The Pittsburgh Pirates took a longview approach to their bullpen in the latest acquisiton.It has been reported by multiple outlets that the team has acquired left-handed pitching prospect Jesse Biddle from the Phillies. Interestingly enough, Biddle was designated for assignment last week when the Phillies picked up former Pirates left-handed reliever Bobby LaFromboise. Biddle comes to the Pirates system having suffered through elbow pain in 2015 that eventually resulted in Tommy John surgery in ... Read More
Pirates mailbag: Vogelsong, really?
With Spring Training thankfully less than a month away for your Pittsburgh Pirates, what better time to open the doors to questions from our readership?We recently put out a call for any burning questions you may have regarding the Pirates. As you can probably expect, the questions were many and varied. Here's a selection of some of the best queries that we received.QUESTION: Are we ever going to get a power hitting first baseman?ANSWER: On the surface, it's easy to understand the hand-wringing ... Read More
Pros and cons of Pirates extending Cervelli
On Wednesday, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Francisco Cervelli is open to an extension with the Pittsburgh Pirates.Cervelli, however, noted the club has not approached him about an extension.The projected contract numbers for the Pirates’ catcher is in the neighborhood of a three-year, $39 million deal, with his $13 million yearly salary slightly less than what former Pirates catcher Russell Martin signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.How Cervelli’s contract ... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates announce hiring of Joe Block to replace Tim Neverett
Via their official Twitter account, the Pittsburgh Pirates today announced the hiring of former Milwaukee Brewers play-by-play broadcater Joe Block.Block replaces the recently departed Tim Neverett, who took a play by play job with the Boston Red Sox.Pirates President Frank Coonelly issued a statement regarding Block's hire:"Joe's play-by-play ability, diverse experience, strong work ethic and genuine desire to beomce a permanent part of the Pirates family and Pittsburgh community made him our ... Read More
Pittsburgh could be good fit for Lincecum to rejuvenate career
It was recently reported that free agent starting pitcher Tim Lincecum would pitch in a showcase for Major League teams at some point within the month of February. The two-time Cy Young winner has struggled throughout his last few seasons with the San Francisco Giants. Many teams seem to be interested in the veteran right-hander, however, Pittsburgh could be a convenient landing spot for Lincecum. In 2006, the Giants took Lincecum with the No. 10 overall pick out of the University of Washington. ... Read More
Healthy Jung Ho Kang will be vital to Pirates success in 2016
The Pittsburgh Pirates will enter the 2016 season with a different looking lineup. With the departure of Neil Walker and the retirement of Aramis Ramirez, voids exist within the Pirates infield. Josh Harrison is likely to become an everyday starter in the infield and can easily make a difference in various ways. However, a player that might make the biggest difference for the Pirates this season might be a man trying to avoid a sophomore slump and rehabilitate himself from offseason surgery. On ... Read More
With newfound stability, Chris Stewart focusing on 2016 prep
To hear Chris Stewart tell it, his recently minted extension with the Pittsburgh Pirates is all about stability."Oh, it's huge. For me and my family," Stewart told me recently during a phone interview. "First off, it's knowing where we are going to be for more than a year. It's relieving for us."Surely it was relieving for the Pirates as well, who now have their 2016 catching corps locked up for the foreseeable future. After agreeing to terms with starting catcher Francisco Cervelli to avoid ... Read More
Is now the time for the Pirates to extend Polanco’s contract?
Within the last few years, the Pittsburgh Pirates have had a main priority of locking up star players to long-term contracts. Two of those players were two-thirds of an outfield that was recently ranked the best in baseball by ESPN. The next player on the list of players who may see an extension in the near future could be the Pirates young right fielder, Gregory Polanco. In March of 2012, star outfielder and former National League Most Valuable Player Andrew McCutchen signed a six-year, ... Read More
Will the National League’s top-heavy lean affect Pirates?
In case you missed it, many teams got better in the National League this offseason. A lot better. If we take an early look at the landscape as we stand in frigid January temperatures, we can see a caste system of sorts taking shape. There are the perennial contenders out west. The San Francisco Giants got considerably better than they did last year by bringing in Jeff Samardzjia, Johnny Cueto and Denard Span. The Los Angeles Dodgers took a huge hit in losing Zack Greinke to the Arizona ... Read More
Andrew McCutchen ranked as fourth-best CF by MLB Network
MLB Network kicked off its annual "Top Ten Right Now" series of programs by ranking the top 10 centerfielders and shortstops. To arrive at the rankings, the network uses a proprietary algorithm named "The Shredder." This program measures offensive and defensive input without emotion or bias, leading to an ideally objective ranking. To round out the discussion, host Brian Kenny is joined by a second analyst to allow for real-life human analysis as well. After ranking first for the 2015 ... Read More