According to Rob Biertempfel, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made ten cuts this morning, lowering their Spring Training roster to 44 players. The Pirates cut Andrew Lambo, Daniel Moskos, Brian Friday, Aaron Thompson, Alex Presley, Chase D’Arnaud, Tony Watson, Jeff Locke, Gorkys Hernandez, and Ramon Aguero. Lambo, Friday, and D’Arnaud were the only non-roster invitees.
The only player from this group who was really in contention for a roster spot was Alex Presley, who was in contention for a spot as the 5th outfielder. This cut will allow him to get everyday playing time in Indianapolis, which might be more valuable than sporadic playing time off the bench.
Jenifer Langosch has the details of each transaction. Thompson, Aguero, and Locke were all optioned to AA. This means that Locke will return to Altoona for the start of the 2011 season, which isn’t unexpected, since he only had 57.2 innings at the level in 2010. Watson, Hernandez, Presley, and Moskos were sent to AAA. Hernandez and Presley should start in the outfield, and Moskos should be in the bullpen, possibly as the closer. Watson could be either in the rotation or the bullpen.
Lambo, D’Arnaud, and Friday were all assigned to minor league camp, where they will wait on their assignments. All three are candidates to start the 2011 season in Indianapolis.
