2024 Off-Season Thread

[Javy]

Would love to see Santander come to the Bucs. A power hitting switch-hitter, he would fit nicely in the middle of the order. Not necessarily a high average guy, but that power is sorely needed. He's an average outfielder at best, but it can't be any worse than having De La Cruz out there.

Staying with the Orioles, how about Ryan Mountcastle for 1B? His power dropped off some in the last 2 years, but that was after they raised and modified left field at Camden Yards. He's also an above average first baseman defensively. Would be relatively inexpensive compared to other 1B eligible players like Alonso and Bellinger.

Mountcastle is not a FA. He's set to make 6 million in 2025. Orioles need pitching.

My mistake. Be curious to see what it would take to acquire him. I believe Ryan O'Hearn is a FA. Could be another option although he's been primarily a platoon guy in Baltimore.

[Doc]

Perusing the free agent list this morning, there were only four names that I feel would be players who would help the Pirates in their positions of need in 2025 and beyond: Juan Soto, Anthony Santander, Pete Alonso, and Tyler O'Neill. Obviously, the organization will not be in the running for Soto but the others should be in play. They provide the power we lack, would fit well in the clean-up spot (which would really help whoever bats third and fifth), and are still young enough where they can complete a three to five year contract while retaining their skills. The money it would take to sign any of the three should not be an issue.

I think Alonso's salary will be prohibitive as well as Soto's. The other 2 could be in play but the Pirates aren't the most attractive landing place for productive free agents.

I think Alonso’s asking price will be prohibitive only because Nutting will be unwilling to pay it, not because he’s unable to pay it. I do agree that good free agents don’t have the Pirates on their radar, which means the organization will have to overpay. But that’s the consequence of doing business the way they have over the past 10 years. It’ll take some time but, once they begin to do business like a franchise that wants to win, they won’t have to overpay after that.

[3pirates3]

https://x.com/Feinsand/status/1853152702500614216

[Doc]

Some of the players who I think could help the Bucs offense are Yandy Díaz or Tyler Ward through a trade. Couple of free agent players would be Max Kepler, Alex Verdogo and Santander. I think Alonso will be out of our price range. I like Joc Pederson as well but he is probably just a DH and since we have Cutch as a DH, signing Pederson doesn’t make sense.

So the question is, would you rather have McCutchen or Pederson? Pederson’s five years younger. Compared to McCutchen in 2024, he hit 40 points higher, struck out at a lower rate, and had an OPS about 170 points higher. I would think he’d be less of an injury concern at this point. Also, he’s a left handed bat, a bonus in PNC Park, where he could likely improve on the 23 HRs he had last year.

If you think it’s important to bring McCutchen back, why not have both of them in the line-up? Defensively, can Pederson be a worse defender in RF than what we have out there now? If he can add 25-30 HRs, he’s miles ahead of who we played in right last year.

He earned $9.5 million in 2024 and turned down a $14 million option from Arizona for ‘25. Either he thinks he’s worth more or he’d prefer to play elsewhere. If I’m the Pirates, I’d take a serious run at him.

[fjk090852-7]

Some of the players who I think could help the Bucs offense are Yandy Díaz or Tyler Ward through a trade. Couple of free agent players would be Max Kepler, Alex Verdogo and Santander. I think Alonso will be out of our price range. I like Joc Pederson as well but he is probably just a DH and since we have Cutch as a DH, signing Pederson doesn’t make sense.

So the question is, would you rather have McCutchen or Pederson? Pederson’s five years younger. Compared to McCutchen in 2024, he hit 40 points higher, struck out at a lower rate, and had an OPS about 170 points higher. I would think he’d be less of an injury concern at this point. Also, he’s a left handed bat, a bonus in PNC Park, where he could likely improve on the 23 HRs he had last year.

If you think it’s important to bring McCutchen back, why not have both of them in the line-up? Defensively, can Pederson be a worse defender in RF than what we have out there now? If he can add 25-30 HRs, he’s miles ahead of who we played in right last year.

He earned $9.5 million in 2024 and turned down a $14 million option from Arizona for ‘25. Either he thinks he’s worth more or he’d prefer to play elsewhere. If I’m the Pirates, I’d take a serious run at him.

I would like Pederson, but if he was a DH do the Pirates say goodbye again to Cutch. Just my opinion, but not bringing back Cutch would upset a lot of the fan base. Don’t get me wrong, but he does take up a roster spot which could be filled by someone a little younger, and a little more upside. Cutch has been a true Pirate, and if the organization would not bring him back it would be an outcry by the Pirates fans. If Pederson could be willing to play right field even on a platoon basis go get him.

[Doc]

Some of the players who I think could help the Bucs offense are Yandy Díaz or Tyler Ward through a trade. Couple of free agent players would be Max Kepler, Alex Verdogo and Santander. I think Alonso will be out of our price range. I like Joc Pederson as well but he is probably just a DH and since we have Cutch as a DH, signing Pederson doesn’t make sense.

So the question is, would you rather have McCutchen or Pederson? Pederson’s five years younger. Compared to McCutchen in 2024, he hit 40 points higher, struck out at a lower rate, and had an OPS about 170 points higher. I would think he’d be less of an injury concern at this point. Also, he’s a left handed bat, a bonus in PNC Park, where he could likely improve on the 23 HRs he had last year.

If you think it’s important to bring McCutchen back, why not have both of them in the line-up? Defensively, can Pederson be a worse defender in RF than what we have out there now? If he can add 25-30 HRs, he’s miles ahead of who we played in right last year.

He earned $9.5 million in 2024 and turned down a $14 million option from Arizona for ‘25. Either he thinks he’s worth more or he’d prefer to play elsewhere. If I’m the Pirates, I’d take a serious run at him.

I would like Pederson, but if he was a DH do the Pirates say goodbye again to Cutch. Just my opinion, but not bringing back Cutch would upset a lot of the fan base. Don’t get me wrong, but he does take up a roster spot which could be filled by someone a little younger, and a little more upside. Cutch has been a true Pirate, and if the organization would not bring him back it would be an outcry by the Pirates fans. If Pederson could be willing to play right field even on a platoon basis go get him.

I agree many of the fans would be somewhere between angry and disappointed if McCutchen weren’t brought back, but they’d soon forget if the team signed some significant players who made the team better right out of the gate. Winning would have the fans put the McCutchen loss behind them and ease that pain more quickly.

He’s been sent away once already and we all survived. The day will come when he’s gone for good. It happens to all players like him. The trick is replacing him with someone who can play good solid baseball so we can move on more easily.

[fjk090852-7]

So the question is, would you rather have McCutchen or Pederson? Pederson’s five years younger. Compared to McCutchen in 2024, he hit 40 points higher, struck out at a lower rate, and had an OPS about 170 points higher. I would think he’d be less of an injury concern at this point. Also, he’s a left handed bat, a bonus in PNC Park, where he could likely improve on the 23 HRs he had last year.

If you think it’s important to bring McCutchen back, why not have both of them in the line-up? Defensively, can Pederson be a worse defender in RF than what we have out there now? If he can add 25-30 HRs, he’s miles ahead of who we played in right last year.

He earned $9.5 million in 2024 and turned down a $14 million option from Arizona for ‘25. Either he thinks he’s worth more or he’d prefer to play elsewhere. If I’m the Pirates, I’d take a serious run at him.

I would like Pederson, but if he was a DH do the Pirates say goodbye again to Cutch. Just my opinion, but not bringing back Cutch would upset a lot of the fan base. Don’t get me wrong, but he does take up a roster spot which could be filled by someone a little younger, and a little more upside. Cutch has been a true Pirate, and if the organization would not bring him back it would be an outcry by the Pirates fans. If Pederson could be willing to play right field even on a platoon basis go get him.

I agree many of the fans would be somewhere between angry and disappointed if McCutchen weren’t brought back, but they’d soon forget if the team signed some significant players who made the team better right out of the gate. Winning would have the fans put the McCutchen loss behind them and ease that pain more quickly.

He’s been sent away once already and we all survived. The day will come when he’s gone for good. It happens to all players like him. The trick is replacing him with someone who can play good solid baseball so we can move on more easily.

I agree maybe it is time to say goodbye to Cutch, and in the meantime bring on board offensive players who are a little younger who could add a little more thump to the lineup. The Pirates cannot waste these upcoming years with the young starting pitchers on their roster. In my opinion there currently is a window for winning baseball in Pittsburgh and now is the time to take full advantage of the opportunity.

[Doc]

We have to hope the owner somehow comes to understand that. Otherwise, it’ll be more of the same.

[Doc]

Correction about Pederson and a qualifying offer from the D'Backs: I read on the MLB site this morning that players who were traded in 2024, or are free agents who've already received a qualifying offer sometime during their career, are not eligible to receive one this offseason. Not sure if that's a new thing or not. So I don't know what it will take to get him to sign here but, if it were a choice between him or McCutchen, and the emotion were removed from the decision, I'd go after Pederson. But again, why not both?

Another benefit to signing Pederson is that he wouldn't be facing Pirates pitching anymore. That guy seems to kill us.

[Wildwoodcoach]

I can appreciate your frustration, Surge, but frankly, the Pirates owner and his management team deserve all the criticism fans can heap upon them. Since the end of the 2015 season, this has been an organization that’s given little to no effort toward winning, all the while telling us they’re committed to making the playoffs.

I’d like to only talk about player performance and which players to try to acquire, too, but there’s little hope this Front Office will do anything other than what they’ve done in the past nine years, which is to say nothing. So, if anyone wants to rip the owner and management new ones, I say, have at it.

I know, you'll post what you want. You've said it before.

I guess as an administrator you're above the behavior that got Green Weenie and Kovie kicked off.

More power to you.

Signing off.

Surg, you get your ass back on here. Carol told me to tell you that