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Change for a Buc
7:05
Are the additions of O'Hearn, Lowe, Mangum, and Ozuna just a random mishmash of hitters and the Bucs will be lucky to be .500, or is this a brilliant overhaul possibly resulting in a playoff berth?
Mark P
7:05
O'Hearn and Lowe alone should make the lineup better.  Ozuna and Mangum are more fliers, but given how bad Pittsburgh's lineup was in 2025, in a sense there's nowhere to go but up.
Astros
7:06
I get it on paper they seem weaker but the Astros have surprised before. I see them winning the west
Mark P
7:07
The Mariners seem deeper and at least have few question marks, but you're right....you can't count the Astros out.  They usually seem to just figure things out, except for last year when most of their team was hurt (and still almost made the playoffs)
Aaron
7:08
Gil didn't look so good today could he be sent down or moved to bullpen if he doesn't get off to a good start
Mark P
7:09
It's possible, though the Yankees figure to give Gil plenty of time to get on track
Tom
7:09
Do teams typically do cuts on any set schedule during spring training?
Mark P
7:10
Mostly depends on injuries, availability for filling out rosters in games, plus the most obvious reason of teams just trimming the players they absolutely know won't be in the picture for Opening Day.
BRUTE
7:11
Beware the ides of March.......
Mark P
7:12
As a pure precaution, I didn't order from Little Caesars today
kurt the hurt
7:12
Skubal looks great, Valdez is looking great, Mize was an all star and had a good first half last season. If Flaherty can regain his 2025 form and Verlander solves his giving up homer problem then Detroit should run away from the division right ?
Mark P
7:14
The Tigers clearly have the best roster on paper in the AL Central.  They were cruising last year until suddenly everything went south at once down the stretch, plus Cleveland got hot enough to overtake them.

You didn't mention the lineup, which I think is the larger concern for the Tigers than the pitching staff.  On paper, again, they "should" have enough offense....but I would've liked to have seen them pick up another bat this winter
Beware The Ides of March
7:16
What do you make of Suzuki's injury in the WBC last night?  Think he'll be back in the Cub's line-up soon?
Mark P
7:17
No word yet on any testing, as Suzuki likely just got back into the Cubs' camp today.  Too early to tell at this point, so Cubs fans will have to keep holding their breaths for at least another day
Bud Black
7:18
Does Condon get called up to the big leagues this year?
Mark P
7:20
Condon played 55 Double-A games in 2025, and the expectation is that he'll start this season in Triple-A.  Assuming he keeps up the production, he'll be in Denver at some point in 2026.
Giants
7:21
Eldridge should start in the minors, don't you think?   He just hasn't had enough seasoning
Mark P
7:23
Eldridge has 74 career games of Triple-A ball, with a .250/.324/486 slash line and 18 homers to show for 321 plate appearances.

It's good production but not great, especially in the Pacific Coast League.  He's been hitting pretty well this spring, which should probably be enough to get him onto the Opening Day roster.  If the Giants believed enough in Eldridge to give him a cup of coffee late last year, that should continue with a starting role this year
Tom G.
7:24
Several questions and responses about the As. Does it make any sense to attempt a trade with Minnesoa for Ryan plus maybe Woods Richardson and Lee?
Mark P
7:27
I touched on this in the A's offseason review the other day (cheap plug!), but I question as to how much the team will really invest in pitching during their time in Sacramento.  Paying a big premium for a frontline pitcher like Ryan doesn't make a lot of sense when his two remaining years of control would be spent in an environment where he just naturally can't perform to the best of his abilities.

The Athletics' overall plan of not "really" trying to fully contend until they get to Las Vegas appears to still be in place, but obviously they've got a mind to sneak into a playoff spot as early as this year.  They'll try to slug their way to success and get as much as they can from their pitchers, with the hopes that some of the younger arms develop well in the majors
Crystal vs ?
7:27
Favorite Oscars host?
Mark P
7:28
Conan and Steve Martin are perhaps my two all-time favorite comedians.  So they're my favorites who have been the Oscar host, while Billy Crystal is probably the person who's been the best at being the Oscar host, if that makes sense.
Bobby Miller
7:29
Any chance I get traded??
Mark P
7:30
He's been hurt all spring, so while a change-of-scenery deal could happen down the road, it won't happen soon
Ballyhooed Plausiblilities
7:32
Think theres any chance of revisiting a 154-game season? Has seemed impossible since the owners wouldnt want to lose any money but as time passes, playoffs are getting bulkier, WBC is getting popular, Olympics could become a thing, and MLB games are being played internationally. I woulnt be in favor of it personally but, seems that those 8 games could be repurposed into the global events?
Mark P
7:34
I'd say this scenario is quite unlikely, yet not zero.  

You're right that a lot of owners would balk at losing four home games, plus players would balk at having salaries reduced if eight games were cut.  But, in the hypothetical world where Olympic baseball happens, and moving the WBC to midseason also becomes a possibility, then suddenly you have a big mid-year interruption two of every four years
7:35
Some kind of reduction to the 162-game sched would be almost inevitable, unless the league was willing to eat the weather issues that would arise in starting earlier in March or extending the playoffs deeper into November.
Joe
7:36
Should the Orioles be worried about the bullpen? It looks like they will have 2-3 AAA guys in there starting out.
Mark P
7:37
Kittredge's injury really revealed the lack of pen depth.  You can't say the Orioles didn't make efforts to help their bullpen since Helsley and Kittredge were acquired, but it still looks like the team's weak link
Northside dreaming
7:39
Hoerner, Suzuki, Happ all up for FA. Do the Cubs get any of them extended?
Mark P
7:41
For as much as Hoerner has been in trade rumors, I have a weird feeling that if the Cubs extend any of this group, it could be him?  I'd still lean towards this trio all hitting free agency next winter, however
RAJR
7:42
Ronald Acuna is a superstar, but his glove has declined in two consecutive seasons (and his DRS hasn't been positive since 2020). Is a move to DH possible before he hits free agency?
Mark P
7:43
Very possible, or at least a move just to part-time outfield duty.

Unsurprisingly, two torn ACLs has taken its toll on Acuna's defense.
7:45
We've passed the two-hour mark, so time to wrap this chat up.  Thanks for all your questions!
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