Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

[mikechamp]

These comments came from a chat with MLB Trade Rumors' Mark Polishuk that occurred on March 29.

Slightly more questions than last week. There are 3 bonus questions: one about options, one about streaming and one about nomenclature. Enjoy the read!!

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/ ... t-117.html
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When do you see the Pirates calling up Konnor Griffin?

Mark Polishuk
Assuming he’s raking at Triple-A, probably around the first week or two of May?

As much as one has to factor in finances when discussing the Pirates, from a pure baseball perspective, I agree with the decision to keep Griffin in the minors. He hasn’t played much Triple-A ball, and his work in Spring Training still showed some holes in his game.
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Big Sal is looking better than advertised. What kind of extension does he receive this year? And do you see one of his teammates in Elly and Matt getting extended as well?

Mark Polishuk
The Reds probably don’t have interest in extending McLain until they know what they actually have in him. McLain, for his part, wouldn’t want to take a lowball deal from the Reds since he surely feels he has better baseball in him.

Elly is a Boras client, so the chances of an extension are basically zero. He already turned down a big offer from the Reds in the 2024-25 offseason: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/01/ ... -2025.html

As for Stewart, an early-career extension could still be possible, if the Reds are truly confident in him as a cornerstone. Again, one big opening series shouldn’t automatically lock Stewart as a superstar.
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Is JJ Wetherholt a legit Rookie of the Year Candidate? Also how hyped should St Louis be about him?

Mark Polishuk
He’s a consensus top-10 prospect, and it wouldn’t at all be a surprise if he was the NLROY. The Cardinals and their fans may not have a ton to root for this year, but watching Wetherholt develop should be a big plus.
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Are the Cards capable of a playoff push with this roster? What is a big area of need?

Mark Polishuk
Starting pitching, consistent hitting throughout the lineup, high-leverage bullpen help, and for at least two other NL Central teams to totally fall apart.

If you’re thinking these are pretty big “areas of need,” you’re right! The Cardinals would need a ton to go right to actually contend. The aim should be getting close to .500 and establishing some players as clear-cut building blocks.
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Thoughts on the latest Cubs' extensions?

Mark Polishuk
Like both moves in a vacuum. I think I wrote in a chat a few weeks ago that Nico was the likeliest of the trio of him, Suzuki, and Happ to be extended, even if I ultimately thought all three would probably leave. Uh, do I get partial credit for being right?!

The PCA extension, in particular, could be a steal if he develops into a more consistent hitter.
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When do the Cards start to get and consider offers on JoJo Romero? Blue Jays…..

Mark Polishuk
Romero still being a Cardinal is one of the big surprises of the 2025-26 offseason. Plenty of teams were linked to him in trade speculation, though the Jays weren’t one of them.

Romero isn’t a perfect pitcher by any means, as he has had control issues and has allowed more than his share of homers. It could be that the Cards were simply asking for more than other clubs were willing to give up for a good (but not great) reliever.
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I know I know, it’s one series and I’m not actually worried. But just out of curiosity, the Cubs miss the playoffs. Craig has to be on the hit seat no?

Mark Polishuk
Firing Counsell means that the Cubs have to eat the last two years and $16MM of his contract. Which I guess can’t be ruled out if the team has a truly disappointing year, since expectations are high.

If it’s a winning record and a near-miss, Counsell likely stays.
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It’s the White Sox I know, but by that same logic it’s also the Nats so… Brewers just going to ho hum their way to exceeding expectations again eh?

Mark Polishuk
Nobody should be counting out the Brewers. They’re still a playoff team in my view.
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With the extensions what’s next? Trade Shaw and/or Alcantara? It’s seems Shaw has to go.

Mark Polishuk
Using Shaw as an outfielder might be his ticket to staying in Wrigleyville, since I still expect Suzuki and Happ to be gone next winter.
Conversely, the Cubs could try to trade Shaw for an established veteran outfielder.
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Are the Cubs going to regret trading Owen Caissie?

Mark Polishuk
Not if Cabrera pitches well. A win-win for all parties is the ideal goal. As noted earlier, of course, the Cubs may suddenly be pretty short in the outfield by 2027, so it was an interesting decision to part with Caissie in particular. Might’ve just been that he was the guy Miami wanted and wouldn’t budge.
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Being out of options can be a career death sentence. Do some GM’s manage options better than others? That is, they avoid using up a player’s option years to the point where they’re DFA’d at 24. Obviously it has to do with performance but there has to be some method to it.

Mark Polishuk
It’s certainly a tricky web to weave, considering how a PBO/GM has to be looking at the status of dozens upon dozens of players in the organization. As we just saw on Opening Day, a lot of roster decisions were made with an eye towards option status, rather than a pure “who are the best 26 guys?” call.

The bottom line is that for most GMs who aren’t in clear rebuild mode, the focus is winning games right now. They won’t hesitate to bring a player up if that player is a better fit to fill a direct and immediate need, even if that might burn their last option. Some execs are former players and know all too well how being out-of-options can impact a player’s career, but at the end of the day, it’s a tough business.
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Beginning rant. If MLB wants to increase viewership why are they making it so difficult to watch games? I have had to sign up for two new apps just to watch M’s games. Games are on Netflix, Peacock, Apple and I’m sure at some point ESPN and Fox will be in the mix. Out of market games now cost even more to watch on MzlB. Hard to bring in new fans when it’s this difficult to watch. Hard to keep us old fans engaged with all these hoops to jump through. End rant.

Mark Polishuk
The flip side of this is that if you’re a casual fan who randomly decides one night “hey, let’s check out a ballgame,” you’ll probably be able to find one even if your viewing habits are limited to just one app.

It’s surely annoying that one can’t watch literally all of their teams’ games, yet MLB is also seemingly accounting for the fact that it’s pretty rare for someone to follow literally every one of the 162-game schedule.
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What is the difference between selecting a contract and being called up?

Mark Polishuk
Selecting a contract means a player is being added to the 40-man roster, as well as usually the active roster. Being called up is when a player is already on the 40-man man.
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