Notes: Quiet on the Personnel Front; Minor Movers; Exes on the Rebound; Farm Club Bosses

Camp around the corner and still not much shakin'...

• Jeff Todd of MLB Trade Rumors says that there are still several trade scenarios that make sense involving Starling Marte.
• Not much out of the Fan Fest, other than updated unis. Bob Nutting thinks the team should be more personal with the fans (d'oh), Ben Cherington is still evaluating players and suits, and the ex-Astros on the roster are in the clear for the sign-stealing imbroglio. Pittsburgh was well aware of the extent of the sign-nappings in both leagues; they sometimes changed their signs every inning last year.

Josh Bell in the new blacks; need to work on that "s" a little better, but not bad (photo - Pirates)

• And yep, the rumors that the Pirates would replace Steverino with multiple talking heads in the booth this year proved accurate. Former Pirates players Kevin Young, Matt Capps and Michael McKenry will rotate as color men/analysts for games on TV and radio this year. They'll join returning old heads Bob Walk and John Wehner, along with play-by-play guys Greg Brown and Joe Block.
• The Bucs' Ke'Bryan Hayes was rated second in the Top 10 Prospect List for third basemen of Baseball Pipeline. He's already won three straight Gold Gloves at the hot corner and a solid second half at the dish hopefully indicates that his stick is catching up.
• Ji-Hwan Bae was ranked ninth among 2B. He's currently playing short, but with just a fair arm, which should eventually get him bumped to the right side. Bae's a top-of-the-order guy with a less-than-stellar resume (suspended 30 games for assaulting his bae in Korea and part of the Braves international bonus scam, which is how he ended up with the Pirates). But he's just 20, so we'll see if he learns to fly straight.
• Jeff Banister was interviewed for the Astro's skipper job; Jim Crane is expected to announce the new head honcho this coming week. 
• The Phillies and LHP Francisco Liriano have agreed on a one-year minor-league deal worth $1.5M + $1.25M in incentives. Frankie was 5-3/3.47 in 69 calls for Pittsburgh last year. He joins IF Neil Walker in Philadelphia as a NRI. Other ex-Bucco invitees already in Philly are Josh Harrison and Phil Gosselin; Cutch is also on the roster.

Phrankie is a Philly (image MLB-dot-com)

• RHP Alex McRae signed a minor league deal with the White Sox. In 2018-19, he was 0-5/8.18 in 13 Pirates outings.
• IF Alen Hansen added another yet city to his Baseball Reference page, signing a minor league deal w/a camp invite with Miami.
• Pitt and West Virginia baseball will meet April 29th at PNC Park for a second year...*cough cough* football.
• Photos, artifacts and memorabilia showcasing Pittsburgh’s Negro League baseball history will be displayed in the lobby of the City-County Building throughout February as part of Black History Month. It will be open on weekdays from 8AM-5PM.

Pirates minor league assignments:

• Brian Esposito will return for his third season as manager of the Indianapolis Indians in 2020. He'll be joined by a new coaching staff, including hitting coach Jon Nunnally, pitching coach Joel Hanrahan and coach Argenis Diaz. Joel Hanrahan is flying through the levels. After elbow surgery ended his pitching days, Hanny was named the Bucs Class A pitching coach in 2017, and now he's a step away from the bigs with the Tribe. Diaz is pretty much a lifetime AAA guy, having played 22 games in the show for Pittsburgh in 2010 as part of the Adam LaRoche trade. Nunnally was a minor-league hitting instructor for Cleveland, Toronto and Boston, beginning his second career in 2006.

(Coaches image mlb-dot-com)

• Per Jason Mackey of the Post Gazette, Dave Turgeon will manage the Altoona Curve in 2020. He managed in the AFL and was the Pirates’ coordinator of instruction since 2015; he joined the organization in 2010. He's joined by hitting coach David Newhan, pitching coach Tom Filer and coach Gera Alvarez.
• In Class A: Hi-A Bradenton: Manager Miguel Perez, hitting coach Chris Petersen, pitching coach Drew Benes and coach Kory DeHaan. For Lo-A Greensboro: Manager Kieran Mattison, hitting coach Jonny Tucker, pitching coach Stan Kyles, and coach Sal Paniagua. All involved were in the Pirates system last year.