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The Pittsburgh Pirates made another pair of spring roster cuts Thursday, reassigning right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler and left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco to minor league camp.
Chandler was the more surprising cut of the two, as he entered spring training with a legitimate shot at winning a spot in the Pirates' Opening Day rotation. However, Pittsburgh's top pitching prospect now appears destined to open the 2025 season with Triple-A Indianapolis.
Chandler made three appearances this spring, allowing four walks, three hits and five earned runs while striking out a pair of batters across 2 1/3 innings of work. Even if he isn't on the Opening Day roster, it's still very likely that we see his MLB debut at some point this upcoming season.
The Pirates' top left-handed pitching prospect, Barco made two appearances this spring and allowed two hits, two home runs, four walks and four earned runs across 2 2/3 innings while recording four strikeouts for a 13.50 ERA. Barco earned a promotion to Double-A Altoona last season before his 2024 campaign was cut short in July due to injury. He is likely to open the 2025 season in Altoona.
Paul Skenes debut patch card already commanding six-figure bids at auction
Paul Skenes' highly anticipated 1/1 Topps MLB Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card finally went up for auction on Fanatics Collect Thursday evening, and in just 13 hours has surpassed $360,000 from 52 different bidders.
Topps announced on Jan. 21 that the card – which was released in November as part of the 2024 Chrome Update Series – had been pulled by an 11-year-old collector in Los Angeles. The family of the child, whose identity has not been revealed to protect his privacy, opted to turn down the Pirates' lucrative offer for the card and instead send it to auction. The Pirates' offer included two season tickets behind home plate for the next 30 years, a softball game at PNC Park for 30 people featuring coaching from Pirates alumni, a meet-and-greet with Skenes and two autographed Skenes jerseys.
The card is already on pace to be one of the most profitable cards in modern baseball history. The auction runs through March 20 at 10 p.m. ET, with all proceeds being donated to Los Angeles Fire Relief Funds.
Pirates announce Paul Skenes bobblehead release
The same day that the ultra-rare Skenes rookie card went to auction, the Pirates took the opportunity to cleverly announce their upcoming bobblehead giveaway featuring the reigning National League Rookie of the Year.
"Paul Skenes is 1/1," the team posted on X. "Good thing there are 20,000 of his bobblehead."
Paul Skenes is 1/1.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 6, 2025
Good thing there are 20,000 of his bobblehead. pic.twitter.com/AOGAM7J82u
The Pirates will be giving away Skenes bobbleheads to the first 20,000 fans at PNC Park for Pittsburgh's home game against the Cleveland Guardians on April 19.
The Pirates will also have bobblehead nights on July 19, when they host the Chicago White Sox, and on September 6, when they host the Milwaukee Brewers, but the team hasn't yet announced which players will be featured.
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