Mark P

• Greetings! We’ll open up the Weekend Chat in a minute or two, once we get some tasty questions rolling in….

B

• What do you think the Phillies do in terms of trades soon or before the deadline they are turning it around but what do they still need? Third base? Right field? Garcia and bohm haven’t been good.

Mark P

• Bullpen will again be a target area, and rotation depth is a need.  Nola just isn’t pitching well at all and Painter is inconsistent, leaving the Phils with just three reliable starters.But, you’re correct that 3B/RF will both also be on the radar.  Bohm and Garcia are simply running out of time to get their seasons turned around.  The Phillies could also use bench depth in general, and someone they obtain for a part-time role could well work their way into more of a regular job at 3B/RF depending on what’s available out there on the market.

Undecided CT

• Somebody just officially announced on his instagram he is actually retiring. I’ve never seen someone change their mind twice on retirement in two days.

Mark P

• Annnnnd, the chat is immediately halted for a couple of minutes since I needed to update our Chris Taylor retirement post.Reading between the lines, I wonder if Taylor decided that he just didn’t feel like going through the grind of the rehab process after fracturing his forearm.  It’s understandable how a major injury like that might be the final push to get a veteran player on the fence over into retirement.  And hey, can’t blame Taylor for taking some time and a few second thoughts about ending a career path that has dominated most of his life.

Doofus

• How much would the Red Sox have to give up for Yordan Alvarez?

Mark P

• Alvarez is signed through 2028, so unless the Astros decide to entirely blow things up and rebuild, he isn’t being traded.  While it is increasingly looking like the Astros may be deadline sellers, Alvarez doesn’t seem likely to be moved.It would require a huge offer of top prospects and MLB-ready young players for the BoSox to pry Alvarez away.  Franklin Arias, at least one of Tolle or Early, etc.

Scott Harris

• Of course I’ve failed to build a sufficient offense but can some of my teams shortcomings be attributed time injury?

Mark P

• There are currently 14 players on Detroit’s IL, so yeah, “some” is understating things.  One can certainly take issue with how the Tigers chose to build their roster, but there aren’t many teams that can get by with so many key injuries

Guest

• Is it possible the Cards are for real?

Mark P

• “For real” in the sense that they can make the playoffs…..probably not, since their pitching (both the rotation and pen) still doesn’t seem like it’ll hold up over the long haul.”For real” in the sense that they’re looking like a solid team?  Absolutely.  The Cardinals don’t need to reach the postseason for 2026 to be a nice step in the right direction.  Even a .500 record is a big success for a step most expected to be terrible.

Scott

• Who loses there job if the cubs dont make the playoffs, Hoyer or Counsell? Thanks

Mark P

• Hoyer just signed a new extension last summer, whereas Counsell is signed through 2028.  Counsell is earning more than $8MM per season, so that would be over $16MM that Cubs ownership would have to eat in the event of a managerial change.This is another situation where the injuries have to be acknowledge, since it isn’t Counsell’s fault that the Cubs’ list of pitching injuries is well into the double figures.

Dave

• Can the Giants find a trade for Chapman? I know he has a no trade clause but moving him is a key for both Schmitt and Eldridge.

Mark P

• I believe June 15 is the first day teams are allowed to trade players they signed to a free agent deal the previous offseason.  So that means San Francisco has a few more weeks to gauge their situation before opening the door to Luis Arraez offers.  It is far, far more likely that an impending free agent like Arraez is dealt before guys like Chapman on long-term contracts.
• If Arraez is dealt, Schmitt then plays second base, and Eldridge now has a regular spot at either 1B or DH.

Chaim Bloom

• Will I have to ruin the farm system to buy at the deadline if we continue winning?

Mark P

• Bloom’s not going to shift course from this long-planned rebuild just to suddenly trade key prospects for short-term upgrades.  If St. Louis is still in the running at the deadline, I can see the Cards making a few modest adds (likely for pitching) but nothing earth-shaking

Bill

• Do you see Breslow making a trade within the next week? Things are getting late fast over there

Mark P

• Very likely.  Probably not a blockbuster type of deal just yet, but getting a RHH depth player seems plausible.

Ken

• What’s wrong with Tyler Soderstrom?

Mark P

• The chief issue seems to be that Soderstrom is putting the ball in the air a lot more than in 2025, except those balls are translating into infield flies rather than dangerous blasts into the outfield.Some of it is just bad luck, as Soderstrom has a .225 BABIP.  He is also making less hard contact than last season, but he’s still in the 65th percentile in terms of hard-hit ball rate, which is pretty decent.

  In theory, his numbers will pick up once his luck improve, but there’s enough awry here that the A’s should have some concern.  Two months is more than just a slump.

Astros71

• Any chance for an Astros comeback, or is a teardown the case?

Mark P

• Time for the obligatory “the AL is terrible” comment, as I note that Houston is still only 3.5 games out of a wild card spot, and four games out of first place in the AL West.  While it feels like the Astros are in rough shape, they’re still not in that deep of a hole in relation to most of their rivals.

Lovable losers

• It feels like more top prospects are getting called up than usual. Is it just because more media covers prospects? Or is roster construction shifting?

Mark P

• The PPI gives teams more reason to want their best prospects in the majors sooner.  You’d think “wanting to put the best team on the field” would’ve been reason enough pre-PPI, but….There also seems to be a bit more of a trend for front offices to push top prospects (especially college players) to the Show a bit sooner.  An argument can be made that modern scouting and preparation tactics make these players more prepped for the jump to the majors than ever before, though obviously there’s no substitute for actual game action.

Biggest White Sox Fan

• With so many injuries happening this season, can you see US making a shot at the WC?  If so, do you see the Sox using some of their strong prospects, to give them a shot at a title?
• It appears as if you answered my question by responding to the Cardinals fan.  Your answer I think applies to the White Sox as well.

Mark P

• Pretty much, yeah.  For the White Sox to even flirt with .500 two years after losing 121 games is a massive turn-around.  And, given the state of the AL and the AL Central in particular, we can’t even rule Chicago out as the most unlikely of out-of-nowhere contenders

Jordan Walker

• MVP candidate?

Zach

• I think people sleep on Turang, he could be a top 5 or even top 3 MVP player.

Mark P

• Not that fWAR is the singular quality of an MVP candidate, but right now Walker and Turang rank third and fourth in fWAR among NL players. (Elly de la Cruz and Corbin “Mr. Triples” Carroll have the top two spots.)I also submit that if Ohtani keeps pitching like this, he’ll win both the MVP and Cy Young in a walk.

Cooper Ingle

• Why won’t I get called up

Mark P

• Ingle spent a couple of weeks on the minor league IL, and he has only 59 Triple-A games played over two seasons. Given how the Guardians prioritize catcher defense, that’s probably the part of his game that the club wants to see as polished as possible before giving him the call.Offense-wise, Ingle has been crushing the ball, so it doesn’t seem like he has much left to prove in that regard

Jaxon

• Mautz got called up by the Cards for a spot start but it got rained out. If he is sent back down does he get a day of service on the MLB club?

Mark P

• Yes, since it still counts a day on the overall season calendar.  He’s just now in the unfortunate “ghost player” zone of being a player on the 26-man roster who is technically not an actual big leaguer just yet

Guest

• Would Boston do a Duran for Torkelson trade?

Mark P

• Not really a fit for Boston’s needs, since Torkelson would just be a part-time DH with Contreras holding down first base.

Crown Royal

• What’s going on with “the Pasquatch?”

Mark P

• A huge dropoff in his bat speed and hard-hit ball numbers.  As with Soderstrom, luck is a factor since Pasquantino has only a .221 BABIP, but Vinnie P’s problems seem deeper than Soderstrom’s

Gold Fish

• why didn’t Atlanta use their magic and lock up Baldwin this past offseason?

Mark P

• Anthony Franco explored a Baldwin extension in a post for MLBTR Front Office subscribers last month….
  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/04/will-braves-add-drake-baldwin-t…Beyond Anthony’s points, there’s also the fact that Atlanta is still paying Murphy a lot of money, so adding another contract to the catching position isn’t something the Braves are too keen to do.  Unfortunately, Murphy’s been hurt so much that his trade value has continued to tank.

Zach

• Why do we value rings so much in not just baseball but all sports? Sometimes I see people saying players are the greatest because they have 5 or 6 rings when that has more to do with the teams success.

Mark P

• This is much more of a debate when one is arguing basketball players (when one star player has an outsized impact in the game) or NFL quarterbacks.I don’t think I’ve ever been in a baseball GOAT debate when someone was like “well, Willie Mays only won one World Series, so how good was he REALLY?”

Spee

• What are the top trade candidates this year at the deadline. Will skubal be traded. Could munetaka be traded. Katel marte. Yoshida

Mark P

• Yoshida being included in this group reminds of the old “one of these things just doesn’t belong here” song from Sesame Street.If the Tigers can’t get on track quickly, Skubal is suddenly a major trade chip if he’s healthy.  The Diamondbacks expect to be competitive so Marte isn’t going anywhere.  If the ChiSox are still in the hunt, I’d doubt they move Munetaka, both due to their own playoff push and because he has become such a fan favorite in such a short period of time.

RedsFan

• Of course ohtani will win whatever; he’s a dodger it’s how the baseball world works.

Mark P

• He has an 0.73 ERA and (in what is considered a down year by his standards) an .875 OPS.  Doesn’t matter who he’s playing for.

Avian Chef

• You spent the entire winter and spring slamming the Guardians for not signing big money free agent hitters.  They now have an average to good offense and are division leaders solely on the strength of the bats that would have been crowded out by those signings (and could be much better if Kwan, Manzardo and Ramirez return to average).  Are you ready to admit that the Guards front office knows what they’re doing?

Mark P

• In fairness, I will point out that the Guards are winning the Central also in part because it’s a bad division.  Cleveland’s +23 run differential isn’t the mark of a world-beater.And, in a rare double “in fairness” hedge, I’ll also note that I still felt the Guardians would be competitive this year since that’s just how they roll.

  These two caveats aside, haha, I will now take that slice of humble pie.  No doubt that Cleveland’s front office has a successful formula that has led to a long stretch of competitive baseball over the years.  Yet, you know, if they spent more money to sign someone more productive than Rhys Hoskins…

Dana is a lame duck

• Who wants Jeremy Pena?

Mark P

• Tons of teams would jump at the chance to obtain Pena if the Astros were willing to move him.  If Houston is truly out of contention by the deadline, I can see Pena moved early, rather than perhaps moved during the coming offseason.

Kai Wei Teng

• Am I one of the biggest steals of the offseason?

Mark P

• Teng’s peripherals (and his .236 BABIP) suggest some regression is inevitable. But, since the Astros gave up virtually nothing to get him from SF, it’s already been a big win for Houston

Ascended Rangers Fan

• What is with the Rangers offense? Is Chris Young just incapable of building a proper lineup?

Mark P

• It may surprise you to learn that Texas has the fourth-highest away wRC+ of any team in baseball, while its home rRC+ is fourth-worst in baseball.So the issue isn’t as much Young’s lineup construction as it may be with how Globe Life Field was constructed.  To hear club officials talk, they’re as surprised as anyone that the Globe has become such an extreme pitchers’ park, so this might be an argument for moving fences in or changing dimensions.

Cygnus God of Balance

• How cool was it seeing Bryan Torres get a hit and homer in his debut after 11 years in the minors/independent League

Mark P

• An awesome moment.  I particularly love it whenever the TV broadcasts show the family of a debuting player going nuts whenever he gets a hit in his first game.

Ebenezer_Batflip

• Masataka just hit a double and a homerun today. I know its easy to dunk on him because he is overpaid, but he still is a *good* hitter and teams who need a good hitter *should* get desperate enough to pony up for a guy who won’t cost a lot of prospect capital to just take on the last 1.5 years of money, right????

Mark P

• If Yoshida had a more modest salary, his trade value is still limited by the fact that can’t hit LH pitching, and he is a so-so defensive outfielder at best.So that already creates an awkward roster fit, and a 107 wRC+ (as of today) isn’t impressive enough to move the needle for teams looking for offense.

Hmm

• Can we say Spencer Jones 1st foray into major league baseball wasn’t enough to judge him?

Mark P

• 12 strikeouts in 27 PA is a red flag, but in general you’re right, it’s naturally way too small of a sample size.

Angels

• Thoughts on 22 yr old Walbert Urena? Him and Soriano looking good this year

Mark P

• Too many walks and not enough strikeouts, so Urena’s ERA is a bit of a mirage.  But overall, he has shown promise, and he’s doing a great job of inducing soft contract.  Urena is a definite bright spot in what is looking like another grim Angels season

Cosmo Kramer

• Sorry, saying Yoshida can’t hit LH Pitching is not an accurate statement.

Mark P

• 298 PA isn’t the biggest of sample sizes, but Yoshida has a .651 OPS in that many trips to the plate against big league southpaws.

Dodgers fan

• What is the status of Edwin diaz

Mark P

• Nothing much has changed with his status.  Diaz is still expected to be out until after the All-Star break

Mehts

• Can the Mets get more at the deadline for Freddy P than they gave up to get him?

Mark P

• Unlikely, just because of the shorter window.  Teams might have more desperation at the deadline, but it’ll be unlikely to find someone willing to give up the equivalent of Sproat/Jett for two months of Peralta.  Plus, Peralta isn’t pitching as well as he did in 2025.

Nate Colbert

• Will Tatis hit a homer this year and, if so, when?  He’s having one of the weirdest seasons I’ve ever seen.  Should we expect more of the same ROS?

Mark P

• If you told me on Opening Day that Tatis would have zero homers on May 24, I’d assume some kind of devastating injury had occurred.It’s been such a bizarre two-month stretch that the Padres have to have some concern about what to expect going forward.  Obviously Tatis will homer again at some point, but this is more than just a slump

Derek

• Is James Shields for Tatis one of the worse trades ever?

Mark P

• Yep!

Midwest

• Should Royals fan expect a complete tear down from Piccolo on down, a medium size (Quattro on down) or a roster overhaul? Very few things have gone right for them this season?

Mark P

• Quatraro just signed a new extension in January, and JJP’s contract runs through 2030.  So I doubt the Royals are making any changes in that regard, despite how disappointing this season has been.It bears mentioning again, the AL has been so bad that no team (well, the Angels) is really out of it at this point.  Royals are four games back of a wild card spot, so one good week can immediately change the narrative in KC.
• This being said, the Royals absolutely didn’t do enough to improve their offense last winter, and their bullpen is markedly worse.

“Nat”-itude

• Is it realistic to be excited about Cade Cavalli?

Mark P

• Absolutely, there’s been a lot to like about Cavalli now that he’s finally healthy.If you’re a Nationals fan, this season has been very positive in general, considering that this club looked all the world like a 100-game loser

John

• Any chance the Angels move on from Kurt Suzuki this season to give someone else a shot? If this bad baseball keeps up, a change feels necessary.

Mark P

• I don’t think Suzuki is in the top ten reasons for the Angels’ failures.  The one-year contract (which itself was bizarre) probably means he’ll be a one-and-done, and the Halos will turn to yet another manager next year

Louie DePalma

• Yankees in need of bullpen help

Mark P

• It’s a weak link right now, and will definitely be a point of interest at the deadline.  Beyond just going out and getting a closer or set-up man, I wonder if NYY might also give Headrick a higher-leverage assignment, even to the point of closing games

Canaryville Mike

• Whitesox have a robust of good young shortstops on the rise Colaton Montgomery, Roch Cholowsy, Caleb Bonemer, Billy Carlson and etc. Any chance the Sox trade Vargas this trade deadline, and then move Montgomery to 3d this trade deadline?

Mark P

• They haven’t actually drafted Roch yet, lol.  It might look like he’s the easy call at 1-1, but no reason to count those chickens before they’ve hatched.They’re no such thing as “too many” shortstops given that they’re all good enough athletes to be moved to other positions.  If this entire group ends up being good (which itself unlikely), the Sox can shift people around to make room on the diamond, rather than necessarily move someone like Vargas.  There’s a sell-high argument to be made on Vargas, true, but the White Sox also might see him as found money.

Sport

• Predictions for NBA Champion and NHL Champion as of right now?

Mark P

• Thunder will probably repeat.  The Stanley Cup is anyone’s game, but as a Leafs fan, I stand by my preseason belief that Mitch Marner would very soon win a Cup upon leaving Toronto

bmcferren

• Will the pirates jump at an opportunity to dump Bryan Reynolds’ contract?

Mark P

• He’s owed roughly $71.3MM through the 2030 season, so yeah, based on money alone for a lower-payroll team.  Reynolds is hitting markedly better than he did last year, but still like a relative underachiever in regard to his importance within Pittsburgh’s lineup

Fenwick

• Any reason the Marlins don’t DFA Morel (who is hitting around.140) and recall Augustin Ramirez to DH?

Mark P

• Ramirez may not really be the answer either at DH, and Morel has only 60-ish PA under his belt.  But, Morel has shown next to nothing at the plate, so the Marlins may not have ton of patience

Guest

• I wonder if in some future agreement,  a player would be allowed to sign a ” journeyman” contract that would allow a veteran to be sent to AAA without being in DFA limbo constantly.   I imagine a few might be tempted

Mark P

• As someone who has written umpteen “player X is designated for assignment again” posts over the years, I am all in favor of such a rule!

Jays Fan

• Will a break (not literally) with a sore arm help Vlad to get a mental break from his power-less hitting? Yeah, his OBP is good but 3 homers for a $500 million contract doesn’t cut it.

Mark P

• If you told me on Opening Day that Tatis and Guerrero would have three combined homers on May 24, I would’ve assumed two catastrophic injuries had happened.I believe it was Arden Zwelling (apologies if this was someone else and I’m miscrediting it) who wrote a piece a few weeks ago detailing how Vlad’s lack of homer wasn’t unusual.  As in, he tended to have one or two fairly lengthy stretches per year when he wasn’t hitting the ball out of the park, or hitting too many hard-hit grounders.

  The trouble is, however, it’s now a few weeks later, and Guerrero had since gone through a bigger slump that saw him not hitting anything for a while.  His overall metrics are still so good that I believe he’ll get on track eventually, and it could be something mental as well — perhaps Guerrero is pressing too much trying to carry a struggling team

• We’ve hit two hours, so it’s time to wrap things up.  Thanks for all the submissions!
• fyi, if you’re interested in more baseball Q&A, one of the many benefits of our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription is the exclusive weekly live chats. The more limited field means you’re about 10 times more likely to get a question answered, as opposed to battling for space with hundreds of other questions in today’s chat. For more on our memberships, check out this link:https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/membership?ref=chat-5-24-26