This afternoon, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle confirmed that Juan Nicasio will be slotted in as Pittsburgh's fifth starter in the rotation. Nicasio, who signed with the Pirates on Dec. 10, has earned this right after coming off of impressive play in Spring Training. Rob Biertempfel of the Trib had the news first. Juan Nicasio will be in #pirates starting. rotation. Ryan Vogelsong to bullpen. — Rob Biertempfel (@BiertempfelTrib) March 30, 2016 The 29-year-old right hander came into ... Read More
O’Flaherty traded to Braves
With Opening Day, a week away, the Pittsburgh Pirates elected to trade Eric O'Flaherty to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for cash considerations. The story was broken by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and confirmed by the Pirates. O'Flaherty is a left-handed relief pitcher who was in the conversation for a bullpen spot, though this trade translates into the fact that he would not have made the team. In 10 Spring Training games, O'Flaherty was 0-1 with a 2.89 ERA. This included allowing 15 hits ... Read More
Alen Hanson, Josh Bell among 10 Pirates cuts
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a second round of cuts on Friday, which saw many of its top prospects among position players reassigned. The team cut 10 total players, which brings its current camp roster down to 45. Among those cuts included: first baseman Josh Bell, second baseman Alen Hanson, shortstop Gift Ngoepe, outfielder Willy Garcia, infielder Max Moroff and right-handers Nick Kingham and John Holdzkom. All were optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis. Infielders Adam Frazier, Dan ... Read More
Does Jordy Mercer need to hit to keep his job?
One of the myriad of Pittsburgh Pirates prospects that has been turning heads during the team's Spring Training workouts has been infielder Gift Ngoepe. The South African second-baseman/shortstop has shown great defensive flashes during the team's Grapefruit League action. Ngoepe is a light-hitter, but has stuck around in the Pirates system by virtue of that stellar defense. This is not to say that Ngoepe is not a capable hitter. Between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis last season, ... Read More
Liriano gets opening day nod
Clint Hurdle told reporters Friday that because of Gerrit Cole's injury, it will be Francisco Liriano gets the opportunity to pitch opening day Sunday for the Pittsburgh Pirates April 3 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Cole has not yet appeared in a game because of right rib inflammation. As a result his first Spring Training appearance has been delayed and will be Sunday against the Detroit Tigers. Hurdle further told reporters that while Cole is now healthy Cole did not start his ... Read More
Pirates lose second straight to Phillies
Offense has not been hard to come by of late for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the team managed four hits in a 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Josh Bell hit 1-for-2 at the plate in Tuesday's game and has safely reached base in the past five games. Harold Ramirez made the most of his lone plate appearance earning a single. Ramirez has seven hits in his last 10 at-bats Niese struggles It certainly was an outing to forget for Jonathon Niese and not because he lost to go 0-2 on the ... Read More
COLUMN: Forward-thinking Pirates cannot abandon that approach
As reported by the Tribune Review, tensions recently flared between Gerrit Cole and the Pirates' management. As a quick primer, Cole was upset at the club's offer for his 2016 salary. While the initial offer was for $538,000, general manager Neal Huntington later admitted that figure to be a mistake. The final offer, signed by Cole, is for $541,000. For those who may not know, any MLB player with 0-3 years of service (or, "Pre-Arbitration") is subject to the league minimum salary of ... Read More
Pirates play Black-Gold Scrimmage
The Pittsburgh Pirates held its Black-Gold intrasquad game Monday afternoon and it was the gold team which won by a 4-3 score. This game served as the first time many fans have seen Jameson Taillon on a mound since he underwent Tommy John surgery in April of 2014. His outing was a mixed bag as he faced nine batters, striking out three of them, but also allowing a run. Taillon's mound opponent in this game was Tyler Glasnow, the Pirates top prospect pitcher who many fans wanted to see as a ... Read More
COLUMN: The fight to keep McCutchen a Pirate may not be about money
At this very moment, there seems to be no hotter topic in Pittsburgh sports than Andrew McCutchen's contract. It's easy to understand why. Rightfully lauded as a masterstroke by general manager Neal Huntington, McCutchen's contract extension is often served up as an example of a forward-thinking front office. It represents the very hope of fans that the team will continue to do right by them and at least explore the possibility of another extension for the perennial MVP candidate. For his ... Read More
Pirates add fourth OF option in Matt Joyce
National baseball writer Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Pirates have signed former American League All-Star Matt Joyce to a minor league deal. Below are Joyce's career stats as well as his 162-game average. ... Read More