This is the latest post of MLBTR’s annual Offseason in Review series, in which we take stock of every team’s winter dealings.
The ever-patient Pirates are again in wait-and-see mode after spending much of the offseason on the sidelines.
Major League Signings
- Jung Ho Kang (re-signed), 3B: 1 year, $3MM
- Lonnie Chisenhall, OF: 1 year, $2.75MM
- Jordan Lyles, RP/SP: 1 year, $2.05MM
- Total spend: $7.8MM
Trades and Claims
- Acquired SS/UTL Erik Gonzalez, RHP Dante Mendoza and RHP Tahnaj Thomas from Cleveland for OF Jordan Luplow and IF Max Moroff
- Acquired RHP Wilkin Ramos from Oakland for RHP Tanner Anderson
- Acquired RHP Yordi Rosario and $500K in international spending capacity from the White Sox for RHP Ivan Nova
- Claimed RHP Aaron Slegers off waivers from Minnesota
- Claimed RHP Jake Barrett off waivers from San Francisco
Notable Minor League Signings
- Francisco Liriano, Melky Cabrera, Tyler Lyons, Nick Franklin, Rookie Davis, Brandon Maurer, JB Shuck, Vicente Campos, Roberto Gomez, Steven Baron, Patrick Kivlehan
Notable Losses
- Nova, Luplow, Moroff, Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison
Needs Addressed
The mid-decade Pirates, bursting at the seams with full-burn stars and depth for days, as well as a top-end farm system, were as well-positioned as any in recent memory for the Big Move, a three- or four-for-one swap that would have catapulted the team to the top of the National League. It never came. Fan clamoring fell on deaf ears in the team’s front office, which preferred to lean on its then-renowned player development system to unveil its next crop of new-wave talent, already, it often seemed, in full bloom.
Struggles followed. Stalwarts Starling Marte and Jung-Ho Kang were sidelined with off-field issues, Andrew McCutchen was an avatar of his former self, and the top end of the rotation looked more like the middle. The team’s vaunted Shark Tank bullpen had been drained. Nascent cornerstone Gregory Polanco had hit the skids. The window, suddenly, seemed closed.
But as the team plodded through a mediocre 2018 season (and after McCutchen and Gerrit Cole had been sent packing in the months prior), the brass finally showed its sword, sending out multiple top prospects in deadline deals for late-inning reliever Keone Kela and peripheral ace Chris Archer. It felt like Pittsburgh, so often content to fold, may finally be primed to throw its chips into the middle.
Alas, as the offseason’s nears its end, the Pirates are still playing coy. The team didn’t spend more than $3MM on a single free agent this offseason. Its only major trade – an attempt to shore up shortstop, its weakest position in recent years – brought back a 27-year-old utility player in Erik Gonzalez as its headliner. Gonzalez, who’s slashed .263/.292/.389 in just 275 career MLB plate appearances, will get short’s first crack this season.
Another former Indian, Lonnie Chisenhall, was brought in on the cheap for corner-outfield insurance; the team will cash in the policy immediately, as Gregory Polanco, who finally broke out in ’18, will miss at least the first few weeks with a shoulder injury. Chisenhall’s last two seasons have been marred by injury; they’ve also been fueled by rockets, as the 30-year-old has posted successive career-highs in hard-hit rate, OBP, and wRC+, and appeared finally to be fulfilling his early-career promise when on the field.
Jung Ho Kang, the soon-to-be 32-year-old third baseman, is the real wildcard here. The team would like to find regular at-bats for Colin Moran, but Kang, who’s posted a team-best 129 career wRC+, could anchor the lineup if he can somehow regain his form. After multiple DUI arrests in his native Korea, and a sexual assault charge levied in his brief time in the states, Kang’s leash will be short – too long, still, for some fans, but the Pirates clearly know what they have in the former MVP of the KBO, and will be over the moon if he can at least approximate his mid-decade output.
Under-the-radar bullpen pickups Lyons, Maurer, Barrett, and Liriano (once a key figure in the team’s renaissance) endeavor to give the unit the depth it lacked in recent years. If even one can be righted under the mystical tutelage of pitching coach Ray Searage, the Tank may yet be full again.
Jordan Lyles will bring his steadily-climbing fastball velocity and much-improved curveball to the battle for the fifth rotation spot. Prolonged stretches of effectiveness have thus far eluded him in his eight-year MLB career. By effectively swapping him in for Ivan Nova, the Pirates shaved over $6MM of payroll but parted with Nova’s steady (if unspectacular) output.
Questions Remaining
The outfield unit is set and could be a fairly good one if Chisenhall is healthy and Marte and Corey Dickerson can repeat their 2018 efforts. Melky Cabrera is presently battling with J.B. Shuck, Patrick Kivlehan, and Nick Franklin for a roster spot and a reserve role. They’ll have to beat out 40-man members Pablo Reyes and Jose Osuna for a seat at the table.
Catcher (Francisco Cervelli and Jacob Stallings, pending the return of Elias Diaz) and first base (Josh Bell) are settled. Otherwise, there are even greater questions in the infield but also quite a few possibilities. Third base will be covered at the outset by a Moran/Kang platoon, while Adam Frazier will factor heavily at second and Gonzalez figures to have the inside track at short.
It’s not hard to envision changes at the 4-5-6 positions throughout the season. Shortstop is the real issue here, but the team, with its grounder-heavy staff, has never much seemed to care about offense at the position, instead entrenching sure-handed gamers like Jordy Mercer and Clint Barmes there in the last few seasons. Gonzalez is cut from similar cloth. Former top prospect Kevin Newman – who once ranked as high as #23 overall on Keith Law’s list – is hot on Gonzalez’s heels, though he hasn’t hit much after a midseason promotion to AA in 2016. Kevin Kramer is another well-regarded middle-infield prospect; he has served mostly at second base in the minors. Kramer struggled in his first taste of the majors last year, but only after turning in an eye-opening run at Triple-A. Reyes may also factor in the infield mix. Top prospects Cole Tucker (shortstop) and Ke’Bryan Hayes (third base) are nearing MLB readiness and could force their way up during the season to come.
The back-end of the rotation could be a problem: Joe Musgrove, though possessing of the ideal command/sink combination that drives the organization wild, has a checkered injury history and again dealt with multiple ailments last season. Trevor Williams has solidified his spot, but he rarely misses a bat (his swing-and-miss rate was the league’s third-lowest last season) and ERA estimators (xFIP, in particular) are not optimistic. If either falters, or misses significant time, the Pirates better hope that Nick Kingham (torched in limited action last season) or top prospect Mitch Keller is ready to make the jump. You have to squint to see Lyles as a suitable replacement for Nova, leaving the Bucs heavily reliant upon their preexisting collection of young arms.
What to Expect in ’19
The NL Central looks to be a thresher. The best-case scenario still has the Pirates contending for the Central crown, but it’s perched atop a heap of ifs: Archer returning to his dominant 2013-15 form, the back end of the rotation staying healthy and delivering quality innings, Polanco making a swift recovery and showing no ill effects, Frazier serving non-believers a season-long taste of crow, one of Moran, Kang, or Chisenhall emerging as a middle-of-the-order threat, and good health abounding. The likeliest outcome is that the Pirates hover in equilibrium, still stuck an arm’s-length away from the elusive treasure.
How would you grade the Pirates’ offseason efforts? (Poll link for app users.)
i think D is more valid, but out of principle my feelings on the Pirates FO require docking them a grade point irregardless.
Obviously they get a A. I mean should really only be about 4 people allowed to vote on the poll anyway. Everyone else was yelling collusion last year and said they weren’t trying to win. Time to stop having opinions and letting the experts run the team. Otherwise they give in to pressure and make a bad trade and of course you people who love the trade at the time won’t be sasiftied and when it turns out to be bad will lie and say you hated it.
Last year they didn’t sign ANY free agents lol. The team did do better then expected, that’s thanks to the players. Not the owner.
Haha so far Erik Gonzalez is working out as a solution at short, as much as Moran was a solution at 3B..
Aka almost anyone who’s played the position could easily replace them.
This FO is all about making as much money as possible.
They spent less than 10Mil on additions, while other teams are actually improving spending 10Mil+ on a single player
…. Because that player actually improves their team, unlike Gonzalez, ChisenDL, and Lyles..
Would’ve liked to have seen them go after actual impact players like Adam Jones and Freddy Galvis for literally the same price as they spent on the nobodies(8mil)..
That’s just bad MGMT, panicked while assuming top targets would get more money, then stuck with their hands in their pocket when it’s March and they’re still available, but already blew ur massive 10Mil budget on AAAAers..
Patient every year in free agency, except the one friggin year they shoulve been,,
last place.
I still don’t think that the Reds got that much better for them to pass the Bucs. Alex Wood isn’t any better than either Taillon or Williams, and Roark and Gray are a bit questionable to say the least. Chisenhall could probably do just as good as Kemp could in a full season. Puig can’t hit left handed pitchers, but we’ll see how the season plays out.
This was an incredibly well written piece. Thanks for the brain candy Ty
Are they even trying?
To be truly great, it is to make everything look effortless.
The players are but the FO isn’t.
Low C, high D. I did like the Chisenhall signing and them bring back Kang, but they missed out on a handful of opportunities to improve their team for a similar price, like signing Jordan Lyles for $2 million when Clay Buchholcz signed for $3 million.
That’s about exactly where I put them and for the same reasons. Melky Cabrera is an interesting flyer for them, I think a vet presence off the bench who switch hits is an excellent idea. However I think relying on Lyles and Erik Gonzalez as much as they are, when for example Buchholz and Adeiny Hechevarria would barely have cost more, is a terrible idea.
Kuechel is still sitting out there, unsigned, while we watch Lyles/Kingham et al get raked in spring training…
Pgh is short-handing their pitching staff just like they did a few years ago. They have a nice core of SP & RP, but the periphery is thin & weak. Adding just 1-2 above-average arms – which are affordable/available on the market – would remove a ton of risk/downside, but the Pgh FO obviously works under a self-imposed salary cap.
Peripheral ace is the best description of Archer I’ve ever heard. If it never translates to bottom line results, what is one to make of Archer?
Tremendously overhyped.
“Wait and See Mode” is probably the nicest I’ve seen it put regarding the Pirates front office.
The Pirates needed to add 10 wins to safely contend in 2019. They didn’t do that.
2019 for fans is wait and see what excuse Nutting and Neil are coming up with to start easing the pain that Taillon will not be signed long term and we should be hopeful about the minor league system that doesn’t really exist. This is the first time in a long time the minor league system seriously lacks depth. Will that change their management strategies?
The naysayers about Pirates offseason don’t understand much about their 40 man roster.
The AAA team is stacked right now. They literally have 40 or 45+ FV prospects at ALL positions (except catcher). They also have starters Mitch Keller and JT Brubaker who they really like that are ready for ML starts now.
They also have high upside Nick Burdi in bullpen (Rule 5) and are keeping 3 catchers on ML roster. So they have a roster crunch.
My comment meant they lack depth for potential to be star players. They have had this in the past with an abundance of high potential high rank prospects. They could try and sell us on the fact that they don’t need to pay veterans because the risk factor of young Talent was low due to abundance. They don’t have that anymore. If Keller produces like Glassnow the Pirates are screwed. They have nobody else close to MLB ready that can be a 1 or a 2.
They might have few players with 5 WAR potential but they might lead the league in players with 3.5 WAR potential on their 40 man. Since it’s pretty hard to predict who will become a 5 WAR player I like their odds.
They also have 4 very good starters controlled for 3 or 4 years (5 with Chad Kuhl). Eno Sarris predicted Joe Musgrove could be this year’s Blake Snell. Archer could be great in NL and in a pitcher’s park. Williams…Taillon etc. Kingham, Brault could be good 4th-5th starters as could Lyles. THEN Mitch Keller who I watched pitch like Taillon in AA.
Agreed. If Keller flops, then there is *zero* high-end pitching potential in the system.
Despite their reputatiion, Pgh struggles to develop starting pitchers. They’ve drafted & acquired a few, but all of Pgh’s SP seem to have their best years playing for other teams.
both Morton & Cole left Pgh & immediately had ‘career’ years. how is this NOT an indictment of Pgh’s approach to piching/development?
Remind me when it is time to get excited about 40/45 prospects. The problem with the Bucs is their lack of impact players. Hayes, Keller, Tucker, et al, are all ‘nice’ players, but none are projected to be stars, which is what they need.
My apologies I meant to say AT LEAST 40 or 45. Keller and Hayes are 55. Tucker is 50. Then the other five 40/45s. All in AAA.
An FV rating of 50 projects the player to be an average MLB player. Those with 45 or 40 are less than average. While Keller and Hayes are prospects to get excited about these 40/45 players probably make up a majority of all AAA teams. I wouldn’t use them in an argument supporting organization depth.
Currently the Indians do not have a single league average OF. Last year the Cubs did not have 1 league average starter.
League average (for league minimum) is actually quite good.
LOTS of league average players is actually EXACTLY how you support organizational depth.
I give the Bucs offseason an F… for “FABULOUS.”
You boys fought hard last season but I do believe it’s time for a rebuild.
Is there a way for MLBTR to link all these Off-Season Reviews together so we could go to them quickly if we didn’t catch them the day they were written?
Poll hasn’t worked for the last two for me
The worst part about the Pirate offseason is it’s hard (if not damn near impossible) to figure out the club’s direction. As the article notes, the trades for Archer and Kela are all-in, win-now kinds of moves. To follow that up with Erik Gonzalez and other flotsam and jetsam just doesn’t jive with that.
Well said.
I don’t know why the pirates didn’t move on from kang
because he hits w/ power, which is something Pgh desperately needs.
i fully expect Kang to have a monster year in ’19 – it is obvious that he is sober+ready.
I keep hearing how the NLC is going to be a 5 team race, but i just don’t see it. The Cubs, Brewers and Cards are the three that will be tight. I have doubts the Reds and Pirates even sniff .500 by the end of July, much less September.
Trading Marte should have been a priority.
Trading Marte a year after giving away Meadows would be a difficult move to justify, IMO.
Pgh over-paid for Archer.
Bad Management welcome to empty seats and last place
The rest of the division got better, no question. The Reds I don’t think added enough to beat the Pirates this year, however, the Pirates did not do enough to beat the rest of the lot.
Year after year ownership will not shell out the necessary cost to produce a winner. Instead they talk about leading the league in nutritional data spending. NH is a good GM, it is a shame to see him take the beating for not getting the appropriate funds to put a team on the field.
If the Pirates added the 35 mil or so to bring them to the middle 3rd in payroll you can bet they’d be in the mix. The Reds are 17th as I write this, in a similar market, same division, and with less attendance over the last 3 years but carry a payroll with 57 million more than the Pirates. No doubt in my mind this team is a contender with 35 mil added to the payroll.
Just a note, Diaz is the Pirates back up catcher but is out due to sickness. Once healthy he will overtake Stallings as the backup.
I added that bit and should have mentioned him. Thanks.
to add on too a bit, pirates may carry three, and have Cervelli playing more 1b.. they’re trying it out more this spring.. seems to be going okay.
The addressed the Polanco injury rather well by picking up a number of Outfielders and in Lonnie’s case potential corner infield help. And thats not to mention Jason Martin’s HOT spring.
Pirates will likely carry 3 catchers and maybe use Cervelli at first to spell Bell and to keep who ever is hot in the lineup. (assuming diaz is better)
Frazier is a fair upgrade offensively to Harrison (over last year) and looks like he is developing into a solid fielder.
Erik and Kevin ‘should’ be able to hold short down as good as Mercer did.. and Tuckers defense maybe here sooner than later…. though with Iglasis going on a Minors deal… it seems dumb that the pirates didn’t get him on a majors deal. Either should be filling in when frazier needs a spell.
Kang looks to be picking up where he left off and If Moran starts hitting maybe start seeing a few innings at short if more offense is needed. ‘i think’ Moran has an option left if Hayes forces is way in later in the year.
Top 4 of the rotation could be the best in the division if they continue what they where doing… but that 5th spot is still wide open. I like what they got in the Nova trade, but don’t like that they haven’t filled it. Keller got beat up hard in spring. Not overly worried but something to really keep an eye on.
Pen also looks very solid, Liriano and Lyles should probably be in the pen to start the season but maybe forced into a starting role.
Over all, lower to Solid B, would be higher if they would’ve gotten Jose, Troy, Gio and/or a solid pen lefty. The team should be better this year than last. And the division isn’t all that much tougher than last year.
The 5th rotation spot is looking ‘Vogelsong-esque’, which is both avoidable & fatal. That last rotation spot has handicapped Pgh for years, and it is looking bad again this year. Heaven-forbid they spend $3mil. to plug an obvious gaping hole…
Grade is a ‘D’. Would only be an ‘F’ if they had traded Vasquez, Taillon, or Marte. That said, a proven MLB starting LHP is all that it would take to bump them up to the same level as Brewers & Cards (Cubs should beat them all, but don’t seem to be able to put it all together on the field). I wanted JA Happ, but since he is off the table, the guy still sitting and waiting for a contract is Dallas Keuschel. Insert him into the middle of the Buccos rotation, Williams, whom I love but I don’t believe will ever match what he did 2nd half of last season again, slides to 4th spot, and all the questions about #5 now also include Musgrove (lyles, Kingham, Keller).
Payroll would still only be in the $90M range, so mid-season pick-up not out of the question IF they’re in it…
Woulfnt be shocked if tanner anderson does well this year. 92 mph sinker, good control although probably just a back rotation type
Well you will not see the wave this year. Not enough fans in the stands
It’ll be interesting to see Charlie Hayes’s son, Ke’Bryan. Apparently will be in the mix for Gold Glove every season, just needs his bat to catch up.
Really, his bat has been fine as is. He’s just not much of a power hitter. But I’d be happy if he was the player he is now: a guy who can provide a good batting average, and OBP a season with plus defense and base running.
I think that Pirate management whiffed this off season so I gave them a D.
They should have signed veteran relievers and traded Kingham and Brault.
They should have signed Iglesias to a one year pact.
They should have kept Nova or upgraded him.
I think Chisenhall and Cabrera were good stopgap measures,and the Kang resigning was smart.
They had the chance to follow up on the Archer trade and blew it.
Pirates management have missed a big opportunity this offseason. After the Archer and Kela acquisitions, the team is right on that line of good and pretty good. This year, however, in their division, good to pretty good might get you 4th place.
I don’t really have any problems with the moves they have made this offseason. In fact, I’m a big fan of their moves. Chisenhall is a great addition to the roster, as is Gonzalez. The real problem is that they needed to get another difference-maker (or two). A more solid starter than Lyles, Kingham, and Brault and a real starting shortstop would have been the clearest areas to be more aggressive. Their non-moves seem to indicate that they are banking on Tucker and Keller being productive in MLB relatively soon.
For Pete’s sake… Jose Iglesias and Ervin Santana signed MINOR LEAGUE CONTRACTS! Even those two are likely to upgrade the team to a decent degree. That’s not including other pitchers that signed for cheap… or the pitchers or shortstops that could have been traded for.minor cost. Simply missed opportunities.
However, that all being said, I DO think it’s possible for the Pirates to win the division. Milwaukee’s rotation looks bad; Cubs could stagnate; Cards have question marks; and I’ll believe the Reds when I see it.
I just came here to mention that this team has the worst ownership group in all of professional sports. Bob freaking Nutting.
I ranked it as a solid “D”. I wish they made a bigger move at SS and feel the rotation is going to rank 18th-22nd in the league by the end of the season. Pirates really haven’t added a “thump” of a bat at 3rd or RF (with Polanco out for almost half season). I haven’t been impressed with any of the moves this offseason. Chisenhill is injury prone. Liriano is a washed up pitcher. Lyles is a bullpen piece as is Brault. Musgrave has the potential to get hurt each year. At least 1-3 starters look decent on paper.
OF is a question mark in my mind. Can Marte step up this year? Will Dickerson repeat or bust this year? Can Polanco come back as strong as last year after his surgery? And not to mention my doubts at 3rd. I think Moran and Kang are busts. I think Kang better days are behind him. Moran is just not a everyday starter for a contending club. He is at best a PH off the bench. I think 1B and Josh Bell is not even going to be league average. He doesn’t have the “pop” that a 1B should have. I think he will hit for good average and play average Defense.
Frazier got my attention the last few years and I am glad he is getting his chance to showcase what he can do at 2nd. I’ve also waited for Diaz to make his mark in the MLB. I think Diaz can be better than Cervelli or Russell Martin offensively and slightly lower in play calling and framing than the other two are. I am happy to see a healthy Tallion this year. Archer should benefit with sub par defense behind him. Williams (if he can keep the ball on the ground) should add to a nice trio.
Again, better signings at 3B/SS/OF/ 4th and 5th SP would have given them at least a “B” in my grading. FA wasn’t great but wasn’t bad either. I think the FO dropped the ball again this year. I just have some hope we won’t be in the cellar this year.
Lyles/Kingham/Brault = 5th rotation spot. This is a typical Pgh planning/move, which will end up hurting the team immediately.
Buchholz could’ve been an instant upgrade there for a mere $3mil., but Pgh’s FO is happy to forfeit every 5th game (coughVogelsongcough). Same story, different season.
I lost my faith in this front office when they traded Nova for nothing and did not have a free agent upgrade in mind.His $8M salary was high but he was a good fifth starter which they no longer have.There were free agent options to follow but they did not sign any.The fifth starter position is not a lot less important than the ace of the staff.It was at that point that I realized what many had been saying all along that money saving is the principle goal of this management team.
It is basically what David Freese was hinting at last spring training.The problem is that the players realize it and they know that they have to fight an uphill battle.
well said.
and if your team lacks an “ace” – Pgh hasn’t developed/fielded an ace SP since Doug Drabek – then those 3/4/5 rotations spots are that much more important.
i’m obviously sick-and-tired of Pgh’s FO, their “competing” double-talk and over-rated analytics dept., but i’m downright homicidal when it comes to Pirate fans who defend Pgh’s owner & FO. Any self-respecting GM would have quit when asked to aim for mediocrity. NH is 100% complicit, imo.
If Mitch Keller is ready to come up and take a rotation spot by midseason, then their off season was fine.
If he’s not, weakness in the rotation depth will turn what was supposed to be a strength and turn it into a question mark, which would then likely sink any chance they have this season.
No pressure, Mitch.