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On Friday the Pirates traded for utility man Philip Gosselin from the Diamondbacks. They had to give up minor league pitcher Frank Duncan to do so, but they acquired someone who they feel would help their bench. Before the trade, the back-end of the bench looked to be made up of Adam Frazier, who played well in a small sample last season, and Alen Hanson, the former top prospect who might finally get a chance to prove himself at the major league level. Now, with what the team gave up for him and with his major league experience, Gosselin looks to have surely taken one of those spots from either Frazier or Hanson. He certainly hasn’t taken one from Chris Stewart, David Freese, or John Jaso., and the Pirates likely didn’t trade for him to stash him in the minors.
Now that doesn’t mean Gosselin will 100% be on the 25-man roster, but he surely has the inside track. Let’s say he does get a bench spot. Who would then get left out come Opening Day?
I’m not sure. Hanson would have to start the year with the big league club or clear waivers to go back to the minors because he’s out of options, but Frazier has earned an opportunity to stick in the majors based on his success from last season until he shows otherwise. The Pirates could try to trade Hanson, or they could hope he clears waivers. Or they could give Hanson the final bench spot, send Frazier to Triple-A, and hope that things play themselves out. If Hanson doesn’t play well to start the year, then they could designate him for assignment and call up Frazier. In the end, it’s not a major problem for the Pirates to have.
Baseball Talk Around the Web
- Matt Snyder of CBS Sports ranked the top center fielders in baseball. We all know Mike Trout is at the top, but where does Starling Marte come in?
- Former Pirates Sean Rodriguez could miss the entire 2017 season due to a shoulder injury he suffered in a car accident back on January 28th. Read more here.
- And Rob Biertempfel writes about how Jameson Taillon is tweaking his repertoire in preparation for a full season.
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