The Pirates have claimed right-hander Thomas Hatch off outright waivers from the Blue Jays, as announced by both teams. Toronto designated Hatch for assignment earlier this week.
The move officially ends Hatch’s tenure in the Jays organization after a little over four years, as Toronto initially acquired the righty in a deadline deal with the Cubs on July 30, 2019. He made his MLB debut in 2020 without the benefit of any Triple-A experience (due to the canceled minor league season) and made a good first impression, as Hatch had a 2.73 ERA over 26 1/3 relief innings despite some shaky peripheral numbers.
Hatch ran into struggles after that debut season, posting a 4.45 ERA over 240 2/3 innings at Triple-A Buffalo from 2021-23. This inconsistency as both a starter and a reliever translated into Hatch’s limited big league work, as the Blue Jays have given him a few looks in each of the last three seasons without much success. Hatch has an 8.85 ERA over 20 1/3 Major League innings since the start of the 2021 season, with seven of his 10 appearances coming out of the bullpen.
Pirates GM Ben Cherington was working in Toronto’s front office when Hatch was first acquired in 2019, and that familiarity surely contributed to the Bucs’ claim. Hatch gives Pittsburgh extra depth for the rotation or the pen, and he can still be optioned to the minors through the 2024 season, providing more flexibility. It is possible Hatch (who turns 29 in September) might thrive with a change of scenery, but at the very least, he’ll give the Pirates another arm to perhaps eat some innings over the remaining two months.
Hopefully this goose egg can develop and Hatch in the burgh
It was only a matter of time before the Bucs resumed their regular dumpster diving practice
You mean after the trade deadline? Its all any team can do now, but if it helps your narrative…
please they dumpster dive on a regular basis, and all year round
Like all teams do. This is a boring take. If shuffling of the 40th man on the roster for a VERY end of the bullpen role is shaping the future of the franchise, then feel free to get stressed.. Did I miss Ben’s big announcement that this transaction is the key to the future?
There’s a valid reason why the franchise’ payroll is one of the lowest in baseball and if you can’t understand why, perhaps it’s you that is getting stressed out
It’s low because they won’t spend money on significant free agents or extending their own talent and have shown no inclination to change that practice.. Complaint is valid and could trigger stress. Adding Thomas Hatch to the very end of the bullpen in August should barely make MLB Trade Rumors let alone trigger repetitive takes. Save it for when they don’t extend Keller or resign Josh Van Meter as the starting first basement in 2024.
point taken SoithernBuc
I remember when Cubs drafted him thought he was going to be a mid rotation starter ehh
Nice job Pirates, you always disappoint.
It’s time to clean out upper management. Though I’m a big cherington fan, I don’t understand these moves. It’s not known how much idiot Shelton contributes to roster moves. I’m betting he has significant influence. I can not for the life of me why they continue to employ this moron. He’s playing Connor Joe,,,why????? He is not a part of their future. Williams at ss is not their future. This guy is a detriment to the young guys development. The core is there they just need someone to nurture them. And it’s not idiot and his coaching staff.
Wow way to state the obvious. Williams is not the future at SS because the future is on the IR with a broken ankle.
We all know there’s a nice core here that may lead the Pirates to competitiveness in a couple years. Davis. Endy. Hayes. Suwinski. Cruz. Reynolds. Hopefully Keller will straighten out. Hopefully Oviedo is the real deal
What’s confounding is this continual push to watch everyone and their grandmother come to the MLB level
We saw enough of Castro to last a lifetime
Bae and Marcano are utility
Peguero seems to be promising as did Gonzales
Don’t know how Williams gets starts. Or some guy named Capra
And no idea how a guy with a few nice pinch hits gets a start in left today over the guy who’s been their hottest hitter. Funny that Palacios butchered a routine fly ball in a close game, and how Reynolds’ pinch hit homer broke the game open
Buuba seems to like the front office, even when they dumpster dive, but to me, Shelton is under orders to give guys long looks even at the sake of winning. They’re looking for a 1st and 2nd baseman, and utility players, and it looks like any warm body will be fit into the lineup to see if he fits
Impressed this weekend with Oviedo, Mlodzindki, Falter, Jackson and Holderman. Glad he didn’t tinker with them
Seems to me they are 9-7 in their last 16, and a blown save away from 10-6 coming off taking 3/4 in Milwaukee. Last year we were watching worse from players with no future with the team. This is just next step of the process with better results. Let’s see what kind of FA they go after this winter. This last group of FA didn’t match what we were used to in the past and I suspect this next group might be a little better.
I’m hoping that they need not go after any FA’s, that the second tier types they usually sign and then flip for prospects at deadline time is coming to an end
But it’s likely that they’ll need an arm or two as the kids won’t quite be ready and the spots I listed still don’t have an answer
Yes, you’re right. Much better than last year and especially since kids like Endy, Davis, Peguero have a lot of fire.
Whether they sign second tier free agents will depend upon an increase of payroll that Nutting approves of and if history is key, they will continue to sign players that will be flipped for prospects at the trade deadline
Perpetual rebuild
I’m ecstatic for the youngsters we’ve been seeing at the major league level though several don’t belong in the everyday lineup or should even be on the roster
The question of why Andujar isn’t with the team but Capra is, is one reason for my pessimism.
Andujar is tearing the cover off the balll at Indy, Capra has never been a good hitter
It would really help if they replaced the hitting coach and his staff and bring in a new coach who has a different approach
The current team strikes out too much especially on called 3rd strikes
I’m guessing that the front office sees some drawbacks where Andujar is concerned. If he is still red hot, keeping him at Indy until September doesn’t make a great deal of sense
We’d thought that with Santana and Choi gone, a call up for him was coming. But since Rivas came over, it seems like another example of giving him a long look
And I’m guessing that when Palacios or Joe hit another homer or have multi hit games, it’s another reinforcement to the idea that he’s getting a lot of at bats down there. Allow him to continue
I dunno
As for Capra…..maybe the idea is to sooner or later bring every middle infielder on the farm to take a few ground balls and some swings. Boggles the mind
I thought of Buuba and TheMan3 when the revelations about the White Sox clubhouse hit today. No cohesiveness. No rules. No outcomes. Missed meetings. Missed practices. Sleeping in the bullpen during games
Apparently happened during LaRussa’s last year and this year. A team in complete disarray with no management.
And I thought of the old adage, “ it could always be worse”. We may disagree with Shelton’s thinking ( and I think a great deal of it comes from the front office) but at least there is some structure here.
Beyond a cell phone popping out of a pocket during a slide or a fielder with a handful of seeds while a play is being made, I haven’t seen a lot of beer league stupidity.
I agree, cornwhisperer. The players seem to be mature while behaving like adults
That’s a reflection of how well Shelton respects and treats his players
But he’s known as a “ player’s manager “ where he hasn’t been known to be a disciplinarian. You mention two examples
Paul-I thought of you tonight when Shelton left Bido in for the fourth inning and almost blew a 6-0 lead.
Bids does a decent job as a bullpen starter but that is all he can be.He should not be expected to surpass his talent level.Shelton has to bite the bullet and have four pitchers ready to go.This is where a good three inning reliever would really come in handy.
Corn- With all due respect,comparing them favorably to the White Sox is damning them with faint praise.
Corn- Andujar has always been a good hitter in AAA but this team needs good hitters.Shelton May have something against Andujar because there is absolutely no justification in keeping him in AAA.
My note about the ChiSox train wreck was only meant to allude to the idea that it could be worse. Nothing more
I think front office leadership tends to be like a teenager looking at Tiger Beat magazine. That is, Joe blasts a couple homers—let’s make him the golden boy for awhile. Now Palacios hits a couple bombs, let’s have him in the lineup more
Long term, I’m not sure either guy is more of a utility type
Seems to me their occasional hits have been to the demise of Andujar but perhaps you’re correct in saying there is something else at play here, too
Random thoughts-
They’re definitely to ascertain who fits around the corner. To me, they seem to like Triolo but gave up too early on Gonzales in favor of looking at guys like Williams. Perhaps Peguero’s play made it a no brainer
Interesting that between innings 3 and 4 last night, Bido lost 3-4 mph on his fastball. In his case, I see how he’s reliever-only
Jeez. Auto-correct is something else
-I’m not sure either is more than a utility type
-…who fits around the core
Bido has yet to reach the 5th inning in any of his starts and barely makes it to 4.
Shelton needs to have someone warming up in the bullpen by the end of the 3rd inning so he’s ready to replace Bido before the game gets out of control
As much as I dislike Joe being in the lineup on a regular basis, I’ll give him credit as he’s been hitting righties far better now than earlier in the season
But he’s not supposed to be part of the future, nor should Palacios. Joe is 31, the latter is 26. While Reynolds is himself 27, he’s an established player.
And Williams should be at Indy or learn how to hit the ball in the opposite direction, he seems to be a dead pull hitter and when there’s a runner on second, hitting to 3rd base, it’s not going to advance the runner
The broadcasters always talk about his speed, why isn’t he bunting more often?
Corn- I understand your point about the comparison to the White Sox.There are probably a few other teams too.My biggest problem with Shelton is how he manages the game,the lineups,the pitching,and fundamentals.The last is only s9mewhat under his control.
My biggest problem with Cherington is he does not seem to see the weaknesses of some of his employees,and that they have not grown in the job and changed for the better.
And why didn’t Shelton anticipate what happened to Bido in the 4 th inning regarding velocity,and make the change sooner rather than later.Poster Samuel said it well,there does not seem to be a plan.They need to use Bido in a position that optimizes his pluses.He seems to be an emotional type who has the adrenaline flowing for a few innings but is not skillful enough to make it last.Ortiz is similiar.That does not mean that they are bad pitchers.It means that they need to be used properly.
Well they are bringing up yet another reliever today in Selby. It’s remarkable to me that this organization is so top heavy in middle infielders and relief pitchers.
Jesus. What did you Bucs fans do in your previous lives to deserve this ongoing kick in the balls?
There’s some hope here, Stubble, and it’s the first time in many moons we can see it. But the great unknown in all of this is their pitching. Some good regulars here report that there are some studs coming up through the farm in addition to Skenes. Starters with all kinds of potential. Let’s hope so
Getting this guy is really a stopgap for the rest of the year. Before the Hill trade, they had one game out of every 5 that was designated a “reliever game”. Now that he’s gone, we can only hope Falter is the guy to step into that space. Or perhaps Ortiz
If not, they’re going to need arms over this last month and a half. This kind of pick up is what we’ve become accustomed to. Hopefully, it’s one of the last
Hopefully.
Sitting their hottest hitter yesterday in favor of a . 242 hitter who botched a fly ball hit in his direction I question
Granted Reynolds pinch hit later in the game and hit a 2 run homer, imagine what damage he could have done if he was in the lineup for the entire game
Um, he needed a day off? He had a nagging injury the public doesn’t know about? He’s sick? I doubt it was “Let’s sit our best player because that gives us a better chance of winning this game.”
Shelton often gives players a day off but sitting your best offensive threat was a poor decision
They still have a “ reliever “ game since Bido, a starter, never pitches beyond the 4th inning and often times doesn’t get a full 3 innings in before he’s pulled for a reliever
Yes, and with Hill gone (boy, did he get rocked yesterday), they’d have had two without, I guess , Falter. Point is, between now and when the entire farm gets here, they’re going to need arms, especially if there is a reliever game every 5 days and Keller is having troubles.
I imagine that Hatch will be available for tonight’s game when the Pirates starter gets hammered by the Braves and only lasts his typical 3-4 innings
Bido has pretty good stuff but tends to falter when the opposing hitters have seem his stuff the second time through the order
Improve draft position?
Improved draft position is irrelevant now. It’s a lottery pick and they draw sticks for the top 10-15. So even if Pittsburgh finishes with the worst record, it doesn’t cement themselves the number one over all pick. KC found out this draft and Washington should have drafted 8th in the old system, but lead to them drafting second. Tanking is still going to happen, but this new “lottery picks” is meant to keep organizations from tanking year after year. I think next year Pittsburgh will not be able to be in the top 5 next year and I believe they will be out of the top 10 in the draft following the new rules to the draft and lottery. I think you can only be in the top 5 3 years in a row to disqualify for a top 5 or 10 pick. Don’t quote me on it though. I’ve been busy and haven’t read the new draft rules to fully understand how this new system works.
The poor player development of this organization doesn’t guarantee that a number one pick will ever live up to their potential
Won too many Super Bowls and Stanley Cups.
Loyalty is our collective faults Randal. Some of us that post here have been devoted Pirate fans for over 50 years
Looks like he can log innings at least. They may need that.
The decision to turn Hatch into a starter was not a wise one. Bullpen was questionable heading into the 2021 season and they wanted Hatch to be stretched out rather than compete for a bullpen spot. Gets hurt, gets dinged by AAA bats and goodbye.
It’s happening world renown pitcher whisper with his crystal ball of hindsight. Spot on assessment there. Look out Pete Walker this guy is after your job.
You’re rattled I see.
The liar detector confirmed that was a lie! Keep liking your own comments.
Incorrect. I just liked my comment to now give me two. I have one account. Looks like more people think you’re clueless than you realize. El oh ellll.
Oh wow you and jimmer I got ratio huge lmao. Imbecile
A plus pick up. I love it.
Seems like a lot of overreacting about a routine waiver claim.
Thank you.. but this is BAU when Pirates dare swap their 40th man on the roster who is very unlikely to survive any off season or later in the current season roster move. Wish these folks would read MLB Rumors a bit closer and see these moves made almost everyday across the major leagues.
Well said. This add makes a great deal of sense. Not that the kid is going to set the world on fire, but they need arms
they need arms because Shelton misuses or overuses the bullpen and also the starting pitchers more often than not don’t belong in the rotation
Bido and Priester are perfect examples
That’s only part of it. I mean, you’re right, but how are you down a pitcher at the All Star break with apparently no one in the minors? Bido was to be a one start guy
I understand about injuries to Brubaker and VV. I get that Contreras has mental issues and had to be sent down and Ortiz lost speed on his fastball.
I don’t get this lack of foresight nor do I grasp the idea behind turning virtually everyone into a reliever of some sort. Here in the 5-inning start era, you mean none of these young guns like Mlodzinski or Hernandez could ever be viewed as starter material? Kind of odd
Bido was supposed to be a one time starter, as you said, and you’re also right that pitchers like Hernandez could be penciled in as a starter, even for just one game, but Shelton has a bad habit of keeping pitchers in a game when their pitches are creating more runs than the offensive lacking Pirate hitters can make up for
He’s done it twice now with Keller on the mound and with Priester pitching
Shelton either misuses or overuses his pitching staff
Brother of Richard Hatch.
Ben is simply doing his job. Among other things, he needs to find some reliable innings eaters. Any GM who is not closely watching the waiver wire to find guys that can help the team win games, and possibly even find a diamond in the rough, should be canned ASAP.
Nice to see an understanding fan base, because it’d be tough to have to put up with negativity when they’re going to improve 15-20 wins this year & many experts say this rebuild by Cherington has been done to perfection & the team is on the cusp of winning, playoffs, & possibly WS.
They won 62 games last year, they’re hardly going to win 77-80 games as you said
I know of no one who says that BC’s rebuild was done to perfection or that it’s even finished yet
There’s too many questions about pitching and offense to even consider when the team will be competitive
They’re last in the league in runs scored, batting average and are 3rd to last in home runs
You can’t be competitive if you can’t score runs
Why have we not fired the batting coaches with this information/ details
I think Haines hasn’t been fired because of the young players that were promoted recently
That’s not to say that he shouldn’t have been fired prior to the AS break but it seems that management wants to see how these rookies develop at the major league level before making a decision on the hiring coach
You are assuming that there is intelligent thought behind management personnel decisions.
as previously predicted, Bido didn’t make it beyond the 4th inning and nearly cost us the lead before his departure
Shelton almost cost us the lead,and hopefully soon will occur his departure.