29 Comments

Luis Ortiz should be a permanent fixture in the rotation.

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At the very least he's earned a couple more starts with the permanent role as the prize.

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Pirates as one of three teams who could try and swing a deal for Jazz here: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/07/jazz-chisholm-trade-rumors-marlins-mariners-royals-pirates.html

I ran a BTV and something like Bubba, Nick and Jack could do it but I don't know if either team would love that deal. I don't really think Jazz is a CF at PNC either. Edit to say Jazz can't hit LHP either. No thank you.

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I actually like Jesus Sanchez better than Jazz as a platoon outfield lefty. Wouldn't cost as much, 3+ years of control remaining. I think Peguero and a lower level prospect could get it done.

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That makes sense but it feels like we have too many platoon guys already. Our 3B should be a shortside platoon guy and defensive sub. Our SS should be a platoon guy. Have a 1B platoon going. RF platoon. CF platoon. I guess Sanchez would just be making the RF platoon a bit better.

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Yeah it's not ideal, but Sanchez is only 26 and has had some success against right hand pitchers and has played all 3 outfield positions. He has more upside than Palacios and is more consistent than Suwinski. Cherington really messed up the off-season.

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A move like that would be OK by me, but I really think they should just sit on their hands this July. I wouldn't even trade Perez or sell anything, since there is an outside chance that they could mount a late-season charge for a Wild-Card spot and whatever rubbish Cherington acquires for spare parts like Perez is not worth giving up all hope for that late-season charge.

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I don't trust Cherington trades except the rentals for lottery tickets. Depending on where the team is near the deadline I'd agree with you. If they're 7+ games out I'd trade Perez or any of the rentals for lottery tickets or a bounce back, blocked, change of scenery type. An example Marco for Kirilloff if the Twins came a callin'.

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I bet Cherington tries to swing a minor trade for JP Martinez hoping for his Justin Turner.

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Jul 8·edited Jul 8

That would be a Cherington move. I actually wouldn't hate it, he has options and there's a few guy's that could come off the 40 man.

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Ken Rosenthal thinks the Rangers could sell. Lowe and Adolis Garcia?

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For those that said they are planning on going to the Brewers game Thursday. If this means anything at all or it is just a crap shoot, MLB site finally put probable pitchers for the series, Tuesday-TBD, Wednesday-Martin Perez, Thursday-Skenes.

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Somebody send this article to Jack Suwinski, please: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/brent-rooker-is-who-we-thought-he-was/

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Fangraphs just likes him because he validates their thesis of swinging for the fences in every AB. Whatever the case, I like him too. The only problem is that he is going to be very pricey, and there is no rush to trade him. Next year is his first arb. year. Oakland can afford to wait for the best offer. It will take a real prospect package to acquire him. The other problem is that he really needs to move back to 1B, and he hasn't played their since the minors.

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Evaluating an idea as correct by measuring outcomes and validating a hypothesis is precisely how the scientific method works, correct.

You turn this banal thing into a conspiracy like you're 'bout to storm FanGraphs headquarters with the Q shaman, lol.

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Hey... that Q shaman guy was hilarious. He's my hero. Of course, I could care less about U.S. politics. The only political thing that matters to me is when our mayor is going to have our street paved.

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Maybe is time to give Bae another chance. Not his biggest fan, it’s time to try everything to find a spark before the deadline.

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Bae is hitting over .400 in his last 11 games and .372 on the year. Only 9 for 12 in stolen base attempts in 41 games.

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There's a lot going on right now, and the Pirates are only 3.5 games out of the Wild Card. Considering the lingering injuries at present to Borucki and Bednar, the BP has been less than adequate. That should end immediately after the AS Break. For SP's, Falter and Jones are on the IL, but Luis Ortiz has picked up the slack of both so far. This week should be a real juggling act and it would be nice to see the Pirate bats provide 5 or 6 runs a game.

The Draft this year is a secondary concern simply because the Pirates are very strong with pitching and with young position prospects moving through the system. What will be even more important is the trade deadline. In the top 2 levels of the minors I only see one MI we need to keep and that is SS Liover Peguero, who is still only in his age 23 season. The rest could all go in trade to find us a CF. The way our team is constructed, a AAA prospect who can hit is the best fit - similar to what the Red Sox did with promoting Ceddanne Rafaela.

In the MI, Termarr Johnson, 20, needs to be in AA, and I really do not see much holding him back - Cheng, Pichardo, and Glenn? We have at least 2 potential superstars in the FCL, Jhonny Severino and Yordany De Los Santos. Both play SS and 3B - YDLS better at SS, Severino better at 3B, and I think either could play at 2B also. Both are legit 19 year olds and have mid .900 OPS numbers, so they hit for both average and power. Severino has been the leadoff hitter and YDLS the #3 hitter. Severino is 6'2" 185, YDLS is 6'2" 170. There are quite a few more excellent players in the FCL and at A, but these 2 seem to be the best of the 2 levels. As soon as we decide to bump some guys from AAA so we can move people up or out from AA, then the A+ players can be promoted, and so on right down the line.

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Termarr is approaching 500 PAs in A+. That's just wild. Neil Walker saw 72 there.

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B-R shows Walker having 45 plate appearances at high A in 2005 and 294 in 2006.

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Whoops, looked too fast. Fangraphs shows nothing for 2005 and I transposed the 72 games as PAs accidentally. 294 is still a heck of a lot fewer than 500 for an "advanced bat" like we were told Termarr was.

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It is a good deal less than 500. But given the amount of plate appearances NW had in the upper minors (522 in AA and nearly 1,200 at AAA), one could easily make the case Walker was pushed a bit too quickly.

It’s not a race to the majors. Look at how quick moving college bats like Davis and Torkelson are struggling at the MLB level. If TJ takes longer to marinate and develop in the minors, I’m fine with that, especially if it ends up making for a slightly easier transition each step he advances.

As for him being an advanced prep bat? Seems to me that’s more of a case of prospect writers getting carried away and hanging absurd comps on the kid.

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I’m not pounding the table for him to be in MLB. Just think he clearly needs to get some PAs against AA pitchers and see what he can do with more strikes.

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Good stuff. Our loss last night dropped us to 4.5 games out and within 1 game of the Cubs who have the third worst record in the NL.

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Congrats to Reynolds. He has really surprised me with how well he has hit the last 5 weeks. I didn’t think he had this kind of production in him anymore. I had concluded that ‘21 was an outlier for him. If he can hit reasonably well the rest of the way, he could equal or surpass a number of his career highs.

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We need to get over the hump.

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Truth.

Need one consistent bat.

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