Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

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mikechamp
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Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

Post by mikechamp »

These comments came from a chat with MLB Trade Rumors' Mark Polishuk that occurred on November 6.

He chatted for over 2 hours, so a fair amount of questions this time. However, I also included a lot of bonus Q&As this time: qualifying offers; a couple about the A's, because I have a gut feeling that there might be a trade between the A's and Cards this offseason; one about Posey due to the lengthy thread elsewhere on this forum; another about the karma-laden Braves.

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://www.jotcast.com/chat/mlbtr-live-chat-11795.html

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How bout Jed Hoyer’s slick move yesterday? I’m still smiling.

How embarrassed should the Reds be right now over the Miley situation?

Mark Polishuk
I dunno, I thought "Wrecking Ball" was a pretty good song.

....oh wait, you meant Wade Miley. It's a tough loss for the Reds, and the front office obviously hates losing him for nothing but salary relief.
Good move by the Cubs to pounce quickly, and it's also kind of interesting that the Reds couldn't find a trade for Miley. I wonder if some interested teams were holding back and seeing if they could get Miley to fall to them on the waiver wire.
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Now that the Cards have let Carpenter go, where does he go now?

Mark Polishuk
Minor league deal with someone, and retirement might be a legit possibility.
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My buddy is a Reds fan & he thinks the Reds are shedding salary so they can sign bigtime bullpen help & Story or (Corey!) Seager.

Mark Polishuk
Sadly, I think your friend's optimism is misplaced. The Reds are just cutting payroll.
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Do the Brewers have a big signing in them?

Mark Polishuk
I was thinking this when writing the Brewers offseason outlook the other day (cheap plug):
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/11/ ... inter.html

Yelich is getting more expensive since his extension is kicking in, and the starters are getting more expensive via arbitration. But Cain only has one year left, and Avisail is already a free agent, so there isn't THAT much in the way of big commitments on the books.

That said, the Brewers might also want to lock up (or try, at least) Burnes or Woodruff, and put their future funds towards that aim.
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Hey Mark, do you think a Nick Senzel and Amir Garret for Danny Jansen trade makes sense for the Jays and Reds?

Mark Polishuk
Not a great fit in my view. Reds seem pretty set to give Stephenson the everyday job, and the Jays' outfield is already pretty crowded.
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I don't remember seeing a team waive a player of the caliber of Miley just to avoid a million dollar buyout. Has it happened before?

Mark Polishuk
Just last year, when Cleveland let Brad Hand go for nothing.
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Do you see the Brewers trade Jackie Bradley, Jr?

Mark Polishuk
They can try, and it'd be a good move to save some money if can find someone willing to overlook Bradley's offensive collapse. Or, maybe a bad contract swap of some sorts.
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Brewers firesale. What's Hader and everyone arb2 and over get in return other than everything?

Mark Polishuk
I highly doubt that's happening. If anything, Milwaukee should be looking to add another big piece or two to put that roster over the top.
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Is it known which teams are on Eric Hosmer's no-trade list?

Mark Polishuk
According to Ken Rosenthal, the ten teams on Hosmer's no-trade list for 2021 were the Athletics, Blue Jays, Brewers, Cardinals, Giants, Indians, Mariners, Orioles, Pirates, and Tigers.

Now, since he can change that list from year to year, it is likely his 2022 list will be altered in some fashion.
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How deep is Cincinnati trying to cut their payroll? Are they going to try to attach Moose and/or Suarez to another more value piece simply to rid themselves of the financial commitment?

Mark Polishuk
I suspect they'd be happy to get rid of either contract if they could, and attaching prospects might be the only way to do it (besides a bad contract swap). Then again, if you're the Reds and might be facing a soft rebuild anyway, it would equally hurt to give away prospects in this fashion.
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Is Tyler O'Neill an extension candidate?

Mark Polishuk
Most definitely. I would think the Cards will be having some talks with TON's reps to see if a deal can get done.
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Why did the Reds waiver Wade Miley, and why were no big teams interested in him?

Mark Polishuk
It's quite possible some contenders were interested in him, but the Cubs were earlier on the waiver wire.
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If a team offers a Q.O. to a player and that player rejects the offer, is that team able to offer again? Is the Q.O. just a formality sometimes so that team will get a compensation draft pick?

Mark Polishuk
A player can only be issued one qualifying offer in their career.
And yeah, it's essentially a formality, but it puts a bit more choice to the decision rather than the old "Type A/Type B" free agent system.
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Many of the players from Oakland are expected to be traded, but Manaea seems like a weird one? How likely is it he gets traded, and who has the suitable price to get him?

Mark Polishuk
Since Manaea is only a year away from free agency and the A's don't seem like they're preparing to extend anyone, Manaea seems to be one of the likeliest trade candidates on that roster (or maybe on any roster this offseason).
The A's can get a good return for him, maybe something like an MLB-ready younger player and a lesser prospect.
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I think Posey falls a little short of HOF—- am I wrong??

Mark Polishuk
I think he'll be pretty comfortably voted in on the first or second ballot. Three rings, an MVP, a ROY, solid numbers over his career, played for just one team, and his big 2021 will put him over the top.
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Melvin simply thinks the Padres have a better chance of winning the WS next year than the A's do. Which anyone with eyes can see is true right now.

Mark Polishuk
That might be true, but Melvin was under contract to the A's, and they just let him go for nothing. It's an unusual move for a team to make with a manager, especially one as long-tenured as Melvin. It had the feel of professional courtesy, like "things are going to get pretty grim here Bob, so if you want out, we won't get in the way."
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Can you name one pundit or expert who picked the Braves to win the World Series even after the regular season had finished?

Mark Polishuk
Someone pointed this stat out the other day, and it's incredible.....in the year of Hank Aaron's passing, the Braves won 44 games in the first half and 44 games in the second half. Then they won the Series in the 44th week of 2021.

If you'd told me about that 44-game split statistic before the playoff started, I would've bet the farm on Atlanta winning. That is amazing karma.
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Famous Mortimer
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Re: Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

Post by Famous Mortimer »

To the last question, Trevor Plouffe not only got the winner right, but also the other team in the WS, and even the number of games the series would go.

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