Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Anthony Franco
- Good afternoon, hope all is well!
- Some trade activity should be picking up in the next week or two, exciting time for us! Let’s get rolling
Knowitalllad
- What gets Rodriguez and Miller from the Padres to the Pirates? Cruz and Horowitz? Add Barco?
Ben Cherrington
- Read someplace fifth hand that someone proposed Cruz to Padres for Mason Miller. As I’d be trading two years of Cruz for three years of Miller, I think, I imagine I’d need to sweeten the deal a bit. As Miller would be in high demand if he were actually on the market I’d need to sweeten it even more. Would one of Antoine Kelly, Wilbur Dotel or Braden Bidois get it done? Two of them? I’d even include Dennis Santana on top of everything!
Black and Gold
- Would Spenser Horwitz, Wyatt Sandford and Antwone Kelly be enough for Mason Miller?
Anthony Franco
- Pirates deadline outlook will go out today and I agree they should try to take a swing for Mason Miller (as the better of two leverage relievers that they’re going to need)
- I think it’d start with Bubba Chandler though. Oneil Cruz has the shorter window of club control, would move to a corner spot in SD. Good trade asset but not a Miller level one
- Horwitz is a good player but he’s going to be 29 and is a strong side platoon first baseman with below-average bat speed and exit velocities
- I don’t see either of those guys leading a trade package for three and a half years of the best reliever in the game. Chandler’s rookie year has been spotty but he’s less than a year removed from being arguably the sport’s top pitching prospect, sits 99 with a plus changeup, and SD has no long-term starting pitching
Ben Cherrington
- Horwitz has an .875 OPS since the last all star game. Does anyone really care about his bat speed?
Anthony Franco
- The age and limited physical tools still matter. He was productive for the Blue Jays too and they gave him up to take on a $100M Andrés Giménez contract, Cleveland swapped him for Luis Ortiz
Mets Man
- Which mets has been more impressive? McLean, Benge, Ewing, or Scott?
Anthony Franco
- Scott this year, McLean overall
Ryan Express
- Since their farm system is so weak, do you see the Astros trading mainly from their 40 man roster with other buyers to try and fill their holes? Maybe deals including someone like Bryan Abreu or Brice Matthess?
Anthony Franco
- Blubaugh seems more likely to get them a piece of any significance but I imagine they’d be open to moving any of them
No Joy in Natsville
- Do you think that the Nats should move Foster Griffin? What would you regard as a fair return? I’m in the “listen, but don’t move him just to move him” camp. While he’s a pending free agent, they can always extend a QO and explore a possible extension based on how the CBA turns out. Yes, a QO is an overpay, but it’s only for one season and few teams have more payroll space AND a need in the starting rotation.
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Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good afternoon! Sorry for the lack of chat yesterday. I was off for a long weekend for an annual family gathering. Back in the swing of things now! I’ll get going at 3pm CT, but as always, feel free to submit questions ahead of time.
- Hello!
- Let us commence.
Bruce T.
- Seeing Mike Trout at HR Derby last night, any chance he ever goes to the Angels and asks for a trade? How much of his huge salary would Arte have to eat, and what sort of return could the Halos get? He needs to play for a winning team.
Steve Adams
- This assumes that Trout actually wants to be traded. He yet again implied just last night (to the New York Post) that he has no real interest in being traded.The All-Star Game being in Philly is dredging up Trout/Phils speculation for the umpteenth time, but Trout himself seems content where he’s at. He said less than Byron Buxton did on the matter (in that same NY Post piece), but I found Buxton’s comments pretty well-stated:
“And two, I got family,” Buxton continued. “My family loves Minnesota. It’s a special place, not only for me but for my family. You’re not just moving me. You’re moving my family. And you’re moving what we have built in Minnesota.”
- Trout has been with the Angels this long, through a decade of organizational turmoil and ineptitude, and he hasn’t asked for a trade. I don’t see any reason to think it’s going to happen.
- To be clear, I wasn’t saying you were only asking your question due to the ASG’s location — just that I’ve seen a boatload of Trout/Philly speculation over the past week because of this year’s ASG.
walterj23
- If the Twins are going to be holding on to Ryan and Hoyer probably won’t spend enough to get Skubal from the Tigers , which would be the best available pitcher at the trade deadline besides those two ?
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MLBTR Chat Transcript
Mark P
- Is this the final Weekend Chat of the first half, or technically the first Weekend Chat of the second half? While I ponder this mind-bender, feel free to send in some questions about, y’know, baseball or something
BuccoFan35
- Anything on the Pirates
Mark P
- The Gonzalez/Eisert deal is a sign that the Bucs are prepared to be aggressive, though naturally getting Cruz and Horwitz back ASAP is a must.If those two bats are back by the deadline, the Pirates can focus more directly on adding more relief pitching. Another innings-eater of a starter is also increasingly becoming more of a need. It’ll be fascinating to see how the Bucs operate in buyer mode for the first time under Cherington, and just far they’re willing to go (prospect capital-wise or money-wise) in putting the final touches on their competitive team
Bloomin Cardinals
- Still dedicated to the rebuild? Or shifting into buy mode after the Wetherholt extension?
Mark P
- I’m more bullish on the Pirates than I am on the Cardinals, even though St. Louis is a game ahead of Pittsburgh in the standings. I’m just more impressed with the Bucs’ roster overall and can more clearly see the case for them as a buyer, whereas the Cards have more holes to patch in the rotation and even in the lineup.Wetherholt’s extension doesn’t really have much impact on the situation. Locking up a top prospect on such a hot start to his career would’ve been a priority even if the Cards were well under .500.
- This all being said, if the Cards are still only a game out of a wild card spot by August, they absolutely should make some (at least lower-level) buys to take a run at contending. “Learning how to win” is an underrated factor for any rebuilding team, and getting some high-pressure experience in a pennant race is a good learning opportunity for the roster
Guest
- Love the chat, Mark. Any under the radar power bats, platoon or otherwise, that Milwaukee could consider? While they’re still scoring well enough now, having to string together 12 hits for four runs in the postseasin
Mark P
- I’d consider this unlikely given how the Angels don’t want to rebuild, but if I’m the Brewers, I’m on the phone with them every day about Neto. Milwaukee has enough minor league depth to at least get the Angels’ attention about such a trade, and perhaps Mozeliak can talk Arte Moreno into the viewpoint that trading Neto can help over the long term
Zach
- Of the 5 teams with no World Series title, which one would you say is most likely to get it next?
Mark P
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Who will be the first team to win its first WS title?
Brewers (50.7% | 501 votes)Mariners (19.4% | 192 votes)Padres (5.2% | 52 votes)Rays (23.1% | 229 votes)Rockies (1.4% | 14 votes)
Total Votes: 988
Tim C
- Redsox coming off a 9-0 road trip. Buyers or sellers at the TDL if they’re 500’or better?
Mark P
- Buyers for certain. Boston’s pitching (injuries notwithstanding) is firing on all cylinders, and the offense is starting to click.We’ve been saying for weeks that the crowded AL field meant that almost nobody was out of the running, and now the Sox have gone on a run to get right back into the mix
Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Anthony Franco
- Good afternoon, hope all is well! Sorry about the schedule change, Steve and I both had conflicts tomorrow afternoon
- Let’s get rolling
walterj23
- Will there Twins be shopping Ryan and if so what would it cost the Cubs in a trade?
Anthony Franco
- Still think they should shop Joe Ryan but can’t imagine they will. That was equally true last offseason, Minnesota ownership thought they could contend, and they basically are
- They’re not a good team but close enough to average to hang around in the American League. Feels like they’d need a plug and play starter who’s not as good as Ryan but comes with an extended window of club control to make them think about it. Cubs don’t really have that
- Ben Brown might’ve worked but he’s hurt again and doesn’t seem likely he’ll be back before the deadline
Gavin
- I know Preller hoards relief pitchers like dragon do gold…. But could the padres spin Estrada for someone like Lodolo?
Anthony Franco
- Yeah I think this is reasonable. Reds could use a controllable reliever, Padres desperately need competent starters. If Estrada had been healthy all year, I wouldn’t give him up for Lodolo but the injury history and slight velocity dip is enough that I could see this fitting for both teams
Trout Phishin’
- Phillies need RHH outfielder and back end starter. Who’s available?
Anthony Franco
- Leo went into a lot more detail on this in their deadline outlook this week and did an excellent job:
- https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/07/trade-deadline-outlook-philadel…
- Heliot Ramos works. Still think they make the most sense on Jung Hoo Lee despite the handedness, big-market team who needs a plug and play above-average RF
- Guessing the rotation add will be more modest, an Eric Lauer type fifth starter. Ideally they’d aim higher to bump Nola from a potential playoff rotation but I get that it’s complicated by his track record
- Not the worst thing in the world if he starts a Game 4, just have to be ready to get him out early if he gives up an early HR or two
ScottHarris
- With so many .500ish, at best teams in the AL, is it worth it to try for what may be a short playoff run when selling can bring significant prospect capital and/or controllable players for next year? The track record of teams with 85 or fewer wins in the postseason isn’t good, but is it ever worth it to pass up a legitimate shot at the postseason?
Anthony Franco
- Tigers question, just to clarify
- I’m generally of the opinion that just getting in matters but that’s been a little less true in recent years, especially in the AL. The AL Central teams have generally been overmatched, the small sample playoff volatility thing hasn’t really shown up for them
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Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Happy Monday! Four weeks until the deadline.
- We’ll get started at 3pm CT, give or take a couple minutes. Feel free to start sending in questions ahead of time though, as always!
- Hello! Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend
- Let’s get underway
Bloom
- I know it’s early, but what should be the priorities for the Cardinals’ offseason? What are the biggest areas for improvement? Where will starts come from next year?
Steve Adams
- The rotation, by a pretty wide margin. Dustin May is their best starter right now, which isn’t a very encouraging statement in and of itself, and he’s a free agent at season’s end. The Cardinals should be looking at ways to add both veteran innings and some younger, controllable arms who can miss talent. That latter need is far easier said than done, of course, but if they’re moving Noot at the deadline, that could/should be a focus. I’d be open to moving Burleson either at the deadline or in the offseason as well.They’re in contention, but they’ve gotten there with near flawless health and in spite of a really weak starting staff. I just don’t think this rotation is good enough to hold up, and if they lose a key bat or two due to injury, the whole thing starts to look shaky in a hurry.
Rico
- Steve! With Anderson and Sloan on the horizon, how do you think the Mariners rotation shakes out, both this year and the off-season? Lots of good arms, no place to put them all. Who are the keepers?
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Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Anthony Franco
- Good afternoon, hope all is well!
- Looking forward to another of these, let’s get it going
Joe schlabotnik
- Gunnar is looking at only2.5-3 WAR this season but he would still bring a hefty return, and the Orioles are going nowhere so they should get rid of him correct?
Anthony Franco
- Henderson still has 2.5 years of club control after this and they just signed Alonso to their largest contract in a decade, which isn’t a move you make if a bad first half in year one is pushing you into a full rebuild. I can’t see it
- If they’re still not good at the ’27 deadline, then it should be on the table
Cat_Herder
- Month before the deadline, what are your thoughts on the Tigers? They can’t seem to string wins together enough to rise up the standings.
Anthony Franco
- Yeah I just think the hole’s too deep to avoid a sell-off of the rentals at this point. They’re already at 50 losses. How many more could they afford to lose to snag even the final Wild Card spot in the AL? It’s probably 30 at most
- Which means they have to play at a 96-win pace the rest of the way for the chance to maybe sneak in at 82-80. As you said, they just never managed to get off the ground
AC
- Braves have been sliding for last month. Think they make a move soon or closer to deadline? Who do you see them targeting with the holes in SP, LF and SS?
Anthony Franco
- I still don’t really see the outfield as a huge need. Acuña will be back, Yaz is better than this. Could go get a RHH platoon type like Dane Myers to round it out.Rotation would remain the focus for me, they’re the best fit for Sonny Gray but any of the rental starters (Mize, May, etc.) work
- Think they’re kind of stuck at shortstop and should just use Dubón there. Don’t see anyone clearly better who’s likely to move
- Best guess where I am pitching to end the year? Tampa? Arizona? Southside Chicago? Mets aren’t stupid enough to keep me in a Rockies-like season are they?!
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Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good afternoon! We’ll get going in a couple hours, at 2pm CT, but feel free to start sending in questions anytime.
- Hello! Let’s begin.
Natitude Dude
- Is there any chance that Miles Mikolas has pitched well enough that there would be a trade market for him? If so, would the return be similar to the Soroka deal last year?
Steve Adams
- Mikolas has been quietly serviceable since a catastrophic start to his season — 17 runs in his first 9 1/3 innings. Some of that might be pitching behind an opener more often than not (and thus facing the top of a team’s lineup less often), some of it may be greatly improved command.Regardless, it’s not going to make him a hot commodity on the trade market. A team simply needing some innings to weather the injury storm — Cubs, for instance — could feasibly look at him as a fifth starter, but it’s a low-upside proposition.
In his past 15 outings, Mikolas has a 3.97 ERA but a bottom-of-the-barrel 13% strikeout rate. He’s a contact-oriented fifth starter who’s too prone to home runs to command a big return. Soroka was a decade younger than Mikolas is now and missed bats more than twice as often.
- They might be able to get some sort of nominal return for MIkolas if a club just swings some kind of “we just need innings” deal, but it won’t match the Soroka return (Ronny Cruz, Christian Franklin) — or even come particularly close.
RoxTalks
- Would it be a mistake to hold on to Goodman? Profiles like this are really volatile, so it’s probably best for the new regime to now make the same mistakes as the previous and sell high before his value might crater, right?
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MLBTR Live Chat
Mark P
- A bit of a later start than usual for the Weekend Chat, but never late than never? Let’s get rolling….
Just curious
- Are the Phillies in on Skubal
Mark P
- I’d be surprised if they weren’t. The question is if Philly has enough to win a bidding war, given the Phillies’ thin farm system.
- Would you trade me? What kind of a return would I bring back to SF?
Mark P
- Webb would bring back a huge trade return, but he’s also just about the last of the SF cornerstone types I’d move. If the Giants dealt Webb, that’s a “blow it all up” trade, rather than just some kind of reload for 2027 or a strategic salary dump.
- It’s difficult, since the way the Giants are presently constructed, I’m not sure they can contend again over the rest of Webb’s contract (which runs through 2028).
Jason
- What do you see Brewers doing at the deadline?
Mark P
- Third base help, bullpen help, and maybe a starting pitching. Milwaukee has plenty of rotation candidates if everyone is healthy, but getting an innings-eater type would provide a nice security blanket.
B-Wild
- What teams talking about buying do you think should be sellers?
Mark P
- Probably because I just finished writing a post about Mike Elias’ media conference, but the Orioles seem like they’ll likely be selling rather than buying. Obviously it’s the AL and almost everyone is basically “still in the race,” but the O’s need to have a lot of things turned around in short order for me to think they’ve got a legit chance to be a wild card team
Mercer
- do you think Randy Arozerana is getting traded at the trade deadline
Mark P
- Not a chance. Seattle wants to add a RHH, not subtract such a bat from their lineup
Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Anthony Franco
- Good afternoon, hope all is well!
- Looking forward to another of these, let’s get going
Chris
- Would the Mets consider moving or even be able to move Lindor? How far do you think the Mets could go at the trade deadline as sellers?
- Is there any chance of the Mets being able to move Bichette at the deadline given his contract situation and a potential cap situation on the horizon?
Mets Man
- Mendoza is out. Plenty of questions about new manager for the long term by seasons end but my question is, do you think Stearns will hire a GM in the off-season to be more of a face for the organization?
Mets
- This probably doesn’t change anything significantly since Stearns put the roster together and is way more responsible for the current state than Mendoza was, yes?
Anthony Franco
- A bunch of Mets questions understandably
- Generally, yeah, I think the importance of managerial changes is overstated. Becomes kind of a desperation lever to pull to see if you can spark the roster, feels too late for the Mets at this point anyway
- Obviously we see some times where a team indeed rights the ship after a change (see: this year’s Phillies) but it always becomes tough to tease out whether that’s really a product of the managerial change or just the players performing at a level they were expected to the entire time
- Most managerial changes come when a team is playing below expectations obviously, so it becomes a chicken or the egg thing
- If it turns around at all. The Red Sox haven’t been much better under Chad Tracy than they were under Alex Cora
- Could see them hiring a GM, sure. Don’t think it makes a lot of difference ultimately
- As for the trade possibilities, I’d be stunned if they moved Lindor. They’d need to eat a bunch of the money given how he’s playing and don’t have an heir apparent at shortstop in the upper minors. Just hold and hope he plays better next year when he’s not coming back from injury
- I’m in a similar spot with Bo, since they’d need to include conditional cash in the event that he doesn’t opt out to get anyone to take that contract on. If you’re doing that, why not just keep him? Darragh McDonald thought Bo should’ve made our trade candidates list this week, though, so I imagine he finds that more realistic than I do
Hits Like Rays
- The Rays seem to need something to kickstart the team again. Do they have any strong minor leaguers that are ready for promotion to Tampa?
Anthony Franco
- Eh not really. Most of their top prospects are lower minors guys. Brody Hopkins is in Triple-A but has been horrible, can’t bring him up right now even as a reliever
- Jacob Melton just got activated off the AAA injured list this week so we could see him in a couple weeks. He missed two months so he’ll need some time to get up to game speed though
- Still need to trade for outfield help, maybe the best fit for Arraez too
Brewer Fan
- After all the hub ub about the Brewers not going for it with the Peralta trade, I’m starting to think there’s about a 50/50 shot Sproat(obviously projecting some more development with the pitching lab) is just the pitcher I’d rather have going forward, irrelevant of contract. How crazy am I?
Anthony Franco
- Guess it depends on how far we’re talking. I’d expect Freddy to be better than Sproat for the rest of 2026 but agree it’s closer than most people would expect and have some concern about Peralta trending on a Gallen-style slow decline
- I’d be completely out on him as a free agent given the expected contract
- I like Sproat but still need to see a better breaking ball before I’d consider him a mid-rotation starter. Obviously Brewers have a strong track record in that regard
- I was fine with the trade at the time, not a huge Jett Williams believer but it was very much standard operating procedure for Milwaukee. They just don’t do the strict buyer/seller dynamic
Guest
- Will Trent Grisham or Jazz Chisholm Jr. be back with the Yankees next year. If not who will be the replacements?
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Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good afternoon! We’ll get going at 2pm CT today, but as always, feel free to send in some questions ahead of time!
- Greetings! Let’s begin
Jon
- Michael Wacha screams Braves SP to me. Thoughts?
Steve Adams
- You could take just about any reasonably productive SP who’ll likely be available and say they fit Atlanta, and I’d generally agree. That the Braves have gotten by to this point with so many pitching injuries and major contributions from guys like Bryce Elder, Martin Perez, Grant Holmes, etc. is pretty remarkable, but their recent struggles (especially from Elder) underscore the need for depth — even with other interesting young arms on the mend and getting closer.This will sound sarcastic or cynical, but it’s not intended to be: Wacha is the sort of well-paid, steady veteran the Braves have habitually acquired by agreeing to absorb the entire salary in order to lessen the prospect price.
- They did it with Raisel Iglesias, Mark Melancon, Jorge Soler, claiming Ha-Seong Kim last year, etc. They’re just willing to add notable contracts in a way most other clubs are not.I don’t know that the Royals will be aggressively shopping Wacha, but he’s 34 going on 35 and signed for $17MM next season, which is pretty steep for Kansas City. There’s some logic to it, and getting a guy who’s signed into next year would cross an item off the winter checklist proactively.
Sandy at 90
- Since Tigers are playing better with Skubal’s return, do you still think they will be sellers at the deadline?
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