MLBTR Live Chat
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page
This chat is available to members only. Please log in to participate.
Mark P
8:03
Randy Flores and Mike Girsch both drew some speculation as possible Angels hires under Mozeliak, but that was more just because of their past history with Mo than any concrete news.

As per Jon Heyman, the Pujols/Angels talks last winter broke down because of disagreements over "coaches, resources, and compensation."  For the latter, I can understand why Pujols would've balked if Arte Moreno was only offering something like the one-year deal Kurt Suzki signed.  While Pujols would surely want more security no matter who's running the front office, having Mozeliak in there would seemingly help smooth things over if there is still any hope of Pujols becoming the Halos' skipper
8:04
Ultimately it'll be down to Arte Moreno making the call, so it's anyone's guess as to how he'll proceed with either the front office search or a likely managerial search
Brian
8:08
which team has the biggest concern? Mariners with Raleigh, Toronto with vlad, dodgers with Diaz and turner or the pirates with Skenes drop in velocity?
Mark P
8:10
Diaz is easily fourth of four on this list, since his struggles haven't slowed the Dodgers down at all.

#1 has to be Guerrero given the sheer size of his contract.  While Guerrero and Raleigh aren't the only reasons their teams have underachieved, it's hard to see the Jays or M's making a late push if both continue to struggle like this.
Pope Donn Pall
8:11
Any concerns about Roch's up and down few weeks in high A?
Mark P
8:11
Nope.  It's the first few weeks of his pro career.
Jesse
8:13
Does Bo Bichette Opt out? Yes or no?
Mark P
8:14
Heavily leaning towards no.  Bichette would have to get nuclear hot in September to make an opt-out a serious consideration, since even with his recent surge, he's still a below-average hitter for the season
John Schneider
8:15
Steve said in the FO chat on Friday that Lukes and Bateman are redundant.  Do you agree?  Is there a spot for both on my 2027 roster?
Mark P
8:17
I lean towards agreeing with Steve's take, even if the Jays' 2027 outfield is such an open book that having both Bateman and Lukes seems like a possibility.  Barger will be back for RF, Santander is technically a LF possibility but will probably mostly be a DH, and so that leaves LF and CF open.  The Jays will surely bring in some kind of bigger bat (likely a RHH) into the outfield mix, and since Bateman is better suited to center field, Lukes would be the odd man out
SF
8:19
Do we regret the Bailey trade, especially down two other catchers to injuries?
Mark P
8:19
Trading Bailey isn't in the top 25 things that went wrong with this Giants season, so probably not
Dodgers fan
8:20
Any chance Tibbs is called up in wake of the Pages injury?
Mark P
8:20
Tibbs has never played center field, so no
Guest
8:20
For the Murakami question earlier, wouldn't it make sense to make it club option filled, as hitters like Murakami can disappear massively in the next few years, ahem Luis Robert Jr
Mark P
8:21
That may be true, yet if you're Murakami, why sign an extension with a lot of non-guaranteed money involved, when you can lock in secured money as a free agent after 2027?  Murakami might well take the approach of "I already signed one 'prove-it' deal, and now I've proved it, so pay me."
Stephen NH
8:22
As a Red Sox fan, do I have a right to be excited that the Sox getting a host of players off the IL at the right time just before the playoffs and if we do, does that qualify as "pulling a Dodgers"?
Mark P
8:25
I think "pulling a Dodgers" is technically having 60% of your pitching staff injured at all times, but you keep winning anyway.

The thing about Boston's reinforcements is that Anthony, IKF, and especially Story weren't exactly playing well before they went on the IL.  This isn't to say they couldn't improve, or that they're better options than guys like Siegler or Monasterio who may be playing over their heads.  But, it does create some questions since the impossible-to-quantify measure of clubhouse chemistry could be thrown off
Derek
8:26
Is Cavalli really this good or just lucky? Did he finally figure it out?
Mark P
8:27
It's less "figuring it out" than Cavalli finally being healthy.  He was a former first-round pick and a top prospect, so it's not like he's coming out of nowhere as a quality player
Preller Jr
8:27
Should the padres pick up the team option on Pivetta even though he’s been on the IL basically all year?
Mark P
8:30
His performance in September will answer that question.  If he returns and looks decent, it's an easy call to exercise for $14MM, in my view.

Even Pivetta doesn't pitch great, the Padres may still be inclined to pick it up.  They don't have much else locked into the 2027 rotation anyway, and taking a $14MM flier (that they had on the books anyway) isn't that expensive for a pitcher with Pivetta's resume.  Especially if you consider how much the Padres would have to pay another comparable free agent to fill that rotation hole.
Probably the only thing that would give SD serious pause about Pivetta's option is if he still isn't healthy.  But even then, we've seen teams take pricey fliers on pitchers with injury questions in the past.
Peter Bendix
8:32
Do you see the Fish grabbing a wildcard spot? Or is 2027?
Mark P
8:34
2027 is more probable.  The Cubs, Phillies, and Padres are all surging, so it would likely take something like one of those teams really falling off or the Braves collapsing to really open the door for Miami.  Plus, the D'Backs are still ahead of the Marlins in the WC race, so Arizona would have to fall back as well.

But, the Marlins have done well to hang around, and Stowers is back from the IL tomorrow.  Stranger things have happened than the idea of the 2026 Marlins as a playoff team, so stay tuned.
Blake
8:35
Do the Rangers extend Joc for another two-three years or is it not worth it?
Mark P
8:37
Joc is entering his age-35 season and is basically a DH-only platoon player.  Getting a second guaranteed year would be a nice result on his next contract, though he has hit well enough to score a decent amount of guaranteed money on another one-year pact.

A return to Texas can't be ruled out, especially if their payroll restrictions keep the team from going after any pricier bats.
Guest
8:38
you’re the pirates GM in 2027 - what is the first position you address?
Mark P
8:38
The assistant GM spot, since wow would I not be qualified to run a big league baseball team.

Serious answer: the bullpen.
literally not a rockies fan
8:39
Are we actually still dogging on the Rockies? I get it, the defense is horrible and the pitching is pure garbage, but we're not looking at the positive aspects offensively. They're ranked #7 in runs and hits, #5 in BA, #4 in SLG and OPS. They're offense is cooking, not so hot on the other sides. I really see this as a situation (not 100% parallel to) quite like the Nats. I'd say the Nats may have some more young superstars in James Wood and Abrams (which has also translated to a better defense). Is it just those two aspects or am I seeing something wrong (minus the altitude).
Mark P
8:42
That earlier Rockies question specifically regarded their pitching, so I didn't bother noting that the team's offense has been quite good.  

The issue with the Nats comp is that there aren't any inherent problems preventing the Nationals from having better pitching as early as 2027.  Colorado has to figure out some way to get even adequate pitching in the most hitter-friendly environment in the majors, outside maybe Sacramento (which is only technically "the majors")
AA
8:45
Am I being extremely hardheaded to not DFA Kim and admit it was a $20million mistake?
Mark P
8:46
A DFA any day now wouldn't be a surprise.  Maybe as soon as the Braves have the need for a 40-man roster spot.
Big Nasty
8:47
Who is your NL ROY: Stewart or Weatherholt?
Mark P
8:49
JJ has a 4.5 fWAR to Stewart's 2.1 fWAR.  Stewart is the better hitter of the two, though not by as much as you'd expect given the counting numbers --- Stewart has a 114 wRC+ and Wetherholt a 107 wRC+

JJ is my pick if I had a vote.
Sleepless in Seattle
8:50
Has Jerry Dipoto finally run out his string in Seattle? I know his hands are somewhat tied financially by ownership, but he's really struck out overall in his off-season acquisitions over the past few years to complement the younger players coming up through the system. Now the core of pitchers is beginning to "age out" without a full core of younger offensive players to bolster the offense. Having one of the top rated farm systems year after year is fine, but at some point, that has to translate into sustained contention in the majors... which hasn't happened in Seattle. Time for a new voice?
Mark P
8:55
Firing Dipoto a year after the Mariners almost reached the World Series would be something of a harsh move.  While I agree that he has surely made his share of poor moves, this roster certainly looked as good as anyone's in baseball on paper.  Things like Raleigh's inexplicable dropoff or Donovan's injury-riddled year couldn't have been reasonably foreseen, so it's hard to fault Dipoto in that sense.

It seems like part of the Mariners' problem this year is that the kids weren't quite ready to step up.  Maybe Emerson and Young break out in 2027, but their lack of production this year stood out, especially since Donovan hasn't been around to provide cover and JP Crawford had a pretty average year.
8:56
This isn't to say that Dipoto is entirely blameless, of course.  It's hard to believe the Mariners are this mediocre, especially in a year that the AL West seemed absolutely theirs for the taking.  Dan Wilson's job seems to be in serious jeopardy, but I doubt Seattle will overhaul the front office as well.
Ethan
9:00
How many people in Pittsburgh lose their jobs after this collapse?
Mark P
9:00
I wouldn't be surprised by a total housecleaning after the season.  To be fair, the Pirates were playing well before so much of their lineup got hurt, but I think another losing season will cost Cherington and Kelly their jobs.
Connecting…