Pittsburgh Pirates Wake-Up Call – Looking Ahead to Winter Meetings

In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.

So the latest word on the street this off-season is that the Winter Meetings may be in jeopardy because of the ongoing CBA talks. Apparently progress isn’t really being made, and some teams may not attend the Winter Meetings if this continues to be the case:

Sources: Club officials understand that if sufficient progress isn't made this week in CBA talks, teams won't participate in winter meetings

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 28, 2016

So, what does this mean for the Pittsburgh Pirates? Well last winter, the Pirates used the Winter Meetings to make some deals, including trading Neil Walker for Jon Niese and essentially shipping Charlie Morton off to the Phillies in a salary dump. So far this winter, it looks as though the Pirates have been waiting for this time to start negotiating with free agents and to discuss their own players as trade targets for other teams. If that time doesn’t come, the team would have to change its plans.

Of course, this not only affects the Pirates but other teams as well. So if every team is affected by this, then I don’t think it will have any adverse effect on the Pirates as compared to other teams. But we’ll see what Neal Huntington and the front office do if the Winter Meetings don’t come to fruition.

And in some other news, one player that was on the Pirates radar is now off the market:

Source confirms: #Marlins, Volquez in agreement on two-year, $22M contract, pending physical. First reported: @clarkspencer @flasportsbuzz.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2016

We previously broke down Edinson Volquez here at Pirates Breakdown, and he eventually decides to go and work with Jim Benedict in Miami rather than Ray Searage in Pittsburgh. Maybe this is a good thing, as Volquez rebounded was no sure thing, and $11 million per year could turn out to be a huge waste of money.

Baseball Talk Around the Web

• Jeff Sullivan of ESPN lays out how five teams could make a deal for Chris Sale. The Pirates have the prospects and players to get a deal done for the ace, but do they make Sullivan’s list?
• If you want a better idea of how the CBA could affect the Winter Meetings, make sure to follow the news as laid out by Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report.

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