MLBTR Chat Transcript

Mike E.

• I’m sure Seiya Suzuki will draw quite a bit of interest in free agency as a right-handed bat with power and solid OBP skills. But at 32, how many years can he realistically get? Will clubs buy the defensive improvement enough to offer 4-5 years? Will he get 9 figures?

Mark P

• Nine figures is a reach, but replicating his previous contract in terms of AAV is feasible in a thin hitting market.  It’s way more likely Suzuki gets a four-year deal than a five.

Oriole Bird (fired)

• Any chance the O’s promote Mike Shildt to manager prior to the season/if O’s get off to slow start? He seems to be a teaching/ fundamentals guy and the Orioles lacked that big time in 2026

Mark P

• Being a big league manager really seemed to burn Shildt out, so he likely just prefers his current role.  Albernaz probably isn’t on such a hot seat that a slow start gets him fired, but if the O’s don’t play well in 2027 as a whole, a managerial change at season’s end is more realistic

Angels in the outfield

• Nice to see Jo Adell getting his due, don’t you think?

Mark P

• Given how Jo Adell trade speculation has long been a running gag of the Weekend Chat, it would delight me to no end if the team that finally traded for Adell immediately won the World Series

Oscar

• Is a salary cap and floor a certainty for next year?

Mark P

• Not whatsoever

Guest

• What would you put the odds of there actually being a salary cap at? Fingers crossed there isn’t one

Mark P

• The MLBPA has been firm in their stance against any sort of hard cap.  At this stage of labor talks and probably overall, I see no reason why they’d waiver.

Squints

• What a realistic to what the White Sox rotation looks like next (fingers crossed) season?

Mark P

• The Sox face an interesting decision about how much they’ll “go for it” this winter, and history suggests that they won’t go overboard.  Acquiring one solid veteran arm seems like a good idea, to give more leeway for the youngsters and because Luis Castillo (who was supposed be that solid veteran arm) looked really shaky post-trade.

BrewCrew27

• Who wins tonight?

Mark P

• Is it wrong to consider Game 1 to be a must-win game?  Because if the Brewers lose Misiorowski’s start and then Yamamoto looms in Game 2, the “not again…” feeling is going to suddenly creep into Milwaukee’s fanbase (and maybe into their clubhouse)

Guest

• Give us a look inside Alex Cora’s thought process. He has turned down the Phillies twice. Is the uncertainty of the 2027 playing a role or is being paid to sit at home is goal?

MS

• What the heck is going on with the Phillies manager situation? Feels like if it were Mattingly, that would have been announced by now. It’s crickets.

Mark P

• On the surface, there’s no reason to doubt the stated reasons for why Cora declined Philadelphia’s offers.  After so many years as a player, coach, and manager, Cora might simply be liking the time away from the grind, and spending more time with his family.  It’s not like he won’t still be a managerial candidate in a year’s time, plus he’s still getting paid a hefty salary by the Red Sox.
• It is also possible that the Phillies are more keen on Cora than he is on them.  Relationship with Dombrowski notwithstanding, perhaps Cora has some reservations about joining a veteran team that may have missed its window.
• From the Phillies’ perspective, going back to Mattingly seems a little awkward after management was all but engraving Cora’s name onto the office door.  Maybe Mattingly is fine with the situation and again being a placeholder through 2027.

Cardinals

• Do you see nolan gorman in the 2027 picture for the cardinals? Maybe as a guy who comes off the bench at least

Mark P

• I listed Gorman as a non-tender candidate in the STL offseason outlook a few days ago.  I suspect 2026 was his last-chance season and the Cardinals are probably ready to move on

D’backs Fan

• Who’s on first next year, if any?  Could Alex Burleson be of interest?  Bats left handed and can play first, or is to
• to expensive.

Mark P

• Burleson isn’t expensive in terms of money, as he is projected to earn $8.3MM in 2027. With similar numbers next season, he’ll earn something in the ballpark of $11.5MM for 2028, which will be his final year of arbitration eligibility.Any team would happily sign up Burleson’s production for two years and less than $20MM.  But, that makes him more valuable to the Cardinals if they did decide to shop him, so the D’Backs would have to come up with a particularly impressive offer of younger talent.

FireCashman

• Should lagrange been promoted this season? Whether reg or post season? Also, will Will Warren be pushed out of the staff with lagrange, beck, and rodriguez on the fringe of the show?

Mark P

• Lagrange hurt his shoulder and appeared in only one minor league game in the last three months.  Wouldn’t have made much sense for the Yankees to call him up for the playoffs, and he only had so-so numbers in Triple-A before his injury
• Warren is the most expendable member of New York’s projected rotation, but he’s also a pitcher the Yankees are happy to keep rolling with in order to give the younger guys more seasoning.

Jays fan

• How do the jays fix their offensive shortcomings without overpaying for a free agent and repeating the mistake they made on Anthony Santander

Mark P

• Trades are difficult since the Jays don’t have much in the minor league pipeline, so free agency remains the more logical way for the team to bring in quality talent.  “Overpaying” is sometimes part and parcel with bringing in a free agent, and the Blue Jays can only hope that their next acquisitions provide more of a return.And hey, maybe Santander is finally healthy and can get back to his old self in 2027

Bobby Cox

• Im glad we didnt include Fuentes for skubal. Gray to Braves would be a good fit, how much 2 yrs? Also we move Murphy this offseason?

Mark P

• A two-year deal seems reasonable given Gray’s age and the fact that he has floated the idea of retirement.  Signing with Atlanta in particular (close to Gray’s home in Nashville) probably has some extra appeal, as it streamlines Gray’s ability to keep pitching while also having more time with his family.Murphy’s trade value is close to nil at this point, so a deal probably only happens if the Braves eat money or swap him for another team’s unfavorable contract

Phineus Gage

• Mark, if for some reason Ohtani was hitting like a lame duck the first 2 games of the NLCS, would you say it was probable and fair that De Paula gets a start in his spot?

Mark P

• Find it hard to believe that Ohtani would be benched, no matter how deep the slump

Las Vegas

• Who is the Athletic most likely to get moved to clear room for De Vries knocking at the door?

Mark P

• This is a moot point for now since DeVries is recovering from shoulder surgery, so he won’t even be playing until late April or early May.  The A’s will want to make sure he’s full healthy and naturally DeVries will have to be hitting well in what will be his first taste of Triple-A ball.As to his positional future, the second base position is open right now since the A’s won’t be retaining Jeff McNeil.  Jacob Wilson can move over to second to open up shortstop when DeVries is ready for prime time

Trades

• Bryce miller for Steven kwan. Who says no?

Mark P

• Kwan is only under control through 2027, whereas Miller is controlled through 2029.  Therefore the Mariners pass, unless this is a multi-player deal more than a straight one-for-one.

Dennis

• What will the Tigers do this winter? Possibly trade for a bat or perhaps go after Suzuki or Jazz?

Mark P

• Suzuki is the bigger upgrade of those two, and Suzuki’s ability to play right field creates room for both Torkelson and Carpenter to stay if the Tigers wish.As to whether or not the Tigers would make such a big splash for Suzuki, that remains to be seen.  Detroit has been cautious about spending too heavily on free agents, and such reluctant teams might point to Suzuki’s age as a reason (or an excuse) to look elsewhere

Reginald M Jackson

• Who ya got in their prime: Frank Thomas or Sammy Sosa?

Mark P

• I’ll take the Hurt, that’s a pretty easy call in my view

Al

• Make sense to you that the Brewers will look to deal Mitchell this winter, as he is only under team control for 2 more years (sadly, he’s been on the IL for much of his career until this season)? Vaughn looks like a non tender candidate too, as his projected number is over $7M.Finally, Bauers offered a QO or not? If he is, think he will he accept it? I think he’ll 2-3 year offers for $15M+ per, even though he only has had a single year of being more than a reserve/platoon guy. His ability to play 1B/LF/RF means a dozen teams will have some degree of interest.

Mark P

• Milwaukee’s usual tactic would be to trade Mitchell next winter, not this winter.  There might be some logic in selling high now, but if Mitchell (who had a sky-high BABIP, for what it’s worth) is actually figuring things out at the plate, then a solid bat who can play excellent CF defense is immensely valuable to the Brewers themselves.
• Bauers would almost surely accept a QO if offered.  As good as Bauers was in 2026, the Brewers probably won’t want to commit such a big chunk of their payroll to a player with Bauers’ limited track record, so I doubt they make him the offer.

Guardians

• • Will Foster Griffin get a qualifying offer? Would the Guardians be eligible for a draft pick if he declines and signs elsewhere?

Mark P

• Griffin isn’t eligible for a QO since he was traded during the season

bmcferren

• Is Shota out of the budget for the Pirates this offseason? PNC has been known to elevate left handed pitchers

Mark P

• I’ll be interested to see what kind of contract Imanaga lands, but you’re probably right in guessing that he’ll be out of Pittsburgh’s price range.  One would imagine Imanaga might specifically look for a team in more of a pitcher-friendly park, but PNC isn’t the only stadium in that category.It’s also amusing to think of the Pirates wanting to sign Imanaga just because he has completely owned them throughout his career.  An 0.61 ERA over seven starts and 44 innings!

si

• On that note, would signing Shota Imanaga be a good plan for the giants, considering his fly ball rate would be not as big of a problem in Oracle?

Mark P

• This would be a good fit, yes

Ken

• Should the A’s deal prospects to get a starting pitcher for next season, or should they use next year to evaluate what they have (e.g. Morales, Perkins, Barnett, Lopez, Morris)?

Mark P

• The problems are twofold.  If the A’s were to make a relatively major trade for an established pitcher with years of control, they’re still kind of burning one of those years on a season at Sutter Health Park.  Evaluating the in-house arms in such a hitter-friendly environment is also problematic, since the ballpark is so skewed.This isn’t to say that the A’s won’t be pursuing pitching this winter, since obviously they badly need rotation help.  But given their situation, I think they’re probably stuck with reclamation types on one-year contracts, since most pitchers who have offers elsewhere will take those deals over pitching in Sacramento

Pday

• Seiya Suzuki to the Yankees. While they have other needs, since when does that stop them from signing the player than can most

Mark P

• That does create the obvious question of where Suzuki would play.  The 2027 outfield looks like Judge, Jones, and Bellinger, and both Suzuki and Judge might balk at splitting RF/DH duties.  Garcia could be moved to 2B with Rice at 1B, but that creates the question of whether or not Garcia can show any defensive improvement as a second baseman again.  Plus, adding Suzuki turns Stanton into a glorified pinch-hitter, unless the Yankees were to release him entirely.
• Bottom line, Seiya isn’t a great fit for the Yankees’ needs.  I don’t doubt that they’ll check in on him out of due diligence, but other teams figure to make bigger pushes for a signing

Maikel and Vinnie

• Obviously 2026 was injury plagued for Garcia and Pasquatch but can these guys be part of the foundation they were meant to be after 2025?

Mark P

• In an odd twist, both guys started hitting better after the injuries started to pile up.  So, it could be that both were hit by the Slow Start bug that hit most of the KC team
• Particularly given the money already invested in Garcia’s extension, the Royals need him to be more than just “good.”

Paul Tobini

• Is this the year the Nats jump back into free agency and hand out a multi year deal?

Mark P

• There’s more than enough space to do so given the Nationals’ wide-open future payroll.  But, it’s more likely the team stays pretty modest in its offseason work, though I could see a two-year contract being given to a starter or even a reliever.  The latter would address the Nats’ more pressing issue, and the pen has been so bad that the team might be more compelled to spending some actual money as a fix

Dave

• who has a more active offseason Miami or Washington?

Mark P

• I love this question!  In terms of “active,” I think it’s the Marlins, since Bendix doesn’t need to spend all that much in order to make a bunch of trades, waiver claims, etc.

Adley R

• Do the Sox extend me or am I just a very expensive 1.5 year rental?

Mark P

• Given what the Red Sox gave up for Rutschman, surely they have some designs on keeping him long-term.  But, extension talks probably aren’t a priority given how poorly Adley played post-trade.Unless the Sox make a particularly large offer, Rutschman is probably eschewing an extension anyway in the hopes of having a big 2027 season and then scoring a big contract in free agency next winter.  Accepting an extension now and then having a big year means that Rutschman might’ve left some money on the table.

Alan53

• Suzuki would be a great acquisition for any team that wants to have its rallies killed by lightening-fast noncompetitive strikeouts.

Mark P

• “Our ears are burning!” — the White Sox

Ohtani

• Do you forsee a scenario in the next few years where Ohtani finally gives up on pitching? If so, does he remain a DH or return to the field?

Mark P

• Only Ohtani knows the answer to this question.  As much as he’d obviously prefer to remain a two-way player, if the health impact takes a toll on his performance on both sides of the field, he’ll stay off the mound.  Maybe the 2026 season will be a step in this direction.Just to help his versatility, Ohtani probably becomes an outfielder.  People have said for years that Ohtani could easily be a good or even fielder if he took up the position full-time, and while that might be a bit trickier as he ages, Ohtani would surely embrace the challenge

Will

• Will there be a trade or free agent signing completed before the potential lockout clock strikes?

Mark P

• There’s going to be a ton of activity.  If you remember the last lockout in December 2021, the few days leading up to December 1 were among the most chaotic transaction days I can remember in all my time at MLBTR

Peter Bendix

• If I trade X Edwards. What should be a reasonable return? Who should be my target team?

Mark P

• The X-Man is arb-controlled through 2029, and he’s kind of an x-factor (sorry) in terms of glovework since his public metrics at second base varied wildly from 2025 to 2026.  Edwards looks like he can be at least a league-average hitter with more upside to come, and he brings a ton of speed to the lineup.All of this to say, Miami would get a lot of interest from any team looking for infield help if Edwards was shopped.  But, the question remains, why would the Marlins do this for anything short of a really tremendous return?

Ken

• How likely is MLB to revert to 154 games and have a longer division series without getting a salary cap?

Mark P

• Assuming the league doesn’t attach those ideas to a cap, I can see the MLBPA being open to these concepts.  More playoff games means more TV money for all parties, and while reducing the schedule means eight fewer game-day paychecks, players might appreciate extra time off for rest and recovery

Jocko Johnson

• Seeings how the Tigers are so flush with young infielders, can you see them just DFA’ing Baez? I’m mean the money is already spent right?

Mark P

• Since he’ll be getting the remaining $24MM anyway, the Tigers might as well keep Baez just as a veteran voice and as a depth piece.  A DFA/release at some point during the season (if the Tigers just need the roster spot) is certainly feasible.

Pete

• Would the Reds try to sign Alec Bohm or players like him, or try making trades to improve roster?  At a loss…would they even try moving Hunter Greene?

Mark P

• Greene just had TJ surgery in August, so teams won’t be after him in any fashion.  Bohm isn’t the most exciting of options, but he’s the kind of player the Reds will likely target as a relatively inexpensive FA that can be signed for one year

Getz

• Can i trade Luis Catillo and a prospect (maybe MsDougal) to a rebuilding team? Maybe ear

Mark P

• The White Sox have so little money on the books that the remaining year of Castillo’s deal isn’t (or shouldn’t be) considered onerous for them.  Giving away a prospect just to shed a portion of Castillo’s salary would be an ill-advised move

Plakata!!

• Could the off season really just be a collection of odd small health issues for Vlad Jr?  We knew about the hamstring, and the lower back and now it comes out he had corrective laser eye surgery right after the end of the season

Mark P

• Between these issues, the shortened offseason (due to the long playoff run), and then the WBC, maybe all Guerrero needs is a normal winter routine to get himself back on track.Of course, we already know that won’t happen due to the lockout disrupting things.  The last lockout didn’t seem to impact Guerrero too much since he still hit well in 2022, but all in all, he is still a big question mark heading into next year.
• It’s not an ideal situation for Toronto that its biggest and pricier star is such an x-factor at this point, and maybe going forward

Wacha

• Does the rest of the league see Michael Wacha as a valuable piece? Worried the Royals are gonna miss their trade window and be left holding the bag when he runs out of juice

Mark P

• Wacha’s lack of strikeouts and velocity have lowered his value to some extent throughout his career, even though his on-field results have generally been quite solid.  He is owed $14MM in 2027 and then KC has a $1MM buyout on a $14MM club option for 2028, which is a pretty acceptable salary for a veteran workhorse who eats innings and delivers good bottom-line numbers.
• The thing is, the Royals want to compete next year, and thus weren’t going to move Wacha (or Lugo) at the deadline unless they got a very big return.  There’s certainly risk that Wacha and/or the Royals struggle in 2027, so he won’t be too valuable a trade candidate next summer either.
• But, KC prefers to cross that bridge when they come to it, since their obvious hope is that the Royals are winning and there’s no reason to move Wacha
• Thanks for all the questions, but it’s time to close up the chat for the night
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