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Mark P
8:23
The Weekend Chat has arrived!  We'll open things up in a minute, after a few questions start to stack up in the queue....
You can't misspell Alex Bregman without
8:25
Bees?
Mark P
8:25
Beads?!

And, this got me looking at that Bregman post to see if I'd made a typo, haha
EricT
8:25
Will any team give Paul Sewald a chance to close next season?
Mark P
8:26
Probably not as "The Closer," per se.  But a team without any clear-cut ninth inning options (or with a younger or more unproven closer) could well sign Sewald to compete for the job, or provide depth in the event of an injury
kikuchi
8:28
can i be traded or will Angels need to eat part of my salary for 2027?
Mark P
8:29
Yusei is owed $21MM in 2027, and he naturally wouldn't be making that on a one-year pact if he was hypothetically a free agent on the market.  So yeah, the Halos probably eat some money unless it's part of an unfavorable contract swap.

But, given the uncertainty in the LAA rotation, there are worse ideas than just keeping Kikuchi and writing off his 2026 due to injuries
Aleks Bregman
8:30
If I have an extended absence, how difficult is it for the Cubs?  They have good 3B depth with Shaw and Ramirez, but Bregman has been their second most important hitter since June.
Mark P
8:33
Any small thing can turn a playoff series, so not having Bregman is a huge loss for Chicago.  Since the Cubs have one of the best lineups in baseball, theoretically they can make up the loss, and a lot of teams would be more than happy with Shaw/Ramirez as a starting 3B platoon, let alone the backup option.

But, the Cubs' plan for the playoffs will be to outslug teams and hope for the best on the pitching end.  Winning slugfests will be a lot trickier without Bregman involved.
Chad
8:34
Regarding the possibility of increased spending this offseason, on a scale of 1-10, how much should Nationals fans read into the team extending Cavalli?
Mark P
8:36
Maybe a 3?  Locking up Cavalli for 4/$47MM is a nice score for the Nats, even if that deal becomes 5/$70MM with the club option exercised.  It makes sense for Cavalli as well since he now lands financial security in the aftermath of his extended injury absence.
Extending Cavalli was something the Nats would've been doing with or without any bigger spending plans this winter, so it's hard to see this as a real harbinger
KS Rangers
8:37
If you’re an AL team waiting on the outcome of the AL West race, who do you LEAST want to face in a best of three? Texas or Houston?
Mark P
8:37
Teams' answers may differ based on matchups, but I'd imagine clubs would probably prefer to avoid Houston due to their greater amount of playoff experience
John
8:39
Who is the most likely controlled option on the Tigers to be traded in the offseason? Tork? Lee?
Mark P
8:42
If the Tigers can find a decent enough return for Torkelson, I suspect they'd make the move.  The increase in strikeouts is a red flag, and very possibly enough of an issue that it'll limit Detroit's ability to find a trade partner
8:43
Tork has some "change of scenery" potential, and his 111 wRC+ isn't bad by any means.  But the question for the Tigers and other teams is whether or not another level can be reached, or if this is all Torkelson is --- an okay but not elite hitter in a position that sort of demands premium hitting
Guest
8:44
What should the Mets do with Mark Vientos?
Brett Baty
8:44
What is my future with the Mets and my career. Am I just a platoon bat or will I potentially be a starting caliber player somewhere else?
Mark P
8:47
I'd be a little surprised to see both guys back in New York in 2027, and wouldn't be shocked if both are gone.  Baty's positional versatility might give him more of a chance of sticking around given Semien's lack of production at 2B.

Frankly, this might be another case of a team overloading a prospect with too many defensive responsibilities by trying to make him into a super-util guy, whereas maybe just sticking at one position would've helped Baty settle in at the plate
Kevin
8:48
Who do you think will win the al central? and when do you think leo de vries will get called
Mark P
8:50
Too close to call in the ALC race, especially with the ChiSox still on the field right now.  Purely because Chicago holds the tiebreaker, I'll pick the Sox to squeak out the crown, maybe by finishing in an actual tie with the Guards.

De Vries had shoulder surgery a few weeks ago, so he'll be out of action until probably May 2027.  Chances are he still arrives in the majors before 2027 is out, but that has gone from basically a lock to more of a question mark given how we don't know how he'll look post-surgery (or if his rehab might take longer than expected)
8:52
Update, the White Sox just beat the Tigers, so they're a game back of Cleveland in the division race
Tony Fernandez
8:53
Could the Blue Jays look to shake up their middle infield next season? Clement has been cold since the all-star break & hasn't been as good defensively at second as he was at third. The team has also sat Gimenez a lot against lefties.
Mark P
8:54
2025 postseason heroics notwithstanding, Clement has never been an above-average hitter during his career.  Moving Clement and Gimenez into a SS platoon (or even a 2B platoon) is a logical way to remove one subpar bat from the lineup, and open up a spot for the Jays to target this winter.
Eric
8:54
If Schlittler develops a change up that works off his fastball would it be a next level for him?
Mark P
8:54
Dude's got a 1.94 ERA....and there's another level to him?!
Amir
8:56
Should the Dodgers just make Ohtani a closer in a couple of years?
Mark P
8:57
Due to the "Ohtani rule," the Dodgers can remove him from a game as a starter but Ohtani gets to stay as the DH.  But if Ohtani enters as a reliever and is then removed, the Dodgers also need to replace him in the lineup.

So a blown save that sends the game into extras would have the double gut-punch of both the lost lead, and LA losing an elite bat all at once.  If Ohtani does eventually go to relief pitching, it'll be as an opener.
Bosox fan
8:58
When will they fix the playoff format so the 3 best AL teams aren't all on the same side of the bracket? I understand they want to make division titles mean someone but there's got to be a better way to do this.
Mark P
8:58
Agreed.  No reason why MLB (or the NBA or NHL, for that matter) couldn't re-seed after the first round.
Frank Crosetti
9:00
Yankees have some interesting arms outside of their top 4 starters.  Talking about Warren, Weathers, Gil,Schmidt, Rodriguez.  Do you see enough market for any those guys to fill some of the weaknesses in their lineup in the offseason?  Or do you think “You can never have too much pitching” will force them to hang on to all of them.
Mark P
9:01
One will be the fifth starter, and it's possible another team pipes up with an interesting enough offer to get the Yankees to part ways with another hurler.
9:02
The YCNHTMP rule definitely applies here, especially considering the injury history of several members of New York's big four
Lt Data
9:03
Do the Yanks issue Jazz a QO?  Obviously this is a down year, but prior to this he's been amazing and well worth it.
Mark P
9:05
I wonder if Grisham's QO might've hurt Chisholm's chances of getting one.  Or if the Yankees want to give Volpe another chance, this time as the second baseman.

Probably because they're the Yankees, they might be just fine with a one-year deal for Jazz if he accepts, due to the upside potential.
Torey Lovullo
9:06
Is my era done?
Mark P
9:07
It's not looking good for Arizona, who may fall just shy of a wild card berth for the third straight year.  Lovullo himself admitted that missing the playoffs could well cost him his job, but it's ultimately ownership's call.  I suspect Mike Hazen would be happy to keep Lovullo, and one might argue Lovullo has done a pretty good job of getting the D'Backs this close given all their injuries
Reds
9:09
They just have to get some hitters around Elly and Sal, right?  And is Krall the right guy to do that?  It is speculated ownership is keeping him for some odd reason.
Mark P
9:11
I'm not sure it's an "odd reason," per se.  Since Krall became the head of Cincinnati's front office, the team has had three winning seasons (granted, with a ceiling of 83 wins) and they made the playoffs last year.  

This isn't the most sterling of track records but it isn't a disaster either, which is probably where the frustration or disconnect lies between ownership and the fanbase.  Obviously a lot of Reds fans want things to change in a more clearcut positive direction, but there haven't been any signs that ownership is dissatisfied with Krall's results.
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