The Pirates will select the contract of outfielder Billy McKinney prior to their game Monday with the Rangers, according to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (X link). The Bucs will need to make another transaction to create space for McKinney on the 40-man roster.
McKinney was acquired from the Yankees last December, and this will be his first stint on Pittsburgh’s big league roster this season. His first official in-game appearance will make it seven straight seasons of MLB action for McKinney, ranging from his two games with the Blue Jays in 2020 to his career-high 116 games and 300 plate appearances split between the Brewers, Mets, and Dodgers during the 2021 season. Most recently, McKinney suited up in 48 games with the Yankees in 2023, hitting .227/.320/.406 over 147 PA.
The left-handed hitting McKinney will add some balance to a Pirates roster that mostly tilts to the right side, and whatever playing time he receives will probably come when the Bucs want to give Michael A. Taylor or Bryan De La Cruz a break against certain right-handed pitchers. McKinney has spent most of his career as a corner outfielder but he also gotten some time in center field and even at first base, adding to his defensive portfolio in an effort to make himself more valuable to teams.
Pittsburgh’s roster is in a bit of flux after Andrew McCutchen was lost to the 10-day injured list yesterday. While McKinney certainly won’t replicate McCutchen’s production or presence in the clubhouse, his addition brings a bit more experience to an overall young Bucs team.
I’m sorry, but if you are any team finding it’s necessary to call up Billy McKinney, you’ve got some organizational issues that have led to that.
Michael A Taylor’s offensive competition has just been promoted
So much for Cherington’s claim of wanting 2024 to be better than 2023
He’s better than you at baseball
I’m 69 years old, I hope he’s better than me but one thing I could do as well as Taylor?
STRIKE OUT at a high level of plate appearances
“He’s better than you”. Please tell me you’re an adult. That comment sounds like it would come from a 7-year old.
McKinney, who used to be a “can’t miss prospect”, has got to be close to 30 years old now.
He’s only 29 for 5 more days. Same birthday as Kobe Bryant.
I predict he will hit .220
It’s a breath of fresh air to see some optimism.
“ I predict he will hit .220”
He’ll fit right in
McKinney wasn’t horrible last year and had some solid underlying numbers, but why not bring up Nick Yorke or Billy Cook? McKinney has a next to zero chance of being part of any longterm plans. Cook and Yorke have an actual chance of being part of any longterm plans.
Seriously. I don’t know how any GM picks McKinney over Cook if you need an OF. Yorke should be on the 25 man instead of Triolo. It’s not like the Pirates have a 40 man roster of untouchables.
Nowhere for Yorke and Cook to play. They need everyday reps. Can’t give those to rookies when you are desperately trying to win more games than last year. And according to Cherington he is focused on winning this year.
His plan is awful. It’s either go for playoffs (they were 6 games out when he said this) or play for the future. Odds of playoffs are slim but I crazier things have happened. Not much more slim than last week when he was still seeing October baseball. Guy needs to pick a direction. Either make moves for the remaining 2024 or for 2025 2026 2027. In between is a bad place to be.
This team isn’t going anywhere with Derek Shelton as the manager.
Not ANYWHERE.
that’s not necessarily true
They could realistically go back into last place at the end of the season
You know what I meant– but good one! Lol
No where for them to play? I hope this is sarcasm that I’m missing. There is plenty of room for quality prospects to play and get a late season taste of the majors. DFA Taylor and play Cook in center. Option or DFA Triolo and Yorke plays 2nd. Option Bae and Joe to give McKinney and Nunez a shot. Option Alika and bring up Peguero.
That’s widely believed by every Pirate fan, but the frugal owner isn’t likely to dfa players he still has to pay
Cook could play center every day. We don’t have a center fielder now. Taylor is not the answer, it obvious
center field has been a problem all year starting with playing Suwinski there, then Taylor and now he shares CF with another very light hitting, Bae
They are last place today.
I wonder if it’s BC, Shelton, or BC on the reccmondation of Shelton. Idc who it is, but if you need to make a 40-man roster move, why not take cook or Yorke?
I just told you. Prospects need everyday playing time and the Pirates have too many mouths to feed. Too many about to be free agents non tender or dfa mouths to feed but too many mouths.
Cherington should have never told fans they aren’t making playoffs. 6 games back. A lot of teams ahead of them but crazier things have happened. I prefer him last week talking about October baseball in Pittsburgh.
If it looks lost end of August they should release Taylor Grandpal Joe. If someone claims them and their salary it will make Nutting happy. Call up Davis Yorke Cook and that will make fans happy. Cherington for 1 day will be everyones dream gm.
Might as well release Chapman Tellez as well. Make Nutting really happy. Open up even more playing time. More games you lose the better draft odds. I don’t care if they win a few more games than last year. Pick a lane. Playoffs or higher draft pick. Being in the middle is a awful place to be.
But he’s serious, Dream…,……..
Higher draft picks, the wish and subsequent destination for every year that Cherington has been General Manager
Genuinely asking, are Yorke or cook on 40 man? If not maybe it’s more of a temporary roster move and they try to pass him through waivers when cutch comes back?
Not on 40 man.
Neither Yorke or Cook are. Maybe that is the case, but still, Yorke or Cook should be in the Majors regardless.
the same question can be asked about why Williams was brought up to take Cutch’s place instead of Yorke or Cooke
The Pirates already have enough players who have no power, speed or the ability to drive the ball. McKinney should fit right in
McKinney at least hit for some power last year and made a lot of hard contact, as well as at Triple-A, so at least there’s that.
hitting well in the minors doesn’t always translate that into success at the majors especially with this franchise
Everyone said the same thing about De la Cruz when they traded for him, having power. He’s been a strikeout machine since coming over
I’m saying that he was hitting the ball hard at Triple-A and didn’t do bad last year either and hit the ball hard with the Yankees too, so at least he’s driving the ball. He had a .726 OPS last year, granted in only 147 plate appearances, but I’ll take it if he can replicate anything like that with the Pirates.
I’d still much rather have Cook or Yorke, but at least he’s not like Williams who has no power, would be lucky to have a .600 OPS, and has never had any stretch of playing well in the majors.
I don’t disagree with you, MLB1225, I am terribly disappointed that neither Cook or Yorke weren’t selected instead.
Cherington yesterday said that he wants this team to finish better than 2023, bringing up McKinney I don’t think it helps his cause
I agree with you. Why don’t the pirates get these prospects up there? The Tigers just called up Jace Jung and look what he’s already doing? They seem to stall out the prospects for whatever reason. I mean let’s face it the playoffs are a next year kind of topic at this point.
The playoffs are always a next year topic with this teams management, except next year never happens
To showcase him for an offseason trade?
So no Yorke or Cook. Davis is hitting again
I’d like to see Davis find it here with the big club
In my mind, management messed with his head so many times that earning a spot would be a feel good story in itself. But to the casual observer, he sure got fooled a lot as a hitter at the MLB level. Seemed to have a blind spot inside-low
Strange organization. Team not going anywhere, never really was, but allow Gorski and Lamb to fester in the minors and bury Peguero completely
I don’t know that any of these guys would make a difference but can’t be much worse when most of your lineup is hitting at the Mendoza Line or below
exactly,?SenorFigs, it’s time for the eventual free agents be shown the door and bring up younger players who have a chance at becoming the future of this organization at the major league level.
Taylor, Joe, and even Tellez. Two are free agents at the end of the season and the other isn’t worth going through arbitration again.
Cook plays first base, left field and center field, Yorke plays at second base and the outfield
Triolo should be sent back to Indy in favor of Peguero and Gorlski plays center field and at first base
They can’t be any worse then the aforementioned players and Grandal should be dfa in favor of Davis
To replace the players promoted, BC can search the waiver wire, or dumpster dive, an option he does often
In line with that, I’ll be interested what they attempt to do with Chapman. Given the problems we’ve seen with Holderman and Bednar, who knows? Seems like they’re trying to groom Nicolas as a closer. Kid throws hard. But he’s another who has been wildly inconsistent at times
If that was true, SenorFig, Shelton would bring him in during the later innings
He only pitched 1/3 of an inning on Saturday and just to finish the 6th after Falter was pulled
I don’t disagree that he should be considered to be the closer of the future, I don’t agree with how Shelton uses him. For that matter I don’t agree with any choices Shelton makes regarding the bullpen
Typical BS move by a BS management team
Does anyone understand anything this team is doing? SMH.
Mckinney is possibly getting a last chance. I hope he stays until the season ends
It’s ok. Cherington will tell you on his weekly propaganda show that they’re still pushing for the playoffs. Shelton will tell you the 10-game losing streak was just bad luck. And late next winter, Nutting will again tell us “losing is unacceptable”. It’s almost a comedy now
I watched a number of Pirates-Padres gams on MLB.TV the past few weeks……
The Pirates play the worst baseball fundamentals I’ve not only seen this year, but in years. Hayes and Bae are gold glove types defensively. A few are passable, then it’s shades of awful. They run the bases terribly. Situational hitting doesn’t exist. At least the pitching is middle of the pack.
Since day one I’ve been beating up on Oneil Cruz being allowed to play SS (apparently because he wants to). It’s now gotten to the point where the TV play-by-play man – who’s been there for years and is possibly the most unobtrusive broadcaster in MLB that seldom says more than what the viewer can see on the screen – sees a play developing, knows that Cruz is about to be involved, and that it’s inevitable that he’s about to make a bad decision or not catch a perfectly thrown ball from a teammate. The broadcaster actually raises his voice and warns the viewers that something very bad is about to occur. I’ve never seen / heard this on an MLB broadcast – LOL. It’s as if the man just can’t take it anymore. Cruz has no business playing SS anywhere. Doing it at the ML level shows a total disrespect for the sport.
That is one screwed up organization. The team has no discipline. The manager is ineffective. Cherington seems like there’s nothing he can do about what’s going on on the field of play. I have to believe that the owner is more concerned about how casual Pirates fans perceive the team as entertainment then he does about his ML team winning.
I loved the one where the Pirates pitcher took a stretch and stopped. A Padres runner on 1B took off for 2nd. The SS is the key to the defense. In that case he should have been yelling to the pitcher to “Step Off!” the rubber. Then he could have turned and thrown to 2B and gotten the runner out by 10-15 feet. Instead the runner stole 2nd. The replay showed Cruz staring at home plate, waiting to see if the ball was going to be hit to him. The man has no understanding whatsoever of a SS’s duties at the ML level (or most other levels). He’s myopic. Has no feel whatsoever for the game that he’s playing – other then his job is to hit the ball real hard, throw it real hard, and run real fast.
The Pirates are playing a so-so DH at SS.
Amazing.
Some here believe management caters to Cruz and in the process don’t want to even suggest that he change positions.
Shelton in particular, treats him like a child, doesn’t discipline his actions when he doesn’t hustle for example as in this process, Shelton has lost control of the entire team especially Cruz.
Loss of control is contagious, no one on this team is ever disciplined
On his propaganda show yesterday, Cherington said, “Cruz is our shortstop”
What more needs to be said, really?
It’s top down pathetic
And Hayes at 3rd? I think he believes he’s the James Dean of MLB. Above all else, look cool and appear to not care
Some of the worst swing mechanics I’ve seen. A sucker for a spin pitch to the outside corner. A complete waste of a contract, sure, but calling this clown “the cornerstone of the franchise” when he signed was a tragic mistake
Maybe Hayes is still looking for his bag of sunflower seeds
I would love to see Cruz overthrowing the cutoff man from RF than making daily, bone-headed plays at SS
Read Tim Benz’s column in this morning’s TribLive. He discusses Cherington’s answer to the Cruz question
Later, it’s made clear that Cruz did get some OF work in a couple seasons ago at Bradenton, I suppose and “gave 1 on a 10 scale of effort”
Lovely
When your organization’s player development program is an example of incompetence it’s not hard to imagine how they weren’t successful in changing positions for Cruz.
Samuel-This has been your continuous negative take on the Pirates for 2-3 years.
Unfortunately it is as true today as it was then.
Samuel- Cruz actually has a good deal of hitting and running talent but it goes unused.
He is not rigorous enough and dedicated and smart enough to hone his craft.
I had thought that he should be playing right field but I have come along with several others that he could play first base with that long stretch.
He either plays there or DH’s.
Or they trade him.
If Cherington does not make a change regarding Cruz he should be fired along with Shelton and Haines.
They don’t even understand what they are doing. Last week it was October baseball. This week it’s win more than 76 games. No week no matter how good or how bad should change your goal so drastically.
one aspect of baseball of this teams management that is consistent
losing is acceptable
This is the “throwing in the towel” on the season. Waste the contract of a journeyman in hopes you get 2021 Yoshi Tsutsugo type production, and preserve the service time on the young guys. The season was fun while it lasted. Let’s go, draft lottery!
Billy McMinney is with the Pirates now? How many more teams until he’ll be part of all 30 organizations? Seems like he’s been on at least 15 teams at this point. Good for him to to keep grinding. A lot of players would have gone to Korea or Japan by name or even an independent league.
McKinney*
He’s been in the majors every year since age 23 so he’s making some $ and getting service time. Minors are a much better life these days.
He’s a AAA staple. I think he’s played for every team in the IL at this point. He is not a good major league player, but seems to be grinding out a living in the minors
“ he’s not a good major league player “
then he will fit right in with the other players on this team that don’t deserve to be here
Billy probably will hit 30+ HR in Japan or Korea and serviceable in corner outfield. Weird that none KBO and NPB teams approach his agent about playing overseas
This would be comical if it wasn’t so hilariously ridiculous.
Hilariously ridiculous has become the mantra of this franchise since Cherington was hired
A great many slogans, too
Perpetual rebuild
Two years away from being two years away
Like I said earlier, here’s hoping they extend Keller again. Want him here for the next two rebuilds
I have no doubt that if Cherington is fired at the end of this season, the new General Manager will rebuild this team to his vision of being contenders.
But the same outcome will be delivered by signing cast off free agents, has beens and never will be’s. They might not end 2025 in last place but management will declare anything better than 2024 as a success and the gullible rubes who suffer from short term memory loss will eat it up
It would be nice to get a young GM with fire, a guy who’s had success as perhaps an assistant GM or director of player development someplace else
But the great unknown is still the idea of constraints placed upon the position by a stingy owner, financially speaking
I question Cherington’s work here where scouting and development are concerned and his sticking by Shelton and his coaches
But his trades and waiver pick ups—again, I’d love to know the limitations he works under
Tampa’s player development is far better than ours and their General Manager also works under financial limitations
True. They were supposed to be on the same path as the Orioles and they flubbed it. Too bad, since Pittsburgh is a pretty darn good baseball town. Their fans deserve better.
The O’s are a good comparison. Samuel has said they didn’t truly emulate the Rays’ blueprint but in essence, it was the same model. Build the minors. Draft well. Develop. Call them up, watch them flourish. Repeat
Ok, the Pirates rebuild is over. But so many holes here both defensively and in terms of lacking guys who can drive in runs
Fundamentals are questionable. Passion even more so
With no real help coming from the farm anytime soon, I have no idea where they go from here
Can anyone see this group actually contending in ‘25 with what they are currently putting out there?
many of the current players will be gone for next season, Taylor, Grandal, Rowdy, Joe, and their replacements should be players currently in Indy.
Cook, Yorke, Davis and Endy will be back
Endy played first base in the minors and that should be his primary position next year, leaving Davis and Bart sharing the catcher duties
Unless Nutting refuses, Cutch will return to be the DH. A 38 year old Cutch is better than anyone they would otherwise sign because he’s willing to sign a lower contract than other free agents that they would like to sign but can’t afford to
They should seriously consider finding a trading partner for Hayes. He’s become an offensive albatross in this lineup despite the raves of his defense. Triolo should be sent back to Indy as with IKF and Williams, they have two who can play third base
Instead of retreads like Woodford, promote Burrows or Chandler or maybe both and Falter becomes a long reliever or setup pitcher for Bednar
Agreed. All I can figure where the pitchers are concerned is that the Pirates are moving slowly to make sure they’re ready. Burrows is coming back from TJ surgery and Bubba, Harrington and Ashcroft aren’t too far removed from AA ball
Who’s trading for a guy who’s back is toast? Will be lucky if he keeps playing as a backup. Could retire and will be a negative 7m each year until 2030 2031 whenever contract expires.
You wish Nutting would fire Cherington. They new gm in 2025 wouldn’t rebuild. Couldn’t rebuild if he wanted to.
Be lucky if they fire Haines though. I can see Shelton getting another year. Cherington two. Won’t surprise me. Then in 2027 the new gm could and probably would rebuild.
Dream- If what you say is true then the Pirates are in real trouble because the logjam is Nutting,
To this day I do not understand why everyone on this site sees the problems but Cherington and Nutting do not.