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Mark P
12:42
Welcome to the Weekend Chat! We'll take a minute for some questions to pile up, then get rolling....
Luca
12:44
Do the Rays have any more moves in store ? Will they add another catcher ?
Mark P
12:47
You'll likely see at least some lower-level stuff (i.e. minor league deals) take place before Spring Training, but in terms of truly big stuff, probably not.  The Rays plan to give Matz a look as a starter again, but signing someone like Littell would seem like a more stable move in my view.  Littell was linked to the Rays earlier this offseason and he remains unsigned, whereas other known Tampa targets like Eflin or Houser are off the board.

Tampa Bay has been looking for a catcher almost as long as they've been looking for a better ballpark.  They might add someone else on a minors deal or something, but the chances of them finally landing that "catcher of the future" type in the limited time remaining this winter is pretty slim
Kevin
12:48
Guardians find money to extend Rameriz, does this mean there is money to add help to roster?
Mark P
12:49
The deferred money involved in J-Ram's new deal certainly would seem to mean the Guards have something in the realm of $6MM extra to suddenly work with.  They might spend this before the offseason ends, or maybe it goes towards trade deadline reinforcements.  Given that their lineup is still in need of help now, I'd argue they should get to adding a bat sooner rather than later
Elias
12:50
Any market on Danny Coulombe? He’s very good but I let him walk last offseason due to age/injury concerns.
Mark P
12:51
Boston's been the only team publicly linked to Coulombe, but surely multiple teams could use more LHP bullpen help.
Natitude
12:52
Light return for the Nats In the Gore trade?  Doesn’t seem like a surefire big league prospect in the group of 5 players coming from TEX.  Too harsh?
Mark P
12:55
Reports indicated that Toboni really liked Fien in particular, dating back to last year's draft when Toboni was still with the BoSox.  So it seems like Fien is viewed as the prize of the trade package, and the other four are varying degrees of lottery ticket.  

I've written multiple times in these chats that the Nationals would likely be retaining Gore unless they got a particularly huge offer, so I made the wrong call on that one.  This doesn't fit what I had in mind of a huge prospect haul, but we'll see how things plan out.  If any one of these five players ends up being a significant piece for Washington, it'll go down as a win for the team
Guards4Life
12:55
Does Jose signing mean a Kwan extension is near?
Mark P
12:56
Unlikely.  Ramirez is the exception that breaks Cleveland's usual rule about extensions, which is that the Guards only extend guys early in their careers.  Kwan being two years away from free agency mean he's missed that window, and is likely a year away from being dealt.
I love Yu
12:58
If some/all of Yu’s contract comes off the books. What could the Padres do to upgrade the offense/starting pitching? Could they move a bullpen arm (Estrada) for a bat?
Mark P
1:00
It would be that Darvish's situation is the answer for why the Padres' offseason has been relatively quiet.  If the team is seeing if he'll retire or take some kind of buyout with deferred money, suddenly the Padres have some extra cash to work with in making signings or trades.

Someone like a Bassitt or a Verlander would be a big help in their rotation, and neither of those two would be particularly expensive.  You'd think either of those pitchers would be a signing SD could afford right now with or without clarity on Darvish, but only the Padres know exactly what their budget is
Datdude
1:00
Who's broadcasting Cincinnati reds games this year mlb or another entity
Mark P
1:02
Unclear for now.  Of the nine teams that ended their contracts with Main Street Sports, some (including the Reds) could re-up for a temporary one-year deal, or perhaps they just sign on to let MLB handle their broadcasts.  Having the league do the broadcasts at least brings more stability in the short term, lest teams go through this whole thing again down the road with MSS.
Reid
1:03
The Giants reported interest in CJ Abrams seems a little fishy. I don't doubt they inquired, or possibly brought up a few names they might discuss, but it came across as a PR move to say hey we tried to do this. I feel like they have the pieces to get that trade done if they really wanted to. Your thoughts?
Mark P
1:04
I think it might've been a tactical move except not in the way you're thinking.  It might've been a hint to the Cardinals in the vein of "hey, we can explore other 2B options, so stop dragging your feet on our Donovan offers."
Angels
1:04
Typical off-season but really would have liked to see them lock up Neto.
Mark P
1:05
Most extension business doesn't start until March, when teams have their offseason work completed and turn their attention elsewhere.  So there's still plenty of time for Neto to be extended, if that's something the Halos have on their radar
Glenn
1:06
Garcia in the 6th, Rogers 7th, Hoffman 8th, Tiedemann 9th? Possible Jays lock down bullpen? Hope you are enjoying a Typical CDN winter day!
Mark P
1:08
I can still vaguely see outside my window, so pfft, you call this a blizzard?!

Tiedemann is coming off Tommy John surgery, and he has barely pitched any Triple-A ball.  Asking him to make the jump all the way to closing games for a championship contender is a very big reach.
Guest
1:09
I am now 27 years old, which means I have now watched the full careers careers of players on the hall of fame ballot, and it has really re-contextualized voting for me. I used to be a “small hall” guy, using stats and JAWs to argue against fringe candidates. But now I just feel insane trying to argue Felix or Pedroia were not hall of famers after watching their careers unfold. Curious if you ever had a similar thought?
Mark P
1:11
Voters face this same conundrum in deciding whether or not to choose guys who "felt like Hall of Famers" even if their stats didn't necessarily measure up.  I do think Felix and Pedroia both probably get in eventually, since more writers will start to focus more on the "ten great years" aspect over the fact that these guys didn't do much beyond that prime.
Bart
1:12
Is it possible to create a contract that forces your team to be competitive..  could Ramirez have put clause in to make cle a top 15 spender ?  Or else he could opt out ??
Mark P
1:12
The Guardians would never agree to such a contract.  And, their response is probably also "we've made the playoffs seven times in the last decade, how is that not competitive?"
Andrew
1:13
Are the A’s currently trying to trade for anyone similar to what they tried to do with Arenado?
Mark P
1:14
It'd be a stretch for the Athletics' budget, but I wonder if Eugenio Suarez might be a possibility for them if Suarez drops his asking price.  It's not an ideal fit since Suarez would be basically locked into playing 3B every day since Rooker's the DH, so maybe the A's do want a true third baseman rather than a questionable defender like Suarez.
Marky Mark
1:15
What's on the Sunday Chat Playlist Mark?
Mark P
1:15
"Not," by Big Thief
Dillon V.
1:15
While the Mets got a huge ace in Peralta, I do wonder if it was worth Williams and Sproat for most likely just one year of Peralta.
Mark P
1:16
Stearns very likely thinks he can extend Peralta, or make a push to re-sign him next winter if he reaches free agency.
Bosox Fan 1
1:19
Do you think that the Red Sox pitching and defense strategy without another slugger in the lineup will give them 1st place in the  AL east?
Mark P
1:19
Boston was a top ten team in offense in 2025, and in 2026 they'll have a full season of Anthony, and Contreras making up most or even all of Bregman's production.  The Sox aren't hurting for bats.
Kennon
1:21
Mark, appreciate you taking my question. The Astros are still close to the CBT threshold, right? We shouldn't expect any further moves unless they can trade Sanchez or Walker, both of which have deficit value. Do you see this club making any changes between now and Opening Day? I think Walker probably isn't moved unless a contender has a major injury in ST.
Mark P
1:23
As per RosterResource, the Astros are about $1.5MM under the tax line, so there's not much room to maneuver if they're intent on avoiding a tax bill.

The infield picture is so crowded and the outfield is such a need that it feels like some kind of trade must happen, yet that's obviously easier said than done.  The issue might be that other teams keep insisting on Paredes, and the Astros don't want to move him.
Jeff K.
1:24
Is there a realistic chance of a Geno/Reds reunion in your estimation?
Mark P
1:24
Given the Reds' apparently payroll restrictions, it doesn't seem too likely.
Barry L Bonds
1:26
Do you think the approach the Giants seem to be taking, letting young players fill in the gaps, (hopefully step up to be core players or at least solid contributing players) like Casey Schmitt, Bryce Eldridge, Drew Gilbert, and the rotation/bullpen depth (e.g. Tidwell, Teng, Whisenhunt), is too risky for 2026?

As a Giants fan, I'm actually OK with trying to see what we have in these players instead of always seemingly needing to designate them / lose them for nothing after they run out of options. But on the other side of it, Chapman is going to be 33, Devers 29, Webb 29, and Adames 30. So it does feel like 2026 is the best some of these veteran players will be before they get to the bad side of their contracts.
Mark P
1:27
I tend to lean more towards with the second half of your argument.  If you're spending this much on Devers, Chapman, etc. in clear win-now moves, then rolling the dice on youngsters to fill the other holes is kind of a half-measures response
Bdubya
1:29
Why have the Cardinals not moved Donovan yet??
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