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Rumors: Edinson Volquez, Pat Neshek

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Here are two rumors to wrap up the evening and day two of the Winter Meetings before I call it a night. The first rumor is from Bill Brink, who says that the White Sox and Edinson Volquez are said to have mutual interest.

This might be insignificant to the Pirates, since they have been rumored to be done with the rotation, and moving on to upgrading the bullpen. Earlier in the evening, Mike Berardino said that Volquez is looking for two years and $20 M, which is what Jason Hammel received.

My guess is that the Pirates won’t be in on Volquez at this point. As for the bullpen focus, there was a rumor today from Rob Biertempfel saying the Pirates had interest in Pat Neshek. Jerry Crasnick says that Neshek is in serious talks with three clubs, although he doesn’t mention the Pirates.

Due to the fact that the Pirates rarely spend in the bullpen, I would be surprised if they land Neshek. He’s coming off a good year, with a 1.87 ERA and a 3.29 xFIP, along with a 9.1 K/9 and a 1.2 BB/9. However, that is the first year since 2007 that he’s been more than just a replacement level reliever. Is this a Jason Grilli type case with a late bloomer? And how much is that one good season in 2014 going to raise his price tag? Neshek seems like a gamble where you’re buying high on one good season at a late age. We’ll see whether the Pirates actually get him, and from the sound of Crasnick’s tweet, we might find out sooner, rather than later.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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