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John
8:47
Can I ever have nice things? I just want the Orioles to lock up Gunnar and Adley
Mark P
8:48
Henderson is a Boras client, and Basallo has already gotten the big extension in the catching corps.  My apologies, but I'd guess that neither Henderson or Rutschman is long for Baltimore.
Rights
8:50
Will Jose Ramirez ever get it going?
Mark P
8:50
Ramirez has a .235 BABIP and great peripherals.  It's just a matter of time before his luck turns, and it's impressive that the Guardians are playing this well while their star is off to a relatively slow start
Squinky
8:51
Tampa bay has consistently put a competitive team on the field, yet they're near the bottom in attendance year after year. Why?
Mark P
8:52
Tropicana Field is in a very poor location travel-wise, which is why the Rays are trying to get their new ballpark built in Tampa proper.
Guest
8:53
Is Eldridge breaking out? Or just Coors magic? Though his expected stats have always been good
Mark P
8:54
Regular playing time may simply be the answer, as some injuries have opened the door for Eldridge to finally get mostly everyday at-bats
8:58
Sorry for the delay, had to reset my router
Yaz67
8:59
Wrigley or Fenway ?
Mark P
8:59
Wrigley is one of my very favourite ballparks, so it gets the nod
Guest
8:59
Angela are foolish to hold on to Trout. They are going nowhere and have gone nowhere with him. They owe him a ton of money and although he is still a great player when he is not hurt some team like the Phillies who was his favorite team as a youth near his New Jersey home would be glad to acquire him, Trouts loyalty to the Angels is admirable but if they talked to him that a trade would help the team in the future he might agree to a trade especially to the Phillies.
Mark P
9:01
The word on Trout is that he likes keeping some separation between his professional life and private life, so a trade to the Phillies in particular might not be something he embraces, though I have no doubt Trout wants to win.

If Trout did eventually ask for a trade, it's anyone's guess as to how Moreno might react.  Moving Trout seems counter to Moreno's (outlandish) belief that the Angels are just a few breaks away from contention, yet maybe a trade demand from the face of the franchise might be a needed reality check.
9:02
The other issue is that Trout's age and salary are still obstacles in any trade talks, his 2026 resurgence notwithstanding
Nate Colbert
9:04
What's with Bregman?  Is he having growing pains adjusting to the NL  Is Wrigley just a bad park for him?
Mark P
9:06
Bregman's road splits are better than his home splits, if still below his regular standard.  There isn't much difference metric-wise between Bregman in 2025 and 2026, but he's hitting the ball with a lot less authority and thus generating less power
Archie
9:07
Realistically, what can the Cubs do to add 2 starters?
Mark P
9:09
Cabrera and Boyd won't be out for much longer, and Justin Steele is still expected to be back in late August, even if there's still a lot of uncertainty about his status

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/05/latest-on-justin-steele.html
9:11
So in theory, there's some light at the end of the tunnel of pitching injuries here, which will impact how hard Chicago goes for rotation help at the deadline.  One can certainly argue the Cubs could use two more arms even with Boyd/Cabrera joining the mix, but the Cubs might feel they have enough pure depth to go for more mid-rotation type than someone like Skubal
9:12
The question the Cubs must be asking themselves is whether they're fine with Imanaga, Boyd, and Cabrera being their top three starters in a playoff series.  I'd argue they should aim higher to at least test the Skubal waters
Scott in Mongolia
9:13
Do you think the new CBA will address anything like rule changes which might limit all the pitching injuries?
Mark P
9:14
There's no simple rule that will stop pitchers from getting hurt.  There may be an adjustment to the 13-13 roster setup, but having a 14th pitcher available isn't going to save anyone's arm.
Do You Really Wanna Jump
9:15
I feel like the Mets will be an interesting almost exciting team when Polanco, Lindor, and Alvarez return. Please talk me off optimism’s ledge.
Mark P
9:16
Wait, you want me to make you more pessimistic?  Hope springs eternal.  Plus, like I said in an earlier post, it's still only May 31.  Crazier things have happened than a team in the Mets' position making a playoff run.
Mike
9:19
Thank you for the chat. Sanchez breaking Hershiser’s record?
Mark P
9:21
Sanchez is at 44.2 innings, so he's within two games of Hershiser's record of 59.  He probably caught a break in missing facing the Dodgers this weekend, so his next start will come against the struggling Padres lineup.

It's very cool that there's a viable chance of this record being broken, and I'm rooting for Sanchez to get it done.
It occurs to me that if Sanchez gets through the San Diego start, he might be lined up to break the record in Toronto next week.  I might have to get a ticket to check that one out in person.
Nick
9:22
When does acuna’s 8/100 deal end and: 1. What does contract number 2 look like and 2. Will Atlanta pony up the funds to resign him?
Mark P
9:25
Braves hold $17MM club options on Acuna for 2027 and 2028.  So there's still a ways to go before the team has to make this decision one way or the other, and their decision may also be impacted by whatever the new CBA looks like.

Harris, Riley (uh oh), and Olson (in his final guaranteed year) are the only Braves under contract beyond 2028, plus Atlanta has club options on Strider and Murphy.  So there's plenty of available payroll space in the future if they did want to explore locking Acuna up, but I wouldn't expect any extension talks to really ramp up for at least another year
That's two hours in the books, so time to wrap things up on this week's chat.  Thanks to everyone who submitted a comment!
9:26
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