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They should trade a couple more for Jorge Polanco. That would solve the 2b issue.

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Imo these are all very shrewd moves by GMBC while losing pieces that were going to do nothing for the organization, in all likelihood, for a few guys that generally boosted the floor of our talent floor for these year. I think hitting on moves like these is what some teams do so well to have a 40 man that is flush with mlb caliber players instead of just 26 (or the 10-15 we have seen from our org the last few years

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The Pirates' abbreviated 2020 draft is interesting. They signed six players, of which three are already gone: Garcia, Hartman and Logan Hofmann, who was released. Of the other three, Nick G and Mlod are on the 40-man, and the other one is Jared Jones.

Garcia brought back Joe, who put up easily more fWAR than any of the veterans they signed, even Cutch. (Of course, Joe's production was almost entirely in that first month, but otoh it's not his fault he was misused by being played semi-regularly against RHPs. He's a lefty masher, not an everyday player.) Hartman, through the Choi/Hill deal, effectively brought back one half of a 6'7" LHP prospect whom scouts seem to like more than his performance supports, and a low-level lottery ticket. (AAA players like Rivas are available all the time for nothing, so no credit on that end.) Wolf and Suero may never go anywhere, but I'd certainly trade Hartman for just one of them.

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My recollection of the 2020 draft was that the last three picks - Garcia, Hartman, and Hofmann all had warts, especially the last two who were signed for the dollars they could provide to secure the first 3 picks, especially Jared Jones. Garcia was paid $1.2 mil which was in the vicinity of slot, but Hartman, a Senior, was paid $60,000, and Hofmann $125,000. Garcia did not do well with the Pirates, and Connor Joe struggled with the Rockies, so it was a tossup at the time of the trade.

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They all seemed like picks where the Pirates were looking for hidden talent. Garcia and Hartman were both late converts to pitching, so they had limited experience, and Hartman was a senior. They were both spin rate guys, although Garcia had shown velocity that he didn't show as a pro. Garcia signed for well above slot. Hofmann was a signability guy.

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Even with those three gone, the draft of 2020 is going to be a success just based on Mlodzinski and Jones, who should both be solid contributors to the Pirates in 2024. Unless something unusual happens, I think Gonzales will probably be made available for a trade before the 40 has to be set for the Rule 5 Draft. A tough decision, but with MI's Cruz, Bae, Peguero, and Triolo already up, Marcano coming back in June,and TJ coming hard, he needs to get to a team that needs him.

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Bae goes before Nick G.

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