Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Pirates Rumors

Pirates, Noah Murdock Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

Free agent reliever Noah Murdock signed with the Pirates, he announced on social media. It’s a minor league deal that was agreed upon last week, according to the MLB.com transaction log.

Murdock, a 6’8″ righty, made his big league debut this year as a Rule 5 pick of the Athletics. He struggled over his five weeks in Mark Kotsay’s bullpen, giving up 25 runs across 17 innings. Murdock walked 20 and hit two more, far too many free passes around which to work. The A’s designated him for assignment in the middle of May. That sent him back to his original organization, the Royals, where he was assigned to Triple-A Omaha. Murdock allowed six earned runs per nine across 21 frames before suffering a season-ending injury.

The ’25 season clearly didn’t go to plan. Murdock is only a year removed from showing promise against upper minors hitters, though. He combined for 62 2/3 innings of 3.16 ERA ball between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024. He posted plus strikeout (27%) and ground-ball (59.7%) rates behind a 95 MPH sinker and a pair of breaking balls — a high-80s cutter and a low-80s slider. Murdock has thus far been held back by an inability to throw strikes consistently. He has walked well over 10% of batters faced at every stop since rookie ball. That included a massive 15.4% walk rate even in his otherwise strong ’24 season.

Pittsburgh will presumably give Murdock a look in big league camp. He has a full slate of options and could bounce between PNC Park and Triple-A Indianapolis if he pitches his way onto the 40-man roster.

National League Non-Tenders: 11/21/25

By | at

Every National League team has officially announced their non-tender decisions. It was a quiet evening in terms of subtractions, with only the Rangers parting with any marquee players. All players who were non-tendered are free agents without going on waivers. A few teams dropped pre-arbitration players from the back of the 40-man roster. It’s possible they preferred not to expose them to waivers and are hopeful of re-signing them to non-roster deals.

Here’s a full list of today’s activity in the NL, while the American League moves are available here. All projected salaries are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

  • The Braves announced that right-handers Alek Manoah and Carson Ragsdale were not tendered contracts. Both had been acquired earlier in the offseason via waivers, and both are now free agents. Manoah was projected to earn $2.2MM. Ragsdale was not arb-eligible.
  • The Brewers tendered contracts to their entire arbitration class, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
  • The Cardinals chose not to tender contracts to lefty John King, catcher Yohel Pozo and righty Sem Robberse, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Jorge Alcala, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, was also non-tendered, John Denton of MLB.com adds. King and Alcala were both projected for a $2.1MM salary. The others were not arb-eligible.
  • The Cubs non-tendered catcher Reese McGuire, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. He hit .226/.245/.444 through 140 plate appearances in a backup catcher role and was arb-eligible for the final time. He’d been projected to earn $1.9MM. Right-hander Eli Morgan, who was projected to earn $1.1MM, was also non-tendered, according to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian.
  • The D-backs non-tendered left-hander Tommy Henry, who’d already been designated for assignment, and right-hander Taylor Rashi. Neither was eligible for arbitration. They tendered contracts to their entire arb class.
  • The Dodgers did not tender a contract to closer Evan Phillips, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. He was only under club control for one more season and projected for a $6.1MM salary but underwent Tommy John surgery in June. Dodgers righty Nick Frasso, who was not arb-eligible and finished the season on the 60-day IL, was also non-tendered, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
  • The Giants non-tendered left-hander Joey Lucchesi, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Lucchesi pitched to a solid 3.76 ERA with a below-average 18.8% strikeout rate and strong 7.3% walk rate in 38 1/3 innings and had been projected for a $2MM salary. San Francisco also non-tendered catcher Andrew Knizner, who was designated for assignment this afternoon when the Giants acquired Joey Wiemer from Miami.
  • The Marlins tendered contracts to all of their eligible players, per Isaac Azout of Fish On First.
  • The Mets are non-tendering right-hander Max Kranick, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. Kranick, 28, posted a 3.65 ERA in 37 innings with the Mets this year. It was his first big league opportunity since a five-inning cameo with the Pirates back in 2022. Kranick’s season came to an abrupt end back in July due to flexor tendon repair surgery. Southpaws Jose Castillo and Danny Young were also non-tendered, Sammon adds. Young had Tommy John surgery back in May. Castillo was a waiver claim who pitched for four different teams in 2025.
  • The Nationals tendered contracts to their entire roster, per a team announcement.
  • The Padres announced that lefty Omar Cruz and righty Sean Reynolds were non-tendered. Neither was arbitration-eligible. They tendered contracts to every member of their arbitration class.
  • The Phillies non-tendered righties Michael Mercado and Daniel Robert, neither of whom was arbitration-eligible. They’re both free agents. The Phils tendered contracts to all of their arb-eligible players otherwise.
  • The Pirates non-tendered outfielders Alexander Canario and Ronny Simon, as well as righties Colin Holderman and Dauri Moreta. All four were designated for assignment earlier in the week. Holderman was projected for a $1.7MM salary and Moreta for $800K. The others weren’t arb-eligible.
  • The Reds announced that catcher Will Banfield and right-handers Carson Spiers and Roddery Munoz were not tendered contracts. They’re all free agents. None of the three were arbitration-eligible, but by non-tendering them rather than designating them for assignment, Cincinnati bypasses the need to place them on waivers and can try to quickly re-sign any of the bunch to minor league deals, if the Reds are so inclined.
  • The Rockies non-tendered first baseman Michael Toglia, the team announced. He’d been designated for assignment earlier in the week, making today’s non-tender all but a formality.

Pirates Avoid Arbitration With Jack Suwinski, Yohan Ramirez

By | at

7:10pm: They’ve also reached an arb-avoiding deal with middle reliever Yohan Ramírez, reports Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. He’ll make $825K next season. Ramirez pitched to a 5.40 ERA in 33 1/3 innings for the Bucs this year.

6:05pm: The Pirates and outfielder Jack Suwinski have avoided arbitration, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Suwinski will make $1.25MM next year. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected him for a $1.7MM salary.

Tomorrow is the non-tender deadline. Teams have until 4pm Central to decide whether or not to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible and pre-arb players. They don’t need to agree to a salary by tomorrow but it’s the last chance for clubs to walk away from a player and pay him nothing.

It’s common for a few deals to be finalized in the lead-up to the deadline. In many cases, but not always, these “pre-tender” deals see the player agree to a salary below projections. The oversimplified version of how this happens is that teams put a “take it or leave it” offer on the table. If the player decides to “leave it”, the team will simply non-tender him. Since Suwinski has been struggling lately and will make about half a million less than projected, it’s possible that happened here.

Back in 2023, Suwinski seemed to be breaking out in the big leagues, as he hit 26 home runs that year with strong batted-ball data to back it up. His 32.2% strikeout rate was way too high but he offset that with the power and also drew walks at a 14% clip. He also lined up at all three outfield positions. His work in center was panned but he was decent in the corners.

Things have been trending down since then. He has stepped to the plate 455 times over the past two years with a dismal .169/.271/.297 line. His .220 batting average on balls in play hasn’t helped but his batted-ball data has declined. His strikeout rate has stayed high at 29.9% while his walk rate dropped to 11.2%.

Due to that rough performance, he has been optioned to the minors with some regularity. In the process, he has exhausted his option seasons and will be out of options going forward. The Bucs could have walked away this week but have apparently not totally given up on a bounceback. For what it’s worth, Suwinski has continued producing in Triple-A, with a .283/.389/.565 line and 149 wRC+ at that level in 2025.

Suwinski’s salary will be barely above the league minimum, which will be $780K next year, so it’s not a massive risk for the Bucs. If Suwinski continues to struggle, he can be cut from the roster without it being too much of a sunk cost. He would also likely clear waivers in that scenario and would stick around as non-roster depth. He is two days away from having three years of service time, which would give him the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. However, since he has less than five years of service, he would have to forfeit his remaining salary commitments in exercising that right.

The Bucs go into 2026 with Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds projected in two outfield spots. The Bucs could add someone to take a third spot but it’s fairly open for now, with Suwinski in the mix alongside Will Robertson, Billy Cook and others.

Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images

Pirates Designate Four Players For Assignment

By | at

The Pirates announced that they have designated four players for assignment. That list includes outfielders Alexander Canario and Ronny Simón, as well as right-handers Colin Holderman and Dauri Moreta. Additionally, Cam Devanney was released to pursue opportunities overseas. It was reported a few days ago that Devanney would be signing with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.

The Bucs already had one open 40-man spot and those moves opened five more. That allowed them to select six players to the roster ahead of today’s Rule 5 deadline. Those six are first baseman/outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez, infielder Jack Brannigan, left-hander Tyler Samaniego and right-handers Wilber Dotel, Antwone Kelly and Brandan Bidois.

Canario, 26 in May, was once a notable prospect with the Cubs thanks to his huge power in the minors. However, that power also came with notable strikeout concerns. For instance, he hit 37 minor league home runs in 2022 but was punched out at a 27.5% clip. Going into 2025, he still wasn’t established in the majors but had exhausted his option years. He bounced to the Mets and then the Pirates via waivers. He received 234 plate appearances with the Bucs this year but was punched out in 34.2% of those while posting a .218/.274/.338 line.

Now that he’s in DFA limbo, the Bucs can try to explore trade interest but it should be minimal after that poor season. Perhaps a rebuilding club will give him a shot since he’s still young and controllable, but this theoretical club will probably wait for Canario to be on waivers or non-tendered.

Simón, 26 in April, was just claimed off waivers from the Marlins in June. He finished the season on the 60-day injured list due to a dislocated left shoulder. He has a .234/.299/.273 line in a small sample of 88 big league plate appearances. He has some speed and defensive versatility, as well as good offensive numbers in the minors, but his current health status is unknown.

Holderman, 30, lived up to his surname for the Bucs in recent years. He notched 27 holds in 2023 and another 21 in 2024. He posted a 3.52 earned run average over those two seasons. He struck out 24.6% of batters faced, gave out walks at a 9.7% rate and kept 45.8% of balls in play on the ground.

2025 was a nightmare, however. He made separate trips to the injured list due to a right knee sprain and right thumb inflammation. Around those IL stints, he tossed 25 2/3 innings with a 7.01 ERA, 14.4% strikeout rate and 12.8% walk rate. He is eligible for arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $1.7MM salary next year. This move is effectively an early non-tender.

Perhaps there’s a club out there who thinks there’s a way to get Holderman back on track, and he is still optionable, so maybe the Bucs will get some trade calls. But he also might be non-tendered on Friday, which will make him a free agent.

Moreta, 30 in April, has shown some strikeout stuff in the big leagues but without strong control. He has 116 2/3 innings under his belt with a 4.17 ERA, 28.7% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate. He qualified for arbitration and his $800K projection is barely above next year’s $780K minimum salary but he is out of options and would have had a hard time hanging onto a roster spot going forward, regardless of his salary. If he lands somewhere else, he is controllable for three more seasons.

Valdez, 22 in January, was an international signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2021. He has since been climbing the ladder, showcasing a nice blend of power and on-base ability. Here in 2025, he got into 123 games between High-A and Double-A. In his 529 plate appearances, his 24.6% strikeout rate was a bit high but he also drew walks at a 10.6% clip and hit 26 home runs. His .286/.376/.520 combined line translated to a 156 wRC+. He then went to the Arizona Fall League for some extra work and hit eight homers in 19 games, leading to a ridiculous .368/.513/.842 line.

Defensively, Valdez isn’t considered especially strong. But for the Pirates, who have struggled to develop hitters, they have to be intrigued by his offensive numbers. Baseball America recently ranked him the #10 prospect in the system. He should be in Triple-A in 2026 and in the mix for a big league promotion. The Bucs currently project to have Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds in two outfield spots but with one spot fairly wide open, at least for now.

Brannigan, 25 in March, was a third-round pick in the 2022 draft. He has put up some good numbers but injuries have cut into the volume of his playing time, as he hasn’t appeared in more than 87 games in any year of his professional career. As a hitter, he has drawn a lot of walks but also been punched out quite a bit. Since being drafted, he has 1,071 plate appearances with a 12.5% walk rate, 27.4% strikeout rate, .245/.356/.454 line and 125 wRC+. That included a .225/.329/.358 line and 103 wRC+ in 59 Double-A games this year.

He likely needs some more time in the minors, on account of how much he has missed. But the Bucs didn’t want to take the chance of some other club grabbing him. He has spent time at all three infield positions to the left of first base. He has three option years and can be kept on the farm until he works his way into the club’s infield depth picture.

Samaniego, 27 in January, was a 15th-round pick back in 2021. He spent time at four different levels in 2025, working as a lefty reliever. Combined, he logged 38 1/3 innings with a 3.99 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 48.4% ground ball rate. He hasn’t yet reached the Triple-A level but the Bucs didn’t want another club to grab him. Now that he’s on the roster, he can push for his major league debut in 2026. But since he has a full slate of options, he could be shuttled to the minors and back with some regularity, ever after he makes it to the show.

Dotel, 23, is a fairly obvious addition. Baseball America currently lists him as the #9 prospect in the system. An international signing out of the Dominican Republic, he has been stretched out as a starter in recent years. He made 27 Double-A starts in 2025, logging 125 2/3 innings with a 4.15 ERA, 24.5% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate. The Pirates have a strong rotation but he can be in Triple-A, providing them with depth in the event of an injury while simultaneously continuing his development.

Kelly, 22, is in a similar situation. Baseball America ranks him the #6 prospect in the system. An international signing out of Aruba, he made 25 starts this year, split between Single-A and Double-A. Combined, he tossed 107 1/3 innings with a 3.02 ERA, 27.2% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate.

Bidois, 24, is a straight reliever who happens to be from Australia. He threw 61 innings this year across four different levels with a 0.74 ERA. Some of that is due to a tiny .164 batting average on balls in play but he also struck out 30% of batters faced. There’s some wildness in there, as he walked 11.7% of batters faced this year, but the numbers are obviously appealing. He’ll give the club some immediate bullpen depth as he pushes for his big league debut.

Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images

José Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports reported the Valdez move prior to the official announcement. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported the other five additions. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the guys being designated for assignment.

Pirates Interested In Kyle Schwarber, Showed Interest In Josh Naylor

By | at

Pirates GM Ben Cherington said last week that he had “more [financial] flexibility than we’ve had in other offseasons I’ve been in Pittsburgh,” and subsequent reports indicated that Bucs ownership could approach the $40MM mark with their spending plans this winter.  This willingness to spend has translated to some early interest in two of the best hitters on the free agent market, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the Pirates have interest in Kyle Schwarber, and also had interest in Josh Naylor before Naylor re-signed with the Mariners.

The exact nature of the Bucs’ talks with Naylor weren’t specified, yet Passan indicated that the Pirates were prepared to offer Naylor more than $78MM.  This would’ve been, by a wide margin, the priciest free agent deal in Pirates history.  Francisco Liriano’s three-year, $39MM deal from December 2014 remains the biggest guarantee the perennially low-spending Buccos have ever given to a free agent.

Naylor re-upped with the Mariners for five years and $92.5MM.  Beyond just the money, there was plenty of mutual interest between Naylor and the M’s in continuing their relationship, as evidenced by the fact that Naylor agreed to a new deal so soon after the free agent market opened.  Seattle looks well-positioned to keep contending throughout Naylor’s tenure, so it likely would’ve taken a drastic overpay from the Pirates to convince him to leave the Mariners for a Pittsburgh club that has struggled through seven straight losing seasons.

Along these same lines, Schwarber is expected to receive plenty of offers from big-market contenders, including his former team in Philadelphia.  MLB Trade Rumors projects Schwarber to receive a five-year, $135MM contract, even though he is entering his age-33 season and is essentially a DH-only player at this point in his career.  Schwarber’s huge power, consistent production, and reputation as a clubhouse leader will very likely outweigh concerns about his age, and the Phillies (like the Mariners with Naylor) are prioritizing bringing Schwarber back into the fold.

This being said, the fact that Schwarber and Naylor are even being mentioned in connection to the Pirates is eye-opening, and perhaps indicative of how uncharacteristically aggressive Pittsburgh may be in trying to upgrade its lineup.  While the Pirates have been rebuilding for the bulk of Cherington’s tenure, his last couple of offseasons have seen the GM spread out his limited spending capacity over multiple players, with the idea of addressing several needs rather than making one single big strike.  The tactic makes sense on paper, but it hasn’t really worked in practice, as the Bucs have remained under the .500 mark.

With this in mind, Pittsburgh might now be more open to adding one clear-cut star bat to its lineup, even if it means going outside the team’s usual financial comfort zone.  The very top of the free agent hitting market (i.e. Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette) is likely still out of the question for the Pirates.  But, if Schwarber and Naylor are on the radar, players like Cody Bellinger, Pete Alonso, Eugenio Suarez, Kazuma Okamoto, and any number of other available bats could now conceivably be within Pittsburgh’s spending range.

Bucs fans can be forgiven for taking a “we’ll believe it when we see it” stance on the Pirates’ pursuit of major free agents.  That said, Paul Skenes’ immediate impact as arguably baseball’s best pitcher has created more pressure on the team to return to contention while Skenes is still under team control.  Skenes and the Pirates’ collection of promising young arms was let down by a dismal offense in 2025, so adding hitting is the obvious top priority on the team’s offseason checklist.

The common theory going into the winter was that Pittsburgh was again going to trade from its stockpile of hurlers to obtain some much-needed hitting help.  Cherington had already flatly shot down any possibility of Skenes being dealt, but conceivably any of the less-experienced arms could be dealt for an equally promising young bat.  As for the Buccos’ more seasoned pitchers, the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported today that Johan Oviedo is drawing trade interest, and Mitch Keller has been mentioned in trade rumors for months.

Keller is also the Pirates’ second-highest paid player, so dealing the right-hander would free up more payroll room for further moves.  This could mean more exploration at the higher end of the free agent market, or the Pirates could conceivably take on some salary in a trade for a more expensive hitter.  Trading Keller for a similarly-priced hitter would be the smoothest way to accomplish this goal, though such an easy match isn’t obvious on the trade front.

The fact that the Pirates were looking at Naylor doesn’t necessarily mean that the team isn’t satisfied with incumbent first baseman Spencer Horwitz, as Horwitz could be moved to DH in the event that another first baseman was added.  It also could mean that Pittsburgh was more broadly looking at any available top bat, and figuring out the positional fit can come after the fact.

One position that probably won’t receive much attention is shortstop, as top prospect Konnor Griffin is expected to be in the majors at some point in 2026.  This could even be as early as Opening Day, as Passan writes that “the Pirates are strongly considering giving [Griffin]…the opportunity to win their big league shortstop job” in Spring Training.  It would be a bold promotion for a 19-year-old who has only one year of pro ball under his belt, and Griffin’s resume consists of 21 Double-A games and zero Triple-A games.

Nevertheless, Griffin is viewed as perhaps the best prospect in baseball, and he looked so impressive in 2025 that he already appears to be on the verge of his MLB debut.  Putting Griffin on the Opening Day roster and keeping him in the majors throughout 2026 could eventually earn the Pirates a bonus draft pick via the Prospect Promotion Incentive program, should Griffin win Rookie of the Year honors, or if he has a top-three finish in NL MVP voting during his pre-arbitration years.

Cam Devanney To Sign With NPB’s Hanshin Tigers

By | at

Pirates third baseman Cam Devanney is signing with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball, according to a report from Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Devanney is on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster, which will drop to 38 players once the deal is officially complete.

Devanney, 28, was a 15th-round pick by the Brewers back in 2019 who made his big league debut with the Pirates late in the 2025 season after being acquired from the Royals in this summer’s Adam Frazier trade. At the time of the deal, Devanney was enjoying something of a breakout season for the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate in Omaha. In 69 games, he had slashed .272/.366/.565 with 18 homers and 14 doubles across 288 plate appearances. Devanney was striking out at a 24.3% clip while walking 11.8% of the time.

That was impressive enough that the Pirates decided to trade for him and give him a shot in the majors. He appeared in 14 games for Pittsburgh down the stretch this year, but in those games hit just .139/.184/.167 with a massive 55.3% strikeout rate. That came in a sample size of just 38 plate appearances, of course, but between that work in the majors and a paltry .256/.327/.361 slash line in 34 games with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis, it was already fair to wonder what Devanney’s future in the Pirates organization might really look like.

Rather than keep him in the fold as a potential up-and-down depth option for next year, the Pirates are instead opting to let Devanney head overseas and try his hand at baseball in Japan. He will join first baseman Bob Seymour and right-hander Roansy Contreras in making the jump from MLB to NPB this winter, and it’s entirely possible more players on the bubble of MLB and the minor leagues could make the jump as well in the coming weeks and months. Signing overseas provides a player in that situation the opportunity to make more money than they would even as a 40-man roster player with a stateside organization while seeing a higher level of competition than Triple-A allows.

As for the Pirates, Devanney’s departure doesn’t move the needle much. He was unlikely to unseat Jared Triolo at the hot corner and, while an addition to the infield could make plenty of sense given the team’s need for additional offensive firepower, any moves made on the dirt this winter won’t be done because of the loss of Devanney. In terms of infield depth, both Tsung-Che Cheng and Enmanuel Valdez are already on the 40-man roster and could easily slide into the bench role Devanney was expected to occupy.

Pirates Hire Kristopher Negron, Tony Beasley To Coaching Staff

By | at

The Pirates will be hiring Kristopher Negron as their new bench coach and Tony Beasley as the third base coach, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Negron has been on the Mariners’ coaching staff for the last four seasons, while Beasley returns to the Pirates organization after spending over a decade with the Rangers.

After concluding his six-year MLB playing career, Negron took on an assistant role in Seattle’s player development department in 2020 and then was the manager at Triple-A Tacoma in 2021.  He was then promoted to the big league staff as the first base coach before acting as the Mariners’ third base coach in 2025.

Negron (who turns 40 in February) now takes on his highest-profile coaching job yet, as Don Kelly’s chief lieutenant.  Kelly was Pittsburgh’s bench coach himself when he was promoted to the manager’s job in May when Derek Shelton was fired, and though Gene Lamont essentially filled the bench coach role in a capacity as an advisor to Kelly, the position wasn’t officially filled until now.

Beasley is a familiar face in Pittsburgh, having spent six seasons with the Bucs as a minor league player and then several seasons as a manager, coach, and instructor at both the minor and Major League levels.  Beasley’s previous stint on Pittsburgh’s MLB staff came in 2008-10, when was the club’s third base coach.

Once that stint ended, Beasley moved on to four years in the Nationals’ farm system as a manager and instructor before he joined the Rangers as their third base coach prior to the 2015 season.  Beasley’s time in Texas included a World Series ring with the 2023 team and a 48-game stint as interim manager in 2022 after Chris Woodward was fired.

Negron and Beasley are the latest new faces on a revamped Pittsburgh coaching staff, as Bill Murphy was also hired as the new pitching coach a few weeks ago.  The Pirates liked enough of what they saw from Kelly to give him a contract extension at season’s end, and the skipper is now apparently getting some input in reshaping his staff.  In a sense there’s nowhere to go but up for a team that has endured seven straight losing seasons, and still hasn’t gotten out of rebuild mode despite the presence of Paul Skenes and an overall enviable amount of pitching depth.

Reds Hire Oscar Marin As Bullpen Coach

By | at

The Reds on Thursday announced the hiring of Oscar Marin as their new bullpen coach. Marin, who served as the Pirates’ pitching coach from 2020-25, will take over for Matt Tracy, who’s moved from bullpen coach to assistant pitching coach. Last year’s assistant pitching coach, Simon Mathews, was hired away as the Nationals’ new pitching coach earlier this week.

Marin broke into pro ball back in 2010 with the Rangers, working as a coach and assistant in their minor league ranks for seven years. He then joined the Mariners as their minor league pitching coordinator from 2017-18 before returning to the Rangers organization as their bullpen coach in 2019.

Plenty went wrong for the Pirates during Marin’s tenure with the organization, although generally speaking, the pitching staff was far down the list of the team’s problems. Pittsburgh’s offense and struggles to develop young hitters are known flaws of the organization, but the Pirates have done well in drafting and developing young pitchers. While many Pirates top hitting prospects have stalled out in Triple-A or the majors, pitchers like Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, Jared Jones, Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows, Mitch Keller and others have had plenty of success at the MLB level with Marin as their lead pitching instructor.

Marin was one of the Pirates’ first hires after initially tabbing Derek Shelton as their manager. Shelton was dismissed in May — he’s since been hired as the new Twins’ manager — and replaced by bench coach Don Kelly, whose contract was extended at season’s end. While Kelly and Marin have worked together for several years, the Bucs opted not to renew Marin’s contract. The Pirates hired former Astros pitching coach Bill Murphy to fill their pitching coach vacancy late last month.

The 42-year-old Marin (43 next month) will now join Terry Francona’s staff and bring more than a half decade of experience as a pitching coach — some of it spent alongside highly respected Brent Strom — to a Cincinnati team that is deep in pitching talent (albeit more in the rotation than in the bullpen at present).

Pirates Could Commit $30-40MM In 2026 Payroll This Offseason

By | at

The Pirates are desperately in need of offense to support an excellent young pitching staff. General manager Ben Cherington said yesterday that the front office has “more flexibility than they’ve had in [any] other offseasons” since he was hired going into the 2020 season. That might enable them to make multiple additions from the middle tiers of free agency.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the Bucs could commit between $30-40MM to their 2026 payroll. That’s at the higher end of what they’ve spent in previous offseasons. They spent narrowly above $30MM in free agency going into the 2023 and ’24 campaigns. That dropped to roughly $20MM last winter. They haven’t signed a multi-year free agent contract in nearly a decade. Their $10.5MM signing of Aroldis Chapman over the 2023-24 offseason is the only eight-figure free agent deal of the Cherington era.

Pittsburgh offloaded the remaining four years and $36MM on the Ke’Bryan Hayes contract in their deadline trade with Cincinnati. Dealing David Bednar to the Yankees subtracted an arbitration salary that MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects at $9MM. The Bucs have $30.5MM committed to Mitch Keller and Bryan Reynolds next season. They’re likely to spend somewhere between $12-15MM on their arbitration class. They opened this past season with a player payroll around $88MM, so it makes sense that they could add something like $30-40MM. That’d put them a little shy of this past season’s level before accounting for $10-15MM in minimum salary players to round out the roster.

The bigger factor may be whether the Pirates more aggressively pursue free agents on multi-year deals. Cherington told MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald in August that the Bucs have made multi-year offers over the years, but none have been accepted. They haven’t signed a free agent who rejected a qualifying offer since Francisco Liriano in 2014.

It’d register as a surprise if they break that trend for Gleyber Torres or Trent Grisham, though they theoretically have the payroll space to accommodate a three- or four-year deal for one of those players if they wanted to focus most of their resources into one acquisition. Ha-Seong Kim, Luis Arraez, Ryan O’Hearn and Harrison Bader are borderline two- or three-year deal candidates — none of whom was tagged with the QO. Mike Yastrzemski, Cedric Mullins and Max Kepler could sign one-year deals that are towards the higher end of what Pittsburgh has spent in prior offseasons.

It’s also possible the Bucs leverage their starting pitching on the trade market. Dealing Keller would knock another $16.5MM off the books while probably bringing back a mid-tier hitter or two. They could swap Mike Burrows or Thomas Harrington for a similarly controllable bat who has shown some promise. Cherington and his group can look at virtually every position for offensive help. Spencer Horwitz is set for the lion’s share of playing time at first base. Oneil Cruz will be somewhere in the outfield, probably center, while Reynolds is locked into right field. There’s virtually nothing else set in stone, though top prospect Konnor Griffin certainly projects as the long-term answer at shortstop.

Paul Skenes Wins NL Cy Young Award

By | at

Paul Skenes has won his first career Cy Young award. The Pirates righty is named the National League’s best pitcher one year after winning Rookie of the Year and finishing third in Cy Young balloting. He beat out Cristopher Sánchez and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the honors. The vote was unanimous, as he received all 30 first-place votes. Sánchez was second on every ballot, so it wasn’t until third that voters began to diverge.

Skenes is the third pitcher in franchise history to win the Cy Young, joining Vernon Law (1960) and Doug Drabek (1990). He turned in an MLB-best 1.97 earned run average over his first full season in the big leagues. He’d posted a 1.96 mark across 23 starts as a rookie. He’s the only starting pitcher in the majors with a sub-2.00 ERA over the past two seasons. Skenes ranked fourth in the NL with 187 2/3 innings pitched and tied Jesús Luzardo for second with 216 strikeouts.

Only Logan Webb recorded more strikeouts. Skenes ranked fifth in strikeout rate (minimum 100 innings) and third behind Webb and Sánchez with 20 quality starts. He led the Senior Circuit with a 2.36 FIP and placed fifth with a 3.10 SIERA. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference each had him in essentially a dead heat with Sánchez for the Wins Above Replacement lead.

The 2023 first overall pick is widely considered one of the two best pitchers in the sport. There’s a fair debate between him and two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, but they’re almost certainly 1-2 in some order. Fans of other teams may dream about prying Skenes out of Pittsburgh, but that’s not happening anytime soon. General manager Ben Cherington stated in no uncertain terms yesterday that their ace would remain a Pirate in 2026. He’s under club control for another four seasons, and while a trade may be in the cards down the line, the immediate focus for player and team is getting the Bucs to the postseason. Skenes is the most important player on a team trying to break a decade-long playoff drought.

Sánchez had a breakout season to establish himself as a true ace for the Phillies. He fired 202 innings of 2.50 ERA ball across 32 starts. He finished fourth in the NL with 212 strikeouts. Sánchez had been a borderline top-of-the-rotation starter between 2023-24, earning a top 10 Cy Young finish in the second of those seasons. This was his first time posting a sub-3.00 ERA or topping 200 innings and strikeouts, so he certainly leveled up in his age-28 season. He’s signed through 2028 and under control through ’30 via a pair of club options on one of the most team-friendly contracts in the game.

Yamamoto’s World Series heroics weren’t a factor in the voting, which takes place at the end of the regular season. He earned his first All-Star nod and first Cy Young votes by turning in a 2.49 ERA across 30 starts. Yamamoto managed 201 strikeouts across 173 2/3 innings while leading the NL with fewer than six hits allowed per nine innings. Yamamoto had flashed ace potential in his first MLB season, but he was limited to 18 starts by a rotator cuff strain in 2024. He showed what he’s capable of in a full season in year two, and the Dodgers have won consecutive World Series in the first two seasons of his record-setting $325MM free agent contract.

Just over half of voters placed Yamamoto third. Webb received 10 third-place votes and finished fourth overall. Freddy Peralta picked up the four remaining third-place nods and landed in fifth place. Skenes and Sánchez were the only pitchers who appeared on every ballot. Nick Pivetta, Jesús Luzardo, Andrew Abbott and Zack Wheeler also received votes.

Image courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images. Full vote tally available courtesy of BBWAA.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top