The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Wednesday evening that they have signed first baseman John Jaso to a two-year contract. The 32-year-old left-handed hitter spent 2015 with Tampa Bay, posting a .286/.380/.459 slash line in 70 games. He was announced as a 1B/OF, though he has only played five innings at first base in the majors, spending most of his time as a catcher. Terms of the deal have not yet been announced.
During his seven seasons in the majors, spent with Tampa, Seattle and Oakland, Jaso has a .263/.361/.406 slash line in 550 games. His best season came in 2012 when he posted an .850 OPS over 108 games, but the 2015 season wasn’t far behind. Since he was announced as a first baseman, you can expect that he will be the left side of a platoon over at first base, possibly getting time in the outfield and serving as an emergency catcher. Jaso was on the disabled list early in the 2015 season for a wrist injury and didn’t return until early July.
Ken Rosenthal announced that it’s a 2/$8M deal, which basically means the Pirates traded one year of Pedro Alvarez for two seasons of Jaso.
Source: Jaso deal with #Pirates is two years, $8M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 23, 2015
Neal Huntington had this to say about Jaso:
“John Jaso is a proven Major League hitter who is a great complement to our existing lineup. John is enthusiastic about playing in Pittsburgh and developing as a first baseman. We feel he has the ability to play the position at the major league level, while adding significantly to our offensive production.”
UPDATE 5:18 PM: Analysis from Tim Williams…
First of all, credit to Eno Sarris at FanGraphs for calling this move about a week ago. Well, he didn’t exactly call it, but he did say that Jaso would be his choice to solve the first base situation in Pittsburgh. He also liked Juan Nicasio and Allen Webster before the Pirates added them, making me think Eno Sarris is secretly Neal Huntington in disguise. Anyway, for his analysis, pre-move, check out the link above.
There are two aspects to this deal: the offensive upside and the defensive uncertainty.
Taking a look at the offense first, there’s a lot to like about Jaso. In his career, he has a .342 wOBA and 120 wRC+. Compare that to the career numbers from Pedro Alvarez (.324/106) and it’s easy to see that two years and $8 M of Jaso is much better than one year and $8 M from Alvarez.
Defensively, Jaso has only played 20 innings in his career at first base. So he’s largely unproven. That said, it will be difficult to be worse than Pedro Alvarez was last year, and his time as a former catcher should help him, since the catcher-to-first base transition is more common and seems to be easier.
Jaso’s role will be a left-handed hitting member of the first base platoon. The Pirates have two interesting options from the right side in Michael Morse and Jason Rogers. Their career numbers:
Morse: .346 wOBA/119 wRC+
Rogers (179 PA):.345/115
That would be their overall numbers. Looking at the career numbers against left-handers only (which would be their role), we get the following:
Morse: .350/122
Rogers: .326/102
The interesting thing is that Rogers actually has reverse splits, although we go from a small sample to a much smaller sample when breaking this down. He’s been good against lefties in the minors, so he should be good in the platoon role.
The big appeal here is Jaso. Here is how he stacks up against right-handers, compared to other left-handed hitters, via Forbes to Federal:
best left-handed hitters vs. right-handed pitchers, past four seasons, by wRC+ pic.twitter.com/FtwpJgo1Wb
— Forbes to Federal (@ForbesToFederal) December 23, 2015
If those numbers hold up, then the Pirates just got a steal on offense when it comes to hitters from the left side of the plate. He doesn’t have the power that Pedro Alvarez has, but in terms of overall offense, Jaso is much better. And I can’t see how the defense would be any worse than last year’s production.
At $4 M per year (assuming it’s divided equally), the Pirates are at about $95 M in payroll for the 2016 season. This move also won’t block Josh Bell in the future, but will give the Pirates a really strong left-handed bat off the bench who can serve as the emergency catcher, backup first base, and play some outfield.
UPDATE 7:13 PM: The Pirates have outrighted Jorge Rondon to Triple-A, per a team press release. I don’t know if this was the corresponding move, as Rondon would have been waived a few days before this. It does clear a space on the 40-man roster for Jaso, and keeps Rondon in the organization as bullpen depth.
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
i watched Christmas story 2, The first thing the father complains about is the White Sox signing another utility infielder. “The old man maintainedhis well-deserved status……as the White Sox’s number-one fan.Morons.Another utility infielder.What about a pitcher who canmake it to the second inning?I’m telling you, boys, if I owned that team,things would be a whole lot different.Yes, sirree, Bob.Utility infielder.”
Good
Jaso has virtually no power. I guess you could say gap power. I watched him all year in Tampa and he can certainly hit and get on base. We used him as a DH for a reason. He hits. Also has the ugliest hair in all sports. It looks like an old wig that has never been washed. He lowers his head and it sticks straight up. That was an embarrasment, but he is a good guy
The more I think about this signing the more I think the Pirates are going to work Rogers’ tail off in ST to see if he can be the early season replacement for Kang at 3B. If if works out really well, and Kang fully recovers from his injury then the highest offensive upside, against RHP at least would be to have Kang at SS pushing Mercer to the bench with Rogers at 3B. The likelihood of this working out is slim, but something to consider. It would result in an infield with the potential for a .275+ BA at every position.
Does this mean we aren’t getting Chris Davis?
I’m hacking into the USPS server to see if leefoo’s book can be delayed, a week.
Jaso seems like an ok platoon guy. Really like the walk/avg potential as long as he never has to bat against a lefty, but he is another guy with no power to add to a lineup with limited power. You can certainly put up runs with base hits, but there are times in a season where you face a good pitcher that you can’t string hits or walks together against and might only get that one big swing opportunity. And unfortunately bucs are gonna have to face a bunch of those guys. The royals had more power then people may believe they still hit a decent amount of hrs with a ton of extra baggers. I just don’t see a ton of hrs or extra base hits with this lineup right now and that is a bit concerning.
Like the signing; I guess this means the hitters are set and the bench will be:
– Stewart
– S-Rod
– Florimon
– The two of Rogers/Morse/Jaso who aren’t starting
I would now consider the starting lineup as good although not great (too many questions around Mercer, Harrison, the RH-1B, and even Polanco). As for the bench, the first three are all glove no bat, and the others are below average anywhere but 1B.
They might be done here which would be ok but personally I would still like a better option than Florimon at back up SS.
Florimon is not making the team. That’s what S-Rod is for. No matter how you like it, he’s playing 2B, 3B, OF & SS this year.
Wouldn’t these stats look nice:
1. Polanco .280/.340/.410 30-10-15 (dubs-trips-HR) 35SB
2. Jaso .280/.360/.420 20-0-12 0SB
3. Cutch .300/.400/.500 40-5-25 15SB
4. Marte .280/.340/.450 35-7-22 30SB
5. Kang .280/.350/.450 25-2-18 5SB
6. Cervelli .280/.350/.420 25-2-10 0SB
7. J-Hay .280/.320/.400 32-5-12 15SB
8. Mercer .250/.300/.380 25-3-10 5SB
Morse .250/.320/.440 12-0-10 5SB
Rogers .280/.330/.430 10-1-8 2SB
Stewy .250/.320/.350 10-0-2 0SB
SRod .240/.290/.350 6-2-6 5SB
Florimon .200/.250/.250 5-3-1 15SB
Cole 20-7 200K 1.05WHIP
Liriano 16-9 185 1.20
Niese 14-10 145 1.30
Vogelsong 6-9 90 1.40
Locke 10-10 90 1.35
Tallion 7-5 90K 1.30
Glasnow 5-3 65K 1.30
LLOYD wants Latos and can see a 12-8 150K 1.30
PEN of:
1. SHARK
2. Watson
3. Nicasio
4. Hughes
5. Caminero
6. Medina
7. Lefty
LLOYD likey, LLOYD likey…………
LLOYD
ps……….Fooooooooooooooo
I like Jaso’s bat, but not sure I understand this part of it. They replaced one guy who couldnt play first base with another guy who doesnt play first base.
They replaced one guy who should never put on a glove with a guy who hasn’t played much first base.
This is the movie Moneyball all over again when Billy Beane turned the catcher into a 1st basemen that can get on base. Awesome stuff for a sequel!
I’ll take Latos, Bastardo and Blanton and go to the post with team as of today adding those 3.
Agree Sir Heffy, Agree!!!!
And LLOYD thinks you are probably right about Florimon but hopes for an upgrade there as well.
LLOYD
“He doesn’t have the power that Pedro Alvarez has, but in terms of overall offense, Jaso is much better.”
I guess I would like to know how you reach this conclusion, based on the career stats of Jaso and Alvarez. Power wise, huge drop-off from Alvarez to Jaso. I do agree Jaso will not strike out as much and may hit for a higher average (if Jaso is limited to just a platoon and RH pitching), but his career stats do not show a lot of run production. I guess time will tell how this works out…
The reason I am not overly excited about a Rogers/Jaso platoon has little to do with their hitting however, its whether they represent a significant improvement over Alvarez defensively. Based on their history, I don’t get a sense that they are or will. I don’t think the need was to just match or be a slight upgrade over Alvarez defensively, but that we needed a significant improvement – as infield defense, more than any other factor, probably cost the Pirates the division last year.
Jaso has a higher wOBA each of the last 4 years than Pedro had in any year.
http://www.fangraphs.com/comparison.aspx?playerid=2495&position=3B&page=8&players=5887
Yup…I just wonder, with the limited PA’s, whether he was being primarily used against pitchers whose style he matched well against. No idea whether that’s the case, but, for someone who appears to hit the snot out of righties, he definitely has a lack of PA’s over the last six seasons.
Fair enough
Jaso has a higher OPS against RHP that Pedro over the last three seasons. That, minus strikeouts, gives me some hope.
On the other hand, Jaso also has far few PA’s over the past few seasons…so I’m curious to see how his hitting stands up with increased opportunities.
I like this pickup and I’m ready to go after the Cards/Cubs but more importantly the Brewers and the Reds!
Prospect guide arrived today. Heading out tomorrow for a magnifying glass to read it.
Still need pitching, both starters and relievers. Can’t go into the season in this division with Niese,Locke and Vogelsong as our 3,4,and 5 starters. Can’t happen
I don’t know. Could be worse. Almost everyone complains about their team’s back of the rotation. I’d rather go with this to start the season than force something that isn’t really worth it. These guys all have been pretty good for half a season at a time. If 2 of them can do that this year, we’d probably be in pretty good shape while we wait for the prospects to start showing up or for a better opportunity to present itself. Patience is more likely to be rewarded than panic.
Saying it could be worse, is not a soothing answer – we need to get better in the rotation to keep up with the many strong rotations throughout the NL.
I agree with BFSiMD. The rotation as-is is only competitive with a lot of good fortune. I’d like the Necessary Good Fortune Quotient to be a little lower.
I’d like it to be better. I disagree that it needs to be better to compete. The question is, where’s the upgrade? I don’t think it was Leake and I don’t think it’s Kazmir. I’d rather see them throw a couple more wild cards against the wall and see what sticks.
Two more starters for sure…one of which can’t be a rebuild.
Solid day for our beloved Buccos. LLOYD thinks that all that is needed now is Latos, a lefty reliever and a backup SS (preferably a lefty hitter). If Morse is traded, a 4th OF will be added as well.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!
LLOYD
Florimon probably your LH back up SS.
I like this move. Can’t ignore the career .361 On base percentage. That would put him among the best in that category in any season. Also a career .767 OPS . I cannot complain. I wanted more on base presence in the lineup. I’m just wondering where the power will come from. Not that Jaso no power. Polanco and Marte should hit for more power every year, plus I trust Morse to bounce back somewhat. Marte should a 25 HR a year player . I’d rather have Marte 1st or 2nd because of his speed but I think he needs to be 4 or 5 until they find someone to lock that spot down
Harrison 2B
Polanco RF
Cutch CF
Marte LF
Kang 3B
Jaso/Morse 1B
Cervelli C
Mercer SS
How about Jaso #2 ? Would be nice to have some guys on base for 3-4-5.
Essentially he’s replaced NW offense.
First…. he is a DH< without a position beyond back-up catcher or 4th OF'er.
Second, he is projected for 0.5 WAR, Walker 2.5
He HAS replaced Snider however
The WAR projection is misleading. Walker is projected for twice the PA and he gets a bump in WAR from the 2B positional adjustment. If you just want to look at apples to apples on offense, look at their projected wRC+ which is basically identical. Walker 112, Jaso 111.
Well, there *is* a reason Jaso isn’t projected for many PA….
For less than half the price.
The Pirates read Fangraphs, not sure about “eye tests” posted on the internet.
Travis Sawchik gets his wish!
I was just looking at some of his career splits. Even though he’s had more ABs in the #1 spot he’s killer with men on base. His walks go up, strike outs down, and wOBA and wRC+ both shoot up with men on.
Career Stats
BB% 12.6 K% 14.6 wOBA .342 wRC+ 120
Men on Base
BB% 13.7 K% 12.9 wOBA .375 wRC+ 143
Scoring Position
BB% 14.9 K% 13.3 wOBA .367 wRC+ 137
Another thing I like is the extra catcher part.
This frees Stewart/Cervelli to be a PH on their
off days.
Walker was the emergency catcher, but this isn’t enough to make this a great move.
Ok, I don’t know enough about this new player
to consider this even a good move. Time will tell.
Actually Hurdle mentioned a couple times last year when they went to extras that Josh Harrison was the emergency catcher.
I don’t see anyone calling it a great move. But relative to other moves NH has made in the past few weeks, it’s at least “sensible”.
anyone who thinks this is a great move has had their kool-Aid spiked.
Why?
It’s the kind of move someone gets excited about when they have low expectations, and have a blind faith in the front office that they have some clairvoyant knowledge.. Even if the splits turn out as expected 2 average players don’t make for one great player. Teams can take advantage of the match-ups. You also loose the extra position. They admitted in the past having a platoon at 1st is not the ideal situation. People are giddy like we just got Paul Goldshmidt. Either go with Morris or upgrade the position. Going with a complementary player is just a band-aid.
no power. The Pirates had trouble scoring. At one point they were one of the top teams at leaving runners in scoring position.
you realize why it’s called “scoring position”, right?
(hint: because you only need a single to get them home)
They were the 3rd worst team in MLB at leaving RISP. They averaged 3.67. https://www.teamrankings.com/mlb/stat/runners-left-in-scoring-position-per-game. HR’s and Doubles clear more runners off the bases so they don’t end up as left in scoring position.
Yes I understood that. McCutchen himself had one of the best batting averages with runners in “scoring position”. When you start off with a single or walk someone has to get you into scoring position or you have to steel 2nd. If you take 2 teams with the same OBP the team that hit more HR’s and Doubles would score more runs though.
Finished as one of the best teams in baseball with RISP.
Actually not. They were the 3rd worst team in MLB at leaving RISP. They averaged 3.67. https://www.teamrankings.com/mlb/stat/runners-left-in-scoring-position-per-game
PGH finished 2015 with the 8th highest AVG while hitting with RISP and a wRC+ that placed 4th in baseball.
So your stat is essentially saying they had a large number of chances with RISP, that led to a high number of men not scoring. That seems poor, until you then take a look at their stats of success and realize they capitalized a ton with RISP. A top 5 team with RISP by wRC+, OBP. Top 10 in wOBA.
Top 5 in opportunities with RISP, top 5 in key offensive stats.
To put it all together they had one of the better team batting Avg with Risp, but they ranked 19 in scoring. So they really didn’t capitalize at the the rate other teams did. That’s why being one of the worst at leaving RISP becomes relevant. They were also 6th in K’s with RISP. They had the 4th most sacrifice flies. It still goes back to they let opportunities get away. The Pitching saved them many times. A little bit more would have made a big difference.
Ignoring wRC+ really makes this a pretty flawed way to look at this. So they, statistically, saw some of the best overall offensive numbers and yet since we can see they also left a good deal on base they must suck.
Yes, they left men on. Thats inherently going to happen when you are top 3 in chances with RISP. They also, as wRC+ points out, were a top offense when hitting with RISP. Meaning they werent just walking and not getting runs in, but overall hitting better than most teams in that scenario.
They got a ton of chances with RISP (a positive trait), they stranded many, they hit well, and scored enough. One area that wasnt a giant weakness was RISP, unless we’d prefer fewer chances with RISP and thus less men left on. Thats likely a wash in total runs, and would be silly. If we hit as we did with RISP next year as last year, the team will be fine.
They managed to get a ton of guys in scoring position, and then hit overall well enough in those spots to throw out nearly league best numbers in wRC+. Not an end all stat, but a key indicator of overall offensive performance beyond runs scored (since runs scored here could easily favor a team who had 400 less chances with RISP and thus left less men on as a counting number).
It happened to them at a higher rate though. This is also backed up on other Pirate sites where they evaluated this. They won 98 games so they did something right. Going back to 2014 a player like Ike Davis had a very good OBP with risp, if that was looked on as a good stat Pirates would have kept him.
They were the worst team at leaving runners on base. https://www.teamrankings.com/mlb/stat/team-left-on-base-per-game
My case was that OBP doesn’t really help the Pirates. They still squandered more opportunities even though they had more opportunities to squander.
The other shoe has dropped and it’s a club foot…
Now thats funny 🙂 Not sure I agree, but it brought a laugh 🙂
not a bad move if you’re rebuilding
This is exactly what the Pirates need. Someone who provides quality at bats and gets on base. Our offense if not home run totals just got better than last year . Our bench is far stronger now at this time.
La ~ We generally had a horrible time with timely hitting last year. It seemed that only Chris Stewart could hit a freakin’ single, when that’s all we needed.
98 wins- timely hitting we might have won 116
Wow, Rondon already cleared waivers as the corresponding 40 man roster move. Deal was in the works for a few days it would appear.
Great day for the Bucs today!
Medina! A RP who was good in 2012/13 and then got a quick demotion to AAA based on a small sample size. Remind you of anybody who might have led his league in saves last year?
Jaso! A quality platoon bat, likely with feet quick enough to be adequate at 1B. (Catchers generally have quick feet although not necessarily foot speed.)
And money left over for Latos, who we can all pray will be less of a jerk here than he has been in the past. In fact, with all this behind us, there might be a way to squeeze Kazmir into the budget. Give him the 4 year deal, then trade him once two of Taillon / Glasnow / Kingham have established themselves and let some other poor suckers take the 4th year risk.
Patience is a wonderful thing!
Dave Magadan once put up a 5.2 WAR season once he got regular playing time. Not dissimilar to Josh Harrison, but Magadan had even less power. And Matt Carpenter suddenly became a power threat at age 30, raising his ISO >80 pts over his career average. Not saying Jaso will be any of the above, but there are examples out there of a guy with his skills becoming a very useful contributor.
If nothing else, it’s the first move NH has made this offseason where I didn’t react with “WTF?”
Remember when all eyes rolled at the signing of Cervelli? Or Liriano? Or AJ, both times? Or Volquez?
Most eyes have been rolling this winter. I’ve kept my gaze looking straight ahead 🙂
Gotta wonder…and I’m no expert…due to the nature of catching…the switch to 1B shouldn’t be overly difficult.
I like this pickup a lot. Now, what to do with Goebbert and either Rogers or Morse.
Seems like someone will be out to me. Goebbert was signed to a ML deal and to keep them all on the 25 man doesn’t make much sense.
He’s not my “ideal”, but he rolls back the clouds. I think they have better 1b (combined) than last year (no more solo hr’s, no more cringing when in the field). Now for ss; more consistency (both hitting & fielding).
I am not too concerned about SS.
We need a solid starter not named Ryan or Jeff.
How about Tyler or Jameson
Eventually.
Agree, get a legit starter and I’m pretty happy.
So NOW the big question: Who goes off of the 40 man. Guido or Tony or ????
Btw, Tim, NO PIRATE PROSPECT book today. Mrs Foo swears she didn’t hide it. You have ONE more day to get it to me. You BETTER have Drone capability!!
Haha, I’m with you Foo! I leave for Guyana right after Christmas and the book is essential survival equipment for down there.
Guyana? Is that near Phillie?
I received mine yesterday! I live in Wheeling home of the greatest postal workers in the USA! Just say in. Now I have a two day advantage on the infamous leefoo!
I think she’s going to give it to you for Christmas.
Tim does this to me every year. 🙂 🙂 🙂
I would do it to you also!
Sure it will get there soon. I got mine today. Thanks!
You get to read that and EYE have to watch the GoDaddy Bowl. 🙂
Pirates hit 140 HRs last year. As PRESENTLY constructed, how many do you think we hit THIS year?
a) 130.
My vote is D.
I vote E. Mercer only hit 2 last year, he’s good for 10. Kang should improve to 20. Polanco to 15. Three headed 1B monster at least 20. That seems like very little drop off to me
You should do the same thing w runs scored since that’s the stat that truly matters.
98
My answer is, it really doesn’t matter. How many of those dingers did Pete hit with guys on base?
OPS will be up, BA will be up, homers will be down.
Any time you take 50+ HRs off a team it’s a big deal.
Except that they didn’t. Alvarez and Walker combined for 43. Jaso hit 5 in a half season. Rogers hit another 4 in a quarter of a season.
Aramis Ramirez was a good hitter for them.
Aramis Ramirez distributed his hits to when men were on base, labeling him a good hitter for the Pirates is debatable.
…who added 6 HRs, and retired. Still not anywhere close to 50+ homers lost.
Depends on the makeup of a team. Runs saved count the same as runs scored, so if they lose 50 HRs but gain 15 runs saved on defense you then have a far less steep hill to climb in terms of replacing that lost production.
They’ll assuredly have less power, but not necessarily a worse situation. Hate to lose the power, love to upgrade from 2 of the worst defenders are their respective positions. Which surely will lead to everyone now saying how Walker was fine at 2B and Harrison having more errors=worse overall.
I think Huntiington really believes that Kang and Polanco will take strides in the power department this year to help alleviate the loss of Alavarez and Walkers’ home runs.
Yeah that seems like the situation.
Depends on the health of Kang, but if Kang is healthy i agree with that. Kang has the ability to throw out more raw HR totals than the teens.
And Mercer
Yes, if they had last year’s pitching. Ryan Vogelsong pulls his usual giving up a touchdown in the 1st, you’re going to wish they had more XBH/HR ability.
No you miss my point. We can have a lesser #3 and not be a worse overall team. Yes, we cant have someone totally suck, but with our improvements on defense we save runs almost for sure. Meaning if we have an average #3 , we lose production from there but gain some from defense.
I dont think we need AJ level dominance to be as good. Not in the win column but for talent level….because i think winning 98 would be tough with the exact same team.
Vogelsong = Morton
They traded away 30% of that
C prob if things go bad b
Mine is E
C. Gregory Polanco Williams with 26, team lead.
I like this move very much. They’re clearly going the getting on base route over the power route, and I like that.
Soooooooooooooo….instead of paying Walker and moving him to 1b, we trade him for a #3 /#4 starter and sign Jaso to platoon with Rogers or Morse and save about $5 million dollars?
Works for me.
Huntington is BRILLIANT! (where’s that Guiness?)
Niese better not be the #3 .
I wish they’d paid the extra $$ for Happ. I have a feeling NH has wildly misread the cost of pitching this offseason.
What in the world makes you think Happ is going to be better than Neise?
Did you use a calculator?
I like it. I hope he can learn 1B. I’m happy we have him for two years where he can transition into a bench bat, so that they don’t need to rush Bell if there is a setback.
In Neal I trust. #LetsGoBucs
This I am OK with. It makes me like the Rogers’ trade less…but could we PLEASE go get a legitimate 3rd starting option now???
Have to wonder if they see Rodgers as a 3b versatility guy
Might as well try Cervelli at 3rd over Rodgers.
Too pessimistic.
I think this move could be viewed potentially as better than the Zobrist signing by end of 2016.
Love this move! Dude has excellent plate discipline and seems to have a flair for the dramatics. Hopefully, we can now focus our attention to signing a #3 starter and have Vogelsong and Locke battle it out for the 5th starter.
I’m fully aware my understanding of moves means nothing, but I like this deal because it has direction.
Nice. It almost makes you think that they signed Goebbert as a depth move back in November and it wasn’t just a way to save Nutting money.
I like this move- 3 reasonable options which allow us not to force Bell to the majors until he’s ready and allow us to send him down if he struggles. Now back to that #3 starting spot in the rotation. Go sign Latos already…..
How about Lincecum
He retired.
I’d imagine this spells the end of Tony Sanchez in the pirates system
I would like to see the P2 take on Tony Sanchez given the current addresses of quality Pirate catching depth. Seems to me that Tony’s defense is not quite top shelf. I could see him being a 1b.
-BB
what the heck does this have to do with Tony Sanchez
someone has to go off of the 40 man.
why?
With Rogers on board..wonder if Morse and his salary out the door somewhere.
who will take him and his salary number?
I don’t see them moving Morse- they still need his power potential
Nah, depth seems to be a big thing with GMNH this offseason. I think the Pirates have every intention on giving Hanson and Bell jobs as soon as they feel they’re ready.
…anything is possible. Personally, I doubt they care- they will play veterans until they fail or get hurt. Always have, always will.
They play vets in lieu of middling type prospects, but they’ve never really been shy about playing the high upside prospects.
Bell is going to be handed 1B by all accounts of history and how they are filling 1B currently. Hanson seems to have pushed himself into a bench role thanks to a lack of hitting for awhile.
This is the time of year where I parse splits from two marginal players and convince myself the Pirate will finally get something, anything, out of first base.
It’s worked soooo well in the past you’d think I’d learn my lesson. Nope.
That starting OF needs to come up with 25 HRs a piece. Cause it’s not coming from anywhere else.
Pirates will get 20 more homers out of Mercer, Harrison, Kang and Polanco and 20 total out of 1B. That should put them close to the HR loss of Pedro and Walker with better ops and more runs saved on defense.
Wow! That’s a lot
20 MORE? I don’t know. Polancos the only one you should expect a reasonable bump. 20 total from first? 10.
It’s not coming from their either. Cutch won’t even hit 25- you might end up with 60 total, that’s probably it for 2016 unless you count the homers from the reserves
C – 10
3rd – 20
SS – 10
2nd – 10
1st – 20
LF – 16
CF – 22
RF – 18
Total = 126
60 total from outfield Piraddict- you were missing theme of the conversation. your numbers absolutely agree with me.
Ah!
Here’s my worthless projections:
Starting players:
C- 8
1B- 15 (morse/Jaso)
2B-8 (Harrison)
SS- 8 (Mercer)
3B-22 (Kang)
CF- 23 (cutch)
LF-20 (Marte)
RF-11 (Polanco)
Reserves: Rogers, Rodriguez, Stewart, Florimon, Hanson, Bell, others) – 15
Total=130
Shhhh, Dont let Tim “El Coffee” Williams hear that.
Jaso’s only projected to hit as well as Alvarez, too, now that I look at it. Maybe ZIPS will disagree.
I like it when a pitcher switches leagues. Seems they benefit from the lack of familiarity. Hitters, the exact opposite. They have to learn guys and how certain clubs pitch.
Never been big on how the Pirates instruct hitting. We’ll see.
Yea, Yoenis Cespedes really struggled for the mets last year after getting traded from det.
C’mon man. Rarely does that happen. No one saw that coming.
Any word on who was cut to make room on the 40 man?
LaFromboise
He was cut for funky cold medina. It ended up being Rondon
I think he was cut to make room for Medina??
Somewhere Tony Sanchez is cursing to himself.
Cervelli+Stewart+Diaz with Jaso as a “oh shit we need a warm body who can play catcher” would seem to point to Sanchez being the ideal guy that is removed from the 40.
Hadn’t thought of him. Might be his time.
You are right. My bad.
They needed a LH bat that wasn’t an automatic out. I’m fine with it, but the fielding should be interesting.
The A’s had him, and decided to sign IKE DAVIS last year, rather than try Jaso at first.
I have NO idea why people see him at first.
they see him at first because that is where we are going to put him. If he fails, you are looking at our 4th outfielder.
You mayyyyy wanna mention the little part where the A’s acquired some guy named Zobrist in exchange for a package led by Jaso…
We still need a reliable lefty in the pen. They should be able to afford Bastardo and Latos with these budget moves.
We better get a better starter to put in the #3 slot…
Not many of those available.