Live Wire: Taillon taking on Fortnite ... Pirates breakout pitching prospect ... Holmes signs minor-league deal

Welcome to the Pirates' live wire, which will focus on news surrounding the ball club. 

And like the other team's live wires, this is also an open commenting platform for whatever is on your mind baseball wise.

Let's jump right in...

TAILLON THE GAMER

12:30 p.m. Sunday: Anyone into E-Sports? If you are, Jameson Taillon is going to be streaming Fortnite with other players.

Yes, we've reached that point in the offseason. But it could be fun. -- Alex

ALEX PROFILES PROSPECT KRANICK

12:20 p.m. Sunday: In case you missed it, I talked to pitching prospect Max Kranick, who was recently promoted to the 40-man, and some of the people who helped him revamp his throwing mechanics and repertoire as part of what looks like a breakout season.

Here's the link if you missed it (DKPS+). -- Alex

HOLMES SIGNS MINOR LEAGUE DEAL

4:30 p.m. Friday: After getting non-tendered on Wednesday, right-hander Clay Holmes signed a minor league deal with the Pirates Friday afternoon and received an invite to spring training. 

As mentioned below, Holmes pitched just 1 1/3 innings in 2020 before his season came to an end due to a forearm injury. An invite back to Bradenton provides him with a chance to work his way back into a wide open Pirates bullpen. - Noah

WHO SHOULD PIRATES TARGET?

12:55 p.m. Friday: On Thursday, I led off a 10 Thoughts column (which subscribers can read here) by looking at which non-tendered free agents would be a good fit for the Pirates. 

So in that spirit, who are some guys on the market you think the Pirates should target? (Realistically, of course. I don't think Trevor Bauer is signing here.) If you were Ben Cherington, who would you call during next week's winter meetings? -- Alex 

HOLMES NON-TENDERED; TAILLON, FELIZ SIGN

8:45 p.m. Wednesday: The Pirates have non-tendered right-hander Clay Holmes, making him a free agent. A forearm injury limited him to just 1 1/3 innings this season. 

In addition to Erik Gonzalez, who signed earlier in the day, Jameson Taillon and Michael Feliz both have signed contracts for 2021. A source tells DK Pittsburgh Sports Taillon's deal is for $2.25 million -- the same amount he originally signed for last year before contracts were prorated -- and Feliz for $1 million, a decrease from the $1.1 million deal he signed last year.

Will Craig, who was designated off the roster last week, was outrighted to Indianapolis. He does not have enough service time to elect free agency. 

The roster is currently at 39 players. -- Alex

PIRATES INK GONZALEZ

4:25 p.m. Wednesday: For the second year in a row, Erik Gonzalez has signed a one year deal at the non-tender deadline to stay on the team. Per Bob Nightengale, the deal is for $1.125 million.

Gonzalez got off to a hot start last season, but cooled off significantly as the season progressed, finishing with a .227/..255/.359 slash line with three home runs and 20 RBIs.

The rest of the Pirates' roster decisions are due by 8 p.m. -- Alex

BEST FORMER PIRATE TO INTERVIEW?

3:30 p.m. Wednesday: In case you missed it, Alex and I had a really fun discussion for the third segment of today's Morning Java. Playing off of my interview with Jim Leyland last week, I asked Alex what former Pirate would be his dream interview? The rules were he had to pick someone who was no longer alive and it couldn't be Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente or Willie Stargell. 

Alex chose Dock Ellis while I picked Ralph Kiner. Let us know some other great options in the comment section! - Noah

POLANCO WALKOFF

10:40 p.m. Tuesday: How about a cup of coffee? Gregory Polanco hit a walk off homer for Leones del Escogido in its 3-2 win on Tuesday evening. The Pirates have gone on record saying they support Polanco's participation in the Dominican Winter League. 

Gregory Polanco walk off home run!
🔥🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/oGoGDc8gsj

Polanco was 2-22 prior to that homer. - Noah

FORMER PIRATES COACH SANDT DIES

3:10 p.m. Tuesday: Longtime Pirates coach and former minor-league manager Tommy Sandt has died. Pirates broadcaster Greg Brown made the announcement on his Twitter.

Sandt was the first base coach for Jim Leyland's Pirates from 1987-1996, and returned for a second stint from 2000-2002. He was 69. -- Alex

WEST VIRGINIA BLACK BEARS JOIN NEW LEAGUE,

PIRATES LOSE SECOND MINOR LEAGUE AFFILIATE

11:50 a.m. Monday: Major League Baseball announced a new six team league to showcase prospects ahead of the amateur draft. Five of those teams have already been announced, with one the West Virginia Black Bears, bringing an end to their affiliation with the Pirates.

The Black Bears had been the Pirates' short season, class A affiliates since 2015. The Pirates also lost a rookie level affiliate, the Bristol Pirates, earlier this offseason when the Appalachian League became a collegiate summer bat league.

Team president Travis Williams told me last week that he "fully anticipates" Greensboro, Bradenton, Altoona and Indianapolis will remain the Pirates' affiliates next year once the league has finalized the new minor league structure. -- Alex

Trying to make sense of Kuhl

11:45 a.m. Monday: In case you didn't see this week's Mound Visit, I took a deeper dive into Chad Kuhl's pitches and his struggles with the sinker. It's DKPS+, so it's for subscribers only. -- Alex

WILLIAMS BECOMES FREE AGENT

7:50 p.m. Saturday: Hardly a surprise, but Trevor Williams has elected free agency over an assignment to Class AAA Indianapolis. No team claimed him off waivers. -- Alex

NOAH GETS LEYLAND ONE-ON-ONE

12:30 p.m. Saturday: This week on Memory Lane I sat down and spoke with former Pirates manager Jim Leyland. Since starting the show a few months back, Leyland was always at the top of my guest wish list. 

He did not disappoint. On Monday afternoon we recorded a 45 minute interview going over his entire life in baseball covering some interesting topics like his relationship with Barry Bonds, his thoughts on the evolution of baseball, his departure from Pittsburgh and much more.  

You can read a transcription of the interview here or give it a listen below: 

- Noah

OSUNA GOES OVERSEAS

8:57 p.m. Thursday: Jose Osuna announced on Instagram that he is signing with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan.

Ben Cherington said last week that Osuna and an Asian team had mutual interest. He was designated for assignment on Nov. 20 and was officially released Nov. 23. -- Alex

PIRATES CLAIM GOUDEAU

CRAIG DFA'D 

3:01 p.m. Wednesday: The Pirates claimed right handed pitcher Ashton Goudeau off waivers from the Rockies Wednesday. 

To make room on the roster, the Pirates designated Will Craig, their 2016 first-round draft pick, for assignment, capping a rapid descension when it comes to his standing within the organization.

Craig was initially ranked as the Pirates’ ninth-best prospect by Baseball America shortly after being drafted, but it quickly became clear that he didn’t have the same power with a wooden bat as he did with a metal, recording a .083 isolated power mark in his first season in pro ball. Concerns about his fielding ability also convinced the Pirates to move him from third to first base the following year. He also started to play some corner outfield in 2019.

He quickly fell to the team’s 24^th best prospect in 2017, and never ranked higher than 16^th again. Baseball America had him as their 27^th best prospect in their midseason update.

The Pirates protected him from the Rule 5 draft last offseason by adding him to the 40-man roster. He made his major-league debut in August, going hitless over four at-bats, but he spent most of his time at the Pirates alternate site.

Last week, the Pirates designated Jose Osuna for assignment. Ben Cherington explained the decision by saying the pirates had options emerge at first, third and in the corner outfield spots, which are the positions Osuna plays. Craig is also a right-handed hitter who plays almost all of those positions, so that logic almost certainly applies here, too.

Goudeau made four appearances over four separate stints with Colorado last season and was a member of the club's 2020 opening day roster. He pitched to a 7.56 ERA with two strikeouts and two walks over 8 1/3 innings. Baseball America ranked him as the Rockies' 27th best prospect.

Goudeau features a four-seam fastball that averages 93.3 mph, a changeup and a low spin curve, which averages about 2,300 RPM. He has two option years remaining. -- Alex and Noah

PRIESTER GETS GLOWING REVIEW

11:05 a.m. Tuesday: The Pirates' future is completely reliant on the young pitchers they have in their farm system. Good news for them, Baseball America just wrote about how Quinn Priester was one of the top prospects in the Florida Instructional League. The 2018 first-rounder was praised for his fastball, which sat at 96 mph, and a potential 70-grade curveball.

"Evaluators considered him arguably the top pitcher in Florida and didn’t hesitate to put front-of-the-rotation projections on him," Kyle Glaser writes.

There has been some talk that Priester is going to start popping up on top 100 prospect lists this year, so keep an eye on that. -- Alex

ALEX GETS WILLIAMS ONE-ON-ONE

10:55 a.m. Tuesday: In case you missed it yesterday, I got a one-on-one with Pirates team president Travis Williams Monday, where we talked about the future of the Pirates affiliates, the impact COVID-19 had on the business side of things and where this organization is one year into his tenure.

It's DKPS+, so it's for subscribers only. Read it here. -- Alex

PIRATES HOLD TURKEY DRIVE

1 p.m. Monday: The Pirates teamed with the Greater Allegheny Food Bank Monday to distribute Thanksgiving meals to those in need. 

The contact-free deliveries happened by the Bill Mazeroski turnaround by the right field entrance.

“As I’ve said from day one, this is what Pittsburghers do," team president Travis Williams, who was there helping to load cars, was telling me. "We lean in and help one another. We felt, more than ever, during this pandemic that we need to do that.” -- Alex

TEN PLAYERS TEST POSITIVE 

FOR GIGANTES DEL CIBAO

7:32 a.m. Monday: Multiple clubs in the Dominican Winter League have been forced to pause play due to a high number of positive COVID-19 tests. 

A report from MLB Insider Hector Gomez says that 10 players on Gigantes del Cibao have tested positive for the cornavirus. Two members of the Pirates organization - Edgar Santana and Oneil Cruz - currently play for Gigantes del Cibao. 

There is now word of if either Santana or Cruz tested positive for the virus. -- Noah

DOVYDAS HEADS TO JAPAN

11:10 a.m. Sunday: The wait is over: Dovydas Neverauskas is officially heading to Japan, signing a one-year deal with the Hiroshima Carp.

Neverauskas' four year run with the Pirates came to a close in October when the Pirates designated him for assignment. At the time of the move, Ben Cherington said there was mutual interest between Neverauskas and an Asian team, and that the Pirates wanted him to be able to pursue that opportunity.

Neverauskas went 1-4 with a 6.81 ERA in his four years with the Pirates, including pitching to a 7.11 ERA this year, mostly in mop up relief. 

No word on where Jose Osuna, who is also pursuing an opportunity to play in Japan, is heading. -- Alex

WILLIAMS SAYS GOODBYE 

8:27 p.m. Friday: A few hours after it was announced that Williams was designated for assignment the former Pirate said goodbye to fans on social media. Here is a thread he posted on Twitter: 

Williams' wife Jackie also penned a goodbye thread on Twitter:

-- Noah

WILLIAMS, OSUNA DFA'D,

PIRATES ADD TWO PROSPECTS

6:25 p.m. Friday: The Pirates announced Friday evening that both right handed pitcher Trevor Williams and utility player Jose Osuna have been designated for assignment.

Infielder Rodolfo Castro and RHP Max Kranick were added to the roster in the place of Williams and Osuna. The 40-man roster now consists of 23 pitchers, two catchers, 10 infielders and five outfielders.

The moves come on the final day to protect prospects from the Rule 5 draft.

Alex has more on these moves, and the Pirates' decision to DFA Williams and Osuna, here for subscribers. -- Noah

ROSTER MOVES INCOMING,
CHERINGTON TO TALK AFTER

2:30 p.m. Friday: The Pirates will add any prospects they want to protect from the Rule 5 draft by 6 p.m. Friday. Since the 40-man roster is full, they will need to either non-tender or outright someone to add a player to the roster.

Just for the sake of completeness, here's are my pieces on which prospects could be added and an examination of if Trevor Williams should be non-tendered to open up a spot. Both stories are DKPS+, so they are for subscribers only.

I'll also be on a Zoom call with Ben Cherington shortly after the Pirates' roster decisions are in, so keep an eye on that. -- Alex

BRAULT ON THE BLOCK?

12:40 p.m. Wednesday: Per a report by Jon Morosi, teams have been calling the Pirates about Steven Brault. The Pirates' left-hander posted the best results of any Pirates starter this season, going 1-3 with a 3.38 ERA over 42 2/3 innings. He started the season in a piggyback role with Chad Kuhl, but ended up reclaiming his own spot in the rotation midseason.

His best work came in his final two starts, where he decided to turn his brain off, become "a freaking throwing machine" and just throw whatever catcher Jacob Stallings told him to. The results were a pair of two-hit gems, allowing one run over 16 innings.

Brault has three years of arbitration control remaining. MLB Trade Rumors projects he will make between $1.5 and $2.5 million in his first turn through arbitration.

Brault is the fourth Pirates starter who has drawn reported trade interest over the past few months, joining Kuhl, Joe Musgrove and Trevor Williams. -- Alex

MORE FROM THE DUTCHMAN

6:58 p.m. Tuesday: Well the first clip from Honus Wagner was so well received, we have to share another recently found recording of the Flying Dutchman. This time it's a radio interview alongside the legendary Leo Durocher:

I love the "I was playing ball before McKinley was president" line. That was still in the 19th century, for you history buffs. -- Alex

WHICH PROSPECTS NEED PROTECTED?

6:50 p.m. Tuesday: In case you missed it, I took a look at six prospects that the Pirates should consider protecting from the Rule 5 draft. Here's the link. The deadline to add players is Friday, and the Rule 5 draft will be on Dec. 10. -- Alex

BURNETT, RAMIREZ MAKE FIRST
APPEARANCE ON HOF BALLOT 

12:00 p.m. Monday: Former Pirates AJ Burnett and Aramis Ramirez are two of the 11 newcomers up to be considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mark Buehrle, Torii Hunter and Tim Hudson are additional highlights to the list of first-time candidates. 

Both Burnett and Ramirez ended their career with the Pirates in 2015. Burnett played 17 seasons, compiling a career record of 164-157 with a 3.99 ERA, 2,513 strikeouts and 28.8 WAR. 

After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Marlins, Burnett went on to play for four other clubs - Blue Jays, Yankees, Pirates & Phillies - during his last 10 years in the show. Here is a quick list of his career accomplishments: 

• Threw first and only no-hitter in 2001 with the Marlins a 3-0 win over the Padres. 

• Led National League in shutouts (5) in 2002 with Marlins 

• Led the American League in K/9 (9.393) in 2008 with Blue Jays 

• Won 2009 World Series with Yankees

• Led National League in K/9 (9.848) in 2013 with Pirates

• Named to first and only All Star Game in 2015 with Pirates 

Ramirez started career where it also came to an end, here in Pittsburgh. In 18 seasons Ramirez slashed .283/.341/.492, hitting 386 home runs and finishing his career with 32.4 WAR. 

The third basemen spent the first six seasons of his career for the Pirates before he was traded with Kenny Lofton to the Cubs in 2003 in exchange for Matt Bruback, Jose Hernandez and Bobby Hill. 

The trade of course is now looked at as one of the worst in franchise history. Ramirez went on to play nine seasons in Chicago, helping lead the Cubs to three N.L. Central titles and a 2003 appearance in the National League Championship Series. 

Ramirez left the Cubs for the Milwaukee in 2011. He would play for the Brewers in parts of four seasons until he was traded back to the Pirates in July of 2015. Here is a quick list of his career accomplishments: 

• Three-time National League All Star: 2005, 2008 (Cubs) & 2014 (Brewers)

• 2008 National League Hank Aaron Award winner with Cubs

• 2011 National League Silver Slugger for third base with Brewers

• Led National League third basemen in fielding percentage twice: 2006 (Cubs), 2012 (Brewers) 

• Led National League in extra-base hits in 2012 (80) with Brewers

Other known names such as Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens will be on the ballot for the ninth straight year. Schilling was just five percent shy of the required 75% in last year's vote. All three received over 60% of the vote last season. Each of them will have one more chance to make it to Cooperstown if they don't get in this year. 

The results of the vote will be revealed on Jan. 26 on MLB Network. -- Noah

CRUZ'S REGRETTABLE RETURN

9:25 p.m. Sunday: Oneil Cruz's first winter ball game went horribly, going 0-for-6 with three strikeouts and an error at shortstop. Just a side note but his team, the Gigantes del Cibao, has former Pirates Miguel Del Pozo, Montana DuRapau and Jake Elmore on it. Sounds like a dream team to me. (Edgar Santana is on the Gigantes too.) -- Alex 

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
... UH, SPEAKS ... FOR REAL 

8:17 p.m. Saturday: As a baseball nerd, I feel like I've seen tons of cool old clips come across my twitter feed but this one here might top the rest. I had no clue there was any footage of Honus Wagner, let alone sound of his voice. Check out this clip of the Flying Dutchman talking baseball, hitting his team grounders and even taking some infield.

Also, I could be wrong but I believe the player he's coaching at third base is Pie Traynor. If so, that makes the clip even better! -- Noah

MANFRED HOPEFUL FANS
ARE COMING BACK

12:12 a.m. Saturday: Those hoping to catch some Pirates action in person in 2021 might be in luck. Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league plans to allow fans to attend games next season, at least in states where government officials will allow it. Manfred made the announcement during a virtual discussion that also included NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Ballparks will not be at full capacity. 11,500 fans were permitted to attend the National League Championship Series and World Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Tx. -- Noah

STAYING IN BRADENTON

12:12 p.m. Friday: During a Zoom call with the Manatee Chamber of Commerce in Bradenton Fla. Thursday, Pirates' team president Travis Williams said Class A Bradenton and Class A Greensboro will not be affected by minor-league downsizing. The Bradenton Herald has the report. The Pirates have already lost one affiliate, the rookie-level Bristol Pirates, to Major League Baseball's cuts, and the short season Class A West Virginia Black Bears are in danger as well since MLB is trying to turn the New York-Penn League into a collegiate wooden bat league. -- Alex