MLBTR Chats

Greg

• Can the Mariners win world series?

Safeco Field Redux

• So: How good are the M’s? Legitimate World Series contender?

Mark P

• Absolutely.  Seattle might be the best overall team in baseball right now, give or take the Brewers.  So many other contenders have a clear weakness or two, but not the M’s (on paper)

AA

• Which is more likely a Acuna extension or signing Bo?

Mark P

• Acuna’s current deal keeps him under team control through 2028, as the Braves have club options (worth $17MM each) for both 2027-28.  Call me crazy, but I think the Braves will be picking those up. 🙂

  As such, the team doesn’t really need to prioritize an extension this offseason.  Obviously the Braves have been as proactive as anyone in locking players up, but there isn’t any immediate urgency with Acuna.  Plus, Atlanta might want to wait until Acuna has a fully healthy season before considering a second extension.

• So I guess by default, this makes Bichette slightly more likely, even if Anthopoulos traditionally doesn’t aim for those kind of pricey free agent deals.

White Sox Fan

• How many years away are we from competing? Cam we compete every year instead of every so often?

Mark P

• I haven’t loved everything the Sox have done in their rebuild, but they’ve gotten a decent amount of young talent in the fold.  The AL Central’s inconsistency could help the White Sox contend perhaps slightly sooner than expected, but I wouldn’t expect much from the next 2-3 seasons.

Judge

• Is my future at first like Harper?

Mark P

• Judge’s solid defense is the most underrated part of his game.  He is a plus right fielder, and while he didn’t do much defensively in center field last year, the fact that he could do it regularly was alone impressive (and helpful to New York’s overall lineup construction).
• Barring injury concerns, I think the Yankees are fine with Judge in right field for the foreseeable future.  Especially if they’re keeping 1B earmarked for Ben Rice.

Nancy’s Friend Sluggo

• Do you think if a miracle occurred and the Pirates offered Paul Skenes a market value contract that he would sign with them despite their annual second-division status?

Mark P

• Only Skenes knows the answer to this for sure.  He’s made a solid amount of money in his career already via signing bonus and endorsements, so he could choose to bet on himself if he has doubts about Pittsburgh’s ability to compete.

  However, betting on yourself and turning down a $200MM (or probably more) extension offer are two different things.  If the Pirates actually did go all in on making Skenes their guy and offering him a mega-deal, I would lean towards him taking it, just to lock in some generational wealth for himself.

Jack

• Theres an issue with the Orioles about bringing up Beavers and Basallo. Some fans believe the Orioles are holding them back to preserve their rookie status. Question I have is about the 45 day rule. Does time spent on the roster in September count?

Mark P

• Yep, all time spent on the MLB roster counts.

Josh

• What are your early impressions of Luke Keaschall?

Mark P

• He is apparently (checks notes) the greatest player in baseball history
• In all seriousness, he’s been a fun story for the Twins and a real shot in the arm for a fanbase that was understandably miserable on this team after the deadline.  You can’t help but wonder how different 2025 might’ve been for Minnesota if Keaschall hadn’t gotten hurt.

Kwan

• Any chance I get traded in the offseason? Maybe a hometown reunion with the Giants?

Mark P

• Based on past precedent, I’d expect the Guardians to move Kwan during the 2027-28 season, when he is a year away from free agency.

Mrs Stowers

• Have you or your fellow MLBTR Marlins haters changed your opinion about the team yet?  Better than you thought, right?

Mark P

• None of us are Marlins haters.  We (and the rest of the baseball world) thought they weren’t going to be any good this year, but they’ve been proving a lot of people wrong over the last couple of months.  There’s now some hope for a full rebound as early as 2026, depending on how the offseason develops or if the front office feels the roster is ready to contend.

Chef J

• Over easy eggs or scrambled eggs? Who ya got Mark?!

Mark P

• Scrambled eggs all day every day

Gavin’s mom

• Gavin Williams was soooo close to that no-no

Mark P

• I looked this up in the wake of Williams’ near-miss. 2005 was the last MLB season without at least one no-hitter, so we’re overdue for a pitcher (or pitchers, in combined fashion) to have a day of days.
• Tough break for Williams, but if you’re going to lose a no-hitter, giving up a homer to Juan Soto is a pretty respectable way to lose it

RP

• What kind of contract does Devin Williams get given he was the best closer in baseball for years and has been terrible this year?

Mark P

• I expect Williams to pursue one-year contracts, with the idea that he’ll rebound in 2026 and line himself up for a bigger multi-year deal during the 26-27 offseason.

  For something like a one-year, $10MM deal, lots of teams will be willing to sign Williams.  He has major change of scenery potential, and most of his peripheral numbers (save for his barrel rate) are still quite good

flags

• if the twins aren’t sold before the offseason do you see them slashing more payroll with trades of lopez, ryan, ober, jeffers, etc?

Mark P

• Lopez is the only one that would actually represent big cash savings, since the others are still pretty inexpensive as arb-eligible players.  Ryan in particular is a big bargain, earning only $3MM in 2025 and controlled for two more years.

  With this in mind, Lopez may be the likeliest of the group to be dealt, with Jeffers next just because he’s only controlled through 2026.  But even with Jeffers, he could be retained just because Vazquez is also a free agent this year and is certainly not being re-signed.

Yankees Hot Take

• Volpe’s future is at second base due to his lack of arm strength and Lombard knocking on the door, right?

Mark P

• A move to 2B could indeed stop Volpe’s downward slide defensively.  But, if he continues to scuffle at the plate, he’ll need to be a premium defender (wherever he plays) to retain his spot in the everyday lineup.

M. Betts

• Will I be back in the OF next season?

Mark P

• Betts has been very good defensively at shortstop, so I’d guess he stays put.  Whether or not his lack of hitting is directly tied to the position change is unclear.  Betts and the Dodgers probably want to run it back and see what happens in a year when Betts isn’t waylaid by a brutal illness during the spring.

Zach

• Will this be the season that costs Aaron Boone his job?

Mark P

• Boone’s next contract extension hasn’t actually kicked in yet, as it was signed in February and covers the 2026-27 seasons.

  If the Yankees fully collapsed and missed the playoffs entirely, that might be enough to force ownership to make some kind of major move like a managerial change.  For as much loyalty as Boone has received, it might be that a culture change is needed in the clubhouse

Steve

• Can you explain how trades that involve a “player to be named later” work? It there a timeline in which MLB requires the trades like that to be finalized? Could a team theoretically finalize a trade like that during the season but after the trade deadline or does it have to be finalized in the offseason? I’d love to hear about any known behind the scene stories of these trades.

Mark P

• Usually a team provides the other club with a list of a few players to choose from as the PTBNL.  I believe the other team has to decide on its choice within six months of the trade.  This timeframe allows for players drafted that year to be eligible, since clubs cannot trade a player until at least six months after their draft date.

NY Mess

• Stearns and Mendoza both seem really good at their jobs, but this team is pretty bad. Do these guys keep their jobs or is a shakeup coming in the offseason? There could be several hard years in front of this team given payroll, age, and lack of quality.

Mark P

• It always felt like the Mets’ halfway approach to their pitching staff would catch up to them, but the biggest question mark has been the surprising lack of offense.  Lindor hasn’t looked right for a couple of months and may be playing hurt, Vientos’ production fell off sharply, and overall the lineup just hasn’t been the sum of its parts.
• I don’t think either Stearns or Mendoza are going anywhere, but a change in hitting coaches seems very plausible.

Jeff

• Why don’t we see more (or any) teams using openers? It seems like it worked wonders for teams like the Tigers and Rays in recent years. Does the data show otherwise?

Mark P

• Deploying an opener/bulk pitcher for a regular turn in the rotation makes things harder on a pitching staff’s depth.  Over a short period or even a couple of months it can work fine, or even work wonders.  Over a full season, however, it has some drawbacks.

JeffyM

• Where do you think Barger eventually ends up?  Is he a 3B or a RF long term?

Mark P

• I’d install him at third base since that’s a tougher position to fill. There’s no harm in toggling Barger between both 3B and RF as circumstances dictate, for now.

NL playoffs

• Which teams do you have making the postseason?  Any surprise team that could sneak in?

Mark P

• Even with the Mets in freefall and the Cubs being shaky recently, the Reds are the only team that is in decent position right now to break into the playoff picture.  Cincinnati is the only non-playoff NL team with a winning record, since the Giants and Cardinals are both exactly .500

  The way the Mets look right now, I’m hard-pressed to think much of their chances down the stretch.  Meanwhile, the Reds get Hunter Greene back this week.

Colson Montgomery

• Colson make a run at top 3 rookie of the year with the way he is playing?  Who wins the award?

Mark P

• Kurtz is walking away with the AL ROY.  Jacob Wilson will still get plenty of votes despite his injury, plus you’ve got Roman Anthony surging and Noah Cameron continuing to pitch well.  Montgomery is probably out of luck.

Verlander

• Do I have anything left or is the inability of my teammates to put runs on the board. Today was a bad day for the lack of offense.

Mark P

• The Giants’ lack of run support has certainly been an issue, but Verlander hasn’t helped himself with some shaky performances.  I dove into his under-the-hood numbers a bit during that post earlier tonight, and they’re not particularly impressive.

  Whether or not he has anything left in the tank remains to be seen, as there’s probably some change of scenery potential there as well heading into 2026.  Verlander is such a name and has such a history of defying time in the past that some team will definitely be willing to give him another one-year deal.

Marky Mark

• Whats on the Sunday Night Chat Playlist,?

Mark P

• “Bad,” by U2

Nick

• Who will land the biggest free agent deal this coming off-season?

Mark P

• Tucker, by a comfortable margin

Grimace

• Would my appearance rejuvenate the Mets or expose the transient limitations of my powers?

Mark P

• I feel like this is a stand-up comedy bit from the 80’s, but…..why is that character called “Grimace,” anyway?  That’s a pretty weird name for a friendly mascot, isn’t it?

Nolan A

• I should’ve moved on. And you told me to stay…. Ugh

Mark P

• Arenado probably wasn’t checking in on the Weekend Chat when weighing his decisions about accepting a trade or not.

  In all likelihood, Arenado probably has some regrets about not just accepting that trade to Houston.  That’s a real sliding doors moment that would’ve completely changed 2025 for both organizations.

Josh Naylor

• Do you think the Mariners have a legitimate chance to sign Naylor before he hits free agency? What will it take?

Mark P

• He’s a more viable option than Suarez to get re-signed, and if the M’s are willing to stretch the budget, I can see it happening.

  Naylor turned 28 last June, he’s posted four above-average offensive years in a row, and he is on pace to break Rickey Henderson’s steals record.  The downside is that Naylor is a 1B-only player, his numbers have been more solid than elite, and he might want extra in order to stay in a pitcher-friendly environment like Seattle.

Dealer

• If Cubs/SD end tied for WC seeds 4/5who gets home field since season seres went 3-3

Mark P

• The next tiebreaker is inter-division record.

Rafael

• Thoughts on the Phillies since Duran arrival have there chances gotten better to be a favorite to win the World Series

Mark P

• Duran was one of my favourite deadline pickups for any team, and he’s a huge help to Philly’s chances.

Jet2Holiday

• youre the GM of the Braves..do you hire from within or look outside the organization? If so who?
• Are the Braves hiring their next manager from within or outside

Mark P

• I think there’s a non-zero chance it’ll be John Gibbons, based on Anthopoulos’ long history with him.  But, who knows, any number of internal candidates could be on the radar, or other candidates on other teams could emerge

Friars

• Was trading for all these starting pitchers necessary? (Including Miller) I get that we may have King and cease leave in free agency but it seems like a little much considering musgrove is coming back next year

Mark P

• All together now…..you can never have too much pitching!
• There’s also no guarantee that Musgrove returns as a frontline pitcher after his long layoff.

Chris

• Is it crazy to think the Yanks offer Grisham a QO to see if he can do it again?

Mark P

• Grisham’s not getting a QO, even if he has started hitting again.

Bobby Cox

• Do you see the Braves trading Murphy since Drake will be ROY?

Mark P

• Murphy is owed $45MM over the 2026-28 seasons, and there’s another $15MM club option attached for 2029.  He’s been good this year even with Baldwin understandably eating into the catching playing time.

  Given how catching is in short supply around baseball, I don’t think Atlanta would have a ton of trouble finding interest in Murphy on the trade market.

• Moving Murphy does put some extra pressure on Baldwin to keep it going, and retaining both catchers through 2026 also makes some sense.  This would guard against a sophomore slump for Baldwin, for instance

Nothin but Nats

• Nathaniel Lowe… DFA candidate? Huge disappointment for the nats

Mark P

• He’s certainly looking like a non-tender after the year, so an early DFA just to see if another team will eat some of his contract is very possible

Dalton Rushing

• I’m gonna end up being a 3rd string jobber if I can’t learn to hit in the show, correct?

Mark P

• Sure.  But I’ll need to see (way) more than 100 PA in the majors before making a call on Rushing

Carrie Halas

• Way way back when they started the Mcdonald land ads he was the heavy and his full name was evil grimace

Mark P

• This is the kind of delightful tidbit that I love finding in these chats.

Tim

• odds of cards signing Helsley in the offseason

Mark P

• Most players say they like playing for their old club, but Helsley was so particular about it that I think there’s a decent chance of a reunion.  Only Helsley or his agents know if Helsley’s interest extends to the point of perhaps being willing to give the Cardinals a minor hometown discount, but we’ll see how his market plays out

Chris A

• Do you think there is a deal in place for the sale of the Twins? It would make sense to wait for the offseason to announce it. I am super worried without a new owner, the Twins will go into full rebuild

Mark P

• There hasn’t much new news on the ownership front, but who knows what’s happening behind the scenes.  It could be that the Twins’ deadline moves were made just as a harbinger for a sale being announced sooner rather than later.  Or, perhaps the league wants to get the Rays’ sale finalized first before moving onto the Twins.

Tim

• Which player of all time do you wish you could see play in person?

Mark P

• Babe Ruth is the obvious answer.  Plus all of the great Negro League legends that most fans even of that era didn’t get a chance to see play.

Guest

• I think Drake Baldwin is not a lock for ROY at all, Isaac Collins has had a lot to say about that the last two months. Nearly all stats favor Collins.

Mark P

• Forgot to put this as an addendum to that previous post, but you’re right, I think Collins will win NL ROY.  He’s gotten himself in line for an everyday role with a Brewers team that is conquering baseball.

Desertdan

• Is PCA’s post ASG slump a normal second half regression, or something worse?

Mark P

• His strikeout and walk rates were both really rough even when he was crushing the ball in the first half, so some regression was inevitable.

Chris A

• Wasn’t the bad guy the hamburgler?

Mark P

• Yes, I just looked this up on Wikipedia.  As I understand it, Grimace seemed to be more of a main villain before his face turn, whereas the Hamburglar was more of a lower-level nuisance.  That probably made it easier to keep the Hambluglar (tm Vic Michaelis) a bad guy, since obviously McDonald’s can’t endorse the concept of stealing their food.

Cleveland

• Your take on Bazzana? He was the 1.1, but so far seems like the weakest guy taken of the top picks.

Mark P

• The Guardians just promoted him to Triple-A today, which makes sense since he’s been ripping up minor league pitching.

  Obviously it is way WAY too early to pass judgement on anyone from the 2024 draft.  If Kurtz wasn’t breaking out so early and skewing the curve for everyone, Bazzana’s numbers (as a “normal” prospect) would look great.

Check your tiebreaker answer

• Mark, second tiebreaker after head to head is NOT inter-division record—it is INTRA division record..

Mark P

• You’re correct, that was a typo on my part

Rockies

• Do we have a pathway to success in the future, or do we need to pick up more prospects?

Mark P

• I don’t think the Rockies will get truly on track unless they modernize their operation and bring in a bunch of new front office voices from outside the organization.

Galcian

• Do the Cardinals sign any one this Winter or do they stand pact?

Mark P

• A blockbuster signing is doubtful, but I’m sure Bloom will bring in some talent in his first offseason in change
• Time to wrap things up for the evening, now that we got a few more baseball questions in after our deep dive into McDonald’s character lore.  Thanks to everyone who submitted a question, and we’ll be back with more chatting next weekend.
• If you’re interested in more baseball Q&A, one of the many benefits of our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription is the exclusive weekly live chats. The more limited field means you’re about 10 times more likely to get a question answered, as opposed to battling for space with hundreds of other questions in today’s chat. For more on our memberships, check out this link:

  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/membership?ref=chat-8-10-25

Jeff

• Who wins the AL West, Astros or Mariners?

Mark P

• Who wins the AL West?

  ---

  Astros (43.2% | 272 votes)

  Mariners (51.6% | 325 votes)

  Rangers (5.0% | 32 votes)

  ---

  Total Votes: 629
• I expanded your question to add the Rangers, since they’re certainly still in the picture at this juncture.

Armchair GM

• With the addition of Catlos Correa, where does Isaac Paredes play if he were to come back before the playoffs?  Is Paredes trade bait in the offseason?

Mark P

• Paredes would be used at 1B or DH, depending on Alvarez’s status.  You could maybe see him at 2B if Altuve then plays left field.  Needless to say, Houston would find a way to get Paredes in there.

Guest

• Is Boston legit, or is this another fluke start to the 2nd half?

Mark P

• They’re definitely legit. Now that the pitching has started to come around, the Sox don’t have many weaknesses

Don

• Watching every Tiger game it’s easy to see how and why they’ve been inconsistent lately. Mark I’m wondering how a non fan sees it from the outside looking in. Thanks

Mark P

• Not to press the panic button too much for Detroit fans, but there are some similarities right now between the 2024 Orioles and the 2025 Tigers — a team that had basically everything go right for three months, and then reality started to sink in.

  There’s still plenty of time for the Tigers to stabilize things.  As mentioned earlier, their six-game lead is still substantial.  (If you asked Tigers fans before the season if they would’ve been happy with a six-game division lead on August 9, that would’ve been a unanimous yes.)

• I find it hard to believe, for one, that Riley Greene’s slump will last the rest of the year

Chris

• I know The Athletic mentioned it, do you think its possible the Yanks cut their losses with Williams once some relief guys come off the IL?

Yankeeman

• Is Devin Williams really a September release candidate

Mark P

• Like I said in that Yankees notes post, the fact that this is even floated as semi-realistic possibility is wild, considering Williams’ reputation.  I’d say it’s still unlikely given that it was just a few weeks ago that Williams seemed like his old self heading into the All-Star break.

Brewer Fan

• Not anquestiin but I just want to say, the team with the best record right now has a starting outfield of Issac Collins, Blake Perkins, and Sal Frelick.. this team is absolutely wild.

Mark P

• Credit to those outfielders for all playing well, and to the Brewers organization in general for (once again) figuring out a way to remain contenders.

Redsfan

• Are we chasing rainbows?

Mark P

• The Reds have an opening here with the Mets struggling and the Cubs to some extent just treading water over the last few weeks.  Cincinnati’s trade deadline moves were pretty interesting, and I think the team still had it in them to make a run down the stretch

Guest

• should Luis Robert Jr. keep his bags packed in the off season? If not, do the Sox sign a big bat to pair with Robert and who might that bat be?

Mark P

• Chicago’s certainly not going to make a big signing since they’re still in the depths of the rebuild.  It will be fascinating to watch the Robert trade talks this winter and see what kind of deal (if any) can get finalized.  Even picking up that club option is an interesting risk for the Sox, since it they end up having to eat money to complete a deal, it’ll look pretty strange.

Al Pacino

• Bees?

Mark P

• Beads?!

Detroit

• I’m talking building a dynastic team, not trying to eek in by selling the top prospects.
• First place caused the GM to drop the team building plan? They were a rebuilding team and had pending Free Agents, an opt out player and blocked prospects not likely to make the Detroit roster.

Mark P

• These were two different comments by the same poster, for the record.

  Scott Harris made statements something along these lines post-deadline, saying that other teams were making such big asks for Detroit’s top prospects that Harris didn’t want to blow up the future just to make a run in 2025.  That’s all logical and, as I’ve noted in the past, having a deep farm system can sometimes made trade talks difficult, since every other club will naturally aim high at first for just the top minor leaguers.

  I do think digging a bit deeper into the prospect pile, however, might’ve been a shot in the arm for a flagging Tigers team.  Obtaining a player with multiple years of control, for instance, might’ve been worth the cost of giving away someone in the top 10 prospects (if obviously not Clark, McGonigle, etc.)

Prellers Death Wish

• What was your favorite deadline move?

Mark P

• I really liked the Phillies getting Duran.  They paid a big cost, but having a star closer immediately solves a big roster problem.

Blue Jays

• If the jays make the playoffs, what’s their starting rotation look like?

Mark P

• Easiest call is probably just Gausman, Berrios, Bassitt, with Scherzer as the fourth. Lauer probably deserves a start but he can also be more easily shifted down into bullpen duty.  Bieber (and Manoah) are x-factors as well, but we’ll cross that bridge once we see either in action.

Braves Fan

• Great job with the deadline coverage!

Mark P

• Thanks!  As you might expect, deadline day is easily MLBTR’s busiest day of the year, so the whole staff was on call to cover the tons of breaking stories all day long.

JN

• What does the Dodgers playoff rotation look like with everyone healthy? Would Kershaw potentially be left out? Have a hard time trusting Sasaki with no postseason experience

Mark P

• Big if, but IF everyone is healthy, Kershaw will still get starts.  It is possible you could see a Kershaw/Ohtani hybrid “starter” in a piggyback capacity depending on where Ohtani is at health-wise come October.

Ranger Danger

• Mistake by the phils not trading me?

Mark P

• Nope.

Paint(er) by numbers

• I get that I’m good, but I have already had tj. Shouldn’t the phils have traded an unproven quantity in me for a known quantity in Kwan? Would have solved immediate and long term OF questions.

Mark P

• Two questions kind of fold into one here, as Painter will probably be stepping right into the rotation spot left open when Suarez (likely) departs in free agency.  The Phillies instead opted to move Abel to address another need in bringing Duran in to close.

marlins

• Cody B would look good for us in RF, low strike outs good d some pop, all we need is offense

Mark P

• I’m going out on a limb by saying that the Marlins won’t be signing Cody Bellinger this winter.  Or anyone to any kind of pricey, longer-term contract.  Miami’s rebuild has shown some really good progress but it’ll be a long time (if ever) that the organization moves into that kind of a player acquisition phase.

Brett

• Are the Braves closer to contending or a rebuild?

Mark P

• There’s still so much talent on the roster that I feel 2025 might just be a Murphy’s Law season.  Having basically the entire rotation get hurt is enough to crush any team, but the bigger long-term issue might be that so many of the hitters didn’t produce.

  With healthier pitching, Acuna, Olson, the Baldwin/Murphy combo, and Riley, that’s a good core right there.  At least one of Harris/Profar/Albies needs to rebound, and I feel it’s possible Atlanta could trade Albies this winter to upgrade at 2B.

Cashman

• I know Devin Williams has been awful, especially recently. He does have a great track record, any chance he gets a qualifying offer in the offseason? Does he accept it?

Mark P

• Williams would absolutely accept a qualifying offer, but the Yankees just as absolutely aren’t going to offer one given his struggles

Fat Guy

• For Duran, i personally would have preferred Ford and Sloan or Cijntje over Tait and Abel, simply because the Twins would have a more near ready catcher and could trade Jeffers in the off-season. What say you?

Mark P

• That also would’ve been a pretty good trade package, except we don’t know if the Mariners actually had that offer on the table.

Lars

• Are the Cardinals a better team without Arenado?

Mark P

• Since Arenado isn’t offering much at this point beyond good defense, probably yes.

Is it Football Season?

• What will it take for the Reds to truly acquire a player that helps them offensively this winter/offseason?  And when will the media begin calling out their ownership/front office?

Mark P

• In my view, the Cincinnati beat writers have been plenty critical of the team’s moves, or lack thereof.

  The Reds have a lot of money coming off the books this winter, so even with arb raises cutting into that figure to some extent, there’s room for the team to make at least one pricey addition.  If such a move is made, it simply has to be for a productive player (i.e. not the Jeimer Candelario signing), given the team’s budget limitations.  Adding one proper full-time outfielder rather than relying on the platoons would also be a good way to solidify matters.

Mark

• Do you think Trevor Story will opt out at the end of the season given his performance this season?

Mark P

• Story is entering his age-33 season, and would be leaving a guaranteed $55MM on the table by opting out of the last two seasons on his deal.  I find it hard to believe he’d pass on that money coming off a season in which he’d stayed healthy, but still only has slightly above-average offense
• It seems far likelier that Story remains in his contract and sticks around to play for a Red Sox team that looks like they’re entering a promising era

A’s tanked 2025 trading Erceg

• Why don’t the Oakland A’s leave a good bullpen in place without tinkering with it? Do you think the A’s would have gone 1–20 this year, if they had not traded Lucas Erceg to the Royals? (Will Klein is already gone, like Joe Boyle; in recent trades, it seems that the A’s have acquired a lot of players who are soon gone from the franchise: out of options, etc.? I don’t know the right term for it, but this seems to be a recent phenomenon.) Trade Mason Miller and JP Sears to the Padres for four this year; you’re gambling that Leo de Vries turns out to be something more than Yoan Moncada, and you’re gambling that you can trade one reliever after one or two good years for another minor league prospect or two who throws 100mph. What is your school of thought on trading relievers having good years with years of team control for minor league starters? It seems like the A’s haven’t brought up starters like Hudson Mulder Zito in a long time…

Mark P

• Relief pitching is inherently unreliable.  I don’t blame the A’s for selling high on Miller or even Erceg, especially when another team is willing to offer a blue-chipper like DeVries

Skenes

• As a diehard Pirates fan (I will take your pity please), is it wrong for me to want to trade Skenes now? I want him in Pittsburgh forever but the reality is that isn’t going to happen and I don’t want to see his career ruined by the inept organization. Plus the haul back is the best bet to land 3 future major league bats in the lineup.

Mark P

• It’s an unfortunate state of affairs that fans are so resigned to having a generational talent on their team seem like an inevitable departure.  I wonder how many Pirates fans share this poster’s view, in the sense that the Bucs might as well sell high on him now rather than delaying the inevitable.

Armchair GM

• What type of  extensions ($ and years) would  the Astros have to offer Hunter Brown and Jeremy Pena in the offseason, to keep them in Houston beyond their arbitration years?

Mark P

• Both are represented by Scott Boras, so extensions may be unlikely barring a drastic overpay.  Pena has two arb years left and Brown is arb-eligible for the first time this coming winter, so the Astros may stick with this limited cost control in order to manage the rest of their payroll, if the CBA remains a concern.

  Even with the Twins kicking in some money on Carlos Correa, the addition of that contract adds another significant boost to Houston’s long-term expenditures.

Rippin dingers

• Why isn’t Lawlar playing everyday in the bigs?

Mark P

• He’s been recovering from a hamstring strain.  Once healthy, he’ll certainly get called back to the Diamondbacks.

Baseball fan

• Jays look like contenders but Brendon Little has been bad recently and Fluharty/Bruihl aren’t leverage guys. Do you think Little bounces back and how will jays pen fare going forward?

Mark P

• Dominguez and Varland were good additions, but I would’ve liked to have seen Toronto get one more reliever into the mix.  You mentioned a few of the inexperienced or unproven names the Blue Jays have been relying on for much of the year, and the doors may already be coming off a couple of these relievers.
• Depending on the state of the rotation, it seems possible the Jays could do something like move Manoah or even Lauer into the bullpen in September to add depth and quality.

Charlesco

• When will Skubal be a free agent? Should they have gone all in?

Mark P

• He is set to hit free agency following the 2026 season.
• Skubal is another Boras client, so with an extension unlikely, I would’ve viewed this situation as another reason the Tigers could’ve or should’ve pushed harder to win now

who’s on 1st

• Altho Altuve has been a team player by moving off 2b, give the guy some respect by leaving him at 2b- with all his accomplishments over the years.

Mark P

• The other factor behind the position change was that Altuve has been a subpar defender (in the view of most metrics) at second base for some time now.  He hasn’t done much better as a left fielder either, leaving the Astros in a bit of a quandary about where exactly to play him going forward.

Ken

• What would a Nick Kurtz extension look like?

Mark P

• Since Kurtz is limited to first base, he probably couldn’t command something quite in the Anthony/Carroll tier of extensions for players with less than a year of service time.  But, asking for at least a $10MM average annual value seems like the absolute floor.

Barney Coolio

• Will anyone ever steal 500 bases again?

Mark P

• At this rate, Josh Naylor will be there before the season is out.

Phillies

• The Phillies have managed to make it through another year with just one major pitching injury, and that wasn’t even an arm injury!  How have they managed to stay so (relatively) healthy while the rest of the league seemingly has to cycle through 10 starters just to get through a season?

Mark P

• Feels like you’re tempting fate just by asking this question!  Part of it is just pure luck, part can be owed to the Phillies investing in the right pitchers, and credit should be given to the team’s medical and training staff for their part in keeping these guys healthy.

taylor ward

• would the reds trade hector rodriguez for ward this offseason?

Mark P

• Ward is the kind of everyday player that would be a nice fit in Cincy, except I’m not sure Rodriguez would be the ideal trade piece.  H-Rod himself could be part of the answer in the Reds’ outfield as early as next season.

Barney Coolio

• Seriously, will anyone ever steal 500 bases again?

Mark P

• That was a serious answer!  Who are you to doubt the Mississauga Speed Demon?!

  Actual response: only 39 players in MLB history have ever reached the 500-steal plateau, so it’s not like it’s a common milestone.  I’d say that yes, someone will get there again eventually, but it’ll take a special kind of player.  Maybe a Chandler Simpson if he keeps consistently hitting.

• Sorry for the delay there, had a brief internet outage but it seems like everything’s up and running again

IM

• What do you make of the O’s quantity over quality approach to the deadline?

Mark P

• There was only so much the Orioles were going to get for rental players, so in that sense, the club did well in amassing a lot of lottery tickets and more for their various trade chips.

CardinalRed

• Would it make any sense for the Cards to sign DJ? Yankees are paying him through next year and he could help JJ at 2B, plus the Arenado friendship. Arenado needs to stay in the StL and enter the HoF with a Cards cap

Mark P

• For a Cardinals team that’s prioritizing playing time for younger talent, signing LeMahieu wouldn’t make any sense

Starryl Drawberry

• Agree or disagree: Buying at the trade deadline is a trap for most teams. Deadline trades usually don’t move the needle much and are more likely to harm than hurt; for every Yoenis Cespedes that comes in and saves a season, there are five Pete Crow-Armstrongs.

Mark P

• Pretty much every World Series champion of the last umpteen years has been helped by a deadline acquisition.  Would some of these teams have won a ring without that deadline pickup?  Maybe, but we’ll never know, and flags fly forever.

  It’s a “trap” in the sense that only one team wins every year, but I don’t view anything short of a championship as making a deadline push “not worth it” in most cases.

Curt Blefary

• The Scherzer/Kershaw match up, last night, was only the third time in the the last 35 years that two pitchers with 3,000+ strikeouts faced one another.  It happened 20 times in the ’80’s!  i find this amazing!  The fact that starting pitchers don’t go as deep in games seems to be the biggest reason for this phenomena.  What, in your opinion, are some others?

Mark P

• The reason it happened so relatively often in the 80’s is because Nolan Ryan was around to face everyone, but you’re right, it’s a pretty cool feat.  It’s fun that the Jays and Dodgers seemed to go a bit out of their way to make sure things lined up for Scherzer and Kershaw to face each other one (last?) time

Kelly Leak

• Are the O’s a cautionary tale for all the good young Teams out there? This time last year the O’s were expected to dominate for the next 10 seasons.

Mark P

• This is perhaps another reason why the Tigers could’ve or should’ve been more aggressive at the deadline….

  ….and yet, the Kyle Stowers trade is perhaps a counter-example of why trading prospects doesn’t always work out.  In fairness, Rogers has looked very good for Baltimore this year, so that trade no longer seems as inexplicable as it did at the time.

Friar Faithful

• What’s your opinion on the idea that the Padres may try to turn Mason Miller into a starter next year?

Mark P

• I guess there’s no harm in stretching him out for a look in Spring Training, though Miller’s injury history makes me think he’s just better off as a reliever

Jays Fan

• Is it wrong that I refuse to give Aikins any credit for this 1st place Team. It just seems that my uncle Joe could have stumbled into a quality Team after 10 years and a $240 millions payroll.

Mark P

• If your uncle Joe can develop four (going on five?) playoff teams in 10 years, the Nationals might want his contact info.

Oz

• What is Alex Anthopoulos’ approach this off-season?

Mark P

• I wonder if the Braves might not be a relatively quiet team, if they’re chalking 2025 up to extremely bad injury luck.  AA will always make some moves, but in terms of true blockbusters, I’m not sure if any are on the horizon other than perhaps a reorg in the middle infield.

Royals

• Do they make the postseason or miss out?

Mark P

• I think they’ll fall short. Just too many AL teams that seem to be playing well, and the Royals dug themselves into too big a hole.
• Time to wrap up the chat.  Thanks so much for all the questions, and the Weekend Chat can hopefully be back on more or less a regular schedule now that the July madness is past.
• If you’re interested in more baseball Q&A, one of the many benefits of our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription is the exclusive weekly live chats. The more limited field means you’re about 10 times more likely to get a question answered, as opposed to battling for space with hundreds of other questions in today’s chat. For more on our memberships, check out this link:

  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/membership?ref=chat-08-09-25

Jays in 43 parks

• Keller & Bednar for Manoak & Macko & Loperfido … Who says no?

Steve Adams

• Manoah is injured and barely has more club control than Bednar — plus less than Keller. Macko has an 8-something ERA in AAA coming off knee surgery. That doesn’t Keller alone, certainly not both him and Bednar.

Guest

• Will the Guardians trade both Smith and Clase?

Steve Adams

• I’d be shocked if they traded both, but I can see Clase moving. I’d put the probability under 50% though.

CUBBIES

• We think Suarez is getting traded ? One year rental and going to have to give a lot

Steve Adams

• Yeah I lean toward someone making a big enough offer that the D-backs do it, even if they’re not totally punting on the season. By mid-August, Jordan Lawlar can be taking those everyday ABs at third base.

Phillies fan

• What would it hypothetically take for the Phillies to land Clase and Kwan.

Steve Adams

• Both? Andrew Painter and then some.

Guest

• Given the Rays are looking for catching, are the Cardinals a good trade fit for Taj Bradley? What would it take to get it done? With Bradley’s struggles and falling K%, would Pages be enough? Or would it take Crooks or Bernal?

Steve Adams

• If the Rays wanted an all-glove, no-bat catcher they could get one more cheaply than giving up Taj Bradley. Crooks feels like a better starting point there, though he’s not having the best season in AAA. I still think you could put something together with those two at the forefront of though.
• “Those two” being Cooks/Bradley
• Crooks* grr

Damon

• Do the cubs cut Turner after the deadline?

Steve Adams

• Hard to imagine him hanging around that much longer. Tough year for a great player

John

• Percent chance Sean Murphy or Michael Harris gets moved?

Steve Adams

• Under 5%?

Guest

• Would KC consider trading Bubic and a prospect to Boston for Durand?

Steve Adams

• I have to think, given how bad the Royals’ outfield has been, that something around 3+ years of Duran for 1+ years of Bubic would pique their interest, yes.

Phillie RX

• As much as anything, the Phillies need outfield production. Might Dominguez be available with the emergence of Jones?

Steve Adams

• No, I don’t see Dominguez being available even with Spencer Jones going nuts in AA/AAA

Eric

• What does the return on a Mitch Keller trade look like, do they package someone like Bednar to get a bigger return?

Steve Adams

• Keller is an above-average pitcher being paid less than we saw No. 3-4 guys like Taijuan Walker and Jameson Taillon get a few years back. They should be able to get something headlined by a 50-FV prospect for him — i.e. someone on or not far off the back half of most top 100 lists. And obviously you’re probably looking at 3 to 5 total pieces for him.

JP

• The 3B trade market is pretty light on impact players. Is there anyone not named Suarez that could be pried loose?

Steve Adams

• Ryan McMahon, Willi Castro, Yoan Moncada, Luis Urias … maybe Ramon Urias. The Pirates would giftwrap Ke’Bryan Hayes and send him to you for nothing, probably. Thairo Estrada has a little 3B experience (but probably not enough arm to drop him over there on the regular). Miguel Andujar, Gio Urshela

Hot take!

• Seattle is top ten in offense this season.  But they are middle of the pack in pitching, starting and relief.  Should Seattle instead be in on the pitching market?

Steve Adams

• It’s a reasonably top-heavy lineup with Cal Raleigh doing a disproportionate amount of the heavy lifting. But I do expect them to be in the bullpen market in addition to their search for offense

AJ Preller burner

• I desperately need catching help, and maybe an outfielder. I want to run it back with Kyle Higashioka — could I pair that with another Texas bat (Adolis, perhaps) for some low-level pitching prospects?

Steve Adams

• Probably, but I really don’t know that Padres ownership will green-light that level of spending. There’s a reason their late-offseason moves were an immensely backloaded deal for Pivetta and a bunch of $1-3MM fliers on Heyward, Maldonado, Elias Diaz and Connor Joe

Guest

• Do you see the Braves doing anything other some minor moves?

Steve Adams

• I wouldn’t really call trading Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesisas “minor” moves, and I expect both to happen. Maybe Pierce Johnson and Rafael Montero, too.

T(win)s

• Do the Twins move anybody besides the rental guys?  I’d be very surprised if Jax, Duran, or Ryan are traded

Steve Adams

• I’d be surprised, but they showed in 2021 (Jose Berrios) that if the bidding gets high enough they’ll bite the bullet.

Guest

• Do you see the royals trading seth lugo?  If so, what’s the return?

Steve Adams

• I think they’ll eventually get there, and the return will be something fans consider lackluster because of the downside associated with Lugo’s player option. We almost never see opt-out/player option guys traded, so it’ll be an interesting litmus test.The only one who’s been moved recently was Scherzer, and he agreed in advance to exercise his player option. That got the Mets Luisangel Acuna, though they also had to pay down a huge portion of Scherzer’s contract.

Carrie Halas

• Hear me out… phillies go after Eugenio Suarez. Bohm goes to 1b upon return, Harper to Of. Lineup fix accomplished, if just for the stretch drive.

Steve Adams

• I’m fine with all of this, but I don’t run the Phillies and Dave Dombrowksi said within the past six weeks or so that he doesn’t want to move Bryce back to the outfield.

Zach

• What would a hypothetical return for Bryan Reynolds look like?

Steve Adams

• I don’t think Reynolds has positive trade value.

Trader Phil

• If you’re the Dodgers, which move are you making: Duran/Ryan from Minnesota or Bednar/Keller from Pittsburgh?

Steve Adams

• The asking price on the former would be overwhelmingly larger than the latter. I don’t think the Twins will move both Ryan and Duran (and find it pretty unlikely they ultimately move either, though if someone goes wild with a Duran offer, I would understand their temptation)

Luis Mey, Luis Mey not

• What’s the most ideal offensive target for the Redlegs.

Steve Adams

• Most ideal? Suarez probably, but that’s true for most clubs looking for offense. Geno is on another planet this year.

Framber Valdez

• Am I an Astro next season?

Steve Adams

• I’d be surprised. Owner Jim Crane has shown little to no willingness to push to the levels that’ll be necessary to re-sign Valdez, and the few (two) times he has, it’s been for hitters (Altuve, the failed Bregman offer)

Broken Bat

• Would the Cubs offer Shaw 1-1 for Suarez?

Steve Adams

• I don’t think so, no.

Still an A

• Do the A’s get more in return for Jeffery Springs then what they gave up?

Steve Adams

• Doubt it

Call for relief

• Teams are saying they “will listen” to offers for not only some of the top closers in baseball, but closers with several years of team-friendly options. Do you believe any will actually be traded, and if so, do you believe trading top relievers with multi-year, team-friendly contracts is a fluke or is it a trend you expect to see in future years.

Steve Adams

• I don’t know if David Bednar falls into this category since he only has one year of control remaining beyond 2025, but I’d be extremely surprised if he’s not moved.On Jhoan Duran, Emmanuel Clase, Felix Bautista, etc. — I don’t think any of them are individually “likely” to go, but there’s a real chance (25% or so?) that one of them goes, sure. Clase feels the likeliest to me, just given Cleveland’s payroll and the presence of Cade Smith

Ben Cherrington

• Who is a bat that Toronto could send me for Mitch?

Steve Adams

• Alan Roden and then some?

Bronxie the Turtle

• Miguel Andujar or Gio Urshela would be good pickups for the Yankees.  Maybe IKF too.  An Andujar-Severino package?

Steve Adams

• The Yankees acquiring Andujar and finally playing him at third base would amuse me, so I support this. I doubt they want any part of that Sevvy contract, though.

Matthew S

• Is there any chance the Mariners are looking to add a bullpen arm or are they not going to likely make a move for any type of pitcher

Steve Adams

• They are looking at bullpen arms, yes.

Natitude

• Is it realistic to hope for a Top 100 prospect in return for any of the Nats players available at the trade deadline? Bell, Soroka, Lowe, Finnegan?

Steve Adams

• No, I don’t think any of those guys have that type of value.

Phillies Phan

• The Marsh/Rojas experiment is a mess. Why havent they brought up Crawford yet?

Steve Adams

• Matt Gelb at The Athletic and Scott Lauber at the Philly Inquirer both had comments from Dombrowski on this last night — basically that they want Crawford to be up for good when he’s promoted, and they don’t want to call him up only to find a deal for an OF four days from now and push Crawford right back down to AAA

wkkortas

• I keep reading speculation as to how Ke’Bryan Hayes’ trade market is “heating up”, but given the amount remaining on his deal vis-a-vis his offensive performance and his health concerns, how strong is the demand for his services?

Steve Adams

• I’m sure the Pirates would love to move Hayes. “Heating up” seems like charitable framing from anyone who’s saying that. Cubs, Yankees, etc. surely have looked into it out of due diligence, but I’m sure most of those talks involve the Pirates eating a huge portion of the contract and little return heading their way.

Mullinorg!

• If you’re Ross Atkins, are Nimmala and Yesavage in play as trade chips?  Contending years don’t always come around, but on the other hand it’s not like this trade deadline has many “must have” players

Steve Adams

• Yeah, everyone in the Jays’ system should be on the table right now.

Angels deadline

• Halos need to be sellers, who makes final decision Arte or Perry? I hope they are smart and add to the young core they have.

Steve Adams

• Arte makes the call, and Arte doesn’t like to sell.

M’s Fan

• What would it take to get Dominguez and Soto from the Orioles? Mostly salary relief or a significant prospect?

Steve Adams

• Neither is being paid so well that they’re salary dump candidates. Both should command a decent prospect or two individually. Getting both in the same trade probably requires a return of some note.

Josh bell

• Am I getting traded to a contender

Steve Adams

• He’s quietly been hitting pretty well since May. No one’s going to give up much for him, but yeah, there’s a good chance he moves.

Cassie comes to bat

• No way the Cubs trade Cassie if they don’t plan on signing Tucker, correct???

Steve Adams

• I can absolutely see them moving Caissie despite having no guarantees about re-signing Tucker.

Reds for the love of…

• Is Robert Jr. an upgrade for the Reds OF right now, or do I need a hammer in the pen? Because I don’t think Geno is coming home.

Steve Adams

• He’s hit well for 80-90 PAs and was beating up lefties even before that. If the White Sox are footing most of the bill, Robert to Cincy makes a lot of sense. They need help against LHP

Joe

• What’s going on with Candelario? After the Yankees signed him to a minor league deal, I haven’t heard anything more about him.

Steve Adams

• He’s hitting .175/.214/.225 in 42 Triple-A plate appearances with the Yankees. I don’t think they’re going to consider him anytime soon, haha.

Chris Getz

• If I package Houser and Touchman, what kind of return would I receive? I’ll throw in a reliever too if I have one that you want. Thoughts?

Steve Adams

• Tauchman and Houser will both be traded, but even if it’s in the same package, I wouldn’t expect a super impactful return.

Mr KLC

• Would Cronenworth be a good pickup as a lefty bat 2nd baseman for the Astros?  What kind of prospect capital would it take?

Steve Adams

• It would take them just bailing the Padres out on that contract, but he’d put Houston over the luxury tax so I doubt ownership would approve it.

Not JJ Piccollo

• What kind of return can KC net for Carlos Estevez? Odds he moves and teams that would be interested in him?

Steve Adams

• Most contenders would be interested to an extent, though the contract/salary would limit interest a bit (especially for teams with luxury concerns like the Astros, Rangers if they buy).There’s not a ton of surplus value given the $11MM AAV, but a couple 40 to 45 prospects (generally in the 10 to 20 range of given system) or maybe a young big leaguer who just hasn’t had a great path to playing time (like the Blue Jays got when they picked up Jonatan Clase in last year’s Yimi Garcia deal)

Arizona tea

• Chances Suarez doesn’t get moved? Seems Arizona is in the thick of the wc hunt

Steve Adams

• I lean toward him moving, but it’s not a lock. There’s a real chance they just hold onto him and make the QO, especially if they string together a few more wins here.

So your telling me theres a chance?

• What would it take for the reds to get Duran?  What do you think about swapping Steer + ?

Steve Adams

• At this point you’ve got to specify Jarren or Jhoan!But I don’t think Steer is a great starting point for either. He’s “only” controlled three more years at this point, which is the same as Jarren and one more than Jhoan, both of whom are better/more valuable in trade talks.

Jose cruz

• Is it possible or are there rules against it about trading players who are just drafted last week? Could Huston make a trade and include their first round pick from this year as the prospect?

Steve Adams

• Can’t trade anyone who was drafted until the offseason, and you can’t use a player to be named later as a loophole.

Bendix

• Over under Marlins players being moved 3.5

Steve Adams

• I was all ready to say “over,” but I think it’s probably less than that. Sandy, Cabrera, Bender, Sanchez, Quantrill, Fortes could all go, but it’s hard to see them getting fair value for Alcantara, and I don’t think Quantrill really has a lot of value.I think Sanchez will go. Bender and Cabrera have a chance but aren’t locks.

Croney bashing

• What don’t you like about Cronenworth’s $12M AAV that you’d suggest the Padres would want to “bail”? He’s a 2.5-WAR player having yet another good season.

Steve Adams

• 2.5 WAR second base-only guys get like 1-2 year deals in free agency. The market doesn’t value them. Cronenworth is going into his age-32 season and will be owed five years and $60MM. No second baseman, certainly not one of his age, has been compensated like that anytime recently with the exception of Marcus Semien (7/175) who was coming off a 6-WAR season in Toronto.
• There have been 6 free-agent deals of $60MM+ for position players beginning at age 32, total, since 2018, which you can see in our nifty Contract Tracker:
  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/contracttracker?name=&team=0&position=H…
• Ok, I’ve got to wrap this up. I’m on X @Adams_Steve and Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social if you have more questions.If you want more opinions from the MLBTR team, you can learn about our Front Office subscription package and sign up here. In addition to ad-free viewing on the site and in the app, you’ll get weekly analysis/opinion columns from Anthony Franco and myself, a weekly mailbag column from Tim Dierkes, weekly fantasy baseball chats and columns with Nicklaus Gaut, weekly subscriber-only chats with Anthony Franco and me (where your odds of getting a question answered are much better), direct Q&A opps with Darragh McDonald, access to our new Trade Deadline Outlook series, access to our Contract Tracker, GM Tracker and our Agency Database, and more. It all starts at $2.99/month.

  Thanks and enjoy the rest of your week!

Mark

• The Rangers trade deadline plans are?

Mark P

• They might not entirely know themselves, given that they’re a .500 team that might yet turn to selling.  Their needs are obvious — Hitting with a capital H (particularly in the corner infield slots) and in the bullpen.

Guard

• What would Emmanuel Clase or Cade Smith bring back in a trade

Mark P

• Smith would bring back a ton.  But, even if Cleveland did move one, I’d expect it would be Clase due to salary, and because it’s more of a fit for the Guardians to move Smith into the closer spot than to keep Clase and deal away his cheaper heir apparent.
• Heyman’s report downplayed the idea of a trade actually taking place, and I agree that the Guardians only move either pitcher if they get a huge offer.

  Moving either while the team is in the race could have a Josh Hader effect on the clubhouse, too

Frank Burns

• Any way the Cubs trade Caissie for anyone who is just a 2 month rental?

Mark P

• Highly unlikely.  They have other prospects they can offer before putting Caissie up for grabs.  Chicago surely only moves Caissie (if at all) for a controllable asset.

Trader Jerry

• If I go all out at the trade deadline, do I have any untouchable prospects or should I put all on the table and go all in?

Mark P

• Emerson or Montes very likely aren’t going anywhere.  I hesitate to call anyone entirely “untouchable” depending on what another team might offer in return, plus the M’s are deep enough in prospects that they afford to perhaps lose one or two of them and still have a very good future system.

Mookie Betts

• So glad I am the new Andrelton Simmons. No more hitting and slugging for me. Just defense.

Mark P

• What a bizarre and unexpected turn of events for Betts.  As good as he has played at shortstop, I feel like the move for the Dodgers here is to perhaps just put him back in right field, or perhaps at second base?  As jarring as the change would be, it might get Betts’ bat moving again.

Small Sample South Side

• Gallen, Kelly, Suarez… what are the Diamondbacks’ priorities if they sell at the deadline? To me, they’ve got the most to gain as far as dealing rentals

Mark P

• Adding starting pitching is the obvious one.  Bullpen help as well.

  The key for the D’Backs is that they’ll be prioritizing big league-ready help, since they want to get back into contention in 2026.

Guest

• Yankees need to go all in with Judge in his prime at some point??

Mark P

• A $288MM payroll doesn’t count as “going all in”??

The Dodgers

• Are they going to hope everyone comes back healthy or will they make a big trade? What player do you think they are targeting?

Mark P

• LA’s largest problem at the moment isn’t even the injuries or the pitching.  It’s Betts, Freeman, and (since his return to pitching) Ohtani all going cold at the same time.  Muncy being out also now highlights the surprising lack of production from the superstars.

  Am I really concerned that the Dodgers will fall apart or something?  No, nor do I think it’ll drastically change any deadline plans.

Taker55

• Given the 4 starting OFs plus Stanton and then Jones ready, is it crazy to think the Yanks would deal Grisham or Dominguez for help elsewhere?

Mark P

• I feel that might be playing with fire to consider Stanton truly OF-capable, or to count on Jones heavily in his first taste of big league action.  For instance, if you trade Grisham and then Bellinger gets hurt, you get the inopportune situation of Judge back in CF

Kevin

• Why does MLB not allow draft picks to be traded? Might that change in a future CBA, and if so,  what would be the biggest effects?

Mark P

• I agree that it would be a great idea, and the players seem for it, and Rob Manfred seemed at least open to it when asked a year ago.  While negotiating anything into a CBA is like pulling teeth, this seems like one of the relatively benign “who is actually hurt by this?” changes that all parties could find some common ground on

Ang T

• How often do teams sign someone to say, a minor league contract, in anticipation they’ll need the depth after a big league player is traded?

Mark P

• Teams are signing guys to minors contracts basically all the time, so it’s usually not as clear-cut a sign as one might think.  Like, the “you can never have too much pitching” mantra always applies whenever a club adds a depth arm, for instance.

Walter

• Phillies trade Ranger Suarez and Aiden Miller to the Red Sox for Jarren Duran. Who says no? Phils have plenty of SP and Red Sox have plenty of OF. Surplus for surplus.

Mark P

• Philadelphia says no.  If they’re moving Suarez and Miller in the same deal, they’re going to want back way more than just Duran.

  Also, why would a Phillies team trying to win now deal a pitcher who is a lock to start a playoff game for them?

Tom

• Does the Bohm injury change the Phillies plans?

Mark P

• They were probably looking for infield help already, so perhaps not?  But if Bohm’s timeline ends up being over a month or something, I can definitely see them getting more aggressive in a pursuit of specifically a third baseman
• The likelier move is that the Phillies could get a second baseman and rely on the in-house group to handle 3B, since there would be nowhere else to play Bohm when he returned

Chris

• honest question, but how does Betts playing SS affect his hitting? Like how would moving back to the OF actually help him hit again?

Mark P

• My theory is simply that it’s a mental thing, in that Betts has been so focused on excelling at defense that it has caused his hitting to suffer.  We probably also shouldn’t underrate that brutal illness Betts had back in March, which could very well have set him back a lot more than we realize

Ross Atkins

• What to do with Adison Barger? Ideally he is my everyday third baseman but due to injuries in the outfield and my potent bat we keep penciling him into RF. Ernie Clement and now Wil Wagner are doing a capable job handling third base and we do have a plethora of left handed hitting OFers starting to show promise. So where should I play him or is he super trade bait?

Mark P

• Barger might be just about the last guy Toronto trades right now.  His ability to play both 3B and corner OF is so valuable, not to mention his obvious hitting breakout.  Obviously teams will ask about Barger first before lowering expectations and getting around to Lukes, or maybe Loperfido, Clase, Wagner, etc., but Barger has played himself into being a building block

Nick

• Over/under on years until the Rays open a new stadium, now that they have a new owner?  Maybe 3.5?

Mark P

• If the current new ballpark plan has been abandoned by this point, it’ll take more than 3.5 years for the new owner to settle negotiations and get everything up and rolling construction-wise.

  First step should be figuring out if the Trop can be playable by 2026, and then perhaps tacking an extra year or two onto the lease to give all sides some leeway.

Rayban

• what kind of return would Taj Bradley and Zack Littell bring the rays?what kind of return would Taj Bradley and Zack Littell bring the rays?what kind of return would Taj Bradley and Zack Littell bring the rays?

Mark P

• …Jack Torrance?

  Littell’s return would be limited since he’s just a rental, and because his peripherals are all pretty dicey apart from his incredble walk rate.  Bradley would bring back a lot more due to the added control, and the upside he possesses as a former top prospect from just a couple of years ago

Bendix

• Are the Marlins buyers? We’ve been on the best teams in baseball since June.

Mark P

• I’m going to post this comment just so people can look up the Marlins’ record and do a double take.

  While I don’t think they’re going to be buying, Miami’s rebuild seems to be quietly moving along pretty nicely

Bustin Aarnes

• So what’s up with Dalton Rushing? The dodgers DFA’s franchise legend Austin Barnes just to give him 75 not good plate appearances over two months?

Mark P

• The idea seems tied to Rushing’s development, in that having him in the catchers’ room working on game plans alongside Smith, the coaches, and the pitching staff will help him evolve behind the plate.

  Frankly, I suspect Rushing might be on another team after July 31, and this promotion might’ve been something of an extended showcase.  While Rushing hasn’t exactly been tearing it up, that won’t stop teams from being very interested in him as a trade chip.

The Old New School

• How much has the use of analytics really changed the nature of scouting? I know it can help find diamonds in the rough, but those diamonds in the rough would still stack up well to the eye test, right?

Mark P

• Analytics can tell you stuff like “this pitcher has a really good slider, he should use it more.”  Whereas scouting can tell you why a pitcher isn’t already using his slider more — it could be because he just isn’t comfortable throwing it, or it hurts his arm, or he’s stubborn, etc.

  Teams will always, always need scouts to access the actual human element, since players aren’t numbers and metrics.

John

• What’s your take on Adley?

Mark P

• As much as teams draft by “best available,” it was a little eye-opening to see Baltimore take catchers on back-to-back picks with such high selections.

  Evaluators aren’t super-high on Irish or Basallo remaining at catcher, so that might factor into future plans.  But just by perception alone, common sense would seem to say the O’s either are losing a little faith in Rutschman, or perhaps simply aren’t confident in their ability to lock him up for the long term.

• I’d posted about this before, but it stands out as odd to me that despite all these top prospects and building blocks, the Orioles have yet to sign any of them to an extension.

Jake

• Royals should trade Estevez; what might they be able to get for him?

Mark P

• The Royals just traded for Adam Frazier, so they’re not in sell mode yet.  Estevez would draw a ton of interest if he was shopped, but since he’s also under contract for 2026, moving him would set KC back for next year, in addition to throwing in the towel on 2025

Reddy

• Chances there will be a “bombshell” trade at the deadline a la Doncic in the NBA? And if that does happen, what team and/or player do you see involved?

Mark P

• The Doncic trade was so singularly shocking that it’s hard to imagine what the MLB version of that would even be.  The Devers trade was already pretty big on the “wait, what??” scale, yet it wasn’t a complete shocker given the bad blood that was clearly present between Devers and Red Sox management.

Aroni

• Does Ben Rice have any trade value?

Mark P

• Tons, but chances are the Yankees move one of their catchers

Curt

• Could you see the Brewers going for Naylor or O’Hearn?

Mark P

• Both would be good additions.  I like Naylor’s bat better, but O’Hearn is probably a better pure fit since he can play the outfield if necessary once Hoskins is back.  Since Naylor is 1B-only and Yelich is primarily the DH, that would create a logjam with Hoskins.

  ….unless the Brewers and D’Backs got creative and sent Hoskins back to Arizona, with Milwaukee taking on some salary offset (Montgomery?) from the Snakes?

• Haha, that came to me in two seconds with zero research, so it probably isn’t that feasible

Stowers

• If Marlins decide to sell, would they part with Stowers in a trade and what would he cost?

Mark P

• Miami is on a roll, in large part because Stowers is looking like a cornerstone of the rebuild.  No way is he being dealt.

Guardians fan

• What type of move if any do you Cleveland doing?

Mark P

• I’m not sure if I explicitly wrote this in the Guardians deadline preview, but the Guards rarely do that big in terms of buying or selling at midseason.  They tend to save their major moves for the winter, apart from dealing rental free agents.

  So with the assumption that the Guards will take advantage of their easy schedule and be over .500 by the deadline, I think they’ll pick up a middle infielder and an outfielder.  Not necessarily a full-time starter in either position, but at least a platoon bat that can provide some offensive spark.

Appa Yip Yip

• Jake Bloss for Eugenio Suarez?

Mark P

• Arizona would want way more than just Bloss for Suarez

Nats

• Do I have any one of value to trade for a somewhat decent return outside of a long shot Gore? I have this suspicion someone might just offer a haul for him that the Nats just couldn’t refuse.

Mark P

• DeBartolo basically closed the door on the idea of Gore being traded today, even if the interim GM left a sliver.  This is another type of trade that, if it happens, is likelier to happen in the offseason and at the purview of whomever the next full-time Washington GM/PBO ends up being

Eric A

• Schwarber has to be a priority extend for the Phils, right? I know the age thing but after watching him blast a homer to win the ASG from one knee, think you have to do it, right?

Mark P

• I agree.  It’s an imperfect roster fit, but Schwarber has been so good for them that a new contract seems like a semi-must.

Justin Verlander

• Are my days with the Giants numbered? Will I be traded at deadline to a contending team who needs post season pitching experience ?

Mark P

• Unless it’s the Astros, I’m not sure what contender would jump at the chance to get a 42-year-old who looks like he might’ve finally hit the wall.

NMK

• Should the Mets acquire a mid-rotation arm (potentially longer-term) with the goal of moving Clay Holmes back to the pen? Assume that wouldn’t preclude a trade for another reliever as well.

Mark P

• In theory, Manaea’s return gives the rotation a shot in the arm, but you’re right in that Holmes is already into uncharted territory innings-wise.  Moving him back into the pen might work as an obvious answer, yet I’m not certain if moving Holmes back to relief and then rebuilding his arm strength back up next winter is necessarily something the Mets want to do

Ben Cherington

• What does a successful deadline look like for me in Pittsburgh? Please help, I need ideas.

Mark P

• Bring in some quality hitters who start producing immediately.

Adam

• The Phillies’ window is closing. They have Wheeler for two more years and who knows what’ll happen with 2027. I say go all-in and trade two out of Miller, Painter and Crawford. Agree?

Mark P

• The thing is, the Phillies see those three prospects as key elements in keeping the window open beyond just Wheeler’s time in the organization.  That isn’t to say none of them will be dealt, but just going all in and purely sacrificing the future also isn’t wise.

  Besides, who’s to say Crawford or Painter can’t help the Phillies this very season?

Trip

• Would you say reliever is going to be the #1 trade deadline “run” position? Don’t see enough relievers out there for all the teams looking for one (or two)…

Mark P

• Reliever is always the “run” position since basically every contender always needs bullpen help

J-Law

• I want to believe in Lawlar.. but he is often injured and looked overmatched earlier this year. How does he fit into the DBacks plans?

Mark P

• He’ll be their starting third baseman next year once Suarez moves on.  That seems more or less settled.  Lawlar has indeed not looked good at the MLB level, but over a sample size of 56 PA, that’s nothing.
• There are certainly concerns over his injury history and whether or not he’s a true piece of Arizona’s future, but the D’Backs won’t know until they give him an extended chance to play

Florida Cards Fan

• Cards just got kicked by DBacks!! And will likely get swept tomorrow with Mikolas starting. Do you think there’s any hope Bloom will influence their trade deadline decisions so the so called “team reset” actually starts?

Mark P

• It’s not like Bloom’s texts are being returned by Mozeliak with the Wayne Knight-in-Jurassic Park “ah ah ah” finger-waving GIF.  Bloom surely has a big voice in the Cardinals’ direction already, and will be working in concert with whatever they’re doing at the deadline.

M

• Who is the best player the mariners can get for Harry Ford as a headliner? Someone controllable for several years. Junior Caminero?

Mark P

• Caminero is maybe the last guy the Rays would trade, but in general, Ford has plenty of value.  Seattle would be justified in asking for Caminero back in a Ford trade offer, even if the Rays wouldn’t go for it.

  Beyond Tampa, I have to believe the Padres have reached out about Ford multiple times, given their dire catching situation and the fact that Ford seems to be ready for the majors right now.  On paper, the Mariners and Padres don’t match up great in terms of roster needs

Pirates Fan

• If you are the new Pirates GM would you rebuild or retool? How would you go about it?

Mark P

• This is all far easier said than done, but I would overhaul whatever the organization is doing in preparing and developing young hitters for the big leagues.  I wouldn’t rebuild since the Pirates have so much good young pitching that it’s a true asset, and a major step towards finally competitive.

Paul

• Is it probable that the Pirates sell low on the likes of Keller, Hayes, Bernard, and possibly even Reynolds to shed payroll at this year’s deadline? Or is it possible that if any of them are traded at all?

Mark P

• I’m assuming that was an auto-correct from Bednar, since a team so close to Scranton can’t move noted office manager Andy Bernard!

  Feels like Bednar is being dealt, and I wouldn’t be shocked if Keller goes too.  Reynolds is less likely since he isn’t hitting and his value is in sell-low mode now, and Hayes I have trouble seeing moved at all given his injury history and lack of offense.

Cleve

• How do the Guardians fix the outfield’s total lack of production?

Mark P

• Technically it isn’t “total” because of Kwan, but I see your point.

  They’ve put a lot of undue pressure on DeLauter, but calling him might help out if he can play well as a rookie.  But I’d get a proper center fielder if one can be found, or a veteran utility type that can play RF to spell DeLauter a bit or move into the middle infield to help that situation out

Justin

• Is Tyler Heineman the best catcher in baseball?

Mark P

• Come on, Cal Raleigh is clearly the best.

  So, Heineman is merely the second-best in baseball, no doubt.

• (In all seriousness, having Heineman inexplicably emerge as an ultra-productive backup catcher has been an underrated element to the Jays’ season.)

DeBartolo and Co.

• Thought experiment: Cade Cavalli hasn’t looked entirely great, but he’s had flashes of the prospect/first round pick he used to be. What are the odds a team can see him as a change of scenery candidate with, say, Nathaniel Lowe and we can get a couple decent prospects back?

Mark P

• If you’re a Nats team that is still in clear rebuild mode, is that a risk you want to take?  I’m sure plenty of teams would have interest in Cavalli, yet if you’re DC and have invested all this time and effort in Cavalli’s rehab and development, having him break out in another organization before you’ve given him any kind of chance in the majors would be a real setback

StuckIn LF

• Any thoughts on whether Vaughn Grissom has any future value? He was bypassed by the star kids in Boston but seemed to display some skills.

Mark P

• He’s absolutely a change of scenery candidate.  The Red Sox have plenty of other infield candidates far more entrenched on the depth chart.

Guest

• What do you see the Tigers doing at the deadline

Mark P

• It’ll be interesting to see how Scott Harris approaches his first “go for it” deadline, and how aggressive he may or may not get.  Detroit could clearly use another RH bat and bullpen help, and one could make the case they have the young pitching depth that makes a Suarez trade feasible
• Lots of teams will be in on Suarez if the Diamondbacks make him available, obviously, but the Tigers have the chips to get Arizona’s interest

Brewers

• Agree with your idea to bolster 1st base.  What would it take to get O’Hearn from the Orioles?  One of the young pitchers do it (Myers or Patrick)?

Mark P

• The O’s would happily take either for a rental player who, in the long run, was an absolute found money asset for them.  The question might be if Milwaukee is comfortable moving a controllable pitcher for a rental 1B, but the Brewers might have enough rotation depth that they’d consider it worth it.

At what point…

• How long do teams wait after the ASB to determine if they have what it takes to make a run for the postseason and be buyers? For example, the Cardinals just dropped their first two games in dramatic fashion. How would that affect the managers thoughts on selling/buying?

Mark P

• St. Louis is still three games over .500 and within three games of a wild card.  Two losses won’t move the needle into sell mode or cause the front office to over-react.

  Given how so many teams tend to wait until the last minute anyway, the Cards would stand pat until July 28 or something before really settling on a direction (if any)

Iowa

• Mitch Keller team next week?

Mark P

• Since the deadline isn’t until the 31st, the Pirates

Guest

• Is there a reason the Mariners and Orioles haven’t lined up on trade?

Mark P

• What are you talking about, the Orioles got Luis Castillo from Seattle just back in May
• /doublechecks Baseball Reference

  ….oh, THAT Luis Castillo. Never mind!

preller Jr

• Would Ryan Ohearn cost much for Preller in a trade? He’d easily slide in as a DH/1B platoon with Arraez.

Mark P

• O’Hearn would also be a great fit for the Padres.
• He doesn’t “cost much” in the macro sense of being a rental player, yet there will be enough teams looking for a bat that the Orioles should be able to get a decent return back

Tim

• Looks like Paredes just had a significant hamstring injury for the Astros. Does this put them in the Suarez race or should they start selling with all the injuries? Framber would get a good haul back

Mark P

• This is one of several questions in the last few minutes that have rushed to toss dirt on the Astros’ chances.  We’ll have to wait and see on Paredes’ injury but yeah, that has IL stint written all over it.

  Houston is winning the AL West by four games.  They’re not going to suddenly fold the tent over one injury, even to a key bat like Paredes.

Trade

• Kevin Alcantara for Merrill Kelly?

Mark P

• the D’Backs would definitely do it, and the Cubs would have more hesitation. As obvious as this statement is, it depends on how they value Kelly, since some teams wouldn’t have much interest in a pitcher whose peripherals are so generally so-so
• We’re two hours deep into the conversation, so it’s time to hang it up.  Thanks so much for all the questions, and (barring any pre-deadline madness) the Weekend Chat should be back next weekend

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