JotCast | MLBTR Chat With Mark Polishuk

Mark P

9:08

Welcome to the Sunday night chat!

9:09

Bit of a delay tonight, but now we're off and rolling

9:09

Was I a first ballot HOF’er before this no hitter?

Mark P

9:09

No doubt about it.

Barney

9:10

Do you think that the Padres should be less optimistic about contending in 2020 than at the start of the season? Myers, Renfroe, Urias, Hedges, and Hosmer are all varying levels of disappointment.

Mark P

9:12

San Diego definitely needs some more pieces, no question. But obviously more is expected from Urias as he gets more used to the big leagues, and I'm not sure the Padres necessarily see Renfroe or Hedges as starters on their next playoff team. Hosmer is what he is at this point, and Myers is the bigger concern since he seems bordering on unplayable.

9:13

But between Tatis and what they've gotten from several young pitchers, there's reason for optimism in San Diego.

Rocco

9:13

All this expansion talk of going up to Montreal, possibly down to Mexico has me thinking one thing: can the Dodgers come back to Brooklyn?

Mark P

9:14

I'm guessing a less than zero percent chance on that one. But if you're asking if Brooklyn should have an MLB team, I'd be for it

You can call them the Robins, the Bridegrooms, or one of the dozen other names the Dodgers were known as before settling on "Dodgers" back in the day

Chaim Bloom

9:15

How great was my trade for Nick Anderson?

Mark P

9:16

(Bloom being the Rays' VP of baseball operations)

It's looking like a terrific move, no doubt. That's the beauty of trade deadline day --- sometimes the most important deal is an under-the-radar type of swap.

CardsFan76

9:16

Does Ozuna resign?

Mark P

9:17

My guess is no, since the Cardinals tend to move early to extend guys they really want to keep

Freddie Freeman

9:18

Best hitter in Baseball??

Mark P

9:18

I feel like Mike Trout has to be the answer, but Freeman is high on the list. If anything, I feel Freeman might be a touch underrated

Melchez

9:19

Do the Tigers get the number 1 pick? If so, who could be in the top 5 for number 1?

Mark P

9:21

Detroit has a four-game "lead" on the Orioles for worst record in baseball, so the Tigers are the favorites right now to claim the #1 pick again

Lots can change between now and June, of course, but some of the top names on the board include Spencer Torkelson (first baseman out of Arizona State), Pete Crow-Armstrong (high school outfielder), Casey Martin (shortstop, University of Arkansas) and righty Emerson Hancock (RHP from University of Georgia)

Mr. Plow

9:23

Hands down Aaron Boone should be manager of the year in the al. All the injuries the Yankees have had to just about everyone on the team and still win like they have you name me a better job by a manager this year dealing with those issues

Mark P

9:24

It's been an extraordinary season, as you'd think any team would be devastated by even half of those injuries. Any Yankee manager isn't generally considered a big MOTY candidate due to the team's built-in payroll and market advantages, but Boone has as good a case as anyone

9:25

That said, I think Rocco Baldelli will win

Cubs

9:25

Castellanos is doing great. Could the deal with Detroit be considered criminal?

Mark P

9:26

It'll be some time before we can fully access that deal, given how the prospects turn out.

But for the short term, yep, huge win for the Cubs.

Ryan

9:27

With the season Starling Marte is having, do you think the Pirates will trade him this offseason?

Mark P

9:28

It's unclear yet what the Pirates will be doing this winter, whether it's going for it in 2020, entering into a rebuild, or sticking to their usual route of more or less trying to do both at the same time. It could be further complicated if there's a new GM in place, should ownership decide to move on from Huntington

For now, I doubt Marte gets moved, but the perspective could be quite different in a couple of months' time

The Royals Fan

9:29

What changes can we expect from the John Sherman group?

Mark P

9:30

Good question! It remains to be seen what type of owner Sherman will be, though for KC fans hoping for a big payroll increase, it's probably more unlikely than likely.

9:31

The Royals have had a stable management system in place for a long time, so it remains to be seen if Sherman could clean house and bring in his own people (perhaps a former Tribe exec) to replace Dayton Moore

Barney

9:32

Markakis, Gardner, and Alex Gordon will all be 36 year old free agents. Will any of them not get MLB deals? Markakis and Gordon have club options.

Mark P

9:33

I'd imagine they'll all find MLB contracts for 2020

Ron Washington

9:33

Success seems to follow me wherever I go. Will I get a chance to manage again?

Mark P

9:34

My guess is probably no, since the game is trending towards younger and more analytically-inclined managers moreso than old-school guys like Washington. But then again, getting hired for MLB managerial jobs is not that hard. Tell him, Wash.

"It's incredibly hard."

Felipe Vazquez

9:35

Will I be a Dodger if LA blows it come October?

Mark P

9:37

The Dodgers don't really seem like the type to make a lot of reactionary trades, and multiple reports suggested that Pittsburgh wanted Gavin Lux and more for Vazquez.

I don't know if LA's mindset would change if they lost a third straight World Series, but I'd suspect they still wouldn't meet the Pirates' asking price (if it remains so high). This isn't to say that the Dodgers wouldn't look for bullpen help, but they might figure they can find other good arms at a lesser trade cost than what the Bucs would want for Vazquez

Derek Jeter

9:37

We got Jesus Sanchez, a 21 year old OFer already in AAA (and doing fine, btw) in the Anderson-Stanek swap....a bit too early to call it a steal. Could be the other way, when all is said and done.

Mark P

9:38

I didn't actually call it a steal, I just called it a great trade for the Rays. It could certainly still be a great trade for the Marlins, too.

Zach

9:38

Will JD Martinez opt you? His only real competition in the corner OF/DH market seems to be Puig, but the market recently has been so slow he might be hesitant to do so regardless.

Mark P

9:40

Beyond just the slow market, there aren't a ton of obvious AL contenders that need a designated hitter (or could afford JD's price). My suspicion is that JD remains in Boston, though perhaps he and the Sox work out an extension or another season or two on top of his current contract

Ruban Amaro

9:41

Bryce Harper s season a dissapointment or success? Seams kind of mediocre, not even an all star and no home run bump from the new juiced ball

Mark P

9:42

I'd call it a success. Harper is second on the team in fWAR, and he has 29 homers, which is already the third-highest total of his career

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