FINALLY!!!
With the Houston Astros win last night, the World Series is officially over, meaning the offseason can finally kick off into full gear.
That means that today—the first day after the end of the World Series—players become Article XX(B) free agents (players with six plus years of service, of course), while the Quiet Period before free agency starts as well.
For the Pittsburgh Pirates, that means Roberto Pérez and Ben Gamel will enter the market, leaving the 40-man roster at 39 (Pérez was not taking up a spot, as he was on the 60-day IL, hence only the one spot vacated).
Unfortunately, we have to wait a while longer, but things really start to happen on the fifth day after the World Series ends—Thursday the 10th. See below for the full slate, but the main procedural matter I want to focus on is players needing to be reinstated off the 60-day IL.
Currently, the Pirates have five players with that designation: Blake Cederlind, Yerry De Los Santos, Colin Holderman, Max Kranick, and Canaan Smith-Njigba. As mentioned, the roster stands at 39, meaning the team needs to open four spots to find room for all of them. That is, if they want to make room for all of them.
Cederlind won’t have pitched in a game that counts for two and half years by the time Opening Day rolls around. He’s expected to be ready for Spring Training, but how confident is the team that he still has it at this point, and how likely would it be that he’d be claimed by another team if put on waivers? It’s at least possible that he doesn’t get added directly from the injured list.
As for Kranick, the team chose to transfer him to the 60-day IL during the season, letting him accrue service and major league pay, instead of risking losing him to waivers/having to release him, as injured players can’t be outrighted in season. However, they have until November 15th to outright him this offseason, so is that something they’d consider doing, saving the roster spot over the next few months under the assumption that another team isn’t going to want to roster an injured Kranick all season? Again, it’s at least a possibility that needs entertained.
Whether it’s two, three, or all four roster spots that need cleared, the team shouldn’t have too many issues finding room on the first go around. Pool any fan and you probably get a different answer, but personally, I have names like Eric Stout, Duane Underwood Jr. (as an early nontender), Jeremy Beasley, Yohan Ramirez, and Hoy Park at the top of my list as players I expect to be first off the roster.
These are just the first dominoes to fall, with more to come as the offseason moves along.
Next week will be dedicated to the setting of the Reserve List—or protecting players from the Rule 5 Draft, as many fans would best recognize it—and the tender deadline, as those will be the next steps at that point.
Come along, because I can’t wait to get started!
Offseason Calendar Update
I neglected to mention last week that free agency had the possibility of starting before my next article dropped, but here we are. I missed it, and I apologize, but we have plenty more that bears mentioning for the upcoming week.
As stated, the fifth day after the World Series ends provides a plethora of options as far as deadlines go:
—Eligible players become minor league free agents as of 5 pm ET. I previewed this group last week.
—In conjunction with the date for minor league free agency, this is the last day a player who otherwise would have qualified for minor league free agency can be outrighted, without having to sign them to a Major League contract for 2023. This is what happened with Michael Perez last offseason and why he was the first player signed for 2022.
— As mentioned above, players on the 60-day IL must be activated.
—Eligible players must be extended a Qualifying Offer if their team so chooses. I can’t imagine the Pirates are offering Gamel or Pérez $19.65M, so this isn’t relevant around here.
—The Domestic Reserve List bumps up from 180 in-season to 190 over the offseason. I will be covering where the Pirates stand on this later in the offseason.
—Finally, the five-day Quiet Period comes to an end and free agency officially begins. It’s not like the NBA where deals will be culminated immediately, but in theory, teams are allowed to start signing players at any time as of 5 pm ET Thursday.
Pirates Payroll Updates
No updates here as of this week
—For 2023, the payroll estimate stands at $44,479,116 for the Labor Relations Department, while it’s $60,895,783 for CBT purposes.
