Little of the expected roster churn actually occurred at PNC Park on Wednesday night.
Instead of non-tendering a bunch of players, the Pirates navigated the 8 p.m. deadline in a matter-of-fact way, declining to offer a 2021 contract to just one (Clay Holmes) and signing three arbitration-eligible players to one-year deals, further reducing their footprint in what can be a painstaking process.
The moves put the Pirates’ 40-man roster at 39, ready for the Rule 5 draft on Dec. 10. Pittsburgh also announced that Will Craig, their 2016 first-round pick and someone they designated for assignment last week, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Class AAA Indianapolis.
What stood out the most Wednesday involved a pair of Dominican Republic natives, Erik Gonzalez and Michael Feliz, who were theoretically both non-tender candidates — Gonzalez because of their infield logjam, Feliz due to his inability to stay healthy.
The Pirates signing both indicated they still feel like there’s something there — and they’re not crazy to think that.
Gonzalez, who signed for $1.225 million, hit .308 with nine RBIs in his first 15 games of 2020, but slumped to just .111 with 22 strikeouts and two walks over his final 18. A right-handed hitter, Gonzalez had a .393 average against lefties before Sept. 1, .167 after that date.
However, the front-loaded season did result in Gonzalez leading the Pirates in batting with runners in scoring position (.343), as well as extra-base hits (17).
Bringing back Gonzalez should mean a couple things for the Pirates infield.
One, it’s hard to see them paying Gonzalez that much money to function as a backup, which likely points to Adam Frazier being traded. Two, it could limit how many infield reps Cole Tucker will get; outfield likely remains part of his job description.
The Taillon signing was expected. Coming off a second Tommy John surgery, he lacked leverage in arbitration. Plus, he remains one of the more respected leaders in the clubhouse, a potential anchor of the starting rotation. His salary remains the same as 2020 — $2.25 million.
Feliz ($1 million salary) was an interesting case. He dealt with right shoulder issues in 2017 and 2018 and made just three appearances this past summer because of a right forearm/elbow injury the team described as a sprain. Furthermore, Feliz has been all over the map with results.
In 2019, for example, he struck out 73 in 56 1/3 innings and didn’t allow much hard contact. However, a quarter of the hits he allowed landed over the fence. Since his MLB debut in 2015, only six relievers who have logged at least 200 innings have a higher rate of home runs allowed per nine (1.47).
Holmes logged just one appearance in 2020 due to a right-elbow sprain. While the 6-foot-5, 230-pound right-hander has flashed promise and possesses plenty of physical tools, he also has a career 5.91 ERA.
The Pirates designated Craig for assignment last week when they claimed pitcher Ashton Goudeau off waivers from the Rockies. Despite producing 23 home runs and 78 RBIs and winning a Gold Glove at first base, Craig cleared waivers. Due to his lack of service time, he’ll remain with the organization.
Teams had until Wednesday at 8 p.m. to offer contracts to players under team control but without a contract covering the 2021 season.
The offers aren’t for a specific dollar amount, but rather a commitment to the player for next season. Players not offered a contract by the deadline are “non-tendered” and become free agents.
Thus, the Pirates have committed to going through the arbitration process with 10 players: Josh Bell, Adam Frazier, Chad Kuhl, Colin Moran, Jacob Stallings, Steven Brault, Kyle Crick, Joe Musgrove, Richard Rodriguez and Chris Stratton.
Players with at least three years of service time — but fewer than the six required for free agency — can have their salary determined via arbitration. Ditto for players who fall just short of three years of service but rank in the top 22% among players with between two and three years and earned at least 86 days of service time in the previous season; they’re known as Super Two players.
If the team and player can’t agree on a salary before Jan. 15, 2021, the sides exchange desired salary figures. Those figures are based on how a player performed in comparison to other players with similar service time.
Players and teams can agree to terms before and after exchanging figures. If they can’t agree, they present cases to a panel of three arbitrators in early-to-mid-February. The panel selects one salary or the other, a process that ensures both proposals are reasonable.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: December 2, 2020, 9:38 p.m.
