Colin Beazley's Pirates chat: 08.18.26
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Scorekeeper
12:20
Where is Horowitz? He seems to not be in the lineup as much as expected. Is he still dealing with his injury?
Colin Beazley
12:21
Just a lot of lefties recently. I expect him to start again tonight.

That said, he has slumped badly since returning. 5 for 39 (.128) isn't good enough.
Buzz
12:21
This may be a little early but with what do you project the pirates biggest offseason needs to be? Will the starting pitching need to be addressed?
Colin Beazley
12:24
  1. Figure out how to get the starting pitching back on track. You have the players to make this a strength. Maybe sign a No. 5.
  2. Re-sign Brandon Lowe/find your Lowe replacement.
  3. Figure out your long-term plan at catcher/third base.
  4. Make sure you have enough pitching depth to deal with inevitable injuries.
There's my top four. Obviously, there will be bigger storylines this offseason regardless of if the Pirates make coaching/front office changes.
Jojobubajr
12:24
Do you see the Pirates doing anything with the number of innings Ashcraft and Chandler are projected to pitch this year? I'm concerned they will not manage their innings which could cause problems down the road similar to Jared Jones and Oviedo, who is still injured and hasn't pitched yet this year
Colin Beazley
12:26
A question advocating for innings limits? I didn't know I was allowed to get those!

I doubt either will be pushed once the Pirates' playoff chances are officially zero. I think there's benefit in staying on the schedule and making a full season worth of starts, but four innings and 60 pitches is fine if the result doesn't matter. Use the time to get more experience for the minor league guys I mentioned above. But I don't see them being fully shut down unless they're dealing with injuries, instead of soreness.
Buzz
12:27
What vibe are you getting from the clubhouse? Is the team checked out or is there a sense of belief that they can make a run still?
Colin Beazley
12:28
I wouldn't say checked out. Feels like there's some excitement around getting Griffin/O'Hearn/Cruz back either now or in the near ish future. But it's certainly tighter than earlier this summer.
PhilinCT
12:28
As always, thank you for your insight and availability. What are you thoughts/odds on the likelihood of re-signing Lowe with a salary cap CBA vs non-salary cap CBA? They can slide Nicky G. back to second but would need to get a thumper for 3B. I think Lowe is a keeper if the price isn't totally outrageous.
Colin Beazley
12:31
I agree Lowe is a keeper. Been very impressed by him this year.

As for odds, tough to answer without knowing the system. I think the Pirates could make the money work under the current CBA -- he's on the books for 11.5 this year, Ozuna makes $10.5, and I don't necessarily expect him to be a $20+m a year player on a multi-year deal. But it's tough to answer without a CBA in place.
Tommac from Y-Town
12:31
Do you think that Henry Davis would hit for a higher average if he stopped trying to pull everything to left field?  Why can't he go with an outside pitch and hit the ball to right field?
Colin Beazley
12:32
Whenever Davis is at his best, it feels like he goes to the opposite field more. So many pulled foul balls.
Ryan
12:32
Colin with Oneil returning tonight how do they get Mangum playing time i think he looked good when Cruz was injured
Colin Beazley
12:33
I expect Mangum to still get looks as the fourth outfielder. He's hit well enough to stay in the mix and can play all three spots capably. I expect Cruz/Valdez/Reynolds to all have regular DH days, too.
Carmen Mlodzinski
12:33
What do you think about Travis Williams being the scapegoat? After all, he is the guy who made the ridiculous statement in the first place.
Colin Beazley
12:34
Entirely possible. Lot of different ways the Pirates can approach this.
The Eman
12:34
Starting pitching was supposed to be the Bucs greatest team strength. However, they woefully underperformed this year. Were they simply overrated, or are they as good as promised ? If potentially a major strength, what went wrong this year?
Colin Beazley
12:37
This is a major reason why the season has gone south. Apart from Braxton Ashcraft, none of the starters took a meaningful step up this year -- and even Ashcraft has been struggling from the break until Miami.

Skenes hasn't been excellent, regardless of what GMBC says. Mitch Keller was worse than anyone anticipated. I've been encouraged by what we've seen from Bubba Chandler lately, though I think expectations were higher this season overall. Jared Jones has slumped. Just haven't been as good as all thought they could be.
Pauly Walnuts
12:37
Not making excuses, but can you expect much given the plethora of injuries this team has had? Seriously, what bad luck. Griffin, Cruz, Horwitz, Rodriguez, O’Hearn, Keller (although he stunk) all out extended times. One comes back, another goes on IL. What exactly are they supposed to do to an extent???
Colin Beazley
12:37
It's a real argument. We'll see if this is the path Bob Nutting takes.
Syd
12:38
Any idea on who they might call up when the roster expands to 28? Im very intrigued by Mitch Jebb but I know he’s not on the 40 man. I was hoping we could see Johnathan Rodriguez but he was DFA’d. Maybe it will just be Griffin or O’Hearn if they’re healthy. Just curious your thoughts
Colin Beazley
12:40
Griffin could return Sept. 4. Jebb, Connor Wietgrefe and Brandon Neeck seem the likeliest off the 40-man, but in Wietgrefe's case, the Pirates don't need to add him until 2027.

I think it'll probably just be more depth. Pitching spot may just go to one of the starters for some bulk help.
Jim G
12:40
I realize it's hindsight, but I think the miscalculation that Soto and Santana would be effective in the "closer" role, and then staying with them long after they failed miserably, torpedoed the season from the outset.  Your thoughts?
Colin Beazley
12:43
I'll finish on this question from Jim... there's been a number of things that have gone wrong, but this was the story of the early season. 20 blown saves don't correlate to 20 wins, but just five would have the Pirates in the wild card race right now. I get that trades rarely happen before the deadline, but I do think deals could have been struck for Doval and Yates before then. That certainly couldn't have hurt.
12:44
That'll do for this week's Pirates live chat. If I didn't get to your question, feel free to email me (cbeazley at post-gazette dot com). Thank you as always, and I'll talk to you guys next week from sunny San Diego.
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