It’s just a gif, not a prediction, calm down and have a little fun.
The best thing about the trade deadline passing is that it’s over.
I know the team has holes, I know it had bigger ones before this deadline. I know the players that were ultimately upgraded needed to be upgraded too, but that doesn’t mean they contributed nothing to this cause along the way.
I guess I get a bit more retrospective around the deadline.
Like, I don’t forget how very underwhelming Jared Triolo has been in his rookie campaign at the plate, but I also remember early on how many 2 out RBIs he popped to take the majority of games from the Marlins and Nationals. I don’t forget how he played excellent defense all over the diamond. I don’t forget the contributions.
There’s a reason so many players get rings when the final out is recorded.
Again, I’m not telling you this is all culminating in a World Series in 2024, I’m just saying while I welcome the additions, there’s a part of me that’s always a little sad for the guys who helped put them at 2 games over .500 and pushed the team to believe adding was necessary, let alone keeping the vast majority of movable talent.
Martin Perez finished his time in Pittsburgh on the struggle bus, but early on he was arguably the Pirates best starter. He provided stability while the other starters found their legs or got here altogether. Martin helped establish many of the rotation’s healthy competition initiatives too and even if they ultimately don’t matter because talent took over, they’re part of a culture that many of them will live by and pass on to others.
Everyone who touched the team on the way to where they are is part of the story, a story most will almost completely forget.
The next part of the story begins tonight.
The process begins to find ways to get the new players acclimated quickly. They should have fewer problems than had they acquired someone brought in here to be the best player on the team for 2 months, instead everyone they brought in is a role player.
Brian De La Cruz has toiled on a team that itself flirted with the playoffs, fueled by pitching, so he’s painfully aware of how injury can change the fortunes of a franchise in a virtual blink of an eye. Think he might have some motivation?
Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a glove first, on base percentage type player who’s experienced a young team trying to get where the Pirates are in the Rangers. He’s been a Yankee, expected to win it all, expected to hit homeruns, expected to do things that simply aren’t in his skill set and on to Toronto, a team with a bunch of expectation where he watched a ton of parts that look great on paper fail to execute as a unit even while he himself put up some of the best numbers of his career.
Jaylen Beeks will enter a bullpen that probably doesn’t think they need him. His numbers are nothing compared to the room he’s entering, so it’s doubtful he carries the weight of expectation, if anything, he probably just wants to slip in quietly and contribute, but having another left handed option that is accustomed to back end could be huge, especially as they face playoff worthy lineups stacked with tough lefties that need dealt with.
They’re a better team and more than anything, from here on out almost everyone that does anything to help this team will be already with them in some capacity.
This is the baseball that turns good players into heroes. Constant performers into either underachievers who wilted under the pressure or guys who reach a different level when the lights get brighter. This is the first stretch run where Mitch Keller isn’t just trying to stretch himself out so when this opportunity comes he might be ready to still have a solid reserve in his tank, this time he gets to use it.
Paul Skenes completing his rookie season by fighting to pitch even longer as opposed to playing out the string and getting his innings in.
Andrew McCutchen has been here before. Literally, he’s the only person on this team who has played and won meaningful baseball games in Pittsburgh. The room will look to him now regardless of what he contributes on the field, his experience is invaluable.
Meaningful baseball.
Something we haven’t really seen here in close to a decade.
It’s time to buckle up, embrace the stress, watch the standings, care about every pitch, wipe away the tears when you get that big 3 run shot from someone who never hits one in the 8th and let the chips fall where they may. One thing’s for sure, they are what they are as of right now.
All the things that you complain about, like payroll, how long it took Cherington to make moves, who they got, for the rest of this season, that doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t make that stuff bull, or irrelevant, it’s just that now there simply isn’t anything to be done before the offseason.
It’s like a poker game and someone just called. It no longer matters whether you were bluffing or not, it’s time to show the cards you have outcome be damned.
It’s been a while.
Just remember, the goal was getting into the dance, after that, even if they play the biggest baddest lineup in the league they have the type of pitching that helps even the playing field. That pitching is what got them here, despite a largely underwhelming offense, an offense that they’ve fortified and improved at least enough to feel they should score a bit more.
When the Pirates have scored at least 1 run in a game this season their record is 55-45.
23 times this year the Pirates have scored 1 run or less in a game.
In one run contests this year the Pirates are 20-18, just improving slightly improves the record significantly.
So no, they didn’t bring in some big star who’s likely going to hit 15 dingers down the stretch. They didn’t take this team that has struggled to hit all year and facelift the entire unit, but they just might have done enough to maximize what these pitchers are doing and improve those records in tight contests toward the good more often. They’ve at least cut down on the 2 or 3 player stretches of under .200 hitters we should see in any given lineup.
For me, all the woulda, coulda stuff is over. If you want to discuss it, have fun, I’ll get back to it in the offseason, from here on out I’m all THIS team and THIS journey, and I really hope all of you are ready to take the ride too.
The 2024 MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone, and honestly, it played out about how everyone expected.
The sellers market was strongly outweighed by the buyers market, making for a intriguing deadline with plenty of teams adding and not as many subtracting.
Miami traded pretty much their entire team, the Rays seem to be reloading, and your Pittsburgh Pirates, hence the reason you’re here, added, and it might’ve taken longer than you hoped, but they made moves that hint they think the squad they have can make noise in 2024.
Pittsburgh baseball has been a rollercoaster over the past few weeks, and the trade deadline was no different, so let’s break down each move the Pirates made, the impacts those moves will have and what the Pirates are welcoming in.
Pirates find their outfielder in Bryan De La Cruz
Pittsburgh knew going into the 2024 trade deadline that they desperately needed help in the outfield, especially offensively.
That need became blatantly more clear over the past few days, seeing as Jack Suwinski optioned to AAA, Joshua Palacios got nicked up and Ji-hwan Bae, who was brought in to be a direct replacement to Suwinski, suffered a minor injury as well.
Even before all of that, Bryan Reynolds was tasked with carrying the load offensively, but now, the Pirates found a Robin to Reynolds’ Batman in the form of Miami Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz.
It isn’t Jazz Chisholm Jr., who ended up in the Bronx, but De La Cruz is talented, and more importantly, controllable, with the 27-year old corner outfielder under control through 2027.
De La Cruz has had a fine season for the Marlins up to this point, posting a .706 OPS and 18 homers with 51 runs batted in over 424 at-bats. His career statistics suggest good things as well, as his .724 OPS and .258 average showcase his hit tool and power output.
Per Statcast, De La Cruz also finds the barrel of his bat well, sitting in the 76th percentile in all of baseball in barrel rate at 11-percent. His xSLG (.465) is ranked in the 77th percentile in all of baseball, so yes, the guy can hit. His 14 homers expected in PNC Park is lower than his actual total, but his advanced power numbers suggest it might not matter a whole lot.
The biggest concern for De La Cruz will be swing and miss, as his 32.1-percent chase rate, 29.1-percent whiff rate and 26-percent strikeout rate are among some of the worst in baseball, and he doesn’t get on base via the free pass much either at just a 5.5-percent clip.
Defensively, De La Cruz comes in with a -7 OAA, but his arm is among the best in baseball, so slotting him into right field should be fine and he can definitely hold runners with the best MLB has to offer.
Pittsburgh sent Miami pitching prospect Jun-Seok Shim and infielder Garret Forrester, who ranked 17th and 18th on the Pirates Top-30 Prospects List per MLB Pipeline, so the package isn’t as substantial as what it would have taken to get Chisholm or other top trade targets.
Overall, this move was a need-filler, giving the Pirates a player in De La Cruz who brings offensive production from the outfield and should slot in nicely in a lineup that’s desperately looking for run producers.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa heads south from Toronto to Pittsburgh
I would definitely label this one a shocker, as the Pirates snagged utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Toronto Blue Jays near the waning moments of the deadline.
IKF brings versatility, having played just about every defensive position you can in baseball, but along with his Gold Glove caliber defense, IKF is in the middle of the best offensive season of his career, posting a .758 OPS in 257 at-bats with seven homers and 33 RBIs.
The advanced metrics won’t wow you at all, seeing as IKF ranks in the bottom six percentile in barrel ratev(2.2) and hard hit rate(26.9-percent), but he has a knack for being a contact machine and rarely strikes out or whiffs, as evidence with his 13.3 whiff rate and 13.2 strikeout rate.
The defense is elite per usual with IKR, as he comes in with a plus-4 OAA, but a statistic on IKF I love immediately is his production versus right-handers, production highlighted by a .765 OPS and six homers across 187 at-bats versus righties this year.
At worst, IKF is an on-base, high contact guy that immediately slots in the middle-to-bottom part of the order and gives the Pirates much needed production from outside of the top of the lineup.
The Pirates moved on from Charles McAdoo here, who has had quite the 2024 campaign, but with the versatility and offensive production IKF brings, it’s a move that just made sense and was going to cost the Pirates a bit, a bit being one of their better hitters in the minors this year.
He currently has the best on-base percentage of his career at .338, the best slugging of his career and best batting average of his career, so it was smart for the Pirates to strike the iron while it’s hot, and you hope the offensive production from Toronto crosses the border for IKF upon his arrival to Pittsburgh.
Pirates swap Quinn Priester for Nick Yorke
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 23: Nick Yorke #38 of the Boston Red Sox reacts as he warms up before a game against the Northeastern Huskies at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 23, 2024 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
As we discussed in our piece on Monday, the deal of Quinn Priester for Nick Yorke sparked everything for Ben Cherington and Co. in a move that at first came off as puzzling, but upon further review may end up being a substantial one for the Buccos.
For Priester, he showed flashes throughout his time in Pittsburgh, but with an abundance of pitching talent available, it was becoming increasingly more difficult for the Pirates to find a place for him in the rotation, and his metric don’t suggest a bullpen move would have been much better, so this made sense to make a move happen, especially with what’s on the way pitching wise over the next couple years.
As for what the Pirates got in return, Yorke is intriguing for a plethora of reasons, the biggest being that he’s a former first round pick, like Priester, and is just 22-years old and has shown offensive capability throughout his time in the minors.
Yorke owns a .785 OPS with 10 homers and 46 RBIs this season with AAA Worchester, and the team already announced he would start in AAA Indianapolis after the move was made official.
He has primarily been a second baseman in the Red Sox system, but he has experience with outfield work also, playing 223.2 innings in left field between his time in AA Portland and AAA Worchester this season, so it’s a wonder if the Pirates view him as an outfielder or second baseman, or maybe even both in utility, but that will remain to be seen.
I see this move as lateral, seeing as Boston needed pitching depth and the Pirates get a high-minors player who can play at positions of need, be it the outfield or second base with Nick Gonzales on the shelf, and truthfully, I think both teams will come out of this deal feeling good about it.
Yorke also enters the Pirates system as their No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline and there’s a good chance we see him at the big league level this year, so keep a close eye on the 22-year old as it pertains to his impact in Pittsburgh.
Pirates move Martin Perez to San Diego
Martin Perez showed some savvy in the beginning of the season, but an injury derailed the positivity he was showing early on.
Due to the fall, his place in the rotation eventually became minute, and a move made sense, seeing as he was signed on a one-year contract in the 2023 offseason.
The Pirates chose to move him to San Diego in exchange for DSL Ronaldys Jimenez, an 18-year old left hander.
With the Pirates having depth in the rotation, this move made sense and there isn’t much else to say on the move besides that San Diego gets pitching depth as they await a return from the IL from Joe Musgrove and Pittsburgh gets a lottery ticket youngster, much like they did last season with Carlos Santana, so a good move in my book.
Mile High lefty Jalen Beeks added for bullpen depth
Ryan Borucki appeared to be returning from the IL, but a setback in his rehab made it very unclear on if the Pirates will even see Borucki suit up in a Pirates uniform again.
With Josh Fleming designated for assignment and no other left-handers showing much promise outside of Aroldis Chapman, the Pirates had to make a minor addition to the bullpen, and they did so in the form of Jalen Beeks – as Gary broke down.
Beeks is not supposed to wow any of you, and his 4.74 ERA over 49.1 IP surely won’t, but a couple things to remember are one, he was pitching at Coors Field often, and two, he’s a left-handed option in the pen, which is something Pittsburgh desperately needs and three, it took next to nothing to acquire him.
Pittsburgh, like they have with Rowdy Tellez and Michael A. Taylor, may also be hoping they can rekindle some of Beeks’ 2022 form, where he had a 2.80 ERA in 61 innings with Tampa Bay, but at the end of the day, this was a move for the bullpen to be able to survive through the end of the season and well, who knows, maybe Beeks has a strong ending to the year and becomes an under-the-radar move that helps more than it hurts.
Either way, welcome to Pittsburgh Jalen Beeks.
Pirates swap pitching prospect Patrick Reilly for Orioles outfield prospect Billy Cook
No, this isn’t Jackson Holliday for Jared Jones, or Coby Mayo for David Bednar, but this was a trade between Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and it’s quite intriguing.
Billy Cook, 25, will definitely give the Pirates upper-level depth in the outfield, especially after moving on from Gilberto Celestino in a trade with Chicago, and he’s played well with AAA Norfolk this year, posting an .841 OPS with 53 RBIs in 313 at-bats with the Norfolk Tides this year.
His career numbers in the minors are also impressive, posting a .779 OPS with 57 homers in his 1263 career minor league at-bats. He also offers some speed on the base paths with 81 career stolen bases in the minors.
Does Cook offer value to the Pirates in 2024? Maybe, seeing as the depth of the outfield has shrunk considerably as of late, and if he does come up in 2024, I wouldn’t expect anything flashy, but he does have the potential to be a solid depth option at the big league level for years to come.
Moving on from Patrick Reilly stings a bit, seeing as Reilly has a 3.38 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 88 innings in High-A Greensboro, but with the slew of pitching prospects the Pirates have, its a move that feels ok, especially when it brings in a bat with some upside, something that isn’t as prominent in the Pirates system.
Overall, a trade that doesn’t benefit nor hurt the prospect capital much, but could payoff down the line. Cook will move to #18 prospect in the system, per MLB Pipeline.
Pirates add left-hander Josh Walker from Mets
Like Beeks, Josh Walker isn’t supposed to be a slam dunk move.
Walker had a 2.83 ERA in 28.2 IP with AAA Syracuse, striking out 25-percent of the batters he faced in 14 appearances.
He was drafted in 2017, posting a career 3.85 ERA in 109 career appearances and the team announced he will report to AAA Indianapolis.
Walker brings another left-handed depth option for the bullpen.
Synopsis
As the deadline approached, the Pirates remained in the wild card conversation and it was an expectation for the front office to go out and buy pieces to fill needs, and honestly, that’s exactly what general manager Ben Cherington and the front office did.
Bryan De La Cruz is the headliner here, bringing power and offensive production to an outfield as a unit that desperately needed a strong, second offensive option.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa brings not only defensive versatility but also a prominent contact bat and low strikeout rate, something the Pirates can utilize in a lineup that has had issues getting on-base and hitting at an average level all season.
Jalen Beeks and Josh Walker enter as depth options in the bullpen as southpaws, nothing more, nothing less.
Nick Yorke has high upside, and it did cost Quinn Priester, but its a cost I am ok with the Pirates paying.
Moving on from Perez made sense, get something rather than nothing.
The most important part of all of this I think is that the Pirates didn’t become reactionary. Jazz Chisholm Jr, Jesse Winker, Lane Thomas, and many other options the Pirates were linked to were traded elsewhere or not traded at all, like Yandy Diaz and Brent Rooker, and instead of panicking, the Pirates held to their guns and made moves that improved the team and didn’t gut the farm.
It is hard for me not to walk away from this deadline without feeling like the Pirates are a better team than they were prior to the deadline, and that’s an amazing feeling to have, especially with the Pirates right in the middle of the NL Wild Card race.
Competitive baseball is back in Pittsburgh, quite frankly its already been here, but this deadline proved the Pirates feel like they have the horses to go for the postseason in 2024, all we can do now is sit back and watch the dominos fall into place how they may.
Astros surprised the Pirates with a bullpen game after yesterday’s announced starter, Jake Bloss, was traded to the Blue Jays earlier in the afternoon. It seems far less likely that happens again today as the Astros will send out surging second-year starter, Hunter Brown.
After a disastrous rookie season where Brown posted a 5.09 ERA over 155.2 innings, he has rebounded in 2024 with a solid 4.00 ERA through his first 110.1 innings but has been exceptionally good lately, posting a 2.07 ERA across 61 innings pitched since June 1st. He has also gone at least 6 innings in each of his last 12 starts and allowed 3 or less runs in all but one of those outings.
While his strikeout and walk rates are fairly average, Brown is one of the best in baseball at generating weak contact as he has the 4th best hard hit rate among qualified starters (31.6%) and the 2nd best barrel rate (4.6% – behind only teammate, Framber Valdez).
That’s some GOOD company there
Brown works a heater-heavy approach against right handed hitters, mixing his mid-90s four-seamer up in the zone with a low-90s cutter running in and mid-90s sinker down and away.
Facing lefties, he replaces the sinker with a high-80s changeup down and in with a big looping knuckle curve dropping down in the low-80s.
The fastball mix has been the grouping opponents have done the most damage against with 8 of his 14 home runs allowed coming against the 4-seamer.
Brown has been an elite starting pitcher the past few months and will pose a real challenge for Bucs bats today as his versatile pitch mix and ability to avoid hard contact.
It doesn’t help that he is better at home (3.40 ERA/55.2 innings) than on the road (4.61 ERA/54.2 innings) but the Pirates, even beaten and bruised and sending half their roster to the IL this past week, still have some fight left in them.
You can think it’s flawed, I certainly do, but early on Ben Cherington said the team was going to look at all avenues of improvement. There’s no secret the Pirates struggle to score runs and have pitching, but in theory, a run saved is as good as a run scored or so they say. Either way, I can’t discount, this is a talented pitcher who gives them more options from the left side…for now.
The Rockies are trading LHP Jalen Beeks to the Pirates, per source. Colorado will receive Double-A LHP Luis Peralta.
I say for now, because the deadline isn’t until tonight at 6, and this move smells an awful lot like preparing to offload Aroldis Chapman to me.
Before we go down that road too far, let’s assume this is just an addition and talk about the players involved.
Lefty Luis Peralta, who happens to be the younger brother of Freddy in Milwaukee, entered this season staring down the barrel at being 23 having never pitched beyond low-A. He was walking close to 15% of the batters he faced and in general wasn’t getting it.
Really good stuff, really spotty control. Probably describes 70% of pitchers that ever exist in any system.
The Pirates moved him to Greensboro this year, and decided to make him a full time bullpen arm instead of continuing to have him start. In 19 games there he’s been electric. A 0.60 ERA in 30 IP with a 0.900 WHIP. He has 50 K’s vs 15 Walks, the turnaround was stark.
And all that being said, he’s almost 24 years old in a league where the average age is 20.
Now, Jalen Beeks……
He was Colorado’s set-up guy this year, obviously a role that isn’t coming up as often for them as say the set-up guy for the Dodgers. He sits at 49.1 innings on the season with a 4.74 ERA and a 1.358 WHIP. He’s struck out 38 and walked 18.
Bluntly, this isn’t help for this Pirates team unless they turn him into it. Meaning, if they brought him in here thinking the lower altitude of getting out of Colorado was going to turn him back into the reliever he was in 2022 with Tampa, they have some work to do before we’ll see that.
I’d also add, there’s hardly time to break down what he’s doing poorly vs well in an effort to set this butterfly loose on the league, he’s got to jump right in.
I’ve also learned enough about this pitching instruction and scouting department to admit, they know way more than I do. Dennis Santana for instance has looked like the first thing the Pirates did was dump a bottle of white out on all the bad parts of his story, he’s been crazy good after his introductory outings and in his past 7 outings 10IP, 1 Walk, 16 K’s and a 1.00 WHIP.
You can’t transfer success from one to another, but it’s not unprecedented. On paper, Jalen Beeks doesn’t do much more than be left handed, and possess experience pitching leverage.
Back to the elephant in the room, Aroldis Chapman. This would seem to grease the wheels for a move here, and I won’t deny it could happen, I just don’t see it as a foregone conclusion. This team does a great job identifying and getting the most out of lefty pitchers, so I won’t shut the door on this one, it’s fair to say though, what they hope they can do with him is a lot more attractive than what he currently is.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have swung their first deal at the 2024 trade deadline. In a somewhat rare, “prospect for prospect” trade, the Pirates are sending starting pitcher Quinn Priester to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for middle infielder, Nick Yorke.
We have acquired INF Nick Yorke from the Red Sox in exchange for RHP Quinn Priester. pic.twitter.com/czVOv5JzVJ
Pirates fans have just begun getting familiar with the organization’s 18th overall selection from the 2019 entry draft but now it is time to wish Priester good luck in another organization after tossing just 94.2 innings in the black and gold.
While the results were oftentimes mixed, the raw material was shined through occasionally as well. Often enough that Boston felt compelled to take a shot on him and his interesting breaking pitches, despite his at times faulty locations. Boston has a very strong development team of their own, and it will be interesting to see what becomes of Priester in their organization.
As for Nick Yorke, he too was a mid-first round selection coming off the board at #17 overall to Boston in the 2020 draft. His time in the minors he has proven to be a strong hitter who is capable of contributing with both power and hit tools. His offensive game has mostly featured a sound approach that has really shone through at AAA this season with a 14.2/18.9 BB/K rate split.
If what I described above sounds familiar, eerily similar to the Bucs recently injured keystone Nick Gonzales, you would not be wrong. Reading scouting reports you get a similar picture painted of the skillset; great hands, profiles as a big league hitter, etc. One thing to keep in mind when looking at Yorke’s MiLB performances by year, he battled a multitude of injuries in 2022 (severe illness, turf toe, & back ailments). In 2023, Yorke had a near full healthy season in which he continued his strong play at AA posting 13 homers, 18 steals, .354 wOBA, & a 116 wRC+.
Flash forward to the present year and we see Yorke opening the season in AA again and with modest production there (.319 wOBA/100 wRC+), he earned a promotion to AAA. Now this is where Yorke began to take off in 2024. And it appears that he made a significant swing change that has enabled him to do so.
Here is Yorke’s set up pre-2024. Note the hand position and extremely “noisy” pre-loading set-up:
The batted ball information backs this up too with him sporting a well above MLB average EV, strong 90th percentile EVs, a solid max EV, and great hard hit rates. He has been able to tap into some more power thus far at AAA posting a .179 ISO. I think the EV & hard hit rate indicates a guy that is getting closer to a 50 grade for game power. Combine that with the rest of the profile and he is an exciting young player to add to the mix for Pittsburgh.
His assignment has him slated to head to Indianapolis, but hopefully we will get a look at Yorke in a big league jersey sooner rather than later.
Nick Yorke (acquired by Pittsburgh) is a 2B prospect who has raked at AAA. He possesses above average power, which he combines with a solid approach
I spent considerable time on here over the past month or so trying to illustrate just how weird this deadline could be.
It’s been classified as a “seller’s market” and it’s become pretty clear, on the pitching side, it very much so is. Relievers are raking in nice packages, starters have too but none of the “big” starters have moved yet, so we’ll have to see how crazy that gets.
The Pirates have very specific needs, centerfield being the headline, but the available centerfielders are at best weird fits.
I still think they’ll do something, I never thought it’d be something huge, I just don’t really see huge out there. I’d also say, if you think this team needs 4-5 players at the deadline, calmly look yourself in the mirror and say, “I don’t think they’re ready to go for it”, because if you truly think they need all that, believe me, you don’t believe they’re really ready.
Lets do this!
1. The Players Deserve Help
I had this exact thought in the top of the 9th inning yesterday. A visibly still hurting Rowdy Tellez was asked to take an at bat and hopefully run into one to tie the game.
It was a desperate move, by a desperate coach already playing without 3 of his better pieces.
What really struck me though was Rowdy and I’ll start right here, regardless of what he’s done on the field, man did we as a collective fan base misjudge what this guy is all about.
He clearly wasn’t right, wincing after just about ever swing he fought pitch after pitch off until he finally got one he could damage and blasted it off the wall, which provided barely enough time for him to jog to second and get the ultimate tying run in scoring position to start the inning.
Jared Triolo has had a largely terrible year, but all of Derek Shelton’s moves to tie the game up caused Jared to have to play the outfield for the first time in the bigs. All he did is make a huge diving catch to keep the game tied and forced extra innings.
Mitch Keller pitched his ass off to keep this non-existent lineup within striking distance for yet another no-decision.
Even Yasmani Grandal moved over to 1B to finish the game and got tested defensively a couple times.
Point is, the players they do have are fighters, it sure would be great to see this club add in something if only to thank this crop for never quitting, by way of proving management hasn’t either.
2. They Better Make a Big Deal or…
Or what? You won’t watch or bitch online? Fine by me, and just about everyone else too by the way.
Listen, there were two deals out there that both fit the needs of this team and would have at the very least cost enough to have someone consider them bigger deals. Jazz Chisholm and Luis Robert Jr.
On the hitting side, that’s the list. There are starting pitchers out there, but that’s not the Pirates pain point is it?
Jazz has been moved, Robert is increasingly unlikely to be moved.
They still have options, but I’m of the belief there simply aren’t and weren’t any big splash type deals on the table, at least not for bats.
Some of you probably don’t want to hear this, you’d rather just continue to say things like “well that’s his job!” or “he waited too long” but I’d counter with, this landscape and the names being floated about have barely changed since May. Sure, we had a few team waiting to see where they’d wind up first, but the names that were on their “if” list, meaning if they fell out of contention hasn’t changed for the most part.
Relief pitchers are bringing back more than position players and I find that a bit surprising if only because of supply and demand. In reality, it’s more likely the hitters available simply aren’t complete/good/real help, however you want to put it.
This isn’t to excuse Cherington, he still needs to get something done, I just don’t think there was ever a good “all in” candidate.
If the Pirates have a real shot this year, it’ll be on the arms. They’ll pitch their way into opportunity and the pitching is what makes them a dangerous out should they reach the playoffs too.
Augment this lineup, do it wisely with what’s available and let’s see what this year can be. If you decided he needed to pull off a big deal or be fired, well, you should have fired him last year cause this year didn’t present any opportunity for your dream ultimatum scenario.
Also, he’ll be here AT LEAST through 2027. You could also just go away til after that I suppose. lol
3. The Side of the Deadline Fans Don’t See
You know how it’s not usually a surprise to fans when a guy is made available?
Like we just discussed that this current crop for the most part was identified as plausible back in May. The way MLB operates, team control is scripted to the point where you can go through rosters and just with common sense point out who may or may not be available.
There are surprises of course, but for the most part, if you’re going to be on the block, you know you’re going to be on the block.
That comes with a ton of pressure and for some a sense of instability that they can’t snap out of.
Excel, and should your team not follow suit, you might just be playing yourself out of town. Muddle along and you might play yourself right off the roster or into a trade where you aren’t seen as true help.
Other guys know they’re going to be available, and further, they know they’re going to be seen as the savior when they are dealt. That carries with it a type or pressure very few players truly experience.
Some players know they’re mercenaries, and they don’t spend a hot second considering anything but doing their job, the colors on the jersey hardly matter.
It’s not a fan’s job to see these players as human, in fact, if you decided to put weight into this aspect, you’d probably never move anyone. As you get to know their families, and hear about the stories of wives signing their kids up for school, not knowing if they’re going to have to yank them out and move on a moment’s notice or maybe they’ll stay but now they’re not going to have their husband there for the homestand because he’s finishing the season in another city. You have no idea where you’ll live next year, you’re just fairly sure it won’t be where you’ve called home.
Again, you can’t think of stuff like this, or you’d never propose a trade, never suggest firing someone into the sun, never.
I was lucky enough to run into Josh Harrison and his wife in town one year when he came back with Detroit for a series. I had chatted with him off and on while he was here so when I saw him (already surrounded by Bucs fans) in the cultural district, I waited my turn, said hi, and that is was good to see him. I asked something along the lines of have you gotten settled in, and he said “nah, not til I retire now”.
Man that struck me.
He knew right then and there for the rest of his career, he’d never feel truly settled again.
I can’t imagine how that feels.
I’m sorry if this one bored you, it’s part of doing this that I don’t often discuss, because honestly the players never would if they knew a camera or mic was live.
I probably miss Chad Kuhl’s wife Amanda more than I miss him. lol
The families always remind me these are human beings. Sounds so obvious to write that or read it, but when you’re living it every day, you have to suppress it. It’s part of the story, just not part of the baseball story.
4. Bucs Trade Quinn Priester
The Pirates have shipped Quinn Priester in exchange for the Boston Red Sox number 6 ranked prospect Nick Yorke a 2B/OF.
Trade news: The Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates are finalizing a deal that will send right-handed starter Quinn Priester to Boston and infield prospect Nick Yorke to Pitttsburgh, sources tell ESPN.
He was drafted in 2020 10 spots later than Nick Gonzales, widely regarded as the best West Coast high school bat and he’s largely held up. At 22 years old he’s in AAA and his average, OBP and OPS have been more than passable year over year. Power rating is there, but it hasn’t shown up in games as much as you’d like.
Quinn is still a project, but a fairly good bet to be an MLB quality arm.
Here’s my friend Ed from Boston, I trust him on just about everything Red Sox.
Good hitter, a little bit of power. Struggled in 2023 and at the beginning of 2024 but went ape shit after being called up to Triple-A. Has played a little outfield this year. Has always given me Howie Kendrick vibes.
It’s hard to look at the Pirates pitching landscape and envision Quinn cracking this rotation barring catastrophe, so even if Yorke stays in AAA, this is a good move to trade from strength (pitching) for offense. Next year, he’ll line right up in the competition for playing time and he’s shown some ability to play the outfield so this doesn’t have to be a direct competition between Nick’s.
If it helps this year, I’d be a bit surprised, but Yorke is a classic case of ready to shine with no place to do it, and at 22 years old, he’s got time to figure it out yet.
His original scouting grades look like this…
So, the pedigree is there, I just don’t think the power has shown up fully yet, and at 22 in AAA, that makes some sense, he’s never even been average age for his level yet.
Certainly did some work here balancing the scales of prospectdom with swapping these two, may need to do more like this ultimately.
Part of the reason the Sox are willing here is that he’ll require Rule 5 protection next year, but it’s just as likely he’ll be on the MLB squad in some capacity before that arises.
They’re assigning him to AAA for now, but I’d imagine he’ll be here before too long, like I said, they’ll have to add him to the 40-man to protect him, and that almost always causes that late season promotion.
All in all, solid baseball trade for what amounts to two guys close to the Bigs.
Not necessarily help for now, but something I feel a team that’s amassed so much talent on one side of the ball has to do to ensure the pipeline is there to help the entire team. If he does step in and help in 2024, it probably goes from shrewd to brilliant.
5. Meanwhile, There is Still Actual Baseball…
It’s hard sometimes, especially when your team is out West to remind yourself, actual games are still being played, even while all the swirling winds of the Trade Deadline wind around the team and fan base.
Tonight the Pirates head to Houston for 3 and then back home to take on the Diamondbacks again.
Following those 6 they take on San Diego, the Dodgers, San Diego again and on to the Mariners.
A gauntlet doesn’t begin to cover it.
Now, they can pitch with all of them, but their own pitchers will be facing some extremely high powered offenses in this stretch and make no mistake, this stretch will determine whether September matters or not.
Look, baseball on the field is what this is all about, and baseball on the field is what put the club in position to be anything more than sellers this year in the first place.
Don’t eat all your potatoes and leave your meat. Pink Floyd said something similar I think. lol
Bottom line, this is an important stretch of baseball and while it’s not the deadline yet, tomorrow night brings about some normalcy and understanding of what’s around us is US.
Another pivotal series awaits the Pirates, this time in Houston against an Astros team that has found its footing. Following a disappointing series loss in Arizona, the Bucs will look to salvage the road trip with a series win in Space City.
Having not traveled to Minute Maid Park since 2019, the Pirates are (obviously) in a much different state than they were then. Heck, the starting trio of Trevor Williams, Dario Agrazal, and Joe Musgrove helped the team take 2 of 3 in that series.
Both the 2019 and 2024 teams begin the series in Houston hovering around .500, but the present-day iteration has serious postseason intentions even if we haven’t seen a trade yet to back them. A series loss at the hands of the Diamondbacks is far from ideal, but there’s no time for the Pirates to lick their wounds. The gauntlet of post-all star break games rolls on, against another postseason contender.
Cruz has been a bit up-and-down at the plate in the last week or so, but the ups have made the downs well worth it. A pair of tape measure homers in Arizona complimented an active 3-game hitting streak. Over his last 10 games, he’s slashed .325/.725/1.111, which has improved his season-wide OPS to a strong .777. Against right-handers Bloss and Brown in the first two games of the series, look for Cruz to continue his strong form at the plate.
Coming off of a hot 6-for-12 series against the Dodgers over the weekend, Houston’s catcher has been as consistent as they come. He’s a reverse-splits guy, hitting .295 against right-handed pitching, and just .275 against lefties. Don’t expect much power from his bat (only 9 home runs), but with an OPS at .739 and average at .288, he can be a pesky bat in a star-studded Astros lineup.
Following a slow start that saw his batting average under .200 after one month, McCutchen turned it around with stronger months of May and June. July has done Cutch no favors, though, to the tune of a .197 average and .355 slugging percentage over the month. Getting him going in the leadoff spot could be extremely useful for this lineup.
A walk-off home run on Saturday night was a high point for the 30-year old third baseman, but it’s been tough sledding at the back end of July. Over his last seven games, Bregman is 6-for-30 (a .214 average), though 2 of those 6 hits have been home runs. There doesn’t seem to be many times where he’s a guy you’d feel comfortable attacking, but this might be one of them.
Key Injuries
Pirates: Rookie Jared Jones (right lat strain) threw a bullpen session of 30 pitches on Saturday, and continues to make progress towards his return. He’s expected back in mid-August. Fellow starter Bailey Falter (left triceps tendonitis) has made strides as well, and “is healthy”, per manager Derek Shelton. Nick Gonzales hit the IL on Sunday following a groin issue, while Rowdy Tellez has been declared day-to-day after leaving Friday’s game with back spasms – though he did pinch hit in the 9th inning Sunday and is expected to play in Houston.
Astros: Houston has dealt with a bevy of injuries to pitchers, including season-enders to Cristian Javier, Oliver Ortega, and Jose Urquidy. Star outfielder Kyle Tucker is nearing a return from a shin injury, but won’t be available against Pittsburgh. Reliever Kendall Graveman is still a couple of weeks away after suffering a shoulder injury.
Things to Look For
The return of Bryan Reynolds could be the X-factor in this series. The Pirates were able to scratch out a win on Sunday, but largely struggled without their most capable hitter. This team desperately needs offense, as we all know. Reynolds and Cruz will likely need to shoulder the load, especially with the loss of Nick Gonzales.
The Bucs’ situational hitting will be of the utmost importance in this series. The Astros have committed the second-fewest errors in baseball (43), so they won’t be handing out many “free 90s” to the Pirates.
Another week, another critical series for the Pirates to climb the latter that is the National League wild card chase.
The Pirates may have squeaked out a win in the finale of the Diamondbacks series but the road to the playoffs doesn’t get easier as they head to Houston to face the Astros.
While the Bucs send 2023 first overall pick Paul Skenes to the bump, the Astros will send their own 2023 draft pick in 99th overall selection Jake Bloss.
The 23-year old, 3rd round pick out of Georgetown shot through the Houston system, making just 19 minor league appearances and totaling 80.2 innings before his jump to the bigs last month. The Astros 9th ranked prospect showed strong strikeout numbers in the lower levels (30%+ between A/A+) but wasn’t able to replicate that rate against improved competition and has seen it drop to 20% over his first 3 MLB outings.
In the minors this season, Bloss posted a 4-2 record, 1.64 ERA and 0.79 WHIP with 63 strikeouts to 21 walks over 66 innings.
Since his promotion, he has posted a combined 6.94 ERA across 11 innings with 11 strikeouts and 3 walks.
He landed on the injured list after his first outing with reported right shoulder discomfort but his return has continued the run of poor results.
While his first start came against a very good offense in Baltimore (4th in run scored), his last two outings versus Oakland (20th) and Miami (29th) similarly saw him get hit hard.
Bloss features a quintessential four-pitch mix: low-90s 4-seam, high-80s slider/sweeper and high-70s curve with a high-80s changeup occasionally tossed in there as well.
All four of his offerings have opponents hitting .250+ against with his fastball especially suffering as it has been hit at a .381 clip.
In a small sample size, lefties have fared considerably better against Bloss than righties with a 1.109 OPS compared to a “paltry” .897 for RHH.
Regardless, Bucs need not take Bloss lightly. He is still a talented young arm who has shown the proclivity to miss bats and provide quality outings in the minors. Don’t let this be the game he figures it out in the bigs.
The team’s prospects heading into the final game of the series look significantly worse than when it started but that’s baseball. Looking to avoid being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Pirates will start Mitch Keller against a rookie in mound opponent, Yilber Diaz.
After posting a 4.03 ERA between AA/AAA, the 15th ranked prospect for the Diamondbacks (per MLB Pipeline), Diaz has made 3 MLB starts since his promotion earlier this month with two excellent outings followed by a real dud in his last game.
Diaz works mostly off his high-90s four-seam fastball with a low-80s slider and high-70s knuckle curve but control was a BIG problem in the minors and it is apparent in his pitch charts that this is still an issue for him.
In that recent blow-up start against the Royals, Diaz threw 46 of 71 pitches as fastballs, getting 28 swings and only 2 whiffs against the offering.
It’s a small sample size but major league hitters are figuring it out and attacking it, especially given the frequency and location issues for the secondary offerings.
Look for the heat, lay off the junk and salvage the series in Arizona.
It’s a hard time of year to write or talk about the Pirates.
Fans are worked into a lather by radio hosts and others who have little to no idea about who they’re asking the Pirates to get, let alone who they’re asking them to trade for them. There’s no analysis, just an endless parade of former GMs who have decades of being completely wrong under their belts, or hosts who’d rather be watching guys in shorts pushing sleds on a field in Latrobe than talking Pirates just mail it in and spew platitudes about how often prospects fail like that’s the only part of the equation.
I’ll do it anyway, but only because the truth shouldn’t ever be something to fear. If you don’t want to read my stuff because I’m not just telling you Bob Bad, Cherington Dumb, sorry, that’s a you problem, not me. Being only ok with being told what you want to hear has at least in part created the environment that turned our political system into a good vs evil perpetual battle, regardless of which side you believe to be which.
Once people have made up their minds, they tend to not want to hear anything else.
Now apply that to trade season. You’re told a player like Jazz Chisholm will fix your team, in fact, if they don’t get him, they don’t care!
He’s been taken off the board, some will pivot to the next ultimatum candidate that carries the weight of determining whether they tried or cared or whatever, others will rail on Jazz for the duration.
The truth is, he’d improve the team, just nowhere near as much as fans want to believe. No, I didn’t want him, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to try to sell you on him being worthless. I just didn’t believe he’d help enough for what he’d cost.
The package the Yankees sent and the reporting that the Pirates lost because the catching prospect they offered (Henry Davis) wasn’t as attractive as Agustin Ramirez was to the Marlins tells me two things. First, the Pirates disagreed with me and went after him with a package that had every chance of winning, and second, the perception of Henry Davis, or at least his ability to stick behind the dish is all but written in stone for more than a few clubs, Miami included apparently.
Some fans just want to see something they consider a win on it’s own. In other words, they want to win a deal over other teams, but they forget how quickly that celebration turns into criticism of a desperate GM who reached for help but spent for HELP. Fans get guided to and caught up in the contest that is finalizing a trade, and it becomes more about the hunt than it does the prize. You forget after chasing down your target, hey, this thing is dented.
This isn’t about hugging prospects. It’s not about overvaluing anyone who’s here currently. It’s about honestly looking around the league.
I just don’t love anything out there. I’d take some guys, hell, I’d have taken Jazz, I for sure would have taken Randy Arozarena, they’d help, but you have to not only be willing to offer the right package, you have to have it.
The perfect storm is a center fielder who is already established and good as an MLB player, with term, meaning he’d remain a Pirate for at least 2025 too, but 2026 would be even better, and it would be tremendous if they didn’t need to be platooned. Oh, it’d also be cool if they at least consistently played, if they have a vast injury history, you probably haven’t solved this issue.
Jazz Chisholm fit some of those stipulations and so does Luis Robert Jr, neither fit all of them.
That’s ok, sometimes that’s the best you can do, and in that case, you go for one and hope whatever aspect of your wish list they were missing, they either surprise you and overcome or you accept that close is as good as you’re going to get.
Sounds to me like they did with Jazz, just came up short. Robert is a different animal, one that requires not only being ok with the prospect cost, but his “term” comes with the privilege of paying his 15 million dollar salary in 2025, and picking up his options the next two years for 20 apiece. He’s plenty talented enough for that, but he also hasn’t stayed healthy.
Will the Pirates go get someone to help them before the deadline, I remain convinced yes. Will it be one of these guys that were clearly the biggest names on the board? Well, it sure won’t be Jazz right?
At the same time, this team is beat up. Bryan Reynolds is out of Bereavement, and could be back as early as today or Monday. Rowdy Tellez has back spasms, but looked like he was prepared to give it a shot if an emergency cropped up in last night’s game.
Ke’Bryan Hayes hasn’t been right all year. Nick Gonzales either got himself a severe cramp yesterday or hurt his lower half last night.
Point is, they are playing a team that’s right where they are, and they’re doing it with half their current offense tied behind their backs. A trade isn’t fixing that.
Doesn’t mean they shouldn’t make one, just means getting one guy based on who’s available publicly, isn’t righting this ship. They need to get healthy and quick. They need to get their starting rotation back to it’s strongest state, and quick.
And fans need to remind themselves this isn’t 1992, they’ll be in this again in 2025, even if they fall short in this campaign. For me, you never miss a chance to get into the dance if it’s there. More accurately, you shouldn’t ever miss an opportunity to add if you have the hardest thing to build already on your roster, a pitching staff. Even if you own a crystal ball, you have no way of knowing how many times you’ll have Jared Jones, Mitch Keller and Paul Skenes together as a unit throughout their tenures as Pirates.
I don’t need to remind you how often Jameson Taillon and Gerrit Cole overlapped do I?
So if you have a chance, by all means, fire the damn cannon. Just remember, there isn’t a player out there who turns this into more than a good swing at it. That’s ok, and a big part of why so many would prefer this not be rentals brought in, they’d like to see this move help the franchise for more than what could wind up being a fruitless effort, instead helping the club into the next season at the same time.
That’s the want, now all they need is willing partners, and the right prospects to close the deal.
Even if the Pirates had never uttered the word “competitive” or “compete for the division”, with 58 games left and sitting at .500, fans would be right where they are, ready to bolt on. The management put their own expectation into this story by telling us what it was, good on them, and to their credit, they haven’t backed off of it.
Now it’s up to them to fight the reality that is this current trade board and either get creative to snag someone that hasn’t been talked about, reach a little for a guy who mostly fits, convince a team that isn’t excited about moving someone to do so or overtly fail to add anyone of significance.
This season has already been a step forward, clearly, but Pirates fans haven’t been able to really ingest it because before the season even started their sights were set by the club higher than just improving.
There is no prize for finishing second, so missing on Jazz if that indeed was their top target as it appears probably hurts. In a normal year, I’d tell you they should just pivot to choice number 2, this year, that just isn’t as clear as you’d hope.
Almost a month ago I told you all in 5 Thoughts that I didn’t ultimately think the A’s would move any of their pieces because they have to live on their Vegas timeline. That club has to be at a certain point by the time they open that new joint. I was told I was making excuses for the Pirates failing, but what I was really doing is reminding you in 2021, the Pirates wouldn’t just trade anyone either, they had specific pieces available, not everyone and their mother.
That’s all there is to it, a league with a ton of teams that are kinda sorta in it, trying to buy players from teams that are either in their positions due to a ton of injury and/or intentionally playing youngsters trying to decipher who is and isn’t a part of this thing.
They will add. I promise, it will underwhelm, even if it helps.
But I could have, and did tell you all of this about the landscape months ago.
That’s not an excuse, Ben is the GM, he needs to find a way, that’s the job, if he doesn’t, nothing I mentioned will matter or excuse the failure. A GM doesn’t get to list off reasons for failure, they instead will come out and try to paint the picture they chose this path. They’ll never directly tell you how close they came to trading someone, they’ll never directly tell you what was asked for, they’ll instead turn inward and tell you some vague messages about why nothing out there made sense for them, or why what they have in a position is suddenly enough. I mean, they won’t even directly tell you how restrictive the owner is about adding payroll, even now, despite his public statements. That’s part of why Jazz was so realistic, he added virtually nothing to the payroll this year and would remain reasonable in 2025.
When the deadline passes, the Pirates will likely have added some pieces that you don’t consider big enough and it’s on them to be right when they do.
Just don’t forget, they don’t need players to become competitive, they need players to become more competitive than the handful of teams right there with them.
They’re better than they’ve been, headed in the right direction, that’s just not enough for fans who haven’t seen a winning record in 8 years.
Steel City Pirates 