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Mark P
8:26
The Weekend Chat has opened up for questions about all things baseball, bees, beads, topics that don't start with the letter 'B,' etc.
Cardinal Madness
8:27
cardinals buyers or sellers?
Mark P
8:28
At this point buyers (hey, another word that starts with B!)  

St. Louis has gotten things nicely turned around over the last month or so, and seem to be building momentum in a league where a lot of teams are either struggling or treading water.
Josh C
8:29
Guardians look good. If they are willing to part with Chase DeLauter their number 1 prospect and secondary pieces, what can they get
Mark P
8:32
DeLauter has been hampered by injuries this season, so his stock has dimmed a bit as a premium trade chip, even if obviously the Guards could still get something really interesting back if they shopped him.

Prospect depth is so important to a lower-payroll like Cleveland that I find it hard to believe that they'd really sell the farm for a pure win-now type of piece.  It's more likely based on past history that the Guardians get more of a mid-level addition (probably an outfielder, but a starting pitcher would fit this year in particular) rather than a blockbuster trade candidate
Guest
8:32
Do you see Kenley Jansen getting moved? And if so, what would the return look like?
Mark P
8:33
Given how Boston is looking more and more like a playoff contender with every passing day, I doubt Jansen is traded at this point.
Jeff G
8:34
Do you expect the Diamondbacks to be buyers at the deadline?
Mark P
8:36
Arizona is one of the more interesting teams to watch in the next month because they're kind of the opposite of most teams in 2024 --- they can hit, but their pitching is a problem.

Gallen is back soon so that's obviously a huge help, and if they're reasonably confident E-Rod and Kelly can return in mid-to-late August, the Snakes could seek out only a moderate rotation upgrade at the deadline.  Or, even no pitching help at all, since Montgomery has started to look a little sharper over his last few outings
John
8:36
Oilers or Panthers? What does Canada want outside of Edmonton?
Mark P
8:37
I can't speak for the rest of Canada since I haven't yet been elected Prime Minister, but I think just about everyone wants to see the Oilers pull off this historic comeback.  What a Game 7 that's going to be.
Guardo Man
8:38
Steven Kwan is terrific. Should he be in MVP talks for how valuable he’s been to this guardians team?
Mark P
8:39
Kwan ranks eighth in fWAR despite spending about four weeks on the injured list, which speaks to his incredible season.  Still have to believe the MVP award will end up with one of Judge, Soto, Henderson, or Witt, but Kwan is having an incredible season and it'll be a lot of fun if he keeps flirting with .400
CHRIS YOUNG
8:39
What can the rangers get for MAD MAX?
Mark P
8:40
The Rangers are showing some signs of life, and I highly doubt they'll be deadline sellers for Scherzer or anyone
Ross Atkins
8:40
Is it finally the time that I admit I built a bad team?
Mark P
8:41
The more accurate answer is that Atkins built a good team that didn't get beyond "good," and Atkins (seemingly mistakenly) thought the Blue Jays were a lot closer to taking the next step than they actually were.
Baseball fan
8:41
Where do the Blue Jays go from here
Mark P
8:43
This six-game losing streak definitely feels like a door being closed on Toronto's season, since now the rotation is struggling along with the lineup and bullpen.  Going back to the "good team" thing, the Jays now have one of the five worst winning percentages in baseball, which seems like a better reflection of their situation than a team that still has a breakout in them.

Unless they really catch fire over the next month, the question will become whether or not the Jays will reload for 2025 and sell just pending free agents, or if a rebuild is necessary (which means not just players going but also Atkins, Schneider, etc. potentially losing their jobs)
Brady
8:45
Can you put a percentage on how likely you believe Luis Robert is to be dealt
Mark P
8:47
Maybe 40 percent?  Robert has only been okay since returning from the IL, so teams might be wary of meeting Chicago's demands if they don't know if Robert will display that 2023 form for the rest of the year
Philly Phanatic
8:48
Do the Phillies have enough in the minor leagues to get outfield or bullpen help, without giving up Painter, Miller, or Crawford?
Mark P
8:49
Given how the Phillies are locking up basically their entire rotation, Painter certainly seems like more of a trade candidate than he did a few months ago.  

Bohm's breakout might also make the Phils a little more open to moving Miller, even if Bohm's long-term viability at third base is still a big question mark.
8:50
I guess more broadly speaking, Dombrowski has shown that he isn't shy about moving top prospects to add the final touches to a team he thinks can win, and Philadelphia is absolutely ready to win now.  So while he isn't going to clean out the farm, I'm hesitant to say any single Phils prospect is 100 percent untouchable
Sad Reds Fan
8:51
Time to consider this season dead?
Mark P
8:52
The key stat in my view is +9, as in Cincinnati's run differential despite their 36-41 record.  Except for the three division leaders, the Braves, and the Padres, the ENTIRE REST OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE has a negative run differential.
8:53
So this is a hint that the Reds can still hit another level, and why I wouldn't write them off yet
V
8:53
The Red Sox have won their last 4 series, they're expecting Casas back relatively soon, and their offense is finally showing up. Heading to October baseball?
Mark P
8:54
The Red Sox are quietly and somewhat suddenly a team without any true weaknesses.  They can hit, their fielding is much improved, and their pitching (both rotation and bullpen) has gone from a weakness to a strength.  They're real contenders in my view.
romorr
8:55
As an Orioles fan, I am not seeing a lot of starting pitching available. We have the minor league pieces, but I don't see any pitchers that are worth the top guys. Maybe some mid level arms for some mid level pitching, but nothing that excites.
Mark P
8:56
This point has been made before by myself and many others, but Baltimore has the prospect depth to start trade talks on a lot of different pitchers, even ones that don't seem like obvious trade candidates.

For instance, the O's need hitting, the M's need pitching.  Wouldn't a crazy blockbuster of one of the Mariners' young starters for one of the Orioles' young position players be fun?
Math4Ball
8:58
Yanks weaknesses are on full display. What should be their top priority?
NYY June Swoon
8:58
Yankees cracks in the armor have been exposed in the last 7-10 days.  Who are the likely options to help with Catching, Infield & Middle Relief
Mark P
9:01
Not that J.D. Davis is the key to solving New York's problems, but a mid-tier infielder like Davis who can helpfully fill a role might be more of a fit for the Yankees rather than necessarily a blockbuster infield pickup.  

Catching I wouldn't even call a real "problem," as NYY seems happy with their catching tandem, even if they would've loved to have seen Wells take a step up as a big leaguer.

Any number of middle relievers could bit the bill.  SNY's Andy Martino noted recently that the Yankees have been so good at finding lower-level relievers and turning them into productive pitchers that they could continue looking for hidden gems rather than bigger-name relievers
9:02
I guess in total, this is predicting a relatively quiet deadline for the Yankees, which might be a conservative viewpoint of how aggressive they'll be.  After missing the playoffs and this "long" 15-year title drought, the Yankees might feel particularly inspired to make a push while they have Soto
Cy Young
9:03
Who’s your votes for Cy Young currently?
Mark P
9:04
in going along with my observation that the Red Sox are for real, Boston making a surge into contention will get more eyes on Tanner Houck's rather awesome season.  

On the NL side, Ranger Suarez is maybe the pick
AA
9:05
Is it possible the two best moves this off-season belong to AA—Sale and Lopez?
Mark P
9:05
I probably should've mentioned both those guys in my NL Cy Young talk.  But, not to be a Debbie Downer, I have doubts how about many innings they'll end up amassing, or whether Sale in particular will be able to stay healthy
Eye of the tiger
9:06
When you look at roster flexibility, is there such a thing as too much roster flexibility? It seems like the Tigers have 13 players that play at least three different positions and so they're always moving around the diamond and none of them seem to ever have a home position. So it seems like they're constantly platooning. How can a player ever get going and get on a hot streak if he is constantly platooning all the time in the name of roster flexibility?
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