On Wednesday, the Major League Baseball offseason officially got underway when the contracts for 147 players expired. Two of them were Pirates: Keone Kela and Derek Holland, meaning they are no longer on the 40-man roster.
That makes the team’s job for the next few days a little easier, as there are going to be plenty more players removed from the roster.
Per MLB rules, each team has to get their roster down to 40 players within five days of the World Series ending, which would be Sunday, Nov. 1. That includes adding players who were on the injured list.
Right now, there are 49 players on the Pirates’ roster, and the clock is ticking. While some teams already started making cuts, the Pirates’ moves probably won’t be coming until close to the wire.
“I think we’ve done enough work to be prepared to make those decisions,” Ben Cherington told me recently. “But, no, we haven’t made those decisions. We’ll take all the time we have.”
Amazingly, only one Pirates player has a guaranteed contract for next year: Gregory Polanco. Cherington has made it clear that he is returning, so that leaves 39 other spots available and 48 potential players.
All of the Pirates’ offseason cuts don’t need to be made this week. The deadline to tender players and protect prospects from the Rule 5 draft is Dec. 2, so there will likely be more cuts before then. But at least nine need to be either outrighted or let go by 5 p.m. Sunday. Who is safe and who is in danger of being cut? Let’s take a look.
Locks
Pretty self-explanatory. Some of these players potentially could be traded this winter, but the Pirates will definitely tender them a contract to maintain their team control.
OF Anthony Alford, 1B Josh Bell, RHP JT Brubaker, RHP Blake Cederlind, 1B/RF Will Craig, SS Oneil Cruz, UTL Adam Frazier, RHP Geoff Hartlieb, 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes, LHP Sam Howard, RHP Mitch Keller, RHP Chad Kuhl, OF Jason Martin, RHP Nick Mears, 1B/3B Colin Moran, RHP Joe Musgrove, INF Kevin Newman, OF Jared Oliva, RHP Cody Ponce, OF Bryan Reynolds, RHP Richard Rodriguez, C Jacob Stallings, RHP Chris Stratton, RHP Jameson Taillon, UTL Cole Tucker
Probably safe
All signs point to these players being retained, but it's not as certain as the players listed above.
RHP Kyle Crick: A right shoulder strain sidelined Crick for most of this season. When active, his velocity was down significantly, going from a mid-90s fastball to averaging 91 mph. Hopefully for Crick, it was just a product of the shortened season and less ramp up time. He’s had two straight down years, but still has potential to be a good late-inning reliever.
UTL Phillip Evans: Evans did nothing but impress during spring training and summer camp and played his way into the everyday lineup before a collision with Polanco ended his season. Hayes’ promotion to the majors will take a huge bite out of his potential playing time at third, but he’s a good bench option.
RHP Sean Poppen: Poppen was claimed off waivers from the Twins earlier this month. It’s safe to assume he’ll make it through at least the initial roster cull, but if they need a spot later in the offseason, there are no guarantees with his spot.
LHP Nik Turley: Turley finished with some pretty good peripherals, but a 4.98 ERA stood out. Injuries to the bullpen cause him to be used differently than the Pirates originally hoped. Odds look good that he will stick around this week.
On the fringe
It can go either way. There are plenty of pros and cons for each of these players.
RHP Tyler Bashlor: Bashlor has good raw tools, including a mid-90s fastball that gets a lot of spin, but he has pitched to a 5.78 ERA in parts of three seasons in the majors. Is it worth having him on an offseason throwing plan and inviting him to spring training? Sure. Is it enough to guarantee him a spot on the 40-man? That’s debatable.
RHP Nick Burdi: There’s no denying that Burdi’s stuff is elite. He just can’t stay on the field. If the Pirates believe he can put in a full season, then giving him a spot is a no-brainer. But seeing how he has pitched just 43 1/3 innings at any level since 2016, that is far from a guarantee.
LHP Austin Davis: Another pitcher the Pirates picked up in a trade this summer, Davis looked pretty good in a very small sample size. He’s in the same boat as Bashlor. He may have a bit of an edge since the Pirates do not have many left-handed relief options outside of Howard and Turley.
RHP Michael Feliz: Feliz has good peripherals and stuff, but he has pitched to a 5.29 ERA and 4.59 in his three seasons with the Pirates. A forearm injury limited him to just three games pitched, but fortunately for him, it did not require surgery. Uncertainty in the Pirates’ bullpen could save his spot.
RHP Carson Fulmer: This is Fulmer’s second stint with the Pirates, being claimed off waivers in August, designated for assignment in September and then claimed again off waivers just before the end of the season. He never made an appearance with the club. It’s clear the Pirates wanted him to go through their offseason program and get eyes on him this winter. But if they need a spot, they’ve already cut him once.
UTL Kevin Kramer: Keeping Evans could mean there is no spot for Kramer, as both can fill the utility role. There are two key points in Kramer’s favor, though. First, he can play the outfield, which is a selling point for a team that doesn’t have much depth there at the moment. Second, he still has option years remaining.
INF Erik Gonzalez: After starting the season hot, Gonzalez cooled significantly as it progressed, finishing with a .227 batting average and .614 OPS. He had to take a deal before the arbitration tender deadline last season to save his spot. He might have to do that again this year.
C Luke Maile: While it was clear that Maile was set to be the backup going into this season, the Pirates never made it official before his season-ending surgery on his right index finger. He fits the defense-first mold they want out of their catcher, but if they can find a better option -– maybe even a prospect for the future –- they could move on.
UTL Jose Osuna: Osuna was optioned to Altoona, Pa. multiple times this year. When he was in the majors, he usually sat. When he was in the lineup, he struggled, batting .205 with a .641 OPS. Seems like there is just too much smoke around him to ignore the fire.
RHP Trevor Williams: Williams is living right on the edge of being tendered. He made some mechanical changes this year that he really liked. It resulted in a 2-8 record and 6.18 ERA. The good news is the Pirates don’t need to determine his future quite yet. The non-tender deadline is Dec. 2, meaning the Pirates have a month to make a decision, or a trade.
Off the roster
Whether they were added midseason as depth or have just hit the end of the road, these players are all but officially off the roster.
C John Ryan Murphy: Murphy got the call after Maile was shut down and played about as well as one would expect from a third-string catcher. Whether the Pirates go with Maile or someone else, they can upgrade here.
RHP Dovydas Neverauskas: What is left to say about Neverauskas? He pitched just once over the final two weeks of the season. His bag is packed.
RHP Yacksel Rios: The Pirates outrighted Rios off the roster just before the start of summer camp. Have to imagine that happens again now.
RHP Nick Tropeano: Yes, the 1.15 ERA and 10.9 K/9 were a pleasant surprise, but Tropeano is 30 and was used exclusively in mop-up roles this year. He’s not a piece going forward.
LHP Brandon Waddell: Waddell was a bit of a surprising call up this season, being invited to the alternate training site in mid-August before getting the call to the majors a few days later. His fastball sits 93-94 mph and has good spin, so he could potentially be a reliever in the future. Right now, he could probably be snuck through waivers and put back on the class AAA roster.
The option question
Chris Archer: Across baseball, we have seen teams pass on pretty affordable options. The Indians placed Brad Hand on waivers, and he can be had for no acquisition cost, just the $10 million salary. The Cardinals declined Kolten Wong’s $12.5 million option. Not only did these teams think they weren’t worth that much money, they were convinced nobody would trade for them at those price points. So what odds do the Pirates have at trading Archer at a potential $11 million? It just doesn’t look like this deal will be picked up if the Pirates can’t trade him this offseason.