Life and having nothing special to write about intersected this week, so I’ll just be covering roster moves and payroll changes for now.
I plan on doing an early look at the 2023 payroll next time, so if that’s something that interests you, check this space out this next Friday.
Pirates Payroll Updates
—Last week, when Colin Holderman was placed on the injured list, Yohan Ramirez was recalled to take his place. Payroll went up $113,487.
—After his appeal was denied, Rodolfo Castro served his suspension, resulting in a loss of pay of $3,874, with payroll dropping concurrently.
While he loses the pay, Castro did not lose out on any service time.
—The team claimed former division foe Robert Stephenson off waivers from the Colorado Rockies, designating Kevin Padlo to make space on the reserve list.
Stephenson, with a salary of $1,280,000, became the twelfth player for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season to be paid at a rate above $1 million (leave your guesses in the comments), and payroll rose $274,286 after the claim.
Entering the year with 4.049 years of service and surpassing 5.000 during the season, Stephenson comes with one more year of contractual control remaining, which would be his third time through arbitration. As a 5.000+ player, his option status isn’t important, but he does not have any options remaining.
Padlo was eventually outrighted, leaving payroll unchanged.
—With a move that many fans had been waiting for, Jack Suwinski was recalled from Indianapolis, while Bligh Madris was sent down in his place.
There was no payroll change, as both players’ pay structures were the same, but there is a service note to make.
Suwinski should finish the year with .118 days of service, which will put him right on the Super 2 line that we’ve been discussing with Roansy Contreras. Suwinski would need to accrue two more full years of course, but 2.118 would fall above the cutoffs for two of the last three offseasons, so he’s at least in that territory at this point.
—The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of Heath Hembree, meaning they are on the hook for the prorated minimum from the time he’s on their active roster. This results in a drop of payroll of $142,308, with the Pirates being responsible for the rest of his Termination Pay.
—JT Brubaker was reinstated from the Paternity List, after originally being placed there to make room for Stephenson. Miguel Yajure joined him on the active roster, with Eric Stout and Cam Vieaux being optioned to make room.
Payroll went up $116,881 when Yajure was recalled, but went down $115,892 for both Stout and Vieaux, netting out at a decrease of $114,903.
Yajure technically joins the Super 2 track (.118), but I can’t imagine that mattering down the line, at least at this point.
—Finally, despite yesterday being an off-day, the team recalled Johan Oviedo and Cal Mitchell to meet the expanded roster requirements for September.
Payroll went up $112,673 for Mitchell, while Oviedo resulted in a $109,854 increase.
—Payroll stands at $60,656,387 for the Labor Relations Department, while it’s $73,690,634 for CBT purposes.
