Weekly Report: Bucs Open 1-2, Roster Set, Cutch To Texas, Exes On The Move

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Pirates Stuff:

• RHP Mike Clevinger was the Bucs last cut. He was sent to minor league camp as lefty Hunter Barco and righty Jose Urquidy made the team, although Urquidy had a miserable spring, slashing 0-1/9.28.

Jake made the cut – image SportsNet Pittsburgh

• The Pirates active roster: Ps – Braxton Aschcraft, Hunter Barco, Bubba Chandler, Jared Jones (60-day IL), Justin Lawrence, Mitch Keller, Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski, Mason Montgomery, Yohan Ramirez, Paul Skenes, Dennis Santana, Gregory Soto & Jose Urquidy;  Cs: Joey Bart & Henry Davis; IFs – Nick Gonzales, Spencer Horwitz, Brandon Lowe & Jared Triolo; OFs: Billy Cook, Oneil Cruz, Jake Mangum, Bryan Reynolds; Multi-Positional – Ryan O’Hearn & Nick Yorke; DH – Marcell Ozuna.
• Konnor Griffin just signed a multi-year contract…nah, not with the Pirates, but as a face man for Under Armour gear.
• Pittsburgh will wear a uniform patch this season in Bill Mazeroski’s memory; it will debut at the Home Opener on April 3 v the O’s, when Maz’s family will be present. The Bucs also wore a patch last year in tribute to Dave Parker.

• The Pirates ho-hummed their way to a 5-2 loss against the Braves on Monday to close out Grapefruit League play. The Pirates finished 17-13 in the spring; Atlanta won the GL with a 20-7 slate.
• Paul Skenes didn’t make it out of the first frame of the Season Opener, down 5-2 (Brandon Lowe opened with a two-run bop that snuck into the first row). He wasn’t sharp, walking a pair while hitting a batter and wasn’t helped by a couple of soft singles while Oneil Cruz twice misplayed flies. The Buc bats tried to battle back, but the bullpen was walk-happy and the Mets took the lidlifter, 11-7.

Brandon had a big series – photo/Pirates

• After a day off, Mitch came to pitch. Keller went six zippo frames with three hits surrendered while punching out a trio, leaving the game scoreless. It stayed that way until the 10th; the Bucs finally scored, but the Mets knotted it in their half. The Pirates went up 2-1 in the 11th, but Luis Roberts went deep off Hunter Barco, and NY had a 4-2 dub. The Pirates were 2-for-18 with RISP.
• The next afternoon, Carmen Mlodzinski gave the Bucs 4-1/3 frames, K’ing eight and surrendering a pair before leaving in the fifth. The bullpen was a rock on this day, whiffing eight more Mets, and the Pirates saved face with a 4-3, 10-inning win. Dennis Santana got the hard-earneded win; Jose Urqidy got the save thanks to a throw-out at home, going Oneil Cruz (he does good sometimes, too) -Jared Triolo – Henry Davis, and the final out was pulled in at the wall. Lowe homered again. Now off to Cincy for three before comin’ home…

MLB Stuff:

• The Texas Rangers announced that Andrew McCutchen made the team’s roster after signing the 39-year-old to a minor league deal on March 6. He spent the last three years here before losing his DH spot to Marcell Ozuna. So Cutch is the Texas DH, and is 4-for-9 with a homer and four RBI in three games.

Cutch is rakin’ for the Rangers now – 2025 Topps Stars of MLB

• The Mets and OF Tommy Pham have agreed on a minor league contract. He’ll earn a prorated $2.25M for MLB time w/$850K in incentives and an April 25 opt-out date  per MLB Trade Rumors.
• C Brett Sullivan, who played three games for the Pirates last season, will go north with the Colorado Rockies.
• 10-year vet IF Ildemaro Vargas made the final cut and will start the season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He made a seven-game stop in Pittsburgh in 2021, one of three teams he played for that season.
• C Roberto Perez, 37, retired. He was signed to be the Pirates starting backstop in 2022, but after 21 games, he injured his hammy and eventually required surgery, losing the rest of the season.
• RHP Osvaldo Bido, who got his start with the Pirates in 2023, was claimed by Atlanta, the fifth roster he’s been on this off season.
• RHP Tyler Beede was released by the Cubs. He worked for the Bucs in 2022 (2-5/5.23), went to Japan, then pitched for the Guardians and on the farm. In ’25, he tossed in the minors, indie Atlantic League and Mexico.
• RHP Shane Baz, who was a Pirates prospect dealt away in the 2018 Chris Archer trade, and the Baltimore Orioles are finalizing a five-year/$68M contract extension per ESPN reports.
• RHP Hunter Strickland, 37, who was a Bucco farm arm from 2009-12, signed a minor league deal with the Angels. Since he left Pittsburgh, he’s put together an 11-year MLB career, mainly with the Giants & Haloes.
• Bruce Froemming, 86, who umped for 37 years and a record 11 no-hitters, died Wednesday after a fall in his Wisconsin home.