The Tigers And Astros Try To Hang On, And Brewers' Rotation Issues

Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss how much Bo Bichette's return in the World Series will impact his free agency, what MLB teams could offer Kazuma Okamoto when he gets posted this offseason, how strong the market will be for Dylan Cease, and the new managers hired by the Orioles and Angels.Listener question topics include what an extension for Addison Barger would look like, if veterans on minor league deals are eligible to be picked in the Rule 5 Draft, and whether Jarren Duran will get traded. 

Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss how writing for MLBTR affects your fandom, if the Dodgers can be stopped, reports that the Phillies will move on from Nick Castellanos and what they could do in the outfield, which teams would be interested if Tarik Skubal were on the trade block, the record-breaking money he could get when he hits free agency, the Giants potentially hiring Tennessee's Tony Vitello as their new manager, the challenges a college coach would face if managing a major-league team, and the Brewers' deciding whether to keep Freddy Peralta or trade him. Listener question topics include what the Astros' priorities should be this offseason, how the Brewers could add some power to their lineup, whether health problems could lead Kyle Tucker's contract to work out as poorly for the team as Kris Bryant's has, and if the Padres should go after J.T. Realmuto. 

Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss news that Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami will be posted this offseason and the unprecedented eight managerial positions that are currently open. Listener email topics include what it would take for the Tigers to trade Tarik Skubal to the Mets, what contract Pete Alonso could get, if the White Sox will look to trade from their supply of back-end starters, if the Nationals should consider moving James Wood to first base, how the Mariners' roster is set up for postseason success and if they will bring Josh Naylor back next season. 

Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the Rockies parting ways with GM Bill Schmidt, which direction the Rangers will go in after naming Skip Schumaker as the new manager, and how the ability to challenge balls and strikes next year will affect the emphasis that teams put on pitch framing. Listener question topics include whether we're headed for a quiet offseason with next year's CBA negotiations looming, how late-season runs by teams like the Guardians will affect how teams approach the trade deadline, which free agents could be signed and flipped next year by a bad team, and who the realistic free-agent targets are for the Orioles. 

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias joins Darragh McDonald to discuss what went wrong for the team in 2025, why they haven't signed free agent pitchers to big contracts, the difficulty for players to make the jump from AAA to the majors, the plan moving forward with catchers Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo both on the roster, how the O's ended up acquiring six players from the Padres' 2024 draft class, weighing future value when making trade deadline deals, and what led the team to target Ryan O'Hearn back when he was struggling with the Royals. Then Steve Adams joins to discuss Chaim Bloom's transition to lead the Cardinals' baseball operations department and the reports that the team is headed toward a multiyear rebuild, the Rangers parting ways with Bruce Bochy and seemingly set to have a much lower payroll next year, what the fallout will be for the Mets after they missed the playoffs, the Nationals deciding to hire Paul Toboni as president of baseball operations, and why the Rockies passed on claiming Alek Manoah off waivers.

Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the major struggles of the Tigers, the Guardians surging to try to take a playoff spot, and the Astros limping toward the playoffs after losing Yordan Alvarez and others to injuries. Listener question topics include what kind of package would entice the Cardinals to trade Brendon Donovan, whether the Phillies will resign Kyle Schwarber or any of their other free agents, and how much money teams receive in revenue sharing. 

Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the Mets' rotation issues and what led them to rely on three rookie pitchers as they try to avoid a collapse, if the Diamondbacks, Giants or Reds could sneak into the playoffs, San Francisco deciding to call up Bryce Eldridge for the stretch run, and the meteoric rise and impressive debut of the Blue Jays' Trey YesavageListener question topics include what the Astros could do this offseason to address their glut of position players, if the Braves will trade from their core, and if the Red Sox are poised to make a postseason run. 

Mariners' president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto joins Darragh McDonald to talk about the team's aversion to multi-year free-agent contracts, if it's a struggle to convince players to sign in Seattle, the possibility of resigning Josh Naylor, PR factoring into roster construction, and how trade deadline deals are one of the main ways the Mariners acquire players.Then MLBTR founder Tim Dierkes joins to discuss the career of Anthony Rizzo, if the Braves should consider trading Sean Murphy, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. tearing his ACL and what the Diamondbacks will need to do to compete in 2026, Listener question topics include what it would take for the White Sox to lock up their young core, which version of Pete Crow-Armstrong we will see going forward, 

Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the Red Sox extending Aroldis Chapman after a surprisingly good year at age 38 and Walker Buehler getting released and signing with the Phillies.In an extended mailbag section, listener question topics include the Braves claiming Ha-Seong Kim and if they will spend more now that they've gotten under the luxury tax threshold, what the Rangers need to address this offseason, what the Pirates could realistically do in left field next year, and if the Marlins will trade starting pitching or commit to winning instead. 

Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington joins Darragh McDonald to discuss how he's diving deeper into player development in Pittsburgh, why the team has had more success developing pitchers than hitters, how the Pirates considered drafting a position player instead of Paul Skenes, why the they haven't signed a player to a multi-year deal during his tenure, and the necessity of small-market teams to acquire players via trades.Then Anthony Franco joins the pod to discuss the Orioles locking up their young catcher Samuel Basallo with an 8-year extension, if Adley Rutschman could get moved, Felix Bautista being out for a full year after undergoing shoulder surgery, Zack Wheeler's diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome and the timeline for his return, and whether the Rangers will decide they are out of the playoff race and place players on waivers to dump salary in order to get under the luxury tax threshold.