Pittsburgh Pirates Wake Up Call – S-Gone

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

One of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ free agents has signed with another club.

Sources: #Braves in agreement with free-agent infielder Sean Rodriguez on two-year deal for more than $11M, pending physical.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 24, 2016

Sean Rodriguez also received a $1.5 million signing bonus, and his yearly salary will be $5 million dollars. The loss of S-Rod stung Pittsburgh Pirates fans, as the super-utilityman found another gear last year, enjoying career highs in most offensive metrics.

Several questions abound from the loss of Rodriguez.

First, was this really out of the Pirates’ price range? One would instinctively believe that it is. If that is the case, fans will be salty, but it should be cautioned that Rodriguez would still have been a bench bat or part-time starter on the 2017 Pittsburgh Pirates. With Adam Frazier, Josh Bell, David Freese and John Jaso all spending time in the same role, it would be hard to envision Rodriguez getting another 342 plate appearances next year.

In that light, $5 million dollars would have been an overpay for the club.

Second, how will the Pittsburgh Pirates replace Rodriguez on the diamond and in the batter’s box? Bell and Frazier are locks to make the club out of spring training, and Frazier’s versatility will now be especially needed. Provided he is healthy, Chris Stewart will be back with the club, though he may give way to Elias Diaz eventually. Freese/Jaso will share some of the first base duties. This all amounts to the team likely in need of at least one bench bat to round out the reserves.

We’ll save that speculation for another post, but there are some intriguing options. Perhaps the Pittsburgh Pirates will feel comfortable with internal options such as Jason Rogers or Jose Osuna. A Matt Joyce return also remains a possibility, though unlikely.

One thing we cannot discount is the likelihood that Major League Baseball will expand rosters from 25 to 26. Should that come to fruition, the Pirates can easily rebuild their bench with a mix of external and internal options, should they decide to use the extra spot on a position player.

Baseball Talk On The Web

• We recently profiled Mariners SP Taijuan Walker as a potential Pirates target, but he is now off the board, having been traded to Arizona. Here is a complete rundown of the trade.
• FanGraphs has a fantastic look at the Hall of Fame ballot.
• Baseball Prospectus has a must-read on MLB’s continuing lack of diversity.