Pittsburgh Pirates

Source: Pirates intensify effort to land Quintana (Photo: David Hague) The Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox and

Big Splash to come from Pirates? The Pirates ultimate plan this off-season was to trade Andrew McCutchen and his $14 million a year salary for a prospect heavy return that would have the Pirates putting that money into the starting rotation, via trade and free agency. Today the Pirates resigned Ivan Nova to a three year, $26 million contract, which averages out to $8.6 million per season. The Pirates top trade target, White Sox ace Jose Quintana is scheduled to make $6 million in 2017. It’s still early enough in the off-season where the Pirates Plan A could still fall into place by spring training. Despite the face the Pirates have put on in the past two weeks in telling anyone who will listen that they expect Andrew McCutchen to be a Pirate in 2017, the Pirates desire is to still trade McCutchen before the season starts. The team rightRead More »

The Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday made their first signing of the off-season for the Major League roster in agreeing to terms on a 2 year, $11 million contract with 26 year old reliever Daniel Hudson. In 70 appearances this year, Hudson had a 5.22 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and has nine saves over the last two seasons to go with 37 holds. But, what the Pirates love about Hudson is an 8.77 K/9 with a fastball that averaged 95.7 mph. Neal Huntington is not a huge fan in putting dollars into the bullpen but what he values is cost certainty and pitchers who can bring the heat. The Pirates get that with the Hudson deal for 2017 and 2018. The Hudson contract now has the Pirates 40-man payroll projected at $94-$95 million for next season which is nearing the max where Bob Nutting allows Neal Huntington to have it for theRead More »

In a matter of days, Andrew McCutchen has gone from highly likely to being traded to now likely being a Pirate to start the 2017 season. What happened? Information coming out in the last couple hours is that more than anything, the Nationals just went in another direction and it’s left Pirate officials stunned. The Pirates brass is now planning to hit the reset button, sources say, in reconstructing the roster for 2017. Coming into the winter meetings, Pittsburgh fully anticipated getting the bulk of the $14 million committed to McCutchen off their books as the Pirates anticipated getting a prospect heavy return. The Pirates don’t view Andrew McCutchen as a $14 million a year player, a primary reason they were and are looking to move him. Among the teams that have kicked tires on McCutchen and remain out there, Dodgers and Giants among them, the Pirates don’t see aRead More »

(Photo: David Hague) Latest Pirates Buzz Funny how things work. After weeks of doing nothing to quiet the chatter locally or nationally that they [Pirates] were aggressively trying to trade Andrew McCutchen, Pirate manager Clint Hurdle comes out telling reporters this afternoon the Pirates are not the “aggressors” in trade talks surrounding McCutchen. About an hour later after Hurdle’s comments, the Washington Nationals acquired Adam Eaton. It was clear what was going on. Reality was setting in for the Pirates today that they might not move McCutchen this week or this winter after being certain he would be moved by now. Pirates GM Neal Huntington and Nationals GM Mike Rizzo met Tuesday afternoon with the Nationals giving the Pirates a list of prospects they were willing to include in a trade for McCutchen. The key pieces the Pirates sought, Giolito/Lopez who were main pieces in the Eaton deal, were notRead More »