2024 Off-Season Thread

[mouse]

I'm guessing they sign an outfielder of more or less the same quality as we already have, and plan to plug all the questionable players in with the hope someone can have a good season. Basically, what we have now is what we get.

[Doc]

I'm guessing they sign an outfielder of more or less the same quality as we already have, and plan to plug all the questionable players in with the hope someone can have a good season. Basically, what we have now is what we get.

Sounds exactly like the same plan used in 2016, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23, and ‘24. You have to hand it to them, they’re consistent.

[JollyRoger8]

Looking at the current roster; are the Pirates better now or last year. I would have to argue that they are now weaker than last year. Losing Chapman and Ortiz and adding Horwitz and Ferguson does not move the needle in a positive direction. This to me is one of the worst off seasons since 2015 if there is not a significant upgrade. I didn’t think it was possible for the Pirates to start the season with a lower payroll than last year but they appear to be on that track. Thank you BN and BC!

[Bobster]

Looking at the current roster; are the Pirates better now or last year. I would have to argue that they are now weaker than last year. Losing Chapman and Ortiz and adding Horwitz and Ferguson does not move the needle in a positive direction. This to me is one of the worst off seasons since 2015 if there is not a significant upgrade. I didn’t think it was possible for the Pirates to start the season with a lower payroll than last year but they appear to be on that track. Thank you BN and BC!

They're not exactly building around Skenes. It appears they're content to be a bad team with a star pitcher instead of trying to get out of the rut of being a bad team.

[3pirates3]

https://www.mlb.com/news/ryan-pressly-astros-cubs-trade

[Javy]

And, for what seems like the 47th time in the last 2 weeks, Roansey Contreras is picked up by another team as he returns to the Yankees after being waived by Baltimore.

i'm going to play a parlay that he winds up with every team before spring training.

[Wildwoodcoach]

Seems like everyone is trying to catch lightening in a bottle
which we all know just doesn't happen.

[Surgnbuck]

We're exactly 3 weeks away from first full squad workout. We're 16 days away from pitchers and catchers report.

So my question, when do we officially call the "offseason" over? One of those two dates? First regular season game?

Either way, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Daytona 500 on Sunday 2/16 and then 2/17 Spring Training gets underway completely.

Another offseason full of disappointment, and this one has been especially lackluster. I hate opening up the Pirates site and see nothing change for 3 or 4 days. I hate opening up the MLB page, and the only Pirates related mentions are a few of our players being listed in a group of 20 who will comprise the Top 10 right now for the season. The Bucs have Skenes and Cruz, and that's it. But at least Horwitz, Bart, IKF, Nicky G, and Reynolds were listed in the 20 player groups. Not much to hang a hat on there.

What's really fascinating to me, is this winter (for those of us living in Western Pennsylvania) has actually been a real winter so far. Lot of very cold, very grey days. It's almost as if the weather has matched the bleakness of the Pirates offseason to date.

It's sad that here we sit wondering if they'll get a Verdugo or Grichuk, yet in reality we know neither of those guys move the needle much more from what we already have in place. It's like going to a vending machine, and you see a lot of great snacks, but all you have is enough money to buy a 5 stick pack of Juicy Fruit. You'll sigh, buy that Juicy Fruit, smell the package and think how good Juicy Fruit could be if it lasted more than a minute of flavor. Kind of like when Michael Perez hit 3 HR's in a game, you were hoping that it would last, but you knew better.

So the offseason so far has been pretty much McCutchen, Horwitz, and Caleb Ferguson. If these guys were snacks, Cutch would be the bag of chips that was opened a couple of weeks ago, there's still a few good ones left there at the bottom of the bag, but overall kind of stale and falling apart, but not so much you can't enjoy them a little bit. Horwitz would be the new snack no one has heard of, and probably being pitched as a healthier alternative. Not going to hurt you much, but really not very flavorful and something you think you're going to enjoy everyday, like veggie straws. Ferguson is the snack that you buy from Dollar Tree to have your kindergarten kid take to a school party, one that no one has heard of, but is super cheap and you're not sure much about how it was made or where it came from, but it at least fills out the treat bag.

[mouse]

And to think, Surgnbuck, your post is one of the upbeat ones made recently.

[Surgnbuck]

And, for what seems like the 47th time in the last 2 weeks, Roansey Contreras is picked up by another team as he returns to the Yankees after being waived by Baltimore.

i'm going to play a parlay that he winds up with every team before spring training.

Just looking again at that trade: Jameson Taillon to Yankees for Roansy Contreras, Miguel Yajure, Canaan Smith-Njigba, Maikol Escotto.
Contreras still bouncing around.
Canaan Smith-Njigba is a minor leaguer in the White Sox system
Miguel Yajure was released by one NPB league team, and signed with another for 2025
Maikol Escotto I believe is still with the Pirates organization, he played at Greensboro last season, with a .612 OPS in a hitters league.

Jameson Taillon was traded to the Yankees for those 4 guys in 2021, and signed as a free agent with the Cubs after the 2022 season. In the 4 seasons he has been gone from our beloved Bucs, Taillon has made 118 starts and one relief appearance, pitched 641.1 innings, surrendering 289 earned runs for a 4.06 ERA. His lone relief appearance of 1 IP, he earned the save for that game. His lowest IP total was 2021, 144.1 IP, that coming off a revision of his TJ surgery in 2020. He also had 153 plate appearances as a Pirate, driving in 5 runs. He also had 2 plate appearances as a Yankee, drawing a walk in one of them.

CSN had 5 RBI as a Pirate in 44 plate appearances. Which means the Pirates got as much from JT's bat as they did from CSN.

Contreras made 30 starts with the Pirates, and 23 relief appearances earning 1 save. He pitched 182.2 innings, surrendering 98 earned runs for a 4.83 ERA.

Miguel Yajure started 4 games with the Pirates and 12 relief appearances, earning 1 save. He pitched 39.1 innings, surrendering 38 earned runs for a 8.69 ERA.

Escotto has not played above single A.

This is what the Pirates got for dealing Taillon with TWO YEARS of control remaining.