The Pirates have had a surprising off-season so far. This is their busiest off-season, and supposedly they are not done. If Ben Cherington had just picked up the phone this winter, he would have had a busier off-season than last year. The new 40-man roster has 19 position players. There is talk of Konner Griffin making the team this spring. He is not on the roster, but if that is the case, that puts the Pirates at 20 players for 13 spots. On today’s blog, I will look at who I think has no chance of making the team, then the players that are locks for the final 13, so to speak. I will then take a look at what’s left for the remaining roster spots. This can all change if the Pirates make any more moves, and they say they are, but we all know that means nothing. I will discuss some of the moves they should make.
There are players, and surprisingly not that many, that I feel have no chance to make the team. The Pirates might not feel that way because, let’s face it, they think very strangely at times. Jack Brannigan, a recent addition to the roster, was added to protect him from being acquired in the Rule 5 draft. He is an infielder who has played 2nd, SS, and 3rd. His slash line at all minor league levels is .245/.356/.454. His highest level has been AA. It would be a stretch to see him make the team. Emanuel Valdez was acquired from the Red Sox last year. He played 1st base for the Pirates and was not impressive before his season ended with a shoulder injury. I am surprised he is still on the roster, let alone that he would make this team. Billy Cook would have had a chance if not for all the moves the Pirates have made. He is heading into his age 27 season with little chance of staying with the team this year. If the Pirates make any trades, I would not be surprised to see him as some kind of throw-in piece.
These are the players that will make the team unless they are traded: Joey Bart and Henry Davis. I still would not mind seeing either one traded, but if that doesn’t happen, I do not see the Pirates giving up on Davis at the start of the season. Nick Gonzales will be the shortstop or a bench player. Spencer Horwitz has 1st base locked down, especially the way he finished last year. Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds will be back, with the Pirates hoping for big bounce-back years. The new acquisitions Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, and Jake Mangum will be on the team when they go up north. If you are counting, that leaves 8 players for the remaining 4 spots.
One of the names missing that many people consider a lock to make the team is Jared Triolo. First, let’s clear something up about Triolo that has been written about him in the offseason. Everyone is saying he finished strong last year. He did not. He had a big-time August. In 109 plate appearances, his slash line was .315/.417/.467. In September, in 107 plate appearances, his line was .240/.290/.380. That is not finishing strong. This gave him a season line of .227/.290/.356 for an 86 OPS+, significantly below league average. When third base is considered the big hole in your lineup and your main position is third base, I think there should be some doubt that you are going to make the team. Yes, he can play all infield positions and is a great fielder, but with that bat, I do not think it is enough to guarantee a spot on the opening day roster. In no particular order, here are the remaining seven players fighting for the four opening day roster spots: Rafael Flores, Nick Yorke, Jhostynxon Garcia, Endy Rodriguez, Jack Suwinski, Esmerlyn Valdez, and last but certainly not least, Konner Griffin. At this point, I am not going to hazard a guess as to who might make the opening day roster. I will say at the bottom of the list is Jack Suwinski. The only reason he was not on the no chance list is that the Pirates gave him a contract. If he has a huge spring, they might consider bringing him up north. It is still way too early to do much speculation, especially with the possibility of more moves to be made.
As mentioned earlier, the big hole in the lineup is at 3rd base. The Pirates could trade or sign Eugenio Suarez. In my mind one of the new trade options could be with the Cubs. They just acquired Alex Bregman. That makes 3rd baseman Matt Shaw expendable. After getting off to a slow start his rookie season. He finished pretty well his last 63 games, slashing .258/.317/.522. He hit 11 of his 13 home runs during the 2nd half. The Pirates have also been linked to trade talks with the Phillies for Alec Bohm. I am sure there are other 3rd base options out there. We can only hope that the Pirates can plug this major hole in their lineup. Spring training is about a month away. The off season has been better than most for the Pirates but that is not saying much. Will they finish this off or has been all it for show. Only time will tell. Hope there will be something to write about before February 1.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 