The Pittsburgh Pirates dealt from a position of strength to fill a position of need in a trade consummated late Thursday night. The team announced the acquisition of Jason Rogers, first baseman with the Milwaukee Brewers, in exchange for outfielder Keon Broxton and starting pitching prospect Trey Supak. Rogers comes to the Pirates having had his first real taste of the majors last season. The 27-year-old appeared in 86 games for Milwaukee last season, collecting 169 plate appearances. In ... Read More
2016 ZiPS Projections see many surprises for Pittsburgh PIrates
Let's get meta for just a quick second. When you start writing about sports, and I'm talking specifically about baseball here, you quickly realize there is always someone smarter than you. One such person is Dan Szymborski, ESPN baseball analyst and creator of a proprietary projection system called 'ZiPS." Hosted over at Fangrahps, ZiPS takes into account many different factors when forecasting future playoff performance. Chief among them is prior performance set against comparable players ... Read More
Pirates set minor league coaching assignments for 2016
The Pittsburgh Pirates finalized coaching assignments for their farm teams for the upcoming 2016 season. Manager Dean Treanor returns for his sixth season at the helm of the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. The Indians are coming off a season in which they lost in the Governors' Cup championship to the Columbus Clippers. Treanor will be joined by Butch Wynegar at pitching coach and Stan Kyles will be directing the hitters for the Indians. Former major league All-Star Joey Cora will be ... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates could not wait for Charlie Morton to find consistency
Mere moments before the team's annual fan convention was to begin, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded starting pitcher Charlie Morton to the Philadelphia Phillies. Ostensibly, this move was made to release Morton's $8 million salary to pursue other avenues of filling their remaining needs. The move came as a bit of surprise to many. It's fair to look to Morton as one of the pillars of the team's radical change in embracing defensive shifting. Earning the nickname of "Ground Chuck," Morton was ... Read More
Nicasio fits the mold of the Pirates next reclamation project
The Pittsburgh Pirates signing of Juan Nicasio may seem all too familiar to Pirates fans. Nicasio is a hard throwing reliever with a high strikeout rate. He’s had control issues in the past. He was acquired for next to nothing (one year, $3 million deal). Last season Arquimedes Caminero fit that mold. Before Caminero it was Mark Melancon – though Joel Hanrahan was decent return at the time. Before Melancon is was Jason Grilli. If there is one thing general manager Neal Huntington and ... Read More
A look at Pittsburgh Pirates team needs post-Winter Meetings
With the rush of the Winter Meetings behind them, the Pittsburgh Pirates will now continue to supplement their 2016 roster. Last year, the team saw a relatively quiet Winter Meetings that nevertheless saw them come away with key pieces such as Atntonio Bastardo and Francisco Liriano, who they re-signed. The bulk of their roster work was done after the summit. General manager Neal Huntington identified a market exploit as he looked to Korea for position players, solidified the weakest part ... Read More
Pirates sign P Juan Nicasio
The Pittsburgh Pirates made their first free agent signing of significance of the offseason on Thursday, adding some depth in the bullpen. The Pirates inked a deal with right-hander Juan Nicasio on a one-year deal. As of writing, financial terms were not disclosed. Nicasio, who has pitched for the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers in five MLB seasons, is coming off a pretty solid season in Los Angeles a year ago when he posted a 3.86 ERA in 53 appearances (one start) out of the ... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates find much to work with in Jon Niese
The Pittsburgh Pirates have said goodbye to one of Pittsburgh's own in Neil Walker. The second baseman leaves behind an enduring connection to the fan base, as well as 93 career home runs. He gave seven seasons of his prime to his hometown club, but with chances of an extension null and void, the team felt the need to move on. Enter Jonathon Niese. Niese, acquired for Walker in a straight 1-for-1 trade, is a journeyman left-hand starter. In eight MLB Seasons - six as a full-time big ... Read More
Neil Walker traded to Mets for Jon Niese
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been quiet for the first couple days of the annual Winter Meetings. That is until Wednesday rolled around. Pirates’ general manager Neal Huntington made his first major move of the offseason when he shipped second baseman Neil Walker to the New York Mets in exchange for left-handed starting pitcher Jon Niese. The deal is pending a medical review, but all signs point to it being a one-for-one deal. Walker, a former first-round pick and local product was ... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates move deliberately on first day of winter meetings
The Pittsburgh Pirates did not make any moves on the first day of the annual MLB Winter Meetings. That is not to say that they did not find themselves at the center of more than a few substantial rumors. Starting with their most glaring need, the Pirates were reportedly in talks with the agent for free agent starting pitcher Scott Kazmir. Kazmir is a left-handed veteran with 11 years of experience despite being only 31 years old. He carries a career 98-90 win-loss record by way of a 3.96 ... Read More