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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 03.11.20
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Jason Mackey
11:46
Hi folks. Welcome to my weekly chat. Leave your questions here, and I'll be back at noon to answer them. Thanks so much, as always, for participating!
Sammy
11:58
What is Vazquez's official status at the moment? He finished season on Administrative Leave and still being paid, but that's only temporary. He isn't on the roster at the moment, but my guess is that's due to the Restricted List status that came along with the placement on leave. He hasn't been convicted of a crime yet.
Basically...do the Pirates still have to pay him at the moment, or is MLB going to step in and suspend him before the season starts?
Jason Mackey
11:59
He is on the restricted list, Sammy. Which means that, no, he does not get paid while on it. I believe they can keep him on the list for as long as they wait, and he would not get paid.
Steve
11:59
Hi Jason. Live here in VA about 4.5 hours from PNC Park. Want to come up for a series this summer. You have seen a lot from the teams already this spring. What opponent would you pick that is on the schedule?
Jason Mackey
12:00
If you're in VA, why not come see the defending World Series champs, the Washington Nationals? Failing that, I would recommend any of the visiting teams ... or really just anything. Do we really need a special reason to see PNC Park?
Harry Bacz
12:00
With all the home runs flying out of the ball parks, why do you think that the Pirates hit so few as an organization?  Bad drafts? bad mechanics?  bad coaching?
Jason Mackey
12:01
Home runs cost money, Harry. Not trying to take a shot at the Pirates here, but if the Pirates had a roster full of big boppers, chances are they couldn't or wouldn't be able to pay all those guys. I think the goal here is to grow the payroll, but right now it isn't in a place where they can have a bunch of those guys. As a small-market team, the Pirates should be looking at different areas of the game to be good at, IMO.
Jack
12:01
Jason,  Do you think the dismal exhibition record is good indicator of how lacking in talent they are at this point and will be how the season plays out?  Thank you.
Jason Mackey
12:03
Hi Jack. I'm not taking their spring training record as any indicator that they're going to stink. I think overall one of the things you can (fairly criticize) the Pirates for is a lack of depth. I think spring training exposes that more than anything, as starters typically only play about half the games. We know they need to acquire more talent. What they do have is good enough to flirt with .500, in my opinion. I also don't think spring training results are a true predictor of regular season success. That said, they do need to pitch and hit better than they have once the regular season starts.
Dingo
12:03
Who is to blame for the two dudes getting thrown out at home?  Was it a player mistake or Joey Cora?  And why did the pirates retain Cora,  it seems if the rest of the previous regime is gone.
Jason Mackey
12:05
I don't know if there's anyone to blame, honestly. It was just a weird play. If Kevin Kramer doesn't fall doesn't fall down, we're not having this conversation. Are you gonna tell him to stay on his feet? Chances are he knows he needs to do that. Derek Shelton has also said they're gonna be aggressive and try some things in spring. My guess is this was one of those times. As for Cora, I agree he's probably over-aggressive, but I also would rather my third-base coach be too aggressive than not aggressive enough.
Wes Mantooth
12:05
Who do you see going at the deadline? Will the rebuild be more apparent once the season progresses? I don’t see the point in taking playing time away from tucker...
Jason Mackey
12:06
I could see Chris Archer, Keone Kela and Adam Frazier being deadline possibilities. I hope they don't trade Bell; I think they should still be trying to sign him long-term. But if the three I mentioned have good first halves, then I think it could make good business sense to move them. I'd like to see Tucker -- similar to Ke'Bryan Hayes -- go to Triple-A and force the big club to make a move because he's absolutely crushing the ball. We're not there yet with him.
Sammy
12:06
The placement on the Restricted List came with the Administrative Leave designation, so I wasn't sure if that was suspended was leave was done. "A Player placed on Administrative Leave shall be placed on the Major League Restricted List for purposes of the Club’s Reserve List limits."
Jason Mackey
12:07
Yeah, the restricted list can be indefinite.
Dingo
12:07
How has Colin Moran looked this spring?  I have always thought he capable of big things - but haven’t see it yet.  Has he already reached his maximum potential ?
Jason Mackey
12:08
I don't think so, Dingo. He has been up and down. I can't say I've seen a drastic change in his defense, which is a little disappointing. He has shown some decent pop, which could put the Pirates in a bit of a strange situation. Do they live with his fielding to get the bat? What is Hayes doing? So far Hayes has hit well. If he shows he can do that at the major league level, that will likely be his ticket to getting a regular major league job. But there's been nothing Earth-shattering thus far with Moran.
Wes Mantooth
12:08
Also; why are other teams tv deals publicized but the Pirates remain secretive? The lack of transparency this organization shows is astounding
Jason Mackey
12:09
In the Pirates' defense, it's not the norm to publicize your TV deal. I know some are out there, but there's also a large chunk that is not. The conspiracy theorist in me says they wanna keep it quiet because it would basically be setting a benchmark for the fan base. "You're making xxx in TV money, why aren't you spending more?!" That sorta thing.
Wayward
12:09
Other than the aforementioned play, how have the fundamentals been so far this spring?  The lack thereof was a major sore spot for me last year.
Jason Mackey
12:10
They have been better, absolutely. Something to consider here is how seemingly checked out they were on the whole last season. I don't know if that's an indictment of the players, Hurdle and Co., both or just a relationship running its course, but it certainly seems like that stuff has improved. And I agree with you: It absolutely needs to be better.
William
12:10
right now, is Jason Martin a better baseball player than Jarod Dyson? And if so, shouldn’t they roll with the young guy to see what they have?
Jason Mackey
12:11
I don't think so. Dyson has proven himself in this league. He's won a World Series. His personality has value. Nothing against Jason Martin, but what has he done at this level? Maybe if Dyson has a hot start and somebody wants him, it makes sense to skew younger. But right now, for $2 million, I have absolutely no problem playing Dyson as my regular CF.
Dingo
12:13
Do see the pirates employing the “opener” (starting a reliever) strategy again this year?  It seems like a good concept and seemed to work for the rays last year but not the bucs.
Jason Mackey
12:14
I don't know if I see that happening. I think it worked/works for the Rays because of personnel. The Pirates doing it with Michael Feliz, as they did last year, that's just not the same thing. Also, I would think with Holland, Brault and Kuhl, they should have at least a little more rotation depth than they did in 2019.
12:16
Jose Osuna 2019 vs. RHP: .284 BA/.849 OPS
Osuna 2019 vs. LHP: .228/.613
Osuna career vs. RHP: .247/.724
William
12:17
Do the pirates have the magical powers to combine Moran, who crushes righties, and Osuna, who crushes lefties, into one player? Cause I think they’d have something there
Jason Mackey
12:17
Osuna career vs. LHP: .244/.713
*** I'm not sure I would say that Osuna crushes lefties. Or that he hits them significantly better than he does righties. It may be the other way around.
12:19
Moran has a .767 career OPS vs. righties compared to .630 vs. lefties, but those numbers did improve at least a little during the second half of last season.
PhillyJake
12:19
With such a low payroll this year, why don't they extend Bell with a heavy front loaded contract?  Just to have some fun with it, let's say they give him $40m this year, the next six years at $10m.  Payroll this year still below $100m, and he's locked up for 7 years at a manageable amount with which they can afford to sign other free agents!
Jason Mackey
12:21
I really don't think the Pirates are going to sign Josh Bell to a contract that would make him baseball's highest-paid player. I mean, I wanted them to sign Bell and spend more money, but that's a pretty big ask. That said, I get what you're saying: front load the contract and buy out some arb/free agency years. I would definitely like to see them try, but I also think he might (reasonably) say, "Nah, you know what? I'm this close. I think I'm gonna try free agency."
Wayward
12:21
Any scenario at this point where Gonzalez doesn't make the team.  He seems to have been just "meh" to this point.
Jason Mackey
12:22
If they warm to the idea of keeping three catchers, perhaps. John Ryan Murphy has been decent this spring, and they could value his bat off the bench. I doubt it, but I think that would be the scenario. They seem to like Gonzalez, for his versatility, defense and ability to hit lefties.
PhillyJake
12:22
Amy chance we see Taillon in the bullpen as the season wanes?
Jason Mackey
12:22
Unless he walks down there to see a couple buddies, none. Just not worth it.
Randy
12:22
Any insight to how much all the pre-arb players settled for yet, or is that not something you look into?
Jason Mackey
12:24
It's not something I spend a ton of time worrying about, to be honest. They also make a little more than the major league minimum. It's really a formality. Doesn't change things either way, as they're under club control.
Sammy
12:24
Any chance that Kuhl opens on the IL, kind of like Lyles last year, just to continue catching up?
Jason Mackey
12:25
Umm ... I don't know about on the IL but maybe in the IL. Kuhl threw a two-inning sim game the other day. That's not terribly far behind the others. He could be game ready by the start of the season, even if it's for a bullpen role. He could also open the season with Class AAA Indianapolis, as I believe he has at least one option left.
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