Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has promised an increased payroll and a different kind of trade. Has he delivered so far?<\/p>\n
So many years of one-year free-agent contracts, only to see these players traded at the deadline, have caused Pirates fans to greet these signings with a collective yawn. They find the annual ritual where the players under one-year deals are traded at the deadline to be tiresome. Before each season, the talking heads on the cable sports shows, abuzz over other teams\u2019 offseason activities, evaluate these deals by opining, \u201cGreat deal for Pittsburgh. They can flip him for prospects in July.\u201d It gets old.<\/p>\n
With many of the Pirates\u2019 top prospects coming along, Cherington has proclaimed them ready to contend in 2024. This is even with uncertainty in the starting rotation<\/a> and at second base<\/a>. Accordingly, he\u2019s stated that it\u2019s time to increase payroll and maybe even see a different kind of trade or free agent than we\u2019ve seen from the Pirates in the past. Nobody expects anything like the record contract<\/a> given to Shohei Ohtani<\/a> or even the recent deal<\/a> given to Josh Hader<\/a>. Small market teams are under constraints in baseball\u2019s economic system. But what Cherington has hinted at is a better caliber of players under longer contracts.<\/p>\n So far, however, to quote the Four Tops, it\u2019s been \u201cthe same old song.\u201d Last year, the Pirates’ Opening Day payroll was around $72 million. As of this writing, their projected 2024 payroll sits at about $68 million.<\/p>\n On December 5, Cherington acquired left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales<\/a> and cash \u2013 lots of it \u2013 from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for a minor league player to be named later. In an injury-shortened season, Gonzales was 4-1 with a 5.22 ERA in 10 games. The Braves had acquired him from the Seattle Mariners just two days earlier in a deal that also saw Jarred Kelenic<\/a> and Evan White<\/a> come to Atlanta. Kelenic was the Braves\u2019 target. They acquired Gonzales for the sole purpose of facilitating the deal with Seattle. In doing so, they took on some of his $12.25 million salary off the Mariners\u2019 hands. The intent was to flip him immediately while assuming much of what remained of the salary not covered by Seattle. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement for any player. Nor is it the different kind of trade promised by Cherington.<\/p>\n Cherington followed up that move 10 days later by signing first baseman Rowdy Tellez<\/a> to a one-year, $3.2 million contract. In 2023, Tellez hit only .215\/.291\/.376, with 13 HR and 47 RBI. But he\u2019s just a year removed from his best season when, in 2022, he hit 35 home runs. The left-handed power hitter might be an ideal fit, aiming his rockets at the short right field fence at PNC Park. Yet, it was a curious signing for a number of reasons. Tellez doesn\u2019t offer the on-base skills (career .304 OBP) the Pirates’ brain trust covets. Plus, he\u2019s well below average defensively. For 2023, the Pirates committed $11.4 million on two first basemen, Ji Man Choi<\/a> and Carlos Santana<\/a> (both were traded at the trade deadline). As matters stand now, Tellez on a cheaper deal doesn\u2019t constitute a new way of doing business.<\/p>\n On January 5, the Pirates signed veteran left-handed starter Martin Perez<\/a> to a one-year deal worth a reported $8 million. Perez pitched for the world-champion Texas Rangers last year. Like Tellez, he\u2019s one year removed from his best season. In 2022, he was 12-8 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.258 WHIP, and 3.26 FIP while earning his only All-Star berth. Given his career marks (85-81, 4.44 ERA over 12 years), however, it appears 2022 was an outlier. In 2023, he was 10-4, but his 4.45 ERA and 4.99 FIP indicate there may have been some luck involved with his record. He was banished to the bullpen when the Rangers acquired Max Scherzer<\/a> and Jordan Montgomery<\/a> at the deadline. Again, not a ringing endorsement.<\/p>\n Tim Dierkes believes the Pirates are still fully intent on adding a starting pitcher “more interesting than Martin Perez or Marco Gonzales” and that the most likely scenario at this point is a trade https:\/\/t.co\/X1qA86dXQB<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ethan Fisher (@efisher330) January 17, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nA Different Kind of Trade for the Pirates<\/h2>\n
The Same Old Song<\/h3>\n
Getting Rowdy<\/h3>\n
Enter Perez<\/h3>\n
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