2024 Off-Season Thread

[mouse]

Clay Holmes got a nice deal from the Mets - 3 years, 38MM - https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/428 ... llion-deal

[Doc]

It's being reported that the Cubs are "determined" to trade Cody Bellinger. If that's so, I wonder how much of his contract they're willing to keep paying. He's scheduled to make $27.5 million this year and $25 million in 2026. He has an opt out clause after this season, which favors the Pirates in two ways: it lessens the value of the players we have to send to the Cubs, and we can expect Bellinger to play his heart out because his next contract depends on it.

He's only 29 years old. The only thing the club needs to consider is which players would go to the Cubs in return. The money owed him can't be a stumbling block even if the Cubs aren't willing to take on some part of his contract. The Athletics just signed Severino to a big contract. The Pirates can't claim poor anymore after that.

[Wildwoodcoach]

It's being reported that the Cubs are "determined" to trade Cody Bellinger. If that's so, I wonder how much of his contract they're willing to keep paying. He's scheduled to make $27.5 million this year and $25 million in 2026. He has an opt out clause after this season, which favors the Pirates in two ways: it lessens the value of the players we have to send to the Cubs, and we can expect Bellinger to play his heart out because his next contract depends on it.

He's only 29 years old. The only thing the club needs to consider is which players would go to the Cubs in return. The money owed him can't be a stumbling block even if the Cubs aren't willing to take on some part of his contract. The Athletics just signed Severino to a big contract. The Pirates can't claim poor anymore after that.

It is reported that the Yankees are interested in Bellinger especially if they don't resign
Soto. If so, we can forget about him coming to the bucs

[Doc]

It's being reported that the Cubs are "determined" to trade Cody Bellinger. If that's so, I wonder how much of his contract they're willing to keep paying. He's scheduled to make $27.5 million this year and $25 million in 2026. He has an opt out clause after this season, which favors the Pirates in two ways: it lessens the value of the players we have to send to the Cubs, and we can expect Bellinger to play his heart out because his next contract depends on it.

He's only 29 years old. The only thing the club needs to consider is which players would go to the Cubs in return. The money owed him can't be a stumbling block even if the Cubs aren't willing to take on some part of his contract. The Athletics just signed Severino to a big contract. The Pirates can't claim poor anymore after that.

It is reported that the Yankees are interested in Bellinger especially if they don't resign
Soto. If so, we can forget about him coming to the bucs

Listed below are all the reasons Bellinger would prefer coming to the Pirates instead of the Yankees:

[fjk090852-7]

Alex Stumph says the Pirates will non tender Connor Joe, and Del a Cruz. I am surprised they gave up on DelA Cruz. He didn’t perform well, but they gave up a couple of prospects to acquire him in late July.

Noah Hiles is reporting that Hunter Stratton is being non tendered as well.

There is a report from John Dreker that Stratton has signed a minor league contract with the Pirates.

[3pirates3]

https://x.com/Feinsand/status/1865546991779877294

[fjk090852-7]

Two high profile free agents off the board tonight with the Adamas and ONeil signing.

[fjk090852-7]

I had O’Neal on my possible lists of players to acquire, but even though he is off the board there are several other outfielders who the Bucs could acquire. I just hope they don’t let too many players sign, or get traded elsewhere, and then they would have to go dumpster diving as in the past. This year is important to contend with the young pitchers they have on the team.

[Doc]

Adames signs with the Giants, good news for the Pirates as he’s now out of the division.

[Surgnbuck]

The Pirates have shed 43.55 in payroll from free agents or guys who were on contracts exceeding league minimum, and are no longer on the roster. (Gonzales, Perez, Chapman, McCutchen, Grandal, Borucki, Joe, Olivares, Brubaker, Taylor, Tellez). Keller is getting approximately a 9.5 million bump, Reynolds is getting a 2 million bump, a full season of IKF they're on the tag for approximately 6.3 million, projected 1.5 million bump on Bednar, projected 1.7 bump on Falter, projected 800K bump on Bart, and about another 1.5 million bump combined with Santana, Holderman, and Oviedo. That adds up to me as a savings of 20.25 million already, and when you consider that's with the projected top end arbitration bump, it's likely to be even more.

One other thing to look at, Ke'Bryan Hayes went DOWN from 10 million in 2023 to 7 million in 2024, and stays at 7 million thrugh 2027, 8 million for 28 and 29, then a 12 million club option with a 6 million buyout in 30. Which means Hayes contract is probably now starting to look attractive for a light hitting/gold glove caliber third baseman when you consider inflation in salaries in MLB. He's fast NOT becoming a white elephant.

My ticket increase was 5.7 percent this year, across the board I have no idea what ticket prices went up this season for the Pirates. But even a modest estimate of 5 percent has to increase revenue, because I'm speculating they will increase in attendance. They increased last season from 2023 by almost 90,000. That's about 1.5 million in gate receipts without doing anything more than just changing the price. Any attendance increase is more gravy on the potatoes, over 3 million with just 100,000 increase. Easily the Pirates are looking at a gate revenue increase of probably well over 5 million this season.

I would say the Pirates most glaring need is a legit first baseman, not an expirement.

I have to say, I'm on board with Doc on Bellinger. He's probably an overpay at 27.5 million, I'd be willing to bet
for the right trade, the Pirates could get the Cubs to pay 7.5 of that. He'd probably still be a bit of an overpay at 20 million a year, but the fact he has a 25 million dollar player option for 2026, he'd likely be somewhat of a one year deal, and essentially playing for free agency money again. It's a win-win there. He essentially is already paid for, and even if there is no salary relief, he's well within whatever budget they must have going. He alone doesn't put the Pirates over the top and a WS contender, but if he's healthy the whole year, he definitely makes the team better. I can only think Skenes, Keller, Jones, Falter, and whoever else starts will find a group of 5/6 guys who are only getting better. I can easily see a team that can compete for the division.

All that being said, I've just figured out how to make BOB happy, Doc happy, the fan base as a whole happy.

In fact, I'm doing a cut and paste of this post, slapping it on a resume, sending it to BOB, and Travis Williams will be gone instantly, because I'll work for 1/10th of what he's getting paid.

I just now paid for Cutch!

Ticket price increases cover Cutch returning for what will probably be his last season, and a couple of fungible relief pitchers. They can experiment with "what they have" for an outfielder between Davis, Suwinski, Bae, Palacios, etc.