Tag: Tony Watson

The Pirates made two trades at the deadline today, but hardly made a splash. They traded Tony Watson, getting prospects Oneil Cruz and Angel German in return for his final two months before free agency. They also added Joaquin Benoit for minor league reliever Seth McGarry. After the deadline, I pointed out on Twitter that […]

Today is the MLB trade deadline, which you might not have noticed based on the lack of Pirates rumors. The Pirates are in an interesting spot, not really in position to buy, but also not really in position to do a big sell. The last few years have seen most of their moves happen close […]

We’ve been busy the last few days wrapping up our mid-season top 50 rankings, and during that time, the trade rumor mill has started to heat up. Of course, the Pirates have also swept the Brewers in four games, pulling themselves up to .500, and just three games back in the NL Central. So it’s […]

PITTSBURGH — Tony Watson is no longer the Pirates’ closer — at least for now. That was the message manager Clint Hurdle delivered to reporters Friday afternoon. Hurdle had said after Watson blew two consecutive saves in Baltimore that he would re-evaluate the situation, and what he’s come up with seems to be a solid […]

If you’re against the traditional closer role, with the belief that your best reliever should be used in the toughest situations, then Felipe Rivero’s current usage is nearly perfect. Rivero is easily the best reliever in the Pirates’ bullpen, and one of the best relievers in baseball this year, but is currently the set-up man […]

Despite taking two of three from the Washington Nationals this week, the Pirates find themselves in last place in the NL Central, and sitting five games under .500. The losing record, and the upcoming trade rumor mill season, has led to a lot of speculation trade rumor articles. I’ve written before about how this time […]

PITTSBURGH — Gerrit Cole is rolling. The Pirates starter had his sixth straight quality start and finished seven innings for the first time this season while striking out eight Milwaukee Brewers in a 2-1 win on Saturday. Cole has had some good stretches throughout his major-league career, but he’s in the midst of one of […]

BRADENTON, Fla. — As he was at the end of last season, Tony Watson will be the Pirates’ closer in 2017. Watson is of course left-handed, which makes him something of a rarity. Only once, in 2006, have the Pirates had a lefty lead the team in saves, and that’s pretty much par for the […]

BRADENTON, Fla. – The Pirates played to an 11-11 tie with the Blue Jays today at LECOM, with the most encouraging thing being Gerrit Cole’s five inning start. Cole gave up just one run on five hits, with no walks and five strikeouts. He was using an approach that was similar to what you’d see […]

BRADENTON, Fla. – Felipe Rivero is having a nice spring. After throwing two perfect innings today with three strikeouts, he now has no runs and one hit allowed in seven innings, with nine strikeouts. But the most impressive stat he’s put up has been the walk total: Zero. Rivero has shown some dominant stuff, with […]