Pirates/MLB category, Page 204
MLB Pipeline analysts evaluate prospects Pirates got in return in Jameson Taillon trade
By trading Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon for 11 players in three deals in a month, the Pittsburgh Pirates restocked their farm system and added eight prospects to their adjusted MLB Pipeline top 30. The MLB.com writers who compile those rankings, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, weighed in...
Stan Savran enjoys 45th anniversary in Pittsburgh sports media, embraces what’s to come
Shortly after the calendar flipped to 2021, it struck me that I was beginning my 25th year in the sports media business. Nineteen of them in Pittsburgh. That felt like a little bit of an accomplishment. Until I turned on the radio and heard my ESPN Pittsburgh and WDVE colleague...
Kevin Gorman: My 1st Hall of Fame ballot a vote for best players available
Voting for the Hall of Fame for the first time was an exercise I found to be more challenging than expected, mostly because I didn’t expect to have a Hall of Fame ballot until it arrived in late November. As a 10-year member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America,...
Pirates sign catcher Joe Hudson to minor league contract with invite to big league camp
The Pirates signed catcher Joe Hudson to a minor-league contract on Monday, offering an invitation to their big league camp. The 29-year-old Hudson, a sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame by the Cincinnati Reds in 2012, has a .167 batting average in 18 major league games over the past three...
Jameson Taillon thrilled to join Yankees, calls getting traded by Pirates a ‘necessary’ move
Jameson Taillon called his trade to the New York Yankees “necessary” as the Pittsburgh Pirates rebuild, and welcomed the opportunity to “contribute to a winning team and a winning organization.” The right-handed pitcher was introduced Monday as the newest member of the Yankees in a 25-minute video conference call, where...
Tim Benz: Applaud Pirates tear down, but stay skeptical of ability to rebuild
Unfortunately, former Pirates players Jameson Taillon, Joe Musgrove and Josh Bell proved one sports cliche to be true: “Nice guys really do finish last.” Because those recently traded Pirates were three of the nicest guys I’ve ever covered in a baseball clubhouse. Even on his way out the door after...
Pirates pick up 4 young, promising prospects from Yankees in Jameson Taillon trade
By trading Jameson Taillon, the Pittsburgh Pirates added three players who were ranked among the New York Yankees’ top 20 prospects and a teenager with tremendous upside. Miguel Yajure and Roansy Contreras are right-handed pitchers who were added to the Pirates’ 40-man roster, and outfielder Canaan Smith and 18-year-old infielder...
Pirates trade Jameson Taillon for prospects, reuniting him with Gerrit Cole on Yankees
Jameson Taillon and Gerrit Cole were No. 1 draft picks in back-to-back years for the Pittsburgh Pirates a decade ago, expected to serve as power pitchers who were the anchors of their starting rotation. On Sunday, Taillon and Cole toasted to their reunion and a new future together with the...
Pirates hire assistant hitting coach, field coordinator
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced two changes Friday to their major league coaching staff. They hired Christian Marrero as assistant hitting coach. Marrero played in the Pirates organization in 2012 and spent time with the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, where he was a hitting coach for Lakewood...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates trading not to save on salaries but stockpile their system
Ben Cherington made headlines with his assertion that, despite trading Josh Bell and Joe Musgrove, the Pittsburgh Pirates “haven’t made a single move this offseason for any financial consideration.” For the Pirates general manager, the deals weren’t so much about saving $10.75 million — both players avoided arbitration, with Musgrove...
Former Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove pens goodbye note to Pittsburgh
Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove posted a “To Pittsburgh, with Love” message to fans on Twitter. The pitcher shared a photo of a handwritten farewell note on Wednesday night. “To my Pittsburgh famalee,” the note starts. “I feel so honored to have been part of such a historic organization....
GM Ben Cherington says Pirates haven’t made ‘a single move … for financial consideration’
Despite trading All-Star first baseman Josh Bell on Christmas Eve and Opening Day starter Joe Musgrove on Monday for prospects, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington insisted he hasn’t made “a single move this offseason for any financial consideration.” Instead, Cherington finally allowed that the Pirates are rebuilding, even if...
Mars alum David Bednar pumped about pitching for Pirates after 3-team trade
David Bednar was in Mars on Monday night when he heard the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to trade Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres, the organization where Bednar was a relief pitcher. That’s when Bednar started to pay close attention to Twitter and learned an hour later he would be...
Pirates send Joe Musgrove to Padres for 4 prospects, receive Mets catcher in 3-team deal
The Pittsburgh Pirates continued to dismantle baseball’s worst team, trading Opening Day starter Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres on Monday in a three-team deal that returned five players. The Pirates, who finished an MLB-worst 19-41 last season, will receive center fielder Hudson Head and pitchers David Bednar, Omar...
Baseball America ranks Ke’Bryan Hayes as Pirates’ top prospect, one of top 20 in baseball
A brilliant rookie debut has lifted Ke’Bryan Hayes to rise in Baseball America’s top 100 rankings and become the top prospect for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021. Baseball America moved Hayes from No. 52 in 2020 to No. 15 this year, the highest of any Pirates prospect, when it updated...
Tim Benz: Photo of dejected Ben Roethlisberger conjures bad Pittsburgh sports memory
I saw that photo of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sitting alone on the bench at the end of the team’s 48-37 playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns. Dejected. Almost slouching into his pads. Staring off into the void of defeat and a murky future. It was about 10 minutes after...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Productive day for Pirates, who add another Polanco
Signing another Polanco might have provided a punchline for fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but Friday proved to be a productive one for an organization that is making moves to rebuild from the bottom up. The Pirates started by signing 15 international prospects, highlighted by the top teenage outfielder in...
Pirates avoid arbitration hearings, agree to contract terms with nine players
The Pittsburgh Pirates avoided any salary arbitration hearings this year, agreeing to contract terms with nine players Friday. The Pirates signed pitchers Steven Brault, Kyle Crick, Chad Kuhl, Joe Musgrove, Richard Rodriguez and Chris Stratton, second baseman Adam Frazier, first baseman Colin Moran and catcher Jacob Stallings to one-year deals....
Pirates add super utility player, signing Wilmer Difo in minor-league deal
The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed a premium on versatility, which played a role in their signing of free agent Wilmer Difo on Friday. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder fits the bill of super utility player, having played second base, shortstop, third base and the corner outfield spots in six seasons with the...
Pirates give $2.35 million bonus to sign top international teenage outfield prospect
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed the top teenage outfield prospect in the 2020-21 international free agent market Friday, giving a $2.35 million bonus to 16-year-old Shalin Polanco of the Dominican Republic. The 6-foot, 170-pound Polanco — no relation to Pirates right fielder Gregory, although both hail from Santo Domingo — is...
Pirates trade lefty reliever Nik Turley to Oakland A’s for cash considerations
The Pittsburgh Pirates traded left-handed reliever Nik Turley to the Oakland A’s on Thursday for cash considerations. Turley, 31, was 0-3 with a 4.98 ERA and 1.108 WHIP with 20 strikeouts and 11 walks in 21 2/3 innings over 25 appearances last season. Turley is 0-5, with a 7.78 ERA...
Pirates, medical partners could ‘potentially utilize’ PNC Park as a covid-19 vaccination center
The Pittsburgh Pirates are meeting with medical partners at Allegheny Health Network and Highmark to “potentially utilize” PNC Park as a covid-19 vaccination center, a team spokesman confirmed Thursday. “The ballpark can allow for mass vaccinations to be done in a safe and socially distanced manner,” team spokesman Brian Warecki...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates GM Ben Cherington’s minor moves shake up status quo
While watching the Pittsburgh Steelers get blown out by the Cleveland Browns, I commented to my cousin that Sunday night would have been a better time for the Pirates to trade Josh Bell than Christmas Eve. His response: Wait, the Pirates traded Josh Bell? So maybe Ben Cherington’s timing worked,...
Pirates claim outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. off waivers from Tigers, designate reliever Nik Turley
The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Troy Stokes Jr. off waivers from the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, adding an outfielder to the mix. To make room for Stokes on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated lefty reliever Nik Turley for assignment. Stokes is a 5-foot-9, 200-pounder who missed the 2020 season with...
Steelers loss to Browns: Worst postseason start in Pittsburgh sports history? Yes. But it has company.
In my 20 years of covering Pittsburgh sports and 46 years of following them as a fan, I’ve never seen a Pittsburgh team get off to a worse start in a postseason game than the Steelers did in the postseason loss to the Browns Sunday night. They got down 28-0...
