Weekly Mailbag: Big move coming? Winter Meetings expectations, Jared Jones

Winter Meetings headline the weekly mailbag.

Joesolo: Pirates are moving slow regarding pitching this off-season, could that mean they are targeting one or more of the high-end free agents?

It’s certainly possible. If they are in the mix for someone on the trade front, teams will probably want to weigh their options as long as possible before making the move.

I don’t think they will be in play for one of the higher-end free agents. It's just not exactly the kind of move we should expect from them. Could I be wrong? Absolutely, but the cost of pitching is so high I'm not sure I see the Pirates willing to go where they would need to sign one of them.

Joesolo: Winter meetings starting so what if anything can we expect from the Pirates?

I think the Pirates will get at least something done, maybe a free-agent signing. The safe bet would be for them to take someone in the Rule 5, but with a limited amount of roster spots, I also wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t.

A trade would be the best way to add pitching, but that may not physically happen here. However, the framework could be set up this week.

Joe D: It seemed like you have cooled a bit on Jared Jones, any particular reason why?

I saw Jones in person earlier in the season, and he was as advertised. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before allowing a home run to the first batter he faced.

The stuff is there, there is no doubting that. I’ve seen almost every start Jones has made that’s been made available on MiLB TV, and I’ve seen the improvement.

I felt safe picking him as the second-best pitching prospect after Paul Skenes after the draft, and I’d still argue he’s one of the best in the system.

The concern came from how he finished last year. Maybe it’s nitpicking. Number-wise, he finished strong, but he also relied too much on just the fastball and slider. There were also times when the velocity would take a hit later in games.

Certainly, there are some question marks about him sticking in the rotation long-term, which in turn hurts his ‘value’ as a prospect. Should he make that switch, he’s an elite reliever, but that’s certainly not the same as a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

So, I don’t know if I’d say I’ve cooled on him, but I have some questions and will be watching for a few things in 2024.