Just checked on the few popup prospects that we traded last year, Reilly is on the season ending IL and McAdoo is picked it up from his frigid start but still OPSing under .700
I'm happy for Pham (and for us) that he's started hitting and the eye contact issue offers a plausible explanation for why he was so bad. He wouldn't have kept getting chances with many teams so ironically it's only because we have so few quality OF options that that signing may end up looking pretty good--i.e., Ben may be able to point to that as a good signing only because none of his other OF acquisitions have worked out (yet, I still have hope that at least one of Canario, Suwinski, Yorke, and Cook can be at least a quality 4th OF).
And yes, with the exception of Hays the FA OFs in the tier that we consider have really struggled which shows that we're not likely to find answers in the tier of FAs that we sign. Heck, even Santander has been bad and many thought he'd be a great signing if Nutting was willing to significantly add payroll.
The exception is Austin Hays. He’s cooled off a bit, but he’s still slugging over .550 and has 1.1 WAR. Signed by the Reds for the same amount as Pham.
Ramon Laureano who signed after Pham for less money. All the Pirates had to do was pick up the phone and call him instead of Pham with the same offer, and they would have had one of the best-producing OFers in all baseball this year for 3.5 million.
The teams who'd realistically trade for Keller are who? Cubs, Phillies, Mets, Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros and the Dodgers, I guess.
The Tigers and the Dodgers have the best prospects. Two LHB in Zyhir Hope and Josue De Paula from LA. Rainer and Briceno as Melkel suggested from Detroit.
Because Keller is under team control for another three years, I think every team in baseball would be interested, and would be interested in the offseason or at next year's trade deadline. Because of those three years, we would need to get a return that clearly exceeds what we could expect in the offseason or a year from now and with teams' reluctance to trade top prospects, I don't see that as happening. But it only takes one team and great evaluation by our FO, and a little luck, to get the next PCA, for example.
I wouldn't cross off the Mariners, Rangers, Brewers, Padres, Giants, Diamondbacks, Cardinals or Reds yet. All above .500 and Keller could help get them to the play-offs.
Blue Jays, Tigers, and Dodgers would be my guess. I'd rather not trade Keller without getting high upside players even if they're a couple years away. Getting league average bats or replacement level players is taking a side step or back for the quality and control of Keller. Those 3 have the quality to make a trade worth the risk but I'd still want it to be an overpay.
I didn't mention them because 6.5 games back but they might. They'd be right up there with the Dodgers and Tigers in terms of systems. What about Keller, Cruz and Bednar for Mayer and Abreu?
All 4 of those players are 2-3 years away from the Big league. Give me 2 prospects that are in AAA or 1 young starter(Ofer) . We can’t keep thinking like Ben and getting guys that won’t help us NOW
Hope will see AA this year and could be up next July. Same for De Paula and Briceno. Rainer might be 2-3 years out. They all line up with Griffin and Termarr and have overlap with Skenes (Rainer less so), Chandler, Jones, Ashcraft, Harrington etc.
Toronto has Yesavage and Nimmala (spelling might be off), one of them to headline then Roden and another couple lesser players. Or both of the first 2 but doubt Toronto would do that.
FG thinks Roden is a better 'spect than Yesavage and I'm personally all in on headliners being bats with A ball arms we like as later in the package. I like the Dodgers and Tigers a little better than the Jays system for us.
IF we go 5-4 or better on the upcoming road trip and with a 9-game homestand following the break and 18 games remaining against teams currently in last place, we could start dreaming a little. Maybe we'd at least be able to get to .500. Big if, though.
At .5% playoff odds. Cubs are 88.1%, Brewers 64.1%, Cards 36.3% and Reds 14.9%. There are only 4 teams in MLB with worse playoff odds than the 2025 Pittsburgh Pirates.
I look forward to another franchise-changing trade like Bryan de la Cruz. This team needs more solid 90 wRC+ guys who can barely hold down a job in MLB.
1B for Fort Myers has the strangest stance I have ever seen. He waits.for the pitch with his front foot suspended about 18 inches in the air. Balances on his back foot for as long as 5-10 seconds.
Having a real 1Bman has improved the IF defense of everyone: knowing they don't have to make a perfect throw. Cruz is much better in CF, and Davis is becoming a defensive stalwart behind the plate. They are much better than the clownshow to start the season.
My biggest surprise in the last month is how comfortable I am when a fly ball is hit to left or center. Pham usually gets a good jump and Cruz seems like he can now judge a fly ball and catch it.
Savant now has Cruz 77th percentile in fielding run value, 86th in range. After a horrific first month or two. He's a potential GG candidate going forward.
Jorge Solar has 1.027 career ops in the post season
We have a .5% chance of seeing our team in the postseason.
Just checked on the few popup prospects that we traded last year, Reilly is on the season ending IL and McAdoo is picked it up from his frigid start but still OPSing under .700
sources saying Keller and Falter to the Twins for Royce Lewis and Jhoan Durán
Royce Lewis has a career 1.119ops in the post season
Duran, Bednar Chapman bullpen in October
Dang Valdez couldn't control himself going into second. He's hit the ball well though. Very good throw to get him.
Kinda funny looking around at some of the FA outfield candidates that were available in the offseason.
Conforto playing awful (when he’s even in the lineup).
Verdugo just DFA’d.
Profar pinched for PED’s.
Pham .855 OPS over the last 30 days.
Baseball
I'm happy for Pham (and for us) that he's started hitting and the eye contact issue offers a plausible explanation for why he was so bad. He wouldn't have kept getting chances with many teams so ironically it's only because we have so few quality OF options that that signing may end up looking pretty good--i.e., Ben may be able to point to that as a good signing only because none of his other OF acquisitions have worked out (yet, I still have hope that at least one of Canario, Suwinski, Yorke, and Cook can be at least a quality 4th OF).
And yes, with the exception of Hays the FA OFs in the tier that we consider have really struggled which shows that we're not likely to find answers in the tier of FAs that we sign. Heck, even Santander has been bad and many thought he'd be a great signing if Nutting was willing to significantly add payroll.
I was pounding the table for O’Neil and Keppler. O’Neil has spent most of the season on the IL (shocking I know) and Keppler has been meh…..
I was a Conforto guy, myself…
Baez and Torkelson are the two missed opportunities
They were not free agents. The topic is free agent outfielders.
The exception is Austin Hays. He’s cooled off a bit, but he’s still slugging over .550 and has 1.1 WAR. Signed by the Reds for the same amount as Pham.
Ramon Laureano who signed after Pham for less money. All the Pirates had to do was pick up the phone and call him instead of Pham with the same offer, and they would have had one of the best-producing OFers in all baseball this year for 3.5 million.
The teams who'd realistically trade for Keller are who? Cubs, Phillies, Mets, Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros and the Dodgers, I guess.
The Tigers and the Dodgers have the best prospects. Two LHB in Zyhir Hope and Josue De Paula from LA. Rainer and Briceno as Melkel suggested from Detroit.
Because Keller is under team control for another three years, I think every team in baseball would be interested, and would be interested in the offseason or at next year's trade deadline. Because of those three years, we would need to get a return that clearly exceeds what we could expect in the offseason or a year from now and with teams' reluctance to trade top prospects, I don't see that as happening. But it only takes one team and great evaluation by our FO, and a little luck, to get the next PCA, for example.
I wouldn't cross off the Mariners, Rangers, Brewers, Padres, Giants, Diamondbacks, Cardinals or Reds yet. All above .500 and Keller could help get them to the play-offs.
Blue Jays, Tigers, and Dodgers would be my guess. I'd rather not trade Keller without getting high upside players even if they're a couple years away. Getting league average bats or replacement level players is taking a side step or back for the quality and control of Keller. Those 3 have the quality to make a trade worth the risk but I'd still want it to be an overpay.
I think the Red Sox would too considering their extreme lack of pitching
I didn't mention them because 6.5 games back but they might. They'd be right up there with the Dodgers and Tigers in terms of systems. What about Keller, Cruz and Bednar for Mayer and Abreu?
All 4 of those players are 2-3 years away from the Big league. Give me 2 prospects that are in AAA or 1 young starter(Ofer) . We can’t keep thinking like Ben and getting guys that won’t help us NOW
In Ben's defense, he did acquire Spencer Horwitz.
Hope will see AA this year and could be up next July. Same for De Paula and Briceno. Rainer might be 2-3 years out. They all line up with Griffin and Termarr and have overlap with Skenes (Rainer less so), Chandler, Jones, Ashcraft, Harrington etc.
Toronto has Yesavage and Nimmala (spelling might be off), one of them to headline then Roden and another couple lesser players. Or both of the first 2 but doubt Toronto would do that.
FG thinks Roden is a better 'spect than Yesavage and I'm personally all in on headliners being bats with A ball arms we like as later in the package. I like the Dodgers and Tigers a little better than the Jays system for us.
I'd take Hope plus Eduardo Quintero from LAD too.
we're buyers now
We're 13.5 out my man. Would have to win 6 more in a row to be buyers.
We’re 9 games out of a playoff spot
IF we go 5-4 or better on the upcoming road trip and with a 9-game homestand following the break and 18 games remaining against teams currently in last place, we could start dreaming a little. Maybe we'd at least be able to get to .500. Big if, though.
At .5% playoff odds. Cubs are 88.1%, Brewers 64.1%, Cards 36.3% and Reds 14.9%. There are only 4 teams in MLB with worse playoff odds than the 2025 Pittsburgh Pirates.
nerds ruined baseball
They may have but odds are odds.
I look forward to another franchise-changing trade like Bryan de la Cruz. This team needs more solid 90 wRC+ guys who can barely hold down a job in MLB.
Yorke with a bomb.
Or should that have been "bombe?"
He's been getting hot for a bit... IKF or Hayes replacement?
Esmerlyn Valdez with an RBI double for his first AA hit
Valdez is the 2025 version of Charles McAdoo
Who is Boston's double A affiliate?
What a perfect trade chip for Aroldis Chapman
1B for Fort Myers has the strangest stance I have ever seen. He waits.for the pitch with his front foot suspended about 18 inches in the air. Balances on his back foot for as long as 5-10 seconds.
Did Mr. Miyagi teach him that move?
I like Tejada trying to mess with the timing there. Smart on his part
Shalin Polanco with a three run home run. He has 10 now
The next left-handed batting outfield Polanco will be The Chosen One. The last one was just a test of our faith to see if we deserve the next one.
i still believe!!
Lonnie with an RBI base hit
i still believe!!
Florentino beats out an infielder grounder to first. Fielder had to dive for it couldn’t get up and toss it to the pitcher in time
Derek Berg making his first start for Greensboro tonight
wow
Three weeks ago I wrote the piece about the Pirates’ defense. At the time, they were tied for sixth in defensive efficiency. Now they’re fourth.
Maybe a BS stat, I dunno, but I like it.
Having a real 1Bman has improved the IF defense of everyone: knowing they don't have to make a perfect throw. Cruz is much better in CF, and Davis is becoming a defensive stalwart behind the plate. They are much better than the clownshow to start the season.
My biggest surprise in the last month is how comfortable I am when a fly ball is hit to left or center. Pham usually gets a good jump and Cruz seems like he can now judge a fly ball and catch it.
Savant now has Cruz 77th percentile in fielding run value, 86th in range. After a horrific first month or two. He's a potential GG candidate going forward.
Jebb with a nice triple for Altoona to start, no Termarr tonight.