43 Comments

So Selby was the obvious choice for the DFA imo but now that he's off the roster, does the clock start ticking for Falter and Contreras? That would make sense given that the next players who will need 40-man spot are likely to be pitchers (Skenes, German, Lauer, Honeywell, ...). After those two, though, then it might start getting tough (and even Ro will be a tough decision).

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I'm guessing Ro has quite a bit of rope. He looked good in the first inning he pitched, not so much the second inning. Maybe make him strictly a one inning FB, slider animal.

I'm guessing guys like Falter, Nicolas and Bae are getting nervous.

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They also have 3 lefty corner outfielders in AAA of seemingly 4th or 5th outfielder potential as a max. Not sure taking Palacios off the 40 man creates much of a depth issue if he were to get claimed.

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Bae feels like he is destined for Oakland.

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I just don't see a path for him in PGH

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Definitely could lose all three with no real consequence. Still have fat to trim for sure

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MLB.com has an article up predicting when the top prospects are coming up. J. Mayo said May 3 for Skenes while J. Callis originally predicted May 22 but now feels closer to Mayo's date especially if the Pirates feel they are serious contenders. The Pirates have a nine game homestand starting May 3.

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I mean the Rockies aren't a terrible team to cut your teeth on for Skenes. Way better of an intro than the Giants or Braves (when Callis was saying).

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Saw that. I can’t imagine this franchise bringing him up before Super 2. Assuming he performs as expected, that’ll cost them millions and millions of extra dollars for an add’l 1-2 months of 2024 pitching. No way. See you in mid June, Paul.

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Jared Jones

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Jared Jones isn't Paul Skenes.

But that being said, I also thought there was no way Skenes was up before mid June either, but now I won't be surprised if its early to mid May. As soon as he's pitched 5 innings a few times and gets to the extra year of control.

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I think it's all overblown...

Walker, Reynolds were S2 guys

I could be wrong, but I thought Glasnow made OD roster as a rookie.

When Skenes is ready, I fully expect him to be in Pittsburgh, regardless of the date on the Callendar.

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Neither Walker or Reynolds were as highly regarded as prospects as Skenes is.

Cutch, Marte, Polanco & Cole were all kept down until mid June.

I don't think it will be mid June for Skenes, like I expected, but I don't think there's any way they give up that extra year of control. Unless he forces their hand by finishing top 2 in ROY voting.

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You get the extra YOC after like 2 weeks. Super 2 just means your arb starts a year earlier.

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Cole was June 11, in the midst of a 20-year losing streak and Huntington kept him down and they went on to make WC that 2013 year. BC really should wait for Super 2 date imo.

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Apr 3Liked by Anthony Murphy

I actually listened to a podcast. Nice job on the show!

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Apr 3Liked by NolaJeffy(BnP)

1 whiff throwing all that heat for Selby isn't great? Great job on the NS9 show though I disagree with you on Priester. I think Priesters issues are a him thing not a who he's facing thing. He needs a better FB or substitute pitch and he needs to show consistency especially with his control. Things he needs to work on in Indy because the majors will just hammer him while he tries to "learn" up there. IMO

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Like you said, my guess with Priester is the consistency of his stuff. I have seen him pitch more than one game where his stuff is so filthy, players just look silly. Then he might follow that up with a game where his pitches aren't working. That's where he could use a fast ball because he either just starts walking people or gets hammered.

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If I'm not mistaken, last year Priester was 92-93 with his FB and so far this year has been at 95-96. If that's accurate, I'm much more optimistic about his future. As you suggest, he needs that velocity to keep hitters from sitting on his breaking stuff and being able to adjust to the FB.

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There were times he would ramp up to 95-96, but it still got hammered and looked flatter than his low 90's.

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I think the difference of sitting 92/93 with ramp up to 95 and sitting 95 is a huge difference there though. Would be great if he sat 95/96 consistently.

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Wouldn't it be nice if we just started having our pitchers with multiple pitches just learn to throw harder while keeping their crafty stuff?

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The ups and downs of hot prospects is so interesting. I see the Dodgers just picked up Taylor Trammell on waivers from Seattle. Correct me if I'm wrong, I seem to remember him as MVP of the Futures Game a few years ago when he was in the Reds' system and he looked like a future star. On a related note, I see where the Dodgers released Travis Swaggerty last weekend. I really wish him and his family well after all they have gone through.

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Trammell will probably platoon his way to a 2 WAR season somehow with the dodgers.

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Swag got drilled in the head during ST. Took awhile for him to get up.

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Am I right that he struggled with vertigo before getting hit?

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Correct.

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I know the depth is much better now, but with trading Brubaker and now Wolf, the Pirates really think they are set with SP depth. With what happened last year, is this wise?

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Good question. Brubaker could have helped us down the stretch. I'm guessing the Pirates figured Wolf was still a year away at best. I haven't heard any updates on Burrows, but I would think he might be able to help for a stretch run. I think they are counting on German to be helpful while Lauer might be a longshot. If the Pirates are in the race, I could see Solometo possibly getting a call-up. If not, they will try to find another Andre Jackson type.

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Win your first five games and start thinking about buying at the deadline!

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I bet Ali sanchez is sorry he didn’t accept the minor league assignment now….

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As little as he was used in spring training, it didn't seem like the Pirates were ever too serious about him being a PIrate. He only played 8 games, even with Grandal hurt. Koch and Abrahan played more.

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I wonder if the pirates tried to re-sign him since he's now a free agent. Wouldn't be surprised if he turned them down after they selected Delay over him when they broke camp.

FWIW -- haven't heard of any team signing Sanchez, despite some of the needs at catcher around the league.

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I’d have to believe they tried after cutdowns. But he didn’t want to be 3rd and 4th really with Grandal. But when Delay got hurt they found someone they liked better.

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Happy M(No L)K day, Bucs fans.

My lame way of reminding everyone that Mitch Keller is on the bump, and the Pirates are undefeated.

I’ll be exiting stage left now.

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With a former #1 and #2 overall picks as the Catcher tandem, the Pirates certainly have the best pedigree of any team in MLB. Hopefully their performance will follow suit.

Has it been announced what caused Delay to go to the IL?

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At this point I think draft position is almost irrelevant. What is his current skill set and what does he offer? There is a reason even teams in need of catching (Marlins) didn't offer much (did they even try) in a trade in the off season. Doesn't mean he can't make improvements and maybe even excel like any other player, but at some point his development / performance means much more than a draft evaluation several years ago. I assume the next decision point is if / when Grandal is healthy. Surely they wouldn't carry 3 catchers on the Major league roster which would mean a DFA for Grandal or Bart and the only way I see it not being Bart is if he starts to look like a starting catcher option in his back up catcher playing time. Personally that would be awesome for the Pirates.

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Roster discomfort

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And it feels so good!

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Finally a day where baseball is back! Think i went through some withdrawal symptoms yesterday

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Excellent Clip and congrats on the success of BoD - 43 comments last night associated with Joey Bart has to be some kind of record.

Another Utility IF?

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