So for this episode of Roster Watch we’re just going to go over a few relievers that were with the organization last year but no longer are.
Brad Lincoln is first up. Obviously he won’t be back with the Pirates this year as they traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays. Lincoln was a major cog in the bullpen’s success last year, and they certainly struggled after he left. He also struggled after he left posting a 5.65 ERA in 24 games with the Blue Jays.
Lincoln was good but replaceable.
Second up is Daniel McCutchen. Daniel McCutchen was granted Minor League free agency in November after five years with the Buccos.
DCutch always seemed to be an okay pitcher in Triple A, and wasn’t atrocious in the MLB either. He only made one appearance for the Pirates last year , giving up two earned runs and not finishing an inning. Therefore he finished the MLB season with an ERA of inf.
He signed a deal with the Baltimore Orioles.
Chad Qualls was acquired for Casey Mcgehee (who is no playing in Japan) for some unknown reason. Qualls was brutal for the Pirates posting a 6.59 ERA in 13.2 innings. I have no idea what Qualls is doing right now and I really don’t care, so long as it’s not pitching for the Pirates.
Chris Resop was recently traded to the Oakland A’s because he was arbitration eligible and dammit that’s something the Pirates just can’t have.
Resop was often maligned by Pirates fans, somewhat unfairly. All told he ended up posting a 3.88 ERA and a 0.6 WAR over three seasons with the Pirates. Nothing great to be sure, but not too terrible for a waiver claim. The Pirates acquired Zach Thornton for Resop, and he will likely start the season in the minors, though he is 25 already.
Doug Slaten was awesome at AAA Indy. He posted a 2.11 ERA in 40 games with a WHIP of just 1.008. Doug Slaten is a LOOGY. Clearly. Very Clearly. Still that didn’t stop Hurdle from using him as a regular reliever and his numbers suffered a bit. Still they weren’t bad. A 2.77 ERA and a WHIP of 1.308 isn’t terrible. Slaten is a useful pitcher as a LOOGY. That’s it. I’m not sure the Pirates really have room for him at this point but if the Pirates could sign him to a Minor League deal and send him back to Indy I’d do it in a heartbeat.
I hated when Huntington claimed Hisanori Takahashi. It was the typical Huntington move. Go out and get a guy that sucks because you liked him at some point in the past. Insanity.
Needless to say Takahashi was a disaster for the Pirates. He gave up eight earned runs in nine games. A span that only encompassed a whopping 8.1 IP.
Somehow this guy managed to get signed by the Cubs. Let’s hope the Pirates get to face him a few times.
And last but not least, because Takahashi is the least. Rick van den Hurk. Another really good minor league/ really bad major leaguer, the Pirates released Hurk so he could seek employment overseas. He was a beast as a starter in AAA, a kitten at the MLB level.
He actually probably has a bit of upside, but I doubt it’s enough to really justify keeping him around. The Pirates did the right thing by allowing him to go overseas and make a decent living.
Roster Watch: Pedro Alvarez
Roster Watch: Rod Barajas
Roster Watch: Clint Barmes
Roster Watch: A.J. Burnett
Roster Watch: Jeff Clement
Roster Watch: Kevin Correia
Roster Watch: Chase d’Arnaud
Roster Watch: Eric Fryer
Roster Watch: Jason Grilli
Roster Watch: Matt Hague
Roster Watch: Joel Hanrahan and Brock Holt
Roster Watch: Josh Harrison
Roster Watch: Jared Hughes
Roster Watch: Garrett Jones
Roster Watch: Jeff Karstens
Roster Watch: Chris Leroux
