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Jason Mackey's sports chat: 08.02.24
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Jason Mackey
12:59
He might use IKF at third, but more because Shelton would be trying to put the best lineup out there possible. Hayes knows he hasn't been hitting. He's trying to hit, believe. Nobody is trying to play as poorly as Hayes has. And I'm not sure IKF will suddenly get him to do things differently.
Commissioner
12:59
I was surprised the Pirates didn’t trade Chapman at the deadline, given that he’s a free agent after the season. Do you think they try to sign him for next year?
Jason Mackey
1:00
I was a little surprised, too. Same time, I like it. If they legit wanna give themselves a chance, Chapman is part of that. I think probably what's left unsaid here is that his contract is absurd. I think Chapman for $3 million probably nets them something, and they act on it. But Chapman for $10.5 million, that's different.
Josh
1:00
Hi Jason. I love the extension for Jeff Capel. The program is stable and competitive again. His teams will
Jason Mackey
1:01
Love it, too, Josh. No-brainer for me. I thought it was interesting that Capel seemed to intimate that this had been in the works and was maybe done. Makes sense. Should've been. I like the spot Pitt basketball finds itself in under Capel.
Harry in Garfield
1:01
Hey Jason, how do the Astros get away with having such a bad infield surface?  There were a number of bad hops, especially on the left side.  Does the league have any say in doing something about this?
Jason Mackey
1:02
I was wondering about this. KY brought up some good points. I didn't know it was that bad because the Pirates haven't been there since 2019. I don't even know why anyone would want that. It's a hazard. I would hope that, if several teams bring it up as a complain, someone steps in.
wallace82@comcast.net
1:03
D the pirates lead the league in blown leads? At least our leader is always proud of "the way we fought!
Jason Mackey
1:08
Pirates have 18 blown saves. Five clubs have more. My guess is that you're just trying to express some frustration, but their bullpen is 10th in FIP and 23rd in ERA. Fourteenth in fWAR ... which is probably fair. I think they probably expected to have a top-10 bullpen, maybe top-5. Hasn't been that. But also hasn't been leading-the-league-in-blown-leads bad.
Kimmy
1:08
Hi Jason, whatever happened to Aly Cohen?  I thought she did a good job on Pittsburgh Sportsnet?  I hope she’s ok.  Thank you.
Jason Mackey
1:11
Hi Kimmy. SportsNet Pittsburgh did not retain Cohen for this year. I'm sorry. I don't know what she's doing now, sorry. I, too, hope she's well.
Michael in AZ
1:11
Hi Jason, could you talk about your running ?  Maybe a podcast ?  Do you run races ? Etc… most importantly are you on Strava ?
Jason Mackey
1:13
I'm not on Strava. I had to Google it to even know what it was. Sorry. I try to run a decent amount. Don't always succeed. The schedule makes it tough -- and I'm still trying to figure things out as a columnist. But it helps my mental health. I like how I feel after running. More relaxed, additional clarity and calm, all of that. ... I like to listen to a lot of Grateful Dead. When I'm really going, I'll get up to 7-8 miles. Again, not a ton. But it's more meditative for me than anything competitive.
wvpirate
1:13
When IKF joins the club. Who is off the major league team. And is the 40 man roster full?
Jason Mackey
1:14
Believe the 40 is full. Would have to imagine Bae goes back down. Don't know what his role would be. I guess Bae or Alika, depending on who they think needs more work.
MenboxingMen
1:14
Any ideas on what's going on with #87? Surely he can't be waiting until 8/7 to sign a contract. Something seems odd to me.
Jason Mackey
1:14
I think it's the latter. I've heard no concern about anything other than him re-signing. No shortage of optimism about it happening. I think it's more the calendar and announcing it than anything.
Bob D
1:14
So what to believe about center Zach Frazier?  One article you read he's turning heads, the next he's not moving the needle and then others he should be starting by week 1.  What gives?
Jason Mackey
1:16
I'm not sure if we know anything substantive at this point, Bob. With linemen, I kinda take everything with a grain of salt until games start. Frazier, to me, strikes me as someone who will get a lot of reps in the preseason, to show what he can do. Love his resume and makeup. Obviously that doesn't guarantee things translate. But just tough to tell for linemen in practice settings.
Jeff
1:16
Do you see Cutch retiring or the Pirates moving on from him next year?
Jason Mackey
1:18
I'm not sure. I think the Pirates' desire would probably be an amicable end to the relationship -- Cutch retires, maybe takes some time, does whatever he wants for however long he wants with the organization, etc. If his production doesn't pick up, that's probably how this goes. Even if they say their done, not sure people would get that upset about it. Could be seen as the right baseball move. The interesting part would come if Cutch heats up over the final two months. Then what do you do? I don't know. But I know fans will want a productive Cutch back. Would just be tough to justify if this current slide continued into September.
Big Bob
1:18
Pirate  fans are funny. Years of terrible play at shortstop by Cruz and it looks like the breaking of the camel's back, was the error he committed in the outfield. And then he turned and threw it to home and committed another error. That was  the final straw. So what is the solution, everyone says move him to the outfield! This guy is a DH at best.
Jason Mackey
1:19
I don't agree with that. There's been a large sample of Cruz struggling defensively at short. For the billionth time, I'd give him the season. What if he improves and learns from this? I'd care less about the number of errors than the trajectory and seemingly improving. Now, is he going to do that? Tough to see given what we know on Aug. 2. But he's too good of an athlete -- see: the ground he covered -- to be wasted at DH, IMO.
Billy
1:19
Do you think Henry Davis figures it out and becomes at least a regular in the lineup?
Jason Mackey
1:20
I don't see that happening this season. Next year? Yeah, I could see that. But this year, even if he hits in Triple-A, I think it would require an injury to get him back with the big club.
Frank
1:20
Yorke and Cook the 2 minor leaguers they acquired this week, do we see them in Pittsburgh this year.
Jason Mackey
1:23
Hi Frank. I think so, yes. They're both eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason. Within reason, of course, but the Pirates typically like to get some sort of look at those guys. Now, that said, the past few years, they've been in a different competitive state. But it still wouldn't surprise me if they wound up getting a taste of MLB in '24.
1:28
OK, folks. Thanks so much for doing this. A lot of great questions this week. I really love that they covered EVERYTHING. Appreciate that. We'll be back next Friday!
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