Hot stove season...
Notes:
- The Pirates signed C Austin Hedges, 30, to a one-year/$5M contract. He was a second round pick of San Diego in 2011/Top 100 Prospect and is an eight-year vet who's played with the Padres and Indians/Guardians. He has an elite glove with a 75 DRS in the majors but on the other side of the pillow, he owns a lifetime .189 BA/58 OPS+ and hasn't hit .200+ in a season since 2018.
- The Pirates brought home 1B/OF Connor Joe, 30, from Colorado for 23-year-old RHP Nick Garcia. Joe was the Pirates 2014 Competitive Balance selection (39th overall pick) who was traded to Atlanta for Sean Rodriguez in August, 2017. He bats from the right side and hit .238 with seven homers for the Rockies last season with a lifetime .247 BA in three MLB seasons with the Rox and Giants. He's also pretty handy with the mitt. Garcia, a third-round pick in 2020, went 4-4/3.66 with 109 whiffs in 113 IP over 25 outings (23 starts) for Hi-A Greensboro. He's raw and his ultimate ceiling is TBD as he’s an outfielder converted to the pen converted to the rotation.
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| Connor Joe - 2017 image MLB Pipeline |
- Pittsburgh officially announced the signing of RHP Vince Velasquez, who the FO plans to use as a starter, to a one-year deal, filling the 40-man roster. The Pirates DFA'ed RHP Nick Mears for Joe, but still has to clear a 40-man spot for LHP Jarlin Garcia, who has agreed to a deal but hasn't been officially added yet and another for Hedges.
- The Pirates re-signed C Tyler Heineman on an NRI deal. He played 52 games for Pittsburgh last year, hitting .211 with a DRS of 5/32% throw-out rate while splitting time with Jason Delay.
- Sam Dykstra, who covers minor league ball for MLB.com, thinks that the guy the Pirates claimed in the Rule 5 draft - LHP Jose Hernandez - and lost - C/OF Blake Sabol - are both longshots to stick with the clubs through the year. Hernandez's hurdle is lack of development time on the farm while Sabol is with a club that values MLB experience, although the G-Men did trade for him and he makes for a natural platoon partner for Joey Bart.
- The Giants, who recently claimed RHP Miguel Yajure from the Bucs, DFA'ed him. He passed through waivers without a bite and was assigned to AAA Sacramento. San Fran has signed Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea since Yajure was picked up, leaving him as depth insurance.
- Utility guy Hoy Park, who the Bucs recently shipped to Boston for 18-year-old LHP Inmer Lobo, was DFA'ed by the BoSox. The Red Sox worked out a waiver deal with Atlanta, with either a PTBNL or cash to be exchanged.
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| Hoy Park - 2022 Topps Rookie |
- RHP Tyler Beede, who the Pirates parted ways with during the offseason, signed a deal with Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese League.
- Adam Frazier, 31, continues his journey around the league (Pittsburgh-to-San Diego-to-Seattle-to-Baltimore since 2021); he just inked a one-year/$8M deal with the Orioles.
- Some locals may recall RHP Scott McGough of Monroeville and Plum HS, now 33-years-old. The Pirates drafted him in '08 but he opted to keep his commitment to Oregon. The Dodgers then took him in 2011 (fifth round) and he later got a cup of coffee with Miami, also playing in the Baltimore and Colorado systems. In 2019, he jumped the pond to Japan, and after four years of reinventing himself as a back end reliever, he's back in the USA, signing a two-year deal with Arizona.
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