Today is the big day.
The MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement expires tonight at 11:59 PM EST.
It’s almost a certainty that MLB will enter a lockout, and things could potentially get bad enough for Spring Training or the season to be delayed. For more of what this means for MLB, check out this rundown by Jeff Passan on ESPN+.
The key thing I took from that is the February 1st and March 1st deadlines that Passan mentions for delays of Spring Training or the regular season. After tomorrow, I feel like we’ll all be in a state of slow moving limbo for a few months, as the owners and players stare off their demands.
The Pirates, meanwhile, will have their building efforts paused under a lockout. That will leave plenty of time to discuss what we already know about this team, and forecast what could be to come in the future, while we wait for baseball to resume.
Over the last month, I’ve been breaking down the Pirates by position, with rundowns of the prospects they’ve got coming up from the minors. If you’re looking for more than lockout talk over the next few days, check out the summaries below.
Catcher
**No Quarter: The Brilliance of Jacob Stallings
**Pirates Prospects: Henry Davis Leads a Rebuilt Group of Catchers
First Base
**No Quarter: Colin Moran Versus Yoshi Tsutsugo at First Base
**Pirates Prospects: Mason Martin Leads a Thin Group of Prospects
Second Base
**No Quarter: The Adam Frazier Trade Left a Hole at Second Base
**Pirates Prospects: The Free-For-All is Ready to Begin
Shortstop
**No Quarter: Shortstop is a Game of Attrition
**Pirates Prospects: The Impact Potential of Oneil Cruz
Third Base
**No Quarter: Ke’Bryan Hayes Saw a Drop in His Power Numbers
**Pirates Prospects: The Ke’Bryan Hayes Failsafes
Left Field
**No Quarter: Can the Pirates Do Better in 2022 Than Ben Gamel and Anthony Alford?
**Pirates Prospects: Two Potential Big League Starters Added to the System
Center Field
**No Quarter: The Emergence of Bryan Reynolds, and Bryan Reynolds Trade Rumors
**Pirates Prospects: Travis Swaggerty Could Arrive in 2022
Right Field
**No Quarter: The Final Chapter of The Dream Outfield
**Pirates Prospects: The Pirates Have Candidates For Their Final Outfield Spot
Starting Pitching
**No Quarter: The Starting Rotation Showed Little Sign of Hope
**Pirates Prospects: Quinn Priester and Roansy Contreras Lead the Way
Relief Pitching
**No Quarter: The Bullpen Continues a Concerning Development Trend For Pirates Pitchers
**Pirates Prospects: Building a Bullpen From Within
Team Recaps
In case you missed it, here are the minor league season recaps from Wilbur Miller and John Dreker:
Daily Links
**New Pirates Prospects: What to Expect From Kyle Nicolas and Connor Scott
**WATCH: Rodolfo Castro Shows Off Extreme Athleticism in Winter Ball
**Pirates, Roberto Perez Agree to One-Year Deal
**Pirates in Agreement with Veteran Catcher Roberto Perez
**Pirates Avoid Arbitration with Newman; Chad Kuhl Non-Tendered
**This Date in Pittsburgh Pirates History: November 30th, Frank Killen and Craig Wilson
**Card of the Day: 2005 Donruss Diamond Kings Craig Wilson
PBN Updates
PBN Black Friday: New Book Releases and Discounts on Pirates Prospects Books and Merchandise
