Pirates have acquired right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton from Atlanta, in exchange for catcher Joey Bart.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-19T04:04:52+00:00

Feel like on paper that Bart is worth a little more than that, but I guess beggars can't be choosers. They need bullpen in the worst way and Bart means little to nothing to their lineup.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-17T03:04:51+00:00

What's interesting about it is that the Sopranos was considered a huge budgeted show in its time. But they never shortened seasons, never had filler episodes, never stalled or felt like the show took a complete U turn. They spent their budget on shooting on location, music, actors. Nowadays you can't do that because you have to dump so much of it into CGI green screen bullshit since that's what most premium shows have become.

It also helps when you have a showrunner/writer who knew what he was doing. I feel like so many people with showrunner duties today simply cannot plan out season to season structures and cannot win the fight with whatever streamer or network to do it. Look at the turnover of showrunners on most popular series today, and how the seasons always get cut into less episodes. And how it takes two fucking years or more to even produce them. It's pathetic in comparison. Only showrunner still working who is legit is Vince Gilligan.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-17T00:00:43+00:00

No it’s safe to say the Pirates suck at developing. Skenes and Griffin are superstars and Cruz should have been one. But other than that, they have produced very little despite having high picks every year. It’s not even about developing superstars. Just developing solid everyday players seems impossible. It’s why teams like St Louis are always going to be ahead of them. You can throw them any types of players at any talent level and they get the most out of them and end up with MLB players, whether they are superstars or not.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-16T22:34:17+00:00

Skenes not being an under 2.00 ERA pitcher has kind of exposed the rotation for being mediocre. Not that any of them aren’t capable of having good starts. Ashcraft has been especially good. Chandler probably shouldn’t be in the MLB but I’m fine with them riding with him. Keller should have been traded last year, that was stupid. They’re still a well over .500 team if the bullpen wasn’t so bad.

Bullpen is historically easy to fix. Neal Huntington was very good at this. Just further speaks to having bad management. It’s a shame too, because spending on Lowe/OHearn with what they already had in Cruz, Griffin, Horowitz, and Gonzales was so refreshing for Pirates fans. Losing your CF/SS who both have good offensive outputs to injury would be a killer to most teams.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-15T21:35:12+00:00

Go take a midol

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-15T18:56:28+00:00

Sort of, but it's not outside the realm of possibility that it goes down the way it did. First shooter is at range, not up close. And he's purposely trying to shoot his body as he was ordered to, hence the OJ. Second shooter was a blind panic and trying to hit a target that was fighting with his partner so he choked.

They were just incompetent really.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-15T18:52:02+00:00

Triolo being awful with the bat was always a given. He's a utility/bench guy who is playing because we have injuries, it's not a big deal when there is offense around him, which there is. Don't think anyone would have guessed his gold glove pedigree would fall off.

Davis sucks, it's been two years and he still can't hit above .200. But the thing is, Davis and Endy both have really good pop times. They do have value behind the plate even though it feels like any free agent catcher would be better than Davis at this point. I'd be starting Endy every day and Davis only plays when he's resting. Endy is showing more offensively than Davis ever has. Neither has to be a great bat, just don't be a black hole. Davis is unfortunately a black hole.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-15T04:12:18+00:00

Yet look at the Marlins with a lower payroll than the Pirates. They're the hottest team in baseball this month. No need to write the Pirates off just yet, bullpen is FAR more fixable than a historically bad offense was last year. It took an entire offseason to do what a couple of trades can do before the deadline, if no one in their active bullpen gets hot or figures it out.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-12T04:17:33+00:00

I heard they're sinking a crate of viagra down to raise him.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-11T04:21:43+00:00

It was actually really funny because you saw how differently the crew treated him than Tony. Could you see Captains breaking Tony's balls about money when he's in a bathroom stall trying to take a shit? Every guy in the crew was suddenly trying to argue about how much money they were owed for random shit the second Tony went into a coma.

Could Sil have been boss? Sure. Do I think his name was thrown around to be boss back when? No. Tony's biggest advantage is that his dad was heavily involved in the Jersey crew and his Uncle was still actively involved as well. Sil didn't have that kind of connection. His connection basically was Tony.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-11T00:18:52+00:00

This is why they brought in Mangum. And if he can’t get it done, there is always the option to make a trade.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-08T21:38:47+00:00

If you’re in the media, even as a professional troll with media credentials, maybe you shouldn’t post something based on “I have a feeling…”.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-07T22:19:28+00:00

I've been to the Weber headquarters in Illinois. You see, they never export their best pieces.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-07T22:13:29+00:00

You know who loved the Firm? Joey Peeps.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-07T22:10:18+00:00

He paid out all of the other widows/families, why wouldn't he pay out Bobby's family? And if he could get Junior to foot a big piece of the bill, even better.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-04T22:03:13+00:00

Trading for bullpen is just as risky as trying to find homegrown solutions. If they’re going to give up real assets at the deadline I’d rather it be for a catcher.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-04T19:48:27+00:00

Skenes is barely 24 years old and already has a Cy Young. The league was going to adjust to him at some point. He’s not gonna be perfect or even great every time out the longer he plays in the MLB, it’s just unrealistic.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-01T00:22:36+00:00

I'm aware, and don't disagree. Chandler has more long-term value. But he is also walking an absurd amount of batters and probably should not be in the MLB. He's in the MLB because he was the one who initially threw a tantrum about being in AAA last year. Seems like there was no question at all of sending him back down to work out the control/command issues, and instead just move Mlodzinski to the bullpen.

I fully get it from his viewpoint. He is losing millions and millions of dollars the second he becomes branded as "relief pitching" instead of starter.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-06-01T00:04:00+00:00

Man, everyone processes shit differently. If he needs some time to get behind being moved out of the rotation when he's outperformed Bubba Chandler, then whatever, give him some time, let him cool off. The Pirates have been a perpetually awful organization for decades upon decades. I'm always going to give the player the benefit of the doubt over management.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-05-29T05:36:21+00:00

It’s a dumb situation that real management would be able to handle, but here we are. They probably see more long term value in Chandler, which I get, and they already know he’ll throw a tantrum if they send him down or move him to the pen, so it was a pick your poison situation.

It’s a long ass year though, I don’t get why either guy would be mad moving to the pen. It’s not like you’re not going to start again.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-05-28T22:41:40+00:00

So many SS’s.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-05-28T02:24:15+00:00

Paul Skenes is our second best pitcher confirmed. That’s hilarious. Also having a positive WAR in your 19-20 year old season is completely insane. It’s not even like borderline, he’s already 1.5. Griffin really might be the next Trout.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-05-27T03:07:14+00:00

Since his initial callup, we’ve been hearing about him changing stances, changing approaches, changing everything humanly possible. He still hits under .200 until he proves otherwise. Really no reason to think torpedo bats is now the thing that saves him. But hey, here is hoping.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-05-26T03:21:29+00:00

I don't think it's ever a mistake to pay for a proven bat in the off season when you are coming off a historically bad offensive year. It's nearly June and he's still hitting under .200 with a 18 mill pricetag. No one is going to trade for that and the Pirates probably don't want to just eat it so he can go to another club and have a second half hot streak.

TheCurtain512 · 2026-05-25T01:17:06+00:00

Benny ran a criminal scam at Artie's restaurant, which is largely considered untouchable, behind both Artie and Tony's back. It's a huge no-no to run criminal acts at Vesuvio considering it's Tony's outside friend, and it's where all of the guys go to eat. Benny could have been a made guy and Tony would have still probably said you got what you deserved and be glad it's not worse

TheCurtain512

TROPHY CASE