Right-hander Jordan Lyles is still the leading candidate for the Pirates’ final rotation spot, general manager Neal Huntington said today (Twitter link via Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Huntington candidly indicated that the 28-year-old entered camp as the favorite to win the job, adding that neither he nor his primary competition — Nick Kingham and Steven Brault — has done anything to change that. Those comments did come before Lyles exited today’s appearance with some cramping in his right side (link via the Post-Gazette’s Nubyjas Wilborn), though the move was described as “precautionary.” Lyles hasn’t exactly dominated this spring, pitching to a 4.91 ERA on 13 hits and five walks with seven strikeouts through 11 innings, although the Pirates are surely more concerned with the quality of his offerings than his bottom-line results in a small sample of exhibition innings. Lyles signed a one-year deal worth $2.05MM to join the Pirates this offseason after posting a 4.11 ERA with career-best K/BB numbers in 87 2/3 innings between the Padres and the Brewers.
Here’s more from the NL Central…
- Cubs righty Pedro Strop sustained a “mild” right hamstring strain in his most recent Cactus League outing on Saturday and is now questionable for the beginning of the season, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. (That, it should be noted, is not the same hamstring that sidelined Strop near the end of the 2018 season.) Strop will continue to play catch while resting and rehabbing the leg issue, and there’s still a chance that he could be ready to open the season on the active roster rather than the injured list. Currently, he’s in line to close games in Chicago while Brandon Morrow is out early in the year, though if Strop does hit the IL, veteran Steve Cishek would seem likely to be the next man up.
- The Reds’ offseason additions of Sonny Gray, Alex Wood, Tanner Roark, Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp were a welcome departure from what has become standard operating procedure for many noncompetitive teams in recent seasons, opines Joel Sherman of the New York Post. While many teams have followed the Astros’ model of aggressively tanking to stockpile draft picks and international bonus resources, the Reds at least positioned themselves to have a chance in the division, even if few would peg them as any sort of favorite. “For the first time in a long time we added multiple well-known major league players to this team in an offseason,” president of baseball operations Dick Williams tells Sherman. “That clearly has people’s imaginations going. That is part of the fun. … Just to be able to ponder the possible and the excitement is a huge psychological benefit to our fans.” Even if the moves ultimately fail to yield dividends, several of the newly acquired assets (namely Wood, Roark and Puig) could hold value on the summer trade market, and the Reds didn’t sacrifice any of the organization’s very top prospects in order to take a shot at improved results in 2019.
Of all the options the Pirates could have gotten for $2-$5 million, they chose Jordan Lyles. Not Clay Buchholcz, not Drew Pomeranz, not Wade Miley. Jordan Lyles.
Fair point. Though Miley went to the Astros, so he may have chosen them anyhow, seeing them as a more clear playoff bound team. Buchholz should have been an easy nab for them though, seeing as he’d have a better shot for playoffs than with the blue jays.
Huntington sure does wonders for the confidence of his young players. As soon as they show signs of struggling, they get passed up permanently on the depth chart by some journeyman. It happened with Glasnow, and now its happening with Kingham.
So, you want Kevin Newman to be the starting SS?
I know little about Lyles, but Jeff Sullivan wrote a good piece at Fangraphs on why he’s an interesting bet.
And if Nick Kingham can’t unseat a journeyman on a bargain deal, then he clearly will not have earned the job.
Glasnow did more than struggle, he walked in runs on a regular basis. He was terrible.
Glasnow had several opportunities and same with Kingham.
Lyles belongs in the pen.
So many Johnny Superscouts
Seriously….damn. You’d think that they all have crystal balls. Someday I may be as smart.
Stop and morrow won’t start season and will be free agents next year. Cisheck gone next year as well. Quit screwing around and go get kimbrel.
Even if they did at this point in the spring would he be ready for the start of the season?
He surly is on a pitching program? I know not same as pitching to Mlb hitters . Thinking of future years as well .
I’m sure Holland and Lynn were also on a pitching program last spring before they signed, and we saw how that turned out.
That would be a good move for them if the Rickets would put in the money to win. But they won’t so
The Cubs’ MLB payroll is higher than the Yankees this year and second to the Red Sox. I’m not claiming they can’t afford more, particularly with the new network launching next year and some of the renovations around Wrigley Field beginning to pay dividends, but let’s not pretend like they won’t spend enough to win.
It is possible, perhaps, that ownership may define winning differently from the fans. They may figure they won the long-delayed WS to satisfy the fans, now they can win with their investment by buying up real estate around the ballpark, continuing to improve the ballpark and making it a venue for concerts and other events and of course the preparing for the coming network. There is indeed plenty of money committed for this year, although we can argue about how the money has been and is being spent. But from the baseball side, signing Kimbrel would make a lot of sense on this roster.
Alex Wood could emerge atop of Reds rotation by the break.
So could Castillo or Gray, for that matter.
Must first get healthy then stay that way.
Yeah, so could any of their starters. While certainly an improved bunch over recent years, that’s still not saying much.
I ASSUME when he says non-competitive teams he means teams not in big markets… FU MLB.
Teams not in big markets who are probably going to be competitive in 2019: Oakland, Tampa, Twins, Reds, Brewers, Teams in huge markets who are not going to be competitive in 2019: Miami, White Sox, Rangers, Baltimore,
By my count, only 8 teams in the AL are even trying to win this year: Yankees, Red Sox, Tampa, Cleveland, Twins, Oakland, Houston, Angels.
In the NL it’s quite a few more – Phils, Nats, Braves, Mets, Cubs, Reds, Brewers, Cards, Dodgers, Rockies…..I’m on the fence on what the Giants and Diamondbacks think they’re doing this year. The market sizes don’t really seem to be the catalyst for any of this.
Somehow the giants always sneak back in or near the wild card. Diamondbacks feel like one foot in and one foot out. Happy to see the Reds on the right side of this for once.
I dunno, the Giants have won 64 and 73 games the last two seasons, and didn’t seem to make any appreciable upgrades this offseason, but they still carry one of the highest payrolls in baseball.
Huge market is a real big stretch there. Those teams are all middle of the pack.
Yeah? I was mostly just thinking of the size of the cities – Chicago and Miami and the Baltimore metro area and Arlington metro area. But then again, San Diego is, I believe, the biggest city in the country with only one professional sports franchise and they are considered small market. So I suppose I’m not sure what to think – it seems like the teams I mentioned have been big spenders in the very recent past is more of what I meant.
According to Nielsen, Chicago is the third largest media market in the country, Dallas-Ft. Worth is fifth, and Miami is larger than Cleveland (16 vs. 19), but smaller than Minneapolis-St. Paul (15).
You left out the Pirates, what’s your astute assessment on them?
Yeah, I missed them. They’re in a tough division in which every team except the Cubs has improved greatly. But the lineup is pretty solid – Cervelli is one of the best and most underrated catchers around, and Diaz might even be better. Bell is still a decent hitter. The outfield is really good and also a bit underrated. I like adding Kela – I think he’s better than Vazquez already.. I think Chisenhall has always been a pretty useful player.
But Frazier is a tough one; the bat is ok but he isn’t a good defender. Shortstop seems unsettled, I doubt Kang does much, honestly; he wasn’t great to begin with and he’s missed a couple seasons. I like Moran better but he’s still pretty average. I’m not really sure what Archer is going forward.. Taillon and Williams are fine #2/3 types, Musgrove wasn’t so great,
It’s not a bad team by any means, but I can’t see any great leap forward in 2019 compared to what they were in 2018, which was, basically, a .500 team. So I couldn’t say if they’re just treading water, hoping for some huge breakouts or hoping everybody else somehow collapses. It looks like a fourth place team to me.
I also just don’t, personally, think that Clint Hurdle is a very good manager.
I think you’re underselling Taillion by a fair bit. I think he’s a #1 SP personally.
Kang is going to crush it this year. He looks good & ready.
And yes, Hurdle blows chunks.
He just needs to stay out of a court house…
The angels are not trying to win. They did not sign anyone to improve the rotation. If they really wanted to win, they would at least TRY and sign Keuchel or Corbin or even J.A. Happ, which will lead to them being out by the deadline. Next year they WILL trade trout for a slew of top prospects. Mike Trout is going to get a 400 million+ deal and L.A.. is not going to dish it out.
The Angels have a pretty massive payroll and Moreno seems willing to spend to win; They were a .500 team last year with a pretty patched up rotation. It does seem odd they haven’t gone out to get a starter, but I don’t think of them as actively tanking or rebuilding, not as long as Trout is there.
Milwaukee is not in a big market and they are very competitive.
How many division titles have Cleveland won lately, plus a world series appearance? That’s also not a big market.
Does Cincinnati even have a rebuilding plan or just tired of turning into San Diego and Pittsburgh?
Cincinatti is running out a lineup this season that has tons of talent, a lot of it homegrown or at least developed in their system – Votto, Winker, Schebler, Peraza, Suarez, Barnhart. Heck, even Gennett has blossomed in Cincy. It’s a really exciting lineup. The pitching is still a work in progress. But I give them kudos for going for it as much as they can, and since they’re the closest major-league team to me, I’m excited to see them this season.
I agree.They got some good pieces.I don’t think Puigs gonna hv much of a prob w 30 HRS there.Shew,I’m glad we traded him and Woody and Kemp.Thats Gonna free up money to sign Bry……never mind.
So Puig in RF, Winker in LF & Schebler in CF? So no pitching, no outfield, & same 3 at 1st, 2nd, & 3rd with a so so SS & C. I see no improvement unless Puig reverts to his rookie self. Last place has their name already penciled in.
I can see you saying that they don’t make the playoffs but it is hard for me to believe that there will be no improvement after these moves. They clearly upgraded several positions
Winker, Schebler and Puig is a pretty interesting outfield.
No OF, huh?
Ok…
You guys seem to be forgetting Nick Senzel in all of this…
Winker Schebler and Puig is a bad defensive OF. Winker can’t get to any balls and schebler playong CF won’t help. Puig will have the right side covered though. If you ignore that all 3 of them have the ability to be well above average hitters for their position.
But is really a one and done thing. Kemp,Puig,Wood,and Roark wont be here next year, and looks like neither will Gennett. Combine that with Votto a year older and no young pitcher in minors who appear to be a ace for the staff, this may be only a one year feel good thing.
Also Kemp, if they don’t flip him another possible 30+ home runs
They probably don’t want him playing defense in the outfield that much to get enough at bats for 30 homers. He was clearly the part of the trade to offset Homer Bailey’s contract and Puig and Wood were the upgrades. Whatever Kemp adds as a 4th or 5th OF (after Senzel gets called up) and a bench bat is gravy.
Great to see Cincinnati stepping up and putting a competitive team (on paper anyway) out there. It’s a great thing for the whole league when you see a “middle of the pack” ( no offense to anyone by that label) team go for it and make real meaningful baseball moves in the offseason!
I’m a lifelong Jays fan, and as you all know we are moving in a different direction currently.
Pulling for the Reds this season to not just contend, but make the playoffs (gonna be a tight division). Even if just to push other teams in same position to make some real moves in the offseasons. Good moves guys! Here’s to an exciting season for the Reds!
The moves the Reds made have 2 outcomes. 1.) The Reds compete for the division or wild card and are reasonably close by the middle of July. 2.) Hope that Kemp, Puig, Wood perform at or above expected and make 3 separate deals at the deadline. Solid contributors like those 3 could potentially bring back a nice haul just before August. If something like this would happen, and I hope #1 happens, the Reds have a solid core and can restock their farm.
Understand the restocking the minors with “prospects” but I thought the idea of this last 4 or 5 years was to rebuild the major league team. Souns like another start over rebuild. Makes this year seem like a feel good year after losing over 900 thousand fans the last few years.
Pirates moves are hard to figure. With all the 4th Outfielder options in Free agency or trade they sigh Chisenhall & Cabrera….really
A right handed bat like Santana could have been a solid addition who could then have played LF & RF against lefties all season long
“Pirates moves are hard to figure…”
Yeah, hard to figure until you learn that every move is calculated to maximize “financial flexibility”.