PHOENIX — Twenty-one months in the past, Nick Gonzales was in Arizona peppering the ball everywhere in the area. Then, in his second stint within the Arizona Fall League, the seventh general decide within the 2020 Draft was a prospect whose hitting prowess drew rave evaluations and made the Pittsburgh entrance workplace and fan base alike dream about what he may convey to the highest of the membership’s large league batting order.
Quick-forward to Sunday and Gonzales was once more in Arizona, this time strolling gingerly by the clubhouse after being positioned on the 10-day injured listing because of left groin discomfort. His absence — and that propensity to stack up hits — is felt with an elevated weight with 57 video games remaining within the common season, even after the Pirates have been capable of muster a dramatic 6-5 comeback win at Chase Area over the D-backs.
The Pirates discover themselves in a singular place within the last hours main as much as the Commerce Deadline: add and make a push for the division and/or one in all three Nationwide League Wild Card spots, or stand pat and try to maximise a window past simply 2024?
“I believe our strategy going into this Deadline has and can proceed to be methods to try to enhance the Pirates,” basic supervisor Ben Cherington stated throughout his weekly radio present on 93.7 The Fan on Sunday afternoon. “We’re looking for methods to enhance the staff in whole and never a selected 12 months.”
Whereas Cherington acknowledged that Gonzales’ absence can be measured in “weeks, not days,” he believes the 25-year-old will return in the course of the common season. However the clock is ticking on including exterior assist with the Commerce Deadline at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday. (There isn’t a longer an extra deadline to wheel and deal gamers into late August, as there was prior to now.)
Relating to inner candidates, Cherington pointed to the not too long ago recalled Ji Hwan Bae, who has performed the keystone for the Bucs prior to now. Jared Triolo — who made a spectacular seize in his first inning in proper area since his freshman 12 months on the College of Houston in 2017 — received the beginning at second on Sunday earlier than transferring to the outfield late. If Pittsburgh stands pat, it’s value questioning who will seize a maintain of the place till Gonzales is able to return.
“I am fairly snug over at second base and, yeah, wherever they want me,” Triolo stated postgame Sunday. “I imply, you noticed it at present — I used to be in proper area. So wherever they want me, I will be prepared.”
At Triple-A Indianapolis, Liover Peguero is having himself fairly the week, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs on Sunday so as to add to his two homers within the collection in opposition to the Cubs’ affiliate. Additionally a former Prime 100 general prospect per MLB Pipeline very similar to Gonzales, Peguero has not seen time in The Present this season however has made 35 begins at second for Indy and made only one error.
The second-base market received off to a torrid begin Saturday with the Marlins dealing Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the Yankees. There are different names — the Angels’ Luis Rengifo, the Cardinals’ Tommy Edman, the Reds’ Jonathan India — who may match the invoice as longtime second basemen, in addition to those that may decide up the spot for what would seemingly be a short-term stint, whereas additionally offering a spark for a lineup with the second-lowest batting common and OPS within the Nationwide League with runners in scoring place.
“We’ve got had alternatives the final a number of days the place we may have finished one thing — provides or a value that we may have stated sure to — and we selected to not,” Cherington stated. “And there have additionally been issues that we pursued and made provides on and we’ve gotten a ‘no’ from the opposite staff. So we’re simply in the course of that negotiation — nothing that fell by, we simply haven’t discovered the match or matches but that we really feel make sense. We’ll keep at it.”
Flip a coin, 50/50 shot: Do the Bucs add to their roster inside the subsequent 48 hours?
“I’m not good at predicting these items,” Cherington stated, laughing. “There’s a 100% probability that we’re going to work our tails off to seek out one thing, discover alternatives that assist us. I do know we’ll try this. I hope it results in one thing however … we’re not doing our jobs if we don’t have a ‘stroll away’ plan, if we’re not prepared to say no. We’ll see the place this finally ends up Tuesday.”
