Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments
Posted: November 2 26, 11:59 pm
These comments came from a chat with MLB Trade Rumors' Mark Polishuk that occurred on November 1.
One less question than last week. I did include 2 bonus questions: one with a comedic prediction and one about rule changes in the playoffs. Enjoy the read!!
The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/11/ ... t-924.html
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Was there no pathway for Flores to advance in the St. Louis front office?
Mark Polishuk
With Bloom set as the PBO, apparently not. A promotion to the GM job would’ve made Flores still the second-in-command, whereas in Houston he gets to run the show. Well, run the show apart from Jim Crane and Jeff Bagwell, but still.
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Do the Cardinals and Astros line up for a trade before the lock out?
Mark Polishuk
It’s usually pretty common for a new GM to at least explore deals with his past organization, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Astros and Cards swung maybe a lower-level type of move. Perhaps Houston could obtain an outfielder, though the Cards are in need of some level of outfield help as well. FWIW, these two teams haven’t made a trade since 2012, likely in no small part due to the hacking scandal. That said, they would’ve swung a Nolan Arenado deal two offseasons ago if Arenado hadn’t vetoed the trade via his no-movement clause.
All of this to say, relations between the two teams seem to have thawed, if Crane is hiring a GM out of the Cards organization.
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Is there any case for keeping Trevor Megill in Milwaukee rather than trading him?
Mark Polishuk
The case is that he’s a good pitcher who makes the bullpen better. It’s possible that, emboldened by a championship, the Brewers decide to bring the band back together to go for the double. However, Megill just seems expendable given the talent Milwaukee already has in its bullpen, and the club’s ability to turn any number of random or struggling pitchers into effective relievers. Megill is probably pitching elsewhere in 2027.
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This offseason, the Cardinals won’t really entertain trade offers for Burleson, would they?
Mark Polishuk
Can’t hurt to listen, just in case a rival team comes forward with a very tempting offer. I’d say it’s more likely than not that Burleson is back in STL next year, but with two years of arb control remaining, he’s a very interesting trade chip the Cards can dangle.
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Will the Reds be active in FA or will they be bottom feeders again this year as usual?
Mark Polishuk
It’d be a surprise if the team did anything truly splashy signing-wise. I made this argument last year, but the Reds’ willingness to splurge on Schwarber just because he is a local product was faulty — fans are going to be excited by any good player joining the team, not just a good player with (broad) ties to the Cincinnati area.
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Do you think that 2 “small market” teams competing in the World Series changes the way GMs and owners will approach Free Agency? If I recall correctly, the Rays and Brewers were both lower third in payroll.
Mark Polishuk
Not to any great extent. I think teams are mostly already in the mode of shopping for value in the free agent market if they can help it. Every team wants a bargain, after all. But, larger-market clubs have the advantage of being able to spend on the players who are simply out of the range of the Milwaukees and Tampas of the world — though this can be a double-edged sword given how a lot of free agents don’t live up to expectations.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Should angry Pirates fans have hope that the team could do what the Brewers just did in the future?
Mark Polishuk
The Brewers’ win should make them an even bigger blueprint for small-market teams than they already are… not that it’s easy to replicate, of course. Milwaukee is so good at so many things from an organizational perspective that it’s hard to exactly match them from a pure consistency standpoint.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Red Sox were connected to a number of mid-20’s shortstops with 2+ years of control at the deadline last year (EDLC, Neto, Abrams, Lopez). Do they make Arias available in a deal for one of them now to fit the timeline of the rest of their roster? 27-29 seems like a sweet spot.
Mark Polishuk
I think Arias would only be available for De La Cruz, not any of the other three. Boston wouldn’t move Arias unless a real premium talent was coming back in the other direction.
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Where does Jake Bauers sign?
Mark Polishuk
Given Pat Murphy’s comments, it would be pretty funny if he signed with the Yankees, though that doesn’t see like an ideal fit unless NYY is committed to seeing what Garcia can do at second base. The Diamondbacks, Padres, Blue Jays, Tigers, Guardians, Rangers, or Mariners all make varying degrees of sense for Bauers.
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Should the Brewers be all in on trying to lock up Miz or is this way too premature of a move?
Mark Polishuk
“Premature” is the wrong word, as I actually think Milwaukee missed its window for an extension. Misiorowski’s asking price is now maybe beyond what the Brewers are willing to pay, unless they think his arm can continue holding up under all the extreme velocity. If I had to guess, the Miz seems a lot more likely to be a “future Brewer star traded a year before free agency” than he is an extension candidate.
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Why are Cubs so opposed to bringing back Seiya?
Mark Polishuk
I’m not sure they’re opposed, per se, but the general feeling is that the Cubs will let him walk. I will say that of the two outfielders, Chicago should and probably will make more of a push for Suzuki than Happ.
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Will the Twins make the WS before 2429?
Mark Polishuk
I’ll be even bolder in saying that the Twins will win a pennant before 2129!
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Is money the reason that MLB plays with 2 different set of rules? In season, then changes rules in the playoffs and World Series? Example: ghost runner
Mark Polishuk
All sports change their extra-innings/overtime rules in the postseason. In the playoffs, there must be a winner, and having relatively normal rules is the fairest way of deciding such important games. In the regular season, for logistical reasons alone, you can’t have games just going on forever, which is why you have the ghost runner in MLB, ties in the NFL, and the shootout in the NHL.
I guess the NBA regular season also has no tiebreaker procedure, which seems like something the league could address at some juncture.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
One less question than last week. I did include 2 bonus questions: one with a comedic prediction and one about rule changes in the playoffs. Enjoy the read!!
The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/11/ ... t-924.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Was there no pathway for Flores to advance in the St. Louis front office?
Mark Polishuk
With Bloom set as the PBO, apparently not. A promotion to the GM job would’ve made Flores still the second-in-command, whereas in Houston he gets to run the show. Well, run the show apart from Jim Crane and Jeff Bagwell, but still.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Do the Cardinals and Astros line up for a trade before the lock out?
Mark Polishuk
It’s usually pretty common for a new GM to at least explore deals with his past organization, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Astros and Cards swung maybe a lower-level type of move. Perhaps Houston could obtain an outfielder, though the Cards are in need of some level of outfield help as well. FWIW, these two teams haven’t made a trade since 2012, likely in no small part due to the hacking scandal. That said, they would’ve swung a Nolan Arenado deal two offseasons ago if Arenado hadn’t vetoed the trade via his no-movement clause.
All of this to say, relations between the two teams seem to have thawed, if Crane is hiring a GM out of the Cards organization.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Is there any case for keeping Trevor Megill in Milwaukee rather than trading him?
Mark Polishuk
The case is that he’s a good pitcher who makes the bullpen better. It’s possible that, emboldened by a championship, the Brewers decide to bring the band back together to go for the double. However, Megill just seems expendable given the talent Milwaukee already has in its bullpen, and the club’s ability to turn any number of random or struggling pitchers into effective relievers. Megill is probably pitching elsewhere in 2027.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This offseason, the Cardinals won’t really entertain trade offers for Burleson, would they?
Mark Polishuk
Can’t hurt to listen, just in case a rival team comes forward with a very tempting offer. I’d say it’s more likely than not that Burleson is back in STL next year, but with two years of arb control remaining, he’s a very interesting trade chip the Cards can dangle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Will the Reds be active in FA or will they be bottom feeders again this year as usual?
Mark Polishuk
It’d be a surprise if the team did anything truly splashy signing-wise. I made this argument last year, but the Reds’ willingness to splurge on Schwarber just because he is a local product was faulty — fans are going to be excited by any good player joining the team, not just a good player with (broad) ties to the Cincinnati area.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Do you think that 2 “small market” teams competing in the World Series changes the way GMs and owners will approach Free Agency? If I recall correctly, the Rays and Brewers were both lower third in payroll.
Mark Polishuk
Not to any great extent. I think teams are mostly already in the mode of shopping for value in the free agent market if they can help it. Every team wants a bargain, after all. But, larger-market clubs have the advantage of being able to spend on the players who are simply out of the range of the Milwaukees and Tampas of the world — though this can be a double-edged sword given how a lot of free agents don’t live up to expectations.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Should angry Pirates fans have hope that the team could do what the Brewers just did in the future?
Mark Polishuk
The Brewers’ win should make them an even bigger blueprint for small-market teams than they already are… not that it’s easy to replicate, of course. Milwaukee is so good at so many things from an organizational perspective that it’s hard to exactly match them from a pure consistency standpoint.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Red Sox were connected to a number of mid-20’s shortstops with 2+ years of control at the deadline last year (EDLC, Neto, Abrams, Lopez). Do they make Arias available in a deal for one of them now to fit the timeline of the rest of their roster? 27-29 seems like a sweet spot.
Mark Polishuk
I think Arias would only be available for De La Cruz, not any of the other three. Boston wouldn’t move Arias unless a real premium talent was coming back in the other direction.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Where does Jake Bauers sign?
Mark Polishuk
Given Pat Murphy’s comments, it would be pretty funny if he signed with the Yankees, though that doesn’t see like an ideal fit unless NYY is committed to seeing what Garcia can do at second base. The Diamondbacks, Padres, Blue Jays, Tigers, Guardians, Rangers, or Mariners all make varying degrees of sense for Bauers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Should the Brewers be all in on trying to lock up Miz or is this way too premature of a move?
Mark Polishuk
“Premature” is the wrong word, as I actually think Milwaukee missed its window for an extension. Misiorowski’s asking price is now maybe beyond what the Brewers are willing to pay, unless they think his arm can continue holding up under all the extreme velocity. If I had to guess, the Miz seems a lot more likely to be a “future Brewer star traded a year before free agency” than he is an extension candidate.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Why are Cubs so opposed to bringing back Seiya?
Mark Polishuk
I’m not sure they’re opposed, per se, but the general feeling is that the Cubs will let him walk. I will say that of the two outfielders, Chicago should and probably will make more of a push for Suzuki than Happ.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Will the Twins make the WS before 2429?
Mark Polishuk
I’ll be even bolder in saying that the Twins will win a pennant before 2129!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Is money the reason that MLB plays with 2 different set of rules? In season, then changes rules in the playoffs and World Series? Example: ghost runner
Mark Polishuk
All sports change their extra-innings/overtime rules in the postseason. In the playoffs, there must be a winner, and having relatively normal rules is the fairest way of deciding such important games. In the regular season, for logistical reasons alone, you can’t have games just going on forever, which is why you have the ghost runner in MLB, ties in the NFL, and the shootout in the NHL.
I guess the NBA regular season also has no tiebreaker procedure, which seems like something the league could address at some juncture.
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