In last week’s Pirates Discussion, we discussed takeaways from the 2022 season.
As Pittsburgh Pirates fans, we are currently in waiting mode. With the exception of some players choosing minor league free agency, at this point all we can do is speculate and create wish lists for the off-season.
I listened to a Gary Morgan and Jim Stamm recent Pirates Fan Forum Podcast with guest Michael “The Fort” McKenry. What stood out to me the most was how often McKenry brought up transparency with the front office. Or should I say, “lack there of”.
With that in mind, I don’t expect there to be any catastrophic shift in how the front office translates their vision to fans.
One way they could do that is through the moves they make in the off-season.
Construction of the 40 man roster is going to be very important heading into the 2023 season. I feel the Pirates should operate under the notion that prospects like Endy Rodriguez, Luis Ortiz, and Johan Oviedo are opening up the season in Triple-A. For example, my starting Indy rotation would consist of Luis Ortiz, Johan Oviedo, Michael Burrows, Quinn Priester, and Bryse Wilson.
For this to happen, Ben Cherington will need to make impactful acquisitions that would push potential rotation pieces like Ortiz and Oviedo to Triple-A. That isn’t to say that either couldn’t begin the 2023 campaign initially in the Pirates bullpen. This is the strategy many teams have used, a recent example being the Atlanta Braves had Spencer Strider begin in their bullpen before cracking the rotation in the end of May. The issue is that it doesn’t become an option until there are enough players ahead of them pushing them into such a role.
We witnessed this during the 2022 season and Oneil Cruz. Even though Cruz opened up in Indianapolis and looked rough on both sides of the ball, it still didn’t stop people from yelling for his promotion. Not because he was ready, but because who ahead of him was better? This will only get worse in 2023 if Cherington doesn’t build a better and more well-rounded MLB team.
The Indians could have five or six top 100 prospects, when factoring in different lists. But those players should not be looked upon as filling roster holes immediately before they’ve shown they deserve to fill a spot. It is quite possible that the Triple-A affiliate will have upwards of half the Pirates top 30 prospects.
Therefore the front office needs to make moves with the purpose of letting their depth be their depth. Let prospects develop and perform to a level that warrants a promotion.
Some names that have circled Pittsburgh Pirates social media have been Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, or a return of Jameson Taillon. They are names that I think could be considered, but not to push a 1.9 fWAR starter like J.T. Brubaker to the bullpen. I’d love if the Pirates went for higher tiered free agents, but these are the type of mid-level targets that would likely fall more in line with the Pirates direction.
There is the question of who will be surrounding Bryan Reynolds? Will the Pirates start Ji-Hwan Bae in center field, maybe Travis Swaggerty breaks camp, and does Jack Suwinski begin as the right fielder? The Pirates could get an outfielder in free agency to settle at least one open spot. Kevin Kiermaier or Wil Myers would be mid-range targets who have been productive over the course of their careers. Filling one spot would make it easier than having to argue about who should fill those two starting spots among about a dozen options. Options that each have their own upside, but none that have really forced the issue. Suwinski would be the closest to having done so.
The long story short version is that the Pirates have a lot of needs, and should attempt to settle discussions as much as they can. It doesn’t have to be all through free agency either. The San Diego Padres model with AJ Preller and trading a quantity of depth prospects for MLB caliber players should be sought as a blueprint as well.
Ben Cherington needs to have depth and plans available for when everything doesn’t go according to plan. A loaded Triple-A squad due to the fact the Pirates have a productive MLB team would go a long way. I’m not saying they need to sign Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa, but they also shouldn’t go into Cherington’s fourth season expecting to survive the season with a carousel of waiver wire acquisitions.
