SAN DIEGO -- The MLB Winter Meetings are in the books. While there were record contracts and plenty of buzz over the five days, the Pirates stayed mostly quiet, dedicating a lot of their focus to internal matters such as staffing and evaluation.
Here is a summary of what they did and did not do in San Diego this week.
What they didn't do:
• They did not make a trade
There were definitely rumors swirling all week, especially around Starling Marte. However, they did not make the deal, and it does not look like there is one coming in the near future, either.
Of course the Pirates do not have to trade Marte. He has a club option for 2021 and could be dealt anytime during the offseason or even the regular season, however slim a chance that may be. But the Meetings are, traditionally, a great place to get deals done, and the Pirates do not appear to be any closer to completing a trade now than they were before they came to San Diego.
• They did not take a player in the Rule 5 draft
MLB rosters are expanding to 26 players in 2020. While that might make it easier to carry a Rule 5 pick, the Pirates decided not poach a minor-leaguer from another team Thursday.
On Wednesday, Cherington said he was open to adding a player via Rule 5, but did not feel it was the only way they could utilize that 26th spot.
He said he wants to use it for someone who complements the team or has some "growth potential yet." That could be someone like Clay Holmes or Dovydas Neverauskas, two pitchers already on the roster who are out of minor league options, essentially putting them in the same boat as a Rule 5 pick- either they are on the major league team or the Pirates risk losing them.
As a concession, they did not lose any players in the MLB portion of the draft.
• They did not finish building the coaching staff
The Pirates still have a good couple holes on the staff, the most pressing being a pitching coach. Derek Shelton and bench coach Don Kelly talked often this week and Kelly has been helping to identify and vet candidates, but there is still work to be done. While they and Cherington have impressive rolodexes of coaches who could be good fits, it's December. They need to fill these spots soon or teams will not let their coaches leave for other opportunities in 2020.
What they did do:
• They picked up a couple minor leaguers
Let's not pretend that signing Hector Noesi to a minor-league deal and selecting Alex Aquino in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 draft is exactly a haul. However, it is something, which is more than can be said about some of the Pirates other recent trips to the Meetings.
Noesi struggled in the majors but was one of the best pitchers in Korea over a three year stretch. Aquino is a converted infielder who is already hitting 95 mph on the gun. What are the odds either makes a legitimate impact with the Pirates? Not great. But they are no risk pickups that only have upside, however slim it may be.
• They delegated power
It would have been easy for Cherington to invoke front office Martial law and for him and assistant GM Steve Sanders to make moves to get the most out of the week. They did not do that.
Cherington opened the week by telling the media the Pirates front office was getting to know each other more than most other teams would be at the winter meetings. That was mostly because Cherington was a very late hire.
So they delegated duties and convened often. The front office went to dinner and talked baseball with team president Travis Williams. Everyone is getting on the same page.
• They made headway
Just because they did not make a big trade, hiring or signing does not mean the week was a waste. They fielded a lot of calls on players. They made a lot of calls on players. Cherington met with agents. They are narrowing their search for assistant coaches. Framework for the rest of the offseason and beyond was laid out in San Diego.
Now it is time to wait and see what will become of that framework.