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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 11.02.23
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Jason Mackey
12:56
Jack Flaherty. Three-year deal.
DJ
12:57
Hi Jason, on the free agent train, I think my biggest question headed into the offseason is if we'll see the multi-year commitment somewhere, especially at SP to help anchor things with Keller and Oviedo. Giolito seems perfect to me in this regard, as he's durable and has significant upside. I respect names being difficult darts to throw, and realize this is harder, but do you think they'll be willing to commit significantly (relative to them) to a multi-year deal? That's the big bridge they didn't cross last year.
Jason Mackey
12:58
Well-framed question, DJ. Love it. ... And, yes, I do. When it comes to a multi-year deal, I really do believe the Pirates would welcome this. There's cost certainty. They would be getting more assurance on performance (theoretically). The issue becomes Pittsburgh as a destination city for someone who's good enough to have earned a multi-year deal. Before this year, I'm not sure this was somewhere most players wanted to be. Now, I think the smart ones are seeing the signs and what 2024 could become. So, yeah. I think you need to get the right target, and I don't doubt that something lines up.
Your Name
12:58
Why not someone on a higher AAV than $8-$12 MM? I’ve seen credible estimates that they could have somewhere in the range of ~$40 MM to spend given the money off the books and attendance increase. Given that they expect most improvement to be internal, why not splurge on a guy for $15-$20 MM?
Jason Mackey
12:59
Well, that would be at least $5 million and maybe $10 million more than they're spending on anyone else. If you think that's how the Pirates are suddenly going to start doing business, God speed. But I don't.
Marc
12:59
To follow up on the Bae question, if Suwinski is your primary CF, wouldn't it make sense to go after a good defensive RH center fielder to spell Jack and be a late inning defensive replacement? I'm thinking Harrison Bader. I don't see the value Bae brings.
Jason Mackey
1:01
I don't see the value, either. Agree there. As for Jack, if he's gonna play every day, I think you have to play him every day and let him learn to hit lefties. Don't yank him random days or late. Let him go. If I need a right-handed hitting outfielder, I have Joe and Andujar (theoretically) for much cheaper, and I can move things around to cover for the defensive drop.
Ron Burgundy
1:01
Hey Jason, do you think the pirates get a Cruz or Keller extension done this offseason?  Which is more likely and is both possible?  Cause if they could somehow pull off what the Braves did by locking down their core, those two along with Reynolds and Hayes, another October blackout seems inevitable.
Jason Mackey
1:02
I think they get Keller done this offseason, not Cruz. I'd love it if it happened, but I don't know if enough has changed there. Probably makes more sense for Oneil to bet on himself and wait to go 40-40, then see if the Pirates want to talk business.
That's it, Fort Pitt
1:02
I know his OF defense is good, but given the lack of internal options, has there been any consideration of moving Jack to 1B?
Jason Mackey
1:03
No.
Bob Smizik is Legend
1:03
Given the commissioners recent comments it appears we might be heading towards an ABS system. How do the Pirates feel about this, and how does this affect catcher management for them?
Jason Mackey
1:03
Yeah, it's widely expected at this point. When, not if. The Pirates are fine with it. It doesn't negate framing and really doesn't change a ton from a catching perspective. But it's long overdue. They should do it immediately.
Bob Smizik is Legend
1:03
How long of a leash does this management team have if they don’t start winning soon?
Jason Mackey
1:04
Yeah, I don't think Bob will be in a hurry to blow it up again. But I do think he wants on-field results. The Diamondbacks and Rangers passed the Pirates by. It's gonna be ugly if there's no winning record in 2024, and I think their offseason will reflect that.
Brick Tamland
1:05
I think the player that can be a major X-factor is Mr. Oneil Cruz. I felt like last season that the Pirates lost wins without him. If he stayed healthy, I'm very confident in saying that the Pirates would've made the 2023 playoffs. They were really missing 25+ Homeruns and about 80 RBI's IMO. We saw it in '22, he was major difference on this team. So my question to you is will he be back in the leadoff spot coming into '24? Because with him healthy, you now have Cruz, Reynolds, Hayes, Jack, Davis, Endy, and maybe another FA Bat? I think if they spend money this offseason, then it's gotta be on the pitching right? Should we as fans expect a multi-year deal for a pitcher this offseason?
Jason Mackey
1:06
I would answer yes several times to your questions. I think you may be undershooting it with Cruz. I think it's something people forget. The Pirates would've likely been over .500 with Cruz, Brubaker, Burrows, Velasquez and Garcia healthy. The fact that they weren't exposed depth, sure. But they do have good players. They just need more of them.
Canyon
1:07
Is Giolito really a realistic option for the pirates to you? I feel like he’s going to be out of our spending range but I would love to try to see what we can get out of him. Love the chats and the podcast.
Jason Mackey
1:10
He's fringe, IMO. It depends on the market, which I obviously can't predict. But the results weren't great post-Chicago; had an ERA of 6.89 and 7.04 in his second two stops. If his market reflects that, then, yeah, I think he could be in play for the Pirates. But if it's more reflective of 2019-21 Giolito, then that's gonna be a problem for the Pirates.
Jeff M
1:10
How likely are the Pirates to sign any outside free agents to multi-year deals? They love their 1 year, low risk deals.
Jason Mackey
1:11
Been saying this ... think about this from the player perspective. Would you have hitched your wagon to the Pirates the past few years if you had other options? Doubt it. Optimism surrounding the team has changed. Their spending habits should, too. I think this is the offseason it lines up for them.
Guest
1:11
If you were a betting man, would you say the Pirates add 1 or 2 major league contracts to the starting rotation this offseason?
Jason Mackey
1:11
Two. But one on the cheaper end. More a project guy. One multiple years offering a little more certainty.
Wayward
1:11
Interesting about Vince.  Is he potentially the #2 SP addition behind someone like Flaherty, etc...
Jason Mackey
1:12
I don't know if that's how I'd describe it. But they could bring him back for nothing, and he would be midseason rotation help. They've done worse things.
Q
1:12
Hey Jason. Too early for a 2024 record prediction? Or at least a win total floor that should be the expectation?
Jason Mackey
1:12
I'll go with 85. Both in terms of prediction and expectation, for now. Would be great if it was higher.
1:13
OK, folks. That does it for this week. Thanks so much for participating. I enjoy it. We'll see about maybe doing one of these next week as well.
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