Justin Steele, Triston McKenzie, And Tons Of Prospect Promotions
Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss what's next for the Cubs following Justin Steele's UCL surgery, the timeline that led to Triston McKenzie getting designated for assignment by the Guardians after being so dominant in the past, and a plethora of high-profile prospect promotions including the Nick Kurtz for the A's, the Edgar Quero for the White Sox, Chandler Simpson for the Rays, Augustin Ramirez for the Marlins and Luke Keaschall for the Twins. Listener question topics include what power a player has to change teams during his arbitration or pre-arb years, and whether changes should be made to the CBA to stop teams from taking advantage of players at the margins of the roster.Â
-------- Â
59:39
Free Agent Power Rankings
Steve Adams and Anthony Franco join Darragh McDonald for a deep dive into the first edition of the 2025 free agent power rankings. They go through their justifications for the top ten and who is poised to rise or fall throughout the year.Â
-------- Â
1:12:00
Vlad's Massive Deal, Extensions for Merrill and Marte, And Quinn Priester Traded
Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the Blue Jays locking up Vlad Guerrero Jr. to a huge deal and what it means for the big free agents next offseason, Jackson Merrill's nine-year extension and the Padres trying to balance a tight budget with so many long-term contracts on the books, how Ketel Marte's extension also backloads the money to free up current payroll space for the Diamondbacks, and the Red Sox trading Quinn Priester to the Brewers.Listener question topics include whether the promotions of Chase Dollander and Zac Veen will bring hope to Rockies fans, and if Spencer Torkelson has really figured things out.Â
-------- Â
53:20
Garrett Crochet's Extension, Problems In Atlanta, And Other Early-Season Storylines
Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss Garrett Crochet's contract extension, why the Red Sox chose this route instead of signing a big free agent this past offseason, the myriad of problems the Braves are facing including Jurickson Profar's PED suspension, the injury to Reynaldo Lopez and the team's 0-5 start. Also, they go over last week's trade that sent Nolan Jones to Cleveland for Tyler Freeman, the Astros going with an outfield alignment including two infielders Jose Altuve and Cam Smith, whether Smith's quick ascension to the majors changes their opinions on the teams return for Kyle Tucker, if an extension for Vlad Guerrero Jr. could still happen during the season, and Cal Raleigh, Tanner Bibee and Brandon Pfaadt all signing extensions.Â
-------- Â
1:00:04
What We Learned From The Offseason
Steve Adams and Anthony Franco both join Darragh McDonald to take a big-picture look at the past offseason, discussing why every year is so different, why older position players seem to be valued less on the market, if a salary cap should be instituted in the future, whether the Mets will continue to be bigger spenders than the Yankees, how Juan Soto's deal will affect future top free agents like Kyle Tucker and Vlad Guerrero Jr., the current state of TV rights and how it could change future revenue for teams, if expansion still has a chance of happening soon despite the fluid situations of the A's and Rays, and what storylines they are excited for this season.Â
With an eye always focused on the hot stove, the MLBTR podcast gives analysis of transactions, roster moves and, of course, rumors from around the league. Host Darragh McDonald is joined each week by a fellow MLBTR writer to break it all down.
Listen to MLB Trade Rumors Podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby: Australia & New Zealand and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
New Zealand