Several Pirates players and executives are in attendance at the team’s PiratesFest fan event in Pittsburgh this weekend, which acts as something of a midway point in the Bucs’ offseason. As such, GM Ben Cherington, team president Travis Williams, and manager Derek Shelton took part in a Q&A with fans today, and the group shared some tidbits on further winter plans with fans and media (including Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
Cherington made it clear that the Pirates’ offseason work is far from over, stating “We’re engaged on a number of fronts, and certainly my hope is that there’s going to be more happening between now and Spring Training.” Though Cherington naturally didn’t cite any specific players of interest, recent reports have linked the Pirates to such players as Carlos Santana, Michael A. Taylor, Adam Frazier, and a likely far more expensive target in Yariel Rodriguez.
With Martin Perez and Marco Gonzales already added to the rotation mix, Rodriguez would be the biggest boost yet to a starting staff that still has plenty of question marks, considering that Perez lost his spot in the Rangers rotation last year and Gonzales struggled through 50 innings in a injury-shortened season. Cherington made it clear that the Bucs are still looking for more pitching help, and that the team had offered some multi-year contracts to free agent arms.
This represents a bit more aggressiveness than usual for the Pirates, who haven’t signed any free agents to multi-year deals since 2016 — almost three full years before Cherington even took over the front office to oversee a major rebuild. Pittsburgh’s 76-86 record in 2023 represented the club’s highest win total since 2018, and between some burgeoning younger talent and the unsettled nature of the NL Central, there is some hope within the organization that it can fully turn the corner in 2024.
“Our goal was to play playoff games in October,” Shelton said bluntly. “Whether that’s winning the Central, which is definitely the goal, or being a playoff caliber team, that’s something we’re striving for. And I will be very clear in our first message in Bradenton [at Spring Training] in about a month that we should be thinking about that every day.”
Roster Resource currently projects the Buccos to have a $70.37MM payroll in 2024, slightly less than their approximate $73.28MM Opening Day payroll from last season. Since Cherington is on record as saying that the Pirates will increase their payroll, it remains to be seen exactly how much the team is willing or able to spend for further upgrades. It does appear that the Pirates should exceed their 2023 figure in some way, especially since some clear roster holes needs to be addressed if Pittsburgh is to achieve its goal of being postseason contenders.
With broadcasting revenue such a major topic of conversation this offseason, the Pirates’ recent deal for a co-ownership stake in the SportsNet Pittsburgh network won’t be impacting the team’s ability to spend, Williams reiterated. “We’re not changing our plan, not changing our payroll. We’re committed to our plan, and we’re going to stick to it,” the team president said.
That said, Williams also seemed to stay away from any specifics about spending in general, and noted that “I’d say that payroll, while important, is not the most important factor in terms of how we get to building a championship-caliber team for our fans.” Williams claimed that the Pirates are one of baseball’s top five teams in terms of developmental spending, which Mackey notes is a difficult claim to verify or gauge with any accuracy, though it could be true given Cherington’s overhaul of the minor league pipeline.
“We’re putting all of our revenues back into the ball club,” Williams said. “We’re trying to get better every day and investing in areas where we’re gonna get better every day….We’re doing all the right things to win for Pittsburgh. We also want to make this work within the economics of baseball.”
A full and healthy season from Oneil Cruz would go a long way towards making the Pirates better in 2024, after the star prospect missed almost the entire season due to ankle surgery. Cruz told reporters (including Justin Guerriero of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) that he is now fully recovered following a summer setback in his rehab process. “Everything’s like it’s supposed to be….Now that I feel 100% again, just go out there like I do every year and give my 100% out there and be ready from Day 1,” Cruz said.
There had been some consideration given to Cruz participating in the Dominican Winter League in order to help him ramp up his readiness heading into Spring Training, but the Pirates have instead been limiting him to instructional league games in the Dominican Republic. Given how the Bucs already lost Endy Rodriguez to a torn UCL while playing DWL ball last month, it isn’t surprising that the team is being extra cautious with Cruz.
In other Pirates news, the team has yet to start any extension negotiations with Mitch Keller, as the right-hander himself told Mackey. This doesn’t mean that talks won’t eventually happen, and Keller feels a meeting “would probably be around Spring Training again like it was last year.”
Those earlier talks obviously didn’t lead anywhere, nor did some follow-up negotiations that reportedly took place during the season. In the interim, Keller delivered an All-Star season that saw him post a 4.21 ERA over 194 1/3 innings, though he was much more effective in the first half of the season. With this in mind, Keller is planning to make some adjustments to his preparation for next year, noting “maybe you need to change a little bit with recovery or mid-week lifts, bullpens and cut some out here and there, just so I’m feeling good toward the end or middle of the season. Just learning from how to handle a load like that.”
Keller is projected to earn a $6MM salary in 2024, his second year of arbitration eligibility. Since he is slated for free agency after the 2025 season, there is still a considerable amount of time left for the two sides to potentially reach an agreement on a long-term deal. Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds both finalized extensions with Pittsburgh in each of the last two Aprils, and locking up Keller would represent yet another core piece being added to what the Pirates hope is the nucleus of their next winning team.
How on earth has a major league franchise not signed a player to a multi year deal since 2016?
I am sick of the Pirates. Baseball needs a salary cap and a floor and make it legit not a cap where teams can just pay extra money to circumvent or a floor that teams can cheat.
It says that about Free Agents. Hayes and Reynolds got multi-year extensions which is not too different. Would rather see them follow their current plan than hand out free agent contracts to the likes of Kris Bryant or Ian Desmond (to pick a couple of regrettable examples close to my home).
So because a couple free agent deals didn’t work out they should never sign any free agents to long term deals????
Entitled Cards fan preaching to the rest of baseball about how things should be done. You were dead last in a very weak division in 2023… maybe worry about your own team’s poor recruitment and awful contract with a fast aging, former GG 3B.
Are the Rays ‘cheating’ too?
I want to see a level and fair playing field it has nothing to do with what team I root for. Nothing at all. Sports are supposed to be about fair competition. You have teams like the Dodgers and Mets spending like crazy and teams like the Pirates you just sit back and collect revenue sharing checks. It’s lame. I want fair competition. I am entitled to that we all are.
We all deserve a fair system like in NFL, NBA, MLS & NHL, but the larger market teams will never agree to that so there’s always gonna be teams that nickle and dime just like European soccer.
Blame the Yankees and Dodgers… not the Pirates.
All teams are working together. And there are more middle and small market teams than there are large market teams so vote. The NBA is a mess but the NHL figured it out. I believe the NFL has I don’t watch football like I used to. Just figure it out tired of half the league having competitive teams when the other half has no shot.
Totally agree, Joel P. Ohtani will make (in the future but established it in this market) the equivalent of the Pirates’ team payroll. Such a great game, but a terrible unfair system.
Exactly. How are Pirate fans supposed to be interested in the game when their entire payroll is less than 1 player. That’s just lame its like college football.
Free agency is fool’s gold.
Vast majority of these deals fail horribly and small market teams can’t eat them and move on like the Yanks, Sox, Dodgers, etc, who just double down.
Out of the top 15 teams to spend the most money last year, only 5 made it to the playoffs.
Spending money for the sake of spending money doesn’t always get the results you expect
If spending more money doesn’t matter then why allow teams to do it???
Not always but spending money keeps open their competitive windows longer than small market teams, and that’s really the measurement stick rather than who made the playoffs in any one year. The Yankees didn’t make it but surely will be competitive in 2024, unlike several small market teams
Yeah the Yankees trade for Stanton and they just spend more to make up for it. The Pirates make that bad trade for Archer and they can’t compete for half a decade. It’s not the same at all.
No one is “entitled” to anything. The playing field cannot be level because the NYs and LAs aren’t going to give up their advantage for “the good of the game.”
Union contract requires it.
New York and LA don’t run the league. You put it to a vote just like they did in the NHL. This idea that the Yankees and Dodgers control the league is nonsense.
Yep, the problem is the CBA, and in it the players refusing a salary cap or other means of depressing salaries. Joel P is correct – the Yankees this year had their 1st losing season in 30 years. When was the last time mid and small market teams had losing seasons?
I keep going back to the NHL. The NHL locked its players out until the union agreed to a cap. It wasn’t a choice they had to agree to it or hockey wasn’t going to be played.
No, MLB will never go for it.
People who endless complain about MLB not being “fair” need to wake up and realize the differences. MLB is REGIONAL, thank Bud Selig for that. As much as I do not like Manfred, he is working very hard to make MLB a more national sport again.
Second, NFL and NBA are star driven leagues. Baseball is not. Fans are not going to follow players to KC or Cincinnati, they just aren’t. There is only one player with National appeal and that is Ohtani. Judge might have some, Betts, buts it’s not like basketball or like quarterbacks in the NFL.
Baseball wants to make money like every other sport and the only way to do that is if the financial powerhouses, that carry the league, continue to carry the league.
Baseball is basically college football/basketball. You need your Alabama, Georgia, Ohio States and Michigans, the Kentucky and Dukes of the world to carry ratings and make money. If you don’t like it, stop watching because it’s never going to change. And the face of the matter is, even small market owners understand this. They want New York and LA to be good just as much as anyone else, why? Because those teams sell out their stadiums and those teams inflate their ratings. Big markets are the “Black Friday” of baseball, they allow small market teams to not operate in the red.
If the Royals had a payroll and the type of talent the Yankees and Dodgers have I guarantee you the fans would get behind them more. Kansas City isn’t some third world country its a nice place with loads of people. They support the Chiefs as well as any NFL fans do BECAUSE THEY WIN!!!
Big markets do not control baseball. This isn’t ESPN this is reality. And everyone is working together that’s the part people just don’t understand.
Maybe you should see how much revenue the large markets bring in and give to the smaller markets. Look at how much attendance large markets generate when they play in opposing parks. You a child if you think they do not drive baseball.
If all teams had similar payroll things would be different. As it stands now the big revenue teams sign most of the top talent and that is why their fanbases are so large.
Large market teams can’t exist without small market teams. If they could it would be an 8 team league where we let Los Angeles and New York fight it out for the championship every year. That’s not good for competition. That’s not what sports are supposed to be about.
That’s cute you believe that.
If the Yankees had a 100 million dollar payroll and weren’t good year after year they would have less fans. It would take time because many people would remember the good ole days but it would be less and less every year.
Kansas City supports the Chiefs as well as any NFLs teams fans support their team. Winning matters. People want to watch winning or at least a team that has a fair chance. Not the Pirates.
Do think baseball can survive on 162 games of Yankees vs Red Sox? Without the Pirates, Royals, A’s, Marlins, Rays etc…. Baseball would be boring.
You’re so cute.
They haven’t signed a free agent to a multi-year deal. They’ve given out multiple multiyear deals to their own players.
Their goal is to trade for a player or pitcher that still has control of a few years before being eligible for free agency
Doesn’t mean they signed at an open market free agent rate.
I could be wrong, but I feel like it’s been longer for the A’s. Obviously extensions don’t count, since even the pirates have had multi year extensions during that time. But I don’t remember what year was the last year the athletics signed a free agent to a multi year deal.
Sure but the As were and are in the middle of relocating. So they kinda had an excuse.
Created an excuse and a reason for moving, you mean.
aledmys diaz was guaranteed two years by them, and jace peterson was given an option year just last offseason
No multi year deals because 1. One year deals are best. 2. They weren’t trying to contend. 3. They are small market. 4. Thrifty owner who puts making $ over winning.
You don’t trade Cutch Cole and go out handing out multi year contracts. You don’t fire your entire management staff and do a full rebuild and still give out multi year contracts.
They got BRYAN REYNOLDS in exchange for Andrew. Now they have BOTH Reynolds AND McCutcheon. The Pirates were RESIGNED to the fact that Cole wasn’t going to RE-SIGN with them, so trading him made perfect sense.
Look at me. I CAN’T READ but can use ALL CAPS.
Except they traded Cole with another year before hitting free agency
Isn’t that when they can get max value? Don’t rentals bring back less?
Why would a cap help the Pirates???? How did the Yankees spending $35 million on Donaldson and Hicks last year hurt the Pirates?? In fact, if the Pirates can’t offer more money to a FA, why would they sign there?
The cap isn’t for the Pirates it’s for the big market teams of course. The floor is for the Pirates. I thought that was obvious I guess it wasnt to everyone.
Why do the “big market teams” need a cap? How did the Mets spending $90 million on two pitchers that were a combined 90 years old hurt any team but the Mets? Are you saying that salaries being suppressed by rule will help the Mets? That is true, but why would we do that? I would argue that the Mets signing Scherzer and Verlander opened up opportunities for teams like the Rays to sign Eflin, who performed better than both of those guys. I would agree that a floor is needed, but why help “big market teams” control their spending? Let the Yankees give Donaldson $25 million for negative WAR.
If you have a cap AND a floor JUST LIKE I SUGGESTED it doesn’t suppress salaries. And the Mets have Lindor who is a star. The Yankees have Cole and Judge and now Soto. Those players make their teams better. And the Mets traded Scherzer and Verlander and got prospects back good prospects they can use to help them win later.
How does capping what teams are allowed to spend not suppress salaries? If the cap doesn’t suppress “big market teams” spending money on players, then why have it? Why not Just have the floor LIKE WE BOTH SUGGESTED?
Because you are requiring teams to spend too. You can see what salaries are from 2023 and the last 20 years and do the math and see to it salaries are not suppressed and in fact you can ensure they continue to go up if the league remains profitable. I swear this is exactly what they do in the NHL.
I don’t think the NHL is the model. I still think that if capping what a team is allowed to spend doesn’t suppress salaries, then why do it in the first place? Spending does not equal winning (ask the Mets, Yankees, and Padres how that worked out for them) and those teams over extending themselves for Jacoby Ellsbury or Josh Donaldson creates opportunities for other teams. Allowing owners to pocket their revenue sharing without requiring it to be spent on payroll and then crying that the system isn’t fair is the problem. If there was a floor, and it didn’t solve that problem, then I would be open to the conversation, but allowing the owners to all agree not to spend more than a predetermined amount on player salary (collusion) is a solution without a problem.
You have to have a cap AND a floor. You need both. A cap without a floor doesn’t make the Pirates field a legitimate roster.
Like I said already you can look at the last 20 years and use that as a guide on how to set the cap and the floor to ensure salaries are fair and continue to climb IF revenues continue to climb.
What all you guys are missing; I am 68 years old, when I was an adolescent, baseball was America’s game. The NFL, with its salary cap, dearfs all other sports, probably combined, because of smart leadership
The worst thing about the NFL is the cap.
You are correct. MLB needs a salary cap.
I’m kind of curious why that bothers you? Baseball is full of terrible contracts that become a financial burden with little or no production in the later years. How about Stanton? Cabrera? Baez?
A small market team like the Pirates can be just as competitive as a large market team as long as they have a good farm system. The Yankees and Dodgers aren’t doing anything wrong. They’re just putting a competitive team on the field. Blame Pirates ownership for not doing that.
Impossible to do just as well with 100m 120m as you could 250 300m. The big markets are held back now because they mostly have stupid people running things. LA much better than the others. Atlanta is smart but only a large market and not a mega one. But both of those show you what payroll can do combined with some common sense.
Pirates would be well served to ramp up payroll to add to rotation before Skenes, Chandler, and Solomento arrive. Just like they did when they brought in Burnett and Liriano to mentor Cole, Morton, and Locke.
Were Anderson Quintana Hill Perez Gonzales not veterans who know something about pitching?
Quintana and Hill are long gone, and Perez and Gonzales could very well be too by the time the 3 guys I mentioned are pitching in PNC Park. Plus how exactly are two crafty lefties going to be role models for Skenes and Chandler? Not exactly the same as Batman helping Cole be an effective power pitcher.
You’re right. Let’s give 40M to Verlander /s
Role models are for loser kids. These are grown men.
Guess I see it a bit differently, Scott. While I think my friend Dream is either delusional or just sarcastic in calling this an “A+ off season,” I do understand the Pirates’ logic where starting pitching is concerned and would rather they *not* go big in terms of spending
By all accounts, Jones, Solometo and likely Skenes aren’t far away from arrival here. I like Chandler a lot but he’s likely a bit further
Add to this that the idea that Brubaker, Burrows and Velasquez will likely be back mid-summer and I’d rather see innings eaters like those they’ve added, along with Priester and Ortiz, then see any of those guys get jammed up by contractual limitations
Here, I agree with Dream about the beauty of 1-year contracts
I try to be consistent in this thinking, too. I *don’t* get the signing of Tellez or whispers about Frazier, Taylor or Santana when again, you likely have better answers like Triolo, the glut of middle infield prospects or two young outfielders they’ve brought in
Dream will give you a well thought out education about Nutting and finances if you like, and I’m not being sarcastic.
But with that all in mind, some of their additions sometimes wander off that prescribed path. After all, one can’t compare this core of young players to the arrivals of guys like Cutch, Walker, Marte back in the most recent “golden era”
Despite the flowery things being said at Pirates Fest, I’m not expecting much in ‘24 but I am optimistic about the years afterward. To me, that has to remain the focus
A+ for sure. I would have done the same moves. Got my full endorsement. Every year fans say how awful the players were. Every trade deadline Cherington trades the so called awful players for prospects. I tell you guys every year they are good signings. Every year you guys want multi year semi expensive players. Every year I tell you it’s going to be 1 year deals. It’s groundhog day every off season. I think you guys just enjoy complaining. Personally I would find another team to be a fan of if I hated everything they did. But glad you don’t.
Rowdy was much better than back of baseball card stats. Absolute bargain for 3m.
I think Bae Gonzales Williams Peguero Triolo are all closer to being dfa non tender than all stars. Williams is a legit mlb ss so he has that at least. Triolo excellent defender. Peguero has the best potential bat. All ? marks. Johnson is best hope at 2b. Might not be here until mid late 2025. Hasn’t lived up to his high potential yet.
I think Perguero has shown enough at a young age to be a legit all-star candidate in the future. He’s no SS, but could be a good 2B with pop for years.
I saw too much of Tellez last year. No, his baseball card stats tell the story
Triolo ditched the crouch and hit consistently and with power down the stretch. Bad call
Williams is a late inning defensive replacement and nothing more. Gee, do they have those kinds of players any more in MLB
Triolo Peguero are superior to the others. Completely different tier. Good enough to pass on Frazier but still wanting Johnson to take the 2b job from them.
Yeah, agreed. Termarr has some pop that would be welcome here in this lineup. Hope he can get a bit more consistent with his overall hitting
Hoping they get very creative and get one or two more starters and another good position player
No need to get creative. Still good starters available for 1 year less than 10 million.
Steelers beat the B Squad ravens tonight but it won’t be enough as Buffalo gets a road win at Miami and Jacksonville takes care of business against Tennessee leaving the Steelers on the outside looking in.
Nah, they get in. Wait and see
I hope you’re right but I think slider_withcheese will be correct.
Slider without brains, if I wanted a prediction about who would win the Steelers-Ravens game, I’d turn on ESPN
My point was that this is a baseball site not one for football
And I don’t remember asking you for your help
Give the guy a break. Even though he switched sports he stuck with PITTSBURGH sports. This is better (imo) than some of these articles that end up being political, or trading insults. Even the chats go off topic, to my dismay.
Gets on a mlb traderumor site to comment on the Steelers missing out on the playoffs. Has to be a stain fan…………..Dweeb
Sores and boils (Mummy)
Joel- I think that Rodney was addressing the poster affectionately known as “ slider without brains” by some who routinely see this troll on Pirates articles.
As long as Tomlin finishes 500 or better is all that matters.
Doesn’t matter. Rudolph’s play made for a nice close to the season if everything goes as you think. But thanks for your usual killjoy post. Always about as meaningful as reading the men’s room wall
This is baseball who care’s about the Raves Or Steelers? You’re on the wrong site loser.
This aged well.
Can’t help that the fix was in with the Titans and Jags, but I will say this. If the Steelers can get past Buffalo this weekend, they’ll represent the AFC in the SuperBowl even without Watts
No fix,Titans just played basic football and Jags were overrated.
And the Steelers will not be playing in the AFC championship especially without Watt.
This fan is just happy that they got into the playoffs.
nice to know that they’re trying to sign some free agents but I’d like to know who they are and if the offer was competitive. That would give us an idea how serious they are.
Pirates are not a team big players want to join at the moment. Ben is good at spending money though.
They haven’t had a bad off season so far. not good but not real good. Still waiting on a splash move. 1B or Starter and a quality reliever. They’ve picked some of those up so far but none are all that exciting but could be solid.
Fantastic A+ off season so far.
Dream- I am not a real big Mike Tomlin fan but his streak is second all time to Tom Landry which is pretty impressive.
The only “ win” stats that should matter are playoff victories and Tomlin doesn’t exactly set the world on fire
In fact he hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016, 7 years ago
Tomlin just a guy. Hasn’t done nearly as good since Big Ben went downhill or retired. QB is main factor in determining outcome. Then coordinators. Unless the head coach is an exceptional innovated mind calling own plays there is only so much they can do.
Tomlin hires the supporting coaching staff, he’s been working with the GM on every year’s draft since becoming head coach so yes he’s responsible for how the team plays
His last 5 first round draft picks have been duds, trading up to draft Devin Bush who turned out to be not worth a first round pick several years back
I think you described their off-season perfrectly. It hasn’t been bad, but it hasn’t been good either. Still plenty of time left, but would hope to see a slightly larger splash than Edward Oliveras.
Lip service is all pirate fans ever get. Hey……..did you know they’re striving to be playing playoff games in October. Who knew?
cmon though, they have bednar, reynolds, hayes, maybe suwinski, and then the next closest thing they have to a SURE thing is paul skenes… this roster is definitely one that needs some time to sort itself out before it can make any big forward steps
Windows are 6 years to FA. POBO and GM are hired to sort it out, and make decisions. They can’t take time because the clock is ticking.
Obviously not a Pirates fan. Likely someone who enjoys fantasy baseball more than the real thing based on your comment.
Awful pr marketing.
Need to find a way to trade for an impact player and then use money left over to fill the other need. Have to package one of their middle infielders with exception of Cruz along with some of the prospects and get a decent controllable starter . My guess they take a chance and trade for Manoa
I agree with the trade idea if the target is a young and controllable MLB pitcher. Such a move will keep the budget down, however a trade will be difficult. Teams with extra pitching will want a lot in return,given the cost of FA pitchers. The Pirates can only offer prospects or guys who have yet to show much in the majors. It will take multiple prospects to make such a trade. Unless Bednar or Suwinski is included
If the opposing team demands Bednar or Suwinkski the Bucs would be going in reverse instead of forward
They don’t have another pitcher to replace Bednar
All depends on who comes back. If you are trading one of them I am assuming a difference maker is coming back.
I used to agree with this, TheMan3. I like Bednar. A hometown kid in this market means a great deal to the fan base. But SouthernBuc is right. He’s a closer. If trading him brought bonafide young, controllable players, how do you not pull the trigger?
Closers are important, but especially so on competing teams and simply a nice luxury on a 70-75 win team. Holderman, Selby… hate to say it but yeah, he could be effectively replaced
Mets are looking for prospects. Go get Alonzo for 1B. Mets will even pay down his contract.
Championship caliber and the Pittsburgh pirates are not something that goes together
I wonder if you made the same comment about Rangers and Dbacks this time last year.
They need at least one more starting pitcher. Would love for them to go after one of the Marlins’ guys, specifically Edward Cabrera. On paper, the two teams seem like a decent match-up. Pirates need starters and have middle infielders, Marlins need a middle infielder and have starters they may be willing to listen on.
I like Rowdy Tellez as the platoon 1B with Joe, but Santana seems like a much safer option. At least you know you’re getting good defense and 20 home runs from him. Taylor would be a good fit as well. It gives the team a massive defensive upgrade in center and moves Jack to a corner where he can platoon with Edward Oliveras and Connor Joe. If they cap off the off-season with one or two of Cabrera, Rodriguez, Santana, or Taylor, I’d be 100% satisfied.
Guess I saw enough of Tellez and Joe last year to disagree here. To me, I hope they are just in a mix in Bradenton along with Triolo, Nunez and Martin to see who can not only ably man the position but who can hit consistently
Joe’s role as a sub is likely his best attribute. Tellez-at least last year—reminds me a great deal of Vogelbach. He’ll hit some bombs that make people ooooh and ahhhh, but jeez. You spent an entire season bringing every middle infield prospect up to the majors. Why not employ the same thinking at this position, at least in spring training?
Martin isn’t happening. Nunez is probably Martin 2.0 Triolo is a glove first utility player. Doubtful bat is ever good enough for 1b. Be lucky if it’s good enough for starting 2b.
I confess that I haven’t seen much of Nunez or Martin. Have they peaked as minor leaguers? Given the trajectory here so far, it would seem so
Always hope. Nunez more so. Strike out too much. Odds are they are never amount to anything. Be lucky to make the show for Martin.
Martin will crush mistakes, which are made often at A and AA (which explains his numbers from a few years ago). His swing is a mile long and his defense is only slightly better than cringeworthy. Haven’t seen Nunez, but the fact that he’s considered depth and can’t get a 40-man spot seems to indicate that at best he’d be a highly-flawed player at the MLB level.
I don’t expect many defensive highlights from Tellez, but he was bothered by a nagging injury for much of the year. His career averages bear out that if you get him 400 ABs, he’s probably going to get you 20 HRs, almost half of hits are going to be for extra bases.
Additional players will require either trading younger talent or sending them to Indy
Players like Triolo need to stay on the major league roster
Mlb too sensitive and muted me or mlbtr glitch? Either way Marlins don’t line up. Don’t the have the batting champ at 2nd? Only SS pirates have is Cruz if he is still a SS. Says he is 100. Williams doesn’t have much value. Peguero has more but not a lot. Isn’t a good SS.
I agree that the MLB needs a minimum salary floor and a hard maximum salary cap. I don’t think it will ever be created. Perhaps more penalties in the draft would force the teams not to hand out contracts like the Dodgers and Mets have done. What would be a good place to start on a floor and should the current thresholds remain on the high side? Perhaps a 150MM floor and a 250MM cap?
Requires more revenue sharing. You rather give your $ to players that will make you $ or instead of paying more for players give that $ to Bob Nutting. As a large market owner I don’t want change. Small market owner I would.
This 100% would require more money moving from large to small markets – the Yankees make more profit than the Pirates make in revenue (even when you include the current revenue sharing).
I get the large market owners not necessarily liking this, but what I don’t understand is why the rank-and-file MLBPA members aren’t on board with a salary cap. The current system is heavily weighted toward players lasting long enough and being good enough to make ridiculous sums. Very few reach that point, while many have their careers delayed and go through their prime under team controlled salaries.
If the small market owners were smart, they’d propose something that really accentuates the divide in the MLBPA – caps on overall payroll but also specific AAVs without the deferral nonsense with payroll floors and a quicker path to free agency, such as service time is any service time (majors or minors).
You’d have 20 teams and 75% of the players lined up against the big markets and a bunch of past-their-prime millionaires who are being paid money that should be going to the younger talent. It would eliminate the service time manipulation stuff, we’d see 20-year-old phenoms with regularity, and teams would have to really make a legit pitch for a free agent with all 30 clubs being able to match a max offer.
The Pirates fool the average fan! Most of us realize just how terrible our owner and front office is!
I think you meant “Most of us don’t actually understand anything about business and wholeheartedly and quite foolishly believe everything the media and player’s union says about the ownership of the team, without even considering or attempting to understand anything regarding businesses in general, how multi-owner corporations work, or what a ‘market’ actually means.”
The owner, by the way, attended PiratesFest and dutifully listened to everyone who approached him, wore a smile the whole time, posed for pictures and shook hands. I have photos of my own to prove it, not just hearsay and conjecture by talk radio hosts.
Exhibit A! Because he attended Pirates Fest! What was he going to do tell you we was close once and I wasn’t willing to pay the price of starting pitching?
Resign Keller then? Does he not fit the window? Keller himself said nobody has even approached them about an extension! You celebrate Rowdy Tellez and Marco Gonzalez like it’s an improvement over Santana and Oviedo!
The reason nothing changes in Pittsburgh is because we always have a group of fans and bloggers that sell his BS! Expect more! I don’t even expect to be big market but try to be competitive!
Pirates have been more aggressive than the Red Sox.
If you mean quantity yes! The Pirates have signed more but 4-2 but the Pirates spent 16m and Boston 39m almost all Lucas Giolito
My children approached both Mr. Nutting and Mr. Williams as they were mingling through the crowds. Both were exceedingly gracious (Williams gave us tickets to two of the sold-out autograph sessions). As far as I can tell, neither had an obligation to willingly walk through the crowds there and engage fans, many of whom did not have much nice to say, but did so regardless.
The anger at this organization is so horribly misdirected. The Pirates are 100% limited by the size of the market in which they operate – only so much money can be made within the Pirates’ geographic area. The team is actively exploring other revenue streams to sustain the organization in general, while the media reports the owner is a cheapskate, as if he has a Scrooge McDuck money bin of cash he’s hoarding or that he even has the ability to invest more of his own money into club operations. (For the record, an owner’s personal wealth cannot be put into his team’s operating budget without requiring a match from minority owners – it is essentially a cash call where each must either meet his or her obligations or have someone else do it at the expense of their stake.)
They are by no means a perfect organization, but they do receive an unfair level of criticism and comparisons to the city’s other professional sports – both of whom operate in systems which allow for both development and retention of top talent, while the Pirates have no such luxury.
Good reasoning! I don’t care if he mingles it’s too late he’s one of the worst owner in baseball but guess what our neighbors in the division are also in similar cities!
Free agency
Cincy 102m
St. Louis 99m
Pirates 16m
Milwaukee 10m
Cubs 2m
Total salary
Cubs 172m
Cards 158m
Reds 89m
Brewers 63m
Pirates 59m
With the exception of Chicago we should be able to match the efforts of the rest of the Central and it’s ok to have expectations in this city!
I have plenty of confidence in the pirates finishing at least 500 this year.
Young buccos are going to be exciting.
Now all they have to do is get rid of Shelton
Not with our rotation! Based on Cruz and young guys developing? If we actually signed 2 SP I might agree
So I get and agree Nutting should spend more, and it is frustrating at times, however I do understand that we can’t just spend $ just for the sake of spending it. I think if they were more transparent about their books they would probably get a pass from more ppl. Unfortunately these are business men running things, they want a return in their investments so it’ll always be about the return $$.
IMO I also don’t agree that your off season gets graded on how much u spend. I feel it should be graded on whether positions were upgraded or not. That doesn’t always mean did we spend more there if u ask me.
Unfortunately the state of the mlb is what it is. The large market teams will never agree to a cap and the smaller market teams won’t either because of the revenue sharing. IMHO if there’s a cap the revenue sharing goes out the window. “Unfair” as it my be, the large market teams will always have the ability to eat a bad contract or a bad trade to where a small market just can’t. They have to be smarter and spend / be more frugal. Just as someone making $150k a year bs someone making $60k.