Pittsburgh Pirates: The 2022 Winter Meetings Primer

The Winter Meetings will get started tonight and the Pittsburgh Pirates should be busy.  So what can we look for from the team over the coming days?

The Pittsburgh Pirates and the rest of Major League Baseball are all heading to San Diego today.  The 2022 Winter Meetings officially kick off tonight and will continue through Wednesday.  The Winter Meetings are always an exciting time of the year for Baseball fans.  Like any other year, the Meetings are expected to be busy.

So what can Pittsburgh Pirates fans look for over the next few days?  First off, prepare for more deals to happen late at night.  The Meetings are on the West Coast this year so fans on the east coast will have some late nights this week for sure.

Expect the Pittsburgh Pirates to acquire at least one catcher.  It seems like Roberto Perez is the catcher who will be added back to the roster.  Pitchers on the staff, especially JT Brubaker have been very outspoken about their confidence in him behind the plate. As of now, the team has no catcher with Big League experience on their 40-man roster.

It was reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates were looking into veteran starting pitching.  The Bucs apparently have an interest in bringing Jose Quintana back.  They also were in on starting pitcher Kyle Gibson.  However, Gibson has since signed with the Baltimore Orioles.  So we could see the Pittsburgh Pirates be aggressive in adding a starter during the Meetings.

Of course, the final point of interest will be the Bryan Reynolds story.  Reynolds has requested a trade out of town.  It is not a coincidence that this news became available the day before the Winter Meetings get underway.  The Pittsburgh Pirates said they do not plan to trade him at this time.

Let’s be honest, Bryan Reynolds’s time playing in the Pittsburgh Pirates outfield is likely to an end.  It is rare to see players publicly demand trades, especially one who is this far from Free Agency.  To me, this seems very calculated by Reynolds and his agent.  The Bucs are likely not getting close to the numbers they expect and probably are not willing to move from that number.  It is risky for a team to invest a large percentage of its payroll to a player in his 30s.

The older he gets the more money he will lose on an extension at this point.  If they can get him to a team that wants to make a splash and bring him in, then said “team” will likely be more open to extending him as well.  The return for Reynolds will hurt a team’s farm system for sure, so extending him would be preferable if the acquiring team is losing top assets.

Finally, the team has 38 players on their 40-man roster currently.  So they have two open spots to fill.  I would expect the Pittsburgh Pirates to plan on filling those spots.  Keep in mind at the end of the Winter Meetings the annual Rule V Draft will take place.  There is a good chance that the Bucs make a selection.