2023 Pirates Season Thread

Postby **Ad@m** » Sat Sep 23, 2023 10:07 pm

Final: 13-12

Postby **Ad@m** » Sat Sep 23, 2023 10:13 pm

Postby **Ad@m** » Sat Sep 23, 2023 10:13 pm

Postby **King Colby** » Sat Sep 23, 2023 11:34 pm

Didn't get to watch tonight but wow. This is a scrappy team and these last few weeks to months are huge for these young guys

Postby **blackjack68** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 1:25 am

Sorry, been away but I think we are at:

7-7
7-8
8-8
9-8
10-8

11-8 (almost the same as the score!)

Postby **Troy Loney** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 8:36 am

Triolo is 1.4 WAR player on fangraphs now. It is starting to make the Sabol decision look more rational.

Was listening to a pirates podcast yesterday about hypothetical offseason acquisitions, the two hosts both argued for Brandon belt, and I also think that would be a great choice to solidify first base. They were also talking Michael lorenzen for the big pitcher acquisition, to that, I say, shoot higher.

It’s hard to find a spot for bae on this team going forward, I think he might be an enticing players for a team looking for cheap, cost controlled position players with upside. Not sure if one of the tanking teams has a good reliever that they could pry away using their glut of middle infield depth.

Postby **Troy Loney** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 8:51 am

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/pittsburgh- ... roll/2024/

Insane payroll situation for them next year.

Reynolds is somehow getting only 10mm, which would likely have been less than what he would have got in his arb3 year. Hayes’s front loaded deal goes down to 7mm annually, and I guess they have a club option on that dadhole who got hurt in spring training and stopped playing.

Keller will get at least a 5mm raise and bednar will probably come in around 3.5 - 5, but no more than probably 12mm total for Keller and bednar. So like 30mm in payroll for the veteran core.

They have time before having to make decisions on guys like Cruz, Oviedo, and suwinski. So, would like to see what sort of players they can get in here on 1-3 year deals.

Postby **Beveridge** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 8:57 am

This is a playoff team if Cruz doesn't break his leg.

Postby **King Colby** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 9:25 am

They have to get a first baseman - doesn't have to be someone super pricy, just needs to be a real player. Santana again, or hopefully a little better. LH bat helps

They have to sign a pitcher. 3 years maybe like $40-45M.

They have to sign another starting pitcher like a Hill or a VV.

if they do that, I'll believe that they can get a WC

Postby **genoscoif** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 9:27 am

This is a playoff team if Cruz doesn't break his leg.

Not quite totally sure about that, but the way they've responded and played down the stretch has been really fun to watch. Scrappy seems like a bit of an insult, but I don't know of a more fitting word.

It's one thing to bring up young guys in a lost season to get them some experience at this level, and a completely different thing to have them experience a modicum of success while they're here. Bodes well.

Cruz and Skenes could be huge X factors toward a shift to relevance next year. If Cruz can come back and be as good or better, and Skenes ends up being a bona fide 2/3 guy...

They could make a splash is free agency, but who are we kidding.

Postby **Troy Loney** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 10:27 am

They have to get a first baseman - doesn't have to be someone super pricy, just needs to be a real player. Santana again, or hopefully a little better. LH bat helps

They have to sign a pitcher. 3 years maybe like $40-45M.

They have to sign another starting pitcher like a Hill or a VV.

if they do that, I'll believe that they can get a WC

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/free-agents ... g-pitcher/

A ton of guys on this list that can help, and also enough true elite options that the big spenders will be focused in on those markets. I think just need to target a guy in the mid tier range, like a Paxton or Montgomery if they are willing to commit multiple years. They’ve also been connected to that Japanese pitcher, that would be quite a jolt to the senses.

Flipped on the mlb prospect pipeline episode talking about their updated top 100. This might be too broad a brush to think with, but they were saying there is a huge dearth of top pitching prospects across mlb. Just having skenes alone separates the pirates from the rest of the league in that field. Then just rolling through their top ten, they also have chandler, jones, solometo, and priester (and wildcards like Ortiz and Roansy). Thinking by the end of ‘24 the pitching situation could be drastically improved.

Postby **willeyeam** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 10:50 am

Blake sabol still stinks

Postby **Troy Loney** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 10:52 am

This is a playoff team if Cruz doesn't break his leg.

Bold.

They probably bring endy up sooner and don’t trade hill.

But also, hill fell off a cliff after the trade, pretty sure he would be a detriment. They would have have to bring in pitching help mid season, and not sure if that would have actually happened.

Postby **LeopardLetang** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 11:10 am

They have to get a first baseman - doesn't have to be someone super pricy, just needs to be a real player. Santana again, or hopefully a little better. LH bat helps

They have to sign a pitcher. 3 years maybe like $40-45M.

They have to sign another starting pitcher like a Hill or a VV.

if they do that, I'll believe that they can get a WC

Verbatim. First base. A SP on a 3 year deal. Was thinking 15mm but wasn't sure of the rate these days so hoping for even a touch better there but not crossing fingers. Another vet 5th starter who might pitch like their third best. I don't know about wild card but .500 should be below expectations

Postby **LeopardLetang** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 11:20 am

Watched the historic game this morning before knowing what happened. What a treat to watch that comeback. I imagined the score going to 9-6 with a Reynolds bomb and when that happened I stopped fast forwarding so much. Moreta really has been money. And mlodz has better closer vibes than Holderman. Rivas really has been very solid defensively despite missing that shorthop to lose the other day. Bae is so sloppy but tons of skills and effort. Triolo what a pro.

Block was trying out his new excited voice and was a real distraction. Saying I'm so happy and apologizing for not composing himself lol. He's OK haha. Maybe I'll start to like him more.

Exciting tense wins lately really starting with that Braves Oviedo game. This team is focused and serious and has been executing. I blame the young leaders in the dugout

Postby **King Colby** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 11:21 am

Blake sabol still stinks

Postby **King Colby** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 11:26 am

Young leaders in the dugout = Endy. And he isn't even really hitting - when they hitting comes watch out. And hayes playing like 2013 cutch is motivating people too

Postby **LeopardLetang** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 12:12 pm

Postby **Ad@m** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 10:26 pm

The last, great first baseman.

Postby **blackjack68** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 11:00 pm

7-8
8-8
9-8
10-8
11-8 (almost the same as the score!)

11-9 (missed yesterday)

Postby **faftorial** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 11:05 pm

Jason Thompson was average at best

Postby **Ad@m** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 11:27 pm

He and Kevin Young were great, compared to this list from a few years ago.

https://www.pghcitypaper.com/arts-enter ... ed-1898975

Postby **faftorial** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 11:35 pm

Kevin Young was a good fielder but average at best offensively like JT.

Postby **blackjack68** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 9:43 pm

8-8
9-8
10-8
11-8 (almost the same as the score!)
11-9 (missed yesterday)

11-10. Let Phillies into the playoffs. Boo.

Postby **Ad@m** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 9:52 pm