Contract extensions, including deals for right-handers Aaron Nola (Phillies) and Luis Severino (Yankees), have been a dominant story across Major League Baseball this week. Sooner than later, the Pirates should follow the Phillies and Yankees in inking their own excellent young righty, Jameson Taillon, for the long haul, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review opines. Unlike Philly and New York, both of which secured their aces to four-year guarantees worth $40MM or more, Pittsburgh’s not a big spender, perhaps making it all the more important for the Bucs to lock up Taillon at an affordable price in the near future. However, Taillon – who still has four years of control remaining, including three arbitration-eligible seasons – revealed this week that he and the club “haven’t talked about anything” yet. Barring an unexpected change, the 27-year-old will pitch this season for a relative pittance after logging a 3.20 ERA/3.46 FIP with 8.43 K/9 and 2.17 BB/9 over 191 innings in 2018.
More from the NL Central…
- Like Taillon, Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw hasn’t discussed an extension with his club, he told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com and other reporters Saturday. Shaw did note that he’d like to be a long-term Brewer, though, and won’t take umbrage at shifting to second base if the team re-signs free-agent third baseman Mike Moustakas. Shaw saw his first major league action at the keystone last year, when he made 39 appearances there (compared to 107 at third). Offensively, the soon-to-be 29-year-old delivered his second straight season of 30-plus home runs, helping him notch his second consecutive campaign with at least 3.5 fWAR. Now in his third-last year of team control, Shaw will earn a team-friendly $4.675MM salary.
- One of Shaw’s fellow Brewers infielders, Hernan Perez, underwent offseason surgery to remove a bone chip in his left wrist, Haudricourt writes. While Perez didn’t mention the injury last season, “it was bothering me a lot,” he said Saturday. The 27-year-old is healthy now, however, and unless the Brewers make a spring acquisition in the form of Moustakas or another infielder, Perez could see substantial playing time again in 2019. From 2016-18, Perez amassed 1,222 plate appearances – including 334 last season – though he combined to hit just .262/.294/.411 during that three-year period.
- The Reds have been one of the majors’ most active teams in recent months, and they remain “open for business,” according to president Dick Williams (via John Fay and Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Williams likes the team as it’s currently constructed, but he added, “We have some resources to do deals if we find the right ones.” It’s out of the question Cincinnati will pursue Bryce Harper or Manny Machado in free agency, and it’s unlikely it’ll go back after previous target Dallas Keuchel, Fay and Nightengale suggest. Rather, the Reds could look to bolster their depth, specifically in center field and at a shortstop, per Fay and Nightengale.
if players are going to do extensions, it may be in their best interest only to extend thru 2020 or 2021 so they can see what the new CBA will be like. in the end they may end up screwing themselves being proactive now.
MLB should tell Pittsburgh owners to spend on players, or sell the team: us fans are so sick of these penny pinching billionaires trying to pocket the maximum amount of profit instead of putting the best possible team they can out on the field.
It’s always excuses excuses as to why they refuse to spend on FAs, but it also always boils down to them wanting to make more money and when the players drive the game, the owners owe it to the fans to spend the profits they make on players.
Taillon will follow in the footsteps of all the other Pirates when the time nears to get paid. He’ll be traded beforehand for a minimal return, like the deals the Pirates got for their other stars, because the rest of MLB knows they just want to salary dump.
Then they give up a King’s ransom in the Archer deal. You wouldn’t actually have to be a real General Manager in baseball to dump salary or get fleeced by another team.
Strike Four & Grizzled Vet; you’re both wrong. Why is it fans get so enamored with big $$ free agency every offseason? The Reds will surely pass the Pirates because they were big players in the off season. Right? Not necessarily, if you ask me the Reds farm system must suck because other than Votto 10 years ago & Suarez about 5 years ago, every great prospect has fizzled & been traded. Now they want to try to move up quick, adding players other teams are trying to get rid of. Free agency might get you a game or 2 gain in wins, but the long haul is built by smart systems.
And, for the 100th time, they did not give up a king’s ransom or get fleeced in the Archer deal. Glasnow was terrible, they had no place for another 20 homer, 65 rbi, .280 hitting outfielder, & Baz is still years away & who knows if he’ll be any good. Archer has the ability to be a stud starter.
Baseball should tell the Pirates to spend, or in reality overpay for other team’s at least 7 year, 30 year old stars; so they can play about 5-6 years of a 10 year contract & suck for 4-5 of those years? Look at the track record of the big splash signings, Pujols – fits my description to a tee. How about Haywood? Fowler? A-Rod?
I don’t understand why you even mention the Reds and their prospects when you clearly don’t follow them. I don’t blame the other pirate fans for complaining. Pittsburgh should be able to generate a bigger payroll than they have now. The don’t have to go after Harper or Machado, but it’s nice to see your team do something to improve the team during the offseason.
I’m happy with all the moves the Reds have made. They traded no one in their top 6 prospects and will be a lot more competitive than what people think. Just don’t act like you know what’s going on with another team when you clearly don’t.
Shane Baz dropped our of the top 100 prospect list in 2018.. and there’s no guarantee that Glasnow and Meadows are the next Strasburg and Trout..
Fowler has had 1 productive season and 1 awful season out of his deal so far. It is a bit early to call it a total bust. If he doesn’t bounce back this year, then yes it would be a bust. But last year was so horrible that it was likely an outlier. Nobody falls off that much that fast just due to aging.
Vedder80- that deal was a bust before it was ever signed. He was never that money from the start. Good player? Yes. Never worth 5/$82.
Ty- The Reds are currently being praised for their offseason signings. Many publications and commenters say the Pirates should have copied, thus resulting in a 5th place finish.
Yet the Reds and most of their prospects disappoint year after year. If it were not true then how come they haven’t won more than 68 games since 2014?
Signing players for the sake of signing players is ignorant and irresponsible of management. Should the Pirates spend more? Absolutely. But should they do it to appease whiny fans? No.
The Reds have a few nice players but they’re destined for last place again.
The Reds are a train wreck, made desperation moves. Here’s a synopsis of their last 4-5 years: Billy Hamilton, next great CF & lead-off – gone. Adam Duvall, next great HR king – gone. Phillips, Cozart, Frazier, Cingrani, Bailey, Leake, Cueto, Bruce, Lagos, Chapman – all gone. 4 last place finishes in a row. I know something about the Reds, I live in Louisville. Can’t stand them because of Pete Rose the liar.
Congrats Yoo-hoo. I thought the most ignorant comment on this thread was by dcahen, but I hadn’t scrolled down far enough. Is there lead in the drinking water in Pittsburgh?
U might want to watch something other than Fox News, cause the Reds have a top 5ish farm system. Learn these names: Winker, Senzel, Trammell, Greene, India.
The Nile ain’t just a river in Egypt.
AT, Dcahen, And you go to Church every Sunday? The Reds will finish higher than the Pirates this year and I WOULD bet on it.
I know the names, just like I knew the other top prospect names that didn’t amount to much.
Like I said before the Reds have some nice players but they’ve had them before and nothing much happened. They often look good on paper but the results haven’t been there.
I’ll beleive it when I see it.
If Pirates sign Machado, they easily win the division.
…why are they out here like, we rebuilding .
Lol no
Take ur lol and shove it.
They have 2 aces, a ridic OF, good 1B, options at 2B, good catcher, good pen , good overall rotation.
Only huge holes are 3B & SS. So add Machado and they easily win an overrated division.
Cubs stink and, people are gonna be suprised how bad the Reds are.
So by your estimation the Pirates have huge holes at 3B, SS, and “have options” at 2B, and a “good “ BP and rotation, YET r going to “easily win” an overrated division by adding one player.
Hmmmm. Ok.
Shaw would be the perfect fit in Boston at second, idc what ppl say pedroia is done. His contract which was thought to be team friendly is going to hurt them. Horrible trade in retrospect to get thornhurt I mean thornburg.
The real remedy would be to go back in time and not sign Sandoval. I want to see what Thorny does this season before I think of this trade as a bust.
Thornburg staying healthy and being just decent would be a huge boost to the Bos bullpen. He and Smith would be like decent FA pickups if they can just stay on the field.
If the Pirates haven’t even talked to Taillon after the 2018 season that he had, about an extension….Neal, Nutting and the rest never will. Sadly he will be gone after the 2022 season, and probably before that. Taillon is a smart guy (and the Pirates’ union rep), and hopefully no one assumes he’s going to take a discounted contract extension, because he won’t.
The day Taillon became the union rep was the day, like Cole before him, that he became a cancer for the team. You’re right, he won’t take a discount extension, but whine to the media that the Pirates are cheap because they won’t overpay him.
Ehh…I disagree. Taillon is nothing like Cole. Cole didnt want to be in Pittsburgh from day 1. That was very evident. Taillon seems someone who enjoys playing in Pittsburgh. I’m not saying he’ll take a hometown discount, but I dont see him ever becoming a cancer to the team nor do I see him whining about anything. He is and acts like a mature adult. Cole was and still is a spoiled brat.
He’s already making comments to he media about salaries, etc. He and Cole are very tight and talk regularly. I can see him being difficult down the road.
Doesnt have to be a discount extension. For the amount of service time he has a market value extension based on previous deals of players with a similar service time and track record would easily fit in the Pirates’ budget. Nola and Severino’s extensions this week were for two players of relatively similar talent, though I’d agree with anyone who says Taillon is third best of the trio but he’s not far behind, that were about to go to an arbitration hearing whereas Taillon is still pre-arb for the upcoming season and both Nola and Severino got roughly an annual average value of about 10 million, or in Pirates terms, between Josh Harrison money last year and Cervelli money this year. There’s little to no reason for the front office to give Taillon an extension now instead of letting him play one last year at a tick above league minimum. I’d expect extension talks to begin next offseason as the Pirates know they can’t get players of Taillon’s caliber in the free agent market and the front office has a history of trying to get those building block types of players to sign early extensions, albeit thus far exclusively on the position player side, such as Cutch, Marte, Polanco and Tabata (Tabata’s deal didn’t work out but that’s not the point).
My personal theory is that the extensions that have been done were to avoid going year to year through arbitration to keep cost certainty and avoid the very real possibility of spending almost twice as much by going the arb route but that’s a whole different discussion.
I don’t blame owners for penny pinching these players it would be different if the player contracts weren’t guaranteed!!!!! how many times have we seen these player sign big long lucrative contracts only to get injured and not play again and still be on the books for years or they get paid and decided to phone it in and not be in shape or care what kind of production they give and the owners are just stuck paying millions
Ever hear of insurance? The owners aren’t as “stuck” as you say they are.
Insurance only kicks in if injured and out not if old and bad
What bothers me is the Pirates have shown no desire to deal with Scott Boras. We’ve seen it with both Pedro Alvarez and Gerrit Cole. They had ample opportunity to extend Gerrit Cole before he broke out in 2015, but instead them deemed it more essential to extend super duper utility man Josh Harrison.
The Pirates have extended stars before such as McCutchen, Cervelli, Polanco, and Vazquez. They should make the move and lock up their ace.
Shame they couldn’t sign Pedro to a big money deal.
Alvarez disappeared after the 2015 season. His defense was awful and he never adjusted to hitting lefties. He’s only a platoon player at best…
Sarcasm duly noted FWJBT.
Aside from being a good talent, Harrison was energetic, great clubhouse guy and community guy.
Cole was talented but it didn’t seem like he bought in to being a Pirate. As for Alvarez, it was pretty clear his future was a DH and the Pirates are lucky they didn’t sign him long term.
I do not think that Cole enjoyed playing in Pittsburgh but he was a very talented pitcher,selected number one overall.
The Pirates had to trade him because he would not ultimately sign here.
I think that he was a hothead at times and fairly immature,probably pampered since high school because of his talent.
I know that he was angered about his third year when they would not pay more than the minimum.I think it unfair to talented young players who are way underpaid for several years if they perform very well very early.
As for Pedro,I still miss his power,but there was no place for him to play.
As for the players entering their arbitration years,I think it stupid for them not to consider these big money guaranteed deals that are offered to them.
The operative word is guaranteed.
Too bad the Reds don’t make a splash on Harper. or Machado. The power would play well in that ballpark and I’m pretty sure they could raise prices, gain sponsors, and find ways to pay for it.
I’ll pass. Bryce Harper’s lazy style would not play well in Cincinnati. And the delta between Machado and Suarez is not great, plus Machado is a punk. There really is a reason spring training has started and they sit unsigned.
Sorry, but a half a million dollars a year to most Americans is more than a mere pittance. Granted its lower than others in his field, but still it is a paycheck that many would love to have.
Cardinals Fans are happy to See Paul Goldschmidt in a Cardinal uniform. However….Cardinal Fans are also envious of the Brewers Front Office and their owners! The Brewers are doing every thing they can to repeat as the Central Division Champions. The Reds have made dramatic changes adding more power to an already powerful offense. Plus, 3 starting pitchers. John Mozeliak of the Cardinals will do nothing else to improve. Not now and not at the trading deadline. Look for
The Cardinals to finish out of the playoffs for a 4th straight year. Possibly a 4th place finish in the Central. Unless Mozeliak is fired in June!!!