Author: Mark Polishuk

Stro

• Can the Yankees acquire Josh Jung this offseason?

Mark P

• Unlikely.  Texas isn’t rebuilding, and even if they do look to move a veteran or two in some kind of baseball move, Jung is just about the last player they’d be dealing

Andrew

• Regarding the Angels ownership, with the changing of the guard from Moreno to Kroenke, how does a team that is changing ownership handle free agency? Disregarding the lockout this offseason, if the Angels want to go after a free agent, is it Kroenke’s money or is it Moreno’s money?

Mark P

• I noted this in another recent chat, but the timing of the official sale (i.e. whenever the owners approve it) probably means the Angels are in for a pretty quiet winter.  Kroenke probably won’t be approved for at least a few months, and by then, the league will be in a lockout anyway.
• 2027 figures to be an evaluation year for Mozeliak or whomever is running the front office, and maybe you’ll start to see more significant moves come at the trade deadline once things are settled.

Joe

• Do the Mariners have a realistic shot to bring Vogt in as manager? He makes his home in the Seattle area.

Mark P

• Vogt’s specific contract terms aren’t known, but he signed some kind of extension after the 2024 season.  His initial deal with the Guards covered the 2024-26 seasons, so the extension tacked on probably at least two more years.In short, the Guardians would want some compensation from the Mariners if Vogt wanted out.  And there’s been nothing to suggest that Vogt would even want to leave the Cleve anyway.

The Goat

• Any chance the Yankees go after Randy Arozarena?

Mark P

• It’s not a great fit, with Bellinger/Jones/Judge already lined up in the outfield and Rice/Garcia/ostensibly Stanton in the 1B/DH mix.
• The Yankees might check in on Arozarena out of due diligence, but I don’t see them making any real push

Brad Hand’s Hand

• Is Mason Miller injured or just overused? He’s lost all control

Mark P

• Ray’s short start in Game 1 really started this domino effect for the Padres, as a lot of relievers had to be used and Morejon got two innings.  That left Morejon unavailable today and thus SD tried to get two innings out of Miller, which backfired. I’d point more towards Miller being asked to throw 40 pitches than any sort of injury or overall usage issue

Guest

• Tory gets 2 year extension.  Hazen contract is over at the same time.  Owner Ken Kendrick  is settlin

Mark P

• I’m not sure “settling” is the right word, since it’s not like the D’Backs have been a bad team.  But, I can get why fans are frustrated that (apart from 2023) the club keeps falling either just short, or had those disaster year just prior to their WS appearance.
• Hazen’s preference was clearly to keep Lovullo, so this new extension now absolutely tethers the duo.  If the D’Backs struggle in 2027, maybe that’s when ownership decides to entirely clean house with a new management team

Mark

• Can the White Sox bullpen change the way MLB teams look at the post season and how they use their starting pitching?

Mark P

• Chicago is hardly the first team to try the “out-getter” strategy in the postseason, but so far it’s worked wonders for them.

Ceiling Fan – GO CEILING!

• Why does everyone keep saying the “controversial” end to game one?! There is nothing controversial about it, they literally have a video of the umps going over the ground rules before the game.

Mark P

• The controversy is that the rule just seems weird, not that there wasn’t a rule in place beforehand.

Preller

• If we don’t come back and beat the Brewers, is this the end of the road for me? Five playoff appearances but only one NLDS win.

Mark P

• Preller signed a new extension back in February.  Though this was before the sale was finalized, Preller’s track record is strong enough that the new owners are likely cool with him staying put.

Uncle June

• Is the Dodgers age of their position players an actual issue in the playoffs?

Mark P

• Nope.  If anything, it’s a plus that the Dodgers have a bunch of guys who have seen it all, and won’t get rattled by October pressure.  The Dodger vets definitely have the makings of varsity athletes.

John

• Do the orioles make any drastic changes to their roster? ie trade a guy like Holliday or Mayo?

Mark P

• My colleague Charlie Wright put it best earlier today when he noted the O’s “simultaneously have too many guys and multiple holes to fill.”  The team’s job would be a lot simpler if guys could stay healthy, or if basically any of their ex-top prospects had shown any consistency.Trading Holliday or Mayo could be the kind of move that backfires badly on the Orioles, if Holliday just needed time to break out or if Mayo’s improved power is a sign that he’s figuring things out.  Not to say that either is necessarily untouchable if the ideal offer some around, but I’d imagine for Holliday in particular, Baltimore would want a similar young player with years of control

Bryan C

• White Sox and Brewers in the World Series?

Mark P

• Crazier things have happened!  Maybe not many in the case of the White Sox, but sure!This would be the wildest possible new incarnation of the long-running Milwaukee/Wisconsin vs. Chicago sports rivalry

Bobby Cox

• I think Mets make a play for Skubal. I hope not but would be good with the young pitchers

Mark P

• As one of the few teams with the budget to meet Skubal’s giant asking price, I fully expect the Mets to at least check in on his services.  One would have to consider the Dodgers the favorite for Skubal at this point, but nothing’s stopping the Mets (or Blue Jays, or Giants, etc.) from trying

Ken

• Does Brent Rooker have any trade value, or does he need to play and be healthy for half a season before teams would be interested?

Mark P

• Rooker is owed $42MM through 2029, he was only ok in 2025, and he was both ineffective and injured for 2026.  Given that he’s probably a DH-only type as well, he only regains trade value if he has a full season and returns to his 2024 form
• And, if he does hit like that, the A’s might well hang onto him anyway

Newseditor99

• So, if you’re the Jays’ GM, how do you recover from the train wreck that was 2026? Can this team compete in 2027? Who do you bring back and who do you go out and get?

Mark P

• I’m not just being a homer fan when I say that it probably wouldn’t be very hard for the Jays to get on track for 2027.  Between all the injuries, Guerrero’s terrible season, and maybe just a general “World Series hangover” vibe, 2026 was a Murphy’s Law type of year.Naturally a couple of bats and arms need to be added, but I don’t think Toronto is that far away from at least a winning season in 2027, if not a run at a championship

The Name

• The Cubs won’t be spending on Skubal, but who is a likely starter they’ll actually offer a competitive contract?

Mark P

• I didn’t mention the Cubs when discussing Skubal earlier because you’re right, he’s out of their self-imposed price range.Of course, the Cubs are a big-revenue team who plays in Chicago, and has a glaring need for starting pitching.  Plus the club has a lot of money coming off the books this winter.  One can easily argue that if the Cubs were ever going to splurge on a signing, it should be for Skubal, arguably baseball’s best pitcher.  While the Cubs have almost a full rotation to fill, having Skubal on board as the cornerstone is a rising tide that can lift the whole enterprise

Joey

• Could you see the Reds going after Arozarena or Robert Jr on a chance?  Or asking too much of ownership…maybe Bubic for starting support?

Mark P

• The Reds were linked to Robert in past trade talks, so I can see them making some kind of play for him if the O’s decline the club option.  Personally I think Baltimore just exercises the option and makes this moot, but perhaps the Reds could try again on the trade front.Arozarena is definitely too expensive but probably shouldn’t be, given how Cincinnati was ready to stretch their budget for Schwarber last year.  Bubic seems like a decent fit but a lot of teams will be looking at him as a lower-cost option

Jose’s regrets

• The play off format leaves way too much time for teams on a bye. Cleveland struggles with hitting as it is, but then take a break and they are non existent

Mark P

• I think the Guardians’ lack of offense just has to do with their lack of offense, rather than some extra time off.  Plus the fact that the playoffs generally have a higher level of pitching that can more easily take care of a subpar lineup.It’s also just been one game in the ALDS so far, haha.  Maybe the Guards score 10 times in Game 2 and suddenly it’s a whole new conversation.

Jade

• Do the Rays extend Drew Rasmussen? Prior experience would suggest he gets traded in the offseason, but he feels like such a prime extension candidate; he’ll be a FA at 32 which might depress value yet he constantly overperforms many of his peripherals and he seems to benefit a lot from Tampa’s park

Mark P

• MLBTR’s Anthony Franco explored this topic for FO subscribers last monthhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/09/the-rays-biggest-offseason-deci…
• I tend to agree with Anthony that Rasmussen is more likely than not to be dealt, since that’s just how the Rays operate.  Maybe a dream playoff run changes their minds and some kind of extension is worked out, but chances are Rasmussen is pitching elsewhere in 2027

McMahon

• Ryan McMahon. What kind of trade value do I have?

Mark P

• Owed $16MM in 2027, can’t hit, and his elite glovework plummeted to middling at best.  In short, his trade value is pretty minimal apart from being some kind of salary offset throw-in in a larger trade

Playoffs

• On the playoff format, I think it was Smoltz(maybe another analyst) who made this point on a broadcast, said if your stars are your pitchers, you want thw bye for rest, if your stars are hitters, you’d rather play in the wild card amd stay hot. Think there is anything to that?

Mark P

• That makes some sense, but again, it’s probably a case by case basis.  If players are playing through injuries or just came out of a grueling playoff race, five days’ off can seem like a godsend.

Impossible dreams

• Is there any scenario that could put Harper on a different team.  Philly needs a change.

Mark P

• Harper has a no-trade clause, so he’d have to approve any deal.  Maybe the right destination would get him thinking if he is also getting eager for a change, but he’s also owed $118MM through 2031.  That immediately limits the number of teams that would explore a Harper trade in the first place.
• Not saying it’s impossible since Dombrowski has been creative with trades in the past, plus you’d have Scott Boras involved in flexing Harper’s no-trade protection.  But the much likelier scenario is Harper still being in Philly in 2027

Larry

• Controversial take: I think it actually makes a ton of sense for Washington to trade Nasim Nunez to a perennial contender as soon as possible because he’s a player that is way more valuable in the postseason than in the regular season. In short bursts even the late Terrance Gore got rostered as mostly a pinch runner, and Nunez has that skill set plus a gilded glove at second base even if he can’t hit a lick (and there’s very little evidence to suggest that he’ll ever be able to)

Mark P

• I doubt Washington views Nunez as a real cornerstone player, for the very hitting issues you mentioned.  Toboni is probably quite open to offers if the right deal is floated.

Cmosier

• Do u think the cardinals will get real number one starter

Mark P

• Nope, or at least not in the sense of bringing in an established ace type.  St. Louis is still going to be primarily in rebuild mode, so their goal this winter will surely be to add pitching, but at most perhaps a controllable young arm who has the potential to become a future No. 1

Brian Cashman

• Can I trade for Austin Riley in the offseason?

Mark P

• The Braves would certainly have interest in a deal that gets Riley off their books.  But, unless the Yankees’ staff has a plan to get Riley on track, it’s doubtful NYY acquires an expensive player whose numbers have been plummeting the last couple of years

Beff Jagwell

• The various injuries this season undermined the “Astros have an IF logjam” narrative but the problem remains. Do they look at the way that depth evaporated this year and stay pat, or make a trade from that surplus?

Mark P

• Pena, Walker, and Paredes are all free agents after 2027.  So it’s only a “surplus” for one more years, and given how injuries could very easily emerge again next year, I wouldn’t be surprised if Houston just stood pat with the infield mix
• Now, if another team came calling with an offer for Walker in particular, the Astros would be all ears.  But barring that somewhat unlikely scenario, this season underscored the value of having extra infielders.

Don Kelly

• Boring move but I think IKF fills some needs that the tigers have. Good defensive SS with little swing and miss

Mark P

• I can see the logic, but it feels like Detroit already has multiple guys in the IKF utility mold.

Craig

• Watching the wild card I can see why we traded Early for Mead.. we missed him in the middle of our lineup. Odds we lock him up this offseason given what we gave up and our lack of impact hitters at the plate?

Mark P

• Mead doesn’t need to be extended, as he is already under arb control through 2030
• I mean, I guess the Red Sox could still extend him beyond that, but that would seem to be needlessly risky given Mead’s lack of a track record

Bipolar Cubs

• Who do you see the Cubs going after to vastly improve their biggest flaw, their bullpen? Via Trades or FA signing(s)

Mark P

• The Cubs will probably spend some real money to sign one particularly strong reliever (Bednar, Morejon, etc.) as the anchor of their pen.  This is basically what I suggested earlier for Skubal except at a much lower price, thus making the tactic more feasible for the front office and ownership.  With their one “big” acquisition in place for the bullpen, the Cubs probably then turn to their usual tactic of less-expensive relief pickups, with the hope that more of them with hit
• WILL hit, that is

Aaron Judge

• Will I play this postseason?

Mark P

• Since the Yankees might not get out of the ALDS, the arrow is leaning towards no

Tigers

• Diamondbacks want to cut salary next year. Ketel Marte and Justin Martinez to the Tigers for Colt Keith and Mayfield/Ellisalt?

Mark P

• Marte would have to approve that deal, for one.  And notwithstanding all the behind-the-scenes drama for Marte, that seems like a light return for a player with his ceiling

Spider

• Do you think phillies should fire dombrowski

Mark P

• No.  He has built a team that has been consistently able to reach the postseason, and it’s possible Cora (or whomever the next manager is) can add whatever ingredient has been missing.But, a new manager is just one piece of the puzzle, as the Phillies need to make some significant roster changes.  Just tinkering or making one big move (i.e. Luzardo) to build around the core isn’t enough if the core itself is shaky.

Bobby Cox

• Ray Kerr Cy young?

Mark P

• Since baseball will probably introduce an LDS MVP at some point, simply calling it the Ray Kerr Award should suffice

Ken

• How much would the A’s have to overpay to get quality relievers to sign this offseason?

Mark P

• This is the catch-22 the A’s face.  They’ll have to overpay quality pitchers to come to their ballpark, but any pitchers good enough to have options might take a little less money elsewhere just to avoid Sacramento.Just so I’m not ripping on any future acquisitions, it’s not like the Athletics are limited to “bad” pitchers.  But, they’ll be shopping for guys coming off injuries, or looking for a bounce-back year, etc.  It’s a recipe that isn’t conducive to any real bullpen improvement, so it could be another long year for the Athletics’ pitching staff

SF

• Please give me hope that we actually will take the hint this offseason and upgrade the bullpen because clearly it didn’t work

Giants

• Do you think we’ll spend in the offseason? Like a starter or some solid relievers?

Posey

• Do you think he’s going to have to make a big splash or some big additions due to fan discontent because of this season? Did it seem kind of odd at the press conference that he wasn’t more disappointed and frustrated and was mostly just pointing out positives?

Mark P

• Posey made it clear that the organization wasn’t happy with 2026, and that a lot more is expected from both the team and the front office.  The bullpen has been stressed enough as a talking point that I can see SF make that same kind of move I suggested for the Cubs earlier — invest heavily in some premium reliever as a bullpen ace, and then go from there with relatively lower-level acquisitions.  The pen was such a weak link for the Giants that investing in multiple quality relievers makes sense.

Stro

• Can the yankees center a package around Jasson Dominguez and young pitching to get Jhoan Duran in the offseason?

Mark P

• This is one of those trades that is more logical on paper than in practice.  In theory, getting Dominguez + for one year of Duran makes sense for the Phillies.  In reality, the Phils will be looking to bolster their pen, not deal their closer.

What’s on 2nd

• I would like to see Hall of Fame voting done by a committee of its members. Instead of writers.

Mark P

• Most of the worst players in the HOF got to Cooperstown by having their friends and former teammates (Frankie Frisch, I’m looking at you) run the veterans’ committee for years.

Preller Jr

• dome roof and bullpen blow ups or else we’re up 2-0 on the Brewers. Are we done or can we bounce back?

Mark P

• Things admittedly look pretty grim.  But, the Padres play great at Petco and anything can happen in a Game 5 if the team can grind out a pair of wins at home

Angels

• Is Detmers traded in the offseason? Did his value go up after the deadline?

Mark P

• As noted earlier, this might be a quiet Angels offseason for logistical reasons moreso than pure baseball reasons.  This alone could be why Detmers stays put, though another club might force the issue with a pre-lockout offer too good for the Halos to pass up

Ross Atkins

• If the Jays sign a big bat like Seiya Suzuki or Randy Arozarena, the middle of their lineup may be too right handed (w/ Vlad, Kirk, Okamoto). If they sign a big bat like Lowe, they may have too many hitters that need platoon partners (i.e Gimenez, Lukes, maybe Barger).
• To my LH/RH handed question, what’s the best bet? (Short of adding two hitters :))

Mark P

• i was going to say, “sign both” isn’t out of the question, given how the Blue Jays are in win-now mode.  Plugging two lineup holes with Lowe and one of Suzuki/Arozarena ostensibly gives the Jays more flexibility in figuring out platoons elsewhere, or seeing what Santander, Barger, or even Guerrero can all do in 2027

Ivan in Stl

• How many games do I catch next year?

Mark P

• Behind the plate for 52 games in 2026, and I’d suggest it’s less than that next year.  The Cardinals have too many other backstops in need of playing time.
• I should also note, there’s a non-zero chance Herrera catches more than 52 games….if he’s dealt elsewhere
• We’re past two hours now, so time to wrap things up.  Thanks as always to everyone who submitted a question or just enjoyed the chat as a spectator!
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