News & Notes: Bucs Shuffle the Deck; MLB Stuff

 This week’s stuff:

• Moves are a-flying on Federal Street. IF Kevin Kramer, C Luke Maile, EHP Yacksel Ríos and OF Jason Martin were reinstated from the IL and outrighted off the 40-man roster. RHP Nick Burdi had his second Tommy John surgery in mid-October, was just removed from the IL and DFA’ed. RHP Dovy Neverauskas was placed on waivers. C John Ryan Murphy cleared waivers and was outrighted. The Twins plucked LHP Brandon Waddell and the Mets took RHP Nick Tropeano off waivers.

• The Pirates turned down RHP Chris Archer’s $11 million option for 2021, making him a FA. LHP Derek Holland and RHP Keone Kela also declared for free agency. 148 other players joined them; the entire list is here, via the MLBPA. They are considering an extension offer to 1B Josh Bell, per Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic and expanded on by MLBTR.
• The Pirates claimed the Rays backup catcher, Michael Perez, 28, on waivers. He’s a good glove guy with a suspect stick who hit .167 last year and has a .221 BA in three MLB campaigns (84 games). Perez comes with the added benefit of a couple of remaining options. And with Maile and Murphy outrighted, he looks like Jake’s caddy as of now. The 40-man was filled when CF Anthony Alford, RHP Jameson Taillon, IF Phil Evans, RHP Michael Feliz and RHP Clay Holmes were flipped from the IL to the roster.
• Mark Feinsand of MLB.com look at every team’s most glaring need. He had a bunch of Pirates holes to choose from and zeroed in on center field, saying “Perhaps GM Ben Cherington will look for a veteran to bring in some leadership (and production) to the young club, which has (Cole) Tucker, (Bryan) Reynolds and Anthony Alford as its top internal options. Potential FA targets: Jackie Bradley Jr., Kevin Pillar.”
• The Trib had a Sunday three pack on the downtrodden Buccos, and the stories weren’t exactly uplifting. The articles were Pittsburgh Baseball: Lacking Dollars & Sense by Paula Reed Ward & Megan Tomasic; The Pirates and the Psychology of Losing on Fans by the same pair and Another Horrendous Pirates Baseball Season Wears on Pittsburgh’s Psyche by Paul Guggenheimer & Tom Davidson. 

• The Miami Marlins have exercised their 2021 option for CF Starling Marte. It’s worth $12.5M and is the last season of the Bucco contract extension that he signed back in 2014.
• Well, so much for the backroom buttonholing. MLB has canceled the owners meetings and Winter Meetings, which will be conducted remotely. The GMs will have to get their IT guys to teach them how to Zoom.