2024 Off-Season Thread

[Bobster]

so far no big moves. Maybe they are waiting for spring training to evaluate everyone again and decide where they need to upgrade.

biggest move was getting Horwitz which in my book makes this a quiet off season.

IMO, there is going to be a lot of pressure on him, much different when he was a complementary bat in the Toronto lineup. With the Pirates he may be expected to be third or fourth best bat trailing Reynolds, Cruz and??? (Bart?)

There’s your big move…..Adam Frazier

THE SEASON IS SAVED!
Frazier's back! All it took was for him to become 33 after having just experienced career lows in BA (.202), OBP (.282), SLG (.294) and OPS (.576). Cherington's got the GM of the Year Award sewn up!

HUZZAH!
HUZZAH!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQa9L5qgfEI

[Babe Adams]

Frazier's pretty much an ultimate Pirate signing at this point. Wondering, though, if it has something to do with Hayes's condition - if they're not thinking Triolo might be needed a lot at 3rd base?

[fjk090852-7]

I sure hope Frazier is not the answer to the corner outfield position. I cannot believe they are bringing him back. This is not a move I expected.

[fjk090852-7]

Before this signing of Frazier I thought the additions last night for the bullpen were good signings. It seems right now if there are no injuries the first 5 bullpen arms would be : Badnar, Holderman, Carman M, Nicholas , and Santana. Between the remaining pitchers on the 40 man roster and some pitchers who are non roster invites to ST I believe they can fill out the remaining three spots of the bullpen.

[mouse]

I suspect Hayes is toast. Bad backs don't get better, they only get worse. He may be able to play some this year but I wouldn't be counting on him to have a stellar year. Adding Frasier may be to free up Cook (or Yorke) for more time at third.

[3pirates3]

https://x.com/Feinsand/status/1884310155732599244

https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1884630035077726383

[fjk090852-7]

I suspect Hayes is toast. Bad backs don't get better, they only get worse. He may be able to play some this year but I wouldn't be counting on him to have a stellar year. Adding Frasier may be to free up Cook (or Yorke) for more time at third.

You may be on the right track. The signing of Frazier seems like an over kill for the bench. If there is not an injury, there must be a trade brewing to move an infielder. If your starting infield is Horwitz, Gonzales, IKF and Hayes, then for the infield bench you can choose between Triolo, Yorke, Peguero and the player they got from Boston a few weeks ago. His name slips my mind. There is more to the signing of Frasier than what we know.

[Doc]

Adam Frazier? Really? That'll send a shiver down the spine of every big league pitcher, said no one.

[Wildwoodcoach]

I remember Frazier being a good bunter.

[Surgnbuck]

I remember Frazier being a good bunter.

I remember this board being so in love with him too. He was an All Star for the Pirates. He actually looked like he was going to be who we thought he was going to be.

So, let's tally it up. At the 2021 deadline, Pirates trade Frazier to San Diego for Jack Suwinski, Tucupita Marcano, and Michell Miliano. The Padres traded him to Seattle in the offseason of 2021. He played one season for Seattle and became a free agent at the end of 2022. He signed with the Orioles for 2023. He became a free agent again, and signed with the Royals for 2024. He's a combined 3.8 WAR with those teams. He was at 3.0 WAR when the Pirates traded him. So kudos to the Pirates for trading him at the right time.

Marcano was the "centerpiece" of the trade, and is now banned from baseball. He was a negative 0.9 WAR player for the Pirates.
Michell Miliano elected free agency after making it as far as Altoona in 2023. He's now pitching in an independent league.
Suwinski has hit 54 HR's for the Pirates over parts of 3 seasons, putting up a 1.7 WAR. However, he was at 3.4 WAR for the Pirates combined for 2022 and 2023, but a negative 1.7 WAR last year.

Now we have Frazier back. So...if Suwinski can return to being a 2.2 WAR player like he was in 2023, and Frazier does anything positive, the Pirates have clearly won this trade. However, if this trade were a contest, it would be the high jump with the bar laying flat on the ground.

Frazier has played in the postseason each of the last three seasons, compiling 32 plate appearances. He did not play in the KC-Bal series last season. Of course, the most memorable thing about Frazier since being traded is he became part of the 2021 Padres team that positively collapsed and missed the post season. The Padres were 59-44, with a 6.5 game lead over the Reds for the second WC spot in the NL the day Frazier was traded to them. The Padres would go 20-39 the rest of the way and finish 79-83 in a very Piratey 2012-esque collapse.