Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

[mikechamp]

These comments came from a chat with MLB Trade Rumors' Mark Polishuk that occurred on June 21.

Not as many questions as last week, so I included 4 bonus questions: one about the CBA/draft, one about varying IL lengths, one about trades and one about the effects of a lock out on a TV deal. Enjoy the read!!

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/06/ ... t-133.html
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What do you think realistically the Pirates will do to add to the current roster?

Mark Polishuk
Relief pitching is a must, and bringing in another veteran starter would be another interesting move.
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What does the pitching market look like for May? Trade or extend?

Mark Polishuk
An extension doesn’t really fit what the Cardinals are trying to do long-term. If STL is still in the race by August 3, they’ll just keep him and see how things play out in a postseason run. In the event that the Cards are out of the running, May has quietly turned himself into a very nice trade chip. Teams aren’t going overboard with offers for a rental pitcher with May’s injury history, but the Cardinals should be able to recoup a nice return on their free agent investment.
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Do you see the Pirates playing meaningful baseball in August/September this year or still a year away?

Mark Polishuk
The Bucs have enough to stay in the wild card race, even if winning the NL Central is probably already out of reach. I guess it depends on what you mean by “meaningful,” since having a winning record is a nice step forward for the club even if it obviously pales in comparison to making the playoffs.
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Some have suggested Burleson from the Cardinals could be dealt this summer. Does he have value and what could he fetch?

Mark Polishuk
Burleson would have a ton of trade value, as a big bat who is under team control through 2028. The three years is just lengthy enough that I wonder if the Cardinals view him as an actual trade chip, since this year’s success might have St. Louis thinking they’ll be proper contenders well before Burleson’s control window is over.
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Who goes down when Elly comes back? McLain? Arroyo? Do you see the Reds as a potential landing spot for Aroldis? We need bullpen help, and I don’t see Boston still contending, though I could be wrong.

Mark Polishuk
Arroyo is probably the likeliest candidate to be sent down. As for trading for Chapman, it’s not out of the question, but the Reds are going to need to start banking some wins before we talk about them as deadline buyers.
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Do you think Chicago would trade away an asset like Suzuki or Happ knowing they're not World Series contenders but could still make the post season?

Mark Polishuk
If the Cubs had faith in Ballesteros and/or Alcantara to help fill the offensive void, it would be a lot of fun to see Chicago and another contender swing a need-for-need “baseball trade” of an outfielder for a pitcher. Since we’re talking teams who need outfield help, I immediately loaded up the Guardians roster to see if I could work a trade fit, but I don’t think these two clubs exactly line up.
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Why isn’t Chad Patrick in the rotation?

Mark Polishuk
Milwaukee seems to value Patrick’s ability to work in whatever role is required more than his ability to work as just a regular starter. There’s nothing saying that Patrick might end up back in the rotation proper before the season is out, as there’s still a lot in flux with the Brewers’ pitching situation.
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What is your favorite random stat line? Either single season or career.

Mark Polishuk
Stan Musial having 1815 career hits at home, and 1815 career hits on the road.
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When will Joshua Baez get called up?

Mark Polishuk
Baez’s strikeouts have again spiked upwards and his walk rate has dropped against Triple-A pitching. So there are some legit reasons why the Cardinals might want to see him get a little more seasoning in the minors, but it’s just a matter of time before Baez is up in St. Louis.
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Do you think, with the upcoming negotiations in the CBA, that the draft will get an overhaul? Specifically, trading picks, removing high school players and setting up a pay system that is more like the NFL in which each slot is worth a certain amount of money instead of giving each team a specific amount of money and picking players who will ask for less to be drafted higher?

Mark Polishuk
The draft will be altered in some form, and if you’re looking at an easy solution, making all picks tradable seems like the simplest “why aren’t they doing this?” fix that both the league and the players can agree on. Pretty much everything else in the owners’ proposal from earlier this week is an obvious non-starter from the MLBPA’s end.
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Why is there a separate 7 day IL for concussions? Does it act any different to the 10/15 day IL?

Mark Polishuk
Due to the nature of head injuries or concussion symptoms, a player can be completely fine within a day or two. So, putting them on a full 10-day or 15-day IL can be a little unnecessary, hence the creation of the concussion-specific seven-day IL.
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I do not understand why teams trying to get into the playoffs don’t try hard to trade for help in June and July? You will have the player for a longer period of time to help your team?

Mark Polishuk
The problem this season is that 27-28 teams are still trying to get into the playoffs at this point, so there aren’t many clearcut sellers. And the teams who are selling have the leverage to demand big asking prices for their assets.
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If the '27 season is lost, what national TV outlet would want MLB? They know fans will walk away; it’s not 1994, too much to do for fans to come back.

Mark Polishuk
Baseball offers so many games and so much content that they’ll always draw interest from broadcast outlets. But you’re right that an extended work stoppage will be brutal for fans and casual viewers who will get used to watching other things.
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