Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

The Toronto Star's Gregor Chisholm writes that Toronto Blue Jays infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa appears to be the favorite to get the bulk of the reps at third base after the team signed him to a two-year, $15 million this offseason. Veteran Justin Turner will also get some starts there, too, but most of his at-bats figure to come at designated hitter. Cavan Biggio and Santiago Espinal could factor in at the hot corner as well, but they'll also be in play at second base, along with Davis Schneider. But unless the Jays re-sign Matt Chapman, Kiner-Falefa's position will likely be at third. The 28-year-old is mostly helpful for his positional versatility, but his bat hasn't really impressed in his time in the majors. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues will merely hope to take advantage of his positional eligibility and his speed in a good lineup, but he's going to need to produce to stay on the field.

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Wednesday that they signed free-agent left-hander Josh Fleming to a split one-year deal. The 27-year-old southpaw will make $850,000 if he's in the big leagues in 2024. The Pirates are planning to use him in a long-relief role, which won't give him much fantasy appeal for the rebuilding Bucs. Fleming went 2-0 in 2023 with a 4.70 ERA (5.66 FIP) and 1.45 WHIP with 19 walks and 25 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings over 12 appearances (three starts), and he has a career 4.88 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with one save and 144 strikeouts in 223 1/3 innings over 55 outings (22 starts) in four years with the Tampa Bay Rays. Elbow issues cost Fleming more than two months in 2023, and at best, he'll be a low-upside streamer in NL-only leagues if he makes any spot starts in Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed right-hander Johan Oviedo (elbow) and catcher Endy Rodriguez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list on Wednesday. Oviedo will miss all of the 2024 season after having Tommy John surgery in December. The 25-year-old was inconsistent in his first full season as a starter for the Pirates last year, going 9-14 with a 4.31 ERA (4.49 FIP) and 1.37 WHIP while striking out a career-high 158 batters and walking 83 in 177 2/3 innings over 32 starts. Oviedo won't be back until 2025, and his high walk rate will continue to make him risky in deeper fantasy league. Rodriguez will also miss all of 2024 after having surgery last December to fix the UCL and flexor tendon in his right elbow. The 23-year-old backstop will have some mild post-hype sleeper appeal when he returns in 2025.

San Francisco Giants right-hander Daulton Jefferies (elbow) will not face any restrictions and is a full-go in spring training this season. The 28-year-old was sidelined for the entire 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery and hasn't been on a big-league mound since May 18, 2022, as a member of the Oakland A's. Jefferies' MLB career has been limited to just 14 appearances (10 starts), and he owns a 5.75 ERA and a subpar 15.2% strikeout percentage across 56 1/3 innings in that time. In addition to his Tommy John surgery, Jefferies has also underwent thoracic outlet surgery in the 2022 season, limiting him to just five appearances and 15 innings of work that year. He could serve as a long reliever or as Triple-A starting depth for the Giants in 2024.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are still looking to bolster their starting rotation for 2024 and are reportedly considering free agents Noah Syndergaard and Domingo German, per Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Jason Mackey. Mackey reported that the team is doing more investigation into German's history to determine how comfortable they would be in signing him, given his numerous off-field incidents last season. As for Syndergaard, the Pirates expressed interest in him earlier this year. The 31-year-old pitched 88 2/3 innings in 18 starts for the Dodgers and Guardians in 2023, going 2-6 with a 6.50 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 14.3% strikeout rate. Thor used to be a viable fantasy asset, but he has a lot to prove before becoming fantasy-relevant again, and joining the Pirates would not help his value.