Morning Rundown: Week in Review, 40-man additions, subtractions, awards
A look back at the previous week in baseball
It was a busy week in the offseason for the Pittsburgh Pirates, as there were plenty of roster moves.
We saw deadlines to protect players from the Rule 5 draft by adding them to the 40-man roster and tender (or non-tender) player contracts for the 2024 season.
The major awards were also handed out, including Rookie of the Year, MVP, and Cy Young.
Here’s a look back at what went on over the past week.
The Pirates decided to protect two eligible players from the Rule 5 draft, Tsung-Che Cheng and Braxton Ashcraft.
They had a good amount of players eligible and, at the time, had three roster spots open.
Ashcraft missed the 2022 season and most of 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Pirates eased him back on the mound, and he finished the year with 52.2 innings pitched.
For Cheng, he joins a crowded middle infield picture on the 40-man roster but brings his interesting skill set to the table.
The Pirates non-tendered Osvaldo Bido and Hunter Stratton while signing Ryan Borucki to a new contract, avoiding arbitration with him for the 2024 season.
Non-tendering Stratton was a bit surprised, as he had a solid cameo with the Pirates towards the end of the season. He and Bido immediately become free agents so the Pirates can re-sign them on a minor-league deal.
The end-of-the-year awards were announced over the past week for both leagues; here’s a quick rundown of them.
MVP
AL - Ohtani
NL - Ronald Acuna Jr.
Cy Young
AL - Gerrit Cole
NL - Blake Snell
Rookie of the Year
AL - Gunnar Henderson
NL - Corbin Carroll
Manager of the Year
AL - Brandon Hyde
NL - Skip Schumaker
Not that it has anything to do with the Pirates, but Nola is off the market.
Next year we’ll have Hayes as the MVP, Keller CY and Skenes ROY and CY runner up.....