Morning Rundown: Pittsburgh Pirates non-tender deadline preview

Pirates have five arbitration eligible players this offseason.

Nov 17, 2023

Another offseason milestone takes place today as it is the deadline for teams to tender contracts to players for the 2024 season.

As Ethan Hullihen put it in his offseason calendar article, every player gets tendered a contract, but generally, the focus is on the arbitration-eligible players.

Bucs On Deck

Laying Out the MLB Offseason Calendar

There are still a few rounds of playoffs left to go and a World Series champion to be crowned, but for me, the offseason is already well under way and always on my mind. That’s the reality for those of us that follow the Pittsburgh Pirates, so it’s always important to have an idea of what’s to come and when, as baseball’s offseason starts off hot and hea…

2 years ago · 7 likes · 26 comments · Ethan Hullihen

The Pirates currently have 39 players on their 40-man roster, so this would be a perfect opportunity to non-tender a few names off the roster, creating space to add a few free agents.

It will likely have to come from the pre-arbitration side, as those eligible for arbitration all look like they could play a part in the 2024 Pirates.

Mitch Keller

The Pirates had two actual starting pitchers by the end of last season, and the other one may need Tommy John surgery, so even if Keller weren’t an All-Star, this would be obvious.

David Bednar

The only thing more sure than the Pirates tendering Bednar, who led the NL in saves in 2023, a contract is that we will see some rumors about him being included in a trade this offseason.

Connor Joe

Whatever their offseason plans are for the position, Joe will likely factor into the first base position somehow. He turned into a sneaky solid acquisition for the Pirates, finishing with a 107 wRC+ and a WAR of 1.9.

Ryan Borucki

Originally signed as a minor league free agent in the middle of the season, Borucki turned in a solid stretch for the Pirates, mainly thanks to his 2.6% walk rate in 40.1 innings pitched. Seeing as they weren’t going to have Angel Perdomo regardless next year and didn’t pick up Jarlin Garcia’s option, the Pirates currently have two lefty relievers on their 40-man, depending on Bailey Falter's role - Borucki and Jose Hernandez.

JT Brubaker

Brubaker was having a fantastic spring, and it looked like 2023 could have been a breakout of sorts, but he fell victim to Tommy John and missed the entire season. The injury occurred during spring, which could put his return to the mound closer to the beginning of the season, but we won’t know until we get into camp.

Non-tender candidates

We generally see non-tenders coming from arbitration-eligible players, but realistically, it can come from anyone not guaranteed.

If the Pirates tender all the arbitration guys, they will still need to make room on the 40-man for any potential free-agent signings.

Now seems to be the best time to do that; here are some players that could fall victim to the roster crunch game.

Alika Williams

There is a lot to like about his glove, but it’s a crowded picture in the middle infield, and with Oneil Cruz returning in 2024, Williams has less of a case to keep around.

Thomas Hatch

He wasn’t horrible with the Pirates, but there are many other options for the bullpen.

Max Kranick

If he survives the roster crunch, I wouldn’t be surprised if he got a legitimate look at one of the rotation spots, especially after the news with Johan Oviedo.