2024 Off-Season Thread

[JollyRoger8]

Are you effing kidding me?????
Fire BC immediately
Ortiz, Kennedy, Hartle for Horwitz????
This is right up there with the Archer trade.
How can you give up the your #4 starter in Ortiz who actually performed better than Keller plus 2 highly rated LHP for a player with very modest power. A definite overpay for a player that won’t cost the Bucs a lot of money. Those players should have yielded at least a Triston Casas

[3pirates3]

This is right up there with the Archer trade.

Was thinking the same thing - the Archer trade on a smaller scale. Cleveland bent Atkins and Cherington over a barrel and showed them the 50 states.

It's like the Pirates can't handle their rare discussions at the big boy table, they freeze and completely blow it.

https://x.com/Alden_Gonzalez/status/1866715450471748074

[fjk090852-7]

In my opinion I like this trade. Sure they gave up a MLB starting pitcher and two prospects, but in turn they acquired a player who can play first base for several years. First base has been a revolving door for several seasons. Also if you look at the bigger picture the Pirates have still not spent any 2025 salary on free agents. Let’s assume Cutch returns, so even if they spend similar to the past couple off-seasons in free agency they should have the resources to acquire a decent outfielder and bullpen help to upgrade the roster. Hopefully there is additional follow up to this trade!

[Surgnbuck]

IDK anything about the guy, so I'll hesitate to make any judgement. But I will say this, I'm not so keen about trading away an actual MLB player with some cache, over a guy who still has to prove he's a MLB player. The suspects I couldn't care, I just thought with Ortiz as part of a trade, you'd get someone that was a starter somewhere else.

[fjk090852-7]

IDK anything about the guy, so I'll hesitate to make any judgement. But I will say this, I'm not so keen about trading away an actual MLB player with some cache, over a guy who still has to prove he's a MLB player. The suspects I couldn't care, I just thought with Ortiz as part of a trade, you'd get someone that was a starter somewhere else.

One thing I read about him is that he is not a big strikeout guy. His minor league stats as a first baseman look good. Another thing I have read is that Matt Hague has been his hitting coach for a few years while both were in the Blue Jays organization. Another thing I have wondered about this trade is that do the Pirates have a veteran starting pitcher on their radar to bring on board to bridge the gap before one of the young starting pitchers arrives?

[mouse]

So much for the myth that pitching is a rare and valuable commodity. Apparently this guy gets on base. They need someone who can do that but the cost seems outrageous. And he's (apparently) 5' 10." If they hadn't moved Cruz to center last year they surely would have had to this year. I think more Donn Clendenon or Willie Stargell. Big targets at first. This does have the feel of someone who recognizes he's running out of time and has to push chips to the center of the table in one last bid to survive.

[Wildwoodcoach]

I am hoping that Oviedo, coming off Tommy John, will
be ready to go.

[3pirates3]

IDK anything about the guy, so I'll hesitate to make any judgement. But I will say this, I'm not so keen about trading away an actual MLB player with some cache, over a guy who still has to prove he's a MLB player. The suspects I couldn't care, I just thought with Ortiz as part of a trade, you'd get someone that was a starter somewhere else.

Nothing against the player personally, SB. I wouldn't trade Ortiz or Kennedy for him one for one though, much less together plus Hartle.

[Wildwoodcoach]

Waiting for the Possum to throw his 2 cents in. It's winter time.
He could be hibernating.

[Possum]

Waiting for the Possum to throw his 2 cents in. It's winter time.
He could be hibernating.

Not hibernating. The trade for Horowitz reaks of GMBC not knowing how to make a trade. The guy is just a Connor Joe clone. I hope that the Bucs get lucky with this trade.