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Robert Kasperski's avatar

I see the Yanks just signed Jake Woodford who opted out of the Rockies. Seems weird seeing the Yanks signing woodford….

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Aurorus Borealus's avatar

They signed Yarbrough too. The Yanks are looking desperate.

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WTM's avatar

Harrington, Fulmer, Smith, Stewart and Rainey reassigned. I guess this makes Jack and Bae official. I thought Rainey might make it, but I guess they can keep him until May 1.

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1979andCounting's avatar

Rainey didn't get his velo back, although he was still getting outs. I think that cost him a spot. I really like Wentz so I'm bracing for him missing too.....ughh.

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Slider71's avatar

I’m glad they didn’t add Stewart, who I think had a 32% strikeout rate this spring. Would be a shame to lose a useful piece off the 40 man to add a journeyman for a couple weeks. And I’m convinced BC would have DFA’d the wrong guys

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WTM's avatar

So, Indy rotation, in no particular order:

Bubba

Ashcraft

Burrows

Harrington

Somebody

Somebody

At some point, maybe real soon, Barco, Solo, Chen and eventually Reed could be there. I wish I had more faith in BC to deploy this talent well.

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NMR's avatar

"Somebody" is an interesting way of spelling HUNTER MFN BARCO.

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WTM's avatar

Haha, let's do it!

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SouthernBuc's avatar

What happened to Sullivan? Or have I just missed his sightings or an injury?

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WTM's avatar

Oops, yes, sub him in for Somebody. I thought I saw somewhere that he’s healthy.

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Hoptown's avatar

Yes Sullivan should a somebody. And probably Fulmer in a veteran swing role as the other somebody.

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Mel Schuster - emjayinTN's avatar

Rather than follow the game I decided to do yard work. I definitely scored a winner with the satisfaction of a hard days work out in the sun (Tennessee), instead of the aggravation of another poorly played game by the Pirates. Still Spring Training - probably saving hits and runs for when it counts!

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NolaJeffy(BnP)'s avatar

Hudson Head's back to the dugout after a K.

Siani > Head

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TNBucs's avatar

Huntington > Cherington

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Catch22's avatar

Honestly, if they finish below .500 again, I don't see how he survives.

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1979andCounting's avatar

I hope you are right, but I have doubts that Nutting wants to go thru another GM and manager/coaches changes all the while having to train the new GM on the guardrails (restricted budget) he must operate within. Ben and Shelton fit Nutting's mold quite well......I think the charade will continue on, with perhaps an exception if they lose 100 games again......then he might have to make changes due to outside pressures (TV contract, city revolt, attendance, etc.). Nutting's perfectly happy the way things are IMO.

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WTM's avatar

If he felt the slightest concern about his job, he wouldn’t have blown off the offseason yet again.

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Catch22's avatar

I think his hands are tied regarding spending.

I like the Horwitz deal quite a bit. Similar to the Cubs when they got Busch.

If the Frazier and Pham thing blows up on them, I don't see how it's acceptable.

He's not going to get much back in a trade with Thomas Harrington being the headliner...If he wants offense, he needed to trade Bubba, and I can't blame him there.

At the end of the day, it gets down to drafting and dev hitters and he just hasn't done enough there.

Like I said, this has to be a make-or-break season for him. If Nutting wasn't going to let NH get away with what he did, then BC shouldn't either.

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WTM's avatar

NH got fired because of lurid headlines. Wasn’t his fault, but that’s how such things go. NH’s performance was WAY better than BC’s. Even now, their best position players are all guys NH acquired. Losing didn’t get NH fired.

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StatsCbl's avatar

I thought Huntington and Hurdle did a good job the first x amount of years. My personal opinion is that when things started going south a little. Bob put Huntington in a bad situation of where he even had to rid prospects just to cut salary. I think Huntington and Hurdle both got burnt out after that.

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WTM's avatar

Beavis or Butthead >>>>> Cherington

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NolaJeffy(BnP)'s avatar

Siani = Head

Strikeouts

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WTM's avatar

The Cherington offense is realizing its full potential!

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Steven Flamm's avatar

As you know, last year's offense was poor. BC did absolutely nothing to improve it, except add an injured, older, slow, defensively challenged, former low draft pick with borderline power to play first base. Maybe that will work out, but I would not bet on it. And the bullpen? Of course we will see how it works out, but for the opening day roster, this may be the worst bullpen I have seen for the Pirates in years. More than half are waiver wire guys or guys who nobody wanted on one year contracts. The best of the group? Bednar.

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Slider71's avatar

Couple concerning things to finish up today.

-Harrington topping out at 92 today and hanging out at 90 with the 4 seamer seems a little low

-Endy striking out all 3 times today

-Bednar giving up another bomb today

I sure like too see Borucki throwing 96 consistently, sure hope he can stay healthy

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1979andCounting's avatar

That reinforces Bubba > Harrington for me as 5th starter and added to 26-man.

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TNBucs's avatar

That is concerning about Harrington, and maybe why they weren't ready to add him to the roster.

Given that Endy just found out he had made the roster and that he's playing 1B for the first time in a while, I'll give him a pass. He's had a great spring.

Bednar? I'll be concerned until he puts up a month of good outings. I really wanted a clear plan b for the closer's role. With Chapman gone and Mlod in the rotation, I'm less confident in the back of the pen than I was last year.

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1979andCounting's avatar

That was not a hit by Pham......but it's ST probably no official scorer.

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1979andCounting's avatar

Ty France was available after the Horwitz injury became known, but BC sat on his hands. Twins signed him for $1M on 2/15 and he's hit .465, 1.244 OPS this ST.

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Robert Kasperski's avatar

He hit very well last ST with Seattle then did not do much in the regular season.

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NMR's avatar

let alone the 4-yr steady decline.

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Robert Kasperski's avatar

The wailing and gnashing of teeth that would have happened here if GMBC would have signed France to a Major League deal to play in place of Horwitz…..

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1979andCounting's avatar

It would have been applauded as perfect insurance. It's not for "in place of Horwitz", it's until Horwitz returns from injury and then a RH platoon with Horwitz. Ben is gambling on hand surgery being 100% successful. He's also betting on a rookie Endy to produce 1B offense......very unlikely. But that's the patchwork offense BC is known for assembling.

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1979andCounting's avatar

He's an experienced MLB player and first baseman. I like Horwitz but he is neither.

So there's huge risk the way BC proceeded......with a hand injury of all things.

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1979andCounting's avatar

Geesh was that 450' by Buxton?

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TNBucs's avatar

I would like the projected lineup a lot more if we were in year 3 or 4 of a rebuild and not year 6. I.e., if I block out where we "should" be, I'm okay watching our collection of talent. It's just when I start thinking that this is year-freaking-six and we still have a lineup filled with holes and questions that I start to lose enthusiasm for the start of the season.

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Mel Schuster - emjayinTN's avatar

After 3 miserable years 2020, 2021, 2022 where the Pirates were in the bottom 5 of 30 MLB Teams in Batting and Pitching, we moved to 22nd in Batting and 23rd in Pitching in 2023. In 2024 Batting dropped back into the bottom 5 while Pitching jumped up to 13th in MLB. WE HAD TO MAKE A MOVE TO GET A PROVEN MOTO HITTER FOR 2025.

Instead we bought low on Pham and Frazier? BC was looking good with getting Cook and Yorke, but he also got us IKF and BDLC who looked exactly like guys who never wanted to be in Pittsburgh. Then he doubled down by wishing for miracles from Pham and Frazier.

He's put his own ass on the bus out of town if IKF, Pham, and Frazier do not work for the Pirates in 2025.

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Anthony Murphy's avatar

Is Thomas Harrington a Bailey Ober 2.0? Because watching their numbers blend together on Baseball Savant, they seem REALLY similar.

Which if Harrington is just Bailey Ober, that's a huge freaking win

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Catch22's avatar

Nice call. That would be a massive win for the Pirates. Ober probably gets more k's, and Harrington gives up more HRs.

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Anthony Murphy's avatar

Yea he'd certainly be a Bailey Ober-lite, but similar with their pitches and shape and what not.

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bmcferren's avatar

stratton is suppossed to break camp with the team or he is just starting to get stretched out after return from his injury?

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Anthony Murphy's avatar

He's been throwing the entire spring. Had his first bullpen right when camp started. Think he's fairly close, you probably don't add him to the 40-man if he isn't going to make the team.

That being said, since I said that, he'll probably start on the IL lol

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bmcferren's avatar

damn

trying to see if Wentz breaks camp

Mlod to the rotation had me optimistic but if Stratton is healthy, then we´re out of room

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WTM's avatar

Shelton said roster won’t be finalized until Wed.

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Aurorus Borealus's avatar

Do they seriously intend to bat Pham leadoff. Like it is not enough to bring in a washed up bum to start in LF. They have to bat him at the top of the lineup too. When will Nutting finally say, "enough is enough" to this garbage management team.

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Joshua Johnson's avatar

This is really just rubbing our noses in shit. Somebody tell Shelton he doesn’t have to bat Pham 1st.

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NolaJeffy(BnP)'s avatar

I don't think he's going to say good-bye to the management team, and even if he did, he probably would just bring in a lateral move of a GM. I don't think the PG or DK articles really shed any significant new light onto anything, but I also think they solidified what we theorized. Bob's business model is to operate in the least risky possible fashion and just pray for the top percentile outcome.

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WTM's avatar

With bungling Ben, the top percentile outcome is fourth place.

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Aurorus Borealus's avatar

Nutting owns media companies. If baseball punditry (like Fangraphs et al) keep pointing out the ridiculous moves of his management team, he is likely, at some point, to pay some attention. I can hope anyway.

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NolaJeffy(BnP)'s avatar

Sure, and that's essentially what happened this last go around in the hiring of GMBC. But he literally brought in a hiring agency to still end up with the most milquetoast risk adverse possible option.

That's why I've always said I don't think he's necessarily cheap, I think he's just a terrible businessman. He's rich, but he doesn't have FAFO money

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1979andCounting's avatar

His wealth is 98% tied up in the Pirates valuation, it's not liquid. He ain't rich like most other owners based on his newspaper company. To your point, what smart businessman holds onto a newspaper chain in 2025? It's a 4th generation family business and Bob had a silver spoon in his mouth his entire life. He's just riding the wave in both newspapers and Pirates, not interested in change. He's a buy and hold personality.

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NolaJeffy(BnP)'s avatar

I 100% agree with you. Also why I'm feeling more and more like a lockout with an eventual salary cap is inevitable. Cause you're beginning to get the Cohen's of the world with FU money, who I believe are just on personal vanity adventures. Where "buying a championship" is the new having your name put on a university's food hall. I put "buying a chip" in quotes, cause it isn't exactly THAT easy, but the way these last two off-season's have gone, might be heading that way.

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1979andCounting's avatar

The owner's didn't nearly have the votes last time, at least that was the rumor. I think they like having a few doormat teams to develop some free agent's for themselves, and keep the Union happy with

veteran signings of players that should have retired, thus extending their careers and 7-figure earnings. It's a bad place to be in for the Pirates, but hope for the next CBA.

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Amos Moses's avatar

Actually, he’s more likely a terrific businessman- making him a terrible, small-market baseball owner for the fans. He knows how to turn a profit.

Outside of Bob ever selling the team or stumbling upon a one in a million GM, the best hope is him someday hiring a baseball man/woman to head the front office. That person doesn’t necessarily need to be hands on with the GM, but needs to be able to ask the right questions (i.e., Your first base solution is Rowdy Tellez?!?) and evaluate if there’s been enough progress to hold the GM accountable, regardless of any budgetary constraints.

Instead, we have Travis Williams - which makes clear Nutting’s primary objective.

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NolaJeffy(BnP)'s avatar

They had (possibly) the right person right in front of them (Arnold), and still went with BC...

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Aurorus Borealus's avatar

The primary objective seems to be as a host of fireworks displays, a children's play pirate ship, over-priced food, with a baseball team in the background to provide ambience. That, at least, is the impression that Williams creates. He seems far more concerned with the quality of the fireworks than the team.

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Melkel's avatar

Don't forget an outlet to sell whiskey from the distillery he bought.

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WTM's avatar

Has to be Pham. Austin Hedges isn’t available.

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Mel Schuster - emjayinTN's avatar

They could have led off with Cutch or Bae, but I think the point is to get more AB's for Pham. At leadoff he's guaranteed at least 3 AB's, and 4 if we get more than 5 or 6 hits. Like Endy at 1B; not sure what to make of Frazier at 2B, but if he hits, he could find a home against RHP's.

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