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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 05.19.21
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Jason Mackey
11:40
Hello, everyone. Greetings from St. Louis, where after this chat I'm gonna go for a nice, long run. Hopefully. Love running here. Anyway, feel free to leave your questions now. Will be back at noon to answer 'em.
11:57
OK, with a little 5-19-77 (Passenger) playing, let's be on our way ...
Bill
11:57
Hi Jason, Saw your tweets last night about Michael Perez and completely agree. I realize that on a team that is rebuilding that a backup catcher isnt the top issue, however, with this offense not being good you cannot continue to start a guy who's batting under .100 and really has only had 1 strong game. Do you think they will look to make a change either with Susac or maybe claim a guy like Kevan Smith or Deivy Gullion? Guillion is intriguing with his power and only 25.
Jason Mackey
12:01
I agree with you first off, Bill. I know it's only a backup catcher. At the same time, isn't this an audition spot? Or shouldn't it be? I'm struggling to understand what value Michael Perez is adding right now. I would be fine with Smith or Grullon, although I would definitely prefer the former over the latter. Either way, the point remains: How is 0 for 23 with 10 strikeouts good enough to justify staying? They've jettisoned outfielders for much less.
Woj from W. Mifflin
12:01
Hi Jason. I appreciate your chats and in depth reporting. Can you point me to a baseball resource or metric(s) which rate performance of 3rd base coaches? My opinion, Joey Cora often makes the wrong choice to hold or send but I don’t know if there is an objective rating of what I think I see in his decisions. Thanks
Jason Mackey
12:05
Hey Woj, I'm not aware of something like that that drills down specifically on third-base coaches. I believe Dan Fox did something like this awhile back, before he joined the Pirates, trying to quantify the value of a third-base coach, but it's a tough thing to quantify. FanGraphs has a stat to quantify baserunning -- BsR -- in which the Pirates actually fare decently well. But nothing specific to third-base coaches that I'm aware of. Appreciate your kind words.
Woj from W. Mifflin
12:05
Jason, how much longer do you think before the Bucs DFA Polonco? I know they have to pay him regardless of his status but, geez, to keep running him out there seems like a lost opportunity to get looks at other players or  development time for, say, Tucker.
Jason Mackey
12:08
A while longer, if at all. I know this is a hot topic. People want him DFA'd yesterday. But why? Because he's not good. OK? You're probably right. But what are they accomplishing by doing that? Seriously. They still have to pay him. You're also punting on the idea that they might -- and I know it's like a 1% chance, but it's still a chance -- be able to trade him. For what? There's no one pushing for time. Hell, they claimed Ka'ai Tom -- Ka'ai Tom! -- because they have no one else. If Polanco was blocking someone, I'd have an issue. He's not. They're not challenging for the division. I understand that Gregory Polanco offends everyone's baseball sensibilities, but I can't come up with a single, non-emotional reason to DFA him now. ... And I'm not listening to the Troy Stokes Jr. comeback. Dude was 2 for 18. That doesn't cement your status.
Prince Bob
12:08
Who was the TV play by play guy for last weekend's games and why him rather than the usual guys? I didn't tune in until the second innings either day and never got a name.
Jason Mackey
12:09
Rob King. Greg Brown's son graduated from college at Vanderbilt. Rob must have been following the Gunner adage: Don't tell 'em your name. If you're good, they'll find out anyway. If you stink, you don't want 'em to know.
Woj from W. Mifflin
12:09
Jason, what do you think happens when Kuhn returns assuming no other pitchers injured?  Go to 6 man rotation? Put Cahill in bullpen? Something else?
Jason Mackey
12:15
They have some time. This reminds me of the ol' Penguins chat favorite: What happens to the lines/defense pairs when xxxxxx comes back. Something always happens. They could go six-man. They could bump Crowe, depending on his next start. I don't think they would bump Cahill because you could be knocking down his trade value by shifting him to a long man.
Prince Bob
12:15
Will the Pirates set a team record this season for most players on their roster?
Jason Mackey
12:16
They certainly could. Believe they were third in the league as of last night, but I think it's reasonable to believe that number will tick up as the season goes on, both with prospects, waiver moves, etc.
Sevdog9
12:16
Jason I have a history of kinda riding your coat tails. Anytime you post your high school batting average newspaper clipping with Neil Walker, my phone blows up with texts. I think I was one or two spots below you. As I start to feel 40 something, its nice to get that recognition 20 years later. As for the Pirates, I would like to make the argument that the Chris Archer trade is the worst in history. If Shane Baz turns out to be a major league starter I think it is cemented. Thoughts?
Jason Mackey
12:18
Haha. That's awesome. I should tweet that again. I should actually text it to Neil and tell him we're now on equal footing, old man. I did bring it up to him before, and he laughed. We chatted about some names on it. Maybe you. ... No argument here, man. And I'm not alone. There are people in the Pirates organization -- still -- who believe that trade was the worst in the history of baseball. They might not be wrong. And the worst may still be to come because of what you mentioned.
Mr Oakmont
12:18
Though I’m not against starting over, I’m concerned the Pirates only building block to be kept off the current roster is Ke’Bryan Hayes. Why not try to at least secure Brian Reynolds for the future?
Jason Mackey
12:19
I don't think they're against it, Mr. Oakmont. You also need to consider Reynolds' perspective. Does he want to stay here? Or would he rather go through free agency, then see what's out there? I don't know the answer to that. I don't think he does either. It's still crazy early, too. But you need to consider both sides. As for keepers, I don't disagree with you, although I would add Brubaker, maybe Keller and maybe Bednar to that mix.
12:20
*At least as far as current major leaguers. Obviously there are a lot of prospects worth following.
MjB
12:20
This team cannot compete this year.   They cannot compete for a playoff spot next year.  They can compete for a wild card the year after.  I understand the desire to move Rodriguez and Anderson, both logical trade candidates playing above their pay rate.  I do not understand the desire to move Frazier right now.  He is a very solid player who is not getting worse.  The longer you hold him, let him succeed, the longer your prospects have to develop while his value increases.  If someone "wows" you with an offer, OK, I get it.  I just don't get openly saying you are trading this guy.
Jason Mackey
12:21
MjB, first off, they haven't said they're openly trading him. But what you're missing is this: Years of club control. Every day he remains, that's one less day of control. Remember when Cherington traded Bell and Musgrove and said he got back what he did because they came with years of club control, this is that. Frazier has the same contract status. Years of control matter. That's why people are talking about it making sense to trade him now.
Guest
12:21
What’s the injury update on Stallings, Hayes, and Moran?
Jason Mackey
12:22
Tomczyk talks later. Stallings is fine. Sore but moving around. Hayes should start a rehab later this week. Trending up. Hoping to avoid IL with Moran. Didn't see him do anything pregame yesterday, but I was also kinda rushed and busy with three stories. So, we'll know more later today.
Wayward
12:22
Jason, over past year plus the Bucs seem to have done a really good job of identifying other teams fringe pitching and turn it into to really useful guys.  However, they havent seem to done the same thing with position players.   Any trend there or just luck, or lack there of, of the draw.
Jason Mackey
12:24
I don't know if I would use the word "trend," but you are on to something, something Cherington believes. Actually talked to Ben about this at instructs. Look at good teams and what they do. They get guys who struggle with other organizations, dumpster dive a little, and find value. The Pirates haven't done that. That's something Cherington has tried to emphasize -- how they're looking for those guys, what they're looking for, what sort of things tend to be undervalued by teams and how can the Pirates address those concerns. So, yeah, they are pushing to be better in that area. It's one part of what falls under the "player development" umbrella. But it also can't happen overnight.
Ricky
12:24
Are you still glad we didn’t sign Puig after the way our offense had been going? He would be the best we got by a long shot
Jason Mackey
12:24
Could you imagine Puig and Pujols on the same team? I would have started to plan parade coverage.
Gabe
12:24
What’s the market for a player like Adam Frazier. Can obviously hit and field his position well, but lacks power. Can that type of player bring back any substantial return?
Jason Mackey
12:25
Yes, he can. I can't tell you he's worth two top 10s or two top 15s or whatever. He's worth what someone's willing to give up. Arizona gave up two top 10 guys for Marte. We know that now. I don't think the Pirates can expect to get that, but I also don't think they should be targeting, like, a 26-year-old hitting .220 in High-A. They can get more than that.
Brennan
12:29
Who do you see as potential suitors in a Frazier deadline move?
Jason Mackey
12:30
This may be recency bias, but I thought the Giants were interesting. Lotta ground balls. Kind of an old school team. Frazier could function well in that lineup. Again, I have zero idea if that's a target for them, but just a thought I had watching them.
Gabe
12:32
Which player gets a better return? Rich Rod, Howard, or Anderson?
Jason Mackey
12:33
Again, folks, these questions are hard to answer because they're based so much on need and want. My best answer would likely be the left-handed starting pitcher, but Anderson probably also profiles as a No. 5 on most other teams. Maybe someone really needs a Rich Rod type. But if I had to answer -- which I do -- I'd say Anderson.
Mike
12:33
Crystal ball question: Name the Pirates prospects who will be starters this time next year. And, in your view, could they be a .500 team or even a wild card contender in 2022?
Jason Mackey
12:34
Second part first: no, I don't think so. ... I think you could see Swaggerty up here by then. Maybe Oneil Cruz. Jared Oliva, if you wanna call him one. I think that's probably it for me by this point next season. I think Mason Martin could get here in 2022, but not at this point. Same for Rodolfo Castro.
Guest
12:34
I understand and trust the rebuild process....but would it kill GMBC to bring in a legit LF?  The revolving door of Alford, Stokes, Tom et al is just brutal.  There’s always a veteran OF out there that can be had on the cheap.  Your thoughts?
Jason Mackey
12:35
I don't know if there's a veteran OF who hasn't been playing that would really be worth the financial risk at this point. I understand it's frustrating, but I think they're basically -- and I've used this term on the air -- looking under rocks, hoping to find something.
Mike
12:35
Then, drilling down, could we see a Hayes/Peguero/Gonzalez/Martin infield, and a Reynolds/ Swaggerty/Cruz outfield sometime in 2022? Am I wrong to even get excited about a Yajure/Brubaker/improved Keller/maybe even Contreras rotation?
Jason Mackey
12:36
I think that's too aggressive. I wouldn't rush those guys. It'll take time, and that's OK. It's supposed to. I think the OF you presented is more likely. And, no. I don't think you are. I like that rotation. Class AAA will be the big test for Roansy. He's crushing Class AA.
Gabe
12:36
Any indication at all which way Cherington is leaning in the upcoming draft? Please say Lawler
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