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Cubs Promote Cade Horton

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May 10: The Cubs have officially selected Horton’s contract, according to a team announcement. Left-hander Tom Cosgrove was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Horton on the active roster, while right-hander Eli Morgan was transferred to the 60-day injured list due to an inflamed ulnar nerve in his right elbow.

May 8: The Cubs are promoting pitching prospect Cade Horton, per reporting from Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register first reported this afternoon that Horton was traveling to New York in advance of this weekend’s series against the Mets. The young righty is not yet on the club’s 40-man roster, so they will need to open a spot for him.

Chicago’s rotation has taken a few notable hits recently. They came into the season with Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga as a one-two punch atop the rotation. Unfortunately, Steele required UCL surgery last month, putting him out of action for the rest of the year. Imanaga suffered a hamstring strain a few days ago. He is surely facing a far shorter absence than Steele but has been placed on the 15-day IL, meaning he’ll miss at least a few turns through the rotation.

Those are the two most obvious losses, but the clubs has also been without Javier Assad all year. He started the season on the 15-day injured list due to an oblique strain. He started a rehab assignment last month but re-aggravated the same muscle, suffering a Grade 2 strain.

Those injuries have created an opening for Horton to make it to the majors for the first time. The Cubs have “TBD” listed as their starter for Saturday’s game at Citi Field, which will seemingly be when Horton takes the ball. It seemed the decision on Imanaga’s rotation spot came down to promoting Horton or stretching out veteran swingman Chris Flexen.

Horton is the higher-upside play. Chicago selected him out of Oklahoma with the seventh overall pick in 2022. The 6’1″ righty has been the organization’s top pitching prospect over the past few seasons. His arsenal is headlined by a mid-90s fastball and a slider that grades as a plus pitch. Horton’s fastball velocity had dipped slightly to the 94 MPH range last year but has rebounded to sit at 95.8 MPH on average with Triple-A Iowa this season.

The 23-year-old has been out to an excellent start in Triple-A. Horton carries a 1.24 ERA while striking out nearly 31% of batters faced through 29 innings. He’s issuing walks at a lofty 12% clip, but the high-octane stuff will get him an opportunity to step into Imanaga’s rotation spot. If Imanaga makes it back within a few weeks, it might be a brief call-up, but the Cubs could theoretically push Ben Brown or Colin Rea to the bullpen if Horton forces their hand with a strong showing over his first few starts.

It’s too late for Horton to reach a full year of service time the traditional way. He meets the necessary prospect criteria to qualify for the Prospect Promotion Incentive, however. That means he could earn a full service year if he finishes in the top two in NL Rookie of the Year balloting. The Cubs would not receive a bonus draft choice if that happens because they didn’t promote Horton early enough to spend 172 days in the majors.

Tigers Place Casey Mize On 15-Day Injured List

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The Tigers announced right-hander Casey Mize is being placed on the 15-day injured list due to a strained left hamstring. Right-hander Chase Lee is being recalled from Triple-A Toledo to replace Mize on the roster. As noted by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters that the strain was “very mild.” Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic adds that the issue initially cropped up during his last start against the Rockies, but that it was initially believed to be dehydration.

Given the mild nature of the issue, it’s reasonable to think that a reasonably quick recovery could be on the table for Mize. With that said, Petzold points out that Mize has had issues with his left hamstring before and ultimately ended up missing two months due to the issue last season. Given that previous injury history, it would hardly be a surprise if the Tigers ended up being cautious with Mize’s hamstring. He’ll miss at least the next two weeks due to the issue in any case, but even mild hamstring strains can leave pitchers away from the big league mound for a month or longer.

Losing a pitcher from the starting rotation is always worrisome, but it’s especially disappointing for Mize and the Tigers given the former first-overall pick’s strong start to the 2025 campaign. After throwing just 112 1/3 innings from 2022 to 2024 due to a number of injuries and struggling to a middling 4.57 ERA even when healthy enough to pitch, Mize entered the 2025 season without any assurances of a starting role. He managed to make the club’s Opening Day rotation despite that, however, and has looked excellent in seven starts this year with a sparkling 2.53 ERA across 42 2/3 innings of work. That level of dominance isn’t quite supported by the advanced metrics, as Mize is striking out just 21.0% of his opponents with a 3.93 FIP and 3.81 SIERA, but even those less impressive numbers would be a big step forward for the right-hander if carried forward across a full season.

Now that Mize’s attempts to put together a quality season in the middle of the Tigers rotation are on hold for the time being, Detroit will need to find a way to replace his production in the rotation. Mize was next slated to start for the Tigers on May 13, so a decision won’t be necessary for another few days. Right-hander Alex Cobb threw a live, two-inning bullpen session yesterday that lasted 30 pitches, but isn’t expected to be ready to return from hip inflammation until later this month. Matt Manning and Keider Montero are both on the 40-man roster with starting experience in the majors; Montero’s last start was the same day as Mize’s start against Colorado, while Manning’s came the day prior. That means either righty would be on full rest and able to take the ball if necessary. If the Tigers don’t want to turn to either Montero or Manning as a starter, they’ll likely be left forced to go with a bullpen game against the Red Sox this week.

Fortunately for the Tigers, they’ve gotten generally strong production from the rest of their rotation this year that should help them weather the loss of Mize. Tarik Skubal looks every bit like the reigning AL Cy Young award winner after winning the pitching triple crown last year, Reese Olson has built on an excellent 2024 season with strong numbers again this year, and Jack Flaherty has looked solid even if he isn’t quite as dominant now as he was in his first stint in a Tigers uniform last year. The only slot in the rotation that’s currently providing the club below-average production is that of top prospect Jackson Jobe, but even he had a solid 3.38 ERA before he was torched for six runs in 3 2/3 innings at Coors Field during his last start. As for Lee, the 26-year-old righty made his big league debut with Detroit earlier this year and pitched to a 1.42 ERA in six appearances with six strikeouts against three walks.

Orioles Outright Matt Bowman To Triple-A

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TODAY: Bowman accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A after clearing waivers, the Orioles announced.

MAY 8: The Orioles announced Thursday that they’ve designated right-hander Matt Bowman for assignment and recalled fellow righty Colin Selby from Triple-A Norfolk. Selby will give the O’s a fresh arm for today’s series finale in Minnesota, which is set to begin at 12:10pm CT. Selby was already on what was a full 40-man roster, so Baltimore now has a vacancy after designating Bowman.

Bowman, 33, pitched in each of the past two games against the Twins and now finds himself on the outs in Baltimore as the O’s look to get some reinforcements for a beleaguered pitching staff. Bowman actually came to the O’s last summer after opting out of a minor league deal with Minnesota. The Orioles eventually passed him through waivers but re-signed him on a new minor league deal after he opted for free agency.

Baltimore selected Bowman to the major league roster late in spring training. He’s been a heavily used arm for manager Brandon Hyde, appearing in 16 of the Orioles’ 35 games (46%). The journeyman right-hander posted a sparkling 1.98 ERA through his first dozen appearances but has hit a rough patch of late, surrendering seven runs across his past four outings. Overall, Bowman carries a 5.19 earned run average with a sub-par 15.2% strikeout rate but a terrific 3.8% walk rate.

Bowman pitched for four teams in 2024, including both the Twins and Orioles. He’s now suited up for seven teams across parts of seven major league seasons. In 233 1/3 frames at the MLB level, he’s produced a 4.24 ERA, 18.7% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate. Bowman doesn’t miss many bats and has never thrown hard — his 91.3 mph average on his sinker in 2025 is an exact match for his career mark — but he’s consistently proven capable of avoiding hard contact. Opponents have mustered a putrid 86.3 mph average exit velocity against Bowman in his career and posted similarly bleak barrel and hard-hit rates of 5.1% and 29.6%, respectively.

Because he’s out of minor league options, Bowman couldn’t simply be optioned to Norfolk to bring up a fresh arm. The O’s will have five days to find a trade partner for him before they have to place him on outright or release waivers (which is another 48-hour process). He could be waived at any point prior to that, of course, but his DFA will be resolved within a maximum of one week.

Dodgers Sign Lou Trivino To Minors Deal

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The Dodgers have signed right-hander Lou Trivino to a minor league contract, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco reports.  Trivino was only briefly on the open market, as he elected to become a free agent just yesterday after he was designated for assignment by the Giants and cleared waivers.

Trivino inked a minors deal with San Francisco during the offseason, and he locked in a $1.5MM salary from that contract after an impressive spring performance earned Trivino a spot on the Opening Day roster.  Unfortunately, the righty’s Spring Training numbers didn’t translate to the regular season, as Trivino posted a 5.84 ERA over 12 1/3 innings out of the Giants’ bullpen.  His strikeout and walk rates were below average, but the largest issue was the long ball, as Trivino gave up four home runs in his short span as a Giant.

The Pro Edge Sports Management client now looks for a fresh start with the Giants’ arch-rivals in Los Angeles.  A minor league deal is a no-risk endeavor for the Dodgers in seeing what Trivino can bring, and the club’s ever-present need for healthy arms means that Trivino could see some action with the World Series champs in pretty short order.  Given the Dodgers’ history of reviving pitchers’ careers, it wouldn’t even be a surprise to see Trivino return to pre-injury form.

Trivino posted a 3.86 ERA in 284 2/3 innings with the A’s and Yankees from 2018-22, with the bulk of that work coming with Oakland before the Athletics dealt him to the Bronx at the 2022 trade deadline.  Trivino’s penchant for walks led to some inconsistent performances, but when he was on, he was very sharp.  For instance, he performed well as the Athletics’ closer in 2021, and he had 1.66 ERA in 21 2/3 innings with the Yankees over the remainder of the 2022 season.

Unfortunately, Trivino missed the entirety of the 2023-24 seasons due to a Tommy John surgery, and then some elbow and shoulder soreness that held up his rehab enough that he couldn’t make it back it back onto a big league mound before 2024 was over.  His early-season struggles and a minor dip in his pre-2023 velocity could well be some side effects of Trivino just working his way back into form after the long layoff, adding to the possible upside for the Dodgers.

Brewers Sign Bobby Dalbec To Minors Deal

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The Brewers have signed Bobby Dalbec to a minor league deal and assigned the infielder to Triple-A, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

After signing a minor league deal with the White Sox during the offseason, Dalbec’s contract was selected to Chicago’s active roster a little over three weeks ago, and he hit .222/.333/.278 over 21 plate appearances in his brief time in a Pale Hose uniform.  The Sox designated him for assignment earlier this week, and once Dalbec cleared waivers, he opted for free agency instead of an outright assignment to Triple-A, as was his right since Dalbec has previously been outrighted in his career.

It wasn’t long ago that Dalbec was a top-100 prospect, and viewed as a potential first baseman of the future in Boston.  A big .959 OPS over 92 PA in 2020 hinted at this potential, and a .240/.298/.494 slash line and 25 homers over a large sample size of 453 PA in 2021 seemed to be a step forward, even if his 34.44% strikeout rate that season underlined his major flaw at the plate.  Since Opening Day 2022, Dalbec has hit only .199/.272/.328 in 520 PA at the big league level, with 195 whiffs in those 520 trips to the dish.

Now 29 years old, Dalbec may be a depth option in Milwaukee, though the Brew Crew’s relative weakness at third base may provide an opening for more MLB playing time.  Rookie Caleb Durbin has been getting most of the time at the hot corner, and with Vinny Capra just designated for assignment, Dalbec now gives the Brewers a bit of experienced depth.  Dalbec has primarily been a first baseman for most of his career, but he has amassed a good chunk of playing time at third base, plus a handful of appearances as a right fielder at both middle infield slots.

White Sox Designate Nick Maton For Assignment

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The White Sox announced that infielder Nick Maton has been designated for assignment.  First base prospect Tim Elko’s contract was selected in the corresponding move, as was reported yesterday.

This is the second time in two weeks that the Sox have designated Maton, and his first trip through DFA limbo saw him clear waivers and then accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Charlotte.  Maton had the option of becoming a free agent because he has been outrighted in the past, but chose to remain in the organization and wait for another crack at a spot on Chicago’s big league roster.  That chance came when Maton’s contract was selected again as a corresponding move to Andrew Benintendi’s placement on the injured list, though Maton’s latest stint with the White Sox lasted just a couple of days.

Maton has hit .167/.286/.315 over 63 plate appearances, and he has played in 25 of Chicago’s 39 games this season primarily as a first baseman and designated hitter.  Since Maton is out of minor league options, the White Sox have to designate him and expose him to the waiver wire whenever they wish to send him to Triple-A, thus giving Maton repeated chances to elect free agency.

As a veteran utilityman on a rebuilding team, Maton isn’t likely to receive the benefit of the doubt when it comes to playing time, as the White Sox are obviously prioritizing young talent.  That said, catching on with another team that has more established players also might not give Maton much time on the diamond.  Maton’s lack of minor league options leaves him with little flexibility, so if he isn’t claimed on waivers this time around, he’ll face another decision about whether or not to stick with the White Sox or test the open market.

White Sox Claim Yoendrys Gomez, Release Greg Jones

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The White Sox announced that they have claimed right-hander Yoendrys Gomez off waivers from the Dodgers.  Outfielder Greg Jones was released to open up a 40-man roster space.

After spending the majority of his pro career in the Yankees farm system, Gomez is now joining his third different organization in the last three weeks.  New York designated Gomez for assignment in late April and the Dodgers claimed him off waivers, only to themselves DFA Gomez earlier this week.  Gomez has seen some big league time with both of his 2025 teams, posting a 2.70 ERA in 10 relief innings for the Yankees and a whopping 14.54 ERA over 4 1/3 innings and three appearances with Los Angeles.

This workload makes it 27 2/3 career MLB innings for Gomez since he made his debut during the 2023 season, with a 4.88 ERA for his time in the Show.  Since the start of the 2021 season, Gomez has thrown only 246 2/3 total innings in the majors and minors, as a Tommy John surgery drastically cut into his availability in 2021-22.

Gomez still posted some pretty solid numbers in the minors, including a 3.67 ERA and 27% strikeout rate over 83 1/3 frames at the Triple-A level.  However, Gomez’s walk rate has also crept upwards as he has worked his way up the minor league ladder.  While he has worked almost exclusively as a starter in the minors, he has worked only as a reliever in his brief MLB tenure, albeit usually throwing multiple innings in his appearances.

Since Gomez is out of minor league options, the White Sox will need to keep him on their active roster unless they’re willing to expose him to waivers again in an effort to outright him off the 40-man roster and send Gomez down to Triple-A.  The pitching-needy Sox should be able to make use of a multi-inning reliever who may yet have some utility as a depth starter, so this latest move could give the 25-year-old Gomez a clearer path to big league playing time than he would’ve likely found with the Yankees or Dodgers.

Jones was a waiver claim himself in late March, as the White Sox plucked him away from the Rockies just prior to Opening Day.  Jones appeared in just three MLB games with Chicago, after making his debut in the Show last season and playing in six games with Colorado.  In a nod to his speed and defense, Jones has been a late-game sub in all but one of his nine career games in the majors, and he has one hit (a home run) in eight plate appearances.

Known as one of the fastest players in baseball, Jones has stolen 167 bases (out of 192 attempts) during six minor league seasons.  This speed and multi-positional defensive ability drew some top-100 prospect attention from MLB Pipeline in 2022 when Jones was in the Rays’ farm system, though he has also struck out in 567 of his 1662 career PA at the minor league level.  He had posted solid Triple-A numbers before his production drastically fell off with Triple-A Charlotte this season, and thus the Sox have decided to move on in the form of a proper release.

Jones is still only 27, and his speed is the type of premium ability that usually intrigues teams.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see another club scoop Jones up as at least a depth piece, with an eye towards possibly unlocking something at the plate that can turn Jones into more of a functional asset at the MLB level.

Latest On Yu Darvish

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Yu Darvish’s 2025 debut may be getting closer, as the veteran right-hander threw 48 pitches over three innings of a simulated-game situation on Thursday at the Padres’ Spring Training facility.  Darvish has spent the entire season on the injured list after developing elbow inflammation during spring camp in mid-March, but despite the long layoff, Padres manager Mike Shildt told MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell and other reporters that he doesn’t believe Darvish will need much rehab time before making his return to the San Diego roster.

While no specific timeline has been established, Shildt said the team might have Darvish undergo the final stages of rebuilding his arm strength while pitching Major League innings, rather than embarking on a lengthy minor league rehab assignment.  Assuming all is well with Darvish physically, Shildt said the club trusts that Darvish’s veteran know-how would allow him to properly ramp up on the fly while pitching in games.  The Padres would manage Darvish’s workload via inning limits and pitch counts, but even a somewhat limited version of Darvish would still be very helpful for an upcoming busy stretch of the schedule.  As Cassavell notes, the Padres have a stretch of 26 games in 27 days beginning on May 30.

Before such plans can be put into place, of course, Darvish will have to continue taking positive steps in his pitching progression.  Some level of minor league game activity seems likely, as Shildt said that Darvish will have to build up to an 80-pitch limit.  The 38-year-old Darvish has already been thrown multiple bullpen sessions, and Thursday marked the first time since the spring that he faced live batters.

This is the third straight season that Darvish has dealt with some type of elbow problem.  The most serious of the injuries was an olecranon stress reaction that ended his 2023 season in August, and the righty has battled inflammation in each of the last two years.  Darvish also had IL stints in 2024 due to a neck strain and two groin strains, and he also missed more time due to an undisclosed family issue.

Given how Darvish pitched only 95 1/3 innings in 2024 between the regular season and the playoffs, it is perhaps a little surprising that (for now) the Padres aren’t planning for a longer rehab stint in the wake of his latest injury.  Still, Darvish did get most of his Spring Training work in before his elbow inflammation arose, and obviously the Padres aren’t going to take any undue risk with Darvish’s health.

It is perhaps telling that San Diego has kept Darvish just on the 15-day injured list since Opening Day, as a placement on the 60-day IL would mean Darvish can’t be activated until the last week of May.  Since that might end up being Darvish’s timeline anyway, the Friars might well shift Darvish to the 60-day purely for procedural reasons if the team is in need of an extra 40-man roster spot.  But, Darvish’s continued stay on the 15-day IL gives the Padres some flexibility in bringing him back even earlier than that 26 games-in-27 day stretch.

The 24-13 Padres have gotten by just fine without Darvish to date, but needless to say, the rotation will look a lot stronger with the five-time All-Star back in the ranks.  Michael King and Nick Pivetta have both been excellent, but Dylan Cease has been uncharacteristically shaky (despite some strong peripherals), and Randy Vasquez’s shaky peripherals undermine his solid 3.76 ERA.  Multiple off-days in the last two weeks have allowed the Padres to get by without a proper fifth starter for a while, but Stephen Kolek is now lined up to take that role, and he is today’s scheduled starter against the Rockies.

Darvish had a 3.31 ERA over his 81 2/3 frames of regular-season work in 2024, with a 6.6% walk rate that was solidly above average, even if his 23.6% strikeout rate was only slightly above the league-wide midpoint and he allowed much more hard contact than usual. A sharp dropoff can arise suddenly for any pitcher as he ages, and Darvish has already been testing Father Time just by making it into his age-38 season.  This said, the Padres only need Darvish to be a solid mid-rotation arm rather than an ace, and it seems quite possible that he can reach or better that status if he can avoid the injury bug.

Rafael Devers Meets With Red Sox Owner John Henry

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As the Red Sox began a series with the Royals yesterday, Sox owner John Henry, team CEO Sam Kennedy, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow all flew to Kansas City in response to Rafael Devers’ comments on Thursday about his refusal to play first base, and his displeasure with what the slugger felt was an unreasonable series of requests from upper management.  Henry and manager Alex Cora (with Kennedy and Breslow not present) met with Devers privately prior to Friday’s game for a lengthy meeting that, in theory, helped clear the air about what has become a public controversy.

None of Devers, Henry, or Cora commented about the meeting, but Breslow told reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) that Henry said an “honest and candid exchange” took place about the situation.  The intent, as per Breslow, was to have “an honest conversation about what we value as an organization and what we believe is important to the Boston Red Sox and that is being great teammates for each other.  And so we think we had a productive conversation.  John seems to have had a productive conversation.  And that’s where things stand right now.”

In a follow-up about what Breslow considered a great teammate, he answered “I think it’s No. 1, being honest and open with communication.  I think it is recognizing when there’s an opportunity to step up, when there’s a need for the group to be in front of any individual achievement or accomplishment.  And I think it’s important that that gets reinforced given what we’re hoping to accomplish.”

Devers said Thursday that he took issue with Breslow recently asking about a position change to first base, and the two parties haven’t yet spoken since Devers went public with his frustrations.  Though Breslow said his conversation with Devers was more “exploratory” in nature about a possible move to first base, the CBO took some responsibility for the awkward situation.

“My reaction was there potentially was some misunderstanding on the communication or an opportunity to more clearly provide communication,” Breslow said.  “And so hopefully that was a step in the right direction here today….Obviously, it’s unfortunate that we’re in the situation that we are right now.  But as you approach every decision, you try to provide as much clear communication as possible. It’s my job to always put the priorities of the organization first.  But I should also be evaluating every interaction I have with players and I’ll continue to do that.”

More will be known if or when Devers himself comments on the meeting, and it isn’t likely that Henry (who rarely speaks with the media) will issue a comment.  As McCaffrey noted, however, the fact that Henry felt the need to personally travel to Kansas City and meet with Devers directly was a very public statement in its own right, and underscored the “unusual” nature of what has become a major subplot of Boston’s season.

After spending his first eight seasons as the Red Sox third baseman, Devers has become a full-time DH this season in order to accommodate Alex Bregman (a much better defensive player) at the hot corner.  Devers has long expressed his preference to remain at third base and even continued this stance after Bregman was signed, though he eventually stated that he was “good to do whatever they want me to do.”  After a slow start at the plate, Devers has been crushing the ball over the last couple of weeks, seemingly settling in nicely to his new designated hitter role.

Triston Casas began the season as the everyday first baseman, but since Casas’ 2025 campaign has now likely been ended by a knee surgery, Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro have been handling the position.  Moving Devers to first base seemed like a possible answer to the first base problem, as opening up the DH spot would’ve also allowed the Red Sox to find a spot for Masataka Yoshida (currently on the injured list) or for top prospects Roman Anthony or Marcelo Mayer.  After being asked to change positions once, however, Devers has balked at learning a new position on the fly, and was quite openly frustrated over now being asked to become a first baseman after being told that he would only be a DH in 2025.

It remains to be seen what next steps might be taken, or whether or not Friday’s meeting might have laid some groundwork for Devers to eventually move to first base after all.  Given how Breslow mentioned the concept of teammate behavior, it is worth noting that the other Red Sox players seem to be staying quiet about the situation for now.

“We will talk about it.  Obviously, things are fresh and a little emotional right now, but yeah, we will do it,” Trevor Story told MLB.com’s Jackson Stone.  “And like I said, we’re all adults and we’ll figure this thing out eventually.  One way or another, it’s about winning games and I think everyone can agree on that.”

Pirates Notes: Shelton, Haddad, Cherington, Nutting, Valdez

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9:30AM: The 2025 season marked the final year of Shelton’s contract as manager, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.  The terms of the extension Shelton signed in April 2023 weren’t made public, though the 2023 season was known to be the final year of the four-year contract Shelton initially signed when he was first hired as skipper.

Hiles didn’t mention whether or not any club options were attached to Shelton’s deal beyond 2025, so it seems as though Shelton may have been in a true lame-duck situation heading into this season.  This only adds to the perception that Shelton’s managerial tenure was on thin ice, and Hiles noted that it became increasingly clear during the season that Shelton would be replaced.  “Numerous members within the Pirates organization, including a few within the clubhouse, privately acknowledged as much to the Post-Gazette in the days leading up to his dismissal,” Hiles writes.

8:45AM: The Pirates’ managerial change naturally drew most of the headlines on Thursday, but in addition to letting go of Derek Shelton, the Bucs also moved on from another member of the coaching staff.  The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that Pittsburgh parted ways with Radley Haddad, who had been a game-planning and strategy coach with the team since November 2021.

Haddad (who turns 35 tomorrow) is a former minor league player in the Yankees organization who wrapped up his playing career following the 2016 season.  He then moved into a new role as the Yankees’ big league bullpen catcher, as well as a coaching assistant.  Haddad worked in that capacity until he was hired away by the Pirates following the 2021 campaign.

Between Haddad’s departure and Don Kelly’s promotion from bench coach to manager, the Pirates now have two openings to fill on the staff.  It isn’t known if any other coaching changes may yet be in the offing, as the Bucs continue to figure out how to adjust on the fly amidst a disappointing season.  Kelly’s managerial debut was at least a success, as the Buccos’ 3-2 win over the Braves last night ended Pittsburgh’s seven-game losing streak, though the club still has only a dismal 13-26 record.

Larger-scale changes don’t appear to be coming at least in the near future, as Pirates owner Robert Nutting told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that GM Ben Cherington and president Travis Williams aren’t going anywhere for the time being.  “I think if we make a broad, real restructure of the organization midseason, right now, we will not improve the team for 2025.  I don’t think that makes us better,” Nutting said.  “I’m not willing to give up on what we expected, which involves a significantly better performance than you’ve seen.  I believe we can get to that.  I don’t think that blowing everything up 38 games into the year is gonna help us do that.  I think that would be distracting.  I think that would get us off track. My focus has to be on getting this fixed and getting it fixed as fast as we can.”

Left unsaid was the possibility that Nutting might explore a wider “restructure” down the road if the Pirates don’t start playing better baseball.  Cherington was hired in November 2019 to oversee a major rebuilding process that has brought some premium talent onto the roster, yet the Bucs haven’t delivered a single winning season in Cherington’s five-plus years in charge of baseball operations.

The situation has left the Pittsburgh fanbase openly dismayed and it is clear that both Nutting and Cherington share in those frustrations.  Cherington took his share of the blame when speaking with reporters (including Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) on Thursday, acknowledging that “I’m more responsible than anyone” for the Pirates’ struggles.

“Certainly not lost on me that my part of that accountability, if I had done my job perfectly for five years, might not be meeting with you today,” Cherington said.  “That’s certainly possible.  I own that completely.  This is not all on Shelty.  And I believe that it became clear to me that this was a choice, however difficult, that we needed to make.  I certainly feel accountable going forward.”

Cherington also reiterated that he feels he is still the person to be leading the front office going forward.  Likewise, Nutting defended his own continued ownership of the franchise, stating that he feels the team can and will win again under his stewardship, and feels he can elevate the Pirates’ place in the sport as a whole.

“Given all of the challenges broadly in baseball, there’s been a lot of discussion of the economic disparity in the game. We’re never going to use that as an excuse.  Never have.  Never will.  But I think I’m particularly well positioned right now to be able to help influence change in the economics of the game,” Nutting said.  “Having been around for 20 years, having gone to owners’ meetings for longer than that, having a very strong relationship with the commissioner’s office, I believe that I’m uniquely well positioned to have a louder voice for Pittsburgh as we’re heading into the next [collective bargaining agreement].  I want to make sure that we don’t lose that position.  I don’t think a new owner in Pittsburgh would have the same standing or ability to advocate for the kind of changes that we need.”

Pirates fans can understandably take some skepticism in Nutting’s remarks, and Mackey indeed expressed something of a counterpoint to Nutting’s interview in a follow-up column.  The owner has been frequently criticized for a lack of spending since he bought the team in 2007.  The Pirates have ranked in the bottom five in Opening Day payrolls in all but three seasons of Nutting’s ownership, and the payroll high-water mark remains the Bucs’ $99.9MM payroll at the start of the 2016 season (which ranked 20th out of 30 teams).  As much as Nutting feels his team is at a financial disadvantage against baseball’s bigger markets, the Pirates’ resistance against even moderate spending is an obvious impediment to their desire to become more competitive.

In a bit of on-field news from Friday, the Pirates placed infielder Enmanuel Valdez on the 10-day injured list due to left shoulder inflammation, and recalled infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae from Triple-A in the corresponding move.  A timeline wasn’t given for Valdez, or whether or not he is expected to miss any time beyond the minimum 10 days.

Acquired in a trade with the Red Sox in December, Valdez has hit .209/.294/.363 over 102 plate appearances for the Buccos this season.  Valdez had primarily been a middle infielder with the Sox, but his 26 appearances at first base for the Pirates represent a marked change in his usage, as Valdez’s previous experience at the position consisted of just nine minor league games during his time in the Boston and Houston farm systems.

Since intended first baseman Spencer Horwitz has yet to play this season, the Pirates turned to Endy Rodriguez at first base, and then looked at Valdez as a further backup plan once Rodriguez also hit the 10-day IL.  Rodriguez is still a ways away from returning from a right finger laceration, so Jared Triolo and Matt Gorski now stand as the top first-base options in the interim.  Horwitz has started a Triple-A rehab assignment and might be a week or so away from his 2025 debut, though Valdez’s injury will leave the Pirates even thinner at the position in the short term.

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