Welcome to the weekly Pittsburgh Pirates Rumor Mill, where we update you on all of the latest Pirates trades, signings, rumors, injury news, promotions, demotions, and the like from the past week.
While the playoffs are now officially underway, the Pittsburgh Pirates are already in off-season mode as they look at every possible way to improve the team heading into 2017. They’ll look to make trades, both big and small, and sign a few free agents to fill any holes the team may have. I’m confident that this team will be better equipped heading into 2017 than it was heading into this past season.
We kick off our first off-season Rumor Mill by looking at the Pirates game plan this off-season. What are the biggest holes the team needs to fill? What kind of money can the team spend? We’ll break this all down to get you primed for the off-season.
But first, a few housekeeping notes.
Injury Updates
The Pirates ended the year with many players on the disabled list: Starling Marte, Josh Harrison, A.J. Schugel, Gerrit Cole, Elias Diaz, and Chris Stewart. None of the injuries to any of these players is of major concern. Placing Marte on the disabled list seemed to be management sending him a message, and while back problems can be a recurring issue (see: Neil Walker), this is the first significant occurrence of said issue in Marte’s career. If his back plagues him again next season, then we should be concerned.
Harrison was battling a groin injury and couldn’t finish the year on the field, though he’ll be ready for next season. A.J. Schugel could be a nice piece for the Pirates’ bullpen, and last we heard he didn’t need surgery for his rotator cuff inflammation. He’ll use the off-season to rehab his shoulder.
A.J. Schugel saw Dr. David Altchek for second opinion. Confirmed rotator cuff inflammation, rest and rehab, no surgery.
— Bill Brink (@Bill_Brink2) September 29, 2016
It also sounds like rest is the best option for Cole over the off-season as opposed to surgery. Diaz, who battled injury all season long, is set to play in winter ball this off-season:
C Elias Diaz (left leg infection) cleared to return home tomorrow. He'll work out in Oct., play winter ball for Bravos de Margarita in Nov.
— Bill Brink (@Bill_Brink2) September 28, 2016
And Chris Stewart elected to have surgery recently after not being able to return during the season, and he’ll need six to eight weeks to recover. The team sounds optimistic about his ability to return to the field for next season.
Minor Moves
The only move the Pirates made over the past week of note was acquiring RHP Brady Dragmire from the Blue Jays and designating Phil Coke for assignment:
Pirates designated LHP Phil Coke for assignment … Traded cash to Jays for RHP Brady Dragmire, who spent all of 2016 in Double-A.
— Matt Gajtka (GITE-kah) (@MattGajtka) October 5, 2016
Dragmire hasn’t appeared in the majors yet and will likely head to Double-A Altoona to begin the season next year. He won’t be in the Pirates’ major league plans in 2017.
What holes do the Pirates have to fill this off-season?
The Pirates seem to be pretty well set heading into next season compared to years past, but they do have some holes to fill. First, Ivan Nova, Neftali Feliz, Ryan Vogelsong, Sean Rodriguez, Matt Joyce, and Phil Coke are all free agents. That’s not as significant a loss as they’ve had in years past to free agency, although the first five did make significant contributions to the team this past season. Vogelsong can be replaced internally. Rodriguez and Joyce? Maybe. Nova and Feliz? Likely not.
Looking at the team for next season, assuming the above six players leave via free agency, and that the Pirates keep just about everyone on their current roster, the team has three immediate holes that need to be filled: one bench spot, one bullpen spot, and the fifth spot in the rotation. This is how I see the roster right now:
Starters: Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco, Jung Ho Kang, Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison, Josh Bell, and Francisco Cervelli.
Rotation: Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Tyler Glasnow, Chad Kuhl, and one open spot.
Bench: Chris Stewart, David Freese, Adam Frazier, Alen Hanson, and one open spot.
Bullpen: Tony Watson, Felipe Rivero, Antonio Bastardo, Jared Hughes, Juan Nicasio, Jeff Locke, and one open spot.
This all, of course, is just my opinion. This is me being high on Hanson and assuming the Pirates don’t non-tender Locke, which they very well might (and is the option we’d all prefer). I also think the Pirates will trade John Jaso, who doesn’t have a clear role anymore. The rotation spot is obviously the biggest hole, and one I hope the Pirates don’t fill internally. I’d love for Nova to come back, or for the team to sign a different proven starter, while using Drew Hutchison and Steven Brault as the first two depth options out of Triple-A. After all, depth is extremely important, especially for the rotation.
The Pirates likely will want a fourth outfielder, as Frazier can play that role, but he may be needed in the infield as well. We’d all love Rodriguez to come back, but after a career year, he could seek a payday elsewhere. As for the bullpen, the Pirates will likely fill that internally, as they have plenty of options, including Schugel, Wade LeBlanc, Zach Phillips, and others, but Feliz could also be looking for a nice payday. The Pirates, if they bring back Nova and Rodriguez, may not need to sign one free agent from another team this off-season.
The team also could go into next season with a lower payroll than they began 2016 with, considering they shed over $30 million with the in-season trades of Jon Niese, Francisco Liriano, and Mark Melancon.
But we all know that, like last off-season, the Pirates have one major hole to fill this winter: the fifth rotation spot. That’s the major and glaring hole. Hopefully the Pirates address it.
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