In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
As we begin this morning, we remember the end of a long, tenuous era in Pittsburgh. Jeff Locke was designated for assignment last night, to the joy of many fans:
The @Pirates have signed free agent RHP Lisalverto Bonilla; designate LHP Jeff Locke for assignment.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) November 29, 2016
While they also signed Lisalverto Bonilla, a 26-year-old minor leaguer who hasn’t pitched in the bigs since 2014, the real news here was the team moving on from Locke. Locke had gotten worse each year from his All-Star year in 2013. It seems like his falling off a cliff in the second half of that season was a sign of things to come. His ERA increased each year from 2013 to 2016, and he was a negative win player each of the past two seasons. For a team that needs to be focused on finances every year, spending millions on a consistently poor pitcher like Locke was not a smart investment.
This opens up a spot in the bullpen for next season (assuming the team doesn’t bring back Locke if he clears waivers, which is always a possibility), and we’ll see whether the Pirates try to fill it in internally or through other options. Right now, the most logical internal options seem to be Steven Brault, Trevor Williams, or Wade LeBlanc. It’d probably be one of the former two, as Locke was more of a long man in a relief role.
We know the Pirates also could be listening to offers for Tony Watson, who is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility, and may also be willing to part with Antonio Bastardo, per Rob Biertempfel. If both of those two are dealt, the Pirates would be parting with three left-handers (including Locke). Their bullpen may have been left-handed-heavy heading into 2017, but parting with three lefties might not be a great idea.
The Winter Meetings continue to be a question mark for the moment. But one topic that could benefit a small market team like the Pirates has been discussed:
Sources: Owners proposed forfeiting draft picks as penalty for clubs that exceed luxury-tax threshold; teams value picks more than cash.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2016
This would be a much larger deterrent rather than a financial penalty, which already doesn’t make much sense considering how much money the teams spending that much have in the first place.
And in other news, the Cubs signed former Cardinal Jon Jay last night. It will be interesting to see how this affects Dexter Fowler‘s future in Chicago.
Cubs agree to terms with OF Jon Jay on 1-year, $8 million contract.
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) November 29, 2016
Baseball Talk Around the Web
- MLB officials seem “cautiously optimistic” that they’ll come to an agreement about the new CBA by Thursday’s deadline, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
- Let’s say an agreement is not reached. What would happen in an MLB lockout? SI has you covered.
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