like a waste.  Any number of reasons could've inspired Raleigh's agency change so we shouldn't assume an extension is more likely, but if Seattle did lock Raleigh up, it might make the M's more likely to use Ford as a trade chip
8:59
Hope you enjoyed the bonus Weekend Chat, and thanks for all the questions!  Next weekend's chat might happen Saturday since Sunday night will be busy with the HOF veterans' committee announcement and all the early Winter Meetings buzz
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