The Pirates have designated infielder/outfielder Miguel Andujar for assignment in order to make space on the roster for Andrew McCutchen, tweets Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Andujar, 27, came to the Pirates late in the 2022 season after being designated for assignment by the Yankees and turned in a .250/.279/.389 batting line in 40 plate appearances down the stretch. It wasn’t a particularly robust showing from the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year runner-up, but it was enough for Pittsburgh to tender a contract to the arbitration-eligible Andujar and eventually agree to a $1.525MM salary for the upcoming season.
As the offseason has progressed, however, the Bucs have continued to add players who’ll cut into Andujar’s would-be playing time. First came the acquisition of first baseman Ji-Man Choi in a trade with the Rays — a move that was quickly followed by the signing of Carlos Santana. That pair of pickups pushed Andujar out of the first base/designated hitter mix and, with Ke’Bryan Hayes locked in at third base, left Andujar as either an outfielder or a bench option. Both those roles were further muddied by this week’s reunion with McCutchen, however.
It’s been a long road for Andujar, who hit .297/.328/.527 and blasted 27 home runs when he finished second to Shohei Ohtani in that previously mentioned Rookie of the Year voting. Since that time, he’s undergone shoulder surgery, seen his role with the Yankees filled by free-agent and trade acquisitions, and bounced to the Pirates when the Yankees finally ran out of chances for him.
Andujar has managed only a .230/.257/.324 batting line in 416 big league plate appearances since that brilliant debut campaign, due in part to both injuries and infrequent playing time. He’s remained a productive hitter in Triple-A, however, evidenced by a career .303/.351/.507 batting line at that level — including a .285/.330/.487 output this past season in Scranton. He’s also become a more versatile player in an effort to get back to the big leagues, adding first base and left field to his defensive skill set.
That said, Andujar will soon turn 28, is out of minor league options, and now comes with that $1.525MM salary for any team that wishes to claim him. All of that gives the Pirates a decent chance of passing him through waivers. Andujar has enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency if he does indeed clear, but doing so would mean forfeiting that $1.525MM guarantee, which seems unlikely. There’s a good chance the Buccos will be able to retain him in Triple-A Indianapolis and bring him back to the Majors whenever injuries necessitate such a move. For now, however, they’ll have several days to survey the trade market before deciding whether to place him on waivers. We’ll know a resolution to his DFA status within a week’s time.
He wasn’t very effective in the Burgh, sorry but he’s gotta go.
Would love for Texas to put in a claim for Andujar to throw into the DH/LF mix and catapult Brad Miller into the sun.
Yeah those 40 plate appearances and 34 fielding innings where horrible…. .. .
Damn it’s one thing to be optioned down from the Yankees. They’re stacked with bats.
But you get DFA’d by the Pirates — now that’s a blow to your confidence. That’s when you need to go reach out to Votto or Beltran or some other hitting guru that helps players struggling. Yikes!
Did i miss something? Wasn’t Andujar the best hitter on the team the last month of the season?
He only played nine games for the Pirates last year so yes, you must have missed something.
If so, being the best hitter on the Pirates last year isn’t saying much. I’m actually surprised. His problem is that he’s 3rd….1st…and LF. I’m guessing maybe Triolo is expected to make the club. Hayes caliber defense.
Judging by those numbers, no he wasn’t. But this is the Pirates we’re talking about so maybe he was.
hey look, another arrogant Yankee fan that watched his team fail once again to miss playing in the World Series, despite their $200 million dollar payroll
They are not AYF’s.
They are just trolls.
They cannot get over the fact that the Red Sox have won 4 World Championships this century and they have won only one.
perhaps he should have said Pirates Ownership who also happen to have probably the nicest stadium too from what I’ve heard.
nevertheless their post isn’t all that unfounded regardless of their fandom.
well, just to split hairs, it would be 2 (2000 & 2009) but the real numbers are 0 and 5. 5 seasons under. 500 and 5 for Boston based on your this century timeline
Zero under .500 for Yankees 5 for Boston.
Couldn’t edit
Two. WS this century are four to two, not four to one. Not a big difference. And if you go back just four more years, it’s four to five, NYY favor. I’m guessing NYY fans will take it. They will certainly take the 27-5 edge, enjoying WS victories all through their lives, not just after they were 45, like my RS friends.
9 for 36 for a .250 avg; 0 hr, but did have 9 RBI’s in like 15 games. But really, nothing to write home about. Best position is 3B; which isn’t open; don’t need another no power 1B.
I wasn’t expecting that. How the mighty prospect has fallen.
@reds, injuries and not enough consistent ABs at the major league level. I thought he’d get more time in Pittsburgh but hopefully he catches on somewhere. Id like to see him get 300 full ABs and hope he regains good form.
That shoulder surgery really reduced his skills. Too bad.
Could have been traded for Trout but they DFA him?
You can trade someone who’s been DFA’d.
This unfortunate dude has been screwed more than a blow-up doll. For crying out loud let the man play!!!!!
This is the best thing for Andujar, since he wouldn’t be winning anything with the Pirates anyway.
Troll
Fool
Troll- You’re still poed at Bill Mazeroski after all of these years.
Good one!!
Fool- great screen name, your Pirates are all batting under the Mendoza Line, just like yourself.
You do realize that the Mendoza line is named after former Lirates shortstop Mario Mendoza, right?
What’s your point?
My point is that I was trying to back you up, good sir.
Thank you young man.
I have seen your fine posts before,but I think that I address you by your surname,Uncle.
I do remember Mario,and never thought it was fair for him to be famous in this manner.He had smooth hands and good range,and it was not his fault that he was a lousy hitter.
As you can see I am now in the business of AYF pest management.
It is evidently a never ending job,but it pays well.
Just like he didn’t win anything with the Yankees…
Yeah put the Pirates can’t even win the NL Central, so it sucks to suck.
You’re just mad the Yankees spent over 200 million dollars to watch the World Series from the same seat as the Pirates and will around 300 million this year for the same honor.
Troll-It must be great to be a Yankees fan and have won one WS this century.
A century is 100 years.
You are correct.
Well then let me correct this debate
The Yankees haven’t won a World Series in any of the first two decades of this century
2009 is excluded from the first two decades of this century?
Centuries are taken in 100 years segments,as the twentieth century.
The Yankees have won one in the twenty first century.
No more complicated than that.
Technically the Yankees can’t even win the NL Central either.
Fool- do the Pirates even have a major league roster? And thanks for proving how slow you really are.
@dipstick- I’m not mad at a thing truthfully, your just bitter and salty because your a loser rooting for a loser team. Enjoy.
Troll- You are nothing more than the king of Arrogant Yankee Fans and thank you for proving that you are lower than the lowliest of trolls.
I’m a Cubs fan… I accept we are spending 216 million on a losing roster.
Troll- I do not know what your last line means.
But I do know that you are like a piñata.You keep swaying back to get whacked again.
Maybe your pen name should be AYF Piñata Troll.
But you have become boring Troll,and hopefully will just fade into the sunset with your arrogant tripe,
Fool- I know for sure you would never say your stupid remarks to my face. So just keep hiding, like the little man that you probably are. Nobody cares for you or the loser team you root for either. Good luck
Hey troll, don’t you have something else to do than troll Pirates fans and post? Maybe hassle Judge again for bombing out during the playoffs before running out of gas? Or hackle the San Francisco fans for their believe Judge was going to the Giants? Or complain that Gerrit Cole is trash without the sticky substance.
Give us a break already. Yankee fans are the worst in all off baseball and you’re what other fan bases sees when thinking about the Yankees fans
Fool- I can see that your jealous obviously, that I like and root for a team that ACTUALLY spends money, and truly cares about their fans. I get it, it’s cool.
@PiratesFan1981- I truly could care less. Maybe it’s time to root for a better team out there, if your so distraught? Good luck with your Pirates; enjoy!
AYF-You said in a previous post that you were not mad.
Now you want to meet in a dark alley!
You and your friend pinstripes are of the same stripe.
And you are a bully.
You think that you can knock people and teams without consequence.
The Pirates were awful last year but there were three worse. Teams.
Go spread your bs somewhere else.
Us Pirate fans do not take kindly to ignorant,arrogant trolls like yourself.
Two. Why can’t you guys get this straight. TWO WS victories this century. Two for the Yankees, three for the Giants, four for the RS. Not a big spread. Go back four more years and the Yanks have the lead with FIVE.
Except for 2000 and 2009, then you might have a point. But you don’t.
TWO, not one. 2000 and 2009. Jeez! Get your friggin’ facts straight.
2000 is the last year of the 20th century, not the first of the 21st.
We have it straight because we know the first year of this new century.
I wish we spent 215 million on ANY roster.
@Mendoza Line- Trust me you would never want to me in a dark alley, and I wouldn’t want to see you crying either. Not a bully, just not a delusional Pirates fan that thinks his favorite team has a chance to contend anytime soon. I actually feel sorry for you. I’m no threat to you at all, just being realistic. Sorry you got frightened or whatever.
Once you bring implied physical threats into a conversation that means that you are a bully.
You may not know that,or confront it,but I can assure you that that is true.
Your need to denigrate others comes out in your demeaning the Pirates and Pirates fans.
This is not nuclear science.
And you do not frighten me.
I actually do feel sorry for you in that you need to lower others in order to make yourself feel bigger and better.
I hope that you understand this and grow from this conversation.
Maybe you should switch teams as well. Has to be disappointing to have Cashman as GM and failing the fan base. You know, not buying the World Series. Instead, buying a winning season and a lone playoff experience.
I rather root for a losing team like the Pirates that isn’t full of corruption like the Yankees. The Pittsburgh Pirates would be on the same playing field as Yankees if salary cap came into play. Yankees win games only because of over spending and being reckless with that investment. For example, NBA Knicks and Nets in NYC can’t win championships because of salary cap. NHL Islanders and Rangers haven’t seen a Stanley Cup since 94. Which is quite lengthy run without a championship. NFL Jets and Giants haven’t won a championship. All major sports leagues with salary cap and all NYC teams on level playing field. I think that scares Yankees fans and why they target small market teams and tarnish them. Because every respectable team is better than the Yankees regardless of record. They don’t corrupt themselves over money. They couldn’t develop all 25 major league players and may develop 1 solid major leaguer every 15 years. Rest is bought and paid for. Yankees scouting and development is worse than the Pirates by fair. Yankees maybe winning on the field (thanks to money), but aren’t winning where it matters. Without a salary cap, Yankees will still tarnish the game.
Fan- Excellent retort.
Genius about the other three sports that have salary caps.
The biggest reason at this point that I want the Pirates to have a decent season other than for their fans is to get these trolls out of here to pick on other teams.
@Mendoza Line-yawn.
@PirateFan1981-yawn.
Mendoza Line-keep dreaming; not happening.
@Mendoza, I’ll correct you again, its 2 WS this century (2000,2009).
I think these trolls/nerds come on here to stir the pot. They have nothing to contribute but needless attacks. Just like typical trolls on other social platforms. Their mommies are calling but they can’t get up. Diapers are full. I think it was a good move to dfa anduhar instead of swaggerty. You need to see if he’s ready. And Mendoza I remember Mario. Good fielder. I really think the buccos can approach 80 wins
learn how to spell, Judge
It’s “you’re “ in the format you used.
Perhaps ask your team to provide funds to send you back to grade school
you truly are poorly educated Judge, the misuse of the word “ you’re “ is evidence
the point is, since reading comprehension still escapes you, Utah, the vast amounts of money the Yankees spend year in and year out, since 2000, they’ve only won 2 WS
That’s 1 this century
Trust is earned Judge and you have none from Pirate fans. Come to think of it, we don’t have any respect for you either
Jopeness-And for the third time in this thread,you will be corrected.
The year 2000 was in the last century.
You celebrated a year too early.
There was no Year 0 so Year 100 ended the first century.
Now you get it.
You keep yawning so you must be sleepy.
I doubted that you would change but Pirate fans have now been alerted to you.
Believe me,we have seen other trolls on this site but you are pretty much the most malodorous.
It will be good to have a poster to use as a piñata so please feel free to come back anytime.
But you really do have to get over that Mazeroski thing.
I really hope the “little man” comment was directed at me lol. I’ll be in New York in February… you can catch me at the Dogpound.
Buubba- The Pirates won the equivalent of 51 in 2020 and 61 in 2021 so I really wanted them to win 71 last year to show steady progress.
I have lost bets every year but one since 2016 overestimating their win totals.
I see the glass half full but increasing.
You see the glass almost coming to near the top.
I say 72 wins.
Drasco-If you are addressing Mr Judge,he directed it to me.
I take full credit for it proudly.
Eh. Low-hanging fruit comment
That’s what the critics said after the A’s lost 3 All Stars to free agency after the 2001 season.
They didn’t expect to compete
Instead, they signed has beens, no bodies and built a team that won a MLB record 20 consecutive games, had the 2002 Cy Young and MVP awards to 2 players
You Yankee fans that come across like know it alls, in reality don’t know squat.
Anything can happen in baseball, even spend $200 million in payroll then fail to reach the World Series in several years
I don’t remember the 2002 season but “Moneyball” the book and movie was a joke. Yeah they pretend they replaced Giambi using analytics but the fact is they won so many games because they had the best pitching staff in baseball and had “washed up has beens” juicing the same way Tejada and Chavez were juicing and carrying the offense…. The league average offense.
That’s the annoying part of moneyball… the book makes it seem like the A’s replaced Giambi and to a lesser extent Damon (who wasn’t good in 2001) and the offense was the same, it wasn’t and it wasn’t even close. They score around 80 less runs. That’s a lot of freaking runs.
Also, the A’s probably would have went further had they focused on defense to go along with that amazing pitching staff, in that ridiculously pitchers park.
you realize that the 2005 Red Sox adopted the same analytics that the 2002 A’s began using when the former won the World Series?
In fact many current teams follow the same methodology
I guess being a Yankee fan means never admitting you’re wrong
Know some stuff before acting like you know some stuff.
First, the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. Of course it was largely the 2003 95 win team with a couple notable moves, that were NOT Beanes methodology. First notable move was adding Curt Shilling, which had nothing to do with Moneyball saber metrics. If I remember right, he played a huge role. Second was ditching Nomar for a defensive superior Orlando Cabrera mid season. Another hugely anti sabermetric move due to Beanes philosophy of offense over defense.
Another hugely notable move you ignore is the Red Sox, on the edge of elimination, down in game four, Pokey Reece stole second base…. What was Beane philosophy on swiping bags if you read the book?
Like I said, know stuff before acting like you know stuff. Sabermetrics is a tool that every team uses but it’s not because of the 2002 A’s. The Red Sox already had Bill James under payroll as well.
Also… you want to talk about Beanes savermetric, I don’t have to listen to my scouting department draft?
The best thing for a player that was consistently screwed out of playing time is to…checks notes…not play. How very Arrogant Yankee fan of you.
didn’t see he and Joe both on the team and either Bae or Marcano has to be backup SS
This is another asinine move by Cherington.
Why didn’t the immortal Ryan Vilade get released?
Andujar just needs a consistent chance to see if he can play.
No player should be beat out because the all star Connor Joe was signed.
I thought that this was about the young players who couldn’t help the team in the future.
This guy will get picked up and I hope that he hits 320 for someone in the Pirates division.
He might be back. No team traded for him last year. He makes more $ now.
Dream- I hope so.I think that the Yankees jerked him around and now the Pirates are too.You know as well as I do that sometimes all these guys need is a chance.If he craters,then fine.You can’t give him chance after chance.Frankly,the Cutch signing screwed him as I think it caught BC completely by surprise late in the offseason as Cutch did not have viable better offers.He is not done and could have come back next year.The thing that dumbfounded me was getting Connor Joe,especially when he had signed Choi and Santana.
You have no idea what you’re talking about. Andujar is awful. If the pirates aren’t impressed by your skills and willing to roster you, then no team in baseball will be.
Little Stevie,I may not know what I am talking about but I do not think someone named Little Stevie does either.
We will see if he is claimed on waivers.
Couldn’t= could
@mendozaline
Yes, Andujar needs a consistent chance. With the make up of the Pirates roster, he wasn’t going to get that, barring an jnjury. My guess is that he will take the cash to AAA rather than try to get himself to a team that will let him play (though I truly don’t know what team has that opportunity for him). I do find it funny, however, that they attribute his small number of ABs and inconsistent playing time as being the cause for his numbers being so low. I always hear how players won’t be able to “maintain those numbers over a full year” when the numbers are good. Maybe this is the high side of his small sample.
Sty-I understand about the roster dilemma and your point is a good one.And I do not think BC was planning on getting Cutch and he basically had numerous points to sign him.I just do not think Connor Joe is any sort of Answer and think that Andujar shows much more promise than he has.Joe could be placed on waivers and I doubt that anyone would pick him up.
Alright Cashman the stage is set for a Miguel Andujar/Jackson “Clint” Frazier (the name change didn’t change the fact he still can’t hit) reunion in the Bronx!
@Rsox, why would you root against minor league players having success? That is a pretty pretentious thing to do, I mean were your numbers so good in the minors that they just fast tracked you to the majors?
Don’t like this. Signing Choi, Santana and Cutch left him short of a lot if playing time but he has more potential than a lot of guys currently taking a roster spot and I would totally expect to see Santana and/or Choi traded or released by years end so why not hang onto Andujar?
Betting on him passing waivers.
Agreed GM.
I agree Idiot. Mitchell has options, he could have gone back to Indy to give Andujar playing time
Numbers crunch. Pirates needed a 40 man roster spot (though in theory they could have DFA’d Chase DeJong). The presence of McCutchen and Connor Joe minimized the need to keep Andujar on the active roster
His trade value is still sky high /s
Bummer. Would love to see someone actually give him a season out in left field. Maybe the A’s or Reds will give him a chance.
3…….2…….1 Oakland on line one!
Andujar in the extremely spacious LF in Oakland would be a disaster. However the A’s don’t have a “regular” DH so there is still a fit though i imagine they will want to give Ryan Noda and Dermis Garcia looks there
If he’s cheap, that’s a Reds treasure.
Seth Brown plays all 3 OF positions (not good in CF but can fill in) + 1B. He also hit 25 HR last year and has 3 years service time available.
Andujar hasn’t batted anywhere close to that well since the juiced ball year of 2019 and is already in arbitration with two seasons before free agency.
No, I really don’t think the A’s will have ANY interest in him.
I don’t think arb means anything for this year because if he gets signed, the deal is done.
Why would Andujar only join the team as a replacement for Brown? That doesn’t make sense. He could easily join as a 4th OF/DH rotation guy.
He’s still arb-eligible for 2024 season, which is outside the A’s next contention window. He’s highly unlikely to suddenly become good enough to trade/re-sign. Signing someone with 5+ years service time available to a minor league “prove it” deal is more the way the A’s treat a roster rebuild.
Seth brown is LH and won’t play all those positions.
He’s the perfect platoon partner for a guy who can hit lefties. Maybe Andujar is under consideration there. He fits the budget for sure.
A guy who can’t stay on the field for injury, is already in year 2 arbitration and has no power is a very poor fit for a rebuilding team that plays in one of the top 3 anti-HR parks.
I really wish the Mets would pick him up
You say that now until you see him on a regular basis foul out with RISP or botch routine plays on defense 🙂
Are you a Braves fan, or a Phillies fan?
You must be a Braves fan then
The Yankees should pick him up and include him in an Ohtani trade
Seattle? La Stella signing probably makes it way less likely tho
keep thinking there has to be a better option to clear a spot with.. but… i don’t think there really is.
hopefully he makes it through and stays.. don’t know where he would fit in though
Joe- Can you tell me who the heck is Ryan Vilade?
Can you tell me why they got Connor Joe?
Why not give Andujar a 60 game chance when he is healthy at the start of the year?
He may very well be a dud but the Pirates are not going to contend this year either and perhaps his hitting can come back to what it was in 2018.
He did not get that sort of chance in New York as far as I know.
@Mendoza, correct on the century, my mistake. Also very much in agreement on this, especially after a healthy off-season. They may hope clear waivers and an expensive invite to spring training. I really want him to get another solid shot because he really got shafted by Cashman. Plus his batting stance is not as extreme but reminds me of Julio Franco. If anything he brings some experience to share with the young guys about battling through the crappy times.
Jopeness- No worries.At least you are man enough to admit it.
Very few people realize it.Hiflew caught it.The celebration was actually a year early.
Put yourself in Andujar’s place.Getting bobbed up and down for four years mainly because he had an injury.A lesser team would have given him a second chance.I think that it would be tough on anyone only getting 40 or 50 regular at bats at a time.
I realize that this guy will never win a golden glove but at least for that one year he was a very good hitter.
These guys are all human beings and at least most of the posters here can relate because most played ball up to a certain level.
@mendoza
Ryan is a player who has some power potential and of course long term control
Connor also has long term control and has had success in AAA not all that different than Andujar but, Andujar also had a great rookie season which these two have not done.
I agree i’d like to see Andujar get more time as a pirate, his sample sizes the past few years have been limited and he continues to do well in the minors. consistent time in the MLB may show that rookie year performance. In my mind the deciding factor is control. Andujar doesn’t have as much and the pirates may not want to wait and see.
I hope he comes back on a minor to majors deal but i think other teams would be interested as well.
Joe- You raise a good point.
It may have been what BC considered to be the equalizer.
Perhaps he figured the higher salary may buy him some AAA time for Andujar.
I think that he is overthinking in that case though.
Andujar was a very highly rated talent by the Yankees.
They could have had Gerrit Cole two years earlier and perhaps won a WC if they had included him with Frazier.
He had a great first year.
And that was 2018 not 2019 when even Austin Meadows looked like Babe Ruth and Kevin Newman looked like Tony Gwynn.
When Chris Archer was traded by NH he said that the key was that Archer had years of control.I basically said so what.If a player turns out to be no good what does it matter.You know the result of trade when injuries shut him down and he had been overrated also.
Hopefully BC is accurate on Joe and Vilade.That is what he gets paid for.
But my memory actually goes back even more than four and a half years.And those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Future KBO legend
Bummed to see Andujar DFA’d. Wasn’t expecting him to be incredible or anything, but I wanted him to get a longer run to see if anything is there. There’s a good 3-4 other guys that could have been DFA’d instead
maybe detroit will take a flyer on him
Harris wouldn’t like him. He doesn’t walk.
Wow this is a horrible move.
Yeah they will really miss that .568 OPS.
The guy has been hurt they could’ve at least given him ST and a chance on the roster for the first month. Not like they have much better.
Embarrassing the family here. Cut by the Pirates? Long Island Ducks, look out.
Hard to figure out how that 70 ops+ over his last 400 PA’s hasn’t landed him a starting job yet (roll eyes here).
It’s unreal that some people still think he deserves more playing time, this isn’t 2018 anymore.
Would have liked to see him start vs LHP. Cal Mitchell likely makes the roster now and he bats left handed. Now either Choi or Suwinski (or Mitchell) has to start vs. lefties.
Man Andujar is the ultimate Quadruple A player
Which makes him a prime target for Farhan and the Giants
Gotta be extremely rough in the ego to get cut by the Pirates
Not much lost in designating Andujar, but the real.question is what PIT’s moves do for them going forward. Cutch, Choi, Santana, etc are not long-term pieces. Cutch works because it’s probably a net postive move for Nutting money-wise, but he’s also the only player with a real chance of even being desirable at the deadline and I can’t imagine they trade him during the season.
Look out, that one delusional Pirates fan in here is gonna be all over this comment attacking you for saying these random washed up veteran signings are going to do nothing to help the team ion any way this year. Pirates fans get so defensive about their teams 30 million dollar payroll and the revenue they steal from the big spenders.
What’s delusional is your posting. Article after article about the Pirates hits MLBTR and I think I’ve seen perhaps one regular talk about competing thanks to these signings
But blather on.
And Yankees fans wonder why fans of every other team in the majors laughs when they make an early exit from the playoffs every year despite the payroll you seem so proud of
It ain’t jealousy pal but rather, the boorishness of your fellow fan base.
Yeah. Laugh at 27 championships, TWO this century.
Utah Are you another AYF,or a dumb one?
Yes the Yankees have a storied history.
But that was mostly in 1920’s,1930’s,1940’s,and 1950’s.
Their 1996-2001 team was certainly one of the best ever.
But otherwise,over the last 60 years,they have really not been a whole lot better than maybe five or so other teams.
Especially recently.
I for one think that this is one of the reasons that many Yankee fans are arrogant.They seem to be the most talkative.
And for all the money they bring in,and waste on so many players,one would have thought that they would have been much better than they have been,
I think it was foolish for the yanks to dump him and now super foolish that the pirates dumped him. I’m sure they’ll regret this in the long run.
He’ll be in AAA or Korea this year, not much to miss considering this guy can’t hit major league pitching. Just like most of this quad A Pirates roster.
So said the AYF.
They’re everywhere.
I really thought it would be Swaggerty as opposed to Andujar.
I would have thought it would have been Vilade over either of them. I don’t understand at all what they see in him.
Good point on that, but I think Vilade may have a little more upside than Swaggerty considering age, minor league accomplishments,and power potential. Plus, he might be able to play a few infield positions at the higher levels. But you are right, Vilade should have been designated over Andujar, but I would put Swagg on that DFA list too.
On the one hand, it was kind of silly to sign him to a pre-arbitration deal and then DFA him. On the other hand, because of that contract the Bucs stand a very good chance of keeping Andujar in AAA as good depth, or getting something back for him in a deal.
I’d take a shot if I was the Padres. Trade Kim for another starter..keep Cronenworth at 2nd..and have Andujar and Carpenter platoon at first while rotating with Cruz at DH.
1B defense would suffer some, but if it doesn’t work, they can DFA him, move Cronenworth to first, and bring up Rosario..who looks to be ready..
I don’t think he’s really a better option than Brandon Dixon or Eugy Rosario. He costs more than them and can’t be optioned to the minors.
Rosario comes into play either way..and Dixon is a triple A guy at best. You’re telling me that Andujar wouldn’t be an improvement at league minimum or barely above than a guy who’s never done anything in the bigs? Put him in a rotation with Carp and Cruz..give him consistent AB’s v and let’s see if he can find it again. He raked before the Yankees and a couple of injuries f’d him up. The Pads have the bats to cover for him if it goes wrong, and Kim could get them another legit starter. It’s worth the trade off to me..
Andujar isn’t going to be at league minimum, he’s going to be at $1.5M plus another million in penalties on the luxury tax. Either someone claims him and assumes his salary or PIT will just outright him to AAA. He’s not going to reject the assignment and elect FA because that leaves a free 750K on the table.
Most likely outcome for him is he spends this year in Indianapolis playing for the Pirates’ AAA team, which should tell you something about him at this stage in his career. Andujar has been awful the last 4 years, there’s no way he should be getting consistent ABs on a competitive team.
The Pirates are not a competitive team.
We shall have him in Oakland
Poor Miguel. On its face, this looks like the worst kind of lateral move from the Bronx to Pittsburgh. From the description above, it sounds like he’ll be stuck in the minors again, waiting for somebody on the big club to get injured, same as in the Bronx.
While some might ascribe his recent struggles to his past shoulder injury, his .487 SLG in Triple-A would seem to cast doubt on that theory. I tend to think his struggles in the bigs come from instability that comes from lack of playing time and the psychological impact of being told year after year that he’s no good.
And the fact he can’t take a walk if his life depended on it.
True, but with a .330 OBP in Scranton last year, he really didn’t need to walk.
.330 obp facing a high percentage of hurlers that will never be effective MLB pitchers. Trim that down to well under .3 at the major league level and he’s not a HR RBI machine.
Not saying the shoulder injury ruined his career but very well could be the case.
R-Or maybe it eroded his confidence and he has not had time to get it back because of all of the yo-yoing the Yankees did with him.
I hope that he gets a chance to find out.
Unfortunately Andujar didn’t do enough to convince Pirates he had a place on the roster. Which is a shame because he brought a youthful, playful attitude to the dugout. Maybe Pirates will get to keep him, but if not, best wishes to Miguel on the next step on his baseball journey.
Scott-And what did Ryan Vilade do to impress the Pirates?
How about that all star Connor Joe?
Fink-This happens to plenty of young players,but most have not had a season like his then having injuries since then.
I say give this guy a chance.
Vilade and Joe can be optioned, Andujar can’t. And the fact a team will have to cover Andujar’s salary are the reasons he was released instead of Vilade or Joe.
In which case BC is playing Russian roulette.
Almost all of these teams do that but put yourself in Andujar’s place.
How many times does he have to bob up and down?
That is disheartening to him.
For every poster who thinks he is a bum there are three who think he could make it.
Are these other two guys ever going to make it?
I just think BC May be outthinking himself again.
I love the way these big market big spending teams fans, especially. NY fans , puff out their chest and act like they are so superior to the small market teams like us lowly Pirate fans. The only one who deserves to be that way is your billionaire owner who in most cases is spending very little of his own money and can absorbed more than a few bad contracts. It takes courage to be a loyal fan of a team that can afford to buy a new team every year when your last one failed. Been a loyal Pirate fan for 60 years and my fandom is not for sale!
He seems like someone with potential if he’s in the right place.
Shoulder surgery…
Tigers should grab him. At worst insurance for OF, 3B , 1B and DH. At best 27 HR season like he had a while back.
This guy still has the same sweet swing. (I saw him play several AAA games in 2022.) He just needs to stay healthy and find a team with a need for a righty bat off the bench.
CT- Thank you.
A Yankee fan with some class.
My heart goes up to this guy. He CANNOT catch a break. Up and down mishandling by the Yankees and gets an ideal change of scenery. Oh I’m soooooooo sorry Pittsburgh management that he didn’t hit 40 home runs in 40 games for you. Here’s to yet another change of scenery that’s gotta work out at some point.
Wasn’t this guy a 3B with NY? I think the Tigers oughtta give him a shot at 3B with an invite.
He was. Pkayed some 1B, OF and DH too I believe.
I can’t believe I wasted some time reading some of the comments in this section. It just proves one thing, If everyone is willing to argue over the DFA of a never was like Andujar then it’s official. Let’s just start playing because everybody has run out of crap to argue about. It’s getting boring.
You’d think the RSox and Pirates would be trade partners. Both are bringing up the bottom of their respective divisions. Send us back Michael Chavis for Bobby Dalbec. Bobby needs a change of scenery. I think Pittsburg would breathe some new life in him.
Ben Cherington may have drafted Bobby.
I’ve thought i’d like Andujar on my team and even if he got one dinger against the Bombers he’d get his ‘just desserts’ for them not being able to find a spot on the team for him after his 25 homer season. In addition he’s a pretty good player. Fenway might be his proving ground to go on to bigger and better things.
Maybe the Yanks can pick him up off waivers and trade him for Sandy Alcantara.
Came here to lament the end of the Andujar/Clint Frazier for Trout trade rumors.
Could see the Tigers giving him a shot
A head-scratching move. The 2023 Pirates resemble an expansion team.
The Cubs should take a chance on him.