PIVOT: With Market FROZEN, Should Pirates DOUBLE DOWN on Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin Extensions?

PIVOT: With Market FROZEN, Should Pirates DOUBLE DOWN on Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin Extensions?

If you can’t buy better, buy time. If the market freezes on the pirates, I’ve got a salvage plan. Extend your pillars now. Buy a bad contract to unlock a real upgrade and give the next regime a stable core. You are locked on pirates. Your daily Pittsburgh Pirates podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. >> What’s up everybody? Welcome back to Locked On Pirates, your daily podcast for all things Buckos. I’m Gary Morgan, former editor at steelcitypirates.com, covering this team since 2019. And I’m a lifelong fan who knows the difference between hope and hopium. First off, thank you to all the everydayers out there for tuning in first every day and keeping this community strong. If you’re new here, hit the subscribe button and join the conversation. Here’s the plan for today. We’re going to talk about extending to stabilize. If nobody will take your money, buy stability and credibility. Get creative. Absorb a bad contract to unlock a player you actually want. And on the current board, we’re going to go through what’s actually genuinely still in play, what’s cold, and how to prioritize if the lanes stay clogged. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit fanuel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. Let’s start where a lot of teams won’t, with an admission. If you can’t add better, add time. If external help won’t take your money, buy credibility with the people who matter most, your pillars, and hand the next GM president a roster spine that won’t evaporate in 24 months. I’d start by offering Paul Sk. I don’t know that he’s going to take it, but seven years at roughly 35 million a year is what I would go with. I would make sure that you tell them, you know, we’re not asking you to sign your career away. We’re buying a couple extra seasons that keep the window open. Fans want truth and direction. This is both. You tried to shop. If the cart comes back empty, invest in the axis of your team. Invest in the reason you felt the need to invest in the first place. Pitchers are volatile. You’re paying ace money, but you get stability here. It changes the perception inside the clubhouse, in the fan base, and around the league. It tells future free agents, you’re serious. It isn’t going to help you this year. But you do it before the environment changes. This could be the last pure shot you take at skins. Probably the first because I don’t believe they’ve actually taken one yet. But before the league tweaks extension dynamics, you don’t know what’s going to come out of this CBA. But even if it becomes easier later to take a swing at skins, wouldn’t you like to make sure he knows you wanted it before it became something the league made more plausible for you? Wouldn’t you at least like him to know that you tried pushing the boulder up the hill before somebody came along with a better invention to make it more plausible? I think the effort would mean something to him. I’m not saying he’ll accept it. Not delusional. I in fact I don’t think he has a reason to accept it outside of being an altruistic soul. But I would make the attempt. I would also do a preml extension for Connor Griffin. eight to 10 years, 80 to 100 million before you even approach Paul because I think Paul is going to need some kind of a sign that you’re serious anyway. So, do something like that. Go after Griffin. Get him locked up. Show Paul, listen, we’re going to keep this kid for a little while longer than than we expected to. All we’re trying to do is keep you here matched up with him a little bit longer. This isn’t skins or bust. It’s a a franchise saying we are building a spine, not a headline. If Griffin hits, you’ve locked prime years at below market pricing. Prospect variance is real. This is about character development, trajectory, and organizational belief. You could still do Bubba Chandler. He’s the swing piece whose progression could reshape your rotation and timeline for 27 through 30. Even a mid-tier extension align with the plan. Buy longer, not louder. if you can go ahead and get Bubba Chandler locked up. Well, I mean, that would be what I would turn to immediately if I failed to get Paul Skins. I would say, “Okay, I guess Bubba’s going to be my ace when you eventually have to leave, and that’s going to have to be okay with me. Change your mind. You can always come back and revisit the Paul Ske thing later after the league does make it more possible, provided they do. I mean, that’s wishful thinking still at this point, but that would be your assumption is like, yeah, I mean, I guess I’m going to go ahead and be resigned to the fact that I’m probably going to lose Paul SK, but at least I’m going to have Bubba and Connor. And I would say you lock up those sorts of things. It really helps. But this does not fix 2026. This doesn’t rescue Ben Cherington’s winter. This would be a clear public admission. We didn’t land external help, so we’re securing our core and making sure the next regime isn’t starting on sand. It’s basically insurance against going into a full rebuild when you change GMs, which I think is a big fear of even Bob Nutting. And you could think, yeah, he could just say no to it. Well, sure he could. But most GMs are going to come in here with some kind of a vision of at least wanting the freedom to explore moving on from guys. You’re going to at least want the ability to to know that anything you’d like to do to this team is in your power. I mean, and that’s what you have to sell to a GM unless you’re going to get somebody who’s completely and wholly unqualified, which I I certainly won’t roll out here. But if you want somebody that’s done it before and knows what they’re doing, they’re not going to want to come in here with a whole bunch of like you can’t do this, you can’t do that, you can’t do this. So if you’ve got some guys locked up, you don’t have to say you can’t do this, don’t do that, they can’t do this, they won’t do that. You make some of these contracts, you know, and they’d be foolish to move on from them and and they’re not really contracts you’re looking to move because you’re never going to match the value. They go with a different way of spending money. I What I would hate is for this team to just go into a shell, shrug their shoulders. We didn’t make it. Ben sure stinks. He’s a terrible GM. that’s the reason we didn’t spend money. Now, I want Bob to want that money spent. I like I don’t believe this to be the case, but I’m telling you, like I would prefer they they swing and miss on everything this this off season that this would be their backup plan. this would be what they would rebound to is, okay, listen, we really did try to put that money out there. But it’s time to show this team and the league that the reason we didn’t spend money wasn’t because we didn’t want to. It was cuz nobody would take it. So, you know who will take it? These guys that we are building around here in Pittsburgh. Now, ultimately, are those signings going to cause you to have to move on from something later? You know, would you have to eventually go like, “Okay, well, I’m paying too much for Brian Reynolds and Mitch Keller at this point.” Yeah, I think that’s exactly what it would do. And again, I think it greases the skids for the next GM. The next GM’s got a Mitch Keller, probably with one less year of of team control under his belt, which actually makes him a little more movable. And Brian Reynolds, you know, you you’re getting to the point where he’s either going to become your DH and you’re going to be fine with paying him what you’re paying him or, you know, you’re going to move on from him. couple years left on his contract. Maybe you’re basically doing a changing of the guard of who your major pieces of offense are here in Pittsburgh. O’Neal Cruz has only got a couple years left. That’s another guy that your GM could move, you know. So, you’re not locking their hands entirely. You’re not even locking Ben Sharington’s hands should the team miraculously win and he keeps his job, you know, regardless of what they’ve brought in. you wouldn’t even be handcuffing him as much as directing where the the controlled burn would have to be. Sometimes, you know, failure can be one thing and and we all will obviously point out the failures there and I will I’ll be part of that chorus. If they swing and miss on everything this off season, I’m not going to let them off light. you know, you failed and and like I know I won’t necessarily care who I’m blaming because I’ll be blaming the organization. They failed as a whole. But if they can pivot and they can take advantage of a bad situation, frankly, and they can turn around and do something different that changes this team, maybe changes the narrative about the team going into the next off season. just might be a different look for free agents to look at a team that’s got a Connor Griffin and Bubba Chandler and potentially Paul Skins locked up for a while years ago when they decided to extend Brian Reynolds and they extended Mitch Keller. I thought those were great messages to send out to the league that you were going to be doing things a little different in Pittsburgh. You’re going to be extending guys. You’re not afraid of multi-year contracts. You want them to understand that Pittsburgh is trying to lock something down. We’re trying to keep a core together. We’re going to spend. We’re going to be more serious. Problem is, they didn’t follow it up with anything. So, I’m suggesting this time if you swing and miss again, take the hint. The league isn’t going to let you back in without being stupid on the free agent market or eating something you don’t want to eat. Take that for what it is. Learn the lesson and change direction here. Reset reset the core timeline by making some strategic extensions. Not easy. It takes player wanting to do it, too. I’m not sitting here telling you like Griffin will take what I offered there or Bubba or Skines. But those are starting points for conversations. And I have a real belief that you could get all three of them done, at least two of them, well underneath what you plan to spend this year. Look, fans don’t need fireworks. They need foundations. extending schemes. Griffin and potentially Chandler says, “Our window doesn’t close when you think it extends. You can sell internally that we believe in you. We’re ensuring against chaos. There are players right here in this room that we’re building on.” Up next, I want to talk a little bit about a kind of cool idea somebody brought up in an AMA on the Discord about a way to get Alec Bow from Philadelphia and and I think it’s going to entail taking on a bad deal to unlock the possibility. NFL Sundays move fast. One big play and suddenly everything feels different. That’s what makes live betting with FanDuel so much fun. You’re not just watching the game, you’re reacting to it in real time. FanDuel, you can jump in as the action unfolds. Every drive, every momentum swing, every single highlight moment. Live betting is perfect when the game starts to flip, a receiver gets hot, a defense tightens up, or a turnover changes everything. FanDuel lets you ride that wave. Live spreads and money lines update instantly. Player props adjust as guys heat up. You can bet next touchdown scores, drive results, totals, and more. It keeps you locked into every snap, every drive, every possibility. Take Monday Night Football. Steelers are favored by three points against the Dolphins. If Miami jumps out early, that line’s going to move fast. You can grab the Steelers at better odds midame or bet on who scores the next touchdown. That’s the beauty of live betting. So, if you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit fanuel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. FanDuel, the game moves fast. So can you. Hey everybody, welcome back to Locked On Pirates. Um, quick pause here. I just want to talk about Everydayers Club. Uh, you can go ad free, join our Discord and directly support the show for $5 a month or $50 a year via our Supercast link. It’s down below in the show notes, but it’s locked on pirates.cast.com. Kind of really easy to remember on uh Locked On is the number one daily sports podcast network and your support helps us keep the pirates conversation smart and honest. So, thanks for being part of the show in however you choose to participate. If you can’t pay into the goods section, pay for the cart that gets you to the real upgrade. So, the proposal here is that you would acquire Alec Bomb, a third base upgrade that you need, and Nick Castion, who you guys have continually told me in the chat you don’t want or catch is better than, and I can’t disagree with you, but hear me out. Okay. Um, second tier prospects is all this would take most likely. Controllable but expandable pieces like York and Bart, things like that. You accept Castianos’s salary to lower the talent price for Bow. He’s the real target. Bow stabilizes third base. with real run production and contact skills. It’s a position of need here that Pittsburgh could upgrade. Castiano’s defense is awful. DH first, an occasional left field in emergencies, but here I would think it’s probably right field. It’s coming off a down year. power still plays and the pirates still need that power. If both help, great. But if only Bomb helps, that’s basically the plan. You paid for the the cart to take home the thing you needed. I should also say here, I think Cut is going to come back. I’ve been told Cut coming back is all but decided. Pirates are terrified of the backlash if he doesn’t return. And frankly, this is the place that best fits his playing time expectations and the fan embrace. Uh I don’t know what they’re going to do with Kutch. I’m also not all that worried about it. Um, if he’s brought back in with the expectation that he’s going to be the full-time DH, okay, that doesn’t mean they have to do it. And it doesn’t mean that they have to live up to whatever expectations Kutch had. I again, I think Kutch is a lot of things, but one of the the things that he is most is realistic, especially about his own play. He seems to really know when he’s not performing. I only really say that to kind of illustrate I don’t think he’s going to make it a problem. But I also think we probably shouldn’t roll out bringing in another DH just because of it. If Castianos outplays him, okay, he’ll get more at bats. If not, they’ll find a way to flip them or cut him or bench him or whatever. And yeah, I followed this team, too. $20 million says you’re going to play here. So, I get it. Yes, I think they would give every opportunity to Nick Castian to be the the starting DH at least, if not try to shove him in right field and see if they can get that done. They, you know, how they think they have magic fingers for teaching people defense. I don’t want this, but I like the creative thought here. This came from uh one of the people in our Discord, and I just this is the kind of creative thinking I think the Pirates may have to employ. And while I may not think this deal in particular is the best match for the Pirates, it’s something that’s out there. It’s something that you could do. It’s something that in theory you could pull off and the way that it’s being thought about. This is kind of the way I think the Pirates need to think. If the league’s not going to let you in, you got to do your best to try to find a back door. You know, you you got to find uh that tunnel that gets you underneath the guard tower. You know, you got to find your way in. something like this, admittedly on the surface probably not the smartest thing in the world. You don’t want Nick Castianosis really, but you do want Alec Boom and you think that could help. You at least think it’s a reasonable opportunity for Nick Castianis to recapture something, have a death rattle, hit a few home runs on his way out the door. They’ve taken worse swings, I would say. Even as Nick Castanos takes increasingly worse swings. Yeah, Dutch may be the better overall hitter right now. I I believe that to be the case. Castianis would bring a little bit of fire. I don’t think it’s necessarily good fire. I think it it can kind of be taken badly in in a locker room, but I’m not 100% sure this locker room doesn’t kind of need somebody to come in and just be like, “What the hell’s going on here? Do you guys even want to win?” I mean, I just think like as much as Paul Ske is the leader of this team, as as I get reminded every time I talk about them needing leadership, the best leaders that I’ve ever seen, at least just from the few locker rooms that I’ve been around, and they’re almost always everyday players, as opposed to starting pitchers that come out once every fifth day. Don’t get me wrong, they can be leaders, too. Like Paul’s certainly the leader of the pitching staff. There’s no doubt there. And I’m sure when he speaks in the locker room, everyone listens. Not trying to convince you otherwise. I’m just saying there’s something to be said for an everyday leader who actually plays. So every day. So I think that the Pirates do need that from somewhere. I’m not sure Nick Castianos is the way to go as far as getting that. And I’m not sure he’s the mirror image you’d be looking for. This isn’t good business in a textbook. It’s practical business in a frozen market. Buying a bad contract to unlock a fit you can’t otherwise afford. Would you live with a DH split to secure a real third base upgrade? Does the clubhouse benefit from a fiery personality if the bat is streaky? If the choice is bone and a headache or no upgrade, which do you pick? Next up, let’s do a clean rundown of what’s actually still in play and quick priority rules if the board doesn’t break your way. Hey, welcome back to Locked On Pirates. Hey, follow me on X Gary Mo20007. Subscribe on YouTube at locked on pirates and jump into Everyday Club Discord. Today’s thread is would you absorb Castanos to get boom. I’ll be in there after the show to talk a little bit. uh what is actively in play and being talked about right now. I just want to kind of run through what’s actually out there. Brandon Laauo, that’s still going on. Um if teams are chasing Brandon Donovan as the top prize, uh you probably tell Tampa, we see the second fiddle. Let’s get a sane deal done. Lao doesn’t have to be, you know, locked to second base. Get the bat and sort the alignment later. Uh I would keep a line to Donovan anyway. You don’t have to love dealing with the Cardinals, but if the price isn’t lunacy, add the approach and polish of Brandon Donovan. He would help in a lot of ways. Ryan O’Harn is still out there. I’m less convinced he’s the right play than I was probably at the beginning of the off season. Just I’ve been looking into his numbers a lot deeper and I’m starting to think that um there might have been a lot more mirage to what he did last season than than I would like or feel convinced about. Don’t get me wrong, I still think the Pirates should pursue him. If they have a license to hunt in this tier, go now before other teams pivot down market and scoop them up. Luis Robert Jr. we talked about yesterday. There’s that national report. I still haven’t heard it internally and frankly I’m relieved. Price tag is radioactive and the health and approach risk is just too damn real for me. Boston’s outfield. Listen, I they feel I I, as you guys know, we had Ed Hand on. I have Gabby over at Locked on Red Sox that I can talk to. I a lot of contacts with the Red Sox. They’re one of those teams that I just happen to have a lot of crossover with. They feel stuck in a holding pattern. Uh it’s hard to craft a clean package until they decide which door they’re going to walk through. Bregman rumors shouldn’t dictate their outfield, but it just feels like they’re waiting to feel how that shakes out. Uh they’ve got too many outfielders. I’ve heard that from everybody. They’re considering moving one of them into second base, and he’s arguably their best outfielder, so probably not what they want to do really. Uh I’m not 100% sure what the Boston Red Sox are going to do. Um, you can obviously keep the door open on conversations with them. You can continue to remind them that if they’re willing to sell one of these guys, you’re the team to look to. You know, I’m not sure that the Pirates have exactly what the Red Sox would be looking for at this point. I don’t think they need um a rotation piece. I don’t think they ever wanted Mitch Keller. any interest that they supposedly had in Jared Jones last year is gone with his TJ and it will not help them immediately this year. So, I just don’t see that as a plausibility when you start talking about what the Pirates really have to offer. I mean, because even like Bubba, that’s not sexy to them. That’s I mean like yeah, I’m sure they they love the kid as a prospect, but they’ve got a lot of guys that are fighting for their rotation and he would just be added to it. Frankly, I mean, it’s not healthy for Pirates fans to think of Bubba the way they are either. They’re locking him into the rotation right away. I wouldn’t do that. I think you you should have a healthy bit of like he’s got to earn it this year. I I don’t think we’ve seen enough to 100% put him in pen in the rotation and most teams would see him that way. Be honest about the players and you’ll be more honest about what’s real out there on the market. Uh, I’m not sure that a trade comes through with Boston one way or another in that regard, unless they’re creative because again, you could potentially think about trying to find a way to buy the contract of Trevor Story. Been talking to my guys in Boston again and it sounds like something they might be open to. They’re a little concerned about Marcelo Meyer being too injuryprone to rely on as their starting shorts stop, but they certainly see the skill set there for him. And we talked about how they might have to move one of those outfielders to second. As it is, they’ve until they sign Bregman, they’ve got Meyer pencileled in at third base. So, weird times in Boston. I’m just not sure who’s going to shake loose. Thing is, I would take just about any of the four that could. So, keep the lines of communication open, but I don’t think this is going to be a fix a quick answer from Boston. And if you’re holding out for that to be your solution, it’s it’s risky to wait. The Mets have a few. They got McNeel still available, Vientos, Batty, although I I don’t believe they really want to get rid of Batty. I’m not excited about any of these uh unless the price collapses. Those fits to me are just meh. Uh, Ventos I wanted last year, but I just feel like we’re in a different place this year than we were last year. McNeel, boy, we discussed this a while ago. I don’t personally see this as that much of an upgrade over whatever I think Nick Gonzalez can get done this year. So, kind of not super interested in him either. Although, McNeel could play the outfield. So potentially that’s at least a a better answer than you currently have for your outfield mix. So yeah, maybe pursue that, but it’s the only one I can think of. Eugene Suarez, real third base power glove is serviceable to stench. The Pirates can meet his range. Uh several teams with deeper pockets can too if they really really want to. If it turns into a money sprint, the pirates will lose. Bette Bellinger not hearing real pirates interest from from them. If they decide to put an offer on paper, it’s going to freeze them um really for pursuing every other lane until those dominoes fall. That is not ideal with limited oxygen. And uh if you fail on everything, my priority rules for the board change. I go to those internal extensions first. Skins, Griffin, potentially Chandler. Buy longer. Tell fans exactly what you’re building on. Uh, I would try the creative second tier trade that that we were discussing maybe for a bomb or maybe you can pull off something like that with a team like well the Red Sox for Story or the Cardinals for Aronado. All these guys are people you guys are going to say no to. But if you want to like get somebody out of a city, the situation has probably not been good for a lot of reasons, for a lot of angles. You’re going to have to overcome all that. But you do that in an effort to pick up something you really do want. Not that you can’t use that player, too, but you’re doing that in an effort to pick up something you actually do need. Um, third tier bats, man. Only if the years and dollars keep 2027 and beyond flexible. I I just have no desire to see them try to stretch to sign a guy that isn’t a good fit just because they want to spend money. I don’t think that helps anybody. I think all that would do is put handcuffs on people. And my whole extension idea is to take handcuffs off the future GM. I don’t want to lock them into dumb things. I want to lock them into good things and guide their decision making a little bit. Um, I would avoid single decision paralysis. Don’t let a mega target choke out incremental improvements that you can actually achieve. Now, I say that knowing that they went for Schwarber, advising they could go for Bellinger. But do it like I suggested yesterday. Go in with a big offer. Ask for an answer. Don’t wait around. That’s what I think you should do. And that’s the priority I’d go with if you fail. That said, we got a long time to go before they’ve officially failed. I just want you to know that I don’t think necessarily the sky is falling if they don’t get things done. I think it would just be, you know, the culmination of what a lot of us told them pre-season. We didn’t see this getting done with with this current management setup. And I think then they would have had it proven to them that yes, they’re not going to get it done with this current management setup. Gonna have to be able to pivot. If you can’t buy better, buy time. Extensions aren’t fireworks, they’re foundations. And sometimes the smartest shopping is paying for the cart that lets you take home the thing you actually need. Remember, we’re serious about Pirates baseball here at Locked On Pirates because somebody has to be. Let’s go Bucks.

Pittsburgh Pirates face a frozen market, but could bold moves reshape their future? Can extensions for Paul Skenes, Konnor Griffin, and Bubba Chandler stabilize the team and signal real direction to fans and free agents? Gary Morgan explores how locking up core players could protect the next Pirates regime from a full rebuild and give the roster long-term credibility.

Creative trade ideas take center stage, including absorbing Nick Castellanos’ contract to unlock a real upgrade at third base with Alec Bohm. The episode breaks down the status of potential targets like Brandon Lowe, Brendan Donovan, and Ryan O’Hearn, plus the ripple effects of missed opportunities under Ben Cherington. Insightful prioritization rules, risks with waiting on the Boston Red Sox, and guidance on avoiding single-decision paralysis round out the episode. Can the Pirates’ front office pivot and build a stronger foundation for lasting success in Pittsburgh?

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Pittsburgh Pirates, Pirates News, Pirates Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, Paul Skenes, Connor Griffin, Bubba Chandler, Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, Andrew McCutchen, Mitch Keller, Brian Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Brandon Lowe, Brendan Donovan, Ryan O’Hearn, Luis Robert Jr, Jared Jones, Jeff McNeil, Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Eugenio Suarez, Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox, Mets, Cardinals, Phillies, MLB Offseason, Baseball Trades, Locked On Pirates