North Shore Nine

In part two of “Time to throw in the towel” we will look at the Pirate’s start to the offseason and some of the moves that will be or could be made. This will include those currently on the 60-day IL, those who are Free Agents to be and those that could end up non-tender candidates.

60-day IL:
Endy Rodriguez
Johan Oviedo
Dauri Moreta
Hunter Stratton
Daulton Jefferies
Marco Gonzales

The first four are locks to be added back to the 40-man roster. Moreta and Stratton when healthy should lock back into the Pirate bullpen. Oviedo will be an interesting option next year. If healthy he will definitely be an option for the team, the question is in what role. The rotation appears to be potentially set with Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones, Luis Ortiz and Bailey Falter. As he recovers from Tommy John, he could split time in the bullpen as well as the rotation to regain his form. The last two are potential non-tender or declined option candidates. It is highly likely that Jefferies is non-tendered this offseason as he did not pitch well in his opportunities in Pittsburgh this year. He has also not pitched well in his rehab stint to date, so it is possible he is DFAed even before the offseason crunch occurs. Gonzales is another interesting option. He did not pitch poorly for the Pirates this year, but two 60-day IL stints make it unclear if he will remain healthy moving forward. To make things more interesting he has a 15-million-dollar team option this offseason. This will clearly be declined by the Pirates; the interesting part will be if they try to resign him to a far more team friendly deal to continue on with the team. Though likely they will just let him move on to other opportunities.

Free Agents to be:
Jalen Beeks
Ryan Borucki
Aroldis Chapman
Yasmani Grandal
Rowdy Tellez
Andrew McCutchen
Michael A. Taylor

Here are seven potential roster spots freed this offseason, though it will not nearly be that many. Borucki will likely be retained. He spent most of the season injured but after his amazing season last year he will be likely given the chance to rebound. Beeks has been a very pleasant surprise since his addition at the deadline. While it would be nice to see him back for another year it seems against the Pirates usual to resign a rental. Taylor was DFAed and no one blinked, leaving him with the Pirates. He will be gone after this season especially with Oneil Cruz moving to center and the internal outfield depth. This brings us to four choices that may seem easy but do bear some consideration. Grandal came into the season injured and started very slow. He has picked it up since midseason playing well down the stretch. He could be a good veteran to bring back if the money works to allow him to continue to work with the young staff and catchers. However, Joey Bart has basically made the starting catcher position his with his play this season. Furthermore, Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez are with the team still and will need the chances to show where they fit, or don’t, with the organization. Add to that Jason Delay sitting in AAA, it is unlikely the Pirates will allocate money or roster spots for Grandal. Rowdy Tellez, the man who doesn’t get enough love. While he is not having the year had in 2022, he is ending up with a pretty good offensive year for the Pirates. It seems unlikely the Pirates will bring him back for an encore season. The problem is they will not be replacing him via free agency. Christian Walker would be ideal, but the likelihood of the Pirates ponying up the cash for that level of signing won’t happen. It is likely the Pirates look internally, Endy Rodriguez maybe, to fill the hole at 1B. Many fans want Bryan Reynolds to take over the position, which seems unlikely to happen but it’s the Pirates so who knows. Next is Chapman, who has been mostly good for the Pirates this year minus a handful of games. The Pirates should bring him back, giving him a one-year deal with a team option for another. The problem is they would likely have to do so at a similar rate to what they paid this year. While he may have earned every bit of that salary it is hard for smaller market teams like the Pirates to focus that much of the payroll on a relief pitcher. Last is McCutchen, the most likely to return. Cutch has had a very good season again for the Pirates, while he is about a month away from turning 38, he has only showed some signs of slowing down. Considering what he has meant to the organization and the city it seems like he could be back again at the same 5-million-dollar rate. Though there is the question if it would make more sense to use that money elsewhere on someone who can be more likely to last a full season without multiple DH stints.

Non-Tender Candidates:
Ben Heller
Connor Joe
Alika Williams
Ji Hwan Bae
Billy McKinney
Joshua Palacios

Heller will surely be non-tendered, he has not pitched well and has made it through waivers already this year. Joe is a solid MLB player, he goes through hot streaks that make him look a lot better than he is. He has the ability to play a few different positions that also adds value to him. However, he made 2.13 million this season and would likely be due a raise this offseason. It is likely they could get similar production from a slightly younger player like Joshua Palacios, or even better production from a guy like Jack Suwinski after an offseason spent at driveline. While it the chances are low Joe will be non-tendered it would not come as a big shock to see. Williams is another player that could be let go this offseason. He has a solid glove, but his bat is nothing that is worth keeping around. While he is not going to make much money there are other players out there that have more upside that should be able to do better than what he has produced. Bae has been given more opportunities than most and has been unable to make anything of them. It is time for the Pirates to let him go and use the roster spot on someone without the personal track record, and who could be a benefit to the big-league team. McKinney got his cup of coffee and has not been able to do anything with the small sample opportunity. Pirates got him for free, making him much easier to let go this offseason. Palacios, it is possible they decide to move on from him this offseason. But this would only be in a situation in which they would need a roster spot. He is still a season away from arbitration and has provided a spark for the Pirates when on the major league roster. While he is not the best option out there, he could be as mentioned a cheaper version of Joe.

DFA Candidates
Tsung-Che Cheng
Liover Peguero
Joey Wentz

Cheng was protected last offseason and squandered his opportunity to be on the 40 man. He spent the year in AA where he has a massive offensive regression. If the Pirates need a roster spot he will be one of the first to be DFAed, though he could almost certainly go unclaimed. Peguero was unable to work his way back to the Pirate roster this year even with the injuries as they occurred. Which is odd due to the fact he has been better in Pittsburgh than Williams has on both sides of the ball. It seems like the Pirates are not willing to give up on him just yet but it is very odd he has not been given the chance to show off in Pittsburgh this year. Another player who could end up on the short end of the stick if a 40 man crunch occurs. Wentz was just grabbed off waivers from the Tigers and did not have a good first appearance for the Pirates. He is likely a candidate for the Pirates to try to non-tender and try to resign to a new deal in the offseason.

The offseason is always and exciting and frustrating time for most teams, but especially for those with shit owners. This offseason should be no different for the Pirates with interested baseball and financial decisions that will need to be made. However as always late winter will bring forth the excitement of another season of baseball, one in which hopefully, the Pirates will be ready to get back to winning ways.