Pirates/MLB category, Page 204
Disastrous Chris Archer trade comes full circle for Pirates as RHP returns to Tampa Bay
A trade that proved to be a colossal bust for the Pittsburgh Pirates has come full circle as an epic disaster, as pitcher Chris Archer chose Tuesday to return to the Tampa Bay Rays. Archer, 32, agreed to terms on a one-year, $6.5 million contract with the Rays pending a...
Pirates extend spring training invites to non-roster players, including 4 former No. 1 picks
Four former No. 1 draft picks are among the 26 non-roster players the Pittsburgh Pirates invited to spring training. Infielder Nick Gonzales, the No. 7 overall pick in 2020 who is ranked their top prospect by MLB Pipeline, right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester (2019), outfielder Travis Swaggerty (2018) and infielder Will...
Grant Jackson, Pirates’ winning pitcher in Game 7 of 1979 World Series, dies at age 78
With a signature smile and flashy style, what he called a “jive-time” fastball and the unwavering confidence to come out of the bullpen and throw scoreless innings, Grant Jackson made believers out of relievers. The left-hander left a legacy in Pittsburgh as the pitcher who earned the victory against the...
Westmoreland judge rejects bid to toss sex charges against suspended Pirates pitcher
A Westmoreland County judge denied suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez’s bid to dismiss sex and pornography charges, setting the stage for a trial scheduled to begin in March. Vazquez, 29, was charged in August 2019 after police in both Westmoreland County and Florida contended the Venezuela-born athlete had sexual...
Pirates to allow limited number of fans at spring training games at LECOM Park
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Monday preliminary plans to host fans for spring training games at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla., with approximately 25% of the 8,500-seat capacity available. The Pirates will make tickets available in seating pods of two to four per transaction, with a 6-foot distance required for safe...
Tim Benz: A return to the 1980s Pittsburgh sports scene? Sadly, it may have already started.
The 1980s were good for a few things. Hair metal. Karate. Tom Cruise movies. Acid wash jeans. Just a few things that leap to mind. However, they weren’t a great time for the Pittsburgh sports scene. No titles were won in Pittsburgh from 1979 (when the Steelers and Pirates both...
MLB Pipeline ranks Ke’Bryan Hayes the No. 9 prospect, 3 other Pirates in Top 100 list
The Pittsburgh Pirates are rebuilding around Ke’Bryan Hayes, and the third baseman can now be billed as the franchise’s first-ever top 10 position player to make MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospect list. MLB Pipeline unveiled its rankings Thursday night, and Hayes was ranked baseball’s No. 9 prospect. The honor came...
‘Thank you, Pittsburgh:’ Jameson Taillon writes long, fond farewell to Pirates fans, city
As he leaves town after being traded, Jameson Taillon wrote a long, fond farewell letter to the Pittsburgh Pirates, their fans and the city on MLB.com titled, “Thank you, Pittsburgh.” Taillon, 29, was traded Sunday to the New York Yankees for four prospects, rejoining former teammate Gerrit Cole for baseball’s...
Ke’Bryan Hayes leads Pirates prospects named top 10 at their position by MLB Pipeline
A handful of Pittsburgh Pirates prospects were named among baseball’s top 10 players at their positions by MLB Pipeline, including a pair at the same spot. Ke’Bryan Hayes was ranked second among third base prospects, and Nick Gonzales (No. 2) and Ji-Hwan Bae (9) were ranked among the second basemen....
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...
