Pirates: Roster Ripples, Notes

One thing that struck us watching the Pirates play yesterday is the transitional nature of this club. The Opening Day lineup is likely to have three guys returning in April - Jordan Lyles, Elias Diaz, and Gregory Polanco, with Lonnie Chisenhall due back in May.

After that small wave, performance (and likely service time) will determine the timetable for the Indy gang who are knocking on the door - Ke'Bryan Hayes, Cole Tucker, Kevin Kramer, Bryan Reynolds, Jason Martin, Will Craig, Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker and the gang during the last year of the 40-man September roster. They'll be followed in 2020 by Chad Kuhl and Edgar Santana, rehabbing from TJ surgery now.

Last year's team ain't this year's team ain't next year's team... (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

We're hard pressed to recall an team that was already in flux starting the year with so much potential shake 'n' bake left down the road. That makes for a multi-textured season as beside the ballgames, there will be some sidebars in play - guys playing for a spot in 2020, players the Buc FO will move/allow to walk during/after the season (the team only has four guys w/contracts for '20; Cervy & Corey D walk this year) to open some spots and maybe get a little value back, and at what point of the season will the transition will begin.

Enjoy the season; not only the games but the games within the game should make it interesting.

Notes:

• Some Pirates felt that the big hit of the sixth, Jose Iglesias' double over the bag, was foul. It may have been; it was a close call either way but Jamo said he "wouldn't lose any sleep" over it or the game and spoke well of the 2019 Reds team.
• Yesterday's loss snapped Jamo's 22-game streak of giving up three earned runs or fewer.
• Zach Duke got the win; he's 3-0/0.90 in 18 outings against his old mateys.
• Cincy's Michael Lorenzen has switched from the rubber to the pasture; the Reds used him as a pinch runner yesterday and he played some center field.
• BTW, Commish Rob Manfred's awkward appearance in the AT&T booth was caused by a set of malfunctioning headsets that sometimes squawked him out of the conversational loop.
• Cutch and Austin Meadows weren't the only ex-Bucs with Opening Day dingers; Neil Walker and Matt Joyce also popped a ball over the wall.