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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 03.20.23
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Jason Mackey
12:38
I do, yes.
Miguel Andujar
12:38
Am I gonna make the team ?
Jason Mackey
12:38
Not out of camp. Roster math is too tough.
Darnell
12:38
Thanks for your chats and reports from Bradenton.  Will Matt Capps and Kevin Young be part of the broadcasting team during the regular season?  I hope Steve Blass will be on a few times too.
Jason Mackey
12:39
Thanks Darnell. They will, yes. Not sure about Blass. He's obviously big-time and sought after from coast-to-coast. But I would think he'll still make time for the little people. Usually does. (This is a highly sarcastic response, delivered with the hope that someone close to Steve will tell him I said it.)
Nothing much
12:39
CBS Sports did a ranking of Top 50 prospects, and only one Pirate prospect made it at #37. This great minor league system seems to be all hat, no cattle
Jason Mackey
12:39
Curious how much of any of these guys CBS Sports has seen. Have yet to see a credentialed reporter from that site at a spring training workout or game.
Frank L.
12:39
Jason, big fan. I have a question regarding Derek Shelton.. hearing rumors he’ll be playing a little DH this year. Can you confirm or deny this report
Jason Mackey
12:40
Shelty is gonna DH for himself? I gotta see this. Does he get one boat paddle or two?
Bombs Away
12:41
This pitching staff is ridiculous. Do they realize if you give up a touchdown a game that a BAD thing in Baseball ?
Jason Mackey
12:41
Not sure, but they do spend a lot of time trying to defend two-point conversions.
Brian T.
12:41
With all the Pirates’ young talent, have you heard any trade rumors?  Thanks.
Jason Mackey
12:41
Have not, Brian. Sorry.
Ugly
12:41
They lose at least 100 this year and likely more. I think Cruz is Polanco 2.0. I don't see much in the way to be optimistic about with this team
Jason Mackey
12:42
Well, it's good you're following along by participating in chats then.
Jerry
12:42
Since you mention CSN, are you  a fan of CSN’s music or am I just showing my age?
Jason Mackey
12:42
I am, Jerry. I love your pedal steel on Teach Your Children.
62 Stack Monster
12:42
If backup catching has been rough, why not use Endy?  Play your best players is the only way I know how to win
Jason Mackey
12:42
Because he's not ready. Still has catching work to do. I would rather they do this right and not Polanco the poor kid. I can wait.
Morty
12:42
Any update on where and how we will be watching Pirate games this season? It’s getting close and has been relatively quiet on what’s going on.
Jason Mackey
12:43
No update, but as I said before, I would expect either MLB.TV with blackout restrictions lifted or NESN/CW/some element of cable bundle. Perhaps even a fudged AT&T, there for the game but revenue going to the Pirates.
Pilsner
12:43
Hey Jason, how has Cruz been playing at short?  Has he improved?
Jason Mackey
12:44
He actually has been better. I've been watching his feet, which has been a focal point. It's much more consistent. Hasn't guaranteed stuff. Throws still tend to sail on him sometimes, but yeah, I do think there has been some improvement.
Wayward
12:44
Jason, I am sorry for the poorly worded question about the 4th bench spot but thank you for the answer.  Are the Bucs at the stage of rebuild that they would cut Choi to reward a more deserving player rather than playing him for a couple of months to see if they can get something out of him on the trade market?
Jason Mackey
12:44
If they didn't think they could get anything back, yeah. And I worry whether they can. Took them peanuts to get him in November.
Canyon
12:44
I mean the silence with the Bryan Reynolds situation almost has to be good? If nothing was getting done you would think something would have been leaked to the media. It’s not uncommon for Bryan’s agents to do that. I might just be thinking to hard about it.
Jason Mackey
12:45
I have mixed emotions on it. On one hand, I agree with you. Silence often translates into sides working on something. We're also talking about the Pirates. Assuming they're spending money is often a stupid move.
Q
12:45
With Diaz going down in NY, if the Mets were to try to get Bednar, do you think the Pirates would consider?
Jason Mackey
12:45
It depends on the offer. Is it nuts? They would have to. But it would have to be nothing short of nuts, which it wouldn't be.
Jeff
12:45
Speaking of Crews, should be interesting if picked and he demands all the slot money which would not allow the Henry Davis type draft of giving under slot and using savings on harder to sign subsequent picks. Any sense if Bucs shy away from him in that case?
Jason Mackey
12:46
None. They've spent every dollar of their allotted money in the draft. If Crews is indeed as good as he looks, and that made sense baseball-wise -- meaning you'd rather have one elite talent versus spreading it around -- then absolutely they would take Crews.
Wally
12:47
Jason, among the young prospects, are there any better suited for the DH role rather than an actual position?
Jason Mackey
12:47
Yeah. I could see Canaan slotting there, honestly. Cal Mitchell isn't the greatest defender, if he winds up hitting. Malcom Nunez could be a DH type.
Guest
12:47
For those of us who don’t get paid to watch/follow the Pirates, why should we care about this team?  The owner doesn’t.  I’d rather they show movies on the big screen if attracting fans is just about a nice way to spend the evening in the city.
Jason Mackey
12:48
It's not my job to sell the Pirates to you. I work for the Post-Gazette, not them. If you don't wanna follow the Pirates, don't. I like baseball. I like writing about baseball and being around baseball. So I'm gonna be around baseball, and the Pirates provide the most convenient medium to do it. If you disagree with how they do business, vote with your dollar.
Oneil Cruz Fan Club
12:49
I would have to imagine that the Bucs will have to look at extending Cruz before he prices himself out of Pittsburgh. Any shot Cruz could get extended before the season?
Jason Mackey
12:49
There's a shot, yes. Tough to handicap whether it's a good chance. But it's the type of deal teams like the Pirates have to make: paying before a player earns more money. Leveraging the value. Whatever you wanna call it.
Cullen B
12:49
Im not super up to date on modern defensive metrics but Reynolds theoretically should perform better with 2 natural OF'ers next to him in CF correct? He was flanked by Tucker, Castillo, Van Meter, Marcano, etc for a not insignificant portion of last year and I definitely remember some errors that probably dont happen with a natural Outfielder there. His first step might not be the best but he was a good defensive CF'er in 2021, I bet he can get back to that point and be at least average.
Jason Mackey
12:50
I agree with you, Cullen. Very intelligent way of looking at it. I also think the Pirates are trying to maximize talent deployment by essentially playing a CF in LF. But in all of that, I think they're missing the obvious: Reynolds is a solid center fielder who plays around crap last season, likes playing center, and the OF this spring has been bad. So stop force-feeding it.
Wayward
12:51
Jason, thank you for the chats and even moreso your outstanding coverage of spring training!   I originally thought the Bucs may go dumpster diving for a utility guy and/or a bullpen arm around cut down days.   After looking at this roster and the performance i am beginning to think they standpat.  What do you think?
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