MLB Trade Rumors Podcast

Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the Mets' interesting decision to sign Jorge Polanco to replace Pete Alonso at first base despite him never having played the position, the Braves signing Robert Suarez, Mike Yastrzemski, and Ha-Seong Kim, the Blue Jays paying high prices for Tyler Rogers and Cody Ponce, the Royals signing Lane Thomas, trading Angel Zerpa for Issac Collins and Nick Mears, and extending Maikel Garcia, the Tigers signing veteran relievers Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen as well as Drew Anderson who has been pitching overseas. 

Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the news from the Winter Meetings. Topics include the Phillies resigning Kyle Schwarber, how Pete Alonso fits on the Orioles' roster, the Pirates making big offers to free agents, how the the Reds will pivot after missing out on Schwarber, Edwin Diaz's deal with the Dodgers, what the Mets will do after losing so many of their key players, the Nationals trading reliever Jose Ferrer to the Mariners for top catching prospect Harry Ford, and the Twins deciding to hold onto their trade chips and try to compete next year. 

B.B. Abbott, an executive vice president at Wasserman, joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the process of free agency from the perspective of the agent, including who makes the first call, how much bluffing goes on when talking to front offices, why he doesn't like to leak stories to the media, what industry members think of MLBTR's free-agent predictions and other media speculation, how involved players are during negotiations, the different ways that contract extensions can come together, Zack Wheeler's recovery, how data has changed the draft, and the current state of baseball as a whole. Then Anthony Franco joins to go over the week's news, including Dylan Cease's big contract with the Blue Jays, the Mets seemingly buying low on Devin Williams, the Orioles hoping for a bounce back from Ryan Helsley, and the Red Sox acquiring Sonny Gray.

Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the Mets trading Brandon Nimmo to The Rangers for Marcus Semien and what moves those teams could make next, why the Orioles sent Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels for Taylor Ward, what last week's signing of Josh Naylor means for the Mariners moving forward, if the Braves will play Mauricio Dubon at shortstop or still look to bring back Ha-Seong Kim, some surprising players that were tendered contracts, and what players accepting qualifying offers says about the free-agent market and a potential lockout next year. 

Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams and Anthony Franco all join Darragh McDonald to discuss the site's annual Top 50 Free Agents list. Topics include how the threat of a lockout will affect free-agent contracts, if there's a team that will be willing to give Kyle Tucker a massive deal, the factors that could drive up Bo Bichette's price, how difficult it is to predict what Dylan Cease will sign for, what to make of Japanese stars Munetaka Murakami and Tatsuya Imai, if this will be the year that Cody Bellinger and Pete Alonso get huge deals, how the guys nailed the terms of Josh Naylor's contract, the best comps for Zac Gallen and Michael King, if teams will be able to overlook Devin Williams having poor ERA last year, if Robert Suarez can get a three-year deal going into his age-35 season, and the players with tough qualifying offer decisions.