The Phillies' Outfield, Tarik Skubal, And Hiring College Coaches
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.
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55:52
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55:52
Murakami To Be Posted This Offseason, Managerial Vacancies, And More!
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.
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57:07
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57:07
Rockies' Front Office Changes, Skip Schumaker, And ABS Talk
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.
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58:47
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58:47
Mike Elias On The State Of The Orioles - Also, The Rebuilding Cardinals, The Rangers' Payroll, And The Mets' Collapse
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.
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1:12:41
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1:12:41
The Tigers And Astros Try To Hang On, And Brewers' Rotation Issues
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.
With an eye always focused on the hot stove, the MLBTR podcast gives analysis of transactions, roster moves and, of course, rumors from around the league. Host Darragh McDonald is joined each week by a fellow MLBTR writer to break it all down.
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