And In Pirates News....

The 2022 major league baseball season begins one week from today, and here has been the biggest news items regarding our Pittsburgh Pirates this spring training.

• They are projected to have an Opening Day payroll of approximately $35 million, which puts them in 29th place among all MLB teams.
• They have no players - zero, none! - signed beyond 2022.
• They have opted to take their best player, Brian Reynolds, to salary arbitration over the measly difference of $650,000.  Yes, 650K is a lot of money to you and me, but it's couch cushion money to Bob Nutting and all other MLB owners.  Look for Reynolds to be dealt at the trade deadline this year or next before he becomes eligible for free agency when the Pirates would then have to pay him real money.
• There were also reports that the team tried to sign Reynolds to a long term extension, but he wouldn't accept it.  Would you were you in his position?
• Some of Mitch Keller's pitches hit 100 MPH on the radar gun, but based on what we have seen from Keller over the last several seasons, does that news actually excite you?

And in the big news out of Bradenton yesterday, the team has indicated that Oneil Cruz will be sent to Triple-A to start the season in Indianapolis. Yeah, I know that Cruz' defensive talents are "unpolished", that he's only played a handful of games above the Double-A level, and that the team doesn't want to hinder his "development."  Cruz has also been hitting the cover off the ball in Spring Training (and, yes, I know that that is not always a good indicator) and he has shown jaw-dropping power this spring, too.  He is also 23 years old, so he's not exactly a baby anymore, either.  He is perhaps the best prospect to come out of the Pirates organization since Andrew McCutchen.

In short, Oneil Cruz would be a player to get excited about and make you want to see in action at PNC Park.  Can't this penny-pinching outfit throw us a damned bone every once in awhile?  Apparently not.  Let's keep him under "contractual control" an extra year so we can wait an extra year to low ball him in arbitration when the time comes.

Baseball Fever - It's hard to catch it if you're a Pirates Fan!