Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

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mikechamp
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Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

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These comments came from a chat with MLB Trade Rumors' Mark Polishuk that occurred on May 17.

At the end, I included a bonus Q&A about international signees, since we have a number of people interested in the prospect market.

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://www.jotcast.com/chat/mlbtr-live-chat-7801.html

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Odds on the Reds resigning Trevor Bauer and Nick C.?

Mark Polishuk
Like I said, the free agent market is going to be more uncertain than ever before, so I doubt Castellanos opts out. There's a shot Bauer remains, since if he sticks to his plan of looking for high-AAV one-year contracts, the Reds might bite since they're still in win-now mode.
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Any chance Senzel becomes an All-Star second baseman with the Red Sox and becomes Pedroia 2.0 ?

Mark Polishuk
Except for the minor issue that Senzel plays for Cincinnati and not Boston.....sure?
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Of the three possible divisions, which one if any stands out? That Midwest division is going to be a great division.

Mark Polishuk
All three proposed "super-divisions" (10 West teams, 10 East teams, 10 Central teams) really add an interesting wrinkle to this potential season. That East division is going to be an absolute brawl.
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If the MLB draft is 5 rounds, wouldn't the name brand teams (Yankees, Dodgers, etc.) have a better chance of quality picks, say versus Pirates, Royals?

Mark Polishuk
Maybe, though if you're a young player looking for a quick path to the big leagues, maybe you'd prefer your chances in a non-stacked farm systems. This year's draft is going to be so unusual that it's hard to predict how things will shake out.
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Could you see the Pirates (or a similarly situated team) trying to sell off pieces with a quickness? Kela would be a rental and guys like Bell and Frazier aren’t gonna be part of the next Pirates contender. Now that their already-tight purse strings are tightened further and everybody moves closer to free agency, why hesitate?

Mark Polishuk
Some teams will definitely pursue this strategy, and I'd guess Pittsburgh would probably be near the top of the list.
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Did Mozeliak lose the Gonzalez/O’Neill swap already? Any chance Tyler hits enough to make it a win?

Mark Polishuk
O'Neill's career has yet to really launch, so it's too early to judge. He's a guy who might be really helped by a DH spot in the National League, if for no other reason than a further avenue to get some much-needed playing time.
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The draft bonuses have been shrunk. What about the international signees? Many had handshake agreements before Covid.

Mark Polishuk
Last I heard about the international signing period, a decision hadn't been made about whether to still open the window on July 2 or push it back (perhaps as deep as January).
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heyzeus
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Re: Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

Post by heyzeus »

Odd to think of O'Neill DH'ing given his speed and good defense. But he's not wrong, it would be a way to get him into the lineup, given the Fowler logjam.

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Tim
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Re: Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

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heyzeus wrote:
May 22 20, 10:22 am
Odd to think of O'Neill DH'ing given his speed and good defense. But he's not wrong, it would be a way to get him into the lineup, given the Fowler logjam.
Just because we have a DH doesn’t mean he’ll be DHing. Just means there’s another bat in the lineup, moving TO to a corner OF spot and likely Fowler to DH.

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Re: Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

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Honest question: Does Fowler have more value on offense or defense? What is the better facet of his game right now?

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Tim
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Re: Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

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mikechamp wrote:
May 22 20, 9:58 pm
Honest question: Does Fowler have more value on offense or defense? What is the better facet of his game right now?
None
But he’ll play. And he’s not good in the field at all

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Re: Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

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heyzeus wrote:
May 22 20, 10:22 am
Odd to think of O'Neill DH'ing given his speed and good defense. But he's not wrong, it would be a way to get him into the lineup, given the Fowler logjam.
Not sure what the metrics say, but my eyes tell me O'Neill is a poor defensive player.

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