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Elizabeth Bloom's Pirates chat: 12.12.17
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Elizabeth Bloom
12:00
Hello from Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and thanks for attending my first Pirates chat. I’m sure all of you remember last year’s Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra chat like it was yesterday, so I appreciate your coming back. Let’s get started.
Justin
12:00
What would you put the odds on McCutchen, Cole, or Harrison being gone before the meetings end. Who is the most likely to be gone, one, two, or all three?
Eddie
12:00
If you had to percentage on the likelihood that Cutch, JHay, or Cole are traded over the next 2 days what would it be?
Elizabeth Bloom
12:02
Hey Justin, hey Eddie. I’ll tackle your questions at the same time. I’d put it at about 40/60 one of them will be traded. There are feelers out there for all three, but teams don’t necessarily feel the need to Get Deals Done at the meetings anymore. (They are all probably just texting from suite to suite anyway.) That being said, the most likely scenarios to me are that the Pirates subtract or make small adjustments, rather than add big pieces.

Most likely of the three to be traded? It’s hard to say, but I’d put my money on McCutchen, if not this week than before opening day. McCutchen is more valuable as a trade asset before the season starts than he is after. If he gets a full season with his hypothetical new team, they give him a qualifying offer and he rejects it, they get a compensatory draft pick. That’s not the case if he’s traded mid-season, and given his slow starts in ’17 and ’16, the Pirates might not want to run the risk of his value dropping further.
Still, the market for outfielders seems a little slow right now, especially with Billy Hamilton also in the mix as a possible trade option. Harrison is under contract through 2020, and Cole has two more years of arbitration, so the Pirates would have to get a nice return on them to trade — especially Cole, who has quickly become one of the best starters on the market. I would be surprised if all three were dealt, because the Pirates still think of themselves as being in contend-mode and that would suggest a pretty hefty rebuild to me.
Stan
12:02
What are the winter meetings like?
Elizabeth Bloom
12:03
They’re good! Florida is a bit chilly right now. I’m wearing something called a “magic band.” But you’re probably wondering more about the Pirates and what they’ve been up to.

The answer, so far at least, is not too much. They picked up a shortstop named Engelb Vielma yesterday on waivers. It’s not uncommon for the first day of Winter Meetings to be fairly slow, so we certainly expect more to come later this week, if only from our interviews with Neal Huntington and Clint Hurdle. The Pirates are more likely to subtract a big piece (Cole, Harrison, McCutchen) than they are to add one, but it’s also possible they won’t make any big moves this week.

On non-transactional news, we had a few tidbits from yesterday’s interview with Huntington — that the Pirates may approach 3B by committee and that Steven Brault could start the season in the Majors as a reliever probably being the biggest ones. Our stories about that news are on post-gazette.com.
David
12:04
Any chance we go for a 2-3 year quick rebuild? Sell players with around 2 years of contract left. By 2020 we'll have Keller, Tucker and Hayes called up as well.
Elizabeth Bloom
12:06
Hi David. It's an interesting thought, but I think it's unlikely. The talk from the Pirates is they want to contend now. They like team control, and they have that in the cases of players with a couple of years left on their contract. Cole is a steal right now, given the fact that he's still in arbitration and he's young. Unless the return on some of those players (e.g., Harrison) is big, a full rebuild probably wouldn't be worth it.
OHIO412FAN
12:06
Is it me, or the Pirates never are willing to spend any money on non reclamation players? They seem to go for bargains rather than solid ones. I honestly believe they have one of the better starting lineups in baseball, albeit their starting pitching and bullpen. The bullpen needs work. Starting pictchers are decent but need more work. Thoughts?
Elizabeth Bloom
12:10
Hey Ohio412fan. You're right that the Pirates like to get bang for their buck. My colleague and fellow flannel-wearer Bill Brink wrote an interesting piece about this very subject (http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2017/09/18/pittsburgh-pirat...). Big payroll teams overspend with the idea that even if the players will underperform, they will still contend. The Pirates have a smaller payroll, so they want those dollars to stretch — to find undervalued players and sign them and hope they overperform. Hence, the reclamation projects.  The young starting rotation is part of that — most of those guys make league minimum, and the Pirates hope they will grow and become solid starters above what they make. I think they need some more bullpen help and wouldn't be surprised if that was one of the smaller moves made this week.
OHIO412FAN
12:10
What do the Pirates need to do in order to get back to playoff baseball? What is their to do list for the winter meetings?
Elizabeth Bloom
12:12
Oh hello again, Ohio412fan. I would say they need to get 2015 production from certain players who were injured or unavailable or underperforming for the past two seasons. The biggest pieces of their to-do list, in my humble opinion: bullpen help, conversations about trading Cole/Harrison/McCutchen, checking out options at 3B.
OHIO412FAN
12:13
The pirates are always full of solid young talent in their farm system and even right now on their roster. Do you see any players who could be worthy of being called up?
Elizabeth Bloom
12:14
Spring training always surprises. There's always a chance, but I think the top prospects (Austin Meadows, Mitch Keller) need a bit more time in the minors before being called up.
Austin
12:14
Should we expect any moves to be made during the winter meetings whether small or significant?
Elizabeth Bloom
12:15
Hey, Austin. I’d be surprised if the Pirates made any big free-agent signings during the meetings. Maybe a reliever. Maybe a third baseman. (In that order.) I think they’re more in entertaining-trade-offers mode, and teams know they’d be open to dealing Cole, McCutchen and Harrison. So, probably tinkering around the edges or trading away a big piece.
PatLivingston
12:16
So if *you* were a Pittsburgh Pirate (or boxer / professional wrestler), what would your classical music walk-up tune be, and why?
Elizabeth Bloom
12:16
Pat, I'm obsessed with this question. Thank you.
12:17
As some of you know, I used to write about classical music for the Post-Gazette. I also wrote a story about what the Pirates' walk-up songs would be if they were classical music (https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/pirates/classical/). I haven't thought about what my own song would be, but my walkup song for my rec softball team was usually Wagner or Holst (per the choice of my colleague Brian Batko), for what it's worth.
Chiburgh
12:18
I guess a weak market is to blame, but why would someone with the talent of Neal Huntington agree to a 4 year extension if his hands are truly tied by Nutting on payroll?
Elizabeth Bloom
12:20
I do think both of them want to contend. Four years isn't long enough to see through the impact of a rebuild (can you imagine rebuilding a team and then turning it over to somebody else?) so to me it's less about growing a new team than it is trying to rekindle the magic from '15.
Aaron Z
12:21
Is the front office aware of how negative the mood is regarding the club and Nutting? I see another drop in attendance based on comments I have been reading on social media. I am one of many who simply refuses to buy tickets until I see more of a commitment to putting a better product on the field.
Elizabeth Bloom
12:22
Hi Aaron. Yes, they are aware for sure. Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington handled fans' questions at PiratesFest, and fans definitely made their feelings known about spending, McCutchen, etc. Heck, even Sean Rodriguez said some pretty pointed things on those subjects. Huntington does repeatedly say we need to put a better team on the field if we want fans to come out.
Justin
12:23
Has there been any updates on Rivero? It was reported he wanted to talk to the Pirates at the Winter Meetings.
Elizabeth Bloom
12:23
Rivero said his new agent, Francis Marquez, was going to meet with them yesterday and visit with Rivero (who lives nearby) today. I do think a contract to take him through arbitration would be possible.
Frank
12:24
Any interest in Josh Harrison.
Elizabeth Bloom
12:24
Yes, from the Mets and Blue Jays at the very least.
Rob
12:25
What's the latest on the Cole to the Yankees deal? Would the Pirates demand Clint Frazier?
Elizabeth Bloom
12:29
Joel Sherman from the NY Post just wrote about this. It would be something along the lines of the trade for Sonny Gray. The Yankees are trying to stay below the luxury tax, and they just shed some salary in Chase Headley. I think Frazier would be a nice piece in a Cole deal, especially now that the Yankees OF is a little more crowded with Giancarlo Stanton. I doubt they'd "demand" such a trade, but dealing Cole would really have to be worthwhile for the Pirates given his salary situation.
Sluggo
12:29
If the Pirates do trade Josh Harrison who will fill the 2nd base position and what will be their options at 3rd base. To me Harrison is a viable option at both positions at a cost that while a
Elizabeth Bloom
12:31
Right now, the options at third are Harrison, Freese, SeanRod, Frazier, Moroff, maybe Osuna (who's been in Venezuela winter ball working on the hot corner). I think Frazier wouldn't mind a crack at 2B. But it's not ideal for the Pirates to rotate through utility players for both 2B and 3B on an everyday basis, obviously.
Frank
12:32
Do you think the ball club has lost any respect for Marte over his suspension
Elizabeth Bloom
12:32
Nah.
Sluggo
12:34
if the Pirates trade Josh Harrison and his salary how would they replace him ....I think he is a bargain for what he brings to the table
Wayward
12:34
If the Bucs were to trade one, or a combination of, Cutch, Cole and/or Harrison what areas do you think they would target as their return(s)?  3B, SP, future catcher?  or the best major league ready prospects they could get?
Elizabeth Bloom
12:35
Wayward, meet Sluggo. Sluggo, meet Wayward. I'll answer these together. I think 3B and pitching would be a higher priority. Future catcher not so much...Elias Diaz is out of minor league options and will be on the roster next year, and Cervelli's under contract through 2019. Prospects are always nice.
Garrett
12:35
Pirates predictions for the rest of the winter meetings?
Elizabeth Bloom
12:36
I am not one for the predictions bizness, but I think a big trade or a signing of a reliever/3B is more likely than a big free-agent signing.
Pitt25
12:36
I think the list of players in Sherman's article works. The young 2b Tyler Wade looks good  I think we should make that deal if possible
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