Notes: Key Wins Gold Glove; Ranger Champs, Pirates Winter Housekeeping & Off Season News; Ex-Bucs Makin' Moves

The season ends and the hot stove league is open for business...

Notes:

• The Southwest sunshine series is over. The Rangers took a 2-1 lead in the Classic with a 3-1 victory in Game #3. Game #4 had a different vibe; the D-Backs fell behind by 10 (!) runs by the third (Texas scored five times in both the second and third frames, all w/two outs), and the too-little, too-late Arizona comeback fell short, 11-7. Texas then took the crown with a 5-0 win. They were unintimidated and undefeated on the road during the playoffs, going 11-0. And the trail wasn't easy - they had to put away Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Houston before dispatching Arizona. It was the first title in the franchise's 52-year old history.
• About time: Ke'Bryan Hayes won the NL Rawling's Gold Glove Award at third base, ending Nolan Arenado's 10-year run as the hot corner benchmark. Hayes led all MLB fielders with 24 Defensive Runs Saved and all MLB third basemen with +18 Outs Above Average.

Pirates poster

• SS Oneil Cruz's ankle is reportedly 100% and he asked the FO for permission to play winter ball in LIDOM, the Dominican minor league, to get ready for 2024.  
• Busy dude: C Endy Rodriguez is playing in the Dominican Winter League beginning on the 4th after 124 games/500 AB between the Pirates and Indy.
• Though not a finalist, OF/1B Jase Bowen, 23, slugged 18 dingers in the Arizona Fall League's Home Run Derby in two rounds. He's slashing .304/4/17 in 23 AFL games, and his '23 line was .255/23/95 between Greensboro and Altoona.
• The Silver Slugger Award finalists were announced; not surprisingly, there are no Pirates listed among the candidates.
• 1B Josh Bell exercised his player option ($16.5M), so he'll remain a Marlin. 
• Arizona didn't exercise RHP Mark The Shark Melancon's $5M option, instead paying him a $2M buyout and letting him hit the market. The 38-year-old had missed the entire 2023 campaign with a shoulder sprain.

Mark The Shark - 2016 Topps Archive

•  RHP Daniel Hudson, who made a 2017 stop in Pittsburgh, didn't have his $6.5M option picked up by the LA Dodgers despite a 2-3-5/2.22 line. It's likely that his age and an August knee injury cooled their interest.
• The Padres waived ex-Bucs 1B Ji-Man Choi and LHP Rich Hill.
• The Brewers announced that 1B Carlos Santana became a free agent. Milwaukee also declined LHP Justin Wilson's option, as the 36-year-old missed all of last year due to injury.
• Nearly 1,000 Pittsburgh Public Schools students came out to PNC Park this week to enjoy the "3000" photo exhibit that celebrates the story of Roberto Clemente. The Bucs debuted the collection during a mid-September home stand and brought it back for the kids.
• Aaron Judge was the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award winner.
• End of an era: The Reds declined the 2024 club option on the contract of 1B Joey Votto, Saying they "cannot commit to the playing time Joey deserves."

And the Pirates housekeeping begins:

• The end of the World Series starts the 2024 contract clock. Pirates whose contract has ended are DH/OF Andrew McCutchen, UTIL Chris Owings, LHP Caleb Smith and RHP Vince Velasquez. The club has until the fifth day after the World Series has finished to either sign them or allow them to hit the free agent market.
• The Bucs have SS Oneil Cruz, RHP JT Brubaker, LHP Jarlin Garcia (his contract option was declined) and LHP Angel Perdomo (he was waived) who are on the 60-day IL and will require  40-man protection by November 17th or risk waivers.

Oneil ready? - 2023 Pirates promo

• RHP Cody Bolton's contract was sold to Seattle. Cody was 1-0/6.33 in 16 2023 outings as the 25-year-old made his MLB debut this season.
• INF Vinny Capra, 27, was claimed off waivers by Milwaukee.  Vinny went 3-for-18 (.167 BA) as a Bucco depth guy.
• 1B/OF Alfonso Rivas was claimed off waivers by Cleveland. The 26-year-old hit .237 with three homers in his 40-game Pirates audition during the season.
• The Padres claimed IF Tucupita Marcano off waivers from the Pirates. The 24-year-old isn't expected to be ready for the season as he had ACL surgery in August. He hit .233 in 75 games last year before being injured. The swap is a reunion of sorts; Tucupita was part of the 2021 Adam Frazier deal with San Diego. 
• RHP Yerry De Los Santos, 25, was placed on waivers. He was 1-0/3.33 last year and 1-4-3/4.14 during the 2022-23 campaigns in 48 appearances. OF Miguel Andujar, 28, (.250/4/18 in 40 games) and LHP Angel Perdomo, 29, (3-2/3.72 in 30 outings) were also waived. Angel missed the last six weeks of the season with an elbow injury and had TJ surgery a month ago. Both Andujar and Perdomo can become free agents if they clear the wire.