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Mark P
7:33
Hi everyone, welcome to the Sunday night chat! Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July festivities (and, up in my neck of the woods, Canada Day festivities) while still staying healthy and safe.  Let's get into some baseball questions
Mb
7:34
Will Torkelson make his debut in 2021?
Mark P
7:35
Can't entirely rule it out, but I'd say probably not.  The Tigers have no reason to start his service time clock this early, and promoting without any minor league ball is very rare, especially for a top pick
I Am From The Future
7:35
Braves just won their 5th straight NLEast title!
Mark P
7:36
I mean, that's probably not one of the top 1000 questions I'd ask a time-traveler, but hey, good for Atlanta!
What is...
7:36
Acuňa's ceiling?
Mark P
7:36
It's been only two seasons so I shouldn't get too ahead of myself, but he looks like the type of player who can be an MVP contender year in and year out.  The sky is the limit on his potential.
Seattle Mariners
7:37
Do we have a chance at the playoffs
Mark P
7:37
Sure!  Anything can happen in a 60-game sprint.
Andrew Friedman
7:37
If David Price sits out who benefits
Mark P
7:38
The Red Sox get his salary wiped off their books, which will help them get further until the luxury tax threshold.  (Reminder: their tax penalty is only reset if the season is played.  If it isn't played, they revert back to their 2019 status and are still considered to be over the tax threshold.)
Derek Jeter
7:39
Will we make the playoffs in the next 3 years?
Mark P
7:40
Will the Marlins make the playoffs within the next three seasons?
Yes (15.7% | 116 votes)
 
No (84.3% | 625 votes)
 
Total Votes: 741
Reds
7:41
We’ll find out tomorrow but will NL teams play 4 games each against all five al teams or more against their “rival” from the AL?
Mark P
7:42
I believe the last I heard, it was going to be 10 games each against every division rival (total of 40 games), and then four each against the five teams in the other league (20 games).
Don't quote me on that, however.  And, ultimately, we'll find out tomorrow anyway when the schedule is released.
Frank Robinson
7:43
Dude is a legend and should be the new name on MVP trophy
Mark P
7:43
Buster Olney proposed this idea in a column today and I really like it.
Dodgers Nation
7:43
Is it just me or does it actually seem like Price opting out won’t really hurt the Dodgers. We have incredible depth and Price is really just an overpaid mid rotation starter. We really took him just to get Betts. Now we don’t have to pay for him and we still have quality innings covered.
Mark P
7:44
The Dodgers are better positioned than most teams in terms of pitching depth, but as the saying goes, you can never have enough pitching.
Young vs Old
7:45
Who benefits most from short season, young or older players?
Mark P
7:46
I tend to think younger players, since older players are such creatures of habit that adjusting to such a vastly different daily ballpark routine could be more difficult.  That said, for younger players who are still getting used to being big leaguers altogether, having to deal with adjusting to MLB on top of everything else this season makes it even more challenging.
Guest
7:46
Could the Red Sox trade JBJ replacing him with Rusney Castillo and Kevin Pillar?
Mark P
7:47
Calling up Castillo would once again put his salary on the luxury tax payroll, so Boston won't be doing that.

It seems like there weren't any takers for Bradley on the trade front over the offseason, so I can't anticipate any new interest now.
Matt
7:47
CBT question: I know club options don't count against tax liability (until exercised), but what about buyouts of club options?
Mark P
7:47
Buyouts do count, yes
Sir Nerdlington
7:48
Do opted out player salaries count toward the luxury tax?
Mark P
7:49
If the player opts out for personal health reasons, I believe they're still tax-eligible (since they're still getting their prorated salary).  

If they opt out purely by choice, I don't think they count on the tax, but don't quote me on that
Jeterleader
7:49
I just want to say thanks for all the work you do
Mark P
7:49
Much obliged!
Brandon
7:49
Where do you think Austin Martin ends up playing for the Jays? CF seems obvious due to their lack of depth in the outfield but then 3B could work if/when Vlad ends up at 1B. Thanks! Love these chats :)
Mark P
7:50
The interesting thing about Martin is that he doesn't necessarily have to have a single position, since he seems to have the versatility to be bounced around the diamond.  Having him become a Zobrist-esque supersub would be a great result for the Jays.
Opt outs
7:50
We’re gonna see a lot more before opening day, right?
Mark P
7:50
Absolutely
Joshua
7:52
I know top prospect for top prospect type trades very rarely occur (although I think they should, and a savvy GM could find a new avenue to acquiring talent, but I digress), but would a Carter Kieboom for Joey Bart deal (there could be other smaller pieces thrown in from either side to make it actually come to fruition) make sense for both teams? Thanks.
Mark P
7:53
The Nats are hopeful that Kieboom can contribute for them as soon as Opening Day, so I doubt they'd move him for a player who is still at least a season away from the big leagues.
This isn't to say that Bart absolutely wouldn't debut in 2020, but I don't think he'd be expected to hit the ground running as a reliable everyday player as soon as Kieboom
Bob
7:54
what are the chances teams actually play 60 games?  The season could easily be delayed with so many players opting out
Mark P
7:55
I'm not sure players opt-outs would be the biggest problem, as the overall national status of the pandemic would be the larger concern.  

There's a very possible chance the season will be delayed or altogether halted at some point.  Until then, all MLB can do is prepare the best they can.
Are you...
7:56
Mark Prior!?!
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