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Mark P

6:06

It would be amusing if this message was really from Paul Skenes asking my help in fixing them, but still.

No team looks very energetic when they're losing, and the lack of hitting has to be particularly demoralizing. I'm not sure if a quick-fix move like a managerial change will solve things, or if the Pirates simply don't have much talent in place to be competitive

Scott K

6:07

Baltimore just unceremoniously cut loose Kimbrell last year, one of the all-time save leaders. I think Morton might get DFA'd this week.

Mark P

6:07

The Orioles waited until September to DFA Kimbrel

Old Guy

6:07

Anyone going to break the White Sox record of 41 wins?

Mark P

6:07

The Rockies' ears are burning!

Henry Darger

6:09

I asked this of one of your colleagues a year ago and nearly got my head taken off, but here I again: Do you think the Nats should be concerned at all about Dylan Crews given his decent-but-not great performance in the minors and the very poor quality of his ABs in the majors? (I'll duck now.)

Mark P

6:10

It's true that Crews didn't dominate in the minors, and perhaps a trip back to Triple-A to let him regroup and (presumably) crush minor league pitching would better help him get on track for another call-up later this season. If the Nats are going to do this, better they do it in 2025 during another planned non-competitive season, since they want Crews in full flight when they (presumably!) start competing in 2026

Now, I say this after Crews hit two home runs yesterday, so maybe he's already starting to turn things around.

Kyle Tucker

6:11

$400 million contract enough to resign me?

Mark P

6:11

With Soto and Vladdy shooting the market upward, I think Tucker can and will command well over $400MM

Will

6:13

Will rizzo or jd play this season?

Mark P

6:14

Like with Robertson, teams now have to be considering how the long layoff and lack of a normal offseason will impact these guys. Of the two, Martinez probably has the better chance of being signed since he was more recently productive than Rizzo, and because Martinez would only have to worry about hitting as a DH

DFA limbo

6:15

Is the dfa process brutal for players at home? Any ideas to make it more seemless?

Mark P

6:16

Every once in a while you'll see a "what it's like being DFA'ed" type of piece written, and yeah, the answer is exactly what you'd think. So those certain players who get DFA'ed like four or five times in a year, it's pretty rough having their seasons just stop and start so frequently, not to mention if they're changing teams multiple times.

Smitty From LA

6:18

Could I win the MVP this year? If Posey could win it, so could I, right??

Mark P

6:18

Will Smith is having a fine year, but he's going to finish behind a few of his own teammates when it comes to MVP consideration

Tim

6:18

Do the cardinals open up the checkbook after mo leaves?

Mark P

6:19

Not likely. The payroll mandates are coming from ownership, not from Mozeliak.

If anything, Bloom's hiring and last fall's talk about wanting to revitalize the player development pipeline hints that the Cards probably aren't making any big splashes in free agency for a while (unless Bloom finds the next Yoshida!)

Guest

6:20

Convince me that Julio Rodriguez will never be Ken Griffey Junior. What a mistake.

Mark P

6:21

Beyond everything else for the Mariners, getting J-Rod back on a superstar path is probably their biggest need right now. He is still just 24 so some ups and downs aren't unexpected, but the big contact invites a big spotlight.

Bloom

6:22

Who am I selling off at the deadline? Fedde, Matz, Helsley, Maton, Arenado? Maybe Nootbar or Donovan?

Mark P

6:23

Likely not the latter two, but yeah, all the impending free agents and (again) Arenado will be shopped. For Arenado, obviously the key there is whether or not he's willing to approve a trade and pack up his family midseason.

Giant Gonzalez

6:23

If Rhodes wins, we riot. Over/under on Roman Anthony playing LF in Boston by Memorial Day?

Mark P

6:24

As much as Anthony is tearing it up in the minors, where do you play him? Rafaela or Duran aren't being benched, Abreu is playing well, and Devers is locked into the DH spot.

Anthony will assuredly make his big league debut at some point this year, but late May seems early

Tim

6:25

odds of cards resigning Helsley in the offseason?

John

6:25

What kind of package would Ryan Helsley require at the deadline this year?

Mark P

6:26

To answer the first question, slim and none

To answer the second, they'd get probably a decent prospect, but nothing elite. Helsley is a reliever and a rental player, so the Cardinals' best window for maximizing their return on him would've been this past winter.

Framber Valdez

6:29

I wanna go to the Dodgers by the deadline. What do they gotta give up for me?

Mark P

6:29

I've written this before, but I doubt Valdez is going anywhere. The Astros will be in contention again and looking (if anything) to add at the deadline

Mike

6:29

So did they get ball for Simpson for his firsthit that wasnt a hit then a hit??

Mark P

6:30

That is one of the more unique first hits I've ever seen, and weirdly appropriate for a player with such incredible speed. I hope someone had the presence of mind to keep the ball just in case.

Kc fan

6:30

seriously…. This Royals OF is bad….. other than pray, anything that can be done?

Mark P

6:31

Replacing Melendez with Canha should offer some improvement, but if any team should be looking to make a prominent early trade, it's the Royals. Their outfield might be just about the worst in the game.

Joe

6:31

Will O’Neil Cruz have a 30-50 HRs and steals?

Mark P

6:32

A 30-30 season absolutely seems in play. Garnering that many homers might be tricky when PNC Park is your home stadium, but Cruz has the power potential to do it

Doghouse Riley

6:33

If the Royals have the worst OF, who has the best? Thanks Mark.

Mark P

6:35

As per Baseball Ref's handy-dandy position-by-position bWAR index, the Yankees have the best cumulative outfield in baseball, with a collective 3.0 bWAR between them this season. Judge is doing a lot of the heavy lifting there, but don't discount Grisham's red-hot start

Stosh

6:36

Simpson got a hit yesterday, so today was his second

Mark P

6:36

My mistake! So Simpson is now a mere 55 games away from breaking DiMaggio's record

Reds Nation

6:37

What do the reds need to improve to be contenters in your view?

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