The Pirates have acquired right-hander Brett de Geus from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash, per announcements from both clubs. Toronto designated de Geus for assignment last week to create 40-man roster space for Jeff Hoffman.
The 27-year-old de Geus pitched 11 1/3 innings in the majors last year over the course of brief stints with the Mariners, Marlins and Blue Jays. He yielded nine earned runs in that time (7.15 ERA) and has a career 7.48 ERA in parts of two big league seasons (61 1/3 innings).
Obviously, that number is an eyesore, and de Geus’ career marks in Triple-A don’t inspire much more confidence (6.66 ERA in 50 innings). However, teams looking beneath the hood will see a sinker that averages better than 96 mph, consistently plus ground-ball rates, and interesting swing-and-miss data on the 6’2″ righty’s secondary offerings (cutter, knuckle curve, and seldom-used splitter). A former Rule 5 pick, de Geus has seen time with the Royals, Mariners, Marlins, Jays and now Pirates over the past two calendar years.
While de Geus will have to earn a spot in Pittsburgh’s bullpen — if he survives the rest of the winter on the 40-man roster — he won’t necessarily have to break camp with the club if he doesn’t. He has two minor league option years remaining, so the Bucs can hold onto him as relief depth to begin the season if they’re so inclined, with no risk of exposing him to waivers.
Despite the lack of success in the majors and upper minors, de Geus has been on four different 40-man rosters since April and six dating back to 2021. On the one hand, it’s easy to argue that’s because he’s routinely proven expendable. On the other, it’s also indicative of the fact that even with the unsightly earned run averages, teams have had a hard time sneaking de Geus through waivers. It’s clear that clubs are intrigued by his raw stuff, even if the results have yet to line up.
More money for Sasaki?
@carternico: They would have needed to trade for ifa money to throw at Sasaki. Not “cash.”
cash consideration is NOT part of the bonus pool for international amateurs!!
I like that the pen will look completely different next season
Sure these moves aren’t exciting, but this is the right way to build a pen
Still hoping they sign someone like Kyle Finnegan, but depends on their evaluation of Bednar , whom signs point to them showing a lot of confidence in for next season
I have decent confidence in a Bednar rebound. The stuff was just as good as ever, just seemed to have inconsistent command and was tipping pitches. Definitley some injuries throughout the year threw him off. I still think they’ll add like a Jose Leclerc to the pen.
“in exchange for cash”
Bob Nutting going on a safari and wants a new camera and 600mm F/4 lens.
Uhh, the Pirates are the ones giving up cash here.
I guess Nutting is selling his 600mm f/4 lens apparently.
World Series here we come!
It’s being reported elsewhere that Hayes is demanding a trade as soon as possible
No reason given but apparently he doesn’t want to play for the Bucs anymore
Bro that was MLBScoops, that guy just says literally anything at all, don’t trust everything you read on the internet
I’m not your Bro and that’s not where I read the article at
There’s nowhere credible that I’ve seen reporting that — only the dubious tweet referenced by Cave.
Caveman didn’t use Twitter
His dad intimated his frustration with playing for a losing club two summers ago, Steve. Then he recanted and said he was misinterpreted. Of course
The guy has played like he doesn’t want to be here, that’s for sure. And he sure hasn’t been a bright spot for this team
If true, please give him his wish
Please DEMAND a trade. He sucks and if he isn’t injured his 9 homers per year are useless.
I agree Jose, see ya! I’ve seen that rumor out there but it seems to lead back to the MLB Scoops article. It’s nowhere on trustworthy sites.
Agreed
Hayes literally has no trade value as a young Third Baseman with what is becoming chronic back problems. He needs to play through a reasonably healthy season before other teams would be willing to give up anything to get him
What site are you sourcing? A fan site?
I doubt that is true. Makes no sense for a player of the caliber he has shown to demand a trade. his one good season at the plate was just average. His glove has value but outside of 2023 has been a drain on the offense. Hayes is currently part of the problem.
That said, he has a pretty decent chance to be near average at the plate if not better and his glove will always play well. I hope he stays and stays healthy. Just staying reasonably healthy and managing the pain would be huge for him.
Ke’Bryan is as good as they get defensively, offensively Charlie could probably out hit him today..
Hayes could use some adults around him to light a fire under his butt rather than placating him. Shelton isn’t a guy to crack the whip and I’m sure daddy reinforces his whining
There’s 30 plus proven free agents available and they won’t spend 3 to 4 million to get one. Disaster of an off season for the pirates
name the last off season that they spent significant money on players?
As in more than one player and by significant I mean $20 million dollars
Signing Chapman last year for $10 million is probably the most they have ever spent on one free agent
Last year they spent a bit on FA but they basically all backfired. BC doesn’t get enough heat for wasting what little money Nutting is willing to spend. They also added a bit of salary in the Gonzales trade. If I was nutting I wouldn’t give the green light to spend based on the return from that group. Not that I’m justifing it, but I can see him using it as justification
Cutch – 5
Chapman – 10
Tellez – 3.2
Taylor – 4
Perez – 8
Grandal – 2.5
Borucki – 1.6
Cutch provided surplus
Chapman fair even got a raise this year
Tellez was a good idea but should have played it safe and went Santana. Or signed both like they did with Santana Choi
Taylor fair and thankfully since Jack was trash.
Perez fair
Grandal surplus
Borucki just got hurt
That was a good off season. Much better than what pirates fans suggested.
So you call a good off season adding surplus that was fair or surplus?
It’s like a lesson in what garbage teams do. The Chapman signing for $10mil made no sense then and still doesn’t
Yes. I ask every year who would you sign. Most people don’t answer. The ones that do give ridiculous answers. And all there answers went down with tj surgery or had disappointing seasons with negative value contracts. I believe I have fans trained because this year the answers are far more reasonable.
Cutch their 3rd best hitter for 5m! That’s not a signing problem that’s a epic failure in player development.
Taylor thankfully he was there. Jack was there cf but they realized they messed him up trying to improve him so had to sign the last cf available and the best one available turns out. The other 2 hit just as awful as Taylor but cost twice as much almost triple.
When you fail to develop your #1 pick and your other top catcher plays in dr league and get hurts well you have to sign Grandpal. And he was great other than no longer being able to throw. I’d brought him back in 2025 as my manager.
A playoff team traded for Perez.
Red Sox are trying to win. They signed Chapman for more $.
Nothing wrong with free agents. Probably is free agents are to supplement your in house talent and pirates can’t develop in house talent.
Was Frank a FA ? Or resigned to an extension? I agree BC has lied for 6 off seasons now. Never has signed a free agent to anything other then a one year deal
Already spent 3 million on reliever. Traded for 1b. Just need a outfielder. Verdugo Winker Grichuk still available. When those 3 are gone I might get concerned.
Utter stupidity. Is your account here for parody or do you actually believe the stupidity you spout?
Why do you defend this organization? Don’t act like it’s been a good offseason. Nutting and the Pirates front office is one of the worst in all of sports. They don’t even try to hide that they don’t care!
I don’t defend them. You just say that because I won’t lie to create a false narrative. I would have fired Williams Cherington Shelton. Nutting didn’t. They needed a lefty reliever outfielder and 1b. They already checked 2 off the list. The reliever is fine and they got the best 1b available to them. Just need the outfielder. I would have signed Tauchman. But Winker Verdugo Grichuk all still available. If they get 1 of those it will be a good off season.
Grichuk is talking to the Giants. I doubt any player comes here unless there is no alternative
The false narrative is equating filling spots with warm bodies and saying they “already checked 2 off the list”. It’s hysterical
And you call yourself a dream GM
Do you really believe they got the best 1B available to them? I mean Naylor went to Arizona for nothing but Horowitz will be cheaper with more control! It always comes back to money and payroll should be going up not down!
This organization is going to waste this staff or at the very least shrink the window of opportunity!
It’s been said over and over
They had the makings of a tremendous pitching staff. All they had to do was build the lineup with a couple bigger bats
Instead, they did nothing
A former late 1st round pick who Cleveland might be in love with and a draft pick. That’s not nothing. Pirates picking high yet again so that draft pick could be another high ceiling hs arm. And they were reported to been interested in Naylor this off season and even before that. Just couldn’t come together. And yeah 6 years vs 1 year matter. $ matters as well. They have 10m extra. To get outfielder. Extend someone. Add at deadline. Or Nuttings pocket. It’s always going to come down to $ and payroll. They can only spend 100 110 million. Gotta save where you can.
Pittsburgh stupid. Cleveland smart. Cleveland traded for Horowitz and dumped Naylor. Goal is to be Cleveland. You should want Horowitz not Naylor because that’s what Cleveland wanted. And I always hear another 1 year deal! Sign someone for multiple years. Well they got this guy for 6 years instead of 1. They got someone should be the takeaway. I wanted Goldschmidt but after seeing what he got it would have taken 15m at least to get him. Bad idea and even then he may want to win over $.
Give your names Duke. There’s not many where the $ and players wants fit Pittsburgh. Mike gave Naylor. That’s a reasonable add. Heck seems Pirates tried. Cleveland probably didn’t want Ortiz for him. But for Horowitz and including 2 prospects they were interested. And you wouldn’t give up 2 prospects for Naylor when you can have Horowitz. And you wouldn’t want to nor could they extend Naylor. Horowitz > Naylor.
Horowitz should hit like a all star vs RHP and play good defense. Reynolds can play vs LHP or sign Canha. Or maybe they try to make Horowitz a complete player like they did with Jack!
You ask me to give names and we both know it doesn’t matter. My wish list would have been watered down, far below even moderate spenders. But it wouldn’t be dropping into the bottom floor for guys like Horwitz. Or for any of the scrap they’ve brought in this off season.
Guys like you buy this small market crap and sympathize with a guy who’s raking it in. And having said that, the knee-jerk reply will be that fans like me want them to bring in a Bellinger. Or Goldie. Sorry. I understand reality
There’s a pool of guys unsigned right now, guys who could really help. You want me to give names and it’s an act of futility. Why? Why bother? We both know that with Nutting, it ain’t happening, brother
Small markets don’t spend. I don’t care if it’s can’t or won’t. Just they don’t. Pittsburgh one of the worst. Players no one else wants is it for them.
I’m of the opinion that they need to sign Grichuk. And that’s because I still have some faith in Suwinski against righties. So that platoon split should give us fairly good production at that position.
While I’ve also sort of defended the Pirates non-spending over the years as sort of justifiable due to the overall state of their organization since 2015, whether they think they are “ready” to make the leap or not doesn’t matter. Their window is during the time they have Skenes. So this year is the first year I’ve been very frustrated because this is their window whether they are ready or not.
My suggestion….beyond the above. One year contracts. Overpay for Scherzer. Overpay and give him incentives on a one year. If he’s healthy and good he’s worth it. If not he’s not an albatross to your payroll after 2025. Then trade jones for like a J Westerburg. Cut bait (and salary) with Hayes even if they get little in return.
That is not saying Balt would do that. It’s just the suggestion for an aggressive move to try to win with skenes on our team.
Windows are loser mentality. Cleveland Milwaukee Tampa don’t have windows or they are long windows. They reload fast. No 6 8 10 year long rebuilds. No need for windows. You have a down year, you reload and try again.
Pirates don’t believe in windows. They have been trying to be these teams for a long time. They just stink at it.
Windows are over. Because the days of everyone having cable and just giving teams free $ is over. They actually have to sell a product now.
Grichuk is my #1 choice. If Jack can’t get back Grichuk can play everyday. Might stink but recently in sss he has looked good vs RHP. Even if Jack is back there’s plenty of playing time. If you give Reynolds 1b time. Cutch will need rest. Shelton rest days. Sign another outfielder as well.
I doubt Max wants to play for a loser. Pirates probably can’t afford his market value let alone over pay. I like the move if he is desperate. Quintana reunion is Pirates way. Or simply do Nutting. They don’t need to add a starter. Just increases depth.
All for a Jones trade. But other teams concerns are same as Pirates.
They can always wait for it and hold off laughter extend Skeenes! A real team would trade him for the next wave of pirates impact talent. Real teams do this all the time. A real team would have stud Griffin to carry the team. But when you can’t develop it’s another half decade or longer full rebuild. Cherington might be able to pull it off. He drafts elite pitching in every draft so there can be a never ending supply of pitching. Make trades for bats. If he can get any improvement in development it can be done. Get anything out of international market.
Why Cherington should have been fired. He could succeed but if he doesn’t it’s another valuable year of Skenes Keller Jones Reynolds Cruz everyone wasted. Player development another year lost. 2025 2026 2027 already decided. Not much a new gm could do to improve it or mess it up. Might as well give someone new a shot.
The Pirates are an organization filled with losers and have proven they can’t operate like the better run small market teams so yes they have windows! This is year 1 of a wasted window!
Well, as a baseball org I agree. But I’d love to be a loser making this kind of money. Me? I’d find the happy medium Nutting has never found: making a nice profit and also putting a competitive team on the field.
With Nutting, it’s pure greed
I just wonder what Paul Skenes or even Bryan Reynolds are thinking after this horrific off season
.285 .380 .484 .864 Horowitz vs RHP last year. That’s all star production. Would be Pirates best bat many recent years.
No reason for Pirates fans to have the bucco blues. Get Grichuk and it’s a good off season.
At trade deadline they had a winning record. The bullpen fell apart. Might happen again might not. Who knows with relievers. I like their depth better this year. Horowitz > Rowdy. IKF > MAT.
It’s not exciting but it’s about the best they could do. People want $ and winning. That’s not Pittsburgh. This franchise isn’t going to built in free agency. You want stars you have to develop them.
Someday those books will be open and we will see the Pirates would make money with 120m payroll but chose not too… I’m convinced this is true and if tax money is being used to build ballparks then that should be public knowledge.
The bullpen is worse than last year and they ended up being bad last season. RF is a hole until it’s not. Trade for a RF without dumping Keller. Horowitz is a young player and with some promise but he’s far from proven. IKF is the SS? I like him better as a utility knife than everyday SS.
I think you give this organization to much credit for a very weak offseason.
We will be better because the rotation and
If Cruz develops
It’s an anemic lineup everywhere you look.
They likely won’t get Grichuk and even if the do, just how are they going to score runs?
Reynolds is a consistent hitter. Cruz will hit some homers. But only extreme optimists think guys like Horwitz are the answer. Or that Bart will have a big year. Or that Suwinski and Davis finally find themselves. Or that Cutch hits 20 homers again
This is a team full of scrap. Nothing else. And thanks to their manager, they won’t beat you with hustle or grit.
Maybe the starters can all have Koufax type years in terms of innings , that’s the only hope
Just when you didn’t think it was possible for Nutting to preside over a worse off season, this train wreck takes place
But hey, tickets went on sale today. And fan fest is coming
Mike- According to Forbes if I remember correctly they made $68M last year and the value of the team is supposedly $1.3 B although I find that very hard to believe.
If so,Nutting is probably looking at that as a return of 5.5%.
He has raked in 10% per year on his initial investment.
The key to any small market team is having an excellent GM,manager,and development team.Nutting should be smart enough to know that he does not have that.They have not given him a team in five years that should be an 85 win team.
If their current salary total is $86 M then he would have to cut his profit in half to get to $120 M.That is what he is looking at.
The baseball salaries have skyrocketed along with everything else in this country over the last four years.
I believe that anything smaller than spending an additional $20 M on Grichuk and Finnegan or equivalents on one year contracts is a reasonable expectation to give them a chance to have a winning record.
I believe that his biggest mistake though is keeping Shelton as manager.
I sincerely doubt some of the numbers you have put forth here, especially where profit percentage is concerned. That MLB refuses to open its books is rather disturbing but only enhances the la cosa nostra feel to their proceedings
But no matter
I agree with your comments about the GM, manager and player development personnel. Clearly, the latter has been an abject failure. I don’t think Shelton is the answer where developing young players is concerned, in a baseball or mental sense. But where Cherrington is concerned, we simply don’t know his parameters. That is, we have no idea as to the amount of fiscal freedom he has
I’m not defending him in any way. Look at the GMs in KC, Milwaukee, Cleveland and other similar markets. They make it work. They demand player development but also closely scout pros who can be brought in to compliment the roster
That’s not present here. And I think your 76 win total is generous
Those are the numbers that Forbes mentioned.I did not make them up.
I have been consistent in saying that Nutting’s main impetus is the long term investment of 10% return per year.You and I can make 5.5% in the last couple of years.I think that the long term one is the carrot at the end of the stick for a lot of these billionaires.
I do not call Nutting cheap.He has to compete with teams with five times more income.
He is definitely frugal.
And he cares more about the bottom line than he does about winning.
I have always said that he is a businessman first and foremost.
But he did spend in the mid 2010’s to the reasonable limits of a small market team when he actually had a good team.And I think that he will again if he gets another one.
But he has been too far remote to the deficiencies of this team to improve it.And the window of opportunity will close sooner rather than later.
He is not a risk taker when it comes to his money.
Agree and disagree with many points here
First off, I’m not intimating you are making anything up. Forbes estimates profit margins but it’s impossible to know for sure given MLB’s closed book policy. That policy alone would make estimates such as these seem low ball
And the same can be said about using the 10% figure. It’s impossible to know
I agree about Nutting aiming to spend during the Hurdle heyday. But being the frugal businessman he is, I suspect his takeaway was a valuable lesson moving forward and explains the reluctance—no, refusal—to spend now
You don’t call him cheap but I’ll call him an individual bent on milking a sports endeavor for every cent he can.
Look, other franchises have proven the small city explanation to be bunk. Here’s a guy who continues to push it
This was an off season that one would have expected some realization that there is a window open—an opportunity—with a sterling young pitching staff. Instead, he’s gone the other way. I simply do not believe the GM here saw a group of affordable, middling players who could help in RF and/or 1B and said, “ No. I want Horowitz”. It simply doesn’t add up
It’s the Nutting Way. You’re right. Baseball is secondary. It’s beyond outrageous at this point
It’s all available to see. The braves are owned by a corporation. Their financials are public. Obviously Atlanta has more attendance, charges more, better tv deal, the battery etc. But with some work you can get a really good idea of what Pirates make.
Why go through the work though. Like I always say no small market has ever spent more than 130. Whether it’s because they can’t or won’t doesn’t matter. It’s not happening. And those small markets had deep playoff runs. More attendance. So Pirates cap is 100 110.
Duq-You make good points here.
I had calculated similar numbers from the Atlanta open records a couple of years go.
The 10% is a simple calculation from $92M in 1996 to $1.32B today.Probably the reason why Cuban said it was such a sweet deal.
i think that we all can agree that MLB is a broken institution as far as small market teams are concerned.Just look at what the Dodgers did with Sasaki.
We all can also agree that several if not many small market teams have been very well run over a period of a number of years.
The Pirates may very well be the worst of the bunch.
The key is hiring and overpaying a good president,GM,and manager.
With all the superstars eventually playing for the big market teams,and one small market team winning the WS since 1991,the stack is decked.
Someone said that Rome was not built in a day.But much of it may very well have been built in five years.
I think that Nutting’s biggest sin is not making the obvious changes that really need to be made.
And conversely, you make solid points here but I’d dissent slightly in two regards. One, your original point about Nutting supersedes all others: his focus is on the financial end and not baseball
Secondly, all of sports is irreparably broken now, from pro to college and in some regards, scholastic. The incredible amount of money is like the proverbial genie here. It’s out of the bottle—out of control—and you’ll never get it back in. Add in sports books and really, it’s sickening
The only reason to watch sports now is simply love of the games, and even in that I find it harder to be truly concerned
Unfortunately,we can both strongly agree here.
I remember fondly the great Roberto flailing his arms running past third base.
The times were simpler.
Brett de Gues will be working on the Roger Beshens Football Slider.
Roger will show Brett his shaping techniques and explain how to apply metrics to that Football Slider.
It’s about damn time!
These shouldn’t be standalone articles. These are joke signings by clown teams while the Dodgers abuse MLB’s cap-less system to death and run circles around everyone else. They’re dominating headlines where every single FA wants to be with them, while the Pirates are acquiring Brett de Geus (does Brett de Geus even know who Brett de Geus is?) and the Mariners are making a “big splash” with Donovan Solano. It’s a complete farce. No one cares, it doesn’t make the smallest impact in the sport. So just have one link saying “minor move tracker” where people can click on it and run through the laundry list of these nobodies while reserving the front-page for all the Dodgers’ new purchases and Mets’ overpayments for singular players who won’t change the trajectory of their franchise.
Sound good?
Go ahead fellow trolls, sound off…
Go to your settings and add Los Angeles Dodgers Feed. Now you have nothing to complain about.
I mean, you could just not click on the articles if they trigger you so badly…
Mickey…
I bet Mrs. De Geus knows who Brett is.
You sound like a Jays fan…minus the “can shatkins” phrase.
Looks like the classic “we’ll DFA him before the season starts and stash him at AAA if someone doesn’t claim him” kinda guy.
I am underwhelmed as are most Pirate fans with this signing
I am overwhelmed. A+. Keep it up Ben
Wow….dodged a bullet.
Just think of the millions he will save in taxes and will no longer wait for hours in the customs lines.
In fact; he can probably toss his passport now.
Just sayin’ for all those that don’t get out much.
It’s almost unbelievable how pathetic this franchise is and how incredibly bad this off season has been
And they want you to know tickets went on sale today?
Really?
Are you talking Pirates or BlueJays?
Last time I checked, the pirates were ranked higher in the power rankings than the Jays.
So you must be talking about the Jays.
No bestone, I know misery loves company but the Pirates’ owner? The absolute worst
At the present moment there are only 4 projected relievers in the roster with minor league options and an that’s Bednar, Holderman, Molojnski, and Nicholas, so this guy isn’t projected to make the team. They do need to add a proven righty though
Ben Cherington never met a Blue Jays player he didn’t like.
The Pirates need to sign Grichuk and Finnegan then call it a day.Canha for Grichuk if he signs elsewhere.
The bullpen becomes much better if Bednar returns to his best form and the young pitchers get better.
I can see them easily winning 78 games if they do that which would be the best year under Cherington.
Add 5 more wins if they fire Shelton before the season and actually get a good manager.
I guess I have to ask. How many wins do you see if they do what’s more likely….nothing?
I’m going with 70-72
You forgot the 20 wins that Haines cost them last year. They’re a 100 win team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Probably 76 so they get the trifecta which is extremely difficult to do.
And I see that you have changed your name even one more time “to protect the innocent”
But what is in a name?
Your de Gues is as good as mine
De Geus is who is coming to din din