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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 01.05.23
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Justin
12:35
Have you heard anything interesting about how any players' winters are going?  Like i know Davis is spending time at Driveline working on his swing.  Anything else similar?
Jason Mackey
12:35
Not a ton. Players tend to enjoy their winters away from us. We're gonna talk to 20+ players tonight and tomorrow at PiratesFest. I should know plenty more after that.
BucsFan
12:35
Say the Pirates and White Sox were actually talking about Cease, would you want Luis Robert as well? Since Cease is a Boras cilent and Robert has a chance to stay longer.
Jason Mackey
12:36
I would want Luis Robert, yes. Do I think it's realistic for the Pirates to obtain both via trade, given the known ask(s)? No, I don't.
brucelet
12:37
Should the Pirates sign Gary Sanchez and send Henry to AAA to work out defensive issues?
Jason Mackey
12:38
I would not be against it. I also wonder if Sanchez would want to sign here. The path to playing time is funky. He might be able to get something a little more clear.
Justin
12:38
to fred: there have been zero credible frazier rumors.  "MLB Scoops" tweeted it, and the Tribune Review basically took that and said "there are internet rumors of Frazier".  Awfully lazy.   At that point, MLBTR took that article and repeated it.  Then the internet took it and ran with it.  Unless you buy "MLB SCOOPS" as a legit source, there has been zero reliable reporting on Frazier.
Jason Mackey
12:38
I don't criticize other outlets. Maybe it's true, I don't know. But I was asked, and I said that I have not heard that in my conversations with people about their plans.
Jay
12:38
Hi Jason. The Pirates have eight pitching prospects listed in their top 10. Outside of Paul Skenes, which of the minor-league pitching prospects do you think has the most upside and are any of them on target to arrive later in the second half of this season?
Jason Mackey
12:39
I'm very big on Jared Jones & Anthony Solometo. Completely different styles but excellent stuff, ability to get swing and miss, they stay in the zone. Really curious to see how these guys continue to develop. Bubba Chandler, too.
Jerry
12:39
Jason, attentive chatters will recognize that you are apparently now moving Dark Star above your previously declared GOAT of Scarlet Begonias. Just asking for a little more consistency on your part. Thanks.
Jason Mackey
12:40
College football rankings change. Mine can, too. Depends on mood.
Uncle Bobby
12:40
Whats your best guess for 2024 opening day payroll?
Jason Mackey
12:40
I'll go with around $75 million.
Trevor
12:40
Hey Jason, lot of news to take in following the news last night with us being interested in 3 free agents. Question for you is do you think the trade possibility is still alive to maybe grab Edward Cabrera? Or someone similar to his current situation being a young starter with high upside? If so, when do you think we could expect a trade, I know Pirates social media is all waiting for it to happen if it could.
Jason Mackey
12:41
Ha, I have certainly noticed that Pirates Twitter has been waiting for it to happen. Yes, I think it's entirely possible, if not likely. Again, trade > free agency is something I've heard a lot about. Also, that they need more pitching. Add it up, and yeah, Pirates Twitter should expect a move. Just hard to give an exact timeline on this stuff.
Leonard Williams
12:42
With the recent news of the Mets being interested in moving from Omar Navarez and eating up some of his 7M player option for 2024… do you see the Pirates maybe being a fit for a trade? Back up Henry, give the Pirates a lefty hitting backup catcher to give Henry his occasional off-days for a cheap option
Jason Mackey
12:43
I wouldn't. I question what you'd have to give up there. Would imagine there's a safe option available that's similar to Narvaez on the FA market. Again, I hope Henry catches and does so extremely well. I just worry about the position given his lack of work, Ali Sanchez making 7 MLB starts and Jason Delay never being a No. 1 ... shoot, what, since college?
Dan
12:43
Jason, love your work man, thanks for all you do. I know BC said as much, but do you see Henry going into the season as the every day guy behind the dish? Do you think he’s developed enough defensively to do so? Adding on to that, say he’s not there defensively but the bat comes around more, how do you see that playing out? Going to be quite the crowded outfield/DH spot especially if they’re looking to bring another outfielder in. Feel like they’re riding on Henry being ready defensively.
Jason Mackey
12:44
Hi Dan. Thank you for the kind words. I don't know. I need to see Henry more in games, and we haven't had much data there. I think it's possible. I think they would like that. I think he has the tools. But he hasn't done it. If he hits & fields (behind the plate) like crap, that's gonna be interesting. Will depend on how the RF situation looks with a variety of moving pieces there.
Dan
12:44
Hey Jason..crazy idea but with the sillly inane money being spent on starting pitching..Does this change drafting philosophies of teams like the Pirates As Royals etc ? I mean don’t they need to draft as much pitching as possible?
Jason Mackey
12:45
I think they knew that they needed to draft a metric crap ton of pitching and develop it. It's not a crazy idea. It's a common/smart practice for successful small market teams.
Dave
12:45
Have you heard any rumblings about Brady Singer? Even though the Royals have added a lot, things have never been great between player and team since he was drafted, so it wouldn't surprise me if they still dealt him. Maybe he's another one to add to the bucket of a guy like Cabrera as a more realistic trade target for one of the MIF guys we have.
Jason Mackey
12:48
Have not heard rumblings about that, but I would like it a lot. Young. Has been better than he was last year. Comes with believe 3 years of club control. Wouldn't cost an arm & and a leg.
Billy
12:49
Jason, if you had to pick the most realistic look for how our starting lineup/rotation would look like including potential acquisitions between now and Opening Day… what would it look like?
Jason Mackey
12:50
Alright, let's take a shot ... SS Cruz, LF Reynolds, DH McCutchen, 1B Tellez, 3B Hayes, CF Suwinski, RF Olivares, C Davis, 2B Peguero. As of now anyway. ... Keller-Perez-Gonzales-Contreras-Priester ... again, as of now. And I think Ortiz becomes a reliever. I also think they sign another pitcher.
Diontae
12:50
Jason, could you cover the pig iron in a pinch? Or does your knowledge stop or at least rapidly deteriorate after hockey, baseball and jam bands?
Jason Mackey
12:50
I could do it. I have done it.
Jake
12:51
I heard Robert Murray from FanSided stated he could see Yariel Rodriguez getting between 8-10M per year… with the Pirates interest in him, could you see us being more in play with that price tag?
Jason Mackey
12:51
Yeah, they're one of four finalists. But I've also heard the Blue Jays are the frontrunner. I do think Rodriguez's decision could be what's holding everything up, though. Pirates need to know if they have him or not.
Anthony
12:51
Do you expect an extension this year for someone that isn't Mitch or Bednar?
Jason Mackey
12:52
At this point, no, I don't.
Ryan
12:52
Good afternoon Jason what is the next Move The pirates Make is it a Trade or free agent signing
Jason Mackey
12:52
I think it's a trade for starting pitching, likely bundling a couple prospects.
Justin
12:52
What do you make of their choice to make the Piratesfest Q&A into an online submission process as opposed to having people ask in person?   It's really hard to not see this as a little cowardly and as an attempt to control the narrative.  Do you think one of the guys on the stage wanted this to be the case or do you think an HR person decided that doing in-person questions would be a disaster?
Jason Mackey
12:53
I hate it. And, yeah, I think it probably came from one of the guys on the stage. They're probably afraid of someone saying something incendiary or creating a moment that goes viral, like the kid with the shirt and Nutting a couple years back. So, they take their crap now, but it's less than if someone starts ranting into the microphone about Nutting and someone films the incident.
12:54
But for the sake of transparency and allowing fans to ask questions. I think you have to let them ask. If it becomes awkward or disrespectful, cut the mic. But screening the questions, in my opinion, is not a good look for an organization that likes to talk about transparency. That's not terribly transparent.
Cullen
12:54
Hey Jason, hope you had a great holiday! Are the Pirates waiting out other teams signing players before making a trade?
Jason Mackey
12:56
Thanks, Cullen. You as well. Yeah, we've covered a lot of this. I think they're waiting teams out. I think they're trying to make an effective trade and need to know what's happening with Yariel Rodriguez before proceeding. It's also a slow market.
B Weir
12:56
Jason, have you heard Winding Roads with that Marley kid?
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