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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 01.12.23
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Jason Mackey
12:30
I find that hard to believe at this point. They need someone for April. Vince will be delayed. Maybe if he comes cheap, but the projected amounts I've seen for VV likely don't make sense for them.
Q
12:31
How big of a role do you see Olivares having? With his pop it seems plausible he could be a 20+ HR guy given enough PAs
Jason Mackey
12:31
Yeah, I'm intrigued by him. I think he will have a chance to earn a lot of playing time in right field or even center if something happens with Suwinski. It will come down to how much he hits. Bunch of power. I see him as havin a pretty sizable role on the team.
Ryan
12:32
Jason when do the pirates make another move go pirates can’t wait for the season to start soon
Jason Mackey
12:32
Not getting into the timeline on this stuff. Too hard, too much room for error. I think they will do something between now and spring.
Tyler
12:32
Are the Pirates the favorite for Yariel Rodriguez?
Jason Mackey
12:33
Weren't the Blue Jays "the favorite" for Ohtani? Don't like the favorite talk/speculation. So much can and does change. The favorite for anything depends a lot on who you ask. Unless that's the player himself -- I don't have Yariel's number, unfortunately -- it's hard to pin down.
Noah
12:33
Hi Jason, are you still hearing that they are still working on this potential trade?
Jason Mackey
12:34
They would like to add pitching, and the most likely way is pitching. I do not know if that is currently active, but I do believe it'll happen before spring training.
Will
12:34
I wouldn't carry water for Bob Nutting, but the controversy over Pirates' Fest seems a bit overblown. They took online questions from people not attending in person - was that "screening" questions? Of course Nutting didn't help matters by not attending in person, which should be the bigger controversy.
Jason Mackey
12:35
I'm not carrying water either, but Nutting was at PiratesFest. I talked to him. I guess you thought he should be on stage? I have no issue with what the Pirates did. They allowed themselves to be asked why they don't spend more money, when are they gonna spend more money, why have they screwed up development and other stuff that wasn't remotely positive. (They're also fair questions that should be asked ... and have been asked by yours truly and others.)
brucelet
12:35
For SP, if we can't do a trade with Miami or Seattle who makes sense in free agency? Paxton, Bauer??, Yariel, Wood?
Jason Mackey
12:35
Yes, yes, yes and yes.
12:38
In all seriousness, maybe not Paxton because I think they could use another righty. But I would be fine with Wood, Bauer and Yariel. PNC would help Wood vs. RHH. That's who Fort wants, and who am I to disagree with him? The Bauer thing is a larger discussion -- and from everything I've understood is a moot point. Rodriguez comes down to his decision. They're in.
brucelet
12:38
How many wins in '24 as things stand? I'm thinking 81. Will one good SP make much of a difference?
Jason Mackey
12:38
I'm going 84. I think one SP would sure help -- meaning one more than now. But it also has to be, as I said before, incumbent on young guys to turn the corner. So much matters with Roansy, Q, Ortiz, Jones and Skenes, plus Bru and Burrows coming back.
Tyler
12:39
Hey Jason, hope all is well. I know this question continues to be brought up regarding adding pitchers to the staff... but have there been any recent rumblings/reports on any pitching additions via free agency/trade to the Pittsburgh Pirates since last week's chat?
Jason Mackey
12:39
Nothing new, Tyler. I'm sorry.
Guest
12:39
Hi Jason! There was an MLBTR article that came out a couple of weeks ago claiming the Pirates had expressed interest in resigning Carlos Santana. Do you think this is a possibility given their earlier signing of Téllez?
Jason Mackey
12:40
Got this one a little earlier. I would be surprised if they also brought in Santana. If they did that, would bump Rowdy to DH. What about Cutch? And will that be enough at-bats for Rowdy to get in a groove? Also, remember after the Rowdy signing, GMBC said the bulk of Rowdy's playing time would come at first base. That doesn't sound like someone who's looking to sign Santana.
Andy
12:40
hi jason
Jason Mackey
12:40
Hi Andy.
Marc
12:40
Hey Jason, thanks for the great coverage. With Endy out all year I was thinking about how he could grow during a lost season. Do you know if the team plans to work with him on pitch framing, blocking, or game calling? None of those things require a right arm.
Jason Mackey
12:41
I don't know the physical affects that any of that stuff could have on healing -- maybe nothing -- but knowing Endy, I fully expect him to be around, learning and doing whatever he can to get better. He loves this and wants to be really good. There will absolutely be a plan scripted for him to do as much as he's physically able to do.
Wil
12:42
Is the team interested in another SP free agent other than Yariel? Michael Lorenzen is a player that they should target imo. Thanks for the great job you do Jason.
Jason Mackey
12:42
I would be surprised if they added Yariel AND someone else. Unless it's a serious reclamation project, which is not how I would describe Lorenzen.
Will
12:42
After seeing Soto get 31M avoiding arb, made me wonder if Pirates should try to extend Skenes now - if he's legit his arb numbers could get prohibitive even before reaching FA
Jason Mackey
12:44
Have heard this one before. I don't see how that makes sense for either side. If you're Skenes, do you wanna tether yourself to the Pirates for that long? If you're the Pirates, you already have him for six years for cheap(ish). He's a pitcher. Things happen. He'll be nearing 30. Do we need to commit to that next contract -- why else would Paul sign it? -- now? I don't think so, personally.
Bob
12:44
Do you knoe how much cash the Nutting family took out of the Pirates in 2223 in salary, bonsus
Jason Mackey
12:46
We have no way of knowing that. We took an investigation into Nutting and the Pirates' finances as far as we could as a paper, involving Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, lawyers, the whole nine. It doesn't get us there. The Pirates are considered a private business that rents a public facility (PNC Park). That does not enable us to see their bank account, and that sort of stuff is also not made public by MLB.
Will
12:46
Is the increasingly common opt out clause for pitchers and Pirates' resistance to it impacting their ability to sign FAs?
Jason Mackey
12:46
No, I don't think so. I think it's more the size of contracts, the sensibility of taking some of those risks and also the Pirates as a destination for players.
Justin
12:46
Who do you see as the team to beat in the central, and how many wins do you see being required to beat them?
Jason Mackey
12:47
Whew. This is a good one. I know it's not the Pirates. As of now, have a tough time saying it'll be the Brewers. I think the Cardinals will bounce back and be in it. Cubs and Reds, too. If I have to pick one, though, I think I'm going Cubs.
Andy
12:47
Jason, what do you think the pirates record will be as they stand right now?
Jason Mackey
12:48
I'm saying 84 wins. So, 84-78.
Ed
12:48
How are the fans reacting to the ‘24 Pirates at the box office. Increased season tickets to date?
Jason Mackey
12:49
They do not publish those numbers, unfortunately. And it's tough to say. PiratesFest had a ton of people. Attendance was up 30% last year. But there's also a bunch of negativity on Twitter. Then again, there's always a bunch of negativity on Twitter, especially as it relates to the Pirates.
SteeloCity
12:49
Jason, I feel like they need another CF a lot more than you think. Palacios starting everyday is not what you would see from a team trying to contend. A guy like Michael A Taylor would shift Suwinski to RF and help out a week pitching staff with great defense
Jason Mackey
12:50
You're allowed to think whatever you want, but I would rather they add to the starting pitching group. I'm fine seeing what Olivares can do every day or maybe playing Cutch more. Perhaps Joe and Palacios see some time. Taylor had an OPS+ of 94 last year. Joe and Olivares were both well over 100 (which is league average).
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