You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
MLBTR Live Chat
powered byJotCast
Mark P
10:12
What better way to kick off the morning than with two more hours of sleep with some baseball questions?  Let's dive into the queue....
Tyler
10:12
What’s up with all the no-hitters?
Mark P
10:13
The game has never been more tilted in favor of pitchers as it is right now.
Brian
10:13
Could the Rays afford and pull off a trade for a Kris Bryant from the Cubs?
Mark P
10:15
Pull off, sure.  Afford....probably not, unless Rays ownership green-lit the extra expenditure, or unless the Rays come up with a very creative offer that would send some other money back the Cubs' way.

But if Bryant actually was being shopped and he keeps hitting like this, the Cubs can find a trade partner elsewhere that would just take him without all the extra considerations attached to a Rays trade (i.e. taking on money)
Guest
10:15
When is Wander Franco gonna debut?
Mark P
10:17
Probably not until July at the earliest, due to Super Two considerations and because (as wild as this sounds) the Rays may not technically "need" Franco immediately.  They're still obviously a good team without him, and Walls and Brujan are both quality prospects in their own right.  If Franco didn't exist, Tampa fans would be asking "when is Brujan coming up?"
Bridgekeeper
10:18
What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Mark P
10:18
Do you mean an African or a European swallow?
Cashman
10:18
Is it too early for me to give up of Gleyber when he’s still quite young, has a couple years of control, and would not bring back his fullest value in a trade?
Mark P
10:20
Trading Torres now would be selling low, which doesn't have much appeal to the Yankees.  The most obvious play in the world would be to just move Torres off shortstop, since I wonder if playing short is getting into his head and impacting his hitting.
Of course, the Yankees already have people at 2B and 3B who aren't easily moved.
Guest
10:20
How do we fix all the strikeouts? It’s unwatchable at times.
Mark P
10:22
There's no quick fix, since like I said earlier, there are so many advantages pointed in the direction of pitchers right now.  

Maybe the simplest move would be for MLB to crack down on pitchers using illegal substances on the ball.  The Athletic had a good piece yesterday highlighting just how widespread this seems to be
Armond
10:22
Can you see Story with the Cards? 3 way trade sending Dejong to Baltimore for prospects to send to Colorado
Mark P
10:23
For pure optics alone, I'm not sure the Rockies would be trading another star player to St. Louis
David
10:23
Jon Heyman recently reported that Bieber has turned down contract extensions the last two offseasons.  Is this another Bauer/Clevinger situation that he’ll end up getting traded in the next couple years.  Or with no financial commitments, do the Tribe lock him down like they did with Kluber early in his career?
Mark P
10:26
Bieber is controlled through 2024, so the Tribe don't have to make any sort of trade move just yet.  Frankly, I suspect they might have missed their window for extending Bieber --- his asking price by this point might be beyond what the Tribe is willing to pay.  

Likeliest scenario is that Bieber is traded sometime in 2023, but obviously a lot can happen in the interim
zero
10:26
Who is Max Scherzer pitching for in August?
Mark P
10:27
My guess right now is still Washington, since I don't think the Nats will be quite far enough out of the race to go into seller mode
Sokals
10:28
How did the rays let jake the rake crone worth go in trade to the Padres? Is he for real and the rays not see the potential? Seems to be an all-star level second base.
Mark P
10:29
Not even the Rays can win every trade.  Clearly they thought they'd get more out of Renfroe than they did, and let's also not overlook prospect Xavier Edwards...if he ends up being something, that deal looks better in the long run.
Plus, Tampa was also pretty eager to get Pham's contract off the books.
10:30
Oh, and the Rays have seemingly a half-dozen talented and versatile infield types, so it's not like they're particularly missing Cronenworth (though obviously he'd help their team)
Guest
10:30
Any sense the Yankees will spend for a replacement outfielder or will they go cheap like DeShields?
Mark P
10:31
I don't think they're going to exceed the luxury tax threshold under any circumstances, so expect either low-cost acquisitions or some kind of creative trade to move payroll
Preller
10:31
Pham was in arbitration
Mark P
10:31
Aha, you're correct.  Still, the Rays wanted to move him for something, rather than just non-tender him
Barrelman
10:32
Thoughts on the Willy Adames trade?
Mark P
10:33
Interesting deal, I like the move for both teams, really.  Adames is a touch underrated, and I can see him improving with a change of scenery
10:34
In general, I also just love that the Rays and Brewers pulled the trigger on a major deal now.  They each identified an issue and just decided to address it immediately rather than play wait-and-see for another month or until closer to the deadline.
Brian
10:35
Who gets a new stadium first?? Rays or A’s??
Mark P
10:35
The Athletics.  Where this new stadium is located, however, is TBD
Chris
10:36
When do you see haniger and graveman being traded?
Mark P
10:37
Closer to the deadline, unless the Mariners really fall apart.  While I suspect the M's have a realistic view of where they will finish this season and are looking big-picture, they won't want to officially become "sellers" until they're certain
Robbie Baseball
10:38
The way Semien is playing, do you think the Jays will re-sign him? Seems to be a great addition to the team.
Mark P
10:39
It's a good question.  The Jays have a good core of infield talent already, and more on the way in the minor league pipeline.  And, if Semien keeps hitting like this, he'll command a big contract and get a lot of other offers --- his position is also a factor, if Semien wishes to return to shortstop and the Jays are still committed to Bichette
10:41
On the other hand, the Jays have shown they're willing to spend money, and it already seems like they regard Semien as a leader on and off the field.  Locking him up as a cornerstone piece allows the Jays to then explore using Biggio or Austin Martin in the outfield, potentially
Cardinals
10:41
Our bullpen is horrible. Shildt basically said he can't pitch the same 3 guys everyday. When r we trading for some bullpen help. Ian Kennedy and Taylor Rodgers "assuming the Twins sell" would really help this bullpen.
Mark P
10:43
Agreed.  The Cards are a team that should take a page from the Rays/Brewers' playbook and make a move earlier rather than later.  

Assuming that Mikolas is fully back and healthy, the team can move Gant back into relief duty to help bolster the pen.  But another fresh arm is likely necessary.
Load More Messages
Connecting…