10-28-24 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter
Ahh The Ramones. What can I say, if you love them you love them, if you don’t, you can’t for the life of you understand how anyone could. Sounds like the Pirates in a way, the Ramones have a load of well known and celebrated songs, yet the highest rank they ever reached on Billboard’s Top 100 was 66 with Rockaway Beach. Personally, I could do a 15 Thoughts at 5 today and probably not get to Rockaway Beach on my list of favorites.
Anyway, the Pirates are quiet. That in and of itself is a story because frankly, they have openings they’re supposed to be filling and other teams are making hires all around them. When I say they’re quiet, I don’t mean just the actual event of hiring someone, I mean even the chatter about who might be looked at, a loose list of candidates, sourced by anyone.
Nobody is saying anything yet, and like I said, that can itself be a story. It could speak to not being 100% done with dismissals, it could be the candidates they want are in the World Series (but that hasn’t stopped the rumors about some Dodgers assistants being candidates elsewhere).
If they’re only filling 2 roles, you’d like to think they’d want to get out in front and pick from the best candidates, but that would make sense so, no wonder teams like the Cardinals beat them to the punch.
1. Bonzo Goes to Bitburg
There was another protest march in Pittsburgh yesterday.
I heard estimates of 15-30 people at times during the walk and it got some coverage locally and as I’ve said before, it may not bear fruit, in fact, I believe it won’t achieve much of anything, but at least these folks are trying to do something more productive than just complaining online.
There’s a real message here and it’s not just getting a man they loathe to sell their favorite baseball team, it’s also aimed at potentially shaming him into spending money to improve the product. In other words, they know they won’t likely convince him to sell, but shaming him, well, it’s forced him to do things before hasn’t it?
To me, that’s what really sets this one apart. These aren’t people claiming they won’t watch again, or that they won’t support their team. These are people that just want to see whomever owns their team, even if it remains Bob Nutting, try to at least approach their level of give a crap.
None of these folks are social media juggernauts, yet they grew this from their first event to this one 5 fold. People are hearing about it, people are participating.
This time of year, I’m betting most of their intended audience isn’t even in the city unfortunately, but I appreciate where their hearts are here.
2. I Wanna Be Sedated
Even as the two richest teams in Major League Baseball duke it out in the World Series, and some of us try to ignore the economics in an effort to just enjoy some of the best players in the world doing battle, baseball can’t help themselves from shoving it in our faces.
Even before the series began, the Mets GM David Sterns put out a message that they could and would go after any players they want in the offseason. Just yesterday, the Dodgers pushed forward the idea they’d be in the bidding war for Juan Soto this Winter.
I’m a Pirates fan, so it’s not like I was under the delusion that Juan Soto was coming here, but it’s clear, there are no more than 4 teams in MLB who can even splash in this puddle, let alone get it done.
It doesn’t guarantee a championship, I mean look, the Yankees have him right now and look, they might yet get swept out of the series.
The advantages are numerous. It’s not just being capable of spending the likely to be 500 million dollar plus price tag, it’s knowing if he breaks his leg and misses a year and a half, then comes back as 3/4 of the player he was, they’ll be ok.
Again, 3 or 4 teams can afford to think like that, or more accurately spend like that.
If Patrick Mahomes were to suddenly hit the free agent market in the NFL, every single team that doesn’t have a nailed on franchise quarterback they’re paying would move heaven and earth to sign him. His decision would be based on how he felt the team around him would be, how he likes the city, maybe even team history, the coach, the ownership. He wouldn’t enter Free Agency knowing he has 3 or 4 teams to choose from.
Free agency in baseball works like panning for gold. Everything that falls out of the pan is out there for any team, but the nuggets that stick to the pan, well, those are for a select few and it’s the part of baseball that stinks.
It’s the part of baseball the protests we discussed in point 1 today tend to ignore. Even if they succeed, it’s only going to get a little better, until baseball itself changes.
3. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
OK, this one is going to be a list of things that would shock me in 2025.
Bailey Falter – It would shock me if Bailey Falter remained in the rotation all season. And I was already shocked by what he did in 2024. I believe he has the inside position to earn a spot out of camp, but to make it all season long I feel like too many guys I believe will push for an opportunity would have to collapse. In many ways, this is more about other players than Bailey himself. Being left handed in a system that still doesn’t have any ready to replace him makes this hard to envision, but we’ve seen them go with all righties multiple times already.
Henry Davis – I’d be shocked if Henry Davis still looks lost at the plate. For one thing, he’s always been a hitter, everywhere. He may not be an All Star, but he certainly shouldn’t be a “nothing” in a lineup.
Jack Suwinski – I’d be shocked if he didn’t make the opening day roster. I know, I know, he was awful last year, but the homeruns he’s hit in this league, he’s going to get another shot. Even if he’s a strict platoon player, he’s probably good for 20 homeruns and the team might have to eat the warts Jack comes with for the very needed component of his skill set. He’s also in my mind the player who will benefit the most from a hitting coach change, if only because he’s the most coachable player on the team. And that’s both a good and bad thing. Hard to imagine they bring in so much talent that Jack starts in AAA.
4. Howling at the Moon
Winter turns to summer
Sadness turns to fun
Keep the faith, baby
You broke the rules and won
The Pirates have to do something different this year, and friends, it really comes down to being serious about “shopping in a different aisle”. They said it last year, and then didn’t do any of it, now I think they’re going to feel forced into it.
Again, that doesn’t mean they’ll bid on Soto, but it should mean they should take a swing at players like Jurickson Profar, or Michael Conforto, Alex Verdugo or dare I suggest Teoscar Hernandez. A real name, with real pedigree. Someone who IS an answer, not someone who MIGHT be. Even a guy like Joc Pederson could provide what you hoped Jack Suwinski would, and hey if Jack turns out, turn around and flip Joc, he’ll have enough stats to bring something back.
Go after Tanner Scott, or go get Clay Holmes back on your squad. Grip up Kirby Yates, or Jakob Junis. Hell, go grab Luke Weaver from the Yankees and enjoy the back end of the pen experience they’ve given him.
Don’t just say it’ll be different this year. Take advantage of how stacked you are in the rotation and build around it. Give your prospects something good to beat out, not a placeholder you pray gets surpassed by mid season.
5. Outsider
This team needs new blood. New voices in the room. Veterans who have won, know how to win, know what winning clubhouses look and act like and being as they’ve seemingly chosen to return just about every coach, it really has no chance of coming from elsewhere.
When they sign players this year, they can’t just be for their talents on the field, they need to fill another role, because this team is absolutely devoid of it.
Don’t get me wrong, Cutch is a great player, and he’s got experience to share about winning in Pittsburgh, but most guys have heard it by now, and further, they all know how his story ends and it ain’t with confetti.
Perhaps bringing in a player like Paul Goldschmidt who is older and not the player he was could benefit this team in more ways than just the field. He played on a roster that had no business finishing over .500 in 2024, yet they did it. How? I mean they did it with terrible run differential, aging out stars, pitchers that some thought should have retired and a young coach.
I’d like to have him bring some of his special sauce to the team and see if he can’t use a year or two of what he has left to make an impression on some guys who need to experience that quiet leadership that comes from an unquestioned resume.
Paul is an example, not a demand. Anthony Rizzo could potentially provide the same kind of service. All I’m saying it, they need a veteran or two who will perform on the field, but their pedigree and experience might be more important.
The Pirates don’t have much of this. Joey Bart has some of it, but he wasn’t a very active contributor in San Francisco, even so, he sure settled the catching situation didn’t he?
The Pirates can be cheap and still get something like this done. They drafted and developed themselves into this possibility via the pitching staff, now they have to make the most of it.
Steel City Pirates 
Such good stuff Gary. The Pirates are my first love in this town not the Steelers so getting to read an awesome article like this almost into November is terrific
LikeLike