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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 04.08.22
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Jason Mackey
12:07
Hello, everyone. Sorry for the delay. Let's get right to it.
Lonnie Chisenhall
12:08
Miss me yet?  I'm still here....give me a call!
Jason Mackey
12:08
Thanks, Lonnie. Stay well.
Guest
12:08
are the Pirates for real? Some of these players that they just put on the roster I never even heard of. Why not bring up the kids?
Jason Mackey
12:10
What do you mean for real? Like are they actual people? I just saw them yesterday, so I think so. Because you need to develop players. Some aren't ready, and that's OK. You also have some vets who may be good, and if you are, you try to trade them.
barkscotty
12:10
What's the chance Hayes gets traded in the short term?  If he pans out...other teams will jump at the chance to get him.  Given the history of this regime, it's hard to deny that they might try to dump the contract even though the per year value pales in comparison to other contracts in the MLB.
Jason Mackey
12:11
Zero. Why would they do that? They've taken a pretty big risk. Kid had a .689 OPS last year. He can do better. Why would they trade a player they just signed at his lowest people? This is a case of Pirates Fan Always Assuming the World. I get why it exists, but it shouldn't govern reality.
Greg
12:11
Jason, Hi, thanks for the great job your doing. With most of the key future Pirates in AA, do you think the plan is to leave them there all year or will they be September call ups? Also do you think they will get something done with Reynolds?
Jason Mackey
12:12
I think they will get a two-year something done with Reynolds. And thanks, Greg, for the kind words. An extension? Not this offseason. Not ruling it out, but they're not close. They haven't been close in terms of valuation on the player. As for the minor league stuff, I don't think they know. And that's OK. I think it will depend on how guys perform. If, say, Nick Gonzales dominates AA, then, yeah, he's gonna move up. If he hits .220, he won't.
Benson DuBois
12:12
We don't know this, but say the Bucs have an operating budget to legitimately support a $100M payroll on the major league level.
12:13
We don't know this, but say the Bucs can legitimately support a $100M payroll.  Are they saving for mid-decade when they may have a legitimate chance?  I can deal with the pain of today, if that is the true end-game.
Jason Mackey
12:14
Sorry. Moved the first one over before I saw your next question. More or less, yes. I think the Pirates are spending right now where it makes sense for them -- Hayes, international, draft, coaching, tech, scouting, etc. Not major league players because they don't feel like they have enough of a chance to compete. They can't say that, obviously. But it's part of the team-building process. Have said this a bunch, I don't think good, smart baseball people would come here if they didn't think the Pirates would try to do this the right way. That will mean spending on Hayes and other things.
Maz01
12:14
Hi Jason, Here is a two part question, with the signing of Ke'Bryan Hayes, do you think the Pirates got him cheap 8 years and $70 million and also, since they signed him to that contract, but you believe that means Bryan Reynolds will be traded ?
Jason Mackey
12:15
No on the second part, at least not now. If the Pirates don't believe they can extend Reynolds -- and that might be reality, who knows -- then there might come a time for that. It's not now.
12:16
And I don't really have any takes on the Hayes thing. Guess I should. Strikes me as a deal that's fair for both sides. Will also depend on how he performs over the life of the contract. Right now, more than anything, it's a gamble. A calculated one, mind you. But it's still a risk.
Gene
12:16
When do they expect Greg Allen to come back ?
Jason Mackey
12:16
Not for at least 60 days, I know that.
Lad09
12:16
An on the field future question for you since I suspect that you will be bombarded with contract/money queries today. If Mason Martin can't tame the K monster enough to be a viable option in the majors, is there anyone in the prospect group that should start hitting the shores of the Allegheny in 2023/24 that could slot in at first base?
Jason Mackey
12:19
The K monster! Hope I don't get bitten by the K monster. Umm, short answer is probably not, no. You're not gonna put Oneil Cruz over there. I can't think of anyone off-hand with left-handed power close to that of Martin or Cruz. Goal would be to develop some, obviously. Triolo and Davis are righties. Thought about them, but you're saying Allegheny River.
Bob Nutting
12:19
I'm thinking of trading ONiel Cruz for 28oz can of crushed tomatoes....not the store brand type...that would be stupid....I'm thinking Contadina!
Jason Mackey
12:20
What an amazing question/comment. Insightful and humorous.
befuddled
12:20
Why sign an unproven (never really did anything significant in his first full year) and is hurt often to a long term contract and ignoring a proven commodity in Bryan Reynolds?
Jason Mackey
12:21
Because it's not Giant Eagle and you can't just pick out what you want to put in your cart? Reynolds and the Pirates haven't been close on an extension. Different with Key. This deal makes sense for him. It's also a smart risk for the Pirates. You're betting on a player's future and that he'll become what you think he'll become. They're trying to fix the Reynolds situation as I reported.
Jeff T
12:21
saw your story about the Pirates not wanting to go to arbitration with Reynolds. If it does get that far, what do you think the odds would be that the procedure would be less acrimonious than a typical hearing, in order to maintain good relations?
Jason Mackey
12:22
If they got to arb, it would be bad. It always is. Team rips player. Player voices frustration. Nobody wins. They're trying to avoid that with this "procedure," by maintaining precedent with file-and-trial with a two-year deal and hopefully enabling talks on a bigger extension.
Maz01
12:22
Jason, The Pirate lineup that took the field yesterday was the worst opening day lineup that I have ever seen including the 1962 Mets, Is GMBC goal to tank again this year and not even try?
Jason Mackey
12:23
I don't think the goal is to tank again and not even try, no. But I do think they understand where they are in the rebuild, they want to use playing time to give to players and let them play their way into asset territory and continue to truly build from within.
Bryce
12:23
Why do the Pirates get rid of great players like McCutchen, Marte, Polanco, Neil Walker, Mercer, Josh Harrison, Josh Bell, Adam Frazier, Cervelli, Russell Martin, Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton, Tony Watson, Mark Melancon, and other great players? Like this was the elite team and ever since 2014 the franchise has gone down hill. I am annoyed with this franchise staff and can't stand being a fan anymore. After I heard the news of Polanco being traded/released, that was the last straw for me. Now I'm a White Sox and Mariners fan because I wanna watch more of Josh Harrison and Adam Frazier. Just annoying that the Pirates are like the only team that does this.
Jason Mackey
12:25
They're the only pro team that trades players? Bryce, I understand that the Pirates have been cheap and done stupid things. I'm not defending them. But let's not act like this doesn't happen all over pro sports. That stuff is designed to happen. That being said, yeah, the Pirates have done that too much. It's not fair to fans. They need to be different, no doubt. I also can't give you one reason that covers all of those situations. They're all different.
PrinceBob
12:26
I'm guessing you like the Hayes contract even though he really hasn't hit spectacularly and has been injury prone? But it got me thinking about the times the Pirates have done these kinds of deals and how well or poorly they went.  McCutchen was a giant success. I'd say Marte was a success except for the time he was suspended. From there, Polanco was maybe as much a bust as McCutchen was a success. Who else was there? Jose Tabata seemed a minor bust. I can't really decide about Jason Kendall. Who have I missed?
Jason Mackey
12:28
You're right on the first point. They have to take these chances. Why would I hate it? They're spending money. Isn't that what we get on them about? I think you got the pertinent ones. Relative recent, I wouldn't put, like, Burnett or Martin in that category.
PrinceBob
12:29
I was watching a video of 75 year old Bill Lee pitching an inning for a minor league team in Georgia. My first thought was that the Pirates should sign him but the real question it brought up was whether Sabremetrics have killed the soft tosser? Are there any in MLB you can think of? And how about knuckleballers? Is anyone in MLB throwing one?
Jason Mackey
12:29
Not that I know of, no. It's all about velocity, unfortunately.
Justin R.
12:29
It seems like there is diminished optimism for Miguel Yajure. Is this attributable only to his injury history? He was a former Top 100 prospect and has pitched well when healthy, yet he doesn't often come up in discussions of the future rotation.
Jason Mackey
12:30
I don't know where you're getting diminished optimism. He was just a little hurt and slow to get going. Maybe that's what you're picking up on. He's gonna pitch in St. Louis, and I'll be curious to see how he fares. I like him. Good kid. Has an excellent arsenal. May need some more development, but it's in there.
Herman
12:30
Any word if the AAA team is going to change their nickname?
Jason Mackey
12:30
I don't believe so. Not sure if that's final, but that review process started a while ago and didn't lead to anything. So ... I don't know what the holdup could be.
Munkeefist
12:31
Watching Cole Tucker play in the outfield makes me nervous...Probably a higher ceiling with the glove than Polanco if he committed to it, but I sure hope the Pirates take a swing and promote one of our AAA guys before too long...Who do you think gets the first shot if you had to guess? Thanks for the chat!! Love your work!!
Jason Mackey
12:31
Outfield-wise, not sure. Will be based on who's playing well, and we haven't seen enough to judge. With Marisnick in the fold, I think he will get plenty of reps out there. You may see Tucker a ton, but I think he's back to more of a utility role.
Wayward
12:31
Jason,  I hope you are going to do something fun in St. Louis today!  Per your story this morning, what do you think a reasonable 2 year deal for Reynolds would be?  2 year 10.5?
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