This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat e-newsletter. To learn the complete e-newsletter, click on right here. And subscribe to get it repeatedly in your inbox.
The Pirates had loads of questions going into the Winter Conferences, and acquired some solutions. Who’s the primary baseman? Effectively, they traded for Spencer Horwitz. Who’s the bullpen coach? We acquired that reply proper after they acquired again from Dallas: Miguel Perez.
It was a productive couple of days, however there may be nonetheless loads of work to be executed, and with that, loads of questions that also should be answered. Listed here are three burning ones that should be addressed earlier than the Pirates journey to Miami to begin the season.
1. Who’s in proper discipline?
The Pirates got here into the offseason desirous to improve their offense, and the 2 positions that wanted the largest increase have been nook outfield and first base. The latter is taken care of with Horwitz within the combine, however what’s going to occur within the outfield?
A handful of veteran free brokers who might have been theoretical matches discovered new groups this week and at the moment are off the board: Tyler O’Neill, Michael Conforto and Mike Tauchman. Wanting on the record of free-agent outfielders nonetheless in the marketplace, solely 4 have been price greater than three mixed WAR over the previous two seasons: Anthony Santander, Teoscar Hernández, Max Kepler and Jason Heyward. It’s exhausting to see the Pirates being within the combine for the primary two.
There’s additionally the commerce market, and the Pirates materialized one commerce of a beginning pitcher and a few prospects for Horwitz. It’s not out of the query it might occur once more, however that may’t be the answer for each gap that must be stuffed.
“In some unspecified time in the future you’ve got to watch out,” basic supervisor Ben Cherington mentioned. “We wish to preserve that as a energy and also you go too far, you begin to dig into it an excessive amount of and all of the sudden, you will get your self in bother. So we’ll should be considerate and cautious about it. Nonetheless really feel like that is an space of energy and depth. We’ll simply should see what comes.”
2. How will this bullpen take form?
The Pirates have their coach in place. Who’s he teaching? Derek Shelton and Cherington are optimistic that David Bednar will bounce again, however Shelton opted to not declare him the nearer but. The Pirates have been desirous about bringing again Aroldis Chapman, however he signed with the Pink Sox earlier this month.
“We’re trying so as to add as many gifted, younger pitchers with great things to our bullpen combine as we will going into Spring Coaching,” Cherington mentioned. “I might count on that we might look to focus on as many guys, whether or not it is by Minor League free company, Main League free company, trades, no matter mixture. We wish to construct as a lot bullpen depth as we will going into Spring Coaching and as many guys with attention-grabbing pitch traits as we will discover. Attempt to get them into our system and leverage our folks and knowledge to attempt to assist put guys in the perfect place.”
3. What ought to the Pirates do with this younger pitching?
Final yr, there was a beginning alternative within the rotation and Jared Jones took benefit of it with an enormous Spring Coaching, incomes a spot on the Opening Day crew and conserving it. That’s price conserving in thoughts when how this 2025 employees might look, particularly relating to Bubba Chandler, the No. 15 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. There’s additionally Braxton Ashcraft (No. 85) and Thomas Harrington (No. 91) additionally ready within the wings at Triple-A Indianapolis. (Ashcraft is already on the 40-man roster as nicely).
Dealing them doesn’t appear all too probably, nor them shifting into the bullpen (although Cherington did acknowledge it’s a path they might take). You want starter depth over the course of a season, and the Pirates have it. The query is do they wish to preserve them ready within the wings, or is there a method to implement earlier within the season and perhaps fill some holes?
