{"id":716438,"date":"2026-01-30T12:09:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T12:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/716438\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T12:09:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T12:09:15","slug":"with-both-skenes-and-griffin-a-perfectly-pirates-dilemma-plus-new-nfl-mock-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/716438\/","title":{"rendered":"With both Skenes and Griffin, a perfectly Pirates dilemma. Plus: New NFL mock draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning! Take a long-term outlook today. Coming up:<\/p>\n

Wait, Them?: The Pirates\u2019 embarrassment of riches\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Either the Pirates are on the brink of a major turnaround, or they\u2019re about to suffer a fate only rivaled by the Mike Trout-Shohei Ohtani Angels of 2018 to 2023.<\/p>\n

Keith Law\u2019s\u00a02026 MLB farm system rankings<\/a>\u00a0arrived yesterday. Pittsburgh is No. 4, up from No. 16 a year ago.\u00a0The biggest reason is the presence of No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin.<\/p>\n

The 19-year-old was a first-round pick in 2024 and spent last year making a mockery of the low minors and Double A, putting up a combined .941 OPS while playing a solid shortstop.
\nHe\u2019s a complete toolshed, elite in every possible way. As we mentioned earlier this week, Keith\u00a0calls Griffin<\/a> \u201cthe most exciting prospect we\u2019ve had in the minors since Mike Trout\u201d and predicts he\u2019ll be \u201cone of the best players in baseball once he gets established.\u201d
\nWith Griffin leading the Pirates\u2019 system, Keith thinks the team\u2019s prospect group has a \u201cSistine Chapel kind of ceiling.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pirates also already have 23-year-old Paul Skenes dealing as the reigning NL Cy Young winner.\u00a0If Griffin is the burgeoning superstar he looks like, it should be\u00a0very\u00a0hard for the Pirates to continue to stink.\u00a0Teams with two mega-elite players just do not finish below .500 all that often,\u00a0as Baseball America found in November<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s my rational brain. But for sad and indefensible reasons, I am a Pirates fan. That means I have a strong idea of another way this could go. Perhaps\u00a0that iconic 2021 \u2018Tungsten Arm\u2019 O\u2019Doyle tweet about the Angels<\/a>\u00a0will soon need a rewrite.<\/p>\n

The Bucs have had a solid offseason in a vacuum, trading for Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe and giving\u00a0a big-by-their-standards contract<\/a>\u00a0to free-agent first baseman Ryan O\u2019Hearn. The lineup looks better than the awful 2025 group that only outhit the 43-win Rockies. The team still isn\u2019t\u00a0really\u00a0spending, though, with a 2026 payroll that\u2019s currently slated to be around the same $105 million that placed 27th in the league last year. The Pirates have a couple of obvious roster holes. With Skenes on the roster and Griffin close \u2014 and neither of them making real money this year \u2014 it would be malpractice not to invest.<\/p>\n

For now, betting markets expect Pittsburgh to win 76 or 77 games, which wouldn\u2019t be better than third in the NL Central. Griffin\u00a0could\u00a0start the year in majors, but as Keith\u00a0told the \u201cRates & Barrels\u201d crew this week<\/a>, it\u2019d be awfully risky to skip him past Triple A.<\/p>\n

Please, please,\u00a0please\u00a0let this young man play in meaningful late-season games once he arrives.\u00a0It\u2019s hard to break Pirates fans at this point, but a Trout-Ohtani sequel might do it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speaking of which: The Angels are 29th in the farm system ranking. It\u2019s not possible for me to feel bad for fans of other big-league franchises, but Angels fans might deserve an exception. The other Los Angeles-area team is ranked second, of course. Let\u2019s move on.<\/p>\n

News to Know<\/p>\n

Koepka makes uneventful return to PGA Tour
Brooks Koepka got a warm reception at Torrey Pines\u2019 South Course as he made his first start on the PGA Tour since 2022. The five-time major winner dealt with an unruly driver and carded a 1-over-par 73 and ended the day in a tie for 101st. (He should make more birdies today, as he moves to Torrey\u2019s more inviting North Course.) Koepka\u2019s return was deflating for LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed alternative that has struggled to build and keep momentum. On the other hand, it was a boon for the PGA Tour\u2019s new commissioner.\u00a0More on that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Allen reveals he underwent foot surgery\u00a0
Josh Allen walked into yesterday\u2019s introductory news conference for new Buffalo coach Joe Brady with a boot on his right foot and told reporters that doctors had diagnosed a \u201clittle broken bone\u201d and \u201ccleaned it up.\u201d It was an old injury, Allen said, which he reaggravated in Week 16. It\u00a0doesn\u2019t sound like a long-term problem<\/a>. Meanwhile, Brady (until recently the offensive coordinator) and GM Brandon Beane\u00a0talked up their \u201calignment.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

More news:<\/p>\n

Olympic sprinter\u00a0Sha\u2019Carri Richardson\u00a0was arrested in Florida and charged with dangerous excessive speeding. Police said they clocked the 25-year-old driving more than 104 mph.\u00a0More here<\/a>.
\nThe\u00a0Falcons\u00a0hired<\/a>\u00a0Bears assistant general manager\u00a0Ian Cunningham\u00a0to be their GM. He\u2019ll work under new president of football Matt Ryan.
\nThe\u00a0Eagles\u00a0hired 33-year-old former QB\u00a0Sean Mannion\u00a0as offensive coordinator. He\u2019s\u00a0just two years removed<\/a> from his own playing career.
\nCrystal Dunn, a versatile contributor to the\u00a0USWNT\u00a0and a World Cup winner,\u00a0retired from soccer at 33<\/a>.
\nGymnast Jordan Chiles got closer to getting back her 2024 Olympic bronze medal, successfully appealing to the highest court in Switzerland for a fresh hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The full report<\/a> will refresh your memory on this.
\nRed Wings star\u00a0Patrick Kane\u00a0set a record for American-born NHL players by\u00a0recording his 1,375th point<\/a>. He joined the 500-goal club a few weeks ago, too.
\nGreat trivia answer here: January 2026 has now seen more hat tricks than any month in\u00a0NHL\u00a0history. Last night, the Sabres\u2019\u00a0Alex Tuch\u00a0made it 30 for the month<\/a>.
\nWatch Guide<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa\u00a0NCAAM: No. 3 Michigan at No. 7 Michigan State
8 p.m. ET on Fox\u00a0<\/p>\n

A rivalry in its peak form. The Wolverines have one loss, by 3 points, three weeks ago. The Spartans\u2019 last loss was on Jan. 2 against a Nebraska team whose only defeat came at the hands of \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 Michigan, this past Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa\u00a0NBA: Pistons at Warriors
10 p.m. ET on ESPN<\/p>\n

Detroit is en route to the East\u2019s No. 1 seed\u00a0thanks to a nightmarish defense<\/a>. Golden State, meanwhile, is not in a great place.\u00a0Challenging times for that front office<\/a>\u00a0with the trade deadline\u00a0looming on Feb. 5<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Get tickets to games like these\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pulse Picks<\/p>\n

Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman went two rounds deep for our latest\u00a0NFL mock draft, working their way through some uncertainty among the top picks.\u00a0What will the Jets do?<\/a><\/p>\n

Was that messy\u00a0Bills news conference\u00a0after firing Sean McDermott really a \u201cdisaster\u201d?\u00a0A former owner and GM weigh in<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The upper echelon of\u00a0men\u2019s college basketball\u00a0is deep this year, making CJ Moore\u2019s\u00a0midseason contender tiers\u00a0all the more interesting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After winning just two medals at the Beijing Olympics four years ago,\u00a0Team Great Britain\u00a0is going to Italy optimistic that\u00a0this could be its best-ever\u00a0Winter Games<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The\u00a0anonymous NFL player poll<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Most-read on the website yesterday: Dan Pompei\u2019s excellent piece on\u00a0Charles Tillman and his time in the FBI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for now! Say hello at\u00a0thepulse@theathletic.com<\/a>, and\u00a0check out our other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":716439,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,6060,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-716438","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-mlb","10":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115983978789444146","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=716438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/716439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=716438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=716438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=716438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}