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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 11.02.23
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Jason Mackey
11:07
Hey everyone. Been a little bit. Thanks for stopping by. Looking forward to chatting with you all. Finishing another story but will be back at noon to answer questions.
12:08
Alright, let's get going ...
George Costanza
12:08
Hello Jason. Thanks for your time. The Rangers added a few really good players and won the World Series. With the young talent coming for the Bucs, what realistic free agents could they acquire to get into the playoffs?
Jason Mackey
12:09
I feel like this is going to come up a lot. And I generally hate throwing darts blind into the entire world of free agents. The reason: There are a bunch of players they can add, in theory, that would make them better. I'm not of the mind that they need to add Hoskins, Belt, Cron or most others at first. For a price, I'd listen on Santana. They need pitching. If it's Flaherty, Giolito ... shoot, anyone with established credentials, yes. There are lots of possibilities.
Guest
12:10
Hi Jason. Thanks again for the chat. Overdo vacation soon that you mentioned last time?
Jason Mackey
12:11
Ha. I took some. I'll take more. But it's a hard balance. I like being in the thick of something. I like writing and reporting. Happy to not have an in-season pace, but haven't minded keeping my hand in something. Wouldn't mind dabbling more, if we're being honest, though baseball will pick up very soon.
Johnny M
12:11
Jason, the town's been in a losing funk with our sports teams. Maybe some Pirate talk will help some of us. ⚾
Jason Mackey
12:11
Something has to give, right? It's been rough. Pirates legit might be the next team in the postseason.
Guest
12:11
Hi Jason…has Malcolm Nunez earned an honest chance to take 1B, or does he still have to work out some things in Indy?
Jason Mackey
12:12
He has to work out some things in Indy. Now, that said, I think Nunez could get there. But I don't see how he immediately becomes the succession plan at first. Needs to hit and produce and challenge for a spot this year at Triple-A.
Johnny M
12:12
The Texas Rangers just won The World Series. So that means Austin Hedges will get a WS ring. I  don't begrudge that or the guy while he was here either, he was just the symbol of some soon to be poor planning.
Jason Mackey
12:14
I don't get as mad about the Hedges stuff as others. An argument can be made that he met every bit of expectations; did anyone really think he was going to hit? Now, the Pirates should've turned over playing time to younger guys soon. Fair argument. But it's not like Endy or Henry were world beaters once they did. Good but not great, I'd argue. I think Hedges became a symbol of Pirates fan vitriol more than anything.
Bzer
12:14
I think Jared Triolo should be given a chance in Spring Training to win the first-base job. Would prefer seeing that over re-signing Carlos Santana. Do you think Triolo will be given a chance at first?
Jason Mackey
12:15
I can see your point/feelings. Had Dan Zangrilli on Pitching In last night (should be published tomorrow or Saturday) and he felt the same way. I think I would still go Santana, for the certainty and leadership and such. But I can't argue with that line of thought. I've been saying for two years now that I absolutely think Triolo could be the Pirates' future at 1B.
Dallas
12:15
What’s the highest AAV you think the pirates will be in play for this offseason? They have no room but up re: payroll, but any top 40 free agent will likely get outbid by another team. Hoping Carlos Santana isn’t the upside to 2024 pirates FA.
Jason Mackey
12:16
I don't think he will be, Dallas. They should be shooting higher. I'd say maybe $8-$12 million? I know that's kind of a wide range. But when you get into starting pitcher, the top end of that ain't gonna come terribly cheap.
412 Double Play - Michael
12:16
Are there particular bullpen roles/players whom the Pirates could/should target this off-season? The back-end looks solid and there are long-relief options but what can be most improved overall?
Jason Mackey
12:21
I'm not sure the Pirates need to target a ton at the back end, honestly. I like the combo of Borucki & Perdomo as LHP, though maybe they target a high-upside lefty for peanuts. You have Mlodzinski > Holderman > Bednar, and I'm gonna with that, though I'd like more depth, again. A long man? That's fair. Not sure I can sit here and throw out long relief topics, but wouldn't surprise me if they added something. Still think the focus has to be SP: Flaherty, Gibson, Heaney, Miley, Severino, Giolito, Montas ... there's a lot in that so-called second cut.
Wayward
12:21
Jason, I hope you are enjoying some well-deserved time with your family.  After some time to look back on the past season is there anything you have changed your opinion of as it relates to player performance, off-season needs and/or young guys you can see being part of next year?
Jason Mackey
12:23
Thanks, Wayward. Doing my best. I'd be lying if I said this was my favorite time of the year. It's not. ... I'm softening a little on first base. The more I think about it, the more I might want to prioritize pitching with FA dollars. Think if the Pirates went some combination of Joe, Triolo and Endy at first, which would theoretically put Henry more in the mix at C. Would that be terrible? Not sure it would. And if you tell me that comes with $5-$7 million savings that I can put into pitching, it's interesting to ponder.
Your Name
12:23
What are the odds that we see them make an “out of character move” this offseason? Meaning perhaps expending a little more on a free agent than we’d normally expect, or trading some prospects for an addition?
Jason Mackey
12:24
It wouldn't surprise me in the least. I would argue that offseason was out of character, to an extent. But, no, I don't think we're in for a couple junk moves. I think they will do stuff that prioritizes over .500 and postseason. There are no more excuses. Gotta weird.
Gotta win. Damn autocorrect.
Johnny M
12:25
I still think they still need a SP or 2. And 1B. Triolo to me is Kevin Newman 2.0. This is put up or shut up time for Nutting to really increase payroll. It was at a paltry $43 Million (counting injuries) at this past season's end. Thoughts?
Jason Mackey
12:26
I agree that they need to spend more this upcoming season -- and I think they will. I disagree on Triolo. He's more versatile than Newman. He also has a different bat path, with different body movements. Even Newman's 2019, if you look at underlying numbers, showed signs of regression. Triolo is still developing to a degree; we don't know as much. But the good has been a different kind of good.
12:27
Agree on a SP or (preferably 2), though.
Your Name
12:27
Where does Ji Hwan Bae fit moving forward? Given the log jam at second base and the fringy bat I struggle seeing a positional fit.
Jason Mackey
12:28
Yeah, same. I don't know where he fits, honestly. It may be TBD. If he hits, great. Let's figure it out. At this point he has a .628 career OPS, has made too many errors at 2B, has become a bit of an adventure in CF and went through a period where he got thrown out entirely too much. There's obvious talent and upside in there, and I wouldn't give up yet. But I also don't know if it's ever going to come out.
Doug Y
12:28
Hey Jason.  In a recent interview with GM Ben C., he made a typical Pirate’s GM statement about most of the 2024 improvements needing to come internally.  Seems like the annual “throw cold water on Pirates loyal fans expecting any kind of significant outside improvement or payroll add”.  Is that just GM-speak or is that your expectations too - that we will get Choi-type additions instead of Giolito and Manea the rotation and someone like Josh Bell at first (my wish list)?
Jason Mackey
12:30
Ben says this a lot. And he's not wrong. Think about their team. They might add, sure. But they need Endy, Henry, Triolo, Priester, Ortiz and others to get better. If that happens, that would be huge for them. Same for their other prospects. I'm not absolving them of spending, believe me. I think sometimes that message gets ignored. But what Ben is saying is that they're going to be homegrown -- also, they should be homegrown. To make that equation work, the bulk of the work must be internal.
Kenny Pittsburgh
12:30
With his walk year coming up in '25, and his value peaking, would you be surprised if the Pirates trade Keller this offseason?
Jason Mackey
12:30
Surprised would be putting it mildly. They're not trading Keller.
Johnny M
12:30
Following up to a previous question. Last season the bullpen & the opener system covered up the fact that we only have two viable SPs imo. While neither Keller and Oviedo are aces (so far) they are solid #3’s.
That leaves 3 slots open. Can Ortiz be one? The jury is still out there. Who becomes our 4th and 5th SPs until (hopefully) Skenes (and/or someone else) is read by Super2 date in June? Falter? Priester? Velasquez or someone like him?
Reconsidering, I highly doubt that Nutting will spend money on a Sonny Gray type or 2.
Jason Mackey
12:32
I do think they will spend to get pitching -- but probably not at the Sonny Gray level. There are plenty of more economical options. What if they went Flaherty and a lesser reclamation project? Would that resonate? I don't know if I see Ortiz making 30 starts in '24. But they do need him, Priester or Ro to figure it out. ... I think Skenes will be more May than June. They're gonna have a tough time avoiding Super-2 if he's as dominant as expected. ... They do need guys to work until Paul, Burrows, Brubaker and others get to the MLB club.
EvanMeek
12:32
Hi, If the Pirates were to  try to trade for an established starter who had an off-year in 2023, who would be ther likeliest trading chips?
Jason Mackey
12:34
I have a tough time seeing the Pirates go this route, Evan. Trading prospects for proven pitching. The reason: It's gonna take a metric you-know-what ton of prospects to get what the Pirates need. At least by their standards. But if you're gonna move guys, I don't know. My list of movables would include: Bae, Nunez, CSN, Gorski among those closest. Can't go through everybody in their top-30, but I'd have conversations, I suppose. I'd also be scared to way overpay.
Henry D
12:35
Hey Jason, just want to confirm, I’m not investing any time to RF during this off season? Seems dumb, but whatever. Thanks.
Jason Mackey
12:35
I'd stay ready out there, Hank.
Ron Burgundy
12:35
How do you think the pirates utilize Triolo next year?
Jason Mackey
12:36
This is a good question, and I'm not sure they know, honestly. Could depend on the 1B market. Could also depend on his bat. If he hits, it might honestly be bouncing everywhere to get it in the lineup because it's possible. If I had to guess right now, I'd say a Ben Zobrist or Marwin Gonzalez kind of role.
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