You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
MLBTR Live Chat
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat
Chester Cheetah
11:13
Mark, how do you prefer your burgers? Plain? The works? Mushrooms and cheese? What is your jam?
Mark P
11:14
Ketchup, mustard, tomatoes, pickles, and (depending on the restaurant) relish.  This is the standard Mark Burger.
Watts
11:14
Will Bryce Harper and the Phillies relationship improve or not?
Mark P
11:16
I'm not sure it's actually that bad.  Harper was surely annoyed at the phrasing of Dombrowski's comments, and his most recent remarks indicate that he was more irritated that Dombrowski made the "not elite" statement publicly, rather than DD saying it at all.  Harper is the first to admit that the 2025 season wasn't his best, but obviously he has every confidence that he'll get back into "elite" territory in 2026
As we saw with the Castellanos stories this week, seems like the Phillies had a lot more actual clubhouse issues to worry about last season than Harper or Dombrowski
Zach
11:17
Which team that did not make the 2025 playoffs would you pick as a surprise playoff team for 2026?
Mark P
11:18
Not sure how "surprising" either of these choices are, but I see Baltimore and Arizona returning to the postseason in 2026
The Dude
11:18
Have you given up on Jac???
Mark P
11:18
Nope.  But, Jac did so little at the plate that I can't count on him for anything in 2026, or view him as a real win-now piece.
Scott H at the Copa
11:20
Has my spending been related to the Jobe and Olsen injuries or am I really trying to improve by spending? I desperately need a right handed bat in the middle of the order to balance my lineup. What should I do?
Mark P
11:21
On the offensive side, the Tigers seem to be willing to go into the season with their current roster, and see how things pan out with Keith at 3B, Vierling healthy, Baez given another shot, Jung maybe at 1B, etc.  It feels a little "house of cards"-ish, and ultimately I do feel Detroit will target a proven right-handed hitter prior to the trade deadline.
Hamate Bone
11:23
Are you in quarantine to protect yourself from Hamate2026?  Stay say out there
Mark P
11:23
I'm wearing protective wrist sheathes as we speak, though it's really hard to type
Guest
11:24
Please help me to believe that the Red Sox did enough to improve on last year's Wild Card club.
Mark P
11:24
The pitching is way better, Willson Contereras is a good hitter, and you get a full season of Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer.  The Red Sox should be in good shape to contend again.
Naylor Sailor
11:25
Now that Donovan is onboard, it feels like it’ll be either Cole Young or Colt Emerson making the OD roster, not both (barring injuries). Do you agree, and if so, who’s your pick?
Mark P
11:25
Young.  Emerson's played barely any Triple-A ball, so Seattle will want to give him some more time in Tacoma before calling him up
Desert Blossom
11:27
Am I just so desensitized that I automatically identify the DBacks Bullpen as awful, or is there actually anything there to start the season? It looks rough
Mark P
11:28
It's not great, but Gallen's return also helps the pen for depth purposes.  Assuming (big if) everyone in the rotation is healthy, Soroka can be moved into a relief role, or swingman role.
Ben
11:29
Twins seem loaded with veteran outfield lefties with poor defense. Any thoughts on maybe moving Larnach for a solidified bullpen arm or a right handed bat?
Mark P
11:30
Good idea in theory, except Larnach doesn't have much trade value
11:31
He can't hit lefties, is pretty average against righties, and as you noted, he's not much of a defender.  Doesn't add much to a very enticing trade chip.
Time to wrap things up.  Thanks for all your questions, and for sticking it out for this later-than-usual edition.
11:32
If you're interested in more baseball Q&A, one of the many benefits of our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription is the exclusive weekly live chats. The more limited field means you're about 10 times more likely to get a question answered, as opposed to battling for space with hundreds of other questions in today's chat. For more on our memberships, check out this link: 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/membership?ref=chat-2-15-26
Connecting…