Jarry Pushes Back
Since late winter/early spring, there has been plenty of discussion regarding Tristan Jarry’s injury history and how it should have affected the Penguins’ decision to retain him as their goaltender.
While speaking with the media via a conference call yesterday, Jarry pushed back against the notion of the hip injury that limited him last season being “chronic,” but did admit to having issues throughout the entire season.
“I don't think it's chronic in any way. They never said it was chronic. So I don't know where that would have come from,” said Jarry.
“The injuries that I had were something that I don't think I could have avoided. I was dealing with it for, I want to say, since the beginning of training camp, and just being able to not get ahead of it and not really get over it was the toughest thing for me.”
The Penguins and Jarry coming back together this summer may have been exactly what both sides wanted in the end.
“The coaching staff really believes that Jarry is better than he showed last year. They are comfortable with him being their goaltender,” said Rob Rossi on the latest episode of Fifth Avenue Faceoff.
“It’s my understanding (GM Kyle Dubas) leaned heavily on the recommendation of Mike Sullivan and (Andy) Chiodo,” Rossi continued. “I think he felt more comfortable going with Jarry than the devil he didn’t know, so to speak.”
Why the long term commitment, though?
“It was either a two year deal and $6.5 million per year, or a five year deal at sub-$5.5 million per year,” said Rossi.
And now, with Jarry seemingly cemented as their starting goaltender for the next half decade, while we wait for the postseason to see if he’ll ever win a playoff series, the more interesting battle may be for the backup position between incumbent Casey DeSmith and free agent signing Alex Nedeljkovic, who started a baker’s dozen for the Red Wings last year with just an .895 Save Percentage.
Big Bednar Return?
The All Star Break is over, and the Pirates have reconvened in Pittsburgh to take on the San Francisco Giants, starting tonight in a game that you’ll only be able to watch if you have Apple TV+, but you can listen to right here on 93.7 The Fan.
That means the MLB Trade Deadline, set for 6pmET on Tuesday, August 1, is less than 18 days away.
Unless the Pirates go 12-3 over the ensuing stretch – against the Giants, Guardians, Angels, Padres, and Phillies – they will still be under .500 at the Deadelin, and presumably, not a part of any postseason discussions.
Which means veterans on one-year deals have to go to get something in return.
Rich Hill, Carlos Santana, and perhaps even Ji-Man Choi should be able to fetch something in return, especially Hill, who as a lefty starter could be valuable to a team looking to bolster a suspect rotation.
But several outlets, including MLB.com, have also thrown the name David Bednar out there as chum in the water for teams looking to deal with the Pirates.
There are two very clear sides to this debate that I’m sure is taking place in the Pirates front office right now:
Shop Him: We’re eight games under .500, eight games back of a Wild Card spot, and 8 ½ back in the division race. We’re not going to the playoffs this year, so what do we need a closer for? With three years of control left, we could get a decent return for a young, still healthy arm that can bolster the back end of a contender’s bullpen. We can’t get bogged down in the “He’s from here” crap and let it effect our ability to bolster a team we think can contend in ’24, ’25, ’26, and beyond.
Keep Him: Did you notice how you just said “three years of control?” And did you notice how you mentioned this team getting its $#!+ together and actually staying competitive beyond April 30, 2024? For a few years?
Yeah, so why on earth would we trade the closer for the ’24, ’25, ’26 teams that we all agree should be contending? GTFOH. Especially with no signs of him slowing down – sorry, slowing DAHN, after all, he is from here – and the PR hit we can’t afford to take if we should trade one of the team’s most popular players, one of its two All Stars, who happens to be – did I mention this yet? – from here.
The easy fix to this is the Battlin’ Bucs go on a tear, winning their two series coming out of the break at home against San Fran and Cleveland, sweep their California trip against the struggling Angels and Padres, and then take two of three from the Phils when they get back home at the end of the month and get back into the Wild Card hunt if not the NL Central race.
But I’m not holding my breath. ‘Cause that’s dumb. You need to breathe. To live.
2024 Bucco Schedule
Speaking of looking ahead to next year, MLB released their 2024 schedule, which starts March 20 in South Korea with the Dodgers and Giants taking their rivalry to Asia. I’m sure it was a decision that was made in the Heat of the Moment.
Sorry.
The Pirates – and most of the rest of Major League Baseball – will start the regular season on March 28. After starting in Miami for four games and moving on to Washignton for three more, the Pirates’ Home Opener will be Friday, April 5 at PNC Park against the Baltimore Orioles.
Highlights include an April visit from the Red Sox, hosting the Cardinals on July 4, a 10-game homestand in September, and a season-ending series in the Bronx against the Yankees.
League-wide, special events will include the Rockies and Astros squaring off in Mexico City on April 27-28, the Mets and Phillies in the London Series June 8-9, and a special game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, AL with a Negro Leagues tribute June 20 between the Giants and Cardinals.
The All-Star Game will be hosted by the Texas Rangers Tuesday, July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
ACC on The CW
The ACC announced yesterday that they’ll begin airing games on the CW this fall, beginning September 9 when Pitt hosts Cincinnati.
This is in addition to the broadcast rights deals they already have in place, so this isn’t quite the same thing as a few months ago, when it was bring rumored that the Pac-12 was negotiating their primary media rights deal with the CW, which would be quite the downgrade from their current primary deal with FOX.
It also includes men’s and women’s basketball doubleheaders every weekend this winter.
And it brings about the question of whether this means the CW is trying to prove to the Pac-12 that it belongs with the big boys at CBS, NBC, ABC/ESPN/Disney, and FOX, and can handle power five conference athletics.
Or does this mean it’s out on the Pac-12?
And if it’s out on the Pac-12, what’s next for that conference, which is less than a year away from losing two of its flagship schools to the Big Ten and ripe for poaching from the Big XII if schools decide they’re not confident in Commissioner George Kliavkoff, who has media days right around the corner but still no announced plan for where fans will be able to watch his teams after this season?