Notes: Bye Steve & Ty; Hot Stove Update; Minors News, Coaches Named; Odds and Ends

Snow is this week’s big news…

• Steve Blass, 76, who has been associated with the Bucs for 60 seasons, announced that this year will be his farewell tour; he’ll retire when it’s done. Actually, he said he’d “semi-retire” – Steverino plans to continue on as a Bucco gladhander and perhaps as a special assignment guy for AT&T SportsNet.

• Adam Berry of MLB.com posted that sources told him that Jung Ho Kang’s visa was extended and he received work authorization to play this season, so that’s one less worry as camp approaches.
• The Yankees have decided to to unload Sonny Gray in this winter’s off-again, on-again dance. FWIW, the Pirates had early interest in him, but are not currently among the known suitors. There is, of course, always a “mystery” team involved, if for nothing but dramatic effect, so…
• IMHO, the Bucs still have one more move up their sleeve; they will have to address shortstop sooner or later, with camp around the bend. Nick Ahmed and Freddy Galvis are still the most often mentioned names, but it’s been a close-to-the-vest search. The odds of anything else developing other than filling in around the fringes seem slim, with the best chance of a known quality joining up being in the bullpen. 
• Bill Brink of the Post-Gazette has a snapshot of the recent Pirates payrolls. It’s about what you’d expect.
• RHP Tyler Eppler, who was a depth guy with a shot to make the big leagues this year, took his game to Japan. The 26-year-old will make a reported $600K with the Orix Buffaloes after going 13-6/3.59 at Indy last year.
• MLB Pipeline has started its prospects-by-positions Top Ten lists; Mitch Keller was ranked as the #4 RHP, up a couple of spots from last season. But alas, no lefties cracked the list.

• Minor moves: The Pirates announced that Manager Wyatt Toregas moves up from Morgantown (now Greensboro Grasshoppers) to Hi-A Bradenton while Miguel Perez jumps from the DSL Pirates to the Grasshoppers. Assistant coach Stephen Morales will replace Perez. Brian Esposito (Indy) and Michael Ryan (Altoona) return. Some chairs changed in the pitching ranks: Bryan Hickerson moved up to Indy after serving as Altoona’s pitching coach over the previous two seasons while Joel Hanrahan will replace him on the Curve. Stan Kyles, last year’s Indy pitching coach, was flipped to Greensboro of the Sally League. Jon Nunnally (ex-Cleveland hitting coach and most recently Red Sox minor league hitting coach) replaced Keoni De Renne, who joined the Cubs’ AAA coaching staff, as Altoona’s hitting coach. Not a terribly messy offseason, with some interesting slicin’ and dicin’ among the pitching coaches.
• Chris Stewart signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres.
• The Bucs announced their spring schedule; it begins February 23rd against the Phils in Clearwater, with the first Bradenton home game the next day against the Marlins.