{"id":96664,"date":"2025-03-01T22:19:08","date_gmt":"2025-03-02T03:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=96664"},"modified":"2025-03-01T22:20:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-02T03:20:19","slug":"pirates-out-of-minor-league-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/03\/01\/pirates-out-of-minor-league-options\/","title":{"rendered":"Players Out of Minor League Options Pose Interesting Dilemmas for Pirates"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the spring a young man\u2019s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of which Pirates are out of minor league options. Maybe only in Pittsburgh. Or maybe it\u2019s thoughts of love, I forget which. In any case, to the uninitiated, a player who has run out of options can\u2019t be dispensed to the minor leagues without first clearing outright waivers, meaning his team could risk losing him to a waiver claim. Following are predictions for every Pirates player with less than five years in the majors who\u2019s run out of options. (Note that players with at least five years in the majors can refuse an optional assignment.)<\/p>\n

Pirates Out of Minor League Options Create Interesting Dilemmas<\/h2>\n

The Presumptive Starting Catcher<\/h3>\n

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has taken some heat, much of it deserved, for the failure to construct a competitive roster after five years at the helm. Not so with last year\u2019s early season acquisition<\/a> Joey Bart. All Bart did was seize the starting catcher job by hitting .265\/.337\/.462, 13 HR, 45 RBI, and a team-leading 120 OPS+.<\/p>\n

With Endy Rodr\u00edguez on the injured list all season long and Henry Davis continuing to struggle with major league pitching, Bart was a godsend. Rodr\u00edguez is ready to go in 2025 and seems assured of a spot on the active roster. The Pirates insist they\u2019re not giving up on Davis and his power-hitting potential. Even so, Bart should have no worries about being optioned out. He’s the No. 1 catcher until proven otherwise. It\u2019s difficult for a team to carry three catchers, but if the Pirates go that route, it can work. Rodr\u00edguez can also play first and second base and the outfield. The Pirates want him to work strictly as a catcher, but that can change. Davis has also played the outfield, but not well.<\/p>\n

The Budding Superstar<\/h3>\n

As every self-respecting baseball aficionado knows, Oneil Cruz was moved from shortstop to center field<\/a> late last year. Ideally, he would learn a new position in the minors instead of at the major league level. However, Cruz being out of options puts the Pirates in a bit of a conundrum. He\u2019ll continue to get a crash course in center field in the spring but will likely continue learning on the fly during the regular season. Hindsight is 20\/20, but it would have made more sense for Cruz to make the switch in 2021 when he was in the minors. But he wanted to be a shortstop. The Pirates accommodated. They needed to keep him happy in the event he became a long-term deal candidate.<\/p>\n

One thing is certain, and that\u2019s that they need Cruz\u2019s bat. In 2024, he hit .259\/.324\/.449, 21 HR, 76 RBI, and 113 OPS+ while stealing 22 bases. Per Baseball Reference, Marcels Projections has Cruz hitting .253\/.321\/.447, 19 HR, and 65 RBI with 17 steals in 2025. The offensively challenged Pirates can\u2019t sneeze at that type of production. They\u2019ll live with his mistakes in center field. Unfortunately, Cruz has proven to be a slow learner. Thus, there may be more mistakes over a longer time than the Pirates can live with. But by waiting until Cruz was out of options to make the switch, that\u2019s the hand the Pirates will have to play.<\/p>\n