SATURDAY: The Bucs have officially announced the deal.
THURSDAY: The Pirates have agreed to a minor league contract with outfielder Matt Joyce, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 31-year-old ACES client will presumably compete for a bench spot in Spring Training, as the Pittsburgh outfield mix of Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco is among the best in the game.
The 2015 campaign was far and away the worst of Joyce’s career, as he batted just .174/.272/.291 with five homers in 284 plate appearances as an Angel after being swapped for right-hander Kevin Jepsen in an offseason trade with the Rays. While those numbers, clearly, are unappealing, Joyce’s track record prior to that dismal season was very solid. From 2010-14 with the Rays, Joyce posted a collective .251/.344/.434 batting line with 73 homers in 2219 plate appearances.
In the event that Joyce makes the Pirates’ roster, he’d very much be a platoon or matchup option for manager Clint Hurdle, as even in that quality stretch with Tampa Bay, he batted a paltry .185/.246/.313 in 326 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. Conversely, his numbers against right-handed pitching look rather impressive: .263/.360/.456 with a 12.8 percent walk rate and 18.7 strikeout rate.
Currently, the Pirates’ options for backup outfielders include Mike Morse, Jake Goebbert and Sean Rodriguez. Morse is most likely viewed as a first base option as opposed to a candidate for significant time in the outfield, leaving the latter two (and perhaps fellow non-roster invitee Antoan Richardson) as Joyce’s primary competition.
Matt has the ability, I remember him from his days with the Rays. He’s going to surprise and he has the left handed pop as well as a decent glove and arm. Good low risk signing.
Agreed. He seems like the kind of player that can improve his BA with more AB’s. At 31 he should have lots of gas in the tank and can be a solid contributor. He will play well in Clint Hurdle’s system..
And he’s buds with Sean Rodriguez. Happy player, better stats.
While on the field for the Angels he played horrible…he was a defensive liability…I was one of the few fans who started out supporting him when he was acquired…not expecting him to be anything but a replacement level player but he fell short of that…after a month of his tenor I wanted him gone…
Hope he does well in spring and makes the big league club. Can keep Goebbert as solid depth in AAA and keep Harrison in the infield.
My hopes for the rest of roster reconfiguration before opening day is that Jason Rogers proves capable defensively at 1B in Spring Training so Morse can be salary dump traded (maybe for some extra international pool money) and the money that would have gone to Morse be used to try to get Lincecum.
Does anyone know Lincecum’s asking price? It has to be way too high for nobody to sign him.
Not sure what he’s asking but he still hasn’t had his showcase to prove he’s healthy so that’s probably the biggest reason nobody signed him yet, teams haven’t seen his pitch since his hip surgery.
I’m pretty sure it’s not his asking price that’s holding him up. It’s that he wants to be a starter and most teams are viewing him as a bullpen guy. He’s suppose to have showcase this week or really soon I hear.
some much for OBP over HR
Good luck with that, Bucs.
exactly
Aside from Andruw Jones’ one year with the Dodgers, I’ve never seen an established player perform as poorly as Joyce did last season.
And he’s a much better player than that. He got into a funk he couldn’t get out of.
Appears injury added to the “insult” too. Got off to a bad start then 2 injuries. For a minor league signing as a bridge till Harold Ramirez, Willy Garcia, and Austin Meadows are ready for the show, not a bad signing for the Bucs. Now if they signed this guy as an every day player, then you could complain.
wow wtf Halos. you couldn’t resign Joyce to a Minor league contract? i wouldn’t mind having some depth. like bring back Murphy or Victorino on a minor league contract.
Why would Joyce want to go back somewhere he played poorly?
I agree, bring back Murphy. Even if it’s for a couple mill. More LF competition.
Morse can play OF to. So can Bell.
I want Bell to stay out of the OF, and work exclusively at working on being a competent ML 1st base man.
That is the Pirate’s plan, so they should at least stick it out for 1 more season at the least.
I think if he puts his mind to hit(unlike Alvarez did last season), he will be more than a competent 1st basemen and offensive juggernaut the Pirates expect him to be.
Jaso is just a place holder, so if Bell can make the transition to being a decent defensive infielder, Jaso will take Joyce’s roll, later in the season.
If Bell is lighting up AAA for the first 30 to 40 games, the Pirates will have no qualms handing over the job to him.