Off topic, but I saw Skenes has been elected to the 8-man union committee that actually gets 8 votes in addition to the 32 team votes in certain labor matters. It's a 2-year term. This could be harmless, Skenes seems to be a very smart thinker, but.........I would much rather him not be filling his head with the business side of baseball, and stick to what he does as well as anybody in the game.....compete and pitch baseball games. So yeah, not a fan of him being on this committee.
Here is an idea. How about see where the market is for each free agent. Talk to the other GMs about trades. See what the best bargains are. Pick up the best available option for the price in both the trade market and free agency at either 1B or OF. Then plug Reynolds into whatever position you did not fill: LF, RF, 1B. Or does that all just make too much sense?
But trading in particular is tough. We throw up trade proposals here all day long, and many of them are fair in a vacuum, but it takes two to tango. Just because we want Heston Kjerstad, Nathaniel Lowe, Yandy Diaz, etc doesn’t mean the other team wants to trade the player and/or likes a thing we have to offer.
Ditto for free agency. The market is so tight, and everyone has an idea of how everyone is valued. Also doesn’t mean free agents want to come here.
I’ve been critical of the guy plenty, but I have zero doubt he’s busting his ass trying to make something happen. Can he make something happen? That’s to be seen.
Yes.. to assume other wise is silly. Basically the suggestion is that as GM Ben beats all the other teams at finding the best deals and available players since they also are not doing any of the above. Not a Ben supporter but this assumes all others are asleep at the wheel.
I was playing with Red Sox trades thinking the same. I initially played with Devers to first freeing Casas but really believe Reynolds may HAVE to move to 1B so moved on. The other scary thought is what would Red Sox pay to be rid of Yoshida and just how bad is he in the OF (was he DH last year out of better fielders or because he was unplayable.). I only offer this up because he was still above a league average hitter which would put him well above current options. I am not in favor of this.. but if Red Sox are paying $600M for Soto what is a little more to open up a spot in the batting order and add DH flexibility. Plus.. I've had bad ideas before which offset my other brilliant ideas.
Yeah yoshida is probably very obtainable but his defense is a huge liability. Could we hide him in RF and let him hit? Maybe but LF in boston isnt exactly spacious and he struggled there for sure. Would much rather pay more for Casas to 1b and put reynolds in right
I guess I don't get how moving Reynolds to right helps longer term. His 'bad' defensive stats were half earned on the road so it appears to be beyond just the spacious leftfield of PNC. If a move to 1B is inevitable or he is a defensive nightmare in the OF then DH is all that is left if a Casas type is brought on board. Why not focus now on OF options and just get him to 1B?
Regarding Yoshida it doesn't feel like a good fit, but the idea of the Red Sox moving an OF/DH sure makes sense if they sign Soto. Would much prefer Abreu but if Yoshida is 'free or cheap' then can he fit? If his defense is unplayable and assuming a Cutch return then it really doesn't work.
My opinion: If Reynolds defensive stats are real(and I am more and more of that belief) then he needs to move to first base yesterday. IMO that eliminates signing or trading for any 'legit' longer term(even 2 years) first base option as Reynolds HAS to be under the current roster alignment a key part of the future. If his move opens up short term flexibility (a platoon partner(s) for 2025) then so be it. This does not mean they can't make a splash as suggested for what would be a gaping hole in the outfield.
To me (and I think what terrifies many) is what does this decision really mean and what is the next shoe to drop in fielding a better team in 2025. That is the key to all of this, not whether this move is doom and gloom or the greatest idea ever.
This must just piss off the Pittsburgh beat writers, Mackey, Hiles, etc. that Rosenthal gets the scoop on Reynolds. The Pirates front office remains the Pirates front office.
I like the idea of Reynolds at 1B, I have to think tho that the transition from OF to IF is much more difficult than IF to OF. Also, not fully committing to him at 1B means they will likely need another OF and another 1B unless they plan to complement with guys currently on the roster, and I don’t care for this plan if they want to be “competitive”.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do with a fresh start to a new season, and with a new batting coach (not so much because I think Hague will fix something but that working with a new coach contributes to the sense of a fresh start).
To me, the hitting coach narrative just keeps kicking the can down the road. Maybe Hague will be better, maybe he is more relatable and can aid in additional development at the MLB level, but how long do we give him with guys that regressed in 2024?
I agree--I think bigger changes were/are needed, and the changes in the FO last offseason and this will be more impactful than Hague replacing Haines.
But it remains to be seen if even those changes go far enough. Can the Cherington/Shelton regime win? I'm skeptical, but hopefully they'll either win in '25 or make it clear that they're not the right people to be in charge.
Yorke and cook could be the other side of the platoon while rotating in at an infield position too. There's probably a chance they cobble a league average corner outfielder there, but thats pretty much the upside imo
Specific player aside, I also think this is the general route they’ll go. Low risk acquisition to give a blocked hitter a chance while backstopping the position with Reynolds.
Yep, Seymour was a joke (now watch them take him).
I also think this is a route they should take, low risk blocked hitters. Four teams stand out to me they could target Orioles, Guardians, Mets, and Red Sox. They each have players blocked in positions of need and need starting pitching.
I just hope the Pirates are looking at the 4 to 5 year window that is open with their pitching. A 1 or 2 year player in trade would have to come cheap, otherwise they'd be limiting their resources come years 3 through 5. The 1 or 2 year players hopefully come in free agency (preferably longer on the right player). With 4 slots open on the 40 man, I hope they take a chance on a high upside pitcher or position player in the rule 5. Very little risk to try and catch lightning in a bottle, even if it is Bob Seymour lol.
There are some interesting bullpen arms available in the rule 5. Of course, rather than gamble on easily disposable pieces if the gamble doesn't pay off, Cherington will probably dilly around the whole offseason and then dumps half his budget on a bullpen arm in spring training again.
There's a few pitchers I like in the rule 5, a couple are starters that haven't had much time in double A or higher but throw strikes. If they took a flyer on one I wouldn't mind as long as they were coming out of the pen. If it doesn't work out, it's only a $50,000 gamble, no big deal in today's game.
Bob Seymour is more of a joke, but he does have 30+ homerun power lol.
Funny that the Pirates really show no interest in overall athleticism or body type. They love 5' 7" players, obese players.... anyone but someone who looks like a professional baseball player... lol.
The thing with all the pitching injuries is that there are a lot of guys on 60-day ILs on contracts rehabbing from TJS or something else. That leaves young, potential bullpen guys unprotected. It is a market inefficiency that a good GM would try to exploit.
6'3" 260+lbs hits lefty, hit 28 hr's, limited to 1st base or DH, strikes out around 30% of the time, over 25 years old, and would make the league minimum plus the $100,000 rule 5 draft cost. Hard to imagine but he checks off a lot on the Cherington skill set, an added bonus, he comes from the Rays.
Reynolds part-time at 1b is the worst scenario. Is he supposed to hit for both spots now? It suggests a refusal to fix either 1B or OF holes. "Let's fix from within" or else go dumpster diving again. What a crock!
He's my top lefty prep, probably top 6 on his upside. Haven't watched a lot of the prep players but really like Eli Willits if the pirates are outside the top 6 or 7 picks. A lot of time for my mind to change.
19 Degrees here in East Tennessee. Schoolcraft is 6'8" 230 and won't turn 18 until 3 months before the Draft! Just depends on how much push he gets from prospect pubs. He does not live around any population center, and to be ranked in the Top 10 nationally speaks volumes - probably a frequent flyer to big time tournaments on the West Coast.
I saw the size. Dude appears to be a Hoss. Write questioned his hitting. I never understand how they think they can project a chap in high school. Been looking for land up your way. SW VA as well.
We are in the midst of a housing shortage with new construction work at the DOE Reservation in Oak Ridge booming. More and more houses being built and prices climbing. Thankfully, we arrived from Pittsburgh in the late 80's and the housing market had tanked after a huge government project (Breeder Reactor) had been cancelled. SW Virginia is a beautiful rural area.
I hear you. Moved to Charleston SC before everyone normal got priced out. Own a farm outside of Columbia SC now. Was looking around galax VA. WNC (ridiculous) as well. Going to try to get more land and go off grid as much as I can
Think they talked about this dude on the pipeline podcast this week? Seems like an athlete but if its the same dude then they said LHSP with control and 3 pitches already. Fastball can run flat but he has a feel for spin and solid changeup with good action already
In Little League, the tall kid with the big glove is always the First Baseman and the chubby kid who does not move well is always the Catcher. It is not that bad - Bryan Reynolds knows where first base is at - he passes it often when hitting doubles or smashing HR's. But, he last played 1B as a 19 year old when he played 8 games in his first year at Vanderbilt. After that he had another game in the Cape Cod League, so it is probably close to 10 years since he put a first baseman's mitt on his left hand, and played on the dirt. I think it is a good move for extending his career, but only time will tell - it's a huge adjustment.
3 Years/$67 Mil for a 31 year old with decent career numbers. Which Luis Severino will the Athletics get? Last year for the Mets was VG, 31 Starts/182 IP, 11-7, 3.91 ERA. In 2023 for the Yankees it was a different story - 18 Starts/113 IP, 4-8, 6.65 ERA. Just goes to show that Pitching is still the Gold Standard. If only the Pirates had some young starting pitching with plenty of club control they could use in trade for young LH hitting position players who also have a lot of club control. Triston Casas 1B, Heston Kjerstad OF?
The Reynolds to 1B on a part-time basis says we shouldn’t expect Pirates to address 1B in either FA or trade. Which I think is a huge mistake!
I personally think Reynolds should be Pirates every day RF. 1B should be manned by a new middle of the order power bat. Anybody have the Polar Bear’s Agents phone number?
If Polar Bear says no, then trading with Red Sox for Tristan Casas sounds like a great Plan B.
Let’s make a splash BC! If it means trading Keller’s salary away to make room for a big hitter like Polar Bear or Santander, then do it! Keller’s production can be replaced internally.
My thoughts exactly, I do not like the term “part-time” wrt Reynolds playing 1B, just creates more holes that take up additional roster spaces. Be methodical, be aggressive, and be realistic. Two bonafide MLB bats would do wonders for this team. Sign Conforto for LF and trade for Bohm, Mountcastle, or Casas to man 1B on a full time basis. This would allow you to probably keep Cutch at DH, if the feeling is mutual, go hard after a bullpen arm or two, and keep a roster spot open to potentially carry an additional arm without severely taxing your position player group.
In general I don't fully disagree (my post above says sign an outfielder not Polar Bear but the splash idea fits). Btw.. if Reynolds is bad in left I would assume he would be bad in right, he only has PNC impact for half his fielding stats. Let's get the man to first base.
I will disagree on your Keller premise that it can be replaced internally. Maybe by 2026 but I don't see it in 2025 outside of maybe Bubba. Keller IMO now qualifies as a workhorse in current baseball usage. Crank him up for making all his starts, pitch 170 innings with good end of year results. The 'next up' for a rotation spot only has the Bubba dream IMO. Oviedo off of TJ - no way, Burrows and Ashcroft have never been remotely close to that many innings let alone any MLB experience, and Harrington to me just doesn't seem like he would be ready particularly at what is actually a pretty high level of performance by Keller. That leaves Bubba and even the best AAA players can struggle when facing MLB hitters.
I am not at all opposed to trading Keller with a corresponding good return, but I think it is a very bad assumption that his workload and performance would be replaced with any current player. The alternative is an external veteran signing or even more pressure on the bullpen.
I completely understand your sentiment about replacing Keller. Especially for 2025. I was thinking of Keller’s contribution over the life of his contract.
Although I personally have faith Chandler will be a stud in MLB, there’s very little chance he will be able to duplicate Keller’s production in ‘25. Especially the pre-AS game production.
Lastly, this is all a moot point because there’s a near zero percent chance Keller is getting dealt this winter.
There are a few reasonable trade options, Mountcastle, Josh Naylor, Nathaniel Lowe and Yandi Diaz, I believe that Reynolds would be a good 1b, but will like to see him give RF a good try before a full transition.
Like the Plan B with Casas straight up for Ortiz. Then Kjerstad from B'more for possibly Oviedo. That still leaves Burrows, Ashcraft, Falter who could be made available, while saving Chandler and Harrington.
I feel like a wet blanket again today. IMO no way Casas is coming to the Pirates straight up for Ortiz. Wear a Red Sox hat and think about that. I think that would require at least a Burrows or an Ashcroft on top of Ortiz. Red Sox are saying they want a top of the rotation or near pitcher as their need. Ortiz does not fit that bill (we can dream some day). And wet blanket #2 - we want a legit OF prospect for a #4 pitcher at best coming off of TJ? More coffee please.
I’m normally wrong, actually almost always wrong, but Kjerstad, to me is more likely to be the next Suwinski without the glove and his current trade value is one I would not want to take a chance on.
I always tend to look at the college/conference for a kid drafted out of college. Kjerstad played very well for Arkansas in the SEC, probably the best conference in college baseball for at least the last 8 to 10 years. His Freshman and Soph year he was .975 and .972 OPS, Junior year 2020 lost to Covid. 0.4 bWAR/0.3 fWAR in 2024 in 114 PA. Less than a year of MLB Service, 2 Options
If we could get Kjerstad for Oviedo- then I am all for it. We don’t know how Oviedo will do this year either. How about Jack getting back on track and being a starting outfielder for us this year. That would go along ways.
Agree 100% - hard to figure a complete dump like Jack experienced in 2024. It's hard waiting to see if he can rebound and give us another few years like he had in 2023 - 21 doubles, 26 HR, 74 RBI. If we can get Kjerstad or similar for what we have in excess pitching, it will be a big step forward.
Hoping that the option of moving Reynolds to 1B just means they have the flexibility of acquiring that middle-of-the-order bat to play either 1B or OF, which opens up more options like, as you suggest, Santander or, say, O'Neil, Conforto, Kepler or any number of trade targets.
In any case, they need to add at least one big bat.
Santander. In addition to the huge power bat that fits PNC well, he shows up every day. An average of 150+ games the past 3 years, and DH's only about 25-30 games/year. Wonder what influence a guy like that would have on Oneil Cruz?
Would love Santander but based on how they’ve operated over the last zillion years I just don’t see it happening. It’s sad really. The A’s can sign Severino but we can’t stretch for what would be a similar contract. Swapping Santander’s 3 WAR for the production on right field last year would be a massive win.
Alonso or Santander would fit so well in the middle of this lineup. And I would go so far as to say, BN would get a return on his investment in the form of new season ticket sales, individual game tickets, concessions, merchandise, etc.
Unfortunately, Scrooge Nutting will give us coal for Christmas again in all likelihood.
O way the Bucs are players with those 2 guys. I wish!! Can’t see it. Maybe if the trade Mitch for a minimum salary player. That way they could have some extra spending
Off topic, but I saw Skenes has been elected to the 8-man union committee that actually gets 8 votes in addition to the 32 team votes in certain labor matters. It's a 2-year term. This could be harmless, Skenes seems to be a very smart thinker, but.........I would much rather him not be filling his head with the business side of baseball, and stick to what he does as well as anybody in the game.....compete and pitch baseball games. So yeah, not a fan of him being on this committee.
Here is an idea. How about see where the market is for each free agent. Talk to the other GMs about trades. See what the best bargains are. Pick up the best available option for the price in both the trade market and free agency at either 1B or OF. Then plug Reynolds into whatever position you did not fill: LF, RF, 1B. Or does that all just make too much sense?
But trading in particular is tough. We throw up trade proposals here all day long, and many of them are fair in a vacuum, but it takes two to tango. Just because we want Heston Kjerstad, Nathaniel Lowe, Yandy Diaz, etc doesn’t mean the other team wants to trade the player and/or likes a thing we have to offer.
Ditto for free agency. The market is so tight, and everyone has an idea of how everyone is valued. Also doesn’t mean free agents want to come here.
I’ve been critical of the guy plenty, but I have zero doubt he’s busting his ass trying to make something happen. Can he make something happen? That’s to be seen.
Just me, but I'm guessing Cherington is doing the things you typed.
Yes.. to assume other wise is silly. Basically the suggestion is that as GM Ben beats all the other teams at finding the best deals and available players since they also are not doing any of the above. Not a Ben supporter but this assumes all others are asleep at the wheel.
I'm not a Ben fan either.
"Look at me and how smart I am and how dumb the GM is"
Comes across as highly insecure.
To be fair, FA never happens for us. I feel like he is just stating the obvious, which GM’s love to do, a big nothing-burger.
Maybe the recent turnovers in baseball operations will lead to different results. I get it, I’m probably being too hopeful.
best shot is trading for a guy that had one year left on his contract
here is the list of 2025/2026 free agent list
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/11/2025-26-mlb-free-agents.html
How about if the Met’s land Soto and still need pitching?
Baty (1B and insurance for Key’s back at 3B) and Starling for a SP? Mets include some cash for taking in Marte’s contact.
id be very happy if we reaquired Marte
Instead of Cutch? He’s pretty much a DH only nowadays. He’d be a bigger liability in LF than Reynolds by a mile.
who cares
hitting the ball is all we should be worried about now
cubs trying to trade an outfielder so they have money to acquire a starting pitcher
Ortiz is a better pitcher than Keller
keller has received more innings because of favoritism by our chubby manager
let me remind you of kellers first few years in the league
keller is the most expensive and not in the top four starters in our organization
When the sox sign soto, wilyer abreu becomes available to play RF in exchange for one of our young starters?
I was playing with Red Sox trades thinking the same. I initially played with Devers to first freeing Casas but really believe Reynolds may HAVE to move to 1B so moved on. The other scary thought is what would Red Sox pay to be rid of Yoshida and just how bad is he in the OF (was he DH last year out of better fielders or because he was unplayable.). I only offer this up because he was still above a league average hitter which would put him well above current options. I am not in favor of this.. but if Red Sox are paying $600M for Soto what is a little more to open up a spot in the batting order and add DH flexibility. Plus.. I've had bad ideas before which offset my other brilliant ideas.
Yeah yoshida is probably very obtainable but his defense is a huge liability. Could we hide him in RF and let him hit? Maybe but LF in boston isnt exactly spacious and he struggled there for sure. Would much rather pay more for Casas to 1b and put reynolds in right
I guess I don't get how moving Reynolds to right helps longer term. His 'bad' defensive stats were half earned on the road so it appears to be beyond just the spacious leftfield of PNC. If a move to 1B is inevitable or he is a defensive nightmare in the OF then DH is all that is left if a Casas type is brought on board. Why not focus now on OF options and just get him to 1B?
Regarding Yoshida it doesn't feel like a good fit, but the idea of the Red Sox moving an OF/DH sure makes sense if they sign Soto. Would much prefer Abreu but if Yoshida is 'free or cheap' then can he fit? If his defense is unplayable and assuming a Cutch return then it really doesn't work.
My opinion: If Reynolds defensive stats are real(and I am more and more of that belief) then he needs to move to first base yesterday. IMO that eliminates signing or trading for any 'legit' longer term(even 2 years) first base option as Reynolds HAS to be under the current roster alignment a key part of the future. If his move opens up short term flexibility (a platoon partner(s) for 2025) then so be it. This does not mean they can't make a splash as suggested for what would be a gaping hole in the outfield.
To me (and I think what terrifies many) is what does this decision really mean and what is the next shoe to drop in fielding a better team in 2025. That is the key to all of this, not whether this move is doom and gloom or the greatest idea ever.
I come here to read the great articles, laugh at the comments and to thank the Good Lord that no one on here is a MLB GM.
I’m currently toiling away at NTB, hoping my moment comes via phone call, just like Lou Brown.
Clearly you haven't talked to big lou in the strip because he's an undiscovered talent that any team would be lucky to have as a GM
What would it take to get Ryan O’Hearn from the Os? 1 year, $7.5 million left.
Reynolds / O’Hearn / Billy Cook could be a good combo for 1B, RF & 4th OF.
This must just piss off the Pittsburgh beat writers, Mackey, Hiles, etc. that Rosenthal gets the scoop on Reynolds. The Pirates front office remains the Pirates front office.
Bryan Reynolds is the best bat reasonably available to man 1B and it’s not particularly close.
No brainer, no go find an outfielder.
I like the idea of Reynolds at 1B, I have to think tho that the transition from OF to IF is much more difficult than IF to OF. Also, not fully committing to him at 1B means they will likely need another OF and another 1B unless they plan to complement with guys currently on the roster, and I don’t care for this plan if they want to be “competitive”.
Do you think theyll get two OFs or get one and try to fill one within?
One. They’re going to give Suwinski another chance to be the big side platoon he was the previous two seasons, and they should.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do with a fresh start to a new season, and with a new batting coach (not so much because I think Hague will fix something but that working with a new coach contributes to the sense of a fresh start).
To me, the hitting coach narrative just keeps kicking the can down the road. Maybe Hague will be better, maybe he is more relatable and can aid in additional development at the MLB level, but how long do we give him with guys that regressed in 2024?
I agree--I think bigger changes were/are needed, and the changes in the FO last offseason and this will be more impactful than Hague replacing Haines.
But it remains to be seen if even those changes go far enough. Can the Cherington/Shelton regime win? I'm skeptical, but hopefully they'll either win in '25 or make it clear that they're not the right people to be in charge.
Agreed. They’ll get one and then try to Frankenstein piece together another with one of the many options they already have.
Suwinski
Palacios
Bae
Yorke
Cook
I’m on my phone so there’s probably more I’m missing
Yorke and cook could be the other side of the platoon while rotating in at an infield position too. There's probably a chance they cobble a league average corner outfielder there, but thats pretty much the upside imo
I thought Cook could do the job of 2 OFs (humor 100% intended). As FanClub President you are selling your man short.
Cruz in right center and cook in left center confirmed. Honestly might be better than having BDLC in right
Sadly you are correct. So which outfield catches more flyballs - Cruz and Cook or Reynolds - BDLC - Jack. Jack is the wild card.
So we play one less player and cruz gets more ABs by only having 8 players? Im in
Commissioner Manfred approves of this suggestion.
They're going to get Big Bob Seymour in the rule 5, he fits their body type, skill set and most importantly price.
Specific player aside, I also think this is the general route they’ll go. Low risk acquisition to give a blocked hitter a chance while backstopping the position with Reynolds.
Yep, Seymour was a joke (now watch them take him).
I also think this is a route they should take, low risk blocked hitters. Four teams stand out to me they could target Orioles, Guardians, Mets, and Red Sox. They each have players blocked in positions of need and need starting pitching.
I just hope the Pirates are looking at the 4 to 5 year window that is open with their pitching. A 1 or 2 year player in trade would have to come cheap, otherwise they'd be limiting their resources come years 3 through 5. The 1 or 2 year players hopefully come in free agency (preferably longer on the right player). With 4 slots open on the 40 man, I hope they take a chance on a high upside pitcher or position player in the rule 5. Very little risk to try and catch lightning in a bottle, even if it is Bob Seymour lol.
There are some interesting bullpen arms available in the rule 5. Of course, rather than gamble on easily disposable pieces if the gamble doesn't pay off, Cherington will probably dilly around the whole offseason and then dumps half his budget on a bullpen arm in spring training again.
There's a few pitchers I like in the rule 5, a couple are starters that haven't had much time in double A or higher but throw strikes. If they took a flyer on one I wouldn't mind as long as they were coming out of the pen. If it doesn't work out, it's only a $50,000 gamble, no big deal in today's game.
Bob Seymour is more of a joke, but he does have 30+ homerun power lol.
Funny that the Pirates really show no interest in overall athleticism or body type. They love 5' 7" players, obese players.... anyone but someone who looks like a professional baseball player... lol.
The thing with all the pitching injuries is that there are a lot of guys on 60-day ILs on contracts rehabbing from TJS or something else. That leaves young, potential bullpen guys unprotected. It is a market inefficiency that a good GM would try to exploit.
There are always a few diamonds in the rough… see Donavan Solano lol.
wait...wait...wait....
John Kruk... one of my favorite ever non-Pirates... did not "look like a professional baseball player."
Totally agree
A hitter who fits the Cherington skill set is pretty scary.
6'3" 260+lbs hits lefty, hit 28 hr's, limited to 1st base or DH, strikes out around 30% of the time, over 25 years old, and would make the league minimum plus the $100,000 rule 5 draft cost. Hard to imagine but he checks off a lot on the Cherington skill set, an added bonus, he comes from the Rays.
The fact that the Rays don’t see it fit to protect him would concern me.
He doesn't fit their profile lol.
It was a joke, he resembles Volgy and Tellez.
See... Melkel....
The joke loses its punch if ya has to 'splain it.
-Wabbit
Are you sure you’re joking? Lol
Austin Hays is my hunch. Perfect fit.
And within budget, espec if they are not
not signing a real first baseman.
Reynolds part-time at 1b is the worst scenario. Is he supposed to hit for both spots now? It suggests a refusal to fix either 1B or OF holes. "Let's fix from within" or else go dumpster diving again. What a crock!
Mel in TN
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2025/draft/
Schoolcraft.
Mel from wherever. Not sure what you think of him.
Witches tittie down here in my part of Dixie. Time to go break ice off the ducks and chickens waterers.
Fare thee well all.
He's my top lefty prep, probably top 6 on his upside. Haven't watched a lot of the prep players but really like Eli Willits if the pirates are outside the top 6 or 7 picks. A lot of time for my mind to change.
19 Degrees here in East Tennessee. Schoolcraft is 6'8" 230 and won't turn 18 until 3 months before the Draft! Just depends on how much push he gets from prospect pubs. He does not live around any population center, and to be ranked in the Top 10 nationally speaks volumes - probably a frequent flyer to big time tournaments on the West Coast.
I saw the size. Dude appears to be a Hoss. Write questioned his hitting. I never understand how they think they can project a chap in high school. Been looking for land up your way. SW VA as well.
We are in the midst of a housing shortage with new construction work at the DOE Reservation in Oak Ridge booming. More and more houses being built and prices climbing. Thankfully, we arrived from Pittsburgh in the late 80's and the housing market had tanked after a huge government project (Breeder Reactor) had been cancelled. SW Virginia is a beautiful rural area.
I hear you. Moved to Charleston SC before everyone normal got priced out. Own a farm outside of Columbia SC now. Was looking around galax VA. WNC (ridiculous) as well. Going to try to get more land and go off grid as much as I can
He's interesting, a guy they could start off as a two way.
Think they talked about this dude on the pipeline podcast this week? Seems like an athlete but if its the same dude then they said LHSP with control and 3 pitches already. Fastball can run flat but he has a feel for spin and solid changeup with good action already
So his fastball is like my 7th grade girlfriend?
In Little League, the tall kid with the big glove is always the First Baseman and the chubby kid who does not move well is always the Catcher. It is not that bad - Bryan Reynolds knows where first base is at - he passes it often when hitting doubles or smashing HR's. But, he last played 1B as a 19 year old when he played 8 games in his first year at Vanderbilt. After that he had another game in the Cape Cod League, so it is probably close to 10 years since he put a first baseman's mitt on his left hand, and played on the dirt. I think it is a good move for extending his career, but only time will tell - it's a huge adjustment.
3 Years/$67 Mil for a 31 year old with decent career numbers. Which Luis Severino will the Athletics get? Last year for the Mets was VG, 31 Starts/182 IP, 11-7, 3.91 ERA. In 2023 for the Yankees it was a different story - 18 Starts/113 IP, 4-8, 6.65 ERA. Just goes to show that Pitching is still the Gold Standard. If only the Pirates had some young starting pitching with plenty of club control they could use in trade for young LH hitting position players who also have a lot of club control. Triston Casas 1B, Heston Kjerstad OF?
The Reynolds to 1B on a part-time basis says we shouldn’t expect Pirates to address 1B in either FA or trade. Which I think is a huge mistake!
I personally think Reynolds should be Pirates every day RF. 1B should be manned by a new middle of the order power bat. Anybody have the Polar Bear’s Agents phone number?
If Polar Bear says no, then trading with Red Sox for Tristan Casas sounds like a great Plan B.
Let’s make a splash BC! If it means trading Keller’s salary away to make room for a big hitter like Polar Bear or Santander, then do it! Keller’s production can be replaced internally.
Fortune favors the bold!
My thoughts exactly, I do not like the term “part-time” wrt Reynolds playing 1B, just creates more holes that take up additional roster spaces. Be methodical, be aggressive, and be realistic. Two bonafide MLB bats would do wonders for this team. Sign Conforto for LF and trade for Bohm, Mountcastle, or Casas to man 1B on a full time basis. This would allow you to probably keep Cutch at DH, if the feeling is mutual, go hard after a bullpen arm or two, and keep a roster spot open to potentially carry an additional arm without severely taxing your position player group.
In general I don't fully disagree (my post above says sign an outfielder not Polar Bear but the splash idea fits). Btw.. if Reynolds is bad in left I would assume he would be bad in right, he only has PNC impact for half his fielding stats. Let's get the man to first base.
I will disagree on your Keller premise that it can be replaced internally. Maybe by 2026 but I don't see it in 2025 outside of maybe Bubba. Keller IMO now qualifies as a workhorse in current baseball usage. Crank him up for making all his starts, pitch 170 innings with good end of year results. The 'next up' for a rotation spot only has the Bubba dream IMO. Oviedo off of TJ - no way, Burrows and Ashcroft have never been remotely close to that many innings let alone any MLB experience, and Harrington to me just doesn't seem like he would be ready particularly at what is actually a pretty high level of performance by Keller. That leaves Bubba and even the best AAA players can struggle when facing MLB hitters.
I am not at all opposed to trading Keller with a corresponding good return, but I think it is a very bad assumption that his workload and performance would be replaced with any current player. The alternative is an external veteran signing or even more pressure on the bullpen.
I completely understand your sentiment about replacing Keller. Especially for 2025. I was thinking of Keller’s contribution over the life of his contract.
Although I personally have faith Chandler will be a stud in MLB, there’s very little chance he will be able to duplicate Keller’s production in ‘25. Especially the pre-AS game production.
Lastly, this is all a moot point because there’s a near zero percent chance Keller is getting dealt this winter.
There are a few reasonable trade options, Mountcastle, Josh Naylor, Nathaniel Lowe and Yandi Diaz, I believe that Reynolds would be a good 1b, but will like to see him give RF a good try before a full transition.
Someone like Nate Lowe only has 2 years of control IIRC, put brey in RF for those two seasons then he will probably be primed to play 1b after that
Like the Plan B with Casas straight up for Ortiz. Then Kjerstad from B'more for possibly Oviedo. That still leaves Burrows, Ashcraft, Falter who could be made available, while saving Chandler and Harrington.
I feel like a wet blanket again today. IMO no way Casas is coming to the Pirates straight up for Ortiz. Wear a Red Sox hat and think about that. I think that would require at least a Burrows or an Ashcroft on top of Ortiz. Red Sox are saying they want a top of the rotation or near pitcher as their need. Ortiz does not fit that bill (we can dream some day). And wet blanket #2 - we want a legit OF prospect for a #4 pitcher at best coming off of TJ? More coffee please.
Those are exactly the kind of deals that are worth giving up young pitching for in my opinion! Even if we need to add for heston, well worth it
I’m normally wrong, actually almost always wrong, but Kjerstad, to me is more likely to be the next Suwinski without the glove and his current trade value is one I would not want to take a chance on.
I always tend to look at the college/conference for a kid drafted out of college. Kjerstad played very well for Arkansas in the SEC, probably the best conference in college baseball for at least the last 8 to 10 years. His Freshman and Soph year he was .975 and .972 OPS, Junior year 2020 lost to Covid. 0.4 bWAR/0.3 fWAR in 2024 in 114 PA. Less than a year of MLB Service, 2 Options
If we could get Kjerstad for Oviedo- then I am all for it. We don’t know how Oviedo will do this year either. How about Jack getting back on track and being a starting outfielder for us this year. That would go along ways.
Agree 100% - hard to figure a complete dump like Jack experienced in 2024. It's hard waiting to see if he can rebound and give us another few years like he had in 2023 - 21 doubles, 26 HR, 74 RBI. If we can get Kjerstad or similar for what we have in excess pitching, it will be a big step forward.
You’re going to add another good prospect / player for the Bucs to get those 2 players. But that would be a good get for the Pirates off season.
Hoping that the option of moving Reynolds to 1B just means they have the flexibility of acquiring that middle-of-the-order bat to play either 1B or OF, which opens up more options like, as you suggest, Santander or, say, O'Neil, Conforto, Kepler or any number of trade targets.
In any case, they need to add at least one big bat.
Santander. In addition to the huge power bat that fits PNC well, he shows up every day. An average of 150+ games the past 3 years, and DH's only about 25-30 games/year. Wonder what influence a guy like that would have on Oneil Cruz?
Would love Santander but based on how they’ve operated over the last zillion years I just don’t see it happening. It’s sad really. The A’s can sign Severino but we can’t stretch for what would be a similar contract. Swapping Santander’s 3 WAR for the production on right field last year would be a massive win.
Alonso or Santander would fit so well in the middle of this lineup. And I would go so far as to say, BN would get a return on his investment in the form of new season ticket sales, individual game tickets, concessions, merchandise, etc.
Unfortunately, Scrooge Nutting will give us coal for Christmas again in all likelihood.
O way the Bucs are players with those 2 guys. I wish!! Can’t see it. Maybe if the trade Mitch for a minimum salary player. That way they could have some extra spending