11-27-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X

Long one tonight, so I won’t spend much time up here. The Cardinals are fleshing out their comeback story they want to write and the natives are getting restless back home. We don’t just want Cherington to go get stuff done, we want him to do it now! 3/4 of the league have done nothing or next to it, but this fan base, well, they’ve seen this act before. One by one, day by day, targets we wanted, targets local “experts” said were possible, fall off the board.

It makes you nervous they’ll just get what’s left again. I get it, and all I can say is it’s probably coming. Sorry, wish I could do better.

1. It’s Not Like they have “No” Starting Pitchers

Listen, I’m partially writing this one because someone commented on my show that I said they had Keller and nothing else and I was just like all the other talking heads…. something, something…you get it. He was right though, and it deserved clarification, because while the Pirates are indeed in a very bad spot to start 2023, overall they have a ton of quite talented pitchers right on the doorstep. Some you’ve met, some you’ll meet for the first time this year.

It’s not like we don’t mention them, it’s just, if a team claims to have it’s sights set on the playoffs, or what we should really be calling it, a duplication of last year’s jump, another 14 game improvement, you tend to do better when you insulate your team from the inconsistencies of youth.

Let me put it this way and see if it makes sense to you. If the Pirates were to sign a guy like Michael Lorenzen, I’d be happy, it fills a need with a veteran pitcher who’s seen a lot, pitched in playoff games, has been in the pen and the rotation. I’d want the team to plan on having him hold down a rotation spot to start the season, even as I sit here and openly tell you I think Priester, Ortiz, Contreras, Jones, Skenes, Solometo, Sullivan, Ascraft, all have higher ceilings.

Couple things here.

Experience matters, that’s why so many of us feel it’s vital they provide some of it for this pitching staff. Mitch Keller is a fine example, but he’s really entering the first year where he has some founded and rather lofty expectation on him, I’m not sure I want him solely responsible for being staff dad too. God forbid he himself get injured, we’d have the entire rotation looking to…er…umm..Contreras? Maybe that’s wishful thinking?

OK, so experience helps steady the ship but there’s a balance you have to walk. You can’t let it stifle those ceilings, you just can’t rely on those ceilings.

Next, we really have to open our eyes a bit when we talk pitching. I just named 9 guys who all could wind up making starts in Pittsburgh this year. I made no attempt to name all of the scraps and pieces they have lying around, I just skipped to the kids. I’m not talking about the returning from injury guys like Brubaker and Burrows either, but I could. 9, 10, 11 pitchers, go ahead, get where you want to.

Now know these important things. 2 or 3 of them will struggle and take steps back. 2 or 3 of them will get injured and not help much. 2 or 3 of them will contribute more than you think. That’s just odds. You go get veterans to even the odds. You add them to the pool because of all the ways they could fail, you’re pretty sure of the ways they won’t. Heck, some of them could very well be traded for one of those whacky veterans.

Can I make you a starting 5 out of what they have in-house? Yeah, I can tell you what I’d hope it would be, or maybe better said, who I’d want to perform and win the gigs.

Keller, Contreras, Ortiz, Priester, Falter/Jackson. If they do absolutely nothing, this is how I’d hope it shook out. This, well simply put, this would be best for business. Contreras has no options, if he looks like he did last year they might be forced to call it quits on him. Obviously, it would be much better for the Pirates if he found his mojo. Ortiz isn’t far behind, he has options, but in no way has proven he’s going to start. Damn him for his occasional 7 inning shove fests!

Priester is going to look different this year. I don’t say this because I know what he is doing right now, or whom he’s training with, or what his velo is hitting. I say this because every single year of his development he’s come to camp the next year bigger, stronger, more focused, and sharper on at the very least what he was challenged with. It’ll come down to talent with him, but he won’t suffer for effort, or any of the intangibles. Plus, it’s important to have first round picks turn out to at least be Major League players, even if your current front office didn’t select them.

The other two because why not? Falter and Jackson as a piggy back pair worked some last year, if that’s what they did in this scenario, ok. Holds back everyone else I honestly think need some time.

Again, that’s a fairy tale in which everyone is healthy, and pitches well. You know as well as I do it won’t happen. Now look at how thin the experience level gets. Name me one team that made the playoffs with 4 rookies starting 20 games each. I’ll wait.

On MLB the Show, I’d start Keller, Skenes (who’s totally ready), Brubaker (who’s totally healthy), Oviedo (again…), and Contreras who never had a fall from grace for any reason at all. In fact, on that game he’s probably you’re 2. LOL

Real life is messy. Simulations aren’t messy enough.

Fill the rotation at least partially from outside and cross your fingers.

2. Do We Want Rowdy Friends this Monday Night?

Rowdy Tellez. Daniel Vogelbach’s slightly more successful cousin. Left handed, white Cecil Fielder. He of the almost routine looking first to third on a screaming double to the gap.

Look, he was non-tendered because while he had a terrible year, largely driven by health, he was due close to 6 million in arbitration.

OK, elephant in the room, he hit 35 dingers in 2022 for Milwaukee. You can’t afford to just dismiss that, but when guys with physiques like that start having physical issues, it gets hard to trust. That said, if you’re sold on the Pirates already having first base options with Joe and Triolo, why not take a swing on a guy like this for like 5-6 mil? Best case, he hits 30-35 bombs from the left side. Worst case, you flat out DFA him if you can’t get a trade together. No worse an effort than Choi or Yoshi. Each were in that price range.

Seems maybe worth it offensively.

Defensively, hmmm, he’s better than Yoshi was but probably not as good as Michael Chavis.

Can you deal with it for 30-35 bombs? Maybe. Can you afford the liability with pitching being where it is? Maybe.

I don’t think he’s the safest bet, but he’s probably the one that offers the biggest potential profit.

You know me, if I thought it warranted no discussion I’d probably just say that.

I should also say, it’s his last year of arbitration. So if he’s good and you wanna keep him, he’s on the market. That said, at 29, he looks more poised for continuing an early descension toward retirement than he does ready to embark on his prime years.

I dunno. I won’t fight you if you want him, but I probably won’t campaign either, feel me?

Oh, one more thing. He’s cement for a run game. Wherever you put him, it’s gonna take an extra base hit unless he’s at 3rd. Again, it’s all about the homers. If you think they’re there, you deal with some of this known downside stuff. Or, you don’t. I’d also think being part of a true platoon could help him, unfortunately I think it would take enough at bats to never see him hit 30 again.

See what you do to me when you ask if the Pirates should be interested in a guy? And maybe they should?

3. Winter (meetings) is Coming

The annual winter meetings will be held December 3-6 in Nashville Tennessee. Something will happen there aside from a few baseball agents trying to convince struggling singers they might be able to help them as music agents, at least for a few days. No, actual trades, actual free agent signings will start popping off.

Part of that is tradition, execs get together and it’s easier to deal in person. Maybe you don’t think as hard before replying face to face. Part of it is also that agents have hijacked and openly hold court at these proceedings. Boras brings his own pop up branded backdrop for all his media hits live from the Winter meetings.

It’s gross. I actually had to stop for a few minutes to let my stomach settle before continuing.

I get it, they need face to face as well, I just don’t appreciate it. Maybe it’s because I don’t root for a team that will ever be spoken about by any of them unless it’s to admonish them for not offering half a billion for someone, you know, cause they don’t want to win.

That said, for those of you increasingly concerned the market isn’t rolling, look no further, during that short spread of dates, there will be something. Some news, probably even some Bucco news. I’m hoping Ben Cherington has dinner plans every night, and maybe cocktail get togethers after that, it’d be ok if he wanted to meet for waffles too, nothing wrong with that.

Sincerely, this is where some dominoes will start to fall. Even if the Buccos don’t do anything, things that start the ball rolling will happen that force action down the food chain.

4. Hall of Fame Voting

Most people will focus on the main ballot and argue about steroids and all that, have at it, I’m just going to remind everyone that my portrait of “baseball manager” that pops up in the old fashioned AI that is my brain, Jim Leyland is up for possible induction.

The Hall has changed some of their voting procedures in these “passed over” types and mainly, it’s been to add more categories. Now instead of just having one ballot for these types with everyone from ever fighting over getting in and being eternally locked out by comparisons to someone who isn’t in and played 76 years ago, they’ve broken it up into two timelines: the Classic Baseball Era (pre-1980) and the Contemporary Baseball Era (1980 -Current Eligible). Additionally, the Contemporary Baseball Era will have a separate ballot for the non players, such as managers, executives, and umpires. 

The idea is that these will cycle through one per year, and this year has fallen on the non player category.

Enter Jimmy.

I’m not qualified to make some impassioned plea for why Jim Leyland should beat out guys like Lou Pinella or Cito Gaston. I can’t tell you he deserves it more than Davey Johnson. I might have an aneurism if Joe West beats him out. Seriously.

Look all I’m saying is, he may not have won it all here, but he delivered closer than I’ve ever been treated to since. After that, all he did was win it all with the Marlins, scout for another lifetime, coach some more, scout again, all the while being seemingly the one guy everyone I know in the game respects that didn’t deliver a championship to this city.

Maybe we liked him because he looked like half the guys at the Hungarian Club on a Wednesday night sitting in the dugout blowing through a heater before going out to spit fire at an umpire, you know, like Joe West.

I had an interaction with Mr. Leyland at a Pirates Caravan event back in the day. Just a dumb 14 year old smart assed kid. You know what I mean, Dad’s idea to go to this, so you act like you’re entirely unimpressed. Too cool for the Parrot. You get it. So Leyland is signing autographs and I got one, I said some smart assed comment about Barry’s arm. Honestly can’t even remember what it was but I always thought I was hilarious. Something I’ve tried and failed to grow out of, but I digress. He barely reacted, just kinda sighed and handed me the baseball card.

I’ve gone on my way now for a while doing other stuff, getting other autographs, not even thinking about that interaction with Leyland really, didn’t even know enough to appreciate the audience you know.

30 some minutes later, I look up and Leyland is headed right for me, then he stops. Looks at me and says, as closely as I can remember anyway, if you ever once saw all those players in the locker room after a loss like that, you’d never make a comment like that again.

Why the hell I stuck in his craw that much, I’ll never know. Do those words rattle in my head every time I have a chance to talk to a player or coach today, oh yeah.

Hey, I got sidetracked, I’m halfway through life now people, give me a break, I’m gonna tell stories. Whatever, vote for Jimmy, even if he’s not the best, I just think he’s worthy, for many roles.

Depending on your age, you have your Pirates manager. Murtaugh, Tanner, Leyland, and yes, some of you probably have Hurdle. I think there are 3 on that list who should be in the hall, here’s an opportunity to address one.

5. This Pirates Lineup Has Potential

There’s a lot to learn yet. The Pirates could upgrade or fortify several positions and force some of these kids to re-earn their spot on the 26-man. I find it hard to believe there will be much of that, but the framework of this lineup has the potential to do damage in more than one way.

I have my concerns of course. I don’t look at it and say it screams playoff bound. But I also acknowledge it’s very young.

I break it down like this…

Fully Evolved Hitter
Bryan Reynolds – He is what he is. I don’t mean that in a bad way. Reynolds is one of those hitters who I think in a good lineup can to a degree become more of what you need him to be. If they need average and on base I think he can provide that, if they need homers I think he can sacrifice a bit from one side and sell out for a bit more pop. Sometimes that’s gonna look like MVP, sometimes its gonna look like an All Star by reputation, but it’s always gonna help more than it hurts.

Still Finding It
Ke’Bryan Hayes – I love what Ke’ put on tape last year. He made a really nice adjustment that allowed him to counter what the league had started to exploit. This type of pushback will happen throughout a career, so seeing him maintain through the offseason what he put into practice last year is going to tell us a lot. All we know right now is at times Ke’Bryan Hayes has a bat that can carry an offense for stretches. What we have yet to see is can he find his way to consistency year over year? Very encouraged by 2023, but 2024 could put this team in great shape offensively if he shows up swinging like he did to wrap the year.

We’ve Seen the Potential
Oneil Cruz – We, and Cruz for that matter, were robbed of a year of development. Oh…did you think I’d say playoffs? Hey, maybe that too, but for me, 2023 was the absolute perfect environment for Oneil to go through an entire season. The ups, the downs, the adjustments, the physical toil, the defensive reps, the at bats against lefties, learning what to do when the league starts pitching at your hands. All of that. And now, there’s simply no choice but to do it in 2024. Ideally, You’re returning this guy as a proven out stud this year, armed with yet another off season full of growth. The real cost of that injury is this, not a theoretical playoff berth.

Jack Suwinski – Jack has shown at the very least prodigious power. It’s effortless power when it’s on plane, and therein lies the rub with Jack. He is a learner, and he’ll adjust as he’s instructed to do so. What that created in 2023 was a half season swoon in production. The league diagnosed Jack, and it’s partially because he’s too good of a student. So practiced in the art of “his pitch” or “his zone” was Jack, pitchers identified with help from scouting departments and analytics nerds of course, that he simply wasn’t going to swing at strikes. There were zones in the strike zone that Jack had proven he wasn’t going to swing at, and his success rate when doing so is the culprit. Either way, the pitcher won so long as they didn’t make a mistake. He either K’d or dribbled out. Finally an adjustment was made at the end of the season and while he did hit the baseball hard, I believe if he sticks with this approach, he’ll be a more rounded hitter, but maybe less inclined to hit 35 homeruns. I hope that makes sense. I feel he has enough power to pile up 25-30 just by hitting, or he could “try” to hit them, pop maybe 40-45 but everything else kinda never happens. Big year for Jack.

Folks, them’s the building blocks of this lineup. Those 4 right there will have much to say about where this team goes this year. Regardless of anyone they go get, these 4 will have to have prominent roles.

These four will hit between 80 – 120 home runs if I had my guess and for perspective the team hit 159 collectively in 2023. 65 homeruns last season from Hayes, Reynolds and Jack. 1 from Oneil. Makes the prediction seem kinda doable right?

Everyone else, including Henry, Gonzales, Endy, Peggy, Bae, Triolo, you know, all the kids, when I do a list like this next year, hopefully some of them are on it. If you think you’ve seen enough of any of these guys to know what you’re getting, I’ll humbly suggest you pump the brakes, and let them show you. Good or Bad.

For now, they’re one conglomeration of potential bats. They all have something to like, they all have to fix something to make that matter or add something else.

The potential is there, the biggest question mark for a decent jump is Cruz. Hate to put that much on him, but if he takes some time to get going, which honestly would be quite understandable, they simply have no choice but to let him do it. I would have (and did) say the same exact things about Cruz before 2023 and heading into that season I thought he’d hit 25-30 dingers. Hard to subtract from that, even if I account for rust.

11-20-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X

Can you believe we’re already here? We’re already way into the offseason, the leaves have mostly all fallen, the turkey’s are mostly already in the fridge thawing out and grandmas around the country are receiving phone calls cause they’re the only ones who know that one ingredient in the dish everyone has to have to make it a holiday.

Baseball is off to a slow start in the offseason, but that won’t stop us, let’s go!

1. Is the Pilot Lit?

The hot stove as it’s come to be known, has thus far been more of an unlit gas stove. Arron Nola re-signed with Philly taking the first big name off the free agent board, but aside from that, just some light rumors of possible moves. Landing spots being predicted for some of the bigger names only 4 or 5 teams realistically could afford has become the replacement for rumors and listening in. Most of the rumors come from agents anyway, so gigantic grain of salt to begin with.

Take Ohtani for instance, there are legitimate questions as to when or if he’ll be a pitcher, but even just as a hitter he’s still going to get a big contract. I can tell you right now that means he could go to NYM, NYY, BOS, PHI, CHC, LAD, LAA, SFG, TEX, and unless he’s taking some sort of deal that pays him 20 years after he retires to play somewhere like Seattle, those are the teams regardless of need who could pay the price.

Until dominoes start to fall, that’s where some very prominent trade targets will likely head too. Whoever trades for Juan Soto for instance has to have an extension in their immediate plans, and that is a guy who will 100% get 400 million on the cheap side. Point being, if the the Pirates wanted Soto to be a Bucco in 2024, they could have him. They have the prospect capital to get it done. But it would be his first, and only season in this uniform. You know it, I know it, and so do all the rumor generators.

If you really want to know why the stove is chilly though, I think it’s because baseball currently has 2/3 of their teams in some form or fashion actively out of a TV deal or in danger of being out of one. None of them know exactly what this means for their club, their budgets or the game itself. MLB’s promise to cover 80% of previous deals wasn’t an offer that they planned to extend in perpetuity, there’s no guarantee a team like Pittsburgh gets that now if they have to go in that direction for instance.

Eventually these names will start dropping. Every time the market is slow, some idiot with a keyboard like me starts talking gloom and doom. That’s not what I’m trying to do here. I’m just throwing out a couple reasons why I don’t think rumors are flying around like hot cakes right now.

Some of this stuff needs to clear up and until then, I’m afraid it’s mostly going to be the big boys shuffling trading cards.

2. What IF? They Don’t Add

They said they want to add, this isn’t to suggest they won’t now, or any such claim, it’s simply to set a baseline and you do this in your head even if it’s not on purpose.

Every addition this team brings in will bump one of these starting point options and while it’s much easier to print up signs that say “3SP, 1B, CF!” and march around PNC, I think looking at the roster while they add is much more instructive.

Let’s go with just the starting rotation for today to illustrate the point.

If Spring training started tomorrow the Pirates starting rotation and depth sets up like this. It’s also important to note, as of right this second, we don’t yet know anything more about Johan Oviedo than he’s had elbow issues and they’ve discussed the possibility of surgery. We don’t know the path forward yet.

Starting 5: Mitch Keller

In the Hunt: Quinn Priester, Luis Ortiz, Roansy Contreras, Bailey Falter, Andre Jackson, Jackson Wolf

ETA 2024 so Maybe: Jared Jones, Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft (because he’s on the 40), Sean Sullivan

Expected Returns from IL (Summer ’24): Michael Burrows, JT Brubaker

It’d Be a Stretch to Expect: Anthony Solometo

So if they do nothing, you probably are going to be realistically looking at those first two categories for your starting 5. I don’t need to choose them right now, I just need to know what I’m choosing from.

Every signing you bump things down. Let’s say they get Eduardo Rodriguez the big lefty starter. Well, that all but eliminates Bailey Falter and Jackson Wolf from the “in the hunt” category for me. I mean, I leave them in a new category if they have appropriate team control called “Depth”. Every move changes this structure. We probably drop one of our ETA 2024 candidates from likelihood too with this move, which frankly is a good thing.

Looking at it this way as opposed to just filling some numbers of players always helps me paint the picture of what this roster could look like, how it could work and whether I feel they have enough backing it to get the job done.

You come to the number they need by doing something like this in the first place, I’m just suggesting hold onto it, and move the pieces down as you add, you’ll see roster construction in a whole new light. It forces you to follow the logic train all the way through your “system” of players you think could have some claim to your 2024 roster.

Bottom line, it’s not pretty right now, and staring at the projected starting 5 alone, it’s easy to see them signing 4 guys, but think about the sincere need to eventually develop their own. Spend whatever this year by all means, but folks, this whole thing doesn’t work if they don’t come out of this batch with at least 3 or 4 internally developed starters. Cheap is one thing, but this market can’t prop up starting pitching via trade and free agency as primary drivers to reach the top of the mountain.

Pitching is late, do what you have to this year, but they must force opportunity for some of these kids to get shots, there is no “winning” in the long run without it. I say that more to prepare you for seeing a visible hole left, if not two for kids to fill. And yes, I think that might hurt the 2024 record, but it might make the 2025 and 2026 campaigns come together too. Ben Cherington’s own words are the only reason to claim this wouldn’t be the obvious play in 2024 if I’m honest.

May Mitch Keller have a happy and HEALTHY holiday season and off season. Like, bubble wrap that arm up bro. Put down that axe! Someone else can get the firewood hoss. Mitch what are you doing deep frying the turkey? Let your cousin handle it, go have a lite beer and sit next to the fireplace.

3. A 3 Dollar Scratch Off

I have to give my buddy James Littleton credit for the title on this one.

There’s a rumor percolating that the Blue Jays might be willing to move on from former All Star and Cy Young contending starter Alek Manoah.

This is super interesting. Let me start by saying this, making a deal for Manoah couldn’t be your best shot at a starter, but I am interested in this, very much so. Reminds me so much of Francisco Liriano who was undeniably great, then really not even playable, then suddenly, after a stutter start from a self inflicted wound, a Pirate where he’d of course go on to thrive again.

I described this on Social Media as a lottery ticket, just not the kind you’re used to. Meaning this isn’t some kid you get in the DSL or Single A and 5 years later find out he left in MiLB free agency. This guy is boom or bust from the beginning. And his recent history could make him really cheap from a prospect capital standpoint.

Hence, the 3 dollar scratch off.

This is a minimal risk as he doesn’t even reach arb until next year and there’s a solid chance because he was sent down for so long last year he could backdoor qualify for Super 2.

Best case, this kid has ace stuff, and he’s already done it once at the MLB level, worst case you demote him or trade him, he costs the entry level salary this year. There is a belief he had a slight shoulder injury in 2023 and some have pointed to his shape being less than ideal coming into Spring coupled with the pitch clock being difficult for him to matriculate as he had been one of the slower pitchers to deliver in 2022. I’ve confirmed this by searching since but Bob Strazza pointed this out to me on X earlier.

I can’t sit here and say this is a deal they can’t miss. I won’t tell you the deal itself would work out. I can say though, in baseball, you can afford to be cheap, you can afford to be dumb and you can afford to be risk adverse, but you can’t be all 3 and expect to win.

If you can’t spend with the big boys, you better take some risks, and if educated ones like this come along, be first in line to sniff around anyhow.

4. Why Non-Tender Bido & Stratton

Osvaldo Bido and Hunter Stratton were both non-tendered by the club.

The reporting on this subject would have you believe the club wants to re-sign both to minor league deals, essentially, removing them from the 40-man without the waiver process. They’re free agents and for a team that is already super short on starting pitching, well, it was at least curious right?

Osvaldo was better than I think most of us expected and it’s also fair to say he looked at least bullpen capable. I really think for both these players it comes down to a pretty simple reality, they need roster spots cleared and they don’t want forced into using either of them simply because they’re on the 40-man.

That’s probably not the nicest way to put it, but they’ve done this in previous seasons with well, one instance is Chase DeJong. He was DFA’d at the end of Spring, signed back with the club and a week into the season was called up for a couple months.

I would imagine both will re-sign and be given invites to Spring Training. Try as they might the roster still has some scrapple and while I don’t think either of these players are useless, I think it’s pretty clear where their ceilings are.

Makes the risk of losing them a bit less worrisome when you’re pretty sure you can reach the ceiling without a step stool.

5. The Downside

I recently began my fifth year writing about the Pirates. After starting at Sports Illustrated and transferring to this independent venture with Craig Toth, we just put our heads down and wrote/talked our way through this entire rebuild.

I started before Ben Cherington was hired, in fact, I started right before Neil Huntington was fired. My second piece was about how the team needed to make changes, and two days later, Bob Nutting pulled the trigger and honestly, shocked me a little that he did so.

I had every reason to be shocked. He spent money to fire Neil and Frank, but more to the point, I didn’t know anyone, didn’t talk to anyone, and more to the point, if that situation played out today, I can honestly tell you I’ll know a couple hours after Jason Mackey, which if you do this sort of thing, you understand means NOBODY gets stuff before Mackey.

Now, I’m still not a “journalist”, I’m a fan with a blog and a podcast. Exactly what I want to be honestly, but you can’t do this sort of thing for this long and avoid networking your way into knowing some people, or at least knowing who to ask when you don’t know something you want to know.

I’ve come to know players, I’ve come to know front office members, hell I’ve even come to know scouts and coaches and some have gone, new ones have come, and from the “intel” perspective, the net just gets wider every year. In fact, when you do it long enough, you don’t even have to go looking for information anymore, it finds you.

I can’t speak for everyone who does this, but this has been my experience and yes, as it’s going on, it’s really cool.

Nothing is worse than hearing about what they may or may not spend. I miss the fun of guessing at a blank sheet of paper. I miss the blissful ignorance of imagining the owner was entirely happy with the jump the team took last year and hungry for more improvement. Now that’s disrupted by hearing he’s not pleased entirely they exceeded the budgeted payroll figure last year. I mean…

Hearing isn’t always believing. If it was, I’d be reporting it as opposed to just lamenting the bits and fragments of information. What I can say is “some” sure seem to want to make sure a guy like me knows that spending money is still going to be an issue. And then again, I’ve watched the Pirates operate long enough to know I didn’t need intel for this assumption.

I’ll put all this aside for the most part as we keep following what happens, maybe keep it in the back of my head, maybe direct the track I take writing about a subject, it’s there but I try not to make it a fact I have to write around because it simply might not be one.

I can honestly say last season payroll was almost 20 million more than I was told to expect, so I sure am glad I didn’t go forward with what I heard last offseason. Maybe it was true when I was told it and things changed internally since, a source being wrong doesn’t always mean you’ve been lied to. And so long as you haven’t run to the masses shouting about what you know, no harm no foul, in fact, that person is just as happy you didn’t run with it. The moral of the story here is, if you do this sort of thing long enough, you’re gonna start hearing things. If you’re responsible with that, you’ll probably hear more.

I know this is a little “inside baseball” but it’s important to me. We hear things everyday, and just about as often, we choose not to use it, at least not traditionally and we do that because quite honestly, we’ve decided NEWS isn’t our role, opinion on the news is, and that is where we apply whatever we “know”. It’s becoming harder and harder to stay in that lane the longer we do this the more blurred the lines between blogger and journalist become, but to me there’s just no upside for me or this site by trying to break news or deliver raw rumors.

To be as blunt as I possibly can, I as a fan would read breaking news from a guy like me, but I wouldn’t start sharing/reacting to it until I saw it from one of the real journos and I have zero cares about being able to tweet “first”. My issue with it is, many people who do read things like that WOULD share/react to it and that is a responsibility I’m not willing to accept for a side gig. I watch these sites that try to break news without credentials and it just seems like a constant battle to be seen or credited, and man I just have no desire to play the game. There are plenty of options out there who have no such issue, and they’re welcome to it.

Basically, when something happens, we’ll have opinions, and they might be colored by knowing something, or the news itself could confirm something we’ve been told and that automatically qualifies the other bits of conversation we had and adds to our opinion piece about the event. This isn’t just a Pirates topic, but you should be careful of where you get what you consider “News” and that starts by understanding there’s a difference between journalism and blogging. Unfortunately, a distinction too many journalists have also forgotten.