Pirates Rumors

Ryan Vogelsong To DL With Facial Fractures

By Jeff Todd | May 24, 2016 at 1:41pm CDT

The Pirates have announced that righty Ryan Vogelsong is headed to the 15-day DL after being diagnosed with facial fractures. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by fellow right-hander A.J. Schugel.

Vogelsong was struck by a pitch in the left eye area yesterday in what was one of the more frightening plays you’ll ever see on a baseball field. The team previously suggested that he had suffered injuries both to the eye and the surrounding bone. Fortunately, Vogelsong’s wife tweeted promising news last night about his general outlook, which was obviously much more important than his playing status.

Pittsburgh signed the 38-year-old to provide a swingman option and stabilize a staff that has some uncertainty. He’s done just that, providing 21 2/3 innings of 3.74 ERA pitching with 6.6 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9.

It’s obviously not clear at this point just what lies ahead for Vogelsong, but surely we’ll learn more in the coming days. MLBTR joins many others around the game in wishing the respected veteran a full and speedy recovery.

Pirates Notes: Bullpen, Joyce, Cervelli

By Mark Polishuk | May 22, 2016 at 5:45pm CDT

Here’s the latest from PNC Park…

The Pirates are looking for bullpen help, GM Neal Huntington told reporters (including MLB.com’s Adam Berry and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski), though Huntington noted that the pickings have been slim for buyers. The Bucs will “scour the Minor Leagues to see if there’s another Jason Grilli-type situation out there,” Huntington said, as in a possible buy-low veteran who’s recovering from injuries or a drop in form. The GM didn’t totally rule out the idea of calling up top pitching prospects Tyler Glasnow or Jameson Taillon as relievers, though “on a case-by-case basis, there are some things we are still accomplishing with our young minor-league starters…before we start trying to shove them in the bullpen,” Huntington said. With the Pirates’ rotation also lacking in depth, Glasnow and/or Taillon are much more likely to start when they’re called up, as noted earlier today.
Matt Joyce may be the latest veteran to enjoy a career revival after joining the Pirates, Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, something manager Clint Hurdle attributes to the franchise’s ability to scout and identify players who have the right attitude about overcoming their struggles. In Joyce’s case, his winter stint in the Dominican Republic impressed the Bucs. “To go play 50 or 60 games in a different country and do some things on and off the field that, in a crazy kind of way, might help you find your way back? I thought it was outstanding. It polarized the whole story of [Joyce] for me. I know that level of commitment,” Hurdle said.
Francisco Cervelli’s three-year extension not only keeps a key player behind the plate for the Pirates, it also serves as another sign of the franchise’s growth, the Post-Gazette’s Bill Brink writes. While the Bucs have inked several young players to extensions, Cervelli signed his multi-year deal with free agency beckoning this winter, as opposed to other veterans who have left Pittsburgh for richer deals after rebuilding their value with the club.

Pitcher Notes: Gray, Lincecum, Bucs, Rosenthal, BoSox

By Connor Byrne | May 22, 2016 at 3:34pm CDT

Athletics manager Bob Melvin thinks the trapezius problem that forced Sonny Gray to the disabled list Sunday is at the root of the right-hander’s early season woes. “It’s like pitching with a rock in the bottom of your neck,” Melvin said (Twitter link via Joe Stiglich of CSNBayArea.com). If Gray had been pitching through the injury before landing on the DL, it would explain his swift descent from an ace to one of the majors’ worst starters in 2016. For his part, Gray expects the DL stint to serve him and the team well. “It’s better to go ahead and try to miss a couple starts and knock this thing out. In the long run, it’ll benefit everyone,” he commented (Twitter link via Jane Lee of MLB.com).

Here’s more on a handful of other pitchers:

Newly signed Angels righty Tim Lincecum will head to Triple-A Salt Lake City at the end of the month and make at least two rehab starts there before joining the big league club, tweets Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times.
Pirates general manager Neal Huntington wants elite pitching prospects Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon to spend the entire season with Triple-A Indianapolis, but he realizes that it’s unlikely to happen. “Perfect world they have a full year at Triple-A. It’s probably not going to be a perfect world,” he said Sunday (Twitter link via Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review). Glasnow and Taillon have torched the minors this year and look poised to join the Pirates when the Super Two threshold passes in June. Aside from Gerrit Cole and, to a much lesser extent, Juan Nicasio, Pittsburgh has gotten little production from its rotation members this year. Thus, Glasnow and Taillon will provide a pair of welcome reinforcements.
The Pirates have gotten many offers for minor league right-hander Chad Kuhl over the years, Huntington said Sunday (Twitter link via Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Huntington added that he thinks Kuhl has the potential to be an asset in either the rotation or bullpen at the major league level. Both Glasnow and Taillon overshadow Kuhl, but the latter has gotten eye-opening results at Triple-A this year, posting a microscopic .99 ERA in 45 2/3 innings. Kuhl, 23, also demonstrated similar abilities at lower minor league levels.
Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal has struggled with command this month, walking nine batters in six innings, which manager Mike Matheny attributes to a lack of work. “If we see him take long breaks and then be really sharp when he comes in, that’s another story. But right now, he’s just not quite where he wants to be. And sometimes the only way of fixing that is to throw,” Matheny said (via Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com). Matheny plans to use Rosenthal more, even if it means the Cardinals deploy the 25-year-old so often that they have to rest him for certain save situations. “I think it’s probably the priority at this point to get [Rosenthal] the amount of work that he needs until he is right, and then build on that confidence,” Matheny stated.
Triple-A Pawtucket has placed Red Sox southpaw Brian Johnson on the temporary inactive list as he seeks treatment for anxiety, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. Johnson, whom MLBpipeline.com ranks as Boston’s sixth-best prospect, will partake in “non-game baseball activities” in Fort Myers, Fla., while undergoing anxiety treatment. “Obviously we’re well aware of what he’s dealing with and we support him,” said manager John Farrell. “He’s a talented young guy and we’ll provide every available resource to him to get back to being a productive pitcher and a guy that we’d hope to factor in as we go forward.”

NL Notes: Harvey, deGrom, Pirates, Hale

By Connor Byrne | May 21, 2016 at 11:09pm CDT

The Mets considered sending Matt Harvey down to help the slumping ace regain form, but he talked his way into remaining with the big league club and will make his next start, according to Newsday’s Marc Carig. “We dissected every angle there was,” said manager Terry Collins. “In the end, knowing this guy like we do, he wants to pitch. He wants to fight through it. He isn’t going to run and hide. He wants to get out there. So we’re going to do that.” Interestingly, in addition to mulling a minors trip for Harvey, the Mets pondered removing everything from his locker and setting those belongings on fire – which then-Mets reliever Bobby Parnell did last season when he was struggling. It’s unknown if Harvey actually did it, per Carig, who adds that the Mets believe his problems stem from a lack of confidence. After logging 427 innings of 2.53 ERA pitching to accompany a 4.78 K/BB from 2012-15, the 27-year-old Harvey has regressed significantly in both categories in 2016 (5.77 and 2.87, respectively).

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/19/16

By Steve Adams | May 19, 2016 at 4:41pm CDT

Here are the day’s minor moves from around the game…

It didn’t take long for Ed Lucas to catch on with another organization after his recent release by the Mariners. The 33-year-old has signed on with the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter). He’ll look to improve upon a .232/.265/.399 slash line over his first 147 Triple-A plate appearances on the year, with hopes of returning to the majors for the first time since his 2013-14 run with the Marlins.
The Pirates announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Wilfredo Boscan from Triple-A Indianapolis, with catching prospect Elias Diaz hitting the 60-day disabled list to make room on the 40-man roster and left-hander Cory Luebke being optioned to Triple-A to clear room on the active roster. Boscan will throw his first pitch as a big leaguer if he takes the hill for the Bucs. The 26-year-old spent last season in the organization as well and was even promoted to the Majors on three occasions but never got into a game before being designated for assignment and outrighted back to Indianapolis. He re-signed on a minor league pact this winter and has had a very strong start to the year, firing 40 innings of 2.48 ERA ball with an outstanding 31-to-4 K/BB ratio in the Triple-A rotation. Luebke had faced 23 batters and allowed 12 of them to reach in what was his first big league action since 2012 due to a pair of Tommy John surgeries. Diaz had elbow surgery earlier this season and will be out until later this summer.

Pirates Extend Francisco Cervelli

By Jeff Todd | May 17, 2016 at 11:01am CDT

The Pirates have announced a three-year extension with catcher Francisco Cervelli that will pay him $31MM, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Cervelli is represented by Beverly Hills Sports Council, which also recently negotiated an extension between the team and Gregory Polanco.

Cervelli had been set to hit the free agent market after the season, but will instead remain in Pittsburgh through 2019 under his new deal. It’s a straight three-year pact without any options, and will cover Cervelli’s age-31 through age-33 campaigns. The structure breaks down as follows, per Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link): $9MM in 2017, $10.5MM in 2018, and $11.5MM in the final year.

With the move, the Bucs have now locked up their catching duo for the next several seasons. The team already inked a less significant extension with backup Chris Stewart over the offseason.

Cervelli, 30, had just cracked the power rankings of MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, landing at ninth on the list in a weak upcoming class. As Dierkes explained, Cervelli had played his way into position for a rather significant deal, with four or even five years potentially being achievable — though he has cooled off considerably at the plate in recent weeks.

Instead, the talented receiver will take himself off of the market and remain in the place where he finally established himself as a front-line option. A re-signing after the season seemed unlikely, so this pact allows team and player to continue what has been a fruitful relationship.

Of course, it’s eminently arguable that Cervelli might’ve earned quite a bit more were he open for bidding from all thirty teams. Dierkes suggested a $60MM guarantee as a plausible number, which would have slotted behind recent deals for more-established backstops such as Brian McCann and Russell Martin. As of this winter, Cervelli was said to be interested in a three-year pact to stay with the Pirates. He’ll get just that, but settle for a good bit less than the $39MM he was reportedly seeking.

Like Martin, Cervelli experienced a career renaissance with the Pirates. He had never fully established himself in New York, but has prospered since arriving with the Bucs. All told, Cervelli has provided the Pirates with a .291/.373/.384 batting line over 650 plate appearances. He’s continued to reach base at a prodigious clip this year, boosting his walk rate to an excellent 15.0%, though his power numbers have dipped somewhat in 2016 (he currently owns a .043 ISO).

Of course, Cervelli is valued for much more than his bat. He’s considered a high-quality defender who delivers plenty of value on the defensive side of the spectrum, too. Baseball Prospectus graded him out as the second-best gloveman behind the dish in all of baseball last year, and he’s continued to draw strong reviews in 2016. Cervelli is among the game’s premier pitch framers, with StatCorner crediting him with a league-leading 26.7 framing runs above average last year.

Cervelli’s record is not without its blemishes, though. Most notably, he was slapped with a 50-game PED suspension arising out of the Biogenesis scandal. That occurred prior to his arrival in Pittsburgh, and doesn’t necessarily cast doubt on his recent performance levels, but certainly is far from a feather in his cap. He’s also missed some lengthy stretches due to injury. They have mostly been due to the perils of lining up behind the plate, but Cervelli comes with his share of nicks and bruises and is certainly aware of the dangers he faces every night.

It’s certainly reasonable to acknowledge the risk that Cervelli will avoid by taking this deal. As noted, he has not been able to maintain his pop at the plate, and any erosion of his batting line might have driven down his market value. A qualifying offer might have played a major role, too, and there is a relatively robust list of catchers available next winter. Among the younger backstops who might have challenged Cervelli in free agency are Wilson Ramos, Matt Wieters, and Jason Castro, and organizations looking at shorter-term fixes have several other plausible options to consider as well.

Cervelli joins a long list of core players under long-term control for the Pirates, many of them via extension. Center fielder Andrew McCutchen can be kept through 2018 under his deal, with the two men on his flanks — Polanco and Starling Marte — locked up even further into the future. The contract of infielder Josh Harrison goes through 2020, while that of Jung Ho Kang runs as far as 2019. That’s also the last year the Pirates can hold onto staff ace Gerrit Cole via arbitration, though the hope is that he’ll soon be joined by top prospects Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon as key rotation options.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/15/16

By Mark Polishuk and Connor Byrne | May 15, 2016 at 5:47pm CDT

Here are today’s minor moves from around baseball…

Cubs outfielder Ryan Kalish has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat reports (Twitter link). Kalish was designated for assignment yesterday. The 28-year-old appeared in seven games for Chicago this season, upping his career total to 153 games with the Cubs and Red Sox since 2010.
The Pirates will promote infield prospect Alen Hanson to the majors on Monday, according to his agency, LA Sports Management (Twitter link). Hansen, who has appeared on various top-100 prospect lists in recent years, owns a .284/.342/.442 batting line in 2821 career minor league plate appearances. In 126 PAs with Triple-A Indianapolis this season, the 23-year-old has slashed .288/.309/.398 with two home runs and seven steals. He swiped 35 bags with Indy in 2015. Hanson’s first taste of the majors is unlikely to last long, as his call-up will come thanks to outfielder Starling Marte’s forthcoming placement on the paternity list.
Left-hander David Huff has exercised the May 15 opt-out clause in the minor league contract he signed with the Royals during the offseason and is now a free agent, MLBTR has learned. Huff threw 23 2/3 innings for the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate and posted phenomenal nine-inning strikeout and walk rates of 11.03 and 0.76, respectively, along with a 4.18 ERA. The 31-year-old has put up a 5.08 ERA, 5.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 as a starter and reliever in parts of seven major league seasons.
Left-hander Brian Duensing has asked to be released from his own minor league deal with the Royals, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports (Twitter link). Duensing’s contract also contained a May 15 opt-out date. This is the second time that Duensing has opted out of a minor league deal with the Royals in the last two months, as the two sides came to terms on a new contract after Duensing opted out of his previous deal near the end of Spring Training. The 33-year-old has a 3.10 ERA, 3.80 K/BB rate and 8.4 K/9 over 20 1/3 relief innings for Kansas City’s Triple-A affiliate this season.
The Yankees selected the contracts of right-handers Chad Green and Conor Mullee prior to Saturday’s game. In corresponding moves, Greg Bird, Mason Williams and Bryan Mitchell were all moved from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL and top catching prospect Gary Sanchez was optioned back to Triple-A after appearing in just one game for New York. Green and Mullee are both getting their first taste of the big leagues. Green has a 3.29 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 3.53 K/BB rate over 336 1/3 minor league innings, starting 59 of his 69 career games. He will start the Yankees’ game on Monday against the Diamondbacks. Mullee, a career reliever, has a 2.13 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and 3.46 K/BB rate over 143 1/3 pro innings since being picked in the 24th round of the 2010 draft.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/13/16

By Jeff Todd | May 13, 2016 at 9:42pm CDT

Here are the day’s minor moves:

The Pirates have released righty Daniel Bard, according to Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com (via Twitter). Now 30, Bard hasn’t seen the majors since a brief stint in 2013; indeed, he hasn’t even appeared in the minors since the campaign that followed. The live-armed reliever completely lost his ability to hit the zone and has seemingly never regained it. Pittsburgh had been the latest organization to take a chance on a return to form for the one-time late-inning ace, but obviously it appears as if the experiment didn’t take.
There were several notable promotions today, some of which we haven’t yet covered. Tommy Joseph got his first big league call from the Phillies, as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark was first to report on Twitter. He was moved out from behind the plate after dealing with numerous concussions, but has rebounded while shifting to first base and was scorching the ball at Triple-A. Meanwhile, the White Sox brought up lefty Matt Purke, once a high-dollar draftee who never worked out for the Nationals as he battled through significant shoulder issues. Purke owns a 2.30 ERA in 15 2/3 Triple-A innings, with 8.0 K/9 against 4.6 BB/9.

NL Central Notes: Arrieta, Bryant, Walsh, Pirates

By Jeff Todd | May 12, 2016 at 8:30pm CDT

Jake Arrieta has drawn plenty of attention of late as he’s continued to generate phenomenal results for the Cubs. He’s maintained all along both that he hopes to remain in Chicago and that he won’t take a discount to do so, and it’s still not clear whether the club will be willing to offer what Arrieta considers fair market value. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney argues in an Insider piece that the Cubs are unlikely to go beyond the recent Stephen Strasburg extension, and won’t pursue a bidding war to bring back Arrieta when he reaches free agency after next season. Then, says Olney, he’ll have a chance to cash in, particularly since he’d enter an “incredibly weak market” for starting pitching. That’s a debatable assessment of the free agent class — among the potentially available arms are Yu Darvish, Alex Cobb, Johnny Cueto, Tyson Ross, Lance Lynn, and several others of interest — but there’s little doubt that Arrieta would be a major target if he can keep up anything approaching his recent performance level.

Here’s more from the NL Central:

Kris Bryant has kept on producing for the Cubs after a stellar rookie campaign, but as August Fagerstrom of Fangraphs explains, he’s dong it differently. Bryant has worked to flatten his swing plane as a way to cut down on his swings and misses, with very promising results. Though he’s more or less hitting at the same levels he did in 2015, Bryant’s managed to reduce his strikeout rate by one-third thus far. As Fagerstrom explains, the biggest impact of the adjustment may be that it raises Bryant’s floor as a hitter.
The Brewers made some roster moves today, with Scooter Gennett activated from the DL and fellow infielder Yadiel Rivera being optioned to Triple-A. As Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel notes (Twitter links), the decision shows the team’s commitment to struggling Rule 5 pick Colin Walsh. He has an unusual .098/.327/.122 slash line through 55 plate appearances, with 13 walks but just four hits. GM David Stearns would say only that “the evaluation process is ongoing” with respect to Walsh, who obviously will need to stay on the active roster all year if his control rights are to remain Milwaukee property.
In a reader mailbag, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explains the Super Two considerations facing the Pirates. Early to mid June remains the time to watch for exciting Triple-A starters Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon, he writes. Interestingly, Nesbitt predicts that Taillon is likely to get the first call, explaining that he’s the “more seasoned” of the two even though he has been away from competitive baseball for some time due to injury.

NL Notes: Cardinals, Belt, Bucs, Lincecum

By Connor Byrne | May 8, 2016 at 4:37pm CDT

In 2012, before shortstop Aledmys Diaz had left Cuba, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak wondered why the Redbirds hadn’t been active in the Cuban market and pushed for organizational changes, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch details. “I was trying to find different ways to look at the future, and we were hearing a lot about Cubans signing, all the time, and not hearing much from us,” Mozeliak said. He added that the Cardinals “needed boots on the ground wherever a Cuban team played. We needed more information. We needed to learn more about the market so we could make better decisions.” The organization’s newfound focus on Cuba eventually led it to Diaz, whom it signed to a four-year, $8MM deal in March 2014. The Cardinals were patient with Diaz (now 25) – as evidenced by the fact that he didn’t make his major league debut until this year – which was a factor in his decision to sign with them. “I think in the end you’re looking for a good bonus, a good contract, but you also want a good reason (to sign),” Diaz said. “They showed me a lot. They gave me a lot of time.” Diaz has repaid the Cardinals’ patience with an astounding .400/.436/.695 batting line, five home runs and nearly as many walks (six) as strikeouts (eight) through his first 101 major league plate appearances.

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