When BrandonLowe was acquired by the Pirates this winter to add to the offense and serve as the every day second baseman, questions surrounded what Nick Gonzales’ role would be moving forward.
Gonzales previously held the starting role that Lowe was expected to take, so a shift to the left side of the infield seemed logical. But where would he fit in? JaredTriolo, a Gold Glove defender, seemed like a realistic option at third base, a position the Pirates elected not to address in the offseason, and it was only a matter of time before KonnorGriffin arrived to stake his claim to the starting shortstop job.
That seemingly left Gonzales on the outside looking in. Knowing the level of uncertainty he was facing, he didn’t sit back and feel sorry for himself. His immediate thought upon hearing of Lowe’s acquisition involved what he could do to get himself on the field and help the team win.
“Whatever is asked of me, obviously, I'm willing to do it,” Gonzales told me in Phoenix. “A player like B-Lowe is a helluva player. I look up to that guy and watch him do his stuff every single day, and I know that I can do other things now to support and help the team win. Moving over to third base and playing a different position, obviously that was uncertain, too.”
Gonzales knew during spring training that he had to fight to earn regular playing time. He had to hit and he had to prove he could hold his own defensively. In a sense, Gonzales was an underdog again. It’s the same situation he went through during his high school days and when he decided to attend New Mexico State as a walk-on. Back then, he evolved into one of the best college hitters in the country and a first-round draft pick in 2020. Now, he’s trying to prove himself all over again at the major-league level.
“I guess that's just kind of the nature of the player I've been my entire career,” Gonzales said. “There was like that gap of getting drafted really high and not being like an underdog, and then that kind of went away within like a year or two and I felt like I was an underdog again. That's just kind of always been my career. I'm used to it. Not that I prefer it, but I embrace the challenge. I embrace being behind the eight ball and kind of battling, and that's something that I think gets the best out of me. I love the challenge of it, and I feel like I've always come out a better person and a better player at the end of it.”
Gonzales, who altered his setup in the offseason to put himself in the best position to have sustained success, has certainly held his own as he’s transitioned into a more regular role as the Pirates’ starting third baseman. His .309 batting average leads the team and ranks 11th among eligible players in the National League. He’s top 20 in that category in Major League Baseball. From a defensive perspective, he hasn’t looked out of place either. He ranks in the 61st percentile in fielding run value (1) and the 88th percentile in outs above average (2).
“He’s a fighter,” DonKelly said. “When you talk about a guy that — you go back to him in college and walking on and the career that he's made for himself, it's through hard work, perseverance, grit, and he continues to show that every single day here with us in Pittsburgh.”
• It doesn’t appear as if the Pirates are going to be giving up on MarcellOzuna any time soon. There's plenty of confidence in this guy's ability to turn things around, and not just for a few games.
“Marcell is about to go off soon,” MattHague told me. “I know that's a bold statement, but everything we're getting on our end is continuing to improve. You've seen some of it play lately. He's an unbelievable clubhouse guy and there's no panic with him. He knows what to do. He's had success at the highest level, and we've seen it blossom lately. It’s gonna continue to get better.”
Hague believes most of Ozuna’s struggles are related to his setup. He said Ozuna is aware of it and is continuing to push some things that might be a little uncomfortable for him at times.
“He’s full send right now, I’ll put it that way,” Hague said. “You're not worried about a guy like that. One, because he's familiar with a lot of the pitchers here. And two, he's getting back to where he needs to be, and what history has shown is that he's gonna have success.”
• There’s a really strong belief that the steady level of offensive success can be sustained through the course of a 162-game season. Hague said he thinks that belief stems from Ben Cherington, Bob Nutting and TravisWilliams pushing the envelope this offseason to bring in guys, such as BrandonLowe and RyanO’Hearn, who have had a “massive impact” with their attention to detail.
“I don't think that we played our best baseball yet,” Hague said. “We've seen little windows of it, but with the group that we have and the culture that (Kelly) has created and built, you believe in it because it's real. You believe in it because the guys want it, and their actions match their words. I talked about in spring, everyone's kind of tired of words. We've been able to follow through and guys want to continue to follow through. We’ve seen glimpses of it. The next step is to sustain it for longer periods.”
• There’s no doubting what MitchKeller means to the Pirates’ starting rotation. He’s by far their most-experienced arm and he’s arguably been their most reliable one, too. His impact isn’t limited to on the field, though. The other starters see value in being around a leader like Keller, one who has experienced times of failure and success during his major-league career.
“He’s gone through a little bit of everything as a starter,” CarmenMlodzinski told me. “You can lean on him when it’s good, you can lean on him when it’s bad, and you know that you’re gonna have somebody who has been through it. It’s nice to have somebody who has struggled a little bit in the big leagues, because Paul (Skenes) hasn’t a whole lot. Tough to pick his brain on something like that. He’s obviously had to grind and he’s struggled at times, but being able to pick Mitch’s brain and stuff like that is super important. He just sets the example of what we want to act like and what we want to be. … My relationship with him has been great. He’s, in a sense, taken me under his wing and shown me that everything is going to be all right.”
• JustinLawrence will be the first to admit it: His first eight appearances of the season, most of which were in high-leverage situations, were rough. He tried desperately to find answers and was far too often coming up short of helping the team win games. Over those eight appearances, there were 10 runs allowed (eight earned) on nine hits, including three home runs, and five walks over 7 1/3 innings. He was still striking guys out, collecting 12 over that span, but the job wasn’t getting done.
Lawrence has since been tasked with lower-leverage opportunities, and it seems like he’s managed to right the ship. Over his last seven appearances, he’s allowed just three hits over 7 2/3 scoreless innings. There have been no walks and just four strikeouts. He’s not trying to do too much, he’s just focused on getting outs and getting off the field as quick as possible.
“There are so many different components to going out there and putting up a zero,” Lawrence told me during the team’s last road trip. “I work hard, but if hard work led to success, a donkey would be running the farm. There are more components to that than just working hard. I’m going to continue doing what I can do and control what I can control to keep putting up zeroes and get trusted in some of those higher-leverage situations.”
STEELERS
• Aaron Rodgers is set to visit the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex this weekend, which could potentially end up in signing a contract, ending another "will he, won't he" saga. Even if this weekend doesn't wind up with Rodgers under contract, I'm told the expectation is this'll be wrapped up in time for OTAs.
While the NFL Draft was a soft line of demarcation for Rodgers, which I reported weeks ahead of the draft, the minute they found out he wasn't going to provide an answer by then kicked the Steelers into a different gear that we haven't seen in two offseasons of courting him. Had Rodgers not given any answer one way or the other so he could be under contract or out of the picture by the start of OTAs, there was a real and significant chance the team would have moved on and committed to the trio of Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar to battle things out in training camp.
Rodgers not giving the Steelers an answer by the draft did not sit well with some higher up in the organization. Omar Khan repeatedly said back at the Combine that things weren't going to play out the same way as they did a year ago because that was their true belief based on conversations with Rodgers. It wasn't based on false hope or any other superficial reason. Blowing past the start of free agency was one thing, but not answering by the draft struck a nerve.
So, I don't believe it's an accident that we are now seeing action toward Rodgers' return. It might be coming a lot later than fans wanted, but this was the most those higher up had collectively put their foot down. -- Chris Halicke
• When the initial news broke about Rodgers coming to visit the Steelers this weekend, I texted two sources on the inside. One responded with a question mark while the other said, "That's news to me." So, I'll reiterate what I reported Thursday morning, some of the people that matter in the organization had no idea of Rodgers' intentions to visit.
• Had the 2026 NFL Draft fallen a different way, the Steelers very well could have drafted Makai Lemon. From what I was told, Khan had his eyes on the No. 15 spot in the first round, owned by the Buccaneers, and there was an expectation from some inside the organization that the Buccaneers were very open to the idea of trading down to 21st overall. However, Ruben Bain Jr. falling to the Buccaneers at 15th overall changed everything. The Steelers were as aggressive as any other team to try to get to 15th overall, but the Buccaneers immediately ignored all calls for trades when they realized Bain was going to be available to them. Had Bain not fallen to the Buccaneers and the Steelers traded up, they would have selected Lemon.
• The NFL schedule will be released this month. While the Jaguars' opponent for London is not yet known, and the Steelers are a potential option for that game (since the Jaguars are set to host the Steelers in 2026), I'm told the Steelers have no expectation they'll be going to London this season. Typically, teams are made aware of distinct possibilities of such a trip and this has been completely off the Steelers' radar for, at the very least, well over a month. There have been no plans and no hints provided by the league that this could be happening. So, whichever day the Steelers play the Jaguars this season, expect that game to be played in Jacksonville, Fla.
• Contract extensions could start happening soon. Most of the players are back in the fold, and will continue to be once OTAs begin. Of the players that could realistically be extended this summer (Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Darnell Washington, Spencer Anderson, etc.), don't be surprised if at least one is done before OTAs end in mid June or before the start of training camp. It's a good bet that Porter or Herbig won't get done until much later (they'll likely be the most difficult to iron out), but I could see Benton, Washington or Anderson getting wrapped up over the next month or so.
PENGUINS
• In terms of a potential Evgeni Malkin extension and a reason why it might take longer -- this is the first time since his entry-level deal that he's realistically eligible to have a portion of his pay structured in performance bonuses as opposed to straight salary, assuming he does sign just a one-year deal. If you're Malkin, you probably don't want that uncertainty. If you're the team, and there's any doubt regarding Malkin's health or ability to repeat this year's performance, then you'd want games-played or goals/points-based incentives over salary. -- Taylor Haase
• Really hard to get a read on Malkin's mood or anything based on clean out day. Did he seem to be in the greatest of moods in his media availability? No, but a long media availability is Malkin's personal hell, especially on this day -- I can't remember him ever talking on a clean out day other than one of the COVID years, when it was a press conference format and PR had to force him in there. But when I saw Malkin around the facility before and after he spoke, he seemed to be in good spirits.
• A few Penguins players have modified no-trade clauses in effect this season, and different players have different reasons for which teams they include. It's not as simple as not wanting to go to the bad teams for a lot of guys. A player once told me that he kept the bigger Canadian markets on his "no" list, knowing how tough the media can be in cities like Toronto and Montreal.
• Stuart Skinner told me after the trade deadline that he and Brett Kulak fully believed getting flipped before the deadline was a real likelihood when they got here from Edmonton, citing the direction the team is going and wanting to get younger. That, of course, happened with Kulak. I'd be really surprised to see Skinner back, but having spoken with him around the time of the deadline, I think he'd be equally as surprised to be back.
• Speaking of the goaltending depth -- 2025 third-round pick Gabriel D'Aigle will start in Wheeling next season. He'd be eligible to go back to junior for an overage season if that's what the organization thought was best, and he could of course start in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton next year. But the organization believes in using Wheeling as a starting point, in particular for goalies.
• The last few offseason Board of Governors meetings have been late June. The NHL doesn't have one scheduled yet on the season calendar -- it just doesn't go that far. Board of Governors approval is the last real step needed to finalize the sale of the team to the Hoffmann group. Assuming the meeting schedule is similar to the past several years, the sale could be finalized in late June.
THE ASYLUM
Friday Insider: Gonzales' fight ... Rodgers' saga ... Malkin's lure
When Brandon Lowe was acquired by the Pirates this winter to add to the offense and serve as the every day second baseman, questions surrounded what Nick Gonzales’ role would be moving forward.
Gonzales previously held the starting role that Lowe was expected to take, so a shift to the left side of the infield seemed logical. But where would he fit in? Jared Triolo, a Gold Glove defender, seemed like a realistic option at third base, a position the Pirates elected not to address in the offseason, and it was only a matter of time before Konnor Griffin arrived to stake his claim to the starting shortstop job.
That seemingly left Gonzales on the outside looking in. Knowing the level of uncertainty he was facing, he didn’t sit back and feel sorry for himself. His immediate thought upon hearing of Lowe’s acquisition involved what he could do to get himself on the field and help the team win.
“Whatever is asked of me, obviously, I'm willing to do it,” Gonzales told me in Phoenix. “A player like B-Lowe is a helluva player. I look up to that guy and watch him do his stuff every single day, and I know that I can do other things now to support and help the team win. Moving over to third base and playing a different position, obviously that was uncertain, too.”
Gonzales knew during spring training that he had to fight to earn regular playing time. He had to hit and he had to prove he could hold his own defensively. In a sense, Gonzales was an underdog again. It’s the same situation he went through during his high school days and when he decided to attend New Mexico State as a walk-on. Back then, he evolved into one of the best college hitters in the country and a first-round draft pick in 2020. Now, he’s trying to prove himself all over again at the major-league level.
“I guess that's just kind of the nature of the player I've been my entire career,” Gonzales said. “There was like that gap of getting drafted really high and not being like an underdog, and then that kind of went away within like a year or two and I felt like I was an underdog again. That's just kind of always been my career. I'm used to it. Not that I prefer it, but I embrace the challenge. I embrace being behind the eight ball and kind of battling, and that's something that I think gets the best out of me. I love the challenge of it, and I feel like I've always come out a better person and a better player at the end of it.”
Gonzales, who altered his setup in the offseason to put himself in the best position to have sustained success, has certainly held his own as he’s transitioned into a more regular role as the Pirates’ starting third baseman. His .309 batting average leads the team and ranks 11th among eligible players in the National League. He’s top 20 in that category in Major League Baseball. From a defensive perspective, he hasn’t looked out of place either. He ranks in the 61st percentile in fielding run value (1) and the 88th percentile in outs above average (2).
“He’s a fighter,” Don Kelly said. “When you talk about a guy that — you go back to him in college and walking on and the career that he's made for himself, it's through hard work, perseverance, grit, and he continues to show that every single day here with us in Pittsburgh.”
• It doesn’t appear as if the Pirates are going to be giving up on Marcell Ozuna any time soon. There's plenty of confidence in this guy's ability to turn things around, and not just for a few games.
“Marcell is about to go off soon,” Matt Hague told me. “I know that's a bold statement, but everything we're getting on our end is continuing to improve. You've seen some of it play lately. He's an unbelievable clubhouse guy and there's no panic with him. He knows what to do. He's had success at the highest level, and we've seen it blossom lately. It’s gonna continue to get better.”
Hague believes most of Ozuna’s struggles are related to his setup. He said Ozuna is aware of it and is continuing to push some things that might be a little uncomfortable for him at times.
“He’s full send right now, I’ll put it that way,” Hague said. “You're not worried about a guy like that. One, because he's familiar with a lot of the pitchers here. And two, he's getting back to where he needs to be, and what history has shown is that he's gonna have success.”
• There’s a really strong belief that the steady level of offensive success can be sustained through the course of a 162-game season. Hague said he thinks that belief stems from Ben Cherington, Bob Nutting and Travis Williams pushing the envelope this offseason to bring in guys, such as Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn, who have had a “massive impact” with their attention to detail.
“I don't think that we played our best baseball yet,” Hague said. “We've seen little windows of it, but with the group that we have and the culture that (Kelly) has created and built, you believe in it because it's real. You believe in it because the guys want it, and their actions match their words. I talked about in spring, everyone's kind of tired of words. We've been able to follow through and guys want to continue to follow through. We’ve seen glimpses of it. The next step is to sustain it for longer periods.”
• There’s no doubting what Mitch Keller means to the Pirates’ starting rotation. He’s by far their most-experienced arm and he’s arguably been their most reliable one, too. His impact isn’t limited to on the field, though. The other starters see value in being around a leader like Keller, one who has experienced times of failure and success during his major-league career.
“He’s gone through a little bit of everything as a starter,” Carmen Mlodzinski told me. “You can lean on him when it’s good, you can lean on him when it’s bad, and you know that you’re gonna have somebody who has been through it. It’s nice to have somebody who has struggled a little bit in the big leagues, because Paul (Skenes) hasn’t a whole lot. Tough to pick his brain on something like that. He’s obviously had to grind and he’s struggled at times, but being able to pick Mitch’s brain and stuff like that is super important. He just sets the example of what we want to act like and what we want to be. … My relationship with him has been great. He’s, in a sense, taken me under his wing and shown me that everything is going to be all right.”
• Justin Lawrence will be the first to admit it: His first eight appearances of the season, most of which were in high-leverage situations, were rough. He tried desperately to find answers and was far too often coming up short of helping the team win games. Over those eight appearances, there were 10 runs allowed (eight earned) on nine hits, including three home runs, and five walks over 7 1/3 innings. He was still striking guys out, collecting 12 over that span, but the job wasn’t getting done.
Lawrence has since been tasked with lower-leverage opportunities, and it seems like he’s managed to right the ship. Over his last seven appearances, he’s allowed just three hits over 7 2/3 scoreless innings. There have been no walks and just four strikeouts. He’s not trying to do too much, he’s just focused on getting outs and getting off the field as quick as possible.
“There are so many different components to going out there and putting up a zero,” Lawrence told me during the team’s last road trip. “I work hard, but if hard work led to success, a donkey would be running the farm. There are more components to that than just working hard. I’m going to continue doing what I can do and control what I can control to keep putting up zeroes and get trusted in some of those higher-leverage situations.”
STEELERS
• Aaron Rodgers is set to visit the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex this weekend, which could potentially end up in signing a contract, ending another "will he, won't he" saga. Even if this weekend doesn't wind up with Rodgers under contract, I'm told the expectation is this'll be wrapped up in time for OTAs.
While the NFL Draft was a soft line of demarcation for Rodgers, which I reported weeks ahead of the draft, the minute they found out he wasn't going to provide an answer by then kicked the Steelers into a different gear that we haven't seen in two offseasons of courting him. Had Rodgers not given any answer one way or the other so he could be under contract or out of the picture by the start of OTAs, there was a real and significant chance the team would have moved on and committed to the trio of Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar to battle things out in training camp.
Rodgers not giving the Steelers an answer by the draft did not sit well with some higher up in the organization. Omar Khan repeatedly said back at the Combine that things weren't going to play out the same way as they did a year ago because that was their true belief based on conversations with Rodgers. It wasn't based on false hope or any other superficial reason. Blowing past the start of free agency was one thing, but not answering by the draft struck a nerve.
So, I don't believe it's an accident that we are now seeing action toward Rodgers' return. It might be coming a lot later than fans wanted, but this was the most those higher up had collectively put their foot down. -- Chris Halicke
• When the initial news broke about Rodgers coming to visit the Steelers this weekend, I texted two sources on the inside. One responded with a question mark while the other said, "That's news to me." So, I'll reiterate what I reported Thursday morning, some of the people that matter in the organization had no idea of Rodgers' intentions to visit.
• Had the 2026 NFL Draft fallen a different way, the Steelers very well could have drafted Makai Lemon. From what I was told, Khan had his eyes on the No. 15 spot in the first round, owned by the Buccaneers, and there was an expectation from some inside the organization that the Buccaneers were very open to the idea of trading down to 21st overall. However, Ruben Bain Jr. falling to the Buccaneers at 15th overall changed everything. The Steelers were as aggressive as any other team to try to get to 15th overall, but the Buccaneers immediately ignored all calls for trades when they realized Bain was going to be available to them. Had Bain not fallen to the Buccaneers and the Steelers traded up, they would have selected Lemon.
• The NFL schedule will be released this month. While the Jaguars' opponent for London is not yet known, and the Steelers are a potential option for that game (since the Jaguars are set to host the Steelers in 2026), I'm told the Steelers have no expectation they'll be going to London this season. Typically, teams are made aware of distinct possibilities of such a trip and this has been completely off the Steelers' radar for, at the very least, well over a month. There have been no plans and no hints provided by the league that this could be happening. So, whichever day the Steelers play the Jaguars this season, expect that game to be played in Jacksonville, Fla.
• Contract extensions could start happening soon. Most of the players are back in the fold, and will continue to be once OTAs begin. Of the players that could realistically be extended this summer (Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Darnell Washington, Spencer Anderson, etc.), don't be surprised if at least one is done before OTAs end in mid June or before the start of training camp. It's a good bet that Porter or Herbig won't get done until much later (they'll likely be the most difficult to iron out), but I could see Benton, Washington or Anderson getting wrapped up over the next month or so.
PENGUINS
• In terms of a potential Evgeni Malkin extension and a reason why it might take longer -- this is the first time since his entry-level deal that he's realistically eligible to have a portion of his pay structured in performance bonuses as opposed to straight salary, assuming he does sign just a one-year deal. If you're Malkin, you probably don't want that uncertainty. If you're the team, and there's any doubt regarding Malkin's health or ability to repeat this year's performance, then you'd want games-played or goals/points-based incentives over salary. -- Taylor Haase
• Really hard to get a read on Malkin's mood or anything based on clean out day. Did he seem to be in the greatest of moods in his media availability? No, but a long media availability is Malkin's personal hell, especially on this day -- I can't remember him ever talking on a clean out day other than one of the COVID years, when it was a press conference format and PR had to force him in there. But when I saw Malkin around the facility before and after he spoke, he seemed to be in good spirits.
• A few Penguins players have modified no-trade clauses in effect this season, and different players have different reasons for which teams they include. It's not as simple as not wanting to go to the bad teams for a lot of guys. A player once told me that he kept the bigger Canadian markets on his "no" list, knowing how tough the media can be in cities like Toronto and Montreal.
• Stuart Skinner told me after the trade deadline that he and Brett Kulak fully believed getting flipped before the deadline was a real likelihood when they got here from Edmonton, citing the direction the team is going and wanting to get younger. That, of course, happened with Kulak. I'd be really surprised to see Skinner back, but having spoken with him around the time of the deadline, I think he'd be equally as surprised to be back.
• Speaking of the goaltending depth -- 2025 third-round pick Gabriel D'Aigle will start in Wheeling next season. He'd be eligible to go back to junior for an overage season if that's what the organization thought was best, and he could of course start in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton next year. But the organization believes in using Wheeling as a starting point, in particular for goalies.
• The last few offseason Board of Governors meetings have been late June. The NHL doesn't have one scheduled yet on the season calendar -- it just doesn't go that far. Board of Governors approval is the last real step needed to finalize the sale of the team to the Hoffmann group. Assuming the meeting schedule is similar to the past several years, the sale could be finalized in late June.
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