MLB Trade Rumors Podcast

Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the remaining playoff teams and the reality that at least one small-payroll club will make the World Series this year. They also recap the seasons of the teams who were recently eliminated and preview what their offseasons could look like. 

Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the Diamondbacks' decision to bring back Torey Lovullo, comments from the team's owner that they're going to scale back payroll, and whether Ketel Marte could be on the trade block. 

They also take time to preview the offseasons of the Phillies, Cubs, Red Sox, and Astros following their respective eliminations from playoff contention and talk about some creative new pitching strategies, such as the Marlins using starters on their bullpen-throwing days, and the White Sox blurring the line between starting pitcher and reliever. 

Listener email topics include whether the Mariners will trade from their rotation depth to improve their lineup.

Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss Aaron Judge being left off the Yankees' Wild Card roster, the plan for Garrett Crochet to pitch out of Boston's bullpen, whether the Rangers will scale back their payroll next year, how the Diamondbacks could build around their core, and news that Ben Cherington expects to return as Pirates' GM following a winning season.

Listener email topics include what the Guardians' low-payroll success could mean for CBA negotiations, which managerial opening is the most appealing, whether Kyle Harrison is a good extension candidate, what teams would benefit most from a system with a salary cap and floor, and which Cubs free agent is most likely to resign with the team.  

Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss this year's weak free agent class, the latest Free Agent Power Rankings, what kind of market to expect for Japanese star Teruaki Sato, the Nationals signing Cade Cavalli to a four-year extension, and how the playoff brackets are shaping up as teams play out the final games of the regular season.  

Listener email topics include whether the new postseason format is inferior to the old one, an idea for teams to get an extra ABS challenge during playoff games, if Casey Mize is at risk of being left off the Padres' playoff roster, how the Reds can recover after a disastrous year, and the Red Sox extending manager Chad Tracy and Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow. 

Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss Shohei Ohtani landing on the IL and whether he should continue to pitch long term, Josue De Paula's callup, and Edwin Diaz's disastrous season. Other topics include the Diamondbacks claiming  Jesús Sánchez off waivers despite him not being eligible for the playoffs, the Mariners and Twins calling up many of their top prospects to finish the year.

Listener email topics include changes that the Brewers could make during the offseason and whether the MLBTR writers would prefer the proposed plan for specific signing windows.

Brennan McClain of Pro Hockey Rumors joins Darragh McDonald to discuss Stan Kroenke's purchasing the Los Angeles Angels. He shares insider knowledge about how Kroenke has run the Colorado Avalanche his other sports franchises. They also talk about what the future could hold for the Angels' payroll and potential real estate expansion around the stadium.  

Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the approval for a new Rays' stadium in Tampa, whether league expansion could be coming soon, the Orioles claiming Luis Robert Jr. off waivers, and some prospect promotions, including Ethan Salas for the Padres, Walker Jenkins for the Twins, Lazaro Montes for the Mariners, and Leo Bernal for the Cardinals, and how JJ Wetherholt's injury could end up costing St. Louis a PPI draft pick.

Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the Astros firing general manager Dana Brown and how it's been been an interesting ride for the teams' front office under owner Jim Crane. They also discuss the Mariners promoting top pitching prospect Kade Anderson, Colt Emerson's season-ending wrist surgery, and how things might be different for the Padres now that their new ownership has officially taken over. 

Listener email topics include the chances of the Red Sox signing Adley Rutschman to an extension this offseason and whether the Tigers should have held on to Tarik Skubal and others to make a stronger run at a playoff berth.

Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the Athletics letting GM David Forst go, the many questions surrounding the franchise as the get ready for their move to Las Vegas, the Nationals moving CJ Abrams from shortstop to second base, how the Reds will fare following Hunter Greene's UCL surgery, Max Fried going back on the IL with an elbow injury, what George Lombard Jr.'s promotion will mean for the other Yankees infielders, if the Rockies' recent decisions point seem different from their old braintrust, Joshua Baez's massive debut and how well things have worked out for the Cardinals this year.

MLBTR's newest contributor, Ethan Hullihen joins Darragh McDonald to discuss his work on the Payroll Tracker that was recently launched by MLB Trade Rumors. He talks about how he got started doing such detailed work, how his partnership with MLBTR came to be, what he hopes for from the next CBA, and some clarifications of commonly misunderstood terms and rules that affect team payrolls.