The Pirates announced they’ve released three players: right-hander Tanner Anderson, catcher Taylor Davis and utilityman Phillip Evans. Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster now sits at 37.
Anderson and Davis each made it to the majors at the very tail end of the regular season. Anderson was selected to the big league club on September 30. He made his first and only appearance of the season that night, tossing five innings of two-run ball out of the bullpen. It was very brief homecoming for the 28-year-old, who began his MLB career with the Bucs in 2018.
While Anderson has now earned a major league call in three separate seasons, he has just 12 appearances and 38 2/3 cumulative innings to show for it. Anderson owns just a 5.82 ERA in that limited time, but he has a 4.52 mark in more than 200 career Triple-A frames. That includes a 4.01 ERA over 51 2/3 innings between the A’s and Pirates’s top affiliates in 2021, albeit with an unexciting 12.3% strikeout rate.
Davis only made two MLB appearances, collecting a couple of singles in five at-bats. He’s appeared in parts of four major league campaigns but hasn’t tallied more than 20 plate appearances in any year. The 31-year-old spent most of this past season with the Triple-A affiliates of the Orioles and Bucs, hitting .248/.344/.325 between the two stops.
Evans has the most big league time of this group. He played in just under half the Pirates’ games in 2021, picking up 247 plate appearances while starting games at all four corner spots on the diamond. Evans drew walks at a robust 11.3% clip but didn’t make a huge offensive impact. He popped just five home runs en route to a .206/.312/.299 slash line.
Making way for new players? Trust in Cherington.
They’re probably just going to re-sign Gregory Polanco to another contract that pays him $14M a year.
I’m just kidding. I don’t get why they loved and respected that guy so much though. He was always by far the most overpaid player in that team and it’s not like he was really any good at baseball.
Lololol can you imagine pirates twitter if they did.
Yeah he absolutely did not live up to his expectations, but apparently he was a pro and great teammates in every other way. That’s why.
They obviously should have released him much earlier. However, you know they were hoping somehow he would turn into what they thought he’d be when they re-signed him.
Correa, Scherzer, Ray to Pittsburgh confirmed.
ROFLOL
Don’t forget about Freeman. I heard Seager was willing to switch positions because he was so excited to go there too.
Don’t you get sick of making these comments? Lol smh
What? Only could find three players to release? Gotta be at least seven or eight more they don’t need.
where would they go? china?
Tanner Anderson seems like a CPBL starter.
taiwan baseball is pretty good. i recommend mainland china.
Screaming and crying
I’m sure they were all like – at least we weren’t traded to the mets.
Please don’t ban me for asking but why is there no info out there on Felipe Vazquez’s club option being accepted or declined?
I assume that you’re being sarcastic. At least I hope so.
@leefieux Not at all. The contract was never voided so logic follows that they would have had to make a decision on that club option earlier this month. Declining it seems like the obvious choice but their transactions page doesn’t mention them doing that. And the club option also comes with a buyout which I’m not sure the Pirates can get off the hook for.
@lee
No, the dope is not joking. He’s got some fixation with Vazquez. He has no idea how contracts work, how the restricted list works, or how foreigners convicted of felonies are usually promptly deported. And above all that, he’s too lazy to use google to search previous articles from 3 years ago on him.
@bucsfan0004 No fixation. And I’d be willing to bet that I know more about how contracts and the restricted list work than you do.
Vazquez is facing charges in two other states. He will ultimately be deported but probably not until after those charges are adjudicated.
Maybe the goat has a phone relationship with vasquez
Nope! Try again.
He is on the MLB Restricted List. Not sure how that affects any option, but Vazquez was sentenced to 2-4 years jail time in August of this year.
@Fernando P I know he’s on the restricted list. I know he got 2-4 years. I guess the question I should be asking is how does it affect his club options.
What club options? His contract has been voided.
@Lloyd Emerson No it has not.
Lol you’re a good troll
@Dustyslambchops23 So now a troll is anyone you disagree with?
His contract has been voided. You can feign ignorance for whatever bizarre reason. Or write to Vasquez directly for additional clarification. I’m sure he warmly accepts his fan mail.
@Lloyd Emerson Where is your source on his contract being voided?
And no. Him being on the restricted list doesn’t count as his contract being voided.
@Lloyd Emerson Bro are you just not going to answer?
His contact is in effect voided in that they can not pay him even if they wanted to; he is ineligible. He is on the restricted list and can not collect his paycheck. The option is then voided because he can not collect either the salary or buyout
Why are you so worried and feigning ignorance about something so obvious and unimportant though? I have to agree with the others, it seems you’re merely trying to troll in about the most bizarre and out of place way you possibly can. It’s pathetic
@darkstar61 There’s a big difference between him being on the restricted list and his contract being voided entirely. It might not have any effect on him collecting his salary, but in writing, he is still a Pirate. The club options still exist. The guaranteed portion of his contract is now over so if the options were voided entirely he would no longer be listed on the Pirates roster, even on the restricted list.
And again, how am I trolling?
Or maybe the goat is Vasquezs ex bunkmate..goat got released and misses his bubba
Obsessivly talking about this at all when it is so obvious and nonsensical indicates you either have to be trolling or have some seriously odd issues
He is NOT on the Pirates roster, NOT on the Pirates payroll, and NOT on the Pirates mind
Why? He is on the restricted list. He can not be on their roster, he can not be on their payroll, and there’s obviously no reason for him to be on their minds
MLB has voided his ability to play, affect or collect anything. He is the biggest non factor there is, having less impact on anything than even dead guys. The only thing he can affect whatsoever is apparently your head, where he seems to live rent free if you’re serious with any of this garbage
@Ghost of ben BRAAAAAAAAAAAACK! Wrong.
@darkstar61 The restricted list still counts as being in their organization. Hence his Wikipedia page mentioning him being on the restricted list for the Pirates and the Pirates’ Wikipedia page including him on the roster under “restricted list” rather than not including him in any capacity.
“MLB has voided his ability to play, affect or collect anything.”
No they haven’t. Voiding a contract and placing a guy on the restricted list are completely different maneuvers. Players get placed on the restricted list all the time. But once they are taken off the list the league considers the matter closed and requires the team to pay any and all remaining salary commitments. No player has had their contract voided, terminated early or even renegotiated via the morals clause. At least not yet. And it hasn’t been for lack of opportunity (Jose Reyes, Hector Olivera, Odubel Herrera).
I truly do admire the troll job it’s decent work but its extremely soft to still be going on about this lol..
@jimthegoat Correct, yeah his contract has not been voided at the time of conviction. On the restricted list The pirates have to go through MLB and the MLBPA to void.
The MLBPA is pretty much obligated to defend Felipe’s contract to avoid teams from trying to ‘willy nilly’ voiding contacts. However, I doubt the MLBPA would put up much of a fight given the circumstances
I bet it gets voided and that back pay from the time charged can be kept.
Teams usually carry insurance on larger contracts (his was for the pirates) I wonder if this situation would fit? if they have to pay.
side note he could be out on probation soon (if not now) in PA because he already served two years… but other states haven’t gotten him to trial yet. When/if he gets convicted and serves the time he will probably be deported.
Maybe he’s just a lame lawyer looking for free info so he can represent Vasquez
@SpendNuttinWinNuttin You’re the troll
@joew If the Pirates attempt to void his contract or withhold pay for time he ISN’T on the restricted list the MLBPA is obligated to file a grievance. He’s a union member.
Vazquez isn’t entitled to any of the money from time spent on the restricted list. Nor is any other player who gets placed on the restricted list.
He is not out on probation yet. He was eligible in September but it wasn’t granted.
I just wanted to know why there is no information on his club options. I’d assumed the Pirates would immediately decline them the day after the World Series concluded. Him being on the restricted list doesn’t mean the options aren’t there anymore.
@Ghost of ben Try again
@jimthegoat
would think after the conviction the team immediately moved to void the contract that would make the options irrelevant.
But if the void fails, I would think they probably would need to pay the buy outs
of course, the is speculation quick skim of the rules yesterday, didn’t notice it.
@fernando
Don’t answer that dope. Every thread its “what about Vazquez?” What about the children he raped? He’s on the restricted list and will never see a penny of his contract. Not one penny. Ever. You can’t explain to an idiot that he has no options. After he serves time for raping children, he will be promptly deported like every other felon.
@bucsfan0004 I don’t want him to see another penny of his contract. I just wanted to know why the Pirates haven’t declined his club options yet. Him being suspended doesn’t mean the options go away.
You’re next Mitch Keller.
Keller isn’t going anywhere. He’s still young and affordablly controlled for a handful more years.
Hopefully he’ll be affordably controlled by some other team soon, because he sure as hell isn’t gonna figure it out in Pittsburgh.
With his controlled cheap price the team will likely give him every chance to turn it around unless they’re competing.
He showed signs at the end of the season that he was turning it around but he doesn’t look like the top end starter we hoped for and may end up in the pen.
If he doesn’t turn it around through 22 then he’ll likely be dropped.
Agree with this sentiment. A good last month or so gives him another few months to a year.
Wasn’t this announced before?
Not surprising, should have done this earlier.
Roster room for Rule V picks?
More like room for Rule 5 eligible prospects. The Pirates have a boatload of R5 eligible guys and are making as much room as possible.
I think I read they may need 12 possible spots before these moves, so 8-9 more may need released. And possibly a player like Kuhl could be released or traded
Right I saw 12 potential prospects. I believe it’s 10 of the top 30 are eligible. Right now they have 37 and Diego Castillo has already been protected. I am glad to see you say chad kuhl. It’s possible guys like that could be gone by 6pm. I keep hearing names like Perez hanhold (not sure what they see tbh) and Greg Allen. They picked them up 2 weeks ago and Perez would have been DFA during the season if they didn’t like him. I actually think he fits what they want for a backup catcher, even though he isn’t very good. Newman tucker chad kuhl are guys more likely to be gone IMO. Players that came under the last regime. Anthony Alford is not going anywhere. He’s a BC guy and was 100 points over the mlb average for OPS after he came back up.
Don’t know how to feel about this one fellas…
I would like to see them protect a few more Rule V eligibles and take Perez, Hanhold, Mears, and Allen off the roster.
You do realize they just picked up hanhold and Allen 2 weeks ago and you think they get rid off them now.
Bloom and the Sox will probably take all three…
I wouldn’t be surprised if he signed Evans. Evans seems like a Boston utility guy if they ever need.
There are still about a half-dozen other guys who could get DFA’d/released. Few more days to go before they need to finalize the roster, but there are so many players they need to consider protecting.
I would say oliva Ponce and probably another 2 pitchers at least will go. Actually think they will go with what they have for position players (save oliva). If they dump 4 spots it will mean 8 guys of the supposed 12 prospects that were candidates to be lost will be on the 40 man.
This is nothing but 40 man roster space for the glut of players they still have to protect
They gotta make room for all the players the Yankees are going to send them for Bryan Reynolds.
Philip Evans might be someone to look into for bench depth
I watched Evens in some Pirate games this year and could not understand the commotion over him. Other than showing up, I saw nothing.
Don’t usually do this, but looked him up on FanGraphs for fWar. The man finished with a -0.5…..1,428th in MLB.
He’s 29 years old. Don’t know why any team would pick him up as opposed to trying one of their youngsters.
Bench player that can play any position on the field plus actually get on base
Career .306/.405/.444/.849 line as a pinch hitter is frankly unbelievable, and it means he brings a lot of value as a 26th man if you are in a spot where you can carry him
At what AAA? He’s terrible
No brainer moves. Jared oliva and a couple of pitchers will be gone as well. I believe the deadline is Friday for the rule 5 protection
The challenge for the Pirates isn’t cutting. The challenge is stopping.
Another last place team with a “glut” of 40-man issues….I like what Cherington is doing, but face it Buc fans, you could waive 25% of the roster and get very little interest, That’s why they finished where they did.
That said, they’re easily my favorite “bad” team to watch. Kudoos to Shelton, who has them playing good, tight baseball, and they seem to have fun doing it. (Cole Tucker’s a hoot, even if he can’t hit a lick). So many bad teams just go through the motions, but the Bucs don’t, and that’s important. And that park….went there and just said “WOW!
Give ’em a couple of years. It’s not a tough division, and I like the farm system (Priester’s going to be a horse). They’ll be back.
Bring Evans home to San Diego on a minor league deal.
Making room for Rizzo, Marte and Greinke signings…. … no?
well maybe those players just didn’t do that well and making room for some new low cost signings to throw at the wall to see if they stick.
This is the most important day for the pirates since jake arrieta started their decline 6 years ago. Sad to say it comes in November, but it’s very well a fork in the road.