The MLB winter meetings may be over, but the Pirates were busy today shoring up their coaching staff and the catcher position.
With the non-tender of Elias Diaz and the doubts surrounding Jacob Stallings, the Bucs’ one immediate need was at catcher. During the winter meetings, Pirates GM Ben Cherington stressed that he was more interested in a catcher with good defensive numbers or the potential for them rather than a hot bat. Obviously keeping his previous team, the Toronto Blue Jays, in mind, today the Pirates signed Luke Maile, who was non-tendered by the Jays on December second, to a one-year contract for an yet-to-be-determined salary.
The 28-year-old Maile’s major league time has been limited due to injuries, so local media crowing about how his Defensive Runs Saved number equals Russell Martin’s and exceeds Francisco Cervelli’s is a bit misleading. However, not only is he a known quantity to Cherington, manager Derek Shelton is also familiar with him from his time with the Tampa Bay Rays, so plainly it was decided that he was worth checking out.
It’s not official yet, but Pittsburgh sports media is hearing from several sources that Oscar Marin, most recently the Texas Rangers’ bullpen coach, will be hired as the Pirates’ pitching coach, replacing Ray Searage. Justin Meccage, Searage’s assistant and another candidate for pitching coach, will become bullpen coach.
Marin has spent most of his coaching career with the Rangers, mainly as a minor-league pitching instructor, with two years as the Seattle Mariners’ minor league pitching coordinator. Someone who’s worked extensively developing minor leaguers should be a boon to improving the Bucs’ young staff.