2012 Roster Possibilities: Starting Rotation

Many people are saying that the Pirates are going into the 2012 season with four guaranteed starting pitchers, who are Jeff Karstens, James McDonald, Charlie Morton, and Kevin Correia.  While I’m not going to disagree that these four appear to be locks in the rotation, I will still say that I don’t think one of them should be a lock.  Karstens, McDonald, and Morton all deserve to be in the rotation, but I don’t think Correia should have a definitive spot.  He did make the All-Star team, but he didn’t deserve to make it.  The main reason why he did make it was that he was near the leaders in wins for the NL, so people thought he was warranted a spot.  However, his ERA going into the All-Star break was 4.01.  That isn’t bad, but it is not All-Star worthy.  What I am trying to say here is that wins do not matter nearly as much as ERA, especially for a team like the Pirates.  Usually it is tough for pitchers on a bad team to get wins because of lack of run support, a big example being Paul Maholm, so they can pile up a large amount of losses even if they are pitching well.  Correia somehow came out on the other end of this, winning many games while not pitching great because the offense was scoring runs when he was on the mound.  Also, Correia pitched absolutely terrible at PNC Park this year, with a 7.71 ERA in 12 games at home versus a 2.64 in 14 games on the road.  He has never been an above average pitcher in the major leagues, so don’t think he can lead the staff just because he led the team in wins.  I’m not saying he shouldn’t be in the rotation, I’m just saying he shouldn’t be a lock.

An internal candidate that I think should definitely be given a chance is Brad Lincoln.  He didn’t have a great year in AAA, but was called up to the Pirates for good in August, where he initially pitched out of the bullpen.  Eventually, he was moved to the rotation because of injuries to the other starters, and pitched respectably in that role.  He trailed off at the end of the season, but that may be due to fatigue.  He has good upside as a 26 year old, so he should definitely be considered for one of the additions to the rotation.

Another internal candidate for the rotation is Jeff Locke.  Locke came up as a September call up after only five starts in AAA, and clearly was not ready for the majors.  In his four major league starts, he posted a 6.48 ERA, along with a 1.86 ERA.  Those are both terrible numbers, and prove he should not have been in the rotation at all.  He’s not really a good option at all for the opening day rotation, but he could be recalled to join the rotation at any time in 2012.

The final internal candidate that I would like to suggest, and I may be the only one who does suggest him, is Daniel McCutchen.  The Pirates acquired McCutchen from the Yankees in the Nady/Marte deal as a starter, and has made 15 career starts in the majors.  Although he hasn’t done particularly well in those starts (5.45 ERA), he had a solid year out of the bullpen and pitched well when needed in a long relief role.  There is only a very slim chance that he will even be considered as an option, but I believe that he at least deserves a look.  

There are a lot of options that the Pirates will look at on the free agent market, but they will most likely avoid any high priced players, which includes all type A and type B free agents. Three pitchers that the Pirates should consider are Chris Capuano, Jon Garland, and Rich Harden.  

Capuano is a good option because the Pirates do not currently have a lefty starter who is ready to handle a rotation spot in the majors, and a veteran such as Capuano could be a possible fit to fill that void.  He’s had decent results in his career, similar to those of Paul Maholm, and he would come at a cheaper price.  There’s little doubt that the Pirates will pursue Capuano in some way, but the market is thin on quality lefty starters, so he may be tough to acquire.  

Jon Garland is a solid starter, and has pitched well since coming into the National League.  He had a very good year in 2010 with the Padres, going 15-12 with a 3.47 ERA, so he would be a good short term addition to the rotation.  However, he will also be in high demand, so he will be tough to acquire as well.  

With Rich Harden, you have a pitcher who has a lot of upside and  great results in the past, but you also have a pitcher who has battled multiple injuries in the past.  When healthy, Harden is an above average MLB pitcher who can have an ERA under 3.00, but when unhealthy, he will struggle.  Over the past two years, Harden has seen his ERA rise above 5.00, but has also only made 33 starts in that time.  The most innings he has logged in a season is 189 in 2004 as a 22 year old, showing that his arm may not be ready to handle a full season of pitching.  Still, out of these three pitchers, I believe Harden is the best deal because of his upside.  He probably doesn’t have the ability to pitch an entire season, but hopefully some of the pitchers in the minors will be ready to take over when necessary.  Although Harden is the best option, Capuano is the most likely of the three to be a Pirate because of his price and the team’s need for a left handed pitcher.

The Pirates have depth in the upper levels of their minor league system, with players who can reach the majors in 2012.  Some minor league pitchers that may be able to step up this year and fill a rotation spot are Rudy Owens, Justin Wilson, Jeff Locke, and Kyle McPherson.  
Coming into 2011, fans were hopeful that Owens would be promoted to the Pirates sometime in the summer and make an immediate impact in the rotation.  However, he lost the control he showed in the past that gave him great results, and this caused him to struggle throughout the year.  Unless he rediscovers this control, he will not be in the rotation in 2012.  If he regains his control, he could be the lefty starter in the Paul Maholm mold that the Pirates are looking for.  Much of the same can be said about Jeff Locke, but after an impressive five starts in AAA, he was given the chance to start in the majors.  He did not take advantage of this opportunity, but it gave him valuable experience that he will learn from and hopefully approve upon.  It may also have him favored for a call up amongst this group because he has already faced major league hitting.
Justin Wilson is an interesting option because he was moved to the bullpen late in the season, where he reportedly reached 99 MPH with his fastball.  Because he has great stuff and velocity as a left hander, a permanent switch to the bullpen may be best for him.
Kyle McPherson had a great year between high-A and AA, so should start the 2012 season in AAA.  If he continues to improve, he could be in the majors by July and make a good impression in the rotation.  But, don’t get your hopes up because the same things were said about Rudy Owens last year, so we have to be careful with our predictions.
The Pirates are going into the off season with what appears to be four locks in the rotation.  They will look at free agents and internal options for the final spot.  If they look at free agents, the most likely option would be the lefty Chris Capuano.  If they stay with a pitcher already in the system, it will be Brad Lincoln.  Also, I thought I’d add that #1 draft pick Gerrit Cole has a small chance of making it to the majors this year, but it is very unlikely that he will unless the team is in contention late in the season.

Top 30 Prospects: #15-13

15.) Alex Dickerson--1B--21:  Dickerson was drafted in the third round of this year’s draft, and could very well be a big steal.  Coming into the draft, he was rated the #42 best player available by Baseball America, and fell to the Pirates as the 91st pick.  This can be explained because he has a history of back problems, and this may mean he could have been ranked higher than #42 if he was healthy.  So, this means that the Pirates may have gotten 1st round talent with each of their first three picks.  Dickerson hit very well in 150 State College at bats, with a .313/.393/.493 line.  He has a good deal of power potential, and that showed up this year with 16 doubles, but only three home runs.  But, those doubles should turn into homers as he adjusts to using wooden bats.  It is expected that Dickerson will start next year in Bradenton and skip over West Virginia because he was drafted as a college senior, and this means he could rise to the majors relatively quickly, possibly as soon as June 2013.  He has the potential to be an above average hitting first basemen in the majors with 30+ home run power.  This is something the Pirates definitely wanted in their system, and it would be a big boost to the organization if Dickerson continues to perform well.      

OFP: 55 (Solid, Everyday Regular)

14.) Justin Wilson--LHP--24:  Wilson is a similar prospect to Bryan Morris.  Both have good stuff, but they are getting older for being prospects and also started the year in the rotation and ended in the bullpen.  Morris has the higher upside, but Wilson has had the better results.  Wilson started the season pitching very well out of the rotation, with a 2.25 ERA in April, but cooled off over the rest of the season and struggled with his control, a problem that he has had throughout his time in the minors.  He struggles with his control because his pitches have a lot of movement, so they may move out of the strike zone.  He was moved to the bullpen in August, and had some success there, but still struggled with control, allowing ten walks in 14 innings out of the ‘pen.  However, Wilson was throwing in the upper 90’s, even touching 99, which came as a surprise as he was usually hovering around 88-93 MPH while starting.  It is rare to have a lefty reliever touching the upper 90’s with great movement on his pitches, so a permanent move to the bullpen may be a good decision.  He will probably go back to Indianapolis next year, and has a good chance to move up to the majors eventually.  There is still a chance (higher chance than Morris) that he will be in the Indianapolis rotation next year, but I don’t see him as a starter in Pittsburgh, at least not next season.

OFP: 55 (Solid Back-End of Bullpen Pitcher/Back of Rotation)

13.) Jeff Locke--LHP--23:  Locke was a September call-up for the Pirates this year, and had a 6.48 ERA and 1.86 WHIP in four stars.  Both are terrible numbers, and his walk and strikeout numbers have been horrible.  This shows us that he probably wasn’t ready to be called up, especially after only spending a month in AAA.  He started the season in AA and didn’t have too much success, but was able to put up a 4.03 ERA.  Throughout his time in the minors, Locke has put up great K/BB numbers, with a career 8.2/2.4 ratio.   This year, his strikeout numbers were in line with this, but his walks rose to 3.2 per nine innings.  His control led to the less than spectacular numbers he put up this year.  However, he had great success when he was promoted to AAA, and this prompted his September call-up.  The best thing we can hope from Locke at this point is to be a consistent lefty starter in the majors with good control and decent strikeout numbers.  Or in other words, Paul Maholm with more K’s.  He will begin next year in AAA, with a good chance to be recalled at any time.

OFP:  55 (Back of Rotation Pitcher)

2012 Roster Possibilities: Right Field

The opening day right fielder for the Pirates in 2012 will almost certainly be Jose Tabata.  He spent a great deal of time on the disabled list during the 2011 season, and didn’t produce up to expectations when he was on the field.  In his rookie season, he hit .299 with a .746 OPS, and finished eighth in Rookie of the Year voting.  However, he seemed to take a step backwards in 2011 hitting only .266 with a .711 OPS.  Tabata’s defense also suffered a little, with his fielding percentage dropping from .995 to .988, while also seeing his range factor per nine innings decrease as well.  Despite this, the Pirates signed Tabata to an extension that could be worth $37.25 million over nine years, and is guaranteed to be $14.75 million over six years with the other three years being club options.
There was a time when Tabata was a teenager where some scouts considered him a “Manny Ramirez” type player, but his offense never developed to that point, especially his power.  His power showed up early in the season this year, with three homers in his first 15 games, but he only hit one more during the remainder of the season.  Unless he makes some major adjustments in his swing, I don’t see him ever becoming any kind of a power hitter.  

Looking at his monthly splits, Tabata hit a combined .293 in 150 at bats between June and August, and remember he didn’t play in July.  This shows that he very well could have been in a slump between April and May, where he batted a combined .249 in 169 at bats, and can definitely return to 2010 form in 2012.  However, the only time his OPS exceeded his 2010 number of .746 was in August, where he had a .798 OPS.  Not surprisingly, August was the month where he posted his highest slugging percentage, which was .435, and also the only time where that number was over .400.  This shows that he had very little power throughout the year, which could have been a cause to his down numbers.  

There is a good chance that the Pirates will face a problem in 2012 if and when Starling Marte is deemed ready for the majors.  Marte would most likely be put in as the regular left fielder when he is called up, and that would cause the Pirates to choose between Presley and Tabata as the everyday right fielder.  If Presley and Tabata’s numbers are similar, the better option would no doubt be Tabata because he has the higher long term upside, plus he was signed to a long contract extension, so it would be nice to see him start.  Marte is far from guaranteed a call up this year, but if he is, the Pirates will have a decision to make in right field.

The Pirates are going into the offseason with their outfield already set.  McCutchen will be in center, and Presley and Tabata will man the corner outfield positions, with Presley most likely in left and Tabata in right.  Tabata has a lot he needs to prove next year, but his numbers towards the end of 2011 show that he is definitely capable of handling an everyday job for the Pirates, and possibly becoming an above average major league player.

Top 30 Prospects #18-16

18.) Matt Curry--1B--23:  To be honest, I had no idea who Matt Curry was coming into the 2011 season.  He was a 16th round selection as a college senior in 2010, and this was actually the second time the Pirates drafted him, doing so in 2008 as well.  He is said to be a “bat first” player, meaning that he can only hit, but he has a career .994 fielding percentage in two years in the minors.  Curry hit well in 2010 after being drafted, finishing with a .299/.421/.477 line in State College, but good college hitters should perform well in that league.  He started 2011 in West Virginia, where he also was expected to hit well because he came out of college.  At West Virginia, he was unstoppable, hitting .361 with nine HR’s and a 1.148 OPS in 155 AB’s.  This prompted his call up to Altoona, skipping over high-A because they wanted to give him and Aaron Baker (now in the Orioles organization) an everyday position.  He struggled initially, but got hot after a month, only to finish the season terribly.  In his time with Altoona, he hit .242 with six HR’s and a .694 OPS in 302 AB’s.  This was disappointing, but he did still skip over a level.  He should start 2012 in Altoona again, and could be the long term answer at first base that the Pirates have been looking for over the last few years, hitting for average and 15-25 HR’s.

OFP: 50 (Fringe Bench/Regular)

17.) Jarek Cunningham--2B--21:  A lot of Cunningham’s potential comes from the fact that he can be a power hitting middle-infielder.  He got off to a really hot start this year with his power, but began to slump around June, and this continued until July when he went to the DL with concussion symptoms.  His overall line for the year was .260/.325/.514, and this includes the two games he played in the rookie league during a rehab stint.  He doesn’t hit for a high average and he will strike out a good amount, but this can be overlooked if he has a high OPS and continues to hit for power.  It is likely he will begin next season in AA as the regular second baseman.  If everything goes right for Cunningham, he could turn out to be a player that resembles Dan Uggla, a player who won’t hit for a high average, but is that rare second baseman who can hit for power.

OFP: 52 (Solid, Everyday Regular)

16.) Bryan Morris--RHP--24:  Morris is an interesting prospect.  He was a 1st round draft pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006, and came over to the Pirates as the prize in the Jason Bay trade.  Since then, he has underperformed compared to the “front of the rotation starter” that the Pirates envisioned when they acquired him.  In his first full season in the organization, he did terrible in high-A while battling injuries, then returned for another season, where he was dominant before being called up to AA.  He pitched respectably there, and again started the season there this year.  After making three starts, he strained his oblique and did not return until May.  He came back and struggled as a starter, and was moved to the bullpen permanently.  As a starter, his ERA was 6.04, but it was 2.05 out of the bullpen.  Former Director of Player Development Kyle Stark hinted that Morris will remain in the bullpen, but there is still a slight chance he can still be a starter.  Morris has dominant stuff out of the ‘pen, and this could help him move to the majors quickly next season.  He is already on the 40 man roster, and will start next season in the Indianapolis bullpen.  The best case scenario for Morris could be as a great set-up man or possible closer in the future.

OFP: 53 (Above-Average Bullpen Pitcher)

2012 Roster Possibilities: Center Field

One of the main objectives that the Pirates need to deal with this off-season is extending Andrew McCutchen.  He is the best player on the team now, and is an emerging star in the MLB.  In 2011, he made his first All-Star appearance and took many steps forward into becoming an elite center fielder, both offensively and defensively.  

Before the All-Star break, McCutchen was having a great season, hitting for a .291/.390/.505 line with 14 home runs and an .895 OPS.  However, he had a bad slump after this, with a .216/.330/.392 line, along with nine home runs.  This gave him a .259/.364/.456 line with 23 home runs and an .820 OPS for the season.  He had career bests in home runs, RBI, and walks, but also had career worsts in strikeouts, average, and on-base percentage.  His on-base percentage was actually only one point worse than the previous two seasons, so that’s not a concern.  

Most of his numbers are similar to the career numbers that he has put up, and his OPS increased from last year.  His slugging percentage was also just below his career number of .458, even though he had a career high in home runs.  It was good to see Cutch leading the team in home runs (even though you don’t want 23 home runs to lead the team), but many people think that his slump happened because he was swinging for the fences.  Fortunately, that may not have had too much of an effect.  He got on-base just as frequently as he has in the past and also increased his OPS and run producing ability, so his season should not be viewed as a disappointment.  His WAR, which is a player’s Wins Above Replacement and is used to find a player’s overall value, improved to 5.5 this year, which is up from 4.0 last year.  

A major reason for this improvement was the great defense he played this year, after struggling defensively in his first two years.  McCutchen’s defensive WAR was -0.2 in 2009 and -0.4 in 2010, meaning he cost the Pirates 0.6 games in his first two years because of his defense.  That doesn’t seem like a lot, but it means a bench player would have played better defense.  In 2011, his defensive WAR improved to 0.7, which is a huge increase from 2010.  His fielding percentage was slightly below the league average in center field, but his range factor per nine innings of 2.81 was far above the league average of 2.55.  Cutch has some of the best speed in the MLB, and that will always help you in the outfield.  However, he hasn’t taken advantage of his speed on the base paths, resulting in only 23 stolen bases in 33 attempts in 2011.  If you are one of the fastest players in the league, you need to be stealing more bases.  McCutchen should always have the green light when he is on base, which should result in at least 30-40 stolen bases a year, if not more.  

Now back to extending McCutchen’s contract.  There has been talk of a contract that would be around six years for about $50 Million, which would buy out his arbitration years and three years of free agency.  The Pirates have the resources to make this deal, and there should be no hesitation on the team’s part to sign there best player.  He is a major piece in the rebuilding process and in the team’s future, and the team cannot risk losing him once he hits the free agent market.  

Another interesting stat that I saw on PiratesProspects was that when the Pirates won this year, McCutchen batted .337 with a 1.076 OPS, and when they lost, he had a .198 average and an OPS of .618.  Clearly, the team plays better when McCutchen plays better.  If he can play next year the way he played the first half of the 2011 season, McCutchen will be one of the best center fielders in the majors, and will provide a big boost to the offense and defense.  Signing him will not only satisfy the fan base, but it will also give the Pirates a player that can help the team get back into competing for the playoffs for years to come.

2012 Roster Possibilities: Left Field

The three players in the Pirates’ outfield are already set going into 2012, and the starting left fielder will either be Alex Presley or Jose Tabata, with the other one playing right field.  The most likely scenario would be Alex Presley as the starter in left, where he played for almost all of last season.  He has the speed to cover the large amount of space in PNC Park’s left field, and has proven that he can handle the position.  
Offensively, Presley had a solid season in 2011.  His overall line was .298/.339/.465 with an .804 OPS, which is encouraging considering he was an unknown prospect coming into 2010.  He has only had two successful seasons as a professional, so his upside is still unknown.  If his performance is legitimate, he could be a .290-.300 hitter with an OPS in the low .800s.  If it isn’t legitimate, his upside could be that of a fourth outfielder.  I feel like he will ultimately end up as a .270-.280 hitter that has an OPS in the .700s, most likely playing for a below average team.  Fans in Pittsburgh love Presley, but I wouldn’t expect him to remain on the team past 2012 or 2013.  There is still a possibility that he will stay, but the Pirates’ top position prospect, Starling Marte, is expected to be called up sometime next season, and should be the everyday left fielder.  Presley could still remain a starter after Marte’s promotion if he has better production than Tabata, which is possible.  However, the Pirates may be more inclined to continue starting Tabata because he has the higher upside compared to Presley

There aren’t any free agents that I could envision the Pirates pursuing as a starter, so there should be no doubt that Presley will start.  Ryan Ludwick, who the Pirates acquired at the trading deadline, will be a free agent this offseason, and he won’t have a starting position in Pittsburgh.  This makes it very doubtful that he will return, and I have to say that his acquisition was pointless.  He wasn’t going to get everyday playing time once Presley and Tabata were both healthy, and he wasn’t even performing well for the Padres.  The trade just didn’t make much sense from the beginning, and should have never happened.  Also, the Pirates have Gorkys Hernandez as a bench option, as he is a tremendous defender, but has limited offensive upside.  He could possibly step in as a starter if Presley, Tabata, or McCutchen go down with an injury, but he is better fit as a fourth outfielder.

Presley will begin the 2012 campaign as the starting left fielder, but if and when Starling Marte is ready to be promoted, he will either be benched, moved to right field, or traded.  Marte could make a huge impact in the Pirates lineup, with great fielding and the ability to hit over .300 with 10-15 home run power.  He had the fourth most hits in all of minor league baseball in 2011, hitting for a .332 average and .870 OPS.  He will be the most anticipated call-up for the Pirates since Pedro Alvarez, but not as hyped.  Marte has to cut down on his strikeouts and try to take more walks, but he is a major threat at the top of the lineup with great speed and great hitting skills.  If he continues to hit well in the minors, I would expect to see him up by late June or early July, and immediately stepping in as the starting left fielder.

2012 Roster Possibilities: Shortstop

    A lot of people have different opinions on what the Pirates’ shortstop situation.  There was controversy before the season, during the season, and now.  The Pirates went into the off-season following the 2010 season looking for a shortstop upgrade after a very inconsistent campaign by Ronny Cedeno.  The team drafted shortstop Josh Rodriguez as the first pick in the Rule 5 draft, but he only had 12 at bats before he was gone.  Fans were disappointed when the team missed opportunities to acquire players like J.J. Hardy and Jason Bartlett, and instead stuck with Cedeno.  Bartlett’s season did not meet expectations, but Hardy played far above expectations.  He hit 30 HR’s, something that would have been great for the Pirates this year.  However, it is far from guaranteed that he would have had the same success with the Pirates.  Cedeno, on the other hand, saw a slight drop off in offensive production, but he played above average defense all year, and stayed consistent for the most part.  He is probably a little worse than a league average shortstop, but that is acceptable for a 90 loss team.  
    When Cedeno went down with an injury in early July, rookie Chase D’arnaud took over as the everyday shortstop.  He played terribly, but if someone would’ve said that D’arnaud would be in the majors this year after his performance in AA during the 2010 season, they would have been laughed at.  But because of his play for the Pirates this year, he should start 2012 in AAA.  He wasn’t major league ready in 2011, so he will have to work on many aspects of his game.  In the minors, he was a decent fielder, but that changed when he reached the majors.  He saw his career minor league fielding percentage at short of .957 drop to .936 in the majors.  He also hit very poorly, with a .217 average and .528 OPS.  Clearly, he wasn’t ready to be in a Pirates uniform.  Brandon Wood and Pedro Ciriaco both contributed at shortstop, but Wood will most likely be non-tendered and Ciriaco is at best a utility player.
    In the current free agent market, there are multiple options that the Pirates could look at.  I found ten names that the front office may consider, and I have put that into five different groups, including players that : have slightly better production than Cedeno, have contract options but are slight upgrades, are big offensive upgrades, aren’t going to happen, and the Jack Wilson group.

Slightly Better Production Than Cedeno
This group consists of Clint Barmes, Edgar Renteria, and Jamey Carrol.  All three of these players have the ability to be an offensive upgrade to Cedeno, but they haven’t had great numbers.  Each player had an OPS higher than Cedeno, with Barmes and Carrol hovering around .700 in 2011, while Renteria had similar production to Cedeno.  The Pirates will only consider players that are they consider definite upgrades to Cedeno and that are affordable, so that pretty much puts Renteria out of the picture.  Barmes would give the Pirates a power upgrade with similar defense, and Carrol would give the team a guy that knows how to get on base.  Barmes is a decent option and probably the most likely in this group because the Dodgers may want to keep Carrol, at least as a bench option.
Players With Contract Options
This group consists of Yuniesky Betancourt and Rafael Furcal.  Betancourt has a $6 M option, and Furcal has a $12 M option, both being club options.  It is hard to imagine either the Brewers or the Cardinals exercising these options, but I believe the Brewers may try to sign Betancourt at a lower price.  That leaves Furcal, and he would not be a good sign for the Pirates.  His offensive numbers aren’t much better than Cedeno’s, and his defense is much worse.  It does not seem likely that either of these players will end up in a Pirates uniform.
Big Offensive Upgrades
Alex Gonzalez and Marco Scutaro make up this group.  Gonzalez would provide a big power boost at the shortstop position, along with decent defense.  Scutaro had a very good offensive year in 2011, hitting .299 with an .781 OPS, which are both above his career averages.  At 35, it is unlikely he would reproduce these numbers.  That could be leverage for the Pirates, but unfortunately the Red Sox have a $6 M club option on him, and unless they are able to sign Jose Reyes, they will most likely exercise that option.  Gonzalez would be a nice player to have, but the market for above average shortstops is usually competitive.
Not Happening
This group is Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins.  Reyes had an amazing year, and Rollins has already expressed interest in resigning with the Phillies, so don’t get your hopes up.  Reyes will either resign with the Mets or go to a big market team, so the Pirates really have no chance at either of these players.
Jack Wilson Group
This group is made up of only Jack Wilson, and I only included it because I couldn’t resist.  I don’t believe there is any chance we will see Wilson in a Pirates uniform again, but it’s still a nice thought.  He is terrible offensively and similar to Cedeno defensively, and the Pirates have too many internal options to consider Wilson for a bench spot.  Sorry, but Jack Wilson’s days with the Pirates will continue to be no more.

There could be many teams looking for a shortstop, so that may make any free agent signing difficult.  The most likely options for the Pirates to consider are Barmes, Carrol, Gonzalez, and Scutaro.  I believe the best option out of this group would be Alex Gonzalez because he could provide a big power boost, along with good defense at short.  He would definitely be affordable, so the Pirates should go after him and make a competitive offer.

Even if the Pirates don’t find an external option at short, they still have Cedeno to start.  He is a decent option with good defense, and that would be a good fit for a pitch-to-contact pitching staff.  Pedro Ciriaco is out of options, so there is a good chance he will be on the team next year, probably as a bench player.  They also have Chase D’arnaud, Jordy Mercer, and Brock Holt as options, and all three should start in AAA.  It would be nice to see Mercer up sometime, as he has power and is a good shortstop defensively.  Mercer could be a player similar to Alex Gonzalez, so it would be nice if the Pirates could sign him to mentor Mercer.

There have been many calls for the Pirates to replace Cedeno at shortstop, and they will have another chance this offseason.  There are multiple free agents, but Alex Gonzalez would be the best option.  If the Pirates don’t exercise Cedeno’s $3 M option, they will definitely make a competitive offer to a free agent, most likely as one to two year deal.  They have internal options, but no one seems ready to take over as a full time starter, so a player like Gonzalez would be a big help for the team.