JotCast | MLBTR Live Chat

MLBTR Live Chat

Mark P

8:59

Plenty to discuss after a wild start to the playoffs, so it's Weekend Chat time!

Braves

9:00

Strider. Do you start h for 2 or 3 innings or bring him as a relivet

Mark P

9:01

Depends on his health, obviously, but I suspect Atlanta leans towards making him at least a piggyback starter.

Though the idea of having Strider as an uber-reliever out of the pen is pretty intriguing

Four Hours

9:01

…..we will be here for you if you just want to chat…..sorry about your Jays.

Mark P

9:02

Aw man, I had the game taped to watch until my MLBTR shift was over!

Big Nasty

9:02

Who gets the Sox job?

Mark P

9:04

As per Rick Hahn, he said the Sox would look at experienced managers with a track record, but then again the team also has some interest in Pedro Grifol (who would be a first-time skipper).

In general, the White Sox should be making a broad search of candidates, but I do suspect they'll hire another veteran manager

I hesitate to guess a name, since I don't think anyone would've guessed La Russa during their last manager search

Paul

9:06

If you’re the Mets and the Angels are willing to trade Ohtani, but demand Alvarez be part of the return, do you do it?

Mark P

9:07

In a vacuum, I think maybe yes, because Ohtani is just that special. There is a very real chance he might leave in free agency, and then a top prospect (plus more than just Alvarez) will have been given away for one single season. But, the Mets have the resources to make other moves if Ohtani did leave, and they'd certainly have the money to make a gigantic extension offer.

Bryan C.

9:08

The Cardinals have made Dylan Carlson untouchable in trades. Why?

Mark P

9:09

Naturally, no player is truly "untouchable," since the Cards would surely move Carlson if the right offer came along. But it's also understandable that the Cardinals aren't eager to move a player who isn't yet 24 years old, and already looks like at least a big league regular.

Phillyfan

9:09

Do you like the 3 game wild card series format? I would rather see a five game series because a team like the Mets who won 101 games and could get eliminated seems a bit unfair.

Mark P

9:10

Any short series has some inherent "unfairness" baked into it, but a three-game series at least seems better than a single game. I do like the twist of the higher seed being at home for the entire series, since it puts a premium on regular-season success.

Smores

9:11

Think this is the off season that Atkins finally deals with the bullpen? Seems like every other team has multiple players throwing 100+.... Blue Jays not so much.

Mark P

9:13

From Ross Atkins' standpoint, there must be frustration over the fact that he actually has "dealt with the bullpen" in many notable trades and signings. And, to be fair, he built a pretty solid relief corps overall.

But, "pretty solid" is far from the lockout bullpen that a contender usually needs. And, the Jays' lack of high-velo strikeout pitchers really stood out today both in the game result, and in coming after a Cleveland/Tampa game that seemingly featured about a dozen such relievers

Josh P

9:14

Does Christian Vazquez to the Diamondbacks make sense?

Mark P

9:15

GM Mike Hazen has said that catching is a possible target area, and given the past Boston ties with Hazen and Vazquez, it would make a lot of sense. Especially since Varsho now seems to be pretty much a full-time outfielder, and given Kelly's lack of production

Billington

9:15

What's up next for the Rays, spend on a bat or 2? They clearly DO NOT need pitching

Mark P

9:16

Eighteen minutes into the chat, and I already bust out a "you can never have too much pitching"!

9:17

But, you're correct that offense is certainly the bigger need. Josh Lowe or Curtis Mead could provide help from within, and getting Brandon Lowe back and healthy is a natural upgrade.

9:19

Which teams would be the most willing to give up their top prospect to another team that is willing to take on a bad contract. I.E. Would the Brewers be willing to give up Chorio if another team would take on Yelich, or would the Padres give up Merril for another team to take on what they owe to Hosmer?

Mark P

9:20

Young talent is such a key plank of Milwaukee's strategy that they're not going to give up an intriguing player like Chorio just for salary relief.

And, in general, no team would give up their best prospect in such a trade. You'd need a really unique situation of a very deep farm system and a particularly onerous contract.

bmcferren

9:21

what kind of deal is Quintana looking at this offseason? Any way he goes back to the Pirates?

Mark P

9:22

Quintana has probably priced himself out of Pittsburgh's comfort zone, though I don't think he'll get an overwhelming deal or anything. A two-year contract seems reasonable, however, maybe in the $18-$20MM range

Bobby Wilson

9:23

Any chance I’m a dark horse candidate for the manager position in Texas?

Mark P

9:23

I suspect he'll at least get an interview, but Texas is another club who will look first at more veteran managers.

John

9:25

At least the leafs have a good playoff tra... oh wait. Sorry Mark

Mark P

9:25

Hey, the Raptors won the NBA title just a few seasons ago!

qualifying offer

9:25

If the Red Sox can’t come to an agreement with Bogaerts on a new deal & opts out, will/could, they give him a qualifying offer? How would it help or hurt? What’s the chances Bogaerts accepts it? Could he accept it & then they work out a new deal?

Mark P

9:26

He'll get a qualifying offer for certain, and he'll certainly reject it.

Teams can negotiate extensions with players after they accept a QO, as we saw with Jose Abreu and the White Sox a few years ago. But Bogaerts is definitely turning his QO down.

Dave D

9:28

Can I trade Castellanos in the off-season for anything close to full value ,

Mark P

9:28

Unless it's part of a bad contract swap, it isn't happening. If you're a team in need of hitting, there are better options than a guy already owed $80MM and coming off a rough season.

Bucco71

9:29

Does Cherington have the Pirates on the right track or on a bridge to nowhere?

Mark P

9:31

This isn't what Bucs fans want to hear after years of losing, but it's still too early to tell. There's lot of good talent in the pipeline, and we've seen some of that promise start to show at the MLB level. But, we won't know the real story of Cherington's actions for at least a few more years yet (not that the Bucs couldn't pivot to more aggressive adds earlier than that)

Guards 4 Life

9:31

Any chance Guardians will be in on Nimmo?

Mark P

9:32

Nimmo will be out of their price range

Willson Contreras

9:33

It's opening day of the 2023 season. What uniform am I wearing?

Mark P

9:33

Purely speculative guess on my part.....Detroit