OT: Pirates Talk: That Skenes guy is okay at teh baseball

[Empoleon8771]

Most of the positive moves that this organization tends to make feel like step 1 or even step 0 to something that needs to be bigger.

Clearing the roster spots of guys who aren't going to make an impact (or worse) like BDLC or Joe is a good thing. Purely stating the obvious, but the needed next step is finding something on offense that is going to be actual impact.

Even if we take a swing at a BDLC/Joe type reclamation/upside who is two years younger, that's not enough. Personally, I am pessimistic that we'll do anything like that. I don't have the energy to dream up potential possible scenarios -- it's signing Santander, or boldly figuring out some way to trade a guy like Jones or Chandler for a meaningful bat, etc. We'll see.

First of all, welcome back. Was wondering where you had gone.

I agree with you generally, but the reason I’d go with a reclamation/upside to replace DLC is because it gives you more money to use elsewhere. This team has quite a few holes it needs to address and Nutting wouldn’t approve the money needed to fill all of them in free agency. The appeal of going for someone like Hays in my eyes is that it fills a roster spot with a legitimate MLBer with legitimately good upside for not super expensive.

It’s a dream scenario, but I’d be hoping to sign Hays to like a 1 year, $5 million deal and Walker to a 3 year, $60 million deal. Go cheap with Hays to fill the RF spot to go big at 1B.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

Chapmen and Perez made 18 million combined that should be enough for a hitter
Taylor 4 million to a reclamation OF
Plus 5 million to cutch bare minimum

 

[ImporterExporter]

There is more chance of me becoming an MLB GM than Nutting forking out 60 million over 3 years for a 1B. And I love Walker. Wish we'd actually target him. We won't.

Read the room, the history, and the owner.

The honest to goodness name they should be throwing every penny at is Roki Sasaki. We do actually have a chance to compete for him given he's coming out of Japan early but I'm also not foolish enough to think we'd have any pitch that could get him here.

It's a rare case of where money isn't the problem.

The Pirates just blow ass.

They cut people late in the year (Rowdy), then lie about it to the media and dumbass fanbase, over a couple hundred K owed.

There is talent to be better. There really f***ing is.

We just have a cheap and moronic owner who knows or cares nothing about the game. And that filters down through the rest of the org.

Until they prove me wrong, I'm right.

 

[Fogel]

There is literally no reason not to throw the entire international pool at Sasaki even if you have to break on some unspoken agreements. A possible #1 at ~4.75M and cost controlled like a rookie? All teams should be in on that and it isn't mind numbingly expensive so this could actually be a possible Pirates move since it can be fairly inexpensive. Hell, it would even be worth executing some trades to try to get more international space even if you whiff on signing him. Bednar was paid 4.15M this past year so he would be a little more than him. Skenes and Sasaki would be nuts and such a draw.

 

[Empoleon8771]

There is literally no reason not to throw the entire international pool at Sasaki even if you have to break on some unspoken agreements. A possible #1 at ~4.75M and cost controlled like a rookie? All teams should be in on that and it isn't mind numbingly expensive so this could actually be a possible Pirates move since it can be fairly inexpensive. Hell, it would even be worth executing some trades to try to get more international space even if you whiff on signing him. Bednar was paid 4.15M this past year so he would be a little more than him. Skenes and Sasaki would be nuts and such a draw.

The reason to not do that is that he already basically has a deal done with the Dodgers and the Pirates aren't going to get him over the Dodgers.

 

[MrBrightside]

Angels having a very on brand offseason thus far, overpaying for meh veterans.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I'm so happy to have the SP depth the Pirates have solely because we won't ever have to discuss signing a mid rotation starter in free agency for a while

Speaking of SP, I just saw that Jones did accrue the full year of service last year in the MLB, so I believe that also means he'll be a FA for the 2030 season. I wasn't sure if his rehab time was considered an injury demotion or just a normal demotion, but it looks like he also accrued the full year. It's not the end of the world and it's something they can work around (I figure Jones will have some sort of cold spell that they'll send him to the minors to recover on next year), but it's not ideal to have both Skenes and Jones hitting FA in the same year.

 

[Fogel]

The reason to not do that is that he already basically has a deal done with the Dodgers and the Pirates aren't going to get him over the Dodgers.

If it was the Dodgers, he could sign now when they have by the most international money left vs. everyone having closer to 5-7M when the 2025 pool opens up in January. For Sasaki, the difference of between 2024 and 2025 international money is pretty insignificant when compared to his potential off field endorsements which might be hampered if he was with Ohtani and Yamammoto.