DK's Daily Shot of Pirates: What's left to buy?

[@louieudvari8397]

It was nice to see Ortizs development over the years. I hope they love him in CLE. He deserves it

[@tigerwarsawband]

He is selling the team…one good player at a time.

[@jerryyeager1307]

Thank you DK. Great listen today for me, I wonder what's next.

[@DCPGHfan]

The subject of today's "Daily Shot" reinforces several concerns that I continue to have about Pirates ownership and this current management team going forward: ● They haven't demonstrated that they're good at their jobs. In addition, they're actually creating additional "needs" through their incompetence: moving players around, not acquiring the right players to begin with, not having a plan, etc. "Needs" have been crazy moving targets for this team-- and unnecessarily so. ● If they were good at identifying the ACTUAL needs of the team -- and identifying the appropriate talent -- this roster would be very different and much more competitive than it is right now. ● Since they don't operate with a distinctly competitive mindset and skillset, it's extremely likely that they don't even have the capacity to functionally support a playoff-caliber team. They haven't even been able to functionally support the basics of _hitting_ (or the basics of defense, effective baserunning, game management, etc.). How is Derek Shelton going to navigate a postseason? He'd be _completely outcoached._ ● They're not spending the money that they do have wisely because of their inability to identify the right talent (unlike a team such as the Brewers). They're not effective at team building AT ALL, and heading into year six they still don't seem to have a plan (except maybe scrambling to save their jobs). Personally, I see these ownership and management tendencies changing very little. They are what they are-- just like the Pirates' records are what they are. Spencer Horowitz may or may not work out. However, if he does, I'm not going to chalk it up to the sudden improvement of Cherington's talent-identification skills. He's had many fewer "hits" than misses over the past five years, and he's still throwing things at the wall as he approaches year SIX. I'm no longer giving him any benefit of the doubt because he, Shelton, etc. haven't really tried to become better at their jobs since they joined the Pirates. I didn't like the Luis Ortiz trade, and I'm also very concerned about the Pirates bullpen. It started out as a huge strength at the beginning of the 2024 season, and it was in great disarray by the end. I don't think it was an accident, since I don't believe very many players could perform at their best in this organizational environment. If the franchise isn't healthy, on some level many of the players likely won't be. NOTHING about this organization has been straightforward, and that's why I continue to worry a lot about the players specifically. Several have underperformed or regressed too often under this current regime. Sell the team.

[@paulpattyn7742]

Woo 100 million. That will get them 77 wins

[@TmanTitan]

80 million got em 76

[@johnmassung]

The Pirates is The Pirates. Enough said.

[@41Brother2]

The standard is the standard

[@teambigv]

Horowitz is a good pickup with plenty of control, but the Pirates overpaid. The trade should've been Ortiz for Horowitz only.

[@wayneleise2920]

Ortiz will be up for Cy Young Award this year for Cleveland. All it took was getting away from Shelton and Oscar.

[@jbbatulisjr291]

Doubt it..American League hitters may beat him up a bit…

[@jbbatulisjr291]

DK ya mention innings pitched.. How do you get them only doing 4/5 barely 6 as a starter? Then the bullpen guys barely one each time out.. Goose Gossage 133 innings 1977 one year in PGH, heck these guys are only around 50 or 60..

[@joshfrye542]

Ortiz is a 4-5 starter with poor advanced metrics. The minor leaguers will probably be more valuable to Cleveland long term.

[@garymeyer4243]

No, but he should be very solid. I wish him the best but there was a pending logjam in starting pitching in the burgh and he would have most likely ended up a long reliever once Bubba Chandler arrives.

[@Michael-hq1iq]

100% agree marine is terrible

[@GTO4001]

Need a GM and definitely need a Manager Period

[@Michael-hq1iq]

and a new pitching coach , Marine is terrible

[@brant4]

Traded away a starting pitcher for a 1st baseman that may or may not be an everyday player, and gave them some prospects on top. 😅

[@joeterzio7175]

He can't hit lefties at all so no, he isn't an everyday player.

[@richardwize4460]

Sell the team.

[@bnzz58]

The guy put up good numbers with Toronto as a rookie. Give him a fricking chance. People are thinking we gave up Nolan Ryan in Luis Ortiz. Ortiz was expendable with all the pitching coming. The other two are 2 to 3 years away if they make it at all. I'm not a fan of Cherington but I think this is a good trade a everyday first baseman for a number 4 or 5 starter who makes 30+ 5 or 6 inning starts. With Strom and Hague coming in hopefully they'll make some improvements in the major league roster

[@2plus2isnotfive]

Except he’s a platoon first basemen.

[@bnzz58]

@@2plus2isnotfive he was a rookie, give him a chance to see if he can hit lefties.

[@DKPS_Steelers]

@@bnzz58 He's 27. - Dejan

[@Michael-hq1iq]

an unproven first baseman !

[@robertlong7033]

Horowitz will be back in the minors by July joining Jack Suswinski and Henry Davis as career minor leaguers.

[@jbbatulisjr291]

You know Pirates have a new hitting coach?

[@joshfrye542]

His literal hitting coach, for most of his professional career, is now the Pirates hitting coach.

[@forgottenpath5919]

No, he won't. He's a much more fundamentally sound hitter. He's hit everywhere he's been. He will hit here.

[@jgreasy1213]

I like how you put the idea that "30 million buys a whole lot of baseball player" lol

[@Michael-hq1iq]

I like the young players the pirates brought up and I see upside in all of them plus endy rodrigez should be back its not as bad as a lot of fans think it is ! shelton ,cherrington , and marine are terrible get rid of them and the pirates might have something that can contend !

[@robertnichols4223]

Good point about innings pitched.

[@nohemoglibin8677]

Sell the team commercial LoL. How appropriate. It will be funny if he no-hits the Pirates in April.

[@williamjpellas0314]

If you want to go the free agent route, Max Kepler, while not great, would be a significant upgrade in right. Ha-Seong Kim could be signed to play short (though he did have shoulder surgery late last season). The two of them together would not cost $30 million annually. You would still have a good deal of money left over to fix the bullpen. That's if you want to do this strictly with free agents. As you say, trades can also be made.

[@forgottenpath5919]

Kepler is a perennial disappointment, and aging to boot. Terrible idea.

[@williamjpellas0314]

@@forgottenpath5919 He's been pretty consistent throughout his career. He just never became the big time slugger people thought he would. Who do you recommend instead of him?

[@john670]

2 mistakes: first, hes controlled for 6 years, not 5. Second, hes super 2 so he gets 4 years of arbitration, not 3.

[@hamiljohn]

When your power hitting first baseman isn't even 6 feet tall, hopefully he is the greatest fielder since Mike Squires!

[@melmann357]

Sign Skenes to a long term deal. The longer they wait the more it will cost.

[@Michael-hq1iq]

skenes is counting the days until he signs a mega free agent contract with a contending team that will pay him what one of baseballs best pitchers earn

[@jgreasy1213]

I think in yesterday's Shot, you mentioned a possibility of them using the cheap 1b as a reason/excuse to NOT got to 100. Glad you're back to saying it'll get to 100.

[@hamiljohn]

Dejan isn't running the team though. Always bet the under.

[@jgreasy1213]

@hamiljohn dejan isn't saying that he thinks payroll should be over 100. He's saying / has said that ppl in the team have told him that payroll will exceed 100. Big difference.

[@DKPS_Steelers]

@@jgreasy1213 Payroll SHOULD be at 120. That's correct.

[@frankconti8042]

What does J1Q mean?

[@steveburman831]

Sell the team