Pittsburgh Pirates

Former Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Roansy Contreras has latched on with the Cincinnati Reds. Contreras had been designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers recently. The 25-year-old Contreras was ranked as the No. 71 prospect in baseball back in 2022, according to MLB.com. Pittsburgh had acquired him in the trade that sent Jameson Taillon to the New York Yankees.

The bullpen was a weak point for the Royals despite them winning 86 games and securing a Wild Card spot, completing an incredible turnaround from 106 losses in 2023. Ideally, they could benefit from somebody who could serve as a presence in the back end of their bullpen, but a swingman option wouldn't hurt them, especially after having to give up Brady Singer in the Jonathan India trade. Max Rieper of Royals Review lists left-hander Martin Perez as an option.

Spencer Horwitz has gotten a glimpse first-hand at how good the Pittsburgh Pirates' pitching is throughout their organization. Horwitz faced the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, in May of last season and went 10-29 with a home run and 5 RBIs. In that stretch, the left-handed hitting first baseman faced 2024 Rookie of the Year and Pirates ace Paul Skenes twice, and went 2-5 with a pair of singles and a strikeout across the two games. Now, rather than having to face Skenes, Horwitz is his teammate and he won't have to face the rest of the Pirates' pitchers who are coming up the pipeline.

Few players have meant more to the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise than Andrew McCutchen. MLB.com insider Will Leitch broke down McCutchen's situation in free agency and said there's no way the two sides could split again after reuniting in 2023. McCutchen was traded to the San Francisco Giants before the 2018 season in a deal that netted them current Pirates star Bryan Renolds. The former MVP also played for the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers before returning to Pittsburgh ahead of the 2023 season.

Dec. 17—A few weeks ago, Jim Lachimia did a question-and-answer session for mlb.com with Pirates rookie Paul Skenes. An interesting piece, it was also disappointing that skirted one question literally everyone interested in the major leagues wants to know: How long do you expect to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates? However, here are several questions that did make the cut. Question: "How do ...

Few teams have more talent and potential in terms of young pitching than the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington noted the importance of his team's starting rotation to the team's success and if they can improve next season, they could have Pittsburgh in a position to win the National League Central for the first time in franchise history. "It's the strength of the team," Cherington said at the Winter Meetings.

A strained right lat muscle and the typical wear and tear that comes with a season eventually caught up to Jones, but the rookie right-hander still impressed for a Pirates team that's littered with young pitching. With one season under his belt, Shelton believes Jones isn't too far off from taking the next step and potentially giving Pittsburgh one of baseball's best one-two punches atop its rotation. "The first month and a half of the season, he was probably one of the best pitchers in the National League," Shelton said at the Winter Meetings.

He was claimed off waivers from the Astros just over a month ago.

The Atlanta Braves still have an excellent starting rotation, but there's a gaping hole in the middle of it. Last week, two-time Braves All-Star Max Fried signed with the New York Yankees, for an eight-year, $218 million contract Atlanta was never going to match. Fried had slotted in nicely behind ace Chris Sale in the team's 2024 rotation, and now, the Braves have to shuffle things around. Atlanta is still in reasonably solid shape, thanks to the injury return of Spencer Strider and the steady presence of Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach.

The Pittsburgh Pirates took one step toward addressing their need at first base when they acquired him via trade from the Cleveland Guardians for a trio of pitchers, including promising right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz. Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer broke down one free agent every team should sign to address their biggest hole that remains this offseason and had Pittsburgh signing former Minnesota Twins right fielder Max Kepler.

Over parts of four major league seasons, De La Cruz has a .253 average with 58 homers and 208 RBIs.

IMAGINE YOU WERE A FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK IN THE MLB, BUT YET YOU STILL FOUND TIME TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY THAT RAISED YOU. WELL, THAT'S WHAT JACKSON PREP ALUM KONNOR GRIFFIN DID. EVERYONE'S ACTED OUT THE SCENARIO OF A FULL COUNT WITH 2 OUTS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 9TH OF GAME 7 OF WORLD SERIES. FOR THE MISSISSIPPI YANKEES, THESE KIDS HAVE A FEW YEARS BEFORE THEY'RE IN THAT DREAM SCEANRIO.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have made another addition to their minor league system. The Pirates agreed to a minor league deal with right-handed hitting outfielder Nick Solak on Dec. 6, per the team's transactions page.

Valdez hit .214 with six homers and 28 RBIs in 65 games last season during four stints with the Red Sox. He batted .233 with 11 homers and 30 RBIs in 50 games with Triple-A Worcester.

Catcher has become a position of depth for the Pittsburgh Pirates heading into the 2025 season. One reason for that was the emergence of catcher Joey Bart last season. After failing to live up to expectations as the San Francisco Giants' No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, Bart was designated for assignment and eventually traded to the Pirates at the beginning of the 2024 season. Bart found a second life with a strong first season in Pittsburgh.

DALLAS – The Pittsburgh Pirates added five players in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft Wednesday. The Pirates took right-hander Franck De La Rosa, catcher Aaron McKeithan, lefties Randy Labaut and Steve Hajjar and outfielder Joel Mendez. Pittsburgh also lost three players in the minor league portion in right-hander Darvin Garcia, catcher Dylan Shockley and infielder Isaias Dipre. ...

The Cleveland Guardians broke up their infield and plugged a hole in their rotation. Giménez, considered one of baseball’s best defensive middle infielders, was dealt by the Guardians along with reliever Nick Sandlin to Toronto for infielder Spencer Horwitz and outfielder Nick Mitchell.

It marks the sixth straight season that Pittsburgh will selected in the top-10.

Cincinnati's Dave Parker says 'maybe' he'll have a Pirates logo on his Hall of Fame plaque. No maybes about this: Hall officials will make the call.

Parker was among seven players and one manager who were candidates on the Classic Baseball Era Committee's ballot for Cooperstown's Class of 2025.

After serving as a key member of the Yankees bullpen, Clay Holmes appears to be heading to the Mets.

The MLBPA confirmed that an eight-man executive subcommittee was elected to two-year terms.

Dec. 3—We've all heard the phrase "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic" to describe making well-meaning (but negligible) adjustments to an endeavor that is doomed to fail. As the Cambridge Dictionary explains the idiom, it's when "someone is wasting time dealing with things that are not important and is ignoring a much more serious problem." The comparison came to mind recently, as the ...

Aroldis Chapman gives the Red Sox a potential closer with incumbent Kenley Jansen on the free agent market.