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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 08.04.23
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Jason Mackey
10:47
Hello, everyone. Welcome to my weekly Pirates chat. Thanks for stopping by. You know the drill. We'll get started at noon.
12:00
And away we go ...
Ryan Doumit Fan Club
12:00
Carmen Mdlodzinski has done well as a reliever. However, there will be open spots in the rotation next year. Do you think the Pirates might want to give him another chance as a starter next spring training?
Jason Mackey
12:01
I doubt it. They still need relievers -- and you're right. Carmen has been outstanding in that role. I see him as someone who grows as a reliever more so than going back to starting. I think the hope rotation-wise should be for Paul Skenes to join it, Jared Jones to make it up, etc.
Ryan Doumit Fan Club
12:01
Who arrives in the majors first? Anthony Solometo or Paul Skenes?
Jason Mackey
12:02
I would go with Skenes.
Cullen B
12:02
Do you have any indication of the terms and money that was offered to Keller?
Jason Mackey
12:02
I do not, no. Sorry.
Cullen B
12:02
Did the Pirates get any offers for Bednar or Keller that were remotely close to their valuation?
Jason Mackey
12:03
I know they got a lot of calls on those guys. I do not know the size or scope of any offers they were weighing. I do know the ask was sky high, so I doubt any came close.
Maz01
12:03
Good afternoon Jason, thanks for todays chat. Is it alarming to you that the Pirates are this far into their rebuild, and they can't do the Fundamentals, that their young players are not developed?  Thank you
Jason Mackey
12:05
I think a couple things relative to the timeline of the rebuild. I wish we saw more evidence of players getting better here. I'm not sure there has been as much progress on that front as you'd like, specifically young guys. Castro, Marcano, Bae, etc. Hasn't been many players taking that next step. Offensively, honestly, it's hard to think of one who has gotten a ton better. They have improved some defensively, but it was a low bar. I'll go back to something I said earlier. I think there's much to be determined by the young guys. If they can finish the season strong, I think you can call them on schedule or ahead of it. If they don't, I think they have some problems. But we have to let it play out.
EvanMeek
12:05
Good morning, Seeing Nick Gonzalez sent back down was sad, and I wonder of Henry Davis might be next. His hitting has gone south, and the RF experiment does not seem to be working. As I watch so many  rookies succeed in Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Baltimore, to name but three teams, I feel depressed about the Pirates ability to develop their young players.
Jason Mackey
12:06
I don't see it that way. At least not know. Henry's first two outs last night were loud ones. Not faulting him there. I also don't blame him for right field. He had never played the position before. He's going to struggle. Not saying he won't go down. He might. But I feel like the quality of Gonzales' at-bats versus what we're seeing out of Henry is different.
Maz01
12:06
Jason, Do you think the trade of Castro will come back to hurt the Pirates, and do you think the Pirates got equal value in Falter as their return?
Jason Mackey
12:07
I'm not worried about that one biting them. I think Castro needs to mature. Maybe that happens, maybe it doesn't. But they needed pitching back, and I like Falter. I'm OK with it, regardless of what Castro does. That's the business.
Cullen B
12:08
When you search your name in Google to get Pirates news, you're the 2nd Jason Mackey to come up, the first being some musher. Have you ever considered a name change to make it slightly easier for Pirates fans to find your work??
Jason Mackey
12:09
Hahaha. Why should I change? He's the one who sucks. (Office Space quote)
Cullen B
12:09
To me Don Kelly is our future manager when we are competitive. From the area, good with the players, played the game at the highest level, and seems very bright. He also seems like someone likely to be poached soon by another org, how do we keep him here?
Jason Mackey
12:10
I suppose they could pay him more money. However, if I was Don Kelly, I wouldn't do it. Guy should want to grow his career. I also don't think it should be a prerequisite to be from here. But, yeah. I think the world of Donny. He'll be a manager one day. But it wouldn't be smart for him to stay somewhere if there's no opportunity. If they wanna keep him that bad, they should make him the manager.
Cullen B
12:11
What is the timetable for Cruz's return? I've heard he won't play the rest of the year,  the beginning of September, mid August, etc. His progression as reported seem encouraging!
Jason Mackey
12:11
I heard on the broadcast last night something about he may play a week or something at the end of the year. That isn't what I have heard. He's going to start a rehab assignment the second half of August, from what I understand. From there, I think you probably see him in early September.
PrinceBob
12:12
I sent this as a mailbag question, not knowing if you'd do that or a chat. The first part was about whether it was too soon to wonder if Mitch Keller was reverting to his earlier form and your piece about his struggles answered that. The second part was about the pitching staff in general and asked who on the staff you feel confident can do what he was put in the game to do as opposed to hoping that will happen? Obviously Bednar is one. Put another way, if 2024 is supposed to be the year they contend, from what you see from their pitchers now look good enough to think contending is a real possibility next year?
Jason Mackey
12:13
I've liked Holderman & Mlodzinski. I think there's something there from Oviedo. Priester could be that guy. Curious how Falter looks. I think we also need to learn more about Ro & Ortiz. They could be options and have been in the past. Add Skenes, Jones, Burrows, Brubaker, they have arms. Do they come together? I don't know. Nobody does. Solometo isn't terribly far either. They could also make outside moves, which I would expect them to do.
Jim M.
12:13
Jason,  Andujar’s stats in AAA: .365 AVG 15 HRs 77 RBI 1.012 OPS. I get that he’s been quad A since ‘18 but what would it hurt to promote him? Are they worried he’ll go 0 for 4? Half the lineup does that almost every night. Mind boggling imo. I guess they’ve moved on from him and he’s now just one of those organizational players. This was more of a rant than a question I realize.  Thanks.
Jason Mackey
12:14
There's a weird adherence to Andujar from the fan base right now. I guess because he represents hope? He was 1 for 26 after his 4 for 5 start earlier this season. I don't know if Alfonso Rivas is the answer. He might not be. But I'm not in a huge hurry to get Andujar up here. I feel confident we'll see him before the year is out.
Cullen B
12:14
Will the international $$ that we got for Hedges be for this year or next years window? Any chance we go after Jang Hyun Seok? Supposedly he is skipping the KBO draft and will be making a decision in which MLB team he chooses soon. We seem to have a robust presence in Asia
Jason Mackey
12:16
That has not been specified. Same for how much they got. Assuming it's for the current one, absolutely. That's the type of player they have targeting. Pirates have gotten a couple of them, too.
PrinceBob
12:16
Speaking of 2024, do you think McCutchen will be back? And given Santanna's comment about how he loved playing in Pittsburgh and wants to come back, do you think the team would try to make that happen?
Jason Mackey
12:17
Yes, I do think McCutchen will be back. I also think they will entertain the idea of bringing Santana back as well. Now, I think we do need to learn more. How does he finish the season? Do they have 1B options emerge? Is that somewhere they might need to play Endy? A lot to sort out. But they loved having him here, and yeah, I think it could make sense for them to do it again.
Spaceman
12:17
For 2024, it seems we’re looking at an Endy/“other” catching platoon while Davis plays RF/1B.  I’m not sure why Endy is the “better” catching prospect than Davis.  Seems Endy would be a better candidate to float to RF/1B vs Davis.  What am I missing?
Jason Mackey
12:19
I wanna see Henry catch. I think that will answer some of our questions. The organization has determined that Endy is more advanced defensively. I don't know specifically what has given Henry the most trouble because I haven't seen him in games. In spring, I would argue it was a little bit of everything. I'm a little surprised they haven't also let Henry catch and bounced Endy around some and let the players sort out who should be where.
Cullen B
12:19
I understand if you dont wish to disclose this, but are you a Pirates fan? Im sure not every beat writer is a fan of the team they cover. Regardless of if you are or arent your coverage is top notch, balanced, and appreciated!
Jason Mackey
12:21
I am absolutely not a fan. None of us are. There are days when I hate the Pirates -- nothing personal, but it's work. As Gene Collier has often said: They win, I write. They lose, I write. Doesn't change my job. I am a fan of shorter games, games that don't have late lead changes and the rain staying away, however. Root adamantly for those things. And, of course, you always root for a story, stuff that allows you to be creative, ask questions, explore narratives, etc. But certainly not outcomes.
Shepherdstown, WVnsider
12:21
I love our young guys. I am going to enjoy the rest of the year watching these guys get MLB experience. Let’s ok’ing forward to big steps next year. Thing is, I see a whole bunch of middle infielder talent. When Cruz is well, it is even more crowded. What is going to happen with these guys? Then we have Johnson knocking on the door soon. Do you see some trades coming?  If so, sure hope the right choices are made. What is your take on this?
Jason Mackey
12:22
I think things always have a way of working themselves out. The only thing I know for sure is that Cruz & should play. And if anyone else hits, well, they'll find a place for him. I don't think the Pirates are in a situation where they have too much talent at any one place. If that would somehow occur, teams do move guys to positions. It's honestly not something I'm concerned with regarding this group.
Spaceman
12:22
Any chit chat ongoing about Velasquez returning in 2024?  This staff definitely needs a veteran or two to help stabilize the talented but young / inexperienced pitchers.   Thanks!
Jason Mackey
12:23
That's not anything I would expect to be addressed in-season, but I could absolutely see it happening. He would work cheap, needs an opportunity and was really good here. He likes it here. Vince is around all the time. I think they need more vets than just Vince, but assuming money works out, yeah, that makes sense.
Codger
12:23
Jason - Do you think Mitch has lost his confidence?  Looks to me like he's reverted to the guy who was sent down to Indy.  Too much nibbling and he's gotten away from the sinker as a weapon  Cutter and sweeper seem flat, and even his arm slot looks different.
Jason Mackey
12:25
Lost his confidence? No. Lacking confidence? Yes. I think there's a difference. I think Mitch needs to get back to establishing his fastball & sinker. That has been lost. I don't need him to throw six pitches. I'm fine with three if they're used effectively. That hasn't been the case. The cutter hasn't been good, and that sets up a lot of his other stuff. He has struggled, and I think that naturally leads to some searching. But as opposed to the past, I think his problems are relatively fixable.
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