Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

[mikechamp]

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

Slightly fewer questions this week. I also included 4 bonus questions, all about the impending lockout. Enjoy the read!!

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/10/ ... t-922.html
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The Cardinals are looking for a short term answer at 3B and the Orioles are looking for help at catcher. Wouldn’t a trade of a catcher for Coby Mayo make sense?

Mark Polishuk
Mayo doesn’t even have two years of service time, so he’s not really a “short term” answer. That doesn’t necessarily mean he wouldn’t be on the Cardinals’ radar for an acquisition, but it would mean the Orioles (if they’re open to moving Mayo at all) would be upping their asking price, especially since Mayo’s power was on display for the first time at the MLB level.

It should be noted, the O’s are likely looking for more of a backup catcher type since Basallo is still their top choice.
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If the Brewers win the world series, do you see Christian Yelich as a hall of famer? Or just high up in the hall of very good?

Mark Polishuk
Hall of Very Good. Those two spectacular years did a lot for Yelich’s legacy, and capturing a ring will cement him as a Milwaukee legend. A fine career by any measure, but not a HOFer in my book.
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Should Winn be looking over his shoulder after this disaster of a season? Or is he relatively safe in St. Louis? Should he be shopped?

Mark Polishuk
Winn is such an excellent fielder that the Cardinals only “need” him to provide average-ish offense.
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Is this the Brewers' year?

Mark Polishuk
Really feels that way, eh? But, the same could be said for the Rays and Guardians as well. As fun as it will be to see one of these teams win it all, there will be an equal amount of heartbreak on the other side. Probably most of all in Cleveland, given their long drought.
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Best potential landing spot if the M’s decide to trade Kirby this winter?

Mark Polishuk
Kirby still has plenty of trade value, so several teams will be (or could be) in on him even despite his so-so performance in 2026. It’s simplistic to just say “any team in need of pitching,” but the Padres, Giants, Cubs, Reds, Mets, Braves, Orioles, Blue Jays, White Sox (maybe not after the Castillo deal), or Tigers could all work.

Dunno if the Mariners would prefer to send him to an NL team over an AL rival, but Seattle probably would still swing a move if an AL team makes a particularly enticing offer.
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Been under a rock, any Brewers news?

Mark Polishuk
Let’s just say their Offseason Outlook post won’t be published for a couple of weeks.
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If I’m the boss in Cincinnati, I’m moving Elly De La Cruz for a prospect haul and I’m rebuilding and I’m even shopping Sal Stewart for a haul as well. What about you?

Mark Polishuk
Stewart no, and Elly not yet. I question the Reds’ ability to sign EDLC to the kind of long-term mega-extension he’d certainly want, especially since Scott Boras is Elly’s agent. But, trading him when he still has three years of arb control remaining would be too drastic a move.
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Raniel Rodriguez will get an extension in St Louis before he plays his first MLB game. Yes or no?

Mark Polishuk
Decent chance this happens. It would seem like Rodriguez is on track to debut in 2027 but not on Opening Day, which makes the usual late-spring timing of these types of extensions not a fit.
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You really think Milwaukee lets Bauers go?

Mark Polishuk
He may have priced himself out of the Brewers’ range. But, since the Crew have some money coming off the books, some extra playoff revenue is coming in, and Bauers has quickly become a hero in Milwaukee…. maybe he sticks around?
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Pick the most likely one.
A. Hoyer opens the wallet for Skubal.
B. Hoyer opens the safe for Skubal, Peralta, Holmes, Peterson
C. I get a date with Olivia Dunne

Mark Polishuk
Unless you’re Paul Skenes, A is the likeliest option of a very unlikely trio of options.
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Does Stephenson still have a chance at a multi-year deal? His walk year was pretty underwhelming at the plate for a bat-first catcher.

Mark Polishuk
I’d be very surprised if Stephenson didn’t get two years. I’d be more surprised by a one-year deal than by a three-year pact, in fact. As always, the catching market is thin. Stephenson’s numbers have been about average in comparison to the league as a whole, but for a catcher, they’re quite good. Plenty of teams could also see him as a higher-upside guy with a change of scenery.
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With the lockout looming won’t agents and players want to get their contracts signed before that occurs?

Mark Polishuk
The last lockout in 2021-22 saw some (but hardly all) big-name free agents ink their deals before the transactions freeze. The same figures to be true this time around.
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During a lockout, what happens to players rehabbing from surgeries? Can they not work with team training staff, or even coordinate with them at all?

Mark Polishuk
Nope. Which means that the training/medical staff and any rehabbing players will have to work out their training plans well in advance of December 1, and just hope that everything goes smoothly until the lockout ends.
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Do teams protect all their typical Rule 5 eligible prospects, or do they take a risk with the borderline ones hoping the draft gets cancelled and they can then continue working with them?

Mark Polishuk
It makes for an interesting dilemma for teams, but I suspect they’ll proceed more or less as usual with the R5 protections.
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In 2004-05, the NHL lost a whole season to labor trouble over a salary cap. It doesn’t seem to have done much damage to the NHL. Could MLB lose a whole season over the same issue and how much harm do you think it would do?

Mark Polishuk
MLB and the NHL carry a much different level of importance in the world of North American sports.
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