Pirates Offseason Thread 2022-23

[willeyeam]

[LeopardLetang]

they're out there saying Reynolds wants to sign here now basically

[LeopardLetang]

Guess I am just saying that they didn't get good through trades or the draft. Mostly McCutchen being an MVP and somehow finding hidden value and pitching/defense strategies that worked really well.

They've quietly demonstrated player development capabilities that we haven't seen in a long time. What Roansy, Endy, Luis Ortiz and Cruz have done the last two years is new. I'd even argue to point at Suwinski, Keller, and probably a couple other ones as evidence that there is tangible proof improvement.

If it's there, I think we can have some confidence that they'll find it for the likes of Davis, Gonzalez, Priester, Peguero, etc.

Yeah, cutch mvp and pitching/d strategies (ground ball basically?) - hard to explain how incredible their relievers were.

But the hidden value thing was impressive or rather rebound finds like Burnett, Liriano, Russell Wilson, Cervelli, Wandy, Happ.

A big one was foreign spending although Marte was the only big score and maybe Kang/Polanco

Also agree that the player development took a huge image boost with Endy last year and even Ortiz. Expectations were so low that I would have been impressed had just Roansy and Cruz done what they. It wouldn't have been surprising if they flopped.

[Troy Loney]

they're out there saying Reynolds wants to sign here now basically

Good, but it wasn’t like Reynolds had any leverage here though.

Hopefully they figure something out, I don’t think there’s much risk in paying Reynolds out.

Also, zips projected rankings is out. Very low on the pirates, might actually look at putting some money the w/l over for them this year. Not sure their inprovement is getting priced in correctly

Edit, draft kings has them at 67.5 I think they win 70-72 this year,
Not sure it’s worth it. I think that line is higher than expected

[willeyeam]

I bet over 67.5. they're easily 5 wins better than last year imo

[Troy Loney]

I bet over 67.5. they're easily 5 wins better than last year imo

I think the offense is in considerably better shape, I fear though that they could actually have a worse starting rotation than last year because of what Quintana was able to do.

[willeyeam]

Quintana
Keller (1st half 2022 version)
Brubaker
Wilson
Thompson

vs

Contreras
Keller (hopefully 2nd half 2022 version)
Hill
Brubaker
Velazquez

I have hopes for Contreras to be Quintana level or more. New Keller > Old Keller, assuming he keeps form. I don't know, I don't love this rotation, but I think it's better

[Troy Loney]

I woudn't be surprised if Hill is completely done, that Velazquez is as bad as Wilson/Thompson, and Keller/Brubaker pitch themselves out of the rotation. Roansy is the only one I am confident is good enough to be in a ML rotation.

[willeyeam]

Well Wilson and Thompson did actually pitch themselves out of the rotation. Of course it's possible, but all of those things happening would be slim odds and would all need to happen to be worse than last year basically

[Dickie Dunn]

59 wins

[willeyeam]

59 wins

[Dickie Dunn]

59 wins

58

[willeyeam]

lol

[Troy Loney]

Well Wilson and Thompson did actually pitch themselves out of the rotation. Of course it's possible, but all of those things happening would be slim odds and would all need to happen to be worse than last year basically

Indeed they did.

They also don’t have Thompson, peters and Thompson to turn to as the next guys up. They will likely have Oviedo, ortiz, burrows and priester in the AAA rotation to take starts . There is maybe an outside chance that the former two beat out velazquez in spring training, but that’s a long shot.


Maybe hill is more reliable than I am giving him credit, but he’s at best a guy that will get through 5 with 2-4 runs allowed. I find it highly unlikely that vv is the lyles, Anderson, quintana bargain

[willeyeam]

VV is just another Wilson/Thompson type

[King Colby]

The catcher conundrum has been resolved. Pirates have signed Kevin "the Answer" Plawecki and his -1.2 WAR last season to a minor league deal

[willeyeam]

The longer this goes the more I wonder if Endy is actually gonna be a big leaguer on opening day

[willeyeam]

It makes sense. If he flames out then you have Davis coming soon. See what you think you have

[King Colby]

He won't be. They'll add either heineman or plawecki and bring endy up in june

[King Colby]

Unless they get savvy and sign him to a luis robert-like deal before the season starts

[Troy Loney]

I think they also might be looking to move Endy to other positions.

I believe the thinking is that he's more athletic than Davis, and would be better able to play other position.

I don't know if he's good at catching or not, but I think they should keep them both there as long as plausible to see which one is the better catcher (but I also don't manage a baseball organization).

And to echo Colby, there's no way they burn a control year in 2023 or risk super 2 status, so June at the earliest. Also, the fact that Reynolds achieved super 2 status is probably the strongest possible evidence that they had no clue how good he was going to be.

I know that I am crazy optimist, but I don't think the offense is going to be problematic this year. Hedges will probably be the best at handling the catching and the pitching staff, so might be good to sacrifice some offensive production for stability in that position.

I could also see them getting a little cute with Ortiz to keep from burning his first year as well, basically bringing up guys like Bolton, Bido, and Cruz for spot starts ahead of him. And Ortiz spends probably 75% of the season in the minors.

[iamjs]

Where are they now, John Jaso edition:

Jaso named his boat Roaming Rose and started taking day trips into the Gulf of Mexico in early 2018. One day that spring, he was working on his boat when he was struck with a sudden and strange sensation. “I thought, something feels really weird right now,” he said. “Like I was forgetting something. And then it hit me: I should have been in spring training. I started laughing because I realized: I didn’t miss it at all.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/spor ... -jaso.html

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

Ballers, today is one of the more underrated days on the calendar. Pitchers and catchers report for your Pittsburgh pirates baseball club today. It's also gonna be 70+ degrees in Western pa.

Go bucs

[willeyeam]

lfg

[King Colby]

Please don't suck