The Yankees have traded infielder Keiner Delgado to the Pirates as the player to be named later in the JT Brubaker trade from last month, per announcements from both clubs. The infielder wasn’t on the 40-man roster of the Yankees and therefore won’t need to go on the roster of the Pirates.
Last month, the Bucs sent the right-handed Brubaker to the Yankees, along with international bonus pool space, for a player to be named later. Brubaker has not yet pitched for the Yanks as he is still recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery and on the 60-day injured list.
Delgado, 20, was signed by the Yankees as an international amateur out of Venezuela in 2021. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2022, taking 238 plate appearances over 52 games. He drew walks at an incredible 24.4% rate while striking out just 11.8% of the time. He hit just three home runs but slashed .310/.504/.506 for a wRC+ of 178 while stealing 34 bases.
Last year, the Yanks moved him to the Complex League, where he got another 239 plate appearances. He again walked more than he struck out, 15.1% rate to 13% rate, while more than doubling his home run tally by hitting eight on the year. He finished the year with a line of .293/.414/.485 and 36 stolen bases. Defensively, he’s played a bit of second base, third base and shortstop.
Coming into 2024, Delgado was ranked the #22 prospect in the Yankees’ system by Baseball America, #20 by MLB Pipeline and #22 by FanGraphs. The most bullish prospect evaluator seems to be Keith Law of The Athletic, who had Delgado all the way up in the #7 spot a couple of months ago. Law praises the switch-hitter’s work from both sides of the plate and adds that there’s a chance Delgado could stick at shortstop, while other evaluators seem to think he will most likely end up at second base or in a utility role.
He will now move over to the Pirates’ system and will be a long-term project for them, given his youth and that he has yet to even crack full-season ball. He’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft after the 2025 season, per FanGraphs.
Wow the Bucs saved a years salary of 2 million. Really thought they would be getting a close to ready ML player. Same ole Bucs
Why would any team give up a near ML ready player for Brubaker who is coming off a major injury?
I was hoping the Yankees would send Giancarlo Stanton and pay down most of his salary. I’m disappointed a lot.
The Pirates have plenty of swing and miss already.
Duminh Stanton doesn’t help the Yankees. They have no big bats to replace him with. Yankees are about to be swept in Baltimore and will be below .500 before June.
Probably so Yankees would cover his salary. Another stupid move on pirates part
Stupid? Since Brubaker got hurt, Jones, Skenes, Chandler, and Solometo all moved ahead of him in the depth chart. Burrows will be back later this year and was better than Brubaker at the time of their injuries. Oviedo will be back early in 2025. Brubaker is now 30 and not worth the investment to see if he will be better than any of the others that I listed and are all younger. I would have a different thought process if JT was pitching very well in 2022 when he last played but he was average at best.
Yep, it’s always next year until another pitcher or star hitter is hurt for the season and we’re again talking about next year
And obviously, every current player on the roster is a year older, while we’re anxiously waiting for another minor league phenom comes up and in typical Pirate player development fashion, turns out to be dud
I won’t apologize for being a cynic, I just know how things turn out with this organization
And by 2026, it will be time for yet another rebuild
If Brubaker impressed you as a pitcher, you must be one of the few. Too expensive for a frequently injured arm.
where in my comment did I say anything about Brubaker being a good pitcher?
SMH
Small minded brainwashed Pirate fans. Who gives a about Brubaker. Look at his stats. Maybe they can be improved but Pirates had their chance. JT wasn’t happening in Pittsburgh. 2 years best time to trade. They weren’t worried about the measly 2m. They wanted a prospect for a easily replaced pitcher. Who gives a when the prospect arrives. You believe they actually turned down the same quality of player who is mlb ready? Spoiler didn’t happen. You take a younger further away player so you can get more talent. Worry about who is going to finish developing this prospect. If you let the Yankees do it and he puts up those stats in AA AAA he going to cost a lot more than Brubaker.
Small minded?
No, Dream. What’s “small minded” is someone telling you “the rebuild is over” and then looking at a group of average players, a number who’d still be in the minors on other clubs, who have been much talked about and celebrated as future stars but in reality are average minor league players
Small minded?
No, it’s “small minded” to think that after a continual flow coming to the Pirates from their farm system and seeing virtually nothing in terms of talent, that somehow this is a superior farm system
And within that it’s small minded to think this same farm system will yield strong pitching to replace guys who’ve had some experience at the MLB level. It’s not that I was a Brubaker fan, it’s just that I know the Pirates. I know it’s hype. And I’m doubtful that more than a couple of these stud pitchers ever succeed here, if they even make it to Pittsburgh
It’s a joke. It’s all been hype. And the best part it, you can rely on the Pirates futility year after year
That it’s become common for some here to repeat the Pirates propaganda of a “rebuilt farm system” and that help is on the way is the epitome of the time, “small minded”
Rebuild is over. Cherington told you that when he signed Chapman Grandal Taylor. Those were luxury signings not desperate needs. If they wanted to keep rebuilding they would have traded Reynolds Keller instead of extending them. I didn’t say the rebuild was successful, just that it was over. Haines is still the hitting coach. Skenes is still in AAA. No urgency to be successful.
JT ain’t coming back until July last I heard. They have better pitching. If so many arms went down that they don’t have enough the season is over. The way they are hitting the season is over. Oh and JULY. They can trade for pitching. Pitching is the only prospects the Pirates have so they should be fine but they can make a trade if something goes wrong. Unless your boy Haines gets those bats going they will be selling everything that isn’t nailed down at the deadline.
Understood what you mean by “rebuild”
Haines won’t get the bats going. I suspect the hitting coaches in Atlanta and Philly couldn’t either. That’s the point. This is marginal talent
Pitching is a wonderful commodity but it means nothing if the offense is stagnant or just plain dormant. You could have Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine and Avery here, and it wouldn’t make this team a contender. And that’s especially so in the era of the 5-inning starter
Chapman, Tellez, Grandal and Taylor signings were incredible wastes of money. There are kids on their farm who can do equally as poorly for far less money. But it gave ticket buyers some sense that they’re trying, I guess
Good points about Reynolds and Keller. They’ll never get what they could have for either.
If the rebuild is indeed over, BC’s choices for signing free agents so far has been a bust
Davis keeps swinging at pitches no where close to the plate, Pirates pitching enjoys giving up homers to the A’s, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are swept this series
Being successful for this franchise is a fantasy, one unlikely to happen under the current leadership
By mid July every player on a one year deal will be traded to “ restock “ the farm system and we’ll be hearing about yet another rebuild next year
It’s the Pirates mantra
Perpetual rebuild
When/if BC fires Haines, he should take the 3rd base coach along for the ride
Knowing that the A’s infield is playing in with Cruz on third, allowing him to try and score on a ball hit to the A’s third baseman shows how incredibly unknowable the coaching staff is
Bae is hitting.396 at Indy and went 4 for 6 yesterday but hey, we don’t need any offense at the major league level
There is no IF. Rebuild is over. It’s been over since Cherington decided not to trade Keller Reynolds Bednar. I would have loved to seen all 3 traded.
Rebuilding teams don’t spend 10.5m on a relief pitcher.
Again people can’t understand this. I didn’t say rebuild will bring championship. Just that it is over. It may have failed. Cherington may be fired without ever making the playoffs. Rebuild is still over. 2 trade deadlines passed without Reynolds Bednar Keller being traded. This is not a rebuilding year. 2023 was not a rebuilding year. They brought in a lot of free agents. The rebuild is indeed over. This is just what a failed rebuild looks like.
Well stated. And now your position is clear.
Agreed about not making trades. Reflective of the idea they could contend. They were mistaken. And the value of these three is much less
So how long do they cling to the idea that they still can contend? I’m guessing at least until some of the young guns arrive
I hope Bae Gonzales got some wonderful instruction and improved. I fear they could be quad A players. Destroy AAA pitching but can’t handle MLB. I have more hope for Gonzales but their minor league stats don’t matter much to me. I am not surprised they are destroying AAA pitching.
I don’t disagree, Dream, the current rebuild is over but another is on the horizon if this offense doesn’t come alive
This A’s pitcher hasn’t won a game for two years.
Opposing winless pitchers are probably thrilled about facing the Bucs. They always have a good chance of winning
As long as Cherington can convince Nutting. He wants to keep his job and hope things turn for the better. He can’t say I failed. Can’t trade anyone other than Bednar. Cherington will just keep blowing smoke to Nutting until they start winning or he is fired.
Excellent. Happy you guys are seeing my point. They stopped trading players. They started signing free agents. Win or looking more likely lose, the rebuild is over.
If Contreras could have been just a mid rotation starter and Gonzales Davis not even mvp all stars but just good everyday starters this rebuild would be or have been so much more successful.
Even if Cruz Suwinski could be 30 hr guys this team is so much better.
It’s all misses and no hits.
You may be right about Gonzalez and Bae not being able to hit major league pitching but each deserves a chance, because several of the current players couldn’t hit themselves out of a paper bag
The A’s swept us last year at PNC Park
Swing and misses is what this team excels at
Good starting pitchers won’t win many games if this offense doesn’t get their collective act together
0 for 15 today with runners in scoring position and are on the verge of losing to a pitcher who hadn’t won a game in 2 years
All of these phenom pitchers in the minors won’t be effective if they don’t get run support
Just no fire on this team. It’s rare to see a group so comfortable with losing. Or so it appears.
If Dream is right and this rebuild is over—and I think he is—you wonder what the future holds
Unless the offense improves and soon, the future will look like it did before this latest rebuild
When Grandal is eligible to be activated, Davis must be sent to Indy. Actually, if there was a decent replacement, I would consider sending Jack to Indy too
Every game the booth claims these guys are on the cusp of tearing up pitching and every game the players show why they can’t
I have a question
The pitches thrown during batting practice, are they lobbed or is their meat on the pitch?
I like to think any horse’s rear could hit a slow moving ball, why aren’t pitches such as off speed or sliders thrown?
Off speed and sliders seem to be their achilles heel
By the way, the Bucs should be proud of their performance in this series
3 total runs and 11 total hits
Who knows with this team. Haines should have been fired already. Instead they fired the guy who actually helped some hitters. Is every single hitter worse than last year? I would say so other than Joe. Hayes Reynolds the same at best but probably slightly worse. Nutting needs to say to Cherington Haines Shelton are still employed so that tells me you think the problem is the talent and not the coaching. So I should fire you right? 4 years this is what you gave us?
If a new gm comes in they will try to contend. With the pitching you have a 500 team. Just need to develop hitting or buy it on the free agent market.
Buying it would mean they are throwing out the Rays plan. To me, that’s ownership’s comfort level.
I’m betting with the addition of Skenes, we’ll get a large dose of “let’s stay the course” baloney.
I can’t see any Chandler, Solometo, Ashcroft or Burrows being ready this year, so we’re going to pin our hopes on Jones and Skenes
Who buys this?
At some point, people begin to realize that slumps aren’t career- or season-long. These guys who they are
Suwinski isn’t going to transform into a 30 homer, 100 rbi guy and at the same time, become an all around better hitter
Cruz continues to remind me of Polanco in terms of hype. Only, I think Polanco was a better player
Hayes and Reynolds are mid-level players and as almost impossible as it is to say, Davis looks like more of a guess hitter than Jack was last year. And his guesses are usually wrong
This is their core
And again, what’s most troubling is there is no cavalry coming over the hill
Has it been a case of incredible hype or was it a huge case of misjudging the abilities of young players? I’m guessing it was the former, and Dream knows this better than anyone
What’s most mystifying to me is simply this: like the O’s, they’ve had the opportunity to stock up on high draft picks thanks to numerous bad years
And yet, here they are.
There’s the amateur baseball draft coming up in a few months, hopefully they have their eyes on a first baseman because heaven knows, signings of over the hill players in free agency isn’t working
Even the Rays sign a few free agents. Pirates spent 10.5m on a reliever and 4m on a backup outfielder. Justin Turner signed for 13m. I would imagine he would prefer Pennsylvania. Joc Pederson 12.5 They had the $. Just need to spend it in the right areas.
O’s have done better but it’s a bit of luck as well. You’re taking Holiday over Johnson. Davis isn’t even close to the talent Adley was is. 2019 the had #1 overall pick pirates had 18. 2020 O’s #2 pirates 7. 2021 pirates had slightly higher pick. 2022 O’s slightly higher. So O’s had an advantage. They started their rebuild in 2018. Pirates only started in 2020 and only traded Marte and the health crisis just started so really didn’t start until 2021. So O’s rebuild should have been done sooner and better. I rank O’s management much much higher than Pittsburgh though. They are about as good as it gets.
Unfortunately there are a lot of 1b this year. You should never hope for a 1b but if that’s the best available so be it.
Santana was good in 2023. Joe is good in 2024. Just stop playing Tellez so much. If he never gets going dfa him give Lamb Beer Nunez whoever a shot.
The Orioles have drafted well and have a good player development system, both areas the Bucs have failed at
And it shouldn’t matter what number you have in the draft order if your scouts are equally as bad as your player development is
It’s too early in the season for Nuttimg to allow a multi million dollar player to be DFAed
Like it or not Tellez isn’t going anywhere unless it’s to the IL
Tellez is magnified because we see him so much. He’s their Vogelbach this year although at least Vogie occasionally hit a bomb or two
But these signings were among the worst in franchise history. This guy? Chapman? Taylor? Guess we’ll see with Grandal
Again, was this perception of their young players a case of hype and hope , or just a case of severe misjudge of talent and abilities?
The Bucsdugout website has an interesting article about the offensive woes of this team and it points to everyone in management including Nutting for allowing the GM to sign players who weren’t worth the cost of their contracts
Then the first segment of 93.7 the Fan this morning admitted that the problems begin with Haines’ approach for hitters to take as many pitches as possible per plate appearance to get into their bullpen early
Point is, everyone seems to know what the problems are, but management is fine with the status quo
I half expected an announcement that Haines had been fired
2 3 4 million is Nutting. You take the chance you can get something out of them or dfa them. Nothing wrong with the contracts. The problem is the Pirates will give them too many opportunities and or keep them around too long. Taylor as a back up late game defensive upgrade is fine. Grandal as backup catcher fine. Tellez can still turn things around even. But he has been in a awful stretch while Joe was hot. Tellez should have 20 less abs and Joe 20 some more. There abs shouldn’t be so close.
I value your opinion, Dream, but if they don’t turn it around soon, every player on a one year contract will be gone by the trade deadline and the Bucs, with a large turnover of players will again be in rebuild mode next year
We won’t get much for Rowdy, Taylor or Chapman but both pitchers Perez and Gonzalez might bring a decent player back
That’s at least 5 players who will need replacing
I thought that’s what Taylor was being signed for: late inning defense. And together with Chapman, I thought the intent was to hold late leads
That sure hasn’t worked out
Tellez and Grandal, just the opposite. To provide some pop with the bat
That hasn’t worked out, either
I get the 2-4 million dollar signing idea, Dream. It’s like playing roulette. But Chapman at $10M continues to defy logic
Like TheMan3, I’m at a loss as to where they go now with their plan and this team. This is such either an incredible poker game where the bluff has been called or a monumental misjudgment of the players you have
Since this article was posted 2 days ago, 25 others were posted about teams making roster changes
And were any of those, Pirates roster changes?
It just baffles me on how much this management has mismanaged the roster, the lineup and the approach at the plate
Tomorrow’s game, the broadcasters will tell their audience about how far Suwinski was hitting the ball during batting practice
Hype, hype and more hype
And considering that they are playing the very worst team in baseball, I wouldn’t be surprised if they still lost
You know, when it’s a player or two, the options are easy. But I’m sure they’re at a loss as to how to proceed. Just how many middle infielders and outfielders can they fit on the Indy Shuttle? And can Davis hitch a ride?
Problem is, they have 3 middle infielders hitting well at Indy. And that’s about all they have. At any level.
That’s almost unimaginable, isn’t it?
Bae can play some OF. Peguero and Nick can play some 2nd. And SS because Lord knows, Cruz isn’t doing much
How do those “moves” translate into better times, especially when none of these guys set the world on fire when they were last here
5 players is nothing. Pirates and pretty much every team does that every single year. Has nothing to do with a rebuild. Rebuild will be when they move on from Reynolds Hayes Keller Cruz Davis Suwinski Rodriguez all in a 1 to 2 year span. Trading 2 month rentals is just business as usual. End of July you either buy or sell. Every team does this except the really stupid ones who do nothing.
Not hard to replace these guys. Lets see. Washed up 1b no other teams want. Yoshi Santana Choi Tellez. Not hard to replace. Overpaid old reliever always plenty of those. Old injury ridden catcher Perez Grandal check. Maybe splurge on a Hedges. Old declining outfielder plenty of those. Only slightly difficult thing to find is a under 10 million starter. But when you already found Anderson Quintana Velasquez Hill Gonzales Perez you should be able to find one. Trust me it won’t be hard to replace these guys. In fact I am sure they can bring back most of the same ones for much cheaper next year!!!!
Omg team is finsished! We are losing Tellez Taylor Grandal to free agency!!!!!!!! Start the rebuild!!!!!!!
There’s been late inning leads to hold?
No one to send down other than Davis and Triolo. I expect Davis to be when Grandal is ready. Not much for Triolo to learn in AAA. I can’t see anything unless they teach him how to hit ball hard. Maybe find a tired old dude to get that toe tap going so he can be a 30 hr guy. Cruz has above average borderline good stats as long as you can accept he is only a platoon player. Feasting on minor league lefties isn’t going to make him hit them in mlb I don’t think. Don’t see how AAA is going to benefit Suwinski. Williams doesn’t play enough to replace with a prospect. Olivares is a possibility but would require a 40 man spot I believe so not a great possibility.
Cruz is doing well. 294 batting average vs rhp for the old man stat lovers. His obp ops is fine as well. 094 average vs lhp. You wish he wasn’t a platoon. He shows glimpses of figuring it out. But at worst you have something. Somehow get a real ss mive cruz to 1b where he could be near gold glove level. Platoon with Joe and you have a all star 1b.
Gonzales might be done for season or even career. “We think we caught it early enough and our being cautious. We expect Gonzales back this year.” Heard the same thing about Velasquez last year.
@theman. Thanks a lot. I can’t fall back to sleep. My mind keeps racing. You are right. Another rebuild is needed. Chapman Tellez Grandal Taylor are irreplaceable. With the 2 pitchers that isn’t at least 5 but 6! And get this!!! Boarlucky will be a free agent as well!!?! That’s 7!!!!!!! Oh no Cutch makes 8!!!!!!!!! It’s over. There’s no way to replace all these studs!!!!! Ugh. Another rebuild!!!!!
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo……
yes replacing 5 players is nothing but if they sign 5 horrible players as replacements, they’re back to square one
Make fun of me to your heart’s content Dream but we both know this franchise is too frugal to sign any decent players and their farm system lacks any real talent
You get up too early. I was having fun entertaining myself.
No way am I going back to bed now. 5 horrible players. Noooooooooo… Is it possible to find a older more washed up cf who strikes out more than Taylor? Maybe once we get our Haines on him. Is there a fatter 1b with less power out there somewhere? I don’t think so but I don’t know for certain. Omg there could be? What if there is? Could they find a worse way to waste 10.5m than a 36 year old reliever who walks everyone? With Cherington it’s possible.
Who needs to live on elm street when you have theman3.
I am most worried about Tellez. Where the heck are we going to find a fat slob who can’t run field throw or hit? He simply can’t be replaced.
Horrible news guys. I just ran the calculations. By losing all these players to free agency next year, the pirates number of hits per game will go from 4.3 to 4.1 Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
I feel bad for tired old dude. If this losing streak isn’t enough now he is going to come in here and see we are losing all these studs to free agency. He is going to freak out. There is hope. Pirates and Cruz are so far apart maybe they can pivot and get Rowdy locked up.
Having had to get up at 4:00 or earlier for 40 years as a traveling Environmental Scientist, I can’t sleep beyond that hour even in retirement
Actually it was 32 years since apparently I can’t add numbers
Call me Paul
I get what you’re saying, Dream, these pending free agents are easy to replace but with an owner who won’t be willing to spend money on high priced free agents we will get the same worthless players next year and the cycle will continue
You guys are funny. Dream must’ve had a couple vodka tonics before bed and the result is a series of posts that drip sarcasm
First off, I don’t think the toe tap would do much for Triolo. Perhaps a crash course in Rotational Hitting 101, where he uses hip turn to get more power than just his arms
Where do I go next with topics?
Cruz to 1st base. What a novel idea. I like it. Has anyone suggested this to him and do risk him pouting because he sees himself as a shortstop? Hey, has anyone seen Gregory Polanco?
The free agent conversation is kind of all over the road, Dream. On one hand, I meant that it seemed to me that bringing in Taylor and Chapman was meant to preserve late leads because, you know, the Pirates were gonna be contenders and all
On the other, yeah, I know the Pirates will always bring in these types of A+ signings of free agents. Cough. Pardon me. One year, they’ll get a reclamation project to hit 25 homers to the glee of front office fans. Of course, only to trade him at that most wonderful time of the year here, trade deadline time
In a perfect world, yes, the entire gang of young, underperforming future stars of other organizations currently here would be sent down. Good to have someone holding a zippo under one’s rear end. But again, we are nowhere near that perfect world here. Why send guys down when the guys coming up would be worse? And if there’s no competition for the budding all-stars, you rely on their character to *want* to improve. One gets the idea that many of the young guys are just happy to be here at the MLB level, ok with losing and looking forward to the next pierogi race
It’s a train wreck that has no solution until they burn it all down
The solution really simple. A staff of Jones, Skenes, Bubba, Keller and Marty all go 9 innings and have ERA’s under 2.
No problem. That’ll fix everything
I realize that Alika is your BFF Dream but he has no power and isn’t exactly the second coming of Ozzie Smith in the field
If Triolo can’t be sent to Indy, Williams can
Remember Reggie Sanders? The Bucs signed him to a one year deal and he managed to hit 31 homers in his lone season but that was in an era where ownership wasn’t against paying for talent
MLB.com interviewed Haines on the ongoing slump, and he said that players aren’t taught to take pitches.
I almost busted a gut when I read that
It’s bad enough that this is indeed what they’re taught, even worse that they lie about it
Tired, even with an era of 2 over 9 innings, the offense still has to score enough runs to win
Send Triolo keep Alika. It’s no Alikas abilities that makes me want to keep him it’s his playing time. I’d rather Gonzales Bae Peguero get full time AAA playing time vs getting Alikas share of mlb time.
Reggie was good. Lofton as well. Same with Santana.
1b market was weak this year. Maybe next year it will be better. Tellez wasn’t a bad gamble though and I still wanna see another month of him. He got off to a average start and has looked better this last week. If having to sign a 1 year deal with Pittsburgh isn’t a wake up call I don’t know what is. He lost a lot of weight. Seemed like he was motivated but that didn’t last long.
I understand the sleep habits.
High price free agents have a high failure rate. I advise against them. Only ones I would recommend are ones who will pay for themselves by boosting fan interest. Younger ones have higher success rates as well.
Success or failure likely won’t come down to free agents. If Cruz Suwinski Davis simply hit closer to their potential the Pirates would have a winning record. If they could develop a single outfielder and 1b they wouldn’t have needed to sign Taylor Tellez. They could limit those players ab’s. Tellez shouldn’t be so close to Joe in playing time.
Taylor Tellez Chapman didn’t get my A+ approval so no surprise they have struggled.
41 transactions since this article was posted 3 days ago and not one by the Pirates
Not only don’t I sleep well, other than my vegetable garden, I don’t have much of a life
Though I did put a coat on wax on 2012 Mustang GT convertible this morning and finished planting vegetables in the garden, I am anxiously awaiting for the game tonight to watch them lose yet again to another inferior team
I feel for you having Pirates as main hobby. No fan deserves Nutting as a owner. Or most these owners. I don’t know about you but I can’t stand management that hides or tells me obvious lies. I would prefer Nutting to say anything. I don’t believe he watches games or cares. Would be nice if he did and said I understand your frustrations and I promise you changes will be made soon if things don’t improve. That can mean sending few players down. Firing Haines. Whatever. I would make moves just to show I am trying.
2 of those guys yes 2 are still in AA so how is that the case
Why would pirates trade him for a 19 year old flyer?
Brubaker was not going to be the future, so why pay him? This guy looks like a Jose Altuve type, small infielder. Salary dump, and that’s fine.
except for the small fact that they need immediate help, not a player who is years away from making the major league roster if ever
Trades with Yankees have not went well recently. Another head scratching move on pirates part
No one was going to trade immediate help for a 30 year old who was mediocre when he was healthy that is still not going to be ready to pitch in the majors for at least 3-4 months after the trade was made.
I wasn’t talking about immediate help for Brubaker, I was talking about immediate help because that’s what is needed now
Unless of course you’re fine with getting beaten by one of the worst teams in baseball and only managing 2 hits.
This offense is pathetic and something needs to change, whether it be another player or a different approach at the plate
Ok….who on the Yankees 40 man would be a good return for Brubaker and helpful right away? I’m not holding my breath for an answer.
You’re missing my point and it’s not worth my time to explain it yet again
Maybe instead of holding your breath, take a remedial course on reading comprehension
@TheMan3–This article is about the Brubaker trade and you said “except for the small fact that they need immediate help, not a player who is years away from making the major league roster if ever.” Sounded by what you posted regarding the return they should have been looking for more immediate help instead of a kid years away.
I don’t care what this article is about, in case you haven’t noticed, there’s been very few articles written here about the Bucs so I post by my views on how pathetic this offense is when necessary
That all said, the return for Brubaker on paper sounds promising but the players development of this organization will find a way to destroy his potential
Otherwise if you don’t like what I post, put me on mute
I don’t know the Yankees roster
But an outfield prospect of similar ability. The Pirates have no one in their minors anywhere near ready
Meanwhile, this guy joins a huge gang of guys who play infield
Pirates hopefully took best player available. F outfielder I want pitching. Next up SS C CF. Cherington probably took best bat he could get. If the best bat was a outfielder that’s probably what he would have taken. Maybe this kid can play outfield. He is closer to utility player than All Star anyways. However Arizona State and Tampa both have excellent strength programs yet it was the pirates who added 15 pounds to Alika.
So you want more middle infielders and pitchers. Pardon me. I’m gonna go over and bounce my head off the wall a couple times
I don’t disagree, Dream. I hope this kid does succeed but he probably won’t see any major league pitching this year and if the offensive struggles continue, Cherington will either have to admit defeat or make coaching changes because this approach isn’t working
I want the most impact talent I can get. I would trade for 30 pitchers in a row if that is the best player available. 30 SS in a row. I will turn some of them into outfielders. Trade others for whatever I can. I want the best talent period.
He likely won’t see major league pitching until 2027.
Correction
He likely won’t see major league pitching as a member of this organization
Why would Brubaker not be part of the future? He’s 30, has a quality arm, and seemed like he was on the verge of becoming a reliable 3-4 starter. Also, still controllable for next season.
This trade makes no sense for the Pirates in my opinion.
@ DonOsborne –Jones, Skenes, Chandler, and Solometo all moved ahead of him in the depth chart. Oviedo and Burrows are both younger and will be coming back. Brubaker is behind all of those guys now.
When did Skenes, Chandler, and Solometo get promoted?
Skenes will be in the next couple of weeks and by the time Brubaker is ready to help any team Burrows should be close to ready. Chandler, Solometo and Burrows will be available next spring and Oviedo will be coming back then as well. All are more talented than JT. That is why JT is not a part of the future. Not talking about right now.
I agree they MIGHT all be more talented than JT, but it’s a fool’s errand to assume they will all be healthy and productive next season. Plenty of promising pitchers have seen their careers derailed by injury or ineffectiveness.
A live arm like Brubaker at controllable cost is what most teams (like the Yankees) are trying to stockpile. The Pirates don’t have enough PROVEN assets to throw away a guy like him away yet.
Agree 100%, Don
The trade made little sense to me for the reasons you list
Look, all the Pirates have produced in terms of “home grown talent” is a lot of hype. No one who has come through the farm in the past few years is anything special. Hayes is a good glove and average hitter. Beyond him, who is there?
Cruz? Suwinski?
And where pitchers are concerned, the talk about Keller being a top gun variety in MLB is nonsense. He’s a good pitcher, the Pirates ace. But he’s a 3rd or 4th starter on a good team
I watched enough of Skenes to know he’s the real deal. You hope he stays healthy. You hope player development doesn’t mess with his head. And I like Burrows, Chandler, Solometo, Ashcroft…..and Jones. But save for the latter, they’ve proven nothing yet. Are they legitimate of more of the same hype at the MLB level? Believe what you see when they get here
A speculative trade in all regards as Brubaker,,who showed great promise in spring training last year where his spin and off speed pitches were concerned, must recover from TJ
And what you got in return…. Was another infielder???
With no help coming in the OF?
An A+ trade?
No, typical Pirates
You don’t know that Skenes will be here in a couple of weeks, only that it’s the hype the organization is selling to their fans.
Do we want him promoted? Absolutely. But without a supporting offense pitching in the majors this season might ruin his confidence
Now come on tired. I thought I was able to awaken you. This trade makes complete sense. Small market teams can’t let players go elsewhere for nothing. 2 years remaining is peak time to trade player. That’s end of story. Makes complete sense.
I thought you wanted the pirates to be like Tampa and win some ball games? Tampa traded Price Archer Snell Glasnow. And your worked up about JT? Guy gives up 4 to 5 runs per 9 innings. Pirates score more than 5 runs once every 2 weeks. JT wasn’t coming back in July August to save the day.
Two different conundrums at work here.
On one hand, yes, you enlightened me about the fiscal pathway the Pirates are traversing. Thanks. I needed that. And you’re right. It makes perfect sense
But they missed the fork in the road that entailed bringing in real talented kids. The Pirates are off on the berm somewhere, scouting kids who the Rays, Braves, O’s and others would have way down on their depth charts. They’re signing kids the others probably wouldn’t. They’re sounding the trumpets about guys on the farm who come here and show nothing (Have you seen the minor league batting stats lately? Oy!)
That’s the problem, Dream. It’s nice to say you’ve undertaken the Rays philosophy, as have the O’s, Reds, Guardians and even D-Backs, but is seems like a smoke screen, a facade.
Maybe in itself that’s part of the fiscal plan too. Play the shell game. There are always chumps
And again, it’s not that I’m a fan of Brubaker. I just hate giving away guys when there are question marks left in their place
Live long and prosper, grasshopper
One other thing. TheMan3 calls it “perpetual rebuild”. I like “two years away from being two years away”
But I’m ok with a .500 team here
Really, I am and it’s all I expect
As long as the young guys are playing all-out, that’s fine
Where I “lose it” is when people want to carp about “contending”. The NL. Central has a lot of good, young talent on the rise. I wouldn’t put any of the Pirates in that category. So with nothing really here and nothing coming up through the farm, just how are they going to contend?
But it’s a nice park. Not a bad seat in the house. Pierogi races. Cheap t-shirts designed by middle school kids as giveaways. Fireworks. Maybe The Clarks will play a concert after a game
Living the Dream at PNC
Not a bad seat because most are empty from no one wanting to attend games
Kevin Young just said that Cutch was 6 for 11 against this pitcher with 2 homers
Guess who isn’t in the lineup?
They pack the place on fireworks nights. Is it possible that the people with the most pressure in the organization right now is the promotions department?
just what the Pirates need, another infielder who may never see PNC Park, unless he’s taking a tour of the stadium
Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be on the Indy Shuttle a little later this season, along with Peguero, Bae, Gonzales, Triolo. Give Termarr a little time to raise his average above .175 and maybe him, too
Bring some snacks, boys
Meanwhile, there is literally no outfield prospect on the horizon
It’s the Pirates way
Just responded to you in agreement but guess the “editors” at MLBTR, the bastion of journalistic integrity, didn’t like my observation that this guy would be soon on the Indy Shuttle and should bring snacks
Incredible
There is no conspiracy at MLBTR to keep your comments off the boards lol. Your comment as described is there.
Yeah, I was wrong. Thanks
Same ole Bucs is right…. can’t start that clock too soon and make Skenes a Super 2.
This article was about Brubaker’s trade return? Some infielder? Good enough for me
Word on the street is that he is Kiner-Falefa’s namesake.
Delgado is fast and a switch hitter, not the ideal player to be named later in my mind. Would have liked to see him stick around in the Yankee system. Brubaker has little likelihood to contribute enough for what he’s being paid.
The trade was obviously for Brubraker’s controllable ’25 and ’26 AND int’l pool money for a team that has perpetual low draft slots. This is a pretty fair trade.
No 26. Free agent year.
Delgado is just the type of player that clogs up the 40 man roster for years. Not far along enough to get a real ML chance, but good enough to lose in the Rule V draft.
Bucs always win the first 30 game championship
This is who I thought the Pirates would end up getting. Young pure hitter type. Also, I know people wanted something a little more Major League ready, but this is pretty good for a 5th starter coming off Tommy John surgery and won’t pitch for at least half of this year.
How dare you make a reasonable comment!
The problems with your thinking are many
On one hand, another infielder added into the mix here does nothing except build your future trade capital. Let’s be honest. Their draft strategy has been pure lunacy
Pitchers and middle infielders
No help coming in the outfield (please don’t quote me players currently hitting .220) and nothing approaching a power hitting 1st baseman
Secondly, your “pure hitter” comment is humorous. Yes. Like Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo. Like the line-drive hitter Hayes. The Pirates hype machine come to life
And speaking of hype, they traded a pitcher who admittedly must come back from TJ but who showed promise here and in spring training last year in favor of keeping a bunch of kids who also won’t pitch for half the season, if that, and have not been proven at the MLB level.
The Pirates farm system has been overhyped. It’s not that I’m going to miss Brubaker, although I think he’ll be a contributor for the Yanks. It’s just that this is another move that is being hyped and does nothing to help their many problems
Well first, most young position players are shortstops by trade. It’s where the most athletic guys play, so if you’re acquiring any young position player, it’s likely going to be a shortstop. Second, I understand the frustration with Gonzales and Triolo, but that doesn’t mean that Delgado isn’t a pure hitter right now. Third, I really don’t understand wanting to keep Brubaker. At his very best, he might be a lower-tier 3rd starter. Sure, he looked good in Spring Training, but that was in 2023 and prior to his Tommy John surgery.
First off, you and I must have different ideas of what is coming up through high school, Legion and travel ball these days. While it’s true that shortstops are good athletes and always in demand is true, the blanket statement that most of the guys drafted *are* or *have been* shortstops is patently false. You’re giving the Pirates scouting department a free pass here, mlb1225. But beyond that, you’re also giving the front office a pass in being so incredibly shortsighted that they’ve arrived at a point where their farm system is top heavy in pitching and middle infielders
If only this was Eddie Feigner and his court playing ( sorry, you’ll have to look him up)
As for Brubaker, you just nailed it
I never saw Brubaker as the second coming of Doug Drabek, but here’s a guy who’s has MLB experience. The rest of the guys who keep getting mentioned are pie-in-the-sky. That is, we really don’t know who will pan out
We just have hopes. That’s the Pirate fan’s albatross.
Delgado won’t debut until 2027. If successful won’t have a spot until 2028. Triolo Bae Gonzales Peguero Cruz will all need to be traded by then. I imagine some of those will be dfa before then.
Termarr might finally be hitting over the Mendoza Line by then, too
Keiner Delgado…..sometimes names are just perfect to become a ball player. I fully expect him to be a star based off his name and the fact that he seems like an absolute pest to pitch against.
Being a young pure hitter type in the minors doesn’t always translate into being a pure hitter in the majors
Our player development system will either help this kid or ruin him for life
If I had to bet, it would be the latter
Keiner Delgado sounds like one of those auto names they give to fake players in MLB The Show
Delgado’s a decent lottery ticket for a rehabbing 30 y.o. 5th starter and somec IFA money.
A+ for Pirates. Heck of a prospect for JT.
Another loss to a team that was successful to be worse than the Bucs, and another double digit strikeout performance by this weak offense
I am opinionated, and often go off topic, and while this was a great trade, BC needs to be working on the present, too, and that’s the point I was trying to make
@tiredolderdude gets my point yet no one else does
There’s a really good article in yesterday’s Post Gazette by John Mackey, writing that the Pirates approach at the plate isn’t working, and something needs to change
Obtaining a player for the future is commendable, this kid sounds like the real deal, but he’s probably not going to make a difference this year and that’s something else Cherington needs to focus on
I am exhausted just trying to explain my position repeatedly
I think you have a lot of casual fans who place a lot of stock in what the broadcasters are telling them—which amounts to PR and nothing more—or analytical nerds that subscribe to the numbers nonsense
Like you, I’ve discussed hitting until my fingers hurt. And I’ve reached common ground with folks like mlb1225, who does rely on numbers a great deal in the analytics world.
But in all regards, from approach, to mechanical issues, to plate discipline, to understanding of situations, pitcher strategies and where the ump’s strike zone is, this team fails miserably.
Just watch the games
Starting pitching was never going to hold out over the entire season. It didn’t after last season’s opening run and it has hit the wall over the past couple games.
And I’ll ask again, to anyone who thinks this team is nearing contention in the next few years: How? How will that happen? With this group? Will they magically learn to become hitters? Where will the runs come from?
There is no cavalry coming over the hill in the form of position players. Only pitchers. What we’ve seen here over the past few seasons are overhyped kids arriving, showing average abilities, at best, and then getting back on the bus to the minors
It’s all been hype. And it’s not gonna change anytime soon. Anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling himself
There’s always next year or the year after or after the next rebuild because if they aren’t in contention in 2025, that’s exactly what they’ll be doing
Rebuilding and the endless cycle will continue
Can’t even look forward to the next rebuild. It’s 2 3 years away at the earliest. 2 to 3 years remaining is the peak time to trade away a player. Everyone is either locked up or young players.
Only hope is to get new more aggressive management. New hitting coaches. New base coaches. New manager. A gm who will sign a bat instead of a reliever and backup outfielder. Trade from your pitching and 2b surplus to fill other needs.
Agreed. Look, they’re going to have streaks where they win a few games, the PR machine revs up and the true believer fans spout numbers at us that say Jack is an all star and Hayes is a new Arenado at bat, too
But this has all been hype
This was a typically MORONIC trade by Brainless Brian Cashman.
19-year-old Keiner Delgado was the Yankees 20th Best Prospect after he hit 8 HRs, knocked in 31 & stole 36 bases with an OBP of .414 for the Yankees 2023 FCL team, which was called THE MOST TALENTED COMPLEX-LEAGUE CLUB IN DECADES, according to one talent evaluator.
Yet, Braindead Cashman seems determined to BLOW UP that talented roster. He’s now traded TWO star players from that roster:
Cashman traded John Cruz in the Jon Berti trade. All Cruz did was drill 10 homers in the FCL short season.
Now, nitwit Cashman has traded an Even Better Prospect in Delgado for YET ANOTHER INJURED PITCHER!
Not only is Brubaker rehabilitating from Tommy John Surgery, HE SUCKED in his 3 Years with the Pirates with ERAs of 4.94, 5.36, and 4.69 last year, before needing surgery.
Brubaker has ONLY one skill, he’s struck out 324 batters in 315.2 IP. That’s the ONLY GOOD NEWS on his ledger, to-date.
Brubaker has given up 51 HRs in 63 games, hit 21 batters & walked 109 in 315.2 innings. And it’s not like he’s otherwise unhittable because batters have hit .263 against him in his MLB career.
Why would anyone but a MORON trade their 20th Best Prospect for an INJURED PITCHER WITH SUCH CRAP STATS?
Only Brainless Brian Cashman is this STUPID.
Cashman collects Injured & Injury-Prone Players like little girls once collected Barbie Dolls: Montas, Stanton, Donaldson, Loaisiga, Effross, and Bader, to name a few.
When is Hal S. going to fire Cashman? He’s Grossly Incompetent!
I know nothing about Keiner and can only say that with the Pirates player development staff, he’ll either stagnate here or will be a special talent who succeeds on his own thanks to natural ability
You’re right about Brubaker’s history but here’s the thing. He had this propensity to throw everything dead red. Fastballs, breaking pitches he couldn’t control or hung belt high down Main Street
But he certainly looked like a new pitcher in spring training last year. Very promising. He looked to be a very effective starter
And then, TJ surgery
Who knows how his rehab will affect the bigger picture with the Yankees. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he does well in NY
As Pirates fans, we are accustomed to pitchers leaving town and finding great success elsewhere
“When is Hal S. going to fire Cashman?” NEVER – he earned writing his own exit by getting Hal that ring in his first year as owner and breaking the ice on the new stadium.
Delgado had AT LEAST NINE other SS on the depth charts ahead of him in NY (Volpe, Peraza, Durbin, Cowles, Vargas, Arias, Lombard, Riggio and Jeter Downs) and the only way he’d make an impact here would be if half of them got injured or traded and it wouldn’t be for at least another 3 years – and a year BEFORE that he would need to be protected from the Rule V Draft and we don’t have room to protect him on the 40
Brubaker will return THIS YEAR and Matt Blake will work his magic on him… he’ll probably be a major bullpen weapon by the end of the year or an emergency spot starter if Cole doesn’t return and someone else gets hurt and we have team control through 2025 AND TWO OPTION YEARS (so he can be called up and down at will on the Scranton Shuttle) – you probably hated when Cashman traded Diego Castillo and Hoy Park for Clay Holmes…. and Maikol Escotto, Roansy Contreras, Canaan Smith-Njigba and Miguel Yajure for Jameson Taillon too
we ALSO got INTERNATIONAL BONUS POOL MONEY – which will help us sign next year’s best international free agent (how we got Jasson Dominguez, Roderick Arias & Brando Mayea)
If Andy Haines had coached The Beatles, they would have never had a hit.
Bucs will keep Delgado warm till the Rule 5 Draft, when he will be unprotected and picked up by a team that can develop talent.