The Pirates signed several veterans to minor-league contracts last week, including Derek Holland, Robbie Erlin and Charles Tilson, and they will almost certainly invite more non-roster players to Bradenton in the near future. Minor-league contracts are a good short-term solution to get a look at a player during spring training, but if the team wants to keep them into the regular season, they must be added to the 40-man roster. At the moment, the Pirates' roster is full, meaning some cuts will almost certainly be necessary.
One roster spot will be opened before opening day when Jameson Taillon is placed on the 60-day injured list. Besides him, the Pirates have seven players who are out of minor-league options, meaning they have to make the opening-day roster or be designated for assignment, thus opening a roster spot.
While some of these players have secure jobs for 2020, others are on the fringe and are in danger of being cut for a non-roster invitee. These are the players who need to make the opening day roster or be waived:
HONORABLE MENTION: RHP NICK BURDI
Burdi is a unique case because he can be optioned to the minors later in the season, but not until he finally sheds his rule 5 pick status. Burdi needs to be on the active roster for 90 days for that to happen and, taking his time in September 2018 and April 2019 into consideration, he needs to be on the active roster for about five more weeks into the regular season. After that, the Pirates could theoretically option him to triple-A without first offering him back to the Twins.
RHP MICHAEL FELIZ
It looked like Feliz was toast last May after allowing five runs while only facing six batters in the Pirates' final attempt with the opener. He was optioned after that game, but he returned a different pitcher in June. He pitched to a 2.84 ERA with a 31.5 K% over 44.1 innings in his second MLB stint in 2019, though he still had a bit of a walk and home run problem. His 4.64 FIP over those final four months was only a hair better than his 4.94 FIP in April and May, though his batted-ball data was much more promising in the second half of the season.
Feliz, 26, looks to be a very safe bet to make the opening-day roster.
INF ERIK GONZALEZ
Gonzalez was considered a non-tender candidate ahead of the December deadline for arbitration-eligible players, but he and the team settled on a one-year deal to secure a roster spot. That does not mean anything is guaranteed for the regular season, but with Pablo Reyes off the roster and Cole Tucker likely headed to triple-A, the Pirates do not have a lot of middle infield options at the moment.
Gonzalez also showed some of that promise that made the previous regime bang the tables for him last September, stringing together an 11-game hitting streak and a .756 OPS in the final month of the season. His long-term future may be up in the air, but for now, he looks safe.
RHP CLAY HOLMES
Holmes has a resume of great peripherals ... but bad results. Last year, he had the third-best vertical movement on his sinker across baseball, and his curveball movement and spin were also very good. He also has major control problems, hitting nine batters and walking 15 percent of his batters faced, both among the worst for MLB relievers last season.
Holmes, 26, can be an inning-eater, which could be a point in his favor depending on how the Steven Brault, Chad Kuhl and Holland battle for the fifth starter job pans out. If the Pirates feel they have enough long-relief options, Holmes could also be a ground-ball specialist.
RHP DOVYDAS NEVERAUSKAS
The fact Neverauskas is still on the roster will come as a surprise to some, if not most. Ben Cherington has talked this offseason about how the Pirates need more high-upside players, even if they have to assume some risk. Neverauskas has a rare combination of spin and velocity, meaning he still has a high ceiling. He has just not been able to use those tools effectively, meaning the risk is very high, too. After three bad seasons in the majors, the odds of that gamble working out do not seem great, but evidently the front office has enough faith in him to keep him around.
Neverauskas is completely out of mulligans and do-overs. The complete overhaul of the front office and coaching has granted him one final chance to stick with the Pirates. He is going to have to leap over multiple people on the roster for that to happen.
UTL J.T. RIDDLE
Riddle, 28, is on, more or less, a glorified minor-league deal. He has a roster spot for now, but if he does not earn a major-league job for opening day, he will lose it. The only difference between his current major-league deal and a minor-league pact is if he does fail to make the opening day team, he will still collect a guaranteed salary.
Riddle effectively has Reyes' old spot as the utilityman. He has the range to play a multitude of positions, including center field, though with every team getting a 26-man roster and a five-man bench, that flexibility might not be as valuable now as it has been in the past. He is going to need to improve his on-base percentage (a career .269 OBP) while continuing to show he has pop. His .182 isolated power mark and six home runs in 139 plate appearances last year support the latter point.
C JACOB STALLINGS
Stallings is on this list solely as a formality. He will make the team and almost certainly receive the bulk of the playing time behind the plate. The pitching staff loves throwing to him, and the work he has done to become an elite pitch framer and blocker is being rewarded.
RHP CHRIS STRATTON
After failing to live up to expectations his first couple years in the majors, Stratton proved to be a valuable part of the Pirates bullpen last season, recording a 3.66 ERA and 4.11 FIP over 46.2 innings pitched. Stratton is also a spin-rate machine, ranking in the top 99 percent in curveball spin, top 97 percent in slider spin and top 93 percent in fastball spin. All that's left is to channel that spin into consistent results.
Stratton can go multiple innings and was used in higher leverage situations at times last year. That combination should give him an edge heading into spring training.