The Bucs made two moves in the last 24 hours or so that aren’t terribly important, but they’re moves nonetheless. The Vazquez signing became official, so if Freddy and Jack aren’t traded it’s likely down to Bixler and Cruz for one utility spot in the middle infield next year. I don’t really see this move as much beyond extending the infield depth a bit, so it’s not really worth spending a lot of time on.
The other move is the non-tender of Denny Bautista. Bautista was positively Osorian in August and September last year, getting lit up to the tune of an 8.34 ERA and a 2.29 WHIP (with 22 walks and only 18 strikeouts). Dropping this sort of player is a no-brainer, especially since the Pirates should have a bit more pitching depth this year, but it’s nice to see that Huntington can drop “live” arms just as easily as he can pick them up.
