Notes: ZiPS Out, El Coffee & That Tweet Thing, Buc Farms Reps Well, Ex-Bucco Moves

The Pirates are playing this off season very close to the vest so far. It looks like they have a lot of trust in this year's roster bouncing back with some more youth to spice up the lineup during the season.  We'll see - they still have several weeks to tinker.

• Tweet of the week - after a graphic showed that Gregory Polanco was caught looking twenty-one times on pitches that were outside the strike zone, El Coffee tweeted: "Maybe @realDonaldTrump can sign an executive order to fix my strike zone 😒."
• Dan Syzmborski released his 2017 ZiPS projections for the Buccos on Fangraphs (story Carson Cistulli). Andrew and Starling are 1-2 among everyday guys while Gerrit Cole and somewhat surprisingly Tyler Glasnow top off the pitchers' list. 

ZiPS expects the ol' Andrew in 2017 (206 Topps Tribute)

• Young Bucs in MLB.com's Top 100: 9) Tyler Glasnow, 10) Austin Meadows, 27) Josh Bell, 48) Mitch Keller & 59) Kevin Newman.
• Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com chose Austin Meadows as his #3 minor league OF prospect. As part of the series, Jim Callis pick KeBryan Hayes as the #9 3B prospect. Mike Rosenblum chose the top 10 minor-league SS prospects. No young Buccos made it, but Kevin Newman, 2015 first rounder, is knockin' on the door.
• Keith Law of ESPN had six Pirate pups in his Top 100 (subscription needed): 9) Austin Meadows, 14) Josh Bell, 16) Mitch Keller, 25) Tyler Glasnow, 33) Kevin Newman & 74) KeBryan Hayes.

Austin has vaulted to the top of the Bucco prospects lists.

• Brandon Moss has agreed to a two-year/$12M deal with the Royals pending his physical per Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
• The Nationals agreed to a minor league deal with RHP Vance Worley that includes an invite to spring training.
• The Dodgers signed 1B Ike Davis to a minor-league deal with invite.
• Bronson Arroyo hasn't tossed in two years, but the Reds are considering offering him a minor league deal per MLB Trade Rumors.

Bronson isn't ready to hang 'em up quite yet (2000 Upper Deck)

• The oft-injured LHP Brett Anderson signed with the Cubs; he's another guy that the Bucs have been gently associated with during the past two seasons.