BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pirates' opening day roster is taking shape. However, Neal Huntington now has a decision to make after the club executed its fourth round of cuts on Tuesday.
Infielder Max Moroff was one of three members of the 40-man roster to be optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, making Bryce Brentz, Jose Osuna and Jordan Luplow the remaining candidates for the Pirates' final bench spot. But Huntington told reporters Tuesday morning at LECOM Park that he is still deciding whether or not to carry 13 pitchers on opening day, which would leave Brentz, Osuna and Luplow off the roster.
"It’s still being kicked back and forth," Huntington said. "Again, with what Osuna has done, the inability to option Brentz and the reason we got him is still there, and the threat Jordan brings, but also where does the rotation end up? Where do our relievers end up this final week? Again, as we’ve talked about several times, the opening day roster may change very quickly. It’s not going to be the same on May 1st and because of the flexibility we have in a variety of spots it may be an evolving process."
In addition to Moroff, starting pitcher Nick Kingham and infielder Christopher Bostick were optioned. Also, first baseman Erich Weiss, third baseman Eric Wood, catcher Jackson Williams, relief pitcher Casey Sadler, relief pitcher John Stilson, infielder Pablo Reyes, outfielder Todd Cunningham and relief pitcher Brett McKinney were reassigned to minor league camp.
The Pirates, who play the Red Sox in Fort Myers today at 1:05 p.m., now have 37 players in major league camp, including five non-roster invitees.
Huntington's decision won't be an easy one. Brentz, who was acquired from the Red Sox last month, is batting .216 in 37 at-bats this spring. Osuna, on the other hand, has a team-high four home runs with 13 RBIs and a .324/.366/.676 slash line in 37 at-bats in Grapefruit League play. Luplow, 24, appeared in 27 games for the Pirates last season and can play both corner outfield spots, but he is the most inexperienced of the three, having played only 44 games at Triple-A.
If the Pirates do opt for a fourth outfielder, Brentz, who can play both corner outfield spots, could have an advantage given he is out of minor-league options and has proven to be an able defender in left field. Osuna has struggled defensively playing the outfield and is blocked at both first and third base with David Freese already owning a spot on the bench, although Huntington said he is comfortable with Osuna's defense at both third and first base.
"We are," Huntington said. "Again, we have other players who would probably be in front of him. We love the bat and that’s what we’re most comfortable with, and he can flat play first base. But can he handle third base? Can he handle right field? Pick spots for him, absolutely. David is going to be the alternative at third base and even if there are other things we’d do. If there’s a pinch-hit in a double switch, Jose, absolutely we’re comfortable with him in right or third base. Most comfortable obviously at first base, but Josh Bell likes to pay a lot, is capable of playing a lot and we anticipate he’ll continue to do so."
Unlike Clint Hurdle, Huntington did reveal his ideas for the opening day roster, adding that he is comfortable with Sean Rodriguez and Adam Frazier being able to back up Jordy Mercer at shortstop. Additionally, the ability of both Rodriguez and Frazier to play the three outfield spots could make another bench player less necessary.
The Pirates opening in an American League ballpark could also play into the decision since Frazier will likely act as the designated hitter for each of those three games. They could choose to carry 13 pitchers for that series with a roster move before the home opener at PNC Park on April 1.
Steven Brault and Tyler Glasnow are likely to begin the season in the bullpen as long relievers. Also, Huntington said Michael Feliz, acquired from the Astros in the Gerrit Cole trade, will likely handle high-leverage situations in addition to George Kontos and Felipe Rivero.
Kevin Siegrist, the left-handed reliever signed to a minor-league contract as a non-roster invitee, appears to be a favorite to earn a roster spot since he can opt out of his deal at the end of the month, but Siegrist is only capable of pitching one inning at a time. That could make an additional reliever necessary, despite the fact the Pirates have four days off during the first month of the season.
Edgar Santana, Kyle Crick, Dovydas Neverauskas and Josh Smoker would be the favorites to land that final bullpen spot.
"We might carry an extra arm, given the depth and quality of the arms," Huntington said. "Our relievers have tended to have a little challenge getting into that second inning. We’ve talked about wanting to have multiple innings out of our pen. Brault and Glasnow can provide that. It would be good to have some other relievers give us two innings if need be in the middle of a game in case a starter can’t get through a lineup a third time or just with the volume of games. ... With the optionability of most of the guys in our bullpen, with the optionability of everyone except Brentz, we may fluctuate back and forth between 12 and 13, and 13 and 12."
Fluctuating back and forth would leave Brentz on the outside looking in. Brentz, 29, led the International League with 31 home runs last season, but he has only 34 games of major league experience. He could be a right-handed complement to the left-handed hitting Corey Dickerson in left and Hurdle expressed a desire earlier this spring to have a more experienced bat on the bench.
But Freese, Frazier and Rodriguez can provide that, at least in the interim. Daniel Nava, who underwent back surgery last month, could return to the club sometime in May, which would give the Pirates a much more experienced pinch-hitter with the ability to play both corner outfield spots.
• Kingham, 26, is still ranked among the top prospects in the organization, but he struggled during his past two outings, allowing 10 runs to inflate his ERA to 8.76 in 12 1/3 innings this spring. Huntington confirmed Kingham is a candidate to make spot starts for the Pirates this season.
"He has major league weapons and (is) a guy we have confidence in to make major league starts or come out of the bullpen if we move one of our young starters who might begin the season in the bullpen into the rotation."
• Huntington declined to reveal who will start the second and third games of the first series of the season at Detroit. Ivan Nova will take the mound for opening day with Jameson Taillon handling the home opener. With Joe Musgrove still being stretched out to prepare for the season, those two starts will likely go to Chad Kuhl and Trevor Williams.
• Huntington confirmed that infielder Kevin Kramer, who impressed this spring with a retooled swing, will likely begin the season at Triple-A Indianapolis, joining Kevin Newman in what will be a crowded infield.
"This has a chance to be a really fun Indianapolis club. As we sit here today, we’re going to have a significant rotation not only in the starting rotation, but on that position-player club, there’s a ton of guys that we think can help us win at the next level. That bullpen is going to be interesting as well. We’re going to have depth that we haven’t had as much of in the past. We’re going to have some challenges in playing time. [Manager Brian Esposito] in Triple-A is going to have some interesting mixing and matching going on to keep all these guys sharp and to keep all these guys growing.”